"I wrote this song because it was, like,
Americans have so many songs to be proud of and everything,
and all we've got is f****** s***.
They've got BORN IN THE USA and we've got nothing.
So anyway, I wrote this song."
DAVE HOOK RANTS I'M CANADIAN
watch Dave Hook sings I'M CANADIAN at Club 54, starts at 5:26 mark
To Orwell Today,
re: REMEMBER DAVE HOOK MOON SONG & KEEP DAVE HOOK MEMORY ALIVE
Thanks Jackie,
You know it's funny Dave was such a conspiracy hunter in his last couple of years but to me one of the biggest most personal conspiracies of his life (and really mine as well) was that of Molson Canadian's commercial "The Rant"..... "My name is Joe, and I am Canadian..."
You mention that you have a copy of his CD, "I'm not a Crackpot..." but did you know that some of that material, including "I'm Canadian" was from his previous release, "Ten Years of Crap"? Dave wrote "I'm Canadian" in the early 1990s and sent it to Molson, who subsequently told him that they had no use for it... but then came "The Rant". Sure, it's not the exact lyrics (some obviously could not be aired) but they used his concept completely. How ironic that they stole the idea of proud patriotism from a true Canadian boy.
To this day, I wish that Dave had fought back harder... but for my part I've boycotted Molson (and all affiliates) for life.
I'M CANADIAN
written and performed by Dave R Hook
1971 - 2006
I guess it's true that we say "eh" alot
But the beer is cold here, and the bacon's hot
And a big red leaf on our flag is all we got... I can live with that
'Cus not many people here own a gun
We're supposed to have a lot of beavers but I've never seen one
'cept the one time on the 401... but he was flat
'Cus I'm Canadian
I drive a hunk of crap Acadian
I wear a touque on my cranium
We got a prime minister not a president
He's a crazy French guy and his mouth is bent
We had a chick one time but she came and went... and I thank the lord!!
And we say Zed, and you say Zee
We got bad movies and we have worse TV
You would hang yourself if you watched CBC... with an extension cord!!
And no... I don't live in an igloo
And no... not everyone here is always nice
'cus if you make us mad, we're only gonna warn you once... then we'll warn you twice!!
Oh, oh oh... I'm Canadian
I drive hunk of crap Acadian
and we don't fight 'cus we're afraidian
Unless it's in a hockey stadium!!
Take care,
Jillian
Greetings Jillian,
Wow, I just now watched a YouTube version of THE MOLSON BEER COMMERCIAL and it's blatantly obvious they plagiarized Dave Hook's concept and parts of his lyrics:
THE RANT: I AM CANADIAN
performed by actor Jeff Douglas
Hey, I'm not a lumberjack, or a fur trader
I don't live in an igloo, or eat blubber, or own a dog sled.
And I don't know Jimmy, Sally, or Susie from Canada,
Although I'm certain they're really, really nice, uh.
I have a Prime Minister, not a President.
I speak English, and French, NOT American.
And I pronounce it "a-bout", not "a-boot".
I can proudly sew my country's flag on my backpack.
I believe in peacekeeping, not policing;
Diversity, not assimilation!
And that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal!
A toque is a hat!
A chesterfield is a couch!
And it's pronounced Zed... not Zee... it's Zed
Canada is the second largest landmass,
The first nation of hockey,
And the best part of North America!
My name is Joe...
And I AM CANADIAN!
...Thank you.
In the words of Dave's song that you sent, I've bolded the similarities to the Molson ad, ie big red leaf on flag as background; reference to beer, cold (visual), gun (visual), igloo, being nice, prime minister not president, french, beaver, toque, zed not zee, don't fight (peacekeeping), hockey and most telling of all, the closing admonition "I am Canadian".
It's been a few years since I've listened to Dave's CD "I'M NOT A CRACKPOT! YOU ARE!" but I did so just now and found the I'M CANADIAN song at track 14 of the 22 tracks.
The CD is a recording of a stand-up comedy routine he's doing before a live nightclub audience. Most of it's straight talking (only 3 or 4 songs) and all of it's hilarious - he really is extremely funny.
By way of introducing 'the Canadian Song' (which someone in the audience has requested) he says:
"I wrote this song because it was, like, Americans have so many songs to be proud of and everything, and all we've got is f****** s***. They've got BORN IN THE USA and we've got nothing. So anyway I wrote this song."
Then he strums the guitar and sings the "I'm Canadian" words transcribed above (not just speaks them) in a ballad-like tune. I like it; he has a good voice. I wish there was a version of him singing it on YouTube so everyone could hear it.
I google-searched more for I'M CANADIAN and found a Wikipedia article explaining the cult phenomenon of the Molson beer commercial, nicknamed "The Rant". It was a major campaign for almost ten years. It even had spin-offs and parodies, including one by William Shatner of Star Trek fame - capitalizing on his Canadian roots (and the success of the concept, ie Dave's idea of mocking the misconceptions Americans have of what Canadians are and are not).
Can you imagine how much money Dave Hook would have made if Molson had given him credit where credit was due, ie as the originator of the idea and the lyrics (only somewhat disguised but defintily recognizable as his). It would have been life-changing money (and life lengthening too because no doubt the stress of being plagiarized had negative affects on his health).
