Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Carolyn Taylor: Toronto Mike'd #1332

Episode Date: September 26, 2023

In this 1332nd episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Carolyn Taylor about growing up in Montreal, her dad, her rise to power with the Baroness Von Sketch Show and her new series I Have Nothing. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Pumpkins After Dark, Ridley Funeral Home and Electronic Products Recycling Association.

Welcome to episode 1332 of Toronto Mic'd. Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery. A fiercely independent craft brewery who believes in supporting communities, good times, and brewing amazing beer. Order online for free local home delivery in the GTA. Free local home delivery in the GTA. Palma Pasta. Enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. Pumpkins After Dark.

Use the promo code TOMIKE15 and save 15% this month at pumpkinsafterdark.com. Recycle my electronics.ca committing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. The advantaged investor podcast from Raymond James Canada, valuable perspective for Canadian investors who want to remain knowledgeable, informed, and focused on long-term success. And speaking of long-term success, Ridley Funeral Home. Pillars of the community since 1921. Today.

See, I just ad-libbed that because I'm in the presence of comedy greatness. Making her Toronto Mike debut is Carolyn Taylor. Welcome to Toronto Mike, Carolyn. Thanks, man. I like that joke. I was like, oh, is that something you do to Toronto mic to Carolyn. Thanks, man. I like that joke. I was like, oh, is that something you do every time? No, this was your record. Because you know what?

I'm upping my game. I'm going to be funnier than ever because you're a very funny woman. Hey, thanks. Oh, my goodness. And here I am already dropping the ball. I have an intro song for you. Oh, what? I'm so prepared for this and I'll explain why in a moment.

Just like a little music to uh put you in the mood yeah i had uh an insider feeding me tips on how to help the episode okay to go to why don't you go where fashion sits? Putting on the Ritz. Okay, I'll give you $100 right now if you can name another song by Taco. Oh, did they do Rock Me Amadeus? No, that's Falco. That's Falco. Don't confuse your tacos and your Falcos.

That's a good guess. So, is there a reason I'm playing Putting on the Ritz? I'm going to throw this back at you before we dive into your career. Wow, so my sister has talked to you. Okay, Puttin' on the Ritz was probably one of the first songs I choreographed as a child. My cousin Glenda and I, Glenda Taylor and I, had a full dance to Puttin' on the Ritz. We wore little bow ties and did a full routine in the living room. Yeah. So that's where it all begins in the living room.

That's in Montreal, in Montreal, NDG. Yeah. Okay. Wow. Okay. Cause I didn't even ask why am I playing putting on the Ritz?

I just, when your sister, your sister's a good FOTM and that I see her often at events, Toronto Mike listener experiences, but I bumped into her at the lowest of the low documentary. Sometimes we have these pop-up gatherings at like GLB brew pub at Jarvis and Queens key. And there's Leslie.

So shout out to Leslie Taylor, your sister. Quick thing. It's Leslie. She really doesn't like it pronounced the other way. She's Leslie. You got to fix that. She's been listening long enough. She does not expect me to pronounce.

No, no. But now you've been told. Leslie. Perfect. Okay. Thank you for correcting me to pronounce her name. No, no. But now you've been told. Leslie. Perfect. Okay. Thank you for correcting me. I'll get that right from now on. I can't believe I've been butchering it for all these years.

Horrible. But okay. So in Montreal. Now that I've got you in Montreal. And again, we're going to talk. You have a great new series. I've got great feedback from it. We're going to talk about I Have Nothing, which is on Crave right now.

I have a few questions about the Baron Von Sketch show, which I loved, and we got a lot of ground to cover, but I'm going back to Montreal. Are you ready? Are you comfortable? Sure. Okay. Sure. I love that you said Baron Von Sketch. Like, that's the all-male

sketch. Baroness Von Sketch. See, I'm so sexist, I can't even accept these. Sorry, what's gender? I won't watch that Ghostbusters when they put the women in the lead. I said, no, that's where I draw the line. Oh, dear. Oh, boy. Here we go. Just kidding, of course.

All right, so let's play a little of this tribute to somebody very special. This is Dick Irvin, sports director of CFCF Radio in Montreal, with the pregame show on this Expos broadcast of the Expos Atlanta Braves doubleheader, which will come your way with Dave Van Horn and Duke Snyder from the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. This morning, all of the people connected with the Expos, and everyone connected with sport of any kind in Montreal, and indeed in Canada, were shocked and saddened by the news of the sudden death of Russ Taylor, currently the Expos Director of Communications,

and for the first eight seasons of the Expos, their play-by-play broadcaster on radio, along with Dave Van Horn and latterly, Duke Snyder as well. Here at CFCF Radio, the archives contain many moments that Russ shared with all of us, and the Expo's broadcast crew have requested that we play a few of those moments for you now. In the broadcasting business in Montreal, we always referred to Russ Taylor as the old pro. His association with CFCF goes back into the early 50s, and before, perhaps, his love of sport goes back much further than that. One of his earliest jobs was as the radio technician at the Montreal Forum, and it was there he heard a broadcaster from the Maritimes doing an amateur game. A few years later, he recommended that same broadcaster to those handling Canadians' broadcasts, and that

is how Danny Gallivan came to Montreal. Russ was the morning sportscaster for many years on CFCF radio, and when television arrived, he became part of that scene, too. But first and foremost, Russ's love was baseball. When they were looking for a place in which to play Major League Baseball in Montreal,

it was Russ Taylor who told Warren Giles and John McHale about Jerry Park. He was with them the first time they walked into the park. He was there the first and last times the Expos played there. He was the play-by-play man alongside Dave Van Horn and Latterly Duke Snyder from the first game through to the end of last season when he became the director of communications for the ball club. Russ loved Jerry Park. He loved the broadcasts, and he loved baseball.

And he was one of the broadcasters at a microphone when Hank Aaron hit one of his record-setting home runs. Hard hit drive deep in the center field. That ball is going, scoring up! Home run for Hank Aaron. He now needs 17.

A three-run blast has him out of play. Take a seven-to-one lead. Well, Russ, like everybody else, could get excited when Hank Aaron hit a home run.

Carolyn, and I wanted to just open with this and pay some respect to your father. There's a Danny Gallagher episode of Toronto Mic'd where we talked quite a bit about Russ Taylor and the Montreal Expos, and people can kind of do a deeper dive there. But your dad was a big deal in the, well, big deal in many regards, but in the Expos community in Montreal. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I wasn't expecting that. You got me all teary.

I was like, woohoo. I'm sorry. No, no, that's okay. I mean, listen, this is life, right? Yeah, what a beautiful tribute. What a beautiful tribute. Yeah, you know, as I know that, because I think it's amazing what your dad did for

ex-boss baseball and how beloved he is every time i bring him up to an ex-boss fan they want to talk about russ taylor and gone far too soon i know they say time makes things easier but my sincere condolences that that your father's well it's you know i mean it was so so long? Well, it's, you know, I mean, it was so, so long ago, but it's interesting in the show that I just shot, we end up having a tribute to my dad. He comes up in conversation and, you know, he's not someone that comes up in conversation for me a lot anymore, you know. And so there's actually a beautiful tribute to him

in episode four of I Have Nothing. Yeah. And so he really has been on my mind a lot lately and was very sort of present somehow during that process for me. So it's really nice to hear his voice. And I assure you, this episode will get funnier. Yeah. Here we go. We'll just start. So let me feel you out here. I have another secret clip that somebody who loves you sent me. Oh my goodness. Okay. Are you, so. Let's do it.

Listen, bring me to my knees. I don't just, it's been an emotional week. It's been a big week for you. We're going to get into that in a moment here. But when I got this audio, I played it and I cried and I'm meeting you now for the first time. Okay. Okay. I thought it was something very, very special.

So let's. O-N-T-Y-P-Y-T... Oh, well, never mind. Um, H-O-N. Okay. That's the name of the radio station. Okay. And here is Russ Taylor.

He wants to say a few words. A few words. No, be serious. Be serious. And then? You have to ask me questions. What questions? Okay, what's your prediction on the Olympics this year? On the Olympic Games?

I think the Olympic Games are going to be a terrific show for Canadians everywhere, for people from all over the world who come to Montreal to see the Olympic Games in our new Olympic Stadium. And I only hope that all of us have a chance to see some of the Olympics while they're being held from July 17th until August 2nd. Oh, now we have Leslie Taylor. What's your prediction on the Olympics? Well, I think they're going to go over pretty well.

