By Jen Traplin in Metro Ottawa
If you happen across a re-run of The Kids in the Hall, one thing is for sure ­— all these years later, it’s still funny.

“I think we were smart in that we never really mentioned anything that was actually happening in the world at the time,” says one fifth of the Kids, Scott Thompson.

“Everything that we’ve done is pretty universal ­— it’s mostly about human nature and that never changes. We never mentioned celebrities or current events so I think our comedy remains timeless.”

As a result, the show has gained an impressive and enduring cult following of fans that enjoy the envelope-pushing humour of The Kids in the Hall, despite the politically correct climate we live in today.

“When you try to take something and make it unsayable and you try to bury it, you only give it more power,” says Thompson.

“I never got caught up in that and The Kids in the Hall didn’t either. Our whole ethic from day one has been ‘if it’s funny, you can do it.’ Nothing is untouchable.”

Even still, Thompson admits there was a time he questioned whether he had gone too far.

“There came a period in my career where I started to doubt a lot of what I did because I started to think, ‘why do you have to make people uncomfortable? Why do you always push that button?’ But then, a few years ago, I decided that I was doing the right thing and it really wasn’t my fault if people reacted badly,” he explains.

“You bring something out of the darkness and put it into light. I can’t control how people are going to react to it. So now I’m totally shameless,” he says with a laugh.

And, in terms of future plans with the rest of the guys in The Kids in the Hall, Thompson says that door is always open.

“The five of us touring? We’re talking. We’re always trying to find that window,” he says. “I would drop everything in a second for a Kids in the Hall tour, that’s for sure.”

If you go…

An Evening with Scott Thompson

• When. Friday at 7:30 p.m.
• Where. Arts Court (2 Daly Ave.)
• Price. $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

This is a one night only fundraising performance for the Ottawa Fringe Festival. For more info, go to ottawafringe.com.

Related posts: