V-Rag Magazine #16 - October 2010 by V-Rag Magazine

V-rag vancouver's gay arts + culture rag

Film the

edition

V a n R a g a z i n e

Peaches Christ • Bruce LaBruce David Kittredge • Angélique Bosio • Ryan Steele

www.v-rag.com

october 2010 issue 16

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October 26 – 31, 2010 Queen Elizabeth Theatre

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V a n R a g a z i n e

october 2010

04 editor's note Our second annual film issue!

06 peaches christ

Midnight movies will never be the same

bruce la bruce

angĂŠlique bosio

david kittredge

wasted thoughts

the third kind

calendar of events

joan-e's rag

cotton around town

Canadian film legend catches up with us

French filmmaker and Advocate for Fagdom

Didn't understand Pornography: A Thriller?

Sober October

Let's Get Digital

The city's most comprehensive calendar

What's a Girl to Do?

Miss Cotton's guide to Roctober!

ryan steele 29

The local funny guy on his way to stardom

glbt at the viff 31

This year's queer films at VIFF 2010

wayoutwest 33

Download MobileTag and let's get started!

film:notes 34 Devil, Let Me In

music:notes 35

Fantasia, Robyn, Chromeo

all you can eat 36

Kate McLaren proves that dead is the new black

event listings 42

Our picks for October's hottest events

nightlife in vancouver 43 Weekly barhopping guide

v-map 44

Don't get lost! Find everything here

dj geoff pye 46

q&a: Bringing the Detroit sound to Vancity

october 2010 Issue 16

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V-rag V a n R a g a z i n e

With over 15,000 monthly readers, V-Rag Magazine is Vancouver's largest monthly gay & lesbian publication. Music, film, arts and culture, all with a homoclectic flare! Become a fan to be entered into exclusive monthly contests and draws; just email us fans@v-rag.com

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Editor's

Note

Uh oh, it's my favourite time of year again... The time we all get to dress up as scary/slutty as we want! No, it's not Pride, it's Halloween! Which also means October is the second annual Film Edition of V-Rag. And this month we have some treats (and tricks). The Mistress of Mayhem herself, San Francisco-based horror director Peaches Christ caught up with us to talk about her new film All About Evil. Canadian legend and subject of the new documentary Advocate for Fagdom, Bruce LaBruce, took time out of his busy schedule to chat with V-Rag, as did filmmaker Angélique Bosio, director of the forthcoming documentary. You may have seen the ultra-weird movie Pornography: A Thriller at this year's Queer Film Festival, and we got to talk to the director, David Kittredge, about it! Still baffling... And speaking of film festivals, be sure to check out our picks from this year's Vancouver International Film Festival. All that plus local legends Ryan Steele, DJ Geoff Pye and a spooky photo shoot by Kate McLaren! Enjoy! V Editor & Art Director Cole Johnston • cole@v-rag.com Director of Business Development Darren Royea • darren@v-rag.com Sales Manager Skipp Johnson • skipp@v-rag.com Editorial Contributors Art & Photography John Britton Taylor Ross Alexander Lana Chunn Angélique Bosio Rob Easton Jose Guzman Colon Rob Farrow Marcy Cravat Joan-E Rhonda Dent Cole Johnston Katie Huisman Justin Meisner Nicholas Jang Matt Roy Bruce LaBruce Michael Venus Kate McLaren Dan Nicolletta Printed by Arno Roca East Van Graphics Cover Photo by Publisher Jose Guzman Colon Cole Johnston Design Copy deadline for the November issue is Oct. 23. Ad space is available until Oct. 25 and can be booked by calling 604306-6541 or emailing ads@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 1535 West Broadway, PO Box 29141 Vancouver B.C. V6J 1W6 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 © 2010 Cole Johnston Design.

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vanragazine #16

Peaches Christ

photo by jose guzman colon

by Michael Venus

V-rag

eaches Christ is a cult superstar waiting to happen. The San Francisco-based drag performer has the kind of resume that would put every would-be drag queen to shame. Not only is she an underground hero with her infamous Midnight Mass film extravaganzas, now she's a feature film director too. Her debut, All About Evil, is getting critical acclaim all over the horror circuit, and it's easy to see why. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Natasha Lyonne (But I'm A Cheerleader), Cassandra Peterson (Elvira Mistress of the Dark) and Mink Stole (from just about every John Waters trash classic), there's no way this could fail. Ms. Christ has spent the year touring the film along with a bevvy of zombie dancers, goulish drag queens and an interactive show that could only be compared to The Rocky Horror Picture Show in its heyday! We caught up with the busy directress to introduce herself to you wonderful people. If you've never heard of Peaches Christ, pay attention and prepare to have your mind blown. You have been a very busy bee traveling around the globe promoting your first feature film! Tell our readers about All About Evil. It's a dark comedy gore film that stars Natasha Lyonne as a librarian turned homicidal filmmaker. It takes place in a movie theatre and is a sorta over-the-top hybrid of so many movies I've loved and celebrated as a movie dork over the years. My drag queen alter-ego Peaches Christ has a small part in the film and so our cross country circus road-show is hosted by Peaches Christ and she puts on the 4-D Experience Spooktacular before screenings of the film. In recent years you have dazzled San Francisco with your Midnight Mass events. For those who don't know, what happens at a "Midnight Mass"? I created the event to be a stage-show celebration of all my favorite cult films and host Midnight Mass as Peaches Christ. We program a movie and then create a whole show around worshipping the movie. It's part performance, part audience participation, and always about having fun and sharing a love for these movies. For example, if we're doing Showgirls we re-create the Goddess dance and Peaches bursts naked from a volcano before offering

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photo by dan nicoletta

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the audience "free lap-dances with every large popcorn". That's a typical Midnight Mass night out at the movies.

goes on with her character, but she was unafraid and agreed to do the movie without even reading it!

You've screened many gems at your film galas and have hosted many film icons as well. Who are some of your highlights guests?

The San Francisco scene is a very diverse and fun filled one that seems to be taking over the planet with promoters like yourself, Heklina and Matt Bearracuda. Can you explain this phenomenon?

Oh God, I've loved all of them honestly. It's like a dream that I get to work with so many of my cult film idols. I guess highlights would certainly include Elvira, John Waters, Tura Satana, Mink Stole, Mary Woronov, Linda Blair, Herschell Gordon Lewis, and more. It's been a dream. Speaking of superstars, how did you get Mink Stole to appear in your film? Mink was the first celebrity to come and perform at Midnight Mass almost ten years ago. Since then, we've done a bunch of shows together and over the years we've become close friends. I love Mink and am really grateful for everything she's done for me. When I finished the screenplay for All About Evil, I called her and asked her to be in the movie and she said yes. I told her she may want to read the screenplay first because of what

It's funny because all three of us met around the same time, back in the first few years of Trannyshack, where we became friends. I don't think any of us imagined what would happen with Trannyshack or Midnight Mass and that these things would grow to become so big or go on for so long. We were creative collaborators and really helped one another over the years and I consider those people to be part of my family. There's a history of significant culturally queer things being born in San Francisco, including the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence, The Cockettes, The Imperial Court, and I think we're part of that rich legacy. People come to San Francisco to re-invent themselves and it's less about making money or more about having fun.

