Sitting in the apartment with Winston the Cat, wondering why the Hell it’s so hot in the middle of March in Ottawa, and fighting off yet another bout of the mean reds. And they’re really starting to annoy me, dig? Tonite is like my Friday nite, I have the next two days off, and I have shit to get DONE. I’m way behind on my Penny Plain review (it’s coming, I swear!), I haven’t done a Foofarah in two weeks, and my mood is threatening to kibosh this one too. Well, I’ve had enough. Bite me, sour cloud of despair, you’re fucking FIRED. At least for a few hours.
…Although, on the topic of grim worldviews, this is my new fav’rit Ramones song:
I just wanna walk right out of this world, ’cause everybody has a poison heart. Nobody could sing like Joey, and that’s a Foofarah Fact. Now, to business, if we must:
IN TOWN THIS WEEK: I’m dropping the first/lat/whatever chance to see moniker, because quite frankly, this way is easier, and sometimes I’m lazy. What, I’m getting paid for this? Anyhoo, to start off there’s the aforementioned PENNY PLAIN at the NAC and yeah, it’s very worth seeing. Plus Sock’n’Buskin’s COMPANY continues, and that’s a great fun time too.At the GCTC , EAST OF BERLIN starts up on the mainstage, and 9th Hour’s CRIME AND PUNISHMENT debuts in the studio. SELF HELP gets underway at the Ottawa Little Theatre, and II kicks off at La Nouvelle Scene. All this plus the NAC is announcing their next season lineup this tuesday, and for some insane reason yours truly will be there. Seany must really like brunch at the Clocktower, is all I’m saying.
GRUPPO RUBATO: Hey, so on Saturday nite this week, a holy Irish day of rest or some such affair, venerable Ottawa-based theatre kidz Gruppo Rubato held their 10th Anniversary fundraiser! And although I had planned to catch WE WANT LIFE a second time at the OSSD that evening (sorry, OTS gang, hope ya packed the house without me!), in the end the promise of a well-stocked bar swayed me. That, and GR’s show AIRPORT SECURITY was actually the second ever show I reviewed on this Chud, so they get props for starting me off on the right foot. Also, I feel kinda bad that, with their long and successful history, AS is the ONLY Rubato show I’ve ever seen. So it was nice to catch a sneak preview-reading of their upcoming show SNAPSHOT, by the wunnerful Kate Smith, Peter Froelich and Teddy Valentine (who I’d never seen on the stage before, so THAT was coolness). It was a fun little night, even though I was being a mildly panic-attacked stick in the mud throughout, but people expect that of me by now, right? Part of my lack of charm and what not. Bah. Her’s a fun ’80’s music video to distract you!
COMIX: Yes, I’m still obsessing oddly about comic books, having spent a goodly chunk of my gold in the last month or so on classic Marvel comic trade Paperbacks…right now I’m making my way thru the first volume of CAPTAIN AMERICA and DAREDEVIL, as well as some big AVENGERS story arcs, like Englehart’s DEFENDERS WAR and Shooter’s KORVAC SAGA. Still no joy in tracking down a copy of the KREE/SKRULL WAR, but maybe I’ll find a copy here:
Wowzers, how long has it been since Ottawa hosted a PROPER comic convention? I remember attending MAPLECON way, WAAAY back when, and even then the best they had for guests was, like, Dave Sim and Fred Hembeck (tho I STILL am thrilled I got to meet Fred Hembeck). I’m gonna go, almost entirely for the dealer’s room…don’t give too much of a shit about ‘special guests’ or the like, and I already HAVE Ferrigno’s autograph, thanx very much…I’m hoping to pick up some original HOWARD THE DUCK, and maybe a nice copy of MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #1 from Gold Key.
Maybe some classic ZENITH, or that old OZ SQUAD series I always thought looked cool. I dunno…whatta you think?
Well, that seems defeatist, Stranglers. Rockin’ tune, but still…
DEAR RADIO: Here’s something that’s been kicking around for a while in my horrible, horrible brain. See, I have to listen to the radio a lot at work, and the interesting thing about radio is what a dark ages, backwoods hellhole of talentless fiends it is. Radio is what people who don’t like theatre THINK theatre is. Radio advertising is where writers go to cry themselves to death. Our kitchen dial seems to be stuck on Live 88.5 a lot lately, which at least means I don’t have to listen to Lowell ‘Feminazi’ Green or Randal ‘Clown-Shoe’ Moore too much, but it still grates on my remaining few nerves. A Couple of helpful suggestions, then, to the Live 88.5 team:
– Please tell ‘DJ Noah’ to stop whining at me to ‘make some noise’. He’s the DJ, HE should be providing the god-damned noise. Also, the last thing a good DJ needs? A catchphrase (much less two).
– re: your current Ipod giveaway ads: Trend-SETTING and Trend-STARTING are the SAME FUCKING THING. I should not have to point this out to anyone.
– I actually DO quite enjoy Jen Traplin’s VINYL RECYCLER show. But does the intro HAVE to be so aggressively stupid? You know we STILL call them albums, right? And that vinyl is more popular now than it has been in years? You haven’t unearthed the lost ark or anything, just play fun music and stop trying so hard to be clever. It hurts my brain.
– I know you only host Alan Cross’ new show (a barely-disguised rehashing of every episode of his LAST, identical show…nice music, tho), and have no control over it, but…could you maybe suggest to him he could stop with the bit where he stammers and pretends like I, the listener, just got confused at some supposedly ASTOUNDING tidbit he just dropped, and he has to repeat himself? It gets tiresome. Yes…yes, that’s right…I said TIRESOME (see how annoying it is? Make him stop.)
That’s it, I guess…sorry to bash, I guess it always IS easier to pick apart than to help. So lemme help…PLAY MORE SCOPITONES!
Altho, true, it WOULD lose a lot without the visuals. You lose again, radio! If it weren’t for REMOTE PLANET and THE HEYMAN SHOW, you’d be fuckin’ lost. But now I gotta go, time to chill out, plot my posting for tomorrow, and maybe watch a film. MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA, anyone? Or am I too drunk now? Probably. I guess I could manage some MENTALIST or NEW GIRL, shithead that I am…see ya at the theatre, gang. Peace, love and soul,
The Visitor (and Winston)
The Visitorium 