Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years by Michael Kluckner (Whitecap, 2012). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

There’s a marvelous book out called Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years. Its author Michael Kluckner joins me now. I’ve long been a fan of his books. They’re generously illustrated, with Mr. Kluckner’s own watercolours, as well as photographs. This book is a wonderful narrative of his own observations about Vancouver, its changing landscape, thanks to the buildings either being demolished or adapted. The original Vanishing Vancouver was published in 1990 and went up to Expo ’86. This one takes up the story of that book, and takes us through to the recent past. We see Vancouver change, and I’ll ask Mr. Kluckner if it has for the better or not, where he sees Vancouver going, and we’ll discuss some of the observations made in this very fine book. Michael Kluckner is an artist and writer who has spent more than two decades recording and interpreting histories and landscapes of this city, province and country. He was the founding president of the Heritage Vancouver Society. He’s written well over a dozen books. He is a forthcoming director of the Vancouver Historical Society, of which I’m non-participating member. Incidentally, Mr. Kluckner is speaking at the May 24th meeting of the Vancouver Historical Society at the Museum of Vancouver. That’s 7.30pm next Thursday. He’ll be talking about this book. The website for more is at www.michaelkluckner.com. The book is published by Whitecap. I am very pleased to welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Michael Kluckner; Mr. Kluckner, good morning.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

I’m really pleased to have Alexandra Gill on now. She is the Globe and Mail’s West Coast restaurant critic. I’m a fan of her work, because the reviews are lively, cogent, fair, and thoughtful. Others have described her reviews as scathing, bitchy, and have left many a restaurateur to cringe. Everyone though seems to read her. We’ll find out what it’s like to have such a reputation, how she does her job, and is being a food critic in Vancouver as glamorous or gluttonous as some might see it as. We’ll look at the restaurant scene in Vancouver, as well maybe reflect on some of the trends seen in our restaurants. She joined the paper in 1997, and moved here from Toronto to cover the arts scene from 2001 to 2007. She was nominated for a National Newspaper Award in 2005. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Alexandra Gill; Good morning, Ms. Gill.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

The filmmaker Kagan Goh joins me now. His personal film Stolen Memories is having its world television premiere this Sunday, 04 March 2012 on Omni Television. I’ve seen a bit of the documentary already, and it’s a fascinating, moving film about this photo album that Mr. Goh seeks to return to a Japanese Canadian family who’d lost it during the internment of the Second World War. The effort he goes through, as well as the people he encounters along the way, helpful and supportive, and not-so helpful and not-so supportive is interesting to watch as it reflects and illuminates the cultures involved—Japanese, Japanese Canadian, Canadian, Chinese—and the history and times—the war time period of internment, and the confluence of all that in the 15 years it took to make this movie. The film airs in BC, Alberta and Ontario on OMNI this Sunday at 9.00pm, which is channel 8 here in Vancouver. If you’re in Vancouver, Mr. Goh will be hosting a premiere presentation beginning at 7.30pm at the W2 Media Café at 111 West Hastings, where he’ll do a Q&A as well. Admission is by donation. Visit www.stolenmemoriesmovie.com for more information. Kagan Goh is a filmmaker who studied film at Ryerson. His documentary Mind Fuck won several awards. He was born in Singapore and lives here in Vancouver. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Kagan Goh; Mr. Goh, good morning.

Bob Lenarduzzi: A Canadian Soccer Story by Bob Lenarduzzi and Jim Taylor. (Harbour Publishing, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Bob Lenarduzzi: A Canadian Soccer Story

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Once again, Jim Taylor joins me. The legendary sports writer is out with a new book. He co-wrote Bob Lenarduzzi: A Canadian Soccer Story, with you guessed it, Bob Lenarduzzi. We get a great view on soccer, Canadian soccer, Mr. Lenarduzzi’s career on and off the field, and stories of the many colourful characters encountered along the way. Bob Lenarduzzi was a successful soccer player, winning a North American Soccer League Championship with the Whitecaps, he coached the Vancouver 86ers, and is now president of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the seventeenth club in Major League Soccer. Jim Taylor was around for a lot of those days. Lenarduzzi was 19 when they met. He covered him and wrote about his exploits in his noted columns in papers here and across the country. We’ll get Jim to tell us about this book, which is from Harbour Publishing, why we should read it, and what it was like looking back with Lenarduzzi. Jim Taylor has written thousands of columns, he’s done three times as many radio broadcasts and written over a dozen books. He’s in the CFL and BC Sports Halls of Fame, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Sports Media Canada. Last year he received the Bruce Hutchison Award from the Jack Webster Foundation. We could go on with the superlatives. He’s always a welcome guest on this program. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Jim Taylor; Good morning, Mr. Taylor.

