Molly Johnson

0:00Because what are the memory, I mean, this is the second time. I mean, the first time must have been just awe-inspiring for you to headline it. It is really amazing. It is always amazing at Mass because the place is so iconic. And it, you know, the ghosts that float around back there and, you know, you're standing on the same boards that 40 lightfoot stood on and, you know, nights prior to this, right? It's a very special place. What are some memories of the first one? Did anything stick out that you can recall? You know, I, it was such a blur of sort of head down and get right through that. You know, I'm a, you know, I've been doing this since I was a kid, but I still get incredible nerves.

0:47That's going to be a good thing. It is. Yeah. Once those go away, you know, you're in trouble. Yeah, I think I still, you know, frankly give a shit, which is a good thing, right? Yeah. And I'm working through that. I'm working through my nerves. I work through my nerves a lot of time. Right to play at home. You know, you get so much love out of the audience. You know, it just comes in waves that you just don't get anywhere else. You know, you get all kinds of other things from an audience, but you don't get that historical kind of love that you get from a hometown cloud. It's great. And what are some, I hear there's some guests showing up as well? And great guests, Elizabeth Shepherd, who's in Japan right now,

1:34and really comes back just the day before the show. So there won't be big rehearsals with Elizabeth. She's going to play with my trio. And what I love about Elizabeth is she's a super fantastic musician, very good piano player and a great singer. But I love that she writes her own stuff. She doesn't just hang about in the land of the American songbook. So she definitely digs in there, but she actually writes her own original material, which I think is indivigestion. It's always great, really great. Denzel Sinclair, who's, you know, these days touring opening for Diana Pral, he's a great Canadian jazz singer that you just don't hear enough of.

2:23And he's going to be doing some really interesting, he has really interesting musical collections. So I think that between Elizabeth's great songwriting and piano skills, Denzel will be coming with a very unique used song selection. So it's going to be a lot of fun, those two. Then of course, at the Leitch and Park music school, and you know, just the real, you know, the real importance around music education in kids. It's proven over and over again that kids that have a musical background, piano lessons or the like, their brains just work better.

3:10And, you know, you talk to scientists and doctors and all kinds of people, and they usually had a piano reference, they were interested. Like there's something you said for that. And what Leitch and Park is offering is an after school music program to kids in the GTA who are at risk. And my second biggest drive these days is that very dangerous corridor that any working parent faces, which is your kids are out of school at three, you don't get home till six thirty. For work, right? And that's a really ugly corridor. And if we don't engage our kids and find product and things for them to do in that time, we lose them. And we lose them to gangs. And we lose them to not good activities, right?

3:58And we know that we know that our public school board is is after school care. And yet that's probably one of the more important moments in a kid's day is after school waiting for mom and dad to get home from work. And it doesn't matter how much money you have. Sure, you might, you know, have a nanny or a babysitter, but the reality is if you don't have that, which most parents don't. They're in trouble. You're in the room. So for me, after school programs, especially once I have a music, music based to them are just really important and should be important to all of us. And those region hard kids are coming on stage with you in plain song.

4:45They are coming. I have 14 of them coming to stay with me. And then I've got a group from a Jane Finch area. They do steel pan and they'll be young. And they're going to be playing during the lobby permission to drum up CD sales because my beloved Randy Lennox at Universal. Yeah. Me, me, I've got to deal on my CDs so that the proceeds can go to these music groups. And what's what's what is the song book disc? What disc is this song book disc? OK. No one. Yeah. And I don't know where I want to take it. So many things to talk about. I guess. I'm sorry. Well, you've got to you got me thinking of the schools now and I want to go in that angle, but I got to bring it back to I want to talk about music since since.

5:33Yes, sure. Let's talk about music. Well, because you've you've really traveled the realm and it seems like you're still traveling the different genres of music just given the all encompassing nature of this show. Absolutely. You know, I yourself, but you're just following the path and where that path is going with that musical path goes and your age and what you're prepared to put into it and what you want to do with it. You know, I love my jazz world of soft theaters and well informed, well, educated audience. It doesn't get any better than that, really. I was reading something about you saying your boys love, you know, all the girls Rihanna and Beyonce and things like that. Now, do you ever think about doing covers of that to make them happy or is that ever?

