I don't know when WLRN started carrying The Vinyl Cafe . All I know is that a few months ago I became aware of a strange voice coming from my radio on Saturday afternoons.

My first thought was: Who's that - the poor man's Garrison Keillor? But very quickly the voice grew on me. It had an insistent quality, an unpolished earnestness, that distinguished it from the affected tones of Keillor.

The man behind the voice, Stuart McLean, mixed stories and essays and music (no skits, thankfully), all with a strong Canadian identity. A couple weeks ago he was riding the train through the western provinces; last week he was on Prince Edward Island. And I was right there with him.

But nobody I know has ever mentioned the show. Has it not caught on here? Is Canada too exotic? In these days of exorbitant airfares and rising gas prices, a show like The Vinyl Cafe is one of the best means of virtual transportation.