Mar. 24: Neema Nazeri

Happy spring break. Regular host Guy MacPherson is away in some exotic locale but the show will go on! Sidekick Sam Tonning takes over the hosting duties, while also keeping his fingers on the buttons. He’s one of the best multi-tasters in the business. Sam’s guest tonight will be Neema Nazeri, a Persian standup comic based in Toronto.

If you’re from Toronto, Iran, or some exotic locale, you can livestream the show at 11 pm Vancouver time on coopradio.org or on the TuneIn Radio app. If you’re in the Vancouver area and own an old-timey radio player, turn the dial to 100.5 FM.

Podcast episode 527ish: Susan Thompson

If you knew Susan Thompson like I know Susan Thompson... Actually, I didn't know Susan much at all before this episode. But if you listen to this hour with her, we'll be about even. We find out why she's a bit of a karaoke queen in Japan, she used to run an automotive shop, she's dropped about 100 pounds, she's done standup, and is now transitioning to more of a behind-the-scenes role in the comedy business. Those are the broad strokes. The details can be found in this episode. We weren't sure this would make it to air because about half-an-hour before going live, Susan used the hand dryer seen in this photo. At that exact moment, the power went off at the station and the whole block. She blamed herself, but I'm pretty sure she wasn't culpable.

The power returned in time for the show, which you can now hear here. Or you can go subscribe to What's So Funny? on iTunes (make sure it's the right one, though – there are a few, but we were the first). We're also available on all the other usual podcast providers.

Podcast episode 526ish: Amy Shostak & Tom Hill

Improvisers Amy Shostak and Tom Hill made their What's So Funny? debut in this episode. They are also instructors at Blind Tiger Theatre and they tell us what's going on down at the East Van school. Along the way, we learn about them... including a big reveal at the end! Who knew?! As much fun as we have through the hour, we stumbled into a heavier discussion right at the end so we run a little longer than usual, but it's worth it. And a special shout-out to Sam in the booth.

The episode is right here for your listening pleasure. But you'll probably prefer to go find us on your favourite podcast app.

Mar. 17: Susan Thompson

Is Thompson an Irish name? It better be because our guest tonight on St. Patrick's Day is Susan Thompson. Susan is a professional middleman. What's that you say? I don't know. She does. We'll find out exactly tonight but I know she's been a standup comedian (and probably still is if I know standup comedians), I know she's also been a club manager (I don't think she still is), and also sees the stage from an industry point of view. Which is to say she's a booker/producer. Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of it all tonight.

We're on the air at 11 pm on CFRO 100.5 FM. If your old-timey radio is on the fritz, fire us up via livestream at coopradio.org or search for us on the TuneIn Radio app. They'll both do the job.

Podcast episode 525ish: Lady Rizo

What a perfect guest Lady Rizo was. She was raw and honest, funny, willing to go anywhere, and, as always, quick as a whip. Rizo (pronounced Reezo, but she's easy) was a Lady before the more famous Lady Blah-Blah. She took time away from the New York cabaret scene to spend almost half a year in Vancouver, where she starred in Bacio Rosso. We luckily got her in studio in her final week here. Growing up as Amelia Zirin-Brown in Oregon, she started her career in Seattle before heading to NYC. We talk about her experiences recording with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma, Moby, and Reggie Watts. She tells us about growing up among hippies. And she even sings us a little ditty. Great show.

You can listen right here, but maybe you want to savour it or take it with you on a walk. In that case, go download the show on iTunes or Stitcher or wherever you normally get your podcasts. We'll be there. Give us a rating, too, while you're at it.

Mar. 10: Amy Shostak & Tom Hill

I always love having improvisers on the show because there are no lines to memorize. As I'm sure you're all aware, there's a script for every other show. Tonight we've got a couple of Blind Tiger improvisers and instructors, Amy Shostak and Tom Hill. Amy is currently teaching a improv course for moms. We'll find out what that's all about and if moms improvise any differently than motherless ladies and men. Tom is also a member of the two-man group Hip.Bang! We've had his partner Devin MacKenzie on before so tonight he gets the attention.

This show is so old ("How old is it?!"), when we first started I had to remind listeners twice a year about the time change. You could go all day without remembering to put your clock forward or backward. These days you don't have to know. The robots do it for you. So when 11 pm hits tonight, you'll know to tune to CFRO 100.5 FM for What's So Funny? You can also livestream us at coopradio.org or find us on the TuneIn Radio app.

Podcast episode 524ish: Lisa Frischemeier

Our first German comedian graces our studio in this episode. Lisa Frischemeier hasn't been doing standup all that long, but she's making a name for herself in the English-speaking Berlin standup rooms. We learn about her hometown of Duisberg (the New Jersey of Germany), a bit about Muenster, and some about Berlin and a bit about Istanbul. But forget about all that learnin'; we had fun. We also talk about cookbooks and abortion!

