An avowed hard rock bozo, I was first swept away by Stan’s magic when I started my carpenter’s apprenticeship in 1983. I had just graduated from education at UBC, and finding no teaching jobs, signed on with a master craftsman to become a carpenter. One of our most trusted tools was the portable radio, on which we would listen to endless hours of Gzowski on CBC. My first and lasting love of Stan’s music was found in the evocative lyrics of “The Field Behind the Plow” and “Lies.” Both of these songs I now bring to use in my Social Studies classes.

—Neil Wear