... not a new route, but joined by an old friend.... good times in early fall... Robby took pictures, I'll post them once he send.
View Robby And Sam Cycle in a larger map
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
... let the good times roll...
... Just watching this great documentary on the highly-underrated TCM...
Let The Good Times roll is a documentary about the Rock-n-Roll movement in the 1950s. It was made in 1973, One of the earliest rock docs there is. At least of its kind. It is preceded by films like Lonely Boy and Don't Look Back (one of my favourite films around)
But this documentary is not Cinema Verite, as the others are. Pennebaker and Koenig were chronicling a revolution, a celebrity with their cameras. They determined the film by being present at the moment the images were captured.
Let The Good Times Roll is great because itstitches together live concert footage of a 1973 Rock Revival concert tour with news footage, educational reels, photos and clips from the era in which the bands were most popular. The acts range from Chuck Berry, Little Richard, The Shirelles to Bo Diddley... everyone who began the revolution of rock and roll. And it speaks, FROM the 1970s ABOUT the 1950s by reaching back in time and creating a picture of a certain era using the cultural products created at the time. The films message has to be defined entirely through curation and editing.
And watching this film in 2010 adds so much perspective to that type of act of creation. It forces the viewer to become aware of its structure. The construction of the film, the choice of photos, the images from the present (in 1973) laid next to the pieces of the past show just as much about 1973 as it does about 1956. the message the filmmakers seem to be trying to send to Americans living through Vietnam, the Bicentennial and musical revolution in a post-Woodstock america seem to be that this future was inevitable, but that hope was to be found in rebellion.
The film seems to say that this "Wild and crazy hippie movement" was not so unexpected. The seeds of a life of love and passion, music and Life with a capital L, had been sewn over 20 years earlier. When those who passed laws, sent boys overseas and silenced protests were still young, just screaming mobs of high school students doing the Twist.
watch it....
Let The Good Times roll is a documentary about the Rock-n-Roll movement in the 1950s. It was made in 1973, One of the earliest rock docs there is. At least of its kind. It is preceded by films like Lonely Boy and Don't Look Back (one of my favourite films around)
But this documentary is not Cinema Verite, as the others are. Pennebaker and Koenig were chronicling a revolution, a celebrity with their cameras. They determined the film by being present at the moment the images were captured.
Let The Good Times Roll is great because itstitches together live concert footage of a 1973 Rock Revival concert tour with news footage, educational reels, photos and clips from the era in which the bands were most popular. The acts range from Chuck Berry, Little Richard, The Shirelles to Bo Diddley... everyone who began the revolution of rock and roll. And it speaks, FROM the 1970s ABOUT the 1950s by reaching back in time and creating a picture of a certain era using the cultural products created at the time. The films message has to be defined entirely through curation and editing.
And watching this film in 2010 adds so much perspective to that type of act of creation. It forces the viewer to become aware of its structure. The construction of the film, the choice of photos, the images from the present (in 1973) laid next to the pieces of the past show just as much about 1973 as it does about 1956. the message the filmmakers seem to be trying to send to Americans living through Vietnam, the Bicentennial and musical revolution in a post-Woodstock america seem to be that this future was inevitable, but that hope was to be found in rebellion.
The film seems to say that this "Wild and crazy hippie movement" was not so unexpected. The seeds of a life of love and passion, music and Life with a capital L, had been sewn over 20 years earlier. When those who passed laws, sent boys overseas and silenced protests were still young, just screaming mobs of high school students doing the Twist.
watch it....
Sunday, July 18, 2010
... you're telling me....
I'm reading Plan B by Jonathan Tropper right now. After tackling the thought-provoking and subtle words of Ishiguro I felt that I needed a silly, American fluff, full of obvious plot turns and heavy on the sarcastic and familiar pop cultural references.... I went to Chapters looking for something a little more Nick Hornby....
And I found this novel. I am only 60 pages in right now. It seems ok, it is a bit "Jay MacInerney lite", but its exactly what i was looking for. Its about a group of college friends about 8 years after graduation, as they pass their 30th birthdays, with a little less than enthusiasm.
