Picture, thousand words, etc.

Last night at the Heritage Dinner, a couple federal Liberals gently took me to task, insisting that Bob Rae isn’t running for the permanent leader’s post – contrary to his solemn promise, and contrary to the rules of fairness (ie. using the resources of the leader’s office, and the LPC, to promote his leadership run).

Uh-huh, said I. Gotcha. Seen the billboards all over Toronto-Danforth, perchance?


He’s not running for anything. Nope. Whatever gave you that idea?


The Hot Nasties hit the big time!

So I get this email, name of sender redacted:

Mr. Kinsella,

Hello –

I am mailing you on behalf of the Audio-Visual Acquisitions section of Library and Archives Canada (formerly the National Library of Canada). We would very much like to have copies of both available Social Blemish Records releases (the SFH LP and Hot Nasties CD) for the national collection. Under the regulation of Legal Deposit, all publishers of publicly distributed or commercially sold Canadian-content books, sound and video-recordings and other media in Canada must submit copies to Library and Archives Canada. Once the recording is at the Library, it will be catalogued and preserved for future generations, and you will receive a receipt for your submission.

If possible, please e-mail me a mailing address (postal mail) for yourself or the label so that we may send you some information regarding the acquisitions process.

Thank you very much,
XXXXXX
Dépôt légal – Audio-visuel | Legal Deposit – Audio-Visual
Bibliothèque et Archives Canada | Library and Archives Canada

One of my fellow lunatics in SFH must be pulling a prank, right? So I write this back:

From: Warren Kinsella [mailto:wkinsella@hotmail.com]
Sent: March-21-12 10:01 AM
To: XXXXX
Subject: RE: Acquiring Social Blemish Records releases for Library and Archives Canada

XXXX, seriously? You’re not pulling my leg, are you?

So he writes back:

Hi Warren,

No, I am not pulling your leg – although it’s not the first time I have been asked that! Library and Archives Canada collects all types of published (and unpublished material), with Canadian music being a big part of it. Legal deposit is the means by which we ensure that we are able to collect and preserve material published in Canada, and it has applied to sound recordings since 1969. You might be interested to know that we have a copy of the original Hot Nasties EP on 7” already in the collection.

I would be pleased to answer any other questions you might have, although you can also find out a little more about legal deposit and Library and Archives Canada as a whole on our website here: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/legal-deposit/index-e.html

Thanks,
XXXXXXX
Dépôt légal – Audio-visuel | Legal Deposit – Audio-Visual
Bibliothèque et Archives Canada | Library and Archives Canada

Isn’t that a hoot? Snarly, nasty punk rock in the National Archives of Canada. That seems a bit odd to me, but what do I know.

Anyway, all of this Hot Nasties interest – 32 years after the fact – has reminded me that the good folks at Ugly Pop are re-issuing the Hot Nasties EP sometime soon. You can read all about it here.

And, if you want to experience how truly god-like we were, you can listen right here.  More than 14,000 listeners can’t be all wrong! (Well, actually, maybe they can be.)

I grow old, I grow old, etc.

 


The view on Crestview

…who, funnily enough, are in the news again.  How interesting:

The political worlds of Parliament Hill and Queen’s Park are abuzz — and a-Twitter — with what some long-time Conservatives consider a shocking betrayal of Conservative ideals in general and of provincial PC leader Tim Hudak specifically.

Crestview, the lobbying firm founded by Hudak’s campaign manager, Mark Spiro, has been hired by large labour organizations to lobby the federal Conservative government about legislation that would hobble their ability to fund political campaigns such as Working Families, that devastated Hudak’s political ambitions in the last election.

Quite a change from this, just a few months ago:

Tory campaign manager Mark Spiro told the Niagara paper that Working Families is “an external, we believe illegal, Liberal front group.”

“It has one purpose only, and that is to stop Tim Hudak from being premier of Ontario,” said Spiro.

Apropos of nothing, I am suddenly reminded of this.

You’re welcome.