Bloor St. busker Tagalong Paul and his dog, Roadie, take Thunder Bay
by storm with their infectious style
(By MIKE STROBEL)
Five weeks with a gal pal in a tent in Thunder Bay sure works wonders
on a feller.
Sing it, Tagalong Paul:
If you want a holiday, need to get away
May I suggest you go to Thunder Bay
The streets are always quiet, the air is fresh and clean
Thunder Bay, Ontario, where the Sleeping Giant dreams
Read between the lines, I guess. Whatever went on in that tent, busker
Tagalong Paul Stewart is on a roll. Those are his first lyrics since
writer's block seized him three years ago. In the past few weeks, he's
been written up in the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal, had a spot on
CBC Radio and a gig at a local Polish Legion hall.
HIS KIND OF TOWN
Thunder Bay is Tagalong Paul's kind of town. Roadie, his seeing eye
dog, is having a swell time, too. When last we met, the pair were in
their usual alcove in Bloor West Village. Roadie, a wriggly yellow Lab
cross, was keeping an eye out. Paul, 53, blind since age 6, was
strumming ol' Geri, his guitar, and warbling his signature tune:
If it weren't for the dog
I'd have no love at all
I'm just his shadow
I'm Tagalong Paul
You may recall how he got that tag:
Lady in elevator: "Hello, handsome."
Paul: "Hello, yourself."
Lady: "I was talking to the dog."
But writer's block and playing second fiddle to a pooch were the least
of Paul's worries. Roadie, at 12, is long in the tooth. The guide dog
school was hinting at a newer model. That was nine months ago. Paul
just couldn't do it.
"I'd sooner cut off my right arm, Mike," he says down the line from
Thunder Bay. "We're a team. He's still going strong for an old dog.
Still works like a charm. I'll give him a hug for you."
The Greyhound bus ride north got the creative juices flowing. ("You
meet more people that way, you get more ideas.") So did a trout
fishing trip with his brother Murray on Mountain Lake. ("Ever hear a
loon cry? Man, it's the most forlorn sound on earth.")
So did the stay in the tent, on a lot near downtown Thunder Bay, with
a ladyfriend who shall remain anonymous:
When it is night time, you don't hear a peep
You can actually go to sleep without counting sheep
You can wake up in the morning to the crying of a crow
And in the wintertime, the air is fresh and cold
The best news is a local studio is recording the new song, Thunder
Bay. It will be his first CD since On The Road Of Life, pre-writer's
block. Paul and Roadie are touring the song through downtown Thunder
Bay, where busking is a breeze compared to in the Big Smoke.
"On Bloor Street, there's an 18-wheeler going by every five minutes,"
says Tagalong Paul. "Up here, people can actually hear me sing."
CATCHY STUFF
Think of Roy Orbison and Stompin' Tom. Catchy, infectious, gets in
your ear. The locals like it. They grow 'em friendly up there. Except
at the downtown restaurant that barred Paul because of Roadie.
"She said he couldn't be a guide dog because he was too old." Paul is
indignant. "Who is she to say when he should retire?"
Otherwise, they're having a ball. "I told CBC I like going to strange
cities, getting lost and finding my way around. "It's my way of
sightseeing."
I hope the tourism people at Thunder Bay City Hall get a listen to the
new tune. When the CD is done, Paul and Roadie, now staying with
friends, likely will head south.
"It's getting too cold up here," says Tagalong Paul, "We miss our
alcove on Bloor St."
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Strobel_Mike/2007/10/25/pf-4603843.html
Listen to "Thunder Bay":
