New York City-based stand-up comedian Gavin Matts brings his never-give-up attitude to Just For Laughs Vancouver
The Vancouver-born artist will tape his All Things Comedy debut at the fest
Gavin Matts.
Just for Laughs Vancouver presents Gavin Matts at the Biltmore Cabaret on May 29 at 9:30 pm
WHEN GAVIN MATTS first entered Goldies Pizza on East Pender Street to enjoy a stand-up comedy show several years ago, little did he know that he would fall in love with the art form. A night out with friends turned out to be something special.
At the time, Goldies Pizza was running open mic three nights a week, and the next day, the Vancouver-born stand-up comedian decided to hit the stage with some already prepared material.
The pizza shop has since moved to a different location, but it remains close to the artist’s heart, since it gave him his career start. Comedy, Matts says, came to him naturally. “I just did it and I have been doing it ever since,” Matts says in a Zoom interview with Stir. “I did not force myself into it… I just started doing it. Everybody who is kind of successful is just the person who did not give up.”
That never-give-up mentality ultimately helped the 28-year-old New York City-based artist, who in 2017 became the youngest winner of Canada’s SiriusXM Top Comic Competition and made his late-night debut on Conan in 2019. Bill Burr, who asked Matts to appear on his stand-up showcase “The Ringers”, described him as “the most unique comic I’ve seen coming up”.
Appearing regularly on Comedy Central, Matts had had acting roles in the TV series Ramy; the drama series Power Book II: Ghost; and the forthcoming Easter Sunday, a film based on Jo Koy's life experiences and stand-up comedy, to name a few. Matts also wrote “Slice of Life”, a short film made with Joey Lopez; dedicated to the Vancouver gallery of the same name, it’s currently making rounds on the festival circuit.
Matts made the move to the United States in 2018 in search of better opportunities. Although he can’t name a single, favourite comedian, he describes the comedy scene south of the border as a “bigger pond”.
“Everybody who is kind of the best is in New York or Los Angeles,” Matts says. “I think that kind of puts pressure on you to work better. Sometimes I feel inspired by people, but I think I am the one pushing myself.”
So far, Matts has pushed himself to spend more than 10,000 hours on stage. When asked about the recent Will Smith slap to Chris Rock’s face, he quips that his typical audience is made up of people in finance: “They don’t have anything to be furious about.”
“I have never feared anything like that happening,” he says of the hit. “It is such a rare circumstance.”
One of his favourite performances ever was just a few weeks ago, on May 1, at a sold-out gig in Charlotte, North Carolina. Performing for the first time there, Matts did not have any expectations. The jam-packed venue and responsive audience, however, made the evening memorable.
“It is hard to sell tickets in a city that you have not been to before,” Matts says. “But it was good crowd and vibe. Both the audience and me were feeding into the performance.”
Here's hoping for a similar positive experience here: At his JFL Vancouver show, Matts will tape his first hour-long special with All Things Comedy.
Related Articles
