Stuart McLean

Andrew Stuart McLean, journalist, professor, radio host, author, humorist (born at Montréal 19 April 1948). Stuart McLean attended high school at Lower Canada College and received a BA from Sir George Williams University (later called Concordia) in 1971. From 1984-2004 he was a professor of journalism at Ryerson University in Toronto, and he remains professor emeritus.

Stuart McLean is interviewed on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight. From YouTube.

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From 1978-82, Stuart McLean made documentaries for the radio program "Sunday Morning" for CBC Radio, and from 1982-84 he acted as the show's executive producer. In the 1980s he appeared as a regular contributor and occasional host on CBC Radio's "Morningside," the national weekday morning show hosted by Peter GZOWSKI. McLean's slice-of-life storytelling charmed listeners across the country and his published collection of radio essays, The Morningside World of Stuart McLean (1989), became a Canadian bestseller.

Stuart McLean created a radio program called "The Vinyl Cafe" in 1994 as a summer replacement show. With his signature understated humour, McLean recounts the exploits of a fictional family whose patriarch, Dave, owns "the world's smallest" record store. By autumn 1997 the show was broadcast every Sunday at noon. In print as Stories from the Vinyl Cafe (1995), the book became a bestseller in Canada. A series of bestselling Vinyl Cafe collections followed. Home from the Vinyl Cafe won the STEPHEN LEACOCK MEDAL FOR HUMOUR in 1999 and Vinyl Cafe Unplugged won the award for McLean again in 2001. A third Stephen Leacock Medal was awarded for Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe in 2007. McLean has added to the series with Extreme Vinyl Café (2009) and Revenge of the Vinyl Café (2012).

Stuart McLean shared an ACTRA Award in 1979 for best radio documentary, for a program the "Sunday Morning" team produced about the Jonestown massacre. In 1994-95 he was awarded the first Rooke Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching, Research, and Writing by Trent University. His book Welcome Home: Travels in Smalltown Canada was named best non-fiction of 1993 by the Canadian Authors' Association. Vinyl Cafe Diaries won the Canadian Authors' Association Jubilee Award in 2004. Stuart McLean has received honorary doctorates from Trent University, University of Windsor and Nippissing University.

In 1998 Stuart McLean began taking the Vinyl Cafe on the road to theatres across the country. It is broadcast every week on CBC Radio and is also heard via satellite radio around the world and on public radio stations in the United States.

In 2011, Stuart McLean was named an officer of the ORDER OF CANADA "for his contributions to Canadian culture as a storyteller and broadcaster, as well as for his many charitable activities."

Author KATHERINE JOHNSON

Links to Other Sites
Vinyl Cafe
The online headquarters for the popular CBC program “Vinyl Cafe” offers a profile of the show’s creator and host Stuart McLean. Also features the latest tour schedule and information about special guests appearing on each show. Find out about submitting your own story to the show, listen to the free weekly podcasts, and check out the brief audio clips from Vinyl Cafe recordings.

Secrets From the Vinyl Cafe
Award-winning author and broadcaster Stuart McLean reads a story from his popular book “Secrets From the Vinyl Cafe.”

Secrets From the Vinyl Cafe
A brief synopsis of Stuart McLean’s book “Secrets From the Vinyl Cafe” from the McNally Robinson Booksellers website.

Seth and Schulz
The Vinyl Cafe’s Stuart McLean reads a letter from Guelph, Ont. cartoonist Seth about his friendship with Charles Schulz, creator of the comic strip “Peanuts.” From the CBC Digital Archives website.

Stuart McLean
A lesson plan for an English course based on Stuart McLean’s "Vinyl Cafe" program. A Government of Ontario website. A PDF file.

A 'sleeping' cricket
Listen to Peter Gzowski and Stuart McLean carry on a rollicking conversation about a cricket and other items in this vintage audio clip from the CBC Radio program "Morningside."

Stuart McLean
Scroll down to a recording of Stuart McLean’s 2007 convocation address at Trent University. A Trent University Website.

Stuart Mclean
Stuart Mclean, host of CBC’s "Vinyl Cafe," talks about his love for storytelling in this video interview.

The Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean
Listen to one of Stuart McLean's stories about Dave and Morley and view photos of a Vinyl Cafe stage performance. From the website for Steven Kennard, professional photographer.

On the menu at the Vinyl Cafe
Stuart McLean muses about the music featured on his radio show, the "Vinyl Cafe." From the Hamilton Spectator newspaper.

Being Stuart McLean Isn’t Always So Darn Funny
CBC personality Stuart McLean talks about his CBC Radio program "Vinyl Café" in an interview posted on the website for Trevor Cole.