I’ll be spinning some Canadian Glam on Wired Up, Don Bolles and Noah Wallace’s regular Glam radio romp!!!
More info here on my Patreon (feel free to subscribe, it’s a happening with awesome perks!!!):
https://www.patreon.com/posts/58365882
Seasons In the Sun Tues Sept 7th 7 pm PST
Seasons In The Sun Tuesday 7 pm PST
Though not Glam this is certainly a Canadian oddity!
I will be introducing the Seasons In The Sun movie Tuesday September 7th at 7 pm PST/10 PM EST on Cinephobe (cinephobe.tv). This oddity is not a documentary or a live performance, it is a feature film with Terry Jacks as rock star Terry Brandon and it has everything: brain disease, romance, spies, and live concerts that don't happen! It must be seen to be believed! I am so honoured to present this on Cinephobe, an amazing movie site that has really helped save my ass and bring me joy this past year and a half. Thanks to JC at the great YouTube channel unpopulararts for the movie hook-up, Danny Bejar for filming my intro, Gregg Turkington for first letting me know exactly what this movie was, and Greg Woods for some info and the VHS cover art hook-up.
Fine Art Comics of Canada: Sixties to Seventies - Heart of London, Snore & More by Robert Dayton
The Vancouver Comic Art Festival asked me to write these intensive pieces with original interviews that again get at aspects of Canadian culture that are less discussed due to being exciting and interesting! Mail artists! Nancy! The connections between The Hairy Who and London, Ontario! The Nihilist Spasm Band! bpNichol’s poetry comix!
This is a massive two parter. Read it here:
Fine Art Comics of Canada: Sixties to Seventies - Heart of London, Snore & More by Robert Dayton
Canadian Glam Super Fun Video Parties!
Hi! I have been upping my Canadian Glam Patreon posts of late, along with Super Fun Video Parties! I dig deep and curate all sorts of wild videos mostly related to a specific chapter in the Canadian Glam book (which I am making amazing progress on by the way). You can basically access all of them for five dollars! I post a new one every month. I really enjoy doing them and this latest one is also a hoot getting into classic Canadian film and television as well, link here:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/53968908
The Medium
Marshall McLuhan’s words still ring true, stronger than ever even. “The Medium Is the Message.” I grasp that now. I recently got a full page in a local newspaper for some of my most recent work, a big photo too! This rarely happens anymore, a lot of outlets have no interest in covering what I do, so I was pretty grateful. It was a well-written piece, the writer conveyed what I was doing perfectly (trust me, this doesn’t always happen), the jokes landed.
People on my social media were excited. In fact, they shared the newspaper article far more than the actual work that I am making -which was what the piece was about. I found this disheartening. I made this work about our current time and I made it for an audience, deliberately meaningful, fresh, modern, and entertaining. For that month all money made from this work was going to a very important cause (BC Residential School Association) but the work only made ten dollars that month -even with the coverage. I looked up the web stats and everything for when the article appeared: barely a blip. I guess all that mattered was my picture in the local paper. And yes, that coverage is useful for other things (one example: to help my U.S. visa so that I can leave Canada).
Conversely in that same newspaper there is a regular celebrity section with photos of people I often do not recognise. Except that these people are presented without any context whatsoever, but are often described doing very banal things (albeit often with great wealth and bland looks), especially in the Pandemic. The people in my actual personal life are far more interesting.
I remember the excitement of creating The Canadian Romantic character ten years ago and launching the videos which I put up on YouTube for everyone to freely watch, I sent out press notices, but the press ignored it. I created this character as a positive force for people, trying to do meaningful and entertaining public service work. Right as I launched the videos a commercial I was hired to be in for some office supply company started airing on television. Filming that commercial was a fun day with everyone and it helped pay me good money to survive and continue to create my own meaningful work for an audience. But people genuinely seemed more excited about seeing me on television for a split second in an office supply commercial than the meaningful work I had just launched. I still haven’t seen the commercial (absurdly enough The Canadian Romantic character was ripped off a few years later for a series of condom commercials, they did a terrible job: if they had just approached me and paid me to do the real thing, well, I really could have used the money…).
