One of Canada’s most influential pop music voices is not a singer, but a legendary radio personality and historian.
By Claudio Aprile | @ClaudioAprile1 | ClaudioAprile.com
That voice. The second you hear the sound of the legendary Alan Cross, you are immediately aware that you’re going to receive something valuable – a gift that you can also share with others.
It’s no secret that music plays a tremendous role in my life, and Alan Cross was someone who formed my love and taste for music from an early age. In many ways, he became my musical professor. My passion started when, at the age of 12, I first heard Van Halen. I was in a 1981 Honda Civic hatchback where the back seat was one massive speaker, and within the first few seconds of “Running With The Devil” I was hooked. From then, I began constantly consuming, finding and collecting music.
I remember hanging out with my friends and listening to Alan Cross on Sunday evenings; his show was a regular weekly staple for me, and if you missed it you felt like you were falling behind. Alan introduced me and many others to great bands like the Smiths, Depeche Mode, The Pixies, Pearl Jam, Sonic Youth, and so much more. I know I’m not alone here when I say that it felt like Alan was a friend that just knew an extraordinary amount about things that not many people were aware of. He was a friend that made you seem more cultured, educated and certainly interesting. When I sat down with Alan, I wanted to find out where his love for music began, and quite simply, how he became so ridiculously cool.
Alan grew up in the small prairie town of Stonewall, Manitoba. During his childhood he only had access to three television channels, and one of them was in French. The only music he knew was what his parents played – until his sixth birthday, when his grandmother bought him his very own transistor radio. It was here where his fascination with music began. That radio, he recalls now, made the world feel much bigger, especially during the cold Manitoba winters. Alan would spend his time finding new stations, opening his mind up to all the different types of music.
During this time, his uncle had a side hustle replenishing jukeboxes. He would take out the old 45s and replace them with new ones. Alan happened to be visiting at his uncle’s home shortly after his uncle had replenished one of the jukeboxes. He offered the old records to Alan, who still recalls with delight choosing exactly 27 discs to bring home.
Geddy Lee
Alan soon became the music aficionado at his school. In his Canadian small-town high school, if you weren’t great at playing hockey, you ran the risk of being subject to bullying. Since Alan played with accordions and not hockey sticks, he was vulnerable: instead, he began to earn the respect of his peers with his ever-growing record collection and wickedly impressive musical knowledge. It wasn’t very long until the kids started to come to his house during lunch, so Alan could play DJ. By the time he graduated, his album collection had grown to include hundreds of titles.
In 1980, Alan went on to attend the University of Winnipeg, where he joined the team at the campus radio station. After graduating, he landed his first professional radio job, at CJRL in Kenora. From there, it was KX-96/Brandon and Q94-FM/Winnipeg, until he eventually ended up at CFNY (102.1 The Edge) in 1986.
It was at CFNY (later renamed The Edge) where Alan established himself as the leading authority in all things modern music. Alan was present during one of the most important moments in alternative music. His radio show, “The Ongoing History of New Music,” made its debut in February 1993. He recalls a time in 1991 where Smashing Pumpkins’ “Gish,” Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” and Pearl Jam’s “Ten” were all released within months of each other.
What was it like to interview these artists during such an unbelievable time in music? Alan simply answers that he believes he is a conduit for the fans. He feels a deep responsibility to get something good out of his discussions with artists, as he understands his fans would love to be in his position. He also feels as though artists are extremely special people. “They have an ability to feel more than the average person and can translate that into something we understand and relate to. No one really knew David Bowie, but knowing David Bowie helped you understand yourself.”
Alan spent 15 years at CFNY/The Edge, producing a total of 720 one-hour episodes, making it what might be the longest-running music documentary in Canada. Alan acknowledges how much the music landscape has changed during his career – for instance, the changes streaming has forced on music. Few people know, for example, that online streams only earn money for their creators until they have played for 30 seconds. This means that the song needs to captivate right from the hop. There is no motivation
these days to make grand songs with huge build-ups like the U2’s “The Streets Have No Name” or Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Inevitably, it forces artists to make commercial sounds designed for TikTok, rather than art.
I ask Alan a question that is constantly on my mind: is our best music behind us? “Every generation believes that their generation of music is the best,” he answers, although he does recognize that it is becoming more and more difficult to be original. His philosophy hasn’t changed: “Respect all music, listen to what you like.”
I’m curious to understand what he thinks about the reemergence of vinyl. Why are we all gravitating to old technology? He replies that he thinks it is the effort to acquire the vinyl that appeals to most. “It conveys that you made a commitment. You earned, you saved money, you travelled, you took care of that vinyl and display it as a trophy. It is a tangible token you can share with others, signalling how much you love music.” But when I ask what’s in his current vinyl rotation, the answer is surprising: he reminds me that he listens to music professionally. It’s like George Lucas not being able to enjoy Star Wars. Alan, an introvert, prefers the sound of silence to unwind.
After leaving The Edge/Corus, he spent a couple of years working with different broadcasters, and eventually found his way to Central Ontario Broadcasting, the Canadian company that owns Indie 88 in Toronto. Alan was part of the team that launched the station and became the voice of Indie 88 for its first year. In August 2014, Alan moved back to Corus as a consultant/strategist and “The Ongoing History” was revived.
When I ask Alan what it’s like being in radio broadcasting at a time where there is so much accessible information, he answers flatly, “I was there when these things happened, so there’s no research, there’s experience.”
That’s what makes Alan Cross so legendary. He navigated the musical landscape before the digital age. He had access to some of the most prominent and prolific artists of our time. He sought them out, gained their trust, spoke to them eloquently and relayed his findings to all of us. He attained all his knowledge the old-fashioned way – not by merely opening up his phone and scrolling. In an age where we are information-rich but knowledge-poor, he is unique. And when it comes to music, Alan believes knowledge is power. As he puts it: “You may have 10 gigabytes of music, but I have 100 feet of vinyl at my house!” I guess we discovered why Alan Cross is so cool.
