Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Mike's Barber Andy: Toronto Mike'd #1423

Episode Date: February 3, 2024

In this 1423rd episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Andy the Barber from Your Neighbourhood Barbershop in New Toronto about cutting hair for a living, surviving the pandemic, his rock 'n roll dreams with Phantom Lung, cutting Mike's hair, haircut jams and then shit gets real. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, The Advantaged Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada and Electronic Products Recycling Association. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail]

Welcome to episode 1423 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. RecycleMyElectronics.ca Committing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. The Advantage Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada.

Valuable perspective for Canadian investors who want to remain knowledgeable, informed, and focused on long-term success. And Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921. Today, making his Toronto Mic debut is my barber, Andy. Andy from your neighborhood barber shop, welcome to Toronto Mic'd. Hi. How's it going? Thanks for having me. It's about time. We basically do a podcast episode every time you have a haircut. So. we should be recording those. Like, why not? You ever think of that? Like you could have a podcast where it's just you and the individual in the barber chair there and you guys are chatting it up and you could have a

podcast. You know what? I mean, it's the concept sounds great, but some of the conversations that we have in that barber shop are just like off the record NC 17 Podcasts can be NC 17. You just the market is explicit. I know it might not be a good look at times You know, so Andy I want to tell everybody like we were together moments ago at your establishment and we're gonna settle like what were we doing? There we're gonna talk about you. You're you own your own barber shop in Toronto. What's that? Like we just came through a pandemic and then we have this like wonderful like side Hustle of yours which involves music which I have some jams loaded up. I have some Haircut jams we're gonna cover a lot of ground but please Andy crack open a delicious Great Lakes beer right in front of that

Microphone premium blogger. Let's go at the same time. We're doing this delicious Great Lakes beer right in front of that microphone. The premium lager. Let's go. At the same time we're doing this. Well you do now. We're going to win a time. This is Andy. This is me. There we go. Nice clean crash. So you got a lager. I got a burst. The IPA. I love Great Lakes. Tell me more about your love for Great Lakes. Or is that it?

I mean, I used to work at a bar just down the street, Refinery Public house. Remember that? I know it well. Yeah. It was a long branch, right? Or was it? Oh, it was like Tenton Lakeshore. OK. Yeah. Right. I do know it. Yeah, very close. How well I know it. Yeah, yeah.

I know it well. Wait, where was that? What happened to that place? I guess you could just say like poor management and then like it just cut. And then they got I guess they didn't renew their liquor license for like oh Yeah, like a year and then it got caught and then shut down and then the cost to get like back up and running was just excessive So but like that's when I first had great day We carried like eight different tall cans of Great Lakes at the bar there and is the logger your favorite the law I wouldn't say my favorite like the karma citra that one's bomb, but I don't just like today

I just go on something like easy drink just something smooth, right? That's why yeah now we're here and now we're here now now we Let's tell the people where is your neighborhood barbershop. Uh, your neighborhood barbershop is uh in its south otobico at uh near the corner islington and Lakeshore, more specifically, 5th and Lakeshore, 2858. Lakeshore Boulevard West. So I often talk here on this program, we talk about Ridley Funeral Home, which is 14th and Lakeshore, and that's in New Toronto. You're also in New Toronto, so about between 5th and 4th?

Yeah, between 4th and 5th Street on Lakeshore, and you own this establishment? Yeah, between fourth, yeah. So between fourth and fifth street on Lakeshore, and you own this establishment? Yeah, yeah, I own a barber shop there. We opened up like three and a half years ago now. I got the idea actually, it's so funny. You know the TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm starring Larry David? Of course I do. Yeah, there was this, I was watching

it during the first lockdown. I was a big fan of the show before then, but he just released that season a couple weeks before or whatever. And it was the season where he opened up the Spite store, the Spite coffee shop. Yeah, it's like a Starbucks. It was like, so there was Mocha Joe's and then he had a bad experience there and then right next door He opens up a lot days later. Yeah. Yeah latte Larry's. Yeah, so that Honestly him opening up the business in that series like that season is what inspired me to open up the barber shop When did you start cutting hair? I I started cutting hair. Honestly was only like five years ago Okay. Yeah, like I started my apprenticeship while I was working at that bar refinery. I was doing a full-time apprenticeship and doing

full-time at the bar. So I was working like 90 something hours a week. Okay, so you you learned from some someone like an expert? Yeah, yeah, I did. I went like I did an apprenticeship at another barber shop. I did that for like six months before I got promoted and then moved on to a couple other barbershops there. My favorite one before I opened up this place was Baby Point Barbershop, which is Jane and Annette. Yes. And that like Alex, the guy who owns it and the staff there are good. Like that is, I miss that place a lot. And that was one of the hardest things about opening it. I didn't want to leave that place. And shout out to Alex from Baby Boy Barbershop.

That guy's, he's one of the most beautiful human beings you'll ever meet. Well, listen, what is it I see here? Okay, Jeremy Hoffkin wondering, do you know Brad Ross? We have a live stream at live.torontomight.com. The former voice of the TTC who became a barber and then he quit. Oh yeah, I saw like a blog to post or something like that about it. Yeah, like I didn't like look further

into it or something. I think I just read the headline. I'm like, that's cool. But yeah, like, I mean, I heard that story and have you heard that it's not baby point this Bobby point Bobby. Yeah, I don't want to say Bobby. I don't want to say it though. I don't want to say like that sounds pretentious. It sounds pretentious, right? It's like a little bit of a richer area. I'm going to say Bobby point. I don't want to say baby point. I have so many questions for you. So enjoy your beer. There's a second cold one. I'm going to be crushing easy. Yeah. And you're bringing some home with you. Oh, that was that the special gift you know, I got a large meat lasagna in my freezer for you, courtesy of a Palma pasta. So that empty red box will be full when you leave so you're gonna have like that's enough pasta

I don't know if you live alone if you live with somebody. What's the deal going on over there? I just I just moved out of my my place. I was living at right now and At 36 years old my so my family they're moving to my mom and dad are moving to New Brunswick in the end of the summer, so I went like I moved back into my old bedroom that like I grew up in there and Okay, I'm gonna be helping them like pack up and like say goodbye to the house and everything like that. So, okay Well, you're bringing home lasagna. They're gonna love their beloved son here. You're gonna bring home some delicious lasagna. What you got there?

You said you had a gift for me and I have a gift for you. So this is an original drawing. So that's not the final drawing. So I went, I drew the Phantom Lung logo, the death metal logo, by hand and then. Oh, you put it upside down, sorry. Oh, I put it, yeah, I mean like. I put it, you just said that you had a gift for me.

I feel like this is a spoiler alert. So we'll tease this. I want to spend some time with this. I have to ask you some more barber story. I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm just too excited. We'll tease it. OK. You're also a rock and roll superstar.

OK, but you create music and we're going to play some of your music and we're gonna talk about it. And I apologize to everybody listening in advance. So I shared it with some FOTMs. Yeah, and I actually did receive a very nice comment from Malayan. Malan, I hope I'm saying it right, Malan, Malan. Yeah, but he said, it's pretty heavy death thrash. The bass is high in the mix in a good way, looking forward to the reveal. So we'll play it. You'll tell me about like who's producing this.

Of course, more story about your band, which is called Phantom Lungs. So we're going to cover that. I brought some haircut jams. I want to ask you like the rank them and we're going to talk about them. 100 percent. I'm sorry. I'm actually I'm pumped up. That's a good idea. I like that. That's a good idea. It's like I am a natural born content creator and I can tell. I tell we can fill up hours here but I got to get these kids to beds

we're gonna do one hour here but okay your neighborhood barbershop had to survive the pandemic do you want to give me an idea of how difficult it was for a barber shop during the cove in nineteen pandemic so to put it frankly it was fucking terrible I was like the worst thing ever. So as I said, like I came up with the idea of opening up the barber shop during the first lockdown, you know, and it was right as the first lockdown was ending was when like I signed the lease

for the barber shop and I did renovations in the shop. It was literally white walls and a floor and you see what it looks like now. I love it. You know what I love about it. So the reason I like coming to you, in addition to the fact that I get to chat with you, Andy, is that I get to see this memorabilia everywhere.

Like I mentioned, you got the Wendell Clark thing up. You got all the albums up there. In the window, it's always like different themes, but it's like retro nostalgia stuff. Right now there's a Gare Joyce book in the headwind. So Joyce is a good FOTM, like yourself now, friend of Toronto Mike. Okay. He wrote that book called Young Leafs.

Oh, really? Which you have in the window. Oh wow, cool. And you got like old, like an old bowling ball. Yeah. You just, it's just, it's just amazing to see how you deck out your windows. I want to ask you about, first tell me about

how you survived the pandemic. Yeah. So what happened was, we were just doing the renovations, everything like that. Everything was going great. We actually opened up ahead of schedule. My father, it was just me and my father. We did all the renovations. We painted, we, my dad built the stations. Yeah, it was like a father son effort. And like we had a great like bonding experience. That's sweet. It was so cute. It was adorable, I loved it.

