#15 Stories from the Edge of Music: Year End Edition
25 best concerts in 2023. People we lost & people who helped. A story about the most famous Canadian entertainment publicist — no, it isn’t me.
This is the final edition of Stories from the Edge of Music for 2023. We’ll start all over again at the beginning of the New Year, which we will face with guarded optimism and the prospect of disappointment. The author is Richard Flohil, a 60-year Canadian music business veteran writer, editor, concert promoter, festival organizer, publicist, artist manager, road warrior and one-man cheering section for all sorts of good music. Your comments are always welcome; your financial support ($6 a month!) is even more welcome; it tops up his old age pension…
TRYING TO SUM UP A TRYING YEAR
It’s the season, of course. The perfect time to summarize the year, count your blessings and sadly recount your losses.
The blessings? For me— and I hope for you, too — the blessings have been threefold: family, friends and music. Since I gave up smoking decades ago, since I quit drinking alcohol last February, and since I’m now too old to have sex, I am profoundly grateful for all my younger pals, my daughters — and I can’t forget coffee and chocolate.
So, since this is a music blog, let’s start there. As I write this, I have been to 154 live music shows so far this year. And the fact that I’ve listed all of them in my journal proves how sadly obsessive-compulsive I’ve become in my old age.
An unranked Top 25 list of memorable shows
Best shows? I’m certainly not going to rank them — but going backwards through my journal’s notes, here are some memorable ones:
• Loreena McKennitt and Cedric Smith at Koerner Hall
• Julian Taylor and Shakura S’Aida at TD Music Hall
• Steve Poltz and Danny Michel at TD Music Hall
• Sympathy for the Devil w/ Sate and Raha at Soulpepper Theatre
• Women’s Blues Revue at Massey Hall
• Doug Paisley, Kendel Carson and John Sheard at the Cameron
• Mike Daley and Kevin Breit at Castro’s
• Sue Foley at the Paradise Theatre
• Bonnie Raitt at Massey Hall
• Nyssa at private party, Six Shooter Records
• Loryn Taggart at Cabaret Lion d’Or, Montreal
• Dave Gunning and J.P. Cormier at Summerfolk
• Richard Thompson at the Canmore Folk Festival
• Serena Ryder at Canmore
• Andrea Ramolo and Kalascima at the Calgary Folk Festival
• Tanya Tucker at the Calgary Folk Festival
• Feist at the Mariposa Folk Festival
• Carsie Blanton at Mariposa
• Rufus Wainwright with Judy Collins at Mariposa
• Madison Violet at the El Mocambo
• Mariska Martina at the OXO Tower, London
• Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors at the Globe Theatre, London
• Buddy Guy at Massey Hall
• Jadea Kelly at the Cameron
• Shakura S’Aida w/ Terra Lightfoot, Donna Grantis at TD Music Hall
And I haven’t mentioned the numerous times this year that I’ve heard Paul Reddick, Charlotte McAfee-Brunner (w/ The Happy Pals, The Fireflies, The Tiger Band, The Doghouse Orchestra and as a solo artist), Steve Briggs, Freeman Dre, Martin Loomer’s Orange Devils, Lori Yates, Corin Raymond, Blair Packham and others who make the Toronto music scene so rewarding and vital.
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MEET GINO EMPRY, THE SELF-STYLED PUBLICIST TO THE STARS
Gino Empry was arguably the best-known publicist in Canada in the ’70s and ’80s, working for the two most prestigious entertainment venues in Toronto: the Royal York Hotel’s Imperial Room and the Royal Alexandra Theatre.
Egregiously oily, Empry fawned over his clients — and he claimed that he “worked with” every artist or actor who ever played the Royal Alex or the Royal York. Toward the end of his career, he self-published a book called I Belong to the Stars, with hundreds of snapshots of himself with celebrities ranging from Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington to a plethora of Playboy bunnies.
Having done my share of one-off jobs with various celebrities, I know how easy it was to get publicity for superstar visitors, especially at a time when print was king — and when your client was a night club in a prestigious hotel.
The first time we met, I was writing a piece for The Toronto Star’s weekly TV guide. As I walked into his office, lined with photographs of Empry proudly posed with everyone from the Pope to Pierre Trudeau, he was standing behind his desk in his boxer shorts — I had accidentally caught him changing his trousers.
A week later, he was highly annoyed that I’d mentioned this in the intro to my piece, and I got a screaming phone call. “That’s outrageous,” he shouted. “What will people think? That I’m some sort of closet queer who wanders around his office in his underwear?”
If our relationship had soured, it was permanently shattered when I was handling publicity for an event that featured a sit-down interview with Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim. Held in a small theatre on the University of Toronto campus, the event was already underway when Empry bustled in with two tall and beautiful blondes, noisily sat down — and promptly fell asleep, snoring loudly. It was my difficult job to poke him in the ribs and wake him up.
While his narcolepsy was never raised, Empry was satirized mercilessly by the Second City troupe, with Eugene Levy decked with massive gold chains and medallions and speaking with an exaggerated lisp. Empry didn’t care, as long as he got as much personal publicity — good or bad — as he engineered for his clients. Later, as his star faded and he lost his major accounts, he cut a strangely sad figure, but media people took his calls until his death in 2006; he was 82. His loyal friends still recall him with generosity, but jokes about his legendary bitchiness are cheerfully shared at cocktail parties, nearly two decades after his passing.
