Bloor St. busker Tagalong Paul and his dog, Roadie, take Thunder Bay by storm with their infectious style

Toronto Sun, Canada
Thursday, October 25, 2007

Bloor St. busker Tagalong Paul and his dog, Roadie, take Thunder Bay by storm 
with their infectious style

By MIKE STROBEL

Five weeks with a gal pal in a tent in Thunder Bay sure works wonders on a 
feller. 

Sing it, Tagalong Paul. 

If you want a holiday, need to get away 
May I suggest you go to Thunder Bay 
The streets are always quiet, the air is fresh and clean 
Thunder Bay, Ontario, where the Sleeping Giant dreams 

Read between the lines, I guess. 

Whatever went on in that tent, busker Tagalong Paul Stewart is on a roll. Those 
are his first lyrics since writer's block seized him three years ago. In the 
past few weeks, he's been written up in the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal, had 
a spot on CBC Radio and a gig at a local Polish Legion hall. 

HIS KIND OF TOWN 

Thunder Bay is Tagalong Paul's kind of town. 

Roadie, his seeing eye dog, is having a swell time, too. 

When last we met, the pair were in their usual alcove in Bloor West Village. 
Roadie, a wriggly yellow Lab cross, was keeping an eye out. Paul, 53, blind 
since age 6, was strumming ol' Geri, his guitar, and warbling his signature 
tune. 

If it weren't for the dog 
I'd have no love at all 
I'm just his shadow 
I'm Tagalong Paul 

You may recall how he got that tag. 

Lady in elevator: "Hello, handsome." 
Paul: "Hello, yourself." 
Lady: "I was talking to the dog." 

But writer's block and playing second fiddle to a pooch were the least of 
Paul's worries. 

Roadie, at 12, is long in the tooth. The guide dog school was hinting at a 
newer model. That was nine months ago. Paul just couldn't do it. 

"I'd sooner cut off my right arm, Mike," he says down the line from Thunder 
Bay. 

"We're a team. He's still going strong for an old dog. Still works like a 
charm. I'll give him a hug for you." 

The Greyhound bus ride north got the creative juices flowing. ("You meet more 
people that way, you get more ideas.") 

So did a trout fishing trip with his brother Murray on Mountain Lake. ("Ever 
hear a loon cry? Man, it's the most forlorn sound on earth.") 

So did the stay in the tent, on a lot near downtown Thunder Bay, with a 
ladyfriend who shall remain anonymous. 

When it is night time, you don't hear a peep 
You can actually go to sleep without counting sheep 
You can wake up in the morning to the crying of a crow 
And in the wintertime, the air is fresh and cold 

The best news is a local studio is recording the new song, Thunder Bay. 

It will be his first CD since On The Road Of Life, pre-writer's block. 

Paul and Roadie are touring the song through downtown Thunder Bay, where 
busking is a breeze compared to in the Big Smoke. 

"On Bloor Street, there's an 18-wheeler going by every five minutes," says 
Tagalong Paul. "Up here, people can actually hear me sing." 

CATCHY STUFF 

Think of Roy Orbison and Stompin' Tom. Catchy, infectious, gets in your ear. 
The locals like it. They grow 'em friendly up there. Except at the downtown 
restaurant that barred Paul because of Roadie.  "She said he couldn't be a 
guide dog because he was too old." Paul is indignant. "Who is she to say when 
he should retire?" 

Otherwise, they're having a ball. "I told CBC I like going to strange cities, 
getting lost and finding my way around. 

"It's my way of sightseeing." 

I hope the tourism people at Thunder Bay City Hall get a listen to the new 
tune. When the CD is done, Paul and Roadie, now staying with friends, likely 
will head south. 

"It's getting too cold up here," says Tagalong Paul. 

"We miss our alcove on Bloor St." 


http://torontosun.com/News/OtherNews/2007/10/25/4603687-sun.html
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