SCENE October 2023

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29 AT THE BLOX ARTS CENTRE

KIDS AND FAMILIES

11:00 - 3:00 ALL AGES GHOUL PARTY 3:00 - 7:00

TRICK OR TREASURE HUNT COSTUME CONTEST

HALLOWEEN THEMED GAMES

LIVE MUSIC HOWL CONTEST DRINK SPECIALS

FEATURING TRICKS OR TREATS BY REGRUB, LAST BEST, MILANO, THE BIKE SHOP, THE ACADEMY, BLOX ARTS CENTRE AND MORE…

FIND OUT MORE @THEBLOXYYC OR THEBLOX.CA

Revisiting a 2009 interview with CanLit legend Margaret Atwood LIVEWIRE

This province’s first mental health park opens in Calgary’s Hounsfield Heights to serve children in their mental health recovery and the community at large CITY

Halloween tricks used to be no treat, until we collectively agreed to bribe kids with candy BITS

Stay up with the Scene with our list of things to do and what you need to know this month.

BOOZE

Slip into winter by sipping autumn offerings from local breweries

FOOD 13

Attitude with a side of eats at Karen pop-up and a Barbie themed lunch and brunch are on October’s menu

LIFESTYLE

COVER 22

The Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival puts adventure on

Esker Foundation exhibit puts bodies on display which were crafted for healing and harm and Fear

HALLOWEEN 24

Ideas how you can get your freak on this October with events including the Calgary Underground Film Festival’s 12-Hour Halloween Horror Movie Marathon

MUSIC 26

Live music venue the Ironwood keeps building community, while the city’s DJ scene says goodbye to beloved wax spinner Dean Clarke

Editor-in-Chief Mike Bell mbell@redpointmedia.ca

Design Kris Twyman

COVER: JEREMY JONES

Photo by Ming Poon

CONTRIBUTORS

Kirk Bodnar

Eric Dyck

Cam Hayden

Benjamin Heisler

Nathan Iles

Hamish MacAulay

Mike Platt

Erika Ravnsborg

John Tebbutt

Jared Sych

Krista Sylvester

Mary-Lynn Wardle

Alana Willerton

CEO, Co-owner Roger Jewett

President, Co-owner Käthe Lemon, klemon@redpointmedia.ca

Director Strategy & Content Meredith Bailey, mbailey@redpointmedia.ca

Print/Digital Production Manager

Mike Matovich

Client Support Coordinator Alice Meilleur

Account Executives Michaela Brownlee, Jocelyn Erhardt

Accountant Jeanette Vanderveen, jvanderveen@redpointmedia.ca

Administrative and HR Manager Tara Brand tbrand@redpointmedia.ca

Annual literary festival Imaginairium brings to town some of the world’s finest writers, including Canadians Emma Donoghue, Patrick deWitt and katherena vermette

redpointmedia.ca

1721 29 Avenue SW, Suite 375, Calgary, AB, T2T 6T7

LA TIMES CROSSWORD ANSWERS

PHOTO: ALI KAZAL/PEXELS

Alberta gets it done

Except when we don’t, then it’s Ottawa’s fault

By Hamish Macaulay

Give ‘er! Git-’er-done! Alberta is a can-do kind of place! Entrepreneurial spirit, as the business-friendly kids like to call it, pops up in countless speeches and conversations here in sunny ’Berta.

Of all the golden nuggets we wish into our identity — self-reliant, conservative, fierce individualist — the can-do attitude feels the most common. You can buy a self-help book to foster your inner can-do spirit or, for less commitment, a Git-’Er-Done coffee mug.

Universal human spirit, not some unique provincial identity, explains Alberta’s biggest can-do moments. The spirit that drives

Albertans to rebuild after southern Alberta floods or northern Alberta fires can be found everywhere communities are recovering from natural disasters, famines or violence.

Outside of moments of empathy and survival, the can-do attitude reflects the choices we make, not our identity or culture. Maybe there is something about Alberta that turns its citizens into persistent, hard-working risk-takers. Maybe Albertans apply a little more can-do and get more done when something is important to them. It does not stop us finding ample excuses to do less, even nothing, about the things we dislike or find difficult.

When we choose to git-’er-done reveals what matters most to Alberta’s unique heart.

Finding proof of Alberta’s entrepreneurial culture is a lot harder than finding puff pieces about the Alberta Advantage. We rank among the top provinces in many entrepreneurship statistics. We do not, however, stand out much from our occasionally socialist neighbours, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. The hype looks more like prairie boosterism — a founding element of our provincial culture — than true entrepreneurship.

Fortunately, belief and mythology are more important than statistics when it comes to taking business risks. The storytelling around

ranching, pioneers and the early days of Alberta’s oil and gas industry sustains both myths and drive. Alberta is more entrepreneurial because Albertans believe they inherited an independent, entrepreneurial spirit.

Be sure, Premier Smith BELIEVES it when her government helps struggling oil and gas companies meet (avoid?) their oil-well clean-up responsibilities. The can-do spirit was certainly pumping through Jason Kenney’s veins when the Alberta government placed its $1.5 billion losing bet on the KXL pipeline.

Yet, the old git-’er-done attitude goes missing when renewable energy comes up for discussion. Love it or hate it, Alberta’s oil and gas industry is sucking the air of this province’s entrepreneurial culture as it clings to an energy economy that is slipping into the past.

The most innovative, and investor attractive, parts of the energy industry right now are renewables and technologies that reduce the carbon and other fossil fuel nastiness. Alberta’s renewables rush looked like the oil boom of the ’70s until Premier Smith’s moratorium took it down. Her rear-guard defense for the gas industry and Alberta’s big electrical utilities will gut renewables the same way the National Energy Policy trashed Alberta’s oil industry in the ’80s.

The Alberta government’s excessive deference to the big oil and gas players is hurting start-ups trying to develop technology that reduces or limits carbon emissions (that might be useful someday). The provincial carbon capture programs, tailored to big companies and projects (after consultation with big companies, of course), do not fund or approve small, innovative companies. All that comes out are big, slow-moving projects delivering little more than regular press releases and photo-ops.

Alberta is smothering its entrepreneurial culture by not supporting the new and the small, by playing bootlicker to the big players, and promoting nostalgic industrial policies. Maybe that is why most of the articles I found praising Alberta’s entrepreneurial spirit were almost a decade old.

Rune Bergmann, conductor

Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano

Calgary Girls Choir

Calgary Philharmonic Chorus

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

For details and tickets, visit calgaryphil.com

Atwood is no Cassandra

Canadian literary icon discusses imminent and avoidable apocalypse

She is, by any measure, the reigning queen of CanLit.

Over the course of her award-winning, 50-plus-year career, Margaret Atwood has produced an incredible body of work — novels, poetry, essays, critiques, etc. — that has put this country on the literary map.

Her 1985 feminist masterpiece The Handmaid’s Tale alone has proven not only relatively prescient — look down south, and worry about what’s ahead up here — but also fruitful for other artists, including a feature film treatment in 1990, a current TV adaptation and even, in 2019, a sequel from the author.

While she has appeared in Calgary often, usually thanks to the folks at WordFest, she won’t be here for their October Imaginairium, her influence will most definitely be felt, thanks to an incredible roster of Canadian talent, including Emma Donoghue, Claudia Dey and Katherena Vermette.

Again, while she won’t be here, she will always loom large around any literary event in this nation, which is why we dipped back into the FFWD vault for this interview with writer Brendan Harrison, in support of her book The Year of the Flood.

For more FFWD stories please visit theyyscene.com, and for coverage of Wordfest’s 2023 Imaginairium please go to Page 18.

September 24, 2009 by Brendan Harrison

“Hello?”

I recognize the voice on the other end of the line as soon as she picks up the phone. I’d know those drawn out vowels anywhere. But instead of comforting me the familiar nasal tone gives me pause. Do I attempt to impress her with an erudite observation or casually disarm her with a charming witticism? Naturally I freeze.

“Can I please speak with Margaret Atwood?”

For the next hour, I struggle to keep up with the doyenne of Canadian literature. Although she is promoting The Year of the Flood, a novel that revisits the dystopian future explored in the bestselling Oryx and Crake, our conversation is wide-ranging and peppered with paragraph-length digressions punctuated with wry asides and her characteristic chortle.

Acting as a companion piece to Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood shares with its predecessor an impending ecological apocalypse and a handful of recurring characters. Told in a timeframe that runs roughly parallel to the first book and converges in the final scenes, The Year of the Flood shows what happens to characters on the fringes when society crumbles.

When I ask why she decided to return to this alternative reality, she says with a laugh, “One, everybody asked me what happens next. Second, in Oryx and Crake the character in it is on the inside, he’s actually a member of

the more privileged elite, though he’s at the bottom of the heap of that group, whereas people in The Year of the Flood are on the outside. So they are the real bottom of the heap, and I thought it would be very interesting to look at the same world from that angle.”

The bottom-dwellers she’s talking about are Ren, an exotic dancer who survives the “waterless flood” in the high-end sex club Scales and Tails, and Toby, a God’s Gardener holed up in the AnooYoo Spa. As the book opens, both women are wondering if they are alone in the plague-ravaged world. The more we learn about their backstory, the clearer it becomes that they are united by their involvement with a fringe religious movement.

“In Oryx and Crake there was a group that had already started to, in a way, coalesce in the real world,” says Atwood, explaining what drew her to expand upon the God’s Gardeners. “So I took that movement further down the road to see what a somewhat extreme form of it might look like. The trends are with us today.”

It is her ability to see what’s happening in the real world and incorporate it into her work that has allowed Atwood to remain relevant 40 years after publishing her first novel. Less than a year ago she delivered her Massey Lecture and the accompanying book Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, a meditation on conceptions of debt and justice released as the financial meltdown was in full

swing. Upon publication she was hailed as a clairvoyant.

As the movement to reconcile faith and ecology gains momentum, Atwood once again finds herself tapped into the zeitgeist. Take The Green Bible.

Published soon after she finished The Year of the Flood, this environmentally conscious interpretation of the Bible features an introduction by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and a green twist on the tradition of putting Jesus’s words in red letters. Every chapter and verse that speaks to environmental stewardship is printed in green with a section offering practical advice on living harmoniously with nature. It’s the kind of book you could imagine sitting on the God’s Gardeners’ bookshelf. The very existence of the book is, for Atwood, evidence of a widening rift within Christianity.

“That split in Christian fundamentalism was already becoming apparent when I wrote Oryx and Crake and now it’s further advanced,” she says. “Some of them say why bother it’s all going to be burnt up and we’ll get a new one, and others are saying, no we were supposed to be taking care of this.”

But Atwood is quick to dismiss proclamations of her clairvoyance. Her gift she says is for paying close attention to the present.

“I do read the ads on the subway, I do look at ads in newspapers, I look at all of those things having been an old, ancient Marshall McLuhan person,” she says. “You can watch

things moving from back of the paper to front of the paper or from minor topic of conversation to major topic of conversation. You can see that happening, and I’m interested in those things when they’re minor.”

This approach may explain why Atwood, the honorary co-president of BirdLife International’s Rare Bird Club and a committed conservationist, has returned to themes of ecological disaster at the hands of malicious corporations. The same hubris that led to the financial crisis discussed in Payback could just as easily lead to an environmental catastrophe.

For Atwood, the world of Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood isn’t a wild flight of fancy, it’s a future extrapolated directly from our present. While her books are not science fiction in the familiar sense, they are undeniably fictions informed by science. The starting point isn’t in laser beams and rocket ships, it’s in scientific journals and research. For Atwood, whether we use science, religion or art to try to understand our world, we are all asking the same questions.

“(My books are) all asking, ‘Where did we come from?’, ‘What are we doing here?’, ‘Where are we going?’ — those three essential questions,” she says. “Science, art and religion ask the same set of questions. They approach them in different ways but they are essentially, ‘Who are we?’ Sometimes they’re, ‘How do we get out of this mess?’ but that has to do with ‘Who are we?’ ”

MARGARET ATWOOD COURTESY, JEAN MALEK

Province’s first mental health park opens in Calgary

By Aryn Toombs

Calgarians gathered on Sept. 23 to open a new form of park in the city, one designed to address the mental as well as physical health of its users.

The Brawn Family Foundation Rotary Park was built adjacent to Alberta Health Service’s The Summit, a mental health facility for children and youth located in the community of Hounsfield Heights, but was not designed to be exclusive for those patients.

Avril Deegan, director in Child Addiction and Mental Health for AHS, said that the park was designed to meet children where they are at in their mental health recoveries, and that also means being able to be a part of a wider community.

