a tribute to nardwuar!

nardwuar versus nirvana!

a carolyn mark tour story!
immaculate machine comics!
growing up mulligan!
we ask 5 questions!
dear shane!
a mint contest!
amigos cantina!
mix tapes!
recipes!
dvd reviews!
more!

The Mint debut CD out now

www.bellamusic.org www.myspace.com/bella
 T
ph
ph

photo William R. Jans www.wrjphoto.com

 free! vol. 3, no. 3 fall 07
06 Wow, Its Our Masthead! Cover: Nardwuar the Human Serviette
07 Letters! Photo William R. Jans
08 Contest: Dress up Nardwuar!!! www.wrjphoto.com

11 Nardwuar versus Nirvana! Above: Immaculate Machine (left to right: Brooke,

17 Dear Shane! Luke, and Kathryn) outside Vancouver BCs
Red Cat Records at the Fables listening party
19 30 Musicians Answer 5 Questions!
Photo by Shena Yoshida
25 Tribute to Nardwuar!
36 Contest Details: Dress up Nardwuar!!! M int Records Inc. is a small indie record label
based out of Vancouver, Canada. Since
38 Bella mixtapes! 1991, weve put our more than 110 releases by
such bands and artists as The Organ, Novillero,
39 Growing Up Mulligan! The Choir Practice, Carolyn Mark, Neko Case,
41 Andrew Pearson Interviews Nardwuar! The New Pornographers, The Awkward Stage,
The Evaporators, Immaculate Machine, cub,
44 Saskatoons Amigos Cantina! The Smugglers, P:ano, Duplex!, Young and Sexy,
45 A Grant Lawrence Amigos Story! I Am Spoonbender, Corn Sisters,
The Buttless Chaps, Huevos Rancheros,
47 A Carolyn Mark Tour Diary!
Ramblin Ambassadors, John Guliak,
48 Carolyn Mark Recipes! Atomic 7, Bella, and others!

NO ONE WILL KNOW 51

52
54
Edmontons Listen Records!
Indie Retailers Map Canada!
Indie Retailers Map USA!
Mint Records releases are distributed like so:
USA: NAIL Distribution www.naildistribution.com
Canada: Outside Music www.outside-music.com and
The Mint debut out nowh 56 A Select Mint Records Discography in Colour!
Scratch Distribution www.scratchrecords.com.
Benelux: Sonic Rendezvous www.sonicrendezvous.com
A rather lovable BC band, whose synth-kissed jangle-pop mash notes ooze 58 An Immaculate Machine Comic! UK: Shellshock www.shellshock.co.uk
with acid-tongued suggestion when you read between the pretty-penned Germany: Broken Silence www.brokensilence.biz
lines. (Eye Weekly)
59 Happy Bats DVD Reviews!
New Zealand: Global Routes www.globalroutes.co.nz
60 A Mint Discography!
Boasting classic boy/girl harmonies combined with insatiable hooks, bella Also, be sure to check out iTunes Music Store and
will leave you humming their infectious melodies for days afterwards. (NME) 62 Chet by Elaine Corden! Zunior.com where more and more Mint titles are being
added all the time!
www.bellamusic.org www.myspace.com/bella
THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Summer 2007 5
 free! vol. 3, no. 3 (aka issue #7) fall 07
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE:
Andrew Pearson (Nardwuar interview
Andrew is a part time bon vivant and man about
town. Co-founder of Vancouver's Red Cat Records,
he fondly remembers buying the first Mint Records
7"... and still thinks that Tankhog rules.
The Awkward Stage (Dear Shane column) Mint
Records recording artist from Vancouver
www.myspace.com/theawkwardstageband
Available Mint items:
Heaven is for Easy Girls CD
Double A-Side Series Volume 1 split-7 b/w Young
and Sexy
Youth was a war. Youth crushed me. All I could do
was play music and goof off to cope. The Awkward
Stage came to me in the silence that occurred dur-
ing the third dunk of my head into the jr. high toilet.
Don't get me wrong, I did my share of dunking too.
Which is far more shameful to me. They are honest
pop songs. They are pleasant and accessible yet
manage to interest and surprise. You may not like
every thing I will do, but I promise it will always
come from the right place. Sincerely, Shane Nelken
(The Awkward Stage)
Bella (mix tape) Mint Records recording artist
from Vancouver www.bellamusic.org
No One Will Know CD (brand new, just released!)
Carolyn Mark (tour diary, mix tape, recipe) Mint
Records recording artist from Victoria
Raised by St. Bernards in the Okanagan Valley,
Carolyn Mark was 'discovered' sleeping in the back
of Jewel's car in the early nineties. She has toured
so much in the past two years, she passed her own
self the other day. Though not really a team player,
Miss Mark is pleased to be associated with the Mint
Records Empire.
Available Mint items:
Nothing Is Free CD
Just Married: An Album of Duets CD
The Pros and Cons of Collaboration CD
Terrible Hostess CD
Tribute to Soundtrack to Robert Altmans to
Nashville compilation CD
Party Girl CD
CBC Radio 3 (Dear Shane column) Vancouver BC
www.cbcradio3.com
CBC Radio 3 is a satellite radio station on Sirius 94,
broadcasting primarily Canadian independent music
24/7. Its also a website and a podcast, and among
Mint Records Inc.
PO Box 3613, Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 3Y6 Fresh Breath of Mint is published at least three times a year by Mint Records Inc.
www.mintrecs.com We welcome feedback and submissions. Please email shena@mintrecs.com
www.myspace.com/mintrecords The views expressed in Fresh Breath of Mint are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect those of Mint Records Inc. Mint Records Inc. 2007
zine inquiries: Shena Yoshida
Made with 30% recycled paper and produced with sawmill waste. No chlorine is
shena@mintrecs.com
used in the paper making process. The pulp is produced with a steam process,
biz: Kevin Beesley
kbh@mintrecs.com We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the
licensing: Bill Baker Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund).
bill@mintrecs.com Nous reconnaissons laide financire du gouvernement du Canada par lentremise
retail promotions/distro:
Dave Gowans
dave@mintrecs.com
publicity: Yvette Ray
yvette@mintrecs.com
6 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS
its hosts is presently-dormant Mint Records band
The Smugglers lead singer and hip shaker, Grant
Lawrence. CBC Radio 3 producer Chris Kelly also
moonlights as a member of the new Mint Records
signee, The Choir Practice.
The Choir Practice (Choir Practice Horrorscopes)
Vancouver BC www.myspace.com/thechoirpractice
Naughty choir castoffs get together to reclaim their
rightful place in the cutthroat and fickle genre that
is choral singing. Against all odds, this band of mis-
fits rises to fame amongst their peers. Its a real
Sin-derella story....
Available Mint item: The Choir Practice CD
Elaine Corden (The Back Page article) has been
documenting Vancouver's independent music and
arts scene for nearly 10 years, in large and small
publications across North America. If you're nice
and she thinks yer cute, she'll make you a mix tape
of all she's learned. elaine_corden@shaw.ca.
Immaculate Machine (comics) Mint Records
recording artist from Victoria, of which Brooke
Gallupe is a member, along with Kathryn Calder and
Luke Kozlowski. Catch Immaculate Machine on tour
this summer!
Brooke started drawing during long, boring drives
while he is on tour with Immaculate Machine. He is
not very good at it yet, but it is cute to measure his
progress. He is inspired generally by the silly things
people do.
Available Mint items:
Fables CD/LP
Les Uns Mais Pas Les Autres CD-EP
Ones and Zeros CD
Nardwuar the Human Serviette (Nirvana interview
lead singer of the Evaporators and also punk rock
journalist!
Available Mint items:
Gassy Jack and Other Tales CD/LP coming Oct. 18th
Welcome to My Castle DVD coming Oct. 18th
Nardwuar vs. Bev Davies 2007 Punk Rock Calendar
Doot Doola Doot Doo... Doot Doo! DVD
The Evaporators Ripple Rock CD
TheTyee.ca (Kate Mullligans article, Elaine
Cordens article) Visit TheTyee.ca for indendent
and influential journalism that covers everything
from politics to pole dancing, climate change to
film critique. And have your say on all of it.
thermal mechanical pulp process.
du Fonds de la musique du Canada.
LETTERS! EVERY FRIDAY
3:30-5:00 PM PST
This 'Mintern' Ship Would Sail
Hiya Minty folks,
4:30-6:00 PM MST
RE. "My Day As A Mint Intern." (Vol. 6): How could this
5:30-7:00 PM CST
Andrew dude have seen his day in your offices as anything 6:30-8:00 PM EST
less than a privilege? Frankly, I'm mystified about how blas
he seemed.
7:30-9:00 PM AST
Let's recap: Drinks with the amazing Carolyn Mark? Packing LISTEN ONLINE!
www.citr.ca
up copies of the wonderful new Immaculate Machine album
Fables with love so they can be sent out into the world to
good, caring homes? Preparing promo materials, each with a RADIO SHOW! www.nardwuar.com
potential to make another new Mint convert? Meeting the
movers and shakers of one of Canada's coolest indie labels?
What's not to love about all of that?
But no, he moans about his hangover, and blithely mentions
Mint Records US distribution by
coming in very, very late. He admits to incorrectly applying
stickers (with no hint of remorse), and likens the work he
was given to "a day at the World Paint Drying Champion-
ships" and "time-consuming, brain-numbing yet necessary
Joe jobs." He even considered sneaking out early and faking
the rest of his article! What, did he think they'd let him steer
the boat? Why accept the internship post at all if you're
clearly not going to try?
The old saying goes that if you're doing something you love,
you'll never work a day in your life. Obviously, Andrew needs
to stay with whatever it is he actually does (it's never stated,
although there are vague references to writing for a living - I www.naildistribution.com
wonder if he works harder at that). Personally, I'd love to try
my hand at being a 'Mintern.' What an opportunity! I already
love the bands on Mint, have been treated very well by the
folks there on the occasions I'm in contact with them, and
being even a small part of getting all of that great music out
there wouldn't seem like work to me at all.
To each their own, I know. But if I lived in the same city as
the Mint offices, I'd be on their front step, a stack of my
resums at hand, ready for the chance. Sounds like a great
day at the office to me.
Long Live Mint!
Aaron of the KMA
www.keepsmealive.com
Wed like to hear what you think!
Write us a letter! Email shena@mintrecs.com
 Do the Mint Twist!
A Mint Records
promotional sampler

illustration by Mark Atomos Pilon www.cycloptic.com

songs by:
Bella Immaculate Machine The Choir Practice
Carolyn Mark cub The Evaporators
The Awkward Stage Novillero
plus Friends of Mint:
The Pack, Vancougar, Vincat
delightful and uplifting (Rocksound UK)
immaculate, hook-laden pop (Pitchfork)

I
t was January 4, 1994 and Nirvana had just played at the PNE Forum in
Vancouver, BC Canada. Nardwuar the Human Serviette was waiting with hopes
of getting backstage after speaking with David Grohl the night before. Just as
security was about to remove him by force, Courtney Love spotted him, giving him
a backstage pass and pulling him through the door to an experience he wouldnt
soon forget. When asked how he felt about the encounter, Nardwuar responded
with, (add distortion)AHHHHHHHHH!!!! So now, here it is, the fully tran-
scibed interview....
Nardwuar: So, Kurt, um, I waited out- you eventually leave? Krist: On Comedy Central, and on the
side, how was the Toronto show, how did Kurt: By limousine and cop escort. Canadian TV and they know Lorne
that go, cause I was in Toronto at that Nardwuar: Did you leave pretty early? Michaels. We I got to meet Lorne
time, when you played at Maple Leaf Cause like they brought out, you know, Michaels and Don Pardo and everybody.
Gardens. the prop, the prop out. And you know, I Because were famous people.
Krist Novoselic: (with dressing room towel kept I kept on waiting and waiting Nardwuar: During the 1960s Kurt, there
babushkad over his head) Dont say that Im and then I saw a little mini-van pull out was a big punk scene as you realize, in
making any kind of ethnic stereotypes. I am and I thought a guy hopped over the the Northwest. You know, the the Sonics,
not making any stereotypes because theyre back seat. Was that you? Like did you the Wailers, the
not PC. wait like two hours or did, like did I wait Kurt: I hate the Sonics. Theyre stupid.
Nardwuar: Do you remember that show for nothing cause youd already left? Courtney: No theyre not.
at all Kurt? Courtney: We left right away. Bam-bam. Nardwuar: The... the Bootmen.
Kurt Cobain: No. We did. Kurt: Um-hmm.
Nardwuar: Maple Leaf Gardens in Kurt: I just remember leaving... pretty Nardwuar: The Wailers and all those
November. much right after the show. Within about 20 other bands. And I was reading, that
Kurt: Umm... that was ummm... minutes or so. I met one of the guys from umm... your good friend, Jesse Reed, his
Courtney Love: I remember that, with the The Kids in the Hall, Scott. Hes a nice per- dad played in a surf band that released a
little back stage. son. surf record?
Kurt: It was a nice temperature cause I Krist: Thats right! We were mingling with Kurt: Thats true.
think it was an ice hockey rink. famous people. Theyd never talk to hacks Courtney: [laughs] Isnt that weird that he-
Nardwuar: Yeah, it was Maple Leaf like you. Fuck no! Theyre on TV every how do you know that? Where did you read
Gardens and, um, I waited outside, you night. that?
know, for a couple of hours afterwards... Kurt: Unless you, of course, push your way Kurt: What were they called? It was called
waiting for you guys to leave. How did in. The Bagpiper.

THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Summer 2007 11
 Nardwuar: What was the name of their
Courtney: Where did you read that?
Nardwuar: Uhh... Come As You Are.
Kurt: What was the name of their band?
Krist: The Beachcombers.
Kurt: The Beachcombers, yeah.
Courtney: Come As You Are? What do you
mean, Come As You Are? The book?
Nardwuar: Yeah.
Courtney: Oh, Michael Azerrad.
Kurt: Ummm.
Courtney: Hes obsessed with Jesse Reed.
Nardwuar: Cause the The
Beachcombers... were they pretty cool? I
thought, like I love those 60s wailing
frat garage bands of the Northwest.
Kurt: No, they didnt, have much taste.
Courtney: Wasnt he a born again?
Kurt: It was pretty generic. Hes a born
again now.
Courtney: Didnt he kick you out of the
house?
Kurt: Yes, he did. He tried to revive me for
a while.
Nardwuar: He also said in that book that
your Uncle Chuck was in a garage
band too, and he released
D.O.A. gig? In Portland, Oregon?
Kurt: Um-hmm. [Kurt slyly flips off
Nardwuar while holding pizza slice]
Courtney: [Laughs]
Nardwuar: So there is really a Canadian
connection then.
Kurt: Wasnt it No Means No?... It was one
of our shows!
Courtney: D.O.A.
Kurt: It was our show.... It was my show. I
played with D.O.A. a couple of times. I
dont remember where.
Nardwuar: But was that... was... a
Canadian connection, a Canadian band
has something to do with Kurt and
Courtney?
Kurt: Like, yes. I dont, honestly I dont
remember which show it was.
Courtney: I was too drunk.
Kurt: Me too.
Nardwuar: Do you remember your first
time in Canada at all, Kurt?
Kurt: No... I might have been a small child.
I visited some gardens. We went across on a
ferry, in Vancouver.
Nardwuar: Butchart Gardens?
riot grrl person. Shes like 15. Tuesday January 4, 1994
Nardwuar: Now Krist here, Krist, come
PNE Forum, Vancouver, BC, Canada
over here for a minute. This is Chris of
the rock and roll band, Nirvana.
Krist: Hi.
Nardwuar: Now, Chris, you worked earli-
er on in your life at Taco Bell.
Krist: Um-hmm.
Nardwuar: Do you realize there are no
Taco Bells in Canada?
Krist: Good for you.
Nardwuar: Actually, at least in BC.
Krist: Cause theres no Mexicans in
Canada.
Nardwuar: Actually, theres one in
Alberta, theres some in Alberta.
Krist: Thats right.
Nardwuar: So, do you think thats con-
tributed at all to the growth of bands in
B.C. that we do not have a Taco Bell? Is
this a good or a bad thing?
Krist: I dont know man. Canada can be
ethnically diverse, which is beautiful, part of
the... thing n stuff, but judging, uh...
Nardwuar: Actually you look like a
Doukhobor when you put that thing on.
[referring to towel on

records... or did he release
anything?
Kurt: No.
Courtney: His Aunt Mary
put out records.
Nardwuar: Really?
Kurt: She put out a single.
She financed it herself. Shes
Krists head]
Krist: Doukhobor are awe-
I am the next Doukhobor some, man. Theyre awe-
some!
messiah. See, you can tell Nardwuar: Theyre anar-
chists.
Krist: Are there still
by the way I spit food out Doukhobor around?

a country and western born
again Christian. And my
Uncle Chuck was in a, uh,
and by the way its caught
couple of bar bands, you
know, they just played covers
in my... mouth.
like Creedence Clearwater.
He had a Lucite drum set,
Krist Novaselic
and he was left handed, and
he wasnt very good.
Courtney: Was that Chuck with the red
hair?
Kurt: Um-hmm.
Courtney: Was that the Chuck thats gay?
Kurt: No.
Courtney: Oh. Is that the one that we go...
went to Christmas? That one, Chuck? The
nice one.
Kurt: Right.
Courtney: With the son that has, your
cousin who has the other band.
Kurt: Although he went to jail one time for,
um, exposing himself.
Courtney: Green, from Bellevue. Thats his
cousins band.
Nardwuar: Did you first meet Courtney,
and this is Courtney Love, did you... Ive
heard, because were here in Canada.
Vancouver, BC, Canada. I heard a
rumour, I think I might have read it in
Interview Magazine, that Kurt and
Courtney met at a D-
Kurt: [cough] [cough] [cough]...[cough-
cough, cough] [cough]
Courtney: Stop! Thats rude.
Nardwuar: Aaa... Did you first meet at a
Kurt: Right. I was a small child.
Nardwuar: Thats actually where No
Means No are from.
Kurt: Umm.
Courtney: Victoria.
Nardwuar: And the Neos, a legendary
speed band.
Kurt: Um-hmm.
Nardwuar: And if it wasnt for the Neos
Courtney: Our nannys from Victoria.
Nardwuar: Yeah, thats what I was going
to say. You have a Canadian nanny,
another Canadian connection.
Courtney: We like Canada, B.C. We dont
like the rest of it so much.
Nardwuar: What is her name? What Is
your nannys name?
Courtney: His names, uhh, Mike.
Nardwuar: And his, uh, does he have a
girlfriend?
Courtney: Jessica, yeah.
Nardwuar: I think she might have been,
she might be from Vancouver too, right?
Courtney: No, shes from Minneapolis. She
has that fanzine, uhh, you know that
fanzine thats called Hit It or Quit It. Shes a
Nardwuar: Yeah, there are.
Krist: Yeah, um, Im really
into the Doukhobor.... They
used to run around naked
and, um, they were from
Russia, right?
Nardwuar: Yup.
Krist: And they had their
anarchist colony. How did
they go under? I forgot.
Nardwuar: I think there was some riots
and stuff. Theyre still going strong. And
they, they were
Krist: I am the next Doukhobor messiah.
See, you can tell by the way I spit food out
and by the way its caught in my... mouth.
Nardwuar: And theyre from Canada, too.
Another Canadian connection. On umm,
page 226, of Come As You Are, Michael
Azerrad quotes Canadian rockers, Sloan.
Kurt: I dont know who they are
Krist: If I was your dad, Id...
Courtney: Jackies boyfriend. Jackie Ferry,
remember.
Krist: If I was your dad, Id whoop your ass!
Courtney: Remember the guy, the Sloan
band. They were on our label. Theyre
called the Sloan band.
Kurt: Oh yeah.
Courtney: Theyre from, umm, Halifax.
Nardwuar: And theyre quoted in your
book. Are there any mistakes in, the
Come As You Are book?
Kurt: I dont know.
Nardwuar: Cause I noticed on page 226,
in reference to the Deep Six comp,
Except for the art-rock, U-men, all mix
varying amounts of punk, 70s style hard
rock, and proletarian and heavy-metal
into a crude but effective musical mon-
grel. The U-men, art rock?
Kurt: Id say so, yeah
Nardwuar: I thought they were cool
punk rock, sort of cool 60s sort of
garage Sonic-y.
Courtney: Birthday Party.
Kurt: Punk, all art punk. Birthday Party,
Scratch Acid....
Courtney: Birthday Party was art rock.
Kurt: Did you ever see them live?
Nardwuar: No I didnt. I did buy the Step
On a Bug, no, the, Dig it baby, dig it
baby, dig it. single.
Kurt: That was after the fact. That was years
after theyd been a band and playing around
Seattle for a really long time. I would...I
would classify them as art rock, Classic art
rock.
Nardwuar: I knew they were cool, actual-
ly when I saw Tom Price, a picture of
him when he played at the Commodore.
When he backed up the Cramps. He had
tape over one of his guitar knobs.
Courtney: Yeah, I thought they were cool
when I saw one of them walking down an
alley and I thought he was cute.
Nardwuar: And also
Kurt: He played a Mustang. He was one of
the first people I ever saw play a Mustang
Courtney: They were wearing trench coats.
There were two of them. Me and Kat
[Bjelland, of Babes In Toyland] were like,
we should move here. That guys cute.
Kurt: They were cute.
Courtney: Yeah, they were like cute guys.
And.. kinda cool. Thats good for a scene. I
think youre desperately trying to start a
scene. Is that the deal?
Nardwuar: No, I just
Courtney: You want a scene so bad your
going to make one. Youre just going to
close your eyes till you get one. Is that it?
Nardwuar: On page 190
Courtney: You have an inferiority complex
about this scene here. I dont think you
should.
Nardwuar: No! Im not! Im just saying,
on page 190... on page 190, the Teen
Spirit, in brackets, video, shot for a
modest $33,000?
Courtney: I dont believe that.
Kurt: I dont know.
Nardwuar: Thats what it says in the
book. Just trying to find errors here with
Kurt and Courtney.
Kurt: I havent read the book. I, Ive
skimmed through it a few times but Ive
never read it from front to back.
Nardwuar: And on page 154, the last of
our analyzation, thank you Kurt and
Courtney, on page 154, the book says,
the heavy, Bonhamesque drumming that
Nirvana requires?
Kurt: Yeah... sure.
Nardwuar: You know the drummer (actu-
ally bassist Chris Freeman) from Pansy
Division is from Aberdeen, Kurt?
Kurt: No... I didnt know that.
Nardwuar: You know, Smells Like Queer
Spirit?
Kurt: Yeah... I had no idea.
Nardwuar: Have any other bands come
from Aberdeen?

