V-Rag Magazine #49 - August 2013

The Outs Monday, August 19 | 6pm Cineplex Odeon at International Village Director Adam Goldman in Attendance

She Said Boom: The Story of Fifth Column Thursday, August 22 | 930pm The Rio Theatre Director Kevin Hegge in Attendance

@vanragazine

4

facebook.com/vragmagazine

1030

700

930

1200

430

400

645

700

700

600

700

700

645

600

915

900

900

930

930

915

500

445

630

700

700

700

630

700

700

630

630

700

830

900

900

915

900

900

915

900

915

930

930

915

930

830

600

930

xavier dolan

10 gay films

in praise Vqff of drag guide

Handsome, talented, smart?

Please stop.

Important and entertaining, this list is a must.

Coco Peru comes to Vancouver and here's why!

the spoons

martha health + film johnson wellness notes

Canadian New More New Wave Velvet Steele Wave legends have from the True is goes behind a new album!

North coming back! closed doors...

100

400

FESTIVAL THEATRES

700

930

adam goldman

Find your favourite Writer/director films to watch at of The Outs gets the 25th VQFF! streaming with us.

The Outs and She Said Boom reviewed.

music notes Capital Cities, Little Boots & Polyphonic Spree.

Editor & Art Director Cole Johnston • cole@v-rag.com

Editorial staff

Art & Photography

Julie Christoper Jason Goodwin Cole Johnston Katarina Gligorijevic Christopher Logan Mumbles Velvet Steele Michael Venus

James Bidgood Adam Goldman Martha Johnson Music Cole Johnston Shayne Laverdiere Andrew MacNaughtan Kate McLaren Palladin Oden Photography SixthSpence Photography Vancouver Queer Film Festival

Printed by East Van Graphics

How's that Pride hangover treating ya? Feel like staying in a dark air-conditioned room and letting someone else do the work? No, I'm not talking about going to the bath house, I mean spending 10 days going to movies! It's the 25th year of the Vancouver Queer Film Festival! We've got a pull-out guide to all of the festival's screenings, plus an interview with The Outs filmmaker Adam Goldman, our 10 Most Important Gay Films You've Never Seen list, and a very special preview of Xavier Dolan's latest project. All that and we saved some New Wave throwbacks for you by way of The Spoons and Martha Johnson! Enjoy! V

Publisher

Cover Photo by

Cole Johnston Design

James Bidgood

Copy deadline for the September issue is Aug. 31. Ad space is available until Aug. 31 and can be booked by calling 604831-8179 or emailing cole@v-rag.com. Our rates are available upon request. V-Rag welcomes submissions but accepts no responsibility for the return of unsolicited materials.

V-Rag Magazine 2626 Fir Street, Box 103 Vancouver B.C. V6J 3B9 V-Rag is printed monthly by Cole Johnston Design. No part of this may be reproduced in any form by any means without prior written consent from the publisher.

All content Š 2013 Cole Johnston Design.

www.v-rag.com

6

photo by shayne laverdiere

by jason goodwin

X

avier Dolan is way too talented for his own good. The 24-year-old Montreal native is already being heralded as one of Canada's most artistic and ingenious filmmakers. In the four years he's been directing, he's been nominated for over 30 major film awards, and won awards at international film festivals in Reykjavik, Bangkok, Rotterdam, Cabourg, Prague, Istanbul, Hamburg, Namur, Toronto, Vancouver and the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, where he's picked up five awards to date. Not bad for a child actor/model-turned queer film hero.

This is a young man who has always had an affinity with the film industry. In his words, "I would have found my way to the [movie] business even if I had to run to it on a highway of razor blades or swim through a sea of shit, or drive to it in a royal blue Smart car." His witty use of dialogue and sensuous imagery are trademarks of a Dolan film, even though he's only had three features to his credit.

Dolan's debut film J'ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother) was met with international acclaim and also featured him in the lead acting role, something he hadn't done since he was a pre-teen. "I'm an actor first and foremost, so it's the need to express myself," he explains about the motivation behind casting himself. "No one else knows this character better than I do because it was me. So it didn’t feel like too much of a stretch and I didn’t have the ability to judge weather or not I was cut out to play a part like that."

His subsequent projects Les Amours Imaginaires (Heartbeats) and Laurence Anyways show his immense growth as a filmmaker, honing a visual style all his own.

A distinct gay sensibility runs throughout, but he insists he doesn't write for a gay audience specifically. "I’m making movies to impress my mom and dad, my friends, and the public," says Dolan. " It so turns out that they are all the same person that’s looking for a good laugh, a good cry, nice shots, dialogue that will hit close to home and, above all, good acting. And I’m that guy too when it comes to whatever I’m seeking through films. So the public does matter. The public is everything."