“It provides immediate access for children to come and to be a part of nature. What we’re seeing is that children and youth are really enjoying coming, connecting, and they’re being able to just be kids and enjoy playing.”

“It’s all about stigma and reducing stigma. At the base we’re all human, and we all want to be a part of something and be a part of a community and to have peers and to be able to play and enjoy life.”

The $1.2 million park was not originally envisioned as part of The Summit, but came about as a result of recognizing the need to include a green space to assist in patient recovery.

“The project began when Rotary approached us and let us know that the new mental health centre that was being built to support youth was being created with no outdoor space whatsoever,” said Sheila Taylor, CEO of Parks Foundation Calgary.

“We really jumped on board, found partners, found donors, worked with the community to design and create what is Alberta’s only park space designed and dedicated to youth mental health recovery.”

The project took three years from start to finish, with construction of the park beginning in September of 2022.

Careful design to help in mental health recovery

Taylor said that the layout of the park came about as a result of careful landscape design that relied on research and science into the best practices to help in mental health recovery.

Landscape architects NAK Design Strat-

egies designed it after looking at parks around the world along with the latest research.

“Something that is different about mental health recovery is it’s not like breaking an arm where you get a cast. We have people from all walks of life. Some may be experiencing anxiety and depression, so they have different needs,” Taylor said.

“You’ll see calming sensory-focused elements like a walking labyrinth, but you’re also going to see areas where you can let off a little steam in the recreational elements.”

Among the features at the park that were installed were hammocks, slack lines, Calgary’s largest outdoor bouldering rock — affectionately called the donut because of the way it looks sprinkled with climbing holds — a muralled basketball court, bench swings, the walking labyrinth, and a gathering space.

Taylor pointed to the boulder as an example of how a piece of play equipment designed for teens also has profound mental health opportunities.

“When we looked at research for teens, it’s interesting that we always heard that teens love to climb really high and then they like to sit up there. One of the reasons is that adults

won’t follow.

“We hear a lot of teens and see them already climbing up on our bouldering wall sitting up there having that space on their own, but still being part of a really supportive environment.”

That philosophy of allowing children to create their own safe spaces, extended to other elements of the park she said.

“Early on in the project. Alberta Health Services talked to us about the stress that kids are under, and that they often will want to run outside and flee. And so they asked us to create areas of sanctuary where it felt like you could run off but still go to your own space and be safe.

“So you’ll see things like the swing benches which you can go to and spend time and just swing and have that meditation to feel like you’re on your own, but also being taken care of.”

Taylor said that while speaking to a psychiatrist about the park, that medical professional was blown away by the help the park provides to children.

“For so long, we haven’t thought about the role that outdoor spaces play in medical re-

covery. And I’m excited that we could be really proving that to be the case, and that as we’re looking at medical buildings and medical centres that we’re we’re really thinking about the role that nature and the outdoors can play.”

Community a big part of park going forward

Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who attended the grand opening, said in her remarks that the story of the Brawn Family Foundation Rotary Park wasn’t about the money or the land that the City of Calgary put towards the project, but rather about the families that will be helped.

“I could be politiciany and talk about how much money we put into the project, and I really don’t want to do that because this is about more than that.

“This is about the fact that families are going to be able to take in these spaces as their kids are getting treatment, as their kids are getting better, as their mental health is being addressed, and as they are becoming stronger individuals through everything that goes on at The Summit.”

For more local news, visit livewirecalgary.com and subscribe to their newsletter.

When Tricks Weren’t Treats

Halloween in Calgary haunted by a dark, dangerous and mischievous past

By Michael Platt

Cute costumes, miniature chocolate bars and a choreographed ritual of extortion that keeps the little demons from actually threatening our lives.

And terrorize they once did, every Halloween, until some heroic diplomat realized even the most evil-hearted adolescent monster can be sedated with free candy, provided there’s enough of it.

That bowl of treats at your door, come Oct. 31st?

It’s a reminder that “trick or treat” was once a real threat of violence and vandalism, and those little Kit Kat and Snickers bars are the price for a half-century of peace with a wicked cartel.

Calgary, like every other town and city in North America, used to await Halloween season in dread, knowing youngsters were plotting “tricks,” their goal being mischief and general mayhem.

There was no need for plastic skeletons and fake ghouls in the first half of the 20th century, when real horrors were scurrying through town, breaking windows and lighting fires in a tradition known as Goosey Night or Devil Night.

Fences were torn down, windows were soaped or smashed, and flour bombs thrown – but this was minor stuff. Whether truly evil or just lacking in basic foresight, generations that would grow up to preach about “common sense” showed almost none when it came to potentially lethal hijinks.

Take Halloween 1925, when a sharp-eyed Calgary Municipal Railway worker averted a mass casualty disaster beneath the steep Bridgeland hill, after realizing idiot pranksters had greased the tracks, rendering the street car brakes useless.

William Davies and his three truck passengers weren’t so lucky, failing to spot a telephone pole Halloween tricksters had tied across an East Calgary traffic bridge that same year. Slamming into the pole in the darkness, their vehicle was sent spiraling into a deep irrigation ditch.

“(They) plunged through the railing along the side of the bridge grade and toppled down

the embankment ... turning a complete somersault,” reads the newspaper account.

The near-fatal rollover left one passenger hospitalized with severe injuries to the head, while the truck “was completely wrecked.”

Then there were fires.

“Damage estimated at more than $600 was done to the East End Community Club Friday evening, by a fire believed to be of incendiary origin,” was the report of Nov. 1, 1930, following a night in which no less than 10 serious blazes were deliberately set by delinquents.

Flames not being dangerous enough for some demons, hay bales had been piled on

the Inglewood bridge, in hopes the fire truck responding to the blaze would hit the barrier in the Halloween darkness.

It was the same Halloween madness in cities and towns across the continent, and in 1913, Castor, AB. lost 14 horses in a barn fire set by young arsonists.

In Banff, 1937, the contents of the local school were almost completely destroyed by a gang of Halloween hoodlums, who broke in overnight: “When the teaching staff arrived they found all the school books out of the desks and on the floor. Ink had been thrown over everything and many of the books had been torn and stained past mending.”

At least nobody died. Except they sometimes did.

A grave in Eganville, Ont. holds the remains of Alex Reid, shot to death in Leduc, Alberta on Halloween night, 1904, by a nervous shopkeeper over-zealous in protecting his property from pranksters.

Another business owner defending his livelihood from young punks left four teens in critical condition in Kerrobert, SK., in 1932, after opening fire with a shotgun: “The shooting occurred between 11 o’clock and midnight as a group of young-persons approached the Widdowson bakery.”

In Kelowna, a 1939 Halloween prank was blamed for the murder of Angus McMillan, after an apple stuck in his car exhaust filled the running vehicle with lethal carbon monoxide.

Calgary thankfully avoided any Halloween body bags, though a Chinese citizen was mocked by incredulous police after he reported being shot at by a gang of gun-toting youths in 1906.

The municipal police force had little time to sit around ridiculing victims in 1929, when

Children carving a Halloween pumpkin, Calgary, Alberta, 1947.

PHOTO BY LORNE BURKELL. GLENBOW LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES, UCALGARY.

That bowl of treats at your door, it’s a reminder that ‘trick or treat’ was once a real threat of violence and vandalism, and those little Kit-Kat and Snickers bars are the price for a half-century of peace with a wicked cartel.

more than 800 service calls were received over the course of Halloween night.

“With close to 150 telephone calls an hour pouring into police headquarters, reporting damage, and every member of the force on duty, considerable property loss was caused through Hallowe’en pranks on Thursday night,” reads the next day’s newspaper.

Another year, another night of mayhem and wanton destruction.

But just one decade later, the long tradition of Halloween tricks – brought to North America from Europe – was finally starting to wane.

“Observance of Hallowe’en Will Be Quiet In Calgary; Hand-Outs Become ‘Racket’ ” proclaimed the city news section on Oct. 26, 1938, as police predicted a gentler, kinder Devil Night in Calgary.

The “racket” in question was the same blackmail that opened this article, in the form of treats like candy, fruit and nuts, which in the beginning were handed out by businesses rather than homes.

Somewhere, some clever person bribed the local Halloween hooligans with sweets, if they would leave their property in peace. The bribe scheme quickly caught on, with gangs of trouble makers calling at the door before any destruction started – treats, or you get tricks. A response of candy or other tasty food meant the gang would move on to the next potential victim.

“Merchants are anticipating the usual number of ‘trick or treat’ demands, which, during the past few years, have rapidly increased.

However this is much more acceptable to them than the destruction which many properties suffered during the ‘old days,’ ” reads the Calgary article.

“(Merchants) admitted that the demands during recent years had grown to the pro-

portions of ‘a racket’. ‘Many youngsters bring around huge sacks and demand treats even though they may already have enough to last them for a month,’ one merchant said.”

And so the modern era of doorbell extortion began, the tasty bribes for peace soon

extending to homeowners wishing to protect their properties as well. Candy companies soon responded to the sudden demand for sweets prior to Halloween night.

Fast forward to 2023, and Halloween is all artificial scares and sugar, where the tricks are few and feeble, and the treats are a thriving industry worth billions in North America alone.

Such is the price of keeping the little demons at bay.

THE TAYLOR CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTS

Patients in costumes for Halloween party, Central Alberta sanatorium, Keith, Alberta, late 1920s GLENBOW LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES, UCALGARY.

Somewhere, some clever person bribed Halloween hooligans with sweets, if they would leave their property in peace.

Wine, Ringette and Dracula — what more could you want in October?

Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival

Full of wine, beer, spirits and a mix of sweet and savoury snacks, the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is just as fun and delicious as it sounds. Back for its 26th year on Oct. 13 and 14, this event at the BMO Centre draws foodies from around the city and beyond. This year’s lineup of vendors includes Japanese desserts from Pablo Cheese Tart, beers from local breweries like Citizen Brewing Company, spirits from Two Rivers Distillery and more. Along with an admission ticket, guests will need to purchase sampling coupons at the festival in order to try the tasty sips and bites.

For tickets and more information, visit rockymountainwine.com

The Dorian Hotel

If you’re looking for somewhere to book a weekend staycation or just enjoy a night out dining on the finest downtown has to offer, may we suggest The Dorian Hotel?

Not just because the hotel, itself, “defines the best the city has to offer” — the rooms are incredible, the restaurants spectacular — but also because it is now a certified safe space and an inclusive and welcoming destination for all.

The boutique hotel, located 525 5 Ave. S.W., has announced it has now been given the Rainbow Registered seal of approval.

“Rainbow Registered is a national accreditation for 2SLGBTQI+ friendly businesses and

organizations. The accreditation is a commitment and assurance that The Dorian has met a set of stringent standards to ensure 2SLGBTQI+ customers and associates feel safe, welcome and accepted,” the hotel said in a release.

It’s fitting, of course because, “The Dorian is designed as a tribute to the life and works of Oscar Wilde … (who) was persecuted for his sexuality, and today The Dorian is committed and proud to be a safe and welcoming space for everyone while honouring Wilde’s zest for life and making it a reality.”

Three Dimensions

It’s not very often that art gallery attendees

Dorian Hotel

get to be part of the art they’re witnessing, but that’s certainly the case at Three Dimensions, a multidisciplinary exhibition by Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins on display at Contemporary Calgary from Oct. 19, 2023 to March 17, 2024. The exhibition offers three installations that encourage viewer participation: Balancing Act, with a large-scale claw crane game that participants control to create sculptures of their own; ABCD, which explores realities with mediums like virtual reality and artificial intelligence; and THX2020, which uses an interactive headset, narrative video and paintings. However you take part, this interactive installation promises a fascinating exploration of culture, reality and the digital age.

For more information about the exhibition, visit contemporarycalgary.com

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Vertigo Theatre takes on a gothic classic this month with its adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Running from Sept. 30 to Oct. 29, the play’s small-but-mighty four-person cast transports audiences to London as they bring Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde’s struggle of good versus evil to the stage.

For tickets, visit vertigotheatre.com

The Dark Lady

Who is the Dark Lady that Shakespeare describes in his sonnets? Lunchbox Theatre and The Shakespeare Company aim to explore just that in their co-production of The Dark Lady by Jessica B. Hill. This is only the second-ever production of The Dark

Lady, which imagines the titular character as Emilia Bassano, the first published female poet-musician in England. The Dark Lady runs from Oct. 10 to 29.

For tickets, visit lunchboxtheatre.com

Dracula

Workshop Theatre’s upcoming adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula might just be the perfect Halloween theatre experience. The company’s 2023-24 season opener follows the infamous Count Dracula and the London residents he pursues. Catch the show at Pumphouse Theatre from Oct. 27 to Nov. 4.

