Comments on: C'est une beauté de chemin à faire, hein?

C'est une beauté de chemin à faire, hein?

not_on_display — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:17:48 -0800

So, good day, and welcome to the Bob and Doug McKenzie FPP. How's it goin' eh? Like, I've got some back bacon fryin' up on the Coleman, a dozen donuts, a two-four, and our topic today is stuff on the internet relating to these two Canadian hoseheads. So, like, sit back, put a toque on, grab a beer, and enjoy!

The internet is like having a VCR that plays anything you want! Here, for example, are a whole cooler full of ice cold McKenzie Brothers "Great White North" skits from the SCTV days, back where it all started, eh. Their topics include: - New Boots - Beer Nog - Using Calculators in School - How to roll your own while wearing ski mitts - Microwave Ovens - Short Cuts - Flats - Separatism: the problem of the French from the point of view of back bacon and beer - The Great White North - Space Shuttle Arm, and Snow Routes OK, beauty, eh? Next, we have the Album part of the FPP. Here are the hit videos, made by me. (They were not, eh? Take Off!) And (zoom in on me), psst, here's the real beauty part of the FPP, eh? Don't tell anyone, but some hoser left copies of the whole Great White North album lying around for you to download, along with the time they hosted a radio show. (Downloading is like, taking a dump, but, like, in reverse, eh?) And this guy has more stuff than you can shake a hockey stick at, eh? (OK, zoom out now.) So, like, you can make their theme song your ring-tone. You'll also find in there the soundtrack to their feature film... Strange Brew! Like, I didn't realize this, because I failed my grade 6, that Strange Brew is like, a rip-off of Hamlet. It even has a movie-within-a-movie. OK! Also, the movie has a really good villain. Here's the trailer. The youtubes I found of the movie were all messed up, and made Bob's voice sound like it was coming from Doug or vice versa (the other way around, eh?), so just, like, skip those. And the tapes this guy left lying around don't fit into my internet VCR. You can try'em, maybe they'll work for you. Here are the brothers reviewing their movie on Sneak Previews -- that was on Public TV in the lower half of North America. (It had the Ernie and Bert guys before they were famous. Geez, what Americans find educational, eh?) So when Bob and Doug got to be, like, stars and real famous and everything, they even got a piece on the CBC news! Here's a feature of them, and two hosers that look like them, and it also shows the "International Hoser Day Parade," which may or may not really have happened. (The internet, like, brings things to you, but it also takes them away, eh?) So, what are Bob and Doug doing today? One cartoon says they've been reincarnated as moose. This cartoon (from 10:50 to the end) says they're garbagemen, but it also points to their secret identity as corporate spokesmodels! And some guy who looks like their dad is talking about them. But really, we all know in our hearts, they're still sitting around, hanging out with buddies, and drinking stubbies. So, like, that's the end of the FPP, so, good day, eh?

By: smackfu

smackfu — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:19:06 -0800

That's way too many links. Given that, I love "Take Off".

By: fungible

fungible — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:22:00 -0800

You sir, are a genius.

By: wendell

wendell — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:24:09 -0800

I always thought the Bob and Doug bits ran too long. Like this post. An epic effort on behalf of characters known for not making any effort at anything. Oooh... post-modern irony!

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:31:25 -0800

No mention of the fact that they got their star because they need to fill 60 seconds on Canada that got commercials in the US. Cancon forever!

By: photoslob

photoslob — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:37:34 -0800

Takeoff you haters, er, I mean hosers.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:45:41 -0800

I always thought the Bob and Doug bits ran too long. I always thought they ran exactly as long as the Canadian-content laws required them to. But I am not a B&D expert. I could ask a colleague who *is* a B&D expert, to the point of having an original Strange Brew movie poster. I wasn't gonna get a donut and a double-double from Timmy's on my way home, but now I toooootally am. With my toque on.

By: The World Famous

The World Famous — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:50:01 -0800

Why do Canadians always misspell "tuque?"

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:51:00 -0800

Cancon was included, second link after the jump, and mentioned in two of the interviews, eh? I'm, like, glad, I didn't post modern ironing. My mom does all that stuff for me.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:52:24 -0800

Rick Moranis is so, so delicious eh?

