4 13 2016 june 23 web by City Media

FREE arts — news — attitude

23 JUNE — 06 juLY 2016 4.13

hermaneutics

The Man Who Understood Dickens by

Herman Goodden

The

English-speaking world celebrated the bicentennial of Charles Dickens’ birth a few years ago, according him accolades second only to William Shakespeare for sheer fecundity in the service of literary genius. Not so widely acknowledged at that time was the impact of the great Catholic writer and apologist, G.K. Chesterton (1874-

www.londonyodeller.ca Publisher Bruce Monck bruce@londonyodeller.ca Editor Herman Goodden editor@londonyodeller.ca Layout Kirtley Jarvis EVENTS Alysha Monck info@londonyodeller.ca Contributors Paula Adamick / Ciara Allen Susan Cassan / Dave Clarke Joseph Couture / Shane Delear Nida Home Doherty Adam Corrigan Holowitz Andrew Lawton / Menno Meijer Robert Pegg /Jason Rip Jeffrey Schiller / Sean Twist David Warren / Barry Wells

Advertising & Marketing Brenda Strand brenda@londonyodeller.ca City Media yodeller@citymedia.ca

Front cover MARCY SADDY: LUNCH TABLE Drywall compound, Acrylic, 30”x40” [detail] On view at The ApARTment in the Westland Gallery www.westlandgallery.ca

2 the london yodeller

06.23.16

1936) in framing our understanding of Dickens. Chesterton’s acclaimed biography of Charles Dickens was published in 1906 when Chesterton was 32 years old, and had already tackled biographies of the Victorian allegorical painter, G.F. Watts and the poet, Robert Browning. Most recently he had published Heretics, a book-length ethical and philosophical dispute with most of the influential writers of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods. Notable among the few literary heavyweights he did not do battle with in that splendidly vituperative tome was Charles Dickens. Today a literary ‘biography’ will usually include a fair amount of material recounting its subject’s life. This was not the tradition in 1906 when a life’s story would be very lightly sketched and most attention would be paid to a writer’s books. It might be closer to the mark to call Chesterton’s book a ‘critical study’ though even that term would mislead, suggesting as it does a level of objective detachment which the ever-exuberant Chesterton never wielded in any of his writing. It might be truest to call it a ‘celebration.’ The value of all of Chesterton’s biographies and particularly his Dickens wasn’t so much their biographical veracity – the strokes were much too broad and even reckless for that – as their author’s uncanny ability to isolate and magnify the important truths about their subjects’ writing and thinking that no one had ever latched onto before. Significantly, in his own massive biography of Dickens from 1990, today’s undisputed Dickens expert, Peter Ackroyd, tips his hat to Chesterton not as a biographical precursor of importance but as “Dickens’ best critic”. Early on in the book – and writing at a time when not so much was known about Dickens’ appalling treatment of his wife nor the tetchiness of his relations with his publishers and professional colleagues – Chesterton latches onto a situation from Dickens’ infancy and makes it serve as a kind of template for his entire life and career. Commenting on how Dickens’ father used to get the boy to sing songs and provide entertainment for his elders, Chesterton writes: “Some of the earliest glimpses we have of Charles Dickens show him to us perched on some chair or table singing comic songs in an atmosphere of perpetual applause. So, almost as soon

as he can toddle, he steps into the glare of the footlights. He never stepped out of it until he died . . . Dickens had all his life the faults of the little boy who is kept up too late at night. The boy in such a case exhibits a psychological paradox; he is a little too irritable because he is a little too happy. Like the over-wrought child in society, he was splendidly sociable, and yet suddenly quarrelsome. In all the practical

G.K. Chesterton’s introductions to all of Charles Dickens’ works were collected into one volume.

relations of his life he was what the child is in the last hours of an evening party, genuinely delighted, genuinely delightful, genuinely affectionate and happy, and yet in some strange way fundamentally exasperated and dangerously close to tears.”

hesterton’s book on Dickens appeared 36 years after his subject’s death in 1870 at the age of 58, so the gap between their lifetimes was not unfathomably large. It would be like someone writing today about J.R.R. Tolkien or P.G. Wodehouse. Though Chesterton was born four years after Dickens’ death, in most ways, they occupied the same world. Chesterton wrote at a time when Dickens wasn’t neglected – uniquely there has never been a period of popular eclipse for Dickens – but he wasn’t yet regarded as a ‘classic’ either. The cultural overlords of the time tended to sneer at Dickens in much the same way as today’s academic and critical writers reflexively dismiss any novelist who cranks out bestsellers a little too quickly. In the years between Dickens’ death and the appear-

ance of Chesterton’s book, the literary fashions of ‘realism’ and ‘expressionism,’ led to criticism that Dickens’ worldview as reflected in his writing was un-lifelike, that the perils his characters faced were exaggerated and their outcomes were overly optimistic. Chesterton argued that of course Dickens exaggerated but like any selfrespecting artist he only did so, “when he found a truth to exaggerate. It is a deadly error (an error at the back of much of the false placidity of our politics) to suppose that lies are told with excess and luxuriance, and truths told with modesty and restraint. Some of the most frantic lies on the face of life are told with modesty and restraint; for the simple reason that only modesty and restraint will save them . . . Truth alone can be exaggerated; nothing else can stand the strain.” Chesterton also makes the salient point that “this too easily contented Dickens . . . this happy dreamer, this vulgar optimist . . . alone of modern writers did really destroy some of the wrongs he hated and bring about some of the reforms he desired. Dickens did help to pull down the debtors’ prisons . . . Dickens did leave his mark on Parochialism, on nursing, on funerals, on public executions, on workhouses, on the Court of Chancery. These things were altered; they are different . . . If Dickens was an optimist he was an uncommonly active and useful kind of optimist.” Chesterton saw that Dickens achieved a rare and mystical balance in his books that is the key to awakening a drive for social reform. “If we are to save the oppressed, we must have two apparently antagonistic emotions in us at the same time. We must think the oppressed man intensely miserable, and at the same time intensely attractive and important. We must insist with violence upon his degradation; we must insist with the same violence upon his dignity. For if we relax by one inch the one assertion, men will say he does not need saving. And if we relax by one inch the other assertion, men will say he is not worth saving.” Chesterton’s biography of Dickens was an enormous commercial and critical success which, one typical review of the time said, “marks the definite entry of its author into the serious walks of literature.” The book not only established Chesterton; it re-established Dickens on a higher plateau as marked by the publication the very next year of the Everyman editions of Dickens’ entire oeuvre, with specially commissioned introductions by Chesterton to all two dozen volumes.

02 HERMANEUTICS

Herman Goodden — G.K. Chesterton had a lot to do with securing Charles Dickens’ place in the pantheon of English letters LAYING DOWN THE LAWTON Andrew Lawton — What were they thinking? The Matt and Mo Debacle in all of its cringeworthy glory

PEGG’S WORLD Bob Pegg — A Canada Day special celebrating another Canadian you’ve never heard of – Ken Leishman, the Flying Bandit ORLANDO: TWO PERSPECTIVES David Warren and Joseph Couture — Two unorthodox perspectives on the worst massacre in American history

DAPPLED THINGS Paula Adamick — Should Britain stay in the EU or back away? A look at what’s at stake on the eve of the Brexit referendum

ESSAYS IN IDLENESS David Warren — Is it a divine or subversive impulse when we strive to make something better than it has to be? BOOK CULTURE Susan Cassan — A new book provides that ‘sober second thought’ regarding assisted suicide that our Senate is neglecting

THEN PLAY ON Dave Clarke — Around Town: Steel Panther at the London Music Hall / Dave’s Jukebox: The Girl Group Sound Canadian Style / Mondo Phono: William Truckaway’s Breakaway / Shortlisted: Five Bands Inspired by Kids’ TV Shows

GOOD FOOD FIRST GOOD FOOD GOOD FOOD FIRST FIRST At Plant Matter Kitchen good meals is what we are all At Plant Kitchen good Meals meals that is what are all about. MealsMatter that are delicious. arewe memorable. about. Meals that are delicious. Meals that are memorable. At Plant whatalso we happen are all Meals thatMatter makeKitchen you feelgood good.meals Mealsisthat MealsMeals that make you feel good. Meals thatarealsomemorable. happen about. that delicious. that to beare organic, local,Meals and vegan. to be you organic, local,Meals and vegan. Meals that make feel good. that also happen Adopting plant-based to bea whole organic,food, local, and vegan.focus, Adopting a whole food,vegan plant-based focus,blending Plant Matter Kitchen creates fusion meals Plant Matter Kitchen creates vegan fusion meals Adopting a wholewith food,a plant-based focus,blending global flavours local conscience. global flavours with a local conscience. Plant Matter Kitchen creates vegan fusion meals blending Delicious theconscience. heart of global flavoursfood with ainlocal

Delicious food London in the heart of Wortley Village, Ontario. Delicious food in the heart of Wortley Village, London Ontario. 162 Wortley Road, London Wortley Village, London Ontario.

162 Wortley Road, London plantmatterkitchen.com 519.660.3663 162 Wortley Road, London plantmatterkitchen.com 519.660.3663 plantmatterkitchen.com 519.660.3663

16 SUNFEST

Bruck Monck — A behind the scenes talk with Alfredo Caxaj about the beginnings and shining future of Sunfest FOREST CITY FOLK Menno Meijer — The Elmwood Lawn Bowling Club celebrates 105 years of community and sport

YODELLING IN THE CANYON Barry Wells — An interview with Stelton Hercules Ron prior to his third London gig PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS Jeffrey Schiller — The dining room lives up to the distinguished building and glorious locale of Ingersoll’s Elm Hurst Inn

ALL THAT I SURVEY Joseph Couture — Justin Trudeau is taking his sweet time legalizing pot and in the meantime it isn’t equally illegal for everyone HANGOVER HELPER Shane Delear — Of all the activities rendered more difficult by a hangover, perhaps shopping is the worst

LOOK AT THIS Nida Home Doherty — Erica Dornbusch at the Westland finds new ways to see that elevate our sense of being UNCLE BRUCE Advice Column — A handy guide to London’s mayoral scandals of the past 20 years. And the winner is . . . THEATRE SPACE Adam Corrigan Holowitz —15 year’s later, Don Fleckser once again directs Conor McPherson’s The Weir at The Palace Theatre’s Procunier Hall

30 RIPLASH

Jason Rip — When the anxieties outrun the rewards, it’s time to put away the greasepaint and step out of the spotlight

SOUNDS RAZOR Sean Twist — Two not terribly angelic angels killing time as they stand sentry outside the gates of Limbo

EVENTS LISTINGS

DISPATCHES FROM DYSTOPIA Ciara Allen — An aspiring poet decides it’s everybody else’s turn to suffer for her art

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 3

e d i t o r @ l o ndo ny o del le r. c a HERE’S A FIRST: UNCLE BRUCE ACCUSED OF SUBTLETY [Re: Advice by Uncle Bruce, May 26, Uncle Bruce] Your

4 the london yodeller

06.23.16

response to “Wants to Support the Core” left me baffled. “Wants to Support the Core” wanted to know if there were any solid indications of improvement on the horizon for our downtown. Was your tongue planted firmly in your cheek when you quoted an article about the Pillar Nonprofit network? Don’t you think that Londoners need to take a long hard look at the Centre for Social Innovation & the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, another so-called non-profit organization and social enterprise hub, in order to get a handle on Pillar and its new ‘Innovation Works”? You remember MaRS .… that brilliant enterprise that has been sucking the financial life out of us for the last decade? Do you think that perhaps we should all contact our city councillors and ask them where all their newly created jobs are? They like to boast about job creation but they always fail to mention that the only new jobs in their Progressive job creation plan are paid for by taxpayers and they can only be found in the non-profit / social enterprise hubs (aka shadow public service). Yes, the new ‘Social Innovation’ hubs like Pillar are all the rage right now and they sound so positive with all of their focus being on fairness, inclusivity and let’s not forget saving the planet as we transition towards our new world order. But who are the real winners within this new job creation plan? They would be

those at the top of these organizations and their big left wing funders. And the icing on the cake for them (and nail in the coffin for us) is that all new ‘enterprises’ and ‘infrastructure’ projects will come with legally binding ‘community benefit agreements’ attached. The legal, financial (and other) obligations to uphold the agreements, being the responsibility of present and future taxpayers of course. And those private sector jobs, forget about it! — P. J. Dickinson

[Dear PJD — My apologies if my tone was too subtle. I share your exasperation completely. — Uncle Bruce]

DEATH AIN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE [Re: The Decline and Fall of Death, Hermaneutics, June 9, Herman Goodden] Just read

your article in The London Yodeller, The Decline and Fall of Death. Interesting read, thought provoking. Thank you. Sadly, next up is an APP so gatherings for a Celebration of Life will only need family & friends ” or to hit a “Like or symbol and skip taking the time to write of a fond memory. — Henry

SLAG THE PERFORMANCE IF YOU MUST — BUT THE AUDIENCE? [Re: Wherefore art thou, Stratford? Theatre Review, June 9, Ian Hunter] What exactly

is being reviewed here?

It was strange enough to sit through such a wacky, although occasionally humorous, performance of As You Like It at Stratford, but to be insulted by a reviewer who referred to the audience which included myself and my friends as “Mindless old Saps” is taking the art of reviewing too far. — Regards, Lynda Curnoe

A GREAT LITTLE PAPER YOU CAN ARGUE WITH

[Re: The all-round splendor of our May 26th issue] I have to com-

ment on three articles in the fabulous May 26th edition of The Yodeller. The article, PUBLIC WASHROOMS

— The Holy Grail of Self Actualization was a superb read.

Only Herman Goodden could write such an impressive piece of literature about bathrooms. I suggest that establishments build a wall of washroom cubicles including one that is wheelchair accessible. Inside each cubical should be a self-sanitizing stainless steel toilet and urinal, a sink with no-touch taps and an automatic soap dispenser, a hand dryer and a hygiene product dispenser but no mirrors. One of the cubicles should be designated for families – no more dormitory style washrooms. Andrew Lawton’s article, City says we want

development downtown – and then impedes it, is one that I

cannot totally agree with. I get the sense that in Lawton’s world, there would be no architectural gems. I agree that sometimes it is just an old building with no redeeming features but sometimes it is a gem that has deliberately been left to rot and the city needs to do something about that scenario. I’ve seen buildings re-fitted and modernized with

facades saved as witnessed by the Roundhouse on Waterloo St. and the Budweiser Centre; although the New York Public Library is my favourite. One such project that should be saved is the scheduled demolition of Victorian houses on Talbot St. You can build a great city while preserving its architectural gems, it’s a matter of knowing which ones to let go. If we leave it up to the developers, whose only goal is profit while providing no green space or noteworthy architecture, we will not achieve our goal of a vibrant downtown because nobody will come to see glass boxes. One such place that is worthy of saving is St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Cathedral has started Project Jericho to raise over a million dollars because the roof of the Cathedral requires urgent repairs, not only to keep the roof overhead, but to protect irreplaceable historic items and works of art. And here, Mr. Lawton, is why St. Paul’s should be saved. It is the oldest church in London, built in 1834. It is architecturally significant and does an enormous amount of outreach – feeding and clothing the poor and administering to their needs. St. Paul’s is a London landmark and an integral part of the City’s history. The church is the Garrison Church for the 4th Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment and caretakers of the Military Colours of several former London regiments. The Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Board erected a plaque on the Cathedral’s front lawn in 1969, acknowledging its history. The experts say that the roof will not survive another winter and so as a citizen at large, I take this opportunity to ask, if anyone can make a donation, no matter how small, please do so. All donations will be most gratefully received. St. Paul’s Cathedral 472 Richmond St., London ON N6A 3E6 519-434-3225 st.pauls@stpaulscathedral.onca

Donations can be made on line. I agree with Lawton that London has a long way to go to attract business so that people have a reason to go downtown.

