Barenaked Ladies giving proceeds to Olympic program
They’re both sports fans and hosers, fully cognizant of the ability to help that comes with the platform they have.
So deciding to support Canadian Olympians by donating a portion of the ticket proceeds from their upcoming tour to the Own the Podium 2010 program was an easy choice for the Barenaked Ladies.
“We’ve been proud supporters of Canadian athletes for a long time and we figured it was time to put our money where our mouths are,” singer and guitarist Ed Roberts recently. “We actually do own this podium.”
“Ten bucks is ten bucks,” said bass player Jim Creeggan.
“We’re letting them borrow it,” added drummer Tyler Stewart.
Tomfoolery aside, they’ll hand over 50 cents from each ticket sold during their 19 stops across the country to the Own the Podium program, which is designed to help Canada finish first in the medal standings at the Vancouver Olympics.
Canadian athletes say the program has provided them with additional resources they never had in the past, such as extra coaches, doctors and therapists, along with new training equipment and money to live on.
“They’re the ultimate culture band in Canada,” said freestyle skier Deidra Dionne of Red Deer, Alta., a bronze medallist at the 2002 Olympics. “For them to come and add on to the sport experience of Canadians is only going to help.”
Added young speedskater Andrew Godbout of Dartmouth: “I’m coming in at a time when the system is starting to swing up. I’m well aware it wasn’t always that way.”
The Barenaked Ladies have helped raise money for a host of charities in the past and have more recently began urging their listeners to adopt a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Adding Canadian athletes to their list of causes came naturally. In the past they’ve had ties with figure skaters Kurt Browning, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier while Stewart has helped the women’s hockey team with some fund-raising initiatives.
“We thought, ‘Hey, here’s a nice chance for us to help fund these guys,’” Stewart said in an interview. “Through talking to various Olympians over the years, you realize every moment of their lives goes into planning for the Olympic Games. And that often means they live in some pretty poverty-stricken conditions because they spend all their time training.
“We thought we’d try to help them out as much as we could in getting to 2010.” Break
Often sponsorship for the country’s amateur athletes doesn’t come until the last months before an Olympics when everybody is looking to jump on the bandwagon. The Barenaked Ladies are hoping other bands follow their lead in lending athletes a hand.
“We have a pretty good forum being in the media a lot and we have a good forum to promote Canadian athletes,” said Stewart. “I’d encourage any Canadian band if they’re into it. But only if they’re into it. If they don’t care just keep on rocking. But if you do care just do what you can.”
Although they readily admit they never had anything near the stamina, skill and will to succeed as elite athletes, the Barenaked Ladies did have an Olympic moment when they performed at the 2002 Games.
They’d love another in Vancouver.
“I’m hoping that the Olympics themselves are a great opportunity for Canadian bands to showcase what we have,” said Stewart.
“The fact this it is in our own backyard is pretty exciting. Any kind of involvement we can have with such a giant spectacle on the world stage is great for us. We played at the Salt Lake City Olympics and that was a really great experience, to have such an international audience.”
And it only helped them gain appreciation for what high-performance athletes go through.
“I was trying to be an Olympic athlete once,” Creeggan said. “Being in a band is a lot easier.
“It’s nice to be able to support these guys without putting on the sweats myself.”
The 2007 leg of the band’s tour in support of their latest album “Barenaked Ladies Are Me” begins Jan. 31 in Victoria. They have 11 shows in the United Kingdom after they wrap up in Canada.
The Canadian Press
