Pete Zedlacher is one of four comedians performing at the 'Snowed In Comedy Tour' show in Lethbridge on February 3, 2023. (Photo: Rob Perry)

By Justin Goulet

Comedian Pete Zedlacher excited to entertain Lethbridge

Jan 29, 2023 | 2:06 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Pete Zedlacher loves stand-up comedy.

The Canadian comedian is one of four performing at the Yates Memorial Centre in Lethbridge on Friday, February 3, 2023 as part of the ‘Snowed In Comedy Tour’. Zedlacher has been a staple of the tour since its inception in 2009. However, his career in comedy started long before that.

The Wawa, Ontario-born performer said his love of comedy began at a very young age, when he was watching The Muppet Show. He was particularly enamored with the character Fozzie Bear, and he asked his mom what a comedian was after seeing segments with the puppet.

Zedlacher explained that his mother told him Fozzie Bear was a comedian, and his job was to make people laugh.

“She said I sat there for a couple of seconds, and I nodded and went, ‘yeah, I’m gonna be a comedian’.” The rest they say, is history.

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In a full circle moment, Zedlacher was performing at a ‘Just for Laughs’ gala hosted by The Muppets.

He said, “I’m looking at the running order and I’m following Fozzie Bear, so I’m in the wings watching my childhood hero.”

STARTING OUT

Zedlacher honed his skills in New York, before entering the professional Canadian comedy scene and performing on stages closer to his hometown in Toronto. Now, Calgary is Zedlacher’s home base.

He said, “I think there’s a great comedy scene in Calgary, which was a big plus for me to move to Calgary because coming from Toronto, you could do comedy stages every night, several stages, and Calgary’s got that kind of vibe happening now.”

“It’s really important for me to have a good comedy scene post-tour, because once we wrap up the [Snowed In] tour, you take all that material that we wrote for the tour, put it aside and write a brand-new one for the next year.”

Zedlacher explained that he was first invited to be part of the ‘Snowed In Comedy Tour’ by its founder, Dan Quinn, who sent him a three-word email simply asking, “do you ski?”

Zedlacher said joining the tour team “changed my life.”

“I moved provinces. I’m out in Alberta now, and skiing and snowboarding is part of my life. I’ve been snowboarding the last few years so I can do both. I’m alpine fluid, as the kids would say.”

EMBRACING NERVES

Zedlacher said that to some, stand-up comedy might just look like someone standing on a stage telling jokes. However, he said it is not as easy as it may seem.

He remarked, “I always use the analogy that when people look at Michael Jordan jumping from the top of the key and then doing a three-pointer or slam dunk, like you just look at that and think, that’s unbelievable.”

Zedlacher added, “Everybody, when they watch stand-up comedy, it looks like a guy just talking into a microphone and [they think], ‘I can do that’, and then you try it and it’s like, ‘oh no, it’s very difficult.’”

He said even after well over two decades in the business, he still gets nervous before a set, but he said that is not a bad thing.

“If I really care about the performance, I’m gonna get nervous and always trying something new, and trying to work on something for next year’s set. Butterflies in the wings is always a good thing. It fuels the performance and lets me know that I care about the show.”

He added, “If I don’t get nervous, that’s a bad sign that I don’t care.”

As for any pre-show rituals, Zedlacher said with a laugh, “I need to have laced-up shoes.”

“It makes me feel like my feet are secure. That’s my only weird little idiosyncrasy about stand-up, and then I just review my notes and make sure I’m on the right foot.”

One of his pieces of advice for up-and-coming comedians is to roll with the punches while on stage. He said if the crowd does not laugh at an opening joke, “you gotta be able to switch gears and go into something else, so stand-up is a bit of a tap dance with the audience sometimes.”

INSPIRATION

In addition to the famous Muppet, Fozzie Bear, Zedlacher said David Letterman and Sam Kinison were very influential in his decision to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.

He added that he likes to support Canadian talent, like the veteran comic Ron James. Zedlacher had the opportunity to work with James, serving as a writer on The Ron James Show.

“He is a huge inspiration to what we do. He’s out there, I don’t want to say Ron’s age, but he’s not a young pup anymore, but the work ethic that he puts into his shoes would rival like the youngest open mic [performer] out there,” Zedlacher said.

In recent years, he has also become a fan of Patton Oswalt, known for his own stand-up career and roles in films and television series like The King of Queens and The Goldbergs.

In Lethbridge, Zedlacher will be performing alongside ‘Snowed In Comedy Tour’ founder Dan Quinn, Paul Myrehaug, and Erica Sigurdson. He said those attending any performance on the tour can expect all new material from last year’s event.

Zedlacher noted, “Everyone’s got some relationship material, some Canadian material. I myself talk about some life events that have happened in my life. Everybody’s got something different that they bring to the table.”

(L to R) Paul Myrehaug, Dan Quinn, Erica Sigurdson and Pete Zedlacher plan to deliver laughs at the ‘Snowed In Comedy Tour’ stop in Lethbridge on February 3, 2023. (Photo credit: Rob Perry)

If attendees stick around after the show, they might even get to meet the comedians.

“It might be my favourite part of the show, just coming out afterwards and just talking to people,” he explained.

HARD WORK PAYS OFF

Zedlacher said he often receives emails from young comedians starting out in the business, asking for advice from a veteran comedian.

He believes there is no “perfect” way to get into the stand-up comedy industry.

“The only way to do it is just throw yourself into it,” he said.

“Go out and see stand-up as much as you can. Get up on stage as much as you can. Always try something new, you know, always bring something new to the table every time you jump on stage.”

When he was first plying his trade, Zedlacher said he would perform 10 to 12 comedy sets per week to improve his skills on the stage.

The comic said, “I was obsessed with comedy. So, I think if you really want to make it, in any field really, you have to become obsessed with it. Throw your whole life into what you want to do, and that work ethic has stuck with me.”

He added, “That’s the reason ‘Snowed In’ is such a success, because we put that work ethic into it.”

Even decades into his career, Zedlacher said, “I love it to this day, 25 years in. I still love doing the act of stand-up comedy and creating. I’m very blessed, I’m very lucky.”

Zedlacher said once the ‘Snowed In Comedy Tour’ wraps up for the year in Halifax on April 8, 2023, he will continue to perform and prepare for the group’s next tour in 2024.

The ‘Snowed In Comedy Tour’ is in Lethbridge at the Yates Memorial Centre on Friday, February 3.

READ MORE: Veteran comedian Debra DiGiovanni set to make Lethbridge laugh with the ‘Snowed In Comedy Tour’

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