That Bloody Joey Comeau
“One bloody thing after another” is something you might say during a hectic day at work, but in Joey Comeau’s newest novel it’s literal: coughed-up pieces of bloody, dead animals eaten by what was a human character. The co-creator of A Softer World launches his latest work, One Bloody Thing After Another, in Halifax today…
New issue of Her Royal Majesty out today
Look for the eighth issue of Her Royal Majesty, the online literary magazine that used to be published out of Halifax by Harriet Alida Lye before she moved to Paris. The theme is magic, with an interview with Polish poet Adam Zagajevski. Always gorgeously produced, if you want a print copy, there is a limited…
Dear Bus Drivers…
USE YOUR GODDAMN TURN SIGNAL WHEN PULLING UP TO A STOP! SERIOUSLY, NOT THAT HARD… — Can’t see through you
Not a Drug Dealer
I have ADHD. I am fine with that. I have no problem admitting it, or getting treatment for it. I have no issues discussing what I go through, what kind of medications I’ve tried and what tests I’ve had to do. I’m comfortable with myself and my illness. What I am not comfortable with is…
It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor!
To my roomie, my other soon to be roomie and all the beautiful Duncan street hippies: Thank you so much for making Halifax feel like home! You are the most welcoming, warm, fun, brilliant and beautiful people I’ve had the joy of getting to know. I love watching you vibe off each other and I…
Nice New Tattoo
I think about you all day, K. Thanks for being so great all the time. I love you and your crazy new ink! —Lady ging…?
Got lawn mower?
Did HRM cut landscaping from their budget this year? The foot high meadows of weeds are lining our streets in excess. And the public parks are so high with weeds and grass, I fear we will lose the children who play in them. Please HRM, break out the mowers before the missing pet signs appear…
Greasy Old Predator
To the old dick trying to assault a young woman in your cab: why in the name of Neville would a young girl want to be with an old greasy geezer like yourself? Consensual? Yeah, right. In your fucking dreams, dumb shit. —Young Women Are Grossed Out By Groping Old Men
Chocolate Lake Again…
Just to be clear: not everyone who was at chocolate lake this weekend was a disgusting, disrespectful slob. My friend and I took all of our trash home with us. —Bad Reputation
Bike Week bike store stuff
Cyclesmith (6112 Quinpool Road, 425-1756), which is sponsoring a number of Bike Week events, is currently enjoying their new expanded showroom at the corner of Quinpool and Vernon. “Every week is Bike Week at Cyclesmith,” says co-owner Mark Beaver. Downtown at Idealbikes (1678 Barrington Street, 444-7433) they’re offering a free maintenance clinic on Wednesday, June…
Top-Hatted Trio
To the Top-Hatted-Trio I saw walking around downtown hali on Monday night, the three of you looked like you were having a good time 😛 and looked good while doing it. Hope your evening was good and that maybe I’ll see you again. —Formal-wear admirer
Why break bottles?
To the person or persons who broke beer bottles on the sidewalk, I ask why? Why did you have to break not one, not two, but at least four bottles of beer on the sidewalk? Who’s going to clean that shit up? Next thing you know some kid or dog’s gonna walk all over those…
Ah, Summer :-)
It is, indeed, that wonderful time of year again: summer (ok, almost)… time for us all to break out the shorts, tanks, skirts, t-shirts. Time for girls to go around wearing little to nothing (yes, I look… i do not leer, stare, or drool. I’ve never had a girl catch me looking yet, mostly because…
Rude.
So, this morning the bus was packed (Yeah I know another bitch about the metro transit) anyway,the bus was packed and an elderly lady stepped on, I was sitting down, I got up and offered her my seat, which was promptly taken by a young fit male, leaving an elderly lady and myself to stand…
Non Drowsy My Ass…
What’s up with over the counter cold and flu medication that claims to be “Non Drowsy” and still knocks me on my ass? I just want to take something during the day that will allow me to breathe at least somewhat normal without making me feel like I haven’t slept in a week. I would…
The bus isn’t makeout point…
To the couple who decided for fucking suck face for twenty minutes in traffic: I realize you two are in love but no one needed to see you two practically sucking each others tonsils out of your throats. Next time fucking wait till you get off the bus or at least tone it down a…
Spoiler alert!
