Lawrence Park C.I. celebrates 75 years of schooling locals

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Peter Hecht is just one of many thousands of students who recently received an invitation to attend a reunion this fall in celebration of Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute’s 75th anniversary this year. He said he has fond memories of attending the school in the 1960s.

“There was one teacher who was John Kenneth Galbraith’s sister,” said Hecht, recalling the kin of the famed economist. “She was a math teacher and she was very tall and had white hair and she was very nice. She stayed in my mind because that became one of my best subjects.”

According to Principal Lillian Jovanovic the reunion is a chance for alumni to catch up with former teachers, administrators and classmates. Taking place in October, the reunion will also offer a concert and a dinner.

Since the school opened its doors 75 years ago, many doctors, lawyers and notable entertainers have sat at desks in the different classrooms, including musician Neil Young. “The invitiation will go to him, whether he’ll come or not I don’t know,” said Jovanovic.

According to Lauren Riley, spokesperson for the Toronto District School Board, Lawrence Park’s longevity is a testament to the school itself. “It’s a reflection of how important Toronto’s schools are to their communities,” she said.

Cats still being removed from a North Toronto home

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Last April Toronto police charged 63-year-old Diane Way, a Manor Road resident, with animal cruelty after finding that she was hoarding dozens of cats. More than a month later and the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) is still working to remove the cats from the Mount Pleasant Road and Eglinton Avenue East area home.

“They’re actually in the walls and in the roof and hiding,” said Alison Cross, a spokesperson of OSPCA. “We’re still working with police because basically the cats are still in the home.”

According to Way’s neighbour, Peter Murphy, more than 100 cats have been removed from the home. When police originally arrested Way, they reported finding 50 to 60 cats. Murphy said he had known something was wrong for years. About seven years ago he said Way started letting her home fall into decay. For the last four years he said there has been a smell of ammonia.

“Regardless, she just insisted that there was no smell,” said Murphy.

Murphy also said he alerted the former councillor, but that no action was taken. According to the police news release, officers were informed of the trouble by a political canvasser who noticed a foul odour coming from the home.

Mark Breslin on dressing like a girl

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The last thing I wanted to see was myself in nurse’s drag up on a 40- foot screen, but there I was at the Queensway Theatre, smiling and wincing at my performance in Mulroney: The Opera.

I also played a priest earlier in the scene, lip-synching my lines to a libretto written by ex-Frantic Dan Redican. The film is a satire on Brian Mulroney, recreating his career as a comic opera, and I was watching it for the first time.

I felt proud to be part of it. But I thought I’d be seeing myself on TV, not in the theatre. Originally, CBC had stepped up to partially finance the Mulroney satire, but withdrew their support. I couldn’t figure out why — the piece was sophisticated, politically astute and had the involvement of some heavy-hitting Canadian comedians such as Rick Miller as Mulroney, Seán Cullen as the disgraced Robert Coates and Colin Mochrie as Jean Chrétien

So why has the CBC been silent on the matter? As Martin Knelman wrote in the Toronto Star, “If the CBC were privately owned, it would be none of our business what happened behind the scenes. But given that this is our tax-supported public broadcaster, and that the main character is our former prime minister, are we not entitled to an explanation?”

I’m not pointing any fingers here, of course. But I had my own experience dealing with Mulroney’s long hand a few decades ago.

I was approached by a publishing company to write the “official Brian Mulroney jokebook.” Political humour is not my specialty, but the money was good, and it seemed like a relevant project at the time.

Trouble was, as I researched the idea with my co-writer, Martin Waxman, there really weren’t enough Mulroney jokes to fill a page, let alone an entire book. So we came up with an ingenious, if scurrilous, plan. We would take the world’s filthiest jokes and substitute the name “Mulroney” for whoever the character in the joke had been.

Voila! Instant political satire! Also admittedly mean-spirited, lowbrow, and borderline pornographic. We felt Mulroney deserved no less. We handed in our manuscript, dubbed, Son of a Meech and heard no complaint from our publisher.

