Sad Mag no.14, the Fantasy issue, goes beyond the bedroom to explore the deepest fantasies of Vancouver’s writers, comedians, artists and photographers, plus the winner of our first-ever fiction contest! Oh, and there’s plenty of bedroom too.

What will subscribers find in the newest issue?

 

PROFILE: David Sedaris

An exclusive Sad Mag interview with New York Times #1 best-selling author and humourist David Sedaris by Sean Cranbury, curator of the Real Vancouver Writers Series and Books on the Radio.

FEATURE: Jessica Kruger, Winner of the Lise Watier “Something Sweet” Contest

SFU student and murderball athlete Jessica Kruger made headlines and history in July after beating out 400 competitors in a national competition to be the face of Lise Watier’s new fragrance Something Sweet. Kruger, who lost the use of her legs after an accident at age of 15, talks to Sad Mag about realizing her fantasy of being a quadriplegic model and stars in a fashion spread shot by local photography team Martina+Reem.

FICTION: The Winner of the Inaugural Fantasy Fiction Contest

For this issue Sad Mag launched its first ever fiction contest, inviting new writers to submit their weirdest and wildest stories for the chance to win a $250 cash prize and to get their story in print. The winning entry is sure to be so good, you’ll have to read it under the covers with a flashlight…

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Have you been thinking about subscribing? Now is the time! This issue was lovingly assembled here in Vancouver by a team of crazy people who would rather make magazines than sleep and eat regularly, and I know you will find it beautiful and entertaining.

If you would like to support our dreamy little project, please impulse-purchase an $18 annual subscription for yourself or someone who likes pretty things.

Dave Deveau is an associate producer and playwright in residence at Zee Zee Theatre.  Currently, he and his husband, Cameron Mackenzie, are co-curating Nyet: A Cabaret of Concerned Canadians, a showcase of 10 plays written in response to Russia’s new anti-gay legislation. Dave’s drag queen alter ego, Peach Cobblah, hosts Hustla: Homo Hip Hop at the Cobalt.

Sad Mag: Who are you?

Dave Deveau: My name is Dave Deveau, though people probably know me as Peach Cobblah. As a boy, I’m a playwright and teacher and I run Zee Zee Theatre with my husband, Cameron Mackenzie. As Peach, I’m a foul-mouthed hip-hop drag queen who runs events at the Cobalt.

SM: How did you start writing plays?

DD: What a good question. I actually grew up in film and TV, I was a child actor, which was great, and oddly enough, film introduced me to theatre, which is usually the opposite in terms of people’s trajectory. I went to a fine arts high school in a literary arts program where I sort of was trying out any form of writing – they were really great at introducing us to all sorts of genres and play writing, for whatever reason, [it] was a good fit.

Then I went and did two degrees in play writing, which is really hilarious because you don’t need a degree to write a play! You just need something to say and some basic ideas of structure. It’s wild to think that now I’m actually making a living doing what I wanted to do and it is sort of bizarre that it’s actually happened. It’s a lot of fun—it’s a lot of work but it’s a lot of fun. In order to make it financially worthwhile, you have to have, you know, five shows going on at the same tie.

SM: Yes, I noticed you seem to be involved in a bunch of stuff right now—there were many shows listed at the bottom of your email.

DD: That’s just the stuff that the theatre company (Zee Zee Theatre) is producing. I work with a bunch of other companies in town and I have four new plays in production this year and then two other shows that are happening again. Which is good, it keeps me out of trouble.

SM: And you’re still performing as Peach at the Cobalt?

DD: Oh yeah—all of the work that we do at the Cobalt raises money for the company. We just never say fundraiser because this is not the kind of city where you say the word fundraiser. People run for the hills. If you just say, “We’re having a really fun, gay dance party,” it’ll happen.

SM: What was the inspiration behind Nyet: A Political Cabaret?

DD: Nyet is based in large part on an event called Wrecking Ball, which started out in Toronto 10 years ago.  A group of theatre-makers started it as a means to artistically discuss things that were happening politically, in the country and around the world at that time. Oddly enough in May when Putin’s new legislation came about, one of our board members said my next play should be about Russia and I said, “yeah, it should.” However, I was in the middle of writing 5 plays—it takes a couple of years to fully realize a play—and I thought, “2 years from now is too late to talk about this!” But then I thought maybe we could do something within the Wrecking Ball model and so we asked playwrights across the country, playwrights that we know and playwrights that we don’t know whose work we admire, to come on board and write 5-10 minute plays about Russia, about Putin’s new anti-gay legislation. They could really head in any direction with that, with a maximum of 4 characters. So now we have the 10 pieces that we’re presenting.

SM: How many people did you approach about the project?

DD: Well, nobody said no. We thought, “we’ll ask this list and then if they say no, we’ll ask this list,” and nobody said no, which was kind of amazing. It made us realize that people really do want to have their voices heard, there just hadn’t been a platform for people to talk about it artistically.

