Music: {allcanada} Red Green's not just about duct tape

Monday, November 1, 2010

{allcanada} Red Green's not just about duct tape

There are few Canadian icons who have the draw power of a certain plaid-and-suspendered handyman and his group of mismatched friends.

Even now, more than four years removed from the series finale of the Red Green Show, the mere mention of the series brings back memories of duct tape, explosions and nerdy nephews for a lot of Canadians. But for those suffering from Possum Lodge withdrawal- fear not, because Red's back and he's written the ultimate do-it-yourself and self-help manual all rolled into one.

The newly released How To Do Everything: From The Man Who Should Know is a collection of handy tips for fixing things around the house as well as helpful tips on how to survive marriage. But hidden within the comedic genius is Steve Smith- Red Green's creator and title actor – who believes the book has a hidden message about self-sufficiency.

"I think that's very disempowering, to always depend on somebody else to do something," Smith explained when asked if his book was a subtle jab at the 21st century city-dweller. "You cheat yourself out of a sense of satisfaction when you have to call somebody. The truth is- things screw up – everything goes badly in life from time to time – if you always feel that you have to call in an expert every time something goes badly it's kind of like you're not capable of looking after yourself.

"To me that erodes your whole self-image."

Serious stuff from a comedy icon!

But it's that sense of semi-humour that has made Red Green famous, and set him apart from the litany of comedies that we find on a nightly basis gracing our television screens. That serious streak is, according to Smith, part of what makes the Red Green Show different from another famous Canadian comedy series – the McKenzie Brothers' Great White North.

"The McKenzie brothers were a straight hoser thing- there was no intelligence in the McKenzie brothers, they were just funny," Smith elaborates. "But with the Red Green show I'll always say 'it's not a lack of intelligence, it's a waste of intelligence' and that's a much higher calling."

As for the jewels of wisdom Red imparts in the book, it goes beyond his trademark duct tape humour. Not to say there aren't a few fix-it gems involving the Red Green fixture, just that what made the gag funny on the TV screen doesn't really translate well to the pages of a book.

"I could have done it, but I don't want people to pick up the book and think 'oh this is just him describing what he did on the show,'" Smith explained when asked about the lack of duct tape in the book. "This is fresh new territory. I haven't moved on from duct tape, I never will."

So what makes Red Green, Possum Lodge's epitome of a man's man, qualified to provide self-help to the masses when it's quite obvious to his followers that once he went home from the lodge each night, his wife, Bernice, was in control? Is Red the right person to be imparting such wisdom?

"Absolutely! And not only from a male perspective, I mean women could read into that the exact same way because they're doing the same thing- (trying to) figure out how to survive this thing."

Smith, who got his TV start with his wife Morag in 1979 - and through him Red – may just be the perfect marital mentor, what with his numerous years of marital experience.

"This November is our (Morag's) 44th anniversary, imagine that! Until 1990 we worked together, and they're like dog years- seven years!" Smith explained. "So we've really been married like 150 years!"

150 years is a pretty long time to remain married, so maybe Smith would be a good guy to go to for marriage advice, but what about Red? Is Red's advice just as great?

"It is for Red," Smith says. "And all of Red is inside Steve."