The Georgia Straight - Best Movies 2019 - Dec 26, 2019

FREE | DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020

Volume 53 | Number 2710

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2 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020

STA RT S BOX I N G DAY !

J O H N F LU E VO G S H O E S G R A N V I L L E S T · · | WAT E R S T · · F L U E V O G C O M

DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 3

CONTENTS

December 26, 2019 – January 9, 2020

20 COVER

As the Oscar-eligibility window closes, our critics pick their 10 favourite flicks of the past year.

By Ken Eisner, Adrian Mack and Janet Smith Cover illustration by Shayne Letain

6

NEWS

A woman going home from a party failed a breath test and had her car impounded—and she was a passenger.

By Charlie Smith

14 FOOD

Port Moody’s Gabi & Jules bakery celebrates diverse abilities by hiring workers on the autism spectrum.

By Gail Johnson

2020 CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING Lions Club Chipping Events

IN VANCOUVER

Saturday, January 4 and Sunday, January 5 10 am to 4 pm TREE CHIPPING EVENT LOCATIONS • Kerrisdale Community Ice Rink parking lot • Kitsilano Beach parking lot • Sunset Beach upper parking lot • Trout Lake Community Centre parking lot Please remove all decorations and tinsel!

Donations of cash and non-perishable food will be accepted and distributed to local charities.

DROP-OFF TO DEPOT CURBSIDE RESIDENTIAL PICK UP Christmas trees will be collected the weekend of January 11-12.

Set out your tree before 7 am on January 11 for pick up. Trees should be set out on their own and laid on their sides. Do not place your tree inside your Green Bin or bag or bundle it.

Trees can be dropped off for free at the Vancouver South Transfer Station or Vancouver Landfill in Delta until January 31.

For more information: vancouver.ca/christmastree

17 ARTS

Top playwright Hannah Moscovitch is in a race against time—both at home and in her physics-minded Infinity.

By Janet Smith

23 MUSIC

The year that was, from the loss of a local icon to the unthinkable reign of “Old Town Road� on country charts.

By Mike Usinger and John Lucas

e Start Here 15 THE BOTTLE 10 CANNABIS 18 CONFESSIONS 10 HEALTH 12 HOROSCOPES 15 I SAW YOU 22 MOVIE REVIEWS 27 SAVAGE LOVE 8 TECHNOLOGY

e Online TOP 5

e Listings 18 ARTS 25 MUSIC

e Services 25 CLASSIFIEDS

Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly Volume 53 | Number 2710 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 T: 604.730.7000 F: 604.730.7010 E: gs.info@straight.com straight.com DISPLAY ADVERTISING: T: 604.730.7020 F: 604.730.7012 E: sales@straight.com

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1 2 3 4 5

Ex-gangster Stan Price and cop Kal Dosanjh find common ground.

The backyard astronomer: Starbirth, and how to see it.

Conservation officers enforce removal of bear attractants.

La Quercia team opens Oca Pastificio on Commercial Drive.

Local fentanyl importer jailed after weapons and drug convictions.

GeorgiaStraight @GeorgiaStraight @GeorgiaStraight

The Georgia Straight is published every Thursday by the Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp. Copies are distributed free every week throughout Vancouver, Burnaby, North and West Vancouver, New Westminster, and Richmond. International Standard Serial Number ISSN 0709-8995. Subscription rates in Canada $182.00/52 issues (includes GST), $92.00/26 issues (includes GST); United States $379.00/52 issues, $205.00/26 issues; foreign $715.00/52 issues, $365.00/26 issues. Contact 604-730-7087 if you wish to distribute free copies of the Georgia Straight at your place of business. Entire contents copyright Š 2019 Vancouver Free Press, Best Of Vancouver, Bov And Golden Plates Are Trade-Marks Of Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp. SUBMISSIONS The Straight accepts no responsibility for, and will not necessarily respond to, any submitted materials. All submissions should be addressed to contact@straight.com.

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40009178, return undeliverable Canadian addresses to The Georgia Straight, 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C, V6J 1W9

4 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020

Here’s what people are reading this week on Straight.com.

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DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 5

NEWS

Car seized due to impaired passenger

A

by Charlie Smith

B.C. woman has received an immediate roadside prohibition for being impaired, even though she was a passenger in the vehicle.

According to her Vancouver lawyer, Sarah Leamon (who writes a column on Straight.com), the woman contacted her son to drive her home from a Christmas party in Nelson.

The woman and her husband had been consuming alcohol.

The 22-year-old son has an “L” licence restriction. He can only drive under the supervision of one qualified supervisor 25 years or older, Vancouver lawyer Sarah Leamon says with a driver’s licence, who sits be- she’s never seen a case like this before. side him in the front seat.

Leamon told the Straight by phone son at the wheel. “The officer assessed that the trouble began when they ar- the driver and was satisfied that he rived at a police roadblock with the was dead sober,” Leamon said.

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She added that because the woman was in the passenger seat, the cop felt there was a risk she might reach over and grab the steering wheel and take control of the vehicle. So the mother was instructed to take a breath test, which she failed. She received a 90-day roadside suspension and the family sedan was seized for 30 days.

“The officer actually included in his evidence that he decided not to investigate the stepfather because he felt that even though he had suspected him of drinking, he was far enough away from the steering wheel that there was no risk he would grab it and take conduct of the vehicle,” Leamon said.

She’s especially bothered that this occurred during the holiday season, when partygoers are being encouraged to line up designated drivers if they’ve been consuming alcohol.

“I’ve been doing impaired-driving law and practising criminal defence for the better part of a decade and I’ve never seen anything like this,” the lawyer said.

The woman planned to challenge the roadside suspension with RoadSafetyBC. After Leamon raised concerns in the media, police said that the family could retrieve the car.

One of the grounds for appealing, according to the B.C. government website, is if a person is not the driver and not in care or control of the motor vehicle at the time of the penalty.

“My experience on December 13, 2019, was deeply troubling,” the woman wrote in a statement submitted to the tribunal. “After trying to do the right thing and get a safe, sober ride home with my twenty-two year old son, I felt unfairly targeted by the officer at the roadblock we drove into. Both myself and my son felt uncomfortable, intimidated and shocked by everything.

“It all happened so fast,” she continued. “Nothing was explained to us. Before I knew what was going on, our family vehicle was impounded and my license was prohibited. The effect that this has had on our family has been profound. My son is unable to get to work without a vehicle and my husband and I are struggling on a daily basis. This feels unfair.”

After Leamon talked to the media, the Nelson Police Department issued a statement saying that it had reviewed the file. The department also said that it recommended cancellation of the 90-day immediate roadside prohibition and that a decision would have to be made by RoadSafetyBC. Leamon called the police action a “gross overreach”. According to her, when police make a recommendation like this, RoadSafetyBC is extremely likely to follow it. That’s why the family was able to recover the car before all the paperwork was completed. g

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HIGH TECH

Analyst rips LifeLabs’ “terrible decision�

L

by Charlie Smith

ike possibly millions of British Columbians, Brett Callow believes that his personal information may have been compromised by a cyberattack on LifeLabs.

And Callow, a threat analyst at the antimalware software firm Emsisoft, told the Straight that it was an “absolutely terrible decision� for the Toronto-based company to pay ransom.

In an open letter to customers, LifeLabs president and CEO Charles Brown revealed that it made a payment to the unknown cybercriminals to retrieve data relating to 15 million customers. “It’s akin to paying a blackmailer in the hope that they will return an incriminating photo to you,� Callow said by phone. “They may return the photo but then they also kept a copy.

LifeLabs is working on nothing more than a pinkie promise that the data won’t be used.�

Emsisoft is an associate partner in the No More Ransom Project, which is a European Police Office initiative to discourage companies from paying cybercriminals who hijack IT systems.

Brown did not use the term “ransomware� in the open letter, which emphasized that the company’s security systems have since been upgraded. The day after the story broke, Brown told CBC Radio One Early Edition host Stephen Quinn that he didn’t know if his company’s data had been encrypted.

Although many media outlets have described this as a ransomware attack, Callow questioned whether this is the proper terminology. Ransomware often involves applying a digital lock to IT systems, which will only be released after money was paid. “At this point, it isn’t clear whether this was a ransomware attack or simply an act of data theft,� Callow said. “It’s hard to say. If the bad guys

When unknown cybercriminals attacked LifeLabs, they accessed personal information relating to 15 million customers. Photo by James Gathany/Unsplash

have your data, you obviously can’t pay to get it back. “You’re just paying for that promise that they won’t use it or release it,� he continued. “If this was a ransomware attack, though, their systems likely would have been knocked off-line for several weeks. And that probably wouldn’t have gone unnoticed.�

He also blasted LifeLabs for taking so long to inform the public. The company noticed problems in late October. “People have a right to know if their data has been compromised.�

One lawsuit has been filed in B.C. Supreme Court against LifeLabs in connection with the security breach.

The plaintiff, Kenneth Morrison, is hoping to have it certified as a class action. Another lawsuit was filed in Toronto.

The Straight asked Callow what advice he would give to the Ontario and B.C. information and privacy commissioners who are investigating the LifeLabs data breach. “If I’d assume LifeLabs acted in accordance with the law, my advice would be that the law needs to be changed—and that disclosures need to be made much, much more quickly,� he replied. “It simply isn’t acceptable that the public has to wait a monthand-a-half to find out that their data has potentially been compromised

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during that time. It could be used to commit identity theft and [for] all manner of other purposes.�

Callow speculated whether there are parallels between the LifeLabs hack and what recently occurred at a Manitoba-based insurance brokerage called Andrew Agencies.

In that case, a ransomware attack was not publicly disclosed and was only confirmed after the brokerage’s name appeared on a list of targets that had appeared online.

Emsisoft recently released a report saying there were at least 948 government agencies, educational establishments, and health-care providers in the U.S. that were hit with ransomware attacks in 2019. The potential costs added up to more than US$7.5 billion.

According to the report, these attacks put people’s safety at risk as surgical procedures were cancelled, emergency patients had to be sent to other hospitals, medical records were inaccessible, and jail doors could not be remotely opened. “The fact that there were no confirmed ransomware-related deaths in 2019 is simply due to good luck, and that luck may not continue into 2020,� Emsisoft chief technology officer Fabian Wosar said. “Governments and the health and education sectors must do better.� g

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8 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020

NEWS

Park advocate demands washrooms

T

by Charlie Smith

he City of Vancouver’s website says that there are washrooms at CRAB Park at Portside, which also has playgrounds and an off-leash area for dogs. The park also has a memorial boulder to commemorate missing and murdered women from the Downtown Eastside.

But if anyone in the area needs to go to the bathroom, they’ll be in for a shock. That’s because the washroom facilities are behind fencing in the DTES park overlooking Burrard Inlet.

This upsets Don Larson, president of the CRAB-Water for Life Society, whose community activism played a pivotal role in the creation of the 3.31-hectare green space in 1987.

Larson told the Straight by phone that the washrooms have been out of service for more than a month as a result of the park fieldhouse being boarded up. It used to be home to a caretaker.

“There are no nearby places to go to the washroom when you go down to CRAB Park,” Larson said. “The nearest would be Main and Hastings—or if you dare to go to Oppenheimer Park, and I don’t.”

He called this situation “unacceptable” and questioned whether the Vancouver park board is in compliance with health regulations.

The park board’s media relations department told the Straight that staff are “exploring options around a washroom facility in CRAB Park”.

No timeline was offered for when this situation would be addressed.

Coalition of Progressive Electors park commissioner John Irwin has demonstrated a keen interest in CRAB Park since being elected last year.

“Even though it’s winter, if you’re over there walking your dog and you have to go to the bathroom,

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CRAB-Water for Life Society president Don Larson is exasperated that people no longer have access to the fieldhouse washrooms at CRAB Park. Photo by Susan Lu

you literally have to go all the way back to Carnegie or somewhere in Gastown or the Downtown Eastside to relieve yourself,” Irwin told the Straight in an interview near his home in Fairview. “Of course, some people aren’t going to do that. That also is not ideal.”

Irwin said that he asked staff during recent discussions about the budget whether there was any money available to repair the fieldhouse.

Irwin also said that he’s raised this issue with the board’s director of planning and park development, Dave Hutch. In the meantime, the board hasn’t put temporary toilets in the park.

“Apparently, we’re having trouble getting contractors to service portapotties in the Downtown Eastside,” Irwin said. “I share Don’s concerns in the sense that the park is a long way away from many things.”

Larson said the fieldhouse is in such a state of disrepair that it makes the park less appealing to visitors. He claimed that the support beams and

gutters are “literally falling”, which is why the fencing was installed.

“The building is filthy, you know,” Larson stated. “It’s not even been powerwashed, so there’s negligence on the part of the park board. The point is: can the building be saved?”

If not, he suggested, it’s time for a new building to be constructed.

“Somebody has to go in with some knowledge and properly evaluate the building from the inside,” Larson said.

That’s not his only concern. Larson also claimed that the park board is not taking proper care of a marsh that’s the only source of freshwater for birds in the area. He’s also frustrated that the park board has not replaced a decommissioned sculpture in the park with a totem pole to honour the area’s Indigenous history.

“The answer from the park board is ‘We don’t do memorials; we don’t pay for memorials,’ ” Larson claimed. “Meanwhile, they put up all these totem poles for tourists in Stanley Park.” g

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DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 9

CANNABIS

Ring in 2020 with legal edibles and extracts

I

by Charlie Smith

f you hate smoking weed, you can still get high legally to bring in 2020. That’s because the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch is distributing new categories of legal, nonmedical cannabis products.

