A detail from the Ready Records label for Demics’ Talk’s Cheap . . . courtesy of whatwave dave

A recent My London column about great London 45s wondered aloud if Demics’ New York City was truly a 45? As you can see here, it was on a 33.333333 RPM EP . . . but was it on a 45, My London asked.

Whatwave Dave (or is that What Wave Dave) had the answer(s) produced here with gratitude. Thanks for all this, Dave . . . but before we get to your contribution, a quick London #punk #rawk quiz … what was the spoof name for Demics on the old NFG record? The usual prizes for the first right answer . . . .

Over to Dave for the deets:

A self-portrait by Alan Dayton, master of the portrait & great Londoner

The family of Alan Dayton, the late London painter, invites friends to join them on Sunday afternoon. Details follow — pls. let others who knew & love Alan & his work know about Sunday’s informal memorial gathering.

Dear friends of Alan Dayton & family,

We are all deeply saddened by the recent death of our Dad (Alan) on Monday May 13th. We would like to invite you to share in his memory this Sunday at an informal memorial gathering. It will be held Sunday May 19th (4pm – 7pm) in the building where Alan & Philippa lived:

549 Ridout St. N
Common Room, main floor

Friends & family were so special and important to Dad and we would love to share some time with all of you who can attend.

With warm regards,

Paul, Daniel, Jeanette, Sara,
Philippa and Sue.

John Boyle, Midnight oil: ode to Tom Thomson (detail), 1969
Oil on wood, 243.7 x 248.7 x 83.8 cm
London Regional Art Gallery
General purchase fund . . . image courtesy of  landscapes.indigenousknowledge.org

Now, here is a Phantastica-L place where JBNBlog can shop till he drops … snazzy ties, cameras, oddities & curiosities  … yes, it’s Phantastica billed with truth as “London’s oddity curiosity shop” newly arrived at 232 Dundas St. Yay.

Among the gems apparent on a visit this week were London art postcards — like the John Boyle seen here, a Jack Chambers & (I think) John O’Henly’s Snow Fence (from 1963) — which have travelled up Dundas St. since Museum London closed its gift shop just in time for the world figure skating championships. The postcards are $1 & beauties.

Meanwhile, a flurry of other postcards celebrate the raunchy cover art of the so-called adult novel of say 50 or 60 years ago . . . not an expert in the field, JBNBlog still blushed for a moment to see a postcard drawn from Ted Mark’s  no doubt raunchy spy & sex spoof  I Was A Teenybopper For The CIA. Can’t say for sure but the book itself might have been a read of mine back in the day . . .  if so, maybe the copy was lined with gold. Online prices for the Mark non-masterpiece  seem to range from $7 to $117 (that might be a hallucination).

Meanwhile, hie ye to Phantastica & be amazed.

Michelle Latimer
The 32nd Annual Genie Awards Arrival at the Westin Harbour Castle.
Toronto, Canada – 08.03.12

Mandatory Credit:Dominic Chan/ WENN.com

Museum London has it going on this summer — here are the details of its summer music & film series. Some of the films have music themes so maybe that’s where the music is coming from.

JBNBlog is delighted to learn director/actor/creative force Michelle Latimer who will be here on July 18 with her hip-hop documentary ALIAS. Latimer is originally from Thunder Bay — Port Arthur? Fort William? — and her credits include Mary’s Wedding at the Grand (it may be another theatre spelled Grande).  Either way, her visit should be one of the summer peaks & here are the lineup’s details via Museum London.

Summer Music and Film Series

Thursdays, 7:00 pm

Cost: $10 per person

In keeping with London’s summer festivals, Museum London is on board with music and entertainment! We are highlighting a few current women filmmakers in conjunction with our summer exhibition theme, while sharing the latest in entertainment and music. It’s a great way to enjoy summer evenings in a cool theatre with a hot new projector!

