September 24, 2003 Simon Hatton OP Contributor Is it considered a spoof when the bands you are spoof- ing were unknowingly parodies of themselves in the first place? Or would that be considered a double par- ody, and in that case can a band really be charged with doing two parodies at once? Well if so, then Rock’n would be guilty as charged. Straight from Cleveland, or Cincinnati, or some other American city famous for its “rockin” bands, the four enthusiastic metal heads recently came to strut their stuff at Vancouver's sugar refinery. I had a chance to sit down with the singer of Rock’n and this is what he had to say (ok this didn’t happen but this is how I think it would have went). Me: Hi. You were the creator and driving force behind the legend that is Rock'n, and as such, have carried the burden of dreams - stroke - nightmares - stroke - what- ever. The reunion of a band who split so acrimoniously must be packed with conflicting emotions of joy, guilt, anger, anxiety, despair, hope—excitement even. How do you feel? Rock’n: All right, thanks. How are you? We sit back for a moment and listen to the first single (and title track) off their new album, Rock'n Tonight. Rock'n: “Rock'n Tonight “ is actually a political song. Me: Jn what way is it a political song, then? Rock’n:(long pause) Well, it’s in the lyrics, isn’t it? Me: Right, here we are then. “Were rockn tonight, we're Culture fucking rock'n tonight.” Repeat. And that’ political in intent, is it? Rock'n: Well, er...maybe it’s more poetical-political, you know...I dunno. Me: It doesn’t simply, sort of; indulge the macho male egos preoccupying and overriding obsession with domi- nating women and orgiastic blood letting for the sake of it then? Rock'n: Yeah, that’s the bits I like. Me: J was wondering if we could play a little game. I sometimes use it when Im interviewing people for my column. It’s called “On The Couch,” it’s a word associa- tion game. Okay, I'll start. Heavy metal. Rock'n: Heavy metal what? Me: Heavy metal! Rock’n: What about heavy metal? Me: Okay then, what about heavy metal? Rock'n: Oh. Oh, yeah, right. I like heavy metal What followed that evening was an inspired perform- ance by the boys of Rock’n, playing a broad spectrum of hits from classics like “We're Rock’n,” to new offer- ings such as “We're Rock’n Tonight.” It was obvious to me by this point that the members of Rock’n were put on this earth to do one thing and one thing only—and that my friend, is to rock. Martin Tielli Operation Infinite Joy (Sort of) Amanda Aikman Culture Editor My name is Amanda Aikman and I am a Martin Tielli addict. They tell me that admitting I have a problem is the first step on the road to recovery, but I have no desire to recover from my obsession with this man. Rather, I have made it my personal mission in life to get as many other people hooked on_ this angelic-voiced, guitar phenom as I pos- sibly can. Because of this I have no idea how to write a review of Tielli’s new album, Operation Infinite Joy. It is per- fect, everything he does is perfect to me—so objectivity is not likely to per- meate anything I have to say about him or his work. But I still want to write about him, even if it’s only for the opportunity to see our names written on the same page together. I tell you these things not just to gross you out but to warn you, what follows is an out- pouring of unabashed gushing and hero worship the likes of which you are unlikely to have witnessed since your little sister returned from Luke Perry and Jason Priestly’s 90210 mall tour of 1990. So what is it about an artist and rock musician from Etobicoke, Ontario that could drive a seemingly sane person like myself to covet him so shamelessly? And I do covet him; I’m way past the denial stage on that one. I carry one of his set lists in my wallet, I have more framed photographs of him than I do of all my family members combined, I have spent a great amount of money and energy over the years to stalk him (at his shows only, I haven't stooped to hiding in the bushes outside his win- dow yet), every password and pin num- ber I have relates directly back to the date of my favourite performance of his, I would very much like to keep him tied up in my closet so I could make him sing for me whenever I wanted, I even have one of the man’s drawings tattooed on my leg—so denial is no longer an option for me at this point. Now, I realize I am a little old for the whole Tiger Beat/boyband crush scene, but I can’t control it. The man is a genius. And how often do we really get to be in the presence of true genius these days? Not often. So I say, if you're lucky enough to find it—bask in it, soak it up, roll around in it, and never take it for granted. If you don't have a genius of your own to obsess over, you are welcome to share Tielli with me. After all, I’m just crazy, not selfish. There are many rea- sons to love this man—his proficiency as a musician, songwriter, and visual artist for example—but it is Tielli’s voice that really does the trick for me. The highs, the lows, the whispers, the screams—language has not yet evolved to a point that can do its description justice. That voice, that perfect voice. If I had the time and/or the resources, I would find me a good ol’fashioned mad scientist, one with an imposing ray gun- type contraption, and get him to shrink me down, load me up into a syringe, and inject me directly into Tielli’s vocal chords just so I could be closer to it. But I digress—he sings real good. As a long-standing member of Canadian rock band, The Rheostatics, Tielli has written and performed some of the most beautiful music ever to come out of this country, and with his burgeoning solo career he has taken his brilliance to brave new heights. His lat- est triumph, Operation Infinite Joy, is a treasure of ethereal soundscapes, a col- lection of songs that challenge, inspire, and as always—entertain. The more | listen to it the more magical it becomes http://www.otherpress.ca to me. My favourite song, “Ship of Fire,” contains some of Tielli’s most eerily beautiful lyrics to date. He just rattles em off one after the other; “Tip toed across the waves/The tiger sharks as slaves,” “We used to believe in some- thing/Now we just build cages,” and “The universe doesn't love you/Doesn'’t think that you're unique,” just to list a few. What else can I tell you? That “Sgt. Kraulis” is a brilliant, lively song that you just know will be amazing live? That “Winnipeg” is the second best song to ever contain the word “coleslaw” (the other being “That's How We do it in Warsaw” from Tielli’s last album)? That he is currently per- forming across Canada with his talent- ed band Operation Infinite Justice, consisting of Ford Pier, Greg Smith, and Barry Mirochnick? Yes, I could tell you all of these things, but why not come check it out for yourself when Tielli finally returns to town October 23 at Richard’s on Richards? As long as nobody forewarns security this time, I'll be there—front and centre. Page 13 the other press @September 17, 2003