Canadian humourist Lorne Elliott has spent the past 30 years mining comedy from some of the most unlikely of places and his most recent material is no different.
His new concert performance, which makes a stop at the Eagle Eye Theatre Saturday, Oct. 2, features brand new zingers he developed after having a severe heart attack in 2007.
"Having a heart attack will make you write more material. Although it's probably not the best advice I could give to aspiring writers," he chuckled.
Elliott began performing in 1974 as a folk musician on the East Coast but soon turned to writing monologues and skit comedy.
Since then he has become one of Canada's most recognized humourists, touring and performing in concert theatres and arts centres across Canada, the U.S. and Australia.
He has opened for Rodney Dangerfield in New York City, Jay Leno in Montreal and has made regular appearances at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival.
He is also a playwright, musician, director - and, oh yeah, his C小蓝视频 Radio series 'Madly Off in All Directions' ran for an incredible 11 seasons, ending in 2006.
He has most recently refocused his energies towards a musical he's been working on for some time, and local audiences will get a sneak listen.
"I'd like to get that done," he said. "In fact, I plan on trying out some of the songs from the musical on this tour to see how they work in front of an audience - like in beautiful Squamish."
Elliott doesn't blame his work schedule for the heart attack.
"I smoked a pack a day for 25 years," he said. "I don't smoke now."
However, he said, the near-life-ending situation did provide an avenue for his witty, dry humour and musical parodies, allowing him to shine the light of comedy on the perceived wisdom of the world around him.
"You have to get some distance from it and play with language and ideas," he said.
And turning the frightening situation into comedy also helped save a life.
"I was on the radio with Sheila Rogers and describing how the heart attack felt," he said.
"My humour is in storytelling and I was talking about how it felt like I was holding a piano above my head - the pressure - and someone was listening to this description on the radio and realized he was experiencing the same thing. He rushed to the hospital and later recounted the event to Sheila."
Elliott said he has not only recovered but feels stronger than he has in years.
"I feel better than I did in the five years leading up to the heart attack," he said. "I'm still working as much but just being smarter about it. We take more time now."
This summer he directed and acted in his play The Fixer-Upper at The Guild in Charlottetown, PEI. The play is a stage version of one of his published novellas, which was based on another one of his works.
"It's complicated," he said.
Catch all new material and songs from iconic Canadian humourist, storyteller, musician, radio personality and playwright Lorne Elliott on October 2 at the Eagle Eye Theatre starting at 8 p.m.
Tickets are available at Billie's Bouquet and at the door for $20.