Typical is this tale, told to me by one of his hapless assistants. As Empry swanned into his office in an apartment building next to Maple Leaf Gardens, he barked an instruction to one of his minions. “Call Tony Bennett at the Royal York,” he said. “I don’t think he knows it’s my birthday today.” The call was made, and Bennett immediately called back, inviting the publicist to lunch.
At three in the afternoon, Empry returned, waving his wrist at his staff and showing off a brand new Rolex. “Look what Tony’s given me for my birthday,” he said. He took it off, and dropped it on one of his assistant’s desks.
“Get it valued, will you?” he said over his shoulder as he shut his office door.
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The company I’ve kept; the support I banked on
My friends who often kept me company at many shows and festivals include my friend and neighbour Kayt Lucas, dear Kerry Bennett, roomie Leah Bell, the loveable Maria Cockburn, Calgary pals Kym Butler and Steph Russell, Melissa Armstrong, Shakura S’Aida, Sarah Beatty, Kate Cash, Chloe Repchuk, Julia Kalinina and so many others… and my thanks to Jill Flohil for basic copy editing, and to
for his technical expertise in getting these missives out into the world.Most of all, I count among my blessings my dear kindred spirit, Julia Summerhill. After she spent a weekend in the country with Sara and Jill, my kids reported back: they discovered they had a younger sister. And she keeps my finances (such as they are) in order, does my taxes, stuffs me with Indian food and makes life sunnier for everyone she knows. Her boy calls me Uncle Richard and her husband is a rock — knowing this family makes my life much richer than it would be otherwise.
The dark losses of 2023: gone but not forgotten
The losses have been awful. Even though it’s been almost two years, I still think, every day, of my co-conspirator Michael Wrycraft — sitting at his computer, making my book project (now being morphed into this Substack) come alive, propelling his wheelchair to the summer corner of Shaw and Dundas to read, greet passersby, and hold court — and announcing his forthcoming death on Facebook.
And this year, now almost gone, we lost Al Mair, a pioneer indie record man — and then his Attic Records partner, Tom Williams. And what of artists Gord Lightfoot (who I first met in the early ’60s), gentle songwriter Shirley Eikhard, and grumpy, difficult, and brilliant guitarist David Baxter? And Rob Bennett, surely the best independent concert promoter of our time. Peter Moore, behind-the-scenes record producer, engineer, tape restorer and one of the kindest people I ever met. And, worst of all, the good people I may have already forgotten — our time here is temporary and those of us who are left have short memories, and that’s a fact we can’t forget.
Let’s not forget the friends we are always in danger of losing, often because of distance — David and Andrew and Gigi and Jane, all decamped to New Brunswick. And, even further away, dearest allies Alejandra and Mariska and Patrick, 4,000 miles across an ocean in London. Hang in; we shall see each other, and hopefully soon.
And what about the online friends you lose because of a careless comment or a misunderstood message — BLOCKED! Hello, sweet N and beautiful L… and whatever happened to Sydney?
Looking forward to a New Year, full of hope — and disappointment
And now we look toward another year. We are optimistic. Things will go well; the world will sort itself out.
Except, of course, that it won’t. The racism, the prejudices, the wars, the killing, the brutality will still be with us. And we’ll make our petty resolutions for the next year: learn to cook, take fewer Uber rides, keep the new journal up to date, try to stay ahead of the game with technology — and probably break our good intentions within weeks.
The one thing we can be is kind. We can cherish our kids and our families and our ex-partners and our friends. And we must raise our voices for peace, order and sanity.
More than 150 years ago, Alfred Lord Tennyson, wrote a farewell to the old year, and expressed his hopes for the new one. Despite the archaic language and the occasional religious references, this poem — and the remarkable steam-punk performance of it by Alana Levandoski — make for an amazing video. I beg you to watch it.
A QUOTE FOR THE HOLIDAY
“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.” — Irving Berlin
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VIDEOS FOR THE SEASON
When I started this Substack, back in September, I wrote about Solomon Burke, whom I regard as the greatest of all the old-school soul singers, and who I was privileged to know.
The fact is that most people don’t open video links on this platform, but I wanted to include two Christmas songs by the Rev. Burke — yes, he was a minister and preacher as well as an R&B singer. Alas, no live footage of these performances, just the songs — sung with deep feeling and much joy. If these songs don’t ignite the spirit of the holidays, nothing will.
Presents for Christmas, one of Solomon Burke’s best songs:
Solomon owned churches in many American cities — and here he is with his own take on the most classic of all the Christmas songs, recorded live with a supportive congregation
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WHAT’S COMING UP IN 2024
In the new year, stories about George Martin, Eric Idle, Leon Redbone, Buddy Guy and many more — and, for paid subscribers, a true tale about a young apprentice reporter covering a gruesome murder.
It would be so nice if you could support Stories from the Edge of Music by upgrading to a paid subscription. Just press the button below!
154 LIVE SHOWS IN 2023!!! If it was anyone else, I’d chalk it up to a typo! Keep on rocking, Richard!