‘A bunch of yahoos’
Edmonton musician who made ‘Speaking Moistly’ hit, features Doug Ford in new song
Last week, Doug Ford called a group of protesters objecting against COVID-19 lockdowns in Toronto, a “bunch of yahoos.”
The phrase has been replayed more than 300,000 times on Youtube, in the form of a catchy ’80s-style summer jam — all thanks to the same musician who, last month, famously released the song, “Speaking Moistly,” starring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Brock Tyler, an indie musician from Edmonton, rose to internet fame three weeks ago after he coined a catchy, ’80s-style synth pop tune, inspired by a verbal slip-up during one of the prime minister’s daily press conferences. The tune, which smoothly synced Trudeau’s cringey words with an up-tempo beat, was an immediate hit and has since reached almost three million views on Youtube.
“I saw the original clip and I thought it was quite hilarious,” he told CBC News. “So, I just thought, why not try to make something fun out of it?”
Tyler’s collaboration with Ford follows a similar premise, narrating his comments on the protesters “side-byside” with a tune slowly escalating in note and fervor, before breaking into his trademark dance beats.
The protesters in question are also allowed a share of the spotlight, unwittingly appearing in the video as Ford’s back-up dancers.
Trudeau makes another appearance in the song, taking control of the second verse with a firm stare into the camera as he reminds us all that “if we move too quick, everything we’re doing, might have been for nothing.” But,
Nova Scotia Premier’s Stephen McNeil’s fiery lyric, sung right before the song drops into its final chorus, might be the one that viewers take away from the video: “All we have to do is stay the blazes home,” a line that has inspired its own series of musical tributes.
Ford and Trudeau aren’t the only ones to share Tyler’s mantle of Canadian politician-inspired pop hits — Alberta premier Jason Kenney and former Toronto mayor Rob Ford have also unwittingly been part of hit bangers thanks to Tyler’s producing abilities.
“It’s a voice that everybody knows, it’s a person everybody knows,” he told CBC. “And I guess it’s kind of a way of just having a bit of artistic fun, putting my stamp on current events.”