Maegan Thomas | Sad Mag

Who are you? What’s the Ivan Decker experience?
My name is Ivan Decker, I am a stand up comedian from Vancouver. I’ve been fortunate to have the pleasure of opening for some big name comics to sold out crowds at the River Rock Theatre. Which is amazing. Some people will lie and say they prefer small intimate rooms but there’s nothing better than putting on a sharp suit and performing for a thousand people.

Tell us the last time you laughed til you cried?
I was re watching an old episode of Seinfeld and discovered this fine moment:

Jerry: “Kramer are you reading the VCR manual?”
Kramer: “Well, we can’t all read the classics, Professor Highbrow!”

I rolled around my apartment floor for about 5 minutes.

When did you realize you were funny?
I always liked telling jokes and making people laugh but the idea to become a comedian I think sprouted in high school. I was very opinionated as a teenager but whenever I expressed myself seriously people would just laugh in my face. Maybe they were all high… or maybe I was funny. Maybe both! In any case I think that’s where my comedy was born… Getting mad about things nobody really cares about. That’s the real Ivan Decker experience. IT’S ALWAYS TOO HOT ON THE BUS!

Who was your comedic mentor when you were coming into the life?
I’ve probably watched Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedian” documentary about 60 times. But in terms of real life people I was really fortunate that a few of the more established comics on the scene really helped me out. Guys like Lachlan Patterson and Dave Nystrom to name a couple. So much of comedy is things you need to discover for yourself but they helped me with the basics like “move the mic stand out of the way” or “Don’t let a couple heckling douchebags from Surrey make you feel like you can’t do this. They are cowards that shout from the dark.”

You’ve become a staple at the Vancouver Comedy Fest, what’s it like to rep Vancouver stand up?
It’s pretty dope. When people want to do stage time in this city now they have to bring gifts to my family.

Quintessential Vancouver moment?
I was walking through Gas Town on the way to Waterfront station. It was a cold rainy day in November. Tourists were taking pictures of the steam clock and the 12 o’clock cruise ship horn that sounds like the opening chords of “O Canada” could be heard over the hustle and bustle of homeless people asking for money to look after the cars of people parking and cab drivers honking at everyone and everything.

I had just purchased a 16 oz Americano from an independent coffee shop and scoffed slightly as I walked by Starbucks with my unmarked cup proudly displayed in front of me. As I arrived at the steam clock I became annoyed by the amount of people blocking the sidewalk to photograph a rather unremarkable outdoor grandfather clock. I decided to try to avoid the crowd by darting in between a tree and a line of newspaper boxes featuring various publications containing pop culture nonsense and sudoku puzzles.

As I stepped on the metal grate that covered the tree roots I realized very quickly that painted metal coated in rain water didn’t exactly have the traction to support my current speed and direction. Before I could make any mathematical adjustments to my travel however, I hit the ground so hard that everyone around stopped what they were doing and looked just in time to see me throw my pretentious coffee across the street, narrowly missing a bike courier. I quickly apologized to everyone and attempted to untangle my headphones from my scarf as I hurried away to get on the sky train without paying for a ticket.

It was embarrassing at first but then I realized I’m probably internet famous on some sort of Korean “Fail Blog” equivalent.
If you couldn’t be you, which Ivan would you be?
Probably Ivan Oiser. He was a Doctor and a 25 time fencing champion with 3 different swords. Chicks love a Doctor that can use sweet swords. Also he wasn’t a big fan of Nazis. BONUS POINTS!

You are an animal or exhibit at the zoo – which are you?
Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, TIGER UPPERCUT! ….Sorry can you repeat the question?

Ivan Decker has got a weekend of headlining coming up at the end of this month at the Comedy Mix here in Vancouver March 28 – 30; he’s on twitter @Ivandecker; he is featured in the current issue of discorder; AND he’s appearing in an amazing comedy show March 16th for Sad Mag!!

Who are you? What are you EVEN DOING HERE?
My name is Cameron MacLeod. I do comedy stuff (Sketch, Improv, Curation/Production of festivals).

Currently I’m working on a feature length film Steel Viper Force as well as some video sketch. I produce and host the HERO show at the China Cloud theatre and perform bi-weekly with Instant Theatre at Havanna on Commercial. I am also recording a new record with the Vancouver Rap group Too High Crew under the alias ClamDigga.

You’ve graced the pages of SadMag’s Glamour issue and been a sultry centre spread for Discorder. What’s it’s like to be a major sex symbol in the Vancouver comedy scene?
That’s weird to think about. I don’t consider myself a sex symbol because I definitely don’t hit the gym enough. But if other people want to that’s obviously cool with me.

