SOUNDTRACK: MARTIN TIELLI-Richard’s On Richards Vancouver BC (March 30, 2002).
The download for this show is notable for being (in my opinion) out of sequence. After the second song it seems pretty clear that the concert is now over. Looking at some of the other shows at the time, I wasn’t sure if I could reconstruct the actual order. It was a bit harder than I anticipated, but I think the show actually went like this
World in a Wall
CCYPA
Double X
Love Streams
My Sweet Relief
That’s What You Get for Having Fun
Voices from the Wilderness
OK by Me
That’s How They Do It in Warsaw
I’ll Never Tear You Apart
Winnipeg
Beauty On
I’m guessing “World in a Wall” is first because before playing it he does a brief intro of “CCYPA,” and it seems unlikely that he would do it again after he just played the song. For this set he is solo for the first three songs . He’s kind of all over the place in “Wall” throwing in some extra lyrics and repeating verses—I’m surprised he didn’t get mad at himself.f
Then the band comes out and he introduces them as Operation infinite Justice (incidentally, “Operation Infinite Justice,” was the name of the military intervention that the U.S began after 9/11. Muslim groups protested the name on the basis that their faith teaches that Allah is the only one that could provide “infinite justice”. Thus, “Operation Infinite Justice” was changed to “Operation Enduring Freedom” on Sept. 25, 2001). So clearly, Tielli was making a point. The band consists of Greg Smith on bass, Barry Mirochnick on drums and Ford Pier on guitar and keys.
For “Ok By Me” he gets that great chorusing guitar (that sounds like Queen) just like on the record. For “Love Streams” it’s just him and the piano (presumably Ford Pier) who at the line about being “stoned’ play a riff from Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine” (did anyone know that was a cover of a J.J. Cale song?)
“Shaved Head” stays in the delicate style of the previous show and for “My Sweet Relief,” he starts the song solo and the band kicks in about 1/2 way through.
After playing “That’s What You Get for Having Fun” someone in the band says that they have merch in the back of the room and that they will be flogged by their manager if they don’t mention it.
In “Voices in the Wilderness,” he sings the actual Rush lyric “if you choose not to decide” (rather than “if you choose not to be free”) and has fun with the word “squeaky” in squeaky voice. There’ as mellow jam at the end of the song.
The penultimate song is “Winnipeg.” It’s the first live version of this song on the site. I like that since it was a new song the guys who recorded the shows didn’t know what it was called. And it’s such a peculiar song with different things that could be choruses that the author of this recording calls it “Anyday” and in the next show they call in “I’ve Had Some.” But it sounds great live.
The show ends with “Beauty On,” the opening track from his upcoming album (although he leaves out the humorous “Cincinnati” bit–which makes sense).
It’s another great show, running just about an hour.
[READ: October 19, 2015] Cube Squared
I found this book at work and judged it by the cover. I decided it would be fun. And it was.
This is the sequel to McPherson’s first novel (which I have not read) Cube People. I thought that perhaps there would be zombies in this novel (given the cover) and there are, but not in the way one might suspect.
The basic set up is this: Colin MacDonald works for the Canadian government. He is in a tech job which is not very techie. He works in a cubicle, deals with his co-workers and plans to write the great Canadian novel (if such a thing exists). He has already written two books. The first one was successful, the second one less so. And he would very much like to get a third book written.
But he is now married with three little kids, he has to paint his house and his father just died.
This last bit is pretty important to the story. Even though his father was never a very good father to him (he was an intense drunk and then an intense convert to Christianity), he has mixed feelings about his father’s death. Worse yet, his father seems to be talking to him a lot more now than he ever did when he was alive. And he is fairly certain that his father thinks he’s a waste of time and effort with little to show for himself (or at least that’s his take on his father).
And yet, Colin has just gotten a promotion. He is now the head of a department or something (he is still in cube, though so it’s not that big of a promotion). This promotion puts him in charge of a bunch of new people whom he does not know. And they are on a floor which is identical to his own. The biggest difference is that there are two women in his office, a young recent hire who is already depressed about the boring work she has to do (and whom he hopes he can inspire to stay), and the floor’s secretary who looks just like Jennifer Beals (and Colin has always had major hots for Jennifer Beals).
The action of Colin’s life is interspersed with the action of his new novel. His first novel (The Cube People–yes, it’s kind of meta-) sold quite well. His second novel was a horror novel, Hungry Hole. And it sold, well, not at all. He has actually bought back all of the copies at 85 cents each and has resorted to using them for firewood. But he contacts an agent who is very interested in his writing a new book that will appeal to the masses–something with zombies and vampires, you know, Twilight shit.
Colin doesn’t know if he can do it, but soon enough we see chapters from his new book The Mosquito and the Maggot. And even though the novel is about a 13th century monk (who is attacked by vampires), there are many parallels to his own life. I love that he gently disguises the names of his coworkers in his novel. And I love that events in his life inspire events in his novel.
I’m also intrigued by the fact that once his agent tells him the book needs to have more sex, Colin himself starts to become a much more horny middle-aged man (with lots of talk of his cock and Jennifer Beals and whatnot). I can’t decide if it was an inspired choice to suddenly have him acting all horny after the agent said so, or if it wa a more arbitrary choice.
There is a side plot of sorts–a comic and somewhat ridiculous but funny plot about his daughter’s favorite stuffed animal, Mr Honey. For all his ogling other women, Colin is a good family man, and reasonably good father (his exasperation when he has to take all three kids to an adventure slide playground is very funny). But when the daughter loses Mr. Honey, his attempts to find it (and the extent he will go to get it back–and forgetting that there are cameras everywhere) is pretty funny and follows him for most of the rest of the book.
There is a lot of comic gold in this book when it comes to his work place. The attempts to make cubicles seem less deadening by calling them something different is hilarious and sadly real. The attempts to boost morale by wearing silly hats may be real and is hilarious. And of course the inability to correct the fact that many people’s job are simply redundant because it would cause too much grief all around is I fear very true. Couple this with a supervisor who is as dumb as he is arrogant and it’s hard to not have a funny workplace novel. Especially when the supervisor sends him to a week-long Leadership camp where the one thing he has learned is that the food is really good.
All things go to hell on Colin’s 40th birthday. At the office party, something happens with Jenifer Beals (which seems unlikely to me, but there wouldn’t be a story without it). He gets super drunk and nearly burns his house down and his wife, who was waiting for him in sexy lingerie finds out a little too much. This whole section feels a bit contrived I must say. There was no real indication that he was drinking too much until that moment and his wife gets really harsh really fast (or so it seems).
But the way things are resolved is pretty good and the ending is satisfying.
The novel isn’t great but it is enjoyable and a lot of fun. I certainly laughed out loud a number of times, out of recognition and out of surprise. And I still hope to read Cube People when I can find it.
I also see that McPherson has written a new book, and I will certainly track that one down as well.
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