Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Marc Weisblott: Toronto Mike'd #1321

Episode Date: September 7, 2023

In this 1321st episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike catches up with Marc Weisblott as they discuss what's movin' and shakin' in the Canadian media landscape. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Pumpkins After Dark, Ridley Funeral Home and Electronic Products Recycling Association.

Welcome to episode 1321 of Toronto Mic'd. Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, a fiercely independent craft brewery who believes in supporting communities, good times, and brewing amazing beer. Order online for free local home delivery in the GTA. Palma Pasta. Enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville.

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on long-term success. Pumpkins After Dark. Use the promo code TOMIKE15 and save 15% at PumpkinsAfterDark.com And Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921.

Today, returning to Toronto Mic'd, it's FOTM Hall of Famer Mark Weisblot. Thank you, Toronto Mic. I know for a fact, thanks to Tyler Campbell, VP of Sales, the official statistician of the Toronto Mike podcast, and everything else at TMDS. He's a busy man here.

Today is the 60th appearance that I have made on your show. And for my 60th trip. Into the basement. Including a bunch of virtual ones. When the COVID-19 pandemic. Locked us down. And then we did a bunch of episodes. In the backyard.

I think today. I have the least advanced. Understanding. Of what it is I am doing here. That's the way I like it, by the way. I don't like it when guests know what's going to come. Just tell me you'll arrive. Trust me to treat you with the respect you deserve.

And hold my hand. We'll go on a journey together. Okay. Now you know how everyone else feels. The last appearance back in June followed six months of absence from Toronto Mic'd. Right. Which you had to clarify to the listenership was something that was voluntarily decided upon by me. That you kept inviting me back. That the door was open.

Right. For me to return. Right. At any time. at any time. And it took from January to June for me to get back in the mood to get back into your studio. And after we recorded,

you put on Twitter that you thought the first 30 minutes of that last episode was like a wild ride, something you'd never experienced before, me confessing my state of mind? I didn't know that I could possibly have that effect on you. But that was your report after the fact. And since then, because I hear myself being referenced with a lot of guests, a lot of different episodes along the way.

You know I'm always listening on double or triple speed to hear what you're going to say. A continued mischaracterization of my circumstances. I feel like I have not given the correct impression of why things have changed for me. Why it became difficult for a while for me to make those monthly visits into the basement. But much like I'm not too sure what I'm doing here today, I still haven't necessarily sorted it all out. Still trying to get to the other side, to move myself to a different place than I was before,

I gave some thought to bailing out of this episode. Really? Once again, that I wasn't ready to make this appearance. And in the past couple of weeks, I've been having dreams about Toronto Mike. And in the first nightmare, I've been having dreams about Toronto Mike. And in the first nightmare was a situation that I found myself in. I can't remember all of the details,

but the only thing that stuck with me when I woke up in the morning was someone who you had just had on as a guest, your resident lawyer, your legal specialist, Lauren Honigman, that something had happened where Lauren Honigman had to take me aside. Like, give me a lecture in his avuncular voice about something that I had done wrong. Something that I had said on the podcast that was inappropriate, maybe that I had gotten you into some kind of trouble, and he wanted to make me feel bad about what I had done, and some implications were coming about something that I said.

The second Toronto mic nightmare involved me coming out to visit you here in New Toronto and being distracted with some other work, a couple of phone calls. And as a result, I wasn't able to show up on time. And it wasn't a situation where I was able to inform you. And you got very upset with me for you

clearing your calendar, for making arrangements to record, and me just forgetting about it. Just not getting in touch. Not being able to talk to you. And then I found myself on the phone with you, like pleading my case,

trying to explain what was going on. And in this nightmare, I encountered a character who I'd never met before. Evil Mike. You were vindictively recording what I was saying to you on the phone. And you were uploading it as a podcast without my permission. Wow. I'm refreshing my feed on my app on the phone, and there in the Toronto Mike feed is the phone call that I had with you

begging for mercy that it wasn't my fault, and you made it possible for everyone to hear me in dire straits, in the height of desperation. And then when I wanted to get in touch with you, you had blocked me on all social media. I couldn't get in touch with you on WhatsApp. There was no way to correspond with the other members of the DM group. I was excommunicated as an FOTM.

This was something that was actually running through my mind in the middle of the night. Mike, what do you make of all of this happening to me? Do you have any interpretation of these dreams? Of course, that's what I do.

First and foremost, happy TMLX 13 day. As we realize, it's going to be very difficult for anyone to hear this episode before TMLX 13, which is 6 to 9 p.m. today, unless you're on the live feed, live.torontomic.com,

because literally we'll drop this thing at 4 o'clock, and then I'm going to be at GLB to receive the Palma Pasta at 5.30pm today. But happy TMLX 13 today. You and Lorne Honigman will be there so it's possible he will pull you aside at TMLX 13 and have that chat

with you. You might have seen the future. You respond, then I'm going to psychoanalyze you because I know exactly what's going on in your big brain there. Well, I'm definitely embedded with Toronto Mike here today. Way to compensate for your own scheduling error, the fact that you had set up this TMLX to be at the end of August, our traditional weekend last year at TMLX.

I smoked my very first joint, right? Canada Cub, right? I consumed cannabis for the very first time, a package that was furnished to me by my fellow Hall of Famer, Stu Stone, and I still think I have like three or four joints left in the pack, so maybe we'll break those out as part of TMLX. Yeah, I'm not sure if they're still good to smoke anymore. Well, let Canada take a puff and he'll let you know if it's still

a year here. Mike, what do you make of the fact that you're invading my dreams and turning them into nightmares in the middle of the night? First, do you want to tell us what we listened to there? So I had a little music in the background. Yeah,. First, do you want to tell us what we listened to there? So I had a little music in the background.

Yeah, I mean, look, that's the ultimate midlife crisis anthem, the Talking Heads' Once in a Lifetime, and here we are on the cusp of the Talking Heads' reunion in Toronto. Panel discussions stopped making sense. I've talked about that album over the years, how I won tickets to the movie and a cassette and a booklet from John Major on Toronto Rocks. It was kind of like my passage to a new world. Talking heads, letting bygones be bygones.

And a personal anthem for me, Once in a Lifetime. I first knew that song when I was around 10 years of age. It's like David Byid burn performing it on saturday night live very ominous night february 29th 2020 right before right before the lockdown right that song has been living with me my entire life once in a lifetime as it ever was okay my turn yeah you may You may ask yourself, why am I dreaming about Toronto Mike? Your subconscious is feeling guilty.

Let me tell you now. You are ready to be excommunicated, as you put it. You're anticipating a falling out where evil Mike shows up and does stuff that Mike would never do. And you're going to be cut out of the FOTM group. And you're going to be cut out of the FOTM group. Maybe I'd kick you out of the. And you're going to be sticking your lawyer on me. Right. And I'm booting you from the FOTM Hall of Fame.

You'll get cut out. I don't know. I'll be like Milli Vanilli with the Grammy Awards. Right. Can we give our Grammy back now? Scratch it from the record books. But this to me it's clear. It was an award of that year.

You're feeling guilty because TMDSds client ralph ben murgy who had the podcast not that kind of rabbi on the tmds network that i worked with him on for for years now i got a note not from ralph himself i'm actually disappointed ralph has never communicated with me about this but i got a note from like a a techie guy at canadian jewish news to please uh forward the rss feed for not that kind of rabbi so that it resolves on our server the cjn network so in a sense i got this note and i complied immediately because i'm a of course i complied immediately but that's essentially not that kind of rabbi leaving tmds for the canadian jewish news and you feel guilty about that well first of all toronto mike yes uh this was a bit of an awkward situation let's hear it uh because i knew i was complicit in the kidnapping of one of your clients.

Now, I can tell you for a fact, okay, I'm way up the masthead of the CJN. This has been my focus, especially for the past year, reimagining the Canadian Jewish news. And one of the participants in this relaunch from the start, 2021, 2022, veteran broadcaster Ralph Ben-Murgy. And he did a podcast that was originally called, remember the name, Mike? It was Yehupitzville, which was about Jews in small-town Canada. Right, so he had a podcast on the TMDS network called Not That Kind of Rabbi,

and he had a podcast on the CJ network. A side hustle, a side project, but it got a sponsor, okay? It was relatively successful. What sponsor? I'm going to post that sponsor in retaliation. Pear Tree Canada Investment. I'll make a call later.

It seemed like the boomers liked these stories. They know Ralph. They remember him from the CBC. They don't hold that Friday night with Ralph Ben-Murgy show against him. They're all very forgiving. And Yehopitzville was the name of the show.

That's a Yiddish reference, which has come to mean a small town. You may recall Mark Hebbshire used to use that word on Hebsey on sports. Ralph said he was finished doing these interviews, that he'd run out of road. He wasn't interested in doing that show anymore, but he wanted to do spiritual interviews. And that was something that he had already developed in podcasts with you.

It was called Not That Kind of Rabbi. I remember. He wanted to focus in this case specifically on Jews, right? So no more Lou Skeezus. No more Lou Skeezus going toe-to-toe with Ralph Ben-Murray in your basement. No more accommodating Michael Corrin to talk about whatever

religious faith he's discovered this week that it would be an exclusively Jewish version of his show. And it was low-maintenance enough. The person you heard from was not some techie guy. Who was it?

Head of the podcasting department, Michael Freeman, a podcast executive producer from the Canadian Jewish News. And I threw out some ideas for names. You know, like the naming of these things tends to be a challenge all its own, and Ralph wasn't buying anything that was thrown at him. So based on the description of the show, I suggested he's not doing anything with his TMDS feed. Why not call this new venture Not That Kind of Rabbi?

Where do you stand on this then? Do you actually think that I double-crossed you, that I was involved in a behind the scenes conspiracy to rob you of one of your star clients? No, I think we need to call a spade a spade. Like no hard feelings. Like this is the game and it's all fair and it's all good. Except you can't sugarcoat it like, oh, he was going to start another podcast.

It was going to have a different name. But it's like, just use the old name, and that turns into, oh, just redirect the old feed, so essentially the podcast now is 100% CJN property or whatever, which is fine, but don't sugarcoat it or softball it, call it what it is, which I'm

fine with, I bless it, you've been very good to the show, I'm a big Mark Weisblatt fan, that's why the open invitation exists. What you're saying is that if this person pulling the strings was not me, you would not be as forgiving? And that I'm having

nightmares about my dealings with Toronto Mike? Your nightmares are because you think I'm upset about this. You think I'm upset that, you know, you poached Ralph. I'm actually upset at ralph i have zero problem with what everything else ralph has never communicated to me that his podcast has moved to a different podcast uh network no communication not an email not a text not a phone call and honestly

i thought ralph was a bigger guy than that so i actually if i'm upset at anyone it's ralph for not having a like a quick phone call to say hey i, I'm moving my podcast to the Canadian Jewish News because it's a better fit or whatnot. A hundred percent, I did everything right away for this gentleman who asked me to because I wanted to help Ralph Ben-Murgy. But it is strange. I never heard boo from Ralph. You, I have no problem with. Otherwise, I would have done as your nightmare suggested.

