the rantings of a new polluter

Valvano

2012-01-20T20:19:00.003-05:00

When Jim Valvano first got to NC State, the first year they got blown out by North Carolina twice. After the second loss, a State alum came up to him and said "Coach, I know you're not from here-you're from the North-but we can't be losing to North Carolina this way." And Jim said, "Oh I understand we're gonna do better against the Tar Heels next year." And the alum says, "No no coach, you don't understand-if you don't beat the Tar Heels next year we're going to kill your dog." And Valvano said 'No I DO understand, I should tell you I don't have a dog but I get your point."

The next morning Valvano goes to get his newspaper and opens up the front door of his house. There's a basket sitting on the front step. He looks under the blanket and there's the cutest puppy you ever saw. Around the puppy's neck is a note that says: "Don't get too attached."

Aluminum, tastes like fear.

2011-09-22T14:48:00.003-04:00

That time that we saw R.E.M. at Midway Stadium in St. Paul and the show was pushed early due to an approaching storm and then it poured like crazy during 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It'?

Yes, that time.

M83

2011-08-03T21:24:00.003-04:00

Is the sassy sax coming back for real?

And that Midnight City pictured, Vancouver, still has little to no redeeming value.

Song of the Summer 2011

2011-07-26T20:08:00.002-04:00

Weirdly, for me, this:

Posted the weird WTC version of the song as their stupid label has (of course) disabled embedding on the real video, for fucksakes.

Summer

2011-07-20T00:18:00.000-04:00

'tis

Home

2011-04-05T22:12:00.002-04:00

LCD was pretty much everything I thought it'd be. Our Auxiliary Press Box seats were
a little weird in terms of layout (ancient desk area, connection ports/wiring etc.) but
allowed for plenty of dancing, beer storage, arm-in-arm twirling and so forth.

Clocking in at just under 4 hours (with several breaks) the band played everything they
should have played, and then some. Thousands were dressed in the apparently ordered-upon
black and/or white, with many dressed to the nines-fit for a funeral or New Year's, or both
as it really was.

We happened to be standing near two lovely ladies from Seattle, both immaculately dressed,
and I talked with one during the show about LCD and New York, how we felt we had to be
there, not only at the show but New York, and how it feels more and more like Home every
time we go there. Maybe it was just the overpriced beer talking on our behalf, or the
emotions of the moment, but after the balloons fell and the buzz wore off it's still hard to shake
that feeling. Likely because that feeling's been kicking around for years.

Whether LCD stays retired or the Seattleite or I make the move of our lifetimes, we'll always have that Saturday night at MSG.

Heavy Hits

2011-03-28T20:49:00.003-04:00

So what is this, a monthly blog now?

Anyway, LCD.MSG.NYC is mere days away, and fairly extensive coverage is popping up
this week. LCD was easily my favourite non-festival show last year, and it's both sad-given
their incredible live show and solid recordings-and a feeling of disbelief that I'm making the
final NYC show. It's going to be a lot of things.

As one era comes to a close, a new one continues to develop as the Jays are back this week
and plenty of excitement is gurgling for the team. Even this year's promos have stepped it
up, love how Bautista gets The Hammer in this spot:

The Best

2011-02-28T19:22:00.003-05:00

Playing competitive soccer again has been quite a lot of fun. Not so much on Sundays however,
particularly when on a birthday hangover, which made me feel a little like one George Best,
though he somehow thrived playing under such conditions (apparently).

Here, not There

2011-02-22T00:08:00.002-05:00

7:30AM: Stuck. The right side of the car is completely blocked up in snow from the plow.
Shit. I've got to get out of here!

"Cause on the surface the city lights shine,
They're calling at me, 'come and find your kind'."

I got out of there, but I wonder about those who didn't and keep a fascination with those
who are comfortable staying. Aren't they just a little bit itchy for the outdoors?

100% Fresh

2011-02-09T23:53:00.001-05:00

01.11.11

2011-01-12T01:01:00.001-05:00

Not soon forgotten!

Ready To Start

2010-12-28T14:08:00.003-05:00

Oh, snowy, blowy Winnipeg, all things always the same.

Track of the year: Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)/Arcade Fire
Album of the year: This Is Happening/LCD Soundsystem
Props to: Deerhunter
Show of the year: LCD Soundsystem at Kool Haus
But major props to: Lollapalooza...a new summer tradition?
Also: Chicago
And: New York, but you knew that already.

A rather weird year, but not without its moments.

On Cutrone

2010-12-01T12:42:00.004-05:00

Kelly Cutrone is scary. At least, that was the first impression when she made her first early appearances on The Hills. Cutrone was a harsh, stark, contrast to the colour-corrected perfection of that TV show, dishing out incredibly frank orders and making cast members cry as a matter of routine. Cutrone would of course go on to a greater role in faux-reality folllow-up The City, and then her own show on Bravo, Kell On Earth. But her book, If You Have To Cry, Go Outside, is perhaps the best presentation of the Cutrone Manifesto, which boils down effectively to "suck it up", and "don't bullshit me". She readily acknowledges the eternal fakeness of the fashion business, but continues to build a very successful PR operation in that industry with her company People's Revolution. Not bad for a former meth-head!

What struck out most in the book was her ongoing emphasis on the fact that being truthful often 1) gets you in hot water 2) makes you come off as an asshole 3) but long-term, is the best way to go with things.

It's about calling out the guy in the airport who's being abusive towards his kid, it's about standing up for yourself at the risk as coming off as a prick, and it's something too many of us resist-confrontation-for the sake of preserving relationships that may not be worth it.

