The Women Of Ill Repute, with your hosts Wendy Mesley and Maureen Holloway.
Wendy, I'm really looking forward to this episode because our guest this week is John Moore. He's the highly respected and hugely popular host of Moore in the morning on Newstalk 1010. But more importantly, I think, for our purposes, this week, he is a dear friend, to both you and me. And so we thought of instead of talking about news and traffic and weather, which is what John usually does, or you know, basically anointing cabinet ministers through interviews, we thought that we would talk about friendship.
Yeah, so John, he, he's, if you're watching this on YouTube, he's the big S at the bottom of the screen, we hope he's going to appear at some point, because this is all brand new. But while he's in the wings, Mau and I actually said, We're gonna quiz each other, which is a little bit unfair, because I think it's sort of unfair to me, I think, because you've known him. You've known him for what? 30 years almost. Yeah. And you've known him for what, seven or eight while I well, I went already. So does that mean, you're the better friend?
No, but I may know more about it. But let's go. Let's try this for shits and giggles. We'll, we'll ask each other questions and see what we know. So okay. Wendy, true or false? John Warner used to work in a daycare.
I have no idea.
You have a 50% chance of getting this.
I'll say maybe No, I'll say because I'm a journalist. I'll say no.
Well, he did. You're off to a roaring start, alright, asked me one.
Um, so you've told me and maybe maybe John shouldn't be hearing this. But you've told me that. I think he's confessed to this. So it's okay. You've told me that he's kind of bad at a particular sport.
Oh he's told everybody.
Oh, which sport?
It's golf. He's hugely enthusiastic. But yeah. And I think the 10 years he's been playing he's, you know, improve this much. And if you can't see me, it's not very much but you know what, he brings a lot of joy.
Well, I didn't play because I could never even hit the ball. So you know, I tried for 10 minutes.
Yeah, his gift is that he makes the rest of his force and feel, you know, adequate. So that's that's John. All right. He is. I'll give you a hint on this as he goes by John S. Moore. Do you know what the S stands for?
I do. It's Sanford says that's in his email. Yeah. So I do happen to know that and and I think he sent us a bio at some point, because he's kind of nervous about doing this, which is great for somebody who's been in radio his whole life. So Sanford, goes back to the Civil War so I'm imagining that's the US Civil War.
He is He fought, he fought for the North. You fought for the good guys.
So have I got a quiz for you. If he had not become a morning, man, if you've not gone into broadcasting, what would he have been?
He would have been a lawyer.
Hmm.
He didn't know that. He actually, he actually went thought of going back to school or going to law school, like only a couple of years ago is like, John, it's not like you don't have a big day job. But yeah, would have been a lawyer. Probably a very good one. Okay.
I think he couldv'e been a star on Jeopardy forever. Like he would still be in that role. I think that's what he secretly wants.
He was on Jeopardy. Yeah, you knew you know, he was on Jeopardy and lost really badly.
Something else we shouldn't We're friends though. Really.
Jarrell golfer lost.
All right, okay. There's one thing that John won't eat if you haven't him for dinner. He has a dietary restriction and you've had him come over for dinner. Do you know what it is?
I could guess but I actually have no clue I should know. But my husband does all the cooking but my job is to is to send the email saying or whatever saying hey, is there anything you don't eat?
I
You should know.
I have no idea.
He won't eat beef. He'll eat like wild boar or venison but he won't eat beef. He still has that fear of bovine sponginess.
I think that's what it's called.
All right, you know what? Okay.
Because I'm thinking of of what can't he not ride?
He can't ride a tractor.
Maybe we should just talk to John.
He's a good cyclist and he's taken up horseback riding there.
And he's got an S he's got a big S on his name, which must be for Sanford.
to close and John in here
get in here...
John Moore everybody.
This feels like a 1950s game show.
Yes. Yes, I know. Wouldn't that be fun?
For people listening, I mean, I've been here listening to you and listening to two people talk about you is very bizarre.
