
Talking to Canadians
A Memoir
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $26.96
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Rick Mercer
-
By:
-
Rick Mercer
About this listen
Instant number one national best seller
Canada's beloved comic genius tells his own story for the first time.
What is Rick Mercer going to do now? That was the question on everyone's lips when the beloved comedian retired his hugely successful TV show after 15 seasons - and at the peak of its popularity. The answer came not long after, when he roared back in a new role as stand-up-comedian, playing to sold-out houses wherever he appeared.
And then COVID-19 struck. And his legions of fans began asking again: What is Rick Mercer going to do now? Well, for one thing, he's been writing a comic masterpiece. For the first time, this most private of public figures has turned the spotlight on himself, in a memoir that's as revealing as it is hilarious. In riveting anecdotal style, Rick charts his rise from highly unpromising schoolboy (in his reports "the word 'disappointment' appeared a fair bit") to the heights of TV fame. Along the way came an amazing break when, not long out of his teens, his one-man show Show Me the Button, I'll Push It. Or, Charles Lynch Must Die, became an overnight sensation - thanks in part to a bizarre ambush by its target, Charles Lynch himself. That's one story you won’t soon forget, and this book is full of them.
There's a tale of how little Rick helped himself to a tree from the neighbors' garden that's set to become a new Christmas classic. There's Rick the aspiring actor, braving "the scariest thing I have ever done in my life" by performing with the Newfoundland Shakespeare Company; unforgettable scenes with politicians of every variety, from Jean Chretien to George W. Bush to Stockwell Day; and a wealth of behind-the-scenes revelations about the origins and making of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Made in Canada, and Talking to Americans. All leading of course to the greenlighting of that mega-hit, Rick Mercer Report....
It's a life so packed with incident (did we mention Bosnia and Kabul?) and laughter we can only hope that a future answer to "What is Rick Mercer going to do now?" is: "Write volume two."
©2021 Rick Mercer (P)2021 Doubleday CanadaListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Road Years
- A Memoir, Continued . . .
- By: Rick Mercer
- Narrated by: Rick Mercer
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the end of his memoir Talking to Canadians, Rick Mercer was poised to make the biggest leap yet in his extraordinary career. The Road Years picks up the story at that exciting point, with the greenlighting of what would become Rick Mercer Report. Plans for the show, of course, included political satire and Rick’s patented rants.
-
-
The man for the job
- By James on 05-13-24
By: Rick Mercer
-
Rick Mercer Final Report
- By: Rick Mercer
- Narrated by: Rick Mercer
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rick Mercer can always be relied on to provoke a strong reaction - but what he said one fall day in 2017 truly shocked Canada. In a rant posted on social media, the great Canadian satirist announced loud and clear that the 15th season of the Rick Mercer Report - the nation's best-watched and best-loved comedy show - would be the last. This volume brings together never-before-published rants from the last five seasons of the show, plus a selection of the very best rants from earlier years.
-
-
Mercer Hits It Out Of The Ballpark
- By Wade Lancaster on 11-11-19
By: Rick Mercer
-
Canada
- By: Mike Myers
- Narrated by: Mike Myers
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Comedy superstar Mike Myers writes from the (true patriot) heart about his 53-year relationship with his beloved Canada. Mike Myers is a world-renowned actor, director and writer and the man behind some of the most memorable comic characters of our time. But, as he says, "No description of me is truly complete without saying I'm a Canadian". He has often winked and nodded to Canada in his outrageously accomplished body of work, but now he turns the spotlight full-beam on his homeland.
-
-
Thoughtful and perfect for any X-Pat from Canada
- By Hugh Burnham on 05-02-17
By: Mike Myers
-
Off the Record
- By: Peter Mansbridge
- Narrated by: Peter Mansbridge
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Peter Mansbridge invites us to walk the beat with him in this entertaining and revealing look into his life and career, from his early broadcasting days in the remote Northern Manitoba community of Churchill to the fast-paced news desk of CBC’s flagship show, The National, where he reported on stories from around the world.
By: Peter Mansbridge
-
Making It So
- A Memoir
- By: Patrick Stewart
- Narrated by: Patrick Stewart
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations with his indelible command of stage and screen. Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So, a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.
