Comedian Ron James aims to keep it light during Brandon show

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This article was published 16/11/2017 (3061 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When heading out on tour across the frosty Canadian Prairies, veteran comedian Ron James comes prepared.

“I have Icelandic merino wool long johns with me — they’re a mandatory packing item when you’re on the road,” James said during a recent telephone interview from his Toronto home. “They say — I have not tested it — but you could wear them for 30 days without having to wash them.”

The Nova Scotian comedian brings his Full Throttle tour to the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium on Friday at 7:30 p.m. As of Wednesday afternoon, the show was nearly sold out.

“Just the fact I’m getting people out of the house, to sit in a theatre on a cold November night — it is not something I take for granted,” James said. “I mean Netflix, there’s everything to keep you home, cocooned in your house.”

The rise of social media and addiction to technology will likely make its way into his Brandon show — and don’t expect any sugar coating.

“It’s a digital crackhouse, Netflix,” he said. “You sit down to watch a show — 72 hours later, you’re still stuck to the La-Z-Boy, stinky in your own filth, an emaciated husk, bleeding from the eyes. Forget about watching ‘The Walking Dead’ — you’ve joined ’em!”

James said the audience should expect an “eclectic buffet” of topics, ranging from food fads, to age-related degeneration, and of course, a healthy dose of politics.

“I’ll be covering … the demise of democracy in America, thanks to the orange, Kraft Dinner-dusted mutant that’s sittin’ in the White House,” James joked. “Canadian politics right across the map, from Justin to Andrew Scheer to Jagmeet Singh nationally.”

He likes to customize content for each community he visits, so who knows what he might have to say about the Wheat City.

“If there’s any theme to my show … it’s of the average man trying to make sense of a rapidly changing planet, while he’s at the mercy of forces beyond his control,” he said. “I think that’s what everybody’s looking for these days, is a sense of balance.”

James has been working in the entertainment industry since the 1980s, when he joined The Second City troupe in Toronto. After a stint in Los Angeles, he came back to Canada and started his career in stand-up comedy in 1995 — which has proven to be his true calling.

“I try to engage the audience on a fun level, I like the audience to be leaving with a spring in their step and a smile on their face, feeling a lot lighter than when they walked in,” he said.

He starred in the Canadian sitcom “Black Fly” for two seasons, as well as “The Ron James Show” from 2009-14. He just finished his ninth special for CBC, which will air on New Year’s Eve at 9 p.m.

Also in the works is a book called “All Over the Map,” which is due for release in October 2019. James said it is all about his travels, his beginnings in the Maritimes and his life experiences.

“Really it’s about how comedy has opened my mind to a wider world of wonders, and provided me with a way of walking through the world,” he said. “It’s a book that deals with the spirit of people and place across the big wide open.”

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