WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.299 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we're looking 00:00:02.299 --> 00:00:03.980 at someone I think a lot of people feel they 00:00:03.980 --> 00:00:07.059 know really well, Brett Leroy Butt. Yeah, definitely. 00:00:07.139 --> 00:00:10.800 For so many, he is that friendly face from Corner 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:13.759 Gas, you know, that gentle small town Canadian 00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:15.960 humor personified. Right. The guy behind the 00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:17.739 counter at the gas station in Dog River. Yeah. 00:00:17.820 --> 00:00:19.899 But when you dig into the sources, the picture 00:00:19.899 --> 00:00:22.399 gets, well, a lot more complex. Exactly. That's 00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:23.699 what we're doing today. You've got this great 00:00:23.699 --> 00:00:26.320 biographical profile and it shows this journey 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:29.379 from like small town Saskatchewan kid to this. 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:33.060 major award -winning creator. And it's not just 00:00:33.060 --> 00:00:35.520 the corner gas guy. Yeah. He's an actor, comedian, 00:00:35.820 --> 00:00:39.700 screenwriter, and now a novelist writing psychological 00:00:39.700 --> 00:00:42.799 thrillers. Yeah. That's the really fascinating 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:45.159 turn, isn't it? How do you go from nothing rhymes 00:00:45.159 --> 00:00:48.060 with Saskatchewan to, well, dark thrillers about 00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:50.159 comedians? That's the evolution we want to unpack. 00:00:50.439 --> 00:00:52.640 Okay, so our mission is to track that arc. From 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:55.039 stand -up to creating maybe the most beloved 00:00:55.039 --> 00:00:58.479 Canadian sitcom ever, Corner Gas ran 2004 to 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:01.340 2009, let's remember, to now writing fiction 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:04.439 in a totally different genre. How did his early 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:07.680 life set him up for that first huge success? 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:11.159 And what do these later moves tell us? It's about 00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:14.260 creative drive, I think, and maybe pushing against 00:01:14.260 --> 00:01:16.359 the very image that made him famous. All right, 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:17.900 let's start at the beginning because you really 00:01:17.900 --> 00:01:20.000 can't separate Brent Butt from Saskatchewan. 00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:23.920 Born August 3rd, 1966 in Tisdale. Yeah, Tisdale, 00:01:24.099 --> 00:01:27.420 northeast of Saskatoon. And that Prairie upbringing, 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:30.219 it's not just background, it's like the DNA of 00:01:30.219 --> 00:01:32.879 his most famous work. His parents were Irene 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:35.840 and Herbert. He went to Tisdale Unit Composite 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:39.239 School there. That grounding seems so key. The 00:01:39.239 --> 00:01:41.799 humor often comes from just observing that specific 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:44.760 sort of quiet prairie life. Totally. But it wasn't 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:46.359 a straight line to comedy. He actually tried 00:01:46.359 --> 00:01:48.939 to leave first. Oh, yeah. Uh -huh. Sources say 00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:51.060 he went off to Sheridan College in Ontario for 00:01:51.060 --> 00:01:52.959 a bit. Trying the big city thing. Seems like 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:55.099 it. But it didn't stick. He came back home to 00:01:55.099 --> 00:01:57.400 Saskatchewan pretty quickly. Maybe it just wasn't 00:01:57.400 --> 00:01:58.980 the right time or the right fit for him then. 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:02.379 So, back home. What then? Straight into comedy. 