Podcast episode 445ish: Lori Gibbs

The always crafty Lori Gibbs (right)

How time flies! It had been five years between Lori Gibbs' last (first) visit and this one. Actually, it was I who did the visiting both times – to her hotel room. That's just the way she rolls, inviting men up to her room. Not really, but she did recently receive a proposition on the road, as she tells us in this episode. She also talks about the genesis of her nickname "the human antidepressant," her career in morning radio, developing into keynote speaker mode, and the art of crafting. We also settle, once and for all, who has the bigger head.

You can listen here. Or you can listen at iTunes. Or you can listen at Stitcher. Or you can find us somewhere I'm not familiar with. Go now and do what you have to do.

Feb. 5: Fred Ewanuick

Over the years on What's So Funny? we've had Brent Butt (twice), Lorne Cardinal, and most recently Nancy Robertson, all from Corner Gas. Tonight we've got comic actor Fred Ewanuick. Who's left? Tara Spencer-Nairn, Gabrielle Miller, and Eric Peterson. (I interviewed the late Janet Wright on set in Saskatchewan for print once.) Maybe we'll get all the way through some day. But tonight, we'll focus on Fred. He's best known for his Gilligan-like character Hank Yarbo on Corner Gas but he's been in a ton of other things, including starring as the eponymous Dan For Mayor. We're going to talk about all that and more.

We're on the air at 11 pm on CFRO 100.5 FM in Vancouver. Or livestream us at coopradio.org or on your fancy TuneIn Radio app.

Jan. 29: Lori Gibbs

Welcome to 2017, officially. Our first guest of 2017 was Harry Doupe, but he counted as the last guest of 2016 since we rehashed the year in comedy. Then we had two weeks of highlights from our 2016 season. Tonight we get going with the new year, a month into it. Lori Gibbs was in town in December, in the middle of our white season. I bundled up and met her in her hotel room to chat away the cold. It was perfect because she's warm and funny. The Calgary-based comic (originally from Vancouver) is branching out from standup. She's now a keynote speaker, too. And a real craftsperson. Literally. We talk about all of the above. We also measure each other's giant noggins. Who's is bigger? You'll have to tune in to find out!

We're on the air at 11 pm on CFRO 100.5 FM tonight. Lori and her posse can listen in from Calgary at coopradio.org or find us on the TuneIn Radio app. In fact, no matter where you are in the world, as long as you have wi-fi, you can tune in. And, of course, the show will drop as a podcast soon(ish).

Jan. 22: 2016 highlights (part 2)

We had fun last week with all those clips of our past guests in 2016, right? Tonight we get to the rest of them: Steve Bays, Graeme Duffy, Jy Harris, Ed Hill, Chris James, Richard Lett, Brett Martin, Efthimios Nasiopoulos, Scott Patey, Nancy Robertson, Ari Shaffir, and Sam Tonning. More fun!

Tune in at 11 and we'll get started. CFRO 100.5 FM in Vancouver or livestream us at coopradio.org or find us on your TuneIn Radio app.

Podcast episode 444ish: Harry Doupe

It's Harry Doupe time again! The veteran standup comic/producer/writer has recently moved back to Vancouver (or thereabouts) (again). We rehash the year that was in comedy. And, of course, go off on tangents, as we do. So you'll hear us gabbing about comedy "specials," comedy deaths, the Human Rights Tribunal, game shows, and Saturday Night Live. He also gives us a taste of a book he's been working on for years which he hopes will be published in 2017.

Here you go. It's the first show of the new year. Have a listen. Also available at iTunes and Stitcher and elsewhere, if you can find it.

Podcast episode 443ish: Nancy Robertson

It's not often you get Nancy Robertson in studio for an hour of free-wheeling conversation, so no matter how sick I was, I was going to be there. And I was sick. Usually the guest and I will sit in the same room but on this night I quarantined myself in the control room and had Nancy sit in the studio. But boy was I golden-throated! Best I've ever sounded; worst I've ever felt. After the show, I drove home and slept for 30 of the next 32 hours. Fun times! Robertson, as everyone knows full well, is best known for her role as Wanda on Corner Gas. We talked about that, how she started in acting (learning from one of the finest cowboy thespians in the business), and her formative years improvising with the Vancouver TheatreSports League. We also got into her love of obscure British TV series, her dislike of her new slow cooker, and her loss of respect for me for having not seen so many classic movies.

