Famous Lost Words

With Taylor Swift being a big part of the pop culture conversation lately, we thought we’d present three Taylor interviews from our archives, one that has never been heard on FLW.

• From 2019 – a great chat with Taylor and broadcaster Shannon Burns, talking about Swift’s album “Lover” and how it reflects a more positive outlook than the moodier “Reputation”. She also talks about putting “Easter Eggs” in her work as part of a fun dialogue with her fans. (Bonus content for Swifties: Taylor talks about her first meeting with her cat, “Benjamin Button”)
• From 2014 – Taylor joins Roger Ashby and Marilyn Denis to promote “1989”, her first pure pop album. Swift explains why she needed to be honest with her fans about the new direction of her sound. She also talks about the big house party she threw for Swifties. 
• From 2010 – our earliest TS interview in which she tells interviewer Richie Favalaro about her album “Speak Now” and what that album means to her. She also explains how she was surprised that fans could relate to her songs even when they were specifically written for one person. She also talks about performing onstage with Katy Perry.
• Plus, we have some Cool Taylor Facts!

Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.  It is in the Top 20% of worldwide podcasts based on the number of listeners in the first week.

A Famous Lost Words drinking game?  Is this REALLY a good idea? Tom proposes a non-alcoholic version that is based solely on his own (many) verbal quirks.

For our last episode of season 9, we begin with Carly Simon in conversation with broadcaster Ingrid Schumacher in 1987.  This was a great year for Carly because she had just worked on the soundtrack for the movie “Heartburn” and her new album “Coming Around Again” would prove to be a comeback for her. She talks about work with Mike Nichols on “Heartburn”, tussling with Clive Davis on song choices and how her close friend Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis convinced her to write a book.

            Following that is a really fun encounter with the guys from Train, from a morning show encounter with Roger Ashby and Marilyn Denis.  The interview, from 2012, captures the goofiness of lead singer Pat Monahan. 

Then, we have an early ‘80s chat with Gary Wright, who passed away in September of 2023. Gary only had three significant chart hits, but he was a well-respected musician who worked with George Harrison on a number of projects.  He also made synthesizers a staple on Top 40 radio.

            We close out the show with a great chat with Triumph, a band that started in a bowling alley in Mississauga, Ontario forge their place in rock history.  The Canadian power trio are legendary here in their home country, but also had a great run in the U.S. and beyond.  Bassist Mike Levine has a ton of fun chatting with broadcaster Rick Ringer in this very entertaining and lively 1983 interview.

This week, a very good example of the wide range of artists in the Famous Lost Words archives…

            First up is a collection of early ‘70s conversations with Crosby, Stills & Nash, where David, Stephen and Graham cover the entire history of the group.  Plus, maybe Tom’s worst interviewing moment when Stephen Stills takes him to task for asking what we thought was a reasonable question.  That’s this week on When Rock Stars Attack!

Plus, the excellent story behind one of the best hits of the ‘70s – from an important band that preceded CSN. It’s a story of intrigue and double-cross and it’s also pretty funny

And we have an early ‘80s chat with reggae legend Peter Tosh – as he talks about working with Mick Jagger as well as the importance of marijuana to his religion, his creative process and his life.

And we close out the show with a really fun new chat with Canadian rocker Lee Aaron – who has come a very long way since her Metal Queen days.  We talk about her career, the fine line between promotion and exploitation and how she felt being inducted into Canada’s Walk Of Fame just a few weeks ago.

 

Tom & Christopher also talk about the band breakups that affected them the most.  Christopher's answer was both unexpected and frankly hilarious!

 

Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.  It is in the Top 20% of worldwide podcasts based on the number of listeners in the first week.

 This week, part 2 of our series on R&B, Soul, Disco and Hip-Hop!  As usual, we have a great collection of interview clips with some of the greatest artists of the genre.

