It’s been 15+ years since I did any kind of open mic. Got up this month. The evidence:
Jian Ghomeshi
I always got the pretentious creep vibe from Jian Ghomeshi when I’d see him on television, even before I ever had any interaction with him. In July of 2009 – before I worked at CBC Radio – I saw him a
High School Yearbook
Found this pic while going through an old yearbook. Even then, I seemed to like the mic.
10 Questions with…Josh Holliday
AllAccess.com was kind enough to feature me in their On The Beach Q&A this week. BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I did an On The Beach back in April ’06, and I’m here again. Hello. Just to catch you
Writing for Radio
Well, I just moved, and I think we can all agree, moving is a giant pain in the ass. There was a small, nostalgic silver lining in this move, as I found a bunch of CDs with commercials I’ve written ov
Face to Face With Wild Gators
One of my favorite places to visit is the Shark Valley Conservation Area in the heart of the Everglades in Florida. It’s a 14 mile looped path about a single paved lane wide. During the winter months,
Eric Tunney 1964-2010
Many people in Toronto might identify Eric Tunney as the guy who co-hosted Ed The Sock for a stretch of time. These people aren’t a part of the comedy community, especially in Toronto. Eric was a favourite among audiences and comedians during the mid-90s, both on and off stage. There’s a whole generation of comics who were inspired by, and guided by Eric, who was always there to offer encouragement, helpful advice, or a funny story. Eric Tunney passed away last year. He was in his mid-40s.
Radio Life Interview
I was interviewed last year for a radio industry website. Here’s the transcript:
How did your radio passion begin?
I loved listening to the radio as a child. It started with CHUM FM, when it was still a rock station. I remember calling up the morning show as a little kid with a joke: “How can you tell Ronald McDonald at a nudist camp? By the sesame seeds on his buns.” I loved Dr. Demento and the Sunday Funnies with Rick Hodge. In my teens, it was CFNY, and CFRB. CFNY was one of the first great heritage alternative stations in North America. My parents listened to CFRB, one of the great heritage talk stations at the time. I suppose it was lucky to be in the Toronto market when I was young. I loved talk radio, and often called up the ‘RB talk shows during my teen years; mostly Wayne McLean and Ed Needham.
10 Questions (about radio) with Josh Holliday from 2006
I found an old link for this bit I did with All Access, a big radio industry website. They have a weekly feature called On The Beach (an old radio term for being between gigs – guess it’s better than Wallowing in Self Pity, Thinking I’ll Never Work Again.) It was April 2006, after 102.1 the Edge, and before X92.9.
Please begin by giving us a brief career history …
For the last 13 years I’ve been both in front of and behind the mic. Started out doing creative for CFNY. Went on to do on-air entertainment reporting, including hundreds of interviews with local and international notables. Wrote all the imaging and on-air promos for Classic Rock Q107 for about 2 years, but had a jones to get back in front of the mic. Hosted a regular (and quite popular) daily show on 102.1 The Edge.
1 What do you do to maintain a positive mental attitude and stay motivated?
The first rule of fight club: never talk about fight club.
2 How are you occupying your time, besides looking for a job?
I’ve never limited myself to a single medium. I act for television, film and some stage stuff, do voiceovers, some animation, perform stand-up and improv, and sometimes hold doors open for strangers.
3 Some people get discouraged or enlightened with the business when they actually step out of it for a while. Tell us your observations from the outside.
I’ve kind of been exploring all sorts of radio alternatives for my listening: including a fully-loaded iPod (music and podcasts,) public radio, college radio and most recently got satellite. I’m intrigued by the emergence of the new tech and programming, and how terrestrial radio is reacting (or in some cases not reacting) to it.