The book came out, in paperback, and I embarked on a 12-city tour. It was going well; the books were selling briskly; and I found we had tapped into a huge well of revulsion toward the prime minister. Then, shockingly, I got a call from the publishing company informing me that the rest of the tour was cancelled. I got no explanation, but I figured it out. Instead, I continued the tour at my expense and made the cancellation part of my story.

My book was a foul-mouthed treatment of Mulroney, in the style of a Paul Krassner or Terry Southern, but I felt he deserved it.

But Mulroney: The Opera operates on a much lighter level. I could even take issue with the opera’s sugar-coating of some of Mulroney’s more egregious scandals. The Karlheinz Schreiber affair is only barely mentioned, for instance.

But to somebody in some shadowy office somewhere, a little bit of criticism at Mulroney’s expense is too much.

Luckily, you’ll be able to see this admirable and challenging piece of work. Thanks to DVDs, the Internet and cable, no one can block the expression of creative ideas. But when you get to my scene you might want to avert your gaze: it’s not a pretty sight. Mark Breslin in drag: now that’s something which should be censored.

Post City Magazines’ humour columnist, Mark Breslin, is the founder of Yuk Yuk’s comedy clubs and the author of several books, including Control Freaked.

Stop-work order issued in Thornhill’s heritage district

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A stop-work order was recently issued at 93 John St. when a new home that is under construction in Thornhill’s heritage district was found not to conform to approved plans. Work is not permitted to continue until the owner either comes into compliance or obtains approvals for the changes. The owner is in the process of applying for heritage, zoning and site plan approvals, a Town of Markham spokesperson confirmed.

According to Heritage Markham’s meeting minutes, the owner said that he was not aware of all the changes, but some of them resulted from issues identified by his contractor. He is now working with a heritage architect.

Judith Dawson, a member of the committee, said that the advisory body “held firm” in that it was not simply going to approve all the changes. But there was some compromise.

The owner has also appeared before the committee of adjustment to accommodate some increase in the home’s size. A compromise was reached on this as well. The decision, however, does not come into force until a statutory appeal period ends on June 14, the town spokesperson said. Site plan and building permit approvals will be needed before construction can resume.

The occurrence may point to what Dawson said appears to be an emerging issue in the area.

“An awful lot of things come back to us [Heritage Markham] because the plan has not been followed,” she explained.

Local students off to Scotland for prestigious event

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This August, students from the Claude Watson drama program at Earl Haig Secondary School will perform their original play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, making them the first Toronto high school to be part of the renowned event.

The program was selected from 2,000 nominees across North America.

Janet Kish, director, said the students agreed they wanted the play to focus on Canadian and First Nations culture.

“We feel strongly about representing Canada,” she said. “And First Nations seemed as Canadian as you can get.”

Though the play is fictional, Kish said their “springboard and inspiration” was the case of Dudley George, a First Nations man who was shot by the OPP during a protest at the Ipperwash Provincial Park in 1995.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the largest arts festival in the world and takes place Aug. 5 to 29.

Local swoops in to save American Apparel

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Thornhill’s Michael Serruya is part of a group of investors who recently injected $14.9 million into the struggling American Apparel clothing chain. Before this happened, the retailer’s future was looking increasingly uncertain. A challenging economic climate and rising fabric costs had contributed to poor sales last year, and the clothing chain had already shuttered 13 stores this year.

Serruya and others will have the option of buying more shares, worth nearly $25 million, in the next six months.

“We believe in the American Apparel brand and we believe in Dov Charney,” he said of the move. Serruya has come to the rescue of a financially troubled chain before. In 2009, he invested in Jamba Juice, a U.S. smoothie chain.

“We deeply appreciate this vote of confidence from Michael Serruya and his colleagues,” said Dov Charney, the Montrealer behind American Apparel.

U.S. retailer Target appears to be faring better, with plans to expand into Canada well underway. The first 105 Zellers’ leases it will take over include those at Centerpoint Mall and Hillcrest Mall.