Have a listen. Click below or download us on your favourite podcast dispensary. We'll be there.

Mar. 3: Lady Rizo

We've got a powerhouse on the show tonight. In our almost 15 years on the air, tonight's guest will be the first to have recorded with Yo-Yo Ma, Moby, and Reggie Watts. The first to have made an album at the famed Royal Studios in Memphis. The first who has had a solo residency at Joe's Pub in New York City. (But not the first to have performed at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.) The New York Times wrote: "Lady Rizo is a formidable belter who can sustain phrases and notes even when sprawled on her back on a piano and scissoring her legs". You might know Lady Rizo as the hostess extraordinaire at Bacio Rosso at Queen Elizabeth Park. I saw her there in November and was blown away not only by her voice, but also her extremely quick wit. She's hilarious. Tonight we'll get to know all about her.

We're on the air, as usual, at 11 pm on CFRO 100.5 FM. If you're in, say, Oregon or Tennessee or New York, you can listen in via livestream at coopradio.org or find us on the TuneIn Radio (search for "CFRO"). If it's past your bedtime, give us a week and it'll be up in podcast format and you can listen whenever you damn well feel like it.

Update: Canada laughs again

What a difference a day makes.

And what a job Canadian comedians can do when they stick together.

I just received an update from Just For Laughs on the blowback from comics across Canada due to the change to the Canada Laughs SiriusXM channel. Since JFL's involvement with the station, they had veered it away from the 100% Canadian content it had been providing all these years. This got comedians up in arms because it would mean a decrease in their much-needed royalties.

Here's their statement in full:

February 27, 2018 [sic]

Statement by Bruce Hills, President of Just For Laughs and John Lewis, SVP of Programing and Operations, SiriusXM Canada

Today, we wish to announce our new strategy for Canadian Comedy on SiriusXM Canada.

• The new channel on SiriusXM 168 will be called Just For Laughs Canada and it will showcase 100 per cent Canadian content;
• All the content will be produced by Canadian artists independent of the Just For Laughs catalogue; and
• Canadian artists will be eligible for the same royalties as under the previous channel.

We spoke with Sandra Battaglini from the Canadian Association of Stand-ip Comedians (CASC) and informed her of our plans for the channel.

Quotes

“We’ve listened carefully to the concerns of Canadian artists and regret the stress we have caused the comedy community. We are invested in the growth of Canada’s comedy industry and are working to include even more Canadian talent in all our initiatives. To that end, we will continue to engage directly with the industry and work with CASC to strengthen and advance Canadian comedy.” – Bruce Hills, President of Just For Laughs

“Our partnership with Just For Laughs Canada provides an opportunity to bring Canada’s comedic talent to a larger audience in Canada and the United States. We understand the importance our platform has to comedians in Canada, and along with Just For Laughs, we will continue to work closely with that community to ensure its success.” – John Lewis, SVP of Programing and Operations, SiriusXM Canada

I contacted Dave Nystrom, a standup comic based in Calgary, and read him the press release. He was dumbfounded. And, needless to say, very pleased.

"Wow... Holy crap... Awesome... That's amazing," he said. "So we basically got it back to exactly what it was."

Well, except for now it's called Just For Laughs Canada, instead of Canada Laughs, but hey, what's in a name?

"I feel like Norma Rae right now," Nystrom joked.

Which is what we all wanted. Comedians can go back to being funny again. Yay!

Kumbaya, everyone.

UPDATE ON THE UPDATE (Feb. 28): The reversion back to the original format will take place at midnight tonight, February 28/March 1, 2019. As for the name change from Canada Laughs to Just For Laughs Radio, this will "take some time" according to JFL press relations, "due to the mechanics of Sirius USA." They have been told the rebranding will take place at the end of March but haven't been given an exact date yet.

Canada Cries

Fresh off the successful two-week JFL Northwest Comedy Festival, it was leaked, and then announced, that Just For Laughs has formed a partnership with Canada Laughs, the SiriusXM Canada station that, up until recently, played 100 percent Canadian independent comedy. The new Just For Laughs Radio will feature archival clips from their vault, reducing the number of hours – and residuals – from Canadian standup comedians, many of whom rely on the revenue to keep them afloat.

Talk about your brou-haha.

If nothing else, the move has galvanized the Canadian comedy community like never before. One of the most vocal on social media is former Vancouver comic Dave Nystrom, who recently moved to Calgary after a decade in Los Angeles.

“We were given no notice on this,” he said. “The main point for me and for a lot of the comics is they’re not adhering to CanCon. I mean, they are kind of adhering to CanCon rules but they’re circumventing it by airing American acts.”