[Eds. Note: this is total bull, Cam totally has pictures of himself in his wallet, I know it. I bet the pony tail/no pony tail debate takes him HOURS every morning.]

What’s Cam MacLeod experience?
At the return of the HERO show I opened the show by seducing the audience with Roses, cheeseburgers and shots of Blue Alize to the song “Thinkin bout you” by Frank Ocean. That’s about as close to the Cam MacLeod experience as you can get.

When/why was the last time you laughed til you cried?
I was probably on mushrooms. I always end up laugh crying and sounding like a Hyena.

Who was your comedic mentor when you were coming into the life?
I’d say Aubrey Tennant had an impact. He doesn’t do comedy anymore but he was hilarious and I produced my first comedy show at DV8 restaurant with him. He also produced Softcore Comedy at the Cobalt with Paul Anthony before Paul started Talent Time. I remember one show where they both wore diapers on stage and weren’t allowed to go to the bathroom during the show. They both definitely pee’d in those diapers. Some of Aubrey’s spilled out onto the stage. That’s commitment.

When did you realize you were funny?
The first time I realized what a fart was, where it was coming from and that I could make them happen.

What’s the funniest place in Vancouver?
The International Village, aka Tinsel Town. That mall has the weirdest shops in it. Everything is out of place and seems like it’s some kind of front. It’s the perfect place to buy a cashmere sweater, a weed leaf belt buckle with a knife in it, and then eat some Taco Time.

Quintessential Vancouver moment?
I did shots of Jameson’s with Mayor Gregor Robertson after producing his Roast for the OLIO Festival (R.I.P.Olio). But I’d say a great Vancouver day is spent at the beach in the summer followed by a bike ride to any of the Comedy or Music shows happening in Vancouver on a regular basis. There are too many good options to list.

FMK – Gregor Robinson, Sean Devlin, your clone.
I would “F” Gregor Robertson, Marry Sean Devlin, and kill my clone before he tries to kill me.

Who and what do you recommend?

The Sad Mag Laugh/Cry Comedy show at the Toast Collective on March 16th.

The next HERO show is on May 2nd at the China Cloud.

Like The HERO SHOW on facebook for all updates and show times

Follow me on twitter @ClamMacleod and here are some of my friends…
@shitharperdid
@thesundayserv
@_LittleMountain
@EastVanComedy
@abeautifulpodcast
@curtisgrauher
@STEELVIPERFORCE
@itstomhill
@DrGMackenzie
@InstantTheatre

Ola Volo is a Vancouver transplant whose intricate illustrations address the personal, the animal, the urban and the organic. Her penwork has been gracing walls, books, posters and more in Vancouver, carrying with her traditional Russian and Polish patterning and myth. Her technique blends the improvisational and the precise, and places the animal alongside human in central importance. This ties in wonderfully to our latest issue, Vanimaux, and so I met with Ola at her studio/apartment to discuss her style and inspirations.

Maegan Thomas: Tell me about how the animals in your pieces act as communicators.

Ola Volo: If I want to get a message across, or put a certain feel to a story, from the patterning of the animals come the personalities, the era they fall in – sometimes I draw from Polish roots or Russian pattern making, sometimes I draw things from Native art to give a Canadian feel. For me, and hopefully for others, the animals create a certain state of mind and put childhood storytelling back into peoples lives.

The feeling I want comes first, for example in this piece [indicating her 24 foot piece Baba Yaga, Ludmila and the Sea] who would be the heroic animal to get the heroine through her journey? I chose the wolf which represents power, strength to me personally – it might not even look like a wolf exactly but it comes from the gesture, the feeling, the size. Animals have so much personality; I want to balance the two as I don’t think a human is more significant than an animal. Like, with the swan [in the piece City, pictured], they are holding each other, they are the same size and take the same focus.

MT: Your style is very distinctive, how did it evolve?

OV: I’ve been in art classes since I was a little girl, and I have always been a very detail oriented person when drawing, ever since I can remember, and I’ve been doing illustration for a long time. But the focus on the storytelling is recent.

Pattern making is really addictive, you can’t stop, once you start it: it pieces together as if you’re sewing or knitting, this is the pattern I have to follow.

MT: It’s meditative?

OV: Definitely.

MT: Why not use digital, what is it about inking that you love?

OV: I like the idea of the traditional process actually having paper and pen ready to go, having that space for mistakes – I could do the work digitally as well but it’s not about the perfection, it’s about the imperfections of the patterns, the inconsistencies.

I do plan the composition of the piece, I plan it out and I do a lot of sketching and I have a lot tracing pads but if I look at it and if it doesn’t feel organic or natural I can’t start inking. I need to get to a point where it feels natural and looks like it flows. But once I start inking it just comes, it’s spontaneous; it’s in ink so when you make a mistake; you have to make it work as you can’t go back. It’s one mark following another.

