IT ALL STARTED IN TORONTO WHEN GREGG SCOTT WAS JUST MINUTES OLD AFTER THE DOCTOR CLIPPED HIS UMBILICAL CORD. HE WAS TOO YOUNG TO SPEAK BUT IN HIS MIND HE QUESTIONED “WHY”? THE RESPONSE: SWIFT AND DECISIVE. THE DOCTOR GRABBED HIM FROM HIS MOTHER, TURNED HIM UPSIDE DOWN, HELD HIM BY THE ANKLES AND SLAPPED HIM ON THE BARE BOTTOM! ALL IN FRONT HIS MOTHER, A COUPLE OF NURSES AND A CROWD OF ONLOOKERS IN THE VIEWING GALLERY. TO THIS DAY HE WON’T PERFORM IN A VENUE WHERE THEY DON’T CHARGE A COVER.
FROM THIS MOMENT OF PUBLIC HUMILIATION AND SHAME GREGG SCOTT BEGAN RELENTLESSLY CHALLENGING AND QUESTIONING THOSE AROUND HIM-AND UNTIL NOW HE HAS BEEN SIMILARLY AND SUMMARILY PUNISHED. MOSTLY IN THE FORM OF JOB DISMISSAL, RELATIONSHIP REJECTION OR BY SIMPLY BEING IGNORED AT SOCIAL FUNCTIONS.
HIS CAREER AS A PERFORMER BEGAN AT THE AGE OF 8 WITH VENTRILOQUISM. HE TURNED TO MAGIC AND ESCAPE AT AGE 10...ALTHOUGH EVERYONE IN THAT HOUSE WAS PRIVATELY PLANNING THEIR OWN SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. HE TOOK UP STAGE ACTING AT 14 - AND IN FACT CONTINUES ACTING TO THIS VERY DAY. AND ACTING OUT.
AT THE AGE OF 16 HE GOT A JOB IN RADIO ANSWERING PHONES, PLAYING COMMERCIALS AND GOING ON THE AIR AFTER HOURS WHEN HE HADN’T BEEN GIVEN CLEARANCE BY THE HIGHER UPS. WHEN HIS SHIFTS GRADUALLY DIMINISHED TO NONE HE TOOK THE HINT AND MOVED TO A SMALL LOGGING TOWN IN B.C. TO HOST HIS OWN SHOW AT WHAT IS KNOWN TODAY IN THAT CITY AS THE RADIO STATION.
THERE, WHILE AT WORK AT THE FIERCE OBJECTION OF MANAGEMENT, HE ROUTINELY ADDED ROCK SONGS TO THE COUNTRY MUSIC PLAY LIST. OUTSIDE OF WORK HE OFTEN TALKED HIS WAY OUT BEING PUMMELLED BY THE LOCALS WHO WEREN’T FOND OF HIS BIG CITY ATTIRE OR HAIRCUT AND THE FACT HE DIDN’T HAVE A DRINKING PROBLEM OR A PRISON RECORD.
WHILE HE NARROWLY AVOIDED BEING FIRED OUTRIGHT AT THAT STATION, AT STATION #2 HE WASN’T SO LUCKY. LEAVING HIS RESUME ON THE PHOTOCOPIER WAS CITED THE REASON FOR HIS GETTING THE HEAVE HO. STATION #3: WINNIPEG. 2 YEARS ON THE ALL NIGHT SHOW. A DIET OF ONLY DONUTS. “FAVOURITES OF THE 60s, 70s AND THE 80s”. HIS BIG MOUTH. AND YET ANOTHER ‘GREGG SCOTT IS NO LONGER ALLOWED IN THE BUILDING’ NOTICE POSTED ON THE STAFF BULLETIN BOARD.(A COPY WILL BE POSTED AT WWW.GREGGSCOTT.COM IN DEVELOPMENT).
FORTUNATELY HE HAD BEEN MOONLIGHTING AT THE LOCAL COMEDY CLUB AS THE HOUSE MC - IN THE DAYS BEFORE HOSTS WOULD ADD THE TERM ‘MC’ BEFORE THEIR NAME AND WELL BEFORE MCs WOULD ASK THE CROWD IF ‘ANYONE WAS IN THE HOUSE?’
