You eat your pizza like that?
September 28, 2017
Question for the pizza connoisseurs around Canada, and around the world for that matter…..How do you eat your pizza?
On my recent Canadian tour, I discovered a major difference in pizza consumption habits from West to East. As a Western Canadian, I am familiar with pizza that has a fairly tough crust, making it easy to eat with your hands. You might even be able to play a successful game of ultimate frisbee with it. However, I had the opportunity to have pizza in Eastern Canada several times this trip, and found the crusts to be particularly soft and a messy challenge to hold.
The best moment that exemplifies this discovery was when I was on the ferry going to Newfoundland. There was I, trying to gain respectable control of a triangle of deliciousness, and BOOM! Down to the table goes every topping as if it had just walked the plank into the unforgiving Atlantic, only to splash tomato residue in my face for extra shame points. To top it all off…haha, no pun actually intended…everyone in my vicinity looked at me with eyes that spoke “Who let the West Coast heathen on the boat?” I then became aware of the cultural difference as every single person slowly went back to eating their pizza……with a fork and knife.
Are there any pizza anthropologists who would like to take a slice on this one?
Mr. Bard…on Canadian pizza
My tattoo, my brother, and The Tragically Hip
August 24, 2016
Recent national events have inspired this post. But first, a little background :).
Whenever I wear a t-shirt, I am often asked about the tattoo on my left arm. If you have never seen it, this is the best shot I can take of it using my limited selfie technique. You won’t be able to see it all in one shot, but this will give you the idea……
These are the common statements I get from people seeing it for the first time:
“What is that supposed to be?”
“Why is it broken?”
“Do you like palm trees?”
“You must love coconuts!”
“Can I buy some weed off you?”
“You must have got that in the Caribbean!”
It’s uncanny that whenever I meet someone new, and they see my tattoo, their reaction is most often one of the 6 previous lines. So, I will answer all of them in order:
1. What is it supposed to be?
-It’s a fusion of a guitar body and a palm tree – represents a reminder that when times are stressful, music, and the outdoors/nature are the best remedy for me.
2. Why is it broken?
– Because I just drew it that way. I originally drew it with the intention of it looking like a group of islands, but somewhere along the way it shifted a bit. I have thought of adding to it since I started music full time 5 years ago – perhaps bridges between the unattached pieces that symbolize the acceptance of music in my life.
3. Do you like palm trees?
– I hope this is obvious…..otherwise, I wouldn’t have inked it to my body for eternity. I find palm trees quite fascinating, and I most admire their calm, flexible strength. Think of a palm tree in a hurricane – they can pretty much be blown horizontal, yet they rarely, if ever, actually uproot. They can weather the worst, and bounce back like champ. I think that is incredible!
4. You must love coconuts!
– This is true, but in no way had anything to do with the design.
5. Can I buy some weed off you?
– No. I don’t get asked this anymore, but just after I first got my tattoo, I’d get asked anytime I wore a t-shirt, in all sorts of places, from all kinds of people….even an airport limo driver! I didn’t even take the limo!!
6. You must have got that in the Caribbean!
– Coincidently, this is actually true. However, I doodled a small version of the image 5 years previous to the day I got it, while I was in a 2nd year anatomy and physiology class in Vancouver. Now the real story begins….
This is me Brodda! ((English translation – biological brother from the same Modda (English translation – biological mother)). His name is Zac, and here we are behind a stage on a field in 2007 for a very special concert. Notice my left arm has no palm guitar….
Zac used to live in Grand Cayman Island, which is also by coincidence…you guessed it!!…..in the Caribbean! My brother moved down there in 2000 to pursue a career in the scuba dive industry as an instructor. For 7 years he masked, snorkelled, and flippered people, and guided them through an alternate universe…the spectacular eco system of wonders beneath the waves. On top of that, he played in a couple of wicked bands.
Those who have met me or have been to a performance have most likely heard about my parents. Particularly my father, as my walking tour across Canada has everything to do with him. However, it wasn’t my Dad who had the biggest influence on me picking up the guitar – it was my bro! Zac always seemed to have a gift for figuring out songs by ear. He introduced me to the majority of music that I listened to in the 90’s, and would show me how to play whatever he happened to be learning. Collective Soul, Pearl Jam, I Mother Earth, 5440, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Soundgarden, etc. One of my brother’s biggest influences, as well as many others, was none other than The Tragically Hip.