Baba Yaga is my first big digital piece where black and white is by hand and the colouring is digital, accenting the darkness and lightness which goes along with the tone of the piece. I’m planning to do more of that, it’s a nice balance between hand drawn and digital.

MT: Any particular muses?

OV: The Brothers Grimm, they really bring me back to my childhood. And bears are the big thing for me, they are powerful, friendly, yet when you put them in the city space the relationship changes.

I studied in Rotterdam and they really push their artists to collaborate and combine to see what comes out, I never saw that here in Vancouver until I came back and now the city is pushing for it now. I did four years of graphic design at Emily Carr, so I like to collaborate on work, and challenge myself with poster making, book illustration, movie posters. But recently, I said to myself I need something new, needed to push my comfort zone when it comes to art. So I collaborated with my friend Mark [Illin] on a piece called Traffic. He is also very detailed oriented, and does ink work but his style is really logical, planned out while my work is more organic. The combination of our views brought something new.

MT: The city seems to be a big inspiration too. Compared to other urban cities, is Vancouver more successful at blending urban and animal life?

OV: Vancouver is such a different city than any other. I’m not sure if it’s blending perfectly but we just make it work because there’s just so much of wildlife. I’ve never been in a place where wildlife plays such a major role in the city; like raccoons and bears, they have a reputation here, hanging out in suburban backyards. I like that relationship we have, even in our urban culture, we come in contact with these animals; bears, swans, racoons, we still face animals in Vancouver’s unique urban environment.

Check out Ola Volo online, and in the next issue of Sad Mag where she’ll apply her signature style to the topics of glamour and performance. She’s also on posters, buses, skateboards and skin all around Vancouver. Viva la illustracion!

Usually we comment on things that make us un-sad, but there’s a fight going on between the Rio and the LCLB that’s making us sad and mad. Fortunately, the Rio’s Corrine Lea is not backing down, which is making us glad. As does rhyming but I digress.

On Thursday, January 26, the Rio was supposed to be celebrating their success in achieving a liquor license, an achievement which was an integral part of continuing as a viable business. Instead, the event became a fundraiser to offset their losses and fund future resistance to the restrictions out on the Rio due to that very license.

Lea has had to cancel film screenings as venues classified as “movie theatres” cannot serve alcohol. Lea maintains they are a multi-media venue and so are misclassified. She also notes that her license only runs from 6pm to 1am, and she is not insisting that liquor be served at screenings, only that screenings be able to take place. After they screen the “Rocky Horror Picture-less Show” on Friday, January 27th, when the soundtrack will play and the film enacted by a shadow cast, they don’t have anything scheduled until February 4th. “As far as the blank days go, we’re just going to scramble and try to figure out what to do. We might have an open mic night every night or a karaoke night…If the government were to reverse their decision I could have movies in those slots like that.” She snaps her fingers with the type of gusto required when going up against said government.

Since being told about the caveat on her license, there have been many statements issued – by Lea, by Solicitor General Shirley Bond, and by Liquor Control and Licensing Branch general manager Karen Ayers – but little constructive communication seems to be happening. Ayers has made many comments in the media about the various reasons the Rio is in this predicament and not, say, Roger’s Arena. Ayers touts public safety and notes the arena’s security as a reason for venue’s such as that being licensed. Lea notes that she was never given the option to increase security as a means to secure the licensing she needs.

My opinion, and the opinion of groups like CAMRA, is that the province and the federal government are maintaining prohibition era statutes. I would add that even the LCLB’s rationalizations seem outdated, not to mention inconsistent. It would better serve public safety to ban alcohol at violent sporting events than at the movies. I’d definitely put my money on not seeing see any post-event riots at the Rio, screenings or otherwise. While Ayers has been answering objections one at a time, there are easy fixes to these, which Lea is more than willing to put into place. For example, worrying about minors having liquor in the dark could be assuaged if the Rio doesn’t serve alcohol during film screenings. Lea notes she simply wants to serve liquor at events, not movies.

Bond has issued a statement, picked up by several outlets, that her office is “aware of the challenges,” are “considering what changes may be appropriate” and they “look forward to having more to say about this in the near future.” While this may signal progress, the lack of specifics are worrisome to Lea. As of Sunday, January 29th, Lea has yet to hear from the Solicitor General’s office or the LCLB on any options she might have going forward. The Rio is consulting with the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association as to whether their civil liberties have been curtailed.

The Rio is scheduled to host films from the Vancouver Island Film Festival, which begins February 10th. This is just one effect the Rio operating without screenings will have, and represents a real deadline for action. The Rio supports a variety of communities beyond film – music, comedy, burlesque, dance and more – by being a unique and accessible venue. It also represents a part of Vancouver history, as the Tyee points out, an architectural and cinematic history that is being demolished.

