Third Frames: Brendon Walsh at the Dark Comedy Festival

The darkness currently enveloping Toronto isn’t Rob Ford’s shadow (okay, not just Rob Ford’s shadow). The 2013 edition of the Dark Comedy Festival is underway, with an opening weekend that included shows by Dave Attell, Big Jay Oakerson, and this guy: Brendon Walsh.

Walsh delivered a laid-back set Saturday night in Comedy Bar’s intimate cabaret space, sharing twisted birthday cake slogans, thoughts on the fleshlight (including a Flaming Lips reference to end all Flaming Lips references), and letters he wrote as a faux-cheerleader of big brands. He made a valiant effort to recall his back catalogue when an audience member requested old bits, and happily accepted a “special” cookie in return.

The Dark Comedy Festival continues through Nov. 9 at various venues, with the highlight likely to be Thursday’s roast of the Iron Sheik featuring Gilbert Gottfried. (Yes, you read that correctly.) Tickets are available through the festival website.

About the Author

Sharilyn Johnson is the author of the book Bears & Balls: The Colbert Report A-Z. Called "one of the city’s most discriminating comedy critics” by NOW Magazine, Sharilyn has been covering comedy for longer than she cares to admit. She served as the comedy reporter for Winnipeg's Uptown Magazine for five years, and was the host of the radio show Laugh Tracks for three seasons. Her work has also appeared in the Toronto Star, the Winnipeg Free Press, The Apiary, and on CBC Radio's national comedy programs LOL and Definitely Not the Opera.