The B.C. government–owned cannabis wholesaler and retailer has registered more than 260 edibles, extracts, and topicals, which became legal on October 17 but were only distributed this month. They include beverages, tea bags, oils, powders, chocolates, cookies, soft chews, mints, vaporizers, cartridges, shatter, and hashish.

The first shipments arrived at the LDB on December 19. A small number will be on public and private store shelves in late December and in the first few months of 2020.

Among them are soft baked chocolate cookies for $11.99, seasalt–and-caramel milk chocolate for $7.99, and 64-percent-cocoa dark chocolate for $7.99, all produced by Aurora Cannabis.

Mike Babins, co-owner of Evergreen Cannabis in Vancouver, told the Straight by phone on December 19 that he was expecting his first shipments of edibles and vape pens on December 24. Coincidentally, on December 24, 2018, Evergreen Cannabis became the first B.C. private cannabis store to receive a licence from the LDB. “It’s the second Christmas miracle,” Babins quipped.

On a more serious note, he said these new products will save him from answering customers’ questions about when Evergreen Cannabis will be carrying edibles. And he stressed that people can have confidence in other government-approved products that are in his store.

“We’re going to have pens, and

Mike Babins’s Evergreen Cannabis is the first LDB–licensed private cannabis store.

we can confidently tell people that they won’t give you popcorn lung,” Babins said.

A similar point was made by LDB general manager and CEO Blain Lawson.

“The addition of edibles, extracts and topicals represents the provincial government’s commitment to providing safe, regulated non-medical cannabis products to B.C. consumers,” Lawson said in a B.C. government news release. “A lot of work has gone into procuring these products, and we look forward to working with our suppliers as they continue to introduce new products to market.”

They’re all being supplied by federally licensed producers.

Effective January 1, the provincial sales tax will increase from seven percent to 20 percent on vaping substances and accessories used in vaping. Dryherb vaporizers will continue to be taxed at seven percent, but all other vaping devices will also be taxed at 20 percent in the new year. g

HEALTH At 94, Butler’s not eyeing retirement

B

by Charlie Smith

ob Butler no longer calls himself an optician. But the 94-year-old still works two days each week at Mount Pleasant Optometry Centre, offering assistance to colleagues and customers. And on January 2, Butler is looking forward to the eyecare business’s 70th anniversary at the southeast corner of East Broadway and Quebec Street.

He was there on the opening day and has remained employed through four owners.

“When I started, there were loads of old houses in the area,” Butler recalls in an interview with the Straight inside the shop. “It’s a nice area, much nicer than it used to be. It used to be tough.”

As part of the neighbourhood’s redevelopment, Butler says many of those houses were torched.

There have been some equally dramatic changes in eyewear. One Mount Pleasant Optometry has been in business for 70 years at the southeast of the most noteworthy, according to corner of East Broadway and Quebec Street, and Bob Butler was there at the start.

Butler, was the switch from glass to plastic lenses.

Victoria columnist Jim Hume will “Another major change was gocelebrate his 96th birthday and he’s ing from bifocals into progressive still writing articles on his website, lenses,” he adds.

The Old Islander. Hume recently When asked what he likes most blogged that his dad once took him When I started, about his job, Butler replies that it’s to watch an airshow with First World solving customers’ problems. “Most War–era Royal Air Force planes. there was no people are very nice.”

“It was beyond dreams that sumeducation along Nowadays, opticians undergo exmer day that years later, I would sit tensive education and have to pass a with my own sons and watch a man that line at all. national licensing exam. That wasn’t land and walk on the moon, and that – Bob Butler the case when he was young. flying for my children and me would “Actually, I started working in a one day become a tiresome neceswholesale lab in Saskatoon,” Butler sity,” Hume wrote. says. “When I started, there was no So what’s the secret to being able to education along that line at all.” continue working as a nonagenarian?

His three children have given up “I have family in Newfoundland Butler doesn’t know. However, he says, asking him when he plans to retire. who’ve seen it on Facebook,” he says. working keeps his mind active.

And his fame has spread far, thanks Butler isn’t the oldest British Col“I exercise quite regularly,” Butler to a mural about him on the nearby umbian still practising his craft. On quickly adds. “Right now, I use a staBelvedere Court apartment block.

Friday (December 27), long-time tionary bike.” g

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y r r e M Christmas

DECEMBER 26, 2019 TO JANUARY 8, 2020

hristmas is already in the rear-view mirror, but the solar eclipse in Capricorn continues have an impact, marking this passage of time as holding special significance. Perhaps it is an anniversary or a milestone achieved, something that has been long in the works or something not yet recognized: the eclipse suggests we’ll look back on this Christmas as the last of many and/or the first of many more to come.

Friday puts more of everything on the go. Sun/Jupiter favours travel and/or squeezing in as much reward as you can before getting back to reality.

Back to work Monday/Tuesday, the flow is good. The end of 2019 slips out on a Pisces moon. Quiet and relaxed, romantic or spiritual, movies or live music, the sweet spot is easy to find on New Year’s Eve. Don’t expect the new year to get off to a slow start! The year begins with a total of seven important planetary placements in Capricorn, the set-it-in-stone archetype. Starting January 3, Mars in Sagittarius hits a take-flight or hit-the-groundrunning trajectory. Watch for plenty of action or buildup in the week that follows. A lunar eclipse in Cancer and the end of Uranus retrograde kick up the intensity dial as of January 10. This lunar eclipse is accompanied by several major planetary alignments, most notably the meeting of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. Together, they push a reset button on the shaping of reality at all levels.

There are several important transits that will arch over the whole year ahead, which is speeding up the process of cementing our future and setting the longterm into play. It is a time for courage, risk-taking, and innovation.

Be the change!

A

ARIES

B

TAURUS

C

GEMINI

March 20–April 20

Ease your way back into full-steam-ahead but don’t hesitate to go full tilt on creativity or inspirations of the moment, especially Friday through the weekend. Mercury in Capricorn, starting Saturday, can assist you to get better focused, organized, and under control. Quiet or easy is best for New Year’s Eve. Expect to pick up much greater speed as of January 3.

April 20–May 21

Friday through Monday is great for travel or a change of pace.

Easy does it right for New Year’s Eve. On the bigger-picture note, the course of your future is gaining more definition. What shapes up next is timely and long-term. If you don’t have a good feel for it yet, trust the advance of time to colour it in more.

May 21–June 21

As of the weekend, it’s time to get moving and/or get more productive. Overall, next week hits a smooth track. Simple and easy-doesit are best for ringing in the New Year.

As of next Friday, Mars begins a sixweek transit tour of Sagittarius. It’s a good transit for travel, education, sports or fitness activities, marketing, exploring, and getting a move on.

Happy Holidays Hon. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P. for Vancouver Centre

12 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020

D

CANCER

June 21–July 22

The Christmas Day solar eclipse will continue to have an impact on the weeks and months to come.

An especially potent lunar eclipse in Cancer is just two weeks away. Both eclipses put reality on an acceleration curve. Relax on New Year’s Eve; after that, roll up your sleeves and get to work! The faster you get on it, the faster you’ll reach higher ground.

E

LEO

July 22–August 23

Plug in a movie or play up the romance on New Year’s Eve.

Quiet-and-cozy does it best for your end-of-year celebration. As of next Friday, Mars enters Sagittarius. It’s one of your best action transits.

Along with the lunar eclipse on January 8, expect January to keep you going strong. There’s no time to waste and much to be gained.

F

VIRGO

G

LIBRA

H

SCORPIO

I

SAGITTARIUS

August 23–September 23

The end of the year can simply slip by, but don’t expect January to do the same! As of the second week of the new year, the stars hit full-steam-ahead. Mars in Sagittarius, a lunar eclipse, and heavyweights Saturn and Pluto will support you, empower you, or force you to take charge in some new way. Take aim, go, and gain!

September 23–October 23

Working on New Year’s Eve? Ignoring it? The evening should prove smooth going, but, in truth, what matters is not how you mark the turning of the year but how you face the year ahead. Venus in Aquarius (through mid-January), Mars in Sagittarius (to mid-February), and two eclipses (one past, one coming) assist you to get a good head start.

Ready, set, go!

October 23–November 22

There’s just under one more week to the end of the year and just a little over one more week of Mars in Scorpio. Even when you ease up on full throttle, you’ll still make the most of both. Over the year ahead, Jupiter and the rest of the group in Capricorn support you to turn the plan or project into a reality.

November 22–December 21

Keeping spirits bright, Friday’s sun/Jupiter supplies you with ample inspiration and enthusiasm.

It’s a good combo for travel or getting a move on, for enjoying your time with others or on your own.

Mercury’s exit out of Sagittarius and into Capricorn on Saturday calls for getting it under better control. Look to Mars in Sagittarius, starting January 3, to supply fresh incentive.

J

CAPRICORN

K

AQUARIUS

L

PISCES

December 21–January 20

The Christmas Day eclipse continues in full play through Friday’s sun/Jupiter conjunction.

Mercury in Capricorn, starting Saturday, keeps you going strong too. Body, mind/plan, heart or wallet: both transits put (or keep) you on the move. Seven planets in Capricorn see you hit the ground running and keep you in powerhouse mode through the first half of January.

January 20–February 18

Friday/Saturday, a change of pace/something fresh hits the spot. Sunday/Monday, the flow is good. Low-key is your best pick for New Year’s Eve. Venus in Aquarius keeps you on a fresh battery charge through the middle of January. As of January 3, Mars in Sagittarius revs up the action and the pace. A lunar eclipse builds!

February 18–March 20

Soak it up; get your pleasure fill. The stars keep it rolling well through the end of the year. New Year’s Eve, the Pisces moon favours playing it moment to moment. Plan to hit the ground running in the second week of January. Watch for the year ahead to turn the longawaited promise into a reality. g

What does 2020 hold for you? Attend Rose’s talk on January 8. Info and tickets: rosemarcus.com/events/.

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DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 13

FOOD

Gabi & Jules serves a slice of inclusivity

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by Gail Johnson

ith its hot-pink signage and door, Gabi & Jules bakery café in Port Moody is impossible to miss, especially on a dreary, wet winter day. Inside, that vivid lipstick colour shows up on some of the walls and trim; a La Marzocco espresso machine—made by hand in Florence—has been painted the colour of Dubble Bubble gum.

There are heaps of cookies, biscotti, muffins, bars, squares, croissants, and crostadas, all crafted in the back of the homey space located at 2302B Clarke Street.

Then there are the pies that started it all three years ago.

Strawberry-ginger-peach is a signature pie; classic apple is a perennial favourite. Seasonal flavours include salted-caramel pear and chocolate-hazelnut ganache, the latter akin to Ferrero Rocher in pastry form. New this year is cranberry-orange custard: the tart berries atop turn a deep purple from baking and ooze violet-coloured juice into the creamy, citrusy filling under a thick, browned crust. It’s a dessert for which Santa would fly across rooftops.

Gabi & Jules serves up more than all-natural, buttery baked goods, however. Every order comes with a slice of inclusivity. The business is a local leader in supporting diverse abilities, with a commitment to employing people on the autism spectrum.

Lisa and Patrick Beecroft named the café after their two daughters: Juliana, who’s seven, and 11-yearold Gabriela, who has autism. Of their team of 36 people, 10 live with the developmental disorder that’s characterized by difficulty in social

Lisa Beecroft doesn’t just dish out pie; she’s also committed to employing people on the autism spectrum. Photo by Gail Johnson

interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behaviour.

The company is a member of the Presidents Group, a provincial network of business leaders championing more accessible, inclusive workplaces.

“Autism is such an isolating diagnosis,” Lisa Beecroft tells the Straight in an interview at the pie shop. “As people get older, it becomes even more so, because there’s less understanding. This is about meaningful employment. We want to see a society that sees that everyone has something to offer and every job is a valuable job. Why is the person serving you coffee seen as ‘less than’? This job is not less than. There needs to be a shift.

“At the core of it,” she adds, “it’s all about kindness and understanding and acceptance.”

It’s all about kindness and understanding and acceptance.

– Lisa Beecroft

Here are some examples of what the inclusive workplace looks like at Gabi & Jules: one of its employees who is on the spectrum is mostly nonverbal. He comes in for one hour two times a week to put together the company’s trademark pink, white, and black pie boxes. “He is so happy

when he comes here,” Beecroft says.

“He can build boxes like nobody’s business; he can do 100 an hour.

He has purpose and meaning and place—all the things that come with a job. We’re open-minded as to how we find a fit for the person.”

Another worker, the café’s dishwasher, has shown up an hour early for almost every shift since his first day, taking the bus and the SkyTrain on his lengthy commute from Surrey. “He excels,” Beecroft says. “He’s happy. For him, this is a really good job. And he’s invaluable to us.”

If solid communication skills are important in any workplace, they’re especially so in an inclusive environment: honesty, openness, and clarity are crucial.

There have been ups and downs with respect to integrating people of varying abilities into workflow and processes, Beecroft says. Although

it breaks her heart to have to turn people away who show up at her door hoping for work, Gabi & Jules is a business first, not a charity.

The small company works with job coaches through various local organizations that help workers become familiar with their role and provide guidance down the road with things like interpersonal skills. Although the Beecrofts will go to great lengths to support people who are on the autism spectrum, their employees still have to work at a certain level.

Promoting diverse abilities as a business leader is not easy, but Beecroft wouldn’t have it any other way. Besides being a personal imperative, employing people with autism also makes business sense.

