Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - The K-tel Episode: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1672

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

In this 1673rd episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Samantha Kives, the marketing head of K-tel who is also the daughter of K-tel founder Philip Kives and the executive producer for Mini Pop Kids, about the ongoing history if K-tel. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, Silverwax, Yes We Are Open, Nick Ainis and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail]

or make everybody's favorite, Golden French Fries. Hundreds in just minutes. Poppils Improved Vegematic II, a great gift idea. Only $9.95. I'm in Toronto where you wanna get the city love I'm from Toronto where you wanna get the city love I'm in Toronto like you wanna get the city love That's right, my city love me back, put my city love Welcome to episode 1673 of Toronto Mic'd Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery

A fiercely independent craft brewery who believes in supporting communities Good times and brewing amazing beer. Order online for free local home delivery in the GTA. Palma Pasta. Enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. Yes We Are Open!

An award-winning podcast hosted by FOTM Al Gregor. For Minaris. Silverwax.ca Use promo code TORONOMIKE10 and save 10% at Silverwax.ca RecycleMyElectronics.ca Committing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. Building Toronto Skyline, a podcast and book from Nick Ienies, sponsored by Fusion Corp Construction Management, Inc. and Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921. Joining me today to talk all about KTEL is Samantha Kivis.

Welcome, Samantha. Thank you so much for having me today. all about KTEL is Samantha Kivis. Welcome Samantha. Thank you so much for having me today. How many people nail the pronunciation of your surname? I did that perfectly, right? You actually did. And I was actually gonna say that cause it's like, I've heard every iteration of it.

I get kives a lot. Kives was my natural instinct. It's kives. And then I did a little research. Yes, no you you could you nailed it so we're off to a good start off to a good start I got to give some mad love to a listener named Carlo so Carlo and I don't know if Carlo was a friend of a friend I don't remember how this went down do you remember how did

Carlo connect us yes so Carlo is a big fan. Of you. Of yours. Oh, I was gonna say. No, of yours, of yours and your show and your podcast. What a sweetheart. He is friends with a person I know named Adam and his daughter, Adam's daughter, was in the Mini Pop Kids. She was a Mini Pop for like four or five years.

Oh my God. She was one of my favorite Mini Pops, honestly, of all time, such a talented kid. Her name's Abby Borgatti, if you guys to check her out on Instagram. That's a cool name Yeah, how we're gonna get to me so there's going to be a mini pops segment for the mini pops heads out there I was one I'm gonna play you my like I had mini pops vinyl from KTEL We're gonna go back with the story and then I have a fun parody segment at the end But how does one become a mini pop kid because I have a nine-year-old who sings up a storm and has a very unique

Interesting voice. I'm wondering how one becomes a mini pop kid. That's exactly what we want. So every year we have auditions You can just go to the website mini pop.com and we kids just submit a video and then we will have auditions. And usually we have one cycle where we take kids in, but sometimes if a kid sends in a video and they're just incredible, we'll just bring them in in the middle of the season. And is the recordings, are they done in Toronto? Everything is done in Toronto. So most of the kids are convenient for my daughter.

She lives in Toronto. I love it. If she loves to sing and dance, we want to see her for sure. Okay. And she's a cutie pie too, but I'm a proud papa here. But, okay. But to wrap up the Carlo before we tell the people who are you, like why is Samantha Kivis, my special guest for the KTEL episode Carlo, big thanks to you. He had the idea for this app. Like Carlo was kind of like the executive producer of this episode of Toronto Miked. This was his idea.

He pitched it to me and I said, Carlo, you know Toronto Miked. That is an episode I would love to do and I couldn't believe we landed the great Samantha Kivis. So Samantha, who the heck are you? Well, I don't know if I'm the great one, but my father is the one that founded KTEL Records. And at one point, KTEL was the largest independent music label in the world. They were really the king of the compilations. And yeah, they were the king of the compilations.

And they really revolutionized the way music was sold through, you know, through their style of advertising commercials. And some people call them the Spotify of the seventies. That's great. So I'm going to, I did pull a bunch of ads and different clips and stuff. So I'm going to kind of load this episode with this good stuff as we walk through it. So your father was Philip Keevis. Yes, my father was Philip Keevis. And Philip Keevis is the founder of KTEL. So you're the daughter of the founder of Keevis. Yes, my father was Philip Keevis and Philip Keevis is the founder of KTEL So you're the daughter of the founder of KTEL? Yes and KTEL of course founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Am I right? That's correct

Okay, I did my homework. We're gonna walk through it. But just to give it like a to set the table a little bit Let's just listen to something Little crackle because it's vinyl. It's going to crackle. KTEL presents the 25 greatest hits of Sesame Street. Greetings, Cremat the Frog here. Yes, all Sesame Street's favorite characters together on one delightful album. Oh, I love trash. Kids love the Cookie Monster. He is for cookie. That's good enough for me. Kids love the Cookie Monster. Laugh along with Ernie and Bert. It's fun to count.

Grover is here too. And everyone's favorite. I actually played the wrong one, so I don't have the full title here. So I was going to build to that because that's my Sesame Street. Those are my boys. Okay. I love that. But I was actually meaning to play a different clip and then we'll get back to the origin story. But this is what I meant to play. New from KTAL Records, 22 explosive hits, 22 original stars, Gallery, the great Sammy The Great Sammy Davis Jr. Olivia Newton John

Hamilton Joe Frank and Reynolds Derrick and the Dominoes Big Hit, Layla Osmond's, Detroit Emeralds, Millie Jackson, Flash, April Wine, Charlotte's, Pop Tops, Fortune Joe Salmon Lobo Okay, there's a little taste, okay? If you're of a certain age, you owned several K-Tale records. Yes, that would be correct. I was at the gym yesterday and I was wearing a K-Tale t-shirt.

Oh my God, I would do anything for a K-Tale t-shirt. Don't worry, one will be coming. Is that right? Yes, and she was like literally, we're at the gym and she mentioned, she's like, I have this, this and this record. People just list the records they had that changed their lives. Because you got so many songs, 22, that one's celebrating, you know, 22 explosive hits. That's a lot of songs for one piece of vinyl.

Yes. Like, okay, so I need the origin. I'm diving in with all these questions, but can you set the table a little bit? Like tell me a bit about who was your dad when he founded KTEL and what a little bit of the origin story. I will absolutely like I hope I do his story well, because it's a really remarkable story. Yes, he was born in rural Saskatchewan in 1929. And his family was from Eastern Europe. No one spoke English. He was born the year they arrived.

He grew up in a one room farmhouse in Saskatchewan. So, you know, they were very, very poor. And then at the age of eight, he started his first business. Eight. Eight. Selling lemonade. No, he sold, like they sold fur traps. Okay, okay.

