In the 1980s, journalist Richard Gwyn pondered a Canadian paradox: why had a nation so similar to, yet distinct from, the United States failed to become its prime cultural interpreter? Unbeknownst to him, two figures were already answering that call. Lorne Michaels of Toronto and Graydon Carter of Ottawa were on their way to becoming defining architects of American pop culture through Saturday Night Live and Vanity Fair, respectively.
The Outsider's Advantage: Seeing America Through a Canadian Lens
Their stories have been amplified in the past year with new books: Carter's autobiography, When the Going Was Good, and a biography of Michaels by Susan Morrison titled Lorne. These works reveal how their icy Canadian eyes dissected the American psyche, turning their observations into immensely profitable entertainment empires. As contemporary Canadians watch the surreal political spectacle south of the border, the journeys of Michaels and Carter offer timeless insights into what makes Americans tick.
This is not a new phenomenon. Canadians have a historical knack for creating quintessential American art, from Hollywood mogul Louis B. Mayer to folk icons Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Yet, the specific paths of Michaels and Carter illuminate the reason for this success. Both understood a core hunger in the American soul—a hunger they felt acutely as outsiders—for democratized luxury, glamour, and celebrity.
Growing Up with the Glass Wall: TV as a Portal
Both men were eager students of American culture, captivated by the version of the country beamed into their living rooms. Carter described a "glass wall" along the border, behind which Americans seemed to be having more fun. His childhood in Ottawa was parodically Canadian: listening to Hockey Night in Canada, cheering for the CFL's Ottawa Rough Riders, and a popular culture leaning British. The family's first TV set changed everything, making American shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and Bonanza an inescapable and dazzling spectacle.
Lorne Michaels had a more direct connection to the American showbiz machine. Growing up in Toronto's Forest Hill, his second home was with the family of Frank Shuster, of the legendary Canadian comedy duo Wayne and Shuster. This pair performed 67 times on The Ed Sullivan Show, mastering a highbrow sketch comedy that appealed to Americans while refusing to leave Canada. As a surrogate son and later high-school sweetheart to Shuster's daughter, Rosie, Michaels learned from masters who had cracked the code.
For both, American television represented the "big time." As Morrison's biography notes, everything from the ads to the production values seemed hyperreal and more exciting than Canadian offerings. This early immersion taught them the language of American media.
From Theory to Empire: Democratizing Decadence
Their intellectual foundations were also shaped by Canadian thinkers. At the University of Toronto, Michaels was influenced by professor Marshall McLuhan and his theories about television creating a global village. Carter came to understand America through magazines. Both grasped a key difference: American democracy wasn't about levelling everyone down, as in the Canadian "tall poppy syndrome," but about an equality that promised everyone a shot at being a star.
They built their empires catering to this dream. Saturday Night Live became a factory for democratic decadence, where schlubby comics could mingle with—and sometimes marry—movie stars. Vanity Fair, under Carter, brought unimaginable gloss and photos of socialites to the masses, while anointing its own Hollywood royalty and New Establishment.
Their first pilgrimages to New York were revelatory. The bohemian funk of Greenwich Village, the art deco splendour of 30 Rockefeller Plaza—all seemed more romantic to these Ontarians than to any visitor from Chicago. They soon became kings of New York themselves, hobnobbing with cultural icons from Fran Lebowitz to Paul McCartney. Carter recalls Michaels celebrating the launch of Spy magazine by taking him to a Yankees game in a limousine—a perfect blend of American high and low culture, filtered through their shrewd, Canadian perspective.
The legacy of Michaels and Carter demonstrates that the best interpreters of a culture are sometimes those who observe it from a slight, thoughtful distance. Their success stories, now detailed in new books, remain a masterclass in understanding and capturing the American imagination.