Well, now we'll talk at you. And now it'll be-
Well tell us what you're good at.
Yeah. What are you good at?
I guess I'm good at Radio, because that's been working out all right. I'm not a particularly good horseback rider. But I did take it up. And I don't talk about it on the show, because I think it's kind of bougie. I've fallen off a few times, but that's perfectly normal.
You don't even like horses.
Well, that's the thing. I regard horses as giant cats that could kill you. They are inscrutable. You look into a horse's eye and you just see, I'm not in the mood right now. Yeah.
Would you want like if you were a horse? I mean, even though you're designed with that brought back for people to sit on you I mean, I always feel bad for the horses, because they don't choose to be wherever they are in battle or pulling wagons or what have you. So no, now look at you riding one and you don't even like it? Well, now, cuz that's why they use the expression broken, right? I mean, basically, you have to crush the horses will to live in order to make it rideable.
But not the back?
Oh, well. It's kinda lovely to see you. We've been at this for about a year, John, and you've been sort of with us from the beginning because like well we were talking about earlier, you and Mau go way back. And you and I go a little bit back. Let's yeah, let's talk about friendship.
Let's talk about that. Yeah, because I think our topic is friendship, because who better to talk about friendship than three friends? And three is an interesting number. Because if there's a triangulation implied, which we've already touched on, we'll get back to it. No competition, who knows John better?
You do, you do.
Well, I don't know. I certainly would have known him longer. So John, you and I met under you and hated me when we well, maybe that's a strong word. But you resented me when we met.
Well, I remember quite markedly, I used to tell this tale about how we met and you one day turned around and said you got to stop that.
Well, apparently, I'm reinviting you.
This story, as told was that I mean, you and I were doing very similar work. And I would also say that without, you know, putting myself on the couch. When I was a younger person, I tended to be somewhat envious and jealous of people. And so I would listen to you on the radio, and think she's so funny. And she's so good at this. And then what happened was, if I remember correctly, I was doing entertainment columns and criticism and goofiness in Montreal, and then they decided we want somebody of a national stature. So we're going to bring in Maureen Holloway. So believe I was not a fan and then you got pregnant with Ronan your second son.
Yes and you have no responsibility in that.
No, no.
got knocked up,
Extraordinarily odd. And they said, John, we need you to fill in while Maureen is on mat leave and well screw that noise. But then if I remember correctly, I don't remember how I got in touch. You know, this is the funny thing we can touch on about how people become friends. But somehow I think I wrote to you and said, let's go have lunch, and we had lunch. And of course, you're hilarious. And I'd like to think I'm vaguely amusing. And here we are, I don't know a couple of decades late.
Yeah, it was. You moved to Toronto, you you took up that you took the job at Newstalk 1010 and afternoons I think and you called you did the thing that with it is hard to do. You called me up and said, would you like to go for lunch? We went for lunch at Spinoccurs, which is down on the waterfront. I remember that so well. And I remember thinking well, good for you. Because you did that thing you made, you were forward enough to ask me to do that. And then we just got on like a house on fire and I don't and then we became friends.
Yeah. And to the point of, you know, like we vacation together
We've been everywhere, done everything. Okay, you too. How did you meet?
Well, I there's kind of two solitudes when you're when you're at CBC, you know, you think it's the whole world and it's not the whole world. And so I was sort of aware of you guys, but you know, living in my own world and then wanted to do a panel and CBCers are not allowed to have any opinions. So we wanted to reach out to people who are fun and interesting and and John was on the panel on on when I was on CBC on anchoring on Sunday nights. John came on. And he was so good that CBC actually I think I told you about this, John CBC actually got mad at me and said, you can't have John anymore because he's too good. And he's competition for Matt Galloway, who does the morning show and you do the morning show on CFRB. You can't you can't have him because it's competition. I'm like, well, Matt's a great guy, but he's not allowed to have any opinions. So there now now you know, the whole the whole dirty story.
But the friendship part.
