Interview with Scott Thompson


By Terry DuFoe (Check out his auctions at eBay, search under seller "dufoe")

TERRY: It is very good to get a hold of you. You're harder to reach then Princess Diana!

SCOTT: Really? Wow! I'd better hold a press conference to say that I'm available again.

TERRY: Yeah. First of all we'd like to say congratulations on your Emmy nomination. Can you tell us how you feel about that?

SCOTT: Well, we lost.

TERRY: Well, how do you feel about being nominated?

SCOTT: Um, it's o.k. I mean, honestly?

TERRY: Yeah, honestly.

SCOTT: Well, we didn't expect to win. It would have been nice. Well, it's a thrill. It's about time. I think it took a long time,this is our fifth year in television and this is our first Emmy nomination and, uh, I thought we deserved it a long time ago.

TERRY: Would you say that being recognized in the states is your proudest achievement?

SCOTT: No.

TERRY: You received two Gemini Awards also.

SCOTT: Yeah.

TERRY: That's pretty well equivalent to the Emmies.

SCOTT: Yeah, but honestly with the Gemini Awards, all you have to do is make a television show to get nominated.

TERRY: Really?

SCOTT: That's the way it works here, you know. In America there's a much larger audience, your competing against a much greater field. In Canada it's very small and television is only made by a very few people. So really in Canada you get an award just for doing it. So it really doesn't have a lot to say about the quality. I know that sounds cynical, but it's the truth.

TERRY: Well, your a very honest person. I appreciate that.

SCOTT: Well, I am honest about that, and I'd love to say it's a recognition from our peers and all, but it truly isn't. It's kind of like the Golden Rose that we won.

TERRY: What was that about?

SCOTT: That is the award we won from Switzerland at the Montro Festival, which is the world's biggest television festival, and we won the Golden Rose which means the best television show in English in the world.

TERRY: So your show is on over there?

SCOTT: Yeah, then we also won the Silver Rose which means the best comedy in the world.

TERRY: Great!

SCOTT: Yeah, but in Canada, typical. Only one paper even reported it in very small type. That's the way Canada is.

TERRY: Really. Well, other than in the states, Canada, and the country you mentioned where else are you shown out of the states?

SCOTT: Brazil, France, Germany, and Israel. I think that's about it so far.

TERRY: Wow! That in itself has got to make you feel very proud.

SCOTT: Yeah.

TERRY: How do you feel about following David Letterman now in the states?

SCOTT: Well, I wished we followed him the way we're supposed to because a lot of the affiliates won't carry us. Um, I think it's great! I think it's helped us. I mean I think our ratings are quite great because of that and CBS seems pretty happy with us. David Letterman's very revitalized.

TERRY: Are you a David Letterman fan?

SCOTT: Well, you know, I go back and forth. I like him now. The last five years on NBC I thought he got really boring.

TERRY: Why is that?

SCOTT: You know, there was no challenge left, and now he seems younger than he has in years.

TERRY: Have you ever been on Letterman?

SCOTT: No, none of us have been on any mainstream shows. None of us have ever been on a primetime talk show.

TERRY: Is that something by choice?

SCOTT: No, we've been trying for years, and they just won't do it. The only person who's had the guts to have us is Joan Rivers.

TERRY: Now that your on CBS knowing that you may not quite have the freedom you had on CBC, how do you feel about that? I understand there's been little riffs between you and the network over some things they didn't want to air.

SCOTT: Yeah, there has been.

TERRY: Can you tell us about that as much as you can?

SCOTT: Sure, uh...I think we've all been a little surprised at the depth of the censorship from CBS particularly when they're running us like 12:30, 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, in the morning and we watch things like "NYPD Blue" on primetime and they get away with more. They seem to look at our show under a magnifying glass! We're very lucky that we have CBC though because CBC doesn't censor us anymore. So the real version of the show relies on CBC where as before it used to be on HBO for the un-censored version.

TERRY: CBC is pretty much what you'd call public television in Canada isn't it?

SCOTT: Yeah, yeah.

TERRY: I was surprised to see nudity on there because I get them on a dish here.

