Bind.

Everything that’s wrong with Canadian music
Part one of a two-part rant

am nota
Ja lumberjack or
Schreiber a fur trader.

I don’t live in

an igloo or eat
blubber and

it’s pronounced
“zed” not “zee!” My country has produced
some of the greatest contributions to the
arts and has helped shape the world we
live in. I am proud to be a part of this good
natured, friendly nation and find comfort in
the level of respect that Canadians garner
internationally (especially in comparison to
the Americans).

That being said, the top three things
that this country has produced that I am
least proud of, in no particular order, are
as followed: Stephen Harper, the Toronto
Blue Jays and our internationally popular
music. In this first instalment of a two part
rant, I hope to hit all the highs and tear into
all the lows of the Canadian music scene...
respectfully, of course.

When it comes to quality musical
exports, most of the goods are from artists
who were known “back in the day.” For
example, the Guess Who and BTO are
amongst the best and most respected rock
groups of the 1960s and 70s. Hits like
“American Woman” and “Taking Care of
Business” still flood the airwaves south of
the 49", and shine a light on Canada’s music
history.

As for folk music, Canada is best
represented by such artist as Leonard
Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell.
These performers have reached international

 

acclaim and have won many awards for
their work. The sad part though, is that
nobody who was born after the freaky time
we all know as the 70s have a single clue
who they are. Many of the songs by these
artists, such as Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow
Taxi” or Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”
have been redone by younger, more popular
artists, and the original work has long since
been forgotten.

So where did it all go wrong? Where
was the first sour jug of milk in the carton?
In many people’s eyes, it was after the 80s
when popular music underwent a coup
d’état, but in my opinion it happened way
earlier than that.

In the 1970s a Canadian folk singer
by the name of Neil Young came out of
the woodwork and quickly emerged as a
popular and fresh face, changing the scene
of Canadian music by mixing folk with
rock. Neil Young isn’t the most talented
of artists; in fact, his artistic vision could
easily be confused with that of a drunkard.

In the 60s Crosby Stills and Nash were
formed by some of the best rock performers
of the day. Later, after several years, they
joined forces with Neil Young to create
Crosby Stills Nash and Young, the premiere
“super group.”

It was at this point in time that all
of that music began to suck. To me, Neil
Young ruined the once well-balanced trio
with his one noted solos and pitch-less
vocals. His song writing didn’t add much
and sadly that is one of his only redeeming
qualities.

Now, I will proceed on to one of the

   

most disgraceful bands to be blessed with
the title of being Canadian: Rush. Rush is
a group full of talented musicians that in
an attempt to put it to good use force my
ears to bleed. Rush created a genre now
known as “Math Rock” and thus combined
something I truly love with something I
absolutely despise. When was the last time
you were listening to a groovin’ track, and
thought about doing quadratic equations?
I’ve heard all kinds of Rush fans
say that “You just don’t understand their
complex style” or “They may not rock
as hard, but they’re technically brilliant.”
Yes, they are technically brilliant, but
looking at it from an outsider’s perspective,
rock music isn’t supposed to be technical

  

and well thought out; it goes against the
nature of the genre! And don’t give me
this “not understanding” bullshit, I’m a
music major—I understand full well what
they’re doing and a lot of the time signature
changes are just arrogant attempts to make a
lame song more interesting. FAIL!

Geddy Lee sounds like a woman!
There, I said it. Neil Peart has some quality
solos, but on a large scale, the man just tries
too hard. Guitar is actually one of the least
interesting aspects of this band, and further
proves my theory of Rush missing the point
of what it means to play rock.

Next week, for part two, we will
discuss the nitty-gritty of Canadian music,
as we dare to venture into the post-1980s.

 

Madame Tutli-Putli a fine example of Canadian film

By Leah Drewbrook

reated by Chris Lavis and Maclek
( Szczerbowski, Madame Tutli-Putli

is about one woman’s journey into
the unknown on a midnight train—leaving
behind her past and travelling towards an
ambiguous future.

With the sudden turning on of bright
lights, like the ones you might find lighting
a football field, the film begins. Moths
disperse through the air and a slow, sad
melody plays in the background. Madame
Tutli-Putli then appears —trailing behind
her a record player, a beach ball, a bird
cage, rocking chairs, mirrors and picture
frames. It is obvious from the conditions
of the objects alone; Madame Tutli-Putli is
weathered, tattered and fragile.

When Madame Tutli-Putli is first
revealed she is hunched over from the
weight of the baggage she is carrying, looks
tired and sad and does not appear excited
about leaving or traveling. Nor should
she—what is in store for Madam Tutli-Putli
includes many strange encounters, odd
characters and alternate realities.

In one instance, the train stops in
the middle of a forest. Everyone falls fast
asleep, except for Madame Tutli-Putli.
The train seems to be some futuristic
invention; a blue light that shoots from
the front to the back of the train acts as a

14

 

security system. As Madame Tutli-Putli
begins to write a letter, three men jump
down from an electrical wire above the
train. They enter the train and replace

the “clean air” system with a system that
releases a green mist which then pours out
of the vents and knocks the passengers
unconscious. The train, using its futuristic
technology, seems to “sense” the thieves
and consequently begins to race out of
control through the forest leaving a trail

of fire on both sides of the track. When
Madame Tutli-Putli wakes, she is alone in
the compartment; the baggage and other
passengers gone. Madame Tutli-Putli then
runs through the train until she trips and
falls to the ground in the dining car. There,
once again, she finds a moth, which flutters

before her. Madame Tutli-Putli follows the
moth through a door and into a bright light.
The outline of the moth becomes hazy and
slowly fades into a woman’s body with
wings. The last scene is a silhouette of trees
on a foggy blue background.

After watching the film I became
confused. What had happened to Madame
Tutli-Putli? After thinking about her sad
demeanour and baggage, coupled with
her fascination for the moth I came to the
conclusion that in fact Madame Tutli-Putli
had transformed herself into a moth, and
proceeded to fly away. Although this is just
personal speculation, I believe she morphed
into the moth in hopes of improving her life.

In addition to the film, the DVD
special features are not to be missed! Chris

Lavis’ and Maclek Szczerbowski’s explain
the inspiration for the film, as well as the
gruelling process they undertook in order to
create it.

The amount of time Lavis and
Szcerbowski spent on the film is
unbelievable. To make Madam Tutli-Putli
more life-like, they integrated half gestures
and hesitations to make her seem unsure
and timid. Consequently, this detail made
production time very long and strenuous.
Lavis and Szcerbowski worked 14-15 hour
days seven days a week for two years to
complete the animation of Madame Tutli-
Putli. They then spent half a year on the
animation of the train alone! In order to
capture the mood of the night train the pair
also took a two-week train trip, filming
out the windows and watching how the
passengers sat, slept, reacted to things, and
how the movement of the train affected
their balance.

Between the fluidity of the animation,
considering it is stop-motion and labour
intensive, and the realism of Madam Tutli’s
character, the film was amazing. A true
Canadian story at heart, with its depiction
of the Canadian National Railway and the
occasional moose, Madame Tutli-Putli is a
film that does our nation proud! It was one
of the best short films I have ever seen and I
would definitely recommend it to anyone.