a friend is a friend

I met Marisa Hoicka when I documented her solo painting show at...

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:01:33 -0400

I met Marisa Hoicka when I documented her solo painting show at the White House Gallery. I’ve continued to document her shows since, and all the while, we’ve developed a great friendship that’s inspiring and productive. She’s a multidisciplinary artist who works in painting, performance, and installation. She does great characters like Uncle Wink and Randall. She does a lot of work with Johnny Forever, who she’s collaborated with for years. I think they Skype every afternoon. She also break-dances and teaches teenagers how to be performance artists! You can check out her work here.

Graham Scheidt is sort of an ideal Canadian. He wears big...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:00:05 -0500

Graham Scheidt is sort of an ideal Canadian. He wears big jackets, fixes things, writes poetry, etc. When I first met him he was dating another good friend of mine, and making sculptures out of big pieces of wood and little lights. Then he left Toronto for about a year to do some soy farming. A few weeks ago, I found out he was back in the city so we got some coffee. He’s in town for a few months, off from his most recent job of archeological digging out in Hamilton (I believe). You can see him perform some of his spoken word, along with myself, at STOP TALKING, this Friday.

Chris Randle has an encyclopedic mind for music, especially rap....

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:59:00 -0500

Chris Randle has an encyclopedic mind for music, especially rap. He’s a really fun guy to talk to, but since you’re on the internet you can follow his tweets (@randlechris), and check out his blog and his tumblr. He’s also culture editor of the Toronto Standard.

Penelope lives with Laura and me. She is our little furball and...

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:00:00 -0400

Penelope lives with Laura and me. She is our little furball and we love her. She enjoys playing with anything ~~on the end of a string~~ at all, including her own tail, and walking on me when I’m lying down. She loves attention. I have to go play with her right now. Check out these photos.

I have to admit, I don’t know exactly where Ben Sweeney is...

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:41:00 -0400

I have to admit, I don’t know exactly where Ben Sweeney is at the time I am writing this. I could ask him, but it’s almost better to keep the mystery going for now. He’s lived at times in Toronto (went to U of T), Ann Arbor (went to U of M), Georgia (the nation), and Connecticut (where he’s from). I met this prolific scholar/world traveller at the Gargoyle at U of T, where he was the managing Editor-in-Chief. And the most important detail? He voluntarily converted to Judaism as a child. If you see him on the street, say gamarjoba to him for me (that’s hello in Georgian).

Sheila Heti is an author. Last year, she published a book called...

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:15:26 -0400

Sheila Heti is an author. Last year, she published a book called “How Should a Person Be?”, which I had a lot of fun reading and a lot of fun interviewing her about. Currently, she is wrapping up a North American tour for her new book, which is about and co-authored with her good friend Misha Glouberman. It’s called “The Chairs Are Where the People Go” and the Toronto launch is tomorrow night at the Garrison! It’s free so instead of paying admission you can buy the book! She also authored a book of short stories, a historical-psychological novel (psychological-historical? it’s a novel), and a children’s book. AND she’s interviews editor of the Believer. Don’t believe me? It’s all at sheilaheti.net.

Bill Power once told me that nothing happens without will power....

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:59:00 -0400

Bill Power once told me that nothing happens without will power. He pointed at himself and said, “You think this happened over night??” Bill is a wild and wise young dude who has been amazing everyone around him for years… and he is on his way to Toronto this very minute!!!

Okay, okay, okay. Sydney Liepshutz has been on this blog before....

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:16:18 -0400

Okay, okay, okay. Sydney Liepshutz has been on this blog before. But that doesn’t mean I can’t post this cool pic of her from last year’s Scrummage Fest. Since we last saw Syd, she decided to go back to school, tumblr’d and twitter’d a lot, and interned at this cool video website.

Eric Chodoroff once bicycled from Detroit to Toronto, he’s...

