I don’t laugh at many comedians. Very few even put a SMILE on my face. But I DO like a good comedy standup routine.

Ever since I was a kid, I had my Cheech n Chong albums, my George Carlin tapes, John Belushi and Dan Akroyd on SNL and then Eddie Murphy set the bar with his classic “Delirious” video. I wanted to BE a comedian.

I spent my youth moving around every few years so I was always the “new kid” in school. Problem with being the new kid is that I thought the second I walked into the classroom, I was going to be immediately accepted by every faction of school kid society. I was never the kid hiding in the corner behind a pile of homework.

Thing is, I managed to scramble to a respectable place in the social pile no matter where I went so it was bound to happen… But I didn’t feel it necessary to WORK for that spot!! Why not just skip the bullshit and head to Mr. Popular like RIGHT NOW.

I played football, so the JOCKS had to deal with me. I partied like a madman so the HEADS had to deal with me. I played Dungeons & Dragons so the GEEKS had to deal with me too. I was a little bit of every subdivision out there and I felt like I didn’t really fit into any one of them completely. So I spent all my school years being the clown.

Not only was I a loud mouthed little twerp, I had huge confidence which was often mistaken as arrogance and for the most part I didn’t give a shit what anybody else thought. Couple that with the inability to separate what SHOULD be laughed at and what SHOULDN’T, and you’ve got yourself a problem. Cuz I laughed at and with EVERYTHING. Nothing was sacred.

I found one thing that made the stuff I was spitting out a bit funnier and that was not to laugh at yourself out loud. As if you actually MEAN what you’re saying. As if the dumbness that I just erupted was REAL and I actually was that dumb. And it worked. People STILL say to me, how do you say that with a straight face. I dunno… practice?

Anyway, being the comedian saved my bacon a million times. …and the fact that I could RUN like the wind.

So every few years, I hear a comedian who really tickles my funnybone and gets me laughing. Like I mentioned George Carlin, Cheech n Chong, Eddie Murphy, Gallagher… back in the day, those were the guys makin me laugh. More recently it’s guys like Mitch Hedberg, Ron James, Trailer Park Boys, John Pinette and Russell Peters bringing a tear to my eye.

But none of them get me going like Derek Edwards. I can’t quite put my finger on WHY this guy pulls the laughs outta me like he does. He’s not overly funny lookin. He doesn’t pull out watermelons n sledgehammers. He doesn’t come out on stage obviously baked outta his skull and let the drugs do the talkin. He doesn’t have a funny foreign accent.

What is it about this seemingly simple guy from Timmins, Ontario, who can walk out onstage and give you 90 minutes of pure hilarity? I think it’s that everyone in the audience can relate to almost every thing his routine revolves around. It’s just so straight up, you have to laugh.

If you like a good comedian and get the chance to catch Derek Edwards live, do it. Not only are you supporting some great local talent, it’s just what the doctor ordered… a good hard laugh.