I just listened to today's episode of Humble and Fred Radio. At about the 30 minute mark, between some typically hilarious banter and a great performance by 54-40, guest Fearless Fred from Edge 102 goes off on me. You have to hear this 5:27 of audio to believe it.
As I was listening to Fearless Fred, I really felt for him. He's clearly emotional and carrying a great deal of hate for this site and me. Of course, as with any interview, a great deal of context is missing. Before you decide to join Fearless Fred in hating me, please hear me out...
In May of 2009, Edge 102 fired a couple of very popular deejays. Of course I wrote about it, Martin Streek was fired after working at CFNY forever. I don't have to tell you what happened a couple of months later. Martin Streek hanged himself.
That was tragic, and in no way did I ever suggest Fearless Fred had anything to do with Martin Streek's suicide, but he was hired when Streek and Barry Taylor were fired, so I wrote about it.
I just re-read that entry, unedited since I first published it on August 8, 2009. I didn't write anything negative about him at all. I just broke the news he was coming from Edmonton and speculated as to where he'd be dropped in the lineup. That's it until I read something he wrote about me on a comedy blog. He went off on this blog because of some negative comments posted by readers. Fearless Fred, it seems, attributes the opinions expressed in the comments to me.
I only wrote about Fearless Fred one other time. I admitted I don't know shit about radio, because I didn't dig Fred's schtick and thought Barry Taylor had the same schtick, only funnier. I expressed my opinion, something I'm apt to do on this site. There were no personal attacks, and no lines crossed.
And that's my final point to Fearless Fred. I've never, ever written a single word about your wife or family. I never cross that line. I spoke about you as a radio host, a public figure, and merely commented on the situation at your radio station and your abilities as an on-air talent.
Fearless Fred really, really hates me, and that's a shame. I think Humble's right... I think we'd hit it off and like each other. It's just too bad Fred can't decipher between my words and actions and the opinions and actions of my readers.
I just wrote the sweet as all hell recap of the 2010 Santa Claus Parade. That's the one you can show your kids or little nephews and nieces or cousins. This is the snark version.
I'd like to know how much DreamWorks had to pony up for the massive Shrek DVD push that opened the parade. In addition to Shrek himself, every kid at the parade got a little gift pack complete with Shrek ears. There were more Shrek ears than reindeer antlers and Santa hats combined.
Hey, celebrity clowns. I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth and all, but where was the chocolate? It was all candy, no chocolate, and I friggin' love those holiday eggs you've handed out in previous years. Couldn't you have taken some of that DreamWorks money and scored some chocolate?
The first real float was called "Rob Ford" and it passed without any fanfare. It was surreal, really.
Poor Blinky... he doesn't even blink anymore. First he stops driving himself, then he stops talking, but now that he's not blinking, is he really Blinky anymore?
Nothing says Christmas like Lady Gaga!
So very, very creepy.
These guys just stink.
Really, Ken? A pink tie?
I don't know what these things are, but I hate them.
These guys might be creepier than the upside down clowns.
I for one am sickened by the continuous and overt sexualization of animals in this parade.
A notorious criminal celebrated in front of our precious children? Disgusting.
If another supposed Leafs fan tells me they're cheering for the Habs, I'm going to blow. The commonality amongst the people I'm hearing this nonsense from is that they're all young. It seems our youth thinks it's okay to love the Leafs and root for the Habs.
When I ask these young Leaf fans why they're cheering for Montreal, they give me the same two reasons:
They're a Canadian-based franchise, and we should root for a Canadian team
They're underdogs, and we should root for the plucky underdog
Kids, let me be clear: under no circumstance is it okay for you to cheer for the Montreal Canadiens if you love the Toronto Maple Leafs. There are no exceptions. If a Maple Leaf is even seen playing bingo in Montreal, do not hesitate to attack-blot their game card. And should Montreal face Ottawa in the conference finals, you cheer for an influenza outbreak that suspends the season.
