What's So Funny?

Mayce Galoni remembered his date with What's So Funny? this time around. Maybe he just wanted to wait so he was the first guest of 2018. The young standup talks about his even younger self starting out as a barroom magician, relates some words of wisdom he was told by his comedy hero Doug Stanhope, and I tell him about sleeping in a convent in his hometown of Hamilton.

Relive 2017 with part two of our highlights from last year. Clips from our conversations with Chuck Byrn, Barry Crimmins, John Cullen, Ivan Decker, Harry Doupe, Shawn Farquhar, Diana Frances, Lori Gibbs, Ryan Gunther, James Kennedy, Colin Lamb, Darryl Lenox, Gavin Matts, Joel Plaskett, Brad Upton, Ron Vaudry, and Garry Yuill.

Clips from guests we had in 2017: Harris Anderson, Paul Anthony, Wes Barker, David Beckingham, Camilo the Magician, Andy Cañete, Randy Charach, Garrett Clark, Charlie Demers, Fred Ewanuick, Katharine Ferns, Shirley Gnome, Kevvy, Leland Klassen, Johnny Perrotta, Jon Reep, Christina Sicoli, Alex Sparling, and Oh Susanna.

Jon Reep's second visit to Vancouver resulted in his second appearance on What's So Funny? Coincidence? Yes. He's not really a hick, and not really from Hickory, but both claims are close enough to truth that he goes with it. He tells us about his terrible high school football team in North Carolina, his entry into standup, and how he got to play Opie in Mayberry.

Harry Doupe makes his annual year-end visit, this time on Christmas Eve! After opening presents, we talk about the year in comedy, from the deaths to the return of comedy to the Juno Awards to Netflix specials to the end of the Rick Mercer Report. And more!

Ivan Decker makes his triumphant return to the show three weeks after doing Conan, his first ever late night American talk show. Ivan takes us through the stages it took to get there, how he felt in the process, and reveals what O'Brien said to him immediately after. We play the set, too. All this plus the usual tangents.

Darryl Lenox and Garry Yuill have big plans for comedy, not only in this country but everywhere. It starts here, though, with their hoped-for acquisition of the Yuk Yuk's chain. The American standup veteran (Lenox) and Vancouver Yuk's franchise holder (Yuill) have teamed together to bring this pipe-dream into reality. It hasn't happened yet, but they explain what their plan is and how you can get involved. Plus we play a clip from Lenox's set on Conan a few years ago and Yuill relates what a top-notch babysitter I was.

Charlie Demers was last with us in 2010. Now he's authored even more books, released a brand new comedy album ('Fatherland' on 604 Records), and is the voice of Walter the Slug on Beat Bugs on Netflix. We talk about all of the above, plus anxiety, Humphrey Bogart, Herr Jordan, and steam & sauna rooms.

Gavin Matts was the big winner in the 2017 SiriusXM Top Comic competition. In this episode, we teach the youngster about Raymond Burr and Yvonne De Carlo, he explains how he got the nickname 'Subway,' he confesses his love of One Tree Hill and his dream of dying on Riverdale, he explains the therapeutic benefits of jigsaw puzzles, and puzzles over the ephemeral nature of standup. On top of all this, we play two tracks from his new album 'Premature' on 604 Records.

Paul Anthony returns! Every couple of years, it seems, Paul is our guest. In this episode, we start off by discussing the latest news, then we gossiped about Hugh Phukovsky and his urine gun, talked about the struggles of Talent Time, and re-enacted a Facebook Messenger conversation we had last year. And we ended things with a resurrected Funny or Not Funny? segment.

Ron Vaudry has been entertaining comedy audiences for 38 years. He was recently tweeted about by Norm Macdonald in a series of tweets about the early days of Toronto comedy so we talk about that, and what Norm was like in the early days. We also discuss Ron's net worth, his creation of the Crash 'n' Burn show at Yuk Yuk's, and squelching disabled hecklers.

Shirley Gnome has a new album out on 604 Records and came back to play some songs off it on her guitar. The album is called Taking It Up the Notch and we play a track off it, too. And we talk, as always. She tells us about going to high school with her album's producer, we count penises on her album cover, we teach her a classy new word for genitals, and she discusses playing the kazoo with her clam. This episode exudes class.

Shawn Farquhar is one of the greatest magicians in the world. And one of the greatest guys, period. He's fooled Penn & Teller twice, he's a two-time world champion of magic, and the past president of IBM! No, not that IBM – the International Brotherhood of Magicians. He tells us of his early days touring bars and comedy rooms around British Columbia, and how he shaved off his pencil-thin moustache and left his suave, debonair magician persona behind to become himself on stage. (Hint: it involves drinking.)

Wes Barker's career took off soon after his first appearance on What's So Funny? three years ago. He wowed 'em on America's Got Talent and he fooled Penn & Teller. The comic/magician tells us what that was like. We hope this latest guest spot bumps him up to even greater heights.

Randy Charach puts audiences to sleep. But that's what they come for. He's a stage hypnotist, who has also been a mentalist, magician and comedian. He talks about all these in this episode and gives a very special gift to What's So Funny? listeners. You're getting sleepy...

Alex Sparling is the greatest actor in the world (or so he'll tell you). Unfortunately, his acting career was derailed during a brutal attack. The Vancouver standup and proud Yellowknife son tells us all about it. And by the time you hear this, he'll be a Prince George comic. He also tells us why he's moving.

Leland Klassen is a standup comedian who happens to work clean and sometimes perform in churches. He's also a big-time thespian now that he's the star of a dramatic motion picture. He tells us what it's like working with Kirk Cameron, about the perils of running and running, and getting mistakenly handcuffed by the authorities.

Katharine Ferns has had her fair share of troubles in this lifetime. So what does she do? She laughs. Because you can't just cry all the time. Her Fringe show, Katharine Ferns Is In Stitches, ran in Edinburgh for a month before she brought it "home" to Vancouver. By the time you hear this, she's back in England, where she's lived the past few years doing standup and ignoring her painting.

Andy Cañete is back talking Fringe Fest. His show, in particular: The Cañete Chroñicles. He also tells us of the dangers of soccer in Chile, the secrets of Gloria Makarenko, how Chris Farley ages him, discusses some bad jobs, and tells tales of Mariel Hemingway.

Oh Susanna has another name when she's not performing her unique blend of alternative/country/folk/roots music. Suzie Ungerleider is how I knew her when we played softball together in the mid-late nineties, just as she was starting in on her music career. She moved from Vancouver to Toronto, where she's made quite the name for herself these last twenty years. We catch up in this episode and she tells us all about growing up in the 604 and how it inspired her latest album, A Girl in Teen City. We play a couple tracks from it, too.