Derek Edwards: So Here's The Thing
By David DeRocco dave@gobeweekly.com https://twitter.com/?lang=en
“Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” So said Shakespeare in the play King Henry the Fourth, Part Two, to describe the immense burden of having great responsibility. For comedian Derek Edwards, the responsibility of being considered “the funniest man in Canada” hasn’t resulted in any uneasiness at all – except maybe getting his material finished in time for his upcoming comedy tour, “Here’s The Thing.”
“The world is changing pretty quick,” said Edwards, who’s bringing his new 90-minute stand up show to St. Catharines October 19th and Hamilton November 7th. “I’m surrounded by walls of Cole’s note in preparation for this show. A lot of it’s going to be recently written and dependant on what happens in the next few weeks. It’s going to be very brand new and kind of raw. I can’t say it’s all going to be polished gold, but it’s going to come from the heart.”
Honest, earnest, authentic comedy delivered from the heart direct to the funny bones of comedy fans has always been the calling card for Edwards, a Just For Laughs veteran, Gemini Award nominee and Best Stand Up Comic recipient at the Canadian Comedy Awards. For this tour, Edwards is taking his usual approach to his comedy material, focusing in on everyday experiences rather than endless political humour.
“The easiest thing to do comedically is to talk about recent scraps with authorities,” said the Timmins-born Edwards, who remains the only Canadian to have won the prestigious Vail National Comedy Invitational in Vail, Colorado. “That’s the funniest thing, you know? A cop on the road, your wife, the government. You get to interpret it in your own ways. There’s a lot about life’s foibles, observational stuff. I’m not pretending to be an insider. I’m just coming with a bundle of tricks and hoping I get some laughs.”
Despite being a stand-up veteran, Edwards says he regularly drops in unannounced at open mic comedy nights to test out his new material.
“It’s so fun to go to an open mic night. Usually there’s a charming, charismatic MC and a headliner who’ll give you 15 minutes. So it’s wonderful to come on as a guest. I’m just a guy off the street to the people in the pub. They don’t know shit from comedy so it’s wonderful. If I can capture their interest and give them a chuckle, it’s fun.”
Given the current climate of sensitivity, where people speaking in public have to be consciously aware of the ease in which words trigger anyone with a personal agenda, Edwards knows there's always a potential minefield to be found when maneuvering his way through an audience. However, given his easy-going Canadian persona and his approach to comedy, Edwards isn’t worried about being challenged by an unruly audience member for the content of his jokes.
“I don’t pick on people. If someone is being loud and obnoxious, you have to address the situation. It diminishes your authority in that room if you don’t talk to someone causing a ruckus in the front row and get them to shut the fuck up. I don’t go out in the crowd and say, hey fatty. I'm not going to do that. People paid to get in to the theatre. People are generally courteous and have a sense of humour. I have to do whatever I can to keep it gentle, but if it goes to the floor boards, I have to address it.”
As for what he finds genuinely funny outside of a comedy routine, Edwards says he’s no different than a lot of guys who like to laugh at stupid things.
“I like the Three Stooges. There are times watching them you can’t stop laughing. There was one time I didn’t have any headphones on a flight to Vancouver. I looked for something classic on the in-flight menu and found a Chaplin movie. It didn’t need subtitles. I laughed out loud and disturbed my seat mate. It’s not always about phrasing. I love Norm MacDonald and Bill Burr, the kind of guys who make any subject funny. But sometimes a guy just falling on his ass or getting kicked in the nuts is just crushingly funny. It’s how it’s done.”
Derek Edwards appears October 19th at FirstOntario PAC, St. Catharines and November 7th at Hamilton's Westdale Theatre. Reserved seating tickets for Derek Edwards -"So Here's the Thing ..." are $47.00- $49.00 (depending on local facility fees; tax incl., handling charges may apply). Tickets are available at the box office. Showtime is 7:30pm.
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