laughing out loud
Upon arriving to Vancouver, I was told that there was a Quebecois bar on the corner of 7th and Fir that I should check out because they had an awesome poutine and a good selection of beer from La Belle Province. So I made plans with some classmates to go there one Thursday evening. Little did we know that Thursday was amateur comedy night.
My friend unknowingly placed his bag on the "stage" (the empty corner that was elevated by about an inch) when we arrived and then not-so-subtlety tried to retrieve items from it during the show, which the comedian hosting the night seized on immediately. As a result, we got to be well acquainted with the host, Phil Hanley, who referred to us as "the environmentalists". We had a good time and enjoyed the good beer and so "the environmentalists" became regulars at Zazanie on Thursday nights.
That is how I discovered some of the funniest comics in Vancouver, Graham Clark being one of them. So, when I saw that Graham was headlining at Yuk Yuk's last Thursday, I bought tickets. He did not disappoint, despite having to follow some pretty tough acts.
I really enjoy Graham Clark's sense of humour. Here's a taste from a comedy special that aired on CTV a few years ago:
On Thursday night, he had some pretty hilarious material regarding local news stories, including the "major decision" about whether or not women would be allowed to ski jump in the 2010 Games (the final decision was made on Friday - they're not) and the efforts to save the hollow tree in Stanley Park. In both instances, he brilliantly made fun of the situation.
In the first instance, he questioned the amount of energy being spent making such a trivial decision - you have the jumps and they don't need to be painted pink or otherwise altered for the women athletes and the women are physically able to jump, let them jump and move on. Seeing that the matter was being treated much more seriously than he deemed necessary, Graham mimicked the officials and hypothesized on what some of their illogical considerations might be. The illogical consideration were, of course, hilarious.
In the second, he drew attention to the amount of money being spent by rich people to prop up a dead tree with other dead trees (aka lumber) and how the rich people probably never considered spending the money on more philanthropic endeavors like, say, assisting the homeless. Graham suggested that it was probably a debate between saving the tree and something equally ridiculous. The equally ridiculous investments were, obviously, hilarious.
If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm not going to spoil his material for those who haven't seen him yet. If you live in Vancouver, check him out. If you don't, keep an eye out for him when he goes on tour.
Ultimately, I'm a of fan relevant humour. I like Graham Clark for the same reasons I like John Stewart. Their jokes are mainly witty and smart and pertinent and really funny. In my view, those are the characteristics that make for really good comedy.
