Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Jim Van Horne: Toronto Mike'd #607

Episode Date: March 31, 2020

Mike catches up with 1050 CHUM, TSN and Sportsnet broadcaster Jim Van Horne.

Welcome to episode 607 of Toronto Mic'd, a weekly podcast about anything and everything. Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, a fiercely independent craft brewery who believes in supporting communities, good times, and brewing amazing beer. Palma Pasta, enjoy the taste of fresh homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville stickeru.com create custom stickers, labels tattoos and decals for your

home and your business The Keitner Group they love helping buyers find their dream home text Toronto Mike to 59559. And Banjo Dunk from Whiskey Jack, one of the most celebrated roots, country bluegrass bands in Canadian music history. I'm Mike from torontomike.com. And joining me this week is a man with 1050 chum, TSN, and Sportsnet on his resume, Jim Van Horn.

Jim, how you doing, my friend? I'm good, Mikey. How are you? I'm okay, all things considered. Tell us, since this is a remote remote recording where do we find you in the world today where are you i'm at home uh i live in the uh young and st claire area so i'm sitting at home i was in isolation for a couple of weeks because i was out of the country for a while but so that that has since transpired so i'm i'm home in my uh in my. And there's no chance that we can catch anything via these remote Zoom conference calls. We're safe.

I certainly hope not. That'll be like in the future, they'll find some virus that travels through Internet cables or something. Well, they do have viruses that travel through the Internet, but they're a different kind of virus. That is true. Now, I'm going viruses that travel through the internet, but they're a different kind of virus. That is true. Now, I'm going to ask you about that trip shortly here. Let me just ask you first about your health because, in fact, let me tell listeners that if they want to hear

more Jim Van Horn on Toronto Mic'd, and they really should, your first visit was June 2016. That was episode 180. This was episode 180. This is episode, by the way, 607, if you're keeping track. So in the 180th episode, Mike chats with Jim Van Horn about his years as a jock on 1050 Chum, being the first on-air hire at TSN, leaving TSN for the Team 1050.

This is quite the episode, Jim. Yeah, it sounds like it. I have to listen to it. Oh, you haven't listened. Honestly, it's quite the episode. His years on Sportsnet, his reinvention as a teacher, and his most

recent battle with bladder cancer. So, please let all the Jim Van Horn fans out there know, how are things on that front, the bladder cancer front? You know, it's interesting that we are talking today because it was exactly three years ago today that I woke up after nine and a half hours of surgery with a brand new bladder.

Well, happy anniversary? Is that what you said? Well, it is because so far, touch wood, I'm still healthy. So it's worked out for the better. Am I allowed, like, are you cancer free as we speak right now? Technically speaking, no, you're not cancer free for five years after if you if you have no signs for five years and then they declared you cured but a year ago my oncologist Dr. Alexander Zlata said to me he said I think it's time for you to get used to the idea that you're not your bladder cancer is not coming back I can't speak for any other kind of cancer the the bladder cancer more. But that's great news, man. Like, just congrats.

That's what I was hoping I'd hear. Yeah, thank you. Now, you came back since, so you were here June 2016. We did that deep dive, and then you came back a little over a year later, July 2017.

That was episode 251. Mike and Jim Van Horn play and discuss his 10 favorite songs. Did you take a listen to that episode? I listened to a lot of it. I listened to both of them. Yeah, I did listen to a lot of that one, yeah.

I loved both episodes with you, but that kicking out the jams was just magic. This is what I like about your career. And I know you reinvented yourself as a teacher. Uh, I wish I'd been in one of those classes, but me and the media, I don't know, but you have that hybrid career where it's got this cool music part, you know, you're a rock jock on 10 50. Before I forget, did you ever hear the Doug Thompson episode

of Toronto Mic'd where we did the 1050 chum retrospective? No, I did not. What number is that? Do you remember offhand? No, I've got to search it in the archives. But I will... Let me know. Because we played some Jim Van Horn

in that episode. Oh my goodness. And it was cool, man. So you've got this rock and roll part of your career, and then you've got this sports part. I just think it's very cool that you have this, a great resume on both sides, because, you know, sports and music

are the two great entertainment passions of uh of our time like it's just very cool i think no i just i've just been lucky um you know somebody said to me a while back um you know you're you know you've had a great career and i said you know i've been i've been lucky because i'm just a regular kind of guy that really enjoyed music and talking about sports and i just happened to fall into both things during the course of my life. And later in this convo, I'm going to ask you about those two loves there. But you mentioned the trip that forced you into 14 days of self-isolation. Where were you? I was in Hawaii. My wife and I were married in Hawaii 23 years ago, and we go back for our

honeymoon every year to celebrate our marriage. Amazing, because I'm an avid cyclist, and I would hear you would share things on social media about cycling in Hawaii, and it just seems amazing. It really is. I did one ride this year. I'm not sure if you saw that one. It really is. And I did one ride this year. I'm not sure if you, if you saw that one, it was around the West Maui mountains, which is actually the extinct volcano on the West side of, uh,

of Maui. There's Haleakala and then the West Maui mountains. And it's only 60 miles around, but it's, or pardon me, is it 60 miles? Yeah, 60 miles,

90 K, uh, 60 miles around. But the thing, 90K. 60 miles around. But the thing is, you climb 4,200 feet. And it was just, it was one of those one and done things that I always wanted to do and finally got the nerve to do it. So tell us, how much cycling do you do typically? Like when you're in Toronto, like how much cycling do you do?

