(parade route)
Oct 25th, 2008, Grandview Park, Vancouver, BC
Time: 6.30 PM, procession at 7:00 PM
Pre-Parade of Lost Souls Meet-Up at my place, 6 – 7 pm.
the only real party we’ve got left
(parade route)
Tag: events
(parade route)
in other news
The Here Be Monsters Carnival of the Arts is on again.
David and I took Nicole and volunteered at the opening night cabaret at the Chapel, the re-purposed funeral home down behind the Princess Hotel. (A skeezy neighborhood, but venues are venues and you work with what you’ve got.) We had a surprising amount of fun for standing at a door and collecting loose change from people. The show was good, if a bit bizarre, the art had enough hits to make up for the misses, and I reconnected with Ashley, someone I liked seeing every week when I worked at the Dance Center. I’m looking forward to going back on Wednesday, Thursday and maybe Friday for the Showoff Festival, their “lite” version of Theater Under the Gun. (Tenth anniversary, no less, how time flies.)
Would anyone else like to come? It’s free if you volunteer.
Seattle: what I’m doing this weekend, a partial list
“Long before the age of the internet, and well before the cold efficiency of the assembly line, existed fantastic and terrible machines, run on hope, sweat, and steam.
It was a time in which form and function lived in sin, and everyman was a revolutionary.
We are 13 American artists united by broad geography and narrow aesthetic.
Marrying narrative and nostalgia to design and technology, we imagine the triumphs of the past overriding the failures of the present to create from the ruins and detritus a dazzling future-perfect.“
From Eliza,
“Starring me and twelve other retropostapocalypticians, including Molly Porkshanks and Jake von Slatt, this show will feature insane amounts of designer teas and chocolates, a full set of my fine art prints, and a half-dozen original oil paintings that I have never shown in public, including Shine, Rustbutton Brass, the City, Afterglow, Twilight in the Roachfields (What I Did On My Summer Vacation), and most ridiculous of all, the Vacuum Traffic Controller: a 40 x 66″ collossus that I hope will dominate the room with his deep, slightly furrowed gaze.”
September 12 – October 3, 2008
Opening Reception: September 12 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
SUITE 100 GALLERY: 2222 2nd Ave Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98121 (206) 956.3900
She also has a second show opening this weekend in Seattle, a solo affair launching on Saturday the 13th at Lighthouse Roasters, (400 North 43rd Street), from 4pm – 7pm. “The flagship painting, an original oil on a 24 x 24″ circular board, is the Cardiographer: dark, slick, and glowing, a portrait of a ghost-muse spinning a pulse out from ectoplasm. Co-stars include brand new (as of yesterday) 12 x 12″ Flee, a silvered landscape with robot on the lam; the ever-popular Bat Smax, an extremely adorable collaboration with my partner in rape-and-pillage, Jhonen Vasquez; the complete set of original sketches for the Bee Commission (monsters, demons, and vespid whores); and a full host of fine art prints, including many that won’t be shown at the steampunk show because they simply are not steampunk. And of course, refreshments will be served. Which is really the only reason to show up to an art opening in the first place.”
And, at my gentle nudging, it’s been decided that after her coffeehouse show, we’re all going to saunter over to Toren’s The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets concert at The Funhouse, (206 5th Ave N), where they’ll be calling up non-euclidean demons with BLOODHAG, (“Our mission is to spread the gospel of Edu-Core. Bang The Head That Does Not Read. Everyone Smarter Than Everyone Else. Use Heavy Metal music to promote literacy and vice versa. General Info: BloodHag play really short Heavy Metal songs about Science Fiction authors.”) and The Keeper, (“D&Dish wizard rock. Our EP is called Twenty Sided DIE!.”). Angel is a good friend of Jake, from BLOODHAG, and she warns us, “be prepared to be pelted with Sci fi books!”
last minute
Though I rarely attend poetry slams anymore, having fairly burned out after winning too many games of my Poetry Slam Bingo, (containing such squares as: No One Understands Me, War Sucks, I Was A Highschool Misfit, If I Punch The Air You Should Clap, Let Me Show You My Angst, I Lesbian, Counting Makes Rhymes Easy, and many more), I’m going to be working the door tonight, because holy sneezes…
How fantastic is that, you ask? Pretty damned fantastic. And as if having the mama of dada swing by isn’t enough, it’s also the Decathalon Slam – 2 teams, 10 rounds. As many people as possible on each team. So come be a part of the fun. It’s going to get creative. There’s going to be a cupcake eating round, a sock puppet round, a mime round, a team piece round, a 1 minute poem round, an improv poem round, and so on.
whoring my friends, part II
Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night through until the end of the summer, Spectral Theatre has been presenting two one-act horror plays for the price of one ticket. Coming up in the final set of their summer series, they’ll be featuring two sci-fi/horror shows:
written by Blake Drezet, directed by Michael Cope and featuring Aurora Chan, Joanna Gaskell, Vincent Riel & Devan Vancise.
and
The Hunted, “marooned on distant shores, stalked by an alien menace that boggles the imagination”,
written by Blake Drezet, directed by JC Roy and featuring Blake Drezet, Vincent Riel & our very own
Duncan “the big man” Shields.
