Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Andy Kim: Toronto Mike'd #394

Episode Date: November 6, 2018

Mike chats with Andy Kim about Sugar Sugar, Rock Me Gently, and so much more.

Welcome to episode 394 of Toronto Mic'd, a weekly podcast about anything and everything. Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Propertyinthe6.com, Paytm Canada, Census Design and Build, and our newest sponsors, Palma Pasta and Fast Time Watch and Jewelry Repair. I'm Mike from torontomike.com and joining me is Andy Kim. Welcome, Andy. Hey, welcome, Mike. Hey.

I want to tell everyone that you're the first guest in 394 episodes to wear the headphones in this technique. I almost want to take a picture. I love it. I never thought of that. Well, I don't know why, but from the very first time I started making records, I put the headphones that way. And it just stuck with me, I guess. Well, it lets you keep the hair style, right?

Like, that's probably the headphones crush the hair, and maybe, you know, it had... You know, I don't know why it started that way. I just, you know, I figure, you know, everyone's doing it that way. Maybe I do it this way. I like that. And I'm just glad you're wearing the headphones,

because throughout this episode, there's going to be a lot of musical elements I'm going to play and I just want you to enjoy them along with me. So thanks for sticking them on. Now, you also asked me before we started recording if I was a Mike or a Michael. And I told you I was a Mike and we talked about why I'm a Mike and not a Michael. But you're an Andy. But here's the thing I learned about you is that you're a man who has gone by many, many different names in his career. You're by birth. Tell us your birth name, if you don't mind. Well, it's Andre.

Did you know that? No, I thought it was Andrew. No, it's Andre. See? Breaking news already. So how does it become Andrew? Well, because Andre became Andrew and became Andy. It just got to New York City,

and it just became pretty easy for people to just call me Andy, and it stuck. Don't I look like an Andy, or do I look like an Andre? What do I look like? I think you look like an Andrew. I do? But yeah. You don't think I look like a Baron?

Yeah, well, that's okay. Ready? I got five names for you. You ready? I'm going to go down the list. I'm going to do it. And please, I hope I pronounce the first one correctly, because this is, well, now I found it.

It's Andre. Joachim? Correct. So Joachim, which has Kim in there. So is it just, was that, dare I say, that was too ethnic for the people at the time? You know, I have no idea. I'm always so interested in the music aspect of life and in the spirituality of life. And I think that whatever you call someone, the way you call them just has some kind of beauty to them. So whether it's Michael or Mike or Andy or Andre, it's the way someone else

pronounces your name. And I just think that at the beginning, they just thought it was kind of cool to just be Andy Kim. And Andy Kim, you've spelled it a couple of different ways, right? Like you've got Andy Kim, K-I-M, which is how we all kind of know you yes but there was a period you were andy kim kim m yes there was a double m only because um i am i was hanging around with a numerologist so i figured oh why not but was there something with the numbers that suggested the two m's would be good luck or something good fortune no i i don't know you know i've never really thought about that in depth um i really don't think much about uh things like that i always uh wonder you know what this day

is gonna unfold into and and how it is that I'm going to handle whatever is coming my way. And so I just figure it's my life. It's my moment. I'm going to try and do what I want to do because time is short. And why not? No, it makes sense to me.

And you didn't know when you were coming here today, you didn't know you'd be getting hit with the heavy questions right off the bat here. I'm here all over your name here, but you have Baron Longfellow. And later in this episode, I'm going to play some Baron Longfellow. And it's not just Baron Longfellow. You also just went by Longfellow for a period. So names, you're right, you own your name, it's your name, and you weren't afraid to you know modify it well you know um here's how i see it all you show up uh and and be the best

that you can be and and sometimes you have an opportunity to you know change your name or add a name or do something. The Baron Longfellow and Longfellow thing was not my idea, but I went along with that idea because I'm just kind of intrigued. But I'm Andy Kim today. Andy Kim. Mike, if you call me tomorrow.

No, I'm Andy Kim. Today you're Andy Kim. I think I was always Andy Kim, but there are moments in time in life where I think you kind of maybe wear a different hat or wear different clothes or let your beard grow or whatever. So I think I feel you here. Like if I were meeting my accountant or something,

I might be Michael for that meeting, right? Like this is, I might be a Michael. I feel like a Michael for that meeting. I think all names have a spiritual meaning to their mom. And so if you're born with a name, then you kind of hang on to it in whatever way you can. If you go into business and someone says, well, maybe you should be this. It's more of a marketing move than it is what your mom calls you.

And I think that's the important thing. Jason Beattie is a listener of this show. And he wrote a note when he heard you were coming on. He said, hey, when you have Andy Kim on, mention my buddy, Derek Downham. He's Andy's musical director, very talented musician in his own right. So Derek Downham, this is a name you know, I hope?

Derek is, I think, one of the most creative and intelligent musicians and very gifted. Pretty cool guy. Jason, that's your buddy, Jason. So there you go. Beats, I think we call him on torontomic.com. Mike Gregotsky is another listener. And he wanted to know if you've ever been mistaken

for other awesome singers of your day. Did anyone come up to you and say, hey, I love your music, and then call you by another singer's name? Well, I think physically, because, you know, I mean, you know, I never thought about it, because I'm kind of, you live your life,

and you have a name, and you have hit records. But I think that physically, you know, you're 6'2", and you have hit records but i i think that physically um you know you're six two and you're dark haired and um so um i've been i've been called engelbert humperdinck a few times i can see that but um it's kind of been that you know uh or hey you look like someone and so i've been like looking like someone for a while. Now we've kind of got to know each other over only 10 minutes, I'd say, maybe 15 minutes now we've been chatting. And I've got to say, you look much younger than the age I read online.

You look fantastic for your age. But did you know there's two different ages for you online? Are you aware of this? You know what? I can't argue that. It's there and people will always wonder. But, you know, I mean, I don't look 23 and I don't know what I look like.

It depends on the day. What can I tell you? Maybe you're having a good hair day today, which is surprising because it's pouring rain out there. I had an umbrella, as you can tell. That hides me. That's right. Wait till I make you take a photo with me outside afterwards in the rain,

and then you're really going to rue the day. Are you going to bring your hockey sticks too as well? If you like me to. Do you ever play hockey? I was such a bad, bad hockey player i i kind of skated okay and i i was um i was happy about knowing how to skate uh hey you grew up in montreal you know how to skate um but when i lived in new york city i mean i used to go to rockefeller center and just i would use that rink as often as I could.

But no sticks allowed on the Rockefeller ice, right? No, but other things are allowed. Okay. Now, just to the age thing. So did you want to, like, obviously I would never, you don't have to disclose your age, but there are two, and they're different, I'm going to tell you, they're different by six years.

So there's two ages depending which source you go to. So which one do I look like, Mike? You look like the 46. Okay. But I, and if you want, I think it could be cool to remain mysterious about this, like let the people debate this forever. But if you wanted to, you could settle this dispute once and for all right here on Toronto, Mike. You could, for the record, tell us your age. It's 52. See, where did the 46?

