Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Michelle McAdorey: Toronto Mike'd #1368

Episode Date: November 20, 2023

In this 1368th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Michelle McAdorey about her appearance in the video for Blue Rodeo's Try, Crash Vegas, going solo and more. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brough...t to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Raymond James Canada and Moneris. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at mike@torontomike.com

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to episode 1368 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. Enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade Italian pasta and entrees from Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. RecycleMyElectronics.ca.
Starting point is 00:00:55 Committing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past. The Advantage Investor Podcast from Raymond James Canada. Valuable perspective for Canadian investors who want to remain knowledgeable, informed, and focused on long-term success. Season five of Guess We Are Open, an award-winning podcast hosted by FOTM Al Grego for Moneris and Ridley Funeral Home. Pillars of the community since 1921. Today, making her Toronto mic debut
Starting point is 00:01:32 is Michelle McAdory. Hello. Welcome Michelle. How are you doing? Oh, I'm doing great. I'm very happy to be here. A little cooler than it was last week. I just spent the weekend in Montreal. I got back like last night and it seems like when I left,
Starting point is 00:01:47 it was like, I don't know, 12, 13, 14 degrees it felt like and now it's winter time. Montreal is such a great city. Have you considered relocating and living in Montreal? I did at one time. Yeah, I almost,
Starting point is 00:02:00 I thought I'm going to do that and then things changed. But it's so beautiful there. I think they have, I mean, I'm going to do that. And then things changed. But it's so beautiful there. I think they have, I mean, it's such a romantic city. It's a great city. But Toronto's a pretty good city. You're a Toronto gal. I am.
Starting point is 00:02:14 So you're, what neck of the woods, like what neighborhood are you from in this city? Well, originally I grew up in the East End, in the beach, beaches, beach area. What do you prefer? I feel saying the beach seems a little like mildly pretentious. I think so. And I remember talking to my mother about this. And she said, oh, no, it was originally the beach.
Starting point is 00:02:43 I'm like, no, I don't think it was. I think it was the beaches. Anyways, I don't know't know from the beaches i thought that's what i would say and then you know so who knows either or yeah the beach i agree the beach is just a little bit you know when i so i my mom so we drove to montreal by the way, thank you, Hyundai. They lent me a Palisade and it was very roomy. And I had, there were six of us going to Montreal and back. So shout out to Hyundai. Very roomy, very comfortable. Lovely ride.
Starting point is 00:03:13 So, but I said to my mom, I said, oh, Michelle McAdory is coming over. And then my mom went into this long speech about how much she loved Bob McAdory. Are you related to Bob McAdory from 1050 Chum? I am. Yep. That was my uncle. Bob wasAdory. Are you related to Bob McAdory from 1050 Chum? I am. Yep. Bob was my uncle. I think that's, even though I actually knew this, but that is the first fun fact. I feel like
Starting point is 00:03:33 I should pull some Bob. So, Bob McAdory, who I actually remember, I don't remember him from 1050 Chum, I'll be honest. I remember Bob McAdory from Global. Like, he was doing entertainment on the Global desk and he was great and gone far too soon. But you are his niece. I am.
Starting point is 00:03:49 Yes, I'm one of his nieces. And I know a lot of, he was unique, right? In what he did, he had his own particular humor. And I guess his hair, I don't know, for some reason a lot of people would talk about his hair. Yeah, he guess his hair. I don't know, for some reason, a lot of people would talk about his hair. Yeah, he had great hair. Yeah, but that it wasn't all, you know,
Starting point is 00:04:10 tightly coiffed, that it would sort of do its own thing. And he did a lot of radio, too. Yeah, a little before my time, too, but I mean, he did some country radio, too, like CFTM. That's very possible. Like, I wish I could get him on the show here I have him on a list
Starting point is 00:04:26 of people like Brian Linehan all these guys I missed I want to talk to and I can't get Bob McAdory on sadly but it is a you're kind of
Starting point is 00:04:33 carrying on the McAdory legacy there Michelle McAdory trying try trying did you say try okay yeah
Starting point is 00:04:41 I don't know where to start but I'm going to start here and then we'll pick up what I don't know where to start, but I'm going to start here, and then we'll pick up what I missed. But I want to start. I was waiting to see, will Michelle McAdory naturally, organically say the word try?
Starting point is 00:04:55 Because then I could play this and kind of get to your origin story. But my mom also loves this song, so let's... Don't tell me I'm wrong. Let Jim Cuddy do his thing here for a moment. I've been watching every move that you make. Oh, you steal and you make up the hill. Trouble for the man that you date.
Starting point is 00:05:22 Every time you walk in the room. I don't even want to fade it down. I'm digging it. But okay, what do you think of the song Try? Oh, it's a great song. It seems like a classic. You know, immediately, that's how that song always hit me. Just the melody and everything about it. Yeah,orgeous song.
Starting point is 00:05:46 So we're going to go pre-try and then we'll kind of talk about the fun fact regarding you and the song, the video for the song Try. But OK, so. Where I pout my way through. Well, yeah. So, OK, so let's spill it now. What do you have to do with the video for the song Try, Michelle? What do you have to do with the video for the song Try, Michelle?
Starting point is 00:06:10 I guess I was the gal who was, yeah, trying. That's amazing. Look, all these fun facts related to Bob McAdory in the video for Try. If that were your whole career, I'd say we'd have a great episode. Well, they weren't my feet, though. They had to, yeah, there was one, they wanted to do some extra pickup shots or something and I wasn't around and they're like, well, what shoes were you wearing? Can you get us those shoes? So they had someone else wear my shoes. And I remember sort of thinking, you know what?
Starting point is 00:06:37 My ankles aren't quite like that. You know, your ankles are better. Yeah. My ankles are better. I feel the same way. I'm going to take a note here because later I have to go to Wikipedia and make this key update. Those are not Michelle McAdory's feet. Hold on. Okay. Taking a note here for Wikipedia later.
Starting point is 00:06:53 All right. So, I mean, you tell me your story because you did some cool shit long before Blue Rodeo was recording, even recording the word, writing the word, the song Try. Like, bring me back because, I mean, I want to hear, like, if you don't mind.
Starting point is 00:07:08 I mean, you got some time, right? We can get some detail here. I mean, you weren't even Michelle McAdory. I feel like you were Blanche McAdory. Like, give me the story here. Oh, my God, yeah, your homework. So I took off from Toronto as a very young gal, person. Human being?
Starting point is 00:07:29 Yeah, human. And ended up, I was in New York and then I was in London. I was supposed to be studying. But eventually that ended and I had just sort of answered ads realized I wanted to stay and live in London because I had this dual citizenship and pursue music and so eventually I meet Kirstie McCall
Starting point is 00:07:54 that must be what you're talking about with Blanche because I had taken a trip to Spain and on the plane back from Spain we got held over in Valencia and they were handing out all this shitty champagne, which we started drinking. And lo and behold, Kirstie was like across the aisle from me.
Starting point is 00:08:14 Wow. And I don't even know how it happened, but we just start, she's very, very funny, funny, witty person. And we just start going back and forth and then singing and talking and we became fast friends. She's like, we, witty person. And we just start going back and forth and then singing and talking. And we became fast friends. She's like, we have to hang out.
Starting point is 00:08:29 So we did. I'd never been in a recording studio. I'm doing the real fast version. And she was making a record. And she said, you know, I need to have you come in and sing with me. Because we were always singing, just fooling around, harmonizing,
Starting point is 00:08:43 especially waiting to get the play. But this is key. She could hear you sing and realize, oh, this girl can sing. Yeah, you know? How generous and cool, right, to do that. I was 16, 17, and she just said, yeah, come on into the studio. And so we would do all these weird accents and one of them was our weird parody
Starting point is 00:09:08 on Streetcar Named Desire. For some reason, I became Blanche and so I'm credited as Blanche McAdory on that record. That's wild. We're heading into the Christmas music all the time era in this. Because we're going to be inundated. I mean, it's already started. What is this, November 20? It's already started. fairy tale of new york is my favorite uh christmas song
Starting point is 00:09:29 of all time me too yeah i'm with you and uh can i make this bold statement you tell me if this is bullshit no christy mccall no michelle mcadori like like how influential was her and you having a career in music well it's that's that's interesting actually i mean i was already pursuing stuff like kind of simultaneously but she opened up things i mean i had another very fortuitous meeting um living i mean i had lots of them in london i don't know it just seemed to happen but i I met Speedy Keene. And do you know who he is? No, I was, right now,
Starting point is 00:10:09 my brain is like checking all the databases for the names of Speedy. He is very, very important to me, actually. Okay, tell me who he is. So he, Speedy Keene and Thunderclap Newman. Oh, yes. And he kind of huge hits something in the air. Yes, I know this song very well.
Starting point is 00:10:23 And then he was producing Motorhead and worked with Pete Townsend. Anyway, so I meet him at this pub. I'd started making these little tapes with a guy I'd met, and he heard them, and he's like, that's it, that's right, we've got to go make a record. And so he just mentored me in the best way. Yeah. So he was also very pivotal to just learning, starting,
Starting point is 00:10:51 figuring out how to write songs and record. And you're so young. You're in London, England. For a moment I thought, oh, what's so great about London, Ontario that you can meet all these wonderful people? But no, Michelle's in London, England. That's a key detail here. And you're a teenager and all this is going on.
Starting point is 00:11:08 I'm wondering why you even came back. Like, like why not just, Hey, you can stay there. You can be like Chrissy Hynde or something and then start the pretenders. You know, I did stay for quite a while.
Starting point is 00:11:18 And then eventually we did this band I had. We had this band. We were called Cold Fish. And then we were signed to CBS, Chapel Records. I mean, Chapel for publishing. But, you know, I really also had the classic experience. I mean, I met a lot of interesting people and there was lots of side stories that are interesting,
Starting point is 00:11:42 but I also had the classic experience of being totally ripped off and just, as Speedy would always warn, about all the sharks in the music business. So in Canada, they wanted to release this record and this song because we had Midjure from Ultravox. Which is also huge. Produce this song, which was also very freaky for me, which is just because I remember thinking... Oh also very freaky for me which isn't just
Starting point is 00:12:05 because i remember thinking oh that's love me today yes okay okay yeah but it was released here the label here which was cbs changed the name of our band is it because we had a fish i don't like they don't you know you can't be your cold fish, F-I-S-H, by the way, but there is a fish, P-H-I-S-H, I suppose. I think it was just, again, you know, I didn't have really managed. And there's a fish bone. Like, what about fish bone? They were worried.
