“Bad things happen at sea.”

The days are getting shorter but it’s not quite the Holidays. Let’s cheer ourselves up with two funny stories about going away, taking a trip.

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“It was one of those moments that make you wonder if your life is cursed.”

Especially for Hallowe’en: monsters! Our first story was Stuart’s favourite. Jess has a backstory about the writing of it.

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“I found my father’s old chemistry set…”

Today on the pod, two hilarious Stuart McLean stories about friendships, old and new, sometimes with explosive results!

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“Dave thought, it will never get any better than this. Some people have God, and some people have money, and some people don’t have anything at all. I have this. I have the beat and the back beat.”

On this week’s episode we’re talking about life on tour. We spent months of every year out on the road touring The Vinyl Cafe and our two stories this week capture the essence of those days.

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“When Stuart stepped off his bus and waved goodbye, he thought to himself: This guy deserves an award.”

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! This week: shout-outs to some new Arthur nominees and a selection of our favourites from The Vinyl Cafe Arthur Awards.

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“When things go wrong, when, it is seldom the result of some big thing, it is always a chain of simple things, almost all of them avoidable.”

What makes a good performer? What makes a great performance? These are the questions we’re exploring on the pod this week, with a backstory about Stuart McLean and a recording of a story that perfectly illustrates the point.

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This week we’re spending the entire episode on beautiful Manitoulin Island. We have Stuart’s opening essay from our wonderful visit back in 2010, plus a story exchange and a very special Vinyl Café story.  

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“Coming into Dave and Morley’s house is a bit of a challenge. You have to really want to get in.”

There’s how things look…. And how things actually are! Today on the pod, two stories about looking good.

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“Just one day, she wanted one of them to come home and say ‘Gee, lunch was good.’”

The alarm clocks are set, the pencils are sharpened, the backpack is loaded. It’s September! We’re back to school and back with a brand new season of Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe and two hilarious Stuart McLean stories about school days.

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Whether you've been on the road, by the lake or curled up with a good book, we hope you have enjoyed your summer. We are so looking forward to welcoming you back to the Vinyl Cafe. We have more of your favourite stories coming up, we'll hear about travels coast to coast and we'll even celebrate the Arthur Awards. Cozy up with a pumpkin spice latte and join us for season 8 starting Friday September 11th. 

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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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