To the lady who brought an infant to the 6:20 pm show of Iron Man 2 at Dartmouth Crossing on May 21st, I’d just like to say thanks. Thanks for ruining our family night out. Thanks for indirectly flushing my money down the toilet (any idea how much a movie and popcorn is for three…
Lil’ Kim Cancelled
cat impression time! Mraraownznz! A week after we posted that Lil’ Kim was coming to Alderney Landing (I’m too lazy to link – just scroll down like, one entry and you’ll find the original post) we got an email saying the event is canceled. I did some hard-hitting journalistic research and checked her Myspace page…
North Dakota Part One
Day 21 The bucket holds six Suburbans Day 21Medicine Hat, Alberta to Havre, Montana to Pick City, North Dakota0 milesI am falling behind in things I want to write here. I get a ride from Medicine Hat to Havre with Tyrone Smith, who I will write about soon. Joyce drives me to the gas station…
Habby Time
Thanks boys for an awesome play-off run! —Keeping the Faith Since 1962
Shut up!
If the bus is late it is late for a reason. People bitching about this weekend and the buses being 30-60 minutes late: Did you stop to take into consideration that there was the marathon and there were 10 thousand runners, not including traffic and onlookers… Of course there going to be late. They’re buses……
Secret park cleaner-upper
I watched people all day destroy Chocolate Lake Beach by leaving bottles and trash strewn all over. I actually called the by-law officer, but I guess he never came. Day off I guess. Then around dusk, one regular fella came along and started picking it all up. I could hear him cursing across the Lake.…
Chocolate Lake on Holiday Monday
You are pigs. Slovenly, disgusting, fresh air wasting pigs. It was likely the first time you ever went to a public park. The rule of public parks is to pick up after yourself, which, in simple English, means put your trash in the trash can. I know you fucking pigs love to jam those bags…
You’re FUCKED
To my obsessive ex, I’M NOT TRYING TO BE LIKE YOUR GIRLFRIEND! I broke up with you, so don’t flatter yourself thinking I’m changing to be like your new girlfriend. God, get over yourself. —BTHEG
Just really lame
Hope you grow some balls while you visit Halifax! Don’t pretend you were out in the wilderness, Mr “I’m all about honesty”. Next time you meet someone, keep it real. —Over and out
Mother Courage and her Children showcases Neptune’s pre-professionals
I’d love to know why Mother Courage and her Children was chosen to showcase the talents of this year’s graduates of Neptune’s Pre-Professional Training Program. Surely there was a play with the requisite number of parts that was lighter, shorter and all together more suited to the not-inconsiderable talents of the actors. Garry Williams’ difficult…
Halifax Bike Week
All two-wheeled warriors rejoice: It’s almost time for Bike Week! Starting May 28, with a screening of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (see The Coast Bike Week listings ) and running to Sunday, June 6, it’s a time to celebrate the eco-friendly self-propelled transit in our city. (Kind of like Mother’s Day, we like to think…
Long Live the Queen festival photos
I’m shaking the cobwebs from my head and the cigarette stink out of my living room. My ears are ringing and my feet are sore from dancing. I want more. Long Live the Queen indeed. For those of you that missed the fun, Scott Blackburn has more photos below.
Blue nose, big heart
To the runners crossing the finish line yesterday who stopped to thank ME for volunteering – after running however many km, in the heat, and ending with an incline up Brunswick – you made my day. I still think you’re nuts, but now I know you’re nuts AND thoughtful. —Girl at the Finish Line
Bluenose Volunteers
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I ran the 10K today with my husband and we couldn’t have done it without all of you. To the volunteers dressed as pirates you made me smile when my insides wanted to burst. To those who helped organize, those who handed out water (and Gatorade) and the volunteers…
Halifax Girls
To every woman I see on my travels with colored hair, piercings, or wicked tattoos: I love every one of you. <3 That is all. —A Smitten Wanderer
Pissed About Piss
To the man who entered my place of work, refused a menu, drank loads of water and then took out your anger at being asked to leave by thumbing off the manager and pissing all over the bathroom floor – who exactly do you think you are punishing? Not the boss (who has a business…
Jerks
To all the judgmental jerks on the bus that gave my crying baby and I the stink eye: my baby was not having a temper tantrum, and the reason I patiently rocked him in my arms- as opposed to reprimanding him- was because, in touching his face with his hand, he had accidentally smeared sunscreen…
Bastards, give our iMac’s back!
