ANOTW: A Walking History of Toronto Music Podcast - Episode 4: Queen West, Pt. I

Episode 4 of the ANOTW walking-tour podcast is now streaming, taking you through Classic Queen West and Clubland! The final two installments of the series will consist of a jaunt down Queen all the way from Yonge to Dufferin. Thank you again to the Toronto International Festival of Authors for commissioning this series.

Here’s what to expect in this episode:

“Queen Street West is arguably Canada’s most important countercultural main street, and may even be North America’s. Queen West was a quiet, mostly forgotten commercial strip until the punk rock, new wave and reggae explosion of the ‘70s, and it really came to live in the diverse, inclusive, alternative ‘80s - eventually becoming a main hub for the Canadian music industry in the ‘90s. This two-part tour will take us west from University all the way to Gladstone Avenue. The first half explores the origins of the Queen Street scene at its most eastern end - “Classic Queen West” - as well as the birth of Clubland just south on Richmond. Historic sites include The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Club, The Music Gallery, The Beverley Tavern, Crash ‘N’ Burn, The Twilight Zone, 23 Hop, the BamBoo Club and the Rivoli.”

And I’m thrilled the share the third and final (for now?) cartographic wonder created by map artist Daniel Rotsztain a.k.a. The Urban Geographer, covering both halves of the Queen West walking tour.