Having just read Down and Out in Paris and London, I can say that despite the harsh reality of modern working class life, it is so much better than George had it during his pre-famous-writer-days. Does anyone who works sixteen hours a day six days a week and still have to live in one room and share a bed with one person and thousands of bugs? Not as much as they used to. Life was an endless struggle against cold and hunger in his Paris days. Sixteen hour days at the hotel consumed his life for almost a year. The lure of home brought Orwell back to England and saw him living as a tramp. He finally stayed with his sister and wrote the now legendary book. From there he went on to work at the BBC, later becoming a world famous writer who inspired many generations.
In many ways, he was ahead of his time. Not only did he accurately predict the security hysteria that fascist governments around the world employ to undermine liberty, as well as their methods of propaganda, he foretold the actions of today's twenty and thirty-somethings by laughing in the face of property ownership. He moved back home as increasing numbers of recently graduated students are doing. He lived for the moment, remaining true to his convictions even though it made his life difficult and cost him health, wealth and longevity.
To French red wine, Spanish white wine, English beer and strong tea.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Devo at Dundas Square
Devo played on Saturday night at Dundas Square. Once again, the sound was great, the streets and square were full. At the moment I haven't got a bike lock or a bike that I feel comfortable locking up in public. So, I had to stand with my bike. After a few forays to the east side of Yonge, I picked a spot on the relatively uncrowded southwest corner of Yonge and Dundas, resigning myself to watching the show on the big screens. Certainly, it was not as deafening as the east side of Yonge but it was still loud. I almost put my ear plugs in but I abstained.
Their performance was super tight. They must be able to play these songs in their sleep after more than 30 years of being a band. I can't imagine they get too excited to play the same songs they always play but their blasé faces and robot like facade lend an air of reassuring sincerity to the concert. They take it very seriously. They don't get excited. Banter with the crowd is pretty minimal. The main thing is the songs are great and they perform them with great precision and I would say, a large measure of dispassion. Their vibe demands a lack of emotional connection and simple technical adherence to patterns and playing your part in the larger context of the band.
They seem to have picked up the quick costume changes of Noh theatre. Did they start off wearing ten layers? I never saw them doffing or tossing garments but I was also spending a fair bit of time watching all the people stroll by. Almost every song had a different outfit. I especially liked the elastic, patella-encircling garters of the last songs. Yellow raincoat-like shirts, grey long sleeve luge shirts, It looks like they are sponsored by Adidas now. Very athletic, light fabrics for the most part.
The crowd was well behaved and very smokeless compared to the Thursday show. Way to go Devo. We probably won't cross paths again but you guys were great.
Their performance was super tight. They must be able to play these songs in their sleep after more than 30 years of being a band. I can't imagine they get too excited to play the same songs they always play but their blasé faces and robot like facade lend an air of reassuring sincerity to the concert. They take it very seriously. They don't get excited. Banter with the crowd is pretty minimal. The main thing is the songs are great and they perform them with great precision and I would say, a large measure of dispassion. Their vibe demands a lack of emotional connection and simple technical adherence to patterns and playing your part in the larger context of the band.
They seem to have picked up the quick costume changes of Noh theatre. Did they start off wearing ten layers? I never saw them doffing or tossing garments but I was also spending a fair bit of time watching all the people stroll by. Almost every song had a different outfit. I especially liked the elastic, patella-encircling garters of the last songs. Yellow raincoat-like shirts, grey long sleeve luge shirts, It looks like they are sponsored by Adidas now. Very athletic, light fabrics for the most part.
The crowd was well behaved and very smokeless compared to the Thursday show. Way to go Devo. We probably won't cross paths again but you guys were great.
Friday, June 17, 2011
First Outdoor Concert of 2011
Fucked Up (8pm), Off! (9pm) and The Descendents (10pm) played at Dundas Square tonight. It was one of the nightly free shows put on by NXNE. Thank you NXNE and the aforementioned bands. What a difference the sound man makes. From the echo-y imprecise canyon of Fucked Up's sound to the crisp, CD-like sound of Off! was about as far a leap as sound can take. All the bands gave excellent performances. Fucked Up's singer was touring the crowd for the whole set, taking it to the people. He knows how to work a crowd. Off! played short tight bursts of furious punk. It reminded me that I haven't seen a band that heavy in too long a time. I don't get out like I used to.
For some reason they couldn't co-ordinate the picture on the big screen with the sound. On the screen there were a lot of perfectly timed shots of interactions between the singers and the crowd. It couldn't have been timed better by a director. Some of FU's most ardent fans are a sight to behold on the jumbo screen. Larger than life and a warning to all about over indulgence in punk rock living. Not the beautiful people suffice to say.
I didn't really know the Descendents catalogue until tonight. For variety there was a section with the singer's kids reading the 'Commandments of All'! The routine, complete with one large tablet á la Moses, was peppered by 6/8 dissonant melodies and punches that were flawless and made me think they were going to break into some schmaltzy jazz as a joke. Lucky kids, going on tour with their punk rock Dad.
