See magazine: Issue 113

20 Pages·4.8 MB·English

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BY SEE STAFF
Stuttgart, Edmonton!
Edmonton, Stuttgart! PWFZ
We read somewhere (gawd, it
wasn't in the Edmonton Journal, HUuP CAT PAF YOU...
was it?) a rather fascinating theory
on why our fair burg’s cultural
community is so active. A FREE lunch or $4 in
It’s ‘cause we're so damned iso-
lated! HUB cash
According to the la-di-da
espousing the theory — ahh,
scratch the “la-di-da” and insert Simply make 5 minimum $4.00 purchases
“erudite observer” . it could
and receive your pay back.
have been someone we really
respect, so why piss ‘em off need- PLUG...
lessly — the reasoning is that
unlike every other major Canadian
city (and by that we assume any Enter your completed card to win...
town in the Top 25), Edmonton is
not within a few hours drive of the SKI WEEKEND FOR 2 TO BANFF
U.S. border. Ready and easy
access to Americans apparently $A pair of Edmonton Opera tickets dC lub Fit pass Discover the elemental
has a debilitating effect on the via-
$A pair of Edmonton Syphony $A pair of Studio Theatre tickets pleasures of
bility of the other cities’ cultural
endeavors. z Orchestra tickets $ Galatea Galleries gift certificate
Edmonton, which is about as far racteliitesarel M<me lazela Mela y
from the U.S. border as one can Cards available at all Hub merchants
get and still be considered civi-
lized, doesn’t have that problem. lamps * boxes ¢t rays * handcrafted from paper
We thrive in isolation
This makes sense to us, but then
so did the Beatles reunion, so florescent design
don’t look to us as a benchmark
for infallibility. Nevertheless, it has
always been our observation that INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE S&H Traditional Lamps & Works Ltd.
there isn’t a more “Canadian” city
among the Top 25 than Edmonton, 10822 - 82 Ave. * Next to Gordon Price Music
and we've seen ’em al (except for 89th Ave. & 112 St. 439-7706
No. 24 Chicoutimi . . . apparently,
we haven't missed anything). That
observation was also rationalized
by the isolation factor.
The “erudite observer” went on
to suggest Edmonton’s cultural
virtues were comparable to those
of a mid-sized European city. Now
that has a nice ring to it. Mid-size,
eh? Birmingham, Nice, Stuttgart, JA AA.
Venice good company.
Somebody should set up an
exchange. And if you need a good-
When it just fee
will ambassador, we have just the
candidate.
H |
an
Sackville, ON?
HY
Just a note to the afternoon
drive-time DJ on CJSR Radio:
Sackville is in New Brunswick, not
Ontario. Good tunes, ‘tho.
Nosy Josey
Responses to the survey on
Edmontonians’ sexual habits, pub-
lished last week in Josey Vogels’ ANY TIME BANKING
column (My Messy Bedroom, See
No. 112) have been comin’ in
steady. By Telephone
There’s still time to take part;
just mail your survey answers to 82 Ave. (Whyte Ave.) Account information ¢ Funds transfer ¢ Loan and bill payments
P.O. Box 263, St. Albert TSN 1N3,
* No-Charge ATB MasterCard payments
or e-mail us at [email protected]. * Residential Mortgage Loans current interest rates and features
We'll pass 'em along to Josey when
* Current deposit and loan interest rates * And much more...
the flow slows to a trickle.
QUALIFIER: Y’understand For more information,
we're not reading every survey call our Customer Service Centre
that crosses our desk, ‘tho we’re Toll Free:
nosy enough ourselves to consider 1-800-332-8383
it. There’s just too many of ’em. * 1 Blotoc Uk of A
However we do peruse the odd e- ¢ 1 Block to University Hospital
mail contribution and we gotta say * Bachelor, 1 & 2 bedroom 8510 - 111 St.
one reader’s answer to No. 58 * Above ground covered parkade Call 432-1894
(‘what was your most embarrass- * Tennis court & jogging track « Sauna
ing sexual moment?”) was a : floors
ae:r . Well, it probably wasn’t so
BDlroeunhdyo/nS EE
Proving the local boy doesn’t always stay local, Edmonton jazz musician John Stetch returned home from New York to
do some workshop chores for alma mater GMCC, and pull a few solo gigs in town. Stew Slater's profile is on Page 9.
pereAe oR ES
We get letters......... 4 Australian tour to find a recording
contract cancelled, Pure just pulled
Columnist Josey Vogels is urged to up its socks and started over.
“write in longhand first, a local band Preview by Tara Ziemanis.
says thanks to the fans and one of
our cartoonists is taken to task. Poets’ stroll... _...410
Resurrection ~ A table, an espresso and a smoke,
and you're ready to listen to some
A few scant months ago, Theatre poetry at a local java house, cour-
- Network was given up for dead.
tesy of the Stroll of Poets. Review
Now they’re back better than ever. by Berenice Gargus.
Cover story by Margaret
Macpherson. Tricky Dick
soothsayer for a better future, The
Counterpoint............ 7 The Quaker-influenced psyche of Twelve Monkeys (above, with Bruce
Richard (‘I am not a crook’) Nixon is Willis and Madeleine Stowe.) Read
A recent Closet Universe column on examined in Oliver Stone’s latest up.
tobacco advertising provokes a flick about a dead president. Green Street
response from a regular contributor. Review by Ron Clark.
Comment by Laura Winopol. Old Strathcona used to be the seedy
Film Clips.............. 12
Pure satisfaction 11 part of town. Boy have things
There’s a whole new batch of movies changed in Edmonton’s little slice of
Returning from a successful playing in town, including that Europe. Column by Ken Barth.
