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Ep. #61: Tony Dekker

Tony Dekker is the well-respected singer, songwriter, and founder of the celebrated Canadian band Great Lake Swimmers. This past fall, Dekker released Prayer of the Woods, his first solo album, and on Feb. 7 he plays the Hillside Inside festival in Guelph, ON. Here, Tony and I discuss why he released a record under his own name, our awesome ringtones, being sideswiped, touring a lot, why he started playing music, his early interest in Dischord Records, Minor Threat, and Fugazi, DIY community building, caring for the natural world and becoming more outspoken as an artist, recording and playing in unusual spaces and tapping into them, coffee and agave nectar, the Woody Guthrie Center, the BP oil spill, the Lake Ontario Waterkeepers, the Great Bear region and the Northern Gateway Pipeline controversy, hiking the Bruce Trail, the “Prayer of the Woods” poem, new Great Lake Swimmers music, the song “Somewhere Near Thunder Bay,” and more.

Related links: greatlakeswimmers.com hillsidefestival.ca vishkhanna.com

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Ep. #60: Joel Gibb of the Hidden Cameras

Joel Gibb is the founder and visionary behind the Hidden Cameras, one of the most provocative and significant bands to ever emerge from Canada. For the last few years, Gibb has been bouncing between Berlin and Toronto but seems to be back in Ontario for the foreseeable future, just in time to celebrate the release of a new Hidden Cameras album. It’s called Age and it’s out Jan. 21 on Gibb’s own Evil Evil imprint. The Hidden Cameras play Toronto at the Great Hall (1087 Queen St. W.) for Long Winter on Friday Jan. 10 (Joel also appears as a guest on Long Night with Vish Khanna at Long Winter at 10 PM) and a proper record release show at Lee’s Palace on Feb. 15. Here, Joel and I discuss living in Germany, growing up in Mississauga, weird roommates in Toronto, Mayor Rob Ford, how his own life is reflected on Age, the recent controversies surrounding homosexuality at the Sochi Olympic Games and Duck Dynasty, the next Hidden Cameras album, which is already in production, the song “Year of the Spawn,” and more.

Related links: thehiddencameras.com torontolongwinter.com vishkhanna.com

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Ep. #59: Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson is a former sprinter and Olympic champion who lives in Toronto, Ontario. 25 years ago at the summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Johnson became the world’s fastest man, running the 100-metre dash in a record time of 9.79 seconds. But after testing positive for steroids after the race, Johnson was disqualified, his world records were stricken, and he became one of the most infamous superstar athletes in history. Johnson now regrets his actions, speaking out against the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports, and urging young athletes to sign and support the #choosetherighttrack petition for an Athlete’s Support Council to guide them in making the right choices as competitors. Here, Johnson and I discuss violence in sports, why he’s speaking out against performance enhancing drugs in sports, his feelings about the incident in Seoul, his relationship with his late track coach Charlie Francis, his music and film collection, the revelations that Carl Lewis’ team have admitted that they tampered with his post-race drug test in Seoul, the 30 for 30 documentary, 9.79*, why he participated in the Cheetah sports drink ad campaign, what he thinks of Usain Bolt and whether sports can ever be free of drugs, and what’s next.

Related links: facebook.com/Benjohnson979 twitter.com/BenJohnson979 vishkhanna.com

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