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The Only Appropriate Things John Waters Said at POP Montreal
This Filthy World: An Evening with John Waters - POP Montreal 2016
--Trigger warning: The opinions expressed in this article are that of the author's and do not reflect the views of CJLO 1690AM, CJLO's editorial board, or our partners and affiliates. ;-)
As a poor University student living in my first apartment way back in the mid-nineties, I spent many a weekend watching old VHS tapes rented from the "cult film" section at Movieland on Saint-Catherine Ouest. 'Member VHS? Anyway, one fateful Friday night I picked up a faded old box that featured a frightening woman-creature in a red dress and big bouffant hairdo on the cover.
At first glance I thought Pink Flamingos (1972) might be a Russ Meyer film, but on close inspection I noticed Tura Satana looked a bit... off. I scoffed and almost put the box back on the rack, but the name "Divine" and the tag line "An exercise in poor taste" piqued my interest enough, so I decided to give that old John Waters movie a try.
Pink Flamingos was poorly-produced, the acting was awful, the plot was absurd, and the climax of the film was quite disgusting (they used real dog faeces y'all!). And for all those reasons I loved every minute of it. Pink Flamingos ranks a solid "Sucks Backwards to the Left" on the B Movie Rating Scale for its weirdness and campy spin on the exploitation films coming out at the time. I made it my mission to see every John Waters movie I could get my hands on.
Sadly, Hairspray (1988), Cry Baby (1990), and Serial Mom (1994) were the only other John Waters films they had a Movieland, and really there are only so many times you can see those ones. Movieland closed down, and times began to change. VHS was phased out and replaced by DVD, later replaced by Blu-Ray, then illegal download, and finally Netflix. All the while my liberal-leaning friends grew up and had square babies that use blue hair dye and thrift-store clothes to disguise themselves as radical round babies, and the college kids they begat have begun to segregate and censor themselves to (I fear) the point of no return. It's with a heavy heart that I must admit I forgot about John Waters for a while. I've felt stranded and alone, the last of a dying species of people who protest what matters and are not afraid to do and say whatever the fuck they want. But every once in a while the Universe sends me a reminder that all hope is not lost...
The King of Bad Taste was in town this year for POP Montreal, and he offended the fuck out of everyone who could pack themselves into the Rialto on Saturday, September 24th. Nothing was off limits in This Filthy World, John Waters' snappily paced one-man show about his life, work, and legendary film career. Using the majority of his movies as sign posts, Waters sprinkled in social criticism, salacious anecdote, and many a sly remark about every fringe group you can imagine. From bears to the elderly, John Waters was not shy to speak his mind and riff on everyone, and what's wonderful is that he got away with it too!
But don't you worry gentle reader, I won't repeat the big bad things the Pope of Trash said about you and your kind—you'll have to go see his show for that, and read Carsick or check out the newly-restored version of Multiple Maniacs (1970) (complete with the Janus Films logo!) while you're at it. But first, check out the (somewhat) appropriate subjects he touched upon in This Filthy World on Saturday—and remember: you can't have an interesting monster without an interesting bouffant hairdo!
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On the dangers of political correctness: "Liberals like me turn into fascists really easily."
How political correctness has subverted recent stage productions of Hairspray: "It's different now. No one can cast by race or weight. I've seen Hairspray performed with a skinny black girl as Tracy Turnblad, and it didn't make sense. It was so bizarre in a way, like a post-modern theatre of the absurd."
On the restored version of Multiple Maniacs: "It looks like a bad John Cassavetes film, and I couldn't be more thrilled."
On his friend, character actor Harris Glen Milstead: "People had the wrong idea about Divine. He didn't want to be a woman. Divine wanted to be a monster!"
On the fate of the Divine and Dreamlanders: "I'm still shocked Divine is dead. He was [sic] 43 years old. I bought a plot in the same graveyard, so did Mink and all my friends. We're all going to be buried together. We call it 'Disgrace Land'."
On why he never got into heroin: "Who wants to sit around and itch and listen to jazz?"
And why he won't try ecstasy: "Taking a drug that makes you love everybody? That sounds like hell to me."
On dinner guests and leaving a basket of magazines in the bathroom: "If you think you're going to be sitting on my toilet, grunting and straining while reading Us Magazine when I'm cooking in the next room, you've got another thing coming!"
On the bear community: "In Baltimore, straight middle-aged men are the new bears, they just don't know it."
His opinion of radical feminism: "I love women who hate men, but I hate men who hate women. Men don't have a reason to hate women."
The one thing we should focus our attention on: "The most important issue in America today is gun control. College kids should be protesting that!"
The reason why Donald Trump running for president of the United States: "Trump is doing the whole thing to lose so he can start Trump TV."
John Waters' biggest fear: "I have a fear of not flying, because that means I'm not working."
On receiving an honorary doctorate from the Rhode Island School of Design: "I felt like the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz when they gave him a brain." The Pope of Trash then demanded tenure!
A little more about his chosen path: "Show business is a life of rejection, and I built a career on bad reviews."
John Waters' dream directing job: "I want the Maybelline eyebrow pencil ad."
About the possibility of crowd funding to finance his unmade children's Christmas special, Fruitcake: "I wouldn't consider a Kickstarter for Fruitcake, I own three homes. It seems hypocritical."
His advice for the weird kids out there who wish to rebel: "Just say you don't have a phone. That's the most radical thing you can do."
And finally, a recommendation for up-and-coming artists: "Don't just try to be shocking. There are no rules left to break except the ones not worth breaking, and to break those rules would be boring."
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Stephanie Dee is a writer living in Montreal and she likes to participate in having fun. This is her fifth time covering POP Montreal for CJLO. Follow @tweegirl on Twitter and Instagram.
Tomorrow @ 1pm: Micah Visser on Ashes to Ashes
Tune into Ashes to Ashes tomorrow (September 27th) at 1pm to hear an interview with Winnipeg-based artist Micah Visser! He’ll discuss his new EP, Forward, touring in support of it across Canada, and perform a couple of the EP’s tracks acoustically! Catch Visser perform tonight in Montreal at an event hosted by Pointe Saint-Charles collective Bad Lunch.
Ashes to Ashes is your weekly dose of music from the 1980's that has stood the test of time, featuring bits of indie rock, alt-country, electronic, hip-hop, funk, and even a dash of reggae; hosted by Alex, every Tuesday from 1-2 PM!
NEWS FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH 2016
Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang
Stories by Patricia Petit Liang
Produced by Patricia Petit Liang
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LOCAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
Protesters are rallying as Montreal’s city council prepares to vote on the pitbull ban on Monday.
CTV News reported that city councillors will decide whether or not to ban new pitbulls and to impose strict regulations on pit bulls currently living in the city.
The Montreal SPCA stated that if the ban is approved, they will refuse to provide dog services to the city.
The pit bull ban is currently active in Ontario and other Canadian cities, like Winnipeg.
NATIONAL
by Patricia Petit Liang
Calgary Stampeder Mylan Hicks was pronounced dead at a hospital following a nightclub shooting on Sunday morning.
According to CBC News, three suspects are now in custody following the tragedy.
Hicks was only 23 years old and will be remembered fondly by his fellow teammates
INTERNATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
China has begun testing the world’s largest radio telescope.
According to BBC News, the telescope will take 3 years to calibrate before it will be ready to use.
The telescope took the National Astronomical Observatories of China 5 years to build and is worth $180m.
INTERNATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
A British researcher has won a biology prize for surviving for 3 days in the Swiss Alps by living like a goat.
Reuters reported that Tom Thwaites wore prosthetic arms and legs to walk like an animal and chew grass.
Thwaites’ research won him the biology prize at the Ig Nobel Awards, a contest celebrating the most bizarre and amusing achievements in scientific research.
