![](https://vice-images.vice.com/images/content-images/2015/11/02/all-the-things-you-feel-when-you-watch-a-variety-show-starring-your-nemesis-chris-hadfield-body-image-1446481555.jpg?output-quality=75)
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I had been wanting to write a takedown on Hadfield for months but my editor kept saying things like, "Have you been to space?"; "Have you recorded a music video?"; and "Have you recorded a music video in space?"But with a variety show, here on Earth, it started to feel like Hadfield was getting closer to being Mr. Dressup for millennials, rather than a scientist of the final frontier.Before I even got to the event, my friends' responses to news that I was covering it hinted that I wasn't the only one feeling like we'd reached Peak Hadfield. "He's such a media whore," several remarked, while one complained, "So sick of that guy."Still, I wanted to figure out whether or not I was mad at the man himself or his portrayal in the media. Or was the problem that I'm just a hater. As it turns out, it's a mix of all three.Generator, billed as a chance to take a "glimpse into the adventures of a real life Space Commander," included presentations from Hadfield, a data expert, a YouTube science star, a spoken-word poet, a comedian, a sketch duo, a bionic suit company, and Toronto indie band TWRP. It was emceed by BBC host Robin Ince. I am probably missing something, but my god, at the time even all that felt like more than enough.Hadfield gave the opening remarks, walking us through his intro to space and peppering his speech with a few dad jokes—the B.F. Goodrich spacesuit stands for "bad fit," etc. Despite myself, I felt compelled by his descriptions of space.
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