TYPERAG.CA | ISSUE 1 FALL 2015
3 GETTING THE YOUTH TO VOTE 6 A POLITICAL ROUNDUP CHASING CLOUDS 9 RISE AND GROWTH OF VAPING KAMLOOPS MAKERSPACE 11 WHERE ART MEETS TECHNOLOGY THE BEAT WON’T STOP RAVE CULTURE IN KAMLOOPS
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TYPE • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • 1
Hey, it’s pretty cool of you to pick up our first edition of Type. It started as a side project of ours and we’re really stoked it made its way into your hands. We hope to build our fledgling street rag into a community — a place where people can share ideas, art, speak their minds and put ink to paper for all of Kamloops to see — and we’d love for you to take part. If you’re interested in submitting to Type, give us a shout at info@typerag.ca and creep us on social media. We want to hear your thoughts. Type will publish every winter, spring, summer and fall. Nothing is off limits.
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THE BEAT WON’T STOP RAVE CULTURE IN KAMLOOPS
6
GETTING THE YOUTH TO VOTE A POLITICAL ROUNDUP
9
CHASING CLOUDS RISE AND GROWTH OF VAPING
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Editorials are decided by a majority of the editorial board and are written by a member of the editorial board unless otherwise stated, but are not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial board member or Kamloops This Week. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Type Magazine, Kamloops This Week, its editors or staff. To submit a letter, email us at info@typerag.ca
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KAMLOOPS MAKERSPACE WHERE ART MEETS TECHNOLOGY
2 • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • TYPE
EVENTS@TYPERAG.CA SATURDAY, SEPT. 26, 2015
THURSDAY, OCT. 8, 2015
THURSDAY, OCT. 22, 2015
THURSDAY, NOV. 5, 2015
Music: Fresh and Ripened (Jason and Ben Bermiller), 7:30 p.m., Zack’s Coffees, Teas and Gifts, 377 Victoria St.
Film: Kamloops Film Society presents Far From the Madding Crowd, 7 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 503 Victoria St. Tickets $8 and $5 for TRU students. Tickets at the venue, and Movie Mart, 444 St. Paul St.
Music: Northcote, Cactus Jacks Night Club, 130 Fifth Ave.
Film: Kamloops Film Society presents Testament of Youth, 7 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 503 Victoria St. Tickets $8 and $5 for Thompson Rivers University Students. Tickets at the venue, and Movie Mart, 444 St. Paul St.
Music: Ryan7, 7 p.m., Barside Lounge and Grill, 1250 Halston Ave. Music: Ben Kunder, 7 p.m., The Art We Are, 246 Victoria St. Community: Brewloops Farmers’ Market Tasting. St. Andrews on the Square. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. More info: brewloopsfest. ca. Community: Brewloops Cask Tasting, 7 p.m., Kamloops Curling Club. Six breweries, three bands. Tickets: $100, kamloopslive.ca. More info: brewloopsfest.ca.
Theatre: Recent Tragic Events dinner/ theatre, Laughing Stock Theatre Society. Info: thelaughingstock.ca. Music: Burlesque, 8 p.m., The Blue Grotto, 319 Victoria St. 19+. Admission $5 or $10 for VIP tickets (at Instinct next to venue).
FRIDAY, OCT. 9, 2015
Film: Kamloops Film Society presents The Diary of a Teenage Girl, 7 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 503 Victoria St. Tickets $8 and $5 for TRU students. Tickets at the venue, and Movie Mart, 444 St. Paul St. Community: Sketch Salon, 7 p.m., The Old Courthouse Cultural Centre, 7 West Seymour St.$20. Info: 250-819-7373.
FRIDAY, OCT. 23, 2015 Community: Kamloops Heritage Railway presents Ghost Train, various departure dates and times from Oct. 23 to Oct. 31. Schedule and ticket info: kamrail.com
SUNDAY, SEPT. 27, 2015
Theatre: Recent Tragic Events dinner/ theatre, Laughing Stock Theatre Society. Info: thelaughingstock.ca.
Music: The Tragically Hip, 7 p.m., Sandman Centre. Tickets $29.50 to $125 plus service charges, 1-855-985-5000 or at any Ticketmaster outlet.
Music: Hank Stallion, 8 p.m., The Blue Grotto, 319 Victoria St. 21+. $5 cover.
Music: Jimmy LeGuilloux, 8 p.m., The Blue Grotto, 319 Victoria St., 21+ show. $5 cover.
Community: Brewloops Beer Lunch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Noble Pig. No admission cost. More info: brewloopsfest.ca.
SATURDAY, OCT. 10, 2015 Theatre: Recent Tragic Events dinner/ theatre, Laughing Stock Theatre Society. Info: thelaughingstock.ca.
Music: Kamloops Symphony Orchestra presents Dancing Queen — The Music of ABBA, Sagebrush Theatre, 821 Munro St., featuring Jeans ’n Classics Band, Katalin Kiss, Andrea Koziol, Stephanie Martin and Lis Soderberg. Tickets: Kamloops Live box office, 1025 Lorne St.,m 250-364-5483, kamloopslive.ca.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 29, 2015 Art: Nympheas in the Wild, Old Courthouse Cultural Centre, 7 West Seymour St., main gallery, acrylics by Kelly Perry. continues to Oct. 2.
THURSDAY, OCT. 1, 2015 Music: Weekly club night at Cactus Jacks. Every Thursday. Delivering the freshest DJs/producers. Every second Thursday is Kegger Night, $2 beers. Every odd Thursday: $3.50 shots, beers, highballs.
FRIDAY, OCT. 2, 2015 Community: The Yoga Rave, 6:30 p.m., The Rex, 417 Seymour St., presented by BC Living Arts. All ages event. Tickets online at eventbrite.ca. Music: Brent Stewart’s Rod Stewart tribute show, 9 p.m., Cascades Casino, 1555 Versatile Dr., 19+.
MONDAY, OCT. 5, 2015 Music: Jason Aldean, Burn It Down tour with Cole Swindell, Tyler Farr, Dee Jay Silver, Sandman Centre. Doors open 6:30 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $49.50 to $85 from Ticketmaster outlets. Call 1-855-985-5000. Reserved seating, all ages event.
TUESDAY, OCT. 6, 2015 Music: Sean Burns, The Bassment. More info: thebassmentkamloops.com.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7, 2015 Music: Gob with guests Boids, 8 p.m., The Blue Grotto, 319 Victoria St. 19+ event. Tickets: $22 plus taxes, service charges, at venue or at ticketweb.ca.
Music: Hank Stallion, 8 p.m., The Blue Grotto, 319 Victoria St. 21+. $5 cover.
SUNDAY, OCT. 11, 2015 Music: Five Alarm Funk, 9 p.m., Blue Grotto, 319 Victoria St. 19+ show. Tickets: $15 plus service charges and taxes, at the venue or ticketweb.ca.
SATURDAY, OCT. 24, 2015
WEDNESDAY, OCT 14, 2015
Music: Jimmy LeGuilloux, 8 p.m., The Blue Grotto, 319 Victoria St., 21+ show. $5 cover.
Art: Drink and Draw, Red Collar Brewing Co., 355 Lansdowne St., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., work on your own art or collaborate with others. Kamloops Art Gallery provides supplies. Minors welcome with adult.
THURSDAY, OCT. 15, 2015 Music: Shane Connery Volk (One Bad Son), 8 p.m., The Office Pub and Grill, 2020 Falcon Rd. Tickets $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Tickets online at kamtix. ca. Film: Kamloops Film Society presents Grandma, 7 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 503 Victoria St. Tickets $8 and $5 for TRU students. Tickets at the venue, and Movie Mart, 444 St. Paul St.
FRIDAY, OCT. 16, 2015 Music: Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band, 9 p.m., The Office Pub and Grill, 2020 Falcon Rd. Tickets $10 at the venue. Music: Brickhouse, 8 p.m., The Blue Grotto, 319 Victoria St. 21+. $5 cover.
Music: Barenaked Ladies, 7:30 p.m., Sandman Centre. Tickets through Ticketmaster, 1855-985-5000.
Community: Kamloops Heritage Railway presents Ghost Train, various departure dates and times. Schedule and ticket info: http://kamrail.com/Ghost-Train.php.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28, 2015 Community: Screenwriter Erin McMullan presents workshop on dramatic writing, 7 p.m., Kamloops Library, 465 Victoria St. Two-part session; second date is Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCT. 30, 2015 Halloween: Haunted House, Sakred Skin & Studio. 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. kid friendly (this day only). 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. scary version, not for kids. Entry with canned good or donation to Kamloops Food Bank.
SATURDAY, OCT. 31, 2015
SATURDAY, OCT. 17, 2015
Halloween: Devon Coyote Halloween Party. 8 p.m. Dirty Jersey, 1200 8th St. Tickets: $15 at kamtix.ca.
Music: Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band, 9 p.m., On the Rocks Pub and Grill, 1265 Rogers Way. Tickets $10 at the venue.
Halloween: Haunted House, Sakred Skin & Studio. 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. scary version, not for kids. Entry with canned good or donation to Kamloops Food Bank.
TUESDAY, NOV. 10, 2015 Music: Good for Grapes, 9 p.m., Blue Grotto. 319 Victoria St., 19+ show. Tickets: $12 plus taxes, service charges at venue or ticketweb.ca.
THURSDAY, NOV. 12, 2015 Film: Kamloops Film Society presents The Second Mother, 7 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 503 Victoria St. Tickets $8 and $5 for Thompson Rivers University Students. Tickets at the venue, and Movie Mart, 444 St. Paul St.
FRIDAY, NOV. 13, 2015 Music: Bahamas, 7:30 p.m., Coast Hotel theatre. Tickets: $30 plus charges for the all-ages show, ticketweb.ca or call 1-888-222-6608.
WEDNESDAY, NOV 18, 2015 Art: Drink and Draw, Red Collar Brewing Co., 355 Lansdowne St., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., work on your own art or collaborate with others. Kamloops Art Gallery provides supplies. Minors welcome if accompanied by adult.
THURSDAY, NOV. 19, 2015 Film: Kamloops Film Society presents Phoenix, 7 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 503 Victoria St. Tickets $8 and $5 for Thompson Rivers University Students. Tickets at the venue, and Movie Mart, 444 St. Paul St.
SUNDAY, NOV. 22, 2015 Music: Dan Mangan, 7:30 p.m, Coast Hotel Theatre. All-ages show. Tickets: $30 available at ticketweb.ca or by calling 1-888-222-6608.
THURSDAY, NOV. 26, 2015 Film: Kamloops Film Society presents The Wonders, 7 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 503 Victoria St. Tickets $8 and $5 for Thompson Rivers University Students. Tickets at the venue, and Movie Mart, 444 St. Paul St.
WEDNESDAY, DEC 9, 2015 Art: Drink and Draw, Red Collar Brewing Co., 355 Lansdowne St., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., work on your own art or collaborate with others. Kamloops Art Gallery provides supplies. Minors welcome if accompanied by adult.
TYPE • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • 3
t a e B e Th p o t S t ’ n o W
LIGHT SHOWS, THE SHUFFLE AND THE DROP — RAVE CULTURE ALIVE AND WELL IN KAMLOOPS
JESSICA KLYMCHUK TYPE WRITER jessica@typerag.ca
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T 5 A.M. ON SEPT. 5, WHILE THE CITY SLEPT, Tyler Lacroix was mixing for 200 kids out in the bush. It turns out Cactus Jacks isn’t the only place to party on a Saturday night — but there’s no last call and no Nicki Minaj requests when you go off the grid. With EDM sweeping the global mainstream like Colombian cocaine in the 1970s (see: Avicii, Levels) it’s a surprise electronic music is still locally considered underground. It’s dug so deep you don’t really hear about it unless you’re looking and, even then, I can’t tell you where that Saturday night party was held. I’ve been told it’s partly about who you know. The rave culture in the Interior is nothing new. Lacroix, also known as DJ Logic, Tyler Logic or Mr. Five a.m. — for his sunrise show reputation — has been organizing events in Kamloops since the Kandi Days in the early 2000s. In the last six years, several other organizers have come on the scene, which I’ve discovered to be a tangled web of DJs who do double-duty as event co-ordinators and promoters because they love music. “The shows get a lot of negative stigma. As soon as you hear the word “rave,” everyone thinks it’s a bunch of kids smoking meth and tripping out in the woods,” said Sean Mayo. “And, yes, it is a party — I won’t deny that — but the people come foremost for the music and to have a blast.”