Shout out to the Hudson Bay. Totally. So basically what was, I think they had, there was like too many rodents. So the government would give you little bits of money for every gopher tail that they collected. So he would collect all of the gopher tails from other kids and then bring it to the government to get paid. So that was his first. So he was an entrepreneur right from the start. That's so, uh, so smart. Uh, what's the going rate for, uh, I don't know if I got a raccoon pelt or something. It was like five cents. Five. Well, you know, but that's a big deal. Five cents back then. Sure. Absolutely. Okay. So he's an entrepreneur at eight years old. Yes. Um then when he left the farm, he did all sorts of odd jobs. He was driving taxis.

He was a short order cook. You know, he has a funny story how he was, you know, a terrible to short order cook because he would spill the food, etc. And then he became a door to door salesman. And that is where he excelled. He was going from door to door and he realized he was an excellent salesperson. Um, you know, fast forward a few years, the next thing you know, he's on the Atlantic city boardwalk next to Ed McMahon. Hey-o.

Exactly. And he's pitching products. And that is where he really started honing his craft and the commercials that people used to see and still see today. And so when he was there, he just was, how can I get to a bigger audience? You know, because he was pitching products and he was doing it all, but he just needed a bigger audience because he was being so successful. Right. So that's when he went back to Winnipeg, got TV time and did the very, and is credited

with doing the very first infomercial. Okay, do you remember what product? Yes, it was the Teflon coated frying pan. Okay. So, first of all, it was a Teflon coated frying pan. Okay. And so, the retailers would not, like he wanted to get it into the retailers before he went to the TV stations. They said no. So he went on TV anyways with this frying pan. And then people started going to like Eaton's and all the department stores saying, where can I get this frying pan?

And then so the retailers had no choice but to take the frying pan. And so that's how he got into the stores and like he had like your lifelong friendships with these buyers at Eaton's and all the other department stores. You know, some people are just born with this entrepreneurial spirit, like at eight years old, you know what he's outgoing doing. And of course it leads to this. And that's that's amazing.

Yes, absolutely. So that's sort of like how the whole thing happened. And the funny part about the story is the fact that, and this just shows you like what an entrepreneur he was and like failure didn't matter to him. Unfortunately, that like Teflon was brand new back then in 1962. Right. So the Teflon literally came off with the eggs. And so there was a lot of returns, but like, but that didn't like that didn't like he didn't focus on that. He focused on the fact that he cracks something. He's like, this is how I sell products. Okay. So maybe this isn't the product I need to sell. I need to find better, more high quality products.

And so that's sort of how the whole thing started. You just, you know, you and I make a great team, Samantha. If you ever want to go on the road telling the story of KTEL, because now I want to play an ad. People might remember this. Introducing Popeel's amazing Vegematic 2. New improved cutting rings make food cutting easier than ever. Saves you time by slicing whole potatoes

in only one stroke. Turns whole onions into zesty thin slices for delicious hamburgers. Slices mushrooms, tasty juliennes from sliced carrots. Turn the dial, slices are automatically thicker. Dial from slice to dice, fast, easy, and sliced onions become diced by the panful. Dice carrots. One stroke dices celery.

Over 11 million original Veg-O-Matic sold, they must be good. Veg-O-Matic 2 now available at only $9.95. Imagine Vegematic 2 also can slice a whole firm unripened tomato in just one stroke. Wow. Or make everybody's favorite, golden french fries. Oh my god. Hundreds in just minutes. Poppils improved Vegematic 2, a great gift idea. Only $9.95.

Okay, that's the Vegematic 2, but before the Vegematic 2, you get the Vegematic 1 and then the Dylomatic. But tell me a bit about this other name that I see popping up all the time, Ronco. Yes. So you could not have set this up better because this is what- I'm a professional, Samantha. You honestly, you've done your homework. That's why Carlo loves this show.

So that's where my father used to get his products from. He used to get it from Ron Popeel, who had the company Ronco down in the States. So he went, so Ronco, so Ron Popeel would have products. My father would buy those products and bring them to Canada and sell them throughout Canada. And so that's what he did in the early sixts. But then it got to a point where Ron said, Phil, you're getting too big. I'm not supplying you with products anymore. And so that's what led him into the music industry. He's like, okay, I need to find a new product. And that's the origin story for me.

So I'm keeping an eye on the live stream because we're live at it. And I shared in, there's a WhatsApp group for some, some of the FOTMs who come to these TMLX events, which is a great opportunity. I'm also a natural born entrepreneur. I need to tell you, Samantha, that on June 26th, only a few months from now, June 26th, 2025,

from six to nine PM, FOTMs, that means Friends of Toronto, Mike, you are now an FOTM. Oh, I'm so excited. Thank you. And there's more gifts coming, but we're all going to collect at Great Lakes Brewery, which is 30 Queen Elizabeth Boulevard down the street from the Costco in southern Etobicoke. We're all going to collect and we're going to get our, you know, your first Great Lakes beer, Fresh Craft Beer is going to be on the house.

I'm sending you home with some cans of fresh craft beer from Great Lakes Brewery. Your father would be proud of this pitch I'm doing here. Also, we'll be fed by Palma Pasta. They're in Mississauga and Oakville, but I do have in my freezer upstairs for you, Samantha, I have a large lasagna for you from Palma Pasta. I know you got a bunch of kids like I do. This is a great way to feed the family. That's for you. Perfect. Carlo told me about that, which yes, he did ahead of time. So that's very exciting. You were tipped off. Yes. That was what like, you know, put me over the line. So everybody is invited. If that wasn't clear, a free event, just come by. 6 to 9 p.m., June 26th. Samantha, it would be amazing if you showed up.

You could probably meet future Mini Pops singer Morgan, who's gonna be there, she's nine years old. Well, you'll have to come to our concert for sure. Well, okay, when is the concert? It's on May 3rd, but we can talk about that later. We will talk about it, but where is it on May 3rd? It's at the Queen Elizabeth Theater on May 3rd at 1 p.m. It's really the ultimate family-friendly experience. So I'm excited to see you and Morgan there. Okay, what perfect timing to get you down here

So we will later dive into what exactly we can expect on May 3rd And we are gonna have a segment of this conversation which is committed to the many pops Experience from the past and the present what it looks like today the mini pops experience from the past and the present, what it looks like today. So we're going to talk a lot of mini pops, just popping into the live stream to say Tobias von is talking about buying his KTEL records at the Jane Finch mall. A lot of nostalgia, right? So Andrew Ward is talking about buying his KTEL records at Towers, because you got 30 songs per record. So we'll get into the 30 songs per record. That's'll get into the 30 songs per record. That's amazing, right? Cramming all those songs on a piece of vinyl, right? Andy is talking

about still keeping all of her beloved mini pops vinyl. She's still got them all. By the way, five four was the answer. Earlier was I didn't check in earlier, but I asked aloud and it might have been before the recording. In fact, it was, I asked you, what's the average age of a woman in North America in 2025? And it's five four. That's before I started recording. So people are like, what the hell does that have to do with anything? You'll never know. You got to come to the live stream. Just to wrap this up real quick here is Andy was obsessed with paid programming in Ron Pompeil when she was a kid. She wanted the food hydrator in her to make her own fruit rollups and beef jerky.