So we partnered with Qmunity, which is a local queer resource organization that we’ve worked with quite a bit in the past. So they’re co-presenting the event because we thought that we could have the artistic conversation but Qmunity is more equipped to actually have a conversation. They’re organizing a panel discussion that will happen directly after the show – it will have community leaders and politicians and others to actually talk about the nitty gritty of what’s going on and what we can do about it. If we can do anything about it.

SM: That actually sounds like a really great idea. Especially after people have just seen the various productions.

DD: Yes and that’s part of the joy of asking 10 writers to write from the same source material. Everyone has a very different angle and some people are tapping into material or arguments that I haven’t even considered so I think it’ll be a nice way to cap off the evening—to actually put all of those thoughts and arguments that we’ve taken in and wrap our heads around them and talk about them honestly.

SM: In terms of the formats of the various plays, what do they offer in terms of the conversation that there is to be had about what’s going on in Russia?

DD: What it will do is it will give more depth and more texture to the conversation that we’re having surrounding the legislation and also, in some capacity, a bit more context of where Putin’s legislation comes from—culturally what that legislation means but also trying to dissect the idea behind the legislation and where it comes from. I should say that everyone who is working on this project is working for free, which is something we don’t normally do, we don’t ask people to work for our company for free. It’s great for us to have this conversation and to raise awareness but we wanted to actually have direct impact so everyone’s working for free so that all the proceeds can be sent to the Russian LGBT Network, a community organization that is, nowadays anyways, mostly funding people’s legal battles as a result of the new legislation. I also called my theatre contacts in Toronto so Nyet is happening simultaneously there. Some of the same pieces as are being performed here and then they’ve asked some local playwrights to write some additional pieces.

SM: Are any of the playwrights going to be in attendance for next weekend’s show?

DD: A bunch of them will. Not all of them because some of them live in Toronto and elsewhere. It’s funny because October is always a really big theatre month in Canada. It’s when most theatre companies kick off their season, usually with a really big production. So, I would say 3/4 of the playwrights who wrote for our production, have plays opening somewhere in the country either this week or next week so they’re all busy. But they still found time to write the pieces, which is wonderful for us.

SM: How do you find it, trying to focus on so many different projects at once?

DD: Tricky. I think I need to plan my time more efficiently than I do. Even when you carve out a particular amount of time, say, “I have these four hours, I’m going to work on this play,” it takes at least the first hour to put my brain back into what that play looks like and what the structure and tone of the play is.

SM: Do you find there’s much of a difference writing for an adult audience, as opposed to the plays you’re writing for high school and even elementary school audiences?

DD: This is the first show for elementary schools that I’ve ever written the, third for high schools and it’s a very different form. It has a very rigid structure—I know that the show that I write has to fall within the period of a school day. It has to clock in at 42 minutes maximum which, when you’re conceiving of the structure of the play, is limiting in a sense. But limits are sometimes good things within the creative realm because it at least steers you in some direction. Writing for an adult audience, the world’s your oyster in a sense, it can be one act or two acts, it can be hour or two and a half hours, it can have five cast members. Wrapping my brain around theatre for young audiences, these are shows that are going to be on tour so you can’t really write in too many cast members because you’ll be sending them all on the road. When you’re considering that these shows could be playing in a gymnasium with 900 kids, it can’t be a show that’s too small and quiet. It has to have energy, it has to have movement. It’s been a lovely learning curve.

SM:  I’m very interested in the 10 different takes on Russia’s legislation that Nyet is going to offer. I, and I think a lot of other people, felt really blindsided by the legislation—Russia’s never been a pinnacle of rights and freedoms but still. Do any of the performances in Nyet address this?

DD: That’s just it—when everything hit, it became a question of why now? Like, what’s going on, what are you prepping for, I don’t follow. Some of the pieces are set in contemporary Russia, some of the pieces are set in contemporary North America. Some of the pieces have a much more historical approach. There’s one piece that ‘s a card game between 3 dead Russians, Tchaikovsky being one of them. So it’s nice to see how people have interpreted the best way to have this conversation with the audience. A lot of them are really funny. Nobody wants to sit through an evening of really dark, bleak performances. We already know that this is a problem so let’s at least find ways to find the light. And I think the playwrights have been really successful in that way.

SM: What else is going on that’s exciting?

DD: This is a big season for Zee Zee Theatre. This is our 6th season and by far our biggest. We started out doing 1 show per year and we have 5 this season, which is a lot, especially for a company that has limited resources, like we do. But certainly, everything we do at the Cobalt helps keep us afloat.

