John Beaudin is a true pioneer in Smooth Jazz. He has dedicated most of his broadcasting career to the genre. In the mid eighties when the Wave was launching in Los Angeles Beaudin started his own Canadian version of the then named NCA (New Adult Contemporary) format in Edmonton at CKXM-FM. It was 1986 and he was programming and hosting Night-Lite, 42 hours of Contemporary Jazz and New Age music per week. In the early nineties Beaudin moved his formula to CHUM's QM-FM in Vancouver. That version of Night-Lite lasted until 2001. That same year he embarked on his most ambitious project yet, the Smooth Jazz Canada website. He recently changed the name to Smooth Jazz Now.com. The site features interviews and music news on the top players in the game. He is currently the afternoon drive host at The Breeze, a Smooth Jazz station in Calgary and host of Lovesongs at QM-FM Vancouver. Beaudin is also co-creator and co-chair of the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. He is also a nominee for Broadcaster of the Year. Beaudin says, "I'm honored to be nominated among such talented people like Alexander Zonjic, Cameron Smith, Walle Larsson, and Vicki van Dyke. I feel like we are all building something here. We may all work for different people but our vision is very similar, we all love this music, we are all willing to go the extra mile to make this format work." Ross Porter of Jazz FM91 in Toronto says, "John Beaudin is the real deal. His commitment, insight and connection to Smooth Jazz music is unparalleled in broadcasting.
- by Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith - Mr. John Beaudin, I know you have declined requests to feature yourself interviewed on your site a few times so I'm glad to be the first person to give it a shot especially now that the site is over three years old. It must be a great anniversary?

John Beaudin - Well thanks with Smooth Jazz Canada and Smooth Jazz Now there has always been a problem with the fact that I do most of the work with that. It's like the John Beaudin website which isn't appealing to anyone outside the three markets that I've hosted. For that matter who knows maybe it's not important to those markets either. (laughing) My point being there is too much of me in there already. That's why the only pages that feature real direct personal stuff about me are the "About Me" page.

Anthony - The three markets you are speaking of are Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary?

John - Correct and so far the last two years we've gone out of our way to give the site more of an International flavor plus we've had a lot more volunteers so it's not just my take on the genre. Let me tell you it's freakin' hard to find volunteers who actually know about the format and can write about it from their hearts. Most of the people who contact us are really just kicking tires, they're not serious. Being volunteers of course they don't get paid but we do send them lots of great free CD's and we can get them concert tickets etc. Anyway, here's how it works; somebody will email me out of the blue to ask what they can do, I'll in turn let them know, they agree to do something and I never hear from them again. (laughing) It's giving me a complex. We have a new guy to look after the "Radio" page. Nick Langan is just 19 but he's a huge Smooth Jazz fan.

Anthony - I should also point out that I only agreed to do this interview if I could ask you anything I wanted.

John - Well, you can ask but it doesn't mean I'll have an answer for everything.

Anthony - Well I have noticed you have an interesting style of interviewing.

John - I know my interview style is similar to the Entertainment Tonight thing which I can't stand really; (laughing) you know how the interviewers on E.T. put themselves into the interview a little too much, unless it's Maria Menounos who I have to admit I have a crush on. Anyway, unless it's her (laughing) I don't care about the hosts (laughing) and I certainly don't care about the hosts like Mary Hart on E.T. especially.

Anthony - Yeah, I'm not really a fan of Mary Hart either. (laughing)

John - Who acts like Mary Hart, in real life, who? (Laughing) She could be the nicest person in the world and I heard from a pop artist years ago that she's the salt of the earth. In broadcasting of course that happens all the time. When we're "on" we have to kick it up a notch. My biggest fear when I air-check myself is whether I sound pretentious, do I still sound like a real human being?

Anthony - Interviews can make or break a broadcaster sometimes.

John - Quite unconsciously I started treating interviews like a conversation between two people, I know, what a concept but with that style you need to divulge a little about yourself. Entertainment Tonight does it but all the hosts sound like teeny boppers talking to one of the Backstreet Boys - It's not really a conversation. I think it's important to tell an artist if they do good work and I have to admit I have a tendency to interview the people I admire but that's not any new idea. For instance, I talked to Chuck Loeb about spirituality a while back and we only got that deep because we both shared stories, of course I always have to make sure they share more than me. I spoke to Boney James a little while ago and really felt for him when I heard he had lost his brother so I let him know that I too had lost a brother. Anthony, usually the artist will open up a bit more about the situation after that but Boney didn't want to go into it and I can respect that. We're talking death here it doesn't have to be in the interview.

Anthony - Well, how do you know whether to ask about something like that?

John - Boney had it in his bio for his "Pure" album so I assumed it was fair game. I assumed he was willing to talk about it. Anthony, you're in Detroit and you have V-98.7 with Alexander Zonjic there so you're in good Smooth Jazz territory.

Anthony - (laughing) Stop interviewing me!

John - (laughing) Sorry.

Anthony - What's the problem with Smooth Jazz in Canada? It's tanking everywhere.

John - (laughing) Ouch! Ok, it's not exactly breaking records yet but it certainly needs more time. It's very hard to gauge Hamilton for instance since they go into so many markets around Toronto. Hey, they don't do too badly at all. I haven't seen Cool FM's numbers since the book (ratings) came out so I'm not sure where they're at. Clear in Vancouver don't really consider themselves a Smooth Jazz station and dealing with restrictions on how much Smooth Jazz they can play. I talked to Dave Larson their Program Director last week and he told me they can only play 30% of Smooth Jazz category 3.4 music. So they can't go all the way in that market. We already proved at CHUM's QM-FM in Vancouver that it can work since I did it there for over 10 years with good numbers especially with women. The Breeze in Calgary has been dealing with many cooks in the kitchen since it started. Paul Larsen for instance had a mix that included a lot of AC artists and that certainly didn't work as well as he'd hoped. With Mike Shannon we went into an R&B world with less Smooth Jazz in the mix and that didn't quite hit the mark but Mike is a pretty smart guy and he's a big team player, he wants to make this work. Now we sound like a Smooth Jazz station.

Anthony - You're happy with the sound?

John - It still need lots of tweaking but that's radio it's always about tweaking.

Anthony - Will listeners come back?

John - (laughing) Well that's the hope isn't it?

Anthony - Why is it tanking?

John - I remember talking to Steve Jones the national Program Director for NewCap, the company that owns The Breeze. I think I phoned him the day after they bought the station I called him to let him know I wanted to program the station. He asked me if making it commercial would help and I remember telling him that it all depended on what he meant by that. If it meant playing more Celine Dion with instrumental music then no, it wouldn't work in Calgary. You can't come into a market with a Smooth Jazz license and try to out AC the AC kings in this case FM96. As they say down south "That dog won't hunt." (laughing) Steve Jones didn't give me the job, Paul Larson got it and we went very AC and let me tell you NewCap did a lot of research in the market to come to that conclusion, they didn't do this blindly. This is major market radio you don't just make knee-jerk decisions. Well (laughing) let me rephrase that in this case it wasn't a knee-jerk reaction. Radio owners sometimes panic too quickly, we've all seen it. NewCap went with the research they had and I have to respect that. The mix could have easily worked under the right circumstances. The Breeze is not a one or two year project, like any station trying to brand a new format it takes time plus the station has an extremely loyal fan base.