Brotherly Love at The Sadies + Li'l Andy + Will McClelland Show
POP Montreal 2016
It was a brother takeover at Theatre Fairmount on Saturday night with The Sadies, fronted by Dallas and Travis Good, headlining a night to celebrate the release of Will McClelland's The Minted.
I arrived just in time to hear Will McClelland reading an excerpt of his newly published novel, a sardonic imagining of a Canadian near future when environmental degradation has reached a crisis level. The animals, led by a charismatic talking moose fed up with human greed, begin a reign of terror, aiming to take back the Canadian wilderness. McClelland read a passage as The Moose, a fiery speech to rally the animals into action. The assembled crowd dove into character as geese, banded kingfisher, and rock dove, shouting back their response. McClelland's work is equal parts mordant and hilarious, deeply imaginative and carefully crafted.
Next up was Li'l Andy and his band playing a concise set of their brand of dark country. Tales of travelling through out-of-the-way towns ("Out on the Old Highway") and the terrifying and awesome mechanization of the West ("See the Train Arrive") are Li'l Andy's signature, but it's not all soot and shadows. Moments of levity were plentiful with Li'l Andy showing off his quick wit with songs like "Ah, Loneliness" and droll between-song banter. Joe Grass on pedal steel and Joshua Zubot on fiddle played thrilling solos, exploring ground not typically covered in the genre. Josh Toal on bass and backing vocals and Ben Caissie, my favourite drummer to watch, round out the all-star band. The evening's man of honour, Will McClelland, joined his brother on stage for two Neil Young covers. Li'l Andy introduced Will as "the man who taught me how to play guitar," and seeing them share the stage was a sweet moment. The sheer glee they radiated singing harmonies on "Dance, Dance, Dance" was enough to get the whole crowd smiling. The band closed the set with a blazing rendition of "While the Engines Burn", Andy stomping and rocking out sufficiently to lose his hat. I applaud your fervour, sir.
The Sadies took the stage to a packed house and dished out almost two hours of the kind of masterful playing you'd expect from a band entering their third decade of playing together. The set list was a mix of Morricone-esque instrumentals, country classics like The Louvin Brothers' "There's A Higher Power", and heavier, more psych-rock influenced songs such as "Another Year Again" and "Story 19". The set was replete with feats of fast fingering, the Good brothers often ramping up the tempo of songs to impossible speeds. When the band came back out for an encore, vocal audience members demanded "25 more songs!" and the Sadies delivered a very generous five. A friend I saw on the way out said, "The Sadies never disappoint". I couldn't agree more.
--Sue Snyder is the tall chick in the front row blocking your view of the band. She's also a belly dancer making unusual dances with her cosmic twin under the name Cult of Yes. Find her on the Twitter @Susie_Qc.
Leif Vollebekk @ Rialto Rooftop - POP Montreal 2016
There are scores of shows at POP Montreal, more rare are the MOMENTS, when everything is beautiful, everyone is engaged, your throat tightens and you smile to yourself because you know that this is truly special. Leif Vollebekk's Friday night rooftop set was such a moment. Panoramic views over Montreal, gothic rooftops and the Mt Royal cross pushing up into the cloud line, the sun setting golden orange in the Montreal north. On a Persian rug island ringed with electric candelabra, Vollebekk sets up, invites the tiny crowd to pull near. What follows is a deeply intimate hour of music, Vollebekk alternately behind the keyboard and guitar, traffic from Parc Avenue offering the occasional punctuation.
Vollebekk's voice is all unexpected corners and velvet straightlaways, sweet and suffused with longing. He weaves stories of love affairs and life on the road, painting portraits of small towns and friends he's known. Stand-outs from this set included a solo acoustic version of "Off the Main Drag" and an electric cover of Joni Mitchell's "Case of You" that felt like the sweetest kind of a punch to the gut. Vollebekk is a deft player, but what sets him apart is his ability to tap into a pure emotionality without it ever feeling contrived.
