I’m not a musician, but I’m told that it’s fun playing with others!  When everyone knows the song, then the energy is cumulative!  How about 1322 of your closest friends? 

On May, 7^th, 1994, in Vancouver, Randy Bachman led that many guitarists in a jam session, playing his song “Taking Care Of Business”.  The Guinness Book of Records people acknowledged that this was the largest group of guitarists to play a song simultaneously.  

Naturally, when a high mark is set, it’s there to be broken by someone else!  In 1997, 1,683 guitarists played “Smoke On The Water” together in Kansas City, a record broken again in 2007 with 1,721 players at the same ballpark.   Twenty days later,  in Germany, 1,802 players played the same Deep Purple song and recorded the biggest number. The record was again topped on 1 May 2009, in Wroclaw, Poland, when 6,346 guitar players, joined by current Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse, performed the song during the Thanks Jimi Festival.  That’s a record that’s going to take some serious work to beat!

Who wants to try?

Tags: Guinness Book of Records, Guitarists, Randy bachman, Smoke On The Water, Taking Care of Business

Saturday, April 14^th, 2012, heaven got another angel.  In her 82^nd year, Audrey Botten was a happy soul with a willing smile that would brighten any room.  Born in the depression in England, she came to Canada at the age of 18 and met Reg, the son of British ex-pats.  She started a life with him that resulted in 6 kids and 8 grandchildren.

Reg was the steady, responsible provider, while Audrey was the creative, artistic nurturer.  Even after the onset of Parkinsons and degenerative back disc issues, she always managed a bright outlook and was always more apt to give than to take.

In addition to being a full time homemaker, she was one of the people who brought the first Block Parent program in Canada to London.  She volunteered for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and many other worthwhile causes.

A heart attack put an end to her suffering.  Look after her, God.  She represented you well here on earth!

A celebration of Audrey’s life will be held at 1pm, Sunday April 22nd, 2012 at Byron United Church with a reception to follow in the church gymnasium.  In lieu of flowers, donations to the Parkinson Society Canada in Audrey’s name would be appreciated.

http://www.parkinsonsociety.ca/in-memoriam-gift.html

Condolences can be sent electronically at: http://www.londoncremation.com/condolences/

Tags: audrey botten, family, obit, parkinson

I know a little bit about being an adolescent, having been one once.  But I know nothing about the mindset of thugs that encourage and participate in willful destruction of property.  Way back in the dark ages, when firecrackers were still legal in these parts, I spent some giggly pre-teen time blowing up my own plastic models and making little firecracker cannons out of small pieces of conduit.  At least the things that got destroyed were mine……..and it was MY mess to clean up after!  The worst consequence I ever suffered was a burnt finger or two, which “served me right”!  I seemed to find other things to amuse myself with by the time I entered high school. Continue Reading »

Tags: college, destruction, fire, fire hose, London, riot, students

I only ever saw John Belushi, in person, once.  My Fanshawe College Radio Broadcasting class trip in 1979 was to New York City.  My pals Rob and Murray and I were fans of Saturday Night Live with the original “Not Ready For Primetime Players”.  We went to Rockefeller Centre and befriended one of the pages who told us the perfect vantage spot to be in when the cast left the studio after rehearsal. Continue Reading »

Tags: death, John belushi, New York City, Saturday Night Live, SNL, speedball

 I have been the Show Director of the World of Motorcycles since Sept. 2003.  We produced the first of these shows in February 2004.  For the first two shows, we were housed in the London Convention Centre.  It was and is a fine facility, but we found ourselves needing more space. In 2006, we moved the show to what is now the Western Fair Agriplex.  It provides us with a 90,000 square foot main exhibit hall and a 20,000 square foot arena!  That’s been our home since then. Continue Reading »

Tags: biking, London, motorcycling, rider training, riding, world of motorcycles expo

I won’t whine about it here, but I am not a big fan of winter. It already seems like it’s been ages since I parked my bike for the winter. Oh sure, friends of mine were out on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, just to say they were out, but the days of comfortable warm riding are long gone.

