This Sunday on other Corus radio stations that carry The Strombo Show...
The Fox 99.3 (Vancouver) airs at 9pm EST Power 97 (Winnipeg) Y108(Hamilton) FM96 (London) You can listen at 5pm EST on Sunday and see what they play...
The Strombo Show On The Edge 102.1 (Toronto) this week will be replaced by
A tribute to a local radio hero Martin Streek.
More about Martin Streek can be found on an earlier post.
The Hour is packed with a lot of everything this week.Activists, Actors, Politicians, Singers, CEO's, TV producers, Music Producers and this list goes on...
George has been understandably quiet all week but posted this this weekend
George StroumboulopoulosScoring a Stochansky BBQ in Venice. Bob Seger-We've Got Tonight->Jim Reeves-He'll Have To Go->Ramsey Lewis–Wade in the Water #twunes #byandy
Please feel free to explore his choices. Here is one of them.
A song from George to you
It's the most romantic song about a one night stand that I know...
Summertime and re-rerun Season leaves us looking a bit harder for things to post about... One of the features that many people enjoy on The Hour is the rapid fire Q and A segment, 2/20.
We did this last year with contributors to the blog asking one another silly little questions and had fun doing it so decided to give it another whirl. So for the next 5 Wednesdays, we'll be posting our own 2/20's.
This week, I kick off the questioning with Mich in the imaginary Red Chair. Who knew she and I had a grandma with the same name? I didn't. So here we go. Hum this as we go won't you?
"Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh. Oh oh oh oh oh... The Right Stuff" ;)
1. If you had to change your name - what would you like to be called?
Florence, after my grandmother.
2. Any nicknames? Some friends call my MacGyver because they thinkg I have this knack to make something out of nothing or that I have just the thing in my bag to fix something when we're out on location.
3. You can have one superpower for 24 hours. What is it?
Invisibility
4. Where would you live? Paris, London, Madrid or Osaka?
Paris
5. Favourite song of all time?
That's tricky because my favourite always depends on my mood. 5 days in May (Blue Rodeo) or 'U' (Metalwood) or Good Boy (Barenaked Ladies). It's hard to pick just one.
6. Play any Instruments?
No, but I've always wanted to learn how to play piano, but my friends tell me I should play the drums.
7. What's your one regret?
Does anyone have only one regret? Not applying to go to the National Theatre School when I had the backing to do so.
8. Any tattoos or piercing? If a tat -- what is it?
No, but I keep waffling about getting my ears repierced.
9. What makes you cry? Onions
10. You have to be a contestant on a reality show? Which one would you be on?
The Next Food Network Star or one of the Food Network Challenges.
11. Favourite Stooge - Moe, Curly, Larry or Iggy and the.... ? I wasn't into the Stooges.
12. Best dessert you ever had? Marinated grilled pineapple with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
13. Three people you'd most like to throw a dinner party for?
Rick Mercer, Michaelle Jean and Jamie Oliver
14. Tofu. A good meat alternative or from the Devil?
Excellent meat alternative. It's not as scary as some think it is.
15. Do you believe in Hell? If so - name a famous person that's there.
I don't believe in Hell, but since I've been told I'm going there, I hope the people are fun!
16. What's your dream car?
I don't really have a dream car, but the convertible that I saw last week that looks like it came out of a 1930's movie would be cool.
17. Best and worst concert experience?
Best? Manteca, they really know how to party. Worst? The Johnstones.
18. Who was your teen 'heartthrob'?
This is so embarrassing but I was into the New Kids on the Block, I know better now.
19. What's one thing you're glad your parents never found out about?
Can't answer that since the person involved is still alive.
20. What's the meal you'd cook to impress someone you liked?
I love to cook fun meals for people I like, so probably fajitas.
So... tune in next Wednesday when Barbara asks and Jen answers...