It's too bad that they didn't start the stadium a little earlier. Here comes another member of the Taylor family. Carolyn, come on. Oh, Carolyn, would you like to join us? Carolyn, what do they sing at your school? I sing it? No, because I have a cold. Oh, and I saw in the Blackboard, it said,

Carolyn, no orange juice today. Yeah, that is why I'm in the Blackboard. Ask your wife if she's not allowed to have any orange juice. Why aren't you allowed to have orange juice? It gets better. It does? Okay. I'm curious. Why wasn't I allowed to have orange juice? It's like a cliffhanger.

This could be the next series for you. When's your birthday? I got my birthday. Well, you just had your birthday. Of course, today is March 18th, and your birthday was on February the 20th. Yeah. Did you get any birthday presents?

Yeah. Yeah. What'd I get? Geez. I will send you this entire clip. You've saved a lot of stories. Well, of course you like stories. What voices are we hearing in this clip?

And whenabouts is this? We're in the 70s, obviously. But I can't talk when I'm sick. I know. You can't talk when you're sick. Tell me, Carolyn, which is your favorite story? Jack Sprat. Jack Sprat?

And what about Snow White? Not very well because the book is lost. Oh, you've lost the book. Lost the book. Tell me, do you know the names of the seven little dwarfs? No. No. Well, you know some of the names. It the book. Tell me, do you know the names of the seven little dwarves? No. No. Well, you know some of the names.

It's a tough one. Yeah. I had a favorite. One I know. Oh. One. Let's see if I get it right. I know.

I missed. Oh. I think it's Dopey. Dopey. Dopey. It all begins with Dopey. Okay. This is the origin story.

Okay. Yes. Whose voices are we hearing in this? Okay. So we started off, I thought it was my sister, but it's actually my brother. Oh. So that was my brother who introduced the radio show. Then Leslie came in.

Right. And that's my dad, Russ Taylor. And then that's little me. That's little Carolyn Taylor. That's the origin there. Yes. Wow. Okay.

I'm probably three there, maybe. Yeah, you sound like a three-year-old to me. Wild, eh? This is like, I told you we'd be going way back. You probably didn't realize how far back we were going here. Wow. That's the beginning, Dopey, and one of your broadcasting debuts here. So, okay.

Gosh, okay. That's great. So, we're way back. And it begs the question, when about did you realize that you wanted to be a performer? Like, I mean, there's a period of time I was reading up on you and it's like, oh, like you were going to be a lawyer. Yeah. Well, when I was, so when I was little, I was always putting on shows. Like, watch me, watch me.

And, you know, dancing to songs and putting on putting on the ritz exactly tied his hive a blondie lots of uh routines but um i think when i was nine i was in the children's shakespeare company in montreal and i was cast i was bumped up from being a fairy in a midsummer night's dream to getting the role of snug the joiner so it was a big like someone dropped out and i got a lion. It's a small part, but a great part. And I had to deliver a line as the lion. I was playing the lion in the play within the play.

And I guess it said to roar, but I didn't know that. So I just said roar and the audience laughed and I didn't understand why they were laughing. But I knew it felt really good. So that was the first laugh I remember getting night after night and going like I have no idea what I'm doing but I don't want to stop but you were hooked I was hooked now you knew you needed that dopamine hit now for the rest of your life you need to make people laugh hooked on Shakespeare yes yes hooked on Shakespeare all

right so no you know lawyer you didn't get a law degree for a fallback here. You don't have one in your backpack. No, I didn't. But I think about it a lot, Mike. I do think about it. I do think about it. It's not too late, you know. Well, that's what they say every four years. I'm like, God, if I just started four years ago, I could have that. Yeah. So it's like, when's the best time to plant a tree? 20 years ago. Right. What's the second today? Right. Like it's never, it's never too late. Not that you need a fallback though, because things are going well. Like, so you've just kind of, you're being like pushed into the, I'd call it the Bell Media promo tour.

But I'm going to give you a quick checklist. I want to know if you've made these appearances as you've been promoting this great new series, I Have Nothing, which is available right now on Crave. Did you appear on CP24 to promote it? I sure did. Okay. And this is all recent, right? Yeah, I did.

It was on Friday. So the show launched on Saturday. I think I did a lot of promo. 24 to promote it i sure did okay and this is all recent right this yeah i did uh it was uh on friday so the show launched on saturday i think i did a lot of pro i've been doing lots of promo but the big day was friday yes that was the big day great sleep between four did you appear on the social i did with may martin we had a great time and may martin uh one of the stars of your new series i have nothing okay we're gonna get more in depth about i have nothing shortly did you appear on your morning yes i did okay you know you're killing killing the bell media promo tour here did you appear on how do you know what news talk 10 10 i is that john moore that's john i did yes i'm john martin okay anything else like did you get did you squeeze you into like Chum 104.5? Or did you make any other Bell Media?

No, I did some more Instagram stuff. I'm trying to think of that. Oh, I was on Mary Berg's new show with May. She lives three blocks away. Oh, I'm going to do the math and not talk. So yeah, three blocks away. Oh, cool. Yeah, yeah. She does.

Yeah. So it's all down to it. Okay, Mary Berg, who's got the Marilyn Dennis spot there. Nice. Now, so curiously, I'm wondering, is this your first non-Bell Media thing since the show dropped on Crave? Is this? No.

Gosh, no, no. I've talked to all sorts of people. And I'm going to be on another podcast next week. I mean, I just want to talk to people. I love talking to folks. Get the word out there yeah for sure and you know i mean i'm a big i'm a big crave fan because that's where i get my hbo stuff so like if i'm going to watch sopranos it's on crave and everything and yeah it's it's there

front page center i think a lot of people are going to check it out and i hope everyone listening checks it out we're going to get into great detail but just going way back here can you talk about uh starting at second city i'm just curious like how that plays into the story as we we build yeah so i am i was uh you know growing up in montreal and i finished university and i went to see a second city show in toronto and i was like oh my god i think it was called tory party of two and that was when the tories were reduced you know the yeah with kim with Kim- With Kim Campbell. Exactly, exactly.

And Mulroney had just left. That's funny, because Ben Mulroney's on this program Friday. So there's a cheap plug for Friday's episode of Toronto Mic. But yeah. Interesting. So a low point for the Tories.

But that, I love Canadian politics back in that era. That whole era is like my favorite. So yeah, it's Tory Party of Two. I watched them. I'm like, oh my goodness. That was when Second City was on Lombard Street. And I like I want to do this this is like what there's like political satire social satire and comedy and yes please and so I um anyway that was in my head uh was in

Montreal traveled a bit and stuff and then um I came back to Toronto and I uh started taking classes at the Second City and met some of my very best friends there and then got into the touring company and I got into the touring company the same day that I got a promotion at work I was working what was work I was selling tv airtime at a place called WBS doesn't exist anymore sounds fictional again I met you make that up yeah I really did and i met some of my story my favorite some wonderful friends who i'm still friends with to this day who were sales reps and stuff there and i love these women they were like the coolest women i'd ever met i

was young and coming in and they were all like powerful and they're great suits and i just worshiped them amazing so it's not second city how do you make it to the touring company well you audition and so when you're in the touring company, you only perform on Sundays and then you tour if it's a good year and there's tours. So I was balancing both. So when everyone would party after the show on Sunday night, I'd be like, I got to go back to work on Monday morning. And I'm, you know, and I became a rep, you know, I got promoted the same day I got into Second City. So I'm juggling these two jobs. And then I used up all my vacation time for rehearsals and then work was like okay uh what are we doing here and they said you have to make a choice you know you can't and so I quit my job

and and I went to my $85 a week job at Second City. But any regrets? God, no. No, no. But it was, you know, people are like, oh, are you so brave? I'm like, not really, because it's so clear. Here's my dream or a job that I liked that paid well, but like your dream is there. Right, and you're still so young.

I'm like 20, whatever, I don't know, four, 25. Oh, like a puppy. Yeah. Wow, you made the right choice in retrospect. I'm here to, whatever. I don't know, four or 25. Like a puppy. Yeah. Wow. You made the right choice in retrospect. I'm here to validate that. Okay. And I have a note, a lovely note from someone named Leslie. Oh boy.