I have no evidence to disprove the meth rumour but, if video footage is admissible, I’d bet 40,000 watts of bass and dubstep has to have some effect. Mayo, who, like Lacroix, acts as both DJ and event guru, is best known for party craftsmanship — bringing hundreds of kids into the woods for a rave that costs about $15,000 to pull off. Back to the Forest ran four years in a row and grew into Mayo’s biggest annual event, even headlining several Shambhala DJs sandwiched by local talent. He threw events like Labour Daze, Naughty and Scorpio, all-night shows he first held on Crown land locations immune to noise complaints and kept secret until hours before the first headliner. It is, in his words, a legal grey area. But, Kamloops has always been more receptable to the legally questionable. “We were trying to do our shows in the bars and they weren’t being very well accepted by the management and the average crowd,” he said. “People would be coming up and requesting the latest Rihanna track. “The DJs were like ‘No, this is a performance set where we come and play music you haven’t heard.’” They started venturing off. They’d rent a stereo system, invite their friends and some local DJs and head down a dirt road. It grew exponentially from there. Mayo founded IUG: Interior Underground and has become known for large-scale, one-night events that Lacroix said appeal to almost every genre of underground DJ and hip-hop artist. Continued on page 4
“we were trying to do our shows in the bars and they weren’t being very well accepted by the management and the average crowd”
Bahamas Friday, Nov 13, 2015 Coast Kamloops Hotel Theatre Tickets available at www.ticketweb.ca
Sunday, Nov 22, 2015
Coast Kamloops Hotel Theatre
Tickets available at
4 • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • TYPE
CRAFT BEER
REVIEW CIDER BEFORE BEER, NEVER FEAR; BEER BEFORE CIDER, MAKES A BAD RIDER
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o, I bought a $20 beer. If you’re new to this column (which also appears in Kamloops This Week’s cuisine section) you might think I mean something sane and rational, like I bought a $20 case of beer, or a couple really expensive pints out with friends. Nah, man. I bought a bottle of Whistler Brewing Co.’s
(7.5 per cent ABV, 950 mL) from the liquor store, which was good for about two-and-ahalf glasses that I drank alone, while my cat judged my life choices. Craft beer is expensive and I’m at peace with that most of the time. I’ve paid pretty decent cash for good beer but, apparently, this is my limit because a couple of weeks after finishing this bottle, I’m still salty about it. Dubbel Down pours a fairly light brown and is on the thinner, bubblier end of this particular style. Like a lot of brown beers, it’s got notes of nutty, wholegrain toast and some decent sweetness. It’s also epically boozy, the kind of beer that’s like swallowing a chemical handwarmer. Had I paid $8 or less, it would have been well worth the money. In a perfect world the moral of this story would be don’t pay that much for a bottle of
ANDREA KLASSEN BEER COLUMNIST www.badrider.reviews
beer, ever —even if you notso-secretly like being able to complain about doing so for weeks on end. But, a couple of nights after I drank the first of my Dubbel Down, a friend poured me a glass of Mikkeller’s Beer Geek Brunch Weasel (10 per cent ABV, 330mL). Not only does this Danish oatmeal stout have one hell of a name, it’s brewed with coffee made from civet cat droppings. You know, the kind that turns up in the press every once in a while as one of the most crazyexpensive coffees out there. And yeah, of course it’s totally fantastic. Incredibly thick and layered with flavours of good coffee, wet tobacco and just a hint of booziness there’s so much to unpack. So, I guess the moral is only spend $20 if you can get your hands on one of the world’s best-rated, most-discussed beers. Probably not a shock to you, but some of us have to do things the hardest way possible. By the way, if my description of that Whistler beer sounded pretty good to you just pick up a bottle of Red Collar Dubbel (thicker, less carbonated) or a Barkerville Brewing Co. brown ale (far less alcoholic, but similarly toasty), spend the rest of your hard earned cash on a pizza and tell all your friends you’re smarter than the beer columnist.
Continued from page 3 Now, he rents 350-person wedding tents, construction-grade generators, lasers, massive projection screens and portable toilets. He hires dancers, medics, professional security and suits up with $2 million in liability insurance. Events that are held on Crown land do attract police attention and the RCMP usually sets up traffic stops around the area and monitor the situation. Only once was an IUG event cancelled because the location was leaked. But, Mayo’s events have outgrown Crown land. Now they’re held on private property, where he can charge up to $40 per ticket. Smaller events, like Awsomer Productions’ Sept. 5 show It’s All for You, operate on more of a non-profit model — about $10 at the gate is encouraged as a minimum donation. The brains behind it is Mikey Whiprek, another Kamloops DJ who has spun alongside Mayo and Lacroix for several years. “He’s the king of the cheap bush party,” Lacroix said. “He’s got a lot of energy at his parties, has DJs playing old-school hard house and real fast music, so that attracts a whole different crowd.” Ravers come from all over the Interior — 100 Mile House to Vernon, Revelstoke to Barriere, Salmon Arm to Williams Lake. Some shows are 16-plus, but most attract a 19-and-up crowd. “The amount of enthusiasm that people project at those shows is just unlike anything you see anywhere else,” Mayo said. “It’s a real community.” Mayo started hosting events as a bouncer in Kelowna, but didn’t hold any outdoor shows until he moved back to Kamloops in 2009. He found the bar scene here harder to crack because underground music wasn’t thriving like it was in Kelowna. Even now, the vibe isn’t the same.
“The Kelowna crowd, it’s a lot more neon electronic there,” Lacroix said. “In Kamloops, I find it’s a lot more hip-hop orientated. A lot of the festivals will have hip-hop acts come out, mixed in with electronic DJs and house DJs.” Mayo hosted the hip-hop oriented IUG Jamboree last year, bringing Mark Instinct and Snak the Ripper to headline. Williams Lake rap artist Travis Anthony, a.k.a Young Catalyst, and his WRONGCROWD movement were special guests. Though Anthony likes to stick to house parties — which he refers to as the real underground culture because he’s that one kid from your hometown who’s still trying to become a rapper — he often mixes with EDM artists. “It brings in different crowds,” he said. “It’s always good to be on the forefront of anything that is different.” In May, he teamed up with Kamloops electronic producer Spencer McDonald, a.k.a Numbra, for an EDM-rap inspired project they called G/RAVE D/ANGER, a six-song EP available on Soundcloud. Both were invitees to Hi Society, a twonight event aiming to be an arts and music festival inspired partly by Mayo’s Kamloops events. This August was the second annual, held on Crown land just east of Kamloops. In addition to the usual EDM artists, Hi Society Entertainment brought in live acoustic acts and arts-and-crafts tent called The Good Times Room. A lineup of 75 artists from around B.C. filled two stages, including headliners Hurtz Donut and Hippie Critz, and locals like Whiprek and Deek. “Hi Society, they’re like the new-age electronic hippie vibe,” Lacroix said. “It’s more of a youthful crowd, but really fun-loving.” Over the two nights, special events director Niklas Marshall said they saw more than 500 people come out. Next year, they’d like to
“IN KAMLOOPS, I FIND IT’S A LOT MORE HIP- HOP ORIENTATED.”
