June 1, 2000
Knowing the Rafe one - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- I am not Rafe Mair’s friend, nor could I be so honoured to call him a colleague of mine. I know Rafe and very proudly, I can say he knows me. We’re practically e-mail buddies. He’s been very generous in his time sending me back e-mails like a penpal or, more appropriately like a seasoned veteran helping out a young kid who’s damned interested in everything radio and anything political.
This past Monday he burst on the air at 8:36 precisely, and apologised profusely to all who write him letters and e-mail, that he couldn’t answer all the correspondence he gets on a regular basis. Suffice to say, any mail I send him garners me a swift response. (I have his home e-mail.)
Mair was a lawyer long before he ventured on the airwaves of CJOR, followed by CKNW. And between that he was the honourable member for Kamloops and a senior cabinet minister in Bill Bennett’s Socred government. An expert on matters constitutional, he worked with people like the Jr. Bennett, Trudeau, Roy Romanow and his long-time pal, Mel Smith.
Government proved tedious and boring, so the legendary Jack Webster took him under his wing and introduced him to Jimmy Pattison and the airwaves of his CJOR. Soon after he was on the airwaves of the Top Dog, CKNW. He’s been that station and this province’s top openline talker for almost 15 years now.
How did the Rafe one finally get to know me? It’s a funny story.
One evening, I floated past the CKNW website and left a generous post in their guestbook. It included fawning over the station’s brilliant on-air staff, including a salute to the Mr. Mair himself. A couple weeks later, I got an e-mail from a Rafe Mair, thanking me for my words and a plug for his (then) new website, rafeonline.com.
I thought it could be a promo thing ‘NW set up, so I started sending it mail asking questions. Soon enough, I knew it was Rafe and figured out it was his home e-mail.
It didn’t dawn on me till very recently, after a year of correspondence, how lucky I am. Here’s a guy who’s on the air 5-times a week, 2 and a half hours a day, plus a columnist for The Province. He’s a voice sought out by other media for punditry and things political. I have never called into the Rafe Mair Show, although I try my best to listen whenever I get the chance. I did meet him once and it was an interesting meeting.
I was with my team at the NDP convention and I spotted he and The Sun’s Vaughn Palmer chatting briefly. With folks like Brian Nguyen, Maneesh Puri and others lurking behind, I made my way to the two of them and we chatted. Rafe, upon introducing myself, knew who I was and made me all comfortable as the three of us chatted about politics. To chat politics with the two of them, is not only fun, but I guess, an honour. The common adage in the affairs of this province is that if either of the two of them are talking about it, it must be news.
Need it be on radio, his column in The Province (Friday’s) or in my e-mail inbox, he’s funny, thought-provoking and an expert in the politics of this province and this country. I hardly praise the fruits of technology, but thanks to e-mail and the Internet, I’ve gotten to know one hell of a giant in the history and culture of this province.
Questions and comments may be sent to: editor@thecommentary.ca
An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .