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What'cha Readin? - The Final Broken Word w/Stuart Berman!

What'cha Readin? - The Final Broken Word w/Stuart Berman!

Posted by Vish Khanna on May 29, 2009

Y'ello and welcome to our final What'cha Readin' Book Club discussion about This Book is Broken: A Broken Social Scene Story. It's been nice getting to know you in the month of May, This Book is Broken. As far as book club books go, you my friend could not have behaved more appropriately or been more engrossing. In fact, I think that perhaps you're too hard on yourself This Book is Broken; why you're the exact opposite of broken! You sir, dear, dear This Books is Broken are truly a captain among men; I fare thee well in all of your future endeavours and forgive all your past indiscretions (you know what I'm talking about, right This Book is Broken? Of course you do).

Okay, I'm done directly addressing a book that can't hear me and understand what I'm saying. Joining me on the show today is Broken's esteemed author Stuart Berman to answer questions posed by me of course but more importantly, WR members mikegibbons and tb3. I'll paste their queries below.

UPDATE: STU BERMAN INTERVIEW CLIPS ARE UP!

Part I:

Part II:

Part: III:



So yes, it's almost June and time to move on to our next book, Around the World in 57 ½ Gigs by Canrock legend Dave Bidini. But wait! That's next week! Don't go yet!

Having now completed This Book is Broken, do you have any final thoughts about Berman's book? Has it given you a new perspective on independent music in Toronto or Canada as a whole?  

SEE LISTENER/READER QUESTIONS HERE

I'd like to know how willing everyone was talking to you about the subjects in the book. Were there any subjects that you wanted to discuss or shed light on but were unable to because you couldn't get anyone to talk about it/steer the discussion in that direction? - mikegibbons

You were friends with key members, as the collective was forming. Was there as sense at the time this was coming together that this was going to be big, that it might change the landscape of music? - tb3

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  1. mikegibbons
    01

    National Post Article

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by mikegibbons
    If you click on the 'Stuart Berman' link in the post, you are brought to a playlist compiled by Berman with songs by BSS and related bands.
  2. Vish Khanna
    02

    Re: National Post Article

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by Vish Khanna
    That is true.
  3. tb3
    03

    Ironically…

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by tb3
    The two questions that come today come from two radio3 fans that met each other yesterday at the Rock Plaza Central in-store for the first time. So, cool. We're BFF's.

    Now… on to my post book thoughts. The one peculiar thing I noticed was, in the early stages of the book it seemed as though Kevin Drew was the architect of Remedios splitting from his big label gig, and planting the seeds that later became Arts & Crafts.

    Though later in the book, towards the end, it seems, in a Remedios quote that he was as much, if not more responsible for Arts & Crafts.

    It left me wondering if this is a true discrepancy between the two. Or just a perceived one, based on my reader's slant.

    Considering the levity of what BSS did to the music scene, and the player that Arts & Crafts became, I could absolutely understand where there would be differing opinions of their personal role in its birth between the two 'parents'.

    But it did feel like a fracture in the utopian conception. Did anyone else reading it catch that?

    Oh and the one part of the story that felt left out for me, and wanting to know more was the breakdown between Keven and his then wife Jo-Anne. I was pretty amazed at the person she was, to recognize the creative bigger picture and open her home, life and husband up to a revolving door of people, sessions and new ideas. Ultimately I get a sense that wore thin… But, she seemed like an incredible person at that stage - one that I'd like to know more about.
  4. mikegibbons
    04

    @BFF tb3

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by mikegibbons
    I agree with the Kevin/Jo-Anne split. That was one of the things that I was alluding to in my question, so I'm glad that you brought it up. On one hand it seems like it might be none of our business, but on the other hand, as mentioned in the book, that break up provided a lot of inspiration for their 2005 S/T release and may have provided greater inisight into that album.

    For the whole first part of the book, I kept on thinking... 'I thought Kevin was dating Feist'. Then it all came together.
  5. mikegibbons
    05

    Re: What'cha Readin? - The Final Broken Word w/Stuart Berman!

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by mikegibbons
    I would also like to point out that I was out of bed before 9 this morning, and had CBC R3 on before the start of Vish's show. I hate to admit it, but thats an accomplishment.
  6. Vish Khanna
    06

    @mikegibbons

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by Vish Khanna
    Congratulations Mike! Way to wake up!
  7. tb3
    07

    @mikegibbons

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by tb3
    I'd be more impressed if you woke up before 9am and did all that stuff, and it just now occurred to you, you were in someone else's house.

