Up_Musical Tourism

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Toronto
Rocks
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Alice Cooper, Rock Lege
6 4 O C TO B E R
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2006
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u p - m agazine.com
ALICE COOPER HAS been freaking people out for five decades now, and he
doesn’t seem to be slowing down. He’s made 24 studio albums (the latest:
2005’s Dirty Diamonds) and is planning another release next year.
He’s also released three concert DVDs this year alone. His radio show,
Nights With Alice Cooper, airs five nights a week in almost 100 U.S. cities,
as well as Canada, Australia and the U.K. His Solid Rock Foundation is
raising funds to build a US$3-million teen activity centre on a Christian
college campus in West Phoenix. He plays golf like crazy, at home in Arizona
and pretty much everywhere he tours—which includes Niagara Falls, Cornwall,
Kingston and Montréal this month, on the heels of supporting the
Rolling Stones in Halifax in September.
But ask the godfather of shock rock where he likes to soak up his
surroundings instead of being the centre of attention and he’ll point you to his early
stomping grounds—a place where chickens are wary upon his arrival and,
apparently, where future sci-fi action stars are raised on metal.
“
Toronto and I always got along
Getty Images
really well. It’s always been one of my
favourite places in the world. I kind
of look at Toronto the same way I look
at hometown Detroit: that audience
is a demanding audience; they don’t
let you get away with walking through
a show. You have to really work. I
always pump it up an extra notch for
Toronto and Detroit.
Bob Ezra, my producer, is from
there. I did a couple of albums
there… just a lot of great memories
about Toronto.
The House of Lords—everybody
would get their hair done at House
of Lords. And then there’s another
place that did these great boots. Now
went in there three
“In Yorkville… I Imonths
ago… some
used to babysit this of the boots are still
there from 1974, ’75.
kid named Keanu” Now they’re more
expensive ’cause they’re retro.
A place called Nimbus Nine—that
was our studio in Yorkville. Right
there across the street is where I used
to live in an old Victorian house for
about three months at a time. And
I used to babysit this kid named
Keanu… Reeves. When he was about
five or six years old. It just so happened that his grandma lived across
the street and he lived there. And
rather than stay in a hotel, I liked
staying up in the top bedroom in this
old Victorian house, but along with it
came the Hawaiian grandmother and
this black-haired kid named ‘Kee.’
I used to take him to the studio
every day. We’d go over there and
they had a dog and a cat and he’d love
to go and play, and I’d get him some
ice cream. We’d go and record and
that was just sort of his playground.
I didn’t realize it was Keanu Reeves
until years later. He turned out fine.
Yorkville was this tough area
[then]; it wasn’t this sorta yuppie
area that it is now. If you were gonna
go outside at night, certain streets
were tough streets, certain bars had
all bikes outside and they were all
Angels or whatever the local gang was
gonna be. But we knew ’em all, you’d
tip your hat and say, ‘Hey, how’s it
going?’ We made sure that they got
tickets to shows and records so that
they wouldn’t bother us.
The first time I ever missed a
show was in Toronto, when I had an
asthma attack and there was a big riot
at the CNE. That was about ’78 [or]
’79. I have bronchial asthma [and] it
just so happened that that day, it was
the biggest pollen count that Toronto
had ever had. I just could not get my
breath, and I couldn’t do the show.
And they tore that place to pieces. It
was the front page of the paper the
next day; they just destroyed all the
chairs. And then they had buttons
that said ‘Alice: You’re A Riot.’
—as told to Eric Rumble
Out of the Wild West come
stories of what it takes to do
business in the West…
www.calgaryinc.ca
www.calgaryinc.ca
westjet .com
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OCTO B E R
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2006 65
One Great City!
The Weakerthans’
Winnipeg
Une ville fantastique ! Le Winnipeg
des Weakerthans
44
A U G U ST / 20 0 6 • u p - magazine.com
By/par Eric Rumble
Photos by/par Stephen Wilde
LEFT TO RIGHT:
Samson gets grilled at Falafel Place.
What to see, hear and eat,
courtesy of the band that’s
written more songs about the
town than anyone else…
including the one with “I hate
Winnipeg” as a catchy chorus
Ce qu’il faut voir, écouter et
manger, d’après le groupe qui a
écrit plus de chansons que personne sur cette ville… même
celle au refrain entraînant « I hate
Winnipeg » (Je déteste Winnipeg)
ith Canadian indie rock hogging global critical
acclaim, few bands reaping the accolades have
remained as grounded—and as intimately tied to
their origins—as The Weakerthans. Formed a decade ago in
Winnipeg, Manitoba, the band’s first three records are
steeped in tales of their storied city’s essential character:
gritty beauty, raw hope and desperation, profound cynicism.
For The Weakerthans’ three homegrown members
(founder and front man John K. Samson, guitarist Stephen Carroll and drummer Jason Tait—their bassist is
Torontonian Greg Smith), Winnipeg holds riches that you
can’t find elsewhere, whether touring Europe or trawling
Canada’s more lauded metropolises. In many cases the
city’s treasures are tangible, even obvious: relic architecture and sprawling foliage, the spoils of cramped multiculturalism and a humble, almost accidental celebration
of all things kitsch. But beneath the surface, Winnipeg’s
draw hinges on taking the good with the bad.
“There’s a real rhythm to this place that I guess
we’re used to. It seems much calmer than other places,”
says Samson. “It’s not like anyone can go anywhere,
we’re all stuck here. The isolation kind of cements the
community.”
Before heading into the studio this fall to record their
fourth album, up! enlisted The Weakerthans to talk about
their hometown with different instruments in hand—
namely, their tour guide caps.
aintenant que le rock canadien de style Indie connaît
un succès mondial, peu de groupes restent aussi ancrés et intimement liés à leurs origines que les Weakerthans. Les trois premiers disques de ce groupe formé
il y a 10 ans à Winnipeg, au Manitoba, sont imprégnés
du caractère essentiel des nombreux contes et légendes
de leur ville : beauté courageuse, désespoir inextricable et
cynisme profond.
Pour les trois natifs, membres des Weakerthans, (John K.