__ REGULARS
411 - The Boardwalk Market
10310 - 102 Ave., Edmonton, AB 15) 2X6
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
a jim aa gazine}] #113 ¢ JANUARY 11 - 17, 1996
PUBLISHER CONTRIBUTORS
VICKI CHARRON A.J. AXLINE, LYNDA BARRY, KEN BARTH,
DR. A. BASU, PETER CHUNG, RON CLARK,
EDITOR IN CHIEF BEN COXWORTH, BERENICE GARGUS,
SUE GAWLAK TOOKER GOMBERG, JOHN HAYES,
MARGARET MACPHERSON, CARTER McKEAGUE,
MANAGING EDITOR ANIL NAIDOO, STEW SLATER, KAREN WESSELL,
TERRY McCONNELL LAURA WINOPOL, JOSEY VOGELS, TARA ZIEMANIS
PHOTOGRAPHERS pate reart Eamontons eeeete artHs e onera
BRENDON DLOUHY, NOUN ULAN ment weekly, is S| eve’ jursi 67376
Alberta tid valet free a at.; 860l oca-
beter ae
Vogels lacki ng brai
United we stand n power:
Editor, See TO THE EDI TOR I suggest See require all your
Local band thanks supporters Due to my bland lifestyle, I have columnists to write their articles
had time to become quite disgrun- by hand first. This, I feel, would
tled with Josey Vogels’ column My ensure at least some thought is put
Editor, See ment for all of our great “scenes”
Messy Bedroom. What exactly is ence. Anyone who has lived for into the columns. Or else you
XIIth House, with your permis- bands. Use that right and you just
this column about? Is its purpose any amount of time knows clichés could use a screening process
sion, would like to take a little might find unity is possible, even
to help Josey voice her own sexual are anything but. You gain this when selecting journalists so as to
space in your magazine to thank for bands victimized by the
anyone and everyone who stood senseless grudge-match antics of confusion? I think so. knowledge through years of obser- avoid such mollycoddles as Josey
This weekly column seems to be vation. Is Miss Josey such an inno- Vogels. Try a minimum age of 13.
by us and our music. Your sup- their critics.
port has kept us strong through The ball is always in your filled to the brim with cliché state- cent? Or does she write her col-
the attacks we have faced for not court. ments which indicate either a lack umns in five minutes at a comput- Teddy Carter
giving in to the “who-you-know” of thought or a lack of life experi- er, using little or no brain power? Edmonton
politics of the music industry. Sid Estay
Remember: you have a right to XIIth House
demand fair and unbiased treat- Edmonton
What’s this then?
ANTIQUES ® CAPPUCCINO BAR ® FLORIST
2 FOR 1 COFFEE
Editor, See Much luck in the new year.
I'm writing about the recently WITH THIS AD
published anti-abortion cartoon Nola Stein
Hours: Monday-Friday 9-5 ¢ Saturday 11-4
(Cartertoon, See No. 111). What Edmonton
the hell is this crap doing in your Downtown Edmonton _
magazine? This is in incredibly bad triEbdu.t orNso tet:o Wpues h watnhte eonurv elcoopne- Die) © i ‘
taste. Good start to a new image
and be controversial. Thanks
for See. I think I'll read Vue.
for the best wishes though.
See Week
Oh God! that one might read the book of fate.
JSrom page 2 son and chooses to defend himself
Gawd, we'd love to print it, but in court. During the hearing, he — William Shakespeare
it doesn’t feel right without per- finally challenges the whole legal
mission. system in his defence. To tailor the
Tell ya what: if the guy wants to play to Edmonton audiences (it (Henry IV: Part II)
call us (ask for Terry), identify the played last season in England),
e-mail source point we have so we Frisby and Citadel director
know he’s legit, and tell us Duncan McIntosh are consulting
whether it’s OK to print the answer Alberta law experts to ensure all
to No. 58, we'd really appreciate it the legal beagles are in a row. Fulfill your destiny at
... and no questions asked.
The guy will know who he is. .
Clip and save! THE EDMONTON:
The first thing we do...
No, William Shakespeare is See Magazine is on the move!
not the only playwright to take a We've finagled ourselves an office
poke at lawyers. in the Boardwalk Market on 102 BOOK STORE
Rough Justice, a controversial Avenue, between 103 and 104
new play by Terence Frisby, asks Streets. We're on the fourth floor
the question “who does our legal of the Boardwalk block (not the
system best serve — the victims or Revillon block).
tohpee nsle gaSl unpdraoyf,e ssiFeobn. i4t selatf ?” thIet 102O ffAivcei.a,l lyS,t e.t he4 11a,d drEedsmso nits o1n0 31T05 J - 8530 - 109 Street
Citadel Theatre’s Shoctor Stage. 2X6. Phone number is 428-9354;
It’s a story of a man who is fax number 428-9349.
Thank you and g’night. e Monday-Saturday 10-6 p.m.
accused of murdering his infant
Thursday ‘til 9 p.m. ¢ Sunday 12-5 p.m.
CAlickE) Lis abe
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
MOTOR CYCLES
OF EDMONTON (1980) LTD
aCn ee e ee
ADRRIS” MOVING fem
CG,I FtT FAus OvT-
—WE Pick iT up”?
Genuine™ Motorclothes®
available — New Leathers,
Boots, Collectibles.
_ 12506 - 124 Street
—_——<“@iG et 8.a .0nY
Not long ago, they were at death’s door. Guess what: ‘They’re back!’