No, I'm not 52, but I was born in 52. Born in, maybe that's what, because that's the other age that's floating. Okay, born in 52, doing the math now. So you're making me do the math now. Okay, so, okay, this settles it once and for all. Born in 52, and thank you. Finally, on the record, we've got an answer. Or 62. It all. Born in 52, and thank you. Finally, on the record,

we've got an answer. Or 62. It all depends on the day, you know? So just like the name, it's fluid. It's all fluid. You know what? Someone once told me, they said,

it's not how you look that counts.'s how you're feeling inside what's your spirituality like who do you like to be with um what do you care about and how are you living your life um so there are so many things that that are online from another day in time. To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't bring up 1935, because that's what it was at one point in my life. I was being kind there, yeah. No, it's okay. Because there's a thing.

Sometimes there's an age out there, and then if you do get out your calculator and do the math, you're like, this guy's recording career started when he was 14 or whatever. How young a man were you when you started recording music? I was in my teens. I was 16 when I went to New York, and so it was just an incredible, awesome time. And I was lucky enough to look older than my age.

I was taller than my age was. And I shaved at 10. It was just one of those things. Is it one of those things where you shaved in the morning as a young man and then by 5 o'clock p.m. you had to shave again? Did you have that going on? Yeah, first of all, it was just the lips.

It was the upper lip that I shaved. So it's that. You know what? I personally, because of what's going on in my life today, I'm being stretched back to a time that I don't ever go to, if that makes any sense. Well, explain to me. Well, you know, I'm very much of in the moment. So I'm not gone to school reunions or any of that stuff.

It's just, it's every day is a new day and that's what I'm living, to be honest with you. But if I interpret that, are you saying you're not big on nostalgia? Is it you're not big on looking back? I don't look back.

Well, you're ready, you're going to hate this show. You know why? We're going to look back. Well, I said I'm at a point now because of what's going on in my life, you know, on December 1st and all of that stuff. Yes. I'm forced to look back.

And sometimes I've got to stretch and say, oh, really? Did that really happen or that? Songs are different, though. I remember the first time i was in the studio with jeff barry i that's that i remember um so there are certain things that come to mind but i you know i mean a stretch back all that time is um i haven't figured it out yet but but it's not where I go.

Well, I'm going to give you some gifts now. We're going to thank some sponsors, and then we're going to hold hands and take like a stroll down memory lane, just revisit some of the music. Maybe I'll be able to extract a few great stories from you, which I know the listeners would love to hear.

And then we can talk about December 1st, and we can talk about some of the things that are happening in your life today. Get us in the present tense. So let me start. This is a new segment I just introduced the other day here. Let me... Andy, this is called Remember the Time. So we're going to go in the time machine and we're going to look back on this day in 1975, the first performance of the Sex Pistols. This happened at St. Martin's College in London.

Were you ever a Sex Pistols fan? Was that ever? Well, I was a Sex Pistols fan from afar. You know, I mean, everything that was going on, I mean, I, you know, I saw Jackie Wilson live, you know, was able to meet some of those great artists of the time. But I loved it. But I was writing different songs, obviously. Sure. You were on different stations. Let's put it that way.

You were on... Well, I was on different stations, is right. Except in 1968, when I had my first hit record, you'd be able to hear everybody that was having records, whether it was The Doors or Led Zeppelin and Andy Kim or Frank Sinatra, all on one station. But it started to change. Underground music did that. So Sex Pistols on this day in 1975.

Remember the Time is brought to you by Fast Time Watch and Jewelry Repair. They've been doing quality watch and jewelry repairs for over 30 years. You might remember, Andy, that in Sears, you could walk into a Sears and you could get your watch repaired at a Sears or get your battery replaced. Well, that Sears watch repair was actually Fast Time. So when Sears left the country, Fastime started opening their own locations. They have a bunch of locations, a dozen at least, and they opened a new one in Richmond Hill. And if you go to fasttimewatchrepair.com,

you can find out a location near you. But here's the exciting news for everybody listening. If you mention Toronto Mic'd, just mention that you heard their sponsorship on Toronto Mic'd, you get 15% off any regular priced watch battery installation. Apparently, they never do this. This is super rare and awesome. So go find out where your closest location is a fast time and get your watch battery replaced while you wait. And they do watch and jewelry jewelry repair so andy if you need any watch repairs done jewelry repairs these guys a fast time great family-run business for over 30 years highly recommend them okay what do you want me to am i am i gonna get a watch i actually uh am working on that I going to get like a free battery? 15. Are you getting free batteries?

I get the same deal everyone else gets. I walk in, I mention my own show, and I get 15% off, which is like the regular price is already reasonable. So I'm already getting 15%. But you know what? You want a gift. So I have something for you. No, no, I don't need gifts. I got everything I need.

Well, then you can donate it to my family. Have you heard of Jersey Mike? No. Hey, is he a Jersey Mike? No. Oh, my God. Should I know Jersey Mike? Yeah.

The best, best subs in the world. I think I saw something online about this, but is it only in New Jersey or is this elsewhere? I, you know, I picked it up somewhere. I forget.

Jersey Mike. I don't know. If he had the name before me, I might be in trouble, but if I had it up somewhere. I forget. Jersey Mike. I don't know if he had the name before me. I might be in trouble. But if I had it first, I have to send my lawyers a note and see what we can do. You have lawyers now too. I'm Michael when I talk to the lawyers. Andy, have you ever been to Italy? No.

I wish I would have taken the opportunity when I had it. It's not too late. We can still make this happen. You can? Is that the gift in the box? Don't tell me. If it's the gift, then I'm having a good time. Oh, I'm sweating over here because I thought it was a great gift until you mentioned that.

Now I think you're going to be underwhelmed. But listen, I do have a gift for you. That is a frozen lasagna from Palma's Kitchen. It's very heavy. It's all yours. You can have that. You've got to let that thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before you put it in the oven.

But best lasagna you'll have outside of Italy, I'm telling you, Palma's pasta. So enjoy. You know, the reason why I watch a lot of cable television is like HBO and Netflix and Amazon Prime and stuff. It's to kind of do away with those commercials. So let me ask you this. Yes, sir. How come you have all these commercials going on?

Very different to me. Like you're watching a show on ABC and they air a 30-second spot. It's one way street. It's there. It's canned. You have to endure here at least. It's interactive.

There's engagement. These sponsors are helping to power the show. So I try to incorporate them into the show. So gifts, for example, you see there's a six-pack of Great Lakes beer there for you to go with the pasta. That's from Great Lakes Brewery. What about those hockey sticks and that great bike that's there? The bike? You can never have that bike.

Oh, I wore my iBikeTO shirt today, too. The bike is my life. I don't know. I'd have to go out and buy a new one, I guess, if you went home and that thing. But the, the hockey stick we could talk about. I mean,

I could, I could. No, I mean, you know, I want to know something. Those hockey sticks really look like they, they've been,

they've been worn to, to your hands, gloves or whatever it is. Are you a left-handed shot or a right-handed shot? I am a right-handed shot. See, I'm a left-handed shot, so we're already dead in the water there. It's okay.

It's okay. Okay, so can you name me any presidents recently that were left-handed? Left-handed? I know that there was a long-time thought that being left-handed made you sinister. This was seen as a negative. That's why you put the salt over your left shoulder.

I don't know of any presidents that were left-handed, but if I had to guess, I would guess JFK was left-handed. No. Guess. Oldman Bush was left-handed. H.W. Bill Clinton left-handed.

