Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - TOAST 19: Toronto Mike'd #1306
Episode Date: August 14, 2023In this 19th episode of Toast, Mike is joined by Rob Preuss and Bob Willette as they kick out flower jams. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Pumpkins Afte...r Dark, Ridley Funeral Home and Electronic Products Recycling Association.
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Do you have a good theme song?
Besides,
I'm going to think about it.
FOTMs.
Do you know what time it is?
It's
toast time.
Toast featuring Stu Stone,
Cam Gordon,
and Toronto Mike.
Still,
I love that.
I love that. Records gradually. Yeah, eh? I love that. I love that.
Records gradually.
Yeah, just like we don't even get an intro.
It's been long enough, eh?
I think so.
How many episodes do you need before you get an intro?
I'll call Peter later, get a new intro for Toast 2.
Stu's here Friday.
That's it. It's our death knell.
I hear the door.
Welcome to episode 1306 of Toronto Mic'd.
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RecycleMyElectronics.ca Committing to our planet's future
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Getting hip to the hip.
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community since 1921
Joining me today
for this 19th episode of Toast is Rob
Pruse and Bob
Ouellette. Welcome back, Rob
and Bob. Thank you.
Thanks for having us. Thanks for having us. That's so low-key,
Rob. You were so hyped before the recording
and then I get this low-key. I turn on the low-key.
It's good to see you again, Mike. How have you
been? It's good.
All of a sudden we're on an NPR show.
Welcome back to episode number 1300.
I mentioned
Stu Stone returns Friday. What do you think
are the chances? Do you think Stu Stone has
ever heard an episode of Toast
without him on it?
If he knows what's good for him, he wouldn't leave people.
So let's do an over-under. How many episodes?
I'm going to put it at one.
I'll take the under. Yeah, I'll take the under too. Really? Yeah, Stu's how many episodes. And I'm going to put it at one. I'll take the under.
Yeah, I'll take the under two.
Yeah, Stu's a busy man.
Yeah, that's true.
And he's also, you know, if it's not about him, what not?
So Stu has been on Bob's Basement, right?
Nope.
How did that not happen?
Because Rob Proust has been on Bob's Basement. Oh, wait, no, it did happen.
Oh.
No, it didn't.
No, no.
I can tell you everyone who's been on Toronto Mike
and you can't remember who's been on Bob's Beach.
No, I remember because we had such a bad
connection. Like not personally.
Like you didn't get along? Yeah, exactly.
It was just as awkward the whole time.
No, there was a bad Wi-Fi connection
and it's not one of my highlight episodes.
Only because of that I found it very distracting.
Did you consider not dropping it
and just waiting until you could do it again?
Because Stu would do that again. At that time I was doing a pretty good pace of doing like one or two a week.
Oh, wow.
That's a lot.
Yeah, what happened?
Kids, life, jobs, you know, that kind of stuff.
But okay, we won't name the guests because I hear it's top secret, but you do have like...
Oh, I'll tell it now.
Oh, I didn't know.
I thought maybe you had an embargo.
No, I just, I have an embargo until I can put the week of the album comes out that I
can play it.
Okay.
Tell us this massive, I'll just tease it right now and then you're going to tell us.
You have a massive 90s alt-rock
superstar on Bob's Basement.
Who is it, Bob?
Richard Patrick of Filter.
Former guitarist for
Nine Inch Nails.
Kind of cool.
Brother of the
Robert Patrick.
Robert Patrick, who was T-1000.
And was in the X-Files when
Fox Mulder was gone.
That's right. You've done the episode already
or it's coming out? It's already done. I've already recorded it.
Is it good? Yeah, it is good.
We had some technical difficulties at the very beginning
as well.
I was using Teams
and his mic wouldn't work with it.
Anyhow, long story short, we ended up on
Zoom and he was wonderful.
Amazing.
We went through
and we talked about his sobriety.
We talked about his being very vocal
about when Scott Weiland died
because he was really trying
to protect Scott.
Wow.
And we talked, obviously,
about take a picture.
Don't give away.
No, it's just, it's really good.
He's teasing it.
Yeah.
He's teasing it.
Yeah, like him,
listening to him.
And okay, here's the big thing.
He sang for me.
Oh, no.
As well, yeah.
Okay, I'm jealous now. It was fine. It was really was really great speaking of sobriety let's crack open our beers on the mic here okay
so are we gonna do it all at once so what do you prefer it's your it's your basement maybe we do
all together so you guys have loggers yeah what do you got there and i've got a sunny side ipa
and hold on here and at the count three two one and we're gonna go okay three two one that's a good
one so i heard all three individually at the same time that was cool listen your headphones are in
dolby cheers cheers to you guys cheers cheers it's good to have you back for the 19th toast
do you guys have any idea how many toasts have been you guys versus seven i think seven or eight
it's only the seven you don't know you made that up that up. I just made that up. I thought you knew.
You sounded so confident.
I did.
I know.
I thought seven sounded right.
I was like, yeah, you absolutely.
It could be.
You could, yeah.
So, Rob, you've... Okay, Bob, you've just got to get my Robs and Bobs straight.
Okay, so Bob Ouellette has just teased an exciting episode of Bob's Basement.
Is this your first episode since Loretta Swift?
It really is.
No, it's not.
I did one.
Oh, no.
See you guys.
Have a good night.
I think it was me. I think it was me.
I think it was you.
He remembers all his guests.
It was.
It was Loretta Swift and you.
Yeah.
Oh, my God.
Rob.
No, it's fine.
That's amazing.
No, it's good.
It's amazing.
I remember.
No, it was a great one.
It was so much fun.
I didn't know how many episodes you actually do.
And when you're like, we should do one because you had like, we had the time.
Yeah.
I was 75 episodes gone.
It was Loretta and then me.
And then you.
And now the dude from.
Yeah, you're right.
Yeah.
Come on.
Now the guy from Filter. And coming soon. I don't knowta and then me. And then you. And now the dude from... Yeah, you're right. Yeah. Come on. Now the guy from Filter.
And coming soon,
I don't know his name off the top of my head,
but the bassist from Moist,
I think, is going to come on.
Exciting.
Jeff Beers.
Yes.
I know Jeff.
Yeah.
Oh, okay.
Jeff, I moved into his apartment
up near Spadina and Bloor 20 years ago
when I was doing...
Jeff lives in Kingston still
and listens to 96.3 Big FM.
I've done music with Jeff.
That's amazing.
Okay, cool.
Love it.
What a small world.
Can you name this tune?
Bob Willett,
can you name this tune?
Can you turn it up?
It's kind of a funky version.
It sounds a little bit like Rocket.
It does.
But the same era.
Whose production is this?
Now I know.
I know.
Rob, who's the producer of this jam?
Niall Rogers.
Wow.
That's why it sounds so bad.
But I think this version is one that Gordon and I went back in the studio and remixed ourselves.
We did some re-editing and stuff.
We re-jigged it.
So it was Niall's production, and then we sort of made an extra video kind of version as well.
It's pretty cool, though.
Tell no lies. it was Niles production and then we sort of made an extra video kind of version as well. It's pretty cool though.
Tell no lies.
Okay, so I take for granted
that everyone hearing us
right now
knows who you guys are.
So we have to do
a little like,
just a little like
baseline
here with like,
tell us Bob Ouellette,
what exactly
would you say
you do for a living?
What's going on in your life?
What's funny you say this,
we say this all the time
in radio is like,
assume the audience
doesn't know
and always tell.
So,
I,
here's the first thing,
I'm the last producer
of the Humble and Fred show
on traditional radio.
Terrestrial.
Terrestrial radio.
technically,
I don't know this show,
only because
Funny 820
was broadcasting live,
right?
Yeah,
I guess you're right.
But it was just a, it was a simulcast, right? Yeah, I guess you're right.
But it was a simulcast, right?
It was on the radio, and they recorded it for the podcast. I thought I was the one that put the final nail in the coffin for them.
You're the FM, though.
You're the final.
Yeah, final FM.
Yeah, there you go.
I'm a radio programmer.
I am the East End version of Toronto Mike.
I am Toronto Bob.
Bob, better dresser.
Radio guy.
And yeah, love music.
And yeah, I don't know.
How many stations do you program?
I am the program manager for two radio stations in the Chorus Radio Network in Kingston, Ontario.
104.3 Fresh Radio and 96.3 Big FM.
And last year I was named the program director
of the year
did you know that Rob?
in Canada
did you know you were
in the presence of greatness
every month?
I've suspected it
I could feel it
without knowing the details
what did you get?
a plaque?
what did you get?
nothing yet
I don't know
like a certificate?
yeah
a PDF
PDF for myself
exactly
okay Rob
we're playing a song
by The Spoons
a Burlington band that was extremely popular in the 1980s.
Yeah.
Still sounds great in my headphones.
Did you have anything to do with their success?
What was your role in The Spoons?
I played keyboards in the band.
During their glory days.
Yeah, during the glory days, 1980 to 1985.
There were glory days after that that I wasn't a part of,
but I was in some good Glory Days.
So yeah, I played keyboards, co-wrote some songs.
Then I joined another band called Honeymoon Suite.
I was with them for a few years.
We made a couple of records with them,
did some good tours and things.
And then I started working in musical theater in Toronto,
Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast,
Tommy, Blood Brothers, Wizard of Oz, Starlight Express.
I can't get them all.
Music of Angeloid Weber.
And then I moved to New York and worked on Broadway on Mamma Mia and did some other shows.
And am I supposed to be telling all this information?
No, it's not.
It's nice.
And then 40 years have gone by.
I can't believe you're here.
We are in the presence.
No wonder Liza Fromer had a big crush on you.
Most importantly, I taught Rami Malek to play Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano.
So that's your true claim to fame.
It's really not though
for the movie.
You knew the people
who put the movie together
and they said, hey.
I got asked,
I was his piano coach
for two days
before he went to London
to start filming.
Did you get an Oscar?
I have a,
it's indirectly.
He didn't thank me on the show.
He said,
I'd like to thank everybody
who, whatever he said.
But actually, you're not everybody
I got a credit
like my name is in the film
oh yeah what's your credit
piano coach
piano coach
yeah there's me
and like five other people
because there were people
on the set with him
but I was the first one
to take him in a room
and say this is what
you're going to need to do
believe me
Freddie Mercury did this
yeah
and I had to show him
so you
now did you have to
study Freddie first oh I did yeah you would have since I was 11 years him. So you, now did you have to study Freddie first?
Oh, I did.
Yeah, you would have.
Since I was 11 years old.
Oh, okay.
You knew exactly
how he played?
Oh yeah, I knew everything.
I saw Queen when I was 11
at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Amazing.
And so Freddie was
one of my big heroes.
So it felt like
one of those opportunities
where I was like,
I am born to do this.
Yeah.
I'm born to help Rami Malek.
That's amazing.
All he needs is the teeth.
That's right.
He needed the big choppers, you know, the teeth. The overbite. Yeah, my mom saw the movie. She's amazing. All he needs is the teeth. That's right. He needed the big choppers,
you know,
the teeth.
The overbite.
Yeah,
my mom saw the movie.
She's like,
I didn't like,
his teeth made me uncomfortable.
I said,
well,
his,
Freddie's teeth were like that naturally,
but yeah,
I guess Rami's were.
A little,
yeah,
a little over the top.
Yeah.
A little over,
overbite.
Over,
over the top.
Mr. Rob Prues,
former keyboardist for The Spoons,
would you mind promoting the big event
at the El Macombo on August 26th? August 26th, two weeks from yesterday, I will big event at the elma combo on uh august 26 august 26 two
weeks from yesterday i will be playing at the elma combo with some friends of mine i can announce a
couple of friends too there's an fotm couple of fotms joining i guess yeah sandy horn yes
former bass player no she's bass player for the spoons yeah when i was in the mansion
can you guess the other fotm okay there's two other FOTMs. Is one of them... I don't know
the other one. The Sandy was kind of obvious
to me, but can you give us a clue?
He's...
He's a male.
He's an artist.
He does music and he does...
Robert Priest. Nope. Music and painting
are his... Kurt Swinghammer. You got it.
Wow. Yeah, Kurt's going to come do
a few songs. He's a cool cat.
He's a super cool cat.
I'm very excited.
Wow.
Okay.
And another FOTM...
Because I'm actually
out of town.
I would totally be there.
I'm driving my daughter
to McGill that day.
That's nice.
Brittle Star's going
to be there.
That's an FOTM.
Yeah, he's an FOTM.
I've got a great friend
from Toronto named
Tim Posgate who's a
guitar player who's
going to be with me.
A childhood friend who's
a fantastic singer named Jim
Witter, who was a country singer
in the 90s, was nominated for Juno Awards and stuff.
Coming to sing a bunch of songs.
I have an original cast member
from Phantom of the Opera. Gretchen Helbig is going to come and join me.
Richard Birch is
a singer who did my Moonshine shows
as well. He's ridiculously cool.
Can you shout out the man,
the gentleman who passed away since our last
recording who was, was he
an owner of the Moonshine Cafe?
He was the founder and the owner. John Marlett
was his name. Okay, shout him out because when I was there
to see you,
he barbecued me a sausage.
John was the most amazing guy. He and his
wife started the place like 17 years
ago or something.
And he looked so healthy barbecuing my sausage.
He was a little rocker.
And that was earlier this year.
Yep.
It was in February.
Yep.
I can't,
I don't like it when,
I had to say,
shout out to Ridley Funeral Home.
I don't like it when,
because I'm,
shout out in FOTM
who I talked to last September
who just passed away,
but I don't like it
when people,
you meet people
and they seem vibrant
and alive
and then they die.
Like,
what's that about?
It's weird.
Like one day,
what's worth suddenly or long and painful? like look a little like pale and sickly and then i
could be like oh yeah i could see that guy but it's always a weird shock i mean it's even when
it's celebrities who we don't all of a sudden it's like oh my god i didn't even know his name
i just know he was a gent he seemed like a gentleman he was fantastic he was the nicest guy
and i mean i'm so glad i even got to meet him because I first spoke to him like five years ago
when I was first thinking about doing a solo show
and he wanted to book me right away.
He was all excited about it.
And then years, COVID went by and everything else.
Well, because you were in Honeymoon Suite.
Yeah, no, that's not why.
I don't know.
He was just really open to like me doing whatever, you know?
So I'm very grateful that I got to meet him
and do some work with him and know him.
