Gerry Dee is one of Canada’s most famous comedians
Gerry Dee talks to Dave Deibert about Celine Dion, university hockey and his dealings with sports icons.
From his long-running CBC television comedy Mr. D to a successful standup career to his time as a “sports reporter” on The Score, Gerald Donoghue — a.k.a. Gerry Dee — has become one of Canada’s most famous comedians. Currently on a cross-Canada tour, he chatted with Postmedia about Canadian music, TV, his brief turn as a university hockey phenom and more ...
Let’s talk Canadian pop culture. You worked with national hip-hop icon Maestro Fresh Wes on Mr. D. Have you ever performed karaoke of his hit song Let Your Backbone Slide?
I don’t know the words well enough. I know parts of it. “So many suckers on my sacroiliac, it’s like a ...” Then I lose it. But what a great guy to work with. What a humble guy for a legend in the business. He would always do that song at the wrap party for us and the place would go nuts. We felt like it was a private party for us.
Mr. D aired eight seasons. Where does it rank with these Canadian shows: Degrassi, Beachcombers, The Kids in the Hall and The Littlest Hobo.
I’ll remove our show from that list right away. It’s not my place to comment, but that doesn’t mean I’d have it first (laughs). Those are all iconic. Those shows are shows we all grew up with. I wouldn’t put us in that category.
Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On comes on the radio. Do you (a) crank it up; (b) change the station; or (c) sing along?
I like the song a lot. Would I change the station? I generally change the station always. I’m one of the guys that does rapid-fire looking for a better song, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the song that came on.
Were you making plans for your statue on the St. Francis Xavier University campus after you earned four points in your first game of university hockey?
(Laughs) That was such a crazy whirlwind of one day. That was a great lesson of how things can change quickly in your life and don’t get carried away. My buddies on the team that I still talk to were much better players and had full careers, I still have that as my one claim to fame. It was a special night.
Then the game was taped over by the basketball coach. In those days, you would tape the game and you would just share VHS tapes. I went to go watch the game once for confidence. It was just taped over. It’s all in my head. A couple newspaper clippings. That’s all I got left.
You also finished 49th at the 1986 Canadian junior golf championship. If you had the choice to win one, would you take a green jacket or Stanley Cup?
I think winning a Cup as a Canadian would have to probably win. As a golfer who knows the history of the Masters, how hard it is to win, how hard it is to get into, that is a tough question. If I had to pick, I’d pick the Stanley Cup because you celebrate that with a whole slew of other people and that would be part of the fun.
If you really want to impress your daughters, this is the name you could point to in your contacts and say “Yeah, I can call this person.”
If I had to, for my daughters, it would be (figure skater) Tessa Virtue or (golfer) Brooke Henderson. It would be a very weird call for both of them, but those are the two they would be ecstatic about. I had a friend that was on a show with ... what was the show ... they did a remake ... the song ’s in my head ... with Dave Coulier ... Fuller House. (Candace Cameron-Bure) did a video for my daughter on her birthday. I had a friend, Yannick Bisson from Murdoch Mysteries, that was kind enough to get that arranged. They went ballistic when Candace did that.
During your time on
The Score as Gerry Dee: Sports Reporter, who was the one interview subject that you most had to put your fan hat away for?
Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky come to mind. Peyton Manning. Charles Barkley comes to mind. I was very lucky to interview people of that level. I think the coolest thing was Jordan and Gretzky. I can’t pick one. Icons in their respective sports. It was awkward. You’re in awe of them and you still have to commit to your bit.
Do you have that one small crowd or dingy location where you remember performing ?
I always thought, “It’s harder to make four people laugh than 400 so if I can get through this ...” I did a gig in northern B.C. once in the summer. I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, it was outdoors, in a tent. I did a gig once in a restaurant for one table. I stood over the one table of 12 and the rest of the restaurant just acted accordingly. It was weird. Thank God I wasn’t known then.