Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Toronto Mike'd #300

Episode Date: January 11, 2018

Mike records the 300th episode of Toronto Mike'd.

Welcome Welcome to episode 300 of Toronto Mic'd. That's such a nice story of how I got here and play clips from you, the listeners. Sous-titres par LaVacheSquid © BF-WATCH TV 2021 ¶¶ Iisab, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, nebub, I've always been interested in radio. I loved watching WKRP in Cincinnati. And I used to cruise radio stations with my transistor radio when I should have been sleeping. Many a night I'd fall asleep listening to Tom and Jerry calling Blue Jay games on 1430. Followed by the sweet tones of Scott Ferguson and the out-of-town scoreboard.

The music of your life indeed. A natural-born archivist. I've been blogging at torontomike.com since 2002. Actually, I was doing it for years before then, only it was a personal homepage, and the posts weren't archived. You put them up, you left them up for a week or so, and then you deleted them. Then I discovered the blog, the ideal format for what I was doing.

I've now been blogging for 16 years because I love it. It's the blog that connected me to Humble and Fred. That was my morning show throughout the 1990s. When they were canned from their gig at Mix 99.9, we became friends. In 2006, when they decided to try this fandangled new podcast thing, they called me to put it together. Not the content, they knew that part, but the technical side that would make their MP3 file a podcast.

You're listening to Toronto Mike's TorontoMike.com. A digital marketer by trade, I taught myself the back end and digitally produced their podcast for years. When they started podcasting daily in late 2011, I got the itch to try it myself. Could I manage the front end and back end? There was only one way to find out. The first several episodes were essentially my dear friend Rosie and me shooting the shit from Humble and Fred's studio. By episode 12, I knew I needed a home studio of my own to truly own the project from A to Z. I knew just who to call. Andrew Stokely worked with Rosie at Dome Productions and she introduced me to him. We became fast friends. It just so happened,

audio was Andrew's specialty. Amongst other things, he was responsible for the audio mix you hear when you watch Jay's games on Sportsnet. He knew audio, and I didn't. I told him I wanted a home studio that would sound professional. I also needed to be able to run this sucker myself. Oh, and I didn't have a lot of money, but there was no way I was going to cheap out. I figured it was best to go big or go home. $1,600 later, I had a new Mackie mixer, three Rode Procaster microphones, cables, and headphones. Andrew came over to help me set it up,

connecting it to an old MacBook Pro. Then it was time for my two dear lifelong friends, trial and error. The first episode I recorded from my home studio for my two dear lifelong friends, Trial and Error. The first episode I recorded from my home studio was number 20. ¶¶ When the soul of the city was laid to rest And the night's forgotten and left for dead I have another house

Built of living light Where everything evil Disappears and dies Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh When they love you and they will Tell them all they'll love in my shadow And if they try to slow you down

Tell them all to go to hell When they love you and they will Tell them all they'll love in my shadow And if they try to slow you down I opened that episode with Japan droids, the house that heaven built. It took a while for this podcast to find its voice. What did I want it to become? I credit episode 65 with Jonathan Torrens with cementing my vision of what Toronto Mic'd should be.

By episode 103 with Strombo, I realized what Toronto Mic'd could be. The real talk formula was set. I want to thank Great Lakes Brewery for stepping up and sponsoring this show. They reached out, asked me to drop by for a meeting, and the rest is history. Chef's Plate soon followed. Then PropertyInTheSix.com, a.k.a. Brian Gerstein, a tremendous fan and supporter. His pint glasses have become very popular with guests.

Then PayTM Canada. They've gone on to sponsor other podcasts, but they started with mine. other podcasts, but they started with mine. In addition to Rosie, I want to thank my buddy Elvis, who took her spot as sometime co-host when Rosie moved on to a more lucrative opportunity. I'm not sure what could be more lucrative than a big hug and fun chatter. Elvis has become a fixture on Toronto Mic'd, as has Mark Weisblot from 1236, and Ed, Retro Ontario Conroy. These guys bring the content and I love it. Most importantly, I want to thank everyone who stepped up to become a patron.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate that kind gesture. I also want to thank those who listen and take the time to share feedback. In fact, I'm grateful for every listener who picked up my indie podcast along the way. There wouldn't be 300 episodes without you. Now it's your turn. Let's hear from some of you. Hi, I'm Mike from Hamilton, a.k.a. Hamilton Mike, to you, Toronto Mike.

