Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Dan O'Toole: Toronto Mike'd #1453

Episode Date: March 19, 2024

In this 1453rd episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike catches up with Dan O'Toole. There's talk about what led to Dan's firing at TSN, his battle with alcoholism, his relationship with his kids and Dan and himself, his Boomsies podcast and what's going on with Kate. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, The Advantaged Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada, The Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Team and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail]

Welcome to episode 1453 of Toronto Miked! 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. Palma Pasta! Enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. The Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team, the best baseball in the city outside the dome, with eight championships since 1967. RecycleMyElectronics.ca, committing to our planet's future

means properly recycling our electronics of the past. The Advantage Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada, valuable perspective for Canadian investors who want to remain knowledgeable, informed, and focused on long-term success. And Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921. Today, making his return to Toronto-miked is Dan O'Toole.

Welcome back, Dan. Great to be here. I just noticed in your sponsor reads that you said pasta and pasta. I'm just covering all the bases. Which one do you prefer pasta or pasta in America? Having lived there, they say pasta. But here in this house, we say pasta.

I always said pasta because of an ad I used to see for like, I can't remember if it was for the Ponderosa or maybe it's for Mother's Pizza, but there was a guy Dennis Weaver would say, pizza pasta made perfect. Do you remember this at all? No, I don't at all. When it comes to an aunt or an uncle, do you say aunt or aunt? I say aunt. Yeah. So aunt is another thing.

And there's also pecan or pecan. Pecan. No, it's pecan. I'm a hybrid, but you're the man. I respect your opinion on these things. I was sitting down with Jim Cuddy at the woodshed and I said that ad read and I talked about pasta, and he stopped down and said, why do you say pasta? He goes, it's pasta.

And that was like the first moment I realized I might be saying it wrong. Like I had no idea. I have one Jim Cuddy encounter and it was magical. Jay and I were doing our podcast tour. So we'd do every second weekend, we'd hit the road, hit small theaters. It was a blast. And we'd bring merch.

Sure. And it's just Jay and I. So I was bringing the box of merch. So I was over in the oversized section at Pearson waiting for them to scan my big box. Jim Cuddy's there, but to load some guitars. And he looks at me and says, what are you doing? You got to carry your own merch. We had never met. And I just said, you know, it's a two man band. He's like, yeah, I respect that. And then that was our only interaction of our lives.

And I thought it was amazing. Well, you know, he knows who you are because he's a big hockey fan and you know, he's tuning into TSN back then. So he knows exactly who he's talking to. Ah, Blue Rodeo, they played the Oronal Fair. So I live in a small town, 55 minutes from downtown Toronto, and they played the fair this year. Wow.

Wow. Just standing there in your hometown, well, my adopted hometown, while they're belting out the hits, I had tears in my eyes. I loved to cry and it was just a surreal experience. Okay. Well, out in the middle of Lake Ontario and we're like two minute drive from Lake

Ontario. I'm like, oh my God. Well, I could beat that. I'm a two minute walk from Lake Ontario, but I can tell you this. I can tell you this. This is the small world we live in. Do you want to guess? You'll never guess. I'm going to have to tell you, but who was sitting in my basement yesterday? Somebody made their Toronto mic debut yesterday and I'll tell you because you'll never guess.

His name is Bob Roper and he was with Warner and he's the guy who signed a blue rodeo to their first record deal. Wow. yeah. Yeah, this is Greg Keeler lives on a farm five minutes from here so I always see him in his El Camino in town and I ran him to the bakery at once and I said hey I want to have you on my podcast me I think was just trying to see who the hell I was in his brain. And then he came out and he goes, oh, you're the sports guy.

I'd love to come on. And did he come on? So no, because we got to figure out how to do guests in here. That's for another day. But it's great having a piece of Canadian rock royalty right here in our town. Amazing. Have you bumped into Neil Young? I feel like he's in that hood. Am I right? Neil Young has feel like he's in that hood am I right? Oh Neil Young

Has a cottage on stony lake I am told which is right by my Official hometown of Peterrow, Ontario, which is cottage country so he has a place there Ronnie Hawkins had his place there which was The who's who of the rock world like John Lennon had gone to Ronnie Hawkins place back in the day. So it's, Bob Ganey's got a place on there. The lead singer of the Cranberries, Dolores is her name. Dolores O'Riordan, shout out to Ridley Funeral Home,

no longer with us. So her family had a place there and then she decided this home life isn't for me and that's when she moved back home and Then it all went for shit sad story There was a big cranberries fan, but you mentioned Greg Keillor So now I need to point out because I had the vinyl staring at me right now, but Michelle McAdory dropped by Fairly recently and Michelle McAdory, when Blue Rodeo was signed to this deal that Bob Roper signed him to at Warner, Michelle McAdory was dating

Greg Keeler and she was in all those early videos and you can see Michelle McAdory who was with Crash Vegas, which was started with her and Greg Keeler, she was in the video for Try. Crash Vegas, I haven't heard, so what was I gotta look up there? I'll tell you the big hit was called inside out Inside out I was dying Inside out now I was crying now. I can't sing that's got the most plays followed by smoke sky It's not a lot not a lot of plays on Amazon, on Spotify or Crash Vegas. But Inside Out was a jam, like guys our age

remember Inside Out. So I see the album art for that Crash Vegas album and I had this discussion with someone the other day and I told them, today's generation, I always sound old, but I've got, my two oldest are 16 and 13. And I say they will not have what we had in the album into cassette tape into CD day and age in which a song, a band was identifiable because of their cover art. You'd go through the Columbia House album

or the catalog and you'd say, oh, I want that album. And to this day, if you see that album cover of a Soundgarden or a Crash Test Dummies or a Crash Vegas, you're instantly brought back to, oh yeah, I remember that song. But now they don't have that. They aren't looking at album art. They aren't opening up the inside of that cassette to go through all the tiny lyrics and follow along.

It's a lost, not art, but a lost part of music that this generation will never experience. You're totally right. Just yesterday I walked by the Village Vinyl, which is in my hood here, and I saw the vinyl, the cover of Vers pearl jams verses It's got that sheep going through the chain link fence or whatever. Yes, right? So it's like and then I thought oh, yeah And then I started thinking like just I'm walking on Lakeshore and I'm thinking of that three-legged dog on Alice and chains dirt right like I'm thinking these things

So you're a hundred percent right that when you're streaming like when you're streaming first and our kids and I'm you know You and I think we're one year apart in age. I'm Jay's age I think so we're like older than you, but I got you're born 74 74. So this is the big year We turn 50 what when does Jay turn 50? Do you know? It's got to be coming up. I want to I want to say his birthdays in August. I could be wrong I'm horrible with birthdays. Well, that's okay. I won't hold you to a quick Google search. I'll give say his birthdays in August. I could be wrong. I'm horrible with birthdays. Well, that's okay. I won't hold you to it. But a quick Google search will give you his birthday.

I'm too lazy for that. Okay. So, but Betty, you're absolutely right about the album art. And even with us, like we had CDs was our primary thing, which was better than cassettes, cause I started with cassettes. But the, you know, the older cats, the boomers, you know, shout out the boomzies, but the boomers,

they were the vinyl people. That was a serious piece of real estate to see the cover of the Beatles album or Led Zeppelin Four or whatever, Hotel California, whatever. Cassettes, did you have the Berenick Ladies yellow cassette? I had two copies of it, yeah, of course. Oh yeah, that was a hot commodity.

They sold it at Sam, the record band for five dollars, if I'm not mistaken. It's what got them a record deal. And I was going through my memorabilia here in the basement and sorting all the kids stuff into their own containers. And I stumbled upon a bare naked ladies ticket to

a high school in Peterborough in which I paid ten10 to see them. Now you're unlocking a shitload of memories here, but here's a fun fact for you if you're into trivia stuff like I am. Okay, can you name the, who printed, like I guess the word is, like who produced, I don't know the terminology, but who produced the cassettes for the Bare Naked Ladies for that? Didn't they do it wasn't it self funded?

Like they put the money together? Yeah, but there was still an out, like a company had to mass produce the cassettes for distribution, like for sale. Like what's the fun part is- Do you know the answer? Yeah, I know the answer. Of course I do, cause it ties into Canadian sports media.

It was called Page Production. And well, hope I get the story right. Okay, so I, yeah, not Page Productions. Okay, we're going to change. I'm trying to remember the story. I believe, yeah, I believe it was Page Productions, and I think it's the same family members of Stephen Page that produced the yellow, sorry, the Shakespeare My Butt

compilation album from Lowest of the Low. See, I'm come full my trivia's Can I ask you questions? Oh before we get into this Dan yesterday? I mentioned I had this guy over here Bob Roper and he just in passing talks about a band called the arrows Do you know the arrows? never Never heard of them. Okay, so I think that's because we're that similar vintage So I don't know the arrows at all

but apparently there's a Toronto band called the arrows and the guy was called Dean McTaggart and the arrows were the band he's referring to. But I have this piece of trivia that was in the back of my head that was like Joan Jett and the Black Hearts. I love rock and roll. The piece of trivia I have filed a way back there is that that's a cover because I had no idea that Was a cover until I was like, I don't know my 20s or something and it was in a cover of an arrow song Well, yes, but a different arrows. So this is my point

So I've heard of a band called arrows, which is a like British glam rock band which recorded I love rock and roll which was covered by Joan Jett Completely different arrows than the arrows that gets referenced by people like Bob Roper, which is a Toronto band that we just missed. Okay. So there you go. I get my arrows confused and I've got it wrong three or four times on this podcast and I'm tired of getting that fucked up.

Like the arrows versus arrows. But okay. So Dan, let's reset here. So yeah. Do you know it's been six years since we were together talking? I saw you posted a picture of us next to the tree. That's when I still had short hair and I was wearing a shirt that I really loved. I'm a big t-shirt guy. I missed that little teddy bear t-shirt. Yes, it was, it's been a while. I didn't know it's been six years.

Time flies. A lot has happened. Yo, we got some catching up to do. So that was May 28th, 2018. And you actually made the drive here to South Etobicoke to make your Toronto mic debut, uh, Jay on right. I'd already been on and somehow we convinced you to make the drive, but can you remind me how horrible was that commute for you?

Like, just remind me. So in my old age, I don't like traffic. I can go a month here in my town and see maybe 30 cars. So it's, I call it modern day little house on the prairie. That's what this town is. We got a general store and all that. When I drive the kids to school, we drive through apple orchards.

This area produces the most apples in North America, maybe the world. Every single side road has an apple orchard. So it's ideal, like I try to remind my kids, so you know how far people have to drive and we get to see this every day that just over their heads. They don't get it. So to drive downtown at that time to tackle the DVP and you're on the other side of Toronto for me is just a cluster. Like if if you were on this side of Toronto, my side right that drive would have been slashed in half So yeah, I I don't like traffic now. I just took the kids downtown for dinner the other night. We went to

the award-winning alouette Restaurant which is below aloe which is ranked number two in Canada Wow which is ranked number two in Canada. Wow. It's an amazing dining experience that doesn't feel like all hoity-toity because it feels like an old cafe that you're in. Anyway, just that, just to get down there for that was, okay, I don't need to do this for a few months.

Because this is my memory. My memory is we did that episode and I will read the description in a minute because in the description, I share a very interesting piece of trivia about that episode and that was episode 341 by the way and again I'll read the description in a minute but I remember like I waited a little bit of time and I remember trying to get you back here and I remember you were very honest with me that you that almost killed you that drive and then I remember thinking oh I want like I want to catch up with my buddy, Dan.

It's been a long time, six years. And then I thought, you know what? I'll let Dan zoom in. So- And I agreed instantly. Yeah, so I don't do this for just anybody, Dan. Like seriously, who's allowed to zoom versus who I may come into the basement?

But I'm like, I didn't want to kill you with the commute. Like I just said, let's make your life easier. So I'm glad you did. You made my dream come true in life. And that is I get to be lazy and walk down the stairs and not have to get in the car. That's like, that's my dream. Before in life, when you're younger, you can't,

I gotta get out and do stuff. I gotta be in the middle of the action now. Put me on the couch. Okay. Kids. Yeah, we'll play here. We'll play Luna. We'll play in the backyard. I don't have to go anywhere. My, my perfect weekend is when I don't move the vehicle all weekend. That is, that is the greatest. And I never appreciated that until my old age and just the the joy of being home. And as my brother puts it, yeah, being home is great because all your stuff is there.

I'm like, exactly. I mean, you know what bugs me here is I realized earlier I teased a sports media connection and I talked about Paige productions and I never fucking tied that loop. So I'm just going to get back to that. Steven Page, the tie in production. So Paige productions with Steven Page is I think his brother and his dad. And again, they were also the people behind Shakespeare, my butt by lowest to the low, which I close every episode of Toronto Mike with a song from that album and I freaking love that album.