    Did you go see RPC at CTO, WOA, LN?
  8. mikegibbons
    08

    @Vish

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by mikegibbons
    Thanks! With positive reinforcement like this, I'll be up everyday before 9! You don't get that with commercial radio!
  9. mikegibbons
    09

    @tb3

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by mikegibbons
    No, I didn't. I did HW and the D, EOA, LN.
  10. Vish Khanna
    10

    @tb3 & mikegibbons

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by Vish Khanna
    Hey BFFs, what's with the coded language? It's creepy.
  11. tb3
    11

    Coded Language…

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by tb3
    Its only cool if you are part of out club. So here is the decoder ring…

    Turns out after commenting right here, Mike and I figgered out we're inhabitants of the same city, and even funnier live a few blocks from each other.

    London, for those who aren't lifelong residents is a funny, uppity, and often snobby town. EOA, is a term for East of Adelaide which is what the white collars call the area where their lawnspeople live. The equator for the upper crust of society in London is Adelaide.

    So I tease Mike that he is EOA'er. Mike is a 'Greaser', I am a 'Soc'. We're about to rumble.

    The rest of the short forms we make up as we go, cause I am kind of mentally deficient that way.
  12. mikegibbons
    12

    Re: What'cha Readin? - The Final Broken Word w/Stuart Berman!

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by mikegibbons
    HW is homework, D is dishes, EOA is east of Adelaide i.e. sketchy part of London where I live, LN is London, CTO is call the office and RPC is Rock Plaza Central who played at Call the Office. Oh, and WOA is West of Adelaide. You see in London, we use streets to denote sketchiness... Anything EOA or South of Dundas is sketchy. Which leaves 1/4 of London non sketchy.
  13. tb3
    13

    D-Coded

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by tb3
    Me: RPC at CTO, WOA, LN?
    [Rock Plaza Central at Call The Office, West of adelaide, Last night'

    Mike (correct me if I didn't get it right): HW and the D, EOA, LN.
    [Hairy Waxing and the Drugs, East of Adelaide, Long Neck]
  14. mikegibbons
    14

    Re: What'cha Readin? - The Final Broken Word w/Stuart Berman!

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by mikegibbons
    You know tb3, its two against one... we could probably overpower Vish and claim this blog as our own. Although he does have a slight height advantage. Then everyone will talk in made up abbv.s.
  15. tb3
    15

    First we take Manhatten

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by tb3
    Then we take Vish

    We'll need to enlist MikeV too.
  16. MikeV
    16

    Re: What'cha Readin? - The Final Broken Word w/Stuart Berman!

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by MikeV
    Hey I just got here. What am I being enlisted into?
  17. TheRadioHead
    17

    Did you get my thank you message, Vish?

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by TheRadioHead
    I don't think that tb3 would give me a wrong address so you would think me an ungrateful cad, do you?!

    I was asking about the signatures, do you know who signed it? Did you receive it already signed?

    I really appreciate it, but sadly have not read enough to be able to contribute today.
  18. Vish Khanna
    18

    Re: What'cha Readin? - The Final Broken Word w/Stuart Berman!

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by Vish Khanna
    All right, everyone calm down. I'm in the middle of interviewing someone and don't have time to fend for my show. Give a guy a fighting chance, okay?
  19. Vish Khanna
    19

    More insight?

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by Vish Khanna
    So tb3 and mike g, you guys are basically saying you wish you knew more about the personal dynamics depicted in the book? I thought it was pretty revealing already and anything more would just be invasive and prurient. Thoughts? Or are you too busy plotting blog domination?
  20. tb3
    20

    True story about Vish

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by tb3
    Something to think about, before we overthrow Vish is this kernel of truth: When I met Vish in Chicago at The Empty Bottle for the Magic and Human Highway show, the first thing he did, before I even finished, hello, was open hand slapped my face, and then pistol whipped me.


    (That sentence would been so much better in code)
  21. MikeV
    21

    @Vish

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by MikeV
    So why are you posting then? Sounds like someone's eggs yesterday were not a fresh as advertised if you know what I mean.
  22. MikeV
    22

    Re: What'cha Readin? - The Final Broken Word w/Stuart Berman!

