Oh Canada
Music - - Posted on May, 16 at 11:22 am by Ken L
Why is there not a closer affinity between Australians and Canadians? Shared head of state, shared love/hate relationship with the yanks, shared heritage (except for the French of course) … but there’s very little awareness of Canada in this country.
Anyway I’m doing my bit to improve understanding … here’s Basia Bulat to prove that Canadian pop music didn’t end with Brian Adams.
Posted in Music |
May 16th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Where do you start? Miserably cold country, people say eh a lot and are quiet and reserved (and yes, I’ve been there). The complete opposite of Australians.
May 16th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
A lot of Australians are quite sympathetic to Canada, and there are quite a few Canadians here and there.
Let’s not forget that they also gave us Leonard Cohen, which more than makes up for the double-crimes of Adams and Alanis.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
And Neil. Cannae forget Neil (at least if you drive any distance in my car you can’t).
Michael J. Fox once made a similar comment and included “a love of sports which lead to serious head injury”.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I’m a big fan of Neil too Sean.
Ken, I lived there for nigh on 8 years…did the bulk of middle & secondary (High) schooling. My brother’s Canadian, lives in Toronto. Dad lives outside of TO.
It’s close to my heart. Lots of ice & road hockey, skiing & dinners/parties w/ buds.
Used to be a jug of water served w/ every restaurant meal.
Similar to Australians, an intrinsically fair-minded, tolerant & humble people who occasionally become infected by American Republican & “gung-ho” style boasting, xenophobia & “greed for gain” viruses. But usually, like here, they manage to shrug off the illness & cool down. Tho I haven’t been there since the early 80s…but phone calls from rellies keep me informed.
We used to share abundant docos & news by way of Unis & public television, in the time before King John the Heartless…Canadians make great educational vids…& cool docos about the social tapestry & native animals.
I luv the show Corner Gas on SBS…it reminds me of that dry, laconic wit one absorbs & utilises expertly after years and winters shovelling great wads of pollution-stained ice from driveways w/ a red plastic shovel & a bag of salt.
I drank more Molsen & Labatt’s beer and Canadian Club whisky than i thought humanly possible. I blame my height on it. Tallest in my family.
Can you say “Paul Henderson” w/out thinking about the first Canada/Russia hockey series? Canada won…thnx to Paul. Good ay?
Lots of people living in apartments…i lived in 1901 (yep, like Fraser)…also plenty had cottages on lakes & near ski resorts back then, lots of driving on Friday nights in order to reach these havens of drunkedness & relaxation…tho i tended keep to the cinemas, those early multiplexes in the Eaton’s Centre, Toronto…watched “Apocalypse Now” so many times i thought someone would come down the river, or at least the green corridors, to knock me off for reading “The Hollow Men” too dramatically.
Superb public schools back then. Colourful, warm & multi-skilling. Takes money & investment by all & sundry.
Wonderful days ended abruptly by a horrendous bus accident on an icy highway on the way to a ski trip (shoulda kept to the cinemas)…not long after i split. But i cherish those wondrous memories as tho they were my friend of a million years.
Dedicated to my bro…& a lady i met in Montreal, thick w/ culture, many a year ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOLxJJo00GE&feature=related
(Daniel Lanois - Still Water)
May 16th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Lived in Montreal for 18 months back in 2000/2001.
Loved the place. Very sad when it was time to come home.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I haven’t met a Canadian I didn’t like.
Oh and I like these Canadians especially.
May 16th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Martha Wainwright has a new album just out.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Tales of Whalers & the telling reveal paradox & irony…& the bizarre world we live in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOlfnnDKs0
(Valley of the Giants - Whaling Tale)
Valley of the Giants is a Canadian post-rock supergroup formed in Lanark Highlands, Ontario, Canada, in the winter of 2002. The group is composed of members from Broken Social Scene, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Do Make Say Think, Shalabi Effect and Strawberry.
(Wiki pedia)
May 18th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Well, the featured band aren’t a Joni Mitchell or Leonard Cohen, but they certainly had a touch of Gordon Lightfoot - very pleasant.
May 18th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Leonard Cohen? The guy who gave us ‘Hallelujah’, the ubiquitous dirge now wailed by everyone from Australian Idol contestants to the busker at my local Saturday morning growers’ market? The world would be a happier place if they’d paved paradise in 1970 and put Leonard Cohen under it.
May 19th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Yeah, I thought focussing on Bulat and Adams was an oddly manichean view of Canadian music on Ken’s part. Thankfully others have filled in the gaps, although no one’s mentioned the wonderful Carolyn Mark yet. Then there’s that kd lang sheila.
