Well this is my blog so I guess I can be free to express my opinions.  Saskatoon's comedy scene has been expanding at a quick rate.  I say expanding because I think it's a more applicable word than growing. The main reason I bring this up as a topic is I'm pleased to announce the first ever Matthew Murray Invitational tournament (MMIT) to take place on Friday, February 8th when I headline Yuk Yuk's at the Parktown hotel.   Tickets - https://www.showpass.com/yuk-yuks-on-tour

If you’ve seen on Facebook recently, I’ve started a page to track my efforts to go all of 2018 without eating. Click HERE to follow my progress! I mean eating in the traditional sense of chewing and swallowing food. Of course I’ll still be taking in calories, but my primary source of nutrition will be Soylent, an excellent meal replacement I discovered years ago. I’ve gone a month at a time on just Soylent, but going all of 2018 will be a massive challenge. WHY?? Lots of re

Turns out working a full time job, a part time job, running a monthly comedy contest and a full Corporate Christmas Comedy schedule can be a bit tiring. I’m mastering the 11 minute nap, and a couple of those a day are allowing me to get by on 5-6 hours of sleep per night. Somehow I accidentally ended up buying a fuzzy pink pillow as a goof in a friend’s online auction and that thing has been a huge help at the office. Corporate show on Saturday was fascinating. My corporate s

Back to the blog, here are some updates! The Christmas season is much better than last year, but still not the boom of a few years ago. I’ve got stand-up comedy shows in Saskatoon, Regina, Humboldt, Naicam & Moose Jaw. Noticeably absent this year are Estevan & Weyburn. What did I do wrong you two? Take me back!!! I’ve very excited about my upcoming transition to absolutely no food in 2018. I think I’m in for a fun trip of self-discovery and more than a few frustrating mom

New York is an absolute assault on the senses. A barrage of sounds, people, concrete and noise. I'm staying at an Airbnb in the East Village, which should mean more to me I think. This is no tourist trap, this is real New York. I used to have an attitude coming from Calgary to "small town" Saskatoon, I take that all back. I find myself in a British pub during a soccer game wondering just how the hell did this happen? And then I find a note from my wife buried deep in

It's one of the hardest parts of the job. The flights, the long car rides, the isolation, the strangers who become best friends and turn back into strangers. The road has devoured many a comedian. Now for the record the travel for this particular show is a delight. I just passed through security with a smile so big they checked every pocket on every bag. The thrill has me wired and savoring the moment. But comedy travel itself is a curious beast, one that must be harnesse

The amount of energy I've put into comedy in the last week and a half is more than the last 6 months. The little things like wordsmithing and fine editing, soliciting advice, reviewing tape and rehearsing. When you put that on top of my usual 65 hour work week it's a bit much. Jerry Seinfeld is equally proud of how funny Seinfeld was, but also how hard it was to do. He takes full ownership of the challenge and feels he has earned everything he's got. And he's right trying t

I've got the set, now I'm just trimming out the unnecessary words. I've got the room booked, now I'm figuring out the cheapest way there from the airport. The outfits are picked, now I need to make it all fit in one carry-on The Canadian dollar is pretty good but getting the best exchange is a trick I need to take care of tomorrow. All these minor details, these small discounts, edits and corners that make expensive things reasonable, average sets sharp and witty and

My set list today doesn't look anything like what I imagined it would when I first got this gig. The introspection and advice have done me well and I feel I've got an accurate cross-section of who I am represented across six minutes. The challenge is some of these bits have been in mothballs for years and the order is something new to me. Now comes the practice. The boring, repetitive, suck the life out of the joke while you are hard-wiring it into your subconscious pract

Today I had the opportunity to do stand up at the Canadian Cancer Society Patient Lodge. 7 senior cancer patients, a brightly lit TV room, and me. Yes I bombed. Quick tip for the kids out there just getting into comedy. You know you bombed if: A) You bring in a chocolate cake they're not supposed to have and they don't offer you a piece after the show B) One of the ladies sets about working on the jigsaw puzzle on the table halfway through your set But I brought a smi