V-rag

What would be your dream come true? Definitely making All About Evil has been the big "dream come true" and I'm just really happy I like the movie itself. I keep thinking about how horrible it would have been to have worked that hard and asked for so many favours, and have involved so many people and then to have the movie turn out a disappointment. I'm really glad I like it. I'm proud of it and it's definitely not for everyone, but I feel like our fans have embraced it which thrills me to no end. Any advice for young and up and coming queer filmmakers? Make movies! Just get out there and do it. It's cheap enough now that anyone can pick up a camera and get something done. Entertain people, tell a story, think about your audience, and stop talking about making some-

What do you think is your secret to success? I think a big secret to "success" is whether or not you and the people you're working with are having fun. I guess for me, it's only worth it if it's still fun so just be sure you're out there enjoying yourself doing whatever it is you do. What can we expect from Peaches Christ in the near future? I'm working on writing another feature film dark comedy horror film. But in the meantime, it looks like we'll be shooting some more Peaches Christ shorts and planning another touring stage-show. More to come! Thanks darling! Thanks honey! V V-Rag and the House of Venus are working tirelessly to bring Peaches Christ and All About Evil to Vancouver. If you'd like to see this cult masterpiece, email us at fans@v-rag.com Until then, check out www.peacheschrist.com

photo by marcy kravat

John Waters, Elvira, Russ Meyer, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Paul Reubens, Pedro Almodovar, Doris Wishman, Divine, and I seriously could go on and on and on... so I'll stop with those.

thing; just go out and do it. You'll be ahead of the curve when you do.

october 2010 Issue 16

Who are your influences?

photos courtesy of bruce la bruce

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LaBruce by Michael Venus

s we celebrate our second annual Film issue here at V-Rag, it seemed perfect to catch up with legendary Canadian queer, "Prince of the Homosexuals" and now subject of a brand new documentry called Advocate of Fagdom, Bruce LaBruce. Continuing to produce art, photography and film like his latest L.A. Zombie, LaBruce is still challenging the mainstream with his demented sex appeal and groundbreaking horror-porn. Let's see what the mad maestro has been up to in the last year. It's been a year since we last chatted for our first V-Rag Film issue and you've been a very busy boy! Tell our reader some of the highlights of the last year. It's been a crazy year. I spent the first six weeks of 2010 in chilly Berlin editing L.A. Zombie. I previewed it at my Berlin gallery, Peres Projects, along with ten silk screen prints of Francois Sagat, the star of the movie. While I was there, I popped over to Paris to interview the Kaiser himself, Karl Lagerfeld for Vice Magazine. The interview caused a bit of a sensation. In the early summer I flew down to Nashville to shoot an episode of an ARTE TV show called Into the Night, a program that follows two artists in one city on one night. I directed an episode featuring Harmony Kornine showing his city to Gaspar Noe, which aired September 7th. After Nashville and editing in Berlin, I traveled to South Africa to participate in an art project/social experiment called X-Homes Johannesburg. It was a with a bunch of crazy theatre people I know from Berlin, and we all performed in people's private residences. In late summer I went to Switzerland for the official world premier of L.A. Zombie at the Locarno International Film Fetival, in competition. And now I've just had the North American premier at TIFF. A documentary on you and your work called The Advocate for Fagdom has been created recently which looks genius. How does it feel to have a

doc on you and how did it come to be? The Advocate for Fagdom came about because the filmmaker, AngĂŠlique Bosio, had interviewed me for her documentary on the Cinema of Transgression (called Llik Your Idols), but most of my material ended up on the cutting room floor! But she used that interview as the kernel of a doc on me, which she's been working on for the last couple of years. It feels kind of strange to have a doc made about you when you are - hopefully in the middle of your career! But I've seen it and I quite like it. It's entertaining, and the interviewees - including Gus Van Sant, John Waters, and Harmony Korine - are quite amusing. You are constantly traveling the globe but seem to spend a lot of your time in Toronto and Berlin. What are your favourite things about those two cities and is their a link? Sadly, Toronto and Berlin have increasingly less in common. In fact, aspects of Berlin remind me of Toronto back in the eighties when it was still rather bohemian and not so preoccupied about being a player on the world stage. Berlin is the last western European capital where you can still live a relatively bohemian lifestyle and not have to be a wage slave to make a living. A lot of Torontonians have escaped the rat race here, the bizarre proliferation of luxury condos and the discrimination toward the poor and marginalized, not to mention the curfews in all public parks after midnight. The G20 really opened a lot of people's eyes here to how clamped down and regulated the city has become. In Berlin the women can still lie topless in parks, and you can even walk through them at night without being arrested! Why do you think Berlin is such a hot spot for artists in particular? As I said earlier, Berlin is still cheap enough that

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Bruce

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you can afford a huge space and not have to worry about ridiculous rents and living expenses. That makes a big difference for artists. The city also has a horrible legacy to live with, and it's up to the artists to interpret and process the heavy burden of its history. It's also a gorgeous city that inspires artists. I've been doing a lot of theatre there, and it probably has the most developed theatre scene in the world - very experimental and unorthodox. It really frees you from lot of the traditional constraints of art practice.

played music and danced and hung from the hand rails. He was rebellious and smart and a great artist. I miss him dearly. Some folks are making a documentary about him, and I know he lives on in lots of peoples' hearts.

Toronto has lost a true pioneer in queer arts and culture, our mutual friend Will Monroe. Who was Will to you and how will his legacy live on?

After taking L.A. Zombie to the Sitges Fantasy Film Festival and the Moscow Independent Film Festival, I will be doing a theatre project in Regina with my friend, the dancer and performance artist Robin Poitras and the great Canadian Indian artist Edward Poitras. Then early in the new year I am going to Berlin to work on another theatre project - a production of the experimental opera Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg. V

I wrote a heartfelt tribute to my dear late friend Will Munro for the Torontoist. He died after a really valiant two year fight with brain cancer. Will was one of the last great impresarios of the city, and he left a big hole behind him. He had a punk rock spirit and a truly humanitarian soul. He rarely had a bad word to say about anybody, and his parties and events were always packed and full of great energy. He used to have these great birthday parties where everybody met and descended into a subway in crazy costumes and

Who are your favorite artists of late? Ryan Trecartin, Cody Critcheloe, Beth Ditto, Angela Bulloch, Douglas Gordon, Harmony Korine, Gaspar Noe, and Lee Chang-Dong. Anything the fans should be looking forward to?

You can see the Vancouver premiere of L.A. Zombie at the VIFF (see page 31) and read more about The Advocate for Fagdom on the next page. www.brucelabruce.com

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photos courtesy of angelique bosio & bruce la bruce

vanragazine #16

Angélique

Bosio

by Cole Johnston

h, the wonders of the interweb. Not only did we get to talk to Bruce LaBruce about being the subject of a documentary, we also tracked down the director of that documentary all the way in France, Angélique Bosio! The Advocate for Fagdom is Bosio's second documentary feature, after a stunning debut with Llik Your Idols, about the Cinema of Transgression movement. We're very excited to be able to talk with the international filmmaker about her latest project.

scene for quite a few years and as I was surrounded by cinema enthusiasts (who I thought could help and teach me), it felt natural to me that I should simply make a documentary about these artists (Richard Kern, Nick Zedd, Lydia Lunch etc), using the tools within my reach. While making Llik Your Idols, I found out it was something I genuinely loved doing and which offered me great possibilities and freedom regarding the work itself, as well as fantastic opportunities to travel and to meet very interesting people.

How did you get into filmmaking?

What are your major film influences?

For all the wrong, accidental and incidental reasons I guess. Actually I have always been keen on literature and music more than anything else, but when the time came for me to make a real choice as to which profession I was going to exercise, it occurred to me that doing something I didn’t know much about and that did not affect me emotionally (or so I thought) would probably be the best option. It gave me freedom and some kind of recklessness. Or a total lack of perceptiveness maybe... So I started working as a production assistant, later as a production secretary. I quickly felt the need to achieve something “with my own hands” though. As I had been intrigued by the Cinema of Transgression and the No Wave

I am not sure I can call them “influences” but the films that struck me and touched me are the ones by Bunuel (Viridiana, Tristana,Belle de Jour), Polanski (Repulsion, Knife in the Water, The Fearless Vampire Killers), Harmony Korine, Altman, Richard Kern, John Waters, etc. Actually I am pretty sure I cannot call them influences. I mean, I am not even making fiction! But it’s my taste. If I have any influence, though I wouldn’t even dare to use that word, it would come from photographers and writers. This, I have started to understand and feel as I was filming and editing more and more. Lately I have been working with a photographer/filmmaker named Rachel

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Huet and when we started filming together, I realized I was explaining what I wanted by using examples from photographers (we are both very fond of Diane Arbus, Anton Corbijn, Sally Mann). We understand each other perfectly on that matter. Do you think the punk aesthetic is still alive in film today? I think the punk, or transgressive, or subversive aesthetic (whatever the name) is about breaking the rules or disruption. It will be alive as long as we are. In film as well. Harmony Korine is important to me for that reason. He is one of the first examples that come to mind. There are different ways that a film can be punk to me, whether it is in his form or content, or tone. In a sense, Pascal Laugier is punk because of his nihilism, not in a formal way. So are Philippe Grandrieux and Gregg Araki. What first attracted you to the work of Bruce LaBruce? First, it was Super 8 1/2 and its “parody” of (as well as an homage to) the factory and Andy Warhol. I loved the humor and sarcasm to start with, and the way Bruce LaBruce would play with his own image, at his own expense most of the time... or so it would appear at first. As much as I can convince myself I am obsessed with the truth, I slowly discover that I love people who play with their image to the point that they appear to be something completely different. It’s like a protection shield or a puzzle game. Anyway, what I like about Bruce is that he is witty, really clever, and from what I discovered from the people I interviewed and the archives I have found, loyal and full of consideration, well intentioned and funny as hell. I do like his contradictions, the patchwork he gives us to see, the way he stays truthful to his work and at the same time has understood how to evolve and stay modern. He is a daredevil with a big calm distant smile on his face, somewhere in between Andy Kaufman and Lenny Bruce. That’s how I see him. Do you consider his films to be porn? No, even if there are porn elements in them. Susanne Sachsse said to me “Why not (use porn)?”. She meant that this very question and the way porn is systematically judged immoral and bad doesn't make sense, and that it is far more constructive to ask questions about sex, and to show it, to use it in art, to

question it in art rather than avoiding it or being scared of it. With two words, she simply turned it upside down into a very positive point of view. To me, "porn films" are built following very strict rules and are meant for the sole purpose of masturbation. It does not apply to Bruce’s work. Take Scarlet Diva by Asia Argento; there is a real sex scene in it, and nobody considered it to be a porn film. Neither were Intimité by Chéreau, Le Diable au Corps by Bellochio, The Brown Bunny by Gallo. So what is the difference really between these films and LaBruce’s films? Are they porn because they have more than just one sex scene? Or because he is not as notorious? Maybe he doesn’t benefit from a literary caution? I am pretty sure you can put the very same pornographic scene in various contexts, and people won’t see the same thing (in a posh living room, in a museum, in a dark alley, in a teenager’s bedroom). What comes to your mind then? Extreme filmmakers like Gaspar Noe are crossing over into the mainstream, yet Bruce LaBruce still seems to be an underground phenomena. Why do you think that is?

vanragazine #16 makes hilarious films that he loves. I just liked the reference and what the title held, meaning the political aspect of Bruce’s work. How did this film come to be? Any interesting memories from the shoot?

I guess it’s mainly because of the differences in the two cultures (Canadian/American and French/European) and the way these cultures view subversion in cinema and art, and finance cinema and art in general. I think the Europeans have a long history of supporting subversive artists like Bunuel. It's also difficult to compare the two directors. Gaspar Noe is more about intimacy and narcissism to me while Bruce can have his own way of taking a stand for specific political issues. One is a perfectionist and formal, when the other is a disruptive punk. I would say that the fact that Bruce “forays” other scripts and films doesn’t help him either to be truly considered as a real author. But to me he is. Also, his character is deeply rooted in reality; he has put himself in his own movies, and has acted in explicit sex scenes. I guess it is one of the reason he isn’t mainstream now. Where does the title, The Advocate for Fagdom, come from? It comes from a letter written by Kurt Cobain in 1993 after he was interviewed by The Advocate, in which he calls himself an “advocate for fagdom”. He adds that Bruce LaBruce

If I remember well, Le Chat Qui Fume (producers) asked me if I wanted to interview Bruce LaBruce for a DVD bonus. They intended to release Otto; or Up with the Dead People in France, on DVD. Then it turned into a whole documentary when they gave up the idea of the release and I started filming. I was not convinced at first that I would manage to make something good out of it, because it was going very slow then, and because I was scared to be reduced to the “filmmaker who likes transgressive cinema”. Then Bruce started helping me and giving me contacts. At the same time, I had holidays planned in New York that quickly turned into an intense work session when Bruce Benderson, John Waters, Richard Kern and Gus Van Sant all accepted to get involved. All of a sudden, the whole thing was getting more lively and difficult and I started to really put my guts in it. I guess with Bruce getting more involved and being extremely open (he let me do whatever I wanted), I felt more affected and involved myself. As for memories, it is full of personal ones that would bore every single reader here! The people you meet when you're completely exhausted, in a foreign country, just for a one night shoot, and who support you in amazing ways or later become friends; the places you discover; the strippers in Portland who dance for you and bite your tits; the fact that you are interviewing Jack Sargeant who is now a beloved friend in the exact same armchair, under the exact same window as you did 7 years ago… One funny memory was when I was shooting my last interviews in Berlin and I simply ran into Bruce on the subway platform. I didn’t know he was there, he didn’t know what I was doing. But here I was, chasing him all over town through his friends’ interviews and words, and simply finding him reading on a platform. Where and when can Canadian audiences see this film? I am currently cutting the film to a 90 minute version. So I should have a definitive cut midOctober. The film will premiere early 2011. Other than that, it is in the hands of my producers/ distributors and there’s nothing decided yet. I hope it will run festivals in the near future. V

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vanragazine #16 #15

David

Kittredge

by Cole Johnston

or those loyal readers and true cinemaphiles, you'll remember one of our picks at this year's Queer Film Festival, Pornography: A Thriller. The three-act film centres around the disappearance of a young gay porn star named Mark Anton and the mystery surrounding it. Part horror, part art house, and all sorts of weirdness, Pornography was one of the most memorable movies from the fest. We got a chance to speak with the director, David Kittredge, in hopes of gaining some knowledge from this major braintwister. The Philadelphia-born movie maker chats with us about inspirations, gay filmmaking, what's next for him, and most importantly... What the hell was Pornography all about?

How did your first feature film, Pornography: A Thriller, come to be? I’d been writing a comedy as my first feature to direct that, frankly, I just wasn’t liking. It felt very safe and audience-friendly, but unchallenging and worse, it just felt like I’d seen this movie before. One night, my best friend Melissa and partner Rob confronted me over dinner when I was expressing frustration and asked: what movie do you really want to make? I really surprised myself because I had an answer, which was “Well, I could tell you, but you’ll think I’m crazy.” That was the beginning - when I kind of shed what I thought would “sell” or get me ahead and just wrote a film that came straight from my psyche. Pornography is an intensely personal movie to me, even if it doesn’t look like one at first blush.

V-rag

How has the reaction been to the film so far?

Yes, there is a solid narrative in the film, but since it’s told through a subjective character’s eyes—and this narrator may not be reliable—the narrative we see is fractious and uses some dream-logic. But if you watch the end of the film and backtrack to what led to that point, you can figure it out. It’s not the kind of movie you just watch and let it wash over you—you have to pay attention. We were very careful not to give absolute answers at the end of the film. I remember watching The Shining when I was younger and having passionate hours of debate with friends about what “really” was going on at certain points… and honestly, that’s my favorite kind of movie: the film that lets the viewer put the pieces together and actively involves the audience rather than asking them to just tune out. What was your reasoning for telling this story in such an unconventional manner? Honestly, that’s the way the story wanted to be told. At some point, you have to give in to some extent to the way a project “wants” to

It’s been kind of amazing. We’ve had an incredible festival run, won a few awards and received a lot of glowing reviews. One reviewer actually called it the “Citizen Kane of gay porn ghost stories,” which is something I’d like on a t-shirt. We’ve also had some bad reviews, some bordering on apoplectic, but if you read them it’s hard for me not to feel a bit proud. If someone really hated the film - they don’t understand it and don’t want to think about it, it’s non-linear, etc.—those are the exact reasons why I love it. It’s designed to undermine expectations and challenge perceptions. So if you don’t like thinking about movies, it may not be the movie for you; this movie is designed to haunt you. I’m happy that the film has found an audience and there’s a growing number of fans who are wildly enthusiastic and really, truly love the film. Do you find it hard for "gay" films to be taken seriously by the mainstream or critics?

still from earthling

The film seems to play with reality, nightmares and dream logic, but would you say it has an ultimately clear narrative?

I think it all really comes down to the movie; it’s just a question of getting it in front of them. Right now there’s so much content out there, it’s tough for any film without at least one big star in it to be taken seriously, gay or otherwise. There are studio movies that cost tens of millions of

photos courtesy of triple fire productions

october 2010 Issue 16 be. Pornography was always a film that was structured to undermine what the audience thought was coming next; that was part of the point. I could have jammed a standard three-act narrative structure onto the film—but it just wasn’t the movie it wanted to be, and, frankly, that wasn’t the movie I wanted to see.