12 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Summer 2007 13
 Kurt: The Melvins and Metal Church.
Nardwuar: What are the thrift shops
there like?
Kurt: Um, theyre not that great. People
didnt have very good taste... in the 60s and
70s. You know usually thats the kind of
stuff I that I look for. No lava lamps, no
cool patterned shirts or anything.
Nardwuar: Did you ever see any Farfisa
mini-compact organs?... With like that
quivering vibrato. Im really desperately
looking for one of those.
Kurt: I dont know. Maybe not in Aberdeen.
Nardwuar: Wasnt there also surfing in
Aberdeen, like at Westport?
Kurt: Hmm.. I dont know, Ive never gone
in the ocean.
Nardwuar: Because apparently it has
some
Kurt: I dont even want to go in the ocean
there.
Courtney: Didnt you dig for clams?
Kurt: I dug for clams a few times, yes.
Courtney: Thats going in the ocean. Thats
the same thing.
Nardwuar: I know youre going to like
this, Courtney, but I also read in Mix
Magazine. Sorry, Mix Magazine
Courtney: Wow! You get
around! He reads more mag-
azines than me.
Nardwuar: Well not really. I took a a Polaroid picture of a
We get a free subscription
at CiTR radio. And this is Mustang and a picture of a
for CiTR radio.
Courtney: Well I buy most Jaguar and then cut them in half
of the magazines I read.
Nardwuar: OK, $5.95 for and glued them together and
Mix Magazine, and it said,
Butch Vig was talking told them to build that. So thats
about the Nirvana
Nevermind album, and he
said he sampled some gui-
what it is. Its the Jag-Stang.
tar riffs. Is this true? I
couldnt believe it.
Kurt Cobain
Kurt: Sampled? Guitar riffs?
Courtney: Yeah, Andy Wallace does that.
He has like a little Macintosh and hes got a
couple like snare sounds and guitar sounds.
Kurt: Sampling guitar riffs? I dont think so.
Courtney: No, not riffs, sounds.
Kurt: He...I think Andy Wallace sampled a
few different sounds for the drums. To
make them sound better, according to him.
Nardwuar: Whats the idea behind put-
ting a lot, behind, you know, putting a
lot of mics on a drum? I know you say
you dont really like the Sonics totally,
but I really love that sort of like one gui-
tar
Kurt: I, I have to admit their, yeah the
Sonics recorded very, very cheaply on a two
track you know, and they just used one, one
microphone over the drums and, and they
got the most amazing drum sound Ive ever
heard. Still to this day, its still my favorite
drum sound. It sounds like hes hitting
harder than anyone Ive ever known.
Nardwuar: And I have some good news
Kurt: Dont you agree?
14 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT
Nardwuar: Its amazing. I have some
good news for you Kurt. Do you know
that where the Sonics recorded, Audio
Recording in Seattle with Kearney Barton
is still around and you can actually still
record there?
Kurt: Really. Wow.
Nardwuar: The Young Fresh Fellows, pio-
neers in that sound, you know, going
into Egg Studios and stuff. They recorded
a new track off their CD there, 99 Girls,
right at that studio. Kearney Barton
Audio. You can check it out. Like the
same guy is there that recorded The
Sonics.
Krist: Who was born in, uh, 1842.
Nardwuar: No, he wasnt born in 1842.
But I think that band Teengenerate from
Japan, did that. And in Japan, they dont
seem to have too much vinyl, do they?
Courtney: Arent they into vinyl in Japan?
Theyre into anything classic American
arent they? I dont know. I dont go there
often.
Nardwuar: Kurt, what is Geffens position
on vinyl? Like is it easy to release seven
inches? Can you release them domestical-
ly?
Kurt: Not usually domestically. Only in
England, and Europe especially. We always,
theyve always offered to print vinyl for us
because they know were, we like that kind
of thing. So, its been no problem. I dont
think it ever will be as long as theres, at
least one place somewhere thatll print
vinyl, theyll still do it.
Courtney: The Breeders sold 150 copies of
their vinyl,.. in the States. 150 copies. Isnt
that weird?
Kurt: Umm.
Nardwuar: How much did Spencer Elden
receive from the Nirvana camp?
Courtney: A lot. A lo-lot. You know why...?
Nardwuar: And Spencer Elden is who?
Courtney: The guy from Nirvana, right?
Nardwuar: The little baby on the cover.
Courtney: Oh, Spencer!
Nardwuar: Yeah.
Courtney: Oh thats the guy were going to
have at dinner... when he grows up. I
thought you meant the Nirva the guys
from Nirvana.
www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS
Kurt: I dont know. It was a lot cheaper
than the picture that we wanted to use.
Nardwuar: Whats PA equipment like in
South America? Tonight I noticed you
had quite an extensive PA and it sound-
ed, I thought, really good. Whats PA
Krist: .A is for pathetic asshole!
Nardwuar: What are what is the PA
like, in South America? What are they
like? What are the tech crews there like?
Courtney: Peavey.
Kurt: Univox.
Nardwuar: Has your tech, does your tech
crew, has it improved your sound? Do
you think like in South America, were
they freaking out? What was it like there?
Kurt:I dont remember.
Nardwuar: Cause I once heard
Kurt: I shot coke with Alice in Chains all
night, thats all I remember.
Courtney: Ohh!... [Laugh]
Nardwuar: Kurt, did you really custom
design a guitar? Your own special little
model?
Kurt: Yeah.
Nardwuar: How many models are there?
And can I buy one?
Kurt: I dont know. I dont know if its gone
into production yet. I dont
know if it will be available
for the public. Its up to
them to decide. But what I
basically, well, what I did is I
took a picture of a Mustang,
a Polaroid picture of a
Mustang and a picture of a
Jaguar and then cut them in
half and glued them together
and told them to build that.
So thats what it is. Its the
Jag-Stang.
Nardwuar: What other
bands, Kurt, have played in
Argentina? Like you played
there. What was it
like...were you one of the
first bands to play there, dya know?
Kurt: I dont think so. Ive heard that Skid
Row played there.
Nardwuar: Have any other melodic-punk
bands played there?
Kurt: I do not know. We played with the
Chili Peppers that night.
Nardwuar: Ever heard of the Canadian
band, Saga before?
Kurt: Yeah, I think so. Are they a pop metal
band?
Nardwuar: I think they played in
Argentina. Kurt, what did you think of
the last Flipper LP?
Kurt: [gestures with hand] Ehh.. OK.
Nardwuar: What were Bjrn Again like
from Europe?
Kurt: Wonderful. Uncanny. Amazing. They
looked exactly and sounded exactly like
Abba.
Nardwuar: Are they better than Rain, a
tribute to the Beatles?
Kurt: Ive never seen them.
Nardwuar: They had a big center spread
in The Rocket [Seattle music newspaper].
Kurt: Umm.
Nardwuar: Are you ever going to get
Screamin Jay Hawkins to try and back
you up again?
Kurt: We tried, but it fell through. I would
like to try again.
Nardwuar: Anybody else, cool, that you
think you would bring up, bring up with
you and back you up? Like I was think-
ing the Sweet maybe and get Kurt Bloch
to guest on guitar.
Kurt: That wouldnt be too hard, would it?
Nardwuar: No, or maybe Village People
would be no problem. Anybody else
youve been thinking of?
Kurt: Well those are two hat
just ran through my mind.
Um... No, not really.
Buzzcocks...
Buzzcocks...Weve had some
amazing bands play with us
on this tour. We had, um,
the Boredoms, the Meat
Puppets, and, um, gee who
else, Jawbreaker.
Nardwuar: But no
Bonham or Quiet Riot or
anything?
Kurt: Not yet.
Nardwuar: Courtney said
Kurt: At the Riviera Steak
House... in a couple of
years.
Nardwuar: Courtney
said that Geffen, Kurt,
made 55 million dol-
lars off you and you
guys only
Courtney: I was quot-
ing the Wall Street
Journal.
Nardwuar: And you
guys only got a mil-
lion. Where did the
money go?
Kurt: [laughing] To
Geffen!
Courtney: Thats the
way its always been. I
explained that to you.
Its like a white guy
giving a black guy a
Cadillac.
Kurt: I walked into Davids
room one day and I said, listen man, I feel
like Im gettin ripped off. And he said, look
outside, theres a Cadillac for ya. And I
took it. Then I just, you know, I just forgot
about tryin to get my royalties from him.
And it turns out, the fucking Cadillac was
rented. Can you believe it?
Nardwuar: If Nirvana has total control,
Kurt, I was wondering, slightly, about
ticket prices for gigs. Is there any way to
make tickets and T-shirts universally the
same? i.e., $10 to get into the gig and
$10 for a shirt?
Kurt: No...unless youre Fugazi.
THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com
Krist: You Canadian communist mother-
fucker, you!!
Nardwuar: Has any band ever tried that
before? I mean on a major label you
know, because you have perhaps, more
control over whats going on. You could
maybe, because you guys were playing at
a cool place tonight. Like its small. Its
not a big coliseum.
Kurt: Mm-hmm. I dont know. I dont
know, really.
Courtney: Its like, Nardwuar, its really
expensive. You cant break even.
Kurt: Its really expensive to bring your own
PA system and lights and stuff. You barely
break even.
Nardwuar: Do you know what? You and
Axl (Rose)have something in common,
Kurt.
Kurt: [Sarcastically] Yeah, a lot.
Nardwuar: You both sing in, uh, faked
English accents, as he does on The
Spaghetti Incident. On the new UK Subs
track. Did you check that out?
Kurt: No I havent.
Nardwuar: Actually he sort of kicks ass.
That Guns n Roses recording of the UK
Subs. Cause you mentioned in your
book that you actually record, or the
book about you, Come As You Are, you
sing with a fake English accent.
Kurt: Mm-hmm. What can I say, Im a
death rocker.
Nardwuar: Have you ever thought of par-
tying with Bill Gates at all? Finally wind-
ing up here, Kurt.
Kurt: Whos that?
Nardwuar: Bill Gates, from Microsoft.
Partying with Bill Gates.
Kurt: Oh...
Nardwuar: Cause you know, who are the
two newest members of the Seattle scene,
Kurt? Heres a trick question for ya.
Courtney: [Laughing] Bill Gates.
Nardwuar: Microsoft and Nintendo! And
finally, Kurt
Courtney: Is Nintendo in Nirv
in, uh, Seattle now,
Nardwuar?
Nardwuar: It is! Its based
out of Seattle. And final-
ly, Kurt Cobain of the
rock and roll band,
Nirvana, If Frances Farmer
will have her revenge on
Seattle, who will have their
revenge on Vancouver?
Kurt: Pete Reno.
Courtney: Wasnt Lindsay
Wagner from here?
Kurt: I dunno.
Nardwuar: Who?
Courtney: Eddie Munster.
Eddie Munster, hes from
Vancouver, right?
Nardwuar: Uh, Kurt?
Kurt: Pete Reno, I said it.
Nardwuar: Whos Pete Reno?
Kurt: You know.
Courtney: Oh, Loverboy!
Right.
Nardwuar: Oh, Mike Reno.
That thats Mike Rynowski
actually.
Kurt: Oh, Pete Reno is this half
retarded person that went to my
high school. Sorry.
Nardwuar: And he is going to
be on Exploitation Records?
Kurt: Mmm hmmm.
Nardwuar: Ah Kurt? Doot
doola doot doo
Courtney: [Laughs] You know too
much!
Nardwuar: Kurt! Doot doola
doot doo Doot doola doot
doo
Kurt: [laughs] Doot doo.
Check out this
interview on
Nardwuars
new Welcome
to My Castle
DVD!
2 discs!
FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 15
THE EVAPORATORS
MRD-110

Hey Shane, this is Mikey from Priestess. I

was wondering, being a cat lover, how
would I go about being on the road so
much and having to leave a cat at
home, unattended? Should I not have
one? What should I do in order to
maintain my relationship with my cat
while I'm so busy all the time?

Thanks.

Mikey
Priestess

Ok, great question, Mikey. I also applaud
you for breaking down stereotypes. People think met-
alheads are out there biting the heads off bats he's
worrying about his cat. And, I love you for it.
Who's the little metalhead? Who's the little head-
banger? You are. Yes you are. Aren't cha. Aren't cha.
It is however tough for me to relate. As a single
father, I just leave my dog at home with my two year
old. That way, they both have company, two birds
one stone, between the howling and crying, burglers
are thwarted and my records are adequately protect-
ed.
But, if you are going to be touring for long periods of
time, it is not fair to leave a child or a pet alone, at
home. I was actually kidding before; I actually have
no children or pets. Well, no pets that I know about.
You will find they can be destructive if you are away
all my furnature and everything I own myself. Just get
my scent on everything. I still do it, even though I no
longer have a cat. I'll spray everything. I'll build a pil-
low effigy in my own clothes, sit it in a chair in front
of the TV and just soak it in my scent before I leave.
You can try that a scent soaked pillow effigy.
The obvious thing, is find someone that the cat knows
to pop in once in a while and visit, feed it. But, I can-
not stress this enough. Do a background check on this
person. I remember once, I got an acquaintance to
pop in and it turns out, he was a raging fur-vert and
an amateur taxidermist. You just don't want to come
home after a long tour to discover your little precious
has been turned into a bong.
Well, Mikey, I hope I have helped out in some small
way. And, for those of you with any questions for me,
please feel free to call our toll free line 1 877 955
6565 and leave me a message. It may be you that

GASSY JACK AND OTHER TALES

for long periods. You could come home to find they gets blown away by my next wisdom bomb.
have sprayed your stereo headphones or canoed
their asses across every inch of your carpet, or left lit-
tle brown Kit-Kats on your pillow. Shane Nelken
Rocktologist/Cremationist
Often, what I would do. I would preemptively spray
The Awkward Stage

L
ed by College Radio Legend personality/celeb marauder Nardwuar the Human Serviette, The
Evaporators sling out one wildly infectious tune after another, luring you into their frenetic and slightly
surreal world. Named after Vancouver pioneer Captain John Deighton who got his nickname ("Gassy")
from talking non stop rather than from farting, The Evaporators new release will attempt to school You The
Listener on such topics as how to Shake with the Shaggy Shaker, how to do the Eggbeater and why you
should care about E.J. Hughes and Evatone Soundsheets!

