McSweeney’s List (12 April, 2023)
This week's McSweeney's (Play)List is stacked with songs from '98. Turn of the century tunes, if you will.
Audio for McSweeney’s List will be available soon!
"Does this remind you of '98?"
My kid shoots me this question via Snap Chat, which is generally how we communicate, but this time her phone service is down and she can't call. The internet is an underrated miracle.
"Not really," I reply, probably too casually. She's in the dark, and I am not. She's seen cars abandoned because they ran out of gas waiting in line for gas, and men fighting over propane tanks.
In total, she was without power for 53 hours, no small feat. The majority of people I've spoken to since have averaged between that and 100 hours. Some are still without. The suburbs popped off apocalypse-style in less than 3 days. All they had to do was come into town if they needed something.
"They didn't have gas to come down," she tells me. "And how can we know when a bus is coming without data?"
No, this isn't like 1998.
["Mom, only old people use the 19".
"Shah child, I'm telling a story and rhythm matters."]
I was pregnant with her during that storm. Our phones were plugged into the wall (working the whole time, thank heavens), and all the AOL discs in the world couldn't help us. Wikipedia calls it the North American Ice Storm , which sounds dramatic, but it did affect 4 provinces and 4 states. At the height of the mayhem 4.4 million people were in the dark, with tunnels and bridges closed, ice, trees, and live wires falling from the sky.
It was the first and only time I'd seen Red Cross vans giving out coffee and blankets, at the corner of Somerled and Cavendish (shout out to the Deeg, where the old trees fall hard).
CJAD was our city's message board. People called needing tips on their tropical fish, lactating mothers called to offer nursing as baby formula quickly ran out.
The Jewish General Hospital struggled with its generators after a while. By the time I arrived (dehydrated, and partially starved, as a stressed out 19 year old me couldn't keep anything down), they were diverting power to the neo-natal unit, and had lost water pressure to some floors. It felt apocalyptic.
As someone with sentimental tendencies at the best of times, I was particularly shook right then. Such things are not like a switch, but more of a floodgate, as they do not flip back to normal when the lights come on. I remember writing a letter to my unborn baby about the trees that were gone, how the face of the city I was bringing her into had been transformed. I wanted her to have those trees. It crushed me.
But this isn't a competition, it's a beautiful opportunity to mark how far we've come, and to tell those too young to remember how much better things truly are now.
Social media became a hub for open doors and warm showers. At a time where we often question how "overly" connected we are, how phone obsessed and tech dependent, those are the very things that allowed us to reach out, in need or in offering. Group chats lit up; do you need? I have. Come.
Small businesses did what they could, serving warm meals from gas stoves in the dark. At Fairview Pointe Claire, the Apple store put out tables of chargers, which quickly turned into a complex network of power bars connected to other power bars as everyone juiced up. Côte Vertu was an impromptu drop-in centre with every outlet filled, and children playing.
Mr. Rogers famously told us to "look for the helpers" in 1983. We've incorporated that into ourselves, and instilled it into our children. The decades since have provided us with devastating circumstances in which to apply the wisdom, times when we couldn't fathom the horrible things happening around us. Every time, there are helpers.
My daughter turns 25 this year, and it took much less time than that for nature to right itself. The mountain filled its own blank spots, growing back as green as ever. Girouard park healed too, hit often since, and again now, an unlucky spot that serves as a sanctuary to the persistence of life, a fast cycling microcosm of destruction and rebirth.
Strolling through my neighbourhood the other day, I was surprised to find the Couche Tard and the Pharmaprix closed and dark. Everything else was chugging right along, and I hadn't considered the chaotic nature of power grids. The next closest dep was veritably ransacked, shelves bare, staff looking defeated.
My Provigo must've lost power at some point too: every fridge and freezer was empty on Monday, more hands on deck ready to restock than items to shelve. At no point during lockdown did it ever look so stripped. Randomly, the indie markets close to me seem to have dodged the bullet, doing business as usual.
It's been 5 days now since the storm, and 95% of customers have their lights back. That leaves tens of thousands of people still sitting in the cold and dark, filled with the weird starting line survival readiness of trying to make do without.
The sidewalks that were piled high with carefully stacked branches, like a strange spring version of the annual Christmas tree dump, have been cleared. The good news is that a bunch of that is headed off to make particle board and wood chips. Before we know it, everything will be sprouting that crazy neon shade of spring, and the jagged edges will be hidden as nature heals itself.
Bloom. Fall. Regroup. All we can do is go with the flow.
