Right after my ride along with the Thunder Bay Police, I headed to CILU’s studio. I had met Ryan, the last time I was in Thunder Bay. He is the host of Lipstick and Leather, which is an 80’s hair metal show. CILU is a volunteer radio station run by Lakehead University and he has been doing this for over 10 years. I was going to be able to sit in with him and watch him at work. We even had a conversation on the radio talking about various music-related things.
The station was this small, cozy house.
I was slightly late for the start of the program, so Ryan was already in action.
On the way in, I noticed all the offensive words that you can’t say on the radio.
I sat down and Ryan pushed a mic over by me. Our conversations definitely made the time go fast.
When Ryan would go on the air, there would be a spinning light. The light itself was burnt out but you’ll get the jist of it. Ryan would also give some background on the music. He’d also have to do station identification. I was told by Canadian law he has to do this every 8 or so minutes and also 35% of content needs to be “Cancon,” or of Canadian origin.
The view from the station was nice and peaceful. It was also a beautiful day.
While the music was playing, I was able to see some of the cool murals and things they had all over the studio.
It was definitely a fun time sitting in with Ryan on Lipstick and Leather. It’s amazing the people you meet when you’re traveling and Ryan is definitely an encyclopedia when it comes to 80’s hair metal. The time just flew as we talked about music. I know when I broke my leg, almost every Friday night I’d tune in to Lipstick and Leather.
Thanks Ryan for letting me sit in on this. It was definitely a good time!