If you grew up in Canada in the early 90s, you probably remember Fred Penner, that nice man who lived in a log and played silly songs on CBC. Oddly enough, Fred Penner’s Place will be at the Pit tonight, as the lovable entertainer relives the tunes that made him an icon for the now college-aged kids who grew up listening to him. The Ubyssey spoke with Fred about his career, his songs, and just how he ended up playing the Pit.

Ubyssey: How does one of Canada’s most famous children’s entertainers end up playing in a pub for a bunch of university students?

Fred Penner: (laughs) I’ve heard about the Pit, I have friends who have played the Pit, and I’m wondering the same thing: ‘what on earth is he thinking? Are you really gonna play the Pit?’ (laughs) It’s an odd sort of thing that’s evolved here, because the generation who first connected with me are now the university students. I receive pretty much daily e-mails from that generation saying that they remember me from the early days. It’s really cool to reconnect. Some are saying that they’re going into teaching because of me, that they play guitar or write songs because of me. There are all these accolades that are coming to me at this point. And that’s so cool! I respond to e-mails, I try to do it as often as possible. But it’s really neat to do something a little more direct by going to the university.

U: What’s it like reconnecting with the kids who grew up on your show?

P: A couple of years ago I played in Montréal at Gurt’s Lounge at McGill. It was out of sight! This lounge holds maybe only a couple hundred people at most. When they heard I was going to be there, this place was jammed to the rafters! I was on stage for about two hours, answering questions, singing songs, sharing some of my philosophy about this whole thing. This trip that I’ve been on for 30 years is a pretty intense journey about making a difference in the lives of people, of children, of families. And I think that’s part of what I bring to these events, it become quite philosophical, and often very emotional.

For a lot of the kids who are coming to see me, I was part of their lives in a very critical time of life. And in some ways I was a role model for them, depending on their family situation. I may have been a father figure in some cases. Tears have often been part of the communication. There’s such an overwhelming sense of reconnecting with this guy. I’m trying to be respectful of what the audience is feeling, how deeply they feel that they are connected with me, and taking that back to them. So Thursday night is going to be a very interesting little experiment at UBC.

U: Got anything special planned for the UBC show?

P: I did Fred Penner’s Place for thirteen years out of Vancouver and Winnipeg. So there’s always been such a powerful connection here. Taking it to UBC at this point is a logical progression in many ways. I’m in the midst of trying to write a song for UBC. (laughs) So we’ll see where that goes.

U: What’s your most recent tour been like?

P: At this point my spectrum of performance is quite vast, from doing schools, to keynote addresses, to the colleges and public performance. It’s all part of the same basic spectrum, and it’s putting those pieces together when the touring happens. I’m looking at this as about a three-week tour that will take me from BC to Ontario.

U: Do you enjoy playing more for any particular audience?

P: I love performing. It’s been such a part of my life for so long that I feel completely relaxed and comfortable when I’m on stage. I guess the phrase is ‘you’re only as good as your last gig.’ It’s almost a Zen kind of thing. I play to the audience that is there at that time. I try and give an open energy so that the audience can contribute to the energy of the performance.

U: Do you have a particular message that you hope people take from everything you’ve been doing for the past few decades?

P: I think the message is the value of music, and ultimately making a difference in the life of another human being through the music and communication. I’ve never been just a guy who gets up on stage and sings a couple of songs and tries to do something funny and it’s over. It’s always been about something much deeper than that, about getting into the lives of the listener and planting a bit of a seed that will hold on for a while, that will make them think for a moment. I’ll talk about my own family along the way, and things and how music has affected thing that I’ve done. Ultimately, the message I want to leave is to never underestimate your ability to make a difference in the life of another human being.