Brocket 99
Encyclopedia
Brocket 99 is the name of an underground comedy audio tape
that parodies
aboriginal people in Canada and the name of two documentary films about the tape (one produced in 2005, and the other in production).
The tape was created in 1986 by radio DJ
s in Lethbridge
, Alberta
, purportedly inspired by a clip of a parody of gay
men running a radio station called "AIDS
Radio". The "Brocket 99" tape was never made to be marketed and was meant as a parody.
The premise of the tape was a fictitious radio station
broadcasting from Brocket, Alberta
, on the Northern Peigan
reserve (a real reservation 70 km west of Lethbridge), hosted by a character named "Ernie Scar". It stereotypes natives as drunken bums, welfare recipients and drug addicts and uses pejorative terms to describe native men as "bucks" and native women as "squaw
s". Songs played on the tape included complete versions of multiple hits by artists such as AC/DC
and Dwight Yoakam
, often in a row. Between the songs and the DJ segments are fake ads for real products such as Dr. Scholl's
foot powder and Lysol
spray.
In February 2011, a fan site reported the anonymous actor who played Ernie Scar had died at age 49. The anonymous actor who played Ernie Scar died of a coronary due to clogged arteries.
produced and directed a documentary called Brocket 99 — Rockin' the Country, which examined the ongoing popularity of the tape. CBC Radio's Sounds Like Canada
described Brocket 99 as:
In 2006, the film won the Séquences Magazine Prize in the documentary category at the Montreal First Peoples’ Festival and the Special Recognition Award at the Anchorage International Film Festival. The film was also featured at the 2006 Calgary and Edmonton International Film Festivals and the Vancouver Asian Film Festival.
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic. It was developed in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and play back audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders...
that parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
aboriginal people in Canada and the name of two documentary films about the tape (one produced in 2005, and the other in production).
1986 tape
The parody played on numerous aboriginal stereotypes and has been characterized as racist. The tape included names of real people, stores and towns and is an "international underground phenomenon".The tape was created in 1986 by radio DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s in Lethbridge
Lethbridge
Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, purportedly inspired by a clip of a parody of gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
men running a radio station called "AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
Radio". The "Brocket 99" tape was never made to be marketed and was meant as a parody.
The premise of the tape was a fictitious radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting from Brocket, Alberta
Brocket, Alberta
Brocket is a settlement in Peigan 147, in southern Alberta located on the Highway 3, between Pincher Creek and Fort Macleod. It is the main community on the Peigan reserve.-Demographics:...
, on the Northern Peigan
Northern Peigan
The Northern Peigans or Aapátohsipikáni are a First Nation, part of the Niitsítapi . Known as Piikáni, "Pekuni" or Aapátohsipikáni , they are very closely related to the other members of the Blackfoot Confederacy: Aamsskáápipikani , Káínaa or...
reserve (a real reservation 70 km west of Lethbridge), hosted by a character named "Ernie Scar". It stereotypes natives as drunken bums, welfare recipients and drug addicts and uses pejorative terms to describe native men as "bucks" and native women as "squaw
Squaw
Squaw is an English language loan-word, used as a noun or adjective, whose present meaning is an indigenous woman of North America. It is derived from the eastern Algonquian morpheme meaning 'woman' that appears in numerous Algonquian languages variously spelled squa, skwa, esqua, sqeh, skwe, que,...
s". Songs played on the tape included complete versions of multiple hits by artists such as AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
and Dwight Yoakam
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam is an American singer-songwriter, actor and film director, most famous for his pioneering country music...
, often in a row. Between the songs and the DJ segments are fake ads for real products such as Dr. Scholl's
Dr. Scholl's
William Mathias Scholl was a podiatrist, pioneer of foot care and the founder of Dr. Scholl's, a brand of foot care products. Scholl went on to found the Illinois College of Chiropody and Orthopaedics. William M...
foot powder and Lysol
Lysol
Lysol is a trade name for common household cleanersLysol may also refer to:* Lysol , a 1992 album by The Melvins* Lysol , Actor muMs da Schemer played Lysol in The Mad Real World skit on Chappelle's Show....
spray.
In February 2011, a fan site reported the anonymous actor who played Ernie Scar had died at age 49. The anonymous actor who played Ernie Scar died of a coronary due to clogged arteries.
Documentaries
In 2005, filmmaker Nilesh PatelNilesh Patel (filmmaker)
-Early life:Patel was raised in Prince George, British Columbia and attended Duchess Park Secondary School, where he was first exposed to the Brocket 99 audio tape. He attended the city's College of New Caledonia and then obtained a degree in molecular biology from the University of Victoria...
produced and directed a documentary called Brocket 99 — Rockin' the Country, which examined the ongoing popularity of the tape. CBC Radio's Sounds Like Canada
Sounds Like Canada
Sounds Like Canada was a Canadian radio program, which aired weekday mornings on CBC Radio One from 2002 to 2008. Until the end of May 2008, the program was hosted by the award-winning broadcaster Shelagh Rogers, and in the summers by a rotating series of guest hosts...
described Brocket 99 as:
"It started as a fake radio show on a cassette. Then it developed a cult following. Brocket 99 is something of a cultural phenomenon in western Canada. It purports to be a radio program on an Indian reserve. Some people find it hilarious and racey. Others say it's outright racist."
In 2006, the film won the Séquences Magazine Prize in the documentary category at the Montreal First Peoples’ Festival and the Special Recognition Award at the Anchorage International Film Festival. The film was also featured at the 2006 Calgary and Edmonton International Film Festivals and the Vancouver Asian Film Festival.