I would have, I don't know, I would have canceled this appearance. I would have said, I'm moving on from Wise Blot on Toronto Mike, but I'm actually happy to see you. I'm excited to chat for a couple hours with you. I have a lot of things on my agenda. I want to hear what you think of some recent episodes, and I can't wait to see you at TMLX 13.

Let's crack open our beers. You can respond. You are on such a roll. I know. What am I doing? Too many acronyms. Is that on the mic? How many times have you been here? 60 times? That was like a foot away from the microphone.

You got to get right in front like this. Okay, so we're cracking open Great Lakes beer, everybody. And that's significant because that is where we'll be tonight. And again, none of you will hear this. None of you will hear this before TMLX 13. But that is where we're going to be tonight. And I want to thank Great Lakes for hosting because they're going to buy every FOTM who shows up.

Even if it's just you and Lauren Honigman, they're going to buy your first beer for you. So you get your first beer on the house. And because I'm shouting out what's happening tonight, I just want to say much love to Palma Pasta. Delicious, authentic Italian food. And they're catering this event tonight. I'm literally receiving a truck delivery of fresh, delicious pasta. I'm going to be receiving that at about 5.30 p.m. tonight at Great Lakes Brewery. Wow.

We're all going to get full on pasta and we're all going to enjoy our Great Lakes beer. Go ahead. Let's talk about the sacrifices that I have made in my life in order to be me how long will that take do i have uh the 10 hours because you know i have to get to tmlx at 5 30 so when i mention the fact that i hear about you talking about me with other guests okay i don't even know i do that tell me you you've characterized the idea that I have been distraught by the fact that I had a deal to do the 1236 newsletter, and that was taken away from me. The company was SJC Media. Well, distraught's your word, but go on. Well, there were a lot of changes going on there.

That change affected you. I witnessed it. And it couldn't be facilitated anymore. But at the same time, it's become a different company with different people, a different culture. Yeah, there was no premise under which I was going to be involved anymore. If anything, I was done a favor, including the fact that I was handed over the assets. I've been sitting this whole time on a significant email list. So why are you sitting on it? That's going to get cold. You've got to keep that list going.

Why did you... Here's my question. Let me ask a question. Why did you stop sending out the weekday 1236 email newsletter? Well, at one point, I had this logic last September. I thought I would do it a lot less, and that somehow that would draw people into my orbit who would want to encourage me to do it a little bit more.

And I gave it two or three weeks. I couldn't find those people, and the notion burned out very fast. Now, in the process, I have come to lament this decision. I have not been able to click with the right people, with the right kind of conversation. And those conversations included you, Toronto Mike, right? But you've got a family to feed. You've got a burgeoning small business here.

I recognize that your patience is short when someone comes to you right now, here, you, pushing 50 years of age that is not a sure fire idea with an actual

plan, right? Like, you don't have the patience that you probably used to, and I fully understand this. Because I can't deal with it anymore either. I can't do things hypothetically. It doesn't, I'm no longer motivated to create content for free and watch what happens. 20 years ago, that's how you and I met, right? There was the whole blogging thing. We were exploring this new frontier. We didn't have anything to lose because we didn't think that there was anything to gain.

In the process, you've built up this media empire. I come on your show and I have access to an audience that is feeling somewhat elusive when it comes to finding it for myself. Right? I need allies. I need partners. I need people to believe a little more in me you need a business plan right you say I'm out of patience I'm actually not out of patience I have a lot of time but I can't talk about like the vaporware

we're going to be selling like I need to talk about specifics like what product and or service do we provide where people will give us money and I pitched you a bunch of ideas and i'm still here vp's on on standby we'll meet in a park and drink glb but there was uh i didn't run out of patience i think you might have run out of patience with the fact that i didn't have this like silver bullet this like a multi-millionaire fotm who would finance the

whole thing okay here's the good news, though. Where is that guy? Contact me, Mike at TorontoMike.com. It's not all bleak. I can see a path to getting out of this thing. I don't feel like I'm forever going to be

in this void. But what are we talking about? The determination, right? Why would anyone want to going to be in this void but what are we talking about the determination right why would why would anyone why would why would anyone want to become a digital creator right yeah it's it's lonely but that's what you're isolating you're good at it we need them i felt like I was getting somewhere when I could feel like I was in the center of the action. Not to become famous. St. Joseph's?

Not to get any gratuitous attention for myself. No, just to feel like I was riding along to something bigger and better than before. to something bigger and better than before, that I was going to be involved in putting creative people together, right? Creating synergies, some excitement, some enthusiasm. I'm a lifelong student of media. We've seen how things get created, how legacies get built, how empires are made.

And it drove me crazy to be in a situation where I felt like I was trapped in a vortex that I couldn't get out of. Because I couldn't see what was ahead of me, right? I couldn't see what was ahead of me, right? Like all I was going to be doing here was going down this dark tunnel, trying to make something happen on my own with my phone, with my laptop. And by the way, right, all these feelings have come over me at a time when the whole social media thing has has become upended right mike you felt that too oh with twitter for sure yeah with twitter with elon musk and x and it ain't what it used to be no and then you're told everyone will be stampeding over to threads or blue sky or mastodon

and the new solution is right around the corner and everybody will be reconnected. We're in a situation with Facebook, not that it would have affected anything that I was doing directly, but they have blocked all Canadian news on that platform. Also on Instagram, it not only affects the ability to put something out there, but also what we take in, right?

Suddenly like a different reality as far as what we're seeing during all these hours when we're pacifying ourselves online. And I have to wonder, is this what I should be doing for the rest of my life? Scanning all of this clickbait, trying to make value judgments on other people's mediocrity.

Like, is this any way to live? Is this something that I need to dedicate myself to? Thankfully, I've been involved with this idea of saving Jewish journalism in Canada, which has been a whole interesting ride. I'm involved in the redevelopment of a print magazine. Looking forward to what can happen there. There's podcasting, news articles, live events are happening, including one this fall with Ralph Ben-Murgy.

are happening, including one this fall with Ralph Ben-Murgy. I'll see what I can do, Mike, for getting you a free ticket to see Ralph relaunch the Not That Kind of Rabbi podcast. I don't know what's in front of us. I want to make my remaining time feel like it's worthwhile. Can I ask questions?

Because I know you're feeling things out here on the fly. But okay, so you mentioned I'm pushing 50. So you've already hit that milestone. Would you consider an industry change? Like, I mean, I'm thinking about like Storm and Norman Rumak, the security guard, or Howard Berger, the funeral home personnel. Would you consider leaving this digital content creation space for another gig? Absolutely not.

I mean, it would be unfathomable. I have to see this thing through. And once again, to restate, to to reiterate i have continued to work right i have continued you're working very hard at poaching tmds clients i have gotten an opportunity that i can make something of but there's still this despair in the air well Well, you wonder why. A feeling of unfinished business. Okay. Because I can't get to the point here, post-pandemic.

I'm still living in lockdown, right? Isolated here. But you're the only one doing that. Nothing but my devices through which to see the world that's going on around me. And I'm trying to make that breakthrough. It sounds like you can't get out of your own damn way.

Like you have this list that you keep talking about that you got from St. Joseph's in the separation there. What if you just did what you do best? You know, bring back to life the newsletter that is 1236 that many people loved receiving put your energy into that you already have the stuff in your brain you just got to type it out into whatever platform you're using there like what if you just get back to your core skills you can still do of course you're still doing your canadian jewish news work of course you build up

your own brand 1236 and if you put in the effort and the people come back and people love it and share, then we'll figure out how to monetize this excellence of yours. But you got to do the work, man. Do the work, Don. I talked about a year ago. But no response? Well, I mean, look, I thought I would become a pothead, okay?

It's legal now. How's that going for you? Well, as I said, I couldn't even get through the first pack. That's how much it appealed to me. Right. I wonder if psychedelics are a solution. The answer's not...

Look, look. That's not the answer here. Because yesterday I was looking at the storefront, selling the shrooms. I thought maybe I should enter my psilocybin years. Turns out you need a health card to get some kind of pseudo prescription to sign up for the mushrooms. Look, what did we learn here under lockdown?

Reality can be taken away from us at any time. We can be hurdled into circumstances that we have no control over. And now that we've gotten out of it, for the most part, hopefully everybody will feel safe this fall. Why not take some control over reality of our own? And I think that's where the appeal has come from. I think that's why here in my middle age, I'm more accepting of the idea of doing shrooms.

This look on your face, you're not buying any of it. No, I don't understand what this has to do. You realize we're just like, whatever, two steps away from arguing about the Freedom Convoy and you calling me an anti-vaxxer even though I've gotten four shots. How many up to

Toronto Mike? I've never called you that, but listen, this is important. You've come close enough No, no, no, no. I said maybe don't visit when you're coughing up a storm. Okay. So, very different from... How many vaccines do you have? The last one I got was that combo pack they

offered. I can't remember what it was called. The combo pack. I've probably got four shots in my arm. Okay. Well, I guess we're tied. We're all tied up here. And I regret everything. I will tell you, your answer is not becoming a pothead. Your answer is not getting into shrooms.

You've got to figure out, you know, where to put your brilliance, that energy that made you an FOTM Hall of Famer, you've got to channel that somewhere that will help you pay your rent and feed yourself, and that's your answer. And you said, you know, you thought I was distraught when St. Joseph's cut me loose or whatever, only because you kept coming over and saying you're distraught because you're kind of rudderless post-St. Joseph's,

but you never needed St. Joseph's. St. Joseph's is the feather that Dumbo would have in his trunk when he would fly. You never needed St. Joseph's, but you never needed St. Joseph's. St. Joseph's is the feather that Dumbo would have in his trunk when he would fly. You never needed St. Joseph's. Listen, no one has interviewed more unemployed media people than you. That's true.

And mercifully, for the last few years, I have actually not been in that situation. Good. But at the same time, something is missing. There is something that I haven't been able to recapture, something that gave me satisfaction that required, I think you're underestimating it, a very intense amount of focus to stay on top of things every

single day to make this newsletter happen. But you're so good at it. I don't fault a company that gave me a shot that believed enough in me to pay me something for not figuring out how to take it to the next level.

