Jeff Douglas - How an ‘I Am Canadian,’ Beer Commercial Brought A Nation Together, Twice! - Afternoon Pint

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm going to give this 10 seconds.
See if that goes away.
It's still popping up.
We're good though now.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Okay, cool, okay one two, one two.

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Cheers, cheers.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Cheers.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Cheers.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Welcome to the afternoon pint Well thank you so
much, thank you so much.
And we're here at the GarrisonTavern.

Speaker 3 (00:15):
I've never been there , my first time, oh, first time
Very nice coming from work.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Oh yeah, I thought it was going to be a half hour.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
It was like 10 minutes at 6 o'clock in Halifax,
that's an hour and a half.
We got a couple of good beershere, some seasonal beers too.
Actually, we didn't talk aboutthat, but you guys got the Hafe
Weissens and I got theDunkelweizen Nice, so some
German-style beers, because it'sOktoberfest A little, oh, of
course, and Matt and I dressvery similar today.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Yeah, I have to say Not on purpose, but we were with
one of our heroes commercialheroes, we'll say- of past.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
You've got your the great Canadian Joe aka.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Jeff Douglas, you've got your hoser jackets on.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
We do man.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Yeah, absolutely here's to Joe yeah, well, thank
you and thanks for having me.
I'm super excited to be here.
What a great way, what a verycivilized way to make a podcast,
to make media.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
A Canadian way to make a podcast A very, very
Canadian way.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
So, yeah, so people might remember you from the I Am
Molson, I Am Canadiancommercial way back in the day
and we were talking about howiconic it was.
You know, almost right up therewith Heritage Minutes.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
So why don't you tell us a little bit about how that
came to be, how you ended up asthat guy?
Well, I was, uh I was an actorin toronto and uh, you know,
like most actors, when you'restarting out, or uh, commercials
are your bread and butter.
And so I'd gone through thatperiod and actually, at the
point that this commercial hadcome up, I had a role on a
Disney series and I remember myagent calling me and saying you

(01:54):
know, chris Alexander, who's acasting director, he'd like to
see you for this test, becauseit wasn't even a commercial, a
test for a beer commercial.
And I was like I don't want to,I think I'm done with
commercials.
I don't, you know, I'm noteager to go back to it.
Commercials are.
They're hard.
There's a lot of pressure,things have to be tight,

(02:18):
time-wise.
There's a lot of reasons why,as an actor, it's a difficult
thing to undertake, but Chriswas a guy who sorry Craig
Alexander sorry Craig, if you'relistening was one of the first
casting directors who everopened the door to me when, I
first arrived in Toronto so Iwas like, okay, well, I'll go in
.
And he had said, I think, youknow, tell them to read it

(02:40):
because it's not like othercommercials, it's something
different.
It's kind of a script, it'skind of a monologue.
And I read it and I was like,oh, it's fun.
You know it's fun.
It's like a list of things, butit looks like it could be fun
and the beaver line is kind offun.
You know that was I think whatstood out to me.
The beaver is a proud and nobleanimal.

(03:03):
So I went in and uh ended up,you know, booking this.
Uh, what was at first a test,because most of it wasn't even
sure that they were going to gowith it.
They thought it was maybe tooon the nose and that canadians
wouldn't respond to it.
Uh, and then, so we did thetest and then came around we're
going to shoot the commercialand I remember during during the
shoot it was talking, you know,because it was only me, unlike

(03:26):
a lot of commercials which couldbe like a 22-hour shoot, this
was like a very polite six oreight hours and multiple camera
angles, but it's just me doingthis speech in front of a green
screen.
All the background was addedafterwards and so while they
were moving, but back in the dayit was film, so single camera,

(03:46):
and every time they move thecamera they've got to relight
everything.
So I'd have a lot of downtimeand I had downtime with the
people on a commercial shoot youhave.
So you'd have the agency, whichis the commercial agency in
this case it was ben simon, burnand darcy and then you would
have the client, which in thiscase was Molson, and typically

(04:06):
the actor would never, ever meetthem.
But because it was only me andwe'd been through the test
together, we'd already done it.
They, you know, they have theirsofas and stuff and they're
sitting back and I'd go back andsit with them.
And I remember at a certainpoint Laurie Estabrooks, who's a

(04:27):
producer on the commercial,saying to me we, you know,
because it's eight hours sitting, multiple conversations at one
point, and it's so funny that Istill have this mullet kicking
around but, uh, I didn't duringthe shoot, but when I auditioned
for it and did the test I had awicked hockey haircut and she
was like that was when youwalked in.
We all kind of looked at eachother and went holy fuck, like

(04:47):
that guy's a complete hoser thatdude if he doesn't, if he
doesn't shit the bed, that's ourguy yeah and uh, when I did the
audition and the other thing Ihad improv'd.
At the end just a little thankyou, because it's like the most
canadian thing in the worldpolite, yeah, and that's it and
so, uh, and they that is, Ithink, what how I ended up being

(05:11):
the guy.
And then, during the shoot, I,I the, the, the then vp of
marketing at molson brettmarchand, said what do you think
, what do you think of the spot?
And I'm like I have no, have noidea.
I never, know, I never knowabout anything, and he was like
we're going to ruin your lifewith this spot.
Yeah, this is going to be it.

Speaker 3 (05:30):
Yeah, there'll be nothing else.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah, and then I don't know how he knew Like I
have no sense of those thingsand I know that Glenn, who did
the Glenn Hunt who wrote thepiece, like he didn't know, you
know, he didn't know, but BrettBrett had a, I guess, an insight
or an inkling about it.
So, yeah, that's how I came tobe involved in it.

(05:53):
Amazing, that was just anaudition.

Speaker 3 (05:55):
I'm pretty sure the bottles still say I am Canadian
on the bottles?
I'm pretty sure.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
I don't know.
Yeah, I don't.
It's been a while since I'vebought most in Canadian.

Speaker 3 (06:04):
But I'm pretty sure they do still say it in small
letters somewhere on their MP.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
I am Canadian.
Yeah, it was iconic, right.
Yeah, it's just yeah.
What was it like the night yousaw that appear on television?

Speaker 2 (06:15):
Well, it, was interesting because it was
during the Oscars in 2001,.
Maybe 2001, maybe, and uh they.
The commercial was not finishedin time for them to secure a
definite spot within thebroadcast of the academy awards.
But they go into a standby list.
So what that entails is you payyour money and then you just

(06:37):
hope that it goes long and thatit goes long enough that
wherever you are on the list youget played.
Because once they go past thetime and the guaranteed spots
are played, then you end up withjust a first come, first serve.
First come, first serve.
Robin Williams is hosting.
He took it long, very long, andit did go long enough for the

(06:57):
rant to get played, which wasthe name of the spot.
And not only did he take itlong enough, but as he was going
into the commercial timeout, asI call it, like a hockey speak,
but going into the commercialbreak, he performed Blame Canada
from the South Park movieClassic.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
And it was just like Blame Canada.

Speaker 2 (07:17):
Big song and dance and then go to commercial and
it's like cut to that microphone.

Speaker 3 (07:23):
And uh.

Speaker 2 (07:24):
Hey, I'm not.
It's like you could never.
You could never plan it and Ithink the couple of things, the
viewership, is huge right.

Speaker 3 (07:34):
And back in that day and for people who are listening
now.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
It was such a different world Like people, it
would just be tens, it would bemillions and millions of people,
probably tens of millions ofpeople, or whoever is in the
house just well.

Speaker 1 (07:47):
The oscars was an event then it was an event, it's
not as much.

Speaker 2 (07:50):
No, anymore not no, because you can watch it.
You can watch it pulled aparton tiktok, on youtube, whatever,
but it was just the broadcast.
There was no social media,there was no virality, there
were no alternative.
People would do theseappointment viewings.
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
Sunday night, it's the Oscars,it's the Oscars and they would

(08:11):
show up, so you would getmillions and millions and
millions of Canadians watchingthis.
And not only that, but youwould get almost every major
media outlet would have peopleassigned to watch it yeah,
that's right, because somethinghappens right observe this
moment, this weird, bizarrecongruence of events yeah and go

(08:35):
what the hell was that?
Yeah, and who is joe canadian?

Speaker 3 (08:42):
and we would have seen it like a canada site
because, like, although you knowit's run by the same network, I
mean, but a different networkin canada, they would have a
canadian distributor, so theywould have had a distributor,
just like we don't get theamerican super bowl commercials
and things.
They release most of them andthey don't get ours, and so that
was kind of behind the firewall, so to speak it was behind the
paywall for can.

Speaker 2 (09:02):
It was very much a Canadian thing and I think there
was also a lot happening atthat time, you know,
geopolitically.

Speaker 1 (09:11):
Like, as I look back, what was happening at that time
?

Speaker 2 (09:12):
Well, there was yeah, it was right around the time of
9-11.
And it would have been aroundthe time.
It was kind of the firstfracture too, I think, and like
Canadians would have always had,we've had generationally now an
issue of same issue that likeNew Zealanders would have with

(09:34):
Australians when they travel andit's like, oh, are you from
Australia?
And New Zealanders are like nono, I'm not I'm from.
It's very different.

