TISDALE — Tisdale-born comedian Brent Butt has released his first musical single ahead of his show, Corner Gas Animated’s, Christmas special "Tinsel-itis".
The single, “Everyone Can Sing at Christmas”, is performed by Butt and co-written by Craig Northey – who also co-wrote the original corner gas theme song.
“It all started with the idea I had of a Christmas song,” Butt said in an interview with the East Central Recorder.
“I had a few lyrics written down, I told Craig Northey about them... He thought it was kind of funny. He put some music behind it, I put some more lyrics, he brought some of his band in. Next thing I know we were in studio recording the song”
Butt said the point of the song is it doesn’t matter how well you can sing, just “belt it out”.
This is something that Butt said pertains to him personally.
“I’m not really a singer,” he said. “I don’t think it’s ever going to be something I’m going to make a living at. That’s for sure.”
The holiday special is the first animated Christmas special in Butt’s series, with the previous one taking place in the live-action version of the show.
“We just kicked around ideas in the writing room until we came up with some storylines we liked and started flushing them out. It came together really well,” he said.
“Generally when you’re putting together a Christmas episode for a show you want it to have a certain warmth, certain feelings. You want to instill a certain emotion from the viewer – that’s what Christmas episodes are all about.”
Butt added that this can be tricky when his fictional town of Dog River is a place where everybody is not always so nice to each other.
“So that poses some challenges in itself, but when you find storylines that work that way it’s very satisfying.”
Butt said that while there is no message to the Christmas special, it’s more about people coming together.
Personally, Butt said his own Christmas traditions have morphed over the years.
For his Christmases in Tisdale, Butt said the holidays were a big family event for him.
“I’m from a big family. When I was living in Tisdale, one of seven kids, and then there were cousins. There was always a big houseful of people and it was always about family. Then as I moved away from home and became a standup comic touring across the country I wasn’t always able to get home for Christmas.”
As a result, Butt found the time of the year became spending time with fellow “friends and misfits” who were in the same line of work.
“It was always about orphaned comedians who couldn’t get back to their families getting together. So it took on a different meaning,” he said.
“Just people who are in the same boat that you’re in and slogging through the same water that you’re slogging through the rest of the year – just people who can’t get home to their families. So you kind of create your own core group.”
After he married his wife and moved to Vancouver, Butt said he started spending Christmas with her family, which became his new tradition.
“This year is going to be different, of course, we’re not getting together physically.”
Through his many different kinds of Christmases, Butt said his favourite tradition is overeating.
“It’s all about overeating for me. I’m a natural born glutton, and so this is kind of like the Olympics. It’s my time to shine.”
Fans can catch Corner Gas Animated’s holiday episode "Tinsel-itis," on Monday, Dec. 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Comedy Channel.