“The loyalty is incredible,” she says. “There’s an appreciation for what we all take for granted, for opportunity and the job. There’s a bit of a shift happening with younger folk, too: they have a greater awareness of the world around them. They appreciate what we’re trying to do and want to be a part of that. They want to be involved and seek us out.”

For businesses seeking to make inclusion a part of their practice and culture, Beecroft says that there are many resources available to help, even if it’s a learn-as-you-go journey. “We’re always challenging ourselves: are we doing the best we can to make sure we’re walking the walk? Are we including people to the best of our ability?

“The joy that it can bring is incredible,” she adds. “We’re very blessed with having great people work for us and awesome customers. We love what we do. Plus, we get to serve pie.

Pie makes people happy, and there’s a lot of joy in that.” g

23RD Annual 23RD Annual

2020

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14 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020

#GOLDENPLATES2020

FOOD

Greet the new decade with good taste

THE 22NDAnnual 18

Celebrating

2019

2015

50 years!

by Tammy Kwan

Naam Restaurant

Golden Plate Awards Best Vegetarian 20 years running Restaurant for Winner Best a 3am meal Kitsilano Winner Best Restaurant Runner-Up Most Vegan Friendly Runner-Up Best Vegetarian

OPEN

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• Licensed • 7 Days A Week • Cozy Wood Fireplace • Heated Patio • Live Music Sunday - Thursday 7-10pm

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AFGHAN HORSEMEN RESTAURANT SINCE 1974

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Dining options for New Year’s include Yew Seafood + Bar (left; photo by Leila Kwok) and Wildebeest (photo by Jonathan Norton).

hen the clock strikes midnight on December 31, we’ll be in a new decade. If you’re looking for a place to enjoy a memorable last meal of the year, there are a number of restaurants offering multicourse menus that are often paired with bubbles, live music, and plenty of festive cheer. Here are six dining establishments with New Year’s Eve menus that will help you welcome 2020 in gourmet style.

FEAST, THE NEIGHBOURHOOD TABLE

www.vancouverdine.com/seasons/.

When: Various seating times.

Price: $75 per person, plus taxes and gratuity.

Pop your cork this New Year’s Eve

T

AFGHAN CUISINE

(845 Hornby Street) If you’re looking to enjoy a luxurious and traditional evening out on the town, the Wedgewood Hotel’s Bacchus Restaurant is the place to be. Executive chef Montgomery Lau has prepared an elaborate six-course New Year’s Eve tasting menu, which includes creations like wild mushroom and truffle risotto, chilled-poached scallop with B.C. side-stripe shrimp, maple-glazed, applewood-smoked sablefish, and slow-roasted Brant Lake Wagyu striploin. Desserts include passion-fruit white-chocolate mousse, Champagne-layered truffle cake, and festive petits fours. Wine pairings can be added for an additional cost, and reservations can be made by calling 604-608-5308.

When: Early and late seating times.

Price: $159 per person, plus taxes and gratuity.

(2423 Marine Drive, West Vancouver) This cozy bistro near Dundarave will be offering a pair of elegant New Year’s Eve dinner services on December 31.

Guests will be able to indulge in dishes like an artistically plated salmon gravlax, foie gras terrine, beef Wellington, and tiramisu with hazelnut praline. The late seating also includes a welcome cocktail, amuse bouche, chef’s selection cheese plate, and celebratory bubbles during the countdown to 2020. Wine pairings can be added for an additional cost, and reservations can be made online at YEW SEAFOOD + BAR www.feastdining.ca/.

(791 West Georgia Street) When: Seatings begin at 5 and 7:45 p.m.

It will be a bittersweet night on December 31 for Four SeaPrice: $55 to $85 per person, plus taxes and gratuity. sons Hotel Vancouver’s in-house restaurant, as it will be MAK AND MING the last time it celebrates New Year’s Eve. But, bowing out (1629 Yew Street) with a bang, Yew will be hosting two dinner services that For those who aren’t looking to celebrate NYE with big evening, with the kitchen rolling out dishes like blackcrowds in loud spaces, put this French-meets-Japanese– truffle shortbread, sea-urchin risotto, lobster mac and inspired restaurant on your radar. It will be offering an cheese, pan-roasted duck breast, honey-glazed black cod, intimate dinner on December 31, featuring six courses of and kusshi oysters. Finish off with sweets like a Manjari gourmet fare. Start off with a welcome drink and canapés 66-percent chocolate gold palet or yuzu-parfait torrone. before tasting everything from a chilled seafood platter The first seating includes complimentary bubbles and hot to acorn-squash truffled chawanmushi, and from lobster cocoa for guests, while the second features Champagne motoyaki to foie-gras ramen. Finish with a dessert that and plenty of dancing. Reservations can be made online counts white chocolate, Champagne, and sturgeon cavi- at www.yewseafood.com/. ar as ingredients. Your belly will be satisfied and you can When: Seatings begin at 5 and 9 p.m. continue with your countdown celebrations. Tickets can Price: $50 to $160 per person, plus taxes and gratuity. be purchased online at www.maknming.com/.

When: Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and dinner begins WILDEBEEST (120 West Hastings Street) promptly at 7 p.m.

It wouldn’t be a festive New Year’s Eve if you didn’t inPrice: $288 per couple. dulge in a feast, and Gastown’s Wildebeest will put food SEASONS IN THE PARK lovers at ease with its four-course dinner on the last (Queen Elizabeth Park, West 33rd Avenue) day of 2019. Known for plates made with seasonal and Tucked away in the lush surroundings of Queen Eliza- locally sourced ingredients, the celebratory meal includes beth Park, this dining spot has always been a dreamy poached Sunseeker oysters, sweet-corn tortellino, sableplace for celebrations. It will be ringing in the new dec- fish, bison flatiron, and vegetables en papillote (cooked in ade with a special feature sheet, which includes favour- a parcel, the Italian way). Satisfy your sweet tooth with a ites like lobster bisque, beef carpaccio, beef tenderloin chocolate tart or apricot Paris-Brest. Wine pairings are with prawns, pistachio-crusted sea bass, and pineapple available for an additional cost. Reservations can be made sorbet as a palate cleanser. Sweet finishes include choco- by calling 604-687-6880, and tickets can be purchased late ganache tart and white-chocolate cheesecake. Diners online at www.wildebeest.ca/. will be treated to party favours, which will likely boost When: Seatings begin at 5 p.m. the holiday cheer. Reservations can be made online at Price: $95 per person, plus taxes and gratuity. g

by Kurtis Kolt

here is no better time to pop a cork or two than New Year’s Eve! I’ve assembled a mixed case of personal favourite bottles of bubble that can be found on local shelves, for any budget you may be adhering to. This is a good time to stock up for the New Year, too, as many of these selections are being discounted at B.C. Liquor Stores through Saturday (December 28).

AWARD WINNING

BACCHUS RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE

the bar at Campagnolo Upstairs, she’ll confidently say: “I’ll have a glass of your cheapest bubbles,” as she knows this perennial pour of theirs is a killer value, fizzy and fun with lemon, lime, and a good bite of Granny Smith apple. A helluva deal on liquor-store shelves, too.

VEUVE DU VERNAY BRUT ROSÉ NV

(France; $16.99 [$15.99 through December 28], B.C. Liquor Stores) JAUME SERRA CRISTALINO CAVA A charmer that’s pretty in pink, with BRUT NV redcurrants, pink grapefruit, and a (Spain; $13.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) couple of cherries in there, too. I love Any time my wife and I sidle up to the peppery finish.

CONO SUR BRUT ROSÉ NV

(Chile; $18.99 [$15.99 through December 28], B.C. Liquor Stores) This organic Pinot Noir from the cool-climate Bio Bio region in southern Chile exudes perfumed cherries and Italian plums with juicy acidity and vibrant rhubarb notes throughout.

MEDICI ERMETE CONCERTO LAMBRUSCO REGGIANO 2017

(Italy; $19.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) Dark red fruit, black pepper, and cloves for days makes this a fun sipper

see next page

22 NDAnnual

2019

SINCE 2008

Open 7 Nights A Week from 5pm to close 1833 Anderson St. (2nd Floor) Vancouver

BEFORE THE ENTRANCE TO GRANVILLE ISLAND, RIGHT BEHIND THE STARBUCKS

For reservations visit www.afghanhorsemen.com or call 604.873.5923

> Go on-line to read hundreds of I Saw You posts or to respond to a message < ROGUE REDHEAD

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 20, 2019 WHERE: Rogue (Waterfront Station) I stopped in for a mid-day beer at Rogue by myself. You, a handsome, bearded redhead, came in with a friend and sat across from me. We left at the same time and said hello to each other, but then veered in different directions. I feel like a dummy for not stopping to chat. Let’s go to happy hour together sometime?

CANUCKS VERSUS LAS VEGAS

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 20, 2019 WHERE: Rogers Arena You were wearing a Jets jersey and sitting in the 5th row in the lower bowl. I saw you caught me looking a few times but I couldn’t help it. I was hoping you would walk by on your way out, but no such luck and I was too shy to say hello and talk to you when you were with your friend. Would love to connect!

CHRISTMAS WISH BREAKFAST

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 17, 2019 WHERE: Canada Place You: working hard for a great cause at the Christmas Wish Breakfast, wearing the SR 390 jacket. Me: Blonde, watching from the sidelines at the giant pile of toys being dismantled.

We: kept looking at each other, but I was too shy to say hello.

Would love to connect!

GUILT AND CO. DANCE PARTNER

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 17, 2019 WHERE: Guilt and Co. Gastown.

We danced together to Tambura Rasa. You kissed me but I said I just wanted to dance, that I had a broken heart. You said you did too. I want to dance with you again and get to know you. I’m sure we could help our hearts.

YOU RESCUED MY PHONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE POURING RAIN AT OLYMPIC VILLAGE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 18, 2019 WHERE: Olympic Village Station I was in a bit of a hurry and ran to make a cross walk light, little did I realize my phone flew out of my pocket and into the street.

You were apparently kind enough to run out and save my phone, then call out after me but I was too far ahead to hear.

Long story short, when I called my number you picked up and let me know where to meet you.

I feel I owe you a coffee/tea at the very least as my sincere thanks didn’t feel like enough.

Let me know what coat you were wearing when we met, so I know it’s you, and allow me to treat you for your kindness.

EXPO 86

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: AUGUST 13, 2019 WHERE: BC Pavilion Expo 86 The biggest long shot of all time - you were a hostess at the BC Pavilion at Expo 86 - I remember we shared smiles there! Later, I saw your picture in the newspaper - you were the “Smile of the day” Your name is Carol-Ann. I clipped it out and saved it. Fast forward 33 years - and I have come across the clipping I saved so long ago. Like so many other keep sakes, it is time to clean house - but - in the outside chance you may see this - look me up!

COKE AND STRIPPERS

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 12, 2019 WHERE: The Portside Pub Hi! You are an engineer in Gastown and we had a great chat about strippers, old dudes who watch it, the No5 Orange, nude beaches, culinary skills, dancing (among other things) over an extra rum and coke you ordered while you were out with colleagues. I regret not getting your number! Let me buy you another rum n coke :) :) :)

CUTE BLONDE ELECTRICIAN

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 16, 2019 WHERE: DT - Pender St You were working in my lobby.

We smiled twice at each other. I blushed both times and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Went back to say hi, you were gone.

Maybe you’ll be back to fix the lights? *Breaks all the lights*

PORTSIDE PUB RUM N EXOTIC PRINCESS FLYING INTO FIRECRUST

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 7, 2019 WHERE: Firecrust Pizza on Davie St and Howe St Woah girl... slow down. You, gorgeous petite, dark haired goddess dressed in all black.

Not sure if you are Latina or Middle Eastern but man, you were stunning. I saw you running from across the street, not sure if you were coming out of work or what but you were so fast. You kinda had a funny run, but it was really endearing. You ran so fast in to the joint to grab your Margarita pizza and you ran out again but not with out smiling at me with those big beautiful brown eyes... I was the tall, dark haired, dressed in a suit grabbing my lunch as well. I fly between here and NYC a few times a month. I would love to take you for pizza and wine.

WAITING FOR THE BATHROOM AT UNCLE ABE’S

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: NOVEMBER 8, 2019 WHERE: Uncle Abe’s We talked while we were waiting in line for the washroom.

You let me go ahead of you.

You were tall, dark hair, with an accent. I have long brunette hair and I was wearing a striped sweater. I was on a date with someone else. I said I was worried he was too hot for me. Well he was boring, but you weren’t. If you see this I’d love to get a drink.

Visit straight.com to post your FREE I Saw You _ DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 15

be available at the winery or the odd to go along with cheese, charcuterie, restaurant around town. A cult faand assorted salty snacks. vourite with British Columbian wine enthusiasts, I love the toasty brioche GRUET BLANC DE NOIRS NV notes, Asian pear, and kiss of buck(U.S.A.; $30.99 [$24.97 through wheat honey.

December 28], B.C. Liquor Stores) With 75 percent Pinot Noir, 25 per- KITSCH BLANC DE BLANCS 2016 cent Chardonnay, and 100 percent of (B.C.; $39, kitschwines.ca) the fruit from New Mexico, this wine Winemaker Grant Biggs’s first foray rewards those willing to wander off into sparkling wine is a winner. Aged the beaten path. Fresh-baked sour- on the lees for two years, this Chardough, marmalade, and Tahitian donnay exhibits a fine toasty character, vanilla bean are all woven together with plenty of fresh lime, lemon, jasmine, and a nice hunk of young pinewell. Creamy, elegant, damn tasty. apple. Available winery-direct but also CALMEL & JOSEPH BLANQUETTE at local shops like Firefly Fine Wines DE LIMOUX BRUT NV and Ales for a few bucks more.

