Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Tears Are Not Enough: Toronto Mike'd #814

Episode Date: March 8, 2021

Mike chats with Cam Gordon about the 1985 charity single Tears Are Not Enough. How did it come about? Who was involved? Who should have been there but wasn't? Be prepared to be buried in fun facts!...

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Gordon, how are you? Good, good, good. Listen, I know you're in the middle of doing a session, I know you're in the middle of doing a session, but I gotta have, just give me a break and just let me, just take off Sunday, just take off Sunday. I talk to Foster, we'll do the chorus first, we'll blow everybody else out of there, and then we'll let your first two lines, Gordon, for God's sake. What up, Mike? Toronto! VK on the beat, check. I'm in Toronto where you wanna get the city love. I'm from Toronto where you wanna get the city love.
Starting point is 00:00:37 I'm a Toronto Mike, wanna get the city love. My city love me back, for my city love. Welcome to episode 814 of Toronto Miked, a weekly podcast about anything and everything. Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, a fiercely independent craft brewery who believes in supporting communities, good times and brewing amazing beer. CDN Technologies, your outsourced IT department contact Barb she's Barb at CDNTechnologies.com Palma Pasta
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Starting point is 00:01:36 or as I call him, Mimico Mike. He's the real estate agent who's ripping up the Mimico real estate scene. Learn more at realestatelove.ca. I'm Mike from torontomike.com and joining me for this very deep dive into the 1985 charity single, Tears Are Not Enough, is Cam Gordon. Michael, it's good to be back for the second time in, was it, four days since Pandemic Fridays. And this really is a companion episode to our last Pandemic Fridays episode about bilingual jams, is it not? Well, here's how I think it came about, is that you chose Tears Are Not Enough by the Northern Lights as one of your four jams that include a language other than English because, of course, there's a brief French part to Tears Are Not Enough. So basically, you choosing that put it on, put it top of mind for you.
Starting point is 00:02:37 It put it top of mind for me because I, you know, I get the song and I load it up and then I listen to it and then I'm like, man, this thing's great. And then you start thinking about all the great artists who are on it. So my mind starts working. Then I have Greg Godovitz on the program. And all I can think about is Tears Are Not Enough. And I'm like, Greg, Kim Mitchell is there. Where were you?
Starting point is 00:03:00 And then that riles him up. And he's like, yeah, where was I? He's like, i was a little pissed at the time that my phone didn't ring off the top we heard uh bruce allen there and we'll explain who bruce allen is but bruce allen didn't phone greg gotovitz he was waiting by the phone for that call so all this is happening last week and then you and i are dming on twitter and it's like we need to do an episode all about tears are not enough and here we are and here we are yeah i feel like stuff like this then we'll get into a bit of the agenda for this show that's gonna be very unique but
Starting point is 00:03:39 kava who's in who's out pondering i i feel like as a music fan it almost triggers the same part of the brain if you're a sports fan you know where it's you know you think of like a roster of people i i one of my favorite things i've done this many times on my blog completelyignore.com the fantasy um you know festival gig the big can con cello we were we were doing it on on twitter this weekend sort of the hypothetical off was like the toronto mic fest or the 90s can con fest we were all submitting you know you get pick eight picks so i think for those of us who like sports and like music it's almost like wires are getting crossed and this just like enhances and then beyond that i mean not just being a great song and i just want to say off the top to all the listeners i mean we're definitely gonna have some laughs during this
Starting point is 00:04:33 episode and it is fun to say okay who is there i sort of wonder why people weren't there nobody out there think we're like at all making fun of this song, the cause, anything to do with this. Cause I, I honestly think this is like a really kick-ass song. I think it's better than we are the world. And I mean, you know,
Starting point is 00:04:53 we were, we all remember what it was like in the eighties when famine was like raging across Ethiopia and, and, you know, still is to some degree to this day. And just what, what a like global catastrophe this was and, and what it was like when to this day. And just what a global catastrophe this was
Starting point is 00:05:06 and what it was like when all these massive charity singles were all happening in Live Aid and all this stuff. Yeah, I mean, Cam, that didn't even occur to me that anybody could interpret it in that regard. Because of course, utmost respect, wonderful song. And it's a great example of a bunch of Canadians coming together in a very short period of time to do something to help where help is needed. And I think it was wonderful that
Starting point is 00:05:34 they did it. The final product speaks for itself. We're talking about it. Did you do the math? So am I right that this is 35 years later yeah 35 years later i mean they they recorded the song in early february of 1985 and so 31 yeah so i guess 30 31 30 sorry 36 math is not my strong suit here but yeah 36 years ago this was recorded yeah and as part of the research i don't know if you stumbled upon this there's there's a great documentary that's on youtube and like three parts just the making of um the video well that's where i pulled the uh the the intro clip uh yeah from part one of that absolutely and that's well worth a watch just to see some of the behind the scenes stuff and and you know you know, all these really unique combinations. I mean,
Starting point is 00:06:27 I was trying to wonder too, what would be other candidates where that much Canadian musical talent was in one room? You know, a few things came to mind. There was the live eight concert like 2005 or so at, at Molson park, which also had like some weird non-Canadian people. I remember Deep Purple was there. And Run DMC, and I believe that band Buck Cherry. Of course.
Starting point is 00:06:55 Played, because they did the big super jam of Rockin' in the Free World. And like the Buck Cherry guy was like all up in Neil Young's face. I thought that was kind of well what i really liked about that performance was a photo that emerged from that final performance of rocking in the free world with gourd downey and neil young on the same mic singing and because literally like maybe maybe two of my favorite musicians of all time and i didn't have any photos of them together like it was just like having gourd and neil in the same shot singing on the same mic that came out of the live yeah like i i literally like got godlike goosebumps think of that like right now because also like the tragic clip in neil young i feel like
Starting point is 00:07:35 they never really crossed paths and it's so strange that they wouldn't have because just neil young's done a lot of stuff with a lot of people right um I don't remember this was perhaps one of his last public appearances but Gord Downie was once I think it was a playoff game like a Raptors game and there was a video of him meeting Drake right and like embracing like that was sort of another moment it's like wow this like two massive Canadian superstars who sort of don't really seem to be in the same like two massive Canadian superstars who sort of don't really seem to be in the same universe. No grape. I remember that moment vividly.
Starting point is 00:08:07 And basically this collection of artists that came together to record tears are not enough is like that on steroids. Like it really was. And we're talking, you know, it's funny because on Hebsey on sports, we often will talk about, you know,
Starting point is 00:08:19 Fred Van Vliet did not get named to the NBA all-star game. And Hebsey will say he was snubbed. And then every time Hebsey says the word snubbed, he says, the only time you ever hear the word snubbed, he says, is for All-Star teams and the Oscars. That's the only time anyone uses the word snubbed. Well, we're going to use the word snubbed tonight because I can't wait.
Starting point is 00:08:39 And again, I'll very soon give the itinerary for this evening because we've got a lot of ground to cover. But we're going to talk about who was there. But then we're also going to talk about who wasn't there. Like who was not on the recording of Tears Are Not Enough but should have been? Absolutely. And I have a long list of people that seem like they could have been in the mix. Unfortunately, I spent like way too much time preparing for this.
Starting point is 00:09:08 I'll let the record show. I mean, life in lockdown, I suppose. Unfortunately, there wasn't really a lot of evidence. There was probably about six or so folks where I'd really tried to figure out maybe if there was some sort of record, why they were not invited. I did the same thing.
Starting point is 00:09:25 Yeah, and I think you and I have talked about some of those names and we'll talk about them in a bit. Maybe if there was some sort of record why they were not invited. I did the same thing. Yeah. And I think you and I have talked about some of those names that we'll talk about. And some of those names that for, you know, inside because of how they're related to the, I always call it the West Coast Brain Trust that kind of threw this together. The Vancouver based brain trust, which we'll talk about off the top in a moment. But some of these, I won't call them snubs because you're right. top in a moment but it some of these i won't call them snubs because you're right it might be that they weren't available or they were asked and they basically couldn't make it happen because they were on the other side of the world doing something or other but uh i did my best to find out like were they asked and they said no or were they simply snubbed and it'll be interesting to
Starting point is 00:09:59 have that convo with you as well i absolutely i'm just wondering maybe for the listeners do you want me just to set up kind of what the loose agenda is going to be just so people can brace themselves? So here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna talk about first, who was there? Now, interestingly, as any Pandemic Friday listeners knows, we get a lot of information from Wikipedia. Well, I discovered very quickly, there's actually nine people who were in the band northern lights they're not listed on wikipedia wow which is really interesting and mike hold on to your chair there one of them is that fotm whoa so this is there's gonna be a big
Starting point is 00:10:39 reveal there um so from there when we talk about who was there i'm going to do a top five list most obscure northern lights members and who they are love it with some fun facts thrown in and there's some good shit here now the second part of this episode we're going to talk about the snubs you know the people we wonder why they weren't there i counted down because you may recall you know you have john candy and you had katherine o'hare and you have rob have Robin Duke and you had some non-Eugene Levy. You had some non-musicians in the mix. So I have a list of about 40 or so musicians and about 20 or so non-musicians who's kind of interesting to say, okay, I was wondering, you know, why weren't they there? Some really obvious, I think some glaringaring omissions some other people where you sort of see where they were in their career like oh you know
Starting point is 00:11:29 maybe uh i'm trying to think like one of the you know the guy from platinum blonde did he really have to be there maybe they could have swapped in this person um so we're going to talk about some of those names we're gonna have a little intermission where we're actually going to talk about usa for af Africa a little bit and their song We Are the World and specifically and you you might know that I feel like you might know this Mike there's actually one Canadian who is in that band oh I know I actually I do know so we'll we'll save it but uh I know the answer to that great uh trivia question we'll talk about this individual and then also I'm gonna do a little little deep dive and this is very tangential,
Starting point is 00:12:05 but how USA for Africa was also instrumental in doing hands across America. I remember in 1986. And there's, there's some, some fun facts in there. Then we're just going to go into kind of the, the et cetera pile,
Starting point is 00:12:18 a bunch of fun facts about Northern lights, the recording of this. And then to close things out, I think we're actually going to hear the song one more time. And then to close things out, I think we're actually going to hear the song one more time. And then we're going to talk about a list of five changes to Northern Lights that, you know, I would say like as a song and as a production, it's like, it's strong. It's like about 92.
Starting point is 00:12:38 I've got like five, it's actually going to be six things. I feel like if these things happen, it would go from like a 92 to about like a 98 wow if not a 99 so i think i'm chomping at the bit here i'm like i'm raring to go so i think off the top let's give the the like the 101 like the the origin story uh and i mean i'll let you do the heavy lifting here but i I have done my homework, Cam. You know, I always do my homework and I'll chime in where appropriate. But how did it come to be that David Foster was tasked with putting this charity single together? Tell us the origin story. Yeah, I mean, it seems like from the way it's described, kind of a patient zero, if you will, of Northern Lights was a fella named Bruce Allen. Do you know Bruce Allen? Like, I feel like he's one of those names if you follow Canadian music, you sort of like, oh, yeah, that's somebody, but I for like if there's a Vancouver mic out there, he'd be all over this. Like I really think in fact, I see on the live stream on Facebook, Dale Cadeau, who's a big fan of Toronto mic. He's out in BC. He chimed in from that clip off the top. He said that sounded like Bruce Allen, good BC boy. I think Bruce Allen is far better known on the West Coast.
Starting point is 00:14:01 or no one on the West Coast. Yeah, I think you're right. So, I mean, Bruce Allen was a Canadian music manager who's managed a lot of people over the years. Here's just a small sampling. His clients included Bachman, Turner, Overdrive, known also as BTO. You had Anne Murray of Songbird fame. You had Prism.
Starting point is 00:14:24 Right, right. You had Lover of Songbird fame. You had Prism. Right. Right. You had Loverboy. Yes. You had Jan Arden, you know, someone a bit more contemporary. And you have Michael Bublé. So you talk about like spanning generations of CanCon. Those are some heavy hitters there.
Starting point is 00:14:38 He also manages Bob Rock, who, of course, was a great producer. Bill is a great producer. And also Brian Adams, right? Well, most famously Brian Adams as well. And when you think about when this song was recorded, which is early 1985, this is really when Reckless was out and Brian Adams was really on top of the world.
Starting point is 00:15:01 Run to you? Oh yeah. Yeah, just a monster album. Certainly one of the most well-known Canadian musicians of that time, if not the most well-known in terms of a global notoriety. So, I mean, Bruce Allen kind of, it seemed like he pulled this together in response to things like Band-Aids. you know it's christmas usa for africa they were doing we are the world in the united states and you know it seems like although recording the penalty from usa for africa again we we mentioned this on last pandemic friday actually did end up on the we are the world album so here's bruce allen he's up in vancouver he's managing brian adams he's got
Starting point is 00:15:42 a lot of contacts in the record news. And it seems like he was like, we got to do this for Canna. So the core of this was a lot of his pals in the sort of the BC music scene. So not just Brian Adams. So you got David Foster there. David Foster's all over this.
Starting point is 00:16:00 Cam, if I may, I know you're kicking ass taking names here, but you said patient zero here, Bruce Allen. Isn't it David Foster? Like, isn't he the first Canadian domino to fall and then Bruce Allen? Well, see, that's what I thought. But I mean, again, according to Wikipedia, it says the project was organized by Bruce Allen, who brought together a large group of artists to record a song written by David Foster. Okay, because the way I understand it, and I've been spending all week immersing myself in this world,
Starting point is 00:16:33 my understanding is that, okay, first you have Bob Geldof. And who was the co-conspirator with Bruce Geldof on the Do They Know It's Christmas? That was Midge Urie. Right, okay. So that's first. And as a result of that, Quincy Jones is putting together. We are the world. That song.
Starting point is 00:16:50 I think it's a Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, a couple of independent musicians out of the U S who put that together. And then, right. And I believe Quincy Jones taps David Foster on the shoulder and basically says, we'd like, it's almost like you're franchising it out.
Starting point is 00:17:08 Like, so we are, the world happens first. And then he taps David Foster and says, how about a Canadian version of some doing something similar for Canada? And I believe David Foster takes this, you know, uh,
Starting point is 00:17:21 to Bruce Allen. And that's where Bruce Allen now starts, you know, that call off the top. This is a fun. Yeah. So you believe that call and maybe you know it for a fact, but that call,
Starting point is 00:17:33 which is from this making of documentary where you have basically Bruce Allen on the phone with Gordon Lightfoot trying to get him to, you know, make some time on a Sunday to record this in Toronto. You think that was staged? I don't buy that for a second,
Starting point is 00:17:48 that that was actually, that that seemed like that was like a work, not a shoot. I mean, I guess we'll never know. I'm so gullible. It was very theatric. I mean, who knows? Like maybe it was legitimate.
Starting point is 00:18:00 Gord, Gord, Gord, it's for charity. Gord, Gord, Gord, Gord, just give me a couple hours on a Sunday, Gord. We're giving you the first line of the song, Gord. It's for charity, Gord, Gord, Gord, Gord. Just give me a couple hours on a Sunday, Gord. We're giving you the first line of the song, Gord. It's for charity, Gord. Like it did seem really phony, but I actually bought it hook, line, and sinker because I think I'm very gullible.
Starting point is 00:18:13 Yeah, maybe it was real. I don't know. I mean, you know, it's hard to say. I mean, but it's part of the folklore of the documentary. So yeah, I mean, I don't know. Like I'm just going by what's on Wikipedia. Okay, so I think, at least I did listen to david foster talking about it sounds like and again well this is what's fun about this episode is as we hash this out but i think david foster
Starting point is 00:18:33 is tapped on the shoulder by quincy jones and said do this for canada and like once that happens david's like okay i gotta do this now because quincy jones just told me to do it like he's been past this baton and i think think David Foster, who is, again, there'll be a lot of BC boys at the beginning of this project. By the way, Bruce Allen might be known to a lot of BC people as a radio personality. Apparently he's a radio person that we might not know here in Toronto. But Vancouver Mike is all over this.
Starting point is 00:19:00 So David Foster takes it to Bruce. And Bruce, obviously the first call obviously is to brian adams and his co-writer uh jim valance and we'll have more on that in a moment but then he starts making calls and these dominoes start falling it's like uh you know absolutely and somebody i'm wondering if he was had a role maybe just indirectly in Tears Are Not Enough. God, I'm going to call it like We Are The World the whole episode. Tears Are Not Enough coming together may have been Kenny Rogers. Whoa.
Starting point is 00:19:37 Now, I say that only because, we'll get to this more in a bit, but David Foster had just produced an album for Kenny Rogers in 1984. Okay. So it's an album called what about me? Now I'm just wondering, cause Kenny Rogers was also all over. We are the world. Maybe there was some connectivity there.