Our main stage show is in March. It’s a play that I’ve written called Lowest Common Denominator and it looks at inter-generational relationships, something I’ve always been curious about and fascinated by. This particular relationship is between an 18-year old boy and a 47 year old man. We did a workshop of it last July and it was really exciting to watch the audience watch the show. They were there—they were there in a way that I did not even think possible for an audience in a reading. So we’re gearing up for that. But mostly our brains are just all Nyet, all the time right now. My husband is a drag queen as well, Isolde N. Barron—and Isolde and Peach will be hosting Nyet together, just to give it that extra sparkle. Why not? I wonder how President Putin would feel about Peach Cobblah. I don’t think they’d have much in common but you never know. He seems to like taking his shirt off in photos; Peach seems to like wearing very little.

SM: How did you get into drag?

DD: Well, my husband and I have been together for just over eight years and neither of us were drag queens when we got together. I’ve always considered myself a drag hag—if I’m traveling to a city I’ve never been to, I have to go to a drag show. It grounds me.

So when my husband was living with me in Toronto, we used to go to this weekly drag show that no one went to. There’d be 10 people in the audience every week. But we loved it. We were able to see the artistry behind drag. When we moved here, we were watching a drag show one night and it was just sort of a bad, tired drag show. I turned to my husband and I said, “you can do better than this.”

And so Isolde was born.

At that time, my business partner, Brandon, and I ran a monthly event called Queer Bash and Isolde was our star. It was such a successful event! It was the first event that we brought to the Cobalt. Then we decided to step it up and also run a weekly drag show at the Cobalt called Apocalipstick, which Isolde was also the star of. During this time, Cameron (Isolde) was up at Studio58, directing a show in which the entire cast played drag queens and kings and he was teaching all of these theatre students about drag. We wanted to put them to the test because you can learn all you want about performance but until you’re actually in front of an audience, especially an audience in a bar setting, very different from a theatre – until you’ve done that, you know nothing. So we made them all perform in front of an audience at a public show, in a section called Mean Teen Queen, which was about introducing new, baby queens to the audience. What we soon realized was these mean teen queens were making amazing tips—they were cleaning up! And Brandon and I, at that time, had been running Apocalipstick for about 2 or 3 months and it wasn’t making any money and we knew that it would take time. But we thought, “why don’t we do a Mean Teen Queen once a month, just for fun, just to make some money for being at the bar?” So we did and the response was huge. Then I started getting gigs elsewhere and then we put Queer Bash to bed and started doing Hustla. Because Peach Cobblah does hip hop drag, it felt like a very appropriate outlet for her so I host the show with Brandon’s drag alter-ego, Bambi Bot, every other month and it’s become a very regular part of our lives. Which is weird.

What’s exciting is that, through stuff like Nyet and another show we did for Zee Zee Theatre, we’ve been able to find some crossover between our drag world and our theatre world. We do a show called Tucked and Plucked: Vancouver’s Live Herstory, Live on Stage. We’ve done it twice and we’re doing it again in the new year. It’s sort of like a drag talk show, where we have some of the city’s most recognized queens and some of the oldest queens in town and we find out how the drag scene emerged in the city and why. A lot of people are like, “Ok great – men in dresses!” and its fun but when you look at its roots and why it started and what was happening within the city’s structures at the time, it lets you appreciate what the drag community is and what it can be a lot more. I never in my life thought I would be a drag queen, never, and I love watching drag shows. But never from the point of view that I would want to do that. But here we are, life’s full of surprises.

Nyet will be performed on the Granville Island Stage on Sunday, October 27 at 8pm. Tickets ON SALE NOW: $17 (including service charges. All proceeds to benefit the Russian Queer community. Available at www.vancouvertix.com or 604-629-VTIX. More information about Zee Zee Theatre can be found here.

When Sad Mag hears about an event that combines art, fashion and utilitarianism, we get interested. When it turns out the show will also give back to the community, we’re totally on board. dutil. denim in Gastown is throwing the DENIM + ART Fundraiser Show & Art Raffle this Thursday at their location at 303 W Cordova. Sad Mag had a chance to chat with dutil.’s PR team, Jenn and Thalia, and one of the artists, Anna Tidlund, about the what and why of DENIM + ART.

 

 

Sad Mag: Who are dutil. denim?

Anna Tidlund: dutil. is a denim store that opened in 2006. They curate and sell a selection of quality denim products, both from big name brands to micro brands.

SM: Jenn and Thalia, could you tell us a little about the DENIM + ART Fundraiser Show & Art Raffle. What is happening now, and what will happen the night of?

Jenn and Thalia: In September 2013, dutil. sent out a call for submissions. We invited local creative minds to create literal ‘denim art’. We chose nine artists from the Greater Vancouver Area to explore the connection between denim and art by turning old blue jeans into non-wearable art.  On Thursday, October 24^th between 7pm and 9pm PST the artists will exhibit their multi-media works.

dutil. believes that artist should be able to make a living off of their works of art, but also recognizes the various obstacles that prevent most artists from succeeding in doing so. The DENIM + ART show aims to reward artists for their efforts by giving them 75% of the proceeds raised from the event. The remaining 25% of proceeds raised to The Vancouver Coastal Health’s Art Studios – a not-for-profit organization that utilizes art in their rehabilitation and recovery programs for youth and adults who live with serious and persistent mental illness.