It was a great time bonding with my father. So we opened up and we were open for 88 days before the second lockdown happened. Now, I knew opening a business during a global pandemic, people were like, are you fucking insane? Other people were like, good luck. It's mental. I'm like, yeah, but if it's not a global pandemic, people were like, are you fucking insane? Other people like, good luck. That's it's mental. I'm like, yeah, you know, if it's not a crazy idea, I don't want anything to do

with it. It's like, you know. Well, you think maybe you can get you rent this storefront property, right? Yeah. Yeah. Cheaper rent, maybe. I don't know. I just that's why I was one. Yeah, that was it. Like I I I put my foot down in negotiations for that rent and like I got like a sweetheart deal for the for like we just we just resigned the lease and it was a three year lease to start because he didn't want to because the rent was so good.

And he's, you know, and I'm like, it's during a pandemic, everything like that. So I go to a great rent. But I mean, just recently it shot up. But, you know, it happens. Basically, now we have a clientele. It's fine. But 88 days we were open and then we had to lock down. And I didn't expect a 220 day lockdown, like long job, more than double the like the first

I in the budget, like we had money aside. And if there was going to be a second lockdown, like we had like two months, you know, two months, three months, like they were like, OK, because there's no way it would be longer than that. I thought, right. Was I wrong? I lost 40 pounds in the second lockdown. So there was a positive. Oh, no, it wasn't.

I like I miss being a little fatter. Like I like I love having a little guy. But yeah, like I literally was like, do I pay rent or do I like eat and do I lose everything? You barbers got really fucked because they couldn't. You can't cut hair unless you get within six feet of somebody. Right. Yeah. It was like, so you can't put the clippers on a stick. Well, do you go to a park?

Is that allowed? Like, could you could hear in a party? That's that. That's what I was. So I was looking up loopholes on how I could cut hair. And it didn't say anything in any of the paperwork that it was like you know you couldn't cut hair like outside right you could could you could like it you just couldn't be inside a struggling small business right to do it so at first I was trying to find out loopholes I actually I went online I became an

ordained minister online and I was like, yeah, we're doing confessions and I'm gonna do like if you I toss in a free haircut for you because like churches could have Churches could have ten people in church like a per service and I'm like, I'm just gonna say this place is a church I don't know. I could have hooked you up with Ridley funeral home like you could be like yeah come come to Ridley funeral home and You'll get a haircut when you're paying your respects. And when you're dead, you can get a haircut. It's on the house. You don't you cut hair.

So there's a pavilion there at 8th and Lakeshore. That's it. That's what I did. And then it was actually Jenny from Kitchen on Six. Shout out to Jenny, the owner of Kitchen on Six. Yeah, which is now Kitchen Off Six. Off Six. Yeah, because it's on 8th. I know it's hilarious. I love it. But so she was like, Andy, like the gazebo is a part of the

What is it the better not the Better Business Bureau? It's the BIA that's it. Okay, the leg. Yeah And she's like and she's like we'd like we pay for that. Just like just use it Yeah, and I'm like, that's actually a brilliant idea. So I went and I was like, all right, yeah, I'm gonna be doing outdoor haircuts in this gazebo. And I said, I was just gonna be doing like three days a week or whatever.

And I opened up my schedule and I guess blogTO somehow saw that I posted this, that I was doing this. They may did an article about it. And I'm not even kidding you. Yeah, I would open up the schedule and I wouldn't even make a post saying, hey, schedule's open like for next week. Book book now. And instantly after opening it's like people were sitting there

refreshing, waiting like and then it was like, do do do do. Wow. OK. I have a mind blow for the listenership, which is our very own VP of sales. His name is Tyler, Tyler Campbell. So Tyler got his Campbell. Sup Tyler. Tyler got his haircut. The first time he got a haircut with you was in the pavilion at 8th and Lakeshore. So he's one of those guys who came out to get a haircut from you during the pandemic.

During the dark days. Wow. Okay. Thanks. Post pandemic. Now that things are opened up, are things improving for your neighborhood barber shop? Oh, yeah, like I mean like we have we have a steady clientele Most of the time fully booked up I'll just say the vibe is cool cuz you got you got good jams going, you know And a good songs going and you're always introducing me to new music Who's the 27 year old we listen to today? Colter wall. He's from Saskatchewan He is by far like so he released his new album

called Little Songs in June, I think it was. I found out about the, I was a big Coulter Wall fan before this album, but I was like, oh my God, he released a new album. I put it on. I am not joking you. I have listened to that album every single day since. And he's 27 seven. I think he's twenty seven, twenty eight now. OK, and he sounds like he's eighty seven. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. I mean, it's like he was born with a bottle of whiskey and two packs of du Maurier. Like, yeah, it's like, you know, so heads up, the VP of sales has an appointment to see you tomorrow at one p.m. All right, cool. So at one p.m.

when the guy's in the chair, he'll say, yeah, I watched you. Thanks, Tyler. Shout out. All right. So at 1 p.m. when the guys in the chair he'll say yeah I watched you thanks thanks Tyler shout out all right so and also let people know like if there are people in South Etobicoke who want to get their hair cut by a cool guy who's got cool stories and cool music and cool nostalgia everywhere in that barbershop like where do they go right now to book you oh just like literally go on Google and type in your neighborhood barbershop it'll pop up all the articles and all the interviews that I've done with like I was on like they had died to CBC the national piece is done on me at different times I did like the CTV CB 24. I was on CB 24 like four or five times

Yeah, like you'll be able to see all the interviews that I've done But yeah, go just type in your neighborhood barbershop into Google and then you just go to the website. It's easy to pick a time slot. Oh, yeah. Like that's one of the things that people say like the first time and they're like, that was very, very simple and straightforward to book an appointment. Yeah. Yeah.

And I know my nine-year-old wants me to book him in next week. I know. And that's like we could take walk-ins if we're not busy. But like it's best to just guarantee. Oh, is it just you cut in here at your neighborhood barber? Oh, no, I got two other barbers. I got I got Lewis and Graham Lewis. I they're both they both learned from me.

I think they're both they both started out as apprentices in the show. And yeah, yeah. So I know that feels cool knowing that, like, I'm because of my like me passing on knowledge is now like supporting other human beings. It's like it's kind of I don't think about a whole lot but I'm like that's I think that's cool. I think that's awesome. Okay let's talk about something that might not be as awesome. Let's talk about me okay. Let's talk about me for a moment here enough about you. I like you. I think you're a cool guy. And like yes, so we just came from your shop. So we uh, it's like about seven o'clock

Yep, you kind of did this thing We've been doing like for a few months now where we don't really touch the top of my hair We do this clean up around the back and the sides and then you kind of taper that in and I have no I don't know what the game plan is here Like I don't have a blueprint for this like you see a lot of hair you cut a lot of hair Oh, yeah, what the fuck am I doing? I think you're doing you I think like I think one of the things I thought about this the other day cuz you know the comedian Andrew Schultz. No, okay He's honestly legitimately one of the funniest people on planet Earth

but he um he got this haircut where there's like so it's literally a straight line like a down so we and it's just bald from here like a down so it's and it's just bald from here like halfway up just down bald and I thought about like everybody at first was just like um what the hell is that haircut and then I thought about it and I'm like there are some iconic people that are defined like like you'll be like that's that person's haircut so you know what I'm doing I'm just being me you are yeah you are having you know where this started I don't know if I told you so you are the Toronto my you used to

wear my haircut okay so I've always had a thick head of hair it's beautiful I am blessed it's a beautiful head of hair I am jealous as fuck I'm bald so I'm a bald ass but I'm gonna say you always wear a hat that's why cuz I'm bald yeah you don't I always say who cuts the barber's hair you don't I always say like who cuts the barber's hair. You don't have this I do it myself man but like Mike Mike my staff are lazy as fuck and I'm just like can you just run the the trimmings over my head? Just like just take it down to the wood basically sounds it sounds kind of ideal So I used to wear it quite short like pretty damn short

I wore it short and for years my my wife cut my hair and just cut it real short she's not an expert like you and my wife cut my hair and just cut it real short because she's not an expert like you. And then I like the COVID pandemic hits and I just like I decide I'm just going to grow it a little bit for shits and giggles. And so I started like just leaving it alone. And then Ron Hawkins from lowest to the low came over and he says, yeah, man, if you can grow it, you should show it. Like he says that sentence to me. Absolutely. For some reason it hit differently. Like I was like, like I first I have a lot of respect for Ron Hawkins, but he's not a, he's a musician, right?

Like I don't need to take like hair advice from the man, although he has cool hair. But I'm like, yeah, what happens, what's going to happen up here if I don't cut it? So for basically for a long time now, I've been leaving this completely alone, the top, and I just let it go natural, whatever it wants to do. But I like you maintaining the back and the sides. To's a good look on you. It suits you very well.

