Peace out Canada, Wasssup America

So these are the last photos before crossing the boarder into US territory. We hit up a photo booth at 8am before i went to the train station. There was a sweet booth that shot big portraits so i got one of them to google at when I'm a fat granny and need to look backwards. We hit the boarder around 11am, one cup of coffee, 6 bucks down for a traveling visa (green bit of shitty paper) and a lot of rain, we passed over and i saw my first American flag of the trip.

A few posts earlier i stuck up a small i movie i made on the trip, it killed hours off my 11 ours ride and well, lets be honest, the view did not change too much. Welcome to America aka chapter 2.

Last day in Montreal

So my last few days in Montreal were pretty eventful. I got to explore the French side of Montreal, a house/squat show at LBH, and walk the streets letting cool stuff seek me out and visa versa. Although my time here was short it was a delight to get some down time in a city that mixes a very European demeanor with Canadian twang. The food spots are incredible namely Aux vivres, which is out of control for brunch and its coconut bacon! yeah, nuts good!

In the UK we put our stairs inside, here second floor stairs are placed out side. This method of access has paved the way fr so many stunning buildings and apartments. This photo is not a rad apartment block, but was just a prompt to address it.

The squat house show was pretty awesome. Bands included Statues,Horses and Malcolm Bauld for a big dose of folk punk. It was a rad small show with feelings iv not felt since i was 15 and getting into punk rock. The whole DIY scene has totally escaped me over the year, so it was pretty nice to see people still putting on sneaky shows out of the lime light of major promoters.

So this is the bedroom of the friend i was Staying with in Montreal. A gentlemens shrine to the iconic Morrissey. 

Cute street art v's nasty stuff. I know what id choose.

Montreal shops

So in a desperate attempt to catch up with my trigger happy self, here are some last insights into Montreal and its treasure. I did not get the name of this shop, but I'm confident you can see from the photos that every intricate detail was well in hand, down to the girl running the stores underwear no doubt. This shop is a nostalgic 50's kids dream with all shapes of crockery, wall paper, play boy issues, suitcases, glass frames, and so on. It puts all forms of franchise or chain to total shame. This store demands worldly respect for the visionary that keeps this store so alive. Apologies for the lack of actual store info, all i can say is get down to St Laurent st and its on there a couple of blocks off St Katherine's. 

Rail from Montreal to New york!

So i had some fun on Imovie yesterday,first time ever hence the sketchy job, but fun none the less. I boarded my 11 hours train ride form Montreal to New York to go see our home girl in Besosyfoto. i have a bunch of things to still tell you cats about with regard to montreal, and my early hours in NY. I have been here nearly 24 hours and my brain is going ten to the dozen with inspiration, notes to self, and worldly segments of rad.

Montreal- i indeed arrived!

So RP indeed arrived in Montreal in one piece. 7 hours on a coach and a few Tim Horton's later i arrived in Montreal (get me the fuck away from all these doughnuts please!) Within a few hours we had dropped a bunch a shrooms and were having a fear and loathing moment in some red lit bar. A night of giggling followed and a lot of walking the next day to shake of any anxiety. Here are a bunch of shots of what a crisp day in Montreal presented... quite the start to my next city!

the whole subway here is tiled in circular tiles. i could not help but wonder what this cost, i mean they are circular, that's got to be more demanding right?. iv seen a bunch of neat tiled floors here but been a little slack on shooting them. Its a pretty sweet material that should be revived a little more, imagine this as your kitchen floor. nice!

I'm not a big fan of churches. I'm not sure what it is, i just never seem to be blown away but stuff like this, maybe its cause I'm English iv grown up around Gothic and abstract historical architecture. Either way, we strayed into this palace and i found a few strange things.

There seem to be so many people on these wheelchair things in canada. I can only assume Canada takes care of its older types, or there are a lot of lazy assholes? the dog in the dog is not even getting a walk?

Last day in the City

Actions speak louder than words, the chalking of kids with restless minds. Chalks such a good medium!

This is a cute as hell cafe on Dundas owned by the guys who run Saving Grace.  Subtle attention to detail and some sweet jazz make me want to sit in here all day watching the world go buy, oh and they make a mean avocado sarni. Dig it

Public art on ugly walls, whats a great way to take attention away form an ugly building site,

Little babes in Big Coats -  Dig it

And this, well, this is my world right now, and it does not get much better. Coffee, cameras, and all the hours you could ask for. From here on in, we are heading to Montreal for 5 days. 

ZINE DISCO PARTY GO -WE NEED MORE!

Zines/fanzines - a small circulation, non-commercial publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier on a variety of colored paper stock.

Why the F don't more people do these? I first became aware of this cut n paste method of self expression when i discovered Punk Rock. Punk zines emerged as part of the punk movement in the late 1970s. These started in the UK and the U.S.A. and by March 1977 had spread to other countries. Cheap photocopying had made it easier than ever for anyone who could make a band flyer to make a zine. Tonight i had a sweet breeze over some local peoples zines with the help of Marika and look to hit up a sweet zine spot tomo in down town Toronto. 

I cant champion the concept of making these more! I'm moving on to Montreal next week to stay at the HQ of Society Suckers Zine. Be a buddy and check it out, its subcultures documented for people in the know. Power to the zine geek.