I have curated the Miss604 Flickr Pool for the last seven years and I believe that no other animal has piqued the interest of local photographers quite like Yoda the Pug, aka The Red Baron. However upon looking around the corners of the internet to find out more about Yoda, I discovered that his pet parent, Mad Dog — who made his signature sidecar — was even more of a legend.
Mad Dog, referred to as the “Heritage Punk of Vancouver”, was featured earlier this year in a web series about The Real People of Vancouver. This multi-part documentary aims to showcase people who inspire, intrigue, who stand out from the crowd, and who the creators of the series believe should have their stories told.
I started watching a 25 minute clip and within the first 30 seconds Bev Davies began introducing Mad Dog. Davies, a legendary punk rock photographer, is one of my local idols.
Mad Dog’s is a fascinating story about the city’s gritty past, its punk history, and his one-of-a-kind art.
Every neighbourhood has “that guy”. The kind of crazy looking eccentric you see playing a keyboard with a peg leg or some woman in a cape who sells the most amazing jewelry known to man kind for chump change. In my neighbourhood, Mount Pleasant, just south of Downtown Vancouver, that guy is a bleached-out old punk dude named Mad Dog.
I didn’t know much about Mad Dog when I first saw him around. All I knew was that he rode a old, suped-up motorbike with a side car that held his tiny pug who wore goggles and a black vest. Then Mad Dog came into my work place and noticed my Germs circle tattoo. “You’re a little punk!” he yelled at me. “That band was great.” I was immediately intrigued. Asking around, I found out that Mad Dog was not only an artist who did everything from rebuilding old bikes to revamping baby dolls into Chucky-like sculptures to creating miniature replicas of now-destroyed hotels and clubs in our city, he also used to front one of Vancouver’s early ’80s hardcore punk bands, Slaughter Squad. For a tall can and some smokes, Mad Dog let me come over to his place and listen to his stories of what it was like to be a broke, starving, junkie punk in the days of D.O.A., shooting galleries, soup-kitchen handouts and moneyless freedom.
[Source: Michelle Ford for VICE]
Photo credit:
on Flickr
Other Real People of Vancouver that have been featured in these documentaries include Ken Foster, #Streetscript, and Mabel Todd. As for Yoda, we don’t learn too much about this adventurous canine but if you spot him around town, you’ll know a bit more about the person riding the bicycle next to him.
Vancouver is a hockey town but it’s also a world renowned yoga hotbed, making this weekend’s Yoga on the Ice event with the Canucks and lululemon even that more fitting. On Sunday, January 11, 2015, Shawn Matthias, lululemon and friends invite you to get bendy for charity. Join them to support the Canucks for Kids Fund for an hour of yoga on the ice of Rogers Arena led by instructor Alex Mazerolle.
The Canucks for Kids Fund dedicates resources to assist charities which support children’s health and wellness, foster the development of grassroots hockey, and facilitate and encourage education in British Columbia.
Tickets are available online now for $40, including parking in the Rogers Arena parkade for the duration of the event. The first 100 participants to arrive will receive a special gift from lululemon athletica.
Tips: Dress in layers and bring your game face as just a thin sheet of flooring will separate you from the home ice of your Vancouver Canucks. Bring your own mat and water bottle. Enter via Gate 10 starting at 4:00pm on Sunday and the yoga session will begin at 5:00pm. Culver City Salads will be on site with a selection of healthy salads available for purchase after the session.
Win Tickets to Yoga on the Ice with the Canucks
I have two tickets to give away for Yoga on the Ice on Sunday, thanks to lululemon. Here’s how you can enter to win your way in:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 4:00pm TODAY (Friday, January 9, 2015) in order to notify and confirm the winner for Sunday. All event participants (or, in the case of minors, their parents/legal guardians) will be required to sign a waiver in order to participate in the yoga session.
Update The winner is Rita!
