Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe

“It was one of those moments that make you wonder if your life is cursed.” Especially for Hallowe’en: monsters! Our first story was Stuart’s favourite. Jess has a backstory about the writing of it. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here:  apostrophe.sup...

“I found my father’s old chemistry set…” Today on the pod, two hilarious Stuart McLean stories about friendships, old and new, sometimes with explosive results! Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here:  apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast...

“Dave thought, it will never get any better than this. Some people have God, and some people have money, and some people don’t have anything at all. I have this. I have the beat and the back beat.” On this week’s episode we’re talking about life on tour. We spent months of every year out on the road touring The Vinyl Cafe and our two stories this week capture the essence of those days. Ad-free lis...

“When Stuart stepped off his bus and waved goodbye, he thought to himself: This guy deserves an award.” Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! This week: shout-outs to some new Arthur nominees and a selection of our favourites from The Vinyl Cafe Arthur Awards. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout...

“When things go wrong, when, it is seldom the result of some big thing, it is always a chain of simple things, almost all of them avoidable.” What makes a good performer? What makes a great performance? These are the questions we’re exploring on the pod this week, with a backstory about Stuart McLean and a recording of a story that perfectly illustrates the point. Ad-free listening is here! Listen...

This week we’re spending the entire episode on beautiful Manitoulin Island. We have Stuart’s opening essay from our wonderful visit back in 2010, plus a story exchange and a very special Vinyl Café story.   Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here:&n...

“Coming into Dave and Morley’s house is a bit of a challenge. You have to really want to get in.” There’s how things look…. And how things actually are! Today on the pod, two stories about looking good. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here:  apostroph...

“Just one day, she wanted one of them to come home and say ‘Gee, lunch was good.’” The alarm clocks are set, the pencils are sharpened, the backpack is loaded. It’s September! We’re back to school and back with a brand new season of Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe and two hilarious Stuart McLean stories about school days. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bun...

Whether you've been on the road, by the lake or curled up with a good book, we hope you have enjoyed your summer. We are so looking forward to welcoming you back to the Vinyl Cafe. We have more of your favourite stories coming up, we'll hear about travels coast to coast and we'll even celebrate the Arthur Awards. Cozy up with a pumpkin spice latte and join us for season 8 starting Friday September...

"Thank God, he thought, help has arrived.” Dave tries to be helpful by offering to take Mary Turlington’s car to the car wash — but things don’t go exactly as planned. No stranger to car wash shenanigans herself, Jess fesses up about the inspiration for that story idea. In the second story, Dave plays an unanticipated starring role in Murphy’s Bar Mitzvah. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the...

"Dave said: 'You're thinking about dancing, aren't you?'" We’re looking towards summer on today’s episode. We have a script Stuart wrote about a magical evening spent in pursuit of fireflies. And a story of summer evenings in Dave and Morley’s neighbourhood. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listene...

Today we bring you an episode from our friends at the Apostrophe Podcast Network – one of the most-loved shows from the podcast ‘ We Regret to Inform You. ’ If you’re new to the pod, it’s a series that tells the inspiring stories of actors, athletes and even astronauts, who overcame major rejection on their journeys to the stars. This episode, however, is a little different. It's about an object....

“He’s not well, Stuart.” We’re going way back today with two pieces from pre-Vinyl Cafe days! One is a favourite you’ve been requesting, back from Stuart McLean’s regular appearances on Peter Gzowski’s Morningside. (Spoiler alert: You’ll see what happens when two presenters get the giggles on live radio.) Excerpt from Morningside reproduced by permission of CBC Licensing. Ad-free listening is here...

“Dave chose Happy Hour: Three honey-mint-refresh-colonic cocktails.” The Yoga Retreat: a place of well-being, calm and reflection. Usually. But not always; or not for Dave and Stephanie, at least. This week, Stuart McLean tells two hilarious stories about Dave’s good intentions gone awry. And Jess shares some road stories, including a memorable attempt to get the entire Vinyl Cafe crew up to the r...

“Eugene’s fig tree is the best-known tree in the neighbourhood.” We’re all about gardening on the podcast this week, with two Dave and Morley stories about the act of faith and hope that goes into creating a garden. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here:&nb...

This week we bring you an episode from another Apostrophe Podcast network show: Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. In this episode, Terry shares some of his best opening stories of all time. CBC listeners may remember that Terry begins each episode with a story - usually unrelated to marketing - that helps lay the foundation for that episode. They are always engaging, often surprising and ce...

In this bonus episode you’ll hear my conversation with Roger Woodward, the boy who went over the Falls. You loved hearing his remarkable story in our Niagara Falls episode (back in October 2023) and wanted to hear more. Roger and I had a great time catching up and I learned so much more about that momentous day.  Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bun...

“She was a woodland bird, in the middle of the city, way off course, and she had landed at his feeder.” Stuart McLean tells two Dave and Morley stories that explore the idea of home in its various forms: in Burd, a tiny feathered friend gets blown off course and finds its way to Dave and Morley’s garden where it decides to stop a while. And in Tree of Heaven a seedling takes root – in Dave’s car…...

“This waterslide was the waterslide to end all waterslides”   School’s – almost – out for summer! For our final episode of this season we've got the podcast equivalent of a banger end-of-year pool party. Get ready to jump in!  Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & mor...

"This is the first summer Sam has been in Big Narrows without Dave and Morley..." We are so ready for summer here! Are you? So on today’s podcast we’re talking summer adventures, start to finish, with two great summer stories by Stuart McLean. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs &a...

We're a few weeks early, I know, but this week on the podcast we’re celebrating Dads! We’ve got two hilarious stories about Dave’s parenting adventures. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here:  apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

What song would you want played at your funeral? Dave starts thinking about that in our first story and ends by taking funeral preparation to a whole new level! Our second story is also about death. But don’t worry, it’s a funny one too. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & mo...

“It has been many long years since he sunk his teeth into anything.” On this week’s episode, two stories about everyone’s favourite Vinyl Cafe neighbour: Eugene! And Jess notices some similarities from closer to home.   Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subs...

“I swear I smelled his breath.” We’ve got another Postcard from Canada for you today. It’s about the town of Mabou, Cape Breton, but it’s also about the art of fly fishing. And we’ve got a Dave & Morley story for you: Dave and friends enter a fishing derby and catch way more than they expected! Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies...

“Everyone in town heard the lightning hit.” We’re talking about gathering places on this week’s episode; those vital places that serve our communities in so many ways. We start with a piece Stuart wrote about the Parliament buildings (a follow up to the Amazing Spaces episode from last season). Then a moving listener story about a town hall, and a story about the town hall in Dave’s hometown....