Luckily, Montreal isn't facing Ottawa in the conference final. Montreal's facing Philadelphia, and that means for the next couple of weeks I'll be rooting with all my might for the Philadelphia Flyers. Normally, I strongly dislike the Flyers, but in this situation, as a die-hard Leafs fan, the choice is clear. Actually, it's not a choice at all.
If you know a young, ignorant, misguided Leafs fan who has decided to cheer on the Habs during these playoffs, please direct them here. We need to put an end to this despicable nonsense. Again, so there's no misunderstanding: If you love the Leafs, you hate the Habs. There are no exceptions.
I appeared on Montreal's only English sports radio station tonight, The Team 990. The show is called Game Points and they had me on following their discussion about my blog last week.
It's not easy being cocky when your team hasn't played a playoff game in five years but I think I pulled it off. Have a listen and tell me what you think.
Early in the year, I decided to set my sights a little higher. I decided to bring down Scientology.
It's a work in progress, but the comments in this entry still make for a fantastic read. Amber and El Diablo had this blog peaking early in 2009.
Details are still emerging about Jett's death, but it sounds as if his affliction was acknowledged by everyone who knew him, except his parents. It would be difficult to believe devout followers of Scientology would do all they could do for someone suffering from a neurological disorder.
In hindsight, this interview was the kiss of death for poor Justin in Toronto. But what the hell, it was a lot of fun.
Justin Pogge was drafted in the third round, 90th overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He's currently a Toronto Marlie who gets called up to play for the Maple Leafs now and then. I had a few questions for him, as did you, and the Marlies were nice enough to let me into today's practice at the Ricoh Coliseum so I could pepper young Pogge.
One day I woke up and decided I wanted to watch every episode of The Wire. I wrote this entry and thanks to regular reader McNulty, I had all 60 episodes in my posession by the end of the month. The Wire changed the way I see everything and has most definitely made me a better person.
I want to watch The Wire. I understand there are five seasons and 60 episodes in total. From everything I've read, The Wire is right up my ally and I'm certain I'll love it.
I still can't believe my son played hockey at the ACC in front of 18,000. It happened, and it was a thrill for this very proud papa.
Last night was one of those once in a lifetime experiences you never forget. It's a story I'll be telling for some time. Last night, I was a very proud papa watching my son play on ACC ice in front of 18,000 spectators.
I was honoured to be a part of Humble and Fred's 20th Anniversary Podcast of Memories. We took a trip down memory lane with a number of special guests and it was a blast.
Back on May 2, 2009, a bunch of us old time Humble and Fred fans got together at a Toronto pub to witness the recording of the 20th Anniversary Podcast of Memories.
On July 6th, long-time CFNY DJ Martin Streek, who was let go two months earlier, took his own life. I would learn in the following weeks that many of Martin's friends and former colleagues learned this news from this entry.
I'm not sure how to write this one, so I'm just going to tell you what I know.
Following Martin Streek's dismissal and subsequent suicide, Bert Archer wrote a great piece for the Globe and Mail around the demise of the Spirit of Radio. I was quoted.
Over the past week or so, I've been communicating with Bert Archer who's been writing an article for the Globe and Mail on CFNY / Edge 102. Bert and I had a nice phone conversation and exchanged several emails and Gtalk messages. He was interested in where CFNY was going following the dismissal and subsequent death of Martin Streek.
When the Edge aired their Top 200 songs of the 90s, it sparked quite the discussion in the comments. The absence of such 90s staples as "Jesus Built My Hotrod" and "Cannonball" should have told me this list wasn't for me.
Here's their list. Actually, they're claiming this list was compiled from listener votes. It's a pretty good top 10, actually, but I am surprised we got three Nirvana songs and Pearl Jam doesn't appear until 22. Then again, Alice in Chains doesn't debut until 75. Go figure.