Speaker 3 (09:43):
It's.

Speaker 2 (09:43):
Canadians.
We've always had that right.
It's like we don't no offenseto Americans, right, but it's
like we're non-Americans Right,and we're different.
We've got our own thing, yeahvery much you know we want.
there was that sort of sense of,I guess, an identity Canadians
have always had.
It's like no, we're not, we'resomeone different, you've got

(10:06):
the wrong person, whatever thewrong country.
But around that time it wasright around the time and I
can't remember the order ofthings, but there was something
happening in the Canadianzeitgeist.
Jean Chrétien would have been,he was prime minister.
It was around the time of 9-11,it was around the time of the
war on terror.

(10:27):
Canada going into Afghanistansaying, yeah, we get this, this
is legitimate, we see this.
Your country was attacked andwe have you know sort of good,
conclusive lines of intelligencetaking us into Afghanistan.
We're with you there toAfghanistan, we're with you

(10:50):
there.
And then it was Iraq and thenow infamous Colin Powell going
into the UN and saying, definiteWMDs, they have them.
And the UN saying I'm not sure.
And the coalition of thewilling that the US set up and
John Gretchen at the time sayingwe can't do Iraq.
We're not comfortable with that.

(11:10):
It doesn't.
You haven't met the criteria,you haven't made the proof and
the UN is not recognizing thisas a legal and just action.
So we're going to sit this oneout.
And that really turned likethere was a lot of.
We got a lot of flack in canadaat that point from the states.

Speaker 3 (11:31):
Okay, and it was right, all this was happening
and just yeah, just for thetimeline, because I mean oscars
is generally first quarter firstquarter of the year.
Um.
So what would have happened is,uh, george bush would have had
just been inaugurated, right?
Which would have been.
Um, you know, obviously at thetime bush was actually a
polarizing character which nowthinks back.
He's like barney the dinosaurnow.

(11:52):
But the.

Speaker 2 (11:54):
It was a contentious election, but remember there's
like a recount, that's florida,the hanging chad and all this
other stuff and everything.

Speaker 3 (12:01):
So it's like it it was.
It was a contentious election.
It was like who did really win?
It was challenged, it was drawnout.
Not that different than whatwe're seeing now.

Speaker 1 (12:10):
Yeah, right.

Speaker 3 (12:11):
So it's so funny that you had that commercial and now
we have part two, yeah, andwe're seeing a lot of the same.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
So there was a lot, and I mean it was interesting
that when now, 25 years later on, and there was kind of a
resurgence around the time ofthe presidential election, the
inauguration, and then the sortof economic strife, I guess, the

(12:39):
trade war, for lack of a betterterm between Canada, the United
States and Canada, the unitedstates and everyone but canada
specifically, and you know thepresident musing about you know
a 51st state, and, uh, the, the,this was something, this piece
of content, right, this, thiscommercial, was something that
canadians started going back toand saying you know, we need

(13:01):
something like this now.
And I remember jack ben simon,who would have been, you know,
one of need something like thisnow.
And I remember Jack Ben Simon,who would have been, you know,
one of the owners of the companywho produced this, had said I
don't know if it would work nowBecause at that point in 2000,
2001,.
And one of the reasons theywrote it is that they knew at
that point for people who wouldbe in the target demographic for

(13:21):
that ad, like 19,.
Well, you know, I think, ifwe're speaking honestly, like
probably 14 to 25, because I doI think they market young, right
, they want habits Like they'renot condoning anyone drinking
under the legal age, but by thetime you get to be 19, they want
you to be thinking of MolsonCanadian.

Speaker 3 (13:40):
They want you aware you're a teenager and they only
want you to think If you'reCanadian, you'll drink this.

Speaker 2 (13:44):
And they don't want us, they don't care about people
.
People who drink like six beersa week, they don't care.
When you drink 60 beers a week,they want you.
Then right, fair.
But at that he, like JackmanSimon, when they did the
research.
He said at that point in time,when you looked at, what did
young people in Canada takepride in, and it was, and what

(14:09):
did they think of?

Speaker 3 (14:09):
when it came to yeah, beavers, beavers were like way
up there.

Speaker 2 (14:19):
Yeah, you know, in 2025, or maybe not 2025, but
definitely 2024, like going intothe last federal election here
and maybe before thepresidential election in the
United States probably pride inCanadian identity was at the
lowest it's been in a long longtime.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
That's fair.
That's very fair.

Speaker 1 (14:40):
A long long time that has changed you know a lot, so
this year it's really hit aspringboard.

Speaker 3 (14:47):
Right, it really has, yeah, which is awesome to see
because, I agree, I think it waskind of a race to the bottom,
uh, when it came to a federalelection in 20, you know, in the
in the third, fourth quarter of2024 yeah, it was weird, yeah
it was really.

Speaker 1 (14:59):
We were all just kind of giving up and like just
don't forget first we, weweren't talking to each other,
we weren't.

Speaker 2 (15:06):
Like it's so crazy, like I remember growing up it
didn't matter, you know, likewhen I was a kid back in the day
, like in the 80s and 90s inCanada, it didn't matter.
It didn't matter if you were aliberal supporter or, at that
point, a progressiveconservatives, like no one cared

(15:29):
yeah, it would kind of leave atthe doorstep, almost like you
might say something about yourneighbor like oh, he's a liberal
guy.

Speaker 1 (15:35):
Or but, then when they got into your home, they
were treating you like family.

Speaker 2 (15:38):
We didn't, yeah, and it was like it was just, I don't
know.
It's like being the differencebetween being a, like a Leafs
fan and a Habs fan.
Do you think that's?

Speaker 3 (15:45):
changed a little bit now, though, with I mean,
obviously it's changed.
We've gotten a little bit morehostile, but do you think that
it the reason why it's gotten alittle bit that way is because
we've seen Canada used to bekind of like, you know who's in
the center and leans a littlebit one way?
Yeah and now we're a little bitmore polarizing.
We have flat earthers andanti-vaxxers and things like

(16:06):
that that really I don't reallyfelt were a thing yeah, 25 years
ago.

Speaker 2 (16:09):
Yeah, yeah I, I don't I mean the pandemic.
The pandemic was weird man andI you know I think when I, when,
when I look back at thepandemic, it's like now I don't
know if I've rinsed it from, I'mjust like.
I try to pretend it neverhappened.
I try to pretend that you know,and we were super lucky here in
Nova Scotia the way ourpandemic went right.

(16:30):
It was like us in New Zealand,again us in New Zealand, but it
I do think that like mandates,whether it was vaccine mandates
or mask mandates, like it wasjust for some folks that really
drove a wedge between people,like when they at what point
does personal freedom end andyou know, collective

(16:56):
responsibility begin, and andit's just, everyone has a kind
of a different breaking pointyep, so absolutely man this is
getting deep.
This is like a deep Tuesdayafternoon.

Speaker 1 (17:07):
I want to reel it back a bit.
I mean really I mean.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
So I want to go back to Joe Canadian.
Yeah, let's go back to Joe.

Speaker 1 (17:15):
Yeah, Okay.
So you've done this commercial.
It's changed your life.

Speaker 3 (17:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (17:20):
Right, yeah, and I mean obviously overnight
everyone yeah, right, yeah, andI mean obviously overnight
everyone's talking aboutCanadian Joe.
You're an actor and I'm sure asan actor, you probably wanted
to, you know, move your careerin other ways.
Yeah, did this become like areally challenging thing to deal
with?

Speaker 2 (17:39):
Yeah, it's a good question Trying to get into soap
opera or whatever.
Well, you know what I actuallyhad an offer from a soap opera
based on, you know, coming outof the commercial, which I
turned down.
Yeah, yeah, it was soap opera.
Actors, I think work, it's toohard, it's a daily.

Speaker 3 (17:53):
It's a daily thing.
It's a lot of work.

Speaker 1 (17:56):
For like 50 years.
Yeah, you can do it for a longtime no-transcript.

Speaker 2 (18:19):
What I want to be known for interesting thing is,
though, that doing it, um, andthen the things that happened
subsequent to it, it did changemy life.
I mean it.
It.
It gave me an opportunity.
It honestly gave me anopportunity to see the country.
I had never really beenanywhere, you know, like I was

(18:39):
living in Toronto at the time,I'd never been been.
I think I'd been out West bythat.
Yeah, I'd been out West becauseI'd done a theater show out
West, but there were huge swathsof this country that I'd never
seen.
Yeah, and definitely after thatcommercial yeah, you toured
Mosul was just sending me likethey go everywhere and do the
thing, do the thing, and I met alot of people and I drank a

(19:03):
shit ton of beers with canadiansacross the country yeah, that
sounds like my dream it uh rightso this is like yeah, as an
actor, whatever, I was 28, 29 atthe time.
Yeah, if someone had said, thisis going to be your thing, like
as an actor, this is going tobe zenith, I would have been
like that.

(19:23):
That is like a worst casescenario.
That is the worst thing thatcould do to me as a human being.
It was the best thing thathappened to me.
It's just different ideas aboutwhat's important, I guess, and
stuff as time goes by, lookingback and the truth is like I met
amazing people and we talkabout.

