Story for Adrian Belew, re BEAT and the King Crimson / Riverview Hospital anecdote

Hello, members of BEAT. I had been thinking I might try to interview Adrian Belew apropos of the tour, but really, the point of it was just to tell him a funny story about a song, "Indiscipline," that you'll be playing. I secured a home for the story, maybe with an eye on getting comped into the upcoming Vancouver show, but the truth is, I don't have any great questions to ask. Actually the stuff I'm most curious about is either already known or has nothing to do with 80's King Crimson ("Did Bob Dylan ever react to your impersonation of him on Zappa's 'Flakes'? How, exactly, did that come about -- did Zappa know you did a good Bob Dylan and write the lyric for you, or did he approach the band and say, 'I need a Dylan impersonation' and do, like, tryouts, which you won, or...?" ...Hell, I bet that's already known, too... just not by me!). 

I think I've given up. My initial attempts to reach out didn't go anywhere, and I have other writing to do, so rather than trying to figure out what channels to go through and trying to come up with intelligent questions about some of the more daunting rock guitar out there, it's easier just to buy a ticket and tell the story here, in case I can get your attention. It's funny, I promise! (But I may take too long getting to it; bear with me, I'm verbose, and some context is required).   

(General readers who do not know that song should go here before proceeding. Note that the inspiration for most of the lyrics -- by Belew, who also does the vocals -- was based on a letter Belew got from his then-wife, talking about a sculpture she had done. There's a fun interview where that comes up, here; it is also mentioned here. Those with a sharp eye who clicked the first link will notice that the Youtube channel for the song mis-identifies the authorship, not mentioning that the lyrics are Belew's, despite it being the official page; what's with that? [That could be another question, actually: "Did you feel there was sufficient respect for your lyrical contributions, or were they regarded an ancillary to the music?" Or, like, "Did Margaret ever get any credit for those lyrics? Was that a bone of contention between you?" [There is apparently a fan-made film that credits her, "following a disturbed artist's personal satisfaction with her painting"]. ANYTHING so that I don't have to try to ask something intelligent about your guitar playing. Vancouver has Alex Varty for that; I know when I'm outclassed). 

Anyhow, the story involves this guy, beknownst to all King Crimson fans: 

So in the late 1990s, we still had a functional psychiatric hospital in the lower mainland, Riverview. It was already downsizing; many wards had been emptied, following a model of putting the mentally ill back into the community, in smaller group homes or even just on their own (ideally with some sort of supports, but there did seem to be a connection between that policy move and the number of mentally ill people one started seeing walking around Vancouver, probably homeless...). There have been some particularly nasty crimes in Vancouver of late that have led to discussion about returning to a model of incarceration for the seriously mentally ill -- the sort of people who were still on locked wards, back in 1996 or so, when this story takes place -- but even then, they were filming The X-Files and the odd Hollywood movie in wings that had been cleared out (you've probably unknowingly seen some Riverview interiors). Which I think had something to do with keeping the hospital open, because funding was being cut: Hollywood helped keep the place open for longer than the government would have.

I digress. Back then, I was making a slow transition from being a confused, marginally employed acidhead (I spent a few years of my early 20s exploring psychedelics, mostly whilst listening to out-there music, including King Crimson) and devoting myself to finishing some sort of degree (I'd been in and out of university for several years, unsure of a direction) and trying for a career of some sort. For awhile, before I decided that I would get certification to become an ESL teacher, I considered a career in psychiatric nursing; but the academic advisor at the college where I was considering taking the training suggested that before I do that, I volunteer at Riverview to get a feeling for what life was like on the wards and figure out if I had the aptitude or interest or psychic stamina for the job. Seemed like fair advice! So I looked into volunteer positions available, and decided to help with the art therapy program, to see if I liked the work. (I thought that my experience with psychedelics might give me some insight into what it was like to be mentally ill; I figured that maybe I'd explore that as a career, too, as a more creative variant on psychiatric nursing). 