-
-
Incredible! So much more than a memoir
- By Jason on 10-04-23
By: Patrick Stewart
-
Son of a Critch
- A Childish Newfoundland Memoir
- By: Mark Critch
- Narrated by: Mark Critch
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What could be better than growing up in the 1980s? How about growing up in 1980s Newfoundland, which—as Mark Critch will tell you—was more like the 1960s. Take a trip to where it all began in this funny and warm look back on his formative years.
-
-
Reflection of home I left.
- By Ryan McLay on 05-29-24
By: Mark Critch
-
The Road Years
- A Memoir, Continued . . .
- By: Rick Mercer
- Narrated by: Rick Mercer
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the end of his memoir Talking to Canadians, Rick Mercer was poised to make the biggest leap yet in his extraordinary career. The Road Years picks up the story at that exciting point, with the greenlighting of what would become Rick Mercer Report. Plans for the show, of course, included political satire and Rick’s patented rants.
-
-
The man for the job
- By James on 05-13-24
By: Rick Mercer
-
Rick Mercer Final Report
- By: Rick Mercer
- Narrated by: Rick Mercer
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rick Mercer can always be relied on to provoke a strong reaction - but what he said one fall day in 2017 truly shocked Canada. In a rant posted on social media, the great Canadian satirist announced loud and clear that the 15th season of the Rick Mercer Report - the nation's best-watched and best-loved comedy show - would be the last. This volume brings together never-before-published rants from the last five seasons of the show, plus a selection of the very best rants from earlier years.
-
-
Mercer Hits It Out Of The Ballpark
- By Wade Lancaster on 11-11-19
By: Rick Mercer
-
Canada
- By: Mike Myers
- Narrated by: Mike Myers
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Comedy superstar Mike Myers writes from the (true patriot) heart about his 53-year relationship with his beloved Canada. Mike Myers is a world-renowned actor, director and writer and the man behind some of the most memorable comic characters of our time. But, as he says, "No description of me is truly complete without saying I'm a Canadian". He has often winked and nodded to Canada in his outrageously accomplished body of work, but now he turns the spotlight full-beam on his homeland.
-
-
Thoughtful and perfect for any X-Pat from Canada
- By Hugh Burnham on 05-02-17
By: Mike Myers
-
Off the Record
- By: Peter Mansbridge
- Narrated by: Peter Mansbridge
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Peter Mansbridge invites us to walk the beat with him in this entertaining and revealing look into his life and career, from his early broadcasting days in the remote Northern Manitoba community of Churchill to the fast-paced news desk of CBC’s flagship show, The National, where he reported on stories from around the world.
By: Peter Mansbridge
-
Making It So
- A Memoir
- By: Patrick Stewart
- Narrated by: Patrick Stewart
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations with his indelible command of stage and screen. Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So, a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.
-
-
Incredible! So much more than a memoir
- By Jason on 10-04-23
By: Patrick Stewart
-
Son of a Critch
- A Childish Newfoundland Memoir
- By: Mark Critch
- Narrated by: Mark Critch
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What could be better than growing up in the 1980s? How about growing up in 1980s Newfoundland, which—as Mark Critch will tell you—was more like the 1960s. Take a trip to where it all began in this funny and warm look back on his formative years.
-
-
Reflection of home I left.
- By Ryan McLay on 05-29-24
By: Mark Critch
-
All Together Now
- A Newfoundlander's Light Tales for Heavy Times
- By: Alan Doyle
- Narrated by: Alan Doyle
- Length: 4 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Is there a more sociable province than Newfoundland and Labrador? Or anywhere in Canada with a greater reputation for coming to the rescue of those in need? At this time of Covid, singer, songwriter and best-selling author Alan Doyle is feeling everyone's pain. Off the road and spending more days at home than he has since he was a child hawking cod tongues on the wharfs of Petty Harbour, he misses the crowds and companionship of performing. We're all experiencing our own version of that deprivation, and Alan, one of Newfoundland's finest storytellers, wants to offer a little balm.
-
-
always great
- By Evan Romel on 06-04-24
By: Alan Doyle
-
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
- What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything
- By: Chris Hadfield
- Narrated by: Chris Hadfield
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, and been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft. The secret to Col. Hadfield's success - and survival - is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst and enjoy every moment of it.
