Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line. This is thecommentary.ca.

Six years ago this week, this program began. And now for the first time in audio form, I’m pleased to host this look back.

This program now, is for all intents and purposes what might be called a clip show. I haven’t gone back to listen to all 190 hours and 531 programs, because frankly that’s a lot of time. I have gone back though, and selected some cuts that have been noteworthy, perhaps interesting, as well as fun. And at that, there are so many other clips I’d have wanted to include.

The mandate of the program, if there ever was one, has been to provide a convivial forum for conversation and discussion on a wide variety of subjects. And invariably because the internet is what it is, I would have but one caveat as to the guests that would be invited, and that was they or the subject at hand was of interest to me. What follows, I hope, is a serviceable overview of the sort of guests that have appeared, as well as the sorts of conversations that have broken out on this program over the last six years.

Walt Whitman’s Secret by George Fetherling. (Random House, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Walt Whitman’s Secret

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

Walt Whitman is arguably America’s greatest poet, and his final years provide a basis for the new novel from the author and poet George Fetherling. Walt Whitman’s Secret is a reimagining of Whitman’s final years. The author of Leaves of Grass is an ill man, whose admirers view him as not only a venerated writer, but some sort of mystic. Whitman struggles with some personal secrets and demons, and in this book we also look at ideas of nationalism, identity, and celebrity. George Fetherling joins me from here in Vancouver to talk about this book and more. We’ll talk about his own writing, and whether he thinks Whitman is relevant to today. Walt Whitman’s Secret is published by Random House. It has already been described as ‘an extraordinary achievement,’ and a ‘resonant, shimmering work.’ Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, George Fetherling; Good morning, Mr. Fetherling.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

This fall on The Score, the second season of Gillette Drafted: The Search for Canada’s Next Sportscaster airs. The deadline for applications has passed, and now ten finalists are going to start filming episodes of the reality series, whose winner will be awarded a one-year contract with The Score, contributing to the channel and their website.

I’m joined now by one of the ten finalists, and someone from the Vancouver-area. He was once a member of the UBC football team, and he’s run for mayor, and he’s trained and appeared with the WWE—World Wrestling Entertainment. He appeared on the WWE’s highly rated programs, RAW and Smackdown as ‘The Mayor Austin Spencer.’ Will that training in professional wrestling help him get Drafted? Check out www.drafted.ca for more on the program, and of course www.thescore.com. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Austin Spencer; Good morning, Mr. Spencer.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

You might have already heard of his story online or on television. Michael Schratter has already been featured on the local news for his forthcoming circumnavigating of the world by bicycle. He leaves Vancouver the first of August on a journey that will take him 40,000 kilometres, six continents and 30 countries. He leaves behind two careers: he’s an elementary school teacher, and he is the 24 Hours paper’s social columnist. He does so to raise awareness about mental illness, by sharing his own story—Michael is bipolar. He already shatters stigmas around it, what with his two careers, and now with this bike ride he sets to do more by taking us along for the ride via Facebook and Twitter, by documenting his progress, and by talking about mental illness frankly and openly. The Canadian Mental Health Association endorses, and benefits from this journey, as he funds this year-long adventure himself. Do as I have and go to www.ridedonthide.com to read more and donate. The Mayor, Gregor Robertson has already declared August the 1st to be Ride Don’t Hide Day—that’s when he sets off on this journey. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Michael Schratter; Good morning, Mr. Schratter.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

In previews now at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage is the Arts Club Theatre Company’s production of Glengarry Glen Ross. The David Mamet play, opening next week, reinvented the language of modern theatre, and this play which he won the Pulitzer Prize looks at workplace struggles as a group of salesmen try to survive, and attempt to pursue the American Dream. The 1992 film, starring Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, and Kevin Spacey might be more familiar to some, which immortalised the place of Glengarry Glen Ross as one of the great dramatic works of the 20th century. This Arts Club production runs until August 22nd. The cast is headlined by Will and Grace star Eric McCormack, and includes some of Vancouver’s finest actors, Gerard Plunkett, Vincent Gale, Brian Markinson, Bart Anderson, and Daren Herbert. Another member of this remarkable company is John Pyper Ferguson, who joins me now. His television credits are legion. I looked him up on IMDB and it looks like he’s appeared in every single television drama there is, including the last episode of Lost, and from where I remember him most, the season and half he appeared on Brothers and Sisters. He will also be appearing in Score: The Hockey Musical, which opens the Toronto International Film Festival later this year. He was also in Hard Core Logo and Unforgiven. This is not the first time he’s appeared with the Arts Club. He was previously seen in Unidentified Human Remains. Glengarry Glen Ross is directed by Michael Shamata. Go to www.artsclub.com for tickets and more information. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, John Pyper-Ferguson; Good morning, Mr. Ferguson.