In what some have considered a snub to Cannes after not putting his brand new feature in main competition, Xavier Dolan's Tom at the Farm will debut at the 70th Venice International Film Festival in September. His fourth feature and first thriller is based on a play written by Michel Marc Bouchard about a young man traveling to the country for a funeral, only to be met by the family of the deceased ensnaring him in a twisted game.

Fingers crossed we'll see it as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival, which previously screened all of Dolan's films.

"Tom at the Farm, my fourth feature film, will be released this fall. I’ll be shooting feature number five shortly after in October.

It’s called Mommy and stars Antoine Olivier Pilon, the young lead in the 'College Boy' music video I directed for the French band Indochine. It’s possibly my trashiest movie ever and I’m not saying that to boast. Trash is no fun and not aesthetic to me, but turns out that it’s the story I want to tell next. And after that, in about a year and a half, I’d like to be shooting The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, my American debut feature co-written by fellow director/actor Jacob Tierney. If only the title could be longer!" V Xavier Dolan's Tom at the Farm will be given a Canadian premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. www.xavier-dolan.com www.facebook.com/xavierdolantadros

photos courtesy of mkw & out tv

8

Blue Is The Warmest Colour D: Abdellatif Kechiche / 2013 / France

Or La Vie d'Adèle – Chapitres 1 & 2 (The Life of Adèle – Chapters 1 & 2) as its known in its native France, the story revolves around Adèle, a 15-year-old aspiring teacher whose life is turned upside down when she falls in love with Emma, a blue-haired art student at a nearby college. Based on the French graphic novel Blue Angel by Julie Maroh, Blue Is The Warmest Colour is one of the most critically acclaimed films of year so far, winning the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, the highest award given.

Funeral Parade of Roses D: Toshio Matsumoto / 1969 / Japan

A feverish collision of avant-garde aesthetics and grindhouse shocks, Funeral Parade of Roses takes us on an electrifying journey into the late-'60s underworld. In Toshio Matsumoto's controversial debut feature, seemingly nothing is taboo. Cross-dressing club-kid Eddie vies with a rival drag queen for the favours of drugdealing cabaret-manager Gonda. A direct influence on Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, Funeral Parade of Roses is a groundbreaking and unapologetic portrayal of Japanese gay subculture.

Hookers On Davie

D: Janis Cole, Holly Dale / 1984 / Canada

It really is a shame that this Vancouver-made documentary hasn't been seen by more people.

Virtually impossible to find outside of some LGBTQ film festivals, Hookers On Davie takes us back to a time many young people wouldn't even believe existed. Davie Street was, in 1984, the East Hastings of today, and it's painstakingly chronicled by Janis Cole and Holly Dale. Some call it the Canadian Paris Is Burning, and it really brings up some of the same questions about a marginalized society making the best of their situations.

Hustler White

D: Bruce LaBruce / 1995 / Canada

Hustler White is arguably Bruce LaBruce's opus film. Nothing since this has truly captured the queercore and homo punk aesthetic that LaBruce holds so dear. As lead actor Tony Ward mused, "the difference between art and pornography is the lighting." Harkening to Paul Morrissey or early John Waters, this is definitely sure to offend most audiences, but that's the point. Where else are you going to see a graphically depicted scene of an amputee fucking a trucker with his stump and find it oddly romantic?

Laurence Anyways D: Xavier Dolan / 2012 / Canada

10

Leave it to a 24-year-old former child actor to make one of the most mature meditations on gender identity even filmed. Xavier Dolan (see page 6) has no easy answers for viewers of Laurence Anyways, a French-Canadian drama that charts a 10 year love affair between our maleto-female transsexual protagonist and her heterosexual female lover.

This stunningly beautiful film confronts all of the issues one might expect would arise from such a complex story line. The word epic is thrown around too much, but this is an epic film.

The Living End D: Gregg Araki / 1992 / US

"Fuck everything" was the motto for the angstdriven and politically charged early Gregg Araki film The Living End. Often described as a gay Thelma and Louise, this is raw emotional filmmaking at its best. Luke and Jon are both HIV-positive gay men, and after killing a homophobic police officer, the unlikely couple go on a desperate road trip of rage. Channeling the frustration of the AIDS crisis in America, Araki sends a clear message to "the man" while creating a humorous yet powerful story of romance in the modern age.

Nighthawks

D: Ron Peck / 1978 / Britain

Hugely controversial upon its initial release, Nighthawks defies categorisation. Set to a haunting electronic score, its compelling cynical structure contrasts the daily work of a schoolteacher against his nights spent cruising bars and clubs in search of Mr. Right. British director Ron Peck became infamous for this slice of gay realism, something that was completely new and uncomfortable for many viewers. Nighthawks pulled Britain kicking and screaming into the 1980s through its unflinchingly realistic view.

