|
The trouble with Tam-Tam >> The good and the bad of Montreal's Sunday afternoon party in the park
COMMENTARY by PHILIP PREVILLE Photo by Jason Felker
Unfortunately, "institution" is usually a synonym for "ossification," and the Tam-Tam is no exception. There's still lots to like about it (most other cities would probably get spooked by all the kids and shut it down), but there are signs the Tam-Tam is getting too big for its britches.
Good: It's totally spontaneous. There is no official organizer of the Tam-Tam, and no corporate sponsor. The city tries to be as hands-off as possible. And all are welcome, making it a weekly festival of diversity. Bad: It's not spontaneous at all. After 10 years, the routine has gotten just a bit crusty. Proceedings begin at 1 p.m. sharp. There's no official dress code, but it's never a bad idea to look like you just walked off the set of Hair or Jesus Christ Superstar. If you're going to break code, best to dress up in the silliest-looking outfit you can muster. Rachel street on Sunday afternoon has become a parade of Seuss-like clowns heading to their weekly convention.
Good: It's eco-friendly. It's a civic utopia: people sing, dance and celebrate in an outdoors public space. You don't have to rent your place in the sun by purchasing overpriced beer. No parking, which means no cars. Bad: It's harmful to the environment. Eco-conscious Tam-Tammers are so concerned about global warming and the hole in the ozone layer, they lose track of themselves and commit the ultimate environmental sin of the 1970s: they litter. It takes the entire mountain crew all day on Monday to clean up the Tam-Tam trash. They've now purchased a sidewalk elephant-vac and a suck-and-mulch tractor to handle all the crud. Both machines, incidentally, are greenhouse-gas emitters. Pick up after yourselves, for crying out loud.
Good: It spawns its own cottage industry, right in the middle of the city. The city hands out permits every week on a first-come first-served basis; anybody can get one. Masks, home-dyed T-shirts, and every kind of friendship bracelet you can imagine. Buy stuff not made with sweatshop labour. Make some cash selling stuff you make in your spare time. Bad: It spawns its own bogus cottage industry, right in the middle of the city. The same people are always the first get in line for permits. And many are selling crappy imported merchandise (apparel, sunglasses, hashpipes, etc.); hopefully it's not made with sweatshop labour. And while it's nice to have a big dollar store in the great outdoors, it's a dollar store just the same. Who buys the stuff anyway? I fondly remember the sunny Sunday afternoon, some 10 years ago, when I grew up and took the shears to all my friendship bracelets.
Today, the Tam-Tam has become a prime destination for out-of-town visitors. Which means that Tam-Tam is now, of all things, a tourist attraction--the final resting place of castles, pyramids and all other once-great things. From a tourist's perspective, all the brightly coloured clothing, the nearby McDonald's and the city's French flavour make the Tam-Tam experience something like an afternoon at Euro Disney. So sing, dance and celebrate: you're all unwitting employees of an impromptu theme park. |
Nobody's quite sure when the Tam-Tam first began, but it's been at least eight years and running, and for all anyone knows the Tam-Tam is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer. Which means Tam-Tam now qualifies as a Montreal institution.