'Och Aye Buh-bye

Wow, some days the news just wants you to procrastinate.

One of the odd quirks of Canadian life is this strange little undercurrent of Scottishism.

I think it may go back to Mike Myers' So I Married An Axe Murderer, where he played a character who was Scottish, based on his Dad. (This is years before he pulled the same trick as Fat Bastard in one of the Austin Powers movies, but a few years after he kicked off the trend with the "If it's not Scottish, it's crap" sketches on SNL.)

For my money, neither was as funny as the incarnation of the angry wacky Scot he did when he was trying to kill time between sketches at Second City in Toronto back in the 80's. Then, he'd get up there and say, "Okay, here's my impression of Sean Connery starring in Anne of Green Gables." He'd then take a pigtailed wig, put it on, and say in a pretty passable Connery: "I'm Anne of Green Gables, ya bashtard..."

I guess you had to be there.

Anyway, point is, however it started, for years now, Canadian airwaves have been filled with Ads featuring "angry/wacky Scots."

It completely replaced the other trend in Canadian advertising from a few years ago, which was the "voiceover-actor-with-a-British-accent-for-no-discernable-reason."

The "Angry/Wacky Scot" shows up all over the place. Mostly in bad radio ads. It's an easy Go-To (a term I really should post about) because in craven copywriters' minds, just the sound of the Scottish accent is funny -- which means you don't actually have to write anything with wit or humor. The funny voice will carry it. Ugh.

Probably the worst example of the trend right now is a gum ad where an animated piece of gum runs after a woman running a marathon. For some reason, the whole time, this piece of gum talks in a Scottish accent. It's not funny. It's not motivated. It's just weird.

It probably made the client swoon.

On the other hand, the most ubiquitous "angry/wacky Scot" in Canadian television for the last few years has been the shill for Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale. (right) He's a full-on Scot in sporin and everything, berating people in bars for not treating their beer with the proper respeck. The ads are really annoying, and a little bit funnier than...mm...cancer.

Anyway... my friend Rob and I now humbly predict the end of the Wacky/Angry Scot in Canadian TV. From Today's Toronto Star:

A 40-year-old Toronto comic better known as the obnoxious Scot who berates bartenders and pub patrons in television commercials for Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale has been charged with possessing child pornography and making it available over the Internet.

Whoops. This actor also stars in lots of other Canadian ads. (Casting directors up here, for some reason, always cast the same twelve people. Hmm...in light of this story, maybe that trend can go away now, too. After all, you never know what those crazy actors will do when they're away from set...better to spread the work around...)

You can read the full story in the Toronto Star. Warning: High Ick Factor.