I saw an ad for Mr. Sub on YouTube and I hated it so much I had to write about it. That prompted a mother of one of the kids in the ad to feed me inside info on the entire clusterfuck and resulted in cease and desist orders from the advertisting agency.
Mr. Sub's new "Dinner" ad might just be the worst ad I've ever seen. Granted, that's a pretty subjective analysis, so I'm wondering if I'm alone.
This entry, more than just about any other, buried me with hate mail. Good fun!
I am not a doctor. It's highly likely that you're not a doctor either. When it comes to decisions for me and my family regarding vaccinations, I speak to medical doctors I trust. Every single one I've spoken to or heard from say, without hesitation, that we should all get immunized as soon as possible. The scientific evidence is overwhelming. As a responsible parent, I'll ensure my kids receive the H1N1 vaccine as soon as possible. As a responsible member of society, I'll ensure I get the H1N1 vaccine as soon as possible.
I started blogging here exactly 7 years ago this week. It was a place to sharpen my writing skills and a chance to test various SEO practices and web development techniques. In the beginning, the number of daily unique visitors was often less than ten, and I knew them all in "the real world".
Are you a passionate Toronto Maple Leafs fan? Are you intelligent? Are you active in digital spaces, either blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or other? If you answered "yes" to all three questions, this entry is for you. All others can pick apart my 40 favourite Christmas songs over here.
I just listened to the 3-hour tribute to Martin Streek aired on CFNY / Edge 102. Actually, I missed the first 10 minutes, because I wasn't planning to tune in, but then curiosity got the better of me.
Tomorrow night marks two weeks since Martin Streek took his own life. Yesterday marked two months since I wrote about his firing. Corus' firing of Streek ticked me off, Streek's suicide has followed me around like a black cloud for the past 13 days. The purpose of this entry is to throw down some thoughts on tonight's Corus tribute, accept a few realities and find some closure.
The Hypocrisy
I had trouble getting passed the hypocrisy. The following sentiments were expressed over and over again:
Martin Streek was my favourite DJ.
Martin Streek was passionate about music.
Martin Streek was an ideal colleague.
Martin Streek was the consummate host.
I love Martin Streek.
I'll miss Martin Streek.
There is no other Martin Streek.
Martin was one of my heroes.
Martin Streek was one of the best radio hosts.
I'm sure all of the above is true. CFNY / Edge 102 certainly celebrated Streek, but there was no reference that I heard to the fact they dismissed him in May. This is where the rock meets the hard place. Corus fired Streek, and Corus knows 99% of the listeners tonight are oblivious to this fact. Anyone reading this right now is in the 1% minority. If Martin was so exceptional, with musical passion and a way of connecting with listeners like no other rock DJ in this city, why fire him?
Streek's firing received not a word of exposure on the air. He was deleted from the corporate website and never again referred to on the air until he was found dead in his apartment. Tonight, it was a Streek love-in, with creepiness that only sets in when you've been mourning his absence for two months.
The Music
The music tonight was fantastic. A great collection of excellent tunes without commercial interruption. I was pleased with the playlist.
The Separation of Management and Colleagues
Potential hypocrisy aside, those who worked with Martin loved him, and those who worked with him aren't necessarily supportive of his dismissal in May. A chance to honour Streek at CFNY, the call letters Streek had tattooed on his body, was likely important to many at that station. If we separate those in management who discounted Streek's connection to us fans and deemed him expendable from those who sincerely liked him and miss him, tonight's tribute becomes far more palatable.
We also got to hear from some old friends, like Freddie P., Kneale Mann, Brother Bill and Maie Pauts. That was pretty cool.
The Thoughts of Others
I try not to live in a silo. Sometimes, I miss the mark. Via Twitter and this blog, I was able to get thoughts from some of you listening to the tribute, and I was able to read these thoughts in real-time.
Here's what some of you thought of tonight's tribute. In the comments, I'd love to hear from the rest of you.