Pants off to Theatre Network’
BY MARGARET MACPHERSON
In 11 months we
heatre Network, once flounder- pulled this puppy
ing in financial and artistic
JUloahnn/ SEE
malaise, is now firmly back on its out of the fire.
feet after a “miraculous” 11l-month
turnaround. Everything just
“Theatre Network won't be
caught with its pants down,” said seemed to fall into
general manager David Hennessey
place. Last week, a
of his revved up and revitalized
company. “In fact, to be sure of woman phoned to
that, we’ve taken our pants right
off,” he added, with a rueful grin. tell us we’d won a
Hennessey and artistic director
Ben Henderson are all too familiar fax machine, the
with the parred down, bare bones
approach to producing theatre. one piece of office
The Edmonton company, commit-
ted to showcasing new Canadian equipment we really
playwrights, was stripped to its
needed but didn’t
skivvies last year, despite a very,
very successful 20th anniversary have. We won it.
season.
Hennessey, who took the helm And now with the
of the flagging company at the end
of the 1993/94 season, chronicles building almost
the near demise of Theatre Net-
work. ready, some good
“It was one sick puppy, all
right,” said Hennessey, first shows lined up and
imported from Saskatoon on a
debt-free, we’re
month-to-month contract. “Ben
had already cut the budget in half,
really on a roll.
from $600,000 to $300,000. Shows
had been cut and staff was non-
existent. The only thing we inherit- tough things were.”
ed was a very healthy deficit.” Renovations to the Roxy have
This time last year, Theatre run upwards of $100,000. While
Network was in deep doo-doo. Not Hennessey admits they have no
ankle-deep, not waist-deep, but up money, he’s also quick to add they
to their collective necks. Hennes- , are out of the red and into the
‘sey lists off the figures like an black. “In 11 months we pulled this
ecclesiastical liturgy. “We had puppy out of the fire,” he said.
$62,000 in outstanding payables “Everything just seemed to fall
and we had exhausted our into place. Last week, a woman
$121,000 line of credit with the phoned to tell us we’d won a fax
bank. Altogether we had an accu- machine, the one piece of office
mulated deficit of $249,000. More- equipment we really needed but
over, the place was a mess. I mean didn’t have. We won it. And now
foul. It was a toilet, there’s no with the building almost ready,
other word for it.” some good shows lined up and
Looking around the newly-reno- debt-free, we're really on a roll.”
_ vated Roxy Theatre on 124 Street Hennessey’s excitement about
today, you'd think Hennessey was the future of Theatre Network is
exaggerating. The walls are newly contagious. It's spilled over to five
plastered and painted, there’s new Theatre Network members say they won’t be caught with their pants down (pants off is a staff members, the board and the
blue-grey wall-to-wall carpet in the different story!). From the left are David Hennessey, Bradley Moss, Karen McCallum, Todd people who are volunteering their
foyer. The concession stand and Hurley, Ben Henderson and Allan Bassil. Tuxedos were courtesy of Milne’s Formal Wear. time and labor to get the company
the box office have recently seen a back on track. Their lineup for the
carpenter’s hand and the entire “The board voted unanimously to truly unique season — helped cre- als, supplies and labor. season reflects that spontaneous
lobby area, boasting large potted save it; none of us wanted to see ate revenue for Theatre Network: “I can’t begin to tell you how energy and excitement.
floor plants, is subtly lit with track Theatre Network die.” Brad Fraser’s Poor Superman, generous the community business- “We decided to focus on Canad-
lighting. The first major break came which went on to international es were,” said Hennessey. “Almost ian stuff that’s a little bit pushy,”
The former cinema, built in 1939 when the company, which held the acclaim, a couple of sold-out everything you see, and lots of explained Henderson. “Like Poor
and last renovated in 1968, is haute remaining $143,000 mortgage on shows by the Trolls, and the stuff you don’t see, was donated. Superman, we'll do material that
décor a la '90s. Gone are the the building (and chooses to unlikely hit Supreme Dream, did We almost had to gut the building has raw energy and not worry
brown: walls and orange shag car- remain unnamed), agreed to write very well at the box office. to get it to where it is today. A lot about who we offend. Our shows
is the peeling plaster it off. Hennessey, given to dramat- “Before those shows, the theatre of people very generously wrote are going to be as forward and as
ies, called this spontaneous act of was in severe malaise,” Henderson off our debts. Remember, we still brazen as they can be.”
generosity “a miracle.” And the recalled. “No one was coming out had thousands and thousands of The first play in the new Roxy
to see good work. We wanted to dollars owing. I went through will be Ron Chamber's play Dirt, a
excite the community with a real every one of those payable acc- piece which Hennessey claims will
presence. We wanted to come out ounts and told people what our sit- make people squirm and laugh at
uation was. Much of the debt was the same time. A full-length ver-
forgiven. We issued tax receipts _ sion of the ’95 Fringe hit Scrap-
when we could so companies ping Su ;
Critics shouldn’t knock Hizzoner just for thinking out loud
Fly the puddie-jumpers from the Muni
BY TERRY McCONNELL
dmonton’s mayor has been tak-
ing some heat from local media WE WILL BE LANDING AT THE
critics for suggesting that yeah . . . INTERNATIONAL INLO MINUTES...
twoe llC,a lmgaayrbye shsooumled cboem mpuetremirt tfeldi ghttos THOSE WANTING TO NSE THE MUNI,
use the Municipal Airport. PLEASE DEPART NOW
theT hef acctr ittichsa t arer atqueipcaky etros povinott edto _FROM THE REAR EXIT.
overwhelmingly to consolidate air
traffic at the International Airport.
OK, fine. But Bill Smith should
be forgiven for thinking out loud
about what is still a bone of con-
tention in town. What would the
buzzards prefer: that Hizzoner
speak only carefully chosen words
e
in measured tones, designed to i
obfuscate, confuse and reveal
nothing?
No, not likely.
(Not to belabor the point, but
it’s so bloody typical for the media
to look a gift horse in the mouth.