No jokes but lots of smokes. It was like the old club days, all the stinky cigarette smoke. Unlike a club, you aren't "allowed" to drink at Dundas Square. Everyone was. Simply everyone. And all so well behaved. It gives me hope for mankind. A security guard came to my friend and said "I won't take your drink but you have to drink it fast." Never mind the chillum circle going right next to us. An awesome night, especially for the budget-conscious. Look for twice the people and four times the number of people wearing glasses at Devo on Saturday.
The singer from the Decendents said that he thought he was in Times Square or Japan as he surveyed Yonge and Dundas and the assembled at twilight. Does that meant that our efforts to Times Square-ify the intersection have not been in vain? The square may not be level but at least they can put a stage on it and have concerts like this in the summer.
For some reason they couldn't co-ordinate the picture on the big screen with the sound. On the screen there were a lot of perfectly timed shots of interactions between the singers and the crowd. It couldn't have been timed better by a director. Some of FU's most ardent fans are a sight to behold on the jumbo screen. Larger than life and a warning to all about over indulgence in punk rock living. Not the beautiful people suffice to say.
I didn't really know the Descendents catalogue until tonight. For variety there was a section with the singer's kids reading the 'Commandments of All'! The routine, complete with one large tablet á la Moses, was peppered by 6/8 dissonant melodies and punches that were flawless and made me think they were going to break into some schmaltzy jazz as a joke. Lucky kids, going on tour with their punk rock Dad.
No jokes but lots of smokes. It was like the old club days, all the stinky cigarette smoke. Unlike a club, you aren't "allowed" to drink at Dundas Square. Everyone was. Simply everyone. And all so well behaved. It gives me hope for mankind. A security guard came to my friend and said "I won't take your drink but you have to drink it fast." Never mind the chillum circle going right next to us. An awesome night, especially for the budget-conscious. Look for twice the people and four times the number of people wearing glasses at Devo on Saturday.
The singer from the Decendents said that he thought he was in Times Square or Japan as he surveyed Yonge and Dundas and the assembled at twilight. Does that meant that our efforts to Times Square-ify the intersection have not been in vain? The square may not be level but at least they can put a stage on it and have concerts like this in the summer.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Anti-war poem
Trillions for the war
Only millions for the poor
It sounds like a lot but they need much more
That works out to a dollar thirty four
For every child who can barely eat.
We make a million bullets for the Middle East
We’d rather build a prison
Than teach kids how to listen
It happens again and again.
History is forgotten
It doesn’t ever change
Some people are just rotten
It used to be that Kings would send
their armies in search of booty
Now they send them out for oil
And call it their patriotic duty.
We’ve got to nip this in the bud
We must stain the land with blood
We’ll profit from their toil
We will not share the spoils
War has always been a form of theft
Take until there’s nothing left
Plunder and then go back home
Leaving wreckage and tombstones
The profiteers should be in jail
No heat, bad light, no goddam bail
They can’t be punished enough
Why do they do such awful stuff?
The riches go the crooks on top
A flag comes home to Mom and Pop.
Soldiers shafted for all their pain
Its not enough to just wash their brain
They were only eighteen, no money for school
Once we’re older we’re harder to fool.
The worst heat you’ve ever felt.
And you are supposed to wage war.
It must scramble your brain being in that heat.
I can’t take much over 34.
A Year of near death
Then they send you home
Or maybe you’re still needed
In the combat zone
Afraid to drive the roads
Cause everything explodes.
This isn’t the way I remember
Playing with G.I..Joes
Friday, May 6, 2011
Contact Photography Festival
There are a ton of gallery openings going on this weekend around the Junction. Saturday night to be precise. 6-9 pm is the timeframe for visiting 20 or so galleries on Dundas between Annette and a few blocks west of Keele. I saw a bunch of great shows on Queen Street last night. There were a lot of people-less photographs. The presence of people in photographs brings an energy to them which makes them preferable to me. Which raises the question: Why don't my photos have more people in them? Answer: Because I don't want to invade their privacy or take their photo without permission. Once they know they are being photographed, the spontaneity, and the quality of the photo, is lost. Nonetheless, all the photos last night were well worth the walk to see them. I also saw some cool paintings by an artist named Joe Fleming. I could see those being put up in the big modern art museums of the world in the near future. I know few will read this and my one follower who is in England, bless you Molly, will assuredly not be attending. If you do get this message, I urge you to trek west beyond the glamour of Queen or Bloor Street and check out Toronto's biggest photographic night.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
May 2 - Vote NDP or Green...please!!!!!