Well we'll see where it goes like we're in this we're in this together Andy so I want to say thank you for this. You're not allowed to go anywhere else so I'll find out you know. No listen now my nine-year-old is like I want in on this but he loves the ambiance of your place like he loves to look at all this stuff he was asking about the Japan-Russian War you've got that old map yeah yeah it's like a museum. It is. That's like, yeah, that's the thing. Like even like right behind my station is I have those two large canvases. That's that those were actually stolen from the Campbell Soup factory before it got torn down. Good for you. I didn't do the stealing. Let's get that out of the way. I didn't do

the stealing. I purchased it from someone who you have my blessing if you did the stealing where like like Then that's a thing like there's a lot of Etobicoke history in there There's like a lot like a lot of Toronto history things in there And you know as you said I always switch up that front display and yeah, I'm fucking dude My basement full of fucking shit. Well, let's tell the people there was during the Christmas period You added something to that Christmasy display. You added the the moose mug. Yeah. From Christmas vacation. Yeah. Gifted to you by yours truly. Absolutely. 14 at Palma's kitchen and I snagged one for you because I knew it would look amazing. I loved it. I was like this is fantastic. You got it back for next December. I hope I see it again. Oh you will. And that's one of the things too.

There are some things that are in that display that are staples. There's a lot of things like on it more than half of the stuff that gets put up more than half. I'd say like 70% or so. Yeah. Has all been stuff gifted by people in the community. Where did the old bowling ball come from that I'm looking at? So that there my one of my dad's best friends and former co-worker he runs a thing I don't know. I want to say Ancaster. I'm not too sure but a big like vintage like flea market thing So he's just like he has tons of stuff So when we were opening up and he was like so he was like, hey, I have all this stuff.

Like, do whatever you want with it. You want to sell it? And I'm like, I'm not selling any of this. I think like this is fantastic. I'm going to start I'm just going to start making this display. And then the display just got kind of out of control. I love it. Like I walk by every day. I walk the kids at school. I have way too much stuff like it's it's like like the in the in the back room. It's just like stuff stacked on other stuff. It's just like these like

80 year old antiques is like fuck. I have so much stuff like thank God I have like a trapdoor basement in there and Like just leave it down there until I'm like, what season is it? What's next? Is it? Oh Valentine's Day? Okay, let me just get like I like yeah, I've like this huge bag full of old old comic books So I'm like I'm going through it was like an Archie one. That's like an Archie comic book It's like oh, it's a Valentine's Day special or like Betty or Veronica. Which one you go with Betty or Veronica? Oh I'm gonna go Betty. I think that's a tough one. Why not both? Okay, I'm with you man Why not both, you know, I'm like a discriminator here color like I go both, you know

Betty's like supposed to be the sweeter one. Veronica is a more high maintenance, but she's got more cash to flash. So you got to make your call on that one. Okay. So Andy, here's what we've covered. We've covered that you own your neighborhood barber shop, which is like near fifth and Lake Shore. It's on Lake Shore. And we've learned that not only am I a customer, but VP of sales is a customer. Are you talking about Aberfoyles antique flea market? I there's a guess in the eye. I I don't think it's ever like, I don't know.

Maybe I can maybe text my dad. All right. And now we've learned that you are kind of responsible for whatever's happening with my head of hair, but neither of us seem to know where it's going. I think what I'm doing is I'm just, I'm going to find out where it's going. And if it ever gets to a point where it's like, this is ridiculous, I just come back to you and you cut it.

Not that hard. Like it's hair, right? It's like you can cut hair. It's not like you got me a tattoo and I'm like, oh, I don't like this tattoo, right? Right. Yeah. Yeah, because the hair grows back in the great lakes is good. And you got your palma pasta lasagna in my freezer.

Don't leave without it. I won't. I got my broken glasses this happened yesterday, so that's why I'm not wearing them right now. But you lost the arm of the. I don't lose it. I have the arm. I just like, oh, you need a little tiny like screw thing. I don't know what it needs because I can't see it. It would like when I don't have a month. So I was just like, I need to get somebody else to do it for me. I'm fucked.

If anybody can help Andy with his glasses, okay. What are your hours tomorrow? When are you in the shop tomorrow? Tomorrow is what? Saturday? 11 to 6. Okay. 11 to 6. If you drop by your neighborhood barber shop, you come in with your toolkit and fix his glasses. Somebody help me. If you do that, I'll get you a six with your tool kit and fixes glasses. Oh, you want to have it. If you do that, I'll get you a six pack of Great Lakes beer. OK, so, Andy, let me know if anybody comes in tomorrow and fixes your glasses and I'll take I'll take care of them.

This is beautiful. See, like, this is great. So you're you're a new Toronto institution, you're you're your neighborhood barber shop and Ridley Funeral Home, also a new Toronto institution. So I feel like there's a synergy there. Like get your last haircut at your neighborhood barber shop. Then when you kick the bucket, we take you over to Ridley. They take care of you. There is a measuring tape for you, Andy. Now I'm eager to get to music here, but yeah, what's this about?

Well, that's for measuring things, man. I'm sure a barber might have to measure hair. Well, how many inches you pack in there? What's going on there? Hey, I noticed you're You got the Redmond sweater on so you went to the new location No, I didn't okay the old dude. I was the last year to graduate at the old one So I'm the last year to graduate at the old Michael Power Oh my god, I graduated the very next year. My brother was still there. They moved it near Centennial Park and you're the last graduate of the original, the old father and father, John Redmond, you know, he came out of that came out of the Michael.

It's like a, it's like a spin off of my power. Yeah, right. Yeah. Michael power guy, John Redmond. Yeah. Yeah. So it's been, it all connects. Okay.

The new father, John Redmond is like white by the the Humber College. Not far from here, obviously, but that's Humber College is where they filmed Police Academy. Yeah, which is insane when you like, you know, you know about the whole basement tunnels there. I actually on a doors open. I did the basement tunnels. I got the tour. Oh really? They were doing tours. Yeah. You got, yeah. We just broke in. We just broke in. I got the tour. I mean, I did it. Somebody else did. And then, well, it was a, what did they call that? A psychiatric hospital. But there were sometimes they called it the terrible names like lunatic asylum. Yeah. Yeah. The Mimico psychiatric hospital. Fascinating. Yeah. Okay. Shout out to, you know, uh, high tower in Mahoney and all these guys from a police academy. Common Don Lathard. He was a guy in charge at the,

uh, the police academy. Okay. So we're going to get to your music, but before I play any of this music and I'll do my warning that it'll make your ears. Yeah, I'll bring it down and then people I have, like I said, Milan loved it. So some people like what's it called? Death thrash. What is the genre? So the genre, that's the fucking thing is like there's so many different aspects of music. Like I've been listening to, like, you know, heavy.

I might. I've been on a search basically since I was in grade five or like to just, you know, I want the heaviest, loudest, most aggressive music. And I don't, yeah, like I've just been like, you know, like my favorite band when I was in grade like five, six was Pantera. I like, and I was just like, like I was going to concert. I only know Wok. Oh man, dude, you're so, dude, that just, ugh. You know, I was a big fan of Pantera. I'll just shout her out.

Cause I just thought today we decided she's got to come back in the next month. Biff naked. Yeah, I love her too. Yeah, I don't know. She lives in Mimico. Does she really? And next time you have it, it's like like just tell me she's going in the calendar in March, she's going to be here mid March.

Let's let me say hi. Take a little selfie with it. I'd be great. I'd love that. I can arrange that. Yeah. OK, I think she's great. Yeah, love that. I can arrange that. Yeah. Okay. I think she's great. Yeah. She's amazing. But she loves Pantera. I just thought of her because she kicked out the jams

and she kicked out Pantera. But please continue to tell me about your musical voyage. So basically you decided in grade five, Bon Jovi just isn't hard enough for you. No, no. And that was the thing like when like growing up, my mom and dad, whenever like we go on a road trip or whatever, they'd have their variety of music it was wild one. What kind of music would

they listen to? So it would go from like honestly like ABBA and the Bee Gees and then like and they would be like Def Leppard and Motley Crue like I know pretty much like every one that's gonna make it feel good. I know I know every single I know that dude that was actually amazing. Don't go away mad. Just go away, dude. Just do yeah like that They had ripped sweet. That was yeah Yeah, like this I like I know every word to the sticks greatest hits out I know every single word to the the Def Leppard greatest hits. I like I Yeah, like that was so,

that's kind of how it started at like ACDC, the Thunderstruck album. Okay, yeah. Dude, that one's incredible. But like, that intro is, one of the greatest intros of all time. But not heavy enough for you. It's not heavy enough for me, right?