Really? Barack Obama left-handed. I think that left-handed. H.W. Bill Clinton, left-handed. Really? Barack Obama, left-handed. I think that left-handed people are brilliant. Are you left-handed? No. And I hear less than 10%, I think, of the society is left-handed. So that's a far higher percentage of U.S. presidents that are left-handed. So maybe you're right.

Well, you know, I've not gone through the history of it all. Maybe, who knows? Maybe I need to know if Donald Trump is left-handed. No, he's a Gemini. That's what I mean. What are you, by the way? Which sign are you? I'm a Sagittarian.

What are you? Cancer. You mean moonshine. There's negative connotations to cancer, so you? Cancer. You mean moonshine. Okay. There's negative connotations to cancer. So you're right. It does sound a little... You're left-handed and you're a cancer.

But I'm left-handed shot. But when I write, I write right. I'm a right-handed person with a left-handed shot. Oh, so you're ambidextrous. Kind of. Kind of. But only with hockey and golf, I guess. Everything else, I'm pretty much right-handed.

Well, I have a buddy of mine who plays guitar left-handed, but throws a ball right-handed. It's just... Anyway, here we are. Do you mind if I play... Let me play a song, and I have a few questions about it. I hope you'll share some stories about it. But let's listen to Sugar Sugar. You are my candy girl And you got me wanting you

This was a monster hit. This was number one for weeks, I think at least four weeks. It was record of the year in 1969. Please, I finally have you here. This was written for the Archies. Tell me everything you can about Sugar Sugar. Well, you know,

I've always said I never take a bow for inspiration. Sugar Sugar was that. Nobody wanted to play it when the record was made. Donny Kirshner had been fired from the Monkees, although Mickey and Davey said they passed on it, but it's a myth. Look, I love the song. I used to hum it all the time.

As a writer, you just get excited about it. I know that when it came out, nobody wanted to play it because it was the year of Woodstock. The Vietnam War was raging. Right. And radio was changing. So people were not interested

in playing a Saturday morning cartoon show or animated show. And it took a little while before a radio station in San Francisco decided to give it an opportunity. One time. And at the time, audiences that listened to the radio

really were kind of interactive. And as they say, the phone's lit up and here we are a thousand years later and it still sounds great in my ears. It sounds great.

Yeah, I'm going to turn up a little bit before it ends to hear it in the headphones because, you know, music sounds best in headphones. It does. I'd call this an earworm, and I'll be singing it all day.

Yes, have you heard the Wilson Pickett version? I don't know the Wilson Pickett version. Have you heard the Tina Turner version? Which version made you the most money? May I ask? Is that too personal to ask? Have you heard the Bob Marley version? There's a Bob Marley version. No.

I'm behind. No, it's okay it's okay which is your favorite version the Archie version but I I think that that uh when Wilson Pickett recorded it and became a number one R&B song and I went top 10 billboard R&B that it kind of changed the focus of the song and then Tina Turner just kind of kills you when you hear it I'll send them to you later and Bob Marley had his own unique take on it so it's cool but but the Archie version is the version for me. The definitive. That's the one that, that was the big smash that we kind of all remember, the Archie's version.

69, again, record of the year. Now, how did it come to you? May I ask you, did it flow out of you? A feverish dream? Like, I'm trying to... It just came in a conversation on the phone. It was like, hey, man, do you have any songs for the Archies?

And so, you know, but had you already written for the monkeys? I had written. Yes. Well, it was for Davey and Mickey, you know,

it was, um, it was going to be their last, um, um, album as the monkeys because they, they needed to satisfy their contract so that was basically that but um but you know i mean it's just one of those things have you ever had something that

just popped into your head and you don't know where it came from and why it's there and yes but never anything as successful as sugar sugar well but you're not a songwriter you know but but but an idea maybe maybe your podcast was an idea that said okay uh i don't want to go out i want to stay here um i want to how do i get people like andy kim to visit my basement where do do I start? That was like a shower moment. I have no idea how I got here. All I know is that everything I heard about you made me interested in trying to spend some time here.

Is that right? Yeah. So you did some, what, I'd say reference checks? No, I don't. You know what? I don't do any reference checks. It's don't you know what i i don't do any reference checks it's just that um you know you turn around and people ask you hey um so what are you up to tomorrow and i said well i'm going to see mike you're going to be in toronto mike's basement

where you'll be lauded and given gifts and you said that sounds like a pretty good way to spend a rainy i had no idea about la evening. I had no idea about lauding and I had no idea about gifts, to be honest with you. I mean, the fact that you went out and made this lasagna on your own

and got all the ingredients. I don't know how you got, you know, how you got all the time. The brewery? Well, the brewery is one thing, but I don't know how you found the time to do this.

I never mentioned this earlier, and it's a line. I know you don't like the ads in here. You know what the problem is? Without the sponsorship, it costs money to do this, and I'm happy to donate my time to the Passion Project

because I did that for many years. But then you reach a moment where why shouldn't I monetize something I've built with my own hands for six years? Is there any shame in that do you think because i'm we're going to get to it later but you've had songs licensed by products like uh used in advertisements etc like there's there's no shame in that right i'm curious there's no shame in anything that you're doing i mean i'm i'm not here to did you take my i conversations about it? I was worried maybe you thought I sold out. I was feeling like a seller there.

No, no, no, no, no. I mean, look, someone's got to pay for the electricity and pay for your time. And this is what you're doing. And I think you're awesome at it, to be honest with you. Well, thank you. And no, no, that has nothing to do with anything. It just has to do with the fact that I think I don't know how to participate in your commercial. Oh, you know, you're right. That's the only thing, you know, because I don't know these products. And so I don't

know. I have a watch that doesn't need a battery. Right. So it's, anyway. No, I totally understood. You're right. Maybe you're right. It's awkward if I kind of jam you into the convo that you're not prepared for.

You're right. That's totally awkward. So let me just say one-sided here, just like when you're watching ABC, I'll just say Great Lakes Brewery is a fiercely independent craft brewery located here in Etobicoke. 99.9% of all Great Lakes beer remains here in Ontario.

As I often say, GLB, brewed for you, Ontario. So there's the brewery that's the six packs from Great Lakes Brewery, local, not too far from here. The lasagnas from Palmer's Kitchen, the Fast Time, they were responsible for the Remember the Time segment where we learned about the Sex Pistols. And now I'm going to ask you about the Ronettes.

And before I play this song, can you tell me, were you always a fan of the Ronettes? Tell me about basically you as a fan of the Ronettes. Well, first of all, everything about music um came from my transistor radio everything and everything about the dream that i had came from my transistor radio my transistor radio was my friend i did did my homework. I went to sleep. And at night, when I stayed up, I could hear WKBW in Buffalo

and sometimes WABC in New York. And I was so drawn into the music and into the feeling of wanting so much to crawl into that transistor and be part of that life. That was what my dream was. And so if you talk about Be My Baby, it's the first time that I heard it on a transistor radio. And I didn't understand how this magic was happening.

