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CBC
33 minutes ago
- CBC
Mo Amer unpacks the pressure of being a Palestinian American comedian
Social Sharing Mo Amer should feel on top of the world right now. His semi-autobiographical TV series Mo is one of Netflix's most celebrated comedy dramas, and he's currently on a massive stand-up tour, with one stop in Toronto next week. But in an interview with Q 's Tom Power, Amer says his success is tempered by a pretty significant internal conflict. As a Palestinian American comedian with a major platform, he's had to think deeply about how to address the ongoing war in Gaza, particularly as he wrapped up writing Season 2 of Mo in late 2023. "I thought it would be a happy time — this is the worst time," Amer tells Power. "I'm the only Palestinian in the game. Everybody's coming at me left and right: 'What are you going to say? What are you going to do?' … [I'm] walking such an insane tightrope to fulfill this kind of show." WATCH | Mo Amer's full interview with Tom Power: For the latest season of Mo, Amer opted out of talking about the events on Oct. 7 by setting the finale to end on Oct. 6, 2023. "It's pressure from everything," he says. "From either side. It's not just the Palestinian side. It's easy for me to be Palestinian because I'm Palestinian. It's easy to tell a Palestinian story because I'm Palestinian. Now, you have to factor in, [does] the show exist in a post-October 7th world? And every time I explored that, it was like a death blow to the whole show…. So I refused. I said no." [I'm] walking such an insane tightrope. - Mo Amer Though Amer has gone to great lengths to make his work feel sincere, grounded and never inflammatory, he says walking that tightrope still feels "extremely dangerous" at times. "I'm Palestinian making a TV show in Hollywood," he tells Power. "What I did is very, very difficult to do. It's a story not just about Palestinians, but also it's an immigration story, it's Latinos, it's Houston, it's all these layers that you have to unpackage. You got to be careful how you put that story together." WATCH | Official trailer for Season 2 of Mo: But despite the increased pressure and scrutiny he's facing, Amer says it's all been worth it. After his stand-up shows, he's had emotional conversations with people of all different ages and backgrounds, some of whom are refugees who fled Gaza. "I'm talking to doctors that were on the ground in Gaza," he says. "I've met kids — amputee children — I've held them in my own arms. They've come to see my show and tell me they watched the show in Gaza. That is as rewarding as it gets…. So those are the kind of conversations I'm having. Everybody's like, 'Oh, you must be having a blast touring!' Don't get me wrong, being on stage is the best rest I get. Being on the actual stage is the best time that I have. Everything after that is just a ton of pain in the heart."
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Hulk Hogan was a heel — both in the ring, and in real life
Social Sharing Last week, Hulk Hogan, one of the most famous American professional wrestlers and a cultural icon of the '80s and '90s, died at the age of 71. He's being remembered for the way he raised the profile of the sport, and his unforgettable crossover into mainstream culture at large. But he also left behind a history of hateful behaviour too vast to ignore. Today on Commotion, wrestling fans Pablo the Don and Damian Abraham join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to unpack Hogan's complicated legacy. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: There's an inherent limitation to this all-American-ness idea that he tried to sell. It's a good door-opener; it helps the WWF at the time (WWE now) become this mainstream, gigantic thing. Because if you've never been engaged with that project, maybe Hulk Hogan becomes an invitation to it. But then once you're in, you're like, "Whoa, these characters are much deeper, much richer than Hulk Hogan is." You referenced him going heel. I think that's an important period of time to talk about because Hulk Hogan goes from the all-American boy who was the face of WWF at the time, and then as the WWF is sort of cresting its incredibly high '90s era, Hulk Hogan jumps ship to the WCW. And there, he goes from playing the good guy to he turns heel — a.k.a. the crowd is now mad at you. The crowd is against you. And he actually, to me, does OK in that mode, which is not a mode that I would have thought he would succeed in. But maybe it's worth talking about this, Pablo. What was this period of Hulk Hogan's career like to witness? Pablo: I feel like that was probably him in his truest form. He's a heel in real life, and now he gets to play one on television. Like, it's tried and true. That's very much Hulk Hogan. I think at the time, we have to realize that as a country in America, we were so different. He turns heel after Nirvana. He turns heel once, like, Cops is one of the biggest shows. Trash daytime TV is a thing. So they started infusing a lot of reality elements into wrestling. And at this time, this is right after the big steroid trial, which Hulk Hogan was supposed