Anthony - What is the answer for Smooth Jazz in Canada? What's your point?

John - My point is make it more commercial with the best freaking Smooth Jazz songs on the freakin' planet. Neil Gallagher the GM at CHUM Vancouver taught me that you have to make every song count. Yes it's a cliché' I know. He asked me back in 1992, "Do you know what making every song count even means?" I thought I knew but truly I only had part of the formula. Back then I was getting pretty good numbers but I was programming A-Z, I was playing good Smooth Jazz tunes but Neil taught me that I had to program great songs no matter if they were Smooth Jazz or not. I had to program Smooth Jazz tunes that someone who didn't like Smooth Jazz music would like. Think about it, how many P1's are there in Canada? Sure more than we probably think but still not enough to make a Smooth Jazz station # 1,2 or 3 in the market. If you're going to play Smooth Jazz make it a Smooth Jazz song that even the biggest haters of the format might accept. That's what's wrong with the format in Canada in a nutshell. Stop programming to the audiophile P1's, program to everyone, create a new hybrid of P1's. If most people don't know or care about this music then ease them into it very, very slowly, quick grab all you Marc Antoine albums. (laughing) Don't play anything with a crazy solo and don't just play the U.S. version of Smooth Jazz that's on the charts. In this genre there is an amazing data bank of tunes going way back and your job as a programmer has to be to find the best of the best. I probably have one of the biggest libraries of Smooth Jazz music I know, it's out there because I own it.

Anthony - So don't decide on a song if it's just a great Smooth Jazz song pick it because it's a great tune.

Shannon & John 2001

John - Exactly. I know its sounds simplistic but I see people program this stuff and they put their Smooth Jazz hats on a little too tightly, that's where they go wrong. I say for the Canadian market find great music, don't think Smooth Jazz just find tunes that tell you "holy shit this is great." Also don't ask the audience if they like Smooth Jazz just play them those kick ass tunes when you do the research ask them what they think of it. Stations also have to spend money promoting and branding the product. I think another problem is the "wow" factor in mid-mornings. In Smooth Jazz programmers are afraid to include those tunes that make you stare at the speakers in mid-mornings. I say that's a pile of crap. Yes I know the argument it's an office tuning time and like AC radio one has to be careful about too many "wow" tunes but I say just watch your tempo and play "wow" tunes.

Anthony - What did you call the music in Edmonton and Vancouver?

John - We didn't call it anything. We branded it as "a new way to relax" in both cities. If someone called me and asked me what it was I'd say what it was. People in the eighties were afraid of the word New Age so I barely used it and in Vancouver we knew that people were afraid of the word Jazz so we didn't sweat it, we didn't use it.

Anthony - What about community involvement?

John - I talked to Mike Vasques about this a while back who's the Program Director of one of the most successful Smooth Jazz stations in the World, KIFM in San Diego and he gets his staff out there I think from the get-go they know that's part of the job. I have great respect for that man. His last two books have gone down a bit but they are still a force to reckoned with.

Anthony - How much of the music do you program at The Breeze?

John - A limited amount.

Anthony - Why would you take a step down by taking this job? Ok, I understand you probably can't talk about this but isn't it frustrating for you?

John - Well, every job is frustrating at times one is never going to agree with everything the boss does and for the record I'm not saying I always disagree with them.

Anthony - Well, you seem very clear on what's wrong with the format in Canada and sure you have a history but why are you not programming this stuff?

John - Well I would not do it at the Breeze unless I could do it my way, plain and simple. If I put my name on it we're talking another level here for me. Where can I go if I want to stay in Canada? I have limited places to go. In the nineties CHUM had this deal with me that as long as the numbers were good I'd pick the music for my show Night-Lite. We flipped after 12-13 years in the evening after the CRTC didn't give us a license to do it 24/7. We were also deregulated.

Anthony - Well, why did you go to The Breeze in Calgary when you didn't get the job you applied for? I read your interview with Frank Cody who started Broadcast Architecture and now is co-owner of Rendezvous Records with Dave Koz and you said that both Paul Larsen and Mike Shannon we're not Smooth Jazz guys? Why would you go?

John - I was just stating that neither one of them had programmed it before, this was new for them. Well, I really liked Paul from the moment we met I just liked the guy. He did unofficially offer me a big part in the music of the station but it never happened. Paul and I had it out about the whole situation before he left and I'm ok with it. Paul Larsen is a good guy with a good heart. The people at the Breeze respected Paul, he was one of the hardest working Program Directors I've ever worked for.

Anthony - Wasn't it a huge step down for you though taking orders form people who had no history with the format?

Backstage with Barney. He may cheat at poker but he sure can rock!

John - There were growing pains. Paul is an incredibly hard worker and if he asks his staff to do more work he'll be the first guy to also get in there and work harder, the guy's a crazy workaholic and he's a smart guy but he also takes it further by trying to do everything himself. Paul did everything himself and Mike delegates a lot! They have very different approaches.

Anthony - Why didn't you just move to the States?

John - My wife and I have an Autistic daughter and health care is always a concern. When we were in British Columbia all our funding was cut by Premier Gordon Campbell so we knew she needed early intervention quick so with or without The Breeze job we were moving to Alberta where Premier Klein made Education and Healthcare priority. I had to move here so with or with out the Program Director's job I still needed a job in Alberta so The Breeze was starting around that time. Even without an autistic daughter I would have still applied at The Breeze.

Anthony - But you would not have taken the job unless you were running things without an autistic daughter?

John - Sure, that's true but listen the ego is like asking a drunk for directions one has to be careful where it leads you. At first I was hurt and feeling sorry for myself that I'd put all this incredible work into this format and I was without a kingdom to coin a phrase/cliché but who cares I ended up working with a lot of people I really liked and was able to host this music in the daytime for the first time. You're digging for dirt here. (laughing) Listen even if I did feel like I was being mistreated at the Breeze I wouldn't tell you. (laughing)

Anthony - (laughing) Sorry it makes no sense to me why you stay in Canada. I love this music but you have been there since the beginning and you're working for people who are so new to it. That would drive me crazy!

John - But they are not new to radio, they are not new to wanting to win. Ok, enough about this, I like working at The Breeze. (laughing) Next time we talk to Broadcast Architecture I want you to ask them the hard questions; you're much better at it than me. (laughing)

Anthony - (laughing) Sorry, I have to admit to you that I have talked to a few of my radio friends here in the U.S. that know about you and they each told me that maybe you're not making the best career move here.

John - My daughter needs to be here so we need to be here and you're next question was? (laughing)

Anthony - (laughing) Edmonton is getting a Smooth Jazz station. When is it going on the air?

John - I have no idea.

Anthony - You have no communication with them?