00:02:02.659 --> 00:02:04.500 Not quite. This is where it gets interesting. 00:02:05.180 --> 00:02:08.379 Before the jokes, he was working a trade. He 00:02:08.379 --> 00:02:11.219 was a drywaller. A drywaller? Seriously? That's 00:02:11.219 --> 00:02:13.840 unexpected physical work. Right. Very different 00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:17.139 from writing jokes. But here's the kicker. While 00:02:17.139 --> 00:02:20.000 he was doing drywall, he had this side hustle. 00:02:20.180 --> 00:02:23.280 He actually co -founded a publishing company. 00:02:23.580 --> 00:02:26.080 Wait, what? A publishing company? Right. While 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:28.919 drywalling? Yeah, called Windwolf Graphics. Him 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:31.360 and a friend. It really shows that creative spark 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:34.300 was already there, you know? That need to make 00:02:34.300 --> 00:02:36.639 stuff. What did they publish? They put out a 00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:39.080 comic book called Existing Earth. A comic book. 00:02:39.240 --> 00:02:41.460 Okay. And get this, it wasn't just some small 00:02:41.460 --> 00:02:43.479 local thing that disappeared. It actually got 00:02:43.479 --> 00:02:46.360 nominated for an Eagle Award. Whoa, hold on. 00:02:46.750 --> 00:02:48.990 An Eagle Award? Those are pretty respected international 00:02:48.990 --> 00:02:51.949 comic awards, right? Exactly. So right out of 00:02:51.949 --> 00:02:54.990 the gate, his first big creative venture, while 00:02:54.990 --> 00:02:57.050 he's still working this trade job, gets recognized 00:02:57.050 --> 00:03:00.449 internationally. That's pretty telling. That's 00:03:00.449 --> 00:03:02.969 amazing. Did it take off? Ah, well, that's the 00:03:02.969 --> 00:03:04.389 other side of the coin. The sources are clear. 00:03:04.449 --> 00:03:06.770 They only managed to publish two issues. Then 00:03:06.770 --> 00:03:10.840 they ran out of money. Ouch. So. Quick success, 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:14.099 even quicker failure. Pretty much. A harsh lesson, 00:03:14.259 --> 00:03:17.120 I imagine, in the realities of independent creating 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:19.300 and, you know, the business side of things. But 00:03:19.300 --> 00:03:21.560 what a lesson to learn early on. Absolutely. 00:03:21.659 --> 00:03:24.379 I think you can draw a direct line from that 00:03:24.379 --> 00:03:27.120 experience, the creative talent getting noticed, 00:03:27.139 --> 00:03:30.060 but hitting that financial wall to how he later 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:33.460 set up Corner Gas. How so? Well, he learned he 00:03:33.460 --> 00:03:35.979 needed control, not just creative control, but 00:03:35.979 --> 00:03:38.580 business control, too. That failure probably 00:03:38.580 --> 00:03:41.099 fueled the drive to eventually create his own 00:03:41.099 --> 00:03:43.599 production company, Prairie Pants, to make Corner 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:45.979 Gas. He knew he had to build the whole thing 00:03:45.979 --> 00:03:48.740 himself, finance it, own it. Right. He wasn't 00:03:48.740 --> 00:03:50.560 just the talent. He had to be the entrepreneur, 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:53.710 the drywalling, maybe the discipline. Yeah. And 00:03:53.710 --> 00:03:55.930 the failed comic, the hard business lesson. It 00:03:55.930 --> 00:03:58.370 all kind of feeds into it. Exactly. That resilience, 00:03:58.509 --> 00:04:00.889 that self -starter attitude, it's all there right 00:04:00.889 --> 00:04:02.789 from the beginning. Okay, so the publishing dream 00:04:02.789 --> 00:04:05.430 fizzles out. Where does that drive go next? Straight 00:04:05.430 --> 00:04:08.069 to the stage. Stand -up comedy. And we actually 00:04:08.069 --> 00:04:10.289 know exactly when and where it started. Oh, yeah. 00:04:10.810 --> 00:04:14.830 Details. February 1988. An amateur night at a 00:04:14.830 --> 00:04:16.930 comedy club in Saskatoon. That was the first 00:04:16.930 --> 00:04:18.949 time he ever performed stand -up. And presumably, 00:04:18.970 --> 00:04:22.220 it clicked. Must have. Because the very next 00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:25.899 year, 1989, he makes the big move. Therano. Yep. 