Local resident Leonard Asper back in the ring again

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Midtown’s Leonard Asper has fighting on his mind these days. The former CEO and president of media company CanWest Global recently bought a 30 per cent interest in digital combat sports channel the Fight Network and is now CEO. “I think it’s got a great future ahead of it,” said the 47-year-old. In addition to broadcasting live boxing, wrestling and mixed martial arts events, the channel also offers news and reality-TV shows such as Wrestling Reality.

Asper retired from CanWest in 2010 after the company began having economic troubles but said his job today shares a lot of similiarities. “In the end it’s still programming, marketing and selling ads.”

He said he invested in the Fight Channel because of its concentrated content and its ability to transcend mulitple media platforms. “The channels that do really well are the targeted content channels like HGTV or Food Network,” said Asper. “I figured a well-branded channel like a sports channel has good chances moving forward.”

The success also lies in going further than the fights. “It’s about the four pillars: It’s about fighting, the fighters, fight news and the fight lifestyle,” he said. “It’s beyond just a fighting channel.”

The Music Issue: Geddy Lee

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First, Zeppelinesque in the basements, bars and school auditoria; then on to dragonrock and early progist workouts; next: the lean muscular hardswing of the middle ’80s; then “Subdivisions”; and now, the biggest Toronto band, if not one of the biggest and most venerable anywhere in the world.

Geddy Lee plays bass in that band, and here’s how his instrument sounds: like a bearded giant thumbing a timber-neck of mangrove roots; like the rhythmic bubbling of a great iron cauldron; like the rumbling subsonic belly of a jet airplane taxiing across a hot asphalt runway. Look, honey, there’s Geddy!; no, he’s there; no, he’s there.

Geddy is around, which makes him doubly interesting and important. The streets are his and his band’s, but instead of moving into a Scottish castle or gated Florida Key or Umbrian monastery, he and Alex remain in Toronto (Neil only occasionally remains). In this regard, musicians young and old will come across him in the fullness of the Ontario light and think to themselves, “He stayed, so can I. I’m not going anywhere, dammit.” And so they do.

Toronto is good and Rush are great, and as the city grows lively and distinguished at once, so does this former Willowdalian rock band, whose musical life has seen one renaissance after the next. A generation gets born, and they discover Rush. Repeat. Rinse. Repeat.

Children are herded into three groups, and those aspiring to sing in multiple octaves while playing polyrhythmic low-notes while stomping at a giant plastic piano while expressing post-modern lyrics while jumping on the spot are herded directly to Geddy. He greets them with a smile and a knowing glance. That’s the thing, too. Great person. Great musician. You and I are worthy. He would see to that.

Manscaping 101

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This morning, as I was preparing my daughter’s breakfast, the landscapers were in my backyard mowing the lawn. Upstairs, in my washroom, my boyfriend was mowing his face (and other parts of his body).

He’s not the only one. It seems like every man in town is manscaping. It’s just that, with the dudes I’ve dated, unlike professional landscapers who cut my grass into neat little rows, I have issues with style and regularity.

I didn’t want to tell “the boyfriend,” when he decided to trim his chest, that the hair on the left side was longer than the chest hair on his right side. There’s really no way of saying nicely, “I know you shaved your chest hair but it’s lopsided!” Don’t get me wrong. I STILL told him that he didn’t do a very good job. If he were my landscaper, I’d fire him.

I also told him that, when he manscapes his chest hair, it’s kind of prickly, and I don’t really feel like hugging a guy who feels like a cactus. But that’s just me. I like my guys to have hair. God put hair on their chest and legs and arms for a reason and that reason is to make us women look better by comparison. A guy I used to date used to make me shave the back of his neck and his back. Gross, I know.