John & Bruce Hornsby at QM-FM Vancouver in the early nineties

John - It's too early to know anything. I tried to connect with them a little too early. I have called Pam Leyland their President many times to get an update but the Edmonton station was not on the table yet. I left email messages before and after she had her baby and countless phone messages but it was too early. Pam just didn't want to talk to me about Smooth Jazz yet. (laughing) I sure got a chance to know her secretary Lynn since I called so many times. When the time is right I'll connect with them. I wish them well. To me it's all about relationships. I have a relationship with everyone that is doing it in this country and many people in the U.S. We need to stick together.

Anthony - Would you like to build that station?

John - Of course I think any Smooth Jazz programmer would and Edmonton is my favourite city in Canada. I talked to their Rawlco guy in Calgary Bob Young, he's a nice man and he just told me that they were dealing with frequency problems. In fact the parent company Rawlco just got another extension for their frequency problems so that station is not going up until late 2005. Bob was familiar with my work and my site but talking one on one with the President of the company would help besides I'm happy at The Breeze.

Anthony - Do you have any advice for the people starting the station in Edmonton?

John - Well, who do I give the advice to? The biggest rumor in Canada is they will sell the station before it goes on the air but I doubt that will happen. My advice? Yeah sure, make every song count; I know that's a radio cliché but listen they have an opportunity to really make it work in Edmonton. They can't go in there and program to just Smooth Jazz fans, they have to pick tunes that the skeptics will like. I had some good numbers in Edmonton, that's where it really started in 1986 at CKXM-FM for what was then Sunwapta Broadcasting. Also they need to have their Program Director do a weekday on air shift to cut costs since they're a stand alone Smooth Jazz station. Hire people who know something about this music, find them. Also like I mentioned before they need to invest money in selling the product, to educate the public.

Anthony - I noticed in your interview with the owners of The Wave in Hamilton that you had to remind them that others had done this format before them.

John - I did?

Anthony - I don't have the interview in front of me but they insinuated that they started this and you corrected them.

John - I don't remember that but sure if they said they started it I would certainly correct them. I think they probably said that they were the first people to do it 24/7. A lot of people started this, Linda Nash who is a good friend of mine was the first CTI rep here in Canada tells me stories all the time of the early on air staff working this stuff when it wasn't so cool to do so. There was Peggy Graham at CKFM in Toronto. Shelia Connor at CKFM was the first person to ever play George Benson's "Breezin" on the air in the world. There was also Fred Napoli at CKFM. At CHUM Reiner Schwartz played this stuff. Lanny Williamson who owns The Beach studio here in Calgary and is Linda's husband was playing early hybrids of this in the late sixties at CHFI. In 1986 at CKXM FM in Edmonton which is now called 'The Bear' we did 42 hours a week. I do know that no one was doing anything like that in this country back then. To Mary and Doug's defense, I also don't have the interview in front of me but they were the first to start a 24/7 Smooth Jazz station and that says a lot.

Anthony - Do you think you were starting something in Edmonton in 1986?

John - In some ways sure but I wasn't the first. Maybe to do it on that scale sure. You know reputation is someone else's job, I can't decide what my reputation will be other people have to do that, I'm just glad I was part of it. Carol Handley the Program Director of KWJZ played a very similar role in the U.S. she was doing this stuff long before the Wave in L.A. was doing it but of course the Wave got most of the press. Carol and I were talking about that last year and I feel she should be remembered for of course being a successful programmer in Seattle but also for helping this format get off the ground.

Anthony - Is this what you really want to do?

John - Yes and no. I certainly don't want to keep up this pace forever. I do know that I want to spend more quality time with my wife Shannon and the kids. The Breeze has been demanding more of my time lately, more than I've ever given to a radio station and trust me I've always given tons of myself to all the companies I've worked for. I work on the website in the morning and at night, I do the CHUM show for Vancouver around noon and then it's off to the Breeze then I come home and do more of the CHUM show. I'm always busy thats just me.

Anthony - Is the crazy schedule because of the layoffs at The Breeze?

John - (laughing) I always have a crazy schedule but that hasn't helped. Radio gets that way sometimes.

Anthony - I guess you have been through this kind of thing before in radio?

John - Sure, it's radio it happens.

Anthony - I know you are without a news / traffic person now on your afternoon drive show so you obviously knew Brenda Neufeld well what about the others?

John - Three of the people that were let go had been at The Breeze since the beginning which was August 2002 so it was hard. Michelle Askew, our Sales Manager, Sue Deyell the morning co-host and Brenda Neufled my drive co-host were all there on the launch so I knew them very well. I adore Sue on the air, she is one of the most talented people I have ever worked with. Brenda is in the same boat. I was slowly getting to know Jerry Steen the morning man. It is what it is. In life not accepting what is creates turmoil inside the body. All you can do is support the people and then accept it.

Anthony - So will Smooth Jazz be your life now?

John - (laughing) Oh, god no! You know, I listen to as much Classic Rock as I do Smooth Jazz. I know as much about Classic Rock as I do Smooth Jazz. I got into Smooth Jazz because I was looking for more in music many years ago. I can easily see myself working at a Classic Rock station in the next few years. My site will always be up but as obvious as it sounds now I could have made a lot more money with a Classic Rock website. I have tons of interviews with those artists. I listen to Zeppelin, Floyd and everything in between. The problem with doing Smooth Jazz for so long is after a while one can get branded. I don't think that's a good thing. Also, if Shannon and I want to move our choices would be so limited if we only had Smooth Jazz stations to choose from in Canada. Our autistic daughter's main funding is winding down now so soon it will not be as important to be in Alberta. I'll be 45 in February, we are both being more careful about our next few steps. Don't get me wrong I will always be part of the Smooth Jazz world. That will never go away.

Shannon & John

Anthony - Getting back to my point about the Breeze on air staff which is all of you have a very different style.

John - As we should.

Anthony - You have a mix between the U.S. Smooth Jazz announcing style and a usual A.C. delivery, you're very conversational.

John - Thanks, that's what I try to do. Remember the other station I work for QM-FM is an A.C. station.

Anthony - Stacey your new morning person does that gabby thing, she talks about herself a lot and Chanine is like butter she is very smooth.

John - I always tell Chanine I could listen to her read bad news and it would still make me feel good. Chanine was a great find, she has major market written all over her. I haven't listened to Stacey on air on the morning slot very much but the Stacey you hear on air is the same person you get in real life. She is gabby and she loves to talk, she's a very interesting person who's very real about what she feels and that honesty comes through on the air. Stacey walks into a room and lights it up!

Anthony - Is Rick Volpatti a regular announcer or is he part -time? He sounds the most different than anyone.

John - Rick is our station producer and his weekend thing is a way of him staying in the announcer's game.

Anthony - He has a little Gary Owens in him. He does a lot of effects with his voice, he pauses a lot and inflects like a seventies announcer.

John - (laughing) Gary Owens? Are you on crack? He is the king of pausing and inflecting that's for sure. It's certainly a style you don't hear a lot on radio today but that's what makes him special, that's Rick's shtick, that's what he does and remember he's our producer, so he's bound to have more drama in his delivery, he comes upon that honestly. Rick has a very personal style on the air, it's as if he's in the room with you, I know that's a cliché' way of putting it but with Rick it's true. He works really hard on his weekend show. Rick's a good guy. I think Rick's real strength is producing; he's very forgiving and trust me he has to be with me because I'm awful with spots.

