Hot Ottawa - Cool Museums

Ottawa's having a heat wave. I happen to be on vacation and I'm struggling to find things to do that don't involve fainting.

One day I went for a bike ride with Greg and friends and we got hot. Naturally we stopped for an ice cream along the way, and jumped in friend's backyard pool after. I got a bit too much sun too.

Another day I went to the Jazz Festival (Richard Bona was a highlight). While waiting for the sun to go down I kept a shawl on my shoulders.

Greg and I went to the Museum of Nature where it was cool, if crowded, inside. It's nicely redone and has a bright new atrium. You won't be surprised to hear I especially liked the live things (insects, frogs).

Yesterday we went to the National Gallery where we ogled the thought-provoking Pop Art display. Some artists I'd never heard of and were quite interesting. Why do I like Damien Hirst's gold-plated steel display case with cubic zirconium crystals? Am I all bling? I don't like his foal encased in glass with formaldehyde...

In between we're staying home, reading, doing chores, watching World Cup soccer. All in all, a good week off work.

Nick Cave in Ottawa

My dream literary event took place last Thursday. Nick Cave (the Europe-based musician with the cult following), gave a reading of his new novel at the St. Brigid's Cultural Centre in lowertown. Originally from Australia, he has a musical style that's quite his own, and a literary approach with the lyrics that sometimes tell morbid stories of bent characters, a Euro-Tom Waits sort of.

I first fell for Cave's raucous and pessimistic punk music in the early 1980s when he fronted the Birthday Party. As I grew up and needed more warmth in my music, he grew too, into a genius storytelling balladeer and love song singer through the 90s and early 00s as leader of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Our paths diverged over time as I became too busy with life to follow his new musical work. If you aren't familiar Cave's music, take a look at one of several good video clips.

So it was with great excitement that I heard, the day before the event, that Nick Cave was coming to town. My great brother sent me an alert from Toronto. Cave's novel, The Death of Bunny Munro, is his second (he also wrote a successful screenplay). Suitably morbid, I thought. Probably not something I would read, but I must see him! I must be in the same room, for old time's sake!

I bought a ticket ahead of time to make sure I got in, and arrived at the former church in plenty of time to find a seat. Soon I saw an old friend S. sitting a few rows ahead of me, so I had a pal on hand too. Here's an excerpt, as Cave reads the first selection (caution: sexual content, not suitable for my mother or young readers). The book, it turns out, is about an unfaithful travelling salesman who has a sex addiction and is really an unpleasant chap, and his relationship with his 10-year old son.

Local poet David O'Meara did a fabulous job as host and interviewer of the evening, demonstrating his familiarity with Cave's work and helping the normally awkward and uncomfortable interviewee to relax and let loose some pretty humorous banter eventually. This became a particularly important skill to get through some of the agonizingly sincere fan questions and statements of adoration that came during the audience QandA session.

My favourite Nick Cave line of the evening, in response to a man who said he was trying to raise is son on serious literature: "I like the teletubbies, what's wrong with them?" Here, here!

Oh yes, I did buy the novel, in part so that I would have a suitable autograph opportunity and one-on-one moment with the gangly artist. And yes, he did sign it "love Nick Cave." Awesome!

And yes, I will give the novel a try. It has been reviewed rather well, though I expect it to be darker than I would like, possibly traumatizingly so. Cave spoke so well about his chosen theme that I am tempted to believe him when he says it has an uplifting side. Not too uplifting though - no redemption, but perhaps acknowledegment of the humanity in each of us despite our (or others') sometimes deep-seated faults.

How to Enjoy the Ottawa Bluesfest

1) The first step to enjoying the Ottawa Bluesfest is to research the lineup ahead of time -- read the schedule on-line. Learn about all those performers you've never heard of.

2) Draw up up your personal Bluesfest plan. Make sure to include some musicians you know and love, and some you don't know but could be right up your alley.

3) Let all your friends know where you will be and encourage them to join you, or go on your own (some of your friends are not into Metric and you are, for example.)

