Hi from a Canadian comedy writer aspirant

Hi all -

I'm a 38 year old Canadian guy who wants to crack the British comedy industry. I'm hoping it's not a delusional goal. I make my living as an ESL teacher in South Korea and I'm hoping that from afar anyway I might have a shot at getitng some stuff published.

My mom's British and I grew up with a lot of British comedy. I was hugely influenced by Monty Python, the Adrian Mole books, VIZ comics and my favourite writer for years was Martin Amis. Weaned on the lyrics of Paul Heaton, Billy Bragg, Elvis Costello and Morrrissey. I would love to make a living writing comedy in Canada but I'm not sure my sensibilities jibe with the Canadian market. The country's been quite dumbed-down in recent years and the comedy that is popular there seems to reflect that in its blandness. Years back, it was great with SCTV, Kids in the Hall, but now the comedy is very soft. When I see shows like Peep Show (my absolute favourite) and Extras I realize just how far behind and conservative Canada currently is. I like my humour tar black and bilious. In Canada there seems there's an unspoken mandate that comedy shoudl first and foremost be nice.

I'm also a big fan of some American comedy productions. I love The Onion news site, Curb Your Enthusiasm, South Park (most of the time) 30 Rock, The Office and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Oh ya Flight of the Conchords too. That was brilliant. I read a lot of fiction too and my favourite authors are George Saunders and David Foster Wallace.

I'm not really sure what my plan is at this point. I'm currently writing some comedic essays that I'm trying to publish and I'd like to get an agent a.s.a.p. I've got a journalism background but have struggled at thispoint to get my fiction published. I love sketch comedy too and I suppose what I'll do is publish some of my work on this site and ask you guys for your feedback. The one tricky thing is my work may lack some of the cultural references and use of slang that a British writer might be more at ease with. If you guys can point out any deficiencies my work might have in that particular regard it would be extremely helpful.

Looking forward to chatting to you all and I'm curious - any other non-Brits out there trying to crack the market from afar? I know it's a longshot but can it be done?

Thanks for reading....

Hi Brendan...

Quote: Brendan Richardson @ April 7 2010, 3:40 AM BST

David Foster Wallace.

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Pity he killed himself (he did kill himself?).

And hello.

Hey hey, welcome and that. Do you have lots of exceedingly cheap electronic things in your house?

Quote: Brendan Richardson @ April 7 2010, 3:40 AM BST

Hi all -

I'm a 38 year old Canadian guy who wants to crack the British comedy industry. any other non-Brits out there trying to crack the market from afar? I know it's a longshot but can it be done?

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Crikey it's a long shot for us Brits never mind anyone else, so best of luck.

He did indeed kill himself. Very sad. He was a funny funny man.

Re. the electronics. They're not that cheap over here but it is a remarkably high-tech society. Nice people too.

Quote: Brendan Richardson @ April 7 2010, 3:40 AM BST

I love The Onion news site, Curb Your Enthusiasm, South Park (most of the time) ...

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I'm curious to know which episodes/aspects of South Park you dislike. A couple of my Canadian friends have complained the show's libertarianism sometimes seems too right-wing for their liking.

Quote: Brendan Richardson @ April 7 2010, 3:40 AM BST

The country's been quite dumbed-down in recent years and the comedy that is popular there seems to reflect that in its blandness.

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It's not only Canada that is being dumbed down.

Quote: Brendan Richardson @ April 9 2010, 3:31 AM BST

Nice people too.

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That's funny!

Kenneth -

Ya it might be that. I remember walking away from Team America: World Police thinking that in their desire to prove themselves equal-opportunity in terms who they target satirically, they ended up attacking the wrong people. I also think they sometimes target the symptom not the cause. But ya, I am a lefty, so their liberitarian politics don't always jibe with me. Also, I'm not a huge fan of celebrity-driven satire. I find their jokes about Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise etc. a bit too easy and cheap.

Having said that, I could watch the show all day. Cartman and Butters bring me endless joy and they've nailed the cruel dysfunctional world of childhood better than anyone since maybe Roald Dahl. Sometimes I think they are guilty of pandering to the lowest common-denominator among their audience, the people who revel in the shock value of their humour. It's all well and fine to slide Paris Hilton into Mr. Slave's ass but why? Also who cares if Tom Cruise is gay? I think Trey Parker and Matt Stone are smarter than that, and they're at their best when they take on societal group-think and the fickle righteousness/ego fantasies of the wilfully obtuse adult world.

It's for those same reasons that I like but don't love Family Guy, though I do think South Park is by far the better show. American Dad is better in my opinion.

Much of the stupidity that seems to be taking hold of Canada seems to be attributable to the high concentration of corporate media ownership and the ramping up of nationalism that comes with it. That, and the exorbitant cost of living that is running people ragged. That's my two cents. What about you? Are you a big fan of South Park? What's your take on what ails Australian society?

Just read my post and want to clarify. I think American Dad is better than Family Guy. South Park is better than both of them.

I read a funny book by a young Australian author a couple of years agao. "A Fraction of the Whole" by Steve Toltz. Do you know him?

Quote: Brendan Richardson @ April 10 2010, 5:04 AM BST

What about you? Are you a big fan of South Park?

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Yes, I'm a big fan of South Park, including the 'stupid spoiled whore' episode, where Paris Hilton suffered the same fate as Lemmiwinks. I find American Dad boring in comparison to Family Guy. Seth McFarlane seems to be getting too egotistical for my liking; such as the Season 8 DVD Special Feature where Frank Sinatra Jnr raves about how wonderful Seth is, and then on Something, Something, Something Dark Side there's an info text that points out every voice done by McFarlane - yawn! Parker and Stone are much more humble and irreverent.

Quote: Brendan Richardson @ April 10 2010, 5:04 AM BST

What's your take on what ails Australian society?

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Earnest stupidity, although Australia is a lovely country with few social ailments (compared to many other countries). Without its natural resources (mining industry) Australia would probably be as poor as England. Doctor Who DVDs, especially the boxsets, have been getting cheaper over the past year.

Quote: Brendan Richardson @ April 10 2010, 5:04 AM BST

I read a funny book by a young Australian author a couple of years agao. "A Fraction of the Whole" by Steve Toltz. Do you know him?

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Nope. The book sounds a bit too scary for me.

Quote: Kenneth @ April 10 2010, 11:44 AM BST

Without its natural resources (mining industry) Australia would probably be as poor as England.

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I think it's the Government that makes England poor, not the lack of anything else!

Quote: Aaron @ April 10 2010, 1:11 PM BST

I think it's the Government that makes England poor, not the lack of anything else!

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So is the Conservative Party running a campaign highlighting (correctly or otherwise) that the British economy is in a mess because Gordon Brown was Chancellor of Exchequer for so long?

I believe that that is indeed part of the message, yes.