July 11
Indie Game: The Movie, Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky,Canada, 2012, 96 min, NR

Indie Game: The Movie is the first feature documentary film about making video games. It accompanies four developers and three games, all with the same goal: to express oneself through a video game. Learn about designer Edmund McMillen and programmer Tommy Refenes who await the release of their first major game for Xbox, Super Meat Boy. Meet developer Phil Fish who unveils his highly anticipated FEZ at PAX, a major video-game expo. Meanwhile, Jonathan Blow considers beginning a new game after creating Braid, one of the highest-rated games of all time. (Best Editing Award in World Documentary Cinema, Sundance Festival)

July 18
ALIAS, Michelle Latimer,Canada, 2013, 67 min, 14A

Third Thursday welcomes director Michelle Latimer and Toronto rappers from the film ALIAS. The documentary follows aspiring rappers trying to escape the gangster life. In recent years, controversy surrounding rap music has been at the forefront of North American media: political and media groups have been quick to place blame on rap for a seeming trend in youth violence. However, just as rap music is vilified, there is no denying that it has become the main form of expression signifying the voice of a growing Canadian underclass. After the film, join us in the Community Gallery for musical performances by the featured rappers, with bar, snacks, and art-making stations open to all.

August 22
Hit’n Strum, Kirk Caouette, 2012,Canada, 91 min, PG

Worlds collide when Stephanie takes a wrong turn and runs down Mike, a scruffy homeless street busker in Vancouver’s gritty Downtown Eastside. As Mike gets to his feet, Stephanie panics and drives away, leaving the scene and her conscience behind her. The next day while walking to work she is shocked to see Mike playing guitar and busking in front of her office building. Stephanie soon realizes that Mike has been playing there every day, and she has never once taken the time to look down and notice him. For the first time ever she is forced to stop and listen, and in his music she makes a beautiful discovery a discovery and a friendship that may forever change both their lives.

August 29
Wavemakers, Caroline Martel,Canada, 2012, 97 min, French with English subtitles, NR

This feature-length documentary tracks an ensemble of fascinating characters in their quest to re-invent and revive a sophisticated early electronic music instrument that is anything but obsolete: the Ondes Martenot. We follow their pursuit of this inspiring but mysterious device that everyone has heard, but has actually rarely heard of, even though it was celebrated as the musical invention of the twentieth century. Shot in Canada,France, the UK, the US and Japan, Wavemakers features reckless engineers, rock stars (such as Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood), repairmen and Martenot legend storytellers. As if the fifty years Maurice Martenot (1898-1980) spent perfecting his invention were not enough, we see them pursue his fantasty — if a little cursed– legacy.

Space Oddity montage with Chris Hadfield afloat, David Bowie 45 & more … courtesy of davidbowie.com

As two of almost 13 million to view Chris Hadfield’s Space Oddity on YouTube, we only say wow . . . what a great idea, beautifully & movingly executed — go Emm Gryner at the 88s . . . our household conclusion is Chris Hadfield sweetly adjusted the lyrics to make “put your Soyuz helmet on” . . . on a day, when it’s not easy to be one, Space Oddity & Chris Hadfield (& Emm) make JBNBlog one proud Canadian.

As for being proud about #ldnont . . . couldn’t be prouder to have Orchestra London in our city. At this week’s Sense-sational music gala, Joseph Lanza, director, violin; guest artist Sonja Gustafson, soprano; and the Orchestra London gala string quartet — Kelvin Enns, viola, guitar; Jeremy Hake, cello; and Emilie Pare and Lanza, violins (was it Emilie …. should have checked) — played everything from Puccini to Nat King Cole to Mozart to Besame Mucho exquisitely.

Before the dinner (also excellent, compliments to chef Kent Phillips) Natalie Pratt, soprano, and Stephen Holowitz, piano, serenaded us with Handel & more . . . & at one point, a fine #lndont gentleman spoke truth by shouting at us to shaddup. Or words to that effect. And so we did. Hooray.

That is all.