A familiar voice and face for generations of Canadian music fans, George Stroumboulopoulos had the distinct pleasure of inducting Our Lady Peace into Canada’s Walk of Fame this past weekend. On the red carpet, I chatted with George about the importance of celebrating artists who challenge us to be more, the evolving landscape of music discovery in Canada, and the new bands he’s currently passionate about. Plus, find out what kind of “old lady detective shit” he’s been binge-watching!
As someone who has chronicled Canadian music for so long, what’s the personal significance of being the one to induct Our Lady Peace into Canada’s Walk of Fame this evening?
To find artists who not only want to have their expression reach people is one thing, but to find the ones who want to reach people in a way that will alter their lives – not in the easiest way – but in a way that to challenge you to be more, I think that’s really special.
And [I get to] do that with a bunch of dudes you’ve known a long time! That’s a treat.
As someone who has helped shape how Canadians discover and connect with music, how important are institutions like Canada’s Walk of Fame?
It’s crucial because if you have a whole bunch of different artistic expressions happening around a place, often they will find each other and then bind with each other to make a scene, and this is part of that.
You need infrastructure, an ecosystem. All along the way, young cats have got to find a way to get supported on a playlist and get played by somebody.
There’s no real rock radio that moves the way it used to. MuchMusic was such an important role player that doesn’t exist anymore in the way it did back then. So, when we live in clip culture, you need to find ways for people to find an artist who really moves them.
So, you can’t do that with one thing – you gotta find a whole bunch of different players to do that. And this is one of the ways!
If Canadian television were like the “good old days” and you were programming The Wedge or Big Shiny Tunes, which new artists would be on that show or compilation album?
They never let me put anyone on Big Shiny Tunes because it would all be death metal! They would not have let me do that!
But you do get to do that now with Apple Music, right?
There’s a band from Toronto called Housewife. There’s also a band from L.A. – but the singer’s from Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia – called Mermaid Island. There’s a band from Northern Ireland called Kneecap – I’ll repatriate them to Canada if they wanted to put them on that! There’s a new record (An Insatiable Violence) from a metal band of Montreal called Cryptopsy. It’s such a great record! I’d put them on there!
Nobody would buy that record, but the ten people who would, it would change their lives!
The whole country should know Housewife and should be singing along. I’m so proud of Beaches and what they have been able to do. [As well as] Death From Above! All that new stuff. I love it! I want new Death From Above.
What was the last show that you binge-watched or are looking forward to watching?
I’m in my old lady British detective era! So, I watch BritBox and Acorn all day long!
DCI Banks! I really do watch that old lady detective shit!
I loved watching Department Q [on Netflix]. I like Shoresy, of course, I think that’s great! The one that I binged that broke my life apart was BoJack Horseman. I got to it late, and when I watched it, it damn near ruined me!
Canada’s Walk of Fame 2025 will air Tuesday, July 1 at 7 p.m. (7:30 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem.