Well, last year, for instance, last year, I did over 6,000 kilometers in Toronto last year. Amazing. And I'll probably do the same if not more this year. I do a lot. I ride a lot.

And do you do long rides? I'm just curious. Will you go out and do a 70K ride or something like that? My normal ride is anywhere from 30 to 50 during the week. And then with my buddies on the weekend,

if they're available, we'll do with my buddies on the weekend if they're available we'll do up to 100 maybe 120 if uh if we're up for it oh good for you uh good for you man now in this age of uh what are we calling it now physical distancing are you still riding or are you typically a summer rider anyway no i ride year-round as long as the roads as long as there's no ice and it's not wet, I'll ride. Like today was really wet. I planned on riding today, but it's just too wet. It's too dangerous.

But right now, I'm riding alone. I don't ride with anybody right now. Now, maybe share a little bit about how you've adapted to the physical distancing. You're hunkered down there and you just get out for walks and bike rides? Or tell us. Yeah, basically. I mean, I've been to a couple of grocery stores. I actually went to a grocery store today and there was a security guard at the door who

interrogated me for a couple of minutes to make sure that I was healthy before he would allow me in, which I thought was great. You know, he said, have you been out of the country in the last 14 days? Have you talked to anybody? Any contact? Any headaches? Any coughs? Any sneezing? And I said, what if I answer yes to any of the questions? He says, well, if you do, you're not coming in. Do you worry though, because I get those too. I had him yesterday actually. And are you worried that, you know, people caught on to this? You know, if they say yes, they're not allowed to proceed, people are just going to lie?

Of course. I worry about all that kind of stuff. I don't worry so much for me. I worry more for my family, my kids. I check with my kids and my close friends every day to see if they're okay, to make sure everything is alright. I have a very good friend who's 82 years old who's

been forced to stop his chemo because of uh because of the virus and he's very vulnerable right now because he has no immune system so i really worry about people like that yeah most definitely now are you able to uh see your grandkids right now or is it gonna is it like on zoom or some kind of, like, how's that going? Yeah, that's exactly. It's all by a distance. There's no physical contact at all. Any, what about your, I mean, physically, you know, if you're going for those long rides, we know you're feeling physically good, but how's your mental health during this pandemic period?

Are you holding up okay that way? Yeah, I think so. You know, to say that I'm not stressed would be a lie. I think you're probably as stressed as I am. You know, you worry about your family. You've got kids to concern. I've got kids and grandkids and all the rest. And, you know, you want to make sure that your friends are okay. So it's not as if you're going through life, you know, in a blissful state because you don't have to work or anything like that. It's really stressful. It's hard, especially if you don't have anybody to talk to, I would imagine. That would make it just almost impossible.

Now, last time we talked, you were talking about you were going to go to the Olympics in Asia because you do, remind us, you do description audio? Because you do, remind us, you do description audio? For NBC, for Rio, and then for Korea, I actually worked for the Olympic Broadcast Service, OBS, which supplies play-by-play and commentary for countries around the world that carry the picture of the Olympics but can't afford to send their commentators. So in Korea, for OBS, Olympic Broadcast Service,

I was doing figure skating and short track speed skating. I wasn't heard in Canada, but I was heard everywhere else. And then I was supposed to go to Tokyo. I was about to ask, so I guess... That's not going to happen? Not going to happen, no. No, and I don't know what's going to go to Tokyo. I was about to ask. That's not going to happen. Not going to happen, no. I don't know what's going to happen next summer because it's been rescheduled.

They said definitely they want me to come back from Beijing for the Winter Games to do figure skating. It remains to be seen. I guess, like everything else, everything, I suppose, in the world is up in the air right now. You know what, Mike? I think our lives are world is up in the air right now. I think, you know what, Mike? I think our lives are going to change in a way that we never anticipated.

I don't think the world is ever going to be the same. Mind you, I said that after 9-11, that it hasn't been the same, but it wasn't any better either. No, you're right. And there was a moment after 9-11 when I just, actually, you know what happened? Katrina happened in 2005, I want to say. And they were using the Superdome in Louisiana. They were using it for people who were homeless and displaced.

That's right. And I remember thinking to myself, they can't possibly ever enjoy sports in there again. This can't ever go back to normal. And then you fast forward a few years, they're winning the Super Bowl, and things seem pretty damn normal in New Orleans.

Yeah, I think Drew Brees and the Saints had an awful lot to do with that. I mean, with them going out and winning the Super Bowl, that really sort of brought the masses back. And then what Drew Brees announced just last week, that he's giving $5 million this year to coronavirus research.

I mean, holy smokes. Good stuff. Now, sports has been paused for, I don't know what it's been now, almost three weeks probably. Do you miss it? Do you miss live sports? No. The short answer, no.

I don't miss it at all. It was something that I did something that i loved something that i enjoyed doing for cripes for close to 30 years but now that it's gone it's done i'm just i'm moving on so you're moving on okay so is that let me just get this right did you enjoy sports after you left uh sports media or is it simply that uh like is that the the catalyst that made you sort of lose your passion for sports when you left the business um yeah i think i think that's pretty accurate um to say that i'm not interested in sports now isn't completely true i still i still follow you follow the stuff in the newspapers. I read the paper every day.