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dollars that aren’t “taken seriously”—they open, they get their eventual terrible reviews, and they’re gone from theaters in a couple of weeks. As far as gay movies in general, I don’t think we should be shooting for the mainstream. First off, there really isn’t one. We’re in an age in which people search out the entertainment they want. I feel like we should be shooting for making the best possible movie, period. And if there’s a really amazing gay film, I know (or hope) it will find a wide audience. The freedom we have at typically working with lower budget levels should be in the content and execution—we shouldn’t be trying so hard to “cross over”. If you only have a tiny budget to make a film, why not make it something daring or challenging? The short film you made before Pornography, Target Audience, was a really funny comedic satire. What made you want to go in the horror/thriller direction for your feature? Thanks for that, I love Target Audience! I don’t think it was as much my choosing to go in the horror/thriller direction as much as my choosing to commit to this movie in my head that just desperately needed to get made. Target Audience was such a fun short to make, though it’s funny because that entire film is shot and structured like a horror movie. It’s just that, in that case, the “horror” is really funny. You've garnered several comparisons to David Lynch's work, most notably Mulholland Drive. Was this an inspiration in making Pornography?

I love David Lynch, but honestly I feel like I stole from other directors a lot more than I stole from

Lynch! If there was one inspiration of Lynch’s, it was definitely Lost Highway, which is one of my favorite films, but Pornography was also heavily inspired by Psycho, Videodrome, Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining, the work of DePalma and Verhoeven… and lots and lots of others. I actually find it funny that everybody seems to think I was so influenced by Mulholland Dr. I like the film a lot but it was not a true inspiration. I’ve read entire reviews saying I obviously wanted Pornogrpahy to be a “gay Mulholland Dr”…which is hilarious, since Mulholland Dr. is already a pretty gay movie. What films and filmmakers would you cite as your greatest influences? Kubrick, Polanski, Hitchcock, Verhoeven, Welles, Kurosawa, Fincher, Mann, DePalma, Maya Deren, and so so so many others! What actors are you dying to work with? I have a really long list! At the top is probably Maria Bello, I just think she’s amazing. Also I really love Jeremy Renner. Any big projects up next on the horizon? I’m writing a film to shoot next year… and there’s another project I’d like to do right after that. The good news in having a movie like Pornography, which did so well on the festival circuit and got the attention it did, is that people want to know what I’m doing next. And for that I’m really, really grateful. V Pornography: A Thriller is out now on DVD. www.davidkittredge.com

V-rag

21 october 2010 Issue 16

ctober is the month where the summer’s excesses catch up with me. I’ve had enough of the road trips, the barbecues, the days at the beach, the shirtless boys. But mostly my liver hates me and I need to prove to myself that I am not an alcoholic, so I detox. It’s called Sober October. For most, summer is over after Labour Day. Not so for me. Always the bain of my academic career, the first week of school would be filled with the usual frosh binge drinking - and who cares: no real work really happens that week anyway. Week two, I’d usually get around to buying my textbooks and by the time all the errands were done, I’d pass by the pub only to see my friends there after class - no work here either. Week three was always the worst: it’s always my birthday - ‘nuff said. By the time week four came around, I’d always feel guilty, overreact, and self impose a month-long penitence to make up for my sins - no mention of all the further procrastination during October with or without booze. While Sober October may have begun way back when, I have kept the tradition. It’s come in a few different forms: Robadon when the Islamic holy month coincided, No-booze-vember - the name given to it when an extension was needed, or Ocsober - something I found when googling Sober October: www.ocsober.com.au (apparently the Aussies do it too). An entire month of sobriety does several things: if you tend to go to the bar, it saves a boatload of cash. Your liver thanks you at the end. And, any other concurrent habits (i.e. smoking) are discouraged and often arrested by the end of the month.

WASTED thoughts by Rob Easton

But for those who like to imbibe, such piousness poses a problem. October is bookended by two big drinking events: Thanksgiving and Halloween. Getting through any major family event sober can be problematic at any time of year. And what good is wearing that ridiculous sexy nurse costume if you’re not going take a little bit of that confidence juice to make you appropriately slutty? My solution: start it early. I have a birthday on September 23rd, a last hurrah of summer, making me want to never drink again - or at least for the next month. So with that extra week, it gives you enough time at the end sobriety early to enjoy Halloween. And thanksgiving, I still haven’t found a good one for that. Maybe the relatives can just stay home. Ultimately it’s really just a detox with a convenient name. The Sober October facebook group I found says it best: “It's that time of year again! Sober October. A month when we sit back and take a break from drinking to prove to ourselves and everyone else that we can stop if we want to. Why the month of October [sic] - well, because it rhymes.” Happy Sobriety! See you at Halloween! V

vanragazine #16

the

photo by taylor ross alexander

THIRD KIND by Justin Meisner

veryone has different methods for meeting people to date. Some people urge their friends to set them up, some people go to the bar, and others take up hobbies in an attempt to find like-minded individuals. But one of the more common ways for gay men to meet one another, which is becoming increasingly common among everyone else, has for many years been internet dating. I first began internet dating innocently enough as a teenager growing up in Texas. Besides the fact that we weren't old enough to get into any bar and lived with our parents, we were also living in the Bible Belt so whether we were out or not, wearing it on our sleeve wasn't always the smartest tactic for high school survival. Despite all this, I managed to have quite an active dating life during my teens (sometimes more active than now) thanks to the magic that was MySpace. Before I had ever logged on to any sort of gay dating website, before I was ever entering in my screenname just below a jpeg of some dude's erect penis, I was innocently cruising guys through the common likes of Britney Spears, Dawson's Creek and whoever was close enough for me to drive to on a school night. Back then, internet dating was incredibly taboo. To my straight friends it stank of desperation, something only lonely, middle-aged women with too many cats and a taste for collecting porcelain dolls from the Home Shopping Network did. I often found myself explaining my actions, reminding my straight peers that I simply did not have the luxury of meeting men wherever I wanted. If I was at the mall or the grocery store and I thought I sensed another queer in my midst, you couldn't just go up to them and assume they were actually gay or even out. Not as teenagers, and certainly not in Texas. It wasn't as if the quarterback was going to come up to me in the hall and ask me to prom (he

was much more secretive when he contacted me, but that's a story of another time). During college I stopped online dating and didn't again until the end of my first long term relationship a couple years after that. After years offline, I was expecting to once again innocently find other guys based on our musical tastes, what movie we had just seen or what television show we were obsessed with. I just simply wasn't ready for the intensity of hardcore, adult, homosexual online dating. I had no idea I was going to have to hunt through pages of people's penises or go fishing with plenty of losers. It was all business, there was no innocence. When I am signing up for a profile and I am asked whether or not I am uncircumsized or whether or not I take it in the ass, I begin to question my methods. There's a difference between cutting to the chase and cutting out realtiy. Granted I could just be naive, expecting to find an interesting enough guy on websites that basically look like eBay if all you could buy on eBay were used cocks. I'm old enough now, I'm an adult and I am not living in Texas. I think the next time I'm at the grocery store and I think I smell another one in my midst, instead of burning a hole into his forehead by staring I think I may actually grow a pair, be a man and go say hello. I just hope he isn't handling any bananas when I do. V Follow Justin in our new regular feature, The Third Kind as he "power-dates" his way through the city. www.houseofeugene.blogspot.com

check out our brand new selection of best selling books...

Batwoman: Elegy Greg Rucka Both sexy and suspenseful, this acclaimed hardcover combines noir story with eye popping colour. Battling the evil Alice, this spectacular book proves there's more than one hero in Gotham looking hot and kicking ass in their tights.

The Bucolic Plague Josh Kilmer-Purcell This hysterical follow-up to the bestselling I Am Not Myself These Days chronicals what happens when one of New York's trashiest drag queens and Martha Stewart Living's resident doctor move to the country and buy a farm including a herd of goats and a bionic cat.

The Velvet Rage Alan Downs, PH.D. Drawing from his own experiences and those of many of his friends and patients, this clinical psychologist offers stories and guides to bring you happiness and empowerment as a gay man in the new Millenium.

