Canada: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
July 14th, 2010
The Good:
John’s life long dream of hoisting up the Stanley Cup was realized when Blackhawk’s alternate captain Patrick Sharpe dropped by our gig in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The Bad:
It was a great treat given that the border made us wait seven f***ing hours needlessly before letting us in the country. They did, however, have time enough to break a xerox machine, laugh about it, use flashlights inside the office, laugh about that, walk slowly to the other side of the room, walk slowly back, organize the walkie talkies, deny access to a band playing at the festival, heat up what looked like microwave pizza, laugh with a canadian accent at a joke about their uniforms, search kayak.com for a fishing vacation (I saw this in the mirror behind the dutifully preoccupied clerk with hair plugs desk), proceed to adjust his nut sack behind the desk where I could still see him in the mirror, search kayak.com for a cruise ship vacation, heat up another microwave pizza (i think this one had pepperoni on it), deny Tab Benoit’s band access to the country (who by the way is one mother f***er of a guitar player), talk to our tour manager condescendingly, make a sandwich, copy some things on the broke xerox, go to the bathroom for what I gauge as much longer than ample pee time, laugh at a band member sleeping in a chair, walk slowly to the back office, talk to us like criminals, deny us access and wish us a “good day eh.”
The Ugly:
The Good (again):
That experience aside we had a great time playing the Thunder Bay Blues Festival. Everyone involved in the production of this event was beyond courteous and professional and very much sympathized with our ordeal. All the bands seriously rocked and we got to play to an unbelievable crowd.
13 comments13 Comments on Canada: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Leave a Comment on Canada: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Email Signup
Tour Dates
Videos
Featured: BT Studio Austin
The band hashing out a new song with Alejandro Escovedo.
Vicki
Great Pic with the Stanley Cup!!! The Bugger is huge!
Wow, we are going to go into Canada for the first time in Aug! After reading your blog, I got a nasty sinking feeling in my gut! That was very uncool! But, hopefully your laughing at the idiot now!
Byron (I saw you in Petaluma)
In “Travels with Charley” there’s an amusing scene involving a border crossing; sometimes it helps to laugh eh? Loved the Mystic Show, btw, the best time my wife and I have had since the little one changed our lives forever.
Cathy
So sorry for the poor first impression of Canada! However, they do that to CANADIANS as well!! Big chip on their shoulders (and I happen to know 2 of the people who work there)…Glad you made it though and what a great performance!
Popper Freak
haha … nice
…
Shawn
Had a similar (evenworse) experience crossing over in ‘99 for Phish-held us needlesslly for hours also. Realized that day that I’m much too good of a person to ever go back to that country. Beatiful land, but I only encountered terrible people.
I cringed when I was reading this.
donnam13
As a Canadian who’s gone through this bullshit trying to get into the USA, at one time being denied and turned away for no reason, i can totally commisserate with you.. i dont think its a canadian/usa thing – i think its a powertrip by border guards hired by a third country just to see if they can get us both to not like each other! (joking)… it doesnt seem to make any sense though – its hit and miss… i hope that any amercians reading this blog wont hold this against the rest of us – we really are nice people and its worth trying to come to see us.
johnnymac
hell yeah Tab Benoit rocks – how about a Tab BT collaboration? that’d be one hell of a 2x bill.
Paul
F all that…ya got to touch the cup!
marlys
i drank out of the stanley cup : ) JOHN ! i lost your number. its me marlys … from detroit/ jackson hole / hawaii . hit me up !
Boy Gerza
When do you come back to canada
Uncle Rocco
I love you guys, I have listened to you since hearing a bootleg of you opening for the Dead at Day of the Dead. We heard you play a small club in Seattle, maybe 1990? and met you emerging from the van on the street outside. I demo’ed my mediocre renditon of the riff from But Anyway, and John wasn’t impressed, with good reason. Well, I have continued to play, my harp style is partly inspired by you, and I go into the recording studio again tomorrow.
There are two uglies in this story for me. There is a rising police state everywhere we look. Cops are now patting down people getting on the ski gondola in Steamboat Springs, I shit you not. Gotta keep those terrorists (or pot smokers, take your pick) off the ski gondolas. The other ugly is how John could be such an intelligent, sensitive person, and not still see how this rising tide of police and military are connected, that you could recite pieties for the USO about how the military is “defending freedom,” when you are obviously not free. If you look around, you might just feel like me. You might notice no one was ever really free. Well, I’ll keep listening, and just cross my fingers when you pledge allegiance to your local emperor.
Julius
Yeah, those Customs guys….(insert whiny story). I love your music, but before whining about troubles at the border you may want to ask your tour manager to brush up on the legal requirements for entry into a foreign nation. For me, I’ll be eternally thankful for Customs Officers in Canada after they stopped my ex-wife and discovered she was attempting to unlawfully depart the country with my 2 kids.
Joyce
Hi, I think I used to work with one of you guys in NYC, back before you were famous and all. It was at a merger and acquisition company run by Peter Joseph. I was an opera singer than (still am) but now am also an Episcopal priest and chaplain in Oakland. Hoping to see you when you come to Yoshi’s and want to know if I am just crazy (maybe) or if this rings any bells for any of you. Meanwhile, Peace, jpm