It's All About Me, Man: [CanYoAssDigIt] On the occasion of the passing of Pope Goulet

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

[CanYoAssDigIt] On the occasion of the passing of Pope Goulet

I am sure that you have all heard the sad news. The Pope of Edmonton, Robert Goulet, has gone to the great rabbit hutch in the sky. It has been a very rough year for our faith; we've lost two Popes to ascension. It is good news for those left behind, of course - you too can be Pope. As the Grand Ayatollah considers candidates, keep in mind that he's very fond of fine chocolate.

To mark the passing of His Holiness, said Ayatollah has composed a funereal hymn, which can be heard at:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=503658

It is recommended that this hymn be played at all future funerals of members of the faithful, as a reminder that all bunnymen will echo through eternity.

I'll leave you with some personal observations about Pope Goulet. You won't read these words anywhere else.

Early life

Goulet was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the only son of French Canadian parents, Jeanette (née Gauthier) and Joseph Georges Andre Goulet, a laborer.^[1] Shortly after his father's death, his mother, sister Claire, and Robert moved to Girouxville, Alberta, Canada when he was thirteen years old, where he spent his formative years throughout Canada.^[2]

After living in Girouxville for a couple years, they moved to the provincial capital of Edmonton so that he could take advantage of the performance opportunities offered in the city. There, he attended the famous voice schools founded by Herbert G. Turner and Jean Letourneau, and later became a radio announcer for radio station CKUA. Upon graduating from Victoria Composite high school, Goulet received a scholarship to Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music. There, he studied voice with famed oratorio baritones, George Lambert and Ernesto Vinci.

Goulet's rise to fame started at the age of five. At a family gathering, Goulet's aunts and uncles blackened his face with burnt cork and prompted him to do Al Jolson impressions. Though his performance was well-received by his relatives, the experience was deeply traumatic for the young Goulet, and left him with performance anxiety, which would plague him for many years.^[3] In spite of his stage fright, Goulet was encouraged by his parents to continue performing.

In 1952, he competed in CBC Television's Pick The Stars, ultimately ascending to the semifinals. This led to other network appearances on shows like Singing Stars of Tomorrow, Opportunity Knocks, and the Canadian version of Howdy Doody(in which he starred opposite another future star, William Shatner).^[4]