Interview: Writer Brendan Houghton

Windsor has its own source for satire now that Brendan Houghton's The Windsor Naysayer is here. The Naysayer features fake news articles, weather, and book reviews. Satire itself, sometimes light and fun, sometimes harsh and bitter, is hardly new; for as long as people have observed their societies, there have been writers who poked fun at it. Political satire is the most common form today, seen in television programs such as The Daily Show, or This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and websites like The Onion.

Houghton was born in Windsor, in 1981. He studied Journalism at St.Clair College, left to work in sales, and is now studying Business at the University of Windsor. About his work on the Naysayer, he has this to say:

I have always written in my spare time, started writing for local blogs in 2008. Took a long hiatus from writing, and one day I decided to make my own website, rather than write for someone else's site. It started as a simple creative outlet, and a way to challenge myself to see if I could write regularly, because that was always something I had trouble doing. I look at the site as more of a collection of short stories than an actual “parody news” website. I think Windsor is a great city, and the people here have a very unique sense of humour and a unique outlook on the world. We are caught in the middle of the US and Canada, and to me, because of that, we need to laugh at ourselves, and everyone who doesn't live here and looks at us in an unflattering way.

I chatted with Brendan today about his influences, and what might be next for his work.

The Naysayer has been compared to The Onion. What are your thoughts on that?

Its useful when describing the website to someone just for association purposes, but they tackle nationwide issues, and we tackle local issues/culture/happenings. So, we are different from them in a lot of ways. They do satire, so do we.

Are there any writers who inspire or influence your work?

Certainly: Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain. I'm also influenced by television, Monty Python, South Park, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Black Adder; those all come to mind. The movie Dr Strangelove is another influence on what I do.

 What are your hopes for the future of The Windsor Naysayer?

I'd like to take it to other cities. Start a Toronto Naysayer, a Montreal Naysayer, A Vancouver Naysayer, etc. Have it as a sort of sounding board for people who like to parody what goes on in their particular cities, because I know that every city has its own unique culture and sense of humour, and I'd like the Naysayer to reflect that.

Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?

Yes. If you have an idea, don't think about it too much, just do it. Many times in my life I've had ideas about projects I'd like to start but I never started them because I'd over think everything and then I'd just end up not doing it. For the Naysayer it was different - I just did it.

A warm thank you to Brendan for joining us today.