Its hitting close to home I guess, with the 30 staring me in the face. The idea laid out in the early pages about realizing the hopes and dreams of your childhood had become the expectations of your near future, and that you don't seem to be making the kind of progress you should towards becoming an adult. About how hard it is to let go of the enthusiasm of his 20s.
The protagonist, Ben, on first love:
"Lindsey did nothing halfway. She found something fascinating in every experience, and her enthusiasm was infectious. She drew me in with her ardor even discussing the most mundane things, and when she listened it was with rapt attention and an unwavering gaze. She could make me laugh not only with a sarcastic remark but simply by laughing herself. When she cried at movies she cried hard, and I would inevitably deel my own eyes watering. When I was with Lindsey I came out of a shell I didnt even know I was in, and it was as if the world was suddenly in sharper focus, with brighter colors. She gave me leave to discard my insecurities, and buoyed by her wake, I felt as if I was finally getting my moneys worth out of myself. I knew early on that if Lindsey loved me, she would bring the same passion to bear on me, and I spent countless hours in contemplation of that intoxicating possibility."
... i don't know about you, but I hate the idea of reaching a landmark where that kind of thinking is only considered with nostalgia... i want to own a house and all, but I am not sure I am ready to give up excitement.
And I found this novel. I am only 60 pages in right now. It seems ok, it is a bit "Jay MacInerney lite", but its exactly what i was looking for. Its about a group of college friends about 8 years after graduation, as they pass their 30th birthdays, with a little less than enthusiasm.
Its hitting close to home I guess, with the 30 staring me in the face. The idea laid out in the early pages about realizing the hopes and dreams of your childhood had become the expectations of your near future, and that you don't seem to be making the kind of progress you should towards becoming an adult. About how hard it is to let go of the enthusiasm of his 20s.
The protagonist, Ben, on first love:
"Lindsey did nothing halfway. She found something fascinating in every experience, and her enthusiasm was infectious. She drew me in with her ardor even discussing the most mundane things, and when she listened it was with rapt attention and an unwavering gaze. She could make me laugh not only with a sarcastic remark but simply by laughing herself. When she cried at movies she cried hard, and I would inevitably deel my own eyes watering. When I was with Lindsey I came out of a shell I didnt even know I was in, and it was as if the world was suddenly in sharper focus, with brighter colors. She gave me leave to discard my insecurities, and buoyed by her wake, I felt as if I was finally getting my moneys worth out of myself. I knew early on that if Lindsey loved me, she would bring the same passion to bear on me, and I spent countless hours in contemplation of that intoxicating possibility."
... i don't know about you, but I hate the idea of reaching a landmark where that kind of thinking is only considered with nostalgia... i want to own a house and all, but I am not sure I am ready to give up excitement.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
... Never Let Me Go...
... y'know when you see a movie based on a great book and it just doesnt do it justice and you are all disappointed? There is only one thing worse.... seeing the movie first, and then reading the book its based on... Knowing it is never going to be as good as it would have been have you not seen the film yet.
That's why I was determined to read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro before the movie comes out in September. I will admit, I didnt' know the book existed until I saw the trailer for the movie a little while back. And it definitely looks like its totally my type of flick.
But Ishiguro wrote the novel that was the basis of The Remains of the Day, an amazing film that swept the Oscars in 1994, one of the first years I took any serious interest in "grown up" movies.
I am definitely glad I read this book before the film.... Not because I think the film will be shit. It actually has, in my opinion, a 2 in 3 chance of being good, which is directly related to the starring trio of Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightly. Carey Mulligan totally captured me (and the rest of the world) in An Education last year. And Andrew Garfield was brilliant in the totally underseen 2007 film Boy A. Keira Knightly, on the other hand, is the wild card here. As the biggest "celebrity" among the three she has not really been in this kind of character and dialogue driven quietly powerful film in a while. But perhaps being taken out of that element will prove her as an actual talent... She was pretty good in Atonement, which has a similar subtle thrill to its narrative. I WAS disappointed when I went back and re-watched the trailer after finishing the book. It actually shows the entire plot of the book in the minute and a half that makes it up. But I guess thats the point.... there is very little STORY to this book... its how it gets there, how it tells it, that makes it so good.