Well, and so then finally, I was like, you know, I'm I'm getting older and I've got a little bit of time and maybe maybe I should like have dinner and Liam, my husband loves to cook so I said, look, why don't we do a dinner? And he says, no, no, I'll do a dinner. I'll do a dinner and he invited he said, I'm going to invite someone who I know you'll like Wendy and he invited you Maureen. And the three of us had dinner. And we cackled and drank and cackled and drank. And the three of us became, became really, really good friends like almost instantly.
Almost instantly. So John, you're actually the connector?
Yeah.
Yes. And that's something you know, that's a discussion maybe we can get into when you introduce to people and then they start cheating on you.
With each other.
Yeah, right. Before we started recording this, I said, you know, I don't know if you know this, but John told me once. Well, you stole Wendy.
Okay, so, John and I are gonna do a podcast, Maureen. So we're gonna ditch you, and we're gonna-
Stab me now in the heart.
I'm kidding.
Okay. So here's the funny thing about becoming friends with Wendy for me. And that is, when I was growing up. My parents ran with a pretty interesting crowd in Montreal. And my mother always had this belief that the expression she used, she was being high handed, that, you know, everybody else was more important than her and she was not equal to them. And I think that rubbed off on me, because even growing up, I never forget, once my mother pointed out the real estate agent who had sold my parents their house, and I thought she is a huge celebrity, I would never be able to talk to her. And so that has continued and it's not unique to me, actually, Howard Stern talks about this, like he'll do an interview with Bruce Springsteen, but then he'll wonder, could I could I send him an email? And you know, Howard Stern is one of the biggest radio personalities in the history of radio. So I certainly thought, you know, Wendy, I'd be there on a Sunday night, and I'd be delighted. But I would also think this is the famous Wendy Mesley. Who am I to be any more than the guy who drops into studio and then goes home? And it was our mutual friend Adam Goldenberg, I think, who said, we should do lunch, and we did lunch, and we had a grand old time. And then I introduced you to Maureen and she's still you.
Yeah, Adam Goldenberg. He's, he's like 12. And he's not allowed to have opinions now because he works at a law firm. But but but he was great. So it was like, you and I were the oldies. We had a couple of youngies on and then, but we had lunch and we became friends. And then the three of us became friends. And it was, it was basically dinner at your house, John, with with your partner, and Maureen with her partner and me. And we sat around, and we I don't know, we just kind of all and then now it's sort of become a ritual, and then I moved away.
I think I got a bit hammered at that party.
You never.
Me never.
Look my Dean Martin reputation is highly exaggerated.
I was.
Well, it was nighttime. It was past 6pm.
Yeah. With all those partners, we should have square danced. All right, let's go s friendship. Do you remember, John, let's start with you, do you remember your first best friend? Like a childhood friend? Do you remember their name?
Yeah. He'd probably, he'd probably be surprised to hear about it. But I guess from about eight to 10 or so there was a fella named JJ Belanger who lived a block away. We both played hockey. His father was a coach. I will never forget his father is the man who taught me how to shake hands. Because he was the coach of the hockey team and he was making his way around the room while we were after the game and he extended his hand and I didn't look up.
Oh you have to look someone in the eye.
And he said, Yeah, that was one of those man lessons. He said, look, a man in the eye when you shake his hand.
And I would say that's a woman less than too, while just for the record. I do not like lady like handshakes that are like, you know, here's my little wet fish hand. So go on. Sorry.
Yeah. So I mean, but we kind of drifted apart, probably about the age of 10. And, yeah, I'm trying to think of who there was, well, actually, I guess all of these people are probably gonna end up listening, Ian Sheperon, who is three weeks older than me and we actually met when our mothers were carrying us in carriers at church. So we met when we were infants, and we ended up being very good friends from elementary school through high school. And, you know, I don't know necessarily you guys are that interested in the whole story, but he was part of this foursome of friends. Two guys, two girls in high school, and we are all still friends now.
Wow.