What do I love about Toronto Mike? The deep dives, the information we find from these media personalities we both grew up with. You and I are the same age, as far as I know. Born in 74. So we have the same local cultural touchstones, media touchstones, be it radio, be it TV. City TV still brings nostalgia to me every time I hear Mark Daly's voice. City TV everywhere.

It's kind of heartbreaking how Rogers has let that brand just die on the vine. It's criminal, actually. But as far as favorite episode, I couldn't pick one. There have been so many great episodes, so much information I've gleaned from each one. I forced a pick, maybe the Strombo one, strombo reminds me of you and me in a certain sense like you talk to him especially that conversation style there is no bs he's straight up you get the straight take uh but he's not mean at all when he's giving you straight takes he's giving this honest honest uh take on things and um it's refreshing when you can get them in your

basement and they let their guard down slowly and we find out the human beings behind the media personalities we've grown up with. All I want to say is thanks, Mike. I really enjoy it. Keep up the good work. And I do fund you through Patreon. So yeah, thanks a lot for the good work and hopefully more episodes to come in 2018

and on into the future as long as you're enjoying it. Thanks. Thank you, Hamilton, Mike. It's funny for me to hear the voices. Like I've been corresponding with him on Twitter, Mike on Twitter for years now. He's a thoughtful guy, always has some good input, but you know, you never meet the man, you never hear the voice, but there you go, Hamilton Mike. Let's hear from another one of you. I'm Tyler from Toronto, and what I love about listening to Toronto Mike

is that it's the passion project of one guy who has managed to get some of the biggest names in Canadian media to come to his basement for some real talk. Mike's interviewing style is very conversational, and it's resulted in some very revealing and personal stories that haven't been told anywhere else. There have been so many great episodes, but I think I'd pick the Damien Cox Kick Out the Jams episode as my favorite. It was a casual conversation that showed a side of Damien

that hasn't been seen anywhere else. So, Mike, congratulations on 300 episodes, and here's to at least 300 more. Thanks, Tyler. Tyler, I've actually met. So Tyler was a listener of this podcast and he's the guy who maintains the Kick Out the Jams Google spreadsheet.

So a week after somebody visits to Kick Out the Jams, Tyler takes a good chunk of his personal time to update that spreadsheet. And he has some interesting almanac facts in there, like how many jams from each decade, how many times each artist is represented. It's amazing. Like I love that thing.

And that's totally driven by Tyler's. And at one point I had to reward Tyler by buying him a couple of pints of Great Lakes beer at, on the patio. So I've met you, Tyler, you're a good man. And thank you for your efforts. of Great Lakes beer on the patio. So I've met you, Tyler. You're a good man. And thank you for your efforts.

This is Mike G. from Upper Bloor West. I enjoy Toronto Mike because Toronto Mike gets many of the celebrities that I like to watch, listen to, or read. And I like that Mike also asks the questions when I send them in through Twitter. I think my favorite episode is oddly of a celebrity that I didn't really think I liked that much. It was the Jay Onright episode. There was mentions of it from another episode that was done after. I went back and listened to it and found that I really enjoyed Mike chatting with Jay

and found the things he had to say quite enjoyable and quite entertaining. So keep up the good work, Toronto Mike. Thanks, Upper Bloor West Mike. So this Upper Bloor, first of all, Upper Bloor West, I'm thinking in my head, Bloor West Village is a net Upper Bloor West? Like are we now Bloor West North? Or are you going as far as Dundas? At which point, like aren't you more junction-y than Bloor West?