Samson, fondateur et principal du groupe, Stephen Carroll,
guitariste, Jason Tait, batteur et Greg Smith, bassiste de Toronto), Winnipeg contient des trésors que l’on ne trouve nulle
part ailleurs, que ce soit en Europe ou dans les métropoles
plus glorifiées du Canada. Dans de nombreux cas, ces trésors
sont tangibles, même évidents : vestiges architecturaux et
frondaison tentaculaire, ou délices du multiculturalisme étriqué et de la célébration modeste et presque fortuite de tout ce
qui est kitsch. Mais en profondeur, l’attraction de Winnipeg
est de pouvoir faire aussi bien avec le mauvais que le bon.
« La ville a un rythme propre auquel nous sommes habitués, et semble beaucoup plus calme qu’ailleurs », dit Samson. « Personne ne peut aller nulle part; on est coincés là.
L’isolation cimente en quelque sorte la communauté ».
Avant de se rendre au studio cet automne pour enregistrer leur quatrième album, up! a demandé aux Weakerthans
de nous parler de leur ville à l’aide d’instruments très différents, leurs casquettes de guide touristique.
W
M
Studio stacks.
Jason Tait in the Exchange.
Samson producing The Parkas.
GAUCHE à DROITE :
Samson au Falafel Place.
Haut-parleur au studio.
Jason Tait dans Exchange.
John K. Samson et les Parkas.
Most underappreciated example of civic
pride: “That you can
always count on a
neighbour to boost
your car or push you
out of a snowbank,”
says Stephen Carroll.
Meilleur exemple de
fierté communautaire
la moins reconnue :
« on peut toujours
compter sur un voisin
pour ranimer sa voiture ou la tirer d’une
congère. », ajoute
Stephen Carroll.
westjet.com • AUGU ST / 20 0 6
45
One Great Brekkie!
Petit déjeuner copieux !
VEGETARIAN-FRIENDLY FEAST
Falafel Place (1670 Corydon Avenue; 204-489-5811)
John K. Samson: “I only come here with people from out
FESTIN VÉGÉTARIEN
Falafel Place (1670, avenue Corydon; 204-489-5811)
John K. Samson : « Je ne viens ici qu’avec des gens qui ne
of town, but that’s often… it’s really good, it’s really cheap.
There’s plenty of vegetarian on the menu... and the meat
lovers can get along here, too.”
Stephen Carroll: “It’s famous for its atmosphere that’s
created by the owner, Ami, who’s very friendly. He treats
everybody like he knows them and he isn’t afraid to kick
people out if it gets busy… [Winnipeg] Free Press writers
refer to it as a bit of a New York deli atmosphere… It’s the
hangover cure joint.”
sont pas de Winnipeg, mais souvent… c’est vraiment bon
et pas cher. Il y a des tas de plats végétariens… et les amateurs de viande y trouvent aussi leur compte. »
Stephen Carroll : « C’est célèbre pour l’atmosphère créée
par Ami, le propriétaire, qui est très sympa. Il traite chacun
comme s’il le connaissait et n’a pas peur de renvoyer les
gens si c’est trop plein… Les rédacteurs du Winnipeg Free
Press disent qu’il s’y dégage l’atmosphère d’un « Deli » de
New York… C’est là qu’on soigne sa gueule de bois. »
ORANGE OVERLOAD
SATURATION D’ORANGE
V.J.’s Drive-In (170 Main Street; 204-943-2655)
V.J.’s Drive-In (170, rue Principale; 204-943-2655)
Casual, wallet-friendly, classic Winnipeg eateries to keep Restaurants classiques de Winnipeg, simples et bon
you fuelled during daylight hours
marché, où vous pourrez faire le plein pour la journée
LEFT TO RIGHT:
Carroll, Samson and Tait at C Kelekis.
C Kelekis’ bread and butter.
Local colour at Falafel Place.
An inner-city picnic at V.J.’s.
Carroll and Samson, post falafel feast.
GAUCHE à DROITE :
Carroll, Samson et chez C Kelekis.
La vie de tous les jours chez C Kelekis.
Couleur locale au Falafel Place.
Pique-nique au cœur de ville chez V.J.
Carroll et Samson, après les falafels.
The essential Winnipeg C Kelekis (1100 Main Street; 204-582-1786)
C Kelekis (1100, rue Principale; 204-582-1786)
souvenir: “If you Jason Tait: “I grew up in almost rural Manitoba… so com- Jason Tait : « J’ai grandi presque dans la campagne manican score an original ing downtown was a treat in itself, and then coming here tobaine… déjà venir au centre-ville c’était super, et alors
venir ici, encore mieux. Mes parents adoraient les frites. »
Winnipeg Jets jersey,” was an extra bonus. My parents loved the fries.”
says Jason Tait, “you’re
the king.” TIME-HONOURED TRAILER GRILL
TRADITIONNEL GRILL SUR REMORQUE
Le souvenir à ramener JT: “The chili… all the burgers have this chili. I was there JT : « Le chili… il y a du chili sur tous les hamburgers. J’y
de Winnipeg : « Si vous yesterday. Actually, I got off the plane and I got in a cab and étais encore hier. D’ailleurs, j’ai débarqué de l’avion et suis
pouvez dénicher un I went to V.J.’s right away… my girlfriend and I both live in monté dans un taxi pour aller directement chez V.J.’s… ma
maillot des Winnipeg Toronto, so when we come back it’s always this weird com- copine et moi vivons à Toronto, alors, quand on revient à
Jets », affirme Jason Tait, petition of how many hamburgers we can eat while we’re Winnipeg, c’est à celui qui mangera le plus de hamburgers.
En moyenne un par jour. »
« vous êtes le roi ». in Winnipeg. It usually averages out to one a day.”
46
A U G U ST / 20 0 6 • u p - magazine.com
Stephen Carroll’s
Louis Riel Tour
L’excursion Louis Riel par
Stephen Carroll
LEFT TO RIGHT:
The legendary Riel’s resting place.
A weathered tombstone nearby.
L’as de la guitare des Weakerthans se fait historien pour
nous révéler les coins essentiels qui vous plongeront dans
les us et coutumes du fameux révolutionnaire métis
The Cathedrale St. Boniface façade.
RIEL HOUSE (330 River Road; 204-257-1783)
LA MAISON-RIEL (330, route de la rivière; 204-257-1783)
Le lieu de repos du légendaire Riel.
“You can see where the rebellion began when Riel and
a group of Métis famously confronted English surveyors.
