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loungemy favourite place Toronto Alice Rocks Cooper, Rock Legend 64 OCTOBER | 2006 | up-magazine.com ALICE COOPER HAS BeeN FREAKING people OUT FOR FIVE DECADES NOW, AND HE doesn’t seem to be slowing down. He’s made 24 studio albums (the latest: 2005’s Dirty Diamonds) and is planning another release next year. He’s also released three concert DVDs this year alone. His radio show, Nights With Alice Cooper, airs five nights a week in almost 100 U.S. cities, as well as Canada, Australia and the U.K. His Solid Rock Foundation is raising funds to build a US$3-million teen activity centre on a Christian college campus in West Phoenix. He plays golf like crazy, at home in Arizona and pretty much everywhere he tours—which includes Niagara Falls, Cornwall, Kingston and Montréal this month, on the heels of supporting the Rolling Stones in Halifax in September. But ask the godfather of shock rock where he likes to soak up his surroundings instead of being the centre of attention and he’ll point you to his early stomping grounds—a place where chickens are wary upon his arrival and, apparently, where future sci-fi action stars are raised on metal. TORONTO AND I ALWAYS GOT ALONG really well. It’s always been one of my favourite places in the world. I kind came the Hawaiian grandmother and of look at Toronto the same way I look this black-haired kid named ‘Kee.’ at hometown Detroit: that audience I used to take him to the studio is a demanding audience; they don’t every day. We’d go over there and let you get away with walking through they had a dog and a cat and he’d love “a show. You have to really work. I to go and play, and I’d get him some always pump it up an extra notch for ice cream. We’d go and record and Toronto and Detroit. that was just sort of his playground. Bob Ezra, my producer, is from I didn’t realize it was Keanu Reeves there. I did a couple of albums until years later. He turned out fine. there… just a lot of great memories Yorkville was this tough area about Toronto. [then]; it wasn’t this sorta yuppie The House of Lords—everybody area that it is now. If you were gonna would get their hair done at House go outside at night, certain streets of Lords. And then there’s another were tough streets, certain bars had place that did these great boots. Now all bikes outside and they were all “In YorkvIlle… I I went in there three Angels or whatever the local gang was months ago… some gonna be. But we knew ’em all, you’d used to babYsIt thIs of the boots are still tip your hat and say, ‘Hey, how’s it there from 1974, ’75. going?’ We made sure that they got kId named keanu” Now they’re more tickets to shows and records so that expensive ’cause they’re retro. they wouldn’t bother us. Out of the Wild West come A place called Nimbus Nine—that The first time I ever missed a stories of what it takes to do was our studio in Yorkville. Right show was in Toronto, when I had an there across the street is where I used asthma attack and there was a big riot business in the West… to live in an old Victorian house for at the CNE. That was about ’78 [or] about three months at a time. And ’79. I have bronchial asthma [and] it I used to babysit this kid named just so happened that that day, it was Keanu… Reeves. When he was about the biggest pollen count that Toronto five or six years old. It just so hap- had ever had. I just could not get my pened that his grandma lived across breath, and I couldn’t do the show. the street and he lived there. And And they tore that place to pieces. It rather than stay in a hotel, I liked was the front page of the paper the staying up in the top bedroom in this next day; they just destroyed all the old Victorian house, but along with it chairs. And then they had buttons that said ‘Alice: You’re A Riot.’ www.calgaryinc.ca —as told to Eric Rumble www.calgaryinc.ca Getty Images ” westjet.com | OCTOBER | 2006 65 By/par Eric Rumble ONE GREAT CITY! Photos by/par Stephen Wilde THE WEAKERTHANS’ WINNIPEG UNE VILLE FANTAST- IQUE ! LE WINNIPEG DES WEAKERTHANS 44 AUGUST/2006 • up-magazine.com By/par Eric Rumble Photos by/par Stephen Wilde LEFT TO RIGHT: Samson gets grilled at Falafel Place. Studio stacks. What to see, hear and eat, Ce qu’il faut voir, écouter et Jason Tait in the Exchange. courtesy of the band that’s manger, d’après le groupe qui a Samson producing The Parkas. written more songs about the écrit plus de chansons que per- GAUCHE à DROITE : Samson