Protest Pictures

Finally, I got a good shot of my favourite sign. In the background, you can see that St-Denis, normally a very busy thoroughfare, has been cleared. Also, some great costumes from tonight’s protest, AND a May 1st flashback for the Tax Dodgers at the NYC May Day demonstration. They also sang, but I didn’t record.

Two New Texts avec Backstory + New Rhythm for Villeray

Two new texts on the casseroles appear today:

1. Quebec’s #casseroles: on participation, percussion and protest. This was the piece that got me started writing about all this stuff — as in, “I have to write something and this has such an obvious sonic angle.” I emailed Jennifer Stoever-Ackerman, as I’d admired the Sound Studies Blog from a distance for some time (and if you’re interested in sound studies, I strongly recommend following it and/or contributing). It struck me as the perfect venue because of its combination of topic and temporality, and also because they already have a thread on sound and protest–see here and here. Jenny expressed interest, and I got to work. I read everything I could on rough music and charivari. I emailed a bunch of friends for background. I consulted with my friend Nick Dew, who does early modern French history. He put me in touch with Natalie Zemon-Davis, who I originally intended just to interview for the piece. But in talking we realized that we could do an op-ed. So that’s how that happened. This is the longer consideration I’d originally intended to produce, made better by Jenny’s editing and the beautiful layout. She also deserves a ton of credit for going out and finding someone to translate the piece so it would appear in English and French at the same time. Really forward-thinking and cool. I’ll be participating again in the Sound Studies Blog as a commenter shortly, and I hope to find other ways to be involved going forward.

2. Bodies-Streets. You should read the whole issue: Out of the Mouths of ‘Casseroles’: textes qui bougent au rhythme du carré rouge. Last week, Kim Sawchuk, Owen Chapman and Jeremy Stolow emailed a bunch of people to put together a “lightning quick” publication on the strike and protests. I’d have to say for academic productions, this is probably the fastest I’ve even been involved with apart from blogging, and the result is also beautiful.

There’s always more to say about the protests, but I think now it’s time for me to be quiet on the subject and move on to some other writing (colour television history, the intersection of cultural studies, media studies and technology studies, and the mobility of music are on deck before I get to Europe later this month–oh yes, and syllabi).

In this space I’ll continue shorter comments on Quebec happenings, and maybe some stuff on music and/or MUTEK as well.

Last night’s protest was a little smaller, but we were still big enough to take the intersection. Exhausted from other stuff, I didn’t join the march, but the rhythm in this video was what we were playing. It was great to come out and be part of a new groove.

Amateur and Professional Music Night

Last night we attended our neighbourhood casseroles protest at 8, but had to get down to Metropolis for the MUTEK show by 10. So we only marched a few blocks. 75% of the satisfaction but 25% of the exercise. We’ll miss the protests tonight and tomorrow but I gather they will be happening for a long time with Charest walking out of talks with the students after offering them a $1 reduction over the original proposed fees. That’s right. The government dropped their offer $1.

The protest was in great form as usual (see below). As to the show, I realized that most of the laptop performances are things I see at conferences without Carrie. So it was interesting for us both to go and talk about live electronic music, especially after les breastfeeders put on one of the best lives rock shows I’ve seen in a long time Monday night. More on that when we’re done going to shows for the festival. Last night was Shackleton, Monolake (who has a thing or two to say about live performance with electronics and who stole the show) and Jeff Mills. I am delighted to hear some of my favourite electronic acts live, and also to discover some new ones (Robin Fox laser show? HIGHLY recommended.)

Short version:

Long version:

Also, my favourite sign so far–I haven’t seen a good picture of it yet:

Villeray Désobéit

In Today’s Globe and Mail!

Natalie Zemon Davis and I have an op-ed in today’s Globe and Mail giving some historical context to the casseroles protests.

While the Anglophone press continues to talk about disorder and how they are wrecking everything (summer festivals, school recruitment–though people actually involved in both seem considerably less worried than the journalists covering them), I think they miss the central point of the protests, which are heavily communal and precisely about order and reparation.

So, we tried to put another perspective out there.

Also, it was amazing to work with Natalie on the project, which began when I interviewed her for another piece I’m doing, to appear next week.

One of the best parts of casseroling happens near the beginning

Most nights when we arrive at St-Denis and Jarry, if it’s close to 8pm, people are marching back and forth in crosswalks, with the light. This goes on for some time as the crowd builds up. And then, in a manner I can’t quite fathom, we take the intersection. People just walk right in and shut down traffic. It doesn’t seem overly planned or managed. It just..kind of..happens. Very simple, very profound.

Then the police do what they can to steer traffic away until the march begins down St-Denis toward the Petit Patrie. The march is great too, of course, but in a different way, depending on the night. The first night we marched in the neighbourhood it was a surprise. Now it’s more of, well, a delight.

Last night’s march was, of course, smaller because of the rain. And rather than heading south the whole way, it turned in the Petit Patrie and went into Little Italy. When we broke off it was headed for Park Ex.

I know this is getting predictable, but

Here’s last night’s casseroles protest in our neighbourhood. We walked down to Beaubien last night and ran into a bunch of friends. I guess “Villeray désobéis” is the place to be.

My attendance this week will be a little spotty–there’s a lot of music stuff going on with MUTEK right around 8pm, but perhaps I will catch some of it downtown.