From the Archives: “Roberts Rules”
Having had listened to the Sam Roberts Band’s new album, Collider, for the past few days on a loop, it brought me back to this interview. The usual caveats apply. PDF available by clicking article title.
“Roberts Rules”
The Cord Weekly
31 May 2006
Joe Turcotte
A&E Editor
Reluctant rock star Sam Roberts caps the year off at the Turret
Sam Roberts’ strained voice speaks for itself, cementing the fact that staging the “Mother of All Tours” is no easy task. In between setting-up in order to rock WLUSU’s Year-End Party, Roberts sat down and spoke with the Cord about the rigors of touring and the rock ‘n roll lifestyle.
“I’m in preservation mode right now, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” a tired and raspy-voiced Roberts said. “It’s just about trying to keep going, man. There’s no recovery time, we get one or two days off. Touring is deadly, man; touring is hard as hell. Touring is the hardest thing.”
But while the schedule may be grueling, the Canadian singer-song writer has no regrets, as he realizes that touring is essential.
“Anytime you put out a new record there’s only a few ways to promote it. There are interviews There are interviews and the press, but you’re not really in control of that. Then you have the marketing strategies that your labels devise, and then you have shows, which to me [are] the best way to get your point across and the only way where you’re ever fully in control.”
While he remains in control over performing, Roberts acknowledges that he loosened-up on the reins when recording his newest album, Chemical City. Instead of personally performing all the instruments and later assembling the tracks in the studio,
as he did for 2003’s We Were Born in a Flame, Roberts and his band assembled in Australia and recorded together.
“It was good not to be alone in the studio, that’s a pretty lonely existence. [This way] you have five people propping up the energy
of the record, instead of one person trying to carry it all on his shoulders. I don’t know if great rock and roll has ever come from
that,” the increasingly excited Roberts said.
When speaking about his music, Roberts speaks like a father talking about his children. That being said, Roberts doesn’t want to take anything away from his major label debut by comparing it to Chemical City.
“I’m really happy with the first record. It meant that I was starting off down the road. I don’t ever want to take away from it by comparing it to what I’m doing now. But your musical instinct is to pursue different musical avenues. Different approaches to
your song writing and the lyrical content, anything. You should never try to consciously direct what you’re doing.”
And while he was writing for the new album, Roberts admits that sometimes his musical inspiration seemed to come from unconscious sources.
“Sometimes you feel like a medium, that you’re channeling something from beyond. And then sometimes it’s very much something that you have to work at. You have to sculpt a raw idea. You take that and hope that you can make something, but that
takes a lot of work,” the ever-humble Roberts revealed with a smile.
For someone that has had so much success and has had so many lofty comparisons made about his music, Roberts’ humility
is refreshing.
While Chemical City is bound to be a smash success, Roberts is reluctant to acknowledge the comparisons to legends like Bob Dylan and John Lennon that the media often makes.
“I don’t think it necessarily reflects reality. They’re two of my idols for sure, people that I look up to as songwriters. Their music
inspires me, but it inspires a whole lot of other people too. I think every musician would love to be compared to Dylan and Lennon, but that doesn’t mean they measure up at all. It doesn’t make it a fact.”
But like Dylan and Lennon, Roberts’ music is more than just catchy hooks and inviting melodies. Chemical City has been described as a response to the urban decay that the band has witnessed first hand while touring.
“We don’t just play the 10 to 12 major cities in Canada, we go everywhere. When you put it all together [the album] has this feeling to it in a way. The songs we write are a reflection of the life we live and the places that we see. For me I’m very much rooted in an urban landscape every day. But I’m not obsessed with it or anything. ‘Mind Flood’ is very much set in Algonquin Park or some place like that. That’s where I see that song.”
While Roberts admits that some of his songs may look as though they have a social agenda, he is quick to dismiss the idea the
he explicitly tries to be political or push an agenda.
“I never want to tailor what I do to a certain crowd,” Roberts admits, “if I’m political or socially conscious it’s because that’s how
I feel. I don’t want it to be like I’m getting on my soap-box or anything.”
As a Canadian who has had the fortune to travel from coast to coast, Roberts’ music is an expression of the diversity of the
Canadian landscape. Nuanced and complex, Roberts’ music does not take well to being defined in simple terms. With Canada seemingly conquered, Roberts sees the next logical step as taking his music to the United States.
“I want to push my music as far and wide as possible,” an excited Roberts beamed.
He does seek some sort of validation from the scene in the States, “I do feel that, for sure. Not because it’s a matter of pride or anything like that. But at some point you have to expand your boundaries and push your horizons. That just leads to a longer
and healthier career. It’s not a personal thing like ‘I have to conquer the States.’ It’s just the next place to go, it’s right there and there are 300 million people who just love rock and roll music.”
Although Roberts is looking to take the next step to the United States, he still feels proud to be part of the burgeoning Canadian
music scene.
“I think there’s a lot of great bands who are all gifted in their own right working right now,” Roberts acknowledged while deflecting away any talk of being responsible for the success of the Canadian music industry. “No, no, I don’t think we were in any way at all responsible for it. I think they’re all tremendous bands who are doing their own thing.”
