Today we talk to Brian “Fozzy” Cross of Haiku Trout.
How many people are in “Haiku Trout?”
There are 5 of us.
What are their names?
Brian “Fozzy” Cross, Kevin Kirn, Gin Kirn, Adam Noble, & Scott Gardner
How long has the group been around and how did it form?
Haiku Trout was formed about a year ago. We all met via a local swing dance performance troupe called Emerald City Swing (ECS). Aside from various gigs around the Pacific Northwest, ECS puts on a dance show every spring. Five years ago, I thought that it might be fun to throw in some small sketches in between some of the dance numbers in order to give our show a unique dynamic. The troupe gave it a try and the sketches have become one of the audience’s favorite parts of the show. Two years ago, still having fun creating sketches, I thought it would be fun to create a group where the sketches were the main focus of the group. I recruited some good friends that I had worked with on ECS and here we are today, Haiku Trout.
Is there an exciting story behind the name of the group?
When I first created the group, I wanted to call us “The Screaming Yellow Weenie Heads.” That name wasn’t quite as popular with the rest of the group (although I still think it is a great name and vow to use it some day for something else). So, as a group, we started tossing around names. We wanted something that could be short and snappy, something a bit random, yet something that we could have some fun with. I threw “Haiku Trout” into the pot. It’s a bit random, is fairly short, and haikus are just plain fun. More importantly, everyone liked it (at least much better than my original name). Oh! And ask us to show you our gang sign sometime!
Is their a “Haiku Trout” approach to sketch comedy?
Having performed with each other for several years on ECS, we have all become really good friends. When we get together, funny stuff just happens (not always on purpose, either). Sometimes we even remember to write the funny stuff down. All of us either love to write, perform, or both, and so that is what we do.
Where can we see you perform?
We are currently working on our next show. Look for us around February. We usually perform at the Theatre of Puget Sound up on the 4th floor of the Seattle Center House.
What is funny?
Everything is funny. You just have to show people.
Anything else?
Check us out at http://www.haikutrout.com/! We hope to see you at our next show!
