Updated: Do you agree?: The Worst Cover Songs Ever, according to the London Sunday Times

CBC Radio 2, also known as Canada's guilty pleasure, just put a list on their blog of the Twenty Worst Cover Tunes Ever, based on a list by London Sunday Times writer Ron Liddle

They are as follows (original artists in parentheses)...

1. Madonna - American Pie (Don MacLean)
2. Michael Bolton - Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding)
3. Tori Amos - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Gladys Knight and the Pips or Marvin Gaye)
5. Duran Duran - 911 Is a Joke (Public Enemy)
6. Ronan Keating - Fairytale of New York (the Pogues)
7. Boney M - Heart of Gold (Neil Young)
8. Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
9. The Eagles - Ol’ 55 (Tom Waits)
10. Sting - Little Wing (Hendrix)
11. Gareth Gates* - Spirit in the Sky (Doctor and the Medics)
12. J Geils Band - Where Did Our Love Go? (The Supremes)
13. All Saints - Lady Marmalade (LaBelle)
14. UB40/[Robert Palmer] - I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (Unknown)
15. The BBC - Perfect Day (Lou Reed)
16. Will Young - Light My Fire (The Doors)
17. Beck, Bogert and Appice - Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
18. Bruce Springsteen -: Chimes of Freedom (Bob Dylan)
19. Tom Jones - Kiss (Prince and the Revolution)
20. Rod Stewart - I Don’t Want to Talk About It (Crazy Horse)

*Wikipedia sez he's a UK Idol Finalist

I have to say I agree (Boney M covering a Neil Young song? Come On!), but I am surprised at the omissions of any and all covers of Peter Frampton's "Baby I love Your Way". That would make 20-pack list in itself.

Update made on August 2: Apparently, another London newspaper, The Guardian, countered with a list of the 50 Best Cover Songs. Radio 2 also posted it.

I Must Admit

The 100 Block of Central Avenue North, Downtown Swift Current, taken November 2006

I watched CBC Radio One last night.

No, really, I did watch it. My digital TV service has almost 40 Saskatchewan radio stations (all of them in the nine biggest cities), so my TV also acts as a powerful, province-wide radio.

I haven't willingly listened to Radio One in about 6 years, when I was actually on it. But a few days ago, I got word of a show called Ideas, which is a nightly radio documentary series. On the show last night was Highway Number One, which was about, you guessed it, the city of Swift Current, and its relationship with the major Trans-Canada Highway that runs through it. It was produced and presented by local film-maker, Simon Nakonechny.

Without spoiling it, when the Trans-Canada first opened, it ran through the downtown area (where Chaplin Street is). At that time, the City Centre was a vibrant, bustling business community. Later, the highway was moved to the northern edge of the city to act as a bypass. The vibrant, bustling business community moved with it. Hotels opened on the accessible highway, while they closed downtown. Same for the department stores, restaurants and gas stations. All that is left in the heart of the city are some of the more popular established businesses, office buildings and smaller businesses. It also mentioned the future tourism/business plans (the new casino, the new hospital, the new museum, etc.) would be located as close to the highway as possible.

The documentary was well-researched, well-presented, had some things even I didn't know about my own city, and it made me think. Kudos to Simon and everybody else who put it together.

I also just bought the CD copy of the episode from CBCShop.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

If you haven't read the book yet, don't click here, or otherwise, shield your eyes!

One-half of our population cannot do you wrong.

Screenshot from 15millioncanadians.com

I was watching the news from Detroit when an ad for Tim Hortons came up. I love that place, it is one of my favourite restaurants, as is the same for many people I know. There are 3000 locations located in this continent (most of course in Canada, and a few in the States as well), including one located just 100 or so yards from where I work. The ad pushed Iced Coffee (which, surprisingly enough, is not available in Canada, or at least where I live), but it also displayed another interesting item.

Tim Hortons made a website at 15millioncanadians.com. The name, of course, reflects the amount of people who visited the stores, and it also accounts for one-half of Canada's population. The site is geared toward American customers, though it can be seen by anyone, who are still unfamiliar with the restaurant, and the legend it carries.

Along with mentioning the products offered, and telling where the nearest store is, the site also talks about some of the bits of lore associated with Tim Hortons. Some of the stories include the distribution of the poppy "spy" quarter, the speculation of a super addictive, nicotine-like secret ingredient added into each coffee, the Rrrroll-up the rim trash-can DNA incident, and the longest drive-thru line ever.

There is also a photo gallery which includes several witty pictures, including one of a somewhat accurate scale replica of a Tim Hortons store, made of Lego®.

And in case you've forgotten, or you don't know, there is a biography of the professional hockey player who founded, and lent his name to, the greatest thing this country can offer, other than maple syrup and strong beer.

Not as boring as you all may think

If you've never been to Swift Current before, check out this promotional video by Mitch Wiebe

If you've been to, or live in, Swift Current, check it out all the same.

A Good Day to Get a Coffee

A shot of Downtown Tim Hortons in Swift Current shortly after it opened in 2004

The day is finally here. Today is Tim Hortons Camp Day, where at every Tim Hortons store in Canada, all proceeds from coffee sales will go to the Tim Horton Children's Foundation to send deserving kids to summer camp.

Now, among the celebrities and notable persons donating their time to help the cause, I will be serving coffee at the Downtown Tim Hortons in Swift Current (on the corner of 1st Avenue NW and Chaplin Street) between 1:00-2:00pm today. It should be a great time, and I hope to see you all there.

Edit made at 2:27pm: I just finished up there, and let me tell you all, it was AWESOME! If you ever get the chance to do this in the future, do not pass it up! I'm getting a picture sent to me so I'll post it once I receive it.