But the tie into sports media is that this is, uh, Steve Simmons. So Steven Page is Steve Simmons cousin, which makes, uh, Steven Page's dad behind page production, Steve Simmons uncle. That was the tie into Canadian sports media. I know it's a bit of a reach, but there you go, buddy. Steve Simmons. Oh man. There's a guy who knows how to poke the bear

with sports fans in Canada it's that guy and you've had him on your show so he knows what he's doing right? Well he knows exactly what he's doing. I don't think so because do you remember of course you're going to remember this but do you remember the controversy over the Phil Kessel hot dog story? I don't remember the controversy. What was the controversy? Basically Steve Simmons opened an article about Phil Kessel maybe not being in the best shape he should be in about how every day he would go to the same hot dog vendor downtown and order a hot dog. Like this was like an anecdote he shared off the top and he got that information from his

son's friend but it turns out it was like, it wasn't the right location. Like it had some key details wrong, but I was of the opinion that maybe Steve Simmons can just lean in to this, uh, dark persona where he's the hot dog guy with Phil Kessel. And I feel like Steve Simmons, uh, sort of didn't get that. That might be a fun, like a turn for him. And I think he took it all far more serious than that. So like, I feel like he should. This is not as much of a like evil Steve Simmons persona as you think it is.

Yeah. I just know whenever I see Steve Simmons or Damien Cox trending, I'm like, Oh boy, what do we got here? What they say? Well, I like both those guys. Like I I like what do you think of guys like that? Like I actually had both of those guys in my basement several times and I don't I get the feeling those two guys don't like each other to be honest, but I've had no idea their relationship but they know how to draw in engagement and hats off to them I Right. I have no problems with it because that's the age we live in

You want to engage and you want get to people to click on their stories and they know how to do that When it comes to Damien Cox, I'm a big fan of coupling him with Gord Stelick and getting them both down here Which I did it in December. I'm gonna do it again this year. I just think they're great together. I Don't think I've ever heard them together. Well, because again, you can't, when you were growing up, you can't, you couldn't get, you know, the fan, right? Like you. Oh no, it's like AM radio at its worst where I grew up where it was like he'd

drive under a hydro wire and his very, even if AM stations were situated in my hometown they were tough to get but AM radio still still do this thing I don't know how but it's still going well barely but I mean Bell Media literally tried to sell a whole whack of them I think they ended up selling like 48 of them. Which I don't understand how you say, okay, we're gonna sell these stations because they aren't making money. Who hears that sales pitch and says, oh, sign me up.

I can tell you one guy, because I just had him on the show. His name is John Paul. And he's like, yeah, if you make it local and embed yourself in the community, there's money to be made in radio. You just gotta give a shit. Well, Moses Neimer, made in a radio. You just gotta, you gotta give a shit. Well, Moses Neimer, he bought a radio.

So he bought a jazz station. He's still going with that. Isn't he? Yeah. Mr. Zoomer. I actually later, we had zoomer, zoomer media, or no, he's got the zoomer magazine.

Well, he's got, no, he's got the it's called, I think he's got a more than that. Isn't there a station? Isn't there a zoomer station? I don't know. There's the complex took over the old YTV building in Liberty Village. Like there's a whole like media operation coming out of there. Is it just the radio station? I have no idea. Okay. But you have met Moses, right? Oh boy. Do I have a Moses tale for you. So working up in Fort McMurray, Alberta, doing sports up dip my toes into TV I sent a tape off to a TV station in Vancouver to George Froelich. He said

He called me up. He said Dan get one year's experience and we'll hire you and I said, okay a Year to the day calls me back. Did you get that experience? I'm like, yeah, he goes, okay Well, we want to hire you. We're changing our station CKV you to City TV You'll be there for the the launch of a new station and Moses was still the head of city Did I say CTV and City TV City TV? Moses was still the head of City TV. So he was there as we launched this station One night we had a photo shoot. We had to do it in downtown, Vancouver we went up to the wall center and a luxurious,

probably 2,000 square foot suite. And in between shots out on a balcony, I'm like, I gotta use the restroom. So wander into this suite's bathroom. I'm like, this, someone's staying here. They just didn't rent this. And I see like, this someone's staying here. They just didn't rent this. And I see the cologne. There's a cologne sitting there and it's Moses

in a samurai outfit on his own bottle of cologne. So I'm like, this is Moses sweet. So that happened. And also the one interaction I ever had with Moses, he was walking through the station after we'd been on air for a few months and he looked at me and he says, you and Catherine Humphreys would make beautiful babies. You know, she ended up doing that with a member of the Tragically Hip. That's

right, Johnny Fay. I love the Tragically Hip. And uh, cottages, they had a cottage out on a little Island on Stony Lake. I'm almost certain it was Stony Lake. Yeah. I, I, I understand they're not together anymore, but, um, you know, Jim McKenney, who is a legendary city TV guy here in Toronto and we played for the Leafs, of course, but before our time, but Jim McKenney still very, very close with my dear friend, Peter grows and they still, you know, they go to Saratoga once a, once a year in

bed on the ponies, but I got to go back to Vancouver, the opening of their city TV. Two questions. One is, was Monica Dio there? She sure was. I did the evening sports. She, I did the six o'clock and the 11 o'clock, like two, three days a week. I did the six o'clock and the 11 o'clock like two three days a week and on the 11 o'clock

newscast She would roll in at like 1030 That was part of her contract. They're like she's like I got kids at home I want to put them to bed if you want me to do this job. This is how I'm gonna do it and they're like, okay So that was her gig. She rolls in 1030. She's gone at 1130. And I'm like, this is is this what TV's like? Sign me up. So she was 100 percent there.

So I met her. I we had Ed correspondence, but I never met her in person until I attended this 30th anniversary of Electric Circus. This is just this past summer. So I'm at this 30th anniversary of Electric Circus party and hanging with Monica Dior. And guess who shows up? And I got to meet him for the first time, took a photo with him, Moses himself.

Wow. Moses. So now I know how I feel. So one more question about this. Just right, Electric Circus, we all have that friend when you're in downtown Toronto and Electric Circus was on that went and they're like, OK, I'm going to go get in the background outside the window. I had several buddies who were like we're we were a few blocks away.

We'd be watching. They'd be outside pretending to rave along to the music. And when you're just a kid and your friends on TV, it's like, this is the greatest thing ever. Uh, we don't have those moments anymore. Electric circus and speakers corner long gone. Speakers corner where many of us first saw the bare naked ladies doing Yoko Ono.

We had a, um, a portable speakers corner in the lobby of our city TV station in Vancouver. So you'd have to come into the lobby and record your little speakers. Corn. It wasn't, it wasn't as productive as the standalone speakers corner where you drop in your corner and in your quarter. And I've heard about, and you probably have to the outtakes from the speakers corner that they would show at the Christmas parties, dude, I've got a VHS copy of that one of those tapes behind me. Thank you brother bill for sending it over I viewed it. I think I blogged about it, too. I absolutely have these outtakes

Okay, so is it? graphic sexual acts Well lots of nudity like lots of flashing and stuff and there are some graphic sexual acts for sure Yeah, if you want I can next time you're going to the alouette or whatever the hell it was called I'll I'll bike over and slip you the VHS tape I don't know if you can even view a VHS cassette over there and or no, but ah those every TV station they don't have them now because of HR rules and all that stuff. But every station had that black market tape of all the outtakes from that station. We had one at my old work, um, the sports station I worked at with Jay.

And, uh, we were watching it one day and one of the anchors is seen on it multiple times. He's not, not saying anything like crude or anything. It's just the way he was phrasing something. And it, and it sounded very graphic, but they didn't know. So they had to keep making him do it. And they walked through and saw this the next day that tape was gone. Wow. We never saw it again

So we're like, oh man, why'd you have to play it? We watch it like once a month just pop that in there and see outtakes from guys doing Reports next to the streets swearing at the cars like go after yourself Okay, so that part the party's over like you said but back in the day when the party was still going if you pissed off a But back in the day when the party was still going, if you pissed off a camera person or somebody like working the tech or whatever, they would leak that shit, right? So there's a famous incident in for City TV Toronto, where Gord Martino, 100%. So and Joe Joe Chinto and all these cats, but particularly Gord Martino, just the outtakes of stuff he was saying to, you know, Anne Maruskowski and that that leaked.

We've all seen that. We were always taught. If you would never say it with an open mic, don't say it with a mic on. So we always try to. And Jane, I we if any of our stuff ever leaked, it'd just be us laughing our asses off and our producer, producer Tim getting mad at us.

And like he'd always say, you know, this is a sport show, right? So we would honestly welcome our stuff being leaked because there was never any freak outs or anything. We'll get Tim to leak it. I'll share it. Fuck, like just hand it over. He doesn't know where that tape is.

It got destroyed along with the other one. Oh, quickly before we leave Electric Circus. And then I am am gonna read the description from episode 341 and then we're gonna actually start the episode. So, one of the famous dancers in the early days of Electric Circus was a cowboy dancer. He wore a cowboy hat, muscular guy.

He was known as K. Pompeii. Do you have any memories of the cowboy dancer? No, when you mentioned cowboy dancer, I just think of the one in Times Square in New York. This guy, this guy looks a little different, but this gentleman, the cowboy Kay Pompeii, who is also an FOTM like you, that means friend of Toronto Mike, he's been on Toronto Mike. The cowboy went on to father Dalton Pompeii.

Wow. Interestton Pompeii. Wow. Interest in Pompeii. He's now a police officer. Who's now a police officer. Yeah. So there you go. The cowboy from Electric Circus is the father of Dalton, former Toronto Blue Jay Dalton

Pompeii. Have you ever had a current or former Blue Jay on this show? Oh, great question. You know, I don't think I have. I have, I gotta say like my sweet spots, I've been kind of like, the other day I had a conversation like how come you don't have more business leaders

like CEOs and then they asked about politicians. I actually gotta be honest Dan, I find it kind of boring to talk to an active politician or a CEO or an active athlete. Like you get so many like a cliches and talking points like you don't have an, like we're going to have an authentic conversation today, you and I, but you don't get that with people in those positions. You know who the, the one we all need to get,

and hopefully the blue Jays do sign them, which is Canadian Joey Vato, who is, he doesn't speak in cliches. Right. And Canadians have already fallen in love with this guy that a lot of them probably didn't know much about, but the way he's transformed himself yesterday, he put out a letter of apology to Canadian baseball and the Canadian baseball fans because of words he said years and years ago in which James Paxton threw a no hitter in Toronto. They asked Joey Votto about it and he said, I don't care.

I don't give a crap about Toronto or that. And now he even says he cringes at reading those words. And he said, the most disappointed person was his mom said, you, you weren't raised that way and Joey Votto is Transformed as a human and to write a letter like that with the self-awareness he now has and The way he carries himself and his love for the game and his love for Canada Oh, man, as I keep saying on my podcast by the way, yeah, I brought it up in September

We went and checked the logs. I started in September my pitch to have Joey Votto as a Toronto Blue J. He was still on another team. So we are so close to making this happen. He's got a $2 million deal if he makes the team with 2 million in incentives, considering what they've paid for renovations, considering what they pay other players, considering what they were going to pay for show show hey tani which was going to be over 50 million a two million dollar investment in a Canadian born player who if he gets like 26 hits will become the Canadian with the most hits in Major League Baseball history you don't think that's worth two million every time he comes to the plate Dan is a no-brainer going

crazy no Brent it's a no-brainer and yes, he has to make the team. He hit a home run in his first grapefruit league game. I'm like, that's enough. That's enough evidence. That's all I need. I'm so sold. Are you kidding me? And we share the same birthday, September 10th. Okay. That's a fun fact right there. He's in it. You know, he's an Etobicoke guy. I actually had a pretty long conversation with his mother who's a Somalia like a wine Somalia And I was at a fancy restaurant where she works I'm gonna drop some names Dan just hanging out with my buddy Donovan Bailey And I totally had this great conversation with Joey Votto's mom about him

Wrapping up his major league career as a Toronto Blue J and how badly he wanted it But at the time how disinterested this current management was in making it happen. So I'm glad to see it. And he called them. He said, guys, give me a try on there. Like, okay. Yeah. So I've been a vocal, vocal, not advocate.

I've been a vocal supporter. No, about Ross Atkins. So I'm against critic. I'm a vocal critic. Sometimes words fail me. I've been a vocal critic, but if he does sign Votto and he makes the team, I will forget everything I previously

said, because give us give us that moment. This team has nothing to really grasp onto, but those moments in which a stadium erupts for a guy walking to the plate, like, come on, that's the stuff baseball's all about. And he's so interesting, so funny, so smart, right?