If you are unaware, Grand Cayman Island is full of Canadians. There are people from all over the world living there, but a great deal are from Canada – so much so that when a pub/liquor store on the island wanted to celebrate it’s 25th anniversary, who do you think they hired to come play the party? THE TRAGICALLY HIP!!! An amazing chain of events led to one of the bands my brother played in being asked to open up for them….MASSIVE!!! One of the bands he was playing in at the time was called Suckerbox. Check out the poster:
This was an incredible opportunity for my brother, and one that meant a great deal to him. The other band he played in played cover songs, and they did a whack of tunes by the Hip. As we saw from the Hip’s last concert on the weekend, they have had huge impact on music lovers and musicians around the world, but majorly on Canadians. My bro was one of them, and through him, so was I. This concert was a dream come true for him.
At the time Zac found out about this opportunity, I had just started working at a new job – back when I was a personal trainer in Vancouver. His lady, who is now married to him, offered me a plane ticket and the opportunity to come share this extraordinary experience in person!! (THANK YOU STEPPY!) I was thrilled, dumbfounded, excited for my brother, and at the same time concerned that soon after I started a new job I would be asking for holidays :). Well…that thought didn’t last too long, and I said yes! I wasn’t going to miss this.
Roughly a month later, and I found myself in Grand Cayman Island, standing in front of the Hip’s soundcheck, and marvelling at life. Here’s Mr. Gord getting organized:
There are many fun stories from the week I was there for this, but I’ll cut to the relevance to my tattoo. When I first arrived on the island, it was a few days before the show. I hadn’t seen my brother in a long time, and one of the first things he asks me when I got off the plane was….”So…while you’re here…you wanna get inked?”
Confused and stunned, I asked what he meant. He had some credit he wasn’t going to use with a local tattoo shop, and knew that I had a design I’d wanted to get. I used to draw/sketch a great deal, and in the past, have helped design tattoos for others. My bro being one of them.
Anyways, he wasn’t going to get another one, and proposed that it was open for me to utilize if I wanted….enter a few days of thinking….”What will people think?…Will my job be okay with this?…Will my girlfriend and family be okay with this?…Am I okay with this? Hmmm…What if it was…..bigger!”
The more and more I pondered it, and what it meant to me, it became clearer that it was something I really connected to, and felt good about going through with. If you’re going to do something like that, it’s important to ask yourself those kinds of questions. It’s a big decision!
As it worked out, the day I could go in was the day of the concert, early evening. In the morning I went to the sound check and went backstage with my brother, which was super cool! It all added to the excitement. Later in the afternoon, my brother went to the stage grounds, and I went to my first tattooing experience with my now sister-in-law!
I know somewhere a photo exists of my arm right after it was done, but I can’t seem to locate it. The weird thing about my tattoo, or I should say me, is that my arm didn’t bleed at all. A little bit is normal, and usually comes with a bandage and pressure to help the healing….but it strangely wasn’t necessary, so I got to sport my brand new design at the concert that night!
Anyhow…I’ll flash forward to Zac, standing on a speaker, rocking out at the front of the stage, warming up the crowd for The Tragically friction’ Hip! Check this action out:
This is still to date one of my fondest memories of being a human being and living on planet Earth – seeing my brother/guitar guru/inspiration for a great many thing….living up one of his dreams, and seizing that moment completely. I am so happy to have witnessed it.
Here’s Zac with some of the Hip boys after the show:
Flippin’ awesome! The very next day, I hopped on a plane, and flew back to Vancouver.
Zip ahead almost 10 years, and The Tragically Hip are doing their last performance ever, being emotionally celebrated around the world for their artistic and cultural contribution. Every time I look down at my tattoo, or when people ask me about it, this intertwined story flashes through my mind. It reminds me of the power, influence, and trickle effects of music.
This post is many things:
- It’s a tribute and a thank you to family (my brother and his wife)
- It’s a special reminder that musicians and bands greatly affect their audiences (directly and indirectly) in ways they could never conceive
- Lastly, it is a celebration of everything The Tragically Hip have given to Canadians. Thank you for it all!
I love my tattoo and the memories that came with it!
Thanks for taking the time to read this. This is the longest post I’ve ever made. Well worth it :).
Mr. Bard
Faces in the Trees….
