LK: Leora Kornfeld
DM: Don McKellar

LK: And joining us now in our CBC Vancouver studios is writer, actor, director, Don McKellar. Hello.

DM: Yay, hi!

LK: Hi. That's, that's-

DM: It's exciting to be back.

LK: It is, that's a mouthful, your- your title is ever-extending.

DM: Getting longer.

LK: Why-

DM: It's getting harder for radio announcers.

LK: Yeah, what are we supposed to say?

DM: That's it, you said it.

LK: What's the acronym that would go with that?

DM: Redirec-rr, probably "actor" should be in the middle for a better acronym, like WAD. So WAD!

LK: I know. I was waiting for you-

DM: WAD.

LK: Yeah. Well, we're here to talk about your movie called Last Night, and I remember, when I was talking to you about your, uh, CBC TV series, Twitch City.

DM: Yes.

LK: this past winter, you told me that the movie was somehow inspired by my co-host David Wisdom's previous radio show "Nightlines".

DM: Yeah. But he- he wouldn't come out and own up to it, he wouldn't face me.

LK: No he would not.

DM: [deep breath] I love that show, and I love David Wisdom, your co-host, and, uh, I used to listen to it all the time and I used to write at night, in fact I still do write at night, and I.. he used to do those singles alphabetical order [sic]-

LK: Ten singles in alphabetical order.

DM: Ten singles in alphabetical order, and, uh, this one- you know, I always loved that because they were often things that I knew, or things I didn't know, and it would be exciting for me, but this time I heard that, he played this Pete Seeger song, Guantanamera, this version of Guantanamera? And, uh, if you see the film, you'll see that it reminded me that I had that album as a kid, and then it brought back, uh, all these memories and- and that became a crucial factor in the film. If you know from the film, it's this major role in the film. Not only that, I had a character in the film, uh- my film is about the end of the world. And, uh, there's a radio DJ in the film who is doing the top 500 songs of all time. And it turns out that they're kind of his top 500 songs of all time, and initially I thought, "oh, maybe I’ll get David Wisdom to do that, and get him to pick.. some songs," but then I thought his choices would be too hip... to do it.

LK: Cause y'know, that’s my question, I'm asking on his behalf, I'm acting as his proxy. Ya never called him for the gig, come on, the guy has to eat too, ya never called him!

DM: Did he- did he think that, well- yeah I really honestly considered that, but I honestly thought it'd just be too hip, I- and I couldn't go with it, if it- cause it was just- y'know?

LK: But he played Pete Seeger on his show!

DM: Yeah, that's true. Oh man, now you're makin' me feel guilty.

LK: You're gonna have to go and do the director's cut now.

DM: Well, you know what? I should do like an album- I have a soundtrack album but I should let him do his top 500 songs of all- for the end of the world, or something like that.

LK: What is the significance of the call letter CKRT? If any.

DM: Y'know what, I w- this is a legal question, cause we- we submitted that to our lawyers, they had to go do some search and find out that we were allowed to use that.

LK: Because it doesn't actually exist, is that wh-

DM: Because it does not exist, and for some reason it's not assignable? This is a fact, you know, now you can learn about Canadian-

LK: This is a CRTC fact.

DM: Yeah. Now you can learn that- that fact.

LK: In order to use call letters...

DM: Well, it-

LK: ...in a work of fiction...

DM: Well you can't just use any one, because then you could be sued. And you know that's- that's the issue with these. You have lawyers who clear this kind of thing, and, y'know, that's a question, and now you know! Now if you see that, you know that it's not real, if you ever hear anyone saying that.

LK: Saying CKRT, they'll- they'll be referencing you.

DM: CKRT. [slighty cheesy DJ voice] CKRT.

LK: Now in dealing with the topic like the imminent end of the world, as you do in your movie, but we actually never find out why, it doesn't matter though, does it?

