Dana Carvey gets ready to pump Toronto up at the Winter Garden Theatre tonight

For years, beloved comedian Dana Carvey was one of the most popular actors on Saturday Night Live with such characters as Garth and Church Lady. He stepped away from the limelight to be a part of raising his children, but now he’s back in the game. You can catch him live tonight at the Winter Garden Theatre as part of Humour Me: The CEO/Comedy Classic in support of youth at risk. We caught up with Carvey to find out what we can expect.

You were part of a huge period in SNL history — along with a local kid named Mike Myers. Who was your favourite character back then?
I guess if I had to pick one, I’d say Hans and Franz. I was really great friends with Kevin Nealon, and they just made us laugh on multiple levels. Like, you expected them to be lifting these really heavy weights, but they never lifted anything. They definitely had some schizophrenia and maybe some paranoia going on.

Do you get more calls during election season?
It’s a fun time you know for SNL, Jon Stewart and myself. There is supercharged political energy in the air. I’ve been working hard to find a hook on Obama [launches into Barack Obama impersonation]. Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown, Jill came tumbling after [dramatic pause]. But why doesn’t Jill have a crown? That’s the war on women right there.

There was a time when comedians were a bit standoffish with Obama. Has that changed?
I think he’s just so unique. There was a delicacy for obvious reasons during the first two years. Even a white guy like me doing an African American is kinda edgy. But it’s loosened up. A lot of pretty big people have told me if he’s re-elected they said they will go after him.

The Dana Carvey Show had a limited run. Was it just too edgy?
Ya, Comedy Central hadn’t really evolved, it might have worked on HBO — now they ask you to push more. The irony of it was that it was just abstract. There wasn’t a lot of potty or sexy humour, but after Bill Clinton breast-fed the country, it seemed ridiculous to be on the ABC lineup of cute sitcoms.

Some big names came out of that show though.
We were lucky enough to get Louis C.K. as a writer. Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert were still available…. Steve Carell I definitely championed, for sure. I actually ran into him a while back, and we were talking, and I was like, ‘I mean you’d have made it anyway.’ And he said, well, no, his wife — no. He was really, really down and out and not feeling good at all.

What can we expect at your show this month?
You’ll get my take on political impressions and the state of my universe. I talk now a lot about spirituality, health, the self-actualized movement, asking, ‘Are you living your best life?’ and what kind of destruction that can do to human psyche while Oprah has quietly put on 20 pounds…. I mean, if Oprah can’t do it, what hope do the rest of us have?

Humour Me: The CEO/Comedy Classic, The Winter Garden Theatre, 189 Yonge St., 416-314-2901. Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m.

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