Patterson’s stand-up comedy isn’t debatable

Comedian, CBC radio referee of the hit program “The Debaters” and new dad Steve Patterson believes everyday is a new adventure with the arrival of a baby girl.

“It’s like house arrest, basically. I can’t go very far yet,” joked Patterson, who brings his 90-minute stand-up comedy to southern Alberta with a stop in Lethbridge Friday at The Yates.

Patterson, who started in comedy in 1997, was named “Stand-Up Comedian of the Year” in 2011 and 2013 and has hosted the weekly radio comedy show “The Debaters” on CBC Radio One for the past eight seasons. But, Patterson’s highly addictive stand-up schtick is a far cry, or yelp, from his work on the traditional confines of national radio.

“I try to get it out there that it’s basically everything that I don’t get to say on ‘The Debaters’ because that’s a CBC radio show. I’m essentially a referee on that show. I don’t really get to express my point of view. This show is where I get to talk about things that are a little more current, that actually matter to me and it’s definitely — I wouldn’t say it’s too much spicier than a ‘Debaters’ taping for people who have been to a ‘Debaters’ taping — but it is much spicier than ‘The Debaters’ thing you hear on the radio, which is to say I’m not Andrew Dice Patterson. It’s not gross but it’s just a little edgier than your Saturday afternoon drive on CBC Radio One,” noted Patterson, who loves to be out on the road, seeing different parts of the country he probably wouldn’t have an opportunity to visit — if not for his touring stand-up show.

Patterson admits his one-man show “This Is Not Debatable” is a lot of fun.

“I love to do live shows. I host a lot of things now, which is great, but this show is 90 minutes of me kind of getting to know the audience a bit and getting to interact more. It’s definitely different than ‘The Debaters’ show because there’s not those restraints of this has to go on the radio. It’s a fun night,” said Patterson, adding he wouldn’t say it’s a well-oiled machine but a pretty greasy one, after 40 dates throughout Canada.

Patterson said Canada is very supportive of live Canadian comedy, as many comics are on tour throughout the country.

“It used to be the Just For Laughs kind of group tour that went around in the fall, which I did a few years ago, and now it seems like there’s a lot of comics out there. You have to do it in a certain way in a theatre, as opposed to a club. The jokes sort of have more of a chance to stand on their own when there’s not the chance of a beer dropping or a fight breaking out, which I don’t know, maybe in Alberta it’s a little different and a fight could break out,” he said, joking he’ll even try to say some things that will start fights during the prairie leg of his fall tour.

Recently, Patterson said, the ninth season of “The Debaters” started taping, which will continue until June of next year.

“Then we’ll see if we get a 10th season. It’s been going along nicely and I get to work with a lot of comics that I don’t normally,” he said.

Aside from the current tour and latest season of “The Debaters,” Patterson also hosted a pilot for HDTV entitled, “I Wrecked My House,” where he goes into people’s houses that have done crazy things and he makes fun of their homes.

“They seem to take it all right. I think we’re doing a season of that, not 100 per cent sure yet. Again, it kind of lets me travel across Canada. It’s got to that point now where if they won’t come to the club — I’ll actually come to their house to entertain them. Hopefully, some people can come out to the theatre because, to be honest, it’s much more fun to entertain in a theatre than in your kitchen,” said Patterson.

Patterson said many fans of the radio show are surprised to hear he can actually do stand-up comedy for a 90-minute solo romp on stage.

“I’ve been doing stand-up, obviously for twice as long as that, and it’s funny because there’s a lot of people that listen to the show that don’t realize that I’m a comedian,” said Patterson, adding he encourages fans to check out his website http://www.stevepatterson.ca to check out clips to prove he’s more than just a funny guy on the radio. “It’s just not a CBC radio host talking to people for 90 minutes,” he added.

Patterson quipped, if there’s one theme to the live show — it’s don’t be an arsehole.

“I don’t aim too high — I just want people to not be arseholes to each other.”

Steve Patterson’s “This Is Not Debatable” — show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 plus additional charges and are available to purchase online at http://www.enmaxcentre.ca.

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