The August edition of 'Behind the Mic' visits Calgary's The New Breeze, and the versatile Brian Lubbers. Staff writer Liz Rivard caught up with Brian just after he completed his shift as "relief host" on the Breeze morning show.

Liz Rivard - I understand that you played football here in Calgary and also attended school with the hope of receiving a business degree? How did you end up in radio?

Brian Lubbers - Well, I had a good friend when I was going to Mount Royal College. I was taking the Business Administration program there and I was visiting him and took a look at some of the homework that he was doing and I thought, wow, you can actually do that in school. He said, "As a matter of fact I think you would be better at this than I am." So he recommended that I look into the program, which I did. There was actually a lot of work in getting into it. I remember I had to get together a portfolio project, take tests and go for interviews but somehow I squeaked through.

Liz - Are you a born and bred Calgarian?

Brian - I am. One of the few. You never meet anyone who's actually from Calgary anymore.

Liz - That's right.

Brian - Well, I'm one of the remaining few. (Laughing)

Liz - So you took the course at Mount Royal, graduated and then where was your first radio job?

Brian - That was way up north in Peace River about five hours north of Edmonton. It's very, very cold about nine months of the year. (Laughing)

Liz - What format was that?

Brian - That was a mixed station we played a little bit of everything from classic rock to new pop music and a little bit of country. It was sort of all over the place but really was a lot of fun. Being the only radio station in town it had to provide something for everyone.

Liz - Prior to 'the Breeze' what was your experience with Smooth Jazz?

Brian - My experience with Smooth Jazz was pretty much limited to what I heard on the radio in Calgary and my sister liked Jazz music a lot. We had "Breezin" (George Benson) in the house and some Miles Davis so she really exposed me to Jazz more than anyone.

Liz - From Chatting with you before I really got the feeling that your taste in music before were very eclectic.

Brian - My tastes were pretty much all over the place and after the age of thirteen or fourteen I was listening to pretty much everything everyone else is listening to at the time. I listened to top 40 radio. I had an uncle living with us who gave me C.C.R.'s (Credence Clearwater Revival) "Greatest Hits" what I really asked for was Duran Duran or Twisted Sister. He just said, "Take a listen to this and see what you think." I never looked back. I listened to a lot of classic rock and a lot of older music growing up.

Liz - What about today, what's in your CD player?

Brian - Again, like I said a little while ago and it's not changed it's a little bit of everything. There's country and jazz to rock n roll to popular music. A little bit of everything.

Liz - I know that radio is a rather transient business and there is sometimes a lot of rejection. How have you dealt with that part of it? Have there been occasions where you wondered if you were doing the right thing?

Brian - Oh yeah. I think we all occasionally take a look at what we're doing and wonder if it's the right thing. For me it was a move from Edmonton where I was doing swing announcing and promotions, to Saskatchewan where I was offered the afternoon drive position. I didn't know this at the time but it was a part time offer. Basically, I was hired to fill in for someone who had been at that station for over ten years and he had left to start off a new station or to do something else in the area and that didn't work out for him. So, after six months of hearing everyday how great I was doing there I was let go on a Friday afternoon after work. That came as a major shocker and of course it made me look at radio and myself. I wondered if I was doing the right thing but I think ultimately it's brought me more joy than just about anything in my life so I realized back then that somehow I had to stay with it. It's tough to put on a resume that you were somewhere for six months and you're trying to get on somewhere else it makes it very difficult to get another job. Eventually, I talked to Paul Larsen who's the Program Director at the Breeze here but at that time was working at Country 105 and he offered me something part time. I don't think he thought I was going to take it because of the way he offered it saying, "It's there if you want it." (Laughing) I wanted to stay in radio and several months had passed and I wasn't getting any bites so luckily for me I ran into Paul at that time.

Liz - So, when Paul left Country 105 you came with him to the Breeze?

Brian - No, actually about a month after he hired me I was offered the afternoon drive job at 66 CFR and that (laughing) ended up being a temporary part time job as well. While I was there Rock 97 went off the air and they had a lot of jocks floating around the building that had been there longer than I had. So, one of them was offered the afternoon drive job which made sense and was very fair because he had been there longer than I had so it was just bad luck.

Liz - Your early experiences in football have given you a lot of staying power considering all the stuff you had to go through and stay on top and stay in the game.

Brian - That's one thing they teach you in football and that's never ever, ever give up.

Liz - You have to share that delightful little twist that happened at that Saskatchewan station that took place as a result of you leaving.

