Green comes home
OTTAWA (CUP) — Comedian
and film star Tom Green is returning
to his hometown of Ottawa as
he continues his World Stand-up
Comedy Tour.
Best known for his film roles in Freddy Got Fingered and Road Trip, or perhaps for his zany antics — like humping a dead moose — Green got started the same way many comedians did, by exploring opportunities locally.
"Ottawa was an amazing place to grow up," Green said. "I miss it often when I'm living in L.A. because there are so many memories there, and so much I enjoyed about the city."
Green graduated from Algonquin College for television broadcasting in 1994, and while he was there started hosting a radio show at the University of Ottawa's campus station. The show was called The Midnight Caller, and aired for eight years each Friday night.
"It was great," Green said about the show. "I'd take calls from all over the city. People would be phoning in, and basically it was just us all arguing with each other, talking about crazy stuff. It was a fun and creative experience."
Green believes the university's radio station is an invaluable resource for budding broadcasters. "The U of O and CHUO provided a great little sanctuary for me — I was a teenager when they'd let me volunteer there," explained Green. "It's a cool thing that we have there at the U of O. It's a real resource."
Community cable was Green's next endeavour. At age 24, he started The Tom Green Show, which aired on Rogers cable throughout Ottawa.
"I always wanted to do comedy, and I had become a huge fan of David Letterman," he said. "One day I just decided 'I'm going to do this.' I did The Tom Green Show for a few years … and eventually it was picked up by the Canadian Comedy Network. If Rogers hadn't done that … I wouldn't have been able to do what I've done in the last 20 years. I've gotten a lot of support out of Ottawa that I'm really thankful for."
However, when Green performs in Ottawa, he will be playing a much bigger stage than when he first started out as a stand-up comedian.
"It's going to be a big night for me in Ottawa — I'm really excited because it's like I'm going full circle," he said. "I started out doing stand-up at Yuk Yuk's. Now I'm going back, doing stand-up again. It's been really exciting."
Green is not the only one who's looking forward to his show — hometown fans, friends and family members are all anxiously awaiting his return. All proceeds from this show will go towards Rene Faucher, an Ottawa resident who was paralyzed in a hockey accident in January 2010. Faucher is the elder brother of Green's best friend from high school.
Best known for his film roles in Freddy Got Fingered and Road Trip, or perhaps for his zany antics — like humping a dead moose — Green got started the same way many comedians did, by exploring opportunities locally.
"Ottawa was an amazing place to grow up," Green said. "I miss it often when I'm living in L.A. because there are so many memories there, and so much I enjoyed about the city."
Green graduated from Algonquin College for television broadcasting in 1994, and while he was there started hosting a radio show at the University of Ottawa's campus station. The show was called The Midnight Caller, and aired for eight years each Friday night.
"It was great," Green said about the show. "I'd take calls from all over the city. People would be phoning in, and basically it was just us all arguing with each other, talking about crazy stuff. It was a fun and creative experience."
Green believes the university's radio station is an invaluable resource for budding broadcasters. "The U of O and CHUO provided a great little sanctuary for me — I was a teenager when they'd let me volunteer there," explained Green. "It's a cool thing that we have there at the U of O. It's a real resource."
Community cable was Green's next endeavour. At age 24, he started The Tom Green Show, which aired on Rogers cable throughout Ottawa.
"I always wanted to do comedy, and I had become a huge fan of David Letterman," he said. "One day I just decided 'I'm going to do this.' I did The Tom Green Show for a few years … and eventually it was picked up by the Canadian Comedy Network. If Rogers hadn't done that … I wouldn't have been able to do what I've done in the last 20 years. I've gotten a lot of support out of Ottawa that I'm really thankful for."
However, when Green performs in Ottawa, he will be playing a much bigger stage than when he first started out as a stand-up comedian.
"It's going to be a big night for me in Ottawa — I'm really excited because it's like I'm going full circle," he said. "I started out doing stand-up at Yuk Yuk's. Now I'm going back, doing stand-up again. It's been really exciting."
Green is not the only one who's looking forward to his show — hometown fans, friends and family members are all anxiously awaiting his return. All proceeds from this show will go towards Rene Faucher, an Ottawa resident who was paralyzed in a hockey accident in January 2010. Faucher is the elder brother of Green's best friend from high school.
