The Trailer Park Boys' favourite things

Since the late 1990s, Ricky (Robb Wells), Julian (John Paul Tremblay) and Bubbles (Mike Smith) have charmed audiences across the country as the foul-mouthed, low-brow trio behind Trailer Park Boys—a comedic mockumentary turned mini-empire that now spans 11 television seasons (and counting), numerous films and specials, digital shorts, a podcast and more. The Boys have built an impressive legacy in Canadian television and film, and they have also dabbled in music—appearing in the Tragically Hip’s “The Darkest One” video, joining Rush on stage in Halifax and unveiling Bubbles’ guitar anthem “Liquor and Whores” on CBC TV. Passport 2017 recently called up the Boys at their Halifax studio to chat about their favourite Canadian albums, movies and books—all of which you can find on iTunes.

MUSIC

• Harvest by Neil Young
• Music from Big Pink by The Band
• Fully Completely by the Tragically Hip
• Forever Endeavour by Ron Sexsmith
• Canned Wheat by the Guess Who

Can you tell me who picked which albums, and why you picked them?

Ricky: Did some of these get changed, Bubs? I’m just looking at this list now. I picked Helix. Where’s that one?

Bubbles: You were drunk, Ricky. I was on the thing and I made my picks, so maybe my picks got sent in.

So these are likely Bubbles’ favourite albums. Okay, can you tell me about some of your best concert experiences?

Ricky: Aw, man. There’s been a lot of them. That time we snuck in to see Rush was pretty cool. And Bubs was their guitar tech. We got to see the Tragically Hip a couple of times and that was really cool. And we shot a video with them.

Bubbles: I’ve seen everybody on our list. I’ve seen Neil Young. I didn’t see The Band, but I saw some people from The Band. We’ve all seen the Tragically Hip. We’ve seen Ron Sexsmith. We saw Burton Cummings and the Guess Who—

Ricky: It just says The Band, though. Which band is it?

Bubbles: The Band, Ricky. That’s what they’re called.

Ricky: No, no, but what’s their name?

Bubbles: They’re called The Band, Ricky.

Ricky: I get it but don’t they have a name?

Do you guys play any instruments?

Bubbles: I do. I play the guitar. Do some singing. I can play the bass. I can tickle the ivories a little bit when I need to. I can lay down some beats on the drums.

That’s amazing. What about Ricky and Julian: Do you guys play any instruments?

Julian: Nothing.

Ricky: Nothing.

Bubbles: Ricky can play the swinette. Do you know what a swinette is?

No, what’s a swinette?

Bubbles: It’s a hair drawn across a pig’s arse. [Giggles.]

Most of these albums are classic Canadian rock. Do you guys enjoy any other genres of music?

Ricky: Julian likes Jann Arden a lot.

Is that true, Julian?

Julian: You know it’s eight o’clock or something and you’re eating some dinner? Throw on some Jann Arden. That’ll get things going.

MOVIES

• Meatballs, directed by Ivan Reitman
• Strange Brew, directed by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas
• Porky’s, directed by Bob Clark
• Goon, directed by Michael Dowse
• Freddy Got Fingered, directed by Tom Green

Has being followed around by cameras all the time and making your own projects changed the way you guys watch movies at all?

Ricky: Yeah, it does for me cause I didn’t realize there was so much stuff that goes into it. So much happens behind the scenes and how long it takes to make and…yes. It’s quite a bit different than I would have ever thought.

Do you get the same enjoyment out of watching movies or are you thinking about how much time is spent making them?

Ricky: I mean, you also find out there’s a lot of dickheads and stuff that work on the movies that you have to deal with—so you’re watching the movie thinking, I wonder if that guy got in a fight with the guy that made the sandwiches that day. It is distracting.

There are some pretty great comedies on this list. I love Meatballs. Did you have the traditional camping experience as kids—or did you spend your summers doing other things?

Julian: We’d siphon gas, you know…

Bubbles: Drink!

Julian: Drink.

Ricky: Yup. Try to make money anyway we could. Piss people off.

Julian: You know, steal skin mags at the grocery story and stuff like that.

Did you ever try the mouse-in-a-bottle trick from Strange Brew to get free beer?

Bubbles: No, but Ricky’s tried a few similar things.

Like what?

Bubbles: I don’t like to say on the thing. It’s kinda gross.

Ricky: I don’t know what you’re talking about, Bubs.

Bubbles: Remember Ricky, the time you put a prophylactic in a beer bottle? Said you found it in there.

Ricky: I do not remember that, no.

Did you get any money for it? Did they believe you?

Bubbles: No, no. They threw us out of the liquor store.

Ricky: That wasn’t a propylatic [sic] or whatever you called it. It was a freezie wrapper and they gave us a free case of beer. That was awesome.

Do you guys ever watch any serious movies or do you tend to stick with comedies?

Ricky: I don’t like to watch anything too complicated, cause you know then you get lost and you don’t understand it, especially when you’re baked so…you know. Simple comedies are good for me when I’m baked.

Bubbles: I enjoy a good drama. Or a good thriller. Shawshank Redemption—fantastic.

BOOKS

• 99: Stories of the Game by Wayne Gretzky
• David Suzuki: The Autobiography by David Suzuki
• The Secret Path by Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire
• Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home & Away by Martin Popoff
• Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

Let’s talk about books now. I notice this list is mostly non-fiction. Do you prefer that to fiction?

Ricky: I think a lot of these books were Bubbles’ cause the ones I was picking were…most of mine were kids books cause I’m still getting better at reading.

Any good kids’ books you’ve been reading lately?

Ricky: I just read that little kids’ book by the astronaut, there. Frank Hadfield.

Bubbles: Chris Hadfield.

Ricky: Chris Hadfield, yeah. His little kids’ book. It was wonderful. I understood the whole thing.

I see you also have The Secret Path on here by Jeff Lemire and Gord Downie. Ricky have you read that one? It’s mostly pictures.

Ricky: No—you didn’t tell me it was mostly pictures, Bubs. Give me that book. I’ll read that right now. Pictures are great.

It has a 10-song album that goes along with it too. You can just listen to the words and look at the pictures and you don’t really have to do much reading.

Ricky: Oh my god, I’m all over that.

Julian: It’s a good one.

Ricky: Good choice, Bubs.

Bubbles: Make sure you’re really baked.

You guys have also chosen a David Suzuki autobiography here. Do you consider yourselves environmentalists?

Bubbles: I picked the Suzuki book. I’m right into science and space and planets and shit. And I know Suzuki enjoys that stuff.

Julian: And you have a crush on him.

Bubbles: I don’t have a crush on him.

Julian: You have a crush on David Suzuki.

Ricky: I do like David Suzuki a lot. I don’t read a lot of his stuff cause I’m not, you know, at that level yet, but, I do watch that…The Natural of Things or whatever the show is. He’s good. And he’s got that huge motorcycle company and that’s pretty cool.

Bubbles: He doesn’t own the Suzuki motorcycle company, Ricky.

This story first appeared in Passport2017, a Strategic Content Labs and Heritage Canada project. It was republished in the Montreal Gazette on July 1, 2017.