The author and broadcaster Grant Lawrence discusses his career in music as the lead singer of The Smugglers and his new memoir Dirty Windshields: The Best and the Worst of the Smugglers Tour Diaries (Douglas & McIntyre, 2017), with Joseph Planta.

Dirty Windshields: The Best and the Worst of the Smugglers Tour Diaries by Grant Lawrence (Douglas & McIntyre, 2017). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Dirty Windshields

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Grant Lawrence joins me again. The author, columnist and broadcaster has just published his third book, it’s a terrific memoir called Dirty Windshields: The Best and the Worst of the Smugglers Tour Diaries. It’s a book that looks at the sixteen years he toured around the world as the lead singer of the rock and roll band The Smugglers. The book provides terrific insight on the music scene in the 1990s, the legendary venues they played, as well as their travels throughout the world. They gained international popularity, and it’s just delightful to read about these young guys getting together, doing art, and reading about their exploits. It’s not all great either. There are fights, too much booze, drugs, sexual misadventures, and death. The Smugglers are getting back together this Saturday night, 13 May 2017 at the timeless Commodore Ballroom. Grant will read from the book, there’ll be music from other guests, and the band will perform. Visit Ticketmaster for tickets, and of course Grant’s own site at www.grantlawrence.ca. Grant Lawrence was on this program for his first book in 2010, Adventures in Solitude. Since then he’s published another memoir, The Lonely End of the Rink, and he’s had two kids. He appears regularly on CBC Radio, and hosts their CBC Radio 3 podcast. You can read Grant’s award-winning column in the Westender weekly. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Grant Lawrence; Mr. Lawrence, good morning.

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