In her words:

"Speaking the truth has made me some enemies. But it has also gotten me much further than I would have otherwise progressed in life."

"...sometimes the truth just hurts. You can either let someone be protected from reality or let them be sculpted & birthed by it."

"Sometimes in life seasons don't come in order; instead of fall, winter, spring, summer, we get three winters in a row. (By my second winter I tend to feel like a cavewoman frozen in a glacier). But that doesn't mean spring won't come eventually."

Goodbye, Old Friend

2010-11-15T16:58:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday saw the final Saddle Up! party take place at the Canadian Corps Hall
on Niagara Street in downtown Toronto. The 'Legion', as it has been known by its base of young-ish fans in the city first came on to my radar when my friend Andrew Ennals began promoting Saddle Up! there in early 2007. The parties were an instant success, with the combination of music and environment providing a truly unique experience.

Without a doubt, part of the appeal was the Legion's completely reasonable, if not even bargain basement alcohol prices...for Toronto. One can't deny the additional charm in the form of the Legion's longtime booker/administrator/bartenders George & Charlene, wizened veterans completely unafraid to cut off intoxicated patrons, or provide commentary on whatever musical happenings might be occurring onstage (country was always in favour of virtually any other genre).

From an event promoter's standpoint, the Legion was also a bargain. Being able to secure a venue that can hold 150 people for the low, low price of $200/night ($400 for New Year's) AND no restrictions on A/V or catering? Total deal! I assisted two pairs of friends who had their wedding receptions there-one even had their actual ceremony right in the main room as well-both times the events ideally suited what they were looking for. I also did a Halloween Party (the 2nd incarnation of Thriller Nights) and two Winnipeg Socials, but the weddings stand out as the most special for me.

Special was also likely an adjective used by others to describe the Legion, notably The Great Lake Swimmers who in 2009 recorded The Legion Sessions there to great fanfare. Scott Cudmore thankfully filmed the sessions, one of which I've posted below.

The most common comment I heard from visitors to the Legion was along the lines of "this is just like the one near where I grew up". It's no secret that Toronto is loaded with out-of-towners, especially young expat Canadians from places much smaller than The Big Smoke. Legions in a lot of communities serve as the de-facto Wedding/Banquet/Entertainment venue, and for whatever reasons the wood panelling, bowling trophies, and pictures of The Queen seem to bind most of our memories together.

December 15th 2010 is the last available date for events at the Canadian Corps Hall, and while I know for sure of at least one or two more events to go, I wonder if I should leave my goodbye from this past Saturday as it is. With 'Happy Trails' filtering through the speakers and plaid & cowboy hat-sporting 20-somethings finding their way out the door, it might just have been the finest farewell the old hall could have. I'll miss it.

HFW & what's next

2010-10-22T14:11:00.002-04:00

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is the MAN! I've been catching up on his various Channel 4 series over the last few weeks and have found his approach to food commendable and generally awesome. Hugh conveys the principles of producing and eating local meat and veg in a very effective, non-preachy way. Perhaps it's his motivations (taste, and at least some of the time, profit) that separates him from the usual image of commune/hippie/treehugger local food advocates, but he really pulls it off. Hugh's empire now includes a wide array of books, which are also presented in a very consistently strong fashion, with amazing pics throughout.

Various capitalistic notions are presented through all of his content, with the idea of Adding Value being a primary one. In his case, you can sell a nicely seasoned and cooked, say, chicken, for far more than you can a raw one, so why not take the extra step? As someone considering a fairly drastic move into a more tactile profession (though I'm looking less at leather, and more of a rawer, tastier form of the stuff), it's encouraging to know that all that education I took some time ago won't be going to waste. I tried to articulate as much in an interview with a food writer from the Globe today, so hopefully that comes through!

Things Fall Together

2010-10-11T21:21:00.003-04:00

Great friends getting hitched, amid great food + drink and a pretty fantastic setting representing a pretty fine panorama of the city...it's nice when things fall together.

Keep on truckin'

2010-10-05T17:20:00.003-04:00

Just gotta keep your head down and shoot for the stars baby!

The Rise of National-ism

2010-09-14T13:11:00.003-04:00

'Quality'-The drive and thirst for it underlies a movement that has been in the works for a number of years now, a movement that remains a niche (like everything these days), but is an influential and economically important one nonetheless. I'm terming this movement 'National-ism' after the band (video above) as I believe they (or perhaps more exactly their fans) represent and typify what I'm trying to convey.

Who's part of this movement? People who are able or otherwise willing to spend money on products, services, restaurants, and bands etc. that they perceive as possessing a sense of Quality about them. These objects of desire and consumption tend to fall under a classic Differentiation Strategy (as taught and discussed in my class at Harris) which means they've set themselves apart from the pack and usually come at a higher price. Apple is the current poster-company for Differentiation, selling all of its products at a substantial premium over competitors thanks to superior and desirable image combined with crafty marketing, R&D, oh,...and the unimpeachable oracle-like aura of Steve Jobs. Many National-ists undoubtedly own a Macbook and an iphone, with many having at least considered an ipad if they haven't picked one up already.

It's not just the Apples of the world selling to National-ists however, as they have an inherent sense of Independent Value-they generally prefer to avoid chain restaurants, and instead go to places like Union in Toronto (pictured above) with its exposed-brick environs and locavore-centric menu and wine list. National-ists are not often vegetarians, but many might have been at some point in their lives, and now prefer to indulge of a balanced diet of preferably fresh, never frozen, products.