I honestly can't tell you the last time I sat down and watched an event like a hockey game or a baseball game. I just don't do that. I'm just not interested in it. Well, then you sure aren't. Because I'm surprised because I was still like prior to the shutdown here, I would still kind of tune in and watch a Raptors game or a Leaf game. I was still kind of watching it at night and enjoying it. But here we are with nothing for a few weeks and I've yet to have that, oh, I miss it. It hasn't

hit me yet where I miss it. I'm so distracted by other things and life and things are going on that uh i haven't had that moment of oh i wish i could just sit down tonight and watch my raptors and i'm surprised i think you're in the minority oh yeah i think so too because i talk to hebsey every week and i think he's jonesing for something to to come back for sure now i have a question for you. I know the answer, but I promised all the listeners I would ask all the questions. But Toronto Mike listener Malfurious says, any relation to original Expos play-by-play caller Dave Van Horn? Again, I know the answer, but I'm going to leave it to you, Jim. The answer is no.

In fact, Dave Van Horn and i have never met uh we took we used to talk well to say we haven't met is is isn't completely true when i was at tsa we used to carry the expose games we used to do setups for the games and dave van horn and duke snyder were the play-by-play team so we would do a satellite feed you know between you between setting up the games and things like that. But to say that I met Dave and spent time with him, no, then we're no relation, none whatsoever. Now, I knew you were no relation because I know Jim Van Horn is an invented name. It is.

It is, yeah. You go to Wikipedia, you'll find that out. Right. And yes, and it's 1050 is where you introduced that name, right? 1050? and yes and and it's 1050 is where you introduced that name right 1050 when i got hired by the nifty 50 they uh they said they didn't like my name and asked me to change it and i couldn't think for one so they gave me a list to choose from and i ended up with jim van horn jim van horn which works by the way because because forever now, you know, you are JVH.

And I can't imagine you as anything else, but I guess that's how it works. Tell that to my parents. Okay, speaking of Chum, speaking of 1050 Chum, how close are you? So we're speaking today on the last day of March 2020. How close are we to the 40th anniversary of you leaving 1050, Chum? Oh, boy. It would have been September 1980 that I left, went to Calgary. So what's that? Do the math. Okay. Well, you're about, I don't know what that is. I think that's five months or so.

It's almost 50 years. I don't know what that is. I think that's five months or so. Almost 50 years. Yeah. So in this calendar year will be the 40th anniversary of you leaving 1050Chum. Jeez. I'm old.

It beats the alternative. That's what I always say. Yeah, it's better than having the dirt technique. Right, right. Now, okay, I'm going to say, we're going to do a little bit of a music sports thing coming up, but Matt Layden is a listener of Toronto Mic'd, and he has a question for you.

He goes, hey, Jim Van Horn, what's your greatest moment, what's the greatest moment in your TSN career? That's, that's a really hard question to answer. I think getting hired by TSN in the first place

was pretty special. But as far as a broadcasting moment is concerned, if I have to pick one... It's Matt's rules. Okay. If I had to pick one probably the 88 Olympics

going back to Calgary I've been in Calgary for four years was there when they won the bid originally back in 1984 and managed to go back with TSN in 1988 and we were the first cable network to carry the Olympics in the back with TSN in 1988 and we were the first cable

network to carry the Olympics in the world. And we had a skeleton crew. Todd Brooker and I did all the Alpine events up in Nicosia. So I would have to say of all the events that I managed to cover, that I was privileged to cover at TSN, that would probably

be the most special for me. Now having been there and experiencing that, was there any sadness at all? Because I remember watching it on television like everybody else, especially Elizabeth Manley and some other examples, but we never won a gold medal. Was there this hope? Is that something that's kind of a regret that you never got to enjoy the top of the podium?

No. No, I never looked at it that way. I looked at it as a chance to see the best in the world compete and the Alpine venues being the sort of the downhill being the glamour sports was just and working with Brooker, it was his first television experience. And not only did we work together, but after the events were over every day, we went skiing together.

Oh, wow. It was spectacular. Now, I think I know the, I'm going to ask you only questions today. I know the answer to, how's that? I think I know the answer, but. You're a good lawyer. Right. You know, it's funny. So I, I real quick aside, uh, I was talking to Lauren Honickman,

you know, Lauren Honickman. Yeah. And he practices law today and he, I posted something this morning, a video I took on Periscope. People listening can find it on my Periscope feed where I explained how I broke my wrist.

Cause I broke my wrist yesterday. How did you break your wrist, Mikey? Bike accident. So I'm on bike and now I'm on Royal York and I'm slamming into the concrete. By the way, I should show you my helmet in which I get split in half, the helmet. It's amazing, aren't they? And because of that,

the doctor wisely wanted a CT scan and I said yes please and it came back normal so I that's good news the the noggin is is a-okay but uh Lorne Honickman sends me this note after he watches the Periscope feed and just because the impetus for my crash was a girl I would say she's like six or seven years old with a dog walking on the sidewalk of rural York. And this dog, to me, the dog was running after me, was barking at me and had left her control to go on to rural York. And it caused me to do like a very sudden left jut

that I guess it was wet yesterday on the roads and then I was done but lauren wanted to know if i got the contact information of the uh the girl and her dog meanwhile this is like a the answer was no like this girl looks so scared that she caused this big accident i just looked at her and said it's not your fault and then i disappeared to like lick my wounds but uh that's that's that's the first thought the lawyer has. Did you get the contact info? Now, did you know your wrist was broken immediately?