-        Tina Turner breaks down her performing style (and explains why she didn’t like her voice)

-        Michael Jackson recalls the earliest days of The Jackson 5

-        The O’Jays explain how they initially rejected one of their biggest hits

-        Nona Hendrix talks about the recording and controversy of the classic soul hit, “Lady Marmalade”

-        Gloria Gaynor tells the story of having to fight to release “I Will Survive”

-        The Commodores talk about learning the tricks of the trade from The Jackson 5

-        Donna Summer reveals the song that inspired “Love To Love You”

-        How Arrested Development created hip-hop music to reflect a different side of the African-American experience

-        Anita Baker tells Marilyn Denis about her style (or lack of style)

-        Diana Ross talks about the early days of The Supremes

-        Plus, revealing clips from Barry White, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Jully Black, The Chi-Lites, Deborah Cox, Lenny Kravitz, Billy Paul, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr and Lou Rawls.

 

And we’ll tell the amazing story about the birth of hip-hop in an NYC house party on August 11, 1973.

 

Plus, Tom tells us about a whole bunch of Cool Soul Facts!

 

Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.  It is in the Top 20% of worldwide podcasts based on the number of listeners in the first week.

            It’s part 1 of our epic two-part celebration of Soul, R&B, disco and hip-hop!  We’ve gathered an incredible collection of interview moments with some of the greatest artists of the genre.

We’ll hear from:

• Gladys Knight & The Pips – Gladys breaks down every element that goes into making a great record. She also rightly insists there should be a Grammy Award for backing vocals.
• Earth Wind & Fire – talk about the rise of disco and their place in music
• Destiny’s Child – Michelle and Kelly talk about Beyonce’s leadership and vision.
• the late great Sam Cooke talks about his jump from spiritual music to the ballads that made him famous
• Smokey Robinson talks about the battles the Motown Records faced back in the days of Civil Rights struggles
• Wyclef Jean explains why The Fugees never followed up their biggest album.
• The guys from Chic talk about creating the greatest hits from the disco era.
• Rihanna fondly remembers the big break that took her from Barbados to Jay-Z’s office
• Chaka Khan explains how one of her favourite artists wrote her first major hit

All told, it’s a powerful, danceable, funky episode!

In this special episode, we pay tribute to the late Myles Goodwyn, the lead singer and songwriter of April Wine.

Myles was seemingly in good health and spirits in late September as he and April Wine were inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.  Goodwyn was also inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame.

We feature two segments from the Famous Lost Words archives.  First up is Tom's 2021 interview with Myles who told wonderful stories about the history of April Wine and their early struggles, first brush with fame, their feud with a famous rock critic, their gig with The Rolling Stones at the El Mocambo in Toronto - and their crossover success in the early '80s.  He also talked about his latest music - and in particular one song that addresses the residential school crisis.

We also feature a phone chat with Myles circa 1977 in which he talks about Canada's star system.  

Both segments capture Goodwyn's personality and deep love of music.

Myles Goodwyn passed away on December 3, 2023 at the age of 75 in Halifax Nova Scotia.

 

            In what can only be described as a hell of a coincidence, this week we feature a series  of clips with Daryl Hall & John Oates.  These are particularly interesting in light of the news of Daryl suing John, and even asking for a restraining order against his old friend and bandmate. 

First up is both guys from 1981, around the time of the “Voices” album. Then about a year later in ’82, it’s Daryl Hall talking to us about the H20 album.

            And then for our podcast listeners there’s some bonus content – it’s Tom’s 2018 interview with John Oates. In which John talks about how he and Daryl bonded over their love of music.  John also tells the story behind the hit “Maneater” in which he explains that the maneater isn’t about a woman, it’s about a city.

            After Hall & Oates, we’ll chat with Steven Page, formerly of Barenaked Ladies and now a member of the very quirky new Canadian supergroup the Trans-Canada Highwaymen.  Their new album is a bit surprising on a number of levels.  We’ll talk about that plus some of Steven’s favourite memories of his time with Barenaked Ladies (including his reunion with BNL at the Juno Awards).

            Then, we have a hidden gem from the FLW archives – so hidden that we didn’t even know it existed until we discovered a few days ago!  It’s a 2007 interview with the wonderful Brandi Carlile.  It’s great to capture a moment in time from when an artist is first starting out.  Brandi is so candid and refreshing in this early-career chat.

