EPISODE 2: Rick “THE TEMP” Campanelli
On this episode of Reinvention of the VJ, Erica Ehm finds out about how Rick Campenelli really feels about the name "the Temp", why he became the go-to guy with all the Boy Bands, and what really happened the day he was fired from ETCanada.
Listen as Erica sits down with one of the most enduring and beloved hosts of MuchMusic, Rick “The Temp” Campanelli. They travel back to 1994 when Erica announced that Rick Campanelli had won the MuchMusic Temp Contest, and how that contest changed his life.
Rick also opens up about this life after Much, his years hosting ET Canada and how he dealt with being fired from the job he loved.
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Show Transcript
Speaker 1:
Got some good rock and roll coming up for you now.
Speaker 2:
Hey guys, some kids have arrived, they snuck in the back door.
Speaker 3:
You spend your whole life doing the first few albums and then suddenly everybody needs your attention.
Speaker 4:
Erica Ehm's-
Speaker 5:
Thanks, MuchMusic.
Speaker 4:
Reinvention of the VJ.
Speaker 6:
A flashback on the career that made them who they are today. On this episode...
rick campanelli:
[inaudible 00:00:21] with NSYNC and this girl here... You're crying. Are you okay? Did someone hurt you? Was it Joey? I'll get him. She's looking at you.
Erica Ehm:
I think a lot of people thought that there was a teleprompter somewhere-
rick campanelli:
Yeah, right.
Erica Ehm:
... that we were reading a script somewhere because we would be talking for two, three minutes at a time with no script, it was all in our head.
rick campanelli:
Joyce is with us in the environment, audience. Joyce, where are you first of all? Well, here she is. Right here, Joyce.
Speaker 6:
This is Erica Ehm's, Reinvention of the VJ. Now, here's Erica Ehm.
Erica Ehm:
Welcome to Reinvention of the VJ podcast. I am your host, Erica Ehm. And I am really looking forward to chatting with former Much VJ, Rick Campanelli, also known as Rick the Temp today, partly because, well-
rick campanelli:
You perfected that last name though [crosstalk 00:01:10] nice.
Erica Ehm:
Listen, Rick-
rick campanelli:
Yes.
Erica Ehm:
... you are probably one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. Most genuine. I don't know how you've done that, we're going to talk about that in the show today. But if this is your first time tuning into my podcast, hi.
rick campanelli:
Hi.
Erica Ehm:
And let me give you a little bit of background. Reinvention of the VJ is a no holds barred conversation with some of the quirky and memorable hosts from MuchMusic. Now, while we each had our own vibe, we all shared a life altering experience of being part of our country's most influential pop culture platform. And then, you know what happened? We left. For one reason or another.
rick campanelli:
We grew up, right. Time to go.
Erica Ehm:
It's that story of what happens after Much. The reinvention, the resilience, the innovation, the struggles, that intrigued me. And hopefully, after Rick and I chat, you will know him and even me a little bit better. You'll also maybe glean some insights into what it takes to get through some tough times and to reinvent and even redefine what success is, right?
rick campanelli:
Yes, yes.
Erica Ehm:
So speaking of success-
rick campanelli:
Where? Who?
Erica Ehm:
... Rick Campanelli-
rick campanelli:
No, I'm just a dad living a life.
Erica Ehm:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Is here with me in the studio.
rick campanelli:
Hi, Erica.
Erica Ehm:
Now, Rick, you are one of the most enduring hosts of Much. When people think about MuchMusic, your name is synonymous.
rick campanelli:
I thought it was your name that was the most enduring and synonymous.
Erica Ehm:
It is certainly and that was by design. And you also had-
rick campanelli:
Different generations, I guess.
Erica Ehm:
Yup. You are also certainly one of the most beloved of all the hosts. I don't think anyone has ever said one mean thing about you.
rick campanelli:
I'm sure that it's out there somewhere. Some mean things. I just know it. But I appreciate the words, Erica.
Erica Ehm:
I want to welcome Rick the Temp to the podcast. First of all, I want to thank you so much for making time because I know one of the most precious things that you have in your life right now is time. So I really value the fact that you've given me-
rick campanelli:
All of us.
Erica Ehm:
All of us, right. That you've given me some of your time. I hope that we're going to have an amazing conversation together. I put it out on social media that I was going to be interviewing you because for me a podcast can't just be you and me, it needs to be the people who are listening to participate, right?
rick campanelli:
No doubt, yes.
Erica Ehm:
I was saying, "Is there anything that you would ask Rick the Temp?" And [Jay Brody 00:03:43] said, "Rick is such a wonderful dude. How do you feel about keeping the Temp moniker for so long? Did you or did management ever push you to drop it while you were on Much?" I thought that's a really good question.
rick campanelli:
I know that [Jay Brody 00:03:58] from somewhere. I think I know that name or that person. Maybe.
Erica Ehm:
Maybe on Twitter because that's where it came from. That is a good question.
rick campanelli:
It is.
Erica Ehm:
Do you like that name, Rick the Temp? Because it's on your Facebook page, I see it. You're synonymous for that name.
rick campanelli:
It's probably a name or a handle I'll never be able to shake. I'll probably go to the grave, here lies Rick the Temp AKA Rick Campanelli. I won the Temp contest and it's actually you Erica... And I'll get to the answer, [Jay 00:04:26], in just a little while. But Erica, you were on MuchMusic at the time in '94 when my entry was given the winning title. You came back with my entry, I remember. I have a video of it, Erica. You were there. You came back from a commercial break, you said, "I guess you're wondering who the Temp winner is for 1994." Do you remember this?