The best thing in those all-star games are when they mic up Joey Votto or whatever you're doing that you can mic up Joey Votto. He's amazing. Like he said, a dream guest on any podcast. I'm sure you'll land up. Producer Tim and I were talking about it today in 2010. He won the NL MVP and also on that blooper tape at my old work were clips of Joey Votto, because you would, you would roll on the feed in which he was at his home or something,

doing all these interviews, waiting for your station's turn to interview. Right. And he wanted no part of it We're like man this guy's grumpy and he openly admits he was in a dark place at times He suffered or suffered with depression. He hated the game and then he had a transformation which he's like This is the greatest job ever So this version of job Joey Votto was the perfect version to get not that other one although He did with the NL MVP part where people are probably like I'll take gr, Joey Votto was the perfect version to get, not that other one. Although he did win the NL MVP parlor. People are probably like, well, I'll take grumpy, Joey Votto, an MVP candidate over

happy joy. Do you think, uh, as we speak, there's only really two candidates for this role, but do you think he's the greatest Canadian born position player of all time? Well, it's between him and Larry Walker. He surpasses Larry Walker for most hits. Then you've got to think. He's got a chance at Cooperstown. Yeah, I mean, Larry's there. Of course.

Yeah. Imagine like, like his last few years, if you look at Joey Vodostats, he's barely hitting over 200, not a lot of at bats. He had injuries. stats he's barely hitting over 200 not a lot of at bats he had injuries let's say he hits like 280 or 300 in limited time because he won't be playing every single day like oh man I I I caution myself for getting too optimistic because my dreams have been crushed by this team before so I just I don't want to get too excited thinking about the what ifs and I'll live in the right now and just hope that it happens.

Okay, so when before, in fact literally hours before the Blue Jays announced they were signing Joey Votto to the, whatever, the minor league, Trio contract, whatever that deal is, I had written on my blog, TorontoMike.com, about how, okay, Joey wants to play, he wants to play for, in Toronto. The Blue Jays didn't seem interested in signing him at the time. That was proven wrong very, very quickly.

But I was trying to start a rumor, because I had talked to the owners of the Kiefstein, who is an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team. And I was trying to start a rumor that Joey Votto would be playing home games the Keith Stein who is an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team. And I was trying to start a rumor that Joey Vato would be playing home games at Christie Pitts this summer for the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team. And then it'd be stuff of legend. He'd be like hitting it out of the park like Babe Ruth style.

That is the league just before he became a cop. Dalton Pompeii was playing I think for the Guelph Royals. So that was the league that Pompeii is bringing it all back to the cowboy. But I will take a moment just to shout out the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team, because there will be, I'll be there and there'll be a lot of great FOTMs at opening day, which is May 12 at 2 PM at Christie Pitts. So if you're in the neighbourhood drop by, I don't think Dan O'Toole is going to make the drive, but if you were...

With no Dome Stadium May 12th, you're in the neighborhood drop by I don't think Dan O'Toole is gonna make the drive But if you were with with no dome stadium May 12th year, yeah, you're rolling the rolling the dice Oh, I know her I know shades of the Toronto Blue Jays first ever gave it exhibition stadium, right? Do you think if that wasn't the first game and all the media there? Do you think that they would have postponed that game? Yes, a thousand percent snow on top of AstroTurf. It must have been like running on on the tarp that covers the field when it's raining. Right. I remember that rolling. Yeah, you know, we've had that. Glad the nostalgia, by the way, for exhibition stadium has died down. There was a time where people like, oh, man, I miss that place.

I like it even as a kid. I'm like, what are we doing here? What is happening? Like we're sitting on benches and we paid pretty good money and those people, they can't even see the field out there. It was, it was not built for baseball. And thank goodness it's gone. Sure. Some great memories. That's where I fell in love with the Toronto Blue Jays. The 1985 Blue Jays winning their first pennant. Me too bud. George Bell catching that ball, falling to his knees. That was my favorite team. And you know who agrees with me, Blue Jays broadcaster Dan Schulman, he said also one of the greatest Blue Jays team because it was like they built that team. They didn't trade for a bunch of guys like they did with Joe Carter and Robbie Alomar. That was like a homegrown team that they won the pennant with.

So that's why. And the one. The only blue, Jay, we former blue Jay, we've had on this podcast. I'll hold this up. Giant card. Mr. Garth orage. Love Garth or I so I did co-host Hebsi on sports and we had Garth orage on that program. But I did the Garth thing. So I was going to have Garth on my show. But then, you know,

Garves a Trump or he's a big Trump or and I wasn't sure I was in the mood for it. But I We didn't talk politics. I know you didn't talk politics I know I know you didn't talk about I just sat so I have a list of dream guests Yeah, and that's the only one my producers have been able to line up and because I tell them I said tell these people I only want five minutes, and I just want to look at them and tell them okay what they mean to me So I I was like tearing up telling Garth I'm like I remember games in which you would like You hit two home runs one game and my parents were out working the fields. I was like running out telling them,

describing the Garth Orge as a bats. And people say, well, why was Garth Orge your favorite? I'm like, because as a kid who had a bit of talent, but not a lot, I'm like, that's me. He's not the most talented. He's working his ass off every single game. That is a guy that I wanna emulate. And his batting stance is what,

you put it over the top. A batting stance that I was able to ask him about. He's like, yeah, thanks for working out at the plate. I was watching another game and some guy was kind of doing something similar. So I just decided to do that the next game and I stuck with it. You will never see another batter stand like Garth Orge

at the plate from now until the end of baseball ever again. And again, I like chatting with you, Dan, because we're the same age with the same memories. Like the drive of 85 was everything to me too. And it really normalized something for us young Blue Jay fans, the platoon. Like I grew up just accepting the platoon as like a part of baseball, but it was never as bigatoon. Like I grew up just accepting the platoon as a part of baseball,

but it was never as big a part as I grew up thinking it was like that. We had Rance Mullenix and Garth Orridge and depending which way the pitcher, which I get so I feel bad. I want to apologize to the old Rance Mullenix because I'd get mad when Rance was playing like, why is it Rance's day? He doesn't even wear batting gloves and he's got glasses on. And my would be like he looks like an accountant and I'm like yeah exactly Garth should be in that's funny now I did witness Rance Mullins last major league hit in 1992 wow yeah I was at the dome for that and I will just shout out Garth Orge who I believe his last at bat in the majors I

believe I think this was the last at bat of the very, very disappointing 1987 season. Like I feel like he was the last out in that last. He was the last out at Tiger Stadium. Yeah. And I think, I don't think he played again. He was in the mound. Yeah. I think that was it for him. Oh, I know a device that can get us those answers. Do that. And I'm going to read the description because then we're gonna start this episode. Okay

imagine we just did this till your dinner date or whatever, but okay, I am Gonna read this as a seven that was his last year. Yeah. So there you go. There you go. This is episode 341 Mike chats with and again, I'll say these three letters. Don't get upset. Okay, this happened, right? But I don't know anyone can say it I just I have a legal agreement with them. I'm not allowed to mention them or say anything disparaging. So if I ever said anything, they might say, hmm, he said it in the wrong tone. OK, you're just be exercising caution.

OK, so that'll be interesting if we get to some questions and you need to give me the no comment, that'll be fun. OK, Mike chats with TSN's Dan O'Toole about leaving TSN for Los Angeles, returning like the prodigal son, his relationship with Jay Onright, and so much more. Then I wrote, this is the longest episode in the history of Toronto Miked. This episode is exactly two hours and 38 minutes and 49 seconds. So it took you a long time, probably took you that long to get here, but then we really did get comfortable and had a really deep dive and I loved that.

Kicked out the jams. Yeah right and then maybe the next time we hook up we're gonna do that again remotely. I'll save you the drive. I believe we played like some Watchmen, we played Rusty. Yeah. We played rusty. Yep. Uh, yeah. You're hitting my notes, man. Like I was at my, my kids, it was called super Sunday. It was a house league at Mimico arena here at my nine year old. They were having this tournament and they had the, the big speakers set up playing the music and everything for the announcements and they played rusty. Uh, they played a empty cell, almost said rusty cage, empty cell from rusty.

And I took a little video and I almost said rusty cage. Empty cell from rusty. And I took a little video and I shared it on Twitter. Like they're still playing rusty in arenas in 2024. And I think that's awesome. Yeah, it's the only thing about in our generation is the video quality of those concerts is just horrendous. Like I try to go back and watch old watchmen concerts and I'm like, it's just it's a grainy.

It's like Bigfoot visuals. That's the only thing that we are missing is high quality video, like even the tragically hip. It's it's tough to find some good video of them from back in the day. Back when Gord had hair.

Exactly. Oh, I got to ask you about here. But first I got to show the watchman because a big watchman fan here from back in the day. Back when Gord had hair. Exactly, yeah. Oh, I gotta ask you about hair, but first I gotta shout out the Watchmen because a big Watchmen fan here, the drummer Sammy Cohn is a dear friend, and the singer Danny Graves played, he performed live at one of my events,

TMLX, I can't remember, X I guess it was, but he performed live and he's just, I think he's great. And when I had Paul Langlois from the Tragically Hip down here, I said, consider reforming the Tragically Hip. Obviously you can never have the Tragically Hip because we've lost Gore Downey, but what if Danny Graves were your lead singer and you just

did a few gigs, like that might be interesting. And he didn't say no. So I'm just throwing it out there. I'm so glad you brought up that point. First off, Danny Graves, uh, is his bar Motel still going? Yeah, in Parkdale. Although he moved away. Like he's in Irelia now or something. So, okay, so I would always when I was still drinking, I'd go down there and I just like fanboy the whole time. We became buddies. Like I'll text him here after a Watchmen song will pop up on my Spotify.

I'm like, man, the song kicks ass. Like the first song on the zoom album. I'm like, that song never went anywhere, but that is a way to start an album. And, uh, Jay and I would go there a few times. He would fan boy out. It was just awesome. And I hope he appreciates what he meant to our lives and the lives of a lot of Canadians because yeah talk about a kick-ass band that was one step away one step away from dude you and I you me Jay we're all cut from the same cloth and we all worshiped at the altar of the watchman I don't know if you can see this I guess you can't over the the

camera here but yeah this is from the watchman gifted to me this was to thank me for my you know tremendous support of the Watchmen over the years, because everybody knows how much I love the Watchmen. And it is a picture of Brian Linehan. And it says, Brian Linehan would be proud of you because I've been trying to emulate his style here on Toronto Miked. So now further to what you said about Danny singing for the Tragically Hip and I've had this discussion on golf courses the last few summers and I said exactly in line with what you said. I said not a single Canadian will say no to the hip touring again. I take the weight off Danny shoulders by saying you have four different singers Sing four or five songs each and then they aren't Told you're trying to replace gore. No, no, no, no work

singing songs of the tragic Lee hip In memory of gourd and you you're trying to tell me they don't sell out every arena they announced that concert at you have I don't know Jim Jim Cuddy I don't he's not really a rock and roll so but Leslie Feist is a slam dunk yeah Leslie Feist you've got Danny Graves you've got the the guy, what's the Tiger band, the Canadian band. Glass Tiger, Alan Frew. Yeah. Okay.

Okay. All right. But there's so many singers, you could have up and coming singers. Would you put Tom Cochran? Can Cochran do a couple of songs? Hell yes. I love this game. I would be buying a ticket

immediately I'm like I don't care who's singing the songs but yeah you weren't trying to replace Gord right you just want to bring the hip music to people that have never seen it live and they've done it before because Leslie Feist did perform with the surviving members of the tragically hip at the the Juneau Awards I think it was and they did it's a good life if you don't weaken, I think, I think. Oh, yeah. Beautiful. In the forget your skate stream. What a great line.

In the forest of whispering speakers. I always like that line. I always like that line. All right, Dan. So we're going to get so check all this listening needs to make that happen. Yeah. And and Jay Gold is listening. He loves Toronto Mike and we're going to make this happen. Absolutely. We're not replacing Gord.

We're just the band is touring with different lead singers. I think that'll be really freaking. Can I tell my quick Gord story? Did I tell it on our do it again? It's great as hits. I love Gord Downey story. So when I moved back from L.A., I bought this house and the night before I was to get the keys, my lawyer who was located downtown Toronto, they said, Dan, this is really weird, but there are no keys that come

with your house. I'm like, I'm like, what? They're like, there are no locks on the doors. But and you've got possession right now, but it's not official till tomorrow. So grab a hotel room here tonight and then go off to the house tomorrow. I'm like, OK, so I stayed at I went on hotels dot com and found a good deal at the grand a hotel I've never stayed out in my life. So I'm there by myself sitting at the bar and I'm like,

that was Johnny Faye that just walked by. And then Gord Lang Watt walked by and I asked the bartender, I'm like, what's going on? They're like, oh yeah, the track's really hip. They're there. They always hang out here. I'm like, the whole band? She's like, yeah. So I'm like, wow.

