Why have so many TV heroes resonated with Mike Beaudoin? Thanks to their confidence and the fact that they are sure of themselves. This particularly appealed to the comedian, whose mind is still teeming with cartoon characters from the 1990s.
Mike, what children’s programs have influenced you?
Younger, around 5 to 7 years old, they were Bibi and Geneviève, Boumbo, Inspector Gadget, the Smurfs, Bugs Bunny and the Ninja Turtles. Around the age of 8-10, I became more interested in comedy shows and/or heroes I identified with. I would have liked to have been a cool young detective who always found the culprit like in “Les Intrépides” or a funny teenager like in “Radio Enfer”, but I was particularly fascinated by the Power Rangers. I did martial arts from the age of 5 to 13, so Power Rangers was really cool. I wanted to be a superhero, fight villains, and have a group of friends in high school where we would be the only ones who knew about our superhero situation.
Michel Charette and Patrick Groulx in Radio Enfer Photo from IMDB
What are your fondest TV memories from your childhood?
I think that’s mostly because we watched TV together as a family, piled together on the couch and on the floor, on pillows. There were no smartphones or tablets, so everyone heard the same thing and we lived it together.
Photo from IMDB
Is there a character that influenced you?
I have no choice but to say Michelangelo, the ninja turtle with the orange headband. He was the clown of the group, playing pranks on his brothers and always having the perfect line to silence the other. If you look at my improvisational moments, that’s basically what I’ve become, except I’m not a turtle and I can’t backflip (laughs).
Is there a character you would have loved to play for children?
Jason the Red Power Ranger. He was the leader of the gang, the captain, the strongest and the one who was trusted by the others. I would have loved to have played that role because he was confident and confident. It is the most important thing we can give our children. Now I have that confidence, but it wasn’t always like that, especially when I was under 13.
Photo from IMDB
Which universe should the children discover?
The cartoon universe of the 90s. The graphics are obviously not as pretty as they are today, but I like that they weren’t always politically correct. I like that there were some jokes that made the kids laugh, but as they got older the adults got other jokes. The Road Runner was losing all the time, The Simpsons was dysfunctional and that was okay. Life is that too, it’s not all beauty and always winning.
What do you think of today’s youth television?
I have the impression that it is more instructive that we want to show the children something more, sharing, patience, mutual help, etc. On the other hand, it annoys me a little that it is always too perfect. That in the end everyone is happy, that everyone gets a medal just for taking part, that life is so easy, etc. Life is a mixture of all that, the beautiful and the not-so-beautiful. Sometimes life is perfect for a long time and other times it’s really hard. But you have to know how to get up and realize that sometimes it doesn’t matter if you lose and you don’t get a medal just for showing up to the event. Learn to learn from challenges and mistakes.
The shows weren’t perfect in my day and they aren’t now, and maybe it’s just because I’ve become a grumpy old man (laughs).
Mike Beaudoin will be on stage as presenter this fall TRUE, his first one-man show. Dates and tickets can be found on his website: mike-beaudoin.com. The comedian also takes part in the CKOI morning show stand-up comedians presented during the week.