BlogHow I became a Muffin How I became a Muffin Posted Date : Jan 29, 2025 It all began with the decision to move. My wife and I had been living in a four-storey, mid-city townhouse but, long retired and empty nesters, we had slowly but eventually come to the conclusion that the place had become too big for us septuagenarians to manage. Coupled with the fact that my wife and I were dealing with serious medical conditions, Parkinson’s in my case, it made sense from all points of view to downsize. We called our friendly real estate agent who found us a delightful and spacious condo in Old Town near the market. One problem was elegantly solved. Another problem was created, however, as we had accumulated enough to fill a small if eclectic museum, and we were notorious for not willingly letting go of things. A friend, sympathetic to our dilemma, put us in touch with a professional declutterer and downsizer, without whose experience and expertise we would never have managed a task as challenging as this. She took charge of the situation and was a joy to work with as she nudged us, gently but firmly, to shed carloads of accumulated belongings. Knowing of my Parkinson’s, she also put me in touch with her friend Martha Johnson of Martha and the Muffins fame. Being of a certain vintage, I think I can be forgiven for only having been dimly aware of Martha and the Muffins, a new-wave Toronto rock band formed in 1977 perhaps best known for their hit “Echo Beach.” That changed overnight. Martha Johnson, the eponymous lead singer of the group, had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s over twenty years ago. At the encouragement of her neurologist Dr. Alfonso Fasano, she had written a song, in collaboration with Fabio Dwyer, another musician and patient with Parkinson’s, and Mark Gane, Martha’s partner in music and in life. The song, “Slow Emotion,” was to feature backup vocals, and Martha wanted to have them sung by fellow Parkies. Our wonderful downsizer recommended me in that role to Martha and Mark and they invited me to their home studio to put me through my musical paces. I was excited, on the one hand, and nervous on the other. Excited, because I could imagine a new career in the music industry unfolding before me, with fame and fortune following close behind. Nervous, because I knew that, as professional musicians, Martha and Mark would have high standards and expectations that I might not live up to. However, and much to my surprise, the next thing I knew I was in a state-of-the art recording studio with the other musicians ready to lay down our backup tracks. There were five of us singing the backup parts. We had never met before let alone performed together. Of the five of us – – I have dubbed us The Parktones – – three of us had been in a choir but none of us had sung professionally. Our enthusiasm overcame our lack of collective experience, however, and we were soon rehearsing take after take under the tutelage of Martha and Mark and the direction of studio recording wizard Ray Dillard. As we rehearsed, it became clear that we were inspired by a sense of emotional engagement, of common purpose, and of excitement. That feeling shines through in the finished recording of “Slow Emotion.” Martha, Mark and I had lunch some time later to discuss how best to promote the finished product, ready for release at some appropriate moment but under wraps until then, and how to fund its promotion. Having considered a number of options, we agreed to go away and give the matter further thought and to stay in touch as our thinking evolved. It was shortly thereafter that a rare moment of inspiration emerged from my aged grey cells. Readers of the Globe and Mail may recall that I wrote a First Person article ago about my experience in boxing training as therapy for Parkinson’s, a story that has inspired others to become Parkinson’s pugilists. It was by way of that Globe piece that I came to know Dr. Karen Lee, President and CEO of Parkinson Canada. Having read the article, Karen had come to watch me box one day, and we then had lunch and stayed in touch thereafter. Knowing of Karen’s commitment to raising awareness of this degenerative neurological disorder, it occurred to me that “Slow Emotion” might be a vehicle to increase the profile of PD. With the approval of Martha and Mark, I forwarded an MP3 copy of the recording to Karen who, immediately seeing the potential role the recording could play, asked if we could all get together to explore possible collaboration. Accordingly, my wife and I hosted a morning meeting at our condo over coffee and croissants involving Martha and Mark, and Karen and Scott Townsend, her VP communications. A sense of enthusiasm for working together became immediately apparent, and ideas for joint activity spilled rapidly onto the dining room table from which the croissants were just as quickly disappearing. One of the principal ideas was the creation of a documentary on the making of the recording, and filmmaker Jason Cipparrone joined the team to do just that. A release date was chosen, and the project gathered increasing steam in order to meet all the deadlines necessary to hit that target. And so it came to pass that, at an outdoor Toronto event to mark World Parkinson’s Day, the song “Slow Emotion” and the companion documentary were released. (Both can be accessed on the web sites of Parkinson Canada and Martha and the Muffins.) The day was cold and wet, but spirits were undampened, and everyone involved in the production of the recording and the film was exhilarated. And that is how I became a Muffin — only an honorary one, but a proud Muffin nonetheless. Brian Anthony lives in Toronto Feel the music, hear the story From an idea over coffee to an unforgettable song and documentary. Listen to “Slow Emotion” Watch the documentary Share this post: Your Story Matters: Inspire and Connect Inspire hope and connect with others by sharing your Parkinson’s journey. Your voice can make a difference. Share your story Discover more like this Jan 31, 2025 A deep dive into the 3rd Annual Movement Disorder Meeting Dec 23, 2024 Experimental Drugs ORCHESTRA and PADOVA show Mixed Results Dec 23, 2024 Honoring My Dad Through Giving: A Parkinson Canada Story