Compared to the weighty Brian Mulroney biography I’m still currently slogging through, Rick Mercer Report, The Book is a very slim volume. But don’t let the size fool you though, despite the vastly different lengths the two books are certainly comparable in insight.
I’ve been a fan of Rick Mercer from his This Hour has 22 Minutes days, thru Made in Canada to The Mercer Report. He’s a very funny guy but his it not just empty humour, or humour for humour’s sake. He uses humour to get across a message, to make a point, and it’s usually very effective.
This new book is mainly a compilation of his infamous rants from The Mercer Report on matters political, from Paul Martin thru Stephen Harper, from 2004 thru 2007. In addition to the rants, interspersed is new material, such as stories of his trips to Afghanistan to visit with and entertain the troops and to Africa in support of Spread the Net.
While Conservatives complain Mercer is a Liberal shill, I don’t think that’s at all true. Certainly he has taken a lot of shots at the Cons over the years but, in fairness, he has given them a heckuva lotta ammunition. He’s an equal opportunity comedian though, and takes some rather salient shots at Michael Ignatieff and Stephane Dion, for example.
While it’s a slim book, and a quick and easy ready, as I said that doesn’t mean it’s not weighty. Mercer uses humour very effectively to make rather insightful and prescient points about the state of political discourse in our country today and the jobs our political leaders are doing. While we laugh, we’d also do well to heed some of his advice.
P.S. If you’re on Facebook, join the group One Million Strong for Rick Mercer. Why? Why not?
*A review copy from the publisher helped facilitate this review.
2 comments:
Watch Impolitical
That's funny. I Liberal friend of mine always complains that Mercer has become a tool of the CPC'ers.
I guess there are thin-skinned bed-wetters on both sides of the isle.
The reason why Rick Mercer, Jon Stewart and Stephan Colbert succeed and guys like Al Franken fail, is that they call out bull-shit when they see it regardless of which political party it's coming from.
More importantly they know that there are good people of all political stripes and they respect them even if they don't agree with them.
Post a Comment