If they missed him so much why did they fire him? I think its too little too late. - Buffalo Boy
Edge is dead to me. - @Sinnacledotcom
Maybe I'm just bitter, but it's really too bad that Streek's unfortunate death prompted Corus to properly acknowledge him. - @bkblades
Fired or not, I think it's a good move for the Edge to provide a tribute. There are years of history there. - @chadtweets
Last night at The Phoenix was a tad creepy and by far the best 102.1 live-to-air music played in a while. We have to remember that there are a lot of friends of Martin still at 102.1. They didn't fire him, management did. - @CraigMarketer
Choosing to think the tribute is coming from staff, rather than the machine. And the song choices so far seem to support that. - @CarrieGee
Cynic in me thinks they felt like they had to do something or they'd look bad. But there's genuine desire to pay tribute too. - @snosk
It's taken them THIS long to come up with a tribute? Waiting this long is just as bad as not having one at all. - @mike_cluett
I was disgusted to hear that CFNY was doing this tribute today. Firstly
because, yes, indeed - they did fire the man 2 months ago and secondly
because it took them 2 effing weeks to put it together. If the tribute
was truly genuine it would have happened last Tuesday.
As for Marsden's tribute - that was awesome - listened to and loved
every minute. - Sarah
The other issue I am having with CFNY is that they are still running
Martin's promo spots. Not cool CFNY - not cool. It seems to me like
they are now trying to capitalize off of his death, given that they did
not even acknowledge back in May that he was 'leaving' the station and
did no tribute to his work at that time. This late in the game, a
tribute seems like a ploy to cover up that they had fired him or a
gimmick to get back in the public's good graces for having canned
Streek in the first place given the recent negative backlash online for
their poor handling of the situation. - Sarah
I was listening to it driving from the city... a few of the people are a little too bubbly if you ask me. - @Noeleen1
I'm listening now.....the music is good and they are saying some nice
things, but they are making sound like he never left. They talk about
how important he was to the Edge and music. What a bunch of
hypocritical crap! - Hector
There's a great article in the Star this weekend about Billy from 99.9
only taking 6 weeks for mat leave because she didn't want to be away
from her 'audience' for too long. It's a good article about what radio
people mean to their listener's. I'm not so sure radio today is like
it was a while ago - with that connection, but, as someone who knew
Martin for a long time (I'm an old employee) he had a rabid and loyal
following and the tribute Marsden played two weeks ago was outstanding.
I can't bear to listen to what's on right now. - Andrew
Marsden's tribute was like a raw wake, while the Edge one is a "memorial" with more time to consider. The family is the family. - @valerieinto
I keep having dreams about Martin Streek - BNL did a lot of remotes, etc with him in the early days. So fucking sad. - @stevenpage
The Shitty Facts
Radio is a business. Corus is a corporation seeking to maximize returns. A friend of mine in the biz once told me, "it's a business run by douche bags who never did the thing that the talent they control do, and that's relate to the audience".
Program directors fire people all the time. If you like the personality getting the boot, you hate this. When you dislike the personality getting the boot, you like this. I liked Martin Streek, so his firing understandably pissed me off.
Martin Streek felt he had no other option than to take his own life. It's easy for us to scream at the top of our lungs that he had so many other options, but that's irrelevant. His state of mind had him convinced he'd be better off dead. At the end of the day, this is the shittiest fact of all.
Moving On
To Martin's mother, his girlfriend and those who loved him in the "real world", my sincere condolences. If I've been feeling this weight for two weeks, I can only imagine what you've been feeling. Just know that he made an impact and won't soon be forgotten.
Last night was one of those once in a lifetime experiences you never forget. It's a story I'll be telling for some time. Last night, I was a very proud papa watching my son play on ACC ice in front of 18,000 spectators.
I'm going to document everything here, because that's what I do. When I'm an old man I suspect I'll get a kick out of revisiting these archives, so this entry is for Old Toronto Mike.