Erica Ehm:
I don't remember.
rick campanelli:
And you were sitting right there with my big M-shaped box.
Erica Ehm:
I was-
rick campanelli:
My big M-shaped box. It was you Erica.
Erica Ehm:
We had two very different states of mind, because in 1994 I was looking at the door.
rick campanelli:
Yes, that's right.
Erica Ehm:
I was trying to get the hell out of the door. I was so done.
rick campanelli:
You were.
Erica Ehm:
I had been working there for 13 years and I was done. And you, were chomping at the bit-
rick campanelli:
I was.
Erica Ehm:
... just start.
rick campanelli:
I've got some stories of me and you that I've never told you but this is just the first. Well, my first introduction was you of course being a religious follower of a fan of MuchMusic back in the 80s when you were there and I would watch it every day after school before doing my homework, so that's number one.
Erica Ehm:
You were a kid.
rick campanelli:
I was a kid.
Erica Ehm:
How old were you when you started? What was your-
rick campanelli:
I was still in university. The minute you announced my name, I was still taking some courses at Brock and traveling back and forth.
Erica Ehm:
So what, you were 20?
rick campanelli:
24.
Erica Ehm:
Wait-
rick campanelli:
I was an older graduate.
Erica Ehm:
Wait, when I started on Much I was 23.
rick campanelli:
23.
Erica Ehm:
I was working there from the time I was 20 and I had graduated and I was working behind the scenes but I-
rick campanelli:
Behind the scenes doing... Tell me what you were doing because I think we have a lot in common.
Erica Ehm:
I was booking all the entertainment shoots. I was on the phone, I was working with the new music and I was working with Jeannie Becker, and JD Roberts, and Daniel Richler. I was booking all the shoots.
rick campanelli:
Wow. You were booking the shoots. Wow.
Erica Ehm:
And I was working part-time at a local cable company while I was... At night on my own-
rick campanelli:
At night on your own, yeah.
Erica Ehm:
... on my own time to learn how to be on air.
rick campanelli:
I was answering phones and taking calls as well.
Erica Ehm:
Where?
rick campanelli:
At MuchMusic, at the reception desk-
Erica Ehm:
What?
rick campanelli:
... for Denise Donlon. And I would sign like-
Erica Ehm:
Wait.
rick campanelli:
... sign, Rick the Temp as a message. Okay, Denise, this person called and put it on her desk.
Erica Ehm:
Wait a second. While you were at university?
rick campanelli:
No, that was one of my first gigs after winning the Temp contest. This is probably late in '94, early '95.
Erica Ehm:
They didn't put you right on the air?
rick campanelli:
No, no.
Erica Ehm:
What?
rick campanelli:
No, there was no room for me on the air. No.
Erica Ehm:
What?
rick campanelli:
Because Steve was still there and you were still doing your thing.
Erica Ehm:
So you had to this huge contest and all you won was a shitty job to answer the phone.
rick campanelli:
No, no.
Erica Ehm:
What's going on?
rick campanelli:
First of all, there were no shitty jobs in my mind.
Erica Ehm:
That's true.
rick campanelli:
Listen. Every job I was given... Because I'm a Phys Ed guy, I was going to go on to be a teacher, but MuchMusic allowed me to open up my eyes to this whole magical world of television. So even if I was in shipping and receiving, I loved it, even if I was rewinding tapes, and they were tapes back then that we had to rewind to get back to the beginning of the music videos, I would do that. I would go get coffee. I would do anything that I had to do because I knew after a while I really wanted to be in that place and I would have done what it took to be-
Erica Ehm:
Well, you did what it took.
rick campanelli:
And I did what it took, I guess you're right. I put in the time and I was very ambitious, I persevered. So getting back to the question, yeah, I won the Temp contest. I spent a year and a half behind the scenes, like you did, working our way up and learning as much as we could learn. And then the day I went on air, we thought it was a pretty cool handle. Some of the VJs at the time had handles, Master T, one of course, which is his name/handle. People of course know his last name Young but I thought let's follow in those footsteps. And then, maybe three or four years into being a VJ, I had a chat with my parents, my dad especially. Maybe it's time we use the Italian last name, the Campanelli. And the day I did, I still remember my parents being so proud, because sure you can go through TV in that world with a moniker, a handle, but once you start using your real name then... It meant a lot. Something special to my parents.
Erica Ehm:
So you did that? You dropped Rick the Temp sort of officially but it just stuck.
rick campanelli:
It just stuck. It just stuck, because it was one of those easy names to remember, I guess.
Erica Ehm:
But it's quirky, it's like Erica Ehm.
rick campanelli:
Yeah, that's right.
Erica Ehm:
People never call me Erica. They always say, "Hey, Erica Ehm."
rick campanelli:
Erica Ehm.
Erica Ehm:
Do they do that with... Hey, it's Rick. Not Rick. Do they say Rick-
rick campanelli:
Sometimes it was like Mark the Temp or Nick the Temp, it was always the Temp. They got the first name wrong sometimes but no, to this day you still get it. You still get it, which is amazing.