So I get some liquid courage, have another glass of wine and Gord's coming up and it looks like he's going to shut it down for the night. He was suffering from cancer at that time. So I go up to him. I tell my story. It's like, ah, great to see you, Dan. And I'm like, can I get a quick picture? He's like, of course. So he'd take a photo and then he's like, why don't you come join us so I went and sat with them out there for the rest of the night got to tell Johnny Fay the story how he was at my uncle's wedding back in the day we all took pictures with him because my

uncle was friends with him in Kingston and now I look back on it I'm like it's so fitting that the mayor of Canada or Gord Downey, almost welcomed me back the night before I got this house. And I'm like, wow. It was like perfect. And then the day he passed away is still something that like goes through my brain. I hear it on the radio, driving the kids to school and all the tears because every station was playing the hip.

And I was just oh my goodness that was that was one of the most intense deaths aside from a family member that I can remember in my lifetime when when gourd passed away 100 like again once again these touchstones we have are also similar men but uh when I got the email, I was on the official, tragically hit mailing list, and I had that email breaking the bad news. And I came straight down here to the basement and I put on Fiddler's Green and I recorded and I was openly weeping and this recording is still in the Toronto Mic'd feed. And I don't remember weeping at the death of any non-person I didn't know in real life.

Like it might be the only time I wept for the loss of somebody that was just like a celebrity that I enjoyed the art from. I remember where I was when I heard of John Candy's passing. But yet didn't feel like an overwhelming sadness or anything like that. But with Gord, it was just on a it was like we lost a family member. 100%. And then I think there was this great cartoon, I don't know who to give credit for, but it said Canada closed, death in the family. And it just, it hit, it was like, right,

this is how it felt, yeah. Mm-hmm, 100%. Getting chills here, okay. You just alluded to something I gotta ask you about here before we catch up, you know, it's been six years, but you said back when I drink, so you are now clean and sober. You don't drink alcohol anymore. Correct. Three years sober as of February 9th. Congrats, man. Thanks buddy. Good for you. It's life changing. Well, tell me you remember back, if you go back and listen to our episode,

you had free beer and I was down in those Right, okay. You know, I still have beer beer, but I'm like just give me some booze. I Still have a kids Great Lakes breweries still a sponsor, but no beer for you Dan. This is great news But can you share how will it open? Can you be about this like when did you realize and how did you realize that you had a problem with drinking? And then was it cold turkey like just can you give us a little insight? Here's the thing about any and all that I know in recovery. You don't you don't spew it off to people and say like you should do this. But when someone asks you, it's our

favorite topic. Okay, I'm ready. I'm very curious. Okay, so I can give you the whole story. I got laid off from my job on a Thursday. Super Bowl Sunday was on the Sunday. And it was classic getting laid off. I got an email saying, hey, we need you on a conference call at two o'clock. So I phoned a buddy who got laid off the previous week. I'm like, I just got this this email

and he's like, yeah, that's not good. And this is February twenty twenty one. Yes. So so I knew I was going to get canned and attend the conference call. They're like, yeah, you're terminated for financial and I'm thinking we're going to walk through this like I'm going to, yeah, you're terminated for fine. You know, and now I'm thinking we're

going to walk through this like I'm going to interject a bit and be a bit rude here. But like, so when you get this email and then you talk to the buddy and said, hey, is this how it went down for you? And you found out, oh, shit, this is going down. Do you make a call or a text or something to Jay to find out if he got

the same email? I sent out a group text and found out our producer, producer Tim, also got that email. and then the other people That worked on the show did not so I'm like Huh, that's weird. Ah And uh, okay, so find out I'm getting canned and then Once my kids got picked up on Friday. It was balls to the wall like I

Feel sorry for myself. Got into drinking the weed and everything. Jay actually showed up on the Saturday. And then all my, a bunch of friends, after Jay left, someone else was here. And now I look back, I'm like, at the time I was like, this is the greatest, this is a party, it's a nonstop party.

But now I know in hindsight, they were there to make sure I was going to live through the night. Right. Like not fall into a river or something. So Super Bowl Sunday happens. I at some point fell down, hit my head on a fridge. And my buddy Brian Bickle to this day is like, yeah, I saw you fall and but I couldn't get there in time. So I lost the fight with gravity, woke up with a gash on my head. And that's when I first said for the first time, like, I need help. Okay, so you're you're drunk when you fall and hit your head. And now a lot of people will be looking at this like, oh, so you had a three day drinking problem?

No, no, I was full blown alcoholic. So I was able to function functioning alcoholic. I believe that's the term. Like you weren't missing work because some people, okay, you weren't. So I was actually very proud of my work record in my entire 20 plus years in broadcasting. I missed two days. And that was two months before COVID hit. I believe I had the original COVID.

I couldn't get out of bed. Okay, yeah, maybe. That's where I found out. I'm like, oh, so someone's gonna say, wow, this is the first time. That's where I realized businesses don't care about you. They didn't, no one cared that I had never missed work. So I tell people now, use every single sick day you have.

I said this to my wife yesterday because she works for a big bank. And I said, yeah, take mental health days like just take them because you're just at the end of the day, you are not winning awards for going to work feeling under the weather. You are not winning awards. Right. So, yeah, I was I'd get home from work and like have a bottle of wine and then a couple of glasses of bourbon,

then a joint and then I'm like, okay, I'm feeling, I think this is the right mix. And it all kind of ballooned when I was, when I got divorced when I was in LA and I'm for the first time in my adult life, there was no stop signs. Okay, let me go again. I'm gonna interject first time in my adult life. There was no stop signs. Okay, let me go again I'm gonna interject a little bit just so the

Alcoholism you didn't affect your performance at work and your attendance at work But did it affect your relationships like with with Cory for example? with My ex-wife. Oh, yeah. So what's your ex-wife's name? Did I butcher it? Cory. Okay, that's what I said. Okay, so I didn't butcher it. Okay. But yeah.

Oh, yeah, that's that would have been the downfall of my marriage. Probably. It was also I was thought of myself and myself only. And living in a new country, I'm like, wow, there's so much to do. So, yes, I am totally to blame for the downfall of that. Um, and then once I went from stop signs Someone watching your alcohol intake to none of it, right? I'm like this is the greatest thing ever and Vegas is only three hours away I go to Vegas like twice a month by myself

also, because I mean, not that I have ever been an alcoholic, but I have been a divorce guy with a couple of kids. So I kind of relate to a lot of this, but you now have a situation where there are some days where you don't have responsibilities of children anymore. Like you, there are days when Ruby and Sydney are with Corey and you're, you're able to do whatever the fuck you want Exactly, and I took full advantage of that and that's where I just got into Drinking heavily

every single night and ever even more on the weekends and still obviously as I said making it to work, but I Don't know how sometimes And then move back to Canada. Okay. Back in my country and back among my friends. Let's party even more. And so in the lead up to me getting fired, it was, it was a problem. Well, do you mind if we talk a little bit about this lead up to getting fired because of the firing? Okay. So you, you actually do record a show with Jay on February 4th, 2021. So I did my homework. So you broadcast the space of your last show of Jay on right is February 4th, 2021.

But as you can, I always post a clip on that. Well, I didn't this year. And I tell people, I'm like, I'm always going to post this clip because I look back and it one of my on cameras is like it's it's not the greatest, but it's still good. And our show was clicking like Jay and I would say to each other, this is the best show we've ever done because we had our previous experience. I cringe at a lot of moments on our first pairing together before we left to the States.

We had chemistry, but I was a horrible actor and I was interjecting too much. When the key to a good partnership is 95% of the time, just shut the fuck up. Just don't say anything. I hadn't figured that out. And then we went to the States, we got that experience, and we tried a lot of different things. And then we got back to Canada and Jay turned to me in our first rehearsal. And he's like, that's the best show we've done in four years. And I'm like, I know.

And we got to do some unique things. We got our own set and all that. So we were humming. I, I would laugh so hard that tears came to my eyes at least once a week on that show. So that's why I was kind of taken aback when that call did come. Okay, so we're going to build up to the call. So again, you were in my basement. It sounds dirty, but it's not. You were in my basement. You were in my basement, O'Toole, May 28, 2018. And that was sort of the return of Jay and Dan, because you're

back from LA and now you're like the prodigal sons is what I call you. And TSN was very excited and made a lot of noise about the return of Jay and Dan. Okay. So that's again, May 2018. Now you have a couple of kids and I guess your marriage falls apart. So are you already separated by the time you come back to Canada? Or does it? Yes. Okay. Okay. Yes. Okay. You didn't know it was gonna be so many questions here. Okay. But the big announcement that you make, you announced the birth of your third daughter, Oakland. This is May 2020. I have love of my life. Well, Oz, are all my, but. And. This has probably happened to a lot of parents where or a lot of men or women, where you have another child outside of marriage, the outside of your previous marriage.

And some would see that as like, oh, man, that's that's got to be tough. But it is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me and my my other kids in our lives. I point to one specific moment where we're sitting around having dinner one night and little Oakland says something hilarious and Ruby turns to me and says, what will we do without her? Yeah. Okay. And I'm just like, oh, almost makes me cry now.

I can cry. The greatest gift that I've ever been given. And it's amazing. Well, again, there's a lot of parallels. Like, it sort of freaks me out talking to you when we do these long longer chats. And then I realize the parallels are all over the place. But I will say I also had two children. So I had James and Michelle

from my first marriage and then that marriage falls apart. And I remember that feeling when I told the kids that they were going to have a little brother or sister and then my third born who, you know, was with a different woman. And I remember that they came just to visit the hospital and and hold baby Jarvis. And basically that this feeling I had that I could cry just thinking about of like my first two kids kind of welcoming their new sibling into the family and that beautiful moment.

And I have had since then I've had a fourth kid who just celebrated her eighth birthday, she's the baby. And I know exactly what you mean when you talk about Oakland, it's like you can't imagine life without these children, even though there might've been a moment where you thought after Ruby and Sydney that you were done having children. You cannot imagine life without Oakland. Exactly. And it's their full blown sister.

They don't use the term step sister. I get mad if I hear it. I actually don't. I won't hear it. I said, no, that's that's your brother and sister. I don't want to. It's never, it's never actually even been mentioned in this house. Same here. And yes, it's such a unique bond between the three of them. And yeah, it's it's magical,

the experiences we have. So I wouldn't change it for the world. Now, again, if I'm being too personal, you can tell me to f off and I'll move on. I don't know, you know, but but are you were you dating the Oakland's mother? Yes. Okay. So, okay. And, uh, okay. So I obviously, I went on Twitter and I said, you got any questions for Dan O'Toole?

And then I, of course I had questions asking, uh, what happened that day? So what are you willing to share about the day that you went on Twitter and Instagram and talked about Oakland being missing? What are you willing to share? So that's that's a tough one. And I knew when you put out those questions because there's and I didn't I don't even wait into the comments for that because yes there yes, there was an incident. And it's a tough one to discuss.

And it's an incident that I'll have to have this conversation with Oakland when she's older and I'll have to explain exactly what happened. She will know that I love her wholeheartedly. She, we are absolutely in love with one another as she's in love with her kids. She will know there was nothing against her why this happened. But as far as the incident, it's one that I 1000% regret. That I sent out a tweet or an Instagram at that time.

And people immediately contact me like, Dan, you got to take that down. I'm like, no, because I was I was at the height of my addiction. I'm like, no, I'm in the right here. I did the right thing. I'm looking out for for a little Oakland. But now I go back and I'm like, what the. What were you thinking? Now I know how to pause if something happens to think about the ramifications.

Um, but in that moment I was at the end of my rope and I had reached out to those that could help me with the situation. And they told me, ah, sorry, well, nothing we can do. As with regards to what actually happened, I don't get into that stuff. I talked about it once with Ariel Hawani on his and for those involved, it was bringing up old memories that we have since discussed on an adult level. And we've come to an understanding that.

It was a horrible situation from everyone involved. And if we all could change it, we would. Did we want it to did did I bring it to a level it should never have gone up a thousand percent? That's on me. So you were under the influence that it might have affected your judgment. Was not. I was actually not that night. OK. But if you are consuming alcohol and smoke and weed, the level I was, your brain is not working right.

Like you have no clarity. It is just a constant. You're trying to keep the anger at bay. And then when it comes out, look out. So I was like, the world's against me. This this is how I'm going to handle it. And now, obviously, that

that was the wrong way to do it. But yes, it was a. An alcoholic rattled brain that was making those decisions for me. But was there again, this is a to me, this is a private family matter. And it sounds like if you could unring that bell, you would do it in a heartbeat. But of course, now it's on a Wikipedia page. And yeah, now it's not.

Oh, yeah. I haven't even looked at my Wikipedia since then. And I'm like, right. I could sink into a depression thinking about that. But then I do that. I look back and. I don't try to compare my life to others, but I'm like, did I go to jail? Did I have a DIY or anything?

