If you live in Montreal (or the rest of the world, really) and haven’t heard of Sugar Sammy, you should probably crawl out from the comedy-free rock you’ve been living under.
He’s everywhere… and there’s good reason: he is one hilarious person. He has stolen the hearts and laughs of people around the globe, and he isn’t stopping any time soon. Filled with humour, wit, and controversy, Sugar Sammy’s comedy sets have the ability to bring everyone together…to laugh at one another. And we had the privilege of sitting down with him to discuss his ongoing tour, his comedy, his favourite restaurants, and much more…
What is comedy to you?
For me, it’s all about making people laugh. And I write what I know, so everything that surrounds us I observe and write down and try to turn into a joke as best as possible. For me, that’s the key – always making people laugh about things that I know and hopefully that they can relate to.
What is it like being constantly on the road, preparing and performing your shows every week?
This show has been going on since 2012, so I’m so familiar with it and just have fun; I don’t have to do too much prep. It’s already there, ingrained in me which helps me improv a lot, my audience loves that. Most of my touring is in Quebec, so most nights I’m in and out and back home the same night. I’ve always wanted to do this, ever since I was a kid so I don’t take it for granted. Every day that I’m able to be on stage, I think I’m happier than the days I have off.
What’s your favourite part of your current show?
My favourite part would have to be when I talk about growing up [in Montreal]. I feel like talking about the way I grew up really connects with people because they’ve grown up the same way and can relate to things like Bill 101 and being forced to go to a French school.
Which do you prefer – intimate audiences or large crowds?
I love both. When a show is ready and I’ve honed and practiced it, I love doing it for big audiences because you get so much love at once. That being said, I still love doing my secret shows for people that are on my Facebook or Twitter – underground shows where I test out material for 50-100 people.
What do you do if you’re performing to more of a conservative crowd?
I tend to kind of adapt. I acknowledge that [a certain joke or moment] got a bit tense. I let them know that it’s about to get worse – they laugh at that. I try to create an atmosphere where people get a little less tense about it and I let them know that there’s more coming, so they better be prepared! It’s going to be a long night if not.
Did you always know that comedy was what you wanted to do? Did you have a backup plan?
I always wanted to do this – I knew I was going to do this. And if I wasn’t going to be successful at [comedy], I was going to do something in the entertainment industry. My plan A is what I’m doing now, my plan B was doing something that related to it. I studied at McGill and got to know people in the industry so that if I didn’t become an entertainer, I’d say “this is it, I tried my best, and I didn’t get where I wanted to, so I’m going to start working on the production side of it, because I love it anyways!” So in some capacity I was going to be in this business, no matter what.
Do you have any advice for people that want to be in the entertainment industry?
The key is prioritizing the immediate thing right away, which is creating. Be really good at your craft. A lot of people will start by doing social media and marketing themselves but they haven’t quite become that good of a singer, or comedian, or whatever they want to become. First thing you have to do is get as good as you can in what you’re doing. Master it. Study it. Almost become a professor in your field. Once you get that good, then start doing the other stuff around it. They always say success is preparation-meets-luck, right? So be very prepared, then go out there and push yourself. The worst thing you can do is get your name out there and say you’re amazing and then get up there on stage and not be because they’ll never forget that.
Tell us about your style. You’re always dressed so well!
I don’t know if I do it for the “job” – I’ve always just felt like it was something fun to do. I also feel like it’s a good way to respect your audience. People pay $40, $50, and $60 to see you, you’re not going to wear a dirty t-shirt with spaghetti sauce all over it! But I’ve always been interested in fashion, and making it all work. When I was at McGill, they had a special for students where you could order a bunch of magazines to be delivered to you. I ended up ordering GQ, Esquire, Details and kind of absorbed all of these fashion rules.
What do you see for yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
To me, it’s just keep on doing what I do. My wish is to keep creating great material and stay up there on stage and keep making people laugh – that’s all I want. I’m living my dream right now. My wish is that in 30, 40 years from now, I can look back and know that I have a great body of work and that I did something that I had a great time doing. I look at comedians like Don Rickles who is still doing it and he’s in his 80s – he still has fun up there every night. If I could have an audience for the rest of my life that appreciates what I do, I’m a happy camper.
Has it ever been hard to connect with people that don’t speak the same language as you at your show? (*Sugar Sammy performs in English, French, Hindi, and Punjabi)
No, I always figured out a way. I’m so grateful for having grown up in Montreal, especially in Cote-Des-Neiges, because I’ve become friends with people from so many different cultures. I went to the most multicultural high school in Quebec, so that’s all I knew, all I grew up with. So when I traveled, it was so easy for me to connect with different cultures. I’ll do shows in Lebanon, and have inside jokes with them about their culture because I have Lebanese friends. I went to Haiti, and I started my first two minutes in Creole, and they freaked out. I’m so grateful to Montreal for that. That’s the kind of stuff that it breeds.
Where have you connected with people the most?
Montreal because I’m from here. I’m one of their own and I feel like everything that I talk about people get. I have jokes about different neighbourhoods, metro stations, expressions that we use, the Montreal Canadiens…I feel like the connection is so strong because it’s such a deep one.
Tell us about your TV show, “Ces gars-là”.
It’s a story of two guys who come from two totally different backgrounds. One from Montreal – a multicultural background, bilingual, more from the Anglophone side of things, and the other guy from a small town near Victoriaville – completely francophone, Quebecois pure laine. But despite their differences, they’re able to have an amazing friendship. They’re trying to better themselves, grow, and the comedy happens in the fact that they try but they keep failing. The first two seasons are already online.
Tell us in one sentence, why you love comedy.
It’s like having a simultaneous orgasm with 1400 people at the same time.
Favourite restaurants:
– Da Silva
– Farhat
– Escondite
Favourite stores:
– Diesel
– Frank & Oak
– M0851
– Browns
– Men’s
– Duo
Favourite suit brand:
Zegna
Favourite bar:
Tweet him your suggestions!
Wine or beer:
Wine
Savoury or sweet:
Savoury
Coke or Pepsi:
Coke
Be sure to check out Sugar Sammy’s website for tour dates and news here.
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