SCOTT: Actually, that's the way it's always been here. Public television has always allowed that sort of thing. It used to be that the comedy division was much more censored than drama because of the Canadian tradition of documentary etc. There is a tradition in Canada to basically tell the truth and show the reality. So that's basically what happens on CBC and there really isn't a lot of complaints because people here are a little more tolerant of other people, so they let it ride.

TERRY: Could you elaborate on some of the things that CBS might have said no on?

SCOTT: Well, they're very afraid of homosexuality, they're very afraid of aids, they're very afraid of any kind of comedy dealing with drugs, religions, basically all those.

TERRY: Did they ever give you a list of no no's?

SCOTT: Oh no, never, but I know that aids sends them screaming into the stratosphere, and, uh, that's too bad.

TERRY: Did you issue any statements to them as to how you felt about this?

SCOTT: No. They basically banned 3 pieces that have aids in it.

TERRY: Can you mention what they were?

SCOTT: One's called "Celebrity" and one's called "Sergeant". Well, "Sergeant" was banned just because of sex, and the 3rd one's called "Politics". "Sergeant" deals with male homosexuality. The one that I'm most upset about is called "Celebrity". That's about a T.V. star, a actor who denies homosexuality, even after death, and his corpse continues to deny that he died of aids and it's a piece that I'm really proud of.

TERRY: Is that a piece that you wrote yourself?

SCOTT: Yeah, and they will not run it, and I don't understand why because in this day and age if you can't deal with....Well, it's sort of like living in Bosnia and not being able to make jokes about all the shells raining around you.

TERRY: Yeah. How do you feel about Comedy Central? How's your relationship been with them? Are they more liberal?

SCOTT: God no! They still censor us. Yeah.

TERRY: What about HBO? Is that pretty well uncut?

SCOTT: Yeah, HBO is pretty well uncut although even HBO censored us a few times.

TERRY: Has there ever been any nudity in your show?

SCOTT: Yeah.

TERRY: There has?

SCOTT: Yeah.

TERRY: How much? Is it like total, rear behind, or what?

SCOTT: Um, never any genital nudity. No, we've tried.

TERRY: CBC has never said no on anything, is that right?

SCOTT: Oh yes, they used to and then actually a year ago CBC started running "The Larry Sanders Show" after ours and we hit the roof because we started watching it and they weren't being censored and Canada has a real identity problem and we always let foreigners get away with more than us. The year before we used to have "Spitting Image", a British television show on and they used to get away with more than we did. So basically when we saw "Larry Sanders" we realized what they were getting away with. They were running "Larry Sanders" uncut at 10 o'clock at night and we were being cut. We hit the roof! We said, "You can't allow this! You can't let the Americans do that and censor your own people. That makes no sense!" and after that the wall came down.

TERRY: See, our magazine is also read in the states and I'm very happy to be having you say this because it's like you said in your press release. That a lot of people feel that your culture is like our culture and it's different.

SCOTT: Yes they do, and actually going along with that a lot of people think of Canada as being the much more repressed country and in terms of fficial censorship, America is actually. Our traditional comedy is different. I don't think drag freaks people out here as it does there.

TERRY: Why do you think that is?

SCOTT: Well, in Canada drag doesn't necessarily mean that you're a homosexual. Where in America it does generally, or if a man dresses in drag it's a comment on his own sexuality and in order for a man to maintain his own heterosexuality, he has to keep winking at the audience to tell them he's straight. Even if they do drag like Robin Williams in "Mrs. Doubtfire" or Dustin Hoffman in "Tootsie" they usually play old women so that the sexuality is lessened. In Canada though I think because of our tradition from the British and the French, who both have cross-dressing in their culture, in comedy it's much more natural for us.

TERRY: Do you think that shows like "In Living Color" with their segment "Men On Film" is a pretty good example of what Americans think that homosexuals should be portrayed like in a comedy show?

SCOTT: Yeah I do.

TERRY: What did you personally think of that segment?

SCOTT: Well, you know the funny thing is they used to make me laugh, and then came the Super Bowl show and they made me so angry. I thought that was the lowest, most ignorant, take on Queens I've seen and I mean I have to say they did make me laugh. I think eventually it got to a point where I thought how come their characters are huge and no one knows Buddy Cole and my character says things that are 10 times more intelligent then they do.

