Feb. 6: On Fire!
What's on DNTO: Feb. 6
The creative force of the flame! Sook-Yin in the Angel of the Apocalypse sculpture by the Flaming Lotus Girls at the WinterCity Festival in Toronto at Nathan Phillips Square.
Fire good, or fire bad? Well, probably both... so this week, we look at how we use fire for our own good, and how we deal with it when it turns on us.
One of the great uses of fire is getting rid of what we don't want... permanently. Sook-Yin heads to the street to find out what you'd like to throw on a fire.
Some kids watch cartoons on Saturday morning... but not Jennifer Quist. She'll tell us why the fire prevention video she watched as a kid made her a "pyrophobe."
Why does fire fascinate kids... and what's the line between a normal interest in it, and budding pyromania? Mike O'Brien finds out.
Doug Holmes tells us how he learned the power of fire as a kid... and how he learned that Santa can read smoke signals.
And graphic novelist Chester Brown explains how he used fire as a teen to cover up some very incriminating evidence....
We know that fire has a powerful effect on humans. But what if we told you that fire is what makes us human? That's the argument biological anthropologist Richard Wrangham makes in his book Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. We'll find out how combining fire and food made us the animal we are.
Most of us rarely get to experience a true inferno. But every year, thousands of people head into the desert for that very purpose. Steve Comeau will tell us about his Burning Man experience... including what happened when the giant Burning Man was set ablaze a bit too early...
What goes through your mind as your house is burning? Or, perhaps even more importantly, afterwards? Diane Flacks tells us what happened when her house burned down.
In many Canadian cities, it is just plain illegal to light a fire outside. So is this a reasonable safety precaution... or a denial of our primitive "right to bear fire?" Sook-Yin takes mic in hand to get your take on it.
Within seconds, 14-year-old Brent Runyon made two decsions that changed the rest of his life. One was to start a fire. The other was to put it out. Sook-Yin will talk with the author of The Burn Journals about the fire that changed his life.
It's hard to picture a more idyllic family scenario than Mom, Dad, and kids gathered around the fireplace. Emm Gryner knows that feeling. She'll talk about why the fireplace is so important to her... and play us a song, live in studio.
We'll go inside the mind of the people who set fires…and the people who put them out with mystery novelist Debra Richardson, author of Flashpoint.
The Flaming Lotus Girls make incredible sculptures out of a variety of materials... including fire. Sook-Yin will check out one of their pieces, and talk to the creators about why fire makes great art.
And here's this week's playlist:
The Burning Hell - "Dancer/Romancer"
Michelle Shocked - "V.F.D."
K-OS - "Burning Bridges"
Jason Collett - "Fire"
Catherine MacLellan - "Set This Heart On Fire"
Jimi Hendrix - "Valleys on Neptune"
Arcade Fire - "Wake Up"
Sean McCann - "Razor & Rust"
Emm Gryner - "Rico" (live in studio)
Grand Analog - "I'm On Fire"
This week's DNTO: On Fire!
Greeting Friends,
It's the middle of winter and it's about time we set DNTO on fire!
This week we're uncovering the real power of fire (or "FIYAH!" for all you rockstars) and
we're finding that the force of the flame extends way beyond keeping your toes
toasty warm.
So, with a fire in my heart, I give you the gift of a crackling log.
Tune into Definitely Not the Opera this Saturday on the CBC Radio 1 from 2-4PM. And
come back here first thing Saturday morning to listen to the podcast.
Burn dat sucka down!
L,
Sook-Yin
Listen to DNTO: Jan. 30 (Fighting Back)
What's on DNTO: Jan. 30
When you feel compelled to "fight back," how do you do it? This week, we look at the best - and most creative - ways to win a fight.
Chris Pesto tells us how he fought back against a woman's offensive message: with humour, surprise, and about a hundred strangers.
Are elaborate hijinks a good way to fight for global change? Sook-Yin will talk with master pranksters the Yes Men. (And if you're in Toronto, you can find dates and times for the screening of their new movie here.)
How do you win a fight with a loved one... without rocking the boat too much? DNTO's Joff Schmidt gets a little help from an unlikely relationship manual: The Art of War.
When B.C. mom Jenny Manzer got kicked off a city bus last fall because of her fussy toddler, she decided to fight back. But she had no idea that her battle would take on a life of its own... and make her wish she'd never started a fight in the first place.
One of the problems with fighting back is that a lot of us want to, but most of us don't. We roll over and let the initial rush of anger and annoyance wash past us, and move on. But not Mitch Altman. He'll tell us how he created a little gadget to help him fight back against a common annoyance...
When does "fighting back" tip over and just become plain ol' "fighting?" Lisa Schwartzman found out, thanks to an encounter with her neighbourhood bully... and her Shih Tzu.
What was the last fight you won? Sook-Yin heads to the street to find out how you did it.
If the word "grandmother" makes you think of fresh baking and knitted sweaters, you've got a thing or two to learn about old ladies. Raging Granny Alison Acker tells us how she uses "granniness" to fight for her causes.