So right away, I feel nauseous and cloudy vision for a bit. Like I had a sudden, this pain was so intense and I had to go sit on the curb of the side street for a while to collect myself because I, you know, I felt nauseous. Like I was going to vomit. I never did,

but I felt nauseous. And I knew right away I was in big trouble because it was bloodied, but it looked, uh, it looked like the swelling had weird bumps in it. Like it just looked really ugly and it hurt like you wouldn't believe. So it wasn't, I was pretty sure,

but I had to go get an x-ray and confirm that's terrible that's that's uh yeah i've had those crashes they're not fun did you ever break a bone on this is my first ever okay i broke a pinky once but they didn't do anything for it because you don't get a cast when you break your pinky but uh is have you ever had a broken bone due to a bike crash? Yes. Yeah. Two years ago in Hawaii, as a matter of fact, I was finishing a ride. I was going downhill and had to make a sharp left turn at the bottom of the hill.

And I was doing about 45 kilometers an hour, and I had a blowout in my front tire and totally lost control. Hit a curb, got thrown about 25 feet, landed on my right shoulder, broke my collarbone, broke my left hand, and just ruined my vacation. Oh, I'm just like living it through your words there. And it's... And destroyed the bike. Absolutely just creamed the bike. It was just a mess. A mess.

And that, I mean, I wasn't going anywhere close to 45. I would guess I was going 20 to 21 or so. I was concussed, definitely knocked out. I've actually been concussed probably about five times from bike crashes. Did you get a CT scan? No, I had x-ray, but I was in and out of hospital within, I'd say, two and a half hours in Hawaii. I mean, they were so fast. It was amazing, just amazing.

The care was crazy. But I didn't have a CT scan, no. In America, they treat you as a customer, where here we treat you like a patient. It's a different mindset. Thank God for insurance. The ambulance ride alone that was, I think, 11 kilometers was $1,800 US. And I was taking a taxi.

That sounds criminal to me. I mean, I won't get involved in that. But I produced a show for Humble and Fred and Humble Howard was in Arizona and he had to go in because his heart was racing faster than it should and they diagnosed him with something

he was apparently born with, which is I can't remember the term now, but they had to shock it back into rhythm. Appalachian. Is that the word? I think so. I think the word is like trach... Or tachycardia. Maybe that's the word.

Anyway, I should do my homework before I speak. He had this condition and he's fine, but he was in hospital for six days while they did some tests and stuff and he had insurance. He got the bill and it was something like $180,000. Yeah, I believe that.

I believe it. It's nuts down there. It's just nuts. Like you're one illness away from being on the street, homeless, literally. Yeah. Yeah, if you don't have proper insurance, do not go. It's not worth the risk.

That would bankrupt you, $180,000 bill. I'd be selling the house. I'd be like, okay, kids, we live under a bridge now. That's almost as much as you make in a month. That's right. Prior to the pandemic, that was the money I was pulling in. Music versus sports. For the record, which passion is the stronger passion?

Oh, music, for sure. Music passion? Oh, music for sure. Music's always been a passion for me. And again, I urge anyone who hasn't heard Jim Van Horn kick out the jams, go find episode 251. It was a true tweet. It was a true treat. Do you go to lots of concerts?

Do you go see music live? Not anymore. I used to go all the time, but I haven't been. I'm trying to think of the last concert I went to. I can't think of one recently. But back in the day, you were a regular... Oh yeah, I went to

all of them. As a disc jockey, we got tickets all the time. Would you mind, and I'm putting on the spot here, but could you share with us, perhaps, I don't know, your five most memorable

live music experiences, if you could do a countdown of sorts. And B, don't be economical with your words because I love the detail of why you like the show. We'll return after these messages. Toronto Mic'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery. The retail store is currently

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If you have any Toronto real estate questions at all, please text Toronto Mike one word to 59559. That will put you in touch with Austin Keitner from the Keitner Group. And Banjo Dunk, well, I gave him a call the other day just to see how he's doing. Can you help me with something, Mike? I have a question for you. You know how I love to sit here

at my crummy little recording studio and record these ads that I've been putting on. What am I going to do, Mike? I don't know what to say now. Why don't you encourage us? I think if we just hear a little banjo dunk, can you just take out the banjo maybe, give a strum a few notes,

and then let us know that everything's going to be okay. Hang in there. We're all in this together. Okay, I can do that. I'll do that. Dunk, it's great catching up with you. Keep your chin up and think about this. When all this is behind us

and things return to a semblance of normalcy, we're all going to gather on the patio of Great Lakes Brewery for a TMLX and you will be there with your hat and your banjo and we're going to have a great time and that's something

for us all to look forward to. I'm looking forward to that big time. Take care, Banjo Dunk. I'm looking forward to that big time. Take care, Banjo-Dunk. Thank you. See you, Toronto Mike. We now return to the Transformers. Okay.

Not in any particular order, okay? Billy Joel at Massey Hall. This was before he started the major stadium tours, before he hit Maple Leaf Gardens or anything like that. He was playing Massey Hall. Piano Man had just been released. I had seats with three friends in the last row of the second balcony on the west side of Massey Hall, right at the top. He comes out, nice warm applause, sits down at his piano and disappears.

We can't see him from where we're sitting. So I stand up and I yell, hey, Billy! And he stands up, he goes, what? We can't see you up here. He said, okay. So he grabbed the piano, pulled it six feet back, sat down, he said, how's that? I said, perfect. Oh, that's wild.

That's one of the big memories I have. The other ones... Wait, wait, did you know what year that was? This had to have been 71, 72? For Piano Man? How did you keep your hair at the time? I'm always interested in like a rock jock. It was long, really long.