May 19th, 2008 at 11:49 am
OK, Ken, “Hallelujah” probably wasn’t his finest moment, but there’s “Chelsea Hotel”, “Suzanne”, “First we take Manhattan”, the list just goes on and on.
May 19th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Leonard Cohen shares a characteristic with Bob Dylan … you don’t realise how good some of his songs are until they are performed by a singer
May 19th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Does anyone here offering an opinion on Canada speak French? No?
Then you should ALL be putting caveats that you are only talking about Anglo-Canada.
May 19th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
“Does anyone here offering an opinion on Canada speak French? No?”
un petit peu…i arrived in Canada at the age of 12 when the other kids had being doing French for years…so I took French lessons at summer school to try & catch up…but I tend to read it better than speak or write it.
“Then you should ALL be putting caveats that you are only talking about Anglo-Canada”
excuse-moi?…but not so…I did mention a few artistes canadiens-français…including Daniel Lanois. And Leonard Cohen was born in Quebec. I’ve put up songs from Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band & Godspeed You! Black Emperor before….both have Fr. Canadian members. How did you miss them?
Savvas Tzionis, you’d probably enjoy this tribute to Gaston Miron/Hommage au poète québécois Gaston Miron:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drw3OCfCzE0
(Adaptation originale du poème ”Séquences” de Gaston Miron par l’artiste québécois Francis Halin. Marc Houde au piano. Hommage au grand Miron)
May 19th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
This is a bilingual song I can relate to…particularly when I lived in Austria…or was sitting in that summer school:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9_UdYbzLxk
Daniel Lanois - Under The Stormy Sky
(A French Canadian, bilingual fun song from the album Acadie, includes interview)
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
Daniel Lanois was born in Quebec, but has spent most is life elsewhere. He barely speaks French, which I think is essential to the definition for “french-canadian”. By the way, last time I checked, 42% of french-canadians (I included) wanted to break up from Canada and form their own country. I don’t feel any affinity or love for Canada, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it disappear.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:12 pm
but writes it & sings it…hmmm. Just cause he travels doesn’t mean he’s not part French Canadian.
“last time I checked, 42% of french-canadians (I included) wanted to break up from Canada and form their own country. I don’t feel any affinity or love for Canada, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it disappear.”
each to their own…
which is why i put up the poem/song at comment 15…to cater for the pissed off Quebecois individuals. I empathise w/ many of their/your views but in the long run I think trying to break away will cause much angst & loss.
Ya know, i usually hear French Canadian protests when public services are disintegrating & the PM of Canada is acting like a bully…& resources are being sucked up from other provinces to keep the rich, urban types in Toronto & Vancouver…& America happy.
Methinks something stinks in the Nation-State of Canada RIGHT now…& I reckon the WAR in Afghanistan, over-the-top flag waving & patriotism & soldiers being killed might have something to do w/ it too. Perhaps the threat of conscription/national service too?
Any of you French Canadians have some music you want played?
This was heard thruout basements & in vans when I was a teenager in TO…I used to open the balcony door & let it flow…great w/ headphones too…or walking along the river & thru parks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH_PPzcpeBw&feature=related
(Rush - Xanadu)…Canada’s prog metal answer to Britain’s YES, LED ZEP & Supertramp I guess. A good one.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Ever feel like a kid standin’ there w/ everythin’ goin’ on around you includin’ big awesome, scary things on THE BOX & you feel kinda overwhelmed & in two minds about the goings on. That’s how some of us feel about the genetic experiments & space race stuff goin’ on right now. Scary…but exciting.
Here’s a vid from Canadian band Sianspheric…if you’re into shoegaze like Swervedriver, Ride & Slowdive you’ll probably dig this…big scary space stuff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1KHJv_ylOw&feature=related
(SIANspheric “I Like The Ride”)
Over…& out.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:12 pm
So it’s farewell to Canada…it’s been fun…I’m hitting the runway, it’s snowing (actually it’s probably warm over there right now) & playing loud thru my imaginary headphones a band that any Aussie who loves the Dirty 3, Mick Turner & The Tren Bros. would get a kick out of:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd411muNmbg
(Do Make Say Think - “Reitschule”)
And I dig the title of their second album:
Goodbye Enemy Airship the Landlord Is Dead
a title taken from an anonymous art installation erected in the alleyway behind the home of the three roommates in Chinatown
(wiki pedia)