Sweater Weather

Sweater Weather Live! in Calgary, Tues. Nov. 22

The first ever live recording of Sweater Weather is happening Tuesday, November 22 at the Rose & Crown Pub in Calgary at 7 pm. Reserve your free tickets here at Eventbrite. We'll be fumbling towards the ecstasy that is the life and music of singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. And if you're not already swooning in the arms of an angel, we'll be joined in our discussion by musician, actor and writer Kris Demeanor. The Rose and Crown (1503 4th St. SW) will be offering food and drink service during the show. Recording begins shortly after 7 pm, so please arrive by 7 pm. Hope to see you there!

#28—The Tom Green Show

In episode 28, we revisit the antics of shock comic Tom Green. In the early nineties, Green rose to local Ottawa fame with a rap album, a radio show, and a program on public-access television. In 1998, The Tom Green Show gained a national following on the Canadian Comedy Network, and in 1999 it jumped to the American big time on MTV. Green was the network’s golden/meat-covered boy, a box office success in the films Road Trip (2000) and Charlie’s Angels (2000)—before being waylaid by testicular cancer, a short-lived marriage to actress Drew Barrymore, and the critical lambasting of his directorial debut, Freddy Got Fingered (2001). How did Green develop his innovative comedic methods? Why have some parts of his shtick aged like a fine wine, and others like a dead moose? Did his family ever forgive him for that stunt with his grandmother and the ? Also, Naomi remembers Tom razzing her as a teen on the not-so-mean streets of downtown Ottawa. If you enjoy Sweater Weather, consider supporting the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/canadiansweater Patrons get early access to new episodes and other perks. And with your support, you'll help Sweater Weather last all year round! Prefer watching Sweater Weather as a video podcast? Visit our website to find links to the show on all major audio, video and social media platforms: https://www.sweaterweatherpod.com/about.html

#27—The Sweet Hereafter, feat. Abdul Malik

Screenwriter Abdul Malik (Peace by Chocolate, CTV’s Transplant) joins us to talk about Atom Egoyan’s 1997 film, The Sweet Hereafter, one of Canada’s most celebrated movies and the pinnacle of the Toronto New Wave moment. We revisit the melancholic, majestic, and morally compromised town of Sam Dent, a fictional community in BC’s interior that has lost almost all its children to a school-bus crash. Ian Holm plays a carpet-bagging lawyer with his own emotional baggage, while Sarah Polley portrays a young girl who survives both the bus accident and her father’s abuse. In this stark winter landscape, we warm to Egoyan's elegant filmmaking but are left cold by his moralizing vision. Should The Sweet Hereafter still be celebrated 25 years later? If you enjoy Sweater Weather, consider supporting the show on Patreon. Patrons get early access to new episodes and other perks. And with your support, you'll help Sweater Weather last all year round! Prefer watching Sweater Weather as a video podcast? Visit our website to find links to the show on all major audio, video and social media platforms.

#26—Are You Afraid of the Dark? feat. Tasnuva Hayden

We've got one question for you, Sweater Wearers: Are You Afraid of the Dark? This Montreal-produced kids' horror series aired on YTV in Canada, on Nickelodeon in the US, and on networks around the world—including in Norway where our special guest, poet Tasnuva Hayden, watched eagerly every Saturday night circa 1992. We light the proverbial campfire and toss some metaphorical magic powder on the flames before discussing some stand-out episodes. There's one about dead Aunt Dora, an elegant equestrian from the 1950s who possesses her 16-year-old niece and makes her speak with a mid-Atlantic accent; another about a clown named Zeebo with a dangerous cigar addiction who teaches a kid named Josh a thing or two about stealing other people's red foam noses. We admire the show for its adventurous teens sneaking off into the woods, lament the disturbing creeps lurking around every corner, and wonder what scares kids these days. It's "The Tale of the Twenty-Sixth Episode of Sweater Weather"—submitted for your approval! Find out more about Tasnuva Hayden's new book, An Orchid Astronomy. If you enjoy Sweater Weather, consider supporting the show on Patreon. Patrons get early access to new episodes, bonus content, and other perks. And with your support, you'll help Sweater Weather last all year round! Prefer watching Sweater Weather as a video podcast? Visit our website to find links to the show on all major audio, video and social media platforms.