(France; $28.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) From the Languedoc region in south- DAMES BRUT 2017 ern France comes this stunner of (B.C.; $44 to $49, private wine stores) a wine, predominantly made from Drink for a cause! This combo of Mauzac. What? Nope, not that cheesy organic Pinot Blanc and Riesling elevator music but a grape indigenous bursts with peaches, apples, and to the region, carrying zippy notes plenty of fresh lime. Proceeds go of Granny Smith apple, guava, and to the B.C. chapter of Les Dames quince. Steeped in clay and lime- d’Escoffier, which supports food and stone, the vines produce gorgeous beverage education through scholarfruit that goes well with the lovely ships for women in B.C. Available at hazelnut and marzipan notes coming Liberty Wine Merchants on Commercial Drive, Viti Wine and Lager, from the time spent on lees. and other private stores. from previous page

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir spends four years on the lees, so fans of that fresh-baked-bread/croissanty thing in their sparklings will no doubt adore this wine. Along with orchard and citrus fruit; a really dig the good dose of fresh jasmine in here, too.

PIERRE PAILLARD “LES PARCELLES” BOUZY GRAND CRU EXTRA BRUT NV

(France; $67.99 [$62.99 through December 28], B.C. Liquor Stores) This is one of those value-comes-atany-price scenarios; holy shit, I love this wine! Ticks all the boxes for what we want in fine Champagne.

Toasty? Check. Nutty? Check. Bright fruit? Check. Fine bubbles? Check.

Tasty? Hell, yeah!

KRUG GRANDE CUVÉE NV

(France; $285.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) Yep, the splurge. The scoop they share on their website says it all: “A blend of more than 120 wines from ten or more different years. Its exceptional finesse is the result of a stay of at least another six years in the cellars.

Around twenty years are needed to craft each bottle of Krug grande cuROAD 13 SPARKLING CHENIN vée.” So, yeah, it’s gonna be pricey.

BENJAMIN BRIDGE MÉTHODE BLANC 2015 Think gardenia flowers, marzipan, (B.C.; $39.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) CLASSIQUE BRUT 2013 nougat, Honeycrisp apples, starfruit, From vines planted in 1968 (!) this (Nova Scotia; $47.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) Meyer lemon, mango, pizazz, and unicorn of a local wine used to only East Coast represent! This blend of celebration. g

16 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020

arts

Infinity unravels our relationship to time

A

by Janet Smith

lbert Einstein once called time a “stubbornly persistent illusion”, but tell that to a busy playwright who’s juggling deadlines for TV scripts and stage openings with parenting a four-year-old-boy.

“I’m in an insane relationship with time as a mother—this agonized relationship with time,” writer Hannah Moscovitch laments with a laugh, speaking to the Straight from her Halifax home before her show Infinity opens here after the holidays.

“This work-life balance: I was like, ‘What the fuck is everybody complaining about?’ Until I had to do it.

“I mean, if I don’t work less I will wreck his childhood. So it’s not like a theoretical ideal that I should have work-life balance,” she continues, sounding as self-effacing, funny, and candidly introspective as some of her best-known female stage characters.

And then she reflects more seriously, “Writing Infinity gave me the chance to grapple with that. And now I’m in a constant existential relationship with time; I’m constantly thinking about it. Time is intricately linked to death, they’re inevitably linked. When you come back to time you come back to death.”

Spending years diving into the abstract theme has clearly given minutes and hours new meaning for Moscovitch. These days, she is wellknown in the theatre scene across the country. In Vancouver, productions of her smart and sometimes dark-edged works, like Little One, The Russian Play, and East of Berlin, have won high praise; in 2016, she even saw her Bunny premiere at Ontario’s Stratford Festival. Infinity dates back a little before her rise, and it was six years in the making. As she quips, “The irony is that it did take us a long time to develop it—and the title became a joke.”

The process reflects her ability to delve into deep study to build stories on subjects she’s not familiar with— a knack she credits to her upbringing by an Ottawa economics-professor

Amy Rutherford and Jonathon Young play a violinist and a physicist who have a rocky partnership in Infinity. Photos by Dahlia Katz

father and a researcher mother.

In 2008, Ross Manson, artistic director, of Toronto’s Volcano Theatre, approached Moscovitch with an article in Harper’s magazine about the history of timekeeping, with the idea of commissioning her to write on the theme. Moscovitch went on to read Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe, in which American theoretical physicist Lee Smolin, of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario, challenges Einstein’s idea of time as illusion.

With Manson’s help, she would go on to meet Smolin as she worked on her play, turning to him as an expert source on the science she was trying to convey in her story. Along the way, she formed a friendship with the man

Time is intricately linked to death, they’re inevitably linked.

– playwright Hannah Moscovitch

she was once intimidated to meet.

“Oddly enough, while all the specifics are different about what we do, some of the generals are the same,” she explains. “We have no language

in common, but we really enjoy hanging out with each other. There’s a critical endeavour in both of our work that is thought-based, and we both very much live in our minds.”

In the resulting script, which won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for best new play after it debuted in Toronto in 2015, she interweaves two stories. One focuses on the brilliant young mathematician Sarah Jean (played here by Emily Jane King), who’s been diverting her fear of emotional intimacy into a string of unsatisfying sexual hookups. The other follows the rocky relationship between a physicist (Jonathon Young) and a violinist (Amy Rutherford). The characters have epiphanies about what time might mean to their lives, playing with concepts of whether or not it might actually exist—with all

references to quantum physics vetted

by Smolin for accuracy.

“Physicists can never get women— like, they never get laid on TV or in a movie,” Moscovitch adds of Young’s character. “So the main character here was really good with women.”

Just as she had to work with a physics expert, Moscovitch drew on the knowledge of Njo Kong Kie, who composed the violin score for the show— especially to understand the complex way time works in music.

Infinity took almost seven years to build, but looking back, Moscovitch doesn’t see it as overly daunting—especially when compared with the research she had just completed previous to it, for 2011’s This Is War, about the conflict in Afghanistan and the psychological toll of combat.

“That level of research was so extreme, like years,” she relates. “So after that I was inoculated.”

Moscovitch continues to take on stage projects, even as she watches new demands and deadlines roll in for her TV scripts—as she describes it, madly writing in the hours her son is at daycare. Her theatre work continues to make it across the country: from January 24 to 26 and 28 to 30, her celebrated new Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story, a klezmer-driven cocreation with Ben Caplan and Toronto’s 2b theatre company, hits the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. One might assume the increasing work not only puts ever more pressure on her time, but also adds to the burden of high expectations that now surround her output.

She laughs heartily at the suggestion.

“I write by myself in my sweatpants in Halifax. I have to remind myself there’s expectations!” she says. “Because I live in the middle of nowhere, it never feels like it matters what I do.”

Or perhaps there is just no time, real or illusory, to stop and consider it. g The Cultch and Volcano Theatre present Infinity at the Cultch Historic Theatre from January 7 to 19.

Maestro finds magic in Nutcracker music

E

by Janet Smith

dmonton-based maestro Peter Dala is doing some quick math in his head to estimate the number of times he’s taken the podium for Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s lush, sweeping score for The Nutcracker.

He goes back to his first one, as a young conductor in Switzerland in 1984, and methodically makes his way up to the past 19 years of leading the orchestra for Alberta Ballet’s nearannual production of the classic.

“It’s pushing up to over 400,” he concludes matter-of-factly, speaking to the Straight from Calgary, where the troupe is staging its Fabergé-pretty, Imperial Russia–set rendition before heading to the West Coast after Christmas.

If Dala’s last name sounds familiar in Vancouver’s classical scene, it’s because Peter is brother to Leslie, who, as coincidence would have it, is now conducting the Goh Ballet rendition of The Nutcracker. But he says there’s no rivalry here; in fact, Peter Dala makes it a sort of holiday tradition to visit with his sibling’s family when he travels here with Alberta Ballet. He plays down the extraordinariness of two brothers excelling in such a specialized field, pointing to a long tradition of conductor brothers—including the great violinist Isaac Stern’s sons Michael and David.

What perhaps most sets the Alberta Ballet version apart from the one his brother’s overseeing, and others, is its setting. Dala says he draws a lot of inspiration from that ornate, frosty world of onion domes and Cossack soldiers. “It’s been moved to Imperial Russia, which is where Tchaikovsky is from as well,

I’m taking it all in. I don’t keep my head in the score.

– conductor Peter Dala

The conductor draws visual inspiration from Alberta Ballet’s snowy, Russian rendition.

and it gives it such grandeur,” Dala explains.

“It’s so beautiful in the first act with the snow scene....I’m taking it all in. I don’t keep my head in the score.”

Likewise, he has to be watchful of the dancers. Cueing fluttering footwork has become a specialty of his, ever since his early days as a pianist for the Royal Ballet School.

“I’m always watching them,” he explains.

“There are lots of places where I would call it a conversation going back and forth between the stage and myself.”

Are we talking eye contact? “Absolutely!

Sometimes they look right down at me.”

As you can probably imagine, Dala has had a lot of years to dig into the history and textures of Tchaikovsky’s score—one that’s become ubiquitous at this time of year. The maestro traces its popularity back to Walt Disney’s animated Fantasia in the 1940s. Without

a doubt, the gorgeous live music, from the rapt wonder of the “Waltz of the Flowers” harps and winds to the cascading strings of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince’s pas de deux, is what draws many audience members out to the show during the holidays.

But he’s quick to point out that the ballet and its music weren’t always so popular. Through his historical research, he’s discovered that Tchaikovsky struggled to compose the score, following as it did on the heels of the wildly successful Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake.

In 1892, when The Nutcracker premiered at Christmastime at St. Petersburg’s famed Mariinsky Theatre, it was met with some derision.

“The critics weren’t very impressed,” Dala reports, adding they had trouble reconciling the “earthly” first half, featuring the family’s Yuletide party scenes, with the magical second act.

One of the score’s most significant innovations was the use of the celeste, an instrument created by Auguste Mustel in 1886—a keyboard in which hammers hit metal plates instead of strings, as in a piano. Tchaikovsky discovered it en route through Paris to America.

“He thought it would be absolutely perfect for the Sugar Plum variations,” Dala says, referring to the famed sequence in the second act. “It had this tinkling quality, this beautiful ringing that sounds a bit like a glockenspiel.

And it was the first time anyone outside of France had heard it.”

Listen for the celeste as Vancouver Symphony Orchestra members play the variations for the Alberta Ballet shows here. Those kinds of touches are what help make the music so special. But for Dala, who has seen so many soldiers, princes, and Sugar Plum Fairies dance across the stage, there is one other huge factor that gives this ballet its staying power.

“I would have to say one of the reasons that it has been so successful is because it includes children,” he says of the droves of local kids who join the pro dancers on-stage. And then there are the youngsters in the audience, poking their wee heads over the pit to look down at the orchestra at intermission. “Who knows? It might just inspire them to pursue music,” Dala says. They might even be able to spot the celeste. g Ballet BC presents Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from Saturday to Monday (December 28 to 30).

DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 17

ARTS LISTINGS ONGOING

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14

THE SOUND OF MUSIC Romantic musical about a young woman who takes a governess position with a large family and falls for the widowed father. To Jan 5, Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. From $39.

EAST VAN PANTO: PINOCCHIO When a lonely old ice-cream vendor is given a puppet by the mysterious Beckwoman of Commercial Drive, his dreams of having a child suddenly come true. To Jan 5, York Theatre. From $26.

HOLIDAY AT THE ELBOW ROOM CAFÉ Zee Zee Theatre presents a holiday tribute to Vancouver’s iconic eatery. To Dec 29, Historic Theatre. From $26.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE Patrick Street Productions presents a new musical based on the screenplay by Frank Capra. To Jan 5, Anvil Centre. From $29.

PETER PAN Adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s classic tale reimagines Peter Pan for the new millennium. To Jan 5, Waterfront Theatre. $18-35.

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY A comic holiday play with classic Jane Austen charm. To Jan 4, Granville Island Stage.

From $29.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT Reimagining of the biblical story of Joseph, Jacob, and the coat of many colours. To Dec 31, Gateway Theatre. $29-55.

LUZIA Cirque du Soleil presents a poetic and acrobatic ode to the culture of Mexico. To Dec 29, Under the Grand Chapiteau (Big Top), Concord Pacific Place. $39-270.

MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT UBC aIN A DIFFERENT LIGHT: REFLECTING ON NORTHWEST COAST ART to summer 2020 aPLAYING WITH FIRE: CERAMICS OF THE EXTRAORDINARY to Mar 29 VANCOUVER ART GALLERY aVIKKY ALEXANDER: EXTREME BEAUTY to Jan 26 aROBERT RAUSCHENBERG 1965–1980 to Jan 26 aTRANSITS AND RETURNS to Feb 23 aCINDY SHERMAN to Mar 8 aRAPTURE, RHYTHM AND THE TREE OF LIFE: EMILY CARR AND HER FEMALE CONTEMPORARIES to Jun 28

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT YUK YUK’S New Year’s Eve comedy show. Dec 31, 10 pm, Yuk Yuk’s Vancouver. $52.44.

NEW YEAR’S EVE 2019 WITH VTS Vancouver TheatreSports’ improvised New Year’s Eve show. Dec 31, 11:15 pm, Improv Centre.

From $38.25.

