David Steinberg, Martin Short, Mort Sahl, Rick Moranis, Lorne Michaels, Jim Carrey, John Candy, Kids in the Hall, Samantha Bee, Jason Jones, Howie Mandel, Rich Little, Norm Macdonald, Katherine O'Hara, Russell Peters, Leslie Nielsen - They are all Canadians.
You could argue that what we think of as modern American comedy is essentially an invention of Canadians. Today on the show, we'll ask why that nation to the north - stereotyped as cold and humorless - has rolled out so much great comedy. We'll also introduce you to a tradition of Canadian written humor that runs parallel to our Mark Twain and James Thurber. When you step into their warm winter boots, it starts to look like the Americans are the ones who have to prove that they're funny.
That's what this show is aboot! What Canadian comedians do you love? Do they have the edge over the humorists in other countries?
Comment below, email Colin@wnpr.org, or tweet @wnprcolin.
GUESTS:
- Joe Kertes is a humorist and author of many books, including Gratitude, which won a Canadian National Jewish Book Award and the U.S. National Jewish Book Award for Fiction. He was also the 1989 Winner of the Leacock Medal
- Trevor Cole is the author of Norman Bray in the Performance of His Life, and 2011 Winner of the Leacock Medal
- Fred Addis is the curator of the Leacock Museum, and producer of the annual Leacock Summer Festival
- Andrew Clarkis the author of Stand and Deliver: Inside Canadian Comedy, and is the director of the Humber School of Comedy at Humber College in Toronto