For tickets, visit workshoptheatre.ca

The Sleeping Beauty

A classic fairy tale comes to life in Alberta Ballet’s rendition of The Sleeping Beauty. In an inspired local touch, this production transports beloved fairy-tale characters to a Canadian Rockies setting, and it’s all set to the incredible score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Don’t miss the short yet sweet Calgary run of this production, on at the Southern Alberta jubilee Auditorium from Oct. 26 to 28.

For tickets, visit albertaballet.com

2023 World Ringette Championships

From Oct. 29 to Nov. 4, talented ringette players from around the world will assemble in Calgary for the 2023 World Ringette Championships. Calgary’s role as host city is particularly exciting given that 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the ice sport’s invention. Get your tickets to watch teams battle it out for the title of World Champions at WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre.

For more information, visit winsport.ca

Sleeping Beauty

Local Music

In late September, the annual YYC Music Awards were handed out during the modest, albeit Calglammy gala at at the Grey Eagle Casino in the city’s southwest.

Yes, there were performances by regionally successful acts such as Brother Bicker Band, Sinzere and Esteban Herrera & Gisela Romero, but the evening was mainly about the awards (in 27 different categories), and taking those bragging rights back to your bio writer. The YYCees (that’s now a thing; embrace it) are, according to some industry folk, a barometer of what is the best of the local bunches, and who to watch out for.

Mayhaps.

But at the very least, it offers an opportunity to put a spotlight on those making music in this city, artists who are excelling, at least on a local level, in an industry that doesn’t even chew them up, just swallows them whole and horks them right out.

Music is an invaluable gift that’s rarely rewarded its worth.

With the YYCees, you can recognize the artists, not recognize them, at the very least you can allow the awards to be a sherpa helping navigate you into a remarkably vibrant local music scene.

Here are the big winners you need to watch out for, performing soon at an live, local venue near you: The Royal Foundry, who were awarded the Alternative Recording, Group and Single of the Year awards; cowboy Kyle McKearney, who took home the Country Recording and Solo Artist of the Year accolades; and hip-hop artist Sinzere, who won her second consecutive Music Video of the Year Award, along with the Rap Recording of the Year trophy for the song Tabula Rasa.

For the full list of winners and artists you should have on your radar please go to yycmusicawards.com.

Royal Foundry PHOTO: BETH SALTE

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall Beers

By Kirk Bodnar

As much as we all hate to face up to it, the simple fact is that summer is over. Now, I know … I get it — nobody wants to give up on chasing down the last rays of summer sunshine, and I, for one, don›t have any plans to give my BBQ or patio furniture a rest until the fluffy white stuff is here to stay. (Who am I kidding, I›ll definitely be running my smoker all winter…) But despite the inevitability of cooler temperatures and shorter days, the coming of autumn notably represents something to be truly celebrated: fall beers!

Now, with fall beers, we›re not talking the rich, roasty and often somewhat boozy “winter warmers” that typically appear toward the holiday season as the mercury continues to drop. Those will show up later in the year and will help us feel warm and cozy throughout the coldest days of winter. Instead, fall brewery releases could perhaps be expressed as representing a shift in priority, suggesting less of a focus on light and crushable patio beers, and an introduction of brews with a bit more structure, flavour, and complexity. Don’t get me wrong, fall beers are typically still very drinkable and refreshing, though they are almost always at least somewhat amplified compared to their summer counterparts.

One example of a much-anticipated style of beer that begins to show up as the end of summer nears, is Oktoberfest-style lager. This is a style that closely resembles Bavarian Helles (blonde) lager, though it is typically brewed to a slightly higher strength and often has a bit more of a robust bready malt character. It is possible to find some imported German examples of this beer style here, but perhaps more exciting for us Albertans is when local breweries release their own versions of the beer.

You simply can’t speak of locally brewed German beer styles without mentioning Diamond Valley’s Fahr Beer. Brewer Jochen Fahr has been re-producing classic German beer styles (and indeed adding his own unique touch) since 2015. In fact, Fahr’s beer has been judged alongside some of the best classic German examples at major international competitions and has often come out on top – as evidenced during the 2020 World Beer Awards where Fahr’s Hefe was crowned best Bavarian-Style

Hefeweizen in the world! Each fall, Fahr releases his popular Oktober Golden Lager, which is his take on the Festbier style. It is incredibly refreshing and still light enough to enjoy on any late season patios (I’m sure you can still find a patio if you look hard enough). True to style, at 5.9%, it is a bit stronger than a standard German lager, and its malt character is somewhat more pronounced and complex. Truly a beer suited for celebrating any fall festivals (of the “Oktober” variety or otherwise), Fahr’s Oktober will be available for a limited time in cans. Staying with the Festbier style for a moment, Calgary brewery Annex Ales has also decided to brew up their own iteration of the style. For this beer, Annex collaborated with 17th Ave. staple watering hole, The Ship and Anchor, to come up with a beer to coincide with their Oktoberfest event that took place back on Sept. 22. The beer that resulted is also a slightly amped-up example that is true to style, and suitably named Fresh Hell – a play on the word Hell or Helles, again meaning blonde, and perhaps a nod to the punk and rock roots of The Ship. If you missed the party back in September, not to worry, Fresh Hell will also be available in cans for the fall season.

Another notable fall release that is returning for this season is Tailgunner Brewing Company’s Ajax Bomb Girls Czech Dark Lager. This beer takes a step away from the previously mentioned German traditions and instead represents the comparatively similar practices of Czech lager brewers. The beer possesses all the creamy and smooth characteristics that any expertly made lager should, but in this case, you also get a deep, roasty and rich flavour from the addition of dark bohemian malt. This is perhaps a perfect example of the transition from summer to winter, in that it hints at the deeper, richer flavours that we are to expect as the temperature drops, though at 4.7% it still possesses the lighter character that we enjoyed all summer long. Ajax Bomb Girls will be available in the taproom at Tailgunner and in cans for the fall.

Although summer is quite clearly in our rear-view at this point, there is still reason to celebrate the coming of autumn, and of course beer goes perfectly with any good celebration. So, embrace the fall — get out there (put on a sweater if you must), and enjoy some local seasonal beers.

TEMBELA BOHLE, PEXELS.COM

Fahr Brewer Jochen Fahr PHOTO: BRENT CALVER

Dine with a Diva

Several unique eating experiences available for Swift, Barbie or Karen fans

By Mike Bell

Taylor, Barbie or … a Karen?

No, it’s not the joke you’re thinking (get your mind out of the gutter!), it’s about in whose company you would rather spend a morning, afternoon or evening dining with.

So?

Who is it?

Because if you want to make your eating-out experience a little more interesting this month, there are trio of lady celebthemed feasts to target.

Let’s start with the Taylor Swift dining experience, which takes place at Trolley 5 Brewpub on Oct. 28 and 29.

The celebration of all things Swift allows fans to enjoy a meal from the Enchanted-themed menu while being serenaded by a curated setlist of her hits.

No, it’s not as good as a ticket to her Eras tour, but for a meagre fee it might still make you feel as if you’re in the company of the artist and her talent.

Tickets for the event cost $60 and include a brunch dish and one drink upon arrival.

According to promoters, you can “expect lip-sync battles, trivia and prizes for the best dressed” Swiftie fan.

And, hell, if you go to the all-ages Sunday brunch, perhaps they’ll put the Kansas City

Chiefs game on the TVs so you, along with Taylor, can cheer on her new beau Travis Kelce against the Broncos.

For tickets to the event, which promises to deliver “style, peace and happiness to like-minded Swifties bonding over a meal in honour of the songwriting queen,” please go to explorehidden.com.

Not into Tay-Tay (I’m old, but I’m pretty sure that’s a thing), c’mon Barbie, let’s go party.

If you’re one of the millions of people caught up in the Barbie craze, thanks to the record-breaking film about everyone’s favourite plastic plaything and her eunuch boyfriend Ken, there’s a Barbie-themed lunch and brunch Oct. 14 and 15, also at Trolley 5 on 17th Ave SW.

Sounds like something fun for all enthralled with the doll.

With multiple seat available throughout each day, the “unique extravaganza … immerses attendees in the fabulous universe of the iconic doll loved worldwide.”

What exactly does that involve?

“This exclusive event promises a day filled with entertainment, nostalgia, and endless Barbie-inspired fun. From VIP movie giveaways to themed cocktails, Aqua's iconic Barbie Girl sing-along to thrilling trivia sessions, guests will be immersed in a magical Barbie experience like no other.”

Tickets for the all-ages fun are $59, with the brunch, lunch or dinner included in the ticket price along with a themed, age-appropriate welcome drink.

Once again, please go to explorehidden. com for tickets.

And finally, we have a meal with Karen. You, know, that viral, racist busybody who is scared of the others, and weaponizes her white privilege to assert her, well, very angry whiteness.

Want to confront that head on? And have a good nosh up while doing it?

Here’s what you need to know.

“Get ready to feel the wrath of the OG Karen as Karen's Diner is touring the world and stopping in Calgary on Oct. 21!”

Need the details?

Here they all in all of their belligerent glory. Or, as the release says: “Because Karen doesn't have time for your sh*t, here are a few FAQs.”

What's on the menu?

KARMA. Get served what you deserve at Karen's Diner. If it's good enough for Eddie Hall it's good enough for you.

Do I need to book?

FFS Karen, HOW MANY TIMES DO WE NEED TO TELL YOU!! Obviously you need to book.

Are kids allowed?

Ahh, the spawn of Satan! Karen's 'favourites'. BEFORE 6 p.m. only, and keep them on a tight leash! If you're expecting Karen to be nice to your kids, Karen's Diner is not the place for you. As yes, there is a lot of swearing, and no, Karen doesn't hold back *rolls eyes*

Do you cater for dietary requirements?

Karen does, but she's not happy about it. If your name is Karen and you are ordering a vegan burger, you must be a brave, brave woman (that or stupid …). All eyes are on you.”

Verbal abuse and a meal — what more could one ask for?

This is another explorehidden.com event taking place Oct. 21, with Karen making serving appearances for sessions at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m at the Belmont Diner in Aspen.

“Don't miss out on this great food but horrible service! Whatever you do, don't ask for a refund! Tickets cost just $55 and include a burger with fries and a soft drink, so loosen those purse strings and get yours now!”

If you’re wanting to support local restaurants, please do. And if it takes a theme night or experience to get you out and immersed in Calgary’s food and culture scene, then please enjoy and share with your friends.

It might just be a gateway to something mouth memorable, and lead you further into the weeds of wonderful.

Taylor Swift Dining Experience

Barbie Themed Lunch & Brunch

Karen’s Diner

Anniversary Ink

By Krista Sylvester

While it has grown over the years, the Calgary Tattoo and Arts Festival hasn’t lost its reputation for bringing only the best of the best tattoo artists from around the world.

The biggest show of its kind in Canada, this year’s festival is also the biggest in its history to mark its 20-year milestone, with more than 650 local and international artists and exhibits over 175,000 square feet of space.

Festival founder and Immaculate Concept owner and tattoo artist Steve Peace says artist participation is by invitation only, ensuring the best of the best from all over the world. The festival has grown from its modest roots, but the essence of the superior talent has stayed the same.

Peace is most excited for a special documentary this year on Calgary tattoo icon Paul Jeffries, a household name in the tattoo industry as he calls it a career after 43 years in the business.

The documentary, 200 Hours, chronicles the end of Jeffries’ illustrious career and his philosophies on tattooing and beyond.

“A lot of Paul’s former clients and col-

leagues are coming in from all over the globe to attend, so it should be very fun,” Peace says.

There will be a special premiere screening of the film on Wednesday, Oct. 11 with several special guests in attendance. And the film will run the entire weekend at the festival. We sat down with Peace to chat about the festival, taking place from Oct. 13 to 15 at Stampede Park’s BMO Centre.

How has the festival grown since its inception?

The festival has grown alongside the tattoo industry over the last 20 years. Our first couple of shows were in a hotel, but we had to move to the BMO Centre at Stampede Park as there was not enough space. We were lucky to have guests from the TV show LA Ink in years three

to five, which made things expand very quickly. Since then, we have been adjusting the way we run the show to keep it fresh. This year will be our biggest show yet.

What can you say about the city’s tattoo scene?

Tattooing is changing fast in Calgary and every other major city in the world right now. Many new shops and many new artists coming into the scene. While the show does require only established artists in attendance with booths, it is a great way for local studios to represent themselves and show their work to potential new clients.

