Photo Belongs to Bruce McCulloch
For Bruce McCulloch, comedy has become a journey toward his connectedness to other members of his species.
As explained by the comic, actor, writer, director and singer known for his work in the Canadian sketch troupe The Kids in the Hall, talking about the one-man show he's bringing Saturday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. to Shank Hall (1434 N. Farwell Ave.), “Tales of Bravery & Stupidity”: “This show, more than anything I have ever done, is about my crawl toward humanism, how I have been able to admit I love this world and all the maddening, beautiful, often lonely people on it.”
Foremost among the people he has come to love are what McCulloch has described in previous interviews as his three families: the one to which he was born into in Edmonton, Canada, his fellow Kids and the one he has established with his wife. With “Tales,” he creates another clan of kin.
“I actually think this show expands that number to four, the fourth being in some way more important: It is us, the family of like-minded weirdos,” McCulloch describes his bond with audiences. “The show is about the connection we all have, even when we are lonely or not together in a room.”
Connected though we all may be, few of us put ourselves in situations that make for mirth that others can savor. McCulloch is one of that rare breed. “My wife once said that I put myself in weird situations ‘for the material,’ and that is sort of true,” he says. “All my life, I have put myself in the middle of weird situations. I have almost a chemical need for it.”
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Translating and processing those situations varies, naturally enough, from his work with The Kids in the Hall. “With my own shows," McCulloch emphasizes, “it’s just me and you, and I never leave. So, it’s like one long song with crescendos and pauses, and everything is part of it, even me drinking tea or writing a note to myself. I never take it lightly that the audience have chosen to be with me, and I want them to get to know me in a way they might not with Kids."
Whether in his more collaborative material with the Kids or autobiographical solo work, McCulloch's humor has long been informed by a certain surreality that’s become a kind of trademark. Of that, he declares, “The surreal aspect has just always been in my head as a way I see the world. I’m writing a piece right now about a meteor falling in my backyard and my wife and I fighting about it. Of course, a meteor didn't fall in my backyard, but my wife and I do fight, so it makes surreal sense to me.”
Making at least as much sense is that even comedy lovers unfamiliar with McCulloch's prior work should be able to find plenty to enjoy in “Tales.” The pitch he offers for his own work could apply to many of his comedic peers: “Well, it’s about the world, and it’s funny. I say funny things that people think are true but maybe haven’t thought about before.” In keeping with his desire to be inclusive, he adds, “And it’s more about you than me.”
Here’s McCulloch from his ’80s days as a Kid in the Hall, giving counsel to those who follow in his footsteps as a comedic polymath, some of which he probably lived before offering it to anyone else...