Starting point is 00:20:00 I don't know. Here's what I think it is. I think it was the Grammys. I think that Quincy Jones and David Foster bump into each other at the Grammy Awards because they're both nominated for something or other. And that's where the famous tap on the shoulder for David is at the Grammys in LA. Yeah, and I mean, David Foster had done a lot in the US up until his point, not just producing for Kenny Rogers.
Starting point is 00:20:23 He had produced just in the years preceding this, everyone from Kenny Loggins, another Kenny, Peter Cetera, Chicago, Boz Skaggs, all sorts of stuff. All sorts of yacht rock. So I think it's just, we'll take a moment here to shout out our Pandemic Friday co-host, Stu Stone, who loves his yacht rock.
Starting point is 00:20:45 Of course, yeah. And he did work with Steve Lukather, who Stu is very fond of and comes up a lot. And, you know, we have featured a David Foster song on Pandemic Fridays, the Calgary Olympic theme. Right. Personal favorite of mine. Good intro music to it. Maybe when I'm in Ridley Funeral Home someday,
Starting point is 00:21:13 we'll play that at the wake or something because it's a real banger. So, Cam, did you get the story? Because I thought it was kind of a cute story of how the name Tears Are Not Enough came to be. I did have that. I was going to save that as one of my fun facts, but I think it's why we just talk about it now,
Starting point is 00:21:30 because it actually came from... Let me just go to my notes. The Paolas. Was it Bob Rock? It was like Rock and Hide. Right. They had a different song called Tears Are Not Enough. And was it Foster said,
Starting point is 00:21:44 I kind of like that title. Can we use that? Right, exactly. And they used the title in none of the song. Yeah, which I love. But I do wonder, did that almost help Paul Hyde jump the line? And, you know, maybe we'll get into that. Maybe he's going to be like swapped out because, you know, Paul Hyde, the Paola is certainly like a big deal.
Starting point is 00:22:05 But, you know, when we start talking about some of the names that were not in Northern Lights and meanwhile, you got Paul Hyde. I believe he was paired up with Carol Pope there. So, God, there's so much meat on this phone. So much to cover here. This is so exciting. Needless to say, here we are speaking from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and definitely well aware that this thing is organized and sort of comes to be out of Vancouver. Like this is a Western Canadian happening that is recorded in Toronto. And we'll get into that. But it's all these people around the Vancouver scene that are kind of in the war room as they plan how they're going to do this in a relatively short period of time.
Starting point is 00:22:46 Absolutely. And now and also like with that spirit, I mean, if I understood what I saw in the documentary correctly, the vocals were recorded in Toronto, the big chorus was recorded in Toronto. But I believe a lot of the music was recorded in Vancouver with a lot of some Loverboy folks in there. It's a little Jim Valance and the whole BC crew. So like a lot of the instrument, I think all the instrumentation was basically in BC. Unless I'm wrong. You're absolutely right. In fact, my understanding is they recorded what I think the term would be a master track.
Starting point is 00:23:19 I'm not a musician, but a master track. But basically, they put it down with the expectation that they'll re-record it for real later, but it was so strong and they loved it so much that that end, not, no, it's not the master. It ended up on the master track.
Starting point is 00:23:33 So whatever that first, whatever it's called, when you put down the music initially scratch track or something, maybe. And it was so good. It was used on the master track. So you're right. This is composed by David Foster and they put the music together in B.C.
Starting point is 00:23:47 And then they book and we'll get to this soon, but they book a recording studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where everybody comes to record their parts. Absolutely. And again, it's interesting to see just how West coast centric this was i i don't think i really quite realized it till i dug like almost everybody involved in the like again the engine pushing this forward was all bc people pretty much for sure which is interesting and i mean bruce allen david foster and jim valance so and and of course brian adams but jim valance he's writing the lyrics essentially so david foster's composing the track and it's Jim who's writing the, I mean, with some help from people like Brian Adams, who was helping to massage it here and there,
Starting point is 00:24:32 but Jim Valance is writing the core of the lyrics. Totally. Yeah. I mean, when you talk about, you know, one of the unsung MVPs of the song and a name that the average music fan might not know, but you know everybody certainly knows songs that jim valance wrote or co-wrote because i mean that there's not just um brian adams songs there's there's all sorts of people he's written songs for i mean the list bonnie ray arrowsmith uh carly simon rod stewart have you ever heard of any of these artists tina turn tina fucking turner kiss the scorpions ann Marie, Joe Cocker, all sorts of people.
Starting point is 00:25:08 Yeah, just like an incredible. And he's still, you know, still kicking around. He's only 68 years old. So I believe he's still in the game. Now, here's... Lost Tiger. Oh, my God. Don't forget me when I'm gone.
Starting point is 00:25:21 That was one of Anne Romer's jams we kicked out the other day. Come on. Is this an appropriate time to now talk about everybody who was there? Yeah. Yeah, I think so. So let me just hop over here. So I don't know. How many people do we have in Northern Lights?
Starting point is 00:25:40 I believe the number is 53. Does that sound right? It sounds about right to me uh i contemplated for a little while this week and i thought maybe i will like literally go through the song and extract each part and then we can talk about who's singing that part and then i realized that might you know that might be a little bit intense for this episode yeah so like i i don't know if we need to like just say everyone's name overall i feel like we're going to talk about these people why don't we talk about
Starting point is 00:26:08 certainly there's the solo vocalists i mean i think they're like the real meat and these are the real vips um and let's go in order uh i i can help you with this if you're not ready with this but i was thinking we go in order in terms of the voices you hear on the track because the you know you heard it in an opening clip uh but the first voice you hear belongs to gordon lightfoot absolutely and i i believe gordon lightfoot was one of the first names they confirmed i mean this is all you know this is almost like party planning where it's like okay if we get these two people to go then we can parlay that into you know getting these other people in and it just becomes a real house of cards. I think that's what kind of that theatrical phone call from Bruce Allen was
Starting point is 00:26:51 looking to kick off. And it's a Sunday, it's a Sunday afternoon or something like that. And so they're doing it. They're going to record all these vocals, except for one, which we'll have a nice story about soon with Bruce Colburn, but they're recording these vocals in Toronto. And I mean that's a nice short drive for gordon lightfoot
Starting point is 00:27:08 right um absolutely i mean that this is one of my fun facts i i have a bit of a rundown of the mode of transportation some of the northern lights took oh good because i want to hear about platinum blonde i know that'll be a good one okay so. So Gordon Lightfoot, he opens up the recording of tears are not enough. And Gordon, again, like a big name. Uh, and tell me if you think we're approaching this the wrong way,
Starting point is 00:27:32 but, uh, is there anything you want to say about Gordon's participation or just that, you know, he's, uh, he's still with us and,
Starting point is 00:27:38 uh, great Canadian legend, like so worthy to be the opening line of this. Uh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, we've all joked and I believe Gordon himself has joked about how he's died about six times over the past decade. But yeah, I mean, I think he's a fine choice to kick this off. I mean, I don't know, this is almost like putting together your baseball lineup.
Starting point is 00:28:03 You know, do you want, because if you're thinking just arguably the biggest name, I'd say, you know, in hindsight, if you want to put like number one, maybe Joni Mitchell. I don't know. I mean, Joni Mitchell certainly, she, I feel like by the time like you and I
Starting point is 00:28:22 really got into music, she was really not that visible. I remember she did a much music intimate and interactive in the 90s, and there was this stuff with her daughter, that whole revelation, but has kept a very, very low profile. And even in the 80s, I believe, the music she was putting out was more like her jazz um her jazz era stuff that was a pretty big departure from all those classic joni albums but you cannot
Starting point is 00:28:51 go wrong with gordon lightfoot and i think he's an appropriate choice and i will say that this is kind of interesting i think because we're going back 36 years now but if you look at the solos and you look at you know they grouped him into duets or trios, if you will, for some of these lines. I only knew of one person who passed away and she passed away earlier this year. So, I mean, everybody's still with us, except for one name we sadly lost in early 2021,
Starting point is 00:29:16 but we'll address that when we... Sorry, from the solo artists or just like an overall? The solo and all the people who kind of had either a solo part or were with somebody else. Yeah. I'm not sure about the chorus people. And maybe you'll correct me when we get there. But I can only think of one name who passed away from these solos.
Starting point is 00:29:34 Yeah, it's interesting. I'm just scanning over some of the names. You're right. I mean, I see at least a couple people. But they're in the chorus, right? Yeah, just in the chorus. You're right. Okay, so let's move on. least a couple people but they're in the chorus right yeah just in the chorus you're right okay
Starting point is 00:29:45 so let's move on so from from gordon lightfoot who opens things up then uh the next voice we hear belongs to burton cummings yeah absolutely when uh this was before he was sort of the crotchety neighbor upstairs where he didn't like the tap dancing studio or whoever his neighbors are right in moose jaw um i i think this is an interesting choice because you have to think of the time too so okay so here's burden cummings years removed really from the guess who although they had just reunited the year before and we're gonna get to more about that sure in a bit um i don't know when you you look at how many solo vocalists do we have here we've got 11 in total but burden had some monster solo hits like like i'm thinking of
Starting point is 00:30:34 like stand tall and there's a absolutely like he had some solo success in this country he definitely did but this is you know this is this is like I mean, to me, he's sort of a bubble guy. Does he deserve, and I love his voice. Like he's, he's a great vocalist and I don't disagree with him being there, but I think you could talk me out of him and someone else swapping into that role. I will say that. I'm trying to speak so we don't when we talk about snubs we talk about it then but there is a name that's like a i mean i mean maybe i'll save this actually for that section
Starting point is 00:31:11 so i won't proceed with that except except let me just say that birding cummings is worthy of a solo spot on uh this jam i mean the guess who yeah we're like i'm thinking of american woman going to number one on the u Billboard Hot 100 this is a huge Canadian band even before the CanCon rules and stuff I mean he's definitely a candidate I just wouldn't say he's a slam dunk like a
Starting point is 00:31:36 Joni Mitchell or a Neil Young that's all I'm saying but here's a slam dunk I would think I'm hoping you agree but the next voice we hear belongs to Anne-Marie yeah slam dunk I would think I'm hoping you agree but the next voice we hear belongs to Anne Murray yeah yeah I mean I don't disagree but I kind of again this is
Starting point is 00:31:54 this is a ruthless you only got 11 spots Anne Murray in 1985 she's Canada's songbird so beloved I know and also you want to represent as many provinces as you can right like there's a reason there's a verse in French right you want to be
Starting point is 00:32:12 sent Canada's a very diverse country uh you know there's many provinces and that you can have us a great singer from Nova Scotia that's some points for uh for Anne-ie i i will say this i do like ann marie's choice of attire in the video that was very reminiscent of like every 80s mom um i don't know i think just what how her hair was just reminds me of like my mom in that era and what she was wearing it sort of looked like not quite caught in jenny but more like kind of a step up. Careful, Cam, careful. Yeah, no, it was like a cheerful little outfit.
Starting point is 00:32:53 Maybe, you know, I might be a little biased because there's a hippo in my bathtub who was on continuous rotation in my house, Anne-Marie's children's album. So maybe I'm a little biased. Stu and I have mentioned this before, like Anne-Marie currently lives in Thornhill my house uh ann marie's children's album so maybe stew and i've mentioned this before like ann murray currently lives in thornhill and uh is the scratch golfer at the thornhill ladies golf club so big
Starting point is 00:33:11 golfer you know we have our own biases too but i would also argue that uh the name i'm about to say who follows ann marie on uh yeah you're right i'm gonna be on tears are not enough uh is probably the only artist that jumps to mind as a bigger Canadian woman voice in music at this time. Yeah, well, I mean, Mike, we'll get to this in a bit. I was going to get to it a bit more in the USA for Africa. What I will say is going back and watching the video for this song far too many times this weekend especially when compared to usa for africa it really does hit home the lack of diversity compared to the u.s record industry and that level you're so right you're so right you're so right and not just in terms of male female but just people from different backgrounds and yeah there's there's a few names we're going to talk
Starting point is 00:34:01 to that are definitely not white folk in Northern Lights. But then smash cut USA for Africa, you got Quincy Jones out front. You got Michael Jackson. You got Lionel Rich. You got all the Jacksons there. You got Diana Ross. You know, just seemed to be like a greater blend of people. Well, I mean, I know that I think I counted two women of color, for example, on Tears Are Not Enough and some a snub or glaring omission in that regard.
Starting point is 00:34:29 But we will save that for that part. Oh, there's some there's some big ones. Right. So let's shout out the the next singer we hear after Anne-Marie, who I believe belongs like on your on your all star team here. This is Joni Mitchell. Well, Joni Mitchell is your next voice. And Joni Mitchell, of course, is in the, I know the expression Mount Rushmore probably doesn't work for a Canadian song, but she is slam dunk, first ballot Hall of Famer. Joni Mitchell's got to be there if she's willing to participate. Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:35:01 Like we're talking, if this is, you know, fantasy baseball, she's, she's easily a top five pick. If you, you're to, to redraft Northern Lights in 1985. I, again, I,
Starting point is 00:35:15 I sort of put her and Neil Young. It's, it's hard though. Cause again, like we're, it's hard not to have a recency bias of how much, you know, that the music and the cultural relevance of these artists haveency bias of how much, you know, that the music and the cultural relevance of these artists have aged.
Starting point is 00:35:28 That's why, you know, I sort of poo-poo Anne Murray a little bit, but 1985 Anne Murray was a still big fucking deal. Oh yes, she was. Yeah. So, I mean, you know, I think maybe she's faded from popular culture perhaps a bit more than someone like a Neil Young or Joni Mitchell or some of these other artists have. Right. Well, Neil never stops. Right. But Joni, Joni, unfortunately, has some health issues now. But Anne-Marie essentially retired. Like she's she's retired. She's done and she's been done for many years now. So you're right.
Starting point is 00:36:04 done and she's been done for you know many years now so you're right if you're a younger person and i was going to ask you how old you were when the single came out because uh like i i'm thinking you're like seven or something seven yeah yeah like i was a little like i didn't know who any of these people were right because i'm 10 years old 10 yeah that yes i'm 10 years old when the single comes out and i remember it coming out and i remember the big deal around it but i've always been kind of fascinated by it but jonii Mitchell, absolutely great having her there. And then the voice that we hear after Joni Mitchell, Dan Hill. What do you think of that? I mean, well, I've mentioned this before on Pandemic Fridays.
Starting point is 00:36:37 The Gordon family has a relationship with, well, we don't really have a relationship, but I've mentioned that my mom, who was a labor and delivery nurse for many years actually delivered a baby for dan hill in this one um this was i i think when she was working at north york um general hospital um calvin the early 80s i don't know if it was maybe it was right before tears are not enough um yeah i i love dan hill's like vocal performance here agreed um and he that said i i think he's a guy on the bubble what i do like why you know as a solo vocalist he's one of the few like people of color who get like i was gonna say that that to me uh i'm glad he's there
Starting point is 00:37:21 yeah yeah and like what what a what voice. I mean, you know, it's not everyone's taste. It's very kind of CHFI-ish, easy listening, but I don't know, just like really sincere. And he's very like sincere in the video. And I think he does a great job in this.
Starting point is 00:37:37 I'm a big fan. Yeah. I'm glad he's there. And sometimes when we touch, you know, it's easy to kind of make fun of it. Maybe it's too saccharine or saccharine or however, however, very too sweet. But it is a monster hit, not just in Canada, but also in the United States of America.
Starting point is 00:37:55 I'm trying to think what his second biggest hit would be. I feel like he did some duets with some people. I want to bop with you, baby, or something. Isn't that him? I think that was Dan Seals. Is that right? Okay, you with you, baby, or something. Isn't that him? I want to bop. I think that was Dan Seals. Oh, is that right? Okay, you're right. But he had something.
Starting point is 00:38:10 Oh, can't we try? Can't we try? Just a little bit faster. Yeah, I know that jam. Oh, it sounds with Vonda Shepard. Okay. Who was, oh yeah, she was like in Ally McBeal.
Starting point is 00:38:22 Yes. She did a theme song for Ally McBeal, didn't she? Yeah, that's right. I feel like she was also like she played a piano player on the show and never thought that I could love. Never thought that I could love.
Starting point is 00:38:36 You hit that note, buddy. Good stuff. So Dan Hill, we're glad he's there. And you're right. He's something rare on this song. He's a person of color. He's a black man. Absolutely. You did a great man. And then, of course, following... You did a great job. Following Dan Hill, I think he's the top of the food chain here.