Here she is. You just need to click the button below to start listening to Nancy with the laughing face. Or you can download the show at iTunes or Stitcher or similar places. (NOTE: I just tried the button and it took 45 seconds before the audio started playing. Not sure if that's just my machine. Individual results may vary.)

Jan. 15: 2016 highlights (part 1)

We started off 2017 with a recap of 2016 with guest Harry Doupe. Tonight and next week we look back audibly on highlights from our shows last year. We can't get to them all because there are too many, but we'll do about half this week and we'll the rest next Sunday. You're going to hear snippets of conversations from the following guests tonight (not in this order): Dino Archie, Byron Bertram, Jason Bryden, Sophie Buddle, Sara Bynoe, Jeff Cooper, Grahaeme Cowie, Ivan Decker, Glen Foster, Jessica Holmes, Paul Hooper, Caitlin Howden, Shauna Johannesen, Sean Kent, Julie Kim, Simon King, Dave Merheje, Camille Mitchell, Tim Nutt, Rob Pue, and Mike Storck.

Tune in tonight at 11 sharp to CFRO 100.5 FM. Or livestream us at coopradio.org or on the TuneIn Radio app. It'll be a fun show, promise.

Jan. 8: Harry Doupe

It's become a bit of an irregular tradition on the show to have Harry Doupe on the show at the end of the year to talk about the year in comedy. He's been with us in late December in 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2014. He's back tonight – really late December! Ah, first week in January is close enough. As anyone who's heard him on the show previously will know, Doupe was one of the first comics I ever saw live, back in the early 1980s at the now-defunct Punchlines Comedy Club in Gastown. Then he moved to Toronto (and elsewhere). He moved back to Vancouver a few years ago only to move away again. But I hear he's back to live again in the lower mainland, which is why I can welcome him back to the studio tonight. I saw him opening for his old buddy Norm Macdonald at the casino theatre in Coquitlam (I can never remember its name). We'll talk about the year that was and whatever else we can think of.

We're on the air at 11 pm and will go until we're finished, at least midnight, on CFRO 100.5 FM. If you're elsewhere in the world (or don't own a radio), you can livestream us at coopradio.org.

Podcast episode 442ish: Sam Tonning

Getting back to business here after the holidays. Let's start with the posting of Sam Tonning's podcast episode. Sam is a guy I've probably seen more at jazz clubs than comedy clubs, but he's a very funny comic. And despite his good musical taste, he's also an unabashed and unironic lover of Phil Collins and Ted Nugent. Comedically, he's not ashamed to admit he adores Jay Leno and Dennis Miller, too. Got like a guy with the courage of his convictions. In this episode, we also discuss TV talk show sidekicks, moustaches, voice-over acting, playing the bass, and a whole lot more.

Check it out below. Or go download it iTunes or Stitcher (or elsewhere) and take it on the road with you.

2016 in a nutshell

Greetings from sunny Edmonton. The year isn't over yet but we've got enough information in to be able to compile our annual head-count. Each year (well, starting in 2009, five years into our run) I tally the number of guests we've had in a calendar year. Here's how it's looked each year:

• 2009: 42 shows with guests
• 2010: 38 shows with guests
• 2011: 44 shows with 53 guests
• 2012: 41 shows with 47 guests
• 2013: 35 shows with 37 guests
• 2014: 36 shows with 39 guests
• 2015: 36 shows with 40 guests

So how does 2016 stand up? Colleen Brow fills in and she usually plays comedy clips. She did have Marlene Swidzinski and Lauren McGibbon as guests two of those Sundays but we don't podcast those episodes so they aren't included. Even with them, we would have been a record low. Another factor is, well, it's just one of those years. So here are the numbers:

A record low! Now, there are some factors to consider. Halfway through the year I decided to take the last Sunday of each month off.

