Joanne McNally and The Prosecco Express
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Hello, checking. Is this on? Welcome to the Jan Arden podcast and show. Joanne McNally is with us. She is an Irish comedian who has skyrocketed in the last decade.

I'm going to say three, four years because COVID kicked everybody in the ass, but it didn't kick Joanne McNally in the ass. No, it did not. It did not. Joanne, welcome to the Jan Arden podcast. Thank you so much, Jan. It's an honor to be here. So you've done Just for Laughs, have you not? Yes, I did. Toronto...

A couple of days ago. I did Montreal in the summer. Fantastic festival. And now I'm in Winnipeg. Raw back in it. No, just for laughs. Just me. You know what? Winnipeg really is a fantastic city. And if you get a chance to go to...

the Human Rights Museum. I don't know what kind of time you've got. You're probably slammed. I'd love that. The building itself is a work of art. So anyway, enough about that. Tell me about how COVID kind of changed your life. I mean, you've been doing comedy for

for quite some time. Yes. But it seemed like your brand of comedy woke people up. They're like, who is this woman? What the hell she's talking about? You tell me. So I was a bit of a late starter into stand-up. I didn't start until I was about 33, 34. Ancient.

I mean, a geriatric comedian. Some comedians, they start when they're 18 and I'm thinking like, what have you got to say? Nothing. I was still practically in the womb at 18. I had no opinions or personality at all. Anyway, I was late to the game. So when COVID happened, I felt like I was...

only starting to get a bit of momentum, you know. I just moved from Dublin to London, you know, got signed over there and I was like, right, I'm going to take the risk. So I went over and I was working for free, doing open spots and all that jazz. And next thing, everything stops. So, and do you remember, I'm sure you know, the attitude at the time was people were saying, will it ever come back? Will we be doing gigs in Zorbs? Will anyone ever touch again? And

So I was like, what am I going to do? Am I going to just do nursing now? I just wanted to keep moving forward, even though I actually wanted to be a nurse, but my mother wouldn't let me. Anyway, another story. Because she is a nurse and she's like, don't do it. But I decided to do a podcast, even though up to that point I had decided not to do a podcast. Oh.

And this podcast became a bit of a phenomenon. It started doing well. That's an understatement, folks. My therapist ghosted me is the podcast. Because he did. We do a pittance. I'm not even going to say how many downloads we get. But there were times when you're getting a million downloads of your podcast. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like that's not just a little, that is a massive undertaking. That's crazy.

No, it is. It is. The podcast has done very well. We're very proud of it. And it's changed both our lives. So I do it with a friend of mine, Vogue Williams. What a great name. I know. She's also incredibly beautiful. So she's lucky because she was ugly. She would never have pulled off the name. Her mother took a big risk and it paid off. Big risk. Big risk.

You don't want to have a cauliflower head with a name like Vogue, but she has a gorgeous head. My mother wanted to call me Velvet. Oh, wow. Thank God that didn't work out. She loved Elizabeth Taylor. You're too young for this. And there was a movie called National Velvet or it was Elizabeth Taylor and Horses. My mom says, I just thought you'd really be great as a velvet. But anyway. I think that's a stunning name. No. Velvet Arden. No. Oh, my God.

That's a real stage name. Well, I could have been a sex worker, I think, and had some success. I wasn't going to say it. I'm glad you said it. Hey, listen, I've heard you say some things here. I've been doing my research this last week and been asking lots of... No, but I mean, your humor...

I love it because it's very edgy. It's sensual. It's sexual. It's kind of shocking. I love how you talk to people in the audience and you can make a whole fricking bit about one little thing that an audience feeds you. Like the most seemingly insignificant reply to you. Bang. You're very quick that way. Thanks, Jan. Now, obviously there are many times where I have no response, but sometimes it works very well. And when it does work, it's great crack because it's,

it's kind of frustrating sometimes because you could spend ages kind of honing a bit and writing a joke and then you'll just say something stupid in response to some of the audience on the night and it gets the biggest laugh because they know it's in the moment so I think people kind of they enjoy it a bit more I think

How are females being perceived in comedy? And especially with the kind of comedy that you have that absolutely boldly goes, you put your foot out there into like the sexual arena where, you know, men usually are the only ones that dare to tread. But female comedians, I feel like in the last decade have been able to step into that arena without the baggage and the criticism that

that often women have to deal with that men don't, that male comedians don't. Men can be bawdy and talk about screwing this and that and banging and whatever their penis is, but God forbid a woman should mention her vagina and what she wants to do with it and slamming some guy in the back of her room. Like, it's a very different set of rules. It is. I think it's changing, but I think it was Captain Ryan says that people refer to her as the sex comic, even though she's not particularly...