We boarded the Tim Hortons bus at Rennie Park at about 5:30pm. It was rainy, but warm. James' stick and hockey bag was placed under the bus and he found a seat next to his buddy Cam where they could watch the on-bus movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks.
From Rennie Park to the ACC isn't a particularly long journey, so they didn't get through much of the flick. We drove into the ACC via a ramp on the south side of the building. We parked next to the bus that brought the Oilers to the game. We waited in this area while security checked every bag and then we waited a little more for our reps from Tim Hortons. The Tim Hortons people would take us the rest of the way.
We were taken to our dressing room via the back of the ACC, where we saw all the extra seats used for the Raptors basketball configuration, as well as several basketball nets and hockey nets. I'm not sure, but I think I also saw Oliver Miller stored away back there.
Our dressing room was next to the Raptors' room, and down a hall from the ACC ice. They put the game on television and asked that the kids be in full uniform with 8-minutes left in the first period. We were divided into a blue team and a white team and the kids got new Timbits uniforms. James got #10.
With 8-minutes left in the period, and the game tied at zero, the players lined up, goalies first and then toggling between blue and white. While waiting to take the ice, Carlton the Bear showed up, as he would drop the puck. Then, I heard our team announced by Andy Frost and the game began.
The game itself is a blur to me. It happens very quickly, and you're trying to pick out your #10 from the glass. Others took video, so I'll be able to see it soon. I can tell you that the game ended in a 1-1 tie, the crowd went nuts for the entire 4-minutes, James thinks he touched the puck, but isn't sure, and the intensity I witnessed far surpassed what I'd see the remainder of the Leafs game.
It was a job well done, and the reward was another box of Timbits, another bottled water and a couple of tickets for us to watch the last two periods of the Leafs game. Oh yeah, and a Carlton the Bear puck and temporary tattoos.
After the Leafs loss, we made our way back to our old dressing room and returned to the bus. There, well past their bedtimes, our Timbits (the players, not the donuts) watched more of Alvin and the Chipmunks before reaching our destination, Rennie Park.
I hope the 18 kids who got to participate in this amazing experience never forget the night they played at the ACC. I know I never will. I've got a bunch of pictures in this Flickr photoset in case my memory starts to fade.
Here's video evidence of Team Blue's goal I captured with my good 'ol digicam.
Update: Another Timbit dad put together a video recap of the evening. At the 3:18 mark, you can see me high five James. Check this out:
And Gail captured some awesome raw footage from her centre ice seat. Check out her handywork:
Update: Here's the official ACC video that was shown on the scoreboard.
I've made my way to Yonge and St. Clair. I'm sitting beside Humble, watching the action. I actually couldn't tap into this highly encrypted EZ Rock WiFi, but Humble has given me access to his PC. What a sweetie...
5:54 - They just played Johnny Nash. Apparently that happens a lot. By the way, before I forget... I heard Kid Rock on EZ Rock this morning. No foolin'...
The room is smaller than I expected. Heather and Andy are on one side of the desk and I'm on the side with Colleen, Kim and Humble. Humble is showing me the sheets of paper he has that tell him the name of the songs with the seconds before the lyrics kick in and lots of other neat info, like the year it was released, the length, etc.
6:02 - I've asked everyone the first question of the morning. I asked them what time their alarms go off in the morning. I can tell you mine went off at 4:40 and I'm exhausted. Kim's alarm goes off at 3:50, she hits the snooze button once or twice, than it goes off again at 4. Colleen's goes off at 3:45 and Humble's at 3:30. Andy, the producer, gets up at 3. He also just showed me a sweet pic of him and Kid Rock at the Kool Haus.
6:14 - 6am is a big deal around here. That's when Starbucks opens. I sure sounded like a dolt asking Heather for a double-double.
6:18 - There's definitely a little prep action while the tunes play. They discuss who will start, they divvy up the tasks and then it all goes down live. It's not too scripted, except for the "3 things to make your life better" bit they're doing right now. That's pre-written and printed on paper before them. Coffee's here!
