Zac Young builds his comedy on contrast—establishing a baseline before attacking the stage with purposefully disorderly delivery wrapped around bare-bones writing, creating what he describes as untangling Christmas lights where the bright spots are known but the path depends on the day. Drawing inspiration from Billy Connolly’s unpolished bar energy and Rodney Dangerfield’s Hemingway-esque brevity to counter his naturally long-winded tendencies, Young cites Mitch Hedberg as proof that you can perform brilliantly despite crippling stage fright
How would you describe your comedy style?
I try to establish a baseline and then attack the stage. Oftentimes, that juxtaposition of energy makes for a more fun crowd dynamic. Other than that, I try to keep my writing straightforward and bare bones, meanwhile the delivery is purposefully disorderly. Like untangling Christmas lights, I know where the bright spots I need to hit are, but how we get at them, it entirely depends on the day.
Who are some of your influences?
I have really been inspired by Billy Connolly. His guy at the bar’s demeanour and purposefully unpolished style truly helped focus my voice and stylings. Another big one is Rodney Dangerfield. Not only was his late-in-life call to comedy truly inspirational, but his Hemingway-esque short and simple jokes always remind me to cut as much fat and unneeded exposition out of my notes. I am naturally long-winded and will add enough fluff and asides just by going onstage, guaranteed.
Who was your favourite comedian growing up?
My favourite comedian both then and now will always be Mitch Hedberg. The imaginative punchlines and premises delivered with a precise prose and word choice was truly remarkable. Plus, he also showed that you can still perfectly perform with massive stage fright, which I still have.
Who is your favourite comedian now?
My other favourites at the moment would probably be a toss-up between Norm Macdonald and Sean Lock. Canadians are probably more familiar with Norm Macdonald, but Sean Lock had a brilliant blend of bloke-at-the-bar energy and absurdism at the edge of believability. Many comedians feel like they go from step A to B to C, but Lock felt like he’d jump from A to K, back to B, and so on, and all of the pieces would still click together in your mind as if he just followed the regular steps.
What is your pre-show ritual?
No, but I used to. When I was doing edgier material, I would listen to Blacker the Berry by Kendrick Lamar and other songs that put me in an indignant mood. I felt it was the right vibe for the “You can’t tell me what to do MOOOOMMM!” type material that I would do.
What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?
It’s either Farce at the Lido or working with the very wonderful Aaron Read at Little Mountain Gallery. Farce was an absolutely spectacular time (it always is) when I was still trying to gain footing within the scene, and Aaron put me on during a difficult time in my life, and I really needed the pick-me-up.
What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?
It’s either the bit I wrote about After the Fall by Arthur Miller, cause it sprouted out of the simple idea I wanted to use the word Gauche, or it’s one of the spur-of-the-moment dumb riffs that turned out to be good enough for the main act. Like “Do you know what they call folks from Winnipeg? WinniPEGGERS dude. Frankly, I think the name fits, cause that place is a shit hole, and a pegger plus a shit hole, that’s just a good weekend”.
What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?
I usually just watch old stand-up specials on YouTube or documentaries. To be honest, it leads to a bad habit of everyone I like being either retired or dead.
Tell us a joke about your city.
Well, I grew up in rural Alberta, so calling it a city is a joke.
Do you have anything to promote right now?
I’ll be on the Aaron Campbell Roast on February 6th at Dose Wellness
Where can we follow you?
PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?
Lai Lai and Charlie J Murphy. These people are pretty cool and are people worth checking out within the scene.
