Why are there so many phone songs?
At this moment in time, somewhere on or about the day of Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, it is possible to hear three different songs called Hello on top-40 radio. Four if you count Lionel Richie’s Hello on the oldies stations. There’s Hello by Dragonette, who “just came to say hello, hello, hello, hello,” as opposed […]
NEWS FLASH: Nerd culture now pop culture
It’s not surprising that a local nerd has taken it upon himself to catalogue the myriad of nerdy things in town – comic stores, gaming clubs, fantasy fiction, anime, cosplay, you name it. Some nerd was bound to do it. And it’s no shock that the Edmonton Nerd List has taken off so quickly – […]
Casinos a Classic Rockland Wonderland
Kim Mitchell was recently asked what he thought about the love affair between casinos and classic rock, and what it’s done for his career. He evades the question, “Did you know that the sound of all the slots singing and ringing away on most casino floors makes for a beautiful happy major chord? Root, third, […]
The Tao of Andrew WK, Party Philosopher
Rock stars always say they love to party all the time, every day – but Andrew W.K has taken it to an entirely new level. It could become a religion. He has the energy to lead a movement. Andrew W.K. is a punk rock singer, recording artist, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, touring performer, television host, talk […]
COMICS: Heart of Wonderdick in Edmonton
A Torontonian taking the piss out of Edmonton? Break out the machetes! Relax, it’s just cartoonist Mike Winters, who may call the Centre of Canada home now, but his heart clearly resides in Dirt City. Winters’ weekly comic strip Cartoon Machine offers up caustic views on millennials, toxic relationships and … Edmonton Oilers draft picks? […]
Why do mosh pits spin counterclockwise?
It’s time again to bring hard science to bear on another pressing issue – to find out why “circle pits” at rock ‘n’ roll shows spin counter-clockwise. The rotational mosh phenomenon has been confirmed by a number of reliable sources – and no, pits don’t spin clockwise in the Southern hemisphere, like typhoons. The Coriolis Force […]
Folk fest fans back NDP: Captain Obvious Poll
One of the fun things about having 20,000 apparently like-minded folk fenced in at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is the opportunity to practice some anthropology. So many people gathered in such a seemingly narrow cultural niche – folk music – where politics tends to lean left, have made Gallagher Park an oasis of green […]
Mad hatters mar their music
There is no good reason for a musician to wear a hat on stage – unless they’re sensitive about being bald, or protecting their head from the elements, or keeping their hair out of their eyes, or if it’s part of a costume or uniform. Other than that, BEWARE: it’s a sure sign they’re going […]
Fans raise a little hell with traveling bands
Musicians usually save their best stories for their songs. Tales of love, tales of mischief, tales of introspective existential awakenings. Write what you know! Some stories, though, are too ridiculous for song – thanks to ridiculous, often drunk, music fans who sometimes take their enthusiasm a little too far. These incidents become “Road Tales.” Robb Angus […]
To be an April Fool in the Age of Bulls***
Edmontonians of a Certain Age can still remember an April Fool’s Day joke played by 630 CHED in the early 1970s. It was reported that the phone company, Ed-Tel, was going to blow all the dust out of the phone lines at precisely 7:30 am on April 1, so citizens were advised to put plastic […]
Ask a Mormon about The Book of Mormon
Ask a Mormon about The Book of Mormon and you’ll discover they’re not exactly falling all over themselves to see the satirical musical by the creators of South Park (update: returning to the Jubilee Auditorium Sept. 13-18) They say it makes a mockery of their religion. They say it’s disrespectful. They say it misses the […]
Put it where the Sun don’t shine
They came to mock, not to bury – but then The Sun News Network suddenly went off the air, leaving a group of local performance artists intent on venting their feelings towards Ezra Levant’s soapbox with a wake instead of a roast. The first – and probably last – presentation of The Scum News Network […]