I would guess that the core of National-ists could also be defined as Gen-Xers (defined on wikipedia as 29 to 49 year-olds-have we finally settled that?) with the tails of the bell curve trailing into progressive boomers on one end and savvy Gen-Ys on the other. It's possible in the late 90's and early 00's that National-ists resisted most forms of branding and corporate culture, they might very well have read No Logo and Adbusters at the time and also avoided Nike and Starbucks as much as possible-but not forever. They generally became more aware of brands and the effects of marketing on consumers during this time, but instead of becoming lifelong anti-capitalists, most just became savvier consumers. They pick their battles (ie. boycotts) carefully against corporations if they pick them at all.

Some National-ists are entrepreneurs themselves, and chow.com's Obsessives series introduced a number of them, from Absinthe to Sake to knives to Terroni-esque real Italian pizza, an entire authentic, no-preservative, and above all things-Quality-lifestyle has emerged. A disposable income is generally a prerequisite, but wealth is by no means necessary.

National-ists are unique as a group, but within it not all the same. Some of them may in fact yes, stop by La Bettola di Terroni prior to The National's show at Massey Hall (definitely a venue that fits the mold with its established history, excellent acoustics, and selection of local organic beers available at intermission), followed by some drinks after the show at the Dakota, where the National themselves may show up (as Spoon, Wilco, and other National-ist bands have done, acting on tips from National-ist locals). But they may do none of this things, as this relatively expansive group prides itself in possessing particular tastes.

Why The National? To me they represent a sort of consistency above all else in their music and personalities (via interviews etc.) that their fans love. Over their collected work fans know what to expect, and that the band will continue for the foreseeable future to mature and evolve their sound-albeit slightly-and continue to put on enjoyable live shows. Eyes will not be batted at a fancy suit spread with the band in GQ, as National-ists see not a lot wrong with the high quality tailored suits the guys are wearing, and GQ itself likely arrives in the mailbox monthly for more than a couple of them.

So what does this mean? And what's the point? A number of smart entrepreneurs and corporations have already been selling to this group for some time, perhaps using terms or ideas but the foundation has been there for some time. Gen Xers that are now parents want to attempt to at least stay on top of things (unlike many of their Boomer parents), while Ys finish their post secondary education and enter the workforce looking to carve out a slightly more mature-but still unique-idea of themselves. National-ism isn't a trend-it's been here a while and does not appear to be going away anytime in the near future.

If anyone feels like discussing this idea over some Arctic char ceviche and a glass of Creemore count me in.

REBOOT

2010-09-08T23:12:00.004-04:00

The Big Reboot Continues!

After approx. 5 or 6 years and somewhere between 50-75,000 texts, my somewhat
reliable Samsung phone has been retired in favour of a shiny new iphone 4. It's a little
weird having a phone that can send AND receive calls! Not that I use it for that ever, and
the app thing is taking some getting used to, but the free Airhorn one is a major early
favourite. Technology!

I also got some new glasses, also the first in YEARS.

Who knows what's next?

2010-08-31T15:03:00.003-04:00

Where the hell have I been?

Right here, for the most part, enjoying a summer like no other-well, at least pre-responsibilities, which would go back to god...'97? earlier?

It's been a beaches, a zoo, deep dish pizza, remixes, apartment/job/life searching, cheesiness (see previous), patios, sports matches, giant festival, shady beer gardens, mexican dance party kind of summer. With its imminent death (though I can see easily another month of warmness, but the pools close soon, don't they?) can a return to responsibility be in the cards? I guess!

INCEPTION

2010-07-21T12:53:00.002-04:00

MORE than just rad Snow Hummers!

everywhere

2010-06-27T09:09:00.001-04:00

Toronto Los Angeles Maui Vancouver Toronto Ottawa Halifax St John's Gander Rocky Harbour St John's Montréal Toronto Winnipeg...

MAUI

2010-05-26T08:59:00.000-04:00

SOON!

The Bobcat

2010-05-13T08:30:00.001-04:00

Kind of obsessed!

When I first moved to TO and caught the endless promos on TV during Jays
games for his show I was like, 'who is this dick anyway?'. Conversations with more
sports-minded friends who grew up with McCown let me in on that the whole
constant sunglasses thing was just part of a sort of 'badass persona' which came
off as pretty cheesy to me.

7 years later...that promo is still on during Jays games (I have probably unwillingly
seen it thousands of time) and perhaps through repetition I'm actually seeking
out Prime Time's podcasts and even doing the unthinkable if I'm around-watching
a radio show on TV!

I guess I've built an appreciation for:
1) The man himself, in particular his willingness to take a clear stance on any subject
2) His phrasing, esp. the use of pauses which are second to none in radio
3) The Gets. The show continually lands many of the biggest or most relevant
names tied to the story of the day.

Lolla

2010-05-10T09:44:00.000-04:00

Chicago. Summer. Soundgarden, Gaga, Arcade Fire, Strokes, TheNational, Cut Copy...

and on and on and on.

How can I not?!

school or business

2010-04-26T09:21:00.001-04:00

school or business...

XXXX

2010-04-20T09:14:00.001-04:00

Just over 4 years ago I went to SXSW for the first time and had the life-changing
experience that it usually is for most music nerds that go. It was also the first time
I had ever seen You Say Party! We Say Die! and my enthusiasm was pretty clear
at the time.

I perhaps saw the band a couple more times since then, and we had worked with
them on some videos, but I was completely shocked and saddened to hear what
happened over the weekend. I think when a group of people spends that amount
of time together-working and living together for months on end-clearly more than what any average group of people, even most families, it must be a totally devastating development
for the entire band and their loved ones.

