Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe

“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.'” This week, a story that captures the joy of live music and performance. Jess reminisces about two amazing experiences on tour with Stuart and the Vinyl Cafe: one at Stuart’s final conce...

“He had,  intentionally,  set his bar low. Really low. And now someone was telling him he wasn’t even big enough to be small.”   Today’s episode turns out to be a bit of an ode to record stores. Jess talks about her experience working at the record store Sam the Record Man and in our story, World’s Smallest Record Store, Dave’s young employee teaches him the beauty of what he h...

“Just one day, she wanted one of them to come home and say ‘Gee, lunch was good.’”   On today’s episode, two stories about back to school: first a hilarious (and occasionally gross) account of a school lunch bag; then, in Best Things, a story from when Stephanie starts university and meets her boyfriend Tommy for the first time. And longtime Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton notices a them...

"The best time to share bad news is almost always  never .”   Welcome back to Season Two of Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe! We’re thrilled to be back and ready to kick off the new season with two Stuart McLean stories about Dave’s neighbourhood nemesis: the indefatigable Mary Turlington. This week Stuart tells two barn burners about Mary. First up, hypochondriacal Dave has to step up when h...

Charge your AirPods. Get your dog ready for her walk.  Because we’re back next week with Season 02 of Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe. Join us for a new season of hilarious Vinyl Cafe stories and back stories. Here's a sneak peek... 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 & m...

If you’ve listened to the podcast you’ve heard me talk about Stuart’s Long Suffering Story Editor, Meg Masters. I welcomed Meg into the Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe podcast studio for a chat recently and asked her the questions on all our minds: Why did Stuart call you Long Suffering? And just how badly did you suffer? So, on today’s bonus episode: a no-holds-barred, exclusive interview with the Vi...

In today’s bonus episode, two Postcards from Canada. When people think about the Vinyl Cafe, they often think about the concerts we did across Canada, in big towns and small. Stuart opened many of those concerts with an essay about the place and over the years it has added up to quite a collection. Here are two of our favourite ‘postcards’: one from Nelson, British Columbia and the other from the...

Something special for you for our first bonus episode. From one of my absolute favourite Vinyl Cafe radio shows, from 2011, this is Stuart and I in studio talking about bloopers! We laughed so hard recording this show. 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:...

"This waterslide was the waterslide to end all waterslides”   We are taking a break over the summer, so in honour of our final episode of Season 1 we’ve got two Vinyl Cafe stories for you about summer. If you listen carefully you’ll hear something unusual in the first, A Letter from Camp, when Stuart inserts a personal story from his own days at his beloved summer camp. And of course, we can’...

“The Pensionne du Quebec was lit up like a party ship”   Sam is apprehensive about Dave signing up to escort the school field trip to the art gallery. You’ll understand why. On this week’s episode, laugh along with audiences from across Canada with two stories about Sam’s school trips: Field Trip is one from the early days, while in A Trip to Quebec, Sam’s Grade 8 heart is won over by a...

"Coming into Dave and Morley’s house is, quite frankly, a bit of a feat. You have to really  want  to get in.” In time for Mother’s Day, this week’s episode is all about Morley – the beating heart of the family and the calm to Dave’s chaos. In The House Next Door, Morley fantasizes about a life very different from her own; and in The Pot, meditates on her role as both a mother and a daug...

“What are flies attracted to?”   We’re talking hypochondria on the podcast this week with two stories revealing Dave’s undeniably hypochondriacal tendencies. Jess lets us into the secret of how Stuart was able to portray this trait of Dave’s so authentically. We start with an old favourite: The Fly. Then in our second story, Dave goes to visit a friend in the hospital. Result: Code Yello...

“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...

“I found my father’s old chemistry set…”   This week’s episode is about good friends and friendship: two stories about Sam and his best friend Murphy. In the early days of their friendship they get their hands on a vintage chemistry set, with explosive results. And on their first trip to Cape Breton the friends find adventure in the form of an abandoned car on Macaulay’s Mountain. Ad-free lis...

“It’s time for Stephanie to see more of the world.”   Stuart McLean talks about connection – to place, to each other and to history – with the stories London and Springhill (aka The Laundry Chute). And Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton describes a remarkable moment from the reading of that Springhill story at the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay and their own special connection that began that day. A...

“Surely Mary wouldn’t miss one of those little buttercream shrubs…” Today’s Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe is all about birthdays. Jess shares some behind the scenes stories of ways she and Stuart celebrated birthdays on the road; and we have two hilarious Dave and Morley stories about birthdays that have gone awry. In The Birthday Cake, Dave is left in charge of delivering Mary Turlington’s carefull...

"Imagine. A million dollars. What would you do with a million dollars?” A couple of favourite Vinyl Cafe stories this week. Stories about faith. When Tommy’s grandpa dies the conversation turns to his unscratched lottery ticket and the faith he had in its possibilities. That was one of Stuart’s favourites. And Jess shares a personal story about the inspiration behind the story Morley’s&n...

“We stumble upon the great loves of our lives in the oddest ways” On this week’s episode of Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe, two funny stories about Dave’s mother, Margaret and the new beginnings, loves and friendships she finds in later life. In Opera, she takes a long-awaited trip to New York City. In Spring in the Narrows, Dave heads back to his hometown of Big Narrows, Nova Scotia and finds Margar...

“He wanted to be alone so he could try the beef-flavoured toothpaste” Jess shares a special memory from a concert at the Place des Arts in Montreal – a memory about Stuart and his mom. And we have two Dave and Morley stories about hobbies: in an old favourite – Morley’s Bookclub – Morley finds her new hobby is not as relaxing as anticipated and in Dogwalker, Dave seems to have bitten off more than...

"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...

“Is Your Dog Your Boss?” Who doesn’t love a quiz? On this week’s episode of Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe, Jess introduces two favourite Stuart McLean stories from way back. In Arthur the Dog, Dave tries to assert his superiority, man over beast. Guess how well that goes? And in Gifted, Sam takes a quiz that he thinks may transform his life. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and e...

“It has been many long years since he sunk his teeth into anything.” It’s gnashers all the way on the Vinyl Cafe this week! Freezing optional. Things go awry when Dave’s neighbour Eugene struggles with his false teeth and a cob of corn; and we discover Dave has dentist issues after he bites into a hard chocolate and cracks a tooth at Mary Turlington’s dinner party. Ad-free listening is here! Liste...

“The fragrance of dead crayfish. Mmm-mm.” Two stories about Dave’s buddies. Bert Turlington gets a dog – but not exactly the kind he was hoping for; and Carl, Kenny, Bert and Dave enter a fishing contest where things get seriously out of hand, with hilarious consequences. Also this week, Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton recalls a particularly memorable winter visit to Minnedosa, Manitoba and shares...

“Big Bucks Polka. Bring your records Monday morning to Dave’s Polka Palace (formerly the Vinyl Cafe)” Welcome to the neighbourhood! Jess introduces two laugh-out-loud funny Dave and Morley stories about shops near Dave’s Vinyl Cafe record store: Woodsworth’s Books and Wong’s Scottish Meat Pies. We meet the eccentric book lover Dorothy Woodsworth; and learn how the Wongs subtly dealt with a difficu...

“Bonjour,” he said. “Je m’appelle Dave.” Yup, sometimes things go wrong. It happens to the best of us. Especially on the Vinyl Cafe, as you’ll hear in Stuart McLean’s Dave and Morley stories Dog Pills and Petit Lac Noir. Also on this week’s episode, Jess shares a surprising and funny backstory about the inspiration behind Dave’s mistake in Dog Pills. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad...