Starting Out

Mayce Galoni and I start right away with more nostalgia about how fun and horrible the open mic at Ceili House was, the place where I started standup with Mayce serving as the MC for my first ever set. Mayce is truly ascending in his standup career, starting at age 15, and gone on to appear at Just for Laughs, the Winnipeg and Halifax Comedy Festivals, he’s been a writer and correspondent on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and is a regular on CBC's The Debaters, often of which he is debating his girlfriend and fellow Juno nominated comedian, Sophie Buddle. Mayce details his eating habits back when we were doing open mics. Mayce is the cohost of Codependent, the excellent new podcast he and episode #8’s guest Jordan Scherer do. We talk magic, Steve Martin, some incredible stories of when he met, got advice from and eventually opened up for one of his comedic idols, Doug Stanhope. And things get a little heavy as we talk about losses we have both been through, and how those losses keep motivating us to continue this weird road that is standup. Music by Devin Bateson.

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

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This week’s guest is Hamilton-based comedian and finder of lost engagement rings, Anthony Mlekuz. Anthony used to live down the street from me in Hamilton, and we recount a terrible incident (that turned out redemptive for him and his then-fiance) that I then tried to use to riff onstage while introducing him at a show we were on. There’s a lot of laneway talk in this episode.  We talk about our different comedy styles (me being regimented to a script, and him never really having one) and how the pandemic is likely to change how we approach standup whenever we get back to it. Anthony talks about the process of working material out on stage, and needing to be your authentic self to do so. He also talks about performing for his son and getting nothing, and details his story on being signed by Yuk Yuks.. Thanks for listening, please share, rate and review. Music by Devin Bateson.

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

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This week’s guest is the first one to also appear on NBC’s The Today Show. Alex Wood is a comedian, podcaster, and now author. As you’ll hear, Alex has struggled with addictions over the years, and chose to document them in his incredible podcast Alex Wood Quits Everything, revealing so much of himself that it was an inspiration for me starting this podcast. And it has now turned into a recently published book titled "Float Like a Butterfly, Drink Mint Tea", about comedy, addiction and boxing. Alex has performed at the Montreal Just For Laughs festival twice, as well as at Kevin Hart's "LOL Network”. We talk self-confidence, writing, and a LOT of boxing. Music by Devin Bateson.

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

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Ashton Francis is an MC, an artist, and founder of the collective What Matters Most (whtmtrsmst.com). He is also one of my unlikeliest of friends, given our age difference and different life stories, but we met on a shared balcony when we were next door neighbours, and had many, many conversations like the one you’re about to listen to. Ashton is a deep thinker, and an authentic artist with a true sense of self. He talks about getting his start in music after a near tragedy, being brought up in an artistic household, not second-guessing, and recognizing what’s unique and special in yourself. Music by Devin Bateson and Ashton Francis.

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

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This week’s guest is super talented comedian Dave Burke. Hailing from Halifax, Dave talks about getting into standup only to help his sketch writing, and then never doing sketch again. Dave and I really got to know each other training at Hardknocks Boxing Gym, where I produced a comedy show that Dave dropped in on and delivered an amazing set that would be talked about in the gym for months. Dave talks about moving to Toronto having never been there before, sleepwalking into his roommate's bedroom, and being mesmerized by the big city. We share showcasing for Yuk Yuks stories (Dave got it, I didn’t), and talk a lot about how much we miss boxing. Music by Devin Bateson. 

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

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Monty Scott is one of my favourite comics. Similar to Jordan Scherer, Monty makes me laugh almost like no one else, and he was already ripping into Ontario’s Premier before I hit record, so he was hot right out of the gates. Monty and I share an obsession with over-analyzing Dyson products, and Monty talks about having an unwavering confidence that he would be a good comedian. Not in an ego way, just a matter of fact, and he was right. We talk some politics, growing up in Scarborough, obsessing about advertising, and Monty’s concept of what success is. Please check out his Juno-nominated album “The Abyss Stares Back” on iTunes or anywhere you listen to things. Music by Devin Bateson. 

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

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I met Kristin Archer, the blogger, radio host and podcaster behind I Heart Hamilton back in 2016 in the Hamilton comedy scene. I Heart Hamilton recently celebrated it’s 10-year anniversary, so it was good timing having Kristin on to reflect 10-years of work. Kristin always seemed like such a positive, optimistic person and as you’ll hear in this week’s episode, she absolutely is. Kristin shares her desire to create, to experience things, and to share them with others, all with no agenda whatsoever. She’s not an “influencer”, she doesn’t make things about her; she just experiences things and shares them with others. Kristin talks about how the 2019 Pride event in Hamilton, and subsequent protests, really served as a galvanizing moment for her.  You can check out her weekly I Heart Hamilton radio show every Friday from 2-3 on 93.3 CFMU as well as wherever you get podcasts. Music by Devin Bateson.

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

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Liz Glazer is an American comedian, writer, and actor. Liz and I met as competing contestants on the online game show Code Names, and when I learned she was a tenured law professor who the dropped it all to become a full-time comedian I had to have her on. Liz’s start with entertaining people was born out of a crush, then a vision, a lot to do with the number 9, and not wanting to alter her own script too much. This will all make sense as you listen to Liz explain. We share stories of failure in a work setting, and how those failures can chart an entirely new path for you. Liz has appeared on OutTV in Canada, and has opened for Myq Kaplan and Maria Bamford. Check out Liz at dearlizglazer.com. Music by Devin Bateson. 

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

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Writer Gare Joyce is somehow someone I know. Gare was described by Sports Illustrated as "one of this continent's master craftsmen of sporting prose," has appeared in every publication from the New York Times to ESPN The Magazine to Sportsnet, and  has won four National Magazine Awards and been a finalist 19 times. He is the bestselling author of the Brad Shade mystery series comprising of The Code, The Black Ace, and The Third Man In, and has authored or contributed to eight other books on hockey, including books on Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Through the magic of comedy, Gare and I met at an open mic and have been friends since. Gare talks about covering sports remotely, the impact of his mother buying him Sports Illustrated magazines from the 50s. We talk about stumbling upon what is likely the most successful thing he’s worked on to date, the TV show Private Eyes. We talk about his relationship with George Chuvalo, how Sidney Crosby inspired him to write another book after a not-so-great experience with his first one. We wrap talking about how miserable comedians used to be and how that dissuaded him from pursuing comedy early in his career. Music by Devin Bateson.

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

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Comedian and writer Leonard Chan is this week’s guest. Leonard went from a successful career as a Chemical Engineer to an even more successful career as a full-time comic and writer. Leonard started standup just a little before me, and has achieved almost every credit a Canadian comedian can get - Just For Laughs, the Halifax and Winnipeg Comedy Festivals, Sirius/XM appearances, and he also won the Absolute Comedy Prove You're a Comic contest in 2016 and the Comedy Brawl in 2018, beating over 400 comics. You will hear about his relentless hustle and work ethic which is why he’s made such amazing headway in comedy, and now as a writer on This Hour Has 22 minutes, Kim’s Convenience, and others. We talk race and racism in comedy, and the (good) shift the entertainment industry is going through. Music by Devin Bateson.

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

Thanks for listening. Especially you...