Famous Lost Words

A Famous Lost Words drinking game?  Is this REALLY a good idea? Tom proposes a non-alcoholic version that is based solely on his own (many) verbal quirks.

For our last episode of season 9, we begin with Carly Simon in conversation with broadcaster Ingrid Schumacher in 1987.  This was a great year for Carly because she had just worked on the soundtrack for the movie “Heartburn” and her new album “Coming Around Again” would prove to...

This week, a very good example of the wide range of artists in the Famous Lost Words archives…

            First up is a collection of early ‘70s conversations with Crosby, Stills & Nash, where David, Stephen and Graham cover the entire history of the group.  Plus, maybe Tom’s worst interviewing moment when Stephen Stills takes him to task for asking what we thought was a reasonable question.  That’s this week on When Rock Sta...

 This week, part 2 of our series on R&B, Soul, Disco and Hip-Hop!  As usual, we have a great collection of interview clips with some of the greatest artists of the genre.

-        Tina Turner breaks down her performing style (and explains why she didn’t like her voice)

-        Michael Jackson recalls the earliest days of The Jackson 5

-        The O’Jays explain how they initially rejected one of their biggest hits

-      ...

            It’s part 1 of our epic two-part celebration of Soul, R&B, disco and hip-hop!  We’ve gathered an incredible collection of interview moments with some of the greatest artists of the genre.

We’ll hear from:

• Gladys Knight & The Pips – Gladys breaks down every element that goes into making a great record. She also rightly insists there should be a Grammy Award for backing vocals.
• Earth Wind & Fire – tal...

In this special episode, we pay tribute to the late Myles Goodwyn, the lead singer and songwriter of April Wine.

Myles was seemingly in good health and spirits in late September as he and April Wine were inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.  Goodwyn was also inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame.

We feature two segments from the Famous Lost Words archives.  First up is Tom's 2021 interview with Myles who told wonder...

            In what can only be described as a hell of a coincidence, this week we feature a series  of clips with Daryl Hall & John Oates.  These are particularly interesting in light of the news of Daryl suing John, and even asking for a restraining order against his old friend and bandmate. 

First up is both guys from 1981, around the time of the “Voices” album. Then about a year later in ’82, it’s Daryl Hall talking to us ...

          This week... an absolute gem – a 2004 interview with Prince. You’ve never heard him sound so loose and relaxed as he talks about playing live, his legacy, working with his incredible band and his fight with his record label.

          He’s also very funny.  After one fan asks about Prince’s legendary vault of unheard music, Prince looks at the guy and says “Hmmm….I’m trying to figure out if you fit the profile of a bootl...

            This week – it’s the finale of our epic three-part celebration of New Wave!  Among the shows highlights…

⁃ Phil Oakey of Human League talks about his musical ineptitude as well as the League’s worst concert ever
⁃ Chrissie Hynde explains the meaning behind the Pretenders breakout hit “Brass In Pocket”
⁃ OMD discuss how a love song about an infamous war plane became their first hit
⁃ Boy George takes a shot at ...

          What is the greatest New Wave album of all time? Christopher and Tom (along with our special guest, Rob Preuss of The Spoons) break down the results of our recent listener survey.  They also answer the question: Is The Clash REALLY a new wave band??

          Plus, we feature some amazing interview clips from the archives…

• David Byrne talks about creating the stage show for Stop Making Sense – and explains why his...

This week, we kick off our most ambitious series yet – it’s the music of New Wave.  We dove deep into the archives for classic interviews that encompass the “twitchy, but tuneful” music of the early ‘80s.  And for this episode, Christopher and Tom welcome former Spoons keyboardist (and Broadway music director) Rob Preuss!  Rob is a New Wave geek who was not only in the middle of the explosion of new music, but he worked with, toure...

In our Season 9 premiere, we feature a couple of amazing interviews with Paul McCartney.  First up, from 1976, Paul tells Canadian broadcast legend Roger Ashby about his creative process, his influences and the long shadow of The Beatles.  And from 1980, Macca describes how he ended up playing the bass originally, the inspiration for making “Sgt Pepper” and the tensions in creating The White Album.  And in chilling comments made we...

We are just a matter of days away from the start of Season 9 of Famous Lost Words.  We predict it will be one of our best seasons yet, because we are FINALLY going to release our New Wave episodes! Almost a full year after we first promised, we will feature the likes of Human League, Devo, XTC, Blondie, The Spoons, Duran Duran, Pretenders, Simple Minds, Soft Cell, Howard Jones and many more.  And for those episodes, we will welcome...

This is a special tribute edition of Famous Lost Words as we honour the life and music of Robbie Robertson.

Today, we go back in the archives for some excellent interview clips with Robbie – first from the early ‘70s when he was still in The Band – and then to 1998 as he talks about his solo work.

          Robertson talks about hooking up with Bob Dylan in the mid ‘60s and also the creation of “The Basement Tapes”.

          Th...

Today, we’re digging deep into the Famous Lost Words archives as we remember Tina Turner. 

            First up is a series of interview clips with Tina from the early ‘70s as she recalls the early days of her career – from the moment that she first jumped up on stage to her years with Ike Turner and her work with Phil Spector.  She talks about her performing style and why she didn’t much care for her own voice.  And she recalls t...

In this special tribute edition, we remember the life and career of Gordon Lightfoot.  In this episode, we have interview clips from over the years.  It's a rich treasure trove of highlights in which you'll get to know Lightfoot very well.  His thoughtfulness, his love of songwriting, his regrets, his ambition and his sense of humour.  

We'll feature a 2006 interview with musician Robbie Lane, in which Gord recalls his early years...

            We’re finishing off season 8 with a real banger! 

First up is one of the best interviews from the archives – a 2007 chat with Mike Reno of Loverboy. Mike is a gifted storyteller as he explains the origins of the band’s name, why a legacy band creates new music, and why they were embraced by MTV immediately.

            Mike also talks about their late bassist Scott Smith, who was declared missing when he was swept ove...

          This week: a fascinating in-depth interview with The Bee Gees, circa 1976. Roger Ashby talks about the recent success of the “Main Course” album (with songs like “Nights On Broadway”, “Jive Talkin’” and “Fanny”), as well as their latest album, “Children of The World”, where they dabble in disco for the first time (“You Should Be Dancing”).  They also discuss their vocal influences, including The Everly Bros and The Mills ...

David Crosby was a towering figure in music history. As a founding member of The Byrds and then with Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, he was there at the start of the folk rock era and was an essential element in the sound of those bands. His unique approach to vocal harmonies helped to define those groups and their influence is heard to this day.

  Christopher interviewed Crosby in 1989 as he was u...

Special tribute episode: 

In light of the recent passing of Lisa Marie Presley at the age of 54, we have two interviews.  One is with Lisa Marie from 2005, promoting her second album. Lisa Marie is very candid and personal during this chat with Roger Ashby and Marilyn Denis, as she talks about her music, her childhood, and trying to raise her kids in a normal way. As you can imagine, the whole thing is tinged with tragedy.

The se...