And the community loved him so much
and the club is going on Moonshine
when we first heard that he passed away we were like
what's going to happen to Moonshine because he literally sat
in the back and took the phone calls and the reservations
and seated people and cooked the hot dogs
and the burgers and did everything right
Neil Jays is at live.torontomike.com
and Neil says
he looked so healthy when he was
barbecuing my sausage.
He wants to add that
to the Toronto Mic
bingo cards.
But he did.
I know.
Damn it.
I hate it.
Okay.
But it's a weird shock
when anybody passes away
because, you know,
like, of course,
when celebrities
and all of a sudden,
like, the news passes
and like, oh my God,
Pee Wee Herman died.
Can we talk about this?
Should we talk about,
well, the other musical one?
Well, yeah,
we're going to get that.
So, guys,
I'm loaded up
with a few deaths
I want to just discuss
with you guys
because they're all music,
kind of music related.
This guy.
I just would like to ask you
if you guys saw the movie
Back to the Beach.
Do you guys remember
the movie Back to the Beach?
I don't know.
Frankie Avalon.
Yeah,
from the 60s.
But then they had like,
okay,
so this was like
a late 80s movie.
Right,
a remake of it.
A version.
It was like a reboot or whatever.
They were like parents.
Yeah.
One of the kids was like,
Laura Laughlin or whatever
from Full House.
Okay.
Anyway,
so there was a lot of cameos
and I watched this movie
in a theater,
okay?
Yeah.
Because Siskel and Ebert
told me it was good.
So this is true story.
Siskel and Ebert said it was great
and I would like it
and then I went to the theater
and I fucking loved it
because there was like cameos
from like, Leave it to Beaver cast members.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
But also Gilligan's Island cast members,
like Gilligan's in there
and the-
Alan Hale, the skipper.
Alan Hale, right.
And-
Or Alan Hale Jr.
And-
I don't know who Alan Hale was.
Yeah, he is Jr.
He-
I can't believe he's dead too.
Everybody's fucking dying.
We're going to spend
the next half an hour talking about people dying. Alan Hale would be like 100 if he was alive. I don't know he's dead too. Everybody's fucking dying. We're going to spend the next half an hour talking about people dying.
Al Hale would be like 100 if he was alive.
I don't know.
I feel like he died young.
I mean like 60 or something like that.
Al Hale Junior or Al Hale Junior?
Whoever the fucking Skipper was.
Skipper.
Skipper.
So.
Go look at little buddy.
Pee Wee Herman shows up in this fucking thing.
I'm watching back.
I loved Pee Wee.
I already was a big fan because I loved Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
Yes.
Like just loved it to pieces.
Pee-Wee shows up and then this happens.
So let's listen to this and then we'll go around the table talking about Pee-Wee. Bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, that the bird is a bird. Well, of course, of course, of course, of course. Well, of course, of course, of course.
Serpent bird.
Oh!
Ha, ha, ha.
Yeah, so he gets, like, he just does this song.
Yeah.
So he performs this song in Back to the Beach, and it was wild.
Yep.
Fucking love this guy.
I love Pee-wee's Big Adventure.
Big Top Pee-wee wasn't so good, but Pee-wee's Big Adventure was so amazing,
and I loved Pee-wee's Playhouse.
Like, it was must-view TV. What did you guys think of Pee-wee wasn't so good, but Peewee's Big Adventure was so amazing, and I loved Peewee's Playhouse. It was must-view TV.
What did you guys think of Peewee Herman? Loved him.
Yeah, I mean, I've heard nothing but great things about him. Even before he died,
Conan O'Brien goes on about how
great Paul Rubens is as a human being.
He tells a story. He told a story even before
Paul Rubens had passed away. He had
Paul Rubens on the podcast on
Conan O'Brien. He's a friend. He talks about how
when
it's your birthday, if you're a friend of Paul Rubens on the podcast on Colonel Brian. He's a friend. Talks about how when it's your birthday, if you're a friend of Paul Rubens,
he just spends the whole day sending you birthday memes all day to your email box.
All day.
Like he goes, it's amazing because he's just thinking about you doing it.
And then let's not forget.
I think my favorite Paul Rubens role was on 30 Rock.
He was on 30 Rock and he was the prince that Jenna was going to marry.
Oh, my God.
It's just. And he's like all frail and stuff.
He was terrific.
And Pee Wee's Playhouse was so revolutionary.
And groundbreaking.
And it's crazy to think that Pee Wee's Big Adventure sort of was the jumping board for him into the popular culture that he had done his stuff in L.A. first.
Like as a stage show.
Yeah, the stage show.
And to me, like I think about it now and think that that era, like the early 80s, let's as a stage show and all that, right? Yeah, the stage show, yeah. And to me, I think about it now
and think that that era,
like the early 80s, let's say.
Well, he was a groundling, right?
Yeah.
Is that what he was?
Phil Hartman was there.
But his persona is like Andy Kaufman in a way,
where they live in this person.
Yeah, it's a character,
and they just go with it so much
that you're like,
is this for real or what's the story?
I think it was just such a cool thing that he did.
Fucking love Pee Wee
and his death came out
of nowhere for us
because we didn't know
he was sick.
No, nobody did.
It's what's with these comedians.
Norm Macdonald did the same thing.
Didn't tell anybody.
Neil Peart did this too though.
Yeah.
Where it's like, yeah,
they're battling this illness
and the family knows
but they don't disclose it
to the public.
And for six years apparently.
Yeah.
Like I was going on YouTube
and looking back
and even like three years ago
there were these really cool like Comic, Comic-Con kind of things
where he was doing these interviews
for the 30th anniversary of Pee-Wee for The Big Adventure.
Yes.
And I just thought,
he is so interesting to hear him talk, like, as a real person.
Yeah.
You know?
Okay, so the death of Pee-Wee Herman,
I'm going to tie it to another significant death
that Bob was alluding to earlier.
Yeah.
So we'll just listen for a moment.
This wasn't the musical one I was talking about, but yeah.
Oh yeah. Well, I have lots of deaths to discuss.
Because it struck me how both Pee Wee Herman and, uh,
and, uh, and, uh,
Sinead O'Connor seem to be sort of like,
I don't want to use the word canceled,
but they were like forced to take these timeouts in pop culture due to their like actions.
Like Sinead O'Connor rips up a picture of the Pope on Saturday night live.
Yeah.
Pee Wee Herman gets arrested in a,
uh,
porno theater.
Right.
And then I think Pee Wee sort of skipped the 90s.
I feel like he was everywhere,
and then he took the 90s off before his comeback
because of what happened to him in the porno theater.
But these are two artists, loved them both,
but it just seems to me there's a parallel there
with terms of public cancellation
due to actions
that I would not deem
embarrassing or shameful
or I just think
they got kind of
fucked by society
in that regard.
Sinead,
I think I would say
a little bit less
because I think that people
who didn't really care
as much like
from a religious perspective
let's say
about her actions on SNL
were like,
well,
that's a bold move to make
but okay, you do you because we know that there's political shit We're like, well, that's a bold move to make, but okay,
you do you,
because we know that there's political shit that goes on and religious stuff
that's going on.
She's making a statement and I don't know that it harmed her career that
much,
but for a certain segment of the population,
I guess it,
weren't they booing her at the,
uh,
what was it?
The Bob Dylan anniversary,
uh,
concert.
That's because of the Pope thing,
right?
Yeah.
Maybe.
I don't know.
No,
Chris Christopherson comes out and gives her the hug.
Yeah, I think
you're both kind of right.
What she did
was
to a certain crowd
deplorable. Yes.
And I think she was on
a trajectory to be a bigger star
until that moment. That
being said, I don't know if she would have wanted it.
It's almost
like she pumped the brakes
on her own success by doing that.
Oh, for sure she did. And she would give that up
for her political stance. It was more important
to her. Look, I am not
cool enough to know
Sinead before this song. I wasn't that
guy. But I wanted to ask you, did you ever
cross paths with her at all? No.
I mean, not in real life, but
just knew that first album when it came out.
Do Not Want When I Have Not Got or The Emperor's New Clothes,
which was the...
The album's called They Do Not Want When I Haven't Got, and this
is the first single, and then Emperor's New Clothes is
the second single, but there's an album before this,
right? Troy with the Amandingo
was a big jam.
I didn't know those at all. she got the Grammy this is when I learned
she existed was she got a Grammy nomination
and this was like oh
so I was familiar with her
and then this is the song that makes her
a worldwide star
the video was just her face
I think knowing once she passed away
I remember a few years ago
do you remember the controversy with her a few years ago
where she was like in the states somewhere in a hotel and she was on a suicide watch I think it was after her son passed away I remember a few years ago do you remember the controversy with her a few years ago where she was like in the States somewhere
in a hotel
and she was on a suicide watch
I think it was after
her son passed away
and it's something
to do with that
and people were like
oh my god Sinead O'Connor
and she's like
they're trying to find her
and people have expected her
to end up like suicidal
at that point
so that was already
like a sad thing
so that's why this
as a shock
made me flash back to like those years ago and think oh this seemed So that was already like a sad thing. So that's why this as a shock made me flash back
to like those years ago
and think,
oh, this seemed like
it was already like...
This could have happened
10 years ago.
Yeah.
Unfortunately.
Yeah.
You don't even know
the support system
somebody has around them
at that level.
It may be a lot,
maybe it's none.
Yeah.
She was sick for a long time,
I think.
Great loss.
A couple of like Gen X icons here that we're talking
about. I know what musician you're referring to, Bob,
but I need to share something with you.
There are certain songs that stand
alone or objectively great, like this cover
of the Prince song and
Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.
These songs that are just great songs, but my
brain has been rewired, so when I hear the songs,
I hear them as part of
a girl talk mashup.
And this is one of those songs.
So I decided to pull the part of a song called play your part by girl talk,
which I've heard a million times.
That is what I hear now when I hear nothing compares to you.
Okay.
You ready?
Yep. We'll be right back. She thought I was back then. I grabbed my keys. Oh, I gotta go. Got my motorcycle jacket and my motorcycle low.
Cause nothing compares to your bad hand.
Nothing compares to your bad hand.
I was getting some hate.
Getting, getting some hate.
I was getting some hate.
Getting, getting some hate.
I'll bring her down to tell you that when I hear Nothing Compares You,
which is a beautiful song,
and there's no version
like Sinead O'Connor's version,
I will literally, even if the kids are around,
I will start saying, I was getting
some head. Getting some head.
I can't help myself. That's rather unfortunate.
Yeah, I know. But all these
great songs get mashed up by
Girl Talk. How much do you listen to Girl Talk?
I spent, I would say
like 09, maybe 2010 i spent
an incredible number of hours listening to my three favorite girl talk album wow like just
while i worked at my cubicle just playing it yeah and that's one of that's from one of the big girl
talk albums i loved and that was a big jam it's great if you have adhd because you never hear a
full song which i might have bob I might fucking have, Bob.
I might fucking have it.
Who knows?
But it really worked for me and it's all like
tattooed in my cranium
here.
So sorry to say we lost
Sinead O'Connor and
Pee Wee Herman.
Just to bring it closer
to home because here we
are in Canada here.
I'm here to shout out
the 19, I think it was
in 1987 solo debut of Robbie Robertson with
some jams that I still love.
I loved it when it came out and I love it now.
And this is one.
We lost Robbie Robertson.
Yeah.
Did you ever meet Robbie Robertson, Rob Prues?
I don't think so.
Like, how do you not know?
Because sometimes like at award shows. You get a Junos or something. Wouldn't you not know? Because sometimes at award shows...
Wouldn't you have crossed paths with him?
87, you're in Honeymoon Suite.
And he releases this album. You guys had to have been in the same building.
It's impossible.
Did you actually have an exchange with the man?
No, definitely did not.
No.
You would remember that.
Nope.
But I did love this album though. I like this this album was like a defining moment
in the sound of the 80s but it sort of led from what peter gabriel had been doing as well because
it was dan lenoir right producing as well but yeah exactly daniel uh lenoir and uh great album
and a great loss uh you know i kind of don't know if I knew that he never sang for,
like the band.
I know all the hits or whatever.
Like,
I don't know if I ever listened to full albums or whatever.
Like,
I loved the weight,
particularly the version with the staple.
Yeah,
yeah,
yeah,
yeah,
yeah.
That's the big ones.
The night they drove old Dixie down,
right?
But like,
I think it was kind of news to me when I learned,
oh,
this,
this album we're listening to in the background is like the first time Robbie Robertson sings. Yeah.
Crazy, right? Crazy River.
This is a great,
fucking great song. Yeah, I love it.
Jesus. Okay. Anyway, I will say
for my money, the wait with
the staple singers
is the
go-to version. That's
incredible. Also, watch the
last Waltz. Well, that's what it's from. But you gotta watch the whole version. That's incredible. Also, watch the last Waltz.
That's what it's from.
You gotta watch the whole thing.
Neil Young's in there.
That might be considered the greatest
concert documentary film of all time.
I think you could say that if you want to say
Nirvana. Teen Spirit is a great song.
I think you might be right.
I think it's kind of universally agreed upon. It might be the best one.
Leon Russell too. Oh my gosh.
Ridiculous.
The late, great, romping Ronnie Hawkins.
Yes.
Yep.
Not to be confused with the other Ronnie Hawkins.
That's right.
Shout out to Tobias Vaughn, who's actually watching us from Lisbon.
Wow.
That guy's a world traveler.
He was in Qatar.
How do you say it?
Qatar.
Qatar, I believe.
I still fuck it up, but he was there.
You and I saw him at
the Canada Honduras match. That's right.
We did. Yes. Tobias Vaughn.
Right. He just travels the world,
this man. What a crazy cat. Okay.
So shout out to Levi Fumka,
Leslie, always
a great FOTM, Tobias Vaughn.
Okay. Should we move on from
the dead people? Let's move to
introducing today's topic.
And the creative way. Flowers on the
grave of the topic.
Oh, there you go. Shout out to Ridley Funeral Home.
Shout out. Absolutely.
Here's a fun thing I did here.
Sorry, Robbie, we're bringing you down here
because we're going to miss you. In fact,
I drink to you now, Robbie Robertson.
Cheers to Robbie Robertson.
Somewhere down the crazy river.
Listen to you too.
You want to record something wrong?
We should.
I think we should.
My people will call your people.
I'm going to put this in the background
because nobody picked this song,
but it was one of the first songs I thought about
when I thought about our topic today.