I'm like, things could have been so much worse. Did it lead to my firing? I am of the full belief that that was one. They said it was economic. But I think that's why I was let go. And had I not sent that, had I not been fired from my job, would I be in the place mentally, physically, emotionally that I am now? I don't think so. I don't think I have the life-changing moment in which I wake up that Monday after Super Bowl and say

I need help because my life still would have been going as it had been, probably still employed there and I'm like, well, this is still working. So I'm just going to keep doing this. Now with all that stuff that's happened with me getting sober, I have reached a new level of love and understanding and connection with my kids, with my family, with the recovery community who I, I've met these guys three years ago. They are closer than people I've known for 48 years to me because they don't want anything from you. They just want you to be happy. They don't care what's happened in the past. Yes. It was a fucked up situation. Did you learn from it? Are you

ever going to do it again? Are you going gonna become a better person? Good you learned so Had all that stuff not happen, I don't think I'd be here sitting with you right now Who knows where I'd be maybe in a river maybe in a lake I don't know and I I don't even let my mind wander there. Okay, so don't let let's not wander your mind back to July 2020 but needless to say that you you know this episode on Twitter and Instagram People Were sharing it left right and center and very concerned for you And it clearly came out of a place of love for your five-week-old child like that's the core of whatever is going on

None of my business, what actually happened, et cetera. But the core of what you were doing seemed to stem out of the fact that you had this love for your five week old child. That's how I interpreted it. Of course. But and then I spent all night on Twitter that night and I'm looking at comments. They're like, you're going to jail. And I'm like, how am I the villain here? And it was just, man, I wish I could have had a camera, excuse me, camera rolling that entire night because it was just it was chaos in my brain. It was the world was ending the world's against me. How am I the bad guy now? And I have no ill will towards people that maybe didn't like me before. Because when you're on TV, there's always going to be someone who despises you.

100%. If even to this day, I'll like post something like, hey, didn't you lose your daughter once? And people people come to my defense and they're like, dude, like what? What do you? But they're they're always going to be people like that, even if that incident didn't happen, that it would bring up something in my life. So go ahead. Yeah. But timeline wise.

OK, so that that happens early July 2020. Mm-hmm. Then between that and getting fired, there is a period of time where you take time off work to look after your mental health, right? Am I misremembering? I was told to not come into work. Okay, okay. I'm glad you're clarifying. So it was like a paid leave? They said, you figure stuff stuff out in my brain.

I was like, they are never bringing me back. I'd call them once a week. Okay, I'm ready. They're like, no, we aren't. Interesting. Did they offer any, I'm curious only because they make so much noise with Bell Let's Talk, right? For many years, this was a very big campaign from Bell Media.

Did they offer like any, like, you know, like actual support? for many years, this was a very big campaign from Bell Media. Did they offer like any, like, you know, like actual support, like encouraging you to just speak to somebody and, uh, really look out for your mental health? I'm sure they told me to call someone, but did anyone from the mental health field call me specifically? No. Okay. But you were at some point you did return because I remember being very happy for you that you were back on the air with that was the night of my first ever

panic attack. So I'm driving into work returning after months off air, after all this incident happened and driving on the 401 and I thought I was having a heart attack, and then my field of vision narrowed into like a little peephole, and I'm like, I think I might have to pull over. I don't know what's going on, so I finally make my way into work, and I described the situation,

and someone's like, you had a panic attack. Yep, yep. So I'd never experienced that, and I'm like, holy shit, maybe I shouldn't have come back to work. And I was I remember being really nervous. They they gave me a statement to read that I was not allowed to change a single word of. I don't know if that's legal. They made me read a statement and then start the show and then got through that one. And then eventually all those nerves went away.

And I can totally understand that people see me differently. Like, oh, what's this guy doing back on TV? I still hadn't become sober at that point that came after being fired. Yeah. A few months later. So I was still was probably thinking I was the victim in the entire situation at that time. Now the panic attack, I am a big fan of the Sopranos. And of course, in episode one, Tony has a panic attack and this is how I think.

So did you have you in again, very personal questions today today Dan? I feel like I shouldn't be so intrusive, but have you have you talked to anybody about the panic attacks like like coping mechanisms to kind of prevent That was I know my body well enough. I knew that was Kind of a one-time thing because that was just my body Saying okay, there's too much going on here. I never had one before and haven't had one since. Okay, good. Yeah, if it was a reoccurring thing, a thousand percent, I wouldn't be able to live with that. So it was sliced meat for Tony.

Yeah. What's that? For Tony, I'm talking about Tony like he's a real guy. But for Tony, it was sliced meats. He would have panic attacks, sliced meats, because he remembered his dad chopping off some guy's arm in a butcher. I don't remember that part. I need to go back and watch the sopranos,

but it's worth the reoccurring thing. I wouldn't be able to live with that. So kudos to people that do have frequent panic attacks. And if you know how to deal with them, then that's amazing because they're debilitating. Yeah, because they do feel like a heart attack, right? I discussed that with people at work. They're like, you should have pulled over, you know?

I'm like, well, I was in the middle of 401. I didn't know what to do. Yeah, I think Kevin Frankish is a few episodes of Toronto, Mike, of Kevin Frankish, where he talks about he used to get panic attacks on the air and he'd have to like he'd be on breakfast television and he'd have to like excuse himself because he was having a panic attack. So he talks about his coping mechanism for panic attacks, but I'm curious. What was life like at TSN between that return and The firing like because it sounds like you and Jay picked up where you left off and started. Oh, yeah

It was all the same. Okay, nothing changed there. It was the same crew everything it was Business as usual. And. I do like to address Internet trolls because. I have read them and I always wanted to clarify this because someone was talking about my firing once they're like, yeah, I heard he was an asshole to work with. And I'm like. That is one thing you can't say about me because you I know you can go

to any person I've ever worked with. I've never mistreated anyone. I don't speak down to people. I don't speak down to people in any aspect of my life. I carry myself because so much so my sister once sent me a text and she's like, hey, a buddy of a buddy saw you at Winners and said you were mean to him. I said, give me the details. What winners?

And they gave the location. I said, I've never stepped foot in that Winners. Right. What time of day? Finally, the person's like, oh, it must have been someone else. I'm like, see, complete and another bullshit. And I knew that because I would never treat someone poorly if they came up and said, hey, can I take a picture?

I have never said no. The only time I would say no is if I was like bombed out of my mind at a bar. And I'm like, I don't think I should be in a picture right now. Even even in the height of addiction, I would make sure I wasn't in a picture with a glass of beer or anything. I'd always put my drink down. I always have the level head to do that. I'm like, well, if they see this picture, they'll say, well, I don't see a drink. So

he must be okay. I can add to this, Dan, in your defense here is that, uh, if there are assholes out there and there are assholes out here, I get so many notes about it. Like people want, they just seem as important to let Toronto Mike know who the assholes are. But your first clue that somebody is an asshole is when they say no to their Toronto mic'd invitation. Like that's your first indicator. And you sure didn't do that. You gave me two and a half hours on Toronto mic'd. I've never heard, uh, not a peep about you being difficult to work with or being an asshole. Well, no, we, we had a blast at work. We, and the only person I had a problem with, I still work to this day is producer Tim. Him and I would get into it and it was kind of our thing and when I left my when I got this new gig they say who do you

want to work with and I'm like well I need a guy that's not a yes guy and I need a guy that'll call me out on my bullshit so I brought in producer Tim who would call me out on my bullshit on the TV show. So that, and he's the only one where I've butted heads with and we always figure out the differences and do the right thing with regards to the job that we're doing, but he's the only one who could say that, yeah, yeah, no problem with Dan, but we still work together. Well, I'm gonna totally be asking you about Boomsies and your partnership with Bet Rivers.

This is coming very soon, but here we have the firing. And you weren't alone. Bell Media does these waves. I've never worked for Bell. I've never worked for Rogers. But I'm well aware of these cost-cutting waves that come every once in a while, unfortunately. We just had one.

But you weren't alone at Bell to get the pink slip or whatnot, but you do think that you being chosen to leave had something was related to the afore mentioned tweet and Instagram about your daughter. That's what I think that, but I was told very specifically it's for financial reasons. And I'm like, okay. That day also they fired producer Tim and Natasha Stanishevski was fired the same day. Who is the most, so if JRI were on vacation we'd always take vacation, one of us at one time and the other at the other time.

So we'd have fill-in anchors. Whenever Natasha filled in, we would have the most feedback about her as opposed to any other villain host. She was one of, if not the most popular anchor on that station. And they let her go. I'm like, what? Yeah.

What are you? Like, is she making two million a year or something? I'm always baffled by these. Oh, we're talking about Canadian TV. No one makes that. I know. I know. So it's always like, OK, like, and I understand you have to separate BCE from Bell Media.

So I'm not trying to put them lump them all into the same spreadsheet or whatever. But it is kind of wild, these cost cutting moves. And like, at what cost, right? Like, at what cost to quality? And is it simply a matter of Bell Media just doesn't care anymore whether the quality is of a certain

standard and they're willing to sacrifice that for a couple of a couple of bucks on the bottom line. And I talked about this with people and I said, well, how, why don't they, why don't companies and I'm not just pointing at my previous one, why don't companies go in and look at the the travel budgets because I know of travel budgets to big events in which the dinners the flights the hotel i'm like They don't take that trip They can keep two people employed for an entire year

and then I was told The bean counters don't care about that. They care about bodies and getting rid of bodies because that's better for the bottom. Like it's a different column. I mean, yeah, this is the thing about the bean counters is it's like, that's a different column. There's some tax thing there, whatever, where payroll, that's the number, you know, reducing that number and payroll. That's that just baffled me. I'm like, OK, then spend that for DM, spend that travel budget. Then if you're still there, why not?

If you have been told, oh, no, if you cut your budget, we're still firing people, then spend that money. OK, so now we pick up the story. This is like, again, like a Tarantino movie. We sort of go forward and come back here. OK, so now we have picked up where we started. You get fired. Now you have people visiting you, including Jay Onright, and you're drinking and smoking and just I guess this

is like this is your coping mechanism with this bad news about your employment. Yes, because when you're an alcoholic, your solution to get rid of anything you're thinking about, I'll just drink some more more because that can turn off your problems, even though it creates more problems. But at the time, you're like, I don't have to deal with that. Let's party. So yeah, go into that Saturday than the bleeds into Sunday. I'm like, another party.

And that's Super Bowl Sunday. Yeah. Wow. My good friend, Brian, Amanda Bickle. My good friend Brian Amanda Bickle, Stanley Cup winner Brian Bickle, who is on the welcome tour in Ossine. So he has a party every year. So I, of course, had a great time. That was the

the year, the weekend was the halftime performance. So I beg-ly remember that. I still need to go back and watch that halftime act. And then I wake up gash on my head. And the reason I said to myself, I need help is, because for the first time in my adult life,

I was gonna wake up that Monday and I didn't have to go to work. That's what kind of helped me survive up until that point was because I knew you can't. I never drove drunk. I would never go into work drunk. I would do that when I got home. So I'm like, that was a lifesaver having to go to work every single night. So I'm staring at the prospect of I have an open slot to not have to drive to

work. This could get ugly. So I'm like, I need off this train. That's where I said, I need help. My friends and family, they jumped into action because when someone needs the nose, says they need help, you have a window. And they knew that. They said, if we don't get him into rehab right now, in two days, he'll say, I don't think I need it anymore. They knew me very well. Right. So they found me a rehab facility. I was in it a day and a half later, my cousin Eric drove down from Ottawa, picked me up and he just he was my bodyguard We came to my house cleared all the booze out. I'm trying to grab it. I'm like, I want more drink. Come on and We did drive to my mom's house in Peterborough. I gave her all my bottles of booze. I'm like mom

one last shot so we had a Shot a buffalo trace bourbon. My mom's never had bourbon and I still can taste it. It gives me almost acid reflux now. So my last ever drink was with my mom. We did a shot of bourbon. I'm like, hey, this is a good way to go out. Hop in the car with my cousin, Eric. We drive to Ottawa, wake up in the morning.

He drives me to rehab and we can laugh about it now, but he drops me off at rehab he walks into the place with me they're like okay you can go now and he walks out and they say okay we got a searcher here so I stand like this at a window right by the door and he looks back at me and I'm standing like this and we're like we didn't laugh because it was a pretty sad situation. Here's your cousin going to rehab. He dropped off by the other cousin and we're just like, what, this is like a clip from a movie.

And yeah, so he had to drive all the way back to Orono from Ottawa from Port Hope while I entered into rehab. So yeah, got into rehab and then that's where that was like spring training for becoming a sober person. Well, again, I know I repeating myself, but congrats, man. Like you look, you look healthy. I'm going to ask you about your hair in a moment. You look healthy. You sound clear and and you're in a good spot in life and getting sober sounds like it was the key building block for that new

Dan 2.0. It's the greatest decision I ever made and I always tell the story. So if I speak to a group of alcoholics or I just speak to a group that wants to hear my story, I point to this, I say on the way into rehab, I was calling people, telling them, well, I'm going into rehab. You know what? Every one of them said what? Good. None of them said like, what? What's going on here? Every one of them said, good.

