McSweeney’s List (19 January 2024)
Each one of us was raised in a weird little bubble. We grow up in our households with specific rules (in this house, we do / don't…), and it takes a minute before we realize that other homes have different expectations and allowances. (What do you mean you turn the TV off?) And even after we make moves and build our own bubbles, we are ever undoing the habits we didn't realize we've carried on. It's like a fish realizing it's wet.
The bubble I grew up in was…well, it was interesting, and each therapist I've spoken to has taught me another aspect that was uh, worth discussing. One (of the many) that I still work on regularly, stems from the fact that I grew up in a family that believed in saving things for a special occasion. As a young child, I remember my mother having makeup tucked in a dresser drawer. It smelled like only makeup of that era did, heavy and fake, perfumed and powdery. I never saw her wear it. It sat, hidden under clothes, protected from dust, waiting for a special occasion that never came. It stayed there, preserved like an artifact from a time when special occasions were abundant, until one day it was thrown away. Same goes for the tiny bottles of perfume my mother kept on top of her dresser. Ornate glass foggy with time, a few syrupy droplets left in each, now only for sniffing and sighing, not for wearing.
My mother got this from my grandmother. Racks of vinyl garment bags hung in my grandparents’ basement, clothes that would never be worn again, protected against the elements because well, what if a special occasion came up? By the time I arrived on the scene, my grandmother had already made the switch to perma-housedress, and I never got to see her in these party dresses and vintage street styles. I remember that when I found them, I wondered about the last time these outfits hit the town, and what was going through her head when she tucked them away. Had she realized that was the last time she'd wear them? Fit after fit taking its final twirl before being zipped up forever, trapped in mothballs with memories of music. More likely the clothes were tucked away for a moment, set aside in a good place (another phrase from my youth that usually translated to irrevocably lost). And then the moment turned to a month, and soon enough a generation, and then another. Upon finding these treasures, I vowed to grow old in taffeta and gloves, housedress be damned. But we're fish, and these realizations slip away so quickly. We go on swimming, forgetting we’re wet.
The first Osho quote I ever heard hit me in the gills and knocked me out of the water (temporarily; always temporarily). Everything is ready for the celebration. Sure, if you're the curious type, this can lead to more questions than answers. Which celebration? What's ready and who prepared it? But that's just logic being a stick in the mud. The statement stands as is: Everything is ready for the celebration. Because the moment is only waiting for us to call it a party, and then it is one. All the occasions are waiting only to be recognized so that they might be deemed special. Every moment you spend waiting on an excuse for joy, is a moment wasted. Every meal you eat that isn't on your good plates is a missed opportunity. How many times have you had a great time by accident? You find yourself at dinner with friends, maybe you were reluctant to show up, and now they want to get some karaoke going. But, you lament, I'm not in the right outfit, my phone is dying, I will genuinely turn into a pumpkin if I hangout any longer. The friends persist and you join them for a song (only one, I swear). And you know what? Your phone does die. You really aren't the most stylish one in the room. In fact, you're a pretty shitty singer. But when you're laughing later, sharing fries and rehashing the evening, you realize it was perfect. Everything really was ready for the celebration, to be celebrated, it was you who was afraid to let go and dive in. Once you dive in, you find it's been there all along, waiting for you.
I put this into practice during the pandemic. Something about the claustrophobia and uncertainty at the time inspired me to push back. If I had to wear a mask that covered my lipstick, I would wear the boldest eyeshadow, the biggest accessories, the sparkliest mask. I did groceries in whole outfits, dopamine dressing for myself and those who would see me. The “new normal” we’ve arrived at, much like the “old normal” we thought we could escape, is mundane, monochromatic. Whereas during the fever dream of lockdown smiling at strangers seemed like a civic duty, the faces on the bus with me as I write this are serious again, brows furrowed, eye contact avoided. There isn't a party dress in sight. And yet, everything we need is here, waiting for us to start the music and get dancing.
So, wear the good perfume. Dress all the way up so people ask you if you have plans later, and then shrug and say no, this is the celebration. Everything is ready. And I’m ready for it, too.
KICK ASS, TAKE NAMES
Saturday Jan 20th IWS kicks off the 2024 season with Freedom to Fight 2024 live at Studio TD and on Triller!!!
WHAT: IWS Praise The Violence
WHERE: Studio TD, 305 St. Catherine St. W., Montreal, H2X 2A3
WHEN: Saturday, January 20, 8 PM
METRO: Place-des-Arts (Green)
TICKETS: Ticketmaster
SNOWCASE
Don't let the snow slow you down, it's time for Penumbra Theatre's Winter Showcase! It's billed as a night of musical theatre friction to keep you warm, and that's something we can all get behind this time of year.
Produced by Aly Slominski and Adrian Saldanha, Musical Direction and Accompaniment by Eric Elliot Lee. Featuring Natalie Demmon, Lucas Amato, Joseph-Salvatore Vitale, Emma Doyle, Julian Bird, Katrine Mangin, Lily Lachapelle, and Tyler Amaral.
WHAT: Penumbra Theatre's Winter Showcase
WHERE: MainLine Theatre, 3997 St. Laurent Blvd., Montreal, H2W 1Y4
WHEN: Saturday, January 20, 8 PM
METRO: St. Laurent (Green) / Sherbrooke (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
WORD(S)
The Accent Open Mic was one of our very first features in our MTL Event Series. (It shouldn't be surprising. We here at FTB are a lot of things, and proud word nerds is definitely one.) The theme of this edition is Altars (love it), and will feature readings by Barb Kelly and Jonah Dimant, followed by their coveted open mic.
WHAT: Accent Open Mic Vol.83
WHERE: Bar La Marche À Coté, 5043 St. Denis, Montreal, H2J 2L9
WHEN: Sunday, January 21, 8 PM
METRO: Laurier (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
2-For-1
Tiger On The Moon plays a blend of alt-rock, Americana, post punk and electronica. Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer Louie Tiger My sings his psychedelic tales of failure and redemption. Anne-Mi Fortin (bass, backing vocals) and Tamara Taddeo (synthesizer, backing vocals) complete the trio with solid sinuous bass and 80s flavoured synth.
Santosh Lalonde (Bad Uncle) will raise the temperature with his accordion and bass drum stomp and put the fire into folk. (Ask anyone, I love a fiddle, a stomp, and a proverbial fire.) Dress for dancing, ‘cuz your gonna wanna get your groove on.
WHAT: Tiger on the Moon & Santosh Lalonde (Bad Uncle)
WHERE: L’Escogriffe, 4461 St. Denis St., Montreal, H2J 2L2
WHEN: Saturday, January 20, Doors @ 8 PM, Show @ 830 PM
METRO: Mont-Royal (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
McSweeney’s List drops every Wednesday with the best events, workshops, and more, each week in Montreal!
