Broadcaster Rick Campanelli shares secrets from behind the camera
TV and radio host celebrates his Hamilton roots with hometown launch of Tempted: My Story.
For 30 years, Rick Campanelli has been one of the most recognizable fixtures in Canadian broadcasting, most notably for MuchMusic, ET Canada, and most recently, Breakfast Television and a weekend show on CHFI 98.1. But did you know his story began on Strathcona Avenue in Hamilton?
Born in Hamilton in 1970, Rick was the third son and fourth child of Rino and Antoinette Campanelli, who met at Churchill Park in West Hamilton, where Rino was kicking a soccer ball around with friends. Antoinette was a second-generation Italian whose strict Sicilian father made cheese and sold it to shops around town. Rino had left his family farm in Italy and followed his older brother Leo to Hamilton with the promise of a lucrative construction job.
Campanelli’s Hamilton roots take centre stage in Tempted: My Story, his much-anticipated memoir that tells the story of his public life in front of the camera and his secret life behind the scenes. Recounting Rick "The Temp" Campanelli's journey from idyllic childhood in Hamilton to a complicated life in front of the camera during the peak years of MuchMusic and ET Canada, it will both delight and shock readers as Campanelli, for the first time, reveals secrets that he faced behind-the-scenes that nearly destroyed his life.
gritLIT: Hamilton’s Readers and Writers Festival is welcoming Campanelli to Theatre Aquarius on Thursday for an evening of stories, conversation, and — of course — nostalgia. The event will be hosted by Mark Furukawa, longtime owner of Dr. Disc Hamilton.
“When talking about this event and delivering posters across the city, one thing I keep hearing is ‘I didn’t know Rick the Temp was from Hamilton,’” says Jessica Rose, artistic director of gritLIT. “That’s one of the reasons it was so important to me to make this an evening of homecoming and celebration of the city where it all began. Having Mark from Dr. Disc interview Rick is just one part of what I think will make this evening so special.”
Tempted is a nostalgic, fast-paced ride through the world of music and entertainment.
But Hamilton audiences will be especially interested in the book’s many stories of Steeltown. Campanelli attended Christ the King Elementary School and St. Mary’s Catholic High School, where he took drama classes. His first job was delivering the local Italian newspaper Corriere Canadese. Other early jobs included mowing the lawn for the nuns at St. Joseph’s convent in Dundas, cutting grass at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, and working the cash register at Lakeport Brewery. One of his first introductions to music was legendary punk rockers from Westdale High School Teenage Head. Nearby Dundas "preppies" helped shape his musical tastes, getting him interested in bands like Madness, The Specials, The English Beat, Depeche Mode, and more.
Readers will recognize many Hamilton people and places, including Pete’s Variety, Main West Cinemas, Hamilton Place (where Rick saw Hall & Oates after winning tickets through a CKOC contest), and NRG nightclub in Burlington. He even won a grand-opening contest when IKEA opened in Burlington.
The Juravinski Hospital is also deeply personal to Campanelli’s Hamilton history, as he would drive back and forth to Hamilton to spend time with his mother as she was treated for pancreatic cancer at the cancer centre prior to her passing. Rick has been involved in several charitable organizations, including McMaster Children's Hospital.
The Sept. 3 event will include live art by Danny Granger, a book signing, giveaways, interactive activities, and one heck of a playlist!
NEED TO KNOW
What: Rick Campanelli, Hometown Launch of Tempted: My Story
When: Sept. 3, 7 p.m.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Where: Theatre Aquarius, 190 King William St.
Tickets here