Paris Is Burning

D: Jennie Livingston / 1990 / US

OK, maybe you have seen this one. But have you actually watched the classic voguing/NYC house and ballroom documentary outside of a nightclub setting or hipster party? Because Paris Is Burning deserves your full attention. Jennie Livingston's 1990 time capsule of an era in gay culture long past is not only an incredible piece of filmmaking, it coined much of the slang you hear today in the vogue circuits and even on RuPaul's Drag Race. With the recent resurgence of the Balls, this is required viewing, hunties.

Pink Narcissus

D: James Bidgood / 1971 / US

Considered lost for many years, Pink Narcissus is an astounding discovery. The film was shrouded in mystery following its 1971 release, its creator credited only as Anonymous, before being rediscovered and revealed as the work of artist and photographer James Bidgood. An erotic poem focusing on the daydreams of a boy prostitute, this is a celebration of the male body. With highly charged hallucinogenic quality, its atmosphere of lush decadence, and its explicit erotic power, Pink Narcissus is a landmark of gay cinema.

Scorpio Rising

D: Kenneth Anger / 1964 / US

Kenneth Anger is a name every gay man should know, but precious few actually do. The strange and wonderful filmmaker has had a major influence on everything from the films of Martin Scorsese, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and David Lynch to the pop art of Andy Warhol. All of Anger's Magick Lantern Cycle films are essential viewing, but Scorpio Rising really stands out as a film ahead of its time, fetishising the male form while predicting a world of music videos, stylized porn, pop art, and of course the rise of MTV.

12

14

photo by palladin oden photography

by christopher logan

T

he pressure to fit in, say the right thing, do the right thing, wear the right thing (at the right time), never ever get a crooked mohawk (seriously!) and the myriad of other rules that constantly bombard us on a daily basis can really take their toll. An ego can be a fragile thing, and sometimes we all need to lick our wounds and be around 'like-minded' individuals, have a drink and take the pressure off.

That's why we need our gay bars.

Even in an era where the term Alternative Lifestyle feels semi-outdated, we need a safe space to be ourselves. But sometimes even there, it can be a hard thing to just let go… and relax.

Knowing how to slip in just before the line builds at 1181, wearing your harness on the right day at the PumpJack and always remembering to bring your ID to Numbers (because there's so many gay gangs roaming the streets these days)… can drive a person crazy.

We feel judged and outed and ridiculed… measured, compared and rejected… battered and bounced around, not listened to, inappropriate… and confused.

Then something happens…

A drag queen enters the bar.

The disparate crowd of insecure boys who haven't hit the gym as much as they promised themselves, the A-listers celebrating their recent artistic and financial achievements (and the B- and C-listers who alternately love and hate them) – and the stragglers who wander in looking for an escape, a drink, or an affair – suddenly have something in common; a drag queen centrepiece at their large shared table.

There's now a talking point that breaks through our usual 'clique-y' world.

Someone brash and bold and unapologetically in your face that takes the pressure off everyone else and allows the phrases "Wow. She's so tall!", "Is there a show tonight?" and "Where did that bitch find leopard print in pale purple glitter?" to be easily followed by "Hi, my name is Steve. Can I buy you a drink?".

In the shadow of the drag queen, every

little insecurity simply melts away.

We've just been told it's safe to be ourselves. A big pink bus stop has just entered the bar, and because She is everything She is, You can be just be... you.

Small, simple… you.

In other words, your hair looks fine and no one gives a fuck that your spray tan is turning you orange. There's something more interesting going on.

In praise of drag, people talk of Stonewall, Priscilla and Sydney Mardi Gras… but it's the smaller things that matter most.

The breaking of cliques, the levelling of the playing field and the example of how to not be scared, are gold to the uninitiated and a strong reminder to those of us who've been around much longer than we'd ever admit to on our Grindr profiles.

So the next time you see a newbie who hasn’t learned that shaking a wig twice when taking it out of the box before putting it on your head isn’t actually styling, a starlet who is flawless in design and able to work the crowd, or a local legend who can hold court on any topic while making her dress seem in motion while standing still… buy her a drink.

Because we owe drag more than just the big things we’ve been told. We owe them ourselves. V Christopher Logan is the producer of dr.a.g., a coffee table book featuring top drag photography. Show your support of drag and this gorgeous book by coming out to The Stanley Theatre Friday August 16th at 7pm to see the legendary Miss Coco Peru. This GLAAD Award-winning member of drag royalty and star of the cult films Trick, Girls Will Be Girls, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything will be bringing her unique and politically-charged monologues to Vancouver for an intimate one-night performance. With the dr.a.g. book's publisher recently out of business, this is the best way to save our favourite coffee table book and show your pride!

