By JOHN DOYLE
Wednesday, October 12, 2005 Page R1
It's one of those sunny and warm October afternoons in Toronto and I'm on my way to a restaurant on Queen Street West to meet Mike Bullard for lunch. I have several questions for him, but one question is uppermost because I know it's what everybody is wondering.
Bullard is at the restaurant already and it takes less than a minute to realize the answer to the question: No, Mike Bullard isn't bitter.
In fact, he's as sunny as the weather. Wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and grinning, he looks better than he did on TV. He's relaxed, benign, bullish and wants it known that he's open for business.
"I told you I'd be back," he says, all smiles. Indeed he did. Mike Bullard disappeared off the radar in March of 2004 when Global abruptly cancelled The Mike Bullard Show. He didn't return calls or answer e-mails. Nobody was surprised about that. It was ignominious to have the heavily promoted talk show cancelled after mere months on the air.
After that, his sole appearance in the little firmament of Canadian showbiz was in a sketch at last year's Gemini Awards. He played a dead body. At the end of the sketch, he came to life and said, "I'm not dead yet." After that, it was more silence from Mike Bullard.
Then, on New Year's Day of this year, he sent me a brief e-mail, wishing me a Happy New Year. He concluded with, "I'll be back."
A few weeks ago, another e-mail arrived. It described a new project he's enthusiastic about -- The Great Canadian Roast. It's a simple idea. These days, Mike Bullard wants to keep things simple and straightforward. He describes it like this: "Take one Canadian icon and six comedic personalities and let the insults fly. It would be broadcast about every three months in a 1,000-seat theatre. It would be a sort-of tribute to those Dean Martin roasts of the seventies, with a very Canadian twist. I'd be the host but a changing group of comedians and TV stars would do the roasting. Each show would end with a retort from the man or woman who is the subject of the roast.
We'd charge for tickets to the taping and a good portion would go to the charity of the subject's choice."
Bullard says he's getting a lot of interest in the idea from potential subjects to be roasted, such as Jean Chrtien.. "One thing I learned from the talk show is that politicians and sports figures are the real stars in Canada. . . . And I like the idea of doing something for a charity. I can see a DVD of these roasts going on sale and a portion of that money going to the charity."
The Great Canadian Roast is one of a handful of projects Bullard is developing with Metal Works Studios, the successful recording studio co-owned by Gil Moore and Mike Levine of Triumph, the Canadian hard-rock band.
Another is an in-depth interview show with internationally renowned musicians who record at Metal Works (Prince, Tina Turner, David Bowie, the Cranberries, D12, Guns N' Roses, 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera and almost every major Canadian artist has recorded there), and he likens it to the actor-interview series on Bravo! called Inside the Actors Studio. "You'd have an invited audience of fans, real experts on the music and it wouldn't be a series of puff questions about a new album. It would be a music-interview show for grownups." Bullard says he finds the optimism and business acumen of businessmen/musicians refreshing after the caution of television veterans.
"For these projects, I'd rather not apply for grants and go through all of that again. Besides, I don't want to work for anyone else, ever again. I'm working for myself now."
Obviously, Bullard wants to talk up the projects he's developing. But what I'm wondering, while listening to him, is how he feels about the high-profile crash of The Mike Bullard Show at Global, especially as he had left CTV with some apparent bitterness after six seasons of Open Mike with Mike Bullard. I'm also wondering what he did for the past 18 months I tell him I kept the announcement that came from Global about his show's cancellation, because it was extraordinarily blunt.
Bullard smiles. "It just didn't work. I knew on the day after we taped the second show that it wasn't going to work. It's way too hard doing a nightly talk show in Canada. . . . We're beside the behemoth of popular American culture. Viewers here expect stars to sit in the guest chair. I think a successful Canadian TV talk show could be done on a once-a-week basis, but not every night. You can have Canadian stars like Don Cherry or Tie Domi on the show or a politician, but there are only so many big-name Canadians that viewers will tune in to see.
"I knew the end was coming the day before the announcement was made. I told people working on the show. They didn't believe me, but I was right. They're the ones I felt bad about. It's so tough working on a Canadian show. You don't get the recognition, the money."
Is he still angry? Does he have a hate-on for Global?"
"No and no. It didn't work out. That's just business. But I'd do business with Global again, no problem." So what did he do after the axe fell on The Mike Bullard Show? Bullard grins broadly, relishing the opportunity to tell me.
