The Georgia Straight - Year of the Queer - May 17, 2018

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2 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 17 – 24 / 2018

OneCard!

Year of the

A celebration of queer contributions to the artistic and social landscape of Vancouver!

Official Launch

Anniversaries and Events

Wednesday, May 23

the frank theatre company presenting partner for Probability: rEvolver Festival May 24 – 27 thefranktheatre.com

Mayor Gregor Robertson and Vancouver City Council are pleased to invite you to celebrate!

Community Panel Discussion: 11 am – 12 noon Doors open at 10:45 am Vancouver City Hall 453 West 12th Avenue Third Floor Council Chamber Limited seating available.

RSVP: protocolevents@ vancouver.ca

Proclamation and Launch: Starts at 12 noon Helena Gutteridge Plaza 2675 Yukon Street North side of City Hall Food trucks will be on site to purchase lunch.

Out On Screen celebrates their 30th Anniversary 30th Birthday Party Saturday, June 2 RSVP required: bit.ly/2F3H6Rt Pride in Art celebrates their 20th Anniversary Queer Arts Festival 10th Anniversary June 16 – 27 queerartsfestival.com the frank theatre company celebrates their 10th Anniversary Camera Obscura at Queer Arts Festival June 20 – 24 thefranktheatre.com

Zee Zee Theatre celebrates their 10th Anniversary My Funny Valentine Thursday, June 28 zeezeetheatre.ca

Out On Screen Vancouver Queer Film Festival August 9 – 19 queerfilmfestival.ca

the frank theatre company Creative City Strategy: Host your own Engagement Sunday, July 22 thefranktheatre.com Vancouver Dyke March celebrates their 15th March Dyke March Saturday, August 4 vancouverdykemarch. com/wordpress Vancouver Pride Society celebrates their 40th Anniversary Vancouver Pride Parade & Sunset Beach Festival Sunday, August 5 vancouverpride.ca

AIDS Vancouver celebrates their 35th Anniversary Red Ribbon Gala Thursday, November 15 aidsvancouver.org Sher Vancouver celebrates their 10th Anniversary shervancouver.com Health Initiative for Men (HIM) celebrates their 10th Anniversary checkhimout.ca Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium celebrates their 35th Anniversary littlesisters.ca

MAY 17 – 24 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 3

CONTENTS

Golden Ears Provincial Park. Garry Johns photo.

9

COVER

Fifteen Vancouver organizations that serve the LGBT community are celebrating big anniversaries, which is why this has been dubbed the Year of the Queer. > BY CHARLIE SMITH, CR AIG TAKEUCHI, AND V.S. WELLS

11

CANNABIS

Is subjecting youth to criminalization under Bill C-45 a bad policy? Experts weigh in and suggest how to talk to your kids about pot. > BY PIPER COURTENAY

12

TECHNOLOGY

The Vancouver Virtual Reality Film Festival is one of the few such dedicated fests in the world, with a full range of VR experiences. > BY K ATE WILSON

17

ARTS

Women are taking the lead at this year’s rEvolver Festival, tackling everything from population genetics to sexual abuse. > BY JANE T SMITH

sustainability in business

Presented by CityU Canada and the Bachelor of Management (BAM) program, with a focus on socially and environmentally responsible management.

We are hosting a series of talks on sustainability in business, featuring some of Canada’s industry leaders.

WED, MAY 30 AT 5:30PM Emily Briggs of Bullfrog Power and Lauren Archibald of Ethical Bean Coffee at CityU Canada in Vancouver 789 West Pender Street, Suite 310.

WED, JUNE 20 AT 5:30PM Adrienne Uy, COO/CFO of Spud.ca at 789 West Pender Street, Suite 310.

Learn more at: www.cityuniversity.ca/sustainability-series Register: ahuang@cityu.edu

An Affiliate of the National University System. This program is offered under the written consent of the Minister of Advanced Education effective April 11, 2007 having undergone a quality assessment process and been found to meet the criteria established by the minister. Nevertheless, prospective students are responsible for satisfying themselves that the program and the degree will be appropriate to their needs.

4 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 17 – 24 / 2018

27

START HERE 15 26 22 12 28 23 31 14 6 21

The Bottle Confessions Dance Health I Saw You Movie Reviews Savage Love Straight Stars Straight Talk Theatre

TIME OUT 26 Arts 29 Music

SERVICES 29 Careers 13 Real Estate

MUSIC

Juno-winning singer-songwriter Alex Cuba has no regrets about leaving his homeland for a rewarding new life in Canada. > BY ALE X ANDER VART Y

GeorgiaStraight @ GeorgiaStraight @ GeorgiaStraight

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Automotive | Education | Services | Travel Marketplace | Employment | Real Estate Property Rentals | Music | Announcements Callboard | And more...

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MAY 17 – 24 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 5

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Vancouver city councillor Tim Stevenson will be in the spotlight on Wednesday (May 23) when the City of Vancouver raises flags at Vancouver City Hall to designate this as the Year of the Queer. (For more information, see page 9.) As the first openly gay church minister and cabinet minister (provincial or federal) in Canada, Stevenson has been a pioneer in advancing the interests of the LGBT community.

But sometimes this has taken place behind the scenes. An example occurred after he was nominated as the NDP provincial candidate in Vancouver-Burrard in 1996. Stevenson told the Straight by phone that the party leader and premier, Glen Clark, phoned him up to say he would like to meet him for breakfast. Stevenson had never met Clark before. “He said ‘What do we need to get the gay vote? What would really help us against [Gordon] Campbell? It’s going to be very close,’ � Stevenson recalled.

He replied that gay men were spending $10,000 per year on an antiretroviral treatment called AZT because it wasn’t covered by PharmaCare. Stevenson said he told Clark that this would be “huge�. “He looked at me and said: ‘It’s that simple?’ I said that’s a very big deal in our community,� Stevenson continued. “He said, ‘Okay, if we win, we will put that on PharmaCare.’ �

Clark followed up by holding a news conference with Stevenson at St. Paul’s Hospital with the parents of Dr. Peter Jepson-Young, who had died of AIDS in 1992. Clark won the election and since then the B.C. government has been funding antiretroviral drugs and investing massive amounts of money into research, which has led to HIV being converted into a chronic disease. “That’s where I really learned a huge political lesson for myself,�

Stevenson said. “You make deals that firm things up. So I’ve operated like that, trying to work behind the scenes in order to make things happen.�

At the 25th-anniversary dinner for Positive Living B.C. in 2011, famed HIV doctor and researcher Julio Montaner gave credit to the city and the province for their support. “Without them stepping in and saying, ‘Yes, we’re going to commit to this fight,’ there would have been no

GENERAL MANAGER Matt McLeod EDITOR Charlie Smith PRODUCT DIRECTOR

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6 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 17 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 24 / 2018

BOARD MEMBERS, COUNCIL HOPEFULS BOLT NPA

Desertions have struck the board of Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest municipal party.

The resignations followed the controversial May 7 decision of the NonPartisan Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board denying NPA city councillor Hector Bremner the chance to stand for nomination as the partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s candidate for mayor.

NPA president Gregory Baker confirmed that Sarah Weddell, Natasha Westover, and Krissy Van Loon have left the board.

Baker didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem too concerned about the departures.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disappointing, I have to say, but at the same time, our board is 15 people right now, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big board,â&#x20AC;?

Baker told the Straight in a phone interview. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We haveâ&#x20AC;Śa lot of people that bringâ&#x20AC;Śvaluable skills to the organization. Soâ&#x20AC;ŚIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m confident we still have good people here.â&#x20AC;?

Meanwhile, two individuals who previously expressed interest in seeking NPA city-council nominations have withdrawn their applications.

One is Adrian Crook, video-game consultant and author of the 5 Kids 1 Condo parenting blog. Crook, who is a Bremner supporter, announced through social media that he will still pursue running for council but not with the NPA. Scott de Lange Boom, a housing advocate, also declared through social media that he is no longer interested in an NPA nomination and will look at options.

The NPA board has approved the applications of park-board commissioner John Coupar, businessman Ken Sim, and financial analyst Glen Chernen to seek the partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nomination for mayoral candidate on May 29.

Bremner previously indicated to the Straight that he is not ruling out the possibility of forming his own slate that may run outside the NPA in the October 20, 2018, civic election.

Bremner claimed that he had signed up more than 2,000 people for his now failed bid for the nomination.

He said that they represent more than half of the NPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s membership.

Baker refused to say whether or not he wants Bremner and his supporters to stay with the NPA. > CARLITO PABLO

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St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s [B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS],â&#x20AC;? Montaner said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There would have been no AIDS program. We would have been just like VGH or the UBC hospital at the time. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You are on your own and God save you.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Thanks to them, we stepped up to the plate.â&#x20AC;?

B.C. was the first province in Canada that virtually eliminated the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children. B.C. drove down HIV-transmission rates through the B.C. centreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovative treatmentas-prevention approach, which was later adopted by the governments of China, France, the United States, and Brazil. Countless lives have been saved as a result.

Stevenson said he never went running around making a big issue about how he managed to get antiretroviral drugs funded by the provincial governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and what flowed from that initial announcement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know about these things,â&#x20AC;? he said. > CHARLIE SMITH

The Georgia Straight | Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s News and Entertainment Weekly | Volume 52 Number 2627

EDITOR + PUBLISHER Dan McLeod

W NETING S LI

Much of Vancouver city councillor Tim Stevensonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work advancing the interests of the LGBT community has taken place behind the scenes. Craig Takeuchi photo.

Chet Woodside SECTION EDITORS

Janet Smith (Arts/Fashion) Mike Usinger (Music) Steve Newton (Time Out) Adrian Mack (Movies) Brian Lynch (Books) Amanda Siebert (Cannabis) EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATOR Doug Sarti ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Gail Johnson, John Lucas, Alexander Varty STAFF WRITERS

Piper Courtenay, Tammy Kwan, Lucy Lau, Travis Lupick, Carlito Pablo, Craig Takeuchi, Kate Wilson SENIOR EDITOR Martin Dunphy PROOFREADER Pat Ryffranck CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Gregory Adams, Nathan Caddell, David Chau, Jack Christie, Jennifer Croll, Ken Eisner (Movies), George Fetherling, Tara Henley, Michael Hingston, Ng Weng Hoong, Alex Hudson, Kurtis Kolt,

Robin Laurence (Visual Arts), Mark Leiren-Young, John Lekich, Amy Lu, Bob Mackin, Michael Mann, Rose Marcus, Beth McArthur, Verne McDonald, Allan MacInnis, Guy MacPherson, Tony Montague, Kathleen Oliver, Ben Parfitt, Vivian Pencz, Bill Richardson, Gurpreet Singh, Jacqueline Turner, Andrea Warner, Jessica Werb, Stephen Wong, Alan Woo CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Alfonso Arnold, Rebecca Blissett, Trevor Brady, Louise Christie, Emily Cooper, Randall Cosco, Krystian Guevara, Evaan Kheraj, Kris Krug, Tracey Kusiewicz, Kevin Langdale, Shayne Letain, Matt Mignanelli, Mark â&#x20AC;&#x153;Atomosâ&#x20AC;? Pilon, Carlo Ricci, William Ting, Alex Waterhouse-Hayward LEAD WEB DEVELOPER Jeffrey Li WEB ADMINISTRATOR Miles Keir ART DEPARTMENT MANAGER

Janet McDonald

SENIOR DESIGNER David Ko PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Mike Correia

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FEATURE

Sometimes the best ideas are hatched

over drinks. And so it is with Year of the Queer, which is the City of Vancouver’s recently announced initiative to celebrate significant anniversaries of 15 organizations that serve the city’s LGBT community.

It started a few months ago when the executive director of Out on Screen, Stephanie Goodwin, was sitting in the Irish Heather with the heads of two other arts organizations: SD Holman of the Queer Arts Festival and Fay Nass of the Frank Theatre Company.

The conversation turned to the groups’ anniversaries—the 30th for Out on Screen and the 10th for the two other groups.

In a phone interview with the Georgia Straight, Goodwin recalled that she then blurted out: “It needs to be declared the year of the queer!”

Then it dawned on them that it was the 40th anniversary of the Vancouver Pride Society’s Pride parade.

“So, literally, as we were drinking whisky I emailed [councillor] Tim Stevenson from my phone and said, ‘Hey, Tim, I think we should get together and talk. We have this really great idea,’ ” Goodwin recalled. “Tim was really responsive to us.”

Stevenson told the Straight by phone that he recalled saying it was a “fabulous idea” and encouraged them to speak to the Vancouver Pride Society.

After more discussions with city staff and a lot more research, it turned out that 15 organizations that serve the LGBT community are having either their 10th, 15th, 20th, 30th, 35th, or 40th anniversary.

It’s our Year of the Queer

(Left to right) The Vancouver Dyke March’s Claire Ens, Vancouver Pride Society’s Andrea Arnot, Out on Screen’s Stephanie Goodwin, Pride in Art’s SD Holman, and Frank Theatre Company’s Fay Nass. Tim Matheson photo.

What has also helped, in a diverse region like Metro Vancouver, is other events, movements, and organizations that have arisen With 15 Vancouver LGBT organizations celebrating milestone to address specific groups and offer alanniversaries, it’s time for all of us to salute their achievements ternatives.

They include AIDS Vancouver and Little SisIn her separate role as social-media coordinter’s Book & Art Emporium, which have turned ator for the Vancouver Dyke March and Festival 35, and Qmunity, which is 40. Groups turning 20 (VDMF), Thiessen pointed out that the VDMF include Pride in Art Festival, Rainbow Refugee can appeal to women and nonbinary individuals, Society, and Monsoon—Asian Lesbians, Bisex- including bisexual, trans, and other people who uals and Trans in Vancouver. don’t feel represented by or who don’t identify On May 15, city council unanimously passed a with other events. staff recommendation for the city to launch “2018— Although the first VDMF happened in 1981, it Year of the Queer” with a proclamation and to sup- hasn’t always been held annually, as it is a volunport a one-time event at Vancouver City Hall next teer-driven effort with minimal funding.

Wednesday (May 23). That’s when huge Pride and Through sheer dedication, the event has contrans flags will be raised on the north lawn until tinued despite challenges, and in an email to August 19 in recognition of the anniversaries. the Straight, VDMF board of directors president “Collectively these organizations have provided Claire Ens said that the 15th march and festival, 330 years of service to the city’s LGBTQ commun- to be held on August 4, will “focus on the genity, and continue to make significant contribu- erational contributions, evolutions, and progrestions to the social, cultural, and artistic landscape sions made throughout the years”, with an eye of Vancouver,” a city staff report states. on the future.

Stevenson offered credit to the staff for all the Further alternatives, considering Vancouver’s work that they’ve done to make this the Year of multicultural composition, include LGBT ethnic the Queer. and linguistic groups, which help to give voice “We will still, obviously, have the Pride parade, and presence in unprecedented ways. and we’ll still have a proclamation for Pride, as One example is that the Surrey-based South we have always done,” he said. “I can read that Asian LGBT group—which celebrated its 10thas the deputy mayor if Gregor [Robertson] is not anniversary gala on April 22—marched for its able to make it.” first time in both Vancouver’s and Surrey’s Vai> CHARLIE SMITH sakhi parades in 2017.

The organization, founded by Alex Sangha, has ACTIVISM grown from an online group to an incorporated nonprofit society and offers everything from school Consider, if you will, what the acronym outreach workshops, counselling, and immigrant LGBT and its numerous variations convey: assistance to peer support and social events. there isn’t just one community—it’s an amalOther examples include the Asian lesbian, bisexgamation of diverse groups. So how do umbrella ual, and trans group Monsoon and the LGBT refuorganizations bring together multiple commun- gee advocacy group Rainbow Refugee Society, both ities with different, sometimes conflicting needs of which are celebrating their 20th anniversary. and identities while being inclusive and accessYet now that LGBT rights and acceptance have ible to everyone? been gained in many areas, are such organizaThat’s something that the Vancouver Pride So- tions’ events still needed? ciety (VPS) has faced with increasing frequency Definitely, according to both Arnot and during its 40-year history.

Thiessen.

VPS community partnerships coordinator As testimony to its own success, the Vancouver Kaschelle Thiessen, who has been research- Pride parade (which will be held on August 5) has ing the organization’s history, told the Georgia evolved from an event in which some participants Straight by phone that nascent local marches and wore bags over their heads for fear of losing their movements in the 1970s and ’80s (which some- jobs if outed to becoming one of the premier sumtimes sparked the distribution of hate-filled fly- mer attractions in the city, one that draws thouers in opposition) tended to use the word gay in sands of spectators. their names, like Gay Unity ’81 or Gay LiberaHowever, Arnot pointed out that even if some tion. But over the years, more groups began to be LGBT legislation has passed, there is still work to recognized, precipitating change and expansion. be done.

