The Doom Generation at Tiff Bell Lightbox

When faced with the choice of watching the Blue Jays beat the Yankees again tonight or seeing Rose McGowan in The Doom Generation at the Lightbox, thankfully I can do a bit of both. I can go see the movie and after I will go watch the game since the Lightbox is so close to Skydome.  This was the first Gregg Araki movie I ever saw. I rented it at Quick Mart back in Timmins when I was a teenager. I met him at tiff when he debuted Smiley Face. His movies can get pretty fucked up. I love living in a city where I can see an awesome movie and a baseball game in a single night.

    

More Record Store Day, back for some Skysaw

The day after Record Store Day I checked in at Criminal Records, I forgot to pick up the single for Jimmy Chamberlain's new band Skysaw. Lucky for me they had one copy left. I had to raid my Mr Peanut bank for change and run back to the store. Jimmy is the best drummer in the world, I can't wait to see him play live again.  

His Holiness The Guru Pitka Live

Here is his holiness The Guru Pitka (Mike Myers) presenting his mantra & philosophy to a live crowd at the Magnet Theatre in New York City.

My very own internet, about time.

I now have internet in my home, I can stop going to the Second Cup across the street every time I want to blog. That, along with my busy schedule has kept me from posting more frequently. I'm hoping having internet access will change my posting habits. My postcard blog should benefit since being close to my scanner is a necessity for those posts.

Record Store Day at Criminal Records in Toronto!

On Record Store Day, independent record stores around the world get swarmed with record hounds seeking limited editions and exclusive releases by their favourite artists.

I lined up at 11:30 last night in front of Criminal Records on Queen St West for their midnight opening. I was not early enough and abandoned the line in favour of a better position in the morning.

I can justify record purchases as an unemployed shlub, only because of their limited nature, I guess I'm a sucker in that respect.

I was up just before 7 and since I'm right across the street I was quickly in line, but not first (I was 5th, not bad). I chatted with the folks in line to pass the time and soon enough we were spending money on records!

Here's what I picked up:

Nirvana
Hormoaning (UMe)
This EP was originally released in Australia, this is the first time it has been released in North America

City and Colour
Sometimes (Record Store Day Exclusive)
- hand numbered of 500 (mine is #126)
- 2 x 180g black vinyl
- silk screened jacket
- includes bonus track "missing"

Daft Punk
Tron Soundtrack EP (Walt Disney Records)
Exclusive track 'Castor', Unique picture disc design of identity ring on clear vinyl disc with ring in 3 different colors: Blue, Yellow & Red, and overall first vinyl release, packaged in clear cellophane wrap see through sleeve to allow for visibility of picture disc, all disc information to be printed on sticker on sleeve.

The White Stripes
Lafayette Blues / Sugar Never Tasted So Good (Third Man Records)
Reissue of the White Stripes second single from 1998. Limited quantities available on white/black swirled vinyl. 7'' vinyl single, fold-over picture sleeve in poly bag

Let's Shake Hands / Look Me Over Closely (Third Man Records)
Reissue of the White Stripes first ever release from 1998. Limited quantities available on red/black swirled vinyl. 7'' vinyl single, fold-over picture sleeve in poly bag

Deftones
(singing) Covers (WBR)
LP Exclusive to RSD. Tracks previously available digitally and on import CD singles.
-The Cars' "Drive",
-Drive Like Jehu's "Caress",
-The Smiths' "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want",
-Sade, "No Ordinary Love",
-Jawbox "Savory",
-The Cardigans' "Do You Believe",
-Lynyrd Skynyrds's "Simple Man",
-Japan's "Ghosts",
-Duran Duran's "The Chauffeur",
-Santo and Johnny's "Sleep Walk"
and a live cover of The Cure's "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep"

UPDATE: picked up Skysaw the next day.

where am i?

My lack of time and internet is the reasoning behind my sparse updates. The Internet Man (Rogers) should be by this week to hook up the tubes, then I will be out of excuses. I'm writing this from my friend Shawna's place while I watch her dog Rambo. Today I'm going to help put up election signs for my local incumbent MP Olivia Chow, then I have a Captain shift at the Lightbox. I'm so busy and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. Yankees are in town next week and I also have to help a friend move.

The High Cost Of Living @ Tiff Bell Lightbox

I vas volunteering at the Lightbox and I got to watch a great new Canadian film called The High Cost of Living. Shot in Montreal and starring Zach Braff (an American, playing an American) and a fantastic Quebecoise actress Isabelle Blais, this is the first feature for writer/director Deborah Chow. It preemed at tiff last year and it gets a Canadian theatrical release later this month.
The movie is about two people whose lives colide in a tragic accident. It was very good. If you only know Zach Braff as a prat-falling doctor on Scrubs then you should check this out. Both the Director and the two stars were there to introduce the film. Unfortunately I could not take pictures because I was working.

no more coffee for internet

I ordered the Internet, my brother had taken responsibility of the task when we began cohabiting in January. As I write this from the Second Cup across the street from my house I wish I had placed the order months ago. It will still take a week to get hooked up (I'm with TekSavvy but I have to wait for a Rogers guy to open the Internet Tube).

I can't wait to have internet where I can actually download some tv shows and movies, legally of course.

Lolita at the Lightbox

I was volunteering at the Lightbox, without the responsibilities of being a Captain, I was able to watch the movie (after performing my volunteer flashlight duties of course). The film was Stanley Kubrick's Lolita, as  part of tiff's Books on Film Series. The print was rather old and rough, a few minutes were skipped when the audio was blown out, but otherwise a great screening of a 49 year old film.

The audience was mostly women over 50, and there was an audible gasp when Richard Corliss, TIME magazine film critic and author of a book about Lolita for the British Film Institute suggested that the character, Lolita, was anything except a victim. The audience seemed to grumble at the idea that she held any power or control. The volunteer I watched the movie with wondered if they had watched the same movie as us. Peter Sellers is really great in it.

Scalpers Suck. Blue Jays Rock!

Me and my brother Marc pre-game at Steamwhistle Brewery

I went to see the Jays on Saturday with my actual brother Marc and some friends of his from Timmins.  I could not get a hold of Cayen or Shawna, which has happend before, and not a surprise.

I sent this email to the Blue Jays feedback regarding my experience picking up my tickets before the game:


"Wow, what an exciting weekend. I am a Toronto Star Pass holder and lifelong Jays Fan. I had a great time at the games, and all your staff were friendly and helpful. 


In the Terms & Conditions of the Star Pass, it said that you could only redeem 6 passes per person. On Saturday I showed up just before 10am for my tickets, I had a scalper cut in line in front of me and redeem a stack of 12 Star Passes, then he attempted to pass off another stack of passess to another scalper who just showed up and cut into the line. The ticket agent was going to proceed with the transaction till I protested. The ticket agent then served me my tickets (top row, surprise!).  
I understand scalping is a reality of any ticketed event, however in this case your ticketing staff were facilitating tickets to the scalpers beyond the terms of the Star Pass.


On Sunday staff at least made an attempt to set up a line divider, but the scalpers were still not respecting the line. Other fans I talked to were equally upset by all the obvious line cutting. Fans want good seats to sit in, Scalpers want good seats to sell. 


Please do something about the line.
Please instruct your staff to respect limits regarding Star Passes.


Thank you,
Julien Chabot
GO JAYS GO!"