Starting point is 00:38:52 He's the man, in my humble opinion, Neil Young. Yeah, and he is. But again, we're offering commentary through a 2021 lens. Think about where Neil Young was in 1985. You have all those weird albums he's putting out in the early eighties, like everybody's rocking was still a fairly new album. He was having his weirdness with the record labels. I mean, these weren't peak Neil Young years.
Starting point is 00:39:20 He hadn't even put out like this notes for you and that whole thing. And certainly, you know, later with Harvest Moon and rocking in' in the Free World and the rebirth of Neil Young. These really were some fallow years for Neil Young around this time. So he's certainly a legend. I still think he deserves to be there. But this certainly wasn't his peak commercial period by any stretch you're totally right about that but uh russ never sleeps for example that was 1979 so what are we
Starting point is 00:39:51 now we're kind of early 1985 but you're right there was that period before kind of before rock between rock and in the free world and that there was this period where he did a lot of different trans and then computer age and you know he did the the like the electronic album and uh there was album landing on water i feel like was around this time but you know what uh regardless i think he's the slam dunk of the whole thing like uh you know just based on his legacy with harvest and everything that neil young man, I think he's, like I said, top of the pyramid. So Neil being there, I think was huge. I'm glad he said yes. Number one draft pick.
Starting point is 00:40:31 Right. Now after Neil Young, Brian Adams. Brian Adams. Yeah. So like when I go back, you mentioned how old I was when this came out and I was seven. When I just scanned the list, the people who I would have known who they are might have only been Brian Adams and Corey Hart as a seven-year-old. Obviously, Brian Adams was just a massive star. Brian Adams, to me, in popular music, has almost a similar spot to what Bon Jovi has now. Someone where you almost don't think about them anymore just because, you know,
Starting point is 00:41:09 they're not at the top of the charts, but they still play stadiums. They're like selling out stadiums all over the world in Japan and the UK and playing castles in Ireland. And, you know, over here, they're playing Budweiser stage just year after year. Like Brian Adams is really at that level. By the way, do you know there's a Canadian in Bon Jovi currently? I was not aware of that. Generally, no. Maybe we'll talk about that.
Starting point is 00:41:35 But I will say, I am offended. I'm like almost going to hang up on our Zoom call here because of the Brian Adams and Bon Jovi comparison. Because I, and again, super biased because I'm a proud Canadian, but I'll take like one note from Brian Adams like seven days a week and twice on Sunday over. Oh, I don't mean they sound alike. It's just.
Starting point is 00:41:57 Oh, just how big they are? Their level of fame. You know, I think they're very different. I mean, you know, we talk a lot about the our little uh gimmick da da da is the whoever of canada right um brian adams to me almost seems like a more commercial bruce springsteen or a more commercial uh john cougar mellencamp maybe yeah well actually i would say tomchran is more the tomato, tomato. But yeah, I mean, massive star.
Starting point is 00:42:30 When you talk about booking this in 1985, I would say Brian Adams is like possibly number one. And it might not be that close through a 1985 line. I'm with you. I mean, the two names and we'll get to him soon but you know cory hart and brian adams are the two guys you have that's like when we did that single for the haitian uh earthquake and then you got you know drake and bieber on there it's like the you know the drake and bieber of this uh i think are uh you know uh brian adams and cory hart a thousand yeah that that would actually be fun. Maybe someday we do an episode of that song.
Starting point is 00:43:06 Like, I almost wonder if it's like the 10-year anniversary. Right, with the Canaan part. It's great. We should. That was a good song. Yeah, and I love that song too, but it's also like that song had like the Headley guy who was all over it.
Starting point is 00:43:17 So, I mean, some parts of it have it. It's a little problematic. But glad that Brian Adams is on because not only is he a big name at the time, but when I listened to the song sonically, the Brian Adams parts, it's sort of like you mentioned earlier, glass tiger,
Starting point is 00:43:31 uh, and don't forget you when you're gone. Like the best part of don't forget you when I'm gone. Sorry. Don't forget. Don't forget me when I'm gone. The best part is hearing Brian Adams in that kick-ass chorus. Like his voice is just so,
Starting point is 00:43:45 it's got that great raspy hook to it. Like, it just sounds sonically superb, and he sounds great on this song. Yeah, and he's definitely, yeah, definitely adds a bit of sandpaper to the production. And again, in a very similar way to Bruce Springsteen did in We Are the World, which I remember Bruce Springsteen's wearing like the denim jacket.
Starting point is 00:44:06 It's just like, it seems like he's going to explode. Like his face, he's like, he's like, he's like really into the music. Like a little bit of a Joe Cocker. Yeah, but Brian was like, everything, like he's doing the fist pump. Yeah. He kicked ass. It's ass he was still so young then oh yeah that's it that it's amazing his career has been amazing now um even though he said a few problematic things lately as well but we'll leave that well you know the wet markets
Starting point is 00:44:35 now we get like a couple of artists together doing a song uh a line you get mike reno and liberty silver yeah i mean mike re Reno's kind of interesting, the role he has here, because he double dips. You know, when you look at Wikipedia, who got both a solo appearance plus something in a duo, I think it's only Mike Reno and Bryan Adams that were bestowed that. And again, there's the BC connection there, perhaps. Well, for those who don't know, of course,
Starting point is 00:45:09 Mike Reno is the lead singer for Loverboy. Absolutely. And he's not wearing a headband. Oh, that's right. That's his thing, right? Trademark head. Yeah, I mean, he's a name, you know, now with a bit of time. Of all the solo performers, he might be the guy you could leave out would you say that's fair if you had to drop some time is a funny thing right because i think in 1985 and i'm always for this whole episode i'm trying to put myself in 85 even though i was 10 years old
Starting point is 00:45:33 i mean you gotta think of just how big lover boy was like working for the weekend the kid is hot tonight turn me loose like these songs were everywhere when i have like a barry davis on the show to kick out the jams i know i go i do his age i go okay he's got a few years on me i am absolutely getting a lover boy song and i get it so this was huge in 85 well i feel like for folks that are maybe i'd say like six to eight years older than you or I or Stu or whoever. I feel like Loverboy would almost be like how we think of like I Mother Earth or something. Yeah, maybe.
Starting point is 00:46:16 Kind of of that era was just ubiquitous. Like everyone knew all the Loverboy songs and The Kid is Hot Tonight. Yeah, well, Working for the Weekend was like when I was growing up it was like a an anthem everybody's and then and turn me loose how many times did you turn on the the am radio and maybe tune in cftr or something in here turn me loose absolutely yeah and i mean mike reno of lover boy being in here i i think we'll probably talk about him quite a bit. I know I will when I start talking about some of the folks who are not here. Right. I can't wait. Yeah. I can't wait to get to that.
Starting point is 00:46:50 I feel like there's a lot of the lead vocalists of this band of this era. Where are they? And I have some, I have some FOTM contributions as well, because I let people know on Twitter, this was happening and I got a whole bunch of that. So you have your list and I will sprinkle in some of my thoughts and uh of course some of the FOTM's thoughts on the snubs and stuff but uh talk to me about because
Starting point is 00:47:13 I'm not familiar with her work particularly but uh I am personally glad Liberty Silver is featured on uh this song yeah well again you know one of the few uh people of color and a female of color so great great to see her in the mix i mean the main thing i remember about liberty silver she did a duet with i i feel like it was jeff healy bad case of oh or was it no it was atlanta miles bad You? Doctor, doctor, give me the news. Is that the jam we're covering here? Bad case of loving you. Now, I don't quite remember that,
Starting point is 00:47:52 but I do know, because I like trivia and fun facts, that Liberty Silver is the first black woman in this country to receive a Juno Award. Yeah, absolutely. So she won that, I guess it was in 1985 at the 1985 june awards best r&b recording for a song lost somewhere inside your love um yeah she her she has some like fun facts like she opened for bob marley once uh she's yeah tears are not enough she mentions mike reno here did some vocals or background vocals with brian adams Murray, Joni Mitchell, people we've talked with.
Starting point is 00:48:27 Right. And otherwise it's more sort of on the R&B and like jazz band, but it's still live and kicking. I feel like you still see her in like Toronto Jazz Festival. She'll play shows and had something of a profile outside Toronto too. So a bit more of a niche performer, but good for them for including her. Honestly, again again it's northern lights is not the most diverse band so it's nice to see someone like liberty sever who's
Starting point is 00:48:50 also like a very relatively new artist at the point like she was only breaking in 85 like this was not yeah she was relatively new on the scene so uh yeah so like from a visibility perspective to be paired up with you know working for Weeknd guy is a pretty big fucking deal. And it's good to see her in the mix. Right. And then so following Mike Reno and Liberty Silver, you've got nine singers on a chorus. So I'll just skip ahead to because here's the first of the names I wasn't very familiar with. OK, I had to do Googling to find out who the heck she was. But these three gentlemen, one of whom is an FOTM, Carol Baker, romping Ronnie Hawkins,
Starting point is 00:49:30 not to be confused with the lead singer of The Lowest of the Low, and Murray McLaughlin, who is an FOTM. Now, we'll speak to each of them individually, but to start with Carol Baker, did you know about Carol Baker? No, not really. When I watch back the video i'm like okay i remember seeing this person before but i i have no idea when you go back she she was like a real mainstay of like juno awards getting nominated country music like that's that's her genre and it was
Starting point is 00:49:57 a genre especially and i hope this sounds terrible but like yeah sure i heard kenny rogers growing up i don't think i heard any canadian country growing up. No, like I, I, I'm just going to assume that maybe she was one of those artists, a benefactor of some CanCon laws for country stations. Cause again, she, she seemed to be a mainstay when you go back and look at like June awards from like the early eighties. Right. Well, someone had to win that category, right? Yeah. So this is obviously like the country music section now mike
Starting point is 00:50:25 you you're you're like me you probably thought well technically ronnie hawkins is not canadian he is not canadian no yeah i mean you know he's not even dual citizen i don't i don't believe he ever got his canadian citizenship even though he still lives here today yeah for sure um so i i'd say he's not out of place here but I don't want to say too much no no save it because I know where you're going with this I went the same direction I'm like oh Ronnie's there and then I'm looking
Starting point is 00:50:53 for some hawks and we'll get to that in another section of this conversation so there's a he's going to come up again for sure I'll just say that I think Murray McLaughlin's a good choice here a big deal I mean very much they're all dressed like kind of again, for sure. Yeah. I'll just say that. I think Murray McLaughlin's a good choice here. A big deal.
Starting point is 00:51:07 I mean, very much, they're all dressed like kind of cowboys a little bit too. Right, because I mean, Murray McLaughlin had those songs that were kind of country-esque too, like the Farmer song and all that. So, you know, and Murray McLaughlin, I was happy, I'm happy to see him because finally somebody in the song,
Starting point is 00:51:24 Tears Are Not Enough, has sat, you know, pre-COVID, sat, you know, five feet away from me in my basement and was forced to answer my many questions for 90 minutes. So shout out to Murray McLachlan. Well, his wife, I believe, has been in the basement too. Yes, Denise Donlan is the wife of Murray McLachlan. So Ronnie Hawkins, I think we'd all agree, is an honorary Canadian. Yeah, absolutely. And I do sort of enjoy for these duos and trios, not in every case, but there's definitely like, okay, this is going to be the country section.
Starting point is 00:52:01 And this is going to be this section. And just like like it's so obvious what they're doing and that's fine like i get it well you know what else i find interesting i find it interesting i noticed the same effect so you you know how there was a uh a standalone star trek series on uh captain luke picard i don't know if you know this okay so yeah and you see picard and this is and let's say it was filmed in 2020, okay? There's Picard, and then you think, oh, yeah, like when I first saw this actor, he kind of looked like he does now.
Starting point is 00:52:34 Like he doesn't seem to age because of the nature of how he looked when he was maybe 40 years old. So he hasn't changed. You know, Steve Martin's similar. I would put Ronnie Hawkins in that because 36 years ago, Ronnie Hawkins looked like an old man to me. Totally. 36 years ago. He's still alive.
Starting point is 00:52:50 Yeah. He was in The Last Waltz, right? Yes. Yeah. I feel like he looked exactly the same in The Last Waltz as he did. Right. When he counted down the ball drop with Gordon Marneau. In that fur jacket.
Starting point is 00:53:01 2008 or whenever the last time he did that with his fur coat and stuff. Right. Yeah. So there's your interesting trifecta anyway, but Vlad Hawkins is still with us. Yeah, and he has some memorable parts in this little documentary too. He seems like he's having... Well, he's a fun old Arkansas boy. Oh yeah, he's a real lark. So on the heels of that country trifecta or rockabilly slash country music trifecta there, you have Corey Hart.
Starting point is 00:53:29 Corey Hart, yeah, for sure, who gives a very passionate performing. I feel like he pumped his fists too. Both him and Bryan Adams were big fist pumpers. It's funny because when you watch watch the documentary he's actually wearing sunglasses for part of it right so almost like you know a little easter egg for uh sunglasses at night i don't know but um you know i i think we all sort of like chuckle when we hear the name cory hart um these days but again like i mean mike you remember how massive cory hart was like he was a big big
Starting point is 00:54:06 fucking deal huge like the boy in the box which came out i think that's the album after the album that had sunglasses at night which was everywhere i i in my little world of top 40 radio there was no bigger artist on the planet than cory hart he was huge my uh my sister had a poster of cory hart because he was he was cute and he had the spiky hair thing going on which was big at the time you know the wendell clark spike hair thing yeah like he was in like tiger beat magazine like he was uh i i'd like cory hart being in here and we're we're gonna come to some uh more quebec artists but he's from montreal he's from montreal yeah and yes he absolutely of course course, remember the Steve Anthony story
Starting point is 00:54:45 with the boy in the box being Steve Anthony on Chome in Montreal? But he had to be there because you're trying to sell this single because the money is going to an excellent cause. And at some point you have to realize, oh, if we're going to sell to the kids who are buying singles or whatever,
Starting point is 00:55:02 we need Brian Adams and Corey Hart. Yeah, and you need Mark Holmes from Platinum Blonde, who were kind of the hot young band and definitely the teenagers were into them. Right. Now, because this song was representing all of Canada, not just English Canada,
Starting point is 00:55:19 we have this next trio of artists, and I will do my best with the names and I apologize in advance, but Veronique Belle Veronique Beliveau sounds like Jean Beliveau, maybe a relation. I don't know how common that surname is, but she with Claude Dubois and Robert Charlebois. Yeah. So, I mean, three, the Quebecois artists, um, I, I I'm not going to even attempt to talk about them because honestly obviously like french language music is is a bit of a it's its own it's its own industry like
Starting point is 00:55:52 yeah it's a standalone industry and it's massive but it they there's not a lot of except for the odd uh meet sue song uh there wasn't a lot of back and forth. Yeah, the one thing I will say, because again, it does feel like it's a bit of a tokenization of having them in there, because not even in the chorus, there weren't really any French language artists in the chorus either. So it would have been nice maybe if they could
Starting point is 00:56:18 have extended all bands, although we did talk about on the last Pandemic Fridays how there was actually a French language charity single around the same time yes and we should also mention at this point that we've given credit to uh jim valance for writing most of the english lyrics well his wife is a french speaker who apparently wrote this section for the uh french singers yeah i saw it seems like that happened like fairly quickly like it is very much in tandem with uh penning the lyrics um but yeah i mean they
Starting point is 00:56:52 do they do a good job it just i don't know i remember seeing this and say oh this is kind of cool here's here's three artists that you know i would never see otherwise so that i don't think we had like music plus it did and it didn't uh. I will say I didn't know their names then. And I don't think about them now. There's no disrespect to their contribution, but it was so off my radar that it's like I had to check my notes to even know their names today. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:57:14 Like the one fella that I seem to, for whatever reason, have some awareness of is Jean Leloup, who I don't really know why I know Jean Leloup, but perhaps he's like an omission. I don't know. I can't really speak from an educated point of view on this one. But anyway, good to see some French language in the mix here for sure. Oh, absolutely.
Starting point is 00:57:37 And here's a little story that we can share regarding this contribution because the next voice we hear belongs to Bruce Colburn. Yeah, for sure. This is going to be one of my fun facts, but why don't we just get into it now? So I don't want to steal your thunder. You can tell the story. I took great delight in reading the aforementioned Jim Valance.