While Roberts may be reluctant to be seen as more than just another artist doing what he loves to do, he is viewed by many as a
premier member of the Canadian rock music community. And if the Canadian success of Chemical City is reciprocated in the United States, maybe this rock and roller from Montreal will become an international sensation.
Vote or Die, eh!
It’s election season and as usual I’m captivated by the campaign. A friend of mine, Hollis Lai, and I have decided to try and engage Canadians in conversations related to the election and Canadian politics in general. Our new site can be found here.
It’s going to be an accommodating space where people with different opinions can discuss topics that matter to them. If you’re interested in taking part, feel free to contact me. We’re looking for non-partisan perspectives on the campaign and issues that affect our country. That isn’t to say that if you’re affiliated with a party that we don’t want your input, we just don’t want people regurgitating Party talking points or submitted incendiary rants against people, etc.
With the glut of election-related sites out there we realize that the odds are stacked against us but we’re committed to trying to engage with Canadians– and Canada’s youth, in particuar– and try to make a difference.
Comments/criticisms are always appreciated.
Regulatory Rust at the CRTC
With one mid-night Tweet Industry Minister Tony Clement has answered a question that’s been nagging at me– and much of Canada’s online community– for the past little while.
Will the Government of Canada step-in and overturn the CRTC’s usage based billing decision?
In a response to a question from the CBC’s Rosemary Barton, Minister Clement has said that Canada’s telecommunications and broadcasting regulator must rethink it’s decision about allowing large ISPs to charge smaller providers on a usage-based basis.
This decision, if it comes to fruition, is good news for everyone that has been concerned about this issue and for the team at OpenMedia who worked to organize a campaign against the move.
However, as Maclean’s Andrew Coyne seems to be pointing out–again via Twitter– this (seemingly forthcoming) move, coupled with the recent Globalive/Wind Mobile reversal now calls into question the CRTC’s relevancy as a regulatory body.
If the CRTC makes a decision– based on its readings of a case– that the Government of Canada doesn’t agree with and subsequently overturns, why have the regulatory body at all?
The CRTC has cautiously– and yet clumsily– waded into the new world of Canadian telecommunications regulations. The UBB and Globalive cases demonstrate that the Commission might not have the tools necessary for the current times. We must give the CRTC credit and believe that it is doing its best to regulate an increasingly complex telecommunications and broadcasting sector. A sector that is becoming increasingly important to Canada’s future of innovation, culture and economic stability.
The Commission’s rulings in these two cases are inline with the regulator’s historic role and mandate in Canadian society. It is acting according to its interpretations of precedent as they relate to emerging cases. Overturning the CRTC, as the Government has done (and seems poised to do), calls the legitimacy of the Commission into question. If the CRTC doesn’t have the tools and authority to make the decisions it deems to be the interest of Canada, perhaps it’s time that it is given them.
Rather than reacting on cases on an ad hoc basis, it is necessary for the Government of Canada to create a legitimate and legislative structure that outlines how these industries will operate in Canada in the ever-changing digital world. This is necessary for the continued relevance of the CRTC as well as the needs of the Canadian people and economy. Without such a digital strategy– which, admittedly the Government is working on– these cases will continue to arise.
UBB and foreign ownership requirements in telecommunications highlight the urgent need for the updating of Canada’s regulatory apparatuses.
Let’s hope that the momentum created by this recent uproar is carried forward so that a balanced and responsible digital economy strategy can put our country at the forefront of the ‘digital revolution’.
Rob Ford’s Growing Pains
Since his commanding election win on Monday night much ink—be-it digital, print or otherwise—has been spilled chronicling the varying elements behind and emanating from the Etobicoke councilor’s win. While many of these stories have either applauded Ford’s win, his campaign strategy or (perhaps most vociferously) bemoaned his election, neither of these story lines interest me much.
Rob Ford has won. He ran a disciplined, well-organized campaign and garnered the trust of the majority of voters in Toronto. Congratulations to him and his team and it is time for his detractors to deal with it.
What has interested me, however, is something that doesn’t appear to have gained much attention from the mainstream press and/or popular pundits: how will Rob Ford adapt to his new role as the mayor of the largest city in Canada?
Throughout the campaign Ford stuck to his simple and digestible message about fiscal restraint, ‘stopping the gravy train’ and reasserting ‘respect for the taxpayer’. Now that the campaign is over, I’m fascinated how Mayor-elect (and soon to be Mayor) Ford will grow into his new position at City Hall.
There are many issues of concern at play here. Not only will Ford have to try and form some sort of working consensus at City Hall in order to advance his agenda, he’ll also have to deal with the attention and media onslaught that comes with being the mayor of Toronto. At the same time, he’ll have to work to address the seemingly huge divide between downtown Toronto—where George Smitherman carried the vote—and the surrounding suburbs—where Ford dominated. As urban theorist Richard Florida stated prior to the election, it appears that there are now ‘two Torontos’.
At a time like this, when the global economy is still recovering from an historic downturn and unemployment and citizen dissatisfaction remain high, will Mayor-elect Ford be able to make the transition from ‘outsider’ or ‘rogue’ councilor to the man in charge of our country’s biggest city?
