Kevin McDonald is an ingenious comedic performer and writer currently based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Originally from Toronto, McDonald is best known as a member of the hugely influential Canadian sketch troupe, the Kids in the Hall. This August marks the first anniversary of McDonald’s inventive variety show podcast, Kevin McDonald’s Kevin McDonald Show, a mix of sketch comedy and conversations and musical performances, which has featured guest turns from Mike Myers, Wallace Shawn, Rachel Dratch, Ted Leo, Michael Showalter, Craig Finn, Susanna Hoffs, Rob Corddry, and his fellow Kids, Scott Thompson and Dave Foley, among many others. McDonald and I had a chat recently about living in Winnipeg, his idiosyncratic approach to comedy podcasts, John Lennon’s perfect rock ‘n’ roll life, the new wave of sketch comedy, news about the Kids in the Hall and their upcoming appearance at a benefit show featuring Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, and many members of the original SCTV cast, and much more. Sponsored by Pizza Trokadero, the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts.
Tag: Toronto
This episode of Long Night with Vish Khanna was recorded before a live studio audience at Longboat Hall in the Great Hall in Toronto, Ontario, as an actual TV show for FibeTV1. The central theme and discussion point of the program was “Is social media making us desperate for fame?” and our guests were culture columnist and comedy writer Anne T. Donahue and Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol of Nirvanna the Band the Show. Produced by Ian Daffern, Vish Khanna, and FibeTV1. Photos by Amy Wilson and Colin Medley. With sidekick James Keast and our house band, the Bicycles. Sponsored by Long and McQuade, Long Winter, and Planet Bean Coffee. Watch the Long Night tv show on its YouTube channel.
Jessy Lanza is an acclaimed and alluring electronic pop songwriter based in Hamilton, Ontario. Along with her frequent collaborator Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys, Lanza has released two stunning records: 2013’s Pull My Hair Back and 2016’s Oh No, which were both shortlisted for Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize and are each available via the Hyperdub label. Lanza was in Guelph for the underground arts and music extravaganza known as Kazoo! Fest recently and we caught up in a reverb-rich church basement to discuss things like studying jazz, Jill Scott and Patrice Rushen, stress and anxiety, European spas and Canada’s place in the world, Grandad’s Donuts in Hamilton, and much more. Sponsored by Pizza Trokadero, the Bookshelf, and Planet Bean Coffee.