That's so nice. I don't have any childhood friends really. Now my first my first oldest, my oldest friend in the whole world is Louise Penny. Who you know, I was Wendy, why would have been a teenager does that count as childhood? Yeah. So, so grade nine so i don't know i because we moved around all the time and so when Liam and I had the choice when our daughter was born we sent her, don't send her to the French school because you'll never use that of course now she lives in Montreal. Let's send her to the neighborhood school. So it's yeah, no what about you but you you went to you went to a girls school you must know-
I had neighborhood friends in Dollard in Montreal. I just I just love saying her name. My first probably best friend was Josephine Stappenhorst.
Did you break her?
Good one.
pause.
Everybody's childhood friends. Their names sound funny.
Don't they? JJ Belanger. Of course his father was a hockey coach.
Louise Clement.
Louise Penny. That's not a little bit funny but don't tell her.
But like Wendy was sort of like, my family moved to Toronto. I stayed in Montreal. I went to boarding school there and I had friends in high school. But then I went to university in Ottawa and then just moving around a lot. I like my friends. Were all came in sort of compartments. They don't I don't have a gate. I still don't have a gang. You guys, you two, are about as close as I have to a gang.
everyone. Oh, no.
Yeah, yeah, I'll have to move back so we can have those deputies again. So we can be like we can gang up with they might be very scary.
We'd have a lot of fun. So what do you look for in a friend, John, what's important to you?
Um, you know what I mean? It's changed a lot with COVID. And and with aging. And I've got to the point where there's a couple of aspects to the last few years. One of them being we edited people down. I've never done transactional friendships. So that was never a part of it. But I don't do acquaintances because I ain't got time.
Yeah it's all about time.
It was Louise Kondo affair. I think with our friends, we just you know, what is it? Does this bring you joy? And if not throw it? Yeah.
Oh, Marie Kondo. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, that's it. If it doesn't bring you joy, or serve a purpose, throw it out.
Well, I remember my mom saying that, that she was going to dump an old friend. And I thought that's horrifying. And now I'm like, I'm dumping the every, sideways. frontways everywhere. I just, it is it is about it is about time. So but what do you look for in the ones that you keep John?
Loyalty. Comfort. Just being able to hang with somebody? And no, like, you've been to Maureen's cottage. I've been to Maureen's cottage. I mean, you have to get there by boat so you better you better be happy once you're there.
There's no stomping off.
It's like I am leaving.
No, you're not unless I take you.
And my closest friend is Barry Garber, who I've known for about 30 years. And part of the formula of some friendships is coming up with whatever the chemistry is that is unique to that friendship. And the hilarious thing about Barry is he's an agent. And he agents for everything. Like when you arrive in a restaurant, he'll say to the person seating you, oh, it'd be so much better to be at that table because the server is so close to the kitchen. And then it's only because he wants to sit at that table has nothing to do with the convenience of the server. And I've realized because I travel with him a lot, just do what Barry wants. And so you know, there was a time we arrived in a hotel. And Barry walked into the room and said this is unacceptable. And I said it's fine. And like my room. I was staying by myself. And he called down and Mr. Maurer must have a different room and I'm I'm good, but you know, go with whatever Barry says.
So you're really easy going now.
You know what I've always been the kind of go along to get along guy. So if I have some friends who can be domineering, and I don't have a lot, but if I have friends who have their own vision, I just like whatever. I'll go to the other hotel.
How do you end a friendship though? Do you just ghost them? Like if do if you've decided to discard someone because they're neither useful, What's? What's the MO? How do you do that?
I don't know. You just I think a lot of people had this experience during COVID, which was you just stopped calling people and then people realized I don't have to see that person anyway, I've only got two actual ex friends. And we don't have to get too deep into that. There's one who involved lawyers and there's just another who to come back to that term. It was a transactional friendship and apparently I became non interesting.
Oh, really?