Lawton goes on to mention the parking and transit situation in the core. My sense is that if the city spent the money to provide financial incentives for businesses to move downtown and restore our architectural heritage, instead of spending it on rapid transit, it would provide far greater and longer lasting rewards. As for the traffic situation, as Mr. Paul Cheng once stated, if we don’t do something about the trains we’ll never have rapid transit. Lastly, David Warren’s article, Creative Destruction (which could have been the title of Lawton’s article) was gripping to say the least; particularly when he suggested that if you are a capitalist, you are Godless – I won’t even try to defend that ridiculous notion. Warren describes the evil done by Mao Zedong to China and its people. I was well aware of how evil and demented Mao was, particularly after reading, Mao the Unwritten Story by Jung Chang – it was both riveting and disturbing. I have yet to decide who was the most evil, Hitler or Mao. Wicked and sinful as they both were, Warren says that Mao’s murder of tens of millions of human souls was of tremendous value to the planet and that the Revolution was the most sustained for the cause of progress. I had to read that part three times. But the kicker was when Warren said, “Creative destruction” is at the heart of modern capitalism too”. I have to deduce that Warren enjoys none of the niceties that come with living in a capitalist society like the right to own property, invest in business or have ownership of your income or how you earn it. Warren appears to abhor the right of private individuals or corporations to control their own destiny. I suppose he embraces socialism which is simply communism light. I really wish people like Warren would go and live in a socialist country where everything is state-owned and controlled. Capitalism may not be perfect but it is a hell of a lot better than what Warren seems to cherish.

NOT SO QUICKLY THERE, BUB [Re: A Letter to the Editor from ‘Edward’ in our last issue regarding Paula Adamick’s March 17 column, The Road to Genteel Suicide] In response to your Letter

to the Editor on euthanasia – aka assisted dying – I have indeed spoken to several physicians on this very question, albeit conversationally. Unlike you, however, not one of them demonstrated the faith in their fellow man you appear to have. Particularly when they are involved in extreme circumstances with a patient. And this is why they depend on the law to protect them, rather than compel them

to act against their conscience. In fact, two of them are expecting the excesses of European death delivery to occur here in Canada at a faster rate than is already happening in Europe. And for the simple reason that they have even less faith in their government than they do in their neighbours who they say demonstrate precisely the same superficial, media-driven, thinking they worry about, along with all the bureaucratic and cultural pressure and shallowness that comes with it. In the end, despite all the flowery language, what we’re really talking about is the wilful

killing of a human being, however difficult his/her physical or psychological condition. And the reason for citing Weimar Germany is because this was ground zero for where and how the euthanasia movement transitioned from the ideological to the practical in the 20th century. But because this all seems so remote now, you may imagine that human nature has changed. It has not, particularly when difficult social and economic pressures are applied. So while your confidence in your fellow man may be admirable, it would also be wise to pray that it is never seriously tested. — Paula Adamick

— Sandra Barker

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 5

la yi ng dow n t h e l a w t on

The Matt and Mo Debacle by

Andrew Lawton

anadians are so afraid of being seen as judgmental that sex scandals appear to lack the potency they yield in other parts of the world – especially with our neighbours south of the border. When former United States president Bill Clinton finally, in 1998, announced his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, it spawned months of hearings and decades of jokes. Former New York congressman Anthony Weiner’s pastime of sexting women he met online warranted a resignation as he sought rehab for sex addiction. In Canada, people shrug their shoulders at best, or simply turn away in disgust, when politics and sex intersect. Indeed, some Canadians are downright congratulatory in the wake of political sex scandals, apparently pleased that politicians are embracing a healthy sexuality, or some nonsense like that. Now in

6 the london yodeller

06.23.16

London, we have our city’s first real sex scandal, which only minutes after the news broke had people rushing to defend one or both of the parties involved, or at least demand privacy for them. Mayor Matt Brown admitted to a months-long affair with now-former deputy mayor Maureen Cassidy, who said only that she had a “brief” relationship that “crossed a professional boundary.” Brown took an indefinite leave of absence from his mayoral post, while Cassidy resigned as deputy and remained on a leave of absence from council, a decision she made a week prior, citing only personal issues. Both were set to receive their full salaries while on adultery leave until public outrage persuaded first Cassidy, then Brown to forego payment for the duration of their leaves. In less high profile situations than theirs, one wonders if the ‘mess-around-thentake-a-vacation’ perk will catch on as a supplement to maternity and paternity leaves in the public sector. Brown made the admission to my AM980 colleague, Craig Needles, during a pre-recorded interview on Tuesday, June 14th. It was hours later that Cassidy decided to publicly admit the reason for her resignation. Though I can’t be sure of what prompted her confession, it’s worth noting that Needles had been unsuccessfully attempting to reach her for several days to solicit comment from her on the affair. Both Brown and Cassidy blamed their high-stress jobs and close working relationship for their lapses in judgment and inhibitions. “Over the past many months, during a period of intense workload, I developed a close working relationship and ultimately an inappropriate personal relationship with Deputy Mayor Maureen Cassidy, for a brief period of time,” said Brown. “Over the past year and a half, my work as deputy mayor involved long hours working closely with the mayor under conditions that were frequently extremely stressful,” read Cassidy. “Over time, we developed a very close and highly productive working relationship. Unfortunately, the relationship between the mayor and me, for a brief period of time, crossed a professional boundary.”

Both Mayor Matt Brown and now-former deputy mayor Maureen Cassidy were set to receive their full salaries while on adultery leave, until public outrage persuaded first Cassidy, then Brown to forego payment for the duration of their leaves. It appears as though the same speechwriter is still bridging the gap between the pair, who, according to Brown, are no longer an item. Brown’s wife, Andrea, released a statement saying she was “furious,” “angry,” and “very hurt,” when she found out about the affair, but said she is “committed to this marriage” and expressed her hope of rebuilding their trust. Brown’s refusal to immediately resign suggests that he’s not particularly interested in regaining and rebuilding the trust of Londoners.

Let

us not forget how two years ago, he championed himself as the voice of change – the man to restore integrity to city hall with his one term of experience on council and ‘family man’ credentials. It was a little over two years ago when Brown claimed moral superiority to his predecessors in the mayoral race. “It should be a given that elected officials have integrity,” he said, saying public officials need to “model behavior that makes us confident, that makes us proud, that makes us hopeful, and that sets a good example for our children.” That same month, he pledged to “restore confidence” in the office of mayor, as a response to “negative stories” and “so many scandals.” “(As) elected officials, it’s our obligation to maintain that trust,” he vowed. It’s only now that we realize how little vows mean to Brown. Admittedly, though I was dissatisfied with his tendency to screw taxpayers during his time in office, I was surprised – and saddened – that he decided to treat

a colleague the same way. Brown and Cassidy are both to blame for their personal embarrassment and that which they have inflicted upon their families. I hope, for those families’ sakes, that resolutions are possible. In Brown’s remarks, he did not apologize to Londoners, nor to Cassidy’s family. To Cassidy’s credit, her genuinely tearful apology cited her regret based more on the impact her actions have had on others, rather than herself. Even so, Cassidy has been painted in much of the public discourse of the situation as the victim. I saw one women’s rights activist make a teacher-student comparison, accusing Brown of leveraging his position to boink the poor, innocent deputy mayor. It takes two to tango: neither is a victim of anything but their own decisions. As a Londoner, I expect them both to leave office permanently, if they are at all serious about moving forward. Brown often speaks about London being a global city, and a competitive one, too. He didn’t deny a question from my colleague, Needles, about whether the “inappropriate” relationship ever manifested itself while the two were elsewhere in the country representing London. Perhaps the mayor and deputy mayor shagging puts us on par with Amsterdam in the running for ‘Best Party Cities of 2016,’ but I feel there are higher aspirations to which we can strive. Brown insists that he is turning over a new leaf. If he wants to be taken seriously, he’ll do that as a private citizen, rather than a lying and cheating mayor.

Pe g g ’s wo r l d

The Flying Bandit – Ever HearD of Him? by

Robert Pegg

his is the Canada Day issue of the Yodeller which means it’s time for the annual look at another largely forgotten yet iconic Canadian. This year it is Ken Leishman a.k.a. the ‘Flying Bandit’ who became a household name for a brief period due to some impressive bank robberies and prison escapes back in the late 1950s and early 60s. The smooth-talking small-time thief and traveling salesman from Winnipeg convicted twice for armed robbery, made national headlines by pulling off the largest gold heist in Canadian history and escaping from jail after his arrest, stealing a plane and flying over the American border before being captured in a shootout. But you know what? The long-married Leishman was never unfaithful or banged another man’s wife. And believe me, given his considerable charm, if he wanted to, he could have. Plenty. Ken was a small town boy from the rural areas outside Winnipeg and had a miserable childhood full of poverty and neglect. He didn’t last long in the school system and his future looked like one of low-paying dead-end jobs. But he was a big talker and a dreamer and found a natural source of income as a salesman. At one point, he was selling cookware by renting a small plane and flying from farm to farm in rural Manitoba. Sadly, his dreams were bigger than his mental and financial resources and Ken was forever getting in trouble by trying to come up with quick money the easiest way possible. The first time he did jail time was right after his wedding when all the furniture he had stolen from a warehouse where he worked was taken away from his new bride – along with her husband. But even when in jail not even once did Leishman consider having an affair with another inmate and then blame it on “stress” or an “intense workload” in the penitentiary’s license-plate making shop.

One of Leishman’s grand schemes actually had possibilities. He planned to open a hunting and fishing lodge on a lake so far north that the millionaire American customers who enjoy such activities would have to be flown in because there was no other access. It’s a good idea and a proven success in other people’s hands as can be seen in almost any episode of the Red Fisher Show. So it can be done. Just not by someone as inept as Ken who was quickly in debt after buying the property and flying up a bunch of lumber for a lodge he could never raise the money to build. Desperate, he cooked up the scheme to rob a bank. And it was so simple in design, it actually worked. All it called for was nerve, fast-talk and dumb luck. One morning in ’57, he took an Air Canada flight from Winnipeg to Toronto and was back home for supper $10,000 richer. Of course, when he followed the exact same script three months later he was caught. Ken manned up. He pled guilty. Again, he didn’t make any lame excuses for his lack of character or lapsed morals and he paid his debt to society. And for a number of years he went straight. But like most people who end up on the wrong side of the law, Ken was basically lazy and would rather get something for free than work for it and that’s when he came up with the idea of stealing a gold shipment from Red Lake in northern Ontario when it arrived at the Winnipeg airport. It was a brilliant plan and went off without a hitch. The problem was that just like everything Ken did, the idea was solid but the follow-up was riddled with lack of planning and incompetence. He had to hire some accomplices and the result was like something out of Fargo. After he had the gold, he had no idea what to do with it. So he put it in a friend’s freezer telling the guy’s mother that it was moose meat. But that’s about all I really want to say about it right now, to tell you the truth. I am writing this two days after the sex scandal in our Mayor’s office

His dreams were bigger than his mental and financial resources and Ken Leishman was forever getting in trouble trying to come up with quick money and quite frankly, I’m still a bit upset. I could go on and talk about how Ken’s story has more in common with the American Dream than anything Canadian but I imagine you can figure all that out for yourself. I could talk about how if any of this happened to a good ol’ boy from the American south or mid-west that Hollywood would have made a movie celebrating him as a folk hero years ago. The Flying Bandit – well, we tried to mythologize the man up here too but still he’s largely forgotten today. But you already knew

that because you’ve never heard of the guy, right? Afterwards, Ken and his longsuffering wife moved to Red Lake – the town where the gold he had stolen had originated. But the town forgave and embraced him. He became a member of the Chamber of Commerce and even deputy mayor. Ken still owned a plane and flew ‘mercy’ flights taking sick people from remote reservations to the closest hospital. His plane disappeared during one such flight and his body was never recovered. I don’t know if London is as capable as Red Lake of forgiving someone after they make a very public mistake(s) and embarrass the town – and everyone they know on a national level. The only talk I hear these days about our mayor and deputy mayor and the problems caused by their intense heavy workload is self-righteous indignation and judgmental outrage. That’s a normal initial response. What I don’t like is when it remains nothing but gloating by people rubbing their hands together with unrestrained glee. Any person who gets joy from someone else’s misfortune is about as morally bankrupt as the adulterers they mock. Think about that as you read the opinion columns in our local press and listen to the on-air radio pundits. And a Happy Canada Day to you and yours.

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 7

ORLANDO — Two Perspectives Legislators Should Not Take their Cues from the Criminally Insane by

David Warren

8 the london yodeller

06.23.16

here have been so many “sensitive” responses to the nightclub massacre in Orlando that I should like to add an insensitive one, for the sake of variety. I note that the pundits — and every amateur politician is a talking head these days — divide roughly along party lines on whether the shooter was an Islamic fanatic, or a generic madman. This strikes me as a “both/and” proposition, rather than an “either/or.” Yes, Florida gun laws seem a bit lax, perhaps they should be tightened. But then I held this opinion before the massacre, keeping it to myself only because it was none of my business. Perhaps I am overCanadian, for I tend to think the open sale of battlefield weapons such as the semi-automatic assault rifle this Omar Mateen was carrying, a little over-thetop. I presume that, “even in America,” the citizen’s right to bear arms does not extend to, say, nuclear weapons. Reasonable men might decide upon some reasonable limits; but between the current spokesmen for the respective political parties, I do not detect much reasonable manliness; only a propensity to grandstanding. On the other hand, should we look beyond the glare of publicity, we will find that the proportion of gun deaths attributable to these rather theatrical weapons is small. To a mind like mine, the case is not urgent; but then to a mind like mine, such questions should be dealt with both in and out of season, and better out of season when cool heads may prevail. But this is a characteristic foible of the current

political order: that “urgent” matters take up so much time and space in our media-collectivized consciousness, that “important” ones are wontedly deferred. My own prediction is, that like other shocking public events, this one will fade. The Democritters will make as much hay as they can, while it lasts in the news, but will then “move on” as their saying goes. The Republicants will

Murder has never been an expression of affection. We have enough crimes already, without inventing redundant ones in accord with the latest fashions

spleen then forget as usual. Both would need a slaughter daily at three o’clock to keep it up. But then, as with London and the Luftwaffe, the violence itself becomes a source more of tedium and inconvenience, than real anger. The grief, once publicly expressed, is privatized. People could remain calm about it, so long as the RAF were gravelling Germany, in reply. “Let us be clear,” as the Obama loves to say, in his station as talking-head-in-chief. Grand displays of public grieving are invariably fraudulent. Those who knew none of the victims are faking it. Those who encourage them are morally disordered. As a customary principle of politics, whether “electoral” or “appointive,” I think it unwise to adjust legislation, or offer to adjust it, in response to behaviour by the criminally insane. This confers too much power

on them. Verily, it is a mark of our present social condition that “reforms” are guided more and more by the hardest and strangest cases. (Dare I mention the word, “trans”? Was there really a continuing national crisis in the designation of toilet facilities?) In classical Western jurisprudence, it is considered wrong to murder people, even one at a time, in a nightclub or elsewhere. This holds regardless what kind of nightclub it is, and would apply even if the nightclub were illegal. In Shariah, as currently interpreted by Jihadis, the case is more complicated, but I do not think we should vex our minds with it. I cannot think of any omission in Western law that would make nightclub massacres acceptable; or would make any other venue for murder exceptional to the general rule. The need for new law would thus be zero. The need, specifically, for new “hate laws” is zero, at most. Murder has never been an expression of affection, to any individual or group; specific hatreds have always been considered in the interpretation of motives. We have enough crimes already, without inventing redundant ones in accord with the latest fashions. The intention behind them is never exemplary of mental and moral hygiene. Which points again to the deeper “problematic” (one tires of the misuse of this word) in politics as practised today. We not only legislate in response to the transient behaviour of the criminally insane. Worse, our legislators, though arguably sane to start with, get in the habit of indulging insanity, even within themselves.

