I’m sad because I’ve been so busy lately that I barely had time to acknowledge Stephen Page’s departure from the Barenaked Ladies. Luckily, Pat did a more than awesome job of it for me. As far as I know, Pat and I don’t share a TON of the same daily musical tastes. Like, we both like Springsteen and the Gaslight Anthem and Joe Strummer, but some of the tunes he loves, I have never heard of and I’m sure that goes both ways.
But one thing I know we both agree on is that if we were forced to live on a desert island with a limited supply of five albums, the Barenaked Ladies’ Gordon would be on both our lists. I love “What a Good Boy” so much that I want to take it out behind the middle school and get it pregnant. I will miss the superb songwriting duo of Robertson and Page.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
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Now, let’s talk about newspapers. You might have heard that they’re in trouble. You might even have heard some prominent Republican politicians rejoicing over this fact on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Boooo for news and opinion in the printed form! Hooray for the death of being well-informed and smart!
Everyone who writes for this blog either works for the media or has family that does. So we understand. I hope you’ll bear with me as I try to explain and write about a subject that is near and dear to my heart.
The daily newspaper I work at in Guelph recently laid off 11 people in a newsroom of 21.
I am one of those 11.
There are no more copy editors. Because who needs accuracy, am I right? Our jobs will now be done by people in Kitchener who work at The Record. I don’t begrudge them their jobs. I wish them luck. I worry that in a year or two, the company will wonder why they are even paying reporters to cover stories in Guelph at all and some of the most talented, professional people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with will join me in the unemployment line.
I think the company is vastly underestimating the importance of what the loss of three copy editors, two senior editors, one photographer, a sports editor, an entertainment editor, an opinions page editor and a city hall reporter will mean to a newspaper in a city the size of Guelph. People who no longer read newspapers do not write letters to the editor. They don’t hold out hope that things will change. They simply stop picking up the paper. They don’t renew their subscriptions. They are a speaking silently, telling you that you need to fix your product so they feel they’re getting their money’s worth. Maybe this is just me, but I don’t think lowering the quality of the news we produce will do that.
There is another story going on right now in the Royal City. And it has to do with the Family Thrift Store, which is owned and operated by Ray Mitchell. Ray sells junk. The people who buy it sometimes turn it into art. They sometimes re-purpose it for their own use. All I know is, there is no other place in this city where I can buy an old-timey metal container of boracic acid that directs me to use it “full strength” as an “eye lotion.” The city recently bought the land on which Mitchell’s store is located. He rents and his landlord handed him an eviction notice a couple of days ago.
Now, the land is going to be put to good use. It’s where the new library will go. And the city desperately needs a new library. The old building is a leaking mess. And I wholeheartedly support that.
But without a local newspaper, people who live in Guelph would never know that the city had an opportunity to buy the old post office building that is on the same block of the same street where the new library will be. But they didn’t take that opportunity, despite the fact that it would have cost them far less to do so than to building a new library, parking garage, condos, etc.
In addition to losing the Family Thrift Store, there are several low-rent apartments above the businesses that will be demolished. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Ray Mitchell does far more than sell junk. His daughter is Jenny Omnichord, who also has played with the Burning Hell and the Barmitzvah Brothers. He has provided many local bands and artists places to practice, places to sleep and places to perform. The place is a curiousity shop that will be remembered long after it has gone. Over the years many, many, many bands have performed among the stacks of old furniture, clothing and tchotchkes. The Arcade Fire’s Win Butler bought his engagement ring for Regine Chassagne at the Family Thrift Store.
Ray Mitchell supports independent musicians and artists and that is something that is invaluable, especially in a community like Guelph, which prides itself on independent solutions to problems.
That kind of support should most definitely be recognized and celebrated. And I would ask that the same people who support Ray Mitchell’s Family Thrift Store and local musicians be very aware that if there is no local newspaper, nobody will cover their gatherings and protests, nobody will explain things to them in depth, nobody will take award-winning photos of them and nobody will champion their cause. Nobody will write about local music and artists and nobody will offer critical and informed commentary on local politicians and activities.
Local news is what will save the newspaper industry. I wish I could tell you why newspaper companies don’t understand that. But I can’t. The industry is dying. And put simply, once it’s gone, you can’t get it back.
Which brings me to Gentleman Reg.
Tomorrow, I am going to do something I rarely do. I’m going to get up before noon and go to the University of Guelph campus courtyard to see Gentleman Reg play.
You might know Reg Vermue from around. Though he’s now based in Toronto, he came of age in Guelph and got his start in this city’s bustling music scene.
He’s played with the Hidden Cameras and Broken Social Scene. He released his first album, Darby and Joan on the now-defunct Guelph label Three Gut Records. He had a small role in John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus, where he claimed to be an albino. Personally, I think he’s just very pale and very blond.
But if you haven’t heard of Gentleman Reg, you will soon. His new album, Jet Black, is available from Arts & Crafts and you should go buy it immediately because the songs on it are energetic and poppy and well-crafted. They show off Reg’s superb and unique voice and also feature some more fantastic Canadian musicians including members of Great Lake Swimmers, The Constantines, Land of Talk and The Organ.
He’ll be at the U of G’s Student Centre tomorrow afternoon for a free concert. Come out and see him. I’ll see you there.
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Arts & Crafts, Barenaked Ladies, Family Thrift Store, Gentelman Reg, Guelph, Newspapers, Ontario, Steven Page