Erica Ehm:
What I love about your story that I'm learning right now is that you started at the bottom and no ego and worked your way up and did all the crappy jobs. And I feel like today in the world of young people and interns who expect to get paid for their work. I didn't get paid when I was first starting. I think that when you're-
rick campanelli:
We did a lot of a volunteer.
Erica Ehm:
You do a lot of volunteer work and you get to experience what it really is but also your potential bosses get to meet you. It's much easier to keep somebody who is familiar with getting coffee and knows your order already than having to hire someone new.
rick campanelli:
You're building a relationship with that person.
Erica Ehm:
Totally.
rick campanelli:
If you're going to be working with them they want to get to know you and get along with you of course.
Erica Ehm:
That's an interesting word you just used as well which is relationship. I think a lot of people are so connected to MuchMusic. They have a relationship with MuchMusic.
rick campanelli:
So true.
Erica Ehm:
And I think that there is something about each person who was on air, who developed their own unique relationship with the audience. Tell me about your relationship with Canadian fans.
rick campanelli:
I was always the shy kid growing up. I was always standing behind my mom. I was shy. It was hard for me to break out of my shell and I did that eventually, come high school come university. So when it became time for me to be a VJ on MuchMusic, I was ready. I wanted to meet people, I wanted to talk to as many people as I could, spend time with them. I think that went hand in hand with those roles that we had at MuchMusic, because when we would travel the country or introduce a band at a venue, it's a live event, there's always people around. Even MuchMusic, it was live. People were walking down queen street, John street, they want to meet you, you want to meet them. It just made it easier for me to meet people as a VJ because people wanted to meet me, I wanted to meet them. It was the perfect storm.
Erica Ehm:
When I was on the air, I remember always thinking about the person who is sitting just behind the camera. The viewer, if you will. I was talking... I really wanted to connect deeply with that person and I was sort of fiercely authentic. I would only be myself. Were you able to... Did you grapple with that? Did you try and create a persona? How did you handle that relationship with your personal self?
rick campanelli:
Let me first just say that I connected with you when you were a VJ because I watched you all the time. It was like you were speaking directly to me, although there were millions, probably others watching and connecting with you at the same time, in their same living room or whatever, but I made that connection with you because you and a lot of the VJs at the time were relatable and seemed approachable because it was music that we were talking about. And if you're a fan of music and you're passionate about music, you're going to make that connection instantly, I think.
Erica Ehm:
We're part of a community of music lovers, that's what brings us all together.
rick campanelli:
That's right. Different things connect different people all the time, but it was music, it was MuchMusic, it was the VJs, so that was simple for me to connect with you. Now with me, I didn't have... I lived music but I was going to become a teacher. I was going to teach kids how to throw a basketball through a hoop, stuff like that, so to get on TV, it was a really uncomfortable world for me. I knew my music and I lived music, I breathed it, but I always remember in the first days of starting in front of the camera, I remember the person in charge at the time saying, "You got to get yourself some sort of attitude. You got to be in their face a bit more." Because I was really hesitant and shy still but-
Erica Ehm:
And therefore not interesting, because people-
rick campanelli:
I guess you're right.
Erica Ehm:
... people want to be entertained and you need to step it up.
rick campanelli:
That over the top personality, I guess.
Erica Ehm:
Well, you don't have to be Steve Anthony because there's only one Steve Anthony.
rick campanelli:
No, there's only one Steve Anthony.
Erica Ehm:
And that I think is an interesting part of what MuchMusic did, is it brought all different sorts of colors to the table or different timbers, if you will, different types of personalities.
rick campanelli:
It sure did.
Erica Ehm:
I was earnest and sweet. And you, we played a very similar role, I think.
rick campanelli:
I think at the time, because I knew all you guys, not personally, but I knew you as VJs and you were my heroes back in the day, still am, of course. But-
Erica Ehm:
Nice one.
rick campanelli:
... I think I would choose stuff that you were bringing to the table. I would pick stuff that Steve was offering and Christopher Ward, and JD, and Michael, and all these people from back then. I think I have sort of sculpted my personality as a VJ, came from all of you guys back in the day. I took something from all of you guys. You're all such pros.
Erica Ehm:
It's interesting that you said that you were uncomfortable, that it was painful. That's growth.
rick campanelli:
Yes, it is.
Erica Ehm:
That's a sign that you're learning and... I like talking about reinvention and change, and you were in the process of changing from a student to someone who is professional, someone who is in front of people. That-
rick campanelli:
Took a long time. Took a long time but practice makes perfect, I guess. And the more time you spend doing something. It did happen maybe eight months into the job, I was becoming smoother and more comfortable, more confident. That was one thing I lacked, the confidence.
Erica Ehm:
Did you get any direction when you went on air or did... You just made a face, like a painful face. What was it like, when you got there and you got the job on air, they give you your rundown and they go, "Three, two, one." Did they give you any direction?
rick campanelli:
Of course there was this week or two of getting to know my co-workers and the crew and this is what we're going to do. It wasn't just trial by fire type thing, pushing you right in front of the camera. There was back then a lot of practice and preparation, even in the mid 90s. I know it's probably way more so these days. I watched a lot, you guys back in the day and I took a lot from you guys, so when it came my time I was sort of ready but I was still not ready if you can understand what I'm saying.