I love this story because you're like a guy who like, you're eating the Five Alarm Chili or whatever, and you're It's not heavy enough for me. Right. I love this story because you're like a guy who like you're eating the five alarm chili or whatever and you're like, I need I need something spicier. Like your life is basically I need that heavier sound because this ACDC weak ass wussy music isn't doing it for me. Yeah. No, I mean, I wouldn't say what's the ass, right? But like Black Sabbath, you listen to Black Sabbath. Yeah. You're like this is elevator music. No way. No, but Black Sabbath is like, you know, one of the

like, like when you listen to Black Sabbath in like fourth or fifth grade, it was just like, this is sick. This is so heavy. But then like, and then you hear like, you know, Silver Chair's freak show album. And then you hear Pantera like the vulgar display of power that was the first album I listened to by Pantera I was like blown away like then like Metallica then Slayer and then Slipknot and then like Wade and Bleed is too melodic though right you're like this is too much singing in it so yeah yeah that's the only one I ever heard on the radio with Wade and Bleed. Yeah that was like that was their first like that was their first single like that was their first

Which good jam, okay, and they owe and then that guy had the stone sour side project Yeah, like like acoustic. Yeah, I'm stuff like no there was some heavy songs I'm a stuff from some some sour. Yeah, man, dude Oh, yeah, you brother and then the other one that was a big radio hit Yeah, that was like he had like a softer tracks got popular, but like if you listen to the album you're like, oh wow that's heavy as shit. Okay, but not heavy enough for you. Like so what is your genre of choice? Thank you. That's where we're spinning back. So this is, so this is, it's it's grindcore. Grindcore. Yeah, so grindcore

is basically, so one of the nicknames for it is anti-music. So, it's like, do you want a chorus? No. Yeah, go fuck yourself. It's just like, 90% of the drums are just blast beats like... For the FOTM listening. Sorry, I know it keeps falling. I was banging on the table. For the FOTM listening, like Grindcore is such that Midtown Gord considers it too loud. It's too much. Okay, so yeah it is it's too much

It's like it's it's it's it's basically created to push any Boundaries, oh, I feel like we've teased enough. Let's listen to some so phantom lung is your band When did you like are you the creator the starter? Did you join it? Like tell me the phantom lungs Oh, I'll there's um, there's five four years ago. I believe I went and My my friend will shut out will warford It's a good name. He like he grew up just down the street for me And he was one of the guys like he's one of the best guitarists I've ever met my life and

One of the greatest human beings you'll ever meet in your life He's a he's a military veteran war hero as well. Did some tours. I know he was in Afghanistan with my brother actually. Yeah, so I know wild. Like literally like in Afghanistan, my brother's like on the base and then he like looks over and like he sees Will and it was Will's last day, my brother brother's first day in Afghanistan they ran into each other and then my brother said Will wake up when they talked and then all Will said to my brother goes

you're gonna have a bad time dude yeah yeah so um so yeah Will was um me and Will we went out for a couple drinks and we were hanging out and he goes he literally says to me he goes dude he's like you're fucking depressing me right now I was going through a bad time okay so he's like we're hanging out and he goes, he literally says to me, he goes, dude, he's like, you're fucking depressing me right now. I was going through a bad time. So he's like, you're fucking depressed me. He's like, you need to start making music again. And then he literally gifted me a seven string Ibanez guitar. And he was like, here you go, start writing music again, because you're fucking great at it. And I was like, I can't not. So it literally started because I was like, I can't like not do this now.

Like if I don't release now, he will, he's gonna be like, so what are you doing with that guitar, huh? So yeah, I started writing music and then I started, so I literally write every single second of music. I went in the studio, I do every instrument in the studio. You're the Dave Grohl of this operation. Yeah, I guess you could say that. I guess you could say that. I guess you could say that.

So yeah. Or Billy Corgan, if you will. Yeah. Oh, wait, what's his name? Cause Billy Corgan. Who's the dude from Queen's of the Stone Age? Josh Holman. Yeah, that's a, I feel like I resonate more with him.

Speaking of Dave Grohl, because they did a lot of stuff. They did, man. Yeah. So I went and like, that's how basic phantom started. I started writing, I started writing the music. I started recording recording it and then I just kind of had it like on my laptop I wasn't telling anybody about it and then I was like I'm like I'm like I'm actually kind of really proud of this So I started sending it off to people and one of the people I sent it off to was Scott Middleton from cancer bats The original like the guitarist of and the guy who wrote there's a. There's a name? Scott Minnleton from Cancer Bats.

He actually masters all of Phantom Lungs music as well. Wow. So, and like I sent it off to him and I was just like, yo, what do you think of this? He goes, is this, is this your new band? Like who's in it? And I was like, just, just me? And he goes, what the fuck? And then he was like, well, no, like, like who's doing this?

He said, I'm like, that's all me. It's all you. This is all you. Yeah. So I got five songs. Yeah. What song should we play right now? Do we want to go all in? And do you like I think you should play more than one, but we need the intro song. What is the you decide?

You know what? I think we should go all in. Like one of the most intense, you know, OK, let's play one off the new album. Do you have like which do you have the song Trauma Bond? No, here's what I have loaded up. Yeah. Leave no doubt. Okay. Heal.

Yeah. The idle mind is the devil's playground. Yeah. So yeah, so like I have a. The first album. In you, how do you say that word? And we. And we.

I found out how to pronounce that last week. Okay, I was saying annoy. Okay, and we and we yeah, I should know that now, which of these five songs you want me to you know what? I think we should start with with Heal just because it is that like that's the most probably intense song on that album and like just saying so. Okay, so we're going to everybody here's your warning. Okay, I'm going to play this and it's these are short songs I'm gonna play this in its

entirety it's like a minute 27 yes one of you that's one of the things about grindcore I'm playing the whole fucking thing so I'm gonna enjoy my beer and I'm gonna listen but I am bringing down the fader because I think it'll like it starts out yeah yeah here we go this is heel from Phantom lung and Phantom lung is my man here, Andy the Barber. Hi. ["Phantom Lung"] Wow, Andy! Wow! Wow, Andy, wow! Wow! Andy, I have questions. Okay. I have so many questions. Okay. So are there words in that

song? Oh yeah. You're not just grunting like a like a like a bore. No, no. Like that's um, yeah. Fucking heavy. I get told all told all the time like cuz I posted all the lyrics up on our bandcamp page and like No, these books actually like really fucking good like they're they're they're done. You can't make them out You can't make out the lyrics one of the point that's one of the things about record being anti music, right? I mean time music. Yeah, so it's like grass. So it's like grindcore death metal thrash metal hardcore. Wow It's all like yeah It's there's a big mix different What happened to you that made you seek this out like because there I will tell you for an untrained ear like like literally this morning

You're like this I was listening to Neil Young. Okay. Yeah, and then I hear this and it's like a wall of sound Yeah, like there's no melody and I'm not shitting on it. No, no there's I don't want melody That's the anti-melted like fuck your melody. Fuck the lyrics you on it. No, no, I don't want melody. That's the anti-melody. Fuck your melody. Fuck the lyrics you can hear. Yeah. You know, this is Grindcore. Fuck you, you don't need to listen to it. I don't give a shit, right?

Wow, I love it. That's anti-music. That's it, yeah. There's no melody. But there are people who seek this out. Yeah, oh, absolutely. It's a very dedicated, underground fan base that's growing. That song, Wade and Bleed, sorry, by. Like it's a very dedicated, like, like underground fan base. It's growing. That's song made way to bleed.

Wade and bleed. Sorry, by Slipknot. It's like a nursery rhyme compared to that. It's elevator music compared to this song I just played called Heel. Yeah, like, wow, wow. So any all those parts are you everything there is you. Yeah, I wrote every single second of that, like recorded everything. Yeah. OK. Yeah. Me and shutter to Adrian McCann, who is the he he's the Yeah, I wrote every single second of that like recorded everything. Yeah. Okay. Yeah me and

Shout out to Adrian McCann who is he he's the he's the like engineer and mixer of everything that every song and album that we've done and then when we're done with that We send it off to Scotty Middleton for mastering. So those are the guys from the cancer bats. Yes. Okay big deal Now what is your most melodic song? I know you're anti music and there is no melody or whatever, but is there, like, what's the most, uh, of those five songs I mentioned, we just played Heel. That's a heavy fucking song. Yeah.

Wow. Okay. Pairs nicely though with my burst. Okay. I will say. Now, if I were going to play a little bit, what is, do you have, are all your songs just kind of that aggressive? No.

Um, so like night, like most of them, of them yes, but if you're gonna play another one that's like a little bit different, so like most of the songs I read like are around like the 160, 180 beats per minute, right? By the way, I feel like I'm out of breath, like my heart rate, my heart was beating out of my chest. Yeah, that's like, that's what I'm going for. I like, I want raw emotion. But also I can't hear you anymore, what I'm going for. I like I want I want raw emotion. But also I can't hear you anymore. Like I'm gone deaf. I was like on this fader trying to bring it down. I'm like, oh, can I drop this 90 seconds on the listenership and then like not worry about the fact that the eardrums will be shattered here? Okay. So shout out one of these other songs.