On Saturday between the hours of 11:30am and 5:00pm, my apartment got broken into and a bunch of items were stolen, mostly computers and assorted cables. If anyone comes across any information about the break-in or the stolen items, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Our incident number is 10-71576. The stolen items were: -20…
Sleep Passengers
I don’t for the life of me understand why people decide that the metro transit is their bed away from home. When the bus is packed and you’re sawing logs taking up two seats, you not only look like an idiot but you’re inconveniencing every person on the bus that has to stand. Like this…
Downtown eateries opening
Indochine Banh Mi (The Paramount Building, 1551 South Park Street, 407-1222) can be found in the space that once housed Glamour Puss and the Naughty Dog. The Vietnamese sandwich place is the brainchild of Liz Smith, who noticed the taste trend popping up out in Alberta. “This is my first venture,” she says. “I’m kind…
Swordfighting and humour gives Heroine its edge
If you’re a sucker for a well-told story filled with bawdy humour and beautifully executed sword fighting (and who isn’t?) you’ll want to see Karen Bassett’s new play Heroine. It’s the story of two women, Ann Bonny and Mary Read, who became known as history’s most famous —and ferocious—female pirates. This is a play filled…
Biking on Quinpool
So, I was walking down Quinpool and saw you on your bicycle. We smiled and a few moments later you returned to say hi. I’m sorry I didn’t take that opportunity to introduce myself. Want to say more than just hi? —Blue scarf girl
Treats
Macaroons, Sour Cream Coffee Cake and Chocolate Milk… Oh you’re soooo good. 😉 —Non Fat Eater
Senior Year in Rural Atlantic Canada
Senior year of high school sucks. My prom date just informed me that she can no longer go to the prom with me because I don’t have a dune buggy. Fucking dune buggies! I hate them more than anything! The whole fucking year it has been the same thing. I fucking hate fads. They all…
Dear Halifax Drivers…
You have probably heard the issues with the usage of turn signals, not breaking for pedestrians, running red lights, etc., and ignored them all, but please allow me to add just one more to the list: When approaching an intersection and suddenly realizing, for whatever reason, you have gone too far forward, CHECK YOUR FUCKING…
Rude Girl with Dog
Elevators are for everyone. Same with the sidewalks. If people go on with their pets or walk down the sidewalk its not their responsibility to cater to you and your dog. If he is aggressive, take the stairs. Stop blocking people from getting in the elevator when you and your dog are riding or getting…
Eyesore…
Not exactly a mad as hell bitch or anything… You underwent renovations and had a GIANT banner hanging on the side of your building advertising apartments for rent. This is all good and fine, but the banner is now torn and has become an eyesore and also a safety issue. That sign is about to…
Not a therapist
I have a husband, child and a stressful job. Have you ever heard me complain? Maybe once or twice… You, on the other hand, feel the need to blather on and on about every single guy you meet online/at bars and how “heartbroken” they make you. I’d be more sympathetic if you weren’t with a…
Headliners beware!
Alright, so the local music scene is getting amazing here, no doubt… But what about when an out of town band comes to play and “headline” a show, which usually means that they are playing 15 minutes before last call and the bar is almost empty when they play. While the local bands, who play…
Relax people…
I sat in a parking lot in Lacewood, right beside a 4 way stop, as I lightly sipped on my coffee for a good 15 mins, I witnessed 3 cut offs, 2 middle fingers, lip reading of: You f ing idiot and stupid bitch… It was a little comical, just follow the BASIC rules, look…
Pat’s Grocery Closed
A north end icon has passed. After 37 years, the longtime convenience store Pat’s Grocery (5668 Cornwallis Street at Bauer) has closed. We will miss the rabbits.
Bus Driver
To the bus driver of the #1 this afternoon. You’re the most awesome bus driver ever. You say “hello” when people get on the bus, and say “goodbye”. You’re cute too!! And that woman was so wrong, the guy wasn’t at the bus stop! I’m glad you stood your ground! Keep on smilin’ —Happy with…
YOU DON’T OWN THE AISLE!