This started a chain of events that eventually led to Manitoba becoming a province.”
« C’est là que la rébellion commença lorsque Riel et un
groupe de Métis se sont confrontés aux arpenteurs anglais,
ce qui a enchaîné des événements qui finalement ont abouti
à la création du Manitoba. »
The Weakerthans’ guitar ace turns history buff and
divulges his essential spots for revelling in the lore of
Canada’s infamous Métis revolutionary
UPPER FORT GARY (1/3 block south of Broadway, between
Fort Street and Main Street)
“The remnants of the fort that Riel and the Métis took
over, thrusting their issues to a national stage. To liberate
the fort, the Wolseley expedition was sent out—at the time
one of the largest mass migrations of persons in Canadian
history. When they arrived, the Métis had abandoned the
fort and Riel had gone into exile in the U.S.”
GREY NUN’S MUSEUM (151, rue Despins; 204-237-8941)
“Artifacts from Riel’s life, as well as interesting objects
from the Battle of Batoche—a struggle that Riel came
back to Canada to assist in. Haunted by personal demons and bad luck, Riel was captured during the failed
Batoche effort. Here you can get a feel for the city during
those times, and for what the rebellion meant for the
Métis here.”
CATHÉDRALE ST. BONIFACE (190, avenue de la Cathédrale; 204-233-7304)
“After being hung in Regina for treason, Riel’s body was
brought back to Winnipeg and put to rest here. His funeral
procession stretched all the way back to St. Vital. At night,
the atmosphere of the cathedral’s ruins is beautiful.”
GAUCHE à DROITE :
Ancienne pierre tombale.
Façade de la cathédrale de SaintBoniface.
Best example of overbearing civic pride: “The
UPPER FORT GARRY (1/3 de pâté de maison au sud de bears,” says Stephen
Broadway, entre la rue du Fort et la rue Principale)
Carroll. “...’cause
« Les vestiges du fort que Riel et les Métis conquirent, ce qui every other city had the
eut pour effet de propulser leurs problèmes à l’échelle natio- moose, the cows; and
nale. Pour libérer ce fort, on envoya l’expédition Wolseley et in classic Winnipeg
ce, à l’époque des plus grandes migrations de l’histoire du [style], five years after
Canada. Lorsqu’ils arrivèrent, les Métis avaient abandonné the fact, Winnipeg goes
le fort et Riel s’était exilé aux États-unis. »
‘Oh, those people had
a good idea. We should
MUSÉE DES SOEURS GRISES (151, rue Despins;
do that.’”
204-237-8941)
Meilleur exemple de
fierté communautaire
outrancière : « Les ours
», dit Stephen Carroll. «
… parce que les autres
villes ont eu les orignaux,
les vaches, alors cinq ans
CATHÉDRALE SAINT-BONIFACE (190, avenue de la Cathé- plus tard, dans le style
drale; 204-233-7304)
propre à Winnipeg, on
« Après avoir été pendu pour trahison à Regina, le corps s’est dit que les autres
de Riel a été ramené à Winnipeg et enterré ici. La proces- avaient eu une brillante
sion de ses funérailles remontait jusqu’à St. Vital. La nuit, idée et qu’on devrait
l’atmosphère des ruines de la cathédrale est magnifique. »
aussi le faire ».
« Des artéfacts de la vie de Louis Riel, ainsi que des objets intéressants de la Bataille de Batoche. Riel était revenu au Canada pour aider à ce conflit. Hanté par des démons personnels et la mauvaise chance, Riel fut capturé pendant la défaite de Batoche. Ici, on peut imaginer la ville à cette époque
et ce que la rébellion signifiait pour les Métis de la région. »
westjet.com • AUGU ST / 20 0 6
47
Trees Still Breathing
Des arbres qui respirent encore
The Assiniboine Forest covers nearly 700 acres in Winnipeg’s southwest corner. “It’s this beautiful preserve of natural forest; the biggest city forest in Canada, I think,” says
Samson. “And no one goes there. I go there all the time.”
The sweet spot… “is through the trail that goes through
it and then turns around; at the peak of the trail there’s a
bench there overlooking the marsh. It’s a great place for
birding… It’s one of my favourite spots in the city, actually.”
The Weakerthans’ singer/songwriter also spends a couple of afternoons a week at the recently completed Millennium Library (251 Donald Street; 204-986-6450). “You
can be alone and with people at the same time. It’s really
well designed that way. You feel private, but part of the
city somehow.”
La forêt Assiniboine couvre presque 700 acres du sud-ouest
de Winnipeg. « C’est une belle forêt naturelle préservée.
Je pense que c’est la plus grande forêt dans une ville canadienne », explique Samson. « Et personne n’y va; moi, j’y vais
tout le temps. »
Le plus beau « c’est de suivre le chemin qui la traverse;
au bout, il y a un banc qui domine le marais. C’est un superbe
endroit pour observer les oiseaux… c’est d’ailleurs un de mes
coins préférés de la ville. »
Le chanteur compositeur des Weakerthans passe aussi
quelques après-midi par semaine à la Bibliothèque du
millénaire juste terminée (251, rue Donald; 204-9866450). « On y est seul et en même temps avec d’autres.
C’est vraiment bien conçu. C’est intime tout en faisant
partie de la ville. »
John K. Samson’s local brooding grounds
LEFT TO RIGHT:
Engrossed in a book of
Hopper paintings.
Vinyl hunting at Into The Music.
A seat near the Assiniboine’s
aspens and elms… makes
Samson downright pensive.
GAUCHE à DROITE :
Enfoui dans un livre de peintures
de Hopper.
À la recherche du disque perdu.
Les arbres d’Assiniboine…
pour mieux réfléchir.
Sonic Boon
Where are the best places to shop for music in Winnipeg?
Où John K. Samson va rêver…
Une bénédiction musicale
Quels sont les meilleurs magasins de musique à Winnipeg ?
Most likely place JKS: “Music Trader (97 Osborne Street; 204-475-0077) and
to find a Burton Into The Music (245 McDermot Avenue; 204-287-8279). JKS : Music Trader (97, rue Osborne; 204-475-0077) et Into
Cummings-esque Both the appeals are the people who run them… I think the Music (245, avenue McDermot; 204-287-8279).