Because I have more popular songs regarding haircuts. I want to play absolutely. Yeah, so I think I think what we should do So I that's in my opinion the most intense song, right? Hey, I'm gonna play with it. So this now next song in a wee in wee and we and we So that's on there is much much slower, but it's a lot It's a lot more like darker kind of. Really? So that heel was like the feel good, happy, go lucky. It's sunny outside, go for a stroll. Absolutely.

Right. Yeah. Now we're going to hear the darker song. This one's just like, so this song doesn't have any blast beats in it. It doesn't. It's not a fast, it's a very slow, still like you're going to hear how heavy it is. Like, okay, man, it's probably the heaviest song that we have this. So that heel was not your heaviest song.

We're going to hear it's not heavy to me. That song is just like, that's how you're, how you hear music. Like it isn't, it's interesting. Like, can you listen to, I don't know, James Taylor, like, can you shut it down and listen to a ballad? There's no, okay. There's a song that's on, um on on our newest album. It's called redemption through sin and I didn't steal anything. Okay, we'll say that. But like that song, the the riffs that are in like the guitar riffs that are in that song are all based around Dick

Dale. And yeah, like it's all human Pul all human pulp fiction surf rock and Motown actually There's like who are the Supremes the platters There are literally like parts and no songs that I hear and I'm like, oh my god You just down to that like down to not it just like okay. So let's do a little bit I won't do the whole thing. Yeah Little and you and we and then we'll bring it down and we'll talk and then if you want to. Of course. But that song you just mentioned, if it's on YouTube, I can play it.

Is it on it's on every single major streaming platform? It's on every platform. OK, so here's a little bit of N. We by Phantom Lung. This is for Milan. plan. The meaning of the last breath Like man was living for greed Just like the end of the tunnel I'll see the light of day What were you saying there? Shivering in the heat of the moment

Nightmares while living the dream Thisivering in the heat of the moment. Nightmares while living the dream. This light at the end of the tunnel won't ever see the light of day. Love it. It's lovely stuff. I'll be singing this to the seven-year-old when I put her to bed after this.

Perfect. Nightmares. The dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark, that's on the album. Okay. So yeah, this song fades out but then it has a sample from one of the most fucked up documentaries I've ever seen in my entire life. I think if I really wanted to change I could. I'm just afraid and I'm not really sure what I want. But it's very hard to do something that you really have faith in like a society and to lose faith in it. And it puts your head through some changes when you keep seeing things that look wrong

and more things that look wrong and less things that look good. And I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important.

I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important. I think that's the thing that's really important. really have faith in like a society and to lose faith in it and it puts your head through some changes when you keep seeing things that look wrong and more things that look wrong and that things that look right and you don't think you're really wrong but then when you're talking to your family or someone trying to find out really and show them why you think the way you do and like they all say you're crazy you know how can you think like that? And the documentaries that from its documentary called Winter Soldier. And it's all the entire documentary is.

So it's news media interviewing of Vietnam war vets and about all the atrocities that they were basically forced to do during Vietnam. And these stories are fucking like they make you angry, they make you feel sick, they make you like it makes you fucking like you become depressed while watching this, because like it's like these people like these soldiers were basically like brainwashed by their commanders, by their government to slaughter like they would they would walk in like I don't want to give too many of it away because I think

I literally think everyone should watch this to see like have a fucking big time reality check they'd walk in and like they would start like murdering children and then setting all the fucking all their houses on fire like every house in the village that's fucked up it's fucked up right and like then it was the thing the entire time they were just sitting there and they were like they didn't think anything wrong of it they were like that's what they're convinced to do and that's what they're forced to do wow that's what they're forced to do. Yeah, so I remember that gentleman in particular, when I watched that for the first time,

and I was like, I was getting shivers down my spine. And when he says, for example, it's the, you keep seeing things that look wrong and more things that look wrong and less things that look right, and you don't think you're really wrong. But then when you're talking to your family and you tell them why you think the way that

you do they all say you're crazy how can you think like that and there's a lot of things that I think about were like and like my parents are like are you fucking insane I think I might be yeah cuz they're looking for ABBA and you're giving them Ennui there okay so did you Waterloo is one of the greatest songs ever written by the way I love that that song That's why it makes me feel shit, dude That song is amazing. Just speed it up a little bit. Yeah, you know, that's a blast beats on Yeah, so palate cleanser time. So I will hunt that song at the end crack it on the mic Another Great Lakes beer. That's another logger for Andy the barber your neighborhood barber shop all FOTM

She'd go there to get their hair cut. He's a good guy. Tyler will be there tomorrow. Give me money, please. What is it? A hundred and fifty bucks for a haircut. How much you charge for a haircut there? God damn it. No, I mean, sometimes I should. But no, it's just 40 bucks for a haircut. 40 bucks sounds reasonable.

If you're if it's a kid under the age of 10, it's 30 bucks. OK, and then I have my. So I have my other barber, Graham. He is like he just got promoted from his apprenticeship. He's not a full on senior barber, but like he right now his haircuts like probably one of the best deals in the city is it's like 30 bucks for a haircut from him. All right. And you're that guy's attention to detail is is remarkable. And I suggest like, I don't like don't even book it with me book it with Graham. Like, And I suggest like I don't like don't even poke it with me poke it with Graham like well You're too self book it with book two haircuts one half of the head for Andy one half for Graham. That's it sounds good Okay, so palate cleansers. I'm gonna play some more like songs that I think more mainstream songs Yeah, I consider these these are three great haircut jams, and we're gonna talk about these songs And then you're gonna rank them in

Order of your your favorite of these three haircut jams, and to your least favorite of these three. You guys ready? I cannot wait actually. Stop it! I'm gonna make notes while I'm doing that. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, like a puzzle hitmen wearing muzzles hesitate to die look around around the second drummer drowned his telephone is down this is all right 1994 this is of, this is, of course, this is Pavement.

Their biggest hit, Cut Your Hair. What do you think of this jam from Pavement? It's a well-written song, but it doesn't hit with me, you know? Yeah, I mean, you know the music I listen to at the shop all the time, right? Like it's eclectic. But I don't know if this one would find its way onto the work playlist.

It's the right message though, cut your hair. Yeah. There's a question in the live stream. What do you think of Nirvana's Floyd the Barber? Have you ever heard that jam? I haven't heard that song in particular. Maybe like me, if I heard it, I would probably like, oh I know this song, but I write off the back, off the top of my head. I can't picture that song. I dig this pavement song. Not a big pavement guy. I know of FOTM Hall of Famer, Cam Gordon, big pavement fan, but I just go to the big hit. That's how pathetic I am, Andy, but you got cooler

taste in music than I do. But cut your hair. I don't that, but... Hey, with all the money you're raking in, owning a barber shop in Toronto, it's like printing money, right Andy? No, no, absolutely not. Life is a struggle, my friend. Life is a struggle, but when you do have some cash collected, you'll want to invest that money wisely. So I'm just telling you, Andy the barber, there is a podcast you can subscribe to called

the Advantage Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada. And whether you already work with a trusted financial advisor or currently manage your own investment plans, the Advantage Investor provides the engaging wealth management information you value as you pursue your most important goals. So I'm going to let Pavement take us out and then another one. I like the outro hits. Oh fucking right dude. I'm like, this is... I don't even need to hear the third song. This is number one. This is on the work playlist.

Alright, yeah. Great song. Like I can hear that and turn like a... and then and then and then it turn in it right like I'll hear a riff like that it's so simple and I could turn that into like a death metal grand court riff easy yeah this is Beck everybody back from from Odellay and it's a great fucking song back rules dude like I fucking love back so much and a band that's like, I guess you can kind of compare them to in a little bit is Cake.

I love Cake. The food and the band. So you do like some mainstream music. Yes, absolutely. Powerable, radio-friendly, unit shifters. I got, I have some guilty pleasures. All right, I'll tell you that right now. What's the guiltiest, I mean, Waterloo,

is that the guiltiest of your, I don't even know if that is a guilty pleasure. I'm not gonna say right now. What's the guiltiest? I mean Waterloo is that the guiltiest of your pleasure? I don't even know that is a guilty pleasure. I'm not gonna say it's not. I'm not guilty. I will flaunt it. I love that. Okay I get made fun of for saying I love this song. I can't, I think I can't pop. I think it's called I don't care. I love it. I fucking love that song. I think it's perfect. I don't know who sings that but I do know that song. And then um, oh my god. Okay, there's another song. I can't, I don't remember who wrote it. I thought it was a Fall Out Boy song forever. Probably honestly My Chemical Romance. I love

My Chemical Romance dude. Like, I think that band is remarkable. And I'm not ashamed of it. Now, there is hip hop elements in this song. You ever listen to hip hop? Oh, my God. Yeah, dude, like I'm a huge, huge big L fan. Like I have Wu Tang on the on the podcast Ghostface Killer. He's one of my favorites. You have, you know, I listed a lot of Tribe Called Quest as well at the shop. We got Kendrick Lamar, I think right now is tribe called Quest as well at the shop. We got, um, go Kendrick Lamar.