Two Perspectives — ORLANDO The Worst Case Ever of “I told you so” by Joseph

Couture

his is the worst ‘I told you so’ ever. I take no pleasure in saying you should have listened to me. A couple of weeks ago, I said in these pages that despite all the progress gays have made, the average gay man is a bloody car accident. More often than not, he is still a closeted, self-loathing pussy. Why am I saying this again? Because 49 people are dead and I would bet my last dollar that one train wreck of a homosexual is responsible. Everyone on the planet knows that some whack job walked into a gay bar in Orlando and slaughtered as many people as he could, supposedly swearing allegiance to ISIS as he did it. Everybody and his brother, especially Donald Trump was quick to say, “See, Islamic terrorists are under every bed. We must kill them all!” But as the oldest living fruit on Earth, I can tell you one thing for certain: the most homophobic men in the galaxy are closeted gays. I would say this as a matter of course, but in this case it’s a bit more than a gut feeling. One tiny paragraph in all the coverage (so far) mentioned that a male co-worker of the killer had to quit his job because the guy was stalking him. Apparently, he would send him dozens of texts and call him repeatedly every day. It got so bad, the man ran as far away from him as he could. Now how many reasons for that could there be? Did he owe him money? Was he his drug dealer? Was he bored and lonely? Nope. He was obsessed. Obsessed in the only

kind of messed up way that a person who would execute 50 people simply because he saw two men kissing in front of him would be. As details continue to emerge, we now hear that the guy was a regular at the gay club. He had been there as many as a dozen times, usually pissed drunk. No doubt he had seen a lot of men kissing, and probably more. One patron told a news outlet he was even asked out on a date by the man. More evidence?

I’m telling you, this guy was a screwed up closet case

He’s described as a “body builder.” Where do you go if you want to stare at and take showers with a bunch of fit naked men? A body building gym. I’m telling you, this guy was a screwed up closet case. It is convenient and fun to scream “terrorist, terrorist,” but this is much more banal than that. This is a man who grew up in a country that is sending mixed messages. On the one hand, there seems to be homosexuals on every TV show out there. Yet at the same time, we’re all losing our shit over dudes (kinda) in the women’s washroom. America is the home of the brave and the land of the loon. That’s why those people are dead. It seems like people couldn’t wait to pile up on me to say I was wrong for suggesting it isn’t much better for the average Canadian homo. In the sweetest way possible, even my one and only fan Sandra (who writes me faithfully every article) said she was baffled by my sugges-

tion that there seems to be an inverse relationship between how much acceptance we have in the larger community and how much we accept ourselves. I dared to suggest that gay men are not only just as messed up as they have ever been, probably even more so, and people crapped all over my Cornflakes for it. But I’m telling you, this is the way it is. Now I can certainly understand it in the great USA where they’re actually crazy enough to think Donald Trump is anything but the richest piece of white trash in the world. They definitely have a long way to go, and any queer outside San Francisco will tell you that. But here in Canada? Yes, sirree. No doubt about it. I spend a considerable amount of time chasing men around and I’m here to tell you these guys are a real pain. They are more embarrassed and ashamed of themselves than at any other point in time I can remember. I am willing to say that is the way it is, but I can’t explain why. As my dear friend Sandra said to me: “Why? This doesn’t make sense in today’s society”. All I can say is, I know. But it does not change the facts. The shooter in Orlando may or may not have been religious. We know he was mentally unstable and a wife beater with a sham marriage that lasted four months. But I’m suggesting this had nothing to do with Islamic terrorism. It has everything to do with the worst terrorism of all – selfloathing. I’m sure if you think I’m wrong, I’ll hear about it. But I’m willing to stake my reputation of this one. This guy was a crazy fag. That simple.

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 9

d a p p l ed t h in gs

The Gestalt of Brexit

Paula Adamick

10 the london yodeller

06.23.16

the Brexiters get their way on the EU Referendum, some of the credit will belong to Boaty McBoatface. Of which more later. As I write, voters in favour of leaving the European Union have just registered an astonishing 19 percent lead in the polls, suggesting that despite all the apocalyptic warnings against it, the average Brit will vote to bid good riddance to the cloud of control the EU’s elitist bureaucracy has exerted over the UK for a quarter century. But then came the shocking news of the shooting death of Pro-EU Labour MP Jo Cox, 41 – just a week before the vote – by an assailant alleged to be adamantly anti-EU. And the game changed yet again as both campaigns were then temporarily suspended. Raising the ultimate question of whether this hotly contested referendum would be suspended as well. And by no less than the projected losers – the Remain campaign led by Prime Minister David Cameron? And while this is unlikely, make no mistake, the EU defeat anticipated for June 23 had long been coming, since as far back as the Maastricht Treaty of 1992 which, even then, most Brits were suspicious of, sensing that EU membership would make a huge, not always positive, difference to their lives, despite the reassurances of politicians. The central plan of that treaty was that all the signatory countries would move towards economic and monetary union into an integrated, supra-national Europe via a single currency managed by an independent European central bank. Never mind that these states had little in common, didn’t share a common language or even

common customs. Nor at any time was it suggested that the establishment of a single currency would end the individual sovereignty of the EU’s member nations and their power to take independent action on major and minor issues. The results were predictable, nonetheless. As European countries gave up sovereign power in exchange for EU membership, they found themselves overruled by the micro-managing will of the EU’s super-bureaucracy in matters ranging from infrastructure and border control to the acceptable size of bananas. They also found themselves subjected to the bureaucratic sclerosis that afflicts all federal bodies exerting unwieldy control over too many people and too many matters they know nothing about. The predictable result was that issues once decided quickly and effectively at the local level were soon paralyzed by bureaucratic arrogance, indecision, interference, ineffectiveness and remoteness. Which is why it didn’t take long for the average Brit to feel his/her sovereignty being leeched away bit by bit, day by day. And in exchange for what? Apart from joining the “noble cause” of European integration that was supposed to provide more protection, prosperity and well-being, where were the real benefits? Fresher fruits and vegetables at cheaper prices? More and better wine? Easier travel across the now borderless continent? But were these minor pluses worth the influx of financial migrants forced upon them from poorer EU countries? Or the increasing throngs of migrants from across the Middle East and North Africa arriving via the EU for the UK’s liberal social benefits? The Brexiters – aka the Leave campaign – say that the UK’s EU membership has left her worse off, de-

spite retaining her own currency. In opposition, however, the Remain campaign – floridly represented by Cameron, the corporate establishment and bankers from the Treasury, the Bank of England and the IMF along with world leaders such as Barack Obama – were wheeled out by Downing Street to predict mass unemployment, soaring interest rates, inflation, plummeting house prices and even world war. To which the Leave campaign delivered another raspberry. And reminded their fellow countrymen of the Maastricht Treaty, when similar politicians and economists issued equally apocalyptic predictions about the UK’s fate if it didn’t join the euro. And look what happened? The UK did not join the single currency, possibly allowing them to exit more easily than their neighbours. But that hasn’t discouraged the proRemain commentariat from trashing the Brexit leaders – such as Nigel Farage of the UK Independence Party, Tory MPs Michael Gove and Boris Johnson as buffoonish eccentrics straight out of Monty Python or an Ealing comedy circa 1951 – while positioning itself as representative of English common sense and aristo-style concern for Europe’s future. “Leaving” the EU just isn’t prudent, they insist, though what that means has never been

Regardless of how the vote goes, millions of average Brits – who’ve long felt sold out by their own elites – will be voting for a sense of freedom they haven’t felt for a long time

clear. Perhaps this is because Britain has never actually been ‘in’ the EU. In fact, it’s only been half-in, half-out since it joined, benefitting all it could from the single market while maintaining its own currency and avoiding the euro, which many still regard as the best of all worlds. But as both campaigns accuse the other side of manipulation and avoiding the real issues, the Brexiters’ insistence that the United Kingdom should untether itself is based on real concerns for Britain and all of Europe. To them, the EU has become the opposite of the lifeline: It’s become a boat anchor which must be raised if this once powerful maritime nation is to freely set sail again. They’re right to worry. Despite the rosy assurances of Eurocrats whose sumptuous lifestyles depend on an intact union, Europe under the European Union is falling apart, financially, culturally and cohesively. And the response of the Brussels and Strasbourg machines has been increasingly undemocratic and dictato-

rial. And ever more wasteful, greedy, bullying and breathtakingly incompetent, particularly with the latest migrant crisis and the increasingly frequent terrorist incidents. Which has led to the current scramble for the exit doors before the EU sinks altogether. Brexiters, meanwhile, are confident that once outside the EU, Britain will become richer, safer and freer to forge her own destiny, as she once did. They’re also convinced that if Britain remains in the now German-dominated superstate, she will become grotesquely overcrowded as mass immigration puts impossible pressure on schools, hospitals and housing, further eroding British power, wealth and way of life. To them, staying means more uncontrolled immigration, eventual bankruptcy and collapse as in Greece which has already crumbled under the EU’s watch. Ditto for Italy, where many towns are dying simply because the population is not replacing itself. And Spain which now has 45 percent of those under 25 unemployed. Ireland’s financial woes are worsening too as baby boomers retire, leaving a generation much smaller, more indebted, and less able to shoulder the cost of the welfare state’s generous promises now being broken. Will the incoming migrants solve this? Similarly, the Netherlands is in a death spiral, after years of drug-induced decadence. The Czech government has long been on the verge of collapse. And Slovakia, Austria and Croatia are all mired in sleaze allegations involving governing parties said to be funded by dirty money, criminality, thuggery and vast amounts of cash flowing from companies, lobbyists, and middlemen across Europe. Will the incoming migrants solve the corruption problem? “Welcome to the corpse of Europe,” quipped MEP Daniel Hannan on the eve of socialist Francois Hollande’s narrow victory over French president Nicolas Sarkozy four years ago. Since then, life has gotten much worse in France where Hollande’s government stimulus programs have driven up debt, reduced prosperity and driven away its wealthy citizens and healthy businesses while terrorism rises exponentially. As it does in Brussels even as poorer countries press hard to join the EU. Small wonder then that, at this writing, the polls were showing the Leavers so far ahead of the Remainers. For the Brexiters, the June vote was a last chance. It was also a reflection of something deeper in the British soul. Regardless of how the vote goes – and if it does – millions of average Brits, who’ve long felt sold out by their own elites, will be voting for a sense of freedom they haven’t felt for a long time. Freedom they feel has

been sacrificed to the self-interest of Eurocrats who could never – ever – understand the significance of Boaty McBoatface. Such a little thing. But a big thing too. Who is Boaty McBoatface? In a recent public vote to name a £200-million British polar research ship, “Boaty McBoatface” was the overwhelming choice. The name, so indefinably and magically British, went viral and crashed the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) website, creating a sensation. “Boaty McBoatface” was the runaway winner with 124,109 votes. But NERC said that according to its competition rules it would have the final say on any name. The top five suggestions were: RRS Boaty McBoatface – 124,109: RRS Poppy-Mai – 34,371: RRS Henry Worsley – 15,231; RRS It’s Bloody Cold Here – 10,679; RRS David Attenborough – 10,284. The Royal Research Ship (RRS), currently being built on Merseyside, is due to become operational in 2019 as part of the Cambridge-based British Antarctic Survey. When it launched the competition, NERC said it was looking for “something inspirational” to exemplify the ship’s work. But with less than 8 percent of the vote the winner was … RRS David Attenborough which, while dutifully respectful, wasn’t British in the way McBoatface so obviously was. So hearts were broken. Again. This result suggested, too, that – like so many other aspects of the local bureaucratic culture epitomized and poisoned by the EU – the fix was in. So if nothing else, the referendum was an opportunity for the average Brit to register his profound disappointment and frustration through a vote that might alternately have been called “Snubby McSnubface”. The question now is: Will the Brexiter vote lead to the desired exit? Answer: Of course not! Even if the vote is held and Leave wins, Brexit will be debated and studied and stalled to

death in Brussels, like the Jarndyce vs Jarndyce case in Dickens’ Bleak House … until the next generation gives up on any possibility of a final ruling. Then again, maybe not! If the yield on the 10-year benchmark German bund’s first-time-ever fall into negative territory on June 14 is any indication, the postwar European Coal and Steel Community that morphed into the socialist EU may topple anyway – under the sheer weight of its own corpulence, corruption and vampiric Ponzi schemes. And no one will weep. Except perhaps for David Cameron and the throng of suddenly impoverished Eurocrats. p

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 11

essa ys in i d l e n e s s

Artes serviles by

David Warren

here is no truth in the allegation that I’m against all liberals. I am, for instance, in favour of the liberal arts. Thanks to the other liberals, however, our “systems of education” have collapsed, along with our broken families, to the level where the term must have little meaning. The distinction between the artes liberales and the artes serviles becomes lost on people who, as Josef Pieper indicates (passim), make only a distinction between “work” and “spare time.” This is to favour the artes serviles. Servile work is done for some other purpose than the work itself. It is what the gentlemen have been doing downstairs, and are doing again for the sixth time in the last decade: digging up the street. They may no longer remember why they are doing it — the task began with the problem of burst pipes in winter, but was complicated by efforts to fix that, which involved extreme forms of municipal incompetence, abetted by arbitrary union rules. Still, the workmen expect to be paid, and that seems reason enough for them to keep digging. I have mentioned before, have I not, that modernity can be conceived as an immense make-work project, in which the work to be done is constantly increasing at a rate much faster than the work that can be accomplished, all of which will need re-doing anyway. Perhaps gentle reader has detected the unconscious adaptation of my prose rhythms, to those of jack-hammers, pavement saws, and the infernal back-up alarms now installed by law on machinery that moves as often backwards as forwards. Or perhaps he has noticed logical slips, explicable from the fact that I am being driven nuts by week after week after week of this, starting every morning at seven o’clock. I have come to imagine Hell as a vast, ultra-modern, construction site. It is true, with equipment like this, the Egyptians could have built a million pyramids. But soon they would have run out of space, and in order to maintain full employment (one of the economic policies in Hell), devoted themselves instead to replacing their pyramids. At which point, the quality of pyramids would 12 the london yodeller

06.23.16

necessarily decline, from the knowledge that each is going to be demolished by the next shift of pyramid workers. There was a city lot still occupied by a gas station, when I first moved into Parkdale, more than ten years ago. It is presently cleared for car parking, but a small billboard announces the next building scheme. In the time I’ve been walking through this neighbourhood, there have been two other buildings on that site: first a line of cheap, single-storey retail shops, that nobody rented, then a 24hour “convenience” store, that nobody used. Both evocative of brick lavatories. Much servile work is to a good purpose. Agriculture is important, I insist, although it is now despised as a vocation; and has been fully mechanized, to disturb all peace. I am also a secret fan of textiles, though I hardly approve of current mass production, mostly imported from far, far away. And I’m not, in principle, against building houses, or even roads, under

Direct Funding Attendant Service Program

Are you someone with a physical disability who requires attendant service? Would you like to hire your own staff and manage your own service? By taking on this responsibility, direct funding will offer you more choice, flexibility and control. To find out more, visit dfontario.ca or call 1-877-626-6660.

carefully specified conditions. All these things can be made well, or poorly. My preferential option is for beautiful, and well. Even the most necessary labour, to a purpose outside of itself, is vitiated if