sex chat heavy in her shows but just because she's a woman talking about sex when men do it you kind of don't really realize it doesn't seem like a big deal but when I first started I was actually I was going out with a male comic who he kind of got me into it and um because I was a bit shy about it at the start because it wasn't my idea was his idea to try it so I was I would have been really

Yeah. Yeah. Like get up there and do a quick five. Like, yeah. Yeah. Holy crap. So I had no interest in it. I used to be a publicist and then I lost the run of myself. I was riddled with bulimia. Riddled. Head to toe. So I had to leave my job and go into...

treatment, but as an outpatient, so I wasn't in full time. So it was at this point, this crossroads in my life was like something has to change because the idea of getting, recovering and going back to PR really did not appeal to me. So I needed a new sense of purpose and to do something different. And anyway, me and this comedian, we crossed paths and I was telling him a story about some bald lad who'd broken up with me and he was laughing and he said, I think you should give stand up a go. And originally I said, no, because I don't,

It's not something you think to do. I did think maybe I'd go into acting. I knew I wouldn't go back to PR. I thought maybe I'd try and write or act or theatre, stage, something like that because I really enjoyed it. But then I went on tour with him and I just kind of learned the ropes and then I kept describing myself as a female comedian. I was a bit shy about it all, I think. I was waiting for someone to tell me to stop and I would have. But no one did for a very long time. Now they did eventually. LAUGHTER

As they always do. But they didn't for a good long time. By that time, I was too confident to stop. But he said, stop referring to yourself as a female comedian. You're just a comedian. You're not a female comedian. If you call yourself a female comic, you're immediately only appealing to 50% of the audience and

the male comics won't consider you a trap because you've kind of written yourself off. That was his telling on it. And I actually agree with him. I was like, no, I'm just a comic. Gender shouldn't come into it. Now, of course it does, but I try to ignore it as best I can. Yeah. You kind of skipped over the bulimia part, which is, you know, it went by us very quickly, but I just want to stop you because you had, Bite Me was such a, yeah,

A raw look at what your experience was and it's not the easiest topic to begin with. I know one bulimic joke and I'm going to tell it to you because you know you're a comedian. What happened? You probably already know this. What happens at a bulimic birthday party?

The cake jumps out of the girl. That's really funny. Wish I'd thought of that. No, it's not even my joke. I have no idea who told me that joke and we might have to cut it out. Sarah is looking at me like, you know. She does not approve. Sarah does not approve. I do. But,

Talk to me about Bite Me. Like, it's obviously a pretty bold step to go, you know what, I'm going to talk about this publicly and I'm going to kind of make fun of it too. Yeah, it was a really, really strange time in my life. I bet. It was a really odd time because there was no pretense with it. I'd been unwell for a very long time, but I'd been functioning with it. So people just thought I was kind

kind of thin and a little bit anal about food but then it just kind of spiraled out of all control which I do believe was because I was deeply unsatisfied with what I was doing and I wanted to be good at something and I felt like being thin was the only thing I could be good at so I decided I'd try and excel at that so I just try and be the thinnest person in the room all

all the time. So, and I do have that kind of compulsive side to my personality and it can go into something productive or something not productive. And at that stage, it was something not productive. But as they all say, I wouldn't change it because had I not had to

eject myself from my life, I wouldn't have had to make great changes and I wouldn't have kind of accidentally found comedy and I wouldn't have this career now that I absolutely adore. And humor can be very healing, don't you agree? Very healing. And the funny thing is, so when I went into treatment, I started writing this anonymous blog called Eat the Pastry.

And I was writing it anonymously. And then a friend of mine sent it to an editor and she offered me a writing job off the back of it. So suddenly, even that itself, things were kind of changing for me and I was more in the field where I wanted to be. And then my friend Una McEvitt, who has since directed all my shows, she said, why don't we take what you've written?

on this Don't Eat the Pastry blog and dramaturg it. Oh, there's the wine, Joanne. Hold on a second. 112 Eastern. Ding dong. The wine has just appeared at Joanne's door. Let me explain what's happening to you right now because you can't see Joanne.

Yes, so Joanne is going to her hotel room door in Winnipeg. She's just looked into the camera and made a very big smile, and she's having some wine delivered to her room. Maybe they don't have a minibar in there, but she's coming to you from a hotel room in Winnipeg. I believe she's tipping the man. I can hear change jingling. Welcome to the Jan Arden ASMR show with Sarah Berg.