Our topic today, flower jams.
That was it, right?
We were literally standing in front of your house
and I literally
looked around and I saw your neighbor's garden
and I'm like, what about flowers?
And you guys said yes. So there we go.
And it was summer, so we thought we should
have something summery.
Okay.
Does Bob Ouellette know
the song we're playing right now?
I can't name it.
It's probably the only Nirvana song you'll find where Kurt's not singing it.
Is this Dave?
This is Dave Grohl.
The song is called Marigold.
Okay.
And what was it?
Was this on In Utero?
I don't... I think it's a B-side.
Definitely not on In Utero.
Definitely a B-side.
Not on any...
None of the big albums.
None of the...
Not on In Utero or Nevermind.
But this was like your first taste of Dave Grohl as a...
Oh, he did know about it.
And he sounds so young.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, he was super young.
Wow.
And he's doing all the meat parts. He's like, you know, like he does about it. And he sounds so young. Oh, yeah. Oh, he was super young. Wow. And he's doing all the mute parts.
He's like, you know, like he does.
Marigold is a flower jam.
Marigold is a flower jam.
Yeah.
Also a character on Polka Dot Door.
I was going to say the same thing.
It's a puppet.
It's a doll.
It's a doll.
I think it's just a stuffy.
Yeah, that's right.
Humpty Dumpty Bear and Marigold.
There you go.
Look at that.
Polka Dot Door is my jam.
Are you fucking kidding me right now? Are you kidding me? Our brains go. Polka Dot Door's my jam. Are you fucking kidding me right now?
Are you kidding me?
Our brains go to Polka Dot Door from Nirvana.
It's the best thing ever.
All three of us think the exact same thing.
Everybody's like, oh, here they go again.
Yeah.
Okay, so I have four children, and I went to each of them, and I said, what is your
favorite flower jam?
So in order, okay, and I won't play the whole thing because it's at the table here.
I said to Sweet Morgan, who's seven years old years old i said what's your favorite flower jam and she
she picked post malone's sunflowers i think maybe because it's in the spider-man uh into the spider
verse oh yeah but this is a good song right bobby yeah they're playing this on your stations uh Sunflowers, I think maybe because it's in the Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse.
But this is a good song, right, Bobby?
They play this on your stations?
We're not doing that.
No, right now I think we're on Chemical, I think is the single from Posty.
Oh, this is a little dusty now.
Yeah, yeah.
By the way, unrelated, not unrelated, but that movie,
the set into the Spider-Verse, it's phenomenal.
I have to see it.
Do you know what's my favorite Marvel movie?
Of all the Marvel movies,'s my favorite The first one
But the second one
Have you seen the second one?
Not yet
It blows the first one out of the water
I can't believe that
It is one of the most visually stunning films
I've ever seen in my life
Wow
I felt like I was in a trance watching it
But how can it be that much better than a movie
I just deemed the greatest Marvel movie ever seen
It's going to be 1 and 1A. I'm telling you.
The visuals of it. You've got to see
a good theater with a good surround sound.
That's amazing. Oh my god, it was so good.
Fuck, I've got to see that. Okay.
So, Sunflowers, Post Malone.
Then I went to the next child
whose name is Jarvis. He's
9. And Jarvis. Where you play your game But it's so good
I've never known anybody like you
But it's so good
I've never dreamed of nobody like you
And I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime
And I'm pretty sure that you are
that love of mine
Cause I'm in a field
of dandelions
Wishing on everyone
that you would be mine
He kicked out this song
called Dandelions
by Ruth B.
That's really good.
It's a great song.
Yeah.
And I was unfamiliar with this song
because I'm a little out of the top 40 loop lately,
and I realized it's because I'm never in a car,
and that was where I heard it on my top 40.
Ruth B's got some good songs, though.
Now that I hear her voice, I recognize it.
But then I said to my son,
and you guys might laugh at me,
but I said,
I don't think a dandelion is a flower.
That's what I said.
Would you guys think of dandelions as flowers?
Yeah. Okay, they are flowers.
It's a weed too, right? It's a weed, but it's a flower.
So you can be a flower and a weed?
It's been flowered, but I
didn't think it would be classified as a flower.
Maybe I'm just stupid, but I would think
dandelions are not a flower.
Weeds can flower.
Chives can flower, for goodness sake.
Okay, geez. Now you're making me feel bad.
Okay.
So, thank you, Ruth B.
Then I went to Michelle, and I said, and Michelle was worried to be picking this because she
said he's anti-Semitic, and I said, well, it's okay to appreciate the song.
It doesn't mean you adopt all of his opinions because anti-Semitism is bullshit.
But can I please give her these flowers?
The doctor don't want to take procedures.
He claimed my heart can't take the anesthesia.
It'll send a body into a seizure.
The little thing by the hospital bed, it'll stop beeping.
Hey, chick, I'm at a loss for words.
What do you say at this time?
Remember when I was nine?
So it's Roses by Kanye West.
Rob Prusk, can you appreciate a song if you know the performer of the song
is either homophobic
or racist
or anti-Semitic
or some other hateful,
has some other hateful opinion?
Well,
it matters less to me
about the background
as much as to what
I'm hearing lyrically
in the present moment.
Oh, yeah, no,
that's for sure.
Like, if he's like
rhyming off about
fucking going off
on like Jewish people.
Jerry Seinfeld or something or whatever.
It's not an anti-Semitic song.
Right.
No, no, no.
This is a big question.
Can you separate the art from the artist?
I can.
Yeah.
And I can, too, but some people can't.
I think most people should be able to.
Yes.
But to me, I draw the line at the lyrical content of a lot of rap music.
Unfortunately, that's me. It's very misogynistic a lot. Kids don't mind as much, but I'm like, I don't line at the lyrical content of a lot of rap music. Unfortunately, that's me.
It's very misogynistic.
Kids don't mind as much, but I'm like, I don't want to hear any of it.
Okay, let me ask you this, because I was a big NWA fan.
Yeah.
And they had a song.
This is after Ice Cube had left, actually.
But To Kill a Hooker.
Yeah.
Okay.
And it's very graphic telling.
So the little known follow-up to Kill a Mockingbird.
That's right.
Now, I never, I don't know.
I never thought about like, I never thought it was a good thing to kill a hooker.
I'm not a pro sex worker and I would never harm anybody, let alone a wonderful sex worker.
But I thought that, you know, I thought that was just like part of the character of the skit or whatever.
And I was okay with that,
but that would not be a Rob Proust jam.
No,
I mean,
you're not going to listen to any songs about killing hookers.
No,
I can.
I always try to appreciate from a musical perspective.
People talk about Kanye and like a lot of rappers that I feel like I'm out of the loop because I don't want to be in the loop,
but that's just me personally.
Like I can appreciate the craft of the creation of the songs.
As a producer, you would, Kanye's insane. personally. I can appreciate the craft of the creation of the songs. As a producer,
you would...
Kanye's insane.
Yeah, I know.
My twisted dark fantasy
is just...
It's like...
It's Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop.
The production's so insane.
But then he puts his words on top
and I'm like,
peace out.
I just don't care.
I totally get that.
And that's just me.
But what about...
And I've heard this before
just to get off a little bit.
Separating the art from the artist what about in the world world of comedy
what about i can't believe the bill cosby thing yeah well that's that's an obvious but uh even
uh dave chapelle has some uh transphobic yeah yeah yeah that's that's actually part of his act i'm
in the case of in the case of bill cosby or someone somebody was he did that's not what he
talked about oh yes i've heard these spanish fly bits on the sund Cosby, that's not what he talked about.
Oh, yes. I heard the Spanish fly bit on the Sunday Funnies.
That's right.
Yeah, I know.
But generally speaking, he wasn't talking about going out and drugging ladies or whatever he did.
But it's hard for us to know now because now we're coloring the present moment with our memories of the past.
I know.
I think when I was a kid, I loved Bill Cosby.
All I did was,
I listened to Bill Cosby records
all the time.
I listened to Fat Albert.
It was all good.
If I listen to it now,
am I supposed to go,
oh, I loved this when I was 11,
but now I know who he is,
so now I don't like it.
But he's an extreme case.
Like to me,
there's a big difference
between Kanye,
who might also be unwell.
Like, I mean,
he is mentally ill for sure.
It's different.
What he's done is different
than what Bill Cosby did.
Now we're talking about different levels
of evil. What's more evil? Being
anti-Semitic? If Hitler
painted a beautiful picture, I don't want to see that fucking
thing. You know what I mean?
He was in art school.
And if he got accepted or whatever,
maybe he wouldn't have become an evil dictator.
Maybe. It's true. Here's another
roses. Yeah, okay. So this
shout out to my oldest, James, who
didn't even hesitate to tell me it's outcast
Roses. He's a big fan.
He's a big fan. Saw them once
actually with one of the artists that I'm
kicking out today. I saw them
Yeah, I saw
them and
it's amazing because Big Boy is still touring
but Andre's out. Andre 3000's done with music.
He's a different cat, right?
Weird.
He's very,
yeah,
I've done everything I can do.
I've seen clips
where he's like,
I can't do what they're doing now
and I'm done.
So the last album
where they're like collaborating
is Stankonia?
I guess so.
Think about that.
I know.
Talk about going out
on your A-game though.
That's like Jim Brown, right?
Jim Brown, I'm out.
Like it's the peak
of your powers. He's such a brilliant guy like Jim Brown, right? Jim Brown, I'm out. Like, you're at the peak of your powers.
He's such a brilliant guy, like, lyrically.
Miss Jackson's on that album, and Bombs Over Baghdad.
Holy fuck.
Yep.
I think we're going to have a real variety of flower songs.
Oh, I think we are.
I know my songs are like...
The whole show's just my kids kicking out the flowers.
We're done.
You're not going to let us kick out...
I picked three very different songs on purpose.
Mine aren't very different.
For fun.
Oh, okay. But I also picked ones that I... Like, I think there's ones... to let us kick it. I picked three very different songs on purpose. Mine aren't very fun.
But I also picked ones that I think there's ones I won't go through
so I won't steal, but there are ones that are so obvious
that I thought, I can't do that one.
I can't
wait to do this here. So I have
an exciting announcement to make. There is
a sponsor of Toronto Mike
in the past that I did a couple years in a row,
maybe three years in a row, I can't even remember. But they came
back. So
this is important information
for all
FOTMs listening. This is very
important information.
Pumpkins After Dark.
Okay, this is actually going to be
in more locations this year, but it's in Milton.
That's where it's been historically. There's a
park in Milton. And Pumpkins it's been historically. There's a park in Milton.
And Pumpkins After Dark
is bigger and better than ever.
And if you buy your tickets
for Pumpkins After Dark in August,
you can save 15%
with the promo code
TOMIKE15.
TOMIKE15.
Okay, TOMIKE15.
This is going to run
from September 23rd
to October 31st
get your tickets now
to save the 15%
that's a deal
T.O. Mike 15
and since I'm promoting events
I can't wait for getting hip to the hip
on September 1st at 7.30 at the Rec Room
it's an evening for the Downey Wenjack Fund
if you like the Tragically Hip at all, and I know
a lot of listeners do, I know a lot of people in this room
do, go to gettinghiptothehip.com
and use the promo code
FOTM10 and you save
10%. I'll be there.
I'll see you there.
Shout out to FOTM Jamie Dew.
They're going to have a hip
cover band. They're going to do a live recording.
It's going to be a big deal for hip fans.
Here's the poster.
Yes.
Yeah, there's the poster.
Thank you, Rob.
That's the poster right there, Getting Hip to the Hip.
How come your logo's not on there?
That should have been part of the sponsorship.
Also, delete that right there.
But shout out to Getting Hip to the Hip.
You should have got your logo on that, man.
Do you want some help with promotional relationships?
Well, that's what you're here for, man. That's what we do in radio, man. That's what you're here for. I can't afford to advertise. Stick your logo on that, man. Do you want some help with promotional relationships? Well, that's what you're here for, man.
That's what we do in radio, man.
That's what you're here for.
I can't afford to advertise.
Stick my logo on everything.
That's right.
One more event since I'm now promoting another event,
which is TMLX 13.
It's going to be on September 7th from 6 to 9 p.m.
Rob Prues, are you going to be anywhere close to Toronto
on September 7th?
I don't think so.
Oh, fuck!
I can't.
I know. I know. That's't think so. Oh, fuck! I know.
I know. That's my Martin
streak, fuck. Fuck!
It's been a year since the last
one. Well, okay.
The last one at Great Lakes, but we had
one at Palmas Kitchen. Yes, that.
September 1st last year.
Yeah, it was TMLX
X, and this is TMLX
13. That's amazing. Okay.
Everybody come out.
Great Lakes Brewery's
Southern Etobicoke location,
6 to 9 p.m. on September 7th.
You'll be on the lawn?
And guess what?
We're going to be on the lawn
just like last time.
We're all going to be fed
by palm apostate.
There you go.
Okay, wow, you can't beat this.
And there's no admission charge here.
Just get your ass over there
and let's hang out, man.
It's going to be great.
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Okay.
By the way,
a couple of FOTMs died.
We were kind of doing a big death thing there. But I do want way a couple of FOTMs died we were kind
of doing a big deaf thing there but I do
want to shout out to FOTMs who died
since you guys were last here Bob
Segarini passed away and Hal Harbour
passed away Hal Harbour was long gone by
the time Bob Ouellette got to 102.1
often spoke about though in the building
for sure he He helped break
the Barenaked Ladies.
I got a note from Tyler Stewart today
where he talked about how
he came to all the events,
he promoted them,
helped them with that
new music search contest they won,
and got them on the radio.
Wow.
Like, Barenaked Ladies,
who have a number one
billboard hit,
got on the radio,
in large part,
due to the fact that
they had a champion
at 102.1 named Hal Harbour.
Amazing.
And I did have Hal Harbour on Toronto Mic
only in September. Yeah, not that long ago, right?
No, less than a year ago. And I only found
out earlier this week that he passed away
and, oh, yeah, earlier this week.
What are we, Sunday? But he,
yeah, he was, it's sad
because he just seemed like a cool
cat, very creative guy guy it's nice to
hear your episode now in hindsight now that he's gone and knowing that it was so recent it was a
nice sort of summation of his career and like who he is and where he's been and what he's doing
you asked the right questions you got the right history out of him that's what i found interesting
about segherini passing away and then the next month uh hell harbor and that there are two guys
like you know there's a lot of guests guests of Toronto Mike have done a hundred things,
maybe a thousand things, right?