Missed Her Ivan E. Coyote The latest release from one of Western Canada's leading storytellers. From love to heatbreak, family, growth and gender, Ivan once again captures the feelings in so many of us, but with more warmth and humour.

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october 2010 This month's artwork: You've probably read all about Bruce LaBruce already in this issue, but we really can't be more excited about his new project L.A. Zombie, premiering in Vancouver this month at the VIFF. Photo by Arno Roca. www.brucelabruce.com

Monday

What A Drag @ Studio 58 (Langara)

Glee Tuesdays @ Junction Pub

Justin Bieber @ Rogers Arena

Klaxons @ Venue

Live Jazz Mondays @ Capone's

Industry Night @ Junction Pub

Hip-Hop Karaoke @ Fortune

Monday Madness @ 1181

Industry Night @ Score on Davie

DJ Shadow @ The Commodore

Apocalypstic @ The Cobalt

Turkey Burner Weekend @ Lotus

HerShe Bar @ Red Room

17 - Closing Night

Haunting Works @ Forsya Gallery

Do Me Sundays @ J Lounge

Sunday Kegger @ The PumpJack

Crookers @ Venue

Tuesdays at Celebrities @ Celebrities

Grease: The Musical @ Queen E. Theatre

26 - Opening Night

Die Antwoord @ The Commodore

The Family Complete @ Pacific Cinematheque

Haunted @ The Narrow

Tops & Bottoms @ J Lounge

Rock Da House 3 @ Storyeum Gallery

Tuesday

Please send event and calendar listings to events@v-rag.com.

Sunday

Midweek Crisis @ Oasis

Bingo For Life @ Celebrities

Madame Hussy's House @ Joseph Richard

Steve Lawler @ Pop Opera

108 @ Empire Granville 7

Broken Social Scene @ The Commodore

Stonewall Uprising @ Empire Granville 7

Dollicious Wednesdays @ Celebrities

Wednesday

Strange Powers @ Empire Granville 7

Queer Bash @ The Cobalt

Vancouver Film Festival @ Various Locations

15 - Closing Night

Paul Oakenfold @ The Commodore

Get Er Done Tour 2010 @ Fortune

Latino Night @ Numbers

Hard Candy @ Celebrities

Drag Idol @ Junction Pub

Halloween Friday @ 1181

Nero @ Celebrities

John 00 Fleming @ Gorg-O-Mish

TV Rock @ Five Sixty

Show & Tell Fashion Show Calvin Harris @ Venue @ PNE Forum

Cocky @ 1181

ATB w/ Josh Gallahan @ Celebrities

31 Halloween Night Various Locations

30 Queer Bashoween @ The Cobalt

The Siouxsie Ball @ Five Sixty

Man-Up @ Lick

Kathy Griffin @ The River Rock

Nawtybox @ Lick

L.A. Zombie @ Vancity Theatre

Sad Mag Live! @ The Cultch

Roctober Art Show @ 1064 Davie Street

Bliss feat. Dave Aude @ Five Sixty

Saturday

Friday

Greece Does Grease Treasure Fingers @ Waterfront Theatre @ Celebrities

7 - Opening Night

Thursday

vanragazine #16

Joan-E's

photos by nicholas jang www.double-take2.ca

Rag

what's a girl to do?

riends of mine have told me that years ago there were dozens of Gay clubs in Vancouver. Well, what the fuck happened? Over the years I have watched many close; The Castle, The Royal, The Shaggy Horse, The Dufferin, The Odyssey [maybe having the word "the" in your name is not such a great idea? Just sayin'] and scarily, few have opened. I have written in V-Rag before about mixed spaces and today's changing environment where many in our community neither want nor need gay bars. That said, we still need gay bars! Lately I have been hearing, especially since the O shut down and 1181 closed temporarily due to flooding, people saying "Where in the hell do i go now?" I don't want anyone to get the impression that I am not supporting the bars we have left. I went out last Saturday to Five Sixty, The Fountainhead, Celebrities and Numbers and had a rollickingly great time at each. I love the Thick Set parties, intend to support Junction, The Oasis and Queer Bash as much as possible and have raised many a pint at the Pumpjack... But something is missing! Could someone please open a venue?! Can it have a real stage? Could it be cool looking but not beautiful? Could it be designed so that it can be made smaller and larger depending on the evening and size of crowd? Could it have proper lights? Could the club be in the Village or close to it? Could they hire a staff that is professional and courteous (and yes I have some suggestions)? Could the door staff remember that they are not just security but ambassadors of their establishments and the first and last people we see at the club? Can those

same door staff not be on steroids? Can you hire DJs that play what the crowd wants to hear and not what the DJ thinks the crowd should wish to hear? And can that music be played on a proper sound system through working speakers that are not blown? Can there be proper temperature control? Can the owners remember that owners should only own, managers should only manage, bar tenders should only bartend, bussers should only bus and Queens should do whatever the hell they like (tee hee)? Could the place smell nice? Can great customers be rewarded with VIP treatment and awful ones be 86'd? Can Stevie Carlsrtom have at least one drink comped per visit to the club? Could that club be a club that caters to the LGBT community, its friends and its supporters? Can the club remember that it has a role in this community and do its part to support this community? Could the club not show sports (that niche is already being filled)? And last but not least, can a Stoli and soda cost under $9? Please? V Check out more of Joan-E's Rag on www.v-rag.com or www.pinq.ca

V-rag

around town!

ctober is a cornucopia of splendid reasons to go out and get down. Seasons change… People change… Fall is certainly a time for change and shifting of energies. Here in Vancity is no different, as new club nights and nightlife culture diversifies with some choice happenings. The ultra chic club personalities from the House of LaDouche bring a mid-week night of decadence and gorgeousness entitiled Madame Hussy's House. The grand opening commences Wednesday, October 20th at Joseph Richards Boutique Nightclub on Granville Street across from the fabulous Templeton Restaurant (a great weekend brunch spot BTW). Sundays have gotten sultry and sassy at The Colbalt with the brand new delicious drag night called, Apocalypstic: East Van's most explosive new drag show. Every week features the Queen of East Van herself, Isolde N. Barron, and special weekly guests in a very fun and intimate cabaret setting full of fun of frolic! Mondays with DJ Drew, G-Luve and gang keeps things fancy at the Junction. 1181 gets a fresh and sexi (dotted with a heart) vibe with Gay Top Model citizen Riley working things out as the new manager at

Davie Street’s fashion-forward hot spot. Things really sizzle on Cocky Thursdays when his beau DJ Adam Dreaddy gets things crackin' behind the decks. The Dreaddster continues to rule every Saturday with DJ Quest in The Concert Hall at Five Sixty. The hottest Saturday night in the city continues to grow and grow with rad special events like the Thanksgiving Long Weekend Party on October 9th, The Siouxsie Ball in The Art Lounge on Saturday, October 23rd and of course a killer Halloween extravaganza called Whore House on October 30th. The Halloween weekend also promises international DJ duo The Freemasons at The Commodore, the very special Queer Bashoween at the Cobalt, and a special event in just about every other venue you can think of! Just remember to party safely. Lastly but not leastly, October wouldn't be the same without the Vancouver International Film Festival, giving us a much needed dose of culture to these rainy days. Here's hoping you get lots of tricks and treats! Ciao xo V Check out the all new House of Venus website www.houseofvenus.com

