Note to Bob and Doug MacKenzie: Take off ‘eh!
Cats: CBC Radio, Canada|No. Really. Take off, boys.
I know this could get me hauled up before a committee investigating Un-Canadian Activities, but I never got the whole Bob and Doug MacKenzie thing.
They were the two dim-witted, beer-drinking, lumberjack-shirt-and-tuque-wearing fellows who made the word “hoser” a household word in Canada in the 80s. Their SCTV sketch Great White North played up hackneyed cliches of Canada and Canadians. The word “eh” figured prominently in every sentence.
They sang goofy songs about beer, produced albums of their sketches and became national celebrities, as much as that sort of thing is done is Canada.
I bring it up because they recently did a TV retrospective and I notice they have DVD re-releases of their work. And CBC is giving them away on their afternoon shows. And playing us some of their “music.”
It’s not that the MacKenzie Bros were offensive or irritating. In fact, their self-deprecation and lack of pretension had a certain charm, but the act always wore off within the first five minutes. It was like they took a cute skit on a long, long, long walk and beat it to death. It became predictable and boring, like Air Farce.
Yet we were all supposed to love it because it was all so, um, Canadian.
I’d take the wit of a Newfie Codco or the sharp observations of Trailer Park Boys or the zaniness of Kids in the Hall any day over the MacKenzie Bros. That stuff has legs.
But Bob and Doug MacKenzie? Lovable maybe, but it’s been done to death.
Please take off, eh?
December 12th, 2007 at 7:56 am
I am kind of with you on that one. They were briefly amusing, and then it was “OK, you can stop now.”
But the Trailer Park Boys? Now those guys really ARE like people we all went to high school with, and much, much funnier and more realistic.
December 12th, 2007 at 8:08 am
I used to stay up late just to see the 5 minutes of Great White North.
Bob and Doug were the epitome of the hillbilly redneck small town boys, but with an innocence and humor. This contrasts the original hillbilly redneck who would be better described as sexist and racist.
It was a parody of a growing sector of rural Canada. That’s what made it so funny, but you would have had to have spent some time around the real rednecks to appreciate it.
Unfortunately as it got popular for it’s cuteness, it lost it’s original quality. The movie(s?) and music was a typical money grab.
P.S. AirFarce blows, and always has.
December 12th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
I was slightly amused by the MacKenzie Brothers. I remember the song fairly well. I agree, though, it wears off quickly.
Loved Kids in the Hall! I still throw out lines from their skits, such as “girly drink drunk” and “damn them, damn them all!” Good times.
December 12th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
I was at the right age to enjoy the McKenzie Bros. 12-14. Loved the goofy humour, but then my sense of humour matured to CODCO & Kids in the Hall & now Trailer Parks Boys (I thought TPB was stupid at first until I watched an entire show and realized I knew people like that) I still laugh thinking about Marg at the Mental & Crazy Rex
December 13th, 2007 at 3:01 am
Jacy, the Tailer Park Boys are Shakespearean in their observation of real people
Dick, I just never thought it was that sharp compared to other parodies of rural rednecks.
Moxie, I didn’t know they MacKenzie Brothers made it to the US. Girl drink drunk was funny.
HnP, you probably hit the nail on the head with Mackenzie bros. Their humour was basic and unsophisticated so it would have appeal to a broad and younger audience.