Photo by travfotos

There are lots of ways we can be mistaken for someone we're not. So how did a case of "mistaken identity" change the way you looked at yourself?

 

Michael Donald Gordon thought he'd take a little drive across the border for a night out. It ended up being a night of interrogation by border officials... thanks to that OTHER Michael Donald Gordon. He'll tell us what happened. (Also heard on Your DNTO)

Late in his life, Kathie Dillinger's dad revealed a surprising secret: he was pretty sure Kathie's sister, Shirley, wasn't his daughter. And he was right... but the story of how he came to raise a girl that wasn't his is an incredible case of mistaken identity. Kathie will tell us what she discovered about her family background... and how it changed them.

Who have you been mistaken for? Sook-Yin takes her mic to the street to find out.

Brendan McLeod plays in the Vancouver band The Fugitives... but not the Randy Quaid Fugitives. But even before that little mix-up, Brendan found himself the victim of a case of mistaken identity. Although "victim" may be the wrong word, since Brendan brought it on himself. He'll tell us how. (Also heard on Your DNTO)

Lisa Rundle almost didn't graduate from the University of Toronto, after she was mixed up with another Lisa Rundle who didn't pay her library fines. This particular Lisa Rundle almost didn't get across the Canada-US border, after she was mixed up with yet another Lisa Rundle who stole a car in Tallahassee. But those mixups were no big deal, compared to the doozy that happened last summer...

In 1984, Jennifer Thompson was a 22-year-old college student. One night a man broke into her apartment, put a knife to her throat and raped her. Jennifer studied every detail of his face so that she could identify him if the police ever caught him. And they did, with the help of Jennifer's eyewitness identification. Ronald Cotton was sentenced to prison for life... but more than a decade later, Jennifer came to a terrible realization. She'll tell us how her identity mistake changed Ronald's life... and hers. (Also heard on Your DNTO)

Lindsay Kyte is from Cape Breton. But she went to school in Prince Edward Island. Lindsay has bright red hair, stands five feet tall, and might be considered whimsical. So guess which fictional character she got mistaken for? But at a couple of points in her life, the fiction and fact have begun to blur... (Also heard on Your DNTO)

 

Lots of us "exaggerate" our jobs a little bit... but when you're traveling, there are certain job descriptions to avoid... like "spy." Sierra Bellows tells us how she found that out the hard way. (Also heard on Your DNTO)

 

Sook-Yin tells us how she and her friend James Coppola snuck into a party by banking on the name of another (and unrelated) Coppola... and then asks how you've used a little "misdirection" to your advantage.

Matt Smith is a Toronto musician who performs under the name of Nif D. Matt Smith is also a Vancouver man who does not perform under the name of Nif D. They are, of course, two different Matt Smiths, who have never met... until now. (Below: Matt Smith and... uh... Matt Smith. But the other Matt Smith.)



John Wing bears a striking resemblance to a certain American horror writer, which normally was just a minor annoyance... until he was called in to audition for the part of Stephen King. He'll tell us what happened. (Also heard on Your DNTO)

Laura Ip is a college instructor and a student in the Sociology program at Brock University in St. Catherine's, Ontario. She's also the mom of two beautiful children...but when she's out with them, she's often mistaken for being something else... the nanny. She'll explain why, and why it's a particularly disturbing mistake in identity.

If you were to run into Kim Coghill, odds are she'd say "Nice to meet you." Even if she's already met you. Which is not because Kim is rude, or because she doesn't care about you. It's just that Kim has always had trouble remembering faces. Close friends, long time colleagues, boyfriends, her PARENTS... at some point, she's failed to recognize them all. She'll explain why.

And here's this week's playlist:

Chuck Berry - "It Wasn't Me"
Rufus Wainwright - "Little Sister"
The Fugitives - "All This Trouble"
Pixies - "I Can't Forget"
Lissie - "Stranger"
Imaginary Cities - "Temporary Resident"
Adrienne Pierce - "Let's Pretend"
Matt Smith (Nif D) - Tinto de Veranno (live in studio)
She and Him - "Don't Look Back"
Shad - "Good Name"