David Berner - story telling

One of my all time favourite songs is Lyle Lovett’s “If I had a boat”.  It goes ‘If I had a boat I’d go out on the ocean and if I had a pony I’d ride him on my boat.”  I found myself thinking of that song listening to the incredible David Berner tell stories of as many incongruous moments in his fascinating long life.

He told of his helping set up  X-Kalay, recovery house for addicts leaving jail in Winnipeg. That’s the story of his book. “All the Way Home”.   He talked about living in London England doing the most boring job, putting items in a ledger for the Queen. He told of his time with Bob Hunter, later of Greenpeace Fame, in the “Company of Young Canadians”.  Then his work as a famous actor and comedian. He’s so very funny.  

The audience laughed and there were enough in the theatre business there to appreciate his description of his life a ‘between gigs!”  

He wrote for the Province and the Tyee and is known for the David Berner Monologues and the David Berner Show which continus to appears on Shaw Television 

 He worked at CBC having various jobs including interviewing folk from all over the world but mostly in the entertainment industry.  He’d later work as a radio and television interviewer for a variety of stations, including CJOR and CKNW  He reminisced about old leaders in the radio and television journalism world.  

He told wonderful anecdotes of Oscar Award Winnners he knew.  We especially loved hearing  about Shelly Winters,  Ginger Rogers, Carol Channing, and Ray Malan.  But his stories about his Jewish grandmother took the cake. 

He continues to teach and work as a therapist with addicts. I personally knew him from the Drug Prevention Network where he was the Executive Director. He has also been  working at Orchard Alcohol and Drug Treatment Centre doing group therapy. He told moving tales of recovery bringing tears to our eyes with the stories of hope. 

He  talked of his writing and concluded with reading a delightful work of detective fiction. It was a couple of hours of sheer entertainment. My partner Laura loved it all.  

I found myself thinking of Billy Bishop Goes to War, Canada’s most famous one man show.