You give them a mayor full of piss
and vinegar, who is bound to give
them the quotable quote from time
to time and they whine. Who
would they rather have? Art
Eggleton?)
What seems to have been over-
looked in all the kerfuffle over the
mayor’s comments is the fact he So, what to do? suggested aren't the solution. The genuine commuter would preferable option.
made a perfectly valid point. A fully operational Muni is a But what’s wrong with the Muni still find such flights reasonable Want a precedent? Island Air-
Flights from the Muni are more non-starter. It would only serve as exclusively running non-jet region- and convenient, but there wouldn't port in downtown Toronto.
convenient than those from the a feeder for a traffic-starved Cal- al service: Dash 8s, Fokkers, the be much attraction for someone City Council could appoint a
International. That being said, vot- gary airport. No point in giving type of propeller aircraft common- looking to connect from Calgary to commission to look into the merits
ers made the right choice on elec- them the business, especially ly known as puddle-jumpers, for somewhere else. of this one. That way, council
tion day and that decision must be when it hurts Edmonton. So com- flights to Calgary, Vancouver, A direct flight from the could give it a go by .. . oh, say
respected. muter flights to Calgary of the sort Regina, the North. International would still be the 2003?
~ Register those Make first time a good time
lethal weapons
Practical sex education for young people would help
MY MESSY BEDROOM accompaniment today and I don’t think they make
Gremlins any more, but the scenarios probably
CLOSET ers, with a distance of no less BY JOSEY VOGELS haven't changed much.
than 50 metres kept between
BYU NA.I VJ.E RAXSLEIN E ntehveemr aat gaaliln tipmoesse! aK ndiavnegse r wiltlo ewiansg afnr oemm btahrer acsosuintnrgy calincdh é.al lI,t twhaes fiirnst tthei mbea rIn h, adin stehxe hfier sItc orteuiallmdienz ’et( tnhgoee tg ouonyvee ri nc attnhh ee gieGdtre aea mnhlyeit nhw iadnsig d na’ectxt auccaotlllmyye drboieighcntga utsihte)e ,
Canadians!” hay. I was 14. He was 16. It was horrible. but a little prep would help. Despite all the informa-
o I open the closet the other “You know what this means, “It hurts,” I complained, hay riding up my butt. tion about AIDS, disease and pregnancy, my 17-year-
day and there’s Justice Minister don’t you?” I asked him. “It (Haystacks are only romantic in the movies.) old niece says few boys will use condoms. The pill is
Alan Rock in there, holding a big means criminals will continue to “Just relax,” he said, oh so sensitively, as he forged still the preferred method of contraception, usually
ledger. use knives, while lawful citizens ahead. acquired after you've started having sex. That’s proba-
“Er, I have no guns,” I said, will be forced to pay the enor- I can’t even remember if we used a condom. I do bly because the one thing still sorely lacking in sex
apologetically. mous cost of registering their remember going to the bathroom later and gathering education is training in the art of negotiation.
“Not guns! Knives!” Rock said knives, as well as the taxes a small bale of hay out of my underwear. Later, sitting “A lot of boys won’t like you if you ask them to
gleefully. “Do you know how required to maintain the registra- on the couch watching TV with his dad, I was certain wear a condom,” my niece tells me. So a lot of girls
many murders and assaults are tion program, and the court costs he could tell what we had done. I felt like shit. don’t bother asking. Pregnancy or disease is less dev-
committed with knives every to prosecute people who own I've actually demoted the whole thing as “my first astating than rejection. And you usually can’t count
year? Dozens! If I make it manda- unregistered or improperly time” on the grounds that I don’t believe it really qual- on the boy to bring up the subject. He’s got so much
tory to register knives with the stored knives. You are doing ified as sex and, instead, have chosen my second time on his mind, he usually just wants to get it in as fast as
federal government (for a nomi- nothing to the criminals and pun- as my real introduction. It was ideal. I was in a “rela- possible before he’s too embarrassed to keep it up.
nal $20 per knife annual fee), less ishing the law-abiding.” tionship.” I waited before going all the way with him My niece lives in the country, like I did. I went to a
crime will be committed!” “And that’s just the beginning,” because he was older and had a bit of a reputation for Catholic school where they told me, “You'll get preg- -
We stared at each other for a Rock grinned. “Soon, all poten- not being shy about his intentions. (Okay, I was nant if you kiss a boy,” neglecting to mention the
moment. tially, lethal weapons will have to warned to wear steel pants on my first date with him.) steps in between. Sounds like things haven't char
“You're serious, aren’t you?” I be registered with the feds! I wanted him to prove he loved me first. Two months much since Gremlins and Nazareth. tf =
asked curiously. Baseball bats! Hammers! seemed adequate. The event was practically written The problem with sex education (wh
“Darn tootin’! If we make peo- Chainsaws! Frying pans! Soon for an after-school special. A friend’s parents were allowed at all) is we are so determined to p
ple pay a whole lot of money to weapons will be extinct! No one away, so we had the house to ourselves. He brought a from health risks or pregnancy,w e
| own and register a knife and get will be armed!” box of condoms and we spent the first while playing sex. Kids need to know the risks
their name written in a ledger, “Except for the police, the mil- with them; blowing them up like balloons and stuff. shouldn't scare them out of enjoyin;
knife crime as we know it will itary and the criminals,” I sur-
When we finaglotl dyown to it, he took it real slow. If Healthy attitudes abosuext w or
| cease to exist!” mised. I said it hurt, he stopped. This boy probably saved my to instili fw e would jus tl
i ticIe n omtiinciesd tewri tha pdpiesamraeyd thteo jubse- on “tHheey s.h.e.l f?w”h aRto'csk thaastk eudp stuhseprie- seMxuoaslt l ife.e We waent oeut for five years. phaavitneg sexg aoned sgi vge otl
at the mouth. Just a lit- ciously. : ,
mind you. “It’sa r ubber-headed mallet, |
only that, but knives will
OPINION -
How to become politically active in five easy steps
Jie on your butt accomplishes squat
errr sacred cow now, would we? working towards the media to your staged activity. They love
So there's the problem. But what's to be 2. Challenge authority: Don’t be afraid an event that gives them an interesting angle
o done? Simple: people who care, citizens to question authority. Authority should be or good pictures, Organize public events.
