Value

How much is a flying pig worth? $10,000 U.S. according to the organizers of the Coachella music festival (see follow-up article here). Following in the footsteps of Radiohead, Coldplay is offering a free download of the song Violet Hill from the forthcoming album Viva La Vida for the next week. A magnanimous gesture and one worth repeating even if Radiohead has decided free is out from now on.

Hot Docs Roundup: Man on Wire

Man on Wire is stunning; the feats of tightrope walker Philippe Petit will leave you stunned. Director James Marsh's film focuses on Petit's plan to perform a high wire walk between the rooftops of the World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974. The deftly paced story of how he and a team of accomplices achieve this goal is revealed through recollections of those involved and the buildup of excitement is buoyed by awe-inducing footage of previous adventures in the sky (watching Petit lie down on a piece of cable between the towers of Notre Dame in Paris is a religious experience of sorts). In addition to the effect of this beautiful and terrifying footage, the film's pace is aided greatly by Petit's ability to be an interesting talking head. He exhibits the characteristics of a natural storyteller: enthusiasm and a keen sense of how to draw in an audience. His energy, confidence and physical appearance are reminiscent of another charismatic character born for film - Malcolm McDowell's insouciant Alex from A Clockwork Orange - minus the violent streak. To be sure, Man on Wire is worth whatever they're charging for admission.

3 of the short films in Isabella Rossellini's Green Porno series screened the same evening. Each film is devoted to the sexual practices of different insects (I saw flies, snails and spiders) and stars Rossellini as the insect. They came off better than the unusual premise would seem to allow for thanks to her deadpan delivery and the visual style employed. Humourous, educational and strange. More Hot Docs roundup is on the way. Stay tuned.

2008 Songwriters' Circle

Plagues of the computer and human varieties have been raging in the vicinity these last few weeks. But health is making a comeback on both fronts.

Pre-plagues, the CBC broadcast a lovely two hours of acoustic performances from the Songwriters' Circle during Calgary's Juno Awards weekend. Hosted by Joel Plaskett, the first-half featured Jeremy Fisher, Serena Ryder and Alex Cuba. The three performers did a bang-up job of capturing the audience's attention by improvising communally on each other's songs. It was sensational stuff that included the following highlights: Alex Cuba's Spanish mini-cover of Blue Rodeo's 'Bad Timing', Serena Ryder's vocals, in general, and the final song, added on the spot to fill a few leftover minutes.

In the second-half, Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara, Jay Malinowski of Bedouin Soundclash and Corb Lund took the stage. Highlights: Tegan Quin, singing sick, but still sounding good and telling medicinally-influenced stories, Corb Lund commenting on how all of his songs end up being about horses and Joel Plaskett covering Anne Murray's infamous 'Snowbird'. Quality Sunday afternoon listening - Part One and Part Two.

It's a Shame About Ray

Some albums are destined to become iconic. They are either of the time or of your own personal time. The Lemonheads' fine, breakthrough album, It's a Shame About Ray is both. It's representative of the alternative scene of the early 1990s and a time capsule of high school for me personally; so burned in the brain that even the typography used on the album cover would be instantly familiar in another context. The disc has just been reissued. I hope the kids who weren't old enough to appreciate it in 1992 buy it up now because they'll be rewarded with 33 minutes of zippy, compulsively listenable, pop songs. Standout tracks include: Confetti, It's a Shame About Ray, Bit Part and Frank Mills.

Resurrection of the Fave New Kid Debate

Didn't realize I'd wake up today and find it was 1988. Oh, the world surprises. It does, it does.

Book Chopping

Writers on books they would pare down if they could. I fully appreciate Joyce Carol Oates on Ernest Hemingway: "There’s much too much smoking, drinking, fishing and hunting in Hemingway, and it could all be cut out. If that is cut out about 70 percent of Hemingway would go." In Our Time (the only Hemingway I've read) is probably not the example to judge him by, but it was enough to stop me from wanting to investigate further. Ruggedness has never seemed more tedious.