It was like one of those things that just took me to a place. There's a great Mark Twain quote. The two most important days of your life, the day you are born and the day you find out why. And I only read it a couple of years ago and it kind of was like, it kind of pushed my whole being back because I think as a little kid,

I knew why, but I didn't know how to package it. As a little kid, I knew why, but I didn't know how to package it. And Be My Baby was like the standard, just the sound of it all. It's like the Phil Spector wall of sound, right? Well, I didn't know about Phil Spector. All I knew was that there was something happening. And Ronnie's voice and Castanets, and later you find out a Jack Nietzsche and that wall of sound.

And it's just, I'm enthralled by music, by writers, by producers, by engineers, by all those creative people that build those songs into great records. Your transistor radio, because I have a similar story in that I had a little blue transistor radio and I was a big Blue Jays fan and I would listen to Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth call the Blue Jay games on CJCL 1430, the music of your life. And every night I fell asleep to 1430 on this transistor radio. Do you remember?

Did you have a specific transistor radio that was your best friend? Do you remember this actual device? Oh, you know, I wish I had it. There's a lot of stuff that... That as I look back, I wish I'd held on to. All the gold records and all the things that I ever had, I used to send to my mom and dad, and they're in a box somewhere,

and one of my brothers, I think, lost where that box is, or boxes. But I remember the transistor radio because my mom would always tell me you can't listen to the radio while you're doing your homework and stuff. But it's where I lived. It's really kind of my map

to where I am today. And I specifically brought up the Ronettes. Of course, we're going to play Be My Baby, but actually before, I want to play another song first. Have I ever told you How good it feels to hold you It isn't easy to explain

And though I'm really trying Mae'n ddiddorol. Baby, I love you. Baby, I love you. Baby, I love you. Come on, baby. Na-na-na-na-na-na-na. Na-na-na-na-na-na-na. Baby, I love you. And I love that cover. That's great.

You know, I didn't know it was a cover, by the way. Tell me that. Did someone just handed you a sheet music no no no you see all of this is tied into someone who is in the rock and roll hall of fame someone who was my mentor someone who um i just to this day continue to love and appreciate the fact that he took a kid from Montreal that only knew a two-chord song and I became I became his co-writer on a lot of songs and and his name is Jeff Barry. And somehow or other, when I walked into his office, you know, Mike, it's almost like, you know, I think you and I right now, I don't know how long we've known each other. What?

At least 45 minutes now. 45 minutes. I could go somewhere and have a beer with you or I can go and watch you play hockey or something. And it's cool because we could talk about stuff. You know, I can talk about commercials and things and you can find it somewhat amusing that I'm having this conversation with you and it's a back and forth conversation. So, I happened to be in Jeff's office because I had carte blanche to be in his office. I had had How Do We Ever Get This Way had come out.

It climbed the charts. I think it went to the teens somewhere. And then we had Shoot Him Up Baby. And that was a problem because of the title. Yeah, baby. And that was a problem because of the title. Yeah, right. So people didn't want to play it and I didn't understand it all.

So one day I'm in the office which was somewhere that I was always comfortable in and I was just playing a guitar and I was somewhere that I was always comfortable in. And I was just playing a guitar. And I was playing that feel. And I was doing my come on, baby, na, na, na, and all of that stuff. And Jeff walks in and he said, so what are you playing?

I said, well, I'm playing this lead sheet here. And it's Be My Baby. And he says, I love what you're're doing but that's not how it goes so i said well i never heard the song which i had never heard the song oh baby i love you baby i love you sorry yeah baby i love you and um and i don't know i don't know why. I mean, I know I've heard Be My Baby, but I don't know if Canada, was it a hit in Canada? You know, I don't know. Before my time, I don't think it had nearly the reach of Be My Baby. Not even close, I don't think. I just, and so, so we went into the studio and we tried to have everybody that played on my records.

You have to understand that I didn't get here alone. I got here by a lot of talented people helping me. And I always put the words, lucky and blessed Andy Kim. I always put the words lucky and blessed Andy Kim. But it was one of those sessions where nothing was happening. And for a kid who heard, when I got there, you're only as good as your last two minutes and 30 seconds. I thought it was over for me because I really hadn't had a hit hit.

You know, I was on the charts and I was galloping along, but I didn't have anything that was like going to be anything. So, excuse me so my producer Jeff Barry who's also writer of that song said it's okay we'll do it ourselves and we went to A&R Studios the big studio

and I sat alone and we went to A&R Studios, the big studio. And I sat alone in the huge stage. Jeff went into the booth. I started playing guitar and he started singing. He was the metronome. As soon as we did a couple of three takes so i had a a full recording of a perfect guitar line and then i doubled it and tripled it and quadrupled it and i had five times well yeah i was gonna say what's after quadruple? I don't even know. Pentuple? I don't know.

That's why I said five times. But that's the foundation of that song. So when you hear the beginning and you hear the kind of the echo slap almost, that's my finger hitting the hole on the acoustic guitar yeah because i'm i'm not a school guitar player i'm just i don't know if i'm schooled at anything i'm just riding the wave of life that's like me in this podcast i have no broadcasting experience i'm just broadcasting well i think that's the cool thing about you. You know, to be honest with you, I think that the only time I feel that you're out of you is to make sure that everything is working.

But when you're talking and we're going back and forth, I think it's just like, this is a natural thing for you mike no thanks that's i'm gonna extract that audio and put it in my testimonial file but here so you do a ronette song baby i love you uh and it was it's a hit right it was a hit in this country for sure right it was my first million seller yeah and the interesting thing is that it came out about maybe a month, two months before Sugar Sugar came out. Oh, okay. I thought it was the opposite order.

No. Baby I Love You was out. I was on tour and Sugar Sugar came out. So it was like this magical time where I had my first million seller and then Sugar Sugar becomes record of the year, song of the year. And everybody had put it down, to be honest with you. It was just, oh, it's that song, it's that song. But it just had this thing that people wanted to hear.

And here we are so many years later that no matter where I go around the world, I start singing that song and everybody finishes it and that's the beauty of music right it's the communal aspect we share this yeah it's just it's incredible look i don't understand it all i'm i i can't diagram at all i'm not a professor talking about it all right i'm just a guy that um has tapped into a dream and and is living it and i don't have all the answers but i'm i'm glad that you want to take your time to talk to me most definitely and i guess my question about you did that ronette song baby i love you but was there any hesitancy like any concern that hey maybe maybe i shouldn't do another ronette song

did that ever cross your mind? Oh, well, yeah, yeah. Because, you know, after Baby, I Love You, I was able to, you know, do some records. But, you know, at the end of the day, Jeff was involved in the original Ronette hit, Be My Baby, with Phil Spector. And I mean, getting to be a part of it all was just an incredible experience. But we followed the same formula for a few more songs. And so I would

play all the guitars and we would find a way to play the percussion and stuff. And I did get a compliment from Phil about it because he thought it was a cool version. Well, let's listen to Andy Kim's Be My Baby. The night we met I knew I needed you so And if I had the chance, oh, I'd never let you go So won't you say you love me I'll make you so proud of me We'll make them turn their heads Every place we go So come on and be Be my, be my baby

Be my little baby Say you'll be my darling Be my, be my baby Be my baby now Right now, right now Andy, what's it like listening to yourself way back then? Like, what's that like? You know, I don't even know how I was able to do all of this.

