With a clearly defined worldview that blends naivety and weathered cynicism, Bruce McCulloch has always had the sharpest voice of any of the Kids in the Hall. From the TV series, and his albums, these are some of our favourites.
1. That’s America, from Shame-Based Man
Adapted from a Kids In The Hall bit, That’s America is a wide-eyed, mock celebration of the U.S. of A., calling it “that great lumbering beast that journeys tirelessly and stops only to eat a clubhouse sandwich and pick its teeth with a matchbook cover and fall asleep with the TV on.”
2. The Hangover Chronicles, from Drunk Baby Project
“The details are cloudy,” McCulloch begins, “Luckily in my haze I took notes.” He then goes on to explain the bruising, week-plus pain following a night of heavy drinking, including fielding 17 missed calls from an ex-girlfriend and communing with an angel in the form of a pizza deliveryman.
3. Open Letters, from The Kids In The Hall
This two-part scene has McCulloch first addressing the guy who stole his front bike wheel (“What’d you think? That I’d drove home and notice it was stolen?”), and then the people who watched while the guy stole his bike wheel (“Why didn’t you say something, ya human piece of apathy?”).
4. Vigil, from Shame-Based Man
Sad, funny and deeply poignant, this track documents Bruce travelling to Seattle for a vigil memorializing the life of Kurt Cobain. The line, “We all get through life scathed and unscathed in our own ways” might as well be Nirvana lyrics.
5. Brucio’s World, from The Kids In The Hall
One of Bruce’s weirder one-offs – though fairly tame by late-season Kids In The Hall standards – this one details the experience of flying on airplane with superhunk model Fabio.
