The Book of Don

Hmmm - ?

2011-04-12T09:44:00.005-05:00

April 12th, 2011.

Wondering if I should jump back into this or not? I'm still getting quite a few readers despite not having posted in over a year. The issue is that I don't want to self-censor and having fought, struggled, and prayed to get from 'there' to 'here' I don't want to put myself or my kids in jeopardy. Only 18 months left on the contract and then I can begin again with a clear conscience

The Radio Grind

2009-08-08T20:50:00.003-05:00

10:30pm, June 1, 1981.

Up late. If I don't get to bed by 10 I'm drained the next day. These 4:30am starts are killing me. The department has no money to hire a director and Vicki and Gail don't trust the researchers to traffic cop the show so I produce and direct.

When we get off air at 9:00 I'm usually pretty buzzed and it takes me at least half an hour to re-focus on the day ahead which includes (but is not limited to) running the 10 o'clock story meetings, writing the item intros, checking the edits, balancing the budget (ha!), going to departmental meetings, doing a few p.r. gigs, dealing with freelancers, and picking the music for the next day - everyone says my music choices suck (it's that damn theme; I guess Chuck Mangione isn't the best thing to wake up to!)

I stay at the plant through the 6pm supper hour TV newscast then either slide away or hang around gossiping. I'm sleeping at the station more and more on a foamy I keep in one of the edit suites. It might not be classy but you gotta admit - it's efficient.

Doing a morning show is exhausting so I'm starting to look around. The posting for that new TV program [The Journal] will be out soon and after surviving the radio grind TV seems like a pretty nice gig.

Ten Thousand Days later

2009-07-25T23:02:00.012-05:00

July 26th, 2009.

Ten thousand nine hundred actually. But the same highway still winds its way past the same middle-of-nowhere towns where the AM jocks chant the same cadence of commercials, weather, and fragments of news headlines. All that's changed are the names. Carter = Obama; Trudeau = Harper; Lafleur = Crosby. I've driven this route...fifty maybe a hundred times and still find that sweep of blacktop from the high point of the Shield down, down, down into that long curving right hand corner drifting across the shore line of Old Woman Bay to be one of the most exhilarating ten minutes of Canadian highway driving. And there's not a Timmy Ho's in sight.

I've been back and forth half a dozen times these past few months as I try to get relocated here (unsuccessfully I suspect). When I first drove the 2,100 miles from Calgary to Hogtown in July of '79 I was full of ambition and hope and lusty excitement about what lay over that shimmering hot horizon of highway stretching ahead. I remember thinking as I passed through T-Bay: "Hey ! I could actually get a perm and not a soul would know 'cuz THIS is how they'll always see me" (thank God I couldn't afford the 18 bucks). But tonight, I feel the passage of those ten thousand days and although I still hear that seductive, narcotic voice saying -- "now THIS, is a great story" ... I gotta admit to being sick and tired of the constant "transitions", and I wish to hell the Motel Six in Blind River would change its "Coloured TV" neon sign. Just a thought -- can you buy a black-and-white TV anywhere this side of Baghdad these days ?

I'm going to try and pick up this little blog up again. Why? Because I liked the exercise in writing and I think that corralling all those wild-pony memories is good mental health discipline. I've recently had a number of friends leave the business. Victims of down-sizing. And although they're making brave sounds about setting up their own "production company" or getting into "consulting" - there is probably no worse time in the history of our fragile industry to be trying to extend your career this way.

The other day I was re-reading some of the off-the-top-of-my-head thoughts I wrote back in '79 about why I wanted to make a life in this business - and although way too many of them had to do with chasing women and not being able to do anything else...a few of them actually had some resonance.

Here's what I wrote back on July 26th, 1979. Ten thousand nine hundred days ago, today.

"I love what I do. I love the people I pass my time with. They are funny and smart and passionate and incredibly hard working. They have brought me into a "community" and for the first time in my life I actually feel as if people are listening to what I have to say. I'm not sure exactly what that might be, but at least I have a voice. Hope I don't fuck this up"

Resurrection

2009-03-28T22:29:00.007-05:00

Saturday, March 28th - 2009.
Toronto.

Here's something to take the spring time warmth away: it's an excerpt from an email I recently received from a respected, former colleague.

Don,

I am at my friend's place in North Miami Beach looking out my bedroom window and seeing the Atlantic. I have decided to take up drinking. I figure if fate will take you into the gutter it is easier being an alcoholic. As you know I have never been able to drink that much, so now I'm going to practice.

I have had a winter of writing proposals that nobody will buy. After each proposal I say now THAT would make great TV and then off to the next one. I enjoy writing proposals even when I get paid nothing, which is why I think skid row is an excellent thing for me to aspire to.

Or as Steppenwolf may have sung "Goddamm the media man"

Well that's life, I think I will go back and enjoy the sun. This should have been my goal thirty years ago rather than using my imagination and creativity to profit others. That, as I have learned is for saps and geniuses; and I am not a genius.

When I started writing this blog I wanted to contribute something marginally useful to the social history of Canada's media culture from a front line perspective. I also hoped that some of the students in my J-school class might pick up on one or two of the warning signals which I (and too many others) had missed completely.

My depressed buddy was an excellent field producer. But he was someone who didn't understand the difference between a job and a career.

The Spring Book

2008-11-11T13:31:00.008-06:00

Edmonton AM, April 10th. 1981.

The numbers are in - and they're about what I expected. We're UP one spot, which is a huge achievement around here.

Our little morning radio show stands at #4 in a nine station market. The a.m. rock station is #1, the shit-kicking C-and-W station #2, the Easy Listening guys #3. We're getting about 30-thousand listeners a morning.
It could be worse - our noon show peaks at 12,000 and the drive home show at 18,000. I guess Eric's XT5 idea hasn't exactly taken the province by storm (although we've all got very cool coffee mugs).

My old boss, Richard Bronstein blew through town last week to talk about a new TV show that's in the works - The Journal. He didn't have too many details but said he thought it'd be a nightly magazine show with both a domestic and an international focus. Sounds interesting.

Richard's talk has fueled the gossip mills around the plant as he's going to hire an Alberta field producer. They're looking for someone with a Current Affairs background, some network experience. and a willingness to learn TV.

The fact that this show will be run by the "radio crowd" has sparked considerable bitching. One of the longtime TV guys here - Gerry Olsen, came up to me to ask if I was going to apply. He said that I should because (quote) "when you fuck up they won't know that you've fucked up".

Nice.

I am the Zombie

2008-10-19T12:13:00.011-05:00

CTV Toronto
Sunday, October 19th. 2008

To paraphrase John Lennon...I am the Zombie. This small blog is back from the dead.

It's been an exciting, stimulating, almost overwhelming six months and - to be perfectly frank - I am going to have to be discreet in what I write, but I've decided to re-join the War of the Blogs and try to post a couple of times a week.

Now let me see...where was I ?? Had Pam Wallen just used the "C" word to describe me or was that Rachel ? Or maybe it was that French tech in Montreal ?

And for those of you at the cbc.ca server who've been flaming me anonymously - "Yes", I know I'm a bastard but you're still reading this, right ?

Big John

2008-08-07T19:06:00.010-05:00

Journal Entry, Edmonton.
Wednesday, January 14th, 1981.

A late, late night. Beers at the Strath. Dinner at the Keg. Etcetera at Bob Spence's.

Spence is the eminence gris around the CBC. For the past few years he's been the morning show host but got bumped to reading the news by the Vicki/Gail experiment.

He's a pretty easy going guy - all 6'5" of him. "Built to Scale" is his stock pick up line. Must work 'cause he gets plenty of action. Claimed he bedded Maria Muldaur of "Midnight at the Oasis" fame when she was through town last year...said he made her wail like an "Xoxa yodeller". Don't believe it myself, but the allusion was pretty funny.

Spence hangs out with another big guy, John Candy who is leaving town this week. The 'Chuk will NOT be the same.

He's been here with the SCTV gang for the past couple of months shooting at ITV where they get cheap studio time and non-union crews. Candy and Spence have been crashing around town like a couple of bored 15 year olds with adult pay cheques for allowances.

Last weekend SCTV had their wrap party as most of the actors were heading back east; the consensus was to have it on set, but the plant management would not give them the studio.

So, Candy rented it - in fact he rented the entire station.

He rented the gaffers so we'd have lights, the sound guy to spin tunes, the staging guys to put up tables, the security guys to keep things cool, the parking guy to jockey cars, and best of all he rented every production assistant at ITV Edmonton as....table dancers.

A great time was had by all. At the end of the night the bill was 22-thousand dollars. Big John picked up the tab. Every last dime.

That man loves to party.

Missing In Action

2008-07-28T20:16:00.015-05:00

Journal Entry, Toronto
July 28th, 2008.

So, this is how Jim Bouton must have felt when he played for the Seattle Pilots. Sitting in the dug out with his eyes wide open and his mouth tight shut scribbling notes to himself in the club house crapper.

I've had to take a break from this modest endeavour to get on top of my job and decide whether or not to continue blogging at all -- after all, as my pal Tom Alderman pointed out ... nobody cares what you think; it's what you know - and have the guts to write, that really counts.

After three months watching this complicated game being played from a cushy seat in the Owner's Box I know a helluva a lot more than I did when I was scraping snow off my Winnipeg mailbox desperately hoping a cheque was nesting amidst the bills and junk mail.

But as a single dad of three cash-consuming young adults I can't really write all that much about the game in progress because I like being back in the Show.

Old habits are hard to break however and Jim Bouton eventually DID write 'Ball Four'.

Of course he never pitched again in the Big Leagues. Last I heard he was throwing knuckle-balls for the Moncton Mud Hens.

But when the lights went down at the end of the ninth he went to the showers as someone who'd given it his all; surviving on junk but taking pride in the fact that he still had enough juice left for the occasional fastball.

Maple Leaf Melody

2008-06-06T19:37:00.027-05:00

Journal Entry: A boring Friday night.
Toronto, June 6th, 2008

Just when you thought it was safe to answer the door again without worrying that Mark Messier might be there to cram Frito Lays down your throat and practice his wrist shot on you, along comes the latest CBC debacle.

If our long Canadian winter had a door bell the opening eight bars of the HNIC theme would be it. And now, in a most un-Canadian fit of intractability the seller and the buyer of that piece of music have taken their pucks and gone home.

The result? A national debate and a TV contest to choose a replacement song. Are these people suffering the Lindros syndrome of too many hits to the head? Can you imagine what Leno or Letterman would do with idiocy such as this?

I know you didn't ask but here's a suggestion on how to resolve this -- pay the asking price, acquire all the rights, forget making a buck out of ring tones, and DONATE the song to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The cost can be written off as a charitable deduction; the advertising impressions from the folks who'll drag their kids through the hall for generations to come can be monetized; and best of all -- Don Cherry will say "ATTA BOY !! GOD BLESS YOU. THAT'S THE CANADIAN WAY".

You're welcome.

Teach Your Children...

2008-05-30T14:42:00.019-05:00

Journal Entry, Montreal.
May 30th, 2008.

Been spending a lot of time on the road. I thought those days were over - but apparently not.

At 30 I loved the road; now at 50 it bores and irritates me.

I sleep badly, eat badly and feel every pothole; actual and metaphoric. I also realize that no matter how good the per diem, it's never enough. The bills always come due.

When my kids were young they were little road-warriors themselves. My wife and I had created a popular children's adventure-travel show, Travels with Mom; and they were its stars.

By the time my son Brodie was six he'd swung through the canopy of a Central American rain forest ... gone alligator hunting in a Louisiana swamp ... chowed down on a foot-long hot dog in Central Park ... and mushed a dog team in the Yukon.

He was having a great time. Who wouldn't ?

We made some serious cash on that series but in retrospect I think the kids (Bro in particular) footed the bill. I know the network didn't.

Stressed out parents, fawning publicists, endless early mornings (to get the cheapest flights possible), long days in the production van, dinner at 9pm, city to city, room to room, show to show.

He says that he barely remembers it. But I sure do ...

We'd just landed in Denver ... I was connecting home to edit while Bro and the rest of the family were continuing on for a shoot in Hawaii. As I took my bag out of the overhead compartment and turned to say goodbye a look of horror crossed his face which broke my heart. Absolutely.

I thought of this little scene last week when I was out of town and two things happened almost simultaneously: the CSN and Y song "Teach Your Children" came on the radio and a text message popped up from Brodie (now 16).

You who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by.

Text: (bro) Hey dad...had to take a cab home last night..can you put some money in my account ?

Text: (me) But I just gave you some money !! What the hell happened ?

And so become yourself, because the past is just a goodbye.

The exchange went from bad to worse...leaving bruises on both of us.

Text: (bro) I was just asking you to be nice and if it's that big of a deal then I don't want your fucking money.

...and feed them on your dreams...

I see Bro for about a week a month now. We communicate mostly by text messages. Text messages !

So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.

In the hotel room that night I sat looking out over Montreal thinking about that sweet little six year old boy who clutched my hand so tightly that his fingers turned white crying "Dad, let's go home. Dad, please !!"

The choices we make, eh ?

The American Idiot

2008-05-21T21:12:00.023-05:00

Journal Entry. Toronto.
May 21st, 2008

"Yoo Hoo, Osama ??" asks the American Idiot (into an empty cave) "Wanna be my friend ?"

Saw a bootlegged copy of the new Morgan Spurlock documentary "Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?" recently.

If there is ANY solace to be taken from this (in the poetic words of my Glasgow relatives) - "steamin' pile of shite" it's to be found in the realization that documentaries must have reached the mainstream of US entertainment culture; we finally have our own professional idiot.

Hollywood "men" generally fall into two archetypes: vigilantes-with-a-good-heart who kill people - Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Rambo, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Jason Bourne; or pre-eternal adolescents - Jerry Lewis, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrel, Jim Carey, Jack Black, Mike Myers etc.

The doc world has spawned a similar duality: Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock. Moore is the bad kid - Spurlock the class clown. They are both in Grade 10.

The great American Cult of Stupidity, which tricks every high school kid with a handicam into believing that he (and yes, it's almost always a "he") can become a film-maker, has a poster boy - Mr. Super Size Me.

I avoided Super Size Me for as long as possible, but when I finally saw it I thought it sweet and clever. Not so with Osama. It is cynically manipulative and xenophobically stupid as Spurlock takes a crew across the planet in search of bin Laden to tell him to -- CHILL THE FUCK OUT ... DUDE.

I know that Michael Moore's "Sicko" wasn't exactly brain surgery (so to speak) but at least it had a resonance of truth - being sick and poor in America IS a bad thing. But "Where in the World is Osama bin Laden" scores zero on the R.S.V. scale (redeeming social value). It's a cheap trick on a drunken Saturday night. Trust me, you'll feel like shit the next morning.

Do not pay to watch this S.P.S. (see above). Send this guy home alone.

A Rose by Any Other Name

2008-05-11T19:07:00.012-05:00

Journal Entry - Edmonton.
Tuesday, January 13th. 1981.

In a completely ridiculous turn of events the station has changed its name. On Friday we were CBXT - CBC Channel Five. On Monday we became XT5.

In his all-staff memo the Regional Director (Eric Moncur) said this would connect us with a "younger" audience, although he didn't explain how.

We had a seminar recently to discuss getting the ratings up but it was all opinion no science.

My two-bits worth was that we should "celebritise" the station by getting local personalities involved -- have some of the Eskimos contribute to our sports coverage ... get Paul Hahn or KD Lang to do music reviews (and as much as I love Rick Phillips we've got to lose Pachelbel's Cannon asap).

In his closing address Eric shocked everyone by saying that we should STOP referring to ourselves as "CBC Radio across Northern Alberta" as he felt that linked us with the federal government too much.

Is that the logic behind XT-5 ? If we pretend NOT to be the CBC then more people will listen?

In the fall book we were #5 out of 9 local radio stations. But it's the spring book I'm focused on as that will be the first ratings period for MY show - and we'll get to see whether the Vicki and Gail tag-team experiment has worked.

Having two women host the flag-ship morning show is one of those brave gambles only the CBC (...er, XT-5) would take because Edmonton is a tough, redneck town.

There's also a real anti-Ottawa mood in the air. Every time we open the phones we get more than the occasional caller who believes we're a propaganda arm of the Liberal Party.

I know the university profs like our show ... but I wonder if anyone else does ?

EDITOR'S NOTE:

A year later I tried to hire a young on-air guy from Quebec City who I thought had real potential. I brought him to town and he did a great audition - but the Regional Director over-ruled me.

He said the time wasn't right for Edmontonians to wake up to DENNIS TRUDEAU.

On Being Twenty

2008-05-04T13:15:00.032-05:00

Journal Entry. Toronto.
Sunday, May 4th, 2008.

Sad to say but playoff hockey is probably the great cultural unifier in this large and snowy country of ours.

I'm pretty sure that if the Habs had made it past Philly the ghosts of Lionel Groulx and Mordechai Richler would have been singing a boozy Oh Canada somewhere on St. Denis.

But Carey Price let in a couple of Raycrofts and Les Glorieux were toast.

Over and over again the TV guys kept pointing to his youth, his inexperience, and his inability to handle pressure. After all, they said - he's only 20 years old.

"You can't expect a kid to deal with pressure at that age", chirped Cherry.

All of this brought to mind another 20 year old - JOE ENGLISH.

In 1943 Joe was eighteen months out of a Calgary high school and flying a Lancaster over Germany. He finished his tour of operations before he learned how to drive a car.

(Note to CBC documentary department - Bomber Command called them Operations; Americans called them Missions).

Berlin. The Ruhr. Nuremberg. Joe flew them all.

A couple of years ago I did a doc series (Bomber Boys) with Joe; this is how he described flying his Lanc in the middle of a thousand-aircraft bomber stream while being hunted by radar-guided night fighters -:

"...it's like walking blindfold across a large room full of other blindfolded guys all heading the same way knowing that if you bumped into someone - you were going to die; if you turned at the wrong time - you were going to die; if you got lost - you were going to die ----- and all the time the bad guys are trying to sneak up and shoot you in the back".

Joe and his crew crossed that room THIRTY times.

Only 1 in 8 Bomber Command crews made it through their tour of duty without being killed, captured or wounded. Most were posted missing before their fifth operation.

Joe was part of that fortunate few who came home alive. He was lucky and good and handled pressure pretty well.

Did I mention that he was twenty years old ?

The Prettiest Girl at the Dance

2008-04-21T19:41:00.004-05:00

Journal Entry. Hot Docs.
April 26th, 2008.

It's been one of those weeks where the world has been turned upside down.

After years of going to industry festivals where I lived on the cheap, made elevator pitches ad nauseum, and enviously watched commissioning editors booze, schmooze, and scarf expensive food on someone else's tab -- I finally had a few days of living large.

And yes, someone else paid for it. Sweet.

I took about 30 pitches most of which were well conceived from the PRODUCER's standpoint but didn't really work for me. Why ? Because the pitchers weren't thinking like catchers.

The trick is to see things from my perspective. Who is my audience? What is my business model? Where do my priorities lie? Too many doc producers pitch ideas rather than television programs.

It's show business, right ?

My approach was to be open and clear. The week ended with most producers feeling pretty good about our conversations; promising to get back to me. Me ? I was exhausted.

But I'm not complaining. I all-too-clearly remember my time as a morlock.

At the Science Producer's conference in the UK a Comm Ed cancelled on me at the last minute due to a "family emergency". Fifteen minutes later she was swilling white wine with the Wall-to-Wall gang.

At the Banff TV Festival a Comm Ed confided in me that they never commission anything at Banff, they simply come for the golf.

At the History Conference in Boston a Comm Ed called my room just after midnight asking if I want to come over, drink some wine, and talk about my project. When I took a pass she took a pass on any future meetings with me.

It's nice to run with the Eloi for a change. But I've read my H.G. Wells too; I know what happens if you fall asleep in the afternoon sun.

Rick Phillips

2008-04-13T19:31:00.012-05:00

Journal Entry. Edmonton.
Wednesday, December 17th. 1980

I think we've found a star -- Rick Phillips.

Rick is the producer of the classical music show broadcast coast-to-coast from Edmonton every afternoon on the FM band. A quiet, lonely kind of guy Rick spends most of his days hanging 'round the record library listening to LPs by composers most of us have never heard of.

Vicki wants to bring him on the show to promo HIS show and give our listeners a gentle start to the day (she HATES the discs I pick). Van Halen is out. Vivaldi is in.

Program music has become the bane of my existence.

Yesterday Rick played a sweet little piece called PACHELBEL'S CANNON and we had no less than 47 -- count 'em ... 47 phone calls from listeners asking what the cut was.

This is an all time listener response high; most days we get 10 or 12 calls.

So, I'm going to make Rick a regular feature on the show. His cuts usually run about 10 minutes which eat up a lot of program time. This, of course - is one of the morning show producer's dirty little secrets ... we'll air practically anything to fill the show.

Out, Out Damn Theme

2008-04-12T19:24:00.006-05:00

Journal Entry. Edmonton
Tuesday night, December 16th, 1980.

I've taken more crap over the damn program theme than ANYTHING else we've put to air. What the hell is wrong with Chuck Mangione anyway ?

Connie Caldor [Ed Note: a local folkie] called me the other day and told me she was going to stop listening unless I lost the muzak-sounding flugle horn. Meanwhile my boss, Bill White keeps telling me the theme is too rock-and-roll for his tastes.

All of this has got me thinking about WHY we have a program theme in the first place?

I know that it's supposed to give the show character and personality. But does it really ? Or is it just producer-ego. A strong theme makes sense for Morningside or As It Happens but maybe at 6 in the morning all people want is news, weather, sports, some friendly talk, a couple of laughs...and time checks. Lots of time checks.

After Christmas I think I'll lose the theme.

Ed Note - this I did with mixed results. The media writer in the Edmonton Journal wrote that the show "lacked identity"; the hosts thought it reduced the overall visibility of the program; and folks around the station thought it was simply a weird thing to do - to have a show with no theme.

And the audience ? Not a complaint. Not one.

John Lennon's Death

2008-04-06T16:45:00.013-05:00

Journal Entry. Edmonton.
Sunday, December 14th, 1980.

It's been almost a week since John Lennon was murdered on a New York street; shot in the back four times by a madman. Here's how we covered the story.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: I was always a Lennon guy. As working class Glaswegians we thought McCartney was "shite".]

10:00pm. Don and his room mate Spud are drinking beer while watching the Dolphins on Monday night football. Howard Cosell suddenly says: "I can't believe what I've just been handed..."

10:01. Don and Spud stare at each other in disbelief. Get into long discussion about how big a story this really is.

11:00. Don decides he'd better get into work. Drinks lots of coffee. No Drambuie.

00:30am. Don is the only person in the entire CBC plant.

00:45 Don rips through five-part canary wire copy looking for a name -- any name, he can call to book for an interview. No luck. Decides to sleep under his desk.

04:00. Calls New York Post editorial desk and speaks to reporter who's just returned from the Dakota where he watched fire department hose John's blood into the gutter. Book reporter for interview.

05:00. Call hosts at usual numbers. Find Gail. No Vicki. Tell Gail to get in ASAP.

05:15. Throw out entire show line-up. This is not a morning for federal-provincial politics. My plan to do a Beatles tribute show is thwarted by the fact that our record library is locked and I have no key. Drive home like a maniac and get personal Double White album.

06:07. Do live-to-air interview with New York Post reporter. A fantastic, sad, emotional, heart-breaking, eye witness account of the mood on the street outside Lennon's apartment.

Let interview run TWELVE minutes.

06:23. Do live-to-air with Professor of Music from University of Alberta. Interview stinks - too cerebral for this day.