You can also donate directly here: www.indiegogo.com/projects/savethe-drag-book www.bookthefilm.com www.misscoco.com

Thursday 15

Friday 16

Saturday 17

1030

Sunday 18

Monday 19

Tuesday 20

ECU

The Walter and Peg Show

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

p 37

430

R/EVOLVE p 59

700

VPH

Opening Gala

/CIPKƂEGPV 2TGUEGPEG

p 26

645

GCA

Margarita p. 53

700

IV

p 41

915

FanClub

In the Name Of

700

GCA

GCA

Lace Bite

900

GCA

p 59

p 55

930

Goodbye Gauley Mountain

700

IV

Who Are We, Cinema?

645

GCA

Last Chance

900

IV

In-between Days

I’m a Porn Star p. 47

930

)KTNU QP (KNO 2CTV[ The Cobalt

915

The Outs

600

VCT

Mama Rainbow

830

GCA

VCT

Head of the Class

700

VCT

Lot in Sodom + Vintage Porn

900

IV

My Other Me p 55

IV

Suddenly Last Summer & Going South

p 61

IV

p 51

Queens!

Destiny of Dance

915

630 p 45

p 59

Off Beat p 57

IV

p 53

p 49 IV

600 p 57

p 49

My Best Day

IV

IV

p 36

Reaching for the Moon

p 62

1RGPKPI )CNC 2CTV[

IV

p 49

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?

930

700

400 p 45

p 47

Beyond the Walls

930

Parties & Events

IV

900

VCT

Bawdy Body Shorts p 41

Wednesday 21

Thursday 22

Friday 23

1200

SFU

Why or Why Not? Cultural Boycott?

IV

445

700

Camp Beaverton: Meet the Beavers

p 43

700

VCT

G.B.F.

9

IV

Meet the Glamcocks p 53

915

IV

p 41

630

VCT

700

RIO

630

The Men Next Door

930

RIO

Youth Gala

) $ (

9

00

IV Cineplex Odeon at International Village

She Said Boom

Bwakaw

RIO

RIO

9

00

Pariah

915

930

830FFU 25

600

SFU Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre

$QYNKPI 2CTV[

Grandview Lanes

RIO

Michelle Tea Book Club *Õ «wVÌ

p 38

RIO Rio Theatre

TI Tides

Valencia p 62

ECU Emily Carr University of Art and Design

VPH Vancouver Playhouse

IV

p. 47 IV

VCT Vancity Theatre

GCA SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts

I Do

p 57

The Waldorf

Closing Gala

(TCWGPUGG

Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf?

p 61

%GPVTGRKGEG #PPKXGTUCT[ 2CTV[

VPH

p 30

700

The Coast is Queer

930

700

p 62

p 43 RIO

IV

p. 41

p 31 IV

630

Facing Mirrors

%JKVTCPICFC

9

IV

p 43

Centrepiece Gala

15

FESTIVAL THEATRES

In the Name of

Beyond The Walls

p 55

Love Free or Die p 51

700

IV

p 47

p 27

p 45

00

400

IV

p 61 IV

TI

Book Your Own F**cking Career

Taboo...

Yardies

Lesbiana p 51

100

Sunday 25

p 37

p 37

500

Saturday 24

LEGEND

930

%NQUKPI )CNC 2CTV[

Closed Captioning

ASL Interpretation

Celebrities

Youth Rated

18

photos courtesy of adam goldman

by cole johnston

T

he portrayal of gay characters in film and television has long been a strange balance. Either we're broadly drawn clichéd stereotypes or incredibly politicized figures representing a social commentary the writer is making. And while it's great to see gay men populating primetime televison (Modern Family, The New Normal), these may not be characters the majority of young gay men can relate to. Filmmaker Adam Goldman has created The Outs, a series that is both refreshing and reminiscent of gay life, real gay life. Complete with one-night stands, messy break-ups, life-long friendships, dirty sexts and the excitement of new love.

How did the idea come about to start The Outs?

My roommate Sasha Winters (who plays Oona on the show) and I were sort of tired of working on other people's projects, and we'd been meaning to make something together for a while. We just decided to dig our heels in and create something of our own. I had a script kicking around that turned into the last scene of the first episode of The Outs, "State of the Union", and from there I determined the structure and sort of the broad strokes of the story. It was pretty organic!

Why did you choose a web-series format as opposed to a feature film to tell this story?

I'm in love with long form storytelling – growing with characters over the course of time. Even with something like The Outs, which is only seven episodes, you get to watch these people over the course of a longer period in their lives. Even my favourite films are Big Stories – Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Goodfellas. These are all about capturing a whole life, or the lives of a group of people, and I think that's easier to do in television/long form storytelling of any kind. Sometimes I start to write a screenplay and then I'm like "shoot – I want to spend twelve hours with these characters!" and then suddenly it's a pilot.

How much did Kickstarter and online crowdfunding contribute to the creation of The Outs?