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:29.319 The classic path for an ambitious Canadian comedian 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:32.339 back then started performing at Yook Yook's. 00:04:32.360 --> 00:04:35.639 Ah, Yook Yook's, the institution. Right. And 00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:38.139 the sources even give us that classic struggling 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:41.300 artist detail, living in a Cabbage Town apartment 00:04:41.300 --> 00:04:43.560 with two other comics. Oh, wow. You can just 00:04:43.560 --> 00:04:45.500 picture it, can't you? Three guys trying to make 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:48.329 it, crammed into some apartment. that's the grind 00:04:48.329 --> 00:04:51.730 totally late nights honing the act probably not 00:04:51.730 --> 00:04:54.079 much money but That's where you build the chops, 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:55.939 right? And find your voice. And his voice was 00:04:55.939 --> 00:04:58.259 very specific, wasn't it? Tied right back to 00:04:58.259 --> 00:04:59.920 where he came from. Absolutely. He wasn't doing 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:02.480 edgy urban stuff. The sources call his style 00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:06.500 prairie -oriented funny or folksy songs. He leaned 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:08.899 right into that Saskatchewan identity he'd initially 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:11.519 tried to leave behind. So embracing the roots. 00:05:11.740 --> 00:05:14.639 Yeah. Smart. Very smart. It made him stand out. 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:16.980 And we even know some of the specific songs from 00:05:16.980 --> 00:05:19.740 that era. Yeah. Nothing rhymes with Saskatchewan. 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:22.949 Huh. Perfect. That's basically his brand right 00:05:22.949 --> 00:05:24.709 there, isn't it? Pretty much. And another one 00:05:24.709 --> 00:05:27.589 called Hairy Legs. Just observational, relatable, 00:05:27.850 --> 00:05:32.610 slightly quirky stuff. Taking the supposed boringness 00:05:32.610 --> 00:05:35.389 of Saskatchewan and making it funny for everyone. 00:05:35.589 --> 00:05:37.829 That ability to make the local feel universal, 00:05:38.009 --> 00:05:40.879 that's gold in comedy. And it worked. He got 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:43.600 tons of exposure for a Canadian comic back then. 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:46.819 Where was he showing up? All over Canadian CTV, 00:05:47.180 --> 00:05:51.199 CBC television, the comedy network, plus CBC 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:54.839 radio, like on... Definitely not the opera. OK, 00:05:54.959 --> 00:05:57.120 solid Canadian presence. But it went further. 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:00.339 He got play on A &E in the U .S. and even down 00:06:00.339 --> 00:06:02.339 in Australia on the Special Broadcasting Service. 00:06:02.500 --> 00:06:04.319 Wow. So he was building an international profile 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:06.600 even then just with his stand up. Yeah, he was 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:09.120 definitely getting noticed, which naturally starts 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:12.079 opening doors to other things like acting. Ah, 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:13.959 the move to the screen. Was that part of the 00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:16.079 plan, you think? Hard to say if it was the plan, 00:06:16.199 --> 00:06:17.920 but it was definitely the next step. And those 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:20.879 early roles, they were like his on the job training 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:22.889 for what came later. So what kind of roles are 00:06:22.889 --> 00:06:25.310 we talking? Small stuff. Oh yeah, tiny stuff 00:06:25.310 --> 00:06:27.730 at first, like looking at his credits from the 00:06:27.730 --> 00:06:31.529 early 90s. Applicant, hashtag one in Maniac Mansion 00:06:31.529 --> 00:06:34.850 in 92. Applicant, hashtag one. Glamorous. Ha, 00:06:34.970 --> 00:06:37.170 right. Barfly and the kids in the hall, same 00:06:37.170 --> 00:06:41.160 year. Baker in Kung Fu. The legend continues 00:06:41.160 --> 00:06:43.259 in 93, just getting experience on set, seeing 00:06:43.259 --> 00:06:45.759 how TV worked. Learning the mechanics. Exactly. 