THE WONDERWOMBS New Zealand’s Dust Palace presents a feminist circus party for adults. Warning: explicit language, nudity, sexual content, strobe and smoke effects. Jan 14-19, York Theatre. From $26.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26 2019 YEAR IN REVIEW Improvised comedy based on 2019 headlines. Dec 26-31, Improv Centre. From $10.75.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27 JACOB SAMUEL Canadian comedian performs two nights of standup. Dec 27-28, Yuk Yuk’s Vancouver. $20/22.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29 CAG SUNDAY AFTERNOON TOURS Afternoon tour of the gallery’s current exhibitions.

Dec 29, 3 pm, Contemporary Art Gallery. Free.

“A JEWEL OF A PERFORMANCE.”

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1 SALUTE TO VIENNA New Year’s concert brings the music of Johann Strauss to life with European singers, ballroom dancers, and ballet. Jan 1, 2:30-5 pm, Orpheum Theatre.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2 CAG THURSDAY LUNCH TIME TOURS Join assistant curator Julia Lamare for a tour of the current exhibitions. Jan 2, 12:30 pm, Contemporary Art Gallery. Free.

2020 YEAR OF PREDICTIONS Vancouver TheatreSports presents a comedic look at the news that might be. Jan 2-4, 7:30 pm, Improv Centre. From $10.75.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5 THE ANXIETY SHOW: F*$% NEW YEARS AND ALL ITS RESOLUTIONS Variety altcomedy show focused on mental health. Jan 5, 8 pm, Kino Cafe. By donation.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 7 INFINITY Comedy-drama about love, sex, and math. Jan 7-19, Historic Theatre. From $26.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8 TEEN COMEDY JAM WITH BLIND TIGER COMEDY Teens perform with professional comedians. Jan 8, 7-9 pm, Little Mountain Gallery. Free.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10 WEN WEI DANCE STUDIO SHOWING Dance Centre artist in residence Wen Wei Wang shares excerpts from his latest work in an informal studio showing. Jan 10, 4 pm, Scotiabank Dance Centre. Free.

TEEN ANGST NIGHT Sara Bynoe hosts a comedic reading series where brave souls share their teenage notebooks. Jan 10, 8-10 pm, Fox Cabaret. $12-15.

ARTISANAL INTELLIGENCE Comedy with new music about robots and hipsters. Jan 14-18, 7:30-8:30 pm, Havana Theatre. $17/15.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17 THE COMIC STRIPPERS A fictitious male stripper troupe played by a cast of improvisational comedians. Jan 17, 8 pm, Centennial Theatre. $44.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18 TEXTILE ART WORKSHOP WITH AY LELUM Join the Ay Lelum family for an afternoon of Coast Salish textile art, music, and history. Jan 18, 1-5 pm, Museum of Vancouver. $100/90.

MONDAY, JANUARY 20 EAT THE RICH COMEDY SHOW Cheap comedy about how it sucks being broke. Jan 20, 8 pm, Fox Cabaret. $10.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21 PUSH INTERNATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL Annual interdisciplinary arts fest features 27 works from 24 companies, including six world premieres by local artists.

Jan 21–Feb 9, various Vancouver venues.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22 UNIKKAAQTUAT New multidisciplinary work celebrates Inuit culture, traditions, and vision for the future. Jan 22-25, Vancouver Playhouse. From $20.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23 BERLIN: THE LAST CABARET City Opera Vancouver presents the world premiere of the political satire. Jan 23-25, Performance Works.

NOISES OFF Farce about the egos and insecurities of a second-tier acting troupe putting on a show. Jan 23–Feb 23, Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. From $29.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11

SKYBORN Musqueam/Sto:lo visual storytelling and animation combined with interIndigenous sound and puppetry. Jan 23–Feb 1, 7:30-9 pm, Historic Theatre. From $26.

HOUSE AND HOME A comedic take on Vancouver’s current housing crisis. Jan 11-25, Firehall Arts Centre. From $20.

BEOWULF: THE EPIC IN PERFORMANCE Benjamin Bagby dramatizes the poem in the original Anglo-Saxon. Jan 11, 7:30 pm, Vancouver Playhouse. From $36.

ARTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit events 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.

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Scan to confess Don’t Judge Unless...

I just spent the afternoon volunteering for a DTES charity...I do this all year round..not just the holidays...spent hours in the rain walking Hastings handing out hot beverages to warm everybody up...everyone we approached was respectful, kind and considerate even with... (con’t @straight.com)

Unwrap new memories this holiday season! presents Alberta Ballet

The Nutcracker CHOREOGRAPHY

Edmund Stripe

COMPOSER

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Accompanied live by Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Tickets from $29

What it feels like A cold, dark, slippery-sided hole where light never falls. Pervaded only by thoughts of self-loathing, anxiety and shame. It swallows hope, laughter and love. This is depression. Now is the season it hunts us. Ruthlessly. If you know someone, be patient.

Don’t talk, just listen with compassion. Just be present.

My roommate is always at home I don’t know what to do. Having 2 days of alone time a month (less... because it’s part of a days) is not enough. I need to stay away from him/her/sker/per/ler/ner/fur/dur/grrr/rrrrr/ seeer/sirrr, etc. I decided to use all the genders so she could not identify this message.

Touch screens

Dec 28 29 – 1:00pm & 6:30pm Dec 30 – 1:00pm

I really f-ing hate them! Including the one in my car, my phone, and this one on my tablet. Hate them! Give me a tactile button, or a proper keyboard and mouse any day! F-ing annoying technology.

Queen Elizabeth Theatre balletbc.com

Just watched Star Trek

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T ! are C A STsses ut!

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WRITTEN BY HANNAH MOSCOVITCH DIRECTED BY ROSS MANSON MUSIC BY NJO KONG KIE STARRING AMY RUTHERFORD, EMILY JANE KING, JONATHON YOUNG & VIOLINIST ANDRÉA TYNIEC

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DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 19

movies

Once upon a time at the picture show Our critics look back at the best cinema had to offer in 2019, on screens both big and small

by Ken Eisner, Adrian Mack, Janet Smith

Bong Joon-ho’s class-war horror-comedy Parasite got the vote from two of our three movie-loving experts (left), as did Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, starring an impressive Awkwafina (top right). The same goes for Eddie Murphy’s deeply affectionate tribute to Rudy Ray Moore, Dolemite Is My Name (bottom left), and Jia Zhangke’s decades-spanning gangster love story, Ash Is Purest White (bottom right).

I

t was a year that saw an uncanny triangulation, with Martin Scorsese passionately dismissing superhero movies not long after Todd Phillips’s Taxi Driver/King of Comedy–“influenced” Joker walked off with the best-film award at Venice (fucking what?). That comic book side-fart featured a career-worst performance from an arthritic Robert De Niro, who then—having been rendered into a CGI grotesque—delivered one of his career-best performances in Scorsese’s The Irishman.

Meanwhile, profitwise, Avengers: Endgame murdered both of them. Let this be the story of cinema in 2019.

Which is also TV. (It’s complicated.)

As ever, our critics at the Georgia Straight tried to rise above the fray.

Here’s what we loved this year: KEN EISNER d THIS YEAR was packed with almost-there movies that didn’t quite make the grade. (Looking at you, Little Women and Uncut Gems.) There were too many political documentaries (like Watergate and Where’s My Roy Cohn?) and musical profiles (Linda Ronstadt and Miles Davis, for two) to properly funnel down the nonfiction flicks. Some features had better supporting players than stories, such as The Irishman’s Joe Pesci, plus Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers, and Brad Pitt in that Tarantino thing—all of whom also helped produce. The 10 below had enough firepower to cross the December finish line and/or stay in memory for many months.

PARASITE

Few foreign-language movies make as big a splash as this stylish South Korean winner, which takes a Jordan Peele–ish creepazoid torch to director Bong Joon-ho’s class-stratified country, delivering big laughs and spooky scares along the way.

DOLEMITE IS MY NAME Actually, Eddie Murphy’s his name, but in this spectacularly entertaining comeback, the famed comic largely submerges his ego to pay super witty tribute to a rustic forebear, and to an era of cinematic innovation that still holds thrills.

PAIN & GLORY Pedro Almodóvar looks back over his long career, and longer life, to reexamine the obses-

sions that made him a great filmmaker in the first place. Antonio Banderas does some of his most controlled work as the pill-popping alter ego to this glorious director, still feeling his way on-screen.

MARRIAGE STORY Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are up for all the awards as a loving couple sailing blindly toward divorce in Noah Baumbach’s tense, funny, and sometimes self-indulgent exhumation of one modern marriage and the divorce-industrial complex.

Densely written and highly theatrical, it also has a sharp sense of cinematic fluidity.

MADEMOISELLE DE JONCQUIÈRES

Also known as Lady J, this instant classic is based on a novel by Denis Diderot, a leading Enlightenment figure who wrote Dangerous Liaisons– type novels and plays about 18thcentury mores of the French upper crust. Belgian-born Cecile de France is outstanding as a landed lady who gains her true love and then loses the cad to a mademoiselle who’s not what she seems. Seek it out!

VARDA BY AGNÈS French new-waver Agnès Varda had an unexpected late renaissance with Faces Places. She then managed to cap everything by directing her own clip-happy retrospective of a stunning, six-decade THE FAREWELL In which comedy- career before dying this year, at age minded Awkwafina (Google the 90. La Bonheur, indeed. video “My Vagina”) plays it straight as a New York 20-something forced to reexamine her family history, and JANET SMITH future, on a visit to China, to spend time with her dying grandmother. d TWO THREE-HOUR odysseys That sounds like a downer, but direc- plus three Mandarin-language feator Lulu Wang’s sophomore feature tures plus two Netflix productions plus three genre-defying mindis clever, heartfelt, and uplifting. blowers add up to 2019. Hard to say THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE A sharp what that means for 2020, beyond second outing for twist-minded Riley the inevitable rise in streaming and a Stearns, this overlooked no-budget possible surge in long-winded movgem stars Jesse Eisenberg as a dweeby ies, but read on. office worker who signs up for a martial-arts course taught by Alessandro PARASITE For those who like their Nivola’s clearly insane sensei. That black comedy acid-strength, a social move is both the mistake and the re- satire that suddenly shifts gears into demption of his life. Imogen Poots is horror-thriller mode. Ace South Koterrific as the only female intruder in rean director Bong Joon-ho is at his fearless peak, rolling out gloriously this faux-macho realm. over-the-top visual metaphors— ASH IS PUREST WHITE There’s been squalid basements, glowing teepees, a raft of smart indie movies from and water, water everywhere—as relatively young Chinese filmmakers adeptly as his critique of class disparlately, and this one, by Jia Zhangke ity in the 21st century. Electrifying (who also brought us Still Life and and deeply unnerving.

A Touch of Sin), jumps through two decades to follow one woman’s tor- THE FAREWELL Lulu Wang’s funnymented love for a low-rate gangster— sad story about a Chinese family that all against the background of a fast- hides the truth about a grandmother’s cancer diagnosis isn’t just about saychanging China. ing goodbye to your nai-nai. Intently WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY Molly focused on the 20-something Billi (a Shannon is not your grandmother’s beautifully unaffected Awkwafina), Emily Dickinson, with the New The Farewell gets at that indescribEngland poet’s creative struggle able ache that comes from letting go and well-documented affair with of your childhood and losing what her sister-in-law reimagined, with you always considered “home”. deft modern touches, by confidently iconoclastic director Madeleine JOJO RABBIT Huge risks come with Olnek. (For context, her previous even bigger payoffs in a film that features were The Foxy Merkins and somehow manages to be both one of Codependent Lesbian Space Alien the funniest and most moving of the year. Taika Waititi’s deliriously abSeeks Same.)

20 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020

surdist story about hate and wartime works where Life Is Beautiful was cringe-inducing. He dances a razor’s edge of comic farce and tragedy— Adolf Hitler as a goofy imaginary friend?!—but, with huge help from Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell, centres it all in a message of kindness.

dread that you start to think of Stanley Kubrick or Roman Polanski—without their aversion to gore.

In the hands of the writer-director, a Scandinavian cult’s pastoral setting is a little too emerald-green, the shrooms are a bit too strong, and, hey, what’s that hair in the meat pie?

MARRIAGE STORY Believe it or not, even amid the ugliest divorces, spouses can retain a fondness for each other—right down to their untied shoelaces. As Alan Alda says in one of the movie’s many brilliant lines, “Divorce lawyers see good people at their worst.” The implosion that happens to the genuinely decent couple here feels like an experience that could only have been lived.

Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson’s powerful performances are backed up by colourful supporting characters—a lawyer who kicks off her heels to snuggle up to her client, or a social worker who sits blankfaced as Driver’s dad loses his shit.

Painfully real.

SHADOW Because death umbrellas with flying dagger blades. It’s hard not to be a sucker for Zhang Yimou’s insanely choreographed martial-arts epic—washed in the dream-world grey tones of a Chinese watercolour landscape. Bring on the battling zither masters and evil doppelgängers.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN… HOLLYWOOD Quentin Tarantino’s out-

sized ode to a lost era operates as both a dazzling period piece and a revenge story to rank with Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained.

Amid the many tangents, Brad Pitt gives the performance of his career, with not much dialogue beyond a smirk. Above all, it’s a popcorn ONE CHILD NATION Nanfu Wang movie—one that brashly allows us and Jialing Zhang’s documentary to rewrite American history, even if works not just as a powerful personal just for a moment. reckoning with one woman’s family, but as that rarity in our times: dogged LITTLE WOMEN You can only get investigative journalism. Almost away with this kind of feminist reeveryone has heard of China’s one- framing of a classic when you have child policy, which ran from 1979 to such a loving appreciation for the 2015, but no one’s exposed the impli- spirit of the book—and the smarts to cations of it in such damning human back it up. Helped by Saoirse Ronan’s detail. It sounds an alarm about both clear-eyed performance as the everthe power of mass indoctrination and unkempt Jo March, Greta Gerwig the corruption that can drive “popu- finds a fresh way to speak to women’s ambitions in Louisa May Alcott’s lation control” experiments. time, while expressing the importTHE IRISHMAN Okay, so the digital ance of sisterhood today. de-aging is occasionally distracting.

