One of Canada’s top comedians shares the funniest stories from his life and career in this collection of hilarious essays

For more than two decades, Gerry Dee has made audiences laugh, first as a hard-working stand-up comedian, and then as the star of his own CBC television program, Mr. D. Dee became a physical education teacher, thinking he would have it made: coaching, summers off and a good pension. But he found himself dreaming of a career in comedy, until one day, years later, he turned in his teaching certificate and picked up a microphone. He went on to become one of Canada’s top comics.

In his new book of essays, Dee writes about his life—being a kid in suburban Toronto, becoming a father, starring in his own TV show, going on the road to comedy clubs across Canada and the US. He takes us behind the scenes of Last Comic Standing, Mr. D and everywhere in between. There was the time he set up his own DVD-signing appearances, only to have no one show up. Or the time he was flown to the Bahamas, where he performed for drunken fishermen and their “nieces.” And he shares his lifelong affliction with hypochondria and all the medical conditions he doesn’t have. This is Gerry Dee at his comedic finest.