See how I nailed the S there? That's really good. She says, when you interview my sister, ask her about recording at the bathhouse. Oh, interesting. My goodness, we're going places. Okay. So in- This is your life carolyn taylor okay so geez it's not like the social here no oh hey i had a great time on the social i know you did

but did they give you any lasagna when you left no they didn't but they gave me a beautiful mug that i'm going to gift to my sister leslie it was going to be a surprise somebody there was a discussion in the uh not so secret fotM group on WhatsApp about how many Leslie mentions there will be. And I think I said three to five minutes, I said in total. Yeah, if you did a supercut and maybe we put a cool beat under it. Anyway, yeah. So I'm going to try to keep it to three to five minutes.

But I do want to tell you before I hear the story about recording at the bathhouse that I do have a frozen lasagna in my freezer for you. And it's courtesy of Palma Pasta. It's delicious. You're going to love it. I'm so excited. And when I got here, you said, you know, like lasagna, whatever. I said, yes.

No, I said, do you like meat? Oh, yeah. And I was off meat for like years and years and years. And I've started eating it again. So I'm in a phase. Is it something, can I guess? Did you find you were anemic and you needed some iron? My body was like, I want this.

Because I go, I have like a thing with, I need more iron deal going on. And yeah, it would be, it's tough. I mean, people do it obviously, but. Yeah. And I'll probably go back to being a vegetarian again. But anyway, it happened. So I caught you at the right time. You did.

But I thought when you said, oh, I've got a lasagna in the freezer right now. I thought you meant we were going to eat, like you were going to put it in the oven. And I was like, it's really early, but I don't you said oh I've got a lasagna in the freezer right now I thought you meant we were going to eat like you were going to put it in the oven and I was like it's really early but I don't want to be rude oh you're very nice because I wouldn't do that to you but it's frozen solid so you bring it home stick it in the fridge or freezer and then you have it whenever you're ready for a good meal but thank you Palma Pasta

for that and since I'm thanking people Great Lakes Brewery sent over some fresh craft beer for you Carolyn Taylor this is amazing. I can see the cans. You get beer, lasagna, and Ridley Funeral Home. Oh, geez. I get that too?

You know, half price embalming just for you. Just kidding. Okay. That's actually not a bad promotion. What's that thing you just picked up? I'm going to give it to you now. It's a measuring tape. Oh, I need that.

You never know if you have to measure something. I always do. Yeah. Okay. So you came here. Oh, it's that. You never know if you have to measure something. I always do. Yeah. Okay. So you came here. And again. Oh, it's the funeral home. Is it to measure my dimensions for this fucking casket?

Oh, God. Not all caskets are the same size, Carolyn. So we gotta be prepared for this. It's inevitable. The inevitability of death. Like this will happen, sadly, but hopefully not for many, many, many decades. Okay. So tell me about recording at the bathhouse.

Okay. Okay, so tell me about recording at the bathhouse. Okay, so in 2019, I went with a bunch of queers and artists, friends, to the bathhouse, which is the tragically hip sort of coach, like it's this beautiful old limestone building near Kingston on the water in Bath, Ontario. And we recorded an album together. We went for 18 days and recorded, lived there, worked there. This is amazing. I'm a huge Tragically Hip fan. Okay.

Well, Niles Spencer was a sound technician and amazing mind and producer. And he just, anyway, blows my mind. And we went deep and we found most of our songs through improvisation and then worked them worked them and then recorded them and wrote them on the side and wow it was one of the best experiences of my life we loved it and it was people coming and going over 18 days there were core group who stayed the full time and then other people came for a night or two amazing okay yeah any any details about that bathhouse? I've never been, but I would love to. It sounds like it'd be like a spiritual journey.

It really is. Like when we were recording in one of the rooms, Niles was like, this is the sound of Canadian rock. Like it captures something in that room. You can hear a loon in the background. Like just, you know, you know, they got, they didn't have the clearance for the loon they play in the beginning of what song is it again we kings uh okay but there's a loon and they took it off some like cd you buy with like sounds of nature or something but they didn't clear the sample and apparent and i know this was an issue they had

to actually like fork up some money to use that loon oh strange i know we recorded cracks in the ice like the ice was cracking it was like winter and so but i'm sure we don't need no no because you recorded that was our that was yours see if they gone if jake gold had gone somewhere and just recorded a loon that's fine but you can't take the loon that's on the cd that that you have to clear so there's a fun fun fact for you absolutely okay so i have one more interesting i'm i'm a cyclist and i did the ride you're gonna say cycle i'm a cycle yeah we'll get on the couch there's a couch on the corner i want to talk you're a cyclist yeah you did oh i did the ride as well what a coincidence this i want to hear about it i knew this jeez i know everything god okay so

tell me about your ride to conquer cancer as a cyclist i'm interested i did it once but how many times have you done it? Only once. Okay, we're tied. Yeah. Thanks for not showing me up. I did it 25 times. Okay.

How was it? It was, I mean, listen, exhilarating to do it for and with my friend Joe, who conquered cancer and did it with his wife, my old, one of my oldest friends, Tracy Herity, and one of my other oldest friends, Jen Morose, and Pete Crichton, another great friend. And so we all, they got us drunk at Christmas before and convinced us to say yes to doing the ride. That'll do it. So we

did the ride. They, of course, they trained, and I went to the first training. It was part of the heme team, so all the doctors, part of the heme team, and Joe, we went to the meeting. And that's hematology? Yes. See that out okay yes and the head doctor you know everyone was giving speeches off the top we're about to start training and what the ride's going to be like and the he the doctor gets up there and he's like listen i've done it 11 times the first time i

did it i didn't train and let me tell you i do not recommend that and all i heard was oh you can do it without training so i literally like left that meeting never trained so like zero like what would be a typical ride for you uh like like i'm like just biking downtown to like spadina or something like i'm like 10k or 12k or something like that maybe sure okay so just for people don't know but you've got to go to like at least when i did it was to hamilton like it was 275 kilometers right 275 210 220 but over two days over two days yeah so it's like 125 there and then like 100 back or something like that something we went to niagara and hamilton hamilton and then okay okay okay so

did you do it i did it i finished yeah i mean i went knowing I might end up in the sweeper van and my friends are like there's no shame in the sweeper van. But I was like, not me. I don't want to get in the sweeper van. It nearly killed me. Like that ride was... Because you're going uphill because of the escarpment. Oh yeah, it was hills and when I got to the first

stop for lunch, they'd run out of lunch because I was so far behind. There was no lunch. It was seriously survival of the fittest like the people got their first bananas for you yeah i got a banana and like some chips so anyway it got better but i was and i'm the last to leave in the morning i'm not a morning person so all the bikes are gone and mine's still there you know but you did it i sure did that's amazing and i'm surprised because i'm somebody told me that if you can bike 60 kilometers you can bike the 225 like like so i had this so i trained for 60 okay mainly because like time like you know how much time it takes to run 100k i mean i'm sorry to bike 100k uh longer to run 100k that's a fun fact but uh which i could not do but it's like it's like time it's

like i only i don't have like eight hours today to to do a bike ride well all my friends who i was doing it with they would go like every saturday they're going on a training ride 40k you know 20k and 50 60 it felt i went with them once i went with them once on a 20k i'm like this is a shit sandwich if i'm gonna eat i don't want to eat a shit sandwich every weekend leading i'm gonna do it once can can you say sandwich on the social carolyn don't you talk about i loved it i love it i love the social and you would be you you were yeah you're great on the social and oh i'm great i've never disrespected the social and they're really fun um but yes i did so i ate i decided to eat one giant shit sandwich instead of multiple ones over every week i'm gonna

have every saturday doing a. That is a Mexican. Yeah. Would you rather have smaller shit sandwiches every week for how many months or one giant shit sandwich on one weekend? I chose the giant shit sandwich. I would too. Yeah. Thank you.

Good. Great. We have that in common. It's a lot of pain in one day, but it's done. But yeah, two days, right.

Two days. Did you have to share the tent with somebody? I was not in a tent. I was in- VIP? VIP. I stayed at the Four Seasons back in Toronto, drove back.