At the Spectral Theatre Studio, 350 Powell Street. Doors at 9:30, show at 10:00. Tickets are $8. It’ll fill up fast so book your tickets early.
renegade lantern festival
The Illuminares Lantern Procession will be happening this evening. 6 pm -11:30pm at Trout Lake at John Hendry Park. |
Twenty years ago, Illuminares started as a thirty person house party that made lanterns, walked them around the park, then burned them at the beach. The next year, there were double the people, the year after that, even more. Now it’s an annual event which brings wonder to over 30,000 people. People show up with custom lanterns of all shapes and sizes, ranging from simple paper bags with a tealight candle to large complicated structures. Stilt-walkers, costumes, fire breathers, and topless wish-faries are de rigeur. As Public Dreams is not hosting it this year, we’re going back to basics. The audience, once again, are the organizers. Performances will be spontaneous and lanterns will be brought from home – technically, we are all just enjoying the good company of friends.
Because this is not an “official event” please be extra responsible. All of the things that require funding – like floodlights, vendors, fireworks, emergency personnel, outhouses, and, of course, permits – will not be happening this year. As there are no permits, it is almost certain that the Vancouver Police will show up to shut us down, so if you see anything that is of concern, call people on it, and make sure to use camp-ground rules: leave everything better than you found it. Remember, too, this is a family event with lots of children, so try to keep it dry.
things to do in vancouver
Wednesday:
10 pm. The Mix-Up, Terence’s DJ night at Maxine’s Hideaway, the ex-whore-house at Davie and Bidwell.
Thursday:
9 pm I’m Afraid of Comedians, Dylan Rhymer’s comedy night at Slickity Jim’s Chat & Chew, and yes the kitchen will be open.
Friday:
7 pm. What Is It? Crispin Glover live at Pacific Cinematheque, presenting his short film and a slide show.
8 pm. Aimee Mann kicks off the Vancouver International Folk Fest.
Saturday:
10 am – midnight. Vancouver International Folk Fest, featuring That Mike at Stage Five, with Kobo Town and Dubblestandart, Eliza Gilkyson, and Béla Fleck.
11 am. Cloudscape comics, Jeff Ellis’ comic-collective, has a table at the Vancouver Art Gallery as part of KRAZY! The Delirious World Of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art exhibition.
1 pm. Backyard Summer Music Festival, a free all day party at Jessica Mason-Paull’s Foxy House, 1535 East 4th. Bands: Mama Pulpa, La Comuna, Headwater, The Get Down, Shay Faded and The Heard, and our friends Jess Hill and Chelsea Johnson.
Sunday:
10 am – 2 am. Vancouver International Folk Fest, featuring That Mike, Jayme Stone and Mansa Sissoko, Jorane, and Michael Franti.
9 pm. Bury the Hatchet, a cancer benefit at the Jupiter Lounge for my friend Richard Lett, a stand-up comic, to pay for his chemotherapy. Performing: Kyle Jones, Alicia Tobin, Kevin Foxx (Comedy now and Host of The Kevin Foxx Show on CFRB), Erica Sigurdson (Comedy Now, Halifax Comedy Fest, Comedy Now), Dylan Rhymer (Comedy Now), and Lachlan Patterson (Comedy Central Live at Gotham, CTV Comedy Now, Just for Laughs, Halifax Comedy Fest, Video on Trial)
Eeee! Paint me excited.
Mr. Glover will be presenting Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide Show, an hour-long audiovisual performance-presentation in which he narrates images from his story book series. Following will be his debut feature film, What Is It?, a mind-blowing, taboo-obliterating phantasmagoria and psychodrama which he describes as “the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are snails, salt, a pipe and how to get home, as tormented by an hubristic inner psyche.”
Each evening concludes with a Q&A and book signing.
TICKETS: $20 — Advance tickets are on sale now, but are only available on-line at www.cinematheque.bc.ca.
Tickets will also be sold at the door. Box Office opens at 6:30pm nightly. Annual $3 Pacific Cinémathèque membership required. Restricted to 18+. NO PASSES will be accepted for this event.
HIVE2: you should go
www.buzzbuzzbuzz.ca
“11 local companies perform 11 separate pieces in continuous rotation. Brace yourself for a carnival side-show, a piece of toy drama, a post-modern slice of faux dinner theatre … or different combinations of all that and more. The audience’s experience is entirely self-directed, and there’s always a lounge for shouting and a central party space to buzz the night away.”
Single Tickets $25 in advance, $35 at the door.
