20 — Friday, November 5, 1999 — North Shore News Pp jtter’s pr 3 about Can-Con Deep Cove writer chronicles maple jeaf pop-rock Bob iMackin News Reporter GREG Potter can thank Canuck music icons like Neil Young, the Band, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, the Guess Who and DOA for inspiring his first book, Hand Me Down World. The 37-year-old Deep Cove writer should also be gratefi:! for Blue Rodeo. >“ The Toronto roots rockers scored a record deal in 1986 with Warner Music over Potter’s Vancouver band, Lost Durangos. Had Lost Durangos been signed instead, Potter may neyer have written the enlightening, entertain- ing exploration of Canada’s pop-rock paradox. The book, published in October by Macmillan Canada, features a foreword by Randy Bachman of Guess Who/Bachman Turner Overdrive fame. ; 'y “We got reai close to getting a major deal, in fact I still have a letter from the guy at Warners wh ‘paid for the sessions,” Potter says. “He "hired this idiot producer, whose name P'd love . to mention, but I don’t want a lawsuit, this guy _ was’ just a retard. His claim to fame was he o . played sax in some Dutch band that got a hit in = 1978. This: moron put synthesizers all over the *-band.” "_- That was’a no-no because Lost Durangos were influenced duaily by the country-rock of ; gam Parsons and the proto-punk of the tooges. “(Warner) really liked our record, they spent “sone money and hired this bojang producer. It wastinsane. I don’t even think:! piayed on it, ~ they:hired all these session people. I remember -into ‘the console ‘room over at Ocean and ‘there’s rails of coke all across the unt 1987 when Potter moved temporariiy to the Yukon Territory. He came back to pursuc 3 journalism certificate to augment his English literature degree, spent three years as the Vancouver Sun’s pop music critic, joined the News briefly, toured Europe as 3 roadie for Russ Tolman of Los Angeles’ True West, and edited CFOX’s listeners’ magazine. More recently, Potter got steady gigs writing corporate news releases and reports. He even- tually grew tired of the well-paying, but mind- numbing work. His friend Elspeth Robinson suggested he contact a Toronto publisher to propose a book on Canadian music. A two-line ¢-mail message evolved into a contract with Macmillan Canada for Hand Me Down World. He didn’t get the major album dea! he wanted, bur he’s hoping Hand Me Dowa World can be the springboard to a long-term deal to write both fiction and non-fiction. Hand Me Down World, the title of a Guess Who song, traces Canada’s contributions to the world of pop and rock music, beginning with the country’s first musical star Guy Lombardo; his version of “Auld Lang Syne” is considered detinitive. Potter applauds the efforts of those who have achieved fame beyond the country’s bor- ders without compromising their artistic princi- ples or ties to their homeland. He has equally hard words for those who have put artistic integrity on the back-burner in reckless pursuit of pop stardom. Shania Twain, Celine Dion and Bryan Adams fit into the larter category. ; “Essentially 25 years ago people knew that BTO, Guess Who, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoor were Canadian. If you asked the per- son on the street where Shania Twain’s from, even Adams, if you ask an American, they don’t know, Whatever they’re doing! iz just has no relevance with Canadian art or Canadiana,” Porter says. “They have as much to do with Canada as my big toe. My big toe has more to . do with being Canadian than. those people. Let's face it, Adams is a craftsman, | wouldn’ ; ‘slag him for that. If ir wasn’t for Mellencamp an Springsteen before him, there would never -have been Bryan Adams.”. ; : * ‘As reéently as the 1960s, Canada didn’t have ©” 3 an indigenous music industry. Iz was an adjunct r new DelRay yas Greplace inserts are the sol ion to your home heating needs. These quality y able prices. Bring quality and affordability to your ne with @ DelRay fully automatic with the touch ofa switch. > . Imopuctory $4465 | gta AVAILABLE 565. Offer expires Nov. 3099 } Cash & Canry - your gas fitter or ours A&AG feature high heat output and very reason-: ~ of New York and Hollywood where all the deci-* sions were made. © os ' “Canadian record labels were essentially nothing more than distribution houses for their American counite , they didn’t have any signing ability and they didn’t have any (artists and repertoire) people, they wére just basically ‘rack-jobbezs’. Once it actually started to devel- op it had a difficulty maturing.” Along: came the Canadian Radio-television ‘elecorimunications Commission with its con- troversial -1971 Canadian content quotas for radio airplay. Potter says it’s been the biggest blessing and biggest curse to. Canadian music since it was enacted. It has fostcred a home rown business while encouraging bandwagon- jumpers to’ mimic the latest chart-topring American trend. Down World Nov. 21 at the Raven Pub in Deep _.Cove with John Moore and Peter ‘Trower. FINANCING c a fk yy, * A&A Gas Fireplaces Ltd. | 1500. Pemberton Ave..North Van. 986-7655. ‘2:blocks south, of Marine Drive (Open Mon-Sat) DEEF Cove writer Greg! Potter's Hand enfightening examination of Canada’s po p-rock paradox. nO World: | _ Greg Poiter: in his own words — On Bryan Adasas and Alanis - “) don’t have a. problem. with (Bryan Be is y “her ‘second record stiffed. Well I can’: under- : stand why her first record took off. Who is out | ~ there listening to a 21-year-old who’s led a life that is so sheltered? Her parents wanted to -~ make her into a-star, it’s a classic Brooke Shields thing. There is not life experience’ therc, and - people eat this stuff up like she hes something to say. When I was 21, I didn’t listen to other. : 21-year-olds. Why would anybody?” Blue Rodeo re-opens the Commodore Ballroom Nov. 12. It’s been a favourite haunt of Potter’s. He’s been on both sides of the stage. His most memorable gig KEM with True West in July 1985, “I saw Iggy (Pop) several times, I got my : ‘Durangos’ . $0 cheap, was. picture taken with him. Most fen I ever had~ playing there was ar Budstock °91, with’ the Fabulous Felchers, that’s what we were-called.: - time? Oh, it would’ve been "85, ime I'met Russ -Tolitian, he went . our record.’ I went down in th (REM guitarist) Peter Buck 2 were there.” He: brought: (Lost, 3 pe and listened to it in his norel We were backstage, got to‘ hang around ‘befo: they were. big stars and'I was a big REM ‘fin They were really down to earth, supe? guys. On the independent music glut of the 90s: .“How many good independent records there out thére?: Essentially-I’m thinking’ bac when we made ours. {t cost'a lot to put out iX-sONs , so generally what: you got:\ _ six-song EP, so gen p Bood. Pcopie made ‘money by play you Bf #’t have any funding, so you had to out and work to pay for it. Now technolo le are confusing sounds :ar quality of digital enhancement with the songs. I'ma firm believer that if you can’t play it on acoustic guitar around a bonfire, you shouldn't . be able to play it at all.” and):