No, I was, we were room, we had roommates in like the Hamilton, what's the school there, McMaster? Yeah, that's right. Yeah. And so I was in residence, I guess, in one of the rooms with a girl I didn't know. And when I got there i mean

she'd been checked in probably for two hours before i rolled in and and i was tired and and she had like nice shoes and she was friendly and she was like isn't everyone amazing this the best and i was like oh i'm not in safe space you missed out though on the the tent communal tent experience you missed out on that there by getting an actual room. There was a communal tent? Yeah, well, that's what, so a bunch of tents at Mohawk College, a bunch of tents. Okay. And two person a tent. I went, I was solo on this mission.

So you're just some strangers and you sleep in a little tent with us. You and a stranger sleep in a small tent? Yeah. Jeez. That's how, that's how it, that's how it goes for us normies. Not for the, not for the, the writers from the Strombo show. They get the special treatment here. Okay, but before that,

because we're doing the fitness segment right now, you walked the Camino in Spain. I did. I walked across Spain. How do you know all of this? Guess. Okay. Leslie.

Now that I know it's Leslie, and I'm worried about the three to five minute thing. Do you know her nickname is La, right? No. Say it again. La, L-A, La. Like I was growing up, I was Ka and she was La. I did not know that.

And so, and my brother Cree. So it was like, so I know her as La. That's easier to say. Just La, not La. La. La. Yeah, La. La, like laugh, except without the-

Yeah, just La. So that's her nickname. Okay. See, we got to keep it three to five minutes. Sorry. But this is the La mix. The La time. Okay. So that's her nickname. Okay, see, we got to keep it three to five minutes. Sorry. But this is the La mix. The La time. Okay, so Camino in Spain.

Yes. Okay, so I walked the Camino. It was 2005, I'm guessing, I think. And I went out and walked 700 and, what is it? 775 kilometers, something like that, from France, St. Jean-Pied-de-75 kilometers, something like that from France, St. Jean-Pierre-de-Port over the Pyrenees and then across Spain to Santiago. Was that a spiritual journey for you?

It was. Did you speak during that? You're not supposed to talk, is that right? Am I confusing my trails? I think you're confusing that with something else. I don't know what, but- You can talk. Yes, you're allowed to talk.

My friend Jill, I was actually planning on going alone and I told my friend jill i'm going to spain i'm gonna walk this and she said you're gonna do that alone and i said well who else wants to who has the time the interest in going to spain for a month it takes a month i was gonna ask how long it takes about 30 it took me i think 32 days i might have taken a day off in there wow um and she there's a big long silence and i'm like okay you want to go but our agreement was um we're going but we're walking our own camino meaning you get tired you hurt your foot you don't want to do it anymore you think this is annoying go home but i'm not going home like if we walk together we walk together if we don't we don't but so we did

walk together but then we didn't we had days where we weren't and days where we were. It was great. And did you, you know, did you find what you were looking for? Shout out to you two. Well, I found, if we're getting spiritual, I did find that my sense of trust deepened and you learn on the Camino, it really doesn't matter. Are you going right?

Are you going left? Did you take a wrong turn? It doesn't matter. You are taking care of what you need, will appear when you need it. Not a moment before, it just appears. And that's what I experienced, what I needed appeared when I was lost, then someone appears and helps with directions. It just unfolded that way. It was a worthwhile month of your life to do that. I would recommend it. That sounds amazing. Yeah way it was it was a it was a worthwhile month of your life to to do that that sounds amazing yeah it was great all right i'm gonna tell my wife tonight i'm going to go on for a month i'll be back i love this idea okay now it's not on your imdb page has so many amazing i mean corner gas sue thomas fbi who forgets that you know queer is folk this hour is 22 minutes i actually have a question about that in a moment.

Okay. As we're building up to, and again, pardon me for calling it the Baron Von Sketch Show. That's another show. I don't know what that is. The Baroness Von Sketch Show, which you were on for five years. And I think most people listening probably discover

the wonder that is Carolyn Taylor from that program. It was great. But you were a writer on Strongbow Show. I was. Because that doesn't make your IMDb page. Does it not? No, it should be, right? Maybe, I don't know. It's not like Wikipedia. I don't know if I can add it. I think it's because it fell under the, what is it called? The CM, like the Canadian media, something like, it wasn't WGC. It it was sort of i'm not sure it didn't fall into conventional writing for television i think maybe that's why i i don't know and this is the show because there's a lot of strombo shows but this is the fotm george strombo level this uh who's in this 299 queen

street west dock i saw on friday night uh this is the one of the red chairs yes okay so what was it like working with uh george uh he was great i mean he's a gifted gifted interviewer um i was writing on the show uh listen an interesting thing about the show they were always working to get like these amazing stars right like at the hot new whoever passing through town and they were really good at doing that and george had these great interviews but um the ratings the best ratings for the show was the day that we had the Auditor General, Sheila Fraser, and Anne Murray on the show. So I just always held that. I was like, okay, just remember, like, just don't, you know, do not discount the Auditor General,

the power of the Auditor General. People have interests in this country, and it's not just a random celebrity. Oh, they have an interest in ann murray and ann murray exactly so love it tell me the origin again because we don't have unlimited time so you know i can't spend the 90 minutes i want to talk about sue thomas fbi like let's just do that instead let's talk about no we never get to talk about sue thomas will you come back for a 90 minute deep dive on sue th Thomas FBI? And remember how you spell FBI? Do you remember? Yeah, of course. E-Y-E because she had a seeing eye dog.

I'm going to pretend I knew that. I'm going to just nod my head. Of course. Of course, Carolyn. Yeah, she had a seeing eye dog. I think. God, it's all a blur now. But I know there was a trick to the name.

Yeah, there was something about the show. How did the Baroness Vaughn sketch show come together mainly like how did the four of you hook up you had a great great chemistry on that show yeah we had uh that was uh how did we hook up well we i had worked with aurora at second city uh aurora brown aurora brown we'd done many of our sketches together, worked together on lots. I'd known Jen Whalen from Second City. She'd been on the main stage a couple of generations before me. And by generations, I just mean casts. And then I met Meredith McNeil out in Halifax

on This Hour is 22 Minutes. And I brought them all together. I mean, Aurora and Jen knew each other, of course, but Meredith didn't know those guys. And how did you get CBC interested in the television show, which runs for five years? They, the show, CBC liked it immediately. We went in, the four of us, and I guess our producer,

and we pitched the show to them, and we had a really good sizzle, like we'd done a little sizzle, because after you've been in the business a while, you learn that like a stack of scripts doesn't sell a show. So we had a really compelling pitch deck. Back before pitch decks were color and flashy, but we had a really nice one. And we showed them the trailer or the sizzle, as I remember.

And they put us into development the next day. Like they really were down. So we were very lucky that moved very swiftly. I'm going to play a little of this jam. Brave Shores. Why did Baroness Von Sketch's show come to an end in 2021? I think it was time. Well, it came to an end before then, but the last, I think, seasons,

we had a bunch of bumper crop of sketches. So there was sort of a bonus bunch of episodes that went out. So I guess it did go out till about, yeah, 2021. It was time. Everything ends. I learned that from Six Feet Under. Everything ends. Okay. went out so i guess it it did go out till about yeah 2021 it was time everything uh ends i learned that from six feet under everything ends okay so i'm gonna play a uh a sketch the because i got you know i opened it up to questions and i have some questions for you but i do want to shout out a few partners of the program who help keep this uh keep this thing going here. I want to give some love to a podcast

from Raymond James Canada called The Advantaged Investor. You can subscribe to The Advantaged Investor right now wherever you find your podcasts. Whether you work with a trusted financial advisor or currently manage your own investment plans, The Advantaged Investor provides the engaging wealth management information you value as

you pursue your most important goals. Okay, Carolyn, you're going to subscribe to the Advantage Investor. That's right. I'm getting very serious here. Pumpkins After Dark is now underway. This is the award-winning Halloween event that's in Milton, Ontario. It's in other places across the country, but this is Toronto, Mike. So we're going to focus on Milton.

It's running through Halloween. places across the country, but this is Toronto Mike. So we're going to focus on Milton. It's running through Halloween. And if you buy your tickets right now at pumpkinsafterdark.com you can save 15% with the promo code TOMike15. Get your tickets now. You're going to love it. Award winning Halloween event is back.