06:30. Local newscast. Get into argument with Joe Greene who "writes" the early morning news as there is NO MENTION of the murder. Joe says it's not a local story.

06:37. Our show tech, Dean Hocheit has INSPIRED idea to re-run the New York Post phoner. It was just as powerful the second time.

06:51. Decide to open the phones after 07:00 news cast.

07:00. The World At Seven leads with Lennon's death.

For the rest of the show we took phoners; and - as they say, the switchboard was swamped. We aired memory after memory; anecdote after anecdote - which spoke to the fact that this was indeed a local story.

And every half hour or so .... we RE-RAN that original interview with the Post reporter.

When it was all over I thought we'd done a pretty good job. But truth be told it was Dean's idea to repeat that first interview; something which went against every instinct I had, that saved the day.

The lesson learned ? There's nothing wrong with a good repeat.

09:30. Tired and stressed I decided to go home and have a bath. As I was driving I flipped on the radio to check out Morningside.

They were playing "Yesterday" ... a Paul McCartney song.

"M"

2008-04-03T14:40:00.014-05:00

Journal Entry. Toronto.
April 3, 2008

Had dinner recently with "M" a struggling writer/director/producer who never really liked me -- although he loudly professed otherwise.

A willing victim of the boys-and-booze media subculture "M" has been dragged under by the riptide of cronyism which is now sweeping him towards a middle age of anonymity, loneliness and fear.

Smiling with a hail-fellow-well-met bon hommie "M" was anxious to meet to lobby for work. But within minutes he'd dragged up the memory of a failed piece I'd done 15 years ago dissecting its awkward structure and weird visual grammar, telling me with barely disguised glee that our old boss still held it against me.

"He remembers, you know. He remembers everything."

"M" is a shadow man. He is Bogart's Ugarte. Shakespeare's Iago.

Confused as to why he finds himself unemployable, "M" is hurt that former colleagues shun him...angry that most network execs don't return his calls.

"I guess I'll take up teaching" he said.

Two hours and three beers later I watched him walk away into the Toronto night. Collar turned up against the drizzle ... dodging traffic ... giving irritated drivers the finger "M" caught my eye as he reached the subway stairs, and without so much as a nod disappeared downwards into its black hole.

Plant Managers and Prime Ministers

2008-03-31T22:01:00.010-05:00

Journal Entry. Edmonton.
November 11th, 1980.

I work for a pretty interesting man. Bill White. A dyed-in-the-wool 1960s CBC "manager". A tall, gangly, John Cleese look alike who began his career as a technician at CBC Regina. Bill is the Director of Radio here and after hiring me gave me two words of advice -- "time checks" -- air lots and lots of time checks.

Sure enough, after my first month he pulled me into his office to give me shit not for playing George Thorogood or Tom Waits at 6.07 am .... not for doing items about body-rub parlours or paraplegic Christian aldermen getting their parts "massaged" by skanky hookers -- not even for Vicki asking Gail (on air) how many tooth brushes she had scattered around town - but Bill was pissed because we weren't telling the audience what time it was.

Bill White became a folk hero around the plant when he was caught by the Fire Marshall UNWIRING the station fire alarm because it kept shorting out sending us all into the parking lot for endless false alarms.

He took me for lunch recently and after half a dozen Rusty Nails told me a great story about when he was at CBC Regina running the tech board and John Diefenbaker came into the control room demanding to be put on air right then and there because he was angry about some item the show had run the day before. The producer refused and a small frakas ensued resulting in Dief being firmly escorted from the building.

Only in Canada would a former Prime Minister be thrown out of the national broadcaster.

EDITOR'S NOTE. Toronto
March 31st, 2007.

This Journal entry reminded me of the time I was at Ikea in Ottawa standing in the returns line. Who should be three places in front of me, in a purple cardigan and brown tassled loafers, but former Prime Minister Joe Clark.

Joe was returning what appeared to be a broken brass desk lamp. When he finally reached the counter, the acne-faced kid who clearly had no idea who this Right Honourable man was asked him -- "do you have your receipt" ??

You gotta love this country.

Radio Daze

2008-03-26T21:30:00.005-05:00

Journal Entry. Edmonton.
October 27th, 1980.

Another birthday.

This one calm as a Mennonite Sunday morning. How strange. Maybe I've grown up ? Nah. Just tired. All the time I'm tired.

Producing (and directing) a morning radio show is an on-going fight against exhaustion. If I don't get to bed by 10 I'm screwed the next day as my alarm goes off at 4:15.

It's the first 20 or 30 seconds after waking that are the hardest. It's been snowing recently which makes the act of getting out of my warm bed to go start the car in the frozen blackness truly heroic.

I never thought I'd say this but it's a damn good thing I'm waking alone.

A quick shower, a banana and an old German beer stein filled to the brim with coffee and I'm off to work. I've fallen into the habit of mixing Drambuie with the coffee which probably explains why I've been choosing George Thorogood as our first disc of the day.

The other day Vicki asked me if I'd had any breakfast?

"Sure" I said, - "A pack of Certs and some Drambuie".

She said I'd never make it to spring.

Chicken Balls

2008-03-16T15:46:00.010-05:00

Journal Entry. Edmonton.
October 20th, 1980.

We got a lot of mileage out of Vicki's interview last week with Percy Wickman. The media critic in the Edmonton Journal called it "refreshingly frank".

[Editor's note: Wickman was a wheel-chair bound, crusading Christian alderman who'd vowed to clean up the city's body rub shops].

So, I decided to keep the story alive and do a bit of...er, undercover, first-hand research myself. With a 150 bucks of petty cash money, my buddy Spud riding shot gun, I went looking for the DARK SIDE.

First stop - the Strathcona pub (this is how yuppies like me find the dark side. We drink our way there).

Four hours and many beers later, with just enough cash left to conduct our investigation we stumbled our way into a massage parlour above the Blue Mandarin Chinese restaurant on Jasper Avenue.

My "date", April (or maybe it was Brandy or Candy or Chrissy) talked me into the Autumn Special which got me a bottle of Baby Duck "champagne"... a bubble bath in a hot tub beneath a black light with Jethro Tull playing "Thick as a Brick" on the stereo (which seemed appropriate) and a ...er, massage.

I put myself on the show the next morning in the 7:50 prime time slot to report on my cutting edge journalism.

The item went well until Vicki paused, smiled -- and asked if I'd had the "chicken balls".

As they say, I misunderstood her question ... answering - "I hope not but I'll watch out for them".

Wonder what the paper's going to write about that ?

'Fessing Up

2008-03-13T18:56:00.004-05:00

Journal Entry. Toronto.
March 13, 2008.

Time to come clean.

I've taken a job. Yep, a real honest-to-goodness TV Network Execs job. I actually wore a suit to work today. Yesterday too.

A pay cheque. A corporate travel card. An assistant called Poppy (really). An expense account. A parking spot with my name on it.

I have stumbled through the Stargate.

If anyone is interested in what I'm doing just google me and add CTV.

Whither this little blog ? Now, that my friends is THE question.

Advice please ??

Firing Bill Thorsell

2008-03-07T15:41:00.007-06:00

Journal Entry. Edmonton.
October 14th, 1980

Fired my first person today. A freelancer called Bill Thorsell. It was weird and awkward.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: "Yes", that would be Bill "William" Thorsell.]

Thorsell is part of the group of freelancers we use to fill out the show.

Ethel Marliss - the bitchy consumer lady.

Tom Crighton - the drunken Scot, movie reviewer.

Rick Phillips - the cool classical music guru.

...and Bill Thorsell - the smart political pundit.

Three hours a day - five days a week is a lot of radio. I only have two researchers and a p.a. - plus Vicki and Gail. I try and line up some items myself but I've got to be at the plant at 04:30 am to prep the show. By noon...I'm knackered.

So we really depend on the freelancers. We pay Thorsell 60 bucks a week for his pontifications. But the truth is I find his commentaries unlistenable. This guy must gargle with a thesaurus.

"Denial of responsibility for ineffective public policy" is NOT a good radio phrase.

Today he described the Trudeau / Lougheed relationship as a "Geordian Knot of inter-provincial brinksmanship".

Geordian knot ?? WTF ??

So I've dropped him from the show. When I called to let him go ... I didn't quite know how to phrase it as I've had zero management training.

So, I did what I've seen other managers do.

I lied.

"Budget cutbacks, Bill. Budget cutbacks."

Edmonton AM

2008-02-26T19:38:00.006-06:00

Journal Entry. Edmonton.
September 24th, 1980.

Well, here we are again. CBC Edmonton.

Goodbye Annex - hello Garneau. So long Spadina - how ya doin' Whyte.

At least I've got some buds in town. Moranis and Dave Thomas are doing a show called SCTV which is being shot here because the facilities are cheap. Their production manager Dave McAree, hand carries the master tapes to New York every weekend to be broadcast. Nice job.

I don't hang out with them much as I'm so fucking tired all the time. Producing a morning radio show is a real killer. It's not just the stress of lining up three hours a day - five days a week. But I direct the show too.

Which means getting to the plant at 04:30 where I write intros, check scripts, make coffee, and generally snoop around. There's something kind of sexy about being the ONLY PERSON in a radio/TV station in the early morning hours. The air is heavy and warm smelling of electricity and stale smoke.

Vicki and Gail get in around 05:30...well, Gail does. Vicki shows up about two minutes to six .. coats and scarves and coffee and papers flying everywhere. But once the red light goes on she's great.

Vicki was brought here to do the 'colour' items ... Gail the serious stuff - but yesterday Gail was sick so Vicki flew solo. She interviewed Lou Hyndman (EDITORS NOTE - Alberta's treasurer and most boring politician) about his fight with Trudeau and the interview was actually interesting...then she got into it with a local alderman Percy Wickman - a smarmy, sanctimonious little cretin who's campaigning to get the body rub parlours shut down.

She asked Wickman if he'd ever (quote) "had his parts rubbed ? You know...for research ?"

It was the radio highlight of the week. EVERYBODY was talking about it.

I saw the station manager Bill White later .. he just looked at me and smiled.

It's going to be one interesting winter.

Oh yea...I spent the weekend in the record library picking a new theme. Chuck Mangione and George Benson. Flugle horn mixed with jazz guitar.

Everybody hates it.

A Room with a View

2008-02-25T20:17:00.009-06:00

Journal Entry. Toronto.
09:00. Sunday September 7th. 1980.

Here's the plan - tylenol, water, bed. Shouldn't have driven home. Bad Don. Bad.

Just got back from my going away party. Quite the night. Went for dinner with Karen Webb who took me to eat up the CN Tower (great view / lousy food). Then to the El Mocambo where she FORCED me to drink to excess before finally heading to my party at Rob Prouse's house. It was a bit slow until his bi-sexual English nanny came onto both me and Karen ... a weird but kind of interesting night then proceeded to unfold. Bet I remember this in 20 years.

[EDITOR'S NOTE -- that would be a definite "yes"]

Flying back to Alberta tomorrow. Morning radio awaits.

2008-02-25T17:59:00.009-06:00

Mr. Grant has left the Building

2008-02-22T08:04:00.011-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg.
February 22nd, 2008.

Terrible, terrible news from the CBC.

In a week of turmoil and acrimony which more than one leaker has described to me as an internal "war zone" this latest fire-fight has claimed the professional life of DOUG GRANT.

Doug and I worked together for many years but were never close. He's a solid pro, a good journalist, and someone who cared deeply for the principles of public broadcasting. His exit however, is much more than an old journo getting whacked.

Doug was the head of the CBC Current Affairs department, and no head = no department. His firing symbolizes the end of an entire broadcast tradition as Doug will not be replaced.

The iconic, internationally lauded Current Affairs department of the CBC is no more.

I know...I know, they'll say that this is simply an internal re-adjustment. A shuffling of management faces ... a rationalization of resources and that the same superb work will continue. Traditions maintained. Legacies respected.

Hope it's true. But I wonder if the people spinning this could write a memo explaining the difference between "News" and "Current Affairs" ?

This is one of those tricky J-school questions I like to throw out to my class.

Here's a hint -- a long news piece is NOT a Current Affairs item.

From where I sit in the frozen cheap seats I think this has been a pretty important week in Canadian television.

Wonder if John Doyle noticed ?

Matthew Halton. Beryl Fox. Darryl Duke. Warner Troyer. Eric Malling. Roy Bonisteel. Patrick Watson. Laurier LaPierre. Larry Zolf. Ann Medina. Trina McQueen. Peter Herrndorf. Robin Taylor. Barbara Frum. Mark Starowicz. Terry McKenna. Tom Alderman. Bob Culbert. Gillian Findlay. Linden McIntyre. Bob McEwen

...and many, MANY more.

Recognize these names ?

Remember their work ?

Feel proud that they're "ours" ?

These are all Current Affairs people who've contributed enormously towards building a
much admired Canadian broadcast culture.

So this is why Doug Grant's dismissal should be taken seriously.

Because it's not just Doug who's been shown the door - but a piece of Canada too.

The Man Who Skiied Down Everest

2008-02-20T19:39:00.016-06:00

Journal Entry. Toronto.
February 19th, 2008.

I loved this film.

An outrageous story of adventure and courage...tragedy, hope, and overcoming the most impossible of odds -- all of it done by a crazy 69 year old Japanese guy who'd made his living writing poetry, doing the occasional art-house documentary and reading tarot cards.

And "yes" he really did ski down Everest. Or at least part of it.

Beautifully shot, lushly scored, peopled by weird and wacky characters ... and the last few minutes when our hero literally FELL down the mountain - wow. A thousand meter helter-skelter tumble that gave new meaning to the word wipeout.

It was a great documentary and richly deserved its Academy Award.

Did I mention it was produced by a Canadian ?

Budge Crawley.

You know - Crawley Films of Chelsea, Quebec ?? The Loon's Neckace. The Luck of Ginger Coffey. The Rowdyman. Janis.

Crawley Films was THE place to work if you were an aspiring documentary film maker in the 40s, 50s, and 60s (the NFB was the place you went if you couldn't get a job at Crawley).

I've been thinking a lot lately about helter-skelter type death plunges and people who try amazing things which leave us scratching our heads wondering "what the hell's he doing now".

Here's the thing, a professional opportunity has come my way of -- Everestian proportions. Something which will turn my personal and family life upside down. I'll burn bridges, alienate colleagues, retreat from hard won battles, maybe lose money (again) -- but I'll get a chance to be part of something remarkable and make some damn good films.

I'm going to take it.

I've often wondered what went through that Japanese guy's mind as he cartwheeled down Everest before sliding to a stop just meters from the edge of a crevass where he most assuredly would have met his ancestors.

Did he think about those unpaid hydro and phone bills ? Did he worry about his line of credit ? Or wonder what his critics standing in the shadows would say upon learning of his demise ? I don't think so.

I'd bet my last buck he thought something like:

"odorokubeki bakabakashii fotogurafu"

translation ?

"What a GREAT FUCKING SHOT."

...my kind of guy. Definitely.

A promise.

2008-02-14T09:07:00.008-06:00

Journal Entry, Winnipeg.
February 14th, 2008

The Book of Don will return.

The Scud Stud Chugged my Bud

2008-02-08T12:01:00.003-06:00

Alberta Tory Candidate,
Arthur Kent

(not exactly as pictured).

Journal Entry. Winnipeg.
February 8th, 2008.

Got a big laugh out of today's Globe and Mail. A profile of my pal, Arthur Kent - now running for the Alberta Tories.

Arthur and I used to be boy reporters in the CBC Edmonton newsroom back in the film and telecine days when Linda Simms and Roxanna Spicer used to drink too much white wine and tell us we were "hot" (Or maybe it was just Arthur they described that way ... my memory's a bit blurry on this.)

Art's a born-and-bred journalist with a capital "J". So for the life of me I can't figure out what the hell he's doing running with Ed Stelmach and his posse. Dead-head Ed they call him around the Legislature - and this has nothing to do with him being a Gerry Garcia fan.

Alberta politics used to revolve around a Western version of the Two Solitudes. City slicker verses hay seed. Heineken drinking squash playing yuppies verses 20 cent draft swilling shuffleboard shooting red-necks.

Arthur is a single malt kind of guy. Ed drinks whatever Jesus is pouring. Tough to see them working together for long.

Half a lifetime ago I covered many a Peter Lougheed speech with Art, and Lougheed had this Alberta duality thing down cold. As soon he left the city limits of Edmonton or Calgary his vocabulary went rural retro.

"How ya doin', eh ?" The blue-eyed sheik would ask "Get the crops in OK, did ya?"

We used to say there were two Lougheeds -- Peter and his oxygen-deprived twin brother Petey. You could tell which one was going to show up by counting the number of half-ton trucks in the parking lot.

I'm always a bit disappointed when journalists run for politics. Not sure why. But it seems to me that as a political reporter you realize that by-definition almost every word out of a politician's mouth is self-serving and strategic. Good reporters fight their way through the crap to find those themes of truth.

In fact, I tell my class that the essence of being a journalist is to be a truth seeker.

And when truth-seekers wander over to the dark side looking for a window seat on the Death Star I always feel slightly betrayed.

Or maybe I'm just envious. Of the pension. The perks. The non-taxable allowances. The 100 dollar bottles of red wine at the Ranchmen's Club. The centre-ice seats to Flames' games. The nepotism. The people who suck up to you. The unimaginable wealth at your finger tips.

Envious ? Nah. I'd rather write a blog - for free.

But if Arthur's prepared to endure all this hardship to serve the Alberta public, I say more power to him. If elected he'll get a cabinet post for sure. And after that ? Premier Kent - why not ? He's been on Murphy Brown, you know.

I, on the other hand - may never have my hands on the reigns of power or be a guest on Letterman but I will have one helluva of an interesting book to write.

I think I'll call it ... "The Scud Stud Chugged my Bud."

It's the CULTURE, stupid.

2008-02-07T09:46:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg.
February 7th, 2008.

What is it about building a country people don’t get ?

When are we going to realize that TV and books and films and songs are as important to nation building as roads and railways and sewers and airports ?

Culture is not the fat of a bourgeois society but the MUSCLE of a healthy community. People who laugh and sing together – stay together, right ?

Sir John A would have understood.

In Richard Gwyn’s great new BOOK (the first biography of Macdonald in over 50 years, by the way) the man-who-made-us-said:

“A brilliant future would certainly await were it not for those wretched Yankees...”

The Manitoba farm boys who died at Vimy would have understood.

On the eve of battle they sang a SONG ....

“The Maple Leaf, our emblem dear. The Maple Leaf forever!”

Joe English would have understood.

Joe who flew a Lancaster into the killing skies over Germay in 1943 and was a powerful character in my DOCUMENTARY series “Bomber Boys” said to me:

“Why’d I do it ? Easy. It was my job. Canada needed me to fight for her.”

As we gab, gossip and gasp (...sorry) about the Oscars, the new season of Lost, the death of Heath Ledger, Roger Clemens’ upcoming Congressional shuck and jive -- there’s one helluva a bare-knuckle brawl going on at those CTF hearings in Gatineau.

Meanwhile John Doyle is filing columns about how cool it is to be hanging out with Mike Duffy and the only TV coverage is on CPAC ?

If it was the 401 that was about to collapse do you think the hearings might get a little bit more ink ? That the journalistic treatment might be a little bit more thoughtful ? More rigorous ?

Where is the accountability interview with...QUICK NOW, who IS our Minister of Heritage ?

Why should we care about all of “this” ? Because it’s the CULTURE, stupid.

Our culture.

The Summer of '76

2008-01-29T20:41:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg.

February 2nd, 2008.

My buddy Robb Lucy - a former CBC Radio Exec Producer and all-round ideas guy has started an interesting site -- TheEyeLearner.com where he asks us to consider what LEGACY we - as a community of journalists and story tellers will leave in our foamy wake.

Robb begins by posing a mischievous question: How old is your brain ? Look past those yellow teeth and greying pubes and ask yourself did you "lock-in" at 20? 30? 40?

Shelagh Rogers wanted to know too. She put Robb's question on air - got a big response and now he's writing a book comprised of these bitter-sweet fragments.

I know you didn't ask but ... my brain is 22 years old.

I'm on a Greek Island somewhere off the Turkish coast. It is 1976. I'm wearing blue, farmer-john type overalls, I have a gold stud in my left ear, and - yes, I need a haircut.

It's late summer and there's rain on the wind, but I don't care 'cause I'm with my sweet little Norwegian friend Kjersti drinking retsina, watching the fishing boats, and wondering if you can buy hash on this island without getting seriously busted.

But there's a lingering tension between us - will I follow her north to Bergen for the winter ? Or go back to Grad school in Edmonton.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both"

That divergent road has taken me deep into this wonderful/terrible business of ours where half a lifetime later I'm left with a few dozen hours of TV shows (non-HD), a bunch of boring war stories, and cronies coast-to-coast.

Note to J-school students - buddies are great. Bonds are better. Buy RRSPs -- now.

For way too many years I've built a life peopled by colleagues not friends.

I've drunk dialed old girlfriends from Nicaragua. I've called home from Bosnia only to hear my own damn voice telling me "we can't come to the phone now". And I've sat before a firing squad of bankers.

Although I've lived to tell the tale ... truth be told, I still miss that long lost Norwegian girl. Even more so since I learned she died of breast cancer in 2001.

As someone who's always struggled with Churchill's Black Dog Robb's legacy question has under-scored the fact that I have no legacy at all.

...and for a guy who's longed prided himself on being a story-teller this is not just ironic, but -- unacceptable.

Members Only

2008-01-27T22:13:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Toronto
January 25th, 2008.

It's been a tough couple of weeks for Commissioning Editors ... Journey's playing on the juke box and the blood moon is rising.

There have been whackings at History at Showcase at Corus at Discovery at City. Food will be next. And wasn't that Paulie Walnuts I saw sipping espresso with Mr. S. down on Front Street last week?

With networks changing owners the way the Bada Bing changes dancers I thought it might be a good idea to spend a couple of days boozing and schmoozing in the Big Smoke to pay my respects and to kiss a few ... er ...rings.

Yea, that's it - rings.

After half-a-dozen lunches and God only knows how many beers, here's what The Family of present and former Comm Eds had to say about the state of their dark art:

1. Pitch whatever you want. But more and more they're quietly "assigning" ideas to Favoured Nation prodcos. Those "ideas" then get pitched back to them with a carefully written "chain-of-title" thus making them eligible for CTF financing.

Why are they doing this ? Fear. Fear of taking a chance. Fear that something unknown (read: original) might tank and the sales guys will come looking for the rat.

2. Choke collars are the order of the day at the Corp. Despite all those p.r. dollars buying all that spin, truth is - internally they think the ratings suck. Mr. S. is about to let Paulie do what he does best. Some strategic whackings. Biggest flop other than Sophie and JPOD and that ridiculous final episode of Intelligence ?

No Opportunity Wasted. Not to say -- I told you so...but...

3. Discovery Dan is dead. Or at least there's a contract out with his name on it. A strategic re-think is underway at Canada's favourite science-lite network.

4. Inshah Allah - trouble at the Mosque ? The LA-based agent for a senior writer has been calling around with a simple message -- "hire my boy, now. Please. Anybody."

5. A merging of leading prodcos is in the wind, one which will surprise many as the axis of power moves west and a giant, new company appears.

Finally ... the relentless turning of the ferris wheel has dunked more than a few old friends in the septic-tank-of-shit recently. One of the living dead (formerly a prominent Comm Ed) confided in me that they find themselves being "unemployable".

After a year of sending out dead-end inquiries my friend was privately told that at -- 54 -- she/he was too old.