And that returns me to my original point in this post... THE BOOK... which was amazing.
The story is a wolf in sheeps clothing.... its science fiction done up in the disguise of an idyllic tale of British Boarding School. And the first person retrospective of the narration perfectly teases the weird into the mundane. Its distinctly British... science fiction without a single computer, alien or flying car.
It is science fiction in its truest form. A novel that comments on the world of today by illustrating what could be with one element changed. The whole Butterfly/Tornado bit. And thats the best kind. It highlights the very basic elements of human nature... and does so beautifully. With amazing descriptive passages, metaphors and mental pictures.
I have to say, it has made me even more excited for the film.... But only because I have seen the one the book put in my mind... the one without Keira Knightleys lemon-sucking face on it... seriously, that girl has the BIGGEST lips on the smallest head. I met her once, I thought sneezing would literally knock her over....
Here, watch the trailer, read the book, see the film:
That's why I was determined to read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro before the movie comes out in September. I will admit, I didnt' know the book existed until I saw the trailer for the movie a little while back. And it definitely looks like its totally my type of flick.
But Ishiguro wrote the novel that was the basis of The Remains of the Day, an amazing film that swept the Oscars in 1994, one of the first years I took any serious interest in "grown up" movies.
I am definitely glad I read this book before the film.... Not because I think the film will be shit. It actually has, in my opinion, a 2 in 3 chance of being good, which is directly related to the starring trio of Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightly. Carey Mulligan totally captured me (and the rest of the world) in An Education last year. And Andrew Garfield was brilliant in the totally underseen 2007 film Boy A. Keira Knightly, on the other hand, is the wild card here. As the biggest "celebrity" among the three she has not really been in this kind of character and dialogue driven quietly powerful film in a while. But perhaps being taken out of that element will prove her as an actual talent... She was pretty good in Atonement, which has a similar subtle thrill to its narrative. I WAS disappointed when I went back and re-watched the trailer after finishing the book. It actually shows the entire plot of the book in the minute and a half that makes it up. But I guess thats the point.... there is very little STORY to this book... its how it gets there, how it tells it, that makes it so good.
And that returns me to my original point in this post... THE BOOK... which was amazing.
The story is a wolf in sheeps clothing.... its science fiction done up in the disguise of an idyllic tale of British Boarding School. And the first person retrospective of the narration perfectly teases the weird into the mundane. Its distinctly British... science fiction without a single computer, alien or flying car.
It is science fiction in its truest form. A novel that comments on the world of today by illustrating what could be with one element changed. The whole Butterfly/Tornado bit. And thats the best kind. It highlights the very basic elements of human nature... and does so beautifully. With amazing descriptive passages, metaphors and mental pictures.
I have to say, it has made me even more excited for the film.... But only because I have seen the one the book put in my mind... the one without Keira Knightleys lemon-sucking face on it... seriously, that girl has the BIGGEST lips on the smallest head. I met her once, I thought sneezing would literally knock her over....
Here, watch the trailer, read the book, see the film:
... the Kubler-Ross Playlist****...
y'know when music ain't just music? when you are living some cheesy teen movie in your head and your music collection becomes the soundtrack to your mini-major drama? I just had me one of those....