Starting point is 00:58:00 Why don't we do it this way? Why don't you tell the story? Because then I have some commentary on the story. So this is my personal views. Okay, so I'll tell the story and then you chime in. But so Bruce Coburn is not an FOTM, although we're working on it because Bernie Finkelstein is an FOTM. And apparently there was conversations between Bruce Allen and Finkel Spurney
Starting point is 00:58:25 regarding the fact that they would get Bruce Colburn on the single, but he was in Hamburg, Germany. So he had a logistical geographical barrier here. He was in Germany. He couldn't be in Toronto for the recording on that Sunday afternoon. So for some reason, Jim Valance decided that he only had a couple of days to turn this around, but Jim jumped on a plane and he came to go from Vancouver to Hamburg, Germany. And apparently he had to fly to like Toronto and then he had to fly, I don't know
Starting point is 00:58:56 where he was in London or something. And then he ended up in Frankfurt and then he ended up in Hamburg. So this took something like 44 hours, he says. So can you imagine? So 44 hours, where was he going? The moon? Okay. So Jim Valance ends up in Hamburg and he meets Bruce Coburn and he's talking to Bruce because they need to arrange for him
Starting point is 00:59:13 to get to a studio to lay down the track so he can fly this back home so they can have Bruce Coburn, who was a huge star, get Bruce Coburn on Tears Are Not Enough. And Bruce apparently says to Jim, I haven't decided I want to do this yet or something to that effect.
Starting point is 00:59:29 At which time, so Jim, who just traveled 44 hours and there's no time to get anything, he's like, I guess at that point, I don't know, I guess he tries to be diplomatic because he's talking to Bruce Coburn, and he does talk Bruce into doing it, but I don't know where the communication breakdown is. It sounds like, this is on Bernie.
Starting point is 00:59:46 Because shout out to Bernie. F-O-T on Bernie Finkelstein. But somehow there's something lost in translation. Because Jim thinks this is a done deal. He's just got to go and get it. And Bruce hadn't yet decided he wanted to do it. And yeah, Bruce did do it. I think they had like a WhatsApp group.
Starting point is 01:00:04 And they were texting it's like oh yeah there's no fucking computers like could you imagine just the logistics of making this happen well that's it you can't put it in a drop box or something like bruce has to uh lay it down and then the tapes i guess it's tapes i don't know in 1985 uh like like jim's got to stick this in his luggage and fly it back to vancouver so david foster who are we you know the producers and people can can put it down on the track so that's the interesting story about bruce coburn's contribution to yeah well mike it seems like you and i have both spent time on jim valance.com this week oh yeah you know what i love i love how he
Starting point is 01:00:40 writes this stuff he's great yeah now i I thought the story, there was even like, there was Vancouver, but then Jim Valance had to fly down to LA where they were mixing the song. Oh, maybe. At Kenny Rogers' studio. Maybe. I feel like maybe I'm conflating something with We Are The World.
Starting point is 01:00:57 I don't know. But anyway, my commentary on this is, and I mentioned during the last episode where this song raised, I think it was like $3.2 million within about five years, which is great. I mean, you know, $3 million is $3 million.
Starting point is 01:01:15 But when I just think of the expense of all these plane tickets, all these long distance phone calls, just to get one little clip. They didn't pay for those flights. I should say that. Was it Air Canada, I think? Air Canada like Compton. The flights from Jim Valens' flights
Starting point is 01:01:32 were covered by the airline because of the cause it was for. Maybe I'm being too harsh. 44 hours each. That to me is insane. I guess that's just how it was. There was no direct flights. Again, we all love Bruce Coburn. Very famous guy.
Starting point is 01:01:51 Really successful. Are you suggesting to me now that Bruce Coburn could have been left on the cutting room floor? I'm just saying I don't think Bruce Coburn's contribution would make or break, tears are not enough. But he's a big, big he's a hit maker who has success beyond the borders of Canada.
Starting point is 01:02:12 I think he was a big deal in 85. He certainly was but I mean, it's like, oh, hey, Tom Cochran. No, it's too early. I feel like, okay, well, we'll save this for the snubs because Red Ryder, it was Red Ryder, I i think uh yeah he had a couple of things happening there but he wasn't you know he wasn't the tom cochran uh i don't know i don't know like lunatic maybe boy inside
Starting point is 01:02:35 the man was that out in 85 no i feel like that was more like we should save this for the snub part but yeah i'll see the whole you know what yeah lunatic fringe is really that's the big one but yeah you know i don't know if that gets you by the way and aside if you ever look at tom cochran's discography it's incredibly confusing because some stuff is red rider yeah some stuff is tom cochran some stuff is tom cochran and red rider right um it's almost like tom petty's discography, where some are Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, some are Tom Petty.
Starting point is 01:03:07 You know who else is a bit like that? Neil Young, because sometimes you've got Crazy Horse, and sometimes it's not Crazy Horse, and you're right. Or even Bruce Springsteen. Sometimes it's just Bruce, and sometimes it's the E Street Band. It's hard to keep track of this show.
Starting point is 01:03:21 Well, here, after Bruce Coburn, the controversial selection there, is a slam dunk no-brainer in a short drive i'm sure on a sunday afternoon getty lee absolutely and probably the biggest uh blue jays fan by the way i was gonna say of the members of northern lights really nerdy baseball fun fact from what i, there's two members, their names are also Major League Baseball players. So you got Corey Hart.
Starting point is 01:03:51 Right. The baseball player. And there's also Tommy Hunter, who I think still pitches, used to pitch for the Texas Rangers. But Tommy Hunter of the Tommy Hunter show fame. And I think it was also like a country artist. Not on the, yes.
Starting point is 01:04:03 He had a TV show on forever. I used to catch him as a kid. But you also, he's not Canadian or on this song, but you've mentioned Kenny Rogers a few times. So of course shout out to MLB player Kenny Rogers. Okay, we're going to burn through the rest of this lineup because I realize we're going to spend the whole 90 minutes on this. Geddy Lee, soaring vocals,
Starting point is 01:04:20 nailed it. Yeah, he did nail it. He was really a fun part of this song, which we'll hear by the way at some point in this episode. We'll play the whole damn song. So now we have a duet which includes the aforementioned Bryan Adams and a gentleman I was unfamiliar with, Donnie Gerrard. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:04:36 We're going to go into like the top five most obscure members of Northern Lights in a few minutes. So why don't we come back to Donnie? We'll come back to Donnie then. And then we have one of your favorites, I'd say. Alfie Zappacosta. Like, Alfie Zappacosta.
Starting point is 01:04:53 Is there anything you want to say at this time? I've mentioned him many times. He was on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. Right. Sang the Pizza Nova theme song. His whole career is a bit mysterious to me. I don't know. I feel like him and
Starting point is 01:05:10 Greg Godovitz to me are a bit of a blind spot. The song The Letter, not the box there was this other song I've got to mail the letter I remember he had a song on much music um i'm not sure lisa del bello who i always forget she's the cousin
Starting point is 01:05:31 she's no she's the sister-in-law of fotm danny elwell so danny elwell married lisa del bello's brother yeah um and co-wrote a song that lisa del bello recorded at some point in her career but yeah this is a trio so lisa del bello which i did some digging lisa del bello was recorded at the studio where this happened i almost wonder if there was some hook up there with like we're recording at the studio that where lisa del bello records like Something there. Some of these thoughts will come out more when we talk about the snubs. Possibly there's a link there between the studio
Starting point is 01:06:11 and Lisa. Let's Tango. I have to Google what year Let's Tango comes out. That was the big much music, Lisa Del Bello. She had a stalker song, did she not? Like I'm Obsessed or something. music lisa del bello and i feel like that's like a stalker song did she not like like i'm obsessed or something i i will say getting back to da da da is the da da da of canada yeah to me
Starting point is 01:06:34 they were trying to craft a cindy lopper for the canadian market would you say that's fair uh okay i'll go with you on that i'll go with you on that. Her image. But I don't know. You have to think of the time Alfie Zappacosta and Lisa Delbello were real emerging artists at that time. So this is, I think, partially to get the younger crowd. No, you're right. Yes, and we'll talk about some glaring omissions there. But Tango, which is the only song that comes to top of mind right now for her, is released in 1987.
Starting point is 01:07:06 Yeah. Oh, okay. Well, she had a song called gotta get close to you okay that was i think the soccer song but then in her trio is an artist i think does belong there uh i'm glad to see carol pope there yeah so well i think carol pope was paired up with paul hyde right yes That's the guy that fills out the trio here. Yeah. And I, the nerdy part of me kind of likes this cause they had that song they did together too. I'm trying to remember what it's called.
Starting point is 01:07:37 Okay. While you're digging that up, I'll just say that, you know, I've I'm on episode eight 14 or something. So I've had a lot of like Toronto-based musicians have come on and including the Garys. I'm trying to think, who are they?
Starting point is 01:07:52 What's his name? The Garys. So, I mean, Carol Pope comes out of often. She actually came up in the Greg Godovitz episode I referred to off the top. But Rough Trade, monster single from Rough Trade, of course, High School Confidential, Carol Pope, very cool artist. I'm glad that they included her.
Starting point is 01:08:12 Yeah. Definitely, you know, when you talk about getting a bit of diversity, I feel like she's sort of coming from a different lane than some of the other artists and certainly at a different, although I mean, like Rough Trade was also very, very like mainstream. A lot of the other artists and certainly had a different although i mean like rough trade was also very very like mainstream a lot of the songs i mean and they have a lot of songs that sound very 80s but certainly were a lot more provocative oh big time like risque like you felt like you were it was like oh should i be listening to this like i think they're talking
Starting point is 01:08:39 about like blow jobs or whatever like this is pretty risky stuff here but i i always thought high school confidential sounded like it could have been in the rocky horror picture show oh well maybe that's because you because the way that her hair her hair reminded you of yeah and just like a very almost like theatrical that song um but yeah i i think they do a great job i mean neither of them have kind of the you know traditional vocal chops of a getty lee or even a brian adams but uh again this seems like this is like the new wave section you know we had the french section we had the country section we had kind of the up and comer section with alfie and lisa del bello now we're like in the new wave land and paul hyde do you think he's there because of the vancouver connection and how it all began and the taking of that title from the uh well like
Starting point is 01:09:25 honestly if he didn't have a singing part beyond the core i feel like that'd be a real slap in the face would it not i don't know is it just me plus he's you know a pretty big deal at paola's and sure uh later did america is sexy you remember that song is that him america sexy he wears her hair something yeah i totally know the song okay that was him wow okay cool yeah and red dirty water he did with rock and hide with bob rock right right right right yeah but uh i will say not born in canada oh yeah interesting so we have another uh imposter here good to know good yeah Good to know. I mean, but I, I don't know. I think he belongs. All right. One more trifecta here. Uh, and, uh, sadly we lost her earlier this year. Uh, although I think she's been ill for quite some time, but Salome Bay, uh, is a name that I
Starting point is 01:10:16 think some younger people might not be familiar with, but I always think she was like, um, Molly Johnson, uh, ask, uh, of her time, like ahead of molly johnson of course but just like a really respected jazz musician and uh again a woman of color which is great to have on the track yeah absolutely i mean she she was known as the canada's first lady of blues and uh it was it was actually like an honorary member of canada or the member the order of canada yeah she was an honorary member of the order of canada which is a huge honor that and yeah we unfortunately lost her um last summer but this was that last summer it feels like it was like two months ago yeah no it was august of 2020 oh my goodness okay yeah this this three threesome this trio is kind of interesting
Starting point is 01:11:06 because it feels like okay let's throw these people together because stylistically they're all very different because you've got salome bay you've got lorraine sagato from the parachute club and then you've got mark holmes from platinum blonde who are like a very mainstream band and meanwhile like lorraine Segato too is you know very like Queen Street almost like sort of you know activist music Do you want a fun fact? Also
Starting point is 01:11:34 sister-in-law of an FOTM, Jean Valaitis That's right, yeah and like Parachute Club was like a really big deal. I feel like this was only a year or two after Rise Up came out. So they were a big deal. And, you know, she was a pretty young artist at the time.
Starting point is 01:11:52 But again, Martin Morrison from the new wave. And then, again, I've mentioned this before too, but my mother also delivered a baby for someone platinum blonde. I don't think it was Mark Holmes. I feel like it was someone else. Another blonde. Yeah. So those are, I feel like those are the only two musicians she's delivered
Starting point is 01:12:09 babies for, but I think I've given the rundown of other people she cared for. Everyone from Colonel Sanders to Dominic Moore to some guy from the Cancer Bats. Wow. A real mixed bag of folks. Okay, I think we're at the end of the line here because we get another solo effort
Starting point is 01:12:26 from Mike Reno and who kind of, and then you get your chorus. We're like all 44 singers kind of do the whole week and bridge, bridge the difference. Yeah, absolutely. And, uh, but the name of, uh, I don't think we have time to go into everyone. We're going to go into the top five most obscure ones with a few fun facts, but the name that really jumped out who I don't think we have time to go into everyone. We're going to go into the top five most obscure ones with a few fun facts, but the name that really jumped out who I don't think I realized was in this course was Oscar Peterson. Right.
Starting point is 01:12:51 Which I think is really interesting. There's a line in the making of documentary where David Foster said, if everyone who was involved, he said, Oscar Peterson, who he's most excited about being there. Wow. I'll just say, we'll come back to Oscar because I have some thoughts about perhaps how his talents may have been utilized a bit differently rather than just throwing him in the back. Because, I mean, you talk about a legend and like a worldwide star.
Starting point is 01:13:17 I mean, huge. I mean, like in my neck of the woods, sort of the lakeshore area, West End, Toronto, there's a huge Oscar Peterson memorial in my neck of the woods uh sort of the the lakeshore area west end toronto we we got a there's a huge oscar peterson memorial because he's a i guess he's a lakeshore village guy i don't know if it was in mississauga or if it was in etobicoke but uh this is have you ever seen the oscar peterson statue outside i think it's like the national arts center in ottawa i have not it's like a like a bronze type statue, but it actually pipes out piano music.
Starting point is 01:13:48 It's him standing. Oh, amazing. Yeah, which is very cool. So tell me because I think this will be very cool. Cam Gordon, please tell me. You teased me by saying you had nine names. Nine new names. Oh, shit. Yeah. We have not even got into it.
Starting point is 01:14:03 There's so much here. We're going to burn here. I know. We were so stupid. Oh, we'll do it in 90 minutes. Who here we're gonna there's so much here we're gonna burn here i know we were so stupid oh we'll do it in 90 minutes who are we kidding okay so what new what nine new names that we wouldn't find on wikipedia today i'll make a ninja edit as you say them uh please tell me because one of them's an fotm right yeah and you know what i i think it's it's only um eight names because I had Carol Baker there, but we did cover Carol Baker. She's on the Wiki page too. Okay, go ahead.
Starting point is 01:14:30 Okay, here we go. Let's start with the only non-musician who is not featured on Wikipedia, Robin Duke, who I think was a comedian. She was on SCTV. So you got Robin Duke. You've got Sharon Lee lee williams and colina phillips who i'll be honest it was a little hard to dig up details i think we're primarily backup singers so i'm gonna assume these are people that maybe david foster had worked with
Starting point is 01:14:58 or maybe they came with the studio like this yeah maybeberry. Maybe they're like studio musicians. So we got Brian Good. From the Good Brothers. Good Brothers. I hear a lot about the Good Brothers. Yeah. Who I feel like did a song with Pat Burns. Yep.
Starting point is 01:15:16 You're remembering correctly. Absolutely. And also, you know, for the younger generations, I don't know if Brian is Dallas Good and the other brother from the Sadies. Pleading ignorance on that one. Yeah, like, again, the Good Brothers, one of the good parents, kids are the Sadies.
Starting point is 01:15:36 Okay, gotcha. That's amazing. Okay. Mark Jordan, who I feel like is sort of an adult contemporary. I talked to him on the phone a couple of months ago because he was thinking of building a podcast studio and I had a great conversation with him. But yeah, he's a great songwriter. Absolutely, Mark Jordan. He lives in Toronto still. Yeah, and I feel like he was a big deal in his time.
Starting point is 01:15:56 For sure. So here's three more. These are the big ones, Mike. I love it. So we got Aldo Nova. Right. Not Alta Moda. Ald nova right was there amazing uh so how did what's your source like did you like i guess you just did so much homework you found some accounts
Starting point is 01:16:14 from that was i actually found a picture of the liner notes of the we are the world album that actually lists out everyone who appeared. And I did see reference to all these names on another website. It might've been jimballance.com. Oh, which is a great source. Now, just one quick note on Sharon Lee Williams before we leave her behind is that Dan Jeffrey on the live Facebook stream here
Starting point is 01:16:38 says that she used to sing on the Night Ride, the overnight global show where you would just be, a camera would be like driving around the streets of Toronto at night, which I absolutely loved. And jazz music would be
Starting point is 01:16:54 kind of accompanying the drive. And apparently, yeah, Sharon Lee Williams could be heard. Love it. Okay, I know the song because I've watched it. I feel like Retro Ontario
Starting point is 01:17:02 has put these up on YouTube. Yeah. Somebody definitely did resurrect the night ride on uh on youtube i don't actually think it was ed conroy i think it might have been somebody else i gotta dig up who that was but somebody has it going like just continue like a reboot of uh right um so we got two more names um i'm amazed this person did not make the wikipedia list Cause this guy's a big fucking deal. We have Richard Manuel. Wait a minute.