Any advice for people wanting to get tattooed at the festival?

For people wanting to get tattooed at the

show, it has never been easier. We used to have limited artists, which meant a lot were fully booked already once the show dates arrived. Many artists now have flash designs on their front tables and walk -up appointments have never been easier. Clients can check out our artist listings on our website and email any artist ahead of time if they want to guarantee a spot.

What can you say about the quality of the artists at the convention?

We do have a talent bar each artist has to reach for them to be able to purchase a booth at the show. Having artists from different areas of the world come to the show definitely adds variety to what is available such as traditional hand-tapped works from Tahitian artists to traditional style work from well-established artists who are in their third or fourth decade of tattooing. The level of talent has risen immensely since our first show in 2004. Just watching the tattoo contests shows the level of work that attends the show each year.

Calgary Tattoo and Arts Festival runs Oct. 13 to 15 at Stampede Park's BMO Centre.

Calgary Tattoo and Arts Festival marks 20 years with biggest show ever

The level of talent has risen immensely since our first show in 2004. Just watching the tattoo contests shows the level of work that attends the show each year. STEVE PEACE

Local tattoo legend Paul Jeffries is celebrated in a new documentary, screening at this year’s festival.

Care and Wear: Bodies Crafted for Healing and Harm

Benjamin Heisler

There was a time when our physical bodies were more relevant than our digital forms. The current exhibit at the Esker Foundation in Inglewood invites us to gaze upon artifacts of that bygone era and re-attune with our flesh and bones.

Jude and Brendan Griebel have curated an exbibit of objects both social and scientific, from their collection at the Museum of Fear and Wonder in Bergen, Alberta.

Esker describes the museum as a collaborative project that “houses and illuminates the Griebels’ collection of historical craftworks that possess uneasy emotional or psychological resonance.”

Jude Griebel says they believe the subject of this exhibit is important because “the objects speak to the body and physicality at a time when many of our identities are increasingly shifting online and into the digital realm.”

Brendan works as an Arctic Anthropologist, curator, and researcher of museology and material culture. Jude is a Canadian visual artist and the co-director of the Museum of Fear and Wonder.

In conversation, Jude tells us that the “the collection functions as a research base for both of our work and interests in material culture and the body.”

The Griebels explore curatorial practice, the acts of collecting, caring, and presenting these unusual objects, gathered from around the world, as an art practice and a way to foster conversation.

Following their lead, I dove into the complicated histories that set the stage for four of the objects on display at the Esker, considering their original purposes and various ways they might be interpreted today.

1. CRASH TEST DUMMY, Alderson Research Labs, Inc USA, c. 1960. metal, rubber. 56cm D x 79cm W x 180cm H.

In 1960s America, legal and military programs began to address the need for improved vehicle safety. Early tests employed animals, cadavers and volunteers. Animal rights groups objected to the inhumane treatment of test animals, while religious organizations took issue with the use of cadavers.

A famous example of a volunteer was Colonel John Stapp, an American physician

What’s in the Galleries This Month

Geoff McFetridge: These Days are Nameless (The Drive, The River, The Hills)

At the height of the pandemic, Alberta-born artist Geoff McFetridge created three short video works that, along with the paintings used to animate them, make up this exhibition. As the program notes from Contemporary Calgary’s website note: “The sounds and moving images included consider the curiosities of the human condition at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Where are we going? How do we get there? Does it matter?” Until October 29, Contemporary Calgary, 701 11 Street S.W. contemporarycalgary.com

and flight surgeon who tested his own ability to withstand acceleration and deceleration in 1954 when he was propelled in a rocket sled at over 1,000 km/h and decelerated in 1.4 seconds.

Stapp said, “I felt a sensation in the eyes, somewhat like the extraction of a molar without anesthetic.”

Samuel W. Alderson, an American medical engineer, is credited with the development of the crash test dummy, and this example comes from his lab. Until recently, progression of crash test dummies considered only the male form. The first anatomical model of the female body was “developed specifically for low severity rear impact” in 2022, with study notes that cited differences between males and females in joint stiffness and geometry.

2. ANATOMICAL MODEL OF THE HU-

MAN NERVOUS SYSTEM, Clay-Adams, detail Japan, c. 1930. papier-mâché, metal, lacquer. 13cm D x 30.5cm W x 137cm H.

Before the discovery of x-rays in 1895, the only methods to observe our internal organs were operation or dissection. Early pressed paper medical models were made better by a French anatomist and naturalist, Louis Thomas Jerôme Auzoux, who found it difficult to study anatomy when human cadavers deteriorated, and wax models were unavailable.

Auzoux improved papier-mâché models, with high-detail and dissectible parts. He opened one of the earliest factories for manufacture of human, botanical and veter-

inary models.

When Auzoux passed in 1880, his anatomical models were recognized internationally, as the Clay-Adams models.

The Clay-Adams Company was a manufacturer and importer of laboratory, surgical and medical supplies, founded in New York, also manufacturing in Japan.

The company’s 1950 catalogue offered a “DURABLE” LIFE SIZE FEMALE TORSO MODEL,” made from pressed and coloured paper that was resilient enough to be cleaned with soap and water. The model torso had over 500 organs, each labeled and numbered.

As modeling technology improved with plastics and computer-based systems, the Clay-Adams model use was retired to collectors’ closets and film sets.

Carol Sawyer: The Natalie Brettschneider Archive

Also at Contemporary Calgary, this is the last month to catch this ongoing series of photographs, texts, musical works and ephemera that document the life and times of the fictional genre-blending artist Natalie Brettschneider. Until October 29, Contemporary Calgary, 701 11 Street S.W. contemporarycalgary.com

`how to feel the weight of the moment (a series of repetitions and speculations)

Christina Battle — recent works

Christina Battle is an Edmonton-based artist whose practice centres on thinking deeply about disaster in its complexity. Her work considers the intertwining social, environmental, cultural, political and economic factors that not only cause but also affect how disaster is responded to. Until November 18, Illingworth Kerr Gallery, AUArts. auarts.ca

3. PAINTER’S MANIKIN Italy, c. 1835. Textiles, horse hair, metal, wood. 21cm D x 48cm W x 140cm H. From the estate of Francesco Gai.

Artists have used articulated human figures made from wax or wood for hundreds of years. The esteemed Italian painter who once owned this mannequin, Francesco Gai, was a renowned portraitist and painter of religious scenes. He was gifted a gold medal from Pope Pious X in recognition of his contributions to the restoration of the Sistine Chapel.

Propriety of the time made it difficult to access women as models, so the mannequin was essential. Over the centuries, other artists were known to engage prostitutes as models.

The life-size mannequin on display has a striking similarity to “Perfect Mannequins” crafted by French maker Paul Huot around 1816. These female mannequins were highly desirable and sold for small fortunes in their day. They often passed from artists to their descendants.

4. PASSE-BOULE BALL TOSS GAME

France, c. 1900 painted wood. 20cm D x 30cm W x 54cm H.

The surface of the object appears to have once been a floorboard. It is cut in the shape of a red/brown-handed figure, posed

somewhere between surprise and surrender. Painted-on black curls are all but worn off.

The game of boules, or ball toss, has a long history. This version originated in France but implies cultural influence from events in turn-of-the century America where fairground games of skill, strength and chance were in vogue, popularized by the success of the Chicago World Fair in 1893.

The figure’s shape suggests parallels between the innocent game of boules, and a

dangerous midway game played (in America), called by many names, the least offensive being “African Dodger.” The target of this American midway game was a real person of colour. There are documented instances of the brutal game causing serious harm, even death.

As social progress turned against violent practices, humiliation became favorued. The game was transformed into one where an African-American (employee) would be dropped in a vat of water when a target was hit. Now you know a dark history of the dunk tank.

The face of this tabletop passe-boule game is marred from past projectiles. Given the history of the game, a red smear suggests a stain of blood.

Jude says that much of the exhibit “speaks to bodies that were historically crafted as surrogates and as teaching tools.”

If other crafted stand-ins for bodies in the exhibition represent advances in fields of medicine and art, what can this artifact teach us about our cultural history?

This exhibition is especially relevant, as bodily experience is being redefined by the internet and AI.

Jude Griebel muses, “initiating this conversation at a time when we are rethinking and

redefining the body in regard to technology, might help provide more interesting and diverse models for the future.”

Care and Wear: Bodies Crafted for Harm and Healing runs Sept. 23 – to Dec. 17 at the Esker Foundation, 4th Floor, 1011 9 Ave. S.E. Hours: Wednesday to Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m. For more information please go to eskerfoundation.art or fearandwonder.ca.

Canadian artist Emma Donoghue ‘accepts the inspiration’ from whatever wordy world she wants

By Mike Bell

Writer. Screenwriter. Playwright. Historian. Seuss.

Hell, let’s just make it simple for all of us idiots in the back: she’s a wordsmith. A wonderful one.

Over her 25-plus-year communicating career, Irish-Canadian word-pusher Emma Donoghue has written dozens of novels, short stories, scripts, plays, and even a book for the kidlets. She is perhaps best known, though, for the Academy Awards-nominated, heart-breakingly beautiful box-office bummer Room, her own cinematic adaptation of the even-more masterful novel of the same name.

Donoghue’s latest work, which she’ll bring to Calgary’s Wordfest, taking place Oct. 11 to 15 at several Beltline venues, is the historical-fiction novel Learned By Heart. The tome is a return, by the author, to the world of real-life 19th-century English diarist Anne Lister — the subject of Donoghue’s first play, which is a very loose adaptation of Helena Whitbread’s book of dispatches from the life of the openly and righteously confrontational queer rabble-rouser, I Know My Own Heart: The Diaries of Anne Lister, 1791-1840.

The new, “long-brewing” 15th novel from Donoghue is a maybe/maybe-not fictionally factually fantastic biostorying of Lister at the age of 14, when she entered into a relationship with fellow student Eliza Raine at the Manor School in York — a novel that’s based on actual missives by both women, furthered by Donoghue’s compassionate and poetic imagination, and how it hits the page.

It’s gorgeous.

Truly.

It goes straight for the heart and doesn’t let go.

Prior to Emma Donoghue’s appearance at this year’s Wordfest, she spoke with theSCENE about Learned By Heart, her busy career and where she finds her inspiration.

(The interview has been edited for clarity and length.)

Q: How is everything in your world these days?

A: Oh, it’s busy. Yeah, gosh, ongoing things and fixing things and planning things …

Q: I’m just happy I got dressed and got out of bed, and you, it blows me away all that you have going on. How do you keep it all straight?

A: I’m very organized, you know, I have lots of different folders on my computer screen with all the things that are nearest publication or performance over on the left. And then over on the right, there’s all the things that are to be written several years from now. It all sort of flows at me from toward the right of the screen to the left. And I do an awful lot of plans and outlines and research folders.

Q: I thought writers were supposed to be lazy.

A: We cover the full spectrum of human variety. Whenever I go to a festival, like I was at

the Eden Mills (Writers’) Festival last week, and I love it because you’re talking to all these other writers and you’re hearing about their process, and it’s nothing like yours. You know, it’s a very individualistic business.

Q: Well, let me say congratulations on Learned By Heart. Another wonderful novel. Let me ask you, when do you know it’s a novel? And when do you know it’s not a play? When does an idea become what you make it?

A: I know what it is. Because I’m not just thinking, “Oh, that’s an interesting historical case,” I’m thinking, “I can see that on a stage or I can picture that on a screen” … So I would say quite early on with fiction. It’s where I have this irresistible urge to understand things

from the psychological point of view of the main character and fiction gives you the most access to someone’s thoughts, I would say, and … there’s ample time to say everything you want. Whereas with performance forms, like theatre and film there’s always a limit to how much you can fit in. So you have to be really disciplined about which conversations to include, that kind of thing. But fiction is really, it’s not limited that way. So I’d say, yeah, quite early on, I get a distinct vision.

But often what takes me years is deciding

Award-winning Irish-Canadian writer Emma Donoghue has just released her latest novel Learned By Heart PHOTO: PUNCH PHOTOGRAPHIC

on things like who’s to be the point of view of each part of the book, or how much to cover in terms of which slice of life … So in the case of Learned By Heart, I would say, I knew 30 years ago that I wanted to write more about Anne or, in particular, her encounter with Eliza Raine. And then I certainly knew 10 years ago that I wanted to do a novel about their time at the boarding school. But I was still mulling over things like, should it be alternating between the point of view of the two girls or, as it ended up, being entirely from Eliza’s point of view. So that kind of, I suppose, relatively technical issue, can take a lot of brooding over before I’m ready to start actually writing.