need to shake things up. Get active. Agitate. earned, not appointed. The “experts” are Distribute handbills. Involve youth. They
rom Batman to Moses, this column covers For many years I've been wondering how often proven wrong (“experts” used to have enthusiasm and chutzpah. It’s easier to
it all. to change things. Here’s what I've come up believe the earth was flat.) Remember: you ask for forgiveness after the fact rather than
Last week I wrote about our city’s with: the essence of2 0 years of thinking, don't have to be an expert to have an opin- ask for permission. Do it.
Transportation Master Plan (TMP). It’s a doing and talking with many friends. ion or to speak to an issue 5. Build alliances: Seek out your com
stew being cooked up behind closed doors With apologies to Moses and God, here 3. Know the system: The system perpet- mon allies such as other community associa-
by consultants and our transportation are some of the Ten Commandments For uates itself. Yet with a few simple tools you tions, seniors, youth groups, labor, business-
department. There is also a small, exclusive Changing the World. If that sounds too high- can understand how decisions are made and es and work with them to establish a coali-
group of about 20 citizens adding a bit of handed, just call them suggestions. Use ’em influence the outcome. Learn how the tion. Organize joint events, support each
spice to the process. on the TMP, or on your own issues. Have bureaucracy is structured. For example, in others’ issues, network ideas and expertise.
In a democratic society there should be fun! Edmonton, use the Centrex, a phone direc- Go to each other's social events. Who might
lots of public debate and input. Why hasn't But first, a quote from Noam Chomsky, tory of all city employees and their bosses. share your concern?
that happened? “Not enough money,” says brilliant thinker and writer about the power Analyze the media. Get to know each coun- You'll find allies in unexpected places if
the transportation department, though they of the media, among other things: cillor's executive assistant. And read the you think creatively. The system wins
have a healthy budget of $3 million for the “Tf you go to one demonstration and then council agendas (the library has copies and through Divide and Conquer, so do the
TMP. Surely we need to hear from the pub- go home, that’s something, but the people Freenet has a summary) so you can know opposite
lic and to consider a wide range of trans- in power can live with that. What they when items of importance are being dis- Stay tuned next week for more sugges-
portation choices for the future. can't live with is sustained pressure that cussed. tions. Meanwhile, I’m offt o Cuba for three
Could it be the transportation department keeps building, organizations that keep Who are the key players? What do they weeks, investigating how one small country
wants to remain in control, in the driver's doing things, people that keep learning look like? Where do they eat lunch? Go has appare ntly done the impossible: over-
seat, so to speak? They've been controlling lessons from the last time and doing it bet- there and talk with them. come poverty, wiped out illiteracy and pro-
the process and if they have their way, we’re ter the next time.” 4. Take action: Sitting on your butt does vided a high quality of health care to all. And
likely to end up with what we started with, 1. You gotta believe: Have belief, hope, nothing. Do something, anything. Do your in response to a drastic oil shortage, they've
more of the same: more roads, more traffic, passion and confidence that valuable homework. Talk over the issue with others turned Havana into one of the worid’s great-
more asthma, less transit. We wouldn’t want change can happen. Hold on to a vision of a and then act. Letters to the editor of local est cycling cities virtually overnight. [ll e-
to challenge society's worship of the golden, more just and sustainable world. It is worth newspapers are read by thousands. Invite mail you from there. Keep warm. e@
Calgary fiddles, oil burns
_ Tobacco ads do
Little thought given to the day the wells run dry have influence
BY ANIL NAIDOO know the party can’t go on forever Revolution is over! The rules have
and are determined to milk it changed, so we have to change
just got back from spending the while they can. The other shoe has how we play the game. Ed. Note: Contributor Laura Winopol writes in
holidays in Calgary. You wouldn't to drop; the oil will not last forev- We've halved our kindergarten response to the Closet Universe column
believe it, that city is hopping. er. at the same time Newfoundland, a “Smoking kills! But booze cur-
Life is good. There are life-sized It’s like the energy surrounding have-not province, has doubled ries voters’ favor” (See
ssttraeteut ecosro nfe rR awlipthh Kplleaiqnu eso n reeavdeirnyg pa eNopelwe Yaecatri’sn g Evliek ep atrhtey,y ’rceo nthraivviendg; wthheiilres . giWvei'nrge taatxt ahcokliindga ysth e top otohre 9 killNo.s 11y1).