“The reason that the community started to “Societal change often follows a little bit behind come together was because as a coalition, as a laws,” Thiessen explained, citing the fresh example group, we can only be stronger and we can enact of the April SOGI 123 protest against diverse sexbetter political change and policy change if we ual orientation and gender expression in schools. band together and stand together,” Thiessen said.

Thiessen added that although everyone has a Accordingly, VPS executive director Andrea different perception of what Pride is, and even Arnot, in a conference call, said that they’re if it appears celebratory, the activism that got now prioritizing the “most marginalized voices” things going still underscores the present-day within LGBT communities and actively seek incarnation. them out “because often they’re people who “I think anytime that you have a group that is wouldn’t normally engage with Pride”. shutting down half the city for a day and carving Thiessen explained that because LGBT com- out space to be unabashedly and unapologetically munities are not a “homogenous group”, they’re queer and trans in a homophobic and transphobic now looking at ways to shift attention to those society, that is inherently political,” she said. > CRAIG TAKEUCHI who have been previously neglected or excluded.

2

ARTS

It’s a landmark year for queer arts in Van-

2 couver. Pride in Art Society turns 20, and its

Queer Arts Festival has been around for 10 years.

Performance companies Zee Zee Theatre and the Frank Theatre are also celebrating their decades.

“It’s just such an important reminder of where we are and where we’ve been and where we are going,” Frank Theatre artistic director Fay Nass said by phone.

Each organization has plans for how to mark the occasion. The Frank is producing Camera Obscura, a play inspired by B.C. artist Paul Wong’s audio-visual work, as part of the Queer Arts Festival this summer.

Zee Zee Theatre is continuing its national run of My Funny Valentine, a play that tackles the 2008 killing of gay U.S. teenager Lawrence King. Pride in Art is celebrating with DECADEnce, the 10th annual Queer Arts Festival. The 2018 festival promises to celebrate and honour “our community of trailblazing queer ancestors”, according to a news release.

“I think we have made a space in Vancouver for other organizations to do more queer work and so many more things,” Queer Arts Festival artistic director SD Holman said by phone.

She cited the festival’s dates as one example: back in 1998, art showcases happened during Pride week at the end of July, as there were no other activities being held. However, as more art events sprung up around the parade in the late ‘00s, the festival moved to mid-June to create space for new organizations.

The Frank’s history also goes back more than 10 years. Originally founded as Screaming Weenie in 1996, the company changed its name in 2008. Nass said the organization wanted to signal a decision to have honest dialogue around queer issues and the arts.

Zee Zee Theatre started out as a dream. “I didn’t think we’d really do more than maybe three shows,” Zee Zee artistic director Cameron Mackenzie said by phone.

The 10-year anniversaries have provided ample opportunities for the organizations to consider the role of queer arts spaces, both in society today and in the future.

This year saw Pride in Arts open its own gallery, Sum. Its inaugural exhibition, QueerSUM by Karin Lee, opened on May 12.

“Our role is to keep pushing and supporting, making interesting, thought-provoking, avantgarde, incendiary work,” Holman said.

In another 10 years, she said, she’d like the festival to be even bigger, more international, and with a more solid structure supporting the event.

For Zee Zee Theatre, queer art matters now more than ever. “We all should feel like we exist and we are seen and we have work that is for us,” Mackenzie said.

The Frank’s plans for the future involve improving the diversity and intersectionality of its output.

“While it [queer] is one word, there are lots of other paradigms underneath it,” Nass said. “Moving forward, it would be great to bring in more female, nonbinary, trans playwrights…[and] more stories by immigrants and refugees whose experiences of being queer outside of our culture have been very different.”

It’s been a good 10 years for queer arts organizations in Vancouver. Here’s to the next decade. > V.S. WELLS see next page

MAY 17 – 24 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 9

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BOOKS/FILM

Don Wilson knows he has big

2 shoes to fill and an important

legacy to uphold as the owner and self-described captain of Little Sister’s Book & Art Emporium. That’s because the retail store at 1238 Davie Street has been an anchor of Vancouver’s LGBT community since it opened in 1983 in the upstairs of a home at 1221 Thurlow Street. The cofounders, Jim Deva and Bruce Smyth, turned it into a gathering place for the queer community by selling imported reading material that regularly drew the ire of Canadian customs officials.

In 1990, Janine Fuller joined the staff; six years later, the shop moved to its much larger location on Davie Street, where the irrepressibly cheerful Deva and the caring Fuller continued offering advice and support to the community. It was Little Sister’s that helped mobilize a strong police response after a gay photographer named Aaron Webster was beaten to death in Stanley Park in 2001. Deva, a former teacher, passed away in 2014, and Fuller is on medical leave, but the store is still going strong, celebrating its 35th anniversary.

Wilson, who has extensive retail experience on Davie Street, stepped in to keep it going, and in October 2016 he bought Smyth’s share in the company.

“Little Sister’s is iconic in the Lower Mainland, for sure, and really all over B.C.,” Wilson told the Straight by phone. “It was always heavily involved in the Pride organization and any community projects.”

Over the years, the LGBT community has dispersed from the West End to other neighbourhoods, which has led to Little Sister’s becoming a regional destination. Wilson said he has diversified the product line with more clothing, gifts, and novelty items while still stocking a great deal of Priderelated content and adult products.

“We carry a full range of flags, whether it be trans to bisexual to leather to bear,” he said. “We probably have 20 different flags that are related to LGBTQ in all sizes and shapes.”

Another cultural institution that’s celebrating a landmark anniversary is Out on Screen’s Vancouver Queer Film Festival. Executive director Stephanie Goodwin told the Straight by phone that it began 30 years ago when Vancouver was hosting the Gay Games. A small group of people decided to screen some LGBT films by projecting them on a wall in a Main Street studio and using milk crates as chairs.

“Back in the ’80s, there was almost no queer film,” she said.

Nowadays, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival receives 900 to 1,000 submissions per year and will run for 11 days, from August 9 to 19.

“This year, there is going to be a trans women spotlight because there is a sufficient number of films,” Goodwin noted.

The Vancouver Queer Film Festival will also feature multidisciplinary performances, as well as workshops for screenwriters—a sign of how it’s evolving under new artistic directors Amber Dawn and Anoushka Ratnarajah. There’s also a growing number of high-quality international films.

“Representation matters,” Goodwin said. “Visibility matters. When we see ourselves represented in complex and beautiful ways on the big screen, it’s a transformative experience.” > CHARLIE SMITH

HEALTH

Something was mysteriously

2 making gay men fatally ill in

the 1980s. Some called it gay-related immune deficiency (GRID).

Others called it the “gay cancer”.

The epidemic was eventually called acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

It’s rare to hear that term used these days.

10 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 17 – 24 / 2018

It still exists, but as AIDS Vancouver executive director Brian Chittock explained by phone to the Georgia Straight, that’s because medical advances such as antiretroviral drugs have largely prevented the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from advancing to the AIDS stage of infection.

Chittock said they have considered changing their organization’s name.

However, their identity is an ongoing reminder of the tragic historical circumstances from which the agency arose. In a period of decimation, desperation, and discrimination, the success and continuation of the organization remains an example of what Vancouverites can achieve when spurred into humanitarian action.

On its 30th anniversary in 2013, the agency chronicled its storied and intriguing history in a series of videos (3030.aidsvancouver.org/ ). In one such video, Chittock noted that some of the challenges they face today remain the same as those in their early years.

“We’re still serving the poorest of the poor in Vancouver,” he said, adding that some clients aren’t on medication, and some are still dying of AIDS. Ironically, the achievements of the HIV movement have resulted in new challenges.

“Part of the problem with being so successful with the treatment is that people think AIDS and HIV is not an issue anymore and nobody’s getting it, and that hurts us,” he said. He went on to say that even though they’re still serving more than 3,000 people in Vancouver, they’re facing cuts in donations and decreased funding due to misperceptions about the state of HIV. Nonetheless, Chittock draws encouragement from initiatives such as their HIV–prevention program, which targets at-risk individuals and has only had one of about 250 clients become HIV–positive over the program’s four-year run.

While the organization will mark its 35th anniversary with a Red Ribbon Gala on November 15, its celebrations included its new $2,000 Kenneth Lackner scholarship, which was given to its inaugural recipient, Henry Tran, at the LOUD Foundation’s awards gala on May 10. Chittock said the scholarship was created in memory of former AIDS Vancouver employee Kenneth Lackner, who bequeathed his life-insurance policy to the organization, which turned it into an endowment fund after his death last year.

While queer male health was preoccupied with AIDS and HIV during the past few decades, medical and social advances have allowed other organizations to arise to address previously overlooked or unexplored areas of health.

One such example is the Community-Based Research Centre for Gay Men’s Health (CBRC), which launched in 1999 and runs the annual Gay Men’s Health Summit in Vancouver; it expanded to the national level during the past year.

Another example is Health Initiative for Men (HIM), which takes a multifaceted approach by viewing mental, physical, social, and sexual aspects of health as interrelated.

Arising from the gay men’s resource exchange Gayway, the first HIM clinic opened on Davie Street in 2008, and it has since expanded to a total of five health centres across the Lower Mainland. Their comprehensive range of services and programs covers everything from counselling, sexual-health testing, and workshops to yoga, soup-making, and life-drawing sessions, as well as health-awareness campaigns.

Although many local LGBT health initiatives may have arisen out of dire and heartbreaking situations, they have developed into organizations that will help ensure LGBT people go beyond mere survival and secure an even playing field upon which they can thrive well into the future. > CRAIG TAKEUCHI

CANNABIS

Cannabis discrimination biggest risk to youth > B Y PIPER C OUR TE NAY

“C

anadian youth between the ages of 15 and 24 are among the highest users of cannabis in all developed countries.”

Whether making headlines, sprinkled throughout Senate hearings, or tossed around in idle chatter, it’s the one line that is dominating the dialogue on the effect of recreational-cannabis legalization on young Canadians.

Those opposed to Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, relentlessly abuse the factoid to conjure images of braindead teenagers hovering around piles of “high potency” bud, moving on to heroin when the weed fix won’t cut it.

Proponents of legalization, on the other hand, are using it as a cry for help, blowing the whistle on a system that is “clearly not working”.

Jenna Valleriani, who has a PhD in sociology and is a strategic adviser for Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP), is concerned that increased penalization, a lack of education strategies, and a disregard for the inclusion of youth voices in the proposed legislation will mean more discrimination for an already vulnerable population.

“We see 18- to 25-year-olds, followed by 12- to 17-year-olds, having the highest number of drug-related arrests, the majority of them for cannabis possession. Criminalization is certainly not working, and we are definitely missing youth experiences,” she told the Straight.

“We really focused on the harms of cannabis and how it ‘can ruin young people’s lives’, but that doesn’t really fit into the context of how young people actually experience their cannabis use. The majority of young people are just using occasionally and experimenting.”

In her presentation to the Standing

Some say that penalizing young people for their cannabis use does more harm than good. Sara Ruiz/Getty Images photo.

Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology last month, Valleriani noted that of the 25 percent of youths who reported using cannabis during the past year, only 2.5 percent reported using in ways considered high-risk for severe health problems—a fact, she says, often ignored in discussions of prevention and harm reduction.

Although the legislation will allow Canadians aged 12 to 17 to possess up to five grams of cannabis before facing criminal charges, some provinces, like Ontario, are opting for a zero-tolerance policy. Police officers and judges will have discretion when it comes to enforcing the new laws, which, Valleriani cautioned, will open the door to discrimination against youths already marginalized by things

like economic status and race.

Scott Bernstein, a lawyer and senior policy analyst with the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, says the people already disproportionately targeted for cannabis-related arrests come from racialized and marginalized communities, and the new laws are likely to make matters worse.

“Right now, the biggest harm from cannabis to youth…is not the fact that they are using it but the fact that they are being criminalized for it,” he said.

Bernstein said layering on more restrictions is only going to aggravate an already contentious problem, while a “softer approach”, like an administrative penalty, would be better suited to the government’s mandate of protecting young people.

“People need to understand that the

hammer of criminal justice on young people is the most serious thing that can happen,” he said, adding that in many cases, criminal records follow youths into their adult years, preventing them from travelling and working.

Treating it like a traffic ticket instead, he suggested, acknowledges that someone broke the law and creates a penalty but eliminates the longlasting harm of a criminal offence.

“We need to go to the fact that we are not inventing cannabis now. We don’t have to be afraid that people will start smoking cannabis, because they already are,” Bernstein said, adding that education would likely have a better outcome in reducing youth drug abuse.

In April, the CSSDP published the Sensible Cannabis Toolkit, an

evidence-based educational resource for parents and teachers that outlines 10 principles for a new type of drug education. Valleriani, who worked on the project, said informed and nonjudgmental conversations are the real first steps to harm reduction and prevention postlegalization.

“What they [youths] really want is a centralized, evidence-based place that they can access information,” she said, adding that youths want to be involved in the creation of these types of resources.

“Lecture-style conversations around drugs are not very effective.

What is really interesting is once you start talking to young people about their cannabis use, they are so open about it but don’t have the avenues very often to talk with adults about cannabis.”

One Toronto-based children’s charity has already developed a fresh approach to drug education based on neutrality and inclusion.

Danielle Sutherland, the curriculum-development manager at Skylark Children, Youth and Families, has worked with more than 300 children and teens. She said the old system of shaming, essentially scare tactics, isn’t working with kids anymore.

Sessions, a Skylark youth program, invites participants to engage in creative activities and lead group projects to foster an informed dialogue.

“We came up with a model called integrative resilience. We build relationships with our youth through education and trust, and we’re finding that it has much better results than other drug-education programs,” Sutherland said.

“If we can have the knowledge come from the young people in the room, through them asking the questions or driving the conversation, they’re more likely to question their own decisions and make positive choices when it comes to cannabis use.” -

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irtual-reality (VR) videos have changed the rules of filmmaking. No longer confined to a two-dimensional screen, VR users can strap on a headset and let the experience drop them inside the action. Documentaries place observers into fascinating locations like jungles or warzones, horror movies force viewers to look feverishly around them, and animated shorts transport kids into colourful worlds. Endlessly inventive, the videos open up new realms of narrative possibility, catapulting viewers deeper into the action.

That’s something that Leon Ng, cofounder of the Vancouver Virtual Reality Film Festival (YVRFF), understands very well. Formally schooled in filmmaking, Ng went on to cofound LNG Studios, an agency that specializes in animation, 3-D rendering, and—fittingly—virtual reality.

Always interested in the way that film and technology intersect, Ng was enthused by a pop-up VR film festival he discovered by chance in Amsterdam. Inspired to bring the concept back to the West Coast, he created the YVRFF with the goal of introducing as many Vancouverites as possible to the groundbreaking technology.

“It’s surprising to me how many people are still saying that they haven’t tried VR yet,” he tells the Straight on the line from Hong Kong. “That number is coming down, but there are still so many individuals out there. The immersive nature of VR offers a new way to tell stories, and those narratives are being told in a really creative way.

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Vancouver has become the world’s second-largest virtual-reality hub.

Now entering its second year, the YVRFF will be set up much as it was for its inaugural event—a two-day showcase that sold out weeks in advance. At the centre of the room will be synced viewings of feature movies, with a group of people all watching the same title together on Samsung headsets. Around the outside will be more interactive demos, which let viewers walk around inside virtual worlds and touch what they see. Providing a full range of VR experiences, the event offers an extensive peek into the versatile technology.

“This year, we’ve got some really high-quality films,” Ng says. “We had a lot of submissions from more than 19 different countries, and they all show some very unique ways of telling stories. One that we have, for example, is an experience called Coco VR. It’s Pixar’s first virtual-reality feature, which lets you pick quests and activities that follow the Academy Award–winning movie. Another is Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab, which lets you explore

the universe from that film. Then there’s Chorus, which is a powerful and immersive fantasy adventure.

“We wanted a wide range of movies, so not just action films, or documentaries, for example,” he continues.

“One thing I do think about VR is that it’s a really strong empathy machine. Being able to experience something from someone else’s point of view, and be literally inside their world, moves people in different ways. You become the director, and you have control over what you see.”

In Ng’s view, Vancouver was an obvious choice to launch what he hopes will become a permanent fixture on the film-festival calendar. Dubbed Hollywood North, the city is home to a huge number of film studios and shoots, and is also the second-largest VR hub in the world. With its dual expertise, he believes the city is wellplaced to host the innovative event.

“We’ve become a mini Silicon Valley of the north, and Vancouver is a huge centre for movies,” he says. “It makes sense to combine the tech and the film industries here—it’s a no-brainer for us. As well as that, the people here are special. I feel like Vancouverites are very open to trying new things, and more than other places in Canada— especially on the creative side.

“There aren’t too many film festivals around the world for VR,” he continues. “You see events around the world like Sundance that have a small VR portion to them, but there aren’t really any dedicated festivals.