For decades, I have looked forward to the winter bike shows! Despite the fact that it’ll be months before we ride again around here, it’s nice to visit a warm oasis where you can see other riders and new and custom bikes. You can smell new leather and old friends!

Imagine my reaction when I was offered the opportunity to organize the bike show. I was willing and excited, but it was a daunting task. It’s been a huge learning curve but a ton of fun, too.

Since 2004, the World of Motorcycles Expo has been London’s annual motorcycle show. In the past year we added a Kitchener show and I upped my ownership in the show to 50%. My partner and I decided to add another show. This year, we are proud to announce the newest World of Motorcycles Expo in Hamilton.

Come on out and dream of summer again with us! Check out www.womex.ca

Tags: bike show, bikes, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, show, world of motorcycles expo

It’s often said that we are creatures of habit.  Sometimes that serves us and sometimes it doesn’t.  Once we find a rhythm and pace of life that seems to agree with us (or that we become used to partaking of) we find an element of comfort and regularity.  Continue Reading »

Tags: Christmas, convention, fellowship, regular, routine

So, here I sit, about a half hour after the deadline that the city gave to the Occupy London protesters to vacate Victoria Park in London.  Most of them haven’t gone anywhere.  Naturally, there is a crowd of onlookers waiting to see if there will be any fireworks.  (I wonder if they are the same people that just stand around the scene of a car accident or a house fire.  Gawking sheep.  Just like the little brother who squealed on you, wondering what sort of punishment was going to be dealt out) Continue Reading »

Tags: cause, occupy, occupy london, protest

While there are always exceptions to every rule, when you work in broadcasting you get used to packing and unpacking.  I have, anyway.  My family moved to London in 1962.  This is home.  But as we get older, and particularly if we are following broadcasting as a career, there are moves to be made.

Continue Reading »

Tags: Blackburn, career, CFPL, FREE FM, London, radio

“Welcome to the Big R Interweb Customer service hotline.  When we say hotline, we don’t mean to infer that our service is snappy or flaming fast, it merely reflects the temperament of most of you poor sods calling in with an issue.  Please punch 20-25 digits into the phone, as you curse the automated responder on the line.  We feel that this will calm you down before you reach one of our disinterested technicians.  Please don’t mind the obnoxiously loud commercials that we’re forcing down your frustrated, bile filled throat in between commands to punch in more digits.  See?  We really DO have a sense of humour because we’re going to ask you all that information again to prove your identity when you finally do reach an attendant.  HAHAHAHA!  Oh yes, this call may be recorded for training newly licensed psychologists in the art of identifying anger management patients. Remember, no matter how much your mouth is full of it, you can’t say the words you’re thinking or it becomes a human rights violation and the call will end.   Just when you think you have slogged through the automated maze all the way, a voice, that you will come to loathe in the next 20 minutes, tells you that “We are experiencing higher than normal demand at this point” and “Please hold, while we play loud music down the line that a very expensive consultant told us would calm and pacify you into thinking that we really are hustling through phone call after phone call, until the next technobot becomes available.”  We have custom-scripted recordings that sound all pleasant and helpful  the first dozen times, but slowly seem to morph into messages that say “Every single other call jamming our switchboard at this time is more important than yours, so please hold the phone close to your sweaty ear and wait patiently until the bananas ripen on your counter.  If someone hasn’t picked up your sorry, blinking call by then, wait some more.”  Finally, after going through the “name, rank and serial number” dance with the technobot, you will be told that we know there is a problem in your area.  That’s why so many of you are calling in.  Sure, it would have been simpler to record a message and insert it waaaay back in your call, perhaps even replacing the shill for additional services, but we like all the calls.  It makes us feel wanted.  You need us!  You really, really need us!”

Tags: corporate, frustration, internet, service, wait, wireless