The Urbanite – Jon Liedtke – May 7, 2014
Canada’s worst role models, Kenny Hotz and Spenny Rice, come to Chatham May 8, 2014
After six seasons, 86 episodes, endless competitions and hilarious yet often disgusting humiliations – Kenny and Spenny have reunited to bring their living room antics to cities across the country after being off the air for nearly four years.
The Kenny vs. Spenny vs. Canada tour spans 13 cities coast to coast and in an exclusive to The Urbanite, Kenny Hotz took some time to speak about the event, the television show and his colleague, Spencer Rice.
The hour and a half performance includes clips from the Kenny vs. Spenny that haven’t been aired, behind the scenes footage, a question and answer session and a talk about how the show was made.
“Every show is different,” said Hotz. “Basically I try to just get Spenny as wasted as possible and then we shit on each other and try to get the audience to love us.”
“We’re not actors so we’re not doing stupid sketches or comedy bits or anything like that, we go out and we pour our heart out and you basically get to spend a night with us. It’s just like sitting in our living room during Kenny vs. Spenny, it’s the exact same thing.”
Hotz famously hired an airplane to fly over Toronto with the banner “Jesus Sucks” during a competition, but was not concerned about repercussions for his various actions because he sees himself as an artist first and foremost.
“I’m an art history major and the greatest artists are the ones who just kind of fuck around and do shit. People used to scream at Elvis for wiggling his hips and now Miley Cyrus is sticking a banana up her ass at concerts,” reasoned Hotz. “It’s time and genre, it doesn’t make a fucking difference.”
One episode of the show sees Hotz and Rice compete to see who can smoke the most weed and Hotz explained that Canadian taxpayers fronted the bill for the drugs in both that episode and another.
“Canadian taxpayers [paid for the marijuana],” said Hotz. “Canadian taxpayers also paid for the acid that I slipped Spenny. I would put in a receipt that said ‘acid for Spenny’ and it was a legitimate expense that used in the production for the series, and that was it… I went in for eight or nine hundred bucks [for marijuana] and I got my cash back.”
Crossing the line and often recrossing it after redrawing it several kilometres down the road is something that Hotz simply enjoys doing.
“I love being the guy that broke rules and did shit and saying… ‘I did that, that was me, we smoked weed, I’m the guy that slipped his friend acid for the first time, fuck you I did it.”
The tour is recommended for those with mature comedic tastes and Hotz made it clear that his fans would enjoy the performance.
“There’s stuff you haven’t seen and it’s a shit show. We’re idiots, half the time we don’t know what we’re doing but people laugh way more than like at Sarah Silverman or Louis CK. There’s footage of people pissing their pants.”
“It’s totally real and absurd and I don’t think there’s anything else like it out there.”
Kenny vs. Spenny vs. Canada takes place at St. Clair College Capitol Theatre in Chatham Thursday, May 8 at 8 p.m. For more information, visit kennyvsspennytour.ca.
JON LIEDTKE – May 7 2014
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Jonathon Liedtke is the managing editor of The Urbanite, Windsor’s alternative newspaper. He is also a member of Windsor’s “Punk with Horns” band The Nefidovs, and as such, is committed to enhancing and sustaining the arts community.
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