October 12, 2015
You ever see a movie where someone says “Don’t go in dem dere woods….Ghosts in dem trees,” or something of the like? After a lovely show at the Elephant Ear Bistro in Terrace, BC, I was approached by a few people who had suggestions for cool places to walk.
One of the suggestions was Ferry Island, and the suggestion was followed up by, “There are faces in the trees. At least 50 of them!”
This obviously perked my interest, and a good chap, Terry from Terrace, offered to take there and show me around.
Conclusion – she wasn’t lying…check out the photos below. There are a lot more than just faces in dem woods too! Highly suggest seeing the rest of them for yourself. You really gotta watch. I would have to say that this has been one of my favourite walks in Canada to date!!
Flying through the Vortex to Terrace
October 12, 2015
So there I am, on an early plane to Terrace on Friday morning. Weather reports had made mention that the hurricane was working it’s way up the pacific coast and epic amounts of wind and rain were forecasted….perfect time to be FLYING!!
Being somewhat on edge about this, I laid keen eye on the sky from my window seat. I absolutely love the view being above the clouds, and decided to pull out my phone to take a photograph…….and see below for what happened……..
The only logical thing that came to my mind in that moment was “Oh okay, we must be going through the Great Northern Vortex. Everything is totally cool…..” Then I thought, “What daaaaaaaa?”
I put my phone down to look with my own eyes, and it looked normal. Camera goes up – ULTIMATE WEIRDNESS!!! I thought to myself “I’m either going nutso, or these plane pretzels I just ate must be far beyond their expiry.”
Naturally I felt that if I could capture this on video, then I could have better dialogues with others with evidence. So here we are:
Thoughts? Feelings? Happy to hear them. The flight attendant then proceeds to tell me….”I hope we land today…” I HOPE we LAND TODAY!!” Uhhhhhhhhhh….
Anyhow, my writing this is evidence I survived, or maybe it is because I went through the Vortex to Terrace and traveled to a new dimension. Either way, we ended up landing about an hour before the storm really started rocking, so whatever happened worked for the positive :).
The Money’s on the Road
March 30, 2015
When I say that the money is on the road, I mean that quite literally! On March 8th, I was en route to Victoria, BC for a feature at the Victoria Folk Music Society night. I had taken the ferry over from the mainland, and walked from there to Sydney for an afternoon jam with some lovely people before the show.
I was strolling down the highway, just off the bike lane, and what do I see sticking out of the grass? A $1 Monopoly money denomination……
Now I have have walked many a highway in Canada now, and have come across some funny things laying on the road, but this was a first.
I simply observed it and carried on thinking, “That’s kind of funny.” Makes you wonder why one bill would be sitting there, or what scenario could have happened to lead to a single Monopoly dollar lying in the grass.
As I wandered forth about another 400 meters, I came across another one….directly in my path that I actually had to step over. Weird…..another 3-400m away, I come across another one!! This time, it was $5. WHAT?!
This trend continued to carry on, so I started picking them up. They weren’t crinkled, bent, folded, or torn…simply perfect condition for most of them. Another funny thing…the denominations started increasing!! They went up to $10, and then $20…Pretty good sign I thought!
Overall, I collected about 21 of these, and initially passed by several others on my way. There was a deep ditch off to the side of the highway, were other “items” had collected, and I kept my eye open for the fake currency, but none were to be found that far down. SO WEIRD!! It literally felt like they were being placed directly in my path.
I got an idea in my head for the show that night – It came to me that it would be fun to write messages on the back of these, and include them in my cd’s, that way, people would get something extra and positive – kind of like a fortune cookie!
As I came to my turn off into Sydney, no more bills appeared, however, something really special capped it all off. After turning the corner, I came onto a quiet residential street, thinking, “Wouldn’t it be crazy if the Monopoly money train kept going here…” All of a sudden, what came zooming through the air was a beautiful humming bird! It stopped relatively close to me, hung out for a moment, and then sped off on its merry way.
Not many people are aware of this, but hummingbirds have quite a unique significance in my family, particularly as a symbol of my late father. What a cool sequence of events! It’s amazing to me have the simple act of walking down a road can perk curiosity, bring the thrill of adventure, and round out in something sentimentally impactful. Made my day, and felt like confirmation of my idea to put messages in my cd’s.
So, from now on, if you pick up a cd from me at a show, expect a little extra something special with it. Now you’ll know where it came from ;).
Mr. Bard