-
-
Chris Hadfield Is The Real Thing!
- By Kathy in CA on 08-16-16
By: Chris Hadfield
-
The Bittlemores
- By: Jann Arden
- Narrated by: Jann Arden
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On mean Harp Bittlemore’s blighted farm, hidden away in the Backhills, nothing has gone right for a very long time. Crops don’t grow, the pigs and chickens stay skinny and the three aged dairy cows, Berle, Crilla and Dally, are so desperate they are plotting an escape. The one thing holding them back is the thought of abandoning young Willa, the single bright point in their life since her older sister, Margaret, ran away. But Willa Bittlemore, just turning 14, is planning her own rebellion.
-
-
Inventive and Entertaining!
- By Mae on 05-01-24
By: Jann Arden
-
Being Henry
- The Fonz . . . and Beyond
- By: Henry Winkler
- Narrated by: Henry Winkler
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Henry Winkler, launched into prominence as “The Fonz” in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny, and widely regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood (though he would be the first to tell you that it’s simply not the case, he’s really just grateful to be here), Henry shares in this achingly vulnerable memoir the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia, the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own, and the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you.
-
-
Sweet human
- By Lisa Singer on 11-07-23
By: Henry Winkler
-
Doppelganger
- A Trip into the Mirror World
- By: Naomi Klein
- Narrated by: Naomi Klein
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What if you woke up one morning and found you’d acquired another self—a double who was almost you and yet not you at all? What if that double shared many of your preoccupations but, in a twisted, upside-down way, furthered the very causes you’d devoted your life to fighting against? Not long ago, the celebrated activist and public intellectual Naomi Klein had just such an experience—she was confronted with a doppelganger whose views she found abhorrent but whose name and public persona were sufficiently similar to her own that many people got confused about who was who.
-
-
Elite Psychobabble
- By A Reviewer on 09-30-23
By: Naomi Klein
-
All Creatures Great and Small
- The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Animal Doctor
- By: James Herriot
- Narrated by: Nicholas Ralph
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients. For 50 years, generations of readers have flocked to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.
-
-
The narrator, Nicholas Ralph, is perfect
- By C. Beaton on 01-28-21
By: James Herriot
-
So Many Steves
- Afternoons with Steve Martin
- By: Steve Martin, Adam Gopnik
- Narrated by: Steve Martin, Adam Gopnik
- Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Steve Martin met his good friend Adam Gopnik three decades ago, and in that time, Gopnik has always marveled at Martin’s ability to flourish in a wide variety of artforms: magic, comedy, art collecting, writing, and music. In So Many Steves: Afternoons with Steve Martin, New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik creates a new type of profile: a year’s worth of conversations with Martin where Gopnik pulls back the curtain on his friend’s illustrious career.
-
-
Perfection
- By M on 05-05-23
By: Steve Martin, and others
-
The Way I Heard It
- By: Mike Rowe
- Narrated by: Mike Rowe
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emmy-award winning gadfly Mike Rowe presents a ridiculously entertaining, seriously fascinating collection of his favorite episodes from America’s number-one short-form podcast, The Way I Heard It, along with a host of memories, ruminations, and insights. It’s a delightful collection of mysteries. A mosaic. A memoir. A charming, surprising must-have. Mike Rowe’s The Way I Heard It collects 35 fascinating stories “for the curious mind with a short attention span”.
-
-
I could listen to Mike read all day. And I am!
- By Amazon Customer on 10-15-19
By: Mike Rowe
-
Surely You Can't Be Serious
- The True Story of Airplane!
- By: David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker
- Narrated by: "Weird Al" Yankovic, Arne Schmidt, Barry Diller, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Surely You Can’t Be Serious is the first-ever oral history of the making of Airplane! by the creators, and of the beginnings of the ZAZ trio (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) – charting the rise of their comedy troupe Kentucky Fried Theater in Madison, Wisconsin all the way to premiere night. The directors explain what drew them to filmmaking and in particular, comedy.