I am SOOO sick of all those people who believe that just because some are overweight, middle aged, or use a cane (due to their excess baggage of all things)that I need to slow down or patiently wait for the middle aged and heavy to slowly creep onward. I don’t have the time or the…
Dear Women…
Please tell me what makes all of you women out there when told by a girlfriend, any friend, or even the ‘other woman’ that your supposedly wonderful man is CHEATING ON YOU; even when given proof, convince yourself to STAY WITH HIM & BLAME WHOEVER IT IS THAT TOLD YOU?? Do you like punishment? Emotional…
We’re responsible?
I was listening to the news half awake, and I heard about the new budget based on resolving the financial loss due to the scandal – it’s fucked. Let me get this straight… we’re going to lose important municipal services because of some ass-hat buying accessories for their house? Wow that makes sense! So, when…
Common fucking courtesy…
I’m a transit rider. Almost Daily I end up waiting at least 5 minutes for the bus to come as it’s a busy route and tends to fall behind. Almost daily the drivers are really nice and usually apologetic and I understand they can’t control the traffic, so I plan the delay into my travel…
Title: Friends are for ever. Not Really…
This has happened time and time again. A buddy gets a gf. They disappear. Oh gee, buddy returns once the relationship is gone. One of my good friends is like this. His last gf – I never seen him for about 2 yrs. He got another gf. I haven’t seen him in a yr. But…
Boofoundland
You know what I hate more than people from Newfoundland using NFLD catch phrases? People who spent most of their lives in Halifax who use them. “I missed your call bye”,”just givin’ you shit bye”… Bye? … Shut up, stupid.—Stay where you are
Online Profiles
Nothing bothers me more than when people lie, or consciously embellish the truth about who they really are online. People are expecting you to take the time on your profile to be truthful to yourself and the online community that finds you. The people on these forums know you are stretching the truth just as…
Concert on the Commons
Why do they keep delaying the announcement of the Friday night concert on the commons? argghhh!!! —Needs to know
Get personal with Long Live the Queen
All weekend long Long Live the Queen will be posting updates and photos from the festival, like your cool friend’s diary. In the meantime take their personality test to see what show best suits you! Also, we were down at the artists’ market and there are some great deals on vintage and locally designed clothes,…
Thornbloom Turns 20
It’s a milestone worth celebrating: The downtown home decor shop Thornbloom (5640 Spring Garden Road, 425-8005) offering furniture, bed linens, kitchenware, lighting and decorative accessories, has been around for 20 years. The birthday celebration continues through Saturday, June 12, with many items on sale and a prize giveaway every day until the 12th…including a queen-size…
Police budget was passed in secret meeting
The Halifax Police Department budget was adopted in a secret meeting, in apparent violation of the Nova Scotia Police Act. In Nova Scotia, elected governments approve overall police department budgets, but the budget details are entirely under the control of the boards of police commissioners. Budget documents presented to Halifax council Tuesday state plainly that…
Committee votes for slightly smaller council
A subcommittee of Halifax council today voted to make the council smaller– by just three members. The Governance & Boundary Review Committee passed the following motion: MOVED by Councillor Mosher, seconded by Councillor Dalrymple that Halifax Regional Council be reduced to 20 Councillors plus the Mayor with four Community Councils made up of five Districts.…
Medicine Hat
Day 15 Joyce Yamamoto I have made it to Medicine Hat, Alberta and the home of my good friend Joyce and her mother, Amy. I have known Joyce for 27 years. Terrifying that the numbers get so big. On April 4, 1983 I was living in Toronto and working as a picture framer. I had…
On Patrol
[image-1] What’s wrong? Missing signs on the boardwalk. Who’s responsible? Kelly Rose, Waterfront Development Corp., 422-6591. Remarks A reader sends in this picture of one of the blue directional signs on the waterfront, commenting that “they have all been removed now that the cruise ships and tourists are here.” Rose says that the signs are…
Political Arena
HRM continues to refuse to tell us how many millions of taxpayer dollars it is paying a private firm to operate the new four-pad arena in Hammonds Plains. Readers will recall that the city contracted with Nustadia, Inc.—a subdivision of the Ohio-based Cochran Group—to operate the arena, but did not make that contract, or its…
