It was August 19, 1999. I remember the date because it was my nineteenth birthday and my friend Nick was taking me to the Phoenix nightclub in downtown Toronto (the shady part) to go the Edge’s Live-To-Air night with Martin Streek. I was excited because I had spent countless Saturday nights in my teenage years listening to the legendary rock show.
After that, the Phoenix was a regular Saturday night endeavour. Most of my friends were too hip to be into the earnest rock thing, but somehow, I found willing parties that came with me every weekend. Though it was full of 905ers and kids, I attended The Phoenix religiously (Saturday night did always turn into Sunday morning, after all). Every week, I’d pepper my night with the hot bartender in the small room, watch the booty girls on the main stage, chat with Milhouse (who spun some damn good retro) and once in a while, I’d encounter Martin Streek, the name attached to the occasion. I’d never have guessed that Streek would have turned 46 this year if he hadn’t shockingly taken his own life on Monday afternoon. Streek was a nice guy – he almost always had the time to chat to The Phoenix’s patrons, always listening to stories and hanging out with fans. He even let me yell, “Happy Birthday Vanessa!” on air one night after I’d had a few too many.
Through the years, I began working in the media industry and made my way through many broadcasting companies. It pains me to see that veterans like Streek are thrown out with the bathwater when big companies like Corus implement restructuring after restructuring.
The Edge, once one of Canada’s premier radio stations with stalwarts like Streek, George Strombolopoulos and Alan Cross, is now lacking in the quality that set it apart as Toronto ’s best radio station in the '80s and '90s. Now, the likes of Dean Blundell and Todd Shapiro are allowed to run wild with their misogyny and lowest common denominator “political views” while great rock music goes unplayed in favour of Nickelback. These shock jock wannabes forced me – and many others – to stop listening to The Edge. It breaks my heart that Streek was a casualty of such a mess. He was fired in May and committed suicide on Monday, leaving a Facebook status message as his suicide note.
I went to the Phoenix a couple months ago for old time’s sake. The regulars weren’t there anymore and the club was almost empty. Streek’s death is the end of an era – for me personally and for thousands of others in Toronto , Canada , and the world. Martin Streek is a Canadian radio legend who will be missed.
--Nicolle Weeks