Yes, this is pretty much how our country works

December 8, 2010 8:05 PM

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper sings Sweet Caroline.

Think of it as an encore to last year's performance of "With A Little Help From My Friends" (accompanied by YoYo Ma).

posted by 256 (40 comments total)

please, I'm trying to hate him absolutely.
posted by philip-random at 8:10 PM on December 8, 2010 [7 favorites]

Oh, he also played a little bit of Lennon's Imagine. (Not making this up, we saw it on the evening news)

"Imagine there's no country..."
posted by ovvl at 8:11 PM on December 8, 2010

Is the accordion player wearing a sailor suit?
posted by bewilderbeast at 8:12 PM on December 8, 2010

Yeah, that's certainly...something.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 8:12 PM on December 8, 2010

Not too bad, but he's missing Neil Diamond's signature constipated sound.
posted by bwg at 8:13 PM on December 8, 2010

Remember when John Crosbie challenged Trudeau, and Trudeau responded in Latin, and Crosbie responded in Latin, and Trudeau responded in ancient Greek?

Good times, good times...
posted by Capt. Renault at 8:14 PM on December 8, 2010 [18 favorites]

Canadian Prime Minister performs non-Canadian song by non-Canadian artist with non-Canadian accompaniment, slashes funding for Canadian arts and culture
posted by Sys Rq at 8:16 PM on December 8, 2010 [9 favorites]

I refuse to believe that this man might actually have a personality. This is all a ploy by his creators at Sirius Cybernetics Corporation.
posted by WinnipegDragon at 8:16 PM on December 8, 2010 [3 favorites]

This is all a ploy by his creators at Sirius Cybernetics Corporation.

He actually reminds me a lot of Honda's Asimo: He's white, he's soulless, he can't really do anything worthwhile, etc.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:20 PM on December 8, 2010 [8 favorites]

I'm sorry, it's not a Stephen Harper post until someone mentions cats.

That is a link to a google image search for "Stephen Harper cat," because there are quite a few from which to choose.
posted by troika at 8:26 PM on December 8, 2010 [2 favorites]

Like the rest of you, I hate it when I'm forced to admit Harper has some good and even interesting qualities. Besides his interest in music, he's an avid hockey fan who is working on a book on the history of hockey and occasionally writes articles on the subject.
posted by orange swan at 8:27 PM on December 8, 2010 [1 favorite]

While I was working for the NCC in Ottawa, a colleague whose specialty was heritage architecture had to do an inspection of 11 Sussex Drive. She told me that the books in his study were pretty much all aboot hockey.
posted by Flashman at 8:35 PM on December 8, 2010 [1 favorite]

Justin Bieber and Harper seem to represent the standard Canadian haircut.
posted by KokuRyu at 8:35 PM on December 8, 2010 [4 favorites]

Besides his interest in music, he's an avid hockey fan who is working on a book on the history of hockey and occasionally writes articles on the subject.

Hey, great. Maybe he could quit his day job and work on that stuff.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:50 PM on December 8, 2010 [17 favorites]

Singing Neil Diamond songs should be grounds for removal from office.
posted by IvoShandor at 8:50 PM on December 8, 2010 [1 favorite]

Orange swan, Macleans ran a pretty good advance review of Harper's hockey book last year...
posted by senor biggles at 8:53 PM on December 8, 2010

His voice reminds me of someone else's, but I can't place it. A neutered Stompin' Tom? The fatuous Stuart McLean, autotuned?
posted by maudlin at 8:53 PM on December 8, 2010 [2 favorites]

After practising for weeks and taking careful notes on when the appropriate times to smile, nod and simulate breathing were, the Harper Unit was finally ready for its big performance. Executing the routine with a 98.995% accuracy rate, the Harper Unit noted that this performance generated a 6.579% greater amount of hand noise from the humans compared to the previous year, an indirect sign that the routine had been well recieved. This pleased it, and it made note of that in its Pleasing Thoughts log. Later, before entering its docking pod for the night, the Harper Unit reviewed the results of the Personality Enhancement Event and judged them to be successful. Then, after initiating the process to merge that nights experiences into its core subroutines, the Harper Unit powered down into the recharging state. The humans were accepting it into their collective. The Harper unit was adapting. The Harper Unit was learning.
posted by tracert at 8:58 PM on December 8, 2010 [42 favorites]

And for an encore, he'll prorogue Parliament.
posted by mazola at 9:24 PM on December 8, 2010 [4 favorites]

O SHIT HE LIKES NEIL DIAMOND AND HOCKEY AND BA-BA-BA I WILL VOTE FOR STEPHEN AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A BEER WITH HIM
posted by Hoopo at 9:25 PM on December 8, 2010

Remember when John Crosbie challenged Trudeau, and Trudeau responded in Latin, and Crosbie responded in Latin, and Trudeau responded in ancient Greek?