It was down almost to my shoulders. Okay. Elton John made Leaf Gardens. He opened with Funeral for a Friend. The place was pitch black. And the funeral dirge

starts for Funeral for a Friend. And all of a sudden, this spotlight comes on above him, shining straight down. He's the only person you see. He's dressed in bright fire engine red with a plume in his top hat that's probably about five or six feet long. And he's playing Funeral for a Friend.

The place went crazy. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. Well, these are two legends on their way up. I guess Elton's at his peak then, is that right? Actually, he was still... Saturday night's all right for fighting was out, but he still had a long way to go before he was really, really big. So at number three, again, these are in no particular order,

Queen at Maple Leaf Garden. Freddie Mercury was probably one of the most dynamic performers that I had ever seen. And they just... And I was stoned out of my mind when I saw it. It was crazy. It was, it was,

I think it was really, really neat. Um, number four, probably the start me up tour by the Rolling Stones. Um, that one in particular, I'd seen them before,

but the Start Me Up tour by the Stones of Maple Leaf or at the Rogers Center actually. No, it was at Skydome. It was special for me because my son was... That was called Start Me Up tour? I think so.

The first song they played was Start Me Up. Okay, because Start Me Up predates Skydome by quite a bit. Really? Well, Skydome by quite a bit. Really? Well, Sky Dome opens in 90, right? I don't know if you're asking me. 89, maybe. Summer of 89, I think, is the Dome.

But no, continue your story, and then I'll worry about these pedantic details at another time. Okay, anyway, they started, the first number they played was Start Me Up. And my son, at the time, was 14 years old they started, the first number they played was Start Me Up. And my son at the time was 14 years old, first concert that he's going to. So we're going down there, heading down, and he said, what can I expect from this show?

I said, well, probably going to be the biggest thing you've ever seen in your life, going to be the loudest thing you've ever seen in your life. And if anybody passes you a joint, just pass it on. He said, okay. Sure enough, I watched him when the flash pots went off

because you could physically feel it on your chest, the explosion of these pot lights, the explosions as they went off. And he was just a gog. I thought his eyes and his tongue were going to come out of his head. And we didn't sit down for the night. And sure enough, somebody passed him a joint. He passed us one. That was another one.

It's amazing. Before you do number five, as parents, I find it interesting because I do the same thing. When something is happening that you're sharing with your child, everyone's looking at this thing that's happening and you're looking at your child to see how they it's yeah because i i've done the same thing where it's like this is happening there and you're watching your child because you you you care far more about how your child experiences these things uh than your experience of them yeah he just had a blast just just a blast. Number five, it's probably a tie between the Eagles and Paul McCartney and Wings.

I saw the Wings tour when Paul McCartney did his first tour with Wings and they came to Toronto and played Maple Leaf Gardens. So seeing Paul McCartney and the Eagles, probably my all-time favorite band, I saw them, oh God, probably three times over the course of their playing career. I would still go see them again, but man. But I was just devastated when Glenn Frey died last year.

So those, you know, the Wings and Eagles tied for number five. Let me ask you a few more music questions then. Did you ever see Kenny Rogers live? No, I did not see Kenny Rogers live. But surprisingly enough, when you're talking in that vein, you're talking about a different genre of music. One of the great shows that I did see,

probably gets honorable mention, was ABBA at Maple Leaf Gardens. I was shocked at how much rock and roll they played. did see probably gets honorable mention was ABBA. Oh, Maple Leaf Gardens. Wow. They were complete. I was shocked at how much rock and roll they played, you know, at that time. Cause they were primarily known as a dance band disco group.

Oh, sure. And they just, they rocked the house. And Frank Sinatra, I saw his last tour when he came, came to Toronto to Maple Leaf Gardens. I think the tickets at that time were $50 each.

And I got a chance to see him. And it was pretty special. Did you have to get that phone call? It was important I called back. That's right. It's funny that when you see something outside your typical genre, I'm wondering how does a rock jock with long hair named Jim Van Horn, how does he end up at an ABBA concert?

Again, just jockey, getting free tickets. You know, away you go. You take it all in. Are there any artists that you regret never seeing live when you had the chance? Oh, boy. Yeah. Never seeing live when I had the chance? Oh, boy. Never seen live when I had the chance. I don't know.

That's it. I have to think that through. I'm not sure. I ask the tough questions around here. If it comes to mind, I'll work it out. The Beatles? Oh, the Beatles.

Remind me, I know. Okay. So they came. Remind me, I know they were the doubleheader they did, but was it two times they played Toronto? Do you know the history? I'm putting it in the spot. That I don't know. I know they played Maple Leaf Gardens when I was about 15 years old. And other than that, I don't know.

But the Beatles were one. What about, how many times, I'm sure you've seen them live, but the Beach Boys. Beach Boys I saw once at the C&E. They were terrific. Brian Wilson was just, he was weird back then. Three Dog Night was really good at the scene. I remember when Three Dog, I was sitting up in the grandstand.

