GIGGLE CITY: ‘Dirty’ comedy gets serious
Darren Frost says he’s received death threats for some of his jokes – which takes heckling to an entirely new level.
Too far? Too soon? Never. Comedy is dangerous, and the comics who performed for the XXX-rated “Beauty and the Beasts” shows at Yuk Yuk’s over the weekend – Frost, Kenny Robinson and Kathleen McGee – know this well. They are known as “dirty comics,” expected to draw no lines, protect no sacred cows and never fail to let the f-words fly. However, as we may find out, to our surprise and chagrin, there’s a lot more to dirty comedy than dick jokes.
(Adult content below, reader discretion is advised, you know the drill.)
Q: If you could be any celebrity, who would it be and why?
A: John Wayne on next year’s season of Jersey Shore. He’s good with a gun. And then he would go on Jersey Shore and clean that show up.
Q: Best heckler story?
A: Watch the video:
Q: Why do you think you piss people off so much?
A: When people think X rated they think it’s only dick jokes – and there are dick jokes in the show, but there are also controversial topics and controversial thoughts. Some people don’t want to hear that stuff.
Q: What’s the furthest you’ve gone over the line?
A: There is no line. I’ve been in trouble. Newspapers across Canada have called me evil for my topics. The day after Jack Layton died I did jokes about it.
Q: Did you use the “too soon” line like Gilbert Gottfried? (Gottfried used the line in a tasteless 9-11 joke days after it happened, and was recently fired as the voice of the Aflac duck after a tasteless tweet about the Japan tsunami that was also “too soon.” Comedy is DANGEROUS!).
A: First of all, I don’t believe in “too soon.” I think what happened to Gilbert Gottfried was atrocious. Those are two separate things: Him being the Aflac duck and being on a Twitter feed where everybody knows he’s a dirty comic and he puts his thoughts out there. This is just political correctness being fisted down our throats, as far as I’m concerned. Who measures what’s too soon? Do you or do I?
Q: Do you lean on doing “too soon” jokes too much?
A: It’s not like, “Oh, look what I can do.” If there’s something funny going on in the news, I’m going to comment on it. My joke about Jack Layton was very simple. It was sad that he passed away because I liked him. Why? Three days before the election it was announced that he was caught at the rub-and-tug years earlier – FINALLY a politician I can relate to! I want all my politicians to go to rub-and-tug because when they make decisions that affect me, I want them to be calm and relaxed.
Q: Do you have some new material that’s going over particularly well?
A: I was doing a show in Calgary and I asked someone if they were an environmentalist and someone in the audience yells out, “FAG!” My attitude was, so just because I separate my garbage a certain way that means I’m going to choose a lifestyle that means I’m going to be shunned by UFC players? I guess that means I suck cock because I’m an environmentalist. Now that’s in my act. I also have a long rant about China owning everything. I know the exact moment when China’s going to call in all their debt. It’s when some Chinese guy walks into a comedy club and some hack comic makes fun of the way they drive, so he stands up, buys the club and fires that motherfucker. And then we’re all going to work for China! They’re pretty smart, those Chinese. They’re going to be very ironic. The first three things we’re going to have to make are Mardi Gras beads, Mickey Mouse T shirts and Nikes. Who’s got the small cock now, America?
Q: That’s not dirty, that’s political.
A: Of course it is. These are topics about things that people don’t want to hear. So, yes there are dick jokes, but there are very harsh jokes about what’s going on in the world. I had two walk-outs in Calgary because of what I said about Jersey Shore. They had no problem when I made fun of little people, but when I made fun of a little person named Snooki who likes to fuck a lot, they had a problem with it. That’s the world we live in. Even though you’ve come to see an X rated show, people still draw a line in the sand, I can understand that. But when you’re drawing the line to defend Jersey Shore, that’s sad.
Q: This question may be moot, but do you think you have to be a pessimist to be a good comedian?
A: I think you have to be a little bit of a pessimist to do what I do. I don’t think you have to be a broken person, or a man-child. Kathleen McGee is pretty happy person and she’s got dirty stuff.
Q: But you’re drawing your material from anger?
A: Oh, yeah, I am.
Q: What’s your dirtiest, most inappropriate joke that pops into your head?
A: My sister had so many abortions in the ‘90s that when she walks into her closet, all the coat hangers go straight.