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:48.259 But then you see a slightly more notable one 00:06:48.259 --> 00:06:51.279 in 98. He played a coroner in an episode of The 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:54.019 X -Files. Okay, The X -Files. That's a step up. 00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:56.240 That show was huge. Shot in Vancouver, right? 00:06:56.360 --> 00:06:59.420 Yeah. So getting booked on a big American show 00:06:59.420 --> 00:07:01.920 like that, even for a small part, shows he was... 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:04.879 becoming a reliable professional actor. But he 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:06.519 wasn't just acting, was he? Wasn't he writing 00:07:06.519 --> 00:07:09.600 too? Crucial point, yes. He was already working 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:11.740 behind the scenes as a writer. He wrote for a 00:07:11.740 --> 00:07:14.439 series called Get Serious, Seven Deadly Sins 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:17.860 back in 95, 96. Got five writing credits there. 00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:20.100 So he was building both skill sets, performing 00:07:20.100 --> 00:07:22.890 on camera and writing for the screen. Precisely. 00:07:22.890 --> 00:07:25.790 Stand -up first, gets the exposure, takes the 00:07:25.790 --> 00:07:28.250 small acting gigs to learn production, gets into 00:07:28.250 --> 00:07:30.230 a writer's room to learn structure. It's like 00:07:30.230 --> 00:07:32.470 he was assembling all the pieces he'd need. To 00:07:32.470 --> 00:07:34.949 eventually launch his own thing. Exactly. By 00:07:34.949 --> 00:07:38.149 2003, he wasn't just a funny stand -up. He was 00:07:38.149 --> 00:07:41.069 ready. And that own thing was, of course, Corner 00:07:41.069 --> 00:07:43.560 Gas. The big one. The big one. This is where 00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:46.019 everything converges, right? The prairie roots, 00:07:46.300 --> 00:07:49.600 the folksy humor, the writing chops. That entrepreneurial 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:52.199 drive we saw with the comic book, it all comes 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:54.939 together. He co -created it in 2003 through his 00:07:54.939 --> 00:07:57.139 own company, Prairie Pants. That ownership piece 00:07:57.139 --> 00:07:59.699 again? Super important. Gave him massive control. 00:07:59.879 --> 00:08:03.420 And, of course, set in fictional Dog River, Saskatchewan, 00:08:03.560 --> 00:08:07.660 right back home. It launched on CTV in 2004 and 00:08:07.660 --> 00:08:10.930 just... took off. It became this instant phenomenon. 00:08:11.509 --> 00:08:14.009 Unprecedented, really, for a Canadian sitcom. 00:08:14.230 --> 00:08:16.430 It wasn't trying to be American. It was quiet, 00:08:16.750 --> 00:08:19.730 witty, character -driven, so specifically Canadian 00:08:19.730 --> 00:08:22.269 in its vibe. And it ran for six seasons, right? 00:08:22.350 --> 00:08:25.810 Until 2009. Yes. But here's maybe the most interesting 00:08:25.810 --> 00:08:27.850 part of the Corner Gas story, according to the 00:08:27.850 --> 00:08:30.800 sources. What's that? They chose to end it. But 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:33.860 in his company, Prairie Pants made the call to 00:08:33.860 --> 00:08:36.299 wrap it up after season six. While it was still 00:08:36.299 --> 00:08:39.240 huge. Exactly. It wasn't canceled. Ratings were 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:41.299 still great. It was still culturally relevant. 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:44.340 They decided to end it on their own terms at 00:08:44.340 --> 00:08:47.200 the peak of its popularity. Wow. That takes some 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:50.059 serious guts. Most shows hang on way too long. 00:08:50.179 --> 00:08:53.360 Right. But doing that cemented its legacy. It 00:08:53.360 --> 00:08:55.759 ensured it went out strong, never got stale. 