The very best thing to come out of it, I can now see, is the on-the-go playlists I created on my ipod. I will spare you the "10 Things I Hate About You" details and just tell you the tunes:
Denial:
Sam Cooke - You Send Me
The Kinks - Strangers
Guster - Center of Attention
Tragically Hip - Long Time Running
James Taylor - Walking Man
Smokey Robinson - Cruisin'
REM - Stand
Loggins and Messina - Same Old Wine
Ratatat - Tacobel Canon
Anger:
Tokyo Police Club - Favourite Food
Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
The Love Language - Heart to Tell
Menomena - Dirty Cartoons
Dashboard Confessional - The End of an Anchor
Phil Collins - That's Just the Way It Is
Vampire Weekend - White Sky
Good Old War - My Own Sinking Ship
Dispatch - Riddle
Bargaining:
Van Morrison - If I Ever Needed Someone
Good Old War - Coney Island
Good Old War - Tell Me
The Kinks - The Contenders
Samantha Crain - The River
Mos Def/DJ Dub - Respiration Remix f.Talib Kwali
The Phoenix Foundation - Buffalo
Hold Steady - The Weekenders
Florence and the Machine - Girl With One Eye
Dr Dog - Jackie Wants a Black Eye
The Gaslight Anthem - We Did It When We Were Young
The Kinks - Got To Be Free
Three Blind Wolves - Hotel
Depression:
Florence and the Machine - You've Got the Love
Lady Gaga - Again Again
Two Hours Traffice - Sure Can Start
Miike Snow - Sans Soleil
Mos Def - Kalifornia
The Beatles - Come Together
Jett Valentine - Outlaws
The Powder Keg - Mariposa
Acceptance:
Sally Seltmann - On The Borderline
Hark The Herons - New Start to Start
Matt Ponds PA - Ruins
Mos Dub - Kampala Truth Work
The Crookes - Backstreet Lovers
Otis Redding - Down in the Valley
Born Ruffians - What to Say
Florence and the Machine - Dog Days are Over
Her Space Holiday - If You Want to Sing Out
The Futureheads - Heartbeat Song
Folded Paper Figures - Invent It All Again
The Hoof and the Heel - Lets Hangout
Otis Redding - Amen
I made a youtube playlist for the whole shebang, which you can find here
**** the Kubler-Ross model is the proper name for the five stages of grief
The very best thing to come out of it, I can now see, is the on-the-go playlists I created on my ipod. I will spare you the "10 Things I Hate About You" details and just tell you the tunes:
Denial:
Sam Cooke - You Send Me
The Kinks - Strangers
Guster - Center of Attention
Tragically Hip - Long Time Running
James Taylor - Walking Man
Smokey Robinson - Cruisin'
REM - Stand
Loggins and Messina - Same Old Wine
Ratatat - Tacobel Canon
Anger:
Tokyo Police Club - Favourite Food
Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
The Love Language - Heart to Tell
Menomena - Dirty Cartoons
Dashboard Confessional - The End of an Anchor
Phil Collins - That's Just the Way It Is
Vampire Weekend - White Sky
Good Old War - My Own Sinking Ship
Dispatch - Riddle
Bargaining:
Van Morrison - If I Ever Needed Someone
Good Old War - Coney Island
Good Old War - Tell Me
The Kinks - The Contenders
Samantha Crain - The River
Mos Def/DJ Dub - Respiration Remix f.Talib Kwali
The Phoenix Foundation - Buffalo
Hold Steady - The Weekenders
Florence and the Machine - Girl With One Eye
Dr Dog - Jackie Wants a Black Eye
The Gaslight Anthem - We Did It When We Were Young
The Kinks - Got To Be Free
Three Blind Wolves - Hotel
Depression:
Florence and the Machine - You've Got the Love
Lady Gaga - Again Again
Two Hours Traffice - Sure Can Start
Miike Snow - Sans Soleil
Mos Def - Kalifornia
The Beatles - Come Together
Jett Valentine - Outlaws
The Powder Keg - Mariposa
Acceptance:
Sally Seltmann - On The Borderline
Hark The Herons - New Start to Start
Matt Ponds PA - Ruins
Mos Dub - Kampala Truth Work
The Crookes - Backstreet Lovers
Otis Redding - Down in the Valley
Born Ruffians - What to Say
Florence and the Machine - Dog Days are Over
Her Space Holiday - If You Want to Sing Out
The Futureheads - Heartbeat Song
Folded Paper Figures - Invent It All Again
The Hoof and the Heel - Lets Hangout
Otis Redding - Amen
I made a youtube playlist for the whole shebang, which you can find here
**** the Kubler-Ross model is the proper name for the five stages of grief
Sunday, June 27, 2010
... manifest....
