Starting Out

My guest this week is someone I consider a comedy contemporary (even though she pointed out she is guest #34), the talented Fiona O’Brien. Born and raised in Ireland, Fiona had always had a leaning towards standup, spending her time not as a fan but more analyzing the what's and how's. She got her start by writing jokes for a comedian in Ireland, but it took a move to Canada, a failing marriage, and a New Year’s resolution for her to work up the nerve to start the Second City standup class as a mother of 3 at age 39. Fiona shares my gratitude for discovering standup at a later age, and we talk a lot about how appreciative we are just to do it. When I produced my first pro show at my boxing gym, it was a no-brainer to have Fiona on, and we share a very touching moment that happened to her on the show.  Music by Devin Bateson.

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Jen Grant is an incredible comedian and keynote speaker who I had the distinct pleasure of working with one week at Absolute Kingston. Jen currently resides in Wakefield, Que. where my family has a cottage, so we start reminiscing about the Ottawa area. As an accomplished comedian of 20 years, Jen has achieved virtually everything you can in the world of stand-up comedy in Canada. She has appeared on TV at every major comedy festival in the country including the Just for Laughs Festival, the Ha!ifax and the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. She can also be heard on CBC‘s “The Debaters” and has her own TV special on The Comedy Network. We talk about her decision to pursue standup in Ottawa, which then led to Vancouver, New York, Toronto, and finally now settled outside Ottawa with her fiance and fellow comedian, Julien Dionne. Julien and Jen host a daily podcast called "The Julien Dionne Show with Jen Grant" that you should absolutely check out. Music by Devin Bateson.

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My guest this week on Starting Out is my talented friend, Luther Griggs. I met Luther when we started standup around the same time in Hamilton, but as you will hear, Luther very much does not define himself as a standup comedian. He does many things - he’s a musician, a visual artist, self-described standup hobbyist, and filmmaker. Luther talks about what it was like growing up with two artistic parents, letting his natural talent go to his head in high school, and how that experience built up a degree of authenticity in him that he expresses in his art. Mostly, Luther likes bringing people together, and he talks about wanting to contribute artistically to that feeling. We do go into his start in standup, and how seeing past guests like Manolis, Mayce, Anthony, and especially Devin inspired him to try it, but it was a laugh/smile from Gavin after his first set that really made him feel like he did something special. Thanks for listening and supporting, and you can support the record shop Luther works at in person or on Instagram at @its_alright_ma_record_store. Music by Devin Bateson.

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Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

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Joe Tuccitto is the founder, owner, and operator of The Corner Comedy Club, one of the best independent comedy clubs in the country, and you’re goddamn right I’m biased. Joe spent years dreaming of being involved in comedy while doing construction, and a major life change resulted in him having the chance to pursue his dream. But he didn’t rush into it. As you’ll hear he spent 5 years producing shows, sitting in the back of comedy rooms observing, and eventually asking selected comics to chime in on his vision before he opened the first Corner location 6 years ago last week. Now on his fourth version of the club, Joe talks about the aesthetics, the type of comedy he wanted to promote, and how the pandemic has shaped his vision for the present and future. This is the first time I really got to talk to Joe when he wasn’t working, so I opened up a bit about my experiences at the club, and Joe was selfless, egoless, and so gracious in his responses. Please support The Corner at thecornercomedy.com. Music by Devin Bateson.

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All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

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Welcome to episode 30, yes 30 of Starting Out. Excited to share this week’s episode with you, as it features comedian Marc Trinidad. Marc started performing at a young age in his native Trinidad and Tobago, through costumed character, to theatre, and sketch, but there was no comedy scene so he and his wife moved to Toronto to pursue standup. He made history as the first Canadian to have appeared on BET ComicView, was featured on the Comedy Network, Now Magazine rated him as 'One to Watch', voted Best Comic 'Soul'd Out Comedy Festival, winner of the Brantford Comedy Festival 2019 and is in rotation at Sirius XM. He talks about the tutelage of Kenny Robinson, feeling like he was really a part of a crew, until a really unfortunate thing happened that shook Marc. Marc displays his ability to move on and we end on a happy note around his role in building a comedy scene in Barrie, Ont. Music by Devin Bateson. 

