Bruce McCulloch

Bruce McCulloch, who was born in the province of Alberta, Canada, in 1961, came into the public eye as a member of the Canadian comedy troupe the Kids in the Hall. (They were named after a term that Jack Benny used for writers who tried to pitch him comedy bits.) McCulloch's entry into comedy came in his native Calgary, where he formed a duo called the Audience with friend Mark McKinney. The duo eventually relocated to Toronto and joined up with Kevin McDonald, Dave Foley, and Scott Thompson to form the Kids in the Hall. The troupe received a big boost when Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels produced their TV series. The Kids were known for their offbeat, often abstract, comedic sensibility and frequent cross-dressing (done less out of drag tendencies than a desire to feature women characters in their sketches). The troupe also appeared in their own feature film, Brain Candy, in 1996, and subsequently split. McCulloch has also done one-man shows, written material for Saturday Night Live, and explored a quirky career as a musical recording artist. Besides contributing two songs to the Brain Candy soundtrack, he released the album Shame-Based Man in 1995 on Atlantic Records. The effort was done in collaboration with musician Bob Wiseman, an eclectic solo artist who was once a member of Canadian roots rockers Blue Rodeo. In 1997, McCulloch debuted as a director/screenwriter with the film comedy Dog Park. ~ Erik Hage, All Music Guide