What are you lookin at?

Down-right dirty
By Jude Campbell
Friday, May 22

Darren Frost began his run at Kelowna's Blue Line Sports and Comedy Club on Thursday and runs through at the same venue until Saturday.

It's not often that a stand-up comedy act comes with an X-rated warning - and that‘s straight from the horses' mouth.

"I'm that comic with an edge. I'm tagged with words like nasty and down-right dirty," admits Darren Frost, whose Nasty Comedy Tour hit Kelowna this week.
"My act is not for the faint of heart, and that's why there's a warning," he added. "Everyone knows what they are getting when they come through that door."
That 'something' is an interesting slant on the world and subjects that most comedians shy away from, but one Frost embraces.

He's been tagged as the reigning king of way-out comedy, and gladly skewers what should be the most hands-off topics in his uniquely eccentric way.

His well-aimed barbs earn him a solid '10' on the squirm-ability scale, while notching up accolades from critics who label him as the most daring and aggressive comic in Canada.

"When you come to my gig, you gotta know you're not getting Seinfeld. There's definitely language and content," he said, noting that "for every Pulp Fiction, there's a Never-Ending Story - and I'm not that last one."

"So now you're warned. Sit back and enjoy," he said.

Frost has been delivering his slightly twisted look at what's funny for the past 17 years, taking a familiar path for Canadian comics.

It all started with amateur nights, trying out some stand-up bars hosting open mike nights, then opening for other comics, and finally headlining his own show.
"I think comics are 'born to it'," he said. "It's an inherited thing that you work on."

"I didn't have the greatest childhood, and learned I could defend myself better by getting laughs instead of using fists. And it's not the easiest path."

On the way up the ladder, Frost has done his share of road gigs, including the one-nighters in smoky bars and clubs where a comic can be guaranteed a heckler or three.
"Yeah, there's always a 'flavourful person' in the bar crowd, someone who thinks they can take over your show," he said. "But once you get past that, and start to play little theatres and then bigger theatres, it's good."

Admittedly, he adds that making it super-big in Canada is simply "not a reality."
"We've got maybe 10 guys who do really well and make decent money. But you have to know where the ceiling is in Canada. You have to know the star system that operates in the States just doesn't exist here," he said. "Comedy very much parallels the music business here."

Knowing that stand-up doesn't always pay the rent, Frost took his talents south of the border and carved out a place for himself in commercials, movies and cartoon character voice-overs.

He's been in movies like Assault on Precinct 13, Fever Pitch, Don't Say a Word and Hairspray. His commercial hits include being a bottle of Listerine and playing opposite Adam West.

"I really loved being a Listerine bottle," he recalled. "And being on Hairspray with all those kids dancing. They were really incredible. They could dance for 18 hours and still be smiling."

For his role in the movie, Frost guided one of the cameras on the set, the one that ultimately caused the firing of Michelle Phiffer's character.

"Movies sound glamourous and fun," he said. "But really there's a lot of just standing around waiting for your turn."

"Doing cartoon voices is a lot more fun, it's quick and done. Then you get to plan your next road trip."

"Kelowna's a good place to do my style of comedy, my last trip there was great," he added.