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Cassettes and Paper

I’m reading zines of old. I came across some zines that were sent to me by a couple of women who played an important part of my teenage years. Nothing like that! You see, back in the ’90s I found for the first time in my life “modern music” which I enjoyed. Before that I was listening exclusively to music of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, a lot of which I still love and listen to, but I found a band who were contemporary that got me going. Through that band I met many great people, and I still continue to meet people because of them. Back in the the… Read More »Cassettes and Paper

Jésus de Montréal

Denys Arcand’s 1989 film Jésus de Montréal is a classic Canadian film about an actor who is hired by a church to put on a play about the life of Jesus Christ. Daniel (Lothaire Bluteau) plays the role of Christ in the play, he doesn’t stick to the story of Christ that the Church wishes to be told, and instead attempts for more historical accuracy. Daniel’s story follows that of Christ, from the beginning of the film, until the end. Arcand outdid himself with a film that is a masterpiece. Lothaire Bluteau is wonderful as Daniel, even if you don’t understand a single word he utters. This is an essential… Read More »Jésus de Montréal

I Never Liked You by Chester Brown

After having read Chester Brown’s fabulous biography of Louis Riel, I thought I should read more of his work. My choices at the Toronto Public Library was limited to his autobiographical I Never Liked You. The book is about growing up in the suburbs, bullied, unsure of yourself and how to approach women. I read this book on a beach on Toronto Island on a sunny Saturday, and I finished the book too quickly. Brown’s adolescence is dramatized and draws the reader in, as he gets bullied, deals with issues around love, whether familial love or romantic love. Brown faces the horrors of his mother’s mental health issues, and his… Read More »I Never Liked You by Chester Brown

I Want The World To Stop

Massey Hall is arguably Canada’s greatest venue. It’s the right size, it’s beautiful to look at1, a perfect location, and most importantly, the sound… the sound is what a great concert should be. Belle & Sebastian, you fucked that up. The sound was muddy, at best. The vocals were buried, and for a band who prides themselves on the harmonies, this is a shame. Chris Geddes’ keyboards could barely be heard and your backing string section was made mute. Then halfway through the set an angel appeared, a bearded, bespectacled man shouted from the fifth row “TURN UP THE VOCALS!” Mick Cooke and Bobby Kildea started in on the opening… Read More »I Want The World To Stop

One Bloody Thing After Another

Joey Comeau’s follow up to Overqualified is One Bloody Thing After Another. The previous was the tale of a man’s loss of his brother, as told through cover letters, while One Bloody Thing After Another is a comedy-horror. Jackie is a teenager in high school. Her mother died, and she’s been haunted since. She wants to ask out her best friend Ann. Ann’s mother is transforming into a beast, and has been refusing food, unless it was still living. Then there’s Charlie, who along with his dog Mitchie are being haunted by a headless ghost who seems to leave a lot of blood in her wake. While it’s a horror… Read More »One Bloody Thing After Another

October Crisis

On October 5, 1970, the Front de libération du Québec kidnapped British Trade Commissioner James Cross. On October 10 Pierre Laporte, Quebec’s Minister of Labour was kidnapped. Three days later, this historic interview takes place. Three days later, Trudeau invokes the War Measures Act. A man who is perhaps Canada’s most left-leaning Prime Minister displaces social liberties for security. As a nation, we mostly accept and applaud this. Why was this different than when Harper displaced civil liberties for the G20? How did this change Canada? How did this change Quebec? What did we, as a nation, learn from this crisis? Was the P. Dog1 right? Thoughts? Pierre Trudeau. [↩]

Ward 29 Debate

Last night, I went to the Ward 29 debate at the Eastminster United Church, around the corner from me. The six candidates were (in alphabetical order, by last name): Chris Caldwell Mary Fragedakis Jane Pitfield Mike Restivo John Richardson Jennifer Wood None of the candidates are the incumbent, that was Case Ootes, who is retiring. One thing that bothered me is that all the candidates are upset over how well Toronto’s parking enforcement do their job, and they’d try to get a 10 minute grace period. This is bloody ridiculous, if you park illegally, you park illegally. Don’t expect to not get a ticket if you’re “running in and out.”… Read More »Ward 29 Debate