CD and red vinyl LP out October 23rd! THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 17

1. What instrument did you play and why you chose it?
2. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
3. What is in your stereo right now?
4. If you could host a dinner party and invite anyone in history,
who would you choose and what would you serve them?
5. Do you have any secret talents or hobbies?
John Collins
The Evaporators, Thee Goblins, and The
New Pornographers
1. I have played the electric guitar since I
was about 13. I developed some tendon
problems in my hands and at about 19 I
stopped playing the guitar. A couple of years
later I got a call from my friend David
Carswell asking me If I felt like playing
some bass in the Evaporators. I thought it
sounded like fun. It is. That was in about
1990.
2. Wanted to be a compotent skateboarder.
Librarian. Marine Biologist. Member of
Kraftwerk.
3. Steely Dan
4. Devo, The Who, Sly Stone, everyone on
my iPod actually. This would be a big party
with thousands of guests so I think I'd
arrange a nice Indian buffet. Everyone could
just sit and eat off their laps. Oh and of
course an open bar. And later, we could have
us a champagne jam!
5. Here's a recent photo of me doing Hot
Yoga.
Brooke Gallupe
Immaculate Machine
1. Electric guitar. I was recruited in grade six
by my cooler and more talented friend for
his band that was scheduled to play at the
school talent show. I had never played guitar
but I promptly went out and bought one
and signed up for lessons. I was hopeless for
a really long time.
2. I have gone through many fanciful career
dreams that make my parents nervous,
including rock and roll star.
3. Jonathan Richman I, Jonathan
Kimya Dawson Remember That I Love You
THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com
The Strokes First Impressions
It's a 3-disc changer.
4. I would have a big vegan feast with John
Stuart Mill and John Rawls.
5. I have already flaunted all my minor tal-
ents (French language, comic drawing) so
nothing is a secret anymore.
Jenny Smyth
The Organ
1. I like to play the organ. I first wanted to
play it at hockey stadiums. But then I
learned about the organ's capacity in other
types of music.
2. a hockey player in the NHL
3. Well, someone is watching a video (with
a very musical soundtrack, but I don't know
what artist is playing in the video) so my
stereo is off. But I was listening to the
Talking Heads' "(Nothing But) Flowers"
before the video went on. The computer
stereo was on random.
4. I'd invite Jane Goodall and 15 chimps.
And serve veggies that my mom grows.
5. I have a special (unfortunate) talent for
making up stupid lyrics to popular songs.
usually I make the lyrics meaningful to a sit-
uation that I'm in. Like I work in a grocery
store right now and I sing about all the veg-
gies (Lighter Shade of Kale, We Got the
Beets, etc). I'm pretty sure I'll get fired
for it.
Hamm
The Evaporators, Canned Hamm, Slow
1. I play the bass guitar and keyboards. I
chose the piano at age 6 because my best
friend was taking lessons and he kicked ass.
I took piano lessons till I was 14 then my
parents sold the piano 'cause I was doing
lousy in school. As part of my early
teenage rebellion I started a punk rock
band with my friends called Chuck and
the Sucks. I chose the bass because it only
had four strings so it was easier to play
than the guitar!
2. I wanted to play in the Friendly Giants
band.
3. The Great White North: Bob and Doug
McKenzie... You asked.
4. Bob and Doug Mackenzie... It's obvi-
ous what I'd serve.
5. I juggle marshmallows (see attached
photo).
Jenn Chycoski
The Choir Practice
1. I am a vocalist and a keyboard player. I
started singing before I could talk. I used
to follow my Dad around when I was lit-
tle, singing what he was playing on the
trumpet. My first words ever spoken, or
rather sang, were the lyrics to the Tom
Jones song "Delilah". Only I sang "Why
why why Dee-ya-ya."
My parents bought a piano and I start-
ed playing when I was 7 years old.
2. I wanted to be a marine biologist, then
a veterinarian. I am currently neither.
3. Everything in my 5-disc CD player
right now is from local artists in Van. A
few are newer additions, and the others I
play relentlessly: Sinoia Caves, Interior
Design, Bossanova, D. Trevlon and The
Modelos.
4. I would have St. Francis of Assisi over
for dinner and I would serve him my
vegan version of Ukranian perohe with
borscht and a gourmet Caesar salad sans
oeuf, anchovy and with veggie parmesan
(I know, some of you would say that it's
not gourmet then, but I'm sure St. Francis
would have it no other way).
5. I volunteer some of my spare time at
animal shelters.
Tiffany Garrett
Sotomayor
bella
1. My role in bella is playing drums + a
little guitar here and there. I started with
drums when I was about 5. My mom
FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 19
 Jenn Tiffany Garrett Sotomayer
Hamm
Chycoski

David Jesse
John Collins Gowans Gander

cleaned out some ice cream tubs and gave
me the empty containers and some pencils
for "sticks"... I've been drumming ever
since! And guitar, well I guess my favorite
band inspired me to do that!
2. a musician... and for a short while a vet-
erinarian.
3. A guilty pleasure which shall remain
nameless! Well, maybe I shouldn't feel so
guilty about it because they are doing quite
well right now but Im just not sure I feel
like letting the "cat out of the bag" on this
one.
4. My Uncle Todd. Insignificant to others
but would mean the world to me. I guess
that's a personal one!
5. BOXING !! (snapshot attached)
Shane Nelken
The Awkward Stage
1. Awesomeness is my instrument and it
chose me.
2. Taller. (still waiting)
3. Sam Cooke as usual.
4. I would have to say...Adolph Hitler. I
would probably serve my signature Razzle-
Dazzle Berry Poison Mystery Puffs. (The
Mystery is they contain high levels of sugar,
butter, and a fatal dose of Aconite w/ artifi-
cial razzle berry flavouring)
5. I can put my entire foot in my mouth.
Jesse Gander
Ghost House and Operation Makeout
recording engineer, The Hive Studios
1. I play the electric piano. I chose it
because my parents had a real piano in our
living room when I was growing up, but
real pianos are too heavy to bring to gigs, so
electric it is!
2. I wanted to be a piano player, or a skate-
boarder, or a chef. All the things iI still
want to be.
3. Cult Cargo Belize City Boil Up
Jonathan Richman Revolution Summer
Dinosaur Jr. Beyond
4. I would choose Jonathan Richman. I
don't what I would serve him, but I know
what I wouldn't serve him: meat, fish,
dairy, alcohol, drugs.
5. I am the omelet master for Canada's
team breakfast. Just ask anyone who's ever
been lucky enough to have a sleepover at
my house.
Rod Slaughter
Novillero and Duotang
1. Most of my music life I've played the
bass. When I was a teenager I was always
drawn to the sound of the bass (as played
by people like John Entwhistle or Paul
McCartney) and thought it was the by far
the coolest instrument. Now I play key-
boards, and I'm not entirely sure why.
2. A struggling musician who has to slog it
out in the 9 to 5 world to pay their rent.
Actually, for a while there I also wanted to
be a fighter pilot.
3. Serge Gainsbourg
4. Easy! Peter Sellers. I'd order in.
5. I'm a fantastic dancer.
Morgan McDonald
The Buttless Chaps and Fond of Tigers
1. Keyboards. I've played piano since I was
four and I like the versatility and polypho-
ny.
2. Grown-ups would always ask me if I was
going to become a "mathematician" but I
noticed that none of them were mathemati-
cians and I didn't really see it as a viable
career option. Instead I opted for applied
math (engineering and music).
3. Hmmm. It's empty. Lately I've been lis-
tening to The Signal on CBC Radio2.
4. Beethoven, Buddha, and Bjork. Cheese,
chutney, and chocolate.
5. I will eat whatever is put in front of me.
This is both a talent and a hobby.
Maya Miller
The Pack
1. Drums. First hitting things...good.
Second patience I barely have any.
Third visual learner drums very much
right in front of me. Fourth subtlety...not
my speciality. And Fifth I can only sing
Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog"...see below....
2. A bus driver first, but then I wanted to
be Indiana Jones, which was far more prac-
tical.
3. Dead Prez.
4. Union General William Tecumseh
Sherman. ANYTHING HE WANTED.
He'll just take what he wants anyway...bet-
ter to go quietly.
5. Karaoke. I can't sing "real" for shit, but I
can sing "Black Dog" with such conviction
and fierceness, you might swear it's Robert
Plant or his dim-witted cousin right in
front of you. Seriously, it's won me prizes.
Oh, also pretty good at Hall & Oates: I
can't go for that the trick? Just give it a
hint of some undescernable accent, oh, and
have my hair oh, and my dance moves...on
second thought, maybe only I should sing
Hall & Oates songs.
Grant Lawrence
CBC Radio 3 and The Smugglers
1. Saxophone, because that's what Richie
Cunningham played on Happy Days.
2. A naturalist and a television talk show
host.
3. Two Hours Traffic Little Jabs
4. Clint Eastwood, Jimmy Stewart,
Margaret Cho, Herge, Ricky Gervais,
William Shakespeare, Richard Lewis,
Lucille Ball, Jerry Lee Lewis. We'd have
BBQ'd salmon with a maple and ginger
glaze, freshly sauted scallops in garlic but-
ter, green beans, nugget potatoes, and
Sleeman's Silvercreek Lager.
5. I know how to find the asshole of a koala
bear.
David Gowans
The Buttless Chaps and Cloudsplitter
1. I mostly play the acoustic guitar & some
banjo I tried dabbling on the keyboards
& a friend lent me her guitar to fiddle
around with, I found myself playing it more
than the keyboards and decided that it was
right for me, I learnt my basic chords while
watching Northern Exposure reruns on TV.
2. A member of Duran Duran, It's pretty
embarrassing actually. I used to imagine
that I had a studio built onto the side of my
parents house (while being frustrated prac-
ticing the clarinet). Simon, Nick, Roger,
Andy, John and I would hang out and
write music. Since they were a full band, I
had a Miami sound machine style percus-
sion setup, with a little synth as well. A side
player of sorts, but more involved in their
creative process. Not much has changed
really, except that I don't fit into my Duran
Duran shirt anymore.
3. I have been listening to a lot of stuff by
The National, the new Jarvis Cocker record
(and some older Pulp), The Gulag Orkestar
by Beirut is a good one as well...
4. Duran Duran! Just kidding.... I think I
would like to have met Hunter S.
Thompson. I would smoke a whole pig in
the backyard with some Slaw and plenty of
prescription drugs, firearms and booze so
that he could tell me some of his Gonzo
journalism stories & Hells Angel adven-
tures..
5. I am quite proficient when it comes to
the exterminating of rodents & other pests
from Vancouver households.. swift and
accurate with a shoe is essential living in
roof rat haven here in Vancouver.
Todd Fancey
The New Pornographers and Fancey
1. Chose guitar because my dad played
guitar and so did Pete Townshend.
2. In a band or a pilot.
3. BJ Thomas.
4. I would choose Jim Morrison and serve
him a McRib and some iced tea.
5. Ankle tickling with a fresh piece of ice-
berg lettuce.
Cameron Fraser
bella
1. I play guitar for the most part, although
I'd taken lessons on piano and guitar as a
kid but dropped out within a year or two
of starting both. When I started listening
to music as a teenager I decided I wanted
to learn to play bass because it only had
four strings and they were really fat, so I
thought it'd be easier. I borrowed an old
acoustic guitar from my aunt to practice on
because I couldn't afford to buy an actual
bass, and just ended up learning to play
guitar instead. I actually gave up about two
weeks after getting the thing and put it
under my bed and promptly forgot about
it. About six months later I found it again
and tried playing a few chords and to my
amazement could, so I learned a few simple
REM songs and would play them over and
over as fast as I could, and from there start-
ed writing my own songs. I haven't looked
back since.
2. When I was a kid I (for whatever rea-
son) wanted to be the curator of a muse-
um. I didn't have any idea of what was
actually involved (still don't), but I thought
mummies were cool (you know, from
Egypt), so I think that's where that came
from. And then I wanted to be an account-
ant.
3. I just bought a whole bunch of stuff by
The Verve, as well as Richard Ashcroft's
Alone With Everybody.
4. Hmm, I'd invite Jason and Ronnie
Martin (from Starflyer 59 and Joy Electric,
respectively), Matt Sharp era Weezer (the
whole band, that is), and Jesus (that water
into wine thing would come in handy,
methinks). I'd also invite all my friends
from back home in Saskatchewan, as well
as my family. I'd probably end up serving
Sidekicks and Kraft Dinner, because that's
about all I know how to make. Maybe a
Delissio pizza or two, also. And lot's of
water.
5. My current hobby is taking old crappy
computers that I get for free from people
and fixing them up with stuff I buy on
eBay. They're still old and crappy, but to a
lesser extent. Then I play the computer
games I used to play when I was 13 on
them. My secret talent is that I'm a Jedi,
but don't tell.
Eden Fineday
Vancougar
1. I play the guitar and I sing. I've always
wanted to play guitar and sing. I still have
my first diary from when I was seven. In it,
I wrote, "When I grow up, I want to be
singer in a rock band." My idol was
Deborah Harry.
2. See above.
3. Lately I have been into Peter Bjorn and
John and Band of Horses. And the new
Goodnight Loving, Crooked Lake.
4. Hmm.. I get nervous when I have to
cook for people. Maybe Beethoven, because
Bratwurst and potatoes are pretty easy to
cook. And maybe he'd bring a choir with
him. I like choirs.
5. Hmm. I am a good personal shopper.
Sorry, no photographs are available. But if
you ever want some help picking out a hot
outfit, give me a shout.
Katie Lapi
Ghost House and Operation Makeout
1. Guitar. I'm pretty sure I chose it because
I thought it would be easier to play than
drums (my arms get tired playing drums!).
So um...I guess lack of upper arm strength
or laziness.
2. Older and wiser. I got it half right.
3. Dinosaur Jr., Tilly and the Wall, and
Peter Bjorn & John.
4. I'd invite Bjork, Steve Martin, Bruce
Springsteen, Tina Turner, and Frida Kahlo,
and and I'd serve them salted watermelon,
green tea matcha lattes, caprese salad
kabobs, and crme brle.
5. Secret Talents....hmmm I wish I could
put on my lipstick like Molly Ringwald in
The Breakfast Club. But I guess I'd have to
actually wear lipstick to do that. I guess my
hidden talent is my ability to dance brush
my teeth for like 5-10 mins straight. I'm
pretty good at that.
Lucy Brain
Young and Sexy
1. Voice. It chose me. I dabble in keys,
drums, guitarbut nothing seems to come
as naturally as singing. I'm lazy really.
Although percussion/drumming/piano is
something I would really like to improve
at. What's this thing called rehearsing I
keep hearing about?
2. Ballet dancer, detective, fashion designer,
marine biologist, girl group singerin that
order.
3. Queens of the Stone Age Era Vulgaris

20 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 21
 John Morgan Shira Blustein
Guliak McDonald

Megan Johnson Chris Kelly Lisa G

4. Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Rick
Danko, Bjork, my granddad Gordon, Kate
Bush, Josh Homme, Billie Holiday, Jack
White and PJ Harvey. Oh and I guess I'd
like Paul there.
To start perhaps I'd do a spinach salad
with some thinly sliced apple, cured Serrano
ham and a balsamic reduction (like I just
had in Barcelona!) The main would be Baja
style fish tacos with barbequed halibut,
freshly made corn tortillas, cabbage, gua-
camole, salsaall the fixins. Dessert could
be a fresh summer berry pavlova. This all
might be a little delicate for some of my
guests but I'd think they'd come around to
it. I could always offer a cheese platter if
they are still hungry later. It would be served
on a warm summer evening alfresco. With
several bottles of wine, we'd chat and play
music until the wee hours.
5. I can boogie pretty good.
Shira Blustein
The Choir Practice and Blood Meridian
1. Piano by default I'm a piano teacher's
daughter...
2. Actress/Lifeguard/Neurosurgeon
3. Hard Drugs (Blood Meridian Side
Project/Rock Opera)
4. I'd serve Virgin Mary a delicious home-
made vegetarian mexican feast. We'd get
drunk on ice cold cervezas and gossip about
Jesus.
5. Cooking food and then photographing
it....
Charla McCutcheon
bella
1. In bella I play keyboards mostly...I started
playing piano when I was four. Now, I love
the different sounds that can be made with
vintage synths.
2. I always dreamt of being a singer in a
band, but I was so shy...So I thought I
would own and run my own chocolate fac-
tory.
3. A burned CD of my Astrological Reading
from January 22/07, a mix tape I made and
the new Spoon album.
4. Albert Einstein and St. Theresa of Avila.
And maybe Judy Garland and Elvis could
drop by. We'd have a quinoa and vegetable
dish with some white wine.
5. I can almost do a wicked pop-a-wheely
on my bmx. And I have x-ray vision.
Becky Black
The Pack
1. I chose to play guitar. The reason? I had
one.
2. A bandit.
3. Chopin. Though lying near the stereo is a
copy of Air Supply's greatest hits;
my...ahem...guilty pleasure.
4. Oliver Curtis Perry. Two hard fried eggs
turned over and fried potatoes or hash. Pie
for dessert. And I would hope he'd stay for
breakfast...
5. My love for drawing is nearly equal to
that of my love for music, but it's no secret.
Too many boxes containing scribbles on
scrap paper is evidence of that.
Cup
I Am Spoonbender
1. my main one is a minimoog voyager syn-
thesizer. why? because it is awesome! the
sound possibilities are endless, and it is very
friendly to both the novice and the
advanced.
2. there's no such thing as growing up!
3. laurie anderson's recently reissued 'big
science', 'deliver us' by warlord, 'iceland' by
richard pinhas, and the new album by the
delgados' emma pollock.
4. the architect of the great pyramid of giza.
slices of pie, of course!
5. i am currently working on an illustrated
children's book based on the RUSH song
'the trees', and i design clothes, sets, films
and merch-objects (with dustin donaldson)
for IAS.
John Guliak
solo vocalist/musician
1. I play a Guild Jumbo acoustic guitar. I
wanted one almost as long as I wanted a
guitar but they were always too expensive. I
finally found one in Victoria about 14 years
ago usually these guitars come with all
kinds of fancy inlay and gold hardware
but this one was quite plain and simple
and affordable. I've been loving it ever
since.
2. I have no idea as I have no childhood
memories this probably explains my
chronic lack of imagination.
3. Linton Kwesi Johnson Independent
Intavenshan (disc 1)
David Bowie Scary Monsters
Marc Ribot Requiem For What's-His-
Name
All set on random play.
4. I would like to have Karl Marx over for
something that would help sooth his enor-
mous ass boils a nice salad I guess.
5. I can continue drawing my breath until
my head inflates photo enclosed.
Brent J. Cooper
The Ramblin Ambassadors, and Huevos
Rancheros
1. I play guitar, and when I was a kid I
distinctly remember some events that led
to me taking it up.
I saw a young teenage-ish band play
"Blue Suede Shoes" in a shopping mall
when I was 4 or 5. It blew me away! The
guitar was loud and distorted, and because
it was Stampede time, the whole band was
(of course) dressed western!
I also used to like grocery shopping with
my Mom. Dominion (later became a
Safeway) had Muzak that sounded like the
Ventures. So wehnever we went shopping,
I'd be sitting in the cart or walking around
listening to twangy, tremeloed guitars. It
was great.
A few years later, when I was in grade
two, my neighbours big brother played
guitar. He had a great record collection
and introduced me to the Beatles and the
Who when I was in second grade! He also
was the first guy I knew to own the
import 45 r.p.m. of "God Save the
Queen." I guess I kinda idolized him and
took up the guitar, too.
2. I wanted to be a "scientist!" No partic-
ular type, but I liked having rat skeketons
and brains around from my Dad, who ws
a professor at the University of Calgary.
3. My daughter has been interested in older
vinyl, so I dug out the first Generation X
album and some Cheap Trick. I'm not sure
if the teenagers believe me when I tell them
how good Cheap Trick were in the 70s.
4. I think it might be a disaster, but Dee
Dee Ramone would be someone I woulda
liked to share some pizza with. Dee Dee
was the most complex Ramone, and there-
fore the most interesting. I guess if Jesus
could make it, he could come too. He can
bring the wine.
5. My secret talent is that I teach elemen-
tary school! Mr. Cooper's school of rock.
Everbody in grade three knows who Bo
Diddley is! (I am not allowed to give you a
picture until it's cleared for FOIP issues)
Kristian North
Vincat
1. As a kid I took the traditional piano les-
sons at the music conservatory route. It
really didn't help with anything but I think
since I got out at a pretty good age I ended
up ok. Though theoretically you can learn
alot from conservatory piano lessons they
are totally creatively stiffeling. I'm pretty
sure that's what THE MAN wants!!!
2. I think I wanted to be some sort of super
hero. Or maybe link from Zelda.
3. In my three disk changer I have Electric
Light Orchestra, The Flaming Lips, and
Black Moth Super Rainbow.
4. I would serve steak first of all because
that's pretty much all I can cook, and I'd
probably invite Jesus 'cause if we're talking
anyone in history it should probably be
Jesus. I'm not sure if he'd show up
though.....
5. Only if you consider time travel a hob-
bie.
Megan Johnson
Vancougar
1. I play the keyboard. My mum made me
take lessons as a kid, and at the time we
started Vancougar, it was the only instru-
ment I knew how to play. I really wanted
to be in the band, so you figure it out!
2. As a little girl, I wanted to be in The
Misfits, the tough-girl band from the TV
show Jem and the Holograms.
Unfortunately, Jem went off the air in the
mid-to-late '80s, so this will have to do.
3. The first NRBQ LP.
4. I would love to have Tina Turner and
The Ikettes over for dinner. I'd serve them
cheeseburgers, corndogs and fries, and then
after dinner we'd get drunk and have a
karaoke dance party!
5. I can grow a mean moustache!
Crystal Dorval
Vincat
1. I watched my dad growing up shredding
'80s metal riffs, and was very inspired.
2. An actress. then I found music.
3. Cookies. But I have been listening to
Electric Light Orchestra a lot.
4. The Carebears, they seem like a good
time. Main course: milkshakes.
5. I can predict the future, and communi-
cate with animals... at the same time.
Chris Kelly
The Choir Practice, The Gay Straights,
CBC Radio 3
1. I play piano, guitar, a bit of accordion
and I just picked up this really cool 1970s
Roland SH 1000 mono synth. I don't
know if play is the right verb for that thing.
I got into piano like most children. My par-
ents bought one and wanted someone to
play it so I got lessons. I started playing
guitar on my own accord. There was this
cool science teacher in middle school who
used to play guitar between classes and that
inspired me to pick it up.
2. Magician or an Archeologist
3. Canaries, Weakerthans Reunion Tour,
Dirty Projectors, Gay Straights and Loney
Dear
4. Any of the beats like Ginsberg, Kerouac,
or Burroughs. They just seem like a good
party. I'd serve them Beer and Drugs. I'm
sure that would enough. Maybe a curry
would feed them all. Vonnegut and Tom
Robbins would be fun to have over. Paul
McCartney could play some tunes on the
piano and then for chicks...Margaret
Trudeau circa 1970 (I'm really into her
right now), Kelly Capowski from Saved by
the Bell, and those kids in the new Tokyo
Police Club video. They seem awesome.
5. I modeled jeans last year...but that took
no talent and I also used to be in a sketch
group.
Robynn
cub
1. Gibson SG guitar. Why? Sexy double
cut-a-way. Angus Young. 'Nuf said. Vox
AC30 amplifier. Why? Super clean. The
Beatles. Ditto. Rat distortion pedal. Why?
Sometimes a little raunch and beef comes
in handy.
2. Singing and dancing with Gene Kelly (
la Singin in the rain and Xanadu)!
3. The best of Lone Wolf and Cub (original
soundtrack to the '70s samurai movie
series)... seriously, what timing, eh?
4. Booska. Ramen, of course. Jim Henson.
We'd let the Swedish Chef decide. The
Beatles. Don't know what I'd serve, but
we'd probably be sitting on a cornflake.
5. Many, but once told they would no
longer be secret! Which do I wish to reveal?
Hmmm, I make a mean black bean soup,
and I am Mint Records' and Nardwuar the
Human Serviette's chief source for hand
lettering and graphics.
Lisa G
cub
1. Drums. I played the drums for cub.
I think I ended up playing the drums
because I wasn't super keen on any other
instrument I had tried so far. I also think
booze was a factor somehow.
2. A mechanic or a baseball player.
3. Our stereo doubles as a dvd player so,
uh, this is embarrassing, it was The Da
Vinci Code the movie which took 2
nights to watch and was terrible.
4. I would serve my favourite 2 day short-
ribs on egg noodles and I would invite
Dorothea Lange.
5. Disco Dancing is a lifelong hobby and I
hope a secret talent.

