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Some of the city’s hottest exports show us what makes them laugh
Shaun Majumder
(This Hour Has 22 Minutes/24/Unhitched/Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle)
Funniest joke you’ve ever heard?
“A chicken and an egg are lying in bed. The chicken rolls over, lights up a smoke and says, ‘Well, I guess that answers that question.’” I love that joke, because a) it’s very funny, and b) if you think about it, it doesn’t really answer the question, does it?”
What don’t you miss about the T.O. comedy scene?
The fact that even though you may be talented, there’s a ceiling you will hit. Performers need to feel there’s a universe of opportunity beyond making your own shorts and hoping you get shown on CBC at 3 am on a Thursday.
Harland Williams
(There’s Something About Mary/Employee Of The Month/Dumb & Dumber)
Where did you do your first comedy show here – and when were you hooked?
My first show was at Yuk Yuk’s in Yorkville. I got hooked swimming in the St. Lawrence. Some dumb-ass tourist was trolling with a silver spinner and I foolishly bit. I fought for an hour, but they got me in the boat. I played dead for about 20 minutes and then, when they weren’t looking, I jumped over the side and escaped.
Ryan Belleville
(Life On A Stick/The Seán Cullen Show/Finn On The Fly)
What do you miss most about the Toronto comedy scene?
Spirits and the Rivoli. They’re the two coolest places to see comedy in Toronto. I also miss the days of Pirate Video Cabaret at Clinton’s. The comedy clubs are terrific, but these places are neutral ground – if you’re a Yuk’s comic, from the Laugh Resort or independent, in those rooms you’re all just funny people gathering and doing a show.
Jason Rouse
(The Naughty Show/The Next Big Thing)
All-time funniest joke?
It’s one of Alan Park’s: “Is it true that women who use vibrators give birth to children who stutter?”
When did you get hooked on comedy?
After my first performance. I realized comedy was a great way to sleep in, make money and travel the world.
The Kids in the Hall
Scott Thompson
(Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild/The Pacifier)
Where did you do your first comedy show here – and how’d you do?
I remember my fifth or sixth time doing stand-up. It was at Yuk Yuk’s in Yorkville and I performed as my character Manny Coons, the bitter drunk who taught at OCA. Someone called me a faggot and I kicked his beer off the table. I didn’t have control over my anger then and I wasn’t even out.
What do you miss most about the Toronto comedy scene?
People doing shows for the sake of doing them. In L.A. people do comedy to get a sitcom or get noticed by the industry. In Toronto there’s not much of a big carrot.
Kevin McDonald
(Epic Movie/That 70s Show/Lilo & Stitch: The Series)
All-time funniest joke?
A guy with a harelip and a woman with a wooden eye are on a dance floor. She goes over and asks if he would like to dance. He says, “Would I? Would I?” And she says, “Harelip!”
What do you miss most about the Toronto comedy scene?
Being young and trying to perform as much as you can. I also loved going from club to club underground during the winter. Dave (Foley) and I found a way to go from College and Bay down to Harbourfront. In the winter before a show we’d be underground getting tea.
What don’t you miss about it?
Being overground in the winter.
Mark McKinney
(Slings And Arrows/Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip)
All-time funniest joke?
I think it was one of Monty Python’s. There’s an English game show with a panel of distinguished guests and a contestant gets to ask six questions to guess a word. A little old lady’s put in the booth. The announcer says the secret word is “horsecock.” The little old lady’s first question is: “Can I put it in my mouth?” A distinguished guest says, “Yes, you can put it in your mouth. You now have five questions left.” The lady says, “Is it horsecock?”
What do you miss most about the Toronto comedy scene?
I don’t know if what I miss is even still there. There was this period of about a year ?and ?a ?half when the alternative comedy scene just gelled. We hosted a show, Dan Redican came up, Sandra Shamas came up – she was just about to break. The place was packed. We were all just so ready for the cable revolution.