When the Canada 150 propaganda rolled around a couple years ago, like many people I was quite rightly against it and made a rather covert criticism: a funny video of The Canadian Romantic’s version of “Oh Canada.” I called in favours from friends to help, bless them, it was from the unreleased The Canadian Romantic album that no label wanted to release, even though I tried to create the funniest, most listenable album I could for people: it remains unreleased. I called in press favours trying to get this “Oh Canada” video out there on platforms to the people. No one replied. I have been told that these industry people are scared of me. I get this a lot. “They’re scared of you.” But why? Can someone tell me why they are so scared of me? I am just trying my best to create good, unique, meaningful work -positive work- for people and just want to get it out to people. Is there something I don’t know or understand? This is a serious question.
I have so many more anecdotes, endless.
Nice press
Hi everyone! Going on Nardwuar the other day was a hoot!
And it seems that people are enjoying the new video for “Get A Dog” so yayyy.
Stuart Derdeyn just did a full page story on my EPs for The Vancouver Sun and Province. I am grateful for this press. It is not easy to get press when one is completely independent! There are a lot of outlets that ignore what I do (often due to either the more comedic or conceptual elements which are poo-pooed, mistaking the work as somehow inauthentic) so this press is cherished, especially when the writer gets it. Link here:
https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/music/b-c-jester-robert-dayton-takes-society-out-to-the-woodshed-with-ep-someone-is-out-to-kill-me
And the music can be found here:
https://robertdayton.bandcamp.com/
Thanks!!!
New vids, going on Nardwuar's twitch wednesday, Bandcamp donations
Hamm and I have been making videos for my solo EPs, there’s been two so far, this third one premieres this Wednesday:
https://youtu.be/P9ifNFvI61w
And this Wednesday I will be going on Nardwuar’s Twitch channel at 7:30 PM.
https://www.twitch.tv/nardwuarserviette
Also, for the month of June all money earned from Bandcamp for my solo EPs will be going to Indian Residential School Survivors Society: https://www.irsss.ca/
New Solo EP! “My _____ Is Full.”
Hi! New one! It’s called “My _____ Is Full.” Very Pandemic related! You can isten to both EPs here:
https://robertdayton.bandcamp.com/
Finally after many years Robert Dayton (July Fourth Toilet, Canned Hamm, The Canadian Romantic, etc.) has released his first solo EPs entitled "Someone Is Out To Kill Me" and “My ______ Is Full.”
Both EPs are very Pandemic related.
Everything for Robert Dayton's solo EP was done by Stephen Hamm (Canned Hamm, Hamm: One Man Band, Slow, Tankhog, The Evaporators) except for lyrics and vocals.
My first solo EP!
Finally after many years Robert Dayton (July Fourth Toilet, Canned Hamm, The Canadian Romantic, etc.) has released his first solo EP entitled "Someone Is Out To Kill Me." Everything for Robert Dayton's solo EP was done by Stephen Hamm (Canned Hamm, Hamm: One Man Band, Slow, Tankhog, The Evaporators) except for lyrics and vocals.
Just a heads up, it's scary!!!! But that can be thrilling, right?
Thanks to Richard Chapman and Marc Bell and Trish Lavoie for graphic help and advice.
credits
released March 5, 2021
Stephen Hamm: everything except for lyrics and vocals
Robert Dayton: lyrics and vocals
New Patreon perk and the return of Roctober and Beachcombers art show
Exciting news!!! After a long hiatus Roctober Magazine is coming back and they are doing pre-orders for a limited print run of their next issue. I am ecstatic to have interviews in the new issue related to Canadian Glam with Clive Smith (Rock & Rule) and Melleny Melody that also gets into Rocket Robin Hood, The Bonzo Dog Band, deadmau5, Fashion Cares, and more!!! Info and pre-orders here:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/roctober-52-25th-anniversary-issue#/
Also I just added a brand new perk to the 5 dollar tie of my Patreon (www.patreon.com/CanadianGlam), check it out!
SUPER FUN VIDEO PARTY!!!!
$5 per month-Videos!!! Every month I will be making a specially selected video playlist of lots of neat stuff directly related to Canadian Glam and the chapters that i am working on!!!!
-Ask me stuff! Drop me a line! -Access to my Canadian Glam project: my exploration of Glam rock in Canada, lots of fun writing, music, and research!
So if you are already in the five dollar tier you'll be getting fun videos here on the posts every month!
$15 Mystery Package tier gets it too! And I just got some really neat stuff for next month's Mystery Package!
If you want to change tiers to be in on all this, it is super easy to do.
