I forgot actually that you did sing because the last big show I saw you at was in by the Sea.
Speaker BOh, yeah, Queen Elizabeth.
Speaker AHe opened it with singing.
Speaker AYes, I remember correctly.
Speaker BFunny, because a lot of people obviously just think I'm a comedian and Kenny, hold a note.
Speaker BAnd he's always laughing at me because he's like, why don't they know you can sing?
Speaker BYou can't sing.
Speaker BIt's not like it's bad.
Speaker BAnd you know, the real reason is I've always admired like Jamie Foxx who does it all.
Speaker BHe sings, he plays, and I think those are one of the greats.
Speaker BAnd I think when you come out with a talent and then your audience sees another talent, they kind of go, whoa, when did he find time to do this?
Speaker BSo I do do that and put it as a part of my entertainment when I perform.
Speaker AWould you.
Speaker AAre you going to continue to do that forever singing a comedy?
Speaker BI think it works.
Speaker BAnd you know, I had aspirations of putting out like what they call a mixtape, you know what I mean?
Speaker BCombinations with me and some artists that are singing that you would never think, you know what I mean?
Speaker BI'd like to consider my.
Speaker BA second tier singer, a first tier comedian.
Speaker BAnd having that opportunity to do an album with people, add a little comedy in the snippets and do an album that has me singing songs with some of my favorite artists would be wicked.
Speaker BLike even a Canadian version, I think would.
Speaker BBecause I know everybody in the industry, I think I could put together a nice album that would have everybody on it.
Speaker BMaybe that's something I'll aspire to start working on.
Speaker AI think you should.
Speaker AI'd really like to hear that.
Speaker BYeah, it'd be cool.
Speaker CMaybe have like Gilbert Godfrey doing backing vocals.
Speaker BYes.
Speaker AOr other comedians sitting with you.
Speaker BYes, other comedians.
Speaker BAnd there's so many, like especially.
Speaker BAnd I'm going to switch gears a little bit.
Speaker BBut this pandemic has allowed us to have a lot of more closer relationships with our American counterparts as comedians.
Speaker BI've got to meet a lot of them, talk to a lot of them.
Speaker BIt just made it a more level playing field.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker BBecause everybody used to think, oh, I'm killing right now.
Speaker BI'm going on tour and I'm shutting down all these clubs so I don't have any time to take a call from a Canadian.
Speaker ARight, right, right.
Speaker BAnd now it's like, hey, what's up, man?
Speaker BI ain't doing nothing, man.
Speaker BYou want me do show?
Speaker AYeah, I'll do two shows back to back.
Speaker BDo back to back.
Speaker BY' all want to do.
Speaker BYeah, man, I'll do that.
Speaker BDude, you do have time for that, because you are waiting on a $1,400 stimulus check.
Speaker BYou don't have a guy named Trudeau that's setting you 900 to $1,000 every two weeks.
Speaker BHomies.
Speaker CThat's.
Speaker BThat's why you have time for me.
Speaker DI love it, man.
Speaker AHave you talked to a lot of other.
Speaker ABecause I know now other comedians in the US Are starting to go back and work.
Speaker AHave you talked to any of them going back?
Speaker AWhat is it like trying to go back in this environment?
Speaker AI know it's not everywhere, but I know Texas.
Speaker BNo, there's a lot.
Speaker BThere's a lot of places that are opening back up in the United States to do comedy.
Speaker BA lot of my friends, some of them are Canadian.
Speaker BLike, tricks.
Speaker BHe lives in Vegas now.
Speaker BMy good friend Ron Jossel, he did a couple stints in Vegas, and he said, you know, the first three times, both of them have said it like they got on stage, it's working your rhythm back.
Speaker BIt's like going to that heavyweight fight and getting your face knocked in because you haven't been working out.
Speaker BSo it's been a change for them, and I think it'll be a change for us.
Speaker BBut I think the only difference is that they didn't do a lot of online comedy.
Speaker BThey were like, we're straight stage comedians.
Speaker CAnd you do a lot of online.
Speaker BNow I am living on online comedy.
Speaker BIt's come to a point now that I've adjusted.
Speaker BI.
Speaker BI'm really good at it now.
Speaker BOf course, when it started, everyone hated it, but it was the new normal.
Speaker BIt was corporately paying our bills, so we had to find that time and effort to do it.
Speaker BAnd I think now I've never mastered it, but I'm quite one of the masters.
Speaker CWell, what I was curious about with that is one, I listen to a lot of standup comedians talk in podcasts because I just find the job of a standup comedian, in a way, to be just above what other people do, because you just stand, especially in a world where we have iPhones.
Speaker CYou just stand on the stage and you talk and you captivate for hours.
