The fourth installment of my podcast, SAFER, is up and ready to go. Enjoy.
http://safer.podbean.com/
Friday, September 11, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy was here (21/03/09)
What do you do when a concert doesn’t start until two hours after the doors open, and then the headlining act doesn’t go on for another thirty minutes after the opener finishes? You try to find the band, of course. Well, that’s what we tried to do at Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s (the current monicker of singer/songwriter Will Oldham) first ever Winnipeg appearance. We began our search with a cigarette in the alley, pounding on the back doors of the venue, where we thought there may be a backstage area (there wasn’t). Following that futile effort we made our way back inside and realized that the doors we had just been knocking at led only to the back of the stage, but not backstage. Armed with a school bag, a notebook, and the drunken confidence of a gonzo journalist we assumed the identities of two young arts reporters and started valiantly searching the farthest corners and darkest stairwells of the Pyramid Cabaret.
The first stairwell led us up to some sort of sound or lighting booth, but no Bonnie. By this time only one security guard was onto us, a big husk of a man of whom we inquired about musical taste, discovering he preferred metal over country and had never heard of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. The second stairwell led us down to a crammed storage area beneath the stage, where we were followed by two security guards who simply told us that no one was down there. We explained to them we were with the Uniter and supposed to be interviewing the band, so they pointed us toward the bar, saying they might know where the band is. So we made our way to the bar and explained again that we were with the Uniter looking for an interview, but that we couldn’t find the band. She found her supervisor and he told us to talk to the bearded guy selling t-shirts. We told him we were looking for an interview and he asked us who we were with. “The Uniter,” we told him, “The University of Winnipeg’s student newspaper.” He said that nothing had been cleared, that all interviews had to be cleared beforehand with the record label. The band was eating. “How would you like to be interrupted while you’re eating,” he asked irritably. Having not expected much from the disgruntled merch guy we continued our search undeterred.
It was at this point that we were tipped off to a third staircase to where we were ensured the band would be. We were told by a security guard, however, that someone from the band had to take us up. We took some time for a cigarette and to consider our next course of action. Back inside we told another bar tender that we were with the Uniter looking for an interview and were told the band was upstairs. “Can we just go up?” we asked. Hesitantly she told us to “just go up and knock on the door, I guess.” We did, and a woman answered the door. We told her who we were, that we were supposed to interview Will Oldham, and she told us to wait and closed the door in our faces. Moments later the door was opened and there stood the mustached Will Oldham. “What’s up?” he asked with little annoyance, and we told him our names and who we were with and what we’d been through to find him and he agreed to an interview after the show, saying they had to go on right away. Finally, we thought.
Excited for the interview, we spent the entire lengthy but engaging set thinking about things to ask him about. We thought he was from Chicago, but some friends thought he was from Alabama, so we were going to clarify that and ask what he thought of Winnipeg being referred to as “the Chicago of the North.” We found out in the interview that he was from Kentucky. We’d heard he brings his own rice cooker on tour so we decided to ask him about that, but we forgot. We did ask what he thought of Winnipeg, as it was his first time visiting, but he didn’t have a whole of time to look around. We asked if he gave anything up for Lent. “When did that start he asked?” he asked. We told him it was the forty days before Easter and he said, “I’m not drinking alcohol this week, while we’re in Canada.” We asked him if he rides a bike and he does, and he wears a helmet “half the time,” when he thinks of it. When asked why he shaved his beard he replied simply, “spring. It feels good.” After thanking him for the “interview” we asked if he had time for breakfast before he left in the morning and encouraged him to check out the Blacksheep Diner. He wasn’t sure where he was going the next day, thought whether Calgary, Edmonton, or Saskatoon, asking us how far away each city was. But one can wonder if perhaps he did take our advice and that’s what made him late for his show in Saskatoon the following night.
Before we left we saw Oldam’s slovenly drummer at the bar and decided to ask him how the tour was going. “Good” was his only reply and seeing a Fort Garry beer in his hand I asked what he thought of Winnipeg’s local beer to which he replied again simply “Good.”