Anthony - I noticed you like to talk about religion on the site.

John - I hardly talk about religion, I think you mean spirituality.

Anthony - Sorry, yes, spirituality. It's obviously a very important part of your life?

John - If I hadn't found spirituality I think I would have never met Shannon, my wife but the other side of that is also if I hadn't had the terrible breakups I've had with other women I would not have found spirituality or at least not as fast.

Anthony - So there's a reason for everything?

John & Daughter Danica

John - Sure but it doesn't mean one has to try to find meaning in everything, pick your battles, after a few years I think we all get better at realizing where the lessons are. For me it's relationships. Four women brought me to Shannon and all four of the breakups were followed by deep cathartic growing pains. After each one I was like a snake shedding its skin - it hurt like hell. When I meditate I sometimes feel a sense of appreciation for all four women.

Anthony - Does those learning curves bleed into your "Lovesongs" show in Vancouver?

John - (laughing) Nice choice of words! Sure, of course but "Lovesongs" is still a music driven show and really no one wants to hear me preaching.

Anthony - I meant do you talk about your own stories? QM-FM in Vancouver does not stream so I couldn't listen to you.

John - I do a little but usually only when a listener asks. I certainly don't mention those four women by name and I hardly ever mention Shannon. I think its alienating to talk about yourself too much on the air.

Anthony - Has an ex girlfriend ever contacted you after hearing you on "Lovesongs?"

John - (laughing) So much for this being a Smooth Jazz interview! Ok, I'd only like to touch on this before we move on because I can't see how anybody would be interested in this but to answer your question sure, of course but not the four women that I mentioned. Two of the four women that I talk about are still in my life. My ex wife Lynn is one and she and her husband Chris came to my wedding to Shannon this past summer, I always say she's the best ex-wife in the world! The other is my high school sweetheart Dawn, we reconnected via email three years ago and Shannon and I plan to meet up with her in Toronto in April when we attend the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards.

Anthony - And the other two want to kill you right? (laughing)

John - (laughing) I don't think so I haven't talked to them in years and interestingly these two other women taught me more than any other female figures in my life other than Shannon.

Anthony - Like what?

John - I lived with one woman for two years and the break up in 1992 almost killed me but because I became a deep vacuous hole of emotional need ready to suck the life out of anything within a hundred mile radius. (laughing) I was also craving a lifeline and I got it through meditation and prayer and so many great people came into my life. I had a garage sale and sold everything I owned, something I thought I could never do.

Anthony - Even your music collection?

John - (laughing) Ok, not my entire music collection but I did sell my 2 thousand LP's and I downsized my CD collection by putting all the essential tunes on R-Dat and selling the CD's. I wanted to see if I could do it and it really felt good, liberating and a week later I hopped in my car and went to Sedona, Arizona and mediated for a couple of weeks. My wife Shannon and I made a deal with each other when we met in 1997 that we would honor the people that got us here, we made a pact to be real and not pretend that all that love we had in the past didn't exist.

Anthony - Do you talk about ex's a lot?

John - Hardly ever but that's because it's not taboo, we've talked it out. I'll give you an example of this; maybe four years ago Shannon had lunch with one of her big ex-boyfriends, a guy she lived with for a few years and when she came home she told me she still found him attractive.

Anthony - That's a good thing?

John - My first thought was of course she feels that way he's a very good looking man who shared a lot with Shannon and she felt completely comfortable to tell me that. Why? Because it was real, it was how she felt. She also thought that it was a good thing that they broke up because he wasn't a stable guy. Shannon didn't have to keep secrets and even if she has a few that's ok too - we're only human.

Anthony - Do you encourage talking to ex's on "Lovesongs?"

John - All the time, I always say unless an ex is nuts honor them when and if they call. Unfortunately, most times an ex will call to test the waters, maybe for a second chance. I encourage meeting with an ex if you can resolve issues with them, if you have a soap opera break up then hopefully you can come back when the dust settles and say you're sorry and really mean it without ulterior motives and then move on with your life.

Anthony - In a perfect world….

John - Yeah, I know…but if you honor them and forgive them chances are your heart and mind will feel better for it.

Anthony - One more thing about "Lovesongs" what's the quota of happy to bad love stories that you get?

John - About 50/50, what goes up must come down. We only use first names on the show so the listeners feel free and safe to call. I think one of the biggest complaints is the old "one that got away" story. I had no idea so many people were pining over their ex's.

Anthony - Isn't that what you and your wife were doing?

John - The exact opposite, because we brought it out in the open we barely ever talk about ex's and I think I can speak for Shannon when I say neither one of us have a 'one that got away." You know how it goes boy break up with she devil girl, boy meets new girl, boy marries new girl, boy gets sick of girl who doesn't seem so new anymore boy starts fantasizing about she devil. Its nuts but it's understandable.

Anthony - Yeah, people move on sometimes too fast. I have many people in my life who do that.

John - Sure, maybe boy didn't deal with the breakup to she devil in the first place, maybe he decided instead of dealing with the breakup and learning something about himself he just moved on to the next person. Hey, maybe she wasn't a she devil at all. I always say it's not the act it's the inability to see the act. I was an asshole in some earlier relationships and trust me I wouldn't be with Shannon unless I could really own that. I'm a Jungian thinker and I think one has to be really honest with oneself and some of that truth smells pretty bad but it needs to be exercised none the less.

Anthony - I guess to some extent with all the calls you get you must feel like a fly on the wall. Are there certain components of these discoveries that you find disturbing?

John - Couples who don't spend time together! I hear from so many people who complain about not seeing their spouses. I heard from a lady this week whose husband always went off on vacation by himself and he admitted to her in November that he had a list of high price escorts that he visits when he's on vacation. If your husband is going off by himself over and over and if your not being intimate with him how does he deal with his lizard brain? (laughing) Unless he's deeply spiritual, or disciplined or brings a magazine into the bathroom with him then he needs to have an outlet. Unless his sex drive has slowed down of course. There are the obvious things that break up a relationships like blaming your partner for your own misfortunes or decisions, being naive about how much work it takes to make a relationship work, rebounding and not dealing with your feelings of the past.. The list is long.

Anthony - I'll get my ex-wife to read this interview. (laughing) What musician really moved you this year?