V-rag

Ryan

photo by rhonda dent

Steele I

’ve known Ryan Steele for nine years, before he had his own show, before he had twenty-nine hundred friends on Facebook, before he failed his first drug test out of prison; before he was a star. So when I was asked to interview him, well I had to think about it; I really didn’t want to ruin the friendship. But after careful consideration, I decided it wouldn’t be that terrible for me to talk to my dear, dear friend. For Ryan, with his good looks, muscular physique, and charming glow, the obvious career path was comedy. Anyone can be sexy and dramatic, but it takes something really special to make people laugh. Comedy was Ryan’s calling from an early age. “I have been obsessed with Saturday Night Live since I was ten years old. It is my favourite TV show of all time.” So it comes as no surprise that Ryan’s comedic heroes hail from SNL, particularly the ladies: Molly Shannon, Tina Fey, and Kristen Wiig, to name a few. Since January 2007, Ryan has dedicated his time to comedy via his progeny, The Ryan Steele Show. For anyone who doesn’t know, The Ryan Steele Show started out as a little sketch comedy act on Tuesday nights at local lounge 1181. But it became so popular that he had to move to a larger venue, and ended up at The Odyssey, where Ryan and a troupe of other funny people

by Matt Roy

sang, danced, and generally hammed it up. “I never really expected anything. I am thrilled with the growth of the show and how much I've learned as a writer and a producer. I still haven't stopped to look at what we've accomplished.” Yes, Ryan writes, produces, and performs in an hour long show, and he does it once a month. Girl is busy! And it just... never... stops. Even though The Ryan Steele Show is on hiatus (just a break) in lieu of the Odyssey closing its doors, he has big plans. “The future is videos. I want to put more time and effort into what we do. Eventually put a pilot together and send it to everybody in the world.” And Ryan’s videos are gems. A melange of movie parodies (Conception), music videos (Ryavainka Presents), character series (Busy Drag Queen), and the truly bizarre (Can I Be Fierce With You For A Minute?), Ryan Steele will do and say anything to make you laugh. These can all be found on Ryan’s website: ryansteeleshow.com. Okay Ryan, I said everything you wanted. Please let me out of your dungeon. I just want to go home. V Check out Ryan's videos on his YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/ryanjasonsteele or on his website www.ryansteeleshow.com

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V-rag

viff

It's time once again for the Vancouver International Film Festival, running Sept. 30 – Oct. 15. This year will see even more GLBT-themed films than ever before, with stand outs like Renate Costa's 108, Kerthy Fix and Gail O'Hara's Strange Powers, and Ashley Charbonnet's exceptional short film The Price of Flowers. Here are V-Rag's top picks for the fest. Check out www.viff.org for the full schedule.

The Family Complete D: Imaizumi Koichi Japan, 2010, 106 min

Can there be such a thing as an all-male family? A mysterious virus which stimulates man-on-man sex strikes the Imaizumi family on the day a man dressed as a giant cat rapes Grandpa... Porn industry graduate Imaizumi Koichi offers a surreal and provocative vision of gay life... for adults only. Tues Oct 5, 9:30pm • Wed Oct 6, 3:45pm

L.A. Zombie D: bruce la bruce

Germany/USA, 2010, 63 min A masterpiece of melancholia, Bruce LaBruce's oneiric second foray into the gay zombie porn genre is about an alien (who may or may not be a homeless schizophrenic, played by French porn star François Sagat) who emerges from the ocean and finds corpses in Los Angeles to bring back to life. Not for general audiences. Sat Oct 9, 11:45pm • Wed Oct 13, 9:45pm

Stonewall Uprising D: Kate Davis, David Heilbroner USA, 2010, 82 min

A turning point in queer history is brilliantly examined by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner. “The most thorough... exploration of the three days of unrest beginning June 28, 1969, when patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a seedy Mafia-operated gay bar in Greenwich Village, turned on the police after a routine raid...“ - The New York Times Thurs Sept 30, 12:20pm • Wed Oct 6, 9:30pm

october 2010 Issue 16

glbt at

V-rag

WATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo Housekeeping www.tinyurl.com/vrag39

Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans - Cristiano Ronaldo gets dressed, puts on his jeans over his underwear while the maid watches. But he can't find his shirt. When the housekeeper finds it, she hides it. Good work. WATCH: BearCity Official Trailer www.tinyurl.com/vrag40

Woof! It's summer in New York City, and the neighbourhood bears are coming out of hibernation. A group of friends is getting ready for the annual week-long celebration of all things bear, but plans keep getting turned upside down. WATCH: Diffidence by Jerry Tai www.tinyurl.com/vrag41

A gay, closeted screenwriter, Darrel, is forced to collaborate on a project with another writer, Ryan. As the partnership grinds on, Darrel is forced to confront and accept himself for who he is deep down inside. A graduation film project from Emily Carr. WATCH: Teamm8 Boys Will Be Boys www.tinyurl.com/vrag42

Two real life best mates, Marz and Simon, just hanging out together and hamming it up for the camera for Australian underwear brand Teamm8. The boys chill out in their underwear and do the stuff you dream straight guys do in their underwear. WATCH: X-Rated Angel by Peter Breeze www.tinyurl.com/vrag43

A new music video by Vancouver chanteuse Peter Breeze. Produced by Maxwell Maxwell, filmed & edited by Rami Mikhail. Featuring the new stars of the Vancouver underground with production value we only dreamed about in the '90s. WATCH: Porn Start Official Trailer www.tinyurl.com/vrag44

When Vance and Pepe, two hosts of a reality makeover show, find out they've been cancelled, they quickly devise a plan to break into the gay porn industry. Sensing a train wreck is near, a documentary crew follow the "famous" reality TV duo.

october 2010 Issue 16

Use the QR Code to watch the videos on your iPhone. Download the free Mobiletag app. Scan the QR code for the video. The video will autoplay. Or type the tinyurl/vrag address into your browser/iPhone to watch the videos. Visit www.wayoutwest.tv for more gay videos!

vanragazine #16

FILM:notes Devil D: John Erick Dowdle

Let Me In D: matt reeves

Despite not actually having had a critical hit since 2002’s Signs and directing two of the most critically drubbed movies of the last couple of years (The Happening and the truly dreadful The Last Airbender), M. Night Shyamalan still feels warranted in launching his own branded trilogy, egotistically titled The Night Chronicles (see what he did there). Thankfully, he’s only on writing duty for this first instalment. Quarantine director John Erick Dowdle takes the helm of this Hitchcockian cautionary tale of five random strangers who are trapped in an elevator of a nameless office building. Unknown to them, one of them is the devil. The situation quickly descends into paranoid chaos as the stranded strangers become increasingly erratic – and dangerous to each other. It’s a neat concept, and one which was sold incredibly well in a slick and targeted marketing campaign. Sadly, all the potential shown by those nifty posters and trailers is squandered on an entertaining but forgettable yarn that proposes some great ideas but doesn’t capitalise on any of them. The major mis-step is periodically taking the action out of the confines of the doomed elevator. Just as the tension starts to mount inside the car and any sense of dread creeps in, we cut to the two-dimensional cops that are watching events unfold on the security monitor. The net result is an extended Twilight Zone episode that would be perfectly serviceable as a TV special but just doesn’t cut it as a major movie. The Shyamalan career-tailspin continues unabated.

October always means an onslaught of big Hollywood horror movies, all vying to rule the Halloween box office. You could go see the latest entry in the Saw franchise, this time using the completely underutilized and non-gimmicky technology of 3D. Or you could check out the Vancouver-shot Case 39 featuring Renee Zellweger squinting at just about everything onscreen. Or there's always the splatter-fest Night of the Demons (OK, this admittadly looks kind of fun). But do yourself a favour instead and go see Let Me In. Matt Reeves, director of Cloverfield, has completely shocked all the naysayers who assumed this would be American trash. You see, Let Me In is a remake of a much loved Swedish flick from 2008 called Let The Right One In, a film that's already considered a near-perfect vampire classic. So how do you improve on perfection? Well... You don't. Tomas Alfredson's anti-Twilight is still the most brilliant coming-of-agelove-story-cum-vampire-horror ever made. But I'll be so bold as to say that this remake is just as good as the original, probably the best American remake I've seen. The success lies in the fact that Reeves doesn't dumb this down for American audiences; it's just as brutal, disturbing, beautiful and gut-renching as the source material. Plus he uses the two most talented child actors in Hollywood, Chloë Grace Moretz (KickAss's Hit Girl) and The Road's Kodi Smit-McPhee. If ever there was a movie that proves what garbage the Twilight franchise really is, this is it. See it or rent Let The Right One In and be dazzled. And not in that lame way Edward bedazzles in sunlight.

by John Britton

by Cole Johnston

V-rag

Fantasia back to me

Robyn body talk pt. 2

Chromeo business casual

One could debate at length whether or not there is an American Idol curse, one that could extend not only from its stars, but as of late, all the way to its judging panel. Some artists that have walked its Hollywood halls have gone on to achieve great success (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood) and have at times shaken the stigma that they've ever even been on the show. However, at most there is a American Idol graveyard where the remains of too many talented, if misguided, youth's careers lay to rest. Fantasia is one such artist, whose talent is undeniable and the soul in her voice beyond her actual years. However after a less than stellar debut, this record could be the R&B crooner's final shot... As evidenced by the fact that her label has pushed back its release date over five times this year and retooled the record just as much. And it shows. Nothing on this collection stands out or does the 26-year-old's pipes any justice. At best, this overworked, overtooled record will enjoy years to come in doctors' waiting rooms across America.