So a lot of nostalgia when it comes to K-Tail. But tell me about K-Tail entering the world of music. Yeah, so as I mentioned, Ron Popiel cut my father off, so he needed a new product. And so he tried, he's like, I'll try to record. And to him, it wasn't necessarily selling music, but it was like another product he could sell. So he tried, uh, I think it was first, um, I think

it was first a country album and with a Bobby Darren giveaway. And then I think the second album he tried was a 25 polka hits album, which sold 1.5 million copies. And after that, KTEL was officially in the music business and it's been in the music business ever since. Okay on that note another, cuz 26 songs on this one and there's some honky tonk greats. I'm not sure if this is the country album but you'll let me know on the other side. Let's listen. Remember

the hayride and your chance to sing along to great old tunes like Harvest Moon? Now KTAL records bring you 26 great sing-along tunes, a great stereo LP, plus a free songbook with Bill Bailey, Yellow Rose of Texas, piano roll blues and many more. 12th Street Rag, Samsung, Low Worm, Dixie, sing along to music, music, music. Down Yonder, Four Leaf Clover, 26 sing-along honky-tonk favorites by Johnny Maddox, Joanne Castle, Del Wood, Joe Fingers Carr. Get 26 sing-along honky-tonk greats plus a free song book from KTEL. Honky tonk greats. Wow. Those ads are amazing too.

Yeah, they were like totally fun. And my dad literally wrote the commercials. He would shoot the commercials, he would direct the commercials, you know, like that for the music products and then for like the consumer products, because that's really a lot of his passion as well. Like he just always wanted to bring good value to people. Like we would literally have them shot in our kitchen at home. Who's doing the voiceovers? Any idea? Like these are big voices. The voiceover, I can't remember the gentleman's name,

but he was out of Vancouver, BC. He's since passed, but it was like the same voice for like so many years and I'm sorry that his name escaped me. No that's okay. Now one of the things I mean just technically speaking if you're gonna cram like 30 songs on one piece of vinyl you're gonna have to sacrifice some like audio fidelity right? I think so apparently. This is the real talk for K-Tel is that if you go back and listen to your KTEL albums you might notice that the fidelity is a is a not as a

Strong as you might desire because you have to make Sacrifices to fit all those songs on one album. Yes, exactly. So it's like, you know, it's volley, you know What is it quantity versus quality? This is a good example quantity over quality and you know at that time You heard your music on AM radio, okay? So if you're getting your music on AM radio, which has awful fidelity itself, you won't notice that this won't sound as good as maybe that Pink Floyd album that you buy

from whatever label has Pink Floyd. Yes, yes. No, for sure. I mean, I think that's what people always say, or sometimes the songs might have been cut off a tiny little bit. That's another thing. So, right. So they might fade out early. Listen, that's what I've heard. Like I sort of miss this generation because I, you know, I was born a little late. But yeah, so those are some of the things I heard, but in the same breath, you also hear that like, like when Dave Grohl gave his South by Southwest, his keynote speech, and he said what his biggest music influences were, it what he talked about KTEL exposing him to, I think it was

Frankenstein. Yeah, Edgar Winter, that group. Now, that's a great point is that pre-internet, this is way pre-internet, but also pre-cassette tape dubbing. Okay? This is aligned to me. And I got a few years on you, but I can tell you there was a moment in time when you realized you can make your own mixtapes. So before that period, which is like, I don't know, mid-80s, early 80s around there, but before this, the 1980s period where people started making their own mixtapes, there's no internet, there's no way to make your own mixtapes. If you could go out and buy

one album with like a variety of hits and they were all like these super hits series, I guess you call them, or dynamic hits or number one hits. Yeah, it exposed a lot of people to different genres, different artists. And you might hear a song on one of those things, you might then go buy the album from that artist because you're like, I like how that sounds. Yeah, I mean, like there's so many artists that they said that like what influenced them or what got them into music or what exposed them to music was a K-Tel record.

Funny story, like I ran into Randy Bachman at Canadian Music Week one year. FOTM Randy Bachman? Yeah, so I'm into Randy Bachman at Canadian Music Week one year FOTM Randy back Yeah, so I'm from Winnipeg, right? So for me it was like I was I was just like totally starstruck Yeah, so I had to go up to him I think the Jets were doing really well that year as well and just introduced myself and they're doing well this year Oh my god. I know I know

They're gonna they might I think they won the president's trophy at the best regular season record. So we'll see. Yeah yeah that's another stuff that's another conversation. Shout out to the late great Dale Howarchuk. I thought he was sensational but he had to he always ended up going up against the Gretzky Messierier, Curry, Oilers. Yeah. Unfortunate timing for his career. Yes. Well, again, I, you know, I'm probably the wrong person to speak about hockey, but. Well, shout out to T. Mussolani too, while we're at it.

Okay. That's true. Yeah. He was rookie of the year for Winnipeg. Yeah. I think that season, I'm trying to remember now, but he had like, did he have 70 goals or something? Like he had an unbelievable number of goals. And I think that was the year Winnipeg lost their team to Phoenix. Shortly there out, I think he had a few years there.

I think that was like the last year or something like that. Oh, you got it back though. The Thrasher's, right? You got the Thrasher's out of Atlanta. Yes, thank God. That team loves their team. Like they love their team. We need a team in Winnipeg.

Next stop, Quebec City. I think we need to get a team back in Quebec City. That would be awesome. OK, we'll work on it. Maybe KTEL will own this team. Well, we'll see. Maybe we'll work on that together.

We can work on that together. TMDS and KTEL will combine our funds and see if we can buy a franchise in NHL. OK, so this again, we can't even illustrate enough how and you mentioned the Dave Grohl tweet but I mean quote but when we talk to people about KTEL, these super hit compilations I'm gonna play another ad because I'm not gonna waste any of these ads hopefully yeah this is like a super

hits here we go. Super Hits and the Superstars, a great new double album from KTEL. Original hits, original stars. Blackburn Turner, Overdrive, Randy, Gladys Knight and the Pips, superstar Elton John. Good one. Phoebe Snow, Blackbird, Barry Manilow, Van McCoy, Hot Chocolate, Steelers Wheel, Billy Preston, Golden Earring, Reunion and Paper Lace, Hughes Corporation, Sugar Loaf, Get Super hits from the superstars. A great two record set. 799 from KTEL takes 999. That's amazing, Samantha. Yeah. There's so many crazy stories when I hear that, like so many things flash through my head, but just to finish up that Randy Backman story. I'm sorry. Yeah, we got to hear some Randy Backman. I know, but like, so when I ran into him, because he's, you know, like to me, he's like just the best.