As the set came to as close, the sky darkening to night, couples huddled close, friends smiled to each other. Pop, you said #ITSGONNABEMAGIC, and it really was.
Helena Deland @ The Rialto - POP Montreal 2016
Presented by POP Montreal
One stand out at POP Montreal this year is the emerging young singer-songwriter named Helena Deland. Originally from Quebec City, Deland hit the Montreal scene as a solo act and supplied backing vocals for other locals such as Earthly Circuits and Mathieu Bérubé. She then released the song "Baby" on her Bandcamp back in June to stellar yet quiet reviews, followed by a four-track mini album entitled Drawing Room (arranged and recorded by Jesse Mac Cormack) just last month. It was an extremely good move to place her as the opener for the legendary John Cale, because that's sure introduce her talents to a wider audience beyond area code 514.
Helena possesses a distinctive voice that is alive with feeling and sweetly, sultrily inviting. She started her set alone on guitar, and was soon joined by supporting players Mathieu Bérubé (guitar), Francis Ledoux (drums), and Alexandre Larin (bass). Together they owned that little space where they stood stage left at The Rialto. The songs, especially "Aix", were overflowing with romance and whimsy, and it was also super fun when she started to scat and groove along with the guitar. Overall, the performance was captivating, rich, and personal, and Helena was endearing and obviously very happy to be there.
The set ended abruptly and left me wanting more. Helena Deland is most certainly one to watch and the highlight of this year's festival. Catch her final POP Montreal performance tomorrow, September 24th, 3 PM at Le Divan Orange.
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Stephanie Dee is a writer living in Montreal and she likes to participate in having fun. This is her fifth time covering POP Montreal for CJLO. Be sure to search for our hashtag #CJLOgoesPOP and follow us @CJLO1690AM on Twitter and Instagram for up-to-minute coverage of the POP Montreal.
NEWS FOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD 2016
Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang
Stories by Patricia Petit Liang
Produced by Patricia Petit Liang
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LOCAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
MTL Blog has removed their articles about the city’s hottest university students.
CBC News reported that the articles contained unauthorized pictures of students from Concordia and McGill University.
The students featured in these articles were harassed on social media and Concordia’s student newspaper The Concordian is now boycotting MTL Blog.
NATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
The Shamattawa First Nations community in Manitoba has declared a state of emergency after a fire destroyed their only grocery store on Thursday.
According to CTV News, although nobody was injured, the fire also burned down the community’s band office, post office and radio station.
More than 1500 people are now in dire need of clean drinking water and food.
NATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
The Thunder Bay police force has been put under review following several civilian complaints about how they investigate the deaths of Indigenous people.
CBC News wrote that the Office of the Independent Police Review Director has began this review nearly a year after the suspicious death of Stacey DeBungee.
The deaths being investigated are those of seven young First Nations citizens, five of which were found in the same river as DeBungee.
INTERNATIONAL
By Patricia Petit Liang
An overcrowded migrant boat capsized off the coast of Egypt on Thursday.
According to the National Post, the boat was carrying more than 350 people and although 163 migrants were rescued, more than 145 are missing and 51 bodies have been recovered.
Fishermen rushed onto the scene 5 hours before the coast guard arrived.
L.A. Witch @ Metropolis - POP Montreal 2016
Presented by Evenko and POP Montreal
The music of L.A. Witch has a prowling, expansive, and gorgeously atmospheric quality that grabs the attention and enters your dreams. One can hear the influence of bands like Mazzy Star, or The Dream Syndicate and Opal from the '80s paisley underground scene in Los Angeles, but L.A. Witch's vibe is stripped down to the bare bones and sexier, with a more intimate grindhouse rocker vibe.
