Take One (Dec 2003 - Mar 2004)

“I have an ODD CAREER in this country. I’m an actor but I don’t get hired to play parts.” — Rick Mercer Recalling the debate over the Made in Canada title, Mercer says, “I remember a journalist said, ‘Why don’t you just call it Don’t Watch this Show.” But what he did was what he is reputedly able to do—turn a sow’s ear into a Prada purse. He certainly did that with the Great Sow to the South in Ta/king to Americans. “I have no particular desire to have my name be the name of the show; I’m quite happy just doing the show. The downside with this title is the possibility of waking up one morning and reading the headline: “The Rick Mercer Show Cancelled.” The location of this interview is the 2003 Banff Television Festival where Mercer had been invited not only to host the Rockie Awards and lead, along with long-time producer, Gerald Lunz, a Master Class which they called "Driving the Comedy Bus.” As well, Mercer is there to receive the Sir Peter Ustinov Award, moving him up to the ranks of Barry Humphries (a.k.a. Dame Edna), Bob Newhart, Martin Short, Tracey Ullman, Kelsey Grammer, John Cleese and the late John Candy. Nice neighbours. Throughout the festival, the comedian/writer/performer is not a rarified commodity, and the scheduled interview for Take One felt more like a dance of manners rather than the usual orchestrated window of chaperoned accessibility. It was at Banff where Mercer explained that what makes him laugh most are the naughty bits, that-which-ought— (a a “The bad things that you can’t say on a sion,” he clarified. The Newfoundland accent kicks in. “So yes, it’s the really saucy, bad things.” But his idea of bad is not the Chris Rock/blunt-force trauma comedy the public h someone barrels, humour as ¢ S' Ss snou ome to expect. And @¥en off-camera once _ ses the line and gives him leave to empty both e of t is vil subtle, as th t Id be. > capt a aecemace 2003 Sidhe wid y A t A | , 4 ~_f Greg Thomey and Rick Mercer in: This Hour Has 22 Minutes. It was also at Banff where Manhattan—based Sheila Nevins, head of documentaries for HBO (who was co-executive producer on Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills), made the unfortunate error of publicly attempting to disparage Mercer’s presence on the same panel she was on. The festival had several discussion panels showcasing some of the best creative talent in the business. As reported in The Globe and Mail (June 21, 2003), “Nevins was miffed because she had assumed she was going to be part of an earlier panel that included Sopranos’ creator David Chase and Cheers’ executive producer James Burrows.” Instead, she’d been stuck with a Canuck she’d never heard of. Pointing a lacquered nail in Mercer's general direction, Nevins huffed: “I came all the way up here and I find I’m on a panel with him.” Because of the slight, Nevins then threatened to boycott that evening’s festivities, where she was to be given a lifetime achievement award, along with Burrows and McGhee. “Do you know where I’m going to be?” she asked the stunned room. “In my hotel room.” Pause: As we remember this is Rick “streeters” on This Hour Has 22 Minutes Mercer. Pause: As we remember that his book, Streeters, published by Doubleday quickly rose to No. 1 on The Globe and Mail’s National Best Seller List. Leah and Gordon Pincent with Mercer in Made In Canada. Pause: As we remember that Mercer is the country’s authority on how to talk to Americans. “Oh, if you’re in your room,” Mercer offered, “you really should try the club sandwich.” Later at the celebratory dinner, a careful check of attendance, including the Pat Fern (Banff president and CEO) sector, resulted in Is. Nevins might actually be taki e enu recomm the conclusion t oF’ The key to Ri ercer. If dation under advisen put meinto the d 7 * 2 into the room, viewers would ‘s: they put A in "of