Standup comic Brian Majore brings his edgy, no-holds-barred brand of humour to Port Alberni when The Rez Jesters take to the stage at Char’s Landing on Feb. 20.
Of Haida/Cree descent, Majore received the traditional name Kil Gan K’aas (Funny Storyteller) on his graduation from the University of Northern B.C. This edition of the Rez Jesters includes well-known Plains Cree comic Dawn Dumont and “Token White Guy,” Chris Gaskin.
“Originally, it was just me and Dawn Dumont,” Majore said. “We were in Victoria to tape an episode of The New Canoe, hosted by Art Napoleon. There was an Aboriginal Comedy Night and we were the two standup comics.”
The pair teamed up for a series of shows. Later, Majore worked with the late Sliammon comic Cliff Paul and in 2011, with Donovan Patrick Mahoney.
“We’re not really a troupe. We’re independent comedians who get together from time to time,” he explained.
Majore recently released his debut CD, “The Bloody Savage,” which as poet Janet Marie Rogers says, “delivers the truth without apology.” Or as the late Richard Pryor expressed it, “The truth is gonna be funny, but it’s gonna scare the shit out of folks.”
Majore said his first exposure to standup comedy was when he was seven years old, watching Richard Pryor, Live in Concert, on HBO.
“I didn’t understand a whole lot about what he said, but it still had an impact on me.”
Through his early years, Majore watched a whole generation of hard-edged comics evolve, like Eddy Murphy, Chris Rock and the whole In Living Colour cast, and it gave him the feeling that he, too, could become one of those truth-tellers, but one with an aboriginal focus.
“My greatest influence was the late Charlie Hill. He was an Oneida comic, and he was the first native comedian to be on the Johnny Carson Show. He passed away on Dec. 30.”
Majore said he is always conscious of the fact that when an aboriginal comic delivers the unvarnished truth, it can make audience members uneasy.
“The idea of comedy is to be funny. Making non-natives uncomfortable is a bonus,” he quipped.
Comedy makes people laugh, but the kind of truth-telling Majore aspires to often leaves a contact burn. It may hurt a bit.
“Making people uncomfortable is not the point. The fact that I do is kind of a side effect. I would like people to walk away thinking about some of the things I’m saying, just to give them an idea of what it’s like for me as a native person in this place we call Canada.”
Majore believes that a comic must be unsparing in sharing his life and experience with the audience. In the final track on The Bloody Savage, he recalls a conversation with his mother.
“I talked to her about performing over two nights. The first night, the crowd was great, laughing in all the right places. The next night, nothing.”
But if he was expecting sympathy, he was wrong.
“She said to me, ‘Not everyone is going to like your comedy. I don’t.’”
Ouch.
In a moment like that, Major said, a comic must step back and replay it from the viewpoint of an uninvolved bystander, to determine whether there is humour in the situation. Yes, it really happened that way. And yes, because it feels (painfully) real, it gets a laugh.
“Part of being a comedian is being an observer, taking notes and spilling it all back in a funny way,” he said. “I tell younger comedians, ‘Carry a notebook, carry a phone.’ Most new phones have a digital voice recorder, you can just speak right into it.”
While his comedy is very much about the nature of aboriginal life, Majore said he has not taken an activist role in any specific cause.
“My comedy act, just the act of getting up on stage and speaking my mind, is a political act. That’s my act of defiance, or whatever you want to call it. In the not-too-distant past, native people didn’t have a voice. I am not necessarily giving people a voice, but I am being heard.”
Majore said the world of comedy has evolved, and niche performers, like him, can create their own opportunities.
“Back in the day, you waited for a spot on the Johnny Carson Show, or David Letterman. That’s what made you famous. And then you’d have a TV show.”
Many of the great standup comics made the transition to hit sitcoms, and later, HBO made comedy specials that have inspired legions of new comics like Majore.
“But now, you can create an hour of standup comedy, tape it yourself and put it on the Internet, and you can be seen by people around the world.”
Majore emphasized that, while his comedy is informed by his native heritage, it is intended for everyone. Every performance must be geared towards the audience in the house. It’s something even the big stars have to remember.
He said he is looking forward to Feb. 20 at Char’s Landing, which promises to be the kind of house he enjoys performing in.
“Comedy works best in a small, intimate venue. I’ve performed in front of 1,500 people, and you can’t see much beyond the first few rows.
“I’ve been working in small venues lately, since putting out the CD, crafting a new act geared to those small venues.”
Guest MC for the night is Beverley O’Neill. Tickets are now available at Gayle’s Fashions and Rollin Art Centre. You can also reserve seats by calling 250-730-1636.