Is this a real estate agent I'm hearing from who's spinning things to get more money? I'm intrigued. You have to let me know where Upper Bloor West is. But Mike G is a listener who I met at swimming lessons. Normally, my wife takes a three-year-old to swimming lessons, and I stay home with the baby and everybody. my wife takes the three-year-old to swimming lessons and I stay home with the baby and everybody. But I took my kid to swimming lessons one day and I think she was out of town. And Mike G recognized me and came up and said hi. And then at the Santa Claus parade on Lakeshore, I once again bumped into him. So I bumped into Mike G a couple of times. So if anyone sees me in the wild, please come by and say hi. mike it's jamal from kitchener a huge fan of your

podcast and your website i think you do a fantastic job uh one of the uh one of my go-to sites every day actually when i uh when i'm browsing internet um love your guests uh you have some great uh great shows in particular the ones of john gallagher, Steven Brunt, PJ Phil from high TV fame. I think you even have a couple with Master T and a few other much music VJs from back in the day. You're doing a great job and I think one of my favorite aspects of the show is that you get to play music as well and I think that's a that's a breath of

fresh air you know you kind of mix it up a little bit so I love that aspect what I don't like don't really have anything in terms of complaints about the about the podcast or the website you know I'm a basketball fan so I would obviously want more more basketball content about the Raptors or stuff like that but you know I know you have an audience. So, you know, they might be Leaf fans or football fans or baseball fans. But other than that, you're doing a great job. Keep up the good work. Look forward to some new podcasts in 2018.

And you have a great holiday and a great new year. Jamal and Kitchener, check that out. One thing, Jamal, Kitchener, check that out. One thing, Jamal, you said you enjoyed the Master T appearance on Toronto Mic, the legendary Master T, who I have never met. So you're probably confusing him with someone else from MuchMusic, but Master T is on my hit list for 2018. I'm going to track him down and get him in here. And then maybe you saw the future.

Maybe that was a prophecy. But thanks for that. You mentioned the music. I'm wondering, should I play music under these? Let me try a clip with some music under it and see if it annoys me. But let's hear from another one of you. Hi, this is Al Grego from Holland Landing, aka Al the Royal Pain. Mike, congratulations on 300 episodes. That's quite the milestone. Mike, you and I are basically the same vintage. And as such, we have similar histories. I, too, listened to Tom Rivers on 680 CFTR. I, too, was a big city TV and much music watcher and a sports fan.

So the Fan 590 was always on in my car. That is until I discovered podcasts. And we both have similar music interests as well. So I guess that's why I enjoy listening to your podcast. You ask the questions I want answers to of the people I want to hear from. Some of my favorites in no particular order are, of course, Strombo, Ron McLean, Stephen Brunt, John Gallagher, Mark Hebbshire, Don Landry. I can go on and on.

But I also enjoy it when you have your regular non-celebrity guests on. Obviously, when Elvis is on, it's a must listen. And I really enjoy when you have Ed Conroy from Retro Ontario on as well. But really, I've enjoyed every guest you've had on with few exceptions. So keep up the great work. And here's hoping for another 300. I'd like to wish you and your family and all your listeners a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a happy new year.

Thanks, Holland Landing. Alan, I've met Alan as well. So Alan reached out to me because he wanted to do a podcast for his company and he wanted to come by and see the setup and he could then introduce by and see the setup, and he could then introduce it to his workplace. So he came over, and I showed him how everything's set up. So look at that service, Alan, but thanks for that. Now I'm wondering, is the music working or not?

I'm going to try another clip with the music. Let's hear from Leslieville Blair. Hey there, music. Let's hear from Leslieville Blair. Hey there, Mike. It's Blair from Leslieville, also known as Photo Blair or Blair Photo Blair or just plain old Blair, which most people refer to me as. Anyways, I just want to congratulate you on 300 episodes, the vast majority of which I find very amusing and very entertaining and definitely very informative. I always get a kick out of Retro Ontario and 1236 Mark Weisblot when they come on to the program. I learn a lot of things about things that I grew up watching or seeing or hearing, but didn't quite get the inside info on.

inside info on, and those two guys definitely are very helpful in filling in some of the gaps of knowledge about these things that we grew up on, but never really got to dig deeper in when we were younger. And I say probably a particular shout-out to those two, because A, Ed was able to use one of my videos that I dug up on his website, and also because Mark has retweeted me twice. So, hey, I mean, I'm practically a celebrity now in my own crazy way.