Thus it’s not surprising that people are raising their voices not just in the street forums (which is what I call coffee shops and facebook comments), but in the press (simply Google “the Rio Theatre Vancouver” for a flood of stories) and among politicians (Jenny Kwan and Heather Deal are both speaking out on the Rio’s behalf). It even transcends political affiliations, with Leo Knight, “Law and Order” opinion columnist, to agree on an issue with a Vision Councilor “for the first time in living history.”

This issue is hot, not only because the Rio and Lea are so supportive of and beloved by Vancouver’s arts community but because, especially to that same arts community, it represents major issues in Vancouver and BC. It’s a hard place to succeed as a small business, and is full of demolished unique cultural venues, archaic liquor and public safety laws and a general disregard for what access to arts does for a community both socially and economically. The story at the Rio has become a point of reference the changing of BC liquor distribution, but it’s truly a point of reference for the intersection of arts, business and government.

On a positive note, the Rio fundraiser née celebration was a success. “We had 200 people attend – it was a beautiful event. Pandora and the Locksmiths made for a really classy evening with a little bit of tease. On a personal level I found it really uplifting to see everyone face to face. It was really great to personally go around and thank people. It was a real good night for people to talk about the issue,” says Lea, sounding hopeful despite her losing thousands of dollars every day her theatre is closed. MLA’s Jenny Kwan and Shane Simpson were in attendance, as was Leonard Schein, the president of Festival Cinemas.

Along with the return (kind of) of gaming based arts funding, the controversy and support the Rio’s latest battle has drawn may herald change. But to win, Lea needs our support. Here’s how you can help: raise your voice and write to your MLA, the Solicitor General and the LCLB; on January 31 Heather Deal is presenting a motion at City Hall to have the movie ban removed, and you can come and speak for the Rio; and support the Rio financially by attending their amazing upcoming LIVE events. Find the addresses and emails, up to date info, FAQs and next steps on Rio’s Facebook group.

The Rio may not be screening movies right now – but there’s still amazing events coming up. Let’s wrap up this chapter of the ongoing saga with a few events coming up. You can check out full details online including advance tickets, but Lea had a few extra tidbits to share with Sad Mag readers.

Saturday, February 4: Patrick Maliha presents the Legion of Stand-Up Comedians
Tickets: $10 Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm

“This is a really exciting night because Patrick Maliha is a well known comedian about town and always puts on an excellent event. Graham Clark will be a special guest, which is amazing, people love Graham Clark. He’s added something like 23 burlesque dancers last minute, so it’s going to be fabulous.”

Friday, February 10: Tongue N’ Cheek: Sex, Dance and Spoken Word
Tickets: $12 advance $15 door Doors: 8pm Show: 9pm

“We’re very excited about this show because it features my four favourite burlesque dancers in town, [Sweet Soul Burlesque’s Crystal Precious, Lola Frost, Little Miss Risk and Cherry On Top]. This is kind of my baby, this particular show, because I’m combining two of my favourite things, burlesque and spoken word. C.R. Avery, Mike McGee and Jamie DeWolf are three really powerful spoken word artists and we’re getting them to collaborate, it’s not ‘here’s a dance, here’s a poem’, we’re getting them to work together. [Plus] there’s 8 local poets who will be competing in the Dirty Haiku contest. … It’s coming up on Valentine’s Day weekend so it’s a good date night.

Tuesday, February 14: The 2nd Annual Sweet Heart Serenade
Tickets: $10 advance, $14 at the door Doors: 8pm Show: 8:30pm

“Last year we attached it with a movie, and we had planned to show Shakespeare in Love but with the predicament we find ourselves in, we are not going to be allowed show it with a movie. So, now it will just be live music but it will be a special night because we’ve hand picked performers from some really great bands in town. It’s a more stripped down, intimate performance which makes it perfect for a date night. It’s adults over so they can have some wine to enjoy during the evening.”

Other events coming up:

Thursday, February 9: David Choi with Special Guests (General Admission/All Ages Show)
Tickets $20 Doors:8 pm Show: 9pm

Saturday, February 12: The Rio Theatre & NightHeat Present: Chali 2na MC
Doors: 8pm Tickets: $18 + S/C advance

Friday, February 24: Comedy Fest: Marc Maron (WTF) with David Cross and Bob Odenkirk
Show: 7pm Tickets: http://comedyfest.com/show/wtf-marc-maron

Author Archives: Maegan Thomas

Laugh/Cry Comic Line-up: Ivan Decker

Laugh/Cry Comic Line-up: Cameron MacLeod

Ola Volo

The Rio: a fight for survival, a look to the future.