Speaker BRight?
Speaker CBut I do remember having an issue when comedians.
Speaker CNot an issue, but being like, when comedians would say, I played this theater, and I played that theater, and I was like, play.
Speaker CYou're not a musician.
Speaker CBut then I started to understand that we're the instrument.
Speaker CThey're playing people.
Speaker CAnd a big part of that is timing, and you tell a joke and you quickly assess, like in a way that a regular person can't.
Speaker CWho's laughing, who's not, which direction should I take it in?
Speaker CAnd you make split second decisions on what to choose.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker CHow does that work online when there's as much as a two second delay.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CYou're so used to telling the joke and then you know how long it takes before the joke lands or doesn't land.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker CWhat do you.
Speaker CBecause even when we sat down before we set up the mics, you're like, I think there's a delay and we had to bring it down.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CAnd that's just with your own voice.
Speaker CSo how do you play people online differently?
Speaker BPhenomenal questions.
Speaker BAgain, you took the punches in the face the first three times.
Speaker BBecause I know my jokes.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BAnd I know the laugh line that it gives me.
Speaker BI know when it's a tough crowd, it's going to be two seconds.
Speaker BWhen it's a good crowd, it's going to be like 5, 6 seconds.
Speaker BWhich allows you a chance to get a drink and allows to do exactly what you said.
Speaker BEvery comedian's mind is like, it's like you're, you're, you're, you're watching an iPad or you're watching Netflix and you're flipping through what to watch.
Speaker BThat's what our brain is doing between jokes going, no, no, yes.
Speaker BThat's kind of good.
Speaker BNo filter transition, swing up.
Speaker BAnd hey, you know what I like?
Speaker BThat's how it works for.
Speaker BSo when you say that rhythm and now you throw us on screen where there is no laughter or they got a zoom meeting that you're in and they've paused all the mics and you're waiting for those that are laughing.
Speaker BThen you got those three faces that are just looking like, God said no one loves you anymore.
Speaker BI want everyone to know that God doesn't love me anymore.
Speaker BAnd you're looking at them going, that dude's not even gonna smile.
Speaker BAnd it throws you off your timing.
Speaker BSo the first three shows were horrendous.
Speaker BAnd then corporations didn't know what to do with their time.
Speaker BThey're like, okay, we have a day meeting and you have an hour and you're like, an hour.
Speaker BAn hour online is three hours in.
Speaker BReal, like no if, ands or buts.
Speaker BIt's just like, what do I talk about?
Speaker BAnd by the end of it, like, once I got the rhythm in, I knew what jokes were good.
Speaker BI knew when I could take a commercial break, because I can add that in.
Speaker BAs a part of my comedy and just go, hey, you know what, guys?
Speaker BWe're gonna be right back after these messages.
Speaker BAnd they're like, what messages?
Speaker BAnd I play a track there that would have, like, a soundtrack of a commercial.
Speaker BAnd I would do an infomercial commercial on high.
Speaker BAre you suffering from sleepless nights?
Speaker BBloodshot eyes?
Speaker BInstagram thunder keeps going and going.
Speaker BAre you going through WhatsApp looking for two blue check marks?
Speaker BSo I memorized it all and they're all like, dude, he's going.
Speaker BLike, he's going.
Speaker BAnd I'd be like, well, you need to try.
Speaker BYou may be suffering from VF virtual feelings.
Speaker BVirtual feelings affects every 1 in 10 people in this time of quarantine.
Speaker BLike, I have it all memorized.
Speaker BIf you feel you're suffering from it, contact your doctor or physician immediately.
Speaker ABut that's brilliant.
Speaker BYeah, but it's the way I wrote it in to give myself a break.
Speaker AExactly.
Speaker BBecause technically speaking, it's a three minute bit.
Speaker BBut because I know it, like Bible verses.
Speaker BI know it.
Speaker BIt was a break for me.
Speaker BSo I know that the audience is, like, going nuts because they're like, how did he pull this?
Speaker BAnd we now return to your regular schedule program.
Speaker BAnd I'm like, can I get a drink of water?
Speaker BAnd that drink of water can be 20 seconds because they're still like, how did this guy do it?
Speaker BSo it took a while for me to work out the pain pictures and pieces, but you're so right.
Speaker BYou had to get your timing.
Speaker BIt switches.
Speaker BSo how do we switch back?
Speaker BIs why everybody who went back to the stage is having a little bit of trouble.
Speaker CAre there things you're going to keep from the zoom days on stage?
Speaker BMost definitely.
Speaker BBecause they're wonderful callbacks and now they become a piece of your set.
Speaker BThat's.
Speaker BRemember when we were growing up and we had those fun sticks and you'd, like, lick it and dip it in for powder.
