Marc made a name for himself as a member of The Teddy Ruxpins, a sorely-missed improv comedy troupe from Western Ontario. After appearing regularly at Joke Club at Toronto’s W Hotel, he brought his act to America and became an instant hit on the northeastern club and college circuit. This is his first Philadelphia-area appearance.
PK: You have experience in both improv and stand-up comedy, do you have a preference?
MD: Right now I’m enjoying standup. My improv experience started when I was at McMaster [University] and it was a way for my friends and I to all get into comedy together. To be honest, I just don’t think we had the balls to do standup and be onstage alone. I know I didn’t. So, I’ve always admired standup immensely. I was proud of what I did with the Teddy Ruxpins, but I sometimes thought we got more credit than we deserved. There could be three solid laughs in a one-hour show and people would think we were stars. That wouldn’t wash in standup - and I like that.
It’s kind of like how they say that infinite monkeys typing continuously would at some point produce all of Shakespeare’s works. Well, I don’t want to pay to read one of the reams of nonsense they've churned out. Even if, by accident, you get the word "numbnuts," it's not enough. Let me know when you’ve got King Lear. That’s when I’ll pay my ten dollars. So, yeah, right now standup is where it’s at for me.
PK: How does the comedy scene in Canada compare to the one in the U.S.?
MD: I think comedy is roughly the same in both places. Everywhere you go, there are funny people and unfunny people. In places like Toronto and New York there seem to be the best of the best, but also more unfunny people. I think being one step removed from recognition attracts a lot of people who, if they were in Duluth or Saskatoon, might never even think of going onstage and telling street jokes.
PK: What inspires you?
MD: Years ago, I was traveling with my friends to our first out of town gig. We all just had this feeling that we were the right people doing the right thing at the right time. We were almost giddy. During a silent moment, I said to everyone, “You know... we’re gonna do it,” meaning succeed, put our stamp on comedy, whatever. I always try to keep that night, and many others like it, in mind. No matter how young and naïve the kid was who said that, I owe it to him not to let him down, no matter how many chesterfields I throw my back out having to sleep on in the process.
PK: Tell me about your worst stand-up experience.
MD: My worst standup experience was my first one. It was actually during the improv days and there had been a car accident before the show, just about a mile away from the gig, which tied up traffic. I was the only performer who’d made it on time. There was an audience of about eight who must have come on foot or from the other side of town. I decided to take the stage and stall for time. Of course I had no material or the safety blanket of three other guys and a gal to back me up. It was brutal. I tried to recreate some of the scenes we’d done successfully, but tell them as a story, but it just didn’t translate. My worst planned standup gig was the one that was ruined by an escaped snake.
Marc Delmonte will be making his Philadelphia area stand-up debut at Pork Chop Comedy’s The Conshy Comedy show on April 14th. For tickets/Info: http://conshycomedyapril14.eventbrite.com/
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