I think right now is, um, like number one in the rap world that they like, and most people will agree. I feel then you got, um, obviously Biggie. Um, I'm more of a biggie guy than a two pot guy for sure. What do you think of the mural? Not far from you at the bakery, the red moon bakery, the mural of Biggie and two pack doesn't make sense to me, but you know what, Pachino's in there from Scarface why and a Godfather. Right. And make sense to me, but you know what? Pagino's in there from Scarface.

Why? And a godfather. Right. And then there's a gentleman, a South Asian gentleman who I don't know his name either, but Moose, I think? He's got the name as Moose? I think, yeah. If I heard it, I'd be like, yeah, that's it.

But he was shot. He was gunned down in India. Right, but he's like a Brampton guy. Yeah, yeah was shot, he was gunned down in India. Right, but he's like a... From Brampton. Brampton guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was from Brampton and he was there in India and like... But you know, they took away the gun, like he had a gun.

That was poor taste, you know. I thought it was a poor taste, but... And that's it, like I don't get, I mean... I don't get the mural really, but like, you know, I'm if it's his wall, he can do whatever the fuck he wants with it. And I support that. I can't do anything he wants of it because it's like a public facing wall. But I guess he did remove the gun.

Yeah, which was a good. I don't mind this mural. I know there's people I've talked to because I go to Mimico Arena every week and there's people who hate the mural. This is the thing though, like the guy that was painting it, okay, like the artist that was commissioned to do it, like because of all like the guy that was painting it, okay, like the artist that was commissioned to do it Like because of all like the press that it got and like and how because of how we're fucking just weird and it is The guy that was painting it I walked up to him while he was doing it while he was doing the painting I'm like, hey man, I guess you didn't expect this and he like kind of took a step back and he was like

He's like, oh and I'm like, what he's like all people are like like threatening me while I'm painting this thing And I'm like, I'm, dude, what the fuck? I'm like... Because it glorifies. It doesn't glorify gun violence. I don't think it glorifies it, but like, you know, you have two big guys. Like, I think what? Every single person in that mural was gunned down. Yeah. Right?

Yes. Right? So kind of fucked up, but... Well, I mean, the Godfather died of natural causes as an old man playing with his grandson, eating the oranges, remember? He's got the orange in his mouth. He didn't have gun violence, but he was shot and then he made it through. Okay, let's listen to this song a bit. They took one look at me and said, oh my god. Get a haircut and get a real job. Get a haircut and get a real job.

George Thorogood, Get a Haircut. Have you heard this jam? I have not. I kind of dig it, though. Over the last few years, I used to hate country music because that's what you know. Oh, you think this is country? I don't think it's country

It's like a bluesy country rocker. Maybe but more yeah I like there's a country flavor so yeah, it definitely has the country like flair I wouldn't say it's like exactly a full country like I mean we the bad to the bone guy, but but but but but but Yeah, I did not know that yeah Yeah, I never heard this one before but like yeah like yeah, like, this is like, obviously if I'm going to rank the three. Yeah, yeah. So now it's time to rank the three. So let me just revisit here. Okay. Yeah. Pavements cut your hair. Becks, Devil's haircut and George Thorogood's get a haircut in order from your least favorite to your favorite. Pavements number three. Okay. Okay. Pavement cut your hair. Pavement number three. Okay, okay.

Pavement. Cut your hair. Number three. Number three. Now we have Mr. Thoroughgood here. Get a haircut by George Thoroughgood. Okay. What's your favorite?

Back number one. Okay. Okay. Like not even close. Yeah. Have you ever had a celebrity walk into your neighborhood barber shop for a haircut? Yeah, actually a couple. So I had, um, so, Dark Guy.

Okay, so, Dark Guy is an FOTM. Yeah, so Dark Guy, um, him and I are like really, really good friends. But where does he live? He lives now in London. He moved to London. He was in Guelph before, then he moved to London with his girlfriend. This is a big celebrity, Dark Guy.

Yeah. You know what I dare say? Dark Guy is a big fucking deal. Toronto folklore, man. Like that guy, like, and this is the thing about him is that man is the greatest person. Like, I know, like, he's like Dark Guy and his, and his, uh, so Jason Maslachow, that's his, that's his real name. Okay.

So it's Jason. And we, um, he came over, name, okay? So it was Jason. And he came over with his girlfriend and had Thanksgiving supper with my family. Wow. That's how close we are. And then we have Trevor Wilson from the Teal television show, Letter Kenny. So I can tell you that there's some FOTMs

that are, they call themselves D gens They're huge fans of letter Kenny and this is these are people from the produce stand Oh, yeah, I like you know you listen to the produce stand the produce daily. It's a podcast Oh, no, I didn't know there was like the Al Grego is behind this project and Huge letter Kenny fans. So who is this person from letter Kenny that they play squirrely dance? So he's the big guy with the overalls. I know this name because some guy who co-hosts the produce stand took the name Squirrely Matt after Squirrely Dan.

Squirrely Dan, yeah. Wow. So he's the big guy who adds the S's to the ends of every sentence. Yeah. So he, him and I go way back and... This is a big deal to many people yes really Dan he came in I cut I cut his hair and gave him a beard trim the day before his wedding like I gave him his wedding haircut and that's a lot of responsibility yeah you get nervous if you know you're cutting the hair for a guy's wedding yeah oh my god yeah it

was just like to add to that I broke my fucking hand the day before okay that's tough for us so I had I literally cut hair and gave him a beard trim, like while wincing with a broken hand. Like, yeah. So I didn't tell him I broke my hand. I'm like, he's going to be like, I don't know if you should do this. But Trevor Wilson was the first haircut that I gave- K Trevor Wilson?

K Trevor Wilson, yeah. Wow. Yeah, K Trev, yeah. Okay, so these names you're dropping, Squirly Dan Lee dark guy. These are big celebs Toronto Mike is right there though, right number three right up there. Yeah Sales. All right, Andy amazing. Okay, so I love that you like you started a barber shop and it's you know It's tough in to start a new business no matter what it is, but barber shop That's got to be tough

But you made it through the pandemic like I feel in in some regards, like if you can make it through that, you can make it through anything. Yeah, like, OK, so this is gonna be like a little weird, but yeah, it was one of those things like it was so it was during the second lockdown, as I said, it was 220 days. And at this point, like, I was I was losing weight and fucking crazy because I was I gave up eating to like so I can like, you know, save money and pay rent.

I'm like, I can't fucking do this anymore. Like I went through a severe, severe depression. But you can't stop eating. I had to. I had to like I had to like it's you like I wish I knew that I'd be sneaking you some lasagna. It's either I it's either I eat or like I lose my business. And at that point, I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready I wasn't ready

to take because like and that was the thing because I opened during the global pandemic I didn't receive a cent of government funding like about government assistance because they're like oh you need sales records dating back to March and I'm like well I opened up in like late August so they were like you're fucked so all those all those grants that they were giving out and like loans to small businesses I didn't qualify for. So everything was coming out of my pocket and it was it was fucking hell on earth. I was getting really depressed. I was having some bad thoughts.

OK, and then I was sitting there and I'm like, I'm like, as I said, I was like the darkest place point in my life. And I was like, I was like, do I just take my own life? If we're like, like, wait, Andy, are you serious? You contemplated the absolute. Absolutely. Right. Like because the business was suffering during the pandemic, because like it's like I don't like failure for me. Like and I was like, I'm like, this is like it's going to be a failure.

I have to close my. I know. I know. You know what? Like I haven't talked about this. It's good to get it out. Like because therapy, I'm going to say an invoice for this therapy. Like like men need to talk about their fucking feelings. Of course. OK, so I'm going to just do that now on a fucking grand scale. Let's do it. However. So what happened was I was sitting, I was laying in bed, like having dark, dark

thoughts, and then I thought I remember. So my grandparents on my mom's side, they're Polish. They met in a concentration camp. My grandparents fucking met in a concentration camp, right? And I'm sitting there and I'm like, and then I thought like, and I was like, whoa, if I did something that wild, like imagine if I went and met them up in heaven.

And then they're like, so wait, there was a, they just closed your business down for a little bit, like that's why you're here. Like, do you know what we survived? Do you know what we toughed it out through the fucking concentration camp? And I'm like, I couldn't look them in the eye if I went up. It's like, oh, I did. So that's literally the real like I was like, I'm like, there's no fucking way.

