Category Archives: Get to know a contributor

Get to know a Static contributor: Lisa Lagace

Posted on by
Reply

lisa lagace

Static’s second issue, First Times in Toronto, is out October 20th. So to celebrate, over the month, you’ll get to know the contributors of the issue through some of their first times in Toronto.

The First Times issue will be Lisa’s first time contributing to Static Zine, and she hopes her contribution will serve as a public service announcement for all girls who walk around alone in Toronto. When she isn’t writing for Zoomer Media, Shameless magazine, or her blog Turn The Record Over, she can be found at a show looking for bands worthy of writing about; hanging with her dog Mr Bojangles at Trinity Bellwoods; or in her apartment dancing to Springsteen records, tweeting a little too much and obsessively watching episodes of shows that give her anxiety (Breaking Bad, Dexter, Dateline NBC).

First time I felt like Toronto was home was when I changed all my official addresses to my Toronto address, when I moved into my own apartment without roommates. Around the same time, my parents moved out of the only house we’d ever lived in. When you visit your hometown but sleep outside the four walls you grew up in, the town turns into just another place you once lived.

First job was I think there might still be a contract out there saying I’m not allowed to name the company (kind of a shady place). Let’s just say it was online, and had to do with monitoring “dating” profiles. I did that for three years during university. It was the easiest job I’ve ever had – also, the most soul destroying. Ask me about it in person sometime.

First house was living in Vanier Res at York. If that doesn’t count, then a 3 bedroom apartment in Don Mills that was not only over an hour commute from downtown, but over an hour from my school, all the way in East North York. It was a brutal year. This is what happens when you let your friends choose the apartment without you. I immediately moved downtown after that lease was up, and haven’t looked back since. Cheap rent means nothing when you have to spend that many hours a day on different forms of TTC.

First favourite neighborhood was Little Italy for sure. When I realized it was home to Soundscapes, Sneaky Dees, The Royal and all the homemade pasta and gelato I could ever need, I made sure to move there once I escaped North York.

First concert was the Backstreet Boys at the Skydome. This was long before I lived in Toronto, but a bunch of us rented a bus to get us to the show since our parents wouldn’t drive the two hours north, paid probably $100+ each per ticket, and all we could see was five dots dancing around in the distance. Still, many tears of joy were shed.

First bar/club I went to was probably something really lame and embarrassing, like the Q107.1 club/bar, which was filled with men my dads age, and a few middle aged chain smoking women in too tight leather skirts. Despite the fun of dancing to Led Zeppelin and The Doors all night, we never went back.

First outdoor concert was SARSstock in summer 2003 at Downsview Park, right before I moved to Toronto for school. It was Sam Roberts, Kathleen Edwards, The Tea Party, The Flaming Lips, The Isley Brothers, Blue Rodeo, Justin Timberlake, The Guess Who, Rush, AC/DC, and The Rolling Stones. Highlight was the rock loving crowd throwing water bottles at Justin Timberlake, and Keith Richards coming on stage swearing at people to stop doing that. I ran over the fences like a lunatic when The Stones hit the stage, but most people thought AC/DC stole the show. It was an awesome day.

First record store: I cut out a list of the best Toronto record stores from something like NOW magazine after my first few months of living here, and spent one winter day downtown trying to visit them all. The first one was probably Sonic Boom. I got lost looking for Rotate This! that day too, gave up and sat in the Queen Street Taco Bell to warm up, not realizing how weird the numbers on Queen Street are.

First in-store was Will Oldham (Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) at Rotate This! Had to get up at something like 7am on a Saturday to get a ticket for that in-store, but it was definitely worth it.

First favorite book was The Bell Jar.

First library was York’s Library.

First celebrity sighting was TIFF 2004, Gael Garcia Bernal and Javier Bardem at The Sea Inside premiere. I was massively obsessed with Gael at the time having watched Y tu mama tambien all summer long, and I sat two rows in front of him so I could stare back at his beautiful face during the screening like a total creeper. When he stood up I realized he was the shortest man I’d ever seen.

