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From high school improv with Seth Rogen in Vancouver, to a spot on the CBC classic This Hour Has 22 Minutes, to his Comedy Central series Nathan For You, Nathan Fielder’s comedic vision has expanded from silly, semi-cruel satire to mirror-funhouse meta-reality TV. We discuss his latest, the HBO docu-comedy The Rehearsal, and ask whether it’s "reality" and whether it's comedy, whether his methods are immoral or merely show us our own dark, TV-shaped hearts, and whether Fielder, a former magician, has just pulled off a brilliant sleight of hand.
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Today we’re talking about the novel that named a generation. In 1991, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Vancouver author and visual artist Douglas Coupland became a sleeper hit, an objet d’art that no student living room could do without. How, exactly, did this awkwardly floppy book manage to capture the zeitgeist of twenty-somethings struggling to find meaning in the shadow of the Boomers? What were its influences and what cultural floodgates did it open? Is it a good novel? Also, Aaron remembers an unfortunate youthful encounter with Douglas Coupland at the Canadian embassy in Paris.
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Isn't it ironic that we finally decided to cover this essential Canadian artist? Alanis Morissette was one of the most successful musicians of the 1990s, selling 33 million copies of her album Jagged Little Pill. We trace her career from child actor to international rock superstar to Instagram mom. We consider the mass appeal of her music, with its cathartic rage, ear-wormy melodies, and therapeutic confessions. What does Morissette's popularity say about Generation X and the older Millenials who make up her fan base, past and present? Wait a minute...how is any of this "ironic"?
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Naomi and Aaron speedboat through the CBC family adventure show Danger Bay (1984-1990). We discuss the show's infinite animal menagerie, its 1980s environmentalism, and the protagonist, Dr. Grant Roberts, who is both a Professional-Class Hero and Dad of the Year. We also rehearse our favourite lines of dialogue from Danger Bay, including Doc Roberts shouting, "We need a lactating otter!"
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Inspired by the recently released sixth season of The Kids in the Hall, Naomi and Aaron talk about this legendary sketch comedy show (1988-1995). We discuss the Kids' paths to becoming comic actors, and how the show was too dark for us to appreciate when we were kids ourselves. We breakdown some of their most notorious sketches, including Cabbage Head and the Chicken Lady, and pay special attention to their unfairly maligned feature film, Brain Candy (1996), which is actually very good! Finally, we consider the dangers of nostalgia and decide that we'll do it anyway.
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Aaron and Naomi talk about the classic teen drama Degrassi Junior High (1987-1989) and its immediate sequel, Degrassi High (1989-1991). We discuss the show's fascinating production history, our vivid memories of watching it as kids, and the labour conditions for the actors. We also dig into the details of one of our favourite episodes, "The All Nighter," and even re-enact a scene. You won't want to miss Naomi's uncanny Melanie impression!
If you like what we do, consider supporting the show on Patreon. Patrons get early access to new episodes, bonus content, and other perks! How Leonard Cohen's life and art was shaped by the Cold War. Plus, the political uses of his most famous song, "Hallelujah."
Cabins and cottages have come to represent summer in Canada--even though most Canadians spend the summer in hot cities. What does the fascination with cabins and cottages reveal about class, inequality and colonization in Canada?
This episode we welcome Tonya Davidson, a sociologist at Carleton University and co-editor of the essay collection Seasonal Sociology (University of Toronto Press, 2020). We discuss her essay in that book "Summer in Cottage Country."
I’m joined once again by my friends from the Alberta Advantage podcast: Joël, Clinton and Karen. We conclude our epic discussion of FUBAR, the classic Canadian and Calgarian comedy franchise, by discussing FUBAR II: Balls to the Wall (2010) in which our protagonists, Terry and Dean, head up to Fort McMurray to work in the oil sands, as well as the TV Series FUBAR: Age of Computer (2017), when the boys try to make a go of it in the online economy. The struggles of Terry and Dean as working class men really come to the fore in these latter two installments of FUBAR.
This is part 2 of our discussion of the FUBAR franchise. To see part 1, check out our last episode.
I'm joined by my podcast comrades from the Alberta Advantage: Clinton, Joël and Karen, for a deep dive into the classic Canadian and Calgarian comedy franchise FUBAR! It’s been nearly 20 years since the first FUBAR film (2002) introduced us to the endearing headbangers Terry and Dean. In our discussion we appreciate FUBAR’s depiction of working-class life and its wicked humour. And of course, we ponder what it really means to give'r.
This is the first of two episodes dedicated to the FUBAR franchise. Keep your eyes peeled for our next release when we discuss the sequel, FUBAR 2 (2010), and the TV series FUBAR: Age of Computer (2017). I talk with author and journalist Marcello Di Cintio about taxi drivers and the working class's cultural visibility. This is a clip from a longer interview. Find the full interview with Marcello here.
I talk to author and journalist Marcello Di Cintio about the people who drive cab for a living. He tells their stories in his fascinating new book, Driven: The Secret Lives of Taxi Drivers (Biblioasis Books, 2021).
I asked Leah Cameron, creator of the CBC Gem comedy The Communist's Daughter, about the politics of laughter.
On today's episode, I talk to Leah Cameron, a television writer in Toronto. She is the creator, director and head writer of The Communist’s Daughter, a comedy series loosely based on her left-wing family in Toronto in 1989, now available on CBC Gem.
This is episode 14 of Sweater Weather with Aaron Giovannone. Tom Wayman, professor emeritus at the University of Calgary and the author of over 20 books, reads his poem, “O Calgary.” It’s a beautiful work in which the city becomes symbolic of a value system and a way of life under capitalism. "O Calgary" was published in Poetry, the world's most prestigious English-language poetry publication, and it appears in Wayman's recent book, Watching a Man Break a Dog's Back (Harbour Publishing). |
Sweater Weather is a podcast about Canadian arts & culture, co-hosted by Aaron Giovannone & Naomi K. Lewis. You can find the show on all major video, audio & social media platforms. If you enjoy Sweater Weather, consider supporting us on Patreon. Patrons get early access to new episodes, bonus content & other perks! Support
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September 2022
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