Q: So you honestly knew you were going to write this book 30 years ago?

A: I tried to remember because I certainly came across Anne Lister more than 30 years ago … And I wrote my first play about her more than 30 years ago. And I was always interested in getting back to her teenage years. But I certainly could remember I went on a research trip to Yorkshire in 2015. So. yeah, I was probably getting very serious about it at that point …

In this case, I’m really glad I waited, because over these decades, far more has been found out about Anne and her whole circle. And in particular, there’s now this amazing sort of community (of people) who transcribed those letters for me, which are the main source of the novel. I wouldn’t have been able to read those letters if these people hadn’t put in the enormous work of poring over those digitized transcripts, digitized scans… And again, there are lots of people whose brains I was able to pick on Twitter and that would not have been available even 15 years ago. So in this case, I’m glad I waited.

Q: What an incredible human being and an incredibly rich life. What what is it, though, that draws you to back to her?

A: It’s a fascinating mixture, so many admirable qualities, right, all that energy and ambition and drive and defying the social rules. But then she was also in many ways, you know — good to use some old fashioned words, like a “rake” and a “bounder.” You could say that she kind of took on some of the worst aspects of traditional masculinity, you know, she was just always burning through one girl after the next and often several at a time. She, for instance, when she was lovers with a woman called Mariana Belcombe, she seduced at least two of Mariana’s sisters. So she was highly libido-led … So I suppose I find that a really

appealing mixture that she’s not some role model. And above all, in the diaries, she’s so frank and honest and analytical about her life. About identity questions, but also about the little social subtleties of, you know, who said what, and gossip and hints of innuendo. So she just told the truth about everyday life in a way that a few others did. It was a great age of euphemism and failing things. So her frankness makes her very appealing to a more modern audience.

Q: Just hearing you talk about her, there’s an obvious affection there and even admiration, or am I hearing something I want to hear?

A: No, you’re right there is that there is a huge admiration, but I just think she’s a very flavourful character, because she often behaves badly, too. And I can certainly relate to her — I put a few autobiographical moments into the novel, you know — I was that kind of teenager with a wide vocabulary, who sometimes alienated people by showing off too much, you know?

Q: How much of this book is real and how much is you?

A: I would say, it’s as real as I could make it. It’s really steeped in the papers (about her life). So for instance, OK, that whole scene where she and Eliza go to the ball, and that’s based on a conversation Anne had decades later. In the 1830s, she recorded in her diary that she was talking to one of the women she fancied and spoke of going to a ball in disguise. And

we can’t tell from that reference whether she actually did go …

It had to be fiction because often I’m mostly talking about moments in Lister’s life, way back … when she was just a teenager, and nobody was recording anything she did — we’re not even sure how long she spent at that school.

So I think what I love about fiction is that I can gather every tiny, little fact possible in visiting the rooms and looking at the layout of the rooms in the school, and reading about balls at the time and what music they would have played and you know, what food they would have served. And so I put all these little facts together, but then ultimately, I have to just make up the scene and how it would have felt. So I like that combination of truth and imagination.

Q: I apologize for not knowing this, but has she now become a modern lesbian icon?

A: She is, yeah, absolutely. But she’s been really only a lesbian icon until the last couple of years, meaning nobody else ever heard of her. Yeah. So what’s amazing, is that due to the TV series Gentleman Jack for BBC and HBO, she’s become a bit of a pop-culture icon more broadly. And, for instance, in Yorkshire, they’re now really fond. They’re now really proud of her. And there’s all this tourist infrastructure around visiting her old haunts, when, in fact, she was a figure of sort of scandal and obscurity for so long. So I think if she was in Yorkshire now, she’d be like,

“Oh, my God, they’re selling beers named after me.”

Q: Is there a lot of pressure knowing that she has so many stans? Is there pressure? Do you know you’re gonna get feedback saying, “No, that’s wrong, and blah, blah, blah?” Or does that also make it fun?

A: It’s certainly possible. But I have to say that the fans and other scholars, they really appreciate anyone taking the trouble to spin a fiction within the known facts, you know, and I did an awful lot of checking things with others and sort of staying up to date on what’s being discovered. So I don’t think there’s anything radically wrong in there. But I think people appreciate the effort.

Q: Wouldn’t it have been easier for you, and for the novel, just to not use the name Anne Lister or not use these real people? Would it have been easier just to be inspired by the story?

A: Helen Humphreys has a novel which is clearly inspired by Julia Margaret Cameron, the photographer, but she didn’t want to have to feel accountable. So she called her something else. But the novel was clearly about a Victorian woman living on the Isle of Wight, doing photographs who had all these famous friends. And so all the reviewers just interpreted it straightaway as Julia Margaret Cameron and wrote about it as such. So, you know, if what you’re writing about is a fairly unique case, like in my case, an early 19th century Yorkshire, lesbian diarist, you might as well just be honest and use the real name unless you want to change something radical.

Q: This leads me to a more basic question, which is, wouldn’t it be simpler to write novels where you just made things up?

A: It would absolutely be simpler. I don’t know why I take on this double life of private detective and having that information but also make it an entertaining novel as well. But I can’t argue with what inspires you. You have to just accept the inspiration.

Emma Donoghue will be participating in a pair of events during Wordfest, which runs Oct. 11 to 15, including: The Way We … Hex the Patriarchy Oct 13, 7 p.m. at DJD Dance Centre; and What a Pair!, Emma Donoghue with Mona Awad Oct 14 at 9:30 a.m. on the second floor of Memorial Park Library. For tickets and more information, please go to wordfest.com.

"So she just told the truth about everyday life in a way that a few others did. It was a great age of euphemism and failing things. So her frankness makes her very appealing to a more modern audience." EMMA DONOGHUE

PHOTO: MARK RAYNES ROBERTS.

Author katherena vermette’s The Circle coaxes empathy from a mesh of tragedy

By Mary-Lynn Wardle

The Circle, the third and latest novel by Métis/Michif author katherena vermette, begins simply, telling the story of a person living with other students during their post-secondary journeys, but quickly surprises, becoming so textured — without abandoning that gorgeous simplicity — that the reader stays up well past bedtime promising “just one more page.”

At the start of the book, the characters are laid out in a constellation of circles of various sizes, with their names and a locus with regard to each other as context. But while there are no names of places within that map, there easily could be, for place plays out in the novel like character: from Winnipeg’s storied North End to the bush where some characters find reprieve from the chaos and temptations of the city and even to Golden, B.C., where one of the surprises unfolds.

Speaking from her home near the Red River, vermette, who grew up in the North End and earned an MFA in creative writing at University of British Columbia says, “Place is a whole other character. I think where you are is as important as who you are. It determines everything from what you can do to how you feel in your skin. So, yes, I feel hyper-aware of place when crafting a scene.

“I’m glad more of the characters got out of the city in this one, even all the way to Golden. Golden is a place I’ve only driven through or stopped at. It’s such a picturesque place to see. I’ve usually stuck close to home in my novels, all have been in and around Winnipeg for the most part, so it felt good to reach out over the mountains and hang out in their sharp edges for a while.”

And while nearly two dozen characters populate that chart of names in circles, the reader wonders if the author will loop back to each one’s story, but, it turns out that’s not needed. The effect is we see the characters without judgement, without labelling them “good” or “bad” even though several are gang-involved and some are cavalierly duplicitous. Instead, we appreciate them being caught within the webs of their own lives, able to do what, well, what they do.

“I thought it would be like my other novels

and return to a handful of characters over and over, but I really let my love of character just go in this one, says vermette.

“The Circle as a metaphor was always intentional, but as I wrote I began to feel how much all the secondary characters would also be affected, so I pulled them up a chair, so to speak.”

And while those characters may have sat down in those chairs, it doesn’t mean they spill all while sitting around the table. In fact, as in life, there are things they remember differently from each other and details they omit telling, letting the reader ponder what actually happened and what will happen in the future, especially with central character Phoenix Stranger.

“Well, (some of those) things are actually explained in other books. I wanted all the books to completely stand on their own, and I didn’t show that because I had already written it, but more than that, I thought it wasn’t needed in the moment. We don’t need to know what Phoenix has done; it’s enough that she has harmed so many. The details aren’t as important as what she’s going to do to make amends, if anything.”

The Circle weaves through these lives in a rambling journey of the soul, ending with Stranger at a crossroads and, despite the horrible pain she has inflicted, the reader is

somehow pulling for her at the end. Which, with the manner in which the stories link and unlink, makes one wonder how vermette knew she was done writing at the book’s end.

“Phoenix is a weird one,” vermette says. “Folks are always rooting for her and I am always surprised. She is, of course, worthy of love, but that doesn’t make her any less accountable for the harm she has done. I think everyone is like that, so I wanted to show that in all the characters.

“As rambling as I go, I know what I want to do. It might take me a while to get there but once I do, I’m out. I am not one for long goodbyes.

“Except when I am.”

Without being obviously political, The Circle also unveils some of the dynamics behind Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada, and, as usual, art is more powerful than headlines and textbooks when revealing truth.

“I was very aware that Phoenix was a missing person but at the same time not a very empathetic character or person many would be searching for. As I said, she’s always been a weird one that way. I know I write stories to and with and alongside very devastating issues, but in that, because and in spite of that, my job is to stay in story, to stay with my characters and make it real, rather than didactic.

“Of course, I say this knowing full well I get my opinion all over the place,” vermette laughs. “I want my books to be about people not the issues. The issues are things imposed upon us, not who we are. I want to explore who each character is; that’s my favourite part and where I try and stay.”

It›s heavy stuff, and while vermette’s book seems to ramble to its own whims, the author lives a very scheduled and disciplined life, including getting up early before her children to sit or meditate, then dealing with the chaos of getting them off to school before she goes to her sunroom to write, with her little dog at her feet, until lunch. Later in the day, she takes the dog to the park “for him to run and me to walk out of my work” before she picks up her kids and chaos ensues for a while.

As well, vermette reads historical books like Sylvia Van Kirk’s 1980 publication Many Tender Ties: Women in the Fur Trade Society 1670 to 1870 and The People Who Own Themselves: Aboriginal Ethnogenesis in a Canadian Family, 1660-1900 by Heather Devine.

She also found a memoir from the U.S. by Stephanie Foo called What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma. Having grown up in Winnipeg’s North End and, when she was 14, having her 18-year-old Cree brother go missing for six months before being found dead, all without drawing media attention, one can see why she is drawn to this book, which “… gives the best understanding of CPTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder) I have ever read.”

Still, there is much joy in vermette’s life, between helping people understand the Indigenous experience in Canada and the sunroom, children and dogs to the odd, wonderful moment just being. “My music selections are all about moods. The other day, I was driving through northwest Ontario while blasting The Traveling Wilburys, so, there’s one.”

katherena vermette appears at Wordfest’s Imaginairium, which runs Oct. 11 to 15. More information is at wordfest.com.

Writer katherena vermette brings her latest novel The Circle to Wordfest’s Imaginarium.

Canadian writer Patrick deWitt’s latest novel The Librarianist reminds us we’re

the athors of our own lives

By Mike Bell

There’s something very New York about Patrick deWitt.

Or maybe Manhattany.

Sure, the writer is a known and proud Canadian, but his stories, his style of writing — there’s something that speaks to a somewhat more polished side of the Big Apple.

In a good way.

“No, I'll take it,” says deWit, who, on this day, actually happens to be in NYC staying at a friends. “But I'm never not lost here. I'm always late. It’s very muggy. I'm covered in sweat.”

He laughs.

“I'm very much like a marker, a rube, one who is not particularly urbane — but here I am. I do enjoy my time here. So when I get a chance to get away and come, come east, I do.”

Much more to his liking, to his speed and inspiration is Portland, which he has, for some time, called home.

It’s there, actually, where he drew the inspiration for his latest work The Librarianist, which fits wonderfully into his bibliography, that includes his two most celebrated works, the bleak yet beautiful western The Sisters Brothers, and the quiet, wry bittersweet story The French Exit.

The latest tells the story of retired librarian, Bob, and the novel he lived and continues to live without even knowing it. That is, until he volunteers to read at a seniors centre, where the quirky collection of residents help him see clearer and experience more.

“Pre pandemic I was helping out of the senior centre,” says deWitt of the beginnings of the book. “Like the character Bob, I was coming in and just sort of trying to read to the folks once a week for an hour or two, depending on their mood and how they were feeling.

"The introduction of literature into their morning habits was welcome, a welcome addition for some … I came to find that really

what they wanted to do is just chat rather than dissect any text. So I wound up more and more just sort of coming by to check in say hello and let them know what's going on in my life.