On Monday, the public relations department of Just For Laughs passed on to me several prepared comments, saying representatives from both Just For Laughs and SiriusXM couldn’t speak with me due to the volume of requests they’ve been receiving. I have since submitted a list of 30 questions I had planned on asking the representatives. Until such time as they’re answered, we’ll go by the official comments. “SiriusXM has no CRTC obligation to keep a comedy channel,” one comment reads.

Another comment says, “We have asked [SiriusXM host, producer and standup comic] Ben Miner to curate new content for the channel that will feature Canadian releases from establishing and emerging Canadian comedians who produced content independently of JFL, as well as performances for Just For Laughs from the past to today.”

Miner, a beloved figure on the scene who also runs the yearly SiriusXM Top Comic competition, couldn’t be reached for comment so as of press time, we don’t know what percentage of airtime will feature the independent releases.

Before the official comments, Nystrom said of Miner, “He’s been the biggest champion for Canadian comedy. Everybody loves Ben. He’s been the one who’s fought for us all along to get our albums in there.”

Residuals from airplay has ranged from a couple thousand dollars to $60,000 US a year, says Nystrom.

“It was always our intention that the new channel would be majority Canadian and that comedians would receive royalties on both independently produced albums, as they always have, as well as Canadian performances from the JFL library,” another official comment reads. So while that's positive, it still is less than the 100 percent it was up until now.

One thing that galls many of the comedians is how this all came as a total surprise.

“If 50 percent of your income is about to disappear, that’s something anybody in any profession would want to know,” says Nystrom. “If we were informed, maybe we could have had conversations with them on how to find a better option. Or something. I’m sure we’d put our heads together and instead of having this fight, we would have had a discussion to try and figure out a better approach that works for everybody.”

On their end, JFL says, “Together, both companies regret not notifying comedians earlier of the decision.”

According to the official comments, and to a video new JFL owner Howie Mandel released on Sunday, SiriusXM was looking to attract a larger audience for the channel and approached JFL about partnering. JFL comments, “In preparation for the new channel, SiriusXM removed more than 25% of their original talk programming to open up 30 hours of additional airtime to program comedy clips.”

“If it wasn’t working before for them from their end of it,” says Nystrom, “I don’t know what that means exactly but I don’t imagine they’re just going to go back to how it was, but we would like to be part of the conversation, we would like there to be some sort of compromise. And something that is truly Canadian, not American acts recorded in Canada.”

While preparing this story, I streamed Canada Laughs. It's a small sample size, but out of 17 tracks, 11 were Canadian (or 65%): Debra DiGiovanni, Ana-Marija Stojic, Brent Butt, Jeff McEnery, Ron James, Winston Spear, Dave Merheje, Jeremy Hotz, Tim Nutt, DeAnne Smith, and Rebecca Kohler, while six were non-Canadian: Marc Maron, Jimmy Carr, Colin Quinn, Jim Jefferies, Ed Byrne, and Dylan Moran. And all appeared to be from JFL recordings rather than independent albums released by the comedians themselves.

The final comment from the JFL publicity department reads, “Our goal with the channel is to increase audience which will provide greater exposure for Canadian talent that should translate into more and more opportunities.”

It’s unclear now how playing less than 100 percent Canadian content will provide greater exposure for Canadian talent but maybe they feel drawing listeners in with famous international names will expose them to the Canadian names they might not otherwise be familiar with.

As hot under the collar as the comedians are today, maybe the situation will resolve itself. Maybe it won’t. Maybe the public perception of Just For Laughs will erode. Maybe this will just be a blip. For the sake of the country’s comedy industry, we can hope the two sides will soon look back at this ugly bit of business and, well, laugh.

“I want Just For Laughs and Canadian comedy to have a great relationship,” says Nystrom. “I would love it if this was the spark for some kind of change that lifted Canadian comedy up and Just For Laughs was a part of that. I’m not trying to paint them as an evil empire or anything like that. I think they’re not handling things the right way and I just want that to change.”

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Feb. 24: Lisa Frischemeier

We've got another international episode for you tonight. It's our first ever German standup comic. Lisa Frischemeier hails from Berlin and is town for the week, maybe a tad jet-lagged but we'll try to keep her awake. We'll find out all about the Teutonic standup scene and she'll dispel the notion that German's have no sense of humour.

Tune in to CFRO 100.5 FM tonight from 11 to midnight. If you're in Deutschland, don't fret. You can still hear this episode live, but nine hours in the future, from 8 to 9 am. Livestream us at coopradio.org or find us on the TuneIn Radio app over your morning Kaffee.

Podcast episode 523ish: Ed Hill

In this episode, standup comic Ed Hill marks his third appearance with us. He came by to talk about the upcoming recording of his third comedy album, but of course we talk about so much more. He's a Vancouver comedian who plays all over the US but has no ambition to live there. He's happy here. And who can blame him? He also shares with us his favourite street joke. It also happens to be the only street joke he knows. But it's a good one!

Have a listen. Go download us wherever you get your podcasts. Or you can always click below to get started.