The Santa Project: Bob & Doug's 12 Days of Christmas

 

I've written a few times on this collection of my memories and ramblings about SCTV.  SCTV, of course, was a comedy series based out of Toronto, centered on a fictional and dysfunctional television channel.  Its cast was composed of members of Second City - Toronto.  The series eventually gained enough juice to be picked up and syndicated for a couple of seasons on American television.  This is where I discovered and fell in love with it.

   

Two of its more popular characters were a pair of Canuck brothers, Bob & Doug McKenzie.  They hosted a show called The Great White North while pounding beers and pretty much acting like fools.  Their popularity eventually spun into a major motion picture, one that was in actuality Steve DeJarnatt's hilarious modern Canadian take on Hamlet, with Bob & Doug as Rosencrantz & Guildenstern.  The film, Strange Brew, wasn't a hit upon its theatrical release.  I discovered it on HBO and was overwhelmed enough by its wacky creativity to add it to my VHS library (a TDK tape I think) for repeat viewings. 

Before Hollywood came calling, the McKenzie Brothers cut an album that included a track that always rang in the holidays for me in my pre-adolescent years.  That song was The 12 days of Christmas.  Of course nothing on their song list was anything anyone outside of these two weirdos would want and that's where 12 Days warmth and hilarity came from. 

 

Before the days of 24 hour radio station Christmas November format changes, and Lifetime year round Christmas movie channels, the holidays picked their spots. In my pre-adolescence, I listened to primarily AOR radio stations.  Southern Wisconsin, represent!  WRKR,  Kenosha's WJZQ,  Milwaukee's 93QFM, and WLPX were my primary stations that I dialed through.  At this time, a Christmas song by these two beer-swilling morons would be a Christmas song playable on even the most hard-rocking stations, including all of these mentioned.  The song pricked up my ears at the beginning of the holiday season. It lit the flame that primed my imagination; that once again the most wonderful time of year was upon us. 

So take off, ya hoser. Eh?