My Canada – Page 16 – Teahen Tales

My Canada, 31/150: Guitar in the key of Canuck

Being a poor guitar player has made me appreciate all the more the true masters of the instrument.

I’ve been to some weird concerts in my life, but the cake-topper has to be the 50th anniversary reunion tour performance of the Nihilist Spasm Band.

The Barenaked Ladies made comedy look easy. One day, I got a backstage look into just how much work went into that ease.

Sometimes you need a creative kick to discover new creativity.

Joni Mitchell’s young voice had the pure tone of flute, if the breathiness of a flute tone was burned away by fire.

Ah, Bruce. Bruce Cockburn, Canada’s Bruce, the quirky, prickly, questing, gentle angry man who has provided the soundtrack to most of my life.

For nearly four decades, my Aunt Blanche commuted across the river from Windsor to Michigan to work for the Canadian Consulate in Detroit.

My mother was an indefatigable worker. She just was never paid for her labours.