“Spare time” is wasted on the contemporary man, who is taught from the start only to consume, and to work only towards fulfilling the requirements of consumption

there are not some gestures of the liberal in it. These tend to sneak in wherever code-standards are whimsically relaxed, and the strictest requirements of cash are neglected. The mischievous thought, “Let us make this better than we need to make it,” is insinuated. (We might call this the principle of The Bridge over the River Kwai.) Let us make it as if the fate of our souls depended upon it; because the fate of our souls does so depend. Heidegger says somewhere that “truth is freedom,” and as ever with that man there is something in it, though not much. Mostly he talks piffle, but some of it sounds grand. So let me use that to segue back to those artes liberales. Our mediaeval predecessors, and the classical ones who predeceased them, built curricula around the notion that man is of value, qua man. We should aspire to raise his condition, even in plainly practical ways. If not all men, at least some could be taught there are arts above the servile; that there is more to “spare time” than, say, circuses, or football games, designed for the couch tubers, from their desperate need to be entertained in the moments when they are not working, or sleeping, or copulating, or gorging on junk food. There should be things done not only at a pitch above sating crude appetites and killing time, but to ends that are in their nature mysterious, and thus involve contemplation. Drawing is like that. One draws and paints, or at least I have done, not for the industrial purpose of “making art” — which is a potentially servile activity, and would anyway require more tal-

ent than I seem to have at my disposal. Rather I do it by way of teaching myself to see. Through this exercise I discover how little I saw, before trying to draw it, not only in the works of real artists, but in the other scenes arranged moment by moment right before my eyes. Only in the effort to transcribe, or better, represent it, do I begin to notice what is there. (All the best photographers can draw, incidentally.) It is so with music, too, for those who try to sing, or play upon some instrument — as opposed to listening passively, at less than half-attention, to the musical equivalent of filth. Chesterton says anything worth doing is worth doing badly, and I will agree, with the qualification that it is the best we can do. For there is that pixie of aspiration, deeply implanted in the human breast: to find or to make what is worthy, in some sense. To be lifted — as opposed to dumped, in the mire of our depravities. We are Homo Ludens, man at play. This begins in earliest childhood (before birth), and continues ever after in that spirit of mimesis, or let us add the Platonic diegesis (story-telling) — the spirit of “imitation” (weak English word). It is a process by which we discover what is “useful” only by the occasional accident; in the main it directs our attention to what is good, beautiful, and true — to the “poetics” in command of all Creation, in all directions beyond human reach, and thus everywhere apparent to those who look; to every man who would “see” with his whole being. “Spare time” is wasted on the contemporary man, who is taught from the start only to consume, and to work only towards fulfilling the requirements of consumption; to seek the pleasures of the fatted beast. He is taught to condemn whatever is useless or irrelevant to this cause; to be a pig in pursuit of acorns. And this is true even when e.g. he tires of acorns, and in his human complexity, turns to sexual and other perversions instead. His only “right” is to consume. He is clocked, statisticized, and shivved towards this end, and our entire moral, aesthetic, and metaphysical order is bent to the requirements of production and consumption. This makes him utterly servile. I am trying to encourage a slave revolt.

bo o k cul t u re

Is Assisted Suicide About to Become Canada’s New ‘Normal’? We need to take a hard look at this legislative change before we or someone we love is administered a “cocktail” of lethal drugs without consent by Susan

Cassan

It’s Not That Simple: Euthanasia & Assisted Suicide Today by Jean Echlin & Ian Gentles Available at www.deveber.org and Amazon

anada is right in the middle of making decisions about how far we want our laws to go in permitting Assisted Suicide. After decades of resistance the Supreme Court of Canada has demanded the law against Assisted Suicide be struck down and put a tight time line on when a new one had to be in place. The time has been so short that there have been few opportunities for public input. The House of Commons has come up with a fairly conservative “starter” law which narrowed the application to those in anguish that cannot be alleviated and who are in imminent proximity to death. Into this mix, enter the Senate which has decided to abandon the role of “sober second thought” to embrace activism, possibly to convince the Canadian public that they are not just swilling at the trough but rather hip, progressive reformers who will push this country along the path to modernity in tune with the 72 per cent of those 2,271 Canadians Forum Research surveyed on June 7, 2016 who said they support assisted death. It’s Not That Simple authors Echlin and Gentles provide a meticulously researched look at the Canadian legal history leading to the change in the law and a guide to what is really happening in the countries that have adopted Assisted Suicide laws. Canadians have been treated to an information campaign that says everything is fine in the countries that have opened the doors to this legislation. From the “official” reports, it would seem life is wonderful in places where death can be obtained conveni-

ently. However, anonymous surveys of physicians in Belgium tell a different story. The 2007 survey revealed that between June 1 and November 30, 2007 an estimated 1,040 or 1.9 of all deaths occurred as a result of Assisted Death. Only half of these deaths were reported to the Federal Control and Evaluation Committee. Reasons for not reporting the deaths as euthanasia included: administrative burden (17.9%), legal requirements possibly not met (11.9%), belief that euthanasia was a private matter between physician and patient (9%) and concern about possible legal consequences (2.3%). The legal safeguards were ignored more often in unreported cases. Only 17.3% were performed without written consent in reported cases, but 87.7% of unreported cases had no written consent from the patient. The number of reported cases rose from 0.23% of all deaths in 2002 to 0.49% of deaths in 2007. The law urged that before permission for euthanasia could be granted, a consultation with palliative care physicians and their teams was required. The percentage of palliative care involvement has declined every year from 19.3% in 2002/3 to 8.7% in 2007. The safeguards in the law have also broken down with respect to the professional status of the person administering the drugs. Nearly a tenth of the nurses who responded to the survey on the role of nurses reported that they gave patients lethal drugs without the patients’ explicit request. Physicians, who are required by law to be the only professionals to administer the drugs, were conspicuous by their absence. The physician was not even present in 58% of the cases where the nurse administered the drugs. This is a clear case of blurring the lines of authority with physicians downloading the job to nurses and/or nurses exceeding their legal mandate. Belgium’s expansion of the qualifications for Assisted Suicide includes depression. This is a disease that is treatable, and is particularly prevalent among adolescents. People whose ability to make a rational decision is impaired by depression are offered death, rather than effective care. Canadians who are under the authority of state supported medicine

should be particularly aware of the behavior of insurance companies in Oregon. When Barbara Wagner’s lung cancer returned, her insurance company refused to pay for the expensive medication that could extend her life. The Oregon Health Plan argued that they would only fund treatment that

offered a better than 5% chance of surviving for longer than five years. The company offered to pay for suicide pills ($50.00) instead. Our Senate is now proposing amendments which open the door to requests for Assisted Suicide even if the patient is not in imminent danger of dying and also of allowing advance directives. These changes will break down the limited law proposed by parlia-

ment and hasten the process by which Canada achieves the results seen in Belgium and other jurisdictions where the gloves come off. Living as we do in a country where the costs of health care are rising, we need to take a hard look at this legislative change before we or someone we love is administered a “cocktail” of lethal drugs without consent or find ourselves refused treatment because Assisted Suicide is so much more cost effective. What can you do? Write to your Senator. Oh, that’s right. You don’t have one. To let the senate know your views, you have to write every one of them individually. However, Senate amendments must be returned to the commons to be passed into law. There is still an opportunity to influence your MP. On this website: http://www.parl. gc.ca/ put in your postal code and up will come your MP’s name and contact information. You can email, mail a letter, or place a phone call. Granny will thank you. You may also be thankful someday if you can convince your MP to reject the amendments because parliament had it right in the first place. It is worth noting that in 1995 the Australian Northern Territory adopted a Euthanasia law. However, strong protest from the Medical Association and churches plus sober consideration by legislators resulted in the 1997 law in the Australian parliament banning euthanasia in all its territories. Assisted Suicide is not, and does not have, to be the “new normal”. p

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 13

t hen p l a y on by

Dave Clarke

AROUND TOWN Steel Panther at the London Music Hall Monday, July 11th

hough the days of glam hair metal bands has passed by, Los Angeles’ Steel Panther affectionately lampoon the look and the profane lyrics of such pretty boy bands as Poison and Motley Crue. They started as Metal Shop releasing their self-produced debut Hole Patrol in 2003. They changed their name to Metal Skool and finally

Steel Panther, releasing their debut under this name, Feel the Steel in 2009, and followed that with Balls Out in 2011. The current lineup of Michael Starr, Satchel, Lexxi Foxx and Stix Zadina has most recently released All You Can Eat which features the singles Party Like Tomorrow is the

End of the World, The Burden of Being Wonderful and the love ballad, Gloryhole. Put on some eye liner and head down to the London Music Hall to hear these songs and more as Steel Panther commands the stage July 11th. Tickets are $39.50, doors at 8 pm and the show starts at 9 pm.

DAVE’S JUKEBOX

Girl Group Sound Canadian Style The

early 60’s music charts were dominated by girl groups like the Shangri-las, the Angels and the Shirelles as well as solo artists like Leslie Gore, Connie Francis and Shelly Fabares. The songs focused on the trials and tribulations of teen girls and though the American purveyors were popular, here in Canada we had our own home grown examples. Here are a few examples that get a spin on my jukebox.

Shirley Matthews

Big Town Boy

Tamarac Records (1964)

From Harrow Ontario, Shirley Matthews put out this great tune lauding her big shot boyfriend. It has great backing vocals very much in the style of the Ronettes, and was a huge hit selling over a million copies and earning the RPM Gold Leaf Award for Female Vocalist of the Year. Her subsequent releases failed to click and she retired from music in 1967.

Joan Berry

Humpty Dumpty Chateau Records (1963)

14 the london yodeller

06.23.16

Joan compares her boyfriend to the unfortunate nursery rhyme egg, (since he fell for her, natch) on this tune that is very much in the Little

Eva Locomotion mode, in sound. The flip, Just Like My Baby, is no throwaway B-side but another killer track that became a favourite on the Northern Soul dance scene. This was Ms. Berry’s only release.

Pat Hervey

Mister Heartbreak Chateau Records (1962)

Her name may sound familiar since she made numerous appearances on such CBC shows as While We Are Young, Holiday Ranch, Club Six and Country Hoedown. Mister Heartbreak was her debut and is very much in the Leslie Gore-style in sound and lyric. She released many 45’s throughout the 1960’s including another weeper Tears of Misery, as well as a full album.

Rhonda Silver

Voodoo Doll Barry Records (1963)

Rhonda seeks supernatural revenge on her cheating boyfriend on this perky number. She started performing at an early age and was a member of the Girlfriends, who backed musical guests on the Alex Trebek-hosted after-school TV show, Music Hop. After putting out this solo effort the Girlfriends changed their name to the Willows, opening for bands like the

Beach Boys where the cute blonde was introduced to both Mike Love and Dennis Wilson, and it is said she became the inspiration for the Beach Boy’s hit, Help Me Rhonda. She continued in the music business joining Dr. Music, and performing and writing as a solo artist. She is also an in-demand back-up singer – that’s her backing vocals on Bob Seger’s Night Moves.

Dianne Brooks

The Orbiteer Twist RCA (1960)

Another member of Dr. Music was Dianne Brooks who sang this outof-the-world twist number. She was born in New Jersey where she was a member of the Three Playmates, but moved to Toronto and became part of the vibrant R&B scene. After her stint in Dr. Music she continued to work as a soul singer, releasing a couple of albums and working as a back-up singer doing jingle and session work. She passed away in 2005.

MONDO PHONO

SHORTLISTED

Five Rock Bands Inspired by Kids’ TV Shows

1The Archies William Truckaway

Breakaway

Reprise Records (1971)

Leave it to the 1970’s for

this strange mix of hippie folk music mixed with gospel music backing vocals and slithering synth sounds, but that’s exactly what Mr Truckaway’s major label debut had in store. Mr. Truckaway had already tasted music success under his real name William Sievers as a member of The Sopwith Camel who had a hit with the catchy Hello Hello in 1967. After the Camel’s demise Sievers, with Sopwith producer Erik Jacobsen started working on a new project; a debut album by Norman Greenbaum. One of the songs had a gospel feel to it, so Sievers suggested adding some real gospel singers to the mix and brought in a San Francisco group he had discovered called The Stovall Sisters to do backing vocals. The song Spirit in the Sky was a huge #1 hit, so when Sievers, now Truckaway, suggested he had a similar project in mind that included the Stovall Sisters, they couldn’t wait to give him the go ahead, but alas – lightning failed to strike twice and the album stiffed big time. Truckaway went on to open his own recording studio but the music business didn’t quite have the attraction it used to have and William now works as a San Francisco cab driver.

The adventures of the crew from Riverdale High had engaged fans in comic books and eventually in a Saturday morning cartoon show. A cash-in music album spawned the #1 hit Sugar Sugar and subsequent hit Jingle Jangle. Though the cartoon line up featured Archie on vocals and lead guitar and Veronica on keyboards, the men behind the tunes were ace Brill Building songwriter and Phil Spector-collaborator, Jeff Barry, and Canadian pop star Andy Kim.

2 The Banana Splits

The live-action kids show The Banana Splits Adventure Hour featured the zany antics of Fleegle (the beagle), Bingo (the gorilla), Drooper (the lion) and Snorky (the elephant). The plushy characters were the creation of Canadianborn puppeteers, Sid & Marty Kroft, of H.R. Pufnstuf fame, and of course an album and a minor hit, The Tra La La Song were produced. Among the big names that wrote songs for the fuzzy quartet were Al Kooper, Barry White and Gene Pitney.

3The Wombles

Based on a series of popular British children’s books, that inspired a stop-action TV series, The Wombles were

Hey all you film junkies and movie addicts!

Grassroots, Player and one of the final versions of Badfinger. Two albums of cheery bubblegum music were released.

from new releases to cult classics, western film’s got your fix!

5Josie & the Pussycats

pointy-nosed burrowing creatures intent on recycling rubbish in creative ways. A series of popular albums, featuring the most musical of the Womble family were released. The band all dressed in sweat-inducing plush outfits were portrayed by some very acclaimed musicians including ace guitarist Chris Spedding, (sporting his trademark, white Flying V guitar) as Wellington Womble; songwriter/producer Mike Batt as Gringo; and in-demand session drummer Clem Cattini as Bungo. The band put out four albums and even made a surprise appearance at the famed Glastonbury Music Festival.

Another Saturday morning favourite were the adventures of the all-girl band, Josie and the Pussycats, who had made their first appearance in Archie comic books and, of course, were destined to end up on an album released in 1970 on Capitol records. One of the band members was Cherie Moor, who was born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor and went on to another trio Charlie’s Angels, when she changed her name again to p Cheryl Ladd.

cHeap tickets! local organic popcorn!

see wHat’s playing:

westernusc.ca/westernfilm

4 The Hardy Boys

The famous adventures of Bayport’s boy detectives inspired many live-action TV shows as well as a Saturday morning cartoon series. Though the Hardys and their pals showed no musical inclinations in the Franklin W. Dixon novels, the cartoon series had live action musical numbers featuring living versions of Frank and Joe Hardy, their husky friend Chet Morgan (cruelly called Chubby Morton) and two more made up pals, Wanda Kay Breckenridge and Peter Jones. Reed Kaling, who portrayed Frank Hardy , had been a member of the garage band, The Destinations, and went on to be in The

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 15

t h e yod e l l e r i n t e r v i e w

Behind the Scenes at Sunfest With Artistic & Executive Director Alfredo Caxaj by

Bruce Monck

unfest, this July 7th to 10th, will be celebrating its 22nd successful year in our city. During a particularly busy period of preparation and tweaking, Alfredo Caxaj took some time out of his schedule to talk with The Yodeller about this popu-

lar world music festival’s beginnings and future.

