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85 ‘I’m looking forward to the tour, filming my first DVD, writing the book. Just living life. Loving life. Who knows? Be open to what the world is saying. Plus, I just really miss Asia.’ Brian Aylward the entire continent’s English comedy scene. Since then he’s had a good run of it in the Great White North, having been showcased in numerous festivals and opening for bigger acts such as Nikki Payne. He was a finalist in Yuk Yuk’s “Great Canadian Laugh-Off” and SiriusXM Radio’s “Canada’s Next Top Comic,” and also appeared on CBC’s “The Debaters.” During one Toronto performance he acted out a classic encounter with the dreaded dong-chim (poo-needle), a violating experience familiar to many teachers in Korea. One of his idols, Colin Quinn of “Saturday Night Live” fame, happened to be in the audience and came up to him afterward, saying, “Great story man. Very funny.” Nothing is without its tradeoffs, how- ever, and Aylward’s latest go-round at 40 years old will be sans significant oth- er. He’s been separated for over a year and says he is “most likely on (the) way to a divorce. … Crisscrossing the globe with my funny is not exactly a recipe for intimacy.” Nonetheless, he seems to be hitting the ground with a renewed optimism. Ambitious would be an understatement considering what he’s got in his sights. In addition to the ginormous tour, he’s also writing a book — a collection of stories about his “idiotic adventures” — with a publication goal of early 2016. While in Korea, he is going to film his first comedy DVD, to be released in the spring, and on his Asian tour he’s hoping to have a film crew with him to capture material for a documentary about the burgeoning Asian comedy circuit. Back in Seoul, the comedy institution Aylward started is thriving and now supports a growing local stand-up scene. With the number of awesome international head- liners who have flown in to perform at the event, not to mention the burgeoning local talent, the seeds Aylw ard once planted don’t seem to be slowing down in terms of bearing tons of funny fruit. In addition, the city saw its first international comedy competition this past August, orga- nized by Dan Wiberg, another expat who cut his teeth alongside Aylward at open mic nights. “I left Stand Up Seoul in great hands,” Aylward says. “They are doing a great job and it is awesome to see stand-up comedy alive and well in South Korea.” In retrospect, what does he think about his parting words in 2010 concerning Thailand? He clarified, “‘The best thing about Korea is Thailand’ is just a great one-lin - er I had — a joke, of course. Everybody knows the best thing about Korea is kimchi jjigae.” As someone who gets the shakes if he’s gone too long without some local grub, this writer can totally empathize. It’s refreshing to see a fellow expat return with the type of unblemished outlook that only time and distance can provide. For his part, Ayl- ward seems to be relishing his impending return to life as a Canadian expat in Korea. “I’m looking forward to the tour, filming my first DVD, writing the book. Just living life. Loving life. Who knows? Be open to what the world is saying. Plus, I just really miss Asia.” MorE Info j Twitter: twitter.com/bagsofsoup Facebook: www.facebook.com/brian.aylward.1 ASIA Tour DATES Oct. 23 & 25 Oct. 24 Nov. 27-28 Dec. 3-6 Dec. 7-13 Dec. 16 Dec. 19 Dec. 26 Hong Kong Guangzhou, China Jakarta, Indonesia Singapore Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Yangon, Myanmar Phnom Penh, Cambodia Bangkok, Thailand