TYPE • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • 5
KAMLOOPS’ PHOTO: COLIN RUTHERFORD & INTERIOR UNDERGROUND EVENTS
work with the city and build other partnerships to grow Hi Society into a thriving arts festival with more artwork, comedic acts and poetry. After seeing attendance more than double this year, they expect its only way is up. “There’s more and more interest from the public, it’s becoming less underground and more of just a regular thing,” he said. “It’s something we want to keep pushing for and make something bigger out of it, get the public involved and show everyone what we can do. “We put basically everything we had into it.” Local EDM producer Christopher Smith, a.k.a. Panda Inc., has toured the circuit all summer — most recently a 5 a.m. set at Kelowna’s Mayan Rave-iera last weekend. He played Hi Society, Alberta’s Treemendous, last year at Motion Notion and Mayo’s IUG Jamboree, just to name a few. Though he believes the rave scene to be competitive and saturated — and McDonald and Anthony agree — he said it challenges young DJs to be unique. Smith sees these raves as an important stepping stone for grassroots artists. “It allows you to create a fan base to start
out with,” he said. “It allows people who want to get their first show off the ground or who are just getting into DJing — and that’s kind of big. You can advertise mixes all you want on social media but, until you go play a show, I think that’s the big step for a lot of producers, DJs — people who want to get involved in the music scene. “Music is a huge thing in life and I think a lot of people need it more than they realize.” Underground or not, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Kamloops alone has several other event companies that mingle with these DJs — Lucid Entertainment, Party People Productions and Beat Farm Productions, along with a plethora of other one-night parties I can’t even list. Mayo is taking a step back, but is planning a Halloween event and the return of Back to the Forest next year. Behind all of the negative stigma is just a bunch of passionate people planning a good time. Eventually, this generation of promoters will retire to mixing exclusively and a new group of ravers will rise from the ashes for a whole new vibe. It seems to be the cycle and, if I’ve learned anything, it’s the beat won’t stop.
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6 • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • TYPE
GETTING THE YOUTH TO VOTE WHY SHOULD WE CHOOSE YOU?
LIBERAL
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TEVE POWRIE WORKS WITH BOTH UNIVERSITY students and elementary-aged students and said he’s never seen young people more engaged with social responsibility — and yet their voting record is the lowest ever. He believes there will be an increase in young voters at the polls this year because the issues have gone in a direction that young people are interested in: climate change and creating a healthy relationship with Aboriginal Peoples. Now that the approach and tone of government is a concern and the issues are front and centre, he sees youth participating more. “The Liberal government is offering an approach that is
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much more consistent and compatible with what young people see as effective decision making because it’s more of a centres party. It’s based more on reason, looking at multiple views, creating more of a collaborative spirit in terms of decision making.” “It’s all about collaborative problem solving and making sure you get all the views instead of just one, and I think for so long we’ve had this so-called ideological principled decision making where it’s not about input from others, it’s about what your party believes is best for the county. Because it’s a more collaborative, input-based model, I think young people are connecting.”
GREEN
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create 40,000 jobs, including co-op placements and paid internships over four years. He also emphasized the NDP’s plan to help young families live more affordably with $15-per-day child care. “I would put the top two issues young people talk to me about as erosion of the democracy and a lack of action on their concerns that their issues aren’t being heard and their issues aren’t being talked about and have been overlooked for the last 10 years by the Harper government. “So, things like restoring a federal role and making education affordable and accessible is a priority for me and the New Democrats. Tackling sky-rocketing costs and debt loads, making life more affordable for students and new graduates.”
protest vote. So, if your goal is to get Stephen Harper out of office, the only reason you would want to vote for me this time around is if you cannot stand either of the other two parties. “It’s not to say no one should never vote Green. If you have friends on Vancouver Island or some places in Vancouver and you wanted to push the Green vote ahead, I would strongly urge them to vote Green because, in those ridings, candidates do have a chance.” “This is the exact reason it’s so important we get some sort of proportional representation out of whoever comes next because it’s pretty ridiculous to say, ‘We do have the best platform for you but vote for someone else anyway.’ That’s nonsense, but that is kind of the reality of the situation we are in right now.”
NDP
ILL SUNDHU SAID CANADA HAS HAD A LOST decade under the Harper government: the worst job creation record since the Second World War, record deficits, scandal and mismanagement. Young people are struggling to get good-paying jobs, racking up student debt, struggling with the affordability of housing and the youth unemployment rate is double the national average, he said. He wants to build a Canada where every young person gets the opportunities they need for a good start int heir careers. The NDP has a plan to work with small businesses and industry to help young Canadians get jobs, Sundhu said, noting Tom Mulcair announced a costed plan that would
ATT GREENWOOD SAID THE PARTY IS TAKING a strong stance against student debt and is the only party with a plan to move toward a free-tuition model by 2020. In the meantime he said, they plan to immediately start bringing interest relief to student debt. He also said because Canada has one of the highest per capita university education rates in the world, to the point where employers are placing less value on degrees, the Green party has a plan to help youth get work experience through apprenticeships and internships. However, he doesn’t necessarily advise anyone to give him their vote. “To be brutally honest, in this particular riding, in this particular election, you probably shouldn’t. I’m essentially a
access for students who are choosing options. “I believe we have the policies that are going to be best around job creation because, absolutely, one of the huge concerns from youth is, when I finish will there be an opportunity for me? And I think our party does have the strongest position in that area. “For example, apprenticeship programs is another area we’ve put significant focus on, for the students that want to go into the trades. We’ve created the Canada Job Grant where we’ve partnered the provinces, business and the federal government to support students in to jobs that are in high demand.”
