Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe
by Apostrophe Podcast Network
Latest episode
Trips - The Cruise & Attack of the Treadmill
Trips - The Cruise & Attack of the Treadmill
About this podcast
Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe welcomes listeners into the warm and comforting world of the Vinyl Cafe. Each episode features stories about Canada’s favourite fictional family: Dave, Morley and the kids, narrated by the late Stuart McLean and recorded live in concert. For the first time ever, long-time producer Jess Milton shares rare, behind-the-scenes stories from her 15 years touring, travelling, laughing, and recording with her close friend Stuart.
This is a world that is rooted in kindness, connection, and the laughter of recognition. A world that brings people together to rejoice in our ridiculousness. A world where we celebrate the small triumphs over the adversities of the everyday: like trying to find the perfect gift for someone you love, or the first Christmas without your sister; like trying to stage manage the school Christmas pageant, or trying to defrost a turkey with a hairdryer (we’ve all done that, right?).
Join us. New episodes every Friday.
www.vinylcafe.com
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Episodes
The newest 50 of 179 episodes
- Trips - The Cruise & Attack of the Treadmill · 43 min · Season 8 Episode 9“Bad things happen at sea.” The days are getting shorter but it’s not quite the Holidays. Let’s cheer ourselves up with two funny stories about going away, taking a trip…
- Monsters - Hello Monster & Hallowe’en · 1 h 2 min · Season 8 Episode 8“It was one of those moments that make you wonder if your life is cursed.” Especially for Hallowe’en: monsters! Our first story was Stuart’s favourite. Jess has a backstory…
- Friendship - The Science Experiment & Newsboy Dave · 46 min · Season 8 Episode 7“I found my father’s old chemistry set…” Today on the pod, two hilarious Stuart McLean stories about friendships, old and new, sometimes with explosive results! Ad-free…
- Loading In - The Lost Chords & The World’s Smallest Record Store · 51 min · Season 8 Episode 6“Dave thought, it will never get any better than this. Some people have God, and some people have money, and some people don’t have anything at all. I have this. I have the beat…
- It's Arthurs Time! · 47 min · Season 8 Episode 5“When Stuart stepped off his bus and waved goodbye, he thought to himself: This guy deserves an award.” Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! This week: shout-outs to some new Arthur…
- Performance - Kenny Wong and the Tank of Tranquility · 29 min · Season 8 Episode 4“When things go wrong, when, it is seldom the result of some big thing, it is always a chain of simple things, almost all of them avoidable.” What makes a good performer? What…
- M’Chigeeng - Le Morte D’Arthur · 48 min · Season 8 Episode 3This week we’re spending the entire episode on beautiful Manitoulin Island. We have Stuart’s opening essay from our wonderful visit back in 2010, plus a story exchange and a very…
- Looking Good - The Hairdresser & The House Next Door · 52 min · Season 8 Episode 2“Coming into Dave and Morley’s house is a bit of a challenge. You have to really want to get in.” There’s how things look…. And how things actually are! Today on the pod, two…
- School Days - School Lunch & Planet Boy · 46 min · Season 8 Episode 1“Just one day, she wanted one of them to come home and say ‘Gee, lunch was good.’” The alarm clocks are set, the pencils are sharpened, the backpack is loaded. It’s September!…
- Season 8 - Starting September 11th · 1 min · Season 8Whether you've been on the road, by the lake or curled up with a good book, we hope you have enjoyed your summer. We are so looking forward to welcoming you back to the Vinyl…
- REWIND WEDNESDAY: All’s Well That Ends Well – Car Wash & Murphy’s Bar Mitzvah · 40 min · Season 7"Thank God, he thought, help has arrived.” Dave tries to be helpful by offering to take Mary Turlington’s car to the car wash — but things don’t go exactly as planned. No…
- REWIND WEDNESDAY: Summer Things - Dave and Morley, Dancing · 38 min · Season 7"Dave said: 'You're thinking about dancing, aren't you?'" We’re looking towards summer on today’s episode. We have a script Stuart wrote about a magical evening spent in pursuit…
- We Regret to Inform You: Rejecting the Goalie Mask · 35 min · Season 7Today we bring you an episode from our friends at the Apostrophe Podcast Network – one of the most-loved shows from the podcast ‘We Regret to Inform You.’ If you’re new to the…
- REWIND WEDNESDAY: The Cricket - The Cricket & I Need to Pee · 30 min · Season 7“He’s not well, Stuart.” We’re going way back today with two pieces from pre-Vinyl Cafe days! One is a favourite you’ve been requesting, back from Stuart McLean’s regular…
- REWIND WEDNESDAY: Hero Dave - The Yoga Retreat & Dave's Truck · 51 min · Season 7“Dave chose Happy Hour: Three honey-mint-refresh-colonic cocktails.” The Yoga Retreat: a place of well-being, calm and reflection. Usually. But not always; or not for Dave and…
- REWIND WEDNESDAY: Seeds of Hope - The Fig Tree & Morley's Garden · 41 min · Season 7“Eugene’s fig tree is the best-known tree in the neighbourhood.” We’re all about gardening on the podcast this week, with two Dave and Morley stories about the act of faith and…
- Under the Influence - Setting the Table: Best Opening Stories · 29 min · Season 7This week we bring you an episode from another Apostrophe Podcast network show: Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. In this episode, Terry shares some of his best opening…
- REWIND WEDNESDAY: Bonus Episode - The Boy Who Went Over the Falls · 48 min · Season 7In this bonus episode you’ll hear my conversation with Roger Woodward, the boy who went over the Falls. You loved hearing his remarkable story in our Niagara Falls episode (back…
- REWIND WEDNESDAY: There’s No Place Like Home - Tree of Heaven & Burd · 50 min · Season 7“She was a woodland bird, in the middle of the city, way off course, and she had landed at his feeder.” Stuart McLean tells two Dave and Morley stories that explore the idea of…
- Summer in the City - The Waterslide & Rosemary Honey · 52 min · Season 7 Episode 24“This waterslide was the waterslide to end all waterslides” School’s – almost – out for summer! For our final episode of this season we've got the podcast equivalent of a banger…
- Summer Adventures - MacCaulay’s Mountain & Letter from Camp · 49 min · Season 7 Episode 23"This is the first summer Sam has been in Big Narrows without Dave and Morley..." We are so ready for summer here! Are you? So on today’s podcast we’re talking summer…
- Dads - Field Trip & Dave and the Rollercoaster · 52 min · Season 7 Episode 22We're a few weeks early, I know, but this week on the podcast we’re celebrating Dads! We’ve got two hilarious stories about Dave’s parenting adventures. Ad-free listening is…
- My Dying Wish - Dave Buys a Coffin & Dad is Dying · 54 min · Season 7 Episode 21What song would you want played at your funeral? Dave starts thinking about that in our first story and ends by taking funeral preparation to a whole new level! Our second story…
- Eugene Double Bill - Rendi & Eugene's Teeth · 53 min · Season 7 Episode 20“It has been many long years since he sunk his teeth into anything.” On this week’s episode, two stories about everyone’s favourite Vinyl Cafe neighbour: Eugene! And Jess…
- Gone Fishing - Curse of the Crayfish & Mabou · 35 min · Season 7 Episode 19“I swear I smelled his breath.” We’ve got another Postcard from Canada for you today. It’s about the town of Mabou, Cape Breton, but it’s also about the art of fly fishing. And…
- Where We Gather - Fire at the Old Town Hall · 34 min · Season 7 Episode 18“Everyone in town heard the lightning hit.” We’re talking about gathering places on this week’s episode; those vital places that serve our communities in so many ways. We start…
- Grandparents are the Best Parents -The Mermaid and Other Mysteries & Summer of Stars · 50 min · Season 7 Episode 17“And then one night … there were shooting stars.” Today on the pod, two stories set in Dave’s hometown of Big Narrows, Nova Scotia, stories where the grandparents step in to…
- Community – Defibrillator · 42 min · Season 7 Episode 16“It’s not clear who thought up the defibrillator” On today’s episode, we’re talking about community. We’ll play one of Stuart’s opening scripts, about an inspiring community…
- Cat show - Jim and Molly the Cat · 50 min · Season 7 Episode 15"Galway began flushing the toilet again in the autumn…" For all you cat lovers out there, today is your day. Today on the show we’re all about our feline friends, with two…
- Feedback Episode - Odd Jobs & The Turlingtons’ Dog · 41 min · Season 7 Episode 14“It would work so much better if we could plug the toaster in at the table” Two of your most-requested Vinyl Cafe stories on this week’s show. Some vintage Stuart McLean, at…
- More Postcards from Canada – Tofino & Halifax · 33 min · Season 7 Episode 13You asked, we listened! So, this week on the pod, we’ve got two more of Stuart’s love letters to this country, what we call his Postcards from Canada. Ad-free listening is here!…
- Fun on Wheels - Cat in the Car & Dave and the Bike · 36 min · Season 7 Episode 12"He looked like a kid on a roller coaster. But not one of the happy ones.” On today’s episode, two stories about transportation—and what happens when it takes on a life of its…