TERRY: Let me ask you this, I can imagine you're probably hoping that American T.V. in particular CBS, is going to become more mature and accept more things. If they don't, would you continue your relationship with the states just knowing it's probably necessary for you to be more widely known or would you perhaps not want to continue just because of that?

SCOTT: I always have to continue, there's no choice, not really for me.

TERRY: Is it because it's a decision of the other members, or your management?

SCOTT: No, it's us.

TERRY: It's you?

SCOTT: We want to get our comedy out to as many people as possible. We do 2 versions, the Canadian version and the American version. So the Canadian version always stands.

TERRY: So you do a totally different show for CBS?

SCOTT: Not totally. No, no not totally, it's minor differences. We'll do a scene twice and we'll use one word and then we'll do it again with another word.

TERRY: What do you consider not funny or perhaps subjects that you would never touch on your show?

SCOTT: Well, I think it's hard to do. I think there's very little that is taboo, but I think almost every kind of...Well the more taboo a topic the lighter the touch you need and also in terms of when your dealing with tragedy or death things like that, it usually takes a little time before people can deal with it. They always say that; "Tragedy plus time equals comedy."

TERRY: What do you consider, Scott, your most controversial sketch?

SCOTT: Um gee, I just did a piece actually that was just aired on Friday called "Cemetery" and that even shocked me, and that's basically my character Buddy Cole, at a graveyard saying good-bye to a leather friend of his who died of aids. It's very frank, and I hate to say this, but it is censored in the states. I think what's controversial about it is the fact that I talk about aids and death and there's no judgment, it's just basically this is this man's life and this is how he lived it.

TERRY: Would you like to be more well known for segments like that than perhaps other things that you do on the show?

SCOTT: Yeah, I would.

TERRY: That's something you're definitely proud of then?

SCOTT: Yeah, I'm very proud. I'm very proud that we push the envelope, because we're good at it.

TERRY: Let me ask you, I understand along with a few other staff writers, you all do your own writings.

SCOTT: Yes, and we also have freelance writers too and we work in many different groups.

TERRY: When you write, what is more important, getting a message or topic across or do you kind of really push for shock value?

SCOTT: No, no. Oh no, mostly the truth is the number one thing. Really, I never try to shock, I just try to be honest. Then later on people are shocked. People have a really hard time believing that about us, but it is true. We barely do things just to shock people. Sometimes there will be something in a sketch that will have an element of shock and it will kind of wake the audience up, but we never just do stuff to shock them, no.

TERRY: Scott, do you think shows like "In Living Color" would be as successful in Canada as say they are here?

SCOTT: Well, it is very successful in Canada, oh yeah. It is very popular here.

TERRY: How do you think their show compares with yours other than possibly being over exaggerated in gay issues?

SCOTT: Well, it's hard to compare them. I think the one thing that we're similar about in terms of especially with my work, is the fact that I play with gay-stereo types and they play with a lot of black stereo types. The fact that it's black people doing it and with me gay people doing it changes things therefore these stereo types are dealt with a lot more knowledge. So in that way we are similar. I find there are certain times they'll go with a character and I'll go; "Wow, that's really pushing it!" because their dealing with negative things and their dealing with aspects of characters that aren't necessarily positive, and yet they're using it to illuminate. I find that really powerful. When people approach a culture from the outside of their own, if they don't want to offend, quite often they aren't funny because they pussy foot around and I like the fact that they don't pussy foot around and we don't pussy foot around.

TERRY: Carol Rosenthall of "In Living Color" said that she thinks you are an absolute genius. That if there was any one show that she could be on other than hers it would be yours, but she knows you guys definitely don't need a female because you do everything perfect yourselves. That raises a question, would there ever be a day that you might allow a female to join the cast?

SCOTT: Honestly, there will never be a day when we allow anyone to join the cast.

TERRY: Are you all pretty well satisfied with the way things are where you know there's not going to be anybody that would want to quit?

SCOTT: Yes, yes.

TERRY: That's good. Now, you're the newest member of the group right?

