Defining yourself by what you are not

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on August 25th, 2009

The article in the Vancouver Straight by Jenny Charlesworth says that Bronx Cheer, the comedy duo of Craig Anderson and Conor Holler, has “been cautioned against labeling their offbeat comedy routines ‘alternative'” by “a bunch of comedians in Toronto.” Why? Because, the Torontonians said, “people won’t think you’re cool.”

Ahhhh… we see. Alternative (at least in Canada) is now un-cool.

Then, there’s this quote:

“When I say I’m a comedian, people conjure up images of the standup [comic] against the brick wall telling standard observational humour,” Holler notes. “I think more recently, though, comedy is not so cut-and-dry-you can do things that are a bit more experimental.”

We’re not sure who these “people” are that automatically think of a brick wall when the word “comedian” comes up.

Perhaps they are journalists.

Like Kerry Gold, who, writing for the Toronto Globe & Mail, describes a local comedy troupe thusly.

They aren’t the comedy troupes of old– there are no middle-aged guys standing against a brick wall with a microphone and opening lines like, “Don’t you hate it when…”

Don’t you hate it when a journalist falls back on tired clichés?

Is Kerry Gold even a real person? (We just wolfed down a quarter pound chunk of Kerry Gold cheddar cheese last week… bought it at Trader Joe’s. It might be our favorite cheese… perhaps tied with Parrano.)

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