We had heard from an unreliable source that the word ‘beware’ (the title of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s brand new record) was derived from the fear of warewolves so we asked the drummer about it: “Is that a question?” he asked, shaking his head. When we asked Oldham the same thing earlier he answered: “that makes no sense.”
The first stairwell led us up to some sort of sound or lighting booth, but no Bonnie. By this time only one security guard was onto us, a big husk of a man of whom we inquired about musical taste, discovering he preferred metal over country and had never heard of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. The second stairwell led us down to a crammed storage area beneath the stage, where we were followed by two security guards who simply told us that no one was down there. We explained to them we were with the Uniter and supposed to be interviewing the band, so they pointed us toward the bar, saying they might know where the band is. So we made our way to the bar and explained again that we were with the Uniter looking for an interview, but that we couldn’t find the band. She found her supervisor and he told us to talk to the bearded guy selling t-shirts. We told him we were looking for an interview and he asked us who we were with. “The Uniter,” we told him, “The University of Winnipeg’s student newspaper.” He said that nothing had been cleared, that all interviews had to be cleared beforehand with the record label. The band was eating. “How would you like to be interrupted while you’re eating,” he asked irritably. Having not expected much from the disgruntled merch guy we continued our search undeterred.
It was at this point that we were tipped off to a third staircase to where we were ensured the band would be. We were told by a security guard, however, that someone from the band had to take us up. We took some time for a cigarette and to consider our next course of action. Back inside we told another bar tender that we were with the Uniter looking for an interview and were told the band was upstairs. “Can we just go up?” we asked. Hesitantly she told us to “just go up and knock on the door, I guess.” We did, and a woman answered the door. We told her who we were, that we were supposed to interview Will Oldham, and she told us to wait and closed the door in our faces. Moments later the door was opened and there stood the mustached Will Oldham. “What’s up?” he asked with little annoyance, and we told him our names and who we were with and what we’d been through to find him and he agreed to an interview after the show, saying they had to go on right away. Finally, we thought.
Excited for the interview, we spent the entire lengthy but engaging set thinking about things to ask him about. We thought he was from Chicago, but some friends thought he was from Alabama, so we were going to clarify that and ask what he thought of Winnipeg being referred to as “the Chicago of the North.” We found out in the interview that he was from Kentucky. We’d heard he brings his own rice cooker on tour so we decided to ask him about that, but we forgot. We did ask what he thought of Winnipeg, as it was his first time visiting, but he didn’t have a whole of time to look around. We asked if he gave anything up for Lent. “When did that start he asked?” he asked. We told him it was the forty days before Easter and he said, “I’m not drinking alcohol this week, while we’re in Canada.” We asked him if he rides a bike and he does, and he wears a helmet “half the time,” when he thinks of it. When asked why he shaved his beard he replied simply, “spring. It feels good.” After thanking him for the “interview” we asked if he had time for breakfast before he left in the morning and encouraged him to check out the Blacksheep Diner. He wasn’t sure where he was going the next day, thought whether Calgary, Edmonton, or Saskatoon, asking us how far away each city was. But one can wonder if perhaps he did take our advice and that’s what made him late for his show in Saskatoon the following night.
Before we left we saw Oldam’s slovenly drummer at the bar and decided to ask him how the tour was going. “Good” was his only reply and seeing a Fort Garry beer in his hand I asked what he thought of Winnipeg’s local beer to which he replied again simply “Good.”
We had heard from an unreliable source that the word ‘beware’ (the title of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s brand new record) was derived from the fear of warewolves so we asked the drummer about it: “Is that a question?” he asked, shaking his head. When we asked Oldham the same thing earlier he answered: “that makes no sense.”
Backlog
The idea for this blog was birthed some time ago, and is only now being brought forth in this form.
As such, the first few posts are ones that have been in various stages of completion for the last little while.
If all goes well, we'll have new material in the (near) future.
Enjoy!
As such, the first few posts are ones that have been in various stages of completion for the last little while.
If all goes well, we'll have new material in the (near) future.
Enjoy!
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