Who are you?
Glenn Milchem, drummer with Blue Rodeo and lead singer/guitarist/songwriter with the Swallows.
What are you up to?
Touring the U.S. with Blue Rodeo, preparing for my own solo acoustic and Swallows shows in the spring, re-releasing the Swallows "Turning Blue" CD, planning the next Swallows CD, and trying to spend time with my family.
Hometown and current HQ:
Downtown Toronto.
Current fixations:
"Shadow Maker," a biography of poet Gwendolyn MacEwen by Rosemary Sullivan; Wong Kar Wai's "In The Mood For Love"; the comfort food at the Vienna Bakery; CDs by Jim Bryson, Wrist Error, Merle Haggard, Sonic Youth, Ryan Adams, Eve Egoyan, Milford Graves, Alice Coltrane, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Godspeed, Mercury Rev, The Beatles.
Mind altering work of art:
"The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even" by Marcel Duchamp.
Most memorable/inspirational gig and why?
The Clash at the O'Keefe Centre in September 79, because it was my first real taste of how dramatic and unpredictable a rock show could be.
What should everyone shut up about?
"Reality-based" TV shows. Anything dot.com. Eminem.
Your greatest strength/weakness:
I can admit when I need to change. I dislike change.
Your vital daily ritual:
The Globe cryptic crossword.
Guilty pleasure:
The pleasure I feel in feeling guilty about my pleasure.
If I wasn't playing music I would be
Going back to school to learn how to do something else.
Your most memorable day job:
Night watchman at the Xerox Research Centre. I made giant Xerox collages to pass the time.
Best/worst advice received:
Best: "Nothing is more important than your family."
Worst: "You should quit this business and get a job in a factory."
I would drop everything to play a benefit for
Aid for the homeless, women's rights, children's rights, native rights, anti-racism, anti-homophobia, freedom of expression, my community.
What makes you want to take it off and get it on?
Love, trust, grace, intelligence, creativity, the small of her back.
What personal trait would make you kick someone out of your band and/or bed? And have you?
An unwillingness to put up with my crap. They usually leave before I can kick them out.
When I think of Canada I think:
Of a vast breeding ground for new mythologies. And chunks of ice in my latte at Portage and Main.
Music and sex: Is there a difference? Why?
Music can be sexual and sex can be musical, but genitals are rarely used when playing most instruments.
Strangest brush with celebrity:
We're in L.A. today and as I write this, Donny Osmond is standing twenty feet away. He's looking good.
What does your mom wish you were doing instead?
Calling her more often.
Glenn Milchem, drummer with Blue Rodeo and lead singer/guitarist/songwriter with the Swallows.
What are you up to?
Touring the U.S. with Blue Rodeo, preparing for my own solo acoustic and Swallows shows in the spring, re-releasing the Swallows "Turning Blue" CD, planning the next Swallows CD, and trying to spend time with my family.
Hometown and current HQ:
Downtown Toronto.
Current fixations:
"Shadow Maker," a biography of poet Gwendolyn MacEwen by Rosemary Sullivan; Wong Kar Wai's "In The Mood For Love"; the comfort food at the Vienna Bakery; CDs by Jim Bryson, Wrist Error, Merle Haggard, Sonic Youth, Ryan Adams, Eve Egoyan, Milford Graves, Alice Coltrane, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Godspeed, Mercury Rev, The Beatles.
Mind altering work of art:
"The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even" by Marcel Duchamp.
Most memorable/inspirational gig and why?
The Clash at the O'Keefe Centre in September 79, because it was my first real taste of how dramatic and unpredictable a rock show could be.
What should everyone shut up about?
"Reality-based" TV shows. Anything dot.com. Eminem.
Your greatest strength/weakness:
I can admit when I need to change. I dislike change.
Your vital daily ritual:
The Globe cryptic crossword.
Guilty pleasure:
The pleasure I feel in feeling guilty about my pleasure.
If I wasn't playing music I would be
Going back to school to learn how to do something else.
Your most memorable day job:
Night watchman at the Xerox Research Centre. I made giant Xerox collages to pass the time.
Best/worst advice received:
Best: "Nothing is more important than your family."
Worst: "You should quit this business and get a job in a factory."
I would drop everything to play a benefit for
Aid for the homeless, women's rights, children's rights, native rights, anti-racism, anti-homophobia, freedom of expression, my community.
What makes you want to take it off and get it on?
Love, trust, grace, intelligence, creativity, the small of her back.
What personal trait would make you kick someone out of your band and/or bed? And have you?
An unwillingness to put up with my crap. They usually leave before I can kick them out.
When I think of Canada I think:
Of a vast breeding ground for new mythologies. And chunks of ice in my latte at Portage and Main.
Music and sex: Is there a difference? Why?
Music can be sexual and sex can be musical, but genitals are rarely used when playing most instruments.
Strangest brush with celebrity:
We're in L.A. today and as I write this, Donny Osmond is standing twenty feet away. He's looking good.
What does your mom wish you were doing instead?
Calling her more often.