Wednesday. January 10, 1996 — North Shore News -- 15 Wo TO CALL: ip, © STORIES Community Editor Andrew McCredie Entertainment Editor Layne Christensen 985-2131 (118) A 985-2131 (147) MARK LEIREN-YOUNG is the one with the hair. Or to put it another way — Kevin Crofton isn’t! MA And just artin so we're clear 2 a on this, Kevin Millerchip Crofton is the —_————————————— one with the : job — Mike Harcourt isn't! Crofton is the __follicly challenged .» half of the Curtain sharp-witted, cail satirical duo Local Anxiety who are back on stage for a fourth year to lampoon the names in Canadian news. Crofton’s bone dome is such a match for Harcourt’s that the last News’ front page photo for 1994 used him as a stand-in for our bald premier. West Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA David Mitchell was gleefuily applying a choke hold as I recail. Now if only he had been beating himself to death with a bingo card... Crofton laughingly acknowledges that his hair- line has helped over the last couple of years. “You use the physical ateibutes you've got in comedy — whatever they are.” He’ll miss Harcourt when he goes, but at least the leaving gave Local Anxiety onc hilarious, show- stopping number for The Year In Revue ‘9S — Mike Harcourt in his post-political career as a Vegas lounge singer belting out / Did It Moe's Way. But even the bumbling of the provincial NDP pales besides Crofton’s memories of the glory days of the Socreds. “We loved so much parodying Vander Zaim because you couldn’t get as crazy as the actual things that he was up to. When he left the scene he forced us into more national material.” Crofton is the singer-songwriter-musician-(bet- ter)actor of the duo, with Leiren- Young writing the ~ majority of the wicked zingers that are their stock in trade. But in the minds of many fans, their biggest claim to fame remains the night in 1993 that former prime minister Kim Campbell followed a bare-shouldered, gown-toting Leiren- Young on stage at the Arts Club to deliver 10 reasons why she was glad to leave Ottawa. (Sample: no longer has to explain jokes to Ottawa press corps.) Straight-man Crofton won't speculate on the chemistry that drives the duo but admits to playing the editorial or “reality checker” role to Leiren- Young's way-out humor. “You want to be able to go to the edge but not necessarily drop off it,” says Crofton. He abhors the idea of “preaching” a point of view, however. “EP think it comes out much better in satire, For example. our song df Preston Were Prine Minister paints a portrait of a really idealistic, whimsical world. “Sometimes people applaud because they don’t see the irony in it and think we really love Preston.” This is difficult to believe if you have seen Crofton perform Mr Manning's Neighborhood. But while their observations are acute and their targets embrace the political spectrum. there is a soft- ness in Crofton and Leiren-Young's performances that is forgiving. The satire rides on the shoulders of a natural naivete that charms more often than it outrages. Crofton doesn’t disagree when this is put to him, but then he is a professicnal counselor, adept at working with street teens. and avoiding cenfronta- tion is another skill he has in his repertoire. Surprisingly, this choughtful and carefully con-” trolled adult admits to being the class clown while growing up. He used to tke great glee in contorting his double-jointed limbs for the express purpose of creating fright and havoc amongst the girls ir in his class. Could rock *n‘ roll stardom be far away? At id, Crofton was compiling scrap books of pencil-drawn album covers featuring himself and his friends. At [6 he had his own garage band. But by the : . af age of 20 he was touring celtic influenced folk-rock . NEWS photo Mike Wakefield §=— through the northern circuit of the province. LOWER LONSDALE resident Kevin Crofton parlayed a striking resemblance to a He's the father of four-month-old daughter Leila certain premier into brilliant satire as one-half of the Local Anxiety comedy duo. — and has found this December to be a harried time with the show in rehearsal and wife Duanita teaching at West Vancouver's Art Therapy Institute. ; . They hooked up in Victoria in 1984 when Leiren-Young wrote scenes for Crofton in an on-going But he’s pleased they moved to Lower Lonsdale two years ago: “It’s a lot less hustle than the comic soap-opera called Beacon Hill. Leiren-Young says Crofton was the only cast member who — Kitsilano area. There's a definite, different feeling about being in North Vancouver and looking at knew how to get a laugh with a straight line. Crofton invited Leiren-Young onto his university radio Vancouver. That feeling of separation is a whole new perspective.” show “to do the lighter side of the news.” Crofton and Leiren-Young’s perspective on the Canadian political scene can be caught at TQ’s They’ve been doing it in one form or another ever since. Musical Comedy Satirical stage shows about Expo (Exposé) and Vander Zalm (Escape From Fantasy Gardens) fol- Restaurant on lowed and in 1991 Local Anxiety debuted as the warm-up act for Double Exposure on. a CBC special. Granville [sland Encouraged by Bob Robertson's enthusiasm for their act, the pair kept plugging away and bynow = until, Jan. 13. have appeared on almost every major TV and radio news show in Canada. Call 280-3311 They have received two Washington State Press Awards for songs they've written for radio station for information KPLU, have their own CD and are now popular guests at political conventions across the country. and reservations. Starts Fricey Jon. Sth VANCOUVER A special thank you for a. wonderful 1995. 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