Joanne is taking some time. She's having some chat with the gentleman at the door. Thank you very much, she said. Should we break? No, we shouldn't break. Oh, they're having a little chit-chat. He's probably commenting on her accent.

Oh, there she is now. We have just done a little bit of a play-by-play of what's been going on. Oh, I heard. I've been sober for eight years, Joanne, but I'm substantially older than you. And when you're born, you get a roll of drink tickets. They hand it to you. Yes. They say, here's your roll of drink tickets. So by the time I was 19, I had used all my drink tickets and started to borrow my friends' drink tickets. So, you know...

Fast forward. I've never heard it explained so well. No, you get a roll of drink tickets, but you have to make them last because let's face it, in your 80s, if you are alive, you're going to want to be a bit drunk. But I've ruined that for myself. What I find really strange, and I can't get my head around it, is how not everyone gets excited and steals everyone else's drink tickets. Yeah.

Some people can just take it or leave it. I love wine. They get to the end. They do their last drink ticket. They have that beer at the pub and they're like, huh, well, I'm 61 and I guess that's it. Could I just get a lemonade with a little squeeze of whatever? Not me. Uh-uh. Not me, Joanne. No, me neither. Did you find it difficult? Yeah, I think I took five or six, seven stabs at it. Was in the hospital a few times. My heart going wacky.

And I was just like a binger. I didn't drink all the time. So in my mind, I'm an alcoholic. My dad was an alcoholic and he drank rum. So I'm thinking if I don't drink rum, I'm fine. Yeah. But that's not how it works. I know. God damn it. But anyway, yeah, eight years, my greatest accomplishment.

Of my entire life. It is amazing. I was not drinking. And I'm, but I'm a pusher. There's a professor, because the whole drinking thing really fascinates me. And like, I'm definitely a drinker, but I enjoy it. I find it kind of a way to relax. But you're Irish too. And there's that whole, there's that whole thing about being Irish and being, you can't not. I know. I know. Didn't let it off us down. And I wonder, because I'm on tour, I've been on tour for like,

Two years. John, you obviously know. No, I was going to talk to you about this, about the schedule. Like I was going through your dates, like all through Canada and you know, you're selling out these shows and then they're so close together. And then you're going to Australia, which is not, it's a, it's not a hop, skip and a jump.

No, it's not. But yeah, I have heard that comedians do like a drink. Yeah. And I also dated a comedian many years ago. Oh. And yeah, there was a lot of pot, a lot of pot smoking. Yeah. I think with anything, you probably had it as well.

being a musician, that it's like you're trying to manage this adrenaline all the time. Absolutely. Get yourself excited to get on the stage. Then you're on the stage and then you need to bring your adrenaline down. It's very hard to balance it. And then you got to go to sleep. That's it. And they say that alcohol and anything kind of external narcotics, it's because people aren't very good at self-regulating. So we use external things to self-regulate. And I would totally hold my hands up and say, absolutely.

100%. But yeah, where does it end? No, I think everybody is so different on how they make their way through their lives. And they're talking about in COVID, the alcohol numbers, like alcohol places that sold booze or because obviously the pubs were closed and all things like that. But here in Canada, it went up 700%.

And the numbers have come down somewhat, but they're still skyrocketed to where people took themselves.

with drinking during the pandemic. And it's funny that the government here actually made a conscientious decision about health and wellness with people that have alcohol problems. And I was really, I was actually really proud of the government in this moment, which may sound weird, but they were thinking about families that were in small apartments, condominiums, homes that couldn't go out. And they had a family member that was an alcoholic and that any, any

differentiation in that could be grave for the family members, for the children. So they made sure that all the liquor stores always remained open. It was considered something that was a necessary part. Yeah. It was an essential service that needed to stay open for people. And a lot of people were like, that's ridiculous. And I'm like, no. It's not though. It's not a character flaw. It's a disease. But anyway. 100%.

So there's a professor called Professor Nutt who I was, I've listened to a couple of his podcasts. He's very interesting. He's based in the UK, he's British and he was actually fired out of the UK government. I think he was one of their health ministers for saying that alcohol was more damaging than ecstasy tablets, ketamine, MDMA, etc. And the government was like, you can't say that. He was like, but it's true. And they're like, it doesn't matter, you can't say it. So

he talks about alcohol a lot and the damage that it can do and because it's a like it's a it's a legally available narcotic really and that

You can't blame yourself. And look, I need to be clear. I'm not trying to make out I have a drink problem. I don't think I do. I mean, I didn't drink all the time. So I want people to know that too. I didn't wake up in the morning and go, oh, I need to have a drink. But when I did, it was all or nothing. And it's just my personality and stuff like that. And I had some great times. I had some not so great times. But for me, I'm just like, I am a pusher. Sarah knows this.