00:08:55.799 --> 00:08:58.820 It was a power move, really. shows a commitment 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:02.220 to the quality of the story over just milking 00:09:02.220 --> 00:09:05.240 the success. And that success really catapulted 00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:07.059 him into a different stratosphere, didn't it? 00:09:07.289 --> 00:09:09.070 He became more than just the guy from the show. 00:09:09.250 --> 00:09:11.950 Oh, absolutely. Especially around the mid -2000s. 00:09:11.950 --> 00:09:14.309 Like, let's look at 2005 specifically. That year 00:09:14.309 --> 00:09:16.870 really shows his status. What happened in 2005? 00:09:17.230 --> 00:09:19.470 Well, first, he hosted the Juno Awards. Okay, 00:09:19.509 --> 00:09:21.929 big deal in Canada. The Music Awards. Huge deal. 00:09:22.049 --> 00:09:24.389 Needs real comedic skill to handle that live 00:09:24.389 --> 00:09:27.649 broadcast. But even bigger. He hosted a Royal 00:09:27.649 --> 00:09:30.029 Command Performance Gala. For the Queen. For 00:09:30.029 --> 00:09:32.389 the Queen. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. 00:09:32.549 --> 00:09:35.529 It was held in Saskatoon to celebrate Saskatchewan's 00:09:35.529 --> 00:09:39.139 centennial. No way. Full circle, eh? The kid 00:09:39.139 --> 00:09:42.080 from Tisdale, back home, performing for royalty, 00:09:42.360 --> 00:09:44.720 celebrating the province that made him famous. 00:09:44.899 --> 00:09:46.879 Isn't it wild? And the sources have this great 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:48.860 little anecdote about it. He didn't, like, tone 00:09:48.860 --> 00:09:51.440 down his act for the queen. What'd he do? He 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:53.840 performed Nothing Rhymes with Saskatchewan. He 00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:56.259 sang that for the queen. Yeah. Amazing. Yep. 00:09:56.279 --> 00:09:58.779 And apparently he was trading jokes with Leslie 00:09:58.779 --> 00:10:01.700 Nielsen at the same event. Leslie Nielsen. Wow. 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:04.419 From Naked Gun. Yeah. Hanging out with Brent 00:10:04.419 --> 00:10:08.139 Butt. Yeah. It just shows how his specific folksy 00:10:08.139 --> 00:10:11.240 style had gained this massive respect, even among 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:13.100 comedy legends. It wasn't just new shit anymore. 00:10:13.320 --> 00:10:15.740 That validation must have felt incredible. And 00:10:15.740 --> 00:10:17.379 it wasn't just anecdotal, right? He started getting 00:10:17.379 --> 00:10:20.100 major awards, too. Serious industry recognition. 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:23.340 The big one came in 2008 at the Banff World Television 00:10:23.340 --> 00:10:26.740 Festival. He won the Comedy Network Sir Peter 00:10:26.740 --> 00:10:28.759 Ustinov Award. Okay, what's the significance 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:31.000 of that one? It's a huge honor. It's for an outstanding 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:34.100 body of work in TV comedy. And look who won it 00:10:34.100 --> 00:10:38.059 before him. Who? John Cleese. Bob Newhart. John 00:10:38.059 --> 00:10:42.779 Candy. Eugene Levy. Wow. That's a legendary company. 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:45.440 Seriously heavy hitters. Right. So being put 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:48.039 in that group, while Corner Gas was still wrapping 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:50.759 up its run, it showed the show was seen as more 00:10:50.759 --> 00:10:53.559 than just popular. It was seen as important as 00:10:53.559 --> 00:10:55.919 quality television comedy on an international 00:10:55.919 --> 00:10:59.220 level. It cemented Corner Gas as a classic. Did 00:10:59.220 --> 00:11:01.580 he win other stuff too? Oh, yeah. Multiple Canadian 00:11:01.580 --> 00:11:04.360 comedy awards. He won Best Male Stand -Up back 00:11:04.360 --> 00:11:06.440 in 2001, showing he still had those live chops. 