Enjoy that plate of onion rings. But look over your shoulder as you do.

Happiness at Thirty Below

2008-01-21T19:35:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg. -28
January 21, 2008.

As people keep telling me, this is the most depressing week of the year. So how 'bout some counter programming ?

TEN things to cheer us up -:

1. This year's Super Bowl might actually be interesting.

2. Tom Green is not on television anymore. Not even on CPAC.

3. The Current (with Anna Maria) is a great radio show.

4. Steve Earl has a new CD coming out.

5. Hillary or Obama ? Either one is going to make the planet smile.

6. Conrad Black is going to jail.

7. CBC is doing some kick ass programming. And there's more on the way.

8. A documentary about Winnipeg is opening the Berlin Film Festival.

9. You too can have a Mac.

10. The Book of Don has not folded in humiliation.

Doc U.

2008-01-19T19:51:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg
January 19th, 2008

I teach a class at the University of Winnipeg: Documentary Writing and Directing and although the pay is crap, for six hours a week it's usually a lot of fun; this week however it was a real downer.

We played the "Name Your Favourite Canadian Documentary" game.

Here's what they came up with "--------"

Nada. Zero. Not a clue.

Now remember, these are A list students who WANT to make docs. And they've never heard of Don Brittain or John Grierson or Bill Mason or Budge Crawley or Michael Maclear -- or even Robin Christmas, for God's sake !

They knew Michael Moore. They knew Ken Burns. A few of them even knew DA Pennebaker and Errol Morris. But not one kid in this top-of-the-gene-pool class could name a Canadian documentary film maker.

So, for the past few days I've been wondering -- why ? After all, I thought this was supposed to be the "golden age" of documentary making ?

Here's what I think:

1. The death of regional programming at the CBC has had a much more insidious effect than anyone ever thought it would. It has effectively removed one of the very few career paths for people looking to get started.

Even worse - it has driven them into the rapacious arms of prodcos (like mine) where most of them burn out fast - and end up writing know-it-all blogs.

2. While the NFB does commission films from first timers, the board has not had a real dollar budget increase in almost 20 years. So first time film makers come and go like fire-flies.

3. And the Specialities ?? Well, they've fed me for the past decade so I'd better pick my words carefully. But it's no secret that they program for a very specific slice of the market. They know their demo and most of them do good business. Which is what they are -- businesses.

So where DO young documentary makers go to learn their craft ? Where do they get their first and then crucially their second chance ?

I had the incredible luxury of being able to evolve as a documentary maker at CBC Edmonton, CBC Calgary .. and at that wonderful grad school, The Journal.

Kids today have nowhere to go. So, they simply lose interest. And the Michael Burns approach of finding a film that touches your heart then pitch, pitch, pitch ... doesn't help when you're 23 years old and have rent to pay.

It's time for someone in a leadership position at a J-school to step up and embrace our documentary tradition. To celebrate the Brittains, the Griersons, the Crawleys, the Jutras, and the Starowiczs.

After all these people are our nation builders. If we were Americans they'd have Schools of Journalism named after them.

We need somebody at Ryerson or at Carleton .. BCIT, SAIT, Kings College, or Concordia to take an active role in championing the documentary form - and to agitate for its preservation. Like you would any other endangered species.

Why is there NOT a Donald Brittain Chair of documentary making at Ryerson or McGill?

Why is there NOT a Bill Mason "Best Outdoor documentary" student award at Carleton ?

Why is there NOT a Beryl Fox "Best Social Affairs documentary" at BCIT ?

Why does Newsworld NOT hold an annual Barbara Frum "Best Student Documentary" contest and then run the winning film coast to coast ?

I know we'll never have a "Doc U". But if we're to keep our magnificent tradition of making great documentaries alive, someone has to step forward.

This would also give me something else to tell my class other than to ... "marry well"

The Toronto Maple Leafs Have Ruined My Life.

2008-01-18T14:49:00.001-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg.
January 17th, 2008.

Failed Pitch # 83

This is NOT to say that I could have pulled in a million viewers ... but ... last fall I pitched a documentary called "The Toronto Maple Leafs Have Ruined My Life".

Here's some of that pitch:

THE INTRO: There's no greater group of fools deserving our pity more than those long suffering fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“1967”…”1967” they shout in Montreal. And Edmonton. And Calgary. And – maybe soon, Ottawa or Vancouver.

The generation of rosy cheeked kids who sang the Centennial Song while trading Frank Mahavolich hockey cards when the Leafs last won the cup are now graying, pudgy Viagra buyers. The team is no closer to being a winner than they were when a cup of coffee cost a dime and Lester Pearson was Prime Minister.

Driven relentless forward by the assumption that this year “will be different” (who can ever forget Darryl Sittler’s ten point night … or Lanny McDonald’s goal against the Islanders in '78) the Leaf Nation – the cannon fodder of the Hockey Wars - are about to head into another season like a litter of puppies wandering up the 401.

THE IDEA: A SEASON IN THE LIFE OF THE TEAM. PLAYERS, MANAGEMENT AND MOST OF ALL - A SELECT GROUP OF FANS.

Seemed like a pretty straightforward pop culture sports doc to me. And because I didn't care too much about the on-ice action -- just the results - I didn't have to worry about game rights.

A million viewers ? Not sure.

Good old fashioned blood-and-tears TV ? Definitely.

...and given the year the Leafs are having we'd have probably witnessed a few suicides too.

Great TV.

Studio E

2008-01-13T14:57:00.001-06:00

Journal Entry. August 31, 1980.
Studio "E", 354 Jarvis St. Toronto.

The thing about silence is that no matter how hard you try, you simply can't ignore it.

It just is.

It calms you down. Gets you focused. Helps you be.

I've become one of those people who's life is an unending 'to-do' list. But every once in a while I come down to this empty studio and just hang out.

I sit at Don and Peter's chair, use their type writer and write my intros. And when I finally get it all done, I still myself ... and simply listen. Smudging my mind with one of radio's most powerful tools and gentlest gifts - silence.

The sound proofing has created a deadness to the air in here. It's heavy and thick and protective - a kind of sanctuary from the busy corridors, gossipy stairwells and clattering caff.

This old studio - littered with discarded newspapers, stale ashtrays and forgotten coffee mugs is where Gzowski and Harron, Maxine Crook, Harry Boyle, Vicki Gabereau, Carol Taylor, Bruce Cockburn, David Shatsky, Bob Spence and a dozen other fill-in hosts --- have sat before the big silver mike on a red-and-black steno chair, their scripts spread before them like playing cards --- taken a deep breath and simply talked.

And what great talk I have been privileged to hear these past fourteen months.

Dizzy Gillespie. Paul Henderson. Ella Fitzgerald. Hugh McLennan. Charlie Lynch. Judy LaMarsh. Richard Gwyn. Pierre Trudeau. Sophia Loren. Peter Sellers. Super Tramp. Harold Ballard. W.O. Mitchell .. and my pal, Margaret Laurence.

I bumped into John Diefenbaker waiting in the hallway one day and like a moron - didn't recognize him. In my busyness I brushed past this little old man in a black coat who nodded and asked me how my day was going.

Studio E. 354 Jarvis.

A silent room at the end of a non-descript corridor in a mouse infested, ramshackle, too-hot-or-too-cold building is where Canada's ghosts live.

Nice to have met you.

Bumper Cars on the 401

2008-01-13T13:08:00.001-06:00

Journal Entry. Toronto
August 12th, 1980.

I've decided to take the Edmonton job. 41k a year at 26. Maybe I'll finally get that damn student loan paid off.

Nahhh. Think I'll buy a stereo with huuuuge speakers instead.

My show Edmonton AM, runs from 6 - 9 across Northern Alberta. I have a staff of three researchers, one p.a., one news writer, one sports guy, a dedicated tech, and a few freelancers. Vicki Gabereau and Gail Hulnick have been hired as co-hosts. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Gail was a staff announcer at CBC Edmonton].

I've never run a team or had any sort of management training. I guess I'll learn as I go. Hope I don't actually have to "fire" anyone - that would be very weird.

Gail, I know from university. She's an upwardly mobile MBA type. Vicki couldn't be more different.

Gail dates lawyers. Vicki - soundmen. Gail drinks white wine. Vicki - tequila shooters.

I'll miss Toronto but I think this is a good career move. Vick and I get on well. Although we're going to have to watch our bad habits. We're kind of like oil and oil.

I took her to buy some pot from an old Chinese guy on Spadina the other day...then drove out to the airport to pick a friend up. While waiting we did what just about anyone would do with 100 bucks worth of grass and half an hour to kill.

Driving back downtown on the freeway at rush hour was - as they say, a bit of a challenge. It's been just over a year since I left Cowtown and moved to the Big City, now look at me ... playing bumper cars on the 401.

Vicki and Gail will make history as the first two women hosts on CBC Radio. There's a lot of buzz in the Edmonton press about them.

Morning radio in Lougheed Land will never be the same.

The Strath

2008-01-09T14:22:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry, Air Canada 135,
Edmonton - Toronto,
August 10th, 1980.

An I N S A N E few days behind me.

Man ... I gotta get all of "this" under control. The past week in Edmonton has literally taken me to the edge of wildness.

Alcoholism lurks deep within my genes, so I've got to watch it. There's way too many opportunities in this business to go to the bar. The cop out is to call it "de-stressing" when really - it's just good old fashioned DRINKING, and there's nothing trendy or glamorous about that.

My Scots-Irish family has always enjoyed their booze. One of my earliest memories is that of a party my grand dad threw when one of the Popes died (our home in a gray Glasgow tenement became an impromptu opera house for drunken Scotsmen to sing "the Battle of the Boigne" and "the Orange Lodge Forever").

But this past week it was a New World ecumenical, bunch of media whores who partied the morning, afternoon, and night away at Edmonton's famous old Strathcona Hotel.

Me, Sue, playwrite Tom Crighton, Tom Rowe (who's a "driver" for local film crews), CBC anchor Bob Spence, radio producer Rick Phillips, folk singer Paul Hahn, my buddy Spud, a couple of guys from the SCTV crew, Catherine O'Hara ... and Toronto's most famous mayoralty candidate, Rosie-the-Clown. AKA - Vicki Gabereau.

Vicky's been hired to co-host the morning radio show, Edmonton A.M. and I'm thinking of signing on as her producer. The station manager wants us to goose the ratings and bring some energy to the plant.

Poor guy doesn't HAVE A CLUE what he's about to unleash.

Cowboyside

2008-01-06T18:14:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Toronto.
July 20th, 1980

A hot and humid Toronto Sunday night.

The rain's been falling heavily all evening making that frying bacon kind of sound.

Here in the Annex under the canopy of Confederation era maples the little apartment feels like a brick-and-ivy nest for my entourage of mice, moles, spiders, sparrows, raccoons and the occasional midnight cockroach. Although we're safe from the deluge I try to keep in mind what Mark Twain had to say about 'water'...it's Ok to drink it, but only in moderation.

Just got back from doing another road show - this one went great. We did a Stampede week edition of Morningside ... Cowboyside. Yee-haw.

Four producers. Three hours. Two days. One language. No hassles. Thank God.

Finally got Lougheed on the show. His media guy, Ron Leippart is a real rat-faced weasel ( ? ). Before agreeing to the interview he demanded I send him the questions Don would ask.

I said "sure" ... sent him the list ... then changed it !! The old 'Toronto shuffle' eh? Leippart never liked me. Now he hates me. There goes my post CBC flack job.

We followed the Premier with a guy from High River who's the World Whistling Champion. Despite his busy schedule Lougheed stuck around the hear him whistle (you gotta love this province). Mum was in the control room and met them both but only wanted the Whistler's autograph.

Atta girl.

Just for fun (and because I could) I decided to open Hour One with a Tom Waits song. Ian Tyson was doing a live concert in Hour Two and we had so many shit-kicking, red meat items I could feel my arteries clogging...so, I figured I'd fuck everyone up by getting Cowboyside off to a big city start.

I played a couple of tunes from the new cassette "Heart Attack and Vine".

Boney's high on china white, Shorty found a punk
Don't you know there ain't no devil, there's just God when he's drunk
Well this stuff will probably kill you, let's do another line
What you say you meet me down on heart attack and vine

As they say ... the switchboard lit-up. Folks complained NOT about the lyrics (probably didn't get them) but about the AESTHETICS. One guy said Tom sounded like an elk that had been "gut shot". Another guy said the singing reminded him of the sound a wino makes as he pukes in a dumpster. And some nice lady described the music as a "terrible growling".

Growling Music. I think TW would like that.

However, I've a bigger decision to make than which discs to spin. The Morning Show producer jobs in both Edmonton AND Calgary are up for grabs. And it's been "suggested" I apply for one of them. In fact the plant manager in Calgary asked me three times if I was interested. I said "yes" but the truth is ... I'm not sure.

I love Toronto and this is the place to build my career. If I go back west I'll make more money ... have my own show - but maybe I'll vanish from the Jarvis Street radar and never get to kick the shit out of Stuart McLean at racquet ball again.

There's another complicating factor - and at 26 its a recurring theme of mine. I've met a woman. Susan Swan. She's a pretty blonde who's part of the CBC Edmonton gang. Hangs at the Strathcona with Spandier and Tom Crighton and our buddy Bob "built-to-scale" Spence.

Sue's a keeper. Especially for a Tom Waits-alone-and-lonely-at-midnight kind of guy like me.

A Resolution Worth Keeping

2007-12-30T23:37:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry - Winnipeg.
December 31st, 2007.

I've spent hundreds of hours in story meetings. Some fun. Some funny. Some roiling with enthusiasm. Others -- flat and yawny, where people hide behind newspapers trying their best to avoid eye contact with the boss .

I've also sat through a few where grown adults have left the room in tears.

However, I can honestly say that very few have been a waste of time. The editorial process works. All our ideas become sharper and more well focused once they've been savaged by a wolf pack of colleagues who in their dark little hearts do NOT wish us well.

It's tough to find this degree of clarity as an indie producer. Why ? Because we either work for ourselves or we work for someone who pays us. Neither situation breeds intellectual honesty which might explain why so many bad pitches get sent to networks.

Over the past few months I've tried to remedy this situation by holding occasional conference calls with a group of former colleagues all of whom now run their own shops. We gossip, we network, and we kick the shit out of each other's ideas.

There are no steroids involved.

So, if I'm going to keep one New Year's Resolution it will be to maintain the discipline of the story meeting no matter what form it takes. My other resolution - to stop spending so much money at Starbucks will be dead by noon.

Our little group has three rules -:

1. Yee shall pull no punches. (The criticism must be honest and rigorous.)

2. Yee shall not get pissed off. (Never take what's said personally.)

3. Yee shall not blab. (Keep what you hear to yourself.)

For the sake of this post I'm going to break Rule # 3.

I've been trying to get a project going on cricket. Yea..yea...yea - they say. Who in Canada is going to trigger this ? CBC ? TSN ? Not a chance. Pass.

I've also been trying to get my beloved Lenny Breau doc off the ground. But the meeting says - who's Lenny Breau ? (assholes) Why should we care ? Didn't TVO already do it ? Pass.

And then there's my "old age" show. "Good idea" But what's the last act ? And the ending's a real downer. Bottom line ? A tough sell.

Story meetings can be invigorating or depressing. Either way they're an essential tool no matter WHO you work for as we can all benefit from honest, non-strategic, professional feedback.

So, as the New Year begins and I struggle with the on-going task of moving my GREAT IDEAS forward -- this year's resolution is NOT to do it alone.

I'm going to pitch my buddies hard. Listen carefully. And try not to whine when I hear what just might be wise advice.

Swing Magic

2007-12-27T12:57:00.000-06:00

I once hired a lawyer to sue Oscar Peterson.

Why ?

He cost me 400,000 dollars, that's why.

Amidst all the tributes ... all the acknowledgments ... all the respect - let's keep in mind that he was one tough, old dude who boycotted the CBC because Life and Times edited a performance of his to keep it inside their TV hour.

Years later (and still angry) he said to me ... "You wouldn't trim a Picasso to make it fit the frame would you?"

Married four times. Distanced from family and friends. Living in a modest middle class home. He may have played like Art Tatum but he negotiated like Sid Vicious.

Here's how Playback described the show we were going to do together:

Ottawa-based Almadon Productions is swinging into action on a multi-tiered project. "Swing Magic" which celebrates Canada's legendary jazzman Oscar Peterson. The project kicks off in Ottawa Sept. 16 with a six-city North American tour covering Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

The tour featuring Peterson and his Big Band playing 1940s swing music will be documented for a behind-the-scenes feature called The Will To Swing.

Don Young will direct; Gene Lees will write. The film will tell the personal and professional stories of the artists featured on the tour. In addition to Young's film, the project will spawn a double live cd, and a commemorative book of tour photos.

Our project collapsed THE MONTH before it was due to start. Not over "creative differences". Not over music. Not even over money - after all, we were paying Oscar 100k per show and we had the cash.

We fell out over THE FILM.

At the 11th-and-a-half hour I was asked to give Oscar - and his estate - VETO (his word not mine).. VETO - over the film plus control of all the out-takes in perpetuity.

I baulked. He walked.

We never did proceed with the law suit. Which in retrospect was the only smart thing I did on the whole damn project.

But I ended up spending another 14k in legal fees to be advised that suing a man who in his younger days carried a baseball bat in his piano bench was probably not a good idea.

The City of New Orleans

2007-12-22T07:44:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. New Orleans.
December 25th, 2005

** Editor's Note.

It's been two years and four months since Hurricane Katrina came ashore 50 miles south and east of New Orleans.

When the levy walls collapsed the next day a flood of Biblical proportions destroyed much of the city. Over a thousand people died, hundreds of thousands were left homeless, and one of America's great communities - the home of rock 'n roll, went silent.

Imagine the town or city where you are right now flooded to the second floor.

Every home. Every car. Every corner store. Every strip mall. Every school. Every old folks' home. Everything you know and cherish is suddenly under fifteen feet of oily, fetid, rat-swimming water.

To make things worse imagine those pleasant lads from Blackwater are patrolling your town in swamp boats - armed like Terminators; behaving like Sons-of-Bushes.

That is what New Orleans was like in the autumn of 2005.

I flew to the City of Music on December 15th, '05 and spent the first post-Katrina Christmas wandering its storm damaged streets.

I met Arlo Guthrie, Willy Nelson, Dr. John, Wolfman Washington, Breeze Cayolle and a dozen other world class artists. Some of them fearful for what the future held. All of them angry at what the present had become.

What follows is a re-print of an email I sent to family and friends based on a few notes I scribbled in my Journal on Christmas Day 2005.

As we gather round our home-fires this Holiday Season I thought it might be worthwhile to post it here.

Happy Holidays. Count your blessings.

-----------

As some of you know I am spending the holiday season shooting a doc for CTV in New Orleans. It's called 'Music Rising' and at one level it tells the story of the group U2 and its attempts to raise money to buy instruments for the diaspora of musicians who have fled the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flood.

But after ten days here I can see how insignificant this story focus really is. Being in this once-great city reminds me of my time in Bosnia. The streets are deserted and empty. Packs of starving dogs are everywhere. And there's an ominous mood of anger and fear.

It's Christmas Day. I miss my children and I'm in yet another hotel room. Although I'm staying in the best place in town there is no food service as most of the staff have quit. The few that remain have refused to work, choosing to spend their time with family. Christmas dinner for me will be sandwiches and pepsi bought from a machine.

The hotel is a sanctuary for the displaced rich. And even these exclusively white folk are full of rage.

It's been almost four months since the storm (and then the flood) and the insurance companies are digging in their feet and refusing to pay most claims. They are trying to make a distinction between water damage and wind damage. Most families had storm insurance but not flood insurance. The potential costs are enormous and the insurance companies have geared up for a scorched-earth battle.

In the African-American community where the folks had almost no insurance at all (and which suffered the worst flood damage) - the maximum payout will be about 20,000 dollars. Twenty grand. To get a home...a car...a TV...slippers and housecoats...pots and pans...toys and tools. To begin again. And the 20k must be declared on next year's taxes.

I spend the morning with a black Baptist preacher who held a sunrise prayer service. His brother was shot by the National Guard and died in the family home. Nobody knows the circumstances of his death. The family retrieved the body a month after the flood.

In the congregation were nurses who worked at the famous New Orleans 'Charity Hospital' - the oldest hospital in America. They told me stories of patients who were euthanized and the terrible panic which ensued in the Intensive Care ward when the flood water swamped the emergency generators and the power went off - in an instant all the respirators and i/v pumps and dialysis equipment went down......in the basement the dozens of cadavers began to thaw... ...and many patients in wheel-chairs were trapped in elevators.

On Christmas Eve I rode in a police cruiser with a couple of street hard cops. They told me stories of looting and snipers and had no hesitation to say that they thought the flood was the best thing that had happened in years as it washed all "those people" out of town. The aftermath of Katrina has torn open up the racial fault-lines. People say it's like the 30s again. Black against white. Only now the black community has guns.

Before the storm and the flood Metro New Orleans had a population of about a million...today it is less than 100,000.

All the fast food joints are closed. The traffic lights are on a permanent red-blink cycle. The 911 Emergency system is still down. Buses don’t run. The bank machines charge five dollars per transaction. The sidewalks are piled with small mountains of storm debris. One city official told me 37 years worth of garbage is awaiting pick-up.

I was at a small blues hall the other night with Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson who were doing a fund-raising gig. For the last song Arlo sang "City of New Orleans." The joint exploded. Tears and more tears. A roomful of strangers singing at the top of their lungs......"Illinois Central monday morning blues" --- me too.

A wonderful, tragic, bitter sweet moment. I shot it all.

I must admit to being one of those guys who suffered from "Katrina Overload"....I watched it on the news, thought little, and got on with life. Another show to do. Another script to write.

As a journalist I all-too-often slip into a kind of self-serving cynicism which shields me from actually having to think - really think - about all of this. Tsunamis and Hurricanes and Iraq somehow seem too "big" for me to deal with. I watch the faces but don't see the people. Now I'm with them.

And I like them.

I like Mike and Regis who saw me on the street with the camera and dragged me into the second floor of their home (the main floor was destroyed) to have a beer..and then another...just to be friendly and because I looked tired.

I like John Johnson who used to work with Spike Lee but quit his New York job the week before the storm to come home to be with his dad, Marcus. John swam almost a mile with his dad on his back until someone in a boat picked them up. His dad is 88.

I like Breeze Cayolle, a sax player who played with the Stones but lost all his photos and videos and instruments in the flood. Breeze says "heck..it's just stuff man".

Everybody has lost something here. I guess the lucky ones lost "just stuff".

I've sent this little note out not to bring y'all down on Christmas Day. But so that you would know what it is like in the City of New Orleans on December 25th, 2005.

don.
-------

If you want to read a blogger who's been charting the re-building of the city go here: New Orleans News Ladder

Ho Ho Hack !

2007-12-19T19:03:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry - various.

It's that time of year again when Exec Producers describe newsrooms as "family", when unit managers drink too much cheap white wine and bore the crap out of everyone by driveling on and on about accounting software upgrades ... when freelancers scarf all the shrimps at the buffet table... and Shooters try to bed every P.A. in sight.

Yep, it's Christmas party time. And TV parties are without doubt the worst.

Why ?

Because we spend WAY too much time crammed into dark little rooms with each other trying not to scream "YOUR STUPID IDEA IS GOING TO GET ME FIRED"...and now we're going to set all that repressed hostility aside and trade man-hugs ?

Right.

Not without copious amounts of Bushmills, we're not.

