The first rock band I ever saw live is Chalk Circle at the Ontario Place Forum. For a while now I've wanted to have Chris Tait from Chalk Circle over for an episode of Toronto Mike'd, and about a month or so ago, we started chatting about it via email. At least I thought that's what was happening.
It turns out I was chatting with a completely different Chris Tait. I'm not sure how I made this mistake, but I'm guessing it started with a google search and then a connection on Linkedin. Both Chris Taits are Toronto-based musicians with a similar professional background, so in hindsight, I'm not surprised.
Typically I'd have realized my mistake when the other Chris Tait knocked on the door for his Toronto Mike'd debut, but I haven't seen Chalk Circle since the 80s and really didn't know what Chalk Circle's Chris Tait looked like these days, so when a friendly Chris Tait showed up, I assumed it was the only Chris Tait I knew of.
Before recording, the words "Chalk Circle" never came up. I asked Chris if he wanted a cold Great Lakes Beer, and he asked for an IPA. So I got him a Burst and checked his levels and started recording.
The charm of Toronto Mike'd is that it's unedited. With a few exceptions, what you hear on the episode is how it unfolds in real-time. I had a cold open already in the file, so Chris Tait didn't hear my April Fool clip. I read the intro, said hello to my guest, then shared the anecdote about Chalk Circle being the first rock band I ever saw live. That's when I learned I had a different Chris Tait sitting in my basement. I was simultaneously befuddled and embarrassed, and I had to process and pivot in real-time, because I was going to share this audio unedited. All of my research, every one of my notes and every stitch of audio I had prepared was for someone else.
As it turned out, this Chris Tait is a very nice guy, and my daughter even went to high school with his twins. I thoroughly enjoyed my hour with him, as we drank GLB and discussed his ties to the Toronto music scene. I even recognized him from an exclusive Lowest of the Low event I attended a few years back. Small world!
And last night I phoned the other Chris Tait, the one I thought I'd been corresponding with, and the one I thought was going to be my guest on Toronto Mike'd yesterday. The other Chris Tait is honoured I asked him to visit the TMDS studio so he can make his Toronto Mike'd debut. I hope to chat with him next week.
Booking the wrong guest has never happeneed before, and I doubt it will ever happen again. It was a perfect storm, so to speak, and unlike Marc Maron, I didn't find out I had the wrong guest until we had already started recording. Hear for yourself!
As I wrote in the description, I had the wrong Chris Tait, but I also had the right Chris Tait. Here's his latest single, as heard on episode 1299.