Like, I'm going to tough tough through this. And I ended up it was that like when I had that thought, it was like, I'm not going to go if my grandparents can survive the fucking Holocaust, then I can survive this fucking lockdown. This is peanuts compared to that. So then that night, it was like, I literally had $7 left in my bank account. And I'm like, how the fuck am I gonna pay rent in a week?

And I ended up starting up a GoFundMe to be like, if anyone has any spare dollars, please help a brother out. And I set the goal at first to just like, I, 2000 bucks, which would cover a month of rent and like a couple, like a, you know, portions of bills, because things, those were getting out of control. I was still getting hydro bills with a really closed business, right? So that piece said like, you know,, I started to go fund me and then it reached, it hit the $2,000 goal in, I think, like, I think like an hour and a half. People just like piled in and then I was like,

okay, I'm like, and I raised it and I was like, let me do like two months because I don't know how much longer this, and then another hour and a half later, I hit that goal. And then it exceeded the goal and it kept going and it kept going and then it ended and a half later, I hit that goal. And then it exceeded the goal and it kept going and it kept going and then it ended up getting up to, I think like just over $9,000. And my ask was five.

Because of the fact of everything I've done in this community, I helped other businesses grow. So I said, I'm not gonna bite off more than I can chew here. I'm not gonna fucking get greedy about this. I'm like, I'll take what, what how much two months of rent is. And then with everything over that, I was like, I took I split it up and was like handing it out to other businesses to help them pay their bills because it wasn't just me. Right.

So I ended up handing out like, you know, three, four thousand dollars to like other businesses, like not like, you know, like, I think three, four hundred dollars here, three of like. And yeah, like I'd send like I'd get into the account I just send up like what's your email I want to help you out so so yeah I was just like sending off like you know just helping them because again it's not about me everyone else was dealing with it and I'm like I kind of felt like like I shouldn't be the only one that like is receiving like I I asked for what I asked for

Anything above that I'll be sharing with other struggling businesses We will never fully appreciate the psychological Despair caused by this shut down this global pandemic like down like hearing your story there Well, you're you're you're actually because your business is suffering because you can't cut hair because of, you know, rules surrounding COVID-19. Whatever your thoughts are on it. Yeah. You were, you were right. Those are the rules and you were hearing to the rules.

You were considering death as an alternative. Yeah. Yeah. The most permanent solution to a short term problem. Again, I was in a dark spot. Yeah. You know, I was in a dark spot. I didn't like you. I had no idea.

Yeah, no, I don't talk about it. Like nobody does. Everyone, everyone's like, and that's the other like, you know, it's like you're always so happy. You're always joking around, blah, blah. And then like I don't like people be like, you're in a death metal band. Like, right. Like, yeah, like, I mean, just, just all like all you see is on the surface

a lot of time, but like, you know, when you're in the dark place and by the way, you talking to anybody like you, uh, you speaking to any therapists or anybody? No, no. Um, fuck. Like I ended up, I called cam H like, that's a good start. Like I felt like an emergency department at cam eight. Yeah, I felt like I felt an emergency department at Kami. Yeah, I do. I felt worse after calling them. Oh, no. Yeah.

Yeah, they're like, like, well, really? Yeah, there's like, well, you could make an appointment. And I'm like, no, I'm dealing with it right now. Like, I'm in a bad spot. I was like uncontrollable. I was like crying. We have a new hotline, right? I don't even know.

I got to Google the number here. But there's like a 980. I can't remember now. I don't want to give the mental health in this country is not looked at. It does not get the fucking love and care and like financial backing that I feel like it deserves, especially like because this pandemic fucked people up like more so than you. They like, as I said, I cut 15 different heads of hair a day and I talked to, I have 15 different conversations for half an hour with these individuals. And people are way more fucked. I hear stories from like, I have like, so example, like I-

988 by the way, I was right. So 988 is a suicide crisis helpline. Like next time you're feeling like doing anything like that, like hurting yourself or literally just call 9 8 8 yeah like i've had like i one of the things so i went to school at hummer college um south campus or north south right here yeah yeah right yeah right here by the new father uh father john redmond and uh so i went to school and I have my diploma in social service work. And like, yeah, like, I, I can talk to people that are in a crisis and like in help. Well, that's why you're a good barber, you know, how to talk to your people. Yeah. And like, and like,

the skills transcend. But like that being said, like social service workers do not fucking get paid not even close to what they should. Like that, the burnout in that industry is insane. You are talking with like, either like mentally ill, physically ill, developmentally delayed. I worked in a place for not long, I didn't work there for long, but it was like, it was literally kids,

like teenagers that were they did this like kind of like a halfway house while they were waiting for trial for like doing like fucked up shit and it was like that I'm like you like it's even though that these kids were in high school and shit like they're younger than me like wild cards and like unhinged right and like those kids need help like yeah there's it's a crisis there's a big mental health crisis and it doesn't get anywhere near enough financial and you know eyes on it we need to like men especially with men you know being

ending the stigma right like where we've come a long way, baby, but there's so much further to go here. It's not. It hasn't even it hasn't even fucking come to a head, you know, like like I I've talked and I'm like, this is one of the things that I'm most proud of in my life. Like fuck the barbershop, fuck the band, all of that. I don't care about that.

I will I will I'll call I'll lock up my shop right now. Throw a key in the sewer. I don't give a shit if the amount of friends of mine and people I know that I've talked out of that dark, you know, on the edge, like from doing something that's, like you can't come back from, I can happily, proudly say it, like that is what I'm most proud of.

I've saved a well over, I'm not saying I saved but like I I helped out a lot of like well over a dozen friends and people that I know out of some of the darkest moments of their life and like that is what I am personally most proud of like in my entire life that there as I said fucked up our fucked the band fuck all my accomplishments that I have that there I had my drummer of my band when I was 19 years old. He, um, he wrote, he wrote his motorcycle into it, into a truck and he killed himself. The drummer of my band. Yeah. Matt Roback. And that fucking dude, that, that ruined me. And then shortly after that,

I had a friend of mine and she died of a drug overdose. And I, and then like, you know, I had a cousin of mine and she died of a drug overdose and I then like you know I had a cousin of mine he died of a drug overdose he was younger than me that would fucked me up bad and then a kid that I so her name was Charlotte she babysit me and then I babysit her sons and then when her like one of her sons like I again a, I used to babysit people, all people younger than me, all like dropping like flies. And that, that kills me, man. Like that, like I don't want anyone to ever, you know, deal with that. I don't want fail. I don't want ever want parents to like bury their kids. And I, and I can happily proudly say like

I've talked a lot of people off that ledge and that is what I'm most proud of in my life. Well I'm processing this in real time but I thought the heaviest thing on this episode was going to be the phantom lung music I was going to play. No, no. Okay, no man. That was the, that was the, uh, she's come undone. And this is the heavy stuff right here. Mental health crisis.

It's in my family. I know people, I love people who are suffering and afflicted and I'm telling you, we're just kind of starting to catch up. At least I can give you three numbers now like nine, eight, eight. I can tattoo that on my brain. Call nine, eight, eight. If you're in a crisis, I did not know that was a thing. So yeah, thank you. Thank you. That's a new thing man, you know, and it's about time We have you know, three numbers 9 8 8, you know This is a crisis and this is an epidemic across the board and I'm glad you're here man. You're cutting hair

You're cutting my hair. I won't go to another barber and he's my fucking barber. That's it. And he's my barber We're right or die baby. You're there. You're there. And make sure you take care of my VP of sales, Tyler Campbell, tomorrow at one o'clock. I'll give him a skull it. Don't worry. Yeah. Give me the old Hulk Hogan balled up on top long in the back. I did not know, man. I'm glad you opened. I'm glad you had the, uh, the, the, I wasn't expecting us to go there today. Well, you don't know where you're going when you get on Toronto mic. You don't know where you're going. I didn't yet. I didn't like, I didn't know listening to go there today. Well, you don't know where you're going when you get on Toronto, Mike. You don't know where you're going. I didn't. Yeah, I didn't like that. People listening that that story will resonate with them and they'll be like, I've felt that way.

I'm glad you share more than more than you think. Some of the strongest fucking people that you know, when they're at home by themselves, they're in a dark, dark spot like more like you would have no idea. There are people I know that like they're the strongest. Like I'm like, there's no motherfucking way they did that. There's no way that they attempted that because, because they put on a front right in public when they're with you and stuff. They put on that. I don't, I don't want to say Robin Williams type deal,

but you kind of, that's the first thing you might think about, but you put on that happy go. I'm a happy, funny guy. I love life. And then you don't know what they're dealing with. Dude, like yeah, like those are the people that you probably need to fucking worry about the most. But you would never know. You'll never know.

Because they're not gonna disclose that. Like they are the way that they are because they don't want other people to feel what they feel. Sometimes you think it's this is a line from The Wire, my favorite show. Fuckin' The Wire, dude. I love The Wire, dude. Sometimes you think it's one way, but it's the other. I actually thought I'm going to talk to the guy who just cut my hair. I'm going to go to 5th and Lakeshore. I'm going to go to your neighborhood barbershop. He's going to, you know, it's not a haircut. You didn't touch the top.