I had the opportunity to take part in a Wiccan Full Moon Ritual tonite. Totally outside my box. After having participated I can say that, like any organized system of belief, it may not be entirely for me. But I am also happy to say that many aspects and rituals from the ceremony spoke to me. I can see the natural way that life presents itself to me as it unfolds each day in the practices of the wonderful women I met tonite.
As a part of the ritual i had to pull a Goddess card. And I am not embarrassed to say, I owned a pack of these. I fully believe in one's ability to subconsciously direct ones world, and to connect with a larger energy. It the best decription i can give of fate, or better yet, propinquity.
I also fully believe that interpretation is key when it comes to these things. And it is built into the Wiccan belief system. Everything is tied to the way in which you interpret the symbols and to the world around you. It is your energy that affects the world around you. It may sound very "new age", but could anything be more true?
You receive back what you put into the world.
Thus I will not be able to fully explain why drawing Eireen from the deck meant so much to me. Not without admitting much more than I am comfortable sharing with the Internet (or more specifically the random person who is bored enough to have read this random blog this far down). But suffice it to say that it was perfect for me today.... and most days.
Meet Eireen, who represents Peace and Calm:
Goddess Eireen – Peace- There is no need to worry, as everything is working out beautifully. Even though appearances may seem chaotic, I assure you that a higher plan is in action. This all loving power carrying you and supporting you completely.Your gratitude attracts even more blessing into your life.
Even when we feel bogged down by life we have to remember a few things.
One we are all human so we will all experience the human qualities of over thinking, worrying, and analyzing things over and over again. This process is really not helpful, over thinking just leads us to be depressed and then leads us to feel negative and then we bring more of that into our lives.
The second thing to remember is “guess what we are all here to learn, grow, and perfect our souls!” So part of the reason that we go through hardships is to do just that mission that we have all come here to do. I mean how could you perfect your soul if everything always was perfect all the time?? How would you know great joy if you never felt any pain? How would you appreciate and love laughter if you had never shed a tear in sorrow?
Third - yes it is hard to be away from the Source/Goddess/God. When we are away from home that loving bond is very missed. What we have to remember is that, that love is truly all around us, in us and with us, everyday.
Spend some time to day in Gratitude. Look at the positive things you have in your life and let the rest go!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
... G20 insanity....
5:01pm:
has the police presesence (and the cost of the security) been a self-fulfilling prophecy?
... or just a really good idea.
Obviously, we can never know, and generally its probably a little bit of both.
But it is safe to say that the violence and chaos erupting at the Eaton Centre and in the financial district is basic mob mentality and less and less about the issues or democratic free right to speech and political expression.
The problem is that whats happening in Toronto today is not being represented in the news, which is the way the world IS, in fact, watching this unfold.
What they do not see is that there are over 9000 people in the downtown core who have no violent intentions, have only something to say, and a ghost town in which to shout it out.
There is literally no reason to go into the business and financial district today unless you are in some way drawn to the arena which has been created for the G20. I am not sure that all 9000 know what they are saying when they are chanting the slogans such as "Down With the Wall" or "Economic Sovereignty Know" but each one of them is participating in the democratic process while doing so. And its what makes it work.
Unfortunately, just as old as the democratic system are the ways that people in power exploit it, and the lengths that those who feel powerless will go to express that and regain what feels like freedom.
They have ripped up an American Apparel - and given the free chance, who of you wouldnt love to take a shit on Dov Charney (except he'd probably like it)
But the ridiculously idiotic actions of a black bloc have ruined the exact point of the demonstration... and those fucking morons who donned a black mask as a disguise rather than a safety technique. Who enjoy the destruction more than the message. Its these asshats that have necessitated the ridiculous spending on security. Without the ridiculous police presence, fences, crowd control measures, it would be buildings burning, not cars... There is no limit to a mobs capability, except if it is stopped.
