I just happen to enjoy digging holes. It is interesting to see what rocks were dropped in Manitoba when the glaciers receded, or what sediment was left at the bottom of glacial Lake Agassiz. I believe you can turn any seemingly mundane chore into a lesson in what lies just beneath the surface. If you are going to dig yourself into a rut —better to do it purposefully and enjoy the process.
Polar Bear
I first performed in Churchill, Manitoba in 1970, before it became known as The Polar Bear Capital of the World. I heard many stories about the dangers of encountering a bear. Over the years I’ve seen cute and cuddly depictions of the carnivore that can weigh more than 700 kg (over 1500 pounds). I thought it was time to set the record straight.
Polar Bear Rap
On one of my visits to Churchill a few years ago I was invited to go for an “adventure” by a friend who was a visiting tourist. Always up for a new experience I, and a couple of other trusting souls, jumped into a car he borrowed from a local fellow. It was pitch dark on a February afternoon when we got out of the car and started walking. I asked where, exactly, we were going. He said “There are polar bears hanging around the dump. We are going to see them.” I turned the parka-wrapped-meat-parade around by quoting a line that my Inuit friend Jimmy Snowball often told me: “a polar bear’s black nose is the last thing you’ll ever see.”
Alligator Teeth
A month after Hurricane Katrina I was touring some of the hardest hit areas in Louisiana. The destruction was incredible, but the resilience of the residents was even more remarkable. I saw a house smashed up against a bridge I was driving over, so I wasn’t surprised to see a 7 foot long log lying across the middle of the road. I pulled over and was about to get out of the car and move the log out of the way, when the log lifted its head and walked away. It was an alligator. The night before I received a message from my son, telling me that my granddaughter was reluctant to brush her teeth. With both of those thoughts in my head I wrote this poem on a postcard and sent it to Ashley.
Farm and Zoo
Here’s a tall tale that is based on the “Why did the chicken cross the road” riddle, and the “See you later alligator” rhyme and all its variations. How many more animals can I fit into this rhyming-recitation-joke-genre? The answer to that riddle… 5 and ½ minutes worth.
The Waltz of the Fireflies
I’ve always loved James Gordon’s descriptive songs. This one really captures the spirit of a twilight frog and cricket concert in the bullrush ballroom.
Heart of the Boreal
I wrote the words and Ken Whiteley composed the music —as a reminder of how valuable this globe-spanning forest is in keeping our planet healthy.
What Do You Do With Your Rocks?
I have admitted in the past that I collect rocks. With this song I ask an important question, and I offer many intriguing solutions, although for a rock collector the problems keep piling up.
Balloon Bear
My son asked me to send him a postcard of a Polar Bear when I was in Churchill Manitoba. The only one I could find was of a polar bear rug. I wrote this poem on the back of the card as an eccentric explanation. A blending of pure zaniness and education, this songmanages to combine a discussion of flatulence and Newton's Third Law of Motion.
Five Flies
I took a swat at singing this tall tale composed by Grant Nelson Hewlett. Gene Hardy played the musical saw and I made the fly sound effects.
Breaking Stuff
I break into the blues with a castigation of clumsiness, and I’ve got a smashing band to back me up. Give me a break, don’t overestimate the tensile strength of any apparatus. This is a romp of destruction from breaking up and breaking wind, to Chuck Yeager's breaking of the sound barrier
The Whistling Egg Man
This is a far fetched poem about the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. Composer, Cathy Nosaty’s music enhances the dramatic and comical moods of this tall-tale that has more puns and fantastical images than there were gold nuggets in Bonanza Creek. This is pure fiction, to find out the true story of the Yukon, search out the history of the amazing Han people who thrived in that region for over 14,000 years.
We Came Here Too Late
I was directing a variety show in Dawson City, Yukon a few years ago. Deirdre Mulcahy, a server in one of the local restaurants, was going to be part of the show. She told me about a customer she served whose story had a profound effect on her. I was so moved by the story that I asked if I could write a song about it. Deirdre sang this song in the show. Keri Latimer composed the melody and added her voice to my version.
The World’s a Better Place (Because You’re In It)
The words and music of Hank Fisher and Terry McEvoy provide a perfect exit song for this recording.
