Dec. 18th- 21st: Week 5 saw an interview (or two) a day

There was a lot of news and holiday stories to clear out in a shortened week for our program. Monday: An under-reported story we looked into, was the ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada that First Nations' assets could be seized for non-payment of accounts with off-reserve entities. McDiarmid Lumber of Winnipeg had appealed a ruling by Mr. Justice Murray Sinclair, that the God's Lake band could not have their federal funding seized from their bank account to satisfy a $600,000 debt for materials delivered to the band. By a 6-3 margin the SCoC ruled overturned the decision. This paves the way for all reserves, including proposed urban reserves expected to emerge in Winnipeg in the near future, to be held accountable for their transactions and commitments. One dissenting opinion held that suppliers could simply demand payment in advance; we skewed that theory as coming from someone who obviously had no experience in business and/or a judge who wanted to rule on the inevitable Human Rights lawsuit which would result from such a blanket business practice. We reviewed two media incidents, the first in the Los Angeles radio market where an on-air verbal skirmish between the AM and FM morning hosts saw KFI's Bill Handle suspended for a week for uttering blooper words over an open mike; the second more serious affair saw News Corps honcho Rupert Murdoch personally order the ouster of HarperCollins editrix Judith Regan because of anti-Semitic remarks she made in an argument with a company lawyer, about her lamebrained idea to publish a book by OJ Simpson. In the studio, Corydon Avenue's Frank the Italian Barber sat down for a conversation about the art of barbering, the local sports scene, and the atmosphere on the Corydon strip in the summertime. Tuesday: Once again crime took the lead, from a crack house shooting on Selkirk Avenue, the epidemic of bus shelter destructions costing $40,000, and how a 16 year old boy convicted of stabbing a man who was tossing the kid and his brother out of a drinking party in the man's house, got 4 months in custody and 2 months in care of his father. Oh, and someone was robbed at HSC again, this time right inside the front lobby. So much for all the talk about increased security patrols. Two callers, one from suburban Charleswood and the other from inner-city Point Douglas, had similar views about the responsibility of the elected politicians and of the courts in coddling those convicted of property and assault crimes, particularly juveniles. The fellow from Point Douglas related how he has been accosted in the past and has to literally make a dash for his home on occasion because of the roving gangbangers and thugs. Meanwhile his MLA, NDP'er George Hickes, has been silent and invisible as the neighborhood fights to survive against long odds. In the middle segment, the author of the book " The Man Who Scared a Shark to Death and Other True Tales of Drunken Debauchery" joined us on the phone. Christopher Lombardo, a contributor to Frank Magazine, related some of the anecdotes from the book he co-wrote with Noel Boivin, and warned of the dangers of office Christmas parties. He even had a Winnipeg entry in his collection of the stupid things drunks will say and do. The Penguin publication is available at local retailers and makes a fun gift. We ended by looking at some legends of the cartoon world who just passed away. Joseph Barbera (with partner Bill Hanna) created innumerable childhood memories with The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Johnny Quest, Huckleberry Hound and many more. Chris Hayward, a key writer of the animated Bullwinkle The Moose Tv and revamped the old Dudley Do-Right character in the 1960's (did you know that originally those cartoons were banned from Canadian TV?). He then moved on to create The Munsters with Allen Burns, won an Emmy with Burns for the vastly underappreciated CBS series He and She starring Paula Prentiss and Richard Benjamin, and was best known for his writing and producing of shows like Emmy-winners Get Smart and Barney Miller. Wednesday: The two Kelly's were prominent this afternoon. Kelly Dehn of CTV gave firsthand impressions of the murder trial of a man who shot a store clerk after a botched robbbery, and the unique alibi offered: when the clerk swung at his head with a bat and connected, the criminal shot in self-defence. After the usual HSC crime spree update, Kelly recapped the Selkirk Avenue