A thousand years ago, I read an interview with Tom Hamilton, the bass player of Aerosmith. He was asked why he chose that instrument over anything else, and his reply stuck with me.

Paraphrasing Tom, he said that the bass is the bridge between the drums and the guitar. The bass has percussive elements and is often used to emphasize the beat. A bass player and a drummer who can lock together is an amazing thing and can turn an okay band into something awesome.

But the bass also has melodic characteristics. A great bass player can also underscore what’s happening with the guitar and even the vocalist. Listen to what Paul McCartney did with the Beatles or how John Paul Jones subtly and effectively added more power to Jimmy Page’s riffs.

If you’re gonna rock, you need bass. That bottom end is the sonic scaffolding upon which everything is built. Without it, things sound thin. And I’m looking at you, Metallica, and your ...And Justice for All album.

Like, come on. I mean, it’s a fine metal record, but it would have been so much more powerful if you’d turned up Jason Newsted in the mix. But noooo! James and Lars ordered that Jason be pushed way down in the mix, so he’s pretty much inaudible. They said, “Oh, our ears were just fried from touring, and we just kept pushing up the treble so we could hear it. And in the process, the bass just disappeared. Sorry… our bad.”

Right. It was ego, and you know it.

If you want an alternate universe for this album, just look for a fan project called And Justice for Jason.

Anyway, I digress. What we’re here for is part two of a look at the most important bass players in the history of alt-rock. And you’ll be able to hear each and every one of them.

Songs  heard on this show:

• The Stranglers, No More Heroes
• Talking Heads, Life During Wartime
• The Smiths, This Charming Man
• Primus, Tommy the Cat
• Radiohead, The National Anthem
• Green Day, Longview
• Pearl Jam, Jeremy
• Rage Against the Machine, Killing in the Name

Here’s Eric Wilhite’s playlist.
The Ongoing History of New Music can be heard on these stations:

• 102.1 The Edge/Toronto – Sunday night at 7pm
• Q107/Toronto – Sunday night at 9pm
• Live 88-5/Ottawa – Saturdays at 9am and Sundays at 6pm
• 107.5 Dave-FM/Kitchener – Sunday nights at 11pm
• FM96/London – Sunday nights at 8pm
• Power 97/Winnipeg – Sunday nights at 10am and 10pm
• 107-3 The Edge/Calgary – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
• Sonic 102.9/Edmonton – Sunday at 8am and 8pm
• The Zone/Victoria – Sunday at 9am and 9pm
• The Fox/Vancouver – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
• The Goat Network/Interior BC
• WAPS/WKTL The Summit/Arkon, Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown – Mon-Fri at 9pm

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Is there a correlation between being a psychopath and the music they like? That’s what a study at New York University set out to explore.

About 200 students were given a questionnaire designed to gauge their level of psychopathy. Among the questions were “For me what’s right is whatever I can get away with.” That’ll give you an idea of what character traits they were looking for.

After determining who in the group had psychopathic tendencies, researchers then gave everyone a music preference test. Those with the highest psycho scores tended to like “Lose Yourself” by Eminem and “What Do You Mean” by Justin Bieber. Non-psychos preferred “Money for Nothing” from Dire Straits and “My Sharona” from The Knack.

Does this mean music preference can be used to determine whether or not you’re a psychopath? Not yet, but more study needs to be done.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Scientists are fascinated by how the brain processes music. How, for example, was Gord Downie able to eventually relearn the lyrics to 90 Tragically Hip songs for the band’s final tour even though he had a temporal lobe and hippocampus were surgically removed? Maybe it’s because musicians have better memory abilities than non-musicians.

And we’re talking about both short-term and working memory. They also have a slight edge when it comes to long-term memory. This came out of a study in Italy that used data collected back to 1987. But here’s the thing: scientists can’t explain why musicians’ memory is superior. The only thing they can come up with is “the multi-sensorial nature of music training.”

Another reason to make sure your kid takes music lessons, right?

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

When David Byrne was with the Talking Heads, he was determined that the band always be ahead of their time. But there was one occasion when the band was too far ahead.

The 1988 album Naked was released “graphics ready.” This meant that if you were to buy a CD player with a special decoder, you could watch the lyrics of the songs pass by in real-time on your television. You could also watch a list of which instruments were playing when.

