Freddie P's Blog

March 29, 2010 @ 18:14

Yes, all the boys will gather at the fine studios of Proud-fm again this Saturday to record the latest installment, and then Dan Duran will almost immediately upload the show to the masses. Promise.

We're going to try something different this time. We'll have the phone lines open between noon and 1pm on Saturday. 416-870-1039.

For old time sake, let's do a segment of "Ask Humble and Fred"

We'll "twitter" when the lines are open. 416-870-1039.

Category: Radio

March 29, 2010 @ 17:32

Hey Freddie,
Hall and Oates make my hair itchy.
My musical tastes were shaped by CFNY's playlists of the 80's, which would never include H&O of course. To me H&O represented the "bad 80's music".
But, to each their own.
Freddie, correct me if i'm wrong but I sense you're more of a straight ahead rock and roll guy in general. So if that's the case, you must have gotten all squirmy hearing all that relatively obscure stuff during your tenure at CFNY. Although, I'm sure you were more focused on what you were about to talk about on air rather than the tunes.
Was there any "CFNY" music from that era you really enjoyed? (aside from The Cult's Love Removal Machine which you covered) Hated? I'd be curious to know your thoughts.

Hi Ryan

Actually I'm not a straight ahead rock and roll guy. And no, I didn't get all squirmy during my days at CFNY when it was at its alternative best, on the contrary, my IPOD is full of old CFNY stuff that not only brings back great memories, its great music.

The only problem I had with the music at CFNY was that it wasn't very accessible. Humble and I knew the tunes were great, the problem was, not enough people caught on, remember this is the city that has made CHFI and CHUM-FM number one since you were shitting yellow.

It was frustrating to be working at the station delivering the city's best radio, but not getting the recognition through ratings. I'm just being honest.

But to address another point, why is it so hard to believe that somebody could like Hall and Oates, but also like The Smiths, New Order and The Clash. For the most part, I liked it all.

Having said that, there are bands that I didn't like so much. I wasn't the biggest fan of the Sex Pistols, but I don't care much for Led Zeppelin either. I was a huge UB 40 fan in the 80's, but pretty much ignored Bruce Springsteen.

I think music is all about feel and emotion. It's subjective. There's really not such thing as bad music because whatever it is, there's somebody who likes it.

I don't care for rap or hip-hop but I love reggae. I'm not big on classical but I enjoy Jazz. Right now I can't stand Nickleback but I really like Cage the Elephant and Metric.

And yes, while at CFNY we were focused on our "talking" segments, but the music went a long way in positioning our show. Edgy and different, exactly what we wanted our show to be, and often we were fuelled by the great tunes.

I hope that answers all your questions.

Frederick

Category: Radio

March 29, 2010 @ 17:31

Earth Hour and Don Cherry.

Category: Radio

March 27, 2010 @ 18:33

One of the radio stations I program in Peterborough is 100.5 Kruz-fm which plays hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s. It's a great little radio station with a fabulous playlist that brings back lots of memories.

A couple of weeks ago I had in cranked in my office when "Sara Smile" by Hall and Oates came one. I cranked it up even more.

I've always been a big fan of Hall and Oates "rock and soul" but they had actually fallen out of my depleting memory until this song came on and it all came flooding back.

Through the 70s and 80s these guys had a pile of hits that were so distinct because of Daryl Hall's amazing voice. The guy's voice literally puts me in a trance, not just Sarah Smile, but it's at the top of my list.

My good buddy and co-worker Brian Ellis did me a huge favour and burned me a greatest hits CD and I've been lovin'it very much during my drives to and from the Patch.

Today whilst driving to Home Depot to look at some flooring products, I played the CD and my wife and I reminisced about the early 80s when we first got married and bought our first stereo.

We played a lot of Hall of Oates back then and some of the songs made us want to bang like bunnies. So we did. And after listening to half a dozen songs today guess what we did?

Delyse put some salmon in the oven and I googled Hall and Oates. (Don't forget we're 53 now)

Whilst googling I found a cool site called "Live from Daryl's House". It's a web show with a lot of great guests and a lot of great music.

Check it out and click on Sara Smile under individual songs.

Category: Stuff

March 27, 2010 @ 13:29

What was unfolding as a pleasant Saturday morning quickly went south when I flipped on TSN's Sportscentre.

There were back back to back reports that totally bummed me out. The first one dealt with that abhorrent thug Gilbert Arenas (next posting) and the second one dealt with someone who actually contributes to society, former Leaf coach Pat Burns.

I hadn't heard much about Burns lately but then the Sportscentre report kicked me right in the gut. They're naming a community hockey rink after Burns in Stanstead, Quebec and he was there yesterday for the naming ceremony.

The rink hasn't been built yet, in fact I don't think a shovel has hit the ground, but they held the ceremony yesterday because if they waited any longer Burns wouldn't be there.

It's no secret now; he's in the final days of his life after battling three different cancers over the past six years. First it was colon cancer, which he beat, then liver cancer which he beat and now lung cancer which can't be beaten. Burns declined treatment.

I'm sure I speak for most Leaf fans when I say Pat Burns will always have a special place in my hockey heart. The wonderful run he took the Maple Leafs on in the early 90's is something that none of us will ever forget.

He brought hope to a city that had none through most of the 80's, and along with Cliff Fletcher made the words Stanley Cup something more than a fantasy.

Burns was big, brash and bombastic but he was a great leader and a fabulous coach he managed to squeeze absolutely every once of effort out of the best Leaf team since the 60's.

To see Pat Burns on television this morning, gaunt and weak while speaking with a voice I could hardly recognize was terribly upsetting for me, so I can't image what his family is going through.

He's only 58 years old.

"As for my career, I always said to my kids 'you don't cry because it's over, you're happy because it happened.' That's the main thing. I'm very happy that it happened."
Pat Burns, March 25, 2010

Category: Sports

March 27, 2010 @ 11:34

It was a sad day for justice in the United States yesterday. Once again it was proved that there is a law for the rich and a law for the poor.

Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards was sentenced to a laughingly lax 30 days in a halfway house for bringing four guns into the Verizon Centre back in December.

It stemmed from a confrontation with a team mate. It was a disgusting act that was an insult to Wizards, their fans and the NBA as a whole. Yesterday's decision was an insult to every citizen of the United States.

The District of Columbia, which has one of the highest crime rates in the US has extremely tough gun laws, and after yesterdays ruling it was the general consensus of most lawyers that if Arenas had been a regular citizen, he definitely would have gone to jail.

Believe me, I'm not about to pretend this kind of thing couldn't happen in Canada, because it could, but after spending several minutes googling "Canada / athlete / gun / locker room" I couldn't come up with a similar case.

I've made it clear before, I'm not a fan of the NBA and a lot of it stems from the creeps and thugs that tend to inhabit the league. Yesterday just makes it worse. A man who makes eleven million dollars a year, a man who can afford the best in defense and man who probably had the league at this back, walked away from something and that you and I would dearly pay for.

It sucks, it blows and smells like a rat.

A very sad day.

Category: Sports

March 25, 2010 @ 12:10

I hate to say it, but Toronto rocks, sort of..

Category: Stuff

March 25, 2010 @ 12:05

On Saturday, March 20 The Toronto Maple Leafs initiated a Montreal Canadiens tailspin that has now reached three games.
Leafs 3 Habs 2 SO
Senators 2 Habs 0
Sabres 3 Habs 2 SO
Montreal is just five points ahead of the ninth place Atlanta Thrashers in the NHL's Eastern Conference. Atlanta has a game in hand. I have my fingers crossed.

Category: Sports