SCOTT: Yeah, but that's still nine years.

TERRY: Your life certainly changed when you were invited to become a member of "The Kids In The Hall". Can you tell us a little bit about that?

SCOTT: Yeah. Well, what actually happened was they used to see me at "Theatre Sports" which is competitive improvisational comedy and I was never very good, but I know people were shocked by me because I never censored my mouth and they were a little afraid of me, but they asked me to do some shows with them and so I said I would. The first few times basically I was really given shit parts. I sort of didn't like the drag which was considered at that time in the group's history not the most dignified thing, but for me as a gay man it seemed very natural in terms of approach. It's very natural for me to express myself as a woman and a man. In particular in a homophobic society it's quite often necessary to express myself as a female in order to get the point across. I kept performing with them and then one day I did this very good improvisation with them and they took me out in the back alley and sang me a little song they made up and said basically, "Welcome, your a "Kid In The Hall." and that was just a great moment for me. I was really thrilled because it's what I wanted.

TERRY:It's what you were looking for your whole life?

SCOTT: My whole life - yeah.

TERRY: Do you think the issue of being gay had anything to do with a decision of having you? Perhaps maybe it encouraged them to handle issues that maybe they wouldn't of if they didn't have a gay member?

SCOTT: Maybe so, maybe so, I think so. I think that maybe they felt it was a way for them to get away with the whole thing somehow because they're all straight white guys and I think... yeah it did seem pretty natural. I'm not saying that they were like politicalor callus about it, but I think if I'd been a woman it also would've had a major ramification and they would have been more apt to take me and before me they had definitely worked with other women, but the women left.

TERRY: Yeah. Is it just as easy for you to play somebody heterosexual as it is gay?

SCOTT: Yeah, yeah. I have five brothers. I grew up with men so it's no big deal for me. I live a straight life, you know. Actually, I really enjoy playing straight.

TERRY: I understand you had a pretty rough life as a youngster, a rough neighborhood and rough kids.

SCOTT: My neighborhood wasn't rough, my home was rough.

TERRY: Can you talk about that a little? Just whatever you can say. I read in your press that you were involved in a little bit of theft and that.

SCOTT: Oh, I used to be a really keen shoplifter. Yeah.

TERRY: Really?

SCOTT: That's something that's very common with like middle aged women who haven't had sex for a long time and sexually frustrated people steal and once I started having sex as a man and started coming out as a gay man I stopped stealing.

TERRY: I understand that you were well into hockey too.

SCOTT: Well, I was forced to because in Canada you have to.

TERRY: You have to. That's why I had to leave Colorado because I couldn't ski.

SCOTT: Oh yeah, you have to here and when you have all those brothers.

TERRY: It wasn't something you enjoyed?

SCOTT: Not really, no. The sports that I liked most were running, gymnastics, and stuff like that.

TERRY: If I could just touch on one more negative thing, what was this about you getting kicked out of theatre school?

SCOTT: Yeah, I was kicked out of York University- my theatre class.

TERRY: Let me ask you this, have you ever had contact with any of them later, now that you are a celebrity?

SCOTT: Well, actually, a year ago they asked me to come back and address the school and I said, "Forget it!" I would have just said to the class "Get out! This isn't for you. They'll destroy you!"

TERRY: Why do you think they repressed you or held you down or destroyed you?

SCOTT: They didn't know how to deal with me. They just didn't understand me. They didn't have any respect for comedy, none. I was really mouthy and nobody really had the guts to deal with me. I think they were afraid of me. In fact some teachers told me I was crazy. One teacher said, "You know when I first met you I thought you were talented and then I decided you were a borderline psychopath." I thought, "Wow! What a thing to say!" When it was all over though I vowed to them I would be their most successful non-grad!

TERRY: So how do you feel now that you are?

SCOTT: Well, I'm not quite yet. Kate Mulligan was also kicked out of my school, so I have to pass Kate.

TERRY: What is Canada World Youth?

SCOTT: It's Peace Corps except the difference is you don't really do anything. There's no real like goal. Your not really out there to teach anyone anything. You're just there to learn.