Does it make me a super-nerd to think that's totally BADASS? Yeah? Ok, just checking.
posted by pised at 9:40 PM on December 8, 2010 [2 favorites]

I just saw the "I'm On My Way" clip...

Is there anything resembling the Proclaimers or Barenaked Ladies or Out of Time or Full Moon Fever being played as jukebox standards in Student Union Pubs these days?

The Stephen Harper clip brings back memories of cutoff jean shorts, plaid, wool socks and Doc Martin boots for some reason.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:50 PM on December 8, 2010

O SHIT HE LIKES NEIL DIAMOND AND HOCKEY AND BA-BA-BA I WILL VOTE FOR STEPHEN AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A BEER WITH HIM

Harper and Iggy are pretty much like Kang and Kodos masquerading as human politicians.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:51 PM on December 8, 2010 [3 favorites]

Canadian Prime Minister performs non-Canadian song by non-Canadian artist with non-Canadian accompaniment

weird thing is, for about five years when I was a kid (ages 10-15) I was convinced that Neil Diamond was Canadian, and actually got into arguments about it. Maybe I dreamed it. As for our gracious PM, I'll actually vote for him next election if he takes on Soolaimon. But it has to be the 1972 live version, and he's gotta wear a leisure suit.
posted by philip-random at 9:59 PM on December 8, 2010

It's fitting that Harper tacked "Sweet Caroline", since the song title is an anagram for "centralise woe".
posted by New Frontier at 10:22 PM on December 8, 2010 [6 favorites]

As for our gracious PM, I'll actually vote for him next election if he takes on Soolaimon. But it has to be the 1972 live version, and he's gotta wear a leisure suit.

Oh, yeah? What if he does a remake of The Jazz Singer?
posted by Sys Rq at 10:34 PM on December 8, 2010 [1 favorite]

Kang and Kodos masquerading as human politicians.

I aint vote for no coalition!

On another note, I was watching CTV just now and Harper also covered John Lennon's Imagine. Well, at least they showed him playing the opening notes...not sure if he was able to get through the words without laughing or winding up the target of a terror probe.
posted by Hoopo at 10:38 PM on December 8, 2010

It's fitting that Harper tacked "Sweet Caroline", since the song title is an anagram for "centralise woe".

KING BEAR RAM A NAG SEWN: PANTHER HERPES SIGNS CENTRALISE WOE
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:44 PM on December 8, 2010 [2 favorites]

not sure if he was able to get through the words without laughing or winding up the target of a terror probe

Oh pfft, song lyrics are just a jumble of words, just like fixed election legislation, pledges of accountability and transparency, and environmental accords. It's not like they are actually supposed to mean anything.

Against my better judgment I gave him a couple points for the last time he did this, but fuck him in the ear for both being a symptom and a cause for everything that is wrong with my country.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:49 PM on December 8, 2010 [6 favorites]

So Harper honours Lennon. Nice.

Lennon returns the favour. (With bonus Zappa!)
posted by hangashore at 6:14 AM on December 9, 2010

In that same set last night he also did "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Yow.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 6:36 AM on December 9, 2010

Sorry, Sys Rq, he threw in a Guess Who tune to meet CanCon requirements.
posted by dry white toast at 7:53 AM on December 9, 2010

Lennon returns the favour.

Wow, he really doesn't like that guy, does he? (NSFW. Disregard this warning if you work in Parliament, in which case, please crank up the volume as loud as it will go.)
posted by Sys Rq at 8:31 AM on December 9, 2010

As for our gracious PM, I'll actually vote for him next election if he takes on Soolaimon

Or how about Rod Love's Travelling Salvation Show?
posted by Flashman at 8:41 AM on December 9, 2010

I'm sure Harper is a nice and interesting guy, but his policies suck.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:01 AM on December 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Seems Harper's been criticized for not singing in French. But that would have meant cross-dressing Céline Dion and..er...well, you get the picture...
posted by drogien at 9:04 AM on December 9, 2010

The video window loads to "The selected item is not currently available" Damn you, Stephen Harper! Always one step ahead! Hopefully teh Intertubez will provide me with a working link to this horrific gem!!
posted by kuppajava at 9:14 AM on December 9, 2010

Seems Harper's been criticized for not singing in French. But that would have meant cross-dressing Céline Dion and..er...well, you get the picture...

Whoa there, fella. I'll have you know that there is more to French Canadian music than just Céline Dion.


(There's also Mitsou.)
posted by Sys Rq at 11:03 AM on December 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

The full set here
posted by raider at 7:12 PM on December 9, 2010

I think it's it's pretty cool to have a PM that likes and knows rock and furthermore CAN rock (kinda)

More amazing than that to those familiar with him/his persona is he appears to be the LEAST square person in that room.
posted by raider at 7:33 PM on December 9, 2010