He would come in here and we’d close the place down together, talking about Kids in the Hall shit.
“I know Dave Foley,” Martin says, eyes slightly bulging over the bridge of his mask. Both are now available to stream on Amazon Prime. “What are you working on, lad?” I tell him that I am a writer and that I am prepping a piece on the Canadian comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, who in a matter of days were set to see the release of the sixth season of their acclaimed sketch comedy show (just a mere 27 years after getting the ax), as well as a brand new documentary detailing their nearly 40 years together. The bartender, whose name is Martin, refills my club soda. The Tam O’Shanter, which has been around for 100 years, serves a fine certified Angus beef prime rib with all the Scottish trimmings. He possesses a thick Scottish brogue, made even more indecipherable due to his Bane-like carbon filtered face mask. There’s great pressure in not letting your former self down.Ī bartender takes my order. If my teenage self knew that one day I would be interviewing his comedy heroes, then underwear would most likely need a change. I already know quite a lot about my subjects, having been a fan for nearly 30 years. Basic research stuff: the Whos, the Whats, the Whens.
I am sitting at the bar at the Tam O’Shanter, a Scottish steakhouse in the Atwater Village neighborhood of northeast Los Angeles, jotting down some notes for this article.