John - I love this Calgary band Madisen. They are a duo consisting of Matt Clarke and Leila Harrison. From the moment I heard Leila's voice I was sold. They actually inspired me to build another site just for acts like theirs who are incredibly talented but have no spot on the radio dial. Jonatha Brooke is the same kind of artist. Jonatha is one of my favorite artists of all time. Anyone reading this please go into her site www.jonathanbrooke.com she's blows away most other singer/songwriters out there. She's one of the best I've ever heard, hell she made me cry. The only other female singer to ever do that is Joni Mitchell. In Smooth Jazz I like the Braxton Brothers, Earl Klugh always inspires me. His "Heartstrings" and "Move" albums are examples of someone who's directly plugged in. Earl will be on the site in a few months - He's a good man! Of course George Benson. I like Chuck Loeb, Brian Hughes in fact all the guitarists nominated for the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards are great. I honour those guys! I think Jason Miles is a freakin' genius and honest chap. I could talk to Jason for hours. Michael Buble' is going to be bigger than he is now and he deserves every grain of it. Peter White and Dave Koz inspire me as human beings and musicians. The list is long. Mark Lewis who was on the CHUM panel with me 4 years ago when we were trying to get a Smooth Jazz license into Vancouver is like me, a fan from way back. Mark's a lawyer who works for Borden, Ladner Gervais in Toronto anyway he's a good man, I like him a lot and he has an incredible feel for Smooth Jazz. Mark's on our nomination panel for The Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards and about 4 years ago he sent me some compilations of the early part of the format and I have to tell you I listen to them more than most CD's. Would I program like that if I had a chance? Well, no but I stopped programming to my own tastes a long time ago. What I'm saying is I wish the radio atmosphere was open to a more varied style. If anything gets me to abandon Smooth Jazz it will the fact that its way too groove oriented and too generic. Luckily so far it's not the majority. It can be, there certainly is enough of it out there but luckily most people don't program like that. I Love Bruce Hornsby more than most things in life, I must say.

Anthony - Have you talked to Jonatha Brooke?

John - No, not yet. I did contact her manager a few years ago but my adult music site wasn't ready to go and I didn't want to waste her time. I saw her in concert in Vancouver and she floored me. People sometimes ask me who I'd most like to have coffee with well she's on top of the list.

Anthony - You grew up in New Brunswick what was that like?

John - Amazing. I love New Brunswick specifically the Miramichi which is Newcastle and Chatham. I can't say enough about the place.

Anthony - Well, you're not saying much.

John - (laughing) Shannon and I were just talking about moving to New Brunswick. If I had another voice tracking gig I would seriously consider it. For the price of my house in Calgary I could get a mansion in New Brunswick. (laughing)

Anthony - I hate to sound like a generic American but I barely know anything about New Brunswick. Why would you move from Calgary which is a pretty good size market to some place so small? It's not a very good career move?

John - (laughing) Hey, didn't you just tell me that being at The Breeze was a bad career move? I have Vancouver that will always be a good career move; I can do that show from anywhere. Listen, my parents are not getting any younger and I would like to be closer to my sister and her family and my younger brother who I adore and my parents would love it. If we don't move to the States someday I think we would go to New Brunswick, Ontario or the interior of B.C.

Anthony - So you would be willing to give up your Smooth Jazz on-air career?

John - I have the site that keeps me very plugged in. If I got an offer for a good afternoon drive or mid morning gig in the next few years, we'd seriously consider moving but for now I'm happy at The Breeze and Calgary is a great city. It's one of the friendliest cities in the country and as Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier told me a few years ago, "It's the sunniest city in the Country." I also love Classic Rock and know as much about it as Smooth Jazz, I listen to as much Classic Rock as I do Jazz. I'm a child of the seventies too, it's my era.

Anthony - What was your family like?

John - (laughing) I was very close to my younger brother Charles who does work on this website. I wasn't too close to my older brother and sister. We just didn't have the same interests. When my older brother Andrew died in1994 we became close about six months before. He taught me a lot which made me realize how much he had to offer but I wasn't listening back then. He was too much like me, we were like two cats going at it in the back alley. Oh the stories I could tell you about his last days, let me just say we are not alone, ever!

Anthony - What like angel things?

John - That and a whole bunch more. My brother was like a beam of light, too bright for some, he just said it like it was and lived life fully. On his dying bed he asked me to do his eulogy and demanded I not paint him as an angel because he certainly wasn't in his life. So I didn't, my brother was packing good company when he left this earth and he died like he lived in that devil may care fashion. I heard him joke to the nuns at the Cancer Clinic in Vancouver that he would save them a parking space in heaven! He was the man!

Anthony - Ok, we'll get back to Smooth Jazz in a minute but what's your take on death?

John - I like the Buddhist take on things. When I was in Vancouver I loved going to the Zuru Ling Buddhist Temple and breathing in their peace, their take on impermanence, their joy. I agree with them that we just may come back for another kick at the can or maybe many kicks. I recently lost another important person to cancer, Elyra Campbell, a truly underrated Celtic singer from Vancouver; she emailed me a little over a month before she died. She like my brother taught me so much about the next level. They were both suffering from birth pains like maybe a baby in a womb not wanting to leave the comfort of a mother internal, maternal love but they both knew the journey had some cool surprises ahead which both articulated to me. I really can't share their stories but they are all special. Again, we are not alone.

Anthony - How can I talk about Smooth Jazz now? You are on my favorite topic. How did spirituality start for you?

John - R.D. Laing, Carl Jung and Norman Vincent Peale - plain and simple.

Anthony - Yeah, I read Peale a lot in the early seventies.

John - He started this for a lot of people. The power of positive thinking that's what it's all about or was it? Wayne Dyer is taking his stuff and adding so much more. I remember when Peale died the headline read "Norman Vincent Peale Positively Dead" (laughing) Yeah, I know really bad taste but I didn't write it.

Anthony - (laughing) I'm a big Abraham Maslov fan and Wayne Dyer talks about him a lot.

John - Oh yeah, especially Maslov's theory of staying on purpose. I think when we find our purpose things just open up we stop thinking about the other side of the coin which is basic survival. I have lived on that lower level but I was lucky I had great teachers who could see past my bullshit.

Anthony - Do you mean real teachers or just the people that pass in the night?

John - Both, when I was going through my divorce which was quite messy just in the circumstances of how it happened I literally prayed for something to hold onto. I knew I couldn't escape the pain but if I had some kind of respite from it now and then maybe I could survive it and learn. Well, a week after I asked I was given the opportunity to host and program 42 hours of N.A.C. the earlier part of this Smooth Jazz format. It woke me up inside and I've been thankful ever since.

Anthony - How did you find your teachers or did they find you? (laughing)

John - Well it's always both isn't it? I was sitting on a park bench at Hawrelak park in Edmonton I think it was 1986 or 1987 just really feeling bad. (laughing) Oh, I was licking the floor with pain and I was at a breaking point, it was bad man. I didn't know how to deal with my feelings in this divorce and I was 26. All of a sudden I could sense someone beside me but I was too busy feeling sorry for myself and so I went back to that. (laughing) Again, I felt this presence beside me and this time I could tell this person was just staring at me so with a knee jerk reaction I turned with all my anger locked and loaded only to be greeted by this huge smiling face.

Anthony - Ok this is not a ghost/angel story this was a real person?

John - In this guy's case as real as they come on this planet. He was this little shriveled up Chinese man named Chow. I turned to him ready to tell him to go to hell and he smiles and says "She's never coming back." I just melted, I was stunned, and I was relieved.

Anthony - How did he know you were going through this?

John - At first I thought it was a good guess, what else could it be, Mr. Sad Sack either lost his job or his girl but there was no guess work with this guy. We sat on that bench for hours, until it got dark and we had the greatest conversation I had in my life. At the end of it he got up wrote his address on a piece of paper and said I should come to visit him. Like a great Rinpoche in Buddhism he just had a way of putting things into perspective and he could see angry young guys like me coming a mile away. He taught me what a lot of the great self help books say and that to take responsibility in your life - be responsible. I think it was Stuart Wilde who said, "I live my life by two rules, first rule be responsible, second rule is if anyone has a problem with what I do they can go &@^% themselves." The key to the statement is pay attention to number one that's really the only rule.