CONSERVATIVE
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ATHY MCLEOD SAID WHENEVER SHE visits a university class, she emphasizes the importance of voting and believes the youth vote is important. “We have a very large number of policies that are important for the youth. “I think one of the important things for youth, of course, is education and we have made significant changes in the grant and the loan structure to be helpful, including better support for middle- and low-income families, better support for students who are doing shorter courses — not everyone is doing a two- or fouryear degree program. So, making availability, some loan
TYPE • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • 7
HOROSCOPES OCTOBER 1
— OCTOBER 8, 2015
ARIES
21 March — 20 April Aries, it may be challenging to express your true feelings, especially when you fear what others may think. Just do what feels comfortable to you.
TAURUS
PRE-TRIP INSPECTION TEST KITS FOR MDMA, LSD, COCAINE AND KETAMINE CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE AND CAN EXPOSE SUBSTANCES LIKE LETHAL FENTANYL
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HAMBHALA MUSIC FESTIVAL IS KNOWN FOR ITS HARMREDUCTION APPROACH TO ILLICIT DRUG USE, with a substance-testing tent on site that is well utilized by festival-goers. But, with fentanyl killing Canadians at an increasing pace in recent years, the testbefore-you-ingest mantra is gaining momentum elsewhere — and it’s not just a message for heavy users. The deadly synthetic opiate has been linked to marijuana, oxycodone, cocaine and ecstasy, meaning one-time recreational users are at risk of overdose. A young Vancouver couple died after ingesting the drug in July. According to the Vancouver Sun, the BC Coroners Service said the couple had been taking prescription medication, though authorities couldn’t confirm what the couple thought they purchased. Anecdotal reports of fentanyl-laced weed have even surfaced in Kamloops, but no fatal cases have been reported. According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, fentanyl caused or was a contributing factor in 655 Canadian deaths between 2009 and 2014. Fentanyl is a concern for ASK Wellness and, although its first priority is those most at risk for HIV, hepatitis C and homelessness, the organization sees an opportunity to reach a much larger population with the testbefore-you-ingest message. The legalities of an on-site testing program are being hashed out, but executive director Bob Hughes said an educational online campaign to reach recreational users could have lasting effects. The reality is, these aren’t people who will necessarily use a storefront resource. But, if they know they can buy a kit online that could save their life, they might do just that. “The university — how many folks do we have up there? Thirteen-thousand? Averaging age 23? We know demographically these are the ages where people are experimenting or recreationally using these drugs and so that will likely be an area we can reach out to,”
JESSICA KLYMCHUK TYPE WRITER jessica@typerag.ca
Hughes said. “That is a really important population.” Hughes has personal experience with the innovative approach at Shambhala: A kid walks up with a dime bag and it is flagged for PMMA, a drug that looks similar to MDMA but messes with your thermostat. The seizure comes once the drug causes the potassium levels in your body get dangerously low, Hughes said. The kid throws out the satchel and comes back with a bag 10 times the size. He had bought it to sell. Instead, he throws it all out. “I just thought that was fantastic,” Hughes said. “At Shambhala, you’ve got 13,000 folks who know they are going into a mecca of MDMA, MDME, 2C-T, these various methamphetamines that get people really high, and nobody died. We know that. So it works.” There are different kits available online. Testkitplus.com — based in Canada — has kits for MDMA (also ecstasy or molly, depending who you ask), cocaine, ketamine and LSD. They detect a range of substances but, most importantly, can tell you whether or not what you bought is what you got. While fentanyl is a cloaked substance that isn’t easily detected, the tests can expose opiates. So, if fentanyl is in your MDMA or your cocaine, it will flag hot. “The really important one is the opiates, particularly for testing marijuana because that’s the scary one,” said outreach worker Ken Salter. “If a 16-year-old kid who is opiate naive gets a hold of one of those joints that has been sprayed with fentanyl, it could kill him. “The fatal overdoses where fentanyl has been involved, they are recreational users. They are the people who use every other weekend.” The kits cost $25 and are good for 50 uses, or a three-in-one kit that costs $60. The big question is: will you buy it?
21 April — 21 May Take a sentimental journey with a loved one, Taurus. You never know what examining your emotions will uncover, and you will get to spend quality time together.
GEMINI
22 May — 21 June Gemini, you can strike up a conversation with just about anyone this week. Your gift for gab makes you a fun person to have around and a welcome member to any new group.
CANCER
22 June — 22 July Cancer, someone may catch you off-guard this week and you don’t have your go-to plan in place. Worry not, as you will rebound quickly and bounce back in a big way.
LEO
23 July — 23 August Leo, it may seem like everyone is hanging on every word you say this week. Don’t worry about performing, just continue to do what gravitates people toward you.
VIRGO
24 August — 22 September Virgo, although you’re not a big fan of the spotlight, this week you will be asked to handle a situation on centre stage. You just may enjoy the situation, so don’t fret about it.
LIBRA
23 September — 23 October Libra, share your long-term goals with colleagues and you may find some unexpected allies. Support can only help your efforts even further.
SCORPIO
24 October — 22 November Scorpio, set personal feelings aside when dealing with professional matters. Allowing emotion to get in the way of your goals will only end up affecting you.
SAGITTARIUS
23 November — 21 December Sagittarius, this is a great time to try something new. Whether it’s a new food or a new experience you’ve been looking to try, dive right in and enjoy the excitement.
CAPRICON
22 December — 20 January Capricorn, expect to be excited by a budding relationship in the weeks ahead. Open up to friends or family members so you can share this positive development with loved ones.
AQUARIUS
21 January — 18 February Waiting patiently this week will not get the job done, Aquarius. You may have to be more assertive to get things done. Others will understand and prove helpful.
PISCES
19 February — 20 March Pisces, a problem at work seems tough to crack. Take your time and try a new approach and you will be happy with the results.
