KING OF THE COMEDY CASTLE
Bill Burr coming to Olympia Theatre
Bill Burr is, arguably, the current king of the comedy castle. He sells out shows within hours, as was the case for his two performances Saturday at Olympia Theatre. His fifth hour-long solo special, Walk Your Way Out, was released a few months back on Netflix. The second season of the animated hit F Is for Family — wherein Burr releases his innerHomer Simpson as the voice for a blue-collar family patriarch — just started streaming on Netflix.
But as much as he loves to rant and be irate as Burr’s character on F Is for Family, nothing pushes the Bostonian’s buttons more than attacks directed toward his beloved hockey Bruins or defences of our hometown Habs.
No sooner does Burr answer my call than the first thing out of his mouth is: “How are you enjoying P.K. Subban in the Stanley Cup finals?”
Ouch.
So I lamely respond: “How are you enjoying (ex-Bruins coach) Claude Julien with the Canadiens?”
“Excellent,” Burr retorts. “As long as the Canadiens keep losing in the first round of the playoffs.” Pause. “But I never understood how a guy (Julien) who breaks a 40-year drought in Boston (winning the Cup) loses his job five years later … at least we’re moving in a positive direction now, but you guys will never get back to what you were.”
Ouch.
Burr, who now resides in L.A. but whose heart still bleeds Boston, dazzled his bride recently by being able to recite every Stanley Cup winner from 1950 on. Evidently, she was awestruck since he can’t even remember what she made for dinner last night.
But he is reminded that the Habs won 18 Cups while the Bruins took only three during that period.
“What! Do you play Bruce Springsteen’s Glory Days every time you talk about your team’s past glory?” Burr barks. “But how many have the Canadiens won since 1993?”
That would be none. Burr cackles.
“The problem with the Canadiens is that they listen to their fans,” Burr says. “The fans know how to eat hotdogs, but don’t know how to run a team.”
Time to change the subject. One would think Burr has enough to deal with regarding events in his country.
On his Netflix special Walk Your Way Out, Burr derides The Donald over his intentions to build a wall to separate the U.S. from Mexico: “I’ve taken that drive from California to Texas. It took two days to do at a speed of 80 miles an hour. How many times would they have to go to Home Depot (to build the wall)? It took them 15 years to build the Freedom Tower — which people wanted. How long will it take to build this (not so popular wall)?”
Conceding that he is not wild about Trump, Burr once again tries to shift focus back to this country in bringing up some of our colourful leaders, like the late Toronto mayor Rob Ford.
“You guys are no different from us on a lot of levels. And what about your First Nations people who were there before you guys got there … did they magically somehow disappear?
“But you know what we have that you don’t? Every Stanley Cup since 1994!”
Burr just won’t let it go.
In the case of most comics, one would generally ask what has been obsessing them of late. In the case of Burr, it is best to ask what hasn’t been obsessing him of late.
“Actually, I’ve been obsessed with the birth of my beautiful daughter of late,” a surprisingly mellow-sounding Burr says, referring to his four-month-old offspring. “Her name is Soliloquy Apple Christ Burr — I wanted her to have a Hollywood name.”
More cackles. He’s kidding. He won’t reveal her real name, but methinks it just may be Marchand Burr, in tribute to his favourite Bruin, the pugnacious Brad Marchand.
In fact, Burr was somewhat of a nasty pond-hockey player in his youth, not beyond shoving his stick in sensitive areas of his opponents.
“I couldn’t go beyond the pond because hockey is a rich man’s game, and I wasn’t one then.”
But he should be a rich man now — unless he’s got an accountant with fast fingers. He has come a long way since first making waves on Chappelle’s Show in 2004. Just about everything he has since touched — be it TV, film, concerts, books, podcasts — has turned to gold. There are few comics more successful than him. Other than a Seinfeld or a Louis C.K., who else could sell out Madison Square Garden, as Burr did a year and a half ago?
Burr did well to avoid taking anger-management classes. He does not know from self-editing, either. Clearly, he has done well marching to the beat of his own bongo.
“But I am going to be 49 on the night of my Montreal shows, so if I haven’t made it by now … “
Burr is told that Montreal fans just may toss birthday cakes at him on stage Saturday.
“I’m not worried,” he says. “If they throw cakes the way the Canadiens shoot the puck … they’re going to miss me!” Ouch.
Bill Burr performs two shows Saturday at 7:30 and 10 p.m. at Olympia. But both performances are sold out.
Burr’s solo concert Walk Your Way Out and the second season of F Is for Family are streaming on Netflix.
Ali Hassan returns to his old haunt, the Comedy Nest, this weekend.
The former Montrealer, now based in Toronto, has made his mark on the film and TV front — Goon, French Immersion, CTV’s Cardinal — and continues to cook up a storm as a chef and haute cuisine instructor. But little brings Hassan more joy than hitting the comedy stage and ruminating about life as a befuddled ex-bachelor trying to deal with being a responsible husband and father.
Ali Hassan performs Thursday at 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 8 and 10:30 p.m. at the Comedy Nest, 2313 Ste-Catherine St. W. Reservations: 514-932-6378 or comedynest.com.