Alfredo, how well do you remember the first time you said, “Let’s assemble several world music acts here in London and see where we end up”? Back in the 1990’s, I worked at the Cross Cultural Learning Centre. Here I witnessed firsthand the

16 the london yodeller

beginnings of the cultural diversity in London. We put together some concert series and witnessed the positive reaction of the audience members, where they really expressed how fresh and new this was in the community. As we went on, the numbers kept growing and then I realized the need to expand this into a regular event and I Daby Touré from Mauritania and France

finally decided to make this a summer event. When I tried convincing the other members of our committee of this dream, they up and left. Everybody quit. You almost can’t blame them for jumping ship. It’s a lot of work and London has a bad reputation for not supporting the arts. After all,

06.23.16

we are notoriously known as “Last minute London” . . . when we aren’t being called “conservative, boring and predictable”. (Laughs) Well, despite all the predictions this would be a one shot deal, we forged ahead. And yes, people kept asking me … why do you want to do this in London? But the public’s response after our first year was so positive and exciting, I knew that I had to establish Sunfest in the most professional way. Just the response of the community calling our office to ask where they could get a copy of our sun poster was overwhelming. It was a great response from the community that showed real support. You know, many of the amazing things that happen in this community are the results of individual efforts. The most successful things are the results of individuals who decide to do something. Anyone with a crazy idea that follows them through is generally successful in their endeavors.

Brazilian Folk Pop artist Flávia Nascimento

So it was an event that you realized should become an annual festival. What was the next move to bump it to this present plateau? We had so many responses from our first attempt that it was so wonderful and amazing, that I thought I would only want to do this if we could have the best music from all over the world. We would have to have the greatest artistic vision, quality and integrity. These have always been the solid basis for Sunfest. It’s a reputation we’ve built on. We’ve built world-class credibility and our concert series and first Sunfest proved that this could be easily done. How do you find these acts and then convince them to come to Canada, because to do this, logistically, it must be pretty darn tricky?

Heavyweights Brass Band carry on the New Orleans jazz and brass band tradition

Progressive Electro Afrobeat artist Pierre Kwenders

There are a combination of things. I get many submissions from all over the world and we share information from other festivals and music markets. I get invited to these music markets worldwide. I find this the most valuable resource, because here I see some groups that are interesting and that I really would like to bring to London. So I really find that to be the most valuable resource. Some of these groups are national heroes where they come

from but unknown here and yes logistically, it can really be a nightmare, that’s for sure. We try to organize small tours generally between Quebec and Ontario and sometimes nationally. This takes a lot of time and generally is a long process. It’s painful in some countries where it’s difficult to get visas. Sometimes I have to go to our members of parliament to get support and help, but they get that this is an incredible event. What I truly find amazing, is when you go to another country

somewhere and make a contact, then within a year or so, one or two of these groups end up in London Ont. It’s an amazing feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment because you realize, you were part of this.

Does Sunfest change from time to time? You’ve already outgrown Victoria Park and your numbers I believe for attendance are around 270,000 people. Is it time to go somewhere else now? It’s true, we have maximized Victoria Park. There is no question about that.

I think our next move is to keep Victoria Park as the nucleus of Sunfest but to expand Sunfest to the streets of the downtown core. This means a lot more planning, work and of course, is pretty expensive. As an example right now we book over 400 rooms just for the musicians alone but the demand to expand is there from the community and visitors that support Sunfest. I’ll tell you what is so rewarding is when the people come and enjoy the four days, then leave the park with the satisfaction that this had been an amazing weekend. That’s when these behind the scene challenges become so minimal. We’re proud of so many things but the thing we’re proud of the most is the social impact on the community and the support of them as well. After all Sunfest is known as the most beautiful of all our festivals.

TD Sunfest ‘16 is a free admission world music festival, July 7-10 in Victoria Park, London ON www.sunfest.on.ca

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 17

Bowling 105 Tucked away between the neat community houses in Old South is a green haven where Londoners gather for lawn bowling, The Elmwood Lawn Bowling Club has been a neighbourhood fixture for 105 years and continues to provide a place for its 85 regular members to enjoy recreational activity and pleasant company. New members of all ages are always welcome and the first day is free to try the game and enjoy the relaxed and friendly atmosphere. More than just living history, the Elmwood Lawn Bowling Club continues to be a part of the unique experience of Old South. Top Left Melanie Alexander and Nancy Shaw are two of the Elmwood Lawn Bowling Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest members having joined just three weeks ago. Top Right Patricia McLeod measures to determine which is the winning bowl. Left Bob Jenkinson, membership coordinator and skip, bowls during an evening jitney. 18 the london yodeller

06.23.16

Above Katy Yoshida, 91, an eight-year member of the Elmwood Lawn Bowling Club in Old South, bowls during the first end of the evening jitney. Left Members of the Club remove their bowls from their cases in preperation for the Monday night jitney.

Forest City Folk is an ongoing documentary of contemporary life in London, Ontario by London photojournalist Menno Meijer 06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 19

y od el l i ng i n t h e c a n y o n

POP ROYALTY Stelton Hercules Ron returning to London by

Barry Wells

Sir

Stelton Hercules Ron, 69, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, is one of the world’s most popular pianists, singer-songwriters and prolific composers. He’s recently released his 33rd studio album of original songs, Wonderful Crazy Night, written and composed with his songwriting sidekick of nearly halfa-century, Bernie Taupin. In his five-decade-long career, Stelton has sold 300 million records worldwide, putting him in the same superstar stratosphere as London, Ontario’s own golden boy, Guy Lombardo (19021977). Currently on tour with

20 the london yodeller

his band, Stelton is returning to Budweiser Gardens for the third time since Nov. 2006, on Thurs. Sept. 29 at 8 pm. What follows is an editedfor-space transcript of the exclusive telephone interview I scored with Stelton immediately after the kick-off concert for the final leg of his 2016 tour in Liverpool, England on June 14th. I should add I was first introduced to Stelton Ron by Mr. Showbiz himself, Sonny Drysdale, in Los Angeles, when Stelton gave his inaugural North American concert on August 25, 1970 at the Troubadour nightclub at 9081 Santa

06.23.16

Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. Our mutual love for Canadian beer, ballroom dancing, basket-weaving and baseball (one of Stelton’s six palatial homes is in Atlanta, Georgia where he became a fan of the Atlanta Braves baseball club) has resulted in our ongoing friendship during the past 46 years.

Barry Wells: Stelton, you ol’ sack of lumpy potatoes! How you doing, mate? Stelton Ron: Busier than a onearmed paper-hanger. We’ve just embarked on a 64-concert, 20-country tour starting here in Liverpool. Fantastic sold-out show, by the way. It’s always a humbling experience to perform in a city that gave the world John Lennon and the Beatles. We don’t wrap up the tour until next February in Vegas. Fortunately, we take a bit of a breather from travelling by doing 10 shows in Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in October and then finish the tour at The Colosseum with another nine shows in February. From Liverpool, my next show is in Poland on the 18th of June, so we hop around Europe like spring-loaded bunny rabbits before landing in Savannah, Georgia in September. Our only Canadian show is in London, Ontario.

BW: Yeah, what’s that all about? Why London? Is it the fresh buns and bread sold across the street from Budweiser Gardens at the market? Or the new Toboggan craft beer they flog on Richmond Row next to Joe Kool’s? SR: Buns, bread and beer? Sounds like a song I should have recorded in the ‘70s. After the show in your London, we’ve got five days off before we fly

to Baton Rouge on October 5th. As you know, David [his Canadian-born partner-inmarriage, David Furnish, 53] hails from Toronto so we’ll likely visit his parents as well as his two brothers in Toronto. David graduated from UWO in ‘85 so we’d like to spend a day in London seeing some of his old haunts when he was a lovelorn frat boy. Then maybe some theatre at the local opera house. We’ll be staying at the Delta Armouries so why don’t you and Sonny stop by in the early afternoon? I tell everyone I’m on the wagon but bring us a few ice-cold growlers of that new Toboggan beer. No BC Bud this time around because I get the munchies and I’m trying to shed a few pounds.

BW: What’s the scoop with your new CD, Wonderful Crazy Night? SR: We recorded 14 tracks in 17 days at The Village recording studios in Los Angeles. I like to work fast and everyone on board knows the routine. It’s an upbeat rock ‘n’ roll CD coproduced by T-Bone Burnett with Davey Johnstone on guitar, Nigel Olsson on drums, Kim Bullard on keys, Matt Bissonette on bass and John Mahon on percussion and backing vocals. You get 10 tracks on the regular CD but 14 on the deluxe CD. It’s a 1970s kind of album which has been received

very well. At my age, it’s all I can hope for.

BW: Did you ever resolve that nasty feud with Keith Richards? SR: When you’re as wealthy as Keith and me, it’s easy to get over such nonsense. Frankly, I think Keith’s jealousy started the whole thing. Keith even ridiculed Mick when Mick was knighted in 2003 by the Prince of Wales and he wasn’t. Maybe if Keith laid off the vodka for a few months he’d start acting his age.

BW: You get the last word, amigo. Anything in particular on your mind? SR: In recent months I’ve been working on a project for my AIDS Foundation called ‘Love and Bravery’ with Lady Gaga and it’s about having the love to accept everyone for who they are. Especially people who are different from you and the bravery to show it. When a horror like this Orlando massacre occurs, grief and agony crashes across the world like a tsunami. We feel shocked and devastated inside for the victims and the loved ones mourning them. Immediately behind that devastation came a different wave. A rainbow-coloured wave of love. The rainbow around the world says we will eventually win against people who are refusing to accept people for who p they are.

t he p ur s ui t o f h a p p i n e s s

Hangin’ with the ‘70s Inn Crowd by Jeffrey Schiller

a past life I spent many hours on the road. I travelled excessively across Ontario and spent many a weary night in hotels, motels and Inns. Like any other traveller I quickly learned that in most cases these establishments were a great place to catch some much needed sleep, check in with the family and enjoy a hot shower after way too many hours on the road. They all boasted comfortable beds, welcoming staff and great food but as Meat Loaf likes to say: “Two outta three aint bad”. The restaurants proved time and again to be over-priced, not so friendly and the food? Well, what can I say? There’s a reason I have never written about any of them. Basically they don’t make me happy! That is with a few notable exceptions. So when I was recently asked for my thoughts on dining out at any of the “hotel” lobby restaurants around the area, I did not hesitate. Then again, I very seldom ever hesitate when asked my thoughts. Just down “the 401”, as we locals like to say, is the “Inn” that proves without any doubt that you can get a great night’s sleep and enjoy an amazing meal all at the same spot. The Elm Hurst Inn & Spa is located just off the highway and according to the website, is “the perfect home away from home for visitors wishing to explore the natural beauty, history, and culture of Southwestern Ontario”. Now I am not a marketing specialist and advertising is not my forte and although this is a very accurate statement, for me it’s all about the food. Don’t get me wrong, the rooms are comfortable, clean, and I always get a great night’s sleep when we stay over but what separates the Elm Hurst from most Inns are two things; the people and

Chef Michael Davies at the Elm Hurst Inn runs a dining room worthy of this glorious structure and locale the food. I have always believed that you can immediately tell a lot about a business by the first employees you meet when you first enter. Upon walking into this magnificent old mansion you are greeted by folks that are obviously happy. There is a sort of pleasant, happy feeling in the air that makes you want to say ‘hello’ to just about everyone you see. Don’t worry if you forget because they all say hello to you! So we have established some obvious facts. Someone at the Elm Hurst knows how to run an Inn. Great rooms, friendly staff, etc. Let’s cut to the chase or better yet, let’s cut to the dining room. Executive Chef Michael Davies has been the Chef at The Elm Hurst since 1996. I have had the honour of meeting Chef Michael and the first thing I noticed was his love of food and the hustle in his step. He moves at an amazing speed but somehow no detail is too small for his trained eye. It’s not uncommon to see Chef Michael serving food at the famous seafood buffet or talking to the many regulars that know him well. The character of the building, the incredible serving staff and the overall feeling set you up for an amazing meal and the food seals the deal. Serving appetizers like, Venison Tenderloin “Carpaccio”, Crisp Lamb & Asian Vegetable Wontons, and Seared Diver Scallops & Foie Gras tells

me right away that someone loves food and likes to push things a bit. Prefer a salad? How about “Duck Leg Confit, Frisee & Arugula Lettuce” instead of the usual? Why not? You can get salad anywhere but add some duck confit and hey, welcome to Chef Michael’s world. The Elm Hurst provides some great individual experiences – dining, the Spa, the Inn. On their own they’re all worth the drive but to really get the full Monty, combine them and forget about the kids, the job and your boss for a while. Trust me they will all still be there tomorrow. I enjoy a great drive and I am always ready for a great road trip. This one is a no brainer. Sometimes, well, most of the time, my pursuit if happiness is successful. This time was no different. Just down the 401, there is a great Inn serving up some amazing food, so to quote once again from my favourite ‘70s band: “Baby we can talk all night / But that ain’t gettin us nowhere / I told you everything I possibly can.” What are you waiting for? If you go, book the seafood buffet at the end of the month, order a bottle of wine, relax and get a room!

Elm Hurst Inn & Spa Conveniently located just off Hwy 401 at Exit 218 (Harris Street) 415 Harris Street, Ingersoll ON 1.800.561.5321 / 519.485.5321 06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 21

a l l t ha t I survey

THE POT PIE There are lots of back doors and secret passages in the fun house that is the pot world. Yes, it’s illegal. But it’s not equally illegal for everyone. by Joseph

22 the london yodeller

06.23.16

Couture

old friend of mine is kind of a medical marijuana fanatic, and I sat down with him and his friend the other day so he could try to recruit me into his cult. But what I took away from the conversation was something different. My friend is a great grandfather with cancer and a true believer in the miracle powers of marijuana to cure what ails you. Me, I’m not so sure. He tried to persuade me to read the medical literature on the subject. But a Google search told me not to go down that rabbit hole. You can find a study to support whatever side of whatever argument you want to make. The truth is, I really don’t care. I’m more interested in Modern Politics than Modern Medicine and so what really intrigued me was the stories he told me about the dark underbelly of the hazy pot world. Justin Trudeau has promised to legalize and regulate marijuana, and he’s taking his time about it. Right here right now it remains a crime to sell or possess marijuana without a medical certificate to let you smoke it, or maybe grow it if you’re lucky. And the cops have been coming down heavy on the marijuana shops that are popping up like weeds. These busts are smoke and mirrors. There are lots of back doors and secret passages in the fun house that is the pot world. Yes, it’s illegal. But it’s not equally illegal for everyone. The Supreme Court has ruled that medical users have a right to grow their own pot. But only if you are grandfathered under the previous regulation scheme that allowed you to grow a small amount for your own use. No new licenses are being issued and it remains an indictable offense for most people to grow their own, even with a medical certificate, which creates a two-tiered system of crime and punishment. Maybe it would be more accurate to say three-tiered system because some

people are flouting the laws and getting away with it. It’s the why of that fact that intrigues me. Here in London there is a sketchy dude who runs a pot dispensary allegedly for people with a medical license that allows them to use it. He’s been operating for years. But from what I hear, he’s acting like the “rules” are, well, flexible. Pretty much anyone who says they have a medical “need” is good to go, certificate or no certificate, which is just about everyone with the common sense to say they have a headache. By all appearances he’s raking in the dough. My other guest tells me not to delve too deep into his affairs because I might end up with a couple of broken legs, but she suggests he’s really a generous philanthropist who gives to many worthy causes that buy him much goodwill. She’s also worked at a head shop here in town and says if you know the secret handshake, they sell more than just bongs. You can get seeds, books and even dope as long as you don’t look like a cop, which apparently I do because none of these head shops would sell me a damn thing other than over-priced glass bongs. I’m thinking I need a new look because I seem to be getting this cop thing a lot and it’s really wrecking my groove. The local constabulary can’t be that dumb. They must know this is going on. Shady dude even has a website where he advertises his selection of fine smokables. The question on my mind is why some people can get away with this and others end up with mandatory minimum

sentences. What’s the deal here? When I asked my friend why it was taking so long for Trudeau to come out with the new legislation, he said it’s all about the business end of things. The government wants to funnel everyone through approved suppliers licensed by Health Canada. In other words, government pushers. He said the holdup is that they aren’t all up to full production capacity and it’s slowing things down. He also says the government continues to fight against people being able to grow their own because that would cut into their profits. It has nothing to do with anything but the dollar bills. But my friend doesn’t want to deal with government dealers because of their production methods. The Health Canada website currently lists seven different types of pesticide that official growers are permitted to use. He has cancer and says the last thing he wants is to be forced to consume unknown chemicals that we’ll shortly discover cause – you guessed it – cancer. I can’t say if pot cures anything. All I know is it makes me paranoid and fat because I think the cops are going to kick in my door any second and catch me watching porn with a bag of Doritos. And I know that the politics of pot regulation isn’t as simple as the fact that Justin Trudeau is a cool guy. There’s money at stake here. Lots of it. Some people have already got their slice of the pie – someway, somehow – and everyone else is moving into position to gobble up the p rest.