- Je Ne Sais Quoi - Petit Lac Noir & Montreal · 44 min · Season 7 Episode 11“Bonjour,” he said. “Je m’appelle Dave.” Stuart loved Quebec and was proud to have grown up there. That influence is apparent in so many of his stories. We’ll play one of them…
- In the Woods - The Man Who Punched Trees · 42 min · Season 7 Episode 10“It was a magnificent tree.” We’re thinking about our connection to the natural world on this week’s pod. We’ve got an essay from Stuart McLean about a Winnipeg tree that…
- The World of Work - Boy Wanted & Carl’s Retirement · 49 min · Season 7 Episode 9“It was Sam’s first year in high school. And it was not going well.” On today’s episode: two of Stuart McLean's hilarious Dave & Morley stories about the wonderful world of…
- Border Crossings - Dave Crosses the Border · 47 min · Season 7 Episode 8“That afternoon, in his first true act of citizenship, Dave wore five lacy bras across the border.” This week is all about the relationship between Canada and the U.S. We’ve got…
- Hardware Stores – Fireworks & Margaret Gets Married · 47 min · Season 7 Episode 7“There is nothing like a wedding to addle people’s minds.” Today on the pod we’re celebrating one of Stuart’s favourite stores: The good old hardware store. We’ve got two Dave &…
- Man and Beast - Arthur the Dog & Dave the Dog Walker · 43 min · Season 7 Episode 6“He wanted to be alone so he could try the beef-flavoured toothpaste” On this week’s episode: two fan favourites: stories about some of the sweetest characters in the Vinyl Cafe…
- Hold the Phone - The Phone Message · 41 min · Season 7 Episode 5"It began simply enough. It began with a phone call." Stuart loved talking on the phone: much of his work revolved around phone calls. Jess talks about some of the memorable…
- Leacock - The Roundabout & Keswick · 42 min · Season 7 Episode 4“What’s in a name? When it’s yours – a lot, apparently.” We’re talking about Canadian humour today on the podcast. We're following a thread back to Stephen Leacock and the ways…
- Shout out to… - Code Yellow & Murphy’s Bar Mitzvah · 51 min · Season 7 Episode 3“Dave’s relationship with hospitals over the years has not been without problems.” The two Stuart McLean stories on today’s episode are connected in a very cool way. Both…
- Après Ski & Other Lessons – The Greatest Hockey Game · 42 min · Season 7 Episode 2“They tried to stop us, says the old man. But we kept playing.” We’re talking about winter sports on this week’s episode. We’ve got two stories about hockey – a Dave & Morley…
- New way to listen: Ad-free and much more! · 2 minSeason 7 of Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe started last week, did you catch the first episode? We’ll be with you every Friday until the summer. Whoo! And for those of you who have…
- Embracing Winter – Holland · 36 min · Season 7 Episode 1“It was the greatest skate of her life.” Happy New Year! Welcome back to Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe! Light a fire, get a bowl of soup, and a cozy blanket and settle in, because…
- Christmas Cheer - Christmas at the Turlingtons’ & Dave Cooks the Turkey · 54 min · Season 6 Episode 16“Did you take the turkey out of the freezer?” For our last episode of the season – and our last before the Holidays – two Christmas classics! Plus, a beautiful, seasonal…
- Best Behaviour - Christmas at Tommy’s & Polly Anderson’s Christmas Party · 55 min · Season 6 Episode 15“First fires…. and then floods” On this week’s episode, two hilarious Stuart McLean stories about being out and about, Christmas visiting. Our first story is one that many of…
- Dave on the Roof - Dave on the Roof & Christmas on the Road · 44 min · Season 6 Episode 14“Eustache was bracing himself for a long and lonely Christmas” It’s December so we’re going the full festive from now until Christmas! This week, two classic Dave & Morley…
- Dave Plays Santa - Dave Plays Santa & Springhill · 53 min · Season 6 Episode 13“Christmas in Dave’s record store is just plain fun” On today’s episode, Jess talks about the challenges of trying to create Christmas magic when you’re not necessarily feeling…
- Gobble Gobble - Dave Raises the Turkey & Dave and the Duck · 50 min · Season 6 Episode 12“Dave stared at the duck in disbelief. The duck stared back at him.” This week, we’re back talking about birds again, with two of Stuart McLean's hilarious stories about Dave…
- Vinyl Cafe: The Musical - Rashida, Amir and the Great Gift-Giving · 41 min · Season 6 Episode 11“Christmas Day is going to be a little strained in Dave’s neighbourhood this year.” Today on the pod we’re all about Vinyl Cafe: The Musical! To celebrate its premiere, Jess…