But only Martin Scorsese could pull off a sprawling epic like this—cover- ADRIAN MACK ing Teamsters, Cuba, JFK, the Mob— distilling it all through a lonely old d MY CRITERIA for choosing this man staring into the abyss. The direc- year’s favourites remain as simple tor’s exploration of morality and mor- as they always have been. Did I see tality reads like the culmination of his it? Did I love the shit out of it? Does entire career—and the countdown of anything else really matter? his own clock. The richly designed settings, which conjure a time when IN FABRIC Director Peter Strickshootouts took place in barber shops land regularly reworks his oband nightclubs had tables with little sessions into wild, high-concept lamps on them, are the added bonus. genre-benders. Here, a cursed red dress makes life miserable for MIDSOMMAR Call it folk-horror, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, while we call it pagan nightmare: whatever- find ourselves ravished by the mix the-hell genre it is that Ari Aster of period British hauntology and has concocted here, the dude is such ’70s-vintage Eurosleaze. Taschen see next page a master at creepy, slow-building

MOVIES

should make a big expensive book tating portrait of a young woman fraught with emotional-health issues out of this movie. or it’s 2019’s blackest comedy. Either DOLEMITE IS MY NAME Eddie way, Deragh Campbell is responsible Murphy’s valedictory lap is just one for some of the most painfully honest of the great things about this deep- moments we saw on-screen this year, ly affectionate, endlessly hilarious made even more remarkable when evocation of the ’70s blaxploitation you realize that Kazik Radwanski’s Vancouver’s only Italian Film Festival beautifully mingles old with new game at its absolute lowest. It’s no movie was assembled in bits and

by Adrian Mack classic, but it does have titties and pieces over two years for a handful he Italian Film Festival is kung-fu. of pennies. distinguished once again by DARK SUNS Lifting the lid on 40 SYNONYMS This sexy item folits thoughtful curation. New years of silent cooperation between lows a young Israeli as he wends titles play alongside old clascartels, human traffickers, and offi- his way through Paris, eventually sics and restored masterpieces, Fedecials on both sides of the border, this falling into a love triangle in one of rico Fellini shows up at least once, Canadian doc might be the defin- the film’s many swoony callbacks to and the IFF’s programmers aren’t itive word on the lawless hell brought the French new wave. He’s trying to afraid to colour outside the lines of down on Mexico by the drug war. shake off that old IDF feeling, but conventional good taste, making It’s also a reminder that an unspeak- Navid Lapiv’s witty and unpredict- room this year for three fabulously able nightmare is repurposed into able screenplay keeps him thwarted overwrought samples of the giallo— TV and movie entertainment every- and us beguiled. a nasty genre where lowbrow meets where north of Ciudad Juárez. high style, usually with a knife.

THE IRISHMAN/ROLLING THUNThe festival returns for its sevTHE BEACH BUM Harmony Kor- DER REVUE: A BOB DYLAN STORY enth edition at the Vancity Theatre ine’s blackout nihilism meets the BY MARTIN SCORSESE It’s cheat- on January 3 with an opening-night full McConaughey (Matthew, that ing, sure, but this was Scorsese’s gala presentation of The Champion, is) in this tale of a man so bliss- year and these films are related, Leonardo D’Agostini’s guaranteed Andrea Carpenzano stars as a brilliant but troubled soccer player in The Champion, fully wasted that he achieves a state both being built on slippery deceits crowdpleaser about a talented if which opens the seventh Italian Film Festival at the Vancity Theatre in early 2020. of grace (and wins a Pulitzer). No and mythomania, both achieving troubled footballer and the humble American actor went further out essential truths. One is a haunting man assigned to knock him into us Corleone, Mosco Boucault’s LA DOLCE VITA It’s been 60 years since this year, no film risked so much in renunciation of the gangster film shape. Other new flicks include an exhaustive look at the implosion Jesus helicoptered over Rome and pursuit of so very little. Passionately itself, and an acknowledgment that Italian reworking of Jack London’s (sometimes explosion, for the really an enchanted Marcello Mastroianni Murder Inc. is the client of pow- Martin Eden and the cross-cultural unlucky ones) of the Sicilian mafia watched as Anita Ekberg waded into free, and completely nuts. ers—earthly and otherwise—more romcom Bangla, in which a Bengali in the late ’80s. For those still jones- the Trevi Fountain—while an equally PETERLOO Mike Leigh’s meticu- vast than any puny mafia. The Muslim finds his will tested by a ing for some post-Irishman gangster enchanted world audience beheld one lous staging of the events leading to other rescues and reconstitutes young Italian woman played by Car- opera, here’s the epic treatment of of the defining works of 20th-century the Peterloo Massacre of 1819—an an artist after decades of being lotta Antonelli. Here are a few more turncoat Tommaso Buscetta’s story, cinema. It’s on the big screen. You act of state violence against the poor trapped inside murky VHS dubs of of the Straight’s recommendations: courtesy of veteran director Marco really need any more encouragement? that still isn’t commemorated in the Renaldo and Clara. Up to and inBellocchio and featuring a Q&A (January 6 and 8) U.K. school curriculum—is made cluding the film’s tissue of lies and BLOOD AND BLACK LACE Direc- with consul general of Italy Fabio TOMMASO Willem Dafoe stars as a only more vital (and heartbreaking) fake-outs, was anything else this tor Mario Bava’s inestimable inf lu- Messineo. (January 4) wild-man American filmmaker tryin the wake of that crushing election year so energetically fun as Rolling ence on subsequent generations of two weeks ago.

Thunder Revue? Has Dylan ever your favourite filmmakers (Quen- ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST ing to maintain his sobriety and keep tin Tarantino and Brian De Palma In 2019 the IFF presented the full- his young family together in Rome. looked this possessed?

HAGAZUSSA Thick with dread and among them) can be traced back to length restoration of Once Upon a If that sounds familiar, it’s probably achieving a kind of ancient folk- ASH IS PUREST WHITE By turns a handful of campy horror f licks, Time in America. In 2020 we get because Dafoe stars with the wife psychedelia, this Austrian feature whimsical, melancholy, and baffling, including 1960’s Black Sunday and Sergio Leone’s 1968 masterpiece, a and child of wild-man American about sorcery, madness, and prac- Jia Zhangke gives us the world and this riot of murder and perverse towering summation of the spaghetti filmmaker Abel Ferrera in what tical magic in medieval Europe more in a super attenuated gangster eroticism from 1964, in which a western by its greatest purveyor, fea- amounts to a glorified home movie makes The Witch look like an epi- epic/love story that becomes some- black-clad stalker kills his way turing Jason Robards, Claudia Car- by the exiled director. (No really, it sode of Scooby-Doo. Avoid if baby- thing quite different 140 minutes through a psychedelically lit fash- dinale, a harmonica-playing Charles was partly shot at his house). Ferrara later. References to John Woo’s The ion house. (January 3 and 8) eating isn’t your bag.

Bronson, and an astonishing Henry has never made a boring film—this Killer, the songs of the Village People, Fonda letting rip as the meanest son semi-improvised effort, his first narANNE AT 13,000 FT Depending on trickster UFOs, depthless and eternal THE TRAITOR This year’s DOXA of a bitch who ever wore black. (Janu- rative feature in five years, will be no your angle, this is either a devas- sorrow—it’s all here! g Documentary Film Festival brought ary 4 and 9) different. (January 9) g

A champion among film fests

T

DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 21

MOVIES 21

MIDGE URE

JAN

NEW YEAR’S METAL WINTERFEST NEW YEAR’S METAL WINTERFEST

BOWIE BALL 2020

5 TH ANNUAL FUNDRAISER CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF DAVID BOWIE (PROCEEDS TO THE BC CANCER RESEARCH)

24

JAN

25

JAN

16

EMMET KIRWAN

WITH SPECIAL

JAN

17

KING KHAN & BBQ SHOW WITH ACID

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GUESTS

26

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31

RUBES

GROSS MISCONDUCT, SAINTS OF DEATH

AND MORE

ANCIIENTS, THE HALLOWED CATHARSIS AND MORE

THE HOWARD JONES TRIO WITH GUESTS

TONGUE

SHOCORE WITH THE

JAN

SONGS, QUESTIONS, AND ANSWERS TOUR WITH GUESTS NIGHT 1

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11

NIGHT 2

JAN

BATTLEWORLD ’88

VIFF‘19

VIFF‘19

VIFF‘19

VIFF‘19 VIFF‘19

AT THE COMMODORE

WRESTLING

Tackling addiction with the science of psychedelics DOSED

A documentary by Tyler Chandler.

Rating unavailable

d EVEN IF THEY say remembering it means you weren’t there, anyone who lived through the height of the ’60s can tell you that psychedelic drugs were about more than tripping to Jimi Hendrix at the Fillmore. (Although they were about that, too.) In fact, before Nixon got serious about the war on drugs—basically designed as a way to sideline poor people of colour and longhaired student activists—Timothy Leary and many other clinical psychologists were busy studying the usefulness of psychotropic therapy.

Cut to 50 years later, and the subject is only beginning to open up again, with a lot of that revised overview summed up in pop-culture guru Michael Pollan’s latest book, How to Change Your Mind, generously subtitled What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. That’s quite a mouthful, whether your mouth is full of psilocybin, peyote, ayahuasca, or an acid-laced sugar cube. (Cue “Purple Haze” here, please.)

A first documentary feature from Vancouver’s Tyler Chandler, Dosed takes much of this background for granted, making it an introduction best suited to viewers who are either well-versed in the subject or know virtually nothing about it. Chandler, who wrote this with cinematographer and co-editor Nicholas Meyers, makes cursory nods to the history and current status of day-tripping in the legal and scientific realms. (We don’t end up with a clear picture of criminal issues in Western Canada, where the doc is set.)

Dosed introduces us to Adrianne, who uses iboga to kick a heroin habit.

Instead, he mostly threw in his lot with a young woman named Adrianne, seen trying to kick her heroin habit with the (non-)help of methadone and morphine before taking a calculated leap with magic mushrooms and, much later, a drug called iboga—taken from a central-African plant used for eons to ease trauma and deep-seated anxiety.

There are fleeting visits with such experts as addiction specialist Gabor Maté and mycologist Paul Stamets, but the film mostly follows Adrianne’s difficult journey. She’s a sympathetic presence overall, and her apparent wealth has probably cushioned this West Vancouverite from some debilitating effects that would make this trip a lot grimmer. Our subject also has such advanced vocal fry that she is sometimes hard to understand, and she expresses zero interest in anything outside of her own predicaments.

The film is only 80 minutes, so the filmmakers could have put this somewhat limited story in a larger context, especially since they knew how to dress things up with animation, smart graphics, dramatic drone shots, and the like. Still, the subject is nonetheless so (re)new to cinema that Dosed represents a door of perception well worth walking through.

by Ken Eisner

The Cinematheque December 26 – January 6 Happy Holidays Essential Cinema Agnès Varda Film Still: Jane B. par Agnès V.

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music

The highs and lows of a year in pop In 2019, rap took on Nashville, punk pioneers were honoured, and reality TV came to life

by John Lucas and Mike Usinger

Clockwise from left: John Mann was remembered fondly by fans and friends (photo by Lisa MacIntosh); Lil Nas X scored one of the biggest hit singles of all time with “Old Town Road”; Edmonton trio nêhiyawak released the musically adventurous nipiy (photo by Levi Manchak); Orville Peck brought a little mystery to country (photo by Carlos Santolalla); and Mötley Crüe announced its unwelcome return to action this past fall.

K

anye West remained 24 shades of out-there in 2019, travelling America and preaching the gospel of his favourite saviours—Donald J. Trump and Jesus Christ—as part of his Sunday Service tour.

Taylor Swift remained the most influential person out of the millions and millions of social-media addicts on Twitter. And Lizzo not only got the most rhythmically challenged of North Americans dancing their asses off with “Juice”, but proved that positivity can be infectious even when all seems hopeless.

