Whereas their present has been on the air for greater than a decade, Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice are, for probably the most half, as much as their very own previous antics.
The celebrities of the provocative and at occasions wildly offensive Canadian tv hit Kenny versus Spenny admit that whereas the present hasn’t aged notably nicely, they’re nonetheless taking part in the identical previous schtick Hotz continues to mercilessly mock and humiliate Rice for laughs, whereas Rice endures the dressing for a paycheck.
For these in want of a refresher, Kenny versus Spenny centered on the couple, who had been residing as roommates in Toronto on the time. They challenged one another in absurd and ridiculous contests of will. The loser was subjected to petty humiliation as punishment.
Because the collection concluded in 2010, the comedy duo have toured sometimes, bringing their stay exhibits to audiences throughout North America. Now they’re touring Canada’s east coast with a stay stand-up comedy particular to have fun the present’s twentieth anniversary.
International Information sat down with the pair to debate what followers can anticipate from a stay present, how their comedy has modified through the years, the legacy of Kenny versus Spenny and why they think about themselves “indelible”.
(You possibly can watch a video of the interview, above, however here is a snippet of the dialog.)
International Information: What’s a stay present like? How is it completely different from what you probably did on the present?
Rice: Everybody desires us to compete, however that simply would not work with out the bells and whistles of a TV manufacturing crew. However it’s a really private present, as we have identified one another eternally, our fathers had been buddies and (Hotz) sadly is aware of every little thing about me and I do know every little thing about him. And it is actually, principally, simply me making an attempt to outlive in a really hostile atmosphere.
I do not just like the followers, they do not like me, they love Kenny, so that is what I take care of.
Hotz: I disagree with the aggressive facet. I believe we each instinctively compete to be extra cherished. Possibly not Spencer, a lot, as a result of they completely overwhelm him and push his buttons, however the present is about you spending an evening with us like we’re spending an evening collectively in your basement.
We principally attempt to do every little thing in our energy to make the viewers giggle. I throw Spencer underneath the bus, I make him offended, the viewers laughs and the extra the viewers laughs, the extra they get offended with them. My job is to make the viewers hate Spencer as a lot as he hates them and as soon as that occurs, it turns into one thing extraordinarily distinctive to a stay comedy present.
We now have a really distinctive demographic and cult group of followers that grew up with us. After we began comedy in Canada, the comedy was principally based mostly on politics and there wasn’t numerous comedy outdoors of that.
Rice: We make no jokes (former Ontario Premier) Dalton McGuinty, is what Kenny is making an attempt to say.
Lots of people watched the present once I was at a stage in my life the place I used to be making an attempt to do good by making an attempt to avoid wasting the world, making an attempt to be a very good individual, and making an attempt to make use of our platform correctly.
However when the stay present got here round, Kenny, surprisingly sufficient along with his reminiscence, recollects earlier than the TV present, once I wasn’t a very good man, I used to be truly a horrible individual. So, he makes use of these tales to piss me off, so the viewers can see a aspect of me that is by no means been part of the present.
Hotz: I attempt to unmask and disembowel him on stage as a monster, I attempt to get him erased, I attempt to use the #MeToo motion to assist destroy him. However for this present, the twentieth anniversary present, I systematically went via information and previous footage and dug up the stuff that, frankly, I can not even consider they’re letting us present. It’s extremely, very abrasive content material that did not even clear the broadcasters on the time of the TV present. It is insanely graphic and controversial.
Rice: With out my session, he picked clips that make me look particularly dangerous, however the humorous factor is, he picked clips of himself that make him look dangerous. It is a mixture of self-deprecation and male ego on full show.
GN: You possibly can look again at tv footage and see why broadcasters and streaming companies would now be reluctant to syndicate previous episodes. It is so wildly inappropriate by immediately’s requirements, however that wasn’t fairly the case when it aired.
Rice: Content material that’s not preferred, however was on the time, is irritating to me, as a result of Kenny’s humorousness is a shock humorousness, which implies he has to say issues and desires to say issues which are political incorrect. However I’ve identified Kenny my complete life and he isn’t homophobic, he isn’t racist, he isn’t any of these issues that individuals assume he’s by seeing his character on the present.
Hotz: In fact I am not! My greatest buddy is!
Rice: Yeah yeah. Shut up, Kenny. However, yeah, I’ve at all times questioned, “What ought to we do?” Can we clear the deed? Hand. We don’t. We do what we have at all times carried out, understanding in our hearts that we’re good folks.
Hotz: We hold doing the stay present, we hold coming again, as a result of we have now a rabid group of worldwide followers who will not let the present die. We tried to let him die.
Folks have to appreciate that the present began at a time when the web was simply being born, it was the start of social media. I imply, I began Kenny versus Spenny on Myspace. Our research says our present was one of many forerunners of YouTube-style comedy the place you prank your folks and fuck with your individual folks.
We had been among the many first to reveal the fragility of the male ego, to reveal how silly males are.
Rice: And we’re sizzling.
Hotz: Sure, we had been very popular. I used to appear to be George Clooney, now I appear to be George Clooney ready for a kidney. Spencer appears like Slash married Salad Fingers.
Rice: The dynamic that you simply see between us within the present and, now, within the stay present, is similar to how we’re in actual life.
Hotz: In actuality, the competitions did not matter as a lot as we had been as people and our dynamic. The present actually juxtaposed glad versus depressing, or “I care” versus “I do not care” Spenny cared, I did not and it is a present that glorifies a hustler in a rustic the place we’re all so good and ethical. Everybody has lived vicariously via us as a result of we’re so sick of being well mannered.
GN: What are you most wanting ahead to doing on the east coast?
Hotz: Get away from our households.
Rice: *making a claw gesture with each arms* Lobster.
Significantly although, I will not kiss a fish it doesn’t matter what anybody else says.
Hotz: Is your spouse not coming?
Rice: Shut up, Kenny.
Hotz: I went there as soon as to get some hash and have now been going there for a lot of, a few years. I like it on the market.
Followers can catch Rice and Hotz’s now touring present on the following places:
April 27: Summerside, PEI, on the Harbourfront Theatre
April 28: Fredericton, NB on the Fredericton Playhouse
April 29: Moncton, NB on the Tide & Boar
April 30: San Giovanni, NB on the Imperial Theater
Might 10: Halifax, NS on the Spatz Theater
Might eleventh: Truro, NS on the MacDonald Room
Might 12: St. Johns, NL on the Holy Coronary heart Theater
Might 13: Nook Brook, The Netherlands, at Marble Mountain Resort
Full episodes of Kenny versus Spenny can be found on YouTube.