Those police are protecting peoples daughters, fathers, brothers, and friends... perhaps yuppies, or capatilists, pigheaded consuming morons with big carbon footprints... but people. You guys are the reason they need to leave Police Cars in the streets to serve as decoys and draw the destructive element, and leave the police some freedom to move on the busloads of bikes i saw being unloaded at the Delta Chelsea earlier this week.
and if you assholes put them in harms way you DO need to be stopped.
The news makes it sound like "Activist" is a dirty word. but you stupid morons with rocks and bricks and lighting fires and throwing feces into broken store windows are making it look like one.
But the rest of you. Those of you with things to say and are willing to stand behind them, no bellaclavas needed. you keep to the streets, you say what you mean, and stay safe.
5:32pm:
this is making me fucking mad... I love this town, and you guys are seriously scratching it up... you small group of morons are making it look dirty and angry and it sucks.
tomorrow the 100 of 25000 protestors in bellaclavas. using masks to commit violence will have left black stains, broken glass and angry cops for the rest of us to deal with.
You call yourself protestors, but you cheapen that term for all the true protestors out on the street, you are the fucking problem... you think you would make a better world? in Ghana or Rwanda or India you would be the warmongers and slumlords.... it makes me sick.
5:37pm:
It happened in Seattle, it happened here. I know it will be fine. We will still be Toronto.
I wonder if Twitter and Facebook will be used to find perpetrators later
5:46pm:
Mayor Miller in a press conference. Last violent protest in Toronto was 15 years ago... and you can find one at least once a week.
He ain't lieing. Toronto has a political assembly on the lawns of Queens Park, Nathan Phillips Square or University Ave at least that often. Political expression is a part of everyday life here. That is one of the only things I thought may make toronto a good site for a G20 summit. There is a knowledge here, a group memory of peaceful protest and freedom of expression.
But Mayor, you have just made yourself look like a moron by saying you learned about the 5-metre rule from the Toronto Star. Its true, Dalton McGinty was like the asshole older brother that didnt tell you he was holding a party when mom and dad were away... but c'mon, you should have been reading his diary or hacking into his email... thats your JOB!
Thats because those required political opinion and actual brain cells.... G20 is like the Michael Moore documentary of a protest... All you need is a general idea of issues (at least a soundbyte or slogan) and a really big anger to enjoy it.
6:14pm:
Police Cruiser out front of Steve's Music on Queen is on fire and fire department cant get anywhere near it... May burn one of the last independently owned business left in the area.... way to go Black Bloc, was that your point?
Your violence is literally making more room for the GAPs and Starbucks of the world to take over...
fucking morons.
Intelligent passerby on CityNews. They are by far the best coverage i've seen. The woman is saying the Black Bloc IS distracting from the peaceful protest. But its hard because they are a product of the very thing that so many are protesting against. The product of a world that is raping its natural resources and selling its soul for power.
6:25pm:
cops showing up at the fire at Steves... should be ok... probably tonnes of smoke damage to hundreds of guitars, pianos, etc... which fucking sucks....
police on the scene... in droves! but its pretty peaceful... looks more like order than oppression, thanks to both the police and the crowd. bravo on that, at least
Mayor Miller yelling at CTV newscasters for trying to misquote him during a live interview broadcast: Priceless!
has the police presesence (and the cost of the security) been a self-fulfilling prophecy?
... or just a really good idea.
Obviously, we can never know, and generally its probably a little bit of both.
But it is safe to say that the violence and chaos erupting at the Eaton Centre and in the financial district is basic mob mentality and less and less about the issues or democratic free right to speech and political expression.
The problem is that whats happening in Toronto today is not being represented in the news, which is the way the world IS, in fact, watching this unfold.
What they do not see is that there are over 9000 people in the downtown core who have no violent intentions, have only something to say, and a ghost town in which to shout it out.
There is literally no reason to go into the business and financial district today unless you are in some way drawn to the arena which has been created for the G20. I am not sure that all 9000 know what they are saying when they are chanting the slogans such as "Down With the Wall" or "Economic Sovereignty Know" but each one of them is participating in the democratic process while doing so. And its what makes it work.
