Q&A: Detroit celebrity and Red Wings' fan, Dave Coulier '77 (NDHS ...

Q&A: Detroit celebrity and Red Wings’ fan, Dave Coulier ’77 (NDHS)
(from motorcitysports.net)
Written by Joe Borri ’80 (NDHS)
Wednesday, 08 April 2009 20:11
http://motorcitysports.net/index.phpoption=com_content&view=article&id=27:qa
a-coulier&catid=3:qaa&Itemid=6
Former Detroiter Dave Coulier is a hometown boy that made good. Probably best
known as one of the stars of the long running television hit, Full House, there’s a
lot more to Dave than his sitcom celebrity. Dave’s a true renaissance man. He’s
an extremely talented voice artist (The Muppets, Robot Chicken, Doug & Bob
McKenzie), a pilot, award-winning screenwriter, director, and successful stand-up
comedian. Dave took a few moments from his busy schedule to talk with
MotorCitySports.net’s Joe Borri about living in Los Angeles, Hollywood, his
Detroit years, upcoming projects, celebrity hockey…and oh yeah—his beloved
Red Wings.
Joe Borri: You grew up in Detroit (St. Clair Shores). How many years have you
lived out here and has it been hard to adjust to
Dave Coulier: Actually, I’ve never really grown up. I always tell people that my
occupation is professional immaturity. But, yes…I was born and raised in St.
Clair Shores. My dad still lives in our same house where I shot hockey pucks
every day in the driveway. I was 19 when I moved to Los Angeles. I never really
struggled with ‘adjusting’ to life in Los Angeles. I mean, golf in January took some
adjusting to, but who could complain about that. I’ve always tried to keep the
things in my life that are important to me: I still play hockey every week, golf, fly
airplanes, have good friends and keep in touch with my family. When I first
arrived in L.A. and would meet with showbiz people, they would often make
remarks about how Midwestern, normal and down to earth I was. I really don’t
know how to be anything else.
JB: Let me take you back to oh, 1977-78, when you performed—while still a
high school student I might add—to a packed house at Regina High School in
Harper Woods. The show was filled with parodies of game shows, strongmen,
and sketches that took shots at pop culture of the day. Pretty heady stuff for high
schoolers to take on, let alone put themselves out there for the general public to
critique. But I remember a full house (pun unintended) of people laughing,
applauding. I mean you guys killed! Can you believe that you went from playing
high school gymnasiums to huge concert halls and college venues across the
country
DC: The show we did in high school was titled, “Linus Pauling and The Band”
(pictured below). My good friend since third grade (and fellow Notre Dame
Alumnus, Class of ’77), Mark Cendrowski and I put the whole thing together. We

were always making 8mm films with his dad’s camera. Mark was always the
director and I was the actor in all our movies. Senior year we decided to produce
a stage show. So we cast our fellow classmates in sketches, built sets and props,
and then made posters that promoted the show. We didn’t expect 800 people to
show up. We charged a dollar at the door. That’s where I did standup for the first
time for a paid audience. It was a blast and hooked both of us for life. Now Mark
directs some of the most popular shows on television and is just finishing another
season of “The Big Bang Theory” for CBS.
JB: You played hockey most of your life. When we were at Notre Dame High
School (Dave class of ’77, Joe class of ’80), I have vague memories of a
yearbook picture of you mugging for the camera in the team picture. But you
guys were pretty good if I recall. What position did you play back then
DC: I remember joking around in one of our team photos. Our coach, John
Giordano, who went on to coach at Michigan, wasn’t real happy when I made the
guys laugh. He was very serious. Not a great combination with my constantly
goofing-around personality. We had team curfews, haircuts, and if you didn’t
wear a suit to the games, you were benched. Pretty heady stuff for high school
kids. We had some really good teams, and a lot of our guys were very talented.
My defense partner, John Blum, went on to play for the Edmonton Oilers, Boston
Bruins, Washington Capitals and the Red Wings.
JB: Any memories from the days the Wings still played in Olympia stand out
DC: I went to my first Red Wings game at Olympia with my dad. It was 1968. I
was wearing my team hockey jacket with my name on it. Chicago beat Detroit 2-
1 with Pit Martin getting the game winner. The next morning, the Detroit News
had a shot of Red Wings fans on the front page of the sports section. My dad
prominently laid the paper on our kitchen table with a note attached which read:
“Dave, we’re in the paper.” And lo and behold there I was on the front page with
my mouth open, obviously disappointed by the Blackhawks game-winning goal. I
showed that photo to every kid in the neighborhood.
JB: Are you still playing hockey, like on a celebrity team C’mon, do a little namedropping
for us.
DC: I still play in a couple charity games a year. I’m still so thrilled to share the
ice with Igor Larionov, Dave Christian and Neal Broten from the 1980 USA
Miracle Team, Bernie Nichols and a ton of other NHL’ers.JB: You’ve hung out
with Chris Chelios. Did he give you any advice on your game or is it all just hot
tubs and starletsDC: No hot tubs and starlets. What would my teenage son
say to that Ha! I hung out with Chris this past summer when I was participating
in The Ilitch Charities Golf tournament. He had the Stanley Cup with him. I got to
hoist the cup at Comerica Park with Chris and then drank beer from it at his bar
across the street. Pretty amazing night actually—Kid Rock did an acoustic show

