Canada's top stand-up comic Steve Patterson is kicking off a province-wide tour in Chilliwack with his 'This is Not Debatable!' show at the Cultural Centre on Nov. 7.
He's touring across B.C. with some well-aimed zingers, and the name of his comedy show is all about how it differs from his radio show.
"In this show I will tackle everything I don't get a chance to talk about on The Debaters," he says with glee, in an interview from London, Ont. with the Progress.
As radio host and referee on CBC show The Debaters, with 750,000 weekly listeners, he tends to be a touch more circumspect with his fellow comedians.
"I don't want to step on their jokes. But this standup show is everything I don't get to do on the radio show."
So it's going to be a little edgier, but still not all about dropping f-bombs.
"Not everything funny starts with eff."
Patterson is doing the interview while skulking through a mall in London, Ont. where he lived during his "formative" years.
He's "skulking" ever so slightly, trying to remain in the background because he's just entered the food court. He half expects to be recognized and tackled by security.
"As a kid, I was banned for life from this food court," he says laughing.
He's actually there to take his dad out for his birthday.
Growing up as the youngest of five boys, a lot of his joke material is based on his dad, John.
"He believes I owe him for that," he says. "And he's not kidding either."
Patterson is also a bit of a news junkie.
"I do like to stay up on what's going on."
With the antics of figures like Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, it's material made for a comedian, no?
"I want to send him a thank-you card every week. There's no better time to be a comedian in Canada than right now."
From the Senate scandal to Quebec hijinx, there's a new topic daily.
When he's gigging across Canada, he likes to arrive in town, find out what's happening and riff a bit on the places he visits.
He'll also be singing parodies, as he breaks into song periodically for a bit of comic relief.
"Yes, I will be doing a few songs. I do my own choreography too, but you could hardly call it dancing."
Patterson just took the title of Standup of the Year again for 2013, an award he also won in 2011.
"I was more than a little surprised to win given the fact I was up against some fantastically funny guys, all of whom are friends of mine: Pete Zedlacher, Mark Forward, Peter Anthony and Ron Sparks."
He didn't even vote for himself in the Canadian Comedy Awards.
"I voted for a different comic. I had already won this title, and it was great to be recognized by my peers. I can hold my own, but I wanted to spread it around."
Reserved tickets for Steve Patterson “This Is Not Debatable!” Nov. 7, 7:30 at the Centre, Tickets $42 (+charges may apply), For more visit www.shantero.com or www.stevepatterson.ca.