Unfortunately, these special CD players were not available in 1988—and many people have totally forgotten about this.  And come to think of it, technology and technological standards have changed so much since then.

Today, there might not be a piece of consumer electronics anywhere that can properly decode this part of the Talking Heads disc.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

What comes to mind when you think of Manchester: the Smiths, the Stone Roses, Oasis, New Order, Joy Division, karaoke.

Wait–what? Karaoke?

Along with some great music, Manchester was also the birthplace of the karaoke machine.  In 1975, an inventor named Roy Brooke built something he called “Roy’s Sing-a-Long Machine.”  The concept was simple.  A cassette machine played an instrumental version of a popular song while someone sang along into a microphone.  Both the music and the singing were funneled into one amplifier and one speaker—and suddenly, anyone could be a singer.

A Japanese company then picked up on the idea, renamed the machine “karaoke,” which means “empty orchestra”–and life, as we know it, has never been the same since.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Hardcore Radiohead fans know that the group used to be called On a Friday.  They chose that name because that was the only day on which they could practice.

They stuck with On a Friday through their first recording sessions and through a series of live shows in 1991.  One of these shows was reviewed by a critic from Melody Maker, one of the very powerful weekly music tabloids in England.  He loved the sound of the band but declared that their name was terrible.  He wrote that the name was “best suited for beer-gutted pub rockers.”  And although On a Friday was initially insulted, they, to their surprise, found that they agreed.

It was then that they changed their name to Radiohead after a song entitled “Radio Head” on the Talking Heads 1986 album, True Stories.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid was named the NHL’s first star for the month of October on Sunday.

Minnesota Wild left-winger Kirill Kaprizov and Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov were second and third in the monthly honours.

McDavid led the NHL with 27 assists, the most by any player in a single October in league history.

He also had 35 points — the third-most by any player in a single October in NHL history — to lift the Oilers to a 10-2-1 month and the top of the Western Conference standings.

Kaprizov scored a league-high 14 goals, two more than the next-closest player, to lead the Wild to a 9-3-3 record in October and into first place in the Central Division.

Kochetkov was a perfect 9-0 in October, with a 1.66 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage to help the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes finish the month with the best record in the NHL.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is reiterating his call for the federal government to end all taxes on diesel and cut wasteful spending as Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares to unveil his budget Thursday.

“Conservatives are demanding that he (Carney) cut wasteful spending to bring down deficits, inflation and taxes so Canadians can afford a good life,” Poilievre said during a news conference Sunday.

He went on to cite data from the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who projected $733 billion in additional debt in the next five years. That includes a $63.3-billion deficit in the 2026-27 fiscal year, down from a forecast $71.8 billion in the PBO’s June outlook.

In a letter, Poilievre urged Carney to reduce the cost of government. He wrote this should include cutting bureaucracy, wasteful foreign aid, and cancelling the ALTO high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City.

The leader of the official opposition also called on Carney to “keep your promised debt anchors,” urging the prime minister to reduce the deficit until the budget is balanced.

The PBO has predicted the government will not meet its fiscal anchor of maintaining a declining deficit-to-GDP ratio; instead, the office expects the measure to rise in 2027-28 and 2029-30.

“This budget should be judged against his promise to Canadians,” Poilievre said.

Poilievre also called for the elimination of federal taxes on diesel until Canada Day and for Ottawa to suspend the GST on fuel until summer and scrap what he called the Fuel Standard Tax.

Earlier this week, the federal government unveiled its title and theme for the upcoming budget, which Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne’s office said reflects a period of “profound change and uncertainty.”

Titled “MASTERS OF OUR DESTINY: BUDGET 2026,” Champagne’s office said the title was inspired by the 1962 Quebec electoral campaign of then-premier Jean Lesage.

The note from Champagne’s office said the slogan at the time was “a defining expression during a moment of profound change and uncertainty,” as the Lesage government was planning to build up hydroelectric resources and institutions that would support the economy.

Ottawa’s latest budget comes as Carney’s government continues to rework Canada’s economy and trade relationships to reduce reliance on the U.S., amid ongoing tariffs and trade tensions.

As Poilievre outlined his demands Sunday, Carney released a statement saying he had a “good conversation” with President Donald Trump and the teams from both countries were going to work in the coming weeks towards a “mutually beneficial” trade deal.

