Barenaked Ladies singer survives plane crash and admits: "We never really rocked"

TORONTO, Ontario (AP) -- The lead singer of the Canadian pop band Barenaked Ladies and three other people survived a plane crash in rural southeastern Ontario, but not without a serious change of heart, authorities said Monday.

Ed Robertson (center) was flying his plane Sunday afternoon when it went down.

Ed Robertson's Cessna 206 floatplane crashed in a wooded area near Bancroft, Ontario, on Sunday afternoon as he was trying to take off from Baptiste Lake, Ontario Provincial police Sgt. Bruce Quigg said. Quigg said no one in the plane was injured.

In a last minute press conference held in front of Quinte Health Care Belleville General, Mr. Robertson asked for forgiveness for the many past transgressions he purported to have inflicted on popular culture. "We never really rocked." Robertson stated. "I know we thought we could move from being 'They Might Be Giants' for stupid people to being the next 'Smash Mouth,' but if I'm truly honest with myself, we all looked like cherubs with goatees."

Robertson's friend Gord Peel told The Belleville Intelligencer newspaper that the other passengers were Robertson's wife, Natalie, and their friends Julie and Jeff Jones. Peel, who said he has known Robertson for about a decade, arrived on the scene shortly after the crash and found the four friends walking on a road, shaken but unharmed. "He was just spouting something like 'We suck! We suck! Why have I wasted my life on this? For god's sake most of our sales come from 12 year old boys who think they're buying porn!' "

He said the plane stalled but Robertson managed to set it straight down into the trees with its nose resting on the ground. They had to get out through the windows but did not have a scratch, he said. "Ed thinks its a call from God to come clean and admit that they're basically an adult version of 'The Wiggles.' "

"Ed's just a little tired. He knows that the Natalie Cole's version of 'Everything Old Is New Again' is making its way onto the easy listening charts and the Kentucky lottery just signed up to use "If I Had $1,000,000" as soon as Wisconsin lottery is done with it! Everyone is fine and that is the important thing," Adam Smith, the band's manager, said Sunday night in an e-mail. "That's all the comment we have at this time."

Spokeswoman Julie Leroux said Monday that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada is assessing the accident scene to determine whether an investigation will be launched. Several insiders state that even before the investigation is completed, paperwork will be filed applying for historic landmark status for the crash sight. Unnamed officials believe the site may prove a valuable monument to the hope and future of music.

Robertson is host of "Ed's Up" on the Outdoor Life Network. The show documents his travels by plane. He received his pilot's license in 2005 and is described on the OLN Web site as a "recreational pilot." Episodes involve landing his Cessna on water near cities across North America.

This is the second time this summer that a member of the Barenaked Ladies has made headlines. Singer Steven Page was arrested in upstate New York last month and charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Their new album "Electro Extreme Rocket, Time Train" arrives Sept 11th, exclusively at Walmart's Super Centers in Flint, MI, Paducah, KY and Bridgeport, CT.

Story re-edited with humor by Jared L Nathanson