« Ce sont les gens qui font la richesse du magasin… je
‘stache in Winnipeg: what I look for in a record store is the same thing I look for
“At Tubby’s Pizza in a bookstore: a group of people’s specific tastes. That’s pense que j’y recherche la même chose que dans une librai(204-284-5472), and kind of the opposite of what the trend is in record stores, rie : le goût particulier d’un groupe de gens. Ici, c’est la tenit’d probably be on which is to have every record in the world in them—Chap- dance contraire des magasins de disques qui vendent tous
Burton Cummings ters and HMVs and stuff. I like a store that reflects the taste les disques du monde, comme à Chapters et HMV. J’aime
himself,” says Tait. of who works there and the owners, and it’s kind of a cre- les magasins qui reflètent les goûts de leur propriétaire;
Endroit où l’on
trouvera le plus
facilement une
moustache à la
Burton Cummings
à Winnipeg :
« À Tubby’s Pizza
(204-284-5472) et
elle sera certainement
arborée par Burton
Cummings luimême », ajoute Tait.
48
ative act.”
“I think Into The Music is probably more of a collectors’
store… that’s where you would go for records from the ’60s
and ’70s and ’80s—things that were hard to find…”
SC: “Vinyl!”
JKS: “…and vinyl. And the owner there, Greg Tun, has been
running it for years and years and is really knowledgeable.
And for new releases I would go to Music Trader…”
SC: “…Underground, interesting, relevant, stuff you’ve never heard of...”
JKS: “…yeah.”
SC: “Both those stores are important to us because they are
actually part of the music community.”
A U G U ST / 20 0 6 • u p - magazine.com
c’est une sorte de créativité. »
« Je trouve que Into the Music s’adresse davantage aux
collectionneurs… c’est là qu’on va y chercher des disques
des années 60, 70 et 80, des trucs difficiles à trouver. »
SC : « Des disques en vinyle ! »
JKS : « … et encore du vinyle. Et Greg Tun, le propriétaire,
y est depuis des années et s’y connaît vraiment bien. Pour
les nouveaux disques, j’irais plutôt à Music Trader… »
SC : « … marginal, intéressant, pertinent, des trucs dont on
n’a jamais entendu parler… »
JKS : « Ouais. »
SC : « Ces deux magasins sont importants pour nous car ils
font vraiment partie de la communauté musicale. »
Forks Out
Coup de fourchette
GREAT LAND-LOCKED SUSHI
Wasabi At Home (99 Osborne Street; 204-475-1828)
SC: “Feel like you are the coolest, and eat great food—with
DÉLICIEUX SUSHI LOIN DE LA CÔTE
Wasabi At Home (99, rue Osborne; 204-475-1828)
SC : « On s’y sent super branché et on y mange bien
veggie options. All delivered without any of the attitude that
you would think you would get at this little sushi joint with
some of the best interior décor this side of the Big Smoke.”
(avec des légumes en option). Le tout servi sans les
grands airs auxquels on pourrait s’attendre dans ce petit
restaurant de sushi, l’un des plus joliment décorés au-delà
de Toronto. »
Where The Weakerthans would take you out to dinner, if it Où les Weakerthans vous amèneraient dîner, si seulement il
weren’t for all those damn downloaders
n’y avait pas tous ces gens qui téléchargent leur musique
VINTAGE STEAKHOUSE
Rae & Jerry’s Steak House (1405 Portage Avenue; 204-783-6155)
SC: “The best lounge in North America and perhaps the
world. It has been meticulously upkept and has remained
true to its ’50s ideals in a way that I don’t think has been
maintained in any other establishment. It has quiet, ambient
lighting, soothing red tones, drop-panel wood ceilings, and
a painting of a young boy hitching up his motorboat to his
1950s coup…”
JT: “You get the feeling that you can look over and see Joe
Pesci—circa Casino—sitting at the bar next to you.”
SC: “I love places in our city that are like this that are lost in
time. It makes you feel like you don’t know what era you’re
living in… and that’s, somehow, a relief. And fun… that’s
entertainment.”
JT: “And [they have] really good steaks…”
LEFT TO RIGHT:
Pre-pig-out in Osborne Village.
Wasabi’s minimalist chic.
Brick chic from another era.
A neon oasis under the big prairie sky.
STEAKHOUSE DE CRU
Rae & Jerry’s Steak House (1405, avenue Portage; 204-783-6155)
SC : « Le meilleur bar salon d’Amérique du Nord et peutêtre du monde. Il a été minutieusement conservé et est
resté fidèle à l’idéal des années 1950 comme aucun autre.
Calme, éclairage d’ambiance, des tons de rouge apaisant,
des plafonds en bois à goussets, et la peinture d’un jeune
garçon attachant son bateau à moteur à son coupé des
années 1950… »
JT : « On a l’impression qu’en se retournant, on va voir Joe
Pesci, l’époque de Casino, assis au bar à côté de nous. »
SC : « J’adore ces coins qui sont perdus dans le temps. On
ne sait plus à quelle époque on vit… et c’est en quelque
sorte, comme un soulagement. Et puis, c’est amusant. »
JT : « Et on y sert de très bons steaks… »
EXCELLENT INDIAN BUFFET
East India Company Pub & Eatery (349 York Avenue;
204-947-3097)
SC: “Almost all my birthday dinners have been here. Amaz-
EXCELLENT BUFFET INDIEN
East India Company Pub & Eatery (349, avenue York;
204-947-3097)
SC : « Presque tous mes dîners d’anniversaire se passent
ing Indian food, some of the best I have ever had. The smells
that greet you at the door are enough to make you weak in
the knees.”
là. De la cuisine indienne fabuleuse, la meilleure que j’ai
goûtée. Les bonnes odeurs qui vous accueillent à la porte
suffisent à vous conquérir. »
SWEET TOOTH TAMER
Nucci’s Gelati (643 Corydon Avenue; 204-475-8765)
SC: “I go for the gelati once a week, it’s right by my neigh-
POUR AMATEURS DE DOUCEURS
Nucci’s Gelati (643, avenue Corydon; 204-475-8765)
SC : « J’y vais une fois par semaine, c’est tout près de
bourhood…”
JKS: “It’s an institution.”
SC: “People drive from all over the place to grab some gelati
and walk up and down Corydon, checking out the bars.”
