Sounds Like Home

Ok, you’ve heard about Harry and Jamie but I have one last little admission to make.

While I firmly believe that Expats should do everything they can to integrate into their new home country, sometimes you just need a comforting voice from home.

‘Hello. My name is Alison… and I am addicted to CBC radio.’

I remember as a kid thinking CBC (the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada’s national public radio) was boring. In fact, my friend Amy and I dubbed it ‘All Talk, No Fun Radio.’ I mean, what kid wants to listen to a bunch of grown-ups talk about world affairs and politics. Snore… Bring on the Debbie Gibson someone. (Yes, I was a child of the 80s)

I re-discovered CBC when I took Journalism in university. But even then, I wasn’t ‘addicted.’

Honestly, I can’t pinpoint the exact time it happened. CBC tended to be on at the in-laws house on weekends, and sometimes when I was fed up with the 101 songs they played on our local radio stations I would switch it on. But addicted? … no.

My first real need was The Current. Andrew and I would have CBC on in the car when he drove me to work at Saint Mary’s. I would stay in the car until I heard ‘The Voice’ and then it was time to go to work.

I began to love Anna Maria Tremonti’s interview style (and how she didn’t let people get away with shortening her name … ‘that’s Anna Maria.’)

I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me sooner that CBC would have web broadcasts. We had TV in Amsterdam so my news source was the BBC. But one day, while sitting at my laptop in Brussels, I thought, ‘hey, I wonder if CBC is on-line.’

My world changed that day. I found the Halifax feed. I listened to the local morning show (at noon here) and then Anna Maria and The Voice.

I kept listening past The Current and discovered how much I liked Sounds Like Canada with Shelagh Rogers. I was hooked. I have to have my daily CBC fix and then it happened…

The last one… I promise.

So you’ve detected the pattern to my addictions… yes, a cute guy is involved (although the addiction did start without him.) Jian Ghomeshi, formerly of Moxi Früvous, and the National Playlist.

The premise of the show is this:

What if your iPod could only hold ten tracks, and what if you could only change the songs once a week? How would you choose from all the available pop songs: new, old, classic, contemporary and cutting edge. Well, all you’d have to do is download THE NATIONAL PLAYLIST.

THE NATIONAL PLAYLIST will bring you the songs you need, sorted, sifted, debated and defended by musicians critics producers celebrities and you, the listening audience. Every week host Jian Ghomeshi will bring together 3 people who know their music. They’ll each be armed with 2 songs and their arguments as to why their tracks should make the ever-evolving list. Eight songs are on the table; only four will make it onto THE NATIONAL PLAYLIST. It will be your responsibility every week to make room for the new songs by picking the one song you think most deserves the download, the four songs with the least votes are banished from the list. On Friday the new playlist will be revealed and on Saturday night THE NATIONAL PLAYLIST – Countdown will spin the songs that made the cut.

I find myself getting sucked into the song debates… and yes, occasionally screaming at the computer … ‘What?!? Are you kidding? That song is crap!’

I said I wouldn’t… but this week I even started voting on-line.

That’s the last addiction… I promise.