Erica Ehm:
How did you prepare your shows? What'd you do?
rick campanelli:
I studied the bands and the videos that I was going to introduce. I made sure I knew everything about that video, who the director was, where it was shot, what was the inspiration, all that stuff, because I liked talking about that. I still do.
Erica Ehm:
So you didn't get a script? This was-
rick campanelli:
No.
Erica Ehm:
So how did it work?
rick campanelli:
Oh my gosh, no. No scripts. There were... Well, we had the library and the library would have notes on certain things. It was before the days of researchers. We were our own researchers as you remember. You had to do your own thing. But Erica, we were so into the music, we didn't need researchers. I didn't need anyone else helping me out.
Erica Ehm:
No.
rick campanelli:
I don't want me to sound like cocky. I loved... I was living the music. So if it was talking about Duran Duran or whoever it was, I knew as much as I could about those guys to talk about them to the audience that was watching.
Erica Ehm:
I think a lot of people thought that there was a teleprompter somewhere, that we were reading a script somewhere because we would be talking for two, three minutes at a time with no script, it was all in our heads.
rick campanelli:
You guys were back in the day, they chopped our time in half-
Erica Ehm:
Oh, really.
rick campanelli:
... by the time I got there. It was more about the music video and not as much about us. But it was still about the personalities and that's what made MuchMusic special. Aside from the music videos that everyone was tuning in to see, I was tuning in to see what you guys were up to more than the video, or maybe 50/50 back in the day, I really was.
Erica Ehm:
Can you pinpoint a day that was the best day you ever had-
rick campanelli:
Oh my God.
Erica Ehm:
... in all your years on MuchMusic? Was it maybe an interview? Was it something that happened with the crew? Was it-
rick campanelli:
Yeah. There were many of those days. I'm going to tell you right now because I absolutely loved my nine and a half years on air. I spent 11 altogether but nine and a half on air. I just loved going into work every day. I was a kid in a candy store when it came to that. But days that stick out in my mind were the days that the bands were coming in and you got to interview the bands and hang with the bands. You've got stories, I want to hear your stories. You, you. I'm going to give you nothing here compared to the stores you have.
But there was one day Stone Temple Pilots were touring with the Chili Peppers. Two of my favorite bands of all time. I know you have many stories about Flea and Anthony and the boys. I got the early interview with the Stone Temple Pilots and George was supposed to get the second interview on his shift but George called in sick that day, he couldn't... Something had happened with George, physically.
Erica Ehm:
George Stroumboulopoulos. Everybody knows who you're talking about.
rick campanelli:
Yeah. So they said, "Rick, George isn't able to make it in. Unfortunately, you have to do both the interviews," And it's like, wow, yeah? I get to talk to the Chili Peppers and the Stone Temple Pilots on the same day. I was in heaven.
Erica Ehm:
When did you find that out though? At what time? Is it just before the interview?
rick campanelli:
Yeah, not long before the interview.
Erica Ehm:
That's so cool-
rick campanelli:
Yeah, it was very cool.
Erica Ehm:
... and you were able to just wing.
rick campanelli:
Because I knew them. They were one of my favorite bands, I knew everything about them. Trust me, I was nervous. I was so nervous but I was ready for the challenge, I really was. Even if you weren't a fan of the band that was coming in, you made sure you did your homework. Just like being in high school or university, you did your homework, you made sure you knew everything that there was about them because... And they were short interviews, but if anything ever came up that they were talking to themselves about, well, you can add to that story because you also knew what they were talking about.
Erica Ehm:
Which is kind of like what we're doing now?
rick campanelli:
Yeah.
Erica Ehm:
We're having a conversation and we are able to-
rick campanelli:
Riff on what we [crosstalk 00:19:13]-
Erica Ehm:
And make it more interesting because we both know what we're talking about, sort of.
rick campanelli:
Still, sort of, yes. But that was one of maybe my top 20 of all time days at MuchMusic.
Erica Ehm:
The majority of your top days were the bands that you got to interview. What are some of the favorite? Everybody must ask you this, who are your favorite bands that you ever interviewed?
rick campanelli:
That was-
Erica Ehm:
That's what people ask me all the time.
rick campanelli:
I want to know who yours were and I want to know the times you spent with Anthony and Flea and the guys in the Chili Peppers because you were-
Erica Ehm:
I didn't like them.
rick campanelli:
You didn't like them.
Erica Ehm:
Mm-mm (negative). No. I thought they were lying bastards. Wait, is there a better way of saying that? I don't know.
rick campanelli:
That's being frank right there.
Erica Ehm:
They were acting so polite off-camera, then we'd go live and they would start swearing and they would be sort of misogynist. So I thought, you're not authentic. You're phony.
rick campanelli:
Right. They're putting on this persona for the camera when it turns on.
Erica Ehm:
That's why I didn't like them. And I cut them off, I shut down their interview, and they were like, "What?"
rick campanelli:
I remember that, I was like, Erica, what are you doing?
Erica Ehm:
I was like, "Fuck off."
rick campanelli:
But isn't it interesting, Erica, because you caught them at an early stage of their career, I caught them maybe 10 years later.
Erica Ehm:
Oh, that's right.
rick campanelli:
And then I got to interview Anthony again when I was at ET Canada and it was like, you interview a person at all these different stages and you see their growth that we were talking about earlier and you see how much they matured or changed or aren't being, what was the term you gave them?