As you may have guessed I've seen my share of Good Will Gatherings. So, in the spirit of the season here are a few chestnuts-roasting type memories.

-- Christmas 1978. Calgary Sun party. Calgary.

Legendary columnist Fred Kennedy is about to retire so the publisher has a mock front page made with stories about Fred's career. The gift is blown up to 3 x 4 and we're all asked to sign it. Late in the evening someone scrawls in black marker..."I never liked you, you fat fuck. Ho Ho HACK !!".

-- Christmas 1980. SCTV party. Edmonton.

Too much Ouzo. Too much Rick Moranis. Too much Catherine O'Hara. Steal milk truck. Lose shirt. Wake up in bath tub.

-- Christmas 1982. CBC Edmonton party.

Vicki Gabereau "borrows" goat from local farm. Brings to the studio. Goat tries to bite everyone. SPCA takes goat away. Threaten to lay charges.

-- Christmas 1985. CBC Calgary party.

Write fake memo with National Reporter, Jane Chalmers announcing appointment of much-loathed line up editor, David Isaac as new Exec Producer. Post said memo on every notice board in the plant. Hide in fear for first week of New Year as Regional Director launches massive investigation to find culprit.

-- Christmas 1991. Zagreb, Croatia. Impromptu hotel bar party.

Eat boiled chicken, pureed apricots, and rice for dinner. Try to fight off advances from BBC correspondent Kate Addie. Drink too much sljivovica, (slivovitz) plumb brandy with CBC reporter Michael McIvor and friend Clare who he will later marry. Vow never to eat plumbs - or watch the BBC - again.

-- Christmas 1993. CBC Toronto party.

Get in argument with Globe and Mail TV writer, John Haslett Cuff who less than a month later will write entire column trashing me as a "bleeding heart so-called film maker who should never be given another dime from the public purse."

Mum calls and asks: "Do you think he liked your film ?"

-- Christmas 2005. New Orleans. Party alone in empty hotel bar.

Spend Christmas Eve driving around the bleak and dangerous streets. The City of Song has become an American warzone. No lights. No people. No music. Only the incessant barking of starving dogs and the distant lullaby of police sirens.

Decide to count my blessings.

Who Shot Mr. Burns ?

2007-12-16T09:28:00.001-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg.
December 16th, 2007.

I once interviewed Harry Shearer, the voice of Mr. Burns.

Moments before the interview - with his Great Dane restlessly sniffing that place where teeth (canine or otherwise) should never go, Harry-as-Burns said ... and I swear to God this is true ... "I think it's time to release the hound."

Magic.

The other Mr. Burns was here in Canada's Bravest City last week. Michael Burns, former head of the Documentary Channel was in town to meet local film makers. And while he was circumspect about the specifics of his dismissal following the CBC take-over, the phrase -:

"LYING BASTARDS" echoed across the frozen prairie on more than one occasion.

Although Michael is on a high due to the success of the Guy Maddin "My Winnipeg" documentary which will open the Berlin Film Festival, his message didn't exactly fill the troops with hope.

Want a career as a Canadian doc maker ?

Find a story and make a film. How ? Get an A-list director. Then pitch, pitch, pitch.

The news that CTV's Bruce Cowley was taking over his old job was met with ... as they say a certain sangfroid.

"Thank God they put somebody - anybody...in the job" was Burnsie's official line.

What's next for the man who greenlit "Stupidity" ?

In the short term he's going to run a new Cinema Documentary fund in conjunction with Hot Docs and Global. He says he's got 9-million bucks to spend. 4 million for development and finishing. 5 million for equity.

After that ? I wouldn't be surprised to see him back before the CRTC fronting a group looking for their own documentary channel licence.

Despite Corus devouring 2 out of every 3 dollars in management fees and in-house facilities charges (how much DID they bill for that tech to run master control ?) the channel was still turning an annual profit of almost a million bucks, according to the man who ran it.

The original licence is set to expire next year and MB thinks the commission won't like the CBC's news mag approach.

A doc channel smack-down could be in the making.

Excellent.

The Wankers

2007-12-13T10:44:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg.
December 13th, 2007.

It's that wonderful time of year when the jolly fat man comes to town to cut loose and get jiggy-with-it.

No - not that cheerful, red faced man - the other one - the FAMOUS one, ALISTER BELL.

The world's Greatest Soundman ... who upon spying a discarded bill-of-sale in a Miami gutter once uttered the immortal phrase "these people are SO rich they actually throw their receipts away"...is giving the media-party-of-the-season.

Tomorrow - Friday, Dec 14th is Al's 18th annual "Wankers" booze-and-schmooze. 4pm. Duke of York. Downstairs. 39 Prince Arthur (near the Bedford subway station).

All the legends will be there. Scully and Medina. Lev and Knox. Bobby, Lindon, Peter, Gillian, Spike, Nasty, Mark, Sally, Mendel, Laine. Perhaps even Derek Kennedy. Hope he's not in a BAD MOOD.

* Note to J-school students. CRASH THIS PARTY. As long as you can PAY you can stay. It will be well-worth dropping 20 bucks to listen to Garv's opinions on Mulroney.

The 'c' word will be used.

By the way do NOT believe any "Don-stories" you may hear (especially the garbage truck one). The Book of Don is the only true path.

A few years ago Sheldon Turcotte once lectured the Wankers on television's 'Ferris Wheel of Shit' ... it went something like this-:

...the bright-and-shiny ferris wheel carries us up, up, up to almost unimaginable heights until one day we look down to see the little people below clamouring to get on board.

We smile. We wave. We think "God, I love it up here".

But then the wheel turns; carrying us inexorably downwards. In horror we find ourselves being dragged into an immense tank of shit. The only way out is to hang on, with eyes closed and mouth shut until the relentless turning of the wheel pulls us free and we regain those giddy heights ... older, wiser - but less thrilled by the view.

I miss Sheldon. And I miss the Wankers. Somebody please buy Alister a beer for me.

Fallout

2007-12-11T12:14:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry, Toronto.
June 14th, 1980.

It's been three weeks since Satan's Show and there has been very little fallout. In fact none of the network managers have said anything - at least not to me.

Either I'm completely out-of-the-loop (possibly) or perhaps everyone is simply glad that this endless Referendum is over and done with and we can get back to life as it once was.

Which means happy hour at the Kremlin ... a table full of beer at the Red Lion ... and a few bucks on the Bills courtesy of Jimmy No-Shoes.

My buddy Doug Jones [Morningside's production assistant] gave me a gift - a cassette with nothing on it but static. Funny guy. Moranis asked me if the minimalist opening was a commentary on the state of political thought in the country these days. And Talin [a Morningside producer] told me that her husband has gone into the wine business and would give me a good deal if I wanted to buy a case or two.

At our editorial de-brief we agreed that we should have brought our own tech but that the politics of dealing with the regional stations made this difficult - especially the Montreal plant where the political undercurrents are treacherous. We also agreed that for future road shows we would insist on a much stronger working relationship with the local radio guys. Being stuck on a floor full of managers three floors away from the newsroom was nuts.

Story wise we had the right people. We had good commentary ... good debate ... a good sense of the drama and the stakes. We had music and song and humour. And Don was great.

But at the end of the day all people will remember are the screw ups.

Oh yea .. one more thing, the tech has filed a union grievance against me for touching his board.

Satan's Show

2007-12-06T16:42:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg
December 6th, 2007

** Editor's note.

In the aftermath of Morningside's May 1980 "Referendum Canada" broadcast I took a break from writing.

Well, that's not exactly true. Eighteen hours after the show I stumbled back to the Chateau Versaille and scrawled in my Journal:

"WHAT A MESS."

As the Current Affairs producer I was responsible for the first hour of that historic broadcast. It did not go well.

The show opened with almost FOUR minutes of DEAD air.

And as this nothingness was broadcast across the country I found myself involved in a nasty control room scuffle with the Montreal plant technician who was running the board. Or, as it turned out - was not running the board.

When we finally DID get to air we opened - not with the audio essay Josh Freed and I had worked half the night to create -- but with a disc.

Over the next few weeks I stewed in humiliation and anger. I went home to Calgary and lay in the sun, and when I came back to Toronto I walked the halls of the old radio building at 354 Jarvis trying not to make eye contact with the other Current Affairs producers.

Karen Webb who was the producer of the Food Show gave me a fern to cheer me up. Marika Hurko who was the producer of Quirks-and-Quarks made me a Ukrainian dinner.

And the As It Happens crowd looked at our little Morningside team with contempt. Twenty seven years later I still remember the sting.

In my Journal I wrote bitter semi-literate rants. Nothing reflective. Nothing instructive. Nothing worth recounting.

However for the purposes of this post I've pulled what I could out of those ramblings and constructed a reasonably accurate narrative of what - up until that time at least, was the most stressful few hours of my life.

Half a lifetime later the moral of the story is pretty clear to me now. We are a bilingual country. Speak BOTH national languages.

----------

Montreal. Wednesday, May 21st, 1980.

4:00 am

Just got back to the plant with almost three hours of tape. Have to cut it down to about ten minutes. Fours hours to do it. The Security Guard made me show my pass again. Asshole. Hope Josh shows up soon. He's going to top and tail the item.

I spent the night all over the city which is absolutely ELECTRIC. Music, dancing, bonfires, pot, beer, tourists, cops. It's been warm recently ... so everybody is out.

Went to McGill; clipped some students - all Anglos so they were cheering the numbers. Went to Old Montreal and even there the mood was pretty good ... the city is just one big party. Grabbed a cab to the Paul Sauve arena, stood beneath Levesque when he gave his concession speech. History in the making. It's tough to get clips in English but I got some great tape from a PQ guy who cried throughout the interview. He swore there'd be another referendum soon.

6:00 am

Josh is working like a madman. Thank God for fast-forward. It's amazing how you can train your ear to pick clips at four times regular speed.

We're going to open the show with about 20 secs of crowd singing ... go to a few streeters with the crowd b/g ... dip the audio and cue Don to read my intro which will set the scene and get us into Josh...Josh will takes us to tape...and we're off.

GMD [our Executive Producer, Gary Michael Dault] is directing the show and he's pretty tense. We've got tape, then a five person panel, then a cross country hook up of Premiers, then more tape, then a couple of journalists. That's a busy hour.

8:00 am. Thirteen minutes 'till we go to air live to the Maritimes. We finished our item about ten minutes ago. Lots of time. I can't remember when I last ate. I'm so tense I couldn't eat anyway.

8:13. DISASTER.

We're all watching the second hand crawl towards the top of the clock .. when it hits twelve Gary gives the cue -: roll tape and -- nothing.

The tech didn't move.

"roll tape....roll tape....ROLL TAPE !!!!"

Didn't move. Didn't react. Didn't say a word. Finally after fifteen or twenty seconds he turned to Gary and said "queest-ce que voulez-vous que je fasse ???" [What do you want me to do?]

He refused to take any direction in English. Gary, of course - could not speak French.

8:14. Chaos. The bridge of the Titanic must have been like this. Gary yelling in English, the tech yelling in French, the hotline from Toronto ringing, Don on the talk-back asking WHAT was going on, and from the overhead off-air speakers -- the deafening hiss of static.

Coast to coast to coast.

8:14.30 I could see my item cued-up. Josh was in the studio with Don ready to go. I thought "fuck it" and reached across the board to push the 'roll' button. But the tech blocked me ... pushed me away and in perfect English yelled -:

DON'T EVER TOUCH THE BOARD !!

8:15:00. I did not take this well. And as they say ... a small fracas ensued, which ended when the tech walked out of the control room.

8:16 The plant technical supervisor rushed in and took over. "What do you want to do?" he asked Gary. "Go to disc" was the reply.

And so Morningside's post Referendum show began with Al Stewart singing "The Year of the Cat" which was the only record we had cued up. Don't ask me why.

------

The rest of the first hour was a bit of a blur as the adrenalin worked its way out of my system. The plant tech manager had trouble linking the remote studios so we lost a few Premiers. He was slow on the sliders so the audio levels were a mess. And when we eventually rolled the tape Josh and I had produced it was towards the end of the hour and the whole thing felt flat.

When he wrapped this dog's breakfast of a program Don Harron graciously thanked all of us for working so hard and Gary went out of his way to shake our hands and through gritted teeth say: "good job everyone, good job"..

...and that, was that.

Sick ? Sad ? Or Satire ?

2007-12-02T11:59:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg
December 3rd, 2007.

Quite the little tempest raging over at a fellow blogger's site - The Tea Makers.

It's a veritable smack-down of furrowed-foreheads.

The Tea Maker writes a widely read and respected CBC insider's blog. For self-evident reasons he/she writes anonymously -- to wit: last Friday's "Spitting Image" post.

For those who missed it the post was a juxtaposition of two look-alike images:

King-of-the-Corps, R. Stursberg - side by side with real life corps-king, R. Picton.

No script. No elaboration. No contextualizing. Just a headline:

"Spitting Image" ?

Nasty.

The visuals have been disappeared. But the comments are still there.

In this day and age of Rick Mercer shilling for every political hack around and Frank Magazine being on life support it's about TIME we had some satirical shit disturbing again. It's been way too long since the 'de-flower' Caroline Mulroney campaign.

Was the Tea Maker sick, sad, or satiric ? Let's go to the panel.

Erasmus: THE ESSENCE OF SATIRE IS AGGRESSION SINCE IT AFFRONTS THOSE WHO FEEL UNCHALLENGED.

Swift: 'TIS THE NOBLEST GIFT OF NATURE AS IT RENDERS EVEN THE MOST VILE, HUMAN.

Pope: EXAGGERATION IS ESSENTIAL WHEN IT DEFLATES EXTREME VILLAINY.

Colbert: FUNNIER THAN SNOT.

I supported the post and wished the images hadn't been taken down. Why ? Because I think Canadians are satire weenies and we need something - ANYTHING - to jump start the passions in this snowbound kingdom of ours.

Here's a line from a recent Jon Stewart show-: Ask yourself, would the writers for Strombo, Mercer, or even Mike Bullard EVER have written something like this ?

"Hurricane Katrina is George Bush's Monica Lewinsky. The only difference is that tens of thousands of people weren't stranded in Monica Lewinsky's vagina."

Sick ? Sad ? Or Satire ?

Coy Bastard !

2007-11-29T20:39:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg
November 29th, 2007.

The Book of Don has been a busy place these past 48 hours.

Just when I was about to post on Morningside's 1980 Referendum show - the show, which in later years (once the bleeding had stopped) we ruefully called "Satan's Show", along came my little post on the Doc Channel. Thirteen emails and half a dozen phone calls later I've decided to wade into the sea of fire once more.

Tomorrow I'll get back to the original intent of this blog but in the meantime I think it's fair to say that the Doc Channel is as dead as Mulroney's legacy.

The little channel of My Winnipeg, Stupidity, Phase One and other marginalized films is soon to be re-born as part of a public broadcasting strategy hatched back in the Super Tramp days.

This is a blog not a news story so I don't have to attribute. But certain insiders have quoted me a restricted CBC report that Mark S. and Peter H. co-wrote for Bay Street in '79 calling for a multi-channel BBC-type broadcasting system.

CBC One - drama, comedy, and sports.
CBC Two - current affairs and news mag-type documentaries.
CBC Three - 24 hour news.

Fast forward 25 years throw in a kick ass internet web site, some token regional programming peopled by citizen journalists, a few community sponsorships to keep the yokels happy, and you have a pretty good looking "vision" for The Board to take up the food chain.

Slawko had an appetite for something like this a few years ago until Sheila Copps laughed his specialty channel apps out of town. He didn't have the money or the muscle. Or the Orders of Canada.

Mark and Peter do.

Of course, you still have to deal with the four "F"s - the French, the Fishermen, the Farmers, and the First Nations - but they will be "challenges" for another generation.

What does this mean for Canada's indie doc crowd?

They say that politics makes for strange bedfellows - well, they haven't got anything on this business. All is NOT lost for Canada's independent film makers.

Could it be that the ASPERS are going to save documentary making in this country ?

Quite possibly. Here's why.

Alliance Atlantis will soon announce a new NINE MILLION dollar "cinema documentary" fund. Four million will be tagged for development and finishing, the remaining five will be for equity.

And who's going to run this little life-saver ?

Not to be coy - really - but I DO want to preserve the confidence into which I was taken. All I'll say is that when the official announcement is made the DOC membership list will be smiling.

...and now, back to regular programming.

Doc Channel 2.0

2007-11-27T17:00:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry - Winnipeg.
November 27th, 2007

I think it's time I re-branded myself and came out with the unplugged version.

Get a couple of tattoos ... some ripped jeans ... join a Mixed Martial Arts gym .. figure out the difference between Timbaland and Timberlake ... drop some serious cash on one of those black FCUK London Calling tee-shirts, a pair of Doc Martins and some uber-tacky Bono shades.

Oh yea - lose the baggage too.

I mean if it's good enough for Lego, Clapton, Al Gore, and the Doc Channel then it's good 'nuff for me. Yo.

The Doc Channel is being re-branded. The new look will be unveiled in March. The word at the CBC is that Corus was about to pull the plug on the whole thing.

The only way to save it ? Give it the old DESIGNER GUYS makeover.

A creative head will be hired early in the new year. The front runner is someone who presently runs a successful Toronto doc prodco but is considered CBC (and CTV) friendly. For now however the In-House CBC doc crowd are calling the shots.

But don't waste your time pitching them. They're busy little public servants.

Job One ? Figure out who the audience is. A marketing company has been hired to determine this.

Job Two ? Get a lower position on the dial. Some place where you don't need an oxygen mask to watch the damn channel.

Job Three ? Commission a flurry of populist-type docs in the spring. Then promote the hell out of them over the summer.

I think it's pretty safe to say that "My Winnipeg - The Gimli pre-quel" will not be on the list.

...and for what it's worth here's a tip - attach a "name" to your pitch.

Fuddle Duddle my Ass

2007-11-26T18:17:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry - Montreal
Monday evening. May 19th, 1980.

We're all pretty tense. Even Don (Harron) has been barking and biting which is hugely out of character.

We have two - mostly live - shows to do with no rehearsals. That's six hours of national radio on the biggest story of our careers. Our "team" consists of 3 producers, one Exec, one p.a., and a handful of freelancers.

No wonder the Retriever has become a Pitbull.

I keep thinking that in a hundred years from now some historian is going to dig out a tape of our shows and listen to them. The guests we book, the scripts we write, the editorial choices we make will colour how future generations experience this moment in time and THEY won't give a damn how under resourced we are. So I'd better be sure that the voices I send off into the future are worth listening to.

Canada, May 1980. Yes or No ?

We have a solid first hour for show #1 - I'm going to spend the night after the vote on the streets of Montreal collecting tape with a freelancer - Josh Freed. We're going to meet back in the plant about 4am and build some sort of audio montage. A kind of this-was-the-night-that-was type of essay.

After that I've booked a GREAT panel.

Daniel Johnson (liberal business leader), Pierre Bourgault (old PQ politico), Aislin (the Gazette cartoonist), Lise Bissonette from Le Devoir and Nick Auf der Maur who describes himself as a "boulevardier"... which really means local shit disturber.

Then we're going coast to coast for reaction from as many Premiers as we can get. I'm trying to talk Lougheed into coming to the Edmonton studio but I had a fight with his media guy Ron Leippert when I was a freelancer so it's a long shot.

To round out the hour Max Ferguson is going to come on and be silly. He does a great Trudeau...so my idea is to have Max-as-Trudeau burst into the studio demanding to be heard. Dault's not sure. But I say - Just Watch Me.

Fuddle Duddle my ass.

Today in the CBC cafeteria one of the managers gave a speech to rally the troops. I couldn't help but feel like some kind of virus. It's been a strange few weeks here. The other staff look at us sharply, the plant management are pricks (they had my car towed from the CBC lot because I didn't have a parking sticker), and the security guard checks my pass every time I come in although I've done it a hundred times now. Other people simply walk by - but not us.

We're known as the "Toronto people" - which for me, is pretty ironic.

As God is my witness...I thought turkeys could fly.

2007-11-22T16:25:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg
November 22, 2007.

"Baby, if you've ever wondered, Wondered whatever became of me."

Having now watched the Falun Gong doc (version 1.2) ... listened to the spin ... read the columns. All I can say is that Mr Carlson and Herb had it about right.

Sometimes all you can do is open the door, toss the turkey out and hope no one gets killed when it hits the ground.

I mean - you could NOT have written the stuff coming out of CBC Cincinatti.

Here's the new guy's take on why the film had to be changed - John Cruickshank (Head of CBC News) was quoted by C.P -:

"Our guys are good...they had seen an early version of the script and they were horrified by it - they said that what was being treated as truth in this show was not accepted by any credible organization."

He then brought in the old silverback himself-:

"Mark Starowicz saw it ... he's one of the great documentarians, and he just sat back and said: 'We can't let this happen.'"

Now, excuse me for being provocative. But...didn't this already...ummm -- happen ?

-- Didn't the film go through the CBC editorial process before it went to air the FIRST TIME ?

-- Didn't the film go through the Radio Canada editorial process before it went to air the SECOND TIME ?

-- Didn't the CBC lawyers and the E-and-O lawyers sign off and PAY the producer ?

-- Hasn't the film already been broadcast in New Zealand, Spain and Portugal who (presumably) were quite happy with its editorial content ?

Is Cruickshank saying these broadcasters (including Rad Can) are not "credible organizations"?

And if he IS correct and the script for Red Wall version 1.0 truly was horrific, what checks and balances have been put in place to make sure this never happens again ??

And what do the OTHER CBC managers, the Radio Canada execs who aired the film have to say for themselves ?

..but most important of all has anyone asked Les Nessman what he would have done ??

Red Wall = Red Face

2007-11-20T17:16:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Winnipeg
November 20th, 2007.

Richard Stursberg must be the luckiest man in Canada, Why ? Due to the abysmal state of media journalism in this country he gets to keep his job.

If this Falun Gong debacle had occurred just about anywhere else on this side of the Red Wall he'd have been out on his arse.

John Doyle can write all he wants about "Fort Dork this...and Fort Dork that" but when a REAL story comes along his column reads like he’s been out on the town all night.

Consider this -:

-- At the BBC the Controller resigns because an indie promo producer writes a sloppy line of script about the Queen.

-- At CBS Dan Rather is forced into retirement and his producer fired because they say Bush lied about his National Guard service. And oh yes...they have the memo to back it up.

-- At the Canal Plus office in Paris the CEO of the parent company Vivendi, Jean Marie Messier is barred from the building by a drunken mob of HIS EMPLOYEES forcing him to appear on the opposition channel to explain why he fired Canal Plus President, Pierre Lescure.

-- And in Canada there are serious allegations that a foreign government has caused our revered national broadcaster to take an independently produced film out of the hands of its producer and soften the editorial position of the film to the benefit of that foreign government...

....and nobody wants to know what’s going on ?

In today's Globe Doyle wrote a lazy column about how tough it is to complain about anything these days. (Note to J-school students – if you want an example of EASY MONEY – read this and remember he got paid for writing it.)

In the Star a news story quotes the Red Wall's producer as saying (the CBC)-:

"...called on Saturday and told (me) they were making more changes and did I want to be involved ? I said, No, I didn't. I'm on to my other projects and enough is enough."

DID I READ THIS CORRECTLY ?? THEY WERE MAKING CHANGES IN HIS FILM AND HE DIDN’T WANT TO BE INVOLVED !!!

And in yesterday's Sun crusty old Peter Worthington who used to know a story when he saw one wrote a meandering column which ended up saying-:

“...watch Beyond the Red Wall tomorrow night and judge for yourself”

(Note to J school students – if you want to see the definition of “unfocused” read this column.)

