The story of one of Canada\u2019s most influential alternative radio stations is coming full circle this weekend \u2014 and for one of its key voices, the final stop carries special meaning.<\/p>\n
The documentary The Spirit of Radio, which chronicles the early, rebellious years of CFNY-FM, will hold its final public screening Saturday in Brampton, the city where the station first began broadcasting in 1976.<\/p>\n
For former CFNY music director and on-air personality Ivar Hamilton, the closing event is more than just another stop on a national tour.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels good to bring it home,\u201d Hamilton said, noting the significance of ending the screening run in the city where CFNY first launched out of a small house on Main Street North.<\/p>\n
CFNY would go on to become one of Canada\u2019s most influential alternative stations, shaping the country\u2019s punk, new wave and indie music landscape. But Hamilton says its beginnings were modest \u2014 and crucial.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started in Brampton, and that\u2019s something people forget,\u201d said Hamilton, who is from Brampton and attended Chinguacousy Secondary School. \u201cThat\u2019s where the spirit really began.\u201d<\/p>\n
The documentary traces that evolution, focusing on what Hamilton and others describe as the station\u2019s defining \u201cSpirit of Radio\u201d years, roughly the late 1970s through the end of the 1980s.<\/p>\n
Hamilton says the idea for the film emerged years ago during a conversation with fellow broadcaster Alan Cross, with longtime CFNY figure Scot Turner also playing an important role in shaping the project and helping preserve memories from the station\u2019s formative era. Turner, who worked closely with CFNY during its influential years, is also among those taking part in the post-screening discussion in Brampton.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were on a plane just talking about it,\u201d Hamilton recalled. \u201cWe saw these other station documentaries and thought, why hasn\u2019t CFNY\u2019s story been told in the same way?\u201d<\/p>\n
But turning that idea into reality took nearly a decade, as financing, production partners and archival material slowly came together.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of talk about it for years,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cEventually, we just decided, if it\u2019s going to happen, we have to make it happen ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
The result is a feature that evolved from an earlier one-hour TVO broadcast into an expanded version featuring additional interviews, archival footage and restored material that fans had initially said was missing.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople loved the original, but they wanted more,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cSo we went back in and opened it up because there was so much material that never made the first cut.\u201d<\/p>\n
The film includes appearances from a wide range of artists and industry figures connected to CFNY\u2019s rise, including members of New Order, Simple Minds, The Cure, and Canadian acts such as Blue Rodeo, Metric and Billy Talent.<\/p>\n
Hamilton says what made CFNY unique was its independence in shaping playlists during a time when most commercial radio followed strict formatting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t follow the charts,\u201d he said. \u201cWe built our own hits. We were playing Kate Bush and bands like Japan and The Undertones before anyone else would touch them.\u201d<\/p>\n
That freedom, he argues, helped the station build a fiercely loyal audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople felt like it was their station,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cThere was nothing else like it in Canada at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s screening will take place at the Cyril Clark Theatre, followed by a live Q&A featuring Hamilton, Alan Cross, David Marsden, Liz Janik, Scott Turner, and Humble and Fred. It starts at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
Hamilton says choosing Brampton as the final stop was deliberate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe absolutely needed to do it in Brampton,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s where it all started, and it feels right to end it there.\u201d<\/p>\n
He adds that the response to the documentary so far has reinforced how deeply CFNY still resonates with listeners decades later.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s just so much love for that era,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople remember it vividly. It meant something to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Hamilton, the return to Brampton is about more than nostalgia \u2014 it\u2019s about recognizing the unlikely beginnings of a cultural movement in Canadian radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started in a small place,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it ended up meaning a lot more than any of us could have imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n
The presentation is a ticketed event. More information can be found by following this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n