From co-founding the legendary Guess Who to the equally memorable Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Randy Bachman is a deservedly well-respected icon in his field.
So what does someone who’s lived it all as a singer/songwriter do in his golden years? Radio, of course! In the company of such musicians as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Lou Reed, Bachman has turned to the airwaves to host his own show. Vinyl Tap is aired in two parts every week on CBC Radio and has been for about four years now.
A Musician’s Natural Pull to Radio
So what is it that is drawing so many musicians to this newfound career? Bachman’s reasons stem from his own childhood.
“Growing up in Winnipeg, radio was my ‘window to the world’,” he says. “The Theatre of the Mind…there’s nothing like it. Then as a teenager it was my link to rock and roll…later in a band, it became my link to the world and the only way to get my music heard. To now go back to that great medium and be able to share my music collection and personal stories of my life in music is just a complete joy.”
Bachman goes on to describe what he believes makes a musician well suited to radio. “From day one, every musician knows the importance of radio to his career. We spend so much time in radio stations doing interviews and plugging our shows and recorded music. It was the vehicle that brought us rock and roll and still is the most important means of communication.”
A Growing Trend in the Business
Bachman is by no means alone in this seeming “musician become deejay” revolution. “If you did a check into the background of most deejays, you would find that most of them were at one time musicians. It’s a natural switchover. We love music and we are messengers to deliver music to the masses. What’s happening now is that more known musicians are being noted as deejays.”
But while some (Kim Mitchell and Kim Stockwood are two examples) are now employing this as a full-time career, Bachman has little interest beyond his two-hour spot.
“No, I would not consider a daily job,” he says. “Although my show is only two hours a week, it takes about ten hours to prepare the music; (coming up with) some glue to hold the songs together; recalling my connections and stories to the music I play; and researching dates and times so I’m correct most of the time. It is not a job for me; it is part of my passion for music.”
For more information on this Canadian icon and the different radio programs offered by the CBC, check out www.cbc.ca/radio.
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