Election day is tomorrow. Despite all the positive news about the Tories falling in popularity and the NDP surge there is not really much chance that the people of Canada will be much better off. The TTC will not be receiving Federal money commensurate with its importance in the function of Canada's biggest city. Now that the auto plants around the GTA have been laying off thousands of people for years, isn't it time to stop obeying their wishes to eliminate public transit? It will continue to be under funded and over crowded. Hundreds of thousands of votes for the Green party will result in, at most, one seat in Parliament. Tens of thousands of rural votes will fill dozens of seats with more water-treaders. Victims of the G20 debacle (that is to say all Canadians) will receive no compensation, embezzling developers will not go to jail for skimming money off of federally funded construction projects. Oil extraction from the Tar Sands will continue to pollute Alberta for the benefit of a money-worshipping minority who deny the existence or significance of pollution.
On the positive side: I think I am going to record some really great music that just might launch a new genre and make me rich. It's a shame the future isn't looking as bright for the rest of the world. I jest. All our futures are linked.
Now get out and VOTE! Just don't expect too much.
On the positive side: I think I am going to record some really great music that just might launch a new genre and make me rich. It's a shame the future isn't looking as bright for the rest of the world. I jest. All our futures are linked.
Now get out and VOTE! Just don't expect too much.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
4 Hombres- All your favourite bands in one
As we are well aware, popular music is in a sorry state. Auto-tuning has replaced singing as the focus of popular music. Marketing has replaced musicianship as the foundation of commercial success. Bands who deserve, if only for their longevity and musicianship, the adulation of a larger audience play small clubs for $20 or less while teenagers with one record out, written by someone else, charge over $100 for a ticket to see them in some stadium.
A dwindling number of people remain moved and excited by performances of music by musicians. Such people would be pleased to cross the path of the 4 hombres. Presumably named for ZZ Top's album Tres Hombres. Their revue of classic rock hits will surely touch on a few of your favourite bands. They mostly avoid the overplayed songs and choose more obscure but still famous songs by ZZ Top, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream and other titans of the 60's and 70's. You can usually catch them at Opera Bob's on College east of Ossington whenever they make one of their quarterly or so appearances. Keep your eyes peeled. All those bands you never thought you would see? You won't see them but you will hear them. And, they usually don't charge a cover. Such a distaste for marketing almost guarantees their continued obscurity.
I was lucky enough to see the lads belt it out over two long sets last night. The bar was empty. The sound was good. The harmonies were sweet and flawless. To have a band of this quality play your private party would cost at least $1,000.00. To be able to see them live for free proves that we are truly fortunate to live in Toronto. And that private parties are decadent (good) and not the most efficient way to see bands. I wish it was more profitable for the band and they were getting the adulation of a deserved grateful audience but they do it for the love of music. That is what live performance and music in general should be about.
People accustomed to herd music bereft of imagination may never know what they are missing. Just as people long-fed Kraft Dinner and McDonald's can develop a yen for the noxious nourishment even when better food is available, so too can the ear of the under-exposed remain addicted to the generic strains of the swill that fills the airwaves and rules youtube. Why do some Led Zeppelin songs have half a million hits when J----- B----- songs have half a BILLION?! Surely, it is something to do with the fact that most Zeppelin fans already have copies of their legendary works on CD and LP, they are older and less youtube-addicted. The young'uns may someday learn the error of their ways. The bright spot is that you will be able to get in to a 4 Hombres show for free. Or at least less than ten dollars. And no teeny boppers will scream in your ear. Viva!
A dwindling number of people remain moved and excited by performances of music by musicians. Such people would be pleased to cross the path of the 4 hombres. Presumably named for ZZ Top's album Tres Hombres. Their revue of classic rock hits will surely touch on a few of your favourite bands. They mostly avoid the overplayed songs and choose more obscure but still famous songs by ZZ Top, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream and other titans of the 60's and 70's. You can usually catch them at Opera Bob's on College east of Ossington whenever they make one of their quarterly or so appearances. Keep your eyes peeled. All those bands you never thought you would see? You won't see them but you will hear them. And, they usually don't charge a cover. Such a distaste for marketing almost guarantees their continued obscurity.
I was lucky enough to see the lads belt it out over two long sets last night. The bar was empty. The sound was good. The harmonies were sweet and flawless. To have a band of this quality play your private party would cost at least $1,000.00. To be able to see them live for free proves that we are truly fortunate to live in Toronto. And that private parties are decadent (good) and not the most efficient way to see bands. I wish it was more profitable for the band and they were getting the adulation of a deserved grateful audience but they do it for the love of music. That is what live performance and music in general should be about.
People accustomed to herd music bereft of imagination may never know what they are missing. Just as people long-fed Kraft Dinner and McDonald's can develop a yen for the noxious nourishment even when better food is available, so too can the ear of the under-exposed remain addicted to the generic strains of the swill that fills the airwaves and rules youtube. Why do some Led Zeppelin songs have half a million hits when J----- B----- songs have half a BILLION?! Surely, it is something to do with the fact that most Zeppelin fans already have copies of their legendary works on CD and LP, they are older and less youtube-addicted. The young'uns may someday learn the error of their ways. The bright spot is that you will be able to get in to a 4 Hombres show for free. Or at least less than ten dollars. And no teeny boppers will scream in your ear. Viva!
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