“he listens — he cares.” Panhand- fun because they think they’re rich through corporations. We sell
lers are scarce and, oddly enough, expected to. Calgary is a city that off cash cows like the oilsands to
they’re usually wearing Oilers’ ball is not living, it’s going through the foreign interests, just when they're
caps. The streets aren't paved with motions. If you’re not having fun making record profits. All for a
gold but something better: oil. there’s something wrong with you. dated ideology? That’s not good LAURA
People live and breathe oil in I popped into the Crazy Horse enough. WINOPOL
this town. If you’re not in the oil or Saloon to ponder my theory and You only get one kick at the can.
gas business, you're a bit player. was met by a scene that would This is ours. Let’s make good on n 1988, Parliament passed a law prohibit-
Corporate monoliths are a testa- have made a Sodomite blush. our legacy. Let’s turn things ing the advertising of and promotion of tobacco
ment to the power of oil. You can’t Decadence, thy name is Cowtown. around so our children can enjoy a products in Canada. Although hailed by the medical communi-
swing a drunken oilman in this city I had just noticed the smell of sul- meaningful life in this unforgiving ty, the legislation met with predictably strong opposition from the coun-
without hitting a corporate head phur when something with a climate. Let’s take a little from the try’s three major cigarette manufacturers.
office. Hell, you can’t swing a cloven hoof stepped on my foot. guy trying to decide between But as the creative minds at Imperial Tobacco Ltd., RJR-Macdonald
drunken oilman without hitting “God damn you!” I screamed. Lexus, Infiniti or BMW and give Inc. and Rothmans Benson & Hedges Inc. know, there is more than
another drunken oilman. The It grinned and said, “She some to the single mother trying to one way to “advertise and promote.” One of the easiest is to parade
Husky Tower, the Petro Canada already has.” Beelzebub at the give her kids enough to eat. your product name, logo and package colors before the public by
Tower, the Amoco Tower, Can- Crazy Horse! He offered me a People must stop defining them- sponsoring cultural and sporting endeavors. This is particularly effec-
terra, Nova, Shell .. . they're all Maudite. selves by what they own and start tive if a condition of sponsorship requires the event be named after
here and they carry some major “Sure,” I said, not wanting to looking inward for real wealth — one of your products.
clout. Without them the skyline offend the Prince of Darkness. the wealth of the soul. In 1993 the du Maurier Foundation gave the City of Guelph, ON a
would jook like Regina. “Join me?” When the wells run dry (don’t $700,000 grant toward the construction of an 800-seat theatre, contin-
I decided to see if I could figure “Not while I’m working” he fool yourselves, the wells will run gent on the venue being called the du Maurier Arts Ltd. Theatre, with
makes this place tick. said. Working? “Didn't you dry), what will be the legacy of this the du Maurier name displayed on all programs in a fashion similar to
Whe! start? Well, if home is know? All Calgarians got together great roller-coaster ride? Will it be that on cigarette packages.
\ eart is, I'll start in the in the ’70s and collectively sold a multitude of politically-motivat- (Whatever happened to the practice of acknowledging coeroaty
the city’s soul to the Devil. You ed monuments to a prosperity long with a small plaque of appreciation ii n the lobby?)
don't pit igt his id without since squandered? Or will it be a There is nothing unique about large, influential mruttinaniotints
sustainable high value-added soci- threatening, intimidating, paying off or otherwise attempting to pres- |
ety where the fulfillment of peo- sure government to act in the best interests of the corporations.
needs supersedes the ful- Philip Morris International Inc. of Rye Brook, NY threatened to
reconsider future investments in Canada if Parliament passes a pro- |_
posed law forcing cigarette companies to use plain parking.
Imperial Tobacco— through its parent company, Imasco
RJR-Macdonald — a subsidiary of RJR Nabisco
De a eee ceo the Libs
a im A lil tlt ie i ee lh a ain, |
Pure cruising again,
could drive. I mean our moms everything fans of Pure have come
would have to take us to the stu- to expect: the catchy phrasing and
dio. We’ve grown up by ourselves melodies that leave you humming
in recording studios all of our the song long after it’s finished.
PREVIEW
lives; we never knew anything At a November show in Water-
Pure with Big Sugar
other than that. I mean a lot of loo, ON, shortly after the release of
Edmonton Convention Centre kids who start young, their parents their current EP, the university
Friday, Jan. 19
are present, that’s the difference. crowd was already drowning out
M ental note for future reference: Nobody told us anything. We had Jordy as they sung along to the ABaprrtille tt/SEE
avoid excessive coffee con- no direction whatsoever, except chorus of Lemonade. For any
sumption before doing band inter- what we thought was right. You other singer it may have been
views; it causes paranoia. know, we would scrounge up intimidating to compete with 400
Case in point: an interview with money either by stealing cars or singing fans. However, this is a guy
Jordy Birch, lead singer for the whatever. I mean we got the who was 24 before he found the
band Pure. Considering the monu- money.” Jordy explains they’re courage to take the stage in front
mental changes the band has brief criminal inclinations this of a live audience. “I had never
undergone in the past year, I envi- way: “We came from a really bad sang before then (24); I sang but
sion an interview fraught with ten- neighborhood (in Surrey, B.C.), not on stage; I mean I would do all
sion and uncomfortable silences. where it’s like A, you were stealing the recording of my vocals but I
Apparently I’m delusional, because cars or B, you were in a band.” was really shy. And then all of the
he’s sounding surprisingly upbeat. Obviously these creative guys sudden something just clicked.”
The 29-year-old singer is taking found a way to combine the two. Fans of Pure would probably call
a brief hiatus before the band con- Now they’re in the process of that a vast understatement.
tinues their tour, promoting their winding their way across Canada Pure will be appearing with
new EP Extra Purestrial. But for promoting the first single from the Big Sugar at the Edmonton
those fans unfamiliar with the con- new EP, Lemonade. It's a song Convention Centre Friday, Jan.
tinuing saga of Pure, here goes. about cruising in a car with a girl 19.
You are a successful Canadian and well, drinking some Lemon- Tara Ziemanis is a Kitchener, ON-based Pure is back with a new EP and a cross-Canada tour, after
band signed through the United ade. Extra Purestrial contains contributor to See. @ being ditched by its former record company.
States to a subsidiary of a large
label, namely Warner. In the five
short years you've been around,
you've made phenomenal strides.
