Tag Archives: First Times

Get to know a Static contributor: Greer Brabazon

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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

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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.

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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!

Get to know a Static contributor: Matti B

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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.

His name is Matthew Daniel Bressan, but only on paper. Most folks call him Matti; it’s shorter and you can dot the i with cute shit. He drinks like a fish, smokes like chimney and dresses like your grandpa. He makes money by writing advertisements for corporate fat cats but his true passion is his weirdo little doodles as seen in the first issue (and upcoming issue) of Static Zine. When he grows up he wants to be established with a nice piece of property, a bread-winning husband, and the kind of respect earned through fear from the other moms on the PTA. For now it’s all just big fat burritos and tattoos in between creative writing binges and traveling anywhere he can blend in.

First time I felt like Toronto was home was when i was born there.

First job was the miserable chocolate factory. no oompa-loompas, just a cranky old man and his bitter wife. i often fell asleep working the production line and ruined dozens of batches of chocolates.

First house was temporary, like all 15 of my homes.

First favourite neighborhood was one i never lived in.

First concert was Gwen Stefani, nosebleeds at the ACC. i was a late bloomer.

First bar/club I went to i got too drunk to remember its name.

First favorite book: Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugendies

First kiss was not worth remembering.

First heartbreak was never an issue.

First time I stayed up all night was talking to fellow Static contributor Adriana Rolston at a slumber party.

First time I went to the islands i found a new oasis.

If I had a last day in Toronto, I would eat a big fat burrito. make it as spicy as possible please.

Get to know a Static contributor: Tom Lowery

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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.

Tom Lowery will make his debut in issue 2 in the form of a comic and cut-out-your-own bookmarks. Tom’s also designed other bookmarks and buttons we’ll have at Canzine (and maybe if you catch one of us on the street). Tom’s from a small northern town called Temagami where the people think Sonic Youth is something you’re cooking for dinner. Tom went to school for journalism in North Bay and forgot his diploma in a gas station bathroom, so now he’s studying English and Film at the University of Toronto. In his spare time, Tom makes forts out of his bed and stays up late reading comics with a flashlight. His more productive hobbies include taking apart cardboard boxes and drawing cartoons for his blog, tomloweryisdumb. He eats at least one peanut butter sandwich each day.

First time I felt like Toronto was home was when I was five and looked out the window of my grandparents’ 19th floor condo at 1am and the streetlights were still on.

First job was: Editorial intern for music and stuff. (Remember when that lesbian glam rock band called me a misogynist?)

First house was: I lived in a house on the beach for a few months. At night, I’d sit on the lawn with a box of ginger biscuits and watch the raccoons duke it out Mortal Kombat style.

First favourite neighborhood was: I’m like a goldfish, so it’s hard to play favourites—but it might have been Mirvish Village, because that’s where The Beguiling is.

First concert was The Black Halos (“Somethings Never Fall” still kills)

First bar/club I went to was The Warehouse (now Kool Haus)

First outdoor concert was Warped Tour or the first V-Fest.

First record store was Sam The Record Man.

First in-store was The Weakerthans, I think.

First favorite book: After the J.D. Salinger oeuvre, it’s a tie between “Lullabies For Little Criminals” by Heather O’Neill and “The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time” by Mark Haddon.

First library was The MF Reference Library.

First celebrity sighting was: Never. I stare at my shoes a lot.

First kiss was nothing special, which might be get me slapped. Whatever. Bitch.

First heartbreak was: This is getting emo…

First New Year’s was *scene missing, no refunds*

First Valentine’s Day was *scene missing, loser*

First time I stayed up all night: Somehow I got dragged along to one of those “A Taste Of Chaos” shows. Stupid story short, the people who attend ATOC like to lace their weed.

First time I went to the islands: V-Fest…for The Strokes.

First time I got lost was near What A Bagel. I also got locked in a Future Shop one night…I got out.

If I had a last day in Toronto, I would pee off the CN Tower.

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