to be the star witness of. He notoriously says that he's taken steroids, but doesn't give any blame to Vince McMahon, which at that time pretty much gets Vince McMahon off. But also at that same time, it kind of shatters this fourth wall of wrestling, where people find out his real name is not Hulk Hogan. It's actually Terry Bollea. And him and Vince were actually friends behind the scenes. And Vince isn't just the commentator; he owns WWF. It really broke down that fourth wall. And so when Hogan goes heel, he's embracing who he truly is in real life. But at the same time, it brings wrestling to another level. You see him go heel, and then you have the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin, who is exactly who he says he is, in '96, '97, '98. You have the rise of The Rock, who notoriously says The Rock is Dwayne Johnson dialed up to 10. You have these people infusing who they actually are into the character, which makes this thing just explode even more and have another big boom period. Damian: I think it's important to mention that he kind of looked at what was happening with two other guys that had jumped ship more recently than him from WWF at the time, which was Diesel (Kevin Nash) and Razor Ramon (Scott Hall). Both these guys showed up in WCW, started using their real names and, like Pablo said, embodied a reality and embodied a cool. I think Hulk Hogan … kind of looked at that and was able to at least ride that wave, borrow that. And it was never as inherently cool as either of those guys.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Mac DeMarco's miraculous awakening, and 3 more songs you need to hear this week
Songs you need to hear is CBC Music's weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks. Scroll down to discover the songs our producers are loving right now. For even more new music, check out our SYNTH playlist on Youtube. Holy, Mac DeMarco Over an animated yet unadorned guitar riff, Mac DeMarco's voice quivers as he sings about a "miracle from above" on Holy: "Miracle/ Reveal yourself to me," he sings with his signature silvery twang. The indie singer-songwriter wrote and produced the lean track entirely on his own, and it serves as the second single from his forthcoming Aug. 22 album, Guitar. A simple bass line helps ground the melody, which is understated and gentle without feeling too sparse. In DeMarco's typical D.I.Y. fashion, he self-shot the track's accompanying music video, which transports listeners into the outdoors for a breezy walk: "I waded around in the ocean fully clothed for a couple hours and completely filled my boots with seawater," he shared. "There were some other shots on some rocks I kept trying too, but in the end, the clip of me falling in the garden and eating the apple was best." — Natalie Harmsen Good Buddy, Fontine Cover me up, spin me around, tell me you're not gonna leave. We're takin' it slow but I already know, you're a good buddy to me. With that joyful chorus Fontine is back, serving a grittier sound than the folk she introduced us to on her acclaimed 2023 debut EP, Yarrow Lover. Although Fontine is embracing a rock-star vibe this time around, ready to roll with a debut album set for Oct. 7, the centre of her songs are still heartfelt and vulnerable. Good Buddy, the forthcoming album's title track, is named after CB radio slang for "gay," and the queer artist from Winnipeg leans into the term, setting us up with a live-off-the-floor song filled with tiny, quiet moments of love. — Holly Gordon Annihilation, Tops There's always a sense of anxiety that floods in when thinking about the future, but that sentiment feels tenfold in this exact moment in time. Montreal indie-pop stalwart Tops has chosen to tackle this with "a mix of complacency and surrendering," as explained in a statement. That's not as dire as it sounds though; sometimes there's freedom in acknowledging "in the end, nothing is ever finished and you just gotta follow your heart." That is felt across their latest single, Annihilation, a slinky number that was built off the foundation of drummer Riley Fleck's fill-heavy rhythms. "Truth is I'm just barely getting by," sings Jane Penny, "When I lose control/ Will I surface and know/ That I've reached the end?" Complete with synths and a dramatic chorus breakdown, it's easy to get lost — and yes, surrender — to the song's undeniable grooves. — Melody Lau Rapture in Blue, Daniel Avery and Cécile Believe British producer and composer Daniel Avery announced his upcoming album Tremor last week, with the release of a new single featuring Cécile Believe. Rapture in Blue is buoyed by the Montreal (now L.A.-based) producer and singer's ethereal vocals that float over Avery's textural layers of slowed-down breakbeat and reverb. Clanging guitar comes in on the chorus as Cécile Believe reaches her upper register and glittering chords descend in the aftermath. It's a lush and effusive track that reveals more and more of its magic on repeat listens. This one's for the real yearners, as she sings in the second verse: "Every time you walk away/ A little piece of me goes/ A bittersweet, sticky feeling/ Only lovers can know." — Kelsey Adams