ha n g o ve r h e l p e r

Fear of Shopping by Shane

Delear

hen one is in the business of hangovers, conversations with friends sometimes turn into a bit of a competition. People want to earn that gold star, to have had THE WORST HANGOVER OF ALL TIME. It’s human and admirable in a way – these are the people that teach your kids math and fix your brakes, serve you your coffee (with the cup rattling away on its saucer) – isn’t it a comfort that in everything they do they strive to be the best? I’ve heard some doozeys. One hurled biscuits out the window of her parents’ car while being chauffered to Toronto. Another, out of exhaustion and a bit of empathy, held an inconsolable baby and just wept along with it. People sleepwalking through weddings,

My recurring waking nightmare involves going to the grocery store

others cleaning all manner of messes. All sorts of terrifying and interminable workdays: Surprise evaluations! Slow days with only you and your boss in the store! Unexpected tour buses showing up to brunch! Thank god I’m not in my early 20s anymore (or late 20s or early 30s for that matter). I generally have the self control to not inflict that kind of nonsense on myself. I prefer to think that I no longer have the patience to grin and bear a soul-sucking every-minute-is-five-yearslong hangover rather than that my constitution can’t take the same lumps that it used to. I like to imagine when I’m on the receiving end of some retail hell that the drone attending to me is really a lovely person that has been driven to drink by how much their

spirit is being stifled. Of course, they just might not have the proper Confucian everything-has-its-placein-the-order-of-things mindset to help me right the injustice of my cable modem’s connectivity issues. My recurring waking nightmare involves going to the grocery store. Somehow your malaise affects your perception of everything else. It’s almost hostile how bright it is. Making eye contact with people – feeling like they feel that you’re some sort of buffoon. Somehow having that one other shopper who arrived in sync with you that you’re always getting in the way of or who’s always in your way AND THEN BECOMES YOUR ENEMY (cast your judgement into their cart; smug jerk, name brand frozen peas!?!?). The psychic assault of all those headlines at the checkout

– is that how people live and is the inference that I should be as petty and foul? The small talk with your cashier – it’s worse than at a haircut. Running into a neighbour or someone whose birthday you just snubbed on facebook or even worse running into a friend who can see the shame of your comfort food and think that it’s how you normally live. Just a tire fire of a way to spend your morning. Anyhow, though my feeling is that every case of the vapours is unique and special, I’d like to outsource that decision to my beautiful readers. Please send a quick recap of your particular doozey to:

worsthangoverofalltime@ gmail.com (by Tuesday, June

28th) – I’ll choose a few and put them in next issue for your enjoyment and judgment. Awesome prize TBA.

Photo courtesy Fred Meyer

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 23

l o ok a t t hi s

Visions of the Mind’s Eye by

Nida Home Doherty

The

esubscribe

! FREE ! www.londonyodeller.ca

emailed to you every s e c o n d T h u r s d ay

24 the london yodeller

06.23.16

mechanics of vision and how the eyes send messages to the brain about the world around us are absolutely essential to being an artist, one might think. Certainly, for the representational artist, being able to discern depth, colour, tone, and object to ground dimensionality loops back into the mechanics of painting in replicating the object world the artist sees. But in the significant exhibition of paintings by Erica Dornbusch, currently displayed at the Westland Gallery, these fundamental aspects of art-making are shown not only to limit the definition of art-making, but, in turn, result in a limited understanding of our relationship to the world we live in. A degenerative pathology of vision and a gradual loss of sight has forced Dornbusch to reorient herself to working as an artist. As her work embraces her loss of vision and growing sense of isolation, she has turned inward for inspiration. In exploring the inner self and through the interconnected elements of memory and light, she finds a sense of power, solace, and strength in her womanhood. The result is a richer approach to painting and, in turn, an elevated sense of beingness. The female form dominates the exhi-

Erica Dornbusch: Walking Each Other Home, acrylic on canvas, 24”x 30”

bition. Accentuated by a narrow rectangular format, Dornbusch’s female figures are nearly always elongated, ephemeral looking, and full of elegance and grace, as they appear as if emerging and/or floating in a dream-like presence. In the painting Brings the Dawn, a female form floats above the ground, seemingly having emerged from it. The ground and flowers flow into her attire and the strong silhouette of a faceless woman stands against a darkened sky that grades into lightness as it reaches the horizon. In Jane’s Insight a pure white elongated form, fitted with a lacy, long flowing robe that sculpts over her uplifted head, floats purposefully against a dark blue background, amongst white-speck images of stars. In Well of Being the female form floats above a flattened pattern of abstract water and images of fish, and her gown is only slightly distinguishable from the water/ground from which she appears to emerge.

As Dornbusch channels her visions of inner self and her undeniable spiritual connectedness into her paintings, she, in turn, connects with eternal images of the female found in ancient myths and religious stories of goddesses, angels, and guiding spirits who hold exalted positions and are aligned with the movement and powers of the cosmos. In The Moon and Tides, a woman in a strong linear pose holds a large wooden bowl, and with eyes shut she gives over and trusts in the higher powers that exist in the world as they pass through her. The sacred bowl that she carries contains a crescent moon, and the water that pours from it splashes back over her, adorning her female form with white, lacy, sensual patterns. In Washer Woman, the Moon and Sorrows, a large bowl tilted forwards reflects the sky above as it precariously sits on the lap of a noble female form. In one hand the woman holds a black

stone, while with the other hand she washes it. She appears as performing her duty, her calling in the world, the impossible task of cleansing away the darkness in the universe. In other paintings, through personal memory and a reorientation to the light source for

As Dornbusch channels her visions of inner self and spiritual connectedness into her paintings, she, in turn, connects with eternal images of the female found in ancient myths and religious stories

painting, Dornbusch blurs the boundaries between time and space, and transgressing beings become a primary element of her art making. In The Journey, four isolated female forms walk in a dirge-like line blending in and at the same time contrasting with blurred images of a rural landscape. Although the forms are quite similar to each other, their differences

are more discernible with each being rendered in distinctive layers of hues and colours as they appear to pass through the four seasons, or possibly the four stages of life. In I went into the woods, And came upon Moon already walking there, just slightly visible amongst a group of stark yet animated tree forms and the brightly coloured, patterned forest floor, a ghostly white figure of an elder woman appears. Her presence blesses the silence and beauty of the forest, which, in turn, holds her peaceful reflective presence. The two strongest paintings in the exhibition, it might be argued, are Let Us Not Hurry Walking Home, and Full Moon Guardians. Let Us Not Hurry Walking Home captures a mystical moment â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that of early dawn when the sun first impacts on the earth and gives it shape and definition. While standing facing the rising sun and appearing in awe of its power, the self and the forest trees are engulfed in a oneness with nature as they blend into elongated shadows and areas of abstraction. The self, in that mo-

ment, becomes inverted, changing from a diminished sense of self in a hurried unconscious walking, to the source and power of reflected light. In Full Moon Guardians, the sun has just sunk below the horizon and bovine forms take on a spiritual presence that emanates out to the human form in their midst, sending a strong message of protection through spiritual abundance. Dornbusch writes in her artist statement, â&#x20AC;&#x153;None of us has the same perspective, for no human eye will ever see the same. And we do not see the truth of things as they are, rather as we ourselves are.â&#x20AC;? However, we can be awakened to alternative perspectives, and in her ReVision exhibition Dornbusch helps loosen our engrained ties to the object world and through a different orientation to vision, she invites us to broaden our sense of beingness. Erica Dornbusch: ReVision continues to July 9, 2016 Westland Gallery 156 Wortley Road, London, ON 519-601-4420 http://www.westlandgallery.ca/

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 25

SUPPORT THESE FINE BUSINESSES WHERE YOU’LL FIND Aeolian Hall Museum London the art centre Music & Video Place THE ART EMPORIUM mystic bookshop art exchange THE OLDE BAKERY CAFE artisan bakery ON THE SIDE ANTIQUES The Arts Project Palace Theatre FRAMING & ART CENTRE Attic Books PLAYWORLD FRINGE CUSTOM FRAMING & GALLERY Beat Goes On quiznos Grand Theatre BELLONE’S RAILWAY CITY BREWERY harvey’s Bijan’s Art Studio red roaster irene’s fish & chips B.J.’S COUNTRY MARKET root cellar organic cafe joe kool’s BONDI’S PIZZA scot’s corner John Bellone’s THE BOOK BIN Speed City records KING EDWARD RESTAURANT boston pizza Starbucks L.A. Mood Cardinal Books STRATHROY ANTIQUE MALL LITTLE BEAVER RESTAURANT Chaucer’s Pub subway THE LITTLE BOOK SHOPPE cherryhill mall Sunrise Records LITTLE RED’S PUB & EATERY Citi-Plaza mall tim horton’s london library branches city lights bookshop turner’s drug store London Music Club Coffee Culture VILLAGE PIZZA london pain & headache clinic Covent Garden Market western fair district Long & McQuade culture rising westland gallery LUCAN DONNELLY MUSEUM DAVID’S BISTRO white oaks mall memory lane antiques ELGIN COUNTY MUSEUM WIMPY’S DINER ELGIN COUNTY RAILWAY MUSEUM Michael Gibson Gallery WOODSTOCK ART GALLERY muldoon’s pizza Forest City Surplus YO YO’S YOGHURT

**Broker *Sales Representative

1673 Richmond Street, London, ON N6G 2N3

519-857-7922 or 519-657-5967 26 the london yodeller

06.23.16

Advice by

Uncle Bruce SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS TO

info@londonyodeller.ca

Dear Uncle Bruce – What did London ever do to deserve four mayors in a row who’ve perpetrated major scandals? — It’s Getting Embarrassing to Live Here Dear It’s Getting Embarrassing to Live Here – I see you’re taking your cues from The London Free Press which last week helpfully published their threepoint roll call of previous mayoral miscreants who supposedly brought scandal upon our city. Two of those chief magistrates, I believe, were not themselves guilty of any such thing. You might be able to charge Anne Marie DeCicco-Best (and a fair percentage of the world’s population, for that matter) with not marrying very well, but it was not her who drove while drunk, injured another party in a collision and then fled the scene of the crash. Dianne Haskett I consider more blameless yet. When she came into office, mayoral proclamations were understood to be granted at the sole discretion of the mayor and she early on let it be known that she would not be issuing proclamations dealing with either side of the abortion question, anything having to do with sexuality or sexual orientation, or issues which might stir up controversy, promote illegal activity or incite hatred toward any group. That she was fined for discrimination for refusing to proclaim Gay Pride weekend by a stilted Star Chamber of the Ontario Human Rights Commission in a judgement that contravened her constitutional rights to freedom of conscience, speech and religion, was not something that I – nor a two-toone majority of Londoners who re-elected her to office in the wake of that judgement – considered scandalous. But Smokin’ Joe and Matt Brown – those are bona fide scandals. It’s grimly fascinating how it’s all played out. After four years of mortifying governance at the hands of that glad-handing, motor-mouthing, taxpayer-defrauding bundle of appetites called Joe Fontana, Londoners thought they were electing the anti-Fontana with the almost robotically circumspect Matt Brown. As a politician he seemed to be a good hard worker. If he came off a little bland as a personality – a man with no visible quirks or appetites – well, considering what we’d just been through, that seemed to bode well for a mayoral term or two without chaotic eruptions. And then – Blooey! This mess lands in all of our laps and we can’t help wondering why we’re all being made a party to it. Surely, marital infidelities have been committed by top level London politicians before without every citizen being made aware of all the gruesome details. Part of the answer is that discretion is harder to maintain in this era of what we euphemistically call ‘social media’ (I regard its primary impact as destructive to society). But the larger part of the answer, I’m afraid, is the colossal failure of character, judgement, imagination and caution exercised by the two highest ranking politicians in town when they decided to have their way with one another. They’ve both got spouses and children they were willing to betray and humiliate, they both have to work together under an elevated level of public scrutiny . . . what weren’t they thinking to believe for a second that their naughty little tryst was containable? On some probably unconscious level, it almost looks to me like an act of occupational hari-kari. A self-sabotaging cry for help to win their release from a job that is, simultaneously, so impossibly demanding and so mind-rottingly boring that they’ll do anything to break free from it. – Sincerely, Uncle Bruce

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 27

t hea tre space

Returning to The Weir

Conor McPherson has been hailed as the next great Irish playwright following in the line of Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Sean O’Casey and Brian Friel.

