Mike Simpson » Media

Do we get the General Idea? Art Exhibit arrives at AGO

Mike — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:38:26 +0000

There is a quite a buzz surrounding the arrival of a large exhibition of work by General Idea at the Art Gallery of Ontario. GI were a Toronto-based art collective, founded in 1969 and comprised of: AA Bronson, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal. They were renowned for their irreverance and satirical wit – playful yet antagonistic in their sometimes harsh critiques of beauty, sexuality, the art establishment and the media.

The exhibit occupies most ofthe top two floors in the general collection, which means there is no additional charge. We arrived on a rainy Wednesday evening at 6 o’clock – coincidentally the night that the gallery is free for a couple hours, and made our way straight to floor 5, with the plan to work our way down to 4. We bypassed the classics on floor 1 and headed straight to the elevator. The scale of the work exhibited is impressive. It basically occupies two entire floors (there are only 5 in the general gallery) and features impressively large works (some of which though may fatigue the eyes with their incredible saturated color schemes).

The work itself is interesting but grows a tad tiresome – there are a handful of major works involved, motifs, that are worked again and again. The AIDS logo, if we can call it that, is a fabulous reworking of the classic LOVE sculpture created by Robert Indiana. It appears in various guises, and is an incredible example of the modern art of sampling, recycling and reworking earlier design for a modern purpose. When displayed across a 5 metre by 10 metre wall though, the motif loses something and truthfully is a little disorienting and painful to look at (there is actually a physically uncomfortable component that both me and my companion noticed – was that part of the intent? I’ll guess the answer is no and that the curators are simply milking the themes for all they are worth).

I was very intrigued by “Miss General Idea” – a paraody beauty contest that was a major early work. It is genius – they created this contest, publicized it and playfully attacked the institution of the beauty contest. It’s too bad the displays consist mostly of blown-up images from their pamphlets, or a few simple props (though the props are sometimes outstanding – the venetian blind dress comes to mind!).

There are motifs that entertain and bring true giggles – the Poodles orgy images are omnipresent but beautifully designed (and the babies illustration is wickedly brilliant!). The Poodles are a welcome image that recurs throughout the exhibit and somehow have true staying power never losing steam and are ingrained in my mind.

General Idea is arguably, one of the most important artistic groups to have been generated in Toronto, and , not being an art expert, I won’t judge their significance in that way. I will give them a nod and say that I greatly admire their pioneering DIY spirit, the verve with which they threw themselves into areas like publishing (FILE magazine), and their masterly manipulations of the establishment (“Miss General Idea”) and the art industry. A great sense of humour is readily apparent, though truthfully many pieces have a dark, serious quality. The aesthetic is very punk – which is always good. Even if you don’t “get it” necessarily, you will feel the visceral quality and never ever be bored. That said, I have been lucky enough to visit a few exhibits in the last year, including “Rear View Mirror” at Power Plant, Tim Burton at TIFF, and Marian Bantjes at OCAD, and I can definitely say there is room for improvement in the layout and presentation of the General Idea group’s art.

This exhibit relies too much on the AIDS imagery, tries to blow things up to a scale which doesn’t necessarily serve the message in the medium, and unfortunately lacks proper vehicles for two important elements. The first is a proper history of the group, something to give the average gallery-goer some context, and secondly, a proper venue for the multimedia aspect. Power Plant had small mini rooms that are dark and allowed one to sit and immerse onself in a movie for a few minutes. The AGO has monitors with either shabby speakers or headphones – which is not even close to good enough. Is the multimedia worth displaying? Then put it in a dedicated room!

General Idea were a compelling group of artists with some amazing ideas. This exhibit is probably your best opportunity to engage with those ideas. I just recommend going on Wednesday when it’s rainy and there is no line-up for the AGO’s free-admission night.

“Haute Culture – General Idea” runs from July 30, 2011 to January 1, 2012 at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.

Links:

Toronto Star article – provides an introduction and overview
http://www.thestar.com/article/1032194–general-idea-haute-culture-at-the-ago

Art Gallery of Ontario website

http://www.ago.net/haute-culture-general-idea

50th Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s Historic First Orbit in Space

Mike — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:30:06 +0000

10 Ruble Russian Coin featuring cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (Photo by Mike)

Today is “Day of the Soviet Space Program (Cosmonautics)” for Russians – a day to remember the cosmonaut and national hero Yuri Gagarin, who on April 12, fifty years ago, was blasted into orbit from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

His famous quote, and a good one to say when you are toasting your Russian friends over some vodkas is “Поехали!” (Paya hellei – Let’s go!).