Brian - There were several lovely little twists and ultimately it resulted in me ending up in a full time radio job in Calgary so that worked out well. Anyway, the day after I got layed off I was talking to who now is my fiancé.' She asked me what was new and I said, "Funny you should ask that" since I'd been layed off the day before. She told me, "We have to get together sometime before you leave Saskatchewan." We got together that night, went out and absolutely hit it off. It was kind of mixed feeling for me because I realized that I was going to be leaving and she was still working for that company full time so it was hard coming back to Calgary. I called her once from Calgary thinking if she doesn't return my call then she's really not interested. A few days went by after the call and she called me back and we hit it off over the phone. We had a relationship going on over the phone and I eventually decided to fly back there and see her and we basically started a life together.

Liz - Is it more difficult for a couple when both parties are in the business?

Brian - I think for us it's made it a lot easier because who else is going to understand that. To advance your career you might have to move around every couple of years. I think it takes a radio person to understand how volatile the industry is and can be.

Liz - What impresses you most about other on air talent? Is there a particular style that really impresses you?

Brian - Not really. I think I just appreciate anyone who really puts a lot into their shows, someone who does a lot of show prep. I think you can tell how much someone has brought into the show by the kind of show they do. It could be research, how much they know about the music. John (Beaudin) for instance, knows more about Smooth Jazz than anyone I've ever met and that really translates on his show. I think morning shows are a little bit different, it's a different responsibility, its more about informing people on what's going on around town and maybe a little entertainment news. I think what I really appreciate is someone who has brought a lot into the show before it even starts.

Liz - You certainly must have a challenge since you wear so may different hats at the station and covering all kinds of shift.

Brian - (Laughing) I do all kinds of things. I do mornings, mid day, afternoon drive, I've done the night show, I work on the weekends doing Saturdays and Sundays, I do music scheduling, production. I even filled in for Rick Volpatti our Production guy. I do remotes, news and sports. News was a challenge because I hadn't done that for a while. One week I had to do the morning show for Cliff (Dumas) and then I had to come back and do the afternoon news and that was a challenge I tell you.

Liz - Ok, since we've covered what you like to hear when you listen to other on air talent tell us what makes you grit your teeth when listening to someone else?

Brian - Probably someone who doesn't bring a lot of enthusiasm into their shows, someone who maybe has been doing it too long and have started to take it for granted. If you've heard one break you've heard them all, basically they do the same thing every break. I think that's someone who doesn't appreciate what they have. This is a great industry to work in because it beats working. I think if someone has lost their passion for it it's nothing that I necessarily hate hearing but it's definitely disappointing.

Liz - What's been your biggest mistake on the air? Or have there been any? (Laughing)

Brian - (laughing) Oh there have been a few! I think usually it comes when you say something off the cuff and it's already half way out of your mouth before you realize what you're saying. (Laughing) I was hosting a Tradio show up in Peace River and someone had called up and said, "I'd like to buy a small Pomeranian" and my response to that was, "Is there any other kind? The lady said confused, "What?" and I said, "Well, their not exactly the size of a german shepherd are they?" She said, "Well, I don't want a German Shepherd!" (Laughing) I asked her for her phone number which she gave over the air. I took a few more calls and going into break I said, "Ok, we'll be back with more tradio after this, who knows when we come back maybe someone will buy a large elephant." (Laughing) You know it was out of my mouth before I realized that it might have been a little insulting. I apologized for that at the end of the show.

Liz - Have you ever worked with any radio personalities who have made your job a little more difficult?

Brian - Not really. I think the thing you have to realize in radio is that everybody's different and everyone has their own style. Some people like to slide the pots down some people like to turn them off and on, some people like to leave a messy room or an overly neat control room where you can't find anything. I think with anything in life you just have to adapt.

Liz - One of the stories I wish you would share is the Cinematography story?

Brian - Oh yeah, Cinematography. I was doing a movie review which I volunteered for because I've always loved the cinema so they asked our News Director there if I could do that job. My first review was for a movie called "Money Train" with Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson from Cheers. It was a pretty bad movie but by giving it a bad review I was going to hurt the only Cinema that we had in town. I gave it a six and a half out of ten and I said it only because of reasonably good cinematography. Our Program Director talked to me the next day and said, "Oh Brian, don't use words like cinematography people here don't know what that is." (Laughing) I could feel my jaw hit the ground on that one. (Laughing) I don't think he thought very highly of the locals. He would do that in reference to just about everything. He'd use to say, "Brian don't use humor in your show people don't like to laugh." (Laughing)

Liz - (laughing)

Brian - Like I said you have to adapt. Whether it's your boss or your co-worker you have to get to know someone and put yourself in their shoes or otherwise you could get yourself in big trouble.

Liz - One of your gigs at 'the Breeze' is an on air location brunch at a local restaurant. What's that like to actually come out from behind the mic and meet your audience face to face?

