A very Canadian loss · 10:17pm Feb 15th, 2017
There's an amazing radio personality out there named Stuart Maclean. He worked for CBC Radio and owned a chunk of it too. It's Canada's official radio station in a way. He had a radio program called 'The Vinyl Cafe' It was akin to listening to your favourite old relative or perhaps catching up with a dear friend. He told rambling silly stories, gentle and bittersweet by turns, other times so funny tears would flow from laughter. He featured musical guests, always ones he felt were exceptional and needed a little extra boost to get there.
He loved doing live shows and traveled all over Canada and parts of the states to share his stories. He was a fixture with his Christmas show, every year a different set of places on the tour. Always sold out. Standing in front of a lectern with a worn blue binder, waving his hands and pacing around the stage, eyes sparkling as he got caught up in the story and fed enthusiasm to everyone.
He did over ten thousand Vinyl Cafe shows and they're regularly replayed and re-released on radio and cd.
Today, this beautiful, kind, gentle man, passed away. Millions shall weep and grieve this loss. He may not be as famous as Bowie, or touched nearly as many lives. But for those he did, there will be a void left behind.
I only met him once, but I've loved him since I was a child. He taught me the world was a beautiful place, and that no matter how bad it got, to always keep smiling. That there was always something new and beautiful to experience.
We'll miss you Stuart.
That's sad to hear, but good to know he made a difference in so many peoples' lives. That's all, really, that anyone can hope for out of life.
I feel like I miss him and we've never even met.
4423960 I really do recommend checking him out. You can find some of the podcasts here.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Ferret. I checked out the site you linked. I like the catch phrase for the store. It reminds me of the sign I have on my toolbox at work:
' I'm not real fast but I sure am slow.'
I'm definitely listening to some of these episodes.
Sounds like Garrison Keillor.
For awhile in the late 80's he and Tom Bodette were neck-and-neck in the race for...whatever you'd call their demographic. But then Bodette started doing those ads for Motel 6 and lost his street cred.
I listened to Tom Bodette when he was stI'll underground, man..