Audio Masochism

2010-04-08T09:02:00.001-04:00

I was excited when CBC Radio 2 decided to change formats a while back, moving away from full-time classical to a more mixed contemporary format. Still some classical on the playlist midday, but otherwise a shift more to what Radio 3 does, but not exclusively Can-con as 3.

All fine and dandy on paper, but I never really got into 2 for quite a while since CBC's
online streaming is extremely shitty, using very dated technology reminiscent of late
'90s Real Player. Maybe it even is?

After buying a Wake Up Light last year, I started using its radio, avoiding
Radio 1's gloomy news-talk format, opting briefly for Q107 (30min in a morning breaks
down to something like 16min of commercials, 2 songs, and too much banter), and then
finally ending up on Radio 2, where it's stayed ever since.

Not that this is an endorsement of that station at all. Original morning host Tom Allen
was bland as hell, and thankfully was shuttled to a later day shift-yes! Great news...
except that his replacement, Bob Mackowycz, is much more closer to intolerable.

Mackowycz dutifully goes along and makes conversation with himself every morning,
no mean feat as something I personally tackled hosting my own college show back
in the day, though he only manages this in the most inane manner possible. An
obsession with repeating his name at every available mic break-sometimes less than
5 minutes apart-would force most listeners away from tuning in for any extended
period of time. This fits a typical morning show format-typical that is, for an all-talk/news
format, but not at all for a contemporary listening program.

Radio 2's ratings are slowly increasing, but still woeful up against its competitors in TO,
and with the original format change part of a movement to go younger, and hopefully,
build a larger audience, one has to wonder how long the status quo can chug along before
changes are made. I keep listening because the music selection isn't bad at all, but maybe
sticking with just the music is a better way to go.

BOOM

2010-03-28T12:32:00.001-04:00

Some friends to put it together, it's WAY better than the one currently in first place.

Beef: CHOIRS

2010-03-26T09:26:00.000-04:00

I hate choirs. In particular these 3 specific types:

School Choir

Mandatory in Grades 1-6, I remember being terrified to get my vocal inabilities
appraised by my music teacher, as even had to in an intimidating (for a 6 year-old)
'audition' singing a scale solo. Yikes. Luckily I was able to just mouth the words for
the next few years, going to annual competitions at Pantages or the Concert Hall
where my school would land its Honourable Mention (at best). By Grade 5 I figured
out that choir wasn't truly mandatory, as a the threatened other option-a 'Self-Directed
Learning Project'-which sounded suspiciously a lot like Homework, turned out to be
3 or 4 (wise) slackers slacking it out in an empty classroom. Was so much better off!
Choir only appeared to get worse in later years, peaking out with the always abhorrent
Vocal Jazz combo in high school.

Boys Choir

These ones always freaked me out a bit. Like what boy would willingly get involved
with this? I guess practically no boy, just the ones with especially cruel parents.

Miners/'Men of the Deeps' Choir

Nothing against these guys personally, just too gimmicky for my tastes, with the helmets
and all. Kudos that dudes with Black Lung could still belt it out though.

*ONE EXCEPTION would be the more raucous Gospel Choirs, though I have yet to ever
personally take one in, they seem like actually a good time.

TV Times

2010-03-15T09:23:00.001-04:00

GREAT times for TV these days! What's on these days:

THE PACIFIC!

BREAKING BAD!

Treme!

On top of the usuals like Parks and Rec (breakthrough season), 30 Rock (mostly consistent),
and the new-ish Caprica (no BSG, but not bad) these are some very good TV Times.

HELLO!

2010-03-14T18:18:00.003-04:00

Dark Times for the Raptors indeed, but the annual St Patrick's Day Massacre
approaches, which in the past has seen dear friend Jack Armstrong perhaps
indulge in a bit of pregame Half and halfs?

telephone

2010-03-12T08:33:00.001-05:00

I love Gaga and Jonas Åkerlund but what's with all the Tarantino homage-ing? Is that
just meta?

Cubanism

2010-02-24T18:42:00.000-05:00

Mark Cuban lives a life many men are envious of-untold riches, his own basketball
team and all of its attendant perks. Cuban's a self-made dude, closing his first
major deal at 32 and then striking it huge selling his company to Yahoo! in his
early 40s. He recently re-blogged his most common FAQ-How do you get rich? And
his response carries the usual work-hardisms and the like, with some slightly
more unique takes on saving money using discretion with good deals.

Now, Cuban is known to play the part of spoiled billionaire when anywhere near a
basketball court, but that betrays his business track record and overall intelligence.

But if wanting to take a look at a purer form of intelligence, I've been finding Obama's
Dreams of my Father to be a great read, particularly in his awkward and uncertain
times in his 20s. It's refreshing to hear that everyone goes through that, life's an ongoing
story that twists and continues to build as we go along. Or something like that.

5 YEARS

2010-02-04T08:53:00.001-05:00

of this...what started as something pretty casual and sporadic had become very
casual and sporadic, yet...I soldier forth.

Seemed like almost everyone had a blog 4 or 5 years ago...eons, really, in internet time.
But the thing is with blogs, you gotta keep plugging away. And some of us do that a lot
better than others (I'm definitely one of the others) but my big thing is to never...give...
up.

Now, most of that has meant a shift a way from music quasi-reportage to quasi-
personal meandering thoughts. Personal, but not really. And an emphasis on pictures.
Pictures are easy.

With the picture emphasis, maybe some change is in order. A shift to one of my tumblr
blogs perhaps, or something entirely new as it's been years now since I've been a part of
Team Pollution. Time will tell.

