There's something funny going on at Coch's Corner

There's a lot to laugh about every Wednesday night at Coch's Corner, 708 Queen Street East.

The weekly comedy shows, hosted by Saultite JP Naphan (pictured), began not long ago after he emerged from a short, self-induced hiatus from his craft.

The break was due to Naphan's boredom with performing a decade's worth of old material as well as ongoing health issues.

He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 21, the same year he took up comedy.

"A lot of great comedians are bipolar - Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Jonathan Winters - there's a whole grab bag of comics who suffer from it," he told SooToday.com in a recent interview. "You have this awkward amount of energy and you have to sublimate it into something useful."

The 33-year-old draws a lot of inspiration from the unique perspective he experiences while in a manic state, but after some time in therapy, on medication and in support groups he questions the diagnosis.

"I find a lot of psychiatry and its history questionable," he said. "Pharmaceutical companies are doing the equivalent of lobotomies, only with chemicals. It made me crazier. So I've been medicating myself with pot."

Now, with fresh interest and new ideas, Naphan appears at Coch's Corner with weekly guests while he writes new material.

Not wanting to draw his older work, he's completely willing to go on stage and bomb as a means to motivate new jokes.

Tonight at Coch's Corner, Naphan welcomes Canadian comic, Dave Merheje who has appeared on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, been interviewed by Bill Hader for Just For Laughs: All Access, and has performed across Canada and the United States.

The laughs begin tonight at 9 p.m. and you must be 19 or older to attend.

As for Naphan, he hasn't completely turned his back on his past, but is offering his routine JP Naphan is a Dirtbag for free here (Warning: Contains coarse language and adult subject matter. Material may not be suitable for some viewers)