“They really enjoyed particularly any sort of gossip from the outside world.”

He notes that at this point, they were just beginning to shoot the adaptation of that last exceptional novel The French Exit, a semi-successful film which starred Michelle Pfeiffer.

He happily fielded questions about what she was like, how Paris was, and other tales from his travels.

“And they were just a curious, charming inspirational bunch. And that was cut short by the pandemic and the senior centrehas since been shut down sadly. But the memory In the sense I had and visiting the place stuck around, so that was part of the original seed.”

The other part, he says, was his desire for

a number of years “to write about someone who lived his or her life through books,” although not an author or poet or an editor.

"This could be a small bookshop owner or independent bookshop employee,” he says. “And I came to the idea of a librarian, because it's a profession that is a little bit less fraught … I like the idea of this person's relationship to his work being less tied to the bottom line, that is to say, making rent and things like that, somebody who is obsessed with his study of stories.”

Again, so much so that Bob has difficulty seeing the beauty, drama and tragedy of the life he has led, until he starts seeing it through the eyes of the other seniors he’s hoping to inspire.

That cast is as wonderful and wonderfully written as the lead, including a one-time lothario, Linus, who, now wheelchair-bound, gets his thrills from watching women’s tennis with the sound way up.

“I mated, Bob,” the character says wistfully at one point. “I mated with the hostile determination of the political assassin, but also with

a love for the deed, like a craftsman. And I thought that it would go on forever, that that was what life was made up for, fornicating in the buffet style with whichever beautiful partner I wanted.”

It is, like most of his work, a story with extraordinarily different styles and tones, which deWitt seamlessly blends into one tale, one voice.

He admits to a fondness for all of the characters he fleshes out — in this novel and his previous work.

“I have a tendency, I think, to gravitate towards characters — especially if they're the primary character of any one book — who even if they're complicated, they're ultimately people that I can relate to. And if I arrive at a feeling of love for the character then I think it can only benefit the work.”

As for the work, it has, along with the author aged effortlessly. Approaching 50, deWitt says he’s more mindful of his mortality, and the finite time he has left to tell more stories, to finish telling his own.

Not that the clock is necessarily ticking louder now for deWitt, just the realization that it is always ticking, and he finds himself at a point where he’s eager to slow it down to a pace where he can truly appreciate it.

“Urgency is, is perhaps too big a word of what I'm feeling,” he says thoughtfully. “But yeah, I mean, time changes, your impulses change. I think in the beginning, it was just to finish a book. You know, and then there's the question of what comes next.

“And then I just feel that almost in a sense of, not the opposite of urgency, but I sense a sort of slowing down, like I want less from the stories that I ingest, and then the ones that are created as well. Smaller stories, modest, more modest stories.”

He continues. “My taste is changing, I guess, is what I'm saying. And part of that, I think, is learning patience. And learning that you don't need all these pyrotechnics and fireworks. And again, this is as a reader and as a writer, I just seem to want more still space, more silence, more room.”

Patrick deWitt appears at this year’s Wordfest Imaginairium, which runs Oct. 11 to 15.

all

Patrick deWitt’s latest novel The Librarianist shows how easy it is to take our own stories for granted.

mountainous movie adventures

The 48th Annual Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival combines art and winter-sports culture for a week-long party

By Nathan Iles

“The Gateway to the Rockies” is how Martin Short described Calgary in a Canada-centric short film shown for years at Disney World. The Rocky Mountains, an ever-present fixture of our collective sky-

line, offer a promise of adventure that captures the imagination of everyone who gazes longingly at their beauty. Mention hiking or skiing in a Calgary bar and watch as even the most buttoned-up patrons perk up and chat excitedly about their weekend adventure on

the Six Glaciers trail or show off a tattoo of the Three Sisters.

But in many ways, Calgary is the gateway to the gateway. Yes, we always see the mountains; but Banff exists right between them, nestled in the shadows of summits with awe-inspiring names like Yamnuska and Assiniboine. A 90-minute drive west (and a $10.50 national parks fee) is all it takes to go from Calgary’s skyscrapers to this picturesque town populated with avid skiers, rugged

mountaineers, and adrenaline junkies.

Up a winding road on a hill above the main streets of Banff lies a sprawling complex of modern buildings with high glass windows set into red brick buildings, with phrases such as “Meet Me In Town” painted onto signs along the pathways within the surrounding woods. This intriguingly secluded complex is the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and it is here the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival will be held, between Oct. 28 and Nov. 5.

World class climber, alpinist and adventurer Leo Houlding brings his tales to Banff.

The spirit of adventure that clings to the mountain air is the perfect backdrop for this multi-disciplinary bash.

That party had humble beginnings. “It’s a quirky idea that a few climbers in 1976 had while drinking beer in someone’s basement, a one-day event,” says festival director Joanna Croston with a laugh.

And 47 festivals later, the event has expanded into a nine-day shindig that takes over Banff with more than 60 events at the Banff Centre itself and over 85 films in competition. And when the final movie finishes at the

ers incorporated into the film programming.

A great example is the keynote presentation from Jeremy Jones that will occur on Nov. 3. Jones, an internationally recognized snowboarder, is the founder of Protect Our Winters, a global non-profit that has brought together snow-sport industries and enthusiasts to protect places like the Rockies from climate change since 2007.

“The mountains, to me, are the great teacher; they challenge me, they make me feel alive, they ground me, but they also take me to this really special place,” he said in a 2022

ther Mosher, Sarah Steele and Jess Kimura. Kimura, an icon of modern snowboarding and a champion of equity within the sport, will also be a keynote speaker later that evening before a packed schedule of films in competition at the Jenny Belzberg Theatre. This event, along with many others, will be accessible to the visually impaired, hearing-impaired and deaf audience members.

we’re

Jenny Belzberg Theatre in November, the entire festival hits the road for a world tour, hosting up to 1,100 screenings on all seven continents … including Antarctica.

Croston, herself an accomplished climber and writer, has been a key part of making the festival happen for the past 16 years. After working with the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies for years, she developed a passion for, in her words, “the merging of art and mountaineering,” a passion she carried into coordinating and programming roles with the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival and World Tour. She has been the festival director since 2019 and directs the world tour.

Narrowing down over 500 entries into a curated 85-film festival can’t be done without a vision. “A lot of the content we are getting is really indicative of the times we live in,” she reflects. “There’s a lot of conversations about climate change and the glaciers melting … we’re going out to these hills, and we are noticing these changes. What can we do to mitigate them?”

These existential questions form the backbone of much of the programming of the festival, which includes live events and speak-

CNN mini documentary, beautifully capturing the emotions felt by everyone who experiences mountainous beauty.

Inclusivity is another guiding principle for this year’s festival. “Indigenous Dialogue is an event I’ve added that is a part of our commitment to truth and reconciliation,” says Croston. “Mountain culture has often omitted Indigenous people, and these sessions are for their voices and narratives to be heard.”

This special event, which will occur on Nov. 5 on the Rab Stage at the Banff Centre, is entitled “The Power of Women’s Stories” and will feature a panel led by Dr. Erynne Gilpin, a Victoria-based researcher and climber of mixed (Saulteaux Cree-Métis and Filipina/ Celtic) descent.

This panel also addresses another focus of the festival: championing women’s voice in winter sports. Reflecting on this reality, Croston says, “The absence of women in our programs for decades was noticed by many women, and I feel we’ve made great strides.”

It’s heartening to see programming that addresses this reality. On Nov. 4, a panel entitled “Breaking into the Industry” will feature emerging filmmaking voices such as Hea-

“Every year, we bring in these secret gems of humans who people may not have had contact with,” says Croston. “People that have never had the opportunity to speak in person.”

One such person is Ashima Shiraishi, an American rock climber who gained a reputation as one of the top boulderers and sports climbers in the world after starting the sport at the age of six. A week before her 15th birthday, she climbed a boulder problem — the route one takes when climbing up a gym bouldering wall or an outdoor boulder — with a difficulty rating of V15, the current limit of climbing difficulty.

“People may have known her from when she was this real kind of ringer in her teenage years,” Croston says, “but now she’s a young woman. I don’t know that her voice has been her own yet, and this is the opportunity for that to happen.” Shiraishi will speak at a panel alongside local climbing icon Sonnie Trotter on the opening night of the festival, along with the presentation of The Summit of Excellence Award.

Don’t be intimidated if you’re not a ski bum yourself, dear reader. In fact, in many ways, that’s the point of all this live programming at a mountainous movie festival.

Croston says, “I think that coming to see the speakers brings it all down to a layman’s

level. You realize that these are just humans as well.” There’s certainly something to be said about witnessing high-flying feats of winter sportsmanship on the big screen and then sharing an evening with the athletes and photographers behind it all.

“I like to think we appeal to the armchair adventurers, too,” Croston says. “A lot of people come in and love to hear these stories of epic adventure and they’re just absolutely thrilled to not be a part of it.”

Despite all the live programming, the heart of the festival has always been the films,

are noticing

and it’s where Croston would advise a new attendee to focus. “If you come for an all-day program, you’re going to see everything from the environment to skiing, to climbing, remote cultures and adventure. It’s a real mix of genres,” she says. “You might see a lot of high-adrenaline programs, and then we also have some really beautifully slow-paced, creative pieces.”

But the thread between it all? In her words: “All narratives are about being inspired by the mountains.”

Whether you’re catching a live panel, hopping around the various vendor markets, watching a movie, or grabbing a pint on Banff Avenue, everywhere you look, the mountains will be there. It’s the perfect gateway for the adventures offered by the festival and a fabulous excuse to visit Banff in the off-season.

Not bad for the boozy idea several “dirty climbers” had in the ‘70s.

The 48th Annual Banff Centre Mountain Film And Book Festival will announce its full selection of films and programming on Oct 5. Tickets and festival passes are available now at banffcentre.ca.

“There’s a lot of conversations about climate change and the glaciers melting …

going out to these hills, and we

these changes.What can we do to mitigate them?” JOANNA CROSTON, BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL DIRECTOR`

YGOR, YOU FOOL!

By John Tebbutt

Hello, friends! All Hal low’s Eve is fast approaching, and as per annual ritual, I, your humble Video Vulture, have news of the Calgary Underground Film Festival’s 2023 incarnation of their infamous 12-Hour Halloween Movie Marathon! Or at least I would have, but I still don’t know the lineup yet, and my spy seems to be running late ...

“Master! Apologies for my lateness, but I have returned with the information you seek!”

About flipping time, Ygor! Well let’s hear it! What will the first classic horror film of the evening be?

“Er … first? Forgive me, Master! I only know the names of the films, not the order in which they are to be presented! Please don’t beat me!!”

Relax, Ygor. Just tell me the movies. In no particular order. I guess.

“You’ll be pleased with this one, Master! It is to be … The Wicker Man!”

The Wicker Man, you say? Yes, Ygor, this is excellent news! The unforgettable 1973 classic of suspense, featuring amazing performances from Edward Woodward and a never-better Christopher Lee! Er … wait a minute. Ygor … which version of The Wicker Man is showing?

“Umm …version, Master? I don’t follow ...”

Which version, you cretin?! The 1973 original, or the calamitous 2006 remake, in which Nicolas Cage punches women in a bear suit?!

“I … I don’t know! I had no idea there were two Wicker Men! Aieee!”

You useless droolspigot! Do you realize what this means? The readers won’t even know if they’re about to see a sublime masterpiece, or a laughable embarrassment! That is … that … that kind of rules, actually.

“Shall I eat my little green suicide pill, Master?”

No Ygor, put it away, and just tell me the next movie.

“Next is Freaks. The 1932 shocker with a cast of genuine human oddities. I’ve always felt a sentimental attachment to this one.”

A detestable minion reports on the fantastic films of the 2023 cuff 12-hour halloween movie marathon

standing! Spanish auteur Alex de la Iglesia makes gleefully unhinged flicks like Action Mutante (1993) and The Last Circus (2010), and this is one of his best! A kindly priest comes up with a ridiculous plan to prevent the Apocalypse, and must start by doing as much evil as he possibly can. He’s aided by a dimwitted heavy metal dude who helps him kidnap a phony TV psychic, and they … well, I won’t spoil it. This one’s an absolute treat that’ll make even the sleepiest of Halloween Marathon audiences sit up and cheer. What an excellent lineup this is turning out to be! What’s next, Ygor?

“Something called Suitable Flesh. I think it’s new.”

That looks very promising, indeed!

A 2023 adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Thing on the Doorstep, written by Dennis Paoli and featuring the lovely Barbara Crampton, both of Re-Animator fame! I’m definitely looking forward to seeing this one. So, Ygor, what is the name of the last movie?

