A couple weeks ago I was reading an article on Cracked, one of my favourite websites. It was about celebrities who had been super good at something else ages ago. The one that really caught my eye was about Tom Green, who before he was known for gross-out humor, had another life: As a rapper.
(the one in red and the second verse, in case you don't remember Canada 1993).
Anyways, seeing that got me to thinking. I know that Chromeo, having hit up some festivals south of the border earlier this summer, is finally getting some recognition in the States. And so it's gone for some of our other acts recently: Tegan and Sara, Feist, et cetera. Bands and artists that we Canadians have loved or at least known about for ages on end.
But here's the thing: for every Canadian musical act that makes it big down south after years of being famous in their own land, there are at least 10 that have not. Much more, probably. It is weird to consider the fact that Organized Rhyme isn't a part of the cultural landscape anywhere else in the world.
So this got me to thinking. I think we can all agree that in terms of at least the English speaking world, the United States is kinda the centre of entertainment. Perhaps it's a stretch to say it's the centre of culture, but English entertainment I think we can agree on. What with Oscars and Emmys and Tonys and Grammys, plus their massive entertainment corporations, I think this point would be hard to argue. The rest of us English speaking countries have our little niche entertainment industries, but unless they remake the Office and set it in Scranton or some other such thing, our cultures are our own.
But here in Canada, things are a tad different. Not many folks outside our borders have heard of "A part of our history" Heritage Minutes, or Today's Special, or Air Farce. (God, to live in a world where "Doctor, I smell burnt toast" means nothing to you!) So too I'm sure for Australian soap operas or local British music groups. But unlike those other parts of the world, something like 90% of us live within spitting distance of the America-Canadian border. And do you know what that means?
Direct all-access to American culture. All of their TV channels, if we so choose. All of their music, including their top 40 shows blaring over our radios. Immediate access to American movies. I don't know for sure, but it seems to me that this is the only place on Earth where people have access to two sets of English-speaking entertainment: our own, as well as that produced by the biggest budgets (again in the English-speaking world).
And it's because of that fact that I am grateful. It's like we all get to be unrepentant pretentious hipsters. When Americas attend a festival and discover this awesome new artist, we get to all be like, "oh yeah, them. I've known about them for like, 10 years."
Maybe that's the reason why there's so many Canadians in Hollywood. We've all overdosed on the arts...
Or perhaps I'm wrong about this theory. Maybe I'm just blowing smoke out my ass. Dunno.
