Hecklers provide Ian Bagg with opportunity to interact
A coming new year should bring opportunities for comic Ian Bagg to spark laughter, even amid the distractions from an eager-to-party crowd.
Hailed for his irreverent attitude and unfiltered stream of consciousness, the Canadian native blends observations, autobiography and impromptu interactions with the audience — including hecklers.
A California resident who travels 100,000 miles a year to perform stand-up, Bagg is gaining fame from specials on HBO, Showtime and Comedy Central.
Bagg, 44, spoke in advance of his appearances this weekend at the Columbus Funny Bone.
Q: What’s it like being Canadian and working in the United States?
A: It’s fantastic — until Donald Trump finds out we’re here.
Q: What do you like about working on New Year’s Eve?
A: It’s a big night for entertainers. If you’re not working, there’s probably a question mark on your career.
Q: How different are your New Year’s shows?
A: I make sure to recap the year, talk about things that have happened.
The funny part about New Year’s is that it’s pretty much amateur night. It’s the night when people go out who don’t often go out, so you will see someone throw up. That makes me laugh.
Q: How do you handle distractions?
A: I remember one time a lady puked on her husband. They tried to pretend nothing had happened and tried to continue watching the show without leaving. I said: ‘You threw up on that man! They said, ‘No, no, it’s fine.'" The manager had to come and talk to them.
It shows you how talented I am: People will throw up on each other and not want to leave my show.
Q: How do you describe your style?
A: As a kid, I was like the guy in Mystery Science Theater 3000, commenting on everything around me. When we’d go on class trips, people would want to sit next to me to hear my comments on the museum and stuff.
I’m very conversational. I talk about my family relationships, politics, my wife, my dogs. . . . Nothing is off limits.
Q: When did you realize you could be a comedian?
A: Growing up in a small town in Canada, I didn’t have any clue that it could happen. (Stand-up) was such a foreign thing. I went to college but I never really showed up because I tried an open mic at the Punch Line in Vancouver (in 1994) . . . . I liked it so much, but I had no idea I could make money at it.
Q: What was your biggest break?
A: When I went to the Montreal Comedy Festival in 1995, I met a comedy-club producer who invited me to perform in New York, . . . I was seen by Conan O’Brien.
They put me on Conan, which changed my life.
. . . Stand-up is a personal journey. You don’t know what will move you to the next level. You just keep doing and doing and doing it.
Q: How different is live stand-up from television?
A: I often say if you go to a comedy club and see what you could see on TV, you must be pretty disappointed.
Network TV shows are pretty much an advertisement of what you do. They’re also a clean advertisement. TV is censored. They censor us in a big way, from product placement and profanity to content and topics . . . . So I enjoy more live comedy and Showtime shows.
Q: Do you make hecklers a part of your act?
A: Sometimes you can ignore it, but I like to respond. . . . You just have to have fun with it.
There are people who want to be part of the show; there are people who know they’re interrupting the show, and then there’s hate.
How can you be mad in a bakery? It smells good, and a comedy club is the same: There’s good food, drinks and jokes. How can you be unhappy?
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Ian Bagg
Funny Bone Comedy Club, Easton Town Center
Contact: 614-471-5653, columbusfunnybone.com
Showtimes: 6:30 and 10 tonight, 7:45 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $80 for the show at 10 tonight, or $60 for the 6:30 show; $16 on Friday and Saturday; and $13 on Sunday