I found this paragraph from the press release really interesting….“Alan’s few established notions about Canada were often debunked and his own identity as a Newfoundlander was constantly challenged. Touring the country, he also discovered how others view Newfoundlanders and how skewed these images can sometimes be. Asked to play in front of the Queen at a massive Canada Day festival on Parliament Hill, the concert organizers assured Alan and his bandmates that the best way to showcase Newfoundland culture was for them to be towed onto stage in a dory and introduced not as Newfoundlanders but as “Newfies.” The boys were not amused.”.
I am the first to admit that even though I have been to Newfoundland a couple of times, I don't know a lot about Newfoundland or Newfoundlanders nor do I have a great understanding about Newfoundland's complex relationship with mainland Canada. From what I have read and listened to in interviews and on social media, Bob Hallett and Alan Doyle have spent much of their time trying to educate and challenge people, in particular mainland Canadians about Newfoundland's unique history, people and culture and what it means to be a Newfoundlander as distinct from a Canadian.
My understanding (I don't mean to speak for Newfoundlanders) of what it means to be a Newfoundlander is that the majority of Newfoundlanders, don't like being called “Newfies” for short as the term has negative and derogatory connotations associated with it. In an interview from 1997 (that I posted in the previous post called Great Big Sea And Play 1997…Throwback Thursday) Alan Doyle and Bob Hallett discussed Newfoundland culture, music traditions and their new album Play in the June issue of Canadian Musician Magazine with Karen Bliss. They talked about what it means to them as Newfoundlanders and to be called a "Newfie‟ and the stereotypes that existed of Newfoundlanders in popular Canadian culture then.
“….Doyle and Hallett are sitting in Café on the Green, one of the restaurants at the Toronto SkyDome Hotel overlooking the "vista of blue seats", the empty playing field and spectator stands of the massive sports venue. It's the day after the Juno Awards in Hamilton, Ontario and Doyle mentions he was particularly bothered by the telling of a Newfie joke onstage during the untelevised portion of the presentations - even thought the perpetrator was singer/ pre-award host Kim Stockwood, a fellow Newfoundlander and fun-in-a-5'4" frame, who said it was her birth right to tell them but others shouldn't.
"I was looking around for a rock to throw at her," Doyle jokes.
"Kim is great and I really admire her and she's really ambitious, but there's a million ways for Newfoundlanders to internationally become known as being able to laugh at themselves and having a huge sense of humour, but the easiest way is we're all drunk dummies. Yeah, Newfoundlanders enjoy celebrating, but they work just as hard as they play. Because of Newfie jokes, you have to start at minus-four instead of at 0"
Great Big Sea constantly debunks the stereotype wherever it goes…” And they still do today.
Twenty years on both Alan Doyle and Bob Hallett continue to challenge the negative connotations of "Newfie‟ and what being a Newfoundlander means when the opportunity arises. While my understanding of the term "Newfie‟ is that it is considered derogatory by many I do recognise that not all Newfoundlanders feel this way and some do take pride in being called "Newfie" in particular on social media. "Newfie" takes on a different meaning when being used by Newfoundlanders themselves than outsiders either from mainland Canada or foreigners. When others call Newfoundlanders “Newfies” it is considered disrespectful. As an outsider and foreigner I would never call a Newfoundlander, a "Newfie‟ out of respect.
I look forward to reading and hearing about Alan Doyle's new book coming out in the Canadian Fall of 2017.
Copied below is the description that was released by Doubleday the publisher. I have also included a copy of a social media post by Alan Doyle on his official Twitter account of the cover of the book. No copyright infringement intended over the press release or the cover.
Alan Doyle… "A Newfoundlander in Canada. Always Going Somewhere. Always Coming Home". From Doubleday. (no copyright infringement intended).
“Following the fantastic success of his bestselling memoir, Where I Belong, Great Big Sea front man Alan Doyle returns with a hilarious, heart-warming account of leaving Newfoundland and discovering Canada for the first time.
Armed with the same personable, candid style found in his first book, Alan Doyle turns his perspective outward from Petty Harbour toward mainland Canada, reflecting on what it was like to venture away from the comforts of home and the familiarity of the island.
Often in a van, sometimes in a bus, occasionally in a car with broken wipers “using Bob’s belt and a rope found by Paddy’s Pond” to pull them back and forth, Alan and his band mates charted new territory, and he constantly measured what he saw of the vast country against what his forefathers once called the Daemon Canada. In a period punctuated by triumphant leaps forward for the band, deflating steps backward and everything in between—opening for Barney the Dinosaur at an outdoor music festival, being propositioned at a gas station mail-order bride service in Alberta, drinking moonshine with an elderly church-goer on a Sunday morning in PEI.
Alan’s few established notions about Canada were often debunked and his own identity as a Newfoundlander was constantly challenged. Touring the country, he also discovered how others view Newfoundlanders and how skewed these images can sometimes be. Asked to play in front of the Queen at a massive Canada Day festival on Parliament Hill, the concert organizers assured Alan and his band mates that the best way to showcase Newfoundland culture was for them to be towed onto stage in a dory and introduced not as Newfoundlanders but as “Newfies.” The boys were not amused.
Heartfelt, funny and always insightful, these stories tap into the complexities of community and Canadianness, forming the portrait of a young man from a tiny fishing village trying to define and hold on to his sense of home while navigating a vast and diverse and wonder-filled country.
Story Locale: Across Canada
SIGNATURE STYLE: Alan’s memoir, Where I Belong, was a resounding success and was celebrated for its charming, heartfelt writing about Newfoundland. His fans can expect more of the same in his stories about other regions in Canada.
NOT JUST ANOTHER “BAND ON THE ROAD” BOOK: Alan’s stories go beyond re-hashing wild tour memories and instead tap into a sense of adventure and self-discovery that is uniquely Canadian.
PROLIFIC AUTHOR: Whether he’s writing books, recording albums, touring or acting, Alan is constantly creating and remains active for his fans. His passion will be a tremendous asset when it comes to promoting the book.
GREAT BIG SEA FANS REJOICE: A Newfoundlander in Canada is full of fascinating tidbits about the band’s early years”.