Starting point is 00:12:36 How can we have a cold fish? There's already a fish bone. It was just crappy record execs making a, you know, bad call. Let's change the name to correct spelling but we're going to spell it incorrectly oh my god you guys are so clever really so how you know okay well they were thinking ahead they knew one day you have to have a seo friendly name when people like in lincoln park right you have to spell it wrong so you could have the domain name and own the spelling when people google it correct spelling for the record was spelled with one r
Starting point is 00:13:05 incorrect yeah and you didn't get a say in the matter they just changed your name no that's bullshit it's bullshit but i you know i was very young and you know maybe i should just hire a lawyer now and just go after all this stuff okay love me today was okay so is love me today on youtube like can i find love me today i don't? I don't know. You don't know. Okay, because I feel like you would know if it was out there. Yeah, just let it happen. Was it a good song, Love Me Today, by Correct Spelling? Well, you know, it became some sort of dance thing.
Starting point is 00:13:35 Would CFNY have played it? I think it did. Okay, because you were kind of new wavy. Yeah, yeah. No, it was. It had, like, there was a dance mix that was done for the A side and the B side. The B side was Strange Boy. And it was a, you know, good hit in some of the sort of gay clubs. So that was really cool. That was one of the highlights for me. Wow. Yeah, it was played, you know.
Starting point is 00:13:59 Alongside maybe Spoons, like, you know, you're going to get in there. Probably. spoons like you know you're gonna get it probably shout out to rob proust there okay very cool so now you're uh something brings you back to trust what is it again that brought you back to toronto oh let's see just you know heartache poverty uh just different you know disillusionment london's uh living in london not dissimilar to new york there at least for me it was like this is the center of the universe you know and you're the pressures of trying to keep it all together and you know do something get something happening uh it it took its toll i guess so then i i had had met Greg Keeler from Blue Road and Jim a while back because I used to try to sneak into clubs underage before I left to London.
Starting point is 00:14:55 And so we had stayed in touch and they were in New York, but Greg, I think, had just moved back to Toronto. And he was like, it's great here because it's nowhere, and it doesn't cost anything to live here, and I'm like, oh, okay. What a time to be alive. Do you know how to make blueberry pancakes? All right, I'm going to come back, so I did. Okay, so you mentioned Greg. So what was your relationship like with Greg Keeler when you come back? What was your relationship like with Greg Keeler when you come back?
Starting point is 00:15:27 Well, we were just quite inseparable. Really, like, best friends hanging out. And again, he, like, I had these songs I'd started writing, and he was very encouraging of them. And to keep going, he's like, come on, let's start a band. I'm like, what? Well, you've got a band yeah no problem because blue rodeo was happening but not like you know he could manage two bands for a while so he's like let's let's start a band and um so yeah we started a band
Starting point is 00:15:58 okay what's the name of the band you started crash vegas crash vegas okay this is you know this is i'm trying to make this the definitive Crash Vegas deep dive. So you have a good memory of things. Like sometimes people like, oh, I don't remember dates. What was this? Sylvia Tyson was just on the program and I'm like, I'm trying to go back and I don't remember dates. I don't remember this. I'm like, but how is your memory, Michelle McAdory? I think it's, you know, what, what, I mean, memory is quite fallible right we it seems to just morph and change into um oh someone's calling in listen i am going to turn off my ringer i'm a very rude host it is now off um memory is pretty good but i'm sure it's got its um giant black holes well listen when we find these discrepancies i'll bring you back and we'll have a panel discussion
Starting point is 00:16:46 to find out the truth here. But okay, you and Greg Keeler had a romantic relationship. This is important. So Greg Keeler and you, you start up Crash Vegas. We did? Did you? I somehow forgot about that. It's weird, the memory, how it works.
Starting point is 00:16:58 I just saw him at the premiere of this Much Music documentary. It's called 299 Queen Street West. And I mean, a lot of us were at this premiere. It was at Roy Thompson, almost at Nathan Phillips Square. It wasn't at Nathan Phillips Square. It was at Roy Thompson Hall. Don't confuse Nathan with Roy. They're two different people.
Starting point is 00:17:15 But anyway, so I saw Greg Keeler there. That's exciting for you. But okay, he's not an FOTM, which means he's never been on the program. Although Jim Cuddy has. But while Greg is in Blue Rode rodeo he's got a side hustle called crash vegas exactly with uh sweet and pretty and talented michelle mcadori that's you by the way oh yeah and what are you is it true you're also writing some blue rodeo stuff like i'm trying to
Starting point is 00:17:37 did you contribute anything to uh outskirts the big breakthrough album for Blue Rodeo? No, I never, I mean, later a song that Greg and I wrote, I think they ended up recording, but no, I did, I was in a couple of the videos. Including Try, which is, let's face it, I say this to her. And Rose Colored Glasses
Starting point is 00:18:00 as well. That's a big one too. Look at you. I know, I got all the good ones, you know. Okay, you know, you did. Diamond Mine, I should have been in that. Really? Why didn't, yeah. Diamond Mine is my favorite Blue Rodeo song. a big one too. Look at you. I know. I got all the good ones. Diamond Mine. I should have been in that. Really? Why didn't you? Diamond Mine is my favorite Blue Rodeo song. Yeah. Me too. Really? Yeah. I like you already. Okay. What was I going to say about this?
Starting point is 00:18:16 You don't know what I was going to say about this. In fact, I'll come back to it actually. But you guys start Crash Vegas. I got a bunch of questions about Crash Vegas. Who else is bunch of questions about Crash Vegas. Who else is in Crash Vegas besides you, Michelle, and Greg Keeler? Well, you are wearing a t-shirt right now. I'm wearing my Martha and the Muffins t-shirts.
Starting point is 00:18:36 Exactly. So I didn't know the full catalog of Martha and the Muffins, but Echo Beach for me was just, it was such a cool song. And it was, there weren't, like trying to find cool Canadian music. I mean, of course it was Joni Mitchell and Neil Young and things like that, but sort of more contemporary new wave stuff. And that really-
Starting point is 00:19:01 Blue Peter was pretty good. Yeah, Blue Peter was good too. So when I learned that Jocelyn, and that really... Blue Peter was pretty good. Yeah, Blue Peter was good too. So when I learned that Jocelyn... I was really into the idea of playing with women too. If I could find some other women that were playing and I'd heard about Jocelyn and so I got in touch with her through however I did and yeah, Jocelyn played bass with Martha and the Muffins
Starting point is 00:19:23 and we were very lucky to get Jocelyn to come and play bass. That's Lanwa. That's a big name in Canadian musical circles. You can get the name Lanwa. It usually means you're well-connected here. Yeah, and it's funny because I didn't know about her brother at all, and supposedly that impressed her. You had her at that.
Starting point is 00:19:44 Well, I think she felt so validated that I was like, I wanted to talk to her because I was in awe and sort of this romance with her versus oh, your brother. Did you feel similarly when somebody
Starting point is 00:19:59 would be like, I don't know Bob McAdory. I only know Michelle McAdory. I'm like, what are you talking about? It's my mom. I said, Michelle McAdory is coming over. My mom's like, I don't know Bob McAdory. I only know Michelle McAdory. I'm like, what are you talking about? It's my mom. I said, Michelle McAdory's coming over. Yeah, really? And my mom's like, I love, she goes into this whole thing. She loved listening to Bob McAdory on 1050 Chum.
Starting point is 00:20:13 And I heard this whole story. And I'm like, yeah, this is Bob's niece. And that was the fun fact. She's like, what's a Crash Vegas? Where did the name Crash Vegas come from? That's an important detail to get on the record here. Greg and I just sitting around, you know, trying to figure out the band name.
Starting point is 00:20:27 We had some bad contenders. And I think we were, you know, it was trying to, we were trying to come up with something. And, you know, anyways. But you came up with, that's Crash Vegas, that works. I will say the worst name I think I've ever heard for a band might be correct spelling. That might be the worst name I've ever heard for a band.
Starting point is 00:20:47 Exactly. Like I'm so angry. That's why I sort of never talked about it. It was just blasphemous. What can one say? See? Just shuts it all down. I like the silence.
Starting point is 00:21:01 I had a Bergman here and there's a moment where we were talking about his wife had passed away and they were married a long time and he wrote a song about her and we played it and he was weeping. Like he's sitting there weeping and there was a moment of silence
Starting point is 00:21:11 where he's like in his, and I was like, I'm sitting here and now I've done this 1300 times and I'm like, I will ride the silence all day. Like I will sit, no edits.
Starting point is 00:21:20 Like I will have now 20, if it's 25 minutes of silence before Art says another word, I'm going to ride the silence. Like I was so. It was a beautiful episode. Oh yeah, beautiful silence.
Starting point is 00:21:30 Did you hear it? I've heard it. Okay. I didn't even want to assume. I figured you're like, Oh, some, some bozo in South Toronto invited me over.
Starting point is 00:21:37 I'll talk about crash Vegas. What's this guy's problem? So I'm, so I'm sitting here, you're there, you're where art was. I'm here. And I'm like, this man, he suffered where Art was I'm here and I'm like
Starting point is 00:21:45 this man he suffered a great loss and he's remembering her now and he's in this moment of silence I'm gonna ride this for 20 minutes there was another gentleman in the room
Starting point is 00:21:53 and I love this guy but he's like the publicist for Art and there's like two heartbeats three heartbeats and I'm telling you I'm in
Starting point is 00:21:59 I'm like I love this they let the you know Art take his mind he wasn't even gonna say that just sit here till Art says anything.
Starting point is 00:22:06 If it takes a half an hour, that's fine. Half an hour of silence. You're on a run, you're listening to Toronto Mike. Why did I have a half an hour of silence? Because it happened in the room.
Starting point is 00:22:13 That's what happened. Anyway, Jason felt four heartbeats was enough and he interjected. And I was sitting here and I loved, there's no,
Starting point is 00:22:21 no Jason, no art on Toronto Mike. Jason drove him here. Jason made it happen. Jason's a great ally of the program. I love Jason Schne no no Jason no art on Toronto Mike Jason drove him here Jason made it happen Jason's a great ally of the program love Jason Schneider love that guy
Starting point is 00:22:28 but I was thinking didn't say it out loud maybe till right now Jason you son of a bitch shut the hell up I'm right in the silence okay
Starting point is 00:22:39 let me have my silence anyway so that silence I'm into the silence is what I'm telling you this is the new thing for the next 1000 episodes Toronto to make more silence is that a bad idea for a podcast more silence ridiculous pretty good i'm ridiculous okay good you did i should have just let you ride that silence okay when does colin crips enter the fray that's a big name. Colin Cripps. We realized that Greg could no longer hold down the guitar.
Starting point is 00:23:10 Jocelyn, Colin is from Hamilton, so is Jocelyn. And she had seen, I guess he had been going, she had this little studio set up with her and Malcolm and Dan, this place called The Lab. And I guess Colin and his band had come in there, and she had seen him, I guess at a couple of shows, and she would say, it's crazy, he often takes his shirt off at the shows. I'm like, oh no, I don't know. And she's like, no, no, he's really, the guitar is great.
Starting point is 00:23:43 So sure enough, we were like, wow, he's really good. Yeah, he can learn those parts and do that. Let's get him in. When does Greg exit? Is he completely gone at this point? Like you're like, no, Greg's heart is in Blue Rodeo and we want to do something different. Like, do you fire Greg Keeler from Crash Vegas?