And for anyone still skeptical about Molson stealing I'M CANADIAN from Dave Hook - or thinking it's just another "crackpot" conspiarcy theory - the proof is in the timeline as follows:
The Molson commercial came out in 1994. In Dave's song he makes reference to Canadians having a female prime minister who didn't last long, ie "we had a chick one time but she came and went". That would be Kim Campbell who was Canada's Prime Minister for six months - from June to December 1993. That puts credence to Dave sending his song to Molson during that time period and then they very shortly after - in 1994 - turning it into the I AM CANADIAN commercial.
I'll definitely be boycotting Molson (although my loss to them won't amount to much) and I'll share the info with "Orwell Today" readers so they can boycott too.
The next time I have a beer (and it won't be Molson) I'll be drinking a toast to Dave Hook.
All the best,
Jackie Jura, 2009
PS - Speaking of Canadian beer, it was Orwellian to read in recent news that a pint isn't really a pint. Go to ORWELL LIKES A PINT
PPS - Another Orwellianism is that Dave Hook - in explaining why he wrote I'M CANADIAN - mentions the song BORN IN THE USA (which came out in 1984)
PPPS - Since writing the above article two days ago I've just now found (on Sunday, August 30, 2009, godcidently the 3rd anniversary of Dave's death) a YouTube video of DAVE HOOK DOING COMEDY AT CLUB 54 (and in the comments section it says that since his death other comediens are using Dave's material without giving him credit)
For Canada Day, we asked the 'I am Canadian' guy what that famous ad would look like today, Toronto Star, July 1, 2020
...Jeff Douglas is on the line from his home in Nova Scotia, reciting those old lines. Twenty years ago, he walked out onto a stage wearing a grey plaid shirt and -- backed by a rising and rousing Pomp and Circumstance soundtrack and some iconic images on a screen behind him -- delivered a fiery speech on the virtues of being Canadian, culminating with this: "My name is Joe! And I! Am! Canadian!"...
The Right Honorable A Kim Campbell: When Kim Campbell was elected leader of the Progressive Party of Canada on June 13, 1993, she became the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of the country. Her term as Prime Minister was very brief, however. In October 1993 Canadians elected a new Liberal government, and in December 1993 she resigned her leadership of the party and retired from electoral politics....
I AM CANADIAN, Wikipedia
I am Canadian was the slogan of Molson Canadian Beer from 1994 until 1998 (via ad agency Maclaren Lintas and then MacLaren McCann), and between 2000 and 2005 (Bensimon Byrne). It was also the subject of an extremely popular ad campaign centered on Canadian nationalism, the most famous examples of which are "The Rant" and "The Anthem". The ads aired in both English Canada and the United States. In 2005, shortly after Molson's merger with American brewer Coors, Molson announced that it was retiring the "I am Canadian" slogan.
"The Rant": A screen capture of Joe Canadian from an I am Canadian commercial, with the maple leaf of the Canadian flag projected on the background. In April 2000, using nationalism as a platform (or perhaps even jingoism depending on varying opinions , the ad starred a man named Joe: an "average Canadian", standing in a movie theatre, with a cinema screen behind him showing different images relating to Canadian culture. Joe proceeds to give a speech about what is it to be a Canadian and what it is not to be a Canadian, making particular efforts to distinguish himself both from common Canadian stereotypes of Americans ("I believe in peacekeeping, not policing") and common American stereotypes of Canadians ("I don't live in an igloo"). It was performed by actor Jeff Douglas and directed by an American, Kevin Donovan. The commercial won an advertising industry Gold Quill award in 2001. Douglas moved to Los Angeles after his career took off in the wake of the commercial's success....
Parodies: The success of I am Canadian in Canada led to many parodies of the advertisement. Several radio stations have produced provincial variations on the theme. These include I am an Albertan, I am a British Columbian, I am a Newfoundlander, and I Am Not Canadian, the last of which focused on a Quebec sovereignist. William Shatner, who is Canadian, performed his own variation on the idea in a Just for Laughs appearance. He announced to the world: "I am not a Starfleet commander, ...or T.J. Hooker." The rant continues, making fun of Trekkies and his own typecasting as James T. Kirk. Weasel, the lead character of I Am Weasel, parodied the advertisement in a promotional ad for the series' home, Cartoon Network. The ad proved itself to be popular enough to air on a similar Canadian outlet, Teletoon. During the 2002 Swiss National Exposition, the Swiss National Bank pavilion featured an "Ich Bin Schweizer" adaptation of the ad, using stereotypes held by Germans about the Swiss. In December 2007, The Muslim American Society created a video called "I Am A Muslim" which takes many lines from the Molson advertisement and applies them to Muslim stereotypes.
Trivia: This commercial premiered during the Academy Awards, which, in that year, included Robin Williams singing the song Blame Canada, a satirical song from the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.
"The Anthem": Joe at the end of ad. This ad features famous moments from Canadian history (including the pounding of the Last Spike and the raising of the Maple Leaf flag), as well as a variety of "average Canadians", singing a song extolling the virtues of Canada and its citizens. Molson also released an mp3 version of the song, which is entirely in English and sings rather than speaks "the one we call Canadian".
Jackie Jura
~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~
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