If it's true that television is the defining medium of our time then why are the makers of television - especially those who are paid by the taxpayer, allowed to shrug this mess off without coming clean on a few basic questions ?

In order to be .... helpful, here are a ten questions which I wouldn't mind hearing some answers to -:

1. What are the editorial differences between Red Wall version “A” - let’s call it the RDS cut...and Red Wall version “B” - the CBC English cut ?

2. Who approved version A ?

3. Why were these editorial concerns not raised then ?

4. Did the CBC lawyers sign off on version A ?

5. Why did the Chinese NOT object until the show was to air on The Lense ? Why didn't they complain before?

6. Were the Chinese given a “courtesy” screener by the CBC ?

7. Why did the producer agree to make changes after his film had aired TWICE on the CBC ?

8. What leverage did the CBC use on the producer to encourage these changes ?

9. What leverage did the Chinese use on the CBC to encourage these changes ?

10. Why was Patrick Brown (the CBC News correspondent in Asia) sent a screener of the film? Is the editorial staff in Toronto so uninformed about this issue ? If they are...what were they doing as production execs on it in the first place ?

...oh, hell – here’s one more –

11. will anyone get fired, forced into retirement, or abused by an angry mob of drunken technicians over this ?

Look ... many of us know how difficult it can be dealing with the Chinese. And the producer, the production execs, and senior management were clearly in a tough spot.

But the real failure here is the LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY from the rest of us.

It’s time our media critics got off the junket and rubber chicken circuit. Time they put their egos away. Time they remembered why they got into this business in the first place.

To ask questions. To find answers.

The Dead and the Naked

2007-11-16T17:28:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Montreal
Sunday night, May 18th, 1980.

Late...late...late. Too tired to write coherently. A high stress day.

Harron and GMD (EDITOR'S NOTE - that would be Gary Michael Dault our Executive Producer) are in town ... went out for dinner to talk over the show. Drank too much. Argued too much. Came back to the hotel pissed and pissed off.

The show is full of holes. 30 hours ‘till we go to air and we STILL don’t have a first block.

I want to do a tape montage - a from-the-streets-of-Montreal kind of item. Gary wants a studio interview with Jason Moscovitz. Don doesn’t care.

Hubie’s back working for Sunday Morning and without him we’re lost. Literally. Tried to find the studio -- couldn’t. Finally found it. No piano. We forgot to ask for one. Not my fault – GMD is doing music.

I spent most of today wandering the building with boxes of tapes in my arms and coffee stains on my shirt. I don't exactly look like a Montreal kind of guy.

Cut my finger editing too. Goddamn.

Tomorrow’s run through has been CANCELLED. We’ll be going to air with no rehearsal which will undoubtedly lead to much more pain.

----------------------

Journal Entry. Winnipeg
Friday. November 16th, 2007.

It would be easy to riff on the CBC Falun Gong story. But there’s been lots of voices on this already.

What we need is an insider's perspective -: was any of the producer’s final “upon-acceptance” payment at stake? Or had it all been paid out months ago upon delivery of the original cut?

If so, what leverage did the Corp use to make the film-maker open up the cut ? Who paid for all the new On-lining, the re-mix, the re-striping, the creations of new masters. How much did this re-think cost ? And what was the point of the re-cut anyway? Has anyone done a comparison between the script and clips in the original RDI version against those in the re-worked cut?

What WAS lost in translation?

And then of course there’s the “big” question -- did the Chinese really threaten to restrict the number of visas issued to the CBC army heading to Beijing?

If so – did they get a preview copy ? They didn't blink at the RDI broadcast. They must have missed it. So did someone slip them a screener of the English language version ? Seems hard to believe the Chinese embassy would go to all this trouble over a couple of small newspaper articles about the film.

There's a good insider's-type of story here which will never see the light of day.

Especially now that it’s been washed away by the CBC’s TERRIFIC coverage of the killing of that poor Polish guy at Van airport.

Is it only me or did the phrase “Fascist Bastards !!” come to mind as I watched Canada’s finest taser him?

What I really wanted to note in this little blog however was the passing of Norman Mailer. "The Naked and the Dead" is one of my favourite books because it’s written so visually. If you haven’t read it – go out today and buy it. And remember it was written in 1948 almost 20 years before “Dispatches” or any of those mau-mau writers showed up.

I once went to a seminar where Mailer spoke. He told a funny story about the use of the word ‘FUG’ throughout the book. (As in “I don’t wanna get my fuggin ass shot off). You gotta remember the book was published in the days before the F-bomb became a tee-shirt marketing tool.

Mailer’s original draft was full of “fuck this” and “fuck that”. So much so that the publisher baulked and sent a telex telling Norman he’d have to change the language. Mailer, who was driving through Spain at the time was so incensed that he stopped at a small Spanish telex office and sent a two word reply -: “fuck you”. However (so his story went)....the Spanish telex clerk didn’t speak much English and telexed New York -- “Fug you”.

The publisher was delighted. And that’s what went to print.

If you’re a young documentary maker – read this book and then go rent Bloody Sunday. They’re both fuggin brilliant.

Montreal Nights

2007-11-11T20:33:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry. Montreal
Tuesday, May 13th. 1980

For a national radio show with millions of listeners Morningside don’t get no respect. At least not from CBC Montreal.

We’re working out of the CBC building but have been put about as far away from the newsroom as you can get. Three of us (MFD, Rob Prouse et moi) have been given a small island of desks on the floor where all the managers work.

Guess they want to keep an eye on us.

The vote is a week away and we have two shows to fill. That’s SIX hours of national radio on a story which will determine the future of the country and these assholes won’t even put us on the same FLOOR as the local news guys ?

We're going live as much as possible which is really the only thing we can do. We don’t have the time or the resources to do anything fancy. I’m booking panels and one-on-ones with politicians and journalists. Paul Piche IS coming in to do both an interview and a live performance. Yea !

Thank God for Hubie Gendron he’s our lifeline to both the plant AND the broader community. He's going to help me hire some freelancers to get “tape-from-the-streets” the night of the vote.

Harron and GMD come into town next weekend. We'll have a one day mini rehearsal on Monday...then it's coast to coast LIVE on a wing, a prayer, and the tax payer's dime.

Montreal is a truly amazing place right now. I was walking back to my hotel last night (Chateau Versaille) and came across a huge bonfire in a park. Hundreds of people wearing tee shirts saying either “Oui” or “Non” but everyone was dancing together as they snaked around the fire like warriors. Very cool. Must have been good dope.

--------------

Journal Entry. Winnipeg
Sunday, November 11th. 2007

Still trying to think my way through the eternal conundrum that is “development”. I REFUSE to believe that its either favouritism or luck.

I actually solved my Rubik’s cube when I was a kid, you know.

Despite having watched hundreds of my sweet little ideas being clubbed like Labrador seals I still believe there HAS to be a logic in the way you get from here to there.

Here – being that gut feeling which comes in a moment of inspiration. There - being the Camelot of ‘funded development’.

This is what I'm thinking tonight -:

As pitchers we throw too many knuckleballs and not enough fast balls. In fact, many of us don't have our heads in the game at all.

The private sector nets are so lean that the commissioners are basically overwhelmed and under-staffed. Many proposals get the quick once over then out comes the killing stick.

And the CBC? I think Churchill had it about right -: “a riddle, wrapped in mystery, inside an enigma.”

The respected and much lamented Michael Burns once told me he had about 200 proposals to work his way through. He also pointed out – with genuine frustration - that although many were complete non-starters others were from litiginous producers who carried grudges.

This forced him to do the only thing he could -- set them ALL aside until he had time to respond properly.

So, over a couple of bottles of wine at Cape Dip we came up with the following...

...TOP TEN REASONS WHY MICHAEL BURNS MIGHT SAY “PASS”

HE SAYS ---- HE MEANS

- Find an Exec Producer. -- You have no experience
- Unfocused idea. -- Badly written pitch.
- Not for this network. -- Stupid idea.
- Unsure about the team. -- Dump your friends.
- Problems with the financing. -- You’re broke.
- Need a name host. -- Boring idea.
- CTF envelope spent. -- You’re too slow.
- Maybe next season. -- Network being sold.
- need a co–producer. -- Likes the idea. Hates you.
- need a bigger budget. -- Only CGI will save it.

Next time I’m going to post some images from pitches which HAVE worked.

Although I seem to have forgotten the trick of solving my Rubik’s Cube

The Beautiful Girl - part #2

2007-11-08T23:13:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry – Toronto
Sunday, March 23rd. 1980.

Had dinner last night with MFD my favourite colleague who has great instincts for those Morningside-type stories. She recently did a piece about the snow storm of junk mail which fall from magazines when you turn them upside down and give them a good shake.

This item got more mail than ANY story we’ve done so far this year. Even more than the Trudeau interview.

See – Canadians DO care about something.

Over many glasses of wine MF told me that she’s really stressed about our disorganized Referendum coverage as there’s not much else in her life right now but work. If she gets fired she’s worried she’ll become a BMW.

...a Bitter Media Woman.

She also told me this little story:

MF used to book the political columnist from the Washington Post as part of our regular USA panel. Months of pre-interview phone calls led to a long distance relationship before they'd even laid eyes on each other – a real radio love affair.

Eventually this guy invited her down for the weekend. But in a classy Washington Post kind of way (unlike my six beers and a hoagie Alberta technique).

He'd get her a hotel in Georgetown. They’d meet, have dinner, talk face-to-face, and take it from there. Nice.

but...

MF didn’t really want to go. Why ? She was...shy. Always has been. Peer pressure from the office forced her to jump on that southbound plane.

7pm on a Washington Saturday night. The phone rang. He was in the lobby...”c’mon down...can’t wait to meet you – at last.” She froze. The phone rang again...and again ... and again. A few minutes later a knock on the door. MF sat mute. Dressed to kill. Didn’t answer the door - didn’t even take a sneak peak out the spy hole.

Flew back the next day. Never met him. Never spoke to him again. Someone else took over his bookings.

This little story really choked me up. I was part of the gang that forced her to go.

I hadn't really thought it through. The whole thing seemed like an adventure to me. Gotta get smarter. Gotta get a life too. Came home feeling like an...

SOB

Stupid office boy.

--------------

Journal Entry. Winnipeg
November 8th, 2007

I’ve been writing a lot of show pitches lately without much success.

I am however pleased to report that Fat n’ Furry is still alive and kicking its chubby little legs. Development Hell is aptly named.

At times like these it’s easy to hit the default button and curse the suits for being lazy and dense. But in my experience most aren’t. However they ARE a mutant species of shape-shifters and slow-movers.

What really annoys me are the differences in our hours-of-work. The other day I wrote my first email at 4:43 am. In my present incarnation I work many longer hours than I ever did at a network. Why ? I have to. The pension plan is crap.

However I too have a shadowy place I shape-shift into when I get stressed and crabby. It has a strangely comforting soundtrack -:

“woke up this morning got yourself a gun; Mama always said you'd be The Chosen One. She said: you're one in a million and you’ve got to burn to shine, But you were born under a bad sign, with a blue moon in your eyes.”

Interior car: Don and Tony driving down the Don Valley

Cutaway : Bloor street viaduct / Gardner West exit sign / urban blight – various.

Interior car: Tony’s eyes. Don’s eyes.

Cutaway: car wheels / Union Station / people crossing Front Street.

Exterior: Broadcast building with red checker-board windows.

Interior: conference room / Don, Tony, various suits.

Sync Tony: “you like this freaking idea, right ? Sure you do. See ? It’s easy. You just kick up that CTF envelope and we’ll all get along fine. Let's go have a drink at the Bing.

Inspiration.

Articulation.

Presentation.

Closing

These are the heart beats of the development process. Each one a skill in its own right.

The Inspiration must be creative. But even more so it HAS to be focused and relevant to the audience.

The Articulation must be rigorous. Write the idea out. Again and again and again. Each time the treatment will become clearer and more cohesive.

The Presentation must be compelling. But above all else – passionate.

The Closing. This is where most projects die which is why you need a buddy like Tony.

Closing the deal becomes a kind of signed-in-blood partnership with the network exec who steps up for you and your project.

You need their TRUST.

Because as every Wise Guy knows you never get whacked for keeping your mouth shut and saying "NO".

The Beautiful Girl - pt #1

2007-11-04T22:23:00.000-06:00

Journal Entry - Toronto.
Wednesday, March 26th, 1980

Mary-Francis has a crappy job. She’s been given responsibility to handle the entire Referendum coverage (other than news). Why her ? She’s the only producer we have who's from Montreal - that's why. The fact that she usually books the kicker items on the show seems to be irrelevant.

Last week she did a nice story on the History of the Toothpick; next week – the Future of the Nation.

The AIH gang have pulled out - “we don’t do road shows” they said. This – after endless meetings to discuss our joint coverage. Sunday Morning was never in from the start – they stay to themselves (I’ve been here almost nine months and other than my racquet-ball playing buddy Stuart I know none of them). So that leaves Don Harron’s Morningside to carry the Current Affairs banner into Quebec.

Three of us are heading up next week – Mary Francis, me, and Rob Prouse, and we have absolutely no idea what we’re going to do. The vote is just over a month away and not only do we have NO shows booked, we have NO guests booked.

Not one.

Mary-Francis is under huge pressure and cries constantly. She never wanted this gig in the first place.

-----

Journal Entry - Winnipeg
November 4th, 2007

Got into a kind of snippy exchange with one of the big-time bloggers this weekend who took a shot at Winnipeg. It was just a throw-a-way gag at the end of a post on WGA issues but it reinforced that whatever I write here had better be focused – or else some pathetic guy all pumped up on cheap red wine with nothing better to do on a Saturday night but wander the net – will pick a fight.

I want this blog to be both useful and entertaining. If you see it veering towards narcissistic wanking (again). Please let me know and I’ll stop.

At my age it’s about time I gave that up anyway.

WGA strike

2007-11-02T14:56:00.000-05:00

A quick comment on the impending WGA strike.

I understand there are important business issues at stake. And just as in any labour-management dispute over the tantalizingly lucrative-but-still-out-of-focus future - there will be many hours of tough bargaining.

But after being on both sides of the executive / freelancer divide I believe there's a toxic undercurrent of DISRESPECT for what writers and creators actually do. This is fueled by a secret belief amongst many execs that THEY COULD DO BETTER.

The curse of “creativity” is in its abstractness. Everybody THINKS they’re creative. I mean does anyone really wake up in the morning and say... “you know what ? I’m a slug. Not a bright idea in the old brain.”

Everybody has ideas. It’s the price of admission. You can’t play hockey without skates. You can’t stay in the biz without ideas.

It’s the "framing" and the development of those ideas that separates players from poseurs - workers from wannabees.

I don't have the skill set, the gene pool or the personality to be a killer producer. Got it. Believe it. Happy with it. And I respect those who do, because their life really IS "nasty, brutal, and short".

But it's my sense that many execs aren’t quite as candid about their own shortcomings.

True story-:

I once received THIRTY TWO pages of notes written in THREE DIFFERENT COLOUR OF MARKER PEN for a half hour script I wrote for ...for....for (blog don’t tell, Don...blog don’t tell) -- let me just say that it was for a network in a big snowy country.

Thirty-two pages. Three colours. Structure. Style. Grammar.

Now YOU tell me that the exec didn’t think he could write ... spell .. and create better than me.

Maybe he could. But I’m still working. He’s toast.

Why ? Because he spent too much time doing MY job at the expense of his own.

So good luck to the WGA and if you’re interested in a play-by-play from the frontlines check out “By Ken Levine”. He used to be a writer for MASH and knows ridiculous when he sees it.

Meetings Missed - Lessons Learned

2007-11-01T11:56:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry. Toronto
Thursday, March 13th, 1980.

Hung over. One of those "I-will-NEVER-drink-again" kind of days.

Went to see Rough Trade last night who were playing on Spadina then ended up in a “booze can”. These pathetic and dirty little places are Toronto’s equivalent to the vibrant late night streets of Montreal.

I flew up last week for a major pre-Referendum broadcast meeting but nobody from the local Montreal plant showed.

Guess they missed the memo.

In fact, there was only ONE French speaking producer at the meeting, Hubie Gendron – who’s the Sunday Morning liaison guy. There is absolutely no inter-action or sharing of story ideas between CBC's Two Solitudes on this enormous story. In fact, Hubie told me our biggest competitors are NOT the local private sector media but the Rad Can gang who will probably lock-up the heavy hitters and keep them off our show.

I wanted to book the Quebec singer, PAUL PICHE but Hubie said he’d check with his “allies” on the French side to see if they've got him lined up already. If they do ... we'll have to keep looking.

This is going to be interesting.

------------------------

Journal Entry. Winnipeg.
Thursday, November 1, 2007.

I must keep reminding myself WHY I began this blog in the first place. And stick with that motivation.

In my small experience it seems to me that blogs – like stories – must maintain discipline and most of all FOCUS so they don’t simply become a random gush of words and UTube links.

Thanks to Will Dixon (one of the ‘real’ bloggers) for leading me through this curiously seductive world of soap-boxing. The lesson this week ? That there’s an important distinction between “blogging” and “telling”.

As Will wisely noted “when in doubt blog, don’t tell”. And to those who wrote with veiled threats – thank you for reading.

This was all sparked by a listing of future posts which I may or may not have written. I was interested to see who my readers were and judging from the feedback the CBC.ca hard drive is a rocking kind of place.

And a BIG THANK YOU to my buddies in the CBC Sports truck. As long as you agree to forget how bad a director I was, I won’t tell ....er, blog - too many R and G stories. Deal ?

So, fret not – little public sector workers. I’m not really going to write all that stuff.

Honest.

Bringing Lenny Home

2007-10-29T18:03:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry. Toronto
Monday, February 25th, 1980

Came in to work this morning to find we have a new Executive Producer - Gary Michael Dault.

Richard has gone to Bay Street to be part of a think-tank for a new TV show. No notice. No goodbyes. No party. Just gone. Here Friday - there Monday.

Sometimes this is a weird place.

The good news ? Dault's promotion has caused a shuffle in the producer hierarchy. Rob Prouse has taken over the Arts and Culture beat. My upstairs neighbour, Mary Francis has been given Quebec (plus all the Referendum planning), and I've been promoted to Senior Producer responsible for the entire "current affairs" corner of the show. This means I get to call the shots for the first hour of Canada's most listened to radio show.

And now that I have all this journalistic power - with the country falling apart ... the Liberals in turmoil ... and a US election on the horizon ... what will my first BIG debate be about ?

Dogs or Cats. Which is smarter ? Let the debate begin. Harron will love it.

----------------

Journal Entry. Winnipeg.
October 28th, 2007.

A cold autumn night in Winnipeg. Turned both the furnace AND the baseboard heaters on today. I guess I'm looking at another three thousand dollar Hydro bill. But I like this town. I've lived in half a dozen Canadian cities and can honestly say that if you get off your ass and ENGAGE you'll find Winnipeg offers wonderful opportunities for writers and film-makers.

But it IS a hard place to live. Nothing comes easy. Tommy Douglas grew up in the North End and one of his saying was that "opportunity is often dressed in coveralls". To me, that pretty well sums up the place.

Winnipeg -- Canada's bravest city.

Tonight I'm writing a documentary pitch about a lost son - Lenny Breau.

And if you're asking WHO the hell is Lenny Breau ? You've just made my point. Lenny Breau was one of the greatest guitar players ever.

Ever.

He was our Clapton, our Hendrix. But no Hall of Fame for Lenny. Instead he lies buried in a pauper's grave on hooker row in L.A. -- dead these past 23 years.

Murdered. Buried. Forgotten. Shame on us.

There have been a couple of bios done on Lenny. TVO and Bravo stepped up to the plate. But those films were limited in scope and ended with his death. Which is where my story begins.

Let's get one thing clear right off the start Lenny didn't DROWN -- he was murdered.

How do I know ? I've seen the autopsy reports. People who drown aren't left with bruises on their trachea.

I once pitched the Lenny Breau story to Life and Times. Who's Lenny Breau they asked ?

In retrospect, they were probably right. It would have simply been another "boring" Canadian story and I doubt it would have brought in the numbers the Hockey series did. (Bad Don. Bad)

My angle on Lenny ? Let's bring him home.

Let's get him the fuck out of that pauper's grave and BRING HIM HOME to Winnipeg.

I am determined to do a little film about a grassroots movement of local guitar players who are lobbying and agitating and shit disturbing to get Lenny OUT of that distant Yankee grave and brought home to be given the honour and respect he is due.

Ask any - ANY - "A" list Canadian musician from Adams to Cohen to Bachman to Joni Mitchell to Oscar Peterson to Yo Yo Mah and they will tell you without pause, that Lenny Breau was God - not Clapton.

But we've forgotten him. Well, I'm going to try my best to change that.

Beginning with a little exercise I call --; "DOCUMENTARY MAKING FOR DUMMIES".

I'm going to post on this blog the entire process of pitching, funding, making, and (with luck) selling my Lenny Breau documentary.

I call the film - BRINGING LENNY HOME.

Google Me

2007-10-27T09:37:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry. Toronto
Friday, February 15th - 1980.

A funny thing happened on our way to the Referendum - after a day long meeting between ALL the national radio staff (except Sunday Morning) it finally occured to us that...

...NO ONE SPEAKS FRENCH.

Ten producers met in Don Harron's office ... a mix of Morningside, AIH, and Radio Syndication staff to start planning -: live remotes, from-the-streets tape, one-on-one interviews, reaction from analysts (we even talked about finding an Expos baseball angle). A roomful of smart people with smart ideas who ALL overlooked one crucial thing. Not one of us is bilingual.

Gary Michael Dault has been chosen to run the coverage. Which is a bit weird as he's the Toronto Arts-and-Culture producer. But management didn't ask my opinion. No matter - I get to go to Montreal for a month as part of the coverage team.

An Alberta boy in a city of beautiful women. On the CBC's tab. Can't wait.

--------

Journal Entry. Winnipeg
Friday. October 26th, 2007.

It's been a week since I've written anything. A busy, grinding, try-to-stay-alive kind of week. I have to admit to having blog "performance" issues. I can't seem to find the energy to...er, get it up ... on line, that is. Must be anxiety. Yea..that's it. Anxiety. Thank God for "stress", eh ?

It's the Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card for yuppies who make bad choices.

However a few REAL blog issues have given me pause.

When I was at the Geminis a lawyer sought me out who had been forwarded my posts. She asked me to appear as an Expert Witness in a law suit she's involved in. I know everyone involved and from what I've heard this lawyer's client has been royally screwed. But the defendant will be a powerful prodco who I do business with. Somehow they're not going to appreciate taking a deposition from yours truly.

Clearly this is a LOSE / LOSE scenario for me. And the per diem is probably rubbish anyway.

Also an ex-lover has been sending me HotMail flames and posting (anonymous) sarcastic comments on this blog.

Note to file -: NEVER believe lovers who say -: "Trust me. Trust me, because I love you" in the first week of a relationship.

Note to ex's file-: NEVER send erotic emails to lovers you lie to. Especially writers. They might save them. And post them.

But most curious of all about a dozen people from the CBC have called. Apparently excerpts from The Book of Don were read at a management meeting in the Broadcast Centre. They wondered-: (1) who the hell is this guy anyway ? (2) did he REALLY keep a journal ? (3) what else is he going to write.

So in the spirit of making next week's managment meeting move more quickly - let me answer these.

