SKINNY MAG WENDY 13 INTERVIEW

1. HOW HAS THE MUSIC SCENE CHANGED SINCE THE CLOSURE OF THE COBALT?

TOTALLY BLEAK.....ALL LIKEMINDED SHOWS ARE NOW MOVED TO OTHER VENUES WITH INADEQUATE SOUND CAPABILITIES....GAWD I MISS JOHNS SOUNDSYSTEM...WE’RE HOMELESS….NOTHING FEELS THE SAME…VERY DISJOINTED

2. I REALIZE THAT MOST OF YOUR GIGS HAVE BEEN AT THE ASTORIA (THE ASBALT) WHICH IS ALSO SAHOTA RUN, AND ALSO YOUR DAUGHTER WORKS THERE, HOW IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SAHOTAS AFTER CALLING HIM A SLUMLORD?

I AM SORRY THAT I EVER CALLED SAHOTA A SLUMLORD - IT WASN'T WORTH IT AND WHO'D HAVE THOUGHT HE WOULD TAKE ME CALLING HIM THAT SO HARD....ITS NOT LIKE I COINED THE TERM...BUT JEAPORDIZING A PLACE FOR PUNK, METAL AND HARDCORE TO HAPPEN ISN'T WORTH PETTY NAME CALLING. IF I COULD TAKE IT BACK FROM SAHOTA I WOULD AS I AM SORRY ….I FELT ANGRY AND NEGLECTED AT THAT POINT IN TIME. DESPITE EVERYTHING, OUR SCENE DID HAVE THE COBALT FOR 10 YEARS AND HE ALLOWED THAT TO HAPPEN SO FOR THAT I AM QUITE THANKFUL, AND I AM HOPING TO FIND ANOTHER HOME FOR HARDCORE MUSIC SOON. WHAT BUGS ME ABOUT THIS WHOLE SITUATION IS THAT IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE HE RECOGNIZES THE WORK I PUT INTO PROTECTING HIS ASSETS….I ESTABLISHED A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY AND POLICE FOR RUNNING A TIGHT CLEAN SHIP….HELPED HIS VENUES TURN AROUND WITH OUR PRESENSE…DID THE GRUNT WORK TO CLEAN OUT THE DRUG INFESTATIONS PRESENT IN TWO OF HIS BARS AND FOR THAT IT SEEMS LIKE HE JUST SOLD ME OUT FOR YUPPIE MONEY….ITS LIKE I DON’T HAVE A RIGHT TO FEEL HURT AND BETRAYED ABOUT THAT….I WAS DEDICATED…TO THE COBALT AND THE ASTORIA….AND THOSE VENUES…HIS VENUES ARE THE BETTER FOR IT…. THANX TO THE UNDERGROUND LIVE MUSIC SCENE AND THE HARD WORK WE PUT IN TO CHANGE THE VIBE THEREIN….

3. THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TALK BY THE CITY AND MEETINGS ABOUT WHAT MAKES THIS A NO FUN CITY, DO YOU THINK THAT THE CITY WILL ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT THE CHANGES TO ALLOW MORE EVENTS AND VENUES TO HAPPEN AND PEOPLE TO HAVE A GOOD TIME?

LETS HOPE SO...I LOVE THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE BROUGHT BACK THE ALL AGES/19+ VENUE MODEL IN THE FORM OF THE RICKSHAW....ITS GOOD FOR PROMOTERS AS THE TURNOUTS FOR BIGGER SHOWS ARE POSSIBLE...AND IT ENCOURAGES BIGGER NAMED ACTS COMING TO VANCOUVER IF EXORBITANT GUARANTEES CAN BE REALIZED

4. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF YOU WITH YOUR LONG RECORD OF RUNNIING 10 YEARS OF A SUCCESSFUL PUNK BAR, CONVERTING A WAREHOUSE AND OBTAINING A LIQUOR LICENSE.....

.AFTER THESE HOITY TOITY CULTURALLY WHITEWASHED OLYMPICS ARE OVER…GOOD I HOPE…IVE RESIGNED MYSELF TO THE FACT THERE WILL BE NO ORGANIZED ‘BALT’ ACTION TIL AFTER THEY ARE OVER….

5. THE RICKSHAW WAS A MOVIE THEATER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO THEN WAS CHANGED INTO A VENUE AND A LIQUOR LICENCE WAS OBTAINED BY DAVID DUPREY. WHAT CHANGES DO YOU SEE IN THAT VENUE SINCE IT OPENED LAST YEAR.

WELL FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND DAVID HAS SWITCHED HIS BUSINESS MODEL TO ONLY MAINLY CATER TO THE CORPORATE BOOKING AGENCIES LIKE LIVE NATION AND SWAK....THIS SUCKS FOR LOCAL MUSIC AS THE ROOM RENTAL RATE HAS BECOME OUT OF REACH FOR LOCAL MUSIC UNLESS BANDS ESSENTIALLY PLAY FOR FREE AND FORWARD ALL DOOR PROCEEDS DIRECTLY TO THE RICKSHAW ...I CAN ONLY ASSUME SMALLER SHOWS ARE NOT FINANCIALLY VIABLE BECAUSE OF THE VENUES SIZE… BRIAN AND MALICE ARE UNDERSTANDABLY DEVASTATED AS THEY ARE A PART OF US LITTLE 'LOCAL' SUPPORTERS....DAVID HAS BROUGHT IN A NEW PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR TO OVERSEE THESE CHANGES....SO YEAH GREAT...YET ANOTHER BLOW TO THE LOCAL UNDERGROUND SCENE AND ANOTHER UNACCESSIBLE VENUE

6. WHAT WOULD BE THE DREAM SITUATION FOR YOU IN THIS CITY AND OPERATING A VENUE....

.I JUST WANT MY BABY BACK...OR A REASONABLE FACSIMILE....AND SO DO HUNDREDS OF TRUE HARDCORE UNDERGROUND LIVE MUSIC FANS....WE’RE ADRIFT IN A SEA OF SHITTY YUPPIE HIPSTER DJ DANCEBARS....