Speaker BThat's going to be like.
Speaker BRemember when we were in, like, Covid and we could do a show?
Speaker BI had to do this bit.
Speaker BLike, it's always gonna be in your repertoire.
Speaker BAnd what's nice about that bit is it'll never end.
Speaker BThere will always be an infomercial with new drugs that make you have to go through all the side effects.
Speaker BThere will always be this.
Speaker BThis has been going on since we were kids.
Speaker BSo it is a bit that doesn't get stale.
Speaker ARight?
Speaker CFun fact.
Speaker CThen we move on.
Speaker CDid you know that only two countries in the world allow for pharmaceutical commercials?
Speaker CAmerica and New Zealand.
Speaker BReally?
Speaker CYep.
Speaker CWe don't have them anywhere else in the world.
Speaker CAmerican channels?
Speaker CNo.
Speaker CEvery other country's like, you can't advertise drugs.
Speaker CAre you crazy?
Speaker AIt sounds crazy.
Speaker AThat's interesting.
Speaker BWell, I'm.
Speaker BNow that's a part of my set.
Speaker CThere you go.
Speaker BI'm gonna take that information.
Speaker BPlease make sure you.
Speaker BI'll be like, I am from Seden and we do drugs commerces all the time.
Speaker ALike what?
Speaker CI'm just gonna write that down and I'll fact check after this Better man.
Speaker BCuz I don't need somebody to come up on me.
Speaker BAnd here's the commercials that I start in about 10 drugs.
Speaker AIt'll be one of those YouTube ones where you have it and then the person comes in and breaks it down while you're selling.
Speaker CIt was for sure true at some point.
Speaker CI haven't checked in a while.
Speaker BI hate this studio, man.
Speaker BI would just go out the guy.
Speaker BI would be like, well, look at you.
Speaker BThe only loser that walks around with your own commercial on in your phone.
Speaker CI'll tell you guys what the listeners.
Speaker CIf the.
Speaker CIf that's not true, then I will pop in and say it wasn't true right now.
Speaker CYeah, but if it was true, then I won't say anything.
Speaker BThere you go.
Speaker BSo now you have to be at every show I do.
Speaker CWhen I do that, put a marker down.
Speaker BWe're good.
Speaker BThere we go.
Speaker DReplacing Betsy.
Speaker DTrue or not true?
Speaker BWhat's that?
Speaker AIt's true.
Speaker DYou think it's true?
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker AWhat do you think?
Speaker DWell, I thought it was true too.
Speaker ABut you're questioning everything now.
Speaker CIt was true when I learned it, but I don't double check.
Speaker DThings change.
Speaker BI'll say it anyway.
Speaker BEverybody in the audience.
Speaker AWon't be the first fact that I just made up.
Speaker BOh, I have a bag of those.
Speaker A86 of all facts are wrong.
Speaker DConvincing with his delivery though.
Speaker DYeah, this is.
Speaker DThis is interesting.
Speaker DWe got the comedy, we got the today's wizard.
Speaker CI don't know what to call you.
Speaker BHe's got the kazoo thing.
Speaker BI am kazoo or I am Oz Vap.
Speaker COh yeah, here's another.
Speaker CJust a kazoo that I pretend every time I inhale it goes.
Speaker CYou know, I'm going to fact check right now.
Speaker CWe're not.
Speaker CYou guys keep talking, I'll listen.
Speaker BYeah, give me what's up?
Speaker BWhat's next?
Speaker CDo you write sets?
Speaker DYeah, there you go.
Speaker BDo I write sets?
Speaker AYeah, like.
Speaker ACause you're so naturally funny.
Speaker AIs it.
Speaker AJust give me a mic and let me Be funny or do you actually sit down and write?
Speaker AWrite bits.
Speaker BAll right, so we're gonna go back to the times when we were open.
Speaker BComedians have a lot of joke sets, like, I like to tend to be.
Speaker BNot like Jerry Seinfeld, who officially writes an hour every day, regardless of whether he's performing or not, which is absolutely nuts.
Speaker BAnd when he writes for an hour, it's not that he has an hour of material, but he writes for an.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker BThe average comedian that's touring, I would say, has to have a new hour set every year.
Speaker AYeah, it seems to be the standard.
Speaker BSo you write a new set every year and you run from that set.
Speaker BSome comedians, I'm not gonna say are whack, but they just don't get out enough and they write one set for five years.
Speaker BI don't even understand how that can happen then.
Speaker BYou're hearing a whole set for so many years.
Speaker ABut that used to be the standard.
Speaker BNo, that was the standard.
Speaker BAnd you know what's funny?
Speaker BI'm going to tell you where I get critiqued like that.
