Stuart McLean
Encyclopedia
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcaster, humourist and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, best known as the host of the CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
programme The Vinyl Cafe
The Vinyl Cafe
The Vinyl Cafe is an hour-long radio variety show hosted by Stuart McLean and broadcast on CBC radio, BBC Radio 7 and on several U.S. public radio stations. It airs on Sunday at noon on Radio One and Saturday at 9 a.m...
. He is often described as a "story-telling comic", though he has written many serious stories. He is well-known for his very distinctive voice as well as his ability to alter his popular stories to make it distinctive on every show.
McLean was educated at Lower Canada College
Lower Canada College
Lower Canada College of Montreal is an elementary and secondary level private school.The college was founded by the Church of St John the Evangelist in 1861 as St. John's School and changed its name to Lower Canada College in 1909, replacing an older school by that name that was founded in...
in Montreal and graduated from Sir George Williams University with a B.A. degree in 1971. From 1978 until 1982, he made documentaries for the radio program Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning (radio program)
Sunday Morning was a Canadian radio news and information program, which aired on CBC Radio One. The magazine style program was one of the highest budget shows on CBC Radio and featured documentaries, interviews, round table discussions, book reviews, arts reports, puzzles and various features...
for CBC Radio, and from 1982 until 1984 he acted as the show's executive producer. During the 1980s and 1990s he was a frequent guest and sometimes host of Morningside
Morningside (radio program)
Morningside was a nationally broadcast Canadian radio program, which aired on CBC Radio from September 20, 1976 to May 30, 1997. It was broadcast from 9AM to 12 Noon, Monday to Friday...
with Peter Gzowski
Peter Gzowski
Peter Gzowski, was a Canadian broadcaster, writer and reporter, most famous for his work on the CBC radio show Morningside. His first biographer argued that Gzowski's contribution to Canadian media must be considered in the context of efforts by a generation of Canadian nationalists to understand...
.
As a summer replacement show, Stuart McLean created a radio program called The Vinyl Cafe in 1994. By autumn 1997 the show was broadcast every Sunday at noon. McLean's books of stories from The Vinyl Cafe have won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour
Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour
The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour is an annual literary award presented to the best work of humorous literature in English by a Canadian writer. The award is a tribute to well-known Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock , and is accompanied by a cash prize of $15,000...
three times.
McLean retired in 2004 as a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the School of Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
at Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Since 1998, Stuart McLean has taken The Vinyl Cafe on the road to theatres across Canada. The Vinyl Cafe is broadcast every weekend on CBC Radio and is also heard via satellite radio around the world and on public radio stations in the US, as well as a weekly podcast.
Discography
- Christmas Concert At The Vinyl Cafe (Audio Book CD) (1997)
- Vinyl Cafe StoriesVinyl Cafe StoriesVinyl Cafe Stories is an 2-CD album by Stuart McLean released in 1998 by Vinyl Cafe Productions.These stories were recored in concert at: Glenn Gould Studio at The CBC Broadcasting Centre in Toronto during 1997 and 1998; and at the Centrepointe Theatre in Nepean, Ontario, on January 14, 1998; The...
(1998) - The Vinyl Cafe On TourThe Vinyl Cafe On TourThe Vinyl Cafe On Tour is an 2-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.This collection of stories was taken from CBC Radio concerts that were taped in St...
(1999) - Vinyl Cafe Odd JobsVinyl Cafe Odd JobsVinyl Cafe Odd Jobs is an 2-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.This collection of stories was taken from CBC Radio concerts that were recorded in Burgessville, Lindsay, Markham, and Toronto in Ontario; in Sherwood Park, Alberta; and in Vancouver, British Columbia.Recorded...
(2001) - Vinyl Cafe Inc. Coast to Coast Story ServiceVinyl Cafe Inc. Coast to Coast Story ServiceVinyl Cafe Inc. Coast to Coast Story Service is an 2-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.This collection of stories was taken from CBC Radio concerts that were recorded in Banff, Calgary, Toronto, Kingston, and Outremont....
(2002) - A Story-Gram From Vinyl Cafe Inc.A Story-Gram From Vinyl Cafe Inc.A Story-Gram From Vinyl Cafe Inc. is an 2-CD album by Stuart McLean released by Vinyl Cafe Productions.Stuart McLean’s The Vinyl Cafe, one of CBC Radio’s most popular programs, is a weekly ritual for tens of thousands of Canadians...
(2004) - Vinyl Cafe: A Christmas Collection (2005)
- Stuart McLean's History of Canada (2006)
- An Important Message From The Vinyl Cafe (2007)
- Vinyl Cafe: Storyland (2008)
- Vinyl Cafe Planet Boy (2009)
- Vinyl Cafe: Out and About (2010)
Awards
- ACTRAACTRAThe Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists is a Canadian labour union representing performers in English-language media. It has 22,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media....
award for best radio documentary for coverage of the Jonestown massacreJonestownJonestown was the informal name for the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, an intentional community in northwestern Guyana formed by the Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones. It became internationally notorious when, on November 18, 1978, 918 people died in the settlement as well as in a nearby...
, 1979 - Canadian Authors Association Best Non Fiction book for Welcome Home, 1993
- Rooke Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching, Research, and Writing: Trent University, 1994–95
- Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, "Home From Vinyl Cafe", 1999
- Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, "Vinyl Cafe Unplugged", 2001
- Canadian Author's Association Jubilee Award, for "Vinyl Cafe Diaries", 2004
- Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, "Secrets From the Vinyl Cafe" 2007
Honorary Degrees
- Professor emeritus at Ryerson University
- Nipissing University (EdD(H))
- University of Windsor (Lld)
- Trent University (DLH)
- Served as Honorary Colonel of the 8th Air Maintenance Squadron at 8 Wing, Trenton from 2005 to 2008