Hypnotist Marc Savard Goes Behind The Bricks
July 17, 2008 · Print This Article
Generally when people are sleeping through one of my shows it means something has gone horribly wrong, but when Marc Savard does it hilarity ensues. This Las Vegas headliner sits down with Brian to discuss how you fall in to this line of work, are comedy and hypnosis really related, and what happens when hypnosis goes wrong.
Other topics include using profanity as a punchline, the comedy scene in New Zealand, why Brian needs to get uglier friends, the German’s finally discover comedy, and whether having a writer makes you any less of a comic. You are getting sleepy…
Email: brianmcomedy@gmail.com and give us a call on 206-203-4692
Gee Brian, I thought I mention Ireland enough in my posts so that you’d know that I am not in the UK. But not to worry, to lapse into the hackiest joke used on the Irish comedy circuit, you Canadians always make that mistake!
I can’t leave it there without adding Dara O’Briain’s tag to that line. 90% of Americans will laugh and apologise once you say that line to them, but there is the 10% who will say “we’re not Canadian, we’re American!”.
Hey BMO, I was actually the guilty party that brought up Wanda Sykes and Aman Ali was coming to his defense. I only said such because it was suggested by Brian C that he might be the best living comic. Personally I don’t know shit about the business other than what I’ve learned on your shows so again I say: I defer to the actual comics on the site. I like Chris Rock and I have even enjoyed his TV show but I thought it was a fair question insofar as him being the greatest living comic. Then again maybe I should just STFU.
Sorry about that LX. Definitely a great topic, and believe me, you are not the only one that feels that way.
I just had a thought. And I am just a comedy fan, not a performer, but when you say that there are two skills to being a comic — writing and performing, isn’t there a third one for marketing/business savvy? I was thinking of Dane Cook or even Dice. Neither one is what I would call the greatest writer or performer, but both were (at least at some point in their careers) genius marketers. Just a thought.
Yeah, totally agree. I know the industry is pretty crappy sometimes on hardworking comics but often I imagine some comics are either really bad at, or refuse to do, the marketing/networking aspect of the business.
Dane Cook is a shitty, shitty comic and I’d say that to his face….but you’ve gotta respect the guy for making millions in the industry anfd finding his audience.
and yeah Brian, ireland isn’t in the UK; it’s like calling a palestinian an israeli.
My apologies for the geographical error. You’re talking to a guy who once said “The state of Canada”.
Great point Kyle. I was referring to the “artistic side” of comedy, but you’re absolutely right. In fact, well over 50% of being a professional comic is whoring yourself.
‘The state of Canada’, were you showing imperialist ambitions there brian, or about to offer your opinion of their quality of life?
Oh, and to offer another opinion on the comedy scene in New Zulland and the whole “foreign = better” thing, I can actually see a lot of parallels between New Zealand and Ireland in that regard. Up until the mid 90’s the Irish comedy scene was very much like that, any Irish comedian that made it big had moved to the UK to do so. However there was a lot of latent talent here, just needing something to set it off, and that catalyst was the sitcom “Father Ted”. After that suddenly we realised that hey, we’re making the English people laugh, maybe we are good at this.
I recon that “Flight of the Conchords” may be the catalyst that launches the New Zealand comedy scene. There are a lot of parallels, for one just like Father Ted it had to be made by a foreign tv channel because no domestic tv channel would take a risk on it. The other parallel is that people from other countries find it funny, so local Kiwi acts can see it and say “hey, Bret and Jemaine can make the Americans laugh, maybe I could do that too”.
Maybe if “Flight of the Conchords” featured a few more cameos from other New Zealand comics it would kick start the local scene. There are a generation of comics in Ireland who sold out rooms all over the country because on the poster they put “As seen on Father Ted” under their name.
Hey i just saw that theres a link to this site from Deadfrog.com, nice
I would like to see a check-list of what to do before your first open-mic.
I’m newer than new, but always wanted to try and “sack-up” and do an open -mic. I even went as far as sit staring at a blank page for hours “writing” material. The only thing I got out of that is the fact that I can’t write and can only crack wise in conversations.
Welcome Naked Christian. Great question. I’ll definitely tackle a check list on an upcoming show.
Naked Christian, number 1 on your check-list of things to do before your first open mike is to go and see some live comedy. Preferably in the venue you will be performing in. I know it sounds like a no-brainer, but the amount of people who show up for their first open spot never having been to a comedy club is ridiculous. At the very least you will know how to get to the club, what time the show gets going at, what the MC looks like etc, freeing your mind up to worry exclusively about your set.
Hmmn, I think I might have misrepresented the Kiwi Comedy Scene a little. the comedy scene is there and has been there for a while, there have been famous Kiwi Comics for decades; John Clarke and Billy T James are the two names that spring to mind first. It’s not that we are embryonic, it’s just that the entire creative industry of New Zealand has fully developed into that little guy from the Station Agent. We’re out there, its just that its hard to see us if you look straight ahead.
Actually, if nobody has picked the next user requested comic, I challenge you, Brian M, to play a set from one of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_T_Award winners. These people are supposed to be the funniest stand ups from our country, so lets see if you can actually find something listenable.
Just listened to the show and wanted to comment on Mr. Mario Barth, being from Germany myself.
The craze for that guy is just insane over here and I don’t quite get it. He is absolutely the most hacky comic in Germany, BUT he knows how to perform his hacky material really well, imo. So to the mainstream audience who don’t think in categories like hacky or original but rather made me laugh or didn’t make me laugh, he is a very good comic.
I still find it hard to believe he filled that huge ass stadium, which is supposed to be world record… don’t know about that though.
OK, Brian, when do you get Hyp-Mo-Tized?
I’ve always thought this was a crock, myself, and that everyone on stage was a plant.
Its funny that you should mention that. I had to advertise two different Hypnotism shows for the Comedy Fest this year, one was real and the other was gimmicked. Ofcourse, the gimmicked show had to work really hard for its kayfabe, and the guy really did his best to do the slick stage hypnotist character up while the real hypnotist was a short bald angry muscle bound guy who wanted everything to be as extr3m3 as possible.
Two more things about this podcast.
First, Savard talks about hypnotizing people in college, in his two bedroom apartment, and making them “do things,” and you don’t ask what those things are. I mean, he specifically mentioned he had bedrooms, and you have to assume some of the people he hypnotized were girls. When I was in college, if I had had that kind of power, you can imagine I would have abused it. I’m kind of disappointed with you.
And, I know you will never say who the friend was your wife put on her free-pass sex list, but I pray to God it wasn’t Fobes or Bohunk.