Like when people visit me, I'm like, have a drink. Who wants another margarita? Yeah. I'm like, seriously, I would love to. Let me open another one. And people are just like, no, they're putting their hand over their glass. So I still obviously have a problem for other people. Maybe it's that you feel so proud of yourself that you...

can abstain that you're kind of it's like I've had a friend who was very anorexic and when we go to her house she would just bake and cook for us all the time and she said she's recovered now but she says in hindsight that she just she enjoyed the control

of her being around all that food. Yeah. Sabotaging us by overfeeding us like foie gras and the cheese didn't break. She got a kick out of it. No, I mean, the psychology is pretty straightforward. Yeah. Do you feel at all like talking about being a single woman on the comedy circuit and being

I'm not single anymore. You're not single anymore. I knew that because I heard from a little birdie through the, through the wire, but when you were, how is your life different now? And do you have any regrets about any of the comedy stuff that you laid out there as a single woman? Like, do you still stand by a lot of that, a lot of that material?

Sometimes. So it's very hard. You're probably the same. You are the way you are and you talk the way you talk and you paint pictures the way you paint pictures. So when I started, I was just doing my thing. So it's only when people say in hindsight, they're like, oh, I didn't think it was even that shocking at the time. I still don't think it's particularly shocking. I think what I think I like to do is poke the bear a bit. Yeah. And then just step back. So I don't

cross the line also Una always says to me she's like you have a way of talking about sex that isn't at all sexual which I think in a way is is a nice thing because it means you can just have a frank you're kind of just chatting about it like I went to the shop yesterday I wrote this guy yesterday this is what happened it's not a big reveal you know what I mean it's just a normal it's just something that happened to me yesterday yes um she also says I walk like I'm trying to repel men so I can't always listen to Una

But anyway, but yeah, so I think there's definitely more shocking comedians out there and I don't do it to be shocking. I'm just chatting the way I chat to my friends. See, this is the beauty. I have so many really, really funny female friends. I'm probably the least funny. Well, no, there's maybe one or two less funnier than I am.

Nicola and Claire. Yeah. Do you lift any of the material, Joanne? Of course I do. Okay, good. That's good to know because I do too. Every lunch is a brainstorm. Ask my accountant. Everything is written off. Your boyfriend must be making it into your material. He is. And how does he feel about that? So he's more so because the show that I'm touring at the moment, the Prosecco Express. So basically it's like an express train drinking Prosecco because I found myself constantly drinking Prosecco.

at other people's milestones when they all got married and had kids and I haven't done anything. Yeah, I love this bit. You're always drinking, oh, let's have a Prosecco for Dolly and Freddie and the baby and the wedding. And you're like, where the hell is my... Yeah.

Yeah.

saw it all as a bit of a TED talk. So I took it all very seriously and quite personally. And like my mother, well, she's over it now, but she was kind of saying like, why don't you ever say anything nice about me? I'm like, because it's not that funny. Now, is he older or younger than you? The boyfriend? Yep. Elder. I'm 40. He's 43. Okay. That's a good little gap because they're generally a little less mature than women. So maybe that three-year gap is kind of giving you some breathing room. Big time.

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A cola or a cream soda, root beer, yes indeedy. And they've got their limited edition summer flavor, which will take you right back to the second grade. You gotta try the ice pop one. Head to janardenpod.com to find out where the closest place to you is where you can go and buy Cove. Go right now. Now, are you still contemplating childbirth? I mean, I...

to ask you. Do you have kids? Not that I know of. And neither does Sarah. No one has kids. You know, I did when I was your age. Yeah, come on. I went through...

Biological terrorism is what I went through because my body, my woman body was saying, you don't have much time left. I don't think that you should. You can do it now. You're like 38, 39 years old. I actually was drunk one night in a bar in Newfoundland, in St. John's, Newfoundland. And my bandmates who had been with me for many years, we were that drunk that we were discussing who I could perhaps get sperm from to have a child. Yeah.

And I think back at that conversation and I hope everyone has forgotten it. Maybe they are being reminded of it now, but.

You do. You go through a bit of a sabotage by your own body because you're thinking that FOMO, I'm going to miss out. Yeah. Something's going to happen. Right? I do. I have a lot of that at the moment. Yeah. Yeah. Like I'm 40. Yeah. Everyone has it. Well, no, in fairness, I wish I knew either way. And there is no way of knowing, but I don't have a crystal ball or a magic eight ball or any of those balls. I don't have any balls. That's the problem. I have friends who...