Adam Corrigan Holowitz

28 the london yodeller

06.23.16

hen Conor McPherson’s 1997 drama The Weir was first performed in London Ontario, back in 2001, the production was such a hit that there were fistfights in the lobby for tickets. If folks had only known that they would simply have to wait 15 years for that production’s director, Don Fleckser, to direct the play again, perhaps some knuckles would have been spared. It was partly the popularity of the first production that made Fleckser want to revisit the play. So when By the Book Theatre artistic director Mark Killeen and Don Fleckser discussed possible plays for Fleckser to direct for the company, The Weir bubbled up to the top of their list. Killeen’s rule when choosing plays is that the script must be so gripping that he has no choice but to read the play in one sitting. The Weir grabbed him immediately with its spine tingling ghost story narrative. Fleckser adds that The Weir is widely considered to be a modern masterpiece. Conor McPherson has been hailed as the next great Irish playwright, following in the line of Wilde, Shaw, Sean O’Casey and Brian Friel. Along with presenting a lauded play, Mark Killeen also found the prospect of having Don Fleckser

direct for the company to be highly appealing. Fleckser’s work as a director in this city is prolific and his work has touched almost everyone in the London theatre. Killeen has found while watching Fleckser direct that, “Don has an artful way communicating with the cast. He accents the positive.” There is a “harmony” to his style. The Weir takes place in a small pub in rural Ireland. Four local guys

Mark Killeen’s rule when choosing plays to produce is that the script must be so gripping that he has no choice but to read the play in one sitting

meet up with a woman, Valerie, who is new to the area. She has just arrived from Dublin. Three of the men each tell a ghost story, with the intent of trying to scare the newcomer. It is classic pub storytelling – each man trying to outdo the last. However Valerie tells a fourth ghost story that is all too real and disturbs the others. Don Fleckser says that in directing the play this time around he has a better understanding of the notion of ghosts. “I believe there are ghosts” he says. “As children we believe in ghosts” but that belief is weaned

out of adults. Fleckser notes that the ghost stories the characters tell centre around either fairies or children. These are the menacing fairies of Irish mythology. Fleckser believes ghost stories that involve children are scarier because we care more about what happens to children. The stories become more vivid for us. The Weir, and much of Conor McPherson’s work, is about the power of stories. This play is essentially five stories told in a pub and yet these stories greatly affect the characters. McPherson is saying that stories are powerful tools, not just sources of entertainment. Storytelling plays such a huge part in Irish culture and so it should be no surprise that Irish playwrights often include vivid storytelling in their plays. The vivid storytelling has captivated the cast of this production. As they talk, a common thread running through their comments is that the play has a strong power to trap both actors and audience under the spell of its stories. Sarah Abbott who plays Valarie in the production says, “It brings you along – you can’t escape and you are forced to experience what is happening.” John Reid who plays Rick, the leader of the guys, echoes Abbott’s comments, saying that the intimate venue makes you feel that there is no escape. Reid also finds a personal connection to the writing. “There is an intricacy to the writing. I find I am hearing the voices of aunts and uncles from my Irish/Scot heritage” in the character’s speech patterns. Andre Cormier, who plays the bar owner, Brendan, says, “The play deliberately misleads you. You get a false sense of security. You realize that you are not here for the play you thought you were seeing.” Mark Killeen notes that there are some thematic parallels with the other plays he has produced, notably with his past production of Of Mice and Men and his upcoming production of A Streetcar Named Desire. In both these plays and The Weir there are questions raised about why these certain people stick together, even though they bring pain to one another. Why do Lenny and George stay together? Why does Stella live with the abusive Stanley? It comes

down to the fact that these characters, in all three of these plays, are trying to survive loneliness. Killeen has also noticed a detail in The Weir that has until now not been overly examined. McPherson premiered the play in 1997, a year after divorce became legal in in Ireland. This is significant because the sole

Directing The Weir this time around, Don Fleckser has a better understanding of the notion of ghosts female character in the play, Valerie, has a marriage which has just ended. McPherson is examining a hot button topic of that time. I was honoured to be invited to see a run-through of the play three weeks before opening. I intended to stay for a bit after I had finished the interviews, however I was quickly captivated and before I knew it, I had watched the whole play. Based on my experience, I can say that this is going to be a gripping night of theatre. The Weir by Conor McPherson Directed by Don Fleckser Featuring: John Reid, Sarah Abbott, Stephen Flindall, Dan Curtis and Andre Cormier July 6 to 10 and 12 to 16 Performances each night at 8 pm Procunier Hall at the Palace Theatre 710 Dundas St., London ON Tickets: $23.00 Box Office: 519-432-1029 06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 29

ri pl a sh

A Free Master Acting Class from a Freshly Retired Actor

Rip

hat’s right. I’m hanging up my tights. I’m giving up my greasepaint. Just like there can be a natural transition from athlete to coach, I have gradually segued from being an onstage performer to being a writer/director. My stage fright and my ability to retain lines have gotten worse over the years to the point that the dread before the rising of the curtain has become a massive, unconquerable monster. I am grateful that I have played so many great parts in my time: Beckett, Shakespeare, Mamet – at one point I played Macbeth and Miss Wisconsin back to back. I did a 90-minute one person show that almost killed me. I played Fatty Arbuckle and Oscar Wilde. I am committed to finishing my current 100show run of Badger Bites Bear!, a solo play I do in non-traditional locations in benefit of the Unity Project on Homelessness. This play involves actual

30 the london yodeller

06.23.16

story books and a large measure of improvised theatrical jazz that allow me to compensate for my Swiss cheese memory. I do not grieve. Just

actors. There are reliable local performers who can turn in an adequate performance every single time, but absolute transcendence is rare. Ironi-

Photo: Roxanne Lutz

by Jason

Just like an athlete succumbs to a career-ending injury, there comes a day when your time in the sun is done like an athlete succumbs to a career-ending injury, there comes a day when your time in the sun is done. In my early twenties, long before I became a theatre artist, I achieved some success as a standup comic. Then one day I stopped doing it and I never did it again. Before that I was a published poet. I haven’t written a poem in twenty-five years. Sometimes the best types of doors are the ones that stay shut. I often make the claim that London does not have a wealth of excellent

cally, some of the best actors ration their talent to the point that they hardly ever appear onstage or, even worse, acquire the reputation of being difficult to work with. I do not claim that I was ever a transcendent actor but I do know that I tried to get as far away from myself as possible. I was not enamoured of the safe choice. Since I sit on the sidelines now, I may perhaps be permitted to offer a few bits of advice to the players still sweating and grunting on the field.

THE CHAMELEON IS THE IDEAL

The best actors are the types that can take off their own identities, throw them in a corner for two hours, and become someone totally different. This involves process and pre-show warm-up. I have heard it said many times that the audience will remember the character’s voice long after they’ve forgotten everything else. If you’re always playing versions of yourself, one has to question if you’re really acting. When it comes to casting and accepting roles, try to get as far away from your own life history as possible. I think it’s perfectly valid to turn down a

part because it is something you have already thoroughly worked into your repertoire.

WHEN YOU’RE A SUPPORTING ACTOR, SUPPORT

It’s hard to be the lead. Think of poor Alice In Wonderland with every other character more interesting than her. It’s often easy to steal the show if you’re a supporting actor, but, in that case, who exactly are you supporting? The best ensembles are not composed of people competing for the audience’s attention but are organic wholes with all performances in balance. Makes backstage politics a lot easier too.

DON’T THINK, BE!

This is where it gets tricky. A good actor has to pay close attention to what is inside the bubble of their mind at every moment. The default is to think of your next line or your next bit of blocking. This is a log-jam to your subconscious and an impediment to your performance. Ideally, you’re Hamlet on the Elsinore ramparts and that’s a real ghost. If you’re thinking of what you’re going to be eating after the show, you’re really not doing it right. By the way, if you’ve never been an actor, something about it makes you really hungry.

KNOW WHAT KIND OF PLAY YOU’RE IN

is important, and if you’re not into it, how can you expect your audience to be into it?

DON’T SHED CHARACTER UNTIL CURTAIN CALL

When you’re backstage and others are onstage, don’t joke and smirk, don’t even rest. Lurk in the shadows and be an intense creep, just like every other great actor. Think your character’s thoughts and don’t let reality seep in to muddle your performance. Be a creep, don’t let it seep!

TAKE IT SERIOUSLY

Ultimately this is the sign of someone I want to work

with. Acting is very difficult. It overlaps with what the average person lives in terror of: being exposed in public. Let’s face it: you have to be a little weird to do it well, an angry child who still craves and demands attention. I almost got to play Richard III this summer – that was the last part I was looking to play. I do not offer this article as an iron-clad contract guaranteeing I will never grace a local stage again, but, for now, I crave the quiet of the pasture and the rocking chair. I may not be Kevin Spacey, but I feel spacey enough most of the time. Break legs everyone! p

One of Sir John Gielgud’s primary pieces of acting advice was “Know what kind of play you’re in.” No need to bring out The Method when you’re playing a cucumber in a Fruit of the Loom ad. Some plays require a deep analysis of a troubled psyche and some require you to run through doors in your knickers. It’s good to experiment with as many types of theatre as you can. I ended up preferring darker material but I cut my teeth on community theatre farces like Run For Your Wife and Flaming Idiots!

TRUST ENOUGH TO BOUNCE

I hope that I have become more philosophical over the years. One concept I apply to both theatre and life is “Bounce,” which is what I call the exchange of energy in a given environment. Some days have Bounce and some days do not. Some plays have Bounce and some do not. It helps if you like and trust the people you are on stage with. Admittedly a fairly nebulous concept, a good play should bounce along like a wellplayed piece of music. Energy 06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 31

sounds r azor

by Sean Twist

wo angels stood side by side alongside a golden path. One turned to the other with a smirk. “I think Enochian is my favourite Duran Duran spin off band,” Philippa said. “Would you stop?” Saranel said, reflexively looking up the path towards the hill. “Aren’t we in enough shit?” “Oh, relax.” Philippa smiled. “And you just swore.” She bugged out her eyes. “What if the Captain heard? Ooooh! Then we’d really be for it, wouldn’t we?” “Let’s just get through this shift without any more incidents,” Saranel muttered. “Fine, grouchyface.” The two angels were silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. In the distance, song could be heard. A cool breeze was blowing up from the gray mist of Limbo down to their left. Philippa lifted her arms to enjoy it while it lasted. “How long do you think we’ll have to do this?” Saranel asked. “Until we don’t have to, I suppose.” “That’s helpful.” “Well, how am I supposed to know? I didn’t think the Captain would take it so personal.” Saranel turned to her friend in exasperation. “How could he not? You did it in front of the entire Legion!” “He should have looked before he sat down.” “Right, because an archangel of Heaven should be on constant vigilance for a whoopee cushion on his throne.” “Then maybe you shouldn’t have

32 the london yodeller

06.23.16

laughed so loud. Maybe then you wouldn’t be down here with me.” Saranel’s eyes flashed lightning, which arced out to flare against the golden stones in front of them. Then her eyes dimmed, and she smiled. “The face he made.” “Kinda worth it,” Philippa agreed. “Someone’s coming,” Saranel said. The two angels looked down towards Limbo. A black cat had wandered out, looking around in confusion. Philippa bent down. “Hey, baby, come here.” The cat looked up at her, startled. Then it trotted towards her, tail raised high. The angel took the cat up into her arms. “You’re fine, sweetheart,” Philippa whispered quietly. “You’re home now. Just head up the path. Everything’s going to be okay, baby. You’re home now.” Saranel leaned across to pat the cat’s head. Philippa bent down and put the cat back on the path. It gave the two angels a look, blinked, then trotted up the path. The two angels watched it until it disappeared into the mist that shrouded the top of the hill. “How did . . .” Saranel began, but she shook her head. “No, I don’t want to know.” “No, you don’t.” The Limbo posting wasn’t the worst job you could get. It could be the most draining, though, which is why no one ever signed up for it. But sometimes souls got lost on their way here. In many cases, it was because they didn’t know they had died. There could be various reasons for this. Eventually, though, they found their way to this path. Today –

Gustave Doré: The Angel and The Orphan,1872

Afternoon Shift

An archangel of Heaven should be on constant vigilance for a whoopee cushion on his throne for however long today lasted – it was Philippa and Saranel’s job to greet them, and ensure they continued on home. Time passed. Bored, Philippa took the sword from her back and began to polish it with her robe. Saranel almost had the angelic equivalent of a heart attack. “Are you serious?” “What? I think it’s getting tarnished.” “It’s adamantium! It doesn’t tarnish. Have you ever seen the Gates tarnish? “Saranel rolled her eyes. “It’s like you’re trying to get in trouble.” “Well, I think it looks better.” She puffed on the blade, wiped it again with her sleeve, and slid it back into its sheath. Saranel sighed. “Looks like a woman this time,” Philippa said, looking towards Limbo. She looked to be in her forties. Early 21st century dress – blouse, skirt, low heels. She had a phone pressed to the side of her face. She glanced over at the angels. Philippa waved. The woman didn’t react. She glared at her phone and began angrily pressing it in various places. She sighed in exasperation and proceeded towards the representatives of the heavenly host. “The signal’s for shit here,” she pointed out. “Yeah, probably,” Philippa said. She took in the two angels standing

before her. “What’s your deal? “ “Well, you know, just doing our thing,” Philippa smiled. “Yeah? How’s that working out for you?” The woman was already looking back at her phone. “Not bad. Good benefits, but the hours are murder.” “I hear that.” The woman looked around. “What is this place? What’s with the Yellow Brick Road thing?” She gave the angels another look, like she hadn’t really noticed them before. “Is this a cosplay thing? Is this for a promotion for something?” “I don’t think we ever have to worry about promotions,” Saranel muttered. Philippa put her hand on the woman’s shoulder. Her final moments filled the angel’s mind. It was Philippa’s gift/ curse, which is how things usually went. At least it had been quick for the woman. “Hey, easy there.” The woman stepped back. “Amy, you died three months ago,” Philippa began. “You were hit by a truck on a highway when your car crossed into the opposite lane.” “No, I wasn’t,” the woman said angrily. “That’s a horrible thing to say.” Philippa debated about telling her the role the phone played in her death. Posting a picture of her breakfast at a diner to Instagram, trying to come up with a funny line. She had managed three words before she looked up when her bumper hit the median. “Just head up the path, Amy. It’ll all become clear,” she said instead. “Now stop this, whoever you are. I have a family and I . . .“ The woman had begun to shout when Saranel drew her sword. Blue flame raced along the blade. The air began to thrum. “GO NOW, CHILD,” she growled. The woman looked horrified. Saranel’s eyes flashed fire. The woman turned and went. “I hate those ones,” Saranel sighed as the woman disappeared. “Yeah, me too.” Philippa took the sword from her friend. She waved it around, the flame drifting through the air. “Ever see Star Wars?” she asked. “Give that back,” Saranel laughed.

d ispa t ch e s f ro m d y s t o p i a

Now It’s Your Turn to Suffer for my Art

Ciara Allen All my life, I have been a poor communicator. I always felt I couldn’t get

anyone to notice I was struggling unless I acted out, and instead of true recognition all I got was, “If I catch you stealing again you’re fired,” or “Please stop spitting on me”. While this behaviour was immensely satisfying, I realised it was not productive. I required a less destructive outlet for my angst. So I turned to the Arts. As humans, when we feel no one is listening we can create something in hopes that it will reach the hearts and minds of our fellow man. I may not be much of a “feelings” gal, but like anyone I still desire to be understood. Not too well, though. Just enough that I am still an enigma but not so little that a mob of locals chases me up a clock tower. Anyway. My preferred medium for self-expression, clearly, is writing. This column is one outlet for me, but I also privately dabble in poetry. The music of words moves me, and then instead of chasing the mailman down the street in a ski mask just so I can feel alive, I am able to be at peace with myself. For a time. To aid in my personal progress, I have chosen to share with you some selections from my collection of poems, entitled This Week’s Personal Crisis Will Be Served as a Canapé. I begin with the titular poem: Rough around the edges Grainy throughout Improved by tasty toppings Human Melba toast

This next piece is called I Wonder if Any of My Old Therapists Think About Me?

Have you ever wanted to disappear into yourself? No, burst out Shed your skin And become a screaming, bloody skeleton Lay yourself bare And be truly known Take to the streets in your final magnificent form Sending adults and children Running in fear As you hiss through your skeleton teeth “Now do you see me?” “Now do you care?” “Now will you invite me to your fucking birthday party, Amanda?” “Now will you return my texts, Greg?” “I saw you at the bar on Thursday, prick, I know you read them.” “What, now that I’m not your patient anymore you can’t talk to me? Classic Greg.” Cackling as the world fades And you return home To the flames

And finally, two haikus. The first: I Should Have Had Dinner With That Wine: Last night’s all a blur Man, these aren’t even my socks I’m too old for this

The second, Adult Goth Blues:

“Dude, I’m not stealing” Stalked through Walmart again “No, you’re a disgrace!”

You can look forward to reading much more like this if I ever get a serious response from a publisher. So far they’ve all been very unprofessional, accusing me of pulling an elaborate prank or suggesting my work is “inaccessible and, frankly, troubling”. But that’s just society today for you, isn’t it? Nobody appreciates art anymore.