6:21No, no, no. So I love living with these teenagers in my house because they do, you know, keep me right in the moment of what's happening. That and my job at CBC Radio 2, you know, that I mean, I'm playing Canadian on a weekend, you know, every weekend. And that's exciting too. But my kids do savvy. Like for instance, did you know that Taylor Swift's new album, Red stands for read every day? Oh, wow. And she yes, and she's promoting and talking about the importance of reading books.

7:06Good for her. See? Yeah, I didn't know that. What am I getting told me that? That's it makes your sector slightly more like that. Yeah, exactly. No, exactly. No, she has a lot of good stuff. Actually, I shouldn't say that. She does a lot of good things for people. Yeah. Yeah, but it's just an interesting thing. I'm a little bit keen to get for sure. I'm sure you mentioned the radio to morning things. I guess you're not going to be doing this week in Hawksley's taken over. Hawksley doing it for this weekend, for sure, for me. And I had to pray when Hawksley steps in and deals with deals with that chair. You know, and he's always easy. He's great. He's great artist. Is it your go to go to take over when you can't do it?

7:53When you can't do the show? He's definitely. You see his go to guy. Absolutely. Absolutely. He's been trained up a little bit. You know, so we all can speak that CBC speak. Yes, please. Which is you can be you can be funny. It just can't be goofy. Right. Is that the CBC mandate? I like that. It's kind of I got out of it. Yeah. OK. Three years. I'm going to wait. So do what do we also do? Who by foundation? So you want to reenact the festival? I would love to bring that back. I could do that. Of course, there are four years of incredible television footage available to us. But it is really old formatted footage.

8:41So we're looking at ways to make a digital use. You know, some of that stuff was shot on handheld video cameras, much music, you know, much music back in the day. Video cameras, the beauty of it is that, you know, we as a country own that footage because everybody who was involved with drivers to the taters, to the venue, to the insurance, to the musicians, the instruments, the food backstays, the whole thing was donated. Every issue, what that means, as Moses Nimer says, is we have a Gandhi moment. Nobody who's that tape, everybody on that tape.

9:30That's an exciting position for combat. The end right now. And when hearing artists like Kana, I'd say, as a kid sitting at home, I watched it on TV, changed the way I looked at a whole bunch of things. You think you have something to do with a kid changing his mind about what he wants to write about? You know, that's a heavy, heavy, beautiful thing. Yeah, talking about changing minds, things have really, I mean, 20 years ago, the fight for HIV age is really, I'm not on the inside. You're a little more on the inside. I thought maybe I get your thoughts on that. But it's progressed. I mean, I know we're not almost there. People don't, people don't die of it, but it, there is a massive lifestyle change that has to happen with people with the disease. And, you know, unfortunately, in doing my research to figure out where I wanted to go

10:20with this, of course, one of the first people I talked to is the big expert on AIDS HIV. It's none other than our own Stephen Lewis, who, you know, of course, was an HIV, you know, runs incredible programs in Africa was HIV AIDS spokesman for the UN, for the, for the world. He just knows his business. And, um, him as an advisor, he, of course, had to deliver me the bad news that the largest, uh, pocket of AIDS HIV, where it's growing, the fastest, globally, get ready, is in our very backyard in our Canadian North. No way. Our first nation's kids with their intravenous drug use, right?

11:11And their unprotected sex and those incredibly isolated and small communities. It's a hotbed out there. So, you know, that was a bit shocking to me and it's shocking to everybody. I, um, into the North and I've been up into some of those communities and it is incredibly isolated and was being troubled and bored and depressed, freaked out. And I don't blame them. You know, this is a country that has nothing but water. We have nothing but water. And yet there are people in our population that cannot get clean drinking water.