Just knew like, no, it's not for me. So their decision has been made. I have other friends who knew doggedly it was for them and their decision has been made. They've had kids, but I just seem to be in this weird baby limbo of do I do it? Do I not do it? It's it's I'm in a weird stage where you're a dog mom. You can't believe that you've even brought this up.

He's like, how can you say you've no kids? I'm here. Yeah, that's exactly. He's seven pounds of... But I mean it. I think having small dogs the last 15 years has absolutely been a replacement for a child. I don't dress him up because I actually drew the line. My last little dog, she was constantly in clothes. I'm so sorry about this barking, but I'm not doing that to him. People are like, what's he going to be in Halloween? I said, he's going to be a fucking dog. That's what he's going to be. He's not...

He's not having hats or he's not having anything. He's not going to be Barack Obama or a minion or Peppa Pig. He's just going to be himself. But I do laugh at some of the clips of when they have the little dogs with the suits and they have a knife in their hand. It's really funny. Yeah. Or they have a UPS package or a FedEx package and they're in those suits. They're really funny. I would love to do that, but I just can't put myself. I can't put him through it. I think he'd be really mad. I think I'd get bitten. Fair. Yeah.

Well, I adore animals in general, but particularly dogs. And, you know, I'm trying to create a lifestyle where I can have one, but I don't know when that will be because I certainly couldn't do it at the moment. There's just too much travel. How do you like traveling? Like, be honest. Like, are you a good traveler? Can you find your gate? How do you do? Honestly, so I would be logistically challenged, I would say.

I've lost, I don't know how many AirPods I've lost. I don't know how many phones, bank cards. I missed my flight to Canada. You know, I struggle. However, do you know what I learned? I think the best thing I learned for myself was when I first started in comedy, I moved to London and it's a very insular job. And I think that...

So you don't really see anyone. You don't see anyone during the day because everyone's at work and they're working nights. Music's the same. Exactly. And it can be lonely. And then my weekends, I'm not out with my friends. I'm on trains going to Peterborough in the UK or Grimsby in the UK and doing shows and then getting the last train back to London. And, you know, it's a big commitment. It is. And at the start, I really struggled. I was going through, not going through a breakup. I'd broken up with someone.

And I felt very lonely and very alone. And I was just, there was a lot of crying, a lot of, and then what I learned was resilience, which I could not recommend enough. Now I am so mentally robust. Yeah.

I find people trying to meet up with me. I'm like, I need my own space. You're not who you were at 30. Oh, I'm a different person. And you are in for a really great decade. And I say this to Sarah all the time because 40 to 50, you start living with the absence of doubt. That's a great way of putting it. So you don't doubt your decision-making because as women, we're kind of taught, is that really what you want to be doing right now in your life? Is it? I think it is.

It's so great when you have young women that will now start coming to you, Joanne, going, well, I'm thinking of doing this and that. And you actually in full face confidence can say, yes, you should. Or no, you shouldn't. I know. And don't worry about it. You got this. So you have that experience. I think because I was slow to get going in my life or I was slow to feel I was doing the right thing. I felt I was coasting for a lot of my 20s for sure.

And because I was quite immature or maybe not immature, but I didn't have the big... Unrealistic? I wasn't married with kids in my 30s. So I was like, am I going to be okay turning 40 or am I going to have some sort of breakdown about lost opportunities? And I turned 40 and I swear to God, I've never felt... It was like a shed skin.

Absolutely. It's like a shadow layer. And I stepped in to this new decade where I am so adult now. There is no denying it anymore. There is no, when I grow up, I'll do this. This is it now. I am officially grown up. And honestly, it felt amazing. It really did. Are you making any money, Joanne?

I am. That also helps. So there's also that shift. Thank God. When you were saying a few minutes ago, you're doing these gigs for nothing. Yeah. You start out and you're like, oh my God, I'll have seven minutes. Okay, great. No, fuck, I'll figure out how to get myself there. It cost me a hundred quid to get to this gig and home again. Yeah. She'll be loose

losing money some of the gigs you were like they were costing you money to do oh yeah because COVID everything just blew up when things reopened again because people were so dying to go out so the tour the days just kept getting added on like during lockdown my mum was paying my rent because I couldn't I couldn't afford it how could you I couldn't yeah exactly what are you supposed to do comedy on a zoom call well I did I did do that

Hey, I did musical gigs on Zoom. Me and Gerold did it together. Gerold Fairley is a hilarious Irish comedian. He and I became friends years ago. I've done his podcast. Yes. Fascinated. Isn't that his podcast? Yes. Fascinated. And he's got another one with Niamh now. Agony Rants. Yes. That one that she won that beautiful, like the fricking song writing European contest. Eurovision. Yeah. Thank you. I'm screwing it up.