TERRY: That was a turning point in your life, how so?

SCOTT: Oh yeah! The Phillipines is what changed my life! I was 18 years old and I was sent to live in a village in the northern part of the Luzone Province with a family of 14 who lived in a cinder house with a dirt floor and worked in the rice fields and I had never even known people who weren't white before in my life. They adopted me like completely as their foster son and that was a over whelming experience to have like that kind of love given to me from people from another culture.

TERRY: Have you ever had a chance to do anything for them?

SCOTT: Yeah, I went back last year.

TERRY: Oh great, I commend you for that.

SCOTT: Well, thank-you. It was a very difficult trip and emotionally, extremely, trying because I went back and not much has changed for them. Just a lot more kids. The area they live in is a lot more environmentaly destroyed. They're still very poor, and they really have no conception of what's happened to me. They can't really conceive of it. I even brought like magazines that I was in, but the funny thing was all the kids in the village gathered together and I passed the magazine around. They look at me and just passed it on. They were really interested in all of the ads like the perfume ads and that's what was really important. Like Vogue, Vanity Fair and stuff. They really didn't care about me, they just cared about the beautiful ads. Also, to go back to the Phillipines after 15 years and to see what's happened to it was really heart breaking.

TERRY: When you tour in performance I can imagine it is mainly in Canada?

SCOTT: No, we do both. America and Canada.

TERRY: How does it turn out in America?

SCOTT: Oh fantastic! There's nobody like an American audience! Nothing like it!

TERRY: Really great! How did the meeting with Lorne Michaels come about and the T.V. special that launched the CBC series?

SCOTT: He has lots of connections here and he had been hearing about us from former "SCTV" people like Dave Thomas and Martin Short. So he was scouting because he was going back to "Saturday Night Live" and he came up and saw us. He originally hired Mark and Bruce to write for that season and it didn't really work out.

TERRY: Why was that?

SCOTT: Well, because I just don't think the troop was really meant to be broken apart, and our comedy really isn't right for them. At that time we had all been through "Second City" as well and we had all been kicked out of there and our comedy was just to new. We couldn't be a comedy troop that had just come forth so Lorne decided that we should stay together and luckily he got us our first special and that was great because it's sort of a home boy thing. You know, Lorne wanted to help Canadian comedians.

TERRY: Did you think that out of doing the one special that maybe this was going to be a one time thing or did you realize it was going to be as big as it was?

SCOTT: No, not really.

TERRY: What was the first thing that popped into your head when you found out you were going to get a series on CBC?

SCOTT: Well gee! The first thing I thought was do I go back into the closet or do I stay out of the closet? That was certainly something I had to deal with.

TERRY: Did you talk to the group about it?

SCOTT: I talked to everyone about it.

TERRY: Did you talk to CBC? What did they say?

SCOTT: No, I never spoke to them about it, but I did speak to all the boys about it and Lorne Michaels had a long talk with me about it. He didn't want me to come out because he didn't want me to hurt my career. I told him that I thought I had to because I had no choice, so he respected me.

TERRY: I really admire you for being as honest as you've been.

SCOTT: Well, thanks!

TERRY: Your a very forward person with telling it like it is and I appreciate that.

SCOTT: Well thank you very much!

TERRY: Let me ask you about your "Fathers Day Marathon" on Comedy Central. What do you think about a "Kids in the Hall" marathon that runs hours and hours representing Father's Day. What does that mean to you?

SCOTT: I think it's perfect for us because we're 5 young guys who all have very problematic relationships with our dads. Uh, let me just leave it at that.

TERRY: O.K. Do you think you've gotten as much exposure on Comedy Central as CBC and CBS?

SCOTT: Oh yeah, they've been very good to us.

TERRY: Have they? You've resigned with them. Is that going to continue on?

SCOTT: Oh yeah. In fact, when we're in the states most of the people that come up to us are kids who watch us on Comedy Central.

TERRY: Very good. Could you give us a short comment on the members from "Kids In The Hall" starting with Mark McKinney?

SCOTT: Mark McKinney - I think Mark is the true chameleon of the group. He's the best, I think, character comedian in the group. He disappears into his characters and that sometimes can be a problem with someone of his personality!