Starting point is 00:24:01 What's going on there? Yeah, no, it really just was a sort of obvious thing because they're really, they've got a momentum. And we started to, we had our first record recorded. Is that Red Earth? Yes, Red Earth. We were down in New Orleans with Malcolm Byrne. And we were sort of the, you know,
Starting point is 00:24:22 we were the first people to record there while they're working out all the issues. They're going to try, they're going to break some eggs with Crash Vegas. So when Bob Dylan shows up. Exactly. And all the people, right? So it was fantastic to be there. I'd never been in New Orleans and we were living there for three months. It was, it was really amazing.
Starting point is 00:24:41 And then our record really does, you know, they're going to give it a push and we're going to have to tour. So there's no way Greg can be part of that. The schedule just starts to get too demanding. So see you later. And, you know, Colin, you're the guy. Wild. That's wild.
Starting point is 00:24:58 Keep your shirt on. Well, you know, it depends. Okay. Yeah, it was a depend. Maybe you should pull the shirt off tonight colin we're gonna need it right well you know you gotta do what you gotta do let me ask you a very personal question okay michelle when does the romantic relationship with greg keeler like when does that end in relation to like kicking him out of the band uh that happened well after the first record is released and doing well,
Starting point is 00:25:25 and yeah, we really, we start to, we weren't even under contract for more records, and suddenly we're a bit of a hot item, and people are calling, and Greg and I are living together, but we're going to move out of the city. And I'd say as vegas is on its own kind of you know ascent of sorts um yeah the relationship is just not you know it's
Starting point is 00:25:58 sayonara or you know it happens who hasn't had a good relationship go sour? Yeah. Uh-huh. See, I was right in that silence there. I'm into it. I'm into the silence. Yeah, so it was the end. It was sort of the end as I was starting to make the second record, which was weird timing.
Starting point is 00:26:21 Right, and that's the album you named after FOTM Hall of Famer Stu Stone. That's Stone, right? Yeah. Okay. What did you think of Art Bergman on Toronto Mic'd? Before I play a big jam from the first album and ask you many, many more questions.
Starting point is 00:26:29 Oh, I mean, I'm a huge fan of Art Bergman. And so I just, it's, he's engaging and like the, it was great. Funny, interesting.
Starting point is 00:26:39 His life is really interesting to me. And yeah. He just played White Rock. Well, he's a, he lives in Vancouver, socouver so yeah he just played white rock and i saw that uh brother bill a good friend of the program from cfny brother bill was at the show so shout out to brother bill you want to hear a big crash vegas jam this is a big one and i when i heard this i'm like this is amazing. You ready? Okay, what is it? All right. How many times will you walk away? How many times will you walk away? Don't turn your back on me now It's so easy for you How many times will I hear those replies? How many times your endless replies? While you're sitting so cool
Starting point is 00:27:27 As everything crumples around you But I walk down this road and I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing
Starting point is 00:27:35 And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing
Starting point is 00:27:43 And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing And I see all these people just passing so cool as everything crumbles around you but I walk down this road and I see all these people just passing by tomorrow's headlines familiar crimes and I wonder
Starting point is 00:27:56 it makes me wonder inside out I was crying Inside Out I was crying Inside Out I was dying Inside Out I was lying
Starting point is 00:28:21 So was Inside Out, was that recorded in New Orleans? Um, I... Or is that a Hamilton record? There was a good chunk of things. I feel like it was recorded. Here's my memory going. I think some of it was recorded in Toronto. Sorry, in Hamilton at the Lab.
Starting point is 00:28:44 And then we tweaked, you know, added some stuff and it was definitely mixed down in New Orleans. But yeah, there was a chunk of stuff that was recorded at the Lab. Big jam. I'm thinking of, you know, you guys played Edgefest.
Starting point is 00:28:59 Do you remember playing Edgefest in 1990? Any memory of Edgefest? Yeah, or maybe. It's all a blur to you. Where was it? In 1990, would it be on the island in 1990? They eventually moved this to Barrie,
Starting point is 00:29:14 but they don't move it to Barrie for a few more years. So I think maybe Toronto Island. Does that ring a bell? No? Or by the harbor front maybe? Is there even a... We don't know where the hell that was.
Starting point is 00:29:27 But okay, Edgefest in 1990. That was on Canada Day. You're playing that. But here, I got a couple of questions about something called, and I even pulled the poster for this. I'm very interested in how this came to be. I'm looking at it right now. A Gathering of the Tribes.
Starting point is 00:29:43 Oh. And this was curated by Ian Ashbery from the cult. And if I tell you the names of some of the bands that were on this, Gathering of the Tribes, this is from 1990, October 1990. It was in California, music festival. And here are the acts I see on the poster. I'm going to read them in order charlatans uk the cramps crash vegas iced tea iggy pop indigo girls the london choir boys michelle shocked the mission uk public enemy queen latifah and Soundgarden. 1990, okay.
Starting point is 00:30:26 1990, I thought it was after that. There you go. October 6th, 1990. Staring at the poster. Really? I think so. It wasn't 92? I'm going to stick with my poster unless they erroneously wrote October 1990.
Starting point is 00:30:45 We were very lucky to get on that because we had new management. There's this guy, again, no longer with us, Bill Graham. And he's a sort of music legend in the US. Do you know about him? I feel like he's a preacher. No? That's Billy Graham. in the U.S. Do you know about him? I feel like he's a preacher.
Starting point is 00:31:06 No? That's Billy Graham. Yeah, Bill Graham. Bill Graham presents, and he had the Fillmore East. He was a giant promoter and huge in the 60s, like Jefferson Airplane and Hendrix. Adores them all that.
Starting point is 00:31:21 Worked with all these people, and he managed people. So he heard our record, whatever, and he's like, I'm going to manage you. And it was just like, exactly. We're like, okay. Well, you probably heard that song. That song, when you hear that song in your headphones,
Starting point is 00:31:34 I know you're close to that song, Inside Out. That's a great, that's objectively a great single. Hey, thanks. What do you think? Can you remove yourself from being part of the band and say, I'm hearing that now. That's some other band. What do you think? Can you remove yourself from being part of the band and say, I'm hearing that now, that some other band, what do you think of that song? That's a great song, right? I'm very happy with that song. Is that your humble Canadian way of saying that song kicks some ass? No, no, I really, I think it stands up. It's one I'm very happy with
Starting point is 00:32:01 in terms of the lyric and the melody. And it's funny as i'm listening to it i'm thinking i was thinking again of kirsty like i can hear that influence and billy bragg i was so into um talking poetry with the tax man like surely you know like i loved his uh sense of melody and also that he was substance in his lyrics. There was something political. He was always telling a story. Something political. The last two episodes, not the last one because it's all about Rusty's Wake Me. Maybe one day there'll be an episode about
Starting point is 00:32:36 Crash Vegas' Inside Out. But the last two episodes before that, actually we played a Billy Bragg song on each of them because they were kicked out by FOTMs. It's one of their favorite songs we talked about. And in both times, I think I said Ron Hawkins from Lowest of the Lowest, Canada's Billy Bragg. Wow.
Starting point is 00:32:54 Cool. I don't know. That's what I said. Okay. But Billy Bragg, who is, of course, a New England. Is that the song? Christy McCall covers Billy Bragg. Yes, that's right.
Starting point is 00:33:04 So there's a lot of crossover here. Yeah, yeah. But there's just a sense of melody or something being in, you know, 5-4. It's just a certain kind of thing. But yes, I really like that song. Great song. Okay, now we're back to this festival.
Starting point is 00:33:19 You write some good ones and you write some shit ones. You don't want to peak too early, right? There you go. Okay, so we're going to get back to it. You write some good ones and you write some shit ones. You don't want to peak too early, right? There you go. Okay. So we're going to get back to it. But so some, some, this promoter, Bill Graham is like, I like the cut of your jib kids. And he's like, I'm going to make you the next Moby Grape or whatever.
Starting point is 00:33:36 And therefore he puts you on that bill because I mean. Yeah. And we're the first ones on, right? It's almost like we're testing out the sound system. So, cause you can imagine. Like Moby Grape at the Monterey Pop Festival in 67. Moby Grape was the first band on before Janis Joplin and, you know, all these big deals.
Starting point is 00:33:55 Well, that was us. So we were there and yeah, it was amazing. I mean, it was amazing just to be there, to see all those artists that I was, you know, in awe of. Ian Osbury has a Hamilton connection, right? So he lives in Hamilton for a period of time. Like, is this where it all, is there a Hamilton connection that, because he moved with his family to Hamilton in 1973 when he was 11 years old. And he spent many years before becoming
Starting point is 00:34:25 a big rock star with the cult in Hamilton, Ontario. Does that connect him to Daniel Lanois, which connects him somehow to Crash Vegas? Is that your way into this festival? No, it was Bill Graham. So that's why I've never heard of the Ian Asprey connection. He gets
Starting point is 00:34:41 all the credit for Gathering of the Trapped. It's weird. If you look at it as more like, I don't know the searches on this, but it was a Bill Graham presents gathering of the tribes, but who knows? For sure. Here's how we could be not the be all end all, but
Starting point is 00:34:58 a gathering of the tribes was a two-day music and cultural festival organized by Ian Asprey and promoter Bill Graham held in California in October 1990. It is considered the precursor to the Lollapalooza touring festivals of
Starting point is 00:35:13 the 1990s. An opinion shared by Asprey himself, of course he's going to think that, talks about it was in Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View and the Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa on October 7th. Okay, well, anyway. The event, you were in
Starting point is 00:35:29 Mountain View. And it was supposed to raise money for awareness of Native American related causes. That's why it's called the Gathering of the Tribe. And it's a heck of a lineup, but somebody had to go first. And it's you. I mean, this is early Soundgarden, but still, I think Bad Motorfinger.
Starting point is 00:35:45 Maybe that comes out in 1990. But bottom line is, you've got some big, you know, big artists. Public Enemy. Public Enemy. Chuck D's been on this program. You're now following in the footsteps,
Starting point is 00:35:57 once again, of the great Chuck D. But back to Crash Vegas here. You were there, and what happened with your relationship with Bill Graham? Like, did he lose graham like did he uh lose the faith or did he keep keep rocking in the free world what's going on there he died tragically in a helicopter crash it was really i can still remember that morning being
Starting point is 00:36:16 woken up and told it was really really tragic uh he in fact i'd say that that marked a real turn you know when looking back in the career of of crash vegas the the trajectory of that band 19 october one year after this festival he dies in that helicopter crash october 1991 what if he doesn't yeah Yeah, I know. You're blowing your mind, but I'm reading it right here. What if he doesn't get on that helicopter? What happens to Crash Vegas? Well, yeah, that's a whole other thing. I mean,
Starting point is 00:36:55 exactly. That's wild. We'll just leave that silence. How much time should I give it? I chime in here. Okay. So, this is great. Now, we talked. You don't remember Edge Fest, but you do remember, thankfully, that light just came on. That's probably Bill Graham.