SM: What sparked the idea for DENIM + ART?

Anna Tidlund: DENIM + ART is a show that, in part, seeks to raise awareness about the relationship between the two, denim plus art! Denim is a signifier for many things: identity, for artists such as Diego Riviera and Jackson Pollock, and for its accessibility in everyday use and utility, for pop culture, and even history. The show is also meant to be a way to raise funds for The Art Studios which is a facility that offers mental health and psychosocial rehabilitation with art as therapy and to build a community where their art practice is accessible, safe, and accepting.

SM: Anna, as an artist participating in the show, what will be your contribution? 

Anna Tidlund: I work mostly with digital media dealing with the absurd and the act of art production. Lately I’ve been working on a series of cinematic animated gifs, and the contribution to the show will be a gif.

dutil. had given each artist some denim to work with, with the sole guideline being that the denim could not be wearable as the finished product. I wanted to make something concerning the physical and personal relationship of material commodity, and the possibility of its alternative history. Its acquisition and destruction that is kind of held in limbo by the law of its own coding, the piece is called Ctrl-Alter-Del.

You can see it below!

SM: Do you know the other artists who are participating? If so, what are other’s contributions going to be like?

Anna Tidlund: Surprisingly, I have a few friends who are also participating in the show (just because we applied without the knowledge of the other). There is a great range of stylistic and conceptual differences that I’ve seen so far. Every person took the project in different ways so it will be fantastic to see them all together. There will be sculpture, painting, and digital media.

What do you get when you combine soft fluffy pillows, a ring, and women with a cause? Tough-ass ladies, that’s what. Meet Melanie Watts, a new mother and founder of the East Vancouver Pillow Fight Club.

Hosting pillow fight events at the Astoria Hotel in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Watts and her team of fighters admittedly “kick each other’s asses for your enjoyment” and for a cause.  Their last event, held this past weekend, raised over $700 for The Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter. What’s more kick-ass than that?

Sad Mag: Who are you?

Melanie Watts: Melanie Watts, founder of the East Van Pillow Fight Club. Emily Carr grad originally from Alberta. Self-employed designer/photographer/entrepreneur who also makes mustard and cross stitches profanities.

SM: Who is the East Van Pillow Fight Club?

MW: A group of tough and compassionate women who are bringing a new form of combat sport and entertainment to Vancouver; thereby turning the common conception of pillow fighting as a thing that ‘cheerleader-type’ girls do in their pyjamas at slumber parties on its head, while raising money for rape relief.

SM: What inspired the creation of the East Van Pillow Fight Club?

MW: Boredom. Frustration. Desperation. And the PFL (pillow fight league) that once existed in Toronto.

SM: What can one expect from an East Van Pillow Fight Club event?

MW: What one can expect from an East Van Pillow Fight Club event is hard-hitting entertainment and the chance to be a part of something which truly empowers women.

SM: What’s the charity you support and why is it important to you?

MW: The Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter. We also host bike wash fundraisers in the summer time and give 100% of all the proceeds to VRR. This charity is so important because they are not government funded and their funders do not have any say in how the shelter functions. This is a very positive thing because it allows the VRR to do what is best for their programs, and the women and children who need them, instead of making decisions based on the ideologies of their funders.

SM: What do you love most about what you do?

MW: I get the privilege of being with a very inspiring group of women every week while we train and advocate this new sport. Also, I love walking through the crowds at our events and have people tell me how honestly entertained they are.

SM: How has motherhood changed you?

MW: It has made me a worse fighter in the ring (because my body is still getting back into shape), and it has made me a better fighter for equal rights because I want my daughter to never for a moment doubt herself because of her gender.

SM: What do you love most about East Van?

MW: The diversity.

SM: What is your vision for the East Van Pillow Fight Club?

MW: We would love to perform at the fair at the PNE one day or have another club to have tournaments with. West Van Pillow Fight Club anyone?

Consider yourself a fighter? Get involved in the next East Van Pillow Fight Club event—sign up today. Not ready to enter the ring? Make sure to come and watch one of Vancouver’s most beloved underground events and feel good doing it.

More information about the club can be found online.

On October 7, Sad Mag writ­ers Jes­sica Rus­sell and Farah Tozy went on assign­ment for Van­cou­ver’s Eco-Fashion Week for their second season. With the excitement of one season under their belt, they approached the five day melange of events with the a passion to find out more, network, and deepen their understanding of the ever-growing eco-fashion lifestyle—something they’ve realized is not a passing trend.

Eco-Fashion Week // P.1

And we’re back! Jess and Farah here reporting from Eco-Fashion Week (EFW) Season Seven at Robson Square! We are so excited to be invited back this year to rub shoulders with Vancouver’s eco-friendly fashion family.  Sustainability and going green continue to be buzzwords in Vancouver, showcased by events such as EFW. Last season we learnt about repurposed clothing and sustainable materials, leaving us inspired to be more eco-aware in our daily lives. This season we were greeted by some familiar faces, and had the opportunity to network with many new ones!