Starting point is 01:17:28 Because I have in my, well, when we get to the snub list, there's going to be some hawks in there. If you know what I'm talking about. Sure. But it sounds like at least one member who's sadly like took his own life shortly thereafter.
Starting point is 01:17:40 If my math is right, that's terrible. But at least one member of the band uh was there i did yeah but he wasn't singing right i mean i guess he's in the chorus but he was uh is it keyboards or what was he doing yeah yeah exactly but like fucking richard manuel yeah that's a big fucking deal because the band was a huge act absolutely and i mean you know the the band during the 80s was really interesting because they put out these albums that seemed like they were kind of middling and were just playing like small rooms at the time. But nevertheless, I mean, just, you know, that those first three or four albums by the band were just iconic to this day. Just the weight alone. If the only thing that band, the band ever recorded was the weight,
Starting point is 01:18:25 they could hang up their microphone and be praised for. Yeah. So this to me feels like a Wikipedia snob, like Richard fucking Manuel. Yeah. That's a big one. You have one more still in the, in the chamber.
Starting point is 01:18:37 Mike, I'm saying, I think you're going to have like a full body exhale when you hear this. Cause again, this person's an FOTM. Gord Depp of the spoons was there he's he's like way high on my list of snubs and now i need to delete him where's my eraser here why is he getting no credit he should i don't know he absolutely should have been there of spoons like the new you mentioned that new wave tribe trio. And I'm thinking where's Gord because the,
Starting point is 01:19:06 the, the songs like romantic traffic, there are areas and symphonies and all those songs that were coming out, uh, in the early eighties, that sound that was big. You know, Mike,
Starting point is 01:19:16 I, I just had a thought, you know, that clip you played off the top, Bruce, Bruce, I was going to say Bruce Arthur. He's talking to Gord.
Starting point is 01:19:24 Give him the first line. Gord, Gord, get over. Maybe it's Gord Depp. You don't know. You know what? That's,
Starting point is 01:19:30 that confirmed. They offered Gord Depp the first line in the song and he turned him down and it went to the other Gord. He's too humble. Good, good Burlington boy.
Starting point is 01:19:38 Yeah, Gord Depp was there. That, that puts a count at four FOTMs within Northern Lights. And that's in addition to a bunch of like snub FOTMs within Northern Lights. And that's in addition to a bunch of like snub FOTMs. See, I would have had Sandy Horn there too.
Starting point is 01:19:51 Like, I don't know what Sandy was up to, but. Totally. Yeah. I mean, I think they could be like a pairing. Right. No problem. Okay. That's huge. Okay. So, I mean, I'm just collecting myself. This is huge.
Starting point is 01:20:04 How about, is this an appropriate time to discuss the five most obscure Northern Lights members? Yeah, yeah, of course. So let's go through these really quickly. Let me just peek at my notes here. And I'll be very honest whether I knew who they were before this past week when I started my research. Yeah, well, let's, I mean, we talked about this gentleman already, Donnie Girard. Okay, yeah, who the hell is Donnie Girard? So Donnie Girard was in a band called Skylark
Starting point is 01:20:32 that were a, Wikipedia describes them as a former Canadian pop rock band active during 1971 to 1973 based in Vancouver. Their biggest single, Wildflower, was a 1972 number one hit in Canada on the RPM adult contemporary chart.
Starting point is 01:20:51 Now that this seems like an odd choice, because this is a semi obscure Canadian band that had a hit like 14 years prior to tears are not enough. You know why I think Donnie Girard was there? I'm going to say it's because he was a client of Bruce Allen. Very close. David Foster was also in Skylark. That's it.
Starting point is 01:21:16 That's for sure. That nails it. That nails it. Now, I will say this. Donnie Girard, a black man. Oh, yeah. Again, good to see some diversity in there No doubt, otherwise it looks
Starting point is 01:21:28 A lot like the Scotiabank Arena On Leaf State game day So you want it to be as diverse Especially in this city, you want it to be as diverse As our city Another name on the top five Most obscure, these are in no particular order By the way, Wayne St. John.
Starting point is 01:21:45 I saw his name. His name shows up because, let me get this right, there's what are called ad libs. And I got this from Jim Valance, but he talks about the ad libs that would pop in. Like Donnie Gerard is on that list. And Mark Holmes, of course, from Platinum Blonde. And Wayne St. John is on that list.
Starting point is 01:22:04 So tell me about Wayne. Well, you know what his most famous song would be? I have no guess. Okay. You listen to a lot of radio, Mike. Yeah. Cellafacations.com
Starting point is 01:22:19 Oh! Heard it many times. Wayne St. John. Wow. it's amazing we got fucking Alfie's Apocosta 439 Pizza Nova we got Wayne St. John
Starting point is 01:22:31 selloffvacations.com that's huge there's an article in the Toronto Star anyone who's actually listening to this episode well Dale Cadeau is listening
Starting point is 01:22:40 because he wants you to know that Wildflower was actually a very good although it's obscure he says it was a very good song. I'm sure it's great. Donny Gerard. Yeah, Wayne St. John was actually like a jazz funk musician in Toronto. There's actually some great photos of him.
Starting point is 01:22:55 He was in an early Toronto production of Hair in like the early 70s. So there's some photos of Wayne in kind of like hippie regalia that are kind of fun. Was also in a jazz funk band called Raven. Not Raven as in like Edgar Allan Poe, like raving, apostrophe. Right, right. Okay.
Starting point is 01:23:15 But he wasn't in Godspell, was he? I'm not sure if he was. Only because as any fan of SCTV, and this will probably come up later in this eight hour episode, but all those SCTV guys were kind of in Toronto for Godspell, which I think is like 1972 or something. So was my next-door neighbor growing up, Jerry Salzberg.
Starting point is 01:23:36 Any relation to Russ Salzberg, formerly of City TV? I don't believe so. Jerry actually passed away a couple of years ago because actually somehow I ended up talking to 1236 about it who knew Jerry somehow. I feel like he knew Jerry's brother, but Jerry was one of the few people from that Godspell cast who really didn't make it. I remember as a kid,
Starting point is 01:24:00 this was actually probably right around the time of when this song came out, going to a stage production of little shop of horrors okay where jerry played the dentist you know that's a steve martin role in the movie yeah i i feel like this was at the venue that's now the capital event theater okay that's owned by michael landsberg i could be imagining that part yeah you mean michael landsberg yeah exactly but anyway wayne st john sell off vacations.com I could be imagining that part You mean FOTM Michael Lansberg? Yeah exactly But anyway Wayne St. John
Starting point is 01:24:27 Selloffvacations.com Selloffvacations.com This Toronto Star article is interesting This guy Wayne Jingles from everybody from Pepsi Molson, Nissan, Air Canada, Wonderbra And he said for selloffvacations.com He only made $5,000
Starting point is 01:24:44 For that song. He needed residuals on that one. Yeah. But in this article in the Trials Star from 2016, mainly talk about his career as a jingle guy. It does talk about him performing at Tears of Not Enough. His main memory was that Neil Young never took off his sunglasses. What a rock star. But Corey Hart did Which is interesting
Starting point is 01:25:05 Where's the midnight Is that five or you still got more No that's only like two So I'll shut up so you can hear more cam here Yeah we got Graham Shaw This one Honestly is a mystery Was originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba
Starting point is 01:25:22 Shout out to Sammy Cohn Shaw performed in several local bands, including a stint in the Deverons, alongside Burton Cummings before Cummings left to join the Guess Who. He formed the band the Sincere Serenaders, 1977. This is another guy who got into jingles. And also this guy, Graham Shaw,
Starting point is 01:25:41 also wrote a lot of themes and incidental music for CBC, including for such venerable programs as Venture and Marketplace. Okay, sure. I know those like instrumental theme songs you get for those. Yeah, and also I sort of remember this ESO jingle, You're On Your Way With ESO. I think it rings a bell. Yeah, and I also wrote some music for some TV shows, including theater, Tugboat. So I always wonder if Stu Stone and Graham Shaw
Starting point is 01:26:09 would have crossed paths with the Edison twins. No relation. There's no relation to Hammy Hamster with the Tugboat show. I wish. Well, that's a story for another time. No, that's when I need Retro Ontario in the house for the Hammy Hamster talk. Absolutely.
Starting point is 01:26:23 Fill in some gaps um then we got dean mctaggart not to be confused with jeremy taggart he was in a new web band called the arrows oh my god you know they're famous for hit me if your best shot right yeah is that their jam exactly yeah that's i feel like that's the only reason i knew because we we did a Pandemic Friday of American covers of Canadian jams, I want to say. That's right, yeah. Or something like that.
Starting point is 01:26:51 Well, didn't someone die of COVID? Yeah, yeah. And there was two bands called The Arrow. I think we kind of brought the arrows into Pandemic Friday because of Pat Benatar's big hit, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, being a Canadian song that was covered. And then shortly thereafter, you know,
Starting point is 01:27:05 Mark Weisblot from 1236 heard that. And then he learned that the member of the Arrows had died of COVID. And then they became sort of, they became a discussion point on one of the 1236 episodes of Toronto Mike. So the Canadian Arrows, because there's also a British Arrows, I think. Yes.
Starting point is 01:27:22 Yeah. So yes. Super confusing. But I know who Yes. Yeah. So, yes. Super confusing. But I know who this man is. Yes, I know this band. Anyway, Dean McTaggart was there. He went on, you know, we're seeing a theme with a lot of these more obscure people
Starting point is 01:27:35 where they went on to write either jingles or theme music. Dean McTaggart went on to write music for other people, songs for other people, including Win winona judd which is a big deal terry clark yeah female also a big artist um this guy also wrote a lot of the biggest hits of amanda marshall wow birmingham was a birmingham okay that's a huge hit yeah and dark horse which was a number one adult contemporary they're both monster both monster jams. Both monster jams. And that sent me off to like a little rabbit hole of what the fuck ever happened to Amanda Marshall? Great question because huge, huge hits.
Starting point is 01:28:15 She had the look. She had the voice. She had the presence. Right. She looked like she was going to be Canada's Whitney Houston. It seems like that she has had, and it seems like she was going to be canada's whitney houston it seems like that she has had and i it seems like maybe even continues to have a lot of like label issues and like legal battles with her music that's maybe like a really sidetracked her career that could really
Starting point is 01:28:36 fuck over an artist actually totally which i think was the case um and then yeah sharon lee williams this would be my last one but that But I didn't even really have any fun facts about her. But that Night Ride, what's it called? Night Ride, I think, is Night Ride. Yeah. I feel like there's Night Ride and then there's Night Walk. I only remember Night Ride because, of course, I guess the camera was in a car and it was just driving around Toronto streets at night. And then you had the jazz music going.
Starting point is 01:29:02 It was really chill. That's right. No, it's great. Like insomnia music. Wow. Okay. So that was top five. Okay. Most obscure artists. Are you ready though, Kim?
Starting point is 01:29:13 Because I know everyone's excited to hear us talk about some people who weren't there, but maybe should have been there. Are we ready for that? I think so. I feel like, how do you want to do this? I'm going to start by going one by one, and then I'll leave you to kind of drain the swamp there. Because I'm going to, can I start with a name?
Starting point is 01:29:32 Absolutely. Wait, wait, I was going to say, do we want to do most egregious omissions or build up? I don't think we need to go in a particular order, just omissions. Okay. Because I just, on Friday, I did an episode with Barry Witkin,
Starting point is 01:29:47 who is the founder of the Purple Onion. And this was a coffee house in Yorkville from 1960 to 65, where you'd have Joni Mitchell. She actually was Joni Anderson. She wasn't even Joni Mitchell. That's a stage name. And you had artists,
Starting point is 01:30:02 just some interesting artists, folk artists pass through. And you had artists, like just some interesting artists, folk artists passed through. And one artist in particular, who I always joked with my mom that this was my real mom because I was raised on Sesame Street. Like you wouldn't believe I was raised on Sesame Street.
Starting point is 01:30:15 And the time I was watching Sesame Street, this woman was a huge part of Sesame Street, a huge part of these influential years of my early upbringing. And she wrote her biggest smash Universal Soldier Universal
Starting point is 01:30:33 Soldier at the Purple Onion so I played that song Universal Soldier it's funny how I want to say shoulder but soldier in its entirety just on Fridayiday's episode of toronto mic which is what an awesome song and yeah she's where the hell is buffy saint marie yeah she might be number one on my list um an indigenous woman where is the indigenous
Starting point is 01:30:57 representation on the canadian uh charity single yeah i say, I mean, regardless of her background, her gender, anything, park that. She still should be a no-brainer. Plus, you know, there's no Indigenous representation. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know. I honestly, I don't know. But she just seems like she should be, like, you know, in the first five people you call,
Starting point is 01:31:22 not barking at Gord Depp or Gord Lightfoot or whoever he was barking at. You know, he was like yelling at Bernie Finkelstein, too, part of the clip. Unless he's like talking to Bernie Sanders or like Bernie Nichols or something. Now that you've got me thinking that was staged, I'm so skeptical of it all now, but please.
Starting point is 01:31:39 Yeah, so Buffy St. Marie was worthy of being there as a great Canadian. You know, she's from Saskatchewan being there as a great canadian uh you know she's from saskatchewan and she's a great singer and she like again in 1985 i mean again like i'm talking i think my sesame street era is late 70s okay she was all over that like and she would have been great on this single from her voice and her capabilities and it would have been wonderful to have some representation from an indigenous woman i i'm gonna give bruce allen and friends the best of the doubt i'm gonna assume that she was approached for this it just it's hard to believe she wouldn't be right and again yeah when we should be clear about this we're not suggesting these are necessarily snubs merely artists that aren't part of this
Starting point is 01:32:25 project that we believe should have been and we don't know whether it would they weren't asked like uh greg out of it or if they were unavailable although they made it happen for bruce coburn and he was in hamburg germany well i mean that's the thing and like he he sounded like he was being like a bit of a dick. But they made that happen. Jim Ballant scrolls into the town. Why don't you hit us with a name? I've got a few more big names, but you hit us with a name. Mine are
Starting point is 01:32:54 basically in order. I'm not going to pick the number one person on my list. How about Randy Bachman? Okay. I almost said it off the top because, of course, Birding Cummings is like
Starting point is 01:33:06 the second voice you hear or something. Do you know who represented Randy Bachman in his career as a musician at that time? Eric Alper. Before he was on Twitter.
Starting point is 01:33:21 No. Who was it? It was Bruce Allen. Yeah, of course. Because like BTO and stuff. Yeah, well, so think, just take a moment. Realize that Burden Cummings. Cummings?
Starting point is 01:33:34 Is there an S on the end of that? So Burden. Yeah, Cummings. Yes, Burden Cummings is prominently featured. Randy Backman, who's, you know, works with Bruceman, who works with Bruce Allen, is represented by Bruce Allen, I suppose, is somehow absent. Now, again, we're not suggesting that,
Starting point is 01:33:53 of course, I'm sure Randy Backman was asked, but he's not there. He's noticeably absent. And he doesn't only have the Guess Who pedigree, huge hits from the Guess Who when Randy was in the band. But then he went on and he was in a huge band called Bachman Turner Overdrive, BTO as you said. Because as Homer Simpson told me,
Starting point is 01:34:15 they shortened everything in the 70s because they didn't have a second to spare. Everything got shortened. ELO, BTO. So where the hell was Randy? I'd like to know. I mean, the guests who, they had actually done a reunion tour,
Starting point is 01:34:31 I believe it was in 1984. So, you know, I think there was a lot of friction between Burden and Randy at times, but as recently as 1984, those guys were playing music together. And of course, like the history of the guests who was like very like murky. Well, they're still touring and none of those guys have anything to do with it anymore yeah like it's it's the fucking weirdest thing nevertheless randy bachman
Starting point is 01:34:53 to me is like a glaring huge backman backman yeah he could have like in the last pandemic friday i said bachman and somebody chastised me on Facebook or on the live. So he's, he was pretty high on my list of like, where the fuck is this person? Yeah. Especially cause I can still hear him, you know, he's still doing things on CBC and stuff like he's still out and about.