Pumpkins After Dark. Carolyn, do you have any I'm envisioning like you Oh, that's right. We were going to come back to this. Remember? Okay. So on my table right now, I'm envisioning like you, oh, that's right. We were going to come back to this. Remember? Okay. So on my table right now, I have a cassette deck because I've been digitizing tapes because I produce Humble and Fred show and I got all these old Humble and Fred shows on tape and

I got to digitize them. So I've got to, that's why this is here. You had the same one, the same Sony tape. I had the same Sony tape deck. I know what the speakers look like, but yours speakers seem hidden. Oh yeah. They're gray. Yeah. They are hidden. Yeah, and then I think I bought

one for my mom too. She had the same set in her living room. Wow. Yeah, and it's great because it has the tape deck and the CD so you can make mixed tapes. That was everything, right? I missed that. I'm actually looking for a proper tape deck that works so that I can make some mixes, but from vinyl. A mixed tape

from vinyl would be fun. I think I kept some in there in a closet here somewhere. I haven't seen them in a long time, but I definitely kept some of my mixtapes. But that was like an art like that was so important to us, right? It was so important. And like, you know, and you'd be recording and realize, oh, you'd never took you didn't take the pause button off and you had to start again. Or you'd look at the tape and see how much tape was left and just it was through intuition you didn't know oh there's only a minute left on the tape so you're like okay i have to find a song that fits about that like a millimeter of tape and it was an art absolute art and i miss it too like you know technology has made all this stuff effortless but there was something about hands-on like you know curating

your your your playlist on a cassette tape that but if you have an old tape deck lying around that doesn't work carolyn this is the takeaway here don't throw it in the garbage okay because there's chemicals in there and it ends up in our landfill and it's bad for all of us go to recycle my electronics.ca and find a place where you can drop it off safely and properly and shout out to epra for recycle my electronics.ca you're slick mike jeez i think we're talking about something legit and then i realized oh it's all to get everything's legit okay especially recycle my electronics.ca that's great this is episode 1332 so uh i did pick up a thing or two even Even though I called your show Baron Von Sketch Show,

and I believe I called Leslie Leslie, and I'm working on all of these things to try to be a better person. Sandy wrote in when I said you were finally coming on Toronto Mic, and I'm very happy to finally meet you. Sandy wrote in and said, Will she, you're the she, Carolyn, Will she talk about the conversation around writing and making the land acknowledgement skit?

You dames were cringingly hard ass, I don't know what I'm just reading here, and real and very funny. Merci. Okay. Can I play it first? Sure. Okay, so stick around.

I think it goes a couple of minutes here, but it's worth the wait. Hello. Hello. First, I'd like to remind everyone here to turn off your cell phones. Before we begin this evening's performance, we would like to acknowledge

that this theater stands on territory of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee, the Huron-Wendat and the Patoon First Nations. We are also mindful of broken covenants and the need to make right with all our relations. And now, please enjoy the show. Oh, sorry, hello. Oh, sorry. Excuse me, should we hello? Oh, yeah. Excuse me, um, should we, um, should we go? Excuse me? Oh, no, no, I just mean if we're on someone else's land, shouldn't we, shouldn't we leave?

Oh, no, no, no, the theater is here now. We'd just like to acknowledge whose land it is. I'm sorry, I'm so confused. So if we're on someone else's land, shouldn't, shouldn't we do something about that, or? Uh, hopefully we'll enjoy the performance. Oh, okay, so some of the money from the ticket sales of the show are going to the indigenous communities? Well, no.

A portion of them? No, no, the ticket sales go to the theater. So is the money from the bottled water sold here going to the First Nations for clean drinking water? Oh, no, that money goes to Nestle. Nestle. They're a sponsor. I'm so sorry.

I'm so confused. So whose land are we on? What are we doing? It's a dialogue. How are we making right? Well, there's a plaque you can read in the lobby. I'm just, I don't understand. I'm getting a message from the stage manager that we need to begin the show.

So please take your seats, but have a good time. But, um, good night. So sit down, enjoy the show. Just enjoy the show. Very good. I quoted quite a bit. I thought it was excellent. How did it come to be there that um i wrote that in uh that was season four i believe um going into that season i i didn't know uh

what i wanted to say you know you sometimes go into lots of ideas there's lots of writers we all have ideas and i didn't have i i just knew this was something um that I thought we could write something about I wanted to do that and uh but it was scary because you know you you don't want to send the wrong message and it's not saying we shouldn't acknowledge and and and I I didn't I was trying to get my own head around it and knew there was an inherent hypocrisy and yet also a dialogue and also important. And so that there were a lot of questions. And so I wrote that and Aurora is so brilliant. I love how she plays that role and just how grounded she think, some lines at the end that really helped even drive it in even further.

You know, just how little was being done. And I'm even hesitant to talk about it because I really, it just came, it was something that wanted to come through. We did it. And it really, I don't have any of the answers. I just had those questions. No, right, right. But it is one of those, I think of that skit actually now whenever I'm at, I don't know, Blue Jay Game or wherever,

when there's the land acknowledgement. And I think about that skit actually. So it gets a conversation going. Yeah, I think it just, yeah, it's a contribution to the conversation, I think, yeah. Excuse me, I'm losing my voice. No, that's okay. You're all choked up because I started with all these uh early early uh times in Montreal there

uh and you probably didn't see that coming here Brian K would like to know uh when will we get to see sketches that never made it to air like is there a uh is there a hard drive somewhere with a bunch of stuff or well there are so like i said we did put out a whole bunch that hadn't gone to air uh in that sort of bumper crop of season five um then we did have some that are only available online i think there were about seven or eight that went out online and then we do have some others but we had put them in a thing called the vault so there's sketches where any one of us could say that goes in the vault i can never have that out in the world either because of your own performance the message that something just didn't it didn't land it wasn't right i gotta see this and no so

that vault is locked it is at the bottom of the ocean i don't even know what the where the usb is gone but um yeah so there i don't know if there are really how many are left that aren't in the vault and haven't been shared there's probably a handful it sounds like in that last season you might have drained the swamp of what you're ready to share with the public i believe so i believe so this is a bigger one and then i'm gonna i want to find out about i have nothing and read some lovely reviews uh from from from listeners who have already watched it because it's already on crave you can watch it you could pause this right now and watch I Have Nothing and then come back for the rest of the program. You could do, literally, you could

do that. But this is a big one. I'm just curious because of Baroness Vaughn's sketch show, The Nest in Baroness. Barry wants to know, is there a gender gap in comedy? Like, is it tough to be a woman in any, forget it, Canadian comedy, in comedy? I don't know.

I think it's tough to be in comedy. I think, you know, it's a much bigger conversation. And, but I think there are a lot of voices, a lot of voices that need to be heard and amplified. And, you know, we were one niche, one part, and obviously not even, not representing all women or everyone's experience or women identified folks. Like we were one, one part, and obviously not even, not representing all women or everyone's experience or women-identified folks. Like we were one part of that conversation. But yeah, I'm glad that we inserted our voices into it.

I will suggest after our 90-minute deep dive into Sue Thomas, FBI, we'll tackle that one, gender gap in comedy, okay? So just book me another couple hours and we'll do that. Whitney Houston's I Have Nothing here. A little music as we dive into the new series on Crave. Where did the idea come from? Tell me about I Have Nothing.

So I Have Nothing, of course, is Whitney Houston's hit song from The Bodyguard. Came out in 92. And isn't it such a beautiful fucking song? She can sing. I cannot get enough of this song. Even now, I cannot get enough of it. So I was driving.

You're like a conductor. If you went like this, I would bring it up in the mix. Oh, wait. When we get to a point where it sounds like a jump is coming. So think, imagine a figure skating routine. I heard it and I knew driving. You're like a conductor. If you went like this, I would bring it up in the mix. You can do whatever you want. When we get to a point where it sounds like a jump is coming, so think, imagine a figure skating routine. I heard it and I knew instantly. So now this is where the figure skaters are getting faster.

They're building up speed, right? A little head turn. Get ready. Here we go. Do you feel the lift about to happen? They're going to do maybe a triple lutz. Rump. Get ready.

Kick. Spin, spin, spin, spin, spin. Don't make it. to run from myself. Get ready. There's nowhere to hide. Pick. Spin, spin, spin, spin, spin. Don't make me come out. And they land the jump. You see that? You hear that? Amazing.

But did you always love figure skating? Well, listen, I was fixated on the 88 Olympics. Katerina Witt. Are you kidding me? You know, all of that. That whole crew.