As the album cover implies, Body Talk Pt. 2 delivers a complete eargasm. After ending Pt. 1 on a low-and-slow note, Robyn brings it back onto the dancefloor with seven fabulous, synth-driven songs before slowing it down again.The album closer “Indestructible”, will receive the same sort of up-beat remix on Pt. 3 that “Hang With Me” got this time around. “Criminal Intent” is similar to the sexiness of “Fembot” and adds a Peaches-like electrobounce; and the album highlight, “U Should Know Better”, has great dance party potential and the same in-your-face attitude as the earlier "Cobrastyle". Plus it features Snoop Dogg on vocals! Like Pt.1, Body Talk Pt. 2 is packed with attitude, catchy choruses and intelligent hooks. On its own, it would be classed as a great album, but that it follows an equally high quality release just months before, and that it promises much for the final part of the trilogy later this year, just makes Robyn’s second album of 2010 even better.

If bubblegum could sing and play music, that’s what Chromeo would sound like. They’ve got a smoothy, chewy, popping sound that makes it so easy to like them. Of course, the big thing that sets Chromeo apart from bubblegum is that they don’t lose their flavour so easily. Their third studio album, Business Casual, is a mix of electro funk and disco, basically a full fledge dance album. The songs are all bouncy, sexy, and lightly flirty, and there’s nothing too deep or serious to worry about in the lyrics. Some of the standout tracks include "Hot Mess", "Night By Night", and "When the Night Falls". Notice a pattern? As usual, Dave 1’s smooth vocals and PThugg's riffs fail to disappoint. While Business Casual would have made an excellent summer album, it looks instead to be the album that will be keeping us warm during those cold Canadian nights that are fast sneaking up on us. So turn the lights down, turn the music up, and get busy.

by Justin Meisner

by Lana Chunn

by Matt Roy

october 2010 Issue 16

MUSIC:notes

by Kate McLaren

Photography: kate mclaren www.kate-mclaren.com clothes supplied by: boo la la www.boolalacostumes.com styling: kate mclaren & cole johnston hair: zoe broomsgrove zoho salon & lock shop make-up: carmen ferguson carmferg@gmail.com models: katie, kenneth, travis and vanessa special thanks: laurie sluchinski & chris bolton

ON SALE NOW! vanragazine #16

LISTINGS ths. sept. 30-fri. oct. 15 29th Vancouver International Film Festival With more GLBT-themed films than ever before, this year's VIFF offers up some great art house programming. Various locations. sunday oct. 3 Apocalypstic This time featuring the incomparable Conni Smudge! The Cobalt, 917 Main tues. oct. 26 - sun. 31 Grease: The Musical Starring Eddie Mekka, the

2631

iconic musical comes to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 600 Hamilton. saturday oct. 30

Freemasons TFD presents the Grammynominated DJ duo for the biggest Halloween party of the year. Don't miss this one if you like to dance! The Commodore, 868 Granville Queer Bashoween Or if you're feeling like a dressup messup, the Queer Bashoween is our pick for the spooky season. The Cobalt, 917 Main

sunday oct. 31

October 26 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 31, 2010

Sunday Halloween Queen ElizabethKegger Theatre Group of 15+ The kegger of all keggers, get Call: 1.800.889.8457 604.280.4444 out your leather and chaps for a sweaty good time. The Pumpjack, 1167 Davie BroadwayAcrossCanada.ca

Halloween at Celebrities Tricks and treats abound at the annual Halloween Night Celebration. Prizes for best costume, great performances and more! Celebrities Nightclub, 1022 Davie

EVOLUTION

FREE POOL

INDUSTRY NIGHT: ANY SPECIAL

DJ SAM McCOOEY

SUNDAY KEGGER

CAESARS & REDSTRIPE SPECIALS

GUINNESS/KILKENNY & MARTINI SPECIALS

WELL LIQUOR SPECIALS

KARAOKE TUESDAYS

DJ TIM

GLEE TUESDAYS

RUSSELL & TWISTED COOLERS SPECIALS

GRANVILLE ISLAND, HONEY LAGER, PALE ALE

TOOLBOX WEDNESDAYS: EVERY LAST WEDNESDAY

MIDWEEK CRISIS

NUMBERS IDOL

PILSNER SPECIALS

Live Bands

RED TRUCK LAGER & BEEFEATER HIGHBALLS

BINGO FOR LIFE & DOLLICIOUS

TUESDAYS AT CELEBRITIES

Wednesdays

WILD WEDNESDAYS

Tuesdays

CHILL

Please send event and calendar listings to events@v-rag.com.

SCORE ON DAVIE

PUMPJACK

OASIS

NUMBERS

LICK

3SUM IN THE LOFT

INDUSTRY NIGHT

G80Z SUNDAYS

NUMBERS IDOL

Comedy Night: Tops & Bottoms

VILLAGE SUNDAYS: DRAG SHOW

J LOUNGE

JUNCTION

HOUSE WINE & BLUE

CAESARS & OKANAGAN SPRINGS SPECIALS

CHEAP SUNDAYS

Mondays

FOUNTAINHEAD

FIVE SIXTY

CELEBRITIES

1181

Sundays

HIGHBALLS & BUCKETS OF DOS EQUIS SPECIALS

ALL BEER, CIDERS & COOLERS ON SPECIAL

LATIN NIGHT

LATINO NIGHT

DRAG IDOL

MIXX ARTISTS

GROWERS CIDERS & KEITHS SPECIALS

HARD CANDY

COCKY

Thursdays

CANADIAN JUGS & JAGERBOMBS SPECIAL

RUSSELL CREAM SPECIALS

BANGIN'!

CORONA NIGHT

BLACK SATURDAY / SHOW YOUR STUFF

LIVE PIANO SATURDAYS LOLLIPOP EVERY 2ND SAT

SATURDAY DANCE PARTY

GRIND, NAWTYBOX, & MAN-UP ROTATING

BASELINES: EVERY 3RD FRIDAY DJ DREW

CONNECTION SATURDAYS

SULTRY SATURDAYS: SHOWS & DJs THE SOCIAL

FIXX FRIDAYS: SHOWS & DJs

GRANVILLE ISLAND & SMIRNOFF ICE SPECIALS

magic sessions mkw main room

dj leanne's deep house trevor risk main room KOKANEE & POLAR ICE VODKA HIGHBALLS

RELEASE SATURDAYS

TIGHT

Saturdays

STEREOTYPE FRIDAYS

MUMBLES' MADHOUSE

Fridays

NIGHTLIFE IN VANCOUVER

V-rag

vanragazine #16

DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

V-MAP

NIC

Robson Market

J Lounge (1216 Bute)

Lick Nightclub (455 Abbott)

Little Sisters Bookstore (1238 Davie)

Masc Skincare (433 Davie)

Mine Salon (177 E. Broadway)

Neptoon Records (3561 Main)

Numbers Cabaret (1042 Davie)

Oasis Lounge (1240 Thurlow)

Odyssey Nightclub [R.I.P.] (1251 Howe)

Pacific Cinematheque (200-1131 Howe)

Pacific Sun Co. (1060 Davie)

Pompadours on Denman (1071 Denman)

Priape (1148 Davie)

Public House JUNCTION (1138 Davie)

PumpJack Pub (1167 Davie)

Republic (958 Granville)

Roundhouse Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews)

E. 1ST AVE

Score On Davie (1262 Davie)

E. 2ND AVE

Scratch Records (726 Richards)

Steamworks (123 W. Pender)

Top Drawers (115-1030 Denman)

VanCity Theatre (1181 Seymour)

Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby)

E. 8TH AVE

Venue (881 Granville)

E. BROADWAY

Videomatica (1855 W. 4th Ave)

West End Community Centre (870 Denman)

WISE Hall (1882 Adanac)

E. 12TH AVE

Zulu Records (1972 W.4th Ave)

E. 13TH AVE

1600

1700 BIDWELL

1800

1900

GILFORD

NELSON

COMOX

NELSON PARK

CARDERO

NICOLA

DAVIE

34 19

1 31

29 30

15 10

23 27 3

BURNABY

HARWOOD

St .