But what kept me going all that time was the thought that eventually we would get there. And now that link isn't there anymore. Trying to make something happen this fall will be a tremendous challenge. And I look forward to coming back to you with a story of success. But in the meantime, Toronto Mike, I'm still in between. I'm still trying to figure out how to get from there to here. And that's the kind of year it's been. Do you remember this Stevie B jam? Remember it.

This was like my personal anthem back in my teenage car driving days. I'd crank this one up. It was Stevie B, the king of freestyle, longing for the love of his life. And Stevie B later on had number one hit. Remember that one? It was a solo piano song, the Postman song. Postman, I got your letter from the Postman just the other day. But before that, it was Stevie B, Stevie Bartholomew,

and he had a few smaller hits like this one, which came to mind as I listened to a recent episode of Toronto Mic'd where you were talking about Stevie B as if he was he was Bob Dylan or John Lennon or Paul McCartney because of the role that Stevie B played in one of the intersections related to former Much Music VJ Michael Williams and that case, it was the fact that Stevie B was appearing on Electric Circus at the time that Michael Williams was still co-hosting on City TV, Saturday afternoon with Monica D'Ole, early on in the history of that show. Stevie B's manager discovered Maestro Fresh Wes who uh at the time was a unsigned

toronto rapper and gave him a record deal that based on what we've heard about here uh in in the history of toronto miked uh what was a situation that left maestro fresh west without even like two cents to rub together right this? This was like a typically unfortunate early career record deal just because this impresario who had broken through Stevie B said to Maestro Fresh Wes, kid, I'm going to make you a star. And that's why Maestro Fresh Wes now lives in New Brunswick because he didn't get any royalties from Let Your Backbone Slide. And he didn't clear the sample, drop the

needle, of course, and this is from Dance Desire, Haywire's song, and that's where FOTM Al Mayer comes into play because there was a deal like, we'll sue you or we'll distribute you. There was a whole, you know the story, but it's a fast to me. You're right. We do treat Stevie B

in that regard like he's Bob Dylan or John Leonard or something because we're fascinated by minutiae of the maestro fresh west origin story. And Michael Williams. Do not call him Mike. I did not. Right. The way he spoke about interviewing Stevie B like there

was a car accident on the way to the studio. It was all very, very dramatic. He told me Mike is something I talk into. So Landsberg said Mike is the guy who fixes my car. And Williams said Mike is the thing I talk into. So these are two individuals who will never refer to themselves as Mike. But in all of the conversation involving Michael Williams and all of his fun facts,

a fair number of which were... Do you want to do the corrections? Well, totally inaccurate assertions, but the confidence with which he delivers a factual mistake makes you admire his determination to get things wrong. Do you have a list? I know that he got the wrong Pink Floyd song, right? Do you want to make... There's a couple of corrections.

I got a number of notes about, and from you, of course, that he had the wrong Pink Floyd song that was performed by that artist. Do you have the list of corrections? I can dig it up somewhere in our chat. He said this line, and I've been using it,

and I'm going to add it to the FOTM lexicon. He said, no Cleveland, no Bowie. And I know the root of that, but that is quite hyperbolic. But here's the thing. Michael Williams on Toronto Mic'd was the kind of guest that I don't know

if you want to issue a correction on the guy. I'm not sure he would take very well to being fact-checked because along with the fact that it took you 11 years of cajoling to get him on the show. And he's back later this month, by the way. He came down here on his debut appearance spending an inordinate amount of time referencing the fact that he did not want to do any interviews. And he alluded to the fact that he had been on a podcast and he almost stormed out of the room and that people get so many things wrong about his life.

An extremely reluctant appearance on your show, and yet, through the magic of Toronto Mike, you managed to soften him up to the point where, like you said, as soon as he walked out your door, he was wondering when he could come back for part two. Isn't that amazing? Like, isn't that wild that for 11 years, he was kind of proud about the fact

he was dodging me and he had people like Joel Goldberg who were calling him up and saying, do the show. Not just dodging you, but dodging the whole

nostalgia circuit, the whole much music retro factory. He comes on, I think it was last week, I've lost track of all the weeks, but he comes on

and literally the next day he phones me up to get the return appearance in the calendar and he is returning. to get the return appearance in the calendar and he is returning. He'll be here before Cam Gordon gets back here. So I got Michael Williams on September 25th and then I have Cam Gordon on the 28th of September.

Are you going to give Michael Williams a list of corrections about things that he got factually wrong? If he got something wrong, I would correct it for the public record. Things that are opinion wrongs, I would leave them. The no Cleveland, no Bowie

is one of those... What am I supposed to do? I know Space Oddity was out in the late 60s. I know this Cleveland appearance is like 72 or something. I'm sure that without Cleveland, there's still a Bowie. I won't touch that stuff. But when he

misnames the Pink Floyd song, I would correct that. Of course. It's now 30 years since he was last on Much Music. And like everyone who had this background, this history, I don't know that it was always the easiest time that he had trying to get back into the game.

I don't know if he would be as candid as i am in explaining the frustrations of trying to flip that reputation that he that he had into another job but we grew up watching the guy right uh we were in our suburban living rooms. Loved him. Watching 80s, early 90s, much music. Rap City. He probably was given the tap on the shoulder and said packing before he was ready to go. Probably. There might have been some ageism involved with that, right?

He is probably currently now around 70 years of age. He looks great for 70. A determination to still make it that he talked to you about still having a story to tell right that he is not looking to retire that he has a lot more to say and that made him maybe one of the best toronto mike guests of all right to the point where it does seem unnecessary to get into the weeds with him and talk about what went wrong back in back in I don't know like 1994 when he was not a much music anymore yeah here's what I'll say about Michael Williams the guy was there okay shout out to brother Bill

but the guy was there the guy's a great storyteller I love his voice you know he's got the bona fides Michael Williams is welcome on Toronto Mic anytime he wants, and that's going to be later this month. But there was another episode, and it's a very rare thing nowadays. I don't do many remotes anymore. I like people in person, you know. Even Harold Hossein has to get his ass

into the basement here. Paul Langlois had to get his ass into the basement. But one person I made an exception for, just because I thought, let me chat with Jane Sibury, and she was on Manitoulin Island. Shout out to Steve Pakin, who will be at TMLX 13 tonight. He spends a lot of time in the summer on Manitoulin Island. Please, I need to know, what did Mark Weisblatt think of the Jane Sibury episode? Because that has resulted in more feedback for any episode

since, I don't know, Gino or Molly, a lot of feedback on the Jane Sibury episode. I don't know that I was capable of thinking anything at all, even though I listened to you interviewing her. It seemed to be one of those thrilling Toronto Mike episodes where you thought it could go off the rails at any time. Love chaos, yeah. The future Mike might have had to make an appearance with that disclaimer. And you said she took a little while to warm up, right?

It wasn't her replies. I know, there's no future Mike on that episode. disclaimer and you said she took a little while to warm up, right? It wasn't her replies. Her replies weren't as instantaneous off the top as you like them to be. They were a little difficult. She took issue with the fact that you find it fascinating about the director of her video.

Like the thing she's best known for, Mimi on the Beach. The director of the video, what was his name? Something Oleksiak. Penny's father. And that you found that a fun fact and she could not process where you were coming from. Why would you even

care who directed a video that I made 40 years ago? What does that mean to you when you're bringing up usual Toronto Mike style discourse and diversions about how it's Mimi on the beach and his daughter grew up to be a gold medal winning swimmer. But not just gold medal.

I spent the morning with Donovan Bailey. He's got two gold medals. No, Penny Oleksiak, the reason it's a remarkably fun fact, and you can make the final ruling in a minute, is because Penny Oleksiak is not just a run-of-the-mill Olympian who won a gold medal. Nobody in the history of this country has won more medals than Penny Oleksiak. You did it, Toronto Mike.

You are too discursive for Jane Sibury. And yet you would say she came away satisfied? Yeah, she wrote me a note how much she loved it. This was a successful conversation? She loved the conversation. I think it took a while to warm her up, and then once she realized what was going on, she was digging it.

Like, that's not a Molly situation, although Molly seemed happy at the end, too, but I've never heard from her again. Jane Sibri is welcome in the basement for round two anytime she wants. You had a few other unicorns down here this okay let's hear it uh fergie oliver what what do you think i once appeared on television with i'm still hunting for the footage as a contestant on just like mom uh fergie oliver who had been laying low, he talked about leaving the CFTO studios in tears after they told him his services were no longer required

in the mid-1990s, right? Dan Shulman was a new kid on the block. Yep. Fergie Oliver wasn't needed anymore. And ever since then, no public appearances, right? Not even like nostalgia i actually looked at baseball card conventions no but he did not someone you see hanging around several years ago he showed up at a like a hall of fame induction in saint mary's ontario that's where

the canadian hall of fame is so he made appearance that's several years ago mind you but it has absolutely been a long time since uh fergie oliver has made a public appearance and he was down here we talked a lot of what was it stew stone i want to ask you what you thought of stew stone too but stew's like i i don't stew's basically told me he wouldn't bring up the video if he had fergie oliver in his basement but my brain which is you know debate whether it's a typical or not doesn't know how you can have have Fergie Oliver in your basement for a recorded conversation and not ask him about that video. Like, I can't do that.

And it was a long time coming because how long has it been since that thing showed up on YouTube? Okay, this is exciting. The compilation of Fergie Oliver talking to little girls. A decade or whatever. Just like mom.

Yeah, and I will tell the listenership that's live here because now there's suddenly an audience at live.tronemike.com. DJ Dream Doctor says that he loves the fun facts. Basement Dweller was happy, you know, he's talking about Michael Williams. He says he thinks he's around

65, 66 years old. Rosie's on the live stream. Moose Grumpy's on the live stream. Shout out to Cambrio who was there a moment ago. But I digress. Okay, so Fergie, Fergie, Fergie Oliver. Fergie Oliver has no eye in it, but what I'm trying to tell everybody,

and I just remembered where I was going with all that is Carrie Oliver. Is it going to be at TMLX tonight? And I have a special gift for Carrie Oliver that will be presented by Paul Burford's driver, Tim Heron. So Tim is bringing a special gift. We're going to have a moment where we present Carrie with a special gift.