Anyway, congratulations again. I hope you have a wonderful 300 more. I'll be listening, and take care. All the best. Thanks, Photo Blair. Photo Blair blair or i'm gonna call him leslieville blair if that's cool uh he he mentioned a couple of names i just need to extrapolate on that a bit uh so i have been reading mark weisblatt stuff for i don't know forever is that possible like for at least uh my uh blogging, the last 15 years, you know,

he would kind of do a blog, then do something else. And he did something with the star and he did something with iWeekly. And I'd always kind of seek him out because I liked his photographic memory of the things that some of the things I didn't remember or didn't know. And then other stuff that was foggy, like a copy of a copy of a copy in my brain and i i liked the way he could see it all and put it together always liked it and so forever i've been singing the praises of him and his 1236 project was just a great excuse for me to get him in here every four times a year and every i mean these are the episodes where i try to i don't want to go three four hours like two hours is tough enough.

But with him, I could just do eight hours effortlessly. There's so much content. I always have to cut so much, but he's fantastic. But equally as fantastic, if not more fantastic, is Mr. Retro Ontario, who I used, I followed him at the very beginning before he even had the brand name Retro Ontario. I think his YouTube channel is WNED17 after the PBS station in Buffalo. And I've been like in love with what he would dig up the stuff that I remembered but hadn't seen since I was a kid. And I could see it again.

I loved what he was doing. So when I had an opportunity to meet Ed Conroy and get him in here, damn right I did. And I love that guy. So I wish I could get him in here. Damn right I did. And I love that guy. So I wish I could get him in every quarter. But for him with his kids and how far he lives and the lack of car, et cetera, et cetera, I'm lucky to get him in twice a year. But I'm going to keep doing that. So thanks for mentioning those two guys. Heck, those guys are worthy of podcasts on their own. I'm just lucky enough to tap into their creative genius. Finally, a woman.

It's been quite the sausage fest. But here's North York Miriam. Hi, I'm Miriam from North York. What I enjoy about the show is that no matter who the guest is, Mike provides a space for them to open up. I have teared up a couple of times this past year listening to Mike and some of his guests.

I don't have a favorite episode, but I am one of those people who look forward to the Elvis episodes. And I just want to congratulate Mike on 300 episodes, and I look forward to hearing more real talk in the new year. Thank you, Miriam. Miriam and I corresponded via Twitter and I met up with her downtown Toronto and bought her Great Lakes beer.

So I have met Miriam. She's fantastic. Thank you for listening. And thanks for mentioning Elvis. So I just talked about Mark Weisblot from 1236 and Retro Ontario, Ed Conroy. But my buddy Elvis, who I've known a, you know, Mark Weisblot from 1236 and Retro Ontario, Ed Conroy. But my buddy Elvis, who I've known a long time and we're good pals. Every once in a while, you just want a friend you got good chemistry with to literally shoot the shit.

Just cover all the stuff that you don't want to bore Bob McKenzie or Ron McClain with. Right. So the fact is, he's a North Oshawa guy. But once in a while, he makes the trek to Southwest Toronto to visit me. And we record and it's always fun. And I'm glad at the beginning, I think some people were like, who is this guy? He's not famous. Like, can you get us more like, I don't know, Jeff Merrick or David Marsden or something? And I'm like, these are like sprinkled in.

or something and I'm like these are like sprinkled in. This is not what Toronto Mic'd is but it is a different style of Toronto Mic'd. Kind of like just your two buddies shooting the shit. Thanks for giving Elvis a shout out. Now let's hear from Junction Steve.

Hi, this is Steve from the Junction. I started listening to Toronto Mic'd for the sports personalities but I really enjoyed the long form interviews. Mike does with people from all aspects of Toronto culture. My favorite episode is probably Steven Brent, but I'm usually impressed by some of the people that I'm not familiar with. Congrats on 300 episodes,

Mike. Well done. Thanks junction. Steve. I spent a lot of time in the junction. So maybe I'll bump into you there. I bump into Ed ed keenan periodically just wandering around the junction so uh steve um it's interesting you bring that up because i sometimes

will get the odd note from someone who says we want more sports media episodes but then i'll get a note from someone saying enough of the sports media episodes i don't actually have like i do love sports and i'm very familiar with a lot of sports media personalities because I love sports in the city. So I naturally reach out to somebody like a Rod Smith or, I don't know, a Vic Router or a Gino Retta or a Jay Onright, whatever. I'll reach out to these people. Steven Brunt was amazing. Possibly, if I had to submit an episode for a Pulitzer, a podcast Pulitzer. I might submit that Steven Brunt episode. I don't know.