Starting point is 00:37:10 He's here. Do you believe that? Do you believe in any of that stuff? You do? You're nodding. Everyone, she's nodding. Okay. So that light coming on,
Starting point is 00:37:16 that could be Bill Graham just letting you know he's here and he's listening. There's an empty chair for Bill. That's what Patti Smith did when I saw her. She pulled up a chair for Bill. That's what Patti Smith did when I saw her. She pulled up a chair for... Jerry Garcia.
Starting point is 00:37:31 Exactly. I almost called him Cherry Garcia. That's like ice cream. That's her nickname for him. It should be an ice cream. But it is, right? Ben and Jerry's made a Cherry Garcia. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:37:42 So she pulled up a seat for him and she was sure that he arrived. So yeah, Bill. Okay. So Bill is with us. I know, Bill. Love it. A gathering of the tribes. Okay.
Starting point is 00:37:53 He would come to shows and then see you after the show. And he had these little cards in his pocket and he'd pull them out and tell you his observations. and he'd pull them out and tell you his observations. Well, I will just do a shout-out to Ridley Funeral Home as we talk about the late, great Bill Graham, who believed in your band. So Red Earth, that's the big single, but there's more. I'm just going to play. You're here.
Starting point is 00:38:15 I'm going to play a little more here. Inside Out was the big single. Yeah, that's right. Ah, small. Just a little more. I notice you kind of like one word that starts with S. There seems to be a little bit of a theme. Maybe, maybe not.
Starting point is 00:38:34 You can hear the Blue Rodeo, like, origin, sort of, in the guitar work and everything. Like, you can hear that kind of country Bach flavor. Do you hear it? Well, I'd say that if there was a sound happening in the city at that time, it was that sort of alt-country folk. Cowboy junkies. Exactly.
Starting point is 00:39:03 It was all like Handsome Ned. It was just a thing and that twang. Also, just thinking of other artists that would have been you know,
Starting point is 00:39:19 Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot. Great songwriters. Yeah. Cool. Yeah. Cool. Yeah, I say. So this is Smoke.
Starting point is 00:39:31 Mm-hmm. Goodbye Goodbye These are all like one syllable S words. Hmm. I know, I know. I'm just really reaching here. Okay. Lenoir. What happened with the aforementioned Lenoir? Did she leave the band? What's going on? Yeah, we just had to part company.
Starting point is 00:40:20 Is there some real talk here? And again, if it's private, just say it's none of your business, Mike. That's fair game. But Jocelyn, this has been referred to as... It's not a happy split or whatever. What do you call that? Is it acrimonious? Yeah, I mean, I think we had gotten... Sometimes bands are so much about chemistry.
Starting point is 00:40:45 It's a hard thing to do, you know, to be together, traveling all the time. And I think we had just come to a point where we were, there were some internal struggles. Strife? Strife. That's a great word. Yes. If you like this, one syllable S words. Strife. Strife. There we go. Strife? Strife. That's a great word. Yes. If you like this, one syllable S words. Strife is such a word. There we go. Strife. And then
Starting point is 00:41:08 so we just, we made a change. Meanwhile, we didn't refer to this, but I know Riskay Diskay. How do you say that? Riskay Disc. Riskay Disc. Because you spelt like they rhyme, but they don't rhyme. It's one of those tricky ones. Okay. Riskay Disc.
Starting point is 00:41:24 This is your label and this was like, tell me if I'm wrong, but Greg Keeler suggests this label for you guys, and then they go bankrupt, and it kind of fucks you over there. Well, it was weird. We also ended up not being fully signed, so we get this successful record.
Starting point is 00:41:43 It gets distributed by Warners or with Warners, but then we're kind of not under contract. So then we are free agents after. We ended up going to another label. Whether that was, you know, hindsight, the best thing to do or not, well, we could talk about that, you know, hindsight, of course. It's 2020. Yes.
Starting point is 00:42:02 It's just the past. And that's okay. So we It's just the past. And that's okay. So we are going to talk about Stone, but as we come off this debut album with Big Jam, you're on this gathering of the tribes, and you're touring all over the place. Did you open for any particularly interesting artists as you're touring the United States and Canada?
Starting point is 00:42:23 Oh, God, yeah. We were very lucky in that regard. Toured a lot with the Tragically Hip. I mean, they were huge supporters. We were great pals. Anybody, I think, who has been lucky enough to be on uh playing with the tragically hip will just they're just such generous hosts they go out of their way it was amazing so we did a lot of shows with the with the hip uh radio head we were really lucky to be on that the first time they come to north america with their hit creep and that was fantastic because what a band. And people were just so excited about that band. And then also we were sort of able to be on that show with them.
Starting point is 00:43:12 That's amazing. It was. And who else? There was lots. I could still keep going. You could go. I'm going to ride this silence until Michelle coughs up. By the way, my daughter, the reason I went to Montreal is because my daughter lives there
Starting point is 00:43:27 because she's going to McGill. So she's a student there and her girlfriends, they rented this. They're on the same street as Amy Milan from Stars. Like they live on the same street. Isn't that interesting? Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:43:37 And you could be there too if you had made the move to Montreal. But her name is Michelle. So that's, I'm just bringing it up because I spent all weekend with my Michelle. I could write a song my Michelle you're a Michelle you're a different Michelle no one get confused
Starting point is 00:43:49 you're the niece of Bob McAdory that's how my mom knows you Michelle McAdory I hope she's listening I hope he is too because she's getting some shout outs here
Starting point is 00:43:57 I just spent all weekend with her so time for a break just kidding mom okay just kidding just in case she's listening. I'll have to make a rare edit here.
Starting point is 00:44:06 Okay. So, who did you sign with after Risqué Disc goes bankrupt? We then go to, excuse me, London Records
Starting point is 00:44:17 in the US. All right. London. Back in your life again. Yes. Wow. I know. I know, yeah.
Starting point is 00:44:28 Who replaces Jocelyn? Darren Watson is the first replacement. Okay, you didn't know this would be so tough here. Tell me about, how does stone differ from red earth? Like, is it in terms of tone and and any other differences that you recall wow it was quite i mean it was different we were in la that was different it i'd say that you know you have all this time where you're working towards your first record, and then suddenly throwing in on our second record. I think it was trying to be a little harder. A lot of meddling started happening again,
Starting point is 00:45:15 where just like in my first experience, where I'm supposed to be so naive, which I was, and I learned, a similar thing happens where the record company kind of reaches in and pulls out some songs and sends them off to the you know hot producer of the moment Butch Vig and has him do some right mixing but like just because he's had a hit over there doesn't you know this is a weird kind of approach sometimes that labels record execs could have not that there's
Starting point is 00:45:44 they're all bad some of those people are very talented and really adept and sensitive at what they do but some just don't have a clue but it is it also leads to an interesting debate on like like okay so let's take an album like never mind okay so nirvana had a big album there right right? Yeah. Wow. But the question is, okay, so Nirvana, they write the songs, they play the instruments. They're their songs. Then you get the Butch Vig treatment or whatever. But how much of Nevermind's credit goes to a Butch Vig versus, you know,
Starting point is 00:46:17 a Kurt Cobain? Like, where is the division there? And can you just apply that producer to another band and then have a big album like Nevermind? I don't think you can. I mean, I think it's dangerous to think that there is some kind of special, I mean, there maybe is special formulas. You hear about those people.
Starting point is 00:46:38 Yeah, it's this person and I've written all these hits for all these people and there are producers, I think, that have a kind of consistency of the way they work. But I think it can also be a very flawed thing to just think, you know, well, there's this piece of work that people have been working on, but now we're going to send it over here
Starting point is 00:46:57 and hopefully that person will, you know, this idea of fix it in the mix or... Yeah, I don't know. That's the part of the music biz uh that would make me feel a bit crazy like i can't stand it i could see that and where's the exit because this no longer is about music it seems so much about trying to fabricate manipulate some kind of hit. And I, it's an interesting question. Like where does one end? It's interesting.
Starting point is 00:47:30 It's like, you know, Daniel Lanois. So, okay. So, you talked about the Tragically Hip and is it Don Smith? Don Smith is the producer that really helped
Starting point is 00:47:41 make the Tragically Hip. I'm going to say, speaking of Paul Lanois, there's another Lanois for you. But I believe, it'd be Don Smith is the producer that helps make the Tragic Clip. I'm going to say, speaking of Paul Langlois, there's another Langlois for you, but I believe it'd be Don Smith as the producer that helps make the sound of the Tragic Clip. But meanwhile, if you talk to the lowest of the low, Don Smith produced their follow-up to Shakespeare, My Butt,
Starting point is 00:47:56 and they absolutely hated that experience so passionately that they did stop liking their own songs because of the bad experience they had making that album with the same guy who kind of made the Tread Clip. So absolutely, you can't just take a Butch Vig, apply it to a Crash Vegas and all this thing. Well, to even be fair, Butch was not the producer
Starting point is 00:48:14 of that record. He mixed. He mixed. But there was John Porter was the producer. And again, we had selected him because of his, you know, he'd been the bass player in Roxy Music. He had produced this Canadian record. There was a band called Circle C.
Starting point is 00:48:32 Do you know them at all? I feel like I know Circle C. Can you sing some Circle C? No, but they made this record, which I don't remember the name of. I thought it was just such a brilliant record. And so, oh, John Porter did that. We've got to work with him.
Starting point is 00:48:49 And to me, it wasn't the right fit, if I'm perfectly honest. I like things about Stone. It's hard to, especially when people who listen and support your music might love it. The last thing I'd want to do is... But it was a difficult record. Whereas Red Earth, it seemed... Even though you could have challenges in it, it seemed like we were all the right people with the same kind of mind,
Starting point is 00:49:14 like ushering this thing into being. Whereas Stone, it was different. And I think if Bill Graham had been there... Anyways. I didn't realize the Bill Graham. This is interesting to me. You're right. Like this is a twist of fate.
Starting point is 00:49:29 Maybe Bill would have pulled the plug. And we could have shifted a bit. And then like I couldn't, you know. But it does set in motion a whole bunch. It's like you need to, I don't know if there's a sliding doors thing here where you go and Bill doesn't get on that helicopter. Like what events would it take? This is your champion, right?
Starting point is 00:49:45 This is Bill Graham, champion of Crash Vegas. If he had lived beyond October 1991, what would it have became of Crash Vegas? We'll never know. It's just fascinating to sort of think about where things shifted and changed as a result of that. Yeah, it is. It's interesting.
Starting point is 00:50:05 So Stone... For the next two hours, I want to talk Yeah, it is. It's interesting. So Stone... For the next two hours, I want to talk about the alternate universe. I'm sorry. So Stone, no, you continue your thoughts on Stone. I have to do a little mop-up and get back to Stone because I want to play a song from Stone.
Starting point is 00:50:14 I'm going to do the mop-up here. So I want to shout out Cam Gordon. He actually sent in a question, which I asked. I stole it from Cam. I was going to ask it anyways. But it was a gathering of the tribes. I would love to know how they got booked on this show in 1990.
