I never set out to interview Michael Blanchard per se; I just wrote who I could find on Facebook connected with Crushed Velvet. I had seen the band twice, and was thinking of seeing them again at the Princeton this evening -- the last slot on the bill, going on about midnight (Cold Lake goes on at 9 and Silent Martin at 1030, roughly). With two recent performances at the Bowie Ball and the Bowie Ball Pit, I figured a fast Straight feature was all they would need to guarantee them a full house; plus I had enjoyed them, so I just went a head and wrote who I could find. Blanchard wrote back.
Crushed Velvet at LanaLou's, Michael Blanchard in the foreground
It is somewhat of an irony then, that I have a record that he is on: the first It Came from Canada compilation I only figured this out as I was nearing the final draft of my Straight piece. He'd mentioned Terminal Sunglasses as a Montreal garage band he was in, and I quickly put it together where to look to see if I had any around. Indeed I do. And even more amusingly, one of the two songs on the LP has a rock video for it.
Almost everything on the album -- the first in a series, which began in 1985 on a Montreal label, OG Music -- is garage-infused, with traces of rockabilly and punk, and it's all generally all kind of goofy, giving a showcase to bands from all over the country, some of which remain pretty obscure... but not all. It's one of the rare rock compilations that benefits from the listener having a sense of humour. It is also not all that uncommon, if people want to acquire a copy; the first two frequently turn up (the last few less so).
This makes the third band on the comp (tracklist
here) who I've met members of, since I did in fact chat in person with Blanchard at LanaLou's last Sunday. I've seen
the Enigmas, of course, with Paul McKenzie of the Real McKenzies on lead vocals, in a couple of their late-phase incarnations. And I recently interviewed the drummer of My Dog Popper,
Steve Kravac, about his new life as a record label owner. I've met members of Ray Condo's band (albeit not from the incarnation on the comp), and interacted on Facebook with Chris Houston (whose acoustic "
Surfin' on Heroin" is an album standout; it later got adapted by the Forgotten Rebels. He has
a new album out btw). Same goes with members of Jerry Jerry and the Sons of Rhythm Orchestra (Jerry is retired from music; I have four of their albums, the most valuable of which I happily rescued from a Salvation Army bin) and Deja Voodoo (Gerard is touring again, no Vancouver date yet; I have three Deja Voodoos and have plans to collect'em all, though I'm mostly a
Swamp of Love guy).
I've slowly begun bugging people who are on these comps for their signatures (Tim Chan, Dale Wiese, and Mike Van Eyes have signed volume 2; someday after I am gone someone will be tickled to have this, since a signature on a record never dies).
More good news for record geeks; the Terminal Sunglasses
Wrap Around Cool LP got a reissue about ten years ago, including 200 copies on pink vinyl. It's
possibly findable, probably already a collectible, and as usually happens, probably of the most value to people who were there at the time (I do think I remember seeing this at Collectors RPM or such back in the day). The 80s were just a goofier time in Canadian music...
Fittingly, there is indeed a reference to the Velvet Underground -- who will be heavily represented in Crushed Velvets site -- in a writeup on Terminal Sunglasses, which Blanchard pointed out to me:
The psychedelic garage band Terminal Sunglasses were part of the Montreal punk and new wave scene from 1983 to 1985. Labelled an "avant-garage" band, they updated 60s influences with the Velvet Underground's sound, and filtered it all through 1980s punk sensibilities and a wonderful sense of humour. In 1985, they released their only LP, Wrap Around Cool, on the amazing OG Music label. The record immediately shot to the top of the college and community radio charts, remaining at the #1 position for many weeks.
Anyhow, that's all value-added stuff for me, though I'd be less keen if I didn't genuinely enjoy their Velvets covers (which, no foolin', brought the Scenics to mind, who have a great album of Velvets covers, How Does It Feel to Be Loved; I'll be writing about them in the coming year, as well).
One outtake from the Straight piece on Crushed Velvet: Wayne Pattern, the singer, had commented about his eyepatch at the Bowie Ball, saying he really was missing an eye, but didn't have his patch on at the Rickshaw. So I asked the band if that was a Bowie reference I wasn't getting?
Blanchard's answer: "Bowie wore an eyepatch for a photoshoot back in early ‘74. Wayne lost his eyesight [in one eye only I assume!] in a climbing accident. The patch keeps out useless glare which distorts vision." It's seen in the "
Rebel Rebel" video, as well, and apparently was worn for real purposes:
Bowie had pinkeye! (It wasn't in fact a reference to Bowie's damaged eye and enlarged pupil, which is what I thought it might be).
There'll be more Bowie tonight, too -- see the Straight article for
more on this, but tonight, Crushed Velvet is going to do "
Queen Bitch," as well as recapping its Bowie Ball set. So consider it Bowie Ball Sub-Pit? Bowie Ball 2026 Part 3? Where else are you gonna hear a cover of "Liza Jane" tonight? (Or for that matter, "
What Goes On?").
Truth is, I'm more of a "What Goes On" man myself, but "Queen Bitch" is a pretty great Bowie tune, in fact.
Seeya at the Princeton!
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