SEE Magazine
Copyright © 1998. All Rights Reserved.
MAN BITES DOG
BY SEE STAFFIn an interview, ostensibly about the upcoming cross-Canada series of concerts he's hosting, semiretired national broadcaster Peter Gzowski had some choice thoughts about fall-out in Alberta following the Supreme Court's decision in the Delwyn Vriend gay rights case.
SEE spoke with the former host of Morningside last week, the day after openly gay Edmonton councillor Michael Phair spoke on CBC Radio's nationally-broadcast current affairs show As it Happens about the threats and hate calls he had received since the decision.
It also happened to be the day Premier Ralph Klein was scheduled to announce what action, if any, his caucus would take following the Vriend decision. Hours before the news conference, Gzowski noted Klein had, to that point, come out against invoking the notwithstanding clause to allow Alberta to contravene the decision. But, Gzowski added, several caucus members were clearly pressuring Klein.
"Well, the quotes so far say (Klein is against using the notwithstanding clause), but he has changed his mind before, hasn't he. And all those assholes are liable to yell at him."
Not the language you might expect from the sleepy national icon. But Gzowski, who hosts a cabaret evening Tuesday, April 21 at Edmonton's Winspear Centre in support of literacy programs, seemed genuinely concerned about Alberta's consistently shady reputation.
"It's so dismaying in so many ways and one of them is: I've got too many people who like to yell 'redneck' every time they hear something about Alberta. And if you know (Alberta) at all, you know that's not true."
Great Western hiatus
Gabino Travassos has put an indefinite hold on his popular Edmonton-based syndicated radio show Great Western Ballroom. The show, which features independent bands playing their tunes and being interviewed in often-strange locales, began at campus/community radio station CJSR in October 1994 and has since been picked up for broadcast on other stations in Canada and the U.S. A press release last week said the show "has come to an end. Well, maybe not forever, but at least until the fall, and possibly for longer."
The press release went on to describe taping of the final show - episode number 110 - which will air Saturday, April 18 and feature Edmonton band Slow Fresh Oil. Fans of the show or even those who read in SEE Magazine of Travassos' exploits from a Great Western Ballroom road trip in December 1997, will probably not be surprised by the adventure undertaken for that taping session. They may, however, still be shocked.
"The plan was to jump on a (freight) train, ride for 15 minutes out of town and try to get back somehow," states the rather long-winded press release.
After a couple of aborted attempts and some minor injuries, Travassos and band members Brent Oliver and Lyle Bell retreated to the Black Dog "for a beer and pinball and complained about what a stupid idea it was."
In an interview early this week, Travassos seemed confident the show will return in the fall, especially if he's able to arrange a bunch of new features to give the show a bigger profile, including a couple of new compilation CDs - not for sale but for submission to radio stations - of Great Western Ballroom material. And he admitted some of the scars from the train-jumping adventure were still healing.
"I was just mixing the (final) show and man, were we ever whiny afterwards," he laughed.
RIP Great Western Ballroom. May you rise again.
Commune with ManWoman
Artist/beatnik priest ManWoman returns to pass out popcorn communion at Latitude 53 Gallery (10137-104 St.) April 18 at 8 p.m., closing out Spiritual Schmiritual, an exhibit marking the gallery's 25th anniversary (ManWoman was the first artist to exhibit there). The swastika-emblazoned artist's take on Holy Communion comes from his Catholic upbringing and the days when he spoke about "paper bag Catholics" strengthening the link between spirituality and his own work. Popcorn, according to ManWoman, is made in a rapid white explosion, transforming from a hard shell to a puffy white snack - the perfect metaphor for his own spiritual experiences.
Egg-zooberant auction
Catalyst Theatre is cracking on its annual egg art fund-raiser - this year entitled Eggzooberant! Every year, the theatre company dispenses ceramic eggs to local actors, artists and minor celebrities who, in turn, turn said ceramic eggs into masterpieces. This year's collection is eggciting, to say the least. It features eggs decorated by the likes of Memi Von Gaza, Peter Field, Trevor Schmidt and an equally talented cast of dozens. The eggs go on sale April 18 at Catalyst Theatre (8529-103 St.) with viewing and silent auction starting at 6:30 p.m. and a live auction starting at 8:30.
Klondike proud
Organizers of the Edmonton Pride portion of this summer's Klondike Days celebrations have sent out a call for entries for its fifth annual amateur talent search. Categories include country, pop, rock, folk and blues. Finalists will have the chance to perform on the Edmonton Pride stage during Klondike Days.
Deadline for entries is Thursday, April 30. Call 479-3500 for information.
GMCC rolls the dice
Take nine dancers, a roll of the dice, an extreme situation and what do you end up with? Stockwell Day's worst nightmare? Nope, you get Open Field at Altitude, a piece from Motion E Motion, the year-end modern dance show from Grant MacEwan Community College's dance program.
Open Field, choreographed by GMCC faculty member Heidi Bunting, incorporates the physical and mental challenges an assault on Mt. Everest would involve into dance. The dancers learn all 10 roles of the dance, then on the evening of the performance, the part each dancer plays is determined by a role of the dice.
Open Field and the rest of Motion E Motion will be performed April 16, 17, and 18 at 8 p.m.at the John L. Haar Theatre at the college's Jasper Place Campus, 10045-156 St.
Get a Java Life
Are you a member of our coffee culture? A slave to the bean? Like to wag your jaw over a steamin' hot cuppa joe?
Or maybe you prefer theatre. If so, SEE Magazine could send you and a friend to Workshop West's season finale, Java Life. We're giving away six pairs of tickets: three to the Sunday, April 19 show and three to the Wednesday, April 22 staging. To win a pair of tickets, call SEE (428-9354) after 2 p.m. Friday and tell us how Special Agent Dale Cooper described the coffee made by the good people of Twin Peaks.
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