Canadian stand-up comedian Ron James is bringing his new show The Noise Between Our Ears to the Lethbridge Yates Memorial Theatre Apr. 22.
According to James, it’s a tall challenge finding the funny these days when everything seems to be so polarized on so many levels.
“I just try to give people a good experience for the 90 minutes to two hours I’m on that stage,” James says. “I’m coming up in my 28th year now playing theatres across the country. As much as it’s changed, I think the spirit of Canadians is the same. I try to give them a perspective on the everyman at the mercy of forces beyond his control who’s just trying to make sense of it all in the language of laughs.”
With the new show, James covers everything from what it’s like being on the road to growing up to generational differences to taking a shot at all political parties. “That’s not the most of my show, by any stretch.”
“I’m taking a look at Trump, of course, how can you not? And social media issues and all these changes that have come down over the last several years. It’s just a constant noise between our ears,” he adds.
James likes people leaving the show feeling a lot lighter than when they walked in. “I think hearing the soul note being sung by people in place. It’s what I wrote about in my book, which became a bestseller called, All Over the Map: Rambles and Ruminations from the Canadian Road.”
Even though James now lives in Toronto, it’s the road that’s his home.
“I like that a great deal. The work itself will always be rewarding. The road gets tiring, but once you step behind that curtain to the stage for an audience that’s come to laugh, it makes all the travel worth it,” he explains.
James says if you want to make a living, you have to play everywhere. “Everybody matters. Everybody loves to laugh. I don’t think people are any more enlightened in the big cities than they are in the smaller towns. I mean, certain attitudes might be more conservative, but we’re all still at the mercy of forces beyond our control.”
James notes he tries to land on everyday subjects when he’s on the stage in front of a live audience.
“Whether it’s the rise in the price of groceries or I’ve never been to South Africa with Air Canada, but my luggage certainly has. I think as much as the world changes and we’re trying to make sense of it all, everybody at the end of the day still wants sun in their face and wind at their back,” he adds.
He talks about his dad, who passed away a few years ago, and about the baby boomer world he’s from.
“I’m losing friends now, too. I’ve tried to find the funny in boomer mortality. I’m 68 and my demographic is 15 or 20 years away from roaming the home in our Led Zeppelin onesies just to sing along away from taking a stairway to heaven,” James shares.
It’s about finding perspective, he adds. “No longer being bulletproof immortals dancing beneath a disco ball or having a line dance at the local Legion.”
James talks about his travels and the places he’s been, while trying to create some sort of cohesive perspective on what it means to be Canadian.
Once touring is complete, James is off to shoot a film in Ireland. “I’m really looking forward to that. I’m working with some good actors. After the shoot, my gal and I are going to go on a hiking trip in Ireland.”
James says he works an awful lot, and when he’s not on tour, he’s usually trying to write content to get back on tour. “I’ve got a new show coming out with Pat McKenna from The Red Green Show, it’s called Dog Days.”
“I’ll be shooting a new special in the fall that I’m going to stream, I hope. I’m looking forward to those types of things, and I always keep busy.”
James is also writing a script based on a short story from his book about the first time he met Americans in the late sixties. “That’s one of the things in my line of work — you never really stop. It’s a feast or famine existence in the fields of the self-employed.”
Staying sharp is also pretty important for a stand-up comedian.
“That’s what the road helps with it. It keeps you staying sharp and engaged. Everything I’ve done has been a result of the foundation I’ve poured with touring in Canada,” he says.
For more information or to purchase tickets online, check out visitlethbridgearena.ca.
