‘I spend more time in front of the mirror than a circus cockatiel’: 5 Questions with Comedian Matt Falk

Matt Falk is a hilarious award-winning standup comedian from Manitoba. He has performed at Just for Laughs, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and the Hal!fax Comedy Festival, and has released two comedy albums, both of which charted at #1 on the iTunes Comedy charts. His latest album Generational Gap is available now!

When did you first realize you could make people laugh?
I was always funny growing up (at least in my own mind). Most people either patronized me or encouraged me. As a kid, I would always make adults laugh and if I would say some smart-aleck comment, my parents wouldn’t punish me, they’d laugh. Then in school, I got a bigger audience in the form of my classmates and the disease just kept spreading from there.

Who are your comedic influences? 
Growing up I absolutely loved Ellen Degeneres and Robin Williams. I would watch them, study them and repeat their jokes as often as I could. I also watched Just For Laughs a ton, so I saw the best of the best on a weekly basis. As I got older I started watching all sorts of comics with drastically different styles. People like Jim Gaffigan, Brian Reagen, Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Izzard, & Tom Lehrer. Nowadays I like Kevin Hart, Nate Bargatze, Ryan Hamilton and almost anyone who makes me jealous and insecure.

What’s one Mennonite joke that non-Mennonites never understand?
How many Mennonites does it take to change a lightbulb?
Seventeen. One to suggest the change. Four to oppose it. Twelve to form a committee.

You’re known as a “clean comic.” Does this include personal grooming?
Absolutely. I spend more time in front of the mirror than a circus cockatiel. My hairspray budget is larger than our tithing budget.

What’s your favourite thing to eat at Gan’s Kitchen in Niverville?
That’s a stupid question. Everything is my favourite. It’s all perfection. PERFECTION!!! That being said…the Kung Pao Chicken.