But I definitely try to mix it up. I want an Ann Ruskowski on. I want a Dwight Drummond. I want to have a Steve Anthony. I had Matt Gurney over the other day. I aim to mix it up. And I hope there's something for everybody. Heck, if I can get Ron Hawkins from Lowest of the Low

over Maestro Fresh West, let's do it. Or Splashin' Boots, for goodness sakes. I definitely try to mix it up. Sometimes it'll appear heavily sports media, and sometimes they'll be lacking. It's just a potpourri. But thanks for listening to all the episodes. And enough of this GTA.

Wait, is Kitchener and Hamilton GTA? Probably not. But let's get out of Ontario anyways and hear from Vancouver Darren. Hi, this is Darren from Vancouver. I enjoy Toronto Mic'd because it helps me keep abreast of what's going on in my former city of Toronto. And it helps me remember the good old days living in the city and all the media personalities that I listened to and watched. My favorite episode is probably the latest episode with John Gallagher.

His stories are awesome. I just love hearing from him. And that's it. Thanks, Mike. John Gallagher is a pistol. Holy smokes. If you contain that madness, you have yourself some intriguing content. Thank you, Vancouver Darren.

I think you recorded that at work. I think I heard your cubicle neighbor in the background. I'm not too sure. But thanks for doing that. Now let's hear from Streetsville Carlos. Hi, I'm Carlos. I live in Streetsville.

I enjoy your show. Because it's at a different pace from what I usually hear on TV and radio. I enjoy it because it's mostly with celebrities that live in our community that we see or hear weekly. My favorite episode was with Stephen Brandt. Stephen Brandt is a great writer and a good speaker as well. P.S. I've listened to every episode where you've had a guest. And enjoy them all.

Thank you. Thanks, Carlos, from Streetsville, home of Billy Talent. And thanks for shouting out the future Pulitzer Prize winning episode with Stephen Brunt. Now let's go to North York and hear from Lucas. Hi, Mike. It's Lucas Ainetta from North York. And I hope I'm not too late to send this in for episode 300. So your podcast is amazing. Let me just tell you that straight up to start. It is an awesome podcast. I listen to it all the time. Simply because I enjoy

the people you have on the podcast. You know, these are people that I listen to all the time on the radio. I'm a big fan of radio. So for me, hearing people like Roger Ashby, Meredith Shaw, May Potts from Boom 97.3. It's kind of cool how, you know, I always hear them on the radio where they're kind of, you know, talking quick and everything. And there are certain guidelines as to what they have to say. But on your podcast, they kind of come on and talk with you, you know, to do some real talk. And I find it really engaging, you know, all the research you do beforehand. And I think that's that's pretty amazing. The amount of research you do, I got to hand it to you. That's awesome. amazing the amount of research you do i gotta hand it to you that's awesome um and i also have to say i enjoy how you don't work for any kind of media big corporate company so those questions

that you know they won't be able to answer for listeners under their company they would be able to answer under your podcast in some way I know sometimes there's kind of limitations as to what they can say but I do enjoy that very very much so my favorite episode oh my gosh it would probably have to be Ingrid Schumacher's episode because I listened to her when she was on Chum FM and I remember when you had said she was going to come on I was really looking forward to that episode I think she's one of the best broadcasters out there and hey I have to admit I still miss her a lot I mean when she left Chum FM it was kind of a shock to me you know I wasn't exactly ready for it I don't think none of us were but I did enjoy even how she talked about like her beginnings at Chum FM because I had met her before but I never asked her for a whole rundown of her 40 years on Chum FM.

So I enjoyed that episode. That was a really fun episode. And then the most recent one, Meredith was good too. She was great to have on. And I did enjoy Kevin Frank, which is episode two from Breakfast Television. I thought he was, I've seen him on Breakfast Television in the morning. And I thought when he came on, he just kind of opened up to you

in a way that I don't think you were expecting. And as a listener, I kind of wasn't expecting that either. And I thought that was really great. You got some really great information out of him. So yeah, there you go those are the questions you wanted i hope i did a good job here and i hope you can use this or you can use me for episode 300 of toronto mic okay have a good christmas mike and all the best