100%, basically? The show would not have been possible without the money we raised on Kickstarter – roughly $25,000.

Veronica Mars just announced that the series will be turned into a feature film thanks entirely to online crowd-sourcing. How do you see this changing the face of entertainment?

It's exciting! It's a frontier, and there aren't many of those left. The barrier between watching "television" and watching things online is coming down – if it isn't down already. Kickstarter really represents (and pardon me if this sounds bullshitty) the democratization of media. People get to pick and choose the media they want, and vote for it with their dollars. That's never really been possible before! It's incredibly cool.

You also use a lot of Brooklyn local musicians and companies on the show; how has it been to work almost entirely locally in the area?

We started that way, but ultimately the base for the show grew – we ended up working with bands from France and England and Los Angeles and all over the place. Weirdly, I still think of this as "local": all of the bands were passionate about the project and really excited to be involved. In a strange way, I think that makes them spiritually local if not geographically. Which is maybe the stupidest thing I've ever said but there you have it.

Several film festivals (such as the Vancouver International Film Festival) are screening The Outs back-to-back, almost as though the story were a film. Do you find this a different experience over viewing the episodes separately as they were being released?

I personally have never watched the episodes back to back, so the VQFF will be my first time! I know a lot of people found the show after it debuted online and that's how they were exposed to it, all back to back, and I think that's really cool, that it can be bingewatched. We've thought about stringing it all together into a film, but it would be pretty long (three hours, give or take) and we'd have to finesse the space between episodes. I'm so happy with the way the project turned out that it seems counter intuitive to dive back in and fiddle with it just for kicks.

One of my favourite aspect of the series is the realistic portrayal of gay men. Though there's

not a lot to compare to on TV these days, what do you think of the current portrayal of gays in television?

It's getting better! I just like to say "More voices, please." There are of course all these issues of representation – if there are only three gay characters on television, do you have an obligation to make the fourth one something specific, or conform to the perceived needs of the community? And I think the answer is no, your responsibility is to make good art. The flipside is just that there should be more people making this stuff – not just queer people, all kinds of people, and we should all be writing the kinds of characters and telling the kinds of stories that we want to see in the world. The Outs was not a political project, except that writing queer characters is necessarily political because there just aren't enough of them in television and movies at the moment.

After six episodes and a seventh "Chanukah Special" (BTW was that a nod to The Office?), do you feel like these characters you've created have wrapped up their stories? Is The Outs complete?

It wasn't a nod to The Office specifi-

20

cally, although the BBC Office is one of my favorite shows of all time (and Sasha's, too), but in the UK there is a long tradition of the Christmas Special episode, and we wanted to riff on that. Good catch, though! I think The Outs in its current incarnation is complete.

That story has a beginning, a middle and an ending. When I allow myself to think beyond the confines of our seven episodes, then yes, I think those characters are still out there living their lives. And I have an idea about where that goes, and we've half-joked about doing another holiday special in five years or something. We'll see. Also, it's interesting, there was a slightly darker ending to the Chanukah Special that we changed at the very last possible moment, and it was something really tiny that changed the whole feeling of the last beat in an interesting way.

It came down to shaving just a few frames off the end of the shot of Oona receiving a text, and as weird as it sounds, those few frames took the end of the show from something really melancholy to something optimistic. It was a very subtle but important change and I'm glad we did it.

Your new web series, Whatever this is, has its first episode online right now. How is the

funding for that going? I know you had a Kickstarter campaign for that too.

We had a successful Kickstarter campaign and raised $170,000, which is insane and amazing and we are so grateful to the people who saw the show and loved it and kicked in to make that happen. After The Outs, we wanted to keep the same creative family together – a lot of the same cast and crew and a bunch of new faces as well – and work on something a little bigger. The Outs was always meant to be six episodes, and the seventh was a bonus, but Whatever this is is meant to be a little bigger in scope. It's about people fighting this uphill battle to have the careers they were promised, and how that's become increasingly difficult (and maybe impossible) in this economy. There's a lot more room to breathe and explore, and the episodes are all going to be in the 25-30 minute range, so it feels like a natural evolution for the kind of stories we want to tell. I can't wait for people to see more of it - the first episode is available now at whateverthisis.com and you can keep up with us at facebook.com/wtishow!

With the current success of The Outs and Whatever this is in full swing, what would you like to do next? Is a next project even on your mind yet?

At the moment I'm writing the sixth episode of Whatever this is, so that's pretty much where my head is at all day every day. We're going to be shooting it pretty soon so I have to actually write the thing! And then hopefully on to season two of that show, but maybe there'll be something in between - a fun little feature or even a short or something. I think a short film is incredibly hard to get right, you really have to know exactly what you want to do and do it and then be gone, which is a fun challenge. I guess "a fun challenge," in whatever form, is what I'd like to do next.

