Spin. Time. DJ.

Back in mid-March I received an email from Matt Rainnie, personable host of CBC Mainstreet: would I be interested, he asked, in being the “Spin Time DJ” for the show on an upcoming Friday.

Would I be interested? Of course I’d be interested. Had I not been dreaming of this very moment for years!

Spin Time DJ,” for those from away, is a regular Friday feature on the afternoon radio show where a guest is invited, in 22 short minutes, to relate their life story, punctuated by three meaningful songs. Here’s Ashley Belanger-Birt doing itAnd Bill SchurmanAnd John Connolly.

As a non-Islander of no particular note, I’d long ago given up hope that I’d one day be called up to the bigs. But dreams do come true.

So plans were made to record this morning.

And then the hard part.

Summarize my life in three songs. Not easy, as it turns out.

For a while there I had a strong plan to go completely Kobayashi Maru, and set aside popular music in favour of sounds of Japanese coffee shops and walks in the woods behind my childhood home. Is there not music in nature?

But I pulled myself back from the edge, dug in deep, and came up with three songs I’m very happy with.

Matt and I had a nice chat this morning, backed by the audio engineering prowess of David Rashed, and the segment will air Friday, April 9, 2021 after the 5:30 p.m. news. You can listen live on the radio if you’re near, on the web stream if you’re not, and the episode will be posted to the Mainstreet website on Monday.

——

Postscript: Here are the three songs I choose:

  1. Jane Siberry and David Ramsden, The Love I Have for You (3:51), from the 1990 cassette “Quiet Please, There’s A Lady On Stage,” recorded live at the Cameron House in Toronto.

  2. Shawn Colvin, This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) (4:01), from the album 1994 album “Cover Girl,” recorded live at the Bottom Line in NYC, August 1993.

  3. Karine Polwart, Labouring and Resting (3:14), from the 2017 album “A Pocket of Wind Resistance.”

Comments

Steven Garrity's picture
Steven Garrity on April 8, 2021 - 14:38 Permalink

Welcome to the Prince Edward Island cultural elite!

What they ask: Can you pick a few songs you like and tell us why?

What we hear: Can you define yourself, the sum of your human experience, and your aspirations as a human with three songs?

vbj's picture
vbj on April 8, 2021 - 16:44 Permalink

Guessing one might be a Karine Polwart song...

Leo's picture
Leo on April 9, 2021 - 12:16 Permalink

Peter - looking forward to hearing your segment --
I was going to guess Karine Polwart as well !

FAS's picture
FAS on April 8, 2021 - 18:30 Permalink

Pomplamoose’s cover of “Unwritten” for the finale is my guess.

FAS's picture
FAS on April 8, 2021 - 18:35 Permalink

... a beautiful May Erlewine tune too, perhaps?

Jordan Bober's picture
Jordan Bober on April 9, 2021 - 12:53 Permalink

This is going to be good!

Darcie's picture
Darcie on April 9, 2021 - 13:19 Permalink

Looking forward to it.

Sandy's picture
Sandy on April 9, 2021 - 19:04 Permalink

Nice job on Spin Time, Peter. I just downloaded Karine Polwart. Looking forward to listening to her.

Thelma's picture
Thelma on April 9, 2021 - 22:51 Permalink

Jane, Shawn and Karine, you are my kind of DJ! I want to know more about the Texas nannying gig.

Jonas's picture
Jonas on April 12, 2021 - 05:33 Permalink

That was a wonderful show Peter!