After all his hard work and dedication, Paul Myrehaug, 24, has reached an important milestone in life.
"I just had my second-year anniversary of not having a real job," he says.
No, Myrehaug (pronounced my-re-hog) is not scamming EI. Rather, for the last five years the Camrose, Alta. native and now-Toronto resident has performed stand-up comedy from as far north as the Yukon Territories, to as far south as the Dominican Republic.
So what drives a guy like Myrehaug to abandon conventional work in favour of comedy?
"OxyContin," he says laughing. "No, I just love the lifestyle. I'm on the road for three months at a time doing what I love. I love the idea of not really having a job and just telling jokes in nightclubs."
Among his achievements so far are a marketing diploma and placing second in the Seattle International Comedy Competition - an honour previously held by both Robin Williams and Dane Cook.
"The winner got $5,000 and I took second place," he says. "I did get a bit of cash, but by the time you've been staying in a hotel in Seattle for a month, you pretty much break even.
"But just to be in that competition with those great names was well worth it; I had a great time."
Described as being a 'party comic,' Myrehaug is very laid back and relaxed on stage as he jokes about everything from cougars (the human variety) to possible terrorist attacks on Toronto.
He's not worried about that last one though. Apparently Al-Qaeda terrorists are morning people and he goes to bed around 7 a.m.
According to Myrehaug, it was this observation that cemented his spot in the finals of Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off and a shot at $25,000.
THE LAUGH OFF
Yuk Yuk's Great Canadian Laugh Off runs from March 26 to April 1 at Yuk Yuk's comedy club in Toronto. Starting with 64 comedians, shows are held nightly until eight comedians are chosen for the April Fools Day showdown and a chance at $25,000. Myrehaug won the right to represent Toronto in the preliminary rounds and advanced to the finals with his performance March 27.
"I'm feeling great; I'm on top of the world and I'm excited for the chance at the $25,000," he says. "That does buy a lot of beer, too much beer even. I might try putting some into rent or something; do people pay rent these days? I might try that out."
Having done nothing but compete and perform for the last five months, Myrehaug feels on top of his stand-up game and likes his chances in the final round. Whether he wins or loses, he will continue to work hard at not having a real job.
"The natural progression for me is to get into acting, but right now I'd love to just tour and do stand-up for as long as I can," he says. "But one good thing about getting into acting is once you're a part of the union you get full medical and dental. At the moment, if I get a tooth ache, I just have to take more OxyContin."