Joanne knows. But anyway, so when I was, you know, just going over all your stuff and so I'm like, Gary, do you know? So funny. He goes, yeah, I'm on with her right now. I'm like, are you fucking kidding me?

So the world is so bizarrely small. It is. And he was on the phone with you and he said he wanted me to mention to you about him driving a minivan and that there's a lot of low bridges in wherever you guys were going. Yeah. So Gerold and I knew each other from the Irish comedy scene and we always got on very well, but we weren't like very close. And then during lockdown, everyone needed a kind of an ally in the industry where you could...

give each other little pep talks that it was all going to come back. So I was chatting to Garoud a bit and then we got into this habit of doing Zooms together and then we decided to set up Comedy Zoom to keep us writing and so we could try these materials and we just limit them to 50 tickets a week and honestly kept us going. It really did. It kept us writing and it kept the comedy kind of cogs turning and so by the end of it I was like there's no one else I want to come and tour with me other than Garoud. I love it.

Off we went and Gerold drives a Mini. Had been driving a Mini up to this point. And I was like, well, look, I've got a set now. So someone needs to drive a van. I don't have a full license. Are you up for it, Gerold? And he was like, okay. So he went from driving a Mini to driving this huge, big, high-ace van.

And I couldn't have done the tour without him. Well, maybe I could have done it without him, but I can tell you, I certainly would not have enjoyed it as much. We had the best time. So he's driving this van around Ireland where there's places in Ireland where there's these little bridges. Yeah. And I'm like, stop! Because the measurement is on and I have numerical dyslexia, so I don't know what's going on, but I know the van's not going to make it through the hole in the wall.

There was a lot of dramas. He drove over pot plants and fences and everything, but we survived. We had a ball. Well, he absolutely adores you. And I'm glad you, I'm glad you rescued him from his baking, his COVID baking. He's making a chocolate Guinness cake, which I got very heavily invested in. I have to tell you. He loves baking. He loves baking. He was trying to quit. He was trying to quit comedy. He's always trying to quit comedy. But yeah.

It's just great to kind of see the spirit of community. He is such a gorgeous person and he is the funniest person. Oh my God. He makes me laugh so much and all the time and he just lifts my mood and he's just such an amazing person to have around. So when he said to me, he was like, oh my God, you're doing Jan Arden's podcast.

I know we're friends. And I was like, of course you are. No one that he crosses paths with, he doesn't become friends with because everyone just enjoys his company so much. But he was saying he had you on fascinated and that you were amazing. And obviously you stayed in touch. Well, I think you are creating a great legacy because it's the same trail that you're leaving behind you, Joanne, is a huge amount of people, both your critics that don't know you personally yet.

people that are championing you, people that are cheering you on, the people that are coming into all these sold out shows. You should be incredibly proud of the brand of comedy that you're doing and the joy that you're bringing to people. And it takes a lot of bravado. Thanks, John. It takes a lot of ovaries, big frigging ovaries. You're right. To get out there in the world. Big fat ovaries. To travel, just to find your way through a fucking airport is a major accomplishment. It is. I know.

And you know what as well, I kind of, I didn't have a huge drive to get married and have kids. I didn't really have that. So I'm not saying it was easy for me to put this much time into comedy, but it certainly didn't feel like a sacrifice really. I was,

As much as sometimes I'd feel sorry for myself that I was getting on a train on a Saturday night to go somewhere, when it came down to it, I was like, would I rather be in the pub or would I rather be on stage? I was like, I'd much rather be on stage. So, but there was definitely a doggedness to it. But like I say, I had nothing really else to do. And I wanted, I needed to have something else to do.

go to work towards in my life. I didn't want to go back to being a publicist. So I just said, right, I'm putting everything into this now. Eyes on the prize. Let's go. Well, it just feels like your time. And like I said, you're just coming into such an empowering time for women. And it's so great for young people, whoever, to be looking at you, to be looking at the career. Like you said, you started late. Listen, Julia Childs didn't start freaking cooking until she was 50.

Really? Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah, she was kind of doing stuff. And she's like, I'm doing a terrible Julia Childs. But 50 years old, she started going into it, became one of the most iconic. They say she's responsible for things like the Food Network. Wow. I didn't have my record deal until I was 30, which in my industry is considered...

