No Fun City at the Prince Charles Tonight
It exists everywhere. In ever town, in every city. An independent, underground subculture consisting of artists and musicians who actively strike out to claim space for themselves in an environment that seems determined to keep them at the margins. Suffice to say this breads frustration, resentment and ultimately drives people take matters into their own hands. There have always been illegal venues, places that skirt the law in favour of a good time, and this is born out of necessity and exists because, like any minority – visible or not – the needs of its people are not being met. But leave it to those members of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Brotherhood to find a way to play, even when the city they live in doesn’t want them to.
To remark that a blatant disregard for authority and rock and roll go together is not a novel observation, but in the city of Vancouver, Canada, the fractious relationship between antiquated city bylaws that bizarrely restrict the mixture of drinking, dancing and live music has for a long time been an almost farcical reality. Yet just below the majestic beauty, underneath the glass lined skyline and despite the sky high cost of living there has always been a strong and determined undercurrent of those who sought to create their own fun. Home to both one of the most expensive costs of living and the country’s most impoverished postal codes, Vancouver is perhaps unique in Canada as it exemplifies the clear and difficult divide between rich and poor, the status quo and those who shirk conventional status. Wedged between this underground horde of culture makers stands a city staff that has embraced conformity and an almost obsessive inclination to “develop” the city which has brought about a decidedly aggravated clash between those who would build a homogenised “world class city” and those who want to shake its foundations.
Enter local Vancouver filmmakers Melissa James and Kate Kroll’s documentary “No Fun City”; a fluid and timely portrait that captures and explores the cultural dichotomy that has become too common place for any one who embraces the comfort of the dark and noisy world of Vancouver’s underground punk and independent music scene. It’s a dirty look into this “world class city’s” laundry bag. And the laundry stinks. Compiling interviews and plenty of underground concert footage, the film exposes the difficulties and frustrations musicians, artists, independent club owners and promoters face when trying to channel and foster their own unique artistic vision. From idealistic developers who see opportunity in creating spaces that support local creative culture to local independent icons like punk club owner Wendy13, the film follows the struggles and plights of those dedicated to keeping the dream alive, whether it’s legal or not.
And while any city’s cultural landscape is always changing and you have the right to lament the closing of a favourite haunt or when a landmark venue shuts up shop because the lease is up or the owners have decided to move on, there remains the difficult question: what are you supposed to do when as practitioners of art and music – the cultural class – you are constantly and seemingly systematically told “you can’t do that”? The answer is: You do it any way – and any way you can. At least until you run out of steam or they run you out of town.
“No Fun City” plays at the Prince Charles Cinema tonight at 8:30pm
08 Oct 2010
08 Oct 2010
Here's a bunch of well-known people who are supporting our agony uncle, Dan Savage's 'It Gets Better Project'
A few weeks back, Dan Savage launched the It Gets Better Project, a YouTube channel devoted to telling gay teens that hope isn’t misplace – life does get better once you leave school. It’s an adjunct to the Trevor Project, a US organisation that runs 24 hour helplines for suicidal gay teens.
Thousands of people have contributed videos already. And so should you. If you’re not gay, videos of support from breeders are welcome too. But a note from Dan: “It would be great to see more videos that give gay young people a picture of the lives they could make for themselves if they just hang in there. I realise that sometimes it’s hard to talk about the good in our lives, the things that make us happy, because it feels braggy and jinxy. And knowing that not everyone finds happiness in the same things can make us self-conscious. But lgbt kids who don’t know any lgbt adults need to see—with their own eyes—that gay adults lead happy and rewarding lives. So if you decide to make a video—and I hope that you do—don’t just share your pain. Share your joy. Give ’em hope. Save a life. www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject
Some people that you may have heard of have already made videos of support: Anne Hathaway, Ellen DeGeneres, Sarah Silverman, and Daniel Radcliffe. Here’s a link to a whole bunch of famous people saying good things.
07 Oct 2010
Snipe's agony uncle launches the It Gets Better Project, a YouTube channel to tell gay kids that It Gets Better
I just read about a gay teenager in Indiana—Billy Lucas—who killed himself after being taunted by his classmates. Now his Facebook memorial page is being defaced by people posting homophobic comments. It’s just heartbreaking and sickening. What the hell can we do?
Gay Bullying Victim Who Survived
Another gay teenager in another small town has killed himself—hope you’re pleased with yourselves, Tony Perkins and all the other “Christians” out there who oppose anti-bullying programs (and give actual Christians a bad name).
