Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe

“The Pensionne du Quebec was lit up like a party ship” Sam is apprehensive about Dave signing up to escort the school field trip to the art gallery. You’ll understand why. On this week’s episode, laugh along with audiences from across Canada with two stories about Sam’s school trips: Field Trip is one from the early days, while in A Trip to Quebec, Sam’s Grade 8 heart is won over by a chance meeting in Quebec City. Jess shares some school trip back stories that didn’t make it into the final story and tells of a special trip to France when she was just 11 years old. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Coming into Dave and Morley’s house is, quite frankly, a bit of a feat. You have to really want to get in.”In time for Mother’s Day, this week’s episode is all about Morley – the beating heart of the family and the calm to Dave’s chaos. In The House Next Door, Morley fantasizes about a life very different from her own; and in The Pot, meditates on her role as both a mother and a daughter. And Jess talks about how becoming a mother herself has changed her perspective on so many of the Vinyl Cafe stories. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“What are flies attracted to?” We’re talking hypochondria on the podcast this week with two stories revealing Dave’s undeniably hypochondriacal tendencies. Jess lets us into the secret of how Stuart was able to portray this trait of Dave’s so authentically. We start with an old favourite: The Fly. Then in our second story, Dave goes to visit a friend in the hospital. Result: Code Yellow!Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Dave chose Happy Hour: Three honey-mint-refresh-colonic cocktails.” The Yoga Retreat: a place of well-being, calm and reflection. Usually. But not always; or not for Dave and Stephanie, at least. This week, Stuart McLean tells two hilarious stories about Dave’s good intentions gone awry. And Jess shares some road stories, including a memorable attempt to get the entire Vinyl Cafe crew up to the remote but spectacular Powell River, British Columbia. Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I found my father’s old chemistry set…” This week’s episode is about good friends and friendship: two stories about Sam and his best friend Murphy. In the early days of their friendship they get their hands on a vintage chemistry set, with explosive results. And on their first trip to Cape Breton the friends find adventure in the form of an abandoned car on Macaulay’s Mountain.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It’s time for Stephanie to see more of the world.” Stuart McLean talks about connection – to place, to each other and to history – with the stories London and Springhill (aka The Laundry Chute). And Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton describes a remarkable moment from the reading of that Springhill story at the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay and their own special connection that began that day.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Surely Mary wouldn’t miss one of those little buttercream shrubs…”Today’s Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe is all about birthdays. Jess shares some behind the scenes stories of ways she and Stuart celebrated birthdays on the road; and we have two hilarious Dave and Morley stories about birthdays that have gone awry. In The Birthday Cake, Dave is left in charge of delivering Mary Turlington’s carefully decorated cake to a party; while in Morley’s 40th Birthday Bash, Dave throws Morley a party. Unfortunately the caterer he has hired to put the event together sets up the party at the wrong house.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Imagine. A million dollars. What would you do with a million dollars?”A couple of favourite Vinyl Cafe stories this week. Stories about faith. When Tommy’s grandpa dies the conversation turns to his unscratched lottery ticket and the faith he had in its possibilities. That was one of Stuart’s favourites. And Jess shares a personal story about the inspiration behind the story Morley’s Hairdresser.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“We stumble upon the great loves of our lives in the oddest ways”On this week’s episode of Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe, two funny stories about Dave’s mother, Margaret and the new beginnings, loves and friendships she finds in later life. In Opera, she takes a long-awaited trip to New York City. In Spring in the Narrows, Dave heads back to his hometown of Big Narrows, Nova Scotia and finds Margaret has a new spring in her step.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“He wanted to be alone so he could try the beef-flavoured toothpaste”Jess shares a special memory from a concert at the Place des Arts in Montreal – a memory about Stuart and his mom. And we have two Dave and Morley stories about hobbies: in an old favourite – Morley’s Bookclub – Morley finds her new hobby is not as relaxing as anticipated and in Dogwalker, Dave seems to have bitten off more than he can chew.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"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.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Is Your Dog Your Boss?”Who doesn’t love a quiz? On this week’s episode of Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe, Jess introduces two favourite Stuart McLean stories from way back. In Arthur the Dog, Dave tries to assert his superiority, man over beast. Guess how well that goes? And in Gifted, Sam takes a quiz that he thinks may transform his life.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It has been many long years since he sunk his teeth into anything.”It’s gnashers all the way on the Vinyl Cafe this week! Freezing optional. Things go awry when Dave’s neighbour Eugene struggles with his false teeth and a cob of corn; and we discover Dave has dentist issues after he bites into a hard chocolate and cracks a tooth at Mary Turlington’s dinner party.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The fragrance of dead crayfish. Mmm-mm.”Two stories about Dave’s buddies. Bert Turlington gets a dog – but not exactly the kind he was hoping for; and Carl, Kenny, Bert and Dave enter a fishing contest where things get seriously out of hand, with hilarious consequences. Also this week, Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton recalls a particularly memorable winter visit to Minnedosa, Manitoba and shares a tale of some less-than-glamorous accommodation that she and Stuart enjoyed there.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Big Bucks Polka. Bring your records Monday morning to Dave’s Polka Palace (formerly the Vinyl Cafe)”Welcome to the neighbourhood! Jess introduces two laugh-out-loud funny Dave and Morley stories about shops near Dave’s Vinyl Cafe record store: Woodsworth’s Books and Wong’s Scottish Meat Pies. We meet the eccentric book lover Dorothy Woodsworth; and learn how the Wongs subtly dealt with a difficult, racist customer.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Bonjour,” he said. “Je m’appelle Dave.”Yup, sometimes things go wrong. It happens to the best of us. Especially on the Vinyl Cafe, as you’ll hear in Stuart McLean’s Dave and Morley stories Dog Pills and Petit Lac Noir. Also on this week’s episode, Jess shares a surprising and funny backstory about the inspiration behind Dave’s mistake in Dog Pills.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“She was a woodland bird, in the middle of the city, way off course, and she had landed at his feeder.”Stuart McLean tells two Dave and Morley stories that explore the idea of home in its various forms: in Burd, a tiny feathered friend gets blown off course and finds its way to Dave and Morley’s garden where it decides to stop a while. And in Tree of Heaven a seedling takes root – in Dave’s car… and in his heart. Also this week, Jess tells a hilarious story about the trip she and Stuart took to Point Pelee to learn about birders and birding.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"He looked like a kid on a roller coaster. But not one of the happy ones.” Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton lets us into some secrets about life on the road with Stuart McLean and we’ll hear Stuart read two hilarious Dave and Morley stories about fitness gone horribly wrong: Tour de Dave – aka Dave on the Bike – and Attack of the Treadmill.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Vinyl Cafe podcast is back! For the first time ever we’ll share the hilarious backstories from the popular show. Long-time Vinyl Cafe producer Jess Milton tells all, sharing memories and stories from 15 years touring, travelling, laughing, and recording with her close friend, Canada’s favourite storyteller, Stuart McLean. Plus, each week, a selection of her favourite Dave & Morley stories.Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.