The Art Of Nonsense.

Just article I wrote discussing the recent closures of several stores.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12fsMmHCCNbtmuySo-sfL0Wks6uCv9pym7R0WnqjWGYU/edit?usp=sharing

Yesterday, I, along with the city of Hamilton and many others, got some devastating news.

This Ain’t Hollywood, one of the city’s most talked about music venues/bars, closed it’s doors forever.

There will no longer be concerts, art shows, or anything of that ilk in the builiding.

God, do I ever have great memories of that wonderful pub. I would photograph Punk Rock shows, as well as write reviews of the shows. I wrote a zine at the time, and I got to distribute issues there, thanks to the owners.

I had dreamt of going back for a show in my birth province. (I live in Alberta, and have for the last 5 years.) Now that will never happen.

This Ain’t Hollywood was perfect for us Punks. It gave us a home away from home. TAH will be sorely missed.

I want to get this out of me: Celebrate your local venues and shows. You never know when they’ll go away.

Thanks for reading. 🙂

If you ever talk to my Dad, or see his posts on Facebook, you know he has pretty firm opinions on his top tens in life.

This got me thinking: What are my top ten albums, movies, songs, et cetera?

And because I’ve had bad bronchitis, and I’ve had a ton of time to think: here is part 1 of my top tens. My top ten albums.

1. Insomniac-Green Day.

This is my top pick for a lot of reasons. But the main one? It really helped my mental health. I have always had feelings of anxiety and moods that go up and down. This album felt cathateric in my teens in a way that no other album ever did.

2. American Idiot-Green Day.

It’s hard to put into words the effect that this album, and Punk Rock, have had on me. (But I will try.) In short, my entire worldview shifted. This is the album that got me reading the news and engaged in politics, and made me want to seek out more Punk albums.

3. Jagged Little Pill-Alanis Morrisette.

I haven’t always been the most level tempered person. So, when I heard that Jagged Little Pill was an ‘angry album’, I immediately went to buy a copy. It is fair to say that the anger in the album matched my temper at the time.

4. Strictly Viennese Waltz-101 Orchestra.

This is the first album I remember buying. (I’ll age myself a little and inform everyone that this CD was bought at Zellers.) I bought this with the intent of learning to waltz. My maternal grandmother taught me a bit, so I count it as a success.

5. Jackson Square-Arkells.

It’s amazing when a talented band from your city comes along, let alone when they have awesome songs. Arkells are one of my favorite bands to this day, so I’m glad I got this album.

6. In Utero-Nirvana.

This album. Whew. Is it dark? Yes. Is it a masterpiece of rage and seminal grunge? Hell yes.

7. Live Through This-Hole.

Whether you love or hate her, Courtney Love burst into the alternative scene. She showed that a woman can rock just as hard, if not harder, then the boys. (Especially on Live Through This.)

8. …And Out Came The Wolves-Rancid.

Where do you start with this Rancid crowning jewel? Maybe you could start by mentioning how you don’t skip even one song, for fear of losing the bounciness. Or maybe you could mention that this album is nearly perfect. Either way, it’s a fantastic example of Ska-flavored Punk Rock.

9. Sucker Punch soundtrack-Various.

Another in the category of ‘I don’t skip any songs’, the Sucker Punch soundtrack is a beautiful showcase of artists and their remixes and covers of famous tunes. Cool movie, cool album.

10. Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols-The Sex Pistols.

Along with ‘American Idiot’, this CD was my gateway drug in terms of really getting into Punk Rock. It’s snide, it’s rude, and it’s clever. Everything Punk CAN be. (But isn’t necessarily sometimes.)

And that’s my top ten albums. Thanks for reading!

Ever since I was about 12 or 13, I have LOVED Punk Rock.

I have a lot of the music, I like the ideals, and I continue to take what I learned from Punk in Ontario to the wilds of Alberta.

Lately though, I got to thinking that Punk didn’t just happen. It NEEDED to happen.

Here are some reasons why:

-Punk Rock showed, and shows, that ANYBODY could be a singer or musician. You could be the most untalented hack and still be a god in the scene.

-Punk created and continues to create a community. Whether you have a lot of family/friends, or you have no one, the scene is open and inclusive.

-Punk brought the music to the people. People got on stage with the bands, and still do.

That, or they join in singing along.

-It’s a good way to get out anger, given the mosh pit.

-Punk completely turned the music industry on its head. The record labels were used to haughty, entitled Classic Rockers, and they got kicked in the ass.

-It helped/helps level the playing field. No one is above anyone in Punk Rock. 

 So, those are just my two cents. Thanks for reading!

When I was growing up, I thought the world was very black and white in terms of bad behaviour. Don’t steal. Don’t hurt others or animals. Don’t swear. (That last one went out the window fast at times as a frustrated adult, ha ha.)

But seriously, I thought if I did all the right things, all would be good.

In regards to my thoughts, I think most people think that way, in one form or another..

That’s why, as an adult, I’m perturbed by the admiration of criminal behaviour, especially in media.

(I’m not saying I don’t enjoy entertainment. Just some aspects of it bother me.)

The shows I will be mentioning are ‘You’ and ’13 Reasons Why’. And I will be mentioning the True Crime Community on Tumblr.

In the case of ‘You’ and ’13RW’, we have two extreme forms of criminal behaviour. Joe, from ‘You’ is a killer and stalker. Bryce, from ’13RW’ is a rapist.

What bothers me about these characters is how much admiration they get from certain fans. And how they are portrayed as ‘redeemable.’

Now, to be clear, I believe people CAN change. I believe criminals can reform if they really, really want to.

BUT, I don’t believe that when someone is troubled that they are ‘romantic’ or ‘cool.

For instance, some people think Joe is ‘sweet’ and ‘loving’ towards the female lead, Beck. Some people also think that Bryce, after 2 seasons of being the villain, is not such a bad guy.

I think the media is presenting a mixed message here. They are tangling bad behaviour with traditional heroism, and it’s concerning, to say the least.

Another aspect of the internet I find astonishing is the True Crime community on Tumblr. To put it simply, this community admires and praises criminals who committed volatile acts of murder and rape. There, you can find people who are even infatuated with the criminals.

I think what makes me shake my head at this is how lightly the TCC take the actions of the troubled. They don’t seem like they even care about the effect on the families of the murdered or raped.

At the end of the day, I think we all need to be careful of what we consume, entrainment-wise. I think we should check what we watch, see, and hear.

Thanks for reading!

In this video, Thomas plays the fantastic video game Vampyr. Here is the link to watch: https://youtu.be/8Kr9_cyc_5s

Anyone who knows me knows I am an animal lover. I have a rabbit, a budgie, 2 doves, and a cat.

My beliefs about animals are as follows:

-No animal is ‘bad’, necessarily. They become that way because of their environment.

-Animals should always be treated with kindness, even if they have a bad attitude.

-And finally, animals need our compassion/help.

That’s why I raised my eyebrows today when I read about the ‘world’s worst cat.’

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/lifestyleanimals/north-carolina-shelter-makes-hilarious-adoption-ad-for-worlds-worst-cat-shes-just-a-jerk/ar-BBZfYDY?ocid=spartandhp

Now, I can take a joke. But this ad, in my opinion is awful.

Perdita needs understanding, not mean adoption ads.

What worries about this ‘ad’ is that it would draw the wrong type of person to adopt Perdita.

Maybe I’m overreacting, who knows?

Thank you for reading.