Barenaked Interpreter

Steven Page, if you are reading my blog, please do not take any of the following personally. It's not you.

First of all, this is the first year in a few that S and I haven't made the ECMA scene... so it was delightful to see the full weekend's activities profiled (but in an HOUR? Too short!!) But what great and venerable brain at the CBC felt that the East Coast Music Awards required a narrative framework to allow the rest of the country to appreciate it? I mean, Page is quirky and funny, but is the message here that

a) the rest of the country won't understand what's going on unless a central Canadian celebrity sticks their face in the camera and explains it, possibly because of our 'way out' Eastern accents? (no doot)

or, and more perniciously,

b) if they didn't put on a 'real celebrity'... you know, one from away... the rest of the country wouldn't watch. In fact, maybe no one from here would either. It hasn't been lost on us that the ECMA organization has sort of bent themselves sideways to find a way to involve Sloan every year, now that they're big TO celebs hobnobbing with the Gomeshi and suchlike.


The whole thing came across as rather precious... "Look, here's some fiddles! and feet tapping! How quaint! Look, here's Meaghan Smith, overawed by the big celebrity! Look, here's Jenn Grant looking like a clutzy loser--because someone from TO told her to!"

The chucklehead that dreamed up this set up needs to be delivered a swift boot in their musical sensibilities. The music of Eastern Canada, as I rediscover every year at the ECMAs and the accompanying No-Cases, is deep, rich, incredibly varied... and yes, we are proud people, and if it seems negative that we don't enjoy the central Canadian CBC's condescension, well, sorry to bruise your wee darling little feelings. (Don't get me wrong, our local CBC crews are great. I <3 Stephanie Domet.)

You know, we have entertainers down here that could have filled the Page spot nicely, if that is the set up that they insisted on. Kelly Peck, Stephanie Domet, Stan Carew, one of our local music journalists (Dean Lisk writes a mighty cute review), even... well, what about that other Page? You know, OURS, the one that was nominated for an Oscar?

I guess they couldn't really use her, though, because they'd have had to change the title to "Juno's East Coast"--and that would have been confusing. Especially for the Central Canadians.