As incredible as this might sound, a few other things happened this year as well. Here are some of the highlights, ranging from the sad and dubious to the undeniably educational and inspirational.

stay dead, buried, and stinking worse than Ratt. Five years after making a major deal out of retiring for good— complete with a supposedly lawyerapproved 2014 cessation document— Mötley Crüe announced its return to action this past fall. Suddenly, ditchdiggers, forklift drivers, and welfarecheque collectors around the world were left wondering why they blew six months of hard-earned wages to see the band one last time on its Final Tour. The cynical among us might suggest that Mötley Crüe “retired” as a way to trick aging hair farmers into packing hockey rinks at a point when the running-on-fumes band was headed straight for the club circuit. Mercenaries, meanwhile, have to admire the business acumen of a group in which at least two of the four members seem to have the IQ of everyone who appeared on camera in OLD TOWN REWARDS Until this “Heavy Metal Parking Lot”. year, a trap beat based on a Nine Inch Nails sample wasn’t anyone’s idea of HARDCORE HERITAGE Punk rock a formula for country-music success. was never supposed to be respectAnd indeed, in spite of its cowboy- able. You could even make a pretty themed lyrics, “Old Town Road” was good case that defying respectabilinsufficiently “country” for inclusion ity is kind of the point of the whole on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs thing. Vancouver’s own punk godchart. The trouble was that Lil Nas X’s father, Joe Keithley, however, long single had—after blowing up on the ago reached elder-statesman status, TikTok app—already been climbing so let’s cut the guy some slack and that chart before the brass at Billboard let him bask in the glory of being made that determination, which recognized as a major part of music sparked a debate over what exactly history in this country. Back in country music is anyway, to say noth- November, Hardcore ’81, the second ing of the optics of yanking a black LP by Keithley’s band D.O.A., was artist off of a white-dominated rank- awarded the Slaight Family Polaris ing. Lil Nas X got the last laugh, of Heritage Prize. According to the Pocourse. With bona fide country singer laris Music Prize website, the heritBilly Ray Cyrus riding shotgun on the age award is “our version of a hall remix, “Old Town Road” topped the of fame where we try to determine Billboard Hot 100 for a record-setting who would have been nominated or 19 consecutive weeks. (It’s still on that won the Prize in the years before it chart, too, hovering somewhere in the started in 2006”. The 1981 record is 30s, last we checked.) In the end, Lil often cited as being the first occurNas X did get his well-earned recog- rence of the term “hardcore” to denition from the Nashville establish- note a particularly ballistic style of ment, with the Country Music Asso- punk. Receiving the Slaight Family ciation naming “Old Town Road” the Polaris Heritage Prize puts D.O.A. in the company of the Oscar Peterson musical event of the year.

Trio, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, MÖTLEY CRÜE While it’s a God- Neil Young, Glenn Gould, Sloan, and given fact that there’s a sucker born Alanis Morissette, among others. every minute, did we really need Pretty respectable.

Mötley Crüe to prove that as gospel?

In November, the Sunset Strip metal LASTING LEGACY If the true meassurvivors made an announcement ure of a man is the friends, admirers, that came as a shock to anyone who and inspired people he leaves beactually thought that they planned to hind, then John Mann passed away

one of the most successful folks who’s ever walked the rainy streets of Vancouver. The Spirit of the West founder and singer-guitarist died on November 20 after a half-decade battle with early-onset Alzheimer’s.

During his final hours, friends and family were gathered round his bedside, with a glass of Guinness raised as a final salute. But it was when news of Mann’s death broke to the public that it really became clear how much the musician, actor, father, husband, and famously decent human being really meant to the world.

Mann’s death made all the national newscasts, led the local ones, and inspired countless written tributes on music websites and social-media platforms. Spirit of the West never packed hockey rinks or ruled the radio airwaves during its long run, but it proved that sometimes there’s something more important than platinum records and private jets.

Somewhere above the clouds, Mann is leading heaven through an all-angels-on-deck version of “Political”, and everyone’s singing.

RAMMSTEIN RETURNS You would-

n’t expect Rammstein to do anything in a small way, would you? In 2019, the German industrial-metal act released its first album of new material in a decade. The album, which is either untitled or called Rammstein, depending on who you ask, was preceded by the single “Deutschland”, a hammer-of-the-gods anthem of burbling sequencers, incendiary guitar riffs, and Till Lindemann’s voice-of-doom bass singing. In other words, business as usual. It was the video for “Deutschland” that stirred up some controversy, however. Directed by Specter Berlin, the nine-minute mini-movie takes viewers on a visceral trip through the title country’s history, with stops at the Holocaust, the Cold War, and various other things most Germans would probably prefer not to dwell on. A patriotic song this one is not, with Lindemann wrestling with his simultaneous loyalty to and shame for his homeland. Casting a black woman (Ruby Commey) as the living embodiment of Germany—and thus flipping the bird at the country’s ascendant anti-immigration voices— was a stroke of genius.

URBAN COWBOY The weird thing about masked men is that no one ever seems to be able to figure out who they are. We’re not talking the likes of Deadpool or Spiderman, but the Lone Ranger and Zorro. Try wearing a glorified sleeping mask into work or your favourite coffee shop, and see how long it takes for folks to a) guess your name, and b) ask why the office weirdo is celebrating Halloween in December.

Orville Peck at least gave identityobscuration the old college try when he launched his booming alternativeto-alt-country career at the beginning of 2019 with the Sub Pop–released Pony. Mining a dark and atmospheric strain of Americana that suggests David Lynch at a saloon poker table with Marty Robbins and Ennio Morricone, Peck arrived on set with a pretty great gimmick. Whether appearing on KEXP, in the pages of Vogue, or onstage at the Commodore, he always sports a domino mask adorned with long trailing fringes. Thanks to the Internet, it took tattoo enthusiasts about two weeks to start theorizing that, instead of riding in from a settlement just outside Lonesome Town, Peck has roots that lie in Vancouver’s circa-’00s Emergency Room scene. If the Nevada mountain cat’s out of the burlap sack, the singer can at least take solace in Pony being hailed as one of the great records of the year. And in the fact that, should he decide he can ditch the mask, eating chili around the campfire will become about 200 times easier.

held aloft the severed head of the British prime minister (in effigy) and shouted “Fuck Boris Johnson!” before launching into the opening line of “Doorman”: “Shoot the messenger, string him up.” We can only pray that musicians in the States were watching, and taking notes.

ROOTS REVISITED Even though there’s plenty of work to be done, Canada has come along way on the Reconciliation front since the dark days of residential schools and the ’60s scoop. As awareness of First Nations culture has grown, there’s a new generation writing new chapters to an impossibly rich history. Following a path blazed by the likes of Tanya Tagaq and A Tribe Called Red, two Western Canada–based Indigenous acts released essential records in 2019: from Vancouver-via-Kitimat Haisla MCs Darren “Young D” Metz and Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce came Snotty Nose Rez Kids’ Trapline, while the Edmonton Plains Cree trio of Kris Harper, Matthew Cardinal, and Marek Tyler gave us nêhiyawak’s nipiy. Both albums were musically adventurous enough to hold their own on the international stage, with Trapline mashing classic hip-hop with Atlanta-trap and Yeezy-brand swagger, and nipiy mixing northernlights guitars with traditional drums and forest-whisperer vocals. The lyrics were as important as the music, as Snotty Nose Rez Kids and nêhiyawak used their powerful platforms ANARCHY IN THE U.K. Remem- to discuss the often troubled history ber back in 2016, when Donald J. of Indigenous people in Canada. LisTrump’s election sparked various ten and learn. editorials about how America’s music artists were supposedly poised SUPERKIM SAVES ROCKY When to unleash holy hell on the right? you have the former host of The And then remember how said think Apprentice occupying the Oval Ofpieces were met with the sound of fice, basically all bets are off. In the crickets? This year, on the other side dazed-and-confused nation to the of the Atlantic, Northampton rap- immediate south of us, the line beper Slowthai released his debut al- tween reality TV and actual life has bum, bearing the punk-as-fuck title become so blurred that Kim KarNothing Great About Britain. The dashian is now a person of import25-year-old performer is pictured ance in the real world and not just on the LP’s cover pilloried buck- on Instagram. Who can forget the naked in front of a block of dreary international tension this past sumcouncil flats, a demented grin on his mer after A$AP Rocky’s bodyguard face. For his sedition, Slowthai was beat up some dude in Stockholm? rewarded with a Top 10 showing on The rapper was detained in a Swedthe British album chart, plus a Mer- ish prison, awaiting trial (turns out cury Prize nomination. Performing Sweden doesn’t have a bail system), see page 25 at that award ceremony, the rapper DECEMBER 26 / 2019 – JANUARY 9 / 2020 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 23

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when Kardashian took swift and decisive action. She reached out to Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-inlaw and adviser on something-orother, beseeching him to do something, anything, to help poor Rocky.

Kardashian’s husband, Kanye West, made a similar plea to the president himself. The case went to trial, Rocky got a fine and a suspended sentence, and the United States ended up looking utterly fucking ridiculous in the eyes of the world—not for the first, nor likely the last, time.

QUEEN V Here’s an interesting ques-

tion: in return for free concerts tickets until death, would you be willing to doom yourself to a life of sawdustlike soyburgers, chalk-flavoured chickpeas, and bike-tire-flavoured tofu? That’s basically the question Beyoncé asked at the end of January. Queen B offered fans the chance to win free tickets for life to shows by her and her husband, Jay-Z, as part of the Greenprint Project, an

initiative out to improve the environment by getting people to switch to plant-based meals. To be eligible, one had to go the vegan route, or at least adopt a Meatless Monday (or Unscrumptious Sunday or Tasteless Tuesday) menu plan. The payoff?

That would be dancing one’s ass off to “99 Problems” or “Baby Boy” for zero dollars until eternity. That you’ll be too anemic to do anything but sit in your seat sipping coconut water is your problem.

YEEZUS WALKS Having Kanye West

advocate on your behalf is one thing if you’re A$AP Rocky (see above). It’s quite another if you’re Jesus Christ, who arguably doesn’t really need the publicity, what with the 2.3 billion self-identified Christians in the world.

That number evidently seems too low to West, who has vowed to convert the rest of us. After declaring himself a born-again Christian in January, Yeezy set to work on his first fullf ledged gospel album, Jesus Is King, which features both Kenny G and a

MUSIC LISTINGS CONCERTS JUST ANNOUNCED JAZZ VESPERS 2020 The Maria Ho Quartet performs jazz standards. Jan 5, 4-5 pm, St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church. By donation.

DAVID FRANCEY Scottish-born Canadian folk poet and singer. Jan 10, 11, 8-10:30 pm, St. James Hall. $32/28.

RANDY HANSEN—JIMI HENDRIX LIVES ON Tribute to guitar legend Jimi Hendrix. Jan 11, 7 pm, Blue Frog Studios. $49.50.

BARNEY BENTALL B.C. folk-roots singersongwriter. Jan 11, 7:30 pm, Genesis Theatre. $50.

JOHNNY A—JUST ME & MY GUITARS American electric-guitar virtuoso. Jan 12, 7 pm, Blue Frog Studios. $44.

WEST COAST CHICAGO Tribute to horndriven ‘70s rock band Chicago. Jan 17-18, 2020, 7 pm, 9:15 pm, Blue Frog Studios. $49.50.

THE STARLING EFFECT Vancouver indie-rock band plays tunes from self-titled debut EP, with guests Mully & Sculder and Hotel Empress. Jan 17, 8 pm, Princeton Pub & Grill. No cover.

CHADWICK STOKES & THE PINTOS Boston musician and human-rights activist, frontman for Dispatch and State Radio. Jan 18, 7:30 pm, Fox Cabaret. $33.50.

BONNIE SCOTT Female-fronted AC/DC tribute band, with guests the James Shepherd Band. Jan 18, 7:30-11:30 pm, Tsawwassen Legion #289. $20.

GZA American rapper and member of Wu-Tang Clan. Jan 20, 8 pm, Fortune Sound Club. $35. ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD American art-rock band plays tunes from latest album X: The Godless Void and Other Stories. Jan 20, 8 pm, Fox Cabaret. $20.

VEDA HILLE’S LITTLE VOLCANO Pianist and songwriter draws from works by J.S. Bach, as well as her own compositions. Jan 21-23, 8 pm, Orpheum Annex. $39/15.

MINT RECORDS PRESENTS Performances by punk and indie-pop bands Necking, Shady Bug, and Maneater. Jan 23, 8 pm, Red Gate Arts Society. $10.

NIGHTSEEKER Hard-rock band featuring fictional character Dean from the Fubar movies, with guests Dead Quiet and Killer Deal. Jan 24, 9 pm, WISE Hall. $25.

BEÒLACH Traditional folk band from Cape Breton. Jan 31, 8-10:30 pm, St. James Hall. $30/26.

BISON Local heavy-metal band, with guests Bob Sumner, War Baby, Hashteroid, and Killer Deal. Feb 1, 7:30 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. $17.50.

LLOYD COLE English pop-rock/indie-pop singer-songwriter. Feb 2, 8 pm, Rio. $29.50.

THE WORLD/INFERNO FS Punk/soul/klezmer/jazz band from Brooklyn, with guests the

Bridge City Sinners and Vic Ruggiero. Feb 6, 8 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. $16.50.

MATTIEL Pop-rock singer-songwriter from Atlanta, with guest Calvin Love. Feb 6, 9 pm, Fox Cabaret. $15.

COUSIN HARLEY Rock ‘n’ roll trio led by guitarist Paul Pigat. Feb 7, 7 pm, Blue Frog Studios. $47.

HENRY KAPONO Hawaiian singer-songwriter-guitarist performs original songs with a rock vibe. Feb 7, 8 pm, Kay Meek Arts Centre. $45.

THE BC DOUBLE QUARTET Jazz group featuring guitarist Bill Coon. Feb 8, 7 pm, Blue Frog Studios. $47.

SOMEONE LIKE YOU—THE ADELE SONGBOOK Tribute to multiplatinum pop singer Adele. Feb 9, 9:15 pm, Blue Frog Studios. $52.

LUNA Indie-rock band performs its 1995 album Penthouse. Feb 13, 8 pm, Venue. $30.

MONSTER UNCAGED: ORIGINS Electronicmusic show featuring headliners Seven Lions and Joyryde. Feb 15, 6 pm, PNE Forum. Tix on sale Dec 18, 10 am, from $52.50.

GEOFFROY Montreal-based electro-pop artist. Feb 15, 8 pm, Fox Cabaret. $18.

DAN BERN Follk singer-songwriter performs tunes from new album Regent Street. Feb 16, 7:30 pm, LanaLou’s Restaurant. $15.

