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Features


Lister Sinclair is
an expert in music, a mathematician, playwright, actor, director,
producer, critic, author, birder, and sports nut. He’s
won dozens of awards and he's been given 7 honorary degrees.
He’s an Officer of the Order of Canada and he’s
still going strong today at the age of — well, lots!
During his 16 years as host of IDEAS, Lister
made a lot of shows with IDEAS producer Sara Wolch:
prize-winners like Newton; unforgettable ones like
Nature Walk and The Plague.
He became a friend as well as a colleague,
and the friendship continues. So this portrait of Lister
Sinclair is a personal one — composed of interviews
that only Sara could have conducted with him — as well
as excerpts from some of his programs. But the portrait speaks
for all of us here at IDEAS.
Listen
to a excerpt from the show.
(clip runs: 3:34)
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| Lister
Sinclair and Sara Wolch in Studio 200, November
2005. |
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It’s funny how we rarely say
thank you to the people we care about — when they’re
still alive. A real thank you for who they are and what
they’ve contributed to the world. Well, this is
a thank you to Lister. He heard this series, by the
way, when it was still a “work-progress.”
He dropped by the Fun Factory, as he calls the CBC,
looking very dapper in his Mickey Mouse tie. We laughed,
looked down and pretended not to cry as we listened
to shows he’d made when he was young, and conversations
we’d taped when he was older.
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| Lister
Sinclair and Sara Wolch in Studio 200, November
2005. |
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Afterwards Lister called to say I’d
forgotten to include A is for Aardvark – one of
his popular shows from the 1950s. “Lister”,
I sighed, “there are more than a thousand entries
under your name in the CBC Archives. You know we can’t
put in everything!” Lister really has done almost
everything — in radio and television — though
he’ll tell you even now there’s a lot more
he’d like to do. Lister does not believe in retirement:
“Artists can’t do that”, he says.
So thank you Lister, for continuing to educate, enlighten
and enchant us.
— Sara Wolch |

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Thank you, Mr. Sinclair has been attractively
packaged as a three-CD box set, with a multi-page insert booklet,
suitable for gift-giving. A set costs $34, including shipping
and tax.
Both CDs/audio cassettes can be ordered from Ideas
Transcripts by credit card or by sending a cheque or money
order to: Ideas Transcripts, Box 500 Station A Toronto, Ontario
M5W 1E6.
To Order Download
our Printable Order Form
For Visa, Mastercard, American Express orders, please call
(416) 205-7367 or email ideasT@toronto.cbc.ca.
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