A comedy tour by Spencer (Spenny) Rice featuring music, video clips, and audience interaction qualifies as a must-see event, given the car-crash possibilities that have come to be associated with the Kingston, Ont. comedian.
His west coast So Low tour, named as such for it does not include his partner Kenny Hotz on the long-gone but much-adored TV comedy series, Kenny vs. Spenny, is positioned as a career retrospective; it is also destined to be a success. Rice said his rambunctious fans, most of whom remain devotees despite Kenny vs. Spenny being off-air since 2010, have brought much to the table thus far.
Rice, 58, is not along for the ride as a passenger — his show on Tuesday in Vancouver was a rip-roaring affair, both on and off stage. “I like to have a few drinks when I work so things are not amazing at the moment,” he said with a grizzled laugh. He expects more bacchanalia on the six-show B.C. run that includes stops Friday in Victoria and Saturday in Nanaimo.
The duo of Kenny and Spenny is still a touring entity, Rice said, but this tour is designed with just himself in mind. In the past, when he ventured out from under the Kenny vs. Spenny umbrella, he did so as a musical artist. He is straddling lines on the So Low tour, by performing a set of blues, rock, and country, mixed with a generous helping of comedy. He also reads eviscerating correspondence from Internet “trolls” during the show, he said.
“I’m a second-banana kind of guy. This is an attempt to show everybody what I’ve done career-wise. I play funny songs, show clips, and at the end, play serious music. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, with me saying how great I am before showing clips that don’t exactly show that.”
The dynamic of Kenny vs. Spenny pitted the well-meaning Rice in a battle of wits and comedic competitions against Hotz, who was the more devious of the two. The show was a cult favourite in Canada and the U.S., and attracted its share of attention. South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker were executive producers at one point, and various episodes (Who is the Best Male Stripper?; Who Can Be Obese the Longest?; Who Makes the Most Convincing Woman?) pushed the parameters of what today would be considered cancel culture fodder.
There was a heartfelt side to Kenny vs. Spenny that often gets overlooked, Rice said.
“It wasn’t like a Jackass show, or a prank show. It had a story to it. Kenny and I are actually friends, and only discovered from doing the show together that audiences thought we were funny. The philosophical underpinnings of the show, which was a guy who plays by the rules and has some ethics getting screwed over by a Machiavellian guy, people got emotionally invested in that.”
Shows on Rice’s solo run have been selling well, and upcoming Kenny vs. Spenny dates in Detroit, New York City, and Philadelphia — the first U.S. shows of their career, according to Rice — suggests an official comeback would be the next logical step. Rice, however, was mum on the matter.
“It’s very hard to ascertain the amount of excitement or number of people who will show up, but we’re pretty happy with the sales right now,” he said.
ON STAGE
What: Spenny: So Low Comedy and Music Tour with Peter Hudson
Where: Darcy’s Pub, 1127 Wharf St.
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m. (doors at 6:30)
Tickets: $20 from loveoflive.ca ($35 for a meet and greet, photo and autograph after the show)
Note: Rice also performs Saturday in Nanaimo at The Queens
