EzraWinton.com | Media arts and politics

(sorry there’s no image, it’s a technical problem) It’s official. I cannot live without the weekly CBC Radio 3 Podcast with Grant Lawrence. OK, I admit it, I’m addicted - come and arrest me for a propensity to CanCon (Canadian Content)!!!

I just listened to the podcast for the week of Jan 23 and I instantly rushed from the metro station (after a 4 hour bus ride through a snow storm coming from Ottawa) and BOUGHT - YES BOUGHT - three albums on iTunes. For those who don’t know, CBC Radio 3 showcases independent Canadian music artists, and does so with an eye for detail of this sprawling chunk of geography that puts Canada Census to shame.

I have certain friends out there who have taken a bit of a ridiculous stance AGAINST supporting music artists and vow to never buy music again as long as it continues to be available for free for download on the internet. These people—these friends of mine—are in fact not only giving the internet a bad name, but they are positioning themselves as against the arts. Enjoying the arts requires more than consumption - it requires support. Yes, we all download, and I have my own policy (if they’re disgustingly rich, they don’t get my money). But independent Canadian musicians? They need us shelling out the odd ten bucks on line for their tunes.

So my friends, the albums I bought tonight and am fully enjoying (except for the last one, because I only heard one track as it is on pre-order), are:

Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue (pictured)
Royal Wood - A Good Enough Day
Jenn Grant - Echoes

Check ‘em out. If you’re CanCon-curious, check out CBC 3. Or how about this: if you like music, good music that hasn’t been sucked into the big-label corporate void, check out CBC 3.

Eat your wheaties, they’re good for your ears and your soul.

Svetla and I have been diligently scrubbing and sorting out our newly-floored flat for the past four days, with some last-minute Cinema Politica schedule and finance stuff. While we’ve been keeping uber-busy, we have been listening to the ten volume set that Svetla has called Hotel Costes, as well as the FABULOUS line-up playing at radiodavidbyrne.com. You can listen directly from the site or through iTunes, and it is sure to get your feet moving and remind you that summer is still happening. The all-African set is astounding and reinforces my longheld opinion of Talking Heads frontman David Byrne: he not only makes incredible music, he has great taste in music too. Among the tracks on the current playlist is “” from the soundtrack to the excellent documentary, We Are Together, about an orphan’s quire in South Africa (pictured above).

I saw this amazing advert recently (or more correctly, PSA - Public Service Announcement) by Duval Guillaume, commissioned by Medicins sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders). It’s called “Human Ball” with the tagline, “Don’t let AIDS gain more ground.” It is a simple concept, with fairly straightforward computer animation, but the lasting effect is superbly moving: what affects one of us, ultimately affects many of us. The video was produced for their campaign against AIDS. Thanks to Alternative Channel for the embedding code and for housing the ACT (Advertising Community Together) project, which has as its goal:

“…to federate, inspire and promote great work in advertising and communication, in favor of social responsibility and sustainable development, and to show how advertising plays a significant role in raising awareness in today’s crucial world issues.” (quote taken from the ACT page at Alternative Channel)

The campaign from AdForum is from 2006, but is news to me - I guess I should pay a little more attention to those seeking my attention…

For all of you reading this in parts of Canada that isn’t experiencing snow - take a look at the view from my apartment this morning and remember how good you have it!! It’s snowing for god’s sake it’s snowing!!!! I want spring, please someone deliver spring to Montreal!

To keep me sane while I’m blogging away and writing papers, I’ve been tapping the following online podcasts for entertainment, inspiration, and bits of imagined sunshine…

+ Democracy Now! (one hour daily podcast with Amy Goodman)
+ Film School (weekly 20 minute discussion with indie filmmakers)
+ This American Life (half hour weekly free podcast)
+ CBC 3 (daily one hour podcast)
+ Guardian Roundup (weekly roundup podcast of Guardian news)