And probably forever. V Adam Goldman will be in attendance at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival screening of The Outs (epsidoes 1-6) August 19th at 6pm at International Village. www.theouts.tv www.whateverthisis.com www.facebook.com/thatadamgoldman

22

photo by andrew macnaughtan

by michael venus

M

y first concert (excluding the Irish Rovers) was Canada's New Wave ultra band The Spoons. The Burlington-formed synthpop group (famous for "Tell No Lies", "Old Emotions" and "Nova Heart") recently started touring their latest album and I had the pleasure of interviewing their gorgeous bass player Sandy Horne.

The Spoons have been performing together for years, but what brought about a new album after so long?

When we did our 30th Anniversary show in 2009 at the Tattoo Nightclub in Toronto, Gord Deppe had two new songs that he had written.

We performed them at the show, and the fans really responded well to them. The next day they were up on YouTube. This caused quite a stir, and the many of the fans were saying "So, where's the rest of the album?". Over the next year, Gord and I, with producer Jeff Carter, proceeded to complete our current new album, Static in Transmission.

You have also been performing with Shannon Thunderbird in recent years.

Yes, Shannon is a First Nations Tsimshian elder, originally from B.C. I co-produced and performed on her first album, released in 2002, and I've been performing with her ever since. We now mostly work in schools, doing interactive performances with kids, showing them native drumming, songs and culture.

Seeing is Shannon is First Nations and I'm of the White Nation, we emphasize the importance of multiculturalism and diversity, that everybody's cultures and beliefs need to be respected, valued, and understood as much as possible. Two years ago Shannon and I released a new album called Wind Centre.

What have been some of the highlight moments of being in The Spoons?

Well, everything is highlight... this is a hard one. I suppose meeting Tina Wheymouth back in 1982, when the Talking Heads and Spoons opened for the Police in Toronto.

Selling out concerts to thousands of people, and knowing that our songs are still out there... After 30, who would have thought?

Getting to work with producers John Punter, Nile Rodgers, and Daniel Lanois. Just recently

receiving a fan-voted award from Music Express Magazine for being the "Best Band Back in the Spotlight" was great. "Nova Heart" being included in a book listing the Top 100 Canadian Songs of All Time was also a gift.

How was the experience of being one of the only women bass players in the straight white male dominated music industry?

Well, playing the bass was just what I wanted to do. I didn't think about it in terms of being female or not. Only later on, once the band took off, did I realize that being a female bass player was a rarity; me and Tina Wheymouth from the Talking Heads mostly. In the beginning there was still a fair amount of disrespect for female players in the rock & roll world, like people assuming that I was just a token gimmick, and that someone else was actually playing the bass parts on our albums. It didn't take too long for that attitude to change. It's a wonderful feeling when a fellow female musician comes up to and says that I was an influence in them deciding to take up bass or drums or electric guitar.

What Canadian artists grab you're attention?

There's lots of Canadian artists that are fantastic, in all genres of music, but I really enjoy Metric, Dragonette, Tegan and Sarah, and Michael Buble. I've always respected David Foster, and Alan Frue (from Glass Tiger) is a great musician and a fun guy. Recently I was also blown away by the video of Heart performing at the Kennedy Centre doing Led Zepplin's "Stairway to Heaven".

What can we expect from the future for you and The Spoons?

Currently we're continuing to play regularly.

Were going to be re-releasing our first album Stick Figure Neighbourhood and some of the proceeds from that are going towards Sick Kids Hospital. There will be a Stick Figure release show in Toronto in September. This album is coming out for the first time on CD and vinyl!

There's some talk of us going out to Whistler B.C. for some shows in February 2014. V The Spoons' Static In Transmission is available now on iTunes. www.thespoons.ca

24

photo courtesy of martha johnson music

by michael venus

W

hen it comes to Canadian music, one of our biggest contributions has been New Wave champions Martha and The Muffins.

They created one of the quintessential anthems of the era, "Echo Beach," which garnered international acclaim. They are True North musical pioneers who continued to enchant us through the '80s with hit after hit. After years away from the industry, front woman Martha Johnson is back with her solo project Solo One and I had the dream come true of interviewing her about her current album and the days from far away in time!

What instigated this new solo album entitled Solo One?

with "Echo Beach" around the world was that I stopped wanting to be someone else more than being me. Suddenly being Martha was cool. I'd never want to trade my freedom for mega-fame but the doors were swung open with that small amount of fame – it was a nice change. Opening at Wembley Arena in London for Roxy Music, a band I had loved and seen in concert, was thrilling too.

What Canadian artists are you listening to?

I really like the new artists Lake Forest and Wilderness of Manitoba.

Partial proceeds of your album sales benefit The Michael J. Fox Foundation. Tell us about this charity and why it's important to you.