We’re offering people the chance to come and see these great films, and create an experience around it.” The Vancouver Virtual Reality Film Festival is at CBC Studio 700 (700 Hamilton Street) from Friday to Sunday (May 18 to 20).

Exercise clears the mind

f you google the word exercise along with mental health, more than a million links become available.

That’s because there’s a tremendous amount of research showing how working out, running, and even dancing can enhance people’s well-being and help ward off depression and anxiety.

“While structured group programs can be effective for individuals with serious mental illness, lifestyle changes that focus on the accumulation and increase of moderateintensity activity throughout the day may be the most appropriate for most patients,” several researchers wrote in a 2006 paper published in the Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. “Interestingly, adherence to physical-activity interventions in psychiatric patients appears to be comparable to that in the general population.”

But newer research only confirms what one VancouKitsilano gym owner Ron Zalko points out that working ver fitness pioneer, Ron Zalko, has understood for almost out reduces anxiety, which has been linked to insomnia. four decades in the industry. The owner of Kitsilano’s His advice is to start with “baby steps”—maybe a fiveRon Zalko Fitness & Yoga spoke to the Straight in his minute walk around the block, building up to longer office just after finishing a 40-minute workout.

“I do upper-body weights for strength,” he said. “Also, I do periods of exercise in the future. And he recommended core, and I do 25 minutes of cardio. I’m that people experiencing everyday very happy with it.” stresses from work and other challenHe explained that as a younger man ges eat properly. training for triathlons or marathons, “Those who take my advice tell me Charlie Smith he would exercise for four hours a day. it has helped them immensely, as we live Nowadays he prefers shorter sessions to keep his mind in a very stressful time as technology advances,” he said. and body in shape. It helps reduce any anxiety, which “Keep away from your smartphone and your computer has been linked to insomnia. and start thinking about yourself—and start to exercise!”

“If you don’t sleep well, it creates other problems,” he He even suggested that working out can assist those noted. “You gain weight because your body thinks you hoping to return to the workforce. are under attack. You start producing more fat.”

“If you start getting in shape, you’ll find a job,” Zalko He recognizes that depression can sap motivation, said. “You start looking after yourself and you’ll find a and this reduced motivation causes some people to job because you’re going to change. You start thinking avoid exercise. more positively.” -

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ision Vancouver’s likely the former warehouse of the B.C. Licandidate for mayor is asso- quor Distribution Branch at 3200 East ciated with at least $1 billion Broadway, which is co-owned with the worth of properties primed Aquilini Investment Group. for development.

The three First Nations also share When Ian Campbell declared his ownership of the Marine Drive intention on Monday (May 14) to seek Lands in West Vancouver with the Vision’s nomination, he remained Canada Lands Company. listed as a member of the board of the In addition, according to the comMST Development Corporation. pany’s website, the Musqueam and TsMST is the corporate entity that leil-Waututh co-own the Willingdon manages properLands in Burnaby ties owned by a with the Aquilini partnership of Investment Group. the Musqueam “It is anticipated Carlito Pablo Indian Band, the that each of these Squamish Nation, and the Tsleil- properties would be subject to a multiWaututh Nation. year, multi-phase planning process On its website, the company which will include opportunities for enumerates six “prime developable public input,” MST says. properties throughout Metro VanBased on MST’s own estimate, couver” under its control. these six properties, with a comFour are in Vancouver. These are the bined area of almost 65 hectares, are western portion of the Jericho Lands, worth more than $1 billion. which the First Nations partnership Outside of these holdings, the fully owns; the eastern side of the Jeri- Squamish Nation—of which Campcho Lands, which is co-owned by the bell is a hereditary chief and elected federal Canada Lands Company; the councillor—also owns a 4.5-hectare Heather Lands (between 33rd and property at the foot of the Burrard 37th avenues), which used to be home Bridge in Vancouver. The Squamish of the RCMP headquarters in B.C. have expressed interest in developand are also co-owned by the Canada ing the site, which is adjacent to the Lands Company; and the location of Molson Coors brewery location that

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was purchased two years ago by Concord Pacific for $185 million.

Vision councillor Andrea Reimer introduced Campbell at the event where he announced his mayoral aspirations. Also there were Stepan Vdovine, former Vision executive director and now director of business development with property developer Amacon, and Mike Magee, a former chief of staff to Gregor Robertson.

The next day (May 15), an item included in city council’s agenda related to a proposed policy statement on the future development of the Heather Lands. Campbell’s name was mentioned twice in the report package submitted to council regarding the 8.5-hectare property.

“The vision for the Heather Lands is to create a sustainable new neighbourhood that will be a place to welcome and connect all people and cultures, and to share the traditions, cultures and values of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations,” the staff report states.

The report notes that the Heather Lands will become a “primarily residential neighbourhood”. According to the report, the site is “large enough to sensitively accommodate taller buildings” up to 24 storeys. -

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May 17 to 23, 2018

ranus, the mover-andshaker (and earthquake) planet, has just begun an eight-year tour of Taurus, the sign of money, values, and survival. When Uranus takes the lead, change is inevitable; reinvention is desirable, necessary, and smart. It can set out of the ordinary or out of the blue into play. Now and in the years to come, watch for Uranus in Taurus to alter everyday reality in some striking, life-altering, abrupt, or radical way. The last transit of Uranus in Taurus (1934 to 1942) coincided with famine, the Great Depression, and the Second World War. While the excitable duo of Mars and Uranus are still on a high charge from happenings earlier in the week, Thursday/Friday, Mercury/Saturn assist you to stay on task and on target, and to achieve good results. Friday night, reward yourself; chill out. Aim for sweet romance or enjoy a getaway. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best the long weekend has to offer.

Despite the Hawaii volcano and other happenings around the world, Harry and Meghanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wedding can dominate the weekend news. Whether you are a royal watcher or not, a reprieve from politics and senseless tragedy is something we all can use.

Venus treks into home- and family-oriented Cancer early Saturday. Emotional responsiveness and the social spark stay on a ready dialup thanks to Venus and the pleasureseeking Leo moon.

Back-to-work Tuesday can be as productive as you make it. By evening, Mercury/Jupiter are good to go for game night or for putting your best moves on your lover. Building to Wednesday, sun/Mars keep the energy, ambition, and action in good running order.

ARIES

March 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;April 19

Start to finish, Thursdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flow is good. Friday/Saturday, give yourself an extra cushion; go by feel.

Homeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with family or reviewing the pastâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is where the heart is once Venus enters Cancer on Saturday. The sun in Gemini, starting Sunday evening, supplies fresh fuel. Get going on the plan, conversation, or your next step.

Back-to-work Tuesday is a busy one.

LEE NICHOLS TRIO

LEO

July 22â&#x20AC;&#x201C;August 22

Thursday/Friday finishes the week on a smooth track. Venus moves out of social Gemini on Saturday, but you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t likely to skip a beat thanks to the sun entering this sign on Sunday. Expect to stay active and on the go, especially midâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;next week. Places to go, things to do, people to meet: Mercury/Jupiter sets back-to-work Tuesday onto full swing.

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

August 22â&#x20AC;&#x201C;September 22

The stars set a smooth-sail backdrop for the long weekend. The good momentum continues through the week ahead. Venus in Cancer, starting Saturday, can strengthen relationship bonds. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll easily get the goods out of interactions and activities. Midweek can bring good news.

Wednesday, sun/Mars set a lucrative backdrop for work, working it out, official steps, and setting plans in motion.

September 22â&#x20AC;&#x201C;October 23

By the end of the week, you should feel you have worked it out well. Saturday/Sunday, less is more.

The start of Venus in Cancer can test coping skills and/or ignite worry, especially if you feel you lack control or resources. If so, know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll make better headway once the sun treks into Gemini (late Sunday) and teams up with Mars (late Wednesday).

October 23â&#x20AC;&#x201C;November 21

Even with an adjustment required or preferences to accommodate, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have no trouble making the most of the long weekend. Venus in Cancer, starting Saturday, and the sun in Gemini, starting late Sunday, set heart and mind on a fresh-track move-along. Tuesday, the stars are on a buildup curve. Let it flow; let it go. Wednesday, success and satisfaction come readily.

November 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;December 21

What a week! The stress is mostly out of the way as of Thursday. Friday, Mercury/Saturn bring the workweek to a smooth and productive wrap-up. Friday evening is the best of the long weekend for entertainment, romance, or relaxation. Saturday/Sunday, Venus in Cancer can stir up raw TAURUS emotions. Sunday through Thursday April 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;May 20 puts a fresh spin on the conversation, The week finishes out the plan, or the get-go. smoother than it started. Even if CAPRICORN life has thrown a curve ball at you December 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;January 19 recently, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll feel that things are Mercury/Saturn loan you working out for the best. Venus in Cancer, starting Saturday, loans good control, staying power, and folyou more support. While the sun low-through on Friday. Saturday/Suntours Gemini, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be more ar- day, Venus keeps sensitive emotions on ticulate and expressive. Others the ready dial-up, allergies too. Tueswill readily relate and empathize. day/Wednesday, you may have a point Tuesday/Wednesday put you on to prove or something important to discuss. By the end of the day and into the move.

Thursday, sun/Mars make for good GEMINI sorting out and a successful wrap-up.

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May 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;June 21

Things have an interesting way of working out. Thursday/ Friday should prove mostly smoothrunning. The stars set up a good backdrop for the long weekend. For the next three weeks, Venus in Cancer puts added attention on your comfort zone, especially regarding money, family, and home-related matters. Tuesday/Wednesday, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll gain an energy and action boost from Mercury/Jupiter and sun/Mars.

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CANCER

June 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;July 22

Starting Saturday, Venus will shine her light your way for the next three weeks. Enhancements of all kinds are worth the time or money. Added attention and good feedback come your way. The sun in Gemini, starting late Sunday, gives you more to consider and explore. Tuesday, you could feel swamped. Give in to the process or the day. Wednesday, put your feelers out.

AQUARIUS

PISCES

January 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;February 18

As of Thursday, Mars in Aquarius is just past a stress point with Uranus. Friday, Mercury/Saturn help you to gain a better handle and to put it all in perspective. Saturday/Sunday, Venus continues to trigger sensitive emotions. Tuesday, your plate is full. Knock it off the list; simplify as best you can. Wednesday/Thursday are optimal for action-taking.

February 18â&#x20AC;&#x201C;March 20

Early Friday is your most productive time to tackle the conversation or get at the work. Friday evening through Sunday, replenish in whatever way soothes the emotions and heals the soul. For the next three weeks, Venus boosts your intuition, creativity, and love-life prospects. Tuesday, you can get swept up or take on too much. Book a reading at rosemarcus.com/.

FOOD

Loveblockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sauvignon Blanc jumps out of the glass with flavour; Clos du Soleilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Capella is a fave from our own back yard.

Loveblock is pure NZ terroir

I

The Crawford familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wines hit the spot on bright, sunny days

popped into a wines of New Zea- even a few Rainier cherries toward closdusoleil.ca/) rounds out the land tasting at the Vancouver the finish. The acid is vibrant, and Sauvignon Blanc Bordeaux-style, Club a few days ago and many of it carries bright and shiny minerals, with the SĂŠmillon grape. The rethe wines hit the spot now that resulting in a gleaming wine that is gionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s limestone-rich soils and epic weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re into bright, sunny days. also opulent and juicy. sunny days treat the grapes well. A It is at once a wine with many com- cavalcade of citrus fruit includes I continue to be charmed by Erica and Kim Crawfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Loveblock wines. plex layers that can be studied and lemon, pink and yellow grapefruit, pondered with each pomelo, and key limes, rounded The family project swirl and sip and a out with honeyed apricots and a that started after wine that is, frank- little pinch of tarragon. the duo sold their ly, pretty smashiconic Kim CrawThe winery does well across the Kurtis Kolt able out of a Solo cup board, from sturdy Cabernets to ford brand to Vincor International more than a decade while your barbecue smoulders with meaty Syrahs and a particularly ago is focused on pure expression of halibut or salmon on the grill. lively, apple-laden Pinot Blanc.

When looking to our own back- A great opportunity to give â&#x20AC;&#x2122;em a New Zealand terroir.

Sauvignon Blanc is a flagship wine yard, a personal favourite take on whirl is when they do a free in-store of theirs, of course. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a variety I the variety comes from the Simil- tasting at Davie Streetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Marquis struggle with from time to time, kameen Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Clos du Soleil Wine Cellars on Saturday (May 19) no matter where on the planet it is winery. Their 2016 Capella ($27.90, between 5 and 7 p.m. grown. When theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re citrusy, fresh, and clean, with lofty acidity and minerality, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in my happy place. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to go too far in other directions, mind you, for me to take a pass. When theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ultraripe or heavily oaked, I just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get with the sweetness that usually results.

And then there are the pyrazines.

Pyrazines are those compounds found in certain wine grapesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Sauvignon Blancâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; that express a particular vegetal note both in aromatics and on the palate.

They can be herbal as well, but one of the more common descriptors is green bell pepper. Not even nicely grilled or sautĂŠed green bell pepper that may offer a touch of a zippy sweet and savoury note to your pizza.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m talking fresh, raw green peppers that are bitter and astringent, often overwhelming any other flavours that may be riding sidesaddle.

My tolerance for these notes in wine is low, even if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not too intense.

This can likely be attributed to the fact that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not a fan of green bell peppers to begin with, so it makes sense I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want â&#x20AC;&#x2122;em showing up in my wine.

There are numerous examples of Sauvignon Blanc out there that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exhibit these characteristics in any off-putting way, and Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc 2017 (Marlborough, New Zealand; $26.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) is one of them. Huzzah!

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s start with the fruit, which is grown organically in the Marlborough regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Awatere and Waihopai valleys in alluvial loam, silt, and stone. Yields are pretty low, about three tonnes per acre, harvested in small lots when each of them was at optimal ripeness, with the soil type of each lot being a key factor. There was oak-barrel fermentation, but they were neutral barrels, so their input is more adding structure to the final wines rather than drenching them in gobs of coconut, vanilla, or spice.

After malolactic fermentationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the conversion of malic acid to lactic acid to ease up any severe acidityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the lots that showed best were the

ones that went into the final blend.

That final blend, the one thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in

bottles all around Vancouver, jumps out of the glass with jasmine, elderflower, a burst of lime, and freshpicked, sun-warmed peaches. The first ' ' $ ' "$ ' ' sip of the wine is a good bite into one ' ' ' ' %%% & # ! ' of those juicy peaches, with muddled lemon, grilled pink grapefruit, and

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Springtime’s rEvolver Festival

BY JANET SM IT H

has always walked the cutting edge of theatre, and with this year’s female-strong lineup, it’s leading the way again.

At rEvolver Fest 2018, all the main-stage shows either are created solely by women or feature them as cocreators.

“I think it’s exciting and telling that there are this many women on the program—that they had the space and confidence to apply,” says Elysse Cheadle, the theatre artist behind Fuchsia Future. “I’m also excited by the variety in the subject matter.”

Female playwrights are taking on everything from sexual abuse (12 Minute Madness) to surviving the apocalypse (Kitt & Jane) to, in Cheadle’s Fuchsia Future, nothing less than popular science, existentialism, and the colour pink.

“I tend to describe myself as a collager rather than a writer,” she explains over the phone. “I like to collect a bunch of source material that I find inspiring to challenge myself, using movement and writing.”

For the absurd “nihilistic musical” Fuchsia Future, that involved three seemingly far-flung inspirations. The fi rst, and foremost, was the theories of population geneticist George Price, who came up with a mathematical equation to

Female theatre voices flourish

In 12 Minute Madness, personas embody the fallout of sexual abuse (Chris Randle photo), while Fuchsia Future (below left) turns pink into a sinister colour.

of imploding in this little biggest survival mechanism in life has been not to closet of shame, I outed take stuff around me too seriously,” says von WalAt the rEvolver Festival, women push the form with everything the motherfucker. And denburg, who hopes the play will give other surfrom a “nihilistic musical” to a darkly comedic take on trauma it helps to be able to ex- vivors strength. “Let’s take this dirty, dark thing ternalize those darker that no one wants to talk about and let’s throw it predict the likelihood of altruistic behaviour. “He internal thoughts.” around like a Frisbee.”

The play features 12 women playing the 12 persaid that no behaviour is ever really anything but She adds that the movement around #MeToo selfish—which is kind of a depressing thought,” sonas that she could feel emerging in herself when, has made her topic easier to confront than when Cheadle explains. “Price became famous for this during a therapy session about three decades ago, she tried in 1998. “This is amazing that women are equation. And then he evidently went insane.” In she realized the trauma that had happened to her. actually finally being listened to—and of course “The minute I realized it, I swear all these differ- there’s a backlash, but still, there’s a strength that the fictionalized Fuchsia Future, his wife and son ent parts of me came out,” she explains, stressing wasn’t there in the ’90s.” try to cope when he disappears.

