There’s nothing quite like a conversation with comedian Jeremy Hotz. You can have any number of set questions, but it’s probably best (and most entertaining) to just let him do what he does best: talk.
A Miserable Business
In the business for almost 20 years now, Hotz has made his mark on the comedy world with his signature “hand over the eye” image and reference to absolutely everything as “miserable”. “Yeah, that whole ‘miserable’ thing really caught on!” he laughs. “The way I look at it is, the whole world’s miserable now, so they’re just catching up!”
Just for Laughs Bermuda
2010 is off to an anything-but-miserable start for Hotz. He kicked off the year at the Just for Laughs festival in Bermuda. And he had plenty to say about it.
“Bermuda was really good. But did you know their bus stops have different colours? Like, if you want to go one way, it’s blue…if you want to go the other way, the stop’s pink! I’m just used to a world where, if you want to go the opposite way, you cross the street!”
And then there were the chickens. “There are chickens all over the place!” he says. “You come out of the airport and there they are…chickens! And scraggly, bony chickens! I threw one of them a crumb and he kicked it back to me!”
Chickens and colour-coded bus stops aside, Hotz enjoyed his time in Bermuda. “I had some very nice weather and actually did some golfing. I was there for about a week…you don’t want to go too long in a place like that, or you start to smile. And smiling’s not good for my career.”
February is the Month for Hotz Fans
Fans of Hotz have a couple of things to look forward to this month. The first is the release of his new DVD What a Miserable DVD This Is, which will be available on Tuesday, February 23. Two days later on February 25, his cross-Canada tour (naturally titled It’s the Most Miserable Time of the Year) kicks off at Hamilton Place Theatre in Hamilton, Ontario. The next night sees him at Massey Hall in Toronto, and then in Belleville for the 27th.
Anyone searching for tickets to one of these shows is probably having a bit of a tough time as they're selling out quick. There may be a few floor seats availabile at Massey Hall, with the second-best option the 9:30 show in Belleville. For ticket links and information on his other Canadian stops, check out Jeremy Hotz.
Guaranteed, it’s going to be a great “miserable” show.
Ramona Zacharias - Ramona has been a freelance writer for ten years, focusing on arts, entertainment and pop culture, with a more recent dabbling in travel. ...