After seeing the list of designers for this season’s runaway shows, we were thrilled that superstar Evan Ducharme was not only tackling the 68 Pound Challenge but was also being profiled prominently at the event. We noticed that his stunning skirt from last season was on display in the showroom and it was also the main image on EFW’s promotional material.

When we arrived to this seasons EFW, we were excited to get our hands on some amazing organic Cono Sur Vineyards wine and tasty Noodlebox. But the fun really started when we were taken backstage to interview Evan Ducharme.

As we entered the hectic world of hairspray, makeup, and beautiful models, we gained a new appreciation for all the hard work that goes into a fashion show.

Ducharme himself was enjoying one last moment of peace getting pampered by La Biosthetique before the show began. We interrupted his moment of serenity, but he didn’t mind when he recognized us as the two crazy girls from last year. With a big smile on his face, we began the interview.

Sad Mag: Last season you featured form-fitting pieces that flattered the female figure. Can we expect to see the same thing this season?

Evan Ducharme: There are definitely some form-fitting pieces in the show. Just recently, my customers wanted something a bit looser, so there will be looser silhouettes as well. I kind of did a reinterpretation of the drop waist from the 1920s. I’ve taken silhouettes from my favourite decades of fashion, the 1920s to the 1950s and given them a 1960s hippie aesthetic. They’re still loose and elegant but have more of an easy sensibility to them.

SM: Did you have any restrictions when creating this line?

ED: I didn’t think of them as restrictions as much as ways to challenge myself design-wise. I set out a strict colour palette of black, white and grey because I knew choosing a particular colour would be impossible to find. Plus, I’ve been feeling a monochromatic look for summer. It’s easy to go bright colours; they scream summer, but something a bit cleaner and streamlined like monochrome are easier to wear in the summertime.

SM: What were your inspirations for this collection?

ED:I started with my favourite decades of fashion and reinterpreted them for the modern woman or man. I took those ideas of clothing and made them more modern and easy for people to wear. I also looked at old images of Coco Chanel and her friends—the way they styled themselves and the main silhouettes or fabrics—I took that idea and wanted to bring it to the catwalk.

SM:Last time we talked to you were unsure about a mens line, what changed your mind?

ED: I’ve been inspired by menswear. I want to create things that are really unisex so many people can wear them. Then you can share them with your boyfriend or girlfriend and that’ll maximize your wardrobe. Right now people don’t have money to be spending on clothes, and I think designers need to think of the sociology of their customers; what customers need to get out of their clothes, or making things you can share or do many things with.

SM: Will you always work in eco-friendly sustainable fashion?

ED: Definitely. It’s the place for me. I’ve been doing it for quite a long time. I just realized I’ve been working towards becoming a designer for 10 years now. I started sewing when I was 11, now I’m 21.

SM: What is the soundtrack to this collection?

ED: The runway music this year is Blondie and Fleetwood Mac. I was looking for really fun, dance music, with a moody aesthetic. I’m taking the golden age of fashion, and the golden age of music, and morphing them together to make a big story.

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View Ducharme’s collections via Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

 

Jason Michael Paul, the producer of the upcoming “The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess Second Quest” at the VSO, loves music, good coffee, and video games. A man after Sad Mag’s own heart, to be sure. Lawrence Mathes, Sad Mag’s web correspondent for all things gaming-related, had a chance to ask JMP about the important stuff: which Zelda game is his favourite, and what pivotal position Koji Kondo occupies in the musical canon. 

Sad Mag: Who are you?  Tell our readers a bit about yourself.
JMP: My name is Jason Michael Paul. I was born in San Francisco Bay Area. I am a producer of video game music concerts and a lover of coffee.

SM: How did you originally get into the music industry?
JMP: I began working in the music industry at 21. I used work on music videos and then eventually began working in live music environments producing concerts at parties. This eventually led me to work and stage concerts world wide for Luciano Pavarotti and The Three Tenors.

SM: Most people are familiar with names like Beethoven, Bach and Brahms but Koji Kondo? Not so much.  What spurred the decision to do game music?
JMP: In my world, Koji Kondo is a household name. When the opportunity began to start producing video game music concerts and Nintendo’s music (Mario, Zelda, and Metroid) would be a part of my concert that is where my working relationship began back in 2006 as part of PLAY!.

SM: Have you played any of the Legend of Zelda games?  If so which one is your favorite?
JMP: Yes, I have played Zelda dating back to the original gold cartridge Zelda game. I would say that my favorite game is Skyward Sword. My company was commissioned to produce the orchestra cd that was released as part of the bundle with that game so it resonates with me. Skyward Sword that is!

