Category: Comedy

Cyclists. Drivers. Pedestrians. They have a strained relationship. Read any news story and you’ll hear how poorly they get along. It’s war. This is a strange phenomenon, given that all three fit in the category “people.” But that’s what labels do. They split us….

I had the opportunity to speak with The Toronto Star’s Raju Madhar for the podcast “This Matters” about the current shifts and corrections in the comedy world. Raju is an excellent interviewer – very happy he asked me on his show. The photo is…

When you drive a unique-looking car, it quickly becomes clear that you have kissed off any semblance of anonymity. Occasionally, I’ll see another Island Blue Metallic 2019 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4 with white racing stripes – but not often.

Disturbing though it was, I have to admit that a rush of reluctant admiration swept through me while watching the video. There are many who can sympathize with his anti-gas-pump stance.

Gas pumps are bossy, demanding monsters. In the struggle between man and machine, they are the undefeated champions.

Who hasn’t wanted to take a swing at one?

Where my writing began. Westboro – nihilistic 1980s dystopia

Talking politics – Trudeau, Conservative leadership race, Trump and bad Christmas car commercials with Anthony Furey and John Oakley. Sound and the Fury.

My favourite pub in London is The Sun in Splendour. My Great Grandfather Frank Young lived down the street as a young man and he would have frequented it on occasion.

We do not tell students what they can or cannot say. The worst thing you can do is tell a comedian they can’t say something. They will immediately go out and say it. Most comedians go through what we call the potty-training phase. Initially, they lean into doing “edgy” stuff. It’s a safe choice – if the material doesn’t work, you can blame the audience for not being able to handle your truth.

His story starts in his hometown of Windsor, Ont. The son of two Lebanese immigrants, Merheje went to Catholic school and discovered comedy when an uncle showed him videotapes of comedians such as Eddie Murphy, Andrew Dice Clay and Richard Pryor.

It’s amazing what you learn from those with you share a birthdate.