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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-01-18, Page 15• r,[ • icy 4,4 I �I�h�%•i {'r, 1i', 4 • Serving Dover 25,0610 homes in Listowel, Wingharn, Mount Forest, 'Milverton, Elmira, Palmerston, Harriston, Brussels,, AtWOt d, `F got sick of people Murray McLauchlan — one of _ Canada's finest and most enduring singer -songwriter -6 ' with 13 albums to his credit and winner of six Juno awards — is sitting in the Mount Royal. Hotel m Mount Forest on a Thursday evening, drinking a beer. People take furtive second glances at the, man sitting in the corner, clad casually in blue jeans with a knitted white scarf wound casually around his neck. Is that Murray McLauchlan or isn't it, they try to decide over their beers: He certainly does look like the photographs on the record albums for sale across the street at Arny's Studio 146 — the albums with such hit songs as Down by the Henry Moore, Farmer's Song and Sweet Little Dreamer. If it is Murray McLauchlan, what is he doing in Mount Forest? A local photographer arrives, summoned by the hotel management to take a picture to grace the walls of the establishment. It is -Murray McLauchlan. Word spreads up and down Main Street, "that real famous Canadian" is in town. The hotel does a booming business as people drop in, just to have a look at the man in the corner or ask for an autograph. One Mount Forest resident, named Patty, brings in a yellowed copy of the now -defunct The Canadian magazine with a cover photo of Murray McLauchlan and a story titled, "Minstrel Boy: How Murray McLauchlan starts his own myth". Published in October, 1976 the story by Roy MacGregor chronicles his begining years in the business, including his marriage to a "short, dark and overly shy girl named Patti Sockwell" when McLauchlan was "barely 19, dirty .and broke, with no promise." Mount Forest's Patty asks Murray McLauchlan to autograph the article which he_ does with a flourish, writing "All my love to -a good Patti, Murray McLauchlan.' The signature is illegible. - A steady, stream of people file over to the table where he is sitting; telling him that ge, • they love his music and attend his concerts, asking_ for' autographs on everything from scraps of paper to cigarette packages: He ddmplies-witha sriiile, but admits he is iitBire. impressed personallyy with people who can fix his airplane (his pipe dream, he has admitted, , is to represent Canada in the world aerobatic flying competitions) than someone like himself who writes and per- forms music for a living, . • When asked why he is in the Mount Royal in MountForest of all places, he smiles and says he is -"having a beer with his old friend Bob Markle." That'sall. Markle lives in BgremontTewo-ship and is well known in Toronto circles as an artist and writer but to most of the peoplein Mount Forest he is just Bob Markle, a little ec- centric perhaps with his long, greying pony tail, but just Bob. He gets together" a week to play hockey with a group of local fellows on a team they have dubbed the UIC Flyers. Early in November Markle and his be key playing was the subject, of a, column 'by George Gamester on page two of Te' Toronto Star, tinder the title :`Big bad Bob Markle is big on hockey". - "Look ! On the ice! ft's 'a whaled It's a windmill! It's far-out' ar ist Robert Markle playing hockey," Gnnnester opens his column, continuing, "Today, Page Two takes you direct to Mount Forest Arena for an exclusive intervievewithtl a Big M." - Markle jokes in °the column about the great pickup hockey played by his team, the UIC (like, in Unemployment Insurance) Flyers. "Right "Bob," Gamester' writes. "Of course, you're fully employed in theworld of art, whipping, up bold creations such as those neon sculptures that exploded across the walls of the old Markleangelo's restaurant. But now that you're on the wrong side of 40, we're wondering how things are going on the ice." The column winds up with Markle saying about his fellow players, "Hey, we play our hearts out. After I've been out on that ice for an hour, I feel I really deserve all those beers I'm gonna guzzle ... That's the 'whole idea. We finish up just in time for the Happy Hour (at the Mount Royal) . That way we can get a snootful before the wives Show up_„ The hotel's manager keeps a copy of the article in the back room at the Mount Royal. No wonder, then, that Markle would take McLauchlan to one of his favorite town haunts for a brew. ' Rumors abound 'that McLauchlan is in. Mount Forest because .Markle is in- :terviewirig hreforareartiele,of,somers'o'rt: ' Bob is a writer, isn't he? the two men spend a few days together, lunching at the Mount Royal. What lse could be happening? Ther, the truth ces out. McLauchlan is in- terviewing Markle. He is doing a series of interviews with Canadians across the country to be. broadcast as part of CBC's Saturday evening program, Simply ' Folk. Original music1about each of the people interviewed will bep a art of the progrm. Markle explains that :• Murray McLauchlan, who was born in Paisley, Scotland but emigrated to Canada with his parents when he was five' yews old, has always had a strong feeling about Canada and what it means to be a Canadian- _ "He's tired of.eveiyone askinghim why he doesn't go and live in the States, blab, blah, blah," Markle'`saysu."So, he's been asked to do a series of intery ew programs for radio — interviewing a number of people, famous and not so famous, in the arts and not, people, he belts with Canada who might give a better understanding of the country. I got a phone call and was one of the guys he wanted to talk to." Markle says that, although he and McLauchlan' have been acquainted for years, they hardly get to see • each other "unless we run into each other in a bar . niton, Millbank, Newton, Clifford, Vllaflenstein, Draytpn,. Moorefield and Arthur. Wednesday, January 18, 1984 country' : Murray McLauchlan downtown (Toronto) . So, we were com- binmg business with pleasure." • AS. a result of the interview with Markle — ** isn't saying what the content will be When it is broadcast on CBC on Mar. 17 except. that the interview "got kind of silly" McLauchlan• wrotea song entitled Barroom Girls. The program's producer Matt Alajer, says the song is "really pretty" an CHC 'publicist Helicia Glucksman says it is "very, very interesting with a chorus about. barroom girls and Michaelangeo." Malrkle hasn't heard the song or the in- terview but says he heard from the producer. that he liked what McLauchlan had got in theinte%view segment. McLauchlan decided to• interview Markle for the series because, according to Blajer, "Robert Markle has made a major con- tribution to Canadian culture." "The series of vignettes is really Murray's personal look at who makes up the country," .Out Past the Timberline Those A. Y. Jackson houses stand in a sun like blood and rust When spring waters run, the blackflies come Like a cloud of hungry dust Glass, steel towns They huddle down By the U.S. border signs That's the heart of the country But the soul is out past the timberline. Bush plane pilot rumbles out on floats, And then a flash of spray Twelve fuel drums and four Indian kids And their mother fly away ` Down in Toronto Blue suited commanders taxi flying hotels Past the green marker signs. That's the heart of the country But the soul is out past the timberline OhCanada! I would have never believed it. You got in my heart after all You seem like such an endless place In a world that's getting small No, Canada ain't some cabinet man In the Rideau club at election time, Oh Canada is somewhere out there Out past the timberline. Written by Murray McLauchlan, Oct '82 Published by Gullwing Music Ltd. Copyright 1983 (CAPAC) Published here with permission of True North Records , by Lynne Pinnegar ,. 2. 9uRR4.V ALAN Blajer says. Last summer McLauchlan appeared at Owen Sound's Summerfolk Festival and was interviewed for The Sun -Times by Elaine Flaherty. In that article he discussed what he. called his cross -Canada odyssey to in- terview people for CBC programs. "It started off because I got sick of people dumping on the country. I'm in search of the positive aspects of being here," he is quoted as saying. McLauchlan feels, the article continued, that part of the current proiilems and dissatisfaction in Canada comes from a lack of understanding about what's here. He blamed, it on the lack of art or media material that explains the- country to its inhabitants. The upcoming series . on ,CBC will see McLauchlan interviewing the founder of Wardair; Margaret Trudeau, the chief test pilot of the Avro-Arrow, a tow boat operator, train operator, trapper and Markle as a beginning The entire series came, about when McLauchlan and Matt Blajer were having a pre -Christmas drink one year and McLauchlan mentioned that he was thinking of going across Canada and talking to people' to get ideas for his songs. -' `}The little producer's light went on in my head," Blajer said, and Murray McLauchlan's Timberline series was born. Timberline is the name of McLauchlan's latest album, released last fall and con- taining songs with titles such as Red River Flood and Out Past The Timberline. Many of the songs deal with various places in Canada and experiences he has had while there. Bob Rittinger, reviewing a McLauchlan concert at Cambridge's Old Post Office last November, described Timberline as an ' album containing "stylish songs, songs that describe Canada and Canadians from within." McLauchlan brings this ',country and its people to life, describing warm memories in the album's single, Ne rer Did Likg That Train and exploring the.country.'s soul lithe • song Timberline, Rittinger wrote in the_K-W Record. . "Murray MacLauchlan is a fairly well=` known singer -songwriter," program producer Matt Blajer says. "It seemed there would"be `an audience for something such as the Timberline series. The audience • M 4• will have a chance to hear how a sang is created and at the same time learn about some of the 20 or 25 million people who make Up this country." Production started in the summer of 1983 and the first in the series will air Feb. 18 during the 11:05 p.rn. Simply Folk program on CBC Stereo. The first is an 'ap- proximately 10 -minute intergiew with Jan Zurakowski, the chief test pilot of the Avro- Arrow which was . quashed by John Diefenbaker's ..governnnent., The song McLauchlan wrote as "i res'falt~ of the .in- terview, and which will make'its.debut that evening, is simply titled Heroes. Others in the line-up, with 'the original music, will be broadcast on subsequent weeks in the following order, according the CBC publicist Helicia Glucksman. Feb. 25 — an interview with trapper Ale ide Geroux in his home in Lively, Ontario and the song Little Brothers. Mar. 3 — an interview vidith former first lady Margaret- Trudeau with the song A Lady In Spite of Herself. Mar. 10 — tow boat captain Howard Keast of Vancouver will be interviewed, with the song title Song for Captain Howard Keast. Mar. 17 — the interview with Robert Markle and song Barroom Girls. Mar. 24 — an interview with Bob Moore, a train engineer with Ontario Northland Railways and the song, simply called Railroad Man. Mar. 31 — Max Ward, founder of Wardair is interviewed with the song Highways in the Sky. Further programs have' not officially be scheduled into the lineup. McLauchlan will do 13 altogether. Producer Matt Blajer said the subjects for I -the interviews came about as he and McLauchlan sat and talked about the series. "We thought it would be nice to do Margaret Trudeau so we just phoned her up and asked," he said. "Murray has always had a fascination with heavier than air machines and he knew Jan (Zurakowski, chief P.40.,t}kloyt i file Av4rar rr ).,R9 Vie.._ askd� e'fiim: lie Wan ec t u operatorsowe found one:" • • Publicist Glucksman says the music that has been written for the series is beautiful and a. joy to sit down and listen to. ' "The song about Margaret ,Trudeau, a ballad, is magnificent, top ten quality," she says. "God, it's fabulous." A spokesman of True North Recoi ds ire - Toronto, McLauchlan's recording label, says there are no plans to release the music written for the CBC mini-series as a record album. Producer Blajer says it is now recorded on multi -track but McLauchlan and his True North have exclusive rights to it. , The series will provide• the backings of a book, however, that MacLauchlan is planning to do with MacMillan -Gage. Say a few words for the people out there in' radioland Bob! Ni B.„ ti �t+ I