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 …