Matt Watts has been responsible for some of the better CBC Radio comedy programs of recent years. Steve the First and its sequel Steve the Second used the concept of random schlubs surviving standard-issue Mad Max-like dystopias to some degree of success. While the two Steve series were uneven in spots, Watts has at least proven that he can do satirical science fiction. Canadia: 2056 is his most consistent effort to date and has already been renewed for a fifteen-episode second season.
The two Steve series will be given a second airing on CBC Radio One starting July 23. Both Steve the First and Steve the Second are being rerun weirdly — Monday through Friday at 11:30 AM until August 1, which is of course the best way to air limited-run niche series. That's still better than the fate of The Adventures of Apocalypse Al, which is sitting in CBC Radio archives despite J. Michael Straczynski's involvement.
This email has been in my archives since July 4, 2007. At least you get to read this interview before everyone involved with it is dead.
How well has CBC Radio promoted Canadia: 2056 and the two Steve series? Should there be more promotion for CBC radio dramas overall or is it worth it considering the smaller audience for radio when compared to television? How could podcasting/"the INTERNET®" help, since the MP3 player is not going away any time soon?
No comment (read into that however you like.)
Why have you picked sci-fi themes and parodies as fodder for your radio dramas? Such a thing is atypical for CBC Radio considering shows like Monsoon House, Man, Woman & Child, and Madly Off in All Directions tend to be more typical of CBC Radio's comedic output. I know you're influenced by science fiction and "zany madcap humour" but it's almost out of place compared to giving established Canadian stand-ups a half hour to play with. Not that I hate Man, Woman & Child, but I've been familiar with John Wing Jr. since the early 1990s and it's sort of sad that I've been aware of his work since I was twelve.
Article comments
1 - Diane Kristine
Cool interview, thanks. I've seen him around the blogosphere and loved The Newsroom but don't catch a lot of radio drama.