First kiss was a very intoxicated event that turned me off the idea of making out for a long time until I kissed a guy who didn’t use the slobbery, tongue poking technique.

First heartbreak was see first in-store. I had to stop listening to Will Oldham after seeing him sing New Partner right after I had my heart ripped out.

First time I stayed up all night was probably during Frosh Week or when my first essay was due.

First time I went to the islands was for the first Broken Social Scene island concert.

First trip out of Toronto was a visit back home. Outside of that, it was Daytona Beach for spring break that first year. Yes, I did that. We all make mistakes in college. Florida is a horrible place I will never return to, but they let me into all the bars despite being obviously underage, so it was fun.

First time I got lost was when I ventured off campus to explore the city. Despite how big York is, we had good Frosh leaders to show us around so I knew where all my classes were.

If I had a last day in Toronto, I would try to visit all the places I’ve somehow never been to despite living here for so many years now.

Get to know a Static contributor: Adriana Rolston

Posted on by
Reply

adriana rolston

Static’s second issue, First Times in Toronto, is out October 20th. So to celebrate, over the month, you’ll get to know the contributors of the issue through some of their first times in Toronto.

Adriana Rolston is a first time Static writer and a returning illustrator. She is the online editor of 1234V, spending her days writing about cooches and convincing others to write about them too. She’s also trying her hand at freelancing and is a regular contributor to Shameless magazine. A long-time Toronto lover, Adriana can still be found avidly exploring the city in hopes of discovering new haunts and treasures.

First time I felt like Toronto was home was when I started shopping for groceries in Kensington Market and realized that I didn’t look nearly hipster enough. I got over it though.

First favourite neighborhood was Kensington market, back when I was a kid and my dad used to bring my sister and I to visit the big TO. It was bohemian, eclectic and covered in gorgeous graffiti. It was everything that my small, boring hometown was not. I crushed on it hard.

First house was a small basement bedroom near Sheppard and Yonge. I had a tiny window that I once sat a plant beside, but it didn’t survive. As a result I don’t take natural sunlight for granted anymore.

First concert was a free John Mayer show at Dundas square in my first year of university at Ryerson.

First bar/club I went to was called Level. We got there way too early and did some shots. It ended in the traditional way, with a 2 am Mickey D’s run.

First record store was the former Sam The Record Man beside Ryerson. I miss those glowing, flashing discs.

First favorite book was Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. Incidentally I first began reading this book on a car ride to Toronto to visit the ROM. The museum tour was kind of boring, but the book was good.

First library was when I was still a high schooler and my dad and his partner took me to visit the U of T library. My first impression was that it looked like it was straight out of a Star Wars movie. I still feel that way every time I walk by.

First celebrity sighting was Rachel McAdams, at Nuit Blanche last year. She was wearing a hat and walking near Trinity Bellwoods Park. It was probably her.

First kiss was beside Ryerson’s faux pond, Lake Devo.

First heartbreak was in Ryerson’s faux pond, Lake Devo (not really, but it sounds dramatic, in a mad Ophelia kind of way).

First time I went to the islands was with my aunt when she worked for a company that held a summer picnic there, complete with dragon boat racing. I rode the swan boats in Centreville and was more than satisfied.

First time I got lost was probably in the PATH. I used to follow young people wearing backpacks in hopes that I would make it out alive and get back to the surface.

If I had a last day in Toronto, I would gorge on sushi in Chinatown, fly a kite along the beaches, and ride across the islands on a multi-rider bike with a companion-in-mischief, spewing streamers, bubbles and profanity in our wake.

Get to know a Static contributor: Greer Brabazon

Posted on by
Reply

greer brabazon

Static’s second issue, First Times in Toronto, is out October 20th. So to celebrate, over the month, you’ll get to know the contributors of the issue through some of their first times in Toronto.

