Listen to the episode here!
This episodes guest is Canadian comedian and enfant terrible Jason Rouse. It’s the longest and closest Jason has ever been to seriousness. And we find out why Jason recorded his comedy special in Copenhagen Denmark, rather than Stockholm, Sweden or Los Angeles, USA.
The interview was recorded in Los Angeles Monday the 6th of January 2020. When I booked the trip to LA in the summer of 2019 I booked direct flights from Sweden and back. Coming to Los Angeles was a direct flight on December 26th 2019 but my flight on the way back was changed. The reason for this is that during fall Stockholm lost the direct line to Los Angeles and that line now goes from Copenhagen, Denmark rather than Stockholm LA and so on my return from America I had the privilege of flying on the premiere flight inaugurating the new line. Earlier Sweden has lost the Fashion week to Copenhagen and this episodes guest – Jason Rouse – chose to record his comedy special in Copenhagen rather than Stockholm. Despite having lived in Sweden for years previously in life. It was when he lived in Stockholm that I and Jason got to know each other. I don’t want to make too much of Sweden losing out on a direct flight between LA and Stockholm since I don’t fly to LA on a regular basis but taken together with a lot of other small things it seemed to be to be a sign of the times. Sweden, once the cultural superpower of Scandinavia has been losing out for years and it also seems that we are losing to Denmark. In film, TV, comedy, and now flights.
I wanted to interview Jason for two reasons. The first reason is that I have always loved Jason’s comedy and wanted to know more about him but unfortunately Jason suffers from a condition that makes it nigh on impossible for him to be serious for more than a few seconds at the time and the second is that I wanted to know his reason for recording his comedy special in Copenhagen, Denmark rather than Stockholm, Sweden where he had a base for so many years and know quite a few people.
Jason Rouse is the ”Jester from Hell” where I suppose is where he also buys his clothes. He describes himself as ” Jason Rouse is a renegade touring stand-up comedian taking the mainstream comedy world and turning it upside down. Over the last decade, this comedy outsider has been sharpening his teeth in clubs and festivals all over the world.
Rouse has made it his mission to forge a new road and write a new chapter in stand up comedy. Middle of the road mainstream comedy is left for dead. Instead, this Jester from Hell has been unleashed onto international stages with all of the power of a derailed comedy freight train.”
It is quite an apt description and I could not have done a better job writing my own description of him. Getting people to laugh is a hard job. And Jason Rouse has never made it easier for himself by looking the way he does and joking about things you are no longer supposed to joke about. He does not compromise with his comedy. But now Jason Rouse – Enjoy!
