Complete GE episodes in MP3
Older news items
An archive of short selected clips
History, bios and more
The whole Great Eastern Web
Music from Seasons 4 and 5
Paul goes to Cottage Country
Paul tries regional cable
Web-only goodies
Just tremendous...
Sunny Days and Nights Episode Archives
This is an archive of Sunny Days and Nights shows as they went to air. Shows are digitized at 48 kb streams @ 22khz sample rate.
| Show # |
Airdate |
Files |
Text |
| 1 |
July 3, 2004 |
MP3 (8.75 MB)
|
|
| Notes: Fresh off the bus, Paul assumes the hosting duties from fugitive Frank Day, and dives in to the job. Shirley Scott, author of “A Hundred Lakes - A Hundred Stories”, welcomes Paul to the area with a gift basket: “Rinds, smokies...a jar of balls...” and of course, the fabled Blunderwurst: “This is really one of the more substantial sausages I’ve ever encountered, Shirley.” Arthur Ross (Steve Palmer), head of personnel and outsourcing at the CBC, drops by to explain the trouble with Frank Day (a.k.a. Otto Fremchek). Previously undisclosed Paul backstory: “Maybe I'll even tell you about my days living as one Nancy Gitten, horticulturalist....” We meet producer Julie Secord, and Paul proffers personal advice to the sexually confused. Andy Jones plays Barbecue Guy “My first name is Guy...”
|
| Show # |
Airdate |
Files |
Text |
| 2 |
July 10, 2004 |
MP3 (8.80 MB)
|
|
| Notes: Paul drives up to The Reservoir with Julie, his digestive track reacting poorly to the Blunderwurst and Hot Slaw. Nice exchange on Julie’s - and the rest of Canada’s - addiction to Tim Horton’s coffee: Julie: “What do you know about addiction?” Paul: diabolical laugh “Ohhh myyyyy.... I wrote the book on addiction.” There’s a great bit with Ed Riche as the road construction foreman with rage issues (“Mostly though, this machine makes noise and pollutes....”) Steve Palmer is Barry Miller a local historian who has written a book on the Reservoir (“It’s a brochure....”) featuring vacationing natives and 19th century tree-lovers. There’s a Paulitorial reflecting on Frank Day and living under an assumed identity: “Frank - don’t listen to the voices in your head. Stay the course. You will be arrested some day....but until then, breathe the air of freedom. And use small bills.“
|
| Show # |
Airdate |
Files |
Text |
| 3 |
July 17, 2004 |
MP3 (8.80 MB)
|
|
| Notes: Paul visits the country doctor - Aziz Shaheen (Andy Jones) - to discuss things medical and have his small itch checked out, only to find himself with a blistering case of Stang’s Burrowing Rasp Mites in the “antipodes”: “They're eating tunnels in your skin as we speak...” Paul visits the “canteen” with some classic Paul-speak: “These kids today may have their sours but they know not the gum-dessicating sting of Hornets or the certain mandibular capitulation found in Jaw-Stobbers. I remember Bucky Frampton chawed on one of these buggers for a week before being hospitalized for exhaustion. And here the overpowering cane-essense of Rum-Cummies. Oh look - this is sad - the ever popular Furlong Knobs - now Newfoundland's sole export.” Finally, a trip to the big box bookstore for fat summer reading: “And the sentences aren’t too long either...you can read this while on medication...” Great quote: “Summer reading - it's hardly like reading at all.”
|
| Show # |
Airdate |
Files |
Text |
| 4 |
July 24, 2004 |
MP3 (8.80 MB)
|
|
| Notes: Paul meets Helen Walker, president of the highly exclusive Prescott Lake Association, and gets a tour of the tony boathouse full of priceless Canadian paintings (“Yes, all original Gang of Six”), and wonders about his chances of joining the august Canadian Establishment: “What about a great big hairy-arsed Newfie nig-nog like myself... If I had the dough, would I be eligible for membership in the association?” “Not a chance.” Another Paul revelation this week: that he once toiled in short relief in the Pacific League, famous for the “Old Mothball” Listen for Bob Joy’s brilliant turn as the laconic gas jockey in the middle of nowhere: “I don't care for that tone, mister....” Fabulous piece. The Paulitorial is especially good this week: “You too can be imbeciles, cretins and morons... and not only are you stupid, you are dull.”
|
| Show # |
Airdate |
Files |
Text |
| 5 |
July 31, 2004 |
MP3 (8.80 MB)
|
|
| Notes: Tape from a Paul and Julie road trip. Brilliant scene at the US border: “The border! Oh my God! I’ve only got my Paul Moth passport.” “You have another one?” “Yeah yeah. Nigerian and Latvian documents but they’re back in the apartment under the rug in the closet.” Then a trip to the Yabbo artist colony (“This place is insufferable....”), and manages to pass himself off - and get off - as Thomas Pynchon. Andy Jones plays writer Leo McAllister (“I'm going to read from my story ‘As Beans Bring Forth the Wind’.”) Generally savage attack on writers and readings, before Paul gets outed “He told me he was Thomas Pynchon and I performed a sex act on him.” Finally, Paul speaks at the Friends Under Continental Kinship picnic: “When the chips get tough, you’re still the go-to country with the right stuff and the bad-ass mojo. And dudes, believe me when I tell you: I Am Canadian, and This Bud’s for You!” Great show.