That's where it finally clicked. I'm like, wait, you guys knew all along. I'm the only about time, Dan. What's the only one that didn't know? Yeah, some of them did say about time. What took you so long? Yeah. By the way, wait, so you're in Port Hope for this. I'm just curious, is this the same

rehab facility that wheels is dad attended? Maybe. It's probably gone through a few owners. It was it was not pleasant. And I'm kind of glad it wasn't because if it was like the ones in the movies where it's like a spa day and all that, it was crap food. What got me through was journaling and speaking about what got you there.

But I have to ask you about anonymity. So you know, typically you want anonymity, but you're Dan fucking O'Toole. Like are there guys? Oh yeah, that's what almost made me walk out. The first night I got there, I was kind of like, um, because on the weekends, I don't know, it wasn't the weekend, but on the weeknights, there's not really any supervision. So it was like almost one flew over the cuckoo's nest and I'm like,

what is going on in here? It was just like mayhem in there. One guy's like, hey, I know you. And I'm like, oh is going on in here? It was just like mayhem in there. One guy's like, hey, I know you. And I'm like, oh crap. Yeah, unfortunately. Because when I entered that place, I'm like, no one's ever gonna hear about this. I'm not gonna talk about it. But now it's part of my story.

Right. And for others that are thinking about getting sober, I shouted from the rooftops. I'm like, it's a part of what got me to this point. I do point point it though if someone is thinking of getting sober, you don't have to go to rehab You just need to dive into the the recovery community You don't have to spend money to go to a facility like that. It put me on the right track It got me to speak about what got me there Got me to write down like what the perfect day in

sobriety was like for me. And I get to live that now. I always think back to a one journal entry was, okay, what's your perfect day when you get out? And I said, and I actually discovered my love for writing. I said, um, it's a, it's a regular Tuesday morning. The smell of coffee permeates the house, kids getting ready for school. And that's what I live now. I just, I just crave normalcy and connection with my kids. And I, I have to pinch myself some mornings when I wake up and I'm like I'm Living what actually I wrote down in rehab. I'm living that so it's it's pretty amazing when I think back to

To what I visualized and what I get now That it all came to fruition. So yeah, it's pretty remarkable. Do you have any fear that you'll fuck it up? That's why we live every day, one day at a time. You don't say I'm gonna be sober for life. You say I'm gonna be sober for today. And then I went in with an empty toolbox. Now I have a toolbox full of tools.

Something that I give a tip for anyone who's thinking about sobriety is a tool called Play the Tape Forward. I use that every single day in the first year of sobriety. So I'd be at a restaurant, someone would be having a glass of wine. I'd look at it and I'm like, hmm, I wonder what that tastes like.

And then what Playing the Tape Forward is, okay, yeah, Dan, you get one glass of wine, I'd look at it and I'm like, hmm, I wonder what that tastes like. And then, what playing the tape forward is, okay, yeah, Dan, you get one glass of wine, what's next? Another one. And then what happens when you get home? Oh, a bottle of wine? And then immediately your brain says, well, that won't be a good decision.

And you get taken off that track. And another thing is just picking up the phone. I have so many friends that if I'm in a situation where I think, oh man, what am I even doing this for? First time I ever made that call to a friend in sobriety, I'm rattling off, I'm like, this is all going on, this is going on, why am I doing this?

He's, you know what he says? Oh, you got a case of the fuck-its. So another person on the other line doesn't say, oh man, that's a lot. Oh, you're crazy. They're like, oh yeah, that's not a big deal. We can deal with this. And once I heard that, I'm like, holy shit, I'm not alone. There's always going to be someone there that's lived the same experience that is going to help me figure it out and and survive another day. And again, when I say I live for today and I'm not going to drink today, I'm not sitting here like, oh, I wish I could have a bottle of beer.

I wish I could have a bourbon. I wish I could. The obsession is gone. Like of course you had a restaurant, you'll see people drinking, you think about it, but you don't say like, oh man, I wish I could get tanked. It actually is now in your system where you're like, why be hungover? Like, to deal with that?

Because I'm not gonna have one or two drinks. I'm gonna have them all. And I spoke to someone on the way into rehab. I was on the phone with the buddies, like I wanted to talk to my friend who just got out of rehab six months ago. So I asked him two questions. I said, am I gonna have any friends when I get out of here?

And am I gonna have any fun anymore? First he says, Dan, you're gonna experience life for the first time and it's gonna be amazingly. It's gonna be amazing. And as far as having fun and losing friends, you're going to have the most fun in your life. And if you lose friends, those weren't your friends in the first place. And I now go back to those questions and I wish I could rephrase them and say, what did I find fun about it? Not am I going to have fun? Because

when people get bombed and go to parties and they tell all stories from parties are about how drunk someone got. And I've realized that later in life. And that is what they consider fun instead of connecting

with people at a party like I still I go back to comments, like, oh, you must be real fun at a party now. And I'm like, I still act like a jackass. I still embarrass my kids. I still dance like that person was always inside of me. And I just let him out now without the need for it to be fueled by alcohol.

I get invited to more parties now than I ever have in my life. Probably because they know I'm going to leave. I use the Irish exit even more now. I'm like, oh, yeah, they're tuned up enough. They will never notice I'm going to leave. I use the Irish exit even more now. I'm like, oh yeah, they're tuned up enough. They will never notice I'm gone. I love the Irish exit. Now, okay, so Dan, I just want to do a little reality check here.

So you obviously, you know your triggers, right? So you know your triggers for a relapse. And I wonder, because I look back at you being fired, which is a traumatic experience. I mean, you I look back at you being fired, which is a traumatic experience. I mean, you know, you know, death and divorce and firing, those are the big, the big life changing, altering experiences. So you, you, you know, your response to that was to get fucking blitzed, right? Like this was sort of how you bounce off the bottom.

So here we are. That's the greatest thing about alcohol and active abuse is you, there's not a moment in life where it's not caused a drink. I'm celebrating. Let's get drunk. I'm sad. Let's get drunk. Leaps one. Let's do it. Let's get drunk. So what happens, because we're three years removed, three years sober, congrats again, but like you have a plan for when you face adversity again, because when times are good, I feel, and again, I'm not speaking as an alcoholic, but just I talk to lots of people

in recovery. Like when times are good, it's easier to go day by day than when you have, you know, adversity like being fired or breaking up with your girlfriend or some heaven forbid somebody who care about get sick or something. Um, like I said, in the early days, it was minute by minute thinking like, okay, I'm here alone in this house. What am I going to do? But you go in with no tools and you've got the tools for every situation.

Okay, if this happens, here's what I'm going to do. If the obsession was still there, here's what I'm going to do. But the main takeaway from getting sober is once that obsession is gone, it's not easy, but it's hell of a lot less challenging. Right. Because you aren't thinking like, I, I have not thought about alcohol and I don't know how long and it's, it's not a light bulb moment. You aren't at a party and say, Hey, I haven't thought about booze. Right.

You just realize, Holy shit. I don't even care about it anymore. And that's where you got to go through the weeds. You got to go through the mud and you got to get uncomfortable. And that's what people don't like to do. And that's why some people only make it a few months. They're like, I, because you're faced with dealing with shit right now. You can't hit the pause button and say, I'm going to smoke this joint. I'm going to have this bottle of wine. I'll deal with that tomorrow. You're like, no, you're going to fucking deal with this right now. And that's what I love is I can get shit done now.

And the. The greatest aspect of my sobriety now is here. My third year is others joining me on my journey. Others extremely close to me where I've gotten phone calls from them. I've got calls out of the blue saying, I saw what you're doing. And I said, I want some of that. And it's why I did this. It's why I told my story on my podcast. I talked to a good friend and I'm like, what do you want to accomplish? He said to me, I said, if I help one person

get sober, then it's accomplishment. And he called me on my three year anniversary. He's like, Dan, remember when you said you wanted wanted to help one person? Look at all those people just in your life that have joined you on that journey. So no matter what happens, this podcast stops tomorrow. You accomplish exactly what you did tenfold.

And that's that was very heartwarming and hit me to my core where you have to be reminded sometimes of you. You did something you set out to do and it's the greatest feeling. And I didn't get them sober. They just saw what life can be like. Out of the, the mix of addiction that is in every single family in this country, in this world. So if you can stop that cycle, it's empowering and it's just

a lighthouse for other people to look at and say, holy shit, they did it. I didn't think they'd ever do that. But look at them now. So they can, it's almost like a pyramid scheme. They're like, well, holy shit, I want some, okay, I'm going to pass that on. I'm going to pass it on. And then it just keeps getting passed around people that you love. So it's, it's pretty awesome. Well, this is why I'm so glad you're, you know, opened up about this and you're talking about it on your podcast and other podcasts like Toronto mic right now. Because I, even if, like you said, if one person listening right now recognizes,

you know, themselves and your story and realize that, Hey, there's a, there's another way, there's a better way than, I mean, thank goodness, you know, like that's, that's a, it's all about inspiring others and showing people there's another path. So thank you for talking about this. What I've discovered is if you think to yourself, do I have a problem? You got a problem. If you even have to wonder about that, you've got a drinking problem. And I always laugh at the people. I don't

understand you. You're maybe one of these people, Mike, who you're like, Oh, I'll have a glass of wine at dinner. And I talk this among sober friends. We're like, what the fuck does that do? What's the point? Like, you're going to do it? And also the wall or don't do it. Yeah. Go big or go home. Yes. Like what's the, what's the point of one drinking? I'm like, I will never, I will never just be able to have one drink. And if I did, I'm like, well, this is dumb.

Right. So I'll just not do it at all. Right. And I've also discovered alcohol does not improve anything. They, it does simply doesn't. So I can gladly live without it. And in that first year, know what I lived with? Chocolate and ice cream.

The cravings were, and I hear this from people close to me now. I'm like, so what are you eating these days? Like a lot of chocolate, a lot of ice. I'm like, yeah, because your body's like, where's that sugar? You give me that every day. Where's that sugar now? Right. People don't realize how much sugar is in booze.

But eventually those go away too. Like for the first year, I'd eat a couple of bowls of ice cream in a king sized chocolate bar every night. Thank God I have a good metabolism. But now that those cravings are gone as well. So that's a lot easier to handle. Sometimes you do feel hung over, though, if you eat too much chocolate and eat like crap. I wake up and I have to remind myself, I'm like, oh, yeah, I didn't drink.

Whoa, it's just sugar. All right. Now I need to know about Boomsies. Like, so who did did Bet Rivers approach you? Like, how does Boomsies come to be born? And just let the listeners of this program know about your podcast. Well, so when I got out of rehab, I was face of the fact like. OK, I'm a 40. Well, at that time, 45 year old white guy

who just looks like a generic dude from the down the street. I am I am never getting I'm never getting a job. And that's nothing to say with race. I'm just like just I'm a cardboard cutout. My daughter was once worked walked into a golf course and he looked at everyone sitting there at dinner. They're like, and and it was perfectly encapsulated by my oldest Sydney. She said, everyone looks the same.

They just look like they're in different fonts. And I'm like, that makes no sense, but it makes perfect sense. And I'm like, and she's like, and you're one of them. I'm like, I know, we're generic dudes. No, I know the feeling. So I was faced with the fact that, oh my God, am I going to ever get a job? And that's where I actually launched a little thing on Instagram.

I'm like, well, I've got no job. I want to be creative. And I started this thing called Danitized, in which I told Canadian companies, send me your products. I will create mini commercials for them and spread the word about your businesses. And it was actually a lot of fun. I use the products to this day, the man-made underwear that just did a Dragon's Den deal, the best underwear you'll ever wear.

That's all I wear. Their socks are even better than their underwear. I'm sorry to say this. Clothing lines I use to this day, the shumka dust, the natural deodorant. Anyway, so I started doing that and I'm like, well, I I'm not taking any money from these people, so this isn't going to pay the bills when when my checks finally stop coming. And then one day I got a call out of the blue from an online gambling company.

It's it hadn't arrived in Canada, but it was on the horizon. I didn't even know this. Right. So they're like, oh yeah, here's what we want to offer. I'm like, oh, I don't know. And then I got a call from another province who said, we want you to be in our commercial, but you have to sign a non-compete. You can't work with any other betting companies. And well, that's kind of limiting. And then I signed up for LinkedIn on a Monday, never been a part of the LinkedIn community, still don't understand how it works.

And then on the Tuesday, my current company reached out to me, someone from that company, Mark, and said, Hey, I want to talk to you about a potential business opportunity. And then got on the phone with them. They described their strategy. They described how they work already in the United States. They have a proven app. They have a proven website. They have brick and mortar casinos for them in the States.