Now, as a female, I didn’t find this attractive at all. I would have to stand in my bathtub with him and shave his back, and if I left one errant hair, he’d act all disappointed. I told him I’m not a hairdresser. I also told him I didn’t care if he had back hair, but he clearly did. But, I will admit, he was very hairy. He’d book off an entire day to shave off all the hair on his body that he could reach.

One of my male friends I asked said, “Manscaping is now the norm regarding pubic hair. Guys do it primarily to make their penis look bigger. A tall tree in a forest looks taller if the forest is trimmed. Pubes are important.” Yikes.

He went on to explain that, in his opinion, manscaping the chest or the back is only for looking more sculpted, for men who are very into working out … or metrosexual. Otherwise, he says, it’s frowned upon.

I tend to agree. As I said, I like a guy with hair.

But I can understand why men want to manscape. I feel much better having no hair on my legs and underarms and getting bikini waxes. The difference is, I go to a professional. Men, however, don’t like to go to professionals when it comes to, ahem, personal care.

When I suggested to my boyfriend that if he wanted to shave his chest that he just go to get it waxed and he wouldn’t have to worry about it for months (and he wouldn’t feel like a cactus), he reacted as if I just asked him to go out in one of my skirts or wear lipstick to work.

Trust me, fellas, you get used to it. But, just like when men don’t ask for directions after being lost for an hour, they don’t want to take directions when it comes to personal care. All I can say is that if you’re going to manscape then you should do it well. I don’t trust my landscaping to an amateur, and it is the same with my hair, wherever that hair might reside.

With Father’s Day coming up, it might be the perfect time to introduce my guy to the wide world of the man spa where he can get anything and everything plucked, prodded and poked to his heart’s content.

Toronto's top 50 rock songs of all time

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“1234” FEIST — brilliant in its simplicity and exuberance for life, Feist’s international hit changed it all: how commercials influence music, how Canadian music is perceived, not to mention starting a Sesame Street revival.

“100 Watt Bulb” THE INFIDELS — although we love the jazz diva routine, it is important to remember that the legendary Molly Johnson could, and likely still can, rock out with the best of them.

“Angel Eyes” JEFF HEALEY — one of the greatest guitar players, bluesmen and righteous dudes to call the Big Smoke home, this song represents the height of Healey’s popularity. He was a purist, and dedicated his life to his craft and to fostering the local music scene.

“Baiting the Public” F—-D UP — because Damien Abraham is the coolest f rontman in Toronto music today. Up next? The band’s rock opera, dubbed David Comes to Life, comes out June 7.

“Be My Yoko Ono,” BARENAKED LADIES — because it is nice to remember the good old days before the drugs and the big breakup when life was about a bunch of kooky kids crammed into a MuchMusic booth singing about Yoko Ono.

“Beltmaker” MCKENNA MENDELSON MAINLINE — incredible rock outfit that took the United Kingdom by storm in 1969 touring the clubs with the likes of Led Zeppelin. Could be one of the first raunchy tunes in T.O. history.

“Claire” THE RHEOSTATICS — artful, intelligent and vastly talented, the Rheostatics are a beloved Toronto institution with an influential style that can be heard in a myriad of new bands.

“Combat Baby” METRIC — ridiculously talented new wave quartet burst onto the music scene in the hipster revival of the late ’90s. This killer tune got it started.

“Come For A Ride” BY DIVINE RIGHT — played the first concert at the Air Canada Centre (opening for the Hip) with the ever-charming José Contreras on vocals. Introduced the world to little-known rock goddess named Leslie Feist on guitar.

“Criminal Mind” GOWAN — sure it is pure ’80s pop, and Gowan had that hair…. But, it is also a beautiful song by a brilliant performer. Still strikes a chord.

“Doesn’t Really Matter” PLATINUM BLONDE — a great song from a great ’80s band. And, yes, we were as shocked as anyone when we realized these bronzed rockers were actually from Toronto.

“Down by the Henry Moore” MURRAY MCLAUCHLAN — McLauchlan managed to encapsulate a city coming into its own but unwilling to stop looking over its shoulder, in this iconic tune.