I sound like I'm 12 years old. I mean, it's really mind-boggling. And it doesn't stop surprising me. I mean, there's such a difference when you hit Rock Me Gently to this. But it's just, it's amazing. It really, really is amazing. And I love, I just love the sound of all these records for me. You know, I go back and it reminds me of having a transistor radio

and listening to someone else doing it. It's hard to believe it's me. You are nostalgic. Because essentially that's nostalgia, right? It's like that bitters to me. Huh? You are nostalgic. Because essentially, that's nostalgia, right? It's like that bittersweet, like, remembering the past that can never be again. Well, I always thought nostalgia was forced upon you. Oh.

So I never listened to any of these, you know? I'll go on stage and I'll sing them. But I kind of never listen to them but now that I have the headsets on and maybe maybe your headsets are like the best

headsets in the world no they aren't they aren't no they're not a sponsor in fact it's funny they're not a Sennheiser Sennheiser earphones

it's funny I'm trying to buy a fourth pair because I have a I'm buying a fourth microphone I need a fourth pair they discontinued this model, which I absolutely adored

because they were only like $35 each and the new model is like $100. That's another story for another time. But Sennheiser's dropped these. I guess they were too affordable. You know what? I'm not a fan of this kind of change, you know. If you want to have these

You should be able to They should be able to service Customers in a better way I'm with you Sennheiser if you're listening Bring back the I can't remember the model number HD 203

Yeah it's 203 Right bring them back I need one more Bring one back It's cool man Thanks man But that Cool That jam was cool That was great That was Be My Baby Bring them back. I need one more. Bring one back. It's cool, man. Thanks, man. But cool. That jam was cool.

That was great. That was Be My Baby. And that was so popular in Canada that it earned you. And they weren't called Junos back then, but they were called Gold Leafs. Is that what they were called? Yes. I think I got the Gold Leaf or the Juno Award for Baby, I Love You. Okay, okay, okay.

I think that's what it is. You would know, my friend. And you were Best Male Vocalist, too, speaking of Gold Leafs. Do you still have these Gold Leafs somewhere? Well, it was kind of lost with everything else until about a few months ago. And one of my brothers found it somewhere. And I said, well, what about the other stuff? It's like gone.

I was talking to, I think, a legend, Roger Ashby. He's been here as well. I know him well, yes. And I happened to be talking to him when Chum was on Yonge Street. So we're talking about, what, 10 years ago or 12 years ago, I forget. And we got to, you know, do you still have this? I said, I have nothing. He said, what do you mean you have nothing? I said, I really, I never thought that there would be any life after this moment in time for me.

And so I never thought about collecting things. I never thought about saving things. It's not what I do. I'm in the moment. So I'm not going to grab something to hold on to to do what with. And he said, well, hold on. and i'm not telling tales out of school because he's he's retiring now yeah early december is his last show yeah um and um so he came back

and he said this is for you and it was the chum 45 of How Do We Ever Get This Way. Wow. And I saw him the day he retired just by accident. What a caring, wonderful, kind human being. And I think that the likes of him we'll never see again. And the fact that he was around all these years is just beautiful.

And I wish him well. No, Roger Ashby is a legend. And I believe he's the last person on Toronto Radio, Terrestrial Radio. He's the last person on Toronto Terrestrial Radio that was also on Toronto Terrestrial Radio in the 1960s. Because he started at Chum, 1050 Chum, in 1969. So he's the last guy who can say he was on the airwaves in the 60s and is still on the airwaves.

Yeah. It's incredible. And you know what? You never tire of hearing him. I mean, I listen to the radio today every now and then. And you hear people. You wanted to hear Roger just the way you wanted to hear Cousin Brucie in New York and you wanted to hear all those

great disc jockeys that I'm sure Toronto had and Montreal had. But anyway. Those 1050 Chum jocks were a big deal. I know. And my mom was a chum bug. And I hear the stories about, they were the rock stars of the city. Totally. I remember doing a show in New York City for WABC and Cousin Brucie.

You're familiar with Cousin Brucie? Yes, I'm familiar. Yeah. And Cousin Brucie was the host. And I want to say 15, 20 000 people i am it's just a lot of people um and i was one of the artists and i was going to sing a couple of songs and um i mean no matter how many people applauded with any of us artists,

it was Cousin Brucie that they were screaming for. It was incredible. And I wish radio were like that today too, to be honest with you, because I'm not interested in nine in a row. I'm just interested in hearing someone's voice and personality. The personality, the fun facts they can share about what you're going to hear. And what their life is about, too.

And so it's just, that's why everyone's gone from radio and gone to Spotify or whatever else they're listening to. Well, you know, what's happened is when you were younger, when I was younger, that transistor radio was your, like, that was your channel to the universe. But today it's so fragmented. I mean, you have YouTube and Spotify. There's a million different streams now, like one of them being terrestrial radio. And in this digital age, you can see why terrestrial radio falls off the branch, so to speak. It's too fragmented. I think it's too fragmented. You know, it's okay. It's all okay because I am on the back porch of my days and therefore it's time for someone else to say, well, this is our world and this is how we're going to do it.

And it's cool. I enjoy watching it. Well, I enjoy listening to this hit, so let's do that and then talk about it. ¶¶ Ain't it good, ain't it right That you are with me here tonight Music playing, our bodies swaying in time Touching you, so warm and tender

Lord, I feel such a sweet surrender Beautiful is the dream that makes you mine Rock me gently, rock me slowly Take it easy, don't you know That I have never been loved like this before. Baby, baby, rock me gently. Rock me slowly. Take it easy. Don't you know that I have never been loved like this before Rock me gently. Smash hit.

Number one in the States, right? 1974. Yeah, my second number one billboard, you know. Exciting time. And I would say this is, I mean, that was the, the people saw that, oh, that's the Archies, right? But this is Andy Kim. Like, it the, the people saw that, oh, that's the Archies, right? Like, but this is Andy Kim. Like, it's different, right?

Because this is. Well, totally. You know, you go through puberty and then you start sounding. Well, here's what basically happened. You know, I had packed my dreams and left New York City and moved to Los Angeles. I was without a label. I was without a lot of stuff. But I wasn't without my ability to write songs.

So I wrote this song. And I played it for a couple of people that I had just met. They were apathetic about it. But I just hadathetic about it. But I just had an instinct about it. But since I didn't have a label, but I was wanting to make this record, I decided to produce myself. So, I produced myself. I made this record. Remembering all the things I remember working in the Brill Building, being around Jeff, being around Phil Spector, being around Bob Crew and all the other great producers. And so I made this record. I said, oh, wow, I just want to be on the charts again

and be part of the playground. And I took it everywhere, and nobody wanted to put it out. No one thought it was a hit. You know, to A&M and to Warner's and to every label that you could think about. Which is amazing, because how do you not hear a hit in a song? But anyway. Well, you know what?