NO JOKES TURNED INTO A COUPLE OF JOKES, A COUPLE OF JOKES TURNED INTO A FEW JOKES AND A FEW JOKES TURNED INTO A 20 MINUTE SET-GIVE OR TAKE 18 OR 19 MINUTES. AND A NEW CAREER AS A STAND-UP COMEDIAN BEGAN.
HE IMMEDIATELY HAD THE DESIRE TO GO ON TOUR. PERFORMING ON THE ROAD PROVIDED MUCH PROMISE. FOR EXAMPLE: LEAVING WINNIPEG. HE DROVE COAST TO COAST IN CANADA ENTERTAINING AUDIENCES IN EVERY TOWN AND HAMLET ON WHAT HE LOVINGLY REFERS TO AS THE CBC TRANSMITTER TOUR. (HIS ITINERARY RESEMBLED THE LIST OF CBC TRANSMITTER SITES THAT AIRS JUST BEFORE SIGN-OFF). HE THEN WENT DOWN INTO THE U.S. CROSSING THE BORDER ILLEGALLY THROUGH THE WINDSOR TUNNEL AS PART OF CANADA’S SELDOM PUBLICIZED COMICS FOR FIREARMS IMPORT/EXPORT TREATY
THE IMPROV IN CHICAGO, CHAPLIN’S IN DETROIT, GIGGLES IN SEATTLE - JUST THREE CLUBS WHO WOULDN’T HIRE HIM. THAT’S AN OLD JOKE. ACTUALLY GREGG WORKED THESE ROOMS AND OTHERS LESS NOTICEABLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN STATES FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. ALONG THE WAY HE OPENED FOR SUCH EX-TV CELEBRITIES LIKE GABE KAPLAN, DANNY BONADUCE AND HIS PERSONAL FAVOURITE JIMMIE DON’T CALL ME J.J. AND ESPECIALLY DON’T ASK ME TO SAY “DYN-O-MITE” EVEN THOUGH YOU PAID YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY TO HEAR ME SAY THAT VERY PHRASE WHICH MADE ME WHAT I AM TODAY: A WASHED-UP HACK WITH A BIG CHIP ON MY SHOULDER WALKER.
“WOW”, GREGG THOUGHT, “IF I PLAY MY CARDS RIGHT MAYBE SOMEDAY I COULD HAVE A SUCCESSFUL T.V. SHOW THAT GET’S CANCELLED AND BE BITTERLY PERFORMING MY LAME ACT AT TWO-BIT CLUBS IN THE MIDWEST BEING SHOWN UP BY THE OPENING COMEDIAN FROM CANADA”. NOT EXACTLY. IN FACT, IF ANYTHING, GREGG’S CAREER HAS SEEMINGLY TAKEN THE OPPOSITE TACK(COMPLETE WITH THE BITTER PERFORMING AT CLUBS IN THE MIDWEST). BUT THAT WAS BEFORE HE GOT HIS OWN SHOW.
IN 1995 GREGG RETURNED TO VANCOUVER TO HIS ACTING ROOTS DOING COMMERCIALS, VOICE-OVER WORK AND APPEARING ON LOCALLY PRODUCED AMERICAN TELEVISION SHOWS AND IN SHORT FILMS. BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE BUBBLING INSIDE HIM-AND IT WASN’T THE HOUSE SPECIAL(RIM SHOT GOES HERE).
IN 1998 A VANCOUVER PRODUCER SAW GREGG DOING HIS STAND-UP AND THOUGHT “THERE MUST BE SOMETHING ELSE HE COULD TO MAKE A LIVING”. HE OFFERED GREGG HIS OWN VEHICLE - A RUSTED 1986 MUSTANG. INSTEAD GREGG BEGGED HIM TO FILM HIM WANDERING AIMLESSLY ABOUT TOWN POINTING HIS MIC AND QUICK WIT TO THE CAST OF UNSUSPECTING CHARACTERS THAT MAKE UP OUR WORLD ON THE WEST COAST. ALL THE WHILE POSING SUCH POINTED QUERIES LIKE “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” AND “‘CAN I COME IN FOR A DRINK OF WATER?” (IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT MANY TOP TELEVISION SHOWS HAVE BEEN LAUNCHED WITH LESS OF A CONCEPT.)
