The future

Two items of interest:

1. Just heard that Dave Attell ("with guests") is playing the Commodore on January 15. I notice that tickets went on sale on November 6th so chances are I'm just slow to notice things. I last saw him years ago at Giggles in Seattle. Since then he's gone on to put out CDs and host a couple of TV series (Insomniac and The Gong Show). On the one hand, I'm excited because he's a great comic and I don't know if he's ever played Vancouver before. On the other hand, I see he's playing the Comic Strip in Edmonton. A club! i.e. the perfect place to see a comedian. Oh, how I wish we could have the equivalent of a Comic Strip in Vancouver, a place that would bring in touring headliners from the States. Yuk Yuk's does a fantastic job of spotlighting Canadian comics (who are often just as good or better than their equivalents Stateside), but the more variety the better, in my book. I'm as nationalistic as the next fella, but who wouldn't want to see some of the best from down south in a club setting?

2. Speaking of Yuk Yuk's, I dropped by the office yesterday and found Mark Breslin's audio book (Yuk Yuk's Guide to Canadian Stand-Up) waiting for me. It's an early Christmas. I started listening in the car to the five-CD set and I love it. Breslin starts each "chapter" talking about a particular comic and their place in history. And the bonus disc is the classic live album "The Funniest 50 Minutes Ever!", which I wore out on vinyl back in the day and haven't heard since. I look forward to playing tracks from it on future shows.

But here's the great part: It's not Toronto-centric. I mean, sure, the vast majority of acts featured are from there, but that's just history. Breslin also didn't ignore those who chose not to work his clubs. There's a chapter on Brent Butt. But here's the cool part: Discs 3 & 4 are called The Future. He includes Vancouverites Craig Campbell, Richard Lett, Graham Clark, Damonde Tschritter, and Jeffery Yu. Not bad. Can't wait to hear them. Being a compulsive sort, I can't go out of order. The discs also come with a nice booklet.