Six songs that made Bruce McCulloch who he is
It's been about a quarter century since The Kids in the Hall launched Bruce McCulloch's career. Since then he's become a respected fixture of Canadian comedy. Bruce McCulloch traces his evolution in his new book: "Let's Start a Riot: How A Young Drunk Punk Became a Hollywood Dad" which is being adapted for television and due out next year. He joined Brent and talked about the music that played soundtrack to pivotal moments in his life.
The Beatles: Hello Goodbye
This song was the soundtrack to Bruce's fist kiss. "The first love of my life...Susan M. as I call her because she's married now, played Hello Goodbye at this pre-teen dance. And I just remember dripping with emotion and love. And sort of running all the way home to see my family because something exciting had happened. I don't even know what it was, the smell of her hair that the night was wonderful that I finally connected with the Beatles."
The Who: The Real Me
"There's a story in the book about how I beat up my dad to that song. I did actually listen to that song with my dad when he came in after he'd had a few rye and gingers and he tried to understand me by saying the bass was pretty good. Being a young a-hole I said 'Ya it's only the best bass player in the world dad, John Entwistle.' So that song I think really expressed the anger that I felt when I was young."
Gang of Four: At Home He's a Tourist
"I think that song fells like what coming to Toronto in the early '80s felt like, everyone was listening to music like that...At Home He Feels Like A Tourist, I was really starting to understand then that words in music, lyrics as they are called, can be poetic and weird."
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet: Having An Average Weekend
"It's kind of like seeing an ex-girlfriend in a laundromat. It's like 'Oh, you've aged pretty well!'" said McCulloch bout hearing the theme song to Bruce's his old show The Kids In The Hall. "The Shadowy Men From A Shadowy Planet are our best friends...Those were always the guys who made us cool. They are two years, three years older than us so they are the coolest guys in the world. So I'm just happy to partner with their cool culture."
Journey: Don't Stop Believin'
For Bruce this song is the ultimate jukebox test. "Does a woman play The Buzzcocks or does she play Journey. And in my case, my future wife played Journey...It's actually a really good song. There's nothing cool about it. It's a guilty pleasure. Why do we have to be so cool?"
Eminem: The Real Slim Shady
"I was at Crunch in L.A. and I was on the treadmill and beside me was Eminem. And behind him was his security on a treadmill. And when I speeded up my treadmill I think his security speeded up his treadmill to, I don't know I guess, chase me."