Everyday Boy

Aussies On The Airwaves

I meant to blog about this awhile ago... if you ever find yourself up at 2:30 am West Coast time early Monday morning, or better yet, if you want a good excuse to be up and wonderfully entertained at that time, whenever and wherever you find yourself, I recommend that you tune into a friend's community public radio show that is broadcast on Radio Adelaide (101.5 FM), in Australia.  It's called Beyond The Black Dog:

Progressive politics and music come together in a show that believes that information and humour are a panacea for defeatism and apathy.  Join Ian and Rickos for world news, environment issues, diverse music from alt-country to hip-hop and a bit of cheek.

Make that a a lot of cheek.  Ian and his cohorts make the craziest Canucks seem quite tame.  It's been a lot of fun listening in when I have the chance. They delved into good environmental topics a couple of weeks ago.  They talked about energy conservation, specifically in homes, speaking to conservationist Barbara Harday of The Nature Foundation.  And they also touched on the wonderful vision of an ecocity, a city in sustainable balance with nature, with Paul Downton who is president of Urban Ecology and also part of Ecopoils Architects.

They also played some great music, inspired me to look into fixing up some sort of mini gray water recycling system in our home, and made me laugh with tales of peeing on Uri the gnome in the garden.  In a past show Ian even said a hello to his Canadian friends across the water, so cheers to him and friends on the airwaves!

Smallest Record Store In Canada

I was introduced to the world's smallest record store in Canada this past month: Stuart Maclean's Vinyl Cafe.  My housemate's friend had an extra ticket to the 2005 Christmas concert tour that is making it's way across Canada this month, and is finishing up today in Kitchener.  It was a delightful evening of story and song that very much put me in the mood for Christmas.  Up on stage, against the backdrop of some impromptu Christmas window paintings, and beside an accompanying band much like many talk show hosts, Maclean told a very simple and ordinary story about the birth of a child in the fictional family he has created and sustained over the years.  I can't say it was a spectacularly written piece, but it was a story every Canadian could relate to, and it was told with much care and humor, and received much in the same way.

The past couple of years it's become apparent to me that what we listen to shapes much of who we are as human beings, so it warms my heart to know that 700,000 Canadians tune in to hear Stuart Maclean's radio show every weekend.  To me it encapsulates the importance of a cultures oral tradition, that passes on both wisdom and whimsy, our roots and our history.  And along with wonderful story-telling (culling stories from ordinary Canadians from across the country too) the Vinyl Cafe also showcases wonderful music as well.  I must ashamedly admit that I have yet personally to listen to this wonderful piece of Canadiana on the radio, which I guess is akin to Garrison Keillor's The Prairie Companion in the United States, but it is a voice I'll be sure to tune into on Saturday and Sunday mornings from now on. "Who or what are you listening to?" is something I would like to ask most leaders these days, especially our politicians.