Toren Atkinson

Tonight I went to the Queen Elizabeth Theater for some freakin’ culture. Lani got free front row tickets to ballet! And it was entertaining at times. There were three different ballets actually, in one night – the climax was Rodeo and it was pretty good. There was even some tapdancing and of course, squaredancing. I think that one guy got into ballet just so he’d have an excuse to show off his tremendous package. Not that he was bad at the ballet dancing, like I would know a pirouette from some other thing.

Very important to me!

The plan in essence is laid out here: www.foxtongue.com. I’m asking you to forward this as e-mail to absolutely everyone in your address books, to post it to every forum and mailing list you can think of, to carpet-bomb the internet with this pitch. (Even this intro bit, yes). The more people we have read this, the more chance we have to exist. We have three weeks to raise a million dollars. Please, go to.

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Imagine buying a space and starting your own theatre, or your own art gallery, or your own movie theatre, or your own music hall. Imagine being able to host performances of all sorts- giving your creative friends space to perform or exhibit their work. I’ve got friends who are dancers and painters and lighting designers and actors and directors and writers and photographers and cinematographers… it would be amazing to give them a space to create what they dream of, to be seen, heard, and appreciated.

I found an old cinema in Vancouver, built in 1910 and most recently used as a Bollywood house. It used to be The New York, where Neil Young and Sonic Youth once played. And it’s up for sale.

I want to turn it into a 21st Century “multi-disciplinary arts facility featuring inspiring work from all over the globe that recaptures and surpasses its previous glory.” And I want to call it Heart Of The World.

Housed in a classic 300 seat theatre built in 1910, the heyday of theatre, before any “leaky condo” fiasco, Heart of the World is to address the contemporary artistic and creative needs of the constantly evolving geographic location in which it is situated, offering competitive rates and a multi-faceted performance space. Complete with a full sized stage, a balcony with box seats, and a fully functional projection booth, the bones of the space hold limitless promise – able to show films, dance, theatrical productions, acoustic and amplified concerts, and cabaret events. In the foyer, artists both local and international will be able to advantageously display their work, whether it is photography, painting, drawing or sculpture. As a web presence, Heart of the World will offer podcasts of performances, a gallery of streaming video of performers, the chance to chat with featured artists, and up-to-date interviews, reviews and schedule listings.

How to help Jhayne:

So you don’t have money or don’t know what to say- make it short, make it sweet, don’t say anything you don’t mean, and copy-paste pass on the word to your friends/coworkers/contacts.

If you’re contributing a few bucks, your endorsement can be merely, “My money’s worth it.” If you’re willing to contribute time/energy, your endorsement can be “I’d sweep the stage,” or “I’d stuff envelopes,” or “I’d work on the theatre’s electrics crew.” If you don’t think you can do those things, but you want to see this happen for your own entertainment purposes, your endorsement can be “I’d pay to see a performance at Heart of the World.” If you live too far away, but you think this is a good idea, write “I wish Heart of the World were in my city,” or merely “This is a great idea.”

Be honest, and don’t bite your tongue. Feel free to copy and paste, if any of these sentiments echo the words that are not coming from you.

Don’t do this because I’m telling you to, though. Do this because you want to help or because you think it’s a good idea.

Of special merit are local bands/theatre troupes/cinematographers/other performers and local entertainment patrons.

All you have to do is promise to go to a show.

Short and sweet means that potential contributors see more endorsements. re endorsements.

Laura Campbell – did you ever know that you’re my hero? You are the wind beneath my squamous flabby wings.

(thanks Aaron)

Well I’ve placed an order for 100 giant squid lightswitch covers (see design in my masthead image above) through my place of employment, which I expect to have before Christmas. So tell all your friends and your enemies and order a bunch! (even though I don’t know what the price will be yet).

I’m on the verge of opening up an eBay store so I can sell this and my other products (all of which at the moment are Thickets merch–including the forthcoming “Greasy Spawn” toques–but more stuff independent of the band will go up) online. Anybody have an eBay store that wants to step in and say “oh god no!” before I hit the OK button?

If I do open the store I’m going to call it Dead Space God…something. Boutique. Or Altar. or Gifts ‘n’ Shit.