My City...MY Song!

ZAMBONI JOE- Mayor Of Funtown

The Winnipeg Free Press has a contest (the deadline passed January 23) asking readers to submit a song they wrote and performed about Winnipeg. The song will be judged by a "qualified" jury and it will be judged on "lyrical content, musical structure, overall musicality and how much it reflects on life in Winnipeg". The winner will get to record the song in a real studio with renowned producer Jack Shapira, along with airplay (I'm sure they'll only play it once) on CBC One.

I felt it was my duty as a true Winnipegger to put my money where my mouth is (...or whatever the saying is?) and to submit a song to this contest. I know what you're thinking, how could I, Mr. negativity stand to write a positive song about Winnipeg? Actually, the song can be the good or the bad about Winnipeg, so that should make it easier, but instead I took a different approach. I used a song I wrote a few years ago for my band, Zamboni Joe, about a late great TV show aired exclusively in Winnipeg, to me it's kind of synonymous with our city and the people of this town. Yes, I'm talking about Archie and His Friends and the Sunday morning spin off show, Funtown. Any kid that grew up in Winnipeg in the 60's and 70's surely remembers this program with Archie Wood, Tammy True, Petite, Marvin Mouse and Uncle Bob on this weird, yet somewhat memorable show on CKY-TV. Go to the Free Press My City/My Song web-page, and they have posted a sample of some of the submissions they have received. I noticed a lack of my song, but I'm sure it's just an oversight by the webmasters for the F.P. and not because my song doesn't suck up to the paper with a glorified travelogue of our city. The songs are pretty much what I expected, songs about the cold weather, mosquitos, Portage & Main, the Jets and all the other typical references about Winnipeg. So far nothing about Funtown or Marvin the Mouse!

Judge for yourself, I've posted the song (above) plus as a bonus, (and reference point) some YouTube links to the TV show.
Archie And His Friends part 1, part 2, 3, 4
Archiepalooza (memorabilia display)
Funtown part 1, part 2, part 3, 4, 5, 6