VSP is the new podcast being launched by old (well, “veteran” anyway) Canadian comedian Steve Patterson. Comedy fans around the world know Steve Patterson as an award-winning stand-up comedian and the host of The Debaters on CBC Radio. With VSP, Steve aims to bring laughter and learning through interviews with experts who are actual experts and comedians who are actually funny. The weekly podcast begins with a monologue of the week’s events put together by Steve and some of his funniest come ...
…
continue reading
Canada doesn't really have a 'star system' like our neighbours to the south. In fact, many of our celebrities have had to leave the country to find the work and recognition they deserve. Well, THE CANADIAN STAR SYSTEM aims to change that. Each week, host Steve Patterson (CBC Radio's The Debaters) and his producer/co-host Diana Frances (Canadian Screen Award winning comedy writer) interview a well-known Canadian celebrity who then shines the spotlight on someone THEY think should also be a st ...
…
continue reading
On this week’s episode, Steve and Diana chat with the star of the new hit CBC comedy Son Of a Critch - Newfoundland’s own, Mark Critch! Mark explains how weird it was to play his own father while doing voice over for a character based on his own childhood, what it felt like to recreate his family’s living room, and the surreal comedy advice he got …
…
continue reading
In this episode, Steve and Diana go on an EPIC journey with none other than legendary comedian and weed aficionado, Tommy Chong. What do they talk about? WHAT DO THEY NOT TALK ABOUT?! Grab a seat and buckle up because this chat goes everywhere from growing up poor in Alberta and going to church for entertainment, to hustling at pool, to the rise of…
…
continue reading
This week, Diana and Steve chat with the songwriter’s songwriter of songwriters, none other than Mr. Ron Sexsmith! Ron talks about how Elvis Costello helped launch his early career, how the town of Stratford inspired the cover art for his new album ‘Hermitage,’ and of course - he and Steve wax poetic about the beauty of a ‘good pun.’ Ron shines the…
…
continue reading
This week we head east to celebrate Canada’s Queen (and Princess Warrior) of Comedy - Mary Walsh! As a founding member of the legendary sketch groups CODCO and This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Mary muses on why Newfoundland produces so many great comedians, how she’s been playing old characters since she was young, and the origin story of Marg Delahunty. …
…
continue reading
This week we keep Season Two rocking and rolling along with legendary Canadian musician, radio host and storyteller, Randy Bachman! Randy regales Steve and Diana with rock star quality stories from the road, how The Guess Who got their start (hint, that wasn’t their original name!) how Vinyl Tap came to be on CBC Radio and its new, syndicated home …
…
continue reading
1
Andrew Phung & Kimberly-Ann Truong
1:13:00
1:13:00
التشغيل لاحقا
التشغيل لاحقا
قوائم
إعجاب
احب
1:13:00
To kick off Season Two of the podcast, Steve and Diana chat with one of Canada’s brightest, energetic and positive personalities - star of the new CBC comedy ‘Run the Burbs’ - Andrew Phung! Andrew explains how including his Vietnamese/Chinese parents into his love of comedy made them his biggest fan (to the point where his Mom will tell people on a…
…
continue reading
In this week’s episode, we talk about upcoming episodes! Steve is busy preparing for The Debaters Live Tour so Diana and our technical director Donovan announce our Season Two launch date, and how you can see both him and Steve live in person in the next few months! (Fun fact, Diana writes for the Debaters Live tours, so even though she’s not physi…
…
continue reading
In this special ‘bonus’ episode, Steve, Diana and our technical producer, Donovan, recap some of the best answers from Season One to the question, ‘The Canadian star system is…’ Guests such as Allana Harkin, Griffin Cork, Fred Penner, Bruce McCulloch, Terry O’Reilly, Colin Mochrie and Deb McGrath weigh in with what they think the Canadian star syst…
…
continue reading
Welcome to the special BONUS EPISODE of The Canadian Star System, where our featured guest is none other than author, podcaster, keynote speaker, advertising guru, and *technically,* Steve and Diana’s podcast boss - Terry O’Reilly. If you’re a fan of Terry’s insanely popular CBC Radio show and podcast, UNDER THE INFLUENCE, then you’re going to love…
…
continue reading
For our season one finale, we are THRILLED to have the Canadian Queen of R&B and soul - none other than Jully Black! Jully regales us with tales of meeting the other Queen (of England) and shares some of the wise words of wisdom from her mother. She also explains how having a degree in law enforcement has been invaluable when navigating the complic…
…
continue reading
This week, Steve and Diana chat with none other than legendary musician and children’s performer Fred Penner! Fred discusses his long and illustrious music career, which started helping troubled teens early on in his life and how two big mortality checks in his life drove him to search for his bliss. Plus, he explains how he’s survived the critics …
…
continue reading