We used to host, the jocks used to host the shows at the C&E. And I had the privilege of hosting Bach Winter and Overdrive when they were really, I don't know, taking care of business, rolling down the highway, all that stuff. Right. And I introduced the band, and I stood on the stage left next to where Robbie Backman, the drummer, was, and he kept on looking over at me. And after the show, we all went out for dinner, the band and all of us went out for dinner to Sam the Chinese Food Man in downtown Toronto. And the band was already

there when we walked in and I sat down. I sat next to Rob and I had this denim jacket with a dark brown turtleneck on. He looked at me and said, you're the son of a bitch that was standing. I thought you were some kind of mafia guy waiting to kill us. I said, no, sir. I didn't disappoint you. It's just me. Just Jimmy. that's it oh that's wild did you ever have any interest in the songs of

John Prine yeah actually he's doing alright sounds like I'm talking about someone who just passed away but apparently he's in stable condition now oh I'm so relieved to hear that. His last album, I think Summer's Gone

or I forget exactly what it was called. His song, it was almost like a dirge. The Tree of Forgiveness was the album and Summer's End is the song that song just really really touched my soul and

I think he's one of the most underrated, talented musicians in the country music field today. Not just country, I mean, in his field. Well, you said it, underrated. Yeah, I'd argue he's the most underrated musician on the planet because I think it has everything. Unfortunately, we're kind of a hit-laden society. Like, you know, show me the hits.

John Prine just happens to be a gifted singer-songwriter, but he's not pumping out hits. You know, even like a Chris Christopherson, for example, would have big hits, right? You didn't necessarily get that with John Prine. I think if you talk to musicians, musicians are the people that really appreciate what John Prine. I think if you talk to musicians, musicians are the people that really appreciate what John Prine is all about.

I got an email from my son the other day. He saw the tweet that I wrote about Prine and he said, oh my God, I can't believe I don't know anything about this guy. I've been listening to his music. He's so good. Right. Yeah. He's had some serious health

challenges and hopefully he lives forever, but I think that'll be an example where he'll be, I think he'll be more appreciated in death than he ever was in life. Unfortunately, you're right. Like those great artists we read about where it's like they were starving, right, and then they die,

and then now we look at their work as a... They cut their ears off, and then they become... I know that. I've been they become... I know that. I've been to Amsterdam. I know that guy. God, I could talk about music, but one other, you know, a lot of people think of you as the TSN guy

because you go, you're a day one. So just for the record, again, establish this. You're the first hire, sorry, the first on-air hire at TSN? Yep, yep. I was the first guy they hired hire at TSN? Yep. I was the first guy they hired, probably because I was the cheapest and didn't have to do anything.

I ended up spending 17 years there. Who was the second hire? John Wells. John Wells and Terry Leibel and Michael Landsberg, who's still there. That's wild that Landsberg is still there. That's right. Wow.

And I'm going to ask you, because I love the nostalgia of the, you know, the TSN guys, and I still love having, I think, in fact, let's say hi to Vic Router right now, because Vic is a loyal listener of the podcast. He's a good man, yes. Very good man, yes. Very good, very good. Can you do a make the final?

Make the final. Make the final. Yeah, he's a good guy. Do you keep in touch with, is there any TSNers that you keep in touch with you could name drop? No, not as far as commentators, no. You know, I was always a pretty private guy you know i never

really hung out with a lot of people i still don't hang out with a lot of people um so i honestly mike i don't uh there are a couple of people from behind the scenes that uh that i still talk to periodically but uh i think the last the last time I saw anybody from TSN, unfortunately, was at the Peter Watts Memorial after he passed away last summer in Kingston. Right, right. And I actually used to see Peter once a year, whenever he would come from Calgary,

he'd come through Toronto to go home for Christmas, and we always got together for lunch. Well, I'm sorry for your loss there. That was very sad. He was just a real gentleman. Real gentleman. And what about Sportsnet? From your time at Sportsnet, do you have any contacts you keep in touch with?

No. Jody has. Oh, Jody has. Oh, Jody, yes. Van Horn and Vance. Jody and I are still periodically chatting, but there ain't nobody else. Jody and I have a deal that,

now, this predates the COVID-19 physical distancing that changes everything, but prior to that, next time she was in Toronto, she was going to pay a visit to the Toronto Mike studio here. Don't wait. Get her on.

I'm glad we have this convo. She's just a great lady. Just a tremendous guy. So just do a Zoom like this? Yeah. Absolutely. You're selling me on it because when this first,

this curveball first kind of was delivered, I don't know, a few weeks ago, I feel like the catalyst for all this was the member of the Utah Jazz testing positive. Like when Rudy Gobert tests positive, next thing you know, NBA NBA shuts down the next day, we find out school's gone. Daycare is gone.

And the other sports are slowly kind of one by one canceling their, or pausing or whatever. So that was like the catalyst. But when this all came together, I thought for Toronto Mike, I kind of thought I would talk to previous guests like yourself, like catch up with guests who have already been in the studio. And I would, other guests,

I would wait to do it right, where I can kind of look them in the eyes, even though I'm looking you in the eyes right now. Get them here, look them in the eyes. You have lovely eyes, by the way. Oh, thank you. No, so do you. I should tell the people, because they can't see this. So Jim and I are connected by

Zoom. Once in a while, I noticed, i think it's our isps are doing a throttling thing so once in a while i'm noticing the uh i have a little gauge here to check your internet there and i noticed once in a while it kind of dips for like five to ten seconds and it comes back but other than that little throttling that's happening uh you sound great and I'm looking at you and you look great. So this is working for our first Zoom test. But where I'm going with this is that I'm making an exception tomorrow for an artist I've always enjoyed who lives in California.

And normally I would say no because I don't like doing the phoners and I like to do it in person. But in this age of social distancing, I'm thinking of changing that a bit for people who don't live in Toronto. So I am going to have this gentleman named Kish.