I applied, was accepted, and for about nine months, I would turn up on (I think) a weekly basis and go sit on the wards with the art therapist, where we would make art of our own, and set out materials on the tables and encourage other people to come and make art, which -- if people wanted to -- we could then talk about with them. The actual "therapy" aspect of it was less a part of my role; the art therapist, if I recall, did one-on-one sessions with people, going into depth, but I didn't have that much involvement in that side of things. Mostly I think the idea that the art itself was therapeutic, and it gave something productive and fun for the patients to do, you know? There was a bit more to it than that -- I also helped with a patient "Outsider Art" show, and I got to know a couple of the patients who were on part of the committee to make that happen, but mostly the position involved making art on the wards.  I only have one piece of art I did from that time, a self-portrait in a kettle, inspired by Escher, that I did while waiting for a meeting to begin:

Commence story! ...so one day, I'm sitting on a ward with the art therapist; we have art supplies spread out on the table, and I'm in a mood, feeling like stirring the pot a bit -- because things generally happened pretty slowly, at an "institutional" pace, at that hospital -- so I'm drawing a giant, weird, screaming face on a piece of paper, thinking it might inspire some reactions, get things going, inspire people to make art or at least react. And a tall, skinny guy who looked to be in his 20s wanders over, who I immediately figured was a fellow psychonaut -- he had Christopher Lloyd hair, a beard, a big grin, and an affable demeanor; I had no idea what his story (or diagnosis) was, but I'd seen him on ward breaking up conflicts, keeping things peaceful between people, being generally friendly (but not entirely coherent; his thought processes were kind of hard to follow). And he checks out my drawing and goes, "Heyyy, King Crimson!" 

I looked at the screaming face and could see what he meant; I mean, it hadn't been what I was trying for, but sure, why not? And suddenly -- I'm guessing it was him who started the chant, but I don't remember exactly; I joined in pretty quickly, though -- and this guy and I are chanting together, rather loudly, in the middle of the ward of a psychiatric hospital:

I repeat myself when under stress

I repeat myself when under stress

I repeat myself when under stress

I...

And, like, the other patients are looking over at us "like we're crazy," so to speak. The art therapist (who doesn't know the song) is looking a bit concerned. But the guy and I are both grinning and pleased as punch to be bonding on the lyric. 

A few weeks later, I guess he was out on the street again, because I saw him wandering around on Robson Street. I said hi, and tried to follow his conversation a bit (I couldn't; his mind zipped this way and that, dots in space with no lines between them, impossible to see what the picture was). But I bought him a slice of pizza and have carried that moment with me for almost thirty years -- by far the happiest/ most favourite/ most entertaining moment from my time as a volunteer. 

I guess that could be another question for Adrian Belew: has that line drawn any fun or unexpected reactions? Do you vary the number of times you repeat it, when you play it live? Are there any other variants?

But I guess I'll just go to the concert and see. 

Bunchofuckingoofs in the Straight (and at the Waldorf), Bev Davies in Montecristo, and Cousin Harley at the Rickshaw

Crazy Steve Goof by Cat Ashbee, not to be reused without permission

Wrote a piece about Bunchofuckingoofs for the Georgia Straight that I did NOT expect to be doing. I had put out a request months ago to talk to Crazy Steve Goof, the singer and only original member, but nothing came of it, then somehow stumbled across the guitarist's Facebook account. I wrote him, put in a friend request, then never heard back; I assumed he was just blowing me off, as a couple other people had seemingly done, so I gave up on the piece. Then I just happened to check the message status the other day:  Facebook hadn't sent it because we weren't friends yet. I re-sent it. He replied. Here we are.

Adam Kates did tell a story, mind you, that didn't make it into the article, writing that "The only memory I have of the goods was fear! I saw them at Ildiko's in '87, they used cheap instruments... I felt that by seeing this band I not only felt as a hardcore spectator, but one of the true scenesters. I was initiated!"