This week, Steve and Diana chat with musician, author, and community newspaper entrepreneur Dave Bidini! In what might be the most Canadian episode ever, they discuss bringing Stompin’ Tom Connors out of retirement, singing O Canada with his band The Rheostatics at a hockey game the night before his wedding, apologizing to Gordon Lightfoot and of c…
…
continue reading
On this week’s episode, Steve and Diana talk to one of their dear comedy friends, standup, writer, producer and viral sensation, Darcy Michael! Darcy explains how he and his husband, Jer, became TikTok sensations with over 2 million followers after his dog went viral first. Darcy also shares some hilarious life hacks, getting back to touring and hi…
…
continue reading
This week, Steve and Diana chat with none other than one of Canada’s most eclectic and charming musicians, Hawksley Workman! Hawksley talks about his 2020 album, ‘Less Rage More Tears,’ why he loves the smaller arts scene in Peterborough where he now lives and why we should incorporate more comedians into rock shows. Hawksley shines the spotlight o…
…
continue reading
This week, Steve and Diana chat with one of Canada’s hardest working rock bands, The Sheepdogs! Band members Ryan Gullen and Ewan Currie talk about their new album, ‘No Simple Thing,’ as well as the support they’ve gotten from their hometown of Saskatoon, and what it was like landing on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Ryan and Ewan introduce u…
…
continue reading
1
Lorne Cardinal & Christine Robinson
1:00:01
1:00:01
التشغيل لاحقا
التشغيل لاحقا
قوائم
إعجاب
احب
1:00:01
This week Steve and Diana chat with Canadian Screen Award winning actor Lorne Cardinal! Lorne explains how playing rugby has helped make him a team player both in front of and behind the camera, how it felt getting a theatre named after him, and his post Corner Gas career on the CBS drama FBI: Most Wanted. Lorne introduces us to Christine Robinson,…
…
continue reading
This week, Steve and Diana chat with none other than Canadian singer/songwriter/podcaster/author/activist/host/TV star/national gem Jann Arden! Jann discusses the upcoming third season of her hit CTV series JANN and the origins of her hit song ‘Insensitive,’ as well as the work she’s done to stop the inhuman export of live horses via air cargo to J…
…
continue reading
*A NOTE ABOUT THIS EPISODE FROM DR. SHELLEY BOYD: First, it is important to note that information provided today is not meant to substitute for an eye exam with your healthcare provider, and no giving or receiving of personal health information is implied. And also, Dr Boyd wishes to clarify that in compliance with COVID guidelines, her St Michael’…
…
continue reading
This week, Diana and Steve chat with a brand new Canadian citizen, who is also a motivational speaker, author and the CEO/founder of Peace by Chocolate… Tareq Hadhad! Tareq tells the story of how his family’s home and chocolate factory in Damascus was destroyed during the Syrian war, forcing them to live in a refugee camp for years before being wel…
…
continue reading
This week, Steve and Diana chat with the original ‘Survivorman,’ Les Stroud! Les reveals how his love of nature was inspired by Jacques Cousteau and Tarzan, which bugs are the most delicious, how foraging in nature led to his new culinary TV series ‘Wild Harvest’ and his return to his first love… music. Les introduces us to singer-songwriter Angie …
…
continue reading
1
Allana Harkin & Lesley Hampton
1:00:16
1:00:16
التشغيل لاحقا
التشغيل لاحقا
قوائم
إعجاب
احب
1:00:16
This week, Steve and Diana talk to correspondent and producer for ‘Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,’ Allana Harkin! Allana talks about her love of her hometown, Hamilton, producing Full Frontal while on a boat during the pandemic, and why Canada needs its own late-night talk show. Allana shines the spotlight on Indigenous fashion designer and model,…
…
continue reading
This week, Steve and Diana chat with Diana’s favourite Canadian musician (Sorry Jim Cuddy, but you haven’t yet returned her calls), Dan Mangan. Dan explains how the pandemic forced his company Side Door Access (www.sidedooraccess.com) to pivot from being the Airbnb of venues to an online platform for artists to connect with virtual audiences. He ta…
…
continue reading
1
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi & Griffin Cork
1:02:04
1:02:04
التشغيل لاحقا
التشغيل لاحقا
قوائم
إعجاب
احب
1:02:04
This week, Steve & Diana chat with Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who was awarded the ‘World Mayor Prize’ in 2014. Mayor Nenshi talks about how he got talked into politics by trying to talk other people into politics. He also tells us why his political colour is purple, and how his post Mayoral life will include ‘Seva’ - selfless acts of service - an…
…
continue reading
This week, Steve and Diana chat with Emmy award-winning actor Annie Murphy! Annie admits how nervous she was on the first day of shooting Schitt’s Creek, how her mother boldly asked Fred Penner to be in her short film, and how tapping into her dark side was smashingly therapeutic on her new AMC series, ‘Kevin Can F*ck Himself.’ Annie introduces us …
…
continue reading
1
Colin Mochrie, Deb McGrath & Kinley Mochrie
1:02:30
1:02:30
التشغيل لاحقا
التشغيل لاحقا
قوائم
إعجاب
احب
1:02:30
