Two Manitoba comedians are making a stop in Collingwood later this week.
The Bad Apples Comedy Tour hits Taps ‘N’ Tunes in Collingwood on Nov. 10, bringing the comedic stylings of Nelson Mayer and Clayton T. Stewart to town for one night only.
This marks the fifth tour for the duo as The Bad Apples, who met when Stewart worked for Mayer’s father before they had even considered comedy. The duo lived in the same neighbourhood, and bonded through both coming from Métis lineage.
Mayer and Stewart both previously toured with comedian Don Burnstick as part of the Rez Dogs Tour. A lot of their act comes from comedy about their Indigeneity.
“We’ve done a lot of shows on reserve. We both acknowledge that while we’re both Indigenous, we’re city-Indigenous,” said Mayer. “There’s a disparaging term where you call somebody an apple, which means they’re red on the outside and white on the inside.”
Mayer said that while most people have been welcoming and open, both he and Stewart have been called the name in the past, which led to them naming the tour Bad Apples as a way of reclaiming the word.
“We embrace it. I’m not a speaker for Indigenous people because I didn’t grow up on reserve,” he said.
Mayer grew up knowing he was Métis. He took an ancestry test as an adult and was shocked to discover he was only 14 per cent Indigenous.
“It shocked me and I didn’t know how to handle that. I had been doing a lot of shows and was presenting myself as being Indigenous,” he said. “I had a real identity struggle for a while.”
As part of their act, the comedic duo explore questions around what it means to be Indigenous.
“A big part of it is acceptance by your community,” said Mayer. “The Bad Apples thing is to acknowledge that we are part Indigenous but we also recognize where we actually come from and want to respect that.”
Mayer said he and Stewart’s styles are different, with his sarcastic, edgy style focusing on being a parent and his own identity struggles, while Stewart serves as the friendly, approachable one.
“We think there’s a little something there for everybody,” he said.
Tickets are available online or at the door. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.