Liz Manley, Debbie Thomas, the Battle of the Bryans. You know, it was a compelling Olympics. I was really into it. I was like 14 or 15 at the time. And so that really and you can visualize a figure skating routine set to this song it just comes to me like literally like of course i'd heard the song before it came out in 92 but in 2014 or whatever i'm driving with my girlfriend i hear the song and i'm like this has to be a full-length paris figure skating routine and i don't know how to skate and i obviously can't do it but i need to make it it happen. Well, that's a key detail that you don't, you don't have a skate beyond like being a kid, you know,

in skates and like the odd, you know, I can skate like a bad skater, you know? Amazing. Right. Right. I love it.

The 88 Olympics were a big deal to me, too. I was 14, I guess. Oh, so we're the same age. What year were you born? 74. Oh, I'm 73. You're year of the tiger. I'm year of the ox.

So close, so close. But yeah, I think I was 14. But anyway, yeah, big, big deal because we were hosting this damn thing and I fell in love with the Olympics during the Los Angeles Games in 84. Yes yes unbeknownst to young mike hold on hold on you win gold to this song wow yeah anyway unbeknownst to me we didn't uh you know uh russia and east germany and I don't wanna hurt you Like East versus West. It was Cold War. It was pre-internet. Like it was, I mean.

Oh, get ready. Here's one more. Like they're still skating. This is a long program. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to let Whitney finish up here. And then I'm going to play the trailer for I Have Nothing. And then I'm going to read some notes and get some answers to my questions but

how have the reviews been? The early reviews. Now people have seen this. What are you hearing from people? I'm hearing a lot of really great stuff. It's kind of blowing my mind and kind of a bit and I'm a little overwhelmed. It's been really wild. Well I mentioned the Not So Secret FOTM group so

we've been watching it knowing you're coming on. And I'm hearing the same thing you're hearing. And I'll read one in a moment here. Here we go. I'm gonna tell you a story, okay? Okay, great, yeah, woo! You know when you're driving and a song comes on the radio? And in that moment, you know this is the song that you're gonna use to choreograph

the perfect full-length professional figure skating routine. After Carolyn did Baroness Von Sketchow, which was like a huge hit, I was curious about what she would do next. So I'm choreographing a professional gold medal level figure skating routine to Whitney Houston's I Have Nothing. Wait, so you're a choreographer. I'm not a choreographer.

Can you skate? I've been on skates. Whoo! She's a dreamer, but her dreams are really weird. It's like when skating and music come together. No, ah! Do you have a team with you to help you? Yes.

Oh, you have a team. I've got Zach and Allison in there, and I've got Kev. Imagine Olympic level skaters who only worked with like top choreographers. They've put their trust in me. What she wants to do is a little crazy. I don't even know if I could do it, and I am an Olympic medalist.

Do I seem like a choreographer to you? I don't know. You do look like some very legit choreographer before you started working with them. Before I start talking, yeah. Yeah? Oh, wait, I need to learn how to skate. I need to work with the best.

Learn how to choreograph. And now you're going back. She's got a plan. I've got some work ready. How about this sequence? To squeeze in a lifetime of knowledge in a matter of weeks. There's so much to do.

I arrow in by you and whoosh. Nope. Has everybody forgotten that Carolyn is not a choreographer? You're a cool individual. We're all cool. She's got a banana. Bananas are good. Everybody happy?

Yep. Fabulously. Well, you knew bananas were good from the road to conquer cancer, the ride to conquer cancer, and that's all they had left. Okay, so you birthed this. This is your baby. You created this. Yes.

Wow. Yes. Okay. how does uh crave come in like did you pitch it i just envision these pitch meetings or something yeah so i teamed up with zach russell who is also directing and an exec producer with me on the show and um we and cat content catalyst uh catalyst for creators and they were the producers who said oh we really we hear what you're saying and we want to do this with you. And so that was really exciting because it's not, it's very niche, right? So to find a production company that understands and wants to help make it a reality. And so we pitched, you know, a few networks and the meeting with Bell Crave was just, they got it. They understood. Other places were like, oh, okay, neat. And Bell Crave really got it. We had. Other places were like, oh, okay, neat. And Bell Crave really got it.

We had this amazing team, you know, with Danielle Pearson and Sarah Fowley, lots of great Rachel and also- No, name drop, I love it. No, but they were a great team. They really, they understood it. Danielle loves figure skating. And so they were behind us.

They were behind us the whole time and it felt really exciting and just exciting for a network to greenlight such an oddball project, you know? Love it. I just popped over to the live stream here. In addition to Leslie, who I now call Law. What is the live stream? When you're saying, are we being live stream?

Is this live? Yeah. Oh, shit. I didn't know. Am I on camera? Yeah. Oh, God. Am I supposed to tell you that? I didn't know. Am I on camera? Yeah. Oh God. Am I supposed to tell you that?

I didn't know. Have I been like picking my nose? No, I actually would have told you to stop picking your nose. Like you have me like playing with this toy. Yeah, but it's not recorded. It's alive and there's a few people here. But for example, okay. So Canada Kev, I just want to celebrate these good people.

Okay. Canada Kev says, my sister loved and worked in figure skating following those times the 88 olympics and she had some wild stories from behind the scenes at various worlds and olympics and he says it's crazy uh so he cannot wait to binge i have nothing meanwhile yyz gourd has i have a note now i'm gonna read the note from yyz gourd because he has more detail here he says i will imitate his voice. No, just kidding. Where are you?

Where's your note there? I have it somewhere. Here it is. Hey, Mike. That's me. For Carolyn, please tell her how much we enjoyed I Have Nothing. We binged it in two settings

and so happy with the ending, which we won't reveal here. I have lots of potential questions that you will likely get to organically. Never assume that, Gord. Okay. But curious if they really didn't find out they had the rights until the last minute.

That is true. We did not have the rights going in. We got greenlit without the rights. And Zach and I had to write a, like a... A sound-a-like? Yeah, a sound-a-like. Well, no, we wrote a document that said, listen, this is, if we don't get the rights,

it's still going to be funny. We're going to make it work. The show will be good either way. I don't know how we wrote that document and what words we used to convey that, but it worked. And then May and I, as a backup, wrote a sounds nothing alike, because you can't write a sounds alike

if you don't have the rights either. So we had to write a sounds nothing alike. Cause you can't write a sounds like if you don't have the rights either. So we had to write a sounds nothing alike. So it just had the same sort of structure so that the skaters could have structure, but different lyrics, different everything. Interesting. Of course,

we did not have to use that not to give too much away, but no, we did not have the rights when we started the project. Okay. And he's got another, this is another great question from YYZ Gord. He says, I was curious about the helmet Carolyn was wearing on the ice. I loved it, but was it just for comedic effect or was it actually something she felt she

needed to protect her head? Oh no, it was something I needed to protect my head. It's my bike helmet actually. And so I wore that and I think the production company was happy I had it on too, you know, because I'm on blades on the ice, but as the series goes on, I'm, I don't, I stopped wearing, I start to become more comfortable actually. And then I, I don't wear it as often as I, as I get more comfortable. How does May Martin, uh, come into play here? Because, uh, man, uh, talk about having a moment.

Yeah. May. Well, listen, May star is huge and, and, uh, they have their show feel good and all that. Gosh, they're everywhere. Yeah, May. Well, listen, May's star is huge. And they have their show Feel Good. And gosh, they're everywhere. They're everywhere. They kill it on their tour and their show Sap on Netflix. And we've been friends for, we've worked together, I think, 23 years.

So I met May when they were a teenager. And we've been friends. We have been friends ever since and so May and I I performed the stage version of the skating routine so that's sort of what I did I took it from my head and put it on stage as a stand-up bit and a performance art kind of bit like not exactly stand-up but a sort of performance piece and May was with me going like what are you doing we'd be on like double bills and stuff together and then when I got the green light on this, Mae was like, what? I have to, are you kidding me?

And I'm like, come, you'll be part of the show. And they were like, they flew in. They were amazing. And they're in many episodes. Yeah, that's a big get to get Mae Martin. And when I mentioned to FOTM Rosie, I was just telling Rosie about your new series, I Have Nothing.

And then I mentioned Mae Martin is in it. And she just literally, like, there was a whole squeal. Everyone has a crush on Mae. Listen. Absolutely. Absolutely. Now, there are many famous figure skaters in I Have Nothing. Is it just you invite all these figure skaters and see who will play ball?