8 • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • TYPE
CHASING CLOUDS
PHOTO: DAVE EAGLES/KTW PHOTOGRAPHER
THERE’S A NEW-AGE SMOKE SHOP IN TOWN, BUT THERE’S NO TOBACCO IN SIGHT WEST COAST VAPE OWNER JAMES THORPE, NIGEL YOUNG AND KALEN LOEPPKY CHUCK SOME CLOUDS FOR THE CAMERA
V
aping has taken the world by storm over the last two years as more and more smokers look for a fresh alternative to lighting up. Legally, vape shops can’t advertise their products as a safe substitute for smoking. Health Canada still advises against the use of the products, citing lack of research on the long-term health effects. B.C. and several other provinces have moved to restrict the use of e-cigarettes, putting limits on their use the same way traditional smoking is regulated. The legislation, announced in March, is expected to come into effect sometime this year. However, in August, CBC reported on a health study commissioned by Public Health England that found while vaping isn’t 100 per cent safe, it is 95 per cent less harmful than tobacco. The report’s authors say 80,000 people die every year as a result of cigarettes and, if all smokers switched to vaping, they estimate that number could drop to 4,000. It’s estimated 2.6-million people in the UK use e-cigarettes, but the same statistics aren’t available for Canada. James Thorpe, co-owner of West Coast Vape, said the vast majority of his customers are smokers looking to quit. Since opening in June, he said business seems to increase every week.
“We have to be really careful about what we say and how we advertise,” he said. “We’re not allowed to say it’s an alternative to smoking, but it is a great tool to help quit. Mainly that’s what 90 per cent of people come in here for.” Most are looking for a tobacco-flavoured juice with the highest nicotine content. Juices, a mixture of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin and flavour concentrates, have a nicotine component ranging from zero to 18 milligrams. The cost to get started is similar to a carton of cigarettes. After you’re set up, juices will cost you about $10 per week — and that’s if you were a pack-a-day smoker. But, not everyone is in it to kick the nic. Nigel Young, West Coast Vape’s resident expert, was a hobby cigar smoker prior to taking up vaping and has all the intel on the hobbyist aspect of it all. “I didn’t need it to quit cigarettes, so, for me, it’s something to do,” he said. “It just adds more of a hobby aspect to it. It’s not just about necessarily quitting cigarettes.” While the products start out simple, with a small battery, tank and coils that heat up and vaporize the juice, more advanced set-ups have larger batteries with higher wattage and higher-end coils. Drippers — vape connoisseurs — build their setup almost from scratch. Forget about using a tank. Drippers wind
“IT CHANGES THE FLAVOUR, IT CHANGES HOW YOU PRODUCE THE CLOUD. IT’S TOTALLY CUSTOMIZABLE.”
their own coils and use cotton to absorb the juice, heating the element and vapourizing the substance. The mod is called a rebuildable dripping atomizer and produces large clouds of vapour. You can only vape low milligrams of nicotine because of the larger amount of juice you’re burning off each time you heat the coils. Coil resistance is rated in ohms, with smaller setups a higher rating like two and more advanced ones a lower rating like 0.2. Anything below one is considered a sub-ohm and will produce a large cloud. If you wrap your own coils, a thicker wire will result in a lower ohm. Vapers who wrap coils and experiment with ohms are nicknamed cloud chasers and some shops have competitions to see how big of a cloud vapers can blow. “It’s crazy. You can do whatever you want with it and it changes everything,” Young said. “It changes the flavour. It changes how you produce the cloud. It’s totally customizable.” For fill-it-and-go options that still produce quality vapour, there are electronic mods or regulated mods. You can change the wattage on the battery, which will affect the size of your cloud. Mechanical mods use traditional batteries, with their size determining the number of watts. Those require a higher level of understanding because you have to know how many watts your coils can take. It’s a hobbyist aspect, with some vapers collecting different kinds of mech mods. Even more advanced are unregulated mods, wired completely from scratch and customized. “That’s essentially guys with a bit of electrical or wiring background,” Young said. “They’ve hooked it all up they know how to set their batteries but, again, it’s the hobbyist
JESSICA KLYMCHUK TYPE WRITER jessica@typerag.ca
side of it.” At this level, the nicotine component is only a small aspect. “The idea is to work people down because we have strengths all the way to zero,” Thorpe said. West Coast Vape has been proactive with prohibiting anyone under 19 from entering their shop, though they technically still could. Each batch of juice, which range from fruit flavours to dessert flavours to custom flavours like cola, is tested in-store for nicotine concentration, but juices are not regulated by health authorities. “What I’d hope to see is that we can keep the model of store we have,” Young said. “Really, they are going to start taxing the juice and make sure the labs that start popping up everywhere are actually up to standard. “They’re playing catch up.”
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10 • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • TYPE
KAMLOOPS MAKERSPACE: where
art
meets technology
ANTON BUKREEV HAS BEEN TINKERING WITH A 3D PRINTER AT KAMLOOPS MAKERSPACE FOR THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS. THE COMMUNITY OF MAKERS IS ESTABLISHING ITSELF AT ITS NEW VICTORIA STREET LOCATION.