I would encourage you to check out some video and articles that explore the first orbit by Gagarin and the Soviet/Russian space program – some recommendations follow.

Watch:

“First Orbit” real-time video recreation (uses HD international space station footage and original audio)

http://youtu.be/RKs6ikmrLgg

Read:

Article on Star City (Soviet / Russian Space Program Headquarters) at Russia! Magazine. First link is to web site, second is to actual magazine spreads using the Issue viewer (worthwhile to see some Laika – the space dog – cartoons).

http://readrussia.com/magazine/winter-2008/00044/
http://issuu.com/russiamagazine/docs/russia__magazine

Article on Star City at Wired Magazine

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/16-09/ff_starcity

Arcade Fire – Rise of a Montreal Indie Rock Band

Mike — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:31:17 +0000

Illustration by Mike Simpson - Strong-and-Free

Update (March 29): Yesterday the band Arcade Fire completed the trifecta – winning Best Group and 3 other awards at the Canadian Juno awards – after bringing home awards at both the British and American music awards shows.

Arcade Fire won a Grammy award on Sunday Feb 13^th for Album of the Year for The Suburbs. On Monday morning I was at the college cafeteria, and I grabbed a copy of The Toronto Star, which had a story on the Grammy coup, for this humble everyday band from Montreal.

I assume my audience is broad and you might either be a fan of the band or forgiven if you didn’t quite know who they are. This is the Bieber-age and we live in a sound-byte era of dance pop forgettables. Black-Eyed Peas were once an alternative band, and now they’re Super Bowl headliners. It is frankly hard to find signs of life in the mainstream that indicate that rock music still has a pulse. Even at the Super Bowl the only sign of rock music was Slash, the guitarist from Guns’n’Roses, playing his signature guitar line from the 1980s as a kind of sample in the midst of a Peas medley.

I don’t write about music in this blog very often and it gives me pleasure to do so now because I’m a musician and passionate about all kinds of tunes. And most of all, I’m stoked because Arcade Fire represents something to me akin to the rise of Nirvana that culminated in the 1991 heights of the Nevermind album – when amazingly for a brief time, everyone everywhere seemed to get rock music. The pulse was strong and the “Seattle sound” was on everybody’s lips, including the industry, which birthed and nurtured a whole slew of awesome bands on the heels of Nirvana. This was the pre-Blink 182 era. Before pop infiltrated the alt rock.

Recently I have to admit, I wasn’t really in tune with the Arcade phenomenon. I suppose I live in a slight bubble. I listen to my own music, which I create under the artist name “Mikooshka,” as much as I listen to other bands. I get my music from places eMusic, where a subscription can get you all kinds of novel and interesting new music, in all kinds of genres. I also happen to get my music from the same places as everyone else, namely YouTube and MySpace.

YouTube is where my brother and I stream a combination of our greatest hits jukebox and our new and recent discoveries: New Order’s live version of “Temptation” at BBC is one of my favorites (to the semi-annoyance of my bro), while Jeff hits the replay button on artists like Gorillaz, The Strokes, Rufus Wainright, and band of the hour, Arcade Fire.

A few days ago I found myself tapping my toes to the live video for the title track from the hit album “The Suburbs.” I have heard it about a dozen times and it didn’t initially appeal to me but it’s grown on my quite a bit. I think Arcade Fire represents a kind of sophisticated sound that requires repeated listenings to fully get into and get. (By the way, the video of The Suburbs is by director Spike Jonze, one of my favorites, but I prefer the live version where clips are projected on a screen behind the band – link at end of this post).

Another Canadian won on Sunday: Neil Young. He won for Best Rock Song. It was a long time coming for the 1960s and 70s guitar-rock hero and Canadian legend. Perhaps there is a synergy at play here. There’s something subtle and yet very powerful about the music made by Young and the Arcades. I’m not holding my breath thinking there’s going to be a major renaissance in pop radio, but in the underground there lurks a rock’n’roll pulse, that refuses to give in. Hell, even my own electronic music is taking a kind of cycle back to my rock roots. And if you are curious, you might check out a half-dozen other lights on the Canadian indie scene, including, but not limited to: the Dears, Hey Rosetta, and We are The City,

Links:

The Suburbs by Arcade Fire (Live)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtbrY6QrgPw&feature=relmfu

Astronomers by We Are the City

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5GOIYj5giI

Essential Docs – Mike’s Favorite Documentary Films

Mike — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:14:40 +0000

Mike has been an earnest student of film since he studied the “History of Cinema” and “Italian Cinema” at university. Mike is an aspiring filmmaker with a few short videos under his belt. Currently he is working on “City Symphony” – a hybrid documentary / music video that includes music by his alter-ego “Mikooshka.”