7. SINCE THE CLOSURE OF VANCOUVER'S HARDCORE BAR, HAVE YOU HEARD WHAT IT IS GOING TO BE AND HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?

PRETTY BITTER… I HATE THAT THE COBALT IS NOW YET ANOTHER YUPPSTER DJ DANCE BAR....HOW MANY OF THESE FUCKING BARS DO WE NEED FOR THESE SHEEPLE...

IF THOSE PEOPLE THAT TOOK IT OVER HAD AN OUNCE OF RESPECT FOR HARDWORKING UNDERGROUND MUSICIANS OR THE FACT THAT WE POURED 10 YEARS TO TURN THAT BAR FROM A DRUG INFESTED SEX WORKER CRACKHEAD PARADISE TO AN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED LIVE MUSIC VENUE WITH WICKED SOUND.....YOUD THINK THEY WOULD HAVE NEVER COLLABORATED WITH THE LANDLORDS TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM US...PRETTY SHITTY MANEUVER ….ALL FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY AND DEEP POCKETS....SWELL..

..WE WERE TRULY A D.I.Y. OUTFIT AT THE COBALT....WE BUILT THAT PLACE WITH RECYCLED MATERIALS...THE VOLUNTEER ARMY AND OUR BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS.....EVERY PERSON THAT EVER VOLUNTEERED.. PLAYED THERE …OR WORKED THERE… LOVED IT WITH THEIR WHOLE BEINGS...IT WAS THE PUNKROCK 'CHEERS'....IT WAS A PLACE YOU COULD GO BY YOURSELF IF YOU HAD A SHIT DAY AND YOU WOULD RUN INTO A FRIEND OR MAKE A NEW ONE AS WE WERE ALL LIKEMINDED...DOWN TO EARTH AND SHARED A PASSION FOR HEAVY MUSIC.....IT WAS JUST SUCH A CHILL PLACE….NO PRETENSE…NO ELITISM….NO STEROID MONKEY SECURITY PEEPS….REASONABLE BOOZE PRICES….GREAT SOUND…HEAVY BANDS…COOL STAFF….AND MOST OF ALL A SAFE PLACE TO BE….

WHEN A BUNCH OF NEW BYLAWS CAME IN WITH METAL DETECTORS AS A REQUIREMENT I JUST LAUGHED…..EVEN THE HARDCORE TRAIN RIDING PUNKS CHECKED THEIR KNIVES AT THE DOOR…THERE WAS A STANDARD AND IT WAS RESPECT….THATS JUST THE WAY IT WAS….WE WERE D.I.Y. AND EVERYONE THAT FREQUENTED THERE KNEW THERE WAS NO FUCKING AROUND TO JEAPORDIZE OUR ‘HOME’….IT WAS A HOME AND NOW WE ARE JUST REFUGEES ADRIFT IN A SEA OF CANNED MUSIC..

WHAT REALLY PISSED ME OFF THIS WEEK IS THAT ONE OF THE COBALT VOLUNTEER ARMY GENERALS GEOFF LLOYD PASSED AWAY AND IRONICALLY WE WERE COBALTLESS FOR A PLACE TO GATHER FOR GRIEVING WHILE THEY WERE HAVING A YUPPIE HIPSTER DJ DANCE PARTY AT OUR BELOVED COBES ….R.I.P. GEOFF…XOXO…THANKFULLY KIM FROM THE ASTORIA STEPPED UP AND OFFERED US THE VENUE FOR A MEMORIAL SUN FEB 7TH SO WE COULD ALL GET TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE GEOFFS LIFE IN A SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR ATMOSPHERE….SMALL MERCIES..

…I WOULD DARE THEM TO FIND A BAR TO TURN AROUND LIKE THE COBALT WAS 10 YEARS AGO…I DON’T THINK THAT THE ‘FAUXBALT’ PEOPLE WOULD HAVE THE GRIT TO HANDLE EVERYTHING THAT CAME WITH THAT UNDERTAKING…OPPORTUNISTS IS BASICALLY WHAT THEY ARE....HOW WOULD ANYONE FEEL AFTER PUTTING 10 YEARS HARD TIME INTO SOMETHING YOU LOVED JUST TO BE CAST ASIDE FOR MONEY….PRETTY SHITTY IF THOSE CHUCKS WERE YOURS IM SURE….MONEY CANT BUY YOU LOVE…

R.I.P MY BELOVED COBALT…VANCOUVERS HARDCORE BAR….*SNIFF*
wendythirteen
NO BOLLOCKS EVENTS
VANCOUVER BC CANADA Posted: Feb 23, 2010