SM: How would you describe the music from The Legend of Zelda series to someone who’s never heard it before?  What should they expect?
JMP: Legendary! Chad Seiter, my music director, has done a masterful job weaving in and out the themes, battle songs, and does an amazing job of telling the story of the Legend of Zelda. Fans can expect to be blown away by the music and visuals. This is the ultimate Zelda experience!

SM: I attended the last game related performance, a mixture of music from the different Final Fantasy games including the brilliant Dancing Mad.  Are there any other game series that you could see the VSO performing pieces from?
JMP: Hopefully, the VSO will perform my other show rePLAY: Symphony of Heroes, which will be touring beginning this month in Omaha with the Omaha Symphony October 12.

SM: Where are you as you write this?
JMP: I am in Pittsburgh with a view of PNC park home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. We just finished up a concert with the amazingly talented Pittsburgh Symphony!

SM: What is the very next music related activity you are going to partake in?
JMP: A rap battle with an emcee who thinks he can out-do me.

SM: Which of the pieces that are going to be played on the 16th is your favorite if you don’t mind me asking?
JMP: The overture!

SM: If I were some kind of foolish individual who hadn’t yet decided if they were going to the performance, what would you say to convince me?
JMP: Don’t be one of those! This opportunity may never come again. Don’t be a fool! Ha ha ha!

***

You heard the man, don’t be fool! “The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess Second Quest” will be performed by the Vancouver Symphonic Orchestra on Wednesday, Oct 16th at the Orpheum Theatre. 

(I know I’m going and I’ll be leaving with a stack of CDs!)  

The Vancouver Convention Centre recently hosted another successful year of Interior Design Show West. This four-day event allowed consumers and retailers to come together and display fresh design concepts, initiate forward-thinking conversation and seek design inspiration for renovation projects. Anna Abbruzzo and Alain Courchesne of Igloodgn, a branding and interior design firm from Montreal, caught my attention with what they are calling the new Canadian aesthetic.

As a proud Canadian and local Vancouverite, I was thrilled to hear about the buzz we are causing in the international design world. This new style—termed maximal minimalism— Abbruzo and Courchesne explain as a reduced space with clean lines, a muted colour palette and one focal piece that catches the eye and draws you into the space. Imagine a beige room with a vibrant red sofa, a grand fireplace or an outrageously wacky backsplash behind your kitchen counter. Generating drama in one area means balancing the remainder of the room with minimal ornamentation. Together the two components create a look and feel of serene perfection.

To some, the idea of pairing a loud patterned carpet with a simple black table may seem too daring. But Igloodgn reassured hesitant audience members that maximal minimalism is the future for design in Canada. After viewing past residential, hotel and restaurant design projects I must admit I was convinced.

This sudden attention to Canadian design is cause for celebration because it means that Canadians, well known for our demure and unassertive character, are no longer afraid to make a statement. According to Igloodgn, interior design has come a long way since the late 90s, when the Canadian aesthetic was “humble, honest, and safe”. Today major cities including Vancouver and Toronto are hosting design shows such as IDSwest showcasing Canada’s newly-gained reputation as assertive, trendsetting and inclusive.

So how are Vancouver demographics determining the direction of interior design? One of my biggest concerns was space and functionality in small apartments in downtown Vancouver. Amanda Forrest of Amanda Forrest Interior Design recommends Resource Furniture, a company that specializes in convertible pieces and solve the problem of oversized furniture. IDSwest featured the Goliath table at the event. This unique table utilizes space by expanding from a dining table set for two up to its full size which seats six comfortably.

Living in Vancouver, life can get hectic. Not everyone has time to shop for the perfect new addition to their

home, office, or workplace. Forrest recommends online shopping as more designers are turning to the internet to find those quirky fun pieces. Websites such as etsy are perfect for accommodating busy lifestyles in Vancouver.

Interior design trends are constantly changing depending on what’s hot, affordable and in style: how can we keep up? The good news, Abbruzzo explained, is that “trends are a result of economic circumstances.” If we are able to understand what sparked a current trend we can begin to predict what’s coming in the future. Look out for these trends continuing into 2014. Bright technicolor, brass detailing, and handmade products that personalize spaces.

Looks like we just got the inside scoop!

Quietly confident, Vancouver musician Selina Koop gives Sad Mag the scoop on how she got her start in the Vancouver music scene, what tunes she’s digging, and the genre she’s accidentally found herself defining locally with her band, Selina Koop and the Blank.

Sad Mag: Who are you?

Selina Koop: I am Selina Koop. I live off of Wall St. along the train tracks by the water, down in the East Village/Hastings Sunrise area. I like being by the water. I’m a piano teacher; I teach out of a studio and go to people’s houses. I also have a small gardening business, which is a nice offset to the piano. I’m trying to be a more articulate person so I’ve recently started writing about music for Weird Canada. The band [Selina Koop and the Blank] formed from meeting at VCC. We’re a bunch of folks that like dark music.