Here are some of my favourite docs – in alphabetical order. After you read this please feel free to comment or use the share button to send this on to your colleagues, friends and family.

* Canadian movie, director, or content

*9 Blocks, 6 Months – Dir. Christopher Romeike – Poignant interwoven stories in Toronto’s working class Parkdale neighbourhood. A sensitive and quiet movie that is emotionally rich and beautifully shot.

Barbarians at the Gate – Dir. Spike Jonze – Fun cross-America skateboard tour with Foundation/Blind teams. Frames the hi-jinx and skate action with the “American Vacation” style narrative and visuals.

Watch scenes from this movie via my playlist at YouTube
Barbarians at the Gate – Dir. Spike Jonze

Big River Man - Dir. John Maringouin – Follows Martin Strel, a burly hard-drinking Eastern European, who swims the longest rivers of the world, and in this feature, attempts to swim the length of the Amazon. Incredible mix of drama, humour, and scenery.

DC Movie – Dir. Greg Hunt – DC Shoe Co. + skateboard superstars = amazing production value. One of the most incredible “action sports” videos of the last ten years. Danny Way’s record-setting airs off the big ramps set to Metallica are easily the highlight.

Food Inc – Dir. Robert Kenner – A highly professional documentary that utilizes some slick motion graphics and cinematography in its production, while illuminating the current crisis in American/global agricultural practices (co-produced by Eric Schlosser, author of “Fast Food Nation”).

*Gambling, Gods and LSD – Dir. Peter Mettler – a psycho-geographical journey into the modern day world via beautifully filmed scenes in North American casinos, evangelical churches and contrasted with scenes from exotic locations like India.

Grizzly Man – Dir. Werner Herzog – A story about a man who lived and died with grizzly bears in the Alaskan frontier – absolutely essential viewing from the quintessential documentarian. Also recommended is the more recent ”Encounters At the End of the World” (about his travels to Antarctica).

*Manufactured Landscapes – Dir. Jennifer Baichwal – Photographer Edward Burtynsky travels the world observing changes in landscape due to industrial work and manufacturing. Some of the most striking scenes demonstrate the awesome scale of development in China.

*Mayor of Tent City – Dir. Rosalie Bellefontaine - Gritty urban tale of hope and redemption for homeless in Toronto’s “Tent City” shanty town. You may be only able to find a copy of this in the library system.

*McLuhan’s Wake – Dir. Kevin McMahon – Excellent overview of the life, career, and work of Marshall McLuhan within a narrative framework that centres on “The Laws of Media,” his last scholarly work. Also look for Kevin’s newest work, Waterlife – a doc focused on the ecology and issues of the Great Lakes.

My Architect – Dir. Nathaniel Kahn – Kahn searches to understand his father, noted architect Louis Kahn, who died bankrupt and alone in 1974.

*Souvenir of Canada – Dir. Robin Neinstein – Explores Doug Coupland’s life story, “Souvenir” photography-based books of iconic Canadian products, his family, and artistic life (his preparations for an art show called “Canada House”). One of my all-time favorites. Compelling, profound, and funny.

That is my list – I’d welcome yours! It’s an interesting exercise to do this. What do our favorites say about us? I know for one thing, that at this moment it’s even easier for me to concoct a list of docs than regular flicks. These days I am ravenous for documentary film and there is a mountain of great material out there. I get my movies in equal number from my local video shop – the amazing “Big Daddy’s” on Dundas St West – and the Toronto Public Library, which has an extensive catalogue.

Related Note 1: Read my book review of Douglas Coupland’s “Extraordinary Canadians: Marshall McLuhan”

Related Note 2: When I was googling these movies to confirm the director info I found my own page at the top of the Google results for “Barbarians at the Gate” (#1 of 353 listings for “Spike Jonze Barbarians at the Gate”). Spike Jonze is a famous Hollywood director these days, but he got his start in more humble skateboarding industry productions.