Erica Ehm:
[crosstalk 00:20:40], I don't know.
rick campanelli:
Effing whatever it was. But that changes as the years go by. It would be interesting if you, yourself, because you had that first introductory interview with them back in the late 80s or whenever it was, if you could have interviewed them in the 90s and the 2000s and to this day, all those interviews would be interesting and different and unique.
Erica Ehm:
Let me throw that to you. You were on MuchMusic in your 20s into your early 30s, and then you went to ET Canada in your 40s-
rick campanelli:
Then I had a baby and it's like, you can't have a baby when you're a VJ, you got to go.
Erica Ehm:
How have you changed every decade? How have you-
rick campanelli:
Oh my goodness. I hope I haven't. I hope I have been the same person that I was on day one, with a little more comfort to my surroundings when it comes to being in front of a camera because I had to learn a lot, I was really nervous about that. But I don't know I'm the same person. I always said if you change as a person, you're not being true to yourself or genuine.
And nobody wants to see a person change once they go on air. I think I was hired for the person I was back then. I think Denise saw something in that person, so if she takes that person and puts them in front of a camera, there's no need to change, I don't think. She just said, "Get a little bit more of the confidence going," and that's a helpful quality to have. But you've seen so many people change, and I'm talking to you directly, you've must've seen it. And I always said to my family, if you see a change in me for the negative, tell me, kick my ass, do something, because I never want that to happen. They hired me for the person I am and that's hopefully who I still am today.
Erica Ehm:
At Much, they wouldn't allow me to change to some degree because I was told in no certain terms that I was completely replaceable. I wasn't, I knew that, but I was told over and over again that I was shitty-
rick campanelli:
They tell you that?
Erica Ehm:
... that I was worthless.
rick campanelli:
They'll tell you that.
Erica Ehm:
Yeah. And I will tell you that that was really the dumbest thing that you could do because what happens is you lose the connection and the love for your company and you start protecting yourself like, are they going to fire me? Of course, they're not going to fire me, I was Erica Ehm. I was a part of [crosstalk 00:22:55]-
rick campanelli:
There's no other Erica Ehm. They're not going to get any other young female to do what you did. Well-
Erica Ehm:
Well, they did, of course.
rick campanelli:
... they could have but it wouldn't have been the same. It wouldn't have been the same.
Erica Ehm:
No. And that's the point. MuchMusic really is a representation of the fact that we're all different and there's... As my husband would say, what does he say about... There's a seat for every toilet. We all are born to be a certain type of person and those of us who excelled on MuchMusic... It's sort of like a microcosm, if you're yourself and you're boldly yourself then you can do great things.
rick campanelli:
I think out of all the VJs, and there were quite a few, I don't know the number but maybe in 30s or 40s even, everyone was hired for what they had to offer, in that day in time when they were in... And just to allude on what your husband says about the seat for every toilet and there's a butt for every seat.
Erica Ehm:
Okay. You spent nine and a half years at Much or 11, let's say 11.
rick campanelli:
On air for nine and a half.
Erica Ehm:
How has your time at Much formed who you are today?
rick campanelli:
Like I said earlier, I hope I'm the same person but being at Much and having the job I had, I think my confidence level went through the roof. It really did because of the people I was surrounded with and what I was doing. And getting to interview these bands, not everyone gets to interview these bands. They picked you, Erica, they picked me, they picked Steve, [crosstalk 00:24:33] interview.
Erica Ehm:
Did they pick you? Because I heard it was just, honestly that you would show up for your shift and you'd say, "You're interviewing Madonna tomorrow," or something like... Did bands actually pick you?
rick campanelli:
Oh, no. I was talking about our bosses, picked us to do that job. No, I don't know with the bands. I'm sure once you built that relationship with the band as well, they would say, "Is that guy still around? I'd like him to ask me the questions."
Erica Ehm:
Who is that?
rick campanelli:
Oh gosh.
Erica Ehm:
Who did you have relationships with? Which bands?
rick campanelli:
I was there, if you may or may not know, when the whole boy band boom started, I just happened to be there. When the Backstreet Boys came to town or NSYNC or any of those boy bands came to town, and it was huge with you guys with New Kids On The Block, I guess. And I'm not going to say I was put into this corner, the boy band guy, because my genre was rock, the Chili Peppers and all these other bands, Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but when the boy band boom happened I seemed to get the boy bands all the time. "Okay. NSYNC are going to be in town next week. Rick, you're on it. You got a good relationship with them." Which made sense. Whatever VJ was there at the time, if they bonded with the band and if they knew you were going to get more out of the band by you interviewing them, it made sense.
Erica Ehm:
Of course.
rick campanelli:
And we all had our bands. Maybe Juliette, or Rachel, or Amanda, they were more into interviewing this band and they were for them.
Erica Ehm:
I have to get all of those women on the show.
rick campanelli:
You have to get all those women. They're all amazing.
Erica Ehm:
You're going to have to make some calls for me. You have to-
rick campanelli:
Don't forget Jennifer Hollett. These are-
Erica Ehm:
Absolutely.
rick campanelli:
When I would work, at first it was all by yourself as you know, but then they would pair you up, with shows like MuchOnDemand, MuchAccess. I absolutely loved working... I'm sorry to say, we never got a chance to work together, but from Rachel, to Amanda, to Jennifer, to Namungenyi, all these women that I... And I hope... I'm sure I'm forgetting, there's so many out there, but I loved those days. I loved those days. You got to play off someone else.
