Description 08 - The Red Green Show

(update at the end of this post!)
My parents, my godparents and I go to a taping of a tv show beloved on both sides of the border - at least among men who wear belts with their suspenders, which they can't help snapping. May include fake laughter, a singing debut and a foul-smelling hunting hat.

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Associated links:
The official Red Green site
CHCH Hamilton on Wikipedia
Alison Krauss and Union Station
The PBS Pledge Drive Drinking Game!
Red Green @ Home Envy (including many of Steve Smith's "North of 40" newspaper columns)

It's a cliche as old as podcasting itself, which, admittedly, isn't very old: "I'm sooo sorry my podcast is so late; life has been so crazy lately. No, really, it's been crazier than it ever is!" Man, that's annoying when someone says that. Uh, well, it's a cliche for a reason. But thanks for checking in.

Someday I'll get my normalization the way I want it.

Oddly enough, I was just watching the tv station now called CH, but it was "My Name Is Earl", that sweet new comedy that has Jason Lee wearing a mustache and acting like half the people I know back home, except Earl has decided to do good things after winning the lottery on a scratch ticket. It's the only new tv series this season I watch every week. For the last couple years, CHCH has been owned by a big media conglomerate that also owns the Global "network", National Post (where you can't read most of the stories without a paid subscription - bastards!) and some other stuff. I guess someone thought the extra CH was redundant. So these days they have more U.S. shows, some syndicated Canadian shows and their current affairs shows. Oh yeah, and the indie station where I come from, WUAB, is now a UPN affiliate. Such is the glorious world of broadcasting. Such is partially why some of us turn to podcasts.

I had my say about celebrity a few podcasts ago, but man, it was so cool to sit just a foot away from Steve Smith while he was talking to the audience (you wouldn't know that from his levels, but trust me). His son Dave was the MC for the taping; he's a big strapping bald fellow...and I remember him as a little kid in a short-lived series called Me & Max that came after Smith & Smith. (Yeah, they dug ampersands. Oh, and Max now runs the production company.) That's how long I've watched these people. And so I reward him by ripping off his stuff. Better get this episode now before I get some lawyer's name popping up in my gmail. But hey, S&S Productions guys, my faithful listeners from around the world, some of whom may have never heard of the show, will follow those links and buy all those tapes and books and 3M duct tape (didja know there's clear duct tape now? Huh?). Surely I'm paying my dues in fostering goodwill and bringing in new customers. Right? Right?

If Adam Curry can't pull off that spin in the European Parliament, I don't know what the chances are for the rest of us. But hey, taking a shot.

Update, March 26, 2008- Okay, it's taken a while, but we finally have a clip of the show featured in this episode, including Dad and Uncle Gary's vest-wearing moment in the sun.