Author: James McNally

Great Big Sea

Just one CD purchased the entire weekend in Newfoundland

  • Great Big Sea – Road Rage ($19.99)

Great Big Sea are a band from St. John’s that are pretty well known all over Canada. This is a live CD and although the band are known for their raucous yet intimate party-like shows (I’ve seen them twice in the past 5 years), this recording doesn’t really convey that. Still, I bought it in St. John’s and spent a few minutes with the 50-something shopkeeper talking about them. In an ironic twist, he told me the Canadian Alliance party swiped one of their songs for their campaign and have been told to stop using it. Imagine, a band from Newfoundland being used to promote a party that would probably like to surgically amputate Newfoundland and push it into the sea.

Close To The Centre

Lately, I’ve been feeling especially close to the centre of things. If that makes no sense, I’ll give an example. About a year ago, while working at a computer store, I talked to a fellow named Avi Lewis, who is a television music journalist here in Toronto. He was buying a computer for his wife, and was out of town, so phoned me. He paid, and said his wife Naomi would be coming to pick up her new computer in an hour or so. When she arrived, I realized she was Naomi Klein, a fairly well known journalist. I think it came out that she was writing a book. A few months ago, her book No Logo came out to very good reviews. I admit I haven’t read the book, but apparently Thom Yorke of Radiohead did, and stated it was a huge influence on the writing and recording of Kid A. So, although it’s absurd to think that I had any influence on Radiohead, in a small way, I was involved. Like six degrees of separation was somehow reduced to two degrees.

14 Hour Day

I had an entry half completed today and then work caught up with me again. Just finished a 14 hour day at the office, and so not in the proper frame of mind to tell you all how wonderful Newfoundland was. I will tell you soon.

When it rains, it pours. Please send Elise some love.

To St. John’s…

Brooke and I are getting ready to go. We’re flying to St. John’s, Newfoundland for the weekend, with our friends Philip and Ian. Philip works for Air Miles and got us some really cheap tickets. I’ve wanted to go to Newfoundland for years. I love the coast, just being near the ocean. It could be my Irish heritage, or something, too. Lots of pubs and traditional music (Brooke will hate that part!). So, I’ll take a lot of pictures and hopefully put something together for you all to look at next week. Of course, it being October, the forecast for St. John’s is rain, rain, and more rain. Still, we’re hoping to go for a boat cruise on a restored schooner and stuff like that. I’m excited.

Since I’ll be away until late Sunday, I’ll leave you with something to laugh at. If you know me, you’ll know that I love to laugh at my own jokes. I don’t think enough people saw this when I first posted it, so I’m going to repeat it. We were at a dinner party with our friends Jen and David, and we’re talking about psychiatrists:

DAVID: Yeah, my uncle’s a psychiatrist…….He’s f***ing nuts.

ME: I didn’t think they were allowed to do that.

Everyone laughed, except David.