Former policer officer turned comic to record first album
A former Timmins police officer turned comedian is set to record his first comedy album next month.
Rick Lemieux has been performing stand-up comedy on and off for the last 20 years or so.
Now, drawing from his life experiences, he said he is finally ready to record a comedy album.
Lemieux told CTV News that being a police officer made it difficult to joke about his job on stage.
Now, since moving on from the force, he said he has been practicing his routine and his jokes can get a room laughing better than ever.
“Literally, I cringe because I’m not as polished as I am now. I watch and I go, ‘Aw, I thought I was good’ … now I feel like I am,” said Lemieux, talking about watching his old tapes.
The former policeman has titled his first album ‘The Cops Can’t Stop Me Now,’ which he said will share many good-humoured stories from his policing days and that he is pretty sure won’t get him in trouble with his former coworkers.
“You get to do a lot of things and you’re like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’ You know, ‘I can’t believe this is what I saw.’ And it makes for funny stories,” Lemieux said.
He said he likes to joke and it took him 20 years as an officer to come up with an hour of material.
Lemieux said he had some well-known comedians help him along the way – a fact he appreciates.
One of those well-known comedians is Derek Seguin.
The Canadian stand-up comedian told CTV News that Lemieux is always his first choice to open for him when he is in the north, even though he was a cop when they first met.
“That’s not usually the profile of close friends of Derek Seguin, if you know what I mean,” said Seguin.
“He may have been my only police officer friend and, like, being my friend forces him out of the police force. That’s probably the influence that I would have on him.”
Lemieux said Seguin and others would give him tips and tell him that he is ready to record an album. Though Lemieux admits he sometimes brushed them off as just being nice.
“What has happened to us that that would be a surprising, ‘oh my God, Derek Seguin, he’s probably just nice to everybody.’ Yeah,” said Seguin.
“What’s wrong with that? That’s a total good way to just go through life.”
Lemieux said though it’s taken a while and he is raising young adults, he is still driven to see his comedy career through.
“They think I’m ready for this, so I guess I am,” Lemieux said.
“This is something I really want to do and nothing’s going to stop me from doing it.”
Lemieux will be performing in Sudbury on Feb. 10 at Little Montreal at 9 p.m. and recording his album live at the Porcupine Dante Club in Timmins on Feb. 18.
Tickets for the ‘The Cops Can’t Stop Me Now’ live comedy album recording show are available online.
For more information on Lemieux’s shows, visit his Facebook.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.