DM: Well, no. I mean, there's some real heavy clues as to why it's ending, like there's some real- things that are wrong in the world. Like, there's no night. There's no nightfall, it's always bright and sunny out. And that's something that sort of becomes clear as the film progresses. So that suggests some problems... with the planets, or, must've been the w- what, the stars.

LK: The alignment.

DM: Something's wrong out there. But, uh, no, I don't go into it in detail, cause that's always boring to me in sci-fi films, when people-

LK: It's like, yeah, it's like "who cares?"

DM: Yeah, it's like well- y'know, you always take the time, some newscaster says, [cheesy newscaster voice] "and so the.. asteroid has.. created a nuclear field, and.. turned all the people into zombies," [regular voice] y'know like...

LK: Who's-

DM: It reduce- it reduces the thing and it also distracts audiences, they think "well why don't they do something about that," or they think, "oh yeah, right, like that's gonna happen."

LK: Well I like the fact that it- it wasn't explained in the film, and people consequently weren't freaking out, they- there was a type of resignation to it.

DM: Well, people had dealt with it.

LK: Yeah.

DM: Y'know, the people I focus on had come to terms with it, one way or another. Uh, y'know, probably there are people freaking out, offscreen, but the people that I'm focusing on had dealt with it, had come up with some sort of structure to keep them going.

LK: Well what about the ones onscreen who are engaging in a little bit of the Clockwork Orange behaviour?

DM: Well that, yeah okay so, some, there's sort of peripheral characters who are sort of gone the.. the dark side, over to the dark side, but mo- the main characters dealt with it, in some way, which is maybe a delusional choice, and maybe there's nothing wrong with going the Clockwork Orange route, but...

LK: It is-

DM: That was my friend Bruce McDonald in that Clockwork Orange-

LK: Good ol' Bruce, Hardcore Logo.

DM: My- my producer, Danny Iron, and uh, Francois Girard, my friend, also director, directed.

LK: They were the droogies?

DM: They were the droogies.

LK: Why do you think it was the music that helped you get things down to such an intimate, personal level in the movie? It really was, too, wasn't it?

DM: Music, uh well I mean music is a personal thing, and I decided to go with music that evoked something emotionally, because when it comes down to the end of the world, you decide that that's all you have left, is things that mean something to you personally, you know, you're not- it's sort of pathetic if you end up with what society tells you is the greatest song of all time, you don't want, y'know, it's, there's the time to throw it away, go with the things that connect with you emotionally? And those songs, for some reason, the songs I use in the movie, they're all from, the year 1973.

LK: You were ten.

DM: I- th- I was ten, and, and so it's not *my* music even, it's music that happened when I waiting in the back seat of the car with my parents' transistor.

LK: But it was there, it was on the AM radio.

DM: But it was there, it was in the air, and for some reason those songs really resonate with me in some- some weird, happy, optimistic emotion which actually I find sort of heartbreaking in the face of the end of the world.

LK: You chose all the songs, didn't you?

DM: Yeah.

LK: Why, for example-

DM: Here it comes.

LK [whispered]: What?

DM: I don't know, no, "why..."

LK: Why, for example, "Takin' Care of Business" by BTO? You were, what, ten or eleven when that was a hit.

DM: Well that actually came out in '74.

LK: Yeah, so you were eleven.

DM: So, um, I mean that’s a huge hit.

LK: Man, see, you know your stuff.

DM: Th- that's a huge song. Th- I- I mean, I.. y'know, all the songs are like huge.. songs to me. Well y'know, BTO played all the time, now my brother had that album, which is what, from my childhood. I love BTO. Also, that is like kind of a gag in the film, it's this, uh.. biggest guitar-jam of all-time.

LK: Now, you had actual footage-

DM: Yeah.

LK: -in the movie, of- that was an actual event.

DM: Right.

LK: It was the world's longest guitar jam-

DM: That's right.

LK: in 1994 at the Music West music festival in Vancouver-

DM: Yup, that's correct.

LK: I was at it, and I participated!