-
-
Absolutely fantastic
- By A. Soergel on 10-11-23
By: David Zucker, and others
-
The Woman They Could Not Silence
- One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear
- By: Kate Moore
- Narrated by: Kate Moore
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1860: As the clash between the states rolls slowly to a boil, Elizabeth Packard, housewife and mother of six, is facing her own battle. The enemy sits across the table and sleeps in the next room. Her husband of 21 years is plotting against her because he feels increasingly threatened - by Elizabeth’s intellect, independence, and unwillingness to stifle her own thoughts. So Theophilus makes a plan to put his wife back in her place. One summer morning, he has her committed to an insane asylum.
-
-
Everyone should read this!
- By Lana S on 12-22-21
By: Kate Moore
-
An Embarrassment of Critch's
- Immature Stories from My Grown-Up Life
- By: Mark Critch
- Narrated by: Mark Critch
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of Mark Critch's earliest acting gigs was in a Newfoundland tourist production alongside a cast of displaced fishery workers. Since, he's found increasing opportunities to take his show on the road. In An Embarrassment of Critch's, the star of CBC's This Hour Has 22 Minutes revisits some of his career's - and the country's - biggest moments, revealing all the things you might not know happened along the way.
-
-
Great stuff , keep it up !
- By Allan Bohannan on 05-26-22
By: Mark Critch
-
If I Knew Then
- Finding Wisdom in Failure and Power in Aging
- By: Jann Arden
- Narrated by: Jann Arden
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Digging deep into her strengths, her failures and her losses, Jann Arden brings us an inspiring account of how she has surprised herself, in her fifties, by at last becoming completely her own person. Like many women, it took Jann a long time to realize that trying to be pleasing and likeable and beautiful in the eyes of others was a loser's game. Letting it rip, and damning the consequences, is not only liberating, it's a hell of a lot of fun: "Being the age I am—that so many women are—is just the best time of my life."
-
-
Jann is amazing
- By Michelle Leonard on 12-14-20
By: Jann Arden
Critic reviews
"Talking to Canadians: [a] funny, pitfall-strewn, no-holds-barred memoir from the ranting TV uproarist, edge-walker, envelope-pusher and pot-stirrer who once talked me into impersonating a goalie!" (Margaret Atwood, via Twitter)
What listeners say about Talking to Canadians
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kat
- 11-20-22
Great & funny book!
Loved everything in this book! Whether you are Canadian and very familiar with Rick or neither of these things, this is packed with great stories and wonderfully funny. A must read!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Quinn M
- 11-28-22
Mercer Killed and He Will Kill Again
Loved every second of it. Completely absorbing and several laugh out loud moments. Brought me back to several of the moments that he describes.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julie Scott-Moncrieff
- 01-28-22
Made me realize how much I miss him
Of course I don’t actually know RM in real life, but his RMR highlighted people and places that made me so proud of Canada.
I wish he would come back to TV…streaming or podcasts, he’s lovely-and I hope he will put his old shows back up so we can stream them too.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Virginia A Reimer
- 12-18-21
Even his Memoir is creative and brilliant
Besides how absolutely hilarious this man is, this work is so enjoyable because he is no way arrogant. Listening to it you think "Rick has no idea how brilliant he is!" The are many funny parts but you also feel you get a genuine story, no pretention. I use to see a lot of his work on TV but since getting rid of capable I had not seen any of his work. Brilliant way to get an audience Rick, write a book during Covid! Can't wait to see what he does next.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Karen McDowell
- 02-12-22
Delightful
Engaging storytelling beginning to end! Can’t help but cheer Rick from the humble beginnings and sassy attitude emerging from his school days in Newfoundland. I laughed out loud at the brazen antics in his Talking to Americans years and got a little teary with the Bosnia and Kabul stories. Hours of entertainment made even better by the man himself telling the stories!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- zOmbIE
- 02-03-24
Rick's humour and sincerity shines
a story of humble beginnings that lead into humble success. I learned a lot about who Rick Mercer is and a lot more about what made him the great comedian and Canadian that he is
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chris
- 12-07-21
Pure brilliance!
I laughed. I cried. I laughed so hard I cried! Rick Mercer is a wonderful storyteller and a great Canadian
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kairiin & Glen
- 09-30-22
Listen to this book!
Just download it and listen. If you're Canadian, you'll love it. If you're not Canadian, you'll learn a little more about us. Listen!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful