MERCER’S NOT QUITE AMUSED
JFL gala host’s love of politics soured by Trump
In the rich annals of Just for Laughs history, Rick Mercer stands out as being among the best gala hosts the festival has ever landed.
Fourteen years ago, Canada’s satirist supreme arrived on the Théâtre St-Denis stage riding the Canadarm, claiming it was cheaper than flying Air Canada before noting that the robotic Space Shuttle device cost $50 million “and it can’t even give anyone the finger.”
Mercer had been flying particularly high back then following CBC’s Talking to Americans, one of the highest-rated specials in the history of Canadian TV and one of the most hysterical. This was the show in which Mercer managed to convince U.S. governors and professors, among others, that Canada had finally legalized insulin, had just adopted the 24-hour clock and had made “beaver balls” our national dish. Best of all, Mercer told one president (hello, Dubya) our prime minister was named Jean Poutine, and he wasn’t corrected.
Well, Mercer is back, ready to host another JFL gala Thursday, July 27 at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier of Place des Arts. And the timing couldn’t be more fitting to address Canada-U.S. relations, what with NAFTA in the news and a president who makes Dubya look like Mensa material.
Mercer is, of course, up for the challenge. “The only problem is that the Canadarm is in some space museum now, so I’ll have to find something else to come in on,” he says in a phone interview.
Perhaps Bombardier could spot him a Challenger for the evening. Gosh knows Mercer and the rest of us have ponied up plenty for them already.
For years, Mercer has been asked — even begged — by CBC and regular Canadians to do an update on Talking to Americans. He appears reluctant.
“I think that may be more of a young man’s game now,” says the 47-year-old pride of St. John’s. “I really don’t know if (an update) would actually work now. That was a very different time. It was a more innocent time. It was before any kind of prank television and YouTube really hit. And people thought it was really just a local news show from Canada.
“After I did Talking to Americans, there was a huge appetite for me to continue. Since then, CBC has probably had six different people call me on it, and each time they say: ‘I have an idea: have you ever considered …?’ And I know exactly what they’re going to ask,” he says. “But certainly, the relationship between Canada and the U.S. is worthy of exploring and probably will be talked about on stage, I would think.” Consider that a definite. In fairness, Mercer has plenty on his plate already. In September he returns to CBC for Season 15 of the Rick Mercer Report, wherein he lampoons local news in his inimitable fashion and lets loose with some choice rants along the way.
Mercer, an Officer of the Order of Canada, is also serving as a Canada 150 ambassador. On July 1 he hosted the CBC special Canada Day 150! From Coast to Coast to Coast, featuring performances in every province and territory.
The recipient of more than 30 Juno and Canadian Screen Awards, Mercer pushed the boundaries of fake news as cohost of This Hour Has 22 Minutes for nearly a decade, beginning in 1993. And that was years before fictional news became all the rage on the U.S. tube.
Mercer points out that awareness of Canada has also changed considerably over the years, thanks to the presence of Justin Trudeau — be it for his politics or his GQ image. Many Americans no longer believe that Canadians are a bunch of bland hosers who, because of the high cost of socialized medicine, “are putting our seniors on ice floes to fend for themselves,” as Mercer claimed in Talking to Americans.
“Justin has certainly done very well internationally, and that is only a good thing for Canada,” Mercer says. “I’ve been in France and the U.K. recently, and normally when people would say you’re from Canada, God knows
what they would say. But now they’re certainly up on Justin.”
Trudeau has even been dubbed the “Trump whisperer” because of his apparent ability to get through to The Donald without triggering a Twitter war.
“Oh, lucky, lucky (Justin),” Mercer cracks.
But while allowing that Trump is comedy gold, Mercer doesn’t relish the situation. “In fact, it’s a problem. I’m glad it’s not my beat. I don’t know what I would do if it was — if I would become very prolific or if I would go hide in the bush.
“I think that in order to cover something, you have to love your subject matter to a certain extent. That doesn’t mean I love all politicians, but I do have a love of politics. But that love would be deeply, deeply strained if I was covering Donald Trump in America.
“It’s unfortunate that it is all being covered like a reality show — because it all seems like a reality show. It’s so hard to understand. It is absolutely the strangest thing that I’ve ever witnessed in my life. And if someone had written this 2½ years ago and I was watching it as a movie, I would turn it off after 20 minutes and say it was stupid and unbelievable. And that person would never get elected. But that shows you what I know. It’s not a very funny scenario.”
The scenario is a lot funnier in Canada, but that shouldn’t suggest Mercer might consider a stab at politics.
“At no point in my life have I been less inclined to do that than now,” he declares.
Mercer is quite content staying on his current career path, and is ever grateful that a lot of the ideas for the Report come from viewers.
“They are quite passionate, too, and invite me to their towns or to their events,” he says. “If it wasn’t for them, it would be difficult, because it’s a big country and we don’t have eyes on the ground in every corner.
“All I know is if there wasn’t a deadline, I wouldn’t come up with one single thing.”
Not so sure about that. Stick Mercer in this city of granite stumps, urban rodeos and Formula E races, and he would have enough fodder for a season or two.
“I’ve been following a little lately, but I find that Quebec politics reminds me of the politics that I grew up with in Newfoundland. There were so many colourful characters: either giant intellectuals or giant buffoons. And sometimes both at the same time. And you have more than your fair share of those colourful characters, too.”
Ya think?