Yeah, I find it I don't know a bit of a flashback here but things ended rather uncomfortably at at CBC and and a lot of people were very supportive. I was sort of portrayed as somebody that I'm not, and I expected my friends to be supportive and they were privately but they weren't publicly and so, so that bothered me. So I think is I'm sure the same thing has happened to you over the years of particularly with cancer Maureen is, you know, like the people that I didn't respond to everybody because I was kind of a non person during the cancer months. But I will never forget the people who reached out just like so. So I think people, I think people when they show their real colors as you get older, or as you face a hardship, it's that loyalty. So I'd like to say that all of my friends are warm and wise and funny, which sounds a little bit elitist. So there is a little bit of that. They do need to have certain qualities, but they they also need to act like a friend. So there is something about loyalty. What about you, Maureen?
Well, I the funny thing, we all say loyalty. And I think I would probably would have always said loyalty. But now I really mean it. Because things happen to you in life. And when you're younger, it's like, oh, I'm friends with them because they're funny and they're popular and and you know, they do interesting things and I'm having an exciting life because I'm friends with them. But as time goes on, and stuff happens to you whether you get sick, or you have a change in job, which has happened to to all to all of us, but you will be Wendy, we've had that in common and leaving a place because you do not because you want to do and your the way that your friends react loyalties comes to the top. And who was it who said, when someone shows you their true colors, believe them or whatever that expression is? Yeah, yeah, that'd be now that matters tremendously. I think it's more important than anything that you can you have friends that you can count on.
How many friends do do you have Maureen and John that that you can count on?
Maybe five?
Wow.
Well the two of you. Not including John, my husband, John. Yeah, I would say I would say five.
A friend of mine who's Jewish and has a you know, a holocaust background with her family said and I never followed up on this said I know who like who would hide us in the attic. If it were to happen again. And I'd like to think that was me. But then her husband who's not Jewish, went off to a tour of Auschwitz, which is sounds terrible. And said that that somebody who had survived it said, well, I wouldn't I wouldn't have put my family at risk if somebody came knocking at my door. So I don't know. I don't know what the answer is. But let's say that you need something you need $10,000, you need a place to hide, hide you just been divorced, whatever, like do you other than us, John, do you have people that you can go to? Because to me, that's what ultimately a friend is is somebody that.
Oh, yeah.
But would you do you have? Would you do that for somebody? Would you?
I don't know.
I certainly would. Yeah. I mean, we actually were kidding around with a group of friends recently. And somebody said, you know, I wouldn't be I'm not going to be your friend unless you are close enough to me that you would change my diaper in the hospital.
No, thanks.
For many of us who endured the height of AIDS, that's, that's a consideration.
Yeah.
So would you?
For the two of you?
I don't want anybody to- It's not going to come to that. I promise you. This is weird, but it's true. It's absolutely true to kind of is John and I have agreed John have agreed. I don't know how long ago we made this made this agreement. What did we agree John?
And this was, you know, it's informed by the fact that I think this was during the time you were fighting cancer. And you just looked at me and said, you're speaking at my funeral.
And he said only if you speak at mine.
Yeah. I know.
Maureen may have forgotten this, but I was at her father's funeral. And she delivered this beautiful speech. And she's walking down the aisle and she looks at me and says that's how you do it.
So have you written it? I'm saying that that anything's gonna happen immeditaly Maureen.
John's younger than me. So chances are it's gonna fall upon him anyway. But yeah, it did. The topic does come up whenever we're in some sort of, not that we're often precarious situations, but it's like, okay, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go windsurfing. So you may start, you might start a rough draft. And also, because John can be John is a brilliant- I mean, I went to your mother's funeral, John, and, you know, everybody gets up to speak and then John gets up to speak and all of a sudden everybody gets out the popcorn goes, and this is why we came because you're such a beautiful speaker.
It's a show, right?
It is a show.
My mom couldn't be there, but-
She would've been awfully proud. That's another thing that you just that just reminded me. And one of the reasons why I love you so much is that you're very you know, you're very reserved and a lot of ways and and, but we surprised at your mother's funeral, because surprise. John, my husband and Terry DeMonte. And I all met up in Montreal, we flew to Montreal, and we went to without telling John Moore that we would be at his mother's funeral and, and the church was full. But I remember when you came in, and we were sitting in the back, the back pews, and we all waved at you and the look on your face, you welled up, and you turned pink. And I was like I would do I would go to the ends of the earth for this guy, because you're obviously meant so much to you when you were taken aback. And anyway, so one of the reasons why.
You know what, though, I always say a funerals and other important events, but especially funerals, nobody's taking attendance, but nobody will ever forget the people who made the distance.
Yeah.
And it's the same thing when you're ill. Yes, sir, for the two of you that, you know, a lot of people back away from the unhappy moments in your life. And if somebody can overcome that, and I went to visit somebody, just recently in in the hospital, who was dying, and I was going to press the button of the elevator and I thought I could turn around and go away I could turn around and go away this too hard. And I thought no way. I could never forgive myself if I didn't go in and see him.
Good for you. There a lot of people just take the easy way out. You know?
The Women Of Ill Repute.
Onto something lighter, if you could have dinner with three people on this is the thing with like, the people you'd like to be friends with. Let's let's open it up to throughout history.
Oh, boy.
Yeah, but you know, not just because they're interesting. Like, oh, everybody says Oscar Wilde.
Was just thinking Oscar Wilde.
Yeah, I see. He must be busy in heaven if they're having dinner parties.
Churchill but he'd high hat me.
Right. So
Which would be understandable perhaps Winston Churchill, John more, hm?
I should say not to dinner party question. What three people in the world living or dead do you think you could be friends?
That's a toughy. Because like, I love Robert Frost, but I think it'd be an impossible friend. Like, the more poetry about forks. It's funny. You know what? I don't know about being friends. I think Bill Clinton would be a lot of fun to hang out with.
Yeah, well, he is a lot of fun. I think that's official.
More for you than me.
Not anymore.
He's still got that spark, you know?
I guess people would say Dorothy Parker, but you know, she'd be smashed by-
She'd be drunk all the time.
I'll come. Yeah, I'd listened in on that. She's going to be on our podcast Maureen.
We're trying to find today's version of Dorothy Parker which would be awesome Women Of Ill Repute. Wendy.
Yeah and Carrie Fisher. She's kind of dead.
I could be friends with Carrie Fisher yeah.
Yeah, so we should have got her just before she, so we might fight over this one. And she's kind of dead. But Lucille Ball. I would love to have dinner with Lucille Ball. And not just because she was funny and brave, but because she accomplished so much. I mean her whole she was a producer. And she produced that show and she was like a business person and she was brave. So her and Dolly and then I
Dolly Parton.
Tina Turner maybe because she just died but, no she's like, I'm not sure that she would be on my forever list. She's certainly on my today list.
People you admire are not necessarily lazy. We said about Winston Churchill and Oscar Wilde aren't necessarily the people you think would be there for you would help you know. Help you move.
I think they'd be fun. Yeah, no friends, I have a different list for friends. Somehow I think me and Emma Thompson would be like best buds. Yes. Oh, yeah. Well never meet.
Well, you never know. They also say that friends should not you know if you're so similar. And this is something that's interesting. And Wendy and I are so similar in so many ways that I have seen so many similar life experiences when we look like we were interviewing someone from the States who have never heard of either residency. And frankly, I can't tell you two apart.
I'm the one with the glasses.
Yeah, well, I could wear glasses too, but I don't because that would make it silly. Anyway, where am I going with this? Ah, you're my friends. I don't have to have a point.
Well, there's there's dead people who are interesting and who may or may not support because they've never heard of us like Winston Churchill. He's probably never. I wasn't even alive. But Tina Fey what about or you know who we should get is on our podcast, John, because we're now doing podcast is Julia Louis Dreyfus? Because she's like she's stole our podcast. I thought she was funny.
