Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe
Arts & Culture Podcasts
Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe welcomes listeners into the warm and comforting world of the Vinyl Cafe. Each episode features stories about Canada’s favourite fictional family: Dave, Morley and the kids, narrated by the late Stuart McLean and recorded live in concert. For the first time ever, long-time producer Jess Milton shares rare, behind-the-scenes stories from her 15 years touring, travelling, laughing, and recording with her close friend Stuart.
This is a world that is rooted in kindness, connection, and the laughter of recognition. A world that brings people together to rejoice in our ridiculousness. A world where we celebrate the small triumphs over the adversities of the everyday: like trying to find the perfect gift for someone you love, or the first Christmas without your sister; like trying to stage manage the school Christmas pageant, or trying to defrost a turkey with a hairdryer (we’ve all done that, right?).
Join us. New episodes every Friday.
www.vinylcafe.com
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Location:
United States
Description:
Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe welcomes listeners into the warm and comforting world of the Vinyl Cafe. Each episode features stories about Canada’s favourite fictional family: Dave, Morley and the kids, narrated by the late Stuart McLean and recorded live in concert. For the first time ever, long-time producer Jess Milton shares rare, behind-the-scenes stories from her 15 years touring, travelling, laughing, and recording with her close friend Stuart. This is a world that is rooted in kindness, connection, and the laughter of recognition. A world that brings people together to rejoice in our ridiculousness. A world where we celebrate the small triumphs over the adversities of the everyday: like trying to find the perfect gift for someone you love, or the first Christmas without your sister; like trying to stage manage the school Christmas pageant, or trying to defrost a turkey with a hairdryer (we’ve all done that, right?). Join us. New episodes every Friday. www.vinylcafe.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Language:
English
Episodes
Man and Beast - Arthur the Dog & Dave the Dog Walker
2/13/2026
“He wanted to be alone so he could try the beef-flavoured toothpaste”
On this week’s episode: two fan favourites: stories about some of the sweetest characters in the Vinyl Cafe universe – the animals!
Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com
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Duration:00:42:33
Hold the Phone - The Phone Message
2/6/2026
"It began simply enough. It began with a phone call."
Stuart loved talking on the phone: much of his work revolved around phone calls. Jess talks about some of the memorable phone calls you may have heard on the Vinyl Cafe radio show over the years, plus we’ve got an essay Stuart wrote about his journalistic practice and a Dave and Morley story.
Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com
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Duration:00:40:53
Leacock - The Roundabout & Keswick
1/30/2026
“What’s in a name? When it’s yours – a lot, apparently.”
We’re talking about Canadian humour today on the podcast. We're following a thread back to Stephen Leacock and the ways in which he influenced Stuart McLean's writing. We have a Dave & Morley story for you, plus a postcard from Leacock’s hometown, which includes memories of Stuart's friend, the late CBC Radio host Peter Gzowski.
Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:42:00
Shout out to… - Code Yellow & Murphy’s Bar Mitzvah
1/23/2026
“Dave’s relationship with hospitals over the years has not been without problems.”
The two Stuart McLean stories on today’s episode are connected in a very cool way. Both contain secret shout outs to people Stuart loved. Jess tells the backstory behind the little easter eggs like this that Stuart occasionally hid.
Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:50:35
Après Ski & Other Lessons – The Greatest Hockey Game
1/16/2026
“They tried to stop us, says the old man. But we kept playing.”
We’re talking about winter sports on this week’s episode. We’ve got two stories about hockey – a Dave & Morley story and a listener story exchange. Plus, a back story from Jess about her personal connection to sportswriting and how that informed Stuart’s research for his hockey story.
Ad-free listening is here! Listen to the pod ad-free and early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies – like virtual parties, Q&As, listener shout-outs & more. Subscribe here: apostrophe.supercast.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Duration:00:42:25
New way to listen: Ad-free and much more!
1/15/2026
Season 7 of Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe started last week, did you catch the first episode? We’ll be with you every Friday until the summer. Whoo!
And for those of you who have asked: Our friends at the Apostrophe Podcast Network are now offering a subscriber option. Subscribers listen to the pod ad-free – zero ads across the entire catalogue. Every week subscribers get the show early, PLUS a whole bunch of other goodies too… Click here to learn more about how to subscribe. There's already an early access episode waiting for you!
If you are happy with the podcast just the way it is? All good! No need for you to do anything. Nothing is changing unless you want it to.
Subscribe here.
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Duration:00:02:01
Embracing Winter – Holland
1/9/2026
“It was the greatest skate of her life.”
Happy New Year! Welcome back to Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe! Light a fire, get a bowl of soup, and a cozy blanket and settle in, because we’re celebrating the season today on the show. We’ve got a story exchange for you, plus an essay Stuart wrote for the radio show about walking on ice. And we have a Dave and Morley story for you about their trip to Europe to skate on the canals.
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Duration:00:36:11
Christmas Cheer - Christmas at the Turlingtons’ & Dave Cooks the Turkey
12/19/2025
“Did you take the turkey out of the freezer?”