#25—The Rehearsal

From high school improv with Seth Rogen in Vancouver, to a spot on the CBC classic This Hour Has 22 Minutes, to his Comedy Central series Nathan For You, Nathan Fielder’s comedic vision has expanded from silly, semi-cruel satire to mirror-funhouse meta-reality TV. We discuss his latest, the HBO docu-comedy The Rehearsal, and ask whether it’s "reality" and whether it's comedy, whether his methods are immoral or merely show us our own dark, TV-shaped hearts, and whether Fielder, a former magician, has just pulled off a brilliant sleight of hand. If you enjoy Sweater Weather, consider supporting the show on Patreon. Patrons get early access to new episodes, bonus content, and other perks. And with your support, you'll help Sweater Weather last all year round! Prefer listening to Sweater Weather as a video podcast? Visit our website to find links to the show on all major audio, video and social media platforms.

#24—Generation X

Today we’re talking about the novel that named a generation. In 1991, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Vancouver author and visual artist Douglas Coupland became a sleeper hit, an objet d’art that no student living room could do without. How, exactly, did this weird book manage to capture the zeitgeist of twenty-somethings struggling to find meaning in the shadow of the Boomers? What were its influences and what cultural floodgates did it open? Is it a good novel? Also, Aaron remembers an unfortunate youthful encounter with Douglas Coupland at the Canadian embassy in Paris. If you enjoy Sweater Weather, consider supporting the show on Patreon. Patrons get early access to new episodes, bonus content, and other perks. And with your support, you'll help Sweater Weather last all year round! Prefer watching Sweater Weather as a video podcast? Visit our website to find links to the show on all major audio, video and social media platforms.

#20—Degrassi Junior High (Full Episode)

We'll be back with a new episode next week, but in the meantime enjoy this content from behind the paywall, our FULL episode on Degrassi from earlier this summer. --- Aaron and Naomi talk about the classic teen drama Degrassi Junior High (1987-1989) and its immediate sequel, Degrassi High (1989-1991). We discuss the show's fascinating production history, our vivid memories of watching it as kids, and the labour conditions for the actors. We also dig into the details of one of our favourite episodes, "All Nighter," and even re-enact a scene. You won't want to miss Naomi's uncanny Melanie impression! If you enjoy Sweater Weather, consider supporting the show on Patreon. Patrons of the show get early access to new episodes, occasional bonus content, and other perks. And with your support, you'll help Sweater Weather last all year round!

#23—Alanis Morissette

Isn't it ironic that we finally decided to cover this essential Canadian artist? Alanis Morissette was one of the most successful musicians of the 1990s, selling 33 million copies of her album Jagged Little Pill. We trace her career from child actor to international rock superstar to Instagram mom. We consider the mass appeal of her music, with its cathartic rage, ear-wormy melodies, and therapeutic confessions. What does Morissette's popularity say about Generation X and the older Millenials who make up her fan base, past and present? Wait a minute...how is any of this "ironic"? If you enjoy Sweater Weather, consider supporting the show on Patreon. Patrons get early access to new episodes, bonus content, and other perks. And with your support, you'll help Sweater Weather last all year round! Prefer watching Sweater Weather as a video podcast? Visit our website to find links to the show on all major video, audio and social media platforms.

#22—Danger Bay

Naomi and Aaron speedboat through the CBC family adventure show Danger Bay (1984-1990). We discuss the show's infinite animal menagerie, its 1980s environmentalism, and the protagonist, Dr. Grant Roberts, who is both a Professional-Class Hero and Dad of the Year. We also rehearse our favourite lines of dialogue from Danger Bay, including Doc Roberts shouting: "We need a lactating otter!" This is the free 31-minute version of the episode. To access the full 73-minute version, subscribe to the show on Patreon. Subscribers gain access to all full-length episodes of Sweater Weather—that's about twice the content! Prefer watching Sweater Weather as a video podcast? On our website you'll find links to Sweater Weather on the major video platforms.

#21—The Kids in the Hall

Inspired by the recently released sixth season of The Kids in the Hall, Naomi and Aaron talk about this legendary sketch comedy show (1988-1995). We discuss the Kids' paths to becoming comic actors, and how the show was too dark for us to appreciate when we were kids ourselves. We breakdown some of their most notorious sketches, including Cabbage Head and The Chicken Lady, and pay special attention to their unfairly maligned feature film, Brain Candy (1996), which is actually very good! Finally, we consider the dangers of cultural nostalgia and decide that we'll do it anyway. This is the free 34-minute version of the episode. To access the full 79-minute version, subscribe to the show on Patreon.   Subscribers gain access to all full-length episodes of Sweater Weather—that's about twice the content!