January’s Man of the Month was:
Al Simmons
Here’s a little bit about him:
Juno award winner Al Simmons is a creative genius whose charm and humanity have won over a legion of fans at theaters and festivals around the world. His highly original performances of profound wackiness and array of off-the-wall inventions take the arts of Music and Comedy to unparalleled heights of hilarity.
Al Simmons
Al and his wife Barbara have been married since 1976 and live in harmony and pandemonium near the small Manitoba town of Anola. They have three sons, Karl, Will, and Brad, and three granddaughters, Ashley, Kaitlin and Marley. Their home, built around two train cars, is equipped with a fire-pole that connects an upstairs shop with a main-floor playroom that’s lined with mattresses and filled with pillows. Their 15-acre yard is flowered with zip lines, Tarzan ropes, slides and swings.
And here’s how he answered my 6 questions about creativity:
What inspires your creativity?
I love hearing people laugh, and there must be something in that laughter that inspires my creativity because the more shows I do the more wacky ideas I come up with.
How have you reinvented yourself thru your creativity?
I started out in show business as a baggy-pants-slapstick-comedian but in Winnipeg, in the early 1970s, there was little work for Vaudevillians so I became a singer and cowbell player in a Rock and Roll bar band. I started wearing different hats and acting out the lyrics to each song and we soon became known as a “dance and show band.” My agent suggested that in my spare time I do a clown show at kid’s birthday and Christmas parties so I donned make-up, sang kids songs and learned how to make balloon animals. I quit the bar-band gig and created a solo “baggy-pants-slapstick vaudeville” act, which grew into a show that I’ve even performed with symphony orchestras.
Lately I have been commissioned to create and perform comical historical, scientific and classical music shows.
It seems as if every time I reinvented my “onstage persona” my “off stage personality” grew and evolved as well. Creating new shows and taking more risks have made me less attached to perfection. If something goes wrong on stage I let the audience observe me as I deal with it. What ever happens during a show is suddenly part of the show —sometimes it is the best part of the show. It has taken years, but that attitude is now part of my life. If something goes awry I now try to accept it, deal with it and move on. It is too late to go back, the only way is forward and onward and upward.
Based on response to your creativity, how do you involve others?
I like to involve my audiences in my shows. On stage I want audiences to realize that they are not just watching a show, they are a big part of it. I cajole them into leaping to their feet and yelling things at the stage. Off stage I’m always asking people for their opinions, advice and assistance. My wife Barbara is a great help and an inspiration to me. My three boys and three granddaughters are probably most responsible for my creativity, not me.
What is the wildest journey your creativity has taken you on?
For the past 40 years I’ve been traveling around the world making people laugh. It’s been a wild ride. I am amazed that I have been able to earn a living listening to laughter.
What is your most memorable moment in the act of being creative?
It is hard to pick just one. At Canadian Air Force Base Penhold I shaved my head, dyed my body with green food colouring, and wore an aluminum foil bathing suit to celebrate the first Moon landing. In the middle of a show I once leapt off the stage, ran across the street, and climbed to the top of a clock tower to demonstrate how far I would go in the name of comedy. I invented an exploding toilet. I won a Juno Award, and, by taking a bite out of the competition, I was the winner of the Creston B.C. 2005 World Championship Zucchini Race. I’ve played pool with René Lévesque, played the part of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and Hudson’s Bay Man; ran for parliament as a member of the Rhino Party of Canada; and sang Oh Canada with Rita McNeil in Australia in front of 60 thousand people. And now… Creative Architect Dolly Hopkins has named me Man Of The Month!
What’s next for you?
I love being on stage and I love being with my family. I’ll be found playing with my children and grandchildren, building preposterous props and costumes, writing humourous songs and making people laugh.
And here’s something that inspires his creativity:
I admire people who perform random acts of kindness and seeing folks use their talents to benefit society inspires me.
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Thanks Al for making me laugh…out loud!