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green below.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Sponsored by Miss604: Friday Late Night Movies at the Rio Theatre
Eros and Thanatos Featuring Nomi Chi & Pandora Young Opening Reception
Opening Reception: Gallery Gachet Annual Members Show
Pacific Theatre Presents: Underneath the Lintel
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily at Jericho Arts
Free Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Winter Farmers Market at Nat Bailey
My Dream Wedding Show
Vancouver Wedding Show
JUNO Award Winning Multi-Instrumentalist Gabriel Mark Hasselbach
Jonathan Tessero Conducts VSO Pops: In the Mood for a Melody
Stand Up for the Little Guy Comedy Showcase
Pacific Theatre Presents: Underneath the Lintel
Free Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Free Golden Globes Viewing Party at the Rio Theatre
Vancouver Wedding Show
No Pants SkyTrain Ride
Cultured at Graze Restaurant
Nancy DiNovo and Stephen Smith, Sonatas by Brahms and Fauré
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily at Jericho Arts
Free Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
View the full monthly event list to plan ahead at any time. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook for frequent updates about local events and community happenings.
The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival returns this month as over two dozen local purveyors offer up almost sixty delightfully tasty and creative cocoa concoctions that you can order between January 17th and February 14th.
Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival
Vancouver’s best chocolatiers, pastry shops, bakeries, gelato and ice cream shops draw on their talent and imagination to create the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival.
Organizers sent out a list of trends and some of the most unique flavours you’ll find this year which include salted caramel, Earl Grey tea and coconut. Ready for something a bit more adventurous? Mink Chocolates will incorporate crickets; Soirette will stuff one of their drinks with hints of potato, sage and cinnamon; Koko Monk Chocolates’ “Mona Rosa” will have chocolate, anise and bay leaf; also look for apple cider and scotch, wasabi, and even more twists on hot chocolate.
Traditional, high quality favourites like Bel Cafe, Thierry, Thomas Haas and Chocolate Arts are back this year along with new participants such as 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, Butter Baked Goods, Diva at the Met, Chez Christophe, and Glenburn Soda Fountain and Cafe.
Bella Gelateria and Schokolade Artisan Chocolate will serve up scoops of gelato and Lauren Mote will be shaking up chocolate cocktails incorporating Bittered Sling bitters at Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar.
Profits from festival sales will be donated to The PHS Community Services program for Downtown Eastside women’s employment and job skills training programs, as run by East Van Roasters.
Look for the new self-guided walking map online, which will be available after January 17th and read up on the Social Media Contest. Follow CityFood Magazine on Facebook and Twitter with the tag #HotChocolateFest for Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival updates.
The Cinematheque presents Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival, starting January 8th and running until January 18th, featuring the best Canadian films from the last year. Established in 2001 by the Toronto International Film Festival, this celebration of excellence in our national cinema showcases Canadian achievements in both feature-length and short-form films.
The festival also includes a special onstage conversation with award-winning film and television actress Sandra Oh (Double Happiness, Sideways, Grey’s Anatomy) on January 18th at The Cinematheque.
In Conversation With Sandra Oh
At TIFF’s first-ever presentation of its popular In Conversation With event series in Vancouver, TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey will sit down with Sandra Oh, as well as Vancouver filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming, to talk about Oh’s career and her upcoming animated feature with Fleming, Window Horses.
What: In Conversation with Sandra Oh
When: Sunday, January 18, 2015 at 6:00pm
Where: The Cinematheque at 1131 Howe Street in Vancouver
Tickets: $21 online. Cinematheque membership not required. No passes accepted for this special event.
Sandra Oh grew up in Ottawa and studied at Canada’s National Theatre School in Montreal. She is celebrated for her Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild Award-winning work on the popular TV drama Grey’s Anatomy, and for her work in groundbreaking independent films from both sides of the border, including Mina Shum’s Double Happiness and Alexander Payne’s Sideways.
Win Tickets
I have a very special opportunity to give away a pair of tickets to In Conversation With Sandra Oh at The Cinematheque. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment naming your favourite Sandra Oh character or quote (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, January 14, 2015. Follow The Cinematheque on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
Update The winner is Karen!
