Meeting Billy Talent/La Movida

This past week went better than planned I can say. First on the menu was my formal interview with Billy Talent for Sharlotte's magazine. Greg, Sharlotte, and I arrived at a hotel downtown (name undisclosed because of legal issues) and proceeded to their suite. We spent about twenty minutes setting up the three cameras and planning shots while the guys were on their way. While we waited for them to show, we talked with another interviewer who was strangely scheduled in the same time slot we were...foolish publicists! So this guy, from Spinner magazine, conversed with us for a short while and it seemed we were all defending our employers and arguing about who the better magazine was. Clearly Spinner topped Vervegirl (which I don't even read, I just enjoy interviewing celebs and editing their videos) even though Vervegirl has been around 1986. Why the hell would I read a magazine for teenage girls anyway. So Ian and John from Billy Talent finally arrive and Greg and I just freeze in our spot feeling awkward. If we could talk to each other telepathically we'd be like, Dude we're in the same room as two guys from Billy Talent...I know man that's insane what do we say!? We introduced ourselves to them and told them to have a seat...in their own hotel suite lol. The loser from Spinner magazine left and we spent about five minutes prepping the cameras and audio testing while Sharlotte sat next to them practicising her questions. It was super-awkward because Ian and John were staring at us hard because we were carrying amateur equipment and I felt as if though they thought this interview was a joke for some high school newsletter. The interview went off very professionally though. Audio was great, they answered the questions in-depth, got three amazing camera angles and it was satisfactorily lengthy. The five of us got to know each other well after the interview, turns out they'd been to a lot of places we'd been to in Scarborough and Mississauga, they even show their Nothing to Lose video at Central Tech, where Greg went to High School. These guys were terrific guys.

The best part was leaving the suite of these guys. We said our farewells and headed out the door and into a crowd of photographers/videographers/other miscellaneous magazine/radio crews all staring at the three of us like Who are these kids walking out of Billy Talents hotel suite with amateur equipment, and how did they get the primary time slot! Hahahaha, suckers.

Friday was the annual La Movida Dance Cruise hosted by UofT's dance club. Of course my acquintance Denny is the President of the dance club at UofT and teaches hip hop classes in between the pursuit of a psychology degree. I used to run around with that b-boy before we could afford dollar-priced snowcones from ice-cream trucks, now we're balling! I also collaborated with him on dance videos. You dance, I'll record. Like Sharlotte, I worked with Denny behind the camera. Fucker broke the tripod I lent him though, you still owe me a tripod Denny, I hope you're reading this!
There's the culprit in the black on the left.


The cruise went well. I spent a ton of time on the upper deck taking photos of the beautiful scenery. The velocity of the boat hosted chilled blankets of water-based updrafts, which felt nice but then forced everyone into the lower decks, inside the boat. People met people and the whole time I held onto my camera tight. I'm never losing you, I told it. A couple of my boys managed to find some women...that's all I'll say haha.

If you haven't been on a boat cruise, try it sometime. It's fantastic, this one was particularly eventful. Dance shows, free dance lessons, great Canadian landmark scenery, planes flying right overhead the boat, cool breezes. Make sure you go with friends, or a lover. Otherwise you'll be bored to death. Unfortunately I couldn't bring mine, and I know she's reading this right now feeling just as unfortunate:P



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