The second inspiration was a specific monologue it wasn’t the same as the concept of split-personfrom Jean-Paul Sartre’s Nausea, one in which the ality disorder. “I could actually feel the different The rEvolver Festival presents 12 Minute Madness narrator watches an old woman work her way down parts of me. I could hear the therapist talking, but at the Cultch’s Historic Theatre on May 23 and from May 25 to 27, and Fuchsia Future at the Cultch’s the street with “existential dread”, Cheadle says. the inner battle was so huge.”

The strongest weapon in the artist’s arsenal has Vancity Culture Lab on May 24, 26, and 27, and on And the third element was bismuth—the pinkish, radioactive element that has a become her humour around the subject. “My June 2 and 3. half-life a billion times longer than the age of the universe. In the work, pink becomes Performer dishes on The Only Good Indian ’s shocking costume piece a recurring, and threatening, colour.

Cheadle puts as much emphasis on Panic, discomfort, confinement: these are just some of the sensations playwrightmovement as on words in her process. performer Donna-Michelle St. Bernard has to fight through when she straps on what “I’m in a bit of a strange place because looks like a suicide vest for The Only Good Indian. in a lot of ways I’d like to describe it as “It’s the correct weight and it’s not comfortable at all,” confides St. Bernard, a colphysical theatre, but I use so much text,” laborator on the project, speaking from Toronto. “There’s such a real and present she says. “I love wordplay, I love rhythms. weight.…I’m genuinely projecting strength and determination through my panic.”

Plus, we have musicians.”

2

THEATRE ARTIST RAINA von Wal-

denburg is just as eager to push the form in 12 Minute Madness, but for her, the subject matter is much more personal. She mines her own discovery of a repressed memory—sexual abuse by her grandfather—and serves it up with dark humour.

“I didn’t feel any shame or gross feelings about coming out about it. It felt a little bit like waging war,” the playwright and director says candidly to the Straight over the phone from her Vancouver home, talking about the multiyear process that led to the play. “I was able to out this crap. With shame you go into this little closet and stay quiet about it and you feel very, very bad about yourself. So instead

THINGS TO DO

> JANET SMITH

ARTS High five

Editor’s choice BRIT HIT “The first few weeks of Weight Watchers, you’re just finding your feet.” If one-liners are your cuppa tea, then British standup superstar Jimmy Carr is for you. But sometimes that tea is super hot and it can burn, so watch out. Carr returns to Vancouver for his Best of, Ultimate, Gold, Greatest Hits World Tour, which is actually the penultimate show of his cross-Canada tour. But with so many nuggets squeezed into a given show, who cares if you’ve heard some of them before? Like, “If we’re all God’s children, what’s so special about Jesus?” With such a prolific mind, you can be sure there will be plenty of new material, too. Jimmy Carr is at the Vogue Theatre on Sunday (May 20).

The provocative new work from Toronto’s Pandemic Theatre rotates three artists in the solo role from May 23 to 27 at the Cultch’s Vancity Culture Lab during the rEvolver Festival. And each gives a deeply personal take on themes that were posed to them at the beginning of the creative process—on topics like colonization, labour, and Indigenous identity. “As far as I’m concerned, Pandemic is doing the most exciting political work in Canadian theatre right now,” says St. Bernard.

In the critically acclaimed show, St. Bernard, Jivesh Parasran, and Tom Arthur Davis work partly from the same script, then diverge into radically different world-views. For St. Bernard, the monologue blends history lessons about her Caribbean homeland, the Grenadines and Grenada, with stories of her own family’s experiences of the revolution of 1979 and U.S. invasion of 1983.

And the menacing costume piece she wears off the top of The Only Good Indian? “It’s the punch line to every joke,” she says. “It’s what allows us to go on tangents, because you never forget why I’m there. So when I start to tell you about a cruise that my grandmother’s sister went on, the question is how this is going to relate back to the vest.” No doubt: she’ll have your undivided attention.

Five events you just can’t miss this week

1

LOVE, LUST & ROCK ’N’ ROLL (May 18 and 19 at the Orpheum) Pink Martini songstress Storm Large takes on everything from Zeppelin to Queen with the VSO.

2

LES FILLES DU ROI (To May 27 at the York Theatre) Any musical with Corey Payette’s name attached to it is a good bet.

3

MAMMA MIA! (To August 12 at the Stanley) Let your inner dancing queen loose.

4

ARTS UMBRELLA EXPRESSIONS THEATRE FESTIVAL (May 17 to 26 at the Waterfront Theatre) Young actors serve up a carnival of timely stage excerpts.

5

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (May 19 at the Vancouver Playhouse) Revel in the beauty of Coastal City Ballet’s magical production.

In the news STRATEGY’S FIRST FIXES Early findings by the staff helming Vancouver’s Creative City Strategy have led to some immediate recommendations to city council— especially on the public-art front. So far, the city team has connected with more than 500 people across the cultural sector. It’s identified issues around affordability and the distribution of city funding to the arts. The full strategy is expected to be delivered in early 2019. But for now, staff’s immediate recommendations include launching new public-art initiatives, like an emerging-artists boot camp, and reviewing the public-art program for private developers (which has given rise to works like Gwen Boyle’s New Currents and Ancient Streams for Westbank, shown here) to look at how the city can better support work by Indigenous and local artists.

See more at vancouver.ca/creativecitystrategy/. MAY 17 – 24 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 17

ARTS

Left to right, Savannah Walling, Rosemary Georgeson, and Renae Morriseau combined forces to write Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way. David Cooper photo.

Weaving Reconciliation forms theatrical fabric Years-long journey culminates in a play that mixes lived Indigenous experience, oral history, and even a game > B Y JAN ET SMITH

S

VSO POPS:

LOVE, LUST AND ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FRIDAY & SATURDAY, MAY 18 & 19 8PM , ORPHEUM Michael Krajewski conductor

Storm Large vocalist

Join powerhouse vocalist Storm Large and the VSO for a pulse-racing tribute to Love, Lust & Rock ‘n’ Roll, spanning the greatest hits from the ‘30s to the ‘90s including classics such as I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Kashmir, Somebody to Love, and more!

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o many threads twine together in the interdisciplinary play Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way that the metaphor of its title could not be more apt.

On one hand, it’s the fruition of 15 years of work by Vancouver Moving Theatre in the Downtown Eastside, where different projects—from Story Weaving to the Heart of the City Festival—have thrown light on the urban Indigenous experience.

“Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way is the culmination of a journey, the beginning of a journey that’s bigger than us, and a phase of a journey of which we are a part,” says Savannah Walling, the cofounder and artistic director of Vancouver Moving Theatre, interviewed in a Hastings Street coffee shop on break from rehearsal at the nearby Aboriginal Friendship Centre. She’s sitting with cowriter and director Renae Morriseau, who is of Saulteaux-Cree heritage; the two penned Weaving Reconciliation with Coast Salish/Sahtu Dene writer Rosemary Georgeson.

Walling adds that the show also weaves in wider events from recent years, from the City of Vancouver’s 2014 recognition of its location on unceded Aboriginal territory to the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: “We felt called upon to respond to what was happening.”

But, most importantly, the production traces the threads of this city’s diverse Indigenous population’s lived experience—through interviews with elders, youth workshops, the input of First Nations artists on the project, and more.

That input coalesces around the story of the Old One (played by Jonathan Fisher), a man struggling with the impact of the residential-school system on his family and the loss of the fishing industry, his ancestral livelihood.

Cutting to the heart of the show, Morriseau says: “How do we heal from the impacts from residential school? How do we raise children when we weren’t taught to be parents at residential schools?

“Weaving Reconciliation is about one man’s hope and grief and reconciliation with his family and community,” she continues. “It’s about a man trying to reconcile with his

own grief. He wasn’t taught how to be a father, and when he finally got out [of residential school], there was a system that didn’t accept him.”

Alongside that story, there is a Trickster (Sam Bob), who plays with and interviews local, unscripted Indigenous youths on-stage. “These are young people who are thriving—language speakers and go-getters and cultural practitioners in their own lives,” Morriseau says, adding that the young voices show hope and resilience in the face of colonization and the ongoing repercussions of residential schools. “We’re creating openings for their voices to come through—a place where they can share who they are and what they’re doing. And that gives us an opportunity to talk about our culture in a good way, rather than the way Canada wants us to.”

Throughout, the youths and performers will also play the ancient stick game of slahal, which they’ve learned in workshops preceding the production. The game becomes a larger metaphor for the journey in the play. As the script says, “It can take everything from you/Or give you what you need.…But do we always know what we need?”

Ultimately, the team has woven a theatre piece with a structure and process all its own—one that intertwines cultural practices, oral history, and lived experience. “We said, ‘How can we change the shape of a theatrical construct—a Eurocentric construct?’ ” Morriseau says.

Preshow weaving demonstrations and postshow talking circles will accompany performances here.

Then Weaving Reconciliation will tour to other communities—first the En’owkin Centre in Penticton at the end of the month, then Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto and Théâtre Cercle Molière in Winnipeg/ St. Boniface in June. At each stop, youths from nearby nations will join the production.

“We’re hoping it will inspire other journeys and start other ripples,” Walling says. In other words, the weaving will continue, creating an even bigger fabric that reaches far beyond East Vancouver. Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way runs from Thursday to Saturday (May 17 to 19) and from May 24 to 26 at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre.

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Politics and the Past in Latin America

Opening celebrations May 17 | 7–10pm Free admission from 6pm MAY 17 – 24 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 19

ARTS

Ban’s shelter crafted for city > B Y LU C Y LA U

T

FEATURING mia susan amir Centre for Embodied Performance Elysse Cheadle DustyFootProductions La Fille du Laitier Francesca Frewer and Erika MitsuhashI Little Mountain Lion Productions manidoons collective Nebula Company Theatre Pandemic Theatre Christine Quintana with Molly Mackinnon Resounding Scream Jess Amy Shead SNAFU

The paper-log house is designed for disaster-relief sites. Lucy Lau photo.

Straight at Offsite. “And there’s this need to kind of conceptualize that, and support and endorse creative work related to this reality.”

Originally conceived as emergency shelter for Vietnamese refugees in Kobe, Japan, following a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the area in 1995, Ban’s paper-log house has since been modified by the designer to accommodate earthquake victims in Turkey, Sri Lanka, and beyond.

The efficacy of the dwelling lies in its adaptation: in each case, the structure is built according to what materials are readily available at a disaster site with thoughtful consideration of a region’s geography, culture, and traditional construction techniques.

In Kobe, for instance, the houses’ bases were composed of beer crates filled with bags of sand; in Bhuj, India, following the Gujarat earthquake of 2001, rubble from collapsed buildings made up the foundations. This malleability makes the piece not only incredibly cost-effective, but swift and easy to assemble—all musts for a city dealing with the aftermath of a crisis.

Although not erected in response to a catastrophe, Vancouver’s paper-log house also utilizes local materials. Most notably, Ban trades Offsite: Shigeru Ban is at the Vancoubeer cases for electric-blue milk ver Art Gallery’s Offsite (1100 West crates at Offsite, though, like the Georgia Street) until October 8.

LIVING LEGENDS

IAN SUMM D IN

D

A FESTIVAL FOR T

12 Minute Madness photo by Chris Randle

Tickets On! Sale Now

here are a number of factors that make the Vancouver Art Gallery’s newest Offsite exhibit—an interpretation of Japanese architect Shigeru Ban’s widely recognized paper-log house— relevant not only to Vancouver but to this particular moment in time.

First, there’s the gallery’s upcoming show Cabin Fever, which, from June 9 to September 30, will trace the history of the seemingly ubiquitous cabin as a fundamental architectural form and cultural artifact. With its modest size and wood-and-cardboard construction, Paper Log House serves as a natural extension of this exhibition.

Second, there’s Terrace House, a residential development designed by Ban—and situated blocks away from the VAG’s outdoor Offsite space—that, when complete, will be the world’s tallest hybrid timber structure. A sustainable shelter built primarily from cardboard tubes, Paper Log House, then, offers Vancouverites a way to engage with the renowned architect’s environmentally conscious work on a smaller, more accessible scale.

Discerning the third—and most compelling—reason why Paper Log House is such a felicitous installation for Vancouver, however, requires some brief knowledge of Ban, whose practice emphasizes humanitarian aid.

Founder of the Voluntary Architects’ Network, a nongovernmental organization that sends teams of architects to natural-disaster sites to assist in reconstruction efforts, the Pritzker Architecture Prize–winning figure is revered for his innovative temporaryhousing solutions that offer refuge to people devastated by earthquakes, tsunamis, and other uncontrollable circumstances. “We’re expecting an earthquake,” Bruce Grenville, senior curator at the VAG, states matter-offactly during an interview with the

HE C N URIO US MI

July 9 at 8PM Featuring Nepathya. The Western Canada premiere of Kutiyattam, a visually arresting Sanskrit theatre work that has been performed for more than a thousand years.

CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS.....

IV FEST AL ER

Indian Summer is a contemporary multi-arts festival.

ISF 2018 takes on a massive theme—Mythmaking. Examining ten centuries of human imagination and storytelling, we present a continent-spanning range of artists, from the inheritors of ancient oral storytelling traditions to genre-defying musicians, award-winning novelists, and provocative visual artists.

OPENING PARTY July 5 at 7PM “One of the top 10 parties to look forward to!”

—24 Hours Featuring Rup Sidhu, Rajasthan Josh, and Adham Shaikh. Cuisine by Vikram Vij & friends! Join one of the city’s most sought-after summer parties. Glamorous guests, fine sips, and food conjured up by Vancouver’s top culinary artists have made this a sold-out event seven years in a row.

ROUNDHOUSE COMMUNITY CENTRE Presented by Concord Pacific

With support from ICCR & Consul General of India, Vancouver

THE POETRY OF AMAZEMENT July 12 at 6:30PM A journey through Citra Kavya (or pictorial poetry) with award-winning novelist Vikram Chandra.

UBC FREDERIC WOOD THEATRE.....

YOGA: TO MORTIFY OR CULTIVATE THE BODY? July 12 at 8PM Internationally recognized textual scholar, yoga practitioner, and documentary filmmaker Sir James Mallinson (SOAS, London) speaks in equal measure to Sanskrit scholars and yoga practitioners.

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5X15 July 7 at 7PM

These events are presented by UBC Asian Studies as part of the 17th World Sanskrit Conference and Indian Summer Festival.

Five speakers. Fifteen minutes each.

Featuring Jarrett Martineau, Co-Founder of contemporary indigenous record label, Revolutions Per Minute; CanLit luminary, Charlotte Gill; and highly acclaimed author Amitava Kumar. And more!

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July 14 at 8PM

Presented by Publishing @ SFU

A rare chance to hear the world’s greatest flautist in concert!

CONFLUENCE July 7 at 9:30PM

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20 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 17 – 24 / 2018

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AT

PREMIER MEDIA PARTNERS

Hariprasad Chaurasia is acknowledged worldwide as the absolute master of the North Indian bamboo flute or bansuri. He has collaborated with legends of Indian classical music and with George Harrison, Jean-Pierre Rampal, John McLaughlin, and Zakir Hussain. This will be a concert for the ages—not to be missed!

ORPHEUM THEATRE.....

Presented by Nature’s Path

SONGS FOR SCHEHERAZADE July 15 at 4PM

JULY 5 -15

Artwork by ISF 2018 Artist-In-Residence, Sandeep Johal

MAJOR PARTNERS

A UMMERFE S T. C S N

IN

IMPERIAL

DI A

Curated by Jarrett Martineau, an inspiring evening bringing together Indigenous and South Asian artists, featuring Anishinaabe singer-songwriter Ansley Simpson, one of the most compelling voices of her generation, writer and musician Leanne Simpson, Emmy and Juno Award-nominated music producer Adham Shaikh, and interdisciplinary artist Rup Sidhu.

FOUNDING PARTNER

Kobe iteration, the 52-square-foot structure is manufactured mainly from cardboard tubes and plywood. “This is a project that’s really about sustainable, viable forms of architecture,” notes Grenville.

“Architecture that can be done relatively cheaply, that has all the characteristics of viable shelter for people under dire circumstances, and really responds intelligently to the place it’s being built in.”

Inside, the space is warm and inviting, a welcome departure from the tents typically distributed in disaster relief. And while it’s hopeful to think that Ban would allow the city to keep this Vancouverized version as a blueprint that will aid in rehabilitation after the inevitable Big One, Grenville is quick to stress that this very idea goes against the essence of the dwelling. (More likely, the piece will be dismantled and returned to Ban’s team for showcasing or simply recycled.) “I said to Shigeru, ‘We’re going to have an earthquake someday here. It’s bound to happen. So would you design a relief house for us—something that we could set aside?’ ” Grenville says. “And he said, ‘It doesn’t work that way, because it’s a response to the disaster. It’s not the response to an ideal problem.’ ” Still, Vancouverites should find much to ponder at this exhibit about the role architecture plays in both the commonplace and the catastrophic.

