Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe

“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 Margaret has a new spring in her step.

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“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 he can chew.

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"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.

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“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.

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“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.

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“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 a tale of some less-than-glamorous accommodation that she and Stuart enjoyed there.

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“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 difficult, racist customer.

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“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.

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“She was a woodland bird, in the middle of the city, way off course, and she had landed at his feeder.”

Stuart McLean tells two Dave and Morley stories that explore the idea of home in its various forms: in Burd, a tiny feathered friend gets blown off course and finds its way to Dave and Morley’s garden where it decides to stop a while. And in Tree of Heaven a seedling takes root – in Dave’s car… and in his heart. Also this week, Jess tells a hilarious story about the trip she and Stuart took to Point Pelee to learn about birders and birding.

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"He looked like a kid on a roller coaster. But not one of the happy ones.” 

Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton lets us into some secrets about life on the road with Stuart McLean and we’ll hear Stuart read two hilarious Dave and Morley stories about fitness gone horribly wrong: Tour de Dave – aka Dave on the Bike – and Attack of the Treadmill.

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The Vinyl Cafe podcast is back! For the first time ever we’ll share the hilarious backstories from the popular show. Long-time Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton tells all, sharing memories and stories from 15 years touring, travelling, laughing, and recording with her close friend, Canada’s favourite storyteller, Stuart McLean. Plus, each week, a selection of her favourite Dave & Morley stories.

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