Right. He's like, yeah, you know, you made it when you, when you were on a K-Tel record on a K-Tel compilation. That's how you knew you made it as a band. And I was like, I, you know, that was very, very overwhelmed. I remember when I chatted with Randy talking about how Winnipeg always punched above its weight with music. Yeah. It's for the size of that city, the world famous music that came out of Winnipeg. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. And he was a massive part of it. And how long have you been in Toronto now?

Oh, since 2004. So I've been here a while. Okay. But you were in Winnipeg when the Watchmen were breaking. Oh yeah. I remember going to see the Watchmen for sure. Okay. Still love the Watchmen. We should go together, see the Watchmen for sure. Okay. Still love the Watchmen. We should go together, see a Watchmen show. I know. They still play every now and then. Of course they do.

Yeah. I mean, now they all have other gigs, but they do get together for a few gigs every year. Yeah, no, they are great. They're absolutely great. Big Watchmen fan here. Okay. So I'm gonna play another ad

because I don't wanna actually end this episode and not have played all my stuff I pulled here so Remember the hayride and your chance to sing along to great old tunes like harvest moon Tell records bring you I played I played that way. We're gonna play a different one here. Come on Mike Get your act together here. Here we go K-Tel presents Blockbuster, a great ULP, 20 original hits, original stars, KC and the Sunshine Band. That's the way I love, I like it, I'm flying, I'm flying. War. Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends?

Leon Haywood. I wanna do something for you. Avery Whitebatch. Alice Cooper. Edgar Wintergroot, Sammy John. This is a big role one. Frankie Valli and many more. David Getty. The Hollies. All I need is the air that I breathe

Just so I can hold it all sky high Blockbuster. 20 original hits. Original stars. Be sure to get the best from K-Town. LP 599, tape 699. It doesn't get better than that. Honestly, when that guy's saying he wants to get freaky with you, what is he talking about Samantha?

Listen, I don't know. Again, before my time. Also yeah, we don't want the mini pops listeners to hear anything like that. Okay. I think we so safe. It's a good point. We're very safe. It's a safe space. No mini pops listeners, except for us retro mini pops, which we'll get to in a moment here.

So music, all that great record. But it was more than just music, right? Yeah, no, absolutely. It was more than just music. You know, it was also consumer products as well. And so, like, you know, as you mentioned, there was the patty stacker, there was the vegematic. OK, you mentioned so. So patty stacker, what is that again?

That's meat. Yes, it's to make the perfect hamburger. OK, I only eat palma pasta around here. OK, sorry, continue, because when you said stacker, my brain thought of stacking something else, but not meat. No, it was like to make the perfect hamburgers. And then like, I think his best selling product ever was the Miracle Brush. And he did that when he was just founding K-Town.

I think they sold like over 20 million Miracle Brushes worldwide. And he started that in Australia. And basically he went to Australia, never been there before, tried that whole thing with the TV. He used the girls at the front desk of his hotel to take the orders. Like just, you know, and he was doing incredibly well there. He probably would have stayed in Australia. Unfortunately, his father got sick, so he came back to Canada,

which is why KTEL started in Canada. But it's just like these products that he always says he sold products that people didn't know they needed. Right. Okay. Well, here's another product people probably didn't know they needed. Let's play this. Are you fed up with constantly searching for the records you want? Are you tired and frustrated from always straightening out your LP? Now with KTEL record selector, this will never happen again. To choose your favorite music, tilt the first record forward. The others follow automatically. Pick your selection what it appears. To choose more LPs, lean the next record forward and wait for your choice. The record selector is a new

space-age design for selection and storage of records. Fingertip control regulates the speed of record selector. To replace the records, tilt the first record forward. Record selector with a mind of its own will automatically stop where the LP was taken from. End awkward selection and storage of LPs with record selector. Attractively finished in a gift box. KTEL record selector, only $3.99. Okay, I didn't know I needed it, but amazing. I have one of those at home. Yes. It still functions? It still functions. Good products from KTEL. Yes. Okay all right so

anything else we should know about this this uncle the glory years of KTEL I suppose. These record compilations very very important to teenagers and young people seeking record compilations very very important to teenagers and young people seeking ownership of the music that they'd hear on their AM radios. Yeah no I mean I think we've talked about so much like it really you know again this was before my time but it really had this significant impact on so many people and you know I mean at one point I think it was in the UK it had the number one three and four album on the Billboard hits I think the number one, three and four album on the Billboard hits. I think the number two album could have been a Beatles album. Right? Like it's just it really had this crazy

impact and it all came from Canada. And it all, you know, originated out of Winnipeg. Amazing. Now I'm, we're going to do a whole segment on mini pops. Okay. Maybe we introduced so before we find out what happened to KTEL because it wasn't all You know wine and roses. No with KTEL So we will wrap up the KTEL story and talk about what KTEL is up to now But I think mini pops is a good way to kind of get there So I will share a bit of my personal journey with mini pops and play some choice mini pops ads and jams here But first I would like to just give you a couple more gifts because apparently a

t-shirt case. So you're telling me you're not BSing me here. A KTEL t-shirt will, I will get a KTEL t-shirt. We're going to launch a store soon and then soon as we get them, you will be the first person that a medium KTEL t-shirt will be because I will wear them for the photos by Toronto tree. Okay. Amazing. And I will, I was going to say, Toronto Tree got its name from Dave Thomas and that's a teaser because later you'll hear some Dave Thomas as I get to the final segment of this KTEL deep dive. But really quickly here,

Ridley, I know I'm pointing to this great swag on the table. So Ridley Funeral Home, who have a great podcast called Life's Undertaking, people should subscribe and listen to Brad Jones there. They sent over a measuring tape for you. So that's a measuring tape for you, Samantha. Minaris sent over a wireless speaker, this brown box right there. And you know, you're from Winnipeg, but have you been to Regina, Saskatchewan? Of course, I've been to Regina.

I say that like, of course you have. My father's from Unger, Saskatchewan? Of course I've been to Regina. I say that like, of course you have. My father's from Unger, Saskatchewan. Regina was a big city close by. Okay, so the big city was Regina and they got a CFL team and everything in Regina. So why am I talking about Regina? I'm talking about Regina because Al Grego went to Regina

and spoke with small business owners and this is all heard in season eight of Yes, We Are Open. And I took a note on the most recent episode because of course it was very, very good. And the most recent episode, how quickly can I find this? Let's see here. Dun, dun, dun, sing a song for me from KTEL. Okay, Ashley Donald.

She's the owner of Basket Cases, a prominent gift basket store in Regina. And Ashley shares her inspiring journey of buying and running the business, discussing her origins, struggles, and future outlook. Discover how she transformed from a dedicated customer to the chief basket case herself, navigating the challenges of pandemic, inflation, and and marketing while also maintaining a strong community spirit. So you're going to listen to season eight of yes, we are open with your new wireless speaker. You got some instructions here, Samantha. Okay. You didn't know I have to give you some instructions too. Do you enjoy driving a nice clean car?

