Rather than bore you with our inane and completely relative list of the supposed best music of 2015, the former music editor and myself — the new music editor — have chosen to highlight some of the events and releases that caught our interest and/or ire this last trip around the sun.
Salman Rushdie Reads Drake Lyrics on the CBC • Like our friend Aubrey from Toronto, Salman Rushdie understands immense success, flawless women and being hated on — the novelist is the great voice of the Indian diaspora, he was once married to Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi and, after publishing The Satanic Verses in 1988, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, put a fatwa on his head. So, when Rushdie appeared on the CBC (Canada's PBS) in September, it only made sense that he read some Drake in free verse. As a literary/rap nerd, I can't tell you how satisfying it is to hear the novelist say "running through the Six with my woes." It's so rewarding that I propose Rushdie tour through America, reading the transcriptions of each city's great contemporary rapper — espousing "I Serve the Base" in Atlanta, "King Kunta" in Los Angeles and "Bound 2" in Chicago.
A Very Bolo Halloween • On and off the stage, I've seen The Bolos do some truly debaucherous things in the pursuit of rock 'n' roll. Like anyone who spends their weekends on the St. Mary's strip, I've seen the quartet's set a thousand times. But, I'm truly bummed that I missed their Halloween gig at Paper Tiger. As bands postured as their favorite idols (Massiver as Joy Division, Cannibal Bitch as GG Allin, etc.), The Bolos took on smut-rockers The Cramps. As San Anto stalwart Chris Smart joined the band as the late Lux Interior, bassist Osita Anusi swapped his instrument for the drum kit and lit the ride cymbal on fire.