lucas consider yourself used now i i've decided going into this thing i'm going to play the clips that you guys took the time and effort to put together an email to me and i'm not going to edit any of your clips so if yes lucas was longer uh than more verbose than most of the clips but there was no way lucas i was going to edit a word you have had to say so thank you for doing that I was also uh the Kevin Frankish thing yeah it did surprise me only because he's currently employed on that station in that role and typically those people uh a la uh Andy Frost are going to play it a little safer for obvious reasons and And Frankish was full of real talk and it was a pleasant surprise. I loved that episode. It probably got him in a little trouble,

but I have a feeling he's used to that. And you mentioned something I just want to touch on. I am not affiliated, never have been affiliated with any company, Ch uh, bell or Rogers or CBC or any of them. So I think my advantage is I can reach out and I do reach out to, uh, people from all of these areas. I'm just as likely to have a TSN guy as a Rogers Sportsnet guy and a CP 24 person as much as a city TV person. And, uh, I do, um, sometimes have to, you know to deal with the PR representatives from these big, big companies. I have somebody at CBC right now who's just waiting for the approval.

The four CBC guests I've had all had to get approved by some PR, they have a big CBC PR rule. And I had an unfortunate incident recently with John Moore from 1010 where he was booked to come on and then he was told by his boss that his request was refused. And I felt really rejected after that. Like, why would Bell Media do that? I've always had great success with Bell Media people in the past, and I think I'm pretty fair. And I think people who come on generally, in fact, maybe always leave happy with their experience.

But so I hope that's not a precursor of things to come. The John Moore incident, I kind of rely on these big companies being cool with their people coming on for a good chat about things. So thank you, North York Lucas. And here's a regular, this clip is from somebody who has been commenting on my blog for, I think, over a decade. And I got to meet him once at a Humble and Fred get-together. Let us hear from Rick C. in Oakville.

Hi, Mike. I'm Rick C. in Oakville who discovered your blog many, many years ago searching for whatever happened to Humble and Fred. blog many, many years ago searching for whatever happened to Humble and Fred. Well, it has been cool to watch it morph from just a written blog to now a passion project podcast with real interesting guests, some I would never have known if you weren't doing this. The fact you were willing to put yourself out there is something I truly admire. As for a favorite, I can say I have many, but if I had to pick one, it would have to be Ron McLean's. Being a fan and having watched hockey over the years, it was nice to see him in a relaxed atmosphere showing his truly genuine

character. Anyways, cheers Mike. Thanks Rick. Ron McLean was exceptionally kind, but that's not an exception, actually, when it comes to these 300 episodes and these guests. Because, and I'm going to leave a lot of people out, but whether it be a James Duthie or a Ron McLean or a Strombo, we're talking about some of the just genuinely nice, as far as I can tell anyways, the nicest people. Ron McLean arrived a little early and I was on a business call and I had to quietly let him in, but I couldn't deal with him because I was on an important call.

And he sat on my couch and listened to my call. That was a web development call with Europe. And afterwards, he listened closely and afterwards he had several questions about it, and he seemed genuinely interested, and he was just a sweetheart, and it resulted in what I think was a fantastic conversation. So thanks, Rick. Enough Ontario. I want to go back to the West Coast.

Let's hear from Vancouver Dale. Hi, it's Dale Cadeau from Vancouver, formerly of that great little town, Streetsville. I really enjoy Toronto Mike podcasts because you allow the listener to really get to know the media personalities that we have watched or listened to. They seem so relaxed and share stories as if we were all friends, especially when they kick out the jams. Favorite episodes include Kick Out the Jams with Damien Cox, as it showed he wasn't such a bad guy after all. Steve Simmons, Ed the Sock, Damien Cox, as it showed he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

Steve Simmons, Ed the Sock, Macco Jr., and Fort Gord, of course. But since Mike Richards introduced me to the podcast, I will go with number 219 with Raw Mike Richards, as it was the very first episode I ever listened to. Thanks, Mike. Mike Richards is a fantastic guest. Thanks, Dale. What I like about Mike is that he shoots from the hip and he tells it like it is.

