Janelle Niles Is Making Waves

On March 29, CBC Gem launched Season 2 of The New Wave of Standup - a showcase of a rising comedic talent from across Canada. This season, viewers get to experience twelve comedians bringing their unique worldview and comedy stylings to the stage for a ten minute performance. Among these comedians is Janelle Niles, known for her Indigenous comedy show Got Land? Comedy, a variety show that aims to communicate solidarity through humour and laughter. Janelle was kind enough to share a moment of time to discuss her comedy and her excitement about being part of CBC Gem’s The New Wave of Standup.

How does it feel being featured on The New Wave of Standup? 

It’s surreal! I was given this opportunity just three years out the gate for when I started comedy. I’m very grateful for the opportunity. It still feels like a dream that I had not based in reality, but I’m happy I got the chance to do it. 

How did you feel being featured on a lineup of some of Canada’s heaviest hitters in comedy?

I was taken aback because I had never met them before I went there. So I saw Nick Nemeroff - who I had watched perform live before, but never met him, so I was like “ohhh my god!” I was the most green out of everybody and thought “do I know what I’m doing?” And I remembered someone telling me “fake it until you make it” and just keep being confident. So being around all that talent, I saw one of them a bit nervous and thought “hey, they’ve been in this for so long and they STILL get nervous? Alright, okay.” And that made me feel a bit better. 

What made you pursue standup comedy initially?

I have wanted to be a comedian ever since I was a little kid, but I guess when I was fourteen, I got a big pop in a high school assembly and I thought “there it is.” If I can make an audience laugh, I’m gonna do this - I’m gonna do standup comedy. And a lot of the comedy that I wanted to do when I was a kid was based in tragedy, because I had a dark sense of humour. So I thought “I need to stop holding people verbally hostage and get on stage!”

What gave you the motivation to get up on stage and try standup for the first time?

Well, I just  got into college when I was in my thirties. When I was in college studying massage therapy, COVID happened. And I realized that I wanted to do something with my life that I want to do because comedy came through that self-discovery of “do I want to be a massage therapist? What do I REALLY want to do?” And that was comedy! And in my thirties I was like “if I don’t do it now, I never will.” I took the leap and said “I have nothing to lose.” 

In your pre-show interview, you mentioned your biggest influence is George Carlin. What about his work impacted your career?

I find him just telling it like it is through his filter. It was relatable, even as a child. As an adult, I go back and it’s still relatable. It’s somebody telling you what you’re thinking - but George Carlin is like Bill Hicks, is he telling a joke or just telling the truth? 

What is your favourite type of audience member to engage with your work?

If I can make a sixty-five year old white man laugh, I know I got ‘em. (Laughs) I know if I can get them, then I am hitting every mark.

What motivated you to produce the Got Land? Comedy?

When I started performing comedy in 2019, I realized that I’m performing before a crowd of mostly caucasians, and the comedians on stage are mostly caucasians. So, I noticed I was the one Indigenous and Black comedian on the roster, but there were more Indigenous comedians out there. And I realized we just became the token POC acts. And I’m like “well, there’s a lot of Indigenous comedians here” and I took inspiration from Kenny Robinsons’ Nubian Show. And there’s actually an Asian comedy show out in Vancouver, so I was like “well, we can do an Indigenous comedy show.” It’s a unique style of comedy the rest of Canada needs to hear. It was born out of an open mic at Eddy’s Diner in Ottawa. It was a little open mic, and it was born out of one show.

What has the reception to the show been thus far?

Pretty good! I’ve had no real flack, I did have flack at the beginning at the beginning when somebody said “Oh it’s an all Indigenous comedy show, isn’t that reverse racism?” And I’m like “if you came to the show, you’d know that is not the case” (laughs) but I can’t give that secret out. 

Are there any acts from the Got Land? Indigenous Comedy Show that you believe Canadians should be tuned into and following along?

Yes! I can’t say enough about Patrick Cheechoo. He came from Thunder Bay, and he’s been in the scene for a long time. He’s one of those indigenous comedians who is only known in Indigenous comedy, and he needs a broader audience. I would also give a big shout out to Dakota Ray Hebert, she just had her movie Run Woman Run come out, and is recording her album in Ottawa! 

What are your biggest goals in comedy? 

My earliest goal is to tour Turtle Island - to tour North America, to get to every reserve and nation that I can to spread Got Land? My long-term Janelle goal is to be a regular at The Store, at The Cellar, get a Netflix special, get up there and spread the word, and mentor little girls that aren’t here yet. 

Who would you say your comedy is for?

As a narcissist, it’s for me (laughs) But it’s for the people. I know comedy is not always the greatest when it has a “message” but I do believe George Carlin, Bill Hicks, and Paul Mooney all had a message, and that’s what I’m emulating. I’m emulating a message for the people. One for the Indigenous side that we’re still here, and we have a voice - that’s what Idle No More is about. On the Black side, we have a Black history that (Canada) doesn’t want to talk about, and as someone who is Black AND Indigenous, I think that comedy is the best outlet to get our message across. Canada here we come!

Season 2 of The Next Wave of Standup premiered March 29, 2022 and is available now on CBC Gem.