Vancouver comedian Graham Clark is the headliner for this year鈥檚 Comedy Night and Gala Auction in support of Cedar Valley Waldorf School.聽
A three-time Canadian Comedy Award-nominee and co-host of Stop Podcasting Yourself, Clark is an associate producer for and regular on CBC鈥檚 The Debaters. Clark has also appeared at Just for Laughs, Halifax Comedy Festival, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and Bumbershoot. He is a winner of the Yuk Yuks Great Canadian Laugh Off and has been featured on HBO鈥檚 Funny As Hell. He has also filmed an hour-long Comedy Now special for CTV.聽
Clark also produces and hosts The Laugh Gallery, a weekly stand-up show in Vancouver, and co-hosts the monthly wrestling-themed comedy show Ring A Ding Dong Dandy. Every month he hosts Graham Clark Presents at an art gallery called Hot Art Wet City.
鈥淚 got into stand-up just by doing it. That鈥檚 how most stand ups get started, they just go out, sign up on an amateur show and start doing it,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淚 guess I always liked stand up from when I used to listen to a Just For Laughs compilation over and over again as a kid.鈥澛�
Over the years, Clark has honed his chops, and he jokes that he鈥檚 been doing stand-up since before MySpace. He said he鈥檚 looking forward to his first performance in Squamish.
Clark is also the creator of beardpaintings.com, where he sells paintings made using his beard as a paintbrush and donates the proceeds to charity. His creations range from the absurd to the accessible.聽
鈥淧robably my favourite piece was one from a bunch of paintings of the actor Paul Giamatti. My friend bought it and it hangs in his office,鈥� he said.聽
Some of the reviews for Clark鈥檚 performances have been strong. The Georgia Straight reported Clark鈥檚 鈥淐 material is as good as many comics鈥� A stuff. He鈥檚 also developing some real depth to his jokes鈥� reminiscent in its inflection and structure of Brent Butt at his finest.鈥� This Discorder suggests: 鈥淭o watch Clark take control of a crowd is an impressive spectacle.鈥�
Clark said he draws most of his material from daily life.
鈥淢y stand-up is very anecdotal, so it comes from my everyday life. Things I鈥檝e seen, things I鈥檝e noticed. I don鈥檛 very often make things up, although I very much enjoy comics who do.聽
鈥淭he deepest well I go to for stand-up is how little I understand about how things work. I am constantly astonished by how little I know about how things work. Basically, me being an idiot will continue to ensure I never run out of material.鈥�
My Funny Valentine: Comedy Night and Gala Auction will be held Saturday (Feb. 13) at 7:30 pm at The Ledge Caf茅, 38055 Cleveland Ave. Tickets are available in the Cedar Valley Waldorf School office or at Billies Flower House.