And also tonight, we're going to present Peter Gross with a special gift that VP of Sales is bringing. So don't you dare miss it. All of this had better live up to the billing because I can't follow what's supposed to be happening here. All I know is... Come hungry, darling. It seems like when you introduced the topic of the infamous Just Like Mom compilation video that you got Fergie Oliver's reaction and that he used a certain word that you have now spent, what, the past two or three months

trying to decipher his intentions in using this particular terminology what was the word that fergie used to describe the the person who cut up this video now fergie is an 80 year old man and the uh he's not i don't think he's focused on the etymology am i saying it or am i missing a uh a content i can't etymology yeah yeah close enough for this show right i can write it i just can't say it the etymology of the term cocksucker i don't believe 80 year old fergie oliver is thinking about that i don't think he might even and he might not even be consciously aware of it but that is the term that was i think 14 years in the making when he wanted to call out this person who did the supercut and put it onto YouTube.

He called him a cocksucker, and the conversation behind the scenes was the fact that, and he would agree with this, I think, that the term cocksucker has a homophobic origin. Okay, not necessarily. I think you can thin slice this to the point of complete irrelevance like it it it's just uh an emotional outburst it's just a a term that was on his mind something cruel that you can i prefer somebody okay that's just me you're gonna get in trouble here for too

much swearing oh is matt is matt listening matt laden uh who didn't like much swearing on the show. Oh, is Matt listening? Matt Layden, who didn't like you swearing back at him. Well, he's asking me what I'm doing on Labor Day, and I wrote, I'm going to do fuck all tomorrow, which is true. For the first time I think in the history of TMDS, I blocked myself on a holiday Monday. Maybe I've done it on Christmas days and

stuff, but anyway, I said that, and he was quite upset and asked me to please stop swearing on twitter but he didn't say stop swearing on tronamite a less scandalous uh octogenarian you had down here was harold hossein right less scandalous indeed and again these are two people you're referring to uh you know fergie oliver and harold hossein who i literally like i dig them up i dust them off and i put him in front of the microphone. Like, I think that's my role now.

It was good to get the clarification from Hurricane Harold that if you are not a meteorologist, you do not deserve to be in the same pay grade as someone who brings that scientific specialty to doing the weather forecast on local TV news. But you will concur that there are weather presenters in this market who are receiving more money than a meteorologist. You will concur to that. You will agree to that.

Well, they pay good money to get those degrees. I mean, why go to school for anything? Just to go on TV and read off a teleprompter. Anybody can do that. You need some authority to back up you telling people the weather. You know who else will be at TMLX13

tonight? Kim McDonald from the Weather Network. And when she heard, because she did listen to Harold Hossein, and when Harold Hossein referred to the presenters as rip and readers, I think that was his term, rip and read, that's a little offensive because they're not scientists, okay? They're not meteorologists, but they do more than rip and read. Like they are readings into some forecasting.

There must be some work other than reading what's on the teleprompter. So shout out to the weather presenters, but all things being equal, two equal people, one with the meteorology degree, one who is just a weather presenter,

not that there's anything wrong with that. In that situation, I would think you would compensate the meteorologist with more money, much like a doctor, for better or worse,

makes more money than the nurse. Stu Stone, a fellow Toronto Mike Hall of Famer, who also ghosted you for the first half of 2023. Yes, he did. One of the more bizarre episodes of your show, I felt.

Elaborate. Because Stu came down here, and he was like in confessional mode. Almost like there was something that he had to reveal about himself, and it never actually came through. I didn't hear him say anything that was something that he had to reveal about himself, and it never actually came through. I didn't hear him say anything that was all that exciting. Didn't seem like anything was going on in his life,

except for flying around America, interviewing wrestlers for the dark side of the ring. But it was like this buildup where you had Stu Stone on his own, right? Yeah, a very rare Cam Gordon. No Cam-less appearance by Stu. But like he was kind of contrite, or that like something dramatic had happened to him. Uh,

unlike me, uh, we never got any kind of confession. Like it was just like Stu pretending to be a guest on the Dr. Phil show, but there was no followup, no, no follow through.

I was trying to figure out what was going on with my friend Stu. Don't you think that's Stu stone when he's not in toast, Cam Gordon cohost mode? Like that is, like I haven't talked to Stu without Cam in years. Okay, years. I think that's the Stu you get when Cam's not beside him calling him an idiot

for liking a song or whatever. Was it a shoot or a work? I don't know. Get me out of here. So I got good, I think that the Stu Stone appearance without Cam was pretty strong. Maybe it's because we had six months break and we had to talk about the passing of Andy and there was a lot of, you know, the Iron Sheik. And of course, he was ghostwriting tweets for the Iron Sheik. And I thought it was a strong appearance by Stu Stone.

I look forward to his return. And there might be a major announcement about tmlx 14 in december at palma's kitchen stay tuned for that it might involve stewstone yes sir are you going to a song will you break things up a little bit here put me in a different mood okay let me do this change the channel on the topics that we're talking about. Did you notice anything different on the studio wall?

Did you notice anything different? Okay, just today I printed in color the new poster for The Advantaged Investor. The Advantaged Investor is a podcast from Raymond James Canada. Whether you already work with a trusted financial advisor or currently manage

your own investment plans. What about you, Weisblatt? You got a financial advisor or you manage your own investments there? Is that too personal a question? I can barely figure out how to like clean up

all of my personal archives of newspapers and magazines. Have you invested wisely, Mr. Weissel? I feel like I should get that over with first before I figure out what to do with whatever money. Well, The Advantaged Investor provides the engaging wealth management information you value as you pursue your most important goals. This is important because they're looking at the numbers.

We need FOTMs to subscribe and listen to the advantaged investor from Raymond James, Canada. And one more exciting note here before we move on. I hear that Taylor Swift in the background. Pumpkins After Dark. It's back, everybody. Love the people from Pumpkins After Dark. This is the award-winning Halloween event. buddy. Love the people from Pumpkins After Dark.

This is the award-winning Halloween event. It's in Milton, Ontario September 23rd through Halloween, October 31st, 2023. And if you buy your tickets at Pumpkins After Dark right now, you'll save 15% with the promo code TOMIKE15FOTM

It's also important that you spread the love, use the promo code save money. You'll love this event. Is this the It's also important that you spread the love, use the promo code SAVEMONEY. You'll love this event. Is this the song of the summer, Mr by radio expert Sean Ross, a friend of several decades, who is the expert on such things. What makes him the expert? Taylor Swift.

Sean Ross, he's the expert. Okay. I heard the news today that FOTM Richard Trapunsky is going to be doing some work with Billboard. Yeah, some kind of Canadian digital editor. I'm going to shout out FOTM. Also, he's the son of an FOTM.

Good to have employment in the world of music journalism. Not the easiest thing to find. And Rich Trapunsky, someone who was left in a lurch by Now Magazine. There's still a Now Toronto website. It seems to be the least exciting of Toronto's clickbait websites. Was that our easiest prediction? We've been wrong on predictions in the past. Here's a supercut of all the predictions.

Incorrect by Mark Weisblatt. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. We've been wrong. Here's a super cut of all the predictions. Incorrect by Mark Weisblatt. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. We've been wrong. But one prediction I think was very easy was that the spirit of now was 100% dead.

Shout out to Ridley Funeral Home. There was a purchase by the Brandon Gomez group to buy the logo and the URL, and that's literally all they wanted. There's nothing with the current now that resembles the old man. Yeah, but even then, I think they were standing by for some brand equity recognition that wasn't going to happen.

Did we ever find out what they paid? Somewhere between $50 and $100. I'm not sure. Whatever they paid, it doesn't seem like anything is going to be recouped here. The press release cost more money. Look, I mean, when I'm talking about

wanting to get back in the game, it's me looking at all these ClickBay websites who don't even have, in Canada, distribution on Facebook, right? Like, they're blocked. You're not allowed to share this stuff. I'm not blocked. Do you know that? You can't access these things. So I don't even know what that's doing to their

business models or what they imagine what was going to happen here. These websites like Narcity.com, just twisting in the wind, like the whole premise, the whole concept, everything that they built a whole media business around is at least temporarily on hold because this government bill, Bill C-18. And I want to help and fix these things. I think there is a better way to do digital news that is somewhere between those legacy newspaper websites and doing it as a clickbait thing. Why can't you do it independently as 1236?

It's easy for you to ask. I'm looking for allies. You're looking for a money person. I'm looking for my person. I'm looking for allies. People can figure out how to get in touch with me. I'm looking for my person. I'm looking for momentum. I can do multiple jobs. But if you take in the temperature. I'm a good multitasker, but I cannot do everything by myself.

So I'm just trying to create this new universe. Cast the characters. I think you should do it by yourself. I'm not pessimistic here. Do you actually want me to go more berserk than I have already been? What kind of nightmares am I going to be having this fall?

Right? How many months do you want me to be estranged from you again because Toronto Mike that is what you are asking for I have come this far there was a vision that I had for myself dreams of what I wanted to do and I'm still determined to make them happen. You're telling me that I don't have to start doing mushrooms in order to get in the mood to do this again. But something has to happen.

There has to be a different factor. You need to believe in yourself. We have to change the channel. Thank you for the vote of confidence. Do you know how many people are in the FOTM Hall of Fame? I wish I could come to your basement every single day.

You can. If that's what it would take to get me back on track with the things that I wanted to happen. I have to get back to the center of the action. I feel like I'm on the fringes

and I don't like what it feels like there. Do you want to come with me to the David Kine's Hollywood Sweet Breakfast tomorrow? Absolutely not. If you want to put me in a scenario where I'd be cowering in the corner, wondering what I'm doing with my life if it's with a

bunch of people who get up for a free breakfast buffet. I think Brian Dunn will be there. Okay, well, I won't be alone. Hey, I have a specific question about a story I broke. A radio story I broke and then it happened as I said it would happen and then I didn't

catch anybody giving a fuck and I want to know, Matt, I'm sorry, I said it would happen, and then I didn't catch anybody giving a fuck. And I want to know, Matt, I'm sorry, I said the F word. What say you, Mark Wiseblood, about the fact an FM signal in this market, 103.9, which was Proud FM, went silent at the end of August? I don't think there's anything to say, because nobody could pick up the station anyway. And that! The signal was awful lousy to begin with.

It was part of a play by the Evanov Radio Group to try and boost the presence of their other station, Z1035. Technically, it was a thing where one frequency overrode the other, so they were the only ones who could have wanted this other frequency because it wasn't viable for anybody else uh and then they tried to play these stations up against one another that the idea that they were going to be doing canada's first all gay radio station at one point uh your your client your colleague, Mary Jo Eustace, was on the morning show. Ken

Kostick, right? Yeah, what's for breakfast? She'd want a free breakfast. They did a breakfast show, and I remember it was in the media at the time. This only lasted a matter of months. It was them realizing they had this studio at Church and Wellesley. Didn't you once record out of there? Yeah, for Humble and Fred

podcast. Because Bingo Bob Ouellette was the program director, so he at Church and Wellesley. Didn't you once record out of there? Yeah, for Humble and Fred Podcast. Because Bingo Bob Willett was the program director, so he had the keys to the studio. But then they found out, like, you couldn't even pick up the station. Like, sitting in Toronto's, Canada's gayest intersection, you couldn't hear this LGBTQ radio outlet, which I don't even know what it was representing. I don't know.

