Tag: petition

  • A bit too much Randy Bachman

    Richard “Friendly Rich” Marsella noted that CBC Radio’s Vinyl Tap with Randy Bachman features a lot of music by … Randy Bachman. If you’ve got your own radio show “to play [your] favourite songs and tell stories from [your] life on the road and in the studio“, you might want to be a bunch heavier on your influences than your own actual work. It doesn’t seem that way with Randy Bachman, though.

    In the 49 unique editions of Vinyl Tap broadcast in the last year, 27 of them feature his own music and/or performances. So in addition to his CBC pay for the show, he’s getting royalties, too. Rich puts it a little better, if a lot more invective filled:

    Bring back quality broadcasting from people behind the scenes who are hard-working and informed…not merely has-been rock stars with egos larger than Winnipeg.

    Given that Mr. Bachman constantly plays his own music on this show, receives royalties for the theme song, and might also be receiving ACTRA payments for incessantly wanking on his guitar between songs, CBC should consider whether or not this is a conflict of interest, as a public broadcaster.

    Richard’s started a petition: Let’s petition to remove Randy’s Vinyl Tap from the CBC: No more BTO on the CBC! I’ve signed it, and I hope you’ll consider signing it too.

    I ran some stats on the show’s playlists (thanks, CBC!), and Richard sure has a point. Here’s a list of all the shows from the last year, showing just the first Bachman-item on the show:

    Broadcast Song Performer Album/Concert Randy Bachman credit
    2011/03/04 Takin’ Care Of Business Bachman-Turner Overdrive Best Of Bachman-Turner Overdrive Live Composer
    2011/03/05
    2011/03/12
    2011/03/19
    2011/03/26 When Friends Fall Out Guess Who American Woman Composer
    2011/04/02
    2011/04/09 Undun Kurt Elling Nightmoves Composer
    2011/04/16
    2011/04/23 We Gotta Change Playlist For The Planet Composer
    2011/04/30 Repo Man Repo Man Composer
    2011/05/07 I’m Happy Just To Dance With You Bachman Cummings Jukebox Guitar
    2011/05/14 Who Do You Love Bachman Cummings Jukebox Guitar
    2011/05/21
    2011/05/29
    2011/06/04 Laughing Guess Who: Anthology Composer
    2011/06/11
    2011/06/18
    2011/06/25 Undun Kurt Elling Nightmoves Composer
    2011/07/01 Raise A Little Hell Trooper Hot Shots Producer
    2011/07/09 Takin Care Of Business Randy’s Vinyl Tap – Guitarology 101 Composer
    2011/07/16 Blue Collar Bachman-Turner Overdrive Anthology Producer
    2011/07/23
    2011/07/30
    2011/08/06
    2011/08/13
    2011/08/20
    2011/09/10
    2011/09/17
    2011/09/24
    2011/10/01 Closing Time Closing Time Composer
    2011/10/08 Lenny’s Warmup And Improvisation Of Autumn Leaves Lenny Breau Cabin Fever Producer
    2011/10/15 Suite Theam Composer, Performer
    2011/10/22 No Time Guess Who American Woman Composer
    2011/11/05
    2011/11/12 Undun Kurt Elling Nightmoves Composer
    2011/11/19 Shotgun Rider Bachman-Turner Overdrive Freeways Producer
    2011/11/26 Blue Sky Day Lindsay Ell Consider This Composer
    2011/12/03 Day Off Michael Carey Composer
    2011/12/10
    2011/12/17 Geh Zoag Ma Doch Die Ding Spider Murphy Gang Geh Zoag Ma Doch Die Ding Composer
    2011/12/23 Takin’ Care Of Christmas Takin’ Care Of Christmas Composer
    2011/12/30 You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet Bachman-Turner Overdrive Anthology Composer
    2012/01/14
    2012/01/21 Any Road Randy Bachman Any Road Composer
    2012/01/28
    2012/02/11 Walk Bachman Cummings Jukebox Guitar
    2012/02/18 Who Do You Love Bachman Cummings Jukebox Guitar
    2012/02/25
    2012/03/03

    Of course, when anyone mentions BTO, I can’t help but think of

    … which is a whole heaping helping of morissettian irony unto itself. The whole Smashie and Nicey thing was supposedly a factor in Matthew Bannister’s decision to fire the ageing and irrelevant DJs from BBC Radio 1 in the 1990s. I wouldn’t dream of making any inference from that …

  • Save Chambers Harrap in Edinburgh

    Harry writes:

    As you may have heard, the historic dictionary firm of Chambers in
    Edinburgh is threatened with closure by the parent company Hachette
    Livre
    .

    They intend moving the English dictionaries to London and the
    bilingual Harrap titles to Paris, involving not just the loss of 27
    jobs in Edinburgh but the end of a publishing tradition going back
    nearly two centuries.  Chambers is a Scottish and British institution
    dear to the hearts of word-lovers.

    Yes, the advent of free resources on the internet has changed the
    world of reference publishing, but it is far from clear whether all
    options for the future of Chambers Harrap have been properly
    considered in what appears to be a very drastic and possibly even
    underhand move by Hachette.  I feel strongly we shouldn’t just accept
    this as inevitable.  Hachette should be forced at the very least to
    undertake a properly full and open review of the situation first, in
    due consultation with the NUJ.  If you wish to join with others in
    urging them to think again, you may like to sign the online petition
    at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/chambers-in-edinburgh/.  It only
    takes a few seconds.

    More at http://sn.im/chambersharrap and http://harrycampbell.blogspot.com.