On Saturday night, I had the pleasure of attending Alan Cross’s Salons at Bar Robo.
Before discussing the event, I’ll tell you a little about Alan Cross.
Alan Cross is a big name in radio, music and podcasting. Below is a small list of his vast work across the media spectrum.
• His career started in 1980 at a closed-circuit radio station at CKUW at the University of Winnipeg.
• After he graduated, he moved on to CJRL in Kenora.
• Corss also worked at KX-96 in Brandon and Q-94 FM in Winnipeg.
• In 1996, he started working at Toronto’s CFNY, which would later become The Edge.
Alan Cross would later become the host of The Ongoing History of New Music, which a friend recommended to me. When the show temporarily ended, he started a new show called The Secret History of Rock.
Alan Cross has interviewed multiple musicians and bands throughout his 42 years (and counting) career. Such artists and bands include David Bowie, Morrissey, Joey Ramone, and many more.
Alan also shared his thoughts on the state of the music industry, including AI technology and the future of music, the high cost of concerts, and much more.
To learn more about Alan Cross, visit his official website https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com.
I highly recommend checking out his work and listening to his weekly podcast. Also, I recommend seeing his show if he comes to your city.
After his show, I had the chance to meet him in person and take a picture with him. Alan’s a great guy; we’ve chatted a few times by email.
So, I feel like I need to mention something important here related to people with disabilities.
Before I get into that, I want to point out that I’m not trying to throw anyone under the bus.
When I discovered that Alan Cross was coming to town, I contacted Bar Robo to ask if I needed to purchase an additional ticket for my caregiver.
Initially, their answer was yes.
In their defence, they asked me a few questions, which is good. I’m guessing that Bar Robo/Queen St. Fare had never encountered a situation like mine, so it seemed like they were genuinely curious about my experience at other venues.
After a few days, they told me that Alan Cross agreed to allow my caregiver to attend for free. I, of course, paid for my ticket and immediately reached out to Alan Cross to thank him.
What about the next time I attend a ticketed show at Bar Robo?
Right now, I don’t have an answer for you. I haven’t had a chance to message Bar Rob/Queen St. Fare.
I plan to reach out to them this week.
As some of you know, needing to purchase a ticket for my caregiver has been an ongoing struggle for me and others. Due to the nature of my disability, I require the assistance of a caregiver 24/7.
While some progress has been made with the help of Easter Seals and their Access 2 Entertainment program, we still have a long way to go.
In a previous article, I went into great detail about Easter Seals and the Access 2 Entertainment program. For more information, please visit https://access2card.ca.
Before I roll on out of here this week, I want to say HAPPY PRIDE WEEK!
For more information about this year’s Capital Pride Week in Ottawa, please visit https://capitalpride.ca/2023-festival.