Here’s Mike: And Junkyard Granny, Whistling Bernie Smith, the Robertson Screwdriver, Pancakes & Eternal Truth by Mike McCardell. (Harbour Publishing, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Here’s Mike

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

For the fifth year now, around this time of year, just before Christmas, I get to talk to the great Mike McCardell. It might be an overstatement to call him ‘great,’ but it’s not. He happens to have a book out around this time, but he’s always welcome on this program. He’s the marvellous storyteller seen at the end of Global’s News Hour. He’s out now with his seventh book, again a wonderful collection of stories we’ve seen on television, as well as anecdotes he’s collected over his many years of reporting, meeting the colourful, interesting, fascinating people throughout the city and its environs. The book is called Here’s Mike: And Junkyard Granny, Whistling Bernie Smith, the Robertson Screwdriver, Pancakes & Eternal Truth. It’s from Harbour Publishing, and if you buy the book before 29 February 2012, partial proceeds will go to Variety—The Children’s Charity. These books of Mike, all bestsellers, have raised over $75,000 for Variety. www.globaltvbc.com is the website for Mike’s pieces. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Mike McCardell; Good morning, Mr. McCardell.

At the World’s Edge: Curt Lang’s Vancouver, 1937-1998 by Claudia Cornwall. (Mother Tongue Publishing, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: At the World’s Edge

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Seeing that I have authors on this program frequently, and have a particular fondness for featuring books on local Vancouver and British Columbia figures, one invariably follows the trades like the indispensable BC Bookworld and Quill and Quire. I read about my next guest’s book now sometime ago. Claudia Cornwall has written a new book, At the World’s Edge: Curt Lang’s Vancouver, 1937-1998. I didn’t know who Curt Lang was, but the black and white shot of Vancouver in neon intrigued me. The Gary Busey-looking guy on the cover, with a cigarette in his hand was apparently Curt Lang. I’ve been reading Claudia’s book, and it’s just a fascinating read about Lang, who is a fascinating and remarkable figure on his own. He was a poet, an artist, as well as a photographer, he fished, he did work in software. The book captures a Vancouver from a bygone era, and it also shows how we’ve evolved to quote another book, from milltown to metropolis. We’ll ask Ms. Cornwall about Curt Lang, who he was, what he did, how she knew him, and more. The book is published by Mother Tongue Publishing. Claudia Cornwall is a freelance writer, who’s won many prizes including the Hubert Evans Non Fiction Prize in 1996 for her book Letter from Vienna: A Daughter Uncovers Her Family’s Jewish Past. Her own website is at www.claudiacornwall.com. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in North Vancouver, Claudia Cornwall; Good morning, Ms. Cornwall.

The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver by Chuck Davis. (Harbour Publishing, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Last year when the author and historian Chuck Davis died, I hosted a bit of a tribute program with guests Alan Twigg, Sam Sullivan, and David Berner. Harbour Publishing’s Howard White was also on, and we talked about this book that Davis was working on, and about the work that White along with so many others were doing to help get the thing published. Well, that book is out now, and like Chuck Davis, it’s ‘fun, fat, and full of facts.’ The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver is a very fine achievement. After getting it a few weeks ago, I haven’t stopped going to it, looking at it, flipping through it, spending hours at a time reading up on the stories and anecdotes contained therein. It’s a book that many people will be looking at literally the rest of their life. It’s a towering achievement. Joining me now to talk about the book is someone who was instrumental in getting it to press, Chuck’s friend, the journalist Allen Garr. There will be a public book launch Tuesday, 06 December 2011 at the Vancouver Public Library, that’s at 7.00pm. Allen Garr’s column is read weekly in the Vancouver Courier, and he was last on during his campaign for a seat on the Vancity board. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Allen Garr; Good morning, Mr. Garr.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Chris Gailus joins me now. The Global BC personality anchors the landmark News Hour broadcast weekdays at 6.00pm here. He joins me today to talk about news, being the anchor, BC’s anchor if you see him across town on billboards and the sort. He began his career in Calgary and went to work in Dallas, anchoring there, before co-anchoring the morning program Good Day New York, in well, New York City. He returned to Canada in 2006 as a weekend anchor, and transitioned in as the lead anchor around 2009-2010 when Tony Parsons left Global BC. He’s a new dad too, his wife Jane Carrigan, also at Global, have recently adopted. The website is at www.globaltvbc.com. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Global BC News Hour anchor Chris Gailus; Good morning, Mr. Gailus.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

We discuss the future of the Liberal Party of Canada now. Its historic low showing in last May’s election has elicited much discussion about the party’s relevance and its future. I am joined now by Zach Paikin. He is a candidate for National Policy Chair of the Liberal Party of Canada. The party will be in their biennial convention in Ottawa in January 2012. We’ll talk to Mr. Paikin about why he’s running? He’s only 20. Why the Liberal Party for him? Is it still relevant? What can they do to make themselves as prominent as they once were? His website is at www.votepaikin.ca. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program in Montreal this day, Zach Paikin; Good morning, Mr. Paikin.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

It’s the Monday after the election here in Vancouver, and joining me now to look at what happened is the Georgia Straight’s editor Charlie Smith. With the re-election of Gregor Robertson as mayor and a majority of his Vision Vancouver candidates on council, as well as majorities on parks and school boards, where do we go from here over the next three years? What happened to COPE, their allies in this election, who got shut out? Where’s the NPA? There’s been some thoughtful analysis on the vote on the Straight’s website over the weekend, www.straight.com. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Charlie Smith; Good morning, Mr. Smith.