It's the way people hear or the way people would think, oh, well, Andy Kim, you've already had your two minutes and 30 seconds of fame, maybe. So because I'm a dreamer, I kind of was really sad sad that I couldn't for like a long time get anyone interested. So I remember calling home and I spoke to my mom and I said, Ma, I'm coming home. She started crying. But what she didn't hear is that I'm going to start my own label. I'm going to put out my own record. It's going to be a big hit around the world and I'll only be around for a couple of months, but I'm going to have the best time. Look, look, to make a long story longer, I put it out on my own. I wrote radio stations around Canada,

reintroducing myself and thanking them for past help and telling them that, you know, whatever you can do to help me. And I concentrated on trying to get as much airplay on the border states because the first radio station to play How Do We Ever Get This Way

was a radio station in detroit wknr and um and i've always felt that you know detroit was a good market for me because after how we ever get this way they played a lot of my records and And I was lucky enough that someone from Capitol in the U.S. happened to be in Detroit going around all the record stores and all they kept hearing is, hey, how do we get Andy Kim's

Rock Me Gently? Anyway. The rest is history. Yeah, I'm just so thrilled that this happened. I was able to do so much. Well, it must be more satisfying and rewarding to you personally knowing that not only do you write and sing the song,

but it's the production. You got your hands dirty in all the different parts of this. This was really you. Well, it's really my kind of it's it's really my education you know it's the education of being around the studio i i used to get there uh an hour before a session because i wanted to see what the engineer was going to do and how he was going to mic things it's the world that i wanted to live in and and be a part. So then when it became my turn, I never wanted to produce my own music, but I started to feel that, look, if you believe in a dream, if you really want it bad enough,

you can't rely on everyone else to kind of do it for you or help you. You've got to be able to be a self-starter. Believe in the dream. Never let it go. And don't listen to no, ever. That's their no. It's not your no. And so for me, I mean, the night I was told that it hit number one in Billboard billboard i started crying and a couple of days later you know they're gonna give me my gold record and and by accident john lennon gives me my gold record and i'm like blown away by it um so so that also allows me to, uh, to be around when John Lennon and Phil were recording, uh, their album in LA and stuff. And so there's so many, so many things and so many wonderful parts of my life that, that I, that I, they're all packaged into a song and, and how those songs make you feel.

Rock Me Gently is sort of the gift that keeps on giving, right? Because it was in a Jeep commercial fairly recently. It was in a Jeep commercial when car companies were giving away a lot of money. And then it was in the finale of season four of Ray Donovan. Great show, by the way. And then they picked it up for kind of a brief couple of moments in episode one of season five. And it's done its share of being around.

And it's done its share of being around. So again, I've not planned this. I've dreamed this. And I'm just hoping that, Mike, that you see within yourself that this is a dream that you're doing. I was going to say that was great advice for anybody, musician or otherwise, that if you believe in something and you're passionate about it

and you work at it and you don't take no for an answer, then you have a much greater chance of success. Like this is a recipe for success. I implore everybody to find out what they really believe and what they want. And you know what? And sometimes you don't know.

And it's okay. But if you really have a desire to do something, it just kind of owns you. And what do you do? It's life and death at that point, I think. Quick aside for listeners of the show uh previous guest keegan matheson uh he was working at a bank one day this is going back about five years or so he's working at a bank his day job you know to pay the rent and in the middle of the day he got up

he shred the papers he said he walked out and quit because he wasn't happy and he went and he went to the halifax waterfront and he had himself like a beer and he thought about what does he want to do? And he ended up at the end of his beer, he realized he wanted to write about baseball. He wanted to be a baseball writer. And Keegan spent the next five years making that, you know, dream a reality. And now he's in the press box at the dome and Jay's play. Like he's doing it.

Absolutely. Excuse me. It's kind of early in the morning for me. What time is it, by the way? It is 11.14. 11.14. Well, I got a couple hours of sleep. That's good.

Here's the point. You reminded me of you worked in a bank. I did a show many years ago in Birmingham, Alabama. Um, it was a Thanksgiving, um, show at, at two o'clock in the morning in a mall that was going to have 30,000 people. Whoa. And so I fly in, and I'm met by the band that's going to play for me.

And it's about seven guys. And so they're all there at the airport, and I meet them, and I'm thinking nothing of it, and we're talking about the music and the whole thing. And so we go for a bite to eat, and then we say, well, let's go rehearse. So it's like 10 o'clock at night, and we're going to rehearse,

because 2 o'clock in the morning is around the corner. And they park in front of a bank. Now I'm a little uncomfortable. Everybody gets out and one of the guys has the code to get into the bank. And now I'm really uncomfortable. Now I'm in the bank.

I've never been in a bank before where there aren't any people in the bank except the guys around you. And I kind of backed up, and they said, what's the problem? I said, we're in a bank. He said, yeah. We're called the total assets. That's the president. He's on drums. That's the president. He's on drums.

That's the vice president. And they made, they're all bankers, but they're the band. So you may have a day job, but never let that dream go away. I'm sorry I sidetracked. I thought you were going to rob that bank. I was excited. Like, oh, he's a getaway car. Yeah, no, I don't live that kind of life.

Oh, that's great. That's great. So I hope it was lucrative. That sounds like a cheap commercial back then with Rock Me Gently. That must have, I don't know, must have been helpful for the bank account. Must have been lucrative. You know what? It's all good because when you get something um you share it

uh good uh you can leave a tip on your way out this is good news i'm very hey you know what here's what's happening to me right now i am looking at this palma Pasta Box here's the problem I'm having with this I'm going to get addicted to this and I'm going to I'm going to try and find this place if you've got a stack of them here then I'm going to haunt you

for some more of it that's the problem I'm having I'm having a feeling like I'm going to get addicted to this. Anytime you want to drop by for some from Great Lakes Beer and some Palma Pasta, you're welcome anytime, my friend. I feel like we're buds now, so you're welcome anytime. By the way, I should tell the people, Palma

Pasta has four locations in Mississauga and Oakville. Go to palmapasta.com. The one I mentioned off the top, Palma's Kitchen, it's fantastic. I mean, you've got to check this place out. Hot one I mentioned off the top, Palma's Kitchen, is their new, it's fantastic. I mean, you got to check this place out. Hot, fresh food, retail store. There's coffee there. You can sit down and eat. So go to palmapasta.com to find out where Palma's Kitchen is. It's near Mavis and Burnhamthorpe, but get the address from palmapasta.com. My friend, Andy, I want to ask you about something I read. I read that you shied away.

You may have shied away from touring, and there was a sense that maybe you had presented yourself as this white surfer guy persona, which maybe didn't match up with the reality. Would you mind commenting on this? Was this true? Is this true? It's like asking me, do you and your brother still get into fights?

And we never got into fights. I have no idea what you're talking about. Okay. I read somewhere, and that's why I wanted to ask you, because now I... You can't read somewhere and then bring it up. I mean, you know what? Don't you think that's kind of odd that that that's where we are today I read somewhere right but you at

least now you get a chance to set the record straight on this well I was just curious because it made sense to me because you are of um your your background is Lebanese right yeah and uh right? Yeah. And, uh, I, this, this, at the, earlier in your career, it was sort of a surfer, I want to call surfer guy persona. Does that exist? A surfer guy persona? Do you know what I'm trying to say by this?

No, I don't understand. Well, you know what? The good thing is now I can go back to these sources and debunk them because, uh, no, I've never heard this before.