I just hope his first appearance didn't cost him his gig at TSN. That's what I hope. Thanks, Dale. You're the second person who mentioned the kicking out the jams of Damien Cox. And that's one of the episodes that resulted in the most emails, comments, tweets and notes. Because I think what happened there is I think there's a guy, he's a polarizing figure. A lot of people love to hate Damien Cox. And I think his first appearance sort of didn't do anything to change that opinion. People who didn't like Damien Cox probably listened to his first appearance and still didn't like him. Whereas with people like Mike Wilner, Steve Simmons, there's other examples where people like them a lot more after being on

my podcast. But with Damien Cox, he was still a little standoffish. But then he came back the second time and he kicked out the jams. And people who did not like Damien Cox suddenly liked Damien Cox. So I should put a warning on that episode. If you don't like Damien Cox and you enjoy disliking Damien Cox, do not listen to Damien Cox kicking out the jams with me. Here's somebody listeners of the podcast know in a voice you've heard before. Here's Brian. Hi, Mike. I'm Brian Gerstein from propertyinthesix.com and I love your show so much that I'm a proud sponsor to make sure you keep this passion of yours going. I love your show because you are able to get your guests to relax and open up to you and by the end of it I feel I know it makes them tick. My favorite episodes are

always when you chat with sports media personalities and if I had to pick my favorite it would be Mike Richards who has been on twice with you. Mike has been through a lot and his complete honesty and humor really resonated with me and I wish him well on his own podcast and with his health. Thanks, Brian. And like that old ad used to say,

you know, I like the product so much, I bought the company. You put your money where your mouth is. You decided you wouldn't become a patron, which would have been fantastic, but you decided to become a sponsor and i appreciate it and i hope uh i hope you're still uh enjoying the benefits uh thanks again brian but let's go to saint catherine's and hear from greg hi this is greg from saint catherine. I listen to Toronto Mike's because dating back to when I was growing up in Richmond Hill in the 80s and 90s, I've always been a Toronto radio, TV and sports junkie.

Mike's interview style and personality have a way of encouraging his guests to reveal industry stories and details about themselves that are unavailable anywhere else. My favorite episode is the Strombo one. Strombo is one of my favorite broadcasters, and his passion and incredible positivity are on full display during the interview as he walks us through his expansive career. Greg, we've got to get Strombo back. He can kick out the jams if he wants,

or we can just do an update on what's new with him. But I'll reach out to him, but thanks so much for that. Now to Brampton and Grant. This is Grant from Brampton. I like the Toronto Mike podcast because it's real talk. The Kicking Out the Jams episode with David Schultz,

those last seven minutes, you don't get much more real talk than that. Mike's having his guests come over to his house, and they're very often people he's never met before, and it's his first conversation with them. Yet they open up, and they tell him their stories. Some of them are stories they don't even want to talk about,

like Dave Hodge and the pen flip. The stories are so compelling and interesting. I've even listened to the Splashin' Boots episode, and I don't even know who they are. Can I name a favorite episode? There's two I may need to choose from. Strombo, Merrick, any of Hebsey's appearances, Stephen Brunt.

I couldn't pick one from all that. All I can say, Mike, is congratulations on 300 episodes. Thank you so much for the countless hours of entertainment you've given me. Keep up the good work. Thanks, Grant. I got to tell my Grant story. So Neil Morrison, you might know him better as Brother Bill on Edge 102. I listened to a lot of Brother Bill back in the day.

He's in White Rock now, which is kind of near Vancouver. But he sent me a VHS cassette of like Speaker's Corner outtakes. These are the uncensored clips they couldn't put on Speaker's Corner back in the day. So you can imagine what's on this cassette. Now, the only problem was I didn't have a video. I didn't have a VCR anymore. No VCR in this home. But I put out a plea and Grant replied and said, hey, I can drop off a VCR. And I'm like, that's amazing, Grant. So Grant drives to my home. He was in the neighborhood because, of course, Great Lakes Beer and Costco are not too far.

But he brings over the VCR so I could watch this tape. Then I got it back to him. But I really appreciate that, Grant. That's fantastic. And thanks for mentioning Hebsey. I've become good friends with Hebsey because he's been on this show many, many times. I think he's been on five times.

