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By Chris Shoust  One week ago, J.P. Naphan thought he was going to shock Sault Ste. Marie with his comedy lineup at the Canadian Motor Hotel.But Naphan (shown) was in for a shock himself once he took to the stage. "I was surprised how well it went. I’ve never done a show where the crowd was this good," he said following his Sunday-night routine. Naphan and Chris Pick arrived with the reputation of being some of the crudest comics in Ontario. They've been kicked out of clubs in Toronto – Pick has even been kicked off of a major comedy circuit – but they only got laughter and applause in Sault Ste. Marie. "It was supposed to be my little prank," Naphan adding that he never expected the crowd to be that pleased. Naphan grew up in Sault Ste. Marie and earned his comedic reputation at Bawating Collegiate and Vocational Institute. Knowing the people and the attitudes of the city, Naphan and Pick wanted to experiment to see how well the show would go over. "I want to grow old and retire here," said Pick after the show. He absolutely loved the crowd. Members of the audience even participated and hurled jokes back when Pick questioned them in his act. Pick, who was headlining the evening, raced through a finely tuned set filled mainly with jokes about sexuality and sexual intercourse. Because of certain jokes in his set, it is understandable how he has received much backlash in the past, but his jokes hit the crowd dead-on in the Canadian. Under the soft cyan and magenta lights, the laughs poured out. With five years of comedy behind him, his raspy voice never missed a beat. With a cigarette in his hand and the other slung down by his side, Pick acted out many of his bits in the style of Lenny Bruce; not afraid to show what the mouth lacked. His jokes, although crude and only suitable for adults, had a deeper mood to them that is reminiscent of few comedians. It's a kind of comedy that's against censorship and isn’t afraid to talk about the taboo. Naphan’s comedy, although not as honed as Pick’s, carried the same message. Both comedians carry the same passion in their eyes for their art. "It's like looking down the barrel," said Naphan. He said he has had "a lot of problems" in the past. Naphan said he was even hired back to a pub he was kicked out of in Toronto. The patrons kept asking for him so the owner hired him back for another show. Both comics also both feel the same way about the comedy industry. "There is a changing of the guard," said Pick. Comedy today is too casual and ultra-conservative in their eyes. "A lot of dirty comedy, they say is easy to write, but it is much harder to sell," said Pick. Naphan, who was banned in Peele Pub in Toronto, recently has played almost 20 shows in the last eight months in eight different towns; including places like Yuk Yuk’s and the Laugh Resort. Pick has been performing for over five years at clubs and festivals across the country including; the Calgary Comedy Fest, the New Orleans Comedy Fest, and a number of colleges and universities including; Mount Royal College, the University of B.C., the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta.
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