Well, it was a specific cohort of figure skaters. Well, no, actually that's not true. There were, there were many there's, um, but Sandra Bezek,

who is my mentor in the series. Right. Um, and you know, arguably, well, I say the best choreographer in skating and she, you know,

she choreographed Brian Boitano and his winning Napoleon routine in 88, you know, Kurt Browning and singing in the rain, Casablanca, like Underhill and Martini. Anyway, the list goes on. But so she, when she got on board and believed in me for some reason and trusted me, she started to reach out to these, her figure skating, who were her people, who were her friends and, you know, these Olympians and people she's worked with for years and years. So anyway, one by one, they said, yes, they came in. So I sort of train in preparation for my big skaters. And it's not a spoiler because we really

reveal it at the end of episode one. If you don't want to know, block your ears right now. But if you, it's Katya Gordieva and David Pelletier, three gold medals between them. And Katya Gordieva and David Peltier, three gold medals between them. And Katya Gordieva is the greatest of all time as a pair skater. Well, Peltier, I always struggle saying it. Say it again. Peltier.

Peltier. Yeah. Any reference to David's former partner? Nah, no, no, no, not really.

No, but these two together are so great. Katya and David, like an absolute dream, but I work with Kurt Browning. Brian Orser gives me skating lessons. Olaj Balde, who is, you know, huge on Instagram. He's a beautiful skater, intuitive, improvisational skater.

Riku and Ryuichi, the current world champions from Japan. You know, listen, Underhill and Martini, Barb Underhill, Paul Martini. Oh, yeah. No, big, big deal. I can tell as you talk about it, youhill, Paul Martini. Oh, yeah. No, big deal. There's many. Adam Rippon. I can tell as you talk about it, you're very proud of this.

You should be. You created something that people are right now thoroughly enjoying and it's bringing great joy to people. And you're very, I'm excited for you, not just because I like your sister.

You like my sister? My sister's great. I bump into her quite, well, she comes to TMLX events. So how could I not like her? Who else likes my sister? Everyone who likes your sister. You like my sister? My sister's great. I bump into her quite, well, she comes to TMLX events, so how could I not like her? Who else likes my sister? Everyone who likes your sister, raise your hand in the chat here.

Who likes Leslie? But you already know what's next? Like I know, and now you're promoting it because here it took a long time to get this thing done. Now it's on the air on Crave, but you already working on the next thing?

I have notions for the next thing, but I usually, sometimes I go fallow, but I actually, you know, between things, because I don't know yet, the idea hasn't come. Well, you go walk trails. I walk trails, yeah, and I make an album or do weird things. I don't know, it's weird. What, a bathhouse?

Yeah, so, but I... How do I hear this, what you call it? I haven't released it. I'm actually... Email it to me. I'm going to press it to vinyl, actually, and it call it. I haven't released it. I, I'm actually, email it to me. I'm going to press it to vinyl actually. And it'll just be an artifact, like a queer artifact album,

but I could send you a, well, how do I get a, no, I, I, you know, I don't have any way to play the,

I have vinyl here in the studio. There's a bunch stacked here. You have vinyl, but no record player, no record player. Oh, that's tragic. I know I find vinyl.

And again, I did, I was raised on 45 singles like i would go to the local sam the record man and buy 45 singles this is how i listened to music when i was growing up but i find it very inconvenient like what i know i don't i know i know i'm sorry we were getting along so well i'm not anti-vinyl like you can see i got i got vinyl i mean you just don't ever want to play it i just don't need to play it like i just sort of like it as an artifact.

But an artifact is fun. So then you'd like my album, I guess. That's what I'm saying. I guess there's a long-winded way of saying, like, I gave you lasagna. I'm giving you beer. I gave you a measuring tape. So I should give you my... If I could get vinyl, I would prominently display it here in the studio.

Listen, it is on my list of things to do to finish. I mean, it's been mastered. I just need to... I want to do artwork in the middle. know I want the gatefold so again as you might be able to tell I like I like aesthetics I like the past I like the experience of an album so I really want it to have that experience and it's uh and it's not meant to be a big pop hit I'm not looking to become a pop star it's really a queer experimental uh thing but since you're not going to play it you can just i'll make sure the artwork's really really good

yeah well i can't play it but maybe you'll also send me an mp3 i don't know we'll see what we can do i just want to let hey ref is uh on the live stream to say i like leslie and uh leslie liked that that she that she's liked here is leslie calling in someone's no you know what someone is calling but see i bring her off i can i what happens if we answer you can do play by play okay okay oh boy let's see hello he's answering the phone hello he's saying hello again no well that that didn't go you have a terrible echo on your phone i think it's on their end okay i think is i think that was a something it says scarborough so i answered it because i have a

broken dryer and between one minute and then at 2 p.m i'm told this is like a three-hour range where someone's going to be knocking on that side door to fix my dryer so we could be interrupted i need to like oh well we're wrapping up here anyway you've been amazing but uh i'm like i need to answer this because i gotta get my dryer fixed this is a very important thing i need to do so it was actually yyz gourd who liked it not leslie she's too modest to like it i apologize to that all right a fun fact about carolyn before we say goodbye and i've thoroughly enjoyed this but there's a fun fact about you, which is that you are, you mentioned you're like an artist, a member of the Experimental Arts Sound Quartet, MINTS. Yes. So tell me just a little bit about MINTS with a Z.

Yes. And I mean, you've enjoyed residencies at the Banff Center for the Arts and Gibraltar Point. This is kind of neat. You really do your research. So you see this picture of Brian Linehan. Now you grew up in Montreal. Yes. So you might have missed. What year approximately do you end up moving to Toronto? I think I

moved here in 97. Well, you might. Okay. City TV had a gentleman named Brian Linehan who would interview people and I grew up amazed by his research and he did his homework and I'm like not that I ever thought I'd do anything because I avoided media I'm no Carolyn Taylor but I figured uh when I started this thing it's like I'm gonna channel

my inner Brian Linehan and this picture here which funny thing is my guest yesterday this was his closest friend at work Brian Linehan Michael Williams from Much Music was here yesterday loves Brian Linehan but it says dear Toronto Music was here yesterday. Loves Brian Linehan. But it says, Dear Toronto Mike, thanks for all the support over the years. Brian Linehan would be proud of you. And that's from The Watchmen,

the Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, The Watchmen. So that's why I do my homework. But tell me about Mintz. Okay, so Mintz is me, Christina Zeidler, Serena Saron, and Selena Carroll. So it's three,ler, Serena Saron, and Selena Carroll. So it's three,

Christina, Serena, Selena, and me. And we write music together, usually through improvisation. And we do a thing called, well, not, it's not our thing. It's a thing musicians do at greasing the chain, you know, so we sound horrible together, we're trying to find each other. And then we lock in. And when we find each other, that's when we start writing. So we never say, let's do this in the key of D. It's like, you just listen to each other.

We find it. And then we go on wild trips. So it's kind of, I think we called it psychedelic emo geo, uh, art pop or something. I don't know. Well,

you know what? Get a trademark on that. Cause it's catchy as fuck. That's great. I'll send you a mince. I, you know what? Get a trademark on that because it's catchy as fuck. That's great. I'll send you a mince. We have mince tracks on digital somewhere. I'll send you something weird.

You've got lots to send me now. I rarely send guests home with so much homework, but I want that vinyl when it's pressed. I want the mince stuff. I want all of it, Carolyn. Carolyn, you're now an FOTM.

Do you know what that means? A friend of Toronto Mike. And I hope you're now an FOTM. Do you know what that means? A friend of Toronto Mike. And I hope you're as proud as that of all the awards you're going to win for this series. Very good job on I Have Nothing. If listeners haven't seen I Have Nothing yet, you can rectify that. Get your ass to Crave.

If you don't have Crave, Bill Media would love it if you subscribed to Crave so you could watch the program. How was this for you, Carolyn? This is really nice. Leslie said you are a prince of a man. That's why I like her. She said we're going to go to all different places.

Just trust the process. And thank you for the lasagna. Oh, I thought this was it. You're actually just giving me an empty box. It's an empty box. Don't believe anything you hear on the radio or television. It's just now. You're actually just giving me an empty box. It's an empty box. It's so nice of you, Mike. You know, don't believe anything you hear on the radio or television. It's in my freezer because I don't want it to like start to thaw as we talk for an hour here. And now I'm working the camera.