TERRY: What about Bruce McColluch?

SCOTT: Bruce is a joke machine! When he is on, he's the best. He'sthe funniest, nastiest, comedian I know.

TERRY: Kevin McDonald?

SCOTT: Everything he says is funny! Kevin is just possessed, you know, by a spirit! I love Kevin! We're very close and he's also the most non-homophoebic straight man I know. He is so physically comfortable with me, it's really wonderful!

TERRY: So I take it you guys socialize outside of your profession?

SCOTT: Some of us do, yeah.

TERRY: Dave Foley?

SCOTT: Dave Foley is like a throw back from another era. He is sort of like Ronald Coleman or Carey Grant.

TERRY: Is he the one that's the T.V. trivia expert?

SCOTT: Yeah, and Kevin too. Dave is one of the weirdest people I've ever known!

TERRY: How many days a week do you guys tape?

SCOTT: It all depends. We do it in blocks.

TERRY: How much free time do you have?

SCOTT: Oh, we have very little free time!

TERRY: What do you do for relaxation?

SCOTT: You know, I travel. That's what I do usually.

TERRY: Where do you like to go?

SCOTT: Well, last year I went to England, Scottland, and Ireland and the year before I went to Spain and France and the year before that I went to Brazil for 3 months.

TERRY: What are your hopes for the future of the "Kids"?

SCOTT: I hope that when we finish the television show, we make a movie.

TERRY: Very good. That would be really great! Would it be similar to the show then?

SCOTT: No, I don't think so. It would be a full story.

TERRY: Do any of you or the rest of the "Kids" or anybody in your group have a satellite dish?

SCOTT: No. We don't get any of the stations we're on. We don't get the Comedy Channel, we don't get HBO, and actually our CBS affiliate in Buffalo, won't carry us. They run Rush Lumbaugh in our place. Now if that isn't war!

TERRY: Wow! How do you feel about that, because he's supposed to be like talking about the issues, but is he really covering the issues as much as maybe you guys could?

SCOTT: Well, we come from a very different place. He judges. One thing about our comedy that's different is that we're the little guy. We identify with people that are outsiders. We don't make fun of them.

TERRY: Has anyone ever confused your name with "The New Kids On The Block"?

SCOTT: One hundred thousand times!

TERRY: Really? Have you ever considered changing it because of that?

SCOTT: No, because where are they now?

TERRY: They're no where! They're with Milli Vanilli!

SCOTT: Yeah, exactly! They're in the delete bin with them!

TERRY: Is it true that you got your name from Jack Benny?

SCOTT: Yeah it's true. He called his writers "The Kids In The Hall".

TERRY: Is there any other old time comedians that you may have liked or that may have influenced you?

SCOTT: I really liked George Burns. Actually, I really love the old Bob Hope, Carl Ryner, Mel Brooks! I liked Lucy a lot.

TERRY: Do you compare yourself to Lenny Bruce?

SCOTT: He's definitely a role model!

TERRY: Do you think that there's anybody out there today that you would maybe compare yourself to?

SCOTT: Oh, uh Christ.... gee! Uh no. I can't think of any body really, Sandra Bernhard! I admire her tremendously, but I don't think we're very similar.

TERRY: Let me ask you this question. This might be something that you can answer a little bit more. I'm sure you heard about the thing that happened here to PEE-WEE Herman.

SCOTT: Oh God! (laughs) Of course!

TERRY: After that happened, being a celebrity and getting more well known everyday, do you watch yourself when your out in public more or are you just yourself?

SCOTT: No, I don't.

TERRY: You don't worry about it?

SCOTT: No, because people here don't.... I've tried really hard, believe me, to get that kind of press. Do you mean do I watch my gay life?

TERRY: Well, either or whatever.

SCOTT: Well, whatever - no. I don't at all. Actually, I think that's part of my career, that's part of what I decided to do. Not to hide anything. So that way I won't be brought down, because they'll all know.

TERRY: Yes. It's been great talking to you. It's been real enjoyable!

SCOTT: Thanks! It's been great talking to you! Have a nice Christmas, bye, bye!

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