06.23.16

www.londonyodeller.ca 33

thur J U NE 23 rd – w e d J uly 6 th

Send us your listing (25 words ma x): info@londonyodeller.ca Deadline for JUly 7th issue is Wed JUNE the 29th

music & c lu b s 23 June Thursday CALL THE OFFICE Scott Brunelle/ Fisher King/ Nadsat / F**k-Power 8pm · $5 · 19+ LONDON MUSIC CLUB The 24th Street Wailers wsg The Focklers 7:30pm · $10 adv · $15 door LONDON MUSIC HALL Against Me 7pm · $27.50 24 June Friday AEOLIAN HALL Local Folk 7pm · $10 adv · $12 door CALL THE OFFICE Art Bergmann/ TV'D · 9pm · $10 adv · $12 door · 19+ EASTSIDE BAR & GRILL Bender · 9pm LONDON MUSIC HALL Modern Space 10pm · $5 NORMA JEAN'S 2nd Chance · FREE THE WORTLEY Journeymen of Soul · 10pm YUK YUK'S Patrick Coppolino · 8pm · $19.92 · 19+

25 June Saturday AEOLIAN HALL The Marrieds Album Release Concert · 7pm · $20 adv · $25 CALL THE OFFICE Motown · 9pm · $5 · 19+ EASTSIDE BAR & GRILL Wednesdays Engine · 9pm LONDON MUSIC CLUB Roam wsg Head & Tail · 8:30pm · $10 adv · $15 LONDON MUSIC HALL Shad · 8pm · $20 NORMA JEAN'S Tribute Night · $5 THE WORTLEY Journeymen of Soul · 10pm YUK YUK'S Patrick Coppolino · 8pm · $19.92 · 19+ 27 June Monday LONDON MUSIC HALL Bury Your Dead · 6pm · $17 29 June Wednesday AEOLIAN HALL Girls Rock Documentary · 6:30pm · FREE CALL THE OFFICE Limblifter / Ponyshow · 8pm · $15 · 19+ 30 June Thursday THE WORTLEY After Midnight · 9pm 01 July Friday BUDWEISER GARDENS Trackside Music Festival · 12pm · $100-189.50

CALL THE OFFICE Tiger Sex · 9pm · $5 · 19+ EASTSIDE BAR & GRILL A Rebel Few · 9pm LONDON MUSIC HALL Chris Young/ Randy Houser · 12-11pm · $149-269 NORMA JEAN'S Creekside Strays · FREE THE WORTLEY Chris Trowell · 10pm 02 July Saturday BUDWEISER GARDENS Trackside Music Festival · 12pm · $100-189.50 CALL THE OFFICE Skull Fist/ Midnight Towers/ Flidais · 9pm · $8 · 19+ EASTSIDE BAR & GRILL Ginge · 9pm LONDON MUSIC HALL Florida Georgia Line · 12-11pm · $149-269 THE WORTLEY Chris Trowell · 10pm 04 July Monday LONDON MUSIC HALL Milky Chance 7pm · $32.50 05 July Tuesday LONDON MUSIC HALL Conveyor & Prophets · 7pm · $10

t h e at r e BLYTH FESTIVAL OUR BEAUTIFUL SONS: REMEMBERING MATTHEW DINNING The love of family, the search for bravery, and the always complicated paths to manhood, motherhood, and peace. June 15 – Aug 6 / THE BIRDS AND THE BEES Sarah, a turkey farmer, has just left her husband and moved back home with her mother Gail. Nowadays, Gail raises bees. And Earl is still a cash cropper. Gail rents

Earl her fields... but neither of them can really stand each other. Sarah, sick of feeling trapped in a loveless marriage, and tired of spending her days walking around artificially inseminating turkeys, is back under Gail's roof. Til Aug 6 INGERSOLL THEATRE OF PERFORMING ARTS Unger and Madison are at it again…. that is Florence Unger and Olive Madison in Neil Simon’s hilarious contemporary comic classic. Instead of a poker party that begins the original version Florence has invited the girls over for an evening of Trivial Pursuit and a little gossip. The original Pigeon sisters have been replaced by the entertaining Constanzuela brothers…but the mishaps and mayhem remain the same. With this delightful romp,your summer will start off with a bang. 2pm & 7:30pm · $18 · June 23 – 26 PORT STANLEY FESTIVAL THEATRE THE LADIES FOURSOME Take four ladies, 18 holes, a friendly wager, and watch the sparks fly! Margot, Tate, Connie and Dory spend a day on the links to pay homage to a departed friend. It sounds harmless enough, but fueled by competition, revelations, and recriminations, the outing becomes more than anyone bargained for. 2pm & 8pm · $32.50 – 35.50 · Until July 2 / BIRDS OF A FEATHER The Bachman Warbler is extinct.....or is it? Competitive bird watchers converge on a quest for the rarest of birds, as arch rivals clash in a battle of wits, technology, and high stakes. Lessons learned, lives revealed, and alaugh-filled search for life's surprises...be careful what you wish for! 2pm & 8pm · Matinee: $32.50 · Evening: $35.50 · July 6 – 23 STRATFORD FESTIVAL THEATRE A CHORUS LINE On stage, they move as one. But each member of that glittering line has a unique history of hope and heartbreak,

revealed in the life stories they share in this inspiring musical masterpiece. 2pm · $25 – 139.05 · Til Oct 30 / SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE A young playwright named Will Shakespeare comes down with writer’s block – until he finds a muse. Art mirrors life in a hilarious and passionate tale of romance and backstage fun. 2pm & 8pm · $20 – 97.34 · Til Oct 16 / MACBETH Surrender to a haunting story of ambition and its dark consequences, as a military hero and his wife conspire to seize the throne of Scotland. 2pm · 7:30pm · & 8pm · $20 – $139.05 · Til Oct 23 / AS YOU LIKE IT Romance goes undercover in this beloved comedy of surprises, disguises and cross-dressing antics – and you get to play too. 2pm & 8pm · $12.50 – 74.93 · Til Oct 22 / A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC On a magical midsummer night, lovers old and new are swept up in a dizzying whirl of romance. 2pm & 8pm · $25 – 113.75 · Til Oct 23 / BREATH OF KINGS: REBELLION Lust for power leads to political turmoil in this fast-paced new distillation of Shakespeare’s epic histories of a nation and its rulers – their lives, their battles and their deaths. 2pm & 8pm · $35 – 100 · Until Sept 24 / BREATH OF KINGS: REDEMPTION Can victory abroad resolve crisis at home? Henry IV and his charismatic son, Henry V, are the major players in this second of two new distillations of Shakespeare’s great dramas of kingship. 2pm & 8pm · $50 – 137.50 · Until Sept 24 VICTORIA PLAYHOUSE PETROLIA DRIVING MISS DAISY Daisy, who is reluctant to accept help from anyone, especially the new chauffeur hired by her son. The two share humorous adventures and develop a relationship that grows from necessity to companionship. 2pm & 8pm · July 5 – 24

ga ller ies & museums THE ART EMPORIUM Featured Junee Artists: Candy McManiman, David E. “Smokey” Dale, JuneeAnne Reid, Kathy MacKay, Pat Brown, Shirley Milhlik Thompson, Tom Scanlan and Wilf Chappell. Open 11-5 pm · Closed Tues · 177 Main St. Port Stanley THE ARTS PROJECT SUMMER ART FUNDRAISER an ongoing, changing exhibit and a great opportunity to view and purchase a selection of unique pieces of art and sculpture created and generously donated by local artists. Proceeds generated go towards supporting our mission as an organization and the future development of programs and exhibitions. Throughout summer. / EXOCITA Original paintings by Meg Howald. June 28 – July 2 DNA ARTSPACE PRE-PAID PARADISE, THIN HORIZON The hybrid quality of these works relates to the ambiguity of memory and the architectural history of a place. Til July 30 ELDON HOUSE FAMILY PHOTOS: THE HARRISES AT HOME Western Archives holds a huge collection of historic photographs attributed to the Harris family who lived at Eldon House. This exhibit will allow visitors an intimate view of the family, their home and their gardens. Throughout 2016 / THE LOST ART OF BOBBIN LACE Generations of women, such as those in the Harris family of Eldon House were “brought up to the pillow” creating intricate pieces of handmade lace that

CARDINAL BOOKS e USED & RARE f

s po tl i ght

QUALITY BOOKS MAPS & EPHEMERA philip prins Proprietor

VISIT US IN THE OLD BIRR SCHOOLHOUSE

Michael Farnan is a multidisciplinary artist and doctoral candidate at Western University. Farnan’s thesis exhibition includes two major video installations, drawing and sculptures exploring Canadian representational history and discourses about colonialism, wilderness, nature and nationhood. His work employs humour, parody and collaboration as tools for critical inquiry and reflection on how we think about relationships to nature. June 3 to 25, 2016 at the McIntosh Gallery, Western University. mcintoshgallery@uwo.ca

34 the london yodeller

06.23.16

TUESDAY to FRIDAY 1 PM – 5 PM SATURDAY 11 AM – 5 PM

sales@merebooks.com 23179 Richmond Street (HWY 4) London, ON (Birr)

519-854-0006

were soon replaced with machinemade products at the end of the Victorian era. As the first in a series on “women’s work”, this exhibit explores the rise and fall of an elaborate art form and illustrates the complicated process of creating bobbin lace. Til July, Interpretive Centre / TEDDY: A MILITARY GENTLEMAN The exhibition is the second in a three-part series that explores the life of Edward Montgomery Harris. Beginning in 1900, after leaving school and joining the Commonwealth Armed Forces, this exhibition explores “Teddy’s” travels, through Britain, India and Canada and observes the life changes wrought by the loss of his mother and his marriage in the era leading up to the outbreak of World War I. Second Floor, Til July / THE FENIAN CONNECTION An illustration of how the “Fenian Raids” impacted those living in Upper Canada, through the diaries and letters of the Harris Family, while highlighting their own involvement in the defence of the empire. Til Sept 1st HUSSARS MUSEUM 1 Dundas St., Forks of the Thames. Sat & holidays · 1-4 pm · 519-455-4533 FREE FOREST CITY GALLERY THE INTROVERTS Featuring Mélanie Myers, Robert Taite, Dave Woodward, Til July 29 FRINGE CUSTOM FRAMING & GALLERY SUMMER FLING An eclectic collection of one of a kind original art from over 20 regional artists. In the gallery for display and sale Spring and Summer 2016. Til June 26 LUCAN AREA HERITAGE & DONNELLY MUSEUM Open til Oct, $5, Family (2 adults 2 children) $15, 171 Main St MCINTOSH GALLERY REPRESENTING WILDERNESS: COMMUNITY, COLLABORATION AND ARTISTIC PRACTICE featuring Michael Farnan. Exploring Canadian representational history and discourses surrounding colonialism, wilderness, nature and nationhood. Til June 25 MICHAEL GIBSON GALLERY ROY HEENAN’S CURNOE COLLECTION Rarely seen works by Greg Curnoe and also feature

3 paintings by Charles Gagnon, both from the collection of Mr. Roy L. Heenan. Til June 25 / CERTAIN OBJECTS by Ufuk Gueray, July 1 – 30 MUSEUM OF ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGY SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO: 13 000 YEARS IN THE MAKING Explore what life would have been like 13 000 years ago in Southwestern Ontario. Take the journey from the end of the ice age all the way through to contact with the European settlers. Ongoing exhibition / DECOLONIZING FRAMES Questioning, critiquing, and celebrating indigenous representation, Til Aug 29 MUSEUM LONDON PLAY TIME This exhibition will take visitors back to another time and remind us about the messages toys communicate. Til Aug 7 / A RIPPLE EFFECT: CANADIANS AND FRESH WATER A Ripple Effect examines the larger story of Canadians’ relationship with fresh water by focusing on the Thames, Speed, and Eramosa rivers. To Aug 14 / CHRONOLOGUES Issues of memory and time, through personal narratives and larger, shared histories. Works in diverse media re-visualize specific experiences or invite viewers to construct their own associations. Til Aug 21 / TOMORROW EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT By Akram Zaatari. Unearthing, collecting and re-contextualizing documents that represent his country’s complex history. Til Sept 4 / REMEMBER WHEN An exhibition of souvenirs and mementos. Til Sept 11 MUSEUM STRATHROY CARADOC CHARLOTTE RAPLEY The new Charlotte Rapley Gallery hosts a semipermanant local history exhibition detailing the history of Strathroy-Caradoc and its communities. Mon – Fri: 10am – 8:30pm · Sat: 10am – 4pm · Sun: Closed · free · suggested $2 donation for guided tours · 34 Frank Street, Strathroy PETER ROBSON STUDIOS Renowned artist Peter Robson and custom framing centre. In the historic village of Sparta. 7 days a week · 519-775-2522 robsonstudios@rogers.com peterrobsonstudios.com ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT MUSEUM 701 Oxford St. E. Enter the base off Oxford at Elliot St. and turn right at

the stop sign. Tues–Fri: 10am–4pm / Thurs to 8pm, Sat & Sun Noon–4pm, closed Mondays and statutory holidays. Free admission & parking. 519-6605275 ext. 5102 ST THOMAS ART CENTRE NEW CANADIAN CABINS Featuring Aidan Urquhart. Doors have no handles and floors tilt at odd angels. Wild colours clash with architectural elements that might seem functional but perhaps are just to off kilter to meet building "code". Til July 30 THIELSEN GALLERY REVOLVING GROUP EXHIBITION Featuring Tony Urquhart. Recent works on paper. Also included are works by Frank Caprani, Ron Milton, Toni Onley and Gordon Smith. Til July 29 WESTLAND GALLERY REVISION Featuring Erica Dornbusch. Reception: June 24, 7:30pm, Artist Talk: June 29, 7pm, Til July 9 WOODSTOCK ART GALLERY JOANNE VEGSON EXPLORATION WITH STILL LIFE Closing Reception: June 29, 5pm, Til July 2

special events EVERY MONDAY MONDAY NIGHT PINBALL Everyone is welcome at our weekly pinball tournament approved by the International Flipper Pinball Association. 8 – 11pm · No Cover · bring $ for pinball · Call the Office EVERY WEDNESDAY EUCHRE Prizes · Everyone Welcome · 1:15pm · 2755 Crumlin Rd. N. Royal Canadian Air Force Association FREEBALL Unlimited play on our wall of pinball machines and classic arcade vids. Guest DJs and drink specials each week too! $5 · 9pm · 19+ Call the Office 25 June Saturday UFE SHOWDOWN Prejudging: 10am Finals: 6pm · $25-70 · Centennial Hall 01 July Friday CANADA DAY CELEBRATION Enjoy a tour of Eldon House and its grounds. Special entertainment, activities for children and adults are planned to celebrate Canada’s birthday. 12-5pm, FREE, Eldon House

sp o tl i ght

SO WHAT’S ART BERGMANN BEEN UP TO FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF DECADES? Art Bergmann’s not getting any younger and his bones are giving him grief, which is to say there might not be that many more opportunities to catch Canada’s godfather of punk in live performance. This always arresting singer-songwriter wouldn’t know how to fake it if www.rmsmedia.ca he wanted to and it’s that everpresent note of authenticity that has attracted top drawer collaborators like John Cale and Chris Spedding to sit in with him in the studio. Quite aside from his early rabblerousing work with hot-headed B.C. bands like The Notorious Smorg Brothers, and the K-Tels (legally ‘persuaded’ to re-dub themselves the Young Canadians) – not to mention his appearances in such beloved Bruce McDonald films as Highway 61 and Hard Core Logo – the Bergmann legend is primarily sustained by a string of stellar albums from the late 80s to the mid 90’s that are absolutely drenched in attitude, swagger and grit: Crawl with Me, Sexual Roulette, What Fresh Hell is This? Design Flaw and Vultura Highway. There have been various compilations, re-workings, reissues and tribute albums since that golden streak but the just-released The Apostate is Bergmann’s first fulllength collection of original songs in almost 20 years. And for the London stop of his promotional tour on Friday, June 24th, there’s only one joint in town where this gig belongs – Call the Office.

06.23.16