            Plus, Christopher and Tom argue about the greatest debut albums ever.  Tom is impressed by Christopher’s choices, while Christopher is mortified by Tom’s!

Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.  It is in the Top 20% of worldwide podcasts based on the number of listeners in the first week.

          This week... an absolute gem – a 2004 interview with Prince. You’ve never heard him sound so loose and relaxed as he talks about playing live, his legacy, working with his incredible band and his fight with his record label.

          He’s also very funny.  After one fan asks about Prince’s legendary vault of unheard music, Prince looks at the guy and says “Hmmm….I’m trying to figure out if you fit the profile of a bootlegger”…

          Prince also explains why he loved the people of Toronto (where he lived for a while in the early 2000s) and he jokes about the Canadian accent.

And there’s a subtle moment where Prince seems to take a shot at a famous rock star – and Christopher & Tom try to guess who he meant.

 

In light of the recent passing of Jimmy Buffett, we have some great clips of Jimmy talking to us in 1978.  This is during the peak of his chart success and he’s in excellent spirits, discussing his music, specifically the album “Son Of A Son Of A Sailor” (with the hit single “Cheeseburger In Paradise”.  He explains that he “doesn’t know too many chords” but that doesn’t seem to stop him.  Jimmy is very content at this point in his career… little did he know what the next 40 years held in store!

 

We wrap up the show by talking to legendary MuchMusic VJ Bill Welychka, as he talks about his new book “Happy Has-Been”, an excellent memoir of his life as an entertainment journalist, including his encounters with the biggest names in music.  Bill is not only a friendly guy, he’s a true talent with an impressive list of accomplishments.

In our chat, Bill talks about working with Christopher, interviewing Prince (this week’s featured artist) and almost getting killed while interviewing Green Day in a golf cart! (Bill’s only concern at that moment was to protect the TV equipment!)

Bill’s book, ““Happy Has-Been - Exciting Times and Lessons Learned by One of Canada’s Foremost Entertainment Journalists” is available now.  Partial proceeds go to The White Ribbon Campaign and also women’s shelters across Canada.

Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.  It is in the Top 20% of worldwide podcasts based on the number of listeners in the first week.

            This week – it’s the finale of our epic three-part celebration of New Wave!  Among the shows highlights…

⁃ Phil Oakey of Human League talks about his musical ineptitude as well as the League’s worst concert ever
⁃ Chrissie Hynde explains the meaning behind the Pretenders breakout hit “Brass In Pocket”
⁃ OMD discuss how a love song about an infamous war plane became their first hit
⁃ Boy George takes a shot at pretentious music journalists and explains how Culture Club got their record deal.
⁃ Gary Numan discusses his transition from punk to new wave
⁃ The guys in Madness explain the real reason for their high energy live performances
⁃ The English Beat explain how their most senior member, Saxa, was in fact the most young-at-heart
⁃ Ottawa’s Eight Seconds talk about their big break and working with the legendary producer Rupert Hine
⁃ On “When Rock Stars Attack”, Jim Kerr of Simple Minds takes down that vile species known as Rock Critics
⁃ And our guest co-host, Rob Preuss, talks about teaching Rami Malek how to convincingly play piano for his Oscar-winning role as Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.  It is in the Top 20% of worldwide podcasts based on the number of listeners in the first week.

          What is the greatest New Wave album of all time? Christopher and Tom (along with our special guest, Rob Preuss of The Spoons) break down the results of our recent listener survey.  They also answer the question: Is The Clash REALLY a new wave band??

          Plus, we feature some amazing interview clips from the archives…

• David Byrne talks about creating the stage show for Stop Making Sense – and explains why his Canadian grade school education put him ahead of his American classmates!
• The great Kate Bush talks about her songwriting style
• The guys from Squeeze reveal some hilarious alternate album titles
• Joe Jackson talks about creating his masterpiece, “Night & Day” (and also provides the most awkward moment of the episode!)
• Plus interview with Martha & The Muffins, The Jam, Soft Cell and more!

Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.  It is in the Top 20% of worldwide podcasts based on the number of listeners in the first week.