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Angry foot condom will tell jokes in Squamish

Ed the Sock from MuchMusic promises to skewer both the ‘Alt-Right’ and the ‘Looney-Left’

The creator of Ed the Sock says every marginalized group — be it ethnic groups or people of different sexual orientations — experiences being the butt of a joke before being accepted.

“Unfortunately, the reality is, this is what you need to do to open up the door; this is what you need to do to make people comfortable with you. I’m not saying it’s right — I’m saying it’s just what happens,” said Steven Kerzner, the voice behind the famous television character.

“People are afraid of the other. And the way to make people less afraid of the other is to reduce the degree to which you are the other. And by showing A — you can take a joke; B — you can be in on the joke; and C — you have a sense of humour.”

Agree or not, that’s one of the sentiments Kerzner revealed in a conversation with The Chief, and it’s illustrative of a view that paints comedy as a sometimes-abrasive but necessary medicine.

This is perhaps fitting for a creator who gave voice to the notorious talking foot condom that foul-mouthed its way to fame during the glory days of MuchMusic TV.

“Comedy reveals the humanity we have in common, and when you shut down comedy, you shut down that ability to build those bridges,” said Kerzner, who’s bringing his act to Squamish.

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Ed the Sock used to hang out with celebrities in his MuchMusic days. In this case, Destiny's Child. - Submitted

As part of his ‘War on Stupid’ tour, he’ll be appearing as the notorious sock at the Knotty Burl on Nov. 30 at 9 p.m.

Ed the Sock’s appearance in town is coming at a particularly sensitive time in history. Endless amounts of debate seem to be surrounding what constitutes as acceptable comedy.

Seasoned comics have said they are refusing to do university shows due to what they consider to be excessive political correctness.

Standups who were revered in the 1990s and 2000s, such as Dave Chappelle, have been subject to criticism that their humour slags the marginalized. For instance, one of Chapelle’s recent Netflix specials was labelled transphobic by a chorus of critics.

But regardless of the current climate, Kerzner says that Ed the Sock’s trash-talking character will be making no concessions.

“Ed is Ed,” he said. “That’s what people respond to… Over all these years, Ed has continued to be Ed... no changing with the fashion of the times... so you know what Ed’s saying is not because he’s trying to please whatever powers that be or whatever political winds exist.”

The curmudgeonly sock will perform a set that includes storytelling and video clips from his MuchMusic days.

Kerzner also promises to put on a show that will take down everyone in today’s political scene, from the ‘Alt-Right’ to the ‘Looney-Left.’

“Nowadays people can wrap themselves in their own cocoon of ignorance and never be exposed to a thought that perhaps challenges them or upsets them,” he said.

“When people get upset they want to run someplace safe. The world isn’t a safe place. You have to make your peace with that, and when it’s ideas that are making you scared, well, you gotta put on the big-boy pants — and those big-boy pants are unisex.”

Following the first leg of his tour, Kerzner will be re-launching the FU Network, which initially debuted as a platform for video content that built on the style that Ed the Sock began during his MuchMusic days.

For more, go online to funetwork.tv in February 2019.

But an internet streaming network may not be the only thing with the ‘FU’ brand that gets launched next year.

While he made no promises, Kerzner noted that 2019 is an election year. Depending on how the political climate shapes up, he said he might consider reviving the FU party that he pioneered in 2011.

It was a joke party that put Ed the Sock as a contender for prime minister.

“I generally support a lot of the things Trudeau does. I don’t support the way he does it,” said Kerzner.

“For example, if I was going to have a cabinet that was 50 per cent women, I would just have a cabinet that was 50 per cent women. I wouldn't put out a press release about it. I wouldn’t beat my chest about it.”

Kerzner also had some cautionary words for politicians espousing a progressive agenda.

“Don’t try to beat people over the head with the progressiveness that you have. Because then it takes people who are actually supportive of something like a cabinet that's 50 per cent women and pisses them off too because they can’t stand the posturing.”

And as for those in the political sphere who don’t heed his advice, Kerzner also had a warning.

“We’ll have to see what the level of political discourse is, and if I feel that level of political discourse is shallow and missing the point, then, yes, I think you might see the FU party resume,” he said.

 

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