“Trick or Treat!”

Not now, Ygor, it isn’t Halloween yet.

“That’s the name of the film! Trick or Treat!”

Oh! The 1986 heavy metal ghost story with cameos from Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne? Or one of the other movies with the same or similar title?

“Umm … the first one! Yup! Pretty sure!”

Hmm, yes. A one-of-a-kind viewing experience, perfect for this event. As a bonus, new viewers will finally get why their weirdest friend keeps chanting, “One of us.”

“Hee, hee! One of us! One of us!”

Yes, thank you, Ygor, let’s keep it moving.

“There’s also going to be Slumber Party Massacre 2 (1987)!”

Is there. Yes, well, I suppose it’s traditional for this event to have a stupid ’80s slasher movie in the mix. This one at least looks like it’s intentionally silly.

“It’s my favourite! The killer looks like Fonzie, and has a giant drill attached to his guitar! Hee, hee, hee!”

(Sigh) Wonderful. Moving on.

“My notes say The People Under the Stairs. Is that … is that an actual movie? Or is it just some people under some stairs?”

Of course it’s a real movie, Ygor, you ignoramus! And a rather splendid one, at that! Wes Craven’s darkly humorous 1991 satirical horror flick gave the genre a delicious jolt of energy right when it needed it, and is ripe for rediscovery. What else have you got?

“Er, it’s hard to read. Eldie … Eldie something. Eldie la dee daa dee besty. I think. Something in Foreign.”

Give me that! It says … Oh! It’s El dia de la bestia! The Day of the Beast (1995)! Out-

Good grief, it’s Wicker Men all over again. (Sigh) OK, there you have it, folks. The seven films that make up this year’s 12-Hour Halloween Movie Marathon. It really does look like an amazing event, well worth losing a night of sleep over. It takes place on Saturday, Oct. 28th at the Globe Cinema (617, 8 Ave. S.W.) and goes from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. the next morning. Tickets are $20 per person, or $18 for students and seniors. Leave when you’ve had enough, or stay ’til the end! Dress up for the costume contest, and be ready for other surprises throughout the night. Happy Halloween!

And Ygor? You can go ahead and eat your green pill now.

For the schedule, tickets and more information, please go to calgaryundergroundfilm.org.

The People Under the Stairs

Freaks Slumber Party Massacre

Calgary gets Creepy October offers a bountiful — and spooky — opportunity to get out and enjoy autumn

Calgary gets Creepy

By Erika Ranvsborg

Halloween will make you scream!

Especially this year. Calgary sure knows how to get your pulse racing when the festival of superstition and fear is just around the corner. Here is the proof. You are walking outside on the sidewalk, enjoying your pumpkin spice latte, and the changing of the leaves on the trees. All of a sudden, you come across a poster column that is filled with the many events that are happening this scary season. The best part is, they look like they are a lot of fun. “What kind of events?” you may be asking. Here are 10 fabulous ideas.

Pumpkins After Dark

The magic begins early. What started on Sept. 22 is going full steam until Oct. 31. Imagine 10,000+ hand-carved pumpkins just lighting the path that you get to enjoy in a creepy but family-friendly sense. You would not believe that many of these sculptures with their intricate detail, size, and imagination are all made from pumpkins that people carved with their own hands. A person could spend all night light just exploring and taking pictures of these crazy cool creations. calgary.pumpkinsafterdark.com.

Goblin: Macbeth

Yes. You see it correctly. Goblins are going to take the stage at Vertigo Theatre from Sept. 22 to Oct. 16. A mix of Shakespeare, horror, fantasy and yes even some comical improvisation put on by these goblins. This means anything can happen with these distinctive thespians taking over one of the world’s oldest and most famous ghost stories. In this case, they are taking on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. This makes a person wonder if Shakespeare is spinning in his grave right now. Luckily, it is just in time for Halloween. shakespearecompany.com/goblin-macbeth/.

Ghosts and Gourmet

Fearless foodies rejoice because you can dine with a combination of spectres and succulent spreads! The Wainwright Hotel in Heritage Park is throwing their annual dinner party

with some special ghostly guests. It starts as a wonderful dinner with a retelling of the ghost stories that have haunted these lands for a long time. Eventually, it will turn into a ghost tour and those who are brave enough might actually catch sight of one. Do you dare go there and say, “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts?” heritagepark.ca/ghosts-and-gourmet.

Slasher Showdown: Friday the 13th Massacre

I hope you are up-to-date on your cardio, Calgary, because this October has a Friday the 13th. What does that mean you say? It means that the wickedly good people of Haunted Calgary are kicking off the Halloween season with this spine-tingling attraction. If you are a thrill-seeker or a horror-fan you get an interactive experience where you have to use your own survival skills and wits to outsmart some 1980s-inspired baddies. God speed friends! app.hauntpay.com/events/slasher2023

Pumpkin Fest

Granary road is bringing up some traditional autumn fun that the whole family can enjoy together on Oct. 14 to 15. This festival is about everything pumpkin. They have pumpkin hunts where you can pick out your own pumpkin to take home with you, a tracker range rover ride that will take you all over the farm, and try your hand at their Pumpkin & Putts mini-golf. Not to mention that on Sunday, Oct. 5, you can partake in an activity that would

make the Smashing Pumpkins proud. Especially since that is exactly what you will be doing. Now that is how to get down and dirty! granaryroad.com/pumpkinfest

Ghoul’s Night Out

Whether you are out with friends or family, Heritage Park’s Ghouls Night Out is the way to go. If you are looking for an event that has a ton of boo-nique activities, you will want to come here. Where else can you have tea with your favourite characters from the Rabbit Hole? Or learn to fly from the Sanderson sisters? This is just the tip of the broom stick because there is so much to see. Carnival games, crafts, meeting some monsters in the Monster Recovery Centre; sounds like an adventure for October 27. heritagepark.ca/events/ghouls-night-out/.

Halloween Specialty Brunch

Deep in the wilds of the Calgary Zoo, hidden in their Safari Lounge on October 28 and 29 is a Brunch that is Spooktacular. A purrfect idea to take a hot Halloween honey or a murder of

friends for some tasty treats. This restaurant has a number of options that will keep your gaggle of ghouls well fed with its buffet style and delectable dishes. Come see the scary decorations, listen to some Halloween music, and dress up in your spookiest costume. Afterwards you can explore the zoo at your leisure. calgaryzoo.com/events/safari-brunch.

Screamfest

Calgary’s best haunted houses are here. Oct. 6 kicks off Calgary’s scariest event and goes all the way until Halloween. If you like a creepy carnival, monster truck rides, and six different haunted houses that will make you scream then look no further. This event is not meant for the faint of heart or smaller kids. It is rated as a PG-13 event so it might be good to leave the kids at home and scare yourself rotten. Never fear though, might be able to bring home the hatchet you get to throw at the target as a souvenir. But only if they throw it back at you. screamfest.ca.

ZooBoo

Trick-or-treating has taken on a wilder turn. Calgary Zoo is setting up a family-friendly event where costumes are the norm, treats can be found everywhere, and exploring the zoo is a given. Not only will you have a whole bag of candy at the end of the day but you will also help wildlife conservation. In a small way you will help protect the homes of plants and animals alike. Sounds like a good cause to be a part of. calgaryzoo.com/events/zooboo.

Halloween Howler

The new Beltline artistic hub The BLOX Arts Centre on 11th Ave. S.W. is also getting in the inner city Halloween spirit with a day of goblins and goodies.

On Sunday, Oct. 29 they’ll host a pair of events including a kids and families event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring a trick or treasure hunt, costume contest and Halloween-themed games.

Later that day, from 3 to 7 p.m. is the All Ages Ghoul Party, which includes live music, a howl contest, drink specials and tricks and treats provided by local businesses Regrub, Last Best, Milano, The Bike Shop and more. For more information, please go to theblox.ca.

Screamfest

Boo at the Zoo

The little venue that could … and does

Keystone venue creates community cohesion serving up great music and food over 20 years after opening

By Mary-Lynn Wardle

It’s fitting that the Ironwood Stage and Grill is named after one of the strongest and most resilient trees in North America. From creating conflict internally within the music scene before it first opened in April, 2003, to closing, changing hands, and re-opening to changing hands again in September of 2006 and then moving a few blocks west from its original location (the building that currently houses The Blues Can) down 9 Ave. to the old Garry Theatre space in April of 2010, a lot of waves might have capsized this little venue that could.

The recent pandemic, a minimum wage that has nearly tripled since The Ironwood first opened, and inflation have also imperiled the Ironwood.

Speaking with owner Pat MacIntyre from his office up winding stairs above the green room behind the stage, he reflects that since he purchased the name and fixtures in September 2006, he’s featured music almost every day except during the pandemic, when he offered music through the Iron Window series with musicians playing in the front window to appreciative listeners on 9 Ave.

MacIntyre purchased the business from Josh Marantz, who at the time managed Tom Phillips and the Men of Constant Sorrow.

MacIntyre knew Phillips from his time running King Henry VIII Pub on Stephen Avenue, which had thrived off the downtown lunch rush and happy hour until MacIntyre augmented the success by bringing in music in the evenings, even firing up pizza himself after the cook went home for the day. Phillips and the MOCS played most Saturday nights there for years.

“Fronting King Henry VIII, I wanted to get out of a bar that was mainly booze oriented. I wanted to curate live, original music,” MacIntyre recalls.

To that end, when he hired musicians, he encouraged them to play originals. They would ask, “So I can play one or two originals?” MacIntyre would tell them he wanted 80 per cent originals. Back in the days when many bands were human jukeboxes cranking out Bon Jovi covers, this was seldom done; Henry’s was a venue that helped smash that barrier. Original music now abounds, although

the Ironwood is also renowned for musical nights celebrating Bob Dylan’s or Bruce Springsteen’s or Neil Young’s birthday; these tend to sell out quickly.

“When (the Ironwood) was going under, the place wasn’t worth a whole lot. The equipment was old, everything was old, the tables and chairs were pretty beaten up and shit.” MacIntyre heard stories of musicians from across the country showing up to a locked venue.

“But, marketing wise (the owners) did do a decent job of letting Calgarians know that the Ironwood was a place to listen to music. So I decided to bite the bullet and pay a bit of a premium to keep the name and then figured, you know, because I’m so fucking charming (laughing), how I could smooth it over with the musicians.

“That took a little time, but we got that done and then just opened with doing it seven

days a week.”

Since that time, the Ironwood has hosted a tremendous array of musicians, from beloved Alberta songwriters like Dave McCann, The Lovebullies and Richard Inman to travelers like Danny Michel, Dan Bern, Petunia and The Vipers, Balaklava Blues and of course, one of MacIntyre’s sweetest moments, Texas songwriter James McMurtry.

When it was time to move to the new venue at the Garry Theatre, it was literally a leap from a set in the old place to one in the new place. “So, April 13 of 2010 we were doing nine shows a week. And that’s when we moved down here. We did half a show up there and we got our final license which is the liquor licenses and got the band that was playing up there to walk down the street to here and everyone followed with a table and chair and JT had the stage all set for them

and they walked in. Everyone followed us, put down their tables and chairs, and the band walked on the stage. And we didn’t stop for a lot of years.”

The original Ironwood was born from the ashes of Karma Local Arts House, located in what is now rebranded Marda Loop but was really on the Altadore side of 33 Ave. S.W. Founded by Lynne Thorimbert and Soren Borch and operating from 1998 to 2001, it also featured live original music seven nights a week. Karma treated songwriters as the gems they are, and had legends like Ian Tyson happily hosting songwriters’ circles there. While Thorimbert and Borch sold the place and took off to beaches in Thailand for a while, by 2002 they were on the lookout for a live music venue. Thorimbert drove this writer to look at a run-down place called The Horseman’s Club in November of 2002 (there had been a previous Horseman’s Club in the ’80s in Erlton). It turns out Calgary songwriter Lorrie Matheson also had his eye on the place for the same reasons. Bad blood, now long since dried, erupted, and at least Matheson

”I wanted to get out of a bar that was mainly booze oriented. I wanted to curate live, original music.” PAT MACINTYRE

Ironwood owner Patrick MacIntyre has helped build Calgary’s live music community. PHOTOS: JARED SYCH

got some killer songs out of his anger (check out Shrug & Sigh from 2013’s The Night is for Keepers).

Thorimbert and Borch opened the Ironwood at the location that is now The Blues Can in April, 2003. Many supporters of the project threw in their money (it was funded with a version of crowd sourcing before the term existed) and time (my husband Russ re-built parts of it and built the wine rack and bar, including placing those round transparent panels where lights shine through from below that are still there at The Blues Can).