Between finishing her sociology degree and working for a brain and spinal cord injury prevention foundation, Greer Brabazon yearns for a day with no obligations, no running to-do lists and too much free time. Although she enjoys trying to save the world, she wishes she spoke fluent French and lived every Wednesday in a black and white film. In the meantime, she will read books, love dinosaurs and the muppets, write about aboriginal identity and draw for Static Zine. Her mixtape boombox is featured in both issues and she’s illustrated both of Bhairavi’s articles so far.

First time I felt like Toronto was home was when I told my parents I wanted to go home after staying with them in the house I grew up for one and a half days.

First job was a research assistantship with the most spacey professor in my department who recently asked me if I had friends to spend my 23rd birthday with.

First house was a dream I had when I was 6.. but will not resemble the apartment I had on Baldwin Avenue with a crazy Russian landlady and her Russian mafia-goon-property manager.

First favourite neighborhood was Kensington Market.

First concert was Simon and Garfunkel’s reunion tour with my parents.

First bar/club I went to was the Green Room when I was sorely underage with two of older sister’s roommates.

First outdoor concert has yet to have happened! Unless you count a band playing in someone’s backyard while 40 people guiltily shoved their faces full of homemade doughnuts.

First record store was She Said Boom on College.

First in-store was The Drums at Soundscapes.

First favorite book was The Poisonwood Bible that I cried while reading on the TTC to and from school.

First library was actually near High Park when I was in day care and lived on Runnymede when I was 3 years old.

First celebrity sighting was the Canadian actor Nicholas Campbell who I recognized from my father’s Da Vinci’s Inquest phase.

First kiss was with my incredibly sexy Quebecois ex-boyfriend who thought he was too short to play basketball.

First heartbreak was responsible, mature, and involved sticking up for myself, but it was all the stuff that came right after and in the months following that was the worst.

First New Year’s was always in another city!

First Valentine’s Day was with the aforementioned Quebecois squirt who got mad at me for buying frozen berries for my breakfast smoothies.

First time I stayed up all night was for a course in a program at a university that I hated and involved eating apples every hour on the hour to keep myself awake.

First time I went to the islands was for a friend’s birthday party where I drank her wine, ate her watermelon candies, and voluntarily tossed a football for the 4th time in my life.

First trip out of Toronto was to visit my parents for my birthday about two and a half weeks after I had moved in.

First time I got lost was in Kensington Market with a friend.

If I had a last day in Toronto, I would cry and then convince myself that I would come back.

Get to know a Static contributor: Aldrin Taroy

Posted on by
Reply

aldrin taroy

Static’s second issue, First Times in Toronto, is out October 20th. So to celebrate, over the month, you’ll get to know the contributors of the issue through some of their first times in Toronto.

Aldrin Taroy grew up in Toronto and now lives in a cozy cocoon of an apartment somewhere in the city with his partner and two cats. When he’s away from his work life, he writes for BlogTO, The Rumpus, The Varsity and also collects artists’ inspirations for his own website, The-Iceberg.com. He loves breakfast and futbol, and he always tries to live life with a “cool runnings” vibe.

First favourite neighbourhood was Palmerston Ave. or maybe Markham St. Definitely Markham St. – they gave more candy on Halloween!

First concert was Suicide Machines at Opera House. I had never heard of the band, but went with some friends and it was really fun! It was also the first time I crowd-surfed!

First record store I loved was CD Replay at the Annex. I spent a lot of my allowance and birthday money there.

First favorite book was The Outsiders.

First library was Palmerston Library. I loved their summer reading program and collecting stickers after every book I read!

First celebrity sighting was Ron Harper of the Chicago Bulls when I went to basketball camp. He told me he liked my game!

First kiss was at my first dance. All I remember is her gum.

First heartbreak was in 8th grade. It was right before summer vacation, which made getting over someone at that age a lot easier.