"First I drove to Florida. After a few days, I remembered that I hated Florida. So I drove home. I stayed in Mississauga for a bit and then I went to L.A. for a few months. I did some work there with Granada Television, developing a comedy show about TV from around the world. I enjoyed doing things without any pressure on me. And I got a divorce. In romance, I realized that my first love is "first loves" and I don't want to be married again. I enjoy being with a woman. But I really enjoy being with a woman and not having to hide anything."
It was while he was in L.A. that he noticed the popularity of those old Dean Martin roasts done for TV back in the 1970s. "They came out on DVD and the DVDs were flying off the shelves. People were hungry for them and the company made millions. It's a simple idea and, if you've noticed, these days I like simple ideas."
Bullard came back to Canada a few months back and, apart from developing new projects with Metal Works, he says he wanted to keep a low profile and avoid media attention. He says he did some charity work and a few corporate gigs.
"I go to the Good Shepherd Hostel sometimes and serve lunch there. It's good to be involved with charities. It gives you some perspective. You realize that a lot of people are worse off than you are.
"I can look at myself in the mirror. I'm not embarrassed by anything I've done. It's unfortunate that in Canada, the business is so small that you can get tagged as a failure. Because the opportunities are few. Do you know how many talk shows have failed in the States? A lot. And nobody there believes that the host's career is over. Canada is different in every way. The way I see it now, the best way to do television in Canada is to forget about ratings. Just try to do something good and worthwhile. I've got enormous respect for a lot of people working in Canada, but it's the comics I really respect. They work for peanuts. I look at Brent Butt's career now and, God, I wish him well. Here's a great comic who stuck with his principles and he's got a hit TV show with Corner Gas. It's a good show, that's what's really important."
The only time Bullard hesitates is when I ask him if he'll return to the standup-comedy circuit. He did it for years, slowly building a reputation as an acerbic, self-deprecating wit who could create long, funny routines from simply interacting with the audience. "Maybe at some point I'll do a few comedy clubs. But I'm in no rush to do that."
The last comment I get from him is a blunt request about this article. "Don't play up the negative," he says.
As if. There's no need. If anybody is wondering what ever happened to Mike Bullard, the news is that he's back. He's unbowed, cheerful, optimistic and most definitely not bitter about anything.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005 Page R1
It's one of those sunny and warm October afternoons in Toronto and I'm on my way to a restaurant on Queen Street West to meet Mike Bullard for lunch. I have several questions for him, but one question is uppermost because I know it's what everybody is wondering.
Bullard is at the restaurant already and it takes less than a minute to realize the answer to the question: No, Mike Bullard isn't bitter.
In fact, he's as sunny as the weather. Wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and grinning, he looks better than he did on TV. He's relaxed, benign, bullish and wants it known that he's open for business.
"I told you I'd be back," he says, all smiles. Indeed he did. Mike Bullard disappeared off the radar in March of 2004 when Global abruptly cancelled The Mike Bullard Show. He didn't return calls or answer e-mails. Nobody was surprised about that. It was ignominious to have the heavily promoted talk show cancelled after mere months on the air.
After that, his sole appearance in the little firmament of Canadian showbiz was in a sketch at last year's Gemini Awards. He played a dead body. At the end of the sketch, he came to life and said, "I'm not dead yet." After that, it was more silence from Mike Bullard.
Then, on New Year's Day of this year, he sent me a brief e-mail, wishing me a Happy New Year. He concluded with, "I'll be back."
A few weeks ago, another e-mail arrived. It described a new project he's enthusiastic about -- The Great Canadian Roast. It's a simple idea. These days, Mike Bullard wants to keep things simple and straightforward. He describes it like this: "Take one Canadian icon and six comedic personalities and let the insults fly. It would be broadcast about every three months in a 1,000-seat theatre. It would be a sort-of tribute to those Dean Martin roasts of the seventies, with a very Canadian twist. I'd be the host but a changing group of comedians and TV stars would do the roasting. Each show would end with a retort from the man or woman who is the subject of the roast.
We'd charge for tickets to the taping and a good portion would go to the charity of the subject's choice."
Bullard says he's getting a lot of interest in the idea from potential subjects to be roasted, such as Jean Chrtien.. "One thing I learned from the talk show is that politicians and sports figures are the real stars in Canada. . . . And I like the idea of doing something for a charity. I can see a DVD of these roasts going on sale and a portion of that money going to the charity."