“We often think towers and condos are the ways architecture works,” says Grenville. “But, in fact, shelter and our relationship with the built environment are multifaceted. And I think that architects, like so many different groups of people, have an opportunity to contribute to the well-being [of society], and support a culture in times of disaster.” -

FUNDERS

A collaborative tribute to One Thousand and One Nights narrator Scheherazade featuring the Allegra Chamber Orchestra with Mohamed Assani.

ISMAILI CENTRE BURNABY.....

ARTS

Intense Wet immerses viewers TH E AT RE WET

By David James Brock. Directed

by Chelsea Haberlin. An ITSAZOO production. At the Russian Hall on Saturday, May 12. Continues until May 27

To see Wet, we descend from early-summer evening in Strathcona to the basement of the Russian Hall. We turn a corner and suddenly we’re in a long, narrow BAT—a big-ass tent—on a Canadian military base in Afghanistan.

You’re first struck by the smell of the plywood that forms the tent’s walls and floor. The sounds of the base— vehicles and men shouting—leak in from “outside”. The audience sits in a single row of chairs on each side of the room and the action begins.

This is immersive theatre—more immersive than any virtual-reality experience I’ve tried. There’s no stage because everything is the stage.

Wet tells the story of Burns (Genevieve Fleming), a second lieutenant in the Canadian military. We first meet her as she calls home from a base in Afghanistan, teasing her young husband, Michael (Matthew

2 an

Wet explores the effects of war trauma on a female soldier. Matt Reznek photo.

MacDonald-Bain).

But this Skype call is just a prologue to the play’s main action, where we watch Michael care for a wheelchair-bound, traumatized Burns after her return to Canada.

Set designer Jenn Stewart has transmogrified the Russian Hall basement into two finely detailed rooms. After the tent, we stumble down a dark corridor that crashes with the sounds of war into a dank, low-ceilinged basement apartment. The nuances of the claustrophobic design, from the too-

small loveseat to the tattered posters on the wall, tell us so much about this young military couple’s increasingly desperate circumstances.

We line the walls of this room, too.

Here, our experience of the show becomes even more intense. Voices are raised, weapons are brandished, and there’s an attempted rape, all within arm’s reach of the audience.

It’s tough for the actors to have the audience right on top of them but they handle the proximity with courage.

Fleming, in particular, was so vulnerable at times that I had to look away.

Part of the show’s power is in the way it demands we become clear-eyed witnesses. However, some of the action feels too big for the space. I wonder if director Chelsea Haberlin could have dialled back the clamour.

Finding the right ending to a story is, for many writers, the hardest part.

This is the case with Wet. David James Brock’s script loses some of its self-assurance in the final minutes.

Still, there’s so much to like in Wet—it brims with both fragility and menace. Attendees may need to steel themselves for this R-rated experience, but it’s a rewarding one. > DARREN BAREFOOT

Vancouver Moving Theatre in association with Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre and EartHand Gleaners, and with the development assistance of PTC and Native Earth Performing Arts, invites you to witness l To u r • M a y 1 7 t o Jun e 17 2018 Nationa

Dream our Future. Understand the Present. Remember the past.

ON VIEW UNTIL JUNE 17 A thematic exhibition exploring the emergence and impact of the nuclear age as represented by 29 artists.

May 17-19 & May 24-26 2018 Thursdays and Fridays 7:30pm | Saturdays 2pm Doors & Pre-show weaving 7pm & 1:30pm – EartHand Gleaners

Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre ADVANCE TICKETS VANARTGALLERY.BC.CA

Chief Simon Baker Room • 1607 East Hastings

Tickets: at the door only • sliding scale $2 – $25 • limited seating - first come, first served 604-628-5672 • weaving-reconciliation-our-way.ca

Bruce Conner, BOMBHEAD, 1989/2002, pigment on RC photo paper, acrylic, Private Collection, © Estate of Bruce Conner/SODRAC (2018)

MAY 17 – 24 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 21

ARTS

Ballet BC is in fine, muscular form at finale THE SEVENTH SEAL SUMMER WITH MONIKA SAWDUST AND TINSEL THE DEVIL’S EYE

Skintight body suits and club beats meet virtuosity DA N C E

MAY 18-26

PROGRAM 3

TRIPLE BILL | MON, MAY 21

A Ballet BC production. At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Thursday, May 10. No remaining performances

4:30 pm - THE SEVENTH SEAL 6:30 pm - SUMMER WITH MONIKA 8:30 pm - SAWDUST AND TINSEL

Skintight body suits, scissoring

2 legs, and rippling abs and rhom-

UMETSUGU INOUE: JAPAN’S MUSIC MAN

FILM CLUB

THE STORMY MAN + THE WINNER MAY 19-20 THE GREEN MUSIC BOX + THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK MAY 26-27

"That'll do, pig. That'll do."

BABE $6 + free popcorn and Film Club badge: 13 & under $10: Everyone Else

SUN, MAY 20 - 11:00AM

MAY 25 ∞ 26 ∞ 27 COLLECTOR’S NIGHT Friday Soirée 6-10pm Silent Auction + Small Art $20 online / $25 at the door OPEN STUDIO Sat + Sun FREE ADMISSION 1-5pm STUDIO TOURS Limited space Book Online!

Guided Tour Sat + Sun 2pm & 4pm

26 Take a Walk on the Art Side

Partial proceeds to

parkerartsalon.com

| 1000 Parker Street | Free Parking Brewing

ROUNDHOUSE EXHIBIT Thursday, May 24, 10am - 9pm Opening Reception, 7pm - 9pm

OPEN STUDIO TOUR & SALE

Saturday & Sunday, JUNE 2 & 3, 11am - 5pm Info & electronic maps: artistsinourmidst.com

boids: these are some of the overriding impressions from Ballet BC’s season-closing program last week.

The troupe, just back from a smash U.K. and German tour, is as physically honed as it’s ever been—and that could not be more evident from the two muscular feats that bookended this triple bill.

The superhuman precision that went into opener Cayetano Soto’s dark and driving Beginning After was on even fuller display this time around than when the piece debuted in 2016. Dressed in black leathermesh body suits, the dancers flickered through the darkness, lunging deeply, swivelling their torsos, and slicing the air with their arms and legs. Soto carved complex movement set to George Frederick Handel’s haunting opera-seria arias.

This piece about truth, memory, and dreams let the fiercest, physically strongest dancers show their stuff. Justin Rapaport, in just his second season with the company, set the mood instantly with a powerful opening solo— arms arcing, thrusting, and screwing out from his shoulders. Brandon Alley and Livona Ellis pulled off a punishing, unsettling duet, and Peter Smida folded Kirsten Wicklund’s legs in and out of splits like bendy straws.

In the evening’s closer, a remount of Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar’s Bill, which Ballet BC has been honing on the road, the physical prowess played out in an entirely different, raw, and playful way. Dressed in pale body suits so tight they seemed painted on, the dancers committed fearlessly to Eyal’s trademark freak-out solos and pulsing group work set to club beats.

Scott Fowler and Alley tapped their inner robo-aliens, creating entire fantasy worlds with their alternately mechanical and reptilian moves.

Abdomens and pelvises retract and explode, legs bend into thigh-ripping deep pliés, and the piece builds into a throbbing mass of people, with the occasional individual spazzing out on his own. Don’t let Bill’s oddball moves fool you, though: beneath them, the physical and technical demands are unforgiving.

Emily Molnar’s new when you left, then, made a brief but meditative break between these two intense works. It’s set to the haunting vocalizations of the Phoenix Chamber Choir, who conjure a kind of wordless aural magic from the pit. On the dimmed stage, 16 dancers emerge and disappear into the darkness, like the fleeting memories that provided inspiration for the piece.

It’s a pleasure to immerse yourself in the otherworldly vocals and strings of Peteris Vasks’s Plainscapes, and to lose yourself in the restless, cycling, searching movement of such a full stage of dancers. Extra credit goes to lighting genius James Proudfoot for enhancing the mood, his lights lowering and raising and scanning the crowd, the way your mind might search for an image or an experience.

One of the most successful collaborations Ballet BC’s undertaken, when you left is a reminder of the power of live music with dance. And it’s a power that can sometimes match all the athletic force on-stage. > JANET SMITH

FOR ARTS TIME OUT TURN TO PAGE 26 22 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 17 – 24 / 2018

MOVIES REVIEWS VENUS Starring Debargo Sanyal. Rating unavailable

The pieces that go into Venus have about as

2 much in common as, well, samosas, size-12

heels, and skateboards.

But director Eisha Marjara makes her culture-crossing family comedy with a transgender twist so light and warm that it all somehow fits together. In the process, the Quebec filmmaker offers a fresh alternative to standard depictions of suffering and isolated trans characters.

Sid (Debargo Sanyal) is in the middle of transitioning when she’s approached by Ralph (Jamie Mayers), a 14-year-old who says Sid’s his father.

As Sid struggles to come out to coworkers and her traditional South Asian family, the resolutely nonjudgmental Ralph starts to hang at Sid’s apartment. He tries Sid’s gourmet food, engages in impromptu living-room dance sessions, and quickly becomes the samosa-gorging, Ping-Pong–playing son Sid’s “Mamaji” (Vancouver’s Zena Daruwalla)

A transparent relationship

Debargo Sanyal (left) is the transitioning Sid, and Jamie Mayers is Ralph, the son she didn’t know she had, in Quebec filmmaker Eisha Marjara’s Venus.

long career, and keeps her working at a time of peril.

Eisha Marjara’s light, warm Venus is culture-crossing (She almost retired during Obama’s tenure, but now family comedy that comes with a transgender twist would be replaced by a Scaliaand “Papaji” (London’s Gordon Warnecke) never type reactionary.)

Structured around the brief autobiography she had. Complicating this more is that Sid’s on-again closeted boyfriend (Pierre-Yves Cardinal) isn’t read at her own confirmation hearing, the wellpaced movie touches on all that, if only lightly. ready to set up house with a kid.

In an artful, slo-mo prologue, Sid describes But it’s also a surprisingly touching love story, her body as being like “a costume you can’t take starting at Harvard, where she met and married off”, but heavy analysis of Sid’s transgender exis- Marty Ginsburg. They pushed and carried each tence sort of ends there. The appeal of Venus is other through school, sickness, parenthood, and that Sid is allowed to simply exist. And while it’s legal eminence from 1956 until his death in 2010. worth discussing whether a cis-gender person Whenever his name comes up, you see a notorishould play someone who’s trans, Sanyal brings a ous twinkle that’s otherwise absent. > KEN EISNER thought-provoking range to Sid. The main character uses sarcasm and a sharp smile to arm herself against judgment, but you can sense the waves DISOBEDIENCE of insecurity and awkwardness that creep up even Starring Rachel Weisz. Rated 14A when she tries to project confidence out in public.

A fine cast is humbled by a too-terse script, Thankfully, Venus doesn’t offer up lectures or easy plodding direction, and dull cinematogexplanations for her situation: “I’m his father… mother… I’m working that part out,” Sid says of raphy. In fact, all the intentions on display in Disobedience would seem to be part of a much better her relationship with Ralph.

But the key to the movie’s chemistry is Ralph, movie than the finished product turned out to be.

Rachel Weisz helped produce the two-hour whom Mayers manages to make wonderfully open and curious. Sid is terrified of what he might think effort, in which she plays Ronit Krushka, a freeto see his biological dad dressed as a woman, but spirited New York City photographer called back to London when her estranged father, the response is a genuine “That’s cool.”

On rare occasions, the script feels stilted, and a famous rabbi, dies while giving an impassometimes the gloss and gentle comedy feel more sioned sermon about—what else?—loyalty and like TV. But the characters here are so likable, the free will. The settings are vaguely presented, elements so upbeat, you might forget how trans- probably to heighten the symbolic nature of the gressive its ideas about family and gender really are. characters, and perhaps to underline the uni> JANET SMITH versality of Orthodox communities in different countries.

RBG Ronit has been written out of the rabbi’s will, and his life. The late Rav Krushka seemingly A documentary by Julie Cohen and Betsy West. switched his parental guidance to Dovid (cast Rated G standout Alessandro Nivola), a gentle, scholarly In the old days, only the most engaged fellow taken into their household when RonAmericans knew the names and faces of nie was still at home. For a while, you think Supreme Court justices. (And cabinet members, they must have had a thing, but she was actually White House lawyers, and chiefs of staff.) But more attached to Dovid’s new wife, Esti (Rachel now, millions look to identify allies and enemies McAdams). This may have been the reason the during a giant nation’s fast race to the bottom. daughter left in the first place. For this visit, she In the case of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, profiled in stays at their place, which sets off some furithis straightforward doc, there’s also a chance ous tut-tutting from the black-clad, wig-wearing to find some living continuity with the better community. And not without reason, since Esti is parts of the past. pretty sure she doesn’t want Ronit to leave again.

Now 85, she’s been on the big bench for 15 Most of the conflict here is self-imposed, as it years. But Ginsburg had several lives before tends to be in repressively fundamentalist socithat, all dedicated to quietly pushing against eties. With men and women so scrupulously segentrenched barriers. The title here, playing on regated in most aspects of life, and so many rules the Notorious B.I.G., nods to her late-life con- to remember, it’s hard for an outsider to see what version to overt feistiness, as seen in her workout the attraction of staying might be—at least in the footage (sweatshirt: “Super Diva”) and low-key hands of Chilean director Sebastián Lelio, workembrace of rap-style fame. ing in English for the first time. Adapting Naomi Having been born at the start of the Great De- Alderman’s semiautobiographical novel, he fashpression, she has been consistently demure, if ioned the script with Rebecca Lenkiewicz, who persistent, in her trailblazing. Only the second also cowrote the Polish-language, convent-set female justice appointed to the Supremes, she Ida, which had a more convincing feel for the tug was one of nine women in a class of 500 men of war between spirit and politics. at Harvard Law School, where she became the Lelio previously had international successes first woman on the Harvard Law Review. This with Gloria and A Fantastic Woman, which won connects her with Barack Obama, just as her last year’s Oscar for best foreign-language film. most despised foe, red-baiter Joseph McCarthy, Both feature very thinly drawn leads who rebel is connected to the current president through against circumstances by smoking a lot and hookhis legal counsel Roy Cohn, Trump’s moral and ing up with strange men in awkward circumpolitical mentor. stances (ah, cursed freedom!), as Ronit does here, The theme of two Americas—one aspira- briefly. This shorthand leaves the actors hanging, tionally democratic, the other crudely authori- and does few favours for Weisz, whose character tarian—runs through the film, but it’s not here is, unusually for her, quite colourless. Some articulated by Ginsburg or interrogated by dir- scenes with McAdams crackle a bit, and then the ectors Julie Cohen and Betsy West. “I tend to movie settles back into a grey, static pallor. be more sober,” the subject admits, and indeed Currently, Lelio is directing a remake of Gloria friends and family members don’t describe with Julianne Moore in the title role. What brand kidding around, or self-revelation, as among of cigarettes do you think she prefers? > KEN EISNER her qualities. But seriousness has centred her

2

2

LU OVER THE WALL Featuring the voice of Michael Sinterniklaas. Rating unavailable

Japan has traditionally drawn its life from

2 the sea, but island living is also fraught

with fears, as the last decade of tsunami, radiation, government failure, and neighbouring disputes has driven home. And that’s not counting the devastation to our environment, the subtextual story behind Lu Over the Wall, an otherwise mostly cheerful exercise in aquatic anime.

Unlike most PG–rated export anime, this one really is, you know, for kids. It needs to be seen by unjaded eyes, and even then the almost two-hour length and underwhelming plot may be challenging for some adults. Personally, I enjoyed the big fields of flat colour, giving the movie a more abstract look than most Japanese cartoons, which lean alternately toward the nostalgic or the highly technical.

It is harder to relate to the characters, who remain less than two-dimensional. Events nominally centre on moody high-schooler Kai, voiced in the dubbed version by French-born Michael Sinterniklaas, who has been both a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and a Speed Racer in his time, off-screen and on-. (A subtitled version is also playing here.) Kai is more a balled-up fist than an actual personality, presumably because his mother moved to Tokyo long ago, leaving him with a grouchy grandfather and a dad who’s more like a nagging older brother than a nurturing parent.

The mop-haired teen is highly expressive with his laptop Garage Band, however, leading to constant entreaties from schoolmates who want to join musical forces with him. The racially mixed Kunio (Brandon Engman) is into Yuho (Stephanie Sheh), but she likes Kai—not that it matters much to him, or to the movie. It’s more concerned with the merfolk who, legend has it, settled in the harbour of secluded Hinashi Town because of the towering “shadow stone” that protects their waters from the sun’s harmful rays.

