>>PREVIEW
FUNNYFEST
Runs until May 13
Standup comedian Kelly Taylor has a mentor he wants everybody to know about. "My favourite comic is Dez Reed," he raves. "Of everyone I’ve seen onstage, I just think he’s the funniest guy."
Taylor admits he doesn’t get to tour with other comics much anymore. With only three years of stage experience, he’s accomplished enough to be headlining on his own in both Canada and the States. It wasn’t long ago he was getting started by playing gigs with other comics. Taylor would see peers do the same set three or four times in a row before he lost interest in what they were doing and tuned out.
However, in the case of Saskatoon-based Reed, Taylor recalls, "I’d always look when he’s onstage, because he’d always be different and make me laugh every time."
Taylor remembers calling up Reed, hoping to get his start in comedy. "He had a bunch of bars lined up where you could go, like, seven days a week and get onstage. Some people laugh when they hear Saskatchewan is a good place to come do comedy, but it really is, because when you’re starting out, there is so much stage time available."
You can see for yourself how all his intensive early training has polished Taylor into one of our country’s top comics at this year’s FunnyFest. Our local comedy festival is now underway and continues at many venues in and around the city until May 13.
"I love FunnyFest," says Taylor. "I know a lot of the guys who are going to be playing there. I have it circled on the calendar as one of the best times of the year."
Both Taylor and his comedy guru Reed can be found in performance until May 11. Also coming up in the latter part of the festival is skilled comedy infiltrator and festival veteran Harmon Leon. The San Francisco-based performer is an accomplished author, known for donning bizarre disguises and personas. Leon has crept his way into such mysterious realms as the Church of Scientology in Los Angeles and auditions for the Family Feud game show. On stage at FunnyFest, Leon will relate many of his bizarre and at times hazardous infiltration experiences.
Also returning to the festival after playing here in 2004 is Ken Pringle. Now living in Los Angeles, Pringle originally hails from a more remote corner of the globe. "I grew up in Juneau, Alaska," he says. "It’s a town with literally no roads out of it. You have to fly or boat out. That sort of isolation certainly makes for a unique upbringing." It also makes for some prime comedic fodder that pops up in Pringle’s act.
The Alaskan-turned-Californian has won the favour of many other standup comedians, with the creation of his ChuckleMonkey website (www.chucklemonkey.com). Like Pringle, this now invaluable comedy resource had a humble beginning.
"Today it’s a staple within the industry," Pringle says. "It’s huge. But that was never my intention." A handful of years ago, when Pringle was in the early stages of his L.A. comedy career, he created a record on his Palm Pilot of all the local open mic nights. Once other comics learned of this directory, Pringle was besieged with requests for information.
"Eventually it got to the point where I thought, I’ll just put one page on the Internet, with open mics listed for the L.A. area, and people can just find the information for themselves."
Things grew from there – big time. Today ChuckleMonkey includes a wealth of information on American comedy clubs and performances. It also features profiles, website links and contact info for more than 1,300 comedians worldwide. Pringle laughs as he reveals that ChuckleMonkey has literally become "the monkey on my back."
For details on where and when you can see Taylor, Reed, Leon, Pringle and other talented comics at this year’s FunnyFest, check out another solid comedy website – www.funnyfest.com. |
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