Vancouver’s Nomeansno strapped on their guitars for a jam packed Opera House, Friday September 29. The show ended with a hilarious drum and vocal version of the old Nomeansno classic “Big Dick” during which the band invited audience members to come up on stage and join the fun.
If you were unlucky enough to miss the show, it will be featured on CBC Stereo 94.1’s “Real Time” sometime during the next few weeks.
– Chris Nokes
Luna’s Dean Wareham (pictured right) dedicated the opening riff of “California” to Kate Moss at their show Saturday night (it’s featured in a Calvin Klein One ad). Then he broke into another song, apparently forsaking the hit, to moans of dismay from the audience. It may have been guilt, or the knowledge that the cancellation of openers Mercury Rev had already upset the crowd enough, but Wareham played the rest later on.
– Heather McCall
A receptive crowd took in trip hop king Tricky’s first headlining show in Toronto at the Opera House on September 16. Tricky and his singing partner Martine got the crowd groovin’ with their urban tales and spaced out hip hop tracks.
– Alex Mlynek
REMG Productions held another phat concert with Hip Hop artist Guru, his band Jazzmatazz, and special guest Vanessa Daou on Thursday September 21st at Lee’s Palace. Guru combined and delivered deep rooted personal lyrics, with positive messages to create awareness about the realities of our society, including murders and homicides. Guru told the audience in his song, “Living in this World,” to “be soldiers of truth and to protect the lives of our youth.”
– Mike Douglas
The U of T Bookstore Reading Series brought literary phenomenon Douglas Coupland to Convocation Hall on September 21st. The Vancouver writer made an appearance to read from works in progress and introduce a short documentary film about himself.
Coupland’s personal reading style took the sombre edge off his three new pieces – an essay-style story about euthanasia, a personal experience narrative about graveyards, and a fascinating look at 1995 from the perspective of someone from 1975 (“in 1975, we used to joke about having a nervous breakdown. In 1995, we joke about levelling the post office with an AK-47.”)
– Tabassum Siddiqui
Feminist writer Naomi Wolf spoke about her newest manuscript to an almost sold out crowd at the Roy Thomson Hall last Wednesday night. The speech, entitled “Promiscuities,” explored sexual ethics in the West as compared to other cultures. Wolf didn’t take her usual route of female political action, but instead choose to centre on women taking charge of their sexuality for more pleasure and fulfilment. The most empowering moment of the night came during the question and answer period. The men in the audience (approximately ten per cent of the crowd) stood up in a moment of silence to assure a sexually abused woman at the microphone that they were committed to respecting women’s rights.
– Kathy Blessin
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