A BoB short: Quebec’s striking students received some high-profile musical support last night when Montreal’s Arcade Fire appeared on “Saturday Night Live” wearing the symbol of the student movement, a red square. The Grammy-winners, along with Nick Fraiture of The Strokes, accompanied host Mick Jagger on a version of the Rolling Stones’ 1965 single, “The […]
Leonard Cohen repays Canada Council, and then some
A BoB short: Canadian literature and music legend Leonard Cohen, awarded the Glenn Gould Prize in Toronto last night, has chosen to donate the $50,000 that comes with it to the Canada Council for the Arts. The Montreal native is the ninth winner of the honour that has been called “The Nobel Prize of the […]
Justin Bieber to the rescue
A Bob short: London, Ontario’s Bethesda Centre announced on Saturday that Canadian-born pop star Justin Bieber will donate a portion of the sales of his new single to its Save the Bethesda campaign. The Centre is a Salvation Army-run centre for teenage mothers that provides prenatal care and daycare services. Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, lived […]
Train tour inspired by 70’s Festival Express
A BoB short: A motley of young electronic musicians led by Grammy-winning dubstep artist Skrillex, who is arguably more known for his half-shaved hairstyle, will be touring Canada via private train this summer. Accompanying Skrillex, whose real name is Sonny Moore, is indie pop maven and former Vancouverite Grimes, and American artists DJ Diplo and […]
Fort McMurray’s Keyano College sends arts to tailings pond
By Frank Moher The sacking of four instructors in the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Keyano College in Fort McMurray is creating an uproar well beyond the city better known for its resource extraction talents. Artists, of course, are well aware that their masters — whether they be cabinet ministers or academic administrators — […]
Farm This Way
By Rachel Krueger When it comes to pop cultural infections, the only thing worse than hearing “Born This Way” AGAIN (again from when I heard it this morning, but also again from when I heard it in 1989) is getting a facebook notification that Jodie just bought me a cow and would I like to […]
Rebecca Black: Voice of Today’s Youth
by Rachel Krueger Rebecca Black’s “Friday” has been making the internet rounds to guffaws and heaps of ridicule, and there’s no denying that it’s that bad. But is it not ALSO a scathingly accurate anthem for our disaffected youth? To wit: The opening lines of the song have taken heat for being needlessly and idiotically […]
Editing for nothing for Dire Straits
By Frank Moher You will have heard that an American publishing house has plans for an edition of Huckleberry Fiinn in which the character “N***** Jim” is to be renamed “Slave Jim.” Now comes word that the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has ruled that the song “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits is unfit for […]
Justin Bieber does his bit for the Canadian economy
By Frank Moher My New Year’s resolution for 2011 is to like Justin Bieber. I’m quite serious. My first reaction to the news that The Bieber caused a near-riot when he appeared at a Kitchener, Ont. mall on Boxing Day, there to buy some shades (because, after all, his future really is so bright he’s […]
Jack up the crazy: Courtney’s reality show
by Rachel Krueger This is what we’re doing now, Universe? It’s not enough that Snooki has a book deal and that the Bieber-fetus has a biopic. We’re giving Courtney Love a reality show now? Because this show isn’t going to be whatever Courtney thinks this show is going to be (“America’s Next Top Model” meets […]
