>> "The United States of Canada and America"
Sorry, that's where I stop reading. We in Canada may have our problems, but to just lump us in with you for the sake of political expediency is a serious slap, and I no longer have any interest in what this naive buffoon may say.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
Do you know Bruce LaBruce? He's Canadian. I think it's more a comment on the US mall-ification of a lot of Canadian culture than anything else.
I've been a fan for a long time, but rereading the manifesto reminded me of two things I needed reminding of this evening: sexual liberation movements and Marcuse!
Also, I love this: "Today, the worship of celebrity has become a kind of neurotic compulsion that turns otherwise salient and reasonable human beings into slavering, sycophantic boobs who care more about the excruciating minutiae of the lifestyles of the filthy rich and unjustly famous than about their own, infinitely more authentic, everyday lives."
Dont know him, and if indeed he's Canadian, then he should be ashamed. We Canadians have enough problems with identity without someone like him just tossing us in with the US.
Yes, I agree that Canada has been mall-ified, which is why I love living in Montréal in specific and Québec in general: our provincial government may be acting like a bunch of linguistic psychotics, but we're doing our level best to stay away from anything the US casually throws across the border. Wish I could say the same for Alberta or Vancouver, but... :: shrug ::
As for the rest... honestly, Namo, it's not saying anything all that new. It's just taking a lot of the same stuff we've heard for God only knows how long and re-packaging it. If there was an aim for this, it eluded me, sorry. Are we becoming more and more Americanized? Yep. Do I know anyone who likes it? Nope. I am fiercely proud of my adopted country and wont take any BS from anyone who says we should just join in with the US: the last guy who did, when he found I was born in the States, quickly found he'd appealed to the wrong set of patriotic values.
So again, yes, we have our issues. No question about it. I am not a fan of Harper and what he's inflicted on Canada. But I will take him and the entire PCP before even considering having my country treated like some kind of step-sister to our good friend to the south.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
No, I think we're simultaneously taking this too seriously and not seriously enough. I'm not saying you have to know Bruce LaBruce's ouevre to "get it," but he really has quite an ouevre to check out. I've been a fan since his Toronto punk rock fanzine, JDs. And then his great first underground film to get attention, "No Skin off My Ass," and so much of the other stuff he has done over his prolific career.
I even contributed to his Indiegogo for his latest movie, "Gerontophilia" which was shot this winter in Montreal. I'm not conveying well what it is he does well in his cultural commentary or his creative endeavors.
I'll check it out, thanks.
Are you still in TO?
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
I'm in the US, but used to seek out JDs because of it's hilarity. It challenged the gays for loving status quo disco and the punks for being homophobic. It was perfect in many ways.
"ouevre"
There's that word again!
I've only seen Bruce's thing with Francois the French Porn Star. But only the first part because uh, what the hell was I watching?
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
A zombie movie working in the pornographic idiom.
Yep, that one. I'm also not a fan of Francois. That tattoo, really? As part of his documentary, he had a DVD and book signing at my old job. He ended up getting super pissed because not a lot of people came and he wasted a lot of time. I had only been at the store for a few weeks, so I was a little intimidated. Everyone else was nice, though. I got to meet a few of the TitanMen producers, which was cool.
Alas, HUSTLER WHITE--Not available on DVD
Both the hard and softcore versions of SKIN GANG are available, however
I started to watch L.A. Zombie, but I confused it with Otto, which I had already seen, so I shut it off. It's weird, I've never seen a LaBruce film I liked, but I always watch them. I think I enjoy reading about his films more than I enjoy watching them.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
I am really looking forward to Gerontophilia. Had I won the lottery, I would have pledged the highest amount so that I could attend a cast screening of the movie and then go to dinner with Bruce, picking up an old guy on the street to join us. But I didn't win the lottery.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
It *is* great. And today's vocab word: "Ayahuasca."
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