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This week JH5 was indecisive about which of two amazing women to profile for WHO TO WATCH. Both Christina Walkinshaw and Kathleen McGee are coming to Ottawa this weekend to provide down and dirty comedy with a slight touch of class. The decision has been made, and BOTH talented women will be profiled. They each have their own style, flair, and originality. They each have their own unique voice, but together they are a force of female power; and most importantly, they are hilarious.
This interview was admittedly a lot of fun. It was at times hard to get the questions out, as when these two get together, it is a party waiting to happen! One liner after one liner, these two women feed off each other’s energy and no doubt use it to write new material once they are home. When questions were asked, they answered candidly, and were respectful that not everyone is knowledgeable about all things dark and dirty. They excitedly described words when not understood, such as Bukkaki & Blumpkin. (and, um, ewww)
Kathleen McGee started comedy five years ago. The “funny one” with her friends in Edmonton, Mcgee always knew she was going to do something on stage, and moved her dream of Vegas lounge singer to stand up comedian. She was heavier set, lost weight and gained the confidence to try comedy, and fell in love with the stage. She moved to Toronto two years ago, and her star is on the rise. JH5 was first introduced to McGee in the summer of 2010, opening for Darren Frost. McGee, from the first moment on stage, has the audience in her hand. She has an abundance of charm, her jokes are well written; but beware, she is not for the faint of heart. Once JH2 (Jenn) watched McGee’s set, she sent JH1 (Josh) in the next night to see her, and that was it, JH5 was a fan.
Christina Walkinshaw began her comedy five years before McGee. At age eleven Walkinshaw was already writing in her diary, which now reads as a strong comedy set. One liners come easy to Walkinshaw, even from an early age. She wrote continually, and began her career as a very young woman. JH5 was introduced to Walkinshaw on Mother’s Day weekend, 2011. Walkinshaw hosted a strong evening of female comedy for Yuk Yuk’s Comedy, sharing the stage with Wendi Reed and Jen Grant, both also very funny women. As an aside, big thumbs up from JH5 to Yuk Yuk’s for understanding that NOT all female comics are the same and for continual mentoring of comedic talent, both male and female.
Mcgee and Walkinshaw met in Montreal a few years back while standing in line for Last Comic Standing Auditions. McGee was flown in from Edmonton, Walkinshaw drove from Toronto, and when they met, the party started. The auditions were held on St. Patrick’s Day that year during a gigantic snowstorm, and they joined other comics for a night they will never forget. McGee then moved back to Edmonton, and they met up again when McGee moved to Toronto.
To maintain their lavish lifestyle of a comedian, and by lavish, they mean slightly below the poverty line, both comics have day jobs. Walkinshaw is a bartender at Irish pub, and McGee for the past two years was a barista at Starbucks. (She has since quit looking for another location, so is now a full time comic, otherwise known as unemployed.) Both women use their humour in the day jobs, having regulars who become repeat customers solely to visit these funny women.
Both women admire comics such as Louis CK who can make horribly dirty things accessible, and is not afraid to say what is on his mind and take risks. Walkinshaw listed Heidi Foss as one of her Canadian favourites and McGee cited Darrin Frost as her absolute favourite. Both Foss and Frost are amazing comics, but also mentors, making them well liked by Walkinshaw and McGee.
When asked about the comedy scene in Toronto, both women state it is very supportive. They state the comics in Toronto are regular people cheering for each other. They are friends unwinding after shows, and helping each other out where possible. When McGee moved to Toronto she worried that the women would not accept her, as their is a stereotype of women and competitiveness, but found all the women welcomed her with open arms. She is friends with most of them, brunching often. McGee, Walkinshaw and their friend Clare Brosseau often go out partying together, but in the end just sit and text each other back and forth, so the world can see their fun exchanges on twitter.
Wondering if there is anything negative about the comedy scene, the women are asked what drives them crazy about the comic’s life. McGee gets frustrated when others get ahead of her, when she does not have a show, or was not put on a festival when others were. Walkinshaw agrees, stating that they work hard, get good laughs and fans by the day, then nothing for a month, then poof, a magical phone call comes and she is opening for Russell Peters at Casino Rama. Both lament that comics have to stay positive to keep their edge. JH5 has thought about this, and what comics seem to go through for every job is the same stress level of a job interview. Most people have a job interview maybe once a year if that, and comics do it each and every day to gain work for a craft they love. Kudos.
Both women are affectionate and supportive of each other. Walkinshaw is supportive of McGee’s fun bid to try and gain Charlie Sheen’s attention to open for his show (and stop the emails people, we are not supporting Sheen, but rather McGee. If a woman can get ahead on the back of a misogynist and the public that will pay to see him, then all the better. This will be a show where she is definitely the classiest person on stage!). McGee also supports Walkinshaw's blog and her projects. When Walkinshaw got the call for Russell Peters, McGee was thrilled for her. This support will help them get through the good and the bad times of comedy.
Both women are realistic about their futures. They understand that stand-up comedy is not the highest paying career choice; they chose it because they are talented and they have a passion for it. Their end goal is to continue to perform stand up comedy, and hopefully one day not have to live on Kraft Dinner. While not aiming to be rich, they would both enjoy a shot to move above the poverty line! Both women are excited to be a small part of a Dirty Girl’s tour, led by the original Dirty Girl Shannon Laverty. Both women cite her as being a ground breaker and paving the way for them to enter comedy and perform dirty comedy. Walkinshaw also adds she wishes to star in porn movie directed by Aaron Berg.
JH5 is exceptionally proud to present both of these women. They have talent, they are generous and exceptionally nice people, but more important than all of these things: they are funny. Take or leave their style of humour, but JH5 will ALWAYS support a comedian who takes risks and says what they want to say as an artist. As women they will continue to take hits for some for their humour as long as we still live in a society that has both spoken and unspoken roles that women should play, and lines women should not cross. Both women can be found at Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club this weekend. Please call (613) 236-5233 to get more information or reserve a table, and tell them JH5 sent you.
This week both McGee and Walkingshaw are JH5’s guest bloggers, and on Saturday night JH2 will undertake a special project of partying with these women, and blogging about it on Sunday. Reporting on a full day in the life of a comic will be an interesting article, so hope you join us this week for an entire week of these two amazing women.
Until next week.
JH2
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