Arthur Black

Basic Black

Arthur Black was born in Toronto in 1943 and reborn in 1995 when he came to his senses and moved to a Gulf Island nestled in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver the city and Vancouver the island. En route, he passed through various incarnations - door-to-door encyclopedia salesman, oil tanker deckhand, cow wrangler at the Ontario Public Stock Yards, sheet metal apprentice, plumber's assistant, live nude model (in his dreams). For 19 years he hosted Basic Black, a national CBC program dedicated to wackiness.

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Arthur Black was born in Toronto in 1943 and reborn in 1995 when he came to his senses and moved to a Gulf Island nestled in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver, the city, and Vancouver, the island.

En route, he passed through various incarnations–door-to-door encyclopedia salesman, oil tanker deckhand, cow wrangler at the Ontario Public Stock Yards, sheet metal apprentice, plumber's assistant, live nude model (in his dreams).

For 19 years he hosted Basic Black, a national CBC program dedicated to wackiness, and recently hosted two network television shows for five years; their titles - Weird Homes and Weird Wheels - are pretty much self-explanatory.

Arthur also writes a weekly humour column syndicated in over 50 Canadian newspapers and has authored eight books, including Plaudits, Kudos and Huzzahs. Two of Arthur's books won the Stephen Leacock Medal–Canada's highest award for humour. His other awards include National Magazine Award for Humour, ACTRA "Nelly" Award for Best Opinion/Commentary, Cadogan Award for Best Weekly Newspaper Column, and Ohio State Award for Best Children's Series.

Master of Ceremonies
Arthur Speaks!

Black takes a wry look at the perils and pitfalls of being a Canadian at this challenging time in our history. But it's not gloom and doom. Black bills himself as "Comic Relief". His talks are designed to make audiences relax, laugh until they get damp and generally recover from the stress and tension of workshops, study sessions and all the serious stuff that goes on at conventions, conferences, symposia and other business get-togethers. He also makes a point of 'customizing' his talks with particular references to the group in question. Black's motto: BELLYLAUGHS GUARANTEED OR MONEY REFUNDED.

Your humorous speech was key in helping to make this one of the most successful meetings we've had to date.

Ontario Public School Boards' Association
Thank you so much for being our guest speaker at the recent Gala. People are still talking about how much fun the evening was and how very entertaining you were (and are). You certainly delivered a "funny bone massaging" experience and on behalf of the committee, the board, and staff, I THANK YOU!!!

Family Service Bureau of Regina
On behalf of the Steering Committee of The Third National Literacy Conference, I would like to thank you for helping to make our conference a success...Your keynote on Wednesday night and the Thursday workshops provided conference participants with a delightful glimpse into the...state of Canadian 'folk' culture. Personally, I appreciated working with you. Your company is delightful both in person as well as on the airwaves.

The Third National Literacy Conference
I'd like to thank you for participating in the opening of The Group of Seven: Art for a Nation. You are a fabulous Master of Ceremonies and added much to the event. We've never had so many people attend an opening ceremony and actually want to listen.

Vancouver Art Gallery
Thank you very much for helping to make this year's event so special. We received very positive responses from the participants, and our applause goes out to you, for sharing your enormous talent in the spirit of good fun for the holiday season. As Master of Ceremonies, you kept the mood light and lively and helped to create a weekend that participants will remember for a long time to come.

Chateau Whistler Resort
Thank you again for your tremendous contribution to the success of our conference. As you would know, most of the delegates are very busy people leading highly stressed lives, and such an opportunity to dissolve into howls of laughter was the best therapy any of us could have had.

Lakehead University

September 2010
A Chip Off the Old Black
A Chip Off the Old Black, Black's latest collection of stories, will knock a sense of humour into any reader, boasting nearly a hundred tales featuring everything from yarnbombing to Bambi, from Black's love of the Farmer's Almanac to his loathing of snowmobiles and his . . . problem . . . with David Suzuki. With a talent for ranting, minus the malice, Black sticks up for the chocolate-covered marshmallow confection of New Zealand - the politically-incorrect "Eskimo" candies. Those inclined to kvetching--a Yiddish word describing the tendency to complain persistently about everything - may just reconsider after reading A Chip Off the Old Black. After all, as Black demonstrates, it's far more enjoyable to take the opportunity to laugh.
September 2009
Black is the New Green
Those who have been following Arthur Black's award-winning publishing ventures over the past few years, or remember him from his long-running CBC radio show, Basic Black, will have come to appreciate the hilarious and unique vision of the world through the eyes of Canada's Blackest humourist. No less hilarious is his newest collection of observations and manifestos entitled Black is the New Green.
September 2007
Black to the Grindstone
Arthur Black--bestselling author, three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, beloved radio personality, and newspaper columnist-- proves in his latest sidesplitting collection of tales, Black to the Grindstone, that, without a doubt, you not only get better but funnier with age.
November -0001

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Arthur Black

Basic Black

Master of Ceremonies

Arthur Speaks!

A Chip Off the Old Black