“…and then there was one “

One of the greatest bands to ever walk our stages and play with our hearts has been taking the final curtain – one by one.

Ricky Danko

Levon Helm

Richard Manual

This week – the heart of The Band -  Robbie Robertson

Left to carry the flag Garth Hudson.

Very few artists can ever lay claim to changing popular music. Just a handful.

Then one day it hits you– hammers you actually.  You get total clarity and begin to change everything you’ve known and held sacred.   So it was when Eric Clapton heard The Bands Music from Big Pink.  It was like all of a sudden he heard this record and said to himself, “Now this is what music should sound like.” For me personally– this has always been one of the most interesting moments in rock music history.

My pal Corey Wood called me just as I was finishing recording Saturdays Stew. “sorry to tell you this but Robbie’s gone”

He knew how special I thought Robbie Robertson was.

Dixie Down, Cripple Creek, I shall be Released, Chest Fever, King Harvest, Stage Fright, Acadian Driftwood, Somewhere down the crazy river. Once were brothers.

 

On the eve of the 50th anniversary of The Band’s landmark self-titled 1969 album, Terry David Mulligan catches up with Robbie Robertson. As the lead guitarist and principal songwriter for the brotherhood known to all as The Band, Robertson holds an esteemed place in music history.

On September 20th, his sixth solo album Sinematic will be released. The record will be followed by the release of the documentary Once Were Brothers, the story of The Band on film. Robbie talks with Terry about his many projects, including the soundtrack he wrote for Martin Scorcese’s film The Irishman.  

The Oscar Awards are always one of the stand out events of any year!

This year is no exception.  It is, after all,  the year following

The Slap!!

Oscars  take place Sunday March 12 Live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

For many delightful  years I was the co-host and then host of Movie Television for CityTV.

The key to the success of MT across Canada and around the World was the support staff. We talked film 24-7.

That’s what I wanted to recapture with this Episode of The  Mulligan Stew Podcast.

Film fans and film friends just riffing  thoughts and calling out the possible winner of various awards.

 

Actor/Actress

Supporting actor/actress

Director

Screenplays

Adapted Screenplay

Film of the year

 

Our guests and my dear friends are –

Lorraine Clark – Associate Producer

Alfred Tonna – Post Production Director & Segment Producer.

Dan Duford – Producer.

Between we four, we have visited 100’s of film sets capturing the story of the film and 1000’s of media junket interviews with the stars.

Have a listen and see if you agree.

Radio and TV broadcaster Stu Jeffries is best known as the host of CBC TV’s Good Rockin’ Tonight and is currently the morning show host at Boom 97.3 in Toronto. In this fascinating chat with host Dan Hare, Stu talks about: his early days in radio; how he got the Good Rockin’ Tonight job; interviewing some of the biggest international and Canadian musicians; the Brian May “incident”; the two musicians who were mean at interviews; his take on the future of commercial radio and so much more. You can check out Stu @ Boom 97.3

Two Words – Jann Arden

Long time friend. A completely singular artist.

In concert she’ll have you laughing so hard it will be through tears.

Then she sings – man does she sing – and you’ll find yourself freely flowing more tears.

I have been blessed to have had a close-up focus on this life and career.

For over 35 years Jann and I have crossed paths and occasionally stopped to talk with a microphone between us.

While I was busy telling music and film stories Jann was nominated for 19 Junos – Winning 8. Won MuchMusic awards and now is on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

She’s been acting, hosting, judging, recording, and touring with her small group and with orchestras large and small.

Basically, with the support and guidance of manager Bruce Allen, Jann Arden has become a Canadian Super Star.

These two interviews are from our archives.

The first is from April 2016 – at the Junos in Calgary where she was co-hosting.

I attended a press conference and she was completely surrounded by the media ..so I went off to the corner and found the only two chairs in the room, with a small table.

I set up my field recorder and waited.

When she was done, Bruce walked Jann over and we had a chat. Here’s the exchange of ideas and thoughts.

[caption id="attachment_26146" align="alignnone" width="645"] Juno Interview-Terry David Mulligan, Corey Wood, and Jann Arden[/caption]

The second interview is from Dec 2017...Jann’s on tour and I wanted to talk to her about her book Feeding My Mother: Comfort and laughter in the kitchen as my Mom lives with memory loss. 

She and her Mom were best friends and a force.

This interview has stayed with me for the last 5 years. Heartbreaking and revealing,

Thank You Jann.

My pal Jason Priestley and I have stepped into the world of wine. The difference is, we’re not consumers,  we’re partners with winemaker Michael Mosny at Winemakers Cut in Oliver, BC.

Jason for several years had been an investor in Black Hills Winery, the maker of the iconic Nota Bene.

After the sale of Black Hills, I continued to search for exceptional terroir capable of producing a peerless Bordeaux-style blend. Throughout this journey, I merged paths with Terry and then Michal. Together, we questioned what we already know, over and over again,” said Priestley. “After looking everywhere, all roads lead to one answer and the answer is once again in the Okanagan. This time, the difference is in the details, with a focus on elegance and finesse.”

