STAND-UP AND BE COUNTED: NEXT MONTH'S SCHEDULE


After two months of cherry-picking gigs here and there I'm back in the thick of it now. Here are a whack of dates where I'm doing stand-up over the next month.


Wednesday, September 26th 2007; Comedy Off the Main Second Anniversary Show; Oliveira’s, 213 Rachel Street East, Montreal, Quebec; TWO SHOWS: 8:00pm and 10:00pm

Thursday, September 27th 2007; Comedyworks; 1238 Bishop Street, Montreal, Quebec; 8:30pm; 514-398-9661

Friday, September 28th 2007; Comedyworks; 1238 Bishop Street, Montreal, Quebec; TWO SHOWS: 8:30pm and 11:00pm; 514-398-9661

Saturday, September 29th 2007; Comedyworks; 1238 Bishop Street, Montreal, Quebec; TWO SHOWS: 8:30pm and 11:00pm; 514-398-9661

Sunday, September 30th 2007; Comedy on St. Laurent; Les 3 Minots; 3812 St. Laurent, Montreal, Quebec; 9:00pm

Thursday, October 4th 2007; Ottawa Yukyuks; 88 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario; 8:30pm; 613-236-5233

Friday, October 5th 2007; Ottawa Yukyuks; 88 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario; 9:30pm; 613-236-5233

Saturday, October 6th 2007; Ottawa Yukyuks; 88 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario; TWO SHOWS: 8:00pm and 10:30pm; 613-236-5233

Friday, October 12th 2007; Time to Laugh; 394 Princess Street, Kingston, Ontario; 9:00pm; 613-542-5233

Saturday, October 13th 2007; Time to Laugh; 394 Princess Street, Kingston, Ontario; TWO SHOWS: 7:30pm and 10:00pm; 613-542-5233

Sunday, October 21st 2007; Clyde’s Lemon Party; 286 Lakeshore Drive, Pointe Claire, Quebec; 9:00pm

Pick a date and be there or be quadralateral.

EVENING(S) AT THE IMPROV

Just mentioning that all this week On the Spot is hosting Montreal's finest improv troupes (and one good one from Toronto) at:

Jimbo's Comedyworks at 1238 Bishop St. in Montreal (514-398-9661)

That's happening this Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday

at 8:30pm (late shows Friday and Saturday at 11:00pm)

So pencil in some improv and PLAN FOR SPONTANEOUS FUN (he said, sitting back and watching Star Trek androids self-destruct trying to process that command).

See ya there.

THE MOST IMPORTANT MOVIE YOU'LL SEE IN THE NEXT SIX AND A HALF MINUTES

I've cut way back on stand-up and writing in general since the coming of the baby.

Where to channel the pent-up creativity?

Here:

Spidey vs. Oz

For fans of superheroes, swearing, and sepia-toned flashbacks.

And here's the page with all my youtube stuff to date.

Nothing like "working" from home.

SOMETHING TO DO WITH JESUS

I don’t know much about Kathy Griffin’s stand-up or acting. My main exposure to her was as an animated version of herself on Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist (it was funny). But she made headlines this week at the pre-taped Emmy Awards when she won for best reality program for her show, “My Life on the D-List”. Specifically, it was her controversial acceptance speech that made the headlines.

"A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award,” said Griffin. “I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus.” She added, "Suck it, Jesus. This award is my god now."

It should come as no surprise to people who’ve read some of my little blog things that I have no problem with what she said. It’s quite a funny send-up of all the rich and famous folks who really do get up there and thank Jesus for their award (‘cause He’s all about the gold statuettes, that savior). But not everyone got the joke.

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights called her remarks “blasphemous and obscene” and called on the TV Academy that ran the event to denounce Griffin’s “hate speech”. Their president commented that, “It is a sure bet that if Griffin had said ‘Suck it, Muhammad’ there would have been a very different reaction.’”

That last hypothetical seems like an odd point to make. For one thing, she wouldn’t say ‘Suck it, Muhammad’ because nobody thanks Muhammad at these events. Jesus was kind of the epicenter of the joke. It is true, however, that such a comment would have had a different reaction. But that is because a small but not insignificant portion of Muslims ARE FUCKING INSANE.

(Before dismissing me as a bigot please re-read the previous sentence carefully, it’s quite hard to argue with it. Maybe replace “fucking insane” with “homicidal tunnel-visioned zealots” if you want to get picky, but it’s basically true. If you need reminding, check this entry’s date and go back a day).

Point being, please don’t hold up Islam as a yardstick by which to gauge your righteous anger. One thing reassuring about this Griffin backlash is that it has been restricted thus far to terse condemnations on the Catholic websites and has yet to snowball into a papal fatwa resulting in the deaths of innocent Dutch ambassadors.

Now I’m a fan of controversial jokes, and have in fact dabbled in a few bits that touch on sensitive topics (see Gift Shop, Auschwitz). What’s frustrating is that even when the joke is raising a valid comment or question, the people who take offense usually declare “poor taste” or, more broadly, “you shouldn’t joke about that”. Then they scrunch up and shut down. Often merely raising a delicate issue sends the comic proverbially going directly to jail without collecting $200. Which is too bad. ‘Cause sometimes interesting stuff goes unheard.

Whether you find it funny or not, Griffin’s joke questions, I think validly, the sense of thanking Jesus for anything and everything you like. What DID Jesus have to do with “My Life on the D-List?” Why would He even want credit for anything with “D-list” in the title? The man’s “A-Team” all the way. If you want to cite a D-rank thank, I don’t know, Lot. What did that guy do? At least his wife turned to salt, but does anyone remember anything Lot did?

In the end, Griffin’s voicing her beliefs (or at least some warped facsimile of them). What’s so objectionable? Exactly? Okay, maybe “Suck it, Jesus” is pretty harsh, but if you believe what you read, the guy’s survived worse.

Ultimately most people won’t have to deal with these questions. The E! network is following the “shouldn’t joke” camp and editing the speech’s content in the show’s broadcast next week. Don’t really blame them, what with sponsors and ratings to consider. Still, it is a bit sad.

Would it really be so awful if some young impressionable minds tuned in to Griffin’s mini-tirade and thought, “You know, come to think of it, it is unlikely that award shows are rigged by Jesus. Maybe some things in life actually happen because people make them happen. Good things. Bad things. Even reality TV. Maybe our lives are really up to us.”

That’s the neat thing about blasphemy. If you let it, it can make you think.

So let it.

For Christ’s sake.

SOME STAND-UP ON YOUTUBE

Just mentioning that I've put up some stand-up clips on youtube. I was looking at some old sets I'd videotaped and thought it'd be fun to share some obscure little bits of history.

Here's a link to one of seven I put up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtP_Q0Hyx7I

Also, www.davidpryde.com has been updated with a whack of new clips in the "clip crypt" and some t-shirt slogans on the "buy stuff" page.

Please peruse to your heart's content.