L.A. Witch showed some real bad-ass style at Metropolis last night, doing a short half-hour set and performing pretty much their entire catalogue, which included "Get Lost", "Heart of Darkness", and their latest single "Drive Your Car" (the band's first label release on Black Mass Recordings / Ruined Vibes).
On stage, L.A. Witch has a way about them that is dark and felinesque (right down to the singer/guitarist's leopard print mini dress), which I really dig as a cat owner and honorary member of the glaring. These are some powerful chicks, for sure. I adored the tone and phrasing of Sade Sanchez's voice, Irita Pai's bass was on-point, and drummer Ellie English demonstrated good technical skill and support. L.A. Witch was a good choice as an opening band for The Kills both musically and in attitude, but parts of the performance have me wondering if this tour is starting to get them down a bit.
There were some slight technical difficulties, the guitar was a little obstructed, and the trio seemed aloof and lacking in energy for the majority of their set. The large size of stage at Metropolis was magnified as a result and left the impression that perhaps the band would be better suited to smaller venues consisting solely of devoted fans and members of their coven—but that witch-vibe feeling inside senses L.A. Witch will prove me wrong.
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Stephanie Dee is a writer living in Montreal and she likes to participate in having fun. This is her fifth time covering POP Montreal for CJLO. Be sure to search for our hashtag #CJLOgoesPOP and follow us @CJLO1690AM on Twitter and Instagram for up-to-minute coverage of the POP Montreal.
TONITE @ 11:59pm : dj flugvél og geimskip, HEALTH, Fog @ Piccolo Rialto
Icelandic artist dj flugvél og geimskip first crossed CJLO’s radar during CMJ 2015 in New York City, with a magical performance at the conference’s Iceland Airwaves Showcase. Despite her artist name (which translates to DJ Airplane and Spaceship), she is a fantasy-inspired, electronic musician rather than a conventional DJ. Dj flugvél og geimskip explained to CJLO that in her art she prefers exploring the mythical to the mundane. Her upbeat electronic sound is laced with Icelandic and english lyrics that explore possibilities like cats in space. Her thematic explorations follow the philosophy that it is better to sing about what might be going on throughout the universe than earthly relationships. When CJLO asked her about the “dj” pre-fix in her name, she explained that she began her career marketing herself as a DJ so that she would be able to play her original music in between bands at local shows. She has come a long way since. Performing upward of ten shows during Iceland Airwaves 2015, dj flugvél og geimskip is a clear star in her homeland. Her music has the unique capacity to transport an audience to a much more magical place…
You can catch dj flugvél og geimskip with HEALTH and FOG at POP Montreal on September 22nd at Piccolo Little Burgundy (Late Night); a CJLO co-presentation. Doors at 11pm, show at Midnight. For tickets and more info, visit popmontreal.com
Christina Bell can be heard Fridays at 3pm on Yonic Youth: an ephemeral platform used to celebrate the artistic genius of women in music- tune in for your weekly dose of femme con.
CJLO X POP BBQ / Holy F*ck / HEALTH
Today is a big day! Come find us at CJLO's Pop Montreal BBQ collab at POP Quarters (3450 St Urbain) where we will be broadcasting 1-6pm, talking lots of POP with Behind The Counter and Dirty Work live- so let us know what shows you are excited to see- and ask us about our HEALTH tickets! There's a sweet line-up of live acts, starting at 2pm with Wiklow (CJLO's RPM artist-in-residence), 3pm with Guy Madonna, 4pm with No Aloha, and Joyce N'sana at 5pm (CJLO's World artist-in-residence). Come chill and have some tasty BBQ delights- till 6pm!
Then, head over to our CJLO X Pop co-presentations, starting with Holy F*ck + Fake Palms + New Fries + Technical Kidman at Theatre Fairmount (9:30pm) and then some late night action at HEALTH + FOG + dj. flugvél og geimskip at Piccolo Little Burgundy (Late Night- doors at 11pm). Pop Montreal goes till Sunday, so keep it locked to CJLO for coverage, sessions, POP tips!
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