PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF
Comic Derek Seguin finds bliss on the work front — on his own terms
He’s hunkered down in a frozen field outside Henryville, barbecuing a 20- kilo chunk of pork loin on a spit in a fire pit he assembled. Gathered around him are a group of his friends and their — count ’ em — 22 kids on school break. Maple sugar taffy in the snow and a campfire singalong soon to come. Ah, family bliss in the bush!
Not exactly the sort of idyllic scene where one would expect to find Derek Seguin. A late- night bar setting, amid raving crawlers, might seem more likely. All the more so since Seguin will be centre stage at the Comedy Nest this weekend to usher in St. Patrick’s Day festivities.
Though he earns his daily bread spewing hilariously graphic shtick not intended for innocent ears, it turns out that Seguin has a tender side — much like the roast he’s diligently grilling.
“Clearly, I’m an amazing actor,” says Seguin, tongue-decidedly-in-cheek.
A devoted dad, he has two of his three kids with him on this family outing. The 15- year- old Jaime is “too cool for school,” so she couldn’t make it for the outing. But nine- year- old Ande ( a girl) and 14- year- old Reese ( a boy) are present.
Seguin has high hopes for Reese, a promising, 225- pound football player. “With any luck, I’ll only have to do seven more years of dick jokes, then I’ll be able to live off the NFL money I expect Reese to bring in,” cracks Seguin, who also shares digs with his Newfoundland- born mate Angela — frequently featured in his act.
Perseverance has clearly paid off for Seguin, 42, who has been at the comedy game for 11 years. Two years ago, he stole the show at a Just for Laughs gala with his mating rituals. Last year, he brought the house down repeatedly at the fest’s Nasty Show series, wherein he vividly recounted the joys of the birthing process.
Seguin received rave reviews for his laugh- fest performances across the board, including a glowing critique from GQ.
As a result, Seguin has been much in demand at comedy fests and clubs around the country and has also been fielding offers in the U. S. He has a date at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival next month. He is also a regular on CBCRadio’s The Debaters, hosted by his funny buddy Steve Patterson.
Seguin is an original. Half-francophone, half- Irish, he brings both elements into play with material reflecting his roots, delivered bilingually — but hardly in a politically correct manner.
“The funny thing is that after getting all these notices for my work in the Nasty Show, my corporate customers got worried that all I was doing now is swearing on stage. But I can be most clean when need be.”
When his schedule permits, Seguin is also the host of the popular So You Think You’re Bilingual spectacles, which run about eight times a year at the Comedy Nest. The premise of the shows is that franco comics do their spiels in English, while anglo comics do their acts in French — much to the delight of audiences who have been lapping up this cultural rapprochement.
“I usually make up every bit of my act organically on the night of my show, talking about something that happened to me earlier that day,” he says.
“When I listen to some of the shows that I’ve taped, I’ll hear stuff that really amazes me and ask myself why I’ve never repeated that material. I’m just really lucky that my improv act, flying by the seat of my pants, works with audiences.”
And comedy beats all to heck his first paying job: scraping asbestos off the floor in buildings ravaged by fire. “I was 14. I wasn’t given a mask or gloves, just a scraper. I since did a lot of other jobs and came to realize how tough it can be to make a buck. It could be worse, so much worse for me. I really feel blessed now with what I think is the greatest job in the world.
“A lot of comics get bitter, upset they’re not where they think they should be and then they start to turn on audiences. Hell, they should be grateful they get to talk crap and they get paid for it. I am so fortunate that I can go on stage and make dick jokes for 45 minutes and earn more than what most people make in a week. I still can’t believe I’m actually getting paid to do something I love to do and I’m able to support my family in the process.”
And even get to barbecue the occasional jumbo pork loin on a spit in the bush.
Derek Seguin headlines at the Comedy Nest, 2313 Ste- Catherine St. W., Thursday, March 12, to Saturday, March 14. Opening acts: Rodney Ramsey and Josh Williams. For information or reservations, call 514- 932- 6378. Montreal playwright Colleen Curran gets even more of a headstart than Seguin on St. Patrick’s Day merriment. She will perform excerpts from her play Ireland’s Own Carmel O’Reilly Tonite Thursday, March 12, at 12: 30 p. m. at the Atwater Library, 1200 Atwater Ave.
Curran has no doubts that the show can once again live up to past billing as “the best party in town.” Admission is free, but donations are happily accepted. Yet more good cheer Thursday at Montreal city hall as Mayor Denis Coderre gives Mordecai Richler his proper due by officially announcing that the Mile End Library on Parc Ave. will be renamed for the late great novelist. Richler also will be cited as a “Montreal citizen of honour” by Coderre.
Members of Richler’s family, including his widow Florence, will be on hand for the reception. Though not terribly amused with the delays involved in refurbishing the crumbling Mordecai Richler Gazebo on Mount Royal, the author’s son Jake is happy with the decision to rename the ornate library, which had formerly housed an Anglican church: “I think my dad would have gotten a real kick out of the fact that a church will now bear his name.”
No doubt about it.