Erica Ehm:
And it's always fascinating for me to see where those people are now and how it's in keeping. Like Jennifer Hollett doing amazing work in politics-
rick campanelli:
Politics, yes.
Erica Ehm:
... and journalism [inaudible 00:26:49], same thing with Nam. These women who are... Why are you chuckling?
rick campanelli:
I'm laughing because every time I mention Jennifer Hollett, we were on a show called MuchOnDemand and we had truth or dare Tuesday. And I still, to this day... One of the dares in the early days of the show was, she had to lick peanut butter off in between my toes.
Erica Ehm:
What? I missed all the fun.
rick campanelli:
And now Jennifer, she's a politician. And she was dared and she took the dare. She was one of those, as you were, those fun, whatever it takes-
Erica Ehm:
I wasn't that much fun. No, I was... I'm much more earnest.
rick campanelli:
I saw you have some fun.
Erica Ehm:
I did but you know what, really as a person, I'm pretty... I know, people go, that's impossible, but I'm actually an introvert. I like to read and I like to... But I...
rick campanelli:
I get it. Back then too?
Erica Ehm:
Yeah. Absolutely. I like connecting. For example, what we're doing right now, me sitting across from you looking in your eyes and having a meaningful conversation is really what I tried to bring to everything I did on Much. And every interview, I wanted to connect with the artist, and talk to them about things that they may not usually get to talk about. I hope that's what we're doing today as well.
rick campanelli:
You didn't want to ask them the same question over and over because wherever they went they were going to get the same question but you, others, opened up a bit more past that normal average question.
Erica Ehm:
We tried to.
rick campanelli:
We tried to and we were given the-
Erica Ehm:
And to make it more interesting for these guys, because, yes, they're on the road and it's like... You can only imagine. I imagine that you're a very empathetic person, so am I, and so you imagine yourself in that other person's seat and you're like, oh my God, I got to do something to get their attention, to do something to connect them that I'm a person I'm not just a VJ, let's have a real conversation.
rick campanelli:
I think the barriers were broken, Erica, because you loved music so much and knew a lot about music and you related to them on that level, because they were obviously living the life of music people, rock stars, whatever they were, so that's what broke the ice and the barrier most of the time. And then once you get them in, as you know, once they're on your side, you can go anywhere. And that was the freedom that they gave us back in the day, we could go anywhere we wanted. We had the license to do anything back then.
Erica Ehm:
Did you date any of your...? You did.
rick campanelli:
We're not going there on this show.
Erica Ehm:
Did you date?
rick campanelli:
No. No. Maybe. Yes. No. No. [inaudible 00:29:16] date.
Erica Ehm:
Was it weird? Were you...
rick campanelli:
I was going to ask you the same exact question and since you went there I'm going to go there with you. So if you answer honestly, I'll answer honestly. Because there were a lot of bands that you interviewed, like the U2s, the Chili Peppers, The Duran Durans, to interview.
Erica Ehm:
No, I didn't interview... I begged to interview U2, I never did.
rick campanelli:
You never did.
Erica Ehm:
None of those big band... No, I didn't. Ever. But what I did do is I definitely hung out with... I went out to dinner with Bob Rock, I went out to dinner with-
rick campanelli:
Yes. The brains behind the operations of music.
Erica Ehm:
... Blackie Lawless.
rick campanelli:
Oh, yes.
Erica Ehm:
He was brilliant. Dwight Yoakam and I were very good friends. So I found musicians who became my friends but I never dated them because that's-
rick campanelli:
Crossing the line in a way, I guess.
Erica Ehm:
Also they... I'm not moving, I live in Toronto. And those guys can have anybody. I think what they liked is the fact that there was a woman who was semi-attractive who could hold up a conversation. So I was this weird sort of girl and guy in one piece, because as opposed to them having to hang out with sort of groupies or women who just want to date them, I didn't want to date them so they felt safe, I guess.
rick campanelli:
I see what you're saying. And you probably learned so much from these people too along the way and you were quite young back in the day doing what you were doing and-
Erica Ehm:
Always learning.
rick campanelli:
... probably everyone that was watching you wanted to do and be in your shoes, but always learning is the key, you're right.
Erica Ehm:
Always learning.
rick campanelli:
I agree with that.
Erica Ehm:
Tell me, what have you been learning in the last few years?
rick campanelli:
Oh gosh. I'm 50 now. As you get older in life, and the younger generation that are listening to this right now, they'll get it, they probably they're shaking their heads right now, but you really do want to be more open and real. Especially when you start having a family of your own. It's not about you anymore, it's about these beautiful children that you've made with your wife, or your spouse, or your partner, or whoever it is. That's the stage I'm at right now. I put in all these years on TV and it was a great learning curve for me over the past 25 years. I learned so much about this industry and about people in general, and you try to be open to everything, all opportunities. When I started having kids though, it's like, I'm doing this for me too but this is my priority now and I've got to make sure I'm going to be there for them because they're going to need me every day of their life till the rest of their life.