The first liquor license was in Holly Crawford’s name; at the time, they needed a “respectable” name on the liquor license, and she was an established well-site geologist who also happens to be my sister.

“The keg fridge here at Ironwood is the old beer fridge from Karma. I had it in my garage for a while,” MacIntyre says. “I had it on the stage and had a couple of student refrigeration guys turn it into a keg fridge. I had some old brass taps in the garage, too. I think that’s good karma to have that here.” Yep, literally. The current Ironwood has become a miracle of community glue, from MacIntyre lobbying AGLC to allow children (the original Ironwood was non-smoking so minors could attend; Thorimbert insisted on that so my daughter, Samana, could continue to enjoy live music as she had at Karma from the time she was two years old).

“That’s what I wanted to do when I first opened. I was lobbying the AGLC to allow me to have kids here all the time,” MacIntyre says. It worked out.

“We have the School of Rock (a local business that provides music lessons for kids) and we’ve had the younger kids that came through here, and they played here in some of those Academy and Westwinds Big Bands and

stuff like that, and now they’re in bands that play here.

“One of the things I love about that is when the bands are coming in, I’m usually in the office doing something. And they’re all congregating at the bottom of the stairs and I’m not bragging or anything, but I hear them go (whispers), ‘Hey, hey, we’re playing the Ironwood!’ and what I take away from that is they feel like they’re playing a gig in a bar not in a gym eating those little triangular sandwiches. They feel like they’re playing a gig in a room with sound and not an echoey gymnasium … (And) the parents are happy to come and have a beer and a steak.”

While being a keystone venue for superb music in Calgary is the Ironwood’s wheelhouse, the food is an elevated experience to match, without being fussy. Grazing through the menu you can enjoy calamari, fresh salads (always fresh – never a limp one in all these years), top sirloin cooked to perfection, jambalaya, and, the superstar smoked brisket sandwich called theSCENE, named after this publication.

“We’ve had floods. We’ve had a whole bunch of different things happen. You know, when I opened, I think minimum wage was $5.50, now it’s $15.00, that’s not a business model anybody works on, it went up by 300

per cent so that business model’s out the window. Rent went through the roof, and now we’re dealing with inflation, which is crippling. You can’t really raise your prices because the people that are coming out, the first thing they cut is their entertainment budget. So, it just seems to be one thing after another. COVID! But, through it all it’s been a lot of fun having live music every night.”

MacIntyre, who also counselled Winos (now closed), Mikey’s and The Blues Can on including high-quality food choices to augment the music, urges people to go out to any place that supports live music.

“Instead of going to Earls where you’re sitting in a friggin’ chain restaurant where the music is just loud enough that the conversation is (strained) and it’s just cold enough that you’re not comfortable, and everything is geared towards entrées. And they have little shitty deserts and you just had your main course and you’re cold and tired of screaming over the music, and you have to leave (because) they’re turning over their tables, what I’d like people to do is come out and support a venue and a musician and give it a night and you probably won’t go back to the other way.

“It’s a nice evening; come down, have a meal, chat with your significant other or your friend or group that you bring. When the music starts you listen to some great music, you’re getting served throughout, and you have a great evening together instead of staring at a screen, not saying a word.”

Opportunities to do just that are coming up with Richard Inman and Zachary Lucky playing Oct. 5, WIL on Octo. 8, and The Skydiggers Nov. 7 and 8.

Ironwood Stage and Grill is located at 1229 9 Ave. S.E. For more information, go to ironwoodstage.ca.

“One of the things I love ... is when the bands are coming in, I’m usually in the office doing something. And they’re all congregating at the bottom of the stairs ... and I hear them go (whispers), ‘Hey, hey, we’re playing the Ironwood!“

PAT MACINTYRE

The Garry Theatre, which houses the Ironwood, has been an Inglewood landmark for years.

Good food and good music are always on the menu at the Ironwood.

Local rockabilly band Peter and the Wolves are a regular fixture on the Ironwood stage.

Remembering Dean Clarke

Influential Calgary DJ’s love of music, love of life will be sorely missed

By Rob Faust (Ed.

Note: In August, Calgary lost one of its pioneering DJs, Dean Clarke. He was at the forefront of our turntable and wax and drops and breaks and beats movement. From its formative days in the early ’90s until his unfortunate passing, Clarke helped build what has become something of an impressive and widely respected community of club spinners across the globe. His regular nights at seminal local venues over the past 30 years packed dancefloors and influenced many who have followed. Again, his influence on the music community will be felt for years. To honour that, fellow Calgary DJ Rob Faust, who spun alongside Clarke and who was a friend and fan of the artist, offers his personal recollection of a man who left his indelible mark on the city’s music scene — in many ways.)

The DJ world in this city is a small and mighty force.

I’ve had the very good fortune of knowing and working with most notable Calgary DJs: Smalltown Pete and Mike, Taro, Al Testa, DJ Rice, Sideshow Sid, Jean Francois Raymond, Jon Delerious, Dom G., DJ Hate/Jody Fever, Jonas Jordan, 4eyes/Mike Roberts, Magpie, Lotus Queen, Cary Chang and now, currently, with DJ Pump at Sweet Loretta. (There are many more, I recognize this is not a complete list, but it›s as close as I have at this moment.)

What Makes Dean Clarke stand apart?

Dean set the standard for what a DJ night could be or should be — fun and alive. His weekly set in Deluxe @ Republik Version 1.0, was an epic journey into weird small spaces, tight staircases and amazing funk reverberating through the walls. The dancefloor would bounce, the turntables would skip, and Dean was patiently behind the decks with a big smile, making sure no one was going to make the tables skip again. That night was lightning in a bottle, just like Dean.

Another time, after Dean was done opening for De La Soul, I met him at the bar and we had our vodka sodas and just listened to the rest of the show. The show finished, Dean leaned over to me and whispered, “At least Calgary knows how to wave their hands in the

air now.” Dead fucking funny.

The Factory was a short-lived nightclub in Calgary, promoted by scene stalwart Wes Hegg and his business partner. The idea of it was to emulate or create a New York/Paris bon vivant atmosphere with dead-sexy acid jazz and house — or at least I think that was the goal. It was a seriously nice club, the woodwork, the epic grand staircase to queue, the sound was insane.

Originally a Montreal DJ, Jean Francois Raymond was playing there with Dean. In all honesty, if there’s a stretch in time that I would love to re-experience, it’s that stretch, with Clarke, and musicians Richard Sixto, Ravi Pollah and Marvin Kee, who also sadly passed earlier this year. The JF Raymond trick with incorporating live musicians into a dancefloor night was that the instruments were mic’d ambiently, and the musicians spread throughout the venue, around the dancefloor, so while you were hearing the instruments live, they were also being incorporated into the hot mix.

I think this Factory gig beget Konte Jazz

at the Night Gallery, another mammoth evening, dedicated to all things funky — the deadliest hip-hop and funk in a low light rock ’n’ roll room with massive butterfly bins. EPIC night!

Dean and I reconnected late last winter, prior to the opening of Sweet Loretta. It was the first time he and I had seen one another in a while, maybe prior to Covid. We blabbed, Dean was excited to play there, Pump was excited to have him, I was excited to get the band back together.

It was then that I noticed how thin he had become. He had trouble standing due to what he told everyone at the time was diabetes, but which we would later find out was pancreatic cancer. We left it at that, then started talking about doing a proper roller party somewhere.

I was getting ready to leave and he asked for a ride home. No problem, I dropped him off a block from my place and he said, “I told you we lived close by each other.” Addresses were exchanged, phone numbers confirmed. It was great to see Dean again.

He showed up at my place the next weekend with a bag of records, “I gotta hear this on your rig downstairs.” I have a partly set-up studio that I said Dean could come play records on anytime he wanted — I was out of work and he didn’t have his decks for some reason.

He had never been in my record room before. I turned on the light, he dropped his DJ bag, and said, “Well this shit’s for real,” as he looked upon 9,000 records in various states of disarray.

Dean and I spent the entire afternoon, like the record obsessive kids at our core, flipping through the crates, sharing songs, identifying breaks, bouncing breaks together. I felt like I finally had a record buddy with better musical taste. Somebody who would get why that break is preferable, how to drop, and, “Man, isn’t Idris Muhammad amazing!” It was the first time I felt such a profound love and appreciation for the dreaded record room I have long considered a noose of fiscal imprudence. At that moment it became a place of joy, slicing moments of time together with the coolest man in south Calgary.

I set about to get the studio properly set up for Dean, as he had trouble standing due to his “diabetes,” which we all would find out later was pancreatic cancer.

The idea of the studio was that he and I could just listen to music together, with the lights flashing and the disco ball spinning.

On another Saturday, Dean whipped over on his vintage Norco 10 speed. Of course it was perfect, as if he just picked it up out of the store yesterday. (It should be stated for the record and known emphatically: Dean had mad, crazy-good style, with shoe game for miles, the best belt buckles, he smelled like expensive cologne, always just enough — he was never not put together. )

Out of his bag he pulled an old-school orange Fisher Price kids turntable and eight fresh D cell batteries for it. He grabbed his handful of records, I ran to grab some of mine. There we sat, two old dudes listening to German breakbeat, Mo’ Wax records, Ninja Tune — anything I had that Dean hadn’t heard before, all played on a 1971 kids toy. It sounded Continued on next page

Dean Clarke and Rob Faust PHOTO: ROB FAUST

Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis

September Chartlist

Direct from your radio pals at 90.9 FM, here is a snapshot of the current artists & albums topping the charts at CJSW. Tune in, turn it up and enjoy.

1. Sargeant X Comrade** - Lo Fi Future (Mo Gravy Records)

2. Tony Allen & Adrian Younge - Tony Allen JID018 (Jazz Is Dead)

3. Osees - Intercepted Message (In The Red Records)

4. RETAIL SIMPS - Live On Cool Street (Total Punk)

5. Various Artists - We Are Time Mixtape Vol. 1 (We Are Time)

6. The Canadian Dispatch** - FNG Syndrome (Self-Released)

7. Witch Prophet* - Gateway Experience (Heart Lake Records)

8. Carl Glacier** - May Cause Dizziness (Laprairie)

9. Eine Kleine China** - Palomino (Self-Released)

10. PRIORS* - DAFFODIL (Mothland)

11. Joni Void* - Everyday Is The Song (Constellation)

12. Bells Larsen* - If I Was, I Am EP (Next Door)

13. Henry Threadgill Ensemble - The Other One (Pi Recordings)

14. The Other One (Pi Recordings) - Songs For My People (Victory Pool)

15. Captain Planet - Sounds Like Home (Bastard Jazz)

16. Sunforger* - Sunforger (Cooked Raw)

17. La Sécurité* - Stay Safe! (Mothland)

18. Harrison* - Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees (Last Gang)

19. Mac DeMarco* - One Wayne G (Royal Mountain)

20. Willie Dunn* - Willie Dunn Sampler (Light In the Attic)

21. Deep Covers** - Generation Loss (Self-Released)

22. BEEF - BEEF (Feel It Records)

23. Joey O’Neil* - Phantom Vibes (Independent)

9/24/23

Continued from previous page

ridiculous and It felt good to be with someone who could share so much music. It’s a dorky thing, but so enjoyable in the dorkiest of ways — talking about Prince, this jam or that jam, Dean’s past gigs, the halloween cabals at the Uptown.

The last weekend before he went into the hospital, he had a hard time walking, so we’d just hang on the deck. Dean was borrowing my phone for Spotify, he was playing as much

music as he could for me to hear, half songs here, a quarter of a song there.

I realized after he passed away in August that during that six-hour stretch, in my backyard, he made me a mixtape of things he thought I should hear by liking every song for me, leaving me with musical breadcrumbs to follow. I cannot think of a better statement about the Dean’s love for music that he wanted to share as much music as he could while he could.

He LOVED music.

24. Various Artists - Middle Eastern Grooves (Selected by DJ Kobayashi) (Batov Records)

25. Powertron** - Tribute The Snowflakes Golden Oldies Edition (Self-Released)

26. Jessy Lanza* - Love Hallucination (Hyperdub)

27. Zoon* - Bekka Ma’iingan (Paper Bag)

28. BAMBII* - INFINITY CLUB EP (Innovative Leisure)

29. Black Pestilence** - Chaotic Wisdom (Self-Released)

30. Beverly Glenn-Copeland* - The Ones Ahead (Transgressive/PIAS)

** Local * Canadian

Find the solution on page 3

And he will be missed.