Bob Got a Microphone

David Frum doesn't need much of an introduction - if you've paid any attention to Canadian or US politics over the last twenty-five or so years, you know him. He's written ten books, is featured in The Atlantic magazine, is a sought-after commentator on television and online - in short, he's a leading observer of American society. This conversation isn't about politics. It's primarily about writing - but it's about lots more besides. We discuss how and why he writes fiction and non-fiction, the power of texts, how he counsels overcoming writer's block, and even the differences between jealousy and envy. You can easily find David's work in lots of places - for his latest, check him out on Twitter @davidfrum or at https://www.theatlantic.com/author/david-frum/

Jason Ward seemed to have everything a lawyer could ask for: his own successful firm, community recognition, money, a family. But there was a problem: he was drinking himself into oblivion every night. Jason has come through to the other side of mental health and substance use challenges that very nearly derailed his career, his relationships, and even his life. He is now sharing his story with others, aiming to raise awareness, provide guidance to those facing similar challenges, and effect positive change. You can find Jason at https://mentallyspeaking.ca/ and read more about his story at https://macleans.ca/society/lawyer-mental-health/

Lots of different people use lots of different words to describe Caryma Sa'd: citizen journalist, lawyer, provocateur, badass - but one which seemed obvious to me, and seems even more obvious after this conversation, is storyteller. We discuss how she acquired her public profile, how she has experienced a number of different evolutions, including in her politics, the divisions and polarizing effects she observes and encounters, and the kinds of stories she wants to be entrusted to tell. You can find Caryma on Twitter @carymarules on Instagram @carymasad and at https://www.carymarules.com/

Professor Amy Salyzyn (University of Ottawa) teaches and writes about, among other things, legal ethics, and recently she's been turning her attention to the practical and ethical implications for lawyers of the latest wave of generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT. We talk about the promises and pitfalls of generative AI for lawyers and their clients, what risks are at risk being overlooked in the conversation, and what lawyers should keep their eye on when thinking about this latest wave of technological innovation. "But I'm not a lawyer, and this sounds boring!", you say? Well, AI optimists are claiming (hoping?) that AI innovations might dramatically cut down on the number of lawyers - so maybe you want to stick around to hear whether that's actually a possibility?

You can follow Professor Salyzyn on Twitter @AmySalyzyn and read her recent piece at slaw.ca on lawyers and ChatGPT here: https://www.slaw.ca/2023/02/23/the-chatgpt-lawyer-promises-perils-and-practicalities/

Ontario lawyers are soon going to be electing the Benchers who oversee the Law Society - and since lawyers are a self-regulating profession, that's more important than it might at first sound. Rebecca Durcan is running for Bencher, and in this conversation we talk about the risks that professions pose to the public, the ongoing controversies that have resulted in this election being - for the first time in history - contested by two slates of opposing lawyers, and why this might end up being the last Bencher election. Oh, and stick around to learn about how the Boston Marathon figures into it all.

Sound from Zapsplat.com

In 2022, Philip Slayton started publishing The Endgame, a Substack where he contemplates a world in which few moves remain, victory or defeat are close at hand, and options are limited and rapidly diminishing. That all seemed a little melancholic to me, which struck me as odd: Slayton has had a long and varied life and career as a Rhodes scholar, law professor, law school dean, Bay Street lawyer, and, for the last twenty or so years, as a writer of eight books - so I wanted to find out what was up. We talk about his writing, including his most recent book in which he explores antisemitism and how best to respond to it, and his concerns about free expression and identity politics. You can read and subscribe to The Endgame on Substack at https://philipslayton.substack.com/ and you can find out more about Slayton's work at https://philipslayton.com/. His most recent book, Antisemitism: an ancient hatred in an age of identity politics, is available from Sutherland House at https://sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/antisemitism/

I find it compelling when someone is passionate about something – especially when they’re passionate about something that isn’t, you know, obvious. It’s not something they can monetize, it’s not something everyone else is talking about... it’s something that they’re bringing focused insight to in a way you would otherwise never think about. A few years ago I learned that Graham Henderson – previously a lawyer and music industry advocate – was really into Percy Bysshe Shelley, the romantic poet who died two hundred years ago this past July. And he’s passionate about surfacing aspects of Shelley’s art and politics in a way that is accessible and relevant to contemporary readers. We talk about poets as legislators of the world, the difficult conversations sons sometimes have with their fathers through art, what great art asks us to do, but mostly we talk about Shelley - the radical poet of empathy.

You can read Graham's work on Shelley at http://www.grahamhenderson.ca/

No one writes about Canadian music with more insight or elan than Michael Barclay - and he's just released the magisterial Hearts On Fire: Six Years that Changed Canadian Music 2000–2005. It's the authoritative story about how, in the early years of the new millennium, the world noticed that the musical artists coming out of Canada - from Arcade Fire to Tegan and Sara, from Broken Social Scene to Cadence Weapon and beyond - were, amazingly, incontrovertibly, and finally, cool. We talk about the the amazing diversity of musical talent on offer, the material conditions that made the phenomenon possible (including the role played by cheap real estate), the importance of killer live performances (and drummers!), and the role that late Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie played in bringing the book to fruition. 

Hearts on Fire is available for sale now wherever fine books are sold, and you can find more from Michael on Twitter @mmmbarclay.

Some serendipitous conversations early in the pandemic inspired employment and human rights lawyer Rob Tarantino (no relation! really!) to do something a little unusual, a little creative, and definitely a whole lot tasty: he started making and selling small-batch, hand-rolled bagels. We talk about growing up Tarantino, what motivated him to start making bagels, the differences and similarities between becoming a bagelmonger and starting his own legal practice, and how sharing food that he loves has helped him tap into a supportive community of bagel enthusiasts across the city. You can find Rob and his bagels on Instagram @stclarensbagels and his legal practice at https://www.tarantinolaw.ca/