Yes, but with four kids, that's challenging. Whoa, my goodness. It's challenging, but it's only a hassle if you make it one. That's how they feel at Silver Wax. Silver Wax makes pro-grade auto care and cleaning technology easy for everyone to use. They have kits for beginners, experts, or professionals. Everything you need, Samantha, go to silverwax.ca, use the promo code Toronto Mike 10, that's Toronto Mike 1-0, you save 10% if you do that and it helps the show. Carlo, I'm talking to you, you love the show, love your car, get some good product from Silver Wax, use my promo code, they've been Canadian since 1999 at

Silver Wax, but Samantha no joke, you see the giant bucket under the palma pasta box, There's a big bucket and these two spray bottles. Yes. Okay. I feel like Ron Pompei right now. This is Mike Co. Not Ron Co. That's a robust kit that'll clean the interior and exterior of your car. I'm telling you, you're going to have a spotless automobile with this Silver Wax kit. Oh my God. Silver Wax is the best. This is worth more than one t-shirt now that I think about it, Samantha. There's a lot of swag going home with you today. One more piece of advice, recyclemyelectronics.ca because that's where you go if you have old

electronics, old cables, old devices. You don't throw that in the garbage. The chemicals will end up in our landfill. Go to recyclemyelectronics.ca, put in your postal code and then find out where to drop it off to be properly recycled. And much love to Nick Eines from Fusion Corp. His podcast is called Building Toronto Skyline. The most recent episode is with a gentleman who helped to build the CN Tower 50 years

ago. And we talk about the CN Tower at 50, what it meant, what it means now. And I actually enjoyed this chat with this gentleman. His name is Jack Mesley. And I thought it was so great. I actually told him, we need you on Toronto Mic. So I will be chatting with Jack Mesley at some point soon, all about the CN Tower, but I only learned about Jack because Nick chatted with him on building Toronto's Skyline.

Okay my personal mini pop story. You ready Samantha? Yes. I got a mini pops album as a kid and I loved it and I just loved it. So I actually went to YouTube and I found okay oh here's the actual mini pops album I had. So I'm not going to play I'm going to play a little bit of it while I tell you but here is a jam I loved from the mini pops album I owned and So I'm not gonna play, I'm gonna play a little bit of it while I tell you, but here is a jam I loved from the Mini Pops album I owned and played like crazy. I'm gonna guess it's Eye of the Tiger. No. Here it comes. I heard you on the wireless back in 52, flying away, contently tuning in on you. If I was young, it didn't stop you coming through. They took the credit for your second symphony Re-written by machine on new technology And now I understand the problem you can see

Oh-wa, oh-wa I met your children Oh-wa, oh-wa What did you tell them? Video killed the radio star Video killed the radio star You just came and broke your heart So Samantha, what can you tell us about the origin of mini pops from KTEL? I have to just say that is my all-time favourite mini pop song. Is that true?

I swear to God. That's my all-time favourite mini pop song. I swear to God. Although I like the medley I was going to play a little of later that I loved because it was on the same album, but this was the jam. No, this was my ultimate favorite one and then Stupid Cupid was number two. I'm not. Okay, I'm actually freaking out here Samantha. I only pulled, okay, I didn't, as you can see, this is the soundboard, right? I'm not going to YouTube or anything. The only other song I pulled from the damn thing, because I loved it. ["Stupid Cupid"] Stupid Cupid, you're a real mean guy. Stupid Cupid. I'd like to kick your ass so you can't fly.

Stupid Cupid. I'm in love and it's a crying shame. Stupid Cupid. And I know that you're the one to blame. Stupid Cupid. Hey, hey, set me free Woo! Stupid Cupid, stop peeking on me

So, since I discovered Video Killed the Real Star My two favorites Yeah, you hear it everywhere in the wild You learn all about it Oh, it's the first song they played on MTV, etc, etc But this song, Stupid Cupid, I never hear it in the wild Like, I only think, I think I only know this song, Stupid Cupid from Minipid, I never hear it in the wild. Like I only think I think I only know this song, stupid cupid from mini pods. Yes. You never hear it.

When you hear the craziest thing, this song charted in France in 1983. That is crazy. Like it charted in France. I want to say it hit like number like top five in France in 1983. So crazy, right? Because remember that song? uh, it's so tough to be a baby. Oh, this, uh, do you remember this? Like, okay, there's a, like, okay, I gotta hit the name of that. But there was like a kid who had a hit in France. Like, he's a French kid.

And I feel like the French, they like the kids singing. Yes. Oh, no, it wasn't this one. It was Ebony and Ivory. Oh, no, no, no, it was, it was this song. Okay. You're the expert. So, no, no, no, it was. It was this song. Okay. You're the expert. So, okay. So this is crazy. This song you're hearing hit number one in France and knocked

Ebony and Ivory off the charts. It knocked Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson off the charts. Oh my God. Okay. There you go. KTEL going to number one in France. Oh my God. Yes. Okay. So give me the origin story. You know, I know, let's wrap up my album. This was my album I played like crazy, but there was a novelty medley in this, okay? Okay.

Or I still know the songs in the order. Like, you know what medleys are like, you memorize the medley. So hold on. So hold on. This kid must have smoked a pack a day. Listen to this voice. He's colicky.

I'll bring it down to just say, and I'll bring it up in a minute, but Samantha, this is another song. I never hear this song in the wild, the green door. Like I knew it from mini pops behind the green door. Okay. Mildly offensive, but big hit at the time. I'm sounding Japanese, I think I'm sounding Japanese, I really think so First time I heard this song was on Minipop. I'm sounding Japanese, I think I'm sounding Japanese, I really think so

The vapors. I'm sounding Japanese, I think I'm sounding Japanese, I really think so I'm sounding Japanese, I think I'm sounding Japanese, I really think so Lots of girls and lots of boys, lots of skills and lots of love Hey, so I love this medley. Just give me all these songs, give me all the choruses or whatever and let's go. So tell me about the origin of Mini Pops from K-Pop. I will tell you as much as I know. So it was formed out of the UK.

It was a television program in the UK. I think it ran like six seasons or something along those lines or six seasons. I think it had six episodes. And I remember seeing the videos as kids. And because it was music based, you know, KTEL, you know, I guess struck a deal to market the albums. And even though the show wasn't a success, K-Tel, you know, doing its K-Tel magic behind the albums, like, made the mini pops a huge, huge hit,

you know, back in the 80s. I think in 1983 it was the number three best-selling album in Canada. That's amazing. Yeah. That's because of me, I think. Yes, yes. And like, I loved it. I used to do air bands and dance routines and the works to the mini pops when I was a kid. Kate, you know, no shame in this, right? We're all young, we're digging these songs, these covers by kids. Were there any adult listeners? Oh, I don't know. And is that creepy?

I don't know. And is that creepy? I don't know. I don't... Listen. Just the French? Yes. Clearly the French. Clearly in France there were... All right. All right.

