There are lots of new things to check out at CBC Music: the app, the artist pages, the 40 streams of music playing anything from classical to hip-hop. Something unique to the rock community, however, is that we have the only stream — out of them all — that’s hosted. 

If you pop on over to the web radio box (to the right of this post) and click on Rock, you’ll see one of our four streams is labelled “Rock (with hosts).” This stream features the hosting talents of Vish Khanna, Lisa Christiansen, Dave Shumka and Lana Gay. Over the coming weeks, we’ll run questionnaires with these music aficionados, so you can get to know them better. 

This week: Lana Gay, former host of Lanarama on CBC Radio 3.  

Q. What’s your name?

A. Lana Gay.

Q. Where are you from?

A. Leamington, Ontario!

Q. What was the first album you ever bought?

A. Technically it was a Mini-Pops cassette from Beckers, I was six. (I tried to tape over the Mini Pops cassette, but you could faintly hear pre-pubescent boys singing “Kids in America” under the Ministry version of "Lay Lady Lay" I got off the radio. I had to throw it out.) My first CD was Sloan’s Smeared. I still love Sloan. 

Q. You’re pretty. Why radio and not TV?

A. What kind of question is that? Did you hire my mom to write this? My mom has wanted me to be on TV as a weather person since I was about five and forecast the weather in our living room while talking into a candle.

I’ve always loved radio. I used to call stations and make requests all the time. In my first year of university I tried to win $25,000 in a radio contest at The Edge in Toronto. The contest involved a "challenge" where I had to sit in a bathtub of beans and co-host the morning show (I’m not kidding). I lost the contest, but that summer I landed a job on their promo team and worked my way up. I’ve been working in radio ever since. I love it.

Q. Who’s the best band to see live right now?

A. Death From Above 1979, Fucked Up, Japandroids, Prince, Robyn.

Q. Why do you live in Vancouver and not Toronto?

A. I’ve been living in Vancouver since 2005. I had never been here before and moved here for a job. Now it feels like home. It’s a beautiful place filled with amazing talent, good food, great weather and of course, Radio 3, which is where I started at CBC.

Q. How and when can people hear you on CBC Music?

A. I host the Rock Stream weekdays from 3 to 9 p.m. ET

Q. Finally, post a cool YouTube music video under this and tell why us you posted it.

A. This is a great song by ex-Fleet Foxes drummer J. Tillman who goes by Father John Misty. The video is dark, sad, crazy and beautifully shot. It features Aubrey Plaza [Parks and Recreation] performing a totally different character than she is known for. I love it.

Related links:

NKOTB by the numbers

Covered: Arkells ‘Video Games’ (Lana Del Rey cover)

posted by Chris Kelly on Feb 15, 2012