|
Paul Moth
BORN ON 1 APRIL 1949, the very day Newfoundland confederated with Canada, and raised in St. John’s,
Paul Moth got his start in radio with the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland as a sports reporter in
1970, eventually becoming host of the very popular In the Corners, a weekly round-up of sport in Newfoundland.
After successfully pitching a script to the producers of The Shirley Jones Show (it was never produced),
Paul left the BCN and Canada in 1979 for Los Angeles with hopes of a career in the film industry.
However, Paul is best known for his work in Mexican cinema, most notably writing and directing
13 episodes of Pepito el Grande (Pepito the Great), the Hispanic world’s Lassie. Paul’s “experience”
with “Pepito” won him the respect of European critics, who identified him as the heir apparent to
Buñuel and the enfant terrible of the Mexican Nueva Ola. Paul returned to the City of Angels triumphant.
After a particularly rancourous dispute with a major Hollywood studio over plans for a script concept,
Paul found himself barred from the major lots and fell upon hard times. Paul’s break with Shirley Jones
and his horrifying descent into a hell of substance abuse and violence are documented in his
autobiography, The Rocky Road to Recovery: The Paul Moth Story. This shocking memoir
reveals a man gone mad in a mescal-sodden world of megalomaniacal delusion, trance states,
narcotic indulgence and firearms obsession. Paul’s Los Angeles years ended in an armed stand-off,
heart failure and deportation from the United States.
Returning to Canada, Paul began the tough climb back up, successfully recovering from his numerous
cross-addictions while manning the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland’s repeater station
on the desolate Funk Islands. Finally landing back in St. John’s, he was offered the job as host of the
BCN’s legendary The Great Eastern. Paul brought a new attitude to The Great Eastern,
transforming the moribund vessel into a vigourous and vital force on the airwaves. Hence the
programme’s motto: The Great Eastern, like Paul Moth, is “Hip but Humbled”.
Since leaving The Great Eastern in 2003, Paul has worked on a variety of personal projects.
 Paul Moth's blog
CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in a new window.
|