My original “review” page with stills from Barbarians at the Gate is here:

http://strongandfree.ca/skateontario/video/classics.htm

Inside Job – New Documentary on Financial Crisis

Mike — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 21:04:07 +0000

Update: March 2011 – this movie won the Academy Award for Best Documentary at the 2010 Awards ceremony

A new documentary is opening – “Inside Job” – a film about the global financial crisis. Positive reviews abound: Rottentomatoes.com gave the flick an amazing 95%!

Directed by Charles Ferguson, the doc features Matt Damon as the narrator, and a heavy duty investigative flavor that is sure to make waves in media, entertainment and politics. But will it have any effect on economics? Hopefully – but obviously regulators and politicians have a role to play in reigning in the excessive system that is a greedy, irresponsible blight on the early 21st century landscape. The movie traces the development of the causes of the disaster, which have their roots in 1980s Reagonomics – the loosening or removal of financial systems regulations designed to stymie abuse and protect consumers.

Here is the synopsis:

‘Inside Job’ is the first film to provide a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia

Links:

Article in Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/movies/inside-job-skillfully-skewering-the-lobbyists-and-apologists/article1776590/

Trailer at YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzrBurlJUNk

Iconic Canadian Connections – Coupland’s McLuhan Book Reviewed

Mike — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:41:31 +0000

It was with great excitement that one day early this summer a search for “Douglas Coupland” at the Toronto Public Library website yielded an amazing find: “Extraordinary Canadians – Marshall McLuhan.” This is a book by Coupland which explores the life and ideas of a most iconic Canadian. And if you are familiar with Douglas and like his quirky style, then you might agree it’s a perfect match.

John Ralston Saul, notable Canadian author, essayist, head of PEN International, and the head of the “Extraordinary Canadians” series in 2005, thought as much too. Coupland was approached a few times to do this and finally relented. Some critics have charged that he sourced too much info from Wikipedia and Google searches, but truth be told, the book offers some insights and is related in an affectionate style. Coupland and McLuhan are kindred spirits, separated by a few generations, but definitely on the same wavelength. I know they both have some similarities in style and the odd peculiarity: quiet introspective thinkers who have embraced the media as promotional tool, finding it difficult to fall asleep without the aid of ear plugs (both of which are something I can relate to). Perhaps the most public and iconic element are the catchphrases, from Coupland’s “Generation X,” to McLuhan’s “Global Village.”

In the end, I throughly enjoyed the book, found the biographical elements substantial enough, and the quirky Internet trivia stuff entertaining. Please check out my links to an interview with Douglas Coupland, an excerpt from the book and my full review of Extraordinary Canadians: Marshall Mcluhan.

New Doc and Drama about Social Media (aka Facebook) – Catfish and The Social Network

Mike — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:42:22 +0000

This could be the zeitgeist moment of Facebook – when the little social network that could really become an all-encompassing behemoth. Already writers and thinkers in the tech world compare its scope and power with Google. It is an incredible phenomenon: it quite reminds me of the game changing killer app that was Napster at its peak circa summer 2001. It is is the quintessential social media app – and it seems these days that everybody is using Facebook.

Whatever your opinion of it, Facebook is an epoch definer, and a marvelous indicator of the state of the social Internet (aka social media), and two new movies in theatres now describe different facets of the world-wide wonder (which recently hit 500 million users and looks unstoppable). The two movies diverge in their style and content but a cautionary tale emerges overall.

“Catfish,” as I see it, looks to be the more interesting of the two. It’s a documentary about the true life saga of a New york photographer (Nev Schulman) who unwittingly befriends an artist fan on Facebook and has all hell break loose around him because of it. Apparently it’s a slowly evolving account of the worst-case stalker scenario you could imagine and it’s nerve-rattling.

“The Social Network” is a biopic that focuses on the conflicts and drama surrounding young founder Mark Zuckerberg and his co-founding cronies. Though starring actors like Jesse Eisenberg and pop star Justin Timberlake, this is no lightweight romanticized tale (it is unauthorized and “liberally dramatized” according to Wired Magazine). Apparently the story is highly melodramatic, invoking Greek mythology and dramatic turns that echo the back-stabbing confrontations of Shakespeare. As a rabid fan of documentaries I intend to catch Catfish soon, while I think I’ll wait for the Social Network to hit TBS on a “leave the TV on as background noise” night. Nevertheless Wired has a compelling article in their new issue (with amazing art) which is worth a look – links below.

Links:

Review of “Catfish” at Canada.com

http://www.canada.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Review+Catfish/3569642/story.html

Article on “The Social Network” at Wired Magazine

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/09/ff_thesocialnetwork/

Web is Dead but ‘Net Lives On: Wired Magazine

Mike — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:50:52 +0000

I picked up the September 2010 issue of Wired Magazine and was struck by the amazing cover story and (design!). It boldly declares that the “Web is Dead!”