au Falafel Place. town than anyone else… sonne sur cette ville… même Haut-parleur au studio. including the one with “I hate celle au refrain entraînant « I hate Jason Tait dans Exchange. Winnipeg » (Je déteste Winnipeg) John K. Samson et les Parkas. Winnipeg” as a catchy chorus Most underappreci- ith Canadian indie rock hogging global critical aintenant que le rock canadien de style Indie connaît ated example of civic acclaim, few bands reaping the accolades have un succès mondial, peu de groupes restent aussi an- pride: “That you can W remained as grounded—and as intimately tied to M crés et intimement liés à leurs origines que les Wea- always count on a their origins—as The Weakerthans. Formed a decade ago in kerthans. Les trois premiers disques de ce groupe formé neighbour to boost Winnipeg, Manitoba, the band’s first three records are il y a 10 ans à Winnipeg, au Manitoba, sont imprégnés your car or push you steeped in tales of their storied city’s essential character: du caractère essentiel des nombreux contes et légendes out of a snowbank,” gritty beauty, raw hope and desperation, profound cynicism. de leur ville : beauté courageuse, désespoir inextricable et says Stephen Carroll. For The Weakerthans’ three homegrown members cynisme profond. (founder and front man John K. Samson, guitarist Ste- Pour les trois natifs, membres des Weakerthans, (John K. Meilleur exemple de phen Carroll and drummer Jason Tait—their bassist is Samson, fondateur et principal du groupe, Stephen Carroll, fierté communautaire Torontonian Greg Smith), Winnipeg holds riches that you guitariste, Jason Tait, batteur et Greg Smith, bassiste de To- la moins reconnue : can’t find elsewhere, whether touring Europe or trawling ronto), Winnipeg contient des trésors que l’on ne trouve nulle « on peut toujours Canada’s more lauded metropolises. In many cases the part ailleurs, que ce soit en Europe ou dans les métropoles compter sur un voisin city’s treasures are tangible, even obvious: relic architec- plus glorifiées du Canada. Dans de nombreux cas, ces trésors pour ranimer sa voi- ture and sprawling foliage, the spoils of cramped multi- sont tangibles, même évidents : vestiges architecturaux et ture ou la tirer d’une culturalism and a humble, almost accidental celebration frondaison tentaculaire, ou délices du multiculturalisme étri- congère. », ajoute of all things kitsch. But beneath the surface, Winnipeg’s qué et de la célébration modeste et presque fortuite de tout ce Stephen Carroll. draw hinges on taking the good with the bad. qui est kitsch. Mais en profondeur, l’attraction de Winnipeg “There’s a real rhythm to this place that I guess est de pouvoir faire aussi bien avec le mauvais que le bon. we’re used to. It seems much calmer than other places,” « La ville a un rythme propre auquel nous sommes habi- says Samson. “It’s not like anyone can go anywhere, tués, et semble beaucoup plus calme qu’ailleurs », dit Sam- we’re all stuck here. The isolation kind of cements the son. « Personne ne peut aller nulle part; on est coincés là. community.” L’isolation cimente en quelque sorte la communauté ». Before heading into the studio this fall to record their Avant de se rendre au studio cet automne pour enregis- fourth album, up! enlisted The Weakerthans to talk about trer leur quatrième album, up! a demandé aux Weakerthans their hometown with different instruments in hand— de nous parler de leur ville à l’aide d’instruments très dif- namely, their tour guide caps. férents, leurs casquettes de guide touristique. westjet.com • AUGUST/2006 45 One Great Brekkie! Petit déjeuner copieux ! Casual, wallet-friendly, classic Winnipeg eateries to keep Restaurants classiques de Winnipeg, simples et bon you fuelled during daylight hours marché, où vous pourrez faire le plein pour la journée LEFT TO RIGHT: VEGETARIAN-FRIENDLY FEAST FESTIN VÉGÉTARIEN Carroll, Samson and Tait at C Kelekis. Falafel Place (1670 Corydon Avenue; 204-489-5811) Falafel Place (1670, avenue Corydon; 204-489-5811) C Kelekis’ bread and butter. John K. Samson: “I only come here with people from out John K. Samson : « Je ne viens ici qu’avec des gens qui ne Local colour at Falafel Place. of town, but that’s often… it’s really good, it’s really cheap. sont pas de Winnipeg, mais souvent… c’est vraiment bon An inner-city picnic at V.J.’s. There’s plenty of vegetarian on the menu... and the meat et pas cher. Il y a des tas de plats végétariens… et les ama- Carroll and Samson, post falafel feast.