 

“I heard about Canadian wine for the first time from Terry and Jason’s international television show, Hollywood and Vines TV, and it quickly became my passion  They are the reason why I decided to move here with my wife in 2012 and make wines in the Okanagan Valley.”   Slovakian-Canadian Michal Mosny is the proprietor of Winemaker’s CUT, an acclaimed winery based in the District Wine Village in Oliver, BC.

Q&A started rolling out in November of 2022. It's just now starting to show up on select wine store shelves and restaurant wine lists.

 

It’s a Bordeaux-inspired blend ..

45% Cabernet Sauvignon

38% Merlot

13% Cabernet Franc

4% Petit Verdot

 

100% Yummy!

 

Here’s the first Q&A gabfest on The Mulligan Stew Podcast

 

Dec 17^th was never going to be just another Stew.

It’s the first of two Christmas shows.  The Christmas vibe is always different for so many reasons. Some want nothing to do with it. Many embrace it fully. I’m an All In guy.

Thankfully some find a way to give back and make a difference. Food Banks, shelters, packages left on doorsteps, etc.

I grew up in North Vancouver where my Father was a Game Warden.

His close friends were police officers and firefighters.

So I’ve always had a connection to that location and community.

I saw a posting go by a week ago and it shone a light for me.

I hope it does the same for you. Please let your audience know that they can help the people of Ukraine through a brutal Winter and War. The complete interview can be heard on Mulligan Stew Podcast and my YouTube Channel. THANK YOU

North Shore Fire Departments Launch Project Frozen: Winter Clothing & Blanket Blitz for Ukraine In a Canadian first, all three North Shore fire departments have teamed up in a two-week collection blitz to send a mountain of winter clothing and blankets to Ukraine. This winter in Ukraine will be the bleakest in anyone's lifetime. No power, no heat, no light, or intermittent at best, for much of the country, which is bigger than Canada. Project Frozen, led by the District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (DNVFRS) and Defend Ukraine Foundation (DUF), hopes to collect 3,000 winter jackets and blankets, and $15,000 for shipping, by December 20. This is an ambitious project: Reynolds and Mudry hope to fill a 40-foot sea container with 20 pallets of winter gear, each 40' x 48" x 8 feet high

Tax-deductive donations to fund shipping can be made through either: - District of North Vancouver Firefighters Charitable Society: www.dnvfirecharity.ca (PayPal, credit card, cheque - mark "Ukraine") - Defend Ukraine Foundation www.defendukrainefoundation.ca (cheque or wire)

My guests at the  top of hour two are Firefighter Jared Reynolds and Retired Investigator Brent Mudry.(paternal grandparents from Ukraine)

 

We can help this humanitarian effort:  clothing for a Ukraine Winter

by donating to

DNVFire Charity.ca

DefendUkrainefoundation.ca

Thank you

Ariel Posen is the guest.

I've spent a lot of time attempting to describe who he is and what he does.

-Winnipeg born now Montreal. Became the go-to guy for guitar work. ..precise vocal harmonies – and very interesting songs.

I still can't explain what he does with the guitar, that is until you hear him play.  WOW.

He came to prominence with The Bros. Landreth then went solo.

Latest EP is Downtown. Releases Mid July but we have several tracks for you.

Anyway. Because I can't do the man and his playing justice I’ll leave you with some quotes from his last tour in the UK 2020.

Episode #200 – it’s a blur but I think captures what the times were like during a pandemic. The role that music played in getting people through.

Joni and I shared a band house in Regina. For 10 days.  Maybe 1966.

Then we reconnected when I hosted the first Greenpeace concert that Joni headlined in Vancouver. We would cross paths much later at The Last Waltz.

This is a video interview I can’t remember doing. I also had forgotten the Greenpeace concert for some bizarre reason.

She talks about  The Last Waltz, being incorrectly painted as a Canadian ex-pat in LA,  the effect her songs have on people, the changing of “the old guard” at the Last Waltz, and how she wasn’t ready to retire.

We cover a lot of subjects and her music history.

How she calls her songs “her babies” and that it's part of female nurturing

She waxes about Dylan, Steely Dan and answers the question do we know her as well as we think we do? Joni speaks out strongly on Indian rights!!

Neither one of us mention an album or name a song.  So I’m not exactly sure when this was recorded. But I’m thinking 1982???

I mention she’s on a speaking tour and Joni talks about organizing a date with  Sting,  Peter Gabriel, Bryan Adams that speaks of The Human Rights Concerts (Live in New Jersey). That first concert was in 1986..so let's call this interview mid-80s.

The time of

82’s Wild Things Run Fast

86’s Dog Eat Dog

88’s Chalk mark in a rainstorm

 

Being influenced by Steely Dan, Thomas Dolby, Willie Nelson, and Peter Gabriel.

It’s the perfect interview to celebrate Podcast 200.

(Thank You Elliott Garnier and Corey Wood for getting me there)

God Bless Joni Mitchell