This is the kind of story we need right now!
So said comedian Seth Meyers during his late Night With Seth Meyers TV program this week, offering his take on the saga of the Chemainus woman who scared off a cougar by playing the Metallica song āDonāt Tread On Meā during July while on a hike near Duncan with her dog Murphy.
Dee Gallantās fame from the cougar encounter knows no bounds and the story continues to be told and retold worldwide through countless media outlets and on television stations.
Meyers provided a humorous account of Gallantās actions and reactions when confronted by the cougar.
āIām impressed as hell with Deeās courage, but the cougar was not.ā
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āHe just stayed and he just stared at me for the longest time and I decided I needed to do something a little more intimidating,ā recounted Gallant on the program.
āA little more intimidating?ā interjected Meyers. āSo what did she do? Growl? Stomp her feet? No, she opened iTunes and selected āDonāt Tread On Meā by Metallica.ā
There were howls of laughter from the audience as he set the scene Gallant faced.
āImagine if you can - imagine seeing a cougar and your first thought being āWhatās the message I want to convey through song?āā he pondered.
Meyers quipped āDonāt Tread On Meā now appears on the Spotify playlist āSongs To Scare Off A Cougar With.ā
āSo Dee pulled up the song, held her phone in the air and hit play,ā he continued. āAnd as soon as the first few notes rang out, the cougar turned around and darted back into the woods.
āCan you imagine being that cougar? Youāre like, āOh, great. Thereās a lady. This will be easy. And then you get closer and youāre like āOh, itās a Canadian. Even easier.
āAnd then youāre like oh, (bleep), itās a metalhead. Never mind.ā
Putting himself in that situation, Meyers said he wouldnāt have been nearly as brave as Gallant.
āIn the time it took her to make that video, I would have (bleep) my pants, changed them and then (bleep) the new pair.ā
Meyers figured the average person would have headed home after the encounter, but marvelled at Gallant.
āShe finished her hike playing the same song on repeat the whole time for safety,ā he pointed out.
Gallant posted her story on social media after returning home and her video immediately went viral and even prompted a call from Metallica frontman James Hetfield.
āOur world is filled with people unwilling to take action in difficult situations, people who see danger and refuse to do what needs to be done,ā Meyers concluded. āBut not Dee Gallant. She is a role model for our times.ā
And if you donāt agree, he used Gallantās famous three words from the video she took of the encounter: āIāll fight you.ā
Ironically, Cougars are the nickname of the sports teams at Chemainus Secondary School in Gallantās hometown.
She also recently played in a music trivia tournament in Duncan under the team name āBad Kittyā, the same words she uttered to the cougar before turning on the Metallica tune to blast him away.
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