Dallas Green’s pick:
“Tears of Rage” THE BAND — They were looked up to as this band that revitalized Americana, but it was made by four Canadians (and an American). They changed the way people look at Canadian music. Richard Manuel singing that song, it could be Ray Charles, but it is this white Canadian singing this soulful, unbelievably beautiful song, you know.

“Echo Beach” MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS — is it possible to even contemplate blasting a better tune than this gem while driving north to the cottage for a long weekend? We think not.

“50 Mission Cap” THE TRAGICALLY HIP — because if you have to sing a song about the Maple Leafs, you might as well dig out the historical nuggets from back when the team actually won. And, yes, they’re from Kingston, but we don’t care. They’re ours now!

“Fly by Night” RUSH — it all began with the hiring of legendary drummer Neil Peart, who replaced John Rutsey for the band’s second album and helped take the Willowdale group to dizzying heights of musical complexity.

“Fred Victor’s Mission” THE DISHES — it wasn’t just punk rock in late- ’70s Toronto. There was also a vibrant art-rock scene located primarily in the area of the Beverly Tavern. The Dishes were one of the seminal bands of the era ushering in a slew of local acts such as Martha and the Muffins.

“Green Bottled Lover” SPARROW — one of the most innovative rock bands to come out of the thriving music scene in the late ’60s, the band recorded this song as their second single before moving to California, changing their name to Steppenwolf and hitting it big with “Born to Be Wild.”

“Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” BLUE RODEO — pioneers of the Queen West sound alongside bands such as the Skydiggers. “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” was the best song from the band’s most successful and arguably best album, Five Days in July.

“Having an Average Weekend (The Kids in the Hall Theme)” SHADOWY MEN ON A SHADOWY PLANET — how can a band play instrumental rock, yet manage to craft one of the most recognizable tunes in the Toronto musical canon? Incredible talent.

“He Don’t Love You (and he’ll break your heart)” LEVON AND THE HAWKS — a musical group in swingin’ ’60s Toronto that established Robbie Robertson as the best guitar player in town and led to the formation of the Band.

“High School Confidential” ROUGH TRADE — one of the first explicit lesbian songs in the world, this ditty established Carole Pope as a groundbreaker and helped cement Toronto’s reputation as an incubator for creativity in music.

“Home” THE PHANTOMS — one of the greatest bands that never was fronted by Jerome Godboo with his wild stage antics and legendary harmonica virtuosity. Godboo can still be found holding court at the Delta Chelsea.

“If I Had My Way” BIG SUGAR — few bands approached the level of sonic assault produced by Gordie Johnson and Big Sugar on their groundbreaking Hemi-Vision album. The band is returning with their first album in a decade.

Daniel Lanois’s pick:
“There’s a Rhythm” RON SEXSMITH — He’s being celebrated in Toronto as the great songwriter he is (Luminato). I couldn’t make dinner, but we prepared a film. He’s one of the greats. If he’s not the most popular, he’s certainly one people should know about and enjoy.

“I’m an Adult Now” THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS — one of the tightest, most compelling bands to emerge on the Toronto scene in the late ’80s, fronted by the artsy and literate Moe Berg, helped demonstrate that rock was about more than just testosterone. Yes, that means you, Nickelback!

“It’s My Time” THE MYNAH BIRDS — because the thought of a 21-year- old Neil Young playing with Rick James in ’60s Yorkville is mind-blowing no matter how many times you say it.

“Let Your Backbone Slide” MAESTRO FRESH WES — because somebody had to come along and prove that Toronto could do more than just twang a guitar. We can rap and scratch records, or whatever the kids do these days.

“Lay It on the Line” TRIUMPH — a band that emerged from under Rush’s sizable shadow to prove that Toronto was more than a one-trick prog pony.

“Magic People” THE PAUPERS — Canada’s first big musical export to come out of the Toronto music scene of the ’60s, “Magic People” is the title track from the band’s seminal debut album.