—with files from Global News’ Ariel Rabinovitch and The Canadian Press

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says the U.S. and Canada will be working in the coming weeks to deliver a “mutually beneficial” trade deal after a conversation with President Donald Trump.

Carney confirmed the chat between the two world leaders in a post on social media Sunday.

“This builds on our recent constructive discussions on the outlines of a mutually beneficial trade deal that would create jobs for our workers, boost affordability for families, and fully respect Canada’s languages, culture, and sovereignty,” Carney said.

“Our teams will now be working in the coming weeks to deliver that outcome.”

While the comments are the latest signal a trade deal could still occur, it also appears to suggest an agreement won’t be reached before the U.S. midterms on Tuesday.

The prime minister’s comments come after he told reporters Wednesday that the federal government was “not at that position right now” in terms of reaching a trade deal.

Asked by reporters Wednesday why he was willing to entertain a deal before the midterms — and whether Canada was being set up to be the “fall guys” by the U.S. administration if it loses — Carney said they’re after the right deal.

Last Monday, Global News reported that the once-stalled talks between the two countries were “moving quickly” at the political level, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations.

Canada walked away from talks with the U.S. in August, with Carney saying the U.S. had made a last-minute push for language that would limit Canada’s ability to enter trade deals with other countries, water down French language requirements, and hurt the country’s struggling auto industry.

The break down in talks led to Trump’s previously threatened 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods to take effect, with Canada responding with dollar-for-dollar retaliatory duties.

Trump previously commented on Canada during a campaign rally on Thursday in South Carolina for the Republican senate candidate. He suggested Canada had been “treating us extremely nicely recently,” adding his tariffs on their northern neighbours had the effect of improving relations.

The president has yet to comment Sunday in relation to Carney’s comments.

Asked about Carney’s statement, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pushed Carney to “get a great deal.”

“It’s time for Mr. Carney to put the big talk in the past and deliver real results,” Poilievre said Sunday at a news conference.

Talks of a potential trade deal also come days before the federal government is set to announce its latest budget on Thursday.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

As U.S. President Donald Trump’s approval dips across the country, election workers are bracing for a fight that could test their authority if results do not swing in his favour.

Asked last week if he would respect the results of the midterms, Trump said he would, “if they’re honest elections.”

What the president considers an “honest” result remains unclear. But election workers across the U.S. are tasked with making sure every valid vote is counted, regardless of their own political affiliation.

In the U.S., election administration is largely under the purview of states and local officials, each with different laws and procedures.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has been questioning voter eligibility, alleging illegal registrations and demanding hundreds of ballots be set aside.

“We are bound by state law. And state law really does not give us the authority to do what the federal government is asking us to do,” Mary Hall, election auditor in Thurston County, Wash., told Global News.

On Sunday, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed a lawsuit filed at the direction of the Trump administration to stop the certification of a possible narrow Democratic win in Alaska.

The decision came after the state’s Republican-led state government asked the judge on Saturday to dismiss the lawsuit.

The Department of Justice had alleged the Democratic senate candidate Mary Peltola recruited a nominee with the same name as incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan to confused voters.

In its Saturday filing, Alaska said the Justice Department’s request to separate all ballots cast for the second Dan Sullivan was “both disturbing and impossible.” It added doing so would violate voter privacy.

The Justice Department says it plans to appeal the decision.

Election officials say targeted claims can undermine voter confidence, even if they have no direct reason to doubt the election.

“There’s 50 different ways that elections work. Rhetoric has that type of effect,” Samantha Alfaro from the Loudoun County Elections Office in Leesburg, Va., told Global News. “Not so much people doubt their own results, it’s other results.”

Trump made similar claims during the 2020 election, which he falsely claimed was “rigged and stolen.”

During the fallout, election workers in Georgia faced threats and intimidation as false accusations of fraud took hold.

But recent polling suggests Trump’s newest accusations may not be bringing in the support he wants.

A new poll from Emerson College released Friday showed the president’s approval rating dipped to 37 per cent, an all-time low.

According to the same poll, Democrats lead Republicans by 10 percentage points in a generic congressional ballot.

Despite the results, election workers say they hold themselves to the standards of accountability and transparency.

“We count every valid vote,” Hall said.

– With files from Global News’ Reggie Cecchini and Sean Previl, and The Associated Press

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.