Unfortunately, just as old as the democratic system are the ways that people in power exploit it, and the lengths that those who feel powerless will go to express that and regain what feels like freedom.
They have ripped up an American Apparel - and given the free chance, who of you wouldnt love to take a shit on Dov Charney (except he'd probably like it)
But the ridiculously idiotic actions of a black bloc have ruined the exact point of the demonstration... and those fucking morons who donned a black mask as a disguise rather than a safety technique. Who enjoy the destruction more than the message. Its these asshats that have necessitated the ridiculous spending on security. Without the ridiculous police presence, fences, crowd control measures, it would be buildings burning, not cars... There is no limit to a mobs capability, except if it is stopped.
Those police are protecting peoples daughters, fathers, brothers, and friends... perhaps yuppies, or capatilists, pigheaded consuming morons with big carbon footprints... but people. You guys are the reason they need to leave Police Cars in the streets to serve as decoys and draw the destructive element, and leave the police some freedom to move on the busloads of bikes i saw being unloaded at the Delta Chelsea earlier this week.
and if you assholes put them in harms way you DO need to be stopped.
The news makes it sound like "Activist" is a dirty word. but you stupid morons with rocks and bricks and lighting fires and throwing feces into broken store windows are making it look like one.
But the rest of you. Those of you with things to say and are willing to stand behind them, no bellaclavas needed. you keep to the streets, you say what you mean, and stay safe.
5:32pm:
this is making me fucking mad... I love this town, and you guys are seriously scratching it up... you small group of morons are making it look dirty and angry and it sucks.
tomorrow the 100 of 25000 protestors in bellaclavas. using masks to commit violence will have left black stains, broken glass and angry cops for the rest of us to deal with.
You call yourself protestors, but you cheapen that term for all the true protestors out on the street, you are the fucking problem... you think you would make a better world? in Ghana or Rwanda or India you would be the warmongers and slumlords.... it makes me sick.
5:37pm:
It happened in Seattle, it happened here. I know it will be fine. We will still be Toronto.
I wonder if Twitter and Facebook will be used to find perpetrators later
5:46pm:
Mayor Miller in a press conference. Last violent protest in Toronto was 15 years ago... and you can find one at least once a week.
He ain't lieing. Toronto has a political assembly on the lawns of Queens Park, Nathan Phillips Square or University Ave at least that often. Political expression is a part of everyday life here. That is one of the only things I thought may make toronto a good site for a G20 summit. There is a knowledge here, a group memory of peaceful protest and freedom of expression.
But Mayor, you have just made yourself look like a moron by saying you learned about the 5-metre rule from the Toronto Star. Its true, Dalton McGinty was like the asshole older brother that didnt tell you he was holding a party when mom and dad were away... but c'mon, you should have been reading his diary or hacking into his email... thats your JOB!
Thats because those required political opinion and actual brain cells.... G20 is like the Michael Moore documentary of a protest... All you need is a general idea of issues (at least a soundbyte or slogan) and a really big anger to enjoy it.
6:14pm:
Police Cruiser out front of Steve's Music on Queen is on fire and fire department cant get anywhere near it... May burn one of the last independently owned business left in the area.... way to go Black Bloc, was that your point?
Your violence is literally making more room for the GAPs and Starbucks of the world to take over...
fucking morons.
Intelligent passerby on CityNews. They are by far the best coverage i've seen. The woman is saying the Black Bloc IS distracting from the peaceful protest. But its hard because they are a product of the very thing that so many are protesting against. The product of a world that is raping its natural resources and selling its soul for power.
6:25pm:
cops showing up at the fire at Steves... should be ok... probably tonnes of smoke damage to hundreds of guitars, pianos, etc... which fucking sucks....
police on the scene... in droves! but its pretty peaceful... looks more like order than oppression, thanks to both the police and the crowd. bravo on that, at least
Mayor Miller yelling at CTV newscasters for trying to misquote him during a live interview broadcast: Priceless!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
... word vom....
take the below post for what it is... the utterly pointless ramblings of a Cultural Studies major asked to sum up how her degree applies to the industry which she works in and lives in....