Always enjoyable. I'm going to get him back on in 2018. He's a master storyteller, and I love that. So thanks for shouting out the Hebsey episodes. You mentioned the David Schultz episode, and I think if I had to, for the Pulitzer, I'm sending in the Brunt episode, but if I had to like extract five minutes and say this is what Toronto Mike does. I'm taking the last five minutes of the David Schultz episode where he kicks out the jams. And I, that story he tells is a story I was, I was fully aware before his first appearance, I was aware of this, but he came over three times

and I'm never out to get anybody, which is to say that a story like that i won't ask about a story like that until you've put it in public have you talked about it on your radio show have you done a newspaper article is there a newspaper article about it uh have you put it in a book like with gallagher but if you haven't put this in public and i've heard it through private channels i will never ask you about that and I will just patiently wait for you to tell us when you're ready. And on his, I don't know if that was his third appearance or fourth appearance, David Schultz, I think it was his fourth, actually, maybe third or fourth. He decided with his final jam, he was going to open up and share. And I'm glad he did. And I'm here for you, David. I know that was a tough week for you, and hang in there, buddy.

I won't give you any bullshit like it gets better. I just think it gets further away on the calendar. But thanks for listening, Grant. Now let's hear from Matt. Hi, my name is Matt Cundall, and I listen to the Toronto Mike podcast to find out which Montrealers are passing themselves off

as Torontonians. Looking at you, Steve Anthony. You too, Erica M. I got to let Matt finish. Although, believe it or not, Matt, Erica M has never come on this podcast. I reached out to her and had a conversation with her in which I explained what I do. And I showed her the Steve Anthony episode, which I thought was amazing. And she very nicely told me she is sick

and tired of talking about much music and she doesn't want to talk about much music. And then I had this moment of, do I want Erica M to come on to Toronto Mic'd and me to avoid asking her any much music questions? I don't think that's fair to anyone. And it's definitely not fair to me. So I nicely told Erica that if she changes her mind, please let me know. And by the way, we recently had Elliot Price on. Elliot Price came straight from Montreal. That is a Montreal guy through and through. In fact, he's always been a Montreal guy, I think, until now. And you're right. You never know who's a Montreal guy. You never know who's a Vancouver guy. Like a Brad Fay or somebody will come on.

You realize, oh, this is a Vancouver guy. Or Arash, as I called him, Truro Arash, Arash Madani. You don't know where. There's some Toronto people that are Toronto people. I'm one of those guys. But most Toronto people came from somewhere else. So thanks, Matt. Sorry for interrupting you.

You had the dead air there and I jumped in. Let's hear from our final listener. This is Calgary Jake. My favorite episode would be number 269, the Stephen Brunt episode, largely because I was responsible for convincing Stephen to go on the show. And I did this because I knew Toronto Mike would do a great job, and Stephen, who's also a lifelong Ticap fan, would be a great guest with amazing stories to tell.

Jake, I'm glad you told that story. So we've mentioned the Brunt episode a few times. It only happened, first of all, I've been trying to get Brunt, just like I've been trying to get Bob McCowan. Those are a couple of guys I've wanted for years. I've wanted those guys to come into my basement. Brunt, he's not on Twitter. He's kind of a private guy.

He's off, sorry, Newfoundland all the time. And I couldn't get to him to get a no even. And Jake intervened on my behalf because Jake listens to the podcast and Jake knew that I think he knew I'd do it right. And he wouldn't be, you know, having to apologize to Brunt afterwards that, you know, I'm sorry I coerced you into going into that guy's basement for that ridiculous nonsense. I apologize. He knew that wasn't going to happen. So Jake convinced Brunt to visit. Brunt gave me so much time and gave so much of himself. And the best part of this is I've had exchanges of Brunt after that episode. In fact, pretty regularly, Brunt wants to come back and kick out the jams. And we're just we just got to schedule

that for later in 2018. But this is so when I get the Pulitzer for the Brunt episode, Jake, I'm going to thank you in my accepted speech because it really would not have happened without you. So on that note, if anybody is out there listening is buddies with Bob McCowan, give the same impassioned plea that Calgary Jake gave. And let's get let's get McCowan in this basement in 2018. Let's do that. this basement in 2018. Let's do that. So thank you all for listening to episode 300 of Toronto Mic'd, a weekly podcast about anything and everything. I love you, James. I love you, Michelle. I love you, Jarvis. I love you, Morgan. And I love you, babe. Thanks for letting me invite strangers to our home these past five years.

So at this time, I hope that the word gets out to one and all. I say from the bottom of my heart, thank you and God bless you. To everybody. To everybody.