Move over Deepak Chopra and Mark Manson. Anesti Danelis has a new solo show that he guarantees will change all of our lives.
Yes, it’s true: inspired by the treadmill of self-help gurus, wellness books and self-care rituals. the versatile comedian and musician is ready to share his own unsolicited advice in This Show Will Change Your Life, part of the Toronto Fringe Festival, running at the Al Green Theatre until July 17.
Audiences may already know Danelis as the man who quit his job at a Starbucks by bringing out his guitar and singing to his boss. A viral internet video of that famous song-quitting swept the globe in 2019 and made Danelis famous across media outlets, including People magazine.
Since then, the comedian, musician, writer, and filmmaker’s work has been featured on VICE, the AV Club, Daily Mail UK, and Extra TV, among other radio and TV shows across the globe. He has an hour-long musical comedy special streaming worldwide on NextUp Comedy. He has performed on Global TV and CBC as part of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival (Season 18 is now streaming on CBC Gem). He has been heard on CBC radio’s Laugh Out Loud. And his comedic videos frequently go viral, topping over 80 million views and listens across the internet, tickling his 250,000 followers, and catalyzing hundreds of fan-made remakes on TikTok and Instagram.
Tours of Danelis’ musical comedy shows at festivals frequently earn him both audience and critical acclaim. For instance, his 2018 debut show was announced as a Top 8 Best Comedy Show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the Amused Moose Comedy Awards. He was also nominated for Best Variety Act at the Canadian Comedy Awards in 2019. His second sold-out show garnered critical praise at the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival before heading to Edinburgh, where it was taped for a comedy special. Following this year’s run of This Show Will Change Your Life, he is going on tour with the award-winning Tita Collective, and will return to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the third time.
So yeah, much has changed in Danelis’ life since Starbucks. But what matters most is how — buoyed by trendy TikTokkers on the wellness bandwagon, and self-help books proclaiming their potency in ALL CAPS — he will CHANGE OUR LIVES. (Even though he is no more qualified to promote bombastic self-help claims than the next guy). We caught up with Danelis to talk about how his quitting song has become a rallying cry for people with terrible bosses; how his show transforms lives through anthems on relationships, career advice, and guilty pleasures; and how hydration is the true path to happiness.
SM: Let’s start with you. Tell us a little about yourself and about your life as an artist and comedian. Do you recommend comedy as a career of choice?
AD: Okay, but only a little bit. I need to keep the mystery alive. I’m Anesti Danelis, a Toronto-based comedian and writer. I create and tour musical comedy shows, as well as create comedic short-form videos for the internet.
My family is Greek, and I think I might be as well.
As far as comedy goes, I will say I definitely recommend comedy as a career if you dislike money. If you like money and want to do comedy, just make sure you become very famous. But also, I think art in general is just great to dabble in for anyone, even if it’s not a career intention. Having a creative outlet and being a part of a community is always nice.
SM: You famously quitting your job at Starbucks by singing to your manager has become legendary. Did you think at the time that it would have the comedic traction that it did? And have you ever had any regrets (either about quitting or your lyrics or your performance)?
AD: I never thought it would get the traction that it did. I just had the idea when I was bike riding home from a bad work day, and without second guessing it, that momentum just kept going until boom: I performed it, posted it, and forgot about it. Then the internet blew it up. It’s weird; the actual video is not even at 1 million views, but it swept the media globally. The craziest one was being featured in People magazine. Like what???
No regrets: my manager was a d*ck. It was also so cool and unexpected to see how many people connected to this song, and to read about how they were all dealing with unfit management themselves. It became sort of an anthem for people with sh*tty bosses. I thought lyrically, it was one of the best songs of the 21st century, and I’m honestly shocked that it wasn’t nominated for a Grammy or Nobel Peace Prize.
SM: Let’s talk about your show at the Toronto Fringe, This Show Will Change Your Life. How did you you get the idea for it, and what has the developmental journey been like?
AD: I just remember walking into the self-help section of the Chapters and how every book was like “HOW TO UNF**K YOURSELF!!!” I was being yelled at by books! It’s weird. It made me realise how trendy self-help and wellness had become, and how it’s the cool thing to do now. Gone are the days of “how to be the most productive at your job!” books, and here comes the “how to be the best at resting!” books. It’s absurd.
There’s advice being thrown at us by people who think they know the secrets to life because they did yoga near a sunset once, and we blindly follow it, which is hilarious (myself included . . . ahhhh). Development-wise, I researched a bunch of self-help books, wellness practices, also really dug deep into the 90’s (I feel like rave culture and wellness culture shared an escapist quality, so I researched songs and fads of the 90’s as well), then broke them down into keywords and just wrote from there.
SM: In the press release, you said about the show, “I hope audiences walk away feeling like they can change their lives themselves without having to listen to any wellness gurus on Instagram telling them that micro-dosing kombucha while practicing gratitude in the wilderness will solve their problems.” Do you want to talk a little about how you will convey this feeling to your audience, and what they will experience at the show?
AD: The intro song about how to change your life neatly sandwiches the show with a closing song about how you should just ignore advice and just live your life. The comedic songs are a send up on self-help books and the ridiculous nature in which we partake in this advice.
Expect a fun concert of original comedic songs inspired by these themes. Think stand-up meets music. If you’re a fan of the Flight of the Conchords or the Lonely Island, then this show will be right up your alley.
It’s filled with anthems on relationships, career advice, guilty pleasures and more. Feel in control by Stealing from Work! Get revenge on an ex by sleeping with both their parents! Learn how to date while navigating a close-knit immigrant family in I Live at Home! Get insider tips on how to know if your partner is cheating on you (Do they wear clothes? They’re cheating on you! Who are they dressing up for???)! And so much more.
SM: I don’t fancy kombucha and don’t have time to venture into the wilderness to practise gratitude or anything else. That said, my life could use some changes. Do you have any advice for me (beyond seeing your show, that is)?
AD: Oh yes, if you want to change your life, just drink water! All of our problems are due to dehydration. Headache? You’re just dehydrated. Unsuccessful? No, you’re just dehydrated. Our bodies are around 150% water, we’re basically fish, and fish thrive in water. Drink water, be water, water is life, and it will be your life.
SM: Your choice of final question: Tell us something about yourself that is not on your resumé. Anything that might surprise us? Or: What question did I not ask you that I should have (and what’s the answer)?
AD: Ohh I can clap with my ears. My earlobes are flappy, and when I move them back and forth, they make a clappy sound, and I’m very proud of it.
Reserve tickets to This Show Will Change Your Life here.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesayarts Magazine, 2022