Starting point is 00:50:26 It was curated by Ian Asprey. So, like, we did that. Thank you, Bill Graham, for your influence there. Although I have my own theory that somehow, I want to say that because there was a Langlois and a Daniel Langlois and a Hamilton connection, and Ian Asprey had the Hamilton connection, there was a Hamilton reason for Crash Vegas.
Starting point is 00:50:44 Like, this is my own conspiracy theory that I have no proof. This is all speculation. It could just be an interesting coincidence. Of course. Because by then we are managed by Bill. But I think Jocelyn had a crush on Ian. Well, a lot of, so did I, I think.
Starting point is 00:51:00 Who knows? Yeah, yeah. Scott Turner. Do you know the name scott turner yeah he was at cfny when did they shuffle him out of there they probably shuffled him out there in the early or fairly early maybe 90 well he was in their early 90s so scott turner he was uh posting about uh toronto concert history he does this and he did 30 days ago tonight. This is on November 1st. So he says, on November 1st, 1993, Radiohead played RPM.
Starting point is 00:51:30 I believe it was their second Toronto show after playing Edgefest that summer. If someone could confirm if they played RPM or Opera House, Crash Vegas opened.
Starting point is 00:51:38 So you're just here to tell us, was it RPM? He's not sure if it was... RPM. RPM. Okay. So Scott,
Starting point is 00:51:44 this answers your question you've had for 30 years, whether that concert took place at RPM or the Opera House. It was RPM. I think. You just ruined everything, Michelle. No, it's RPM. Okay. More mop-up here.
Starting point is 00:51:59 I think this is kind of interesting. VPSLs wrote in and said, As a student between third and fourth year university, I worked at the Hamilton Spectator in their multimedia lab and got to be on stage taking video of Crash Vegas as they played at the Festival of Friends. Do you know what that is, Festival of Friends?
Starting point is 00:52:20 Is that in Guelph? I want to say it's in Hamilton. Like why is Hamilton Spectator going to Guelph? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, right. I feel say it's in Hamilton. Like why is a Hamilton spectator going to Guelph? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. I feel like it's in Hamilton.
Starting point is 00:52:27 It's yeah. Do you have memories of the festival of friends? It sounds familiar, but I'm afraid I, uh, I don't know. Michelle, get the hell out of my basement.
Starting point is 00:52:39 Okay. What are you here for? Okay. I don't need you. I'm just going to read Wikipedia for the next half an hour here. Nice. Okay. Let's get, just read Wikipedia for the next half an hour here. Nice. Okay. Let's get it.
Starting point is 00:52:47 Just kidding, everybody. All right. Let me play. I played Smoke, right? So let me play this. Flashy suit, cosmic world Dancing in my head Funny how I still remember things he said He said Now you're gone The hours
Starting point is 00:53:28 Pass slow Love hurts the worst When you gotta let go Cheap motel I'm a heavy desert Lying face down September morning It's 73
Starting point is 00:54:01 The day they found you Empty bottles 73, the day they found you. Empty bottles, over two numbers. Burnt and gone. I love some angel, lost in the morning sun. Tell me what to do. Why did I close the door? September morning. We should just get our plaid shirts on.
Starting point is 00:54:54 It's nice. No, yeah, totally like a country rocker. Was there a rivalry between you guys and Cowboy Junkies? Did you guys get along? No, I never really felt that no i do people feel that um i'm gonna start a few i like to start the odd you know canada rock stand them oh yeah um michael timmons on to trash talk you i just remember the producer pulling me aside at one point and saying you know who's he was English, you know, you should think about going solo
Starting point is 00:55:27 and doing country. Just straight country. And I remember just like, like, that's not what I want to hear right now. I don't want to do that. I have to go solo now and be the next Canada's Dolly Parton. Like, what? Okay, this is a song. So this, I was reading the song. Yeah. I have to go solo now and be the next Canada's Dolly Parton or whatever. Like what?
Starting point is 00:55:46 Okay, this is a song. So this, I was reading the song. Who wrote this song? I did with Colin. Colin Cripps. Okay. And this is a tribute
Starting point is 00:55:53 to Graham Parsons. It is. I'm telling you what your song is about. Yeah, thank you. I'm mansplaining to you what September Morning is about here.
Starting point is 00:56:01 Did you read that book? No. By Rebecca Solnit? Did you? Yeah. Can you give me the highlights so I can talk like I read it? Well, it just talks about
Starting point is 00:56:11 mansplaining. It's a kind of critique of all things like that. Can I ask you a question then? Sure. There was a young woman who was on sports radio. She was like a sports media personality.
Starting point is 00:56:26 Very young woman. And sports media in this country is very male dominated. That's sort of an aside. But this woman was here and I gave her what I'm going to give you right now. So I'm going to give you a large frozen lasagna from Palma Pasta. Oh my God. Do you like lasagna? Oh yeah.
Starting point is 00:56:43 I love to eat and I like Italian food. My son will really like that. How old is your son? 20. I have a 21-year-old son and he also enjoys palma pasta. He'll probably eat the whole thing himself. He does a lot. He shares a mom.
Starting point is 00:57:00 Okay, that's cool. So you are getting a palma pasta lasagna. Wow, thank you. That's really nice. But this is about a young woman on the show. We'll call her Ashley, let's say, okay? And I gave her the lasagna, but at the beginning of that promotion,
Starting point is 00:57:12 I would often tell people how to make it. Like now I don't do that, but because I got scared off by this moment, but I said, I would say, oh, you just put it in the oven at 375 Fahrenheit, put it in for 45 minutes. I said, it's going to be perfect. Like I just said that like a line like that. And she sort of looked at me like angrily and she said,
Starting point is 00:57:30 did you just mansplain to me how to make lasagna? So my question to you Michelle McAdory is, I actually didn't consider her gender when I said it, nor did I consider my gender. I merely thought I should give this like advice on how to make this lasagna I was giving you
Starting point is 00:57:45 from Palma Pasta. Was that mansplaining? See, this is not silence because there's music in the background. I wouldn't have thought that, but you know, I come from maybe a different generation. Is that part of it?
Starting point is 00:58:05 Well, maybe. She is younger than I am. I'm younger than us. But I don't know. But I've never given that advice since. So you'll figure out how to make that on your own. You're on your own. But you are getting the lasagna.
Starting point is 00:58:17 But you did just actually tell me. That's my secret side door activity here. So there you go. You can ponder that. How did the rest of that interview go? Not so good, Al. Most of my conversations go pretty well, but that one, there weren't a lot of warm fuzzies there for some reason.
Starting point is 00:58:36 I don't think she quite dug me, but that's okay. You're digging me. Speaking of Dugs, there's a Doug iverson who is reviewing uh your album stone which has that lovely september morning on it and his quote that i was reading is that you guys um juiced up cowboy junkies that's the quote you guys were juiced up cowboy junkies so maybe uh that's where a lot of the cowboy junkies comparison comes from. Maybe. It's hard to know. I mean, I think that people can, you know, people make assumptions or comparisons.
Starting point is 00:59:16 Sometimes it's just easy because something is, you know, close by, proximity. Toronto, there's a little guitar influence in there. You'd like to think you're your own thing. Sure. But there's a way, I guess, sometimes if someone's introducing you to something else, they'll sometimes use the comparison like a tool to locate something, I guess.
Starting point is 00:59:43 When you're writing the songs on stone, how much of the breakup of Greg Keeler is seeping its way into the music? I think it was. I certainly was feeling it. Yeah, yeah. I felt like the whole earth was kind of mirroring things. When we were down in L. LA, there was a major flood,
Starting point is 01:00:05 there was an earthquake, and then a riot. Right. I got out just in time before they shut the airport down. Wow. Yeah. So it just felt like, yeah, it was the mirror of my internal landscape. It all had become externalized. Just to go back for a moment,
Starting point is 01:00:25 Festival of Friends is an annual Hamilton thing. And I did find the lineup from 1995 and you are indeed on it. So I figured this out on that lineup. I won't name them all. There's literally dozens there, but I am going to on Saturday, I'm going to see the Sky Diggers perform and they were on the bill in 1995. That's cool.
Starting point is 01:00:43 Yeah. And also... Here's a good thing. Yeah. All right. So have you seen Blue Rodeo recently? Fairly recently at the amphitheater. I don't know when that was.
Starting point is 01:00:52 In the last 18 months, I've seen Blue Rodeo a lot. Are you aware of a song that Greg does called Disappear or whatever? Of course. Okay. And he goes into... He does that preamble.
Starting point is 01:01:03 Yeah. Right? About the sand dollars yeah right okay so that's me so i'm in la you know i don't want to see greg i don't want to talk to him okay because we're in that breakup thing sure and so you know he's like oh can we meet and i reluctantly i'm like yeah i know i'm gonna take him to Zuma Beach because that's where I like to go. So I take him down there. And finally, I get to tell the story, right?
Starting point is 01:01:31 So, yeah, but it is kind of true that I kept reaching into the ocean and pulling out sand dollars. He couldn't do it. He kept trying. And then I'd be like, oh, look, here's another one. I pulled out like, I don't know, four, five, zero for Greg. And then yeah, this whole disappear thing.
Starting point is 01:01:49 I love it. I just want to point out that some people are like, oh, you know, why do you need to talk for an hour with somebody? It's because that's when you get that story. That story doesn't come out until you've been chatting with somebody for an hour. You know, that's how it works. You don't just open with that. Like you got to get comfy, get a little trust going, you're going to chat. An hour in, you're going to be okay, I got just open with that. Like you got to get comfy, get a little trust going here, get chat.
Starting point is 01:02:05 And now we're in, you're going to be, okay, I got a story for you. That's the goal, right? Yeah, that's the goal. Also of interest is that on that Festival of Friends in 1995, that the VP of sales was videotaping,
Starting point is 01:02:17 whatever he was doing, was also Molly Johnson was on the bill. Do you have a relationship of any nature with Molly Johnson? I don't currently, but I sure remember some of the very first shows that we ever did, like trying to test out Crash Vegas, the early, early days
Starting point is 01:02:32 at the back of the Cameron, and Molly would be living upstairs, and she would come down and like, oh, very encouraging. Hey guys, that sounds really good. Keep going. She was just always really sweet. One more name, because I was chatting with somebody about him hey guys that sounds really good keep going you know she's just always really uh sweet one more name because i was chatting with somebody about him last week ashley mckissick
Starting point is 01:02:51 sure did you have any yeah he was on the bill as well any uh any ashley mckissick stories no ashley mckissick stories no ended up, when I start making solo records, working with someone who had worked with him. But I don't recall ever having the pleasure. Okay. So as we leave Stone, by the way, do you drink beer? What about the 20-year-old? Does he drink beer?
Starting point is 01:03:21 Yeah, he does. Okay, okay. So you're bringing home for the 20-year-old, you're bringing home some fresh craft beer from Great Lakes Brewery. He's going to love his mama coming home with lasagna and beer. It's going to be a big hit. And, of course, a measuring tape from Ridley Funeral Home. That's the green thing.