Anyway, these creatures (spoiler alert!) are real, and highly attracted to music. And one wee mermaid in particular, nicknamed Lu (Christine Marie Cabanos), leaps out and grows legs, the better to attach herself to Kai. She’s a kind of presexual blob, and it’s unclear what all this means, except that the re-emergence of merpeople—including Lu’s father, a giant, Totoro-like shark—triggers the prejudices of Hinashi’s more backward types, including Yuho’s father, a craven politician. In this aspect, the film resembles Wes Anderson’s Japan-set Isle of Dogs. There are mistreated mutts here, too, although they escape and turn into dogfish. I think that’s what happened. > KEN EISNER

KUSAMA: INFINITY A documentary by Heather Lenz. Rated PG

No doubt: this portrait of Japan’s Yayoi Ku-

2 sama is exhaustive, in some ways as meticu-

lously detailed as her artworks’ dizzying galaxies of polka dots. Yet the eccentric subject remains an enigma to the end—and whether this bothers you may have a lot to do with how easily you can accept the mysteries of her art.

If you’ve travelled to Seattle or Toronto in the past year, you’ve likely caught wind of the hype surrounding Kusama’s immersive Infinity Mirrors exhibit. And director Heather Lenz’s complex portrait of the art star fills in the much-needed context behind the masses’ endless Insta selfies with Kusama’s mind-bending works.

The most striking revelation is that the Tokyobased octogenarian hasn’t always been famous— not even close. And Lenz, armed with a wealth see next page

MAY 17 – 24 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 23

MOVIES EXCLUSIVE GIVEAWAY details at straight.com

Rupture will kill its darlings > B Y A D R IA N M A C K

N

ext Sunday (May 27), in an act of perverse beauty, 12 local filmmakers will premiere their newest short works at the Vancity Theatre, and then ritually destroy them—never to be seen again.

Capping the Vancouver International Film Festival’s inaugural Rupture event, Self-Destructive Cinema provides a possibly fiery climax to four days of wild cinematic delights compiled for your pleasure by Altered States programmer Curtis Woloschuk, who knows a thing or two about midnight movies. As he tells the Straight: “It’s my deformed child.”

Indeed, if you’ve been keeping an eye on the raves coming out of recent editions of the Sundance, Slamdance, and South by Southwest film festivals,

Visit to win tickets to the advance screening - May 31, 7PM at Scotiabank Theatre

IN THEATRES JUNE 1

Toni Collette screams in Ari Aster’s instant horror classic Hereditary.

then Rupture is probably the most essential thing on your calendar this year, with Ari Aster’s instant horror classic Hereditary the most conspicuous of the nine titles getting their Vancouver premiere.

No less impressive: Woloschuk has also scored William Friedkin’s The

Devil and Father Amorth, which sees the veteran filmmaker grappling with a real-life exorcism, along with the latest from Greasy Strangler sleaze auteur Jim Hoskins, An Evening With Beverly Luff Lin, and the Portuguese art-house slasher Forest of Lost Souls. Filmmaker David Lowery will also be on hand to present a Creator Talk about his enigmatic 2017 feature A Ghost Story.

It’s with Self-Destructive Cinema, however, that the event really announces itself as the kind of “oldtimey happening” its curator halfjokingly calls for. Woloschuk credits Vancouver filmmaker Julia Hutchings for floating the idea two years ago of a “Not Available Online” film festival. Working together, they’ve induced local notables like Lawrence Le Lam, Cody Brown, and Sophie Jarvis to submit one-night-only works. It’s a poetic way to honour the ephemeral nature of the art form while levelling a blow against the solitary experiences offered by the web.

“We plan to have a wake afterwards so people can commiserate, or mourn together, or celebrate the short mayfly lives of these films,” says Woloschuk, adding that they haven’t quite “worked through the exact particulars” of destroying the movies. One team is apparently bent on using an acid bath, but the organizer promises, however it happens, “it’s going to be cinematic.”

“I think one of the really enchanting elements about this for us is that we really don’t know what the evening is going to be like,” he says. “Will it be celebratory? Funereal? I don’t know!

The filmmakers don’t know either!”

The “rules of engagement” are also still being hammered out. As with Dan Savage’s HUMP! Film Festival, cellphones won’t be welcome.

“But do we want people to even tweet or talk about or describe what they’ve seen?” ponders the programmer.

How about slaughtering the audience on the way out?

“No,” insists Woloschuk. “Nobody’s going to die. Everybody makes it out alive. It’s the films that are being sacrificed here.” Rupture takes place at the Vancity Theatre from Thursday to Sunday (May 24 to 27). More information is at www. viff.org/.

Kusama: Infinity

from previous page

of archival photographs, film, and typewritten letters, details all the sexist, racist forces that stood in her way.

Some of the most fascinating material comes at the beginning of Kusama’s life, growing up in a tradition-bound household with a mother who rips up her drawings and holds her paints and papers hostage, all recounted matterof-factly by the artist.

From here, Lenz traces the wild artistic journey of Kusama in the heady 1960s and ’70s scene of New York City.

To her credit, the director provides space to take in Kusama’s striking work, from room-filling fabric phalluses to dazzling abstract paintings.

Leaning heavily to the art-historical, she’s gathered a wealth of art experts to provide context. The main argument here is that Kusama’s radical ideas were often borrowed by male colleagues (including Andy Warhol) who went on to fame and fortune while she languished in poverty. It was quite literally enough to drive her mad.

Lenz finds Kusama today ensconced in a Tokyo studio just down the street from the psychiatric hospital where she lives, working feverishly at her drawing table and sporting wild polka-dot dresses to match her scarlet and fuchsia wigs. What we understand is she’s a severely driven woman with boundless stores of creativity; she sometimes leaves this plane of reality as she works; and the infinite has special meaning to a woman who’s attempted suicide twice. We know all this, all the facts of her life, but she feels unreachable—as unknowable as the universes she depicts.

> JANET SMITH

24 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 17 – 24 / 2018

MOVING

“

“SUBLIMELY EROTIC.”

”

– Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

VITAL .

FIST PUMPING & “

“IT IS A LOVE STORY, AS

BEAUTIFUL AS IT IS DEVASTATING.”

CROWD PLEASING” – Kate Erbland, Indiewire

FIERCE UNEXPECTEDLY

“

“TENDER AND URGENT. A BEAUTIFULLY TENSE TALE OF FORBIDDEN LOVE.”

and

ROMANTIC.” – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out

RACHEL WEISZ

RACHEL McADAMS

DISOBEDIENCE FROM ACADEMY AWARD

®

—

WINNING DIRECTOR

SEBASTIÁN LELIO SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE SCENES

HERO. ICON. DISSENTER.

©2017 CHANNEL FOUR TELEVISION CORPORATION CANDLELIGHT PRODUCTIONS LLC

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT

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STARTS FRIDAY

STARTS FRIDAY

88 WEST PENDER • 604-806-0799

Check theatre directories for showtimes

“A LONG OVERDUE AND HAPPY OCCASION.

A STELLAR CAST, A ROVING CAMERA, AND PLENTY OF SUBTEXT.

FIFTH AVENUE 2110 Burrard St. • 604-734-7469

Check theatre directories for showtimes

TRIBECA

FILM FESTIVAL

ANNETTE BENING

SAOIRSE RONAN

COREY STOLL

ELISABETH MOSS

MARE WINNINGHAM

JON TENNEY

GLENN FLESHLER

MICHAEL ZEGEN

BILLY HOWLE

AND BRIAN DENNEHY

A LANDMARK ADAPTATION.” -Josephine Livingstone, THE NEW REPUBLIC

THE

S E A GU L L

VIOLENCE, NUDITY

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT

NOW PLAYING

ENDS THURSDAY

STARTS FRIDAY

FIFTH AVENUE 2110 Burrard St. • 604-734-7469

88 WEST PENDER • 604-806-0799

Check theatre directories for showtimes

MAY 17 – 24 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 25

ar ts/ timeout THEATRE DANCE MUSIC COMEDY ET CETERA GALLERIES MUSEUMS

FREE 2-day Feast of Contemporary Indigenous Music and Culture

THEATRE

Fri May 18ÝSat May 19

2OPENINGS

1PM–11PM

5PM–11PM

WEAVING RECONCILIATION: OUR WAY New work weaves Indigenous storytelling, songs, cultural teachings, traditional languages, and the ancient stick game of Slahal into an original play. May 17-26, Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre.

Info weaving-reconciliation-our-way.ca/.

DLJ@:Ý;8E:<ÝJGFB<EÛNFI;ÝNFIBJ?FGJÝM@;<FÝM@JL8CÛ8IK ~ Û=I<<ÛC@M<ÛG<I=FID8E:<JÛÝÛ8IK@J8EJÛD8IB<K FEATURING THE MELAWMEN COLLECTIVE SPECIAL GUEST WITH GEO AKA THE VOICE [Secwepemc/ Nuu-Chah-Nulth/Cree/St’atimc/Nlaka’pamux]

ISKWÉ

< < < < < < <

REVOLVER THEATRE FESTIVAL Upintheair Theatre presents a program of new works by distinct voices from across the Canadian live-theatre scene. May 23–Jun 3, The Cultch (1895 Venables). Tix $20/15, info www.revolverfestival.ca/.

TA’KAYIA

PLUS: OSTWELVE [Sto:Lo/Nlaka’pamux] ÝJB THE FIRST LADY [Nuxalk] ÝSEE MONSTERS [Heiltsuk/Klahoose]Ý;8E@Û ¬ÛC@QQPÝDJ KOOKUM [Alexis Nakota Sioux] [Tla’Amin] Activist[Cree/Dené] Soulful Trip-Hop ÝTHE SPIRITUAL WARRIORS [St’atimc] Singer-Songwriter ÝDJ ÛG8E@B [Haida]ÝOMEGA CROM [Nadleh Whu’ten] + MANY MORE

2ONGOING MAMMA MIA! The Arts Club Theatre Company presents a feel-good musical featuring the music of ABBA. To Aug 12, Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage (2750 Granville). Info www.artsclub.com/.

Hosted by the Nlaka’pamux Nation

LES FILLES DU ROI (THE KING’S DAUGHTERS) Urban Ink presents the world premiere of a new Canadian musical by Corey Payette and Julie McIsaac.

May 15-27, York Theatre (639 Commercial).

Tix $10-46, info www.urbanink.ca/.

@ ’Q’EMCIN AKA LYTTON, BC

< 3hrs from VANCOUVER or KELOWNAÝ< 2hrs from KAMLOOPS (via Hwy 1)

2RiversRemix.ca

DANCE 2THIS WEEK

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia.

LYTTON FIRST NATION

We thank our other major sponsors for their generous support.

The Georgia Straight Confessions, an outlet for submitting revelations about your private lives—or for the voyeurs among us who want to read what other people have disclosed.

r e v u o c n va

ALEXANDER GAVRYLYUK The Vancouver Chopin Society concludes its 20th anniversary season with a recital by the Ukrainian pianist. May 16, 7:30 pm, Vancouver Playhouse Recital Hall (601 Cambie). $15-$49, info chopinsociety.org/.

c i s u m k fol

Scan to confess

festivaBle a c h P a r k o h c i r e J , 15 13 y l u J

The little things There are some things that restore and affirm my faith in the potential of humanity, and our overall basic goodness. One of these is that there are other people in my building who clean out the lint trap in the dryer after they use the machine. I am far from the only one. The little things...

• JUST ANNOUNCED •

EVENING MAIN STAGE SATURDAY SUNDAY KACY & CLAYTON DAKHABRAKHA RODNEY CROWELL THE DEAD SOUTH

FRIDAY

TWILIGHT STAGE SATURDAY

SUNDAY

ISKWÉ PETUNIA AND THE VIPERS ALEX CUBA

ART BERGMANN CAROLE POPE MELINGO

MARIEL BUCKLEY LITTLE MISS HIGGINS STEVE RILEY & THE MAMOU PLAYBOYS

JAYME STONE’S FOLKLIFE WAZIMBO & BANDA KAKANA RANKY TANKY RY COODER

MEET YOU AT THE BEACH!

T H E F EST I VA L . B C . CA 26 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 17 – 24 / 2018

Netflix Canada reminds me of going into a really crappy video store back in the day.

Skytrain Dancing I saw a girl subtly dancing on the skytrain this morning and it was the best thing I’ve seen in ages. She was beautiful and confidant and fun. Made my day.

Bye I have to fire someone tomorrow. It sucks. Right now, I’m really calm, telling myself it’s just part of the job but I know tonight, I’m going to have trouble sleeping and I’ll have an upset stomach pretty much all day tomorrow. I guess it’s good to know this job hasn’t robbed me of all my empathy.

Oh, grow up!!

When you use hipster or snowflake in a sentence you completely discredit yourself and look like a miserable bitter old person who can’t sustain a grown-up conversation about anything without railing against your petty childish grudges.

Visit

COMEDY 2ONGOING THE COMEDY MIX 1015 Burrard, www. thecomedymix.com/. Comedy club with featured headliners Thu at 8:30 pm and Fri-Sat at 8 and 10:30 pm. 2EFTHIMIOS NASIOPOULOS May 17-19

2THIS WEEK JIMMY CARR English comedian performs standup. May 20, 7 pm, Vogue Theatre (918 Granville). Tix at www.ticketfly.com/.

ET CETERA 2THIS WEEK

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schedule subject to change without notice

DARLINGSIDE THREE WOMEN AND THE TRUTH JAMES MCMURTRY NEKO CASE

MUSIC 2THIS WEEK

l 41st Annua

FRIDAY

AERIOSA: SECOND NATURE As part of its Global Dance Connections series the acrobatic-dance company performs a work by artistic director Julia Taffe. May 24-26, 8 pm, Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie).

Tix $32/24, info www.thedancecentre.ca/.

to post a Confession

OPENING EXHIBIT & RECEPTION WEST OF MAIN ART WALK Artists in our Midst presents an exhibit of works by artists participating in the West of Main Art Walk, which takes place June 2-3 on Vancouver’s west side. May 24, Roundhouse Community Centre. Free, info www.artistsinourmidst.com/.

GALLERIES VANCOUVER ART GALLERY 750 Hornby, 604-662-4719, www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/.

2EMILY CARR IN DIALOGUE WITH MATTIE GUNTERMAN (new exhibition features the paintings of Carr with 48 photographs by photographer Gunterman) to Sep 3

MUSEUMS MUSEUM OF VANCOUVER 1100 Chestnut Street, www.museumofvancouver.ca/.

2HAIDA NOW: A VISUAL FEAST OF INNOVATION AND TRADITION (more than 450 works by carvers, weavers, photographers, and print makers, collected as early as the 1890s) to Jun 15 THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT UBC 6393 NW Marine Drive, www.moa. ubc.ca/. 2ARTS OF RESISTANCE: POLITICS AND THE PAST IN LATIN AMERICA (exhibition illustrates how Latin American communities use traditional or historic art forms to express contemporary political realities) May 17–Oct 8

MUSIC

The standard legend B Y ALEX ANDER VAR T Y

of the immigrant musician is a sad one, a tragic tale of leaving friends and family and native tongue behind, of venturing out into the unknown and—if the performer in question hails from warmer climes—of dealing with the harsh realities of the Canadian winter.

That’s not the story Alex Cuba wants told.

Yes, there are probably things that the singersongwriter, born Alexis Puentes, regrets leaving behind on the shores of the Caribbean island that gave him his stage name, but his is not a story of loss.

“For me, it’s been a story of gaining,” he stresses, checking in on his cellphone from the northern B.C. community of Smithers, where he’s lived for the past 15 years. “I became a singer-songwriter, a producer, a musician in Canada. Canada has given me an identity, as funny as it can sound. I know to many Canadians it’s mind-blowing to hear that somebody who came from Cuba needed to find an identity; some people can’t put those two things together.

“I’ve seen a lot of interviews with immigrants that focus only on loss, you know, omitting the Canadian side,” he continues. “But my story is a little bit different, and I hope people will get that, because I am incredibly proud to talk about my

Accentuating the positive

Singer-songwriter and producer Alex Cuba—born Alexis Puentes—says Canada shaped his identity and is where he learned to become the musician he is.

acclaim. His most recent LP, Lo Único Constante, garnered the energetic musician his third Grammy nomination, Alex Cuba loves everything about his adopted and he’s starting to take homeland—including Canadian winters, it seems his music into terrain Canadian side, what I’ve done here.…Because my where he’s likely to find an even larger and more music was made in Canada. No Latin artist in the enthusiastic audience—a case in point being Latin world can sound like me, because they don’t this spring’s Carnaval tour, in which he’ll join have this Canadian side that I have. They don’t forces with the highly political, Kansas City– have the situations, the inspirations, et cetera, that based Latin rock band Making Movies for a serI have found in this country. For me, it’s been a ies of dates across North America.

