Mark Forward picks his Perfect Playlist of comedy favourites

 Edinburgh Fringe comedian Mark Forward picks his favourite comedy moments…

Andy Daly from the Comedy Death-Ray Album

The Comedy Death Ray album is a collection of highlights from the weekly comedy showcase Comedy Death Ray, curated by Scott Aukerman and B.J Porter. It was released on September 11, 2007.

The absolute stand-out performance for me was Andy Daly’s ‘stand-up’. A set in which he says nothing of any substance at all. I first saw Andy do this ‘character’ live at the Montreal Comedy Festival. I had no idea what I was about to see, but from the moment he began, I knew it was something so different and special. I have never seen someone so committed to saying nothing.

It pokes fun at every stand-up who has ever performed, but also doesn’t poke fun at anyone specifically. I was blown away. 

Most stand-ups when we watch comedy analyse it, or break it down in our heads on why and how it’s working, or not working. That night in Montreal was the first time in a long time, that I just sat and enjoyed comedy free of any deconstructing. It’s something that I wish I would have written, but I don’t think could be done by anyone other than Andy Daly himself.

The cherry on it all, after saying nothing for an entire set, he pulls out a piece of paper and says: ‘What else can I tell you?’ Such perfection.

Jon Dore on Conan

If you don’t know who Jon Dore is, and you love silly, then I suggest you look him up. All of his sets that he did on the Conan O’Brien show are such wonderful delights to witness. But my favourite happened on December 17, 2012, on Conan on TBS. 

To watch something begin as most stand-up sets do and watch it evolve into full-on chaos is such a joy to see. Jon gets into an argument with an usher (Rory Scovel) and they begin arguing about each other's jobs and if they think they are easy. It results in them switching places, Jon is now the usher and Rory is now the stand-up. I don’t want to ruin anything more, but it goes even further and even Conan gets involved. 

I love this set for many reasons. One, Jon’s wonderful brain for thinking of it. (Side note, I used to sit and watch Jon perform in Toronto. I learned so much watching his ease in being silly and completely breaking the rules of stand-up) Two, that Conan as always, didn’t get in the way of creativity and not only let it happen, but participated in the chaos. Check it out, and then fall down a rabbit hole of Jon’s performances. You won’t regret it. 

Nathan Fielder

Specifics? Anything. Anything that this man has done. Nathan For You, The Rehearsal. The Curse. Nathan is another comedian who I don’t analyse. He operates on his own level. I am blown away constantly by his way to continually re-shape what and how things are funny. I could never come up with, or execute anything he has ever done. It’s fearless, odd, strange and completely engaging. 

I knew Nathan slightly when he was coming up in Canada. Yet, when I saw him again at a festival, I was so nervous (and made a fool of myself) because I’m such a fan of all he has accomplished. 

He started out on a show here in Canada, and he his little segments far and away outshone the other 20-something minutes of the show. You just knew he had so much talent (Well, except Canadian producers, who offered him nothing  and was going to be huge.

If you like uncomfortable, intelligent comedy   a comedian who truly has their own voice, then you should check out anything Nathan has done or is going to do.

But here’s a sketch from the early days that’s just so silly.

Zach Galifianakis at the Purple Onion

Sometimes when you are starting out in comedy you head down paths to please the audience, or to please the comics in the back of the room, or even the voices in your head. 

Over time, you start seeing things that help you find your voice. With that help, you slowly stop being the comic you thought you had to be, and start becoming the one you want to be. Zach Galifianakis at the Purple Onion was one of those moments. 

Not only is Zach a great joke writer and comedian. He showed me silly I had not seen before, a chaotic sloppiness that was a delight. No shiny auditorium comedy special floor, a real club feel. A messiness that was delightful. Never ignoring the cameras but engaging with their operators during the performance. Never once taking himself too seriously. 

It was such an eye-opener for me to watch. You can be whatever you want to be, and in doing so, you will be different than anything else. I loved it on its own, and also for how it helped me grow as a comic.

The Kids In The Hall

I don’t think anything influenced me more than the sketch comedy show Kids In The Hall. A Canadian institution. It began airing in 1989 on CBC and HBO and ran for five seasons. It was fearless, and wild. It was something my brain had not seen before, and I was hooked from show one. Dave, Kevin, Mark, Scott and Bruce seemed to be doing whatever they wanted to do. It felt rebellious and silly, pointed yet aimless at times. 

One night as a young comic I was sitting in the back of the Rivoli, a club in Toronto where they used to perform live. Little did I know they were all upstairs at a premiere party for their sitcom Death Comes To Town. The back room was empty and dark, I was tucked away in a corner. When all five of them came in, walked around the room reminiscing about the days they used to play there. I sat silently, just watching. 

Over the years, I’ve got to meet most of these gentlemen, which is pretty special. Hard not to gush at them, but I’ve done my best. 

‘How far can you coast on charm, well pretty far actually’ is a line often quote from this sketch where Dave Foley is a doctor who is a ‘bad doctor’.

Mark Forward Wins All the Awards

What’s this self-promotion? From a Canadian? I know, I feel gross about it too. But, all these things I have listed informed me, taught me, and showed me different ways to be funny. I think this show I did in 2019, Mark Forward Wins All the Awards, is a great showpiece for the results of all that. It can’t be purchased and it’s not on any streaming service. You have to find it on my website, hidden away and only posted as a ‘promotional tool’ - I can’t even make the link public. A lesson for young comics, use your own music. 

I performed this show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019 at the Gilded Balloon. I had an absolutely amazing time. I’m so thankful I had so many performances at the Fringe to work on it before filming it as a special. You can find it secretly posted at www.markforward.com. Don’t tell anyone.

• Mark Forward Presents Safari Time is at Gilded Balloon at 8.20pm throughout  the Edinburgh Fringe 

Published: 26 Jul 2025