2011 in Review: WE WERE BORN TO DIET

Raymi The Minx, Lohan Leak, White House Studio Project, Randy Savage, Katy Perry, Telekenis, Lana Del Rey, Wheatus, Saving Gigi, Ferno House, Little Scream top Critical Crushes Year In Review




THE BANDS, BOOKS, ART SHOWS & MOVEMENTS THAT DEFINED THE YEAR

2011 is now a footnote in the annals of time and space. It was a strange ride for me, almost getting the swimsuit issue of Descant up and running (they said it could happen in 2015, no joke) I curated an art show, emailed people 265,331 times, made new friends in the Calgary, got banned from the worst bar in Toronto (Ciros) and finished Savage the novel. I was really into Lana Del Rey in June and she even tweeted to me when I said some comment to her about her video, this was before she was really big I guess and was stalking me.

The year began with an interview with Wheatus. It was an insightful and memorable time.

I saw Little Scream in concert at her Toronto launch for The Golden Record which is quite brilliant and super if you are into really good progressive poem pop pixie charm. -- Maybe the word pixie is over now. Maybe she is post-pixie, maybe she’s more gypsy than pixie. Watch out guys. Dreamy colours run right through.

My Verbicide interview with Screamy here.

Anyway check her out she is the bomb. Speaking of bombs, Katy Perry won an award for being the best person ever! She had 5 #1 hits from Teenage Dream (American Music Award made up a prize just for her at the awards show a few weeks ago) proving that pop is still king and that its okay to have fun in music and move around and not take things to seriously. That’s what Canadian poetry is for.

Speaking of which why not read Jacob McArthur Mooney's second poetry collection Folk or the entire 2011 collection from Ferno House including Spencer Gordon, Liz Howard and David Brock. These are limited edition chapbooks (Ferno) so get them while you can.

Telekenis was my favourite new band this year. My friend Ghostfaced Knitter described the sound as the perfect band to hoolah-hoop to. Doubt it? Listen to this.

Lindsay Lohan was naked a lot. My friend Kyra did a short film with her. For real. She also worked with Franco I think. Man does anyone care about him anymore? Art now is just about showing up and telling the people "Ya, ya, I'll do something. Do you have a website? Twitter?"

Toronto / London artist Alison Honey had some nice things to say about her favourite exhibits this year, exhibits that continue into bits of 2012. “The two exhibitions I attended this year that were by far and away my favorite were: Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman at The British Museum and Miracles and Charms at the Welcome Collection (part of the Welcome Trust). The exhibition is composed of two separate shows - Infinitas Gracias: Mexican miracle paintings and Felicity Powell - Charmed Life: The solace of objects.” Honey says both exhibitions are thought provoking and inspiritational and both run til mid-February. “So anyone lucky enough to be in London should make seeing those two shows a top priority!”

"I am already over Lana Del Rey," Raymi The Minx says, and I sort of agree with her, not just cos she wouldn't do an interview with me. Vanessa at Saving Gigi does a great five second version of Video Game, ask for it next time you are there. I went to Raymi's garage sale in the summer in between senseless barbecues.

Though Vanessa might have competition in the humour category of Lana covers. My friend from Germany Julianna made this.

I made my own tabloid version of Video Games by Lana here, (me and Amy are at the 5 through 8 second mark)

Did you guys know that Saving Gigi is now liscensed? It's pretty cozy and they have special Gigi night food too.

The Minx says it was a busy year, she liked Rule of the Bone book-wise, and says when she's writing or "creating something amazing or performing" she feels tops.

"La Vie En Rose (in several versions, Empire Ants, The High Road, Man Down by Rihanna and the Diet Coke Tiff Party were also highlights for Raymi.

Read more about my Raymi and blog women adventures here.

I jogged with Christine Estima my sassy blogging novelist friend.

My Randy Savage art show was the only good thing that happened to me this year and I hope that in 2012 something better happens. Thanks to Adam and Xenia and especially Vanessa at White House Studios for all their fine work. And Anisa Cameron for her great song and energy and coming all the way from Montreal to perform!

Remember when I was on television?!Remember that time Geoffrey and Tibi pretended they were ten years younger than they are and morphed into international tennis stars from 31 years ago?

Holy Crap he's Kirk Cameron from Growing Pains.

I saw Geoff and said that Kirk Cameron's childhood was looking for his leather jacket. Anyway I like Kirk Cameron and his religious values, at least he has something to think about. Maybe Pugen's Utopics can be revisited with Kirk Cameron at the helm as some sort of Antagonist. Speaking of Lynn Coady OMG. Did you know she liked my Canadian Poets postcard where the guy has a chainsaw and it says CANADIAN POETS are always angry about something? Her book The Antagonist is excellent.

Though again Pugen he looks a lot older than the teen heart throb from season one in 1986. Perhaps he should wear make up for some of these no frills middle class recreations or use his own photoshop potions on his aging face. We are all getting old, someone from Germany commented on my wrinkles yesterday. There is no escape.

Pugen's art is becoming Halloween or something. Post-appropriation I guess. The death of the self. The self that never was. In 1991 I did Jacques Plante, Han Solo and Randy Savage drag.

When Penguin or Anansi or Random House publish Savage in 2014, you can watch these VHS classics with me and Lisa Moore and Claudia Dey and Zsuzi Gartner I enjoyed her book a lot.

Remember when I was awkward?

Maybe art is just an event or a planning meeting that is over, and like my Savage show, the death of art perhaps in its totality.

Maybe its just about what you can get away with the production of the art as the art itself; post context. One can just google the reference and comprehend its social impact and perhaps contextualize it for their own generation. So yeah, Pugen has another show in January. That's like five in about a year? That is a lot. The first one of 2011 I believe was the one I helped write: Sahara Sahara.

But I find it fun that Pugen and I both went from trying to build our own worlds (Utopics, Bowlbrawl) to just becoming American white culture fanboys. There is something extremely offensive about the work, that it assumes a narcisms when no one asked for it. It's male privilege and aggressive and morbid all at once. Gratuitous and self-obsessed, cocky, white, banal and aimless. Yet the self as phantom, so the obsession is a vortex.

However, no one asked for these portents.

Of course I was George Michael in 2007, before my career was destroyed by God's anger. George covered a New Order song for charity this year. Man that seems years ago.

Art on the internet vs books on the internet. Think about it. When you see art on a blog or written up somewhere it is replicated once again. Is digital art ever touched? If a jpeg of art is uploaded onto a blog but no one sees it is it still art?

And think about dancing and writing the next time you think.

Remember when I put the books in the clothing stores and took half an hour to explain it?

Maybe Katy Perry is the most retarded singer ever and I just have no fucking life. Some one take me on a vacation or pay me to write please I'm going insane.

Here are some popular posts not necessarily from 2011.

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