Starting point is 01:35:15 And unless he was really sick that weekend or I don't know, I won't, you know, maybe, uh, I don't know. We don't know, but a glaring absent,
Starting point is 01:35:23 a glaring, uh, absence. Now glaring absence. Now, there's another artist who I think was, I talked about Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. And where the hell was Leonard Cohen? I'd like to, number one on my list. Now, he had just put out various positions with,
Starting point is 01:35:43 what's now his most famous song. Hallelujah. I can't say that word. Now, of course that song, I think it took years for that song to be the place where it is now in the culture. I mean, it wasn't, wasn't really a huge hit at the time. No, you're right. You're right. Yeah. I mean, Leonard Cohen seemed like a no brainer. Again,
Starting point is 01:36:05 I'm going to assume he was probably offered, um, like a huge, like a huge, uh, musician in this country, Leonard Cohen. And he's from Montreal.
Starting point is 01:36:16 Yeah. Which gives you bonus points. And another gentleman will come in a moment from Montreal, but, uh, I, he must, he was like,
Starting point is 01:36:23 I think he's one of the first calls you make and he must have said no. I would think so. I would say if you could get, I don't know. I don't want to, I don't want to scoop myself with my top five ways you could improve. Okay. Okay. So don't do that. But I would, I'll just say if Laird Cohen's there, I think he's a solo vocalist.
Starting point is 01:36:46 Right. And to the jokester, Dale, who on the Facebook feed just laughingly, jokingly says they were looking for singers, I just want to say this. Neil fucking Young. Well, I'll say, Dale, Kano, check out We Are The World. They give Bob Dylan some time. He could easily have filled bob please leonard leonard cohen uh like you have him number one he's probably number
Starting point is 01:37:11 one on my list as well so i'll give you another name then and i'm trying to get my timelines right uh i apologize although he did have a a big hit already under his belt at this point but he's also from montreal and he's got a very hairy chest. And one of the great FOTMs, what an episode. Cackling Brothers, been in your face. Where was Gino Vannelli? Like, he should have been there in 85, right? And I think, when does Black Cars come out?
Starting point is 01:37:37 Maybe it hadn't come out yet, but still, just based on what he had accomplished, Andy Kim is there. Well, I mean, Gino had like a shitload of hits like in the 70s too. I just want to stop. Wasn't that number one? I think it might have gone to number one
Starting point is 01:37:54 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It might have gone to number one. He seemed like a no-brainer. By the way, it seems like when Andy Kim was in the course, it was under his alias Baron Longfellow. Right, right. That's what he was at that time.
Starting point is 01:38:07 That's true. Yeah, I mean, Gino should have been there. Yeah, come on. So anyway, not just because he's an FOTM, but I think, and again, I got to check the time. It might have been later in 85 when Black Cars comes out because that's around the era. Irrespective of Black Cars Cars irrespective of Wild
Starting point is 01:38:28 Horses irrespective of Just a Motion Away yes even a 70s output he should be there I mean they have the fucking like Skylark guy and Arrows guy anyway okay it was released so Black Cars it was early but it was released in November
Starting point is 01:38:44 1984 but still like you said um anyway okay it was released so black cars it was early but it was released in november 1984 okay but still like you said irrespective of that album which was a huge but here's like a canadian superstar you know his current music like he'd be perfect he's on the radio he probably moved some more units get some more uh famine relief funds okay now i'm gonna go to some fotm comments here uh let me give some love to some people here uh i've got a good name to drop we've alluded to this for a while but brian shelly tweeted at me uh where the hell speaking of indigenous peoples where was robbie robertson and rick danko and garth hudson doing an oregon solo well i i was gonna say well well, is Garth Hudson not Canadian?
Starting point is 01:39:28 No, the only one who wasn't Canadian, as far as I'm concerned, is Levon Helm. But he's a... Oh, is it Levon Helm? Levon Helm is from Arkansas, I believe. But he's not Canadian. Yeah. The rest were Canadian. Well, the fact that Richard Manuel was there... Right.
Starting point is 01:39:40 ...makes it all the more weirder. Now, I would say Rick Danko, just because he had so many issues right i can understand why he might not have been there because i feel like it was a very tumultuous right time for him but where was robbie robinson because he's only a few years away from like a huge solo effort with a bunch of big hits somewhere down the crazy river and uh a whole bunch of big hits coming off. He's not far removed. Showdown at Big Sky. Showdown at Big Sky. That's another big hit.
Starting point is 01:40:09 I don't know. I think that's later in the 80s. Maybe I got to check out what year it was. It was after 85, I think. But still, the band, the fucking band. Where was Robbie Robertson? That's a big, big, big miss. I just find it so weird that Richard Manuel, he's in. The other guy's not in.
Starting point is 01:40:24 Here's a name. This is one where I know why this person wasn't there because this person was retired at the time. Just think about Stomping Tom Connors. Yep. Shout out to Banjo Dunk.
Starting point is 01:40:39 I have his book right here. Shout out to Banjo Dunk. Let's give some credit to Mike Lynch who tweeted at me. He says, I'm going to read his tweet. I forgot how many Canadian music icons were involved. I will definitely be tuning in. He goes, was Leonard Cohen there? Paul Anka?
Starting point is 01:40:56 Stomp and Tom Connors? So we talked about Leonard Cohen, but Stomp and Tom Connors would have been great in there. He's such a folksy, beloved Canadian artist. And Paul Anka. Where was Paul Anka? Paul Schaefer was there. Where was Paul Anka?
Starting point is 01:41:11 You can't have enough Pauls there. But anyway, Stompin' Tom Connors had left the music industry, I think, around 79. I think he was disgruntled about CanCon laws and Canada not supporting Canadian artists, which is interesting
Starting point is 01:41:28 because so many people are so critical of CanCon laws and Tom Connors was the opposite. By the way, I feel like if Stomp and Tom was around today, he would get cancelled. Okay. For what specifically, though? I feel like when I was just looking at some of the
Starting point is 01:41:43 commentary he was given why he left the music industry i would say some of his comments were through seen through a lens of today some people might find them problematic if he did a heartfelt apology and told us all that he had uh you know evolved we might we might let him back we might cancel him anyway i i what a moment it would have been where this person who left the music industry i'm not performing anymore fuck you can con you're not supporting right the moment he re-emerged was for this track his first like public appearance okay so on that note so this fun fact comes courtesy of brian shelly but he reminds me of something uh do you know who coaxed uh stomp and tom out of retirement it's an fotm david bedini was it not
Starting point is 01:42:31 correct amando yeah and it's it's a little frustrating to be honest because that only happened like a year or two after this song if they could have like expedited if they could have like ramped yeah because he had a huge resurgence in the late eighties. Like he was all over much music all of a sudden, like Margo's got the cargo. Margo's got the cargo. Sudbury Saturday night was back on high rotation. Mike Rogotsky,
Starting point is 01:42:56 he's a great listener of the program. He says, if he recalls, this is off the top of his head and I haven't done, I haven't Googled it to see if the timelines work out, if he recalls this is off the top of his head and I haven't done, I haven't Googled it to see if the timelines work out, but he thinks that Larry Gowan was on the rise at this time and should have been included.
Starting point is 01:43:12 Yeah. I had him on my list. He, he seems like just based on, you know, timing would be a bit on the bubble. Um, just based on his, his rise. Yeah. Like he would have been like a very, very new artist. Again, not born in Canada, technically, but nevertheless. Yeah, I think Gowan. I don't think I knew that. Where was he born?
Starting point is 01:43:35 Scotland or something? He was born in Scotland. Okay, that's right. Okay, I did know that. What's interesting, like Lawrence Gowan, Paul Hyde, and another, it looks like I'm doing
Starting point is 01:43:44 like a symbol or something. There was another Canadian musician of the 80s who was not born in... I want to say Carol Pope was born in London. She was born in the UK. I don't know.
Starting point is 01:43:59 While you ponder that a bit, I'm going to start doing groupings. Let me just finish the FOTMs really quick here. Paul Dearborn is a great name. Speaking of all the Pauls we need, Paul Dearborn says that he
Starting point is 01:44:15 points out that Honeymoon Suite and Spoons were very popular, but we've already established that Gord Depp was in fact there. That's a mind blow. And I actually, this conversation happened on Twitter, but like with Larry Gowan, Honeymoon Suite was sort of just emerging at this time. It's a bit early for them.
Starting point is 01:44:35 I did have Johnny D, who was their vocalist from Honeymoon Suite. I did have him on my list a bit further down. I'm actually going on Google Doc and like erasing names. While you do that, a couple more last couple, Graham Lofton. I want to say is his, how you say his last name,
Starting point is 01:44:54 but he, this is an interesting one. Frankie Venom. Oh, it wasn't on my list. Um, I'm a big teenage head fan myself. Um,
Starting point is 01:45:04 I mean, again, like teenage head was a bit in the wild at this point they i don't know if you know much about their story they they sort of fell apart because there was a really bad um traffic accident that put gordy lewis uh again maybe that's who bruce allen was yelling at gordy lewisy Lewis. Put them on the shelf where, yeah, by 1985, I think they also had like record label limbo. I think it would have been great to have like a more punk guy in the mix there. But yeah, I mean, Frankie Venom, that could have been fun for sure.
Starting point is 01:45:38 Okay, so Cam, you take us home with the rest of your list of people who were not there but should have been there. Okay i'm gonna do some groupings here um i mean these three names have to go together sharon sharon lewis and bram you know i i feel like it's a you know or raffy you know i i think any of those i mean obviously they were both huge at that time like we should point out because i know that i was i can tell you i, I was raised on Rafi as well. Now, I don't know if it's just because we were kids at that time. So they seem like no brainers, you know, whether, you know, I'm trying to think of like Eric Nagler or something for people a bit younger. I'm trying to think of other like Canadian kids, Splashin' Boots, for example.
Starting point is 01:46:22 Or Fred Penner, you mean like Fred Penner, because he comes later. Yeah, I feel like he's a bit later oh for sure um we got ivan from men not ivan payhar my former colleague ivan from men without hats yeah okay because when's the uh when's the safety dance if he dances like 83 84 what a massive hit that was yeah yeah uh Let's go to the East Coast, Mike, okay? Let's do it. Stan Rogers. Oh my God, but when did he die? Because he's in a plane crash in the early 80s. That's a great question.
Starting point is 01:46:55 I think he's dead by 85. I think you might be right. I'll do the Google quick here while you do the next one. Oh, June 1983. Yeah, I do know, yes, we lost him. You know, now that sea shanties are all the rage, Stan would have been. Could have been. That's an obvious one.
Starting point is 01:47:11 Yeah. Yeah. OK, so, yeah, he died in Kentucky. Yeah, because someone else I thought and I sort of knew he had passed was Glenn Gould. Yeah. He passed away in like 82. Yeah. Again, I'm going to lump these four gentlemen together.
Starting point is 01:47:26 I feel like this could have almost been one of those like group lyric things. So you got David Clayton Thomas. Yeah. You got Denny Doherty. Yeah. From the Mamas and Papas. Yeah. Beloved Spoonful or the Mamas and Papas?
Starting point is 01:47:42 Let's give a bit of exposition. Yeah. So you got David Clayton Thomas from Blood, Sweat and Tears. Yeah. You got Denny Doherty from the Mamas and Papas? Let's give a bit of exposition. Yeah, so you got David Clayton Thomas from Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Yep. You got Denny Doherty from The Mamas and the Papas. Right. You got John Kay, now not the erstwhile former editor
Starting point is 01:47:57 at the Walrus and National Post, the singer for Steppenwolf. Right. Although technically born in Germany, but nevertheless. And then I feel like this gentleman passed away recently. Yael Zanofsky. Yeah, I think five years ago or so, but he was 11 Spoonful,
Starting point is 01:48:12 right? Yes, yes, yes. Those are all good suggestions. Imagine those four guys together doing, oh, here's the hippies, you know, doing their little section. No, I dig it. I can dig it. Let's go back to Montreal, okay? Let's do it. Luba. Lube is a good one you know i was thinking luba because because that at that time of uh 85 she was uh all over much music
Starting point is 01:48:34 all the video channels yeah where's luba yeah um mike you remember we heard a little jam this this was many months ago pandemic fr. I feel like this is the final jam we played on one episode. Lay in pipe. Yeah. David Wilcox. Do the Bearcat. David Wilcox should have been there.
Starting point is 01:48:56 Well, Kim Mitchell's there, right? So he's another FOTM who's there. So why not do a Kim Mitchell, Greg Godovitz, David Wilcox trifecta? Maybe a little Dominic Triano. That's a great Mitchell, Greg Godovitz, David Wilcox trifecta. Maybe a little Dominic Triano. That's a great one too. He's no longer with us now, but he was there at the time.
Starting point is 01:49:11 I'm going to lump all these people together. Okay, cool. Rick Emmett, lead vocalist of Triumph. Ra McGuire, lead vocalist of Trooper. Michael Sadler, lead vocalist of Trooper. Right. Michael Sadler, lead vocalist of Saga. Yep.
Starting point is 01:49:30 Miles Godwin, lead vocalist of April Wine. Wow. Brian Vollmer, lead vocalist of Helix. So sort of like, you know, the lead vocalist of all these great 80s Canadian rock bands. Also of like the 70s. Well, since this all comes out of Vancouver, this project, how about somebody from Chilliwack, for example?
Starting point is 01:49:58 Yeah, whoever that guy was. Bill Henderson? Yeah. I think it's Bill Henderson. I think it's the guy from Chilliwack. Where was Bill? Well, I was going was gonna say if we're still in vancouver doug bennett dug in the slug oh for yet he's yes of course of course don't tell sammy cone though don't tell sammy it's i'll just say it's too bad that doug bennett wasn't there no come on. Really? Like Doug Bennett, of course, in 1985.
Starting point is 01:50:27 He was big. Now, this next one is very interesting. So in the documentary, there's a good scene where it's Lorraine Segato and it's Martha Johnson, kind of the two new wave singers, female new wave singers from Toronto studying the lyric seats. Where's Mark Gain? Eminem? Martha and the Muffins?
Starting point is 01:50:48 Martha Johnson's there. Why not Mark Gain? Great question. And not to be confused with Mark Gain from the band Stereolab. No, don't confuse me. A different guy. Jean Leloup, we talked about. I have to get some water
Starting point is 01:51:02 in a second. I can thank sponsors when you're ready. Why do you do that? I need to hydrate here. This was a lot. So I will just tell the listenership we planned on doing 90 minutes tonight because I was going to put the kids to bed at 8 o'clock and we were going to go like 6.30 to 8, bang off this.
Starting point is 01:51:21 Tears are not enough episode. Well, I just checked the clock. We're half an hour uh past that deadline and we have so much to cover here i almost wonder if the usa for africa stuff has to go on to a future uh sequel or something like that but let me just thank some sponsors who are making this all possible uh mike majeski i call him mimico mike he's the real estate agent who's ripping up the mimico real estate scene so you can go to realestatelove.ca to learn more about Mimico Mike. Mimico is a great neighborhood.
Starting point is 01:51:53 You really should. Great Lakes Brewery, not far from Mimico. They're in Southern Etobicoke, a little bit north of Mimico, a little bit northwest. Nobody cares about that detail, but it's fresh craft beer. It's delicious. Support the sponsors, including Palma Pasta. They're in Mississauga and Oakville. Sticker U, I mentioned the episode with Barry Witkin
Starting point is 01:52:15 about the purple onion. Well, Barry's son happens to be Andrew Witkin, who kicked out the jams here, and he founded a little company called StickerU.com. They're in Liberty Village. If you ever order something in the GTA, it gets delivered by the StickerU mobile or mobile, I guess.
Starting point is 01:52:32 And that is actually driven by Barry Witkin who owned the Purple Onion. So there's a mind blow for you right there. Much love to Barb Paluskiewicz. If anyone's looking to outsource their IT, contact Barb. She's Barb at cdntechnologies.com. And Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921. I have this beautiful story to share about Ridley Funeral Home, but I'm not ready to share it quite
Starting point is 01:52:59 yet. But they go above and beyond for the community. And even if you have a question, But they go above and beyond for the community. And even if you have a question, just that's such a difficult time for the survivors when somebody passes away. If you have any questions at all, honestly, the people at Ridley Funeral Home are so patient and compassionate and will just give you the answers you seek. So shout out to Brad Jones at Ridley Funeral Home.
Starting point is 01:53:24 And Cam, did you get your water buddy i i did i'm hydrated and it's good because i i still got like another 15 or so names oh my god okay well okay go why don't we just rapid fire sherry keen the game should be you say the name and i just tell you if i know who you're talking about i don't know that name sherry hey i feel like she was like a female singer from like the 70s um we got holly woods from the band toronto oh i know the band toronto for sure your daddy don't saying you dad your daddy don't know right that's the only song i really don't know yeah um someone mentioned this in the facebook comment section good good call uh the nylons
Starting point is 01:54:03 oh yeah i mean it's a chorus, like vocals. Like the whole Jackson family was... No, it's a good point. It's a good point. That's a good one. His ex-wife was in Northern Lights, but this gentleman sure wasn't. Ian Tyson.