shooting where a woman was charged with drug and weapons offences - but not with pulling the trigger. In a brief review of other news, we suggested the Fraser Institute's study into charitable giving was slanted. By measuring only tax-deductable donations, they were shortchanging the nickel and dime and loonie contributions parents and working folks make to schools, teams and charities which was causing a kind of collective giving exhaustion at this time of year. And why were all these groups putting their hand out? Well, we surmised maybe it has something to do with all the local millionaires pumping millions into each other's museums and campus building projects, taking the tax deductions and newspaper glory, but also creating a kind of tier system that leaves other worthy causes looking second rate and SOL in their own fundraising. Food for thought. In the last segment, a well known figure on the local music scene, Kelly Fairchild, gave an interesting glimpse into the creative process behind his impending CD release "Starland". A lot of top-shelf Winnipeg musicians such as vocalist George Belanger of Harlequin, drummer Mark Sawatsky of the Harlots and LA-based drummer Brent Fitz, are all part of Kelly's project. Kelly is the frontman for The Paul Stanleys so of course the conversation briefly turned to Alex Perez' documentary and how we helped get a Kiss tribute band into a film about Slurpees. Check out all the news about the CD at www.kellyfairchild.com Thursday: Our last show before the Christmas break (day 7 for the Menorah lighters out there) was set aside to speak with two legends of the local pop culture scene. Laurie Mustard has rarely been on the other side of the microphone but he was a great guest, speaking about his youthful theatre background on stage in The Dybbuk with the voice of Spiderman's cartoon nemisis J. Jonah Jameson - "PAHR-KERRR!", Paul Kligman. Laurie even did the hamoitze bracha to prove it. His break into CJOB, moving into the morning slot with Red Alix, his concurrent CBC kids series Switchback which everyone of a certain age in the city remembers, and now as a columnist with the Winnipeg Sun, Laurie Mustard is a guy who has done it all. He explained he loves his job and that being able to address serious issues like second-hand smoke and animal neglect in his column, does as we suggested, surprise people who think of him as the goofy guy from the 33 Jim Gautier car dealership commercials. We were delighted to have Laurie with us in the studio and he is welcome back anytime. For our final pre-Christmas segment Santa sent us a special guest - "HOHOHO, merry Christmas, mein freund, dis is de Baron mit a message from Santa Claus!" From 1974-86 the Clawmaster, Baron Von Raschke, was one of the most popular performers in the AWA and he headlined cards across the midwest. His appearances on CKND-Tv and at the Arena made him one of the most imitated characters of the era on schoolyards and at parties. His bald pate, menacing mannerisms and mangled English promos were all part of an unforgettable package, but he was a tough competitor and a true athlete. A Nebraska State AAU wrestling champion in both Greco-roman and Freestyle, Herr Baron learned the basics of the pro game from scientific master Verne Gagne, before Mad Dog Maurice Vachon took him under his wing and taught the otherwise mild-mannered schoolteacher the tricks to starting fan riots in the Montreal Forum. A champion in all the old territories, he was in the ring with all the legends including the Crusher, Dick the Bruiser, WWWF titlist Bruno Sammartino, The Road Warriors, Ivan Koloff, Ric Flair, and Nick Bockwinkel. Oh ya, he knew Hulk Hogan too. The Baron spoke very fondly of his wife Mrs. Claw, his son and daughter, and of his dear friend, Andre the Giant. At the end of the conversation the Baron told about how a play about his life is being produced in Minneapolis this April for a 5 week run in which he will star and presumably, clamp the iron grip on a hapless thespian or two. A move is afoot to bring the Baron to the city after the play for a public event or two, and we will be sure to have him in the studio. If there was a ever a guest we could do a full hour with it is the Baron ... " Das is richtig Marty and DAT is all da people need to know! Merry Christmas HOHOHO ". It made our holidays and we hope you all enjoyed the trip down memory lane with the beloved Baron von Raschke. ( Keep up on all the news and look at the classic photos at www.baronvonraschke.com )