Vancouver’s 604 Records launches Comedy Here Often? Podcast Network
The new national platform brings together dozens of Canada’s brightest comedians and musicians, including stand-up comic Noor Kidwai
Noor Kidwai talks psychedelics, mental health, self-actualization, and more on his podcast God: Yay or Nay?, available on the Comedy Here Often? Podcast Network.
WHEN THE PANDEMIC took hold of the nation in the spring, Toronto-based comedian Noor Kidwai was prepping to film a national TV spot at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. The fest is one of the most high-profile events in the country’s comedy scene, so having the taping cancelled was hugely disappointing for the artist from High River, Alberta. However, the sudden spare time allowed him to turn his attention to his podcast, God: Yay or Nay?
The show reveals a side of Kidwai that fans of his stand-up might not be familiar with, the part of him that’s fascinated by spirituality, inner work, and well-being. He practices meditation and yoga and has delved into the world of psychedelics, including going on an ayahuasca retreat to Mexico pre-COVID-19. They’re all things that he says have helped him become a better person.
“The lockdown ended up being a good thing; I didn’t have any comedy to do so I poured all of my energy into this podcast,” Kidwai says in a phone call with Stir. “It definitely got me really focused on getting this podcast out.
“The main theme is growth, mental health, self-development, meditation, spiritualty, psychedelics…” he says. “The whole idea is to get guests on to talk about what makes people more fulfilled, what makes them grow and become their best self. I get a lot of comedians, but I also have comedians who are also social workers or yoga teachers; I get authors and psychotherapists and yoga and meditation teachers; people from MAPS [Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies] Canada… It’s been really cool.”
To share his podcast with the world, Kidwai has joined the Comedy Here Often? Podcast Network. The new platform comes from Comedy Here Often?, the comedy division of Vancouver’s 604 Records. With more than 30 shows at launch, the network features leading comics and musicians from all across the country.
There’s its namesake podcast, Comedy Here Often?, with hosts Kevvy (lead singer of Fake Shark) and Young Alexi, for instance. Then there are shows by Katie Ellen Humphries, Derek Seguin, and Trent McClellan, among others.
Kevvy and 604 Records’ president Jonathan Simkin launched Comedy Here Often? in 2016 after seeing a gap in the market for West Coast comedians. The imprint now has a YouTube channel that streams original content by laugh-makers nationwide, drawn from CHO-produced live-streamed comedy events, sketch comedy, music videos, satirical ads, and the like. The Comedy Here Often? Podcast Network, meanwhile, brings comics together on a single platform, opening them up to new audiences and introducing comedy fans to shows they wouldn’t find anywhere else.
“We’re thrilled to be launching the Comedy Here Often? Podcast Network as a hub for audiences to access their favorite performers on-demand,” says Simkin, who cohosts Sticks and Stones with Canadian country artist Dallas Smith. “There’s so much talent in Canada and it makes us proud to offer a platform that enables homegrown artists to shine.”
Comedian Gina Harms hosts the podcast Dear Pop Culture.
Dear Pop Culture by Kamloops-born Vancouver-based comedian Gina Harms is another program on the new platform. She used to co-host and -produce a monthly stand-up show at Little Mountain Gallery called Comedy Bucket, where comics would pick audience suggestions out of a pail. The pandemic pause came at a time when she was (and still is) recovering from injuries she sustained after being struck by a car as a pedestrian. With time on her hands, she began to focus on her newly released show. She’s drawn to the form because it allows her to get to know people through nostalgia and the pop-culture influences that shaped their youth. For her, it was the Spice Girls.
“They kind of dominated my life in the ’90s for a bit,” Harms tells Stir. “I think the first thing I spent my own money on was a VHS tape of their movie.
“I love hearing people talk about things that excite them,” she says. “When they say ‘I was really into this thing when I was 12,’ they light up and get really giggly.”
Kidwai—who did end up filming that Winnipeg Comedy Festival spot in front of a masked, physically distanced small crowd about a month ago—says podcasting appeals to him because of the genuine conversations he gets to have with all sorts of interesting people. The themes he covers on God: Yay or Nay? have become all the more relevant during COVID-19, leading to increased interest in his work.
“It’s nice seeing a few of my episodes take off,” Kidwai says. “I did an episode on mental health during COVID with a comedian; we just talked about trying to take care of ourselves during lockdown, and a lot of people got valuable information from it….Now with this second lockdown, people are looking for ways to take care of their mental health. I’ve seen more of a craving for these kinds of subjects.”
Kidwai, who grew up in a Muslim household, called his podcast God: Yay or Nay? because the question, which is one he always asks his guests, never fails to gets people talking, whether they’re atheists, believers, or spiritual leaders. Answers are all over the map.
“It’s a fun question to ask,” he says. “It’s interesting hearing where people find meaning in their life. What I love about podcasting is asking questions that make the guest actually go inside themselves and say what they believe in a more vulnerable way, having really meaningful conversations.”
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