6:24 - Colleen Rusholme just told me I look like Chris O'Donnell.
6:30 - This screen Andy has is pretty cool. The ads are queued up with a countdown clock, the songs are above also queued up, he gives the "talent" a head's up when there's one minute left then they watch the clock tick down the last ten seconds. There's a red light right above my head that tells me when to shut up.
6:33 - Colleen does the world's worst Don Cherry impersonation. Rick Hodge just walked in. Hey Ma, I just shook hands with Hodgy! They're all going debate the new CBC anthem thing. In all honesty, I haven't been following this contest as I'm still bitter about the CBC losing the rights to the anthem we all know and love. Rick hasn't heard these tunes either, so we're both getting our first listen in minutes. First, Soft Cell.
6:37 - I'm hearing these potential anthems and all I'm thinking is that they should have gone with The Hip's "Lonely End of the Rink".
6:44 - I just had a nice chat with Colleen. She's really sweet. I asked her about adjustments she had to make going from a two person show to a four person show. She was honest with me, telling me that it was tough at first. With four personalities in the room, there was lots of talk during breaks about who would pipe in when, but now that they've been together as a team for a couple of months, they're much better at anticipating who speaks when. In other words, practise makes perfect.
6:53 - I have seen the future. Coming up, Amy Sky, Train and Madonna.
6:55 - Colleen and Kim do like to sing some of these tunes. They love this Amy Sky song, "Love Pain and the Whole Damn Thing". They actually sound really good together. They're singing right now.
7:01 - Until right now, these folks hadn't seen anything I've written. Andy and Colleen just visited torontomike.com on their respective computers and they were excited to read the four comments. So comment, they're reading what you write.
I've asked everybody if they nap in the afternoons. They all do. Humble tells me that back in the Humble & Fred days he didn't nap, but he went to bed at 9. Now he stays up later to hang with his kids, and he naps every afternoon. They're prepping for the Brent Butt thing right now.
7:07 - If you haven't heard, it's going to be a sunny and warm weekend. I've been here for 90 minutes and I've heard that now about 132 times.
7:09 - Finally, Humble has told EZ Rock's listeners that this is happening. He also thrust the microphone in my face and I went on the air. I'm no Venus Flytrap... Welcome EZ Rock listeners. Enjoy your stay at torontomike.com and check out the archives to catch up on the past 6 years.
7:16 - I just asked Kim and Colleen about their most embarrassing on-air moments. Kim's happened recently when she was interviewing Jeanne Beker. She mentioned to Jeanne that she loved performing "Jerk" on stage with her at a Magna event. Jeanne had absolutely no recollection of this event.
Colleen was interviewing Jane Seymour and mentioned to Jane that she loved her in Queenie. Jane politely told Colleen that she wasn't in Queenie. Colleen replied with "yes you were!".
Humble blew up a $175,000 client. I'm going to get the details on that one later...
7:23 - They're prepping right now about who's saying what and when with regards to the "what do you have to have at Thanksgiving dinner" question. The Longos guy was just in the studio and I wanted to ask him if turkeys can fly.
7:28 - I asked Kim and Colleen about the post-show ritual. At 9 they leave our airwaves, but when does their work day end? After each show, they record promos for the next days show. Then, they prep for the next days show. Their typical day ends at any time between 10:30 and 1:00.
7:33 - Ok, you had to be here for that big slice of funny we just shared. What do you have in your sauce? The raw footage, edited before aired, was hilarious.
7:36 - Rick Hodge is back. Hear that, mom! I just asked him who is his favourite interview was. He said it's Bill "Spaceman" Lee and Weird Al Yankovic.
Humble says it's Kevin Smith, but he also loved interviewing John Cusack and John Hurt.
Colleen loved interviewing Bill Cosby and Roseanne Cash. I'd like to interview one of Cosby's sweaters.