(19:45):
You know how different maybethe country is today politically
and at a kind of uh, a higherlevel when we're in the bubble
of our social media and you know, like our whatever x-rage or
whatever it is.
But I know I have a hundredpercent faith that if that same
thing happened today andwhatever organization was like

(20:08):
let's go, we're going out again,right, and I was drinking beer
with canadians it'd be the sameas it was then yeah, I don't
think I don't think that we areas divided as people would like
us to believe we are.
I think okay.
Yeah, you look at the mirror ofsocial media too.

Speaker 1 (20:23):
I think it wedges that divide even more than it
would actually be.

Speaker 3 (20:26):
I agree with that 100% Because I mean you think,
about it we all go to officetogether.

Speaker 1 (20:30):
There's lots of people.
I don't know their politicalviews.

Speaker 2 (20:33):
It doesn't matter when you're sitting down in this
format and if, like you, thinkabout it like man, you guys sit
here and drink beer with peopleall day, every day.
Right, that's your job.
It doesn't matter who's sittingin this seat, right, because?

Speaker 1 (20:46):
once you get-.
I wish that was our job, thisis our hobby.
We engineered this excuse justto get away for a beer on a
Tuesday evening.
It's very smart.
It's very smart.
This is a side hustle.
This is good, it's a great sidehustle.

Speaker 3 (21:06):
But it in this forum right, people are going to be
good.
Oh, for sure, because I dobelieve that people are good.
Oh, yeah, at the end of the day, right?
Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2 (21:09):
It's hard to look someone in the eye and like tell
them the horrible things thatyou say to people online, yeah
right you would never, like,that's what I always say that
you know, like, when people aregiving you the finger in their
car yes, they're never going todo that to you at the superstore
.
Do you know, like, when yourcart?
If you cut someone off the cartthey're not going to do is?
we are biologically programmedto work as a crew to work as a

(21:31):
unit, love it the problem withsocial media, I think, is that
we forget that that's a humanbeing on the other end of it
just a name, right right, it'sjust a name and a digital
presence, just an enemy, justlike.

Speaker 1 (21:44):
Might as well be ai, right yeah so so you did
eventually get back into actingquite a bit.
You did some roles.
You did matt.
He did a movie that we both saw.
Can you guess we wasn't?
We had, uh, director barry dunnon this show oh, oh, the
madones, oh my god, yeah alittle.

Speaker 2 (22:01):
Uh, yeah, barry, yeah , barry was.
I had like a two-day littlecameo on that.
It was the first bit of actingI did since I moved back to I
know I haven't done much rightlike it's a very different gig
for me here in nova scotia, butman barry made a good looking
movie did you get any?

Speaker 3 (22:20):
see any of it?

Speaker 2 (22:20):
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, they made a really good, a
really good looking nice guy.

Speaker 3 (22:26):
Great movie, yeah, good movie.
I mean like the cast was great,like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (22:30):
So we and I did do, yeah, I did commercial saving
hope, saving hope.
I did a couple of shows for likedisney, for discovery, kids did
a lot of that kind of marketstuff I did a show called uh,
the famous jet jackson ran oh asuh, but I know that, yeah, back
in it was that was shooting atthe time, that this is why I

(22:52):
didn't want to do the I amcanadian commercial, because I
had this role on uh, on a series, um and yeah, and I did make my
living, continue to make myliving as an actor for years
after it, right, and I just likeI wasn't just that good at it.

Speaker 3 (23:12):
No, you know what I mean.
I don't know, I wouldn't saythat yeah.

Speaker 2 (23:14):
Well, I certainly wasn't that good at auditioning
what you were really good at is.

Speaker 1 (23:17):
you were a really good host right off the bat,
Like when you started doingstuff like the show on the
History Channel where you werekind of explaining the relevance
of the canoe.
I did a lot of that, yeah.
So that was yeah.
What was that show called?

Speaker 2 (23:27):
Things that Move.
I did Things that MoveAncestors in the Attic, working.
Over Time, did some stuff forNational Geographic
International out of WashingtonDC and then some stuff out of
the?
U the UK as well for NationalGeographic and the BBC.
So I did probably close to adecade of that kind of stuff

(23:51):
that was amazing.
That was an amazing experience,yeah because it was all like uh
, location shoots.

Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yeah, meeting cool people doing cool shit like I
again something I would dream ofI had.

Speaker 2 (24:05):
I've had these moments, you know, like these
moments in my life.
I remember doing this littlefour-part series for bbc by this
, with this company I think it'scalled 360 productions.
They were based in in the uk,in london and in dairy uh
ireland northern ireland and wewere doing this little mashup of

(24:26):
history shows that involved alot of CGI and then actuality.
As we said, I go around tothese places.
One of the shows we did was onNostradamus.
It was Nostradamus.

Speaker 3 (24:36):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (24:36):
Nostradamus and I got a chance to go to Nostradamus'
house I think it wasAix-en-Provence, it was
definitely in Provence's southand go up to the room where he
actually did the thing and it'slike all would be behind the
velvet rope right, and so theaccess during those shows was
crazy and you could go inObviously not the same table,

(24:59):
but the same place andNostradamus used to have a to
have a table like the kind ofthe size of these things, with
this copper bowl on it you fillwith water.
He'd put his face down over itand you know, like almost when
you're trying to squeeze zitsand you, you do the steam and
you're like put, and he would dothat and then he'd get his
vision.
So I would get to go and belike put my face in

(25:21):
Nostradamus's bowl, do all thiscool stuff it's getting baked.

Speaker 3 (25:27):
That's it exactly.
Yeah, who knows?

Speaker 2 (25:30):
who knows what was in the water exactly, yeah, just
made up his own yeah, some verycool experiences, that's awesome
.

Speaker 3 (25:37):
I will say, though I know he must have hung out.

Speaker 2 (25:39):
I know who you must have hung out with mostly, since
you called it dairy yeah, ohyes, oh yeah, no, no, well, I,
yeah, I did make the mistake onanother show before working with
this crew who were based inlondon and dairy, uh, on on a
history television shoot,speaking and of all people,

(26:03):
speaking to three nuns inbelfast and saying, well, after
we leave here, we're going tolondonderry to check the
archives for and this nun justsaid my child, it is dairy.
Yes, there is no london innorthern ireland.

(26:26):
And she was like you'll do wellto remember that when you go up
there.
And I was like okay, yeah, cooltown though eh a very cool yeah,
yeah, a very, very, very cooltown.
Yeah, the whole six counties,yeah, are incredible and tragic
and hyped up, and that's I mean.

(26:48):
If you want to drink beers withpeople and get like a proper,
proper rage on, then, yeah,northern Ireland is the place to
be.

Speaker 1 (26:56):
I didn't do Northern Ireland, I was just there, I
only did Southern Ireland?
I've never been to the Republic.
Oh yeah, no, it was amazingyeah.

Speaker 3 (27:03):
I spent a month in both back in 2008.
The whole month of May I didboth.

Speaker 2 (27:07):
What were you doing?

Speaker 3 (27:09):
Vacation I had.
We had three generations offriends and family and I, like
my grandparents my parents, andthen people my age and
everything I basically justtalking to, said I'd like to
come visit over someday and theyjust said.
One of them said I have avacation home.
It's yours If you want to comeand visit.

Speaker 1 (27:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (27:26):
So I bought a plane ticket, went, spent the whole
month there and only had to feedmyself and drink lots of
Guinness.
I had a place to stay.
It was fantastic.

Speaker 2 (27:35):
Yeah, no, it's a it's .
I've had a weird and wonderfullife.

Speaker 1 (27:42):
That's for sure.
To me it sounds like thecommercial worked out, man.

Speaker 2 (27:45):
It all worked out.
How many times have people comeup to you on?

Speaker 3 (27:47):
the sidewalk and be like man, do the thing.

Speaker 2 (27:50):
You know, it's very interesting that even back in
the day there is now 25 yearsbetween that face and this face,
so it's very different.
No one makes that mistakeanymore, but even back in the
day it would, unless I waswearing like a shirt, like you

(28:11):
guys are wearing.
It didn't yeah didn't didn'thappen, although I will say that
in the past year or so it'shappened more than it has
happened.
Yeah, in in well quartercentury.

Speaker 1 (28:22):
Well, the 2025 update was fantastic.
You did a great job.
Yeah, well, thank you, that wasuh, glenn glenn hunt again.

Speaker 2 (28:29):
Uh, glenn, when you know, and it, uh, it came about
pretty organically.
Glenn had been retired, glennwas someone who had done, had
had incredible success inadvertising and then had a
almost like a crisis ofconscience at a certain point,
you know, and he thought heGlenn very much.

(28:52):
He came into contact withBuddhism and then very much,
like you know, engaged with thatand it's changed his life.
It's changed how he looks athow he interacts with the world.
It's changed his life.
It's changed how he looks athow he interacts with the world
and at a certain point, like hehad told me, when I because I
had reached out to him and said,hey, do you think maybe this is
the right context for us torevisit?