By: Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way down — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:55:59 -0800

Whoa, not_on_display, like, beauty post but quit bein' such a keener eh?

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:58:33 -0800

This is the greatest post since, like, anything. You are forever thanked. Let me buy you a beer. Just let me see if I can fit this baby mouse in this bottle here, and...

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:59:33 -0800

/applauds. Now THAT is the way do a youtube-and-assorted media post. Damn, totally genius.

By: buggzzee23

buggzzee23 — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:00:40 -0800

Great post, not_on_display , I'd kiss you if I didn't have puke on my breath.

By: phearlez

phearlez — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:00:48 -0800

Whenever anyone talks about a solution to a problem that's WAYYYYYYY too painful to justify, I think about the bit involving their friend's mom keeping his toes warm in her mouth to stave off frostbite. No way, eh! I'd tell him sorry, I'll take you down to the salvation army for some crutches tomorrow...

By: caution live frogs

caution live frogs — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:01:41 -0800

Damndest thing is, earlier today I was thinking "Y'know what movie I haven't seen in a long time? Strange Brew. I ought to rent that and make my wife watch it again." It's one of those movies that's so dumb it's good. Kinda like "They Live".

By: dr. moot

dr. moot — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:02:51 -0800

sweet. I totally dug the separatism bit, I finally understand.

By: Oriole Adams

Oriole Adams — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:04:00 -0800

The stubbies link reminded me of a time in the late 1980s when Labatt's was phasing out the stubby bottles in favor of the long necks, and some enterprising company in the Detroit area bought up a Windsor warehouse full of the stuff, slapped their own label on it (but let it be known in the local press that it was discontinued Labatt's) and sold it for like $4 a case. Mmmm, I had lots of inexpensive Labatt's goodness that summer.

By: phearlez

phearlez — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:04:26 -0800

Known more formally as 'Ernie's Toes' on the Great White North Album link up above, by the way....

By: Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way down — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:05:30 -0800

I heard once that there was a point in Australian history where news presenters stopped using fake English accents and started sounding like real Australians. This, as it was reported, triggered a new, or renewed, pride in the country. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that the first time I saw Bob and Doug in front of the map of the Great White North, I was dumbstruck. It was the first time I had heard anyone on TV talk like the real guys I went to school with. We didn't use the word "hoser," but it was the perfect encapsulation of people you saw every day but until then had never seen recognized. And it definitely triggered a new kind of pride in our Canadian identity; to this day I still proudly call myself a hoser. I'm still a bit mystified as to the source of their appeal in the lower section of North America, though, because most people there have never ever met or heard a real Canadian, as evidenced by the fact that they still seem to think we say "oot" and "aboot." No No No! It's the difference between the ou sound in "pout' and "vowel." Now smarten up all you hosers down in Lesser Canada, okay?

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:07:39 -0800

Great record. Their rendition of Twelve Days of Christmas still makes me laugh. "Good day! And welcome to day twelve."

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:08:12 -0800

Take off, ya hoser!

By: thanotopsis

thanotopsis — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:17:17 -0800

I'm still a bit mystified as to the source of their appeal in the lower section of North America I think it came around the time of SCTV's rising popularity, when people began escaping from the horrors that encapsulated bad seasons of SNL. Prior to cable being widely available, SCTV was shown locally on PBS where I grew up. It was typically aired late night on a Sunday night, and you felt like you had to sneak around to watch it, Sunday being a school night and all. Incidentally, when MTV began airing episodes of The Young Ones a few years later, they aired them on Sunday nights as well. I think all of these shows were simply gateway drugs to a long term Simpsons addiction. No No No! It's the difference between the ou sound in "pout' and "vowel." Some of us know the difference, as we grew up in the vicinity of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin (aka "Canada Light").

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:22:49 -0800

COO LOO COO COO COO LOO COO COO

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:35:21 -0800

I've worked with hosers, I've known hosers, and you sirs, are no hosers.