SM: How did you get your start in the Vancouver music scene?

SK: I moved to Vancouver about 10 years ago and rented a small bunk at the Butchershop Floor. It’s now known as Little Mountain Gallery. It was a meat shop renovated into gallery space. You could still see the meat hooks hanging from the ceiling. It was kind of a crazy time. It was awesome though because I met so many great musicians and artists that hung out there on a daily basis, there were always shows going on in our living room and art openings in the lobby. Pretty fun. I met a lot of people through that scene when I first moved here. I made some really good connections right off the bat. I also went to Capilano College and took a year of Classical Voice and later switched over to VCC and did my music diploma in piano, so a lot of connections were born there too.

SM: What music inspires you?

SK: At the current moment, I’ve been listening to a lot of Chelsea Wolfe. I’m getting more into some RnB; I love Frank Ocean. I like classical music too, but I mostly listen to the heavier, dark classical stuff. Experimental music as well, I’ve been listening to Matmos. I’ve really been digging Chelsea Wolfe though.

SM: I notice that experimental/jazz sound in your songs. Are you consciously doing a jazz/indie fusion?

SK: No, no, not at all. It’s just happening. I never really played jazz, I played classical piano. I guess I just like the sound of it—the harmonies, the more extended chords—that jazz provides. I write what I like and it just ends up sounding like that.

SM: What are you most excited about right now?

SK: Honestly, I’m really happy with these recordings we did at The Hive. That’s the thing I’m the most proud of right now. I’m also super excited for this show at Chapel Arts.

SM: Tell me about the Chapel Arts show.

SK: We’re playing with this band Jessicka, they have some really incredible players. It’s their release show, as well as the release of a fashion video Andrea Demers made for Sailov. It’s just going to be a big party – a lot of different groups coming together. Chapel has projectors in every single room; the video is going to be projected on every wall in the building!

Head to Chapel Arts (304 Dunlevy) on October 10^th to hear sets from Selina Koop and the Blank, Jessicka, and Ben Rogers, as well as see the video premiere of the latest Sailov designs. More details, including ticket information, can be found online.

Van­cou­ver Nota­bles is the ongo­ing inter­view series where “No Fun City” shows off. More like bur­lesque than a tal­ent show, Van­cou­ver Nota­bles wants you doing what you do best, but with sequins on your nip­ples. Tell us who you are, what you’re doing that’s of note and why, oh why, are you rock­ing that boat? 

Sean Cranbury is an ardent supporter of Vancouver’s writing community. As the creator of Books on the Radio in 2009, and founder of the Real Vancouver Writers Series in 2010, Cranbury makes it his business to showcase writers both local and international. Books on the Radio returns with new episodes this October, and if you’re looking for some literary conversation in the meantime, Cranbury can be found mixing nerd-culture inspired cocktails at the decidedly awesome Storm Crow Tavern.

 

Sad Mag: Who are you?
Sean Cranbury: My name is Sean Cranbury. I work as a bartender, writer, and web strategy consultant. I live in east Vancouver. I also am Executive Editor of something called Books on the Radio which is a radio show podcast and blog about books and writers. BOTR has been on hiatus for about a year and will relaunch in early October. I am also founder and Artistic Director for the Real Vancouver Writers Series.

SM: When did you discover your passion for books and writing?
SC: I can’t remember that far back. My mom took a photo of me when I was very young. I am wearing Winnie the Pooh overalls and clutching a book while falling forward with a goofy grin on my face. I can still remember my first bookshelf. It was in the closet of the room that I shared with my older brother. That’s where I kept my prized collection of Frog and Toad books.

Writing was always something that I have done well with. I’ve always tried to challenge my vocabulary and been fascinated by how words sound and how they work together.

SM: How did you get involved in the writing scene in Vancouver?
SC: I worked for several great independent bookstores in the city. Duthie Books, Sophia Books, Albion Books, and I ran the books department at Virgin Megastore for the final few years of its existence. That put me in touch with the local publishing and writing communities.

I’ve stayed in touch with the writing scene as best I can over the years. Books on the Radio and Real Vancouver are examples of me and some friends taking matters into our own hands in order to contribute more directly to the community.

SM: What led you to begin broadcasting “Books on the Radio”?
SC: It was 2009 and I had just been dismissed from my job managing inventory and loss prevention teams for a multinational consumer electronics company. It was a short but instructive foray into the world of corporate boxes.

I basically took my severance cheque and said “screw all of this noise, it’s time to take some control of the situation.” We were experiencing the deepest pockets of the economy’s smoking crater at that time and it seemed like the best possible time to invest in myself and to pursue my own vision for bringing something into the world that hadn’t existed before.

So I decided to build Books on the Radio. I forced myself to learn WordPress, podcasting, audio and video editing, and etc… in order create and control my own content and message. I got in touch with CJSF 90.1 FM (SFU) who agreed to play the show on Wednesdays and thus it was born.