Starting point is 01:03:37 You never know. You've got to measure something. It's going to come in handy. Michelle's very excited about this. It is. This song, you mentioned Neil Young earlier. I'm going to just play this song as a bridge from, see how smart I am, from Stone to
Starting point is 01:03:50 Aurora, which by the way, VP of Sales, who we've already talked about quite a bit, says is one of his favorite 90s CanCon albums. Like he's got his 90s CanCon album chart, and Aurora is right up there. So to bridge us from Stone to Aurora is right up there. So to bridge us from Stone to Aurora is this song right here.
Starting point is 01:04:10 Aurora Borealis The icy sky at night The paddles cut the water In a long and hurrying fight From the white man To the fields of green And the homeland We've never seen
Starting point is 01:04:46 They killed us in a teepee And they cut our women down They might have left some babies Crying on the ground But the fire sticks And the wagons come And the night falls On the setting sun
Starting point is 01:05:16 Michelle, do you have any memory at all of a band called One Free Fall? Does this at all ring any bells at all? It's interesting. When you say that, there's... One free fall. So, one free fall. Okay. There's a guy named Scott McAuliffe. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 01:05:35 Well, he was never in One Free Fall. So, Scott McAuliffe was in Doughboys. Shout out to Montreal's Doughboys. Yeah, Doughboys. They kicked him out. Josh Kastner kicked out Scott McCullough. Why? I don't know. He wasn't showing up or something.
Starting point is 01:05:47 Something was going down. I got the story from Scott, but I can't remember. So Scott gets kicked out of Doughboys. This is before the big shine and all the big hits from Doughboys. So Scott comes to Toronto from Montreal, and he becomes friends with a guy named Ken McNeil. Ken McNeil was the lead singer for one free fall. They form rusty.
Starting point is 01:06:07 Right. So there you go. Why do I bring that up? Because Art Bergman performed on a one free fall song that made its way to borrow tunes, which was of course the tribute album to Neil Young. Another great song and borrow tunes is this cover of Pocahontas by...
Starting point is 01:06:27 Neil Young. Oh, you mean our cover, Crush Vegas. Crush Vegas. Yeah, yeah. I was amazed at the amount of musicians
Starting point is 01:06:36 that would credit me with, like, that I wrote this song. Oh, they think this is your song. And I was like, have you not heard? You know, so anyways. Yeah, I was surprised by that.
Starting point is 01:06:50 But, you know, people go through catalogs in different ways. I was obsessive about Neil Young. I love Neil Young too. And this album, this Burrow Tunes is fascinating. I feel like there's a deeper dive here we should do. This came out in 1994, but it's worth noting. So all these names are all interconnected, of course, because Canada's such a small little village, but
Starting point is 01:07:09 you were the fourth track on disc one. There's two discs. This is Out of the Blue, disc one. And you guys are sandwiched between Jan Arden and Lawrence Gowan. Amazing. Who covered Heart of Gold, and Gowan is an FOTM and Jan's not.
Starting point is 01:07:25 So what the fuck, Jan? Okay. But this is amazing. So they just, the label asked you? Because I feel like this is the gateway to this next album, Aurora, because of the label switch. You had some bad luck with labels. Am I right? Yeah, we changed.
Starting point is 01:07:39 It was musical chairs with labels after London. Then this was now back to Sony. I should have, I should have like raised some shit at Sony about that other stuff way, way back when. Why are you thinking of this now? I don't know. I got to call someone.
Starting point is 01:07:54 I'm going to do it. Or if anyone out there can like, okay, get in touch. I need management. I need lawyers. I need the whole thing. A time machine.
Starting point is 01:08:03 Yeah. That's what you need, Michelle. Okay. So you end up on Sony? Yes. But this song comes first, right? Like where is it in the order of things?
Starting point is 01:08:10 Because this is a Sony, this is a Sony tribute album to Neil Young sort of. Like Sony music is key in this borrowed tunes somehow. Like there's a connection there. Yeah. I, I did they, I guess they are the ones who were were i don't even know how actually that record but there is a sony music canada link to the you know aforementioned borrowed tunes which
Starting point is 01:08:34 is a tribute album to neil young if i ran down i mean blue rodeo is on this thing you ever heard of them holy smokes okay but this maybe this is how you end up on Sony. It's exactly what happened. We were invited to come in and do a song, and then they were so into the song, they said, would you make a record? It sounded great. Did you write that song, Pocahontas? Oh, yeah. You should just take credit for it.
Starting point is 01:08:57 Oh, yeah. Be like, yeah, that's my song. You know, deal with it. I would do that. Shout out to, I'm going to shout out just a couple. So, by the way, Cowboy Junkies also on the Borrowed Tunes. They're just following you everywhere. But I just want to say the FOTM's on there.
Starting point is 01:09:09 So Mark Jordan is on there. He's an FOTM. FOTM, by the way, you know, what's Mike talking about? Friend of Toronto Mike, you're now an FOTM. Fantastic. Do you have shirts? Note to self, get shirts. And just make one and send it to Michelle.
Starting point is 01:09:23 Because she might wear it. Okay. I will. Oh, Malcolm Burns on here too. This is wild, the connections here. Real statics. Bourbon Tabernacle Choir is on this thing. Everybody knows this is nowhere. Stephen Fearing, he's been over. That ties into Colin Linden, but that also ties into my good friend Tom Wilson from Junkhouse. And I feel this is a time to mention Junkhouse, who I'm going to see on December 2nd at the Horseshoe Tavern.
Starting point is 01:09:48 You want to, want to be my date? yeah, yeah, I'll go with you. And this shirt. Yeah, television.
Starting point is 01:09:54 Also have a connection to Hamilton. Don't they? Well, he, he just passed away. Like maybe, maybe in the last 18 months, last 12,
Starting point is 01:10:03 12 months. Didn't the drummer, trying'm trying to think, was the drummer? The drummer of television has a Hamilton connection. Yeah. Does he? Or is it just that Dave Rave was from Hamilton and knew that? Ogilvy, right? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:10:18 Yeah. Dave Ogilvy. Okay. So here we are. Billy. Billy. Is the drummer. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:10:25 Fica. Right. Okay. Is the drummer. Yeah. Fika. Right. Where's he from? Brooklyn. I'm going to tell you right now where this guy is from. This guy is from Delaware. But, well, you don't know. Maybe he visited Hamilton once or twice.
Starting point is 01:10:38 I'm just looking here. So, yeah. So Tom passed away like very recently. Tom Verlaine. I got to see them at their last show here. Amazing. Yeah, it was amazing. amazing so i'm a huge television fan yeah well dave rave is your hammer guy so yeah and i think he i think that's what it was is that he knew billy um maybe they even i got it here okay is that what it was well yes okay drummer billy was featured on album an album by dave rave that's
Starting point is 01:11:07 what it is so they were connected good job see that's this is great the longer we talk the more we're going to unveil here very good now i mentioned tom wilson because uh what you were signed what is it sony wanted to get some like cool bands, basically. Exactly. They needed the cred. Yeah. So you and Junk House to the rescue. Is that right? Yeah, that's what it was. Come on to the Horseshoe on December 2nd and see Junk House.
Starting point is 01:11:35 You'd have a good time. Wow, it's going to be Junk House. Cool. Will Colin be playing? Well, maybe. I can't go then. I can't commit to that. Yeah, you and me.
Starting point is 01:11:44 All right. We'll go somewhere else. Okay, I'm in. I can't commit to that. Yeah, you and me. All right? We'll go somewhere else. Okay. I'm in. We'll go to the Rivoli. Neil Young's playing a private party for me. Yeah, yeah. Okay, thanks.
Starting point is 01:11:53 I'll pay your date. It's going to cost us. You got $2 million we can put together for that? We'll bring him some lasagna and stuff. Stunned deal. Thank you to Palma Pasta here. I just realized when they're signing all these cool bands, and I mentioned, I shouted out Junkhouse,
Starting point is 01:12:06 but Our Lady Peace was on the list. You must know this, that Our Lady Peace was one of the bands Sony signed to up their cred there. Okay. Okay. Do you remember playing Edgefest in 1993? I don't know that I remember it particularly. You mentioned the hip earlier,
Starting point is 01:12:26 so we can shout out another roadside attraction. You were on the bill with Midnight Oil and Hot House Flowers. Yeah, that was a fantastic tour. It was so much fun. Did you get to know Gore Downie personally? Yes. And sadly, since I'll never get him on, he's passed away, as we all know,
Starting point is 01:12:44 because the nation was in mourning. We still are, potentially. I learned a guy, I was in Montreal, and I learned that their, this is going to sound kind of weird to say out loud, actually, but their Gord Downie just passed away. They had a big French music band, Tremblay. Yeah, I heard that.
Starting point is 01:13:01 And at 47, he just died of cancer. And I mean, I'm telling you straight up i don't know this band at all but uh these french language band massive in quebec yeah and around the world yep i i followed that too and so uh yeah my heart's with quebec losing their gourd downy here exactly but gourd uh any any memories of Gord? Sure Gord and I love just hanging out talking about literature I was
Starting point is 01:13:32 there was lots of humor I remember because I'm into sports but they would joke and say okay Michelle show me how you hold a hockey stick and I guess exactly that's the laugh that happened as I'd like try to, you know, mine the hockey stick.
Starting point is 01:13:52 I sure, but no, my, I'm more like, I'm quite obsessive about basketball and baseball at times, but really right now I'd say it's like a huge basketball era for me. The past years and years just basketball
Starting point is 01:14:07 basketball amazing I didn't know that that's cool I like basketball too I like sports in general but you didn't know how to hold a hockey stick no so anyways and that would be funny but you know it was about here have your making me a peanut butter jelly sandwich
Starting point is 01:14:23 after the show just hanging out talking music and books and Here, have your making-me-a-peanut-butter-jelly-sandwich-after-the-show, just hanging out, talking music and books. And, yeah, just really thoughtful, thoughtful, kind human. The sparks can burn your hand Loudspeaker sends a sound Shoots you out Just like a satellite on and on and on and on tell me what is it
Starting point is 01:15:15 charges them up far beyond the alcohol you can come and burn the rug to cinders On and on and on and on Late December sitting on this balcony Watching the red stars flickering from afar Earth is tilted, the whole sky shifted On and on and on and on My feet keep walking
Starting point is 01:16:08 So this is from Aurora. Here's a quote from Dabnett Doyle. Also been over, but she said, she wrote in her book that when she moved to Toronto from Newfoundland in the mid-90s, she'd play this song over and over and over again with her friends,
Starting point is 01:16:21 and then she'd eventually cover this song with Shea. I know, I heard that and that's such a cool thing. I love that idea. Like the fact that you write something and it goes out there and other people might, I mean besides people either listening and liking, loving something, but that they then go and do a version of it. That's really amazing. Do you think this might be your second biggest hit would this be number two i think it's number three okay what's number two uh inside out and smoke right we're i guess from that first record
Starting point is 01:16:59 and then yes i guess it would be, other than also the cover of the... Pocahontas, the song you wrote? Yeah, our version. Who is in the band now? You'd be surprised. You would be shocked. The people who think you wrote that. The musicians that said,
Starting point is 01:17:19 that was an amazing song you wrote, the lyrics. The scary thing is, Colin Cripps thinks you wrote that song, so that's what concerns me. Okay. I'm going to text Tom and tell him Colin can't be in Junkhouse on December 2nd when I come with you. So
Starting point is 01:17:33 who's in the band now? I've lost track because you and Colin are still there but is everyone else gone? No, it's Eric Chenault and Gavin Brown who's like Mr. Big Producer Man. Okay, so what's going on? You're having difficulty keeping personnel in this band.