DM: Are you in that shot, are you in the film?

LK: I don't think I'm in the film but I was covering it for CBC Radio.

DM: Really?

LK: They set a world's record for the longest guitar jam-

DM: That's right.

LK: -with the most guitars.

DM: So my idea was, at the end of the world, it was gonna be a bigger one. They were gonna do a bigger one, a bigger guitar jam with more guitars.

LK: How did you even find out about that, the Randy Bachman event?

DM: It was huge, man!

LK: Wh- it got national coverage?

DM: That went across the country, yeah!

LK: And you also have some great "last chance", "last night" songs in the movie, "last night/I didn't get to sleep at all".

DM: Well at one point I thought I would go with all "last" songs, and I made a big list of last songs, but, uh, this would be the last time, y'know, and lots of.. big last songs, but then I thought that was too coy, that was too, y'know, precious.

LK: Well which ones did you want, what- what songs were on your list, 'cause there's a lot of good "last chance", "last night", "last time" songs.

DM: Uhh...

LK: You got Edward Bear's "Last Song" on there.

DM: Oh th- y'know, that- I was thinking of that, um.. uh.. [snaps fingers twice] man, now you got me.

LK: Gimme a hint, gimme a hint.

DM: There is some Eric Carmen song, "last" sssshhh.. oh, man. The kids at home know it!

LK [slightly mocking]: "All by Myself"-

DM [pseudo-annoyed]: No, that's not it.

LK: -was the big Eric Carmen hit.

DM: Well it wasn't that, was it?!

LK: He has a song with "last"?

DM: Something.

LK: A big hit with "last" in the title?

DM: The kids at home know it.

LK: 'Kay-

DM: It wasn't a big hit.

LK: Okay, what about, uh, "Waiting for the End of the World"? By Elvis Costello?

DM: Well that's- there's no "last" in that.

LK: Yeah, but still!

DM: Or, like, I thought of "Eve of Destruction" at one point, and I thought of all that, I thought "go with "end of the world" songs," too, like-

LK: "It's the End of the World as We Know It".

DM: Yeah, exactly. But that was the class w- These American guys who saw the film when it was in the rough cut said [loud, abrasive voice] "Ya gotta use the REM song, ya gotta use it!", I said "I'm not gonna play it over the credits, I swear to God-"

LK: Uh-uh-uh-uh, nope!

DM: "...That's not going over the credits."

LK: What about Leonard Cohen, "Closing Time", didja think of that?

DM: [sighs] They- I was- They wanted me to be in the video for that, I was supposed to do it and I couldn't come out that day.

LK: Wasn't Rebecca De Mornay in it?

DM: And so, that was the big stupid mistake of mine.

LK: You blew it!

(DM laughs)

LK: Because you know what, Rebecca and Lenny no more!

DM: She- y'know, uh, she wasn't in it, I think that she was hanging around all day serving drinks or something, I dunno.

LK: You blew it!

DM: I blew it.

LK: Do you think that people's, um, millennial preoccupation - the belief that all this bizarre stuff is happening because of this number we're approaching.

DM: Yeah.

LK: Do you put any stock in that?

DM: No. I mean I do, I mean it's real, because-

LK: Cause there is historical precedence, too.

DM: Yeah, exactly, but this [film], as you may know, was commissioned by these French producers who were doing ten films form ten countries about the end of the millennium. And I thought, well, y'know that’s already dated, practically, as far as I'm concerned, so I decided to end the world instead. I thought "that's what it's really about," and "might as well go for it," and "that's something that's gonna be around for a while." And the whole ending-the-millenium thing, I just dread, y'know, I'm just dreading that night, I- I couldn't face it, myself.

LK: You're not gonna go to any party, are you?

DM: No, I'm not, I don't know what I'm gonna do-

LK: No way.

DM: I'm hoping you guys are gonna be on the air that night, I'm gonna sit at home, with the doors closed, lights off.