Like, so there's gonna be a lot of like
stuff you can go to when they pass.
But these are two cats,
like Segarini and Hell Harbor,
where like, I mean, this is gonna sound arrogant,
but I feel like I've got the go-to definitive
capsulation of their careers in their own words.
Like, you know, and the fact that,
cause I've listened to both episodes after they passed and you're hearing them in their own words. Yeah. You know? And the fact that, because I've listened to both episodes
after they passed
and you're hearing them in their own words
talk about their life and times.
And it's really kind of a special thing.
Like, so they've passed away.
They've shed their mortal coil
and forever we have their voice
and their words talking about,
you know, what happened here,
what happened there,
why they went and did this.
And it's something special, you know?
All right. Thank you for doing it. Thank you listening rob pruse from the spoons did you prefer the spoons or just spoons i didn't care yeah there you go sometimes it said spoons sometimes
people say the spoons but whatever you don't get as long as it sounds grammatically correct you're
fine true like what's on the albums i liked your your, when What's His Name from the Tragically Hip was here, and you were being
very careful with the hip and the Tragically Hip.
He's crazy about it.
I know.
Like if I say anything on Twitter, even, we're kicking out Tragically Hip jams.
Yeah.
I get a note, we're kicking out the Tragically Hip jams, which sounds funny to me.
It's awkward.
Yeah.
But Jake Gold.
And Jake Gold is another guy.
Hal Harbour and I talked for that whatever 80 minutes
in September
Hal Harbour would
get calls
this is you know
late 80s early 90s
he'd get all these
phone calls from
Jake Old about
getting the
Tragically Hip
on the radio
in my band
the the
the the
Tragically Hip
oh there you go
and did you guys
hear Paul
I think Paul
Angwok came here
after your last
visit
did anyone listen
it was awesome
yeah yeah
good job
that's the one
you had him on
the basement right I have had him on the basement, right?
I have had him on the basement.
Who else in the hip you had?
Robbie Baker.
Very good.
I got to get Robbie Baker. I had Robbie Baker with Craig Northey together
because they have their side project called Strippers Union.
Of course.
Okay, very cool.
On that note, just since we're talking about CanCon,
I got to promote later this week.
Neil Osborne is going to be sitting in that seat. Yes, amazing. just since we're talking about CanCon, I got to promote later this week.
Neil Osborne's going to be sitting in that seat.
Yes, amazing.
And we're going to have, yeah, in my basement.
And Harold Hossain is coming over.
That's pretty cool.
And some guy named Stu Stone.
This is an A-level week, man.
Well, you guys are the top of the
Sunday here.
If your week starts on Sunday.
The broadcast week starts on Sunday. The broadcast week starts on Sunday.
Okay, this is the first episode of the week.
We're going in this order since I am
the benevolent dictator
of Toronto Mike. We're going to do it like
this. It's going to be Rob Pruce and then we're going
to do Bob Boulette and then we're going to do me.
Any
words to say, Rob, before I kick
out your first flower jam
Uh no
Okay let's do it
Let it rip
Play it loud
There's a fly in the window
A dog in the yard
And years since I saw you There's a trunk in the corner Thank you. You went to please me Cooked black coffee's me Made elderberry wine
Drunk on the top
Three last pounds
Of elderberry wine
Those were the days
We lay in the haze
Forget the pleasant times
How can I ever get it together
Without a white line
To paint the crop and get me hot
On your very line
Rob Pruitt, you got a few years on Bob and I,
but is this a deep cut or is this a radio jam?
It's a deep cut.
Yeah.
Because I don't know this song.
Good.
It was on the album Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player, which came out in 73.
Okay.
It was the flip side of Crocodile Rock.
Ah.
There's a big jam.
The flip side of Crocodile Rock.
Yeah.
What's this called?
Elderberry Wine.
Okay.
I have a dumb question.
Is elderberry a flower?
Yeah.
There you go.
Listen, I went to Wikipedia. I did flower. Did you know that, Bob? That elder elderberry a flower? Yeah. There you go. Listen, I went to Wikipedia.
I did flower.
Did you know that, Bob?
That elderberry is a flower?
I'd be honest with you.
I did a little flower research
because I was like,
I don't want to get busted on this song.
Elderberry is a flower.
It's Sambuca.
Oh, no way.
There's a jam coming up
I'm furious about.
Really?
Mine?
No.
No, it's mine.
It's one of mine.
I'm furious about it.
I am livid.
It's from a family called Sambuca,
a genus of flowering plants.
The species are commonly referred to as elder, elderflower, or elderberry.
They're formerly placed in the honeysuckle family.
In August 1983, a group of 25 people in California became ill after ingesting elderberry juice
processed from fresh, uncooked Sambucus mexicana berries.
So Elton John's singing about elderberry wine.
I hope he didn't get sick.
Right?
Right, because you have to be careful, apparently.
Yeah.
So this is a deep cut from this album,
which had the hits Daniel and Crocodile Rock.
Wow.
And I discovered this album when I was like 10 years old
because I just wanted the album.
I was going backwards now, collecting all his albums.
Yeah.
Okay, that's it.
So that's why I mentioned you having a couple years with us
because if you bought the album,
because I know this, when I buy the album,
the album cuts, they mean as much to me as the hits
because when you listen to it
over and over again or whatever.
But for Bob and I who might only know Elton
John from the radio...
Like the Lion King.
I'm kidding.
How old do you think we are?
I think we're 30.
For me though, and we've talked about this before, a lot of my Elton John
exposure, besides the radio and all that sad song, Stay So Much, all the 80s stuff,
was the greatest hits.
Yes.
Well, me too, though.
Me too.
Radio songs.
But for me-
This is a man with many radio hits.
Oh, yeah.
But see, when Crocodile Rock was a single in like 73, my first Elton John album was
greatest hits, number one, in like 75.
I was 10 years old.
So I was obsessed with the Greatest Hits album.
Then I was going backwards,
realizing that these songs all came off of other records.
This was the second Elton John album I ever had.
That's how I worked with Neil Young.
Yeah, you go backwards, right?
That's exactly what I did.
It's the coolest thing.
And we've talked about this in the past.
That's how we rolled, man.
We didn't have streaming fucking devices.
You gotta buy the records. You had to wait. You either had to own it, or you had to wait to hear it on the radio. Sometimes you listen we rolled, man. We didn't have streaming fucking devices. You got to buy the records.
You either had to own it
or you had to wait
to hear it on the radio.
And sometimes you listen
to side one more than side two.
I had the band's greatest hits.
Or side two.
Whatever side had the best song,
I'd be like,
oh my God,
I know side two so well.
I don't really know side one.
Right, right, right.
For sure.
So elderberry wine,
you're telling me elderberry
is a flower.
So if that's true
and I trust you,
it's a flowering plant.
Okay.
But there's flowers on
it yeah and the flowers are called elderberries yeah okay i am i will just see i am livid at a
pick that i'm gonna have to play later i'm livid do you want to save it for my last one so we can
save the anger for the end or do you just want to i don't mind getting angry i kind of did it on
purpose well you just try to piss me off i haven't been this mad you'll see since we were kicking out
uh march of the pigs well march of the pigs didn't piss me off. I haven't been this mad since we were kicking out. March of the Pigs.
Well, March of the Pigs didn't piss me off.
It was disgusting.
And I'm still angry about it, Mr. Gordon.
But what pissed me off is we were kicking out jams with other musicians in the title.
Yeah.
And Stu Stone kicked out KRS-One's Sound of the Police.
Okay.
Sound of the Police because there's a band called the Police.
There was.
But they weren't singing about the police. And to me me it was so offensive because that's an important song about uh police brutality
especially of young black men and fucking stew stone who's now officially banned from toronto
mike i'm canceling his friday appearance because i'm mad again but i gotta save this i gotta save
this anger we talked earlier about robbie rober Robertson passing away. Robbie Robertson was
a key songwriter and guitarist
with the band. The lead singer
was an American named
Levon Helm, and I'm here to
tell you that Elton John has a great song called
Levon. He shall be Levon.
That was a good six degrees.
There you go.
Levon. Yeah, I like Levon, actually.
It's a good Elton John song.
It's great.
Thank you.
I like that.
I like hearing new stuff.
The production on that.
I never heard that song before.
The production's so good.
So they just released,
because it's the 50th anniversary
of the release of the album,
and on Record Store Day,
they released a special vinyl,
two vinyl set, two disc set,
whatever it's called,
and the second disc had demos of these songs,
and I just discovered it last night,
and you can hear Elton
working it out with the band.
Love that shit.
Love that shit.
And shout out to Elton's husband,
David Furnish,
who was recently a guest
on Mary Jo Eustace's
Senior Bitches,
which I produced.
David and Mary Jo
were friends as teenagers.
Isn't that a small world?
I met David once.
It's my one degree from Elton John.
Okay, yeah, he's a Toronto guy.
Yeah.
Okay, he seemed like a nice guy. And I think Elton's got a home. He's a Toronto guy. Yeah. Okay. He seemed like a nice guy.
And I think Elton's got a home.
He's got many homes, but I believe he has one in Toronto.
Yep.
Okay.
Love it.
Bob Ouellette.
Yes.
Program director of the Chorus Cluster in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Chorus Cluster in Kingston.
Chorus Cluckster.
Cluckster.
Home of the morning show, Stu and Monica in the morning.
How's that going?
Fresh mornings with Monica and Jesse.
Oh, shit.
Stu lost that gig already.
Okay.
He didn't even get it.
Any words before I kick out your first jam?
It's called Flower.
Ooh.
Green salad, a green salad down.
Last done spot, gotta tell the crowd.
Green salad, a green salad down.
Last done spot, gotta tell the crowd.
So many words Oh, Bob.
You can tell me.
Sure, yeah.
Sorry, we can bring it down anytime.
So obviously, we all know who did this.
This is Moby.
And it was not featured on Play.
It's on Play the B-Sides.
Yes.
Interesting.
And every song in Play was licensed for an ad, right?
Yeah, that's the story.
This was supposed to be his last album.
I've actually had the opportunity pre-podcast.
I did a thing when I was at 1039 Proud FM called Moby,
unlike anything you've heard.
And I did an hour-long special.
Do you have that audio?
I do, still.
Do you ever think of editing that into a Bob Space?
I probably could, shouldn't I?
I could, couldn't I?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I totally still have the audio.
I would do that.
Yeah, and so it's me and Moby talking.
He had the album at that time that he was doing called Destroyed, and we sat and we
talked about his whole album.
So there's a couple of reasons I brought this up.
First of all, I love Moby.
I think, you know, I mean, I'm not,
I wasn't one of those cool kids going to raves in the nineties here and
seeing him DJ and all that.
I have seen him DJ, but I saw him at This Is London DJ one time.
But I just want to, as we know,
the album is full of these samples, right?
And the samples are specifically from a box set that was released in 93 called Sounds
of the South, a musical journey from the Georgia Sea Islands to the Mississippi Delta.
Is that where all the samples came from?
Yes.
That's so cool.
Yes.
So a friend of his in 93 lent him the box set.
And then in 2000 or 98 is when he started releasing the singles, Run On and all the
first ones.
And these are all from that.
That's amazing.
And it's all, I guess at that point, it's all license free because
it's all this old stuff. Nobody owns it.
So he gets to do this. My question
for you is, could somebody
do that today now? Could a white guy
specifically, could a white guy
do that? I would like to think
yes. I don't know if he can though.
He should be able to. I don't know if he can. Is it
not appropriating? I know. I love this album and I don't know if he can though. He should be able to. I don't know if he can. Is it not appropriating? I know.
I love this album
and I don't think
Moby appropriated anything.
No.
I think Moby gave life
to these two.
This is a great conversation
because I sometimes
I know because
you're a good program director.
Good job.
Because there's a fine line
between appropriation
and celebration.
Yeah.
Right.
Absolutely.
I always like if I get into
I don't know Filipino food
or whatever and I start to't know filipino food or
whatever and i start to learn how to create filipino food or whatever like i'm a white guy
i have no filipino blood yeah you're not allowed to make filipino food then but are you but if
nobody what if you start making money on it that's what yeah oh i so what about dave's hot chicken
dave's hot chicken is a very uh it's a it's a franchise here in toronto now and uh it's a bunch of uh college
age white dudes in the states started it and have made this huge franchise where does it where does
it what is that appropriation can i ask you do you remember the rap group young black teenagers
not really no i do it was a bunch of white guys i just i had that memory. Young black teenagers were a bunch of white guys.
I love that song.
It's cool to hear that because right away I was like,
oh my God, this is that Moby album.
And they all kind of have the same feeling
with the piano and the vocals and the samples, right?
But it's such a good feeling from 23 years ago, 24 years ago.
And that was featured in the very first Gone in 60 Seconds,
that movie.
Amazing.
That song was. Okay, you know the band Magic Gone in 60 Seconds, that movie. That song was.
That song was.
Okay, you know the band Magic, Toronto band.
Yeah, of course.
Why you gotta be so rude?
Right, but that's a reggae song.
Okay, but that's a reggae beat.
It's not saying.
Sting is on line one.
That's what I was going to say.
Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Culture Club is on line two.
Okay, but doing something in the style of is one thing.
I mean, you know, those Greta Van Fleet kids are stealing Led Zeppelin.
Who stole Led Zeppelin? You can steal Led Zeppelin. But, okay, so that's it. But doing the style of is one thing. I mean, you know, those Greta Van Fleet kids are stealing Led Zeppelin. Who stole all the money?
You can steal Led Zeppelin.
But, okay, so that's it.
But doing the style,
this is actually taking the vocals
from these long dead R&B gospel artists,
black families that probably
never got any money.
You know what?
I wish Kanye would do that shit.
Yeah, that would be great.
Probably not using all your shits
and your swear words.
Don't use your bad words.
You know, Kanye,
and again,
I vehemently denounce all forms of hatred, anti-Semitism, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I,
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I,
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I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
I,
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I,
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I,
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I,
I,
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I,
I,
I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I think your question is valid as far as the appropriation. I don't think he could do it. I don't think he could do it.
And it's,
and, and,
and part of me thinks that's unfortunate,
but it's already been done.
So it doesn't have,
but is there a parallel?
Is there something that could happen where it's like,
but you're saying it's okay for magic to have a hit in reggae songs,
even if they're like Toronto white.