C
JESSICA KLYMCHUK TYPE WRITER jessica@typerag.ca
ourtenay Watson had an idea. board of directors, has 15 paying members A dog trainer by profession, and an active online forum of more than 100 she wanted to design a ball people. dropper at a cheaper cost that They have several rooms in development: what already existed on the mar- a parts room with some working equipment ket, but didn’t even know where to start. and hackables — items that are broken and When she took the idea to Kamloops up for grabs; an electronics room with many Makerspace’s online forum, the community tools for working on electronics, like solderhad a design for her within weeks. Using a ing irons; a wood shop with basic woodworkshock collar to trigger a motor and a scoop ing tools and a CNC router; and a metal shop formed from a 3D printer, she had a working with a drill press, a few different types of saws prototype soon after. and the early stages of a welding station. It’s only one idea of several that have flourSo far, most of the tools and supplies have ished with help from the community. been donated by local manufacturing comMaker culture is the technology and panies and businesses. As the community industry-based extension of do-it-yourself grows, the idea is for the space to grow along culture and influenced by hacking, but in a with it, adapting to what the makers need. physical sense. It’s associated with electronTheir next goal is to fundraise to purchase a ics and robotics, but is also integrated with laser cutter, which will cost about $5,000. art. It lands somewhere between hobby and They also want to integrate art as much as industry, with the potential for real product possible and are pursuing a partnership with development. the Kamloops Arts Council. Makerspaces are communities of makers “The whole thing is driven by community who share resources, tools and knowledge. so we want people to come in here and shape “The way I explain it to people is it’s like a it,” Balali Moghaddam. gym,” Watson said. “You could have a tread“The only reason we have a metal shop mill at home or you could join a gym where is because we have an interest in it. We will they have all kinds of treadmills. We’re like grow more naturally that way. that, but with tools.” “The response has been really great. Aras Balali Moghaddam spearheaded People have been really supportive.” Kamloops Makerspace after getting involved Computer-science student Anton Bukreev with Kamloops Innovation’s Hack Night. has spent the last few weeks at Kamloops He was part of Victoria Makerspace tinkering Makerspace and was look- “ THE WHOLE with the 3D printer. He’s ing for something similar THING IS DRIVEN got it working — even well when he moved. enough to print the ball BY COMMUNITY “They were organizing scoop for Watson’s ball SO WE WANT the hack nights, which, dropper. PEOPLE TO COME I think, they were trying At home, he’s building IN HERE AND to contact people in the a 3D printer out of sevSHAPE IT.” same community we have eral old 2D printers, and right now, people who like his time at Makerspace to tinker or make stuff or fix stuff,” he said. has given him an opportunity to experiment “I had been a part of makerspaces before. further. I know they are really valuable. They can be a “It’s pretty awesome, I think,” he said. really great place to hang out and it’s just realMakerspace is still closely associated ly great resource to have in the community.” with Kamloops Innovation and hosts H4CK Balali Moghaddam spent the next Nights at the new location. They were also at year running H4CK Night with Kamloops TechBrew on Sept. 24. Innovation, hosting maker meet-ups and “They’re definitely one of those orgaworkshops in an attempt to gather a comnizations that works well with Kamloops munity. Innovation,” said Kimberely Eibl, operations They moved into their official space at 207 manager at Kamloops Innovation. “We fully Victoria St. West in June. The owner of the support all the things they are doing.” historical building thinks its destined to be a Kamloops Makerspace has an open house community centre, Balali Moghaddam said, every Wednesday night and hosts H4CK Night and the partnership has flourished. every month, where anyone is invited to bring The non-profit society, with a five-person a project or an idea to work on and hang out.
TYPE • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • 11
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12 • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • TYPE
SAVAGE LOVE FRIENDS WITH VIOLATIONS
I
’m a 26-year-old single bi woman. Sometimes my roommate/best friend and I have drunken threesomes with men. We’ve had some great one-night stands (less scary with a friend!), but recently we slept with a man I’ve been (drunkenly) sleeping with over a period of months, my “friend with benefits.” I shared my FWB with my roommate because she wanted to have sex, and I shared my roommate with my FWB because he wanted to experience a threesome. I told my roommate afterward that I wouldn’t like it if she slept with my FWB on her own, and I
I
had to read your letter three times to figure out who did what—and I had to shorten it considerably (and edit for clarity)—and honestly, BFF, I’m still a little fuzzy on the violations. But I think it goes like this: You asked your roommate not to fuck your FWB in your absence despite having already invited her to fuck him in your presence and your roommate went ahead and fucked your FWB anyway (violation #1), and you told your FWB that a threesome with your roommate without prior discussion was a misdemeanor so he should’ve known that initiating a twosome with your roommate would be a felony, but he went ahead and twosomed the shit out of your roommate anyway (violation #2). Taking your questions one at a time: Can
told my FWB that we should have discussed having a threesome before it happened. We went out drinking another night, I left early and they wound up sleeping together. I was upset with my roommate, because she knew how I felt. But, I am disgusted and angry with my FWB because he had to “work” to convince my roommate to get her into bed. I have forgiven my roommate—she says she is mad at herself and at him—but it’s hard to blame these two friends for hurting me because people make mistakes when they’re drunk. Still, this whole ordeal has made me recon-
sider my friendship with my FWB. He thinks we’re just friends, but I have now realized that I have deeper feelings for him. I feel very close to him and we do a lot of fun things together. I’ve been pretty open with him about my feelings, but he hasn’t shared how he feels. Can I continue being friends with my FWB? Or do I need to break off my friendship with my FWB because I actually want something more with him? What can my FWB do to mend this? What can I do? ~ Best Friend Fucker
you continue being friends with your FWB? That depends on what your roommate means by “work.” If she means your FWB overcame her initial reluctance to fuck him solo with some flirty talk and assurances that you wouldn’t mind, then, yeah, you can continue to be friends with your FWB. People have managed to salvage friendships out of relationships that imploded much more spectacularly, BFF. If someone can get past an infidelity or a betrayal or a child conceived with a piece-on-the-side and remain on friendly terms with their cheating, lying, breeding ex, you should be able to work through this. But if what your roommate means by “work” is that your FWB coerced her into having sex, you shouldn’t want to salvage a friendship with that rapey POS.
Do you need to break off your friendship with your FWB because you’ve realized you want something more from him, i.e., a committed relationship? Someone in a FWB arrangement wanting to be more than friends—boyfriend or girlfriend or nonbinaryfriend—is the leading cause of death for FWB arrangements. And, while normally the friend who wants to keep things casual is the one who ends the arrangement, BFF, if you want more and you know he can’t give it to you, or if you fear you can’t trust him around current and future roommates, then feel free to end it. But, if you really like him—despite the violation and, emphasizing this again, only if the “work” he did on your roommate wasn’t coercive or rapey—then go ahead and ask him to upgrade your FWB arrangement to GF/BF
What does it mean when you find a pair of tit clamps in your “vanilla” boyfriend’s dresser? ~ Told Him I’m Not Kinky It means he’s the pope—what the fuck do you think it means? It means he owns a pair of tit clamps. It could mean he’s slightly less vanilla than he’s let on, THINK, or it could mean he has a kinky ex who left a pair of tit clamps behind, or it could mean he got a pair of tit clamps as a dirty Secret Santa gift and isn’t phobic about being perceived as even slightly kinky, so he tossed them in a drawer without a second thought.