ENGLISH BAY BEACH

PENDRELL

DAVIE VILLAGE

CARDERO

BIDWELL

PENDRELL

PACIFIC BLVD BEAC H

PACIF

SEA WA LL PROME NADE

BRID

SUNSET BEACH

Stadium

BURRARD

Gr an vil

Burrard

CHILCO

nt PENDRELL

THURLOW

Independent Flixx (976 Denman)

1000

H.I.M. Main Office (310-1033 Davie)

CARDERO 1500

16 West End

BARCLAY

BUTE

1200

GO LA

West End Community Centre

ROBSON

HARO

BUTE

Grace Gallery/The Narrow (1898 Main)

HARO

fro

Fals Yac

RAR D

ENGLISH TELUS BAY World of Science

BUR

VANIER PARK H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Maritime Museum Vancouver Museum

KS EE CR

E. 3RD AVE

E. 4TH AVE E. 5TH AVE

E. 5TH AVE

E. 7TH AVE

E. 14TH AVE E. 15TH AVE E. 16TH AVE

E. 11TH AVE

GUELPH

E. 10TH AVE

MAIN

QUEBEC

ONTARIO

MANITOBA

COLUMBIA

ALBERTA

YUKON

FRASER

SCOTIA

E. 6TH AVE

ST. GEORGE

MAIN

ID E

CAMBIE

South Granville

LOST LAGOON

JERVIS

Gorg-O-Mish (695 Smithe)

ALBERNI

BUTE

Goldie’s (605 W. Pender)

Royal Centre

W. GEORGIA

WARD

Bentall Centre

MELVILLE

DER

EN W. P

PRINCE ED

ginger62 (1219 Granville)

CHILCO

DE ENA SEAWALL PROM BAYSHORE

RK CAUSEWAY Y PA NLE STA

CHILCO

Fountainhead Pub (1025 Davie)

ON DR IVE

Flaming Angels (4307 Main)

er at W

9 10

VA DO S COR STING HA W.

Coal Harbour Community Centre

Harbour Cruises

TO LIONS GATE BRIDGE, NORTH & WEST VANCOUVER, NANAIMO FERRIES AND WHISTLER

BROUGHTON

Five Sixty (560 Seymour)

1300

W C

BRUNSWICK

Cranberries Spa (330 Robson)

H.M.C.S Discovery

COAL HARBOUR

1400

Im Ca Vancouv Conv C

BURRARD INLET

BROUGHTON

IPE LIN Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville) E

Royal Vancouver Yacht Club

SOPHIA

Club 23 West (23 West Cordova)

DEADMAN'S ISLAND

DRIVE SCE

STANLEY PARK

WATSON

Century House (432 Richards)

CARDERO

Vancouver Aquarium

NICOLA

Celebrities Nightclub (1022 Davie)

BIDWELL

BooLaLa (152 E. 2nd - North Van)

S Pa ss eaB en u ge s rF er ry

DENMAN

1181(1181 Davie)

GILFORD

MAINLAND HOMER

EN DE R EF KE

UN IO N

AD VI R UI M NS DU

IDE CRES

1300

FIC BLVD 1400 BEACH

GRANVILLE BRIDGE

se Creek cht Club

CHARLESON PARK

JOHNSTON

IO R PR

KE EF ER

LVD

BEACH

.P E

TIN G S

W .H AS

PAC IFIC B

BEATTY EXPO BLVD 100

CAMBIE

HAMILTON 300

400

RICHARDS

TELUS World of Science OMNIMAX

FOX W

SEYMOUR

GRANVILLE

C DU

HOWE

A VI

DRAKE

LOWER GRANVILLE

1200

HELMCKEN

1100 DAVIE

500

600

NELSON

700

800

900

HORNBY

Orpheum Theatre

SMITHE

SKYTRAIN

B.C. Place Stadium TERRY

Ya l e t o w n

1000

MARINAS

ROBSON

Downtown 40 13

RGIA GEO

GRIFFITHS WA

ROUTE

G.M. Place

SO U

Vancouver Playhouse

Queen The Elizabeth Theatre Pacific Bay Centre The Centre 700 Vancouver in Vancouver for the Centre Vancouver Vancouver Performing Arts Library Art Gallery

900

W .P EN DE R

EXP

DUNSMUIR

800

LV OB

AWARD-WINNING DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER CONDO SPECIALIST

Pacific Centre

600

Chinese Cultural Centre Museum and Archives

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

IE MB CA

W. PENDER

18 4

Steamclock

Harbour Centre

W. HASTINGS

500

ALE XAN DER PO W EL L CO RD O VA

CORDOVA

400

l e

stER Ga AT

TT BO AB

Waterfront The Station Landing

Gassy Jack Statue

Seabus Terminal

Waterfront Sinclair Centre Centre

a in n Ch ow T

F TER WA

GRANVILLE ISLAND

E AV

Come as you are. 455 Abbott Street Vancouver

604.339.7874

E AV

www.blairsmith.ca 604.313.8732

HELPING YOU MAKE ALL THE RIGHT MOVES.

october 2010 Issue 16

2 TO NORTH VANCOUVER

max Theatre anada Place ver Trade & vention Centre

HA ST IN G S

V-rag

Q&A photo by katie huisman

vanragazine #16

DJ Geoff Pye has been a fixture on Vancouver's house music scene for nearly a decade, and is part of the legendary Popkiller team. Geoff continues to bring the sound of Detroit and Chicago to our fair city, check him out! First DJ gig? My first paid gig was in January of 2001 at a local afterhours called The Warehouse. That night, I got to open up for Ozzy Osbourne's son, Louis Osbourne, who plays tech house over in the UK and Ibiza.

dj geoff pye

Favourite gig(s)? My favorite gig, recently anyways, would have to be a show I did with Popkiller at Open Studios with John Tejada from LA. It was packed and there was a great vibe that night. What kind of music do you play? I play mainly house music, deep house, classics, a little techno sometimes. Nearly everything I play is influenced by early Chicago and Detroit sounds. Career highlights? Getting to play alongside great DJs like Luke Solomon of Freaks, John Selway, Tiga, Claude VonStroke, and Fabric's Terry Francis.

TOP TEN

1. A ndy Vaz - "Shadow City EP" 2. B ruce Ivery - "Rush" 3. Ralph Falcon – "Every Now & Then (Mieka Du Franx Mix)" 4. The Gathering – "In My System" 5. No Regular Play – "Things I Know" 6. A ndy Butler & Jason Kendig – "I Can't Wait" 7. H unee – "Tour De Force EP" 8. Kerri Chandler – "Core 1994: Stratosphere" 9. Mike Huckaby – "Defenders of the Deep House World" 10. M ark E - "Nobody Else"

DJ nightmare? Playing on dodgy equipment is the worst. I played a gig recently where one of the channels on the mixer wasn't working properly. The bass would cut in and out unexpectedly and I had to just keep playing like that, constantly having to watch it. Musical inspirations? Jon Delerious and Jay Tripwire were big influences on me early on. Recently, I've found inspiration from attending Detroit's Electronic Music Festival. I also enjoy Tim Sweeney's Beats in Space radio show. Hobbies? I like to write music and have produced some tracks and remixes with Mieka Du Franx for her label Felinephonix Music. Everything I've made so far has been fairly lo-fi, but I'm building my studio and developing my skills.

Rock star moments?

Future plans?

Having the opportunity to headline for Deepen, a weekly night that happened at the Lotus for about seven years. I had been quite heavily influenced by the Deepen crew, so it was a huge honour for me to play for them.

To keep making music and to play more DJ gigs. I might throw another party this fall, I'm still weighing my options. V www.popkiller.ca

Sexy, scary, sporty, Whatever you need we've got you covered!

Formerly Carol's Costume Corner, come check out our new look and new brand at one of our two locations! – BooLaLa Costumes Sales & Rentals – 152 East 2nd Street, 2nd Floor - North Vancouver, B.C.

– BooLaLa Pop Up Sales Shop (October) – Sinclair Center - 757 West Hastings Street - Vancouver, B.C.