McSweeney’s List (28 February 2024)
A cool thing about doing interviews is that I have a record of things that might otherwise have been forgotten. The gems that get dropped casually, flashing briefly as universal truth before fading too quickly away. I came across one such quote recently, about how today's society drives to want success without practice. Reading it stopped me in my tracks.
It's impossible to pinpoint the moment this happened. I feel like it was a slow boil from apprenticeships to hopes of instant success. From shoemakers teaching the next generation, to shoemakers literally not having anyone to pass their craft down to (Google it). The irony is that as well crafted things -- be they practical or purely artistic -- become rarer, they become more valued. Think of how the concept of handmade has changed over time. Everything began as handmade. Class divisions were quickly drawn along the lines of who made things, and who could afford to pay those people for their craft. Consider the history of craftsmen and artists who were in dire straits while those who purchased their wares were comfortable.
Think about the cost of a carpenter-built bookshelf versus the price of an IKEA shelf that you can claim to have built. And that's the crux of the matter: we can't actually build a bookshelf. To do so, we would have to learn more than a few things. Get the equipment, the materials, try not to cut your fingers off. We'd watch videos and draw diagrams and still end up with a crooked, unevenly stained shelf. At least, that's what would happen the first time.
If you keep at it, learning the minutiae of carpentry, going step by step over years, you would find yourself dovetailing in time (Again, Google it). Soon, without even trying, people would see the things you've built and offer you money for them. Because they do not care to make their own furniture, do not want splinters, do not want to take the time. And in essence, it's the time you've already spent learning that they're compensating you for.
We usually see just the finished product, whether that's a bookshelf, or a career. And if we’re not paying attention, our brains can get ahead of itself and think that these things are as early as professionals make them look, that frankly, any idiot can do these things. Consider the ingrained myth of “overnight success”: a new single pops up, or a comedy special, and we wonder where this artist came from. I've never seen them before, we think, they must've just started. How are they so popular already? It must be because of how they look, who they know. We don't see the hard work that preceded it, the whole process of getting splinters and making bad bookshelves, proverbially speaking. We don't see the grind, the passion, the self-doubt and struggle, and those are the things that build the path to mountain tops.
Frankly, that's great news. It means that no one is magically successful. It means that if you're willing to put the work in, the research, the practice, you can be successful too. Not at everything, don't get excited. Some things are just beyond us no matter how much effort and time we apply, but the point is we can't know that until we try. Conversely, there will be things that come more naturally to you than to others, and with dedication that gift can flourish into something spectacular. But you also won't know that until you try. If we truly care to expand ourselves, to improve and evolve, we must be willing to experiment. We must be ready to throw large quantities of stuff at the wall and see what sticks. We have to be ready to get messy, and to mess up (sometimes in grand fashion). To succeed, we must first be prepared to fail repeatedly. After failing, we must be willing to suck at something before achieving mediocrity, and then, if we can ignore the voices (both inner and outer) that encourage us to quit, we have the chance to make it all the way to greatness. If you do all that, you too have a shot at being perceived as an overnight success.
TONIGHT!
A showcase with some of the best Poly Mic performers! Hosted by Alo Azimov, this is the first Poly Mic Showcase (and it certainly won't be the last), but it's always cooler to be at the first, you know? Featuring Merry Kringles, Dan Carin, Maxen-Jack Monroe, Caroline Garon, Sandy El Bitar!
(The Poly Showcase will be preceded by The Poly Mic at 7 PM, a queer weekly open mic where many artistic expressions are welcome.)
WHAT: The Poly Showcase
WHERE: Notre Dame Des Quilles, 36 Beaubien St. E., Montreal, H2S 1P8
WHEN: Wednesday, February 28, Doors @830 PM, Show @ 9 PM
METRO: Beaubien (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
NIGHT MOVES
La Sala Rossa will be partying into the wee hours of the morning this weekend! Join a special night of music with DJs Scott C & DJ Andy Williams that will be part deep dive into some forgotten classics, and part proving ground for new grooves. It'll be a night long journey into music!
WHAT: Up All Night
WHERE: La Sala Rossa, 4848 St. Laurent Blvd., Montreal, H2T 1R5
WHEN: Saturday, March 2, @ 10 PM
METRO: Laurier (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
CREATURE GOGOS FOR THE WIN
Get ready for a journey to a place where fantastical creatures run wild and free. Where colourful birds sing, and dangerous beasts hunt their prey. Welcome to the jungle, welcome to the BLUSH x Nuit Blanche Montreal: Ménagerie.
Performances by HercuSleaze, and Lizzy Strange (Mythos Drag Cabaret)! Music by DJs Patience, Girl, DJ THATZ, and G L O W Z I. Visuals by VJ SlugBait.and the creature gogos (that'd be performers dressed as animals movin’ to the music) will be Dora Bones, Just Horny, Mina Minou and Stupid Baby Cupid.
This will be a feast for the eyes. Don't miss it.
While straight allies and male-identified people are welcome, please be aware of the space you are coming into and the space of privilege you occupy.
WHAT: BLUSH x Nuit Blanche Montreal: Ménagerie
WHERE: Nouvel Etablissement, 5817 St. Laurent Blvd., Montreal, H2T 1T3
WHEN: Saturday, March 2, @ 9 PM
METRO: Rosemont (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
‘86 WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR…
Another amazing evening of poetry takes centre stage this weekend! Volume 86 of the Accent mic features Joshua Chris Bouchard and Hillary Muller with the theme of Mixed Metaphors. And of course, there's also the famous Accent Open Mic, so bring your poems!
WHAT: Accent Vol. 86: “Mixed Metaphors” with Joshua Chris Bouchard & Hillary Muller
WHERE: La Marche À Coté, 5043 St. Denis St., Montreal, H2J 2L9
WHEN: Sunday, March 3, @ 8 PM
METRO: Laurier (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
SHINY HAPPY OPEN MIC
A shiny new open mic starts this Sunday! Presented by Forget The Box, hosted by Andrew Jamieson, On The Boulevard is a welcome, safer space in which to share your talents, right in the heart of the Plateau. This edition will feature comedy and music, but that's just the beginning! This is a multidisciplinary mic open to all art forms. Or, maybe almost all art forms: test the boundaries, and let's find out together!
>>> On The Boulevard is a space for EVERYONE, and bigotry, racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and general shit behavior will NOT be tolerated. <<<
Please note that Bifteck is a cash only bar.
This event will take place every other Sunday.
Sign up here for your chance to perform!
WHAT: Forget The Box Presents: On The Boulevard
WHERE: Bar Bifteck, 3702 St. Laurent Blvd., Montreal, H2X 2V4
WHEN: Sunday, March 3, @ 8 PM
METRO: St. Laurent (Green)
DETAILS: Facebook
McSweeney’s List drops every Wednesday with the best events, workshops, and more, each week in Montreal!