JKS : « C’est une véritable institution. »
SC : « Les gens viennent de partout pour manger des glaces
Cocktails and chairs that will make
you blush. GAUCHE à DROITE :
Avant de passer à table au
Osborne Village.
Chic minimaliste du Wasabi.
Chic de la brique d’une autre époque.
Oasis néon sous le ciel des Prairies.
Cocktails et chaises de quoi faire rougir.
Necessary Winnipeg
attire: “A shirt with
sleeves,” says Jason
Tait. “It’s going to be
cold in winter, and in
the summer, there’ll
be mosquitoes.”
Tenue nécessaire à
Winnipeg : « Une
chemise à manches
longues », affirme Jason
Tait. « Il fait froid en
hiver et en été, il y a
des moustiques. »
chez moi… »
et arpenter l’avenue Corydon, faire la tournée des bars. »
westjet.com • AUGU ST / 20 0 6
49
LEFT TO RIGHT:
Portable music, before the iPod.
Bargain hunting, old-man style.
More second-hand shopping ops.
Exchange District fashions.
Talk about a cold shoulder.
GAUCHE à DROITE :
Musique portative, avant l’ère iPod.
Pour les amateurs du style « pépère ».
Encore des magasins d’occasions.
Les chapeaux du quartier Exchange.
Attention, se tenir à l’écart.
50
No Hand-Me-Down Blues
Pas de Blues d’occasion
RETIRED STYLE
Goodwill Industries (70 Princess Street; 204-943-6435)
JT: “If you’re into the ‘old man’ style—cardigans and
STYLE RETRAITÉ
Goodwill Industries (70, rue Princesse; 204-943-6435)
JT : « Si vous aimez les trucs du genre cardigans « pépère
whatnot—this is a good place to find it. A lot of ’70s
copper sculptures, a lot of shag carpets, area rugs, tons
of glasses… This is one of the largest, oldest thrift stores
in Winnipeg.”
», vous êtes au bon endroit. Beaucoup de sculptures en
cuivre des années 1970, des tapis à poils longs, de petits
tapis, et des tas de verres… C’est l’un des plus vastes et
plus vieux magasins d’occasions de Winnipeg. »
BYGONE ALLURE
Hooper's Bazaar (217 McDermot Avenue; 204-946-1881)
JT: “This is the equivalent of 10 years of thrift store shop-
ALLURE RÉVOLUE
Hooper's Bazaar (217, avenue McDermot; 204-946-1881)
JT : « C’est comme dix ans d’aubaines dénichées dans
ping in one shop, so you pay a bit more, but there’s great
pieces in this store… this is a good example of what’s in
the city, lying around in garages and old houses. And, you
know, Winnipeg’s not the most wealthy city, but there are
a few people who had money and this is an example of
that—really high-quality furniture… I always assume it
was a hockey player’s.”
des magasins d’occasions réunies sous un même toit. On
paie un peu plus, mais on y trouve des trucs supers… Un
éventail de ce qui traîne dans les garages et les vieilles
maisons de la ville. Vous savez, Winnipeg n’est pas la
ville la plus riche, mais certaines personnes avaient de
l’argent et des meubles de grande qualité… je pense toujours que cela appartenait à des joueurs de hockey. »
Two essential treasure troves for recycled riches in the
Exchange District
A U G U ST / 20 0 6 • u p - magazine.com
Deux trésors incontournables pour richesses recyclées dans
le quartier de la Bourse
The Weakerthans’ Winnipeg
Where to find the band’s favourite places,
plus a few traces of homegrown inspiration
Le Winnipeg des Weakerthans
Où trouver les endroits favoris du groupe
plus quelques traces d’inspiration
The Wellington, now-defunct
site of the Weakerthans’ first
gig, and the first live venue that
John K. Samson and Stephen
Carroll played together (at age 17).
Kelvin High School, where
John K. Samson and Steven
Carroll met and formed their first
band, Toothpick Hercules.
Private Ear Recording Studios,
where Fallow (1997) and Left
and Leaving (2000) were both recorded—in a warehouse shared with
Marcel Dzama’s Royal Art Lodge.
Le Wellington, maintenant fermé où les Weakerthans se sont
produits pour la première fois lorsque
John K. Samson et Stephen Carroll ont
joué ensemble à l’âge de 17 ans.
L’école secondaire Kelvin, où John K.
Samson et Steven Carroll se sont
rencontrés et ont formé leur premier groupe, Toothpick Hercules.
Private Ear Recording Studios, studio
où Fallow (1997) et Left and
Leaving (2000) ont été enregistrées dans un entrepôt partagé avec
le Royal Art Lodge de Marcel Dzama.
‘For Girlie Drinks and Parlour Games’
The Weakerthans’ preferred watering holes prove there’s more to
the ’Peg’s nightlife than alcohol and irony—even if you’ll inevitably
find both in the city’s cozy bars and character-soaked lounges
Best live punk/rock/pop venue :
Best place to get a glass of wine:
Cavern (112 Osborne Street; 204-284-7201)
Fude (99 Osborne Street; 204-453-3724)
Best place to mellow out: “Any of
the city’s many parks in summer,” says
Stephen Carroll, “…in winter, on the
river ice paths.”
Best “old man” bar: Pembina Hotel
(1011 Pembina Highway; 204-453-3724)
Best
live
folk/country
venue:
Time’s Change Café (Main & St. Mary;
204-957-0982)
Best art venue: Plug In Institute of
Contemporary Art (286 McDermot
Avenue; 204-942-1043)
Best place to go for cocktails: Rae
and Jerry’s Steak House (see page 61)
Best place to go for pints: King’s Head
Pub (120 King Street; 204-957-7710)
52
Best place for a drink that isn’t
a bar: German Society of Winnipeg
(285 Flora Avenue; 204-589-7724)
A U G U ST / 20 0 6 • u p - magazine.com
Winnipeg Behind the Lyrics
Lyrics by John K. Samson from “One
Great City!” (Reconstruction Site, 2003),
in reference to the golden statue atop the
provincial legislature building: Up above
us all / leaning into sky / our golden
business boy / will watch the north end
die / and sing “I love this town” / then
let his arching wrecking ball proclaim: “I
hate Winnipeg.”
