Podcast episode 521ish: Brittany Lyseng

We had a great talk with our first guest of 2019, Calgary's own Brittany Lyseng. We discussed the perils of elevator and escalator travel, weird insects in fruit boxes, girls rugby, nice teachers, and putting together a Canadian Blue Collar Comedy show, among other topics. Brittany is at Yuk Yuk's Vancouver this weekend recording her first album. I do believe she's the first non-604 area code resident on the 604 record label.

Check it out below or on iTunes or Stitcher or Podbean or wherever you can find it.

Jan. 13: Brittany Lyseng

Our first guest of 2019 is an out-of-towner. Brittany Lyseng joins us in studio all the way from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It's her first time on the show so we'll find out all about her, from her humble beginnings in heavy duty construction to her finals in the Sirius-XM Top Comic competition. Brittany was in the area headlining the Yuk Yuk's in Abbotsford this week and will be at the downtown club next weekend recording an album.

We're on the air at 100.5 FM tonight at 11 pm. Friends and family and fans of Lyseng's can listen all the way from Alberta by livestreaming us on coopradio.org or finding us on the TuneIn Radio app.

Podcast episode 520ish: Dave Nystrom

Our latest podcast episode sees old friend Dave Nystrom back in studio after a 14-year absense. What? Fourteen years? How is that possible? Well, he did guest five years ago, but we recorded that off-site. Dave was back in town on a Sunday ahead of his New Year's Eve gig at Lafflines so it was a no-brainer to bring him in. The Thunder Bay native Nystrom started his standup career right here in Vancouver. He then lived for a decade in Hollywood, before moving to Calgary a few years ago to raise his thirty children... Okay, maybe I exaggerate but anything over two kids may as well be thirty. In this episode, he tells us about the perils of parenthood, living amongst the stars in LA, and reminisces about the Urban Well days in Vancouver.

Have a listen. Right here or go download the episode at iTunes, Stitcher or Podbean. Ask for "What's So Funny?" with a question mark. Free while supplies last.

Podcast episode 519ish: Harry Doupe

Relive the glory of 2018 with our regular year-end (or thereabouts) guest Harry Doupe. Come for the recap; stay for the stories. Harry's always got lots of stories and reminiscences from his many years in Canadian show business. And for the second year in a row, he's come bearing gifts. Such a thoughtful guy. It's always a treat when he joins us. I don't have to prepare much. I just throw out a name or topic and he's off to the races. That's his real gift.

And our gift to you is this episode. Enjoy it, and pass it on to your loved ones. You can listen on the link below or go download us at iTunes or Stitcher or Podbean.

Dec. 30: Dave Nystrom

Look who we've got in studio tonight? It's old pal Dave Nystrom! Dave's in town from Cowtown so he'll be joining us live for the first time since... November 21, 2004! Holy time warp! Five years ago we recorded an episode, too, so this marks his third appearance on the show. He likes to space them out to keep the demand high. Tonight we'll talk about his years living in Vancouver, Hollywood, and now Calgary. And who knows what else will pop up?

We're on the air at 11pm here in Vancouver on CFRO 100.5 FM. If you're in California or Alberta, for example, try our livestream at coopradio.org or find us on the TuneIn Radio app.

Podcast episode 518ish: Steve Bays

Bays is back! It's been two years since musician extraordinaire Steve Bays has been with us. Like always, we go long. Steve showed off his acting chops with some amazing accent work, told stories of nearly meeting a Beatle, watching an SNL rehearsal, and more. The episode runs almost 90 minutes but this is the holiday season so treat yourself.

You can listen here or download (and subscribe) at iTunes, Stitcher or Podbean.

Dec. 23: Harry Doupe

It's a semi-tradition around these parts to bring back Harry Doupe at this time of year every year. And so tonight, we present... Harry Doupe! He's like Santa, bringing his gifts of laughs and stories every winter. He'll talk about the year in comedy and regale us with tales of bygone days in Canadian show business. And he comes all the way from the North Pole, or Chilliwack (I forget which). Last year, he rung in Christmas. This time out, he'll ring in Christmas Eve. This is his 9th time with us, but he'll never run out of stories.

We're on the air, as always, at CFRO 100.5 FM in Vancouver. Or you can possibly stream us at coopradio.org or on the TuneIn Radio app.