I just saw a commercial for a rerun of the MMVAs with clips from the two-hour live broadcast, and seeing all the biggest stars in pop culture, gathered on the streets of Toronto’s entertainment district. There were a decent amount of Canadians stars on that stage.
… And not the minor Canadian celebrities that MuchMusic has always trotted out in order to reach some kind of CanCon quota. We had Justin Bieber, we had Drake, Hedley, Shenae Gimes…
Don’t get me wrong, I am not defending the talent of these people. I know as much as the next guy that they are all pretty much fluff or drivel, at best. But they are certifiably famous. Famous in the annoying TeenBeat, CW, Perez Hilton kinda way…
Canadians have really entered the world arena... And they have done it as Canadians. The fact that the telecast of this awards rivalled the cheesiest the CW or Nickelodeon could come up with attests to that fact. Except it was distinctly Canadian.
The show is filmed live in the streets of a city that is currently being locked down for an International Political Summit, the G20. And its born of necessity. Toronto has no Kodak theatre. there is just no camera ready venue in Toronto. But that colours the semiotics of the product as much as if it were a conscious decision. But that openness, that inclusion, the agora created by including everyone and anyone that happened on Queen and John on Sunday evening (even though only a moron or a sadist would have approached it without a backstage pass) is the exact thing that you are seeing at the Grammys, the MTV Movie Awards, and the Oscars. Call it the influence of the internet. Call it the inevitable and long-awaited democracy and equality that has been growing for years. But the world is ready to see itself, in all its weird and varied, disparate and beautiful glory.
All the stars up on those stages are moving further and further away from the stick thin or big muscled empty vessel that characterized the 1990s. We want to see some PERSONALITY (even if it is in whitewashed and measured doses... so as not to scare the white bread). We want our Kate Perry's, our GaGa's , our Miley "cant be tamed" Cyrus... We want the people we put at the middle of our lives stories to be whoever the hell they are... just like we want to be, and still believe that we can be the star of our own story.
And thats what the MMVAs delivered. For the people, Of the people.
And thats what the MMVAs delivered. For the people, Of the people.
In short, Muchmusic, the most Canadian broadcaster i can think of that is not run by the Government, nailed it.
But they had help from popular opinion. Its kind of just our time to shine, the “celebrity” is more and more closely resembling the Archetype of the Canadian Hero. a misfit that has been developed over centuries of film, tv, books and theatre in the “other” North American country.
This particular idea, of the Canadian as a deviant antihero, is a theory I have been compiling for the better part of a decade. The Canadian Hero has always jumped out at me as being defined only as being the “other”. He’s an antihero. She’s quirky, he’s dark, she’s a deviant.
Being located just to North of the 49th parallel has given this country a complex, to be sure. Since the dawn of the TV age, and through the rise of Cinema, The USA has been the frontrunner on the world stage. And not just on the screen. They have led the way in arenas of business, politics, military, and definitely cultural production. And Canada has always lived on the edges of that bright shining spotlight.
We are the nice next door neighbour, the reliable, slightly dumpy yet utterly lovable cousin. we are the black sheep of the family.
Canadians are almost American, but not quite. And our National Identity has been built in defining the ways we are Not with a capital N. Not Republican, Not Warmongers, Not Mainstream, Not Closeminded. We are defined by the paradigm that surrounds the American Patriot.
However, in a post-911, post-Bush, post-Guantanamo, post-Economic Crash world it is just that person, the NOTS, that are being celebrated and pushed into the worlds eyes as heros and role models.
It is the deviants, the creative’s, the open-minded, open-armed friends of the world that we need at the forefront, and the US Cultural Machine has a ready pool of talent to draw from.
Its been building slowly since the fall of Bush and the rise of the Yes We Can ObamaNation. Popular Culture wants a leader that is Not everything they have had. an antonym to the last decade.
and we, as a nation, have been studying them carefully for a century. We mimic their products, their customs, their costumes, but just NOT QUITE. We are the Other.
And the world needs a little Other right now.
Hurray for the Other.
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