1. Google me. Don Young TLA Agency.

Please note - I am NOT the DY who was the recently impeached Governor of Alaska. Nor the DY who runs the pro-hunting lobby "Ducks Unlimited. I'm not even the DY who hit .239 for the Cubbies back in'69.

2. Yes, I did .. and still do ... keep a journal. In fact, I've posted some images from it as proof in one of my Facebook picture files. "Friend" me and you can read it. Although - you can't do this anonymously. This is a no-stalking kind of offer.

As Dan Rather used to say -- 'COURAGE'.

3. What else am I going to write ?? Well ... that would be telling, wouldn't it ?

Why am I doing all of this ?

Money - no. Ego - yes. A sense of contributing to our broadcast history - I hope so.

I think we're the best TV-makers on the planet and we should celebrate ourselves. Each and every flawed one of us.

(And if you're one of those who still think the Brits do the best TV - you should see some of the DRECK which they don't sell over here.)

Finally - to those of you who've asked me if this is a "Revenge Blog" ??

Not a chance. After all ... I'm still working. And they are still running things.

But there is a book in the works.

Johnny Yes-No

2007-10-21T21:32:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry. Toronto.
Sunday night, January 27th, 1980.

Sitting here at 63 Kendal with a beer and another great 'Don-dinner' - a pre cooked Loblaw's ham smothered in Cheese-Whiz with a side order of baked beans. Thank God, I come from proletarian roots.

I'm going to have to learn how to cook one day although I can never really figure out why. I like what I eat.

I've been "seeing" the beautiful and talented Marika who's a producer on Quirks and Quarks. She took me to Jay Ingram's party on Saturday night where I got into a long discussion with a guy called Stuart McLean who works on Sunday Morning.

He's a real "Torontonian" full of patronizing bullshit. He said I had an Alberta accent (WTF ?) but still invited me to play raquet-ball at his "club". What he doesn't know is that I am a raquet ball God.

(Editor's note : I kicked the shit out of Stuart a few days later and he never spoke to me again.)

Richard asked me to sit in on a Senior Producer's meeting with As It Happens. Management is thinking of doing some sort of joint AIH-Morningside national radio special for the Quebec Referendum. The Sunday Morning crowd have opted out. They're a strange bunch. Very isolated from the rest of us. They come and go in the middle of the night.

At the meeting we talked about who to hire as our roving reporter to get tape from-the-streets. The AIH gang had lots of names - Nick Auf Der Maur, Josh Freed, Roch Carrier. I thought I'd lighten things up by suggesting a friend of Margaret Laurence's, the aboriginal actor Johnny YesNo.

That's his real name. Johnny YesNo.

Bad idea - not a smile in the whole room.

Dault told me later that I'd embarassed the show so I scurried into Harron's office and hid. Don laughed and said that his wife could get me a job on Cape Breton.

Gotta watch that Alberta mouth of mine.

-------------

Journal Entry. Winnipeg.
Sunday night, October 21st, 2007.

George Romero was right - we are the Living Dead.

This period - right now - until the networks start spending their next round of CTF money is when producers turn into zombies. Not quite dead but not really alive either.

This is the time when cheques bounce and businesses go into receivership. Friendships explode in a spew of debt and litigation and venom. Marriages come apart. Familes fail. Children cry.

And best of all...bloody Christmas is on the horizon. Halleluja.

For the next few months a frenzied horde of producers will be lurching from MIP to Real Screen to the Science and History Congresses with out-stretched hands (Hi ! How are you. Thanks for your time) ... glazed eyes (no..no..I'm fine. I can sleep on the plane) ... all desperately seeking that life sustaining feast of blood otherwise known as international money.

For the past nine months they've worked hard and smart. They've created and pitched and piloted. But then the network guy has called with that KILLER message - "...we like it. But there's no money 'till the spring".

Been there. Heard that.

So what to DO ? Drop the show and start developing something else ? Hmmm - no.

Put MORE of your own money into research hoping that three months from now you'll get a greelight ? Maybe. But not little guys like me. I have bills to pay - now.

Look for a co-producer ? Probably not. In my experience it takes too long and you're forced to give up way too much for what you get in return.

So, you gamble another 5k. Go to France - to Washington - to London and hope a foreign net will pre-buy.

And there IS money out there - sometimes the zombies catch someone. A couple of years ago I did a 2 x one hour doc for Global about the Bronfmans. ARTE in France picked up Franco-German rights paying 80,000 Euros for the territory. We were still under-financed but at least when Christmas rolled around we ate turkey flesh - not human.

I suspect ole' George is eating pretty well these days too.

'08 is the 40th anniversary of Night of the Living Dead which cost 114,000 dollars to produce. Estimates are that it's made about 50 million worldwide with a major re-release coming soon.

..and that my friends - is why we do, what we do.

Thank you Richard Nixon

2007-10-17T21:14:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry - Winnipeg.
October, 17th - 2007.

"A Man is not finished when he is defeated; he's finished when he quits."

- Richard M. Nixon

Thank God for Richard Nixon.

As I steel myself to face the humiliation at having lost not once...not twice...but THREE times at Monday night’s Gemini Awards “Industry Gala” (cash bar), I sustain myself in these dark hours by remembering the words of the Great Dick who taught us all how to maintain one’s dignity while poised on the suicide’s ledge -:

“fuck ‘em, Bob” said America’s First Citizen – “I’ve never had sympathy for all that ‘it’s-how-you-play-the-game’ crap. Next time – we’ll cheat.”

Ah yes. To cheat or not to cheat ? Which, if you think about it - is a kind of a redundant question for a TV mercenary like me, but let's not go there. Not tonight.

My friend LAINE DREWERY scooped up the Best Documentary Director’s award.

My U2 film “Music Rising” was defeated in the editing category by those pinkos at the CBC.

But my deepest wound was losing the Best Documentary Writer award to a couple of 25 year-old “dudes” for their film on Heavy Metal. Adding salt to the bloody maw my date whispered in my ear "they're REALLY good looking, aren't they dad ?"

(Damn them and their hearing-impaired, writerly skills.)

However I got to sooth the humiliation by chowing down on the legendary Gemini (Industry) “dinner”, which was everything one could have hoped for after being pummeled in the ring of mano-a-mano Gemini combat.

The Master Chefs at the CNE had concocted a carnival of culinary carpaccios. The piece de resistance being a local Toronto delicacy known as -- “fish” -- festooned with spears of asparagus and drizzled with white “sauce” au jus.

Flagons of Niagara Falls blended red were both spilled and swilled before the Croatian wait-staff presented us with what they knowingly called “desert” – a chunky chocolate chip tartalet.

Best of all however, were the gift bags. After all what would a party be without gift bags ? Well ... I will tell you, because there were none. And it was chintzy.

Going against that tiresome convention of actually giving the nominees something to remember, the Gemini (Industry) organizers daringly opted for an unplugged approach challenging nominees to fork out TEN DOLLARS for a 50-50 ticket on a quaint custom known as the Gemini (Industry) gift-bag “raffle”.

And yes, those lucky winner did indeed get their money's worth.

Inside the "gift" bags lay a treasure trove of Wal-Mart wonders, including-: a “pimped-out” Ipod nano, a 50 dollar discount from a local furniture store (in case of a sudden urge to pick up an armoire on the way home), a tube of Pringles, a set of flip-flops, and a 10% discount off next year’s Academy Membership.

But if I sound bitter at losing this contest too, let me assure you that is not the case.

Once again I had my exceptional daughter on my arm ... and once again I found myself the envy of every man in the building.

I'm Just Glad To Be Nominated...Really. Really.

2007-10-13T22:28:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry. Saturday night
October, 13th - 2007

Just a quick post - I have an 06:30 flight to catch for Toronto as I'm off to the Geminis. Fucking Aeroplan, eh ? 06:30 on a SUNDAY morning.

Guess I'll miss church.

I once had EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND (correct) miles on Aeroplan back in the day (the day when someone else was paying for my flights.) I burned them off taking my kids J-class to Europe.

When Aleana turned 14 we went for a dad and daughter bonding session to London and Paris. Took in the Phantom, Les Mis, Rent. We drank wine together in Paris ... wandered flea markets in London ... watched tons of soccer on the telly ... and generally goofed-off for ten wonderful springtime days. Sometimes this business really DOES have an upside.

Tomorrow I'm meeting her in Toronto. She's coming down from Montreal to be my date at the awards - again.

So what are the odds of me winning ? Am I secretly rehearsing a witty-but-humble acceptance speech (yes) ... or is the cess pool of NIXONIAN bitterness starting to build up like the poison in a puff-adder's venom sack ? No - but nice analogy.

I want to be honest in this blog. After all, TRUTH is the best defence from a libel suit. So, here are the odds on my personal line.

I'm nominated in two categories. Best Director in a Documentary Series. Best Writer in a Documentary Series.

The envelope please.

The nominees for "Best Director" (yadda yadda) ...are -:

Don Young Devil's Brigade Episode 4 
 Peter Ingles Hockey: A People's History The People's Game 
 Michael Claydon Hockey: A People's History Reclaiming the Game 
 Laine Drewery Hockey: A People's History A Simple Game 
 Ian Toews Landscape as Muse Season Two The Forest with Peter von Tiesenhausen

AND THE WINNER IS ------ me.

Yep, not to sound immodest (who me ?) but I think I've got a real shot at this one. My show was good. I had a fantastic editor (Bob Lower)...some perceptive editorial advice from my Exec Producer (Jamie Brown)...and a very strong working relationship with the network Executive (Michael Kot)...and at the end of the day - the show worked. It just did.

If it's not me, then it should be Laine Drewery.

He's a talented director who SHOULD have won a couple of years ago for a fantastic piece he did on D-Day. I was the chairman of the jury for his category back then and we voted overwhelmingly for Laine. Why he didn't win - is one of life's great mysteries. Hanging chads, perhaps ?

So, the smart money's on me. But if you want to hedge your bets - go for me OR Laine.

My second nomination is in the Best Writer category. To be honest - this is the one I REALLY want to win. I think writing for non-fiction television is the hardest form of writing. It has to be -: Accurate. Poetic. Efficient. And clear.

The best television writer I ever worked with was Jane Chalmers - who's now the VP of CBC Radio. Jane was a gifted reporter who once wrote the following lead for a story about a confrontation on a picket line one frosty Manitoba morning -:

s/up - picket line yelling...."No scabs. No scabs. No scabs."

v/o - "Hot words on a cold morning."

Those six words cut to the heart of the story. They got the piece moving with drama and flair. Jane had the chops. Now however, she's in management - so God only knows what crap she writes these days.

But if you're handicapping the much coveted Best Writer field, here they are -:

Don Young Devil's Brigade Episode 4 
 Simcha Jacobovici, Graeme Ball The Lost Tomb of Jesus 
 Scot McFadyen, Sam Dunn Metal: A Headbanger's Journey 
 Michka Saäl Prisoners of Beckett 
 Michael Allcock Vimy Ridge: Heaven To Hell 

Me. Jesus. Heavy Metal Rockers. Beckett. And a platoon of Vimy ghosts.

...and the winner is -- JESUS.

Yep - I think the J-man will scoop me.

Maybe I can catch an afternoon church service in Toronto ??

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda --- Didn't.

2007-10-11T15:20:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry - Toronto.
Sunday night. January 13th /1980.

A busy week ahead. The show is under-budget and we've been asked to come up with scenarios to spend money before the end of the fiscal year - March 31st. There's talk of taking Harron on location. Road shows are expensive so by hitting the road we can UP our regional programming hours plus burn off cash. No talk of bonuses however. Not a chance. I tried to get a petty cash re-payment this week for some lunches I bought for guests and WHAT A HASSLE. It was only about 30 bucks but I had to get the receipt signed by THREE different people then I was forced to stand outside the petty cash office for about half an hour while the little Pakistani guy called everyone to make sure their signatures were legit. Must be my face.

Our road shows will be -: Moncton, Winnipeg and Calgary. Looks like I'll get to produce the Calgary show. I wonder if I can figure out a way to get mum on it ?

-----------

Journal Entry - Winnipeg.
Friday morning. October 12th / 2007.

I love my life. Because I get to watch a lot of TV and ask truly important questions, such as --:

WHERE THE HELL IS PHIL ??

Tuned in Wednesday night to the CBC looking for my favourite Amazing Race host to check out his new show - NO OPPORTUNITY WASTED - only to find Phil was ... Missing in Action.

Perhaps he took a wrong turn at that last Challenge Detour or maybe he's shacked up with the dwarf chick somewhere. But wherever Phil is - he wasn't on my TV.

Remember all those CBC promos ?? All summer Phil was on the tube YELLING at us to -- "Come on Canada...No more coulda...woulda...shoulda" ??

After months of hyping the crap out of "PHIL KEOGHAN's -- NO OPPORTUNITY WASTED" the series kicked off this week with NO PHIL.

The show was hosted by a perfectly competent nobody - Bruce Kirkby. A goretex-wearing, sea kaying, up-at-6am-for-a-run, kind of guy.

Slick. Very slick. The old bait-and-switch
routine, eh ? Damn those Yankees.

Bruce was pretty good. And somebody should hire him to do a real show. Not this one. "No Opportunity Wasted" - is exactly what it sets out NOT to be ... an opportunity wasted.

Don't get me wrong the show is Hollywood.

Jump-cut editing. Survivor-style fast-motion shots. In-situ action clips. And plenty of familiar tension-track music.

It had a producer-created feeding frenzy of sharks; a producer-created I-miss-my-dead-dad crying scene; a producer-created moment of "shock" (you're coming with us RIGHT NOW); and a producer-created moment of "terror" (Oh God, I can't do this...I CAN'T).

He did it anyway. The producer made him.

Not to sound like a know-it-all. But in this case I do.

Here's why 'No Opportunity Wasted' is going to fail.

The show is only half an hour long.

Which actually means about 22 minutes of air time. The commercial clusters are used as structural turning points so formula shows like this are really only three or four mini story blocks.

And the crucial block is the final one -- the climax. The payoff. The resolution. It's the emotional jolt the audience feels HERE that brings them back next week.

Last night's CLIMAX was about as exciting as the time I ... I ... I ... (insert tasteless Family Guy gag here).

The show is conceptually flawed. 22 minutes simply is not enough TIME to develop the characters, define the challenge, witness the drama, and find a satisfying resolution. That's a lot of stuff. And the speed with which these story beats MUST unfold simply to make the show finish on TIME, reduces any chance of the audience really caring whether the guy gets eaten by the shark or not.

All the other "Can-They-Do-It ?" reality shows run for an hour.

"No Opportunity Wasted" runs 22 minutes. Too much - too fast - too bad.

...and next week's promo was hardly a grabber -- watch people overcome their fear of public speaking by being forced to sing in front of strangers.

oookkkkaaaay.

"No Opportunity Wasted" is one of those ideas that probably sounded pretty good at the pitch session but should have been given the Texas goodnight kiss.

The lesson here ? This is why God made PILOTS. To see if the concept works.

By attaching a mini-celebs name like Phil's to the pitch I bet the producer's got away without piloting it.

And that my friends ... was not just an Opportunity Wasted -- but our money too.

Dateline - 1980

2007-10-10T16:37:00.001-05:00

Journal Entry, Tuesday, January 1st, 1980.
Bush Pilot Lounge, Edmonton airport.

"Dateline 1980"

For me the '70s - the decade of my MADolescence ended appropriately.

Sleeping alone in Bob Spence's bathtub.

Spence is the host of CBC Edmonton's morning radio show and he had THE media New Year's party. I came up from Calgary for the bash. Lots of familiar faces. Arthur Kent was there...Moranis too.

He's working on a show called SCTV which is being shot at a local Edmonton TV station. Rick, Dave Macaree, Tom Rowe, Tom Crighton, Gene Levy, Vicki Gabereau...and this girl - Catherine O'Hara were all crashing around looking for something - or someone - to do. Hooked up with Catherine and lost my shirt...literally - I woke up this morning with NO shirt.

Bob Spence is one of those larger than life kind of guys. He's about 6 foot 5 and (quote) "built to scale". Lots of pot and coke around. Edmonton IS a rye-and-coke town but last night's coke came in a baggie not a bottle.

Hard to believe Spence is the voice of the CBC here. Welcome to the 80s.

--------------

Journal Entry, Wednesday, October 9th, 2007.
Winnipeg, Manitoba.

“CHANNEL NINE COURT – WE HAVE A PROBLEM”

So, that’s what 20 million bucks looks like, eh ?

The much gossiped-about “Mars Rising” Discovery/Gala Films project blasted off recently as a TV movie and a “documentary” series which opened with a nonsensical clip from JAMES CAMERON.

Thirty seconds into HOUR ONE I knew it was Mission Abort.

Last time I saw Cameron he had just discovered the bones of Jesus and Mary...or was it the Bismark...or was it that huge fucking diamond in Titanic’s safe ?

Why does anyone care what this guy thinks about ANYTHING ??

And now he's a MARS expert too. WTF ? He looked old and pinched-faced and nervous. He spoke in tentative Bush-like clichés (“I’m sure there will be casualties”) and the lighting on his interview was so bad it was hard to tell if his lips were moving .

There were no less than FOUR clips from him. Four. What were they thinking ?

Christians – THIS is the smell of desperation.

Or at the very least a ridiculous attempt to make the Mission to Mars seem cool to 15 year old gamer boyz.

And it got worse.

The narration track was done by a half-asleep, unenthused, passionless, I’ll-just-phone-it-in Captain Kirk. A command decision that ranked right up there with the time I went to see my ex-girlfriend’s mother to ask her to help me get my lover back as -- WORST IDEA EVER.

Discovery should be applauded for having the GUTS to roll the dice on “Mars Rising” - after all, the production financing partners changed more times than the cast of Law and Order (and Discovery Canada’s money was not just Benefits Package dollars).

But sadly, I could only make it through HOUR ONE as yet another James Cameron clip promo-ing Hour Two was the show killer for me.

I knew what I was going to see - a cobbled together mishmash of free NASA graphics ... B-roll with crappy sound ... scenes from the movie ... more Cameron “insight” ... all built around a dog’s breakfast of interview clips.

And what a bizarre series of interviews they were.

Some were shot in chroma key. Some in black limbo. Some in offices. Some in labs. Some on location.

Have these people ever heard the phrase – “production values”. Was there NO pre-production style-guide written ? No series Bible published ?

Whoever decided to do the desert interview in a 300 mm telephoto compression shot should be made to write on the blackboard a hundred times –:

“I will check with the production manager before committing to a visual style which none of the other directors are using”.

And the script ? Perhaps Cameron wrote it ? After all he did get an editor’s Oscar AND a director’s Oscar AND a producer’s Oscar for Titanic.

Every second sentence was either “death”... “danger”... or “deadly”.

Not a cliché was spared, not a stake missed, not a faux dramatic arc overlooked. Even the throws to commercial reeked of “DON’T LEAVE US PLEASE” (eg) -:

“...has a new Space Age begun (between the Russians and the Americans) ????? This time...a race to Mars ?????"

Well... er ...no.

I may not be a rocket scientist (neither is JC, of course) but the last time I looked the Russians were broke.

Mike Jorgensen (a good guy with a good rep) got the writer/director credit. Word on the street is that Mike was brought from Edmonton to Montreal to save the series and took over show # 1 when the original director de-materialized.

Mike’s got enough of a rep that this won’t stick to him. But I’m pretty sure Mars Rising won’t be on his demo reel.

Arnie Gelbert who runs Gala Films EP-ed the series. Arnie is one of Canada’s GREAT producers (and a real mensch too). He must be shaking his head at the missed opportunity. Or maybe he’s just glad Mars didn’t bankrupt him.

Phyllis Platt fresh from losing out to Slawko at the CBC found a safe landing site on Mars. Her old Montreal connections must have paid off big time. She too got an Exec Producer’s credit although I have absolutely no idea why as she was at the CBC when Gala won the competition to produce the series.

...and at Discovery ?

Well, I think they’re just glad its over. Management must be relieved that both the movie and the “documentary” series are now making their digital way across the abyss of inter-stellar space without exploding on the launch pad vapourizing their careers.

Because even by James Cameron’s standards...20 million bucks is a lot of rocket fuel.

Christmas

2007-10-07T19:34:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry - Sunday, December 23rd, 1979.

Home tomorrow. Hard to believe I've been here almost six months. Cowtown seems far from me now.

I love Toronto. Went to see the Leafs the other night and bought a ticket in the reds from a scalper (35 bucks). The scene outside Maple Leaf Gardens was like something from a 1940s CPR poster ... a huge snowstorm ... chestnuts being sold by old Italian guys from hot-coal carts .. street cars clattering and clanging along Carleton...crowds pushing...scalpers hustling ...

"who's buying...who's selling".

Thank God, I'm here.

A bit of a lost week behind me. No matter - the show is booked into January.

Friday night was our Morningside Xmas booze up. It was quite the night.

Max Ferguson was there. He does a great Trudeau. Late in the evening he and the comedy guy Moranis got into the scotch and did a Joe Clark / Trudeau "debate" over who had stolen Maggies panties. Very funny. Rick is also a terrific impersonator who can do an UNBELIEVABLE Gordon Lightfoot. "In the early morning rain..with my pecker in my hand"

Harron has an entourage of comedy writers he's nurturing. Rick, David Cole, Vicki Gabereau (the chick who ran for mayor as Rosie-the-Clown)...our PA Doug Jones... and Dave Thomas (his brother is Ian Thomas the singer).

Harron is a pretty funny guy too, but refused to do his Charlie Farqueson for us. He says its for paying customers only. And he doesn't drink - so we couldn't get him pissed.

I gave him a line which he says he'll use in one of his Charlie routines -- "...they say the houses in Calgary are so old (how old are they ??)...they're so old that some of them were built BEFORE cable TV."

He laughed. No one else did. Don Harron is a nice man.

---------------

Tuesday, October 9th, 2007

Got an email today from a friend in LA who pointed out this week's IDA announcement of TOP 25 BEST DOCS EVER.

The IDA is THE American doc organization with about 3,000 paid up members. Here's their list ranked 1 - 25-:

Hoop Dreams
Thin Blue Line
Bowling for Combine
Spellbound
Harlan County
An Inconvenient Truth
Crumb
Gimme Shelter
The Fog of War
Roger and Me
Supersize Me
Don’t Look back
Salesman
Kayaanisquatsi
Sherman’s March
Grey Gardens
Capturing the Friedmans
Born Into Brothels
Titicut Follies
Buena Vista Social Club
Fahrenheit 9/11
Winged Migration

Leaves a bit to be desired, eh ?

No 7-Up ? Shoah ? Nanook of the North ? No NFB ? No Brittain ?

Seems to me there are way too many American films on that list.

THREE Michael Moore noms ? Best docs ever ?? Ummm.. no.

Why DO Americans do this to themselves ? This list is the documentary community equivalent of all those dimwit Americans who chant - "USA...USA...USA" - at the Olympics.

My friend also pointed out that Sicko (not on the list) has made almost 25 million at the US box office whereas last year's great Canadian hope "Manufactured Landscapes" has brought in only 206 thousand. One thing Americans CAN do better
than most is sell. The Cult of Michael proves that.

Don't feel too bad about Sicko making so much money, she said - Americans also spend 10 million a day on take out pizzas.

Winning and Losing

2007-10-06T23:31:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry. Thursday night, Dec 20th, 1979.

Busted.

Got caught writing in this journal the other day by GMD (Editor's Note: Gary Michael Dault, Morningside's senior producer) while having breakfast in the caff.

“What are you writing Young – a book ? Quote me accurately now.” (Well – Ok Gary, sure).

