So.. the story goes... buddy was busking on the streets of St Catherine... annoying everyone within earshot with the spoons (AND XMAS MUSIC ..).. enough complaints went to City Council that they actually banned the playing of spoons on the street... the logical thought is.. what next? the shakey egg? Will he take up 'the drum'?
The Juggling Buskers Association of Greater Montreal has exerted enough pressure on the city council to prevent that from happening; convincing them that knives are essential to the JBA members' livelihood and, apart from eliciting a relatively rare scream of pain, are quite nonintrusive.
It's a scandal. This is in response to a "noise pollution" complaint from a department store which has--or used to have--a BAGPIPER march around the store every noonhour.
And their real reason, if you read the article, is that this gentleman's playing conflicted with their attempts to play christmas muzak in the street outside their store. For shame!
""It's what I would call noise pollution, especially this time of the year, when we try to get our Christmas songs playing," said Bernard Pare, president of Ogilvy's."
If given my druthers, I'd prefer solid quebecois spoon-playing to yet another soupy arrangement of silent night.
that is really sad that they would do that to the guy. oh no, you can hear the spoons! you can also hear the cars and buses... and breathe in the pollutants from our wonderful inventions, but spoons are a problem.
Thanks for pointing that out S1m0n. When I heard the clip on the news I thought he was thumping to the xmas music. I forgot about the piper! Added weight to the comment I made on the website re: that store squelching Quebecois culture (having grown up in Mtl, could not resist!)
Isn't it odd that the shops playing loud music inside and pubs playing loud music outside, are generally empty.
Green Oak Morris did a gig in the market place and one of the bargain basements refused to stop broadcasting music outside. The team stood across his doorway stopping shoppers until he got the message and piped down.
This is clearly discrimination. Someone should rally all the spoon players in Montreal to picket the department store...SPOON PLAYERS UNITE! BTW, all those of you making nasty comments about bodhran players... we know where you live...
There used to be a guy who sat outside of the Hardrock Cafe at the Skydome in downtown Toronto and played the spoons to the music coming from the bar. People used to stand around and listen to him...it was pretty cool. I'll take a Bodhran, spoons, forks, knives, hell... even someone who plays the spatulas or the would be better than any kind of Muzac around.
Would it be ironic if spoonboy started playing the ostersizer?...oops thats osterizer.
i thought it was interesting that actually all percussion was already banned in montreal - but it seems that it was because of this particular guy that an exemption was put in place for spoons, castanets and triangles. the new law is removing the exemption for spoons. so i guess the new law's not quite as radical as it first appears.
Spoon ban in Montreal !
Spoon ban in Montreal !
So.. the story goes... buddy was busking on the streets of St Catherine... annoying everyone within earshot with the spoons (AND XMAS MUSIC ..).. enough complaints went to City Council that they actually banned the playing of spoons on the street... the logical thought is.. what next? the shakey egg? Will he take up 'the drum'?
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by CC
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
The forks.
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by ∅
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
What are people supposed to manger their potage with?
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
On the street? With their forks, when they're not playing them.
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by ∅
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
Right.
That's it.
I'm emigrating to Montreal.
Hopefully they've got shaky eggs targetted next? Then Bodh....oops, I better stop, now...
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
Please tell me that they've already banned KNIVES prior to the spoons!?!
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by brianc
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
The Juggling Buskers Association of Greater Montreal has exerted enough pressure on the city council to prevent that from happening; convincing them that knives are essential to the JBA members' livelihood and, apart from eliciting a relatively rare scream of pain, are quite nonintrusive.
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by ∅
Castanets and triangles only>>>
http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/soundoff/story.html?id=a7f6d169-2e79-4949-b7ab-b4d3b95d0589
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by CC
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
Perhaps, the subject should have read, "Talented melody players only"...
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by CC
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
Perhaps it's because spoons don't do enough damage to bodhráns.
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
government is great ain't it?
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by Robby B.
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
Good one, Mountain Goat!
:^)
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by brianc
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
It's a scandal. This is in response to a "noise pollution" complaint from a department store which has--or used to have--a BAGPIPER march around the store every noonhour.
And their real reason, if you read the article, is that this gentleman's playing conflicted with their attempts to play christmas muzak in the street outside their store. For shame!
""It's what I would call noise pollution, especially this time of the year, when we try to get our Christmas songs playing," said Bernard Pare, president of Ogilvy's."
If given my druthers, I'd prefer solid quebecois spoon-playing to yet another soupy arrangement of silent night.
# Posted on December 12th 2004 by s1m0n
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
that is really sad that they would do that to the guy. oh no, you can hear the spoons! you can also hear the cars and buses... and breathe in the pollutants from our wonderful inventions, but spoons are a problem.
# Posted on December 12th 2004 by daiv
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
Thanks for pointing that out S1m0n. When I heard the clip on the news I thought he was thumping to the xmas music. I forgot about the piper! Added weight to the comment I made on the website re: that store squelching Quebecois culture (having grown up in Mtl, could not resist!)
# Posted on December 12th 2004 by CC
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
Isn't it odd that the shops playing loud music inside and pubs playing loud music outside, are generally empty.
Green Oak Morris did a gig in the market place and one of the bargain basements refused to stop broadcasting music outside. The team stood across his doorway stopping shoppers until he got the message and piped down.
# Posted on December 12th 2004 by geoffwright
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
This is clearly discrimination. Someone should rally all the spoon players in Montreal to picket the department store...SPOON PLAYERS UNITE! BTW, all those of you making nasty comments about bodhran players... we know where you live...
# Posted on December 12th 2004 by Herding Cats
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
There used to be a guy who sat outside of the Hardrock Cafe at the Skydome in downtown Toronto and played the spoons to the music coming from the bar. People used to stand around and listen to him...it was pretty cool. I'll take a Bodhran, spoons, forks, knives, hell... even someone who plays the spatulas or the would be better than any kind of Muzac around.
Would it be ironic if spoonboy started playing the ostersizer?...oops thats osterizer.
# Posted on December 13th 2004 by c_ya
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
i thought it was interesting that actually all percussion was already banned in montreal - but it seems that it was because of this particular guy that an exemption was put in place for spoons, castanets and triangles. the new law is removing the exemption for spoons. so i guess the new law's not quite as radical as it first appears.
# Posted on December 13th 2004 by rog
Re: Spoon ban in Montreal !
Fine! Ban the spoons, the bones, the washboard, the jaw harp, but they would play hell banning hambone!
# Posted on December 14th 2004 by baxdrum