On the Lovecast: It’s the dick show! Listen at savagelovecast.com
DAN SAVAGE SEX COLUMNIST mail@savagelove.net
Straight man, married for 12 years, love my wife very much. We have a great relationship and I cannot see myself being with anyone else. A few years ago, she came out to me as bisexual. At the time, it hit me harder than I would have expected. Part of the reason was she explained that she often fantasizes about women when we have sex in order to come. She says she is attracted to me and loves our sex life. We have exhausted the topic of bringing someone else into our relationship and recommitted to monogamy. Is it inevitable that she will cheat to satisfy her curiosity? She says she wouldn’t, and I have to trust that, but it is always in the back of my head. What do I do? ~ Just One Exception I can’t promise you that your wife won’t ever cheat—not because she’s bisexual, JOE, but because she’s human. Women who are 100 per cent straight cheat on their husbands every day; husbands who are 100 per cent straight cheat on their wives every day. And, while on the one hand, it’s unfortunate your wife told you she sometimes has to think about women to get off during sex with you (not everything has to be shared, people), the fact that she trusted you/burdened you with that information says a lot about your relationship. So, what do you do? Two things: Continue to put your trust in your wife, while at the same time reassuring yourself that your absolute worst-case scenario—your wife sleeps with a woman—will result in the destruction of your marriage only if you define a single infidelity as a relationship-extinction-level event. A pass to fuck a woman at some point in her life may not be something you can let your wife have, JOE, but it may be something you could let yourself forgive.
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TYPE • ISSUE 1 FALL 2015 • 13
TYPECAST
THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL
by Paul Blinov, Vue Weekly ‘I had sex today — holy shit,” begins Minnie (Bel Powley), wandering through the sunkissed streets, away from her first time and back to her home. She’s all of 15 years old; it’s 1976, it’s San Francisco, and it’s the beginning of a odyssey of sexual awakening for the high schooler, who wants to be a cartoonist and thinks herself ugly and incapable of finding intimacy. “I think that officially makes me an adult,” she later adds, of her first experience, into an audio diary she’s keeping. She’s not yet aware how wide a floodgate of troubles she’s opened, the most pressing of which is that her first partner is her mother’s boyfriend. Based on Phoebe Gloeckner’s semiautobiographical graphic novel, The Diary of a Teenage Girl is a potent, unblinking look at erotic coming of age, a pivotal few months of emergent sexual experience and the strangeness that follows. Minnie pushes headlong into the awkward fumbles of adulthood with a teenager’s naive confidence, and the film feels honest in its capture of that, letting her tribulations stand as what they are—a teenager trying to have sex, and then realizing the complications that can follow—without judgment or undue glory. It’s a coming-ofage story that cares more about conveying the complexity of its moments in the eyes of its protagonist than telegraphing some more stilted narrative arc along. Director Marielle Heller captures the air of youthful ambiguity and the era, filtering moments of confusion and realization over Minnie’s gaze, watching her try to interpret and understand and conquer this intangible pull she feels. Occasional animations come alive on screen—Minnie’s cartoonist mind at work—but feel effectively used as a way of underscoring her feelings in a given moment (there’s also an acid trip that achieves a similar effect). She seems to be as infatuated with sex as much as with the people she’s having it with: and her slow, exploratory arc to understanding is one that feels as tangible, as it is unstructured. Anchored by Powley as Minnie, it’s all deftly felt. Armed with wide-eyed stare and a bullish teenage self-centredness, she exudes that teenage know it all-ness, only to be easily thrown into an tailspin when something unexpected rears up. Watching her on screen, a young, passionate firebrand, first testing her limits, as well as those of the people around her, is transfixing. Kristen Wiig plays her mother, Charlotte, feminist but flawed, bound by a certain fondness for cocaine and a need for a man; Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård), Charlotte’s boyfriend and Minnie’s lover, reveals his own weaknesses and insecurities as he attempts to manage his life with both. “It’s like you have a spell over me,” he offers to Minnie, in bed, noting the alarming nature of their relationship while still refusing to actually end it himself: he seems as drawn to her bold-headedness as she by his sense of self. It’s not only the messiness of teenage years
that Diary offers: the adult world around Minnie seems even more incapable of sorting itself out, just as unsure about everyday living as she is, but with a few more coping mechanisms already in place. So Diary underscoress a tour of flawed people with a tangible passion and the in-the-moment honesty, as raw and unfiltered as, well, a teenager’s inner thoughts. It’s a rare film, one that manages to be make such big emotions feel so intimate and earned on screen. >> Playing Oct. 22 @ the Kamloops Fall Film Series
NO ESCAPE
by Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly Tourism horror (Hostel, Turistas, etc) from the brothers who previously dropped us into demon-plagued underground Paris (quelle souterreur! Pas vraiment), No Escape is stupidly political. Spiritually, that title’s a warning to your soul, via your vulnerable eyewindows. This is like watching The Amazing Race remixed as a disaster-film and stewed into The Killing Fields as a base-flavour of anti-Asian racism simmers hatefully up from the bottom of the pot. An American family — water-company engineer Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson), wife Annie (Lake Bell), daughters Lucy and Beeze — having just moved to an unnamed Southeast-Asian country, finds themselves caught in a coup d’état. The moment Jack sees Unnamed White Guy murdered in the street, it’s clear Americans are especially ripe targets for all these marauding Eastern hordes’ machetes. It’s a savage, jungle-style hack-attack—in hotels, offices, shops. Only four natives, all men, help the never-sayDwyers, resolutely led by Macho Dad, along the way: one says nothing amid a scary street crowd; one’s old and kindly; one wants Jack’s watch and shoes in return; one’s an evergrinning, Kenny Rogers-loving pal of “British CIA” guy Hammond (Pierce Brosnan), who executes 007-style shootouts to help everyone’s favourite Yankee Clan Brimming Over With Love. The xenophobia tailspins on, reaching peak-plummet-speed when Annie, captured by the posse of nasties long pursuing them like demon-hounds, is immediately almost raped (only to be saved by Super-Hammond). Vietnam’s just half-a-mile downriver, though—so convenient in a sudden SE-Asia travel emergency! (Cambodia, implied as the story’s setting, has a strong case for cultural libel here.) Forget that there’s never been a coup like this in the region. Never mind Annie’s panicking-female stereotype. Shrug off Hammond’s explanation of the West’s meddling, so simplistic that even a 9/11-truther would scoff. Because it’s not just the fetid feeling that “Slant-Eyed Devils!!!” may as well be blazoned in a scarlet chop-suey font on screen. It’s all the political turmoil and revolt here as revolting horror—with so many scattered dead and live Asian bodies just obstacles for America’s No 1 tighty-whitey family—that makes No Escape an atrocity in its retrograde, racist exploitation of civil strife for cheap and nasty, low-down dirty, tawdrily thrilling ends.
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