Where the teeth are paved with gold: 2008 in review

With the U.S.A. mere days away from having a more progressive head of state than Canada for the first time since, um, Diefenbaker:Kennedy, are we going to start seeing Canadians start threatening to move south the way Americans threatened to move north in 2004?


Probably not. Especially since the Canadian economy is still just swirling in the bowl and not right down the crapper.



Besides, does anyone really think the Harper government will make it until the end of the year? Other than Harper, that is. He's gonna have to be one hell of a budget.

Since it's already the 15th of January, I might as well knock it off with my half-assed attempt at looking back on 2008. There's one last album I wanna call your attention to before we start talking about other things. Dallas/Fort Worth area group the Theater Fire released a frighteningly amazing album, Matter and Light, in the closing days of 2008.

It's a haunting and rollicking Tex-Mex jumble of jugband hollers and Calexico-ish ambience that's totally captivating. It's everything I love about Americana music and none of what drives me crazy. The front page of their website streams a generous sampling of songs from all three of their albums. You kinda owe it to yourself to check them out if you're into that kind of thing.

mp3: "Coyote" by the Theater Fire

2009 already?

Newborns become infants, five o'clock shadows become beards, snow becomes rain, and then back again. Everything changes, everything stays the same.

Some things worth reading if you have the time to read:

The Comics Reporter's holiday interviews series, with folks like Jeet Heer, Eddie Campbell, Kurt Busiek. Highly recommended is the verbiage with critic Abhay Khosla. Khosla's stuff can be a little rich sometimes, but he's always a rewarding read. Especially when he says things like, "People don't think mainstream comics might mean things! People think mainstream comic creators are brainless fanboys just because mainstream comic fans are brainless fanboys. It's a bizarre culture. But look: does anyone want to hear the opinion of Marvel comic book fans on the Middle East peace process? Me neither times infinity."

Dave Segal's "Dispossessed", in the Stranger, about losing his vinyl collection. (via Signal Response) Which reminds me of the unknownish classic Alan Zweig doc, Vinyl.

A few months back we told you about Andrew Vincent (seen above) and his new album, Rotten Pear, and how it was going to come out in November. It didn't. It's gonna be ready on Jan. 27, and he'll be playing shows around Ontario in support of it.


mp3: "Hi Lo" by Andrew Vincent

Yeah but we're gonna chicken out, cuz we don't like to fight...

I can't believe I got up at 6 a.m. (PST) for this. When Harper walked out of Rideau Hall with his prorogation, I let out a pre-emptive yawn the size of Meech Lake.
Short term, well, good for Harper. Long term, what's the strategy? He's burnt his bridges with the Liberals and NDP, and he's done even worse with the Bloc, which otherwise would be his only chance of getting a budget passed.

The highlight of the morning, though, was Don Newman talking to John Baird, Minister of Transport in the House of Commons. Baird laid out a bunch of the typical "separatist coalition" party line, and Newman called him on it every time, saying Baird either hadn't read or hadn't understood the coalition accord. Baird continued saying blatantly unfactual things, and Newman called him on it every time. Even the Newsworld anchors seemed unsettled at how many bald-face untruths came out of Baird's mouth. It was nice to see the media holding politicians accountable for what they say. Feels like it's been a while.

mp3: "Rats' Revenge, Part 2" by the Rats

Pot, meet Kettle...

Stockwell Day, ladies and gentlemen, the gift that keeps on giving.

Meanwhile, Harper booster Stephen Taylor says, "not a single person voted for a coalition government." Is it just me, or did half the country just forget what a Parliamentary system entails? This is what it's all about folks. Stephen Harper was elected with a minority mandate, which means the will of the Canadian electorate was that the Conservative Party work with the Opposition parties to run the nation. When Harper, Flaherty and Flanagan tried to put their collective loafer to the Liberal Party's financial throat under the flimsy flag of dealing with the economic downturn, they showed nothing but contempt for that expressed will of the people. They had a chance to govern, and they blew it. Big time.

A coalition government, right now, is the best possible outcome for Canadians. The current members of Parliament have been elected and it's time to let them do their jobs. Whether or not the Liberals and NDP will be able to keep it together long enough to actually pass a bill is another question, but the Conservatives have abused their opportunity to govern and deserve to lose it.

In happier news, here's a vid of Brian Borcherdt covering Kim Mitchell. And here's a track from Borcherdt's swell new EP, Coyotes.

mp3: "While I Was Asleep" by Brian Borcherdt

Holy F#%k! Kim Mitchell?

Stephen Harper on the role of the opposition in a minority government. (via Paul Wells @ Macleans) Oh, you see what he's doing there, he means a Conservative opposition. That's why what he said then doesn't line up with what he's doing now.

Martha Wainwright: very good. Great voice, great energy, great band. Biggest surprise of the show: Opener Brian Borcherdt (whose myspace profile pic does him no favours--unless he wants to look like Jared Leto in a Star Wars fanfilm???), best known as one of the founders of T.O. electro-skronk instrumentalists Holy Fuck, has a really great singing voice. He played songs from his new album Coyotes and closed with a sweet Kim Mitchell cover. I've long and loudly argued for a critical second look at Kim Mitchell, so was especially glad to see/hear my cause has found adherents. RIYL: Jason Molina, Chad Vangaalen

mp3: "Easy to Tame" by Kim Mitchell

I know I'm married, but my sister has feelings too

So the Harper gov't thunk twice. But it might be too late for them. Their Stalinist-by-way-of-Tom-Flanagan power play has spurred the long-dormant Liberals into action.
Whoops!

For more LOLZ-Harper, Paul Wells at Macleans laid it on solid yesterday, with bonus awesome photo that will be my new desktop.

Meanwhile, there's a boatload of shows in Vancouver tonight, in case we need something to take our minds of the best political intrigue this country's seen since Gerda Munsinger.
We got AC/DC at GM Place, the Neins Circa at the Western Front, and Martha Wainwright at the Commodore. I'll be at the MW show with my sister, cuz that's the point of having a sister.

mp3: "This Life" by Martha Wainwright
mp3: "Factory" by Martha Wainwright

Just when you thought they couldn't get any lower...

Bad: Stephen Harper's idiot government is going to try to cut subsidies to political parties, for motives that couldn't be more transparent--to crush the Liberal Party. Because a minority of Canadians elected Harper and his mostly anonymous pals so they could carry out a bullshit vendetta against the Loyal Opposition with a reckless disregard for, y'know, actually running the country during a time when it seems like it really fucking matters to be paying attention. Right?
Worse: Harper's Conservatives are going to sell it as if it's some altruistic belt-tightening in the face of the economic crisis that they're not really ready to admit exists (maybe it has something to do with their fear of science), as if the $30 million savings to taxpayers does anything but pale beside the BILLIONS and BILLIONS Harper & Pals have given to the banks. And hey, banks, while I've got your attention, if you didn't set any money aside for a rainy day during the last decade of constant record-breaking banking profits amid the near annihilation of banking jobs, then fuck you. You deserve nothing. If you can't make ends meet between ATM fees and interest--not to mention those shitty calculators you try to sell me when all I want to do is order new cheques--you don't deserve to call yourselves banks. You're just a bunch of ugly buildings with nice chairs that no one wants to sit on because they're afraid to be comfortable around you.
Worsenator: Of course Harper's Tories are going to make this a Confidence Vote, which means either the Liberals will have to vote in favour of getting shafted bigtime or they'll have to pull the plug on a Parliament that's barely had the chance to make ass-prints in its chairs.


mp3: "All The Money I Had Is Gone" by the Deep Dark Woods