Green eyes at the grocery store
Wow, I was having a rough day yesterday. Staring down my third 12 hour night shift in a row, biking there (to Burnside from the south end, which I actually love) and generally feeling tired as hell. So it was like 6 in the evening and on my way to work I go the grocery…
Have a little respect for the gestating…
To all of the passengers on the morning Bedford-to-Downtown bus, you know who you are. I realized, years ago, that chivalry is dead on Metro Transit, but I can’t help but feel that our community has sunk to a new low when my six-months pregnant self has to stand for the entire commute each morning,…
Too Bad…
What’s up with all the slugs up in DC? Every time it rains, walking to work is like playing hopscotch with snots instead of chalk lines. I don’t like them but I don’t like stepping on them either. I know, they’re part of the biomass, an important link in the food chain, the circle of…
To my dumbshit ex-roommate
Gee, you got pregnant after bitching that birth control was too expensive… Babies are free now? So now you are FINALLY moving the hell out of my house, but now you can’t lift anything because you’re pregnant… I didn’t ask you to run the Blue Nose Marathon, I asked you to move your own laundry…
Meet the man: Rutger Hauer presents The Hitcher
As Hobo with a Shotgun wraps up, I guess Jason Eisener and Rutger Hauer (the Hobo) have a little time on their hands. Eisener’s Thrillema film series is bringing in Hauer to present The Hitcher, at a special afternoon screening at Park Lane, this Saturday at 4pm. Rutger starred in the original 1986 horror film.…
Where am i supposed to lock my bike?
I’ve been to lot’s of different cities – large and small – in the world, and most seem to be on the ball when it comes to bicyclists… You know, motorists not screaming asinine and juvenile remarks at cyclists as they drive by, providing places to lock your bike, providing bike lanes or paths, respectfully…
The Light Brights Have a Date with the Night
If you’re looking to go on a date with a member of the Light Brights, you may have to take a number; they’re a little busy these days. The group – made up of Bethany Victoria on vocals/guitar, Chad Harrington on bass and Andrew Dahms on drums – met at NSCC’s Music Arts Program and…
Church DNA
“I don’t want to give the impression that this is just for people who go to church,” says architectural historian and photographer Peter Coffman. “This is about history and stories and the social and cultural history of Nova Scotia.” Looking at Coffman’s photos of gothic-inspired doorways and small community churches nestled among gravestones, it’s easy…
Worldwide wine
If you really want to get to know wine, you’ve got to go where it’s made. That’s why three separate groups of Atlantic wine- lovers headed off to Tuscany in May, all on treks to wine country under the guidance of sommelier Mark DeWolf and his team. In July, DeWolf has a trip to Burgundy…
Long Live The Queen Literary Lunch
This weekend’s Long Live The Queen festival isn’t just about the music—it’s bringing in the wordsmiths. Organizer Nathan Doucet says Sunday’s Literary Lunch was inspired by good friends of the festival who are writers, and when local writer Stephen Patrick Clare joined as host the literary ball started rolling. With musicians Daniel Ledwell, Terra Lightfoot…
A touch of Pink
When it comes to writing and depicting the stories of Africans, Westerners focus on tragedy. When a story from the continent hits the front page of a major newspaper, chances are high that it will involve war, famine or political corruption. No one summed this up better than Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina who, in his…
Free Will Astrology
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) When Paul McCartney first got the inspiration to write “Yesterday,” he had the melody and rhythm but couldn’t get a feel for what the lyrics should be. For a while, as he was waiting for the missing words to pop into his brain, he used nonsense stand-in phrases. The dummy version…
Diamond Rings shine
If there’s a single accuracy to High Fidelity’s Rob Fleming, it’s that devout music listeners are compulsive list-makers. And those quick to compartmentalize will surely reduce Toronto blog-buzz darling John O’Regan, AKA Diamond Rings, to the easiest, glam-drogenous denominators: Ziggy Stardust, Boy George, Adam Ant. But layered eyeliner, animal-print tights and retina-scorching legwarmers aside, Diamond…
Gay deception is Oscar-winning
Q One of my best friends at college is gay. I’m a straight female and I’m in a committed relationship with my own boyfriend. We’re going to be sophomores in the fall, and I feel like this is about the age where coming out to one’s parents is in order. However, my friend’s parents are…
Waiting for Wintersleep
Excited about the return of Wintersleep? Bassist Mike Bigelow might have you beat. “It’s like a celebration after all the work that we put into the record,” says Bigelow, on the phone from London, England. “It’s great having people excited about our new material and getting to hear it—and hopefully appreciate it.” So far, so…
Lost series finale
In the April issue of Wired, Lost producer Damon Lindelof says there are no easy answers to your Oceanic questions: “It’s like when you spend time with a three-year-old, you quickly find out that one question just begets another—there’s a “why” in the wake of every “why”—and the only way to end the conversation is…
Protect the fish
The province wants to protect 12 percent of land from road-building and tree- harvesting. So why don’t our oceans get equivalent protection? “The easy answer is that the province doesn’t have jurisdiction,” says Rodrigo Menafra, the marine conservation coordinator for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. “But no signs have been given of supporting the…
The Age of Persuasion: How Marketing Ate Our Culture
On the cover of The Age of Persuasion is a cow and a no-name sneaker. Between the two images sits a sentence: “Remember when cows wore brands and you wore sneakers?” It’s with that thought that Terry O’Reilly and Mike Tennant—researchers, writers and producers of CBC Radio’s series The Age of Persuasion—open the history books…
Indelible Ink
It was -20 Celsius on a Saturday in January, and the studio wasn’t particularly cozy. The tattoo artist, Cory Ferguson, had done a mock-up of the design for my sleeve. I made a few suggestions on changes, and he drew it on my arm with markers in freehand. After a few more alterations, he prepped…
Kenk: A Graphic Portrait
Kenk is an ambitious book—perhaps overly so. A journalistic graphic novel about infamous Toronto bike thief/ mechanic Igor Kenk, arrested in 2008, the book began as hundreds of hours of documentary footage. Producers/authors Alex Jansen and Richard Poplak turned it into a comic through an elaborate process of photocopying and drawing onto film stills. Jansen…
City stretched
It’s easy to cry foul when city bureaucrats call for a tax increase, but I’m going to give lukewarm support for staff’s proposed 2010-11 city budget. First, the details. Staff is proposing an operating budget of $731.4 million. That reflects $16 million in new taxes ($56 for the average house in HRM), but also $19.5…
God Loves Hair
Not quite a graphic novel, Vivek Shraya’s debut collection of short stories is as visually rich as it is textual. God Loves Hair is a contemporary Bildungsroman anthology of a young man coming to terms with his sexuality, religion and, well, his hair. Inspired by American author Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues, Shraya couldn’t find…
Wassabi Collective with special guests
Getting hold of the members of Wassabi Collective is tough when they’re weaving through Toronto traffic to pick up copies of their new CD, Get It. Luckily, guitarist Brent Hongisto (Gisto for short) has an endless supply of dying and charged cellphones and the patience to talk about the band and its work amidst cut-outs…
Wintersleep
Welcome to the Night Sky was kind of a big deal for Wintersleep, turning the Halifax fivesome into a Juno-winning, McCartney-opening minor juggernaut. Lest you worry that a taste of success changes bands, or that the pressure of following it up would get to them, New Inheritors arrives sounding, well, like a Wintersleep record. If…
Julie Fader, The Luyas, Rebekah Higgs, Laura Barrett, It Kills
For Toronto-based musician Julie Fader, heading out east to play Halifax’s new music and arts festival is a spring treat. “Getting on a plane with my guitar to come and see so many friends and put together a Hali band over the weekend before my show? Crazy fun,” she writes, emailing on a short coffee…
Broken Social Scene
BSS at the core is a dual beast. Underneath its swollen membership tally and philosophical manifesto that promotes free will, universal love and respect, there is a finely tuned and thoughtful process to its music-making. All is not as chaotic as it seems—with nine to 31 members, there has to be some structure, or else…
Royal treatment
Victoria Day weekend may not be hugely celebrated for its royal-birthday beginnings any longer—Halifax doesn’t even have fireworks!—but there is one thing Canadians do well over the three days: drink. And whether it’s Prince Harry’s $670 cocktail or the queen mum’s daily gin and Dubonnet, we’re pretty sure the royal family’s into it, too. So…