Starting point is 01:17:52 Yeah, you know, it's interesting what was going on. It's like a vibe thing. Again, chemistry. Someone wants to do something else, this, that. So you just make the changes. And, yeah, that's what happened okay but meanwhile this is on high rotation on much music
Starting point is 01:18:11 and this is getting a lot of airplay in this country but what about outside the borders of Canada they don't even know this song happened right on and on Lodestar this is Canada only was there something's going on with distributing how do you say that word, distributing this album beyond the borders of the great white north here?
Starting point is 01:18:29 Yeah, I mean, a lot of this comes down to, you know, who's your team, what are the politics at the label, like there's so many other things at play. You can have great songs, music, but if you don't have the full team pulling levers, you know. I mean, there's so many different ways. Now, of course, people can go online, post something
Starting point is 01:18:52 and whatever. It goes viral, I guess. I hear about this. You needed Bill Graham. I did. He's right here. The light came on. And that is a true story. The light did come on when we were talking about Bill Graham here. I didn't write. And that is a true story. People can make you mad. The light did come on when we were talking about Bill Graham here.
Starting point is 01:19:05 I didn't write down who wrote this, but somebody, oh, no, let's save it for the solo. We got a little bit more of a solo time. Maybe that's cool with you.
Starting point is 01:19:13 Yeah. I do want to just give you another gift here before I go beyond Crash Vegas and find out why Crash Vegas crashes and burns.
Starting point is 01:19:20 What's going on? This is a wireless speaker courtesy of Mineris and Michelle, you bring that home. You can listen. Yeah, you you can listen to uh man when am i coming back again what are you doing tomorrow okay that's why does manaris want you to have a speaker well they want you to be happy you can listen to anything you want but you also should definitely listen to season five of yes we are open because award-winning podcaster al grego has been, he went east this time.
Starting point is 01:19:45 So Maritimes and Newfoundland, and he talks to small business owners and he collects their great stories and he shares them with us on the podcast, the free podcast. Yes, we are open to inspire the heck out of us. That's the kind of good work they're doing at Moneris and that's what Al is doing and that's why you have a wireless speaker. Wow, thank you. Again. You're speechless. I like the silence.
Starting point is 01:20:08 That's right. It's amazing. Can I give you something? Yes, you can. Is it the right time? Yeah, sure. There's no script here. Alright, here you go. How dare you interrupt me? Okay, Michelle, I'm going to play by play. This is for you. Oh, thank you so much. Okay, I'm going
Starting point is 01:20:24 to play. You know what? Because I have this in my hand and because I'm going to play by play. This is for you. Oh, thank you so much. Okay, I'm going to play. You know what? Because I have this in my hand and because I'm going to do this right now. I am playing a song for this album. It's called Into Her Future. And this will be a fantastic segue to your solo life. And there you are in the back. Thank you very much.
Starting point is 01:20:45 You're welcome. Found a window that looked right out into her future Saw it clear as crystal when the light makes rainbows off its tips. She to dip her hand and steal water from an open well. Making a dash for hills These hills were actually mountains Kept moving over the slippery fields Of tears and rain Sewed herself a silver thread and returned forever changed
Starting point is 01:21:59 This life blows by This life goes by like a fast wind. Michelle, this is beautiful. Into Her Future. Thanks. You wrote this song. I did. Do I hear some Greg Keeler on this song Greg uh yeah he helped bring
Starting point is 01:22:28 this record into being uh yeah he was it was really great I was like going through so much uh oh my god it was such a time but so I had all these songs and just going out to greg's place which is where i'd originally lived in the ones but like left way back when but anyways here we are again so we're pals and how did you become pals again well because you know we i don't know about you mike but like how many of your exes are you friends with? Like friends, friends? Like let's go see Junkhouse at the Horseshoe Tavern? Yeah, or, you know, different.
Starting point is 01:23:15 Mostly I have had friendships after. There's a couple of, but anyway, so Greg and I have always been just kind of more like family and good to each other, even though, you know, he might have. I broke his heart way back when, and then he, I guess, tried to retaliate in some way. And then, but anyway, I'm glad he's not here. Maybe you should get us both here sometime. But we've just always maintained. That's an episode right there. Yeah, a friendship
Starting point is 01:23:46 and a very good friendship and so yeah he had this set up at his place which he doesn't anymore but where I guess Blue Rodeo had been recording there, different people lots of people had been making records at his place I made my first solo record there
Starting point is 01:24:02 Whirl Where is this place? It's about an hour east of the city. It's just my water. As long as it's not the beer. Yeah, no. Oops, I started drinking one.
Starting point is 01:24:16 Anyways, so yeah, like an hour east of the city and it's just a really comfortable place. It doesn't feel like a recording studio in the classic sense. So yeah, he was very instrumental in this record being born. I like hearing this. I'm so happy he helped birth this album of yours.
Starting point is 01:24:38 Absolutely. So okay, well let's say goodbye to your band here because we need some closure here. So why does Crash Vegas come to an end? Truthfully? No, lie to me. I think Colin and I were feeling a kind of divergence of aesthetic kind of direction. I also felt very disillusioned, I'd say, with with the just the way how we were going about things, music business. And I think Colin,
Starting point is 01:25:23 I don't want to speak for him, but I think he also wanted to go in a different direction. And so it just, you know, it was one of those things where it was kind of sad, but also felt really like the right thing at the time. Now earlier you made a little aside comment about is Colin going to be there because he was going to be in Junk House and Junk House, I'm going to see Junk House.
Starting point is 01:25:46 But was that a joke or is that like, can you guys, are you guys friendly? Are you civil? What's going on with Colin Crooks and Michelle Magna? We need to know. Canada Music Scene needs to know. We would be friendly. Okay. It would all be fake, but we would be friendly.
Starting point is 01:26:01 No, we would be friendly. We would be friendly. Okay. We had a reunion. Tell me about the reunion. We, basically, Warners decided to re-release Red Earth. And so, as a result of that, we did a reunion show at the Danforth Music Hall. And that was really fun. What year was this?
Starting point is 01:26:31 That would have been 2017, I think. Okay. Yeah. All right. I think so. By the way, just before we say goodbye to Aurora, I want to shout out FOTM John Borah. He's on that album, right? John Borah, exactly.
Starting point is 01:26:42 He played all over Aurora, and so did great drummer... Mike Slosky. Mike Slosky. Fantastic drummer. Okay. Oh, my God. He was so great. So, yeah, Gavin and Eric would be the touring band.
Starting point is 01:27:00 They didn't play on the record, but John and Mike Slasky did. You played in Change of Heart for a little while. Ian Blurton's stories for me? What's going on? No, I don't. He is. I'm afraid I don't have any stories other than just sort of being, you know, I remember... For your return, I just want... I know you don't have any, but collect
Starting point is 01:27:19 Ian Blurton's stories and just come back and share them. Alright, I'll go. I'll start calling or, you know, figure out where he is. You can produce the Ian Blurton. Well, he's been share them. All right, I'll go. I'll start calling or figure out where he is. Do a little bit. You can produce the Ian Blurton. Well, he's been on, but I want to get the perspective from others here. Okay. I do not know who wrote this, but somebody said, I bought Whirl in 2000
Starting point is 01:27:35 when it first came out. An astonishing record that is still one of my favorites. Wow. Well, thank you. Okay. So what, so like obviously when Crash Vegas comes to an end and you and Colin go your separate ways or whatnot, you decide, I'm just going to, I don't know if you're going to make country music obviously, but you're going to go solo.
Starting point is 01:27:54 Yeah. Yeah. I start, I go freight train riding and, uh, Ride in the rails. I do. I do. I had a friend who was doing that i couldn't believe it and then he's like all right come along like a hobo well he he's an artist but yeah i guess you could say like or like you have that stick with the bag at the end like a poet like al purdy um it just seemed like it was something that happened in another era and some other yeah universe but the fact that it happened and I've always had an obsession about trains, because I used to ride them when I was really little to go see my grandmother.
Starting point is 01:28:32 Where did your grandmother live? Woodstock. And I had another grandmother who would take me to Niagara Falls, so I would, like, trains were just just love them. So I got to ride some freight trains, and and then I remember recording sounds actually this is funny so Sarah McLaughlin I'm now solo and she's like okay I'm gonna put together this festival Lilith Fair will you come and be on you know play Lilith Fair and I'm like oh yeah of course I'll come wow thank you so meanwhile I have these new songs but i decide i'm gonna open with my spoken word piece and i have this loop of crazy recorded freight train sounds
Starting point is 01:29:17 and so i remember i knew the sound guy thank god and he like the soundtrack was wild and it's in a big stadium and uh i just remember looking at people who were like what the hell's happening and i'm reciting my poetry that's amazing it's kind of amazing actually that's kind of amazing and of course you know what happened to her neil young had a uh i don't know if i think he might have sold a bunch of it but he had a massive like model train collection yeah just bringing it all back to Neil. That's what I do right now. Exactly.
Starting point is 01:29:47 And you also know this, Michelle, because you are a talented musician in the city of Toronto, but you know that you cannot jump a jet plane like you can a freight train. Like, you know this. This is just a fact. Yeah, you can't. No.
Starting point is 01:30:00 Okay, so I love the idea of you riding the rails. Like, this is like, and this is pre-sun, right? I'm doing the math in my head. Yes, that's right. I have, so I love the idea of you riding the rails. And this is pre-sun, right? I'm doing the math in my head. Yes, that's right. So I mentioned I have kids. They ruin everything. You can't be riding rails all the time. When you got a kid, you got to feed and take care of it.
Starting point is 01:30:16 It really does mess everything up. But you have that period of time pre-kid where you can ride the rails. Yeah, it was amazing. It was amazing. It was an important thing to do. whirl came out of that time and um i'm really happy about world so thank you for the i wish i wrote down who said that yeah that was nice um because i really liked that record of it was an important record it was the first record I made post-Crash Vegas. And I did that with Eric Chenault.