So yeah, there were a bunch of mini-pop stuff. So give me what you know about the history of mini-pops and then what has evolved to today. Yeah. I mean, basically sort of what I just shared that it was, you know, a television program around one season. I think at the time they dressed the kids up quite, you know, what we would say inappropriate today. So there was-

Oh, like John Benet Ramsey-esque. I think it was a little bit like that. Like there was too much makeup, too much whatever. So that's why- Still big in the South in the US, I think. That's again another podcast. That's another podcast. You come back for that podcast.

But then when K-Tel got involved, they marketed the music, the audio portion of it, and then it just became a huge success. And then as more albums came on, K-Tel kept marketing the albums, and then it sort of slowly died off in the 80s. And then back then in 2004, we sort of relaunched the mini pop kids. We launched the mini pops as the mini pop kids. OK, so that's OK. So let me play some now we're mini pops.

Why did we add the kids? Because we couldn't get the URL mini pops and we didn't realize that 20 years later we'd still be doing it. We thought it would probably be one year. Gotta bring all the good stuff back here. So I have an ad for us, you ready? I'm, I'm. Don't stop believing. KTEL presents Mini Pops 6, 22 of today's greatest hits,

recorded by the Mini Pop Kids. If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it. If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it Boom, boom, boom, gotta get get Boom, boom, boom, gotta get get Boom, boom, boom, gotta get get It's a lost story baby just say yes It's a big one.

The rain's down and I'm on my way Toto coming back for Stu. Baby I can see ahead Lord You know you're my saving grace They call me J too. Hit songs like The Climb, Poker Face, Battlefield, Goodbye, You Belong With Me, Circus, and many more. I can't help but smile when I hear that. That must have been like Mini Pop Kids 6 or something like that. It is.

It's 6. Oh my God. Good for you. Look at that. So what's your role with Mini Pops? At what point? I'm just trying to understand when you sort of take over the mini pops world, the mini pop kids.

Oh, I think I took over around many pop kids nine. Okay. It was in Winnipeg. And then the person that was producing it decided to sort of move on. And so I picked it up and brought it here in Toronto. Okay, because soon I'm gonna we're gonna, you know, not in all the gory detail but just a little idea of like that What happens to KTEL in the 80s and then what happens in the 90s and then how we get to where we are today? You want to do that now?

Honestly, you just tell me and I'm happy to follow your lead whatever you prefer Well, you know, I just said basically, you know So we talked about how it was incorporated in 1968 And then we talk about all these glory days and everything international of Europe and all this going on to Australia you talked about. And then it was huge in the early 80s too. Like I'm just looking at the early days and then, you know, financially there were some difficulties at KTEL. Yeah, I think they went into the oil business, which, you know, that's quite the diverse diversification.

Like, yeah, I think and I think they they hit like a bankruptcy and then they went in. Oh yeah, it's chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1984. Yes. And then in 1986, Bank of Montreal forecloses on the K-Tail Canadian subsidiary. There's a US chapter 11 filing. So this is where you get into the old agorii details.

1991, I guess, is when your dad gets his Canadian company back. So there's a period of time, I guess around mid-80s to 91, when KTEL, your dad's not controlling KTEL. Yeah, so I mean, so he didn't control, I guess they, I think they were fighting over the name KTEL. Right. And so I mean, so he didn't control, I guess, I think they were fighting over the name KTEL.

Right. And so after that, again, I was probably, you know, I was sub 10. So I don't fully know the intricacies of everything that happened from what I understand. And what I know is that they were, I think someone shouldn't have foreclosed. Anyways, they fought for the name. He got the name back. But in that interim, when he didn't get the the name like that just sort of shows like my dad he doesn't let things get him down like just like the Teflon pan he kept selling products he just sold them

under k5 leisure products and then when he got the name back he changed k5 leisure products to KTEL there you go yeah and you know, he kept going on with the products and then he also got the music catalog back. So that's something we haven't talked about is the fact that, you know, when he was creating all these compilations, you know, in the sixties and seventies, et cetera, they also started creating their own music catalog.

So they would buy, like we have the rights to, you know, Sammy Smith's, Help Me Make It Through the Night. That was like a Grammy winning song. The Bobby Sherman catalog, sort of all those crazy things. And then those are all originals. And then you know what Taylor Swift is doing now making Taylor's versions. My dad was doing that back in the 70s.

So music licensing. Yes, that I know a lot about. So the music licensing, this is, is this the core of what K-Tail? I mean, obviously, Mini Pops Kids, you know, I feel like we got away from Mini Pops Kids. So let me just, yes, I'm gonna, so let me just play again. I don't wanna, I pulled a bunch of these clips.

I'm very excited to have you here, Samantha, and talking KTEL, but I pulled this. Five, six, seven, eight. KTEL presents Mini Pops Kids 20, and the 20th anniversary celebration tour. I think I have some help. A non-stop pop party. But today's biggest miss. It's 20th and the 20th anniversary celebration tour. A nonstop pop party with today's biggest hits. Mini Pop Kids Live is the ultimate family friendly experience.

Get ready to sing, dance and pop where the fun never stops. MiniPopKids.com for our latest music and a show near you. Is this the event you were telling me about earlier? Okay, now dive into that now. So let's focus on Minipopkids. We'll focus there and then I can tell you about more of what KTEL's doing today if you're interested.

Yes, I am very interested. And then we'll close with the parodies I've collected. Oh my God, I'm excited. So yeah, no, anyway, so like we were talking about just a minute ago. So we brought the mini pop kids back in 2004 and it's sort of the same concept, except it's very family friendly and it's very, very clean where we take, you know, like pop songs of the day and we have kids cover it and make it clean. So, you know, today's music that is so inappropriate is now

accessible to young kids. So you'll alter the lyrics. We alter the lyrics. Absolutely. Like we've been able to do every single song. I think the only one that we really struggled and we just had to skip was Blurred Lines. Like there was just no way we could figure that one out. So for example, yes, a very recent big hit for Chapel Rhone. Yes. Is Good Luck Babe. Yeah. Now you hear pops because the video is like a kind of a neat little messaging thing going on here. So I pulled it from the video. But you'll take these current hits, and this is a very, pretty current hit. That's very current. Yeah, and you'll, these are very wholesome,

family-friendly, children-friendly versions, and you can introduce kids to some content where maybe on Kiss 92.5, maybe it's got some suggestive sexual content or whatnot, all that's erased. Yes, we clean that away. We like wipe on wipe off. We sanitize it. Yes, yes, we sanitize it.

You won't get any awkward questions from your kids when they ask, what does that mean? No, and like the good part, the other thing we do is we make music videos as well. So like the kids can't watch the original videos, like we will family-friendly on our YouTube channel We're almost at a million subscribers And like yeah, like we just did we did a music video to this song we did a music video to APT

My yeah, my nine-year-old loves that song. Yeah, it's a great time like our videos over 2 million views already It's only been up for two months. I think our Savage Love cover music video has over 20 million views. And so, it's not only creating the audio, but we're really trying to create a safe spot for kids to enjoy music. So, whether it's on the YouTube channel or on Spotify or Amazon or at our live shows, which are such a blast. And tell me about this one in May. Oh my God. So it's exciting. So we're at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto. I think we have a show in Hamilton the next day.