Well, then I'm going to skip over it because clearly there's no there there if you hadn't heard this. Well, where'd you get this, by the way? Was this remotely somewhere? Well, this part, I believe, is actually from the Andy Kim Wikipedia page, I believe. So it's probably a first stop for most

people looking into Andy Kim. Okay, well... But it was talking about... Because you have a tanned complexion, So it's probably a first stop for most people looking into Andy Kim. But it was talking about, because you have a tanned complexion, of course, from your Lebanese heritage. And it's said in this piece that fans were surprised to see that because they were expecting this blonde white surfer guy. And that you sounded much, you had a higher tone, you had a higher voice in the early recordings. Yeah, because I was younger. And as I said, I think somewhere two hours ago, the great thing is that I always looked older and I started shaving when I was young.

But I've never heard this this is it's cool look you know people are going to say everything online and then

you have to debunk and it wasn't disparaging like I never saw it as a negative no it wasn't I didn't take it as a negative I was just like

you know it's like rummaging through a closet that's not really yours you know I don't know. Anyway.

That's why it's good to speak to the person before you cast assumptions and things. So I want to say thanks. There's a listener named Avery who sent in a question for you. And he wrote, just wondering, but what was the inspiration

behind the name change to Baron Longfellow? And of course, sometimes it's just Longfellow, but we'll let you explain. He goes, in the 1980s, early 90s, and he goes, P.S. I really enjoyed that power drive track back in the day.

Do you mind telling me how Baron Longfellow came to be? Not at all. I had Not at all. I had stopped writing for a little while, and there was kind of a sea change within me. And I went away, and when I came back, I was writing different kind of songs.

But no one was really interested in A.D. Kim. And by accident, someone heard some of my songs and loved these songs. So I was interested in seeing who could help me. And basically, he was a manager and producer. So I met with him. And probably on our second meeting, he said, you know, you look more like a barren longfellow than you look like an Andy Kim. So 6'2", dark hair, you know, I don't know. What kind of complexion would you call this? You look like you got a little bit of sun,

like a little tan. I wish I had that complexion. I feel a little pasty sometimes. So anyway, I said, well, I'm really Andy Kim. He said, yeah, but you haven't had a record in a while and what you're writing and what you're singing about. I said, well, it's just you get older, you see life differently, you write different songs.

He said, yeah, but you look a little more like a Barron Longfellow. Think about it. And I thought about it, and I agreed, but I agreed with the substance of context. He managed three other male artists before me. Do you know where I'm going with this? Do they all have names like that? Do you know where I'm going with this?

Do they all have names like that? Well, he managed his first artist that he discovered and managed was Tom Woodward, who became Tom Jones. The second artist was Jerry Dorsey, who became Engelbert Humperdinck. Do you know who Engelbert Humperdinck really is? By the way, Mike? Nope. He wrote Hensel and Gretel. There is an Engelbert Humperdinck.

So naming people after literary figures. I guess. That was kind of before I, we're talking about 1980 or something. Right. And then Raymond Sullivan became Gilbert O'Sullivan. Right. So with that history and with that context, I figured, you know, every time I go somewhere to play a record company, my songs, they're not really interested.

And here's someone that could probably help me. So I tried it. But unfortunately, he passed away before he could put everything together for me. So as I do, I just plunged into it. Well, I'll try this. Because I figured the music will speak for itself it doesn't matter what the name is but anyway that's the story

did you mean what you said i know i shouldn't call you if it's true Did you really mean what you said When you said you were gonna let me go Oh no Yes, I really shouldn't call on you If it's true, but I have to let you know, I know. I'm gonna need a miracle tonight to get me through this one. Oh, I'm gonna need a miracle tonight. I didn't mean to cut you off there, Baron Longfellow, but you said you let the music speak for itself,

and I had to jump right in there. You know, I haven't heard that song in a long, long time. It's pretty cool. Yeah, no doubt. It sounds great. And what 80s are we talking? it's pretty cool yeah no doubt it sounds great and what are we what 80s

are we talking this is early 80s I just want to get my time frame right late 80s early 90s where are we with the Baron Longfellow

well I was a Baron Longfellow all the way till Ed Robertson and I got together to write a song. I'm glad you mentioned Ed Robertson. I'm glad you mentioned that because I have a question. Another sponsor is Brian Gerstein. Brian is a real estate sales representative with PSR Brokerage. He's at propertyinthesix.com. Brian has a question that leads perfectly into a certain festival,

which leads perfectly into Ed Robertson. So let's listen now to Brian, and then we'll talk about that song with Ed. Propertyinthesix.com Hi, Andy. Brian Gerstein here, sales representative with PSR Brokerage That's pscinthe6.com. Hi, Andy. Brian Gerstein here, sales representative with PSR Brokerage and proud sponsor of Toronto Might. I can be reached by caller text at 416-873-0292 for all of your real estate needs.

Andy, I saw you interviewed recently on Breakfast Television in Calgary, where you performed all 10 nights for the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show. Out of that interview, you name-dropped Molly Johnson and her AIDS benefit, the Kumbaya Festival, where in 1995 you first met Ed Robertson of the Bare Naked Ladies and became great friends, writing a song together and recording it. Molly Johnson was also a recent Toronto Mic guest and was easily the most discussed and scrutinized episode in Toronto Mike history. What are your recollections of Molly, if any, and what was it like to be performing

on the same stage as the Sky Diggers, who were also recent Toronto Mike guests? So lots there before we get to Ed. We got to talk briefly about Molly performing at the Sky Diggers. Then I want to hear all about Ed Robertson and the Barenaked Ladies, please. So Molly was here.

Molly was here. Recently. She has a jazz festival in Kensington Market. Okay. And she came in to talk about that. Actually, she was here the day Aretha Franklin passed away. So I'll always know what day

Molly Johnson was here. Okay. What day she was here the day Aretha Franklin passed away. So I always know what day Molly Johnson was here. Okay. What day was that? The day Aretha Franklin passed away. That's the day. But what date was it? What month and what date? Okay. Not a problem. August or September? You're right. I should know that, right? August, I think.

Well, August is not recently, by the way. Just so that you know. Not for me, anyway. Okay. It's a long time ago. Well, Brian used the word recently. Yeah, it was a long time ago for you. But you live in the moment, so last week was a long time ago. You're correct.

When I got here, it was a long time ago. Almost done, by the way. I need to hear about this, and then I need to hear about the Andy Kim Christmas show, and then... Okay, so basically, you had a problem

with Molly is that what he's saying he said it was a controversial episode I feel like Molly might have had a problem with me believe it or not

no I know that's what I say that's what I say seriously yeah I'm serious it's hard to even explain

you almost have to listen to it but again this was the day that Aretha passed away and maybe she was processing that news. But it didn't go like it typically goes.

This is almost episode 400, so I've done this a few times. The Molly Johnson episode is different than all of the others. Well, I haven't heard it, so I can't give you my opinion. I don't know if it's you or her or just the day in time and maybe all of that stuff. I got a call. I live in Los Angeles.

I got a call from Molly Johnson, and she was telling me about the AIDS benefit. And first of all, I don't know Molly, and I'm getting a call, and okay, I'll think about it. And I thought about it, and she said, well, you know, we'd love to have you, and we'll do this. And there's this great band that would love to play with you, and they're called the Barenaked Ladies, and they're so talented. and they're called the Barenaked Ladies and they're so talented. I hadn't performed in a long time because I was in my irrelevant period. I had all these hits.