Speaker BMy shelf life for a lot of my jokes wasn't long because I was performing them in front of larger audiences that were then bigger than the average comedy club with 100, 150 people.
Speaker BLike, I never did a comedy club outside of Yuk Yuk's Nubian Night.
Speaker BI've never done, like, open mics.
Speaker BSo all of my comedy was being seen by a church of 400 people.
Speaker BDo you know what I mean?
Speaker BSo when you told a joke to 400 people and they told everybody at their church, he's coming to my church, you're going to get a lot of the same things.
Speaker BAnd then, for example, material that you do at church is only material that you could do at church.
Speaker BAnd that only goes so far.
Speaker BSo I'd get a lot of churches, be like, are you going to do the thing?
Speaker BYou're going to write something new?
Speaker BAnd I'm like, dude, there's so many jokes I can write about.
Speaker BKing Nebuchadnezzar.
Speaker BThere's really one joke with that.
Speaker BShadrach, Me, Jack, and Abomigos.
Speaker BSo give me another Nebuchadnezzar, though.
Speaker BHow about Neil?
Speaker ANeil.
Speaker BSo it was harder to write for churches because my church hour is just my church hour.
Speaker BThat one is going on forever.
Speaker CJerry's had the same hour for, like, 30 years.
Speaker BJerry Seinfeld, Yeah.
Speaker BBut he has so much material that he doesn't use.
Speaker CSo weird.
Speaker CLike, he keeps talking about writing and writing and writing.
Speaker BRight.
Speaker CHe has the same hour.
Speaker BWell, a lot of people do that.
Speaker BI find a lot of comedians, like, I'm not going to say their names to put them on pause, but I've been on tour with some of them, and they're like.
Speaker BI'm like, come on, let's go get some food.
Speaker BNope, I'm writing.
Speaker BI'm writing.
Speaker BAnd then we go to the show together, and I'm like, this is the same set from, like, 10 years.
Speaker BBut you gotta remember, as comedians, it's the only thing that we wish we could do that musicians can do.
Speaker BAnd I'm gonna tell you what it is.
Speaker BThe one thing that comedians wish they could do that musicians do is bang out their greatest hits.
Speaker CThis is going somewhere else.
Speaker BYeah, well, when I said banging, this guy's braided something else.
Speaker BWe need to have you psychiatrically assessed.
Speaker BBut, yeah, because you can't go and have the police on tour and not hear one of those.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BAnd Roxanne, he can't.
Speaker BNo one wants to hear your new stuff, but comedy is the absolute opposite.
Speaker BYou know what I mean?
Speaker BAnd we wish we could just, like, kill you with the greatest hits.
Speaker BAnd it always bothered me when a lot of people are like, hey, you did that joke last time.
Speaker BAnd I go, well, when you heard it the first time, how did that feel for you?
Speaker BRight?
Speaker BBecause I'd like this next person to feel like how you felt.
Speaker BYou know what I mean?
Speaker BAnd some writing is brilliant brilliance.
Speaker BThere's some jokes that I believe I have that are just brilliant, and because of the shelf life, I have to put them down.
Speaker BYou know what I mean?
Speaker BSo that aspect kind of hurts.
Speaker BBut, hey, it is what it is with writing.
Speaker BBut yes, as you said, I do write set lists for events.
Speaker BI'll write, like, 10 bits that.
Speaker BThat I'll put in 10 bits from this chart of jokes that I have.
Speaker DOkay?
Speaker BAnd then I'll go on the show, and what I'll do after I perform is I'll come back and I'll be like, did I do 10 out of 10?
Speaker B9 out of 10?
Speaker B8 out of 10.
Speaker BBut even though it's there on paper, you.
Speaker BYour brain sees it, but when you're in the flow, you just kind of grab what you grab.
Speaker BAnd every favorite.
Speaker BEvery comedian or every person's favorite comedian draws from situations that are right off the bat.
Speaker BEveryone wants to see a touch of freestyle.
Speaker ARight?
Speaker CRight.
Speaker BSo you gotta have room for that in your act to be like, what is that?
Speaker BYou know?
Speaker BAnd every comedian, every audience, I find, likes to hear a comedian kind of, like, assess themselves.
Speaker BOh, my gosh.
Speaker BI didn't see that happening.
Speaker BWhen we do kind of fake it sometimes, right?
Speaker BIt isn't happening.
Speaker BLike, I've done jokes where I'm like, I know my callback is going to be me faking.
Speaker BLike, I never thought it was there.
Speaker BIt's the magic that happens.
Speaker BAnd you kind of let everybody go, wow.
Speaker BThey're like, wow, how did he do that?
Speaker BBut it's kind of method.