In honour ofMartin Streekwho unbelievably passed away July 6th 2009, I would like to tell you about what some of his listeners and friends did to bring more meaning to Martin's last ride. The Ride to Conquer Cancer benefiting The Princess Margaret, is a cycling journey from Toronto to Niagara Falls - You may not know who Martin Streek is, but I'll tell you what I have learned. People in Southern Ontario and Northwestern New York plus many bands and musicians all over the world know of Martin Streek as a music man, a funny man, a DJ, and a radio host for about two decades at CFNY /The Edge... Martin was the life of the party and the holder and guardian of modern musical knowledge. He worked at the radio station with George Stroumboulopoulos andAlan Cross (who are also music guardians) amongst others. Alan Cross wrote a post about Martinto honour him the day after he passed. Alan was spot on! I was lucky to have met Martin Streek this past year and he was one of the most charming men I have ever met! He had me laughing and dancing in my seat and shocked me with his outrageous opinions which I admired him for... I was just sitting beside him watching him do Live From The Velvet Underground but for technical reasons he was doing it Live from The Edge Studios instead... We practically had him to ourselves, plus the listening audience, it was an unforgettable evening! I am new to Ontario so meeting Martin Streek in person was another 'hello nice to meet you' and I had no expectations about him. I had no idea what a legend the man was. He has had thousands of fans that grew up listening to him. He told me he has been doing this for 18 years and only 4 times did they have a technical glitch like that, forcing him to improvise a different way to broadcast his show. He showed me what a dedicated professional and geekishly knowledgeable radio host he was...
I later learned from his listeners what an influence he has been to them throughout their youth and up until the point The Edge let him go... That was a 'kick in the head' shock when we heard that.
Then months later when I heard from twitter, of all places, that Martin had killed himself. The source on twitter being Torontomike, I could not believe it. No one wanted to believe it.
Like many that knew of Martin I joined a facebook group Martin Streek - RIPand found fellow fans, friends, negative people and positive people... that's where I noticed the efforts of Gregg Gleason to do something positive. He started a topic thread on that group. Martin's Ride to Conquer Cancer. and this is what Gregg suggested....
Post #1
Gregg Gleason (Brock University) wrote on July 8, 2009 at 10:54am
One of Martin's latest charity events was the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation Ride to Conquer Cancer. According to his personal page on that website, his fundraising goal was not met; it currently sits at 47%. Can we finally meet his goal by pledging and contributing to this charity? Visit the link above to sponsor his ride.
People got inspired to do as Gregg suggested... they donated and they spread the word. When I found this thread I jumped on the bandwagon because I knew it was going the right direction... We made donations and encouraged donations in the amount you may spend on a night out... It took 5 days but we reached the goal of 2,500$.
There are 17,500 fans that joined that facebook page, we could do more still!
I congratulated Gregg and asked what inspired him to start this.
This is what he said:
How was I inspired? I think many of us (listeners) knew that he was doing the "Ride" because he promoted it over the radio frequently (while he was still on the air up until mid-May).
Last week, I wondered if he actually got to do that ride, so I searched his name on the ride web site. What I found was that the ride had passed, and sadly, that he had not reached his "goal". I felt that although he made a significant contribution to the cause through his fundraising effort, the amount raised was seemingly relatively little considering the time and effort he spent promoting the event.
Oftentimes, when a person dies, people look to make a donation to a charity in the deceased person's name. What better cause to donate to than one Martin had recently selected himself? Better, one that showed he had a goal yet-to-be-achieved. This was motivation in itself..... Before my donation, the goal was at 47% achieved. The rest is history....
And there you have it, as of July 13th 100% achieved but why stop there? It's still going higher! Sponsor Martin Streek
**NEW! another perspective on this same story from the Princess Margaret Hospital. The article appears on the bottom left section of the newsletter.
For those in the area that wish to honour Martin Streek there are a number of events found online that you can attend or participate in.
Our condolences to Martin's family, friends, and listeners.
Maybe you know someone who suffers from depression, either situational or clinical, and needs help, here is a link toCanada's suicide & Crisis Hotlines
Hour Books: Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself
Written after his near death experience in Chile, Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself chronicles Alda's thoughts on a variety of subjects through many of the speeches he's given over the years at commencements and other life events. He opens the book with his daughter's commencement and from there weaves a tale that just enjoys the twists and turns that life brings.
It really is a book of questions and answers. He questions the choices he made and the choices he didn't make. It's as if Alda sees life as a maze of choices, if I go left this will happen but if I go right will I hit a dead end or is it the way through? In some ways his ponderings made me ponder some of the questions in my life and whether or not it's worthwhile to go in whatever direction I'm thinking of at the time. I like his writing "voice", it's almost as if I can hear him narrating the book in my head.
I would suggest reading his biography Never Have Your Dog Stuffed before reading this book, because I think it will help fill in some of the gaps where it felt like Alda assumed we knew the back story of his life at a particular moment in time.
Make sure you check out Alan Alda's interview on The Hour in November 2007, he gives a very good foundation for this book. Also check out an extra clip from the interview on More with Alan Alda.
Scott McClellan
Scott McClellan