Oh,
I think so.
Well,
especially,
and if you want to talk to me,
Toronto is so Caribbean,
you know,
influenced by the Caribbean.
But then now you can talk about Snow,
who I met at a Stu Stone film, Darren O'Brien,
who of course famously had a number one fan.
Again, that's not stealing the actual product.
And I'm not saying Moby stole.
I'm a huge Moby fan.
But that's not taking the actual.
It's just busting their styles.
Yeah, that's all.
So yeah, you can do that.
You know what?
If Darius Rucker, who is a black man,
can do a country and western song,
I don't know.
He's a big deal.
Huge deal.
I don't know.
I just thought it was a good discussion
to have for a bunch of middle-aged white dudes.
Appropriation.
This is the most diverse.
This toast is the most...
This toast makes Cam and Stu seem diverse.
At least Stu Stone is Jewish, okay?
That's true.
That's true that's true all right yeah i
thought we needed a little 90s alt rock oh did you and maybe even a little canadian 90s alt rock
i just felt like we were missing that on trying to make so here's my first flower jam
a song bob's heard a few times, I suppose. She's crazy A pop-up book
Of flowers from grateful
Are driving
Her insane
And no one
Knows why
She's sad tonight
No one
Can help her fight
Crying, crying
She couldn't afford the pain
Crying, crying I need to know.
I need a ruling here, okay?
You know how sometimes you kick out, I don't know,
a Nickelback song and you're wondering,
am I allowed to tell you that I enjoy this Nickelback song?
Is there some shame in that?
This doesn't sound like Nickelback at all.
No, This sounds like
Our Lady Peace,
but I love early
Our Lady Peace
from the first few albums.
Why wouldn't you?
Is that okay?
Sure.
Are you not allowed?
Well, here's the thing.
Bob's going to make a ruling.
Am I allowed to like
Our Lady Peace?
You are allowed to like
whatever you like
because I think it's
Chuck Klosterman who said,
I hate guilty pleasures because guilty is the guilt yeah lose the fucking guilt if
you like it you like it i'm i dig this is from clumsy uh the second studio i like the first one
too now be there but clumsy is a fucking great album it's an amazing album 1997 it was the the
year that our lady piece started headlining all those, the Edge Fest before that, Tea Party
headlined them all.
And it was the passing of the torch.
I had Mike Turner on Bob's Basement to talk a lot about this.
Your first guest.
My very first guest was Mike Turner, the founding guitarist.
Mike, fun fact, and everyone knows this, especially you, but maybe Rob doesn't know this.
Try me.
Rain Maida.
Yeah.
He's a Mike.
Yeah.
I know. Rain is a Mike? Somebody's learning that for the first time. No, I didn't know that. Okay, see Rain made a... Yeah. He's a mic. Yeah. I know.
Rain is a mic?
Somebody's learning that for the first time.
No, I didn't know that.
Okay, see?
See?
There you go.
That's a fun fact.
Rain made a is a mic.
It's a mic made a.
Is rain bullshit?
He made that up.
Superstar.
This is a great song, but it's interesting to me how as time goes on and you listen to
music from a different era, you start recognizing where the hell it comes from.
Okay. I'm like, this was great when it was Smashing Pumpkins. Three years before. Four years before. and you listen to music from a different era, you start recognizing where the hell it comes from.
And this was great when it was Smashing Pumpkins.
Three years before.
See, you know what I mean? Four years before.
This is a little melancholy-ish,
but at the time it was fantastic as well,
but the influences and the inspirations
become more obvious as time goes on,
which I greatly appreciate.
Because certainly I came through an era
where the music we made,
at the time we thought everything we were making
was pretty original, and then now I hear a Flacasigo song we made, at the time, we thought everything we were making was pretty original.
And then now I hear a Flacasigo song and go, oh my God, we totally...
You know, it's something I was listening to some spoons the other day and I was hearing
Duran Duran.
Of course.
Everything is a product of what's around it, right?
And thank God there were eras when radio was playing all new stuff, but we were all feeding
off of each other.
So I love the fact that this reminds me of just the 90s in a great way.
Did you ever have a moment where a label came to you and said hey can you write a hit guys like like we need we need the
hit there's so many famous stories about bands that yeah they needed a hit yeah blink 182 right
all the small things wasn't that like that like we need a hit only I mean I mean it was like an
unspoken thing but sure for us even the record company would say well you know you guys had some
with this let's try to get to the next level, which is an unspoken
or not so obvious way
of saying,
just write a song
that's more radio friendly.
Isn't Song 2 from Blur
one of those examples?
Probably.
I feel like that's like a,
hey, we need a hit
and then as a joke,
they write like Song 2
because it's a song
I had a friend,
a good friend in New York,
this old songwriter
You had a friend?
Yeah, one,
but he passed away in 2020
but
shout out to Ridley Gil
so his name is Mark Barkin
he was a songwriter
that I met in New York City
yeah
and he had hits
on the radio in the 60s
he wrote a song
which was a number one
for Manfred Mann
called Pretty Flamingo
which was also covered
by Springsteen
Elvis Costello
which is ironic
Springsteen wrote
Manfred Mann's biggest hit
right
how weird is that
you're right
So my friend Mark
Wrote this song
Pretty Flamingo
Covered by all these people
But he had hits
By Frank Sinatra
Sonny and Cher
Dusty Springfield
But he told me the stories
He used to work
At the Brill Building
And a lot of his songs
Were like the second hit
So somebody would have a hit
And they would come back
To the songwriter's circle
And say
We need something like that
So some of his songs
Be a reaction to,
hey, this is a hit.
Yeah.
Give us that.
And in the 60s,
they would almost be the same song.
Right.
Yeah.
And you could get away with it
in those days even more.
Plan of Blonde used to do this.
He sort of.
Yeah.
You had Mark Holmes on yet?
Not yet.
I'm still working on it.
I have to talk to him about
Tears of Not Enough.
Yeah.
Well, you got to have Mark on.
He's got a new piano bar.
Pete Fowler promised me...
I have a direct connection to Mark Holmes. I have Mark's phone number. I can text him. Yeah, well, you got to have Mark on. He's got a new piano bar. Pete Fowler promised me. I have a direct connection
to Mark Holder.
I have Mark's phone number.
I can text him.
Can you do a speech?
No,
that's a long story.
How many phones do you have,
Bob Willett?
I've got two.
Does your wife know?
I've got two.
Yeah,
yeah.
Well,
I've got two,
and then I've got my wife.
You know what they say
about guys with two phones?
No,
what?
You know what they say.
Okay.
Tune in next week.
I would just go out there
to say,
even though I feel like
it might be a tiny bit cheesy
to say you like Our Lady Peace, and I still like those first two. I still like the first two. No, they sound great. I would just go out there to say, even though I feel like it might be a tiny bit cheesy to say you like Our Lady Peace
and I still like those first two.
I still like the first three albums.
No, they sound great.
I still like Happiness
is Not Officially.
I still like the first three albums,
but particularly this one's clumsy.
A lot of big fucking hits on there.
I should tell you the video
for Automatic Flowers,
which we just listened to,
went to number one
on the Much Music Countdown
in October 97.
Amazing.
Okay.
This is, again,
let's not bury the leader.
That's a Toronto band. Yes. A lot of times you rank Toronto bands and you got your obvious guys in there. This is, again, let's not bury the leader. That's a Toronto band.
Yes.
Okay.
A lot of times you rank Toronto bands
and you got your obvious guys in there.
Rush is in there.
Maybe Barenaked Ladies
and all these Toronto bands get listed.
I feel Our Lady Peace gets kind of,
again, Blue Rodeo gets listed,
but Our Lady Peace kind of gets slighted somehow.
This is an underrated Toronto band.
And Rain Maida is a bit pretentious
and a bit hard to deal with.
And you can talk to Jeremy Taggart about this,
who would tell you, like, he had to be the front man,
the star.
How many,
you know,
shots of the drummer did you see,
but fucking good shit came out of that band.
Yeah.
Navied clumsy.
And I mean,
just on the way out here,
I'll just say,
I'm not ashamed to say.
Yeah.
This song is a slow start.
Really tight.
Well, this song's not meant for uh radio well i guess i took the video version but here i have to tell you 4 a.m is a great fucking song
when i hear it i sing along at the top of my lungs i got a great a little bit a little quick
4 a.m story i'll let rain start to talk here in just a second over it you take you gotta hear
the opening thing you got walked around your right here. Let's do it together, guys.
Walked around my good intentions.
So Jeremy, Mike, and Rain are all on the Humble and Fred show when we're at Edge 102.
And they're here.
The only single at the time was Clumsy.
I think that was the first single off the album in 97.
This is now.
But it's huge. Superman's Dead. Oh, Superman's Dead. You're right. I apologize. Because Clumsy's I think that was the first single off the album in 97. This is now, but it's huge.
Superman's Dead.
Oh, Superman's Dead.
You're right.
I apologize.
Because Clumsy's the second one. Yes, you're right.
And then Automatic Flowers in the third.
Yes.
We end up, we have all three guys on the show,
and it's one of those times when, as a radio programmer,
the PD would have hated it, but Humble Predator,
we're just throwing out all the rules.
We're going to sit with these guys, talk to them,
kick out a bunch of jams. We didn't say
that at the time, of course, but we would listen to a bunch of
Our Lady Peace music, and then
everybody's like, well, what do you
want to hear?
And I was there. I
wasn't on the board. Danger Boy, Jason Barr, was
on the board, and Fred
said something from the first album, and they all
just went, ah!
What was it off the new album? And I said, 4am. And rain was like yes 4 a.m cool and then later that night they were playing at the
phoenix concert theater and i was set up for the club or for the i was set up why was i up in the
dj booth because that was a set maybe i can't remember anyhow rain comes out and gives me the
nod because he saw me up in the thing.
It's cool.
We had talked about 4AM. That's a great story.
He gave me a little nod and I was like, ah, so great.
That's cool.
Yeah.
That's a great story.
That's my 4AM story.
Love it.
Love it.
Chantel Kriviacek, married to Rain Maida.
Yes.
He's really a Mike Maida.
Was recently on a program I produced.
And I just want to tell everybody the name has changed. So Helen Tansey's
excellent Feminine Warriors
is now known as
Coming Into Focus.
This is important information.
So the new name of
Feminine Warriors
is Coming Into Focus.
And she recently chatted up
Chantel Corbierge.
Her album,
Under These Rocks and Stones,
is one of my favorite albums
from the 90s.
I love that album.
Wayne is on that.
From the beginning.
Surrounded.
Well, yes.
No, yes.
Surrounded Wayne and God Made Me.
I know.
I love that album, too.
It's like one of my favorite albums from the 90s.
I would put that in my top 20.
All right.
I'm adding it to my playlist.
Add it to your playlist.
And fucking 4AM is a great fucking song.
4AM is a great jam.
And when you see, I've seen R.A.P.'s live a few times, and this is like a song where
Rain holds the mic up and lets the crowd sing it, and it's kind of a cool moment, man.
Yeah, I get chills when I think about it.
Look at this.
I get chills when I think about it.
Bob's got chills.
I legit have chills.
I love this band.
I've always liked them.
Okay.
I almost don't want to fade again.
We've got a nice moment here before you hate me.
Well, I've got to go through a Rob Proust jam first.
I'm going to have another beer before we...
Crack it on mic.
I figure out what's wrong.
I figure out.
I hope to God I figure out what's wrong.
If I don't make it, know that I loved you all along
Just like sunny days light
We know because we're all coming, Janie Oh, 90s angst. I'm just like sunny days We know because we're all coming
And I hope to God I'll figure it out I am forever searching high and low
But why does everybody tell me no?
Neptune of the seas, An answer for me please
The lily of the valley
I lie in wait with open eyes
I carry on through stormy skies
I follow every cause
It's my kingdom for all
But each time I grow old
So come talk to me now
Relieve me for a while
And cast me from your spell
Let me go
Messenger from seven seas has flown
So take it back
He's lost his throne
Wars will never cease
It's the time when the whole piece
The lily of the valley
Doesn't grow Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value. Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value.
Fill me up with value. Fill me up with Play the whole song without saying a word. It's only an hour.
It's only a minute and 40 seconds.
Thank you for doing that.
It was a beautiful thing.
It was a beautiful song.
And much like your Elton John,
a massive artist like fucking Elton John.
And I'm like, I don't know this song because I'm an idiot.
Yeah, no.
This is a Queen song.
This is a deep cut.
And I don't know this song.
Yeah, no, this is from the third album.
Bob, do you know this song?
Did not know that song.
See, Bob knows a lot of music. Nope, don't know it. This Yeah, no, this is from the third album. Bob, do you know this song? Did not know that song. See, Bob knows a lot of music.
Nope, don't know it.
This is not Another One Bites the Dust.
And this is not like Night at the Opera.
What albums is this on?
This is Sheer Heart Attack.
Okay.
One album earlier only.
Great.
Came out in 74.
What are the hits on that album?
Killer Queen.
Okay.
Okay, yes.
She keeps.
And Now I'm Here, which was sort of a hit.
It was a single, but it's like a staple of the Queen.
This is another artist where it was the greatest hits I had.
Although the greatest hits I had
did not have Bohemian Rhapsody on it. Classic
Queen did. They released them at the same time.
Queen greatest hits and Classic Queen.
Bullshit move. One was blue and one was purple.
I had the Eagles greatest hits and it didn't
have Hotel California.
The Eagles greatest hits volume two has it. That's right.
And also... Getting angry over here.
Right. But so for me,
once again, this is like the Elton John song
where these songs were
like instantaneously
came into my head
for flower jams
because of my childhood
obsession with Elton John
and Queen
specifically
I was working backwards
in their catalog
because you were
a piano prodigy
you were on fucking CBC
I don't know
you were 12 or whatever
CHCH in Hamilton
but weren't you on CBC
for some kind of
oh going great
I played at your first visit.
Going great?
Yeah,
that was the TV show.
Chris Makepeace
was the host of that show.
Yeah,
so I know what I'm talking about
because I did my homework
when the fucking Rob Proust
was making his Toronto
debut.
That's right,
you did that,
you played that clip.
I played the clip.
But this,
so I had,
when I was 10 years old,
I had a night at the opera
because of Bohemian Rhapsody.
of course.
And my cousin in Germany
was like,
Killer Queen is a super cool song,
it was on the radio.
