House of Grizzly Andrews

[grizzlyandrews]

The Court Digital, which launched a week ago today, is a brilliant new Arts and Culture magazine that has emerged from the twistedly talented minds behind the House of Grizzly Andrews. Come take a look at ALL OF THE THINGS, we are classy as hell.

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ADMIT IT

Happy 2014 Tara McGowan-Ross

I’m the sort of person who goes into January excited about the prospect of a fresh and shiny new year, not horrified by the idea of my life slipping away from me. Also, I like New Year’s Resolutions. Once we’ve slept off our hangovers and the stores have reopened, people will be lining up to register at gyms and shaky hands will flush cigarettes down the toilet, everyone convinced that This Is The Year. And for some, it will be. For others, Valentine’s Day will be spent like it was every previous year: holed up with a bottle of the second-cheapest whiskey, a box of chocolates and a fresh pack of smokes, bemoaning the fact that they went up a pant size in the past month and a half.

I was once told me it takes somewhere between 21 and 66 days to form a new habit, although these numbers seem vaguely arbitrary. Either way, everyone can agree habit-resolutions are hard to maintain. It seems to make more sense, to me, to form resolutions based on attitude. So here is my idea for 2014: Admit you're an asshole. Admit that you’re a dishonest piece of shit. It’ll honestly make you a better person. Here’s how:

1. Stop saying: “That girl has no respect for herself.”

Theoretically, this should not be gendered, because I’m sure that someone, somewhere, has at some point said this about someone who isn’t a girl, but I have never met that person and neither has anyone else I know. This is the sort of judgement we place almost exclusively on girls and women, but that’s another rant. Here is the thing about self-respect: the only one who knows if I have it is me, the self. It is a completely internal process. You have no fucking idea how much self-respect someone has because they wear pyjama pants to the grocery store, or they masturbate for people on the internet or they sleep (or they don't) with whomever they chose. What you mean when you say “she has no respect for herself” is that you have no respect for her. Which makes you sound like kind of a jerk, right? Well, congratulations, Jerky McJerk, you are.

99.9% of the time, the “poor thing, no respect for herself” judgement is based exclusively on some sort of variation in what you see as self-respect and what they do. It does not mean that person has any more or less than the acceptable levels of self-respect, only that it manifests differently. Sure, some girl might show weird old guys her lady-bits on camera for money, but honestly most of the jobs I’ve had in my adult life were leaps and bounds more demeaning, and I didn’t get paid nearly as well.

So, you have less respect for someone based on something stupid like what they left the house wearing. Does that make you feel shitty? No? Well, whatever, you’re still less of a jerk for being honest. If it does make you feel shitty, find some way to move on and stop bothering other people with judgement nobody cares about.

2.  Speak up.

Here’s the thing: I do not require the people around me to be angels. I like people who are a little fucked up, and little mean, and a little flawed. I think it makes things interesting. But there are certain things I can’t stomach. I’m a writer, I know how important words are, and I think anyone who throws around words that target historically shit-upon groups of people are fucking lazy.

But it’s hard to call out your friends, because the odds are they’re not going to say, “Oh gee, Tara, I’ve never thought of it that way, you’ve completely changed my life, I’m a better person now. Also, here is a million dollars.” They will probably say you’re a fascist and ignore you. Worst-case scenario, they will settle into their shitty ways even deeper out of spite for you and people like you. And you’ll feel bad. Not to mention, calling someone out is not always a good idea – it can be a danger to your safety, it may not be the right time or place, they might be old and they’ll be dead soon anyway, and it’s going to take a lot of trial and error before you figure out how to make it work for you (I cry in every confrontation. Ever. Believe me when I say I have no idea how to do this properly yet).

But you have to do it anyway, because being silent (when you don’t have to be) is being complicit, and sometimes making the people you love feel embarrassed and shitty is the only way to be a good friend. You’re an ass if you do, but you’re a bigger ass if you don’t. Speak up. Be mean. 3.  Be Selfish (when you need to be).

Your needs are important. Sometimes, in fact, they are more important than other people’s. Some people already know how to be selfish, and honestly most of the time I envy them more than I resent them. It’s nice to help people out. But too many people I know give so much of themselves, they let their own needs get completely swept under the rug.

People (for the most part) can take care of themselves. You are pretty self-involved if you assume that everyone needs you specifically to help them out. If they really need help, they can probably get it from somewhere else. It doesn’t make you a bad friend or partner or ally or whatever-the-fuck to say “Hey, I do not have the energy or resources for this right now, and I can’t help you”.

Are you more important than other people? To yourself, sure. But if you’re miserable and burnt out, you're absolutely no use to other people, let alone yourself. So take the time to take care of yourself. You are important, and you deserve to be a priority. Like Janis Joplin once whimpered into a whisky-soaked microphone, “Don't compromise yourself, you're all you've got.”  