00:11:06.679 --> 00:11:09.519 Then for Corner Gas, he won Best Male TV Performance 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:13.600 twice, in 2004 and 2005, and crucially, Best 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:17.240 Writing for the TV series in 2004. So winning 00:11:17.240 --> 00:11:20.039 for performing, winning for writing, winning 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:22.259 for his overall contribution with the Ustinov 00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:24.700 Award, he was firing on all cylinders. Totally. 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:28.379 Actor, writer, creator, producer. Doing it all 00:11:28.379 --> 00:11:30.379 at an award -winning level. That multi -hyphenate 00:11:30.379 --> 00:11:32.419 thing was really paying off. Okay, so Corner 00:11:32.419 --> 00:11:35.440 Gas Wraps in 2009 ends on a high note. The big 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:38.519 question always is, what do you do next? How 00:11:38.519 --> 00:11:40.899 do you follow up something that massive? Well, 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:43.139 he didn't weigh around. He leveraged that success 00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:45.460 and his relationship with CTV pretty much immediately. 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:47.799 What was the next project? A new sitcom called 00:11:47.799 --> 00:11:50.700 Hiccups. It ran for two seasons, 2010 to 2011. 00:11:51.299 --> 00:11:55.080 Hiccups. Okay. Was he starring in it? He was. 00:11:55.139 --> 00:11:57.840 But more than that, this project really shows 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:01.299 him doubling down on being the creator. He created 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:04.080 Hiccups. He wrote it. He executive produced it. 00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:07.000 And he directed four episodes himself. Adding 00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:09.759 director to the list now, too. Yeah. Really taking 00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:11.779 full control. Seems like it. And the casting 00:12:11.779 --> 00:12:13.879 is interesting, too. It starred Nancy Robertson. 00:12:14.120 --> 00:12:16.620 Wanda from Corner Gas. Yeah. Who's also his wife, 00:12:16.659 --> 00:12:18.559 right? They got married in 2005. That's right. 00:12:18.659 --> 00:12:20.419 So continuing that professional partnership. 00:12:20.990 --> 00:12:23.309 In Hiccups, she played a children's author with 00:12:23.309 --> 00:12:26.070 pretty severe anger management issues. Okay, 00:12:26.129 --> 00:12:29.769 that sounds different from Wanda. Very different, 00:12:29.850 --> 00:12:33.639 but played her life coach, Stan Durko. So a totally 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:36.059 different dynamic and tone compared to Corner 00:12:36.059 --> 00:12:39.059 Gas. More edge, maybe? Interesting. Exploring 00:12:39.059 --> 00:12:41.259 different territory, even if it didn't become 00:12:41.259 --> 00:12:43.700 another Corner Gas -level hit, it shows they 00:12:43.700 --> 00:12:45.360 weren't afraid to try something new together. 00:12:45.659 --> 00:12:48.159 Definitely. And around the same time, he wasn't 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:50.320 letting his stand -up slide either. He put out 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:53.500 a one -hour comedy special in July 2010. The 00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:56.519 Brent Butt Comedy Special. That's the one. On 00:12:56.519 --> 00:12:59.179 the Comedy Network. And look at the guests he 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:02.759 pulled for that. Who'd he get? Seth Rogen. Dave 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:07.799 Foley. Jelly Black. Wow. Seth Rogen and Dave 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:09.919 Foley, that's some serious comedy cred. Yeah. 00:13:09.940 --> 00:13:13.139 And Jelly Black, major music star. Yeah, it really 00:13:13.139 --> 00:13:15.200 speaks to the respect he commanded in the industry 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:17.820 by then. He could attract top -tier talent for 00:13:17.820 --> 00:13:20.580 his own special. But even with these new projects... 