I was out there and then I became irrelevant. People say, well, you retired. No, I didn't retire. I became irrelevant. And so I decided okay I'll get on a plane and I'll fly to Toronto

so I got on a plane and got a hotel room and called this guy Ed Robertson and and he happened to have a guitar in his hand.

I think there was some construction going on at his house too or something. I forget. And I said, well, is there a time to rehearse? He said, yeah, yeah. We're going to meet you. And he told me we're somewhere on Queen Street and I'm sorry, I don't remember the details.

Am I taking too long for this? No, this is a great story. I'm sorry, I don't remember the details. Am I taking too long for this? No, this is a great story. I'm into it. So I get there, and I meet Ed and a guy named Steve. Steven. So we go into this club, and it's just the three of us. And they start playing Rock Me Gently on acoustic guitar. And I start singing, and then they come in.

The harmonies are absolutely, absolutely incredible. And I'm saying to myself, this is like really, really great. So it's just everything was perfect so i um i said you know the i'm i use a different fingering on the it was a a bridge section and so i i kind of showed it to ed and he said oh yeah yeah not a problem man it's a real guitar player i just fiddle with it when i write so i said can we do one more time because it just sounds so great and um so we do it one more time now i'm i'm excited i'm happy i'm glad i came so on the way out i said so does your keyboard have a like a clav part you know he said no no it's not a clav part it's uh we don't have a keyboard player

it's just going to be upright bass drums and me on guitar and steven will sing uh i said okay because what's in my mind is, I don't need this. It's not going to be, why should I sing a song that I've not performed in Toronto ever that I can think of? And let me just quietly get on a plane, go back, call this person, Molly Johnson, and say, and say hey you know it didn't work out my safety zone was let me try this um so i went back to the hotel and um i was thinking about it and then i started thinking okay so what are you afraid of i said well you know, you know, I don't know who's, I'm out of my element. I'm from another tongue.

I don't know what I'm afraid of, but I'm afraid. So I talked to myself, and I remember that I've never been afraid about anything, but now I'm afraid. So I finally found out, yeah, you're afraid because you haven't done this in a long time. And there's a couple of things going on that you're not sure of. Why should you risk going on and singing Rock Me Gently

with just upright bass, acoustic guitar no less, and drums. And then I had this thought, you know what? I wrote this song on acoustic guitar, and I loved it when I was writing it. I thought, oh, I love this. I love that. I got to change this.

I'll try this and try. So maybe people will remember the song and they'll hear the record in their head. So I was brave enough to go and do it and it really was kind of a reminder. There's a great saying that a Canadian said in the 1800s. Be brave and mighty warriors will come to your aid. And I think that's me as a kid. I was brave and mighty Warriors came to my aid.

And now that I got a little older and I was irrelevant, I was afraid. But Ed and the guys came to my aid, and I'll always remember that performance. And Ed and I just hit it off, and we were lucky enough to get together and write the song and he produced the record and it just gave me another kick at the can

and it taught me a lesson that I had forgotten about. That's a great story because as you describe this idea you have where you can just sort of cut, bait, and run, like you can just fly back to L.A. and call up Molly and say it didn't work out, that seems really out of character

with the Andy Kim I've been talking to for the last far too long, I'm sure, 80 minutes or so, but it just doesn't seem like you. Well, I told you I got afraid. It was the result of writing songs and sending it to record companies without a name on there. And my attorney would get calls from the record companies saying, hey, we love this music.

We want to sign him. Who is it? And he said, Andy Kim. And then they said, I don't think so. That's yesterday's name. We don't want to do that. And I think somewhere from a kid with my arms wide open and would really kind of jump off a building without fear,

I got afraid. would really kind of jump off a building without fear. I got afraid. But it took Ed and the guys to take that fear away from me. And here I am. I'm getting inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame on the 1st. And I do a Christmas show my 14th anniversary on... December 5th. December 5th. At the Queen Elizabeth Theater?

At the Queen Elizabeth Theater. Do you want me to name the names? These are big monster names. Okay, so Andy Kim Christmas Show with special guests. I hope you're all sitting down. These are big names. Broken Social Scene. I love them.

Billy Talent. Streetsville Zone, you know, fantastic. Ron Sexsmith. Oh my God, international well-regarded singer-songwriter. Biff Naked, who's been on this show. Biff lives not too far from here, and she is fantastic. Biff Naked's on this darn bill.

Hayden, oh, I won't, Hayden, I've been a fan since Everything I Long For, my goodness. Mary Margaret O'Hara. Theo is a name I don't know. Theo, I should know, right? Yeah, Theo won, you know, the Idol Awards here in Canada and stuff. I got to catch up with my Theo.

Absolutely. But that bill, monster bill. So how do people go to this show, the Andy Kim Christmas Show, and where do you go to get tickets? Well, when is this airing, by the way? I'm going to post this 15 minutes after we take a photo on my front lawn before you leave. And there are

a couple of surprise guests that will be announced next week. Am I one of the surprises? Because I need to put it in my calendar. Well, you can be a surprise. Just bring... Hey, you know what I was thinking? An underwhelming surprise.

You know, just a quick aside, besides my having a great time here today, there's got to be someone on this planet that has the 203s Sennheisers, that is willing to donate and get their name out there as or whatever it is that you need to do with them. Don't you think? donate, and get their name out there as, or whatever it is that you need to do with them.

Don't you think? I think you're onto something. I think this is the angle to take. Who wants to donate their Sennheiser? And you'll name them after them, and they'll be a witness for each show, and it could be whatever. That's a great idea. I'm excited to have been here.

Did you ask me a question that I forget about? If someone's listening now, that bill is enormous. Broken Social Scene, Billy Talen, Ron Sexwith, Biff Naked, Hayden.

Like, this is a monster bill. You, Andy Kim, some special guests. Oh, my goodness. And if somebody's listening, like, I gotta be at this show December 5th at the Queen Elizabeth

Theater, where would you like them to go? Just go to livenation.ca and you can find tickets. I'd love to see you there because I think it's an important time because nobody gets paid. I do this to collect all

the dollars that I make that goes to Gifts of Light, CAMH. Amazing cause. How long have you been doing this? This is my 14th year. Wow. And it's a one-off. I do it all myself.

And for the past couple of years, with the help of Live Nation, I've been able to kind of expand the horizons. Well, we got almost a month before December 5th, so I can definitely share this many, many times over the next month via social media, like Twitter and stuff. Oh, that would be great. Thank you so much. For sure.

Oh, my goodness. What a great cause, great artists, and you're a great guy, and thanks so much for doing this. I really appreciate this. Thank you. It's an honor to be around you and to hear the way you handle your artists. I appreciate it. And that brings us to the end of our 394th

show. You can follow me on Twitter. I'm at Toronto Mike. Andy is at AndyKimMusic. Our friends at Great Lakes Brewery are at Great Lakes Beer. Propertyinthe6.com is at Raptors Devotee. They're 10-1 by the way. Palma Pasta is at Palma Pasta.

Fast Time Watch and Jewelry Repair is at Fast Time WJR. And Paytm is at Paytm Canada. Use the promo code TRONOMIKE when you make your first bill payment, and they'll give you $10 in Paytm cash. See you all next week. ¶¶ You've been under my skin for more than eight years. It's been eight years of laughter and eight years of tears. And I don't know what the future can hold or do for me and you.