LK: Will you co-host with us?

DM: I'd love to do that.

LK: Would you?

DM: You know what? I- If you said that now, I'd be so excited, 'cause then I would-

LK: I just said it!

DM: I'd be able to, y'know, I'd be able to say "yeah, I know what I'm doing." I would do it for sure.

LK: If you commit right now-

DM: I'm- I'm- Gimme a- um, sign the contract!

LK: We will make it happen, you are the winner of the prix de Jeunesses-

DM: YES!!!

LK: -de Jenousses[sic], whatever the heck it is!

DM: Is that night, is that a night for you guys?

LK: Is December 31st, I wish I had a calendar-

DM: Figure it out.

LK: If I was Rain Man I could tell you, but my bosses in Toronto, how could they say no to that?

DM: They're fools if they do.

LK: Don McKellar, who, when you do a web search on him, Oscars, the Oscars come up.

DM: Yeah, [laughs]

LK: That's pretty darn impressive.

DM: Yeah. Yeah.

LK: Okay, we'll do it!

DM: Alright!

LK: We'll do- we'll do the radio show, we'll do the top 500 songs of all time.

DM: I would- aw, man, that would be great!

LK: I mean it!

DM: That would be fantastic!

LK: Who's your agent?

DM: Well it'd have to be the top 500 songs of-

DM & LK: Of the century.

DM: Of the millennium.

LK: Now. I read in an interview that you did, uh, about the movie, with the Toronto Sun, that your place in Kensington Market looks like "Austin Powers' 1970's pad."

DM: Really?

LK: Not 1960's but 1970's pad, with, quote, vague suggestions of "The Jetsons".

DM: Really?

LK: So you've been into this sort of idea of... ideas about the future that were hatched in the past for a while.

DM: You're right, yeah, I mean- I guess that's true, uh, like- when I started making the movie, there is sort of an obsession of mine, this idea of futurism, and I- uh, in the film I kinda try to draw on a lot of futurist moments in the century, like, y'know, this sort of optimistic... 30's... like in the gas company things. Or, y'know, like the seven- the, the sixties’ stuff in Craig's apartment and the lobby, which is real, and... all the architecture, I tried to get was from specific areas like the fifties, kind of, optimistic... I got a lot of the street stuff from that era. And seventies’ stuff too, like the family home, which is really sort of modernist to me.

LK: The AMC Pacer.

DM: Yeah, that-

LK: There was great symbolism to that, I thought.

DM: You know, people respond to that Pacer like you wouldn't believe. I don't know, that really brings up some-

LK: I think the Pacer is an example of something that was ahead of its time, that was mocked in its time.

DM: It was. And it should come back. It's a nice car!

LK: Where did you get that one that you used in the movie?

DM: Y'know, some guy- I had some guy who got cars, cause they have specific ideas of cars, too, kind of retro-futurist cars like that, and the Super-B, uh, that Craig has, things like that, and uh, I wanted like an orange Pacer; by God, the guy got one, I don't know, but-

LK: In nice shape, too!

DM: We wrecked it, we wrecked it!

LK: I know, you guys are- you were doing the L.A. riots thing there!

DM: For the- for our party in Toronto, uh, at the film festival in Toronto, they brought the car back, wrecked car, and leaned it up against the club, and, y'know...

LK: You're not-

DM: Kinda sad.

LK: You're not usually prone to that type of behavior are you?

DM: No! No, I'm- I’m a good citizen.

LK: You're a good citizen, you read a lot, you write a lot.

DM: I'm a- I'm a good-

LK: You're bespectacled, you- all the right things.

DM: Yes that's correct.

LK: You do all the right things.

DM: Let's make that clear.

LK: I just wanna ask you about things from the past that looked towards the future, that held promise, what do you remember of those things? Y'know, we were supposed to have, uh, y'know cars that talked to us, and-

DM: Right. Yeah. Well I think people realize, we don't want cars that talk to us anymore, we don't wanna know what they're saying, those cars.