I don't know that, that like campy dance music, like what part of this community was that supposed to represent? Didn't understand the format, didn't understand the music, didn't understand what they were selling. But you're not a member of that community. Well, they were trying to play

one frequency against the other. Actually, I shouldn't say I have no idea. They were trying to get more coverage for Z103.5. Right. And that somehow they would get the CRTC to recognize that both signals weren't very good and technically they could do something

to get a power boost of both operations. It didn't work in the end. Nobody cared. And they were running the Elvis D duran z100 morning show out of out of new york city like during a weekday there was only one live body in the studio right there was afternoon drive guy even have that much but no i do not i i don't know what community that station was aiming for and i i'm not sure you could find anyone who would claim that this radio station was ever speaking to them.

But at one point, they took it seriously, seriously enough to have FOTM Bingo Bob Ouellette as a program director. Yeah. But in the end, it was just playing the game of saying, like, here, we will represent a certain demographic on terrestrial radio that doesn't have another outlet.

This was all very 2005, 6, 7 idea of how to do things. And a lot of these media stories, and you know, Toronto Mike, I will reluctantly review any of them that you want. Well, I have more questions for you now. We're dealing here with obsolete technology and things that people don't care about anymore.

And owners like Bell Media that don't even want to be in this business. So what does it matter what they do with their frequencies? Why is Bell Media still doing shit? They have a national morning show called Your Morning. They have a big CTV national news with Omar. Well, they gotta do something. I mean, there's still revenues, but this was all a previous regime's idea. show called your morning they have a big ctv national news with omar something i mean they're

still revenues but this was all a previous regime's idea uh which a plan that they hatched a whole other era right before there was ubiquitous streaming uh when when there was still the idea that these amfm frequencies that these cable channels, that everything in the old paradigm would still apply. And we saw a lot of change in the 2010s, right? When we saw things that were worth billions of dollars now not being worth anything at all. And the people in the boardrooms at BCE posting on LinkedIn, like asking out loud, saying like, what do we do here?

Like the government has to help us because this is no longer a viable business. They are admitting as much. So what does that mean? Where do we go from here? But we're still enraptured enough by the moves that they're making because these are still companies that employ a significant number of people, some of whom have a certain level of fame that we're always intrigued about who's moving where and who's got the tap on the shoulder, right, and all these behind-the-scenes, backstage, backstabbing stories.

I think we're still compelled by them, but we also have to recognize that we're in the last stage of there being anything to say about what's going on here and what does that say for canada as a place where uh content creation can happen this was at the root of all those parliamentary debates bill c11 b bill c18 what does the future hold toronto mike you built up a whole podcast empire without government intervention. That's true. People should follow your lead and just forget about the whole thing.

Like that the system, the system is something that never did anything for you because you never expected to get anything out of it. But what if you have one of these jobs that's predicated upon a certain kind of system continuing to be perpetuated? Somehow, we got to figure out how to make this all work. And we're seeing time after time, scheme after scheme, eventually, it's all just going to run out of steam. Nobody's going to do anything anymore. What do you think is coming for us in the future? Like, will we have any of these media stories to talk about anymore?

I don't know why. Will there be any kind of corporate media culture in this country to talk about? Look, I'm going to ask you in a minute about a Rogers enterprise called 680 because you can see here my microphone. What are they called? The flashes? Anyway, I have

the 680 news. That was courtesy of Scott Metcalf. Shout out to Scott Metcalf. But Bell Media, like it seems to me like Bell Media doesn't give a fuck about its media properties. Like it barely gives a shit and, sorry Matt, I'm swearing a lot now. That's why I'm bloodspoiled. I didn't swear at all with Scott Metcalf.

I want to put that on the record right here. But like, I'm just, oh, not only that, here, that's where I wanted to go next. They're pulling their funding in support of TIFF. Have you heard this? They just don't want

anyone to like them. They don't want you to like them at Bell. It's like they're going to play the heel and they're going to embrace it. Well, they're expecting a bailout, some amount of government support here to keep them going. 299 Queen Street West, this iconic address that is the

title of a documentary. They'll be vacating those premises shortly because they'll be building the Ontario line right in that space. And after that construction is done, those would make some pretty good loft condos there at the corner of Queen and John, which ain't the intersection that it used to be, right? Ever since they stopped shooting much music on the street corner, no one really walks

around there thinking that they're part of the living movie that Moses Nimer imagined for the street. That's vacated off to Liberty Village. So we've got changes here happening in media real estate. They still do a nightly CTV News with Omar Sachedina. CFRB News Talk 1010 continues the broadcast on AM radio. They shuffled the hours around for John Moore, more in the morning. Why did they do that? He's now on until 10 a.m.

I guess they figured he was a better bet. So there's more people going to tune in to him than Jerry Yeager. He's more of a consensus candidate. We also have a scenario where CFRB program director, Mike Bendixon, he has a new job over at Chorus Entertainment. He's the guy who's been hired, the latest recruit to try and make something out of AM640. And AM640, in the last couple years,

has done a curious amount of outreach to you, Toronto Mike, right? You got invited to the launch of an AM640 beer. What did they call? Breaking Brews? Breaking Brews. Yeah, that wasn't very long ago. This was all under a young program director named Amanda Cupido. You also had her on one time doing a Zoom interview.

She was all very well-intentioned, and she was maybe an unlikely choice that she had some experience in podcasting, also in charity work. Chorus was undergoing all this upheaval, all this drama surrounding these talk radio personalities. They didn't want to be political on the air anymore. They didn't want to push the wrong buttons. There was too much going on, backlashes from different corners about doing right-wing conservative radio, that this wasn't working anymore. The stock price was plunging for the company. Chaos all around. And I guess Amanda Cupido was the safe kind of choice here.

We could install someone with a few different ideas. But I didn't see how launching an AM640 beer had anything decide that their life would be better if they were listening to Greg Brady. And while it was good that they had someone with enthusiasm for these ideas, it was weird enough that they were asking you, leaning on Toronto Mike, to kind of bring some hype to this terrestrial radio station. It all seemed a little too desperate. And now Mike Ben Dixon, veteran of CFRB. That wasn't a financial transaction. I didn't receive a penny from Chorus. I was actually

remember, it was also happening at a sponsor location, right? So this is that nice interjection. But they were also looking to you to help them with their hype. Because they can no longer count on like an article in a newspaper, right? There's not a lot of social media interest in what's going on with the radio station. I should point out, you mentioned Chorus. It was like a vanity thing, right?

For them to say like, look how cool we are. We got Mike Boone to show up to one of our events. I don't think that's accurate. But they were happy to have me at GLB Group Homes. I don't think I've ever said anything more accurate, actually. Okay, so you're right. Chorus blessed that event and everything, of course. But I do want to point out,

Rogers recently reached out to me and said, Mike, would you consider having Richard Southern, Mike Epple, and Scott Metcalf on your podcast to chat about 680 turning 30? Those are three FOTMs already. And I said, of course I do that. That's what I do. Well, that's easily done.

But that was also initiated by Rogers PR. And this is an opportunity to say I had yet another negative experience with Bell PR. This is specific to a Crave program. with Bell PR. This is specific to a Crave program. And I don't understand why I get such fucking grief from Bell Media PR when Rogers is saying,

please have our people on your show and Chorus is saying, please have our people on your show. I don't understand. Now, did you listen to that 680 News episode? Well, you threw a fly in the ointment because they think they're going to have

sanctioned, approved Rogers employees and then you invite into the basement the guy who they fired for falling asleep on the air. They should have cut a check then. This was not, again, this was not a paid sponsorship. I would have disclosed that. They gave me $0.00

although Scott did give me this lovely microphone flash. And yes, I knew, I didn't want it to be an infomercial for 680. So I said to myself, how do I make this a Toronto Mic'd episode,

which will be respectful and will do all the wonderful things Scott Metcalf wants to do. But we need a little real talk in there. The answer is fellow FOTM, Hall of Famer, Peter Gross. He'll be at TMLX 13 tonight. You talked about 680 a couple successive days

because you also had paul cook stephanie smythe uh a couple who met at 680 news uh based on what they said on the podcast initially married to other people and now married to each other, happily ever after. But in all this chit-chat about AM News in Toronto, 30 years of 680, I don't think you got enough into the business that for a lot of years, and possibly including up until this day, the radio station that bills itself as 680 News doesn't necessarily tell you anything important about current events, right? This is ultimately a form of entertainment programming. The decisions

about what they talk about, which have gone down a few different roads in three different decades, roads in three different decades have not always been the most intellectual ideas, right, of what you can do with news radio, because this is Rogers. This is a commercial concern. And for a lot of that time with 680 News, ultimately what you had going on there was entertainment radio, the same stuff that used to be on radio stations, the chit-chat that would go on between playing the top 40 tunes, and they figured out how to present it as a newscast instead, with the traffic and weather interspersed together. Now, I'm not saying you had to get into this deep media criticism,

but there was maybe a lack of self-awareness about what actually is going on there. Because at the end of the day, all they've really done with 680 was figure out how to get ratings for providing something that is close enough to resembling information. But the depth, the context, knowing what's going on in the world. I realize like on 9-11, they would have dedicated their entire programming day to the unfolding tragedy in the world and other important bulletins that are happening out there. But let's get a sense of perspective here, okay? Richard Southern is not pretending to be providing like deep intellectual content

about what's going on in global affairs. This is ultimately an entertainer doing entertainment programming. And good on them and Rogers Media that they figured out how to make something work for 30 years on the AM dial. I mean, we'll see what happens next, right? Smart Money says, because they did in Calgary,

AM 640, Chorus Talk Radio will soon enough be moving to FM. Like, we'll wake up one day, be a breaking news bulletin. Maybe Monday. TorontoMike.com. That there's a new frequency, 95.3, 102.1. I don't know.

I don't care. That'll be surprising to me. A new home for what has been going on. It'll be a Hamilton station. Program director Mike Ben Dixon. And you've tangled with him over the years, right? Has he banned? I don't think that was in public. under the new program director, Mike Ben Dixon. And you've tangled with him over the years, right? Has he banned? I don't think that was in public, though.

Was he refusing hosts to appear on your show? John Moore. People were turning down appearances. Who I can now refer to as FOTM John Moore because he did find a side door to get on Toronto Mike talking about a colleague who passed away for a Ridley Funeral Home memorial. Yeah, yeah, Tarek Fatah.