• 2016: 32 shows with 33 official guests (36 if you count Vishal Ramesh, who joined in with Chris James, and Siobhan Williams and Pal Mann, who joined in with Steve Bays).

Big thanks to all our guests in 2016:

• Byron Bertram
• Ivan Decker
• Chris James
• Sara Bynoe
• Mike Storck
• Ari Shaffir
• Shauna Johannesen
• Dave Merheje
• Caitlyn Howden
• Ed Hill
• Dino Archie
• Julie Kim
• Richard Lett
• Jessica Holmes
• Camille Mitchell
• Lauren McGibbon
• Glen Foster
• Jeff Cooper
• Grahaeme Cowie
• Simon King
• Jy Harris
• Tim Nutt
• Jason Bryden
• Brett Martin
• Rob Pue
• Efthimios Nasiopoulos
• Sophie Buddle
• Sean Kent
• Steve Bays
• Graham Duffy
• Scott Patey
• Sam Tonning
• Nancy Robertson

Dec. 18: Nancy Robertson

Our last show before Christmas is a goodie. We've got first-time guest Nancy Robertson live in studio. Her hubby, Brent Butt, has guested twice before. She'll be the third former Corner Gas star to grace our studios (Lorne Cardinal was the other). But Nancy is more than Wanda Dollard. She also starred in Hiccups and has acted in other film and television. And if you go back far enough, you might remember her from her work on stage with Vancouver TheatreSports League. We'll cover it all. Promise.

We're on the air at 11 pm in Vancouver on CFRO, 100.5 FM. If you've recycled your radio, you can always livestream us at coopradio.org or on TuneIn Radio.

Podcast episode 441ish: Scott Patey

It's always exciting to have a first-timer on the show. I'd seen Scott Patey perform for years at the Improv Centre on Granville Island with Vancouver TheatreSports League, but I'd never met him until this momentous night. Patey hails from the border town of Lloydminster, Alberta. Or is that Saskatchewan? It's confusing when you can cross the street in your town and be in another province. He explains. We also talked about how his hockey career was cut short by a break-up, his funnier brother, portraying Donald Trump, and what it's like working in movies with celebrities. Most exciting of all, I take him on in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors (a game he hosts at various venues around town, but mostly at Corduroy in Kits on Monday nights). I've also got him promising me on air that he'd take me to New York City when/if he gets to host Saturday Night Live. I'm holding him to it.

Here's the episode for you. Do with it what you will. I'd recommend listening. You can also go download/subscribe to the show on iTunes or Stitcher. And elsewhere!

Dec. 4: Sam Tonning

We're going to learn all about Sam Tonning tonight. I know him a little bit but not the finer points. I see him out and about at comedy shows and jazz shows. I know he's from my hometown, Victoria. I know he plays the bass a bit. I know he does standup, I know he unironically loves Jay Leno and Ted Nugent. And I know he's the sidekick/second banana to Brett Martin on the live monthly Brett Martin talk show at Yuk Yuk's (next one is next Sunday, Dec. 11). We'll fill in the details tonight at 11 pm if you care to join us.

Tune in to CFRO 100.5 FM or livestream us at coopradio.org. Tonight from 11 to midnight-ish.

Podcast episode 440ish: Graeme Duffy

Improvisor and actor Graeme Duffy joins us to talk about his very public – and swift! – engagement. He tells us how he proposed to his girlfriend in front of 1100 people four months after their first date. Did she say yes? Did she say no? You'll have to listen to find out! The Vancouver TheatreSports mainstay also talks about being bullied in Scotland, the thriving local film and TV scene, cruising the Baltic Sea, his dislike of St. John,and his love of moustaches, tattoos, and Kanye West.

Have a listen, won't you? You can do it right here and now. Or you can go download us on iTunes or Stitcher and elsewhere. And give the show a rating and comment on iTunes while you're there.

