Hard Core Logo



Hard Core Logo is a 1996 Canadian Mockumentary directed by Bruce McDonald, based on a Canadian experimental novel written by Michael Turner in 1993. Both works center around the reunion tour of the titular massively dysfunctional Canadian punk band, and the interactions between the band members, but the movie changes and expands on the novel in various ways, adds some additional characters (particularly "Bruce McDonald," the director of the documentary) and character traits (such as John's schizophrenia), alters the ending, and has a bigger fandom. HCL gained additional popularity when it was discovered by fans of Due South, since lead guitarist Billy Tallent (later the namesake for the popular Canadian band Billy Talent) was an early role for Callum Keith Rennie, the actor who played Ray Kowalski.


 * The Alcoholic: both Joe and Billy.
 * Canada, Eh?: mostly avoids the usual stereotypes, as the main characters are from the West Coast and not particularly polite, but this gets invoked during the "Canadian Punk Band Name" game on the road trip.
 * Cluster F-Bomb: very much so.
 * Covers Always Lie: the cover blurb promoted it as a Spinal Tap style comedy, when in fact it's a character-driven drama with some funny moments.
 * Dysfunction Junction
 * Estrogen Brigade Bait: Billy Tallent is just too pretty.
 * Everybody Smokes
 * Ho Yay: Joe and Billy have a rather charged relationship.
 * Licking the Blade: Billy, during the acid trip sequence. This scene is popular with the fangirls.
 * Man Child: Pipefitter, the happy-go-lucky drummer who likes sandwiches and can't even remember his real name at this point.
 * Mind Screw: the acid trip scene.
 * Off the Wagon: Billy, when he gets back to Canada.
 * Only Known by Their Nickname: Pipefitter.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: a Western example. Joe's the passionate, outgoing, and impulsive one, while Billy is more calculating, ambitious, and quietly charming.
 * Sanity Slippage: John after he loses his meds.
 * Signature Style: road trips and rock music are recurring elements in Bruce McDonald's work.
 * Talkative Loon: after he loses his meds, John eventually progresses to this point.
 * Troubled but Cute: Joe and Billy, although they're older and even more screwed up than usual for the trope.
 * Unreliable Narrator
 * Unreliable Narrator