CARLOS

2010-01-22T09:41:00.001-05:00

Back in town tonight with the Bucks as they take on the Raps. I'm going and excited
to see his hack n' slash style, coupled with the deep 3 business. Which leads me to think...
who is my favourite Raptor now anyway? Turk has done little to endear himself to fans,
and even the people of Toronto at large, Bosh is better than ever but seems a little too
obvious to pick as a fave (too many 3 year-olds already in #4 jerseys at games). Jose?
he's been hurt a fair amount, but potentially could really turn things up at his current
recovery rate. Reggie Evans would've been a likely candidate, but he won't be back until
after the All Star break now...Amir Johnson has shown a lot of fight, but like Andrea likes
a definitive personality to be a big fan favourite.

So maybe my favourite this year is the guy who's effectively Delfino's replacement...
Marco Belinelli. He holds a similar style-plays without a conscience in attacking the basket
and DEEP 3's at the buzzer. And yes like Carlos, rather inconsistent!

soon to be inescapable

2010-01-14T13:14:00.001-05:00

SLEIGH BELLS

Hibernation

2010-01-04T08:55:00.000-05:00

January doesn't have to be a bad thing, it can be a time to catch up on all of the books
(3) I got for Christmas, there's certainly plenty of basketball to be consumed, and of
course, weeks-long submersions into TV shows, as like my current run to the end with
Battlestar.

Years past have seen me catch up/get into LOST, The Wire, and most recently,
Veronica Mars. Is there really any better way to just kill off 5 or 6 hours?

Goodbye Doc, Cliff shrugs it off

2009-12-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

Gonna miss the guy bigtime, but everyone knew it was coming and the prospects
coming back could lead to some big things. Not unlike that 30 Rock episode last season
where Jack pushes a newly cleaned-up Frank away, back to where he belongs (all in an
extended nod to Harry and the Hendersons):

Oh and if there were good Doc gifs out there, I'd put them up, but Cliff's got that part
of the game nailed down.

hunting beer (and other beverages)

2009-12-09T08:42:00.000-05:00

NEW to the link list is the fabulous Beer Hunter site, which quite handily aggregates
info for currently open Beer, Wine and LCBO stores...something the stores' own sites
seem woefully inadequate at (among many other things).

Props to the original link from drunkjaysfans

concentration

2009-12-01T00:24:00.002-05:00

Deep in the study hole...can...barely...see...light

Eck definitely was/is an ass, but the guy could CONCENTRATE!

And that's what it's all about.

new minor obsession: aviation

2009-11-18T08:32:00.000-05:00

Recently someone pointed out this 'Ask Me' thread on a poker message board, where a
longtime American airline pilot answers all manner of questions from people. The pilot,
under the handle WOXOF, very amiably answers questions with interesting stories and
anecdotes about a bunch of things I had never even come close to thinking about before.
The thread, in tandem with further additional material on good ol' wikipedia and youtube
has provided a wealth of lunch hour 'edutainment'. Check out some more cool vids:

STP

2009-11-17T08:49:00.000-05:00

TONIGHT another of my fave bands from the '90s teen years gets crossed off
list, as the Stone Temple Pilots bring their show to the Kool Haus.

This particular tour is a bit odd as a new album is a ways off, and in TO's case they're
playing a much smaller venue than most of the rest of the tour, where they've primarily
been hitting arenas. That's probably because they played Rama recently, and there hasn't
a been a lot of set list fluctuation either, but hey! I've never seen them!

There won't be too many bands left on my mid-'90s nostalgia list...perhaps Soundgarden? +

worst goddam newspaper site redesign EVER

2009-11-04T08:15:00.000-05:00

YES let's take an OK site design and make it REALLY shitty in terms of aesthetics
AND usuability! Let's make it look like a generic Wordpress blog, which everyone else has
already switched to and make online news a shitty generic wasteland of irrelevant bullshit!

The Toronto Star has really fucked this up. I've tried to give the redesign a chance over the
past month but other than bookmarking a couple select columnists and blogs, it seems better
to just read the Globe and NY Times (which both still look and work like newspaper sites).

EPIC

2009-11-03T08:09:00.000-05:00

I was Girl Talk for Halloween. Everything is EPIC/LOCKED IN.

hockey

2009-10-14T09:14:00.000-04:00

My favourite team, Anyone-but-the-Leafs, is undefeated so far this year! Go team(s)!

In other more important sports, 2 WEEKS 'til tipoff, excited!

on late night

2009-10-06T08:57:00.002-04:00

It would be nice, perhaps, to time travel back to 2004 and stop what's going on with
late night TV currently. One may have been able to ease Conan's restlessness, which
caused the current deal to come to light with him taking over the Tonight Show, Leno
getting his own (repulsive) show at 10pm, and Jimmy Fallon (ugh) taking over the
Late Night spot. The end result on NBC has been a thoroughly diluted lineup of late night
comedy, with Conan in particular having difficulty meeting the gap between Leno's
middle-American 'safe' standup style behaviour, and his own past success using more
bizarre sketches. Conan still uses sketches, but a clear focus is on the watered-down
segments like State Quarters...

SO we're seeing CBS as a result take a lead in the ratings at 11:30, and sometimes at
12:30, and Dave's recent indiscretions will likely only further his lead on a somewhat...
castrated Conan. Ferguson, who I long wrote off as a Shrek-esque caricature, has totally
won me over, with his Cold Opens being the best segment on late night, currently. y'know?

new matt good

2009-09-28T08:57:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling this...MATT IS BACK!

(though I'm sure he'd maintain he never went away...)