By: Banky_Edwards

Banky_Edwards — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:35:47 -0800

I was always bummed that the Animax Bob & Doug cartoon (featured on the Strange Brew DVD) never got past the pilot stage. I would have watched that one for sure, eh. My buddy & I can *still* perform the entire "Great White North" album, given enough beers. Ah, the virtues of growing up in a small town with nothing to do - for starters, you can drive around aimlessly often enough to memorize entire comedy albums.

By: ericbop

ericbop — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:51:59 -0800

...my true love gave to me: beer....in a tree.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:00:20 -0800

So which one is supposed to be Terence and which one is Philip?

By: Listener_T

Listener_T — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:07:18 -0800

No No No! It's the difference between the ou sound in "pout' and "vowel." Not to nit-pick, but they are the same sound. It's closer to "oat" than "oot". Sorey, eh. Gotta go, somebody horked my beer.

By: dirtynumbangelboy

dirtynumbangelboy — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:07:43 -0800

Umm, one mistake. Up here, we spell 'doughnut' properly, eh?

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:29:44 -0800

^I go by the Tim Horton's spelling. Speaking of Canadians, I find the Trailer Park Boys [previously and previously] almost as fun, as a grown-up.

By: Sweetie Darling

Sweetie Darling — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:29:54 -0800

... eight comic books, seven packs of smokes, six packs of Tuborg, five golden toques! Four pounds of back bacon, three french toasts, two turtlenecks... and a beer in a tree! Next year, get me a chainsaw.

By: Tehanu

Tehanu — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:39:24 -0800

I'm still a bit mystified as to the source of their appeal in the lower section of North America, though, because most people there have never ever met or heard a real Canadian, as evidenced by the fact that they still seem to think we say "oot" and "aboot." The audience of the Beverly Hillbillies was far broader than the number of people who'd actually met someone from Appalachia. And I still meet people who think it's representative. Also, that kind of Canadian accent is hilarious. I wish more people talked like that.

By: Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way down — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:45:33 -0800

Not to nit-pick, but they are the same sound. It's closer to "oat" than "oot". Sorey, eh. Sorry yourself, Listener_T, but "oat" it ain't. I think the problem is that to many Americans "vowel" and "pout" may sound similar, whereas in Canada they're pronounced very differently: a long round sound and a short one, respectively. But how do I communicate this in terms that would be meaningful to you and your delightfully insular brethren? In any case, if you're suggesting that we pronounce "boat" and "about" similarly....well, you should just take off, hosehead, fer friggin out loud.

By: Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way down — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:50:53 -0800

I've got it! The contestant bowed before the bout. No? Still no difference? I kind of get the "boat" thing: that's a word whose vowel sound you could never stretch out. But that's not the sound.

By: The World Famous

The World Famous — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:57:45 -0800

Trying to explain to an American how a Canadian pronounces one word by analogizing it to the way that a Canadian pronounces another word does not work.

By: Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way down — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:02:45 -0800

Yes, The World Famous. This is true.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:56:06 -0800

You say hoser, I say Hoosier.

By: Listener_T

Listener_T — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:04:30 -0800

What I was saying is that the sound that many take to be the signature dipthong of the "Canadian Accent" (the one in about) is "closer to 'oat'" than to "oot".Not exactly, but in the neighborhood. The World Famous is correct in what s/he says. In your examples you used two words that in Standard Mid-Atlantic speech have the same vowel sound. No offense meant. I have an enduring and abiding affection for our Neighbors to the North. I have long been a fan of SCTV, Robertson Davies, DeGrassi, and Moxy Fruvous among others. Some of my best friends are Canadian. (heh heh)....I'll take off now.

By: bitter-girl.com

bitter-girl.com — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:24:45 -0800

Prior to cable being widely available, SCTV was shown locally on PBS where I grew up. It was typically aired late night on a Sunday night, and you felt like you had to sneak around to watch it, Sunday being a school night and all. Incidentally, when MTV began airing episodes of The Young Ones a few years later, they aired them on Sunday nights as well. It's true! it's true! I remember being SO EXCITED that my parents would let me stay up to watch The Young Ones on Sunday nights, and whenever the heck SCTV was aired, too... Then again, we only got cable so my dad could have MTV.