22 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 23
 circa 1990....
I n May 1992, Sloan made the trip from
Halifax to Vancouver to play Music West
in order to be seen by someone from
vedahille.com Geffen records. The Vancouver show hap-
pened on the night of the LA riots so we
thought the Geffen guy, whose name was
Todd Sullivan wouldn't be there but he
was. He liked our show but he wanted to
hang out with us for a few days in
Vancouver before we signed a deal.
Todd was with us when we went to
CiTR for an interview with Nardwuar. We
had no idea who he was or what to expect.
I can be funny, I swear, but I was unpre-
pared for the beating we were about to
take.
Nardwuar was either reading or making
reference to our bio. "So, you're the Sonic
Youth of Canada," or "Oh you're rootbeer
flavoured pop." It was humiliating. Todd
was there watching us die on college radio
THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com
and it was killing me.
It turns out it was a phone-in show and
he took calls from people ranging from
those who wanted us to know that we were
a bunch of fags to those who simply want-
ed to say how much we sucked.
Eventually someone (I believe) from San
Francisco called and when it became appar-
ent that this caller was in a band,
Nardwuar essentially started interviewing
him about his band while we sat there like
a bunch of dorks.
I was the first to walk out and eventually
we all walked out. By letting Nardwuar
walk all over us, I actually thought that we
may have blown our chances of getting
signed to Geffen so I was furious but at the
same time I had to hand it to him for giv-
ing us such a savage beating.
Sloan did sign to Geffen despite
Nardwuar's efforts and went on to become
the most important Canadian band ever.
Chris Murphy
Sloan
A fter our first few days in Van,
Nardwuar took us on a tour of Van in
Hugh's mother's convertible and showed
where Tommy Chong had his club. A great
time. Nardy is this generation's Pierre
Berton.
Dave Bidini
Rheostatics
M y first encounter with Nardwuar was
in 1987. My band at the time was a
very large Metal outfit called Ogre (with
umlauts over the G and the R). We were
invited for an interview on Nard's radio
show at CITR. At the time we were all
doing this Eastern European shtick. We
were being all ESL, standing on tables and
FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 25
 pounding our fists and Nardwuar was, well
just being himself. So we got a little con-
fused and couldn't figure out if we should
like this guy or take him out back and give
him a curb job. We didn't have any record-
ed material at the time so we brought a
tape of Ride The Lightning by Metallica and
told him it was us. I don't think Nard ever
made it through an entire song on his show
at that time. He usually cut in before the
song was over and started talking. There
was a lot of yelling and screaming but by
the end we decided we liked him enough
to let him keep his
teeth.
Hamm
first comp he put out "Oh God, My
Mom's On Channel 10" which featured
some great garage rock bands and a bunch
of Nardwuar's guerilla style interviews. I
do remember thinking, Nardwuar The
Human Serviette? What the hell kind of
name is that? At the time, I was a producer
at MuchMusic and I connected with both
the Evaporators and the Smugglers. I met
Nardwuar in Toronto when the
Evaporators toured with Cub and was sur-
prised at how mellow he was at the time
(he saved his over the top energy for his
the people in charge of Much were interest-
ed. The response I got was "not funny,"
"annoying" and "not something we want
on the air at Much." (Ironically the other
personality that Much passed on at the
time was Tom Green, just before he went
on to huge success at MTV). Nardwuar
eventually did make it on the air at Much
but not through the insight of anyone that
was running the place. All credit for that
goes to MuchWest videographer Chris
Nelson who fought tooth & nail to get
Nardwuar on the air. But remember this,
Nardwuar does not
do it for the fame &
fortune. He's

Italian Soul Food The Evaporators,

Canned Hamm,
Slow
Nardwuar and he
does it 'cause he's
Nardwuar. Congrats
on 20 years,

H mmm, when
did I first meet
the illustrious plaid
Nardwuar! You are
truly one of a kind.
James Booth
man? Music Director
I believe that it was CBC Radio 3
in the old CiTR
103 Columbia Street
Vancouver
2118 Burrard Street
Vancouver
record room next to
the broadcast studio
and he was extolling
I 've always
admired people
who pursue their
604-688-8694 604-736-2220 the virtues of an interests passionate-
album by the ly and obsessively,

www.incendio.ca Misunderstood
which had recently
and as far as I can
tell that's Nardwuar.
been re-released on Dragonforce Nardwuar isn't just
an English indie label a music fan, he is a
called Cherry Red. music stalker. He
The album had, as Timothy Leary follows it around
many did then and uninvited and does-
probably still do, n't mind if he
somehow walked out makes it uncomfort-
of the station along able. That's why he
with a few other is so engaging and
garage/punk platters so much fun.
that he'd intended to I can't remember
play on his show. my very first
The guy was encounter with
freakin' out in his Nardwuar but it
unique voice and might have been a
from the Discorder letter written in
office it sounded like marker, sent to me
someone was tortur- at Exclaim! We
ing a seagull. When I finally met when I
went to see what was went to Vancouver
up, there was for an Exclaim! gig
Nardwuar, face beet- featuring Destroyer
red, jumping up and around '98.
down around the room to the point that interviews, I guess). Anyway he would send Nardwuar interviewed me for CITR and
his signature cap fell off. In those days, he me VHS tapes of his interviews. They were then helped MC our show at the Starfish
had loads of long wiggy hair and it was fly- done totally low budget but I thought they Room. For some reason he really wanted
ing around him like Dumbo ears. I almost were hilarious, combining his crazy energy me to come up on stage, which I wasn't
thought he'd fly away.... and the manic Nardwuar over-researched going to let happen. Of course, Nardwuar
Stuart Derdeyn barrage of questions we've come to know won.
Music Critic and love. I thought it was perfect for Much A number of years later, in 2001 I was
The Province Newspaper and immediately pitched him to the people back for Mint's 10th anniversary gig at the
Vancouver BC in charge. Nardwuar belonged on Much. Commodore. The next morning Nardwar
He was young, cutting edge, subversive, took a group of us out to his favourite

N ardwuar: I'm not sure when I first

became aware of Nardwuar. It was
probably around the time I purchased the
funny and not the type of on-air personali-
ty that would be hired by any other broad-
caster. To my shock and dismay, none of
North Vancouver diner which had some
kind of bad-taste Native Canadian motif.
My parnter, Atsuko, and one-year-old

THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 27
 daughter, Aya, came along. Nardwuar
insisted we each order this enormous meat,
potato, egg, pancake platter that appeared
to have everything the restaurant made on
one plate. It was disgusting. Nardwuar had
to keep up appearances so he ordered it
himself and explained that if you're going
to eat the whole thing you can't take any
breaks. When it became clear Nardwuar
wasn't going to come close, first he tried to
get our one-year-old daughter to help eat
some bacon (see photo) and then diverted
our attention and cleared the plate off into
a bussing bin when most people weren't
looking. Our daughter is now 7 and I
think this was the incident that convinced
her to become a vegetarian at a very young
age. Thank you Nardwuar!
Ian Danzig
Publisher
Exclaim! Magazine
T he first time I met Nardwuar was in
the loading dock
area outside Porter
Hall at Carleton Ian Danzigs
University when the
Evaporators and Cub
were playing there in
the mid-90s. I was
the music director at
CKCU-FM and was
excited to meet a fel-
low campus radio
music director from
across the country. I
was a bit disappoint-
ed that he wasn't in
character and was
placid and demure.
The next five times
I met him he kept on
bugging me to get
his demo tape to
Tom Green, which I
eventually did.
Shawn Scallen
promoter/revolution rock
co-owner/end hits
photographer/scallen.com
B efore the certainty of adulthood I spent
all of my years up in the Northernmost
tip the most sensitive area of British
Columbia. I was an odd child. Before the
doubt set in I was rather religious in my
teenaged years, even more heavily than my
parents ever were. I looked forward to the
trips I would take to the varying levels of
Youth Group conferences. It was at one of
these larger conferences that I met Ken. I
struck up a kinship with Ken which led me
to visit him in the big city. Ken was around
my tender age yet he had a huge brown
beard. Ken collected empty packages of
Thrills bubble gum, the kind that tasted
like a pleasant soap, and put them up on
his wall to form its' name: "Thrills." This
may have been Ken's tongue in cheek
28 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT
mantra. Ken wore pyjama shirts out in
public. Ken liked The Residents. Ken knew
things. Ken could even ride the bus around
the city alone. Ken knew his way around.
Ken took me to a club to see No Fun play.
I had first heard No Fun late at night on
CBC Radio on a show called Night Lines
with David Wisdom. No Fun was obsessed
with Gorgo Gum, a gum that was green
and had a monster on the wrapper. Night
Lines saved me in those searching years up
North as it opened me up to all kinds of
music that didn't fall within narrow mar-
gins. Everything else that was readily avail-
able just didn't seem very interesting or
charming, I had to dig. This offered a sense
of escape from secluded desolation, that
there was more out there and that maybe
one day I could even be part of it. You
must understand that it wasn't so easy to
find this music back then. The Internet was
still years away from public use, the mili-
tary-industrial complex was still covertly
daughter
developing it as a mind control tool and
information gathering resource. People are
so lucky today, one could be starving from
malnutrition in a Third World village but
the World Wide Web is there to amuse and
make that time go by just a little bit faster.
We take so much for granted nowadays.
A most unfortunate mix in my personali-
ty at that time of an overactive mind, small
town naivete, immaturity, social awkward-
ness, and obsessively wound up nattering
boiled to the surface one frustrating
evening with an endless stream of poop
jokes that I knew were terrible but a lack of
self control propelled me. Due to such
unacceptable behaviour Ken's friends
quickly became very put off by me, the vis-
iting newcomer. This greatly embarrassed
Ken. Ken had a lot to deal with as is so he
made his grim decision to not have me
around anymore. I made sure that Ken
wouldn't see my tears. Before this pivotal
coming-of-age event went down, Ken had
www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS
the foresight to show me a business card.
This card was elegant in its' simplicity,
black ink on white stock with just a name
and a phone number. It would be most
improper to reveal the telephone number
here in this public forum but the name was
Nardwuar The Human Serviette. Even just
the name was intriguing. This name said
plenty. I simply had to meet this Nardwuar.
A lot of time would pass before I did.
It is difficult to recall any specific details
whatsoever of our first meeting. He talked
incessantly yet my ears were ringing too
much to absorb anything that he said. I
know where we met but that's only
through details keyed in from subsequent
visits when he wasn't around. I don't even
know the circumstances. I was too over-
come. He seemed to be radiating a blind-
ing flash of beauty. He was gorgeous. No
man or woman could resist him. He just
glowed, y'know. Some people have that
quality, that charismatic cult of personality.
It was literally too
much, like some
blistering fever
dream, like being
caught in the ocean
with waves crashing
over you yet feeling
safe, like no harm
could ever come to
you. They didn't
have this back
home! It took a few
visits to adjust
myself. He has been
just so, so very
incredibly support-
ive to me and so
many others over
the years whether it
be through my
zines, musical acts
or whatever else
arose or yet arise. I
owe him so much. Yet still I feel that I can-
not be in his company for extended periods
of time due to what punters call being "too
much."
There are very little more selfish and
repugnant deeds than the sheer act of hav-
ing children but for speculation's sake let's
just say that I had a child one day. I do not
need to spread the virus of humanity
around to wrongly prove that I am a
responsible adult, this is just pure specula-
tion. And let's say that I had to give this
child some form of name so that when I
called it, it would answer. I would most
certainly give this wee creature, this life like
being, the name of Sue or something
equally disposable. Anything but
Nardwuar. I wouldn't name it Nardwuar
The Human Serviette. There can only be
one Nardwuar The Human Serviette. His
Mother knew that when she named him
and we know that.
For more information see the 2005
Academy Award Winning CGI short NFB
film entitled Nardwuar.
Robert Dayton
Canned Hamm, July 4th Toilet,
Hallmark, By Candlelight
I 've worked with Nardwuar for almost 10
years, in that time co-conspiring over
countless interviews, trading peculiar gossip
and insight and documenting his adven-
tures. I've lauded his skills and methods at
length to classrooms full of journalism stu-
dents and I've stolen stuff from Courtney
Love's birthday party to send to him while
he was in the hospital. I've helped get him
on the cover of Chart Magazine and I've
even been thanked in his DVD.
After all this, I've only ever met
Nardwuar once. It was in 2004, right after
The Evaporators played a gig at the
Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. I introduced
myself and stuck out my hand, Nard shook
it... and then apologized for being sweaty.
It took me a couple
seconds to process
the tactile sensation,
but yes, he was
sweaty. Very, very
sweaty. He apolo-
gized again for being
sweaty. It was defi-
nitely a little bit
uncomfortable. But
I'm fine with it.
Some people it's OK
that their sweat gets
on you.
Aaron Brophy
Chart Magazine
I
t would have been
1988 I would
guess, and the band I
was playing in, Silent
Gathering, were play-
ing a show at the
Paramount Theater in New Westminster,
BC. But even at that stage Nardwuar was
the penultimate dedicated supporter and
documenter of Canadiana and the notion
of "doing it for the kids" The
Paramount Theater in the burbs was a
peculiar venue for small original bands
such as the one I was in, but it was an all
ages show. So Nardwuar was there,
HandyCam in hand. He knew of the
Scratch store, I knew of his fabulous Friday
CITR radio terrorism, so that night we
met.
A couple of weeks later Nard showed up
at Scratch with a VHS tape of Silent
Gathering's performance at the Paramount.
The tape also had an hour or so of specially
Nard-selected rare rock, garage, and psych
footage from his vaults. Amboy Dukes,
Chesterfield Kings, Gruesomes not sure
what else. I still have the tape in the base-
ment somewhere. It was an incredibly kind
gesture. It was not long afterwards that
THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com
Nardwuar was working at Scratch for park-
ing money, inflicting store customers &
punk kids with the Honeymoon Suite cata-
log at high volume complete with air
guitar moves from his perch on top of the
record bins. Nardwuar also was responsible
for forcing Scratch quite rightfully to have
a Local Music section. Rock on JR, and
thanks!
Keith Parry
Scratch Records
I remember when Sebastian Bach, the lead
singer of Sarnias metal band Skid Row
in in the States stole Nardwuars hat, his
favourite toque, one of his golf hats.
Nardwuar just lost it. That was when I
realized that the clothes he was wearing he
was intending to wear for life, and he must
have said something to him because he
took it and flung it and it disappeared. He
was crushed. That was all he talked about
for a long time.
I also remember the first time I took him
on a film set. There were so many ways to
piss people off: you can take somebody's
coffee mug, or you can eat the last sand-
wich from a tray. Nardwuar came on set
and I think we were on the set of Are We
There Yet. And I remember doing the inter-
view with Ice Cube, and I step back, and in
comes Nardwuar, and the room starts to fill
with people: publicists, makeup, wardrobe.
They could not believe the show he was
putting on. The guy had no idea what hit
him. He was showing him his life story.
And as he brought out these prized posses-
sions, his voice would rise up another
octave, until it was Tiny Tim-esque, a high
C. The publicists looked at me, and she
said, "What is it? Who is this man?"
And I hoped and prayed that Nardwuar
wouldn't screw it up and say something to
offend everybody and have Ice Cube stomp
off and leave. But he was good. What nard-
wuar didn't know was he was dancing a
fine line between being a hero and being
thrown out.
Oh, and, again, Snoop Dogg. I inter-
viewed Snoop later in Los Angeles for a
movie, and I said "I bring you greetings
from Nardwuar." All of a sudden his head
came up. "He is one crazy motherfucker."
At first glance, Nardwuar might seem
clownish, a caricature, an amateur, but he
is none of those. He is one of a kind in a
cookie cutter business. And he has survived
and thrived doing it his way. If I was wear-
ing a hat, Id tip it.
Terry David Mulligan
I 'd heard of this Nardwuar character long
before I actually laid eyes on him. Every
time someone went to Canada, they'd
come back saying things like, "Do you
know Nardwuar the Human Serviette? Just
wait till you meet him, you're not going to
believe this guy."
The funny thing
was that no one
could or would say
just exactly what
was so amazing
about the legendary
Mr. Nardwuar. I'd
press them on the
issue, and it would
be as though words
had completely
failed them, some-
thing I understood
when I finally made
the man's acquain-
tance myself.
It was the spring
of 1994, and my
band, the
Potatomen, were
Andrew WK playing a show with
the Queers at a
community centre
in east Vancouver. I was expecting to be
met by Grant Lawrence of the Smugglers,
but the first person to greet me (apart from
a spare changer who flummoxed us
Americans by repeatedly telling us what
sounded like "You guys are loony" but
apparently was meant to be "You got a
loonie?") was Nardwuar himself.
I immediately saw why he'd made such
an impression on others who'd met him
before, and also why they'd had such a
hard time describing him. Most description
depends on comparing the unfamiliar per-
son or object to something that is already
known, but when it comes to Nardwuar,
there's nothing to compare him with. At
least not that I've encountered so far.
What I found most remarkable about
Nardwuar, quite apart from his perform-
ance with the Evaporators in which he lec-
tured us about the United Empire Loyalists
and the secret plans the Americans had
drawn up for invading Vancouver, was his
FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 29
 boundless enthusiasm and curiosity about
everything. He quizzed me about obscure
bands from my hometown of Detroit until
it became obvious that he knew more
about them than I did, at which point he
started schooling me on the subject.
I'm not sure if it was on that trip or a
later one when Nardwuar decided he had
to interview me for his radio show, and
that it had to be done on a street corner in
downtown Vancouver as scores of drunken
hockey fans went streaming by. A couple of
them stopped, bemused by Nardwuar's,
shall we say, florid and demonstrative inter-
view style. One of them got a bit hostile
until Nardwuar managed to convince him
that I was "the famous Larry Livermore"
and that meeting me would be something
the man could brag about when he got
home that night.
"Oh, yeah, I think I seen him on TV,"
the guy finally ventured, still vaguely sus-
pecting he was the butt of some joke that
he was never likely to
understand. At that
point Nardwuar con-
vinced him to pose
for a picture for me,
a big improvement
over punching my
lights out, which was
what I had feared
was coming a
moment earlier.
On still another
trip, Nardwuar gave
me a book about
Neil Young called
Don't Be Denied: The
Canadian Years, auto-
graphed by the man
himself (Neil Young,
that is, not
Nardwuar). For some
reason I never got
around to reading it
until recently, but when I finally did, my
appreciation for Nardwuar was rekindled
all over again.
It was a very low-key story about the
couple of years Neil Young spent playing in
a garage band in Winnipeg and Northern
Ontario before becoming a star in the
USA, but it left me glowing with memories
and inspiration from all the bands and all
the dreamers in basements and garages
across the land, and helped me see once
again the love for that music that I'm pret-
ty sure is the driving force behind nearly
everything Nardwuar says and does.
The man is a national treasure, hell, an
international one as well, and a profoundly
beautiful human being. God bless Canada
for producing and nurturing him, and long
may he keep on rocking in the free world.
Larry Livermore
I am honoured to have been asked to share
my anecdote of how I first met
30 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT
Nardwuar for this, the special 20th
anniversary commemorative feature cele-
brating one of the most unlikely media
stars.
As a CiTR alumnus from way back in
the day, I have listened to the station con-
sistently since for over 25 years. One day,
while moving into a new apartment (this
would have been circa 1988) I heard a
shrill-voiced manchild doing a telephone
interview with a man named Alan. Alan, it
turned out, was a member of Brit elec-
tropop superstars Depeche Mode. Depeche
Mode were massive at the time. "People are
People" had hit #1 in various countries
around the world, they were playing sell-
out gigs to 90,000 people, they were caus-
ing riots at in-stores at Tower Records with
15,000+ fans showing up. For whatever
reason their keyboard player Alan ended up
doing a phoner with a young cub reporter
at CiTR. Back then few musicians, let
alone superstars, would bother doing inter-
views with campus stations. So when I
heard the interviewer with the unusual
name let loose with the question: "Alan of
Depeche Mode, how many people have
died at a Depeche Mode concert?" my ears
perked up.
It's not that it was necessarily a good
question. It's not that it was a bad ques-
tion. It's that it was a questioned that
seemed to defy logic yet completely dis-
armed the guest, and the listener.
I continued listening to CiTR and read-
ing Discorder, monitoring the work of this
Nardwuar character. I recall that he did a
piece for Discorder entitled "soaps of the
stars" in which he asked members of vari-
ous bands in Vancouver what brand of soap
they used. That was the whole piece. Some
were Dove gals, some were Pears men,
some were the Irish Spring sort....it was a
fascinating piece of consumer research. His
PSA (public service announcement) for
tenants' rights, using the Dead Kennedys'
www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS
"Let's Lynch the Landlord" as the music
bed was also favourite from that era. As I
pieced these things together in my mind I
wondered if perhaps a revolution was in
the making.
Since that time I have listened to the
Nardwuar show on Friday afternoons with
a quasi-religious dedication. It didn't seem
to matter who was on his show...whether
I'd heard of them or not, whether I had an
interest in the topic or not, whether they
were combative, co-operative, or complete-
ly confused, from a listener's point of view
it was riveting. Somewhere in there he and
I met and became friends and co-conspira-
tors, rabidly researching upcoming intervie-
wees, going on treasure hunts for minutiae,
and kneading our bizarre findings into
questions for interviews.
That's if you can call a Q&A session
with Nardwuar an interview. It's more like
an audit, in which the interviewee is put
into the hot seat, not with damning evi-
dence but with
seemingly inconse-
quential trivia that
they themselves
often don't recall
until repeatedly
prodded. Whereas
other media person-
alities either aim to
ingratiate them-
selves to the celebri-
ty slash interviewee
Nardwuar's objec-
tive is to go where
no man has gone
before, to ask the
questions no one
else dares to ask, or
would even know to
ask, and to be
CSS unafraid in the face
of the answers,
insults, and/or
threats of physical violence. This is not the
socratic irony of Borat or Ali G, in which
the interviewer's "character" plays dumb to
highlight the prejudices of the interviewee
or catch him/her off guard. This is not
Tom Green milking a cow with with his
mouth or bringing a dead raccoon in a
paper bag onto a national talk show for
shock value. This is Nardwuar. He is his
own category. And as he is always the first
to say 'if I can do it, anyone can do it".
The difference is, he has done it. With
unparalleled depth, flair, and unpredictabil-
ity for 20 years. He is a thumbtack in the
padded cushion of celebrity. May he keep
on mocking, squawking, and rocking in
the free world for many more years to
come.
Leora Kornfeld
G od it was so long ago. I first met him
at a show in Vancouver during New
Music West. He was already writing for us
THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com
then. Beyond that the details are sketchy at
best. He did make the cover of our 15th
Anniversary issue which tells you how
much we care for him.
Ed Skira
Chart Magazine
M y first encounter with Nardwuar was
fateful, to say the least; thanks to
Nardwuar, I was fired from my second job
in broadcasting. I was a producer on a pop
culture program on CBC, and I kept insist-
ing to the producer that Nardwuar was a
must-have on our show. The producer
found Nardwuar annoying (which, in
hindsight, I can understand), and told me
that if I kept on the Nardwuar tip, I would
have to find another job. He canned me
the following week.
However, I'd like to think if I hadn't
been fired from that job, I would not have
pursued the career path that I did, the
same one that found me calling Nardwuar
in the fall of 1999
and insisting that he
interview the leg- Leslie Hall
endary James Brown
for MuchMusic.
Initially, Nardwuar
refused. He was recu-
perating from a brain
haemorrhage, and
was reluctant to start
interviewing again.
But I thought such a
match-up would be
legendary, the sort of
thing that people
would talk about for
years to come. Such a
epic opportunity
demanded diligence,
so I pursued
Nardwuar. I called
him every day for 3
weeks. Essentially, I
Nardwuar'ed Nardwuar, until he agreed to
do it.
The night the Godfather of Soul was to
play, Nardwuar, his friend and I arrived at
the Queen E. We'd spent weeks securing
an interview time with JB's management,
and finally they had consented to a 6pm
interview. But when Nardwuar, his friend
and I arrived at the Queen E, we discov-
ered that Mr. James Brown (which is, as we
later found out, what EVERYONE in his
organization calls him without any abbrevi-
ation) and his handlers, despite our best
efforts to confirm an interview time, had
no idea we'd be there. So they put us in a
room, and shut the door, and left us. For
hours.
At this point, I should explain that some-
times Nardwuar brings props to his inter-
views; they may be old albums, dolls, odd
musical instruments. When that's not
enough, he brings his friends, the ones that
own the old album, dolls and musical
instruments that he uses as props.
Normally, they tag along because they're
afraid to let this stuff out of their site, and
particularly in Nardwuar's care. His friend
in this case, was the owner of prime James
Brown memorabilia; a 45 of a James
Brown single from 1958 that didn't feature
his face because it was not yet kosher for
black people to be seen on albums; an orig-
inal poster from a Mexican TV show that
James Brown appeared on in 1965. It was
the kind of stuff this dude hoarded, and it
was apparent he'd foregone the trappings
of any kind of normal life so he could live
in his parent's basement and carefully pre-
serve these precious artefacts. It was
Nardwuar's plan to reveal this stuff to Mr.
Brown, if that meeting ever happened,
which, judging from how long we were
spending in the basement of the QET, was
growing less and less likely.
That is, until one of Mr. Brown's han-
dlers arrived, a enormous man with an
ironic nickname like Tiny or Slim or some-
thing like that. He informed us that Mr.
Brown had to practice harmonies with his
back-up singers The Bittersweets, and that
he would have no time for us. He said he
had to leave for a few moments, but he
would return to escort us out. Before he
could go, though, Nardwuar ripped the
precious souvenirs from his friend's hands
and shoved them into Tiny's hands. "Please
let Mr. Brown see this," he said. I immedi-
ately felt a pang of anxiety shoot through
me, since I knew that a) his friend was
about to have an aneurysm over the way
Nardwuar handled his stuff, and b) we
probably weren't going to see that stuff
again. Nardwuar, never one for self-reflec-
tion, figured it was a noble sacrifice for
such a legendary figure.
But soon enough, Tiny returned to
"guide" us out (code for make sure we left).
We started up the stairs when a man even
bigger than Tiny suddenly appeared at the
top of the steps. 'YOU!" he said to us
"DON'T GO ANYWHERE!"
He conveyed such menace that as he
descended the steps I feared perhaps we'd
become part of Hoffa-esque folklore; years
from now, people would tell apochryphal
tales of the three guys who disappeared in
the bowels of the QET just before the
James Brown show, never to be seen again.
Instead, this gargantuan man (whom I
believed was named Sugarjust Sugar, no
surname) stared at us accusingly. Then his
face softened, and he said, "Mr. Brown will
see you now. He wants to know where you
got all that cool stuff." His face was less
about homicidal menace than general
annoyance that the boss had sent him to
fetch. I reminded myself that I did not
want to ever make Sugar angry, since I
know for a fact that would not like him
when he was angry.
Sugar led us onto the stage of QET,
where, sitting at the piano, surrounding by
six or seven buxom
black women, sat
none other than the
MAN himself, the
Eighth Wonder of
the World, the one
who paid the cost to
be the boss, Mr.
JAMES! FUCK-
ING! BROWN!
I actually remem-
ber little of the
interview. Seeing
action unfold
through a camera
viewfinder creates a
certain distance
between yourself
and the events you
record. What I do
remember is run-
ning over with
Nardwuar, who
pushed a few of the Bittersweets aside, and
immediately asked "Who are you?"
Nardwuar spoke with James for 40 min-
utes. He asked him about his restaurant
chain in Georgia, he asked him about
(ASK NARDWUAR ABOUT ANOTH-
ER TOPIC THEY COVERED). Mr.
Brown even signed Nardwuar's friend's
stuff and gave it back. He even took a pic-
ture with Nardwuar and I, which I still
have to this day. I think I was mute video
witness to two icons falling in love.
As Tiny escorted us out, he turned to us
and said "That was an amazing interview.
He hasn't talked that long with an inter-
view since 1983. And THAT interview was
with Mike Wallace."
Nardwuar was quiet for a second, and
then, in a quiet voice that sounded more
surprised than boastful, said, "I think I'm
back on the horse." At the time, there was
no way for me to know how true that was.
Chris Nelson
FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 31
 W hat I love most about Nardwuar is
that, even though he can't go out to
a club without being mobbed (or at least
accosted; or, in the case of the Cobalt, hav- event staff had packed up and gone home,
ing someone try to pee on him), he's actu-
ally a man of mystery. The first inkling I
got of this was when he was just out of the
hospital and recovering from his brain
aneurysm. I was doing a story on him for
Saturday Night Magazine, which involved
me going to his house. He suggested we do
the interview in a room that he adamantly
didn't want mentioned in the story. The
reason: even though the room was in his
house, he argued that most people-includ-
ing at least one of his parents-didn't know
it existed. Because the whole thing was
cloaked in secrecy, I don't remember much
today about how we got to the secret
chamber I think Nardwuar went to a
bookcase, put his hands on a copy of Love
Don't Live Here No More: Book One of
Doggy Tales by Snoop Dogg, and, presto, the
bookcase swung aside. The room looked
like the world's coolest
record store, packed
with obscure vinyl, all Silversun Pickups
hanging on the wall the
way they used to at
stores like Collector's
RPM and Odyssey
Imports. I'm not sure,
but I think he had some
sort of cheese-making
apparatus set up in the
corner, next to a life-size
cutout of James Brown
and an elaborate shrine
to the Pointed Sticks.
A couple of years
back, I did a cover story
Nardwuar for the
Georgia Straight. I told
him I wanted to meet
C ub's third and final release, twelve pop songs
produced by Mass Giorgini that showcases Lisa,
Lisa and Robynn's most thoughtful, ferocious and
his mother and inter-
view her at their home. I promised not to
mention the secret room to her. At first he
beautiful album yet. said it was out of the question. Finally, he Volunteer Coordinator back then, and I
gave in, but only if I agreed to meet her at would always see him in one of the other
"Box of Hair definitely has an edgier sound and rocks the Tomahawk Restaurant. When I got
more than Betti-Cola or Come Out Come Out, but the there, Nardwuar was visibly on edge. To
end of cuddle-core? No way! It's still cuddle-core; cub are maintain his cloak of secrecy, he insisted
just playing with the boundaries...." Drop D Magazine that his mother (whose name starts with an
O, in case you didn't know) be referred to
"Sweetly harmonized vocals, guitars that jangle and roar,
as "Cynthia". Again, I was instructed that
and hummable
certain things about Nardwuar were to
melodies all set remain secret. His conviction about the
to a fast beat." 4 correct way to eat a Skookum Chief burger,
Stars All Music however, was not one of them. On that
front, I received explicit instructions,
INCLUDES including the importance of proceeding
LIMITED directly to the washroom upon finishing to
EDITION wash the grease, mayo, bacon fat, pickle
COLLECTABLE juice, and whatever else off one's hands.
CUB PATCH, One of my all-time favourite Nardwuar
HAND stories came out of that lunch. "Cynthia"
DESIGNED BY recounted the time Nardwuar took part in
THE BAND a high-school marathon. Evidently, as a
THEMSELVES
THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com
runner, he's not going to make anyone for-
get Roger Bannister. Long after everyone
else had crossed the finish line, and the
Nardwuar finally appeared on the horizon.
That says a lot about Nardwuar and his
determination to finish what he's started,
which also helps explain why he's been able
to accomplish what he has on MuchMusic
and the Evaporators. I'm not entirely sure
what "Cynthia" makes of Nardwuar's lucky
chestnut, secret room, refusal to sing before
noon, theories on what happens when a
fork falls in the forest, or obsession with
Cleopatra Von Fluffenstein, but somehow
it seems appropriate to let all that remain a
mystery.
Mike Usinger
Georgia Straight Music Editor
He had a VHS tape in his hand, labeled in
Iremember first meeting Nardwuar back
in the late 90s, I think it was '99, shortly
after I began my all-Canadian show on
CiTR, The Canadian Way (which, back
then, was called The Northern Wish, after
the Rheostatics song). He was the
studios, training the newbies. Since I origi-
nally started in campus radio at CFUV, I
was quickly slotted into a show when I
came to UBC. As a result, I didn't really
meet Nardo until that fateful morning.
Anyway, I had just inroduced a new seg-
ment to my show, called Vintage
Vancouver (it had the Smugglers'
"Vancouver, B.C." as it's theme...), where I
scavenged our vinyl library and played old
tunes from Vancouver bands and told a bit
about the band's history. I was featuring
the Modernettes on this particular show
and Nardwuar burst into the studio while
the song "Rebel Kind" was playing:
"Aren't these guys great!" Nardo
exclaimed, and without missing a beat, he
launched into an exhaustive and meander-
ing story about bassist Mary-Jo Kopechne's
awkward interview with Wayne Cox on
CKVU's old Vancouver show (what hap-
pened to good, old-fashioned local variety
show TV, that it has been completely rele-
gated to Shaw cable..?).
"I don't think I ever saw that one," I
said. I was barely in my teens when the
show originally aired. Just part of the rea-
son I was obsessing over old Vancouver
music from the 70s and 80s at that time, I
guess I was playing catch up.
"Oh, I have that on tape. I'll bring you a
copy!" Nardwuar quickly offered.
"That'd be great, thanks!" I said, and
promptly forgot about it as Nardwuar left
the studio, his voice booming as he walked
down the hallway.
Next week I came in to do my show, and
Nardwuar was waiting for me in the studio.
sharpie marker: To: Mike From: Nardwuar.
"This is the Modernettes interview I told
you about," Nardo exclaimed. "You'll love
it! Oh, and I also put some other stuff on
there." I thanked him
and he burst out of the
studio. I played Slow
on that episode's
Vintage Vancouver and
I could hear
Nardwuar's voice from
the other studio:
"Remind me to tell
you about Hamm
sometime!"
I get home and pop
the tape in my
machine. Lo and
behold, there's the
Vancouver interview,
complete with per-
formances, as well as
two more hours of var-
ious Modernettes
material, sprinkled
with stuff from other long-departed local
bands he interviewed back on his cable
access days.
The Canadian Way is now on Fridays, an
hour after Nardwuar the Human Serviette
Presents, and our paths cross often now.
Sometimes he shares a story about a local
band, or someone he just interviewed.
Sometimes he has words of advice about
the editorial direction of Discorder, the
CiTR program guide, which I now edit.
But always the discussion is interesting and
informative, if not migraine-inducing.
But as memorable as each of my interac-
tions with Nardwuar are, nothing sticks in
my mind quite like that introduction to
him and how we bonded over old bands
from Vancouver.
Happy Anniversary on CiTR, Nardwuar!
Cheers,
Spike
Host, The Canadian Way
Editor, Discorder Magazine
FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 33
 Carolyn Mark Immaculate Machine + Friends
impromptu softball game
Vancouver, BC

Nothing Is Free
CD out now
...one of the Great White North's brightest purveyors of twangy
alt-country.... Her fifth record is, to put it simply, fun. You'll
find yourself smiling, laughing and singing along to nearly
every track here.... 1 Thing is a rollicking line-dancing-
approved track about love, while Pictures Of 5 is a simple
acoustic number with more energy and enthusiasm than pretty
much any new-country disc.... But the disc isn't just fun for her
fans; it sounds like Mark is having a blast, too. Even slower
songs like Point Of View are loose and casual; she sounds
relaxed, as if she's sitting around a campfire with her friends.
Now, Toronto

The Choir Practice practicing

before the Victory Square Block Party
Vancouver, BC
painting by Kelly Haigh
www.carolynmark.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 35
 deadlin
ef
entries or
Dec. 1, :
2007

Colour him i
n!
Make h
beeyou im
tiful!
(The
s
only! e outfits a
welc You are m re sugges
ome
to cr ore than tions
eate
you o
wn!)

Mint
PO B Records
Vanc ox 3613
o f yo u r c r e ation Ca ouver 2 winners will
Take a photo it to Mint: nada , BC
ail V6B receive:
a n d e it h e r m 3Y6 a trio of limited edition
a i l it to Nardwuar floatie pens!
or ema@ a trio of Mints Do the
shen ecs.com
Mint Twist samplers!
r
mint
an autographed
Nardwuar Welcome to
Winners to be announced My Castle DVD!
December 3, 2007
determined by a jury a Steven Keene
comprising Mint Records painting!
personnel and Nardwuar!
Photos remain property of the sende
r/ a Mint Records party
contest entrant, but Mint Records
permitted to use them online and
is
mug made from 100%
in the next Mint zine! corn plastic!
36 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS THAT MAGAZINE FROM FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 37
 Pre-awkwardness, circa the Zig Zag years.
Its hard to be hip when your dads a VJ.
By Kate Siobhan Mulligan

T
he word mulligan, in golf, means a second chance. In my fathers
case, its also a fitting name for a former Mountie turned legendary
Canadian DJ of the 60s and 70s, and the first Canadian VJ of the
80s and 90s.

Despite the fact that my dad was something of a Canadian music icon who
interviewed everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Frank Zappa on shows like Good
Rockin Tonight and MuchWest I was an extravagantly geeky child, and this
bewildered everyone. The offspring of a music guru and Ms. Burnaby 1967
should not strut around in vests with pictures of cats on them or have such
awkwardly big ears.

As fate would have it, the term mulligan would one day become suitable for
me. My father was determined not to let my nerdiness ruin a musical inheri-
tance that should rightfully be mine.

Pop music ABCs

My parents lived in posh West Vancouver and were determined to raise their
four children next to the ocean. Because I was the baby girl I was invisible to
my brothers, so I was left to explore the world on my own.