Variety Is The Spice Of Life
They Go Low, We Go Laugh is a variety show where folx of colour and marginalized identities come to tell jokes, sing a song, do some improv, you gettit. It's "all in the name of shining a little bit more light in this world" which I'm a huge fan of!
In this Edition: Rose-Ingrid, Elie Gill, Sucre à la Crème, Zahra, and more!
PLUS! There's a Pay What You Can Top Secret Show following. If you have a ticket to the first show, you're already in, or just pay what you can! The lineup will be GREAT, but that's a secret you'll have to come and see for yourself.
WHAT: They Go Low, We Go Laugh
WHERE: The Diving Bell Social Club, 3956 St. Laurent Blvd., H2W 1Y3
WHEN: Thursday, April 13, Doors @ 730 PM, Show @ 8
METRO: Mont Royal (Orange)
TICKETS: EventBrite
Happy Birthday, Big Boy!
Turbo Haüs' own Sergio is turning the big 4-0, so let's party!
I've met Sergio. There I was, lending a hand at an event, when my ever-graceful ass got the string of my dress stuck in a chair. No shit: actually stuck. People tried to help, while I tried to play it off and keep it classy. Andrew immediately took a picture and laughed, offering no actual assistance. Sergio brought out the scissors and saved the day. Plus he has a good handshake, and a friendly dog, so he deserves a super fab bday.
WHAT: Sergio’s 40th Big Boy Birthday Bash
WHERE: Turbo Haüs, 2040 Saint Denis St, Montreal, H2X 1E7
WHEN: Friday, April 14 @ 8 PM
METRO: Sherbrooke (Orange)
INFO: Facebook
Music With Meaning
Events that come to my attention from within our FTB Fam are extra special to me. It enriches both my day, and our community when we can share the wonderful things people are putting their love into. This one hits extra: this is a beautiful thing, for a beautiful cause.
The Fundraising Show for the Victims of the Earthquake in Syria / Turkey is described as "a humble and relaxed musical gathering to raise money for the victims of the Middle East earthquake. The music presented will range from acoustic to electronic."
With OSSA Project, Christina Enigma & Naghmeh Shafiei.
This will be a great concert, and while you're getting entertained, you'll be helping people in need. How often do you really give and get at the same time?! It's fkn lovely. Take the opportunity. Bring cash.
In a full flex of favouritism, I'm including the artists' full bios as they were sent to me.
OSSA project (story/tale in Arabic) is an electronic duo based in Montreal. Having been part of Montreal's electronic scene for many years, while both growing up on the sound blues and psychedelic rock, the duo strives to bring the vibrancy of live music into electronic productions. The duo is composed of Lebanese-Canadian multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Nadim Souaid and Syrian-Canadian multi-instrumentalist and producer Firas Nassri.
Christina Enigma is a Montreal based singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Through her music she explores concepts of the human experience, death, trials and tribulations, as well as the individual and collective capacity for resilience. In the genre of deep electro-soul her sultry voice is the main instrument weaving together harmony, song and poetry that strives to reconcile her identity with collective human experience.
Naghmeh Shafiei is an Iranian-Canadian singer/songwriter, poet, and community organizer. She began performing as a solo artist in 2016 while living in San Francisco, and decided to abandon the corporate grind to pursue her dream of becoming a touring musician. Naghmeh jumped head first into the world of rock n’ roll and set off on the road over the following year with performances across Europe and South America. Her DIY musical empire was steadily growing as her music spread across the globe.
WHAT: Fundraising Show for the Victims of the Earthquake in Syria / Turkey
WHERE: Kawalees, 5175A avenue du parc, Montreal, H2V4G3
WHEN: Friday,April 14, 730 PM
METRO: Laurier (Orange)
INFO: Facebook
Mondays Are Hard
Hurley's has all your Mondays covered with one of the hottest comedy nights in town. Come out and see funny folks take the stage with hosts Vance Michel and Zak Kik at 8 PM.
But wait! There's more!
Night owls and those looking for a double dose of laughs can take advantage of the 1030 show. Same hosts, more comics, extra jokes. Hurley's serves up food and drink, so you can really make a night of it, and call in sick Tuesday (they never see that coming).
WHAT: The World’s Smallest Comedy Night
WHERE: Hurley's Irish Pub, 1225 Crescent, H3G 2B1
WHEN: Every Monday, 8 PM & 1030 PM
METRO: Lucien - L'Allier (Orange)
INFO: Facebook