Dault’s a large Walrus of a man with a scrappy little beard who uses words like –“panache” and “obfuscate” and “soupcon” (WTF ?). He’s a hold over from the previous regime and is not really a Richard-kind-of-guy. But he knows his stuff and with all the tension around this place GMD is low maintenance.

He patronizes me as a kind of hick-from-the-sticks. But this week he changed his mind when he saw me having lunch with Margaret Laurence on Church Street. GMD came over desperate for me to introduce him. Which I did. Now we’re buds.

He has this killer girlfriend who’s sexy-in-a-sluttish-kind-of-way -- SARAH THRING, a book publicist.
She dresses all-black all the time and hangs around sucking up to Harron trying to get her crappy authors on the show.

These fucking publicists are the BANE OF MY LIFE. I simply don’t know how to deal with them. This crazy English woman Lucinda calls me everyday and treats me like shit in a snot-nosed private school way if I don’t pitch her authors at the story meeting. But I get lots of free stuff. I guess Dault does too.

Books and blowjobs -- nice.

---------------------

Saturday, October 6th, 2007.

I’ve decided to go to the Geminis.

It’s the last thing I can afford right now as a few days in Toronto will cost me close to 1000 even with the prodco picking up the ticket (they’re 235 each). But going to the City will be fun and I’m keen to slide into the TBC to see if anyone mentions this blog to me. I KNOW they’re reading it.

I’ve been nominated for two awards – Best Director in a Documentary Series; and Best Writer in a Documentary Series.

It’s flattering (and re-assuring) to get these noms and whoever says “oh, I don’t really care if I win or not as long as I’m nominated” .... is an idiot.

I’ve been to the Geminis before. Winning and losing. The time I won Marni (my ex) and I had a fight afterwards. The time I lost I spent the night dancing with my 12-year old daughter, Aleana - who was my date.

For me losing was way more fun.

We’d been doing a family travel show hosted by Aleana called “Travels with Mom” which aired on the Corp and on YTV in a split-window license deal. I had been nominated in one of the Director categories.

(** Note to parents who are struggling producers – do NOT put your kids on TV as you’ll feel like shit signing deferrals on their behalf and after the first week or two the kids will hate it and you’ll have to force them to do the show because you'll be locked into the license deal.)

Travels with Mom ran at 11:00am Saturday mornings on the CBC and at 7:00pm Sunday evenings on YTV.

Our ratings were strong and we had private sector moneys behind us (a sure sign that the show was working). We were also picked up in the USA by Discovery, at which point we became mini “celebrities” being recognized in a Chinese restaurant in Ottawa, on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, and by a drunk guy on Lexington Ave. in Manhattan.

But it was a brutal show to do. It's tough pushing kids through the type of production schedule these low budget life-style shows demand.

Here’s how we financed it (remember this was ten years ago so the numbers are low) -:

- 15,000 per half hour from the Corp – Canadian rights (exclusive of cable) for five years;

- 12,000 per half from YTV – Canadian cable rights for five years;

- the distributor kicked in 5k per episode as a distribution advance;

- throw in a bit of CTF, CAVCO, and some deferrals and the show was financed.

Even back then it was tight doing a TRAVEL show on 50k per half hour. But we sucked it up... ate the deferrals (sorry kids)...and got the show made. And at the end of the day, that’s what being a producer is really all about – finding a way to get stuff done.

But on the night of the Geminis I can HONESTLY say that all the stress, tension, and acrimony was forgotten (briefly) as I sat in the darkness with my little daughter who was dressed to kill, listening to the nominations -:

For Best Direction in an Information Series -:

The Fifth Estate.
W-5
Venture
The Health Show

...and Travels with Mom.

The winner is -: ????

“The Fifth Estate”.

Morris Karp a producer on the 5th won.

But not really.

New title - Same stuff

2007-10-05T23:30:00.000-05:00

Now that I know people are actually reading this blog I've decided to give it a new name. "Damaged Goods" was just a bit too raw, too inside.

I've been wrestling with some sort of low-grade depression these past couple of years - hence "Damaged Goods" - and part of my rationale in writing was not just to offer some "lessons-learned" but also to look for patterns and trends in my rather self-destructive behaviour.

They're not hard to see, are they ?

But I want to keep trying to push past all that. So I've opted for something a bit "perkier". And to the people who've written to me calling me an "ego-maniac" all I have to say is... too bad.

Next time leave a name.

Ever since The Teamakers mentioned my blog on his/her site I've had a strong response to what I've been writing. Mostly positive. But I've also had two rather ominious indirect messages from senior management at the CBC suggesting that I take a "gentle" approach to what I cull from my Journal.

Not a chance.

The Man Who Killed the Lone Ranger and Stole Betty Crocker's Cherry

2007-10-02T16:44:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry - Saturday, December 1st. 1979

Up early for a run in the snow. It's hardly a western snowfall but it's enough to cheer me up. I'm definitely a winter person. Too bad Rachel isn't. In fact I don't really know what she is ? She doesn't like this...doesn't like that..hates her job and is on my case about way too many things. Hmmmm.

The show is still high stress. Mary-Francis cried twice this week. She and a guy called Rick Moranis sit beside me. Rick's a freelancer who comes and goes but M.F. is fulltime. She does stuff out of Quebec. There's a lot happening there and she's the only producer to handle it. Richard is pretty cool but M.F. puts the pressure on herself. Some bitch at AIH told her that she's not "smart enough".

I'm OK though. Harron likes me. Likes the way I write. I can hear his voice in my mind's-eye (if that makes any sense) so as I churn out the 5-part yellow sheet after sheet I hit the cadence of his read pretty well. More and more Richard is letting him do his thing -- which is good.

So, Morningside has become a kind of daily Don Harron-in-Concert type show. My little ghetto (information) takes up the first hour - Hour Two is usually features or some type of round-table...Hour Three - live music. This week we decided to do Woodstock - been 10 years now. We had Joni Mitchell on the show for an entire hour recently...she was great.

It's going to be a busy winter. Pierre Trudeau resigned last week...John Turner and Donald MacDonald are the front-runners to replace him so there'll be a Liberal convention to cover. Also there's talk of some sort of vote in Quebec. Richard said Starowicz is putting together a "special unit" from Morningside and As It Happens to cover it and wants me to go. We'd be based in Montreal (might be an escape from Rachel ????).

...by the way - the price of gas has gone up again. It's now 1.05 a gallon in Toronto and .98 cents a gallon in Calgary. It cost me almost 20 bucks to fill up last week.

Fuck, I'm broke.

---------------------

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007

(EDITOR'S NOTE -: price of gas TODAY in Winnipeg ?? 1.16 a litre for regular unleaded. Approx 4.40 a gallon by my math).

Sometimes this business is wonderful. Sometimes you really DO walk with giants. And if you stick around long enough you might even get to call some of them "friends".

Got a call today from a friend of mine -- Tom Hope.

Tom is an 86 year old US soldier who lives in Buffalo. In 1942-43 he was a member of the First Special Services Forces ... AKA - the "Devils Brigade".

I did a 4 x one hour series on these guys a couple of years ago - "The True Story of the Devils' Brigade" - and got to know Tom well. Once we moved on from all the "I killed Germans with my bare hands" stuff ... his stories got pretty interesting.

Here's one of my faves.

Tom went to Hollywood after the war where he got a job with an ad agency. On his first day he was told to FIRE the Lone Ranger. The "Lone Ranger" was a popular radio show which Tom's agency financed. They wanted it on TV. But the ACTUAL Lone Ranger was a fat, fifty year old with, as they say...a great face for radio.

"No problem" said Tom.

After whacking so many Germans, putting a silver bullet between the Masked Man's eyes was easy.

Things were NOT so simple however when his agency won a new account - GENERAL MILLS.

"House wives, Tom". "That's where the money is, house wives" his boss said, and told him to come up with a campaign to sell instant MASHED POTATOES to Mrs. America.

So Tom Hope - the old Devils' Brigade killer created Betty Crocker. And how did Tom find Betty ? The wholesome face of post-war America ??

The casting couch. A really, really BIG casting couch.

His agency scoured the country and brought THIRTEEN HUNDRED (correct - 1,300) ambitious, eager, enthusiastic young actresses to L.A. for Tom to personally ....interview.

Day after day....week after week...the girls did their thing. After a while GI Tom simply couldn't handle all the...er, attention. So he did what any good NCO would do...called for re-inforcements, bringing six of his Devils Brigade pals to the rescue with fixed bayonnets.

For a month Tom and his buddies did their duty. Old Glory went up and down the flagpole so often their wood was practically worn out. Finally 12 Betty Crocker hopefuls were left standing - so to speak, and Tom Hope had to choose the face of post-war American mom-hood. The face every Boomer kid would grow up with.

How'd he do it ? Easy - he alone took ALL TWELVE Bettys to Vegas for a final round of hand-to-hand combat.

War is hell.

THIS little story is one of the reasons why I love this business (despite yesterday's melancholy).

You meet the most amazing people.

Pissed Off Pam

2007-10-01T13:54:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry - Monday, Nov 19th, 1979.

A bit of a scene in the old office today. One of the AIH producers, Pam (EDITOR'S NOTE-: that would be PAM - as in WALLIN) came into Morningside to give us shit for (quote) "ransacking" their office and stealing their beer.

I've never heard anyone use the word "cunt'' so many times in so few seconds. For some reason she kept looking at ME as she stomped around bitching and complaining (must be love). Neither Richard nor Dault were anywhere to be seen so the rest of us just ignored her 'till she went away.

But there's real bad blood between the two shows. Not sure why. The last Exec at Morningside died a few months ago and the staff is still pretty bruised by it. Losing her, then Gzowski and now having a tough guy like Richard come in to run things (bringing in people like me) has not been easy for these guys. The ratings are also down which has left everyone feeling quite defensive. There is absolutely NO inter-action with the other radio shows - the only time the AIH or Sunday Morning crowd stop by is to complain -- like my new best friend Pam.

Good news. Good news. My contract has been renewed. A quick chat with Richard...told me I'm doing OK - wants me to diversify my story selection more. Less politics more Harron-friendly items. My contract has been extended through the WINTER. Mum will be happy. Says the highlight of her week is tuning in on Fridays to hear my name in the credits (that's the only time she listens - sigh).

Time to buy some furniture. Rachel wants a real bed not a mattress on the floor. She also wants plants. Careful Don.

-------------------

Wednesday, October 3rd - 2007

The Guy Maddin "My Winnipeg" doc is terrific.

To be honest I wanted to trash it as I was irritated that his financing came together quickly and at such a high level (over half a million). For someone who has NEVER done a doc and has publically said he finds the whole documentary form "boring" he should NOT have been given all this cash. It should have gone to someone like...like...well, like - me.

But for what it's worth -- definitely check it out. It IS a bit weird (as is ALL of Guy's stuff) and I'm not even sure it's a "documentary". But at 72 minutes, in my opinion - it is the most watchable of all his work.

Should it have received such a big Documentary Channel licence and all that CTF money ? Grierson called the documentary a "creative interpretation of reality" and My Winnipeg is certainly that.

Creative. Interpretive. And there's no doubt that Winnipeg IS his "reality" - not mine, but his. So - at one level it meets the Scotsman's criteria.

But somehow I don't think Grierson would have greenlit this one. In fact, Guy probably wouldn't have made it out of the screening room alive (beaten senseless by an empty bottle of scotch). However, I'm glad Michael Burns had the guts to commission it. Of course, now that the CBC is running the DOC Channel the "creative interpretation of reality" will probably be a little less .... idiosyncractic.

The distributor is planning an international release in 08 and they're trying hard to keep it under wraps and AWAY from the notoriously sensitive Winnipeg film and doc community. But I screened it again last night for a small group of local film-makers who ALL loved it.

Guy should be proud. It's great.

But here's a warning -- if JIM SHAW ever sees it...he's going to go ape-shit.

The Night We Broke Into 'As It Happens'

2007-09-30T22:21:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry - Sunday Nov 18th, 1979

For a son-of-a-bitch tough guy Richard is a lot of fun. Likes his beer. Yes - indeed.

We had a staff morale-building booze up at the Red Lion Friday after the show which led to one massive night-on-the-town. The Red Lion. The Duke of York. Some strip club down at Queen and Jarvis. Chinese food on Spadina at midnight. Then in a stroke of management genius Richard said "hey, let's go raid the As It Happens fridge...they always have beer there."

2am - four of us left. Me, the boss, Robert Prouse, and the Arts and Books guy - Gary Michael Dault...all crashing around 354 Jarvis hoping the security guards don't catch us. Lots of beer and forgotten lunches in the AIH fridge. Tapes and newspapers and ash-trays everywhere. What a pig-sty. I snooped around and found DOZENS of HOME phone numbers.

Jackpot.

Ed Broadbent. Johnny Bower. Robert Bourassa. Roch Carriere. Charles Lynch. Tommy Douglas. Spike Milligan. Bob Rae. Ian Tyson. Jim Laxer. Flora Macdonald. Harold Ballard ...all solid GOLD. So, while Richard and Dault talked shop and drank Starowicz's beer I scribbled down as many numbers as I could...didn't feel guilty about stealing them at all. The AIH gang are a patronizing bunch who treat me like shit.

Fuck 'em.

------------------

Monday, October 1st, 2007.

This will not be a fun post. Feeling very down this morning. Not sure why. Gotta be those damn month end bills. Without a "real" job this is always a high stress couple of days. Thank God for call-display.

I once did a CBC Network Special with Joe Schlessinger back in 93 when Mulroney was retiring. It was Tony Burman's brilliant way of getting Joe OUT of the Ottawa bureau so that Keith Boag could "ascend". I had just come back from a nasty couple of months in Bosnia and was burned out (yes, even then). Tony was running the division - we always got along well, and he gave me a dream assignment. Go coast to coast to coast for as long as I wanted with Joe and a dedicated crew to paint a "portrait" of how Canada had changed after almost a decade of Mulroney.

Joe's a great guy to travel with - lots of stories...wine filled lunches..and he always flies 'J' class which meant that I often got upgraded too. One night we were in a pub in Jonquiere trying to pick up a couple of white-trash French girls (yes, indeed - THE saintly Joe Schlessinger, that ole horn dog)....at one point late into the evening I asked Joe for some financial advice - "easy" he said -:

"die young"

Well, I'm on the cusp of the dying-time now.

53.

Joe - I should note, has done well. But he's paid his dues. He lived in a nice condo in New Edinburgh in Ottawa (with about EIGHT Gemini awards on the mantle) which he flipped for mega bucks. I think the mistake I made...was moving too much within the system (I worked in five CBC centres) and I never had enough cash to buy into the Toronto housing market before it blew up. Leaving the CBC to run a little prodco with no real money in the bank probably wasn't the best idea I've had either - although when I left in the 90s being a Senior Producer on the Mansbridge/Wallin show was like being in that bunker off Unter Den Linden.

So, on days like today I lose a few meters of hard-won ground in the on-going psychological battle of trying to find that elusive BALANCE.

I go to earth and hope the Russians leave me alone.

Oh yea...last night I stayed up 'till 1am watching Guy Maddin's doc on Winnipeg. Cheered me right up.

Fired

2007-09-30T21:05:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry. Sunday, Nov 4th, 1979

Larry Leblanc got fired on Friday. Dead. Kaput. Gonzo. Larry was the music producer on the show - a gentle geeky guy who picked discs, booked live performances and actually knows who Doug and the Slugs are.

Why whack the music producer ? If the ratings on this show suck it is NOT because of the music.

I think Richard got rid of him as a kind of exercise in TERROR for the rest of us. Richard is a tough Alberta jew - and he's short too, which doesn't help. You can see it in his eyes that he brooks absolutely no fucking weakness and as the "alberta" producer on the show I'd better get smarter fast, after all I'm the first out-of-towner he's hired.

My contract is almost over and I have no idea if it'll be renewed or not. Shit. Shit. Shit. I CAN'T go back to Calgary. The problem is Harron. Trying to get Don to interview on the Alberta / Ottawa oil struggle is like trying to get someone to describe the Great Wall of China from a postcard. He has a vague idea what it's all about - that it's big and important and hard. I prep him as best I can, but then all I can do is sit on the end of the talk back whispering the next question in his ear. If I jump in at the wrong time he loses track of what's being said by both me AND the guest. This week he was interviewing Marc Lalonde and called him Marc LAFLEUR. I could hear every listener in Quebec..."Guy...Guy...Guy."

However he redeemed himself in an interview with two chess players at the World Championships ...we did a 2-on-1 phoner with them ...in his extro Don AD LIBBED...."there you have it....a couple of CHESS NUTS BOASTING IN AN OPEN FOYER". Fucking hilarious.

--------------------------

Sunday night, September 30th, 2007.

I am writing a pitch for the Slice network - Fat 'n Furry. It's about...fat pets. What else ?

NOTE TO J-SCHOOL STUDENTS -- This is what two Geminis, one US TV Accolade Award, two New York Film Festival Silver Medals, one ACTRA award, one CBC Prix Anix, one book contract with the TLA Agency and twenty five years in the business will get you....Fat 'n Furry. And you'll probably LOOK fat 'n furry when you get to my age too unless you AVOID Guinness.
Stick to Bushmills.

Here's the beginning of the pitch -:

"It’s their eyes. They seduce us. So much so that we literally love them to death."

Somebody either shoot me or hire me soon. Please.

It's actually not quite as goofy as it might first appear (he says desperately grasping for a justification other
than - IT'S WORK).

Slice has re-branded itself as a channel for urban, single women with disposable incomes and I'd bet my last Milk Bone that many of these viewers are -as they say, "Lonely Hearts". Cat women. Dog women. Parrot women (hello Ann Medina). Maybe even a few gerbil owners too. Ooops, er strike that -- Pride TV is coming back in the spring. I'll pitch that to them.

For Slice I've created a show with a cute title which fits into the Bell Expressview menu window (three words or less)...a show that targets the channel demo dead on...a show that advertisers WILL buy into (what are the THREE biggest industries in the USA ?? Sex. Fat. Pets). And most important of all ... the show has portability. "Legs", as they say (insert cheap gag here).

We're trying to get this into "funded development". Which essentially means that the network ponies (sorry) up about 10k which will trigger (stop me, please) another 15 to 20k of Telefilm monies. So, a little two page life-style pitch can quickly turn into real cash dollars.

I've probably had about thirty development deals over the past few years of which I'd say maybe a dozen have moved forward to series. I know producers who LIVE off their development moneys. It's a crappy way to get by but so is working in a cubicle at Newsworld. Yes it is.

Time to stop. I've been slipped a boot-legged copy of Guy Maddin's new home town homage doc -- MY WINNIPEG which I'm going to go watch then post about tomorrow. His distributor is desperately trying to keep copies OFF the street and especially away from the envious eyes of other documentary makers.

Guy got a sweetheart deal from the Doc Channel. I heard it was over 400 grand. Throw in a 20 percent CTF licence and a 45% Manitoba tax credit and the man-who-has-never-made-a-documentary-before had a cash budget of over 600k.

Nice. Hope it's not a .... dog.

Stress

2007-09-28T23:43:00.000-05:00

Journal entry - October 26th, 1979.

On the eve of 26. A good year behind me - a better one ahead (I hope). I'm feeling pretty damn pleased with myself these days. Sweet little Rachel Blakeney to keep me warm .... a nice Toronto apartment ... an interesting job. Some real cash. Life could be worse. In fact, last year at this time - it was. Freelancing and working at the Keg with a bunch of coked-out wankers. Count your blessings.

But things are a bit stressy at Morningside. Richard's on the rampage. Doesn't like the show. Doesn't like our story ideas. Thinks we're hanging Harron out to dry with interviews he's not properly prepped for. The story meetings have become tense. Richard goes round the room...what do YOU have ? What do You have ? What do YOU have ? And you'd better have something.

My beat is the west. Oil policy. Alberta - Ottawa politics. Trudeau / Lougheed. Western Separatism. The problem is ... these are NOT Don Harron type interviews. He doesn't know what he's talking about ... and more to the point - couldn't care less. He's an actor not a journalist. I prep him as best I can...then he starts to interview ... gets lost...and I have to direct him from the control room.

He was interviewing Jack Horner recently about why he jumped from the Tories to the Libs...his first question to Jack....was -- "You Horner's are kind of like an Alberta version of the Cartwrights, eh ??" I DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE what he was talking about. Neither did Jack. Turns out he was trying to make a joke about Bonanza and thought that because Horner has five brothers we'd get the gag. Nope. A million Canadians probably wouldn't have either. This is why God made editing.

I think someone is going to get whacked soon. There's a rumour going around that Richard said "there'll be changes unless the show gets better". He's so damn competitive with the As It Happens crowd but they have about twice the staff and only 90 minutes a day to fill. We have three hours. And Don Harron.

All the radio chase producers are on 13 week contracts with no automatic renewal. So, if you fuck up...or they THINK you're fucking up....you're gone. Had way too many beers with Gzowski this week at the Red Lion. He's writing a book about cannibalism - says it's a metaphor for the CBC, except cannibals eat the dead ... to survive at the CBC you eat the dying.

-----------------

Saturday, September 29th, 2007.

There's a word I've come to love over the past few years. Schadenfreude. It's one of those perfect words where both the meaning and the SOUND are comforting. Schadenfreude. Schadenfreude. Schadenfreude. The syllables just kind of roll off the tongue. Schaden - German for "damage". Freude - German for "joy" Harmful joy. Malicious glee. Or as the Catholic Church calls it -- the sin of "morose delectation" -- the taking of pleasure in watching someone suffer. It really is one of THE great TV industry words. And you sound smarter than saying "fuck you".

What am I schadenfreuding about ?? This week's New Yorker has absolutely TRASHED the Ken Burns "War" series. Allow me to quote (with morose delectation) -:

"They've taken a subject that is inexhaustible and made it merely exhausting....at 15 hours "The War" is too much of a not good enough thing...this kinds of burbling fatuousness does not aid the cause of getting to the truths of war, and Burns should know better".

The problem, of course is one of hubris.

Once you become American's go-to guy for "serious" documentaries (as opposed to Michael Moore's sit-com docs)...once you have a piece of editing software named after you (the "Ken Burns" effect)...and once you become your own little multi-million dollar industry - nobody is going to tell you that your work sucks.

The editorial process is brutal. Criticism burns -- especially when it comes from network suits. But, in my small experience at the end of the day ALL OUR WORK is usually better off after taking an editorial shit-kicking. Like the Drill Sergeants say "EAT THE PAIN".

In this case the suits at PBS are to blame for Kenny's flop. Sometimes the King really does have No Clothes. But it takes guts to point that out.

Rachel

2007-09-28T12:52:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry, October 8th, 1979.

Life is good. Another birthday on the horizon - 26 soon, getting on eh ? Still broke 'though. How can this be ?

My 600 a week at Morningside actually means about 420 cash in hand...car payment, student loan, stereo loan, TV rental, apartment rental, paying back mum and dad...and then there's "savings" (ha !), food, booze and entertainment. Shit. Almost 26 and I'm still living from cheque to cheque. Gotta get smarter.

But right now I don't care...little Rachel has consumed me. You name it she likes it. She calls it "roo-ing" and when we 'roo' she actually makes me blush.

She's my first Aussie. I wonder if they're all as "enthusiastic" ?

One of the other producers at Morningside, Mary-Francis lives directly above me and Rachel is so fucking noisy that on Monday when I came to work Mary-Francis gave me this ear-to-ear grin and said..."have a good weekend ????????".

I don't care. I like this girl. But Marg wants to come visit soon. Hmmm. Could be a problem.

