As I confessed in my 14 Days Top Six blurb in our April 8 issue, I’m not a huge fan of the Buck-Nude Women. Admittedly, they do have a number of pretty catchy tunes. And as far as runs go, they’ve had a solid one as one of the higher profile bands in Canada. But I guess I’ve always been put off somewhat by their gimmicky name. Yeah, it got them noticed (and even banned for a short time in Toronto by the mayor, if memory serves), and eventually made them famous, but it’s a slippery slope, as once you aquire a rep for schtick it tends to stick with you no matter how hard you strive to be taken seriously. Just ask Jim Pankiw.
And they totally missed the boat with their “Be my Yoko Ono” song. Yoko Ono was an established performance artist in New York years before she met John Lennon and didn’t just ride his coat-tails to fame and fortune. Even today she’s cutting edge enough to follow prairie dog illustrator Dakota McFadzean on Twitter, apparently. At least, that’s what Dakota said in a recent Facebook post I read..
Backing up the Barenaked Ladies tonight at Conexus Arts Centre is Joel Plaskett (pictured). Out of Halifax, Plaskett is a true treasure on the Canadian music scene. A founding member of Thrush Hermit in the early ’90s (a band who’ve reunited, by the way, and who were recently featured on the cover of the Now in Toronto), Plaskett has also made his mark as a solo artist, releasing a number of acclaimed discs and building a loyal fan base with his humorously poignant and personal bordering on confessional songs. Here’s the video for “Fashion People” off his great 2007 album Ashtray Rock (YouTube),