You cleaned up the back and the sides, right? Cause we're going to, I'm still in experimental mode. Where does this go? We do. That's what we do. And then I'm like, okay, dude, come to my house. I'll get you some cold beer, get you a lasagna, some beer. You, we're going to talk about owning your neighborhood barber shop.

We're going to talk about your music. I'm going to load in these jams. I'm going to play a few haircut jams in and out in an hour. And then at about, I don't know, the 50 minute mark, you start to open up and share. And I had no idea. And I guess you just don't know what other people are dealing with, right? Every time you see somebody, you think like, you don't know what's going on in their lives. Yeah. You don't know what's going on in your lives. I just hope you have like, as we're gonna say goodbye and I'm gonna see every once in a while for the haircut.

But I hope you have like a support system in place where, you know, next time you're in that dark spot, you've got people you can talk to because there's no going back once you end your life. That's it, right? Shout out to Ridley Funeral Home. There's no undo button. What a fucking plug.

There's no undo button on it. I'm not losing my fucking barber, Andy. Look me in the eyes. I can't lose my barber. I'm not going fucking anywhere. I'll quote Wolf of Wall Street. I'm not fucking leaving. When you come here, if you're in distress

and you can't, 9-8-8's not doing the trick and it makes you feel worse, you come here and knock on the door. I'm not even making this up. I have customers that come in and they've said this to me, like a few. A few, it's not just the trick and it makes you feel worse. You come here and knock on the door. I'm not even making this up. I have customers that come in and they've said this to me, like a few, a few, it's not just like one or two, a couple of them, they're literally like, I don't even go to my therapist anymore.

I just come here once a month for my haircut and like I get more results like with you and I get a haircut and it's way less. You're way cheaper than, yeah right, and I'm sitting there, and I'm like 75 bucks, 200 bucks an hour. God it, should be fucking charging this guy a little bit more if he had just admitted that. But no, I would never do that.

And then I have, I'm not going to say a name or anything like that. I'm not going to get into that. But there's a family friend, one of my best childhood friends, his father, was the first person that I ever met with that were dealing with severe mental health issues like they don't like a crazy person but like there's bipolar disorder this schizophrenia there's depression there's anxiety there's depression that he's been dealing with his entire life you know yeah we have we have pharmaceuticals now that can help but you also need a

therapist to help you understand triggers and how to cope. And that's it. Like the people that like that are the most like to get that like so this this this well, this family friend of ours, he literally like told tells me and he's like, Do you know how hard it is to just go and book an appointment and get out of the house and come and see you and to do this? And he's like, I know every time after I leave, I just the best I felt in months. But it's like that just even booking an appointment, go for an haircut is a fucking it's like it's a it's a mission. It's a and you know, this guy, I ended up telling him last time he was in the chair, actually, and I was just like,

I wanna say one thing about you, and you're the first person, because the first time this gentleman tried to take his life was I was in grade school, and I would like, his son was my best friend. So that was the first time I ever had any kind of like experience with mental health in that extreme and Especially in the 90s, right we didn't talk about that She like that was like they're like, oh that guy's fucked up. It wasn't like this person needs help

It was just like a ooh this guy like ooh, what the fuck did he try to do? Like, oh, it was a stigma. It was different, way different then, right? And I told him and I'm like, I just want to tell you, dude, that like, you're the first person in my life that I like knew of that had like a mental health issue like that. And especially with you being open about it back then, that is one of the fucking, that is one of the,

like, you have balls for opening up, back then even, about your mental health. You weren't like, you were like, he's like, I'm like, yeah, like, he would be talking with my dad, and he's like, I'm going through a bunch of shit, and he's like, this is fucking, and like, there's no reason for it.

He has two beautiful sons, like, very very very successful sons a beautiful wife everything like that And you think you'd be like well what the fuck it's like he he doesn't get to decide. Oh, I don't have to pressure Right. It's it's yeah, it's clinical. Yeah. Yeah, it's not environmental. Oh, just be happy. I'll be proud of what you He wants to but it's next to impossible for him to. And he, like him, him, you know, like when I cut his hair and like, we give each other a big hug, like, and I'm, you know, I love this fucking job, man. I really love that job.

I'm like, I... You know, you're a pillar of the community. Sorry, Brad Jones, we have a new pillar of the community here. That means a lot. I mean, like I have, and I've been told that a lot too. And it's just hard, like, I don't fucking like think of my, walk around the building this, but I don't.

Like, and it's still like, my, my work and my, my job goes beyond cutting hair and I'm not close to done. And I, yeah, like I have no problem helping anybody out I'll gladly help anyone out dude I'm so glad we had this chat I didn't know you know you don't know where that last bit felt so fucking good to talk about out loud I'm glad you did it I am too man I'm so happy that I'm thank you so I know we talked about it forever having me on yeah and I'm I feel like you know stars aligned and like this is a perfect time for it to happen because like right now So I know we talked about it forever having me on. And I feel like, you know, stars aligned

and like, this is a perfect time for it to happen. Cause like right now, mentally, I'm the best I've been doing in a very, very long time. I'm happy to hear that. Yeah, like I'm not gonna go home and cry tonight or anything like that. Like I'm right now, I'm in a very, very good state. And if anything that goes to show like,

if you're dealing with some shit, the kid will and get better. You'll have ups and downs, man. Life's a roller coaster,. But, you know, fucking just talk to me. Talk to somebody you love. Talk to somebody you trust. You're creating such feel good music, those beloved melodies. What's next for Phantom Lungs? Just keep making music? Well, so in 20, 23, we released three EPs, one with five songs, one with two, one with three. So instead of doing a full length, because like in the TikTok one minute long, the Instagram

15 second story, Mike mindset, no one can listen to a full album anymore. So why not release a 10 songs over the span of 277 days? It keeps your name fresh. It keeps people coming back to it like, oh, didn't they just release something? Oh, did they just release two? Why? Like, why is people keep talking about this band? It's like, yeah, because it's like fresh content coming out. So 2023 was about, you know, like, you know, focusing on the quality of music.

And then 2024, we actually have our first show booked. Where? It's at Bovine Sex Club. Yeah. Yeah. On Queen there. Um, it's February 17th. That's gonna be our first show. And I haven't even announced it. I, that this was me. You just announced it. I just announced it. I'm dropping this tonight. So yeah, this is the Friday night special. Morgan Campbell wasn't enough for this Friday. I need some Andy the barber. There we go. Dude, I'm glad you shared a nice comments in the live stream. Just, you know, the real time reaction.

Jeremy says I'm smiling so much right now. Love you all. What a feel good night. I want to give him a hug. I do. I love hugs. I don't give a shit. Come give me a hug. I would I will. I will hug the shit out of your neighborhood. Barber shop. I've been told I give great hugs. So we grow. And then Tyler, who's going to see you tomorrow, I will hug the shit out of you dude. I've been told I give great hugs. Holy crow. And then Tyler, who's going to see you tomorrow says, Andy's a real one.

Thanks man. Cambrio appreciates your honesty, says you the best. Just love going on all around. That's beautiful man. That's beautiful. I love that. I love that. I love making people laugh.

I love making people laugh. I love making people smile. Yeah, we all got our shit to deal with, but don't let that shit define you. Grow from it and let that define you. That's all I can really say. That's my... Parting shot. Yeah, that's great. I think that's a great way to end it off. Don't let the downside define you. Let your overcoming it define you.

And that brings us to the end of our 1423rd show. Ooh. Oh yeah. You can follow me on Twitter. Now let's go play some death metal grindcore, okay? You can follow me on Twitter and Blue Sky. I will tell you, I'm at Toronto Mike and those places, but I will tell you Andy is the Instagram man. That's how you contact and follow Andy Is it your neighborhood barbershop? Yeah, so I got so there's at your neighborhood barbershop

There's at Phantom Lung official and then my personal if you give shit is at dinnertime 630 Andy dinner dinnertime 630 Much love to all who made this possible. That's Great Lakes Brewery. That's Palma Pasta. Don't leave without your lasagna. I'm not leaving without that goddamn lasagna, all right? That's Recycle My Electronics.

Go to RecycleMyElectronics.ca. Raymond James Canada, subscribe to The Advantage Investor. And of course, a fellow New Toronto institution. There's you at your neighborhood barber shop. There's me here at TMBS. There's Mary Berg. Do you know she's nearby? I won't name the street but I'll tell you afterwards. Okay. There's Karl Hanske. There's Michelle Butterly. There's Mohit Rajan, and of course there's Ridley Funeral Home.

See you all Monday when my special guest is Kathleen Wynn. Boo. See you all then. Dude. Oh, yeah, everything is rosy and gray.