|
| Show # |
Airdate |
Files |
Text |
| 6 |
August 7, 2004 |
MP3 (8.80 MB)
|
|
| Notes: In the style of the Great Eastern, Paul takes on listener's letters for a whole show. Responding to criticism of his hosting duties, Paul notes: “In this business, you learn to roll with the punches...Jack Valenti actually once called me ‘a blight on the entertainment industry’.” Paul’s heroism in a racoon incident is recounted. Ed Riche - typecast as “vintage radio guy” - plays Jasper Hawkley reporting from a popcorn field fire in 1948. Paul gives a listener sage advice on living under an assumed name and avoiding detection. Another listener asks Paul to “say something in Newfinese”, which leads to one of my all-time favourite quotes from this series: “Is this a weighed gram or what?” And in the subtle dig deparment, Julie notes that Sunny Days isn’t “foreground radio”; fans will recall the CBC’s main complaint about the Great Eastern was that it was “too foreground”. Then there’s the great bit with the “Tuskee” the Lake Monster: “Look at the fluke on that thing, it must be 15 feet long....” And, finally, more Paul backstory on his relationship with Iranian intelligence and Achmed Chalabi. |
| Show # |
Airdate |
Files |
Text |
| 7 |
August 14, 2004 |
MP3 (7.70 MB)
|
|
| Notes: Paul descends on the Big Smoke – a hiatus in Toronto. On the National Post: “I've never had a chance to see it...at least, unsoiled....” and Rebecca Eckler and her mongoloid child. To CBC HQ... “There goes Rex Murphy. Poor man. Still, you’ve got to admire his Christopher Hitchens meets Wayne Rostad act...that's hard to pull off.” In the Ideas office: “Human Resources? Just down the hallway and death to America....” An encounter with the always regrettable Arthus Ross.... Paul bristles at being described by Julie as looking “east cost”, and crashes at Rick Mercer’s place: “Paul, nothing like the last time.” “‘Course not. I'm totally clean and sober these days, so not to worry.” |
| Show # |
Airdate |
Files |
Text |
| 8 |
August 21, 2004 |
MP3 (7.70 MB)
|
|
| Notes: The controversial taxidermy movement “Canon ‘99” is profiled – another great performance by Bob Joy as Gary Lennox (“We reject the very concept of the trophy – or triumphalism. We oppose absolutely ‘The Mount’ as an expression of the taxidermist, coming from his assumed superiority to the subject....”) A discussion of great taxidermists in history (“And Ted Mercer...at the last going off he'd just stuff anything....”) Hilarious explanation of the draws in the local produce competition. Paul: “Somehow, I never thought I'd here the words ‘wild night’ and ‘produce’ in the same sentence...oh wait now, I did...once before...” Julie: “You're red as a beet, Paul.” |
| Show # |
Airdate |
Files |
Text |
| 9 |
August 28, 2004 |
MP3 (7.70 MB)
|
|
| Notes: Another great visit with Barbecue Guy (Andy Jones). “Do you ever boil food, Guy?” Paul gifts Julie with the BCN Coal Stoker’s jacket. Paul visits Timothy Rundell (Charlie Tomlinson), the new artistic director at the local summer theatre, now blackballed in the West End. Paul: “Now before we go... You’re a Limey. A thesp. Do some acting for us....” A midnight fire and skinny dip. The ingredients: “A circle of rocks, some driftwood...the scrap from three wrecked cottages, the remains of a beached lake boat, six half-empty propane tanks, a box of shells, three tractor tires, a big bag of fertilizer....” Paul and Julie stargaze and reflect. Julie: “What does lying here beside me in the woods on a beautiful night looking at the stars bring out in you?” Paul: “Something...worthless...something beneath both of us.” |
| Show # |
Airdate |
Files |
Text |
| 10 |
September 4, 2004 |
MP3 (8.80 MB)
|
|
| Notes: A visit to ViroGen International and Dr. Chuck Finlay (Andy Jones) to look into Suez Virus. Paul has signed up for an experimental innoculation, and predictable hilarity ensues. Old GE favourites John Marshall and Vladoblad Ragdalhoolick return with classical comedy and classic rock. A not-so-subtle dig at Stuart McLean: “I'm a journalist, Julie, not a panderer....” A gruesome discovery, lost on the Heritage Trailway with Kirby Hudler. (“I strongly recommend you eat some of this Kirby, ‘cause this squirrel was lame. Who says the next one's gonna be so easy.”) The show – and the series – ends in the midst of a savage thunderstorm. Paul implores Julie to not return to Toronto and is cut off with the final words: “Look, if there's anything left I can say to keep you...Julie...don't go... Julie... I lo....”. |
