BONUS EPISODE: "Vinyl Café" Host Stuart McLean Interview from Seattle in December 2013

·22 min·2 clips

An old man in the audience interrupts Stuart McLean's story to say, 'Stuart, I worked in that mine.'

Host Felix Bunnell introduces a bonus episode featuring an interview with Stuart McLean, recorded on December 11, 2013, in the lobby of Seattle's Paramount Theatre. McLean was in town to present a touring edition of his CBC Radio show, the Vinyl Café. The show blends storytelling about a fictional record store owner named Dave with music by Canadian bands. McLean explains that live performances allow him to connect directly with audiences and collaboratively edit his work with producer Jess Milton. He notes that American audiences tend to be more enthusiastic and less reserved than Canadian ones. McLean attributes his ability to establish a sense of place in his live shows to his 30-year background as a journalist. He discusses radio as a 'hot medium' that fosters deep emotional and imaginative connections with listeners. When asked if he is the character Dave, McLean says no, but identifies most with the boy Sam, who shares his feeling of navigating life without a rulebook. McLean reveals he and his producer once considered retiring after 20 years but have since decided to continue without a plan, as he fears losing touch with his characters. He reflects on the aging of characters in comic strips like Peanuts and Doonesbury. McLean is surprised when told his stories feel distinctly Canadian to listeners, though he doesn't intentionally write them that way. He recounts a powerful moment during a show in Cape Breton when an audience member, a former miner named Cubby Cuthberson, spoke up during a story about a mining disaster. McLean shares that his love for radio stems from childhood feelings of awkwardness and connection. He describes the experience of getting lost in a story during a good performance. The interview concludes with a lighthearted question about Archie McPhee's store in Seattle, which inspired an early story. Bunnell closes the episode with show details and acknowledgments.

As heard by us

Stuart McLean explains how Dave became both a fictional character and a responsibility he could not quite abandon.

Stuart McLean's 2013 conversation with Felix Bunnell catches The Vinyl Cafe host in a reflective mood, tracing how Dave, the owner of the world's smallest record store, began in fragments of his own life before becoming someone McLean had to imagine beyond himself.

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Why you'd press play

You hear Stuart McLean explain how Dave and the Vinyl Cafe family became people he felt responsible for keeping alive.

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