The funniest standup I’ve ever seen
Phil Kay once turned a 700-strong crowd in the Queens Hall, Edinburgh into an improvised wedding. Funniest show I’ve ever seen. We were crying with laughter and in awe of the sheer audacity of this mad mess of ideas. Brilliant.
The funniest sketch I’ve ever seen
The Canadian sketch show SCTV had a gameshow spoof called Half Wits. Eugene Levy plays the flabbergasted host to a group of “half-wits” who not only can’t answer the questions, they struggle to understand them: “Name an Italian food.” “Swedish meatballs?”
The funniest thing that shouldn’t be funny
Vomiting. There is just something strangely emotive about watching someone retch. Monty Python took it to its extreme and Jim Carrey’s pet detective turned it into art.
The funniest item of clothing I’ve ever owned
Suede burgundy elevator clogs. Don’t ask.
The funniest person I know
Carey Marx is a friend and comedian who has made me laugh more than any other single human being. He’s not hemmed in by social mores, constantly challenging what it is we find acceptable to make jokes about.
The funniest heckle I’ve ever had
I once ended a particularly full-on gig standing topless on a chair in the middle of the audience, singing full volume, guitar in hand, dripping with sweat and in a quiet moment someone heckled: “SHOW OFF!”
The funniest word
Pickle.
The funniest TV show I’ve ever seen
The aforementioned SCTV was part of growing up in Canada. The cast all went on to become household names. John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O’Hara, Harold Ramis, Martin Short and Dave Thomas created a world so daft and hilarious it may never be surpassed.
