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.

You know you can warn people.
You can do your best to tell them what they are going to see
You think that by doing that you will bring in people that will get it
You fool yourself into thinking that 20 year olds want to hear more then dick jokes

You are wrong

I could go through the last three shows and explain what happened but I choose to just highlight this one event to show you the level of intelligence that I am dealing with for the last three shows

There is a part in the show now where I try and self justify the jokes I have done by explaining that people are programmed at what they can laugh at. That if there is a guy in a wheelchair in the front row, I can't make fun of people in wheelchairs but I can stand on stage and make fun of the french. When you make fun of the French, people go crazy, but what if the guy in the wheelchair is French..I cant tell he is French..it is not like he is sitting there wearing a beret and eating a jambon sandwhich yelling "hahahah you are funny little man" (insert bad French accent here).

Now the joke/statement is simple, that why is ok to make fun of the French but not the handicapped..cause society deems one group ok and not the other.

So I tell the audience to try and make fun of the French in Quebec and see how far it gets you. At this point a young french dude in the front row yells at me saying

"You are wrong,.....this is all wrong ...dont make fun of the French..blah blah blah"

I try and understand what they guy is slurring and then realize that he doesn't understand what I am saying, so I try and explain. He keeps saying I am wrong blah blah. So I yell the loudest I have ever yelled

"LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT YOU BUNCH OF FUCKS...I AM NOW GETTING HECKLED BY THE GROUP I AM TRYING TO DEFEND...THAT IS LIKE BEING AT NAZI RALLY ..SEIG HEILING AND GETTING PUNCHED IN THE HEAD FOR IT"

silence









can you picture that silence

good

now times that by 45 minutes ...three shows

time to pull out my puppet and my impressions

You know what i love to see, comics that need great intros before they come to the stage.

Now there is a difference between someone who just says "if you want to mention something you can say blah blah blah" and someone who needs an intro filled with credits to impress the audience.

I dont need people to know I did such and such to make me funnier. You are either funny or not and it wont matter that you were the mascot whore in a commercial trust me.

I also undertsand that comics work hard for what they get but to me it screams a bit of desperation when a comic says to me when I host "make sure you say blankety blank...or i did the gala at the moose jaw international comedy festival".

Now I only mean this in a comedy club..when you are playing a small town and it's their big show for their year...I understand the importance of making the crowd get excited. I still dont generally use credits at these gigs either before i go on. If they have them listed somewhere in a program or ad fine.

It is funny how there are so many tricks of the game and they are just that tricks.

Drugs..booze ..credits..cheerleading are all just crutches.

Oh what a night

There are some many reasons I cannot return to the hammer known as Hamilton.

One of the towns I started in so many years ago. So many shows just freaking out cause crowds cannot handle their drinks.

You know i beleive that you only have so many shows inside you and this show took up three spots.

There is no art in hamilton. Trust me

I think the sign above is a good indication of how the two show weekend at a comedy club was going to be for me. Please look at the spelling of everything on it.

Everytime I go there it is a hammerfight and this was more then normal.

Friday night it was a crowd that was indifferent and loud. Still did over an hour to a bunch of people who deserved far less but i have material I am trying to get down.

Now saturday will hold a special place in my heart of shows. As the three other comics and I traveled to the show, one asked if i could freak out for him. I was like hey that was last night and i cannot have another show go like that. After coming back from three back to back weeks of really solid shows I dont want to have two hammerfights in a row.

It was not meant to be.

As soon as I hit the stage they were very chatty and not paying attention. Especially a crowd up front at the main table. Four minutes in i had already dealt with two tables that were being too loud. Already screamed like no other comic had screamed at them before. (see Hicks clip from chicago to have some kind of idea of loud it can be).

The guy in the front seat two feet away from me was not even looking at me and was so drunk he kept talking to me while i was trying to do jokes. Joke after joke not working cause they would trounce the punchlines.

I ended up doing tons of material that i have not done in years...cause it didnt matter see...I just had to jump around and be the dancing monkey for them...feed the monkey ...feed the monkey.

I almost wished aids on that town but that holds a special place in my heart for places like grande prairie.

At the end of the show the one comic said to me that he could not believe how angry fucky looked and thought he might take a swing at me. I knew the look too well and also thought he was going to do something. The great thing is that i already surveyed the situation and knew I was at boot fuckable level so I would be ok. At least the london assault has reminded me to figure that shit out before an incident happens. The comic even said

"man i love you darren but i aint going to lie I wanted to see him take a swing at you"

feed the monkey darren...

If you are one of the special people who were at the show reading this and you think you are funnier then me AMATURE NIGHT is every night in March.

I guess in the end Hamilton wins this one

Darron Forst wont be back for a long long time.

Published Thursday March 5th, 2009

Comedian Darren Frost brings X-rated material to town.
By Hanne Armstrong

He's worked alongside John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken in Hairspray. With Ethan Hawke in Assault On Precinct 13, and Michael Douglas in Don't Say a Word. He's the Listerine super-hero of commercial fame, and his voice speaks through cartoon characters on But in his heart of hearts, Darren Frost is a stand-up comic. Clubs, bars, and Just For Laughs are where he thrives, and on March 11 he brings his hard-hitting brand of humour to Moncton's Studio 7 Hundred.

"It's what I was born to do," he says. "It's what I have the most passion for."

If you're wanting to laugh, willing to be open-minded, and prepared to be offended, then Darren's one-night appearance is something you won't want to miss. He classifies his shows as X-rated, and he doesn't put on a family entertainment kind of evening. There are no taboos; any topic is grist to his harshly satiric mill. Sex, illness, politics, the guy next door or the guy in the seat beside you, Darren will make you laugh, and maybe even think, about all of them.

"Being a social critic is just as important to me as making people laugh," Darren says. "I rant about hypocrisy and the underdog in pretty much all my acts. I want people to have a good time, but I want to make my point, too."
Making his point has occasionally gotten Darren into trouble. Audiences sometimes holler and hiss at him. He has received death threats.

"People must not be listening to what I'm actually saying," he suggests. "There's not much you can do about that. But I'm not some evil guy. I'm a dad, with two sons. I X-rate my shows so people will think before they come."

Rosalind Miller, owner of Studio 7 Hundred, was very pleased when approached by a promoter to provide a venue for Darren's 'X-Rated Comedy Night'. She's been interested in hosting comics for some time, in keeping with her philosophy of diversity, and hopes that Darren's show will be the first of many.

Tickets for the March 11 evening are only $20 at the door, and $15 in advance. The show starts at 9 p.m. Advance tickets are available at Studio 7 Hundred. Those very reasonable prices get you not only Darren Frost, but Shane Ogden, who has been in the Saint John and Rocky Mountain Comedy Festivals, and home-grown comic Neal Mundle. Altogether a great evening's entertainment for a great price.

Darren himself is no stranger to Maritime audiences. And he has a certain respect for Moncton audiences in particular.

"Last time I was in Moncton," he recalls, "I got a 50 per cent standing ovation, and the other 50 per cent left the room. To me, that's the perfect gig. Everybody listened, and then decided. The people who left weren't rude, they just left, and they didn't judge the people who laughed. Moncton's a good comedy town."

He likes smaller markets, too, because they're hungry for entertainment. In places like Toronto and Vancouver, the audiences almost defy a comic to make them laugh, while in second-tier markets like Moncton, audiences are ready for a good time. In fact, he says that smaller markets are the bread and butter not just for comics, but for big acts like Elton John and Neil Young.

As to playing venues which are licensed premises, Darren has this to say.
"Drunk audiences are the worst. Loosening up with a drink or two is fine, but when people are hammered they don't listen, they yell and they don't know how loud they are."

And Darren wants people to listen to what he has to say. He writes all his own material, often taking stories from the Internet as his starting point. Once his ideas are down on paper he goes to some of the nearly 20 Open-Mic locations in Toronto where he's based, to try the new material out on a real audience. He even tapes himself, to make sure that he's not just screaming, but actually saying something.

Raised in Brantford, Ontario, Darren had a good-paying job, but started to do amateur comedy nights in the early '90s. By 1994, he was able to give up his day-job, which he did and gladly. It's not making him rich, but he's happy doing what he's doing.

