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Comedian Gavin Stephens is a self-proclaimed nerd. Sure, he's into comic books, sci-fi movies and video games, but Stephens is not your average, run of the mill nerd, in fact, he seems to be on a mission to take nerdom to the next level, and he's doing it the best way he knows how - through comedy.
Nerdgasm Comedy has been a theme show that found it's audience in the recesses of open mic comedy shows in bars around the city. The show is finally ready to launch itself onto a broader stage tonight at The Bathurst Street Theatre. Ian Atlas, founder of Empire Comedy Live and creator of the Nerdgasm brand describes the show as a "comedy spectacular unlike any other in
A Comedian for over 10 years in Toronto and abroad, Stephen's has transformed himself from a portly co-star on shows such as Buzz and Comedy Inc. (Comedy Network, CTV) to a trailblazer for a new form of experimental comedy. Stephens' own comfort level on stage, after years of countless performances, has done him a great service. Instead of being concerned with catering to audiences or worse, fellow comedians, he allows his creative ideas to come to fruition, and most of all, he's not afraid to be goofy. Let's get to know Gavin and all his dweeby glory a bit better, shall we?
DD: You're an cool guy, you have lot's of friends, an interesting career, why do you identify yourself as a nerd?
GS: I know I don’t truly fit in. I was a fat, ethnic kid in white suburbia, which tends to form a view of the world from an outsider vantage. You see the bullshit, and the layers, all of which helps create a different point of view. So naturally you get attracted, obsessed with fringe things... things with layers to dissect, like comic books or politics. That’s what makes me a nerd.
DD: Do you feel that nerdom is any different now, verses the affable nerds we grew to love in the 80's in movies like Revenge of the Nerds and Can't Buy Me Love?
GS: I think the nerd in the 80’s was more of a negative thing. So the movies were very stereotypical and negative towards the word, but those nerds have grown up and now run things. Video games are huge, nerdy TV shows like 30 Rock and The Office control the airwaves, even the top grossing movies are comic book or 80’s cartoon properties. I think the idea of ‘nerd’ has become more broad. I used to have long in depth conversations about hip hop with Russell (Peters), coming back from gigs, he isn’t your classic nerd but he is nerd or geek about hip hop. Being a nerd is having passion for anything you can break down into its simplest forms.
DD: Russell is obsessed with hip hop, it influences him in many forms but he is known for his knowledge of almost every ethnicity, especially his own. You're Portuguese and Guyanese, do audiences expect you to do mostly ethnic comedy? If so, how do you overcome these expectations and deliver your brand of humour?
GS: I think with audiences the expectation has changed. I think people being so connected with images they see on TV are beginning to fade. There are new archetypes being formed so the expectation with ethnic comedy and audiences has become more open. I overcome expectations with audiences by not caring about their expectations. If you live in a bubble I can’t help you. I will not dumb my (comedy) down because you only know your house and So You Think You Can Dance. I will help you get there, but as an audience member you have to want to go on the journey.
DD: As someone who has evolved from their ethnic material a great deal, how do you feel about performing it now?
GS: Your background is always there… you can’t fight it. Talking about how your parents speak, or what foods you eat is great, but its surface. Those things need to be explored more. They need to have an opinion. Just saying you remember when… isn’t enough. That being said it is so much harder to be an ethnic comic, and you only have you on this ride, so take what ever you have an make comedy out of it. People who normally don’t have a voice at traditional comedy clubs want to hear your stories, they want to see themselves represented, so I would suggest never shy away from who you are.
DD: Speaking of comedy clubs, you work at Yuk Yuk's yet you aren't a very traditional comedian, you experiment on stage a lot, how do you meld in that atmosphere with the other comics?
GS: I’ve had comics who are confused with what I am doing so they try to simplify it or figure it out, like it was magic… or as if I was cheating, but most comics are cool. I don’t mind working Yuk’s, however, I understand now that there are different gears in this comedy thing. Sometimes you have to start out in 1st to get an audience to get to 5th. I used to just jump right to 5th. There are differences in comedy intelligence, but touring in different countries makes you aware of the similarities with (audiences) as well.
DD: To that end, what would make this show, Nerdgasm Comedy, different then the regular comedy club experience?
GS: I find the humour in a comedy club more aggressive, and more about the lowest common denominator. At this show you’re going to have to “know” shit. It’s not for everyone, although I find more and more people are looking for that kind of a challenge in their entertainment. To use a TV analogy, if the comedy club is Cops, then the nerd show is The Wire.
DD: Another non-traditional, very popular comedian Debra DiGiovanni is on the line-up, how do you feel she'll contribute to the theme of this show?
GS: I think some people would say Debra isn’t a nerd, but she is. She talks about being alone and her cats, she is totally an outsider. Men and women in this audience can relate to her, and understand her. She has a lot of nerd fans.
DD: You have a lot of nerd fans as well, especially after touring with your successful one-man show Spectacular! Spectacular! What did you learn from that experience? GS: I learned my ‘voice’, and how to execute it. I also learned that stand-up comedy can be more than just the written word. What’s weird is the way regular comedy audiences get a little confused, it (challenges) certain belief systems we have trained in our brains from a young age. The assumption of how people should act based on what they look like. It is a weird social experiment. However, regular audiences for the most part completely let go and go for the ride.
DD: You've been to
GS: Comedy is kind of stagnant right now in
DD: Have you noticed the short lifespan of many homegrown comedy shows in
GS: If I was in charge of a network it would go to shit. I’m having trouble remembering to change the oil on my car. So keep that in mind with the following answer. I’ve only been on one end of it, so I can only speak from the artists’ point of view. Networks need to trust the artist. Around the world, Canadians are known for children’s shows and documentaries, yet everyone tells me we are the funniest people. Why aren’t we showing that in our television? This idea of the Canadian identity needs to be reexamined, to include people like me who are first generation Canadians from immigrant parents… Trudeau’s dream. I believe the neighborhoods I grew up in like Scarborough and
DD: If heading a network isn't next for you, what is?
GS: Right now I’m working on some animation stuff, a one man show, and a comic book. I like playing to nerds so I would want to do that for a while. I want to play cons especially
To learn more about Gavin, check out his website and catch him at Nerdgasm Comedy, tonight, Friday, December 11th at 8pm at The Bathurst Street Theatre - 736 Bathurst Street, click here for tickets.
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