Anthony - Where is Chow now?

John - He died years ago. I bless him everyday. I spent a lot of time with that man.

Anthony - Why did you start the site?

John - I had just lost my Smooth Jazz show in 2000 or 2001 and I wanted to stay in the loop. I'd gotten to know so many of the artists I wanted to stay in the game.

Anthony - Did you know HTML then?

John - I still don't know HTML. I use Dreamweaver for the site and Photoshop.

Anthony - How many hours do you spend on this project?

John - About an average of 3 hours a day, lots more than that now that I'm building the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards site. I have a lot of help now though so when the awards are finished I'll have more free time.

Anthony - Have the musicians supported the Smooth Jazz Now site?

John - For interviews we have had most of the people we wanted. Of course, I still can't get Norah Jones and Diana Krall but maybe with Diana Krall being nominated for three Awards I'll get an interview. I would just like Norah or Diana to just call me up out of the blue that would make me happy. (laughing) Musicians have not supported the site for advertising though, barely. I make more money from Google and Amazon. From a business standpoint I can only do this for so long before I burn out or just get another opportunity. I have not gone after them though which is something we will do this year. I know lots of musicians will support it especially now that we have the hits. It's a great advertising platform for them.

Anthony - If you got another job you could conceivably quit the site?

John - Yeah. I was offered a Smooth Jazz on air and programming job this past year in a major market and my first thought was "Oh great! Now I can hire someone to run it for me." (laughing)

Anthony - Why didn't you take it?

John - Well, I have a lot of respect for the guy who offered me the job and I still talk to him all the time but the money wasn't right. I would love to work with the guy someday.

Anthony - In Canada or the U.S.?

John - Not going there with you! (laughing)

Anthony - How big is the site now?

John - About two thousand pages. It's the biggest Smooth Jazz site on the planet, not the most popular put as far as volume of information and pages we are the biggest.

Anthony - So, if I'm a musician who wants to advertise will you write me a positive review?

John - Well, that would not be a review that would be advertising wouldn't it? I know what Smooth Jazz site you're talking about and I don't care if they want to do that. I've heard great things about them, they work hard and they're good people. I certainly don't agree with writing a positive review just because I see money though. Trust me, I've been asked and I won't do it.

Anthony - What's been your best radio job so far?

John - That's easy, CKXM FM in Edmonton where I started doing this format. I love Edmonton; it has been my favorite place to live in Canada. I moved there on August 21, 1979 when I was 19. I started Night-Lite in 1986. I had total creative control and pretty good numbers. That was my dream job and I had the same deal with the parent company Sunwapta as I did with CHUM. The deal was I made all the decisions as long as the ratings were good. I had a really nice guy as a Program Director, George Kelso. I also worked with one of my favorite morning guys Mike Lynch, he was just a no nonsense guy. I loved his personality and voice. I'd love to know what he's doing now. He was also my morning man at K-Lite in Edmonton. I still get emails from lots of people in Edmonton who were regulaar listeners to that Night-Lite show.

Anthony - Where did you start in Radio?

John - I started in Edmonton at K-Lite I was lucky enough to start in a major market.

Anthony - Have you worked with any crazy people in the industry?

John - (laughing) There is no shortage of that kind of thing in any industry. The craziest person I worked with was this lady who in the span of a year made enemies with practically everyone on staff at this particular station. I've never seen anything like that before and since, you couldn't go in the control room when she was practicing her breaks which was always. I would always rush in get my log and get the hell out and the weird part is she would of course always bring listeners into the control room for tours when we were on the air. She sounded like a seventies AM announcer totally affected and you know maybe 6 or 7 seven people called asking about her after she left. That's it! The troubling part was she thought it was everyone else's fault. She was petty, judgmental and very insulting to some people on staff. I remember the day she was fired one by one people came into the control room with this huge look of relief. How can a human being get that kind of reaction from people and not realize it's them not the staff.

Anthony - Is she still in radio? What city?

John - As far as I know she isn't in radio. When you do that kind of thing to the people you work with you get a reputation, little did we know she already had a bad one before we even met her. Well, I'm not going to tell you who it is but I will tell you after she was fired I heard from other people that had worked with her and they had the same reaction to her. I hope someday she finds peace because she was a long way from it when I knew her. I've been lucky in radio though for the most part I've worked with some great people.

Anthony - You're longest job has been with CHUM, yes?

John - I'll always think of myself as a CHUM man first, always. They have been so good to me. I have nothing but great things to say about Paul Ski who now runs the radio division of CHUM and Neil Gallagher who is the GM at CHUM Vancouver. They trusted me with this Smooth Jazz format.

Anthony - Just a few more queries before I let you go. What were you like in high School?

John - Great Smooth Jazz question (laughing) I went to a great high school MVHS and I have great memories. I was moderately popular. I was just a shy guy trying to be cool but I probably ended up looking like a dork! Though I have never gone to any reunions, my high school sweetheart Dawn fills me in on the dirt. (laughing) I met some great friends in New Brunswick who I'm still close with. Jeff Graham is my longest lasting friend, I met him in grade seven and he was my best man at my wedding this past summer.

Anthony - Any teachers stand out?

John - Oh sure. One teacher did me a huge favour. I don't think he meant it but he was the first teacher to reach me, one human being to another. His name was Mr. Munn and this was Harkins Junior High School in I think 1975 or 1976. Up until then I didn't know how to have a real serious conversation with an adult which I didn't realize until he talked to me. (laughing)I had a cool teacher in high school at MVHS name Mr. Gillis, he was such a funny cool guy, and everyone loved him. I had an English teacher, Mr. Appleby that really encouraged my writing and we had a cool French teacher named Mr. Gay, I liked him a lot.

Anthony - I'll ask a question you like to ask and that's what friends influenced you in music?

John - Jeff Graham introduced me to Elton John in the early seventies, I love Elton and "Madman Across the Water" is my all time favorite album, it was also the first album I ever bought. Little did I know that it was all downhill from there in my record collection? (laughing) Jeff's into Bluegrass now. John Scott was another big influence, he taught me so much, and he's also a great drummer who now lives in Ottawa. There was also Jim Matheson who was the morning man at our local radio station CFAN in Newcastle who taught me loads about music. If anyone knows where Jim Matheson is let me know please. He went from being a jock to a newsman; he worked in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and northern Alberta and went to university at St. FX University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is not the same Jim Matheson who is the sports writer. (laughing) Oh, isn't that nice I've turned the interview into John Beaudin's lost and found. Pat White our engineer at the Breeze is a big influence on me he's introduced me to some great progressive bands like Jadis and Porcupine Tree.

Anthony - Are there big Smooth Jazz fans at The Breeze?

John - Sure, our promotions guy Michael Godfrey has been a fan for years. He has a passion for it. One of our former sales guys Monty was a huge fan.

Anthony - (laughing) How did the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards come about.