So I went to Zeller's
to buy another Queen album
and I ended up getting
Queen 2,
which is another story.
Then the next one I got
was Sheer Heart Attack,
which has Killer Queen on it.
This song,
Lily of the Valley,
was just like a song
in the midst.
It's gorgeous.
It's Freddie singing
all the vocals as well,
which didn't happen
on a lot of the songs
because Roger and Brian
wanted to sing as well
for the variety of the
vocals. But every once in a while, Freddie would do
everything. And I think this song sort of
hints towards the next couple of albums.
Sheer Heart Attack sort of laid the groundwork for
their experimentation with the theatrical
elements, the music hall kind of
stuff, and the overblown
vocal ballads like this.
I love it. You know, that's a good
place to buy your discs.
So I guess you were buying tapes or vinyl.
What were you buying back then?
Zellers.
Yeah.
Vinyl.
Vinyl.
For sure.
Because the lowest price
was the law.
It was the law.
You had to get
the lowest price.
Yep.
It's true.
Lowest price was the law.
Okay.
So Lily of the Valley
is a real flower too.
Lily of the Valley
is a real flower.
I have no problems
with your first two jams,
Rob Prues.
And as you know, automatic flowers,
I can't imagine you guys have a problem.
That's clearly a flower jam.
It's called automatic flowers.
My problem is with this jam.
So I'm just going to play it, Bob,
unless you have any words to say before.
No, no, no.
We're going to play it,
and then I'm going to tear a shred off this man,
Bob fucking Willett.
Are you ready with me, Rob Prues?
I'm ready.
Join me.
I'm taking a step back.
Alright, here we go. Let's do this.
Crickets?
Crickets are I was just camping. I didn't even hear any
crickets on my camping trip. Here we go.
Getting angry.
You don't want to
see me when I'm angry. You've never
seen me angry.
It's happening. I'm angry. You've never seen me angry. It's happening.
I'm enraged.
You woke up in the rusted frame
You burned out old DeVille
I recognize the voice.
Your legs are shot and they're flush with pain
But you can't keep them still
The sun sets and you're afraid
Of that itching in your skin
Stumble down the boulevard
With neon andrusted temple.
Looking for the grace of God in the arms of a fellow stranger.
Disciples handing catalogs of concubines as you stumble down the boulevard. All right.
Robert, we'll let you disrespect.
Do not.
Toast.
You disrespect Toronto, Mike.
I do not.
I'm expanding your brain.
This is, the song is called Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas.
Hey, so stop right there for a second.
Do you recognize the vocal?
Yes.
The song is called, Rob, not you.
Let me, no.
Do you recognize the voice?
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, okay. So that's, so. Okay. Okay. No, is called Rob. Not you. No. Do you recognize the voice? Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
So, okay.
So that's so.
Okay.
Okay.
No, you won't.
The name of the song is called Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas.
Stop right there.
The album is called Flamingo.
Okay.
And you go ahead.
You say the part that angers you.
Rob Pruce.
Yeah.
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas.
Do you hear that a flower song?
Are the flowers mentioned in the song?
No, I don't even know
There's no fucking flowers to be found in this fucking song
But the singer of this song
His name is Brandon Flowers
From the Killers
So you picked a flower jam
I picked a flower jam with Brandon Flowers
From the Killers
Rob, I know you're a sweetheart
This is the difference between the classic toast lineup
and this toast lineup.
We get along normally on everything. Cam would already be strangling
Stu. We'd be throwing
things at him. We'd be calling him a fucking
asshole. I'm just expanding
things. It doesn't matter.
Listen, don't be a nice guy. I know you're naturally
a nice guy. Tell me why I'm wrong.
We stood out in flower jams.
It disrespects the spirit
of the category. I disagree.
It expands the spirit of the category.
It's like
all it does is it gives us
a bigger universe of songs to choose
from.
Automatic flowers. Hang on.
Automatic flowers is not about
flowers. Are there flowers mentioned
in that song? I don't even think they mention flowers. But it's not fucking about flowers. Are there flowers mentioned in that song? I don't even think they mention flowers.
It's in the title of the fucking song.
But it's not fucking about flowers.
These automatic flowers won't do.
But they're not.
But it's not about flowers.
Are you telling me this is more of a flower jam than automatic flowers?
It's a flowers jam.
I think it's a Brendan Flowers jam.
It's a flowers jam.
I think it's just as much as, I think it's just as legitimate a flower jam as anything that's been picked so far.
And I picked songs with frickin' things that had
leaves on them. Yes, you did. Elderberries.
Rob, I want you to get angry. I'm not
really angry. I want you to get angry. Don't you think I'm
just being creative? Oh, sure, you're being creative.
You went outside the box.
That's exactly it. We can't live inside a box.
Exactly. It's a big fuckin' box, Rob.
But the box also contains appropriation.
Is Moby allowed to use the sample today?
I brought that to
the table too.
Yeah, you did.
Yeah, yeah.
But that's another
conversation.
But also, you can
only, you have to
think outside the
box.
This is the march
of the pigs of
this new Toast
lineup.
Yep.
Kicking out
Spring Jams.
March of the
Pigs.
Because Cam knew
it would infuriate
Stu and I.
Bob Willett knew
that kicking out a Brandon Flowers song...
No, I thought you would be appreciative of the creativity.
I'm appreciative of the creativity.
Thank you.
I'm a Libra. What can I say?
You're balanced.
I think Bob Bruce is just a sweetheart.
If incapable of telling you how he really feels...
Oh no, I could tell you if I really felt...
So you're okay with this?
Yeah.
So first of all, it's a pretty good album.
I just want to say it came out in 2010.
He's had two solo albums, Brendan Flowers.
Most of this album was produced by Daniel Lanois.
Really?
Yeah, and the guy who's...
Really?
Yeah.
That's exciting.
But this particular song is the only one that's not,
and it's produced by longtime Pearl Jam collaborator,
Brendan O'Brien.
Big time.
Brendan and Brandon.
Yes, there you go.
Brendan and Brandon. Yeah, and then the. Brendan and Brandon. Yeah. And then
the other guy who is the producer is also known
as Jacques Lucant. I don't know if you know, heard of him.
He's a remixer guy.
What's his real name? Hang on.
Jack.
Stuart Price. Stuart Price. Stuart Price. Yeah.
Also known as Jacques what? Jacques
Lucant. Say that
carefully. Hang on. Yes.
Jacques Lucant. Yeah. I don't want to put explicit lyrics on this. This guy's done like Madonna Dua. Yes. Jack Luke Hunt. Yeah.
He's done like this guy's done like Madonna Dua Lipa, the killers. Yeah. New order. Yeah.
Jack Luke Hunt, thin white do
Jack Luke Hunt, Duke Hunt,
thin white Duke remix of
Mr. Brightside is amazing.
No way. Yes. Wow. Anyways, so
there was a guy on Captain Crunch
named Jacques LaFoot on the Captain
Crunch commercials. Do you remember Jacques LaFoot? No. He was on the ship
with Captain Crunch. What? I mean, Captain Crunch.
There was more characters than just Captain Crunch.
You'd have to be old enough to get that.
Is that a 70s reference? It's a 70s reference.
It's not an 80s. It's before your time.
If you get late 70s, I can pick up
the other thing, but like 79.
I know, but I know.
Sorry. That was a good song. I like that song.
Rob, do you remember the... First of all, okay,
so I'm just officially on the record.
On the record.
I just want to officially...
I'm filing a protest.
Okay.
I don't believe...
I work in a union environment now.
We're waiting for the judges.
Back in the day
when we had winners and losers
and Stu thought he won every time
and Levi Fumka was banned from judging, okay?
Now I realize
there are no winners and losers on Toast.
We're all winners, but not today. Today we're all
losers and we're all worse off
because Bob Willeck kicked out
a song that has nothing to do with flowers.
Okay, nothing to do with flowers.
I'm about to kick out a fucking song that's about flowers.
Okay.
Goodness gracious, maybe I'll just go right into it.
We need a palate cleanser. That is an embarrassing
moment in the history of the Toronto Mines.
Shout out to Great Lakes. They're going to buy you your first
beer at TMLX 13
on September 7th.
And if you ever heard another
date tied to TMLX 13,
that was as bullshit as Bob
Ouellette's choice in this jam-picking.
I have changed the date.
And Rob, if you're not
at TMLX 13, I'm not even going to
shut it down.
You're not in Canada.
He's not in California.
He can get to Canada.
I might.
You don't fly.
I know you fly.
Jesus.
For the lasagna and the beer
and the company,
I want to see everybody.
I don't even know
if I want to have a TMLX 13
about Rob Cruz.
All right, guys.
This is a song
you all know.
This is a song
that has been everywhere
in 2023.
Let's fucking kick it
and talk about it.
Okay?
Enough talk.
More rock.
Here we go.
We were good.
We were cold cold kind of dream that can't be sold we were right till we weren't
built a home and watched it burn i didn't want to leave you i didn't want to leave you, I didn't want to lie Started to cry but then remembered I I can buy myself flowers
Write my name in the sand
Talk to myself for hours
Say things you don't understand
I can take myself dancing
And I can hold my head
Yeah, I can love me better than you can
Can't love me better
I can love me better, baby
Can't love me better
I can love me better, baby
Paint my nails.
Cherry red.
All right, we've all heard this song probably quite often.
I don't even listen to Top 40 Radio,
and I feel like I've heard this song early and often.
Okay, so this is Flowers by Miley Cyrus,
which I fucking dig.
I think it's a great fucking single.
Yep, absolutely.
And it's a flower jam, Bob. It absolutely is. Take a note here, okay? What was the story about the song? I think it's a great fucking single. Absolutely. And it's a flower jam, Bob. Take a note here.
What was the story about
the song? I have it here.
I have it here.
This song
is essentially a
response
to a Bruno Mars song
that Miley Cyrus is.
And I gotta get these two guys right. One is like
Thor and the other is from
Hunger Games.
Liam.
It's a Hemsworth.
Hemsworth.
Who cares?
It doesn't matter which one.
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't.
It's a guy.
It's a Hemsworth.
Miley had a boyfriend who dedicated a Bruno Mars song to her,
When I Was Your Man.
And this is the response.
So we all know Miley Cyrus.
I can buy myself flowers.
Let's kick out a little Bruno Mars.
That's right. We are now at Upper Session Road It all just sounds like Too young, too dumb to realize
That I should have bought you flowers
And held your hand
Should have gave you all my hours
It's actually a good fucking song too.
It really is.
It's a very good song.
So I should have bought you flowers.
Miley Cyrus can buy her own fucking flowers.
I can buy myself flowers.
Yeah, it's a great response actually.
It goes deeper than that too.
Apparently she even,
well she even recorded the video for it
in the house in which he had an affair on her.
Oh my god.
Yes, she,
yeah, it's the story.
And that's why it matters
which Hemsworth you talk about.
It's not fair
to the other guy
whatever
are you gonna not go see Thor
if it's not Thor
or Thor
so I think Chris is Thor
and Liam is the Hunger Games guy
okay
you keeping track here Rob
no
no not at all
are they twins
are they twins
and the lyrically
there's responses
I can buy myself flowers
I can write my name in the sand
yeah
because he says in this song I'll write your name in the sand. Because he says in this song, I'll write your name in the sand.
But I'm realizing, like, I remember the story about this song,
but I don't know that I've listened to the Bruno song to get the connection.
That the chord progression is exactly the same, too.
Which is cool.
So I wonder if she gave credit to this track.
It's a real diss track.
Let's put it this way.
My seven-year-old knows every word to flowers by Marley's side.
It's wild
and I went to a
like a
talent show at the school
back before it ended
for the whatever
and I think
three different groups
of kids
love it
performed dances
to this song
like this was the biggest song
at my kids primary school
okay so
why am I playing it again
because when I hear this song
and I'm trying to get to the part
and then I'm going to tell you
what it reminds me of.
Maybe I should start it
in the background here.
Okay.
Oh, I'm fading both.
Let's get this one going here.
Okay.
My apologies here.
I'm remixing here.
Okay.
Oh, really?
Okay.
So I talked about like albums
I listened to over and over again.
Wham!
No.
Oh, it was Wham!
I loved Wham!
Of course, yeah.
So much.
I was the perfect age, I think.
I just fucking loved them.
And Make It Big was a cassette I listened to a million times.
Nice.
So we all know this Wham! song.
It's a great tune.
Yep.
It's coming, but I can't hear Miley Cyrus' Flowers without breaking into
And if you tell me that you're
having my baby, I'll tell
you that I'm happy if you want
me to. There's the same fucking
part in Flowers. Yeah, you might
be right. Well, that's what I hear.
I think Mr. Bruce could either confirm or
deny it. That's a good connection, though.
I'm so proud right now because
it's like praise from Caesar.
But I also liked his Flowers song, too, though, so don't trust me.
Well, you're not perfect.
All right, so here it's coming home.
It's not yet.
Also a great song, by the way.
I can't believe this guy's dead.
Yeah, I know.
I wish I had have seen him.
I saw him a couple times.
Did you?
Oh, yeah.
Amazing.
He's one of my biggest regrets of not seeing him.
Elvis weeped openly when we talked about the passing of George Michael.
Have you seen the documentary yet?
Not yet.
You haven't?
I have.
Is it good?
It's good.
I heard it's good.
Is that Andrew in the background doing that?
No, it's all George.
It's all George.
George is, I mean, Andrew's stirring tea in the background.
He's a cheerleader.
Okay, so hold on.
Hang in there, everybody.
It's after the next verse.
It's part of the bridge, I guess.
Yeah.
Great.
Did you ever see Wham in concert, Mr. Prude?
I did not.
My sister saw him at C&E in
85.
I saw George at Madison Square Garden on the
Faith Tour and in Vancouver in
91.
That would have been the Freedom Tour.
Yeah, they called it
Freedom 90.
It's coming up. The part that
I sing out loud whenever I hear
flowers by Miley Cyrus.
Here it comes. Here it comes.
So there you go.
I don't know.
This is just how my brain maps these songs together.
Great song.
Okay.
So Miley Cyrus, Flowers.
We all agree.
Do we all agree
that's the best pop song
of 2023?
It's up there for sure.
It's definitely
will be a contender
for one of them.
It's, you know,
it's Miley growing up
is what everybody said, right?
You know, it's like
not that I think she had to.
I think her music's
terrific already.
