Oh, this is one I wish I could’ve witnessed! It’s possibly rather spoilery, so I’m going to put it after the jump for the few die-hards among you who don’t want to know every single detail of Stephen’s Vancouver adventures before they’re shown on the Report. But if you’re weak (like me), click through for more details!
From the Vancouver Sun, earlier today:
Colbert heads to Irish House
by Neal Hal
February 18, 2010Stephen Colbert, host of the U.S. comedy show The Colbert Report, will visit the Irish House pavilion in Vancouver at 4 p.m. today.
“He’s going to learn how to pour a pint of Guinness,” explained Tania Richards, marketing director for the Irish House, and Doolin’s Irish Pub next door at Nelson and Granville.
“It takes 119 seconds to pour the perfect pint,” she adds, speaking loudly over the roar of about 450 people visiting the pavilion at 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
“Colbert says he’s 200 per cent Irish and about one per cent French-Canadian,” Richards says, not questioning the satirist’s math. “There’s going to be a sing off and a dance off.”
. . .
The article didn’t mention whether or not this was being taped for the show, but from a brief video of the event posted here, you can see there were cameras present, so it sure does look like we’ll be seeing it next week. There are also a few pictures circulating around Twitter, here, here, here, and here.
Pouring the perfect pint of Guinness is a skill bordering on artwork, so I’m sure teaching Stephen to do it will make for some good comedy. And the “sing off and dance off” mentioned in the article? As soon as I read that I had hilarious/horrible visions of Stephen attempting Irish step dancing. But a sing-off he could win. Easily.
I guess we have to wait for the shows…nothing on colbertnation after Feb. 11th…would be nice to at least see a schedule or something.
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I was just talking with my husband about the the long history of unassimilation among ethnic and cultural groups in America. These groups may be thoroughly Americanized but they don’t lose their overall identity with country of origin, e.g., the long history of the families leading to 200% Irish Stephen Colbert. ;)
In fact, I can think of more than a few thoroughly American couples whose shared ethnic/cultural identification (without overt family pressure to do so) was a factor in developing and deepening their relationships. It’s amazing how “the melting pot” is also so much an interplay of distinct, but still distinctly United States of American, peoples.
reCAPTCHA: halstead few
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My family went to Ireland about 6 years ago (we are also of Irish descent) and when my mom and I got into a cab in Dublin the young cabbie asked us “Are you going to visit the Guinness Factory?” Quite the tradition obviously. This segment should be fun!
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Just saw on the news, Colbert went to other Houses and did stuff there, too. Like the Swiss house (he was trying to blow on this big horn and made a weed joke) and some other house where he played beer pong with milk in a pan (!?!)
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In the caption to the photo in this article in the Vancouver Sun, it says Stephen “read James Joyce and [sang] an Irish song to fans” during his visit. I’m terribly jealous of people who were there for that. There’s more detail on the visit here; I’m just picturing Stephen doing that reading there in the pub. Ha!
This all just reminds me of what a lovely place Ireland is. I had only a little time to wander around when I was there, but it was memorably gorgeous, especially some of the area in County Wicklow in and around Glendalough. Hmmm … I may need to try to get back there sometime.
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I’ve been reading Canadian press more than ever with the Olympics and my gosh, they are very very brutal. They seem more insecure than Americans who tout Americans.
I read John Gormley who posted something to a Canadian paper and it was total rubbish. I am sorry you have to deal with stupid people who are unable to rationalize, but peeps in the US have to deal with the same types but we have more of them. I have a post for Canadians but I think it deserves a separate post—so I’m going to reboot and install the crappy proprietary installs M$ is saying I need and write it. Canadians—You are still Americans, and so are people who live in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Boliva, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay , Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, Mexico, Antigua & Barbados, Aruba, Bahamas, Caymand, Cuba, # Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands
and Virgin Islands.
We in the USA seem to classify us as Americans, but we as Americans share something much bigger with the American society. We aren’t a country—We are a hemisphere who deal with colonization. Much of the America population had colonization and empires to deal with. Canadians had the same struggle as Americans, as they are Americans. I hate seeing US citizens classify ourselves as Americans and forgetting that America is just a reference to our continent.
My dearest Canadians, you are Americans–and so is the many millions of people living south of us. Stop trying to be European and embrace the American role. We are ancestors of people who immigrated and lived through trying times. We are apt individuals who have ancestors who risked their lives to make it better for others. Stop calling us in the USA Americans and start calling yourselves Americans. We share a bond of collectivism.
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The very term “the Americas” for the two continents has resulted in some difficulties — being as they are named for an Italian, which was a controversial usage even in its origins.
It’s a double-edged sword — the rise of the USA as a world power has changed the popular meaning of “America” from faraway continents named by Europeans to a specific place on those lands occupied by a specific country.
So we’re in a situation in which we can ignore the rest of the two continents’ peoples as “Americans” or call them Americans and risk resentment of them not wanting to be grouped within the name the world thinks of then they think “American.”
I understand your point, Roland, and I don’t necessarily disagree with it. However, I hesitated to collectivize all these different peoples under a large powerful moniker (to which I belong) that may be technically correct, but also now has a fairly specific meaning others may not appreciate or want.
This is a good discussion. :)
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I work at the Irish Pavilion and was there for Stephen’s visit. Unfortunately he arrived at the same time that Canada was facing Switzerland in men’s hockey, so I had to deal with 500 drunken canucks wondering who this “hoser” was that was interrupting their game. More than 12 people asked me if I had the authority to shut him off in order to turn up the announcers.
Go Canada Go!
And Go Ireland as well.
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Oooh. Bad timing indeed! At least you didn’t have a full-fledged riot on your hands.
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It’s spoilery, but I found some video of him at the Irish House on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQRKOMAIIN4
:)
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