It really started becoming an idea I could realize after collaborating on three songs with Ron Sexsmith. Ron asked me what I was going to do with these songs. I said I wasn't sure and then suggested I do a solo album.

I had met with Ray Dillard, my co-producer/ engineer and he was ready to get involved.

For a long period of time I had been getting up in the night with songs almost completely written in my half-conscious, somnambulant state. So I would get up and type the lyrics up. This went on for quite a while. I call them my "Sleepless Songs".

I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease 12 years ago. It is a degenerative movement disorder that slows movement, causes stiffness, tremor and balance and walking problems as well as many other symptoms.

At first I was sure I wouldn't be myself anymore but now I realize I may be limited by this disability but it doesn't define me.

I'm still me but with different capabilities, and this disease has presented new possibilities I can explore.

Tell us about the enchanting first single from the album, "See Saw Eyes".

I was never very interested in imitating others. I know I don't sound like anybody else. It is gratifying when people recognize that we have created a large body of work that helped put a new face to Canada's pop music image. It still holds true that it helps to be recognized outside of Canada to find acceptance here. At the end of the day, I am proud of the music we have made, and I know there are people listening, deriving great emotional pleasure from all these years of songs we have given them.

Sometimes I get a title for a song and then I write a song around that title. That's what happened with "See Saw Eyes". Everybody is so into themselves these days. People hardly look at each other and when they do they still see their own reflection in the other person's eyes ("two little mirrors, that is why..."). Things are said in soundbites and short, punchy phrases so that few people have the patience to hear something expressed in a colourful and richer way.

What is it like to be a Canadian music pioneer and icon?

What magic can we expect in the future?

What have been some of the highlights of being Martha Johnson of the seminal Martha and The Muffins?

It won't be boring or stale. I'd like to try some wilder and more vocally layered approaches in my music. Who knows? I know I don't. V

I was very shy as a young girl, not at all popular and I spent a lot of time wanting to be someone else. One of the best things about Martha and the Muffins having a hit

Martha Johnson's Solo One is available now on iTunes. www.marthajohnsonmusic.com

'm not sure if it is the energy from Pride that comes in the months after it, but I am increasingly being asked about how to make anal sex less painful for first time players. I'm not just talking about gay guys, but straight guys and women. Not that Pride actually had anything to do with it, it could just be that people are becoming more open minded and inquisitive to other forms of pleasure they may have never considered before.

OK, so now you eager beavers have decided that this is your next step in your sexual evolution, the question that gets asked is "how do you get past the door that slams shut when anything gets remotely close?"

I always start by telling people you need to get conscious of those muscles outside of what they do naturally during a trip to the loo.

To do that, you have to breathe, baby, breathe! Start with a series of exercises that consist of relaxing and contracting the muscles surrounding that love portal, allowing you to be more conscious of that fact that yes, you can learn how to control those muscles. Takes a bit of time, but most women already know this through a steady routine of kegel exercises, contracting and relaxing maintaining a strong, tight, pelvic floor. I get a kick out of watching this at trade shows.

If that’s not working for ya and you want to go that extra step and calm those nerves, you can always try a desensitizer of some kind. I am not talking about Anbesol for baby teething (which by the way does work) but rather a creme or lotion that will stay put and lubricated when you start testing the waters. Trust me, you're going to need and want some lubrication. You’d be surprised at how something so small could hurt so much, stopping all activity dead in its tracks.

26

photo by kate mclaren

I

by velvet steele

The choice of numbing agents is almost endless, and you only want to be numb enough to be comfortable for the rest of the ride. I mean, what’s the point of being so numb you feel nothing at all? You want to feel it, and enjoy it on all levels, whether it’s psychological or physical.

By the way guys, I bet you didn’t know that a little prostate stimulation is good for you? Massage is not only done for sexual reasons, but medical as well.

Regular prostate massage reduces the risk of prostatitis, prostate cancer, genital pain, symptoms of erectile dysfunction and frequent nighttime urination. In addition, it improves overall erectile function and increases seminal fluid and circulation. Not to mention the joy of the male g-spot!

However, I can’t stress enough that if all your parameters are not met and you are feeling discomfort or pain, then stop!

You have nothing to prove to yourself, or your partner. You want pleasure, not trauma! A little edict I like: no means no.

Until it works, take your time and move slowly and comfortably; it’s not everyone that can jump in feet first.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I'm off to pick up the soap I dropped. V Velvet Steele is a local sex educator and advocate in Vancouver. www.velvetsteele.com

4(% /.% .)'(4 34!.$ ()- IS THERE FOR YOU

-OST GAY GUYS USE CONDOMS WHEN HOOKING UP WITH PARTNERS THEY DON´T KNOW ()- DISTRIBUTED

CONDOMS TO GAY GUYS IN 6ANCOUVER LAST YEAR

the outs

she said boom

The vast world of the interweb is changing our viewing experience faster than you can say vimeo. Web series are gaining momentum and viewership in a way that NBC only wishes it could keep up with. Kickstarter campaigns are now funding programs you would never have been able to see even five years ago. Veronica Mars anyone?