4.  Leave.

This is a rough one. Do you hate where you live? Do you hate that your relationship has become more about loyalty than what you actually want? Do you have nothing in common with a friend anymore, but can’t bear the thought of cutting them off and hurting them?

Then, may I (gently) suggest: you are being an asshole. Not just to the people affected by your inaction, but to yourself as well. Running away from homes, relationships, cities and people that don’t work for you doesn’t get enough credit. If you have tried to make something work and it’s just getting weirder and harder and more unrecognizable, maybe it’s time to bail.

This is especially important where people are concerned. Because in the end, there are billions of other people on the planet, and while no two people are exactly alike and no one can completely replace someone else, they can come pretty fucking close. New relationships can be so kick-ass and rewarding and magical, they have the potential to completely make up for the shitty ones.

So get out. Break their heart and focus on making and maintaining relationships that are what you actually want and need. Staying involved with someone, romantically or otherwise, when it feels like an obligation, is dishonest and cruel.

5.  Let go of your guilt.

Every single one of us has done something wrong, if you tell me you haven't, you're a fucking liar. And guilt about wronging someone can be healthy, in moderation. But when that guilt becomes a pervasive, all-consuming self-resentment, it’s unhealthy and toxic. Why are you obsessing so hard over it anyway? Do you go over ways that you could have done something differently? Are you obsessed with the idea that if you did it over again and were more mindful and aware – generally more like you – you would be able to change it? Unfortunately, that person who did that bad thing was you. You could have done something else, but you didn't. That asshole was you, the whole time. You have the capacity to be that person. You've done it before and you can do it again, and no amount of nauseating guilt will reverse that.

The issue with the New Year/New Me rhetoric is this: no matter how many new haircuts you get or pounds you lose, it is still you and your shitty attitude piloting this thing, and new cars will only lead to you pulling into another New Year in a smoldering wreck because you spun out of control pretending you were a different sort of person. An asshole drives like an asshole. Refusing to own up to being an asshole makes everything worse. Just admit it. It will feel better. I promise.

Good luck. And have a great fucking year, you dick.

[grizzlyandrews]

BONE SOUP FOR CHRISTMAS

Have you listened to the BONE SOUP FOR CHRISTMAS Holiday Mix from Rich Uncle Skelleton and the House of Grizzly Andrews?  (If not, follow the link!)   BUT WAIT!  In case those magical sounds aren’t enough, here are some words between your RICH UNCLE and GRIZZLY ANDREWS.  Read! Listen! Put a Candy Cane in your mouth and enjoy the orgy of the senses.

Rich Uncle celebrates 32 years in only a few days.  Are you feeling old?

Capricorns get younger with age, I am told.  I’ve always looked forward to being old but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen for a while.  To me, old people are definitely cool because they don’t give a shit about ‘being cool’.  They roll their eyes when you ask them idiotic shit like “Do you think music has gotten better since your day?”   When my grandpa was in his late 90s I used to watch him turn off his hearing aids when people would ask him dumb shit.  For him, young people might even be in their 50s. He’d raise up his arms and look blankly, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.  And then walk away.  When he’d notice I had caught him in the act, he’d just grin the best kind of grin.  One that only someone who is truly old as fuck can give.   I am not this old yet.  But boy, I can’t wait. 

  What is Rich Uncle-Skelleton’s proudest accomplishment to date?

2013 was a really good year.  I got to work with pretty nearly every musical artist I like, partner up with some super rad festivals and premiere a digital-baroque opera with Frances Adair Mckenzie.   I’d say getting to watch the faces of 300 stupefied people as they watched a 50-foot digital Mozart’s Sister (looking like a cross between Marie-Antoinette and Cindy Lauper) in a 19th century bank, singing music I wrote was pretty rad.  But honestly, every time people even show up to something I do I’m happy.    I’m usually more shocked than proud   Like, “Oh, so this is happening.  Huh”. 

  What is your relationship to the Holiday Season?

My parents moved to the legitimate middle of nowhere some years ago and it’s always a bit isolating to get out there and it’s nearly always prolonged due to inclement weather.  There is a kind of calmness that is represented in the physical landscape of the country.  There’s also a kind of calm needed to deal with the stress of travelling.  Or when your Chinese mother calls you fat.  That’s what I thought about when putting this mix together—being with the people I love and chilling the fuck out. 

  If you had one Christmas miracle granted to you, what would it be?

To wake  up in a world where everyone respected themselves and each other and placed living in harmony with nature over simple profit.   Barring this, I would settle for waking up to an iPhone that wasn’t smashed. 

  What will we see next from Rich Uncle-Skelleton?

