the cfny spirit of radio fan page

It happened! The long-awaited CFNY reunion happened November 12, 2003, at the Guvernment in Toronto! Your favorite CFNY personalities, the famous CFNY Roadshow, and tons of bands you remember from the CFNY days gone past! See the pictures here!


Have you ever heard of Toronto's Edge 102 (formerly 102.1 The Edge)? This great radio station has a long, glorious and turbulent history

This web site is all about CFNY, particularly CFNY in the 1980's, the CFNY that was the vision and creation of one David Marsden. CFNY was about the music - music you couldn't hear anywhere else, on any other station. CFNY was about the people - some of the most talented, dedicated and interesting people worked together at CFNY. This web site is an attempt to capture a glimpse of the Spirit of Radio as it existed in the 1980's - one of the greatest radio stations in North America.

Do you have tidbits, stories, pictures or sound bites from CFNY's past? Fill out the testimonial form!

By far the heart and soul of this site is its message board - join today and join in the fun!

The Spirit of Radio

Written by Neil Peart in 1979, recorded by Rush, inspired by CFNY:

As for The Spirit of Radio – it was written about CFNY and all that we stood for - I was told that by the band and management before the album was released. At that time Rush and their manager discussed with me that there would be no reference officially to CFNY as it could stop other radio stations from playing the track. As a fan and supporter of Rush I agreed that would be the best plan. If you still have a vinyl disc you will find that in the centre grooves you will find the album master number is 1021.
- David Marsden, August 2001

“We were working at a farmhouse out in the country in western Ontario and commuting home on weekends. I remember coming home very late and CFNY Radio was on the air, and as I was cresting the escarpment with all of the lights below of Hamilton and the Niagara Peninsula, where I lived at the time, with a fantastic combination of music that was on at the time. CFNY’s motto at the time was 'the spirit of radio.'”
“The song itself, musically, is switching between radio stations, with a reggae section at the end, the second verse is new waves, I’m playing like a punk drummer there, and that was all intentional.”
- Neil Peart, November 2014

Begin the day
With a friendly voice,
A companion unobtrusive
Plays the song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood.

Off on your way
Hit the open road,
There's magic at your fingers
For the Spirit ever lingers,
Undemanding contact
In your happy solitude.

Invisible airwaves crackle with life
Bright antenna bristle with the energy
Emotional feedback
On a timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price
Almost free

All this machinery making modern music
Can still be open-hearted
Not so coldly charted,
It's really just a question
Of your honesty

One likes to believe
in the freedom of music,
But glittering prizes
And endless compromises
Shatter the illusion
Of integrity.

For the words of the profits
Are written on the studio wall,
Concert hall --
Echoes with the sounds...
Of salesmen.


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