She's done a lot of cool stuff.
I love when she works
with Flaming Lips too.
Yes.
Cool collaborations.
They were just at Oceaga
and they just did Oh, my daughter was at Oceaga to see Kendrick Lamar. Oh, too. Yes. Cool collaborations. They were just at Oceaga, and they just did...
Oh, my daughter was at Oceaga to see Kendrick Lamar.
Oh, yeah.
I had friends who were there.
It's Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Flaming Lips.
Great lineup.
Yeah.
Wow.
Wow.
All right.
Shout out to the late great George Michael.
See who's doing that himself, too?
That's George.
That's George.
George did it all.
He's like Freddie Mercury.
He went in the studio.
He laid down all the drum machine. He played all the keys. He did all the stuff. It's like Freddie Mercury. He went in the studio, he laid down all the drum machine,
he played all the keys.
It's like Michael Jackson would do.
When you hear all the backgrounds
and the way you make me feel,
I'm like, yeah, that's Michael.
That's all just Michael.
He just did them all.
Exactly.
How are we doing so far, guys?
You enjoying our flower jam?
Yeah, great,
except for you fucking hate me.
Jesus.
For trying to open your mind a little bit.
I hate the game,
not the player.
I hate your choice.
That's what I hate. See, it's good we took that picture beforehand. Yeah, not the player. I hate your choice. That's what I hate.
See, it's good we took that picture beforehand.
Yeah, that's true.
I'm telling you.
Bob Wiseman style.
And for the record,
since we're now recording,
Rob, you enjoyed the Bob Wiseman episode.
I loved the Bob Wiseman episode.
I've heard a lot of people say they love it,
and then some people have been telling me
I was a bit of a saint in that episode.
Well, you were a saint, and I loved it.
They both can be. They're not mutually
exclusive. I can be saintly.
Okay, thank you very much.
I want to kick out Rob Pruess' final
flower jam.
Are you ready, Rob? I'm ready.
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
That's a flower jam.
There's gotta be a little rain sometime
When you take you gotta give
So live and let live or let go
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
I could promise you things like big diamond rings
But you don't find roses growing on stalks of clover
So you better think it over When if sweet talking you could make it come true
Rob, if you had put a gun to my head and said,
who sings this song, I would be dead right now.
I had no idea who the artist was.
Who is the artist?
Lynn Anderson.
I had to flashback to remember who it was as well
because I just knew this song from when I was five years old on the radio.
And again, the Flower Jams flashback to my childhood. as well because I just knew this song from when I was like five years old on the radio and again
it like the flower jams flashback to my childhood these were the songs that like just immediately
were like right there yeah actually my wife suggested this one and I was like oh yes of
course obviously Rose Garden and originally what this song was written by a guy named Joe South
and it was a single in like 69 or something for this guy named
Dobie Gray
who had a song
called Drift Away.
Dobie Gray, sure.
Yeah, of course.
So he released this.
Give me the b-board
of you, my soul
if you wanna get lost
Dobie Gray did this first?
He did this originally.
Lynn Anderson wanted
to record the song
and her producer
was a little concerned
because it sings about
I could give you
diamond rings and stuff.
It sounds like
a man's perspective.
Bob knows, okay.
Dream Warriors. Yes. Do you remember this man's perspective. Bob knows. Okay. Dream Warriors.
Yes.
Do you remember this?
They name check this song.
They go, I never promised you a rose garden or nourishment, just punishment for a fink
who thinks you could wash your face in my sink in my sink.
Nice.
Yeah.
Wow.
Yes.
Yeah.
Oh, that's cool.
So when I hear Never Promised You a Rose Garden, I start to hear Dream Warriors in there.
There you go.
That's cool.
But you also hear my other song. And I own the 12-inch single. I don't want to bury the lead here because I'm not recording in there. There you go. That's cool. But you also hear my other jam.
And I own the 12-inch single.
I don't want to bury the lead here because I'm not recording the video.
No, no, that's really cool.
Wash your face in my sink.
There you go.
That's amazing.
But this also leads to the other song, right?
My Other Jam, which relates to this song.
Oh, Mind Blow.
We call this a Mind Blow.
You guys need to pick up your Mind Blow games because Bob sent me three songs, but you could
have a Mind Blow for each jam.
I could. I just find
yeah. I mean, yeah. Finish that thought.
What do you think? You think it's cheesy?
I know. I think
the count is a mind blow. It shouldn't be on Wikipedia.
Okay.
Well, there's different degrees.
You know what I mean? If I can find
on Wikipedia, it's not a mind blow to me.
But there will be somebody listening who will
learn.
When I said Rain Maida was a Mike Maida.
Yeah.
You're right.
If you know your 90s old rock, most people, like the Bob Willetts of the world, of course,
we've all known that forever.
But when Rob proves, now he knows Rain Maida is a Mike Maida.
Yeah.
It's worth it for that one.
I guess I'm, you know what it is?
I'm getting caught up in the term mind blow.
Mind blow.
It could be, for me, it's more of a fun fact
yeah if you're gonna blow my mind
facts to my house and fun facts
similar but well then I is in that I will
do I will start doing fun facts because
mind blows to me have to be something like I
had no fucking idea
those don't exist in the world no they don't work
a mic made it is that is that a
fun factor in mind it's a mind blow to me but it's
a fun mind blow sweetheart but it's a fun mind blow fact. This guy's a sweetheart.
I gotta say.
But it's a fun mind blow fact.
Cam Gordon would tell
Stu Dunn to get the fuck
out of this basement,
you fucking asshole.
There's no more Bigfoot.
There's no more Loch Ness Monster.
There's no more,
I mean,
there are sort of-
They're revealing aliens to us,
though.
Apparently.
We don't really know
what they're doing.
Tom was right.
Yeah.
But this next jam
is like a fun mind blow fact.
Let's go.
Is that your phone, Paul?
Somebody get the phone.
Get that phone.
Get that phone.
There once was a time and there once was a way.
We had something going into my dismay.
Attention to me seemed to drift, though I don't know where.
And when we're alone, Seems there's nothing to say
I bring up the topic
You push it away
You say that you do
But I think it's just
You don't care
Why do I feel
You're using me
That was a long version.
Yeah.
There you go.
Love this.
Love this. Love this.
Love this.
Tell us what we're listening to and why we're listening to it.
This is called I Beg Your Pardon.
Con Can.
Con Can.
From Hamilton, Ontario.
Yes.
And the next section, so you can keep listening.
But yeah, you'll get to the section where they sample.
You're like the conductor.
You can go like this or whatever you want.
Yeah.
So they sample the Lynn Anderson song.
Yes.
I Beg Your Pardon.
And stuck it in the song.
And this was like a top 20 hit.
Oh, yeah.
It was a big hit here.
Yeah.
89, 89, right?
Yeah.
The era of, I mean, what a transitional era.
89 is like Milli Vanilli.
Pop music, this is a great era there.
And then it kind of, it was a weird turn.
It was an awkward phase.
Yeah.
Okay, here it comes.
Here it comes, yeah.
That's it.
Yeah, yeah. That's it. Yeah, yeah.
Oh my God, it's crazy.
So, Robbie, you you get it You get it
This is a fun fact
Mind blow
Add on to your jam
That I appreciate
I love this
Yeah
It's a fun mind blow fact
Bob next time we get together
You're gonna
Raise your game
I'll pump it up
Okay thank you
Pump up the jam
I'm getting an air check
From my program director
My mind was blown
By Brandon Flowers
Yeah
Because you went
Outside the box
Thank you
But it's a big fucking box.
It is a big box,
but there's still a world outside the box.
Why not just kick out
Come As You Are by Nirvana?
Like, what the fuck?
There's no rules.
I'll probably figure out a word.
That's way out the fucking box here.
Give me a break.
You're such a sweetheart.
Get the fuck out of here.
Okay.
All right.
One beer into a man.
I never promised you a rose garden
for nourishment.
Just punishment for a fink who thinks
you can wash your face in my sink.
That's right.
See, you had an act.
That's more of a mind blow, too, because you brought another song into it.
Yeah, but I didn't load it up because it just popped in my head.
You don't know what's going to pop in this buckethead of mine, okay?
And they say I'm brain damaged.
Give me a break.
I'm loving our flower jams.
And I see now we're almost at the end.
We have one more Bob Will will let jam and then there's
one more uh mike jam and then i have a little bit of a mind blow the can con got leslie very excited
she says love this i want to say hi to rosie and i'm going to take this opportunity because i see
rosie on the uh the live stream here i'm going to take this opportunity to tease a new podcast coming soon from TMDS.
Are you guys ready?
Yeah.
There is a great blog called Toronto Scoop.
You go to torontoscoop.com.
A lot of great stuff there every day.
I learn a lot from Toronto Scoop.
There's going to be a Toronto Scoop podcast, and I get to co-host it.
The host is going to be Rosie, and the first, I don't know,
the first 20-something episodes of Toronto Mic'd
were that very same duo.
Yes.
No way.
So this is like a throwback
to the very beginning of Toronto Mic'd.
So if you liked, if you preferred
those early days of Toronto Mic'd with Rosie,
you're going to be able to scratch that itch.
That's amazing.
With the Toronto Scoop podcast.
And Rosie is related to the flower jams.
I mean... Oh my God! Come Rosie is related to the flower jams. I mean...
Oh, my God.
Come on.
Rose is a flower.
Yeah.
I feel sick.
I beg your pardon.
There's a new podcast with Rosie and Mike.
There you go.
That doesn't rhyme.
It doesn't rhyme, but it will in time.
And by the way, the reason I close every episode of Toronto Mike with lowest of the lows,
Rosie and Gray, is because the idea was
it was Rosie and I
was going grey.
And you stuck with it.
You're going grey too. I'm totally going grey.
But Rob's more Toronto Mike grey.
Really? I think I got more.
I don't know. I'm pretty salt and peppery over here.
You're true. We're all going grey here.
I thought it was Rosie and Mike.
Well, it's Rosie and Greg.
Rosie and Greg.
That's good.
I was in a backyard, and now I'm just checking the live stream because we seem to have a
notifications may include.
Okay, I'll ignore that.
But it doesn't matter.
We're recording the podcast, so I'll continue on.
But you might have found an interruption in the live stream.
I'm just reloading here, but, you know.
Okay.
Hmm.
They don't know what they're missing.
Dozens of people are upset.
Tens of complaints.
Tens of complaints.
Oh, my goodness.
Okay, who knows?
Maybe somebody kicked out the Wi-Fi upstairs.
Okay, so let's get back to Bob Ouellette's final flower jam.
Here we go.
Here we go.
Here we go.
Here we go. Sunflower
Sunflower
Life seeker
Seed bearer
That's my favorite line.
Yeah.
Light keeper
Beat maker
So I discovered this song
on a compilation CD called Quiet Time. Songs by raffi right and this is raffi
yeah the baby beluga come on telephone yeah so this it's called sunflower so this is it was
called quiet time songs and so you've got all these super kind of like we put it on for my
my my first born for evangeline and it would have all these beautiful
like douglas mountain like all these slower cool songs and then this strange little ditty comes on
that is produced in such a way i like i i see like you know like the like foggy uh hands going
through wheat fields and stuff you know and rubbing and rubbing. And this, it's from 1995.
And it's from an album called Raffy Radio.
And Raffy did an album in 95 that was a fake radio station
in which he'd come on in between and he introduced this song.
And this song is just so out of the ordinary for Raffy.
But I think it's like totally within his hippie,
like if you listen, like this is who he is, you know? And it's got this, again, it's totally within his hippie. If you listen, this is who he is.
And it's got this, again, it's recorded in 95.
It's got this weird 80s vibe.
I just think it's beautiful.
It's beautiful.
It's like Flaming Lips or something.
Yes.
It's got that vibe, right?
Yeah, it's weird.
And I just thought there's a...
I dig it.
Yeah.
And my kids, my wife and I
looked at each other
when this came on.
Like,
this is Rafi.
This isn't like,
you know,
down by the bay,
all that.
This is really outside
his,
that sound you expect
from Rafi.
And I just think
it's really neat too.
It's a neat,
I thought you'd like to,
we have a keyboardist
in the room.
Yeah,
I thought you'd appreciate
the piano.
I love the voice.
I mean,
more than the arrangement itself, but the sound
of his voice as well. It's so cool.
Taking away all the silly and just actually
singing.
It's neat. This was my flower.
Is this flowery enough for you?
This is absolutely a flower. You've
redeemed yourself, Bob Ouellette.
Welcome back. You will keep your gig.
And Stu, even if he begs me on
Friday and says, I want that spot in the toast line,
I'll be like,
no,
it's filled.
It's filled.
All right.
And good news is we're back on the live stream.
So I don't know.
Welcome back everybody.
My OBS crashed out and then it came back to life.
So we can satisfy all those many,
many,
many thousands of people on the live stream.
Wow.
Okay.
They crashed it again.
That's how many people were there.
Holy smokes. All right. That's how many people were there. Holy smokes.
Alright, that was Rafi's Sunflower.
And now we're closing with
my final
flower jam.
Here we go.
Okay, thank you. I was waiting.
I assumed. I wondered.
I assumed. Somebody had to do it. It was either this or Bette Midler. The rose. I thought waiting. I assumed. I wondered. I assumed. Somebody had to do it.
It was either this or Bette Midler, the rose.
I thought about Bette, but I'm...
Also tiptoe through the tulips.
Of course.
I thought of that one, too.
Oh, my God.
I never thought of that.
Yes.
We both lie silently still in the dead of the night.
Although we both lie close together, we're real miles apart inside.
Like close together, we're a few miles apart inside.
Was there something I said or something I did?
Did my words not come out right?
Though I tried not to hurt you, though I tried. But I guess that's why they say every rose has its thorn.
Every rose has its thorn Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings a sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn Classic.
Wow.
Bed of Roses by Bon Jovi, right?
Yeah, but I hate Bon Jovi.
I hate Bon Jovi.
Get out of here.
I will say that I did go through a poison phase,
and primarily because I...
Cherry pie.
Oh, no, that's Warren.
I'm sorry.
He's dead now.
He's dead now.
Oh, really? The lead singer,ant. I'm sorry. He's dead now. He's dead now. Oh, really?
The lead singer,
Warrant, died.
Oh.
Johnny Warrant?
It's Johnny Warrant.
I'm trying to remember
his name really quickly
in my head,
but he passed away
like a few years ago.