Lyrics by John K. Samson from “None
of the Above” (Fallow, 1997): All night
restaurant, North Kildonan / lukewarm
coffee tastes like soap / I trace your
outline in spilled sugar / killing time and
killing hope.
Lyrics by John K. Samson from “Wellington’s Wednesdays” (Fallow, 1997):
And every night they play the same
song / to the same offbeat believers /
and everyone is singing along / wearing blue-black eyes / wearing dead
men’s neckties.
Lyrics by John K. Samson from “Fallow” (Fallow, 1997), in reference to the
Disraeli bridge over the Red River just
north of downtown: Out under the Disraeli / with rusty train track ties / we’ll
carve new streets and sidewalks / a city
for small lives / and say we’ll stay for
one more year.
« Boissons de filles et jeux de salon »
Winnipeg derrière les paroles
Meilleur endroit pour la musique Meilleur endroit pour un verre de vin :
punk, rock et pop: Cavern (112, rue Fude (99, rue Osborne; 204-284-3833)
Meilleur endroit pour se détendre :
Osborne; 204-284-7201)
Meilleur endroit pour la musique folk « l’un des nombreux parcs de la ville en été »,
et country : Time’s Change Café (rue dit Stephen Carroll, « … en hiver, sur les che-
l’édifice de l’assemblée législative provinciale : en haut au-dessus de nous / penché
dans le ciel / notre garçon doré / regardera
le nord mourir / et chantera « J’adore cette
ville » / puis laissera son boulet de démolition proclamer : « Je déteste Winnipeg ».
Paroles de John K. Samson tirées de « None
of the Above » Fallow, 1997) : Restaurant
ouvert toute la nuit, à Kildonan nord / le
café tiède a le goût de savon / je dessine ta
silhouette dans le sucre éparpillé / pour tuer
le temps et tuer l’espoir.
L’abreuvoir favori des Weakerthans prouve que la vie nocturne de Paroles de John K. Samson tirées de « One Paroles de John K. Samson tirées de « WelWinnipeg a plus à offrir que l’alcool et l’ironie, même si vous trou- Great City! » (Reconstruction Site, 2003), lington’s Wednesdays » (Fallow, 1997) : Et
vez les deux dans les bars douillets et les salons singuliers
en référence à la statue dorée en haut de chaque soir, ils jouent la même chanson
mins de glace de la rivière ».
Principale et St. Mary; 204-957-0982)
Meilleur endroit pour l’art : Plug In Insti- Meilleur bar « vieux bonhomme » :
tute (286, avenue McDermot; 204-942-1043) Pembina Hotel (1011, autoroute Pembina;
Meilleur endroit pour les cocktails : 204-453-3724)
Rae and Jerry’s Steak House (voir page 61) Meilleur endroit pour boire un verre
Meilleur endroit pour la bière : King’s qui ne soit pas un bar : German Society
(285, avenue Flora; 204-589-7724)
Head Pub (120, rue King; 204-957-7710)
/ pour les mêmes adeptes excentriques /
et tout le monde reprend la chanson / les
yeux bleus-noirs / portant les noeuds coulants des morts.
Paroles de John K. Samson tirées de « Fallow » (Fallow, 1997), en référence au pont
Disraeli au-dessus de la rivière Rouge juste
au nord du centre-ville : Sous le pont Disraeli / avec des traverses rouillées / nous
sculpterons de nouvelles rues et de nouveaux trottoirs / une ville pour les petites
vies / et nous y resterons encore un an.
westjet.com • AUGU ST / 20 0 6
53
creative ITINERARY
STORY BY ERIC RUMBLE | ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHAD VANGAALEN
CALGARY
A Concrete Dreamer's Guide to Calgary
J UNE /0 9 | up-m agaz ine. com
Psychedelic wunderkind Chad VanGaalen explains,
in words and pictures, how to lose yourself in his hometown
16
THERE’S A TOTALLY bucolic, mindbending aspect to Calgary that isn’t
celebrated enough. You’ll find it in the
boughs of parkland, crammed by everlurching branches of sprawl and mall, or
in the raw flush of the Bow River when
it’s the loudest entity within earshot.
Think of the two scenes pictured
here—both views of Edworthy Park,
an easy half-hour bike ride from the
hustling, sky-scraped core—as a secret
trailhead into Calgary, courtesy of one
of the city’s most lauded and enigmatic
young artists, Chad VanGaalen. A Juno
Award and Polaris Prize nominee,
VanGaalen has put out three acclaimed
solo records since 2004, each bolstered
by self-produced album art and trippy
music videos, all of it painstakingly
created in his basement. You can hear
train sounds that were recorded near
the tracks depicted here at the end of
“Rabid Bits of Time,” a brooding tune
from 2008’s Soft Airplane.
We’ve enlisted this prolific musician,
illustrator and animator to point out his
hometown’s often-elusive cultural landscape because he’s a great conduit for
Calgary’s other unpolished gem: a
fantastic creative force that’s germinated
in the cracks between boom and bust.
As VanGaalen illustrates, the city’s raw
space and talent are perhaps its most
undervalued natural resources. But buffer zones like Edworthy are more than
muses; they’re what grounds Calgarians.
the city’s disparate public parks are the
peak of communal amusement.
At night, Edworthy transforms into
another source that’s challenging to
find in Calgary: mystique. “It’s kind of
this righteous, weird portal, and cars
can’t go through there,” VanGaalen
says. “It’s awesome to ride your bike
down there knowing that you’re going
to hit this patch of complete darkness
and silence. It’s kind of freaky.”
Perhaps it’s a healthy dose of
freakiness that’s missing from Calgary’s
daily grind. After all, this is the de
facto capital of Canada’s conservative
heartland. But the city’s unkempt, unconventional character isn’t absent so
much as it is concealed. As VanGaalen
himself admits, somewhat boastfully,
Calgary has so many
“places
where you can
just disappear.
”
And it’s the act of disappearing that's
key to exploring this particular city. What
follows is a collection of homegrown
artists and obscure attractions that will
lead you into the underbelly of the local
creative scene. The portrait of Calgary
that you emerge with will be entirely
unexpected, without a whiff of manure,
midway snacks, pancake breakfasts or
boot-clad revelry.
Now, giddy up and get lost.
we stj et . co m | J UNE /0 9
“I just like sitting by the railroad
tracks,” says VanGaalen. “I take my
dog and my daughter for a walk up
there and up through the Doug Fir
trails as often as I can. I grew up on
the other side of those tracks, in Wildwood, so I’ve been going to Edworthy
my whole life.”
Nowadays, part of the attraction
is the social smorgasbord that’s also
drawn here: athletes of all shapes
and sizes, giant ethnic wedding parties, new money coddling miniature
dogs and iPhones, homeless people
barbecuing hot dogs. Finding a good
spot to observe Calgary’s human traffic
can be a tall order, even for a local, but
17
Local artists to scope out
Tapping into Calgary’s art scene requires exploration. As
with oil and gas, the payoff is below the surface.
“It’s a corporate town, so you see a lot of that corporate
art,” says VanGaalen. “And I’m not saying it’s any more or less
valid than anything else, but you overdose on it. There’s a lot
of beautiful bronze things here, like cowboys riding horses—
and that’s wicked; I love cowboys riding horses. But I don’t
need to see it all the time.”
As you get past the bronze idols, gleaming façades, traffic
jams and power suits, an antithesis begins to materialize.
VanGaalen chose these four artists because of the indelible
marks they’ve left on his work, and because they speak to
Calgary’s DIY creative streak.
“The stuff that I respect is the stuff that I can understand
immediately,” says VanGaalen. “It’s not lowbrow, but I grew
up on comic books.”
Matt Flegel
Don Mabie (aka Chuck Stake)
The bassist for labelmates and fellow Calgary band Women
started playing music with VanGaalen a couple of years
ago. He was touring with the Cape May on the East Coast
and jumped in on a few of VanGaalen’s songs off of 2006’s
Skelliconnection, then ended up playing accordion on Soft
Airplane’s gripping opening track, “Willow Tree.”
“He lays down the baddest-ass bass lines of anyone in
town, and he’s one of the nicest guys I know,” says
VanGaalen. “He’s also a comedic genius.”
VanGaalen drew this portait of Flegel at the Amsterdam
airport in early 2009, during a European tour together.
Though Mabie was only a casual
acquaintance at the Alberta College
of Art and Design (ACAD), VanGaalen
admired his iconoclasm and promotion
of creativity for creativity’s sake. “He’s
just a magical human being,” says
VanGaalen, joyfully, “and yet he walks
around like he’s a normal man.”
Though Mabie moved to the B.C.
interior in 2006, he built a pioneering,
provocative legacy in Calgary. Beyond
four decades of mail art and 20-plus
solo exhibitions in Canada and Europe,
he helped enrich North Americans
with the concept of artist
trading cards (ATCs),
a custom that asks
just about anyone
to make and swap
2 ½” x 3 ½” canvases
or cards adorned
with just about
anything—
painting,
drawing,
collage,
photography,
stamps, found
items, assemblages, whatever.
J UNE /0 9 | up-m agaz ine. com
Women played their first show to a
crowd of more than 400 at Theatre
Junction Grand (theatrejunction.
com), and VanGaalen recorded their
eerie low-fi debut album (pictured).
Asked about a great local venue,
Flegel picked a show that Women
played at the Artlife Gallery
(artlifegallery.ca). “It was not
very pretentious, not a
real bar even, and it
was just put on
by people who
wanted to have
a show,” Flegel says.
18
Artist trading card sessions
are still going strong
The New Gallery
(thenewgallery.org),
bringing together kids,
adults and elders alike
to create and trade on
the last Saturday of everymonth. TNG also has copies
of COOKARTBOOK '98
(a collection of 50-odd recipes
from local artists, which helped launch
the ATC phenomenon) and a stash
of ATCs (created by Mabie and others)
in easily accessible storage.
Wendy Toogood
Chris Millar
VanGaalen describes
Toogood as someone who
“embraces the most unpretentious side of art imaginable.” He’s fascinated by
her weird, intricate, tactile
creations (often composed
using a range of fabrics
and materials) that fall
somewhere between
illustration and tapestry,
“almost Mexican death art
mixed with the best parts
of underground comics.
They’re like paintings,
only she’s using a
needle and thread. It’s
really childlike—not
in a bad way—and
really unselfconscious.”
Toogood has been
winning awards for her
art for 25 years, and
is represented in
public and private
collections, including Edmonton’s City
Hall. Her lastest
local exhibit was
at Stride Gallery
(stride.ab.ca)
in late 2008.
Discovering Millar was “one
of the first times I’ve been
blown away by an artist in
town from the same sort of
age group of people,” says
VanGaalen. “I appreciate him
technically, and… his work is
like an acid trip.”
That particular comparison is bang on. Millar’s
intense sculptural works
draw from a pastiche of pop
culture and, according to the
artist, “the all-over aesthetic
of early Renaissance panel
painting, gothic fresco and
Indian miniatures.” Spoof
and sitcom-style narratives, often
concerned with Calgarian
artists, are woven and
absorbed into overflowing layers of acrylic
paint, aiming to
“celebrate the
absurd, the excessive, the decorative,
bad-taste, failure
and ultimately,
time well spent”—
a style Millar calls
“post-interesting.”
Seeing Toogood’s art
means going on a
mission. The Illingworth
Kerr Gallery at ACAD
(acad.ab.ca/ikg.html)
and the Glenbow
Museum (glenbow.org)
have her work in their
archives, and a handful
of office buildings
downtown have her
pieces on public display.
Millar launches his new
book, Simon & Farfenougan & Hunter this month at
TrépanierBaer Gallery
(trepanierbaer.com),
which represents him
locally. The space will
feature at least one sculpture
(pictured), nine paintings and a
vinyl recording created by Millar,
all on exhibit through the summer.
TrépanierBaer also has a great online
gallery of Millar's work.
For a map to these galleries and more, check out Chad VanGaalen’s Calgary bike tour at up-magazine.com/calgary.
Q&A with Chad VanGaalen
What summer events are you looking forward to?
“I’d have to say ‘TMNT Mask’ off of Soft Airplane. As the song
says, I just went down to sit by the river, and I wrote the
whole song in an hour.”
“Calgary Folk Fest (July 23 – 26; calgaryfolkfest.com) is pretty
rad. Prince's Island Park is beautiful in summer. And Sled
Island (June 24 – 27; sledisland.com), too—it just keeps on
getting crazier and crazier every year.”