00:13:20.649 --> 00:13:22.509 People still wanted Corner Gas, didn't they? 00:13:22.590 --> 00:13:24.970 That world was just too beloved to leave behind 00:13:24.970 --> 00:13:26.970 completely. Impossible to ignore that demand. 00:13:27.230 --> 00:13:29.750 So he did return to Dog River, twice actually, 00:13:29.929 --> 00:13:31.690 which was pretty smart thinking about managing 00:13:31.690 --> 00:13:33.850 that valuable IP. First was the movie, right? 00:13:34.049 --> 00:13:36.450 Yep, Corner Gas. The movie came out in 2014. 00:13:36.690 --> 00:13:39.110 He co -wrote it, co -executive produced it, and 00:13:39.110 --> 00:13:41.110 starred as Brent Leroy again. It was like this 00:13:41.110 --> 00:13:42.950 big reunion event. I remember that. It got a 00:13:42.950 --> 00:13:45.090 lot of buzz. It did. And they packed it with 00:13:45.090 --> 00:13:49.080 cameos. Canadian TV folks, but also serious actors 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:51.299 like Graham Greene. Academy Award nominee Graham 00:13:51.299 --> 00:13:54.480 Greene. The same. And Will Sasso, too. It showed 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:56.379 the brand could work as a movie, bring people 00:13:56.379 --> 00:13:59.379 out. And then came the cartoon. Right. Corner 00:13:59.379 --> 00:14:02.299 Gas Animated. That launched in April 2018 and 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:05.960 ran until 2021. Okay. Why animation? Well, think 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:08.200 about it. It keeps the characters and the world 00:14:08.200 --> 00:14:10.360 alive, but it's less demanding on the original 00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:13.620 actors. Plus, you can do more absurd cartoony 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:16.000 gags that wouldn't work in live action. It was 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:18.100 a clever way to extend the brand's life. And 00:14:18.100 --> 00:14:20.759 he was still heavily involved. Oh, yeah. Creator, 00:14:20.779 --> 00:14:24.350 co -writer, co -executive producer. Still steering 00:14:24.350 --> 00:14:26.429 the ship, just in a different format. Okay, so 00:14:26.429 --> 00:14:28.769 managing the legacy, keeping the stand -up going, 00:14:29.029 --> 00:14:32.190 trying new sitcoms. But that brings us to the 00:14:32.190 --> 00:14:35.110 latest thing, the real curveball. The novel. 00:14:35.409 --> 00:14:38.149 Huge. Published in 2023. And it's not a collection 00:14:38.149 --> 00:14:40.269 of funny stories about Saskatchewan life. Not 00:14:40.269 --> 00:14:42.570 even close. It's a psychological thriller. I 00:14:42.570 --> 00:14:45.309 mean, wow. From the guy who gave us the gentle 00:14:45.309 --> 00:14:47.809 humor of Dog River, a psychological thriller, 00:14:47.990 --> 00:14:50.409 that's a pivot. A massive pivot. You immediately 00:14:50.409 --> 00:14:53.610 ask, why? Why go there? Does it connect at all 00:14:53.610 --> 00:14:55.690 to his past work? It does, actually, in a really 00:14:55.690 --> 00:14:58.230 interesting way. The setting connects. Huge a 00:14:58.230 --> 00:15:01.309 set among touring stand -up comedians. Ah, okay. 00:15:01.429 --> 00:15:03.889 So he's writing what he knows, but through a 00:15:03.889 --> 00:15:06.409 completely different lens. Exactly. He's taking 00:15:06.409 --> 00:15:08.850 all that experience, the decades on the road, 00:15:08.950 --> 00:15:11.230 the clubs, the competition, maybe the loneliness, 00:15:11.529 --> 00:15:13.629 the stuff we glimpsed from that Cabbage Town 00:15:13.629 --> 00:15:16.149 apartment era, and exploring the darker side 00:15:16.149 --> 00:15:19.169 of it, the pressure, the backstabbing, the psychology 00:15:19.169 --> 00:15:23.070 of being a performer. So using the raw material 00:15:23.070 --> 00:15:25.330 of his own life, but instead of turning it into 00:15:25.330 --> 00:15:28.830 folksy jokes, turning it into suspense and, well, 00:15:28.929 --> 00:15:32.230 thrills. Yeah. It's like looking at the underbelly 00:15:32.230 --> 00:15:34.769 of the world that made him famous. The contrast 00:15:34.769 --> 00:15:37.470 between Corner Gas and a thriller about the potential 00:15:37.470 --> 00:15:40.559 darkness of comedy, it's stark. It really is. 