Daddy’s on the Drink Again

Is there a fairy? A drunk dad fairy. . .that tip-toes in, takes the TV changer out of his hand, puts a blanket around his shoulders, lifts his head off his chest, so his neck won’t be sore tomorrow when the liquor leaves him for a time? Is there a drunk dad fairy? That pays for that Chinese food?

– Bruce McCulloch.

Today I’m wearing my Kids in the Hall t-shirt. It has a picture of Simon and Hecubus on the chest, with the word EVIL dripping off it like blood. People often look at me a bit sideways when I’m in this shirt, as if I were some kind of satan-worshipper or badly styled goth. But every now and again someone who knows better lights up with a smile and says “that’s a great shirt.”

I’ll never forget the time my sister and I were watching a Simon and Hecubus sketch and our dad came into the room, lit up with something not quite like a smile. He immediately turned off the TV and forbade us from ever watching The Kids in the Hall again. “That show is Satanic! It’s not right for young girls!” He refused to let us explain that it was a joke. Isn’t it odd, the apparently insignificant moments we remember.

I don’t think my dad would have like The Kids in the Hall much anyway, had he taken the time to watch it. The recurring “drunk dad” character was much too true to life.

I’ve heard it said that the best comedy always has an element of tragedy underlying it. There’s something cathartic and empowering about being able to laugh at your misery. I always liked the idea of the drunk dad fairy. It made me think there must be more than one drunk dad out there who needs to be taken care of.