Film + TV

7 classic Trailer Park Boys music moments

by Mark Teo

By now, Mike Clattenburg’s Nova Scotia-bred comedy, Trailer Park Boys, is an indisputable Canadian television classic. Partly, the series’ longstanding popularity is because the show is subtly referential—sure, it name-checked Nova Scotia’s love for chicken chips, but its eye-popping cast also included a pre-fame Ellen Page, a post-Jonovision Jonathan Torrens, and Halifamous actor John Dunsworth. (Who, in his role as Mr. Lahey, defied the straight-laced roles he usually plays in Halifax’s theatre productions. Locals say that Dunsworth, in fact, doesn’t even drink. We don’t believe them.)

While the show had plenty of A-list cameos, it did plenty of musical name-checking, too: Torrens, for his part, showcased many of the ’90s biggest Candian acts on Jonovision. Mike Smith, who played the ever-lovable Bubbles, played in ’90s grunge act Sandbox. Heck, even Cory Bowles—one half of Cory and Trevor, the show’s punching-bag duo—played in a rap act called Hip Club Groove, who released a record on Sloan’s label, Murderecords.

Accordingly, there have been plenty of incredible music moments on Trailer Park Boys. Here are our favourites.

Sebastian Bach is a model train enthusiast

Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach’s interests include trying out for Velvet Revolver, forming supergroups with Ted Nugent, and, apparently, attending toy train conventions in rural Nova Scotia. Who knew?

The Gord Downie and Alex Lifeson 5-0

The biggest roadside attraction from The Big Dirty, Trailer Park Boys’ first feature film, had Ricky and Julian being accosted by the Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie and Rush’s Alex Lifeson, who play two highway cops.

Rita MacNeil harvests pot at gunpoint

Apparently, Ricky and Julian’s interpretation of Rita MacNeil’s “Working Man” involves harvesting marijuana in the wilds of (what we’re guessing is) Truro, N.S. Or some place like it.

George Canyon does some drinkin’ and some thinkin’

OK, we’re cheating ever so slightly here. George Canyon did appear on Trailer Park Boys as a forest ranger who thwarted the boys’ dope-smuggling plans. But this video’s far better: Watch as Bubbles joins Canyon in a vid for his hit song, “Drinkin Thinkin.” Fitting, no?

Alex Lifeson is kidnapped and forced to sing “Closer to the Heart”

Unsurprisingly, Lifeson’s one-off collaboration with Bubbles proved to be far more memorable than Victor, his 1996 collaboration with I Mother Earth singer Edwin.

J-Roc’s ‘Trailer Park Boys’ video

Who’s the microphone assassin? Jonathan Torrens, that’s who.

Kitties Are So Nice

Before cheezburgers and Maru and cats reviewing music, Trailer Park Boys owned pop culture’s original cat obsession. The proof? The show’s signature song, Bubbles’ “Kitties Are So Nice,” which Mike Smith even performed in character with Emm Gryner. And that’s saying nothing of the song’s amazing YouTube covers. Like this. Or this. Or even this, which,  according to its  author, is “a joke Btw people, cats are fags.” Riiiiight.