A 22-Minute Rant
By
STEPHANIE WRONA - Ottawa Sun
Wednesday, April 22, 1998
Rick Mercer will be ranting all the way home after the sweet success of his Ottawa book tour.
Devoted fans -- more than 150 -- poured into Chapters on Rideau St. yesterday and lined up to grab a brief hello and a personal signature on his new book, Streeters: Rants and Raves from This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
Although the career of the political satirist -- he vocalizes his timely monologues on the CBC comedy show 22 Minutes -- is rising at a meteoric rate, he remains as down to earth and overwhelmed as ever with his fan support.
"It's amazing. I wrote Streeters, and I thought, 'Wow, it looks nice,' but there are no guarantees that people are going to run out and buy it," he says.
Judy Van Loon, marketing manager of Chapters, describes the anthology as a "strong seller. I can't remember an event as successful as this," she says.
Despite the success 22 Minutes has garnered over the past five years, Mercer expresses the uncertainties surrounding the television business.
"The thing is, you have the audience who comes to the show, but you're never sure who's watching across Canada," he says.
Following a packed schedule -- the original two-day tour plan was squeezed into one -- the Ottawa segment alone has kicked off the tour with a busy start.
"I'm shocked at the amount of people that came today," said Gerald Lunz, creative producer of 22 Minutes.
"We're so used to spending our time with the theatre and television aspect. This gives us a chance to meet the viewers."
Mercer has inadvertently opened a new niche for himself, adding to his ever-growing portfolio.
And yesterday's turnout is concrete proof the craftsman does indeed possess a large following locally.
Carsten Saulnier, a fan of Mercer's, couldn't agree more.
"He's so interesting," Saulnier said as he stood in line to have his book signed.
"He tells it like it is, and his material appeals to all ages."
Mercer also held a reading of his book last night to a sold-out audience at the National Library.