I have art in a Beachcombers themed art show Relics Of Our Past: The Beachcombers Reimagined on Gibson’s at Orca’s Pad featuring 20+ local, national and international artists paying tribute to the iconic Canadian TV show on the 30th anniversary of the show wrapping production in Gibsons. It runs from Monday August 17th through to the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl on the October 23-24-25 weekend.
Greetings From Isolation short film festival
How are you doing?
I am honoured to a new short as a part of this short film festival put together by programmer Stacey Donen. And I am in good company, lots of legendary Canadian filmmakers, check it out here:
https://greetingsfromisolation.com
Ed Video Booth at Material Art Fair, Mexico City
I am very excited to be part of Ed Video’s booth at Material art Fair in Mexico City with Amy Lockhart and Beth Frey! Info here:
https://material-fair.com/exhibitors/?fbclid=IwAR3GItaQ330PwkDBVg4fsxD6yDdYNugxO6FmgLU_-T5Z9NtR4cOxhRclfm4
And here:
https://www.edvideo.org/?fbclid=IwAR2M7MVer05UI-cofB9jSQdRxfWqBmxADbZSbm4xHwv8XWvmeAdvpIpLg0k
The Ace Hotel Palm Springs-Wed Nov 6, 2019
I have not been keeping up on the news here and lots has happened eeps
But:
BELLY FLOP (COMEDY) FT NEIL HAMBURGER, MAGGIE MAYE, ROBERT DAYTON
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Wednesday November 6, 2019
at The Amigo Room
Here’s pics of my last show with Neil Hamburger by Kevin Riggin:
New The Canadian Romantic video
Yesterday's Tomorrowland Today
I just returned from Frisco doing a show with the legendary Three Day Stubble and Glands Of External Secretion and Linda Hagood encouraging me to tarry forth, yes! I also saw Alan Bishop who gave me encouraging words of wisdom. “if you stop I’ll kick your fucking ass.” I truly appreciate these legends. Also one person called my set ‘diabolical.’
I am in the thick of Canadian Glam buying multiple versions of Roxy Roller for research purposes, trying to untangle this convoluted tale. Feel free to hit my Patreon:
.
Speaking of legends I am taking part in Ann Magnuson’s zerox art show as The Mayor of Moon Town this Sunday (July 14th 3 pm). Ann as some of you may know did a tribute to Glam icon Jobriath a few years back as well as multiple Bowie connections. A very spacey art event in Silverlake of which I am honored to be a small part of as the Mayor of Moontown! It'll be a real trip to the moon! Dress: COSMIC
Yesterday's Tomorrowland Today:
A Retro-Rocket Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing!
Curated by Alexa Hunter & Ann Magnuson
Dedicated to the memory of Keith Haring
Yesterday's Tomorrowland Today is a group show of Xerox artwork (both new and vintage) by West Coast alumni of Club 57.
Club 57 was the infamous neo-Dada performance/art space that existed in New York’s East Village from 1978-1983 and was the subject of a recent retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. Many of the artists featured in this new show, including the curators, had work in the MoMA exhibit which also highlighted the early careers of Kenny Scharf and Keith Haring. Haring curated many of Club 57’s first art shows, including 1980’s “Club 57 Xerox Art Invitational.” This new exhibit,Yesterday’s Tomorrowland Today is, in part, inspired by that 1980 show as well as Haring’s generous and joyful approach to creativity.
Opening the Sunday before the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, the show will explore the hopes and shattered dreams of postwar America’s ‘Atomic Age’ and how that legacy affects us today.
Magnuson explains: “Much of what we did at Club 57 was informed by the optimism of post-war America that defined our childhood. The NASA moon landing was the apex of that optimism, which was ultimately eroded by Vietnam, Watergate and the recession of the 1970s. By the time Club 57 opened its doors in 1978, we were hard at work rebuilding that optimism in the crime-ridden, drug-addled dystopia of New York City. We felt a connection to the spirit of the moon landing and a yearning for new, uncharted territory.
We think the relaxed, open environment of the Winslow Garage gallery is perfect for resurrecting the DIY spirit of Club 57. Plus, in a city and era where everything - especially in the art world - is becoming progressively more high-rent and luxury-obsessed (not to mention the existence of a concurrent dystopia escalating with the homeless crisis) we wanted to revisit and perhaps revive the spirit of low-cost/high-fun ‘art for art’s sake’ from our youth. Think Just Kids meets 2001: A Space Odyssey.”