“I met them a few years ago,” he says of Makhuge, positive story, and it’s too sad, sometimes, when people just want to hear the sad things. ing Movies, the headlining act. “I was playing a I understand where that comes from, but come show in Chicago, I think it was, and they were on, man! We choose to live in the present time, opening the show, and then we played together last year—in Vienna, I think it was—and we reand we are going to talk happily.”

The biggest challenge with life in Canada, for connected. It’s purely based on that musical conCuba, was realizing that this is, as he says, “a gui- nection: they love what I do, and I think what tar culture”. That prompted him to add electric they do is something very good, musically. So, instruments to the Spanish-style nylon-string pre- yes, that’s what brings us together.

“We’re going to be performing for a lot of ferred in the Caribbean, and to adopt more of a narrative voice, in line with the Canadian song- people that understand Spanish, that understand writing tradition of Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitch- the power of my words,” he continues. “This has been happening for me in Mexico, as well. I’ve ell, Bruce Cockburn, and the Tragically Hip. “In Cuba,” he explains, “sometimes it’s all about been playing solo shows down there; the last one the rhythm; it’s all about making you move, phys- I did, I played for 2,000 people on my own, and ically. But Canada, it’s different. It’s about making it was unbelievable—all those people singing my you move mentally, maybe making you move spirit- songs. I felt like a kid, you know? Like I wanted ually. You know what I mean? That inspired me to to play nonstop for four hours. It was beautiful!”

While you’d expect that the warmth of that recepcreate that way, to incorporate that into my music— to pay more attention to the way I craft my music, tion might have Cuba thinking of pulling up stakes my melodies, how many instruments I have on an yet again, the singer-guitarist says that he remains album, et cetera, et cetera. It has given me a sound.” committed to wintering in Smithers. “This year was If Cuba sounds like a cheerleader for Canada, hard and cold and we had to shovel our roof—that’s Canada has also been cheering for him. His six how much snow we got,” he admits, laughing. “But solo albums have, between them, won two Juno normally, I’m completely adjusted. I love jumping awards and four nominations—and that, in in the hot tub in the winter and then rolling in the turn, has propelled him to greater international snow, and sometimes I just lie in the snow to see how

long I can stay there before having to jump back into the hot tub.

“It’s fun!” he adds—and fun doesn’t get much more Canadian than that. Carnaval, featuring Making Movies and Alex Cuba, comes to the Biltmore Cabaret on Friday (May 18).

in + out

On the madness of modern life, as reflected in his new video for “El Día de Hoy”: “I’m interested in writing about the times that we’re living in. There’s a lot to say about it, and I think there’s an immense amount of ways we can be doing it. I’m inspired, let’s put it this way, by the times that we’re living in, when there seems to be so many things happening at the same time.

We’re maybe losing perspective on what is real and what isn’t—or maybe we never had it, but these times are more than ever putting us into that position, I think.”

On the “We are all immigrants” premise of Making Movies’ Carnaval tour: “I think that is, in principle, why I accepted to join the tour. It’s very meaningful; it’s pretty much reflecting what the times are. And so it’s a tour of unity.”

On his annual midwinter tour of the Prairies: “You know why we do it? We do it because we need to play music for those Canadians who do not run away to Mexico.”

STRAIGHT OUTTA SPAIN, HINDS F INDS S U CCE S S >>> There was no army of home-

2 grown role models for Hinds

founders Carlotta Cosials and Ana García Perrote to look up to when they started playing music in Madrid. As much as Spain loves its garage acts, the country isn’t exactly famous for producing wildly popular rock ’n’ roll bands.

Reached on a cellphone at a Cleveland tour stop, Cosials says the groups that do find some measure of success tend to be made up of men, often well into their 30s. That’s hardly super inspiring when you’re a woman looking to form a band.

So the very act of putting together an all-female unit trafficking in abrasive indie rawk was somewhat revolutionary in Spain when Cosials and Perrote eventually hooked up with bassist Ade Martín and drummer Amber Grimbergen at the beginning of the decade. And even though Hinds is now firmly established as one of the country’s great DIY exports, the group is still changing the landscape as it releases its sophomore full-length, I Don’t Run. “When we started, Spain had zero girls playing this kind of music,” Cosials says in charmingly accented English. “We were the only ones, and we were breaking borders. It was like everything

For the women of Hinds, making it in their native country was a challenge, given that most rock bands in Spain are made up of men in their 30s.

Hinds did was making history for Spain. It was kind of fucking nuts.”

Hinds started out as Deers, but was eventually forced into a name change when Montreal outfit the Dears threatened legal action. That story got the quartet plenty of exposure internationally before it had even recorded a full-length, early singles then talked up by outlets like NME and the Guardian.

A 2016 debut LP, Leave Me Alone, suggested a major love of the bands that spearheaded the fabled New York rawk revival of the ’00s. And just as bands like the Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs had to win over England to get a break at home,

the members of Hinds didn’t really taste success in Spain until they’d built a fan base abroad.

Raves not only in the U.K. but also at the 2016 edition of SXSW would prove invaluable.

“In Spain, you don’t expect to travel and tour the world,” Cosials says. “In Spain, you expect to be big only in Spain. So it was never a big dream for us to go abroad and play, but when it happened we couldn’t believe that we did it. We never expected that people would love us and appreciate us in so many different cities. But that’s what happened.

“Right now in Spain we are so much bigger than we ever dreamed,”

Alex Cuba sounds off on the things that enquiring minds want to know.

> BY MIKE USINGER

she continues. “This second album especially has really made a change on our career. People now respect us so much, and are so proud that we are travelling and playing all over the world, and telling people how cool Madrid is. It wasn’t like that when we started out.”

I Don’t Run finds Hinds both confirming its love of revivalists like the Strokes, and moving its blend of indie rock and garage forward—a sign that the group has started to transcend its influences. Produced by Gordon Raphael (who helmed the Strokes’ classic Is This It), the album serves up everything from distortion-frazzled college rock (“The Club”) to turbocharged indie soul (“Soberland”) to barbed-wire pop (“Rookie”).

Just as notable is the way that Hinds has got more daring—which is to say personal—with its writing on I Don’t Run. Take the THC–dosed new-waver “Tester”, where lines like “Why did you have to kiss me after sex?” and “Why did you have to lie to my face?” are punctuated repeatedly by the question “Should I’ve known before, you were also banging her?”

“In the beginning,” Cosials recalls, “when it was Ana and me, we’d find ourselves going, ‘Where are all the rock ’n’ roll lyrics written by women? I want to scream things about freedom

☞

and love and feeling lost and needing my friends, but I want to find songs about that stuff written by a girl.’ Not sung by a girl, but written by a girl, because 90 percent of the songs you hear on the radio aren’t. It was like, ‘Someone is missing out reaching half of the population—I wanna be represented.’ ” Mission accomplished not only for Hinds with I Don’t Run, but also for a new generation of rock fans in Spain. The singer might have had trouble finding homegrown role models, but that’s not the case for the kids coming up behind Hinds.

“The first time I picked up a guitar, it was with Ana,” Cosials says.

“I’d played violin and drums before, but not very good, to be honest. We had boyfriends in a band, but playing music was always something we watched instead of actually doing it.

When we broke up with them and picked up guitars, we completely fell in love with the sensation of playing music. We were considered quite revolutionary when we started, but even over four years I see quite a difference. Girls come up to us and say, ‘You showed me I could play in a band.’ And that’s awesome.” Hinds plays the Biltmore Cabaret on Monday (May 21).

MAY 17 – 24 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 27

MUSIC

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I

f the hallmark of great art is the way it gets people talking, Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” video has managed to achieve full-on masterpiece status in just a few short days.

Dissecting the video has become a flavour-of-the-hour cottage industry, that having everything to do with the countless, sometimes obvious, sometimes cleverly coded references.

Over the course of four relentlessly powerful minutes, the rapper born Donald Glover alludes to everything from Jim Crow minstrelsy to slavery to the shiny happy American entertainment industry to Richard Pryor to cellphone voyeurism.

In the video for Childish Gambino’s “This Is America”, Donald Glover makes And most notably, there’s also a powerful argument that the U.S. is screwed in ways too numerous to count. gun violence—graphically rendered and purposefully confrontational.

Two seconds after each shooting, A black man adopting a shooting That violence is responsible for the it’s back to business as usual, Glover stance while not actually holding a video’s most shocking moments. singing and dancing even as police gun, with North Americans sadly Gambino starts by putting a bullet and crowds are in chaos behind him. well aware how that usually turns through the head of a black guitarDeath is something that happens out, especially when white policeist, who, after his duties entertain- as a temporary distraction. Once men are involved. ing are over, ends death has ridden Black children, in ’60s school clothup sitting on a through the day ing, dancing with Glover in multiple chair with a sack on a white stal- scenes, cheerfully oblivious, as kids over his head. It’s lion (watch for it) often are, to the hellish world around Mike Usinger a blunt, openingyou can get back to them. Note that they do so beamingly statement political commentary on the business of being distracted. and without question, driving home the way America has historically

By Instagram. By Twitter. By Fa- the blinding power of celebrity. treated its black citizens. cebook. And by YouTube, the first Glover’s dancing, choreographed Later he’s handed a machine gun, place we all go whenever some- by Sherrie Silver, which is so hypnotwhich he uses to mow down a church thing awful happens in the world. ically exaggerated and over-the-top choir in joyous midsong, the refer- It’s no accident that Glover and dir- that it somehow serves to instantly ence a clear one to the 2015 Eman- ector Hiro Murai place a group of distract from the bigger picture. uel African Methodist Episcopal unfazed iPhone-wielding kids on a The ending, where Glover is Church shooting tragedy in 2015. catwalk above the action in “This seen running, seemingly terrified, It’s important to note what hap- Is America”. through the dark while whites chase pens after both of these shootings.

We now live in a world where him down. If you don’t get it, you The bodies are either instantly we watch tragedy through a phone need to read up on American history. dragged away or completely forgot- screen, whether we’re there on the What Glover is selling, of course, ten, the gun in each case carefully frontline or reliving the misery of is the argument that, for an advanced and lovingly swaddled in a blanket. others at our computer minutes later. country, the U.S. is fucked in too Gun violence is a bitch. But the And because of that, we’ve become many ways to count. And, in the larimmediate message in America after every bit as desensitized as Gambino, ger picture, that art is at its greatest such incidents is that guns are to be who’s distractedly back to entertain- when it’s challenging audiences. treated reverentially, protected as a ing after each moment of horror.

With “This Is America”, he’s done God-given right.

There’s plenty more to chew over: just that. -

Pop Eye

HAVE YOU BEEN TO...

Sal y

Limon

salylimon.ca

> Go on-line to read hundreds of I Saw You posts or to respond to a message < CHARLATAN - WE SLAP OURSELVES TO STAY AWAKE

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s

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 15, 2018 WHERE: Charlatan

You had friends with you. I enjoyed our brief talks while your friends went to smoke.

You waved when I left. You said you have kids so maybe also a partner? Jaegerbombs another time?

WITH THE VERY CUTE DOG & BLUE HERSCHEL BAG :)

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EAST VAN VINTAGE BIKE AND CAR

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 13, 2018 WHERE: New Brighton Park It was a beautiful day at the park. I came there after an exhausting day to just have a break. We chatted a little bit about our well-behaved dogs but I totally forgot to ask your name. You left after you finished your book. I hope to see you again. Security question, ask me how old your dog is :-)

BRAD AT BLACKIE SPIT

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MAY 27, 2018

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 12, 2018 WHERE: Blackie Spit White Rock On Saturday, May 12th, you we walking around Blackie Spit with your Frenchie and nephew(?). You hung out with us while he played with the ferrets. Wishing I had given you my number. Maybe we could do coffee sometime?

6TH AVENUE BLONDE

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Performance Perfor Perfo rrm man anccee bbyy

THE MODELOS BAND STARTS AT NOON

11AM-4PM / CARS PARK at 9AM / $10 MIN DONATION. PROCEEDS TO LOCAL CHARITY 28 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 17 – 24 / 2018

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 12, 2018 WHERE: 6th and Main

s

You were walking your bike down 6th Ave, you have long wavy-ish blonde hair and were wearing short shorts. I was in an Evo turning onto Main, and told you that you looked lovely while I was waiting at the stop sign. You thanked me but I didn't continue the conversation unfortunately. I'd love to take you out for drinks and/or brunch.

BEACH DAY

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 13, 2018 WHERE: Wreck Beach

ESPRESSO VODKA

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 12, 2018 WHERE: Yaletown SkyTrain Station

I was at wreck beach with a friend, you were beside us most of the day... We talked about how cold the water was and I asked you to send the beer guy over when you left.

You were cute, I wish we had talked more!

I was waiting at the Yaletown SkyTrain station around midnight. You offered me some espresso vodka and I failed to realize that was a chance to maybe hang out. I’m kicking myself for being so daft.

FRENCH GUY ON AIR CANADA FLIGHT

TATTOOED MAN WITH BOX OF CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 12, 2018 WHERE: YVR

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We sat next to each other yesterday in aisle 45. After the flight you handed me a sweet note (which I thought was your phone number). Ahh! I don’t have a way to find you to invite you for a glass of wine.

CUCUMBER GUY

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 12, 2018 WHERE: Safeway Kits on West 4th You made my day being such a lovely human. Your mum did well! As soon as I left I wished I had gotten your info cause I’d actually love to set you up with a just as lovely and gorgeous friend of mine, no joke.

ON THE ARBUTUS BIKEWAY

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 11, 2018 WHERE: Burrard and Arbutus Greenway I was biking on the Arbutus Bikeway. I was stopping at Burrard and 5th and you told me that I looked peaceful on my bike. I saw your amazing blue eyes and I asked you if you were running. You were skating in fact. I thought it was pretty cool. But then I left cause iI was late to meet a friend, but I wish I asked for your number. I was wearing a green dress and a navy blue jacket. Would love to go ride/ skate one day.

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 10, 2018 WHERE: Columbia SkyTrain Station The Expo train to King George arrived at Columbia during afterwork rush hour. You got off to make room for people to leave the train. You were carrying a cardboard box full of carnivorous plants. Some looked like Trumpet Pitchers. You had many tattoos, some on your neck, some on your arms. You wore an army print cap, and an army green t-shirt. You were caucasian. You had nice strong pecs and arms.

Perhaps you have brown hair based on your thin eyebrows. I smiled at you as I got on the train. I was the young Asian man with somewhat tousled hair. I wore a grey sweater with yellow, green and blue thin stripes. I wanted to talk to you and about your plants, but there were too many people between us.

Perhaps we can connect?

OLD AQUA COLOURED BIKE EARLY MONDAY MORNING

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 7, 2018 WHERE: Across from Birds and Beets in Gastown I saw you checking me out, I am too shy, but I am head over heels about you. You are so beautiful I wanna get to know everything about you. I hope you see this and we meet up for ice cream, maybe more. I was wearing camo shorts, grey shirt with black sleeves, and had glasses on, listening to tunes. I live next to where u work.

Visit straight.com to post your FREE I Saw You _

SYML Ambient-pop artist Brian Fennell.

Oct 25, doors 8 pm, show 9:30 pm, The Imperial (319 Main). Tix on sale May 18, 10 am, $25 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

music/ timeout

THE JOY FORMIDABLE Welsh alt-rock trio. Oct 27, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Fox Cabaret (2321 Main). Tix on sale May 18, 10 am, $25 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

DRAKE Canadian rap superstar performs on his Aubrey and the Three Amigos Tour, featuring guests Migos. Nov 3-4, 7 pm, Rogers Arena (800 Griffiths Way). Tix on sale May 18, 10 am, from $59.50 to $199.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www. ticketmaster.ca/.

CONCERTS 2JUST ANNOUNCED CORY WEEDS QUINTET WITH TERELL STAFFORD AND HAROLD MABERN Saxophonist Cory Weeds teams up with two jazz giants—legendary pianist Harold Mabern and renowned trumpeter Terell Stafford—for a concert that will be recorded for release on Cellar Live!

Presented by Coastal Jazz. May 26, 8 pm, Frankie’s Jazz Club (765 Beatty). Tix $30 at www.coastaljazz.ca/.

CHRIS ISAAK American rock and roots musician and actor. Jun 24, 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom. Tix on sale May 18, 10 am, $79.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

STU LARSEN & NATSUKI KURAI II Australian singer-songwriter Larsen and Japanese harmonica player Kurai perform together. Aug 20, Fox Cabaret. Tix on sale May 18, 10 am, $20 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

THE HEAD AND THE HEART Indie-folk band from Seattle. Sep 18, 7 pm, Malkin Bowl (Stanley Park). Tix on sale May 18, 10 am, $45 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES American country-roots rocker performs on his 30th Anniversary of Copperhead Road Tour, with guests the Mastersons.

