Blending a thoughtful, narrative-driven style with an appreciation for both classic and contemporary stand-up, Calgary comedian Dex Dunford is carving out his place in a thriving comedy scene. Influenced by storytellers like Mike Birbiglia and modern heavy-hitters such as Shane Gillis and Nate Bargatze, his approach reflects a broader shift toward more structured, long-form comedy.
How would you describe your comedy style?
I have more of a storytelling style. My jokes can often be pretty long from point A to point B. I will allow myself to jump off from the story to tell a smaller, somewhat related joke within, but always find my way back to the original story to tie everything together.
Who are some of your influences?
There are so many great names, I probably can’t list them all here without writing an entire memoir about my comedy journey. Mike Birbiglia had a huge influence on actually getting me to make the leap and try comedy. Specifically, his Netflix special, “Thank God for Jokes.” His writing and how his entire special is essentially one long story with smaller stories woven in made me see the “art” in comedy, for lack of a better explanation. I’m always fascinated by how people write and structure their jokes.
As for other influences, Shane Gillis has been a big one for me recently. You can add Rory Scovel, Nate Bargatze, Bill Burr, Doug Stanhope, Anthony Jeselnick, Stavros Halkias, and Jordan Jenssen to that list. I’ve left out so many names. We’re truly living in a bit of a comedy boom right now.
Who was your favourite comedian growing up?
Same thing as above. So hard to pick specific names. I remember always watching the Just for Laughs specials on TV as a kid. Mitch Hedberg was one of my favourites. Mitch All Together was the first comedy album I ever bought. I also grew up on Chappelle’s Show so I have to shout out Dave Chappelle. Honourable mentions to Steve Martin, George Carlin, Sarah Silverman, and Norm MacDonald.
Who is your favourite comedian now?
Probably Shane Gillis, right now. I actually had to stop re-watching his specials so much because I felt like I was adopting his mannerisms and delivery a bit too much in my own performance.
What is your pre-show ritual?
I’m not a very superstitious person, so I wouldn’t say I have a ritual, necessarily. With that said, I always try to bring a lot of energy to my set, and I drink way too much Coke Zero, according to my wife. So you will often find me having a can before a show or some other type of caffeinated beverage.
What is your favourite place you have performed? Why?
I always love going on stage at The Laugh Shop in Calgary. Doing a dedicated comedy club is a great experience because people have paid good money to specifically come watch comedy and laugh. It’s fun being on that stage, and everyone on the show always brings their best so the vibes are high. I also want to shout out The Dive Bar in Las Vegas, which holds true to its name. Was it a great comedy show? Not really. I think people were there for the wing special more than the comedy, and I don’t blame them. Great wings.
What is your favourite bit you have written and why were you proud of it?
This is like picking my favourite child, but I’ll do it because, unlike my kids, my jokes won’t ever read this and be traumatized.
I have a bit about what I would do with a time machine, which I think is a common daydream we have all had at some point. I talk about the typical things we all think about, like going back to change the past, stop an injustice, or right a wrong. It ultimately culminates with me saying I would actually just go back to witness the invention of toast. Just watching a bunch of bakers arguing about the merits of taking a perfectly good slice of bread and baking it even more until it’s crispy. It’s completely silly and pretty stupid, if we’re being honest. It’s also one of my only jokes that people have requested to hear when they come to see me do a set. I don’t think I have built enough of a reputation to garner a whole lot of greatest hit requests, so it feels really nice when someone asks for a specific joke that they have already heard before.
What is your favourite medium for listening or finding new comics/comedians?
Instagram is a great place for this. It’s accessible to anyone, so there is really nothing holding someone back from getting some content out there to be discovered. Plus, I like it when a funny comedian interrupts my nightly doom scrolling. Helps keep things light.
Tell us a joke about your city.
I don’t know that I’ve written a joke about Calgary itself. I do have a bit about my family. We have roots in Calgary/Southern Alberta going back generations. My theory is that anyone who travelled west to set up roots and ended up in Calgary basically stopped here because they saw the mountains come into view over the horizon and decided to quit. The real go-getters all ended up in Vancouver.
Do you have anything to promote right now?
I’ve been working on a new show with a fellow local Comedian, Rob Cox. It’s called Giggles and Games. It’s a bi-weekly curated amateur comedy show at PinBar. We absolutely love the venue. Definitely come check out a show or just go hang out at PinBar and play some of their retro arcade and pinball machines. Obviously, I’m biased, but it has to be one of the coolest comedy venues in Calgary right now.
Where can we follow you?
My personal Instagram, and Giggles and Games.
PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another local comic/comedian we should know about?
You can’t talk about the Calgary comedy scene without name-dropping Faris Hytiaa. He got a Juno award nomination for comedy album of the year, his name is consistently on big festival lineups across the country, and
he’s got a project called The Tomorrow Show you can watch on YouTube. Obviously, he’s ridiculously funny. I remember seeing him do a set at The Laugh Shop a year or two ago, and I was laughing so hard at one point I thought I was going to pass out. Like, I genuinely couldn’t catch my breath. Medical emergency type of laughter.
For me, it’s exciting and inspirational to see someone local who worked hard take things to that next level and get recognition beyond the local scene. He’s already achieved a huge amount of success, but I know there’s way more coming. So go follow him now, and then you can tell your friends you were a fan of Faris before it was cool.