The Great Canadian Roast is one of a handful of projects Bullard is developing with Metal Works Studios, the successful recording studio co-owned by Gil Moore and Mike Levine of Triumph, the Canadian hard-rock band.
Another is an in-depth interview show with internationally renowned musicians who record at Metal Works (Prince, Tina Turner, David Bowie, the Cranberries, D12, Guns N' Roses, 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera and almost every major Canadian artist has recorded there), and he likens it to the actor-interview series on Bravo! called Inside the Actors Studio. "You'd have an invited audience of fans, real experts on the music and it wouldn't be a series of puff questions about a new album. It would be a music-interview show for grownups." Bullard says he finds the optimism and business acumen of businessmen/musicians refreshing after the caution of television veterans.
"For these projects, I'd rather not apply for grants and go through all of that again. Besides, I don't want to work for anyone else, ever again. I'm working for myself now."
Obviously, Bullard wants to talk up the projects he's developing. But what I'm wondering, while listening to him, is how he feels about the high-profile crash of The Mike Bullard Show at Global, especially as he had left CTV with some apparent bitterness after six seasons of Open Mike with Mike Bullard. I'm also wondering what he did for the past 18 months I tell him I kept the announcement that came from Global about his show's cancellation, because it was extraordinarily blunt.
Bullard smiles. "It just didn't work. I knew on the day after we taped the second show that it wasn't going to work. It's way too hard doing a nightly talk show in Canada. . . . We're beside the behemoth of popular American culture. Viewers here expect stars to sit in the guest chair. I think a successful Canadian TV talk show could be done on a once-a-week basis, but not every night. You can have Canadian stars like Don Cherry or Tie Domi on the show or a politician, but there are only so many big-name Canadians that viewers will tune in to see.
"I knew the end was coming the day before the announcement was made. I told people working on the show. They didn't believe me, but I was right. They're the ones I felt bad about. It's so tough working on a Canadian show. You don't get the recognition, the money."
Is he still angry? Does he have a hate-on for Global?"
"No and no. It didn't work out. That's just business. But I'd do business with Global again, no problem." So what did he do after the axe fell on The Mike Bullard Show? Bullard grins broadly, relishing the opportunity to tell me.
"First I drove to Florida. After a few days, I remembered that I hated Florida. So I drove home. I stayed in Mississauga for a bit and then I went to L.A. for a few months. I did some work there with Granada Television, developing a comedy show about TV from around the world. I enjoyed doing things without any pressure on me. And I got a divorce. In romance, I realized that my first love is "first loves" and I don't want to be married again. I enjoy being with a woman. But I really enjoy being with a woman and not having to hide anything."
It was while he was in L.A. that he noticed the popularity of those old Dean Martin roasts done for TV back in the 1970s. "They came out on DVD and the DVDs were flying off the shelves. People were hungry for them and the company made millions. It's a simple idea and, if you've noticed, these days I like simple ideas."
Bullard came back to Canada a few months back and, apart from developing new projects with Metal Works, he says he wanted to keep a low profile and avoid media attention. He says he did some charity work and a few corporate gigs.
"I go to the Good Shepherd Hostel sometimes and serve lunch there. It's good to be involved with charities. It gives you some perspective. You realize that a lot of people are worse off than you are.
"I can look at myself in the mirror. I'm not embarrassed by anything I've done. It's unfortunate that in Canada, the business is so small that you can get tagged as a failure. Because the opportunities are few. Do you know how many talk shows have failed in the States? A lot. And nobody there believes that the host's career is over. Canada is different in every way. The way I see it now, the best way to do television in Canada is to forget about ratings. Just try to do something good and worthwhile. I've got enormous respect for a lot of people working in Canada, but it's the comics I really respect. They work for peanuts. I look at Brent Butt's career now and, God, I wish him well. Here's a great comic who stuck with his principles and he's got a hit TV show with Corner Gas. It's a good show, that's what's really important."
The only time Bullard hesitates is when I ask him if he'll return to the standup-comedy circuit. He did it for years, slowly building a reputation as an acerbic, self-deprecating wit who could create long, funny routines from simply interacting with the audience. "Maybe at some point I'll do a few comedy clubs. But I'm in no rush to do that."
The last comment I get from him is a blunt request about this article. "Don't play up the negative," he says.
As if. There's no need. If anybody is wondering what ever happened to Mike Bullard, the news is that he's back. He's unbowed, cheerful, optimistic and most definitely not bitter about anything.
