Nathan Hare is a comedian, writer, and actor from Vancouver. Here, he performed at Vancouver’s Just For Laughs Festival four years in a row. After his recent move to Toronto, he has since taken the stage at their JFL Festival. You can currently catch him on JFL’s The New Wave of Stand Up, streaming on CBC Gem. A seasoned stand-up comedian, Hare also has a knack for creating comedy sketches and videos for an online audience, with his video views in the millions. We chatted about Vancouver, his favourite bit, and The Summer I Turned Pretty.
How would you describe your comedy style?
Cunning… smart… dry… thought-provoking as hell.
Who are some of your influences?
Lots of stuff, but what really inspired me to perform comedy was watching The Sunday Service improv group in Vancouver while I was in university.
Who was your favourite comedian growing up?
I loved Donald Duck. He’s awesome. I remember being obsessed with this one short where he keeps pulling out flutes from random places. I think it’s this one.
Who is your favourite comedian now?
John Early, Carmen Christopher, Chris Locke, Jackie Pirico, Meg Stalter are some of my favs
What is your pre-show ritual?
I go to the mall for a shopping spree and eat a bunch of candy.
What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?
I loved the old Little Mountain Gallery in Vancouver. Ran shows there for years, and we were able to experiment and do whatever we wanted!
What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?
One time, years ago, when I was bombing pretty hard, I saw there was an ATM close to the stage, so I said, “y’all mind if I take out 20 dollars?”
I walked the mic over to the ATM and started taking out money to dead silence. The machine was super slow; the whole thing took like 3 minutes.
Came back on stage. Continued to bomb, 20-dollar bill in hand.
Not sure why I did that. Probably my favourite bit though!
What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?
Mostly Instagram (if you’re unfamiliar, Instagram is a photo-sharing app launched by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in 2010).
Tell us a joke about your city.
You know gentrification is bad when you’re sad the Mac’s got turned into a Circle K.
Do you have anything to promote right now?
I am in the latest season of The New Wave of Stand Up on CBC Gem. Also, I didn’t have anything to do with this, but there is a new season of The Summer I Turned Pretty on Amazon Prime.
Where can we follow you?
PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?
From Toronto and Vancouver: Carter Selinger, Niki Mordhar, Maarten Bayliss, Graeme Achurch, Sam Burns, Sarah Bennett, Ben Stager, Kyle Patan, Jack Hirschfield, Noah Maloney, Joel Edmiston, Jordanne Brown