I usually chose to excavate the piles of music in my fathers office. In the five
houses we inhabited, each office was essentially the same: wood floors, bright
windows, CDs in no particular order stacked high above my head, autographs
and photos strewn about, and his computer and recording equipment in the
middle of it all. Every CD known to man was amassed in these offices. Later,
my older brothers would secretly pawn hundreds of them at a time for beer
money. I would examine CD covers and liner notes until bedtime but it was a
different language to me: why is David Bowie wearing make-up? How could
Stevie Nicks be a girl? Whats a Sex Pistol?

Regardless of my lack of musical intellect (probably due to my mere seven

years on the earth) my father hired me to work in his home office. My job was
to sort all those CDs into alphabetical order for what was, at the time, a mas-
sive $5 an hour. During these long, seemingly endless days, I learned the
names of many bands that I wouldnt listen to for another decade. My father
would drink wine and tinker on his computer, occasionally messing my hair
and telling me that The Rolling Stones goes under R, not T. I would smile my
cross-bite smile, squint at him through my eyeglasses, and appreciate the
attention.

My father loved me through these gawky and spandex-ridden years. He

dreamt music, he thought music, he talked music, but he found a way to love
me through my foreign language of Dork. That said, we also had our own par-
ticular kind of shared experiences. Wed learned, for example, to master com-

THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 39
 fortable silences, sitting quietly in our car,
while other people would pull up and yell
TDM! through their rolled-down windows.
Occasionally homeless people would come
squeegee our windshield and then ask for an
autograph.
Or there were other, more homegrown
moments. Sometimes my dad would flip on
the radio, get me to snap along to the
rhythm of some bluesy number, and then
turn it off for 30 seconds. If I was still on
beat when he turned it back on, I got spoiled
rotten.
I want it that way
Spoiled rotten was what my father used to
say to lure me into doing pretty much any-
thing. I spent most of my late childhood
backstage, my nose stuck in the latest
Goosebumps book, waiting for the spoiling to
begin. My father would tote me in like a
suitcase and prop me up on an amp, and I
would morph into a tiny fumbling secretary.
I would write things down, hand things to
people and field phone calls. Occasionally he
would use me as a desk: my back was the sur-
face and my pockets were the drawers. But if
I behaved, I would end up on TV, usually
just standing to the side looking dorky in
whatever vest I was wearing that day.
Sometimes I would wave. Sometimes I would
fall down. Sometimes I got to talk and say
Coming up next! as excitedly as I could
muster. All the time, I remained as uncool as
possible.
It wasnt until I was 12 that I learned to work
a radio. And I fell in love with the first song
that rattled my little ears. Unfortunately, it
was Quit Plain Games (With My Heart)
by the Backstreet Boys. It would be four long
years until my heart stopped jumping at the
thought of Brian Littrells dimples and soul-
melting high notes. Im pretty sure my father
was ashamed to be seen with me during this
time. But Id finally fallen in love with music.
Terrible music, but it was still music, and my
father noted this. Although my taste made
him cringe, I had started to speak his lan-
guage, and he nurtured that as best he could.
And it worked, because not too much later,
my musical tastes took a sharp turn.
Sweet child
It started in my grade-nine drama class. The
assignment was to perform a lip-synched
song to the assembled school at lunchtime.
My group picked Paradise City by Guns n
Roses. I was chosen to be Axl Rose for my
manly good looks and my unusual level of
tolerance for mockery. To memorize the
words to the eight-minute song, I listened to
it every night in my room for a month. The
Backstreet Boys stared down at me from their
posters on the wall, looking slightly disap-
pointed and very lonely.
40 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT
But when the moment came for my group
to perform, I had become Axl Rose. Clad in
a ripped-up monster-truck T-shirt, a red
bandana, tight short shorts, fake tattoos and
a beard made of dark brown eye shadow, I
took the stage with the rest of the gang. I
loved every second of it: from nailing Axls
trademark shuffle to high-fiving the audi-
ence, to the cheers and the laughter, I ate it
up.
When my father saw the video of the per-
formance, he said he had never been so
proud. Except, perhaps, that I was dressed
as a man and seemed to be enjoying it.
Teen Spirit
So I abandoned BSB at the gates of GNR.
Guns n Roses took my adolescent hand
and flung me into the decade-old 80s hair
band world, ruled by groups like Twisted
Sister, Mtley Cre and Bon Jovi. My
whole style and attitude changed. I decorat-
ed myself with studded things. I got a
piercing and a tattoo. I wore raver jeans so
big they doubled as a sleeping bag. I said
words like man and dude and rock glasses in for trendy black emo frames, he
on.
My father took the cue, and led me even
farther back in time. He would show me
old videos of himself interviewing Jimi
Hendrix, or photos of him drinking with
Janis Joplin. He left Led Zeppelin, Clash,
and Doors CDs on my pillow. He would
call me into his office and make me sit on
the floor and listen to vinyl records before
dinner. At the table, he would quiz me
about what Id just listened to before I was
allowed desert. I was eating it up. Once I
had an appetite for rock and roll, he care-
fully began to serve up sides of renowned
musicians from other genres Miles
Davis, John Coltrane, B.B. King, CCR, J.
Geils, Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones,
Muddy Waters, Pink Floyd, Duke
Ellington, and Bob Dylan. He was teaching
me how to speak music.
Jesus Rock(s)
My father was unrelenting about the whole
ordeal. My brothers had settled into Rage
Against The Machine, and my dad longed
for a protg, someone with whom he
could unpack his decades of experience in
rock, blues and jazz. Being the youngest
daughter, I was an unlikely candidate, but
the venture promised much spoiling. So I
began to stow away in his office and make
my own mix tapes and radio shows. I
taught myself to use the soundboard, and I
had an endless supply of CDs to rummage
through for material. Back then, the equip-
ment only recorded to tape cassettes, so I
ditched my CD player and went retro. My
mixed tapes were a hit at school. I was
becoming my fathers daughter.
www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS
Soon my 80s phase progressed into an
overall love for rock and blues around the
time I was 16. I had also become a born-
again Christian at summer camp. My dad
says the conversion started when I was 12,
when I spent the two-hour drive home
from camp quoting scripture. I was bap-
tized at 16. I had pulled a serious mulligan.
This caused much tension in the house,
considering my oldest brother had become
a Buddhist on his travels in Thailand.
Christmas is still quite the experience. I
became a strange teenager who had impec-
cable musical tastes, was nicknamed the
rockstar and hitchhiked to a Christian
youth group Wednesday nights. I never
found a problem between the music I lis-
tened to and what I believed in. To me,
Music and Jesus met in the middle and
high-fived.
For the record
I pulled a few more mulligans by the time
high school was out. When I dropped bal-
let for snowboarding, my dad said OK.
When I traded my geeky multicoloured
tried voting for him as one of the CBCs 7 Wonders of Canada, but they seemed to be unwilling to include
said cool. When I traded spandex for
ripped jeans, he said thank god. When I
turned 18, my parents gave me a leather
jacket, a plane ticket to anywhere, a bottle
of Jack Daniels and a certificate for a tat-
too. The tattoo became a music note on
my hip. But the ultimate gift was the night
of my prom/grad dance, when I was pre-
sented with my graduation present.
While my friends and classmates got brand
new cars or big time cheques, at the
Mulligan household, I got spoiled rotten.
After we popped a bottled of Dom
Perignon, my dad gave me my first record
player. It was fully restored into an aged
brown leather suitcase, with speakers on
the side, making it portable and incredibly
unique. The gift came as an announcement
to the world that I was now fluent in two
languages.
In my recent times, my father and I have
traded roles. He taught me how to speak
Music. He taught me to love records; in
fact, record shopping on Main Street is
now a Boxing Day tradition for all the
Mulligan kids. He taught me to listen to
everything: the words, the rhythm, the
spaces between the notes. Now, he has to
sit patiently as I teach him how to use an
iPod. He fidgets and stares at me blankly. I
ruffle whats left of his hair and tell him
that The Rolling Stones will show up under
R, not T.
T
his article originally appeared in the
August 7, 2007 issue of TheTyee.ca.
Reprinted with permission of the author
and TheTyee.ca
N
ardwuar the Human
Serviette: a riddle wrapped in
an enigma... sprinkled liberal-
ly with maple leaves and question
marks. What, in the name of Gene
Kiniski, is up with him and his whole
darn program? One might well ask.
Now, Ive known (or known of )
Nardwuar since he was just a moist
towelette and I must say, Ive been
impressed with his rise from general nuisance to something approaching elder statesmanhood. Hell, I even
humans (or serviettes).
Anyway, I was inspired to interview Nardwuar for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I just thought it would kind
of cool to turn the tables on him for a change. And secondly, I hearkened back to March of 2006... I had
just spent a week at the SXSW music festival, but when I returned no one wanted to hear about any of the
bands or shows I had seen; instead they had heard that I had been Nardwuars roommate, and they were all
curious as to what it was like to spend a week in close proximity to a living legend (to set the record
straight, it was a nightmare... I was forbidden to address him directly unless he had spoken to me first... I
had to turn my face to the wall if he was walking by... and once, when I inadvertently made eye contact
with him, he had several of his thugs lay a sound thrashing upon me... and thats Im prepared to say about
that). The general publics curiosity about Nardwuar is understanding. Nardwuar the Human Serviette
asks questions, he doesnt answer them... until now.
Andrew: Who is Nardwuar the class when Scott Livingstone, future House of Commons and Rush!
Human Serviette? Evaporators drummer, asked if I wanted to
Nardwuar: I am Nardwuar the Human start a band with him. Our debut was the Andrew: Who was the greatest
Serviette! schools Variety Show where we played Canadian journalist... Adrienne
The Cramps Human Fly and The Sonics Clarkeson or Morley Safer?
Andrew: Why is Nardwuar the Shot Down. I was the president of my Nardwuar: Pierre Berton! I think you have
Serviette? Student Council so I got to organize lots of to be dead to be the greatest. Pierre takes it
Nardwuar: Nardwuar = a dumb stoopid punk gigs for the kids in high school with hands down as he is dead and he also was a
name. Like Sting or Sebadoh or Sinbad. amazing bands like The Enigmas and member of the best radio station in the
Human is in honour of the Cramps song Villains. However the first non-high school world, CiTR fM 101.9 Vancouver. Its the
Human Fly; Serviette = they dont have concert I promoted, Barbarella station where I met Randy and Bill from
Serviettes in the USA, only napkins! Psychadella, was on August 23rd 1987 at Mint Records, its the station that helped me
the Arts Club Lounge on Seymour Street in meet Michael Gorbachev and Kurt Cobain,
Andrew: Which came first, Nardwuar Vancouver, featuring, among others, The and its the radio station I still do a show on
the musician, Nardwuar the guerilla Evaporators and Grant Lawrence of the every Friday afternoon, from 3:30-5:00pm
interviewer or Nardwuar the show Smugglers first band, The One Eyed Jacks. (Pacific)!
promoter?
Nardwuar: The first interview I ever did was Andrew: Tell me what, if any, con- Andrew: Who makes you feel the
on September 26 1985 with Art Bergman, nection you have with the legendary proudest to be Canadian... Neil
who used to sing for a great Vancouver punk West Vancouver Punk band, T.T.S.D. Young or William Shatner?
band, the Young Canadians. The Nardwuar: Thank you so much Andrew for Nardwuar: Neil Young. A few years ago, I
Evaporators formed on February 20 1986, mentioning Turn That Shit Down! They had a goal, try to get interviews with Kurt
so interviewer came first, but not by played the Barbarella Psychadella gig I just Cobain, Bill Clinton and Neil Young. Since
much. Now, The Evaporators came together mentioned. Furthermore T.T.S.D. also then I have talked to Cobain, but I missed a
while doing push ups in a high school gym turned me onto bands such as the Fartz, chance to ask Clinton a question (Because at
THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 41
 the Clinton-Yeltsin Summit in Vancouver in
1993 I was removed by agents who believed
I was going to cause a massive disturbance
all due to the fact that a week earlier I had
told Mikhael Gorbachev to keep on rawkin
in the free world ! ) So all that really is left
is Neil Young! Like did you know that Neil
Young played in a band called the Mynah
Birds with Rick Superfreak James in
Toronto during the 1960s! Neil Young and
Rick James together! Thats something I
gotta know more about. You can hear some
Mynah Bird recordings on the The
Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 6: 1966
box set released in 2006.
Andrew: Who was more influential to
you as a performer... Screaming
Lord Sutch or Spike Jones?
Nardwuar: Screaming Lord Sutch I hold a
soft spot for as his music was introduced to
me by Montreals greatest 1980s band, The
Gruesomes, when they covered his song
Jack the Ripper on their Tyrants of Teen
Trash LP from 1986.
Andrew: Who would win in a fight...
The Dayglo Abortions or Bunch of
Fucking Goofs?
Nardwuar: I think it would be a draw
because both band are friends with each
.com other. But if I had to choose I might possibly
side with the Dayglos as they are from
Victoria, home of The Neos. The Neos are
the Grandmasters. For the reason that they
told Jello Biafra about NoMeansNo. And
Jello signed NoMeansNo, who then exposed
the world to Victoria! And if you think of all
the bands associated with NoMeansNo, the
Infamous Scientists, Hanson Brothers, Bum,
Shovelhead, Showbizgiants, Pigment Vehicle,
Black Mountain, Daddys Hands, Islands,
Carolyn Mark etc. you gotta give them some
props. But you cant give them props with-
out thanking the Neos first. To get the full
scoop of Victoria music history check out
the incredible book/double CD package All
Your Ears Can Hear: Underground Music in
Victoria, BC, 1978-1984 available from
allyourearscanhear.com
Andrew: You are fond of often wear-
ing tartan... are you secretly Scottish
or are Scots secretly Serviettes?
Nardwuar: I have no Scottish blood whatso-
ever. My Mom brought me a whole bunch
of Tams back from Scotland in the early 90s.
I didnt wear any of them for years until
Sebastian Bach of the hair farming band
Skid Row threatened to beat me up for fun
and stole my favourite Toque! Plus he
smashed the Videotape I was using to cap-
ture the interview. The shitty thing was the
tape also contained interviews with Pierre
Eliott Trudeau, Sandra Berhard and George
Clinton! So by default, my Tam became my
daily headwear.
Andrew: Did you ever get your toque Andrew: Do you have a hit list?
THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com
back from Sebastian Bach? Nardwuar: No, I am really bad at judging
Nardwuar: No. other peoples music. I heard a pre-release
tape of Green Days Dookie, and thought
Andrew: You strike me as a man it would be a failure. I could not hear one
with a large record collection. What hit on it. Boy was I wrong: it sold millions.
is your most treasured album and
why? Andrew: Where do you get all your
Nardwuar: I actually dont have a lot of cool duds, man?
records, but my most treasured LP was Nardwuar: A lot of my stuff came from the
kindly given to me by Grant Lawrence, and Good Jacket , a now-closed clothing store in
its a doozy: a double album released in Vancouver. Sean Raggett who ran the store
1980 by Newfoundland punk rockers Da was the first singer in the Riff Randells . He
Slyme! Find out more about the Da Slyme always set aside the coolest stuff for me to
at www.abandonstream.net wear. For example the amazing Canada
sweater I am wearing on the cover of the
Andrew: The Evaporators are prob- Evaporators Gassy Jack and Other Tales LP
ably the only band left still releas- came straight from Seans cache! Thanks
ing albums on 8 Track. Why do you Sean! I will never forget that! And oh, and
do this, and how? friends also give me clothes. Like somehow I
Nardwuar: Everything on Nardwuar records have come to possess one of your wicked
is available on 8-Track! Scott, Evaporators Tiki jackets Andrew! So thank you, to you
drummer makes 8 tracks in his basement. too!
We buy old tracks and tape over them.
Its real easy. Just buy an 8 track player that Andrew: What does the 21st Century
records, and dub from CD to 8 track. I hold for Nardwuar the Human
love 8-tracks, in fact I paid $20 for a Sex Serviette?
Pistols 8-track! I know its a lot, but it was a Nardwuar: On November 2 2007 I will be
birthday present to myself! Im still look- celebrating 20 years on CiTR Radio with a
ing for the Dead boys on 8 track... To find 20 hour interview marathon and gig at the
out about the joys of 8-tracking go to Sub Ballroom at UBC. Also, a couple weeks
www.8trackheaven.com earlier, on October 23, a new DVD of my
0 interviews from the 1990s called Welcome
Andrew: I was listening to the CBC to My Castle plus a new Evaporators LP
the other day and they said they Gassy Jack and Other Tales will be
were about the interview the unleashed. So, at this point of the 21st
Nardwuar the Human Serviette of Century my thoughts have been occupied
Japan. Unfortunately, I missed the with the word new !
introduction to the piece and the
interview itself. Have you heard of Andrew: If you were interviewing
this? What do you think about this? you, what question would you most
Is this concept frightening to you? want to ask?
Nardwuar: I did not hear it; however, I love Nardwuar: The question you asked me about
it! Franchising is so in these days! Kenny TTSD!
vs. Spenny did it, Man or Astroman did it,
so I am definitely up for it! By the way if Andrew: Do you think that Ernest
people want to check out the real Nardwuar Angley telling you that god will
the Human Serviette please hop to strike you down had anything to do
www.nardwuar.com with the cerebral hemorrhage you
suffered back in 1999?
Andrew: Did you know that your Nardwuar: The doctors still dont know what
signature sign off Doot Doola Doot caused my brain hemorrhage. All I personal-
Doo is actually very similar to the ly know is that I will be forever grateful for
sound they would make on Star all the wonderful support and encourage-
Trek when Spock was being quizzi- ment I received during my recovery. Thank
cal, Doot Doolla Doo Da Doot Doo you to everyone for everything!
Doo? Have you though of changing
it? Andrew: Outside of Canada, do you
Nardwuar: I started doing my Doot Doo have a large following elsewhere in
sign off thingie around 1990 because it the world? Are you big in France?
sounded good and organists do it at hockey Nardwuar: The Evaporators do have a song
games! (My great cousin Eric Nesterenko called Im Going to France which is actual-
used to play defence for the Chicago Black ly the title of the 2nd hour of my new DVD
Hawks.) Thank you for pointing out that , so I guess if lots of people buy it, we will be
Spock does it too! That is awesome as I love able to find out if anyone knows who I am,
Star Trek inspired rock tidbits. Especially anywhere! Thanks for taking the time to ask
wicked and wonderful combos like the me all this stuff Andrew! Keep on rawkin in
James T. Kirks and Thee Shatners! the free world and doot doola doot doo.
Andrew: Doot Doo!
FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 43