11:58Like, what is that? Yeah. What is going on? So that's a massive problem. It has news about what to do with our first nation's people. We know that buckets of money gets thrown up there. Nothing changes. You know, you know, it's a troubling, complicated problem that I personally don't see that I personally could solve, but I can, I can do one little thing and I can pay young people down here in the South. And get their eyeballs up on the kids in the North. And the way I can do that is by getting, getting those kids to shoot their own

12:46stories, stories and. So I'm trying to do. Yes. Is, are you, are you working on like a TV special? Is that started or is that something you're working on it? I'm working on it. I'm, I'm working on it. I'm thinking about it. I'm talking written what they do about it. Like the guy that edited and put it together live every year is a guy named John Marshall who produced the new music. I'm much music, right? Right. And now he produces Rick Mercer. He's going to the best jobs in the country to run around making sure Rick's funny. He's a good guy. Yeah. Fucking great job. And the only body with a better job than his work.

13:35I mean, people pay him. Our government pays him to make fun of the government. I remember being able to deliver that bit of news to my kids. Right. I remember my, he's now 15 going, so if this comedy shows on CBC is being paid for by CAG's dollars, that being the government is paying these people to make fun of them. I go, yeah, and around about what you call democracy. Yeah. All democracy. I mean, really, I mean, you try doing that in certain parts of the world. Oh, you could have blown a bit. Yeah, absolutely. You could have blown a bit. Rick Mercer, are you kidding me? No, it would not fly. Only in Canada situation. You can see those guys in the state. No, you can pull that off there. Absolutely. No, I mean, John Stewart.

14:21Yeah. Only one. Yeah. Yeah. John Stewart's got a bill, Marlle Mar, but he's late nights up on the dial. You got to pay for Bill Marlle. I got to pay for him. You know, John Stewart, you got to stay up late. That's right. That's what always kills me. I don't know if I can make it to the book, John. You know, it's a book. What else did I want to get to just before I let you? Oh, the Black History Project. What's going on with that? Well, years ago, TD Bank came to me to talk about Black History Month, which I've always sort of felt a little annoyed with because it's a short month. You know, how do you make sense to me?

15:07It just makes it. I get as my mother, who's a civil rights activist pointed out to me, well, you can't discount what it took to get us there, to even have a Black History Month, to even have a Mark Luther King day. So you can't throw that baby out with the bath water kind of a thing. She told me and she's, of course, as always, as most mothers are right. So I said to TD Bank, well, why don't we do a real history project? And here's the book. And it's called the Book of Negroes and it's written by Lauren Sill. And it's a great history of Black struggle. And there's an incredible couple of chapters in there where it really touches down on Afro-Kill and what happened on the East coast of Canada and what those slave

15:54owners did in Nova Scotia, in bringing up slaves and offering them land and freedom, if they'd helped push back the Americans, which they did. And by the way, we won that war. Yes, hello. And then a lot of Black people and some Indians had a lot to do with that. And I wanted that in the curriculum. I want that in the curriculum. That's the goal to get into schools. And so that's what I did was I went and met with Chris Benson, who's headed a TDSP here in Toronto, in Ontario, the crazy, amazing man with an impossible job. He's like, Obama, this is an impossible job. I appreciate you taking it on, but it's been an awful lot. So, but what Chris Benson did was he hired Lauren Sill to write the teachers age,

16:46the book of Eros, which is, you know, by the way, what they should have done with the book, just figure out, you don't change the book. Yeah. You figure out. Some people are great to be taught. Yeah, I know. Well, they just need to figure out how to teach it. And that's what Chris Benson did was Lauren Sill. So now there's a beautiful teacher's age that accompanies that book of Eros for any school board in Canada that wants to take it. And we have you to thank for that. Well, me and Taney Bank and another little group called the store. And let's not forget that Lauren Sill actually wrote the book. Right. Yes. You know, and frankly, all of Lauren's books leading up to book of Eros, all are

17:36beautifully researched with incredible historical reference. With this beautiful fiction. That's how he does it. I thought book of Negroes works is it's this work of fiction hanging very closely to incredible researchers. Yeah, I'm waiting to my mom's reading it right now. I'm going to get her copy when she's done with it. It's a beautiful thing. What are you reading? I'm reading. What's so that meant? Am I reading? No, I'm reading. I'm reading some funny stuff lightly. It's tough this month is to keep media. I'm walking right over to my bedstand here. And I'm reading this fun little book by Alexander McCall Smith. He's that Scottish guy who lived in Box one of from many, many, many years. And he wrote a beautiful series called the number one ladies detective agency.