I did not know that.
I tell you no...
Tell no lies.
I tell no lies.
Do-do-do-do-do-do.
Okay, so post Joe and T.O., who was my very first best friend at St. Cecilia's for J, K, S,
K in grade one.
And then I changed schools and I got a new best friend because I changed schools.
Yes.
And my new best friend was obsessed with poison.
And that meant I heard a lot of poison and I started to like a lot of poison.
This is the only number one poison song.
I'm talking Billboard Hot 100 here.
Like 87, 88-ish, I think.
I feel like you're right with that.
Sounds about right to me.
But great fucking jam, man.
I don't know.
It was 88, October 88.
It's the third single from their second album, Open Up and Say Ah.
And I believe the first album, as I recall, was called Look What the Cat Dragged In.
Yeah.
Fucking good stuff.
Pre-grunge, this was good shit.
Oh, this is a great song.
And the days when the rock bands would have a hit with the ballad.
I mean, it goes back, you know, the radio-friendly song.
We should name a bunch.
I feel like we did a toast about the hard, soft jams by hard rock bands.
And I think I might have kicked this out then, too.
I think you're wrong about the guy from Warrant.
I'm 100% sure.
100% sure.
I'm on their Wikipedia.
There's no mention of anybody being dead in Warrant.
Somebody dead?
The lead singer of Warrant is dead.
Eric Turner?
No.
Jerry Dixon?
Keep going.
Steven Sweet?
Keep going.
Joey Allen?
They probably went on without him, but the singer of that song, Cherry Pie, that guy's dead.
Okay.
They probably just replaced him with a different singer.
Okay, yes.
So, Janie Lane.
That's it.
Oh, I remember that name.
Okay, Janie Lane.
He's the guy.
I was looking in the past members.
I should have been looking in the past members.
There's a picture of
your house.
Heaven.
Heaven.
Heaven isn't too far.
We did heaven jams.
Heaven jams.
Do you want to do
that next time?
Heaven jams.
Because we're also
religious.
Yeah.
Shout out to
the funeral home.
I'll do heaven jams.
Okay.
Wait a minute.
Can they have God in
the title?
Like what about Dear God?
No, it's not religious God jams.
It's heaven jams.
So it just has to have heaven in the title?
That's boring.
So like Spirit in the Sky?
Yeah, Heaven.
What would you like as the title?
I would do it.
I would do Dear God or The Way God Made Me.
You want to do God jams?
I'll do God jams.
But why can't we do both?
Like, heavenly jams can include God jams? Sure'll do God jams. I'm just, why can't we do both? Like,
heavenly jams can include God jams?
Sure.
Why wouldn't they?
That's where God lives.
What about Jesus built my hot rod?
Sure,
why not?
That's good too.
Spoiler alert.
I love that song.
Anyways,
we should be having this meeting off air.
We'll talk about it.
It's an off air meeting.
That's right.
We already took our photo
because I was worried
we'd have a fight over Bob's.
I'm mad at you.
I am mad at you.
I'm mad at your lack of creativity.
Okay, so.
So every rose has its thorn.
Every rose has its thorn, yes.
So here's the fun thing.
So I was actually chatting with my 19-year-old earlier today.
We went swimming together.
And we were chatting about today's topic.
And I was like, what's your favorite flowers jam?
And she was telling me.
And then I told her I was going to kick out
Every Rose Has Its Thorn.
And she starts singing it.
She doesn't know it as a poison song.
Are you ready for a fucking mind blow?
This is how my sweet Michelle, 19 years old, this is how she knows that song.
It's an artist we've already heard today.
We both lie silent and still in the dead of the night.
Yeah.
She's got some great covers.
Although we both lie close together, we feel miles apart inside. She's got some bright covers.
It's earlier Miley's sound.'s why they say every rose has its
song. Some shitty production on that. I'm sorry.
This is like a pre
wrecking ball. Post-Hannah
Montana. Right. But just before
the whole wrecking ball. Yeah.
Fun fact, Miley Cyrus
used to live in the beaches in Toronto
with her dad. Because of the show
Doc. Yes. Really? Yeah.
And my friend worked at Rogers. She's an apple baby the show Doc. Yes. Really? Yeah. And my friend worked at Rogers.
She's an Apple baby, you know.
Yes.
Thanks.
Icky, breaky, and Apple baby.
Yeah, exactly.
So Billy Ray used to come into Rogers Video in the beaches where my friend worked with
her.
And he had a Rogers Video card that said Billy Ray Cyrus on it.
She'd have to scan it.
So forever we've known Billy Ray as a one-hit
wonder, but we can no longer say that.
Because?
He just had a big, massive number one
hit with Lil Nas X. That's true.
I mean, you can't say that.
It's the same song though, isn't it?
He's a big featured performer.
I'm going to take my horse
to the old town road. You can't say
correctly. You can can't say correctly.
You can no longer say
Billy Ray Sizer's
One Hit Wonder.
He's got two
massive hits now.
That's true.
It's true.
So this is obviously
before Miley matured
and stuff.
So it's a bad
kind of cheesy production
or whatever.
The production is amazing.
My 19 year old
knew this album very well
and this is how she knows
every rose has its thorn.
But you guys,
it's funny that next month
we're kicking out
the heavenly god
like jams or whatever because
you ready for this? I'm just
surfing around the web about poisons
every rose has its thorn and I came
across this.
Yes.
And it's a perfect
segue to next month's
toast topic.
And when you listen, you'll hear why.
We're both like Simon, we still live in a state of denial.
Although we both like to go to heaven, we feel surprised about the trial.
But the suffering Christ did accomplish something. Oh, wow.
Wow.
Yes.
Every crown has its thorn.
Wow.
Yes. Just like every life.
The Christians are being sued by Lin-Manuel Miranda, too, because of Hamilton, right?
Did you know that?
Yeah.
They took Hamilton and turned it into a thing about Christ.
Hey, music.
Yeah.
This is a Christ jam.
This is about Christ.
Yes.
But not ironically.
This is like sincere Christians telling you about their king. Yeah. Christ. Every crown about Christ. Yes. But like, ironically, this is like sincere Christians
telling you about their king.
Yeah.
Christ.
Every crown has its thorns.
Every crown has its thorns.
And listening to this,
it's wild.
Like,
that we,
that Bob,
like the heavenly jams
and the God stuff
came out.
I had this all queued up.
Every crown has its thorns.
Yeah.
We could play this next month.
Man.
We could,
but would we want to?
That's the question.
Jesus said lots of times that we should do it and he should know.
But I wonder as he walked, if it ever felt like we'd.
Yet I know we wouldn't be here right now.
Christ took a different road than ever. So when I was at Evanov Radio Group,
we had a radio station in Halifax called Live 105,
and it was an alternative radio station,
but we had a commitment to play 10% Category 3 music,
according to the CRTC.
So Category 2 music is popular music.
Category 1 is talks, news porn.
Category 3 is non-popular music.
So to get the license, we said, we're going to play 10% category three,
which makes it specialty music, be it multicultural, be it blues.
So we decided, I did not decide.
Somebody in the company decided they would play Christian rock.
Try to weave 10% of the music of Christian rock into the broadcast week.
So not in its own time.
Well,
no,
we did that too.
We packed Sunday mornings from 6am to like,
yeah,
we packed.
It was nothing but Christian rock then.
Yeah.
It was a bad idea.
That station alone.
What about Puddle of,
no,
no,
not Puddle of Might.
I'm thinking of P.O.D.
P.O.D.
Yeah,
yeah,
they're,
they're,
they're Christian rock band.
And yeah, and there was talk about like, Creed being kind of, Sunday morning or whatever. I'm thinking of P.O.D. P.O.D. Yeah, yeah. They're a Christian rock band. And yeah, there was talk about Creed being kind of Sunday morning or whatever.
I don't know.
Was that a Christian song?
Well, that's the thing.
That's where you get it.
And that's the interesting part when you own a radio station.
When you say you're going to play a Category 3 station, there was a station in Ottawa that
was trying to play Aerosmith B-cuts as blues songs.
Oh, wow.
Oh, wow.
That's funny.
What about Evanescence?
What about Evanescence? Bring Me Back to Life. Is that a Christian song? I don't think so. I don't blues songs. Oh, wow. Yeah. That's funny. What about Evanescence? What about Evanescence?
Bring Me Back to Life.
Is that a Christian song?
I don't think so.
I don't know.
I mean, it could be.
This is another toast topic.
There you go.
Christian songs hiding in plain sight.
Oh, there's a lot of that.
There's a lot of those.
Actually, the aforementioned Killers has been talked about.
Or Flood.
Because they're more.
Oh, Killers?
Yeah, because he's Mormon.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, like a lot of his stuff has some undertones of Christianity and
whatnot.
Yeah.
Whose song is
Flood again?
40 days, 49.
There's a flood.
Anyway, there's a
Noah.
You too.
Yeah.
You know what?
They were kind of a
Catholic.
Oh, for sure they
were in the early
days.
Yeah.
Irish Catholics.
Shout out to my
people.
Wow.
Okay.
All right, guys.
This was fucking
great.
Remind us, Rob,
how can we see you
at the El Macombo on the 20th?
Well, there's tickets
available online.
I think next week,
I heard that I might be able
to get, there's like
a discount code
that I think might be
in the works in the air,
which maybe I can even share
on your FOTM group or...
Oh, yeah.
Well, that's a no-brainer.
Yeah.
How are you enjoying
the new...
I know Bob doesn't participate.
No, I can't be. I turn my WhatsApp
notifications off. Yes, but once
in a while you don't pop in to see what's going on?
No, very rarely. I like it though.
It's a nice transition. I like it too. Yeah, I mean...
I heard Elon's going to start
capping your DMs
if you're not a paying subscriber.
Oh, so show death of X
or whatever you want to call it. I had to vacate, but yeah, I think it's going well. It totally is. Yeah, it's a pain subscriber. So, slow death of X or whatever you want to call it.
I had to vacate.
But yeah, I think it's going well.
It totally is.
Yeah, it's a smooth transition.
The replies work better too, actually.
A lot of things work better.
A lot of the FOTMs are still,
I saw somebody's comment the other day,
their mind was blowing
that they were in the same WhatsApp chat
as the keyboardist from The Spoon.
Because they were at the beach
and they, I forget who it was.
They thought you were still in the band.
That's why I wanted to reset everything
because people think you're still in the spoons,
but there's a different guy playing keyboards
in the spoons right now.
You're no longer in the spoons.
But when you hear those songs from so long ago,
it's me as a child making that sound.
Absolutely.
Lives on.
Gentlemen, can't wait to kick out the church rock
with you. I don't even know.
We'll talk about it afterwards.
We'll talk about it.
Listen for the Toronto Scoop
podcast soon.
This is Rosie Gray.
I was invited by Simon Head.
Simon Head is a guy who directed a
Lois and Lo documentary. He invited me
to a backyard viewing
of a one-hour
documentary he put together on Shakespeare, My Butt.
Oh, cool.
So it's basically Ron and Stephen.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
He played it in the backyard, didn't he?
Yeah.
And I biked over.
Nice.
I had a front row seat.
Wow.
Amazing.
And I enjoyed some popcorn.
And I watched this thing.
And there was like a raccoon that was threatening to wreak havoc with the viewing.
Nice. It was a good time. And I had a great time camping. And I'm glad to see you two again. You too. and there was like a raccoon that was threatening to wreak havoc with the viewing.
It was a good time.
And I had a great time camping, and I'm glad to see you two again.
You too.
And you two's a good Catholic Christian man.
There you go.
We'll talk about next month, but thank you, Bob Lillet, and thank you, Rob Pruce.
Thank you, sir.
And that brings us to the end of our 1306th
show
I'm actually going to check that out
in real time because I feel like Mike Richards
was 1306th
so let me in real time
confirm the number of this episode
this episode is
actually yes it is
1306 these details matter just like which Hemsworth This episode is actually, yes, it is 1,306.
These details matter, just like which Hemsworth brother pissed off Miley Cyrus.
You can follow me on Twitter.
Two Miley songs today, by the way.
You can follow me on Twitter.
I'm at Toronto Mike.
Rob is at Rob Pruse X, much like the new name of Twitter.
Wait till Elon takes that back.
He wants that back.
Boblulette is at Boblulette.
Our friends at Great Lakes Brewery are at Great Lakes Beer.
Palma Pasta is at Palma Pasta.
Getting Hip to the Hip is at Getting Hip Pod.
Get your tickets now.
That's coming up soon, September 1st.
I want to see you all there.
Recycle My Electronics are at EPRA underscore Canada.
Pumpkins After Dark are at Pumpkins Dark.
Welcome back, Pumpkins After Dark.
Get your tickets now.
And Ridley Funeral Home are at Ridley FH.
See you all Wednesday when my special guest is Harold Hossain.
It's going to be amazing. See you all then.
I've been told that there's
a sucker born every day
But I wonder who I've been told that there's a sucker born every day.
But I wonder who.
Yeah, I wonder who.
Maybe the one who doesn't realize there's a thousand shades of gray.
Because I know that's true.
Yes, I do.
I know it's true.
Yeah.
I know it's true How about you?
I am picking up trash Hey, hey Ooh, ooh, ooh
Needless to say, I keep a check
She was a bad, bad, nevertheless
Calling it quits now, baby, I'm a wreck
Crash at my place, baby, I'm a wreck
Needless to say, I'm keeping her check
She was a bad, bad, never the least
Calling it quits now, baby, I'm a wreck
Crash at my place, baby, you're a wreck
Thinking in a bad way, losing your grip
Screaming at my face, baby, don't trip
Someone took a big L, don't know how that felt
Looking at you sideways, party on tilt
Ooh, certain things you just can't refuse.
She wanna ride me like a cruise.
And I'm not trying to lose.
Then you're left in the dust.
Unless I stuck by ya.
You're the sunflower.
I think your love will be too much
Or you'll be left in the dust
Unless I stuck by ya
You're the sunflower
You're the sunflower
Every time I'm leaving on ya
You don't make it easy, no
Wish I could be there for ya
Give me a reason to every time i'm walking out i can hear
you telling me to turn around fighting for my trust and you won't back down even if we gotta
risk it all right now i know you're scared of the unknown you don't want to be alone
i know i always come and go.
But it's out of my control.
And you'll be left in the dust.
Unless I start fire.
You're the sunflower.
I think your love would be too much.