Carolyn Mark + Dave Lang @ Amigos
I have a LOT of outrageous stories about
Amigo's... but my favourite one is this: I
once shit my pants in Saskatoon. It was the
morning after a Smugglers concert at the
utterly legendary Amigo's Cantina and
Show Room. When we first starting getting
gigs there, it was well before the indie-rock
revolution so bands were expected to play
three sets in one night. Sort of a bar rock
blues circuit type thing. It was way, way too
much time for us. We sucked very hard in
those early years as we could barely even
cobble one set together. But amazingly,
Amigo's kept having us back and thank god
they did: they were an oasis of hospitality
on the cold road. You could always expect
plenty of smiles from the staff, tonnes of
free beer and liquor, and a great Mexican
meal.
After a few tours we finally started to fill up
the place. Back then (early 90s) the bands
would stay in Amigo's brothel-like upstairs
band room, where, legend had it, every
band in Canada had been "sucked, fucked
and chucked" by the ribald Saskatoonites all
too ready to fuck suck and chuck the likes
of the Real McKenzies, the Skydiggers,
Duotang, Nashville Pussy, the Corndogs,
Immaculate Machine
+ Leslie R. @ Amigos
A migos Cantina first opened its doors in November of '88. The first band to ever play the club were the
Shuffle Demons. The Beat Farmers were also an early staple of the club, as well as Beez's band Sarcastic
Mannequins and all the early Mint bands like Cub, Windwalker, and The Smugglers.
Over the years, the 230 capacity venue became known for it's hospitality, great food, and infamous "band
room" above the club. Some of the bands that graced the stage through the '90s include Superchunk, The
Jesus Lizard, Swervedriver, Sarah McLachlan, and just about every band on the Mint roster.
Since 2000, we've had tons of great bands, including Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene, Wolf Parade,
Calexico, Alejandro Escovedo, Manor Astro-Man, Do Make Say Think, The Dears, Stars, and almost every
other indie band in Canada.
As of 2007, the club is still owned and operated by the same people, and just bought a brand new state of the
art sound system.
I probably missed a few, but these are the Mint bands I KNOW we've had: Maow, Gob, Mr. T Experience,
The Buttless Chaps, The Groovie Ghoulies, The Riff Randalls, Huevos Rancheros, The New Town Animals,
Duotang, The Tennessee Twin, The Evaporators/Thee Goblins etc., Carolyn Mark, The Immaculate Machine,
The Awkward Stage, Neko Case, Young and Sexy, P:ano, The New Pornographers, Novillero, The Sadies,
Pansy Division, The Organ, The Smugglers, The Gay, Operation: Makeout, Mark Kleiner, The Hanson
Brothers, Cub, Pluto, The Stand GT, Coal, Tankhog.
44 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com
cub, Furnaceface and oh so many more.
The morning after our show in question, I
stumbled out of bed and thought I was let-
ting out a morning "toot" but unfortunately
I didn't realize the precarious looseness of
my bowels, as they sprayed the inner wall of
my ginch/gonch with molten shit. Instantly
I took off the gonch and threw them out
the second story window. Curious, a couple
of the other band members looked out and
saw that the gonch had landed directly onto
the roof of our VW touring van parked
directly in front of Amigo's. Thinking this
was some type of sign, I then reasoned,
naked from the waste down, that being as
poor as we were back then that I might
eventually need the underwear again, and
that I should simply apply a piece of duct
tape to the gonch and let the weather of
Western Canada wash the gonch while on
the roof! Perfect plan!
A week later, we were winding our way
through the Western States, finishing the
tour, in line to come back into Canada at
the Peace Arch Border crossing just south of
Vancouver. It was a busy, sunny Sunday
afternoon and the border was packed. The
line up was crawling at a snail's pace and
everyone was bored, including the
two hot sisters in the backseat of
the car in front of us. They kept
turning around to check us out, and
I returned the attention by waving
and making flirtatious gestures from
the shotgun seat, unbeknownst to their
parents in the front seat of their car.
Suddenly I remembered the rooftop
gonch. Leaning out the window and
feeling around with my hand, there it was,
soaking wet from the morning rain and
shit-stained, but still there!
I balled it up in my hand and lobbed it. It
landed perfectly on the trunk of the sisters'
car, where, sure enough, one of them
reached onto the trunk, grabbed the gonch
and brought it into their car with them.
There was a moment of calm as the girls
inspected the mystery gift, then the entire
car erupted from within screaming and
yelling, the car rocking from side to side,
the gonch being whipped around like a hot
potato. It entered the car from the right rear
window and after thirty seconds of chaos, it
exited the car from the from left driver's
window, coming to a landing on the per-
fectly emerald lawn of the Peace Arch. The
father turned to glare at us, but seeing five
filthy, leering faces staring back at him, he
thought better of a challenge, and simply
put on his indicator and eventually changed
lanes and pulled away.
I knew that underwear would be of further
use. Thanks to everyone at Amigo's for
many years of great rock n roll memories!!
FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 45
bellamusic.org myspace.com/bella
Oct 4 Railway Club, Vancouver BC
Oct 12 Velvet Underground, Edmonton AB The debut EP coming soon
Oct 13 Marquee, Calgary AB
Oct 21 venue tba, Montreal QC
Oct 22 Mavericks, Ottawa ON
Oct 23 Horseshoe, Toronto ON
Oct 25 E-Bar, Guelph ON
Oct 26 Alex P. Keaton, London ON
Mint Records @
Oct 27 Starlight, Waterloo ON
CMJ Music Marathon!
Oct 28 The Drake, Toronto ON
October 16-20, 2007
Oct 30 venue tba, Quebec City QC
Nov 1 Gus Pub, Halifax NS
Nov 2 Georges, Sackville NB

Carolyn Mark
carolynmark.com myspace.com/carolynmark
Oct 2 Babas Lounge, Charlottetown PEI Details coming soon to
Oct 3 Tim Jones House, Sackville NB www.mintrecs.com
Oct 4 Underground, Fredericton NB
Oct 5 Sessions, Rothesay NB
Oct 6 Gingers, Halifax NS
Oct 7 On The Verge, Wolfville NS
Oct 12 house concert, Buffalo NY
Oct 13 Valentines, Albany NY
Oct 14 venue tba, Ithaca NY
Oct 22 venue tba, Toronto ON Carolyn Mark
Oct 26 Easy St. After Hours, Seattle WA Cumberland Big Time Out Festival
Oct 27 Adrift, Anacortes WA Photo by Val Utgaren
Oct 29 East Side Club, Olympia WA
Nov 1 Green Frog, Bellingham WA
Nov 3 venue tba, Portland OR I 've been pretty lucky you know. I real-
ized it tonight in Twin Butte on tour
with one of my favourite bands on the
Holy crap. SO happy. Underlined twice
happy. Oh it's summer so maybe it's just
going around and maybe the scenario's not
she was glad it wasn't very busy so she
could get a chance to listen to the music.
Very rare. Usually they're glaring at you
Nov 7 The Can, Penticton BC
319 W. Hastings, Vancouver BC vinylrecords.ca planet because you can think that when perfect but we still get to put on our show because it's your fault that they're not
Nov 8 Minstrel Cafe, Kelowna BC and be glad to be alive and by example making any money.
you're playing with your mentors that
Nov 16 Pats Pub, Vancouver BC Groucho Marx thing about how you'd inspire other people to remain alive. I
never want to join any club that would don't know why that's so important in Images? Pink-tinged dusky wide open sky,
have you as a member and think well, if I these over-populated oil boom global the thermometer and the sun going down
got to meet them and play with them then warming and-it's-all-your-fault times but it over the course of the show as dusk, then
it must be too easy when in fact it could SEEMS so. Maybe that's why. Purple twi- night then stars descend. I'm so looking
be the opposite like I GOT to hang out light and Leeroy Stagger's shiny black van forward at the same time as being happy it
immaculatemachine.com and play with the people that made me pulling up in the dusty parking lot playing seems almost greedy.
myspace.com/immaculatemachine want to do my thing in the first place and The Texas Tornadoes on the tape-deck or
Oct 25 Webster Hall, New York NY still make me want to do my thing now the Ipod or whatever it is now and Miss I don't want to forget that rock'n'roll feel-
Oct 26 Trocadero, Philadelphia PA and here we are despite daunting odds and Shawna and Brendon and playing for peo- ing of summer and possibilities and things
maybe it's a metaphor for everything. ple at last. Had to come to the smallest working out and people being happy and I
Oct 27 9:30 Club, Washington DC
Music is so inspiring even when you know town to play for the most people. Rusty at want to figure out how to write about it to
Oct 28 Orange Peel, Asheville NC how it gets made, you've seen the factory, first but then back in the saddle! preserve it for the winter when we're
Oct 30 Variety Playhouse, Atlanta GA you've seen backstage and it's still magic to gonna need to live on it.
Oct 31 House of Blues, New Orleans LA me when I see it. And inspiring. Thank And don't forget Nanton, where every-
you NQ. thing's backwards. The waitress told me xo cm
Nov 4 Liberty Hall, Lawrence KS
Nov 5 Gothic Theatre, Englewood CO THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 47
 1 whole bag of pasta shells cooked, drained and chilled
1 head of broccoli, chop finely and use the stalk dum-dum
6 green onions
1 yellow pepper
fresh dill
some left over salsa from the Mexican restaurant in Twin Butte
1/2 a (sh)long English cuke
artichokes
1 container sour cream
2 tbsps Miracle Whip
both S and P
Dijon mustard
Parmesan cheese

Combine ingredients and leave bowl on the counter to let flavours marry.
Wait until husband comes home and consume when granted the key to the
forest. Then put it in Tupperware and bring it with you in the cooler for
when things get weird with the hosts at the end of the night two towns over.

1 bunch kale
1 butternut squash
6 oz grated Asiago cheese
1/4 cup milk or cream
2 tbsps butter
s and p to taste
chopped pecans

steam squash -cut in half, remove seeds and roast in a little water face down
in the over at 350 for 45 minutes or so then cut it up.
dice and saute chard.
assemble ingredients in casserole dish.
bake for 1/2 hour at 350.

why not serve with:

most of a purple cabbage finely chopped

1/2 gala apple, chopped
1/2 cup of steamed peas
a dash of sesame oil
a splash of rice wine vinegar
a squeeze of lemon and
a sprinkle of sesame seeds

serve after the hootenanny with a big ass bottle of red wine. Don't forget
to drink water.

48 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS
 Edmontons
726 Richards Street, Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 3A4
Tel: (604) 687-0499 Fax: (604) 687-0488
Listen Records!
Email: commerce@scratchrecords.com
STORES: Get in touch.
EMAIL ORDER: ordering@scratchrecords.com
IN VANCOUVER? Drop by our store to sample the good times.

L ISTEN RECORDS is THE place to

go if you are looking for great
music in Edmonton. Anyone who has
been into the shop knows about our
great selection of funk, soul, rare
groove, library and other exotic
groovy sounds. As well as the pletho-
It all started with... ra of esoteric experimental and avant

gassyjack.com garde music. And of course all the

most excellent titles in indie rock/pop,
metal, electronic, folk, dub, reggae,
hip hop, punk, and everything else
your little heart might desire, includ-
ing all the new and old Mint favorites.
Known for our friendly, helpful staff,

THE AWKWARD STAGE and grossly informative news letter, at

Listen we want you to enjoy the

THE AWKWARD STAGE music you listen to. 2007 is a big year
for Listen, as we just moved to our

+ YOUNG AND SEXY fancy new home, 2 blocks south of

the old location where we now sport

HELLO SONNY
A/C and a slew of fancy upgrades, not
to mention that this September we are
celebrating our sixth anniversary as
DOUBLE A-SIDE SEVEN-INCH! the only indie record store remaining
in the downtown area.

COMES WITH A COLLECTIBLE

EMBROIDERED MINT RECORDS
MERIT BADGE!
Edmonton, AB
Listen Records

www.listenrecords.net
10443 A 124 Street

L abelmates Young And

Sexy and The Awkward Mint Records
Double A-Side
Stage share a love of
imaginative and intelli-
gent lyrics, intricate and
subtle pop hooks and
vintage guitar and key-
Series
board sounds making a
perfect match for a
Volume 1
split release together.
THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 51
 BIRDMAN SOUND FRED'S RECORDS
MEGATUNES 593-B BANK ST, OTTAWA ON 198 DUCKWORTH ST, ST. JOHN'S NF
10355 WHYTE AVE, EDMONTON AB birdmansound.com freds.nf.ca
megatunes.com
MEOW RECORDS
100-300 BRUNSWICK ST, PRINCE GEORGE BC
www.meowrecords.ca
CD WAREHOUSE
BLACKBYRD MYOOZIK 1717 ST. LAURENT BLVD, OTTAWA ON
10442 82TH AVE, EDMONTON AB cdwarehouse.ca
blackbyrd.ca

COMPACT MUSIC
LISTEN RECORDS 190 BANK ST, OTTAWA ON
10441 124TH ST, EDMONTON AB VINYL DINER compactmusic.ca
listenrecords.net 628 BROADWAY AVE, SASKATOON SK CHEAP THRILLS
2044 METCALFE, 2ND FL, MONTREAL QC
INTO THE MUSIC COMPACT MUSIC cheapthrills.ca
VINYL EXCHANGE 245 MCDERMOT AVE B, WINNIPEG MB 785 1/2 BANK ST, OTTAWA ON
128 2ND AVE N, SASKATOON SK compactmusic.ca
thevinylexchange.com
MUSIC TRADER
97 OSBORNE ST, WINNIPEG MB END HITS SILLONS
musictrader.ca 407 DALHOUSIE ST, OTTAWA ON 1149 AVENUE CARTIER, QUEBEC CITY QC
endhits.ca sillons.com
BACKSTREET RECORDS
EARGASM 384 QUEEN ST, FREDERICTON NB
823 QUEEN ST E, SAULT STE MARIE ON myspace.com/backstreetfredericton
myspace.com/eargasmatron

ROTATE THIS
620 QUEEN ST W, TORONTO ON
rotate.com

X-RAY RECORDS SOUNDSCAPES

DITCH RECORDS
635 JOHNSON ST, VICTORIA BC
myspace.com/ditchrecords
2323 11TH AVE, REGINA SK 572 COLLEGE ST, TORONTO ON
xrayrecords.ca myspace.com/soundscapesmusic BACKSTREET RECORDS
ZULU RECORDS 124 GERMAIN ST, SAINT JOHN NB
1972 WEST 4TH AVE, VANCOUVER BC SLOTH RECORDS
zulurecords.com 1508 4TH ST SW, CALGARY AB
myspace.com/slothrecords
RED CAT RECORDS
4307 MAIN ST, VANCOUVER BC MELODIYA RECORDS
redcat.ca 2523A 17TH AVE SW, CALGARY AB
melodiyarecords.com

SCRATCH RECORDS
726 RICHARDS ST, VANCOUVER BC MEGATUNES ENCORE
scratchrecords.com 932 17TH AVE SW, CALGARY AB 54 QUEEN ST S, KITCHENER ON
megatunes.com encorerecords.ca
DR. DISC
HIGHLIFE RECORDS 20 WILSON ST, HAMILTON ON
1317 COMMERCIAL DR, VANCOUVER BC ORANGE MONKEY
5 PRINCESS ST W, WATERLOO ON
myspace.com/orangemonkeymusic

GROOVES
353 CLARENCE ST, LONDON ON
myspace.com/groovesrecords

MUSIC TRADER MEOW RECORDS

DITCH RECORDS END HITS RECORDS

52 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 53
 BULL MOOSE
LEWISTON MALL, LEWISTON ME
bullmoose.com

NEWBURY COMICS
1 HARRISON BLVD, AVON MA
EVERYDAY MUSIC BULL MOOSE newburycomics.com
MAINE SQUARE MALL, BANGOR ME
115 E. MAGNOLIA STREET, BELLINGHAM WA
EASY STREET RECORDS bullmoose.com
everydaymusic.com
20 W. MERCER STREET, SEATTLE WA
NEWBURY COMICS
easystreetonline.com BULL MOOSE 1 WASHINGTON MALL, BOSTON MA
ELM PLAZA, WATERVILLE ME newburycomics.com
bullmoose.com
EASY STREET RECORDS
4559 CALIFORNIA AVE SW, SEATTLE WA NEWBURY COMICS
easystreetonline.com 332 NEWBURY ST, BOSTON MA
newburycomics.com

EVERYDAY MUSIC BULL MOOSE

112 BROADWAY EAST, SEATTLE WA 151 MAINE ST, BRUNSWICK ME NEWBURY COMICS
everydaymusic.com bullmoose.com 400 FRANKLIN ST, BRAINTREE MA
newburycomics.com

BULL MOOSE NEWBURY COMICS

RAINY DAY RECORDS CENTER FOR SHOPPING, SANFORD ME
bullmoose.com 112 BURLINGTON MALL RD, BURLINGTON MA
301 5TH AVENUE SE, OLYMPIA WA newburycomics.com
users.zhonka.net/rainyday/index.html EVERYDAY MUSIC DOWNTOWN
1313 WEST BURNSIDE, PORTLAND OR
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211 ALEWIFE BROOK PARKWAY, CAMBRDIGE MA
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EVERYDAY MUSIC EASTSIDE WINDHAM SHOPPING CENTER, N WINDHAM ME
1931 NE SANDY BOUILEVARD, PORTLAND OR
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EVERYDAY MUSIC BEAVERTON BULL MOOSE
CD WORLD 3290 SW CEDAR HILLS BOUILEVARD, BEAVERTON OR 151 MIDDLE ST, PORTLAND ME
3215 W 11TH SUITE B, EUGENE OR bullmoose.com
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1070 IVANOUGH RD, RTE 132, HYANNIS MA
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101 INDEPENDENCE MALL WAY, KINGSTON MA
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NEWBURY COMICS

C
220 MAINE MALL RD, PORTLAND ME
AMOEBA BERKELEY RIMINAL RECORDS (now in its 16th year) has become an newburycomics.com
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2455 TELEGRAPH, BERKELEY CA Atlanta institution of all things "indie". Selling everything from SHERWOOD PLAZA, RTE 9, NATICK MA
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ted to their mission statement "Keeping Atlanta Awesome". newburycomics.com
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AQUARIUS RECORDS 130 NEEDHAM ST, NEWTON MA
BULL MOOSE NEWBURY COMICS newburycomics.com

C
1055 VALENCIA STREET, SAN FRANCISCO CA NEWBURY COMICS
aquariusrecords.org ome check out the park ave cds experience of shopping, brows- 82-86 CONGRESS ST, PORTSMOUTH NH 31 SACK BLVD, LEOMINSTER MA 1500 BALD HILL RD, WARWICK RI
bullmoose.com
ing, and talking to our staff about new (and good) records. AND newburycomics.com newburycomics.com
NEWBURY COMICS
AMOEBA SAN FRANCISCO not only do we carry music, like new & used cds, lps, and dvds but 40 CUMBERLAND AVE, RTE 1, N ATTLEBORO MA
1855 HAIGHT STREET, SAN FRANCISCO CA BULL MOOSE newburycomics.com
amoeba.com we also carry books, toys & collectibles, T-shirts, zines and a bunch 356-366 S BROADWAY, SALEM NH
of other great things! www.parkavecds.com, PARK AVE CDS, 2916 bullmoose.com
NEWBURY COMICS
Corrine Dr, Orlando, FL 32803 (407) 447-7275 331 STATE RD, N DARTMOUTH MA
NEWBURY COMICS NEWBURY COMICS newburycomics.com
AMOEBA LOS ANGELES 777 S WILLOW PLAZA, MANCHESTER NH 104 BUCKLAND HILLS DR, MANCHESTER CT

N
6400 SUNSET BOULEVARD, LOS ANGELES CA newburycomics.com newburycomics.com
amoeba.com EWBURY COMICS has 27 stores throughout New England, filled NEWBURY COMICS
with everything from new and used CDs and DVDs to an eclectic 240 ANDOVER ST, RTE 114, PEABODY MA
NEWBURY COMICS newburycomics.com
mix of lifestyle products. Newbury Comics has grown from being 293 DANIEL WEBSTER HIGHWAY, NASHUA NH CRIMINAL RECORDS
newburycomics.com 466 MORELAND AVE NE, ATLANTA GA
"just" a comic book shop to what it is today: a destination for New criminal.com
NEWBURY COMICS
Englanders who are looking for what the company's slogan aptly 180 MAIN ST, RTE 1, SAUGUS MA
states "a wicked good time!" NEWBURY COMICS newburycomics.com
435 S BROADWAY, RTE 28, SALEM NH
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NEWBURY COMICS

B ULL MOOSE Hopefully as cool as this zine, with a huge indie 551 BOSTON TURNPIKE, RTE 9, SHREWSBURY MA
NEWBURY COMICS newburycomics.com
and not-so-indie selection, crazy low prices, and an expert staff. K-MART PLAZA, 200 S MAIN ST, W LEBANON NH
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We carry new and used music, movies and games on almost every PARK AVE CDS NEWBURY COMICS
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parkavecds.com
601 DONALD LYNCH BLVD, MARLBOROUGH MA
newburycomics.com
throughout ME and NH or at www.bullmoose.com.

