Photo by Chris Malloy
Canadianity.
What’s most surprising about this word – aside from the fact it is a word not yet recognized in Webster’s Dictionary – is that it has taken almost 149 years of Confederation to have this word become a part of Canada’s vernacular.
The culprits at least partially responsible for Canada’s next big buzz word are Jonathan Torrens (Trailer Park Boys, Street Cents, Jonovision) and Jeremy Taggart, the former drummer for Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace who had dipped his toes in the broadcasting pool courtesy of Toronto radio station TSN 1050 as well as the Jay & Dan podcast (curated by current FOX Sports Hosts Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole) over the course of the last decade and a half.
“I’ve been involved in various facets of radio over the last 15 to 18 years,” Taggart says. “It was approximately eight years ago that I began doing my own podcast, Taggart’s Take, where I got into creating characters. Once I started working with Jay & Dan, which proved to be a huge foot in the door, I began getting more into the storytelling aspects of comedy.”
Taggart shares that the chemistry between him and Torrens was almost immediate upon their initial meeting approximately 12 years ago. Although it ended up taking a number of years before they were actually able to work together, the pair agreed to keep in touch and discussed the possibility of collaborating down the road.
“I always had a fan in Jon, which was great, because I always thought he was a funny guy that shared a lot of the same viewpoints as myself.”
In 2014, the pair finally teamed up and began creating what would become their wildly successful podcast Taggart & Torrens, on which they discuss various aspects of Canadian culture.
The duo’s unique brand of comedy seems to have caught on with the masses. Arguably most gratifying, Taggart says the podcast has grown from a grassroots following to having racked up more than one-million downloads on iTunes.
“Those kinds of numbers speak for themselves,” he admits. “Why I think the podcast is resonating with people so well is because it’s something that we are doing from the heart. While there are some recurring segments that are scripted on the podcast, it’s simply Jon and I getting together and chatting otherwise. I think it’s a refreshing approach to take. Sometimes, the funniest things that happen are when somebody says something that you wouldn’t ever expect them to say. I find it difficult to tell the same joke over and over just to get a reaction. Approaching things from an improvisation standpoint is gold in my books.”
What: Taggart & Torrens
When: Friday Jan. 29, 10 p.m.
Where: Tide & Boar Gastropub, 700 Main St., Moncton
Tickets are $17. Advance tickets are available online at tideandboar.com/music