Comedian Matt Billon has become known for his calm and unassuming style in the Canadian comedy scene – delivering his quick wit somewhat effortlessly.
It could be from the way he gets his material, from everyday events and the things that happen around him.
“I never know how to answer that question. I really don’t know,” said Billon when asked where he gets his inspiration for his act. “Just everyday life. I get a lot of my stuff off the crowd as well. The crowd kind of feeds me a bit of the energy when I’m chatting with them, and a lot of times I’ll kind of come up with a line on the spot and then I’ll tweak it after the show kind of thing.”
Billon has been on the comedy scene for over a decade and has been featured on CBC’s Madly Off In All Directions and The Debaters and starred in his own one-hour special on the Comedy Network.
He has performed at the Just For Laughs Festival and appeared on Much Music’s Video On Trial and XM Satellite Radio’s Laugh Attack.
He has been a supporting act for Pauly Shore, Harland Williams, Rob Schneider, Tom Green and Canadian Mike McDonald, someone who has become a very good friend of Billon’s.
Billon said he and McDonald have been good friends for the last 12 years and first met at the Just for Laughs Festival.
“We work great together. We always put on a good show,” said Billon. “We really like travelling together, which is half the battle. A lot of the time, you’re working in this business with people you don’t know, so it’s great to be able to work with someone you do know and being able to pick and choose where we go.”
And travelling is something Billon knows all about.
He said he is on tour most of the year, describing it as non-stop, but as something he really enjoys. He said it keeps his feet moving and the material fresh.
“I’m trying to scale it back a little bit, but for the most part, every week I’m somewhere,” said Billon.
Billon keeps his homebase fresh as well, having lived in Calgary, Toronto, London, Los Angeles and most recently Vancouver.
“I actually prefer smaller towns. I find a lot of the time they appreciate it a little bit more,” said Billon of the places he visits on tour. “It’s just more fun. And the crowds, a lot of them know each other so you just have a little more fun bantering.”
Billon said he is excited to return to Cochrane, as he mentioned that it is the home of the cult movie classic character Helltrack from the film Rad about BMX racing.
“It was one of my favourite movies as a kid. They actually shot it in Cochrane,” he said.
Cochrane will be the last date of several that Billon will be touring with McDonald around Alberta and B.C.
Catch Billon at the Hideout Pub Sept. 19 and 20. Tickets are $20 and are available at the Hideout Pub.