By: alicesshoe

alicesshoe — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:09:40 -0800

Talk about a time capsule. of Scarberia and the 70's. ouch. Such a rock and roll town. fek. but a hella' dip into nostalgia there n–o–d. [next you'll be reminiscing about the Gasworks./] Agreed, Trailer Park Boys, is much much funnier and off the hook. What of that episode with the nicked vodka, which they then poured cases into a kiddie wading pool to hide the evidence, until a fight ensued and Randy fell into it...Busted./ Love that intro tune too. Now that's nostalgic, somehow.

By: alicesshoe

alicesshoe — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:15:01 -0800

hello, Trailer Park Boys. [showed fine in preview, or so I thought]

By: evilcolonel

evilcolonel — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:17:45 -0800

It's missing one bit of ephemera that my former boss has been searching for for many years: a long lost television spot the duo taped for the radio station I work for. (The very station that's thanked in the liner notes of the Great White North album). Other than that, fantastic post!

By: BozoBurgerBonanza

BozoBurgerBonanza — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:49:26 -0800

Need your fix for a couple of hosers doing stupid things? Then step right up and check out Canada's latest TV export Kenny vs Spenny; and don't forget to check out their competitions. Enjoy, eh?

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:51:59 -0800

Every episode of TPB is full of fear and idiocy and cheeseburgergutbustin' laughs. I cannot watch the episodes on the showcase website, but I've seen them all, because I just had to. It's also very touching and human in contrast to its lunacy. Cory and Trevor always reminded me of Bob and Doug, in a way.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:56:23 -0800

Whereas Kenny Vs Spenny reminds me of two roommates that I had long, long ago, thank god for the passage of time. I didn't know they were Canadian. They're so... well spoken! This FPP reminds me to get my son a passport so we can take a trip to Montreal this summer. A passport for Canada -- WTF, eh!?

By: arto

arto — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:10:18 -0800

What, no love for Corner Gas? Oh yeah, eh, I already got my toque on but you can feel free to grab me another beer, ya hoser.

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:56:16 -0800

No No No! It's the difference between the ou sound in "pout' and "vowel." And because I knew you were talking about Canadian, and I'm from New England, I was already reading "poutine" before I figured out what you were talking about. Somewhere, I have that album on vinyl. Thanks for the post not_on_display.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:29:50 -0800

coo-coo coo-coo coo-coo-coo!

By: Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way down — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:59:26 -0800

As a coda, those of you who may be hoser-inclined could do worse than to check out the uber-Canadian FUBAR. Bob and Doug are Canadian-cute; this is mainline hoser heroin. /Turn down the suck!

By: Chuckles

Chuckles — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:47:17 -0800

Pure Pwnage seems to capture the zeitgeist too..

By: Chuckles

Chuckles — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:59:03 -0800

Is there something wrong with the "rip off of hamlet" link? I mean, I know that it is, but I wanted to check and make sure that Bob & Doug where really Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, and that link didn't help me at all..

By: attaboy

attaboy — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 03:43:41 -0800

Canadian raising is what that "about" sound is called by linguists, and it's definitely not "aboot". In my experience as a Canadian, most Ontarians and Maritime Canadians pronounce it something like "abayoht" — say the "bayoht" part really quickly as if it were one syllable (a diphthong really). It's a much longer diphthong than most Americans, but it's very similar to how it's pronounced in parts of Scotland and Northern England. In the Western prairie provinces, to my ear, the pronunciation is really closer to "aboat". Native-born west coast Canadians (i.e. Vancouver, Victoria) don't show much of it at all, and neither do anglophone Quebeckers. Wow. That was far too serious a comment for this thread. But there you go, eh?

By: Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way down — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 04:06:35 -0800

attaboy! attaboy. "Canadian raising", eh? Neat!

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:36:04 -0800

Need your fix for a couple of hosers doing stupid things? Then step right up and check out Canada's latest TV export Kenny vs Spenny; and don't forget to check out their competitions. Enjoy, eh? The first couple seasons were good, and you hardly noticed whether and to what degree things were scripted. It was really hilarious, and not at all mean-spirited. The most recent stuff, though, since the South Park guys got involved, is just blackhearted unpleasantness, unfunny and obviously totally scripted. I don't like it one bit.

