BeatRoute Magazine B.C. print e-edition - April 2016

COMEDY
DARCY MICHAEL
small town comic’s joie de vivre brings TV success
Darcy Michael is a recognizable face in
Vancouver despite residing (hiding?) in the
quiet town of Ladner, BC. If you haven’t
seen him headlining The Comedy Mix, you may
have seen him in the much hyped but (short lived)
TV series Spun Out or heard him on The Debaters.
He might be from a small town but he manages to
maintain a successful comedy career.
Worry not about the fate of Michael’s TV career,
the man is so undeniable that even though he
chooses to shy from the big city, CTV has hunted
him down in his hometown and given him the
comedy golden ticket—a green light for a self-titled
sitcom called Darcy. The show will a be sit-com
based off Michael’s home life, but Married With
Children it won’t be. Technically Michael and his
husband are married and have a 17 year old daughter,
but his drug friendly west coast politics make it
much less of the white-picket-nightmare the words
“family sitcom” evoke.
No stranger to doing all the things comedy-wise,
Michael has a recording coming up for an album
titled Family Highs at the comedy mix on April 9th.
The deadly combination of actor who does standup
and or stand-up who can act, Michael already
has a stand-up TV special under his belt. It’s that
beautiful passion for comedy rather than stardom
that has created such a hot act.
“I remember when we were taping my stand-up
special in Toronto I asked the producers if me and
another comedian could split the hotel room so
we could double our stay and watch all the other
fantastic acts taping their specials that week.” That
there is hardcore dedication to the craft.
Stand-up comedians often have a difficult
time balancing a successful career and a desirable
home-life, when asked how he does it, Michael
responded with “I’m really grateful for what I have
going on at home.”
During the time of the interview Michael was out
smoking and walking his dog around his neighbourhood.
A very mellow down to earth guy, Michael
told a story of someone genuinely thankful for the
things they have in their life. “Sally Field [his newly
adopted basset hound] is afraid of everything and all
the problems you get in a rescue dog…but have you
SEEN basset hounds? I love her so much.” Very rarely
does a comedian on the telephone have that kind of
West Coast in every sense, Darcy Michael is not your typical comedian.
by Victoria Banner
unfiltered joy.
That joy might just be what empowers his success,
and makes him that much more compelling a comic.
The small town might be what inspires that sense. It’s
worth seeing how this mixture of joy and West Coast
political sensibilities translates on stage. If he’s gonna
drag himself out of Ladner, you should probably take
some time out of your week to see him.
Darcy Michael performs at the
Comedy Mix on April 7-9
EVERYONE IN THE POOL
a guide to open mic comedy nights
It’s 8 p.m. Wednesday and there appears to
be quite the event going on at Seven Dining
Lounge on Broadway, just off Main Street in
Vancouver. People standing at the back to get a
glimpse as to what’s happening on stage where a
barely audible 19-year-old is waxing on about the
first time he got a boner. No one laughs. He leaves
yet the crowd applauds him for trying. Repeat
this process for 20 to 30 comedians and you start
to get the idea of Stand-Up And Deliver Comedy
Open Mic, the brainchild of local comedians
Sam Lee and Ed Konyha. That and Crafty Comedy
(Sunday’s at 12 Kings) is Vancouver open
mic in its purest form — everyone, regardless
of skill or talent, gets a turn. Half of you reading
this are totally onboard and the other half of
you are thinking “Why the hell would I go watch
open mic when I’m treated to all the hilarious
free speech I could ever hope for on the bus?”
Because comedy open mic, while intended as a
workshop tool for performers, can actually be a
really fun time for you as an audience member if
you know a thing or two about them.
You can come and leave whenever you want.
If you walk by a bar and see a show going on,
come sit! Open mics are free. Every comic
only does five minutes so you will have missed
nothing. If you’ve been sitting, for the love of
god, you don’t have to stay until the end. These
things go on for four hours so leaving after
you’ve had your fill is completely acceptable.
Producers have ways of ensuring the show
remains funny, even if 30 losers show up. The
person emceeing an open mic isn’t just reading
by Victoria Banner
names; usually there’s an established professional
comedian capable of getting booked on
proper comedy shows at the helm. When crappy-boner-comic
weirds out the crowd too much,
the beloved emcee returns every five minutes to
keep you laughing and clear the suckage for the
next comic. Comedian Jonny Paul, who emcees
the 12 Kings Pub open mic every Sunday, turns
every gap between amateur comedy sets into a
hilarious roast battle.
There are a LOT of crazies at open mic, but
there are just as many pros, headliners and even
celebrities who will drop in from time to time
and try new material. There is a certain rawness,
energy and hilarity to these sets that could
never be recreated in a comedy club. Open mic
producers will always give priority to club acts,
even if the show is in progress, so it’s never long
before the show you chose to sit in on for free
has the entertainment value of a 40 dollar ticket.
So what have you got to lose?
Stand-Up And Deliver Comedy Open Mic is every
Wednesday at Seven Dining Lounge and Crafty Comedy
is every Sunday at 12 Kings.
24 APRIL 2016 •
city