Right. But John Moore was literally, I mean, he's good friends with Maureen Holloway, who had a great time on the show, and Maureen told her good friend, John, you've got to do Toronto Mike, and John wanted to do Toronto Mike, and we booked it,

and I was sitting here with my notes all set, and my phone rang, and John was a little embarrassed to tell me that his boss, Mike Bendixson, told him he's not allowed to come over and talk to Toronto Mike. You know what Mike Bendixson was doing this summer? He was involved in the Toronto mayoral election.

He was doing the media behind the scenes, pulling the strings for a mayoral candidate named Anthony Fury. Who was at that event at Great Lakes Brew Pub? I think Andan Senzani showed up on 640. He's like the first new recruit. Now you've got Anthony Fury on 640. John Torrey returning to active duty, filling in on News Talk 1010.

They said, oh, this is a one-time, one-off, one-time only thing last week. No, no, he's back on this Friday, filling in again. So I think John Torrey gunning for that old job back. He'll be back afternoon drive. Get Reshminar out of there. Put her back on this Friday filling in again. So I think John Tory gunning for that old job back. You see, he'll be back afternoon drive. Get Reshmin Air out of there. Put it back on TV. And all will be well with John Tory on the radio again. Doing what he does best.

Right wing boomer rage. And 640 has his own brand of that. And we'll see what happens there. Best of luck to Mike Van Dixon. Making lemons out of lemonade. He's got to turn this talk radio format into something before it is too late. There's not a lot of growth there with this idea of talk radio in Toronto. If anyone can do it, he's got a proven track record.

If anyone can make something happen, it's him. Why did he lose his job at News Talk 1010? I just think they were getting rid of anyone that they didn't need anymore. Just trying to cut things back. No more newscasters. No more newsroom.

Just bare bones. No more live weekend programming. It was all over. Collateral damage. Nothing to be proud of. Nothing to be excited about. Mike, it's up to me and you to make it happen here.

You gotta fucking get off your ass and do it. I want a 1236 newsletter in my fucking inbox in October. Oliver Anthony, the ginger playing his banjos, ukuleles, guitar out in the forest, out in the field. Number one hit song. Were you hepped to this one? Rich

Men North of Richmond. Bags of fudge rounds. Young men are putting themselves six feet in the ground. Because all this damn country does is keep on kicking them down. Lord, it's a damn shame what the world's gotten to. For people like me, for people like you, wish I could just wake up and it not be true. But it is. Oh, it is oh it is living in the new

world DJ Dream Doctor in the live chat live.torontomike.com says Mike are you drinking beer at 2.19pm and I am drinking a Great Lakes beer and I'm going to be drinking

more Great Lakes beer tonight at Great Lakes Brewery. The brother is here to say shout-out to Ridley Funeral Home with regards to Proud FM passing away, essentially. They unplugged that thing. It never happens in this market, but there you go. Unplug the transmitter or whatever. Silence. Silence.

Basement Dweller hates this song. It's making his ears bleed. And... Okay, thank you. But he also made an interesting observation a moment ago. Let me go back up to that. But he tells us that the great 1236 Mark Weisblot had a show

on 640 many moons ago. Yeah, you knew about that. I know that, yes. I do know that. But many, many moons ago. It doesn't matter anymore. Okay, nothing matters. Nothing fucking matters. Oliver Anthony.

You can't talk about the summer 2023. But I actually don't know that song. Without rich men north of Richmond. Well, it's part of a pattern. U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Yeah, I'm out of the loop, man. Four country song number ones in a row, and none of them were Fast Car.

Everybody figured that was maybe the song of the summer. Luke Combs' cover version, that was a crossover to Top 40, Pop Radio. You would hear that on a station like Chum FM, but not a number one hit in the U.S., but we had Richmond men north of Richmond. This guy comes out of nowhere. He's embraced by Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire and suddenly becomes this conservative hero,

and there's a reference in there to Jeffrey Epstein, and he's criticizing welfare recipients for spending their food stamps on a bag of fudge rounds. Did you catch that reference there? The fudge rounds? Missed that. Missed that reference there. And it helped make country music.

Okay, so quirky song go viral, but we'll see if we ever hear from this guy ever again, right? Then he's immediately catapulted to do like a four-hour interview on the joe rogan show and it turns out the guy has absolutely nothing to say well that's worth four hours i've done that before but i will say that this uh trend of country music dominating the billboard uh 100 uh hot 100 i just uh opted out like i have no interest in these popular new country songs but i'm sure it's very offensive to your bike riding pinko sensibilities here i didn't say that but uh i just have no interest in the style or the message or the the genre and more like a bad cover version of mumford and sons

uh that oliver anthony richmond north of richmond, you know, he comes out like explaining that this is not ideological. He's not a right winger. He's just an old fashioned centrist. He's just observing what's going on here. But he also might have been a member of QAnon.

I don't know. People start digging up social media posts and trying to figure out is there some anti-Semitism in there? Who knows? The milkshake duck effect right you know what that's all about like a guy becomes famous out of nowhere and suddenly

his entire life history is only around 30 years old been online his entire life uh and then you wonder why like why even care like what is what does it even matter what this what this oliver anthony thinks about anything but we enjoy well-lusted Richmond north of Richmond. I want your take on the move that saw Meredith Shaw leave Chum, which is a Bell Media radio station, for Breakfast Television with Sid

Sixero on the Rogers station. But before we do that, can you please tell me what you thought of the recent Mike Richards episode of Toronto Mike? He came back. What was the deal with Mike Richards? He's always got something to announce on your show.

But I love the fact he doesn't come down here with it. Now, you would think he would have a bigger megaphone. He was the sports talk radio star for both Bell and Rogers, right? They considered him like their greatest asset. They put him on TSN. He's a good FOTM. TSN 1050 when they launched that station. Well, it lasted.

He did the morning show over there. I guess TSN 1050 is still around, but they're no use for him anymore. And Sportsnet Radio, once again, his best way of amplifying something is to be on toronto mic'd he announced he will no longer be doing his uh morning live radio show on saga 960 the sketchiest of gta radio stations and now he would be hooked up with, do I got this right, Leonard Asper,

who inherited the Canwest Empire from his father Izzy, and through the 2008-2009 financial crisis, very quickly found that entire multimedia empire fall apart. And I think ever since then, he's been trying to get things back on the rails. You think I have determination to get back to the center of everything? Look at these characters who managed to try over and over and over again to make something work. In this case, do I got this right?

It's some sort of streaming platform? Where exactly can you access the Mike Richards show? Firstly, it hasn't debuted yet. It got pushed back a bit because I believe Mike Richards needed a surgery and he's recovering from this surgery.

He's doing fine though. I chatted with him the other day. But it's going to be a digital only thing. So I mean, he does say you can get it on TV, but I was unclear on all that. Like, I mean, for modern people like us, this is going to be like an on-demand thing. If you want Mike Richards, and I know for example, FOTM Dale Cadeau, he's a big Mike Richards fan. You'll be able to, I don't know, subscribe to the podcast or watch the video on demand somewhere, probably YouTube. It's coming soon, and if you love your Mike Richards,

you're going to get more of it digitally. And that Saga 960, I never really understood that deal, but he did have a run there, and now he's going in a different direction. But at one point, the idea was that he would do his daily morning podcast from the front window of a restaurant, which I did some podcast appearance from on King Street East, like across from the new building from the Globe and Mail, and that Mike Richards would be setting up shop there every morning.

What show did you do there? That was, who was that? Kareem Kanji, remember? I did it too. Podcast, and he was doing it out there. But Mike Richards, a running joke to this day, that he said that his show will become so big that Aubrey Drake Graham would be dropping in

to appear on this show. And I do not believe that ever actually happened. Meredith Shaw. Can we get a fact check here? I'll get a fact check on that. Meredith Shaw is an FOTM, lovely woman, and she quit her job on Chum,

10, oh, sorry, 104.5 Chum, and she surfaced recently. This is the worst kept secret in the business. Uh, she resurfaced as Sid Sixero's co-host on Breakfast Television.

So the, uh, the, the women co-hosts of that program are, uh, Ann Romer, to Liza From Fromer to Dina Pulezi to now Meredith Shaw. What does that say about Sid,

that he has now cycled through multiple co-hosts on the Breakfast Television program? I don't know because Sid has never come on Toronto Mic'd. And Sid, if you're listening, come on Toronto Mic'd. We did have that clip of Sid crying, which was a tremendous example of somebody driven to tears by the fact that he was not on the Tim and Sid show anymore. Somebody seemed to get the idea that Sid doing his rants

on the morning show were tremendously popular because I think one morning he got off on some tangent. Who mentioned this? It was something about, initially it was about Doug Ford, who was going out shoveling during a snowstorm. No, I'm basing it on the fact that he caught fire one day, went viral for something, and it was a situation where he just keeps doing it again and again and again, right?

Thinking that if he keeps doing it, another one will get popular, and it never actually happens. So we get the entertainment of watching Sid trying so hard to get somebody listening to him going on a tirade, and it hasn't seemed to work. Now, maybe this will be tamed down, but they've got Meredith Shaw in the mix, a sunny morning show disposition,

but her previous home, as you mentioned, was primarily radio. We've got Pooja and Gurdip, TV people from CP24 who are doing a morning show on CHFI. And they do not sound like they know how to do radio. Still, still, based on what I've heard. Are you still tuning in?

Seconds per month, just to see that they're still alive and well. And our speculation was, okay, they're standing by to be on the TV morning show. Now, Meredith Shaw, primarily a radio personality, is on television. and our speculation was okay they're standing by to be on the tv morning show now meredith shaw primarily a radio personality he's on television uh i'm still standing by waiting for that switcheroo if anybody cares and the loser in all of this will be sid six zero he can bring his dancing act somewhere else maybe he he can just be somebody on TikTok.

So TikTok, TikTok, waiting to see what happens to Sid. Kind of fascinating character, very much earning our scorn as one of those Toronto TV personalities who we love to hate. I don't want to jeopardize his appearance on Toronto Mike. I don't know Sid, and I don't watch breakfast television. I just listen to you. But I do know my buddy Elvis loves Sid Sixero. So he's got his fans out there for sure.