One such success story is Adam Goldman's beloved The Outs (see our interview on page 18). The modest 12 minute first episode sparked a crowd sourcing campaign that allowed the writer/director/actor to realize a 7 episode series that rivals anything on HBO. We're looking at you, Girls. But it's not how it was made that sets The Outs apart; it's how it works. This is one of the most honest and refreshing looks at young gay men you will ever see, and really ups the ante for current gay characters on television. It's at once hilarious, poignant, authentic and cunningly witty from start to finish. Goldman and co-writer/ star Sasha Winters are revelations, and somebody really needs to give them a pile of cash to make whatever they want with.

Check out the first episode and you'll immediately be hooked, www.vimeo.com/ theouts or www.facebook.com/watchtheouts.

The Outs screens 6 episodes (with a runtime of about 2 hours) August 19th at 6:00pm at International Village Tinseltown. #festies

Director Kevin Hegge has been a staple around Toronto’s music and arts scene for the past 10 years, but in this fun and feisty doc he takes a close look at the state of affairs in the 1980s. Nominally a profile of the all-female experimental post-punk band Fifth Column, the film is also an exploration of zine culture, the birth of the queercore movement, and what it meant to be an artist in the Toronto of the ’80s and early ’90s.

In addition to interviews with various members of the band, the film features interviews with arts scene veterans such as Bruce LaBruce as well as women like Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre), who followed in Fifth Column’s footsteps.

Most interesting are core members G.B. Jones, Caroline Azar and Beverly Breckenridge reminiscing about the band’s attempts to integrate themselves as women into the worlds of experimental filmmaking, art, music and especially queer culture, which at the time was even more boy/girl segregated than it is now.

For those who are familiar with Fifth Column or queercore, the film provides a healthy dose of nostalgia along with some great insights. For those who’ve never heard of Fifth Column, it provides enough of a primer that it’s pretty easy to follow along, and totally entertaining.

She Said Boom screens August 22nd at 9:30pm at The Rio Theatre. #festies

D: Adam Goldman

by Cole Johnston

28

D: Kevin Hegge

by Katarina Gligorijevic

capital cities

little boots

polyphonic spree

Pop-tastic L.A. group Capital Cities preceded their debut album with a shimmering single last year.

"Safe And Sound" made some waves and even charted #1 on the US Alternative Songs chart, while giving listeners a pretty clear idea of what would follow. The album is full of up-tempo, summery pop gems, showcasing heaps of hummable hooks, danceable beats, and some blissful trumpet solos. If you were a teenager when Duran Duran's "Rio" video came out, you'll remember the feeling of euphoric happiness that video presented.

This album too, makes you feel like drinking champagne on a yacht, doing backflips in the water and chasing babes around the beach on your sun-filled days. The standout track here is the wonderful and slightly experimental "Farah Fawcett Hair" in which the chorus exclaims "It's good shit!". Yes, yes it is.

Little Boots returns with Nocturnes, a fun, smart collection of dance-inflected pop music. This time, as the title will tell you, there’s a central theme. And though you could write Little Boots off, she’s a smart artist and Nocturnes is brimming with ideas.

OK, so she’s not Rihanna or Lady Gaga or Robyn – she’s somehow smarter and better than all of them, and as a result the music will languish behind. Go figure.

It’s all disposable pop music, sure. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be smart or forward-thinking in your approach to it. Little Boots, similar to both St. Vincent and Saint Etienne, is a pop conceptualist. And here she’s made an album that stakes up to the lofty ambitions of her debut (and succeeds).

This is all at once glacial and night-time chill but with a warmth and depth to it.

There’s a lot to like on this album, highly recommended.

Musically, The Polyphonic Spree have reached mythical levels of happiness. Their signature song "Light & Day" sends flowers into bloom and parts clouds to make room for sun. With Yes, It’s True, the band's first album since 2007 (and first ever Kickstarter-funded effort), the Spree’s blazing beacon of positivity is shining as brightly as it ever has, but with a new edge that is more clearly defined.

At times, the Spree are reminiscent of Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips, an optimistic and out-there group whose output is both instantly digestible and deliciously boundary-pushing.

The Flaming Lips comparison is also a testament to the Polyphonic Spree’s ability to expand their musical identity while not abandoning their philosophy: they’re still here to take everybody to the ninth cloud of seventh heaven. Lay back, open your eyes, and have a look at the beautiful dream they've crafted.

In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery

by Mumbles

Nocturnes

by Jason Goodwin

Yes, It's True

by Julie Christopher

Tickets on Sale July 22