Victor J. Hanson - Host, Musician, Impressionist, and Comedian Extraordinaire

I’ve seen host/comedian Victor J. Hanson about 20 times at various Elvis shows, legends shows, fund-raisers and benefits -- and I still consider him one of the funniest comedians I’ve ever seen and heard. He is a national treasure! I’ve never gone to an event featuring Victor J. without absolutely enjoying myself and laughing all evening -- and the rest of the audience is almost falling out of their seats and rolling in the aisles with laughter, too.

Victor J. performs as host/comedian at many different events, and most recently I saw him with the “Rock n Roll Flashback” troupe when they appeared in London, Ontario. The “flashback” concept is the brainchild of entertainer Jeff Scott (Buddy Holly) and this particular evening also featured Anthony Von as Elvis, Bernie Jessome as Roy Orbison, and Victor J. doing double duty as host and as the Big Bopper – complete with a great rendition of Chantilly Lace and a cell phone!

And that’s not all. Victor J., during the course of a typical roller coaster evening of fast-paced entertainment, also does celebrity impressions (who else could do Jack Nicholson calling his cat and have the audience absolutely convulsed with laughter!), and treats us to comedy routines by his alter-egos: flamenco guitarist, Jose PorFavor; Shamus, the Newfoundland fisherman; Garth Baldy (hero to all the follicle-ly challenged men without hair); and anyone and anything else that pops into his mind or out of his mouth.

But what sets Victor J apart from other comedians and what he is the absolute master of --.and what never fails to amaze and delight everyone listening to him -- is his quick-witted, thinking-on-the-spot comedy and improvisation. For example, he always picks an unsuspecting couple in the audience, asks them a few questions -- such as their names, where they live, how they met, what they do for a living -- and then instantaneously makes up a complete, absolutely zany routine about them, including stories and songs, based on the few details of their lives he’s just found out about . And, again, he has the audience members and the poor people he’s picked on howling with laughter. At the show I saw recently, it was “Neil and Joan,” an older couple in their 60's, who were spoofed -- and, before long, he had them up on the stage, doing the macarena and thoroughly enjoying themselves as he sang a hilarious song about them. The time before that, out of an audience of about 600 people, Victor J was lucky enough to find the one person whose name was “Skippy” -- and you can only imagine what ensued from there. And then there was Bill, the long distance trucker, and his wife, Liz, who works for a well-known hotel chain -- and they definitely haven’t forgotten the night they were singled out. In fact, I remember Liz up on the stage doing the macarena too! And on it goes.

What’s best of all, is that it’s always good-natured, clean fun and humour and Victor J. seems to be having as much fun as the audiences he performs for. Everyone leaves at the end of the night having had many good belly laughs, .and feeling that they’ve had their money’s worth and more.

At the last show I was at, I took a few random photos of people at different tables enjoying themselves and I also asked a few other people for their comments about Victor J. Here they are:

“I’ve seen at least 10 of his shows and he is the absolute funniest man I’ve ever seen.”

“Quick-thinking and very witty.”

“A better delivery than the post office.”

“Great ad-libber..can pick someone out of the audience and make up a whole routine, along with songs...very, very innovative.”

“Fantastic!”

“Fabulous - No. 1 !!! - thumbs up!”

But Victor J. is more than just another pretty face(!!!). He is also one of Canada’s most sought after corporate comedic hosts and has performed from Halifax, Nova Scotia in the East to Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, in the West, and everywhere in between. In addition to being a professional host/comedian for corporate events, he has also hosted many variety shows, legends shows, Elvis events, benefit shows, awards nights, and toured the country with his own comedy troupes.

Raised in Toronto, Canada, Victor J. started out as a serious guitarist but always found it more rewarding to be able to make the audiences laugh. At one time, he played lead guitar in a country band, opening shows for acts such as Marty Robbins, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Family Brown, But, he decided, eventually, to hone his comedy and take acting lessons -- including those at The Second City Improv.

Some of the other acts Victor J. has performed with are Burton Cummings, Kids in The Hall, Robert Vaughan, Second City, Roch Voisine, Red Green, George Fox, Valdy, and The Moffats, - and corporate clients have included Hewlett Packard, Pillsbury, Nissan, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Sears, Motorola, McDonalds, Nabisco, Wal-Mart, Jaguar, The Mississauga Arts Council.

And -- for those Elvis and ETA fans among us, Victor J. has also worked with and performed at events with ETA’s Anthony Von, Jay Zanier, Vili Verhovsek, Kevin Mills, Jason Dean, GaryElvis Britt, Shon Carroll, Ray Guillemette, Daylin James, Bob McVey, Al Ross, Paul Fracassi, Roy LeBlanc, Stephen Kabakos, Gino Monopoli, and Dorian Baxter. Various legends or tribute shows that Victor J. has been involved with include Rock & Roll Heaven, Rock n’ The Night Away, Good Rockin’ Tonight, Stars on Stage, Keith Burton’s - The Millenium Show, Keith Burton’s Legends & Laughs, Legends from Heaven, Laffs and Lyrics (written by Victor J. and Diane Carter), Elvis - The 25th Anniversary (written by Victor J. and Anthony Von).

Victor J. is truly a professional host, a talented musician, a witty impressionist, and a fabulous comedian. Mix that with his zany characters and lots of audience participation, and you have a great high energy, interactive comedy show that you definitely won’t want to miss! If you are looking for a fun, enjoyable evening out, be sure to catch one of Victor J.’s performances -- and if you’re looking for a superb host/comedian for an event -- look no further!

For more info., contact:

Victor J. Hanson
416-695-8913
email: vhanson@sympatico.ca