The story of wendy m.

It was shortly after Prince passed away that Alberto Venezuela emailed me. He told me we should get together and start working on music like the old days. It had been years since my school buddy and I had been in touch but just as quickly he disappeared. I’m used to Alberto disappearing- he comes and goes, but a few years later I got another email from him. “How about a song about our mutual crushes on Wendy Melvoin?” I could tell he was excited about it and it sounded like fun to me. The idea was planted and we ran with it- sending each other musical and lyrical ideas. “How about some sort of long version?” I asked. “Absolutely!” Alberto said and then came up with the creepy conversation between the lovestruck fan and his crush on the full length version. 

The song Wendy M was taking shape and we needed a b-side (both of us firmly believing that every single needs one) and Alberto suggested an old song we’d written together in the grips of a Wendy and Lisa obsession circa 1990- Celery and Cheese. The only copy I had was on an old reel to reel tape but neither of us had a tape machine- I did; however, have the original lyrics and Alberto never forgets a chord change so we were in luck. 

We recorded both songs in my upstairs studio, taking turns playing the different part. Whoever’s take was deemed best was what we kept. The lead guitar on Wendy M being a mix of each others playing. “Your purple roots are showing.” Alberto laughed, but when tracking was done so was he. “I’ll leave it with you.” he said and was gone again. I took the tracks to Leon Racicot for mixing and then the pandemic happened, the momentum stopped and I had to wait for things to reopen. A couple hiccups later we finally got them done: two songs inspired by Wendy, Lisa and Prince.

Becoming Charlemagne Review 

How does a book with the subtitle “Europe, Baghdad, and the Empires of A.D. 800” sound to you? Dry and textbookish? You would certainly think that but you couldn’t be more wrong. Becoming Charlemagne by Jeff Sypeck is anything but a dry, old textbook. I have read this book three times now and will probably read it multiple more times in the future. It’s that interesting and that good of a book.

Beginning with the coronation of Karl as the Holy Roman Emperor before going back in time to tell the story of how…

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Orson Welles's Last Movie Review 

Orson Welles first movie, Citizen Kane from 1941, is largely regarded as the greatest film ever made. His last movie project remained unfinished and Josh Karp’s book “Orson Welles’s Last Movie: The Making of the Other Side of the Wind” traces the making of Orson’s next masterpiece. Truth be told Orson made a number of masterpieces and Welles fans argue amongst themselves about which is truly his greatest movie. Touch of Evil, Othello, The Magnificent Ambersons, F for Fake and Orson’s personal favourite…

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Beatles '66 Review 

“Beatles ’66: The Revolutionary Year” by Steve Turner is not just for the Beatles fan. Anyone interested in modern history will enjoy reading this book about what was a revolutionary year in music, art, literature and nearly everything else. It takes the reader on a month by month journey of The Beatles lives as a group and increasingly as individuals from December 1965 through to December 1966. Steve Turner does a great job of taking us from their final UK tour to their final concert appearance in San…

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Chapter 4 

Floreat Regina: Let the Queen Flourish. Regina is a royal word, and the city celebrates its connection to the British monarchy. The name was chosen by Princess Louise, herself the namesake of Lake Louise, in honour of her mother, Queen Victoria. A grand new name for a new capital city in a new territory. The Queen City they call it, and Elizabeth II in statue rides a horse in front of the legislative buildings, carrying on the lineage of her great-great-grandmother.

At its foundation, though, the city is…

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Chapter 3 

Old Jim and Katey tiptoed out of their bedroom and down the hallway of their apartment. Katey giggled as she peeked into the living room where Pepe lay asleep on the couch with his mouth wide open, quietly snoring. He complained about never getting any sleep at their place but whenever she looked in on him, it seemed like he was having a good rest.
 
She motioned to Jim for them take their shoes and coats into the outside hall before putting them on so they wouldn’t make too much noise. It was Saturday and…

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Chapter 2 

Old Jim wasn’t really old, or at least not any older than the rest of them, but growing up he had a friend also named Jim, and since Old Jim was older by a few months, that’s what they called him. Young Jim was later killed in an accident at the potash mine, but Old Jim stayed Old Jim. Six and a half feet tall with wide shoulders and big arms, he looked like a giant lumberjack from a storybook.
 
His apartment was about a 40 minute walk from downtown. It was small, but large enough for Old Jim and Katey…

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Chapter 1... 

Pepe lay flat on a log on the bank of Wascana Creek. In his hand was a biography of Gabriel Dumont but he’d stopped reading and instead he stared up at a stark blue prairie winter sky. It was the end of March and in Regina winter was finally coming to a finish but Pepe already wore shorts and flip-flop sandals. He didn’t care about the cold anymore. He was sick of it. He did wear his heavy parka though, so he must’ve cared somewhat, but he told himself he didn’t.
 
A clear sky in late winter arrives like a…

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Leland and Rufus 

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
 
“Or do you?”
“What?”
 
This is how most conversations with Leland went. Leland being the one asking “or do you?”. He had an un-nerving way of getting under your skin and disarming you until you really did have no idea what he, or yourself was talking about and you left the interaction off balance and bewildered.
 
The Haunt was a favourite local coffee shop with tasty treats and comfy chairs. University students got buzzed on coffee, laughed with friends…

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Differences Between Hybridization and Genetic Modification 

The difference between Hybridized and Genetically Modified foods is often confusing for people. Many believe that people have been genetically modifying things for thousands of years when in reality we have only been hybridizing. What is the difference and why are the waters so murky? Does the difference even matter or are we just splitting hairs? People are rightly concerned about the safety and healthiness of their foods as can be seen by the increased demand for organic and in this same way we should be…

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Hector and the Egg 

Struggling inside the goose, Hector discovered a golden egg. “We’ll be rich and famous!” he thought as he excitedly took it home to his wife Maria.

“Oh Hector!” she exclaimed after seeing the egg. “We’ll be rich and famous!”

Days, months, and years past. Maria said to Hector every second day. “Why aren’t we rich and famous?!” Hector shrugged his shoulders every second day, and ate his soup with a bitter grimace.

Maria hung the clothes on the line. All the while wondering to herself, “Why aren’t we rich and…

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