15 Seconds of Fame

A funny thing happened to me at the TV studios yesterday...

I received an email from the audience coordinator for George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight (how many times have I had to practice spelling that out correctly?!) on Monday saying that I was on the guest list for a Wednesday morning taping at CBC Studios in Vancouver. This after applying for tickets a couple of weeks ago and finding them sold out. 

I was torn because the email said that Mother Mother would be performing...and that I would need to check-in at 11:00am. On a workday. When I had a site visit scheduled for a hotel that would include a delicious lunch. Yes, this is how much food means to me.

But after consulting a few people and looking not-so-deeply within myself, I knew what I had to do. It was a free taping. I could walk there from work. I would make up the time another day. I liked George's interview style (granted, I've only really sat through an interview he did with Hugh Jackman but he delved into a subject that meant so much to me that it left a lasting impression on me). And I like Mother Mother. So off I went.

The sun was shining and I was dressed in my skinny jeans and leather jacket. I looked ready. I arrived early (around 10:30am) and did some editing work while waiting in line. After being ushered into the studios in groups of twenty and given small surveys to fill out, we were put into a holding room as ticket-holders were seated in the studio. In this room was Ryan Guldemond, lead singer of Mother Mother, indistinguishable as a rock star in his hoodie. A few people flocked to him to talk but I, not knowing what I'd say (nor his name for that matter), decided to just wait around.

We were given standing room in the studio and thanks to a friendly co-audience member, I was in the front row on the right side. Meaning I got to take a picture of the host himself.

George Stroumboulopoulos gets set up for the show

George seemed very friendly and happy to be there, greeting people as he walked and setting a very casual vibe for the taping. He remarked that that was the way things always were on the set. Meanwhile, I thought about how I would like a women's version of his sweater. It looked very comfy.

We were in for a taping of his Friday (April 6th) episode which would be a "best of" the week-type deal. He only had to film his brief introductions of video clips from interviews of the week and then end the show with a performance by Nick Gilder (1970's Canadian rocker) and Mother Mother. I was impressed by how well and easily he phrased things without a script or need for additional takes. The only time he had to have a second take was because the floor manager said they needed a shorter intro.

Things got a bit surreal and interesting after the band's first performance. The crew had to change camera locations/angles for a second performance so in the meantime, the audience warm-up guy said he actually reads the surveys people fill out before the taping and that he wanted to speak to someone. He said, "This person has been to 32 countries and sings opera for fun." This person was me.

I didn't really react but I had had a feeling through the whole pre-show waiting process that something was going to happen. When the warm-up guy proceeded to say, "We should get her to sing the names of all 32 countries," I mumbled, "Nooooo..." and the lady next to me heard me. She asked if I was the person he was referring to and I said yes, and then she motioned him over toward me. He asked if I was [my name] and if I would sing, and I said yes but I wouldn't sing the country names. All throughout this, all that was going through my head was "WTML am I going to sing??? Carmen? Mimi? Dalila? Musetta?" I went against my initial choice of Carmen's Habanera and sang the first two lines of Quando me'n vo.

I don't really remember anything that was happening while I was singing, but I do remember that after I was done, I saw Nick Gilder and the members of Mother Mother clapping. Followed by my legs shaking for a good five minutes. The warm-up guy asked the band if they needed another backup singer (in my head I was thinking YES, PLEASE!!!). Later on, I found out from a high school classmate who was also in the audience that George had been clapping as well. Uau!

I was pretty shocked by what happened when I left the studio. It was a very random twist of fate that required (and continues to require) a pinch or two to feel that it really happened. In my craziest dreams, some sort of record executive would have heard me and expressed interest in helping me train my voice better...and then mine would be one of those rare stories of luck that you'd hear about in an autobiography in twenty years.

Mother Mother's unaired performance of "Dirty Town" can be found here. I wish I could've requested for them to perform "Ghosting" or one of their other hits on the radio. All the more reason to try and catch them live again another time.