Billy Lucas was just 15 when he hanged himself in a barn on his grandmother’s property. He reportedly endured intense bullying at the hands of his classmates—classmates who called him a fag and told him to kill himself. His mother found his body.
Nine out of 10 gay teenagers experience bullying and harassment at school, and gay teens are four times likelier to attempt suicide. Many LGBT kids who do kill themselves live in rural areas, exurbs, and suburban areas, places with no gay organizations or services for queer kids.
“My heart breaks for the pain and torment you went through, Billy Lucas,” a reader wrote after I posted about Billy Lucas to my blog. “I wish I could have told you that things get better.”
I had the same reaction: I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.
But gay adults aren’t allowed to talk to these kids. Schools and churches don’t bring us in to talk to teenagers who are being bullied. Many of these kids have homophobic parents who believe that they can prevent their gay children from growing up to be gay—or from ever coming out—by depriving them of information, resources, and positive role models.
Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don’t have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids.
So here’s what you can do, GBVWS: Make a video. Tell them it gets better.
I’ve launched a channel on YouTube — www .youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject —to host these videos. My normally camera-shy husband and I already posted one. We both went to Christian schools and we were both bullied—he had it a lot worse than I did—and we are living proof that it gets better. We don’t dwell too much on the past. Instead, we talk mostly about all the meaningful things in our lives now—our families, our friends (gay and straight), the places we’ve gone and things we’ve experienced—that we would’ve missed out on if we’d killed ourselves then.
“You gotta give ‘em hope,” Harvey Milk said.
Today we have the power to give these kids hope. We have the tools to reach out to them and tell our stories and let them know that it does get better. Online support groups are great, GLSEN does amazing work, the Trevor Project is invaluable. But many LGBT youth can’t picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can’t imagine a future for themselves. So let’s show them what our lives are like, let’s show them what the future may hold in store for them.
The video my husband and I made is up now—all by itself. I’d like to add submissions from other gay and lesbian adults—singles and couples, with kids or without, established in careers or just starting out, urban and rural, of all races and religious backgrounds. (Go to www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject to find instructions for submitting your video.) If you’re gay or lesbian or bi or trans and you’ve ever read about a kid like Billy Lucas and thought, “Fuck, I wish I could’ve told him that it gets better,” this is your chance. We can’t help Billy, but there are lots of other Billys out there—other despairing LGBT kids who are being bullied and harassed, kids who don’t think they have a future—and we can help them.
They need to know that it gets better. Submit a video. Give them hope.
30 Sep 2010
24 Sep 2010
Finally, a charity video for Chris Moyles to help him out through his crisis
You may have heard that the £600,000 per year Radio 1 DJ spent the first half hour of his show Wednesday whinging that he had not received his paycheque from the BBC since July – and asked his audience why he should even bother coming into work.
He’s right. And we’re glad to help raise money and awareness.
24 Sep 2010
Watch: Applicants
An ace Applicants video that somehow slipped under the radar, directed by Mike Prior.
24 Sep 2010
21 Sep 2010
Gabby Young
Here’s a fun bit of showtune-y nonsense form the extremely colourful Gabby Young. The video may or may not be inspired by the Nightmare Before Christmas Oogie-Boogie Man sequence, but she seems to be getting plenty of grown-up press with her slightly sexy clowning nonetheless. Maybe in the wake of people like Dresden Dolls and Paloma Faith, there’s room for pop stars to be a touch more flamboyant than the usual anodyne press-trained borecore rubbish. One can but hope.
16 Sep 2010
Mice Parade
The amazing Mice Parade are back with this ace video. The new album, ‘What It Means To Be Left-Handed’, comes out via Fat Cat on September 27th, and they hit the UK for a handful of dates in mid-October.
16 Sep 2010
Snipe Highlights
Some popular articles from past years
- The best church names in London, and where they come from
- Summer Camp: Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days
- Diary of the shy Londoner
- Punk brewery just as sexist and homophobic as the industry they rail against
- The five best places in London to have an epiphany
- An interview with Desiree Akhavan
- Could red kites be London's next big nature success story?
- Peter Bayley has worked for 50 years as a cinema projectionist in East Finchley
- Only 16 commuters touch in to Emirates Air Line, figures reveal
- Number of people using Thames cable car plunges
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