the dawn of a q era

It was, CBC Radio never tired of telling us in recent weeks, a landmark moment.

Monday, the network’s troubled program Q was reborn. As q.

It’s a subtle distinction, but suffice it to say this version of the network’s money-maker is less violent and more respectful towards women. Not respectful enough to hire one as host. But damn if that Shad isn’t likable. And, it turns out, a decent interviewer. I suggested in a previous post that the show should have died with the its former host’s career. However, Shad’s debut suggests there may be life left in the humbled hipster haven. Continue reading

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against future earnings

So much negativity.

First, it was a wave of protest against the return of Kanye West to Ottawa’s summer Rockfest. Dozens of narrow-minded “music lovers” have spoken out against the hip hopper’s inclusion in a lineup that otherwise features such top-line talent as one surviving member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Again, that’s a few dozen disgruntled patrons out of a few hundred thousand likely attendees.

Newsworthy?

You’d be surprised. Continue reading

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shattering mainstream experience

“So mainstream, there’s a hip hop song about it.”

That’s how a CBC Radio reporter referred to shatter, the latest “in” drug with a lame nickname, on this, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Not just a song, or even a popular song. It is considered significant that shatter is the subject of a hip hop song.

From which I, as a listener, naturally discerned three things. Continue reading

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age your act

It began Saturday morning.

The male host of a local radio show enthused that he would be spending his Saturday night emceeing a women-focused event. Asked on-air by one of that event’s organizers whether he was looking forward to it, said host enthused: “Three hundred and seventy-five women? I won’t complain. I won’t complain.” Continue reading

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there is such thing as a free launch

This morning, I attended the official launch for Westfest, held at the Clocktower in Westboro.

Such launches remain a minor source of fascination for me, as the days when an official festival launch revealed closely guarded secrets are long gone. When “the moment you’ve all been waiting for” arrived, attendees could have told organizers we’d already read and heard all about the impressive lineup that will see Sarah Harmer and Lynn Miles headlining the two-night street festival, June 13 and 14. Continue reading

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