And it's like it's an hour and a half of pure joy. Like my favorite Instagram reel that I saw of a parent attending one of our concerts is they showed their kids perspective of their kids just like jamming out like little kitty mosh pit at one of our shows. And then she said, and then the mom said, this is my perspective. And she just showed her daughter having the time of her life. You know, like we really create these moments that kids are, families are going to remember for like the rest of their life. And the show is fun. Like I have four kids.

You know, like my 10 year old and my five year old still love it. And like, I just love bringing my kids because it's like, and I'm not saying this just cause I'm involved, but like they have the best time and I actually enjoy myself as well. Like I've been to a couple other kid shows and it was painful and like this is fun.

Fun for the kids and those ages are perfect. Five and 10, I know. I think my nine year old would love this stuff. So you mentioned Savage Love. Yes. ["Savage Love"] Woah, woah, woah I'm driving through If I woke up without you I don't know what I would do Thought I could be single forever till I met you

Usually don't be falling, be falling, falling fast You got a wave keeping me dancing back to back I just don't know the only reason that you're loving me Was to get back a bit of trouble but before you leave Usually I would never, would never even care Baby I know it's creepy, I feel it in the air Every night and every day I try to make you stay

But your savage love Did somebody, did somebody break your heart? Looking like an angel but you're savage love When you're singing, I know you don't sing enough But I still want that, you're savage love Samantha, you brought Mini Pops back for this new generation. Totally, and it's like, honestly, it is such a blast at our concerts and our shows. You know, and it's like, it's just, it's really, I, you know, it was such a big part of my childhood that I'm so happy that I can give it to other parents in their childhoods as well.

You know, I get these really nice messages from parents and they send these like, awesome posts on Facebook just saying like I don't know who had more fun me or my kids because we always put throwback songs in the show as well for the parents from their childhood as well you know just so it's like there's something for everybody. No very cool yeah very cool here yeah on the live stream that song I was trying to sing it's so tough to be a baby. That's my impression of it. The artist was a little boy named Jordy. This is going back to the early 90s, so 92.

But Jordy had this hit, Der, der, detre, baby. That's my French accent for you right there. And I think we've kicked it out on a, I think maybe Cam Gordon kicked it out on a Pandemic Friday as I recall. But that was kind of a hit and I think he was out of France so, Der, der, der, baby. Andy had a big crush on the Green Door Kid. Hey Andy, that was age appropriate for Andy, I just want to let the world know that. Okay. Oh I think every little girl did. Andy was not alone. Andy, you weren't alone there and yeah, a lot of great nostalgia going on here. And I'm having a lot of nostalgia too, playing the old stuff and now there's new stuff for the next

generation. So you got the live event. If somebody wants to buy a ticket for this live event in May, where do you send them? Just go to minipopkids.com and we have six shows left. We were on a 28 tour, 28 city tour of the country and we have six shows left. so you can just go to many pop kids calm the shows we have in Ontario I think our Barry shows actually sold out but we still have tickets left for Hamilton and Toronto okay here we get a little promo going there okay so about your father yes oh when did your father Philip Keevis away? He passed away nine years ago. Yeah.

I am sorry. Yes. Yeah. I mean, you know, it's always, it's always, you know, it's crazy to lose a parent. But I have to say, when the time came, I had no idea what type of impact he had of the world. Like, it was crazy. Like I was getting calls from press from like all over the world.

The New York Times, like they pick one person to do their featured obituary on every year or every week. They chose my father. NBC Nightly News, they have this program, the segment called Lives Well-Lived. They did it on my father. Like it was just like it was all over the news and it wasn't just over the Canadian news. It was over the world news. Like the Washington poet, like just, it was crazy. All the publications that were reaching out and having to do interviews at that time.

And the set, like the craziest part about it is, is my father would have loved it the most. Yeah. And your father, so it was 87 years. Yes. And yeah, a lot of, a lot of national news because the nostalgia for KTEL is off the charts. Yeah.

So do you have a title at KTEL right now? Like a business title or no? Not really. Not really. It's just, you know, we're part of like a team. Right. Yeah. Okay.

Here's my marketing question for you because I noticed this is the stylization of KTEL. Yes. Okay. I have seen it all caps. So K-TEL in all caps. I've seen that. I have seen it capital K-T then lowercase EL. I've seen that all over the place.

But on the official KTEL website, I see capital K dash lowercase T E L. So Samantha, I need a definitive, uh, what is the proper stylization of KTEL? As of today, it's capital K lowercase T E L, but you can't forget the hyphen. Don't forget. So it's capital K hyphen lowercase T E L. And that is the way it is on your corporate web, your official website. So I figure when in doubt go of how you guys are using it But yeah, it is that capital T is all over the place and the all caps is out there, too So yes. Yes, if you see I think it went both ways But if you see a capital T with a lowercase EL, that's just wrong. Okay, I'm glad you corrected that

This is for the definitive record. I hope Dave Grohl is listening. So if he ever writes about that Edgar Winter group song, absolutely. Now I promise I'd close. This will be kind of fun here. So because these KTEL infomercials were everywhere, they're so ripe for parody, right? They're sitting there, these big bombastic super hits. It's totally right for parody. So I mentioned FOTM Dave Thomas calls the tree. We're going to take a photo by, he calls it Toronto tree.

So let's start with, oh, okay. I got, I don't know what I pulled here. I got, I pulled three significant pop culture institutions that have parodied these K-Tel ads. Okay. Three big ones. I have pulled SCTV, I have pulled Saturday Night Live, and I've pulled The Simpsons, okay? And then I want to ask you about a band led by a fellow FOTM who used to go by the name The K-Tel. So we're going to do that. But let's listen to this. I've got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere.

Gord Lightfoot, Canada's most incredible singer. I got married to the widow next door. Kate Allen produces Gord Sings Every Song Ever Written. A remarkable 379 album set complete with music and lyrics. So you can sing along as Gord sings every song ever written. You get Midnight in Moscow, Bits and Pieces and Happy Birthday. Happy birthday to you. song ever written. You get Midnight in Moscow, Bits and Pieces, and Happy Birthday! And now for the first time, a special offer of unreleased Gord Lightfoot versions of some of the great songs of all time.

You get the Soviet national anthem, Polka Time, Jesus, Joy, and Man's Desiring, and of course, Gord's own 76 Trombones. 76 Trombones, let the big wood be. Gord Lightfoot, a legend in his own time. Let the ten cordons close behind. Gord sings every song ever written, only 499. Kaper Kassette 699. That's Kaper Kassette 699, available everywhere. Let the big wood be the idea of somebody. Oh, my God.