“Mary Lou” RONNIE HAWKINS — sure he’s a transplanted American, but how could we ignore such a prominent figure in Toronto music. Without Hawkins, there is no the Band, and the entire Yonge Street scene would be altered. Long live the Hawk!

“New York City” THE DEMICS — although founded in London, Ont., the band moved to Toronto, added local guitarist Steve Kotch to the lineup and killed it with “New York City,” still considered one of the best songs in Canadian music history. Period.

“Nothin’” THE UGLY DUCKLINGS — psychedelic gem from a group of locals who met at Cedarbrae S. S. and ended up with a huge, international hit on their hands.

“Old Man” NEIL YOUNG — impossible to choose one song from Toronto’s own rock icon Neil Young, but this gem always reminds us of the historic ’71 concert at Massey Hall.

“Opportunity” MANDALA — one of the many great Toronto bands backed by the incredibly talented Dominic Troiano on lead guitar, a hugely influential figure in music who went on to play with the Guess Who among others before passing away in 2005.

“Paradise Skies” MAX WEBSTER — although garnering a cultlike following for the band’s first few albums, their fourth disc, A Million Vacations, provided a major breakthrough for Kim Mitchell and company, going platinum in Canada — led by this gem from the classic rock canon.

“Put Your Head On” BOURBON TABERNACLE CHOIR — straight outta Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute y’all. One of the Bourbon’s greatest song, it never fails to deliver a smile. We miss you, Kate Fenner!

Men Without Hats’ pick:
“Tillicum” SYRINX — There was a band electronically influenced called Syrinx, featuring John Mills, who I believe is still making music today. It was in the soundtrack to a TV show called Here Come the 70s…. They had synthesizers and a sort of Tangerine Dream–ish, you know. Very influential.

“Rockabilly Girls” HANDSOME NED — a legendary Queen West figure brought a little twang to the scene, transforming the area through his weekly gigs at the Cameron House, inspiring local bands such as Blue Rodeo.

“Romantic Rights” DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 — devastating, earth-shattering rock from one of Toronto’s most notorious (two-man) bands … ever. Reunion show at South by Southwest resulted in a mini riot, most popular band at legendary Coachella Festival this spring. Ripping up a stage near you.

“Save Your Scissors” CITY AND COLOUR — Dallas Green is one of the, if not the, finest singer-songwriters in Canada today. There, I said it. Deal with it.

“Screaming Fist” THE VILETONES — let’s not forget that during the ’70s Toronto had one of the largest punk scenes in the world and one of the most notorious bands was the Viletones, headliners of the infamous Last Pogo concert/riot at the Horseshoe Tavern.

“Spadina Bus” SHUFFLE DEMONS — “I want the 77B on the T-T- C.” The Shuffle Demons expressed their love of the city through this over-the-top fun song that still shuffles feet and cracks smiles today.

“Spinning Wheel” BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS — local great David Clayton- Thomas hit it big, really big with this song that made him an international superstar. But he never forgot the Toronto bars where he got his start.

“Strugglin’” K’NAAN — one would be hard-pressed to find a more talented songwriter and performer than K’naan who, in a few short years since this song launched his mainstream career, has become one of the most influential artists in the country, if not the world.

“Sunny Days” LIGHTHOUSE — because only a Toronto rock orchestra could start their career at the Rock Pile before a first year that included gigs at Carnegie Hall and a slew of pop festivals around the world.

“Sweet Jane” COWBOY JUNKIES — every Tom, Dick and Harry with an acoustic wants to play or record in a historic Toronto church, but Cowboy Junkies did it first and best when they recorded their seminal album The Trinity Sessions in the Church of the Holy Trinity in downtown Toronto in 1987.

“The East Wind” GORD DOWNIE AND THE COUNTRY OF MIRACLES — not a Hip song, so it counts.

Represents the moment where the Tragically Hip became yesterday’s news, and Downie’s solo material took over. Absolutely brilliant.