2 sleeps

2009-09-24T08:36:00.000-04:00

til showtime

ambition

2009-09-17T17:29:00.001-04:00

bites the nails of success

†

2009-09-12T19:16:00.002-04:00

This record only came out two years ago? Seems like it was very ubiquitous longer ago,
and its inevitable fading having occurred somewhat less, but still a ways away from a recurrent nostalgic comeback. How can something so pervasive disappear just as easily? I have some difficulty believing throwing down D.A.N.C.E. or Phantom in a current club setting could go over as hugely as it did a year or two ago, in fact most of the record feels like it's aged terribly!

But chances are it actually hasn't, I'm just in that post-burnout period where the record was
everywhere for a little too long and just needs to hibernate for a bit-the fact that I'm
currently favouring JT's Justified over similarly to † era-d Futuresex/Lovesounds seems
to confirm this.

When the retro 00's parties hit-and you know they will- † stands to be a big part of them.
This decade has lacked any media feeding frenzies over popular music genres-'the bands'
and electro are perhaps to only two major 'movements' to occur, but that isn't such a bad
thing is it?

charisma

2009-09-10T08:19:00.000-04:00

We could use a little around here now and then. And by 'we' in the global Canadian we and
also personally.

brilliant

2009-08-31T09:31:00.001-04:00

just brilliant! go see Basterds already. call moviefone and order tickets today.

taking and talking ownership

2009-08-19T09:16:00.001-04:00

Is Rogers going to sell the Jays? It's a steady rumour if you read some of the rumblings from
the Globe's Jeff Blair and the Star's Richard Griffin. If you combine that with this
month's Toronto Life feature on newly-minted Rogers CEO Nadir Mohamed (sorry no link!),
you get the idea that baseball is a distant priority in the Rogers empire.

It's no secret that Ted Rogers was pretty indifferent to the team, but still saw opportunities
to hawk various other Rogers products-particularly wireless-at the stadium and on the Rogers-owned Sportsnet. Mohamed may not share those feelings, and the current fire-sale in
place and unclear leadership situation under interim CEO Paul Beeston and (surely) soon-to-be-displaced J.P. Ricciardi suggest the dents and scratches are trying to be buffed out as quickly as possible.

So Rogers sells...but to whom? MLSE? It's difficult to think of another entity that would be down on splurging what would be a hefty amount of money on a sports franchise and stadium. The Jays and Skydome are the last piece of the puzzle in nailing down a pro-sports monopoly in town, one which could better usher in the Bills (and wipe away the Argos). MLSE has taken plenty of heat over its mis-handling of the Leafs, but now seems to be on a free-r spending autonomous path with more independent management of the club, not unlike the Raptors. Toronto FC remains an ongoing success story, though its more intimate stadium experience has a lot to do with that. Still, would the team be better off?

on reading things (online)

2009-08-06T08:58:00.000-04:00

The biggest thing I got out of an interview on (where else?) Charlie Rose with Amazon's Jeff Bezos was Bezos describing reading from a computer as staring directly into a light for extended periods of time-I'm paraphrasing there, but the general idea is really simple and plain as day and right in front of our faces. As such, Amazon's Kindle uses technology different from traditional monitors significantly reducing eye strain etc.

It will be interesting to see if the same technology is later applied to monitors, as I'm sure most of us who spend our days staring into the light might appreciate something better. I personally find white backgrounded sites the worst, naturally, and have taken to switching to a darker gmail theme-though that might be as hard or even worse on my eyes? Just guessin' science here.

500

2009-07-29T09:47:00.000-04:00

posts! So much complaining over the years - the official coffee table book is in the
works, yes. Leaving rainy Toronto in a couple days for...rainy Winnipeg, looking
forward to going back, however short it will be.

It really does suck that July is practically over and we don't have a lot of heat to
show for it, here's to August more than making up for it with fun and late night
park pool swims and all the other stuff that makes a summer a summer.

DOC

2009-07-24T15:57:00.001-04:00

Heading to the ballpark tonight for jays/rays...will it be like a wake? :(

PARTY DOWN

2009-07-21T09:19:00.002-04:00

OK Wayne very ably covered this show last week, which in turn put me over the edge
into a manic 36-hour period in which I consumed the entire first season over the weekend.

Rarely does a show come out of the gate so strong and consistent-this is a
show that produced remarkably interesting and endearing characters right out of the box.
Certainly the (Veronica Mars-familiar) cast deserves credit, and the writing bears a great
deal of realism for anyone who has ever delved into the service industry-with bowties and
glassware trays and perhaps most of all, idiotic clients.

The varying scenarios from event to event per episode constantly provide new opportunities for great guest star appearances-Steven Weber, Molly Parker and Ed Begley Jr
are standouts among the many.

There is sort of a forced simplicity to the show as well, originally airing on Starz, which is
not quite the same production powerhouse of an HBO (or even an AMC), episodes are confined
to a couple of very basic sets or locations, instilling an emphasis on plot and character in
almost a Law and Order-esque way; we never follow the characters home after work.

A second season is apparently in the works, and you gotta hope such a promising debut
season will only continue to have its star(z) shine.

hitler on LOST

2009-07-17T14:28:00.001-04:00

can't get enough!

angry Hitler speaking for us all

2009-07-14T08:54:00.000-04:00

As seen via drunkjaysfans, the tidal wave of Halladay speculation is making me sick!

start the presses!

2009-07-08T09:51:00.000-04:00

Just read one of Graydon Carter's more interesting Vanity Fair editorial "letters" discussing
among other things the resources involved that broke open the UK expenses scandal
story earlier this year.