On the 28th I’m celebrating 32 years of Rich Uncle at Sala Rosa with some of my favourite people— d’Eon, ¡FLIST!, Karneef and Frances Adair Mckenzie, which I’m really looking forward to.   Then I dunno, I guess in 2014 there’s some performances of the 1699 opera, some new material written and staged for it.  A new piece called The Queer King (about Frederick the Great of Prussia), some remixes, a Syngja ep, more Rich Uncle Presents live performance videos with artists I love… And other cool stuff probably.  There’s a ballet thing I’m dreaming up.  I dunno, I just like doing stuff and helping other people do stuff.   MERRY XMAS

[grizzlyandrews]

Y'ALL WANT A CHRISTMAS PRESENT?

[grizzlyandrews]

Holy Spirit Holiday Benefit

Holy Spirit by Tara McGowan-Ross

It was a brutally cold Thursday evening in December, and I was frozen when I walked through the doors of Kafein. I’m in love with Kafein. I’ve been in love with it since this summer, when the “Poetry Night at Kafein” events began, giving new and experienced poets a chance to test out their work on an audience.

On this particular evening, the House of Grizzly Andrews had completely taken over the cavernous basement bar space of the Bishop street café and restaurant: walking in from the harsh cold of the street felt like coming back to life. I was greeted suddenly by bright-faced young people at work collecting donations at the door, hanging signs reading, “#grizzlyandrews” on every wall, littering the perimeter of the room with innumerable candy canes. I had written something very personal for the occasion, and I was feeling nervous. I had the opportunity to feel that way for about thirty seconds before Andrew Jamieson (Montreal lit wonderkid and the Artistic Director of the House) started introducing me to the many friends, artists, and art appreciators who had already arrived. My vulnerability melted away as my hands warmed, and as the stiff Old Fashioned I’d ordered disappeared the laughter and low hum of conversation called me in.

The stage was a small area just in front of the DJ booth, where a virtual fire crackled from the screen of a laptop. Among the readings were Robert Wringham’s charming work of fiction about Christmas parties and the interpersonal relationships of those who can and cannot see ghosts. Then was my own personal essay about the internal conflict of wishing warmth to people who I could not have in my life anymore. Once everyone was approaching drunk, Andrew Jamieson performed his particular flavour of brutal and beautiful poetry (which gets me every time). The performances were woven together with the charming presence of the night’s host, Lauren Stone, a multi-talented performing artist and writer from Los Angeles. She easily guided the readings in and out of long stretches of music and conversation, and chose the winners of the raffle prizes—generously donated by Lush Cosmetics, Café Santropol, La Lumiere du Mile End, Fuchsia Épicerie Fleur, Spin Énergie, MainLine Theatre, Citizen Vintage, and the incredible queer youth support organization & t-shirt company WE LIVE HERE TOO. Stone has the sort of presence that makes you feel funnier, like you’re somehow accomplishing something simply by being around her. She effortlessly controlled the audience, and kept us enthralled throughout the evening. Singer and songwriter, Nick Joy, lead us all in a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne to finish his set, the last performance of the evening.

Without a doubt, it was a triumph; a small but incredibly warm gathering of artists and art appreciators who braved the elements to support one of the most absurd and noble causes possible: the pursuit of new art.

The House of Grizzly Andrews would like to thank all who attended for their contribution toward the goal of providing private grants, promotion and community support to artists who share the drive to bring the world more art that is honest, brash, and just a little fucked-up.

Tune in to CKUT 90.3 FM at 7 AM on New Year's day to hear Robert Wringham read a special broadcast of selections from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's “Sherlock Holmes” series. 

[grizzlyandrews]

[grizzlyandrews]

Antonio Santin’s paintings of carpets seem to hide something dark, cover something up – only revealing a silhouette. He himself understands his hyperrealistic paintings as still lifes. Since he enjoys adjusting the fabric’s proportions the paintings are very large, measuring up to more than three meters. By deconstructing and reinventing the essence of certain textures and weaves of the textiles, he creates an effect that easily raises ones hackles. He states: ‘Inanimation characterizes the painting but it is the beholder who gives or takes breath away.’ The paintings are based on photographs he takes himself and manages, despite the fact that hyperrealism seems to be incredibly popular these days, to create something new.

Check out more of Antonio Santin on iGNANT.

[grizzlyandrews]

#greenhouse #photoshoot #westmount #montreal

[grizzlyandrews]

Selected poets from Poetry Night at Kafein - Forget The Box

Pamela Fillion presents the work of poets that have been featured at Poetry Night, a series of readings at Kafein.

Check out Andrew Jamieson featured in a recent review on Forget The Box.

[grizzlyandrews]

www.grizzlyandrews.com

www.grizzlyandrews.com

[grizzlyandrews]

READ A BOOK

“Please, no matter how we advance technologically, please don't abandon the book. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book."

― Patti Smith (Acceptance speech, National Book Award 2010, November 17, 2010)

[sadiewiarda]

An Encounter with the Egoist, reading event by author/performer Andrew Jamieson - @ #Hashtag Gallery, Toronto, ON

photography/poster design by Sadie Wiarda