Starting point is 01:30:50 Actually, we did it at Greg's. And Greg plays on it. He plays on Mona. Does he play on anything else? I don't know if he does. But he plays drums, actually. Okay. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:31:08 And on the song Mona, which is a really cool song and um it was just an important record for me to make because it was the first one sure sure and it's all you now this is this is michelle macadori niece of bob macadori that's what it said in the smaller font right underneath michelle macadori that's right who as your mom would say come on big honestly and then again again i know i'm from global i know back to bob that's how we close a full circle almost uh perfect circle chalk circle chalk circle chris wardman produced that album of april fool and he was the guy from blue peter so it all comes back okay also produced fluke for rusty which one of the great albums of all time. Wow, amazing. Fluke by Rusty.
Starting point is 01:31:47 Okay, so shout out to Chris Wardman, also been on this program. But, and it doesn't even matter where I was going because I just want to shout out one more podcast here. This is important. If you want to learn how to plan, invest, and live smarter, the Raymond James podcast, The Advantaged Investor is for you.
Starting point is 01:32:03 So it's also free much like, yes, we are open. And whether you already work with a trusted financial advisor or currently manage your own investment plans, the advantaged investor provides the engaging wealth in management information. You value as you,
Starting point is 01:32:17 Michelle McAdory pursue your most important goals, which might be riding the rail. Now he's 20. You can ride those rails again. Yeah, I think it's changed it's well i probably could somewhere but i don't know well yeah uh it has changed because i wanted to last year i went to visit my daughter in montreal i took via rail and uh this year it was going to be 250 bucks a person to get to Montreal and back and it actually it just didn't
Starting point is 01:32:45 make sense like financially because uh I ended up borrowing a car and getting there on the 401 because it was gonna you know six of us going 250 a pop it just became kind of ridiculous so it's not the same as it used to be riding the rails it's too bad it's such a great way to travel i know that when i go up north like the northlander northland line they they stopped that and uh there's talk of it coming back i hope it comes back oh you reminded me of a place i want to go before we say goodbye but i want to read uh a note that came in from pt players p Players says, we need another Crash Vegas reunion and a new album from Michelle, still enjoying Into Her Future.
Starting point is 01:33:30 How long ago did Into Her Future, I'm holding it right now, vinyl, thank you very much, Michelle, but how old is this album now? That album came out late 2016. So I had hoped to start making something new like 2020 but we all know what happened then
Starting point is 01:33:49 so I'm working on something you're actively working on a new album I want to make the announcement right here I haven't started recording it yet but I'm in some rehearsals and working on all these songs that I love
Starting point is 01:34:04 I don't know I can't say it you can't say it yet I'm in some rehearsals and working on all these songs. Any special guests? I don't know. I can't say it. You can't say it yet. Will it be produced by Greg Keeler? I don't know. I can't say it. It should be decided.
Starting point is 01:34:13 Okay. Do you have a title for this album yet? It hasn't come to me yet. It hasn't come to you yet. Okay. But this is something that we might be able to hear in 2024. That would be amazing. I wonder if I can get it together that fast.
Starting point is 01:34:26 Yeah. I want to know if I can make the call on that. I want to say that maybe you come back in about a year to unveil like a listener party. We play the new album, we talk about it and we catch up and then we can find out what happened with Ontario place because I do follow you on Twitter and I want to close with this because one of the main,
Starting point is 01:34:47 are they called architects? What do they call the people who, planners? Organizers? No, they plan parks and stuff. He worked on Chilean parking. City planners? Whatever they do. These important people who plan public space and stuff. He quit the team he said that they would be cutting down 800
Starting point is 01:35:03 trees to build the private spa. And he says, if you want to be back to nature, the trees will do far more good than the private spa. This is all obvious stuff. And I've been ranting and raving on Twitter about this for a while because I can't believe we're going to spend taxpayer money. I can't believe the private spa is going to go on Ontario Place site. Hey, go put it on somewhere else.
Starting point is 01:35:22 Like get off the waterfront and put it somewhere else. I don't want it at the X. I know this is this sort of other proposal. That's what they're saying, yeah. And I just, why stick this giant spa in the downtown core?
Starting point is 01:35:34 It should be out. And where does this passion come from? That's where the smell comes off. There's a stink on this. Because where is this massive passion from this government to have the public spa
Starting point is 01:35:44 in the first place? Like, is there a massive outcry from Ontarians that say, we need more private spas? Like, is this something I just miss? I mean, I don't really know Doug Ford, but it seems to me his aesthetic is more of a kind of, you know, suburban aesthetic. At least from Etobicoke. You know, out, and I've been recently going back to Manhattan, and I just, I love New York City. It's one of my favorite places ever,
Starting point is 01:36:16 and I walk around there, and I just think they've got a lot of things that are right. I mean, you could critique lots of things, but I think it's so important what we do in this city. And yeah, hopefully we're going to preserve that land down there and make it really amazing. Now, he did reverse decisions he made
Starting point is 01:36:33 regarding the Greenbelt because they were unpopular. Because he's corrupt. Right. He's allegedly greasy as fuck. I just said it. Yeah, yeah. Let's just say it now. He's allegedly greasy as fuck. But the Ontario place, here's my concern here before we say goodbye, is that right now the outcry
Starting point is 01:36:50 about Ontario place is coming from Torontonians, okay? So this land is owned by, you know, it's Ontario's land. So it's the province's land and Doug Ford is the premier of Ontario. His party had the majority for the second time, blah, blah, blah. So Toronto being mad about this doesn't hurt doug ford
Starting point is 01:37:07 because toronto except for where you are right now there's very very very few pockets where the mpp in the 416 is actually from the pc party so most the overwhelming majority of toronto they went liberal or ndp we don't typically vote in a conservative government in the 416, except in this neighborhood you're in right now, which is another story I'll talk to you about later. But so therefore, I feel, I feel, my just anecdotal kind of observation is that Doug Ford is less likely to act because Toronto is mad, because it won't hurt him where it matters, which is at the polls when the next election happens. So we really kind of need the rest of Ontario to get a sniff of this and to start to get angry with how much, you know,
Starting point is 01:37:52 taxpayer money would be going into this private spa and parking spot on Ontario Place. We need people beyond Toronto to say, hey, this stinks. Exactly. I mean, I think with the attention that the Greenbelt issue has garnered and the fact that we've had that integrity commissioner's report and whatnot, and now there's being one, I guess. There is one coming, yes.
Starting point is 01:38:17 Yeah, so maybe it's just about everything sort of stacking up and finally people go, okay, maybe this isn't the right approach in general. I don't know. It's some days I feel a kind of, you know, hopefulness and other days I get a little cynical about it, but. Well use that when you're writing this new album. I feel like a little like cynic-ness, cynical-ness helps with songwriting.
Starting point is 01:38:41 I feel that's a good thing for a songwriter. You can write a song about this. You don't have to call it, you know, Toronto Mike's, you can call it whatever you want, but maybe a line or two in there about your experience. I'm going to be teaching some song writing. Okay, well, yeah. What are you up to these days?
Starting point is 01:38:55 Obviously, you're working on the album, but what else are you up to? And how was this experience for you? Well, it's great coming here, actually, and doing this. I've just started to get turned on to some podcasts. And I've listened to your podcast, Mike. So this is great. It's great to see you do your ads live.
Starting point is 01:39:15 That's really fun. And what else am I doing? Yeah, working on music and teaching a songwriting. Anyone wants to learn songwriting through U of T? That's cool. At the University of Toronto Continuing Education School. So that'll be in 2024. Wouldn't it be funny if I take this class?
Starting point is 01:39:36 Michelle McAvoy teach me how to write a song here. So that's cool. I went to U of T. I can come back and take a songwriting course. There you go. That's it. Other than that, you T. I can come back and take a songwriting course. There you go. That's it. Other than that, you know, plowing away on the songs and yeah. And making lasagna.
Starting point is 01:39:54 Yeah. How do I do that again? I knew you were going to ask. Okay. Let me explain it to you one more time, Michelle. I can't believe I have to do this. You know it's 375 for 45 minutes. Okay.
Starting point is 01:40:04 Write that down. I'll write it down for you. I'll send you an email. Oh, thank you. Let me mansplain this to you one more time. Okay, you got your beer, you got your lasagna, you got your smart speaker, you got your measuring tape. I just want to quickly shout out recyclemyelectronics.ca
Starting point is 01:40:20 because Michelle, if you have any old electronics you need to get rid of, don't throw it in the garbage. Those chemicals end up in our landfill. It's bad for everybody, okay? True enough. Go to recyclemyelectronics.ca and find a place near you where you can drop them off to be properly recycled.
Starting point is 01:40:33 It's been accredited by the EPRA. You can't go wrong. That's great. Good to know. Do it. And when the new album comes out, you come back here. All right. You understand?
Starting point is 01:40:41 And I'll give you more lasagna. I'd love that. And I'll explain again how to make it. Yeah. 375, 45 minutes. Michelle McAdory, niece of Bob McAdory.
Starting point is 01:40:50 It was an absolute pleasure. I loved our crash, uh, Vegas deep dive. And then we got to learn about your solo work and I really enjoyed this. Thank you for doing this. Me too. Thank you for having me.
Starting point is 01:41:01 And that brings us to the end of our 1,368th show. You can follow me. I'm on Twitter and I'm on Blue Sky. I'm at Toronto Mike and Michelle is at M. McAdory. That's right. M. McAdory. Mm-hmm. You can hear her takes on Ontario Place and more.
Starting point is 01:41:23 You and I should chain ourselves to the trees. Let's do it. Although, if that will impede my ability to go visit Manhattan, I don't know. Okay, it might. We could be there a while. Yeah, well, especially if I get arrested. Right. That's okay.
Starting point is 01:41:39 You're always thinking ahead. That's why you're a great visionary. That's my son's voice. He's right. Listen to him. Thanks to all who made this possible. That's Great Lakes Brewery. That's Palma Pasta. That's
Starting point is 01:41:53 Raymond James Canada. That's Mineris. That's Recycle My Electronics. And that's Ridley Funeral Home. See you all. You won't believe this, Michelle, but later today, another Toronto mic will drop. Wow. Featuring Jason Priestley. Jeez. Wow. You missed him believe this, Michelle, but later today, another Toronto mic will drop. Wow. Featuring Jason Priestley. Jeez. Wow.
Starting point is 01:42:07 You missed him by this much. Oh, my God. But first, I got to pick up my youngest daughter to get her cast removed. She wore a cast for six weeks. And here's my thing. I am not certain
Starting point is 01:42:17 how long that will take. I might be standing up, Jason Priestley, because I'm stuck at St. Joe's in the fracture clinic. He's probably been stood up before. Shout out to Tori Spelling. See you all soon.
Starting point is 01:42:30 I wonder who. Yeah, I wonder who. Maybe the ones that didn't realize there's a thousand shades of grey. Cause I know that's true. Yes, I do. I know it's true. I know it's true. How about you? I'm picking up trash and then putting down roads.
Starting point is 01:42:58 And they're brokering stocks, the class struggle explodes. And I'll play this guitar Just the best that I can Maybe I'm not And maybe I am But who gives a damn Because everything is coming

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