Marking the twentieth anniversary of the program, Joseph Planta makes remarks and offers answers to questions sent in by friends and listeners.
Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:
I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.
It was in August 2004 that I started the show. The word podcasting hadn’t come into vogue just yet. I taped the interviews over the phone and put the recording on the website, and people had to stream them. Just over twenty years later, I’m still at it, and though I might sometimes, rarely, complain about the work that goes into the show, I can’t think of anything as fulfilling an endeavour as this. To get to talk to very worthwhile people about their lives, their work, their experiences, their ideas, their ruminations on nearly every sort of topic imaginable has often been fun, as well at times an incredible privilege.
When I hit ten years doing the show, I said I’d had more years behind me than ahead of me. I just kept on doing it, and every season brought about something new, something I probably couldn’t have imagined twenty years ago. I was going to do a clip show, you know, take a bunch of clips from some of the boldfaced names that have been on the show over the years. I may do just that another year, another anniversary. When I came back from summer break last fall, I went into taping shows from practically the week after signing off last May. I like pre-taping interviews, which is also a great privilege especially when a book’s weeks or even months away from being in stores. So, I really didn’t have time to assemble clips for a best-of show. And frankly, how could I choose from twenty years and over two thousand, three hundred shows. How do you choose between the multiple Pulitzer Prize winners, Emmy and Oscar winners, Tony winners, and members of the Order of Canada? And how do you have enough time to give a plausible overview of what’s gone on from my desk the last, what’ll be twenty-one years in August.
I will take my usual summer break, and return for the 22nd year of the show in late September. I’ve already got half a dozen names in the hopper for the fall, and that’s encouraging. I’m still a little surprised that there are those willing, sometimes wanting to talk to me. And then there are those that don’t. I’m not particularly upset about those but I’m furious about those that don’t even take the time to say no. Life has a way of sorting things out, because there’s been more than a couple of people who’ve ended up asking to come on the show years later.
I didn’t want to sign off for the year, and let the anniversary pass without expressing my thanks to all those who’ve deigned to appear on the program. Having been interviewed, I can’t imagine why people would subject themselves to my questioning. Nevertheless, I figured I owe a few answers, and put out a call on social media last week soliciting questions. I’ve got them printed off and I’ll begin to answer them shortly. But I should note, other than the guests themselves, there’s a group of people who are instrumental in getting guests on the show that require acknowledgement. The great publicists over twenty years I’ve encountered outnumber the not-so-great ones. They’re often the person I talk to before and after I speak to the guest, and they’re practically saintly for reassuring me that the interview will go well, especially if I might have a doubt or two. And there are publicists I talk to on a regular basis that they’re in touch more frequently than most relatives or friends at this point. I’d like to name them all, but I’m afraid I’ll forget somebody. The good publicists will know before I do that a guest will be good on the show. For that discerning judgment, I am grateful, as listeners should.
Now, to the questions:
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