So I even say this to them. I'm like, okay, so check balances. I can just drive one of the casinos and I know where to get my money. All these other ones are like, well, this might be operated as someone's basement. Right. I had great conversations with them. And I'm like, I actually like these dudes because they're figuring this media thing out as they go and they launch into a new country.

So I signed on with them they said what do you want to do? I said I'd love to do a podcast and we started Boomsies. The name generates from my Fox Sports Live days was Jay. We had a producer by the name of Sean Keegan and whenever there'd be a big dunk there'd be a big goal he'd up his key, speak into our ears and say, yeah, boomsies. So, and then there'd be another play. That's a boomsies.

So I'm like, that is the, and we started using it on the show. So my bosses came to me, they're like, what do you want to call it? And I'm like, I've got an idea. And they're like, well, what about Dan O'Toole talks with friends and family? I'm like, that is the worst. They came up with some horrible titles. And I tell my boss to this day, I'm like, well, what about Dan O'Toole talks with friends and family? I'm like, that is the word.

They came up with some horrible titles. And I tell my boss to this day, I'm like, those, those were bad. So I said, what about Boomsies? And I reached out to my former producer who was actually one of the producers on, I think there's two Woodstock documentaries about the last Woodstock that was chaos. He's a producer on one of them. 99. Yeah.

And I reached out to him and I said, I'm going to use this. And he's like, I'd be so honored if you did. So that's how the, the term boomsies came out. Wow. Didn't know what I talk about. Didn't know if I talk about my sobriety. And again, that's like, I, I barely discuss it now. if it comes up and a viewer sends in an email I read that but it's not like me talking about not drinking we talk about today

the royal saga and Kate Middleton What's that about like I saw like footage from TMZ tweeted video. How long do you have? Well, I because I I gotta say I'm kind of and I don't am not even a royal watcher Like I didn't watch the wedding But i'm in the rabbit hole. I am transfixed Like I need to know where Kate is. So okay. So this video that tmz, uh shared It doesn't look like her right? So why okay? We live in a day and age where our cameras are the greatest quality they've ever been

Why is every current picture of Kate milton worse worse than all Bigfoot photos? Tell me why. She's recovering from abdominal surgery, but she's out walking carrying a bag. And you said she'd been recovering for nine months. You aren't thinking, okay, she's going to the market with Prince William. Hey, could you just pose in the kitchen for two seconds so we can show proof of fucking life to the world? Right. No, no. You take this photo from 500 meters away and people will see it. Don't worry. It's all bullshit. It's there's something going on.

So I've I've dove into the rabbit hole that Prince William is going to be told he's not the next king as he was caught on video and some wild sex romp. Wow. So they're now figuring out who's going to be the next king. Kate and William supposedly have been already separated for a year. She's not posting anything because she's like, I'm done with this. I don't want to play this game anymore. She's already left with the kids.

She's in she's in hospital for like a month. Her kids never went to visit her. What? Wow. William went once. And then the rumors started to swirl like the King's on his deathbed. Harry flew in to see the King. And I think the the meeting was okay, so Williams not gonna be king I can be king right they're like no no you left no but Dan if I may I don't I didn't watch the coronation I didn't watch the the funeral for the Queen I don't watch the royal weddings I have no interest for some reason I give a shit about this

Kate story I don't know why but he too I I almost Mike I couldn't go to bed the other night because there's like there's news you're worried about Kate yeah you're worried okay I need to know the news and it's supposed to be out by Wednesday guess what Wednesday is here and um right we haven't heard anything but the rules i'll just as you know the uh one thing is very clear which is if uh if if Charles is dies and William can't be king. It's very very clear. There's no discussion George is king now. He's like ten years old or something. Yeah. Yeah, so and you can't be king until what age? I don't think that exists like I feel like that's not a thing I was well in the reading that I did they said you have to be a certain age So this they showed a picture some old dude like a third cousin. They're like this guy would like okay

I'm like the king placeholder. I'll be king while this kid grows up But again, you know one thing okay. I'm sorry for interrupt. Why can't Kate can she not be Queen? I feel she's not bloodlines like I feel like she married into it. It's a different story or something like that Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, but I, first of all, now again, I know you're in the rabbit hole, but I mean, there's so much speculation. I mean, nature abhors a vacuum. So you've invented this scandal that William Can't Be King

that you've kind of invented based on some rumors that he likes pegging. Oh, I didn't invent it, other people invented it. I'm just telling you what I saw. I do say, I did see like, I did see footage of Charles and I saw oh he's alive okay and then uh but that Kate footage that we're talking about I watched it with my wife we watched it several times as full-blown screen and it is inconclusive but if I had to bet on it I would bet that wasn't Kate. Like 100% and uh we discussed this video the TMZ video. Yeah, she and

your father you will know what I'm talking about here because one of our producers Z money had no idea what I was talking about. I said that woman does not walk like an adult woman. She walks like a 16 to 20 year old and producer Tim, producer on my podcast chimed in. She said, yes, because she's not been beaten down by life. So, yes, she walks like a much younger person. And I'm like, exactly that is not Kate simply because of the gate to her step and the face is different and her face is she looks like she weighs like 30 pounds. 90 pounds, yeah.

And one thing though, because we don't really know, I don't know how much is like confirmed regarding the hospital stay for Kate Middleton, right? This could be the good old fashioned, she got a facelift and had to go under, you know, while her facelift heels. Like this could be one of those old Hollywood stories. Because people would see that in photos. I thought of that. Someone said she might've had like a hysterectomy,

but, and which is, sure. That's something that's a medical procedure. Just say that she like, but a very, a very generic abdominal surgery that's going to take three months. Then they extended that to nine. And you're, you're trying to tell me the royal family doesn't see all this. They don't want to quash these rumors.

Put her in front of a podium. Say, hey, I'm here to say the surgery went great. Thanks for all your well wishes. I'll be back to my royal duties in three months. They have said how easy is that? How easy would that she would be out there for one minute? Right. I do. I did read like, like you, I haven't got as far down the rabbit hole, but I kind of dip my toes in it or whatever.

But they did announce that much like Jesus himself, there's going to be a comeback on Easter, right? This will be like the return of Kate on Easter. So much like Jesus himself. If the pictures are clear, the video is clear. I am all for that, but we have not seen it. The last photo before this video at the market was her and her mom driving in a car. Right. Again, inconclusive.

Why is there only one video of them at the market? Why is there only one picture of them in the car and the other? And where's the paparazzi? Right. She's faced the other way. Right. Right. Well, did you have no storage in your phone? I can only take one. I hope it's a good one. Good point all around. You know, this is like the most famous woman in England and there's no paparazzi around and stuff. And it's why do we have better footage from the Zapruder film than we do exactly of this woman who's clearly not

Kate Middleton. So I'm stay tuned. So people should subscribe to Boomsies with Dan O'Toole to get like. So how often do you record for those who are unaware? We we have a new episode every two every Wednesday at around 10 a.m. So this week we talk about Kate. We talk about March Madness. We talk about Joey Votto in the letter he penned to all of Canada and Canadian baseball. And we talk about my mom discovering the app Tmoo. I always like to regale the audience with stories from my mom because as I relay on the podcast, so

I'm like this app yet. So something that costs like plastic straws, $12 at Amazon. You can find one team for 75 cents. Wow. I say, but they they won't be there for two weeks like Amazon. You'll have it tomorrow. Right. Timo, it's got to come on a ship from China. And then as most mothers, as most older adults say,

when they hear about something they have to buy, what's the return policy? So I said, Mom, you're spending 75 cents. Once that transaction is done and it arrives, it's yours. No matter what arrives, there is no return policy. policy like you. That's what you're signing up for here. Because if there is one, it will not

be fun. Like you returning something to China. I've seen someone who tried to, and it was my mom had to get an address of something. It was an Instagram ad and she's like, Oh, I'd like that dress. So she ordered it came nothing like the the picture. It was horrible material. So she wanted to send it back. She finally found a return address.

And I have never seen an address like this in my life. The address was this long for her to send it back to China. I'm like, that's and to send it it back there was like $35. Right. Like, what are you doing? Somehow she got her money back. But I'm like, mom, remember that incident, trying to return that thing to the China. Just, just don't worry about that 75 cents in order of those straws. Dan, amazing. Okay. Just before we say goodbye though, a couple of questions. One is when the, and I watch a lot of sports on TV, so I guess I'm like the target demo for the

Dan O'Toole, Bet Rivers ads, but did you feel overexposed for a while? It did seem like every other ad was you. There was a point where, and I like you personally, but I started griping, ah, it's too much Dan O'Toole. tool. Well, I thought that, but then when it changed from a a Dan, it's a it's you or a where's Jay where it changed to people see me on the street and they're like, hey, the Bat Rivers guy.

So I tell my bosses, I'm like, guys, brand awareness. That's what you want. You're getting it. Right. So it worked. And that's what all these companies are trying to do is generate brand awareness. That's what you want. You're getting it right. So it worked. And that's what all these companies are trying to do is generate brand awareness. And I think they've accomplished that. It's a great company. That's the thing I like about them the most is they let me do my own thing.

And. When I don't want to do something, they actually listen to me. Like if I'm like, guys, we shouldn't do that. They're like, OK, what do you think? I've never had that. I've never had a voice at the table in my adult life. And who thought going to an American based company would give me that? So it's that also contributes to my happiness and my.

My well-being at this moment is the fact that I'm listened to. Love what I'm hearing, but I did get a question from news guy, Mike, and news guy, Mike, and I'm going to read it. He writes in a, but, but, but, he says there are new sports betting rules for celebrity endorsements. Will this affect FOTM Daniel tool? Okay. So, uh, I've had this question and it hasn't passed yet. And what I've been told is they don't want athletes

being in the like Wayne Gretzky. If if you have if you can. Change the outcome of a game because you're in it. Call me crazy, but I don't think you should be in the game. They don't want... Like Conor McDavid you're saying. Yeah, they don't want people that will influence younger people to make Batser to join these apps.

And my boss is... It's kind of like being in contract talks in which you go to arbitration. One side goes to tell you, hey, you're great. Well, my side will be like, no, he's not famous. He's an actor now. That's great move. Yeah, you're not Daniel. I'm not a celebrity anymore.

I'm I'm an employee, right? The contract employee of the company. Right. And if you lined up all the quote unquote celebrities from all these apps, yeah, in a line and had the kids point to who's influenced them, not a single one's point to me. I smart smart. So like, there's a big difference between Jim Jim, Jimmy, Jimmy Fox. Is that the actor Jimmy Fox? Yeah, Jamie Fox. That's right. Jamie Fox. Okay, sorry. Brilliant actor, by the way. Yeah. Well, yeah. He love him. Ray Charles. Come on. So Jamie Foxx is a celebrity endorsing a sports gambling company. But, but you, Dan O'Toole are an actor playing like an anchor who promotes a bed rivers. 100%. Love it. Okay. That will be if we ever get called in front of the parliament or whatever.

Well, just call me up. My bosses, my bosses will just say that they're like, uh, he's an actor now. Speaking of, I would love to get into acting. Um, so if you know any acting agents. Well, if I, listen, if I thought you could get into acting, I would be in acting because I feel like we are kind of going to compete for the same role. You know what? You could, uh, so my last commercial I shot, we are kind of going to compete for the same role. You know what you could have.

So my last commercial I shot, we had to find a body double. So it's a guy who is the exact same dimensions. The face was different. I think next time we need a body double, I think you could play that part. I would love it. Like I would love to be Dan O'Toole's body double. And the only party didn't have. So I had really long hair.

I had like it long at the back. And so they had to tie it up at the back because his hair didn't match my hair. And you said you were going to get to the hair. Yeah, let me talk with her now. So I, you know, we've been on this zoom now for over an hour. And it strikes me that when we were together six years ago, we both had short hair. We both had the same salt and pepper type, very similar hairs. I remember comments like, oh, we look like brothers and all this

could be a blue eyes, the same kind of salt and pepper hair going on. We're both good looking guys, right? Okay. Now, fast forward six years, and we're both doing something. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm gonna ask you what you're doing. But my hair is just longer and it's sort of doing its thing. Like what are you doing with your hair? So I had the same haircut from the age of five up until when I started growing my hair, what, two years ago. And I just decided like, you know what? I've never had long hair and now's the time to do it.

So I started growing it. If you've ever grown your hair, if you have the ability to, there's a real awkward stage where you're like, I thought it was going to look like a hay bale. Eventually it gets past that. And I actually started to really like it. You can do more stuff with it. And I'm like, Hey, I think I'm going to keep it. And then I few months ago, actually, this is probably November. I cut it off a bit.