Starting point is 01:54:18 That's a good one. Yep. Be a good one. We got FOTM. It's funny. I almost said Hank Aaron. Lee Aaron. Wait wait but years like when when did metal queen come out was that early before it was before tears are not enough i feel like she would have been maybe too it was early for her that's well i don't know okay because she
Starting point is 01:54:38 would have been a welcome addition but she was maybe just too green or too early in her career yeah i i'd say she's like, definitely. She's not a slam dunk, but she wouldn't have been out of place. Um, Hank Snow. I think he's like,
Starting point is 01:54:54 he's like the first Canadian to like hit number one on the billboard hot 100 or something like that. Like really big deals. Songs have been covered from like, you know, Johnny Cash and rolling stones and all this presley um i'm just gonna check to make sure this person was alive please stand by who is it i'll tell you i'm good at this game okay i'm not gonna say this person well a name they thought of and i'm not saying it was Guy Lombardo.
Starting point is 01:55:26 Oh, yeah. He's a Canadian band leader. Right. We discussed, yeah, that's a good one. Because he did the Auld Lang Syne. His version of Auld Lang Syne is like the definitive version you hear on New Year's Eve. The Royal Canadians.
Starting point is 01:55:40 Wow. Got a few more here. I just like this guy. I don't think he would have fit in but imagine like Nash the Slash is there yeah I was thinking of him too but then I thought that's just too obscure for the average Canadian unless you're ready for that ditto for Mendelsohn Joe oh for sure yeah for sure I love Mendelsohn Joe but and I don't know I don't think he moved away like he used to be a just a Toronto guy know, I don't think, he moved away, like he used to be just a Toronto guy you saw everywhere.
Starting point is 01:56:09 And then I think he moved out of the city. I haven't seen him in a long time. Yeah, I feel like he... Like is he in the country or something? Like I feel like he's... Yeah, he's around. I feel like he's on Twitter. Okay, because I used to see him like walking, like I'm thinking like DuPont or Davenport or something.
Starting point is 01:56:23 I used to see him. Him and Moe Berg or whatever would be strolling. Yeah, definitely like an unlikely much music sensation. Right, right, right. A few more. So yeah, Greg Godovich we talked about. Just the whole band, the Irish Rovers. Yeah, especially at this time of year
Starting point is 01:56:41 because I may be kicking some of them out at our next pandemic Friday. I don't think we've talked too much jazz, but Moe Kaufman. Oh my goodness. The As It Happens theme song is a Moe Kaufman performance. That's someone I just would like to verify if Moe was. Moe died in 2001,
Starting point is 01:57:02 so he could have been there. I don't know. Because I was kind of thinking Maynard Ferguson, too. Yeah, similar vein, yeah. I think there's a City TV theme song by Maynard Ferguson. I want to say the Gonna Fly Now version
Starting point is 01:57:16 that they played at City TV on the new City Pulse News was a Maynard Ferguson performance. Michael Burgess. Oh, yes. Yeah, of course. Theess. Oh, yes. Yeah, of course, the Phantom. Yeah, and also sang many a national anthem at Maple Leaf Gardens. And last but not least,
Starting point is 01:57:32 another FOTM. It was nice to see Leroy Sibbles in Northern Lights. I think there should have been a place for Jay Douglas too. Just for no other reason, get some reggae love in there. You know what I mean? Absolutely.
Starting point is 01:57:49 Just to diversify it a bit. Jay, what a guy, what a talent. That was a great episode, by the way. Thank you. It just seemed like a good day. I love the episode because it was nice to have a guest in person during the pandemic. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 01:58:02 Because as fun as this is, imagine you and I together drinking our Great Lakes, talking about Tears Are Not Enough. It's a whole different dynamic in person during the pandemic. You know what I mean? Because as fun as this is, imagine you and I together drinking our Great Lakes talking about tears are not enough. It's a whole different dynamic in person. So Jake came in the backyard. Now, Mike, we're not done. Because as you remember, John Candy, Eugene Levy, there was some non-musicians.
Starting point is 01:58:18 I'm going to go rapid fire here. Okay, go ahead. Some non-musicians I could have seen there. These are in alphabetical order by their first name. Okay? Okay. Just stay with me. Alex Bauman.
Starting point is 01:58:29 Yeah, the swimmer, because in 84. But just quick, that was the first Olympics I watched, and I was so impressed with Canada and so into it. And then a few years later, it was pointed out to me that the Russians and the Eastans and some of the uh other such nations had skipped the 1984 olympics in los angeles so it was sort of like oh it sort of like deflated the high but i remember the first ever uh wwf card i went to um was actually at cops coliseum and uh you're Haku? Of course, yes.
Starting point is 01:59:06 Haku won a Battle Royal. And I'm like, this guy fucking sucks. Why did this guy win? But then it's like, Kogan's not there. Randy Savage isn't there. It's like you float. Because, yeah. Dan wants us to make an FOTM.
Starting point is 01:59:23 Tears are not enough roster at some point. So that's for the sequel episode. And I'm going to let you finish, of course. I feel like I'm Kanye when I say that. But I just want you to know Cam Gordon that maybe the USA for Africa stuff is in the sequel. Like we can park, I feel like the USA for Africa sidebar goes in the sequel where we
Starting point is 01:59:39 maybe we do like an FOTM, Tears Are Not Enough. And maybe we do a, if we did it today, who would be there kind of deal. Cause there's enough here for a sequel, but I totally agree. I mean, I had like two hours on hands across America. So that's totally good.
Starting point is 01:59:53 So save all the U S stuff. Cause this is all about us. Crazy. Okay. So I'm going to go rapid fire here. Um, Brian Mulroney, fucking prime minister with,
Starting point is 02:00:04 with baby Ben Mulroney and baby carolyn okay here's they weren't babies but they were like children like brian mulroney with little ben and little carolyn okay well uh ben was was he elected in 84 yes okay because joe clark i want to say was prime minister am i am i it's Joe Clark? No, John Turner. It was John Nathan Turner. I remember that very briefly. It can't be weird to have the prime minister there, but who knows?
Starting point is 02:00:33 You don't want to politicize this, right? This is actually a name of all the non-musicians. This is somebody I'm really surprised was not there given the guys who are organizing this. David Suzuki. Yeah. David Suzuki. Why was he there? the guys who are organizing this david suzuki yeah david suzuki why was he there he wanted to save his carbon points i didn't want to fly uh for this i guess so uh gayton boucher oh yeah speed skater from uh the olympics uh what was it 84 where was 84's Olympics? It's Sarajevo?
Starting point is 02:01:07 Oh, Lake Placid? No, that was... Anyway. No, that was like... Yeah. Anyway, Gaetan Boucher. Gaetan Boucher. Also, it would be some nice K-Buck content.
Starting point is 02:01:15 Graham Green. Yep. From... You're talking... There's a couple of Graham Greens, actually. So, you're talking about the Ponderosa... The... Steak? No. Ponderosa the Steak?
Starting point is 02:01:25 No, Ponderosa was the name they gave. Oh, crap. What was the Michael Landon show? Highway to Heaven? No, before that. Little House on the Prairie? Am I? Okay, here. Graham Greene, the great indigenous. Oh, from Dances with Wolves
Starting point is 02:01:42 and stuff like that. Yes, exactly. You know who I'm confusing? Lauren Green. Lauren Green. That's exactly who I'm thinking of. Where was Lauren Green? You know what? That's fine because he's on my list too. Yeah. Lauren Green is who I'm thinking of. What was the name of that show? Stage Coach.
Starting point is 02:01:58 No. Come on. Michael Landon and Lauren Green. What's that show called? Because we're too young for this, but hold on. I'm going to tell you in two seconds. That freaking show, everyone's yelling at us right now through the... Yeah, someone on Facebook. Bonanza. Bonanza.
Starting point is 02:02:17 You know what? It's because of our age. Like, Bonanza was so big, but we never saw Bonanza. No, like, Bonanza is not in my purview. Lauren Green would have been a great addition to this. He's a famous Canadian at the time. Were you a big fan of The Naked Gun?
Starting point is 02:02:34 Are you fucking kidding me? I thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever saw when I saw The Naked Gun in theaters. Don't call me Shirley. Leslie Nielsen should have been. He became famous yes well he was a straight actor uh i mean by straight actor meaning not a comedic actor and then he did airplane and suddenly he became the straight guy you put in the funny movies uh yeah he should
Starting point is 02:02:55 have been there should have been there um lincoln alexander oh my gosh yes of course like what what a legend uh have you ever driven on the link in Hamilton? The link in Alexander Perkway? Probably. I actually feel like other than David Suzuki, it seems like it's something you tried out the Governor General for.
Starting point is 02:03:17 So many people yelled Bonanza at me in the Facebook. I feel terrible. But you were no help with your stage coach. Chuck Wiggin. I think they did name it for a while. I think they. But you were no help with your stage coach. Chuck Wigand. I think they did name it for a while. I think they called the show Ponderosa in some markets or something. Anyway, so go ahead. Also had the best
Starting point is 02:03:33 buffet. Yeah, that's right. Weaver, right? Sigourney Weaver's dad. Sigourney's Weaver. Oh, maybe that was Pizza Pasta Made Perfect, Mother's Pizzeria. Sigourney Weaver's dad, Dennis Weaver, I think did ads for Mother's Pizzeria. You know who was the co-owner? Ernie Witt.
Starting point is 02:03:52 Ernie Witt, yeah, of course. Everyone knows it. This one would be a bit weird in retrospect, given what he's doing now. But how about Mark Gurnow? Right, because he's Canada's first man in space. Person in space. Margaret Atwood. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 02:04:09 Oh, yeah. Obviously, they didn't know what to do with these authors. What are they going to do? Stick them in the chorus? Martin Short. Yeah, but then you can do, like, where was Bob and Doug? Were they there? I mean, I know Rick Moranis.
Starting point is 02:04:19 They're on the list. Okay, because Rick Moranis is not Canadian, right? Yeah. He's American. He's not Canadian. Some of those SCTV guys are American, so I sometimes confuse who's who. I feel like those two guys are Canadian.
Starting point is 02:04:31 Oh, so Rick Moranis is Canadian. Because Andrea Martin's American. Yeah. I feel like we haven't talked too much about Edmonton talent. Yeah, he's Canadian. Or foreign talent. Yeah. How about Michael J. Fox?
Starting point is 02:04:43 So he wasn't there at all. No. Now he's family. I'm thinking back to the future. Hasn't hit theaters yet because it comes out in 1985. Like the summer. I agreed. Like he wasn't the,
Starting point is 02:04:56 he was just the star of us. He was in a big popular sitcom, but it had, it might've been a bit early for Michael J. Fox. Yeah. I think that's fair. This guy, I think is actually not Canadian either,
Starting point is 02:05:08 but we certainly embraced him. Ernie Combs, a.k.a. Mr. Dress Up. He would be as Canadian as Romp and Ronnie Hawkins. Absolutely. Yeah, we made him a Canadian. This could be like a group thing. The Much Music VJs well you do know from watching all those
Starting point is 02:05:27 Making Of documentaries that Terry David Mulligan was all over this thing all over this thing I don't know what he was doing if he was just hanging out but he's in all that footage where these guys are planning they're planning it in Vancouver TDM is there
Starting point is 02:05:42 I got sort of like a Flavor Flav vibe like his role. He was almost just like the hype-keeping energy. He was the Good Rockin' Tonight guy at the time, right? Because when does Much West even happen? I know they add Much West later. Yeah, I feel like he was the Good Rockin' Tonight guy before FOTM
Starting point is 02:05:58 Stu Jeffries took over. He was also on a program that no one seems to remember because we've asked the FOTM before, Zig Zag. Oh, I don't remember it. But I do have breaking news. An omission, not a singer, but does have some big singing hits. Where the hell was William Shatner?
Starting point is 02:06:17 Oh, very, yeah. Shout out to Rick on the Facebook who just says William Shatner. Because he had musical hits he could have said a spoken word verse or something he totally would have no he i'd say he's like top five non-musician right um peter jennings the late great peter jennings sure sure you're yeah rich little right he was everywhere in the 80s where was he where was he that day? Yeah, probably in Vegas. Now, this is a guy, I feel like if it was a year later, he'd probably be there. I feel like
Starting point is 02:06:50 this might have been a bit early. Rick Hansen. He was a bit early. I feel like the timing was maybe off on that. This is kind of a weird one. I wouldn't invite him, but Sam Snyderman, Sam the Record Man? You're going to need a bigger room, I think.
Starting point is 02:07:07 Okay, well, I got a few more. Terry Fox's parents or members of Terry Fox's family. Fred Fox would have been a good selection. Fred Fox would have been good. Interesting. Wait, quickly, because he just passed away. Brian Shelley's pointing out that Christopher Plummer could have been there. Oh, okay.
Starting point is 02:07:27 I thought he was going to say Walter Gretzky. But then if you're doing Christopher Plummer, you've got to do Donald Sutherland. That's a slippery slope. There's a lot of Canadian actors. I don't think this guy would have fit in. He would have had been smoking a duvet back Tommy Chong. would have had been smoking a dew bed back Tommy Chong. And then last
Starting point is 02:07:46 but not least, just because we talked about that scene in the video with Wayne Gretzky and the Campbell conference officers with Miroslav Friedger and other greats. Mike, remember when this is filmed? 1985. The 1985 Toronto Blue Jays. Yes,
Starting point is 02:08:01 the drive. Jesse Barfield. Yes. The outfield should have been there i know it was like uh off season when this was all going down right so they were probably like i'm sure george was in the dominican republic jesse was i don't know where he was in texas or whatever florida whatever like steve was in he was in california for sure for sure but i that's a great idea uh it's just i think it's harder to get those Blue Jays in the winter there. And then a few final thoughts. I'm just trying to also try to think
Starting point is 02:08:30 if it wasn't David Foster producing this. I think it's aged really well because David Foster's had like a spectacular career. Who could have been David Foster? And he composed a beautiful song. We're going to play it in moments. But Tears Are Not Enough is a great... If this song sucked we wouldn't be talking about it
Starting point is 02:08:45 today but it's a great song i think it's i said this in the last episode i think it's a bear song that we are the world and it's i don't think it's close it's closer than not close but it's i do agree with you that uh because we are the world is a nice song too but tears are not enough is is the better song the cooler song the. Uh, you wrap up the, uh, people who weren't there, but should have been, then I'm going to suggest we play the song,
Starting point is 02:09:12 which will give us a chance four minutes to stretch here. Maybe I'll get a drink. Who knows? And then, uh, I think we close out. We have fun facts that haven't been mentioned yet. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:09:22 And I, the good thing is I cover some of my fun facts. You can, you can also change throw in with your fun facts uh five changes to northern lights that you think would have made it even better because you did some fantastic work here today cam perfect yeah and i'll just say if it wasn't david foster and i i feel like this would have been a bit early for this really to make sense could daniel lanois have done this i'm not sure i don't feel like it wouldn't have been as um i feel like it wouldn't have been as maybe it wouldn't have
Starting point is 02:09:50 been as mainstream palatable i know just but you know but with you too and stuff like i mean that's kind of a silly statement but the other name i thought of was bob ezrin yep who uh maybe he could have got alice cooper to do it yeah no i i think dav think David Foster was like a no brainer and just nailed it. Right. And you know, Ezrin got, he did get Alice Cooper for splashing boots, who I know you mentioned briefly earlier.
Starting point is 02:10:13 So can we play it? Cause I mean, we've talked so much about tears are not enough. Let's, let's listen. And if you want to speak over it, that's cool too. Or do you want to just let the four minutes and 24 seconds
Starting point is 02:10:25 yeah i'm going to use it this just to enjoy the music and just look at my notes okay what we're going to talk so this this is the uh the intermission then here we are the northern lights who came up with the name the northern lights do you have that in your notes that that i i don't think i found that because that's kind of a cool name for these Canadian musicians, the Northern Lights. So that's a good name. And again, we already talked about the origin of the name. Tears are not enough, but that's fantastic too.