4) Finally, if you are a mid-life person who doesn't know how yet, it is time to learn how to send text messages. That way you can text your friends to tell them where you are when it's too loud to talk: "am at sam roberts - near sound booth."

5) Take a few photos to document the atmosphere, and enjoy the music!

Photos, from top: Kind Sunny Adé, Steve Earle, and Okkerville River.

Rock stars go snowshoeing and play golf

This weekend I played Rock Band with some friends. Or is it called Guitar Hero? Any way it was fun. Some of us were a bit shy, though I seemed to gravitate easily to the rock musician persona. I sang a Blondie song and pictured myself on stage in tight spandex day glo green leggings and pouffy bonde hair. Then I played bass guitar on a Rush song, while Greg did the awesome vocals. D. had practiced a lot we could tell, because his guitar work was virtuoso.

The next day I went out with Greg and two other friends snowshoeing at a quiet edge of Gatineau park for a spell. It was peacefully snowing as we went through the bushes, while blobs of snow from branches around us fell on our shoulders, and for the unlucky, down our necks. We saw squirrel tracks that disappeared at the spot where a birds wings had made a mark in the snow. We saw an entry way to a small animal's den, maybe a fox or raccoon. We saw open water at a stream, flowing below openings in deep layers of snow.

Then we played Wii golf and Wii bowling.

Surveys, Songs, and Scottish Stuff

The votes are in. It turns out that you, my dear readers, want me to tell you about my unique perspective on things from my own little look-out post onto the world. You want mis-adventures and adventures, mine and perhaps those of other people; something original and something true. Well, well. That sounds like a bit of work!

Okay, I agree. I will try. No movie reviews or recipes. I think I'll have to work my way up to being truly captivating though. The challenge is great. Today, a short report on recent events.

Friday, I went to see Jim Bryson perform at the First Baptist Church in Ottawa. P. and I arrived, as directed, shortly after 7pm when the doors were set to open. There we ran into G. and E. who were seated in some nice mid-pew seats. The church, at Laurier and Elgin, was lovely -- I had never been inside. It has a plain interior, but lovely wood work on the ceiling and lower walls. The music didn't start til after 8 so we had plenty of time to talk. It was interesting to hear about G.'s fabulous new bed and discuss mattress quality options with all assembled. Opening act Baby Eagle had broken his hand, so he had a short-notice stand-in guitarist to play for him, while he stood by the microphone looking like he felt naked without a guitar. He was good in a sweet alterna-troubadour kind of way. Jim Bryson played solo and then played with his band. It was a very good show. As you might expect it was a bit subdued, though some of the faster paced songs really rocked. The highlight came when 5 audience members helped out with shakers on Sleeping in Toronto. Talk about a gangly fun-loving gang of shakers, on stage with Jim and eventually all 5 of his band mates too.

This just in: A new walking path is about to open in Scotland, created by a gang of gangly retired Ayr Rotary Club volunteers. The Ayrshire Coastal Path should be a fabulous walk. Back in fall 2006 I went to Ayr with G.M., and visited Culzean castle nearby (nearby by car anyway) which is on the walking path. The house itself, the grounds, and the view over the ocean were fantastic. The garden had tropical plants like palm trees. It was amazing and I truly recommend a visit to Culzean Castle if you are anywhere in the vicinity. Thanks to J. for news of this important walking development.

Listen to good quality radio!

Try listening in to Simply Séan, a summer-only program on CBC Radio One (91.5 FM in Ottawa). It's on 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. If you want, you can listen while snoozing in bed on a lazy Saturday morning.

Why I like it:


1) Good music. Séan plays an eccentric mix that leans toward contemporary Canadian pop (Arcade Fire, Andy Stochansky) with a few odd musical gems thrown in that you haven't heard in a while (Beach Boys, Kim Mitchell). Last week included a Mavis Staples tune from the 1970s.


2) Entertaining banter. Séan brings his improvisational talents to radio, and the results are good.


3) Good timing. I usually am not doing much else when the show comes on, other than reading the Saturday paper, slowly drinking coffee and deciding what weekend chores I should postpone first.