I'm a big Steve Paikin fan. I'm going to see him tonight at TMLX 13. He works at TVO. I need to find out from you what's going on there because I do have in my calendar that I'm going to be visited on Monday by Steve Paikin and John Michael McGrath. These two gentlemen are visiting me on Monday to record a podcast, but they're on strike, right? What's going on? Yeah, I don't think we've had a strike before at a terrorist public broadcaster and it's well-timed because now they're striking right along with all the

Hollywood screenwriters and Actors Guild and TVO. Picket line at Yonge and Eglinton. Steve Paken, who is the highest paid TVO employee. A verifiable fact

because he appears on the Sunshine List. But, Steve is a decent fellow and he's showing that because he appears on the Sunshine List. But Steve is a decent fellow, and he's showing that because he's right in there too, advocating for the fact that the producers who work with him on the agenda on TVO are not paid the rates that they should be. Like that other broadcasters, even these Bell and Rogers and Chorus empires where there's no job security, where things aren't happening. I guess the CBC becomes a comparison point as well, that the salaries are not where they should be at TVO.

I'm not sure what's the sense you get of this? This is not necessarily like an Ontario government thing. There is a budget. There is leeway. They can decide to pay these people more, but they're not doing it. So at the same time, right now, you've got a standoff between the employees of TVO who are on strike. And in the process, a lot of drama involving Queen's Park and Doug Ford and the Greenbelt, which is not getting covered unless the hosts of the TVO podcast come to hang out with Toronto Mike.

Is that what is happening here? Bingo, bingo, bingo. John Michael McGrath was on Twitter saying he wants to podcast with Pagan about what's going on with the Greenbelt and Doug Ford's party and he can't because his employers don't think it's important because of what's going on there. Again, I side with the talent on this.

But I offered up my podcast as a forum because I think it's an important discussion if John Michael McGrath and Steve Pagan want to have it. I'm happy to record it in my studio and that's happening Monday. So tune in. At the same time,

there's always a chance. The Ontario government might pull the plug on the entire thing. They have an educational component. They create content that is of educational value to people in Ontario, but these other

elements of TVO, these attempts to get more commercial, but these other elements of TBO, these attempts to get more commercial, to monetize what they're doing there. I think the Ontario Conservative government is on the record of maybe not being the most enthusiastic about what's happening here. Now, Steve Paikin will be the first to remind you that progressive Conservative premier, Bill Davis, was responsible for the creation of TVO.

Bill Davis is Steve Paikin's personal hero, and Bill Davis essentially furnished Steve Paikin with a viable broadcasting career. But there's, I think, a cliffhanger with the whole thing because whether or not they settle the situation, we're standing by to wonder what's in store for TVO. And like all these broadcasting concerns, is there a place? Is it even necessary? What do you think?

Do you have an opinion on this about the whole concept of the province of Ontario funding an independent media outlet, public broadcasting? Is it something that we should save? Is it something we should protect? Of course. Of course. Of course. Of course. Pay them what they deserve.

They do great work there and I love TVO and a long May TVO run. I'm this close to grabbing a long-made TVO run. I'm this close to grabbing a sign and showing up at the picket line. Love those guys. But more conversation about the TVO strike on Monday when I talk to Steve and John Michael. That's two first names. Do I need to call him John Michael?

Or is Michael a middle name, and I can call him John? Do you know? Do you know this guy? Just call him Mike. Mike fixes my car. Shout out to recyclemyelectronics.ca. If you have some old electronics, an old device, an old printer, an old 8-track player, what do you got in that closet there, Mark? If you got some old recorders, what do you got there?

I'm trying to purge, okay? Well, good. I have an answer for you. Don't turning into a years-long project. In the garbage. Don't chuck that antiquated tech because the chemicals end up in our landfill. Go

to recyclemyelectronics.ca and find out where you can drop that off. I hope Cliff Hacking makes an appearance at TML X 13 tonight. He of course is with EPRA and they're behind recycle my electronics.ca. Love those guys. I live on a gun in bed Watching how you face the world in fact And I remember that But you're not

A heavy heart Mark, do you have a heavy heart? What am I listening to? A Barquee Strange. This is a jam I got into thanks to an online Buffalo radio station, WBFO, The Bridge. And the lyrics to this song, Heavy Heart, reference the city of Toronto.

You know, you're listening to a song, and you hear Toronto mentioned in there. Oh, they mention us by name. Where does this come from? Yeah, this is a singer-songwriter. It's not Lois DeLoe or Kurt Swinghammer. From Washington, D.C. Wow.

4AD Records. And first time that I remember getting caught off guard with a Toronto reference since a song by Falco. Remember? Vienna Calling that references Toronto, Canada. I thought you would say the Kings, right? Because in Kings, they shout out Toronto. Well, they were from Toronto.

What I'm saying is there's a lot of longing for Toronto. Toronto kind of sucks now. I'm sorry to break it to you. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You're bearing the lead. Any affection that I had for the city. What do you not like about the city? Toronto kind of sucks now I'm sorry to break it to you but any affection that I had for the city is fading fast you know why? because you don't fucking bike you don't drive either

but if you take transit and drive you end up hating the fucking city and if you bike everywhere like I do I was at Ontario Place today you'll still love this city if you just buy a bicycle and embrace it between inflation and the real estate thing Ontario Place today. You'll still love this city if you just buy a bicycle and embrace it. Between inflation and the real estate thing and just

again, like the vibes are off. It's expensive here. We've not gotten to the point. We've not gotten to the place, I think, where we can feel confident in what's happening after the pandemic. I think the mayoral election,

the by-election that we had, was also captured a lot of despair. It was hard to find a lot of enthusiasm for the city here. When the new mayor, Olivia Chow, talks about how wonderful Toronto is, I don't feel this reflected on the streets of the city anymore. And keep in mind, I've lived here

my entire life. I've barely ever been anywhere else ever. And yet, I think I'm seeing Toronto in a bleaker light than before. I'm not saying it's entirely dystopic. How come I'm not feeling this, though?

I'm born and raised in Toronto. I'm as Torontonian as you are. I'm not saying it's entirely dystopic. How come I'm not feeling this, though? I'm born and raised in Toronto. I'm as Torontonian as you are. I've never had a residence outside of the 416. Why do I not feel this? Is it because I'm independently wealthy? What is the difference? Listen, we've got this weekend, early September, the Toronto

International Film Festival, and even though there won't be a lot of celebrities on the red carpet, Nickelback will be taking over King Street and doing a concert in conjunction with their documentary film. So Toronto is still hospitable enough to have Nickelback take over the streets of this city. When I heard this news, I was surprised. I feel like, am I wrong?

They could still fill the uh scotia bank arena right well no one said they were doing like a full two hour long concert but are they gonna do it the white stripes did a new song or whatever on the on the street chad kroger and the gang wow and all premise of the the nickel the whole premise of the nickelback movie here right is like that nobody actually likes nickelback all right it's like an investigation into the nickelback backlash and how these guys from rural alberta have persevered and i'm sure there's like a final scene right of a nickelback concert and we get to meet all the actual Nickelback fans

who have gotten a tattoo of the group's logo on their chests, and they're faithful to the cause of Nickelback. You know how these things play. It makes you even more grateful for the talking heads and what they represented. These are like polar opposites, the whole aesthetic of David Byrne and how wonderful it is, right? That he's let bygones be bygones

with his bandmates. And that there will be an onstage interview with Talking Heads with Spike Lee. I'm sure footage of this will come out for the 40th anniversary of the movie Stop Making Sense. We no longer have the whole

Ridley Funeral Home Memorial segment that is now an exclusive Toronto Mike production. I was quite thrilled to hear what you have done with those memorial episodes here over the months in 2023.

I don't think anybody misses me at all because you take people on a journey, whether it's someone who passed away who you talked about in the Toronto Mike podcast archive. You're also doing original interviews like when FOTM Bob Segarini died. You got another FOTM,

Camp Carpenter on the phone. Talk about this curious iconoclast on the Toronto music scene. Hal Harbour, who was a DJ for a few years on CFNY and then went back to his native Halifax radio personality. No, he's not from Halifax. He wasn't from Halifax. No, he's not from Halifax.

I thought he was too. Hal Harbour connoted his home in native land, but he was on Trailer Park Boys and a memorable personality and somebody who was very creatively passionate as well. Brother Jake gave him that handle, by the way. Who else have we lost among the FOTMs lately? Well, we lost the drummer for the Jeff Healy band, Tom Stephen. Oh, yeah, I'm the one who told you to have him on the show.

And you know that Amanda Marshall, the singer, who often talks about her bad manager who derailed her career for 20 years. That's Tom. Tom Stephen was the manager. One day you've got to get Amanda Marshall down here to explain what was actually going on. Possibly even after death, she's not allowed to mention his name anymore might have been uh some kind of uh stipulation that i have a question for you say his name again this is uh as we're speaking now it is 2 47 p.m on september 7th 2023 and we're scheduled for tmlx tonight at

6 p.m okay so we're a few hours away from TMLX 13. But as we speak, we're in a basement. There's no windows down here. I understand it's pouring out. So I'm now, okay, so now I'm in touch with, I just, you know, shout out to the meteorologists doing the hard work at Environment Canada. But they have this likelihood of precipitation

at 80% until 6 o'clock, at which point it drops down to 30%. So let me feel you out. Now, this is a rain or shine event. I'm there for the whole thing. I've got the palm of pasta coming. We're going to put up tents. I'm going to make the most of this because I do not control the weather,

contrary to popular belief. I have no control over the weather. But do you think there will be FOTMs who will look out their window and see a thunderstorm out there and say, I'm not going to Great Lakes Brewery tonight for TMLX 13? What do you think about this rain affecting our event? As long

as Loren Honickman shows up so that I can complete the circle and actually maybe fulfill what was happening in my dream. Let's do a couple RIPs before you kick me out of here. Here, we're going to do the RIPs before we wrap up. But I have just a few more real quick questions about Toronto Mic'd episodes.

Bob Wiseman came in and he was in person and there was kind of a polarizing reaction to him. I had notes that thought he was kind of a dink. And then I had notes that thought, oh kind of a dink, and then I had notes that thought, oh, this artist gave you 60 minutes. Unbelievable. What did Mark Weisblatt think of Bob Wiseman? Bob Wiseman, who is now what, a PhD? Is he a music professor?

Is that what was going on now with his life? He seems to have retreated into academia after doing a lot of avant-garde music things. But what seems to hover over his head is the fact that he was once in the most successful of Canadian rock bands, and that he walked away from it all after a certain number of years. Like, Blue Rodeo came through the Queen Street West music scene in the mid-1980s. Out out of nowhere it seemed that they had their their peak with a few albums and it was somewhere around uh early 90s 91 92 93 that bob weisman

had enough of this whole thing and it seems like he's very defensive very nervous about coming to toronto mike's basement and just being being uh asked a whole bunch of questions about a band that he had left behind three decades ago. He was very blunt in the way that he described the fact that he has no contact with any of them anymore and no, no interest in revisiting that relationship and that association. But in the end, you found his vibe invigorating i don't know a lot of people like consoling you i'm sorry that this episode went sideways i enjoyed my visit with bob weisman i enjoyed my in-person hour with bob weisman i did get a couple of one person who thought i uh why are you playing music when bob weisman's there meanwhile bob had sent me an email wanting a whole whack of music played.

