Podcast episode 318ish: Kevin Foxx

Here's a fun episode. Yes, it's a little late and all the plugs contained herein are old, but it's a lively one. Partly because Kevin Foxx gives me the gears throughout. (That's what the kids say, isn't it?: give someone the gears?) In this episode, Foxxy and my manservant, Kevin Smith, tease me about the show's Canadian Comedy Awards nomination for Best Podcast (vote here... please!), he tries (in vain) to explain astrology, talks about starting out in comedy and teaching it now (contact info@kevinfoxx.com for details on upcoming classes), and he sets the record for most number of c-words dropped in an episode. Oh, and do yourself a favour and follow Kevin on Twitter at @MrKevinFoxx. He's got the highest batting average in the Twitterverse.

Here you go. Click below or go download it at iTunes.

June 16: Kevin Foxx

It's Father's Day so tonight we have one of the funniest fathers I know on. Stand-up comic Kevin Foxx also has, in my opinion, the highest batting average of any Tweeter in Twitterland (or Facebook poster, for that matter). Follow him at @MrKevinFoxx and see what I mean. Tonight will mark his third appearance on the show, coming on solo in 2006 then with Damonde Tschritter in 2010. So we've got some catching up to do. I know he teaches stand-up comedy now (message him through Facebook if you're interested, although I have no idea if the class is full yet). And he still headlines around the country. Being taught comedy by an actual working and touring comic has got to give a big leg-up to any aspiring comedian. And his weekly Wednesday night comedy show at Displace in Kits is one of my favourite rooms in the city.

It all gets underway tonight at 11 pm PST on CFRO, 100.5 FM in Vancouver or livestream it at coopradio.org. Got it? Good.

Episode 192ish: The Foxx and the Greyhound

Getting a bit behind on the podcasts so I'm going to post two in quick succession. Today I offer you Kevin Foxx and Damonde Tschritter, who were in our studios to plug their new comedy room at the Cabin Eatery every Thursday night. And plug they did, every chance they got. They also regaled us with tales of debauchery from days gone by. (Tomorrow we'll post the Graham Clark episode, but of course everything's already available over at iTunes anyway so if you're really jonesing for some Clark, go there.)

May 30: Kevin Foxx & Damonde Tschritter

We're back to live guests in studio tonight. And two of them! In our first year or so, we used to regularly have two guests. For some reason, we don't much anymore. I think because there's a finite guest list so I don't want to use them up any faster than I have to.

Anyhoo, our guests tonight are old friends Kevin Foxx and Damonde Tschritter. These two wily veterans have recently opened up a new room in Kits at the Cabin Eatery (formerly Tatlow's) every Thursday night. So tonight they're going to talk about that and tell us why this room will last, unlike so many others. I've been two of the four weeks it's been running and I can attest to its quality. But certainly that won't be all we talk about.

So tune in at 11 pm to CFRO 102.7 FM in Vancouver or livestream it at coopradio.org. It's the least you could do.

Meanwhile, have you all checked out the Doug Stanhope clip I posted yesterday? If not, scroll down. It's right below this post. It's a clip you won't see anywhere else.

Jon Reep at Lafflines

I took the Canada Line and then the SkyTrain all the way out to New West tonight to see Last Comic Standing winner Jon Reep. An hour and five minutes later, I was there. So I missed Kevin Foxx's set, unfortunately. Foxx is one of my favourite Vancouver comics of all time and I haven't seen him in a while. When I walked in, Toby Hargrave was on stage, killing before a large and appreciative crowd. I've figured out one positive to not seeing as much local comedy as I used to, and it's this: Now when I see a local, I don't know their routines by heart and I wasn't there when they were working out new material so I get to see new stuff that's got a bit of polish to it.

Hargrave was doing some relatively edgy race material that walked the line but definitely was on the progressive side of said line. One joke that jumped out was when he was describing that white people have lots to be proud about: "We freed the slaves." That's a smart bit and would be potentially troublesome in a lesser comic's hands.

