Middle aged standup comedians record their first CD

It only took some 30 years after they each made their professional comedy debuts at an Ottawa comedy club, but three standup comics are finally set to immortalize their individual acts – by recording their first CD on May 10 at the Lakeview Arts Barn.

The Back 50 is being billed as a show that’s devoid of dark humour and ribald language, catering primarily to an audience that shares the performers’ middle-aged sensibilities.

Jim McNally, Rick Currie and Denis Grignon all started their comedy careers within, literally, weeks of each other and have toured extensively across the country for the past three decades.

“We’re all the same age, 54,” points out Currie, who spent nine years as a staff writer with the Rick Mercer Report. “So we thought we should record a CD now while we still have some hair for the cover photo. We did wait a long time to make our first CD — though I probably have some early stuff on eight-track.”

“It certainly has nothing to do with, uh, you know, us being lazy,” adds McNally, who’s appeared on the Halifax Comedy Festival and CTV’s Comedy Now.

While all three comedians – the other act on the bill is Denis Grignon, who’s appeared on the Debaters and currently lives on a farm about 10 minutes away from the Lakeview Arts Barn – joke about the reasons for the delay, they’re emphatic about the work that goes into preparing a solid routine.

“So many people think we’re just up there talking away, riffing about what just enters our head,” says McNally. “But that’s not at all how it works.”

“It’s about making it seem easy,” says Currie. “But, really, developing an act – a good, solid act that people can relate to – is painstaking.”

Adds Grignon, “Any self respecting comic will tell you how much time goes into finding that right noun, that right verb. And the pacing back-and-forth and rehearsing to get all those words in the correct order and to sound just right – and funny!”

“We’re definitely not just winging it up there,” stresses McNally.

The Back 50 takes place Friday May 10 at 8pm and is presented by BOB-FM, where Grignon hosts a weekend program.

Tickets are $25 each, available via lakeviewartsbarn.com.  A question and answer session with the comics will follow the performance.

*Pictured: Rick Currie.