Brian - Oh it's really nice and it gets you out of the studio for one thing. On a Sunday when there's no one at the radio station it's nice to be in the public. I really enjoy it. When I was working in Edmonton I was doing a remote at a western wear store and it was just outside the skating rink in West Edmonton Mall where the Edmonton Oilers practiced. There were about six or seven thousand people around there, some people asking what you're doing and you can't hear anything so if you can't do something like that you probably shouldn't be in radio. I like people and I like to talk to people and when I'm out I get to meet people from all over the world. It seems with the Sunday Brunch I get to meet people from California, I met a girl from Chicago, a guy from New Mexico. So there are people from all over the world not just Calgary at that place (The Barley Mill at Eau Claire Market, Calgary every Sunday from 10am to 2pm).

Liz - How much of yourself is in your on air personality?

Brian - As much as possible. Different stations have different demands for lack of a better word. Some stations want you to go on and be zany and crazy. I think these days more and more they don't want people to be comedians. Of course if you can think of a funny story that amusing they certainly appreciate that more than someone who wants to be a comedian.

Liz - What's your ultimate goal in radio?

Brian - I always said for the first five or six years in radio that the goal would be to be a morning man in a major market and of course there are different definitions of that. In Canada, Calgary is definitely a major market. So a morning man would be very nice but I have to admit I don't like the hours at all. There's something about getting up at four o'clock in the morning that just seems wrong. (Laughing) Six O'clock is very early and four o'clock seems like the middle of the night. I can see why the morning show people in radio get paid a little bit extra. My big goal? Well, I'm not sure. I've had the opportunity to do so many different things here like the music scheduling, the production and the remotes. The news and sports has made me realize that the best thing about the job that I have here is the variety. To be honest, I don't know what my big goal is. I could do just about anything and be happy because I thoroughly enjoy the industry.

Liz - That's encouraging to hear that you enjoy your job so much. So, what's in your CD player right now?

Brian - In my CD player right now is a collection of 60's and 70's R&B and a lot of it is music that we're playing on the Breeze like "I'll be Around" by the Spinners, "Lets Stay Together" by Al Green and a little more upbeat music as well. I think I enjoy listening to collections better than listening to one band or one artist for forty five minutes to an hour. I like to mix it up.

Liz - Can you name some of your favorite Breeze artists?

Brian - As far as the vocals go I really like Elton John. I love Stevie Wonder, the Spinners and I really like the R&B and Motown stuff that the Breeze plays. As far as artists that I didn't know as well until I got into this format, Craig Chaquico really blows me away, he's just outstanding. I really like some of the stuff that was popular in the seventies and eighties like Chuck Mangione and Herb Alpert. It's like anything I just love the variety. As far as new Breeze artists go, Steve Oliver is fantastic he's got a sound that just grabs you instantly. I think there's a lot of music like that on the Breeze.

Liz - What's been the best live show you ever saw?

Brian - I really enjoyed Don Henley and I've always been a big Eagles fan. I missed out on the Eagles concert here in Calgary by two days. The first radio job that I took started two days before the Eagles concert. I had twenty seven seats for that show. My uncle who I talked about earlier was an Assistant Promoter here in Calgary for MCI and he would get me tickets and get me back stage. I got to meet Bryan Adams and the Doobie Brothers and it was so cool. To miss out on the Eagles that was the show next only to the Beatles is the show that I would love to have experienced. Of course all my friends who went to the Eagles, all the friends who I got a ticket for, all told me how amazing it was!

Liz - Just what you wanted to hear.

Brian - Yeah, I kick myself just a little bit for missing that one. Don Henley was really fantastic and I really enjoyed the Doobie Brothers. Growing up I really enjoyed Foreigner and Journey even though I don't think Journey ever came to Calgary that I remember of. I saw Foreigner when I was thirteen or fourteen and that was the first show I ever went to. I think John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band opened up for them. I wasn't expecting much from them but that was even better than Foreigner. Artists have a tendency of surprising you.

Liz - Being a native of Calgary you have a pretty good sense of the city. Do you think Calgary is ready for Smooth Jazz or will the Breeze eventually become another Adult Contemporary Light music station?

Brian - I think the people of Calgary are really ready for this music. I really appreciate the opportunity to present this music to people. To the people that I've talked to in malls doing those early morning breakfast remotes they'd say, "I'm not overly familiar with the music yet but it's really sticking to my head." I think that's something that Smooth Jazz does about as well as any music. It gets into the back of your head and that tune is with you all day. If we have the opportunity to bring artists like Steve Oliver or Kim Waters to people who have never heard of them before that really is a privilege. Twenty five or thirty years ago the new artists were Chuck Mangione and for some people Herb Alpert and so the opportunity that announcer had at that time is similar to what we have today and that's bring people music that they otherwise wouldn't get a chance to hear. It's a privilege.

Liz - Well, Brian it's a privilege to talk to you and I enjoy your passion and enthusiasm about your job. It's always a pleasure to hear you on the air. Thank you for your time.

Brian - Thank you Liz, the pleasure was mine.