After Toby came the headliner, Jon Reep, best known for winning the penultimate season of NBC's Last Comic Standing, for which he took home 250 grand. Reep is a good ol' boy from North Carolina and lets us know it at every opportunity. Fair enough. But I had the same feeling I had when watching Trevor Boris talk about nothing but being gay. They say write what you know. I guess I just can't believe that they're both so inward looking that they don't know anything else.

But that's not fair. Neither of these acts is for me. They play to certain demographics. And they both do well. They're entertainers giving their fans what they want to hear rather than artists exploring subjects. And they both can be appreciated for what they are. Certainly there are lines in their acts that are clever and funny, even if the subject matter is uninteresting. In one chunk, Reep dissected down-home sayings like 'there's more than one way to skin a cat' ("How do you know? And stop it!") and 'shit-eating grin' ("I don't ever want to be that happy").

Between shows, I sat down with Jon for a 25-minute interview and we'll air that one tomorrow night, too (technically tonight but I haven't gone to bed yet). Sunday in either case. So that's a helluva show: Jon Reep and Tom Segura. More on that sometime tomorrow (Sunday).

I stuck around a bit for the second show. As hot as the first crowd was, the late show audience was dead. I noticed it when some great Foxx jokes got mild laughs, but it really hit home when Colleen Brow hit the stage. It was as if she was giving a speech. Rapt attention but silence. And it wasn't golden. I actually kind of enjoyed it in the way that seasoned comics love it when someone tanks. But only because I've seen Colleen get great responses with essentially the same material. And God bless her for plowing through her set without commenting on the crowd. More comics should do that.

All these years of watching comedy and I still can't figure out crowd dynamics, and why the same material that kills one night dies a miserable death the next. But it's fun to watch either way.

Nov. 2: Erica Sigurdson

Contrary to popular belief, booking a show on Sundays at 11 p.m. isn't always the easiest thing to do. Most out-of-town comics leave the 'Couve on Sunday afternoons. And, as we found out this week when Kevin Foxx had to cancel due to a corporate gig, even the locals aren't always readily available. But we've been at this for four years and thankfully we usually get ourselves a top-notch guest some way or another. This week is no exception. It's last-minute, but we couldn't be happier. Erica Sigurdson will be making a return appearance to What's So Funny? on Sunday. It's her first solo affair, though. Back in February of '05, Erica guested along with Jen Grant. We've got lots of catching up to do. She is one of the top comics in the whole country and never fails to impress me with her writing. It seems every time I see her she's got new material. And she's a Gemini award winner. Or Leo award. Or both. I don't know. But it's impressive. Or so she tells me. So tune in, woncha?

Hey, I spoke to Louis CK the other day. He's playing the Vogue Theatre on Nov. 14. I'll try to jot something down for you here n the next couple of days about what we talked about. Check out his copious videos on YouTube or his own site if you're not familiar with him. He's one of the top comics working anywhere. But you knew that.

THIS JUST IN: A regular reader informs me that Ms. Sigurdson launched a new website yesterday. Have a look: http://www.ericasigurdson.com/

The people have spoken

You know, when we put this little blog together, we had no idea people would actually read it religiously. In the ocean of blogs on the internet, why should our humble offering stand out? I don't know, but apparently it's hit a bit of a chord with the masses if our survey is any indication. We asked how you, the reader, stumbled across this blog and you answered in spades. A whopping 66 percent of you admitted you followed a link to arrive on our page. Not only that, but 33 percent of you found us after we directed you here. What can we say? We are humbled. To know that 99 percent of you are not only regular readers but took the time to answer our survey, well, I'm tearing up. Look for more surveys in this space (or the space to the right, anyway). You have spoken. It's an awesome responsibility we face knowing so many of you are reading.

The show booked three more comics today. Kevin Foxx will be joining us the first Sunday in November, and Brett Martin on the 9th of November. And Patrick Maliha will be taking a break from CFUN to slum it with us on the 23rd. We had a great conversation with Paul Myrehaug last night. I'll let you know when the podcast gets uploaded in case you missed it. Next week is my Victoria homeboy, and current neighbour, Chris Molineux. Check out some of his videos in our margin and tune in on Sunday.

Hey, who wants to be the first to leave a comment? Don't be shy. It'll be historical. It's up to you whether it's hysterical.