WRITING A BOOK first seemed like a lonely endeavour, but it only actually came together through the kindness of others. Jen Knoch championed this book from the moment I pitched it to ECW; she and Crissy Calhoun were infinitely patient and encouraging editors as the project grew and shifted forms several times. The book benefitted immensely from having another Plaskett fan, Laura Pastore, as its copy editor at ECW. Jacques Poitras, Carly Lewis, and Emma Godmere helped turn my initial ideas into a fully formed proposal. Matt Braga, Tom Henheffer, Kate Hopwood, Adrian Lee, and Sarah Ratchford each provided crucial feedback on various versions of the manuscript. Joanne O’Kane — Hi, Mom! — kindly spent her Christmas vacation helping proof the galleys. Chris Jones gave invaluable input on the opening chapter. Stephen Carlick and Kim Magi saved the day on the (too frequent) occasions when the Toronto Public Library’s music periodical collection proved inadequate. After I spent months trying to settle on a title, Gabe Pulver pointed out that the best one had been in front of me the whole time. And my editors at the Globe and Mail were completely supportive when I said I wanted to write a book, even when I asked for a summer off to make it happen. Some material from my Globe reporting made its way into this book, too, and I’m thankful to have an employer that’s cool with that.
Mark Mosher, Chris Webley, and Greg Lawson are responsible for much of my taste in music, and provided helpful criticism (and occasionally couches) as I researched and wrote. As this project stretched along, Kareen Sarhane, Tim Alamenciak, and the Maritime Mafia of Beaconsfield Village helped wherever they could, provided vital distractions, and unflinchingly subjected themselves to long rants about the stories I unearthed.
The bulk of this book was written in Toronto (ugh) with a pivotal draft rewritten in Verona, Ontario, and a few pieces assembled in Halifax, Miramichi, Vancouver, and Ottawa. The Toronto Reference Library made for a fine second home, but it wasn’t as great as the apartment I scored on Airbnb, two blocks from the waterfront, to do interviews in Halifax in July 2014. Shoutout to all the ex–New Brunswickers in Halifax’s North End — Brad, Sarah, Christian, Alison, Bun, Grady, and many others — who made the city feel like home with countless games of washer toss and trips to Gus’ Pub.
This project would have been lacklustre, to say the least, without Joel Plaskett’s time, enthusiasm, photos, contacts, and, most importantly, music. Thanks for everything, Youthful Silver Child. Plaskett’s manager, Sheri Jones, was nothing but helpful in arranging interviews and handling logistics, in spite of the weeks I spent hounding her by phone and email negotiating access. Ingram Barss, Greg Clark, Dave Marsh, Pete Nema, Joel Plaskett, Peter Rowan, Catherine Stockhausen, and Catriona Sturton dove into their archives and kindly let me reproduce photos and posters. (Individual credits for photographers and designers appear next to captions.) Kim Cooke provided album sales numbers. Mike Campbell provided great archival material, including a test pressing of Ashtray Rock that took the opening anecdote of chapter 2 full circle. More than 50 people lent their time for interviews for this project, and many of them spent months fielding fact-checking emails as I cross-referenced information. Rob Benvie, Ian McGettigan, and Marsh were the chief recipients of these questions and responded keenly. (Marsh, for the record, makes for a formidable ally at Celtic Corner trivia.)
Thanks to my father, Mick, who introduced me to Clapton, Zeppelin, and the Wilburys, and taught me to never stop hustling; and to my mother, Joanne, whose patience and grace with me, Jon, Joey — and Mick, too — was an essential lesson in endurance. If it weren’t for people like them, the Maritimes wouldn’t be a place to regret leaving.