The Vinyl Cafe

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The Vinyl Cafe
The Vinyl Cafe Podcast.jpg
The official podcast cover art
Genre Variety show
Running time1 hour
Country of originCanada
Home station CBC Radio
Syndicates Public Radio International
Starring Stuart McLean
Produced byJess Milton
Original release1994 –
2015
No. of episodes400+
Website www.vinylcafe.com
Podcast Vinyl Cafe Stories

The Vinyl Cafe was an hour-long radio variety show hosted by Stuart McLean that was broadcast on CBC Radio and was syndicated to approximately 80 U.S. public radio stations through Public Radio International. [1] It aired on Sunday at noon EST and Tuesday at 11:00 pm EST on CBC Radio One and Saturday at 9 am EST on CBC Radio 2. The program was also available as a CBC podcast, although the podcasts usually contained just McLean's stories and essays for studio episodes because of copyright restrictions on recorded music. [2] CBC Radio also aired a separate weekday afternoon program, under the title Vinyl Cafe Stories, which consisted of two previously recorded Dave and Morley stories per episode.

Contents

The show was produced independently by McLean and sold to the CBC. Each season had approximately 26 new episodes. Half of those were recorded in the studio and the other half were done with live audiences in theatres across Canada and the United States. One episode was recorded onboard VIA Rail's transcontinental passenger train The Canadian from the dome observation car, complete with an audience of passengers and featured a rail travel theme. The musical guest was singer songwriter Reid Jamieson.

The Vinyl Cafe stopped touring and producing new episodes following McLean's diagnosis with melanoma in November 2015. [3] McLean announced on December 13, 2016, that he required a second round of treatment, meaning further delay in producing new episodes, and that repeats of past shows would stop airing on CBC Radio One effective January 2017 to "make room for others to share their work on the radio." [4] McLean died on February 15, 2017. [5]

Content

Stuart McLean on stage at the Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg, Manitoba Stuart McLean.jpg
Stuart McLean on stage at the Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg, Manitoba

The Vinyl Cafe radio show featured essays, short stories, and music; while frequently humorous, the weekly programs often featured wistfully nostalgic Canadiana. Often performed as a live show from local venues across Canada, the show often began with a complimentary sketch of the venue's community that, "capture the beauty, history and poetry of Canada’s landscape and people." [6] [7] These "Postcards from Canada" have been likened the "collection to a family photo album that captures everyday life in Canada."

A major feature of many of McLean's shows were the "Dave and Morley Stories", which featured a fictional Toronto family. The name "Vinyl Cafe" referred both to the show's musical content and the fictional record shop owned by McLean's character Dave. This aspect of the show had spawned a number of books of short stories, as well as audio recordings. Another feature was "The Vinyl Cafe Story Exchange", where listeners were invited to send in personal true stories to the producers who read selections on air. The series also presented an annual set of awards that were called the "Arthur Awards", which were intended to commend various people who had performed extraordinary good deeds of a small personal nature in the preceding year.

Every episode ended with McLean's signature sign-off, "I'm Stuart McLean, so long for now" and followed by the show's folksy guitar theme song, "Happy Meeting In Glory" (as performed by Ry Cooder). The show was produced by Jess Milton. Meg Masters was the "long-suffering" story editor and the show's founding producer was Dave Amer. Julie Penner was the musical director.

Since 2012 the show has also aired a "best of" spin-off series under the new title of Vinyl Cafe Stories. It features previously recorded stories about Dave and Morley and organized around a common theme, and with one or two studio-recorded musical tracks, but without the live music or local introductions typical of the original run of the show. In January 2023, long-time Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton released a new podcast named Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe, which includes McLean’s previously-recorded fictional stories and highlights from The Vinyl Cafe radio show and live concerts.

Dave and Morley Stories

Although they are not featured in every episode of The Vinyl Cafe, the "Dave and Morley Stories" were by far the show's most famous segment. The stories, written and read by McLean, himself, described the many misadventures of Dave, his wife Morley, their children and pets, as well as friends and neighbours.

For his live performances, McLean often altered his more well-known stories to keep his audience engaged. Today, selected performances are replayed on the CBC Radio One current affairs show, The Current , as holiday programming.