In 1992 you recorded your début
album Purefunalia (how do you
pronounce that, guys?) with
Talking Head Jerry Harrison, and
won a Canadian CASBY award for
Best New Canadian band. Your GREAT
records have been greeted warmly
by the Canadian public and your
videos Spiritual Pollution, Blast
and Pure have enjoyed heavy rota- MOVIES?
tion on Muchmusic. Sounds like
you're having fun.so far? Wait, it
gets better.
In 1994 you release your second ACHR i 7 =
record, Generation Six Pack, and coy
follow it up with an extensive tour.
Your first two singles, Denial and
Anna is a Speed Freak, are suc-
cessful. In early 1995 you play
large concerts in Australia with
bands like Hole, Offspring and
Ministry. You develop a large fol-
lowing in Australia and then you
return to Canadian soil, only to
find you've been released from
your Reprise/Warner contract.
Surprise, Surprise. What came
as a surprise to a lot of Pure fans 9 99
BUY BUY
was undeniably a shock to the
band.
ONE THREE
Pure has since bounced back,
taking control of every aspect of VIDEO... ed. VIDEOS... VIDEOS...
the band, from producing their lat-
est EP to hiring the Canadian
Outside Music to handle promo-
tion. They're also in the process of
examining a variety of offers from
labels in the U.S. who are courting
the band for distribution rights.
This time around Jordy is a little
older and a lot wiser. “I don’t want
to make it sound like we're being
picky but you know, we sort of got
burned before and even though
everything was taken care of, it’s
still that money is not everything.
You realize that it’s more about
getting your music out there and
you don’t want to be tied to a cer-
tain label for a number of years if * Airplane ¢ Days of Thunder © Time Bandits
it’s not hunky-dory, and it wasn’t.” * Beverly Hills Cop © Footloose i © Patriot Games
There should never have been * Black Rain © Star Trek Il, Ill, iV, V & VI ® The Unteushebtes. ‘ j
any doubt the band would re-
bound; these guys had long ago
a4 e committed themselves to a career | Music World —- It’
usic. Jordy and guitariTsotd d _|
e been maki i i" =
=
few
MS
uC
Stetch proves you
can come home
JAZZ
_ BY STEW SLATER FUTURE SHOP
ROFILE
The CD Source
John Stetch
See advertisement on back cover
Select Bar & Restaurant BDlroeunhdyo/nSE
Friday, Jan. 5
he Select Bar and Restaurant on
101 Street had a banner evening 10% OFF
last Friday as jazz fans packed in to
hear Edmonton-raised pianist John
Stetch. Everything in the Store
Between sets, Stetch noted he
recognized a good number in the
crowd from the work he had done PURE ani NOT GOING TO VEGAS
the previous couple of days at
Grant McEwan Community Col-
lege.
The musician attended GMCC
about 10 years ago, before moving
on to Montreal and then New Friday, January 19, 1996
York. But he retains his links to
Edmonton and the college. Over at the
the last week, Stetch conducted
workshops and performed Thurs-
Edmonton Convention Centre
day night at the John L. Haar
Theatre at GMCC’s Jasper Place
Campus. Doors: 6:30 p.m. (no minors)
Stetch was reluctant to call him-
self a role model for the students,
but added, “I remember wanting John Stetch played to atten- Tickets at: HUB/CAB/SUB
(someone to look up to) when I tive audiences at the Select Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone [phone]
was starting out at Grant McEwan. Bar and Restaurant.
(Jazz is) a hard thing to get into —
a hard type of music to get into.” chuckled. Consignment Clothing
Bob Gilligan, chair of music at Stetch followed what he called a and Accessories another
the college, stressed the effect of couple of negative experiences in
Stetch’s willingness to take time finding his way to New York. 14061330 -- 112544 S7tr eet ESS
off over the holidays to return to “When I finished at Grant Mc- production
Edmonton. Ewan, I didn’t get accepted right
“T think an important part of away into the University of Al-
bringing in someone like John is berta, so I decided I'd go to McGill
mrst hat it gives the-students informa— “ (University, in Montreal) instead.”
tion that is difficult for them to He got a degree there, grew and Super nag Bring in this ad
. find — information about how to improved musically, found places HL « Internet
put out your first CD, information to play and got into the jazz scene. ae Cybercyc! and recetay1 e/ 2
about finding people to play with,” But he found it limiting, not least
Gilligan said. of all because there is such a divi- re Sony ! hour ofp ool and
Not that Stetch is a superhero. sion between French and English- TN Trivia
But he has been able to study and speaking communities,
experience the scene in New York So Stetch moved on, getting a
aenntdi tlreedl eaCsaerd pattwhoe uCmD s Bl(utehse, lawtietsht NCaenwa dYao rkC.o uncil grant to study in datanet.ab.ca. ° Cybercy¢ a dink on us,
hopes for a new one later this He studied with Kenny Werner
year). and Richie Beirbach, but “mainly I
Gil“lSitguadne nstasid . ca“nH e’rse laat ey otuon gh img,u”y sftouudnide d otuhte hsocewn e,h”a rhde sita ide.a n Anbde hteo N «NHL ° Intern:
and he’s on the cutting edge of the get your music heard. “If you’re b.ca. * Cybercy
musSiece.i”n g his family and renewing pVillalyaigneg, iint adnoye snc’ltu b maitn tetrhe wEhaastt e No Fear Gear '
relationships with friends at club, some of the hip, young peo- e Super N
GMCC aren't the only reasons ple will come. But if you’re playing
N e NHI
Stetch gave for returning to anywhere else, you're going to
Edmonton. He took the opportuni- have a hard time getting people to
ptwgyeeo turt hlftidhos e r tmlciiahmkneae c ntceaoers o,dut oon dmd sooto roime n ep lNtbaehuytwi ntdhgYoeo e rsskno.h’l teo yysoohuuo“' Iwrn ec auNnap .e bwri ega Ysctohar rk.t,”h e thmearses’es s nou nlweasys ttuartni one C°F BLi ll°* iNaord sF ea° rS upeear e
“Tve been wanting to try to get It’s been three years in New
bettera s a soloist, but it’s hard York now and if not for the fame
and fortune, then why? The three
yjtpaoeiz ae“zlrcI,esef a yryohnoofa uu vj a'aedwvz veazi ln.ce tpfe tr etfStoo ttreyg t ettchw hoes sleewlr i itwoghuho stoa a twbloaio tnutgtltoe ivStiaaatt iuo¢r nDn a°° y etoBCion lnelnaii atrUdesS A@* dSa°ut EpaSenPreIt HDAINREL EY WOOD
(— to nNoetnw eYorck)e, sat sleaaasst l rofonirg aal sw yhIi'l vee » Sega Saturn 7,
been there, but for more the tation ° Billi |
a visit. Ify ou just come for a: it, 211
you don't see anything. | ‘veg ot
Purec ruising again, with Lemonade
could drive. I mean our moms everything fans of Pure have come ; ‘ SS ‘ ae « :
would have to take us to the stu- to expect: the catchy phrasing and
dio. We've grown up by ourselves melodies that leave you humming
PREVIEW in recording studios all of our the song long after it’s finished.