7:41 - Driving here this morning, I heard John Tesh on EZ Rock. When I got here, I tried to hunt him down. That guy must blow outta here seconds after his show ends at 5:30!
7:45 - I just snapped some pictures I'll post later today. I had Colleen take a picture of me with Hodgy. And yes, I'll still be posting a Leafs update the morning after each game... I've just been a little busy this morning.
7:53 - I'm starting to get comfy here... I'm thinking EZ Mornings with Humble, Kim, Colleen, Rick and Toronto Mike has a nice ring to it.
I just asked Humble about what adjustments he's had to make going from a two-man booth to a four-person booth. He tells me the hardest adjustment he's had to make is getting used to working with three attractive young women.
7:57 - I just found out that Colleen and I are the same age. She and Howard both change their sleeping patterns on the weekends, and no, they don't sleep together. Colleen will sleep until 10am if possible on a Saturday or Sunday. Humble gets up between 6 and 7.
8:04 - Tesh alert! Tesh alert!
8:10 - Kim just sang a little 12 Years Old for us - that's a great tune I remember from MuchMusic back in the day. We're talking live to John Tesh right now. Humble promises to remind the EZ Rock listeners that this is happening, so stay tuned for another Toronto Mike promo.
8:14 - I've once again seen the future, and it's full of Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta, Bryan Adams, Leona Lewis and John Mayer.
8:17 - I've been hanging here, watching the action for almost three hours now, and it's a lot of fun. Everyone is sweet, they are truly having a blast, and it all just sort of comes together. As a guy who fell in love with radio watching WKRP, this is like that without the turntable and tape where walls would be if there were walls. This is just too much fun to be work.
8:20 - I've asked everyone one of the questions asked in the comments. I asked what they would change about their jobs, other than the salary. Unanimously, everyone would change the hours. In other words, hosting the morning show is awesome except for the fact it happens to take place in the morning.
8:25 - They just gave away a trip to Sea World. They actually tape the call with the winner and then play it from the tape about a minute later. I'm guessing that's in case the winner swears. Actually, Howard tells me it's to shorten it so it fits with the song and everything. Humble's Shamu impersonation is a big hit in this room.
8:29 - Humble promises the Toronto Mike promo is happening next. Colleen just did this neat gambling thing that's hard to explain. She gauged my luck with this finger trick. Yeah, you have to see it to know what I'm talking about.
Rick is back. He walks over from the CFRB broadcast room down the hall and now he's going to talk about the Jimmy Fallon "every song from the 80s can be sung to MC Hammer's U Can't Touch This". I actually posted that song on this blog earlier in the week when sharing the literal version of A-Ha's "Take On Me".
8:37 - The girls are singing along to Crowded House. I saw that this song was highlighted on Howard's song cheat sheet. It turns out the highlighting was to tell him this is the song of the day. It's a great song.
8:43 - I just dropped some Maestro Fresh Wes on these guys. Seriously, I hit 'em up with some "Let Your Backbone Slide".
I just got my 2nd promo of the show and my 2nd on-air shot. This time, I actually felt more comfortable. I'd consider a career in radio, except for the weak-ass voice and face for television and, in all honesty, I can't afford the pay cut.
8:56 - We've wrapped up here... it's been fun and the show flew by. It felt like 20 minutes...
I'll chime in with some final thoughts later, right now I'm getting booted off this PC!
11:17 - After the show I joined Humble, Kim and Colleen in another studio where they recorded promos for Tuesdays show. I also got a pic with Colleen and met Jessica Baker and Jim Richards. Jim actually recognized me from when we met almost two years ago which was pretty cool.
Feel free to ask any questions in the comments and I'll answer them there.
Those who Google Bill Barilko usually end up at my tribute to Bashin' Bill. Here's the summary I wrote for that page.