"I get a lot of e-mails asking how to break into comedy," he says. "I always tell the person not to do it for money, but if you love it, get on stage not just in front of your friends, and just do it. It's not an easy road, and I've thought about quitting many times. But if it's what you love, you have to do it."

His passion for comedy keeps him at it, and his passion for commentary on just about everything keeps him controversial. Come out on March 11 and check him our for yourself.

Thought you might like to see what anger looks like on the eastern tip of the country

So I am currently sitting in a hotel room doing work in newfoundland in between weeks at a new comedy club.

Stand-up comics getting nasty

Show them a line and they'll cross it.

Raju Mudhar
ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER

If you've ever rolled your eyes at someone being offended by a comedian's dirty joke, tomorrow night's Just for Laughs Nasty showcase at Yuk Yuk's is made for you. Conversely, if you have any tender sensibilities, may we recommend you stay home and watch TV?

With a lineup including Darren Frost, Kenny Robinson, The Doo Wops, Shannon Laverty and more, the showcase will feature some of the city's best-known comics cutting loose, however they like. In a comedian's arsenal, nasty can mean just about anything, and that's just how they like it.

"I've done it all," says Darren Frost, 37. "I've been mean-spirited. I've been belligerent. I've been dirty. I've been blue. I've had death threats. I've been assaulted. Last year six newspapers called me evil ... I've been called everything.

"I call myself a comic and a social critic. Some people don't consider me that; they consider me wrong and evil. What can I do?"

The comedian is a familiar face thanks to TV commercials – you may recognize him as a Listerine bottle – but he says that this work is drying up, thanks to his controversial stand-up material.

Last year, Frost was embroiled in a brouhaha after making jokes about the July beheading of a passenger on a Greyhound bus. It was a few days after the incident, and his jokes targeted the bus company and media reaction. Some people laughed, but an audience member had an issue with it, and Frost discussed his reaction.

Frost later posted a video of the incident on YouTube. Eventually some of the victim's family saw it and were offended, complaining to newspapers. Out of respect, Frost removed the clip, but he's still not sure if he did the right thing.

"I feel bad for the family so I took the video down, but I should have left it up because it's not as bad as you think," he says. "In this case, I respected the rights of the family over my own rights to tell this joke."

Did he tell the joke too soon?

"For me, funny is funny," he says. "If it's funny at first, why does it have to wait two or three weeks?"

What about crossing the line? "I follow Carlin's take on that. I think we have to cross the line sometimes to show a) where the line is for yourself, and b) to question that line."

To Frost, the most offensive thing is easy comedy, like local comedians making fun of Americans.

As for local musical comedy duo The Doo Wops, a.k.a. John Catucci and David Mesiano, their modus operandi of matching salty vocals with sweet vocal harmonies and catchy melodies goes a long way towards deflecting criticism of their often puerile subject matter.

"If you put a filthy comment to song, it gives you more leeway," says Mesiano.

Catucci adds, "It's like, yes, I just called you a douchebag, but did you hear that power chord that David just played?"

Valentine's Day show boast three comedians, four-course meal

Posted By LARA BRADLEY, THE SUDBURY STAR

You may recognize him as the Listerine Bottle, the Cash for Life Fairy or even the cameraman Michelle Pfiffer fired in Hairspray.

But Darren Frost will be coming to town as himself, to indulge in his first passion -- standup comedy. The Hellenic Centre is hosting a Yuk Yuk's Night featuring three comedians -- Frost, Tony Krolo and Christina Walkinshaw -- on Valentine's Day as a fundraiser for St. Nicholas' Church. Besides comedy, the V-Day event also includes a four-course meal thanks to Niko's Catering.

"It's kind of like Valentines Day slant to the show," Frost said in a telephone interview from his home in Toronto.

Darren Frost

"The host is Tony Krolo, he's one of the headlining comics as well. So it's like a two headliner comics show.

"It's going to be a fun show. It won't be too dirty, it won't be too excessive. A middle of the road type show. There will be some relationship stuff. I talk about that. I know Tony does, too. But it's not a 'he said, she said,' type show. Couples will want to come, too."

Frost has several versions of shows in his repertoire, from X-rated to squeaky-clean. Sudbury's show will fall somewhere in the middle.