That's his rapping name, but he's also known as Andrew Cascino. And now I'm going to reach out, after our talk, I'm going to reach out to Jody Vance and say, Jim had a good idea and I'm hoping that you're into it. So I'm going to get Jody Vance on. I think she will.

Absolutely. She's just a great lady. Great lady. But she won't get her beer or her lasagna. Oh yeah. Speaking of beer, just leave it on your front step. That I can do.

You know what? I made a pickup just before they, we, we made the rule. You know, when he comes and visits anymore, I did a pretty good before we made the rule, nobody comes and visits anymore. I did a pretty good pickup at Great Lakes. I actually have a supply for guests, and I have no guests right now.

I could totally do that for you. Or you could get totally drunk. And you know, now that I can't bike for six weeks, and I can't tell you how long it's been since I went six weeks. Actually, I can. It was in the winter of 2012 is the last time I went six weeks without biking. So I can't even bike you a six-pack or something. So yeah, maybe that's the answer.

So I do owe you beer, which I will make up to you as soon as this pandemic lifts. And you've expanded to lasagna as well? Is that what you're saying? So when you were here last, there was no lasagna? Just beer. In fact, here, I'll show you. No one can see it but you, but there's the empty box. It's a very large lasagna

in my freezer. Well, this is a funny story too. So I had four lasagnas delivered to my freezer just before I stopped having guests. There's only two left because I, I made a couple for the family. So I have a feeling I'm going to go through all four of these during this, uh, difficult time, but yeah, guests now get, uh, a palm of pasta lasagna. So pretty good deal. Pretty good deal. But you don't right now, but next time I'll get you one there. Uh,

is there any other than the 88 Olympics? Is there any other sporting event you were at that you want to shout out as being particularly moving or memorable? Oh yeah. There were a couple of tennis events that I was involved in. One of them was the Olympics in Sydney when Daniel Nestor and Sebastian Leroux won the doubles gold medal. I called that match. Great story about that was I called all of the tennis for CBC and TSN

on my own that year, no color commentator. And we got to the final and the brass at CBC said, we want to get a color commentator. I said, what for? You don't need one. He said, well, you just want all the credit for yourself. I said, listen. I said, they're taking on the number one doubles team in the world who happen to be Australian, and if you need a color commentator, you're going to have 20,000 screaming Aussies in there. I'm not even going to have to speak.

I can just give the score. And so they tried to get a commentator and everybody they asked wanted too much money so I ended up calling it on my own and I it was just that was a real highlight another highlight involving Daniel Nestor was when he's he beat Stefan Edberg in Vancouver at the Davis Cup that was a cue I think I think Edward was number one in the world at the time. I think Nestor was 19

and he beat him. And I called that match with Martin Waston. And it was thrilling. And the other tennis one that I did that was really special was when Canada beat the Netherlands to advance to the world group

of the Davis Cup for the very first time. And they went to Spain, where they got killed. But calling that September match when Glenn Michibata and Grant Connell were the mainstays of the team, and Todd Connell pulled his signal, single matches, and his doubles match with Michibata. And it was September, and it was snowing. And they used to – they would wrap Grant in blankets between points

to keep him warm so he could keep playing. It was snowing like crazy up at York University. But those three tennis events were really, really special. Probably the other one that I'm really proud of was the first day the TSN went on air. It just blew me away. Do you have any footage of that? The first day on the air? The first day of TSN.

I don't keep any of that stuff. I don't have any of that stuff. So you don't keep any mementos of nostalgia from your journey? No. I've got a couple of things, maybe one or two. I've got the award that I won from Billboard for the disc jockey of the year back in 71 or 72. Other than that, not much of anything. When you left...

I'm bringing it back to music now. I have some chum sharks as well. Some which? Some chum sharks. Oh. Again, this is just for you, but when Doug Thompson was on that episode I'm going to link you to, he left me here.

Let me show you. I have a bunch of these. I guess that's Mike Cooper. Yeah, Mike Cooper. This one is actually that's an older one that was when albalisca and bob mcadori and mike darrow all those guys were still right i think jay nelson was there too now i've got a sticker as well okay good uh on the back it says this is a chum car sign simply stick it on the rear window of your car then get ready to win cash and prizes when we spot this is a chum car sign simply stick it on the rear window of your car then get

ready to win cash and prizes when we spot you displaying your chum car sign I kind of want to see if it still applies like will the TSN 1050 guys give me anything it won't come off if you put it on they did the same thing when I

was in Vancouver at oh Roger Ashby oh my god did you attend his retirement thing when I was in Vancouver. Oh, Roger Ashby. Oh, my God. Did you attend his retirement thing? No, I didn't. It looks like I'm pimped there. That was the look, right? That's the 70s look. Sorry, you were saying?

I left Trump for a while to go to CKLG in Vancouver. And they had the LG sunshine sticker. Jane Ellison. Frank Cox was his real name. Anyway, they had this Sunshine sticker and you could stick it in the window of your car. And we used to drive around in the CKLG Sunshine van and give away albums and T-shirts and all the rest of that stuff.