What excites you about Calgary’s future?
“I still have faith that it’s going to be the solar power capital
of the world. There’s a house called the Alberta Sustainable
Home (ecobuildings.net) up in the deep northwest in the middle of the suburbs, run and built by these two architects who
work in renewable energy. They’ve got a home built from the
bottom up to be sustainable—a massive, suburban house.”
How would you spend $20 in Calgary on a great summer day?
“Probably going comic shopping at Phoenix Comics
(phoenixcomics.ca), or record shopping at Melodiya, which
is located within Phoenix.”
we stj et . co m | J UNE /0 9
Which of your songs is most rooted in a Calgary location?
19
Unlikely points of interest
Like many Calgarians, VanGaalen’s ample love for his hometown stalls when it comes to crafting an essential itinerary
for out-of-towners. “I don’t hate Calgary’s downtown,” he says. “It’s just dysfunctional. Nothing exists there after everyone
goes home from work. It’s a ghost town.”
His advice? Explore the outdoors, the sunshine and the Chinooks, and don’t miss these cultural cornerstones.
The Uptown Stage and Screen
“I’ve been going there since I was a kid,” says
VanGaalen. “It’s one of the most beautiful buildings in Calgary that’s still left standing, and it’s a
beautiful place to watch a show.”
Erected nearly six decades ago, this art deco
treasure has fashioned itself into a great venue
for high-concept and first-run film, intimate
live music (on The Marquee Room’s stage) and
as a makeshift space for fantastic parties and
quirky art shows. The cerebral trip is aided by
flourishes like a gold brocade screen curtain and
vintage lobby furnishings.
“You just kind of show up at the Uptown and
something good is playing. It’s not like showing
up at Cineplex or something where, what are
you gonna go see? Forrest Gump 3 or Shrek 9?”
The Uptown screens films nightly and has matinees on
weekends (Admission, $5 – $9; theuptown.com). The
Marquee Room bar hosts a range of DJs and bands from
Wednesday to Saturday, and boasts Calgary’s best-value
concert tickets.
Cantos Music Foundation
J UNE /0 9 | up-m agaz ine. com
This red-bricked throwback operates as an educational centre for schoolkids
and aspiring musicians, a chameleon concert space, an inclusive event programmer and an interactive showcase for keyboard genealogy.
“I’m a synth junkie, and it’s like the synth Mecca of the world. We have the
biggest analogue synthesizer collection… anywhere,” gushes VanGaalen. (It’s
true: the continent’s only comparable cache of relics is in the Smithsonian.)
“There’s tons of Buchla stuff, which is super rare, and tons of Moog stuff.
They have the modular synth that scored Apocalypse Now. They have
pianos downstairs that are hundreds of years old stacked vertically
like books. It’s crazy.”
Cantos’ 700-artifact collection also includes Elton John’s
original songwriting piano, the first-ever mini-Moog model D,
a gorgeous Italian polygonal harpsichord built in 1560 and,
most impressively, a huge, Depression-era Kimball theatre organ—
which tour guides will fire up to score a Chaplin film for visitors.
20
The Cantos Music Foundation runs public tours of their collection on Sundays at 1:30 and 3 p.m.,
and Thursdays at 6 p.m. (Admission, $5 – $8; cantos.ca). Check online for performance schedules.
Chad VanGaalen's local short list
BEST LIVE MUSIC BAR Broken City (brokencity.ca) + BEST VALUE FAST FOOD “The killer sandwiches at Lazy Loaf & Kettle (lazyloafandkettle.com), with homemade bread and lots of good toppings.” + BEST ART GALLERY TO LOITER IN TRUCK Gallery (truck.ca) +
JAW-DROPPING PUBLIC ART The Family of Man by Mario Armengol (515 Macleod Tr. SE) + FAVOURITE PLACE TO SKATE “Mount
Royal, because the roads are always so smooth.” + BEST BIKE RIDE “Along the Bow River into Bowness.” + UBIQUITOUS CALGARY
SOUVENIR “A shoe full of dust.” + PORTAL INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION “The dinosaur park at the Calgary Zoo (calgaryzoo.org).”
EMMEDIA GALLERY & PRODUCTION SOCIETY/QUICKDRAW ANIMATION SOCIETY
This low-key clubhouse is where VanGaalen’s
talents as an animator were realized. One day,
he dropped in while a friend was taking
one of EMMEDIA’s video production
workshops; he experimented with their
equipment until 4 a.m., and when
the staff saw his first animation, they
gave him a key. “I’ve always loved
animation, and I’ve obviously loved
drawing since when I was a kid,” says
VanGaalen. “To make it that easy for
me was pretty magical.”
The building shared by these two
groups is the heart of Calgary’s independent and experimental motion picture
scene. In summer, members use the no-frills,
70-seat theatre as a performance space to
screen works in progress and for performance art,
installations, small concerts and all sorts of random
events. There’s also a massive research library, and an
excellent production facility available to members.
The EMMEDIA/Quickdraw facility (emmedia.ca; qas.awn.com) keeps
casual daytime hours, and its programming varies. It also fosters annual
events like the Fairy Tales International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
(fairytalesfilmfest.com) and the Giant Incandescent Resonating
Animation Festival (giraffest.ca).
J UNE /0 9 | up-m agaz ine. com
THE BOW RIVER
22
Calgary’s lifeblood figures prominently
in the city’s landscape, and VanGaalen
is drawn to the banks in Bowness, near
Klippert Concrete (pictured) and Bowmont
Park. (Klippert baffles him in a bad way.)
“Crossing the bridge into the southwest over into Edworthy, ever since I
can remember I’ve made a mental note
to stop in the middle and check out the
river,” he says. “I really like when the
river freezes over, and you get hot days
and warm days that transform the look
of it—all these different geometric shapes
as the ice breaks
up. There’s always
something different
about it.”
Hear and see Chad VanGaalen this summer
On July 21, VanGaalen will release the first record by his electronic alter ego: Black Mold’s
Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz. His longtime local label, Flemish Eye, also plans to put out
a B-sides compilation album, as well as VanGaalen’s first DVD collection of original animated shorts,
by late summer. He’ll finish a 14-day European tour this month and then be all over the Canadian map
xthis summer, starting with a Canada Day show in Toronto (flemisheye.com/chad-vangaalen).