Collections of stories in book form

Canadian Editions

US Editions

UK Editions

Collections of stories in audio form

The covers of the Canadian editions of Vinyl Cafe Diaries, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe, The Vinyl Cafe Coast to Coast Story Service and A Story-gram from the Vinyl Cafe were designed and illustrated by noted writer, artist and cartoonist Seth.[ citation needed ]

McLean's Vinyl Cafe stories can also be purchased in audio form from the web label Zunior.

Collections of essays in book form

Reception

In 2011, Apple announced their "Best of the Year" awards and The Vinyl Cafe podcast was chosen as the best audio podcast of the year.[ citation needed ]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart McLean</span> Canadian broadcaster and storyteller

Andrew Stuart McLean, was a Canadian radio broadcaster, humorist, monologist, and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe. Often described as a "story-telling comic" although his stories addressed both humorous and serious themes, he was known for fiction and non-fiction work which celebrated the decency and dignity of ordinary people, through stories which often highlighted the ability of their subjects, whether real or fictional, to persevere with grace and humour through embarrassing or challenging situations.

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<i>Vinyl Cafe Stories</i> 1998 live album by Stuart McLean

Vinyl Cafe Stories (1998) is a two-CD album by Stuart McLean released in 1998 by Vinyl Cafe Productions.

<i>The Vinyl Cafe On Tour</i> 1999 live album by Stuart McLean

The Vinyl Cafe On Tour (1999) is a two-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.

<i>Vinyl Cafe Odd Jobs</i> 2001 live album by Stuart McLean

Vinyl Cafe Odd Jobs (2001) is a two-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.

<i>Vinyl Cafe Inc. Coast to Coast Story Service</i> 2002 live album by Stuart McLean

Vinyl Cafe Inc. Coast to Coast Story Service (2002) is a two-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.

<i>A Story-Gram from Vinyl Cafe Inc.</i> 2004 live album by Stuart McLean

A Story-Gram From Vinyl Cafe Inc. (2004) is a two-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.

<i>Home from the Vinyl Cafe</i> Short story collection by Stuart McLean

Home from the Vinyl Cafe (1998) is Stuart McLean's second volume of stories that first aired on the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe. It was the winner of the 1999 Stephen Leacock Award for Humour.

<i>Vinyl Cafe Unplugged</i>

Vinyl Cafe Unplugged (2000) is Stuart McLean's third volume of stories that first aired on the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe. In 2001, it won the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour. This was the second time that Stuart McLean had won for his writings on The Vinyl Cafe.

<i>Vinyl Cafe Diaries</i>

Vinyl Cafe Diaries (2003) is Stuart McLean's fourth volume of stories that first aired on the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe. It made the 2004 Stephen Leacock Award for Humour shortlist, and was the winner of the 2004 Canadian Authors Association Award.

<i>The Vinyl Cafe Notebooks</i>

Vinyl Cafe Notebooks: a collection of essays from The Vinyl Cafe (2010) is Stuart McLean's ninth book and each one has been a Canadian bestseller. McLean has sold over 1 million books in Canada. Unlike the other "Vinyl Cafe" books, these are not "Dave and Morley stories".

<i>Vinyl Cafe Family Pack</i> 2011 live album by Stuart McLean

The Vinyl Cafe Family Pack (2011) is a 4-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.

<i>Revenge of The Vinyl Cafe</i>

Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe (2012) is Stuart McLean's fifth book of stories that first aired on the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe. It debuted at #1 in The Globe and Mail’s bestseller list. It is the only book in the Vinyl Cafe series to have its own theme music, selected by CBC Radio listeners and written by Ottawa band The PepTides Stories included in Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe:

References

  1. ↑ The Vinyl Cafe. Canadian Communications Foundation.
  2. ↑ "Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean - Official Website". CBC. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Stuart McLean cancels Vinyl Cafe Christmas tour due to melanoma". CBC News. November 21, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  4. ↑ McLean, Stuart. "A message from Stuart McLean". CBC Radio.
  5. ↑ Sumanac-Johnson, Deana (February 15, 2017). "Stuart McLean, CBC Radio host and award-winning humorist, dead at 68". CBC. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  6. ↑ Wong, Jessica; Sumanac-Johnson, Deana. "New Vinyl Cafe albums featuring Stuart McLean celebrate show's 25th anniversary". CBC News. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  7. ↑ "NEW! - STUART MCLEAN - VINYL CAFE 25 YEARS, VOLUME II: POSTCARDS FROM CANADA (CD)". Zunior.com Canadian Music Originals. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
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