And I'd only been in Vancouver for a couple of weeks. And back then, Davie Street in Vancouver was where all the ladies of the night hung out. And they were just lined up all over the place. And I was driving down Davie Street, and they threw me on for a report to let them know where I was. And I said, you know, I'm driving down Davie Street in Vancouver. And I've only been here for a couple of days. But I'll tell you what, the ladies in this town are the friendliest I've ever seen. They're all waving at me. This is unbelievable. That's great. That's great. So, okay. So you leave Chum in 1980. So when you

leave, Chum is still number one in the top, number one, top 40 station in the uh the country when you yeah okay yeah 72 to 80 were the golden years of radio in in toronto i mean chum am was just the place to be in the the station to listen to because a few years after you leave i'm trying to get the timelines right but tom rivers goes to cftr at some point Tom Rivers goes to CFTR at some point. Yep. And there is a book prior, at some point before 1050 goes to oldies, basically. So it leaves Top 40 to become an oldie station, mid 80s or something.

There is a period where CFTR beats 1050 in the ratings, but that was well after your time. Do you have any regrets at all that you kind of went down the sports media path instead of sticking with the music path? No, none whatsoever. I'm the kind of guy

who has a very short attention span. It lasts maybe 8 years at one place, 17 years, and then it's time to move on. When I left Chum, I was ready to go. I knew that I was never going to get into management. I didn't want to be a program director,

um, because there would never be anybody that would be good enough to work for me. Cause I'm, I have said, I had such high expectations of myself that, um, I was ready to leave when I,

when I left and I was ready to leave TSN when I left. I had enough. I was done. What about teaching, though? Are you currently teaching anywhere? No, I'm finished with teaching. When I got sick, when I had surgery in March three years ago, I knew that I wouldn't be able to finish out the semester. So David Lannison and I agreed that I would leave at that time.

And he said, I'm leaving the door open if you want to come back in the fall. And I decided not to. And I'm still doing some work, but not a lot of it. Some freelance stuff, but no more teaching. And I did it for nine and a half years. I really enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun. Well, it was a reinvention.

I know that's the word I used in that first time you came by because, you know, you got the rock jock and you got the sports media and now you're reinvented as a teacher. So you've had these three very distinct chapters in your professional life. Yeah, I really had no idea that I could teach. When I talked to David about it, I talked to him because I needed a job. I wanted a job. Because I finished at Sportsnet and I was too young not to do something. So I contacted David and

he said, well, come on, come with me. He said, yeah, we want you to hear. I said, well, there's only one way that I'll go is that I work Tuesday to Friday and that's it. Four day a week. I'm not going to have one long weekend every weekend. And he agreed. And I said, I'll give you a year. And if it works after a year, I'll come back. If not, we'll move on. He said, fine. And I did it for the year. And I really, really started to like it. And I really got into it.

And just seeing the students progress and evolve and develop from kids to adults really, really helped me a lot. And I think I helped a lot of kids, beat it into them. Well, I've had on this show, I've had several guests who shout out, College of Sports Media? Yeah. Who shout out the, I mean,

I'm thinking now of Sean McKenzie or Faisal Khamisa. Oh, yeah. And I mean, did you want to shout out any other students that have gone on

to some success on our airwaves? You know, there's Daniel Michaud. Oh, yeah. Who is that sportsman? For sure. Faisal and Sean. God, there's Daniel Michaud. Who is that spokesman? For sure. Faisal and Sean.

God, there's just so many. You know, there are a lot of kids working. Hannah Nordman, who's working behind the scenes. A lot of them have gone on to become editors and producers and directors and radio people. And they're working at stations in North Bay and Regina and Winnipeg and Calgary. Some of them have gone into news. I think, you know, I'm not mentioning names because I'm terrible with names, but the things that really stuck with me when I came to the school,

especially came at graduation when parents came up to me and said, thank you for what you've done for, for my son or my daughter. You know, you, you've given them a path and all the rest. And that to me was, was the real reward. And to see the kids that, uh, that worked hard and applied themselves go on to, uh, to, to be successful in the industry is just terrific. So we mentioned the three chapters,

right? There's the rock jock, there's a sports media personality, and then there's the teacher. What does the fourth chapter look like for Jim Van Horn? That's... You know what? The fourth chapter is enjoying life taking it easy slowing down taking care of my family taking care of me you know getting through this this terrible time that

we're in right now and then enjoying the fruits of my labor well i enjoyed this very much and i really appreciate you carving out some time to catch up with me today, Jim. For you? Anything. It's always great talking to you. You do a hell of a job, and I mean that sincerely. Well, that means a lot coming from a great teacher of the sports media practices. If you think I'm doing a good job, that means something. If you think I'm doing a good job, that means something. You're a communicator. You know, and I think that's probably one of the best compliments I can give you, is that you're a storyteller and you're a communicator and you know how to talk to people.

And for a lot of people, that's a very rare quality these days. Well, now I can edit out that excerpt and it can become a testimonial that I play off the top of every single episode. Let's hear Jim Van Horn talking about the excellence of Toronto Mike. Thanks again. Don't forget to send me the check. Look, I'm leaving you beer on my porch. So thanks, Jim. We'll catch up again one day soon. Take care of yourself. Stay healthy.

Thank you. You too. And that brings us to the end of our 607th show. You can follow me on Twitter. I'm at Toronto Mike. Jim is at J Van H. Our friends at Great Lakes Brewery are at Great Lakes Beer. Palma Pasta is at Palma Pasta. Sticker U is at Sticker U.

The Keitner Group are at The Keitner Group. Keitner is K-E-I-T-N-E-R. And Banjo Dunk is at Banjo Dunk with a C. See you all next week. This podcast has been produced by TMDS and accelerated by Roam Phone. Roam Phone brings you the most reliable virtual phone service to run your business and protect your home number from unwanted calls. Visit RoamPhone.ca to get started.