Cyclist Bikelist: The Book for Every Rider by Laura Robinson. (Tundra Books, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Cyclist Bikelist

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line, and this is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

The journalist and author Laura Robinson joins me now. She’s in Vancouver this week and joins me now to discuss her new book: Cyclist Bikelist: The Book for Every Rider. It’s written for young readers, but I think it’s useful for a general audience. The season cyclist will find the book useful as a resource for tips on what to eat and wear when cycling, as well for the biographical sketches on famous cyclists and innovators throughout history. New riders will find the anatomy of the bike and stuff like that as a good introduction. Laura Robinson is a freelance journalist, former member of Canada’s national cycling team, as well, she is a former rowing champion. This Saturday, the 10th she’ll be at the Reckless Bike Store on Davie, as part of an event with the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition. Cyclist Bikelist is published by Tundra Books. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Laura Robinson; Good morning, Ms. Robinson.

Greedy Little Eyes by Billie Livingston. (Vintage Canada, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Greedy Little Eyes

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

The author and novelist Billie Livingston joins me now. She’s just published a new collection of short stories, Greedy Little Eyes. Ten stories are contained herein, and they explore the universal need for connection. We meet two fiercely courageous young girls, a flighty mom who ignores her own daughter for her friend and then takes the friend to Las Vegas to pursue a career in dance, we see a journalist questioning her own morals and ethics as she visits a friend in New York who’s in the midst of an affair with a married man. There are other fascinating characters, all of whom we seem to know, in that they’re accessible. Maybe we see them around here in Vancouver; maybe we know them. But deep down they’re all a little more complicated, a little more colourful, and certainly interesting. Greedy Little Eyes, which is also the title of one of the stories in the book, is published by Vintage Canada. The website for more is www.billielivingston.com. Her previous critically acclaimed books were Going Down Swinging and Cease to Blush. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Billie Livingston; Good morning, Ms. Livingston.

Sophia Tolstoy: A Biography by Alexandra Popoff. (Free Press, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Sophia Tolstoy

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

In Vancouver, I am Planta: On the Line, and this is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

There’s a new book out, that’s gotten attention already and some great notices. It is called Sophia Tolstoy: A Biography. It’s the first biography of the wife of Leo Tolstoy, one that also sets out to debunk a lot of the misinformation that’s been out there about Mrs. Tolstoy. She’s been portrayed in history, in books and films on Leo Tolstoy as a saboteur to his work, shrill, and tormentor to him and those around them. What the author Alexandra Popoff has done in this book is tell us more about her, that she’s a lot less harsh than she’s been portrayed as, and that she was a dedicated wife, and a talented editor and writer in her own right. Alexandra Popoff joins me now. A native of Moscow, she is a journalist and writer having appeared in various Russian publications, and in the Philadelphia Inquirer. She was an Alfred Friendly Press Fellow, and she now lives in Saskatoon, where she joins me from this morning. The website for more is www.sophiatolstoy.com. The book is published by Free Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Alexandra Popoff; Good morning, Ms. Popoff.

Globish: How the English Language Became the World’s Language by Robert McCrum. (Doubleday, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Globish

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

An endlessly fascinating book is Robert McCrum’s Globish: How the English Language Became the World’s Language. The book documents English’s roots to where it is today, the world’s lingua franca. It is the tongue of technology, ubiquitous on the internet, on our cellular phones, and elsewhere. Four billion people have a functional knowledge of English. Robert McCrum joins me now. We’ll talk to him about the book, some of the people responsible for the development of English over some one thousand years, and where English, or Globish is headed. Will it usurp or subsume our other languages? Will English be dumbed-down? Where will technology take us and how we communicate? Robert McCrum is the associate editor of The Observer. He was previously its literary editor. He is the author of Wodehouse: A Life and My Year Off: Recovering Life After a Stroke. He lives in London, but joins me from Toronto today. He was a writer of The Story of English, its award-winning television series and book. Globish is published here in Canada by Doubleday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Robert McCrum; Good morning, Mr. McCrum.

The Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things by Neil Pasricha. (Amy Einhorn, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Book of Awesome

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens were some of Oscar Hammerstein II’s favourite things, while some of Neil Pasricha’s awesome things include the smell of frying onions and garlic, ordering off the menu at a fast food place, or watching the Price is Right when you’re home sick. Those and many other of life’s small and simple pleasures are articulated in a new book, The Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things. It’s based on the wildly popular blog www.1000awesomethings.com, an award-winning blog, written about and featured on various media. By day Neil Pasricha works in a dimly lit cubicle in the dusty corner of an office building in the suburbs. By night he writes about the tiny moments that make life sweet. This is a charming book. It’s published by Amy Einhorn Books, an imprint of Putnam. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Neil Pasricha, in Vancouver today; Good morning, Mr. Pasricha.