Library Voices
Here comes a collective from Saskatchewan with bookish name and cogent lyrics. Three of the eight breathe new life into such tools of quirk as Casio keys, Bontempi organ and glockenspiel. A clever song title like “Insider Trading (on Outsider Art)” gets justified by a lyric like “We are desperate as fashion.” “Haunt This House”…
Babies sucks its thumb
Four families from around the world—Namibia, Mongolia, Japan and the US—raise newborn babies. French documentarian Thomas Balmès employs an innocent, wide-eyed gaze that reflects his subjects. The footage is compiled in a calm, even-handed and unassuming way, so a scene like a farm animal breaking into the Mongolian family’s cozy yurt, or the Namibian child innocently toying…
The National
The National is not a “love at first sound” band. Maybe Alligator or Boxer knocked your socks off from note one, but if you’re like me, those albums snuck up on you, like a slow-burning affair that you didn’t realize you were in until you were already head-over-heels. High Violet, similarly, is the sort of…
The Runaways
Perhaps the reason why Floria Sigismondi’s biopic The Runaways failed at the box office is the same reason why the band wasn’t more successful in the first place: Both were born into a world that caters, marketing-wise, to pimply teenage boys. But put aside the jailbait lyrics of “Cherry Bomb” and silly “Dead End Justice”…
MacGruber embarrasses itself
A hit-and-miss action spoof (the misses often landing harder than the hits), MacGruber is reasonably successful largely due to the exertion of star Will Forte. Doing anything for a laugh—the character MacGruber’s standard numbers are getting naked in public areas, grunting scarily during sex, carrying celery in his ass and hallucinating that he’s copulating with…
Rescuing words
Katie Swift frowns slightly as she tries to sum up the plot of the new play A Rescue Demonstration. “Basically, it’s the story of two people, an EMT named Edward and a nurse named Mary, who meet at the scene of a tragedy. They’re both at the cusp of a crisis.” She pauses. “But it’s…
Shrek Forever After finds its happy ending
Midlife crisis may be the strangest kid’s movie sell since the The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas tackled adult date life. But giving the friendly ogre an It’s a Wonderful Life experience provides his most inspired adventure. Making a corrupt deal with Rumplestiltskin that shows him the land of Far Far Away had he never…
Heroine effort
The question of what makes a hero(ine) is something local actor and playwright Karen Bassett (pictured, left) has asked herself for years. “I saw a play about male pirates”—with male characters playing the rebellion and adventure—“and the female roles were all about relationships,” says Bassett. “I thought: That’s it? That’s all you’ve got? Then I…
It’s 20 for us too
Hi, A sweet smile is fine. A second look is somewhat acceptable. But if you stare at me like I’m a walking dessert menu and lick your lips, it’s disgusting. Men: I know you are trying to be… I don’t know, flirty, or think it’s a compliment, but it’s not. It’s creepy to leer at…
Can you spare a square?
Ya know there’s nothin’ I love more first thing in the morning when I get on the bus and I’m hit with that fragrant odor of un-wiped bum. It’s like that scene in Apocalypse Now… where buddy says I love the smell of fresh napalm in the morning… makes ya just wanna snort up big…
Crazy ex-girlfriend
I just wanna say my ex is crazy as the birds. It’s been a month now and she just won’t let it go. All of our personal matters were discussed over the facebook walls and to friends that were mine in the first place, and she didn’t think I would find out. Why won’t she…
Another Bus Driver Rant
This morning I lost track of where I was and had to ring the bell just a few seconds before my stop so the bus driver had stop rather quickly. I walked up to the front instead of going out the back door so I could apologize for ringing it so late. She just sat…
Lotto Lass
I enjoy walking by every day. You always seem to be smiley and happy considering some of the lotto goblins you must have to deal with in the run of a day. You seem like such a positive person but I’m just a shy guy who’s happy to watch you gleam. —”Just Imagine” indeed
Meet the new Seaport Farmers’ Market
[image-1] The new Seaport Farmers’ Market is under construction on Marginal Road, one of those Halifax addresses best described by its relationship to other places: behind the train station, across from Garrison Brewery, beside the Pier 21 museum. In this way it is very much like the current Brewery Market market, where shoppers need elaborate…
