What's So Funny?

Marke Driesschen may be best known as a weather "specialist", but he's also a comedian and actor. We talk about his many and varied roles in Oscar-worthy films, the early Saskatoon comedy scene, what a young Chris Rock was like, and the trouble he's gotten into on the air over the years.

Johnny Scoop reminisces about the price of pop and cigarettes back in the day, explains why sandwich boards are built for land, not vehicles, admits to cowering in the shadow of the almighty Canucks, and tells us how the Olympics very nearly ruined him.

Pete Johansson on location from a Starbucks. With coffee in hand, the former and future Vancouver stand-up comic talks about comedy as art, the elevation of sports in society, abortion and the importance for young comics to move away. Hilarious stuff, I think you'll agree!

Ryan Hamilton, best known for his two turns on NBC's Last Comic Standing, has a face made for comedy. And, luckily, an act to match. You can't see the mug on this podcast, but we talk about it. That, and a whole lot more, such as why the press insists on commenting on said visage and the fact he works clean and happens to be Mormon.

Ex-pats Craig Campbell and Phil Nichol left Canada (separately) years ago. Now they're fixtures on the UK comedy scene. They give us a cautionary tale about drinking with Mike Wilmot, discuss getting arrested for swearing, talk of Phil's days with Corky and the Juice Pigs, and rail against the PC movement vis a vis Frankie Boyle's latest comedic miscalculation. All in all, a rollicking good time.

Larke Miller isn't just another pretty face. She's an honours student, in fact (despite not going to high school) who writes great jokes. The Vancouver native talks about living in Hollywood for ten years, doing Craig Ferguson (the show, not the man), performing in AA meetings and prisons, and how to disqualify a judge in court.

Paul Anthony makes visit number four to What's So Funny?... or three. Depends how you count it. The man is a walking contradiction: he smokes a pipe and wears a cardigan but doesn't read books, loves Carrot Top, and has a fascination with bike rentals.

Baltimore native Mike Storck talks about performing in a biker clubhouse, being homeless in Florida, getting drunk with John Waters, and crashing motorbikes.

Paul Bae, our first guest six years ago, returns to talk about religion, why he keeps few possessions on the job, his Comedy Death-Ray experience and how he gets the tears flowing in an audition.

Award-winning writer Andrew Carr talks about the process of writing for TV, growing up as the youngest of ten, his early days of stand-up with Brent Butt, why he gave up stand-up, and I almost get him to slag one of his employers but he was too crafty for me. He also gives some sage advice to wannabe script writers.

Paul F. Tompkins is a podcast legend. Not in the sense that he doesn't exist. The other kind of legend. He really does exist. Proof is in this episode. Granted, it's but a phone interview, so we don't know for sure, but someone was talking and we're going with Tompkins.

Shlomo McPeakowitz has taken many shots to the head over the years, which maybe explains his crazy dream to fight one of the renowned Klitchko brothers in a Rocky-esque fight in Moscow. But to hear him explain it, it doesn't sound so crazy... Ah, who we kidding? It sounds even crazier.

Michelle Shaughnessy talks about her show-biz Mom, the differences between Vancouver and Toronto, starring in reality television, and tries selling us on the yumminess of vegan cupcakes.

Tetsuro Shigematsu is known on TV as a samurai on Deadliest Warrior, on radio as former host of CBC's The Roundup, but to us, he'll always be the shirtless wonder. For further details, you'll just have to listen and then you'll understand why Allen Ginsberg took such a liking to him.

Matt Billon regales us with tales from the heady early days (seven years ago), partying with Axl Rose, and talking shop with George Carlin. Also, the moon landing was a hoax.

Art Factora, the comedian with the newsman's name, talks about comedy classes, unsuccessfully tries to explain why people from the Philippines are Filipinos, explains why Pearl Jam rocks, and why Pauly Shore is a douche.

Matt Kirshen brings his Dick Van Dyke British accent – and his real British accent – to What's So Funny?

Iliza Shlesinger talks about winning Last Comic Standing, dating a Canadian, her dad and the alt-comedy scene.

It's a Bollywood celebration when Leena Manro and Munish Sharma visit. The pair, of the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Chicken sketch comedy troupe, discuss all manner of Indian culture.

Stand-up comic Dan Quinn argues for a pecking order in comedy and talks about life on a farm and arguing with women.