John - Well, I was going to do my own and really that was another reason I started the site was to do something to honour musicians. So I bought the URL's to do it, registered the name, designed a logo and had some professionals do it right and then Mary and Doug Kirk wanted to do one so I thought it advantageous to combine our talents and efforts so that's how it happened.

Anthony - How has it been so far?

John - More work than anyone can imagine (laughing) but it's worth it! George Benson may be coming and we're also honouring great musicians like Brian Hughes with nominations, Warren Hill, Les Sabler, Jamie Bonk, Marc Jordan, Alfie Zappacosta and Jesse Cook etc.

Anthony - You didn't mention the broadcasters?

John - Yes, we have five nominees, I represent The Breeze, Walle Larsson from Cool FM in Winnipeg, Cameron Smith the host of Smooth Jazz TV, Vickie Van Dyke from The Wave in Hamilton and Alexander Zonjic from V-98.7 in Detroit. I'm proud to be in such great company. My only disappointment was that Bob Farrow who is the Music Director and morning host of The Wave in Hamilton didn't want to be nominated. He certainly deserves to be in there and Bob is a really great human being - I have a lot of respect for him but we had to respect his wishes.

Anthony - How did you feel about being on the ballot of an awards show that you co-own?

John - Good question and I wanted to take myself off the ballot but Mary Kirk reminded me that I belonged there and the nominations committee put me there not me and remember it's the fans who vote. After all I have spent the majority of my career in Smooth Jazz longer than most in this country and I've been a broadcaster professionally since 1979. My wife Shannon and I always laugh that I've become an expert in a type of music that up until a few years ago no one gave a crap about. Also I should point out neither I nor Mary Kirk can see the "Broadcaster" votes as they come in. I had Craig Burton at "Everybody Counts" lock us out since I'm on that ballot and Mary has Vickie on the ballot.

Anthony - When we first talked by phone a few months ago we were comparing our Rock tastes. We both love Toto.

John - I love Toto. "The Seventh One" is one of my favorite albums of all time. It's probably number two. I miss Joseph Williams as lead singer in that band. Message to Steve Lukather; re-hire Joseph and keep Bobby Kimball that's the best of both worlds.

Anthony - I think there is bad blood there.

John - They say there isn't but ultimately we'll never know. I've tried contacting Joseph but he's a pretty busy guy.

Anthony - What else do you rock to?

John - I love Genesis, always have. There's a band from Holland that I like Kayak but mostly when Max Werner was their lead singer. I love Kevin Gilbert, Steve Oliver turned me onto him. Do you know about him?

Anthony - No.

John - He was a musical genius who died of accidental asphyxiation. He worked on Sheryl Crowe's first album, and the rumours about that relationship are a little wacky. It seems some Kevin Gilbert fans hate her guts. (laughing) Kevin could listen to a song once and play the tune on several different instruments. Look him up his band Toy Matinee was great. I also love Bruce Hornsby a lot - I've talked to him twice and both interviews are on the site. Listening to Bruce Hornsby is like a religious experience for me. I love his new album 'Halcyon Days."

Anthony - I liked you're interview with Randy Meisner.

John - It was a real pleasure to talk to him, he seems to have found peace after leaving the Eagles.

Anthony - How did your love for Jazz start?

John - (laughing) Oh, it's a crazy little story. I'm not a big traditional Jazz fan but that's where it started for me. In the seventies I had a recording 8-track player and I figured that it was easier to go to Zellers and buy a deleted 8-track then buy an empty/blank one - it was actually cheaper. So I looked for whatever blank 8-track had the most time and wouldn't you know I found Bill Evans "The Tokyo Concert." I kept buying it over and over again and recording over it without even listening to any of it. (laughing) One day I did. I was blown away and that's how Jazz started for me. Weird huh? I had a few Contemporary Jazz albums before that but I didn't have a passion for the stuff.

Anthony - (laughing) That's crazy!

John - None of my friends were into Jazz at all so I never told a soul. I bought Lee Ritenour Captain Fingers, some David Sanborn, George Benson and that's how it started. Also in 1979 when I worked at Miramichi Cable I discovered that they had lots of early contemporary Jazz that they used for back ground music for their shows of course I refused to use any of it for background for anything.

Anthony - Do you know the other webmasters who do Smooth Jazz sites?

John - I emailed Jeff Charney at Contemporary Jazz.com about a year ago and never heard back and I just emailed him to say hello maybe 2 months ago and he never responded. I'm sure I'll connect with Jeff one of these days. I had better response from Art Good but we never did connect for an interview, Art's a busy guy. I don't know the people at Smooth Jazz.com but they have a great site visually it looks fantastic. The person who built that site knows a few things about mixing colors. I think Sandy Shore has built a great site there. People say nice things about her. In a related sphere Carol Archer at R&R is a wonderful woman I've talked to her a few times and she'll be interviewed again very soon.

Anthony - What about Chill?

John - What about it? I like it but at this point I certainly don't love it but it's a really cool type of music. I don't think it will replace Smooth Jazz. CD-101 in New York is certainly giving it a shot.

Anthony - I notice you ask most of the broadcasters about bad on-air mistakes. Tell me a few?

John - I don't like jocks that sound too "Roger-Radio" or jocks who sing when they talk. I remember when we moved to Calgary there was this female announcer who worked for the 107 frequency here in Calgary and one weekend she was talking about her move from one home to another and she went on and on about this mundane move that was the most boring break I'd ever heard. I kept saying, "I don't care about your move and you're a really bad broadcaster." (laughing) The next week we were in the car and she did it again, she was telling us how she wasn't even moved out yet but she had packed all her cutlery and her boyfriend was mad at her." She could have done something with it but there was no point or light humour to it and she sounded uncomfortable doing it. That's a big thing in broadcasting don't try to be funny if you're not ready. Don't talk about yourself unless you're comfortable in your skin. Few announcers can talk about themselves and make it truly interesting. I'm usually yelling at the radio "I don't care!" (laughing) Now that same 107 frequency plays Classic Rock mostly from the seventies, they are a great radio station.

Anthony - What's coming up for you? I guess you're probably going on that Warren Hill Cruise?

John - (laughing) Are you nuts? I can't afford that.

Anthony - Aren't you and Warren buddies?

John - I barely know the guy. We tried to set up an exchange with Warren for the Cruise but I don't think he was too interested. I hear he's almost sold out so good for him.

Anthony - Do you ever do exchange deals with promoters for concerts?

John - We really don't get any in Calgary and up until now we have not been progressive about getting advertisers, that's not the artist's fault that's just us.

Anthony - There are so many festivals here in the U.S. why don't you check some out?

