What’s a stand-up comedian to do when a global pandemic puts live shows on hold? Release an album.
Fortunately for Lars Classington, he had some laughs in stock.
The Orillia native, known to many by his real name, Joe Larsen, is releasing Silly Goose, a live stand-up performance that was recorded last year in his hometown.
“In a weird way, I have COVID-19 to thank for it,” Classington told OrilliaMatters on the phone from his Toronto home.
He revisited some of his recorded shows and came across the one that took place at the Orillia Legion during a fundraiser for Crime Stoppers.
“It wasn’t planned as a special taping or an album, but it was the first time I’d ever performed in Orillia, and I’ve been doing stand-up for 10 years, so that night was very special for me,” he said. “The crowd was just awesome.”
On the recording, a listener can hear how much fun both Classington and the audience were having. After giving it another listen, he decided that would be the taping that would become Silly Goose, his first comedy album.
Classington’s stand-up career began in 2009, when he took part in his first amateur show. He was hooked. He was inspired as a kid by sketch shows like Saturday Night Live, SCTV, Mad TV and In Living Color, and he saw stand-up as a way to open the doors to television. It worked, and he has been in commercials, movies and TV shows.
It’s a far cry from his pre-entertainment career, when he was working for a life insurance company.
“It wasn’t what I wanted to be doing,” he said. “I took a shot at (comedy) in 2009 and jumped in.”
With many people out of work because of the pandemic, now might be the time for them to “look at their lives and see if there’s something else they want to be doing,” Classington said.
“If there’s a dream or a passion people are thinking about doing, jump in and do it.”
Silly Goose is an appropriate title for his debut album.
“It lends to my style and the fact I’m Canadian,” he said, noting the album cover features him leaping in the air while surrounded by digitally added Canada geese. “I just have goofy, silly ideas and they often turn into a silly song or jingle. A lot of it is my influence from ’90s SNL and the parody commercials.”
The photo was taken by local photographer Rob Murphy, also known as the Artsonist, and Kurt Firla was the graphic designer.
Wordplay is also a big part of Classington’s material, which he attributes in part to growing up with a father, Fred Larsen, who was an English teacher.
Silly Goose features 11 tracks — Classington’s favourite bits from the live performance. The album is a little more than half an hour in length. He’s hoping it will be a half-hour pick-me-up for those who could use it.
“People are so stressed out right now, and this album is strictly nonsense. There’s no politics in it,” he said.
He hopes to have Silly Goose available on streaming services such as iTunes and Spotify at the beginning of July, but it is available as a digital download now for those who pre-order it for $7.
Anyone who orders it will get a “Silly Goose shout-out” on social media and will be given access to a live-stream comedy show Classington is arranging with his comedian friends. To order the album, click here.
In the meantime, those with Netflix can watch Oh Yuck! Classington has a recurring role as custodian Lou Handy in the live-action kids’ show. You can catch him in episodes 4, 5, 12 and 13.
“That show is perfect for anyone with elementary-school-aged kids,” he said. “It’s all about science and the stinky, gooey, gross kind of stuff.”