Did a nice item today - I'm working with the writer Margaret Laurence on a series called "What Writers Read". I've always liked her stuff and was genuinely curious as to what she read. The New Yorker. Norman Mailer ( huh ? ) Adele Wiseman. Margaret Atwood. She said she also reads Pierre Berton but doesn't take him seriously because he smokes alot of pot. She's a funny little woman with a wicked sense of humour.

We were talking about marriage over lunch and she told me to never marry for sex or beauty. Marry "strategically". Especially if I'm staying in this business. Marry for money.

--------------------

Friday, September 28th, 2007.

I obviously did NOT listen to Maggie's advice. Although I'm not out of the game yet. Going to pick up a cheque today for some consulting I'm doing for a prodco. I create show concepts and help pitch them. They keep me on this retainer because I have good story instincts and a strong professional network.

But I can do shows too. Did I mention I worked with U2 last year ? No ? Well stick with this blog and I guarantee you'll learn something you don't know about "the world's most philanthropic band".

Me and the Edge. We rock.

There's a lot of buzz about the new CBC reality show - "A Week Without Women" done by Paperny Films out of Vancouver. Paperny is owned by David Paperny and his wife...David's a good guy and a solid journalist despite his penchant for wearing a cowboy hat. A small, elegant man David is a turtleneck kind of guy ... but a cowboy hat ?? It's a bit Urban Cowboy-ish for my tastes...but what do I know ? I'm over 50 and still can't decide what side to part my hair on.

His show is set in Alberta where (so the Corp claims) all the women have been removed from a town for a week. Hmmmm. Sounds a bit dodgy to me. It's a duplication of a BBC format which Paperny bought, here's the CBC press release-:

What happens when all the women of a town leave for seven days?
Chaos. or a community strengthened?
Paperny Films, together with the CBC, are making a documentary series that
looks at the roles of men and women in the 21st century. We are interested
in what each gender does at home, at work and in the community, and what
happens when you take away one half of the equation.
In order to shed light on these questions, we will create a unique
large-scale experience. We will take all the adult women out of Hardisty,
Alberta for a full week to see how the men will choose to run their lives,
families, work and communities,

Setting aside how POORLY WRITTEN that press release is ... here's how the folks in the UK reacted to their experience (it's from a post by one of the participants) -:

--------

Readers might like to note that the UK version was a disaster for
both the BBC and the village concerned, Harby, where I live.

We were the first victims of this dreadful programme idea. I would
advise any community thinking of accepting the challenge to tell
the producers where to go. It's divisive, it's staged, it's harmful
and it's not even good TV! The original series was made by the BBC
but along the way it split our tiny community of 240 people and
the damage still reverberates nearly two years on.

The finished programme was boring in the extreme (hence the poor
viewing figures and it being 'buried' in the August holiday
schedules.

At 1.4 million UK pounds it was hardly cheap TV.

-----

1.4 million pounds eh ? I'm sure Paperny's wasn't that much because most of it was shot on handi-cams by freelancers..but it's the "IT WAS STAGED" part of that post which worries me.

Reality shows walk a fine line between fact and fiction (I've walked it myself)....and if David's crosses that line and any serious TV critic takes a hard look at what was "real" and what was "produced" -- then this show could very well turn into a public relations DISASTER for the corp.

And at a time when the Calgary-financed Harper government seems ready to go to the polls with the possibility of a majority in the wind...and powerful Alberta broadcasters like JIM SHAW have the CBC in their cross-hairs a "fake"- Alberta based TV show has all the makings of a killer debacle .

...and eventhough Paperny wears a cowboy hat that's not going to help much.

The Brunswick House

2007-09-27T12:42:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry - September 10th, 1979.

Living in the Annex...63 Kendal - 375 a month...College and Spadina. Best of all, the local guys have a rugby team -- THE NOMADS. Aussies, Brits, Kiwis, a couple of South Africans, all mixed in with good-time seeking Canadians. I've played rugby since I was at boarding school and have quickly become a not-very-good-but-enthusiastic Number Eight.

Our hang out is the "world famous" Brunswick House - man, what a place. Friday night's are like something out of a Fellini film.

Drunken U of T guys trying to pick up drunken U of T girls...media people trying to talk shop (this is both a CBC and CTV watering hole)...a shit-kicking country band on stage...and the entire place policed by two BIZARRE BOUNCERS. A dwarf and a giant. The dwarf is the tough guy naturally. It reminds me of the Strathcona in Edmonton or the St. Louis in Calgary. Twenty cent draft beers and all the Cheesies you can eat. Just my style.

But here's the "real" news - met a girl. Rachel. a 19 year old Aussie nannie. Big personality. Bigger appetites. (oh yea !) Met her at a Nomads booze-up. Could be good. Careful Don.

--------------------------------

September 27th, 2007.

I've been watching the Ken Burns series "The War". Not impressed. Not only is the script is full of errors, I think the title is pompous and the whole approach towards the telling of this "story" is wrong. Errors ? Errors ? (I hear Kenny squeak) What errors ? Well, here's one. Last night's episode was about the Italian campaign. How the US 5th Army fought its way north from Salerno towards Rome. The GIs were stopped about 200 km south of Rome by a tough German division who controlled what for 5,000 years has been called "the Gateway to Rome" - the Liri Valley.

The script read -:

"the valley was dominated by German guns dug in at a place called Monte Cassino which controlled access to the road to Rome"

In actuality the valley was dominated by German guns dug in at a place called - Difensa, the mountain immediately west of Monte Cassino.

How do I know ? I climbed it. With soldiers.

It was the taking of Difensa by the First Special Services Force (The Devils Brigade) on the night of Dec 3-4th, 1943 that turned the tide of the Italian campaign. Monte Cassino WAS a long, nasty battle - but it was not THE battle.

The script was wrong. And you'd think for the amount of money these guys had to spend they could get their facts correct.

But my bigger criticism of the series has to do with its maudlin, dewey-eyed, tone. Burns brought the same melancholy meanderings to his study of the Civil War, Baseball, Jazz ..and now WW 2.

For historical documentaries to work they have to reflect not just the facts but also the mood, the culture, the personality of the place in time they are purporting to document. A bittersweet banjo lament might have worked as b.g music for a letter-home-from-Gettysburg.... but as a pad for a letter from Anzio ?? No.

I was told yesterday by a PBS Executive that the network spend TEN MILLION dollars publicizing the series. 10 million -- and that's just the p.r. line item.

The Story Meeting

2007-09-24T16:49:00.000-05:00

Journal Excerpt - July 27, 1979.

I can do this job. In fact, I'm surprised how easy it is. The show is usually booked about a week to 10 days in advance with a couple of holes left open for breaking stories. There are SO many agents, p.r. people. B-grade movie stars, etc desperate to get on Morningside that booking the show is a matter of what NOT to put on.

Al Waxman called me an "asshole" today because I wouldn't book his wife on the show to flack her cook-book. Her agent must have given him my name because about an hour after I'd said "no" the phone rang and it was one pissed off King of Kensington looking to give me shit. I can't wait to tell mum...she loves his show.

The story meetings are pretty loose ...8 chase producers, two senior producers, the Exec, and sometimes the host...sitting around a table rooting through the Star and the NYT looking for ideas, or pitching a p.r. package which has crossed their desks. Me ?? I GOT here by having ideas. I don't need flacks.

Here's what I pitched today -:

- 13 guys stuck in an elevator in Chicago. Turns out they were ALL professional comedians. Sounds like a Don Harron type interview to me -- he loved it.

- and then I noticed in the weekend Star a story about a guy whose last name was soooooo long Bell Canada refused to put it in the phone book. Bingo. Two for two.

But I've been brought here as the "regional" guy from Calgary -- to do politics and farming and oil industry stuff. Harron hates that ... wants me to help him do schtick. Hmmm

Harron and I get along quite well. He's a nice gentle guy. Gzowski is around too..but he's pretty bitchy. I helped him carry a box of books down to his car yesterday and it was bitch, bitch, bitch. Told me he owes Rev Canada 47-THOUSAND dollars.

Holy shit.

------------------

Monday, September 24th, 2007.

What a night last night was, eh ? Discovery becomes the Mars channel. PBS - the Ken Burns channel. CTV didn't run much to protect its Discovery franchise. CBC ?? What DID the Corp run last night ???

Me ?? I watched the season opener of Family Guy. But I caught the Burns "World War Two" saga later. Little Kenny must put some serious coin in his pocket. He won't get it from PBS because their licence fees are small-to-non existent.

I had a doc series on PBS a few years ago and they paid -- NADA...not a dime...they said the US exposure was where the real value lay. Sadly I didn't have the money to create any sort of profile in the US. And that's what you need if you're on PBS -- a well funded marketting campaign.

But Ken Burns will make a bundle on after-market sales.

Books, DvDs, a sound track (noticed wynton marsalis did the music - bet there's a good story in there as to how and why that deal was struck).

I find the whole Burns-genre of docs boring. Real intellectual milk-and-cookies for middle America. But I'm sure they're good business. Easy to produce. Even easier to finance. Most of the expenses are in the acquiring of rights to the archives although I'll bet he's not paying market rates. Last year I licenced some WW 2 Battle-of-Italy stuff for a doc I was working on at a cost of roughly 50 dollars A SECOND for a restricted rights deal.

But I shouldn't trash "The War" too much...after all today I'm writing a pitch about -- OBESE PETS. Yes, indeed.

I call it Fat 'n Furry. I wonder what Ken Burns is doing ?

Linda

2007-09-23T08:19:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry - July 22nd, 1979

I love this job. I love this job.

...busy with an edit when someone said "she's here" and about five of us swarmed down to the studio to watch Harron de-brief (as it were) the NOT-so-lovely but definitely compelling, Linda Lovelace.

She's on the book circuit flogging her "kiss" (oh yea)-and-tell biography. No entourage for LL - just her and some greasy guy who claims to be her husband.

They showed up an hour early for the interview and spent the time in the downstairs caff - unrecognized.

Like snickering teenagers a gang of us stood in the control room and watched the interview. She was well-spoken in a little-girl-lost kind of way. Small and thin with a sharp, bird-like face. Claimed to have been "forced" into doing Deep Throat ... said there was a guy off camera with a gun. Okkaaaay.

This was not exactly a Don Harron type interview. He was nervous and awkward having neither read the book nor seen the movie. Not a chance.

I got to shake her hand afterwards which was kind of ...er, erotic. I noticed Harron left his autographed copy of the book in the studio when the taping was over....so I stole it.

Bedtime reading.

-------------

This is a business of ironies. Or as one might describe them after a few beers - lies. But let's stay on the side of safe-and-sober and call them 'strategic-revisions-of-earlier-held-attitudes-and-opinions.'

Take the revisions of the Rt Hon Richard Stursberg (Order of Canada to come).

A few years ago I was actually a buddy of his. Really.

He won't remember me - but I certainly remember him (note to wanna be mandarins - do NOT go to drunken dinner parties with journalists...THEY REMEMBER...it's just the way they're wired and they have a way higher tolerance for booze than you ever will).

But I digress.

Remember Toronto's night-of-nights ? The night it became a REAL world-class city courtesy of one crappy little curve-ball-that-didn't ... the one Joe Carter whacked harder than Mel Lastman's wife whacked that CITY-TV reporter ?

I was at a dinner party with my friend Janet Yale who worked at the CRTC as executive assistant to Richard. This was back in the days before the two of them high-tailed it over to Telus to lobby for the de-regulation of future forms of media.

As we dined and drank and watched the Jays ... Richard and I -- as they say -- GOT INTO IT.

Over the future of the CBC no less.

I was a senior producer at Prime Time News (remember that ??) who had just come back from establishing a bureau in Sarajevo (note to travel file: order the local red wine but never take a table on the patio during times of civil war) and I was in a Serbian fuck-you frame of mind. And believe me the Serbs take shit from NOBODY.

Well Richard began to go on and on about all the money CBC was wasting by sending multiple crews overseas...why can't you be more efficient....why can't one reporter file radio and TV / English and French ...economies of scale...yadda yadda. Same old rant I'd heard a hundred times.

Next, it was the way the industry was evolving -- and I remember this clearly, because it was just before Joe made his mighty swing...the future, he said - was a promised land of CONSOLIDATION...TV, emails, some weird thing called the Internet -- all of this and more, would be run by phone companies. And we'd all be better off for it.

The CBC had no future. Dead as a dodo. His advice to me ? Get a real job and stop putting my ass on the line for a dying network.

Hence my sense of irony when I read his remarks to the CRTC last week - : (quote)

"Richard Stursberg, CBC’s head of English television, told the commission that the Canadian media industry has reached levels of consolidation that in any other country would be considered unacceptable.

If I was a Serbian, I'd be temped to revisit this debate with him. In the CBC parking lot. Sarajevo-style.

Morningside

2007-09-19T08:01:00.001-05:00

Journal Entry. Monday night, July 9th, 1979.

Twelve hours and almost as many cups-of-coffee later I am too tired to write much but this was A GOOD DAY.

Went to the old radio building at 354 Jarvis and wandered around trying to find the Morningside offices...on the stairs an animated conversation some guy (Starowicz ?) was telling some woman (Susan Reisler, I think) ..."because I'm the fucking executive producer and THAT's why". Okaaaay. Met my Exec - Richard Bronstein - a tough little street-fighter kind of guy who took me to the Red Lion for a three beer lunch. He's only been here a few months replacing the last Exec who took a one-way swim over Niagara Falls. Richard said she'd been turned into "consomme". Nice.

Hung around the studio - watched a couple of interviews get packaged...talked to the techs. Next week both LINDA LOVELACE and SOPHIA LOREN are coming in for interviews. Holy shit what a 2-on-1 that would be, eh ? And so with that image in mind...off to bed - alone.

--------------------

Wednesday, September 19th. 2007.

Ok - I promise tomorrow I will learn how to hyper link. I'm spending about 10 - 12 hours on line every day and I come across a ton of good stuff which I'd love to bring to this blog. Dennis McD at "Dead Things on Sticks" put me on to someone who must surely become the internet's first MEGA STAR - CutewithChris.com - where I'm wasting a lot of time...but on the home front this NFB archives story is important ... the weekly Jim Shaw rants (he's kind of a western, goy version of Edgar Bronfman Jr. -- a gene-pool lottery winner who thinks he's a mogul) are worth a laugh.... and there are a host of docs pin-balling around that I'd like to write about.

But first I gotta figure out all this techie-blog stuff. As you'll see if you stick with me I'm basically an optimist -- kind of a depressive optimist, if that makes any sense -- someone who really likes the biz and is proud to have stuck around this long but is constantly fighting the Black Dog temptation to say "fuck it" and become a...a...a...a...hmmm not sure what because I don't really have any non-industry skills. See why I stick around ?

I once talked to Robert Lantos who told me that the key to a long career was to condition yourself to truly believe that -:

"NO MEANS MAYBE"

...and not to take the rejections personally but remain committed to your instincts - keep the project alive - and place the sting of rejection into some sort of professional context.

I've tried to do that. But more and more I'm finding that I retreat to the bar for a bitch session where I've gotten into the habit of ordering TWO beers (what the hell...I'm going to drink the second one so might as well order it now right ?) and I'm secretly worried that my fate will be similar to that of Eric Malling - who died alone after taking a header down some stairs one boozy night a few years ago. Malling carried a lot of baggage with him not the least of which was his regrets for killing an entire edition of the 5th Estate on David Milgaard back in the mid-80s which was ALREADY SHOT AND EDITED AND READY TO BE BROADCAST. The piece raised serious doubts about Milgaard's guilt TEN years before it became a news story.

But Malling (who's brother was a Saskatoon cop) went waaaaaay up the food chain at the CBC and killed the piece because his brother's buddies in the S'toon police force convinced him that Milgaard was guilty. And Erik always was one-of-the-boys. The producer, an eminent and cultured old pro from Montreal - quit in disgust.

..but nothing so lofty for me now.

Journalism - out. Job - in.

I'm about to start a project with GEORGE ROMERO ...the Dawn of the Dead guy. I've always loved the whole "zombie" pop culture thing. Zombies are, of course an all-too-easy metaphor for those of us who have decided to make a living in this dark business where self-interest and evil-doers rules.

Morningside to Zombies in twenty-five years. Malling would understand why.

My Sharona

2007-09-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry. Friday July 6th, 1979.

McDonald's on the 400 just outside of Barrie - should be in Toronto in a couple of hours. Nice easy drive. No rush now. Monday is the start, eh ? New city..new life..new me. After six years at university and a couple of years hustling around, I finally have A JOB. Weird. 600 a week -- nice. Morningside is a BIG show..hope I can do it. Oh well...nothing ventured nothing gained, right ? It's hot tonight. The air feels kind of silky in that liquid, humid, sexy kind of way. As I look out the window I see truckers trying to pick up girls in halter tops, a guy rolling by in his Camaro (I can hear the bass-beat through the glass)..and a ruby chain of tail lights twinkling through the twilight haze as they head south. Gotta go too. Soon it'll just be lonesome me - alone - in the big city. Maybe I'll even get laid - 'bout time. I can hardly wait.

-------------------------

Tuesday, September 18th, 2007.

Well, our show did NOT get greenlit - but it didn't get killed either. In fact, it didn't get anything...the suits just bumped the decision 'till October 12th. They're not sure if they can afford to pay for it out of their fall CTF envelope. It's not good news but it's not bad news either. What it means is that we can't hire anyone to do the research until maybe late fall. And the fall is a lousy time to go into pre-production because as soon as Grey Cup comes around everyone goes into Christmas booze and schmooze mode. Then nothing gets done 'till January.

Got a call today from my buddy at the National said the ratings are lower than ever. They're expecting the big changes at NewsWorld to be announced after Xmas. Looks like its going to a Canadian version of CNN. All the doc stuff will be shuffled off to the Doc Channel where about 20,000 people will see it.

couple of things of note in the papers -:

1. this issue of digitizing the NFB's library is a big story. Noticed that Harper's Department of Heritage flacks punted it right back to the NFB. Maybe the board should have asked Jim Shaw for advice. He seems to have the ear of the Tories. And if they win a majority in the next election. Be afraid...be very afraid.

2. and this from the ROB

--------------

GATINEAU, Que. — Canada's biggest media companies have been asked to consider the prospect of new limits on the number of broadcast outlets they can own, which would freeze future industry consolidation in its tracks for several of them.

The controversial proposals, raised during seven hours of testimony, left industry executives at several companies grasping for alternatives. They argued that these scenarios, based on rules implemented in Australia, would not work in Canada.

--------

Australian Rules, eh ? If it's anything like Aussie Rules football it will be completely unintelligible (sounds like our broadcasting policy right now).

Blackflies and beer

2007-09-14T20:13:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry -- July 3nd, 1979. Lakeview Lodge. Old Woman Bay, Ontario.

Man..what a long day yesterday was. Big mistake trying to drive from Regina to T-Bay...passed through Winnipeg about 4 had a swim then decided to push on. Kenora at 6:30 ... no rooms, anywhere. Kept on going. And after Kenora there's nothing but the Big Empty. Reached Thunder Bay about 3 a.m. almost blind from hi-beam headlights...ass-holes. Slept 'till 11 and slid on down here to Old Woman Bay. I think I'll have a few beers and hang out. No rush, man. The Sault tomorrow.

-------------------------------------

September 14th, 2007.

Tomorrow's a big day. I'll find out whether a History Television series I've been working on gets greenlit. I hope it goes as I seriously need the cash flow. That what running a little prodco is all about -- cash flow. Forget the journalism or the search for our national soul. I used to have eight people working with me and although I watched our costs carefully I still burned through about 20k a month. Phones, rent, insurance, travel, legals, accounting, some salaries, a bit of development -- and that's that. 20k. I had a 100k line-of-credit which is about the most The Bank will ever give a small prodco. And that line-of-credit went up and down like the toilet seat. And when I got deep into it..the phone would ring and I'd hear a cheery "hey man, how's work ?". My account manager. He must have had some sort of red flag against my file. Can't say I blame him.

We've put a great deal of work into this History show. Especially the title. Titles are crucial.

The WORST titled show I ever did was a golf show called EAT YOUR GREENS. I thought I was pretty smart with that...until everybody asked me why I was doing a cooking show for TSN. doh !

I look for titles that have two..maybe three words. Just enough to fit into that little Bell Expressview menu. My favourite titled show is DOGS WITH JOBS. Nothing fancy or clever. It just works. That's probably why it's Canada's most profitable life-style show ...ever. I think it has sold to over 50 countries. That's serious cash. Many millions of dollars generated by a show shot on a handi-cam by underpaid "writer / directors". I once worked for the prodco, Cineflix in Montreal. They have nice digs. Up in Miles End....tres trendy.

But like Lagerfeld said "after trendy comes tacky".

Moving Day

2007-09-13T23:04:00.000-05:00

Journal Entry -- July 1st, 1979 - Driving from Calgary to Toronto to take a job with CBC Radio.

"Hot, hot, hot. Man is it hot ... these prairie miles are killing me. Elevators and half tons and fat old Ukrainian guys in ballcaps. Had a grilled cheese sandwich and a tomato juice at the Husky in Swift Current -- got into Regina about 3-ish. Five hundred and five miles door to door...hope mum and dad are OK, they looked old and sad and kind of ....small. The C-town boys wished me well and said they'd visit for beers in the big city. Marg did too. Hmmm - not sure about that. Should be way past Winnipeg tomorrow...maybe make T-Bay...four days to go...rock AND roll."

-------------------------------------------

September 13th, 2007

For almost thirty years I've been fighting to find a place in this industry. At 53, I think I've found it. It is a damp little basement where mould grows on the bread in the bread box but it gets eaten anyway and the upstairs neighbours flop around like dying salmon - lucky bastards.

Freelance writing. Vacation relief. Short term contracts. CBC Radio. Morningside. As It Happens. CBC Television. The National. The Journal. Managua. Delhi. Washington. Berlin. London. Toronto ... and since '93 Independent Production.

A few years ago I almost made a million dollars. Really. A little TV show my wife and I created sold 'round the world. When the US Discovery Channel picked it up at 25k per half hour for US cable rights we did well. After all, we had 26 episodes in the can with another 39 financed and ready to go. Do the math. And that was just the US market - we retained ownership to the rest of the world. Once you sell a show in the US the dominos start to fall. Discovery UK, Oz, South Africa, Germany, Japan ... all the big markets pick it up. And then there are all the smaller sales. Israel = 1500 per ep. Argentina = 500. Even the goddamn Azerbijanies buy shows (they're slow payers by the way - ie: never).

After the distributor took 30% plus expenses (Note to file: ALWAYS cap expenses and make sure expense money is NOT spent in year #1 of the distribution deal and keep your deal to 2 maybe 3 years) we still did well. A year later we were getting divorced however after losing it all when a different project went down like the Titanic leaving us holding the bag for 400k (note to file: do NOT sign personal guarantees on company interim financing loans). But that's another story - an interesting one, but I'm too tired to re-visit it now.

These days I try and keep up with all the treetop CRTC policy positions and lobbying efforts of the various craft guilds but to be honest - as I try and feed my kids, I'm more concerned about whether History gets to keep on running CSI - New York and JAG ... whether the new Global management team will try to push the already healthy profit margin at Alliance Atlantis channels up..up...up by laying off staff and cutting licence fees. And whether the CBC will turn the Documentary Channel into a window for the in-house production unit. I think they will. I know it's ALL part of the same "big picture" discussion. But long term policy issues don't put short term cash in my pocket.

My divorce lawyer had a sign over his desk that read -: "faecesi venio" Translation ?

Shit happens.