Famous Lost Words

Bell Media

Famous Lost Words” unearths the greatest interviews of all time. Hosted by songwriter and legendary MuchMusic Veejay Christopher Ward and longtime CHUM radio producer (and archivist) Tom Jokic, “Famous Lost Words” is a weekly podcast on the iHeartRadio Canada app. It’s a deep dive into the extensive iHeartRadio archives – featuring classic interviews that haven’t been heard since they first aired.

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812 - Loverboy, Chuck Berry, The Sex Pistols!
Mar 3 2023
812 - Loverboy, Chuck Berry, The Sex Pistols!
We’re finishing off season 8 with a real banger!  First up is one of the best interviews from the archives – a 2007 chat with Mike Reno of Loverboy. Mike is a gifted storyteller as he explains the origins of the band’s name, why a legacy band creates new music, and why they were embraced by MTV immediately.             Mike also talks about their late bassist Scott Smith, who was declared missing when he was swept overboard by a large wave while sailing off the coast of San Francisco.             Mike then tells us the stories behind some of Loverboy’s biggest hits, including “Turn Me Loose”, “Working For The Weekend” and “The Kid Is Hot Tonite”.               Following the Loverboy chat, we have an amazing series of clips from Chuck Berry – the very first inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Chuck breaks down a number of his biggest hits – and then veers off in a strange direction. But Chuck has a lot to say and it’s all good.  Great to have so much audio from one of the pioneers of rock and roll.               Next up is Tom’s very weird chat with Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols.  Johnny talks about The Pistols’ legacy and why life with Public Image Ltd was a much more rewarding experience.  Johnny also uses the opportunity to bash the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  Strangely, Tom actually forgot we had this interview in our archives!  It’s definitely worth a listen!               And for our podcast listeners, Christopher has a very special tribute to the late Burt Bacharach, the musical genius behind dozens of hits that spanned decades.  Bacharach passed away on Feb 8, 2023 at the age of 94.   Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 70 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, Newstalk 1290 London, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.
810 - Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Warren Zevon and the greatest lyric ever!
Jan 13 2023
810 - Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Warren Zevon and the greatest lyric ever!
What is the great song lyric ever?  Tom & Christopher argue about Bob Dylan and Paul Simon before Tom comes up with the best (and funniest) answer.           This week, our show features two Canadian superstars… Shania Twain and Celine Dion.           Frist, we have Tom’s 2003 chat with Shania as she talks about touring and how her songs and concerts are a celebration.  Tom asks her about a secret staff of darker songs and finds out about the moments that changed her life.           Then, we fast forward to 2015 as Shania talks to Marilyn Denis about her Vegas residency.  All told, it’s a pretty revealing set of interview clips with Shania. We also have a 1992 interview with Celine Dion, just as she was starting to experience superstardom. Her gratitude is sincere and heartfelt. She also talks about her then-manager (and future husband) Rene Angelil and how her first audition for him made him break down in tears.           And we finish up with a fascinating interview with the late great Warren Zevon.  Sure, Warren is best known for the 1978 classic, “Werewolves Of London”, but his skills as a songwriter were deeply admired by other artists.  In these interview clips, Zevon talks about creating “Werewolves”, dealing with critics and writing songs about the darkest parts of life, but doing it with humour.  We’ll also talk about Warren’s deep gratitude to David Letterman.        Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, Newstalk 1290 London, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.
808 - Tragically Hip! Cheap Trick! Bo Diddley! Nick Lowe!
Dec 16 2022
808 - Tragically Hip! Cheap Trick! Bo Diddley! Nick Lowe!
This week, a relaxed and very interesting chat with The Tragically Hip circa 1991.  Gord Downie and the band are promoting their second album, “Road Apples”. They talk about working in New Orleans, road testing their new songs and how many chances a song gets in the studio before they toss it out. They also talk about the time they were booked into a hip hop club as well as the time they played an Alberta gig on the worst possible night – it was the day that Gretzy got traded to L.A.           Then, we have a 1980 chat with Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick.  This is a weirdly fun series of clips, as the band breaks down their history… going all the way back to the American Civil War???  And Rick talks about the wild success of “I Want You To Want Me” from their “Budokan” album.  This is a fun segment.           Bo Diddley was one of rock’s pioneers. And in a couple of brief clip, Bo tells us about his previous career and then how he helped propel rock and rock to popularity. It’s great to hear rock history from an artist who was there at the beginning!           And we finish off the show with a very entertaining chat with Nick Lowe. Nick talks about his history as an in-demand producer and how breaking the rules is so much easier when you don’t know them in the first place. He also tells us about working with Dave Edmunds and Elvis Costello. And we also find out the funny story behind Nick’s nickname, “Basher”.       Famous Lost Words is heard in 31 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, Newstalk 1290 London, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.
806 - Tina Turner! Cher! Melissa Etheridge!
Nov 18 2022
806 - Tina Turner! Cher! Melissa Etheridge!
This week: an extraordinary 1989 interview with the legendary Tina Turner. Tina talks about her rise to fame, how her stage act was her own personal fitness routine, how she chooses her songs and whether or not she considers herself sexy.             Then, a fun 2003 chat with Cher during her first farewell tour. Cher discusses the highlights of her stage show, what she loves about her fans… and why the cops were called when one of her wigs went missing from the tour! It’s an hilarious interview with Marilyn Denis and Roger Ashby.             And finally, the incredible Melissa Etheridge from 1996, when she was promoting her new album “Your Little Secret”. She tells us the charming backstory of the album’s title as well as the inspiration behind her first hit, “Bring Me Some Water”.  Melissa also explains how she managed to “un-tabloid” her personal life by being so open about it.  And finally she talks about performing her Janis Joplin tribute at “Woodstock 25”.             Plus, Christopher and Tom talk about the greatest debut singles of all time, from “I Want You Back” to "More Than A Feeling" to “Baby, One More Time”.  (And for some reason, Tom feels compelled to sing “Rock Lobster”, but you can fast forward past that part.)         Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, Newstalk 1290 London, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.
805 - Van Morrison, Byrds, Carole King & more on The '60s, pt 3!
Nov 4 2022
805 - Van Morrison, Byrds, Carole King & more on The '60s, pt 3!
This week – the finale of our epic 3-part series on The ‘60s!  It’s a show chock full of highlights… Van Morrison explains how “Brown Eyed Girl” almost got banned from the radioNeil Sedaka talks about the creation of “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do”Gene Pitney on writing one of the ‘60s biggest hits, touring with the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars and hanging with The StonesDick Clark talks about the early days of American Bandstand and how the idea of watching “teenagers dance on TV” was a hard sell to the station ownersFrankie Valli explains how Clark Gable inspired one of the Four Seasons’ biggest hitsThe Hollies on how they got their name and their first taste of international fame.Blood, Sweat & Tears talk about playing at Woodstock – and why their performance wasn’t included in the movieFreddy Cannon – on how one of his concerts was interrupted by a bunch of stampeding horses.Connie Francis talks about the moment her life changed foreverTom has a great chat with Felix Cavaliere of The RascalsThe legendary Sylvia Tyson explains how the music of “Ian & Sylvia” holds upCarole King talks about the extraordinary gift of her songwriting partner, Jerry GoffinLulu talks about landing the role (and title song) for “To Sir With Love”Interview clips with Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Shirelles, The Byrds, Procol Harum, The Fifth Dimension, Moody Blues, Del Shannon, The Impressions and Bobby Vee.Plus – how an Aretha Franklin recording session almost devolved into a fistfight. Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, Newstalk 1290 London, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.