During Nuit Blanche this year the highlights for me were three sound events.  The first you’ll hear is Sound(e)scape curated by Darren Copeland at New Adventures in Sound Art in Toronto’s Wychwood Barns Artscape venue.  The next is a segment from the storytelling event at the Barns. Finally I share an event called In Search of a Wife in Search of a Husband. First is the memoirs of the wife of the Crown Prince of Korea, and her “experiences before and after her father-in-law, King Yongjo, forced her husband, his 25 year old son, to climb into a rice chest.   The chest was then sealed and her husband died in the chest eight days later.”  Later, the letters between Hester Lynch Thrale and Dr. Samuel Johnson are read.  The exchange is from 16 days between June and July 1784.  Thrale communicates her in intent at 43 years old to remarry and Johnson reacts strongly to the threat of the end of their twenty year association.

Links:   http://www.angelusnovus.net/events.html, Hector Centeno, Andrew Stewart , Nuit Blanche Toronto 2009

Listen to it at this link:

• HotFRM 177 (31MB)

It took Jowi Taylor 11 years to collect the pieces and create “Voyageur”, the Six-String Nation guitar.   It was made from 64 individual artifacts modern and ancient.  Each tell a story from the history of Canada.  A piece from former Prime Minister Trudeau’s canoe paddle, wood from the sacred albino spruce, (also known as the golden spruce),  of the Haida First Nation people, the top of Wayne Gretzky’s hockey stick, part of the cabin of a former S. Carolina slave John Ware, a piece of the handle from a championship oyster-shucking knife, and many more objects adorn and make up this guitar.  Jowi calls it a living museum because he invites people to touch it, photograph it, and of course play it.

Photo By Ninja

This episode of Hot Fossils is an homage to this living piece of history, this unique method of telling 64 wonderful stories.  Jowi Taylor gave the keynote address at this year’s Podcasters Across Borders. I attended the weekend of June 21^st.  After the keynote, Jay Moonah was invited up to play the guitar.  My show today opens with Jay and Bob Goyetche playing “With A Little Help From My Friends” by Lennon and McCartney, followed by the question period.   I have edited out portions of the question period in order to focus on the story of the guitar itself.

After the question period, I talk to Jowi and he describes additional pieces that make up the guitar case.  For those of you interested in obscure and not so obscure Canadian lore, you’ll find out about the fun fur that lines the case, pieces of the costume that Karen Kain wore during the ballet Sleeping Beauty and material from the sportcaster Don Cherry’s pants.   You can read all about the six-string nation guitar project at the site sixstringnation.com.

Photo by Ninja

• Listen to it  HotFRM 171 – A Living Museum in 64 Stories (29.2Mb)

Mashed Potatoes (No Gravy)

Billy Bob Thorton acted like a petulant, spoiled child on April 8 during a CBC interview with Jian Ghomeshi to promote his new band and musical venture the Boxmasters. Or is that the Mixmasters?   Boxmatches?  Boxcutters? I don’t know.  In any case,   for whatever reason,  Thorton seemed to be overestimating his importance and talent in the matter.  I think that he fancied that he was punishing someone by checking out of the interview.  It has been a long time since I have had the misfortune to witness such arrogant self-importance.  If you haven’t seen or listened to this insulting train wreck of unfathomable immaturity, you can catch it on at this youtube link: Jian Ghomeshi interview with Billy Bob Thorton.   Special K and I deconstruct his behaviour and then move on to discuss two movies about political figures.   It’s been 30 years since the White Night Riots after the city politican and gay activist Harvey Milk was murdered by Dan White.  We talk about the movie and how we feel about what happened during that time in gay history.  We move on to explore our reaction to a movie very difficult to make since it focused completely and solely on a conversation and a very difficult one at that.  We discuss the portrayal of David Frost and Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon.

And finally I give you my first and original mashup of Billy Bob Thorton’s most annoying utterances from his April 8th excuse of an interview on CBC radio.

Harvey Milk - Gay Pride 1978 - Photo by Terry Schmitt

Listen to the show

• HotFRM 169 Mashed Potatoes Without the Gravy (24.7 mb)

Special K and Ninja finally make it to an HD Simulcast of the New York Metropolitan Opera performance of  La Sonnambula or The Sleep Walker.   It’s a different opera experience than either of them had ever had and one they plan on repeating.   Have a look at Mike Fan’s review on his blog.

Listen to the show

• 167HotFRM – The Changing Face of Opera (15.2Mbs)

Ninja thinks the ability of the body to adapt is marvellous. She shares highlights from New Scientist’s January 07 2009 article about the technology being developed to provide better prosthetics. The human body proves even more interesting as we listen to one blind man’s ability to navigate himself and many others out of the World Trade Centre on 9/11.

Ninja knew there was reason she didn’t want to see He’s Just Not That Into You. Is it just because she isn’t a fan of chick flicks? No. Seems that homo stereotypes are still alive and well in the movie industry. She shares highlights from a review she found at queerty.com.

Famous cheetahs mentioned: Oscar Pistorius. Famous Centre Square mentioned: Paul Lynde.

• Hot Fossils and Rebel Matters 164 – Sense, Prosthetics, and Gay Sensibility 24.6 MB

The Rape of Daniel Boone Junior by Kent Monkman

Redesigned and enhanced by Frank Gehry, the renovated Art Gallery of Ontario impresses Ninja and Special K. They wander around the old and new exhibits, compellingly arranged. Special K enjoys the new architectural improvements. Ninja finds herself intrigued by the Cree artist Kent Monkman’s eerie landscape painting The Rape of Daniel Boone Junior, the welcoming interactive piece called Urban Disco Trailer #3, and the international art award winner, The Index, by sculptor David Altmejd.

Detail from The Index by David Altmejd

• 160hotfrmagoinnovations · 36.25 MB

Steve

That’s what we love about Scarborough Dude, the host of Dicks ‘n Janes podcast. He’ll raise the difficult questions and not let them go. I don’t want him to let them go, despite anyone’s opinion of them. He’s an activist that you’d rather have on your side than against you. Still he adamantly refuses to be on anyone’s but his own. I always listen to the dude, because he always has something to say to think about. This is part two of the geek fest held on October 18 at the Imperial Pub during which Scarborough Dude takes issue with us not wanting to talk about our day jobs. I spent some time talking with Steve Saylor. a writer who shares his superhero and adventure mystery novels on the internet. You can find the Black Shadow at http://stevesaylor.net/node/264 or http://feeds.feedburner.com/the12thdisciple. His newest effort is The 12^th Disciple at http://stevesaylor.net/node/301 or http://feeds.feedburner.com/the12thdisciple. We discuss his novels, his artistic process, copyright issues and finally the size of podcaster egos. Also featured is The Closet Geek of closetgeekshow.com If you listen carefully you can hear him eating popcorn in the background while barely concentrating on our conversation.

• 158hotfrmstevesaylorthedudeandthecloset · 16.87 MB