It's a tough question to answer, but I'm more a cerebral about what's going on. Back then, you're sort of going straight down the road and not really giving a care for this or that, but now, I want to be a part of everything because life goes by so fast and and there's lots of regrets, the last days once you get there so I want to make sure I do as much as I can still to this day. I'm slowing down a bit because I have three boys now, and holy moly, I don't have the energy like I did back in the day but I'm trying to do as much as I can and be there.
Erica Ehm:
I think it was three years ago that you and I sat in my minivan and we shot a video of us shooting the shit, it was such a good conversation. You were working at ET at the time and soon after that, they kicked you out. Can you tell me like what-
rick campanelli:
What happened?
Erica Ehm:
Yeah. And also, this is a conversation about resilience and how to bounce back-
rick campanelli:
Bounce back.
Erica Ehm:
... when bad shit happens. I want-
rick campanelli:
Nothing lasts forever, first of all. Any dream job doesn't last forever.
Erica Ehm:
But you hope it will.
rick campanelli:
You hope it will.
Erica Ehm:
And you're proceeding as if it will.
rick campanelli:
Of course you are. And I'm sure maybe does for that 1% of people that have jobs out there, but yeah, no, they were going in a different direction and the bottom line was they didn't need my services anymore, quite frankly.
Erica Ehm:
Did they call you into a room? How did they tell you? Because you were there for a long time.
rick campanelli:
Yeah. That was a tough day.
Erica Ehm:
They called you into a room?
rick campanelli:
Yeah. That was a tough day. I felt like I got sucker punched that day because it came out of nowhere. You put in all these loyal years and I thought it was doing a pretty good job, and after 12 seasons, to get called into a room and to have people tell you that you're no longer wanted, basically. It was a family environment is what I thought, but I'm a gullible optimistic seeing the bright side in everything but it was my turn. I never actually got fired from a job since I held a job. It was a humbling experience, because one day you're wanted and then the next day you're not wanted anymore. So it's okay.
Erica Ehm:
How did you deal with that though? Come on-
rick campanelli:
My wife was so solid for me and if I didn't have my wife, Angie, there with me at the time I don't think I could have gotten through it. I cried, because it's all I wanted to do, which I thought. When you're in that comfort, you're almost on autopilot. This is what I'm doing and you're loving it and you're secure, and then when they say, "We don't want you anymore," it's tough. I rode the roller coaster of emotions, I really did. But it's been a blessing because it's allowed me to do all this other stuff that-
Erica Ehm:
What are you doing?
rick campanelli:
I'm doing a lot of stuff.
Erica Ehm:
Tell me this stuff.
rick campanelli:
Amazing, I was able to be a full-time 100% dad, every minute of every day for a good, at least half year after the firing because my wife was still working here at the Marilyn Denis Show, so I was the guy, I was the parent. And we'd just moved to Burlington, so I was the father that I always wanted to be because... And when I say that, I've been a pretty good father along the way but I've had a full-time job too along with that role of being a father and you're not always there when you have a job for your kids, now I was.
Noah, was of course a little older and he was with his mom full-time, but I had a baby and I had a toddler and I was the guy in charge. It was an amazing, best job of my life. The most significant job I've ever had, hands down. MuchMusic was great, ET Canada was great, but being a father, come on, or a parent, a mother, whatever, you guys know if you're listening to me. So getting to change those diapers, getting to be there every minute of every day for them was the best, was the best. And I still do it, not as... Now, we're lot of hosting things, a lot of social media stuff, but still 90% of my time is still at home with my family which I love. I love.
Erica Ehm:
So your new job is your... You've joined the ranks of the self-employed freelance-
rick campanelli:
I'm a self-employed person now. And it's amazing because you get to call the shots. And as you know when you made that move years ago, you're your own boss, which is great. Because there were a lot of restrictions back in the day when you're with a network, you can't do this, you can't do that and I get it, you're there's and you're there to work for them but when you go out on your own, it's scary and it could be a struggle at first but if you want it that bad, you'll make things work for yourself.
Erica Ehm:
So what'd you do to make it happen? Give me a few insider things. What did you do to build up this new sort of your own little business? And when I say little, I don't mean little.
rick campanelli:
Thank God we already had the exposure we had from being on MuchMusic and ET Canada. You're on these two platforms where you're the only sort of show in town, when I say town, I mean the country, Canada. Like MuchMusic, we were five of the VJs or six of the VJs or however many we were, and everyone seemed to want that job back in the day, so the exposure-
Erica Ehm:
So you had built an exposure.
rick campanelli:
I guess you build your brand, you build your name and then when more and more people find out that, okay, we're able to work on this campaign with him now or do this and that, it just opens up so many doors. So that's been amazing, it really has. I keep my feet wet and keep my face on TV. I'm doing some stuff with Citytv right now. I'm doing athlete of the week. We're showcasing and featuring amateur athletes because-
Erica Ehm:
That's amazing.
rick campanelli:
... because the professional athletes get so much exposure and recognition and they're great, they deserve it, but the amateurs, the young ones and the older ones, nobody really gets to see them.
Erica Ehm:
Did you come up with that concept? Did they reach out to you?
rick campanelli:
No, no, no. Erica Citytv has had this segment on for, gosh, 30, 40 years. They started this athlete of the week segment and they've discovered some amazing superstars out there, for example, Jonathan Tavares, Mitch Marner, from the Toronto Maple Leafs, they're superstars. Andre De Grasse, the world... The Canadian Olympic sprinter who won silver for us, did he not? Was it a silver? Erica's shaking her head. I should know this.