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by MikeV
    Actually I don't even have an idea what I meant.
  23. tb3
    23

    @TheRadioHead

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by tb3
    You're going to have to stay after class!

    What sidelined you? You sounded like you were doing well Tuesday night.

    I found once I got into it, I had a hard time putting it down. It was an easy, but very addictive read for me, which was how I got through it in a long weekend.
  24. Vish Khanna
    24

    Re: Did you get my thank you message, Vish?

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by Vish Khanna
    Weird, I missed this message on here RadioHead. Sorry!

    Yes, I got your e-mail and was gonna respond today. Thank you for your thank you note! They were already signed and I believe that's Stuart's signature.

    That's cool, we can talk about it some other time...
  25. axis
    25

    Re: What'cha Readin? - The Final Broken Word w/Stuart Berman!

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by axis
    I think this book is very enouraging to us supporters of independent music. It can be frustrating to go to a long-anticipated show, only to see that you're one of the few people that bothered or cared to show up. It's good to know that BSS and their individual members struggled through the empty rooms in the early days, and the people who did support them really did mean a lot. I suppose that's why they, as well as most of Canada's indepependent musicians are so giving and accessible to their fans, and to other supprters of the music biz. It gives hope to me as someone who books indie bands in a small town, that even if the commercial-music fed public don't get it at first, as they are exposed to a better quality product with artistic integrity intact, some will come around to our side.
  26. TheRadioHead
    26

    Oh no!

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by TheRadioHead
    Detention again.

    Tuesday was the last night I had opportunity to read.

    Does it help if I say I have been busy with musical endevours every night?

    Not being able to get my hands on this book put me behind the 8 ball, but I already have next months selection.
  27. Vish Khanna
    27

    Interview

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by Vish Khanna
    I'm gonna try and get these interview clips with Stuart posted asap.

    Did anyone hear our conversation? Was it insightful at all?
  28. mikegibbons
    28

    @Vish

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by mikegibbons
    Ya, it was a great interview. Thanks for using my question.
  29. Vish Khanna
    29

    @mikegibbons

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by Vish Khanna
    No sweat Mike but I thought you were from Waterloo; that's what your FB says. Sorry I got that wrong.
  30. TheRadioHead
    30

    Did anyone hear our conversation?

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by TheRadioHead
    Yes, of course.

    I am always interested in personalities, and I found it interesting to hear him say how he met the challenge of some members being more forthcoming than others.

  31. tb3
    31

    Insightful

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by tb3
    Yes.
    Absolutely.

    My feeling was, until I heard Stuart's response was that it was a cataclysmic collision, like retsin and certs when these guys fund each other. But it makes more sense that as he explained it, it was more a 'seether' and took a while to happen.
  32. mikegibbons
    32

    @Vish

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by mikegibbons
    No problem. I was from Waterloo last year... I just haven't gotten around to updating my networks in Facebook.
  33. dawn.h
    33

    Re: What'cha Readin? - The Final Broken Word w/Stuart Berman!

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by dawn.h
    What I heard was great. I'm so conflicted about reading this book (I had trouble getting it in time and now will wait until NxNE to buy it).

    I love these bands and there's a part of me that wants to read all about the community. But there's a part of me that thinks ignorance is bliss and maybe I should stay oblivious.

    I finished Angel Riots a few weeks ago and managed to keep myself from directly associating characters to real people but it was much easier since it was based in fiction.

    (On a side note, this A Thousand Suns song by Hey Rosetta! is so darn great. The "We want to thank you so much" line is so great.)
  34. axis
    34

    Re. Interview

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by axis
    I'm glad the interview will be up soon. I was trying to hear, but I had to work today, so I actually had to put down the wine bottle and the headphones and be professional. Fake professional, to be more precise. I'm sneaking a listen and a blogpost when I can. TTYS
  35. Vish Khanna
    35

    Re. Interview

    Posted on May 29, 2009 by Vish Khanna
    Okay, sweet, thanks buddies.
  36. darren s
    36

    Re: What'cha Readin? - The Final Broken Word w/Stuart Berman!

    Posted on May 30, 2009 by darren s
    I preordered a fancy signed copy from the Arts & Crafts website a while ago. Just this week they emailed me saying it was shipped. So unfortunately I was not able to join in on this months book club.
    Did anyone else have this problem?
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