Canada’s Boswell?

October 12, 2010 4:07 PM

Rae Fleming's new book about the Canadian broadcaster, Peter Gzowski (who died in 2002, of emphysema) should appeal to many Canadians, fans of ‘This Country in the Morning,’ and ‘Morningside,’ among his many Boswellian ventures. He sometimes brought his personal issues of smoking (up to 80 a day) and his drinking to the table (so to speak), and ‘covered’ them as the journalist he was. Fleming brings news of a son w. another woman, the telling of which raises questions about biography (and biographers).
posted by JL Sadstone (9 comments total)

From Margaret Wente's defence of the bio:

"Back in the ’60s and ’70s, secret love children were a dime a dozen. Some were so secret, their own fathers didn’t even know about them."

Man, I was born too late.

I'm sure this is an engaging read.
posted by GuyZero at 4:10 PM on October 12, 2010

Some great Gzowski interviews from his TV days: Iggy Pop, Hunter S. Thompson, Marshall McLuhan.
posted by rocket88 at 5:27 PM on October 12, 2010 [3 favorites]

a poem submitted to Maclean's in 1960 from Baie-Comeau by one M. Brian Mulroney: “I think that I shall never see/ A sadder sight than my MP.”
posted by Chuckles at 8:03 PM on October 12, 2010

Gzowski was not a very interesting media personality to me. But I very much like how he doesn't interrupt his guests when they are trying to explain something.
posted by ovvl at 8:04 PM on October 12, 2010

Gzowski was not a very interesting media personality to me.

He got better at it over time. His Morningside radio program in the 90's was a staple, and I still miss hearing his voice on CBC Radio 1.
posted by rocket88 at 8:17 PM on October 12, 2010

I still miss him.

.
posted by Hildegarde at 8:45 PM on October 12, 2010 [1 favorite]

.
posted by Savannah at 10:30 PM on October 12, 2010

I was listening to an interview with Fleming, who said something about how his book would only be interesting to people 50+ who already knew a lot about Gzowski, which was an odd anti-advertisement. But I took the hint and elected not to read it.
posted by jeather at 7:07 AM on October 13, 2010

The Gzowski family bitches about Fleming and the book.
Fleming bitches back.
posted by Kabanos at 10:12 AM on October 13, 2010