Podcast episode 517ish: Melanie Rose

Melanie Rose is back with us in this episode. A hundred pounds lighter than the last time she was with us, to boot! We all knew about her ex-husband the bank robber, but I had never heard about her felonious fathers (both step- and biological) and her gansta granny. Hard to believe, but true. We also talked about the perils of being an older standup in the youthful community, mental health, Christmas karaoke, and lots more.

Listen here and now. Or download the show at iTunes or Stitcher or PodBay.

Podcast episode 516ish: He Fangzhou

Before Canada and China got into a tiff, we had Chinese national He Fangzhou on our program. He travels the Great White North performing standup comedy with his unique perspective. But he's not just about pointing out differences, as he tells us in this episode. He is also our first guest in 14 years who changed into better clothes for our audio interview. Gotta respect that! We're looking for huge numbers in China for this episode. Don't disappoint! We struggle with the correct pronunciation of his name but our hearts are in the right places.

Listen to this episode here on this page or go to iTunes, Stitcher, PodBay, et. al. and download us. Subscribe. Review. Comment.

Dec. 16: Steve Bays

Christmas comes early to What's So Funny? as Steve Bays makes his seventh appearance with us, but first since 2016. Steve just got off the plane from New York City so will be bringing us stories from La Grande Pomme. Maybe he saw some live comedy there? According to his Twitter account, he got to watch an SNL rehearsal. Can't wait to hear about it. Steve, as everyone knows, is one of the all-time great tambourine players. I believe he has a new Mounties album coming out, too, on February 8. It's always a bit of a marathon session when Bays drops by so buckle up. He may or may not be bringing a special surprise guest with him. Who could it be?!

Tune in to CFRO 100.5 FM in Vancouver at 11 pm for all the rock talk (and comedy). If you're a fan of Mounties or Hot Hot Heat or Fur Trade (all bands of his) and you're outside our listening area, you're not really because we can be heard worldwide. Livestream us at coopradio.org or find us on the TuneIn Radio app.

Dec. 9: Melanie Rose

Comedian Melanie Rose makes her return visit tonight after a three-year absence. Melanie started out eleven years ago taking a class called Stand Up For Mental Health. Today she puts on a show called Heavy Mental, among other things. I believe she runs the only comedy room in Richmond, too. And performs regularly at Yuk Yuk's. We'll get the lowdown tonight about her past, present, and future. Very Dickens-like, I'd say, for the season.

We're on the air on CFRO 100.5 FM at 11 pm in Vancouver. You can livestream us at coopradio.org or find us on the TuneIn Radio app. Join us, won't you?

Podcast episode 515ish: Kevin Kent

International improviser and drag queen Kevin Kent joins us in this very fun episode. Kent comes to us all the way from the 1800s – or so you'd think given his description of his living quarters in his home in New Mexico. He's in town performing with Bacio Rosso in a spiegeltent at Queen Elizabeth Park for a few months. He arrived at the studio fresh off a Sunday night show with only a bit of glitter stuck to his face. We talked about his journey from Albuquerque to Chicago to Seattle and now Vancouver (for a short while, anyway). He also talks about working with Dan Savage. It was Grey Cup Sunday when we recorded this and he had no idea, nor any idea what that even meant. Gotta love that!


You can listen to the episode right here, if you like. Or if you want to be mobile, go subscribe to download What's So Funny? on iTunes or Stitcher. Give us a rating while you're there. And a comment. Is that asking too much? If so, you can skip all the rest and just listen. I think you'll enjoy it. If it's your first time listening, check out the title of this post – this is episode 515! So you've got some catching up to do! Get on it.

Dec. 2: He Fangzhou

Last week we had an American guest. Two weeks before that we had an Estonian guest. Tonight? We're going east to China. We've got He Fangzhou on, a very funny standup who started his West Tour last night here in Vancouver. We'll find out how he got started in standup, what the perils of performing in another language are, ask if he knows Joe Wong or Dashan, and whatever else we think up in the moment. Probably the first question will be how to pronounce his name. That's always a good starting point. Maybe I'll just call him Alex (check out his YouTube video to get that reference).

Tune in to CFRO 100.5 FM in Vancouver at 11 pm. If you're in Asia or somewhere else outside our listening area, you can livestream us at coopradio.org or find us on the TuneIn Radio app on your fancy computing devices.