"People will want to hear some of the bad words, but they don't want it to be too crazy. Generally, we read the crowd, see what they want. Read the age of the crowd," he said.

Although Frost grew up in southern Ontario, he has a strong link to Sudbury.

"I've done many shows (in Sudbury) over the years, but my main connection is that my wife was born and grew up in Sudbury," he said. "I was married in Sudbury, continue to go there well over 10- 12 times a year. Her name is Brandee Pigeon."

Frost has been a standup comedian for 17 years -- in fact, hasn't had a day job since 1995.

"I always wanted to do it as a young child, but then I went to business school to have something to fall back onto," he said.

When his stand-up career blossomed, he said goodbye to his daytime career in advertising. Still, the business stuff does come in handy. Frost figures he'll never be taken advantage of, when it comes to a contract.

However, in Canada it is difficult for most comics to living off of standup alone. So Frost has done a number of films and commercials.

"Most people recognize me from that rather than just standup ... For a period of time I was the Listerine bottle in commercials, I was the Cash for Life fairy. Lots of different mascot roles. In terms of movies, I was in Hairspray with John Travolta last year ... and then Fever Pitch with Drew Barrymore."

He's done everything from a voice on the PBS kid's classic "Timothy Goes to School" to an S&M cooking show called "The Leather Chef" for Unpluggedtv.com.

"When you live in Toronto, it kind of goes in waves, depending on what the economy is and how many movies are being filmed here," Frost said. "You live in Toronto, you audition a lot. Then when it's quiet for movies, I do a lot more standup and vice-versa ... I'm doing a lot of cartoon voices right now. You're constantly doing 40 things, so each month is filled."

In many ways, standup is a young man's game, 37-year-old Frost said.

He used to travel 40 weeks a year for standup gigs, crisscrossing the country, as well as touring internationally, including the doing the Fringe Festival in Scotland.

Some of his big gigs include the Peoples Comedy Festival in Toronto and the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. (He ha s also been twice awarded Top 10 Comedy Moments of the Year by Toronto entertainment magazine.)

"West, coast, east coast, go up to the north," he said. "The smallest place was in P. E. I., population 400. Like 300 of them were there. Standup is always interesting, it's never boring. The only boring part is the 23 other hours around the show."

The largest show he has ever done was the Just for Laughs gala in 2005, which had 2,500 people in the audience.

"The best show is never going to be that size because it's just too big. The best show is going to be around 400 people, who are there for comedy. Most times, it's a smaller town because they appreciate the entertainment. When you play Vancouver or Toronto, a lot of times it's arms-crossed, well, make me laugh."

These days, Frost has good reason to stick closer to home -- his two-year-old and five-year- old sons, who both have congenital heart defects, require surgery. In fact, when he spoke to The Sudbury Star on Wednesday, one had just returned from Sick Children's Hospital

Frost tends to do his standup writing in waves. However, he constantly trolls the Internet for ideas and information.

"Right now, I'm talking my kids, 'cause both my sons have health issues. Will I talk about that in Sudbury? Probably not so much ... Everyone has things in life they have to go through and still do their job. Mine is to make people laugh."

lbradley@thesudburystar.com

Tony Krolo has more than 50 film and television credits as a comedian, actor and writer and has performed standup comedy throughout Canada, the U. S. and Europe.

As a comedian, he's known for his ability to see the absurdities and provocations of modern-day relationships.

People might also know his face from his role as a Mall Cop on Disney's Naturally Sadie, a somber Detective on The Jon Dore Show and from commercials for Tim Horton's and Bud Light. Krolo has also been featured in his own comedy and sketch comedy specials.

Oh, and every Christmas he appears as the clumsy Cop in Tim Allen's The Santa Clause.

Christina Walkinshaw, originally from Vancouver, began her career taking Journalism at Carleton University and writing hilarious articles for the school paper. Walkinshaw then realized what she really wanted was a career in standup comedy. So at age 19, Walkinshaw began performing professional weekend shows at Yuk Yuk's Comedy Clubs all across Canada.

She has trained at The Second City Training Centre, Los Angeles and is a regular at The Laugh Factory in Hollywood. Her jokes have recently been published in the book "She's So Funny," among the likes of Ellen