This week, Steve and Diana chat with Canadian improv legend and nicest human alive, Colin Mochrie, who regales them with the tale of his worst gig ever, and how he knows that Peter Mansbridge packs a strong punch. Colin shares the spotlight with his incredibly talented wife, Deb McGrath, who explains how she met the Queen of England, and why she ch…
…
continue reading
This week, Steve and Diana chat with Canadian sketch comedy royalty, Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall. Bruce talks about what it’s like to be back together again for the Amazon reboot of Kids in the Hall, how writing for SNL created his lifelong commitment to KITH and why he develops new sketch talent with groups like TallBoyz and the featured g…
…
continue reading
This week, Steve and Diana chat with none other than Olympic legend, Silken Laumann. Not only did Silken overcome a near career-ending injury to go on to win an Olympic medal, but her memoir ‘Unsinkable’ has helped demystify issues around mental health and spawned her new non-profit, ‘We Are Unsinkable.’ Find out the story behind her incredibly uni…
…
continue reading
This week, Steve and Diana chat with one of their favourite Canadian Sarahs - none other than Juno and Canadian Screen Award-winning singer-songwriter, Sarah Slean! Fresh off having a new baby, getting nominated for a Juno AND her first Canadian Screen Award (spoiler alert - she won!) Sarah talks about how she found out about her latest Juno nomina…
…
continue reading
Our inaugural episode features Canadian comedy legend and Order of Canada member Rick Mercer. Rick shares stories about making television in Canada, meeting President Obama, and how it was so easy to get content for Talking To Americans, that he and his producers got to see a LOT of afternoon baseball games. Plus, a surprise tidbit about Jack Layto…
…
continue reading
1
Introducing The Canadian Star System with Steve Patterson
2:30
2:30
التشغيل لاحقا
التشغيل لاحقا
قوائم
إعجاب
احب
2:30
Canada doesn't really have a 'star system' like our neighbours to the south. In fact, many of our celebrities have had to leave the country to find the work and recognition they deserve. Well, THE CANADIAN STAR SYSTEM aims to change that. Each week, host Steve Patterson (CBC Radio's The Debaters) and his producer/co-host Diana Frances (Canadian Scr…
…
continue reading
In the season finale of VSP, Steve sits down with Pride Ambassador Elvira Kurt to discuss how peforming comedy is therapy and how to be an ally. Jon Steinberg teaches Steve about low cost airlines. Jon, Jennifer McAuliffe and Jeremy Woodcock go wild for the World Cup. Diana Frances tries to get energy drinks to chill. And finally, Steve sings a new…
…
continue reading
This week Steve sits down with music icon and proud Nova Scotian Joel Plaskett to talk about songwriting, performing with his dad, and buildings big and small. Jon Steinberg brings us his first and possibly last “Tech Minute." Jennifer McAuliffe gives an A effort on behalf of bees and Diana Frances says goodbye to Vancouver. VSP Charity of the Week…
…
continue reading
This week Steve sits down with culinary activist Joshna Maharaj to discuss food standards in public institutions. We have a summer wedding RSVP from R VSP correspondent Jennifer McAuliffe. Studdies Buddies Jon Steinberg returns to explain where Canada ranks on the "Misery Index" with special guest host Jeremy Woodcock. VSP Charity of the Week - Tak…
…
continue reading
Steve sits down with Sandra Battaglini to talk about what she's doing to get Canadian comedy some serious recognition and is inspired to write his own letter to Prime Minister Trudeau. We make slogans for the Ontario political parties better and our apology expert returns to apologize for something else he didn't do... VSP Charity of the Week - Can…
…
continue reading
1
Tareq Hadhad: Peace Love And Chocolate
29:40
29:40
التشغيل لاحقا
التشغيل لاحقا
قوائم
إعجاب
احب
29:40
This week Diana Frances speaks with Syrian refugee and successful new Canadian entrepreneur Tareq Hadhad about how he’s been welcomed in Nova Scotia and what he is doing to help others. Steve shares a letter to a racist New York lawyer (with help from Martha Chaves) and you don't want to miss an important VSP PSA. VSP Charity of The Week – IWK Foun…
…
continue reading
1
Denise Donlon: Award Winning Supportive Person
29:54
29:54
التشغيل لاحقا
التشغيل لاحقا
قوائم
إعجاب
احب
29:54
Steve sits down with Canadian music industry trail blazer Denise Donlon to discuss what artists of all sorts should spend their “10,000” hours developing. Plus a letter to Ontario voters and a low amount of higher education advice for Americans from Jon Steinberg. VSP Charity of The Week - War Child Canada Denise Donlon Facebook Denise Donlon Twitt…
…
continue reading
This week Steve sits down with teenage activists Hannah Alper and Taylor Fulton-Girgis, as well as writes a letter to the Korea's encouraging them to get back together to make up for his lost childhood, and of course, we talk about whether hell exists or not with our Catholic correspondent Jennifer McAuliffe. VSP Charity of the Week – WE.org Hannah…
…
continue reading
In this inaugural episode of VSP, Steve sits down with lawyer Jim Bunting to get an idea of what libel and slander are, what the difference is in being sued in Canada vs. the United States and most importantly how can we on a podcast (or you as a person) not get sued for defamation. Also we are introduced to our “Studies Buddies” and Steve shares a…
…
continue reading