Steve Patterson, This is not Debatable!, Friday, Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m. at Centennial Theatre, 2300 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver. Tickets: $45, available at centennialtheatre.com or by calling 604-984-4484.
Comedian Steve Patterson would like to say a big thank you to Canadian politicians, particularly members of the reigning federal Conservative party.
These days, question period antics in the House of Commons inspire more material than he can possibly work into his stand-up routines. The senate expense scandal alone is a goldmine of jokes.
"It's an embarrassment of riches right now, there's never been a better time to be a Canadian comedian," Patterson says in a phone interview from his home city of Toronto.
While domestic and international current affairs influence much of his comedic material, Patterson also mines for humour in everyday life.
"I'm not great at making things up, to be honest, so I have to hope that enough happens in my life that I can make funny, because otherwise I got nothing."
Patterson will bring his unique brand of satire and observational comedy to North Vancouver's Centennial Theatre on Nov. 8 as part of his national tour titled This is not Debatable! The oneman show provides an opportunity for him to flex his funny muscles outside his regular gig as host of CBC radio's The Debaters, in which he moderates debate between two comedians who spar over topical, often amusing issues.
"It's everything that I don't get to say when I'm hosting The Debaters," Patterson says of his touring production. "This is just me, so I can take an opinion, take a point of view that I can't take on The Debaters."
Fans of the radio show can expect Patterson's solo stand-up set to be a bit edgier than what national public broadcasting allows.
"It's a little spicier than CBC radio tapings, but I'm not Andrew Dice Patterson," he says, referring to explicit American comic Andrew Dice Clay. "It's not going to be filthy."
Patterson didn't always have his sights set on standup. The London, Ontario native graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a business degree. He always had a knack for public speaking, he says, though his college professors weren't crazy about him tossing jokes into what were supposed to be serious business presentations.
His first time at the microphone was unexpected, to say the least. Unbeknown to him, his dorm mates had signed him up for amateur night at a local comedy club. He thought he was there as a spectator, but when his name was called, in spite of his initial shock, he strode on stage and managed to entertain the audience for seven whole minutes.
"It's certainly not the way I would suggest getting into stand-up," he laughs, struggling to recall the details of that evening. "I think I blacked out, to be honest."
He may have blacked out, but he didn't crash and burn. In fact, his impromptu bit garnered quite a few laughs, which encouraged him to pursue more club gigs.
After university, Patterson began working as an advertising copywriter - a job he got fired from in 1997 when he made an ad for an amusement park "too amusing."
The client was Walt Disney. The ad campaign was promoting the theme park's quarter-centuryold roller coaster. As a gag among co-workers, Patterson mocked up a suggested slogan: "Finally, another chance for a middle-aged dad to ride a 25 year old." Somehow, his inside joke accidentally made it into his company's presentation to Disney. Needless to say, representatives from the family-friendly enterprise were not amused. Shortly after the incident, Patterson was let go.
The end of his advertising career marked the beginning of his fulltime venture into comedy. Over the course of his stand-up career, Patterson has headlined in Ireland, Australia, Switzerland, the U.K., the U.S., the United Arab Emirates and, of course, Canada. He regularly performs at the Just For Laughs comedy festival and has twice been named Canada's Best Male Stand-Up at the Canadian Comedy Awards.
Patterson says he makes an effort to deliver a slightly different live stand-up show each night, working in topical issues and placespecific jabs.
"I like to switch it up, I like to keep it really current and I like to talk about where I am at the time," he says. "Every night that I have a show I like to pretty extensively read the news of where I am, see what's going on and comment on it."
There's always an element of unpredictability at a comedy event, he adds, something only a live audience can truly appreciate.
"Over the course of 90 minutes, stuff's going to happen on the night that's not going to happen anywhere else, so I would really encourage people to come out."