The rest of y'all can get initiated on Saturday, unless you're in Nanaimo, in which case, it's tonight. Ancillary note: I got a chuckle out of reading in the Dirty, Drunk and Punk book that Crazy Steve's fear in life is ending up fat and bald in the suburbs (I check all three boxes). 

bev davies and her cat vincent, by allan macinnis, not to be reused without permission

 

 Also newly published, both in line and in print: a new feature on the great Bev Davies (happy birthday!). We talk about some of her best-known photos and I introduce an error to the print version by thinking Roy of Friends Records must be Wimpy Roy. I figured I was having a Vancouver Magazine moment where I was just failing to recognize what Brian looked like at a much lower weight and younger age than I was used to seeing him at; it never even occurred to me that it might be that other Roy, who I never met (it doesn't help that "the other Roy" has cake on his face, either). Hey, wait a sec, didn't that Roy-from-Friends-Records guy sell the Subhumans master tapes to those reprobates at CD Presents? Maybe this is poetic justice! He has been replaced with the only Roy in Vancouver punk worth talking about! 

Actually there are a total of TWO mistakes in the article, but that one is 100% mine. It is fixed online, but people who want to know what else went wrong will have to buy the print copy to find it!!!! The last issue was super cheap at Indigo (it has my tongue cancer story in it).  

I now must convince myself that I will have fun if I go to the Rickshaw and see Cousin Harley and the Stephen Nikleva band do a tribute to Ray Condo. In point of fact, I'm a bit burned out and just want to stay home under the covers and see if I can find a horror movie that will terrify my wife. On the other hand, there is a finite number of times I will get to dance to Paul Pigat playing the "Hadicillin Boogie," so I better make the most of the opportunity.  

Hey, by the way, Facebookers, you can't share the Georgia Straight link to the Bunchofuckingoofs interview in Canada (because it's "news;" seriously, could we fix that shit?). But you can share the link to this blogpiece! Yay! 

The link is this, if you're not sure how to make it happen:

https://alienatedinvancouver.blogspot.com/2024/09/bunchofuckingoofs-in-straight-and-at.html

I am now off shift. 

Ray Condo Forever! (And Paul Pigat this Friday)

 

Sometimes I got nothin' new to say, but this is a must-see show. Glad to see Stephen has been added to the bill! 

Should I do a 20th anniversary show?

If I can still find a room, should I do a 20th anniversary show for Alienated in Vancouver?

It's 20 years this October, ad-free (I've occasionally put up gig posters and such to plug a show, and OCCASIONALLY gotten comps as a result of my writing... but I've never been paid to run an ad or written a piece here BECAUSE of an ad). 

I'm also thinking I'd be better off quitting -- too many pains in the ass, not enough recompense -- but also thinking of marking the anniversary, one way or the other. Even if I quit, I'd at least be going out with a bang (a small one, mind you, appropriate to the Alienated mandate). 

Maybe I shouldn't bother...

Of Cherry Pick, Shearing Pinx, Tranzmitors, and attempted Oi!

Notice: The Tranzmitors (above) All photos by me.

The issue spoken about in the original blogpost has been resolved. Went to see an Oi! show. Left before the main band went on. Had some complaints. They seem to have been dealt with, so why leave them up? But here are some photos:

Ultra Sect

Part Two: Shearing Pinx, Cherry Pick

[I just left the second half of this blogpost mostly unchanged]:

Luckily, I DID have a great time at a show last night, but it was at (sorry, Wendy) the Cobalt, which is being booked by new people (Gang of Three -- not sure who they are, exactly, but I hope some of the bad karma that place has will be washed away by the change; last night's was only the second show I've paid to see there since Wendy's heartbreaking and underhanded ouster circa 2010 -- tho' I've been comped in a couple times). There are never problems with sound there! My understanding is that -- besides the building owners, who I assume have not changed -- there was a single character behind-the-scenes that made people think twice about putting on or going to shows there, but I have no idea if this person is still involved somewhere -- I hope not, because it's a venue I'd like to feel able to go back to without guilt.  I didn't get to see the headliner there (Tamaryn), either, in fact, but I was really going for Shearing Pinx, anyhow, who I have not seen in ages, and never as a four piece (now with Izzy of Earthball and Crotch, and Nyssa, I think it is, of Hag Face). I am not sure how often they have played in this incarnation, and thought some things they did last night worked better than others -- they seem to be in a period of transformation, maybe? I have seen them tighter, but also looser -- but I was really glad to see them again, one way or another, and shot video of their song "Love Jesse," which is supposed to have a heart icon instead of the word "love;" I have no idea how to make my keyboard do that. If the Jesse they're loving is the guy from Twin Crystals, who was on at least one of their albums (Rituals), I actually think I saw him on the Skytrain home last night, by amazing coincidence. Maybe he'd been there, too?

But the truth is, through their set, I was distracted by thoughts of a band I enjoyed even more, whom I'd had no expectations of at all, having never heard previously: the evening's openers, Cherry Pick, who, against the odds, turned out to have been the high point of the night, both venues combined (I mean, the Tranzmitors are way more seasoned and sharper, the best band overall, but I'm taking in the sound, here...). Cherry Pick is quite young, female-fronted, and their debt to Sonic Youth is quite pronounced -- they even did a cover of "Kool Thing" -- but though one senses that they're a unit in their early days of playing live, who are going to only get better with experience and encouragement -- they were totally delightful and engaging. 

I visited the merch table after the singer said she had three t-shirts left for sale, and said hello, blurted something enthusiastic, and asked if she'd been able to catch Kim Gordon last week (she had not, which makes me sad, but I didn't ask why...). I found out that the name of the song I shot was "Pretty Thing," an original which you can also hear in demo form here, and noticed to my amazement that they had exactly one t-shirt left and it was my size (and has a snake on it, albeit in skeletal form, done with bleach -- a handmade work of art for a mere $20, which I simply could not resist and have worn all day).

I hope that Cherry Pick keep going, they're onto something (and now that the Winks are gone from this coast, we NEED a band who brings some Sonic Youthfulness into play). I don't know when Cherry Pick plays next, but incidentally, there is another chance coming up to see Shearing Pinx at the Cobalt as part of a mini-festival celebrating the change of operators. I will definitely be considering that show, if my schedule allows it...

Last Night's Gig: Pit Props, Night Court, Invasives, and Rong

Okay, so it isn't Rampage Over O'Hara's but Byron sure can catch air when he wants to. Sometimes the content saves a shitty picture (thank God). All photos by Allan MacInnis

So I went to a gig last night. It was great! I shot vid of Night Court and of Invasives but had neither storage nor battery to do everyone. Favourite moments of the night:

1. Pit Props -- Calgary folk-punks with a pinch of street punk to their sound and a gift for the anthemic, doing an Indigenous land-back revision of "This Land Is Your Land" (given as "This land ain't your land" with a final choral line of "This land was stole for you and me"), as one of their many politically-minded crowd-pleasers in their set. They also did a song about punching transphobes in the face ("Devils in the Bathroom:" great title), a queer pride tune (title now forgotten but fun at the time), and another that I didn't catch the name of about the toxic drug crisis. They know their audience! They had some tuning challenges early on but the longer they played the faster and defter they got and people who I'm sure did not know them at all before last night could be seen singing along with their choruses. Nice to know such a band can come out of Alberta (whose culture I suspect is better repped, generally, by Jerry Jerry and the Sons of Rhythm Orchestra, say -- a sort of Randian rockabilly/ surf gospel... who I also love, mind you, but like the man says, I contain multitudes.)

