My Favourite Canadians (non-family or friends edition)

10) Keanu Reeves - Ya, I know he is sketchy as an actor but he is quietly more interesting than his initial impression. There is something I find quintessentially Canadian about that. Plus, he's a goalie.

9) Gordon Lightfoot - Perhaps the most Canadian of the list. His first name is Gord and he has a First Nation sounding last name--I have no idea if it is. Plus, two of my favourite songs are about nautical disasters--"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitgerald" and "The Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle".

8) Malcolm Gladwell - Sum smart peeple up here. (In a perfect world Malcolm Gladwell or Michael Pollan would write up all academic work).

7) George Chuvalo - Without question, the toughest heavyweight ever. He was physically battered in the ring, and emotionally battered outside of it. In both places he remained, inexplicably, standing and fighting.

6) Brendan Shanahan - Here's a quick test to know if you are a hockey fan, or an idiot. If you don't like Brendan Shanahan you are an idiot. Everything good about hockey is exemplified by players like Shanny. (Cam Neely also fits).

5) Nardwuar the human serviette - The most knowledgeable interviewer in any field. He is not a star, not pretty, and not famous. But is a great litmus test for musicians. Only the most pompous, most arrogant bands aren't impressed with his research. He is the wildly uncool friend that truly cool people get. Almost single-handedly fighting for substance over style in the pop music world.

4) Leonard Cohen - Speaking of cool. Phrases fall from him, even now, that I could not imagine in a lifetime of trying. His quote from Rollingstone is my favourite of the year: "I don't care terribly much about my own opinions. I find my own opinions very tiresome and predictable".

3) Terry Fox - A bit of no-brainer, but he did something each and every day that I can not fathom doing once. Plus, during much of the latter part of the Marathon of Hope he had massive tumours in his lungs. I like the quiet strength of that. It resonates with many Canadians, who understand that the loudest, or most brash is not the most interesting, or remarkable, person.

2) Stephen Brunt - The pre-eminent Canadian radio sidekick. (To be fair, he may be the only member of this category. Few media people have a better grasp of the Canadian psyche than Brunt. He is an excellent newspaper columnist, and writer, but is happy to be at the party without being the centre of it. He is able to hold true to himself from the periphery of fame in the sports world, without prostituting his views for a taste of the limelight.

1) Marshall McLuhan - One of the most quoted, least understood academics of the 20th century. The more time separates us from his work, the more often he is proven right. Virtually unknown to the south, and underappreciated in Canada. And, as I get ready to publish this post in a world re-organized by the internet I assure you that, "the medium is the message".