MacLean & MacLean
| Company type | Musical duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music, Comedy |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Winnipeg , Canada |
Key people | Gary MacLean, Blair MacLean |
| Products | Comedy music albums |
MacLean & MacLean were a Canadian comedy music pair active between 1972 and 1998, during which they released seven albums. The duo consisted of brothers Gary MacLean (1944–2001) and Blair MacLean (1942–2008), originally from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, later based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
They gained recognition for their blend of crude humor with comedic folk and popular song adaptations. Blair took on guitar duties while Gary played banjo and bongo drums. Their live shows included appearances at venues such as Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom, the 1983 Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In 1974, their controversial material resulted in them being removed from a tour.
Recordings
Their earliest credited work appears on Donnie McDougall’s 1972 album Live at the Paramount, where he credited "MacLean MacLean" as co-writers of "Glace Bay Blues." Over their career, they issued seven albums featuring both live and studio tracks. Among their well-known songs are "I've Seen Pubic Hair," a parody of "I've Been Everywhere," and "Dolly Parton's Tits," which charted in the UK after being used as the theme for the British television series O.T.T..
Their first album, Toilet Rock, was recorded live and produced by Skip Prokop from Lighthouse. Burton Cummings of The Guess Who contributed to and produced studio segments on their sophomore album, Bitter Reality. Although management attempted to remove his vocals from two explicit tracks out of concern for his reputation, media attention and radio leaks ensured these songs remained included. The live portions were produced by Jack Richardson, known for his work with The Guess Who.
Due to disputes over their explicit language, they pursued performance rights appeals up to the Supreme Court of Canada. Their album Locked Up for Laughs references an incident where they were incarcerated in Kingston, Ontario on public indecency charges during a live event. Their hallmark theme was a version of "Ja-Da" retitled "Fuck Ya," which appeared on every album and was used to close shows following audience interaction. The back cover of Toilet Rock credits Burton Cummings as the songwriter of this track, though subsequent releases attribute it to the MacLeans themselves. Additionally, the album credits collaborative writing on "Lickin' My Dick," though contributors beyond the brothers remain unidentified; this brief piece served as a pre-show warm-up.
Later years
During the 1980s, the MacLeans created a character called "The Champ," which was later licensed and further developed by radio host "Brother" Jake Edwards. Edwards performed a daily two-minute monologue featuring The Champ that was syndicated across Canadian radio for two decades, becoming the longest-running segment of its kind in Canadian broadcasting history. While the MacLeans originated the character, Edwards gave it a distinctive rough voice and released four CDs compiling selected monologues, along with a fifth CD containing more adult-themed content.
The brothers toured sporadically over nearly thirty years before shifting focus to radio careers. Gary MacLean became a radio personality in Winnipeg, whereas Blair dedicated himself to landscape painting. Their last live show took place shortly before Gary succumbed to throat cancer in 2001. Following this, Blair privately issued Live, a recording from a 1996 Moose Jaw performance, with proceeds directed toward establishing a trust fund for Gary’s children.
Blair MacLean died on 29 October 2008 at age 65 due to a heart attack.
The Maclean Brothers
The musical legacy of Gary MacLean is carried on by his three sons, who perform collectively as The MacLean Brothers. This group features Michael Vermeylen, a singer-songwriter hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, as their frontman. In early 2010, they successfully completed a month-long tour across South Korea.
Discography
- Toilet Rock (1974, live recording at the Chimney in Toronto)
- Bitter Reality (1976, combination of studio and live tracks)
- MacLean & MacLean Suck Their Way to the Top / Take the "O" Out of Country (1980, split album featuring a live set from the El Mocambo in Toronto and studio tracks mimicking country radio)
- Locked Up for Laughs (1981, studio album)
- Go to Hell (1983, studio album)
- Cruel Cuts (1985, studio album)
- The Dirty Thirty (1989, compilation album)
- 2 in 1 (1992, CD reissues pairing the first two and the subsequent two albums; certain tracks excluded)
- Live (2003, recorded in 1996 at Watts in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan)