Time/Date: 2125, 4-Oct-10
Location: F'ton
So...something different. Crash, aka Ryan Barton, from 105.3 The Fox mentioned on twitter that he prefers when 411#3 mentions him. My response was, "Here you go, your majesty," and gave him a whole post to himself.
Crash, bless his soul, turned out to be a little...verbose, so I'll keep the intro real short & get right to the interview. Typically he's the one asking the questions, so it's pretty cool to see his side of thingsThanks, Crash!!!
1. Why radio? Was it "I wanna be a fireman!" when younger and then you realized, "Fack, that seems to take a lot of effort, maybe radio is the way to go?"
I’m an attention whore – have been since birth I’m told – so I knew I wanted to entertain somehow; be a personality. Acting was my first dream, but radio seemed more attainable being from the Maritimes. I do still get to act occasionally, though: shout out to Travis Grant with Gradual Upgrade Productions*…he puts me in stuff, which strokes my ego….I love a good ego-stroke.
*Travis’ latest film, Paper Trail, is screening at Silverwave this year. As is a flick we did together called Let Pie Gones Be Pie Gones (about a man getting revenge on a roommate who ate his pie) - funny stuff, if I do say so myself.
2. How long have you been doing this racket? Any exposure to it prior to school/your first gig?
The Night show at the Fox was my first-ever gig. That was in 2005. Since then I’ve been given the Mid-Day show…but prior to my job here, the only exposure I had was: having an uncle in radio (Dan Barton, who now has his own consulting firm based out of Halifax). I got a tour of a radio station he worked for in Truro one time when I was younger - as it turned out, I’m now working for the company that owns that station. (Astral).
3. You must really dig the perks, huh? Tickets to shows, free food & booze, models throwing themselves at you...
Free stuff is fun...models are too, but I’m married now so I’ve had to cut down…
4. What has been the single-most awesome moment you've had while doing your thing?
This question sounds somewhat sexual…I don’t know if I’m comfortable answering it.
5. Have you seen any really weird shit that you wouldn't or couldn't talk about on your show?
I’ll talk about pretty much anything on my show, but sometimes I do need to find a way to edit what I might have seen to be more “listener friendly.” I enjoy that, though; it pushes me to creatively find a way to keep the story intact without losing the funny…or weird, or whatever.
6. Any real negatives to being the super-cool radio guy?
Certain bartenders/geologists/bloggers hijacking my interviews with pseudo –celebrities just so they can be connected to me…it’s tiresome…
(Mat's note: That hurts...more on that subject below.)
Actually, it’s pretty awesome being me… now I look like an egomaniac…which I am, but you never want to blatantly show people that…*sigh…
For real, though, the only negative I can think of is the tendency for really good music to become boring to me. When you start hearing it every day, even the best song ever written is one you don’t care to hear.
7. You have a fairly significant online presence on Twitter & you blog fairly consistent as well. Do you think social media gets people listening to your show? Have you ever gotten any resistance to using social media from the higher-ups or the old guard, or are they pretty on-board with it?
I certainly hope it gets people to listen; if nothing else, it makes people aware of my show and the type of personality I bring to the radio.
I’ve called twitter my stream of consciousness, meaning: If I think it, I’ll put it there. It’s almost a breeding ground for the material I use on the air. The 140 character limit forces me to perfect the thought or joke so I get the meaning across without overselling it; therein translating to something concise I can use on my show. It’s a great way to self-edit.
The “higher-ups”, as you called them, see the internet as an important marketing tool for the station. As a personality on their radio station, if I’m using Twitter or even Facebook, which I tend to keep fairly personal (The Fox has a page that I use to interact with listeners), to reach potential listeners it free marketing which can translate to advertising dollars. The fact that my blog now has a home on The Fox website is proof to me that Astral is serious about the internet being a great pair with radio and that social media is definitely cool with them.
8. How much difference is there between the Crash we hear on-air & the Crash at home? Have you ever said "this dinner is brought to you by _____" to the Mrs.?
My personality is my personality; not even my wife can escape my ridiculousness, haha. However, at home I tend to be a bit more reserved and quiet. Despite being very social, I enjoy “me time” …but it’s not long before the attention-whore is on the corner looking for tricks…so to speak.
Erin (my wife) could probably tell you better, but what you see is what you get. I do definitely ham it up at home, especially in front of others, which I think is part of why she married me; I make her laugh, which is something that brings me joy. I’ve always wanted to be in a sitcom, and sometimes I treat my life like that…as if there’s a studio audience watching – Erin has actually said to me, on more than one occasion: “stop performing for the audience…there’s no one watching you.” Haha. I love her for it; she totally knows me.
9. What do you really think of Canadian Content Laws for broadcasters? Does Rush really have to get played that much?
I think there’s so much music coming from Canada that the Can-Con rule (That Canadian music stations must play a minimum of 35% Canadian material) is probably unnecessary in a sense. That being said, it existing ensures that at least 35% is homegrown talent, which is an opening for local stuff that may otherwise be closed because of an international act that has a bigger audience. I’m proud to work for a station that supports local & Maritime talent; some of my overall faves are from the East Coast.
Also, I have no problem with Rush. They got snubbed again for the Rock N Roll Hall of fame. Like ‘em or not, they’re unbelievable musicians and Canadian icons.
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| Lava. Where politics & Nickelback's popularity are debated. |
This is a tough one to answer (Good question, by the way). I thought Only By The Night was a fantastic album. Did its singles get overplayed? Probably, but that’s the nature of popular music.
The goal of a musician, at least from my perspective, is to have their music shared by as many people as possible. Radio is a fantastic way to reach people that otherwise will have never heard of your music. If having people like your stuff is selling out, well…who wouldn’t want to sell-out? I think the tricky part, for an artist, is keeping integrity intact by further experimenting with their music, building on what they’ve done and pushing themselves to new levels while trying not to “beat a dead horse” musically speaking. If one song makes you popular the goal would be to try and emulate that success, but not to completely copy it. If every song sounds the same, that’s boring for me as a music fan because I feel like I’ve heard it already. I’d like to think artists feel the same way and wouldn’t want to be pigeon-holed. That’s where my dislike (not necessarily disdain) for Nickelback comes from.
Chad Kroeger found a way to write music millions of people enjoy. Good for him. To me, though, it seems like since How You Remind me was a hit, every other single and hit has sounded just like that for the most part. I admit to enjoying their first couple albums: Curb is a bit of a post-grunge guilty pleasure, and I thought The State was a more polished version of that sound. Silver Side Up was released and they achieved massive success. After that I feel like the material kind of hits a plateau (or a valley depending on how you prefer to look at it) and never really moves beyond it, which is unfortunate. It’s probably coincidence that this happened at the same time as they gain success.
It’s a personal thing. I don’t have anything against those that like Nickelback’s music – though I may joke about it from time to time…the band’s an easy target because they’re so polarizing, so it’s fun – but I’ve never really been a fan of the type of music which Nickelback seem to have aligned themselves with at this point. Their latest album, Dark Horse (and yes, I’ve heard the whole thing), has 2 types of songs: dirty, innuendo-laden let’s-get-drunk-and-party songs, or cheesy ballads. That sums up the basic formula for stuff I’ve never really enjoyed, no matter who is or was singing it. I prefer something a little deeper lyrically. That said, I think Nickelback is a band of great musicians and talented song-writers who know how to put on a show (yes, I’ve seen them perform and I enjoyed it; sue me…please don’t sue me.)
A band being popular is no reason to dislike them. I believe the music (lyrics, style, etc) is what should be the basis for opinion; not the fame.
11. What is the one band or album people should totally check out right now?
This is another tough question. It’s tough to pinpoint my favorites because I listen to so much different music. The nature of my job brings a lot of new stuff to my attention, which is part of why I love doing what I do: music – good music – excites me. So, with that in mind, my choice of what to listen to “right now” will likely be different by the time this is posted.
(Mat's note: I work at the Speed of Mat. This was posted within 2 hours of me returning to cell service from fly fishing)
However, you want an answer so…
Lately, I’ve been really enjoying Stone Sour’s new album, Audio Secrecy. I think it’s some of the best stuff they’ve done and it’s certainly the most musical album they’ve put out. It’s funny, this could relate back to your previous question. Some might find they’ve gone soft or too commercial on this one, where as I think of it as real growth for the band. It’s definitely a darker album; more reflective than Come What(ever) May, but the quiet moments are haunting and beautiful. I think Corey Taylor has a great voice and it’s showcased really well. However, they’ll kick the s**t out of your ear drums on the heavy stuff too; it’s a nice blend. It might not be for everyone, but it’s stuck in my head at the moment, so that’s your answer, haha.
Also, and I know this is cheating because you said “one” but, check out Wasn’t Meant to Be by Matt Mays, he shares some great company toward the top of my favorites list and this song’s well worth the $0.99 download.
12. How shitty was I in my cameo on Pauly Shore's interview? In my defense, I was focused on driving...and tired...a bit under the weather...and put on the spot...
Cameo? More like a gentle hijacking…either way, quit whining; you were fine…y’know, in a really shitty kind of way… haha.
(Mat's note: You can listen to the interview here. I had a speakerphone pushed in front of my face by Pauly while driving. I used to really enjoy working in the background. I may return to that M.O.)
13. Who's been your absolute, 100% favourite interviewee? Do you ever get a little star-struck when meeting musicians?
Hands down, my favourite interview to date has been with Mike Inez of Alice in Chains. He was completely down-to-earth and very open with his responses. The best interviews are those that just seem like a conversation and that’s what it was with him. I think I got about 10 minutes with him; all of which was interesting. Plus he’s in one of my favorite bands.
I wouldn’t say I get too star-struck…it’s strange, because I think I would be, but then I meet them and I realize, they’re just people. I’m more embarrassed that sometimes I don’t have much to say to them other than: “hey, I like your music…will you sign my CD?”
Bonus: I usually throw a youtube video of a band at the end of posts. What do you want to see/hear for tunes at the end of this??
As stated, he’s one of my faves and stuff like this is why:
Thanks again, Crash. See you soon at Lava!
Thanks again, Crash. See you soon at Lava!
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