18:27And it's like the African Agatha Christie. It is. There's just an amazing series and the fact that this little Scottish man wrote that series. It's just I get a kick out of it every time I read one. And they're just sweet and charming books. And at the end of it, you will. Well, you're reading it. You're certainly not familiar happens, which is kind of Africa. It's very slow moving. People could sit under a tree for two days and wait for the bus. They're waiting for the bus. We wait 20 minutes for the bus. We're ready to shoot somebody. If people sit under a tree for two days and wait for the bus. You know, so you get to the end of it. The book, you're like the people. You know, what happened? You realize so much happened. But it's so gentle and great.

19:16And it takes you right to Africa where a place I've never been that I'd love to go. So so it's sort of a bit of a travel of people can great the last reading. Before I let you go, we do something called five questions, five quick questions. One word. OK. Road road or studio? Studio, Lenna, or McCartney. Lenna when you hear a. So I would say I would say George. You can say George. Absolutely. George is my guy. Me too. When you hear a song, what usually hits you first lyrics, melody or rhythm? No, it's a song you've written. You're most proud of. Yeah, I know it's a tough one. And in one word, Molly Johnson.

20:04Courageous. Thank you so much. Hey, man, the minute you said, I was thinking that you're doing this interview. I like this guy. Oh, yeah. That's fun. And then you said, George Harris. And I went, how did I like that? Oh, my God. And that really separate. You can really tell a lot about a person on which people they like. So what is going on? So it's a ringo. Fun, loving. Yeah. Oh, OK. I like that. I like that answer. That's good. Lucky. And I think we can go. Lucky. I am right. Like I think lucky, man. Talk about greatest jobs in the world before. That's that's true. You know, George Harris and his. Basil of blue rodeo, the bass player. Yeah, I know Basil. I'm in the middle of these two knuckleheads.

20:51Yeah. Every freakin day. And they still manage just to write some of the most beautiful songs. You know, exactly. Oh, you're a beautiful and you managed to get them in there. Yeah. Oh, especially the end. Yeah. Powering egos, right? I can only imagine trying to try to do anything. Oh, my God, to be in a route like there's footage of the lead at B sessions where Paul's yelling at him to play. I can't remember what something something he's not playing. Right. He's just like, I'll play whatever you want. Just tell me. And I can only imagine the fights that must have gone on. Well, you know, being creative person, the studios, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I only work with the absolute very best. And you know what? I let them do their thing. I never say a word. I just get the very first person in the room. And then as I want my hotel, that person could do their best.

21:36You know, my dad was a gym coach. So I learned early on power the team and get every one of your players to play to their best. You got to make room. You got to make that room for them for them to do their best work. That's my job. My job is that I like, I don't tell these guys what to do. No freaking way. I just give tons of room that, you know, and I always feed them. Yes. Very important. Very, very important food is critical. I think we spent more time eating dinner last night laughing than actually running the tunes for Matthew. I don't think we really we got through the words. So we had a lovely dinner and lunch to laugh. I didn't ask you that. Let's go. What what what how do you craft a set list?

22:23Are you taking stuff from all over? Yes, I am. I'm taking stuff from all four albums. And I certainly won't be doing everybody's favorites, but I'm doing my best. And just little pockets of time. You know, I'm even bringing back Andrew Craig, one of my piano players from the first albums. Oh, nice. Yeah. Oh, it'll be a fun night. So I got that panel still is going to be hot. People are up and down from it all night long. That's great. Thank God. We don't move it because it caused about three thousand dollars every time you move that thing and inch on that day. Yeah. Well, you're going to be a lot of union guys standing around with their arms full. Yeah. My show. All right. Right. I love it. Thank you.