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:42.840 It feels like a deliberate choice to say, I'm 00:15:42.840 --> 00:15:44.740 more than just the nice guy from the prairies. 00:15:44.899 --> 00:15:47.340 I think so. It's him exercising creative freedom. 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:49.779 He built this huge success on comfort and warmth, 00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:51.840 and now he's earned the right, perhaps, to explore 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:54.379 something unsettling, something complex, using 00:15:54.379 --> 00:15:56.480 the world he knows best. He shows incredible 00:15:56.480 --> 00:15:59.559 range. Hashtag tag outro. So when we step back 00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:01.519 and look at this whole journey based on our sources. 00:16:02.250 --> 00:16:04.049 You really see these clear phases, don't you? 00:16:04.149 --> 00:16:06.690 Yeah, three distinct stages, but all connected. 00:16:07.009 --> 00:16:10.250 First, there's the foundation phase, the prairie 00:16:10.250 --> 00:16:12.710 kid, the drywaller, the comic book publisher 00:16:12.710 --> 00:16:15.070 who fails but learns. Right, building the stand 00:16:15.070 --> 00:16:17.070 -up persona, getting those early TV credits, 00:16:17.269 --> 00:16:19.970 finding that folksy voice, the hustle years. 00:16:20.409 --> 00:16:24.429 Exactly. Then phase two is the peak, corner gas. 00:16:25.049 --> 00:16:27.950 Creating, writing, starring in this massive cultural 00:16:27.950 --> 00:16:30.590 hit. Winning the big awards like the Ustinov, 00:16:30.730 --> 00:16:33.990 becoming a national figure, mastering television. 00:16:34.289 --> 00:16:37.250 And now we're in phase three, the diversification 00:16:37.250 --> 00:16:40.509 phase. Smartly managing the corner gas legacy 00:16:40.509 --> 00:16:43.210 with the movie and animation. But also branching 00:16:43.210 --> 00:16:46.490 out. Hiccups, the specials, and then the big 00:16:46.490 --> 00:16:49.350 leap. The big leap into novelist, writing thrillers 00:16:49.350 --> 00:16:51.490 with Huge, and the thread connecting it all is 00:16:51.490 --> 00:16:53.649 that constant drive to be the creator, the writer, 00:16:53.690 --> 00:16:56.220 the producer. He's always been in control of 00:16:56.220 --> 00:16:58.019 the material. It really makes you think about 00:16:58.019 --> 00:17:00.220 what success means for a creative person, doesn't 00:17:00.220 --> 00:17:02.440 it? He reached the absolute summit with Corner 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:04.319 Gas. He created something universally loved, 00:17:04.500 --> 00:17:07.039 comfortable, safe. He could have just ridden 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:09.960 that way forever, right? Toured Corner Gas, nostalgia 00:17:09.960 --> 00:17:12.980 shows, done appearances, stayed firmly in that 00:17:12.980 --> 00:17:16.240 brand. But he didn't. He chose to write a psychological 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:19.500 thriller about the potentially dark side of the 00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:22.069 very industry that launched him. He challenged 00:17:22.069 --> 00:17:24.509 himself and challenged his audience's expectations. 00:17:25.069 --> 00:17:28.170 It poses that question, you know. When you achieve 00:17:28.170 --> 00:17:31.150 that peak success, your own personal corner gas, 00:17:31.430 --> 00:17:33.869 what do you do? Do you stick with the formula 00:17:33.869 --> 00:17:36.349 because it works, because it's comfortable? Or 00:17:36.349 --> 00:17:39.579 do you... Use the freedom that success gives 00:17:39.579 --> 00:17:42.279 you to take risks, to explore something completely 00:17:42.279 --> 00:17:44.440 different, maybe something darker or more complex, 00:17:44.619 --> 00:17:46.799 just to show yourself and everyone else what 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:48.500 else you can do. It's a fascinating question 00:17:48.500 --> 00:17:51.259 about creative ambition versus comfort. Something 00:17:51.259 --> 00:17:53.619 for you, the listener, to maybe chew on. What 00:17:53.619 --> 00:17:55.700 does that kind of artistic freedom really look 00:17:55.700 --> 00:17:55.980 like?