Its personalities make us laugh and its music gets us moving. Yet under the surface, it's both a lighthearted poke at - and a celebration of - who we are as Atlantic Canadians.
It's Saturday, 6:05 a.m. Boing! My internal alarm clock kicks in. My sleepy arm reaches out, clicks on the radio and the cheerful voice of Stan Carew shifts into my consciousness. Weekend Mornings-my favourite time of the week.
What is it about this early Saturday and Sunday morning CBC Radio program that captivates so many of us? The formula is ditsy, bordering on hokey, but we love it. Its personalities-Stan, Deputy Doug, Producer Bob Bauer, Duke the Studio Stallion and Mr. Gibbons, the cranky CBC librarian-keep us informed, entertained and connected. In fact they effectively present the East Coast culture as friendly, fun, curious, quick witted, intellectual, knowledgeable and appreciative of the past. We're all that and more.
People, largely from the Maritimes, call the program to offer celebratory wishes to others, or to voice an opinion about a piece of music played. Some offer a snippet of a song long buried in the "cavernous CBC record library." Many others respond with information about the words, or a particular vocalist, or where to find the music. Or even to offer a copy of a personal treasured piece of vinyl.
Sounds simple, doesn't it? But it's far from that-it's a special, unique kind of call-in show. A little side discussion that smacks of the usual Maritime curiosity often develops with a caller: Where do you live? What's the weather like up there? Did you go to the bluegrass festival in your area last week? I can almost hear that bit of age-old Maritimism: Who's your father, dear?
The program highlights Maritime humour. The gang often crack themselves up with their witticisms, but not in the usual clique and cabal or "this is my show" kind of way. The audience is included-perhaps a caller, or just the listeners generally. That bubble of laughter in the belly often surfaces in me as I share in the wit. My dogs, Kedgie and Tigouche, get that quizzical look, heads cocked as they stare at me. Sometimes they, too, get excited, but then Duke's intervention brings us all to attention. Or Gibbons phones with a rebuke about something obscure.
When I was in elementary school, we had a social studies course. The curriculum was an eclectic mix about people and places, some local, some distant. There was a history component to it too. Weekend Mornings reminds me of that. Either Stan, Deputy Doug, Bob Bauer, Mr. Gibbons or a caller very surreptitiously manages to impart bits of knowledge about our Maritime culture. It's an educational program with the information presented in the most enticing way.
Take places, for example. Everyone knows where Montague or Yarmouth or Moncton is, or Kentville or Campbellton. But how many of us have ever heard of Nova Scotia's Spar Ridge or Labelle or Rivulet? Has Oxbow or Point La Nim in New Brunswick ever been on your travel itinerary? What about Dundee, NS? When a caller from one of these lesser-known places phones in with a request, Stan usually engages him or her in conversation, part of which is situating the location firmly in our heads. One caller recently was asked to give us the bearings of the place from which he was calling-I believe it was Brewer's Mills. "In the USSR" was his reply "the Upper Side of Stone Ridge." That got a giggle from the CBC crew, and the listeners too.
Stan and the boys draw out the kid in each of us. Or the party person, even at that ungodly early hour. I sometimes think that someone has spiked my coffee as the dogs and I do our own special version of a square dance to an old Don Messer tune. I mentally picture the homes throughout the region rocking with volume as catchy pieces are played or sung. I know mine does!
The program is about all the things we love-music, weather, humour, people. The music may be serious or fun, new or old, a local group or from away. Theme days are popular-have you ever wondered how many songs are written about rivers? We learned that there are enough to fill two weekends of Weekend Mornings programs! Farming was another recent theme. I keep waiting for a fishing weekend or two-I can suggest quite a few pieces of music myself.
And what about those mystery vocalist contests? Haven't you been tempted to call in because you know just who that mystery vocalist is… but then it isn't? I'm always amazed that people can correctly identify some of the most obscure performers-and by the reaction of Stan, I think he is too! The Stanley Cup or the Stanley Cap must be the most coveted pieces of memorabilia around.
Perhaps it's living on the North Atlantic that drives us to keep in touch, in the same way dogs need to sniff around their territory to check that everything is OK and everyone is still there. Maybe it's the dynamic, dangerous shape-shifter ocean with its fogs and shoals that keeps us constantly vigilant for friendly sustenance and for the safety of one another. We on the East Coast are born and committed to keeping in touch, so we fill the highways with visiting and rooting around and exploring. And as we spread out farther and farther from our Atlantic homes we use various technologies to stay connected-from the phone to e-mail on handheld computers.
The other way we keep in touch is by radio with Stan and the gang. They create an acoustic rendition of a small town full of gossip, geography, folk tales, anecdotes and music. They instantly connect us to the essence of who and how we are, and remind us of our pride in where we live. Our culture is central to the program. Sure we grumble periodically about politics or the economy, but we don't apologize for who we are and we don't ridicule others. You never hear anybody on the program criticizing a neighbour, and we take and give teasing good-naturedly. We don't laugh at-we laugh with. All aspects of our make up are on the airwaves for a few hours each week.
A friend described the program as being a suspension of the normal formalities of broadcasting. It's as if Stan and his gang of "extreme downhomers" stole into the CBC early in the morning and pulled this off before the suits woke up and got wind of it. By the time they did, the show had hooked so many listeners they had to let it continue.
Our region is only a little piece in the great big puzzle of Canada, but we're such an important piece. Can you imagine what the country would be like without our brilliance, our diligence, our history, our music? Cyberspace brings our culture to the homes of ex-pats worldwide. E-mails are read from listeners all over Canada, and even Europe and New Zealand! Even people who don't have roots here tune in. Stan and his crew help to keep us connected, proud and treasured, both locally and away.
The whole program appears to be off-the-cuff, with the crew often appearing to be off-the-wall! That's part of its appeal. We don't want to hear that every minute is rehearsed and programmed. We want to know that the crew reflects our own lifestyle; that is, they're ready to shift into serious or fun mode at the drop of a hat, that a ripple of humour lies barely under the surface of almost everything, and that they are curious about the callers and the places in which they live. True Maritimers!
Any time I mention the program to others a smile creeps across their faces and I hear how they, too, are addicted. Maybe those who aren't like us don't listen. Those who do listen, like us. And we like ourselves. We like being folks from here, wherever we are.