Conferences are great: you don’t have to deal with the anonymity of the 200-person lecture hall and you really get to know your fellow students in an intimate setting. But at a certain point, you realize the same characters appear in every conference. Here’s a breakdown of the kids you’re[Read More…]
Author: Admin
Beauty and its discontents
Adam Scotti “I like what I got, and I’m gonna protect that. Wouldn’t you?” After Steph finds out that her boyfriend Greg has just called her face “regular,” she delivers the play’s first monologue, in which she explains why, though still clearly in love with Greg, she had to go[Read More…]
Ice Cube : I Am the West
“Ice Cube is the West Coast” is the mission statement for his new album. But after 16 tracks loaded with self-indulgence, Cube and his small posse of gangster no-names, has-beens, and never-weres can’t give a decent reason for why he deserves the title of “Best in the West.” The album[Read More…]
Peach Salsa
I have a soft spot for salsa, especially salsa fresca. Fruit is a lovely addition to the popular sauce, adding colour, sweetness, and complexity to the flavour. It’s one of my favourite summer snacks, but it can be enjoyed year round. Because the Ontario peach season is winding down, now[Read More…]
Bonjay : Broughtupsy
Broughtupsy is the fresh debut album from reggae/dancehall duo Bonjay—and fresh is exactly what it is. Fronted by singer Alanna Stuart and produced by beats/effects master Ian “Pho” Swain, Bonjay brings an invigorating mix of dancehall rhythms and crisp hooks to the floor, displaying ample evidence that these two have[Read More…]
Literary launch lacks laughs
Local literati were out in full blazered regalia on October 5 for the re-launch of Montreal humourist Jonathan Goldstein’s first novel, Lenny Bruce is Dead, originally published by Coach House Books in 2001. The 41-year-old Goldstein, author of two books, contributor to Chicago Public Radio’s This American Life, and host[Read More…]
Sufjan Stevens: not half as enslaved
Sufjan Stevens is a master designer of atmospheres. You would want to be a Jim Carrey-type character in a world of his design, and at the end of the movie you would ultimately choose not to escape through the hidden door. At will, and in bizarre, repeating cycles, he lulls[Read More…]
Leaping and soaring to Chopin
I have only experienced a few perception-altering performances in my life, and Friday night’s National Ballet performance of Marie Chouinard’s 24 Preludes by Chopin and Crystal Pite’s Emergence was one of them. Prior to the performance, I was certain I was not a person who could enjoy contemporary ballet. I[Read More…]
Scrap the Montreal metro cars deal
McGill Tribune Last Thursday the Quebec National Assembly passed Bill 116, permitting the provincial government to hand a $1.22 billion contract for the construction of 468 new Montreal metro cars to a consortium led by Bombardier without going through a bidding process. This bill was proposed by the government and[Read More…]
Not all conflict and car bombs in the Middle East
Alison Bailey In a lecture for his course “Developing World: The Middle East,” Professor Rex Brynen asked the class what were the first words that came to mind with the mention of the Middle East. Students’ answers were predictable: Islam, burka, falafel, camels, desert, oil, mosques, violence, conflict, car bombs,[Read More…]