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Music by @debateson
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My guest this week is the incomparable comedian, Clifford Myers. If you’ve ever seen Clifford live you know him for his free-ranging style and self-described “misplaced self-importance”, and also for his loudness. Even in podcast form Clifford was loud and made me a little quiet, so apologies if there are audio issues. Clifford and I have a wide ranging discussion on sobriety, religion, divorce, and living for yourself. Clifford talks about how being expelled from, then re-accepted into divinity school set a course for his life he is still experiencing today. Clifford loves hosting shows, and that came from watching his mom’s adoration for the Oscars. Good talk, thanks for listening and supporting. Music by Devin Bateson

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All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

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If you’ve been paying very close attention, you may recall episode’s 3 guest Dave Brennan and I gushing about our profound fondness of this week’s guest, Paul Myerhaug. Paul and I talk about his start as a comedian at 18 in Edmonton, how generous classmates helped him through university, and then how comedians helped him after he moved to Toronto. There’s a lot of talk about the generosity of others in this week’s episode. Paul has a tendency to always look forward, and he loves people and I think that really comes through in this talk. Paul tells me about the immediate allure of the UK and European comedy scenes, where he has spent the last few years, before COVID forced him out of France, away from his wife and now on his own in Vancouver. Someone commented that I seemed giddy to have Wilmot on the show,  but I think I was even giddier to catch up with Paul. We regale about our time in Kingston one weekend, and how the pandemic helped Paul focus on some much needed health issues. Check out Paul's podcast, The MicroDose Podcast everywhere you get your pods, and please enjoy this pod with Paul Myerhaug. Music by Devin Bateson.

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Music by @debateson
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This week’s guest on Starting Out is the incredibly talented comic, speaker, and writer, Dena Jackson. We get kind of heavy right away, delving right into mental health issues, which has always drawn me to Dena. Her writing has been featured on CBC Comedy and the Beaverton and she’s delivered several talks for university and corporate audiences including a TEDx focused on mental health and mindfulness. I noticed a shift in Dena’s comedy when she really leaned into revealing her personal life and the pain she was dealing with, and how to make it funny so you can connect with an audience. This was a really good and open talk - we get into the differences between standup and speaking, and reminisce about Dena’s excellent show she ran at Cameron House with Jen Sakato. Dena’s debut album, “Blue Lights”' reached the top of the iTunes Comedy Charts and can be regularly heard on SiriusXM Radio, and please support the label that put her album out, Comedy Records at comedyrecords.ca. Music by Devin Bateson.

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All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

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This week’s guest, Faisal Butt and I had plans to go on a Western tour together, and all it took was a global pandemic to keep us apart. I’m still getting to know Faisal, but in a way we’ve already decided in a few times hanging out that we’re cool and are going to be friends moving forward.  We had already started talking about the sad passing of Toronto comedian Danny Freedman as I started recording, and I know it was really affecting Faisal, but I’m glad we talked about it. We had recently been contestants on the online game show Codenames, which went straight into anarchy largely because of the teammates Faisal and I decided to bring along.  Faisal talks about starting standup in Montreal, opening for Russell Peters, and how a chance table seating at a wedding led to a very prosperous career as a commercial actor, one he is now sharing with his daughter. Finally, we talk about the choice about being a good person or not, which sounds simple, but isn’t. Music by Devin Bateson.

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All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

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Tyler Shazma is many things - an incomparable standup comedian, filmmaker, standup comedy special director and now TV director. Tyler really is a “one of one”, and as a self-described Canadian comedy nerd he’s been a big supporter of this podcast. Even before Tyler started standup, he had already made connections with some of the country's great comics as a filmmaker, videographer, and producer of comedy specials. Tyler talks about how comedy and David Lettermen used to sooth horrible night terrors as a kid, and as a result he’s been obsessed with comedy his whole life, and specifically Canadian comics like Derrick Edwards, Rob Pue, Mike Wilmot, and of course Manolis. Tyler talks about how growing up in the middle of nowhere, and having no access to comedy at all made him just ride around on his bike trying to make his friends laugh, but wishing he could be in a comedy club. His first performance in a legion was a speech about dirt bikes at age 12, and he’d go on to perform in several other legions. He talks about creating a reenactment of The War of 1812 in high school, complete with Gene Simmons and rabbit masks, may not have been historically accurate, but even his disappointed teacher could tell how funny it was, and encouraged him to keep creating. As resistant as he was to talk about himself, I love this conversation because he can’t hide his love for comedy, documenting things, and focusing on a few things and trying to get really good at them. Tyler is the co-creative force and director of “This Is The Thing”, now streaming on Fibe TV. Music by Devin Bateson.

Follow us @startingoutpod
Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

Thanks for listening. Especially you...