54 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 55
56 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 57

58 Fall 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT
www.mintrecs.com THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS
Maniac
by Guy Russell
W elcome to my second review on a film from 1980 called
Maniac. Maniac was directed by William Lustig and
written by the late Joe Spinell. Spinell stars as Frank Zito a
schizoid serial killer that was abused by his mother when he was
a child; his mother was also a prostitute. He stalks and kills
young women in New York City and sees this as an act of
revenge against his mother. Once he kills the women he pro-
ceeds to scalp them and put their scalps on mannequins that he
keeps in his apartment. Caroline Munroe stars as Anna, a pho-
tographer that happens to take a photo of Frank in the park.
Frank realizes this and tries to make friends with her, leaving the
viewer wondering if he plans to kill her or does he see her as a
he did his mother.
Maniac showcases some of Tom Savini's best work as a special
effects artist, most notably when he gets to blow his own head
off. And as usual William Lustig makes the best use of a New
York setting, especially at nighttime, the dark grim surroundings
that we see when Frank is out walking around trying to find his
next victim. Maniac to some is a very hard movie to take in, and
can be difficult to watch, mostly due to Spinell's portrayal as a
troubled and confused human being; the filmmakers really focus
on Frank's personal tragedies rather than from the victim's point
of view.
Aside from Lustig doing an outstanding job, we have to give
Spinell credit where credit is due; this guy put so much into the
character of Frank, and really believed in the story and believed
in this kid named William Lustig. Joe Spinell was an amazing
talent who was in some huge Hollywood movies such as the
Godfather, Taxi Driver, Rocky, The Pick-up Artist, and Vigilante,
which was also directed by Lustig. In saying that, Maniac
pretty much separates itself from most of the films in the same
genre. Where we are introduced to the killer almost right away
and stay with him through the whole film instead of some guy
hiding in the bushes that we barely get to see, this lets the view-
er understand the killer's motives because they get to learn a lit-
tle bit about him.
Maniac was made for the exact same area it was shot in; it was
made for the 42nd Street theatres, and this made it all the more
scary when people would leave the theatre, they would enter the
same setting that they just saw on the screen. Maniac became a
cult favorite by playing the circuit in these seedy grindhouse the-
atres. To me, Maniac still stands strong today. Because of its
sense of realism, it's more difficult to date this movie. I say if
you have a strong stomach, if you enjoy films that have that
sense of realism, and whether you like Joe Spinell or not, defi-
nitely go rent this film and check it out! I give it 5 stars out of 5.
See you at Happy Bats.
P.S I warned you not to go out tonight!
Guy Russell writes and manages 'BURIAL GROUND' at
happybatscinema.com
THAT MAGAZINE FROM MINT RECORDS www.mintrecs.com
Revenge of the
Broken Hearted
by Juan Farmer
I
'm plagiarizing myself, and stealing from my most recent title of a
'Poor White Noise' entry. Revenge is about the American Dream,
and humiliation and I believe that makes the perfect segway for this
'end of summer' review. The end of summer is when we realize we
can't fly, credit card statements rival Christmas ones, and school is
just around the corner. Crappy sales are everywhere and if you are a
student or not, the feeling never goes away. But to assess the
American Dream business, fear not. Even Britney Spears buys rubbers
at 7-11.
Reminded of a film that is definitely not a 'summer movie', but epit-
omizes the sameness of us all, in our quest for fun, is Weekend by Jean
Luc Godard. In the film is a shot that is about 10 minutes long where
the camera slowly moves past a row of cars, all in gridlock, on their
way out of the city for the perfect weekend. It is a brilliant commen-
tary on consumerism and one where traffic jams become revolution,
cannibalism, and murder. Characters in the movie call the film 'rot-
ten', name Jesus as a communist and call for the beginning of flam-
boyance in cinema. Challenging stuff,
but the traffic jam and eventual mur-
der in Weekend bring me to the TV
show I recently watched the first sea-
son of, in one sitting.
Dexter is the show where the title
character is a pathologist for the
Miami police, he likes to kill people,
but only if they deserve it. Being a
blood specialist, Dexter helps solve
crimes, and in his line of work, comes
across a few extra baddies to deliver
some of his justice toward, hand tools
at the ready. Having recently re-
watched Twin Peaks and loving it all
over again, Dexter was set up to fail miserably. An idiosyncratic local
police team, a community of put-on personas, and a long term mur-
der mystery story sounded like it was a little too close to home. Laura
Palmer has had it bad enough, and doesn't need her toes stepped on.
Dexter peacefully co-exists.
Dexter is dark and funny, and very much looks and feels like a pro-
gram with a massive draw and an audience that is far larger then the
countless great horror gems it borrows from, which is too bad. But
you can always email Juan at Happy Bats, and ask what the titles of
those gems are, if you're interested. To belie a statement from 'Poor
White Noise', I am willing to be a friend, and would reply, in kind,
with recommendations and movie chit-chat. So, see Dexter, fear the
similarities that you may share with the Sociopath lead, and see if
when you are through the first season, you crave a strong cup of cof-
fee and a slice of cherry pie.
Juan Farmer writes 'POOR WHITE NOISE' at
happybatscinema.com
FRESH BREATH OF MINT Fall 2007 59
 A Mint Records Discography
Novillero album title tba MRD111 CD Early 08 New Pornographers Mass Romantic MRL043 LP 17-Oct-00 H
various artists Do the Mint Twist! MRD112 CD 01-Oct-07 O Riff Randells Who Says Girls Can't Rock MRS044 7" 24-Sep-00
The Evaporators Gassy Jack and Other Tales MRD110 CD 23-Oct-07 Huevos Rancheros Muerte Del Toro MRD040 CD 02-May-00
The Evaporators Gassy Jack and Other Tales MRL110 LP 23-Oct-07 Huevos Rancheros Muerte Del Toro MRL040 LP 02-May-00
Nardwuar Welcome to My Castle MRD109 DVD 23-Oct-07 I Am Spoonbender Teletwin MRD041 CD 11-Apr-00
Bella No One Will Know MRD108 CD Fall 07 various artists Vancouver Special MRD038 CD 04-Apr-00
Bella No One Will Know MRL108 LP 18-Sep-07 Carolyn Mark Party Girl MRD037 CD 04-Apr-00
Carolyn Mark Nothing Is Free MRD107 CD 03-Jul-07 Riff Randells Riff Randells MRS039 7" 14-Mar-00
Immaculate Machine Fables MRD103 CD 12-Jun-07 Neko Case Furnace Room Lullaby MRD033 CD 22-Feb-00 E
Immaculate Machine Fables MRL103 LP 12-Jun-07 The Smugglers Rosie MRD036 CD 01-Feb-00 F
Young and Sexy / The Awkward Stage split 7" MRS106 7" 15-May-07 I Am Spoonbender Sender/Receiver MRD035 CD 01-Sep-99
Nick Krgovich One Woman Show 4-song 7" MRS105 7" 15-May-07 Huevos Rancheros The Wedge + 1 MRS034 7" 14-Jul-99
The Choir Practice The Choir Practice MRD104 CD 15-May-07 The Smugglers Growing Up Smuggler MRD032 CD 15-Oct-98 G
various artists Mint Records @ SXSW 2007! MRD102 CD 06-Feb-07 O The Smugglers Growing Up Smuggler mrl032 LP 15-Oct-98 G
Immaculate Machine Les Uns Mais Pas Les Autres MRD099 CD 03-Oct-06 Duotang The Cons and the Pros MRD031 CD 20-May-98
various artists A Mint Harvest Fall 2006 sampler MRD101 CD 03-Oct-06 O The Evaporators I Gotta Rash MRL030 LP 07-Apr-98
various artists Mint Roadshow 4-song 7" MRS097 7" 03-Oct-06 The Smugglers Buddy Holly Convention MRD028 CDEP 31-Oct-97 F
various artists CBC Radio 3 Presents: The Mint Sessions MRD098 CD 03-Oct-06 O The Smugglers Buddy Holly Convention MRS028 7" 31-Oct-97 F
The Awkward Stage Heaven Is For Easy Girls MRD096 CD 10-Oct-06 Neko Case The Virginian MRD027 CD 15-Jul-97 E
Nardwuar vs. Bev Davies A 2007 Punk Rock Calendar MRC095 calendar 12-Sep-06 Pansy Division Manada MRS026 7" 02-Apr-97
various artists Fresh Breath of Mint: A 2006 Update! MRD094 CD 14-Mar-06 O cub Betti-Cola Japanese MRD029 CD 11-Mar-97 D
Neko Case Fox Confessor Brings the Flood MRD089 CD 07-Mar-06 P various artists Team Mint MRD025 CD 28-Oct-96
Nardwuar Doot Doola Doot Doo MRD093 DVD 28-Feb-06 K Huevos Rancheros Get Outta Dodge MRD024 CD 30-Sep-96
The Buttless Chaps Where Night Holds Light MRD091 CD 21-Feb-06 Duotang Smash the Ships and Raise the... MRD023 CD 29-Aug-96
Young and Sexy Panic When You Find It MRD090 CD 14-Feb-06 cub Box of Hair MRD021 CD 16-Jul-96
P:ano Ghost Pirates Without Heads MRD086 CDEP 15-Nov-05 cub Box of Hair MRL021 LP 16-Jul-96
various artists Fresh Breath of Mint MRD088 CD 11-Oct-05 O Duotang The Message MRS022 7" 16-Jul-96
Immaculate Machine Ones and Zeros MRD087 CD 06-Sep-05 The Mr T Experience Love is Dead MRD017 CD 02-Jul-96 B
New Pornographers Twin Cinema MRD085 CD 23-Aug-05 H The Mr T Experience Love is Dead MRL017 LP 02-Jul-96 B
New Pornographers Twin Cinema MRL085 LP 23-Aug-05 H Maow The Unforgiving Sounds of Maow MRD019 CD 27-May-96
Carolyn Mark Just Married: Album of Duets MRD081 CD 07-Jun-05 Groovie Ghoulies World Contact Day MRD020 CD 06-May-96 B
Duplex! Ablum by Duplex! MRD083 CD 03-May-05 Groovie Ghoulies World Contact Day MRL020 LP 06-May-96
Novillero Aim Right for the Holes in Their Lives MRD084 CD 03-May-05 Pansy Division Wish I'd Taken Pictures MRD018 CD 09-Feb-96 B
P:ano Brigadoon MRD082 CD 05-Apr-05 N Pansy Division Wish I'd Taken Pictures MRL018 LP 09-Feb-96 B
The Sadies J'ai esay de ne pas + 1 MRS071 7" 05-Apr-05 Pansy Division Wish I'd Taken Pictures MRC018 CS 09-Feb-96 B
Neko Case The Tigers Have Spoken MRD077 CD 09-Nov-04 M The Smugglers Selling the Sizzle MRD016 CD 09-Feb-96 B
various artists It's a Team Mint Xmas Vol. 2 MRD080 CD 02-Nov-04 The Smugglers Selling the Sizzle MRL016 LP 09-Feb-96 B
John Guliak 7 Stories and 13 Songs MRD079 CD 26-Oct-04 The Smugglers/Hi-Fives Summer Games MRD015 CD EP 16-Dec-95 B
Pansy Division/Skinjobs Dirty Queers Don't Come Cheap MRS074 7" 06-Jul-04 The Smugglers/Hi-Fives Summer Games MRS015 7" 16-Dec-95 B
Atomic 7 En Hillbilly Caliente MRD078 CD 29-Jun-04 gob Too Late No Friends MRD010 CD 05-Sep-95 C
The Organ Grab That Gun MRD076 CD 24-May-04 L cub/Potatomen The Day I Said Goodbye MRD008 CD EP 01-Sep-95 B

The Organ Grab That Gun MRL076 LP 24-May-04 L cub/Potatomen The Day I Said Goodbye MRS013 7" 01-Sep-95 B
Carolyn Mark The Pros and Cons of Collaboration MRD075 CD 04-May-04 The Mr T Experience Alternative Is Here to Stay! MRD009 CD EP 01-Sep-95 B
The Smugglers Mutiny in Stereo MRD074 CD 09-Mar-04 F The Mr T Experience Alternative Is Here to Stay! MRS014 7" 01-Sep-95 B
The Evaporators Ripple Rock MRD072 CD 20-Jan-04 K Huevos Rancheros Dig In! MRD007 CD 27-May-95
Young and Sexy Life Through One Speaker MRD070 CD 07-Oct-03 The Stand GT The Cracklefan MRS012 7" 27-May-95
Young and Sexy Life Through One Speaker MRL070 LP 07-Oct-03 Pluto Cool Way to Feel MRD006 CD 11-Apr-95 A
The Buttless Chaps Love This Time MRD068 CD 16-Sep-03 cub Come Out Come Out MRD005 CD 15-Jan-95
The Gay You Know the Rules MRD069 CD 16-Sep-03 cub Come Out Come Out MRS011 3x7" 15-Jan-95
The Gay You Know the Rules MRL069 LP 16-Sep-03 Lou Barlow Another Collection of Home Rec.... MRD004 CD 12-Oct-94
Ramblin Ambassadors Avanti MRD067 CD 19-Aug-03 Lou Barlow Another Collection of Home Rec.... MRD004 2x7" 12-Oct-94
New Pornographers Electric Version MRD066 CD 06-May-03 H Pluto Death Star b/w Million & Two MRS008 7" 26-May-94
New Pornographers Electric Version MRL066 LP 06-May-03 H cub Volcano MRS009 7" 03-May-94
Atomic 7 Gowns by Edith Head MRD065 CD 07-Oct-02 The Smugglers Party Party Party Pooper! MRS007 7" 11-Feb-94
The Gay Fishin Jim + 2 MRS064 7" 07-Oct-02 kid champion kid champion MRS006 7" 31-Jan-94
Neko Case Blacklisted MRD060 CD 20-Aug-02 J cub Betti-Cola MRD002 CD 01-Oct-93
Operation Makeout Hang Loose MRD063 CD 07-Aug-02 cub Betti-Cola MRS005 2x7" 01-Oct-93
Carolyn Mark Terrible Hostess MRD061 CD 01-Jul-02 various artists The Mint Is Still a Terrible Thing... MRD003 CDEP 01-Sep-93
John Guliak The Black Monk MRD062 CD 25-Jun-02 cub Hot Dog Day MRS004 7" 14-May-93
Mark Kleiner Love To Night MRD055 CD 05-Mar-02 cub Pep MRS003 7" 16-Oct-92
Volumizer Gaga for Gigi MRD057 CD 05-Mar-02 Tankhog The Freight Train MRS002 7" 11-Jul-92
Young and Sexy Stand Up for your Mother MRD058 CD 05-Mar-02 Windwalker Rainstick MRD001 CD 26-Mar-92
Hanson Brothers My Game MRD059 CD 26-Feb-02 I Windwalker Rainstick MRC001 CS 26-Mar-92
Hanson Brothers My Game MRL059 LP 26-Feb-02 I Windwalker/Tankhog The Mint Is a Terrible Thing to Taste MRS001 7" 31-Aug-91
various artists A Tribute to Nashville MRD054 CD 05-Feb-02
The Tennessee Twin Free to Do What? MRD056 CD 05-Feb-02
The Sadies Cork & Monkey + 2 MRS047 7" 04-Dec-01
various artists Team Mint Vol. II MRD053 CD 28-Aug-01 NOTES:
Operation Makeout First Base MRD052 CDEP 28-Aug-01 A: licensed to Virgin for the world J: licensed to Bloodshot (USA), Matador (UK)
Duotang The Bright Side MRD051 CD 05-Jun-01 B: a Mint/Lookout! co-release K: on Alternative Tentacles outside of Canada
New Town Animals Is Your Radio Active MRD050 CD 05-Jun-01 C: deleted L: a Mint/604 co-release; licensed to
New Town Animals Is Your Radio Active MRL050 LP 05-Jun-01 D: licensed to LDK (Japan) Too Pure (Europe), Talitres (France),
The Tennessee Twin These Thoughts Are Occupied + 1 MRS049 7" 17-Apr-01 Popfrenzy (Australia)
E: licensed to Bloodshot (USA)
The Evaporators Honk the Horn MRS048 7" 03-Apr-01 M: licensed to Anti- outside of Canada
F: on Lookout! outside of Canada
various artists It's a Team Mint Xmas Vol. 1 MRS046 7" 05-Dec-00 N: on Aquarela (Spain)
G: on Mint in Canada only
New Town Animals New Town Animals MRS045 7" 05-Dec-00 O: promotional only, not for sale
H: licensed to Matador outside of Canada
Corn Sisters The Other Women MRD042 CD 24-Oct-00 P: on Anti- outside of Canada
New Pornographers Mass Romantic MRD043 CD 17-Oct-00 H I: on Mint in Canada and the USA only

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 Soft Beauty in
Dark Places
Why Chet's slow, sunny
self-titled CD available on iTunes
crooning has won me over.
and at Zulu and Red Cat Records in Vancouver By Elaine Corden
www.myspace.com/goghettotigermusic

T he first and last time I saw Victoria band Chet perform

live was also the first time I ever fell asleep standing up.
Chet's somnambulant, whisper-quiet show at Vancouver's Red
Room seemed to enthral the folk sitting cross-legged in the
middle of the dance floor, but for me it was lacklustre, and I
fell asleep standing, like a bored housecat, rocking back and
forth until a tap on the shoulder from a friend brought me
back to consciousness. I was less than impressed. I like
maudlin quietcore as much as the next person, but this group
was just barely north of comatose.

I hadn't thought about the group since that show almost four
years ago, until a month ago, a friend demanded that I listen
to their new album, Fight Against Darkness, which was released
March of this year. And, seeing as it has been playing on my
stereo since, to the exclusion of almost everything else, I'm
forced to admit I may have slept through something great.

The album opens with "The Shepherd," which starts slow and
soft as a sigh, but quickly goes somewhere interesting, invok-
ing something that sits at the perfect midpoint between
Flannery O'Connor's Southern Gothic novels and the final
scene of any given John Hughes film.

Singer Ryan Beattie's voice shifts between a cracking falsetto

and a gorgeous tenor, crooning lyrics about beauty in dark
places overtop jangly 50s guitar and strings violins, cellos
that are achingly pretty. Indeed, Fight Against Darkness is
aptly titled: nearly all the songs deal with a quest to locate
brighter moments from inside the mire of the shadows. This
sunnier outlook is helped by some musical forays into 1960
girl group territory, particularly on "By Night Into Paradise"
(which also boasts brass from Vancouver group They Shoot
Horses, Don't They?) and also on "Dollarton Harbour."

There are some heavy-lidded moments still evident, as on

"Because My Name Is Lion," which sounds more like the
Chet I saw four years ago, but the less adventurous songs are
still disarmingly lovely. And quite frankly, Chet could fill the
rest of their album with sleep-abetting tracks of waves and
rainforests, and include just the ninth track, "Because I've
Never Known Trouble," and I would still sing its praises.
something beautifully akin to the Mamas & Papas
in 3D (TV Week)
Slow-burning and almost waltz-like at parts before bursting,
last minute, into something that undeniably upbeat, the song nostalgic, wise, inspiring stuff (All Music Guide)
breaks your heart and then stitches it back together with cello
strings. I've listened to it more times than is decent, and I rec-
Glee cub stylee (KUCI)
ommend you do too. It's far from sleep inducing, but it
sunshine pop choral group (Now, Toronto)
sounds like a dream.
could be a church number, in a really cool chapel
T his article originally appeared in the June 28, 2007 issue
of TheTyee.ca. Reprinted with permission of the author
and TheTyee.ca
(Province, Vancouver)
www.myspace.com/thechoirpractice
 a tribute to nardwuar!
nardwuar versus nirvana!
a carolyn mark tour story!
immaculate machine comics!
growing up mulligan!
we ask 5 questions!
dear shane!
a mint contest!
amigos cantina!
mix tapes!
recipes!
dvd reviews!
more!

The Mint debut CD out now

www.bellamusic.org www.myspace.com/bella