I also turned the enthusiasm and momentum gathered from BOTR into events. I flew to Toronto to speak at the first Bookcamp Toronto, helped to organize the first two Bookcamp Vancouver’s, built the Advent Book Blog with the help of my good friend Julie Wilson (seenreading.com, bookmadam.com), among many other projects during those initial few years. Real Vancouver was born out of that same creative flurry.

The past year has been a time of renewal and re-visioning for BOTR and I’m looking forward to putting in the hard work necessary to make it a success.

SM: How were you involved with Sad Mag’s Fantasy Issue?
SC: I interviewed David Sedaris by phone when he was on tour for his newest book, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls. I mentioned the interview to [Sad Mag’s Creative Director] Katie Stewart who thought that it might be fun to include in the next issue. I agreed.

SM: You’ve been involved in a number of projects promoting local writers and local writing. How do you feel about the state of Vancouver’s writing scene?
SC: Vancouver as a literary city is like a fantastic floating airship in a Miyazaki movie. Tentatively tethered to the ground of common sense and cultural tradition but always straining against it, threatening to break free. It’s a fascinating scene to watch because there’s so much going on and so much of it is experimental and challenging.

SM: Best thing you’ve read lately?
SC: And Everyday Was Overcast by Paul Kwiatkowski. Published by Black Balloon Publishing.

SM: Where are you as you answer these questions?
SC: Sitting at my desk in my kitchen office. To my right a rusting Motobecane. To my left my Zoom H4n handheld audio recorder.

SM: You tend bar at a self-professed ‘nerd bar.’ What’s it like working at a place where guests can roll a twenty sided die and save a dollar on a Vulcan Mind Meld shot?
SC: The Storm Crow Tavern is a great place to work. It is a restaurant that has no prefabricated idea for what it is or what it will become. It’s always in a state of creative genesis even if that creativity is often in the service of extreme nerdiness. I work with a lot of great, very creative and talented people at the Storm Crow.

I have been a bartender for as long as I have been a bookseller and it’s a lot of fun to work in a place that values books and literature and giant bas-reliefs of dead dreaming Elder Gods from beyond time and space as much as they value the mixological possibilities of Creme de Cacao.

SM: Last album you listened to?
SC: Cosmic Vortex (Justice Divine) by Weldon Irvine, 1974.

SM: What are you most excited about right now?
SC: I’m excited that Books on the Radio is about to relaunch. Real Vancouver Writers’ Series is now officially a non-profit society and we’re busy making ambitious and slightly ridiculous plans for 2014. And I’m also excited to work on a few writing projects over the next year. Rubber, meet road.

 

Support Vancouver’s literary community, learn about the city’s literary history and hear more from Sean Cranbury by visiting Sad Mag at Word on the Street! Tomorrow!

This Must Be The Place:
The Evo­lu­tion of Vancouver’s Cul­tural Land­scape Speak­ers’ forum

Loca­tion Van­cou­ver Pub­lic Library Square, Mag­a­zine Life Tent

Date Sun­day, Sep­tem­ber 29th
Time 1-2pm
Pre­sen­ters & Read­ers Michael de Courcy, Jesse Don­ald­son, Car­o­line Adder­son, medi­ated by Sean Cranbury

Sad Mag is really excited to be a part of WORD on the Street in Vancouver this year! WORD Vancouver is Western Canada’s largest celebration of literacy and reading held on the last weekend of September at Library Square in beautiful downtown Vancouver. The festival promotes books and authors with free exhibits, performances, and hands-on activities for a wide range of ages and interests.

We’ll be teaming up with some Vancouver notables who made an appearance in our Mad Mad World issue, including the talented Michael de Courcy, Jesse Donaldson, and Caroline Adderson to chat about making art and writing novels in Vancouver. Mediated by Books On The Radio founder, Sean Cranbury, each speaker will be recounting stories and experiences of Vancouver and how the city has changed since they first started tromping around.

Sad Mag would like to invite you to a special photo exhibition next weekend as part of the Word on the Street festival. Word on the Street is one of the biggest literary festivals in Vancouver, that also incorporates local art! Sad Mag has the honor to show off some of our images from the Mad Mad World issue at the Moat Gallery, which is a stunning little gallery hidden on the bottom floor of the VPL.

The photography exhibit will only be up for 2 days, so we’d love for you to join us next weekend! (September 28/29). This special exhibition will feature the works of young photographers from the Red Fox Society, the Writer’s Exchange and Tracey Ayton, and of course, some of the images from the issue by Rommy Ghaly and Michael De Courcy.

This Must Be The Place:
The Evolution of Vancouver’s Cultural Landscape Speakers’ forumLocation Vancouver Public Library Square, Magazine Life Tent

Date Sunday, September 29th
Time 1-2pm
Presenters & Readers Michael de Courcy, Jesse Donaldson, Caroline Adderson, mediated by Sean Cranbury