Sep 29-30, doors 7 pm, show 8:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville). Tix on sale May 18, 10 am, $65 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

THE CHURCH Australian pop-rockers perform on their Starfish 30th Anniversary Tour.

Oct 4, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, Fox Cabaret (2321 Main). Tix on sale May 18, 10 am, $30 (plus service charge) at www.ticketweb.ca/.

TY SEGALL AND WHITE FENCE American indie singer-songwriters perform together. Oct 7, doors 8 pm, show

EMPLOYMENT

CAREERS NAKAPAI CONSTRUCTION LTD is looking for Carpenters.Greater Vancouver area, BC.Permanent, Full time Wage - $ 27.80 per/h Education: Secondary school Skills requirements: Experience 3-4 years, Good English. Main duties: Read and interpret construction blueprints, drawings, specifications; Measure, cut, assemble, and fasten lumber and wood materials; Prepare layouts, build different wood forms;Fit and install different trim items as required; Operate hand and power tools in a safe and efficient manner;Promote job site safety and encourage safe work practices; Supervise helpers and apprentices.

Company’s business address: 401-321 Hospital Street, New Westminster BC V3L 3L5 Please apply by e-mail: hrnakapai@gmail.com HERITAGE DRYWALL LTD is looking for Drywall Installers and Finishers Job location: Greater Vancouver, BC Permanent, Full time. Wage - $25.50 per/h Skills requirements: Experience 3-4 years, Good English. Education: Secondary school Main duties: Preparation of the drywall sheets for installation (measuring, cutting). Installation of drywall sheets. Securing of drywall sheets in metal or wooden studs or joists. Filling joints, holes and cracks with joint compound. Applying successive coats of compound, sand seams and joints.

Company’s business address: 20448 – 90 Crescent, Langley BC V1M 1A7 Please apply by e-mail: heritagewall@gmail.com

www.straight.com

2THIS WEEK MOUNT KIMBIE English electronica duo tours in support of latest release Love What Survives. May 17, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, The Imperial (319 Main). Tix $20 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketweb.ca/.

KICK CANCER’S A$$! Eighth annual fundraiser featuring Funkdoobiest, Antipolitic, Cocaine Moustache, Junk, Awkward A/C, and Shayne the King of Magic. May 19, 7 pm, Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings).

Tix $20 (plus service charges and fees) at www.rickshawtheatre.com/.

RUSS American rapper performs on his I See You Tour Part 1. May 20, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Pacific Coliseum (Hastings Park, 100 N. Renfrew). Tix $59.95 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT AmericanCanadian pop singer, songwriter, and composer. May 20, 8 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (6265 Crescent Rd., UBC). Tix $69.50/49.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

POPTONE American rock band featuring Daniel Ash (vocals, guitar), Kevin Haskins (drums) and Diva (bass, backing vocals), performs classic songs from Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, and Bauhaus. May 20, 9 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. Tix $25 (plus service charge) at www.ticketweb.ca/.

THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE American psych-rock band. May 21, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Vogue Theatre (918 Granville). Tix $35 (plus service charge) at Red Cat Records and www.ticketfly.com/.

HINDS Garage-rock band from Madrid, Spain. May 21, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, Biltmore Cabaret (2755 Prince Edward).

Tix $20 (plus service charge) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketfly.com/.

STREET KINGS ACADEMY of DANCE INC. (http://streetkingsacademy.com)is hiring a DANCE SCHOOL MANAGER. Permanent, Full time job (30 hours per week) Salary - $23.00 hourly SKILLS REQUIREMENTS: Good English, customer service oriented.Previous experience as a dance instructor is required;Previous experience as a dance school manager is an asset. EDUCATION: Secondary school.MAIN DUTIES: Plan, direct and evaluate the operations of the dance school; Establish and supervise dance classes schedules; Manage staff and assign duties, hire and traiN new employees; Resolve work-related problems and possible customer complaints; Develop and implement marketing strategies; Plan and control school budget.

Job location and company’s business address: #102 - 17720 57 Ave, Surrey BC, V3S 1H2 Please apply by E-mail: hrstreetkings@gmail.com

MIND BODY SOUL

CERTIFIED MASSAGE SPRING SPECIAL Bodyscrub $65/70min. Waxing 20% off. Massage $28/half hour 8 - 4287 Kingsway 604-438-8714

SUPPORT GROUPS Infertility Awareness Assoc. of Canada (IAAC) provides educational material & support to individuals or couples experiencing infertility.

Meetings: 7 pm the 2nd Wed of the month.

Richmond Library & Cultural Centre, 7700 Minoru Gate. Info 523-0074 or www.iaac.ca

FEVER RAY Swedish electronic-pop artist Karin Dreijer. May 22, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Vogue Theatre (918 Granville). Tix $44.50/39.50 (plus service charge) at Red Cat Records and www.ticketfly.com/.

MODIFIED GHOST FESTIVAL III Music by Obituary, Pallbearer, Skeletonwitch, Dust Bolt, Untimely Demise, and Bushwhacker (May 23), Bloodbath, Black Dahlia Murder, Beyond Creation, Gatecreeper, Kataplexis, and WTCHDR (May 24), Bongripper Yob, Ruby the Hatchet, Electric Citizen, Dead Quiet, Hoopsnake, and Seer (May 25), Carcass, Sacrifice, Nails, Midnight, Bat, Aggression, and Wormwitch (May 26), and Power Trip, Sheer Mag, Fury, Waingro, Red Death, and Woolworm (May 27). May 23-27, 6 pm, Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings).

Tix at www.rickshawtheatre.com/.

HARPDOG BROWN

SAT MAY 17 & 19

NO COVER

9 pm, Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings).

Tix on sale May 18, 9 am, $30 (plus service charge) at www.ticketweb.ca/.

DAVID BYRNE Former member of Talking Heads performs tunes from his latest solo album American Utopia. May 23, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton). Tix from $71 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

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2UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS TD VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL Coastal Jazz presents its annual musical celebration in Vancouver, featuring performances by Robert Plant & the Sensational Shape Shifters, Macy Gray, Kamasi Washington, Dirty Projectors, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, the Jerry Douglas Band, Cherry Glazerr, Deerhoof, Gogo Penguin, Jerry Granelli, and Pugs & Crows. Jun 22-July 1, various Vancouver venues. Tix and info www.coastaljazz.ca/.

VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL Forty-first annual folk fest features performances by Neko Case, Ry Cooder, Rodney Crowell, Wallis Bird and Mick Flannery, Melingo, Wazimbo & Banda Kakana, Archie Roach, Mariel Buckley, Carole Pope, Skye Wallace, Alex Cuba, Art Bergmann, and Guy Davis Jul 13-15, Jericho Beach Park. Tix and info www.thefestival.bc.ca/.

SKOOKUM FESTIVAL Three-day music festival features performances by headliners the Killers, X Ambassadors, and Florence + the Machine, plus Metric, Arkells, the War on Drugs, St. Vincent, Father John Misty, Blue Rodeo, Mother Mother, Chromeo, Bahamas, Stereophonics, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Cold War Kids, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. Sep 7-9, Stanley Park.

Tix at www.skookumfestival.com/.

TIME OUT MUSIC LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit listings online using the event-submission form at straight.com/AddEvent. Events that don’t make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.

Healing Our Spirit B.C. First Nations AIDS Society has volunteer opportunities for hospital visitation, information booths, office assistance & preparation of pamphlets & condoms for distribution. We offer volunteer orientation, training & recognition & bus tickets.

If interested, please call 983-8774 Ext. 13.

We are dedicated to preventing and reducing the spread of HIV in the aboriginal communities of B.C. Healthy & loving relationships alluding you?

CODA: Co-dependency Anonymous 12 step Recovery: 604- 515-5585 WAVAW - Rape Crisis Centre has a 24-hour crisis line, counselling, public education, & volunteer opportunities for women.

All services are free & confidential.

Please call for info: Business Line: 604-255-6228 24-Hour Crisis Line: 604-255-6344 AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS Does someone else's drinking bother you?

Al-Anon can help.

We are a support group for those who have been affected by another's drinking problem.

For more information please call: 604-688-1716 Anorexics & Bulimics Anonymous 12 Step based peer support program which addresses the mental, emotional, & spiritual aspects of disordered eating Tuesdays @ 7 pm @ Avalon Women's Centre 5957 West Blvd - 604-263-7177 Anxiety? Depression?

Free Mental Wellness Support Group held on Saturdays (10:30 am – 12:30) Promotes a holistic approach to healing (body, mind & spirit). Networking and interactive learning experience in a safe, non-judgmental environment.

For more information call 604-630-6865 or visit www.mentalwellnessbc.ca ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION Looking to start a parent support group in Kitsilano.

Please call Barbara 604 737 8337 Battered Women's Support Services provides free daytime & evening support groups (Drop-ins & 10 week groups) for women abused by their intimate partner. Groups provide emotional support, legal information & advocacy, safety planning, and referrals.

For more information please call: 604-687-1867 BC Balance & Dizziness provides information & support for persons with balance, dizziness & vestibular disorders.

Bi Monthly info meetings @ St. Paul's Hospital.

Call for info. 604-878-8383 www.BalanceAndDizziness.org

Distress Line & Suicide Prevention Services NEED SOME ONE TO TALK TO? Call us for immediate, free, confidential and non-judgemental support, 24 hours a day, everyday.

The Crisis Centre in Vancouver can help you cope more effectively with stressful situations.

604-872-3311

411 Seniors Centre Society

704 – 333 Terminal Ave. Van 604 684 8171 An inclusive centre for older adults, 55+ on low income, and those with disabilities, offering year-round educational, health-related, recreational activities. Information & Referral to assist seniors with resources & services in the community ie seniors benefits, income tax preparation & government services.

Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS Has gambling taken over your life or the life of someone you know? Call 1 855 222 5542 to take back your life. Gamblers Anonymous is a non-profit fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem. 1-855-222-5542 Website: www.gabc.ca Email: friend@gabc.ca

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

NOTICES

604-583-8800

GAY PERSONALS

MUSICIANS WANTED

MASSAGE

Musicians

Place your FREE musicians WANTED & AVAILABLE ads by going to www.straight.com create a classified account & place your ad for Free or fax to 604-730-7016 All FREE ads are based on space availability.

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TAKE NOTICE THAT JIM CHOW (THE “DECEASED”), BORN IN 1945, ORIGINALLY OF CHINA, DIED IN VANCOUVER, BC ON NOVEMBER 17, 2017 LEAVING 3 SURVIVING CHILDREN. IF YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE DECEASED, PLEASE CONTACT THE LAW FIRM OF MACKENZIE FUJISAWA LLP (ATTENTION: PATRICK M. HOLMES), SOLICITORS FOR THE ESTATE AT 604-689-3281

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savage love

S

avage Love Live at Denver’s Oriental Theater last week was epic. I fielded sex questions in front of a sold-out crowd, singer-songwriter Rachel Lark performed amazing new songs, comedian Elise Kerns absolutely killed it, and Tye—a token straight guy plucked at random from the audience—joined us on-stage and gave some pretty great sex advice! We couldn’t get to all the audience questions during the show, so I’m going to race through as many unanswered questions as I can in this week’s column…

You’ve famously said, “Oral

comes standard.” How long before anal comes standard?

How does a week from next Tuesday grab you?

I enjoyed a

great sex life with many kinky adventures until my husband died suddenly two years ago. I have insurance $$$ and a house to sell and a dream of using the proceeds to become a sex-positive therapist. Crazy idea? Or something the world needs more of?

Judging by how many people tell me they’re having a hard time finding sex-positive, kink-positive, openpositive, and poly-positive therapists, I would definitely fi le “sex-positive therapist” under “world needs more of”. Chase that dream!

How do you

introduce your inexperienced-but-willing-to-try partner to BDSM? By starting a two-person book club.

Order Playing Well With Others: Your

> BY DAN SAVAGE

they’ve been socialized to defer to men. There’s evidence of that in your question: you want to navigate this problem—the problem being a selfi sh boyfriend who doesn’t care enough about you to prioritize your pleasure and has taken cover behind the orgasm gap—but you want to spare his ego in the process. Fuck his precious ego. Tell him what you want and show him what it takes to get you off. If he refuses to do his What resources are avail- part to close the orgasm gap in your able—which do you recommend—to apartment, show him the door. share with my male partner so he can improve (learn) oral sex? (Girl How do you prioritize sex with your partner when life gets so busy oral sex!) and masturbation is so much easier?

Two more book recommendations: My fiancé is down for quickies someThe Ultimate Guide to Cunnilingus: times but not always.

How to Go Down on a Woman and Give Her Exquisite Pleasure, by Vio- Forgive my tautology, but you priorilet Blue; and She Comes First: The tize sex by prioritizing sex. SchedThinking Man’s Guide to Pleasuring a uled sex can be awesome sex—and when you’re truly pressed for time, Woman, by Ian Kerner. you can always masturbate together.

My boyfriend told me that women orgasm only 60 percent of How do I come out to my family the time compared to men. I said I as a stripper? I’ve been dancing for want orgasm equity. How do I navi- more than two years and don’t plan gate his pansy-assed male ego to fi nd to stop. Some of my family members are biased against sex workers, but a solution?

I’m tired of keeping up the façade (I The orgasm gap—91 percent of told them I’m a bartender). men reported climaxing in their last opposite-sex sexual encounter It’s a catch-22: people are afraid to compared to 64 percent of women come out to their closed-minded (National Survey of Sexual Health families as queer or poly or sex workand Behavior)—doesn’t exist for ers or atheists, but close-minded lesbians and bi women in same-sex families typically don’t open their relationships. So the problem isn’t minds until after their queer or poly women and their elusive orgasms, or sex-working or nonbelieving kids it’s men and their lazy-ass bullshit. come out to them. To open their A contributing factor is that women minds, you’ll have to risk blowing often have a hard time advocat- them first. Tell them your truth and ing for their own pleasure because stand your ground.

Field Guide to Discovering, Exploring, and Navigating the Kink, Leather, and BDSM Communities, by Lee Harrington and Mollena Williams; The Ultimate Guide to Kink: BDSM, Role Play, and the Erotic Edge, edited

by Tristan Taormino; and SM 101: A Realistic Introduction, by Jay Wiseman. Read and discuss, and discuss some more—and when you’re ready to start playing, take it slow!

I keep having sex dreams about Yep. As tempting as it might be to Kanye West. What does that mean? hold on to his stuff or trash it, that just keeps this drama alive. If you You’re Mike Pence. keep his stuff, he’ll keep after you for it. If you trash his stuff, you’ll Am I doing society a disser- have to worry about the situation vice by dating an international drug escalating. If you want him out dealer? of your life and out of your head, put his crap in a bag, set it on your A sexually frustrated international porch or leave it with a neutral drug dealer is arguably more dan- third party, and tell him when he gerous than a sexually satisfied inter- can swing by and get it. national drug dealer—so you may be How clean should a bottom doing society a service. be? A little bit of shit is kinda exCan I want to be monogamous pected, isn’t it? I mean, you are fuckwithout any reasoning? My boy- ing an ass, right? friend would probs be in an open relationship, but I’m not interested for My expectations for sterling silver, no reason in particular. crystal stemware, and fuckable ass are the same: I want it sparkling.

Speaking with a low-information Zooming out: One doesn’t have voter is frustrating because they anal sex with an ass full of shit for can’t tell you why they voted for the same reason one doesn’t have someone; speaking with a low-infor- oral sex with a mouth full of food— mation fucker—someone who can’t it’s going to make a mess. Making tell you why they’re doing/screwing sure your mouth is empty is easy, what they’re doing/screwing—is just of course, but it’s not that difficult as frustrating. It’s even more frus- to empty or clean out an ass. Also, trating when the low-information/ a good, fibre-rich diet empties and low-self-awareness fucker happens cleans out the ass naturally. Yes, to be the person you’re fucking. It’s you are fucking an ass, that’s true, fine to want what you want—because and shit sometimes happens. The of course it is—but unless you’re in- top shouldn’t poop-shame the terested only in solo sex, you need to bottom when it does happen, and be able to share your reasons. the bottom doesn’t need to have a meltdown. It just means you need I dated a guy who said he was to pivot to some other sexual activin an open relationship. We started ity—after a quick cleanup restores working together on a podcast. I got the sparkle. irritated because after two months he never did any preliminary research. On the Lovecast : a study of lethal When I pointed that out, he deleted asphyxiation. Spoiler: don’t do it. all our work and blocked me on FB. Listen at savagelovecast.com. Email: Now he’s asking for some stuff he left mail@savagelove.net. Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage. ITMFA.org. at my place. Do I give it back?

............................................................................................................................................................... CLASSIFIEDS

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