It would seem that the papers that keep printing (and I don't think
many of them should, at this point), should look to focus on hard-hitting investigative work
and people might actually read/but it. Who knew?!

"You can get infamous, but you can't get un-famous"

2009-06-29T09:45:00.001-04:00

So said Dave Chappelle a couple years back on Inside The Actor's Studio. In the context
of himself and the recently-departed MJ, that was certainly the case, but Chapelle seems
back on the way to making his 'crazy' era an ever more distant memory, combined with a
genuinely quieter lifestyle.

BUT over the weekend I worked another short gig for a major festival in town, minding
agfter talent and took in a full range of fame, and it is truly relative. Fame also seems
to be rarely stable, and when you work with a variety of people
riding the crest or sliding into the trough it becomes all the more how quickly most of it can
slip away. The savvier artists can hold onto enough fame to eke out a living for years though-
and they're the ones who are consistently consummate professionals, with minimized egos
and graciousness in place.

Unfortunately some of the ones on the way up have not yet learned the lessons, and
while everyone I dealt with was totally nice and (mostly) talented, the trappings of things
like a bunch of bodyguards etc. comes off as a little silly. I know of few successful 'soft'
managers in the business, many more operate as 'hard' at all times, but the best seem
capable of either and determining exactly when being one or the other is necessary.

After the performances were complete, everyone was shipped off (or in the case of some
locals, biked home), and off to the next town, like any other traditional travelling show
or circus. It's a tough life, no doubt, even on the higher end a nice hotel ain't home, but they
do it anyway at least until that last bit of notoriety is gone for good.

questions

2009-06-24T09:43:00.000-04:00

1.) ARE the yeah yeah yeahs the best rock band to come out of this decade?

2.) IS there a hotter frontwoman than Karen O? really?

Movie of the Summer

2009-06-22T09:41:00.000-04:00

The Summer of '08 included an obsession with Heat, which involved many repeat viewings
of the 3-hour crime epic and a constant verbalization of the film's many catchphrases, with a
fellow blogging friend.

Now that we're officially into the Summer of '09, the question arises: what will it be this
summer? Some basic criteria follows so far:

- be very quotable
- be badass
- stand up to many repeat viewings, at all hours of the day/night

What will come forward into our entertainment subconscious is unclear, but stay tuned
to this spot come, say, mid-August for repeated crazed references to what by then will
clear be 2009's Movie of the Summer.

combs!

2009-06-18T09:03:00.000-04:00

Conan?

A co-worker hooked me up with like 6 brand new combs yesterday! what's a guy
to do with so many fine combs? start carrying one all the time I guess, just like my
dad. Next step? Drakkar Noir

GM

2009-06-11T08:54:00.000-04:00

You've probably seen this ad on TV too...or the full page newspaper ads...unless you're someone
who never watches network TV and reads newspapers-and frankly there's an ever-growing
amount of people out there who fit that bill. The ad campaign is befuddling for a number of
reasons, namely:

1) they just got bailed out by governments and are spending the money on this?!
2) the irony is using also-dying mediums to get the word out
3) their target market, granted, still reads newspapers and watches a lot of network TV,
is dying off itself to a degree and/or is probably loyal to GM to the bitter end

sheesh.

DOVES!

2009-06-01T09:03:00.000-04:00

very excited for doves tonight at the ol' kool haus.

Squirrel!

2009-05-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

How long can the Pixar hit streak go?!

travel travel

2009-05-27T09:18:00.001-04:00

SO...Boston was fabulous and it didn't hurt to land a room at the John Hancock on
Hotwire for a nifty 65% off the regular rates-it was a somewhat weird little hotel
that I wouldn't have found otherwise, for sure...New York next month will hopefully
bring even more promising results, even if I don't end up at the above-pictured
Jane Hotel in one of their ship's berths.

FENWAY

2009-05-21T23:09:00.002-04:00

Hello from Boston. Fenway was awesome. Game results...not so much.

burnett

2009-05-12T09:15:00.000-04:00

Whatanass. Going tonight mostly to cheer Doc, jeer A.J.

winnebago CLOSURE

2009-05-08T08:35:00.001-04:00

Caught the screening of 'Winnebago Man' at Hot Docs last night- the full house was treated
to a fairly thorough examination/investigation into one Mr. Jack Rebney, and answers quite
a few of the questions about the man. It also demonstrates the sheer scope of the original
clip's appeal.

Director Ben Steinbauer was on hand to take questions and even called up Jack on his cellphone!
It was clear the audience was full of Rebney fans, and it was a little mindblowing how wide-
spread his appeal appears to be. It was somewhat...comforting to hear that the old man's
as blunt as ever! Godspeed Jack! Keep givin' em hell!

on comments

2009-05-05T09:31:00.000-04:00

This old-ish piece on online comments was recently brought to my attention...via a Facebook comment in my news feed.

I think there's room for moderated comments in some forms of online news media, and also blogs (including this one)-though pray tell if I actually had more than 2 readers what would my position would be, if I was subjected to ongoing ridicule from infinite anonymous trolls.

THE BIG PICTURE

2009-04-29T09:27:00.000-04:00

SO ADDICTIVE!

B4L

2009-04-27T09:08:00.003-04:00

Took in Bat For Lashes on Saturday...girl's got an amazing voice, no doubt, but I'm more of a fan of her upbeat-er stuff, rather than the tinkly piano music, which frankly reminded me of Masters coverage:

forgetting ubiquity

2009-04-21T09:07:00.001-04:00

Was watching a season 3 ep of The Wire last night that at one point had this song pounding out of a drug dealer's SUV, and I went "ohhhhhh yeahhhh!" at the song that you could NOT escape in the summer of '03.

