The place where interesting people you know tell you things you didn't
You would not think this attractive, petite mom is a career crime reporter but Susan Clairmont is full of surprises – including winning Best Columnist in Canada recently. When you listen to Susan you start to understand how someone so light-hearted can survive delving into hearts of darkness every day. Her unusual approach to her [...]
From poor kid, to international hairband rock star in Sven Gali, to award-winning video producer, to investment guru / bassist for punk band Forgotten Rebels – Shawn Maher has lived an interesting life by any standard. I met him when he asked me to help with a charity fundraiser featuring his buddy George Ross from [...]
It’s not every day you get to chat with a prodigy. Boris Brott isn’t just a world renown Maestro, he was on stage of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at the age of 5 and started his own Philharmonic by 15… and then he gets really productive. This is the 25th Anniversary of his self-titled music [...]
This Laircast got unexpectedly heated when Tom Cooper, Exec Dir of Hamilton Poverty Round Table’s guest Deirdre Pike, an activist, made a comment that I took to be offensive to myself and other guests in the Lair. We had been talking about the inequality in our society and the gulf between [...]
Laura’s Take on the Laircast I first met Lloyd Ferguson when he was at Dufferin Construction and a member of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. As Executive Director of the Chamber I would often have lunch with Members and I recall being impressed with how sociable and intelligent Lloyd was. So it was no [...]
Laura’s Take on the Laircast For anyone who loves food, dining out, watching the Food Network or even cooking, this chat’s for you! I had never met renown Executive Chef and Author Jeff Crump until he walked into the Lair (one of our producers wanted to meet him). Once we started chatting, I really [...]
Laura’s Take on the Laircast: Jay Farr and I go way back – and as you will hear in this chat it wasn’t always easy both coming up together in the media biz. His talent for connecting with people has always impressed me. Whether in person or on the air Jay is that guy [...]
Originally a Hamilton newsman, Doug Farraway handles his recent firing from a Toronto radio station with great humour and brings back with him a whole lot of passion for his hometown. Now covering Council for Cable 14 Doug shares insight into the personalities around the table and a clear idea of where the city [...]
Councillor Sam Merulla is one of those people you love or you hate. Fortunately for him, his ward in the east end of Hamilton is in love with him. So is the media, because no one gives a provocative sound bite faster. When Sam decided to put forward a historic [...]
Discussing the ‘Chat from the Lair with Larry Di Ianni’ with someone may well wind up in an argument. Is Larry’s unguarded and simultaneously defensive take on what happened to him as Mayor of Hamilton accurate? Or is he clouded by his own anger at his perceived persecution? To have lived in Hamilton during those [...]