First time I stayed up all night was to watch a Canada VS USA hockey game. I’m not a fan of this sport, so I can’t remember when this was, but I was young. I do remember the game going to two, maybe three overtime periods, and it was the only time I was excited enough to stay up to watch a hockey game. I think Canada lost because of Brett Hull? I don’t know!

First time I got lost in Toronto was when my sister’s friend left me in the middle of Yonge St. when I was in search of a new hat. I had to find my way home alone. I think I was thirteen. Obviously, I made it ok.

If I had a last day in Toronto, I would want to etch my name on all the places in Toronto that mean a lot to me.

Get to know a Static contributor: Carmel G.

Posted on by
Reply

carmel g.

Static’s second issue, First Times in Toronto, is out October 20th. So to celebrate, over the month, you’ll get to know the contributors of the issue through some of their first times in Toronto.

Carmel G. took a trip for the first issue of Static Zine, experiencing the Brick Works for the first time and bringing us back many helpful ideas and tips. That was one of the sparks towards the second issue’s theme of first times, so for this one she recounts a purchase that was very meaningful and will bring more memories for her in the future. Carmel studied Shakespeare in the U.K. over the summer and is currently working on an English degree at the University of Toronto.

First house was two blocks away from where I live now.

First favourite neighborhood was Avenue Rd, my ‘hood.

First concert was The Strokes at the Ricoh in the 9th grade. It said somewhere on Ticketmaster that cameras weren’t allowed in the venue, so I discreetly hid mine under my shirt only to discover later that cameras were totally allowed and you could take photos to your heart’s content, what. Oh, and our assigned seats didn’t actually exist. The security guards had to bring in folding chairs to accommodate us. Needless to say, we became buddies with security by the end of the night. The Most Serene Republic opened that show, too. They got a new bassist that day, if I remember correctly. The Strokes came out, and I belted my heart out, obviously. It was cathartic. Among the usual favourites, they played “Hawaii,” a B-side from the Juicebox single, and a really great cover of Lou Reed’s “A Walk On the Wild Side.”

Although, if you really want to be technical about “firsts,” my first concert would probably have been some piano concerto my parents dragged me to. Lang Lang at the Roy Thomson Hall was probably the best nap I’ve ever had.

First bar/club I went to was probably The Drake Underground when Matt from The Elwins snuck me in because I wasn’t legal yet; as for the first club, probably Wetbar during Frosh. NEVER AGAIN. Although I did get to dance with a really cute exchange student from Paris, so I guess that night wasn’t all terrible.

First outdoor concert: stumbled upon Hedley at a Canada Day celebration at some park — it may have been Downsview. Needless to say, it was awful.

First record store was Sam the Record Man – never forget

First in-store was probably at Sonic Boom, can’t remember

First favourite book: Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

First library: Armour Heights, a sad little place in my neighbourhood

First celebrity sighting was Natalie Portman walking around Queen Street like it wasn’t a big deal… or Jackie Chan in a town car, smiling & waving at me while on the highway, but this might not have been in Toronto, so let’s go with Natalie Portman.

First time I went to the islands (sans family) was that time when Rogue Wave were still relevant and played a mini-festival with Death Cab and some other bands.

First trip out of Toronto was somewhere in America. I go there pretty often. Probably too often.

First time I got lost was probably at Sam the Record Man. I have a vague memory of finding myself in the gospel section, terrified. Or at York University for a tennis match. I wandered around the campus for an hour, crying while looking for the Rexall Centre. Needless to say, I didn’t even bother applying there for uni.

If I had a last day in Toronto, I would wake up early in the morning, have breakfast. Take one final walk around the neighbourhood. Hang out at Mount Pleasant. Make a snowman (if this were to happen during the winter). Walk around UofT one last time. Go to Sonic Boom. Have afternoon tea and cake at the Red Tea Box. Or get macarons from Nadege and hang out at Bellwoods. Head over to the Brick Works. Watch the sunset at the Don Valley. Catch a good band for an early show. Then head out to the airport!