I was just listening to her being interviewed on NPR. And not only is she fascinating, but she's humble. And I love and this is actually what Jane Fonda said to her. So we're three degrees of separation now. But she's doing a podcast as you guys know where she is seeking the wisdom of older women. And one of the things that I thought was fascinating was Jane Fonda said, No, is a sentence. And what she was getting at is especially for women, that people say no, but bla bla bla bla bla bla bla, and they have to qualify it all. And Jane Fonda says no, just say, no, just say no. Yeah.
Just say no. Nancy Reagan stole that. Yeah, it's interesting. Yeah. Well, women are women are always, you know, trying to, to negotiate their stance, you know, rather than just saying, this is how this is how I am, this is what I think this is what I'm doing. It's always like, this is how I am if that's okay.
Can I take you guys back in time, because one of the things I thought about because you told me what you wanted the theme to be, was I wrote a column about this in the National Post when a friend of mine died in her 40s. And aside from again, to come back to AIDS, it was the first time that one of my contemporaries died. And I was writing about what it was like to be friends with people in your 20s and early 30s. Where it's almost like, the sitcom Friends, you just come and go, and you're at dinner and somebody shows up, and then you decide, let's go to a club, or let's go over to somebody else's house. Oh, somebody else is already visiting. And when I moved to Toronto in particular, I realized it takes like three weeks and a spreadsheet to arrange a
Yeah, yah, yah, yah, I have a friend who, who I've known since Ryerson, which was, as I like to say, 1000 years ago, who at one point said to me, but I'm busy, I have a job. I got kids, and I've got a lot of friends and I love you and everything. But once or twice a year that that's all we can manage. But now, I don't know, I guess. Like, I know that Maureen finds it a little bit creepy to say, hey, let's have lunch or dinner to somebody that you don't know that, well. I'm just like, Hey, you want to have lunch? Dinner? To somebody that I love. And if they say no, that's, you know, then that'll break my heart and I'll move on to the next person. But I've sort of been inviting myself lately. So it's, it is about that getting older thing like life is short. Time is short. And so yeah, so the the stuff that doesn't mean as much to me, I don't make much of an effort. But if it does, then I book because I find that people now that they're getting older and you're not retired, you're doing a morning show every friggin morning I'm semi retired except for the podcast we're starting and the podcast I do with Maureen.
I have news for you Wendy, it's started.
I have more I have more news, or I have more time. So I'm like, hey, want to hang out? And it's life, life is changing, want to hang out. I don't live close anymore, but want to hang out?
Well, let me add to that. I think you have to, to maintain or to have an interesting friendship with somebody else, you have to do more than just get together for dinner or for lunch? And that's one of the reasons why you know, my big overtures asking people if they will, first of all come to our cottage. And secondly, travel with us so that we can go and have experiences and adventures and and when do you leave come sailing with us. John, you would come with Mikey could get over his fear of sharks or whatever it is.
Also I used to think if you went on a boat, you had to poop in a bucket and apparently-
I don't know where but it goes somewhere.
There are some boats where you have to poop with a bucket. But you know, we wouldn't put you through that. But the point being you have to go have adventures. You have to have experiences, you have to get lost. You have to discharge you know, get your luggage your golf clubs stolen, you have to meet impossible people, you have to have shared experiences that you can that you can relish together. Otherwise it's just lunch and dinner, catching up catching up catching.
Or you can go to a club, but we're getting a little old for-
saying
I'd rather be clubbed.
And then you start at four in the morning, but-
Oh you know what, John, I have this thing last night for CAMH wonderful, but there was an after party. And I didn't want to go and everybody said you can relate to this. Everybody says oh, you have to you don't have to get up early anymore. So there I am. It's 10 o'clock at night and downtown. My feet are hurting. I'm making small talk and I'm like you know what I don't want I don't go home because I have to go my go home because I want to go so you're not missing anything, my friend.