And as soon as I cut it, I'm like, Oh, I miss it. So I think my longer hair is here to stay because my kids have actually said, when we look at old pictures in my phone, they're like, yeah, I like your hair way better now. So it's, uh, as Jay said to me, he wants something, his wife, uh, and him said, if you look like a guy, I just bought a Corvette and I'm like, yep, that's exactly, that's exactly how I love it. Hey, so I'm going to quote, uh, the lead singer for lowest of the low, who will be, you know, performing the song Rosie and gray in a moment. I'm going to close this out with, but he came over. Yeah. I'm not

closing yet. I'm not closing yet. Yeah. You'll hear the song. It won't be yet. I'll give you a chance to, uh, you know, read that statement I prepared for you, but don't change a syllable. Okay. But I just want to shout out Ron Hawkins, not the Ron Hawkins who lived near you. Shout out to Ridley funeral home. But Ron Hawkins did look me in the eyes one day, he came over during the pandemic and was kind of puffing out or whatever. And he said, Mike, if you can grow it, you should show it. And that resonated with me.

And I heard him say it, I'm like, yeah, there's so many guys we know who are balding or bald or have thin hair or whatever, but you and I are blessed, follicly blessed. Why wouldn't we show it off? Exactly. I couldn't agree more. So it's here to stay. Although if you've seen any young boys, age eight to 14, they all have the hockey

hair now. Like I've never seen so much long hair. Like a mullet, sort of. Yeah. So my kids laugh like, hey, you and that 10 year old kid have the same hair. I'm likeullet, sorta. Yeah, so my kids laugh, they're like, hey, you and that 10 year old kid have the same hair. I'm like, yeah, I guess we do. Ours has a splash of white. So before your closing remarks, I do want to let the listenership know

and let you know, Dan, that Palma Pasta would feed you if you made the trek here, but you didn't, so I can't give you this Palma Pasta. They don't deliver? They do, they deliver to Orono, I gotta talk to them if they do. Palma pasta.com. I'm saying pasta and pasta interchangeably now as you recognize, but I do want to tell everybody listening that there's an event at Great Lakes Brewery, the South Etobicoke location. It's TMLX 15. It's on June 27 from six to nine PM. Everybody's welcome to come by. I have non-alcoholic beverages for you and of course Palma Pasta is gonna feed us and this is a

significant day because this will be the day I turn the big 5-0 so come to TMLX15 on June 27 at Great Lakes Brewery. Big day so that's where you that's where you got planned? Big fucking day yeah that's what I got I got planned. And I'm going to just before your closing remarks, I got to check my notes. Oh yeah. So my final question for you before we hear your marks is like, how do you feel when Bell's Let's Talk Day comes around every, every, whatever it is, every February or whatever, like, does it, does it put a pit in your stomach? Do you think, oh, there's that bullshit again? Like, are you willing to share with us what you think of this campaign? Oh, I gotta tell the fence here. So I am not sent a letter from a lawyer.

No. The first year it came up after I was fired, that was the closest I ever came to a panic attack. Because I'm like, how dare they? Because I reached out to a lot of people that were fired, and they're like, yeah, this is not good. Because being fired is not good for your mental health. And at no time when I was there, did anyone ever ask me about my mental health? And I'm like, shouldn't you take care of your own people

before you worry about anyone else? So yeah, I don't like it. I think it's a crock of shit. Anyone that works within the company, when I worked there, all agreed it was a crock of shit and it's done for tax reasons. So those are my thoughts on that. Hopefully they don't get me in trouble.

I don't know how your opinion can get you in trouble, but somehow in this agreement, it's, it's from when I signed it, a non-despair gene, non-disclosure from the time I signed it until the day I died. How is that legal? But there's no way that can cover your opinion on a marketing campaign for Bell's Let's Talk Day. Oh, it's pretty detailed. I don't want to get you into trouble.

I think they've forgotten about me by this point. They're like, yeah. They don't owe you any money, right? Like you've cashed your final check from this company, right? Yeah, but it says in there they can come back and get it. I would love them to try. They'll have to, you know, we'll have an army of Dan supporters out there. We'll own BCE by the end of this exercise here.

But Dan. Well, if with that confidence you give me, yeah, it's a load of shit. It's a crock of shit. All right, Dan. So before I play Lewis to the low here and we can show it. So we're going to, we're going to grow it. So we're going to show it. But any final thoughts, your return six years later, you didn't ask me the question. Every single person asked me, are you and Jay,

still friends? Oh, you know what? I do have one more question for you. Thank you for, I'm going to check my notes here. What is your current relationship status with FOTM Jay Onright? So as I tell everyone, I'm like, Jay didn't fire me. If he fired me, yeah, okay. Then I'd have a beef. But Jay is an integral part of my life. He was a catalyst for helping me. When I called out for help, he was there to make sure I still was alive to get to the point where I could ask for help.

And we are, we are texting, um, multiple times a week. We still love each other and are still great friends. So nothing has changed there. See, probably the reason I forgot to ask you about it is because I assumed as much. I'm, you know, I communicate with Jay. Oh yeah, but some people think they're like, so you don't like him, right? Okay, I have a couple of thoughts on that real quickly on our way out. One is that you've seen Private Parts, the Howard Stern movie, right? I have a couple of thoughts on that real quickly on our way out. One is that you've seen private parts, the Howard Stern movie. Yes, I have.

Okay. So there's that pivotal scene when Robin Quivers is fired, but Howard Stern's not. And then Robin seems upset at Howard that he didn't quit like in protest or in union or something. And he explains to her like, you know, I got to stay on the air. Like so, so I feel like there's that's a thought I have there. But also, I'm now thinking of. OK, let me interject.

Some people have said that. I'm like, he has a family to write. Is he going to say, no, I don't want to check anymore. I'm out of here. Well, this is because he knows full well. They'd say, OK, see you. Yeah, they'd love to get his because they don't have to sever him. Right. Like, so again, OK, see you. Yeah, they'd love to get his because they don't have to sever him. Right. Like, so I'm again, you didn't comment. But when they fired you, they didn't

fire you with cause. Right. So they had to sever you fairly. Yes, they said financial reasons. And whenever I say I was fired, people were like, no, you were laid off. I'm like, well, that's both both leave without a job. So I don't see the difference in both scenarios. They say to you, Mr.

O'Toole, we'd rather you not come to work anymore and we're going to stop paying you and we're going to cancel your swipe card or whatever you use to get in that building. But OK, so they sever you. But if Jay quits. I wanted to say one last thing about so when I because I haven't discussed this when I contemplated getting back in the workforce, I talked to two people, I talked to a former boss who actually said to me, I think you're done in this industry. And then I talked to another person.

I'm like, so how do I start again? Because I reached the pinnacle and they actually suggested that I start like, oh weekends at a radio station, you know. So I said the wolf. So yeah, so I start exactly where I started again, only only to know that if I reach where I did again, I'll just get fired. So I just go on this loop for the rest of my life. Also, now back to the bottom. That pinnacle you reached doesn't pay what it used to pay. Like the simply the whole grid has changed.

So there was a time in, you know, if you were, for example, a morning show host in Toronto Radio, you were going to probably make something like $350,000 to a million dollars. Back in the day, you were making 500 minimum morning show in Toronto. Well, I produce a show for former morning guys, and it was kind of close to that, but not quite that. But anyway, regardless today, that same gig is paying like 120. Like this is just well, they've gone back to the day of what they used to be in broadcasting,

which is we're going to pay you, I don't know, 50,000 a year. And if you say no, they just say, okay, we're just going to take the next person out of school. Right. Because they don't care. And they don't care about quality as much as they care about reducing the payroll and the cost of this. And they want everyone to not have an identity because my bosses, we heard through the grapevine,

they were upset that they let JNI become a tandem in which it developed a following. They're like, we can't let that happen again because they've got negotiating power. They want everyone to have no, you're just, what was always told to us was, it doesn't matter who's fucking sitting in that chair, people are gonna watch anyway. So essentially they're saying, you're worth nothing.

Well, this is simply a part of the reason they said, goodbye, Bob McCowen. Like, you're not bigger than these call letters. And we're going to happen. That station sits. Well, they don't care. It comes back to the fact that they don't care. OK, so quick. I have to finish this thought here.

I know we could go for hours. You're going to miss that eight o'clock. But the fact is, if Jay Onright had quit in protest because his dear friend, Dan O'Toole was fired Now he walks away zero severance like the best thing Jay on right can do is keep that job till they tell him to go Away, and he gets that big fat severance Compensation if Jay had made the phone call to me and said okay in solidarity with you. I'm gonna quit

I'd say are you stupid in mind? Yeah? Yeah, are you stupid? Are you, I'm going to quit. I'd say, are you stupid? Mind? Yeah. Yeah. Are you stupid? Are you crazy? I, that call didn't happen because he obviously knew. Yeah. If he walked away, you know, it would be stupid. I would call Jay and I'm adding you by the way. So you're, you're Dan.

You can add me to that list of people you'll call. If you ever feel like having a drink again, just add me to the list. Cause I'll talk you off that ledge. Cause I'm going to keep you sober because you're doing so well. But I'm also going to bring it closer to home. So Howard Stern, that's one thing. I'm just going to bring it back to Don Cherry and Ron McClain. Okay. We're done. This was a dynamic duo, as you know, in for us, it was forever because I think Ron McClain shows up in the

mid eighties and it's a seemingly forever for us. And Don Cherry got fired. Okay, fired. And there was a lot of backlash out there like Ron McClain, you should quit in like similar similar to the idiots who say, you know, Jay Onright should quit because Dan O'Toole got fired. And Ron's like, Ron doesn't need to quit because they fight like Ron wants that job. It's a high paying job. There's not many of those in Canadian media. He's got to keep working just like Jay Onright has to keep working. And I'm glad you guys are still friends. That reminds me of Ron McLean. He made a post last week. Don Cherry. He was at Don Cherry's house there celebrating his birthday. And it was the funniest caption I'd ever seen

to someone's post. So someone re quoted Ron McLean's tweet and they said, I have never seen these words used in this order in my life. Because what he wrote made no sense, but it was so Ron McLean that it kind of made sense. Yeah, it was, it was a very bizarre tweet. If Jay Onright ever finds himself not working for Bell Media, would you come on Toronto mic'd with Jay Onright? Oh, 100 percent. We we would love to work together again, but I don't even ask him to come on because I

don't want him to. No, I wouldn't ask him to come on with you while he's at Bell Media because I don't think that we will say why don't we have Jay and I'm like because I don't want to make it awkward and I know that there are well actually the guy who fired me is now gone and I was told like in his first few days of him taking over that he despised me. I'd never met this man. Wow. A person I'd never met. They said, yeah, you got to be on your best behavior. He does not like you.

And then I was fired like five days later. Well, and that guy's now gone. So I'm like, if someone actually said to me, OK, so there's a new guy in charge. What if he said, hey, come back work there? I said, one million dollars. I would. They're like, no, no, no. Be serious. I'm like, yeah, for $1 million. I would go back. Worth every penny. Dan, we'll do this again, man. This won't be your last Toronto Mic to

Pace. I loved this very much. We did two hours and I could have easily done four. Oh yeah. Can we kick out the jams next time? 100%. We're going to put that in the calendar. Can't wait to hear some rusty. I fucking love that album, Fluke. Like I still stick it in on misogyny. That's one of the greatest cancon jams of all time. Oh, we. And that's the other thing that today's generational never experienced. What is that?

Mid nineties, late nineties, the amount of Canadian rock that we got to experience. There's nothing like that now. There's what? Who's, who do we have? The Arkells. We have Arkells, not the, I've always, Arkells, who I golf with their drummer, Tim Oxford. Oh, he produces the Taggart and Torrens.

That's right, so Jeremy, Tim and I and our good friend Bob, we go out golfing at least once or twice every summer. And yeah, it's pretty cool. He's a he's an extremely nice guy. You'd never know that he was a rock star, along with Jeremy, iconic Canadian rock star, Jeremy Taggart. Love Jeremy Tager. So we will kick out the jams. Thank you, Dan O'Toole. And that brings us to the end of our 1453rd show. You can follow me on Twitter and Blue Sky and subscribe to Boomsies and listen to Dan O'Toole and you can hear more of what you just heard except, you know,

on the reg there. Much love to all who made this possible. That is Great Lakes Brewery, none for Dan. Palma Pasta, hopefully Dan comes to TMLX15. Recyclemyelectronics.ca, that's where you go if you have old tech, old cables, old electronics you need to get rid of. Raymond James Canada, you should subscribe to the Advantage to Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada.

The Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team, I'll be at Christie Pitts on May 12. Rick Emmett is going to be there. Hebsi is going to be there. Stephen Brunt is going to be there. Imagine if Dan O'Toole were there. Holy smoke. And Ridley Funeral Home, shout out to Ridley Funeral Home. See you all Friday when my special guest is Rod Black.