So antiquated that it's... Geriatric. Yeah, it's geriatric. But listen, you've been so generous with your time. I've loved us. Enjoy Winnipeg. Enjoy your glass of white wine. We've got it all on. We've got it all recorded. Your interaction with the gentleman at the door. You were very friendly. We told people you were tipping very well. Continued success to you. The show is called Prosecco Express. Go on to Joanne's website. We're going to have all the info on our podcast.

for people that don't know. Thank you, John. And for her podcast. Don't promote her podcast. What did I say to you?

I said, don't bring up the fucking podcast with Vogue. Don't bring it up. Jesus. Do we need that? No, we're getting our 3000 downloads a week. Shut up, Sarah. I'm sorry. Thank you so much, Joanne. It's been lovely. Stay safe and well out there. And I'm going to, I'm going to be in the audience one of these days. I'm just going to poke my head up. I'll be knocking at that door. I'll be slipping a note under your door. We'd love to see you. Jan Arden's here to see you. Jan who?

I'll know exactly who you are. I'll be the one slipping that out onto your door again. When are you coming in, John? He said you'd come in. Thank you. Lovely to meet you. Lovely to meet you too. I'm sorry I didn't let Sarah say anything, but that's just the way it goes. Oh my God, stop. You guys just got off so easy there. It's so great. Thank you, Joanne. Thanks, guys.

Thank you for being with us today. And I am so glad that you were because Joanne McNally was fantastic. She was awesome. Caitlin booked this guest. And to be honest, I hadn't really heard of her material. But once I went down the rabbit hole, I don't know about you, but I was laughing hysterically. She's funny. I have heard of her bits and pieces.

Like I've seen things on YouTube. I've seen things on social media because I follow a mutual friend of ours as we were discussing with Joanne. And I cannot believe the six degrees of Kevin Bacon with Geroid Fairley, another amazing Irish comedian, Sarah. Like I said, it really is a small world. I just happened to ask him if he knew her. And he goes, I'm on the phone with her right now.

It's such a small world. And she's in Canada. And then, of course, I went up on her website, all the dates, things selling out all through Europe. Like she's really taking the world by storm. If there's people that speak English, Joanne McNally is standing in front of them doing a brand of comedy that's edgy but not offensive. It appeals so much. Yeah, it's feminine strength without being derogatory or self-defecating.

And I think a lot of women decide to tear themselves down in comedy because that way they can combat any kind of criticisms because they're making fun of themselves. She doesn't. She owns the dating, being single, being, you know, wanting a baby, not wanting a baby. It's so funny. So look her up and find her stuff. Okay. Enough of Joanne. Canadian Country Music Awards. Sarah K.

Kyle McKierney, who is a friend of mine, won Alternative Country Album of the Year. It's my favorite kind of country. He is so fantastic. He is a wonderful singer-songwriter.

He has his own brand of country. He's not the guy with the big white hat or the big black hat going out there, you know, singing like he's from Southern Texas. No. He is very unique. Anyway, I'm working on a record. I have been working on a record on and off for the last year with a mutual producer friend of ours, Russ Broom, Russell Broom.

And Kyle sang a duet with me. I'm not going to tell you what song. You've heard it because you heard it in my house. Oh, yes. I forgot about that. Yes, you did. You told me to forget. Yes. I tried to make you forget it. But I played that to you and your girlfriends. Your friend, Wendy, who won country personality of the year, radio personality. Wow. I'm just like, I had a house filled with all these incredible people.

kick-ass women. So I was so happy for Wendy too. I'm just like, that's my friend Wendy. Yeah. I think what's happening in the music scene right now, like there's a lot of really big records that are like the fringe of country music right now, like the Zach Bryans, the Tyler Childers of the world. And country radio, I mean, in America, it's a whole different machine. But here in Canada, I think country radio is trying to figure out what's going on. And Kyle McCurney is a big part of this. I will also say, I saw Kyle in a

less, you know, glamorous environment, just like a little kind of karaoke showcase thing that Sony did on the Thursday night. And he got up there and he sang Radiohead.

And my hair on my arm was standing on end, hearing him sing Creep. And I was like, oh my God, this is just a cover. And then when he does his own music on the gala show, I'm so happy for that guy. I think he turned a lot of heads. And once again, you know, Joanne and the three of us were talking about ageism a little bit and that she felt at 33 was quite late going into comedy. You know, that she's seeing a lot of people, oh, I

been doing this since I was 18, 19. Um, so Kyle is, he's not in his thirties. I think he's just 40 years old. And so for him, although he's been doing this a long time,

how people often react when somebody finally catches their eye and their ear with Kyle. They're acting like, oh, we've discovered him. You know, when he's actually been working so hard for such a long time. His voice is just pure butter. It's unbelievable. I can say this hands down. He was the most incredible performance that I saw that weekend. Yes.

