Comedian Myles Morrison is headed to the Grain Millers Harvest Showdown.
It will be a familiar trip for the Saskatoon-based comic.
鈥淲hen I first started I performed at a bar in Yorkton for about four people. It was rough,鈥� he related, but added things were better on a more recent trip. 鈥淭hat was 12 years ago. Last year I performed at the Gallagher Centre for a few hundred people for the city鈥檚 Christmas party and the show was a great.
鈥淚鈥檝e also been to the Yorkton Film Festival a few times, which is a great time, so I鈥檓 always looking forward to come back to Yorkton.鈥�
Given that the show this time is at a fall fair with a farm background will that change how Morrison approaches the event where he will perform at the Farmers Business Network Thursday evening?
鈥淚鈥檓 always reading the audience to see what type of jokes they're into, and I do like to tailor at least some of it to the crowd,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 grew up in Saskatchewan so I鈥檒l tell a lot more local stories and Saskatchewan inside jokes than I would in say Halifax, but I鈥檒l also tell some of the jokes that got me into Just For Laughs.
Those are the ones that pay the bills.鈥�
For Morrison comedy was always an interest he wanted to pursue.
鈥淲hen I was 12 my dad played me George Carlin鈥檚 鈥楥lass Clown鈥� comedy album on vinyl,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a moment where he gets the entire audience of thousands to all pop their cheek at the same time. It鈥檚 still one of the coolest and genuinely silly things I鈥檝e ever heard. I had an instinctual reaction to it and immediately knew I鈥檇 have to do it one day.鈥�
So one day. Morrison took a bold step.
鈥淚 looked up a comedian in the white pages that I had seen perform and asked if I could open for him. He said 鈥業鈥檒l let you do five-minutes. If you鈥檙e funny I鈥檒l bring you out again鈥� if you鈥檙e not, don鈥檛 ever do it again鈥�,鈥� he related. 鈥淢y first time on stage went just well enough to make me want to do it again. I鈥檇 also do guest spots at the local Yuk Yuks comedy club.鈥�
As far as influences Morrison points to some of the best as comedians he respects.
鈥淛erry Seinfeld, Mitch Hedburg, Jim Gaffigan are probably my favourites,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥淚 keep my comedy pretty clean and they鈥檙e probably the closest to my style as well.
I鈥檓 an observational storyteller, but I enjoy the wordsmithing and crafting of jokes, so my stories are pretty punchy.鈥�
When it comes to inspiration, Morrison said a comedian need only look around them.
鈥淚 think most people have a few funny thoughts or situations they encounter every day,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I started comedy I just started writing all of those down in note pads.
鈥淭hese days I鈥檓 more selective with the jokes because I know what I want to talk about and what I don't, and I use my phone instead of a note pad, but the process is still the same.
鈥淢y jokes/stories come from every day experiences that I just add funny twists and perspective to.
鈥淎fter years of throwing all those ideas on stage you get a pretty strong sense of what will work on stage. I write the majority of my material, but improvising and figuring out how the joke should be told in front of a live crowd can be a really fun part of the process too.鈥�
It鈥檚 a process that has worked when you look at Morrison鈥檚 resume.
鈥淚鈥檝e been selected twice to perform for the troops in 12 different countries through Armed Forces Entertainment, which was amazing,鈥� he said. 鈥淪oldiers stationed abroad are the most appreciative crowds I鈥檝e ever played for.
鈥淟ast year was a career highlight; I was a finalist in SiriusXM鈥檚 Top Comic and got to perform at Just For Laugh鈥檚 JFL42 festival to a sold-out theatre.
鈥淢ore recently I was selected to perform at the CBC Halifax Comedy Festival, and Nov. 15th I鈥檒l be opening for TSN鈥檚 Jay & Dan at Conexus Arts Centre in Regina.鈥�
