Author:TVA

“It’s The Nature of the Experiment” or “Comedy in 30 Tweets”

I’ve seen some really good comedy, and some really crap comedy at the AltDot. I’ve also performed really good comedy and really crap comedy at the Riv. Of the stuff I’ve seen meeting either criterion, I will hazard a guess that the spark that ignited the success/failure was an idea that started with this sentence: “Hey, the AltDot is supposed to be an ‘alternative’ room, right?” Last night’s AltDot show at the Rivoli saw me put on the fruit of my labours anchored in an at-the-same-time cool-yet-stupid ideer. Why not do a show and not be on stage in the process?

Got the idea whilst tweeting on Twitter one day (for the uninitiated, start reading about Twitter HERE. Note also, that the text below my headshot on my website is directly posted from my tweets on Twitter.) when one of the folks I follow and who follows me stated he was going to show up to the New Material night at the Riv. I’d never met this man in the flesh. I didn’t know his name. He just read the stuff I was posting, found me slightly funnier than running your toe into furniture, and decided to come out. Social networking at its best. But then I got thinking, which is usually bad, who are we kidding? Since I met him through Twitter, and I knew that there was a good chance the Rivoli was wired for it, what if I did the entire set through Twitter?

Murphy’s Law is Alive and Well and Living in my Video Camera

A great week abounded in Ottawa and all I have to show for it is a full video camera. And a thousand swears under my breath.

I was able to not only make a new friend this past week in Kevin Gasior, I was also able to reacquaint myself with heli-funnyman Frank Spadone, both of whom I was able to bribe and beg onto episodes of forthcoming TVA Podcasts. Thank God for portable recording devices. You, however, may continue to curse them.

“More Voting? I Thought That Was Done???” or “Denmark 1992”

Firstly, let me get this out of the way. I’ve gotten myself into another little contest. You can vote for me on Bite.ca by clicking HERE and I’d appreciate it if you did. But now a little bit on how I got myself into this “I’d Like You To Vote For Me” mess again.

Firstly, you may or may not of heard already that I didn’t make the cut for Jason Blanchard show “Stand-up and BITE me”, being broadcast on upstart television station, BITE-TV. Apparently my demo that I sent in could have been better. Don’t know if it was just the quality of the DVD or the crapulence of the jokes on them, but there we are. I was not wanted on the voyage. Next thing I know, while trying to record the podcast episode with comic Joy Acharjee (Episode 77 of the podcast due out tomorrow), my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing in my pocket. Turned out Jason was frantically trying to get hold of me to say that because Yuk-Yuk’s comics had been banned from the contest, there were openings. Which meant that I was able to perform. That Friday. Oh that would be the next day then. Must remember to send Mark Breslin a fruit basket to thank him.

Lost Your Love Of Life…Too Much Apple Pie

Who doesn’t like sneaking over the border, really? Well, outside of anyone with unfortunate to have any unpaid parking tickets, has a bag of dope in their bum, or is unfortunate to be profiled for their brown skin? I was batting 0-for-3 there, so I got to sneak down to Buffalo to do Kristen Becker’s room. Great room that I’ve not had the pleasure of doing for a while, but it’s almost a two hour drive from home, so it is explainable. The room is somewhat akin to the Riv, but with a balcony for people to watch the show. The weird thing is that while you’re looking down at the crowd in front of you, while the balcony folks are at eye-level with the same sort of awkwardness that you’d address someone standing beside you at the urinal. As much as they said I “headlined” I maintained I was the “last person on the show”. There’s no headlining. Oh, and there was nothing really wrong with going down there. It’s just that the border guards get antsy when they tell you that you’re doing shows, as they’re under the really wrong impression that we’re getting paid. Scott Mccrae, Ben Hur, and Mark DeBonis did dandy. Score four for the Canadians.