SOUNDTRACK: PUP-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #149 (January 21, 2021).
A lot of Tiny Desk Concerts are by bands I don’t know (and then really like). Some are by bands I don’t like. And every once in a while they have one by a band I like a lot.
Pup is a hugely popular pop punk band from Canada. I’m bummed I didn’t get to see them when they played around here, but I wasn’t really aware of them at the time.
I have since come to enjoy their music quiet a lot.
“Rot” (from the group’s aptly-titled 2020 EP, This Place Sucks A** ) opens with some fast drumming from Zack Mykula, then Stefan Babcock starts singing and playing rhythm guitar. After the first verse, Steven Sladkowski adds higher harmony notes–a simple but cool effect. It’s not until the (outrageously catchy) chorus that Nestor Chumak adds the bass notes and, suddenly, the song feels huge. I really like that Babcock adds some noisy harmonics and mini feedbacks into the chaos.
The other fun thing is that everyone except Babcock is wearing a mask–even while signing backing vocals (it’s not hard to wear a mask, people). For a fast punk song, it’s actually quote long–over three minutes.
“My neighbors hate us, and I don’t blame them,” Babcock said. The Toronto group refused to dial down the volume, filling Babcock’s neatly-furnished living room – complete with an Ontario pennant – and just maybe making a few enemies down the street in the process.
“Kids” (From 2019’s Morbid Stuff) opens differently–bass and harmonics for the first verse, before the rest of the band crashes in. There’s even a harmonic-filled guitar solo. I like in the middle when it’s almost only drums and Mykula plays some cool rhythms on the floor tom.
Up next is “Reservoir,” a track off the group’s debut. It’s full on with lots o crash cymbal, and lots of fast playing from everyone during the chorus.
“Scorpion Hill” runs to almost seven minutes and has several parts. It opens quietly with just Babcock singing and playing. After the first verse the whole band joins in including backing vocals. But it’s still fairly quiet until after a pauses a n a misdirecting guitar strum, the song rockets off with lots of thumping drums and bass After a couple of lengthy section, there’s pause and then a simple riff during which everyone sings “ah ah ah oh.”
This was a wonderful set. And the even better news
the handmade “Ceci n’est pas une Tiny Desk” (“This is not a Tiny Desk”) sign serves as a warning: When the Tiny Desk returns to NPR HQ and the U.S.-Canada border reopens, prepare to have your workday interrupted.
[READ: February 1, 2021] “Comfort”
This story seemed rather different from Munro’s usual work.
It is about Nina and her husband Lewis. Lewis was a teacher at the high school left until he left under less than positive circumstances.
Nina met with Margaret (another former teacher who left on good terms) at the high school tennis courts. Nina had not set foot on high school grounds since Lewis had left
When she returned (victorious from her matches), she discovered that Lewis had taken his own life. They had talked about Lewis doing this, but Nina always thought she would be there–a ceremonial act of some sort. But clearly Lewis didn’t want her to see him do this.
His disease had three ways of attacking–it could numb the hands and fingers. or it could go after the legs. The third went after the throat and tongue, making swallowing nearly impossible. All the while the brain kept active–fully aware of what you could no longer do.
She looked for a note but she couldn’t find one. She looked everywhere–even in places that Lewis would never have put a note.
The story flashes back to their life together–how they met, their decision to not have children, and then Lewis’ job.
A few years earlier, Christian signs started appearing on the roadsides. They started out innocuous enough–bible quotes and rainbows, But Lewis knew what was going on–“It’s creationism.” Lewis taught science.
Pamphlets started appearing in their mailbox, including in Lewis’ mailbox at school. He was angered at the “crypto-Christians” on staff assuming that they had done it.
Then questions started popping up in class “a sickly saint of a girl or a smart-arse of either sex trying to throw a monkey wrench into evolution.” He always told them that if they wanted that kind of teaching the could go to the Christian Separate school in the next town.
Then the children started getting wise–they said they felt the Christian view should get “equal time.”
He told them that he was the boss in the classroom and that he was paid to teach science not religion.
Letters started to appear in he paper from “Concerned parent” or “Christian taxpayer.” But soon the tone grew wrathful and someone wrote hellfire in the dust on Lewis’ car.
The school principal was firmly on Lewis’ side, but soon he started getting real pressure from some of the Christians in town.
Lewis wrote a scathing letter to the paper and the editor was happy for the controversy. Shortly after that, Lewis wrote letter of resignation. But it was not for the controversy, it was because of his health. He felt the timing was unfortunate but he was having trouble walking.
As the flashback ends we see Nina at the funeral home. Lewis had wanted to be cremated, but the undertaker’s assistant had prepared the body for viewing. He had had Lewis as a teaches and felt that many former students would want to see him. Nina had not wanted that and didn’t know what to say now.
But he told her that they had found a note in his pajama packet–the only place Nina had not looked. Sadly it was just a scathing poem.
The story flashes back to a potluck at Margaret’s house several winters earlier. Margaret had invited people over for an evening of frank discussion about whatever was on people’s minds. Lots of people came.
Kitty Shore loved to talk about the saints. It was a genial discussion until Lewis had asked Kitty if she actually believed din miracles and did she have no belief in science at all? While this was going on, she walked outside to get some air. She knew that Kitty and Lewis would not run out of steam or get bored of their argument.
While she was standing out there, Kitty’s husband Ed (the undertaker) came outside. He said some kind words and then kissed her on the neck. Nothing else happened, but she treasured that moment.
When she got home from the funeral home, the principal called and offered to have a ceremony for Lewis so people could get closure. Nina said no, but when he wouldn’t relent she said she would allow it if she could read the poem he’d written. The Principal hung up and let the subject drop.
Later that night Ed came by with the ashes. She asked him about the process for embalming, just happy to have Ed with her.
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