Islands in the stream (of
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>> Getting hip to CanCon kook Dale Morningstar

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

If anyone deserves a footnote in the annals of Canadian rock, it would be Toronto’s avant-garde rocker Dale Morningstar. His infamous recording studio the Gas Station could be considered the hub of the Canadian indie rock sound, plus he’s the head honcho behind the quirky pop of Dinner Is Ruined, and one hip and hep producer to boot. More recently, he has moved his studio/home to Toronto Island, become side guitarist for Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie and is releasing his first solo album I Was Born on Sodom Road. Preferring to do interviews via e-mail, Morningstar replied to the Mirror’s queries with semi-sensical barrages on assorted subjects. What a nut!

On living and working on Toronto Island and its influence on his music:

“Earlier, I be d-mo on the beach, watching waves, clouds splitting open to expose full moon beaver (yes, many in the lagoon) fever. Go out to the pier—try that in the old warehouse district, gentrified Kentucky F-in’ C bucket shining down its everluving telephone hotline eternally flashing, cryin’ loud and bright, “Billboards kill dreams—don’t watch me!” But over harbor sleeps isolation... you gotta want to be here and once the boat is gone, so is the mainland (islanders prefer to call it “cityside”—the island is the “main”-land, fer Christ’s cup of sake).”

On owning one’s own studio as a writing tool:

“It’s so carved into my adulthood, it could make analog tape crack... dusty machines you embrace like an old fishwife, headphones that chonk out if you jiggle ’em a certain way and work if you shake them thatta way. So the fact that I’ve got a studio is totally inconsequential to my creativity as far as I’m concerned ’cause if the inspiration ain’t there, no amount of gear is gonna bring home the bus and park it in the garage.”

On becoming Gord Downie’s sideman:

“I’ve always felt that we’re goin’ out there playing music with one of the grand men of Canadian current cultural history. Rock one, zero one, all aboard and it don’t matter if you are on the Hip train or if you play in a trailer park for nickels and empties cause it’s all in the delivery. Yeah, I do recall he asked me to play on a tune on the last recording at the old g. station that turned into a friendship and an extension of the great theme song of this dog’s life.”

On the solo record:

“Let’s just say it was time to tune my guitar and stare at the snow. Ego, insecurity’s takin’ claim and just something to do. The lead-up to a release is like giving birth to babies that look fine to me but I still don’t know if anyone else is gonna want to hold ’em when they start to cry. In the end you still gotta do the dishes, so the best thing is to imagine Woody Guthrie and book a tour.” :

With Elizabeth Anka Vajagic at Casa del Popolo tonight, Thursday, Aug. 1, 9pm, $5

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