I love it when a band does a cover that adds to the original. It isn’t just a repeat in another voice, but a different interpretation of a song.
This is one of those. It’s Baths version of LCD’s “All My Friends”. Unlike the original, this is almost mournful.
For comparison here is the original with LCD’s drums and organ setting a frenetic pace which hurls the listen along.
I love it when I stumble upon stuff while surfing the web.
This: http://www.radiolab.org/
Got me to this: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/
which lead me to this: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/02/08/171476473/the-real-story-of-how-macklemore-got-thrift-shop-to-number-one
which lead me to this:
This seems appropriate given the weather in Toronto this week.
This is one of my all time favorite movies. I watched it again when I was flying back from Japan.
If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it. It has a subtle humour and is a little bit quirky. To be honest it reminds me of my relationship with my own siblings a bit. Especially after mom passed away.
Choosing a song to dance to at your wedding is hard. Here is what I got so far.
Bright Eyes – “First Day of My Life”
Jack Johnson – “Better Together”
Joe Cocker - “You are so beautiful”
Ray LaMontagne - “You Are The Best Thing”
CBC Radio, rebels that they are, are pulling the CBC kicking and screaming into the world of syndicated content. You can now begin to share and embed radio content starting with the Q. Kudos to them!
I was asked by the lovely and talented May if I would participate in CBC’s “It gets better” video. Of course I said “yes”. The opportunity to tell younger versions of me to hang on wasn’t something I could pass up.
Of course after the fact you think of even more things to say. Namely, “if someone is bullying you, speak to your teachers, parents, or principal. If you are not getting the help you need. Talk to the police and press assault charges and then get a lawyer and sue the school board. No one deserves to get assaulted. And I guarantee they will listen then.”
Protesting in Canada is a waste of time. Canadians are just not the sort of people who get riled up enough about stuff that isn’t hockey to cause a ruckus. The government blows over a billion dollars on a 3 day convention? “Oh well”. The police kill an unarmed man in an airport and then lie about it? “Oh well”. Politicians don’t want their expenses audited? “Oh well”.
Protesting in Canada is, quite frankly, a waste of time; but there a number of reasons for this.
First off, the government is not scared of the people. Just watch this classic clip of Pierre Trudeau, one of Canada most beloved (and reviled) Prime Ministers, as he justifies putting the military on Parliament Hill and his famous response to the question of using the military to protect the government; “Just watch me.”
Despite this small insurrection by the FLQ, Canada has never had a civil war or a revolution large enough to scare the government into cowering before the people. In contrast, the French have a history of decapitating their leaders when they don’t like them anymore so the government there has good reason to be afraid.
In Canada there was no large revolution to throw off the shackles of our British masters (Americans), no large demonstrations for democracy (China), no mass protests in response to corrupt elections (Iran). We have never done anything that would scare politicians and government workers into meeting the demands of the people. Instead we just shrug, “what are we going to do about it?”
In North America the people are afraid of the government.
In the US
and in Canada
And with good reason. The government systematically kicks the shit out of people and then sticks it’s tongue out when people do try to get some justice. In Canada, when there is a police (or authority) related death, like Robert Dziekanski, we wag fingers and demand action but then after a little while go on with our daily lives. In Mr. Dziekanski’s case the RCMP lied, flat out lied about it and if there hadn’t been a video they would have brushed it under the rug. Despite the clear violation of civil rights, and lack of basic human decency, no one has ever been charged or even fired for Robert’s death, and probably won’t be.
In Greece, by contrast, people rioted for 5 days in protest following the death of a 15-year-old boy shot by police. Two police officers were arrested within days for the incidents and while I cannot condone the violence, I love the righteous anger that demands justice.
Canadians meanwhile will riot over hockey, and hockey and hockey
In France, when a group decides they have an issue and they want to strike, they shut down the entire country. When the French farmers had a beef (pun intended) with the government they shut down Paris by blocking all the roads with their tractors. Stopping over 2 million people from going about their daily business is an effective and attention grabbing way of making your point.
This doesn’t work in Canada because we are either too apathetic about issues or as a nation far too polite to feel like we should upset or inconvenience anyone else. Take the Tamil protests here in Toronto a year ago.
The top comment on the CBC by a large margin was about how protesters should not be allowed on the highway. No mention of the conflict, the politics, the suffering. Selfish, ignorant Canadians were more concerned with their commute home than people dying.
Alternately in France when one group strikes, all the other groups strike in support. A side effect of Liberté, égalité, fraternité perhaps? I have no idea but it would seem to me if you can’t support the protest you should at least support the right to protest.
Another reason why protests are less effective in Canada is the protesters themselves. In Europe the protesters are farmers, teachers, students, doctors – average, middle-aged, normal-looking people. The marches are organized, with signs and with clear agendas.
In Canada, the protesters tend to be younger people with dyed hair and mohawks, wearing camo cargo pants and rock t-shirts. It looks more like a rave or a street party than a protest. The problem with this is that it becomes easier to dismiss their concerns as youthful malcontent. Comments on the news sites prescribe the protesters should “get a job” and “grow up”. After all, they don’t look serious, so how could their cause be serious?
The protesters also lack the cohesion to clearly articulate their message. For the G20 there are gay rights protests, anti-poverty protests, anti-World Monetary Fund protests, anti-pollution protests, etc, etc…
It becomes an issue of, “pick one and maybe I can support it” until then it is easier to just not care. If the protesters could get organized enough to have housewives and priests, teachers and firemen, accountants and taxi drivers join them then they would have a movement. Then they would be unstoppable. Sadly in this country it seems the only thing that can do that is hockey, not human rights.
The last reason the protests are a waste of time is that it helps the government, not the people. The government has spent 1.3 billion dollars on the G20 with most of it being security. The police now have a number of new toys including water cannons, sounds cannons, plastic pullets, tasers, riot gear and they are just waiting for an excuse to use them.
You want to really embarrass them, let’s all leave the city. It would be like preparing for a war and no one showing up.
If the G20 protesters get violent or too close to the summit, the police will respond swiftly and brutally. And why wouldn’t they? They have the numbers, the arms and the knowledge that the government and the legal system will protect them. It would take a cop shooting an unarmed child on video tape for there to be any outcry. Doubt it? The police at the G20 in London assaulted a man on video who moments later has a heart attack and died; and they got away with it.
Besides, what are you going to do about it?
The ending is amazing, a great finish.
