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.

This week, we kick off our most ambitious series yet – it’s the music of New Wave.  We dove deep into the archives for classic interviews that encompass the “twitchy, but tuneful” music of the early ‘80s.  And for this episode, Christopher and Tom welcome former Spoons keyboardist (and Broadway music director) Rob Preuss!  Rob is a New Wave geek who was not only in the middle of the explosion of new music, but he worked with, toured with and talked with some of the biggest names of the genre.  And he has GREAT stories to tell!

Among this week’s crop of New Wave artists…

• John Taylor talks about the original formation of Duran Duran and how fashion was an important part of the band’s image.
• Deborah Harry talks about the pushback she got for her onstage image. She also explains the genesis of the song “Rapture” (the first song with rap vocals to go to number 1)
• The guys from Devo explain how they were once paid 75 dollars to STOP playing their music!
• And on “When Rock Stars Attack – it’s Elvis Costello vs Led Zeppelin… and Andy Partridge of XTC vs Todd Rundgren!
• Our podcast listeners will hear bonus segments with The Boomtown Rats (Bob Geldof talks about the creation of their biggest hit) and Paul Young (who fights a battle between fame and artistry)

So many synths!  So little time!  Enjoy part one of our celebration of New Wave!

Special shout-out to our friend Rob Wells, who created a synth-y version of our theme music.  Thanks Rob!  Check out Rob's podcast - "Women In The Music Industry"

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.

In our Season 9 premiere, we feature a couple of amazing interviews with Paul McCartney.  First up, from 1976, Paul tells Canadian broadcast legend Roger Ashby about his creative process, his influences and the long shadow of The Beatles.  And from 1980, Macca describes how he ended up playing the bass originally, the inspiration for making “Sgt Pepper” and the tensions in creating The White Album.  And in chilling comments made weeks before the death of John Lennon, Paul talks about the price of fame.

            Also this week, a great series of interview clips with The Spinners.  Singer Pervis Jackson (whose deep voice makes Tom & Christopher sound like chipmunks) explains the deep history of the band (going all the way back to the ‘50s!) and the profound effect producer Thom Bell had on the band during their heyday in the ‘70s.  He also tells the stories behind the hits “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” and “Then Came You”. 

            And we’ll also revisit our recent tribute to Robbie Robertson, featuring some great interview clips from the ‘70s when he was still with The Band – in which he talks about hooking up with Bob Dylan in the ‘60s – and how The Basement Tapes were created.

Plus, a wonderful chat with Robbie from 1998 as he discusses his solo albums and his film work with Martin Scorsese.  Plus, Elton John talks about how he was more influenced by The Band than he was by Dylan.

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.

We are just a matter of days away from the start of Season 9 of Famous Lost Words.  We predict it will be one of our best seasons yet, because we are FINALLY going to release our New Wave episodes! Almost a full year after we first promised, we will feature the likes of Human League, Devo, XTC, Blondie, The Spoons, Duran Duran, Pretenders, Simple Minds, Soft Cell, Howard Jones and many more.  And for those episodes, we will welcome a member of one of the bands to provide a running commentary on the music of New Wave.  Plus, we’ll reveal the results of our poll for the Greatest New Wave album of all time.

We will also have a two-part series on Soul, R&B, disco and hip-hop – everyone from Aretha Franklin to Chic to Destiny’s Child to The Fugees.

            We’ll start the season with an extraordinary set of interview with Paul McCartney.  The first one is from 1976, when Paul is dealing with the fact that most interviewers want to talk about The Beatles and NOT the Wings.  The second is from 1980, when Paul ends up giving us one of the most complete summaries of The Beatle years that we’ve ever heard, including the tension behind the White Album and the creation of Abbey Road.

We’ll also feature interviews with Prince, Carly Simon, Triumph, Hall and Oates, Todd Rundgen and many others.  Plus, TJ vs The VJ and some Cool Song Facts!

That’s season 9 of Famous Lost Words, coming soon!

This is a special tribute edition of Famous Lost Words as we honour the life and music of Robbie Robertson.

Today, we go back in the archives for some excellent interview clips with Robbie – first from the early ‘70s when he was still in The Band – and then to 1998 as he talks about his solo work.

          Robertson talks about hooking up with Bob Dylan in the mid ‘60s and also the creation of “The Basement Tapes”.

          Then, Robbie talks about his 1998 album “Contact From The Underworld of Redboy”.  He explains to interviewer Dale Smith how thrilling it was to create music that celebrated his indigenous heritage. 

We also tell the story Robbie’s first celebrity encounter – with Buddy Holly.  And we hear about how Robbie wrote his first songs.

Plus – Elton John explains how he was influenced by The Band much more than he was by Dylan.

          Robbie Robertson passed away on August 9, 2023 at the age of 80. 

The Band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. 

Today, we’re digging deep into the Famous Lost Words archives as we remember Tina Turner. 

            First up is a series of interview clips with Tina from the early ‘70s as she recalls the early days of her career – from the moment that she first jumped up on stage to her years with Ike Turner and her work with Phil Spector.  She talks about her performing style and why she didn’t much care for her own voice.  And she recalls the breakthrough cover version of the CCR hit, Proud Mary – a song that became a trademark.

            Then, we’ll revisit Christopher’s 1989 conversation with Tina – as she talks about her album “Foreign Affair”.  She discusses her early influences and also describes how she re-arranged a song and made it her own, until it became “The Best”.

            And we’ll finish off with an extraordinary interview with Tina from the year 2000, in conversation with Marilyn Denis.

            Tina talks about mentally preparing for her concerts, the secret to her longevity and why her greatest inspiration was NOT a performer, but a former first lady of the United States.  She also talks about why she loved touring with Lionel Richie and why she had a falling out with Elton John.

            And we’ll hear Tina interacting with some of her fans in a way that is truly inspiring.  Plus, she pushes back at people who criticize other female performers.  

All in all, it's an in-depth and astonishing collection of incredible moments.

Tina Turner passed away on May 24, 2023 at the age of 83.

In this special tribute edition, we remember the life and career of Gordon Lightfoot.  In this episode, we have interview clips from over the years.  It's a rich treasure trove of highlights in which you'll get to know Lightfoot very well.  His thoughtfulness, his love of songwriting, his regrets, his ambition and his sense of humour.  

We'll feature a 2006 interview with musician Robbie Lane, in which Gord recalls his early years playing small clubs in Toronto - and how other artists would mine his catalogue for themselves.

How early covers of his songs put him in the rarefied company of the likes of Bob Dylan.

The stories behind massive hits like "Sundown". "If You Could Read My Mind" and "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald".

We feature Tom's 2019 chat with Gordon, in which Gordon reacts to some of the old audio we have of him talking about his earliest club gigs.  Christopher also talks about his first encounter with Gordon backstage in Peterborough.

We chat with Lightfoot biographer Nicholas Jennings about Gordon's great gift as a songwriter and dedication to the craft. We also reveal some of the singers regrets.

Plus, we talk about the time that Gordon almost sued the writer of Whitney Houston's hit "The Greatest Love Of All".