I'm not going to lie. You see people get up in these shows that have been around and had some success and you're like, is that even in tune? And it does happen. There's a lot of kind of mediocre performances, whether it's a live situation or

or whatever it is. And someone like Kyle who nails the middle of the note, who is so extraordinarily unique that has that beautiful high falsetto, like that's what I mean, that goosebump moment. And that is the real deal. That's not pretending to be something. That is something. And they know it. They know it. And he sings with his wife a lot too. They have beautiful harmonies. Yeah, she's great. Oh my gosh. So full circle here, honestly, like

Just another statement about how small the world is. I'm down in Nashville for the Americana Music Awards after and some big Canadians on that stage too. I was so proud watching like William Prince and Alison Russell, some like Canadians who have, you know, been doing this everywhere. William Prince. We love you, William Prince. Yeah. I was in a recording session for like a little studio session where, you know, I got to interview some artists and there I found myself sitting with a couple of your friends. We sent you a picture.

Yes, you sent me a picture of you and Chris, my wonderful sound man, who does Tegan and Sarah and a whole host of other people. And he is exceptional. Who was he down there doing sound for? Afey from Bahamas, who just put out a country record called Bootcut. Oh, yeah. Rose Cousin told me he was...

Bahamas is doing, he went down and recorded a record in Nashville. I heard him on CBC Radio with Tom. Vince Gill is on the record. Oh, well, that doesn't surprise me. Bahamas is so cool. Yeah, he's reinventing himself a little bit. Well, you know what? This is what it's all about. Yeah. I've been very criticized over the years about, oh, it's another Jan Arden record. Did we really need that? Well, yes, you do need it because I'm...

I'm doing it and I'm making it, but I always feel like my records are so different from each other that the thing that ties them together obviously is my vocals. But don't ever be afraid of criticism. Like it doesn't bother me to be slammed, thrown around. I am a creator and I'm doing stuff that I love to do. So do not be swayed by any of that noise, all you creators out there. Let

Let Bahamas show the way. Here's a guy that was doing indie folk and he went to Nashville and he cut like a real country Americana record. And it's fantastic. I've heard a lot of it. Yep. And look no further. If you need more inspiration than our last guest, Buffy St. Marie, who has much of the same message. Buffy was, thank you for listening to that podcast, everybody. I had so many wonderful comments and,

And, you know, here is a woman in her early 80s who's defying all the critics that she had. She's defying all the people that told her no. This is a young woman that didn't even really know what her origins were, where she came from or what her roots were. She defied the odds. And that's what art is. That's what we do as people. And she is a person that continues to inspire me that was

So such an honor to speak to her, especially with, you know, truth and reconciliation and the importance of this past week. It was really great to hear her words and, and to know that we can keep learning and keep going forward. Right. I was just going to say, look at all the inspiration that's coming through the Jan Arden podcast and we'll keep you posted. We've got some pretty sweet guests coming up in the next few weeks too. Yeah, we do. Kim Dennis is going to be back with us at some point. We thought she would be a really great Halloween guest and,

And, uh, Kim is a clairvoyant and a medium and she speaks with the, with the dearly departed. And I'll tell you what, I've had many experiences with her and they are fantastic.

unbelievably accurate and I'm a skeptic but there's no skepticism when it comes to the things that Kim has told me. Erin Davis. Erin Davis is going to be back with us. Erin is a friend of the show. And I just searched my inbox for nipple. The nipple sisters, Carmelina and Casey are going to be on with us. We're recording with them next week. All in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness

These women help women who have gone through cancer, breast cancer in particular. They're beautiful tattoo artists and they tattoo three-dimensional nipples onto these women.

And I'm going to have them tell you all about that. It might seem like the strangest thing in the world, but man, when you're standing in front of a mirror and you're looking at yourself and you don't have nipples, what they do for these women, it is absolutely joyful, uplifting, inspiring, all those things. So we're going to talk to them. And Carmel is also a cancer survivor. So lots coming up.

Thank you once again for listening to the Jan Arden podcast and show. You can hit subscribe. We've got a little bit more with Joanne McNally on the podcast. You can give us a review. That helps people find us as well. There's five stars that you can give us. I suggest you give us five and a half stars.

or six stars, just scribble it in onto your computer screen with Sharpie. Just say, we want more stars than that. That's right. But we'll see you next time. We're very grateful for you. And we're grateful to be taking up a little bit of space in your listening day. We'll see you next time. Toodly-doo. This podcast is distributed by the Women in Media Podcast Network. Find out more at womeninmedia.network.