Well, but I will be very curious when I'm not doing morning radio because I get up at two in the morning for this show. I want to know how late I'm gonna stay up because by back in the day, I mean, you guys know that I was a stage actor at one point. So you'd get off stage at 1030, 1045. And you'd be totally wired. And you wouldn't go to bed until two o'clock.
So what are the residuals? So you're on two big shows. And I read that you're getting residuals. So so like, are you like, super rich? Are you like rolling in it?
I've been in yes. The movies I've been in actually, the Whole Nine Yards I recently found out is the movie that has paid the most residuals in the history of Canadian film and television. And so I probably get about 1000 bucks a year, just because somebody on an airplane is watching that, that movie, and I was gonna, I think it's a great movie. The Day After Tomorrow is always in rotation. Actually, I say people still this is kind of like Dr. Penfield. I smelled burning toast, will still shout that out a friend of mine in Montreal who feared in that heritage moment. In my case, people yell from across the street, lower Manhattan is inaccessible.
Your greatest line in the movie.
The reason I'm shouting is to shoot that scene. They had these giant industrial sprinklers that are like the lights you put into a shopping mall parking lot. And I had an airplane engine directed at me.
So you had to yell. But are you gonna go back on Jeopardy? Because I didn't see it. But I you know, I think the first time I met you, you told me you were on Jeopardy. And I
When people talk about my Jeopardy experience, I always say do you wave guns around members of the Kennedy family? No, I'm not going back to Jeopardy. It was horrible. Y
ou're not You're not going you're I say this in the nicest possible way. You're not going anywhere. Stay right where are you are mornings on Newstalk 1010. You know what's the great thing is I'm looking at the clock and I feel like you've been on for 10 minutes but as Wendy likes to say we are out of time. So isn't that weird?
minutes
Coming up Women Of Ill Repute continues John says-
Well you did our first promo when we were starting out you did you were like the voice ofWomen Of Ill so you are like an honorary Women Of Ill Repute now.
You guys name check me first episode and I thought who they're talking about me.
Well,
Yeah, for sure.
Is it over now? Because we're doing our podcast me and John.
It's been a pleasure, John, knowing you. Yeah, we could do we could do another half hour but how about we just have you back.
Thank you, John. Yeah, it's lovely to see you and hope to see all three of us. All six of us together soon. Yeah, would be lovely.
Well, that was just like going for lunch without the alcohol.
I don't know it's lovely with alcohol. It's lovely without I'm yeah, I miss him. I need to like live closer so that we can like hang out because he's he's such a cool guy. Yeah.
He's a lovely, lovely guy. His whole you know the thing about John, he's hilariously funny. And I think you'll only see a little bit of that on Newstalk. 1010, because it's a fairly serious job. And he's also deeply, deeply kind. And I guess those are maybe the two most important things that I look for in a friend.
I loved well, friendship is friendship is pretty special. And I think the warm and funny part is something that I the the wise and funny, the smart and funny means a lot to me, but that's, you know, not everybody worthwhile has all of that to offer. Yeah, but he does. And he's kind and he's funny, and he works so hard. He cares. He cares so much like he's, I don't know, he's like one of those people who never sleeps. Maybe he doesn't if he gets up at two in the morning, but anyway, I just I love meeting him.
I've spent enough time with him. He did he gets by on very little sleep as well. Yeah, he's one of those people he's not he doesn't need to sleep as much he doesn't eat very much even though he's a fantastic cook. He kind of has a bit of an aesthetic that way. But still-
I remember when he was going to go back to law school. I was like what John really need like you've had already-
He's always trying to take learn something new, which is something that you know, is inspirational for anybody friendship, whether it's a friend or not. Listen, Wendy, you basically have to come back to Toronto because we're here and you're there. So why don't you make a point of coming in and spending spending a weekend or something we'd sit around our pajamas?
Yeah, yeah, I miss I miss I miss John. Well, I miss you but I see you all the time.
Still love you though.
Women Of Ill Repute was written and produced by Maureen Holloway and Wendy Mesley with the help from the team at the Sound Off Media Company and producer Jet Belgraver.