United Airlines used to invite travellers to "fly the friendly skies." But two years ago, Halifax musician Dave Carroll found out it's the baggage handlers who can be downright unfriendly. When they damaged his three-thousand-dollar guitar, and the airline refused to compensate him, he took his musical fight online. He'll tell us why it worked.
Rappers Abdominal and More or Les will bring a different kind of fight - a rap battle - into the DNTO studio.
Toronto-based community activist Dave Meslin has fought on the front lines for most of his life. But two years ago he burned out. Sook-Yin will find out why he chose to opt out of the fight.
And here's this week's playlist:
Mother Mother - "Love and Truth"
Owen Pallett - "Midnight Directives"
Colleen Brown - "Ain't Got No Man (To Have Problems With)"
The New Lightweights - "Sinking Feeling"
The Perms - "Let's Not Fight"
Red1 - "No Fuss, No Fight"
Corinne Bailey Rae - "Paris Nights/New York Mornings"
Dave Carroll - "United Breaks Guitars"
Ben Harper - "Fight Outta You"
Listen to DNTO: Jan. 23 (Pets)
What's on DNTO: Jan. 23
You may think you "own" a pet... but are we really in charge of our animal-human relationships? That's what we find out this week...
When did your pet own you? Sook-Yin takes to the street to find out.
Just how well do you know that furry, four-legged creature that lives in your house? Nobu Adilman thought he knew his cat, Shabui, pretty well. But he'll tell us what happened when he realized his housecat was a bit of a "wildcat."
There are lots of stories of animals doing very human things... like saving a life. But what's the real reason they do it? Clare Lawlor finds stories of heroic (and not-so-heroic) pets, and looks into why pets often act a lot like people.
Two's company.... so what happens when a pet comes between you and your special someone? Ruth Shead tells us why she'll never date a dog owner again.
In the mythic Muskoka wilderness, Hawksley Workman makes friends with woodland creatures... and thinks of Lorne Greene. He'll tell us about the animals in his life, and play a song from his new album, "Meat," live in studio.
Sadly, sometimes a breakup is acrimonious. And it's especially bad when someone else gets caught in the middle. Stacey Burnard tells us her amazing story of her, her ex, and the dog that came between them... complete with a car chase, a private detective, and pug theft.
Do you feel tyrannized by the cuteness of cute animals? Matthew Gasteier feels your pain. And that's why he started his hilariously politically incorrect website, F*** You Penguin. (WARNING: that link is NOT safe for work... or kids... or kids at work.) He'll explain why he thinks it's time to put an end to the sway cute animals hold over us.
When Laurie Dawson was growing up, she wanted a dog more than anything else in the world. But her parents told her it'd be too much work, and that she didn't quite have the right personality to look after a dog. Laurie didn't believe them. Until she spent a week dog-sitting a ginger-haired Vishla named Bobo...
So when you work with a "problem dog," who's being trained: the dog or the owner? Bet you can guess the answer to that one... We'll talk with Shantel Hordos, one of the "dog wranglers" who spends a lot of time wrangling people on the TV show At the End Of My Leash.
For years, Sook-Yin has been visiting her friendly neighbourhood hardware store, Caam United Hardware. But this week, she discovered a side of the store she's never seen... involving fish and birds.
Diane Flacks will explain how her life, and her seven-year-old son's, were changed by an unconvential pet... one that'll be seven feet long, and "squeezy...."
Would you be upset if your pet's blog was more popular than your own? Liz Hover thinks it's just fine.... and she'll tell us why.
And here's this week's playlist:
The Weakerthans - "Plea From a Cat Named Virtute"
Stray Cats - "Stray Cat Strut"
Jemina Pearl (featuring Iggy Pop) - "I Hate People"
Michael Jackson - "Ben"
Hawksley Workman - "We'll Make Time (Even When There Ain't No Time)" (live in studio)
Jane Siberry - "Everything Reminds Me Of My Dog"
Mocky - "Birds Of a Feather"
Gorillaz - "Stylo"
Kate and Anna McGarrigle - "Kiss and Say Goodbye"
Danny Michel - "Feather, Fur and Fin"
Hawksley "The Manimal" Workman on DNTO!
Hi Peeps,
Ms. Lee here. This week we are working on a show all about our unusual relationship with our pets, specifically wondering "who's the boss of who?" Our beloved domesticated animal friends may be cute and cuddly, but wow, are they ever demanding! And if they don't get exactly what they want, there will be hell to pay. So who's wagging who?
Musician Hawksley Workman pays us a visit. By extension, we got to talking about civilized MAN vs. our ANIMAL within. Here in his natural habitat (the CBC Broadcast Centre, of course!) is Hawksley telling me about the most difficult part of his body to groom.
Be sure to tune in to "You and your pet: who's wagging who?" on DNTO this Saturday Jan 23, 2-4PM on CBC Radio 1, or listen to the podcast right here on Saturday morning.
xo
Sook-Yin
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