Last 2024 Updates

Generally, 2024 was a dumpster fire with the U.S. election just the icing on the cake, leading to what will clearly be a shitty 2025 and beyond.  I've certainly lost what remaining respect I had for Americans, and there certainly wasn't much left to begin with.  Probably it's just as well that Jimmy Carter passed away in time for Biden to give him a dignified farewell, since the Orange one would have been his typical graceless, asshole self.  I cannot wait for the day we hear of his passing.  I was going to throw a party when W. passed away, but it will have to be an even more massive party when Trump leaves this planet, hopefully soon.  I'll have to make more friends just to invite them...

I don't think I'm going to do a full year-end review of all the concerts I saw.  I'm just a bit too tired.  On the classical side, I saw Kronos Quartet (the last time with the classic line-up of Sherba and Dutt!), and they were amazing of course.  Laurie Anderson came to town in April, and she was incredible.  (I do hope she brings her new show to Toronto!)  I actually travelled to NYC to see Pacific Quartet, to make up for getting shafted and having to give up my tickets to see them in Toronto.  I was supposed to see Sheku Kanneh-Mason play at Koerner Hall, and, due to the idiocy of Air Canada, they had to cancel and reschedule the concert for June 2025!  This briefly hit the national news.  It certainly didn't help that the news of the cancellation went out at 5:30 pm that day, so I showed up with almost everyone else to hear the bad news.  

In other bad concert fiascoes, Neil Young cancelled his second show at Budweiser Stage.  I guess The Fixx cancelling their show due to a medical emergency actually happened in 2023, but Kronos cancelled a show in Montreal (that I had tickets for!), and then Perry Farrell essentially decided to break up Jane's Addiction in the middle of a concert, leading to the cancellation of the rest of the tour.  I didn't really care about seeing Jane's Addiction, but I did want to see Love and Rockets (again).  So frustrating!  Still no word if Love and Rockets will tour in 2025 or indeed if The Fixx will make up any of their concerts, let alone come over to Toronto.

The single best rock concert of 2024 was probably Squeeze with The English Beat opening, but I also enjoyed Spoon (as headliners at Danforth Music Hall), 54-40 (also at Danforth), Steve Earle (ditto), The The (Massey Hall), The Killers (though I hated having to stand for the full set!), Sarah McLachlan (the Fumbling Towards Ecstasy tour), Skye Wallace (once at the Great Hall and then 2(!) secret shows), Elvis Costello, and the Psychedelic Furs (though I definitely could have skipped The Jesus & Mary Chain).  Nick Lowe's show was surprisingly good, though I also had to stand for the entire set, partially made up by the fact I was standing near Rob Baker of the Tragically Hip!  I found out at the last minute about a Lowest of the Low gig at the Rivoli (I don't think I had been there before) and actually had to sign up for a spot on the wait list, and I got a ticket at the very last minute.

I really saw a ton of Pedro Almodovar films and enjoyed most of them a lot.  The best one (new to me) was probably Volver, followed by Broken Embraces and then I suppose The Flower of My Secret.  I liked the flashback scenes from Julieta but not the story set in present day, which pretty much matches my feelings about the underlying Alice Munro stories.*  (This more than made up for getting the TIFF membership, but I still fundamentally disagree with the way they run things there and won't be renewing for 2025...)  There are lots of interesting parallels when watching them back to back to back, and I'll try to mention at least a few of these connections at some point.

It looks like I have now managed to see all but 5 of Almodovar's films: Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas, What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Matador, High Heels and Live Flesh.  I suspect the best of the bunch is What Have I Done to Deserve This? (and I am definitely regretting that I went to see Sing-Along Messiah instead, as that didn't turn out particularly well, but I had no idea of course that my son would have gotten so stressed out over it).  I'll see if I can make a bit of a push to watch these in Jan. or Feb., just to wrap up my deep dive into his work early in 2025.  I keep looking to see about getting a t-shirt or magnet celebrating his work, particularly All About My Mother, but am really turned off by the shipping prices.  Maybe I should just bite the bullet and not think about it too much.  (I did save a lot by shipping several books and DVDs to my step-mother in the States, and I now have everything in hand except the massive Bergman box set from Criterion.  I just don't think it would be worth sending a t-shirt for her to bundle together would make a lot of sense...  Now it probably would make sense to send a Mosaic box set, but honestly I think I am done ordering from Mosaic.  I just don't listen to music obsessively the same way anymore, and it would just be a waste of money -- and shelf space.)