So that's Dave Thomas on SCTV. But I would I would buy that Gordon Lightfoot sings every song ever written by Kate. Yeah, and they actually did documentary on KTEL, which you can find on YouTube, but Dave Thomas voices. Oh, you can do you can do it in his Bob Hope impression. What a legend he is. Okay, so there's a fun That's SC TV, you know, that's what an institution that is, but let's go back even further to a big American show Yes fish eaters the days of troublesome scaling cutting and gutting are over because super 76 is the tool that lets you use the whole bass with no fish waste without scaling cutting or gutting Here's how it works. Catch a bass, remove the hook and drop the bass. That's the whole bass into the Super Bass-O-Matic 76. Now adjust the control dial so that that

bass is blended just the way you like it. So fellow Canadian Dan Aykroyd, Baselmatic on Saturday Night Live. Yeah, I mean, when you make it to Saturday Night Live, you know, like you've got an impact. Not just make it but a memorable skit like how many skits have been forgotten to time but people still remember Baselmatic. Yeah, exactly. Okay, so you got Saturday Night Live, and you got SCTV and I'm sitting here thinking, oh, there's not much that gets any bigger.

That's amazing. Like those are two huge comedic institutions parodying your father's company, K-Tel. All right, well, there is another show I love that also kind of parodies it. Let's listen. Products you could only imagine before. The Fondome.

The Jet Walker. Mr. Sugar Cube. That baby changed our lives. I'm actor Troy McClure. You might remember me from such TV series as Buck Henderson, Union Buster, and Troy and Company's Summertime Smile Factory but I'm here to tell you about Spiffy the 21st century stain remover. Let's meet the inventor Dr. Nick Riviera. Thank you Troy. Hi everybody. Hi Dr. Nick.

Troy I brought with me the gravestone of author and troubled soul Edgar Allan Poe. One of our best writers. Yes but unfortunately a century of neglect has turned this tombstone into a depressing eyesore. So what? I guess we're gonna have to throw it away. Not so fast Troy! With one application of spiffy you'll think the body's still warm. Quote the Raven, what the Raven. What a shine. Oh, that's one clean tombstone. Hey, Dad, you got a power drill?

In the garage. Check. I'm offering three bottles, enough to clean 1,000 tombstones for only $39.95. I'm afraid you're going to have to do better, Doctor. Yeah, give us a break, Doctor. But, toy, how can I make it lower than 3995? Find a way. Hey, Homer, I can't find the safety goggles for the power saw.

If stuff starts flying, just turn your head. I'll check. Okay, I'll throw in a fourth bottle, theator glove and a state of Kansas Jell-O mold 29.95 It's my sisters Be nice, okay, I will I will What a pleasure to play. What do you know?

He's wearing pants. I owe you a lunch. Okay, what a show. What a glory period for The Simpsons. Just listening to that headphones, what a great period. I think Bart's out building his soapbox derby racer, and this is the Father Institute episode. Great episode, but here, I'm gonna ask you a question on our way out here before I play one song to finish here.

What do the following three people, so we heard three people basically doing these, like so we saw, Dave Thomas did the parody for SCTV, Dave Thomas, Dan Aykroyd did that parody for Saturday Night Live, And the key voice doing the is Phil Hartman on The Simpsons. Can you tell me, Samantha, I feel like I'm doing a game show now. What do Dave Thomas, Dan Aykroyd and Phil Hartman have in common? I'm assuming they're all Canadian. They're all Canadian. Correct. You've earned all this

swag you got here today here. And speaking of Canadians, I just wanted to play a song, Art Bergman's in FOTM, and he was with a band called A Punk Band Out Of Vancouver. So this band would go on to have the name Young Canadians. This is the Young Canadians. But at the time this song was recorded they were going by a different name. They were called the KTELs. So this punk band out of Vancouver with Art Bergman who has the Order of Canada for goodness sakes, and he's in FOTM which is even more impressive, they were called the KTELs. I'm sure your dad had his lawyer send a nice letter or something and they became young Canadians. Are you aware of the Canadian punk band, the KTELs?

I am not, unfortunately. I'm sorry. But this is very educational for me as well. Well here, we educate each other. Did you leave anything on the cutting room floor that you wanted to share with everybody? Well, I mean, no, I think we covered everything. The only thing I was gonna say that's kind of cool what we're doing now is that we have this big catalog of music and you can stream all our music on like Spotify and Apple and Amazon and all that fun stuff.

But what you probably don't even realize is that KTEL is even now behind the scenes in a lot of your favorite TV shows and movies that you see. Well, this is interesting. Yeah, so like, you know, we licensed a song for Ted Lasso. We had a song in the Queen's Gambit and some more recent stuff. We had a song in The Last Showgirl

and In the Substance that were both Oscar nominated films. I saw both of them. Yeah, so we're like, KTEL is still, like we might not be in the face anymore, but like all that music that we have in our catalogs, you're still hearing it in pop culture today in all of these programs and shows like Stranger Things and just really cool programs that it's great to be a part of. So K-Tel today, in addition to Mini Pop Kids, which is near and dear to your heart, you've

got music licensing going on. We've got music licensing and we've got music streaming. Great foresight. Like, did your dad see the internet coming back in the 60s? What's going on? Like, he loved Apple. Like, I think, I mean, he was really smart. Like, he saw what was going on. So he bought a bunch of Apple stock, which was a good move. Forrest Gump did the same thing. Do you remember this? So it's like, yeah, but we've got this great catalog that's still out there that people can enjoy. Well, I enjoyed this. Okay. This was amazing. I'm so happy. Nostalgic deep dive.

What a, you know, Canadian company. We love to support the Canadian companies, KTEL and the fact that you adapted, you pivoted, you've evolved and still a going concern in 2025. That warms the cockles of my heart. Oh my God. Well, thank you so much for having me. This was just such a pleasure. Remember that medium t-shirt. Don't forget me when that store opens. Medium, KTEL for sure. And we'll get a hat. If we get the hats, we're going to throw in a hat. Okay. You're doing it now too. You're going to have to do better than that. I'm going to have like a whole...

Yeah, throw in a second t-shirt for 29.95. Exactly. But wait, there's more. Oh yeah. That's Billy Mays, I think. And that brings us to the end of our 1,673rd show, the KTEL episode. That's what I'm gonna call it, the KTEL episode. That's what I'm going to call it, the KTEL episode.

Go to torontomike.com for all your Toronto Mike needs. Much love to all who made this possible. That's Carlo, I threw him in there. Carlo, Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Minaris, Silver Wax, RecycleMyElectronics.ca, Building Toronto Skyline and Ridley Funeral Home. Tomorrow is toast. This is important because that means Rob Pruse from Spoons. Any spoons on KTAL compilations? I don't know. I don't think so. We have to check into that. Who else we got? Bob Willett. He's single-handedly

saving radio. See you all 10 o'clock tomorrow, live.torontomike.com. So Music