Closer To The Heart | |
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Bubbles wants Rush tickets | |
Airdate |
May 18, 2006 |
Episode |
3x05 |
Producer |
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Writer(s) |
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Cast |
J-Roc (Jonathan Torrens) (credit only) Ray (Barrie Dunn) (credit only) Trinity (Jeanna Harrison) (credit only) T (Tyrone Parsons) (credit only) Guest Stars Alex Lifeson (Himself) |
In a desperate attempt to see Rush in concert, the boys scuffle with Jim Lahey and become entangled with Alex Lifeson on the day of the show.
Plot Synopsis[]
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Bubbles asks Ricky to buy him a Rush concert ticket while he takes one of his cats to the vet. He suggests they should all go to the concert as a group because Rush is awesome. Ricky and Julian head off to the ticket seller.
Act One[]
Barb Lahey scolds Jim because the city ticketed the park for mixing garbage with the recyclables, and the city has dumped a giant pile of trash near the front gate. On their way out of the park, the boys argue with Lahey about this mess and Jim yells at them because they don't recycle. Barb angrily grounds Jim and Randy from their camping trip until the mess is cleared.
Bubbles gets dropped off at the vet and they meet Cory and Trevor. They want to sell dope at the concert to earn cash, but Ricky says there is none to be had. Julian makes a phone call, then gives Trevor money to buy them all Rush tickets. Ricky and Julian go buy dope from some cops in a secret transaction.
Back at the park, Lahey hears Cory and Trevor on the local radio station talking about getting Rush tickets. As a plot for revenge, they drive to the ticket seller where Randy picks a fight with Ricky, who is in line for tickets. While everyone is distracted by the scene, Lahey buys up all the remaining tickets. Bubbles shows up and Lahey waves the tickets in his face, refusing to give any of them up unless they help sort the recycling.
Act Two[]
The boys have no choice but to do Lahey's bidding, since they now need to sell the dope they bought for the concert, so they begin sifting through trash. The radio asks a Rush trivia question to win the privilege of being Alex Lifeson's guitar technician at the concert. Bubbles blurts out the answer and rushes off to call the station, but Randy beats him to it, winning the prize.
In a last ditch effort, Bubbles humbly begs Lahey to sell him a ticket because he loves Rush so much, but Lahey is not budging. Angrily, everyone bails on the sorting of garbage.
Cory and Trevor explain that there is a way to get into the concert hall by using the sewer system; no one is very keen on this idea. Ricky has another idea, and takes off. He arrives at Alex Lifeson's hotel and gains entry into his room posing as a guitar tech. Ricky finds him shaving in the bathroom and asks for free tickets. Lifeson tries to explain that he can't give him tickets, which enrages and provokes Ricky into "borrowing" Lifeson. He drags Lifeson, duct taped and shackled around the ankles, to the hotel lobby, claiming that he is a male prostitute who tried to solicit Ricky, and is also "drunk as fuck."
Cory and Trevor move ahead with the sewer idea just in case something better doesn't crop up. They suit up with garbage bag outfits to protect them from sewage. Ricky transports Lifeson, bound with duct tape, back to the park. Ricky wants him to play a private concert for them since they can't get into the show. Julian finds Ricky and Lifeson in his trailer. Shocked, Julian apologizes to Lifeson and agrees to release him in exchange for not his calling the cops.
Act Three[]
Trevor and Cory make their way through the sewer, followed by Ricky, Julian and Bubbles. They emerge backstage at the concert hall where Randy is refusing to comply with Lifeson's request to wear a shirt while on stage. Bubbles intervenes because Randy is being disrespectful to his idol. There is a scuffle with security, and Ricky, Julian and Bubbles are ejected. They taxi home where they get right back into the sewer for a second try.
They arrive in the concert hall bathroom where they find Cory and Trevor. The pair have traded the clothes they brought with them for some they found in Lifeson's road case. They have also left the dope there for safe keeping, but now they can't remember where it is located. Everyone barges into Lifeson's dressing room; Lifeson is wearing Ricky's clothes and is confused as to where his own clothing is. He shows Ricky the bag of weed, sheepishly explaining that he found it in his bag; it is implied that he smoked some of it. Randy and Lahey enter, spot Ricky, Julian and Bubbles, and leave to fetch security. Another scuffle ensues, until Bubbles intervenes, explaining to Lifeson that Randy has been selling the tickets Lahey bought outside the venue. Lifeson has Randy and Lahey removed for scalping tickets.
Julian convinces Alex to let Bubbles be the guitar tech, as Bubbles accidentally supplied Randy with the trivia answer. Lifeson agrees, on the condition that Ricky gives him back his clothing and stays away from him. Bubbles performs his "gig" as Lifeson's guitar tech, and enjoys the concert immensely. Lifeson gives him a ride back to the trailer park, and indulges Bubbles' request to show him some guiter chords, which leads to a jam session of "Closer to the Heart."
Background[]
- A banner at the Rush concert shows photos of the band members with their names underneath. Geddy (Lee) and Neil (Peart) are correct, but under Alex's picture the name reads 'Brad Pitt'.
- Lifeson's hotel room number is 2112, the title of their 1976 release.
- Mike Clattenburg was nominated for the 2004 Gemini Award for 'Best Direction in a Comedy Program or Series' for this episode.
- Ricky introduces Julian to Lifeson as Gord Downie, which is the name of the lead singer of another Canadian band, The Tragically Hip. Downie has also made appearance in the show.
- The song Bubbles and Lifeson play at the end of the episode is 'Closer To The Heart', also the title of the episode.
- Geddy Lee and Neil Peart also appear in this episode, as the concert footage was shot on location, and both musicians get 'special thanks' credits at the end of the show.
- The ending credits note that the story is a complete fiction and that there is no way at all to sneak into the Halifax Metro Center via the city's sewer system.
References[]
It's implied that Alex Lifeson smoked some of Ricky's weed before Ricky could claim it. Ricky states that Lifeson still owes him for "the green and black" [he] hooked him up with" in the beginning of the video for The Big Dirty Band's video "I Fought the Law." In a promotion for "The Trailer Park Boys Movie" featuring Lifeson, Ricky mentions that Lifeson still owes him money.
Rickyisms[]
Ricky confuses Rush with the band April Wine. Specifically, he attributes the song "I Like to Rock" to Rush. Again in a deleted scene, he mentions "Gypsy Queen" as being a song by Rush that he enjoys, when he is referring to "Sign Of The Gypsy Queen" by April Wine. In another deleted scene, he mentions how he agrees that Jerry Mercer is a excellent drummer, but his lyrics "aren't clear in your head". Jerry Mercer was the drummer for April Wine, and not Rush.
(About books) "They're good for school stuff and getting your brain working greater."
Ricky asks Lifeson to play 'that Diane Sawyer song'. The song he means is "Tom Sawyer," which is from their 1981 album, 'Moving Pictures'.
Donny Scream
- Danny Screams "AHH FUCK" after Lahey buys all the Rush tickets, and then screams again at concert "WHAT IN THE FUCK?!" despite apparently not getting any tickets.
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