Let's do the time warp again!

Worlds collided and old folks came out of the woodwork at the Garrison twice in the past couple of weeks, when two books about ye olde Toronto punk scene were launched. The first was for Jennifer Morton's book about Bunchofuckingoofs, Dirty Drunk and Punk, which featured a set by that particular notorious ’80s punk band; soon afterward came the party for Don Pyle's Trouble in the Camera Club, which collects photos he took of Toronto punk shows as a high-school kid and ties them together with a witty, perceptive and modest essay about those times. Don presented a slide show with characteristic charm, and later there was a set by the reconstituted Ugly, featuring Greg Dick subbing in for the late Mike Nightmare, and then a set in which the Sadies backed up various vocalists on some local punk non-hits. Surprisingly, there was no Steve Leckie sighting; where the hell was he, I wonder? I didn't see any Diodes either; it was Pyle himself who sang their songs.

It's always hard to re-create the reckless energy and passion of early punk; there's an excitement that only comes from hearing a style of music that's really fresh and possibly veering out of control, when no one really knows what's going to happen. But there's also a lot to be said for musicians who've been playing for more than 20 years, as the Ugly and the Sadies have. They reminded me of how many good songs came out of Toronto at that time, and what a shame it was that nobody stepped up to start a label back then. And they didn't even do the obvious “hits,” like Screaming Fist, Tired of Waking Up Tired and New York City. It was lots of fun, even though I didn't think Damian Abraham really needed to smash a glass on his head to add excitement to his terrific cover of the Poles' CN Tower. Fifth Column's Caroline Azar took on the Curse's Shoeshine Boy (with Patsy Poison in the audience!), and Nick Flanagan did a pretty good job on the Teenage Head set (with Gordie Lewis as a special guest). RIP Frankie Venom.