It was April 21st, 1951, game 5 of the Stanley Cup final between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. At the 2:53 mark of the first overtime period, Bill Barilko scored the last goal of his life winning the Stanley Cup for the Leafs.
The 24 year old defenseman perished in a light plane crash that summer while on a fishing trip to Northern Ontario. Not until his body was recovered 11 years later in the bush near Cochrane, Ontario, did the Leafs win another championship.
Marlene Pearce found my Bill Barilko page via a Google search and sent me the following note.
I am the daughter of Ron Boyd who was the helicopter pilot who found the crash site of Bill Barilko and Dr. Hudson's Fairchild 24. If you'd like more information and articles, government letters, etc. from my dad's scrapbook, I would be happy to share this with you. The story of the discovery of the site is quite interesting.
As you can imagine, I was very interested in everything Marlene could share with me about the discovery of Barilko's crash site. This is something I want to share with fellow fans of the legend of Bill Barilko. This, in essence, is why I blog.
Marlene sent me four images I'm sharing below. The verbiage above each image are Marlene's words. If you click a picture, it will take you to the Flickr page for the image where you can view it at a larger size.
1. Newspaper Article explaining the entire situation around the discovery of the plane and crash site. I think you'll find it interesting. My father's name was Ron Boyd and he was with his engineer, Mr. Phil Weston.
2. A photo from the newspaper of the wreckage, along with original photos my father took with his camera of the wreckage, and the crash site as he and Mr. Phil Weston flew over it.
3. A letter from the Department of Lands and Forests giving a commendation to my father and to those involved in the discovery.
4. A letter from F. A. MacDougall, Deputy Minister to the Department of Lands and Forests re: my father's work in this case.
Thanks, Marlene, for taking the time to scan these images and send them to me. It pleases me that this exercise brought back wonderful memories of your father and his career.
He's our Buddy Holly, immortalized by the Hip's "Fifty Mission Cap", and scorer of the 1951 Stanley Cup winner for my beloved Maple Leafs. Every year, Bill Barilko's legend grows.
Have we heard our second national anthem for the last time during the opening of Hockey Night in Canada? The Star is reporting that's entirely possible.
The licence agreement to use the song expired with the final game of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, according to statements posted this week on the website hockeytheme.com.
On the website, Copyright Music and Visuals president John Ciccone says CBC has advised his company, which controls use of the song, and composer Dolores Claman that it is not prepared to sign a new agreement.
As a loyal Hockey Night in Canada viewer for over twenty years, there are three constants I'd like to see continue for as long as possible.
Bob Cole calling Leafs games
Don Cherry hosting Coach's Corner
Dolores Claman's Hockey Night in Canada song opening the broadcast
Call me a nostalgia addict who rejects change, but the removal of any of the above three elements will prompt me to pull out my typewriter and write angry letters to the CBC.
It's upsetting just thinking about it. Cue that tune...
I just listened to today's episode of Humble and Fred Radio. At about the 30 minute mark, between some typically hilarious banter and a great performance by 54-40, guest Fearless Fred from Edge 102 goes off on me. You have to hear this 5:27 of audio to believe it.
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I just wrote the sweet as all hell 
If another supposed Leafs fan tells me they're cheering for the Habs, I'm going to blow. The commonality amongst the people I'm hearing this nonsense from is that they're all young. It seems our youth thinks it's okay to love the Leafs and root for the Habs.
As 2009 draws to a close, it's time to reflect upon the past twelve months. Here are 12 blog entries of 2009 worthy of another visit.
I just listened to the 3-hour tribute to Martin Streek aired on CFNY / Edge 102. Actually, I missed the first 10 minutes, because I wasn't planning to tune in, but then curiosity got the better of me.
Last night was one of those once in a lifetime experiences you never forget. It's a story I'll be telling for some time. Last night, I was a very proud papa watching my son play on ACC ice in front of 18,000 spectators.
Have we heard our second national anthem for the last time during the opening of Hockey Night in Canada? The Star is