on the roof of the bar. That is just Detroit cool, you know
JB: How do you think the Wings are going to do this year
DC: If Osgood or Conklin get ‘hot’ for the playoffs, they’ll be hoisting the cup at
Joe Louis again this year.
JB: Chelly aside, who are some of your favorite players
DC: Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Mario
Lemieux. That’s my top 5.
JB: I’ve seen your stand up act several times, and it’s always taken a day for my
ribs to recover, yet, there’s no profanity, nothing at all objectionable. I would think
in today’s culture, you’re something of a rarity. Full House was arguably one of
the most wholesome sitcoms ever to grace the airwaves. But that inherent
wholesomeness certainly didn’t stop Bob Saget from working “blue”. Did your
role as Uncle Joey play a part in your decision to work “clean”, or was it your
solid Motor City upbringing
DC: I came up at a time when every stand-up wanted to appear on the Tonight
Show with Johnny Carson. If you wanted to get on that show you had to work
clean. That’s never left me. And I just think funny is funny. I’m not a prude—I love
Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Sam Kinison, Chris Rock and many more, but
those guys always had a point behind their words, and it was real. Too many
comedians just drop ‘F bombs’ and swear because they think it’s edgy and cool.
Sometimes edgy and cool isn’t necessarily funny.
JB: Do you feel a certain responsibility to the legions of fans to not let them
down
DC: The only responsibility I feel is to make people laugh really hard with some
good, clean fun.
JB: Let’s talk about your website, DaveCoulier.TV. What’s that all about
DC: I wanted to give fans a chance to socially network and be a part of my world.
I finally found the technology that would allow them to do that. The site is growing
every day. It’s quite remarkable how ‘into it’ people are.
JB: A little Hollywood birdie tells me you’ve written a few screenplays that are in
development. I’ll let you reveal as much as you care to, but from what I heard,
the premises are hilarious.
DC: I’ve been talking with some people in Detroit about producing my movies
and some television in Michigan. It’s really a phenomenal place to shoot. My

movies are for the entire family and a couple of my scripts have already been up
for some writing awards. I wrote a couple of them with fellow Detroiter, John
Lewis.
Janet Of The Apes is about a teenage girl who’s born covered with hair.
She’s an incredible athlete who as aspirations of someday competing on the US
Women’s gymnastics team. She falls in love with a guy at her school and
discovers that there’s a medical procedure to remove all the hair. And when it’s
removed, she has the looks of a supermodel. It’s “Mean Girls” and the ultimate
ugly-duckling story wrapped together.
Santana Claus is about a Mexican who saves Christmas. Enough said
The East LA Kings is about a single dad and his son who move to Los
Angeles after mom dies. Dad is a hockey coach and son is a hockey player.
Together they learn about life in the big city and miss the world they left behind in
Detroit.
JB: Any other future projects or shows, say somewhere in Detroit
DC: I’ll be doing a benefit for Gilda’s Club at the Royal Oak Music Theater on
September 12.
JB: Last question. If you could switch, would you trade all your stardom and
Hollywood success for a chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup as a member of the
Red Wings
DC: Absolutely. But when I wake up, can I still be playing on the Wings at my
age