Carolyn's now playing to the camera. I am. I'm showing. You should be on television. Oh, no. It's like, see, like a kid. Watch me. Watch me.

Horrible. Should I play Puttin' on the Ritz again? I want to see that routine too. I mean, we could go out on Put put it on the ritz again i want to see that routine too i mean we could go out on putting on the ritz like end as we began that's a good convention and sketch to end how you started well actually what i think i will do which i've never done before but i actually that's that tribute to your dad russ taylor i had to truncate it because it does go on for a good you know eight minutes or so but i think i'll amend it like so i'll do my extra now okay let the music go a bit and i think i'll add it to the end of the feed and then everyone can hear the full tribute to russ taylor that would be beautiful and uh i'm happy

to do that thanks mike and that brings us to the end of our 13,332nd show. You can follow me on Twitter. I'm at Toronto Mike. You're Carolyn Taylor D. Taylor. Oh, I don't really do anything on Twitter. Okay, where do you want us to follow you? Well, Carolyn Taylor official, like on Instagram. Yeah.

You're an Instagram smart. I just got back on. You had to pick a different billionaire. It's like, which billionaire do I hang out with here? The less evil one, but that's another episode done to itself. We have so many future episodes, Mike. We have a lot to talk about. I'm taking notes here.

I don't forget things. Our friends at Great Lakes Brewery, again, you've got your beer you're taking home with you. They're at Great Lakes Beer. Palma Pasta is at Palma Pasta. Recycle My Electronics are at EP-P-R-A underscore Canada. Pumpkins After Dark, everybody. Get the tickets now.

You can go to Milton tonight and see Pumpkins After Dark. If you buy your tickets at pumpkinsafterdark.com. Promo code is T-O-M-I-K-E-1-5. And I see Carolyn. She's measuring something.

My head. Thanks to Ridley Funeral Home. They're at Ridley FH. See you all tomorrow when I have from Sportsnet Jamie Campbell and Brad Fay. We're going to talk about 25 years of Sportsnet.

Should be great. See you all then. And they're brokerage stocks, the class struggle explodes And I'll play this guitar just the best that I can Maybe I'm not and maybe I am But who gives a damn? Because everything is coming up rosy and gray Yeah, the wind is cold but the smell of snow warms me today. And your smile is fine, and it's just like mine, and it won't go away, because everything is rosy and gray. Well, I've kissed you in France, and I've kissed you in France and I've kissed you in Spain.

This morning, all of the people connected with the Expos and everyone connected with sport of any kind in Montreal and indeed in Canada were shocked and saddened by the news of the sudden death of Russ Taylor, currently the Expos Director of Communications. And for the first eight seasons of the Expos, their play-by-play broadcaster on radio, along with Dave Van Horn and latterly,

Duke Snyder as well. Here at CFCF Radio, the archives contain many moments that Russ shared with all of us, and the Expos broadcast crew have requested that we play a few of those moments for you now. In the broadcasting business in Montreal, we always referred to Russ Taylor as the old pro. His association with CFCF goes back into the early 50s, and before, perhaps, his love of sport goes back much further than that.

One of his earliest jobs was as the radio technician at the Montreal Forum, and it was there he heard a broadcaster from the Maritimes doing an amateur game. A few years later, he recommended that same broadcaster to those handling Canadians' broadcasts, and that is how Danny Gallivan came to Montreal. Russ was the morning sportscaster for many years on CFCF radio, and when television arrived, he became part of that scene, too. But first and foremost, Russ's love was baseball. When they were looking for a place in which to play Major League Baseball in Montreal, it was Russ Taylor who told Warren Giles and John McHale about Jerry Park. He was with them the first time they walked into the park.

He was there the first and last times the Expos played there. He was the play-by-play man alongside Dave Van Horn and Latterly Duke Snyder from the first game through to the end of last season when he became the director of communications for the ball club. Russ loved Jerry Park. He loved the broadcasts, and he loved baseball. And he was one of the broadcasters at a microphone when Hank Aaron hit one of his record-setting home runs.

Hard hit drive deep in the center field. That ball is going, going up. Hold on for Hank Aaron. He now needs 17. A three-run blast has him out of place. Take a 7-1 lead. Well, Russ, like everybody else, could get excited when Hank Aaron hit a home run, but not the way Russ Taylor could get excited when the Expos hit a home run, especially if it was a grand slam. The pitch to Bailey. Hard hit ball, deep into left field, going way back is Aaron.

Hard hit ball, deep into left field, going way back is Aaron. That ball is gone. A grand slam home run for Bob Bailey on the first pitch. And the Expos are back in the game. Russ was one of the few homegrown play-by-play men in baseball. He loved the life. He loved the travels. He loved sitting around talking baseball, playing trivia.

And he loved the Expos. The 2-0. Hard hit ball deep into left field. That ball is going. It is gone! We've got a tie ball game. Bob Bailey has just hit it out. Expos 5, the Dodgers 5. What a poke by Bob Bailey. A dramatic ninth inning home run his 22nd of the year

for Bob Bailey 5 RBIs a standing ovation here at Jerry Park what a clout by Beats into the bleachers 0-2 Brewer is ready the pitch

Day grab ball right side base hit he explodes went by a score of 6-5 Boots Day The last time Russ Taylor worked on an Expos broadcast, two nights ago, and the Expos defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 13 to nothing. Perhaps, if you want to look at it that way, a fitting end to Russ's broadcasting career. Perhaps, if you want to look at it that way, a fitting end to Russ's broadcasting career. Those of us who knew him always felt that when he became the announcer for Montreal's Major League Baseball team, it proved there was some justice in the world after all.

Today was Russ Taylor's birthday. One and one pitch on the way. Swung on, sharp grounder, Wills has it, bobbles it, throw to first, in time! He did it! A no-hitter! A no-hitter! A no-hitter for Bill Stoneman! Well, Russ Taylor took off immediately, and Russ, this is quite a historic night, and you had an opportunity to talk with Bill Stoneman? Yes, I did. Honestly, goodness, I was standing by the Expos dugout. I didn't want to put a jinx on them or anything. I was standing in the crowd, and to hear the crowd cheering with every pitch

was really something to hear down there. And as soon as Maury Wills made that final put-out, bobbled the ball slightly and threw over to Ty Kline at first base, I dashed out onto the field, followed Bill Stoneman into the dugout, and I recorded the following interview with him. Here I am with Bill Stoneman. He has just pitched a no-hit, no-run game.

Bill, how do you feel? I feel great. It's the greatest thing yet. What were your feelings when you let that last pitch go to Duren Johnson? Oh, I thought he was looking for it, and he was, and it just happened to be hit in the right place. Morey had knocked it down. My heart went right in my mouth.

Morey did a beautiful job. He's great. He's the greatest. Bill, did you realize you had a no-hitter going? I realized it. From where? All along. Oh, I would say maybe from the third or fourth. What were your feelings when you started the bottom half of the ninth inning? The fans gave you a standing ovation here. It just weakened me a little bit. I never had anything like that, and I just couldn't believe it. I really couldn't believe it. Bill, have you ever pitched a no-hitter before? Never.

This is it. You know, you pitched a great game in Chicago last week until the team got into a little trouble. Rusty Stobb is just empty. I can't have beer all over you, Bill. That's all right. That's all right. He can do that every time we win a game.

Congratulations once again. Thank you very much, Russ. The 1-1. Here's a high fly ball into short right field near the line. Staub is under. Let's see whether he can make the throw. Here comes the throw to the plate. They got up at the plate.

A terrific throw by Rusty Staub. Oh, man. What a throw. A standing ovation for Rusty Stobb as they got Cleon Jones off the plate. The crowd is up yelling, Stobb has made a magnificent throw. Well, Russ, a combination of things.

Really, when I made the throw, I kind of, you know, overextended myself, and I guess my pants were a little too tight, and I tore them a little bit, and I've also had a little trouble with my stomach, so I just, I went inside, and, you know, as nature calls sometimes, I just totally umpire. I said, I've got to go change my pants, so when I went inside, I just, you know, had to do my little thing there, and so it took me a little while to get back out. Okay, Rusty, thanks very much, and congratulations

once again. Russ, that's an all-timer. I've been speaking with Rusty Staub now stay tuned for the post game scoreboard show with Dave Van Horn coming up in just one minute laughter laughter laughter laughter laughter

laughter laughter laughter