by Sheldon Birnie
Dave Bidini, writer, film-maker, guitar-slayer, is riding the cold, icy road to town this weekend for a number of literary events.
It’s been almost a year since I wrote about Bidini here down on the Hillbilly Highway. At that time, his classic Canadian rock book On a Cold Road was a contender for CBC’s Canada Reads title. But now Bidini’s taking some time to read from works new and old, and to teach some aspiring writers a few tricks, courtesy of the Manitoba Writers’ Guild.
The fun starts on Saturday at the good ol’ Times Change(d), with an early reading, and continues through Monday at various locations. While Dave won’t be busting out any of the hundreds of tunes he’s written, with the Rheostatics or his newest group, the Bidini Band, I’m sure there will be plenty of insight into the man’s work, both on the page and on the stage.
On Sunday, Jeff Robson, host of Steel Belted Radio and Tell The Band To Go Home on UMFM and Rheos’ uber-fan, had Bidini on the phone for a great interview about his upcoming Winnipeg gigs, the recently aborted Rheos’ reunion shows, and some of his recent writing projects. It was a great interview, really on point, and if it pops up on UMFM’s podcast page, I’ll be sure to post it here.
If you’re not familiar with Bidini’s writing, there are a few points of entry worth exploring. If you’re a music geek, then On a Cold Road is a no-brainer, or you could explore Around The World in 57 1/2 Gigs. If you’re a hockey buff losing his/her mind over the ridiculous situation we currently find ourselves locked in (or out of), then Tropic of Hockey is the place to start, followed shortly by The Best Game You Can Name and his latest, the short little gem A Wild Stab for It. If you’re just looking for a great story, one that tugs on the heart-strings and offers insight into a world most of us will never know, then Home Away might just be what you’re looking for; the story of Team Canada’s participation in the Homeless World Cup of soccer in 2008.
His (second) most recent release is an interesting take on biography. Writing Gordon Lightfoot is part biography of the ultimate Canadian songwriter, part time-capsule of a week in July 1972, and part (imagined) one-way conversation between Bidini and Lightfoot. I initially picked it up as a Christmas gift for my mother, who, like most Canadian ladies who grew up in the 60s, owned every last Lightfoot LP. However, after digging into it a bit before I decided to wrap it up and send it down to the desert, I realized that it might just be a bit too weird for her. Much like the Rheos’ best work, it might not fly off the shelves, but it is certainly interesting, different, and worth spending time trying to wrap one’s head around.
Regardless, you’ll find Bidini’s voice is an easy one to spend some time with. While I enjoy Whale Music and Melville, I’ve never been a die-hard Rheostatic’s fan, and only own those two albums in the ethereal iTunes realm. It’s through the printed page that I’ve become a die-hard Bidini fan, and of course can only aspire at this point to being able to share stories as far and wide, and with as confident a voice, as Dave.
And so you’ll be sure to see me hobbling into the Times Change(d) Saturday evening, and maybe lurking in the shadows of the Millenium Library or the Exchange early next week.