I recently read Mike Myers: Canada. You may know him as Wayne Campbell from Wayne乌鸦传媒檚 World on Saturday Night Live or Austin Powers, Dr. Evil or Shrek from his life in film.
The proud Canadian who often wears a Toronto Maple Leaf jersey has made many of us laugh for decades. He spent his first 20 years in Ontario before moving to the U.S.
乌鸦传媒淔ame is a real experience,乌鸦传媒� he wrote. 乌鸦传媒淏ut it乌鸦传媒檚 not a Canadian experience. And nothing about growing up in Canada prepares you for a public life.乌鸦传媒�
Myers, 54, says he learned that fame has no intrinsic value and he is grateful for what being famous has brought him. He adores Canada.
乌鸦传媒淢y American friends once accused me of enjoying being Canadian. Guilty as charged.乌鸦传媒�
In discussing Canada, on its 150th birthday, Myers mentions how we are obsessed with statistics.
乌鸦传媒淲ell, seven out of ten Canadians are obsessed with statistics. And of those seven, 25 per cent of them乌鸦传媒ou get my point.乌鸦传媒�
We also love lists and Myers informs his readers that Canada invented time zones, the telephone, the first steamship, Pablum, insulin, the chocolate bar, Greenpeace, lacrosse, IMAX film, the green garbage bag, the snowblower and of course Trivial Pursuit.
He also notes that Canadians love it when other countries mention Canada.
乌鸦传媒淚 still get excited when I hear Carly Simon乌鸦传媒檚 1972 song You乌鸦传媒檙e So Vain when she says, 乌鸦传媒楾hen you flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun.乌鸦传媒� My brothers and I would cheer when she mentioned Nova Scotia. I guess we thought this song was about us, didn乌鸦传媒檛 we, didn乌鸦传媒檛 we?乌鸦传媒�
The youngest of three boys writes that America is comfortable with achievement while we aren乌鸦传媒檛. He says Canadians are at a disadvantage when it comes to describing their childhood.
乌鸦传媒淓nglish people have Lord of the Flies, Harry Potter, Mary Poppins or even Bend It Like Beckham. Americans have乌鸦传媒nything by Disney. Canadians, on the other hand, got nothin乌鸦传媒�. Therefore, when I try to describe my Canadian childhood, I often feel like I乌鸦传媒檓 describing a dream I had.
乌鸦传媒淭ry explaining to a non-Canadian The Friendly Giant. Or Mr. Dressup. Or Danny Gallivan. Or Howie Meeker. Or Stompin乌鸦传媒� Tom. Or Don Cherry. Or Lanny McDonald. Or Eddie Shack. Or Cherry Lolas. Or the Food Building. Or the PNE, Or Le bonhomme de neige. Or Luba. Newfoundland. Or Lotta Hitschmanova. Or the Roughriders, and then, of course, the Rough Riders. Or St. Johns and St. John. It was all a dream乌鸦传媒r was it?乌鸦传媒�
Myers乌鸦传媒� dad, Eric, loved comedy and made Mike乌鸦传媒檚 friends tell a joke or a funny story whenever they came over to the family home in Scarborough. Eric was a die hard Liverpool fan but after moving to Canada, saw hockey as an 乌鸦传媒渋mprovement乌鸦传媒� on soccer.
Fame has allowed Myers to get up close and personal with Wayne Gretzky, John Candy, Gilda Radner, Lorne Michaels, Barack Obama, Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau and Phil Hartman, just to name a few.
He has not let fame change him, but rather give him a deeper appreciation for being Canadian. He gets a charge when people greet him when he乌鸦传媒檚 back home in Canada.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檒l be on the street and a fellow Canadian will say, 乌鸦传媒楳ike乌鸦传媒amloops!乌鸦传媒� And that乌鸦传媒檚 it. Nothing else has to be said. I love that!乌鸦传媒�
On the last page, Myers wishes the country a happy birthday and says 乌鸦传媒渨ithout you, I乌鸦传媒檇 be nothing.乌鸦传媒�
He writes: 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 so confident in Canada乌鸦传媒檚 future. We know ourselves now. I can乌鸦传媒檛 wait for my kids, who are American, to be old enough to be proud that their old man comes from that cool country to the north that has tried harder that any other country in the history of the world to get it right乌鸦传媒anada may not have put a man on the moon, but it乌鸦传媒檚 been awfully nice to the man on earth. And perhaps that will be Canada乌鸦传媒檚 greatest legacy.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒�-Kevin Mitchell is the sports editor and newsroom funnyman at the Vernon Morning Star.