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:37:00 -0400

Eric Chodoroff once bicycled from Detroit to Toronto, he’s the best guitar player I know, and he’s also a scientist. Let’s hear it for Chodoroff!

Bill Meese is an musician, filmmaker, multimedia artist, and a...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:39:00 -0400

Bill Meese is an musician, filmmaker, multimedia artist, and a solid bro. He tickles keys in Mannikin, and if you go to any scrummage show he’s probably doing the visuals. Check his stuff out here. He is pictured here with Townes.

Josh Klimaszewski (pronounced kleemo-sheskee or something like...

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:43:00 -0400

Josh Klimaszewski (pronounced kleemo-sheskee or something like that) is an old old old friend of mine who I havent hung out with in years. In fact the last time I saw him was last year at Scrummage Fest when I took this picture and we didn’t even really get a chance to talk! He plays in this band called the Telephone Callers. In high school we (he?) invented a game called “high speeds”, which was essentially late night car chases and shouting and google image searching. How are you Josh??

Melissa Kendall and her buddy Shai Hulud. MEL MEL aka MEL FARR...

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:08:34 -0400

Melissa Kendall and her buddy Shai Hulud. MEL MEL aka MEL FARR is badass in a way most of you will never know. THIS IS HER YOUTUBE PAGE. This photo was taken at last year’s Scrummage Fest in Detroit, MI. I will be posting a bunch of portraits from then in the lead up to this year’s extravaganza, which I’m told will be the last weekend in August.

Sarah D’Angelo is a multimedia artist in Toronto. I saw...

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 17:57:32 -0400

Sarah D’Angelo is a multimedia artist in Toronto. I saw her in her studio working on a claymation project a few days ago, and snapped some photos. You can see one of her completed claymations here.

Charles Reinhardt is someone I’ve known for a long time...

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:47:00 -0400

Charles Reinhardt is someone I’ve known for a long time and in many different contexts. We first met when we were working together at Future’s, a little cafe in Toronto back in 2005. Then we were both contributors and then editors for the Gargoyle. Most recently, he was the CEO of The Varsity in my last year there and played in my former roommate’s former band, Deaf Heap (now Deaf Beast). Last I saw him he was reading The Name of the Rose, which is a great summer read, in it’s original Italian. He now lives in Brooklyn.

Laura Maize, my lovely girlfriend. She is pictured having an...

Tue, 25 May 2010 16:52:00 -0400

Laura Maize, my lovely girlfriend. She is pictured having an immensely fun time in the suburbs of Detroit, MI in early 2010. She likes to edit copy and take photos, which she posts to her amazing blog. She is an expert on Can Lit and she LOVES diner food, especially breakfast specials. She also loves cats. :)

Kat Letwin. She’s an actress, comedian, marketer, and etc....

Tue, 04 May 2010 12:00:00 -0400

Kat Letwin. She’s an actress, comedian, marketer, and etc. One of the funniest people I’ve ever met, and she even has a story about a “Little Nemo” themed MRI.

Brian Silverstein. He was one of my roommates in my first year...

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:57:11 -0400

Brian Silverstein. He was one of my roommates in my first year at U of T. He’s an expert on Marx, a cartoonist, and he lives in Brooklyn.

Kara Dillon. She was photo editor of The Varsity before I was....

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0400

Kara Dillon. She was photo editor of The Varsity before I was. Now she lives in Abu Dhabi and works at a paper there. She is pictured here in the studio in the photo office.

Steve Barcus is a fictional character. He does not play drums...

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0400

Steve Barcus is a fictional character. He does not play drums and he does not fly around the world in a blimp. He does speak Portuguese.

Tamsen Fields. She is related to both WC Fields and John Cleese...

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:48:48 -0400

Tamsen Fields. She is related to both WC Fields and John Cleese (distantly). She is also an organist, violinist, drummer, and all around awesome chick. She’s in Brides and Dentata. More pics from that day on my other blog.