I Wrote A Song, and It Got On the Radio

How a writer celebrated for less than 3 minutes

There is no way to pass a street sign for the first time that says “Athol” without writing or singing about it. The result was penning a song called, well… Athol Street.

I've been downtown, I've been uptown, I've been around town in a small town, I even know a place called, Pete's Meat. I've been on Third Ave, I've been down Johnson too, but did you know there's a place called, Athol Street?

Who lives at number one Athol, who lives at number one Athol, who lives at number one Athol street? There's a guy at number one Athol, someone lives at number one Athol and that's a guy I’d rather not meet. Number one Athol street.

I've got friends who go to bars, I've got friends with fifties cars, I've even got a friend who owns a Jeep. We’ve got lakes and rivers blue, we’ve even got an ocean too, but did you know there's a place called, Athol Street?

That house it got foreclosed, the marshal came, the door is closed, there's a refrigerator on the street. I got it on a short sale, that's right its where I get my mail. I’m the new Athol on Athol street.

And then the chorus plays again…

Athol Street was performed at a local benefit in a small town on Vancouver Island for the women’s shelter on International Women’s Day. A one hundred-year-old church turned night club held the event. No matter how far you venture to get away from everything, you will always find talented musicians in the hills of small towns.

These particular musicians supported my three chord song and an eclectic band of locals. Some in their work clothes, including a guy in a high-vis vest, laughed, not necessarily in all the right places. Later, I found out a local audio-file archivist slash videographer filmed the whole thing.

The next day I was thumbing and swiping around on my phone and came to CBC radio; Canada’s national broadcaster with millions of listeners. One of their shows asked viewers to send in funny street names in their area. Luck was bestowed upon me, otherwise known as timing. My marketing skills and hustling ethic kicked in and my Athol Street performance was shot out into the universe as an email with an audio file attached.

A few hours later, while loading groceries into my truck, my phone notified me I had a message. It was from the show on CBC that received my audio file. They wanted to know if they could play my song that evening. It was a moment of gratifying exuberance mixed with abject fear of giving away an original creation for free and my brain did what it always does when confronted with a threat to the sanctity of my self-esteem and welfare.

It went blank. As in, I immediately texted back, “Yes.” And then gave the people at the other end of the email another free laugh in my self created financial misery as a creative person… typing, “I admire your sense of humor.”

It is during this reoccurring scene, this time while sitting in my truck, that I wonder if having an agent could help place my work and negotiate compensation. Amassing an agent or lawyer or manager has always been a missing link, leaving me intrigued in a sea of adversity where all the creatives strive for claps, likes, views and best-selling status.

For example, without an industry insider you can’t access the big publishing houses or talent agencies like ICM. They are cloaked for good reason from the fidgety wannabe artists who may have serious delusions of grandeur. All I know is my wife echoes “Nobodies going to hand it to you. Stop looking for excuses.”

All my internal fluster aside the correspondence with CBC was quick and reciprocal and my song was going to air at 7:05 p.m. which felt exciting because it was really going to happen, apparently, and then I realized it was the same time my 6-year-old kid had a hockey game.

At the Mini Mites hockey game, my kid shoots the puck, and it's going all the way down the rink like a slow ass bowling ball and the other team's goalie is waving to his mother in the stands. My kid SCORES. Are you kidding me!

It was 7 p.m. and I dashed outside to my truck thinking, “They’ll probably just play an excerpt of my song… no big deal.” Experience had taught me that when there is someone else involved creatively, they will always cut or modify your creation and that as an artist you accept that fact and weigh the benefit, such as getting your creation to a large audience.

I snapped on the radio in my truck and listened for a few minutes. At 7:05 the host announced my name and then Athol Street came out out of my truck’s speakers in the front door panels. The whole song.

Time definitely speeds up when an artist finally achieves their goal and you understand that basking in the sun is quicker than you ever imagined it would be. One of my dreams came true; I got a song on the radio. The next day I woke up and thought, “Now what?”

It’s the same as getting a book published traditionally or otherwise with the big lead up and all the hard work and then it results in everyone asking you, “When are you going to write another one?” And you realize that suddenly the publish date on your book is 2 years ago.

Sometimes you get what you wish for but your wish is given to you completely unexpectedly, like when my 12 year old daughter posts an off handed 5 word remark that results in 10,000 TikTok likes.

As a writer, the takeaway is simple. If you send nothing out, you won’t hear anything back.

And that's no way to celebrate.