For our last episode of the season – and our last before the Holidays – two Christmas classics! Plus, a beautiful, seasonal listener story from the Vinyl Cafe Story Exchange. For many of you, these Stuart McLean stories need no introduction, so grab a cup of egg nog, put your feet up and enjoy. Merry Christmas!
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Duration:00:54:02
Best Behaviour - Christmas at Tommy’s & Polly Anderson’s Christmas Party
12/12/2025
“First fires…. and then floods”
On this week’s episode, two hilarious Stuart McLean stories about being out and about, Christmas visiting. Our first story is one that many of you may not have heard before, about Dave and Morley’s visit to the home of Stephanie’s boyfriend,Tommy. Tommy's parents are facing their own challenges with cooking the turkey. Jess shares a backstory about some of the characters in that story.
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Duration:00:55:28
Dave on the Roof - Dave on the Roof & Christmas on the Road
12/5/2025
“Eustache was bracing himself for a long and lonely Christmas”
It’s December so we’re going the full festive from now until Christmas! This week, two classic Dave & Morley stories of seasonal shenanigans, plus a story exchange about a very special Christmas Eve.
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Duration:00:43:41
Dave Plays Santa - Dave Plays Santa & Springhill
11/28/2025
“Christmas in Dave’s record store is just plain fun”
On today’s episode, Jess talks about the challenges of trying to create Christmas magic when you’re not necessarily feeling it yourself. That’s a bit of the back story behind Stuart’s writing of “Dave Plays Santa” - we’ll play that story for you. And we’ve got another back story connected to “Dave Plays Santa”, which links to our second story this week.
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Duration:00:53:03
Gobble Gobble - Dave Raises the Turkey & Dave and the Duck
11/21/2025
“Dave stared at the duck in disbelief. The duck stared back at him.”
This week, we’re back talking about birds again, with two of Stuart McLean's hilarious stories about Dave and… poultry. Yes, this week’s theme is quite specific! Our first story is one you may not have heard before: Dave decides to try his hand at small-scale poultry farming…
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Duration:00:49:42
Vinyl Cafe: The Musical - Rashida, Amir and the Great Gift-Giving
11/14/2025
“Christmas Day is going to be a little strained in Dave’s neighbourhood this year.”
Today on the pod we’re all about Vinyl Cafe: The Musical! To celebrate its premiere, Jess shares the story of how the musical came into being and the excitement of seeing it come to life. Plus, you can hear one of the stories that inspired the musical in the first place.
Vinyl Cafe: The Musical has been held over for an additional week! It runs until December 7th. For tickets see: https://citadeltheatre.com/shows/vinyl-cafe-the-musical/
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Duration:00:40:36
We Shall Remember - Remembrance Day
11/7/2025
“There’s something about the ghosts who live in the house where you live.”
This week something special for Remembrance Day: an essay Stuart McLean wrote about George Lawrence Price, a Canadian soldier killed in the very last moments of the first world war. And we have two Vinyl Cafe stories for you: a wartime story exchange, and a Dave and Morley story where they learn about the life of someone who lived in their house many years before.
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Duration:00:36:50
All Hallows Eve – Halloween
10/31/2025
“Let me state the case for Hallowe’en”
Today’s the day - Happy Hallowe’en! We’ve got a wonderful story exchange about an immigrant’s first experience of Trick or Treating. And we'll also play Stuart McLean's story about Sam and Stephanie's Halloween; it's a story about this magical evening, but it's also about growing up and finding independence.
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Duration:00:35:48
Journeys - Vancouver & Kenny Wong's Practical Jokes
10/24/2025
“The baker, the chef, the Indian maestro.”
Today on the podcast it’s a smorgasbord from Stuart McLean. About food, about journeys and more in between! We’ve got a postcard from Canada, a moving listener story, and one of our favourite Dave and Morley stories.
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Duration:00:51:04
Amazing Spaces – The Library of Parliament, Museum of History & Gander International Airport
10/17/2025
“There was a time when the Gander airport was the biggest airport in the world”
On this week’s episode, we have three of Stuart’s opening monologues – essays about some of the places and spaces that captivated him on his travels across the country. And Jess has a backstory about the perils of mispronunciations!
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Duration:00:41:58
More Arthurs!
10/10/2025
It’s our annual Thanksgiving tradition – the Vinyl Cafe Arthur Awards. More treasures from the Vinyl Cafe archives about some amazing acts of kindness!
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Duration:00:37:07
Quebec Connection - A Trip to Quebec
10/3/2025
“The Pensionne du Quebec was lit up like a party ship”
We’ve got a Quebec selection for you on today’s podcast. A story about Sam’s school trip to Quebec City, plus a Stuart McLean script about cheese making in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, and a backstory from Jess about the trip they took to write that story.
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Duration:00:54:00
Cakes Gone Wrong - The Birthday Cake & Arthur Takes the Cake
9/26/2025
“Surely Mary wouldn’t miss one of those little buttercream shrubs…”
On this week’s episode of Backstage, two stories about cakes, those special occasion cakes that promise to be oh so good… That is, until Dave and co. get involved…
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Duration:00:37:20