John - Well, two years ago I was approached by the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach Jazz Festival; they wanted to do an exchange. I set them up to do an exchange with The Breeze radio station here in Calgary where I work and at the last minute my deal fell through. The lady I was dealing with told me they were doing really well on ticket sales and she didn't need any more contra. I was looking so forward to going. With an Autistic child, Shannon had already agreed she couldn't go so it was just me, we set up the extra help for Shannon while I was gone and then it didn't happen. The fact that I needed it had nothing to do with the organizers of the event, that was my stuff but it did change my perspective on things. I just decided I was sick of dealing with people who were wasting my time. I decided I would get the site to where I wanted it and by the way I'm almost there and then I would go after advertising and trust me if this doesn't work this site will go down. Do you realize it takes ten hours to get an interview up, ten hours! That's an insane amount of time for something that does not pay, again my stuff but I can only do this so long. So listen record companies and artists I'm coming a calling in 2005. (laughing) I have helped out a hell of a lot of people, the site has the hits, let's talk turkey. (laughing)

Anthony - Ten hours for an interview, that's insane. I couldn't do that. You're crazy! What else is coming up for you in 2005?

John - Well, if CHUM gets their Satellite license Paul Ski has asked me to work the Smooth Jazz channel. I really hope that happens. I want to program again. Also, I want to continue writing my Smooth Jazz book. It's an interesting concept for a music book but I can't tell you what it is yet. Also an old buddy of mine Steve Burgess just gave me three huge boxes of interviews some of which we used when we were syndicating this show "The Cross Canada Report. Anyway, they will be transcribed and used for both Smooth Jazz Now and a new website that I'm working on. Hey, this interview is never ending. (laughing)

Anthony - (laughing) Just a few more. How did you meet your wife Shannon?

John - I was talking Reiki and my Reiki master Sarah and I had just worked on this native elder who thought he had cancer. After the session he went to his car and brought out two matching eagles features from each wing and gave us each one. I was so honoured I felt like crying. It was a special moment and after he left Sara read my tea leaves and she said I was going to meet someone right away, someone with long dark hair. When I drove her home she said, "Hey, there's this lady I want you to meet." My first thought was oh yeah you're really psychic you just predicted that I would meet someone and now you're introducing her to me, that's not psychic. (laughing) I didn't want to be set up I was at a really strong point in my life as a single person and liked it that way. Anyway she convinced me and we drove up to Shannon's store that she owned and the second I saw her I thought there's no way in hell that girl will go out with me. I was floored by how beautiful she was. We got along right away and she has the best heart I've ever seen in a human being. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Anthony - She seems very special. I've seen your wedding pictures. I'm curious on what you would do in Smooth Jazz if money was not an object? What would you do if you won a million bucks?

John - (laughing) You're beating me at my won game! You're making me realize how many non musical questions I actually ask on this site. What would I do if I won a million bucks? I'd just work on the site and share the money with some friends who need it.

Anthony - A million is not that much?

John - I had a person tell me a few weeks ago what they would do with two million bucks. This person said they would make sure they were well taken cared of for life and maybe, just maybe if there was anything left they would share and I thought that was so incredibly selfish. This person said, "I would make sure that I would never have to work again." If you have a million bucks what stops you from giving at least a few friends 20 or 30 thousand bucks. I couldn't imagine spending money like a crazy person when I know some of my friends could use a break. It's just not in me to do that. I have no compassion for cheap people especially rich, cheap people. I should point out that being frugal is a good way to become rich maybe that's why I don't own the bank.

Anthony - Do you watch the Canadian version of American Idol? Is it called Canadian Idol?

John - Yeah and no I don't watch it. I do love American Idol though.

Anthony - Why wouldn't you watch the Canadian version? It's the same concept isn't it?

John - I can't watch the host Ben Mulroney. He may be the nicest guy in the world but to me he comes off like some wannabe kid in a high school talent show. He and Celine Dion I can't watch them they both make me cringe.

Anthony - (laughing) I don't know who Ben Mulroney is.

John - (laughing) His father is former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

Anthony - Oh I remember him, my father really liked him. For me it's Britney Spears or Ashley Simpson, I cannot watch them.

John - Well, I have problems with them because they don't come across as honest people. Look at the Ashley Simpson lies around her lip syncing thing on SNL. It's no wonder she was booed at that Football game. It's like the Britney virgin thing, stop lying, kid we know you're lying. Shut up! (laughing)

Anthony - Posh Spice drives me nuts.

John - What does it say about you when you're the least talented Spice Girl? (laughing) Ouch! I still have the tape of the first Spice Girls appearance on Saturday Night Live. It's one of the most embarrassing things I've ever seen or heard. But that whole celebrity thing has gotten way out of hand. Look at the Janet Jackson scandal, I don't know if she was lying about the wardrobe malfunction but it seems no one believes her. What are these performers willing to do to stay in the top10? Also lip syncing, trust me, if someone is dancing up a storm on stage and they sound perfect they are cheating, they are not singing live. This is not brain surgery; you can't sing at that level and sound perfect while you're dancing. These performers are outright lying to us but what are they going to say "Oh yeah that's right I'm lip syncing?"

Anthony - Ok, name me one of the top cringing moments in entertainment?

John - Anytime I see Kelly Ripa, I can't watch her …I don't know, where do I start? (laughing) I'm actually watching less TV because of it. I really hate Entertainment Tonight, I think that show is shameless and now Access Hollywood does the same kind of thing. (laughing) Oh, I know what it is, I remember when Dennis Miller was starting his first talk show and he had Shannen Doherty as a guest and of course he was nervous and she asked him right there if he was nervous and pointed out that his eyebrow was twitching. Oh my God! I thought what a bitch! What a terrible thing to do on national TV!

Anthony - I never saw it but I heard about it.

John - What kind of human being would do that? That's just plain malicious! Who is she?

Anthony - (laughing) Well we know who she is, don't we? Why did you get in radio?

John - I was talking about this with Ross Porter last year. I have a lot of respect for him. For me It started in grade six. There was this announcer at CFAN the local radio station in Newcastle, New Brunswick named Rod Butcher. Rod died in a car accident a few years ago but I did get to know him when I was a teenager and he was such a nice man. He came to St Mary's our elementary school to record our school choir for broadcast on the station. I was in the choir and I noticed everyone was so wowed by him. I noticed all the girls had a crush on him and really thought he was cool, so that day I decided to be an announcer. (laughing) Ok, the motives have changed but I'm really glad to be doing what I'm doing. I had a show at the local radio station called 'High School Highlights" which I only did for a short time and later I got into cable TV and worked on a Canada Works project producing six shows in the Miramichi. The Latter was in 1979. In 1981 I went to school at CHIT Broadcasting with Mel Stevenson who was such a sweet, grumpy guy but he taught me a lot. Mel died a few years ago. He was so hard on us and I can't begin to tell you how insulting yet inspirational he was to some of the students. (laughing) Mel was the kind of guy who would ask you, "You're not very bright are you? Do you realize people can see your incompetence from a mile away?" (laughing)

Anthony - That's terrible!

John - That was Mel but he also had another side to him that was quite charming. He actually told me that "incompetence" line but he later admitted to me that he jabbed me just to kick my ass - he knew I was lazy. He certainly liked me and made me the morning guy at the school. He always had faith in me.

Anthony - You designed the Smooth Jazz Now and awards site, do you like that work?

John - Sure, more than broadcasting. Designing this kind of stuff is my favorite thing to do.

Anthony - Do you have any other projects on the go?

John - There are a few people who want me to design their sites. I usually say no but I'm open to it now.

Anthony - Sorry this has been so long.

John - No worries. It's all good. Thanks Anthony.