So yeah, it takes me about 5-6 years to forget things formerly ubiquitous. All the more case for retr'00's coming to a club soon!

"unnecessary quotes"

2009-04-13T09:07:00.000-04:00

OH how I love non-required/ill-placed quotation marks! (and so does Bennett Brauer)

OH SHIT!

2009-04-08T09:25:00.000-04:00

Marmaduke Explained is back!!!

JUNIOR

2009-04-01T09:22:00.000-04:00

Röyksopp's new record Junior just came out...and yeah it's pretty rad. Lead single 'Happy Up
Here' is a definite banger and samples the Parliament jam shown below!:

KIDSTREET

2009-03-30T09:48:00.000-04:00

Caught these guys at Wavelength last night - fun rad times! DANCE MUSIC.

fresh

2009-03-25T01:03:00.000-04:00

Corey Mintz writes for the Star in their Living section and is their interim food critic. I can
see how his jokey style could piss off some oldsters, but I dig it. His blog is a fine jump-off for
his writing. Welcome to the blogroll porkosity!

DAYLIGHT

2009-03-18T08:27:00.003-04:00

Yes I already tweeted this, but Matt & Kim have a new record out and the fabulous lead single above is just what these guys were due for. I'm especially excited to see them again as they're back in town on friday opening for Cut Copy, who, as you may remember put out my favourite record of 2008.

M&K have come a long way since playing the New Pollution-sponsored afternoon show at the Over The Top Festival, which now seems like a rather long time ago!

Photo by Frank at chromewaves, who's currently in Austin covering SXSW, and yes I'm horribly jealous not to be back this year.

G-g-g-ghost ship!

2009-03-17T09:06:00.000-04:00

I guess they'll never figure out what that mystery ship was that ignored the Titanic's
distress calls.

shynola

2009-03-12T09:20:00.000-04:00

Was just watching some of my favourite Shynola clips, and happened across the info
that one of its founders, Gideon Baw, passed away late last year. Baws and his team
produced some of the best animated work (and in turn music videos) this decade has seen,
and will be sorely missed! :(

House of Jealous Lovers

steak

2009-03-11T00:57:00.001-04:00

please!

GUNNERS

2009-03-06T09:27:00.001-05:00

Been listening to a lot of GN'R lately on account of reading Slash-which is a pretty solid
rock bio and I recommend picking up if you're into the band at all. An interesting point that
Slasher raises is that most of the big hits (including the one above^, November Rain,
Civil War etc.) from the Use Your Illusions' were written way back in the pre-Appetite days,
but held over for the later records.

I'm thankful as that created perhaps one of the best song soundtrack tie-in videos ever.

fallon

2009-03-03T09:04:00.000-05:00

^I liked this, but things pretty much went downhill afterwards.

JITM

2009-03-02T09:13:00.000-05:00

Have I ever talked about John Richards and his eponymous Seattle-based morning show
on KEXP? I've had discussions with other fans and we know pretty much instantly when
there's a sub in for him, as the music isn't nearly as good!

Anyway I emailed him on my birthday last week and requested some Johnny Cash, as we
share the same birthday, and he played THREE Cash songs! (prob was going to anyway,
but whatevs he's the best fyi).

on this day of days

2009-02-26T09:08:00.000-05:00

I've decided that I want Steve van Gundy to be my Life Coach.

it's monday

2009-02-23T09:01:00.000-05:00

why not a little safety dance-related comedy to spike things up a little?

oh the safety dance proper, for that matter:

social

2009-02-20T00:33:00.001-05:00

doin' the Winnipeg Social at the legion friday night-this duded totally reminds me
of Winnipeg.

yeesh

2009-02-19T17:03:00.001-05:00

I'm on twitter now.

yeesh!

when is this shit coming to Canada?

2009-02-17T09:55:00.000-05:00

As a man with limited lunch options, I need to know! Also-they need
to add spinach leaves as a topping here, srsly.

Prioritiez, I has them.

OMG

2009-02-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

I need to see this...

also:

2009-02-06T09:57:00.002-05:00

Beeper Theory

2009-02-06T09:27:00.002-05:00

We're always losing our shit-be it keys, remotes, phones, camera phones, pets,
children and the like. (My) Beeper Theory idea is that ALL things should be
available with a 'page' function, as most modern cordless phones are. Beeper's
could also be added to any device/pet/human via a velcro attachment-this specific
part of the idea was not my own-royalties will be distributed fairly-and a
central 'Beep Station' to set off the required (but missing) device and allow it
to be found.

There is a dark side to Beeper Theory, however, and it posits that once society
has adopted the idea, practically everything everywhere-
lost devices, animals, and people will be beeping ubiquitously - and as such,
beeping will become the new silence.

things that get me all worked up

2009-02-05T09:01:00.000-05:00

Commercial 'fly-bys' of Canada, which may/may not include most of Canada:

^this one was everywhere over the holidays, causing tickets for all future Passion Pit
shows to sell out in a fury.

^amazing how non-descript Scarberian apartment buildings make it into that one,
but not say, the nation's capital (though Ottawa is quite boring, I understand).

more moves

2009-02-02T09:04:00.000-05:00

on all things good

2009-01-30T09:26:00.000-05:00

Check out Matt & Kate's Hundred Days blog, updated daily for the first 100 days of
Obama's reign, featuring 'irrelevant but awesome' words.

They're also hosting a Miracle Fruit party this weekend, and I can wait to check out
this fab hot party trend.

my fave

2009-01-27T09:56:00.000-05:00