The show will also include artwork and photographs from the era (including pieces from the original Haring-curated 1980 Xerox art show) as well as Kenny Scharf’s space-themed video “Carousel of Progress” and rare video from Scharf's “Salute to NASA” event held at Club 57 in 1980. There are also plans to screen NASA footage from the Apollo moon missions and clips from Magnuson’s new music video (co-directed by Adam Dugas) for the song “I Met An Astronaut” (written about her experience meeting Apollo 15 astronaut Dave Scott while working on the HBO series “From the Earth to the Moon” produced by Tom Hanks.)
Participating artists include Kenny Scharf, Kitty Brophy, Bruno Testore Schmidt, Howie Pyro, Barry Shils, Kristian Hoffman, Tessie Chua, Joe Lewis, Raghubir Kintisch (FKA N.A. Kintisch), John A. Mozzer, Tony Frere, Chuck Nanney, Jerry Beck, George Haas, Joseph Szkodzinski, Maripol, Simone Gad, George Stoll, Richard Davis, Steve Doughton, Alexa Hunter and Ann Magnuson. Also represented in early work: Joey Arias, Carmel Johnson, Robert Carrithers, April Palmieri, Animal X and the late Klaus Nomi, John Sex, Wendy Wild, Tseng Kwong Chi, Coco Ugaz, Adolfo Sanchez and Keith Haring.
Sunday reception featuring live performances by Ann Magnuson, Alexa Hunter, Kristian Hoffman, Pierre Smith, Robert Dayton and Ursula Gueringer.
Winslow Garage address: 3540 Winslow Drive, LA CA 90026
Between Edgecliff and Maltman south of Sunset Blvd,
Image Above: Original collage flyer for Kenny Scharf’s “Salute to NASA” event at Club 57; (C) 1980 Kenny Scharf
Three Day Stubble in San Francisco
I highly suggest going to San Francisco on Thursday, July 4th to see a rare performance by Three Day Stubble. I have not seen them in two decades and I am excited to be opening as The Canadian Romantic. Three Day Stubble have inspired me so much. I remember a guy from Smegma standing next to me in awe at a performance in a jinkyard saying, "They're like Can meets Richard Simmons" but also oh so much more! Patterns and textures collide, the ancient art of Avi, blue flames in the dark, such catchy songs as Festival of the Wedding of the Seagoat. Plus Glands of External Secretion are performing: Bananafish Magazine was an early inspiration for me. It's gonna get freaky!
At the SF Eagle, 398 12th St, San Francisco, California 94103
La Troupe Grotesque
I am excited to announce that my extensively researched piece on La Troupe Grotesque, a wild and Glammy Canadian comedy duo with connections to The Velvet Underground, Frightenstein and more while taking some rather intensely dark turns towards the end, is up and live now on Nicolas Winding Refn’s website ByNWR.com - and I am super honoured that the legendary guest editor Kier-La Janisse, asked me to be a part of it! This piece also has lots of rare footage and pictures so if you have any interest in comedy history at all please check it out. Refn's site really is something special with a new film added each month: this month features a new 4K restoration of Bob Clark’s SHE-MAN: A STORY OF FIXATION and there's so much more. It’s all free, you just have to sign up to get access.
Signing (and Ballpoint Pen tattoos) at The Los Angeles Art Book Fair Sun April 14th, noon
This Sunday! Noon to one, April 14th, LA Art Book Fair, Museum of Contemporary Art, Geffen (152 N Central Ave) Free ballpoint pen tattoo with purchase of book yes
The Canadian Romantic in America
In this latest video The Canadian Romantic talks a touch of Snow Bird in America. Written and directed by Robert Dayton. Shot and edited by Steve Moramarco.
New The Canadian Romantic video
It’s been a while…lots happening that I don’t post here, hard to keep up…some great shows, hope to do more…trying to keep going forward..my apartment is uninhabitable and I have to move (imagine asking the landlord if the place was even weather proofed then finally getting the answer two months later: NO)…going out on great auditions…writing more Canadian Glam and getting yet another grant rejection (feel free to donate to www.patreon.com/canadianglam) ALSO a friend told me about the similarity to my character The Canadian Romantic in the new Trojan Man series of ads which I found out later were directed by Eric Wareheim (gosh, I haven’t heard from him in a while) who is more than familiar with my work. Check out this video, share away if you like. Thanks to the great Steve Moramarco for filming and editing and being a great help.
#thecanadianromantic #trojanman #canadianglam