For those of you who would like my take and synopsis, please read on. (Link at end of this blog post).

The basic premise of the article is that the Internet, still essentially a relatively new technology and communications medium, is expanding, while the “web” is dying. Web in this case means the old school ‘net, the one where we often kept to the first few sections of the home page at media giant “portals”, surfed randomly and explored hyperlinks that took us far and wide, and often avoided downloading media because our bandwidth was so limited (dial-up connections etc).

Here are some of the main ideas:

These days we don’t surf – we “get” (we know what we want)
We do the “getting” with “apps” rather than web browsers
“Walled Gardens” like Facebook may eclipse the free/open “Googlverse”

The “World Wide Web” has long been falling our of fashion (and use/necessity). Indeed, most web servers are configured to allow for “www” or simply “http” at the beginning of a domain name. Most recent browsers allow you to type “domain.extension” and go directly to your website of choice. The idea of the web has been dying too. This is key. In practice, many of us no longer randomly “surf” the Internet (unless we are bored, killing time etc). We spend most of our time doing very specific tasks, and we don’t always use web browsers to access “the cloud” (Our data in web servers around the Internet).

A few examples come to mind. Applications like Skype and Facebook help us connect with friends. Many spend their online time downloading media (technologies like BitTorrent clients have helped boost video to encompass more than 50% of all Internet traffic these days). People often use Facebook with a computer/browser, but the long-term trend is that in the near future more and more folks across the globe will use Smartphones and iPads and the like, and use applications that bypass web browsers (and obviously even conventional computers).

The concept of the “walled garden” is something I saw a lot when reading a recent book about Google (“Googled: The End of the World As We Know It” by Ken Auletta). Google’s mission is to get you to your desired content as quickly as possible (and yes sell a few text ads along the way). A traditional “old school” Internet powerhouse like the former AOL or the still powerful Yahoo seeks to create or aggregate content and make their websites “sticky.” Facebook may be the stickiest yet – a very powerful walled garden with built-in communication tools and tons of links and compelling user-generated content. There are suggestions that, with 500 million users, Facebook is blowing Google’s doors (outdoing them in the race for Internet supremacy).

A company like Apple is fully engaged with these trends too. Media production companies digitize their releases and figure out ways to rent or sell this content online. Apple’s portable devices (iPhone, iPod, iPad) help drive a large amount of the Internet traffic. We’re talking about growing demand for legal downloads that stream in a dedicated media player like Windows Media Player, iTunes, VLC or Divx Player.

Truthfully the web is hardly dead and web browsers as we know them will probably exist for quite a while. But long-term people will increasingly “get” rather than “surf”, and continue to use more applications on an increasingly wide array of electronic devices. Wired’s magazine feature is a little abstract at times and suffers from some mild hyperbole but offers some great insights into Internet trends that affect us all.

It’s a fascinating article that features the writing of two senior writers/editors – and the introduction provides a nice overview:

“Two decades after its birth, the World Wide Web is in decline, as simpler, sleeker services — think apps — are less about the searching and more about the getting. Chris Anderson explains how this new paradigm reflects the inevitable course of capitalism. And Michael Wolff explains why the new breed of media titan is forsaking the Web for more promising (and profitable) pastures.”

Read the Wired Article:

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_webrip/all/1

The World Comes Home to Africa – FIFA World Cup 2010 – A Musical Perspective

Mike — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:40:52 +0000

The opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup is taking place right now, and it’s reminiscent of the large-scale ceremonies I remember from the Vancouver and Beijing games. The stadium is ginormous and hundreds of Africans, primarily women, are performing synchronized dancing as performers do songs blended together in medleys.

I just saw the singer of a classic Ghanaian group called Osibisa perform “Sunshine Day.” I still remember this first time I heard that incredible positive funky rock song. It reminded me of the anthem quality in the positive rock/reggae crossover songs by Bob Marley. One of the astonishing images from the first part of the ceremony was the giant patchwork quilt that spread out on the floor of the stadium – in the shape of the African continent. And then slowly the other continents slowly formed around Africa as the participants roamed the floor. The quilt was a beautiful metaphor and a stunning visual. Watch for it in highlights on TV and video.

