EDMONTON — Paul Sveen has gained acclaim as a musician, a stand-up comedian and an author.
And it all started in southeast Saskatchewan. Sveen was born in Lampman in 1957, and his family moved to Alberta in 1963 after his father Olaf, who was a professional musician, was hired to teach music in Edmonton.
Sveen told SaskToday he started his entertainment career as a drummer for (Stompin’) Tom Connors and played drums on Connors’ TV series. But he’s dedicated much of his life to stand-up comedy, making people laugh and teaching others to do the same.
The power of laughter
He’s also released three plays and four books. His latest effort is The Awfalot, which is about a young girl discovering the power of laughter. Sveen said he and his wife Noreen wrote the book 20 years ago, but it took this long to get it released.
“For a lot of reasons, we couldn’t get it published. We didn’t have the money and [we had] different situations in our lives, but we always had it in the back of our minds, and we finally decided ‘Let’s put this story together,’” said Paul Sveen.
While it’s a children’s book, Sveen billed it as being for ages six to the young at heart. One of his former students, Emily St. Marie, is the illustrator for the Awfalot.
“We talked back and forth for over a year, her, my wife and I, creating these characters to go into the manuscript,” said Sveen, noting they worked on the images for over a year.
Once people read the story, the Awfalot name will mean more to them. People have been reaching out to them and thanking them because they appreciate the message.
“We forget the child inside of us sometimes in our work, in our life and what we go through. I have learned the more fun I have, the more successful I am. It’s true for everybody.”
The little girl on the front cover is a drawing of his wife at a young age, he said. Sveen noted his wife’s parents died at a young age, and in the book, the parents are with the little girl.
“That’s the one reason we decided to do the book together is we’ve been through a lot ... life is not easy,” said Sveen.
The girl in the Awfalot is named Little Nernie Wiggens; Nernie was his wife’s nickname in school – a monicker given to her by her childhood best friend.
Be honest when on stage
Stand-up comedy is the toughest business in the world, he said, and if someone is about to perform at a festival, everybody is stressed out.
“It’s not a happy place. It can be terrifying. Public speaking is terrifying, so people doing comedy and sharing their truth is even scarier. So ... even though in standup it’s supposed to be fun, it isn’t always fun,” said Sveen.
After being in stand-up comedy and teaching it to people from all walks of life for years, he finds it’s more important to have fun.
“The more honest we are with our humour, the more successful we’re going to be, because in a comedy club, when you go on stage and tell your truth, the audience listens. They’ve heard all of the jokes before and they’ve heard all of the setups and everything, but when you go on stage and you’re honest, an audience listens and they appreciate what you’re saying, because we all want honesty in your lives,” said Sveen.
Throughout their marriage, Noreen has encouraged him to be himself.
Entertainment is in his blood
Sveen’s father Olaf recorded the first-ever full-length album in Saskatchewan in the 1950s while residing in the southeast, and the elder Sveen enjoyed a lengthy career as a polka musician. He toured with the band Olle and his Playmates. Paul Sveen’s mother, whose maiden name was Lischka, worked for the phone company in Estevan, which is how the couple met.
“My dad loved to laugh, so it turned into a career for me,” said Sveen.
His next project, he said, is an audiobook, The Leader of the Band, on his father’s life story. It includes some of Olaf Sveen’s music.
Proud of his roots
Paul Sveen has toured the world and even performed at air force bases for all of the soldiers coming back to Canada from Afghanistan. At one of his shows at the North Pole, he left markers from Lampman.
“I’m a big fan of Saskatchewan. Born there. So, with about 300 or 400 different markers facing all over the world, from France, Czechia, New York and everywhere, there’s a little marker with the mileage from the North Pole to Lampman, Saskatchewan,” Sveen said proudly.
He said he was in the southeast a few years ago for the funeral of his uncle Lars. He has been in the region many times, and when he was performing in Regina, he always made a point to stop in the region. He hopes he can return to the region before too long, as he still has family in the area.
The Awfalot is on Amazon, Indigo and Chapters. More information can be found on its Facebook page.
