Some of you have seen that I’ve been working on the United Canadian Centrist Party.

But that’s actually only one part of what I’ve built.

The Canadianist Network has become the voice of my work. It’s where I’m writing, talking, experimenting, remembering, occasionally ranting, and exploring Canada beyond just politics.

The Canadianist News is the more serious side of that. News, commentary, public policy, politics and the bigger questions about where Canada is going.

The Canadianist Radio is different. It’s deliberately broader and a little looser. Music, culture, money, everyday life, things we’re all talking about around the kitchen table, and stories that don’t necessarily belong on a traditional news site.

This morning I found myself thinking about concerts.

I’ve been watching some clips from Rush’s current tour, and it got me thinking about how much the live concert experience has changed. The sound is better. The lighting is incredible. The productions are spectacular. Everything is safer and more controlled.

And somehow, I think we may have civilized some of the magic right out of it.

That sent me back to April 19, 1984, when I was at the Montreal Forum for Van Halen. It was deafening, chaotic, imperfect and absolutely fucking glorious. We didn’t have selfies to prove we’d been there. We wore the concert T-shirt to school the next morning.

So I wrote about it: When Did Concerts Get So Damn Perfect?

If you ever walked out of a concert with your ears ringing, bought the T-shirt and wore it to school or work the next morning, I’d love to know whether you recognize what I’m talking about.

Read it here:

That’s the kind of thing you’ll find on The Canadianist Radio. The UCC Party is part of what I’m doing, but it isn’t all of who I am or what I want to talk about. The Canadianist Network gives me room for the rest of it.

The Canadianist News:

thecanadianist.news

The Canadianist Radio:

radio.thecanadianist.news

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