Starting point is 02:10:51 But here we go. Here we go. As every day goes by How can we close our eyes Until we open up our hearts We can learn to share And show how much we care Right from the moment that we start Seems like overnight we see the world in a different light Somehow our innocence is lost
Starting point is 02:11:47 Can we look away? Cause every single day We've got to help it and we can't We can bridge the distance, only we can make the difference. Don't you know the tears are not enough? We can change the world forever Heaven knows the tears are not enough It's up to me and you To make the dream come true It's time to take our message everywhere
Starting point is 02:12:43 You know C'est l'amour qui nous rassemble D'ici à l'autre bout du monde Let's show them Canada still cares Oh, you know that we'll be there We can bridge the distance Only we can make a difference Don't you know that tears are not enough? Tears are not enough
Starting point is 02:13:17 We can fall together We can change the world forever Heaven knows that tears are not enough. And if we could try, together you and I, maybe we could understand the reasons why. We could understand the reasons why If we take a stand Every woman, child and man We can make it work From God's angel in your hands Second dose of Reno
Starting point is 02:14:03 We can bridge the distance Only we can make the difference Second dose of Reno. We could change the world forever Heaven knows that tears are not enough Tears are not enough, no, no We can bridge the distance Only we can make the difference Don't you know that tears are not enough Tears are not, tears are not enough If we could walk together What a jam. So listening to it now, after talking about it with you for the last several hours here,
Starting point is 02:15:11 is just a couple of quick things. One is, maybe you want to share the story, or I can if you like, but Neil Young's delivery is so Neil Young, perfectly Neil Young, which I love, but it sounds, you know where I'm going with this story, is that, yeah, so possibly David Foster was less understanding of the style
Starting point is 02:15:35 Neil Young brings to a lyric delivery because I guess David wanted him to fix the tuning or whatever, and Neil said something to the effect of that's my sound, man. Or something like that. I do give David Foster credit. I feel like a lot of people in his position, like sort of one does not, sort of like how one does not tell Bob Dylan to sound less nasally,
Starting point is 02:16:06 you know just to give neil young some constructive feedback on his vocals is just almost sacrilege right because he does have to just you know lou reed could you enunciate more oh yeah tom waits uh hey tom uh take a drink of water and get back here uh Here's a fisherman's friend. Like just pop one of these. Two other highlights for me. Geddy Lee kicks ass like that. It just, for some, the way Geddy kind of punches it up with his line is really,
Starting point is 02:16:36 really awesome. And Brian Adams, again, back, we mentioned this earlier in the show, but Brian is sort of like, he is to this song as Justin Bieber is to that Haitian earthquake relief song we'll do at some point. Like he just is awesome on this song.
Starting point is 02:16:53 Yeah. The one thing that really stuck with me is just how many like real legit kick ass vocalists Canada had at this time. Even again, we talked about her her she didn't really have much of a career after this but like lisa dalbello's part yeah she was great yeah yeah like dan hill brought it down but it's just like a gorgeous voice neil young doing neil young stuff burton cummings has like what a set of pipes one of the finest ever gordon lightfoot i mean god they're like just all sorts of we should be very we should be very proud of the northern lights well even like sharon lee williams like at the end they're like doing
Starting point is 02:17:30 those little vibrato type type gimmicks uh nailed it like awesome yes uh mark weisblot from 1236 uh would like me to ask you did in your research did you find out if barry harris dj barry harris oh shit was there because you know for those who don't know barry harris is the con can guy yeah as i didn't really figure out one way or another if he was in it um see i i'm looking now and i'll share this maybe via dm or maybe i'll tweet this out i don't see barry harris's name in the liner notes which is where i saw richard manuel and gord depp and some of these other folks so interesting i'm not sure those who don't know con can k-o-n-k-A-N, you might know the song,
Starting point is 02:18:26 I Beg Your Pardon. That was like the big jam. Of course. Yeah. No, I mean, that was like a monster jam. Yeah, for sure. For sure. Yeah, I'm not sure. Okay. So we'll have to do further research. Barry Harris is on Twitter, so maybe we'll have to find out. It's like, hey, were you there, pal? Yeah, seriously. Let's get it. Let's get the answer there. And now, Cam, I want you to bury us in random fun facts, if you will, about this song.
Starting point is 02:18:53 If you watch the making of documentary, one of the neat things is you get to see how all the folks arrived at this studio. And by the way, this studio is, I'd like Sherbourne and Adelaide East. I believe it's like 310 Adelaide East. So it's also very interesting, like a lot of things from Toronto of that era, whether it's Degrassi Junior High or much music footage or just like old news footage, you might see pop over retro on terror,
Starting point is 02:19:21 just classic how much cities change. Right. You don't see a lot of tall buildings around where this was filmed. Oh, it's all parking lots. Yeah, and now it's like condo central. So how did some of these massive stars arrive at this studio?
Starting point is 02:19:36 Which was incidentally called Manta? Yes, something like that. Yeah. Actually, I had some fun... I guess you're gonna hold on to the fun i think the funnest will be and i don't tell us now but save it for the end would be uh mark holmes or was it more than were any other members of platinum blonde at this recording well no i mean that's that's the interesting thing that they seem to have a gimmick where
Starting point is 02:20:02 it was just the vocalists for certain bands were there, whether it's Mark Caldwell, Mike Reno was the only one in the course, but other members of lover boy actually did some of the instrumentation. Right. Yeah. This was called Manta studio. Okay.
Starting point is 02:20:18 So I actually looked up what else was recorded at this place. A bunch of stuff and sorry, my notes are out of order here but i i know the first album oh there we go uh the first album from the diodes oh yeah it's tired of waking up tired yeah exactly i love that song i still love that song yeah a bunch of mo kaufman stuff was recorded there including stuff he did for the Moonstruck soundtrack. Oh, wow. That got Sharon Oscar. Brian Adams' first album. Not surprising. He sort of did
Starting point is 02:20:51 a U-turn, came back for this. And also the Geddy Lee parts of that Bob and Doug McKenzie album. Take off to the great wide north. Yeah, recorded at Mantra Sound. So yeah, this is at 311 Adelaide Street East, if anyone wants to pop down there and have a look.
Starting point is 02:21:10 Anyway, how did people... Oh, the other album that was filmed there, the film that recorded there, that's very interesting. An album called America Eats Its Young by Funkadelic. Wow. Is that George Clinton? Is that... No, it's Parliament. That's not George Clinton. Yeah, George Clinton. Okay, that is George Clinton.
Starting point is 02:21:28 Yeah, very cool. Very cool. Yeah, which I think is somewhat known that he spent some time in Toronto. So yeah, part of it filmed in... He's in that... What's the movie? Is it Ryan Reynolds, who's in the PCU? Oh, PCU. That was filmed here. I think George Clinton's in that. George Clinton's in it?
Starting point is 02:21:44 I think so. I think George Clinton's in that. George Clinton's in it? I think so. I think so. Gordon Lightfoot drove himself to the studio in a pickup truck. Yep. That's very Gord. I can see that. It's on brand. Neil Young and Joni Mitchell arrived by taxi.
Starting point is 02:21:58 I don't know if they were together. I assume they're in different taxis. Mike, I feel like we were talking about this one a bit prior to the show. Platinum blonde in a white stretch limo. There you go. And arrived to a chorus of screaming teenagers. But think about that. I know that at the recording studio, much like when they recorded We Are The World, they had a sign on the door saying, leave your ego at the door or something like that. No egos. That's right. Yeah, which Quincy Jones had also done or something like that like no egos that's right
Starting point is 02:22:25 yeah which quincey jones had also done exactly no egos uh when you were recording this charity single because it's all for a great cause but it's kind of funny uh to arrive to such a thing in a stretch limo like a charity it's not a great look it's not it's not exactly appropriate i would think for what they were doing which, have we mentioned the cause yet? That this is for famine relief in Ethiopia, right? That's right, yeah. With a portion of the proceeds also going to local
Starting point is 02:22:54 food banks and food organizations. So a very good cause. By the way, Mike, I was thinking that taping the Leave Your Ego at the door, when you can have people back in your basement i thought that might be a nice addition beside uh check your head i think you're right i think when when we have for when we do pandemic fridays in the backyard and stew stone arrives i think
Starting point is 02:23:14 um yeah i had the whole gimmick about bruce coburn and yeah like the other part of that story is like jim balance the second he got back from Germany, then he went down to Los Angeles, gave it to Foster and assistant Chris Earthy, who were mixing this track at Kenny Rogers lion's share studio on Melrose. There we go. Where literally at the last minute Coburn's vocal was edited. Wow. Wow.
Starting point is 02:23:43 This I think is going to be my final fun fact that this was really surprising and you talk about something that i don't think is age well do i need to be do i need to be sitting down for this because i feel like a big one's coming here uh it's actually like that this is kind of a gross one i don't i don't like talk about this, but I think it's important. Did you watch much pop-up video back in the day? Yeah, I did. So, incredibly, this track was on pop-up video. Wow. So, I found this on YouTube.
Starting point is 02:24:16 And, you know, when was pop-up video on? Like 2005-ish? Yeah, it was a VH1 thing. So, yeah, around that era, I'd say. Yeah, like the commentary and the pop-ups were like really quite nasty about this song. I just jotted down a few of these. Okay. It was very sarcastic.
Starting point is 02:24:37 It said 53 Canadian stars. So it was sort of sarcastic about Canadian celebrity, for one thing. Not cool. Personally, it never used David Foster's name. It just said the record's producer. Weird. About three of the bubbles.
Starting point is 02:24:51 Some of the other bubbles that popped up during, again, this charity single for Ethiopia famine relief. Canadian women can get $70 for breast implants. I don't know who that was referring to if maybe it was in reference to someone who was on the screen now you remember there's the line every woman child and man you know that line yeah when that lyric was on the bubble that popped up said every canadian woman child and man producers 760 pounds of trash each year that's kind of rude that is a bit um there was there was a a pop-up that said porkies was produced by a canadian yeah bob clark yeah i don't
Starting point is 02:25:34 know what that has to do with this again charity who also did black black christmas with uh margo kidder oh is it black christmas yeah the one where the call is coming from inside the house. Yeah, I think it's called Black Christmas. And the pop-up video sort of ended on a nicer note saying Canadians donated more to Libate than any other country. Oh, that is nice. One more thing about Bob Clark
Starting point is 02:25:55 is that he also did a Christmas story. I don't know if you saw Christmas. Go ahead. I've actually never seen that movie. Oh, you know what? Honestly, beautiful movie. Wonderful movie. You got to see a Christmas movie. That's that's great porky's i saw it on late great movies on city tv uh many times and it was you know at that time that was very exciting for me and of
Starting point is 02:26:15 course the black christmas i only actually saw it fairly recently but it's a really good uh like slasher horror movie it's really cool well bob cl Clark, he's no longer with us, but he had the trifecta there. Was he a McMaster person? I feel like Porky's, there was some tie to McMaster. I don't know about that. Might be thinking of something else. Anyway, point being, pop-up video,
Starting point is 02:26:37 just seeing this, it was a real reminder just how much the culture's changed. I feel like these comments on a show like that would not fly where you're just kind of talking shit about like a charity single. I feel like people are probably too sensitive. I feel like this could actually be ripe for like rediscovery this. And almost like I could see like almost like blog to writing an article
Starting point is 02:27:00 about this. Well, didn't we just, didn't we just, let me check the timestamp on this. Okay. So we're now two and a half hours into our episode
Starting point is 02:27:10 about one four minute and 20 second song. This is the spark. We are now sparking the resurgence, the redux, tears are not enough redux. This is now the beginning of the new boom. Well, I almost wonder if they would do a re-recorded version. I feel like that was the other thing we were considering for this.
Starting point is 02:27:31 If you re-booked Northern Lights, an all-time Canadian all-star band who would be in it. Well, that's what I think we could do. We could cover that in the sequel, because we're going to talk about USA for Africa, and maybe that's perfect content for the sequel to this. And again, like I do like the idea of like a wave and flag episode,
Starting point is 02:27:51 which would be fun to revisit. For sure. Okay. I think we're ready now to do the fantasy rebooks. And you have five here? Cause this will be the five to take us home here. These are five changes to uh northern lights that would have made it even better in your opinion again how do i describe it it's i i'd say
Starting point is 02:28:12 it's about 92 percent right now this should take it up to 98 okay i'm ready i'm ready i've actually got six but we'll go through these quick okay so there's that section with Carol Baker, Ronnie Hawkins, and Murray McLaughlin. Yes. Put Stompin' Tom in there. And put Hank Snow in there. That could only improve it. A great chorus of country artists. Just getting Stompin' Tom in there, I think, is highly appropriate.
Starting point is 02:28:45 No one loved Canada more than that man. My other option there was maybe taking out Ronnie Hawkins and swapping in Stompin' Tom. Well, you could boot Ronnie for being an Arkansas boy. Yeah, yeah. So that could be an option. Right. It's a numbers game, Mike.
Starting point is 02:29:04 Not that many people get to sing a solo unfortunately Anne-Marie is going to have to she's being relegated to the chorus so there's a spot for Buffy St. Marie can you argue with that
Starting point is 02:29:20 no I want Buffy in there I want Buffy in there and if it costs Dustin and Marie I understand but I think there's room for both you argue with that no i i want buffy in there i want buffy in there and if it costs dustin and murray i understand but i think there's room for both yeah well i i feel like you need to take one of the guys out and get mike reno out of there he's got too much going on yeah like actually reno could probably go um he has two spots too um i hate to say alfie zapacosta and Lisa Dalbello. They're gone. Gone. We need more Cape Acquired, at least like Montreal talent in here.
Starting point is 02:29:51 In their place, we got Luba and we got Ivan from Men Without Hats. No argument from me. Does that work for you? Is Gino available? Where is he? Get him in there too. Gino would be great. The Montreal group.
Starting point is 02:30:03 He can be in the Montreal group. Okay, so Burton Cummings. Yes. He gets to stick around there. Oh, good. But you know what? I would like to see a swaying Randy Bachman right beside Burton when he sings.
Starting point is 02:30:23 Honestly, it's like salt and pepper pepper you need them together on the shelf of course you need uh randy back it's like something missing like burton did a great job but i want to see his pal randy right there i agree with you 100 i i got two more um i i don't know where this would fit. I still can't get over the fact Oscar Peterson was there. He needs like a 10 second piano solo. Yeah, him, but Frank Mills is there too, right? There's some names we haven't mentioned. Yeah, maybe they could do like a dueling piano thing. Sort of like when Billy Joel and Elton John toured together.
Starting point is 02:31:02 You got Oscar Peterson and Frank Mills. And then number one spot, I don't know where you fit this in, but like Leonard Cohen needs a solo. Leonard Cohen is a huge Canadian. He needs to be there for sure. What an omission. Yeah, he's a gap.
Starting point is 02:31:18 I feel like you could just bolt him on. Anywhere would be great to get Leonard Cohen. Yeah, so those are my, it's great as is. I feel like these would take it up a notch. Any combination of these, but I mean, I got no complaints as is.
Starting point is 02:31:35 And Cam, I have no complaints about this two and a half hours I just spent with you. I feel like in some ways we've only just kind of scratched the surface here there's so much there was like a bunch of shit i can't even say well don't don't delete it or throw it out because i i think we can bang off maybe next sunday we bang off the sequel perhaps yeah there's still a lot of meat on this bone like that's how we roll here okay we can turn
Starting point is 02:32:02 on a dime we're nimble enough we could do that but cam great uh great effort man honestly that was a lot of fun thanks for uh go diving deep with me as we explore the 1985 charity single tears are not enough awesome that was a lot of fun thanks as always for having me on and apologies to stew stone for uh you know going behind your back on this one but we'll be back on this one, but we'll be back. Pandemic Fridays. Yeah. We'll be back Thursday at 5 30 PM. And if anybody listening wants the zoom link to join us on the zoom, this is a very rare thing.
Starting point is 02:32:36 We're doing it because it's our 52nd pandemic Friday, which means one year of pandemic Friday episodes, which is just bananas. Bananas. Yeah. I mean, I can and I can't believe it. That's all I got to say about that. And that brings us to the end of our 814th show.
Starting point is 02:33:01 You can follow me on Twitter. I'm at Toronto Mike. Cam is at Cam underscore Gordon. Our friends at Great Lakes Brewery are at Great Lakes Beer. Palma Pasta is at Palma Pasta. Sticker U, that's Sticker U. CDN
Starting point is 02:33:16 Technologies are at CDN Technologies. Ridley Funeral Home, they're at Ridley FH. And Mimico Mike, sorry Cam, he's on Instagram. Majeski Group Homes. See you all next week. I don't know what the future will do for me and you.
Starting point is 02:33:35 But I'm a much better man for having known you. Oh, you know that's true because everything is coming back. This podcast has been produced by TMDS and accelerated by Rome Phone. Rome Phone brings you the most reliable virtual phone service to run your business and protect your home number from unwanted calls. Visit RomePhone.ca to get started.

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