...but Montreal festival hails some of the finest nonetheless

Jim Carrey, Trevor Noah and Craig Ferguson were among the acts honoured at the Just For Laughs awards show in Montreal last night.

Movie director Judd Apatow gave Carrey his ‘Generation Award’, and recalled the times they worked together in the LA comedy clubs in the 1980s.

‘He would go on stage every night and improvise his entire set,’ he said. ‘His goal was not to repeat one line from any other night. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life.’

He also recalled a night at the Comedy Store when Carrey had become annoyed at being bumped later into the evening as more famous comedians dropped in. So when he finally got on stage, he vowed to stay on until the very end of the night, and hogged the stage for two hours, until they switched the lights out, ignoring the heckles of the other comedians who wanted their turn.

Apatow, above, thanked Carrey for giving him work as a writer in the early  days, while Carrey acknowledged Apatow as his mentor, saying the both learned from each other in the early days.

Carrey was also in Montreal to promote the Showtime series I'm Dying Up Here, about the 1970s LA comedy scene, on which he is an executive producer.

At the same ceremony, South African-born Noah received the Comedy Person of the Year Award from Jeff Ross, the stand-up hailed as king of the roasts. Ross make a joke about his own ignorance, quipping that when he heard that when a comic was roasted in Africa ‘I assumed he meant it literally’.

But Noah was more sincere in his acceptance speech, praising the power of comedy and recalling how the scene started in South Africa only when the apartheid regime relaxed and free speech was allowed again.

Contrasting those days with the sometimes corporate feel of Just For Laughs, he said: ‘It wasn't an industry. It was a place where you could speak, where you could explore.  We were little nerds who just wanted to be liked, and found we had this magical ability to twist words into makinging people think they like us.’

He acknowledged that despite his award, ‘you can't win in comedy’, and referenced the depression that affects many comics, by adding: ‘Winning is getting to the end without committing suicide.’

‘Comedians are fragile and powerful at the same time,’ he said but all ‘aiming toward the same goal: progress of the mind.’

Earlier in the event, Ferguson – a former late-night host himself – told Noah to cash in on his Daily Show fame: ‘Make hay - you're going to be so fucking rich, but dead inside’

The Scot picked up the alumni tribute as he credited the Montreal festival for kick-starting his North American career  in 1987 – but acknowledged that he was an alcoholic at the time.

He also cracked a cynical joke about festival organisers telling him that he’d only get the accolade if he attended the festival to collect it, asking: ’Is this really an award or is it really a party favour ?

Jimmy Carr presented Stand-Up Of The Year to Mike Birbiglia, joking: ‘His films have been compared to early Woody Allen. His stand-up and the wisdom therein, has been compared to a young Bill Cosby what I'm saying is…’ getting a laugh before he could finish the paedophile reference.

Kenya Barris, won a writing award for his ABC family sitcom Black-ish and Ali Wong collected a breakthrough accolade for her Netflix stand-up special, Baby Cobra, recorded when she was seven and a half months pregnant.

Published: 29 Jul 2017