You all remember our friend Patrick Smith, right? He let us interview him a while back, as well as made the hit music video, Suburbanites, which rocked XM radio stations everywhere. Well, here is his latest piece – an awkward moment between father and “son”.

– Emma Farquharson

Courtesy of Google Images

You’ve heard us prattle on about nonsense for over a year now – and we’re thankful you’ve bothered to listen! But for today, we decided it would be better to hear from some of the recent ponies we’ve interviewed on what they’re thankful for this Thanksgiving. Gobble, gobble!

Michael Lambert (Olympian Snowboarder) says:
I’m thankful for being Canadian. Big trucks, deep mud, huge mountains, loud dirt bikes, and the ability to drive hours without seeing civilization.

Sean Ward (Comic/Video Blogger) says:
I’m thankful for the encouragement and support of family and friends who believe in me, the opportunities that have opened up, and most importantly, the people I’ve met along the way. I’m thankful for the fact that I get to be here right now; to be a part of this amazing point in history – and for the big dreamers everywhere who keep me inspired and motivated.

Anthony Zanfini (Founder of ZDS) says:
I’m thankful for mine and my family’s health – which not everyone had last year. Thankful for my wonderful girlfriend who drives so many other things to be thankful for. My career, ambition, strength. Thankful for the people who let me help shape their brands – whether big or small.

Kieh Christopherson (Hard core Runner) says:
I’m thankful that I can look out of my office window and see the foothills of the Himalayas. I’ve been so lucky to grow up in a country with clean air, traffic rules, health care, a functioning government, social safety nets, safe running water, the opportunities to shape my life as I please, and having such special people in my life – near and far, old and new. But I am most thankful for having had the opportunity to see how the rest of the world lives and witnessing every day that nothing can be taken for granted.

Nikki Payne (Comedian) says:
I’m thankful for Emillio Estevez. My Yorkie, not the actor. Aw, hell, I’m thankful for him too.

Emillio Estevez courtesy of Nikki Payne.

Danielle Hession (Mixed Media Artist) says:
I’m thankful for Mushy Pony!

Dave Offierski (Founder of Clip Mobile) says:
I’m thankful for being so fortunate to have family and friends who support me building the life I want for myself. It is amazing to have them on board for the journey!

Patrick B. Smith (Second City Comedian/Writer) says:
I’m thankful for access to a 3G network, as I have a constant need to have a map tell me where I am. I look forward to Facebook posting these locations, soon. I am thankful for Cito Gaston’s mustache. Without it, I am not sure where I would have found my passion for bold facial hair. I am thankful for the new bike lanes being put on Bloor. I am thankful to not live in a country where I am forced to compete in the Skeleton when I am not prepared. Finally, I am thankful for unicorns. Whether they exist or not does not matter to me, what matters is their promotion of creative thought.

Rhain Louis (Co-Founder of the Pungents) says:
I’m thankful that Jesus wasn’t born 2 years earlier, because if he was, then this would be 2012 and the world would end.

Emma Farquharson (Founder of Mushy Pony) says:
I’m thankful for Summerhill Market’s pumpkin pie – which goes nicely alongside a bottle of Shiraz. I’m also thankful for rigatoni at Brownes, burgers at the Quail, and sweet potato fries at the RCYC. All food aside, the people who share those cherished moments with me are what I’m truly thankful for the most :)

– The Cowgirls.

Remember when we interviewed Patrick B. Smith – Second City comedian and writer? Well he’s just come out with a hilarious new video that we want you to watch.

– The Cowgirls.

Courtesy of Brandon Steele for Mushy Pony

A good comedian can tell a compelling joke and make us laugh. A great comedian can make us laugh and tell a compelling story. Patrick B. Smith is the latter – he has the capability to invent characters we each can relate to and sympathize with all while including gut-wrenching humour. We had the chance to sit down with him and learn about how he got involved with Second City, as well as how screenwriting became as important to him as the performance itself.

Pony: What made you go into acting after being in sports for so long?

Patrick: Baseball was my life growing up, until I got hurt. I needed shoulder surgery but even after that it wasn’t good enough to continue the sport professionally. So a friend asked me what my dream would be if I couldn’t do baseball anymore, and my response was to either write or perform on Saturday Night Live. I didn’t think that was even attainable, but she pushed me to sign up for improv classes at Second City. I listened, and it was around the time of my 3^rd level there that I realized this was something I really wanted to do.

Pony: How did you go about getting an agent?

Patrick: It was a teacher of mine who really had a lot of faith in me. I was really lucky. I’m with Penny Noble of Noble Caplan and they’re one of the best agencies in the city if not the country. They called me in to do a few readings on the spot, and I guess that was where all the improv really paid off.

Courtesy of Brandon Steele for Mushy Pony

Pony: And where did you learn how to write scripts?

Patrick: When I write, I like to think of it as a form of improv. I learn the character and place a scene together in my mind – and go from there determining what he/she would do in that situation. I also took a screenwriting class at the Film Lab, which really helped as well.

Pony: Describe what Best of the Fest is, that’s coming up for you soon.

Patrick: It’s a show during the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. They have people coming in from all over: MadTV, Frank and Matt, etc. and I’ll be performing [on Friday March 5^th] on the Second City stage. It’s the best picks of sketch comedy really, it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Courtesy of Brandon Steele for Mushy Pony

Pony: How does doing shows like that compare to doing film?

Patrick: Doing stage is one thing, because those who see it are only seeing it at that exact moment, live. They get a good sense of who you are as a person, like when I’m doing Haircut, these people get to see me playing a dog or a woman or a kid – anything! And generally it’s my writing as well (or my groups writing) so there’s that satisfaction that you’re making people laugh based on a joke you came up with. Film is more challenging in that sense, because you’re forced to portray someone else’s idea and vision, and you end up going in a direction that you may not have gone on your own – which is really fun!

Pony: Is there an actor or comedian that you look up to for inspiration?

Patrick: Stephen Colbert is a smart, quick Second City guy. I’ve done a few of his scenes so I’ve had to study him etc. I think John Cleese would be unreal to study from, some friends of mine got to perform with him last year on stage. Conan O’Brien would be amazing too. He’s written for so many great shows and performers, I’d love to learn from him.

Pony: And what would say is the most satisfying part of your job.

Courtesy of Brandon Steele for Mushy Pony.

Patrick: What is my job? Haha. I guess the most satisfying part about being an improviser is keeping it fresh. Learning new characters and finding new sides of myself that can mimic them. When I watched one of our shows, Big Bad Wolf, I was like “man you’re playing this guy way too cool! He’s supposed to be vulnerable.” I think I was almost protecting myself in that role, so last weekend when we did the show again I made the character all smiles and completely innocent and the audience loved it a lot more. I guess spotting that dimension of myself on stage is really satisfying and fun.

Pony: Stepping away from yourself to watch yourself. That’s challenging!

Patrick: Exactly. The best part about being a sketch artist though would be the writing. It helps me with all of my roles to be able to write better, and understand the characters that are presented to me.

Pony: So how has your style of writing or acting changed since you started?

Patrick: When I started, it was all about finding a funny scenario and presenting that to an audience in order to make them laugh. Plain and simple. But there’s the next level of comedy where you try and say something about that – diving deeper into the situation and how to get the audience to relate to the character on a personal level. I like to find the hidden meaning and make people think a little more about why a character does what he does.

For more information on Patrick, check out his MySpace page here.

XoXo
– The Cowgirls.