Five Questions with comedian Jamie Carr

Interview by Jason Setnyk | Submitted Photo

Cornwall, Ontario – Jamie Carr is a well-known stand-up comedian who has been making audiences laugh for years. Based primarily in Cornwall, he has performed at various venues across the region, earning a reputation as a talented and entertaining comedian. In addition to his live performances, Jamie has also made a name for himself as a voice actor, lending his talents to various TV shows and commercials.

He is a member of the local comedy group, Questionable Comedians and is available to book for events, fundraisers, and private functions. As if that weren’t enough, Jamie also opened a podcast studio in Cornwall a few years ago, demonstrating his commitment to the art of the spoken word.

It should be noted that Jamie Carr’s interview responses are often delivered in a lighthearted and humorous manner, intended to entertain rather than to be taken at face value. His quick wit and comedic timing are sure to leave you laughing.

Five Questions with The Seeker

1  – Can you tell us about your comedic background and how you got started in comedy?

“I began performing stand-up in 1979 in Mrs. Lemieux’s grade 2 class at St Columban’s East School, where I debuted my famous “sign of the cross pie in the face routine.” Sadly, I had to stop due to my severe lactose intolerance. They tore the school down after that, Google it. I was always told I was a funny kid; “there’s something funny bout that Carr kid, we should phone someone,” they would say. Years later, in 2018, I think, I went to see an amateur comedy night at ESCA to raise money for charity. It featured local folks who had never done stand-up but always wanted to try. I was amazed; it was pathetic, and they begged me to join the next year to make it tolerable. The Questionable Comedians was born out of that, including Me, Michelle Baird, Simon Mc Hobbiton, and other*.”

*Dan Allaire comedy did not give their permission to use their name at the time of publication.”

2 – Who are your comedic influences?

“Bugs Bunny, Saturday Night Live, Monty Python, I think Jason Christoff is hilarious – genius really, Johnathan Winters, Jim Carey, Leonard Cohen, anyone who takes themselves seriously is always funny.”

3 – Can you walk us through your creative process for writing new material?

“Usually I get up, do a thousand crunches, jot down a few ideas without judging them, build a birdhouse, read a few stories to some orphans at the local orphanage-orphan style stories, you know, jot down some more ideas as they come to me, meditate while taking selfies and influence people on-line, have a small snack, self-loathe, and jot down more ideas. Jot? That’s the word, right, jot? Jawwwwwwwwwt.”

4 – How do you handle hecklers or difficult audience members during a performance?

“I actually feel that hecklers or difficult audience members are just trying to make a connection in a way. So I usually just walk over to them and kiss them full-on on the mouth. Not a peck on the cheek, like a long, deep passionate kiss that lasts for a little while. It’s hard to talk when someone is kissing you like that, so they have to stop talking, Plus that connection thing and stuff.”

5 – What advice would you give to aspiring comedians?

“Try and be yourself up there as much as possible. I think that’s my goal, as opposed to just trying to be funny. Hopefully, something that’s funny to you will be funny to other people. Also, I really believe it’s one of those things that you’re only going to get better at by doing it over and over, repeating it again and again, doing it over and over, and try and be yourself up there as much as possible. I think that’s my goal, as opposed to just trying to be funny.”

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