STONEFIELD Rock band from Australia. Feb 17, 9 pm, Astoria Pub. $16.

DAVE HAUSE & THE MERMAID Punk rock singer-songwriter performs with his band. Feb 20, 9 pm, LanaLou’s Restaurant. $17.50.

POLYRHYTHMICS Instrumental eight-piece blends funk, soul, psychedelic rock, R&B, progressive jazz, and Afrobeat. Feb 28, 8 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. $20.

DAVIDO Afrobeat singer-songwriter from Nigeria. Mar 1, 9 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $45.

REFUSED Swedish punk-rock band, with guests Metz and Youth Code. Mar 4, 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $35.

HABIBI Rock band from Brooklyn. Mar 7, 8 pm, Fox Cabaret. $17.50.

CURL UP AND DIE Reunited metalcore band from Las Vegas. Mar 7, 9 pm, WISE Hall.

THE PEELERS Celtic punks from Montreal, with local guests Paddy Waggin’ and the Corps.

Mar 13, 8:30 pm, Pat’s Pub & Brewhouse. $13.50.

ALLIE X Canadian indie-pop singer-songwriter. Mar 27, 8 pm, Venue. $22.50.

SEBASTIAN BACH Former Skid Row frontman performs the band’s 1989 debut album in its entirety. Mar 31, 9 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $39.50.

A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN Ambient-music duo consisting of Dustin O’Halloran and Adam Wiltzie. Apr 13, 8 pm, St. James Hall. $30.

ZUCCHERO Rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Italy. Apr 23, 8 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. $59.50/44.50.

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Support Groups A MDABC peer-led support group is a safe place to share your story, your struggles and accomplishments, and to listen to others as they share similar concerns. Please Note: Support groups are not intended to provide counselling/therapy. ?

Please visit www.mdabc.net for a list and location of support groups or call 604-873-0103 for info.

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION Looking to start a parent support group in Kitsilano.

Please call Barbara 604 737 8337

To tout her green street cred, Queen B rewarded vegans with free tickets for life; Stephen Hamm reinvented himself as a theremin maestro (photo by Angela Hubbard).

shout-out to Chick-fil-A. West’s newfound faith also drove him to create two “operas”—Nebuchadnezzar, which the Guardian called “a giant folly”, and the hifalutin Christmas pageant Mary, which was somewhat better received.

Oh, and in November he claimed that he was considering changing his name to Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye

JETHRO TULL’S MARTIN BARRE—A NIGHT OF ACOUSTIC DELIGHTS Martin Barre, legendary rock guitarist for Jethro Tull, will be hosting a number of intimate acoustic shows on his North American tour this April 2020. Don’t miss this chance to experience an intimate and acoustic VIP show with one of the most talented guitarists on the planet. There will be a meet & greet with the band after the show. Apr 26, 7:30 pm, Anvil Centre. $80.50 + fees (limited seats).

ZZ TOP Blues-rock legends from Texas, with guests Cheap Trick. May 1, Abbotsford Centre.

THE FLAMING LIPS Alt-rock band from Oklahoma City. Jun 21-22, 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $65.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26

West for a year. Guess none of his new Christian friends have informed him that pride is considered the worst of the seven deadly sins.

RADICAL REBIRTH

Reinventing oneself as an artist is never easy, which is why, for every Norman Cook, there are hundreds of musi-

cians travelling the road to diminishing returns. Part of what makes Stephen Hamm’s Theremin Man so relentlessly interesting is the Vancouver fixture’s résumé. The city first got to know him as the bassist for the mighty Slow, and then as a member of acts including Tankhog, Jungle, Canned Hamm, and the Nardwuarled Evaporators. A few years back, Hamm became obsessed with the theremin—initially as a fan and then as a keen student who travelled the globe to study with masters of the famously spacey instrument. Fast forward to Theremin Man, a trippy fall full-length that takes the instrument you play without touching in directions Léon Theremin never dreamed of. The album’s 10 tracks drift from deep-space techno to posteverything soul, as Hamm creates a perfect soundtrack for walking deserted West Coast beaches under carpet-of-stars skies. As sure as Fatboy Slim has made the world forget about the Housemartins, this is how you stage a reinvention. g

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27 CONTACT WINTER MUSIC FESTIVAL Twoday EDM festival featuring headliners Tiësto, Major Lazer, Kaskade, and Rezz. Dec 27-28, BC Place Stadium. From $169.95.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28 RAY CHARLES—SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS Mike Henry performs a holiday tribute to Ray Charles. Dec 28, 7 pm, 9:15 pm, Blue Frog Studios. $49.50.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31 NEW YEAR’S EVE AFTERNOON MUSIC SALOON & PRE-PARTY New Year’s Eve afternoon country-blues pre-party. Dec 31, 4-7 pm, Princeton Pub & Grill. No cover/tip jar.

NYE 2020: A SPACE ODYSSEY New Year’s Eve bash with DJs Hubbz, Sheps, TZEN, and DJ Kemo with the Phonix and Souls Rest. Dec 31, 9 pm, Waldorf. $50.

NEW YEAR’S SPECTACULAR New Year’s show features Yolanda Fletcher as Aretha Franklin and Bobby Brooks Wilson as Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke. Dec 31, 9:30 pm, River Rock Casino. $79.50.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 THE JIM CUDDY BAND Member of Blue Rodeo performs tunes from latest solo album, with guest Oh Susanna. Jan 3, 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom.

MUSIC LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit events 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.

A MDABC peer-led support group

is a safe place to share your story, your struggles and accomplishments, and to listen to others as they share similar concerns. Please Note: Support groups are not intended to provide counselling/therapy. ?

Please visit www.mdabc.net for a list and location of support groups or call 604-873-0103 for info.

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 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 Drug & Alcohol Problems?

Free advanced information and help on how quit drinking & using drugs. For more information call Barry Bjornson @ 604-836-7568 or email me @livinghumility@live.com Fertility Support Group Discover new perspectives make positive changes and learn simple tools to take charge of your reproductive wellness while connecting with other women.

The meetings provide a space for open discussion.

2nd Tuesday of each month 7:45 - 8:45pm (Sign up required) Reg & Info call: 604-266-6470 or www.familypassages.ca Support, Education & Action Group for Women that have experienced male violence.

Call Vancouver Rape Relief 604-872-8212

Genital Herpes Support Group for Women Are you living with Genital Herpes in Vancouver?

We are a group of women that draws upon each others knowledge and strength to grapple with this sometimes trying condition. Through mutual support and honest conversation we aim to address the physical and emotional health implications of this virus and how it affects romantic relationships, sex, dating & life in general. Contact: ghsupportgroup@gmail.com

Join Our Support, Education & Action Group

Women who experienced any form of male violence CALL Vancouver Rape Relief & Women's Shelter 604-872-8212 SEXAHOLICS ANONYMOUS - Vancouver, BC For those desiring their own sexual sobriety, please go to www.sa.org for meetings times and places.

We are here to help you from being overwhelmed.

Newcomers are gratefully welcomed.

Parkinson Society BC

offers over 50 volunteer-led support groups throughout BC. These provide people with Parkinson's, their carepartners & families an opportunity to meet in a friendly, supportive setting with others who are experiencing similar difficulties.

Some groups may offer exercise support.

For information on locating a support group near you, please contact PSBC at 604 662 3240 or toll free 1 800 668 3330.

Women Survivors of Incest Anonymous A 12 Step based peer support program.

Wed @ 7pm @ Avalon Women's Centre 5957 West Blvd 604-263-7177 also www.siawso.org Is your life affected by someone else's drug use?

Nar-Anon Family Group Meeting Every Friday 7:30-9:00 pm at Barclay Manor, 1447 Barclay

Nar-Anon 604 878-8844

Is your life affected by someone else's drug use?

Nar-Anon Family Group Meeting Every Friday 7:30-9:00 pm at Barclay Manor, 1447 Barclay

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Join a FREE YWCA Single Mothers support group in your local community.

Share information, experiences and resources. Child care is provided for a nominal fee.

For information call 604-895-5789 or Email: smacdonald@ywcavan.org IBD Support Group Suffer from Crohn's and ulcerative colitis?

Living with IBD can often be overwhelming, but you're not alone! 3rd Wed of each month the GI Society holds a free IBD support group meeting for patients & their families to come together in an open, friendly environment. 7:00pm at #231 - 3665 Kingsway. For more information call 604-873-4876

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SAVAGE LOVE

Wedlock won’t fix this relationship

by Dan Savage

b I’M A MID-20s cis straight man. After my girlfriend and I finished college, she moved overseas to start her job.

We’ve broken up twice and gotten back together twice. We are interested in opening up our relationship, but I have reservations. She wants the freedom to throw herself into her new world without the constraint of having to shut down nonplatonic sparks. My girlfriend has brought up marriage several times. While she admits she doesn’t have a good track record with monogamy, she insists marriage will change that. Another concern: the last time she was in an open relationship, she cheated on her then-boyfriend with me. “No exes” was one of their rules, and I was her ex at the time. (I didn’t know she was with someone else.) Another wrinkle: when I confided in her recently that I had developed romantic feelings for another person, she asked me to choose between her and them, and so I aborted this burgeoning connection. That felt unfair, seeing as she wants her freedom. She is also bisexual and wants to have experiences with women. I would be fine with her hooking up with women, but it makes me sick to my stomach to think about her with other men. She would be willing to put her desire for experiences with other women to the side in order to be with me, she says, once we are married.

I would love to hear your thoughts on these things: (1) Whether we should open our relationship. (2) My male/ female hookup distinction. (3) How to move forward if your partner is unsure whether they are built for monogamy but nonetheless wants to settle down in a married, monogamous relationship.

End it. It’s time to put this dumb, messy, past-its-expirationdate shitshow of a relationship behind you. Would knowing your girlfriend is already fucking other people help you do that? Because your girlfriend is almost certainly fucking other people.

Already. Because when someone with a shitty track record where monogamy and nonmonogamy are concerned asks their partner for an open relationship while at the same time demanding their partner “abort” any potential “nonplatonic” friendships they might have…yeah, that motherfucker is already fucking other people.

They just don’t want to give their partner the same freedom they’ve already seized for themselves.

2. It seems like a silly distinction to me, OPENS, one that comes from a place of insecurity. (And a “no other dick” rule would make most gay open relationships impossible.) But sometimes, working with your partner’s insecurities—accepting them, not fighting them—is the key to a successful open relationship. And since many bisexuals in monogamous opposite-sex relationships often ask to open the relationship because they want to act on their same-sex attractions (or, indeed, have their first same-sex encounter), keeping outside sex same-sex—at least at first—isn’t an entirely unreasonable request. But this is irrelevant in your case, since your girlfriend is already fucking anyone she wants.

3. Your soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend is hilarious. People who are bad at monogamy don’t get better at it once they’re married. If anything, people - Onto Processing Entirely New Situation who were good at monogamy tend to

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rules was that I could get together only with women, no men. It bothered me at the time, but it was the only way she would be okay opening up, so I didn’t press her on it. Fast-forward to a couple days ago, when I brought it up again. She eventually admitted she’s afraid I will leave her for a man, and that’s why the idea of me being with other men makes her uncomfortable.

She knows these are stereotypes, but she says she can’t get over it. I ended that night angry and hurt. Now I don’t know what to do. To be honest, if we weren’t in an open relationship, I wouldn’t be bothered by the fact that I can’t be sexual with men. But now that I know she is not okay with me doing so because of these bi stereotypes, it drives me nuts. I’m not going to end our relationship over this, but how can I get her to understand my bisexuality is not a threat?

- Bye-Bye Bisexuality?

going to leave his girlfriend for the first man he sleeps with,” said Zachary Zane, a “bisexual influencer” and a sex writer for Men’s Health. “All bisexual men are not secretly gay. But this is a lie—a vicious stereotype—that BBB’s girlfriend has heard countless times. So even though she knows this logically, she still can’t shake that concern. Fear often isn’t rational and it can override logic. She’s simply insecure.”

And while accommodating a partner’s irrational insecurity is sometimes the price we have to pay to make an open relationship work, accommodating your partner’s insecurity—one so clearly rooted in biphobia—isn’t going to be sustainable

“BBB obviously isn’t

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over time. You’re already angry and hurt, BBB, and you’re going to get more upset with every dick you have to pass up. So what do you do?

“The key to helping BBB’s girlfriend understand that his bisexuality isn’t a threat is for him to reassure her often that he’s not going to leave her for a man,” said Zane, “and to tell her and show her how much he loves her. He might also ask if there’s a way she’d feel more comfortable allowing him to be sexual with a man. Maybe they have a threesome. Maybe she prefers that it be someone she knows, or someone she doesn’t know. There’s a lot to discuss.”

But eventually, for your own sanity, you’re going to have to insist that your girlfriend get over her biphobia. She can’t just throw up her hands and say, “I can’t help it!”

“Perhaps I’m giving BBB’s girlfriend too much credit, but it sounds to me like she’ll come around in time,” said Zane. “And while BBB is angry— and validly so—the anger shouldn’t be placed on his girlfriend. It should be placed on a society that has ingrained in her the belief that bisexuality isn’t valid and that bi men will always leave their wives/girlfriends for another man if given the opportunity.”

And if she never comes around, BBB, then you can show her how silly and irrational her fears were by leaving her for another woman.

Follow Zachary Zane on Twitter @ZacharyZane_. g On the Lovecast, do you trust gay men more to sell you clothes? Science has the answer: savagelovecast.com. Email: mail@ savagelove.net. Follow Dan on Twitter @ fakedansavage. Humpfilmfest.com.

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