“Under The Carlaw Bridge” LOWEST OF THE LOW — because amid the beer-soaked mayhem of a Queen West show by the Low, it felt great to realize someone was singing about our own city for a change. Currently, The Low is basking in the glow of the band’s reunion tour celebrating the album’s 20th anniversary.

Ron Hawkins’ pick:
Smile (yes, the entire album) CHANGE OF HEART — Ian Blurton was a galvanizing figure to me. He was like-minded to me and Lowest of the Low guys in that he’s a lifer and he’d still be doing it whether anyone comes out or not. The album was recorded off the floor — if not, then very little overdubbing. That was very old school, but at that time, it was revolutionary.

The Music Issue: Kim Mitchell

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A tall, strange sepulchral fellow he was: eyes deeply set, skull almond-shaped, arms and legs akimbo and mad hair sproinging in all directions when he played. He looked even stranger while wearing a nun’s habit, which sometimes he did in his heyday: the late ’70s and early ’80s.

He had crazy fingers and crazy legs and jumpsuits too, tight to the nards. Some said “Zappa,” while others said “Bowie,” but that was only an outline of the sketch. Dude was from his own planet; of that, they were sure.

It’s hard to measure the effect of Max Webster — Kim Mitchell’s post-Sarnia Toronto quartet — on Toronto music without having been among the affected. But let me try. Max were as stoned as they were smart; as rough as they were refined. They were as 4/4 as they were 7/13, as punk as they were prog. In a word, they were everything, and for a legion of post-’60s kids whose musical consciousness was only then starting to expand, to be filled with such wild innovation was to be bent just right.

Barenaked Ladies, Change of Heart, 13 Engines, Lowest of the Low, Rheostatics (my old band) were all the spawn of Max, who made audiences laugh and yowl as they made them pause in wonder, equal parts tightrope zany and tightrope dangerous. At the vanguard was the sinewy guitarist who never made you feel embarrassed by his virtuosity, best evinced on songs like “The Party” from Mutiny Up My Sleeve, or the title track from High Class in Borrowed Shoes.

Kim’s songs — abetted by Pye Dubois’ cartoon chemistry class words — were labyrinthine without being bewildering, committed without being didactic. Many performers have had our city’s rock ’n’ roll tag pinned to their shirt, but few were ever as totemic as the original Toronto Tonto.

Celebrated for his singularity, Kim made being weird cool. There would be no now without him or his first, great band.

The Music Issue: Jim Cuddy

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No doubt, Jim Cuddy is one of the greatest artists in Toronto music history, and lucky for us, he’s still rockin’.

The Blue Rodeo frontman, who helped turn Queen Street West into the city’s live-music mecca back in the ’80s, continues to perform and record with the iconic country- rock band as well as his eponymous side project.

With Blue Rodeo, Cuddy has cut a dozen albums, collected seven Junos and seven SOCAN Awards and in 2009 claimed a coveted spot on Canada’s Walk of Fame. This past March, he assumed the role of music director for a special tribute to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Junos.

It all began at North Toronto Collegiate Institute where a teenaged Cuddy met his counterpart in Greg Keelor. After university, the fast friends started playing music together, eventually formed Blue Rodeo, cut their teeth with a performance at the Rivoli and within a few years produced their debut album, Outskirts, the second single from which skyrocketed the band to fame.

“Try” has since become one of Canada’s all-time greatest love songs. “It is extremely flattering to have a song be part of any canon,” Cuddy says humbly. “It made it a lot easier to have a career [in music].”

It’s a career that has inspired countless others, including a new wave of alt- country groups, such as well- loved Torontonians Cuff the Duke.

“We’re very fortunate, you know,” Cuddy says of his wide- reaching influence and longevity. “We have very mixed audiences, young and old. They’re not losing interest … audiences are having as much fun as we are.”

Cuddy is taking the fun across Canada and Europe this summer, performing in concerts with Blue Rodeo. Never one to disappoint the hometown, the band is making a stop in Toronto in August.