I curated that and pruned it down. But he was really digging hearing his music, non-Blue Rodeo music. Digging hearing his music, but at the same time, like checking his watch every couple minutes because he had to get up and go. Bit of a different vibe, but much like the Jane Sibury episode,

I think sometimes these artists are going to be artists and you can either vibe with them and roll with it or you can kick them out. You know what I mean? What are your options? Okay, look, you've been doing this for long enough that you embrace the chaos.

And it's almost like you have the, you have this cocky confidence when it comes to the idea of having a guest down here, it's going to be difficult. I am, I may be trying, I may be trying too hard to get to the point with you. I mean,

the fact that I'm having nightmares about being blacklisted, about being canceled. Because of Ben Merge. About being blocked by Toronto Mike, like that you won't want me in your life anymore. I don't even know where I stand after this episode. I don't know if I'm going to walk out of here and you're going to wonder what is wrong with me.

I happily give you the gift that is Ralph Ben Merge, but any FOTM listening who's subscribed to Not That Kind of Rabbi to support the TMDS network, you can unsubscribe now. Any other episodes we're going to mention from this summer? I had back-to-backs in person with a gentleman from

soul to soul. Back to life. And then via Zoom, live in New York, as they they say with the founder of in living in living color is he got the in a guy which ones the the band has is it in living no it's just living color just living color it's not in living color vernon reed guitar god so i want to know what your thoughts were on the back-to-back. Well, a big exception for the podcast here, because you have not had guests on this show who do not have a history of living in Toronto, in Canada,

or at least being born here. Simon lives here, Simon Law. But you had Chuck D, a public enemy, and you also made an exception for Vernon Reed. True. So Chuck D and Vernon Reed might be the only two guests in this program's history that had no real connection. Like they might have come through on tours, but they had no real connection to Toronto.

Simon Law, of course, was here, much like Roger Christian. Simon Law is here because he now lives in Toronto. But yeah, Vernon Reed had no connection to Toronto other than Living Colour came by. Look, look, quite a juxtaposition to where music was at around 1990. That you had Simon Law, who was a white guy in the group soul to soul and then you had vernie reed who was all about the black rock coalition right that was the novelty of living color that this was uh an entirely black rock band and that they made that uh a central focus of of their appeal and what they were about, and at least that first album, that Vivid

album, which had the seal of approval, Glamour Boys, Mick Jagger, remember that? That was part of what we remember Living Color for. But there you went through his whole history, including playing jazz, avant-garde

stuff, Vernon Reed, a very enthusiastic guest. Yeah. He was happy to be there. He actually was excited to be interviewed by this podcaster calling in from his basement. And so a shout-out to Vernon Reed, Simon Law, Back to Life, and Cult of personality.

Out of this world Out of this world, out of this mind, out of this love for you. Out of this world, out of the blue, out of this love for you Sometimes I don't know you You're like someone else But that's alright I'm a stranger here myself And she don't shed a tear When I walk out that door

She knows, she knows I'll be coming back for more Out of this world Out of this world. Out of this world. Out of this world, Out of the Blue, by the band. A very emotional song for me, Toronto Mike, because I remember hearing this as a kid. It was on the chart, 1050 Chum.

I don't even think I even knew who did this song, like the whole context of the last waltz or the band uh this was all foreign to me still like single digit age but uh was a song that stuck with me ever since decades probably went by where i didn't even hear it until i was poking around online and then it came back to me out of the blue by the band. One of those studio tracks that was on the last Waltz. I know your favorite is The Wait with the

staple singers. That's true. You mentioned that on hundreds of episodes. At least three. But this one, I'm not gonna cry. I don't have to break out the Mary J. Blige. Not gonna cry, but yeah, I get

teary about this song. When I heard that Robbie Robertson died, I had this immediately on my phone. I was wandering around Yorkville, saddened by the sudden news he was suffering

with prostate cancer. Was that it? Robbie Robertson who died at the age of 80 the last few decades also synonymous with Martin Scorsese after the last waltz

he continued to collaborate with him doing film scores. There was also that movie Carnie which was inspired by Robbie Robertson working at the Canadian National Exhibition, something in common with Toronto Mike.

Also, Robbie Robertson, the fact that his father was Jewish is something that has kind of hovered over him through the years. But this was a father that he never met. This was a father who died before he was born. And this is a thing that goes on, I'm allowed to talk about this, with the Jewish people who like projecting an identity on people that they can relate to as one of their own. So I know over the years it's come up a lot with Robbie Robertson kind of people assuming that this was an identity that he assumed like it was a focal point in his life,

and that was quite far from the truth. It's not like he denied it. It came up in the recent documentary about the band. It was Ronnie Hawkins talking about how Robbie Robertson's dad was a Hebrew gangster, but the actual ties that he had with his mom was, well, she grew up on the Six Nations Reserve near Toronto, and his biological father, someone that he never knew, and then we know the story from there, right? Levon and the Hawks and Robbie Robertson, the architect behind the band, but this also came up from FOTM Michael

Barclay in a piece that he wrote in his newsletter, which was those of us who were a bit younger maybe didn't realize it when Robbie Robertson had a solo album in 1987, that was Robbie Robertson's debut as a vocalist. So we had that song from the last waltz, but that was a rare thing

that Robbie Robertson was acting like a frontman for the band, even to the point in the last waltz, he's on camera singing, but his microphone was turned off. So it's all about him writing these songs that were performed by these other guys in the band. So he very much worked as that mogul who kept things going. But it turned out that these other guys eventually

really came to hate him, including for the fact that he called the whole thing off, right? Like, he decided that they weren't going to be a group anymore. And eventually there was a reunion of the band. Do you remember any of this? Like, from the 1990s? They even did a cover of the En Vogue song, Free Your Mind, with Levon Helm.

All this stuff is lost to memory or in the delete bin or maybe a CD that you find in Value Village. But Robbie Robertson took the high road and continued to make so long, put his voice more front and center. And he lived a pretty good life. As someone said upon his passing, this was a guy who operated with the satisfaction that he got to do what he wanted to do. Lessons for everyone. Robbie Robertson, dead, age 80. Each of these my three babies I will carry with me For myself I ask no one else will be

Mother to these three Mother to these three And I'm a coarser like a wild horse But there's no other way I could be Water and feet are not tools that I need for the thing that I've chosen to be. In my soul, my blood and my bones, I have wrapped your cold bodies around me The face of you The smell of you Will always be with me

Hey, I'm not sure I ever agreed with Sinead O'Connor about anything. Like, where her opinions were coming from. The more that she said, the more ridiculous she seemed. But you cannot distract or detract from when we first heard her name and first heard her on the Lion and the Cobra album in 1987. And when she died, Mandinka was the song that I think was the default favorite because it still sounds fresh enough. There was also that one she did with MC Lyte. Remember?

It was an early track. The idea of having a guest spot from a rapper. I want your hands on me. And then the Monster album, the second one, I do not want what I haven't got. Prince cover version.

Nothing compares to you. It's like real Gen Xer stuff here, right? This is like the Gen X musical canon of what we remember from the turn of the 1990s and came into possession of this compact disc at the time. I remember being captivated by Three Babies, this Sinead O'Connor song here. Do you remember this? Do you know this?

Sound familiar at all? Yeah, only because I've heard the CD, but yeah, for sure. And I found myself actually held captive in a room where this song was being played over and over and over and over again. Kind of like this effect of being hypnotized by Sinead O'Connor, Three Babies. And when I heard that she died, what did I do? But listen to Three Babies on repeat.

And think about the legacy she left behind before she died. Maybe not entirely a surprise. Where would you register this on the scale of celebrity deaths? Not a surprise at all. Unfortunately, I think she gave us plenty of warning that this might happen, and sadly it did. 56 years old, Sinead O'Connor. Just wanted to represent her here

as a recap of the summer with a shout-out to Ridley Funeral Home. Okay, how did I do? Like, was I all right? Did I live up to all your expectations and more? Are you willing to have me back in the basement again? Because two hours into this, Toronto Mike, I'm still not sure what I'm doing here. And between now and when I come back to your podcast again,

I'm determined to figure at least a little bit out. 60th appearance. You'd think you would have figured it out by now, but it was as advertised. It's always great when you're on the program. You know, I love it. That's why I've invited you over 60 plus times because there was a period of time where you said,

no, thank you, but you're back. You're kicking ass. And I can't wait till your next appearance, bud. And that. Wear a raincoat tonight. Bring an umbrella, but don't chicken out. I just checked my email. Several people saying, is this still happening in the rain?

Rain or shine? Well, I know that I'm not going home because I don't think there's enough time for me to make all those round trips. Mark, let's pledge. Even if it's you, me, Great Lakes beer and Palma pasta, this is happening, man. I'm not afraid of getting wet, okay? Here we are in real time. It's a little after 3 p.m., okay? This thing doesn't start for three hours, although I'll be there in two and a half hours.

The rain will dissipate. I'm fucking psyched. I'd rather have five good FOTMs in the pouring rain than 500 FOTMs. No, no, I won't say I like.

I would be equally happy with five FOTMs in the pouring rain than I would be with 500 FOTMs on a shiny clear day. Just give it, Mike. Mike, give it up. You're not making any sense anymore.

Thank you for having me for my 60th appearance on Toronto Mic'd. See you all tonight. And that brings us to the end of our 1,321st show. You can follow me on Twitter. I'm at Toronto Mike. Mark Weisblot is at 1-2-3-6, 1236. Our friends at Great Lakes Brewery, they have tents.

We'll have shelter. They're at Great Lakes Beer. Palma Pasta is at Palma Pasta. That truck's going to be there at 530. I'm going to be eating for months if no one shows up. Recycle My Electronics are at EPRA underscore Canada. Pumpkins After Dark, they're at Pumpkins Dark. And Ridley Funeral Home are at Ridley FH.

See you all tomorrow when the cuddly one, FOTML Grego, is going to drop by, plug his device into my board and surprise me with the best of Toronto Mike episodes 1001 through 1250 that's tomorrow you excited?

you need a man with sensitivity The class struggle explodes And I'll play this guitar just the best that I can Maybe I'm not and maybe I am But who gives a damn? Because everything is coming up rosy and gray Yeah, the wind is cold But the smell of snow Warms me today And your smile is fine And it's just like mine

And it won't go away Cause everything is Rosie and Gray