2. Night Court saving me a 3XL t-shirt that was apparently partially inspired by my interview with Emilor for the Straight about her busted finger; the X-ray imagery plainly depicts her injury -- zoom in if you dare and examine her pinky! -- as well as Jiffy's busted tooth (which was the victim of both a microphone and a skateboard fall, and is now apparently under repair). It was nice to see Emilor dancing in the pit, too, doing high-kicks to Invasives songs (none of which did I document).

3. Invasives -- who I have not seen in far too long -- doing "Animal Skin," my second favourite song off Desk Job at Castle Dracula, as well as a deep cut off Robot Stink that I obviously have to get to know better. Got some great photos of the Slack brothers and fished a bit in Byron's pond for deets about Dead Bob plans (I got no actual bites but I saw a big fish moving under the surface, if you see what I mean. Not quite sure what sort of fish or if I'll ever catch it but it looked sizeable). 

Damn I hope the rising tide of Dead Bob lifts the boat for Invasives, Rong, Ford Pier and -- well, Pigment Vehicle aren't exactly active but who else would like to see a vinyl reissue of that stuff? (Start here? They probably have played a bigger role than any other band in my descent into prog). 

4. Rong, restored to their full line-up (= without Emilor on bass), doing a toughened cover of Lisa Lougheed's "Run With Us," which I probably knew in the 1980s and never would have imagined myself loving quite so much as I did last night --- to say nothing of their sludgy "The Ships," which somehow I hadn't paid as much attention to on the record. Fun to note that they apparently have some sort of "Hollow Weenie Pee" (say it for the double meaning) coming out this October, and played a song about being a monster for us ("No Humans Allowed" might be the title; I wonder if they're also fans of Nightbreed?).

It was fun being greeted at the gate by Kristy-Lee, too! 

Also fun chatting with James of Bison, Brock of the SLIP~ons, Jeffrey of Tranzmitors (playing an Oi! show at the Waldorf tomorrow), and Ford Pier (who has been providing some guidance on my tentative forays into the music of Rush). I also really liked some of the graffiti on the Green Auto bathroom wall, but my favourite scrawled slogan ("Be Gay Do Crimes") was not as photogenic as some of the other scribbles and stickers: 

Tomorrow it's a peek into see Shearing Pinx at the Cobalt, an early show that seems like it will let me get to said Oi! show. In fact, it's early enough (= a real smart move) that you could probably see most of Tamaryn's set and still make it to the Waldorf in time for at least the Tranzmitors. That's the plan, anyhow. 

Lots of stuff going on this weekend (Accordion Noir festival on Sunday, too, admission by donation). I don't know if any of it will top Thursday, though (that was a pretty great Thursday). 

Attention Dead Bob Fans! Rong and Invasives share a bill with Night Court!

Okay, so the Dead Bob show at the Commodore was too brief and therefore not as satisfying as the full-meal-deal at the Pearl a few months ago, but I hope some of you got a sense of how magnificent a unit this band is. This is, of course, the new project of John Wright of Nomeansno and the Hanson Brothers, a supergroup of sorts, surprisingly cohesive, made up of Wright, Ford Pier, Colin MacRae of Pigment Vehicle, Kristy-Lee Audette of Rong and Byron Slack of Invasives. TWO of those bands, Invasives and Rong, will be playing Green Auto, with one of my other favourite local small-p punk bands, Night Court, this Thursday! 

I have nothing much to say at present -- swamped with other stuff, but if you want a great show to go to on Thursday, you can't beat this. If you haven't checked out Invasives or Rong before, there's a lot of catching up to do, but both are great bands. I wonder if Emilor (also of Pet Blessings, and formerly a member of Rong herself) is still doing double-duty with Rong and Night Court? 

There's lots I could be linking here -- interviews I've done, Youtube clips, etc. -- but heck, you know how to look things up. Trust me: going to be a great night. I have no idea who Pit Props are, so I might look them up myself... or I might just go and be surprised. 

See you there?