On Monday, November 3, 2025, Gary Farmer stopped by The North 1033's studios on his way to a lecture and performance at the Zeitgeist Theater in Duluth, and this is the extended, full conversation between him and Jeff Carmack.
Gary Farmer is an actor and musician, born on Six Nations along the Grand River, Ohsweken, Ontario. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in the development of Indigenous media in Canada and was the founding director of an urban Indian radio network, Aboriginal Voices Radio Network. He also published Aboriginal Voices Magazine from 1993 - 2003.
Gary began performing on stage, working in theater from 1975 - 1987 in Canada. Winning Dora Mavor for best new play in 1989 for Tomson Highway’s, Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing.
Gary has been nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards for Best Supporting Male in the films: Powwow Highway (1989), Dead Man (1995) which won the1996 European Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, and Smoke Signals (1998).
He has also directed several popular short films, both independent and for television, and was the executive producer and a director of the APTN entertainment series Buffalo Tracks.
Recent credits include series regular on Resident Alien, Reservation Dogs, The English, The Curse and Independent films: Quantum Cowboys, Blood Quantum, The Incredible 25th Year of Mitzi Bearclaw, Run Woman Run, Hey Viktor!, An Ode for Leviticus and Major Barbara.
Gary Farmer and the Troublemakers album, Fool For Love, won Best Americana Album at the 2023 New Mexico Music Awards. Sing That Song reached #5 on the Top 40 Indigenous Music Countdown in Canada.
The Troublemakers 7th album, Lucky 7, released June 12, 2023, on Gary’s 70th birthday, features original cover artwork by Travis Shilling. Gary Farmer and The Troublemakers All Stars, featuring two-time Juno Award winner Derek Miller, toured Ontario, Canada July, 2023.
Gary is in the studio recording three new songs to soon be featured on a new album. The Troublemakers’ music can be found on Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube.
You can also find an interview Gary did with PBS North's Native Report from a few seasons back right here.
