McSweeney’s List (29 September, 2023)
Accessible Audio for McSweeney’s List will be available soon!
This week's playlist is all about fresh starts, old endings, and unlimited possibilities.
It's time for changes. No, not to my sexy weekly, don't worry. I'm speaking more generally. Change seems to be in the air. My cursory understanding of the stars isn't sufficient to blame it on heavenly bodies, and despite my witchy genes, I can't read cards without a book. Still, all around me drastic changes are in motion, all at once, like millions of butterfly wings flapping up a windstorm.
The shifts began earlier this month. A friend told me she was moving overseas -- in three weeks. Admittedly, this was something she'd discussed as long as I'd known her, an open possibility that came up often, but the reality of it felt sudden. We met for a stroll a week before her departure, discussing future plans, sharing encouraging and loving words. We did not promise to stay in touch. There was a tacit understanding that this was a final meeting, that if life brings us together again it will be as different people. We took a picture together, a marker of time that will pop up in my memories one day, and I will reflect on the distances we travel throughout our personal evolutions. Walking away that day, I understood that a door had closed, and wondered what would happen next.
Exactly a week later, an old friend popped into my DMs, and we made plans to catch up. It seemed simple enough, two gals with a shared tendency to drop off each other's radars getting back into our groove. But this time was different. As soon as we sat down, years of unsaid things came out -- our deepest feelings about our lives, our hopes, our secrets -- and we realized how we'd each been keeping silent, how unhappy we'd both been for so long. We felt lighter immediately, comforted by expressing ourselves, but also by the knowledge that we had established the honest support system we would each need to usher in our individual futures when the time arose. Until then, we knew we had a confidante.
That lasted only a few days. As if we'd spoken it into existence, big changes came rolling in fast. My relationship ended, and a day later, so did hers. "We're entering our Sex And The City era!" she laughed. I argued that my ribbon laced 12-hole Docs were cooler than heels, and that we're more fun than those broads, so we deserve a whole new franchise. As of this moment, I don't know what it's called or where the character arcs will lead, but we're launching the series with high hopes, fun fashion, and open minds.
While all that was going on, a very long collaborative partnership of mine was also coming to a close. After many projects and years of being buddies, we moved quickly from diverging visions to irreconcilable differences. Like all these other shifts, the water had been set to boil ages ago, but these things cannot be rushed. When the time came, I found myself feeling strong and seeing clearly. I chastised myself for how many things I'd let slide for so long, both in the situation at hand and so many others coming together to hit me all at once like a brick wall. Catching myself before I spiralled too far into the blame game, I took a breath, reminded myself that I don't believe in bad timing. Sure, we love instant gratification and the illusion of control. Yes, I always feel as if time is running away from me, and I struggle between enjoying the present and simultaneously chasing my future. But watched pots don't boil, breads rise in their own time, flowers bloom when they're ready -- all the analogies. Right now, more doors have been closing than I realized my house had. And while that's scary, and while my inner dialogue can be loud and overwhelming, all I know for sure from right here, is that the horizon is calling me from all sides…And it's beautiful.
Poppin' Off
POP Montreal starts today! From symposiums to cinema, concerts to kids stuff, it's got everything you need to scratch your art itch. While it's actually factually impossible to see it all, it's sure as sugar fun to try.
WHAT: POP Montreal
WHEN: Wednesday, September 27 - Sunday, October 1
WHERE: Multiple locations
DETAILS: POP Montreal
Out Now!
Whether you missed House of Stone at Ladyfest, or you want to listen again (and see if you can hear your own laugh), it's now up and streaming! Recorded live at The Diving Bell, Abby Stonehouse with guests Alo Azi and Ilana Belfer discuss some of their most memorably embarrassing moments. This was a hilarious episode, and the cringe is definitely contagious.
WHAT: House of Stone Podcast - Ladyfest Edition
WHERE: Wherever you listen to your podcasts!
WHEN: Out now!
DETAILS: House of Stone Podcast
The Eye Of The Beholder
Robert Mondoux's second solo gallery show is on now!
From the Artist: "[FORMA 2023 is] a project of my own making that has led me to elevate the impact and quality of my new abstract paintings…Online photos and posts never fully do it. Nothing can replace the effect of viewing a painting in person in the right environment…I hope you will join me."
WHAT: FORMA - Abstract Paintings by Robert Mondoux
WHEN: Now through Sunday, October 1
WHERE: Galerie Erga, 6394 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal, H2S 3C4
METRO: Beaubien (Orange)
DETAILS: Galerie Erga
Pull Through!
Montreal's own Jazz-Folk fusion singer-songwriter, Loryn Taggart, presents her highly anticipated debut album. The Lost Art of Pulling Through is a concept album bringing the listener on a journey through loss, exploring how creation can bring you back to life. Loryn is excited to be bringing her album to the stage with a carefully selected group of Montreal based musicians.
WHAT: Loryn Taggart - Lost Art of Pulling Through Album Launch
WHEN: Sunday, October 2, Door @ 7 PM, Show @ 8 PM
WHERE: Cabaret Lion d'Or, 1676 Ontario St E., Montreal, H2L 1S7
METRO: Sherbrooke (Orange)
TICKETS: Le Point De Vente
McSweeney’s List drops every Wednesday (except this week!) with the best events to catch each week in Montreal!