Pure with Big Sugar lives; we never knew anything At a November show in Water-
other than that. I mean a lot of loo, ON, shortly after the release of
Edmonton Convention Centre
Friday, Jan. 19 kids who start young, their parents their current EP, the university
are present, that’s the difference. crowd was already drowning out
Ma note for future reference: Nobody told us anything. We had Jordy as they sung along to the ABaprrtille tt/SEE
avoid excessive coffee con- no direction whatsoever, except chorus of Lemonade. For any
sumption before doing band inter- what we thought was right. You other singer it may have been
views; it causes paranoia. know, we would scrounge up intimidating to compete with 400
Case in point: an interview with money either by stealing cars or singing fans. However, this is a guy
Jordy Birch, lead singer for the whatever. I mean we got the who was 24 before he found the
band Pure. Considering the monu- money.” Jordy explains they're courage to take the stage in front
mental changes the band has brief c riminal inclinations this of a live audience. “I had never
undergone in the past year, I envi- way: “We came from a really bad sang before then (24); I sang but
sion an interview fraught with ten- neighborhood (in Surrey, B.C.), not on stage; I mean I would do all
sion and uncomfortable silences. where it’s like A, you were stealing the recording of my vocals but I
Apparently I'm delusional, because cars or B, you were in a band.” was really shy. And then all of the
he’s sounding surprisingly upbeat. Obviously these creative guys sudden something just clicked.”
The 29-year-old singer is taking found a way to combine the two. Fans of Pure would probably call
a brief hiatus before the band con- Now they’re in the process of that a vast understatement.
tinues their tour, promoting their winding their way across Canada Pure will be appearing with
new EP Extra Purestrial. But for promoting the first single from the Big Sugar at the Edmonton
those fans unfamiliar with the con- new EP, Lemonade. It’s a song Convention Centre Friday, Jan.
tinuing saga of Pure, here goes. about cruising in a car with a girl 19.
You are a successful Canadian and well, drinking some Lemon- Tara Ziemanis is a Kitchener, ON-based Pure is back with a new EP and a cross-Canada tour, after
band signed through the United ade. Extra Purestrial contains contributor to See. e being ditched by its former record company.
States to a subsidiary of a large
label, namely Warner. In the five
short years you've been around,
you've made phenomenal strides.
In 1992 you recorded your début
album Purefunalia (how do you
pronounce that, guys?) with
Talking Head Jerry Harrison, and
won a Canadian CASBY award for
Best New Canadian band. Your
records have been greeted warmly
by the Canadian public and your
videos Spiritual Pollution, Blast
and Pure have enjoyed heavy rota-
tion on Muchmusic. Sounds like
you're having fun-so far? Wait, it
gets better.
In 1994 you release your second
record, Generation Six Pack, and
follow it up with an extensive tour.
Your first two singles, Denial and
Anna is a Speed Freak, are suc-
cessful. In early 1995 you play
large concerts in Australia with
bands like Hole, Offspring and
Ministry. You develop a large fol-
lowing in Australia and then you
return to Canadian soil, only to
find you've been released from
your Reprise/Warner contract.
Surprise, Surprise. What came
as a surprise to a lot of Pure fans
was undeniably a shock to the BUY BUY
band.
Pure has since bounced back, ONE 99 THREE
tthaek inbagn dc,o nftrrooml porf odeuvceriyn g asthpeeicrt laotf- VIDEO... ed. VIDEOS... a: _ VIDEOS...
est EP to hiring the Canadian
Outside Musie to handle promo-
tion. They’re also in the process of
examining a variety of offers from
labels in the U.S. who are courting
the band for distribution rights.
This time around Jordy is a little
older and a lot wiser. “I don’t want
to make if sound like we're being
picky but you know, we sort of got
burned before and even though
everything was taken care of, it’s
still that money is not everything.
You realize that it’s more about
getting your music out there and
you don’t want to be tied to a cer-
tain label for a number of years if * Airplane ¢ Days of Thunder © Time Bandits
it’s not hunky-dory, and it wasn’t.” ° Per GHiell s Cop ® Footloose © Patriot Games
There should never have been * Black Rain ° StarT rek Il, Mi iV, V8 M
any doubt the band would re-
phous: Ae guys had long ago
Music Worlc
PERE