The fearless, hyperkinetic, ADHD-suffering, gay, Newfie kid from Middle Cove here outlines his adventures as a sketch comedian, political commentator, and satirist, but only up to the time when he is about to star in his own CBC show, The Rick Mercer Report. That 2004-2018 show celebrating everything that is right about Canada and ranting about everything that is wrong about it, particularly it’s political leadership, was one of the few TV shows I seldom missed. His rants from that show are a fun read in his 2018 book, Final Report.
With unpredictable twists in mid sentence, masterful snappy short sentences and phrases, and great punch lines, his writing is hyperkinetic, humorous and brilliant. On arriving in Kabul to entertain our troops after a hair-raising flight in a beat up Afghani airline plane he says “For the first time, I related to the Pope, with his penchant for kissing the ground he lands on.” On first meeting Preston Manning he commented that “Over the coming the years he would morph into a much slicker politician, lowering his voice, getting contact lenses and experimenting with clothes that actually fit.”
Perhaps the best satire is in the chapter “Talking to Americans” in which he exposed the profound ignorance about all things Canadian of ordinary Americans and even their political leaders and academics by feeding them ludicrous lies about Canada and recording their responses in street interviews. It is hard to believe such prevalent myopic disinterest in the rest of the world unless one has experienced it as I did at Yale in the mid 70’s. In July that year, it took me almost two weeks to find out who had won in the Canadian election that I had voted in the day I left Canada. And I got used to the New Haven weatherman calling winter storms developing in Minnesota and heading our way “cold Canadian air.”
Mercer is generous in his praise for his many coworkers and enablers, self-deprecatory, and humble. The insights into how decisions and collaborations in the world of television are enlightening.
A uniquely Canadian delightful read. I hope there will be a sequel covering his later exploits.
Thanks,
Vera.
The Passionate Reader 