One of the amazing things that I just discovered is that K’Naan’s “Wavin’ Flag” is apparently NOT an official song for the World Cup. I think the Canadian media and World Cup sponsor Coca Cola have slid this in by the backdoor. In fact, if you look at the Wikipedia page and read some news stories on World Cup music, you’ll discover that the official song is called “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” and it will be performed by Colombia’s Shakira, with a South African group called Freshlyground at the closing ceremony. Even the official “anthem” is by R. Kelly.

Interesting. Seems somehow the hype machine of both Coca-Cola and the music business have blended fact and fiction, and as is very common these days — often a commercial branding initiative with TV commercials and catchy music will blend the line between culture and commerce. Have we been duped? Or are we just dumb consumers? Many reputable publications, including Exclaim Magazine, and the NME from Britain, misreported this story.

I really like K’Naan’s “Wavin’ Flag,” and I had the pleasure of teaching it to a group of LINC ESL students a week ago. It really is an amazing song – capturing a certain momentum that K’Naan has been building for the last few years. I downloaded “Soapbox” and a half dozen other songs from eMusic about 3 years ago. The kid from the rugged Somalian capital Mogadishu whose family now calls Toronto home, has crafted a truly epic, anthemic song. the song however is Coke’s official song, and I’ve just witnessed it in the background of commercial spot on the CBC broadcast.

I have to admit I’m mildly disappointed. YouTube has a video labelled “Official World Cup theme song” and the buzz has all been building toward K’Naan = World Cup 2010. I thought it was a great fit. Apparently, Coca Cola did too but even asked K’Naan to modify his lyrics, which they found to be dark and dour (and which I celebrated as an echo of the beautiful but plain-spoken lyrics of Bob Marley, see “Buffalo Soldier” which K’Naan references in his song).

This is the latest from Exclaim‘s website (other sites including Dose are reporting this too so hopefully it’s factual):

In a recent interview with Billboard, it was revealed that before the song could be used by the soft drink giant, Coke asked K’naan to rewrite the lyrics, which called Somalia “a violent prone, poor people zone,” referring to its people “struggling, fighting to eat.” K’naan complied, and in the interview, defended his choice before anyone could cry “sellout.”

“I saw it as an opportunity to reach more people,” he said. “I don’t work for Coke or anything; what I do is my music. This was a really great opportunity for them to use my song, without compromising my integrity as a musician. This is what I write, these are the songs I make. I’m happy about it.”

What about the games and the sport you ask?

Well, as you may know this blog is about people, culture, language and arts. So, in short, I am not a huge soccer fan, but I will tune in to a few World Cup games. Like most things in my life these days, I’d rather play and participate than watch. As a spectator I hope to catch some of the magic of South Africa, from the people to the music to the other aspects of African culture which hopefully will shine and benefit from this spectacle.I with the people of South Africa well and hope this World Cup is truly on the positive side of the boon/bust ledger. I also hope the platinum selling “Wavin’ Flag” will be a boon to K’Naan and remain an inspiration and beacon of hope, and not just a mass-marketed jingle for a soft drink multinational.

Recommended Viewing:

Look up the CBC “Q” video on YouTube for an excellent acoustic “unplugged” style rendition of K’naan performing “Wavin’ Flag.”

“Waterlife” Documentary – Free Screening at NFB on June 1st

Mike — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:09:23 +0000

This movie looks like a “must see.” The director, Kevin McMahon has directed some amazing documentaries, including one of my favorites, “McLuhan’s Wake” – a doc on the Canadian media communications theorist Marshall McLuhan.

Green Screens presents WATERLIFE

Directed by Kevin McMahon, 2009, 109 minutes.

Tuesday June 1 at 7pm

FREE

NFB Cinema – 150 John St (at Richmond St W), Toronto

Waterlife follows the epic cascade of the Great Lakes from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean, telling the story of the last huge supply of fresh water on Earth. Filled with fascinating characters and stunning imagery, Waterlife is a cinematic poem about the beauty of water and the dangers of taking it for granted.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Tony Maas, Director of the Freshwater Program at WWF-Canada; Dr. Romila Verma, CIELAP Research Associate, Watershed Management and Climate Change; and Hilary Van Welter, Director of Social Innovation, Windfall Ecology Centre.

Green Screens partners films from the NFB with experts and panellists selected by the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. If you are interested in the environment, Green Screens will entertain and inform you.

For more information, please call 416-973-3012 or visit:

http://www.NFB.ca/mediatheque

http://www.onf-nfb.gc.ca/eng/mediatheque/?lg=eng