Erica Ehm:
But I know the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
rick campanelli:
Yeah, you do. Do you ever. I want to go more there with you. You didn't like them-
Erica Ehm:
I didn't like them.
rick campanelli:
... so you never became friends with them you never-
Erica Ehm:
No. Not them.
rick campanelli:
I was going to say you don't keep in touch to this day.
Erica Ehm:
I don't keep in touch with anybody. In fact, I'm going to wrap up our conversation in saying that-
rick campanelli:
Part one, right? Part one? Because there's so much more to... I didn't bring up so much stuff that I want to bring up with you.
Erica Ehm:
But the reason why I was enjoying this so much is that, I really in many ways have felt quite alone. That experience, going through MuchMusic, that decade was in fact quite isolating, I found. Because people wanted to talk to me, but they didn't really want to talk to me, they wanted to talk to that girl who was on MuchMusic. And I feel to some degree that's still true today.
rick campanelli:
I totally understand what you're saying.
Erica Ehm:
It's fun for me to share my experience and hear yours and compare notes.
rick campanelli:
Yeah, it is. I love it too. And I wish, like I said earlier, and I joked about it but hopefully there's a part two and a part three because we're just at the tip of the iceberg here.
Erica Ehm:
We'll have to do a show together.
rick campanelli:
I would love that.
Erica Ehm:
Can you set that up now?
rick campanelli:
I could try and set that up.
Erica Ehm:
Get a brand together and we'll reinvent together.
rick campanelli:
I'm sure you can handle that [crosstalk 00:39:38]-
Erica Ehm:
Rick and Erica. There's a ring a to it.
rick campanelli:
Or just Ericka, was nice.
Erica Ehm:
I like it. I like it. Ericka.
rick campanelli:
But the Rick has to be capitalized. I'm just joking.
Erica Ehm:
Okay. We're going to wrap things up. I want to thank you so much Rick for-
rick campanelli:
I loved it, Erica. Thank you.
Erica Ehm:
... for all of your time. I know that you're super busy and I know really that your time is-
rick campanelli:
Some days.
Erica Ehm:
Okay. I get that. So every week I'm going to do this, I'm going to talk to a different MuchMusic host-
rick campanelli:
And I'm going to be listening. I can't wait to start listening. Oh gosh, yeah.
Erica Ehm:
I think that will be great. I want to be able to compare notes like this and coming up my next guest-
rick campanelli:
Who is it?
Erica Ehm:
Jeannie Becker.
rick campanelli:
Jeannie Becker. Oh my gosh.
Erica Ehm:
She's so awesome. I went, reached out to her on Instagram and I said, "Do you want to be on my not yet recorded podcast?" And she said, "Absolutely, because it's the idea of women supporting women."
rick campanelli:
I love it. I love it.
Erica Ehm:
So what we'll have a lot of that kind of conversation. She's a trailblazer for women-
rick campanelli:
Is she ever. Is she ever.
Erica Ehm:
... in media and music. And I used to work for her.
rick campanelli:
You worked for her, not just with her but-
Erica Ehm:
I was her assistant.
rick campanelli:
That's right. Writing and researching for the new music. Isn't it amazing though how we've been able to start these relationships at a job where we weren't able to spend much time with them, because we were talking off microphone earlier about not spending a lot of time with Steve and you were chatting with Steve as well and you got to know him-
Erica Ehm:
Differently today.
rick campanelli:
... differently because now, I think, and as we get older, we do have more time for each other. And that's another thing too that you'll learn. Back then when you're younger, you want to do this because you're a little more selfish, I think, but now we have all this time that we want to spend, we want to pick each other's brains and get your... I want to get more of your stories. And I'll be tuning into this show for sure because I can relate to each and every one of you. I'm not on the level that you guys are at because you guys were trailblazers, you all were, and I've just followed in your footsteps, but I want to hear those stories. I want to hear those stories.
Erica Ehm:
Nicest guy on the planet.
rick campanelli:
No, I'm just telling you the truth.
Erica Ehm:
Hopefully, if people share this podcast with their friends and also to find me on social media because I'm on Instagram, I'm on Twitter, I'm on LinkedIn, I have a Erica Ehm Facebook page and to share your feedback on the show, do you like the direction? Am I missing out things? Who else would you like to see interviewed? What questions do you think I should ask? This is part of the fun-
rick campanelli:
You should get them to ask their own questions. I know you did the [Jay Brody 00:42:03] thing-
Erica Ehm:
I would love to do that.
rick campanelli:
... but remember like in Intimate and Interactive and MuchLive and stuff like that? That'd be cool.
Erica Ehm:
Yeah, I got to figure out how to do it. I'm not really high tech so I have to figure a lot of moving pieces in this podcast for real.
rick campanelli:
You look at those, there's a lot of buttons in this room right here-
Erica Ehm:
Yeah, I don't even know how to turn it off.
rick campanelli:
... screens, buttons.
Erica Ehm:
I'm going to wrap things up here. Hopefully, I'll see you next week on the Reinvention of the VJ podcast, and here's to a life filled with music, meaning, and many reinventions.
rick campanelli:
Thank you, Erica.
Speaker 6:
Thanks for listening.
Speaker 4:
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Speaker 6:
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