By: bitter-girl.com

bitter-girl.com — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 08:05:22 -0800

Somewhere, I have that album on vinyl I do, too, Jessamyn! I used to love it... Seriously, I need to find a record player, I've got all kinds of weird stuff on vinyl I haven't listened to in years.

By: stevil

stevil — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 08:40:29 -0800

Sweetie Darling, that's Next Christmas, get me a chainsaw. That line was a family favorite.

By: jayder

jayder — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:17:35 -0800

I went on a Boy Scout canoe trip with a guy who, inspired by Bob and Doug McKenzie, spent the whole trip talking about his tuque.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 11:00:23 -0800

^Chuckles and anyone else: The "rip off of hamlet" link, as it should look. Don't know how that got borked!

By: Old Man Wilson

Old Man Wilson — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 11:09:27 -0800

I love it when the spoil sports start coming out of the woodwork to tell everyone that Kenny vs. Spenny is scripted. I feel so privileged to be in the company of such intelligent and perceptive people... That's why people feel obliged to point out it the "fiction" of it all, right?

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 12:14:16 -0800

^Old Man Wilson - With due respect to the sanctity of your lawn, the American version (the only season I saw, on Comedy Central) kinda sucked; it seemed obvious to me that it was somewhat scripted. Maybe the .ca version was much more subtle, but that didn't make it across the border. KvS was a chore to sit through; I didn't care about either of them and there was no hook to either of their characters to make me want to like or hate them enough to watch. By then, it wasn't about whether it was scripted or not; it was a matter of characters with no likability whining and vid-blogging about doing things that Jackass covered with glee. (Like my two old roommates, without the grossout factor, except the one time one of them milked himself.)

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 12:15:13 -0800

I like semi-colons; I like semi-colons; I like semi-colons except when they are red.

By: Old Man Wilson

Old Man Wilson — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 12:34:01 -0800

not_on_display: Fair enough. I found them both quite unlikeable when I first watched, so I can totally identify with that. It's an worthwhile criticism, I think, especially in the episodes that aired on CC. Even stavros' observation that the show has gotten meaner I can agree with--I still watch and laugh, but I understand that the show isn't for everyone (except for the farting episode, which is. [Yes, I am a very mature individual]) Writing off the show because everything is "obviously" scripted, however, doesn't add anything to the discussion, is all. Criticize it because it's gross, because Kenny is a terrible ham or because Spenny overdoes it with his whining. If you say you don't like it because it's "fake," it just sounds like you're trying to sound more smarter than everyone in the room.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 01:18:35 -0800

I feel so privileged to be in the company of such intelligent and perceptive people... That's why people feel obliged to point out it the "fiction" of it all, right? Make a token effort not to be a complete fucking asshole, OK? Even a moderately charitable reading of what I said would lead one to the conclusion that I really liked the first couple of seasons, and I have no idea, as I said, whether or to what extent the show has been scripted since the outset. But I think the most recent season was really bad, even though I did like the farting episode too, because I'm infantile that way. Nowhere did I say I had 'written off the show because everything is 'obviously' scripted'. Nowhere did I even say I had written off the show. I just don't like it very much any more, for the reasons I mentioned. So I'll thank you not to put words into my mouth. I may not be the smartest person in the room, but based on the evidence you've shown of your reading comprehension, I'm going to have to assume I'm smarter than you.

By: phearlez

phearlez — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:46:29 -0800

In the context of stavros' comment I thought it clear his complaint was not if or if not it was scripted, but the fact that it was -obviously- scripted.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 12:42:03 -0800

Wait, eh? I'm, like, confused... Is this thread scripted? (Aww, take off, you hoser.)

By: hurdy gurdy girl

hurdy gurdy girl — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:57:34 -0800

Great post! I live in one of the towns where Strange Brew was filmed. It is our claim to fame.

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 07:52:15 -0800

Cory and Trevor always reminded me of Bob and Doug, in a way. It's weird how that never occurred to me till just now.