(29:12):
Do you think, is this, could wedo something for the country
right now?
Could we do something?
And he was like I remember whenI first contacted him to say do
you want to do something?
He was like oh, dude, I'mretired.
I hung up my shingle, you knowI had this crisis of conscience

(29:34):
and I thought why am I using mytalents, my creative talents, to
separate people from theirmoney?
And so he said I don't do thatanymore.
I've been working incommunication and you know
identity, things like this.
And he had said to me at thatpoint, like, who is the client
on this?
Which is, you know?
sort of and I said Canada.

Speaker 3 (29:56):
And he's like okay okay, I could do it for that.

Speaker 2 (30:02):
And he said and what's the what like, what's the
mission, what do you think?
And, uh, I had said, I said Ithink and we started the
conversations even before the51st state thing came out,
because it was the 25thanniversary I, I, I wanted to do
something, because I said maybeit just gives people something

(30:23):
to agree about.
Do you know what I mean?
like just give something, people, something fun to agree about.
And at that point he was likeyeah, because he felt he really
felt the division in the countrytoo, and uh, then, you know,
then the 51st state thing cameon and and and he was like this
is.
I think what we have to this isthe elephant in the room.

Speaker 3 (30:42):
We got to kind of after we were talking about how
that kind of like you know 2024,we morale low and everything.
I think, the fact that theEdmonton Oilers had, you know,
played in you know series.
Yeah, they really went deepruns two years in a row.
I think that also was somethinglike people felt something
there where the country was kindof united.

Speaker 1 (30:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (31:05):
When it?
Yeah, when it was divided.

Speaker 2 (31:06):
So I think, hopping on that at the right time,
people were wanting unity.
Yeah well, you know, that's thething.
That is the thing that I thinkthat people don't like to feel.
You know what, whatever yourrelationship is, whether it's a
friend or you know a partner,your family, whatever like
friction, man, division, doesn'tfeel good no, and it doesn't
feel good at a personal level,doesn't feel good at a community
level, doesn't feel good.
No, and it doesn't feel good ata personal level, it doesn't
feel good at a community level,it doesn't feel good at a

(31:28):
national level.
And I think that people,whatever we disagree about, I
think that people were didn'tlike feeling like that, you know
, and so I certainly didn't likefeeling like that.
So that is all we wanted to dowith, uh, like with that, with
that piece, you know you're notgonna solve anything, no, no,

(31:50):
it's just you but it helped.
I think you knocked it out ofthe park.
Give people something to youknow, something to share.

Speaker 3 (31:55):
That wasn't shitty news it's a moment to you know.
Just forget that.
You know we were not allgetting along yeah, yeah, or
that you know what it's.

Speaker 2 (32:04):
Even it's okay to not get along and then just to go
even, even smaller.

Speaker 1 (32:07):
You just did one for our province like a month.
Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 2 (32:11):
Yeah, man, I am the grand marshal, yeah, that's
right, yeah, I mean, that's myhometown, trow's my hometown.
I grew up out there and sohaving a big event like the
stampede up in trow, like anychance for me to go home Truro,
was really good to me and it'llalways be my home.
So I was like, oh yeah, I'mkeen to be included in anything

(32:33):
that's happening up in Truro.
And then when they were youknow, they were like ah, can we
do something for this?
I was like, yeah, yeah sure, whynot?
Why not do it?

Speaker 1 (32:46):
And it was like it was such a simple shoot and I
wish I could remember who wrotethat.
Was that you or was thatsomebody?
It was kind of no, it was likeuh, the folks from the stampede.

Speaker 2 (32:52):
And then we sort of sat around and jammed it out
quickly.
They had some stuff, I had somestuff, and then, you know, we
just kind of mashed it together.
And then there were like thesethree young guys and I'll have
to get you guys the name of theproduction company because it's
worth mentioning them, it'sworth giving them a shout out
and I can't remember the nameright now, but these three young

(33:13):
guys came in and they're super,super casual, set up the green
screen, they have their lights,they're like watching, you know,
watching the videos, theoriginal things.
They're like yeah, we got this90 minutes.
We sit down, they're like movethe camera and they're like, yo,
what, like what other camerapositions?
I'm like I'll put the camera,go down here, maybe if you can

(33:36):
walk across like this, and thenwithin two weeks they created
that thing, done, I mean, itlooks so close to the original.

Speaker 1 (33:44):
They did a good job yeah.

Speaker 3 (33:46):
It's definitely a production company to look for.
Very cool, very cool.
Yeah, lettuce on your donairs.

Speaker 1 (33:52):
Lettuce on the donairs no lettuce.

Speaker 2 (33:53):
That one just stuck in my head.
No lettuce.
Yeah, I think it's verydivisive as well.
Right, it's one of those things.

Speaker 3 (33:57):
Well, we're right next door to King of Donair.
King of Donair next door andthey constantly go hard in the
paint on the.
No lettuce on Donair.

Speaker 1 (34:04):
Oh, do they.
Yeah, if you follow theirsocials.

Speaker 3 (34:06):
Their socials is one of the owners actually runs
their socials, which is NikkiNahas and yeah.

Speaker 1 (34:13):
Not a fan of lettuce.
I'm not either.
I don't think you should be.

Speaker 2 (34:16):
I think it's a Nova Scotia, Edmonton thing, right
Like?
I think that that's thedivision.
Wasn't there a big bidding on aDonair costume at a certain
point, between who was it?
There was a Halifax Donaircompany.

Speaker 3 (34:28):
Yeah.
Or store and I mean they'veexpanded and everything there.
But I think I'm fuzzy in thedetails.

Speaker 1 (34:37):
There was just one of the many cultural divides
across this vast and greatnation A deep question now, kind
of related to the acting gig Ifthere's a Canadian you'd like
to explore, if you've got tojust do a movie and do any kind
of show, would there be any kindof iconic Canadian in your life

(34:58):
that you would have said Iwould love to have made a movie
of that guy or told thatperson's story?
Anything like that, and if it'sno, that's fine right.

Speaker 2 (35:11):
No, that's something I feel like I should have an
answer to.
No, do you know who I've alwaysbeen drawn to, and it's like
for nefarious reasons, but okay,the mad trapper of rat river.
Do you know the mad trapper ofrat river?

Speaker 1 (35:27):
you gotta tell me this tale man.
No one knows who he was.

Speaker 2 (35:30):
Like no one knows who he was.
He was um, it was him no one,it was me.
It was me uh no, it was some guy.
They think he might have beenswedish, but he came to the
north, you know, he went upthere and uh, I can't remember
what the dispute was, but he, he, charles bronson.
They did a movie about him atcharles bronson, I think played
him in back in the day and thisguy, like the rcmp, went out to

(35:53):
get him and shot up his place.
Like he had this little cabinand like I don't know how many
guys showed up and shot the shitout of his cabin and he had dug
a hole in the middle.
It was a dirt floor.
You know he got away.
He led them on this massive.
Anyway, it's just a mysterybecause no one knows who he is.
So that's who comes off like offthe top of my head, honestly.

Speaker 1 (36:15):
I think that would be a good one.

Speaker 2 (36:16):
The Mad Trapper of Rat River.
I see a miniseries, that's it.

Speaker 3 (36:19):
Mad Trapper of Rat River, I mean, and kind of to
follow up on that too a littlebit is like would you do that as
like an actual series, or isthat something like, given that
you have so much hosting creditsnow and everything, is that
something like maybe likedocumentaries?

Speaker 2 (36:34):
Probably a documentary now.
Yeah, or maybe like documentary.
Probably a documentary.
Yeah, because I mean we're both.

Speaker 1 (36:38):
I don't, we're both.
Yeah, lead with the movie.

Speaker 3 (36:39):
Yeah documentaries are like yeah are, I think, at
the all-time popular at thispoint yeah, netflix is pumping
them out like crazy.
Yeah, that one that just cameout that everyone's talking
about would have that womancatfished her own daughter yes,
that like talk about the mosthated woman on the internet, the
, the girl who was not the othernight.

Speaker 2 (36:57):
I just got the tail end.
No, no, no.
The Philly's Karen, oh, thePhilly's Karen, that's a tie
right now.
Yeah, I don't know, philly'sKaren, and Catfish and your Own
Daughter, those are very they'reneck and neck, yeah, exactly
hey man, like really greatcanadian documentaries.

(37:19):
Oh come, no, we're the, we'rethe like the parents of that, of
that art form.

Speaker 3 (37:21):
I know, I know what you're saying but I don't feel
like we give like as a, as apopulation, we don't give it
enough credit.
They don't get enough moneybehind it.
Netflix is pumping them out.

Speaker 2 (37:29):
Well, yeah, there's not enough no, there's not
enough money, probably behindany media anywhere in canada,
right and that has been kind ofa perennial issue, but it's also
Canadians have a very differentway of doing it, like it's um I
worked for when I was in allthat history television stuff
worked for these uh, really,really uh.

(37:52):
A documentary company up inToronto, doc production company
called primitive entertainment.
They have a ton of integrityand I remember like talking to
them around the time thatbullying for Columbine came out
and uh, fahrenheit nine, nine,11.
Yep Right, uh, michael Moore andI'm like wow, what about these
Michael Moore documentaries andthey were having big theatrical
releases and I thought, oh,these guys are going to love it.

(38:14):
And they were like we hate thatguy, we hate that because it
was like not Too sensational.