A large, bee-centric room full of unexpected props – an upside down dollhouse on a post, a knotted rope hanging in a false spotlight, a cardboard honeycomb laid out on the floor, a bucket full of flags – and rows of tables facing a large stage. There is a bar on the right and a vast projection of text flashing over top images of the downtown east side to the left. Girls in angelic paper costumes walk past, followed by a prison guard in army fatigues shouting to get out of the way of two blindfolded prisoners led on a rope. Commissioned by the Magnetic North Theatre Festival and created by eleven of Vancouver’s most interesting theater companies, welcome to the delicious chaos that is HIVE2, the dramatic sequel to last year’s super sold-out HIVE.
Armed only with an orange slip of paper, a list of dubious instructions like Stand In The Honeycomb, Find The Christmas Tree, and Fill Out An Application Form at the Desk, the game is to see how many performances can be seen in a night. (There’s even a dedication rating scale on the back of the instruction sheet). The space is divided into two basic areas, the social room themed with bees, and the vast, confusing, enchanting, and very non-linear performance stages on the Other Side Of The Door. To get to one from the other, simply follow instructions and wait for a guide. Every odd, quirky instruction is connected to a different show. Every odd, quirky show is a completely different experience.
Last night David and I, (having been recruited as volunteers for opening night by Felix Culpa’s David Bloom), managed to see seven of the eleven shows in the hour and fourty minutes before our bar shift, (possibly breaking some sort of record).
Here are my two-second, no spoiler reviews: Felix Culpa trapped us in a sweet, lyrical world of creation and cardboard; Theater Replacement made us wait at a Christmas Tree, mocked how we think of internet comments, and gave us jelly-beans; Electric Company, (David’s favourite), righteously play-ed with dada, french doors, and incredible lines of perspective; Radix put us in an assembly line, (where I stole an orange. My tip? Make sure you’re first into the room); Boca Del Lupo was ambient, relaxing, and not a little scary; and Leaky Heaven Circus made us take off our shoes so as to not damage the mirrors that played with our heads.
Which leaves neworldtheatre, The Only Animal, Rumble Productions, Theatre Conspiracy and Victoria’s Theatre SKAM, all of which look interesting. neworldtheatre reputedly gives out cookies, The Only Animal show, (possibly with visuals by freaking Jamie Griffiths!), has an audience size of only one, awarding them the most intriguing, followed closely by Theatre Conspiracy, who only take thirty-five a night, two at a time and dressed as blindfolded Guantanamo Bay prisoners. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about the Rumble Productions or the Theater SKAM shows, except the former seems to have dead zealots for guides and SKAM collects its audience with creepy dolls.
Guess I’ll find out about them on Saturday. When my mother asked what I would like for my birthday, I replied, “I’d like some tickets to HIVE2.” It is, as the kids say these days, sweet.
not going to forget this year, you people won’t let me
“It’s been believed in the past that the camera steals souls. I once thought this preposterous. Now I think it’s self-evident.
This is why we photograph. The fear of oblivion, ours and our worlds. We will inevitably die, but our photographs, if they’re honest, if they show our lives with clarity, unafraid, our photographs will preserve us. Our souls at least. Who we were inside, and the things we saw. Our images? Particles of light that have been traveling forever bounced off our subjects, were focused through our lens into the tender tissue of our eye, and our brain, and our film. Now, those very same shapes, made by those very same particles, the same ones we saw, others can see. Forever, they can see that fraction of a second we saw.
That’s immortality.” -Clayton Cubitt, 2005
May is quickly waltzing into being, every day one delicate step closer, bringing with it spring and, with that, my birthday. Fragile, the social ties holding me to it. Already people have started asking about a party, as I worked through my birthday last year. So once again, and this year I mean it, does anyone know of an appropriate venue for my birthday party at the end of May? My apartment is far too small to hold the 100+ people who will wander through during the course of the day and outdoors, really, is never an option I care for. It’s impossible to foster the security of the microcosm we call a kitchen party in a park.
What I’m hoping for is the kind loan of a house with a yard for a BBQ that won’t mind if we go over-night, preferably with crash space, that won’t mind if we cook breakfast in the morning. Last time our resident Stephen was kind enough to lend us his place, but it has since been partitioned and rented out to people. (I think Frankie‘s girlfriend’s sister or something now lives in the basement, like, just to go to show how small this city really can be.) It was perfect, big, two yards, just off the Drive.
It came out unscathed, too, minus a large pile of dishes in the kitchen we cleaned up the next day, two snapped guitar strings, and, I think, one broken glass. The people I know tend to be remarkably tidy when it comes to parties, we’re not hard-drinking bar-stars with anything to prove, more the sort of argue films and physics over spanish guitar on the porch. Profit: fifteen dollars in returnable bottles, a set of car and house keys no one ever claimed, (I still have them, people, identify them and they’re yours), and some wonderfully embarrassing arm-wrestling photos.
So, please, if this sounds remotely feasible, drop me a line if you’ve got a place or know of one. Let’s see if we can’t work something out.
edit: so far we’ve got the foxy house. anyone else?