My early impressions are that the growing pains might be a little harsh.
In the interviews that I have seen or heard Ford do since his election, the Mayor-elect has looked overmatched and unaccustomed to his new high profile position.
In an interview with CBC News Network’s Power and Politics with Evan Solomon, Solomon—no stranger to interviewing the country’s most high-profiled politicians—seemed to overmatch Ford and make the Mayor Elect uncomfortable.
Ford’s interview on the show seemed more of a campaign stop than a discussion with the incoming mayor of Toronto. Sticking to his campaign script, Ford repeated his mantra of fiscal restraint and respect for the taxpayer. I came away without knowing anything new about Ford and the man who will be running this city.
The same day, Ford took time to speak with CBC Radio One’s As it Happens and respected journalist Carol Off. In a short 3 minute clip that has now spread across the Internet, Ford seems less concerned with talking to the country’s national public broadcaster than attending to his role of football coach. Of course, Ford has been a dedicated coach and his players and team deserve his attention. However, by not taking a brief amount of time to step aside and deal with his taxpayer funded responsibilities as city politician, Ford has left himself open to criticism and embarrassment.
I find it hard to believe that the mayor elect of London would have the same response to doing an interview with BBC radio.
At the current time, when the city is divided and so many areas need attention I hope that Rob Ford will get over his growing pains quickly and assume a position that all Torontonians can be proud of. It is far too important for this city to not address the growing disparities between downtown and the suburbs and the number of infrastructure, economic and social concerns that plague us all.
From the Archives: “Man of the Hour”
Yesterday I had the pleasure of sitting down with a senior director at the CBC. For about an hour we discussed various topics relating to Canadian broadcasting, the CBC, and how the public broadcaster fits into the entertainment spectrum. At one point we got into a discussion about George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, the newly re-branded CBC offering from Strombo. I found it more than a little funny that my first interview ever was with George some 5 years ago (below; please be gentle, some weak transitions, etc), and now there I was with a meeting with one of the people in charge of his ‘new’ show. It’s funny how things work out.
Man of the Hour
The Cord Weekly
28 September 2005
Joseph Turcotte
A&E Writer
George Stroumboulopoulostalks to The Cord about ditching MuchMusic, being a Habs fan and Britney Spears’ chewing gum
For five years he was the face ofMuchMusic to music fans across Canada. As the host of The New Music and The Punk Show he entertained and informed. But as a wise man once said,“You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone,” and George Stroumboulopoulos isn’t the type to sink anytime soon.
After his tenure at Much was over, Stromboulopoulos was lured down the street to the CBC where he’s been tackling issues other than what our favourite pop-tarts are up to. His show, The Hour, is a fast paced news/talk program that covers the issues of the day, done in his typically manic style.While Stroumboulopoulos isn’t the type of host you’d expect from the CBC, he says it’s working great.“You’d be surprised. I know a lot of people think that me working here I’d be out of place, but there are so many people that are very much like each other, you just never hear about it, but we’re definitely here.”
While he says he enjoyed his years at Much, the chance to take a broader and, at times, more serious scope was too good for Stroumboulopoulos pass up. “I really enjoyed my time at MuchMusic and got to make some really really neat entertainment music television. But as time went on, entertainment TV as a whole, not just MuchMusic… changed. While I still did music on The New Music and The Punk Show I spent a lot of time not doing music, but more doing celebrity entertainment stuff, which is fine but it wasn’t for me at a certain point. I kind of got bored talking about Britney Spears’ gum for sale on eBay… I don’t care.”
On why he moved to the CBC, Stroumboulopoulos says the open format of The Hour appealed to him. “I’ll go wherever the right show is” he explained. At The Hour, Stroumboulopoulos and his producers can discuss pretty much whatever they want. “I just wanted to make a show with people that I like, talking about what’s going on in the world, and do it in a way that people from all over the place can watch it. Sometimes we can be serious and heavy and sometimeswe can be light and ridiculous.”
In this respect they’ve done the job, as earlier this year The Hour was named by TV Guide readers as the best Canadian TV program.“I just love going on the air and working with really good people and get to talk about really neat topics,” he explains.
As for the person George would most like to have sit across from him, he has no hesitation in making his choice.“Bob Dylan. I want Dylan on and I want Nelson Mandela.You talk about two guys that have delivered, they have delivered.”
Since George started his career as a sports-radio talk show host it was inevitable that our conversation would hit upon the return of the NHL. “It’s gonna be a good game and a lot more teams are going to be competitive.” But as a good Habsfan, he won’t take the bait on picking a winner in the battle of Ontario.
“Fuck that shit dude, are you crazy? That would kill me, both those teams make me sick,” he says with a laugh. “I’d choose the Oilers if I can’t pick the Canadiens. But as a true Habs fan I would choose death before I would choose one of them.”
Speaking of lockouts, during the ongoing CBC “labour disruption” Stroumboulopoulos has kept himself busy. He can now be found hosting his own weekly radio talk show on CFRB 1010, Sunday nights from 9to 11pm, but he has every intention of returning to The Hour as soon as the lockout ends.
