Great Forgotten Canadian Music of the 80s

A few of Eyewear's favourite bands from his teen years...

Chalk Circle was a band that seemed clearly influenced by Big Country and U2 - they had a big sound and perhaps 'April Fool' was their biggest-hearted tune. Utterly forgotten by most people now.

The Payolas had an echoey guitar vibe that reminds one of 'I'm In Love With A German Film Star' but were - again - Canadian New Wave. Thus, basically, unheard of now. Their classic is 'Eyes of a Stranger'.

I saw Blue Rodeo at the McGill Ballroom - for a time they were a kind of local Crowded House. 'Try' is their big hit.

Red Rider's 'Lunatic Fringe' has long been a radio classic. Few know it is by a Canadian band fronted by Tom Cochrane.

'Nova Heart' by The Spoons is probably the quintessential Canadian New Wave song. As good as Visage?

Strange Advance were New Romantics North, and 'We Run' from 1985 is their finest moment.

Okay, I was wrong - 'Echo Beach' from 1980, by Martha and the Muffins, is likely the best-known Canadian New Wave hit.

Also from 1980, the very louche 'High School Confidential' by Rough Trade. This brings back high school viscerally.

Montrealer Corey Hart became - briefly - an international heart-throb (with his Harrison Ford looks, and falsetto whine) - and had a few kitsch hits, most especially 'Sunglasses at Night' which was, for a time, hugely influential as a fashion statement.

Northern Pikes - with 'Teenland' - had another classic Northern Wave hit in 1987.

The Pursuit of Happiness, in 1986, produced a video that really captures what it looked and felt like to be a Canadian teen coming of age, 'I'm An Adult Now'. The weird guy dancing looks like Robert Lowell on a jag, and the lead singer walks through Toronto that looks as bleak as some Siberian mining town.

The Box scored an unlikely Can-Con hit with their Quebec City featuring video, 'Closer Together', and Jean Chretien delivery.

However, the kitsch crown must go to Gowan, whose 1985 'Criminal Mind' featured the voice (I think) of Paul Soles (Spider-Man in the original cartoon).

Canada's greatest band of this period - the REM of the North - was The Tragically Hip. Their top song is arguably 'Blow At High Dough'. It showcases their trademark narrative hi-octane intensity, where small-town lives converge with big emotions and experiences. I am not sure exactly what this is about, but I love the idea of a film crew coming to a small town and a local guy who "can get behind anything" out at the speedway.

IQ AND THE POETS - ARE YOU SMART?

When you open your mouth to speak, are you smart? A funny question from a great song, but also, a good one, when it comes to poets, and poetry. We tend to have a very ambiguous view of intelligence in poetry, one that I'd say is dysfunctional. Basically, it goes like this: once you are safely dead, it no longer matters how smart you were. For instance, Auden was smarter than Yeats , but most would still say Yeats is the finer poet; Eliot is clearly highly intelligent, but how much of Larkin 's work required a high IQ? Meanwhile, poets while alive tend to be celebrated if they are deemed intelligent: Anne Carson, Geoffrey Hill , and Jorie Graham , are all, clearly, very intelligent people, aside from their work as poets. But who reads Marianne Moore now, or Robert Lowell , smart poets? Or, Pound ? How smart could Pound be with his madcap views? Less intelligent poets are often more popular. John Betjeman was not a very smart poet, per se....

Poetry vs. Literature

Poetry is, of course, a part of literature. But, increasingly, over the 20th century, it has become marginalised - and, famously, has less of an audience than "before". I think that, when one considers the sort of criticism levelled against Seamus Heaney and "mainstream poetry", by poet-critics like Jeffrey Side , one ought to see the wider context for poetry in the "Anglo-Saxon" world. This phrase was used by one of the UK's leading literary cultural figures, in a private conversation recently, when they spoke eloquently about the supremacy of "Anglo-Saxon novels" and their impressive command of narrative. My heart sank as I listened, for what became clear to me, in a flash, is that nothing has changed since Victorian England (for some in the literary establishment). Britain (now allied to America) and the English language with its marvellous fiction machine, still rule the waves. I personally find this an uncomfortable position - but when ...

THIS YEAR'S BAFTAS

Last year, Eva Green won the Rising Star award at the Orange BAFTAs - and this year the ceremonies promise to be even more glamorous. The striking film writers in America silenced the Golden Globes, and look set to do the same for the Oscars, which means London may get a world-class awards night. Eyewear , like all UK citizens, has yet to see some of the films nominated (members get sent copies to watch at home in some instances before general release), but can make some predictions - want to bet? Atonement will likely win Best Film. The Bourne Ultimatum should win Best British Film, though Control may do. The Bourne trilogy was astonishingly good genre work, and has rejuvenated The Bond series in the process, so deserves the kudos. Film Not In The English Language should go to The Lives of Others . Lead Actor will be Daniel Day-Lewis . Lead Actress will be the brilliant Julie Christie , whose work in the superb Canadian film Away From Her was so brave, and moving. Ja...

E Y E W E A R, THE BLOG - FREEDOM MEANS BEING UNAFRAID TO WRITE WHAT YOU THINK

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