Author and award-winning writer Greg Potter has covered pop culture since 1988 for publications including the Vancouver Sun, the Georgia Straight, the Vancouver Courier, Vancouver Magazine and TV Week. His first book, 1999's Hand Me Down World: The Canadian Pop-Rock Paradox, was a slapstick look at the evolution of the Canadian music industry. He plays guitar for folk-rockers Downland. Red Robinson was instrumental in introducing Canada to rock 'n' roll, starting out in high school as a disc jockey for CJOR radio in Vancouver. He later worked for CKWX, KGW-Television in Portland, Oregon, as well as C-ISL and C-FUN, becoming a wildly popular celebrity in his own right and a true Vancouver icon. He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame in 1997. He lives in Langley, British Columbia.
"[Backstage Vancouver] is a charming book by authors who know this
city well, and have done nothing less than a service to the Lower
Mainland for their chronicle of our cultural life. There's no book
like this, and it's long overdue. The pictures are absolutely a
gem, and the stories are riveting and fascinating not only to Lower
Mainlanders but by those outside."
-Joseph Planta, The Commentary (Top Ten Books of 2004 feature)
"For less than a round of cocktails, Backstage Vancouver delivers
many of the choice stories we ink-stained wretches have been
gossiping about for decades. Potter spans an entertainment arc that
encompasses everything from the city's first opera house to Ben
Affleck's recent encounter with local strippers. Along the way, he
touches on topics that range from Errol Flynn's final curtain call
at the city morgue to the shameful fact that Louis Armstrong was
once refused a room at the Hotel Vancouver. Whipping so much
diverse information into shape is a daunting task ... this is an
admirably smooth and well researched read. ... takes a
double-barrelled approach to our rich cultural history, allowing
locally based treasures like Robinson, Hugh Pickett, and Dal
Richards to comment on their experiences with visiting celebrities.
Who can resist Red reminiscing about taking Buddy Holly to the
White Spot? Or Les Wiseman, that legendary chronicler of
Vancouver's punk-rock scene, remembering an appearance by Iggy Pop
at the Pender Ballroom? Not me."
-John Lekich, The Georgia Straight
"A fantastic book... Rare photographs are featured from various
archives and personal collections that can't be found in any other
books. An absorbing read, Backstage Vancouver captures the
memorabilia and nostalgia of an era, a city, and the people who
were there. With past acts like The Beatles and Louis Armstrong, to
present day pop stars like Bryan Adams and Nickelback, it covers
the entire spectrum of legends who got their start in Vancouver or
merely passed through on their way to astounding stardom. Backstage
Vancouver is a joy to read."
-Chelsea Green, The Nexus
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