It isn’t often an actor can push the rewind button and rewrite his life through a collection of stories.
Yet that’s exactly what Bruce McCulloch did through Young Drunk Punk, a 13-episode television series that debuts Jan. 21 on City TV.
The series is loosely based on McCulloch’s life in Calgary where two recent high school grads embark on a rebellious and sometimes funny search of self-discovery.
Born in Edmonton, McCulloch moved to Calgary in Grade 7.
In this semi-autobiographical story, relative screen newcomer Tim Carlson plays Ian McKay, a restless kid who wants nothing more than to escape the boring Calgary suburbs of the 1980s. Atticus Mitchell, who landed a small role in the Fargo TV series, plays his equally drifting friend Archibald Shinky.
The duo is searching for ways of growing up without selling out. They have no plans and that lends itself to complications and relatable humour.
“As I talk about the show, people get the idea the series is about clubs. But it’s really about a kid that is lost and he’s going through trying to find himself. It’s set in the ’80s but kids tell me he (Ian) is like them. He’s a different version than today’s kids, but being lost in any generation feels the same,” McCulloch said.
As the show’s creator, writer and executive producer, he borrowed incidents from his memory and imagination.
“For instance, in one episode, they’re trying to get tickets to a Clash concert. I went but I didn’t have trouble getting tickets.”
He adds that although his mother worked at Woolco, his father did not work at Brae Vista and tool around in a golf cart.
In the series, McCulloch plays Ian’s father Lloyd, a man who thinks more of himself than others do and has very little power.
In real life, “My dad wanted to help me with my search, but he was as lost I was,” said McCulloch adding that his father suffered from alcoholism.
However, for the character of Lloyd, he has borrowed his father’s bluster and his comedy rhythms such as the way he rolled his eyes. There are even hints from McCulloch’s time spent on Kids in the Hall.
Tracy Ryan (Nancy Drew), McCulloch’s real-life wife, plays Helen, Lloyd’s spouse.
Asked how the process of filming together worked, he replied, “It’s pretty good. The weird thing is that it’s not weird. There’s something about being married with kids that allows you to cut through the bullshit and have fun.”
And then there’s daughter Belinda (Allie MacDonald) who is into one type of man – cowboys and more cowboys.
Young Drunk Punk was shot in southwest Calgary from September to mid-December in the old townhouse community where he grew up. The area was selected since it retains a 1980s vibe. The series also brings back the era through stubby beer bottles, K-Tel adverts, giant stereo speakers, and a soundtrack that includes Pointed Sticks, The Buzzcocks and The Diodes.
It airs tonight at 9:30 p.m.