Speaker 3 (38:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (38:18):
And well, I think the Canadian documentary is still
very much like, it's not.
I think that when things areentertainment focused, you know
like if you're because it's kindof like infotainment right, and
you're kind of balancing thistension between information and
and entertainment and I thinkthat that certainly a lot of

(38:43):
documentary is evolving alwaysright it's the relationship
between the creator and theco-collaborator.
I don't even think I'll callthem I don't think they call
them a doc subject anymore,right it?
It's always evolving More human, now more.
But I still think that likethat sensational type of

(39:04):
documentary which we allgravitate toward because they're
more entertaining.

Speaker 3 (39:08):
Right.

Speaker 2 (39:09):
Maybe you know like the people who are producing the
real, solid Canadiandocumentarians are like.
I'm not sure that's documentary.
I mean, I don't know, thatcould also be my.

Speaker 3 (39:18):
It's a style.
It's a style, I get it.
I mean I like it.
I like both honestly, but Ilike true crime documentary too
yeah.

Speaker 1 (39:27):
I don't.
That's all questionable, youdon't, huh?

Speaker 2 (39:30):
No, my wife loves those.
I do not like them.

Speaker 3 (39:33):
My wife wants me to watch them so much with her and
I'm just like you know what?
They're an hour and a half long, or sometimes they're like four
or six parts and I'm like, justtell me who did it.
Do it in 20 minutes read, readthe rolling stone.

Speaker 1 (39:44):
We'll be done with it in 20 minutes if you do a space
.
I don't.
I don't like the cliffhangerthing, yeah anything with.

Speaker 3 (39:50):
Like you give me science documentaries or sports
documentaries sports and science, the two them.
I'll watch a hundred episodes.

Speaker 1 (39:58):
The thought that we watch something that withholds
information from us that theyknow they have for like eight
episodes just kills me rightthere.
I just don't want theinformation and I do think that
that might be the issue.

Speaker 2 (40:06):
You know that where it's like, documentarians would
be like ah like it's.

Speaker 1 (40:10):
This is all marketing .
Let's get the.
Let's understand what's goingon here understand what's going
on here.

Speaker 2 (40:17):
I I like yeah, I don't know.
I don't know what it is abouttrue crime.

Speaker 3 (40:19):
That I, oh it's very popular.

Speaker 1 (40:19):
A lot of people we're in the minority yeah, it is the
only two people, but it is likekind of a it.

Speaker 2 (40:23):
For a lot of people it's a guilty pleasure yeah, um,
I don't know because oftentimesyou know they're not although
true crime has gotten better too.

Speaker 1 (40:30):
From an entertainment perspective, and you might not
be aware of this, I justfinished the new dexter.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
Dexter came oh, yeah, yeah, and did a resurrection.
Yes, yeah, fan, amazing, it wasa master class.

Speaker 1 (40:40):
It was the best writing and the funnest thing
I've seen in years amazing.

Speaker 3 (40:43):
I loved it.
See, I'm like I've been, I'mhesitant because I feel dexter
should have ended after seasonfour oh, yeah, yeah, so they're
already.

Speaker 1 (40:51):
There's some rough spots, but yeah, come back man.
Yeah, I'm good, holy.
I love Dexter.
First four seasons, one to four.
It has Peter Dinklage as thebig bad guy in this one, right.

Speaker 3 (40:59):
Yeah, the bad guy.
I think you're loose with theterm big there, but yeah.

Speaker 1 (41:04):
Oh jeez.

Speaker 2 (41:07):
It is.
I hear you there if you're.
You know season four, notnecessarily with Dexter, but I
have a real appreciation forNetflix in general, netflix
specifically as a streamingservice that has given us all-.

Speaker 3 (41:22):
They're kings, they are the king.

Speaker 2 (41:24):
And has given us access to media from other parts
of the world.
That's cool.
It's not something I grew upwith, right and I remember just
like now, like having access, toyou know shows that are out of,
whether it's Squid Game.

Speaker 3 (41:37):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 (41:39):
Out of out of Asia, out of Scandinavia, you know,
and and I love the fact that alot of those great for me,
nordic Noir was kind of the youknow that was like you.
Probably not for you, causeit's a little bit true crimey
but more like thriller-ish.
But they, they will do thething where it's like.

Speaker 1 (41:57):
No, it's six episodes yeah, and it's done, story's
done.
I love that, doesn't matter howgood it is my favorite.

Speaker 2 (42:03):
We're not bringing it back.
Yeah right, it's like we're notgoing to do a second season
because it's done no, there'ssomething I love about.

Speaker 3 (42:10):
Like we have a story to tell, we're going to tell it.

Speaker 2 (42:13):
End of story yeah, doesn't matter how much money it
made.
If it made a lot of money,let's do another story american
horror story was like.

Speaker 3 (42:18):
That's what I kind of one of the unique things I
liked about it.
They kept doing it like but itwas a different story.
It's like we're gonna write astory, we're gonna end the story
.

Speaker 2 (42:25):
Yes, draw it out, yeah it'll be a franchise, yeah,
but not, it's not gonna be.
Oh, we're gonna bring thesecharacters back from the dead,
right, whatever to milk it again.
No offense, yeah.
No offense.
No, it was yeah no, exactly.

Speaker 3 (42:40):
So I mean, but yeah, I don't know if you saw recently
, but I saw this recently likenetflix is king, but uh, because
they they rated the top 10 mostwatched shows in 2024 slash 25
yeah yeah, um of the 10 it wassomething like six were from
netflix.

Speaker 1 (42:56):
Oh gosh really.

Speaker 3 (42:57):
And then there was the number three was actually
CBS.
So they were saying likenetwork TV isn't as dead as
people think it is.
So I mean there was like it waslike six Netflix shows, and
then it was like two networks,two other networks.
I think, and then two, maybeeven three other networks and
one other streaming.

Speaker 1 (43:12):
What were the CBS shows?
Do you remember the CSI kind ofshows?

Speaker 3 (43:16):
streaming.
What were the cbs shows youremember, like csi kind of shows
, or can you remember ah?
it wasn't a, it wasn't like acsi show, no, but I can't
remember what it is, but itwasn't like that type of like
franchise thing, but it wasreally interesting to see
because they actually charted itout and I was.
And they're like networknetwork tv isn't dead but
obviously it's spread out.
But what we have seen isnetflix is, netflix is king and
they're putting out the biggestshows and and I don't know what
that is.
Maybe it's just because theywere kind of the first right, so

(43:38):
it's everyone's comfort zonekind of thing, right, and
everyone's like another one,another one, but I mean they put
out some good shows, not thatothers don't.
Other ones put out some greatshows, but yeah, how many
subscriptions do you guys have?

Speaker 2 (43:49):
Three, I usually rotate between three to five.
Three I got three.

Speaker 3 (43:53):
Yeah, it's amazing.

Speaker 2 (43:55):
Like I'm, I'm pretty cheap when it comes to
subscriptions, I, but I gettempted because I do find on
Netflix that it's kind of feastor famine.
Did you guys ever?
Find that that there'll bepoints where it's like, oh my
God, like what a, what a wealthof choice, yes, and then it's
like other times, I'm likereally Like what is happening

(44:16):
here now Like how many times canI watch Queen of the South?

Speaker 3 (44:20):
I'm also super annoyed that they're pulling
Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
That's like one of my comfortshows.

Speaker 2 (44:24):
Oh really, they're pulling that.

Speaker 1 (44:26):
Pulling it.
It's just somebody else.
It'll pop up on another channel.
It'll pop up on something elsebut one I don't even know If
they pull.
The Office I might actuallylike might be my drawing yeah, I
think the office is now indisney plus, is it not?
So it's pop up, maybe it is.

Speaker 3 (44:38):
It's all over the place either way, it's on, it's
everywhere I mean same how I metyour mother how I met your
mother went from netflix disneyplus, so I mean I have disney
plus and and prime if you evertry apple tv, though, man like
they, they put us really.

Speaker 2 (44:50):
I guess they do, huh yeah disney plus looks good,
yeah, at times, but again itkind of there'll be shows where
I'm like, yes, okay, I'm goingto go to Disney Plus and then
it's like oh, okay, now it's,you know, so they have.

Speaker 1 (45:05):
I think they all go through this we put them
seasonal, we do Crave for halfof the year, and then we get
Apple for half of the year andthen we see everything.

Speaker 2 (45:13):
That's a lot of organization, though, because if
you forget to kill thosesubscriptions, you end up with
like $300 a month ofsubscriptions.
It's usually a month overlap,but it's not that too bad.

Speaker 1 (45:23):
I'll always have.

Speaker 3 (45:23):
Netflix and Disney Plus and Prime One Prime,
because it's a Prime account andmy wife loves Amazon.
And yeah, I mean Disney, I havea kid.
I mean, I love Marvel, I loveStar Wars.
That's not going anywhere.
Netflix again, I think it's acomfort.
I've had it since 2000 andwhatever 2011 or something like
that but it's one of thosethings I don't think it's going
to go anywhere.

(45:43):
But I'll tell you one that fitsright into that show that's
been maybe going.
Some may say it's going toolong, but I think they're clever
.
They're not doing 20-some-oddepisodes every year, they're
doing eight and that's.

Speaker 1 (45:54):
it's always sunny in philadelphia yeah, I just
watched the new.
Just it's so good they'refantastic, so good they do eight
episodes per season have youever watched that?

Speaker 2 (46:01):
you know I have.
Yeah, it's been a long timesince I've seen it.
I loved it.
Uh, I think I I might havestarted watching it like
pre-streaming services oh yeahyeah yeah, yeah, and it was I
just remember thinking what isthis show?
My mind was blown Like it's soabsurd, and so it was kind of
like, oh my God, Jason BatemanArrested.

Speaker 1 (46:25):
Development, arrested Development, oh, arrested
Development, it was likeArrested Development was kind of
the same.

Speaker 2 (46:29):
I was like what is this reality?
What is this amazing reality.

Speaker 1 (46:38):
And Sun it's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the
same kind of.
They're still writing excellentepisodes, Amazing.
I think they've done some oftheir best work in this season.

Speaker 2 (46:45):
Dan and Vito are still there, everybody's still
on board.

Speaker 1 (46:48):
Keep going.
It's a great show, man Stayweird.

Speaker 3 (46:50):
It's like season 16 or something like that Amazing.
But because they only do eight.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
they can bang out, People go away and do it and
it's really great, honestly,yeah, but yeah, the uh.

Speaker 3 (47:01):
So I mean, I don't know, that's some of the stuff I
guess with the canadian tvversus american tv, which is
pretty different, like yeahwe've talked about this a couple
times before.
I mean, I like, I like, uh,some of my favorite shows are
are like we have some greatcanadian content yep, and we've
talked about this with JonathanTorrens about Corner Gas.
Mr D Kim's Convenience are likethree of shows that I yeah.

Speaker 2 (47:26):
North of North.
There's some good stuff now,right, Like Reservation Dogs.
There is a great show comingout.
I think that different voices,different perspectives have been
really good for Canadiancontent.
But yeah, I mean the money.

(47:46):
The truth is there's a lot ofgreat Canadian content out there
.
It's just oftentimes it's madeby Canadians who are living in
the United States, Right,Because they've gone there, they
got scoped or you know, likescoped and then scooped.
And why would you not go to theStates if you're going to make
like 10, 12 times the?

Speaker 3 (48:05):
money right Right.

Speaker 2 (48:08):
And if you're you know, yeah, I mean the funding
models.
Everything's very differenthere.

Speaker 3 (48:14):
How do you think we kind of turn that around a
little bit?
I know we can't compete withthe united states because
there's just so much money thereand so many people and
everything I mean short of, uh,just asking california to join
us.
They would, they would in amoment, I think well, do you
know what's interesting, isn'tit?

Speaker 2 (48:27):
because, uh, like, I even remember, I remember a time
back in like when I was alittle kid, when, like, this
kind of conversation would behappening around Canadian music.
It was around the time thatCanCon regulations came in and
started saying, okay, everyfourth song or whatever on the
radio has to be and no one, theCanadian music industry right

(48:50):
now is I would hold it upagainst any country, certainly
in the English world.
So it's there, the talent isthere and the proof that we can
stand up and and do it, given itdoesn't happen overnight things
, you know, because there's alot of different network, I mean
, there's networks and systemsthat need to be put in place and

(49:12):
people who need to be trainedup and skilled and stuff like
this.
But, like, the talent, talent'sthere.
Maybe this is it, maybe maybethis is the time.

Speaker 3 (49:19):
Yeah, right yeah, just I'd, yeah, I'd like to see
us kind of, really kind ofsupport our own really kind of.
It's great to see some thingslike uh uh simu, like he was yep
yep, he kind of going fromkim's convenience, you know
relatively unknown to being, youknow, part of the marvel
cinematic universe right.
So that's.
That's a pretty cool thing tosee.
I want to see that.

(49:40):
At the same time, I want to usto create our own mega it'd be
great if he didn't have to leave, right, yeah it'd be great if
he didn't have to leave to dothat.

Speaker 1 (49:48):
Yeah, um, who knows everything's changing?
Jeff, yeah, we appreciate thatyou're still in halifax.
Uh, I think that's a fantastic.
Yeah, no, I came back to.
Yeah, no, I came back toHalifax, are you?

Speaker 2 (49:55):
kidding.
I've seen I went to themountaintop and then I realized
actually you liked it here more.

Speaker 1 (50:01):
Yeah, no, oh, we love having you, man.
So thank you so much.
I want to ask just about yourshow, now that you've been doing
yeah.

Speaker 2 (50:09):
How long have you been doing Main Street?
It would have been six years inJune.

Speaker 1 (50:14):
And that's three hours a day.
Is it three to six?
It is indeed Monday to Friday.

Speaker 2 (50:18):
Yep, it is 3.04.30 to 5.59.10 specifically, and if
our folks wanted to listen tothat show listening.

Speaker 1 (50:27):
What channel is it?
What frequency it is On the FMdial?

Speaker 2 (50:30):
If you're listening to it, it depends where you are
on the mainland of Nova Scotia,but it's CBC Radio 1.
Yeah, you can also find itdigitally, like we.
Also, you can find there's waysto listen to CBC online.
So if you're listening to thispodcast, if you're in Nova
Scotia and who's living inAustralia, people listen to us
down there online.
I don't know what time of dayor what day of the week, like

(50:50):
you're, it's going to bedifficult.

Speaker 1 (50:52):
but you can find it online.
I kind of got you know, doing alittle bit of research before
we sat down here today and I waslooking like I was really
impressed by the diversity ofguests and topics you cover on
CBC Main Street.
It's pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (51:04):
Well, we, I mean, that's Nova Scotia, right.

Speaker 3 (51:08):
Like that is.

Speaker 2 (51:09):
that's what this province is in 2025.
And, like I have never hadpride of place like I do for
Nova Scotia and I've always beenproud to be in Nova Scotia, but
I have so much belief in thisplace right now, like in what

(51:30):
what it's going to be in five,10, 15 years.
Like I do, I honestly feel likethis is just gonna like.
The future is ours, you knowfor nova scotia.
I, I feel that and uh, therethere is.
Since I came back here andstarted doing this show, um, I
feel personally I've been reallyembraced by a lot of different

(51:51):
people in a lot of differentcommunities.
Uh, they've really trusted mepersonally and trusted our show
more broadly and are coming tous with you know what's
happening in their communities,with their thoughts, whatever.
So the so people are writinginto you yeah, yeah we're kind
of there.
I think that I would say that Iam I'm the beneficiary of a lot,

(52:11):
of, a lot of generosity on thebehalf of a lot of awesome world
issues though, like you had,like one on like universal basic
income, like I mean that wasn'ttoo long ago.

Speaker 1 (52:20):
Yeah and uh, you've had lots of real global issues
on this.

Speaker 2 (52:23):
It's a little because these are, yeah, I think well,
because these are things that Ithink nova scotians are thinking
about too.
So it's like what?
What are nova scotians thinkingabout?
You know israel, gaza, what arethey thinking about?
You know what is happening inin the united states or in the
eu, or you know, like today innepal, like what, what?

(52:44):
These are things that peoplecare about, they think about and
and have opinions on right andand, and.
I think how we think aboutthings and how we can take in
information and work through it,digest it wherever the context

(53:04):
is.
Whatever the context is, itinforms how we interact with
each other.

Speaker 3 (53:09):
You know, so there's yeah.
Do you feel Nova Scotians aremore globally informed now than
they've ever been?

Speaker 2 (53:17):
Yeah, I think so.
I I mean, I think we all haveaccess to more yeah, we media,
um informed, is it reallydifficult?
And the reason I hesitate is Ithink they have access to more
information from all differentparts of the world.
Uh, whether they're informed ormisinformed or disinformed.
Sometimes I wonder about that,you know.

Speaker 3 (53:39):
But I guess you know what.
I probably worded that a littlewrong, incorrectly, because
what I'm thinking is growing uphere, and the great thing is I
have a wife who's not from here,so it's helped me, uh, with
some perspective.
My wife's from quebec and theyare country, country.
Yeah, sure, they think that toouh, but they're they're a
province that thinks that, um,like they protest everything,

(54:00):
they they're on they're engagedthey are so engaged and what
I've come to realize through mywife is we aren't no but I feel
like not like quebec, but I feellike we're becoming more in the
last few years.
I feel it, whether for reasonswhile I agree with or don't
agree with I feel like we'reaware of this, like things that

(54:21):
are happening in the world, andI feel like we're voicing our
opinion more than we've everhave before.

Speaker 1 (54:26):
I don't even know if I agree with that.
I don't think we're payingenough attention to the world.
I I feel like there's too manypeople that are actually just
watching it through their ownwindow and not seeing the bigger
picture.
Well, we see the world.

Speaker 2 (54:38):
There's so many ways to see the world right, and that
is— I agree.
I agree with both of you.
Who do you agree?

Speaker 1 (54:45):
with Tell us who's right.
Who's right?

Speaker 2 (54:48):
Because I do think— If you—me, if in doubt me, I'm
right.
That's what I tell my team onMain Street and they never
believe that and it's never true.
But I would say that, yeah, Ithink that we're very isolated
and maybe siloed, like we areall falling into our own echo

(55:11):
chambers.
It's a lot easier to sit aroundand read shit that we agree
with and stuff we disagree with.
Easier to sit around and readshit that we agree with and
stuff we disagree with.
Um, it takes a lot more mentalenergy.
A lot of us are tired, so wewill tend to go like I can't,
I'm not gonna think through thisother person's point of view,
like fuck that, I'm just gonnaread this thing that I like,
right.
But I do also think that and Idon't know if it is a

(55:36):
geographical thing or agenerational thing I think that
younger millennia you guys, areprobably millennials, are you?
we are yeah, I'm gen x.
We were pretty disengaged.
I think we were pretty.
You know, we um we just kind ofkept shit to ourself and uh

(55:58):
went on like we're just going tokeep on keeping on.
You know like we and and I thinkthat a lot of us were pretty,
uh, nihilistic in that wethought well, you know, we were
like cold war, we grew up in thecold war and the threat of like
this sort of the you know thedawn of the threat, although it
seems to be coming back ofnuclear annihilation.

(56:19):
And we're like well, it's goingto be what it's going to fucking
be.
So, what does it matter what Ithink about it?
They're going to do whatthey're going to do.
But I think all y'all maybe theyounger millennials, but
definitely Gen Z like they'renot having it, and I think that
that is it that they're likenope, like they're not having it
.
Yeah, and I think that that isit, that they're like nope.
And I think that younger peoplefeel that the folks who are in

(56:44):
whether it's a legislativeposition or high corporate
positions, whatever it is thatthey're not thinking of them,
the younger generation, thatthey're not listening to them,
and so they're like well, youknow what, we're going to make
it impossible for you not tolisten to us.
Yeah, and so I do think thatthere's a generational thing and

(57:07):
I think that they, you know,like it, like they might save us
in the end they might save.
I think that they're activatedin a way that is going to be
really, really useful, and Ithink they're aware of things
that I was never aware of atthat age and that they're
enraged by things that I shouldhave been enraged at by that age

(57:30):
, that I was, to a certainextent, that I was ignorant of.
They don't believe and this isa double-edged sword and I kind
of mourn for them a little bit,because it's hard when you're
young to not have things thatyou can just believe in, yeah,

(57:51):
but they seem to be informed andkind of savvy and street smart
in a way I wasn't and skeptical,which is a good thing.
Cynical, which I'm notconvinced, is a good thing.
Necessarily Suspicious, whichis definitely not a good thing,
but I think that where they'reskeptical and where they demand

(58:11):
answers and demand action, it'swhatever.
I mean we live in a democracytheir voice does matter, and
whether you're 16 and you're notallowed to go and fill in a
ballot or not, do you think theyshould be?
yeah, yeah, I actually agreeyeah, I think so, I think so, I
think that, I think that for me,when I think of you, know what,

(58:33):
what, what magic happens at 18that turns you into someone who
now can make that decision, atleast for voting right.

Speaker 3 (58:42):
I can understand we have things for, like, cannabis
usage and alcohol usage.
Sure, no, and I mean those are.
Yeah, that's brain developmentand all that stuff.
There's a lot there.

Speaker 2 (58:49):
But as far as voting, I think that maybe if you could
vote at 16, maybe at 36, you'dbe more engaged, right do you
know and if?
You were voting while you werestill in school and if, if
school systems, really when Iwas in school, you still took,
we took civics.
I don't know if you guys hadcivics we had civics and it was
like you'd study government,what's responsible government,

(59:10):
what's this, what's that?
We were kind of educated aboutit.
Still do that junior high yeah,oh, do they yeah it didn't mean
I wasn't necessarily ambivalent,but I mean, yeah, I think they
should.
I, because I think thatdecisions are being made, like
right now.
We've, you know, got agovernment and I just had chris
d'entremont, who's aconservative mp from
acadianapolis, on today talkingabout bill c5, and you know, I

(59:35):
mean we're at this weird pointas a country right now where
it's sink or swim, like thingswith the United States are not
the way they've always been.
They're not the way for anyonein the world with the United
States, the way they've alwaysbeen, and I think that
everyone's like we can't end upin these codependent
relationships.
It's not good for any nation,it's not good for any economy,

(59:58):
and you know, know, thegovernment is doing what the
government does, which is makedecisions, and you know,
thankfully they're makingdecisions.
Uh, right now they're all theyseem to be bound to improving
the economy and creatingresilience in the economy, which
I think, in the short term, issuper key and we have to.
But I haven't heard anythingabout the climate, right?
You know what I mean.
Like I haven't heard anythingabout the climate, right?
Do you know what?

Speaker 3 (01:00:18):
I mean Like I haven't heard anything about when they
talk about.

Speaker 2 (01:00:19):
Yeah, talk about an energy superpower from coast to
coast to coast.
We're not hearing it federallyat least we are hearing it
provincially.
Yeah, but these are decisionsthat like, if you're 16 now.
We've seen this here in NovaScotia, like look at this summer
, right, drought, we're the.
We've seen this here in novascotia, like look at this summer
, right drought, right,widespread drought like, climate

(01:00:40):
change isn't waiting for anyoneand I mean I'll be gone before
it really gets bad.
But yeah, if I was 16 I wouldwant to have a, say, a hundred
percent I would want to have,and I think they should, because
it's and I don't have kids.
But you know, know, if I waswatching someone else, I'll tell
you this If I was sitting inthe backseat of a car and

(01:01:02):
someone was driving like anidiot, I'd want to be able to at
least have a chance of grabbingthe real the wheel, you know
what I mean.
Like it's or or getting my footon the brake Right.

Speaker 3 (01:01:12):
So given, given the fact I have a question for you,
given the fact that you're themedia, and you kind of touched
on it.
That's why it triggered me toask this question who's your
favorite person to read that youdisagree with?

Speaker 1 (01:01:28):
Oof man?

Speaker 3 (01:01:29):
that's a hard question, I know but, I figured
I'd throw it out there, becauseyou kind of mentioned about echo
chambers.
It's easier to read your ownstuff, right?

Speaker 2 (01:01:36):
Yeah, that is interesting.
You complete the fifth at anytime no, no, I'm just trying to
think who like, who I try tolisten to and who I try to hear,
and I'm blanking on a nameright now a radio host.

(01:01:57):
Oh my god, I'll come back tohim.
Um, I do like I subscribe toevery political party's
communication like I get.
I get all their stuff.
They're the same and I also yeah, and I I honestly try to engage
with people who See on policyand stuff.

(01:02:22):
I wouldn't really I don'tdisagree with anyone because
when I would disagree withpeople is, like right now, the
issue that I have with somepeople in the media would be
tone.

Speaker 1 (01:02:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:02:37):
Like how they, if they're vitriolic, like if
they're stoking anger, ifthey're stoking, you know, rage
and and I don't have much timefor that when it comes to points
of view, I, they interest meright Like it interests me and
as long as someone can be, theonly answer that I ever want and

(01:02:59):
this is for any level ofpolitician or anyone right is
why, and not I don't ask aquestion to people, which is
sometimes and I kind of recoilwhen I hear it from some of my
other counterparts in the media,where it's like an accusation
with a question mark at the endof it, like I don't know.

(01:03:21):
I genuinely generally try to aska question that I am curious
about and oftentimes it's likehey, man, like you guys got
elected or not, but you'restanding for office, I mean, you
know, anyone that I'm talkingto would have been elected.
Whether they form government oropposition, they're elected.
And it's like you've taken thisstance on this particular issue

(01:03:45):
.
The only question I want and Idon't want you to get pissed off
about it, I don't want you toget pissy about it is why,
what's your thinking?
Why does that work and why isyour way the way we should go
and why not the other way?
And if you can answer that, I'mlike pretty keen to hear that,

(01:04:05):
because I think that the moreideas we have, the better, as
long as they're ideas andthey're legitimate ideas.
And not just someone beingcontrarian.
So I think that's my longroundabout way of dodging the
question you did a great job.

Speaker 1 (01:04:25):
Yeah, thank you, and I could have heard that for a
few more minutes, so you hit alot of good points, though I
think.
So, you do good points forhonest answers.

Speaker 3 (01:04:31):
It was good bullshit, Good BS.
So it is what it is.
Sometimes you don't have a.
You know, this is my favoriteperson to listen to.
Yeah, Charles Adler.

Speaker 2 (01:04:41):
Charles Adler is the person I was thinking of.
Who was.
So Charles Adler is someone whoI would say that probably
politically he and I would be onpersonally, like on opposite
sides of many issues Maybe notopposite side, but we would have
differing points of view onmany issues.
Right, as a broadcaster I hadbecause I don't think charles is
making media anymore butimmense respect for how he did

(01:05:06):
what he did and and the way hetreated guests and the way he
could lay out ideas, the way wayhe could challenge guests,
stuff like that.
So Adler would be someone.
But then there's a lot of folkslike I mean I work for CBC, it
would be.
I think you know it's accurateto say that it's like left of

(01:05:33):
center.
You know, as a whole I thinkit's centrist but left of center
, which makes us look very leftas certain segments of Canada
drift right.
I guess drift right if you'relooking at the camera this way.
But, that being said, beinginside the CBC, I also see like

(01:05:57):
how much journalistic standardsand this I would like to touch
on for your listeners, who maybeare not CBC listeners and I
want to say this that I am notan employee of the CBC, I'm a
contractor.
I work for the CBC.
Public broadcaster is important.
I would say that we do not workfor the government.

(01:06:20):
We are not, you know we work atvery much arm's length from the
government.
Uh, we are funded by taxpayermoney.
You are our boss, not thegovernment.
It is the taxpayers of canadaand certainly the journalistic
arms within the cbc are governedand the folks at the very top
take journalistic standards andprocedures.

(01:06:40):
The jsp it's called very, veryseriously and a case in point is
that the remake of that I amcanadian thing that I released
in in in march.
I got in quite a bit of troublefor releasing that.

Speaker 1 (01:06:55):
Why was that?

Speaker 2 (01:06:55):
Because I stated an opinion that we are not the 51st
anything, and I stated it as myname is Jeff.
So my bosses at CBC were likeyou can't do that.
You must be objective oneverything, so I can tell you
from someone inside the machineamazing that they do.

(01:07:16):
They take it very, veryseriously, almost to a fault at
times but it's interestingbecause trust is very important
to them.

Speaker 3 (01:07:23):
That's interesting because, like some people like
can share their opinion on cbc.

Speaker 2 (01:07:28):
There's editorial type of content they'd be
different, right, so there are.
They are not someone who fallswithin any reporter, though yeah
, okay should be leaving it upto a guest to state the opinions
I, yeah, that I should.
Yeah, I got in a lot of troublefrom that and I I kind of
co-opted the point, I think, onthe charles adler thing, but I

(01:07:50):
did want to.

Speaker 1 (01:07:51):
I did want to say that I think there's everyone to
give you a pass on.
It was just not to be the 51ststate I think.
I think that's a pass, that wassomething everybody agreed with
pretty much, and I honestlythink Not everybody, but most.

Speaker 2 (01:08:00):
Yeah, I think, 92% of Canadians.

Speaker 1 (01:08:02):
I think was the number at the time.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:08:04):
But the CBC's point was we speak for all of them.
That's right.

Speaker 3 (01:08:09):
That's for the 92%.

Speaker 1 (01:08:12):
I understand.
I mean that's a tough thing todo sometimes, but they got to do
that.
Yeah, you have to do that foreveryone.

Speaker 2 (01:08:17):
It was something that I was like okay, this is yeah,
okay, learn, learn, you knowlike lesson learned and yeah so
we're not getting in troublewith the CBC buddy, I'll tell
you that right now.

Speaker 1 (01:08:27):
yeah, they'll never take us, not after this.
They'll never take us anyway.
I'm very opinionated, yeah, andI'm also very much like against
the 51st state.

Speaker 2 (01:08:36):
Just don't say it.
Just don't say it Cool, you canbe it, but don't say it.

Speaker 1 (01:08:41):
We're going over a bit here, so we do this with
every one of our guests Okay.
It's called 10 questions.

Speaker 2 (01:08:45):
Okay, this is a fun rapid fire round.

Speaker 1 (01:08:51):
Matt and I are going to preface this and we're going
to pretend like we didn't justtalk for an hour.
Okay, we just throw this up asa.
Youtube short or whatever.

Speaker 2 (01:08:59):
Alright, let's do it.

Speaker 1 (01:09:03):
I'm messing up.
I'm ready.
My face keeps changing.
Welcome to 10 questions, thankyou.
Who is here with us today?
Jeff Douglas, okay, questionnumber one Poutine or dinner?
Oh gosh.
Poutine or doner Doner, allright.

Speaker 3 (01:09:21):
Question number two who is one of your favorite
voices in Canadian broadcasting?

Speaker 2 (01:09:31):
Portia Clark.

Speaker 1 (01:09:32):
Oh, okay, perfect answer.
If Tim Hortons made a JeffDouglas donut, what style and
flavor would it be?

Speaker 2 (01:09:39):
Maple and chocolate chips.

Speaker 3 (01:09:41):
Oh all right.
Question number four Name thesignificance of this line from
this classic Canadian HeritageMinute.
Dr Penfield, I can smell burnttoast.

Speaker 2 (01:09:54):
Brain surgery in Miguel.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Smell Burnt Toast.
Brain Surgery in McGill yeah,yeah, yeah.
Neuroscience in McGill yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:09:59):
Wilder Penfield, correct yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:10:01):
What's one of your favorite tragically hip songs?
Oh my God.

Speaker 2 (01:10:05):
No Well it's so hard, blow it High Dope.

Speaker 3 (01:10:07):
Blow it High Dope.

Speaker 2 (01:10:09):
Canadian National Anthem is what I call it.

Speaker 3 (01:10:11):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:10:20):
Question number six is ketchup potato chips your
thoughts.
No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, butno, no, oh, don't air potato
chips maybe.
Yes, all dressed.
Yeah, okay, ketchup.

Speaker 1 (01:10:27):
No, I'm sorry, canada , I've never been proud of that,
yeah which animal would win afight A Canadian beaver or an
American eagle Beaver?

Speaker 3 (01:10:36):
There we go.
Yes, yeah, question numbereight.
What's your number?
One way to relax Sauna, oh,okay.

Speaker 1 (01:10:45):
Very nice.

Speaker 2 (01:10:45):
Yep, we have a sauna.
It's like my one favoriteluxury at home.
We had a sauna put in AmazingSauna.
There you go and donair Saunathe same time.

Speaker 3 (01:10:57):
Sauna donair Sounds terrible and the tragically
happy.

Speaker 1 (01:11:02):
Question number nine what is one Canadian band or
artist you think more peopleshould know about?

Speaker 2 (01:11:10):
Strange Plants out of Halifax.

Speaker 3 (01:11:12):
Strange Plants.
Do you know Strange Plants?

Speaker 2 (01:11:14):
No Go home, check them out.
Strange Plants out of HalifaxStrange plants.
Do you know strange plants?
No, go home, check them out.
Strange plants.

Speaker 3 (01:11:17):
I don't know I will.
I'll listen to them on the wayhome.
Strange plants Question number10.
So this is the last question.
It's the one we've asked everysingle one.
This is our last call.

Speaker 1 (01:11:24):
No, no, no.
The last call is the last call.

Speaker 3 (01:11:29):
This is just, and so what is what reason?
Do you think?
Well, what is reason why?

Speaker 1 (01:11:36):
What is the?

Speaker 3 (01:11:38):
reason you think why Canadians, even though even
through difficult times, are sogreat at sticking together.

Speaker 1 (01:11:46):
So we can rephrase that why don't you do a redo on
that question?
I'm going to do a redo on thatquestion.
We'll just go, we'll cut it.
What is?

Speaker 3 (01:11:49):
the reason you think that Canadians, even though even
through difficult times, are sogreat at sticking together
think that Canadians, eventhrough difficult times, are so
great at sticking together.

Speaker 2 (01:12:03):
I think that Canada is a series.
Even the big cities are likesmall towns and we're all two
generations away from being onthe farm.
And on the farm you got tostick together to get through
the winter.

Speaker 1 (01:12:09):
Okay, Amazing answer.
Okay.
So what's going on?
Where can people hear you?

Speaker 2 (01:12:14):
I'm very super nervous man Like, this whole 10
questions thing is that's it,you killed it.
Man, very nerve wracking Heartpart's over Jesus.

Speaker 3 (01:12:20):
Heart part's over.

Speaker 1 (01:12:22):
So where can people hear your band Aside from CBC
Main Street?

Speaker 2 (01:12:29):
You can't hear us on CBC Main Street no Again with
the journalistic, the radio orthe fact that I'm in a band or
that I'm even a person.
Follow Jeff Douglas onInstagram.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:12:37):
That's it.

Speaker 2 (01:12:38):
Yeah, Height requirements the name of the
band You're going to be playingat the Shore Club on October
25th and the iconic Shore Club.

Speaker 3 (01:12:46):
Awesome.
Yeah, yeah, you're rocking theshirt.
That's great.
Oh, that's true.
Yeah, very cool.
Yeah, cool, yeah, almost as ifwe planned that short, almost
yeah all right, so last calllast, here we go, last call so
this is the question that we'veasked every single person on our
guests in 2025.
So what is one piece of advicethat you were given that you
would like to share with us andour listeners?

Speaker 2 (01:13:11):
don't do anything, just for the money okay, all I
like that.

Speaker 1 (01:13:16):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (01:13:17):
Well, carpe diem Well we certainly don't do this for
the money.

Speaker 1 (01:13:22):
No we don't.

Speaker 3 (01:13:23):
No, we definitely don't.

Speaker 2 (01:13:25):
We did it for the beer.
Cheers to you, jeff, cheers,cheers.
Great chatting with you, myfriend.
Great chatting with you too.

All Episodes

Jeff Douglas - How an ‘I Am Canadian,’ Beer Commercial Brought A Nation Together, Twice!

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Stuff You Should Know

The Joe Rogan Experience

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Jeff Douglas - How an ‘I Am Canadian,’ Beer Commercial Brought A Nation Together, Twice!