McSweeney’s List (19 July, 2023)
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This week’s McSweeney’s (Play)List is a great mix of songs talking about working hard, or maybe not.
Hard work is -- for better or worse -- one of those timeless positive attributes, something nearly everyone can find nobility within. Idle hands are the devil's playthings, and so an honest day's work has been commendable throughout the ages. Hustle culture has been romanticized as a way to further opress the lower classes by convincing them that if they give every hour to the grind, they will finally reap the rewards that the system promises (but never intends to give). The economic situation of the moment forces us to find innovative ways to pay our rent, to lose sleep in order to create more hours in our day to then trade away for too few dollars.
We have ingrained cultural concepts of what hard work looks like. Calloused hands and dirty work boots, loosened tie, furrowed brow. The very mention of "hard work" conjures images of fingers pressed to temples, a soundtrack of hopeless, exhausted sighs. It's a limited perspective, one that only enforces the daily grind, the capitalist hamster wheel. Not only does it only recognize one kind of work (a crazy toxic kind we've decided is good enough that we aren't taking to the streets en masse to re-establish our power as the majority…but I digress), it also sets our expectations pretty low too. If the symbol of being a responsible adult is to be up to your neck in debt, losing hair over a job you hate, and hurrying to bed to do it again tomorrow, we're all quite fucked.
When I've found myself lamenting (Editor’s Note: Which she often does.) in the wrong places (Editor’s Note: Which she also often does.), I've been met with silly responses. One friend maintains that "it's just the way it is" and that everyone is destined to suffer like Sisyphus under a 9 to 5. "Bro," I says, "Have you ever seen all the humans outside between those hours?". Because besides the people (still essential, though we've already forgotten) who do the work of keeping the us all running -- bus drivers, restaurant workers, clerks etc -- you'll also find people on computers at cafés, artists setting up installations, people on their way to rehearsals. And none of that is easy work.
Chatting with my best grrrl the other day about the fun times I was having, she told me how happy she was for me. She said that considering how hard I work, she was glad to see me getting the rewards I deserve. My first instinct was to tell her that I don't work that hard, and she shut me down immediately, recognizing the things I do that maybe I don't give myself enough credit for. To a degree, and despite my best efforts, I get distracted by the status quo appearance of adulting. It would be easier to explain my life if I had things like office birthday cake, and the fun of chasing promotions, and had some sort of "report" to finish and get to my higher ups or clients or whatnot. But the fact is, some of my most productive days have been on my couch doing interviews, researching, writing, maybe popping out for a meeting somewhere cute. Hell, I wonder how many times I was actually wearing pants while typing out my novel. And sure, some idiots might say that's easy stuff. To which I would reply "Oh really, Karen?! How's about I do whatever you do today, and you can write essays while working on your next novel, be Editor-in-Chief, while working a desk job, and we can meet up later to see how that all went". Because I'm not sure how much of what we do in this life is actually easy, but I do know that we're each predisposed to excel at different shit. If we weren't, society would collapse within a week.
Whatever your work looks like, and however other people perceive what you do, remember that it's your work. And no matter what it is, some days it will almost break you, and it may take some time, and there may be tears, and you will want to give up. And there will be a lot of times where you imagine what might've happened if you were someone else doing something else, but your work cannot exist without You. So whether that's poaching eggs (thank you, Egg Poachers…I have ruined so many eggs trying), or answering phones, or making art, or raising humans, know that what you do is hard.
And it matters.
And you, My Dear, are doing great.
Music! Tonight!!!
Today I learned that a bandoneon is like an accordion, but different, and it's beyond my expertise to explain that any further. Why do I know this? Because Tango Boréal is bringing chamber music to the park tonight! I also learned that a charango is "a small Andean stringed instrument of the lute family" (thanks, Wikipedia), 'cuz they have one of those too. How often do you get to catch free chamber music?! It'll be a night to remember.
WHAT: The Chamber Music Festival of Montreal presents: Tango Boréal
WHERE: Cabot Square
WHEN: TONIGHT! Wednesday, July 19, 530 PM
METRO: Atwater (Green)
DETAILS: Facebook
Comedy! Tonight!!!
Montreal mainstay Tales Of Gender Affirmation is celebrating its second anniversary -- by playing Zoofest! Come show your support for Zoofest's first trans centred show! The lineup features Alo Asimov, Lucy Gervais, Raquel Maestre, Elspeth Wright, Sloan Kooshan, Ray Resvick, Maxen Jack-Monroe, Eve Parker Finley, and Ké Xin Li. Get your laugh on!
WHAT: Tales of Gender Affirmation
WHERE: Café Cleopatra, 1230 St. Laurent Blvd., Montreal, H2X 2S5
WHEN: TONIGHT! Wednesday, July 19, 10 PM
METRO: St. Laurent (Green)
TICKETS: Zoofest
Get Thou To The Show
Repercussion Theatre is back to bring us Shakespeare-in-the-Park! This year's show is Cymbeline, and I've never heard of it (sorry, Andrew), so lemmie give it to you straight: "Part fairy-tale, part historical-fiction, part tragic-comedy – Cymbeline has it all: a troubled kingdom, forbidden love, betrayal, battles, deception, disguises, revelations and reunion....Cymbeline explores what we do in the name of love, how deeply our humanity is rooted in the Earth, and how much we must sometimes lose to find ourselves, and each other, again." Best play synopsis I've ever read.
WHAT: Cymbeline: Shakespeare-in-the-Park
WHERE: Westmount Park, Sherbrooke St. W., Westmount, H3Z 2J7
WHEN: Thursday, July 20 - Sunday, July 23, 7 PM
METRO: Vendôme (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
MTL Really Does Everything Outside In The Summer
From Zoofest last week to JFL this week, Abby Stonehouse stays busy! Catch her podcast House of Stone live, outside, for free! How can you beat that? (You can't, that's the point.) Featuring Amer Rez and Andrew Khoury, this is a great chance for fans to catch the show IRL, and for new folks to discover it and become fans! Check my interview with Abby here for more on her pod, and her journey.
WHAT: House of Stone Live
WHERE: Place Lotto Quebec
WHEN: Sunday, July 23, 830 PM
METRO: Place Des Arts (Green)
DETAILS: Just For Laughs
The More I Go, The More I Like It
Last week at Open Mic, not only did I run into some friendly faces I hadn't seen in a bit, but I ran into a super sweet lady who sold me samosas and pakoras. Highly recommend. Bring cash for lovely randomness, and don't forget to donate to the event itself when they pass the hat.
WHAT: Open Mic Mondays in Parc Jeanne-Mance
WHERE: Jeanne-Mance Park, 4422 Esplanade Ave., Montreal, H2W 2N4
WHEN: Every Monday, Sign-up @ 6 PM, Show @ 630 PM
METRO: Mont Royal (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
McSweeney’s List drops every Wednesday with the best events to catch each week in Montreal. Don’t forget to SUBMIT YOUR EVENT to be listed!
