Since 1998 The Vinyl Cafe Christmas Tour has become pretty much a tradition across Canada. Written and hosted by Stuart McLean, The Vinyl Cafe is a CBC variety radio show featuring funny stories about a second-hand record store owner, Dave, and his family and friends. The tour (and the requisite jukebox) stops in Toronto this weekend, so we chatted with its host about the show’s enduring quality.
It wouldn’t seem like the holidays in the city without Stuart McLean. How did you manage to weave yourself into the culture of the city?
Our Christmas show is a tradition, and this is the time of year for traditions. We have people who have been coming to our show with their families for almost two decades now. And I think they like that it is a tradition that they can share with their parents and their kids. There aren’t many things like that these days.
To what do you attribute the enduring quality of The Vinyl Cafe?
I think we celebrate the importance of the unimportant, the small things that make our life rich and memorable. Our lives and our relationships are made out of little moments. And we never know which of these moments are going to count and which ones will be forgotten. It’s never the things you think. It’s the smoke, never the fire.
Have you heard Samuel L. Jackson narrate the book Go the F**k to Sleep? Is there some hidden, X-rated Vinyl Cafe story that you break out at parties?
I’ve seen the book, but I haven’t heard the recording. I thought the book was pretty funny. We have all felt like that.
What special guests do you have in store for us?
I am very excited about the musicians at the show this year. We are travelling with the Vinylettes — three women from right here in Toronto … wonderful singers. They can really belt it out. They are going to close the show with a gospel number that gets me up on my feet every time I’ve heard them rehearse it. And we’ll also be joined by Vancouver singer-songwriter Reid Jamieson. I don't know why more people don’t already know about Reid. He should be a household name.
What inspired these characters in the first place?
I was working on Peter Gzowski’s show Morningside, and the music producer of that show, David Amer, came to me one day and said, “We should do a radio show together.” Dave would choose the music. I would introduce it. I liked the idea, but I thought that it needed more … so I came up with the character of Dave, owner of the World's Smallest Record Store. At first, I was going to be Dave. The idea was that I was going to have a plan of opening a record store, but eventually I landed on a fictional character. That’s where Dave came from.
Stuart McLean & The Vinyl Cafe, The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E., 416-368-6161. Dec. 7 to 9.