I bought a few pieces of art in 2024 and have my eye on one or two more pieces, though really I just don't have much free wall space any longer!

Probably the best art exhibit I saw was the Henry Moore-Georgia O'Keefe exhibit in Montreal in early 2024. 

I also went to Buffalo twice in 2024!  Early in the year to see the Clyfford Still exhibit at the Albright-Knox, and then back again late in the year to see Marisol.  (I had also seen Marisol in Montreal in 2023, but they did change it up just a bit in each venue.)

Marisol, The Jazz Wall, 1963

Marisol, ABCDEFG & HI (with The Family in background), 1961-62

Marisol, The Party, 1965-66

Somehow I keep forgetting that I made a lot of travel for work, including two trips to Edmonton (where the museums are generally dire, though the art gallery does have two terrific Alex Janvier paintings).

Alex Janvier, Lubicon, 1988

Alex Janvier, Grand Entry, 1980

I also made two trips to Vancouver (once for a conference), a trip to northern California, where I was able to take an extra day and hang out in SF (and of course  check out a bunch of museums) and then a trip to Baltimore for the TRB Equity conference.  The equity conference was terrific, but not only did I catch COVID at the end, though the symptoms passed quickly, but the Crowdstrike IT meltdown ended up stranding me in Atlanta!  Ultimately, I took a Greyhound bus back to Detroit and then Flixbus on to Toronto.  I may be conflating trips, but I think this is also the trip where my iPod finally gave up the ghost.  I tried several things to try to reboot it and resurrect it, but I think it is completely dead.  I'm not entirely sure if I would replace it even if I could.**  Generally, these trips are not documented very well, at least on the blog.  I do have well over 3000 photos from all these trips, and I could probably throw at least a few of them up here.  

I guess I sort of forgot that I went to the Banksy exhibit in the fall.  

Banksy, Grim Reaper, 2005

Banksy, CYW Green, n.d.

It was fine, but it certainly wasn't the most interesting local art exhibit.  That honor would go to Keith Haring at the AGO.  While it opened in 2023, I saw it several times, including in March 2024 right before it closed.

Keith Haring, Red Room, 1988

I haven't documented it well (yet), but the recent New York & Washington DC trip was completely over-stuffed with trips to museums of all sorts, and indeed my legs were really hurting by the third day, which is a new (and most unwelcome) development.  Getting old does suck...  Maybe I will soften my stance about not going back to the States, but it felt like a bit of a farewell trip, and I am assuming I won't go back until the Orange one is out of office, one way or another.

I guess this is the last day to give to charity, though I did hear that the feds may extend the deadline.  I gave to quite a few charities on Giving Tues.  I really had meant to give to Coal Mine, but then just missed the deadline for matching donations by a day.  I guess in the end it doesn't really matter, but it does irk me.  I should probably go back through the list of charities I typically give to and see if I missed any.  I don't make resolutions any longer (like to be more patient or understanding of others), though I have generally been keeping to my exercise regime (though I probably should add back one more trip to the gym or swimming pool per week now that I am barely biking) but not really to any sort of diet.  I am supposed to try to lose another 10 or 15 pounds, but that clearly won't happen until I buckle down and stop eating excessive carbs and/or junk food.  Sigh.

While I clearly have very low hopes for 2025, hopefully I am wrong and it ends up being a decent year after all.


* And of course, 2024 did Alice Munro no favours.  It was only a few weeks after she passed that we learned what a miserable mother she had been.  No question she is already cancelled in the hearts of many of her strongest admirers, and I expect her legacy will remain forever tarnished.  What this means in terms of her place in the Canadian cannon is yet to be determined, but it certainly can't help.

** I did have to replace my phone at some point.  While I did appreciate the much better camera (and storage for photos and video!), I do not like the fact that this messed up the interface between Ticketmaster and Google Wallet, which still isn't resolved and is a total drag.  At least Google Wallet works for other events that are not connected to Ticketmaster.