LK: We don't want the phone to see us, remember videophones?

DM: Y'know, right now, yeah see now I hate those phones. Y'know the last thing is a nightmare, the idea of someone seeing when I'm talkin' on the phone.

LK: Nobody wants that!

DM: Hearing me when I'm talking on the phone is a nightmare so I think that- I think we realize that a lot of that stuff we just didn't want. Y'know, uh, traffic is clogged enough without having three levels of traffic clogged, like floating cars. Outside your window, clogged. See what I'm saying? [laughs]

LK: What do you think about email?

DM: email, I actually like email but, y'know, let's face it, the whole, the whole internet thing has been a big disappointment. [laughs] Y'know, don't you th- I mean, I've been online for maybe ten years. A really long time.

LK: You have not!

DM: I have. I have proof of that.

LK: Who-

DM: It was through U of T, uh-

LK: Okay, U of T server-

DM: Because you could only- it was only basically through U of T, like, University and sort of military and-

LK: "The Ethernet"?

DM: Ethernet stuff, and-

LK: You were Ethernet.

DM: Well, I mean- I mean-

LK: This is a like a high-level operation.

DM: I was- I'm right there from the- I- Finally I came up with that whole stuff, I'm one of the guys behind the whole thing.

LK: You've been online since 1988.

DM: Yeah, even earlier in a way, if you consider like, uh, I mean I had like a bulletin boards in high school and-

LK: What kind of computer were you using, were you using an Apple II?

DM: Mmm, at first I had an Apple II when I was a kid-

LK: How did I know that?

DM: I don't know. When I was a kid I did.

LK: And then you moved on to one of the Mac Classics.

DM: Um, no, some sort of strange IBM...

LK: You know, what's extremely cool is when you look at old computers, and old can be like, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 years ago. I love looking at that stuff.

DM: Yeah. Well like, are you kidding, three months ago is old now.

LK: I know, but I love going to flea markets and seeing that stuff, cause it's the most bizarre stuff, talking about things.

DM: It’s a- It's an odd, would be an odd collection.

LK: Yeah. Next movie.

DM: The "Disused Computer" Movie.

LK: Yeah!

DM: That would be a uh, a cool collection for someone to have.

LK: Yeah.

DM: I'm sure there are a lot of people that have that collection. Boy, we w- how did we get, uh, onto this?

LK: I have no idea.

(DM laughs)

LK: But I'll just say thanks, I'm gonna hold you-

DM: That's it, that's the end?

LK: Yeah, I'm gonna hold you to the promise of the, uh-

DM: I am so there.

LK: To the 1999-turning-into-00 radio program.

DM: We gotta get Wisdom on this thing, too, he's gotta stop avoiding me, come out and, y'know-

LK: Ooh. Issue a challenge right now, wrestling style.

DM [with echo effect and cheering in background]: December 31st, Wisdom.

LK [also with echo]: What, what?

DM [echo]: On the air, you n' me, aaaaand Kornfeld! let's go! [cheering fades] [no echo] alright.

LK: Okay it'll be me n' you in one corner against David, just to make it-

DM: Really?

LK: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

DM: I, uh, want it to be one happy thing.

LK: Oh you want it to be- okay.

DM: Let's- let's start this millennium in a happy-

LK: Like a group hug kinda thing?

DM: -happy threesome.

LK: Okay, we will. Thanks, Don.

DM: Seeya.

LK: Actor, writer, director Don McKellar, his latest film and his directorial debut is called "Last Night", which "Last Night" song should we hear?

DM: Can ya put on that-

LK: Anything!

DM: Parliament song, even though it's not, uh, it's not really "last night", that I use in the film?

LK: Yeah. The sexy one?

DM: I- "I've Been Watchin' You"?

LK: It's the sexy one.

DM: I love that song.

LK: Sure.

END.

© Radiosonic; many MANY thanks to Ryan Purchase for the transcript!