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Continued from page 14 Ron James unleashes rapidâ€"wire wit body feels that in contempoâ€" rary society. We were cerâ€" tainly feeling it before the events in September, and now even more so. It‘s a subâ€" text that‘s like a rodent gnawing on the base of our brain. ‘What the hell‘s that that‘s bugging me again? Oh yeah, it‘s that.‘ So there‘s been a nice release from that, and the audiences have really gotten on board. I‘ve got 30 brand spanking new minutes just freshly out of the cellophane on the war, or whatever it is we‘re involved with, and that‘s been very refreshing. "But if there‘s any theme with the act, it‘s the advenâ€" tures of the everyman, standing in one place runâ€" ning as fast as he can." Juggling successful caâ€" reers in standâ€"up comedy, acting and writing isn‘t always easy, but James isn‘t about to knock success. "It is a hectic schedule, there‘s no doubt about it. But somehow 1 manage," James says. "A doctor has a bad day, he loses a patient. I have a bad day, and some jokes don‘t work. It‘s not that great a pressure. But I‘m trying harder and harder to organize my time better â€" that‘s helpful. But it‘s not as hard in the fall as it is in the spring, because then I‘m putting the garden in, right?" Though over the past couple of years James has become a name in Canadian households, he‘s by no means an overnight success. James has been honing his craft since moving to Toronto in the early ‘80s, where he became a regular cast member of Second City. During the nearly 10 years he spent with the comedy troupe, both touring and on the main stage, James worked in dozens of comâ€" mercials, television shows and films. In the early ©90s, James uprooted his family and moved to LA, at the request of Ron Howard‘s company Imagine TV, to star in a synâ€" dicated series entitled My Talk Show. The show was shortâ€"lived, and James soon found himself unemployed in Laâ€"La Land, auditioning for commercials. The experiâ€" ence was not what James had hoped for when he headed west, but it inspired the creation of Up & Down in â€" Shakey â€" Town: One Man‘s Journey through the California Dream. hok he y» »padd Aot a Group? T ienss e wE ‘ve AOT THE PARTV! CRPT) PW _ rer up t 400 people 4 _ 2o llf P P ; MB i ~§BP ,_ , _ _ Weetmount Shopping Centre: 50 Westmount R. N. Waterloo 2 We _coul * PW Game in ~ James describes Shakey Town as the "juxtaposition of my life in Nova Scotia as a kid, nurturing the ideals of California and America and Hollywood, and then hitting the hard world of reality... "There was a luxury I don‘t think I‘ll have again that 1 had with that show. And the luxury of that show was failure, believe it or not," he says. ": started that show under some fairly monetariâ€" ly rigid circumstances. 1 was in California and broke. The show hit the skids, I was out of work for 10 months, just building this mountain of debt to pursue the American dream. And 1 needed some outlet for my brain. 1 was getting sick and tired of going in and trying to get a tan commercial, or some other numbing pitchman gig, or a crappy sitcom. So I started writing at home in the daytime â€" I‘d never done that before." Shakey Town, which aired in ‘98 as a 90â€"minute special for CTV, is a skillfully and brilliantly orchestrated show, and is solid evidence of James‘ talents as a writer. Plainly put, the man has a way with words. "I‘ve worked hard on that little trademark aspect of my act. I like to give a little bit more than just a joke," James says. "You‘ve always got the blow â€" you know, the set up and the punch line. But it‘s important how you deliver that and how you tell that story. I guess it draws back to a love of talkâ€" ing. I‘ve got Cape Bretan and Newfoundland blood in me, and my kitchen was basicalâ€" ly a maritime cliche of activâ€" ity â€" that door was swingin‘ all the time. So I think I accuâ€" 16 Princess St. E. Waterloo {corner of Princess & Reginal 4 h. Tues. 10â€"4; Wed. â€" Sat. 10â€"5; Closed Sun. & Mon +4 Give A Gift From Thke Past This Christmas mulated a love of words and language from those people in my mother‘s kitchen." _ Returning to Canada, James was, in his own words, basically starting over. But things quickly turned around for him when Rick Mercer offered him a regular role on Made in Canada. "They wrote the part for me based upon my work and writing Up & Down in Shakey Town. Not one agent or casting director got it for me. Because I wrote Shakey Town and because it got the response it did from the public, they saw it and wrote Raymond for me." Performing on TV in a quality production, along with "creating a grassâ€"roots synergy and recognition facâ€" tor for what it is you do" through constant touring, James was soon back in the game. The creation of Blackfly, a comic sendâ€"up of Canadian history, came next. Debuting last season, the show further solidified James‘ success. "It has been gestating in me for as long as 1 can remember. In the early days of Second City, 1 had a satire on Canadian history. And subsequently, when I did my Comics episode on CBC in ‘96, I did a parody of those Canadian Heritage Minutes," James says. "So that was an inspiration for Blackfly. With the response it had gotten, 1 thought maybe this thing I‘ve been burning the midnight oil on with likeâ€"minded folk for the last 15 years had some merit. I remember we‘d sit around and have some pints and say, ‘How come there‘s no Canadian comedy on TV about voyageurs, beavers Westmount Shopping Centre 50 Westmount R. N. Wnoo M lot more! Cu1, 1 . _ 519â€"884 0588 o yaina. ons ol y i g//+* 4T3 4 §% A MULTI DEALER SHOPPE 725â€"0479 and canoes?‘ And they‘d say, "It‘s because you haven‘t written it, Ron.‘" Write it he did. It‘s been renewed this season, and it‘s set to air Dec. 2 at 7 pm. "right after the football game" on Global Television. "It‘s been a definite labour of love," James says. "And I have to thank Global for believing in it and conâ€" tinuing to believe in it. Getting a second season was instrumental, and [ think the second season we‘ve got is really, really good. The scripts fly." Ron James performs at The Centre in the Square Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. Forâ€"ticket information, call the box office at 578â€"1570. € ta 20 Méuzumkl |v.-'l!.b'.' (upper level parking at rear) 664â€"3149 . www.alexshoes.com N\om M 1998 _ Hush Puppics aun skeeo! 1369 King Street, St. Jacobs 4 & _ _ Nine West Franco Sarto {)qlexandria*s * *b es *3 7 4s tsz3 Christmas with us... and get a Ho Ho Book your a4