Podcast episode 439ish: Steve Bays

It's Steve Bays time once again. It's always fun hanging with the rocker. His former band (maybe) Hot Hot Heat has a new album out, eponymously titled, and it's great. He came to the studio armed with his girlfriend, actress Siobhan Williams, so I came in armed with my brother-in-law, visiting from out of town. The three of us do our best to get Steve to organize one last tour for HHH. Also in the episode, Steve tries to name all 20 bands he's been in over the years, and we talk about lyrics, emo and ego. And we tie it all together with comedy.

Here's the gizmo to get you started. Or you can go download us and/or subscribe to the show at iTunes. Or Stitcher. Or other places.

Nov. 13: Scott Patey

I've seen tonight's guest Scott Patey many, many times over the years at the Improv Centre. Never met him, though. Not too long ago, I saw him playing Donald Trump in Trump Card and thought, 'I should have him on the show.' Little did I know Trump would win and now I feel deep resentment towards the guy. I'll try to keep it bottled up for the hour tonight. We'll see how he feels about the orange man, and we'll talk about his own history. He started acting when he was but an 11-years-old. To date, the Albertan and VTSL main stage performer has shared the silver screen with the likes of Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black. He also hosts a show that I've got to get down to one of these days. It's called Rock, Paper, Scissors at Corduroy and has been going strong for over four years, if my math is correct.

Tune in tonight at 11 pm to CFRO, 100.5 FM in Vancouver or livestream us at coopradio.org or many a radio-streaming app.

Nov. 6: Graeme Duffy

Graeme Duffy (right)

Happy November. Happy first day of the dark days of winter. I love how we don't need to remember to turn the clocks back because all our robot devices do it for us. So there goes that excuse for missing tonight's show at 11 pm. My homeboy Graeme Duffy returns for his second visit. The actor and Vancouver TheatreSports League mainstay recently got engaged in a very public way. We'll see how that went. We'll also talk about all the various shows he's written at VTSL and movies he's working in and why he loves weird facial hair and whatever else we think up in the moment.

Tune in to 100.5 FM at 11 pm for all the conversation. Or livestream us at coopradio.org.

Oct. 30: Marlene Swidzinski

When the cat's away, the mouse will play. It's the last Sunday of the month, so regular host Guy MacPherson is taking it easy. Colleen Brow gets in the game tonight. She welcomes Marlene Swidzinski. When a polka princess leaves the old country (Saskatchewan) for the downtown eastside, she's bound to ask, "Where are the men who can polka?" Colleen will talk with Swidzinski about her prairie Slavic origins, eventual urbanization, and her comic insights on art, society, motherhood, and livestock.

Tune in to 100.5 FM at 11 pm. Or livestream the show at coopradio.org.

Podcast episode 438ish: Sean Kent

It's almost US election time! Better get this puppy up and running. It's my conversation with Texas-based standup comic Sean Kent, an avowed anti-Trumpist. And that's what we talk about for most of this very special Election '16 episode. He even tells us about the time he was kicked out of a Donald Trump rally just outside of Austin. Sean was with us back in 2010 (not 2006 as I incorrectly thought) if you want to compare episodes. Back then he gave us the full hour. This time we only got about 40 minutes of talk so I've supplemented it with his standup comedy. So this way you get some laughs along with the political conversation. Although I guess there are plenty of laughs as it is in their general election.

Have a listen before it's too late, especially if you're an American voter. You can click on the gizmo, or go subscribe to What's So Funny? on iTunes or Stitcher or wherever fine podcasts are dispensed. See you there.

Podcast episode 437ish: Sophie Buddle

This one was a long time coming. But totally worth the wait. Since this episode aired on the radio, the big $25,000 Sirius comedy competition has come and gone in Toronto. Our guest, Sophie Buddle, didn't take home the big bucks but she did achieve her goal of placing, finishing in the top 3. Not bad for a 22-year-old. Not bad for anyone, actually. We talk about her start in comedy at the tender age of 15, a photo shoot that wasn't a whole lot of fun, hobnobbing at a Hollywood Emmy Awards party, and she explains why Woody Allen is innocent. And funny.

Listen before it gets any older. You can click on the link below or go download the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher or wherever you go to get your podcasts.