Friday, March 10

Those Who Hate Them, Hate Them A Lot

Two of the more annoying TV pitchmen in recent Canadian television history have recently ended their run.
First, a couple of weeks ago, the very annoying Fake Scottish bloke who rudely confronted drinkers of Keiths beer was released from his contract, due to alleged dalliances into child pornography.
While I wish it could have been for something far less seedy, I am, of course, thankful that he's gone from the airwaves.  Because Those Who Hate Him, Hate Him A Lot.

And yesterday it was announced that The Canadian Tire Guy has been retired from the Canadian Tire advertising cycle.  Again, good news, I think, as I suspect that the shark has long been jumped by that campaign.
The Canadian Tire Guy has, actually, become quite a national phenomenon.  Especially the Hate that many people feel for him.  This very site happens to be the number one Google search result for "Canadian Tire Guy" and "I hate the Canadian Tire Guy".  Ironic, I think, since the post referencing him 'Why I Hate That Canadian Tire Guy' has very little to actually do with him.   I find it curious that so many people actively enter the search parameters "Hate Canadian Tire Guy", and I find it kind of funny that when they come to my post, they get a post that must leave them a bit miffed, due to the lack of reference to him.

And still the Curiouser keeps getting curiouser.  Today I received an email from a woman at The Ottawa Citizen asking if she could interview me for an article she's writing on his retirement.  My initial response was "no thanks. I have nothing of value to add to such a story."  But then I stopped and asked myself "What's the more interesting and potentially, more exciting thing to do?  Be interviewed or not be interviewed?"  Since the obvious answer is "be interviewed", and even though I still believed I had nothing of value to add to such an interview, I decided to do it.
So, I just got off the phone with the journalist.  We had a nice little chat about The Canadian Tire Guy, and also about the weirdness of how such an innocuous little post on such an innocuous little blog can lead to an interview (admittedly, on a rather innocuous little topic such as the Canadian Tire Guy's retirement).  I think I ended up offering a few interesting sound-bites.

And, what the whole thing has taught me is that I'm pretty tired of saying, hearing and typing the phrase Canadian Tire Guy.

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6 comments:

Kratz said...

and one more for the road....I hate the Canadian Tire Guy ;)

Ken said...

Those who hate them hate creepy.
Something way to creepy about both of them: creepy anger and creepy satisfaction.
By creep I mean repulsive qualities like drunk agressiveness and proud self lust.
Why am I thinking both would make excellent fascists, a soldier and an officer.

Rob said...

You know what the pair would make: an excellent sitcom. An Odd Couple for the new millenium. Two out of work characters (the sitcom is about the characters, not the actors who played them) are forced to live together. Canadian Tire Guy, now divorced from his TV wife, drinks the wrong beer and Keiths Scot uses the wrong tools. Actually, CTG doesn't even drink beer, he drinks wine. Even worse! Instead of a Mastercraft Self-Tapping Hammer, Keith's Scot uses the bottom of an empty beer bottle.
Endless half-hours of comedic shenanigans.

Paul H said...

Saw a bit on this whole thing today after seeing the "new" Canadian Tire spots. WE REJOICED!! Now...how long before the crappy tire pop down banner spots become tiresome? "Dog House?" aisle 32. How bout "Garbage cans?" aisle 12! "Sewer Hose?" aisle 666.

Calico Cat said...

Yup, didn't like the Can.Tire commercials myself.. but, don't obsess with the characters..
Damn I hope you are not taking the next Acadian Bus Line express to Toronto to stalk them?? You might want to have a good alibi for your local mountie. We'll all have to testify.
CC

graham said...

the keiths guy raped me...