Mendelson Joe @ Kitchener Blues Fest Aug 9 '08

Sheena squealed with joy a few weeks back when the artist lineup for the Kitchener Blues Festival was unveiled. There he was - right in the middle of Saturday afternoon - the legendary Mendelson Joe.

I'd never seen him in person before. Since he first entered Sheena's consciousness via scurrilous satirical rags in the '90s, and now-slain internet whisper groups 2001-ish, he's been this mythical figure in my head. Buzzing like the king of the gadflys in Canadian arts circles.





And there he was, up on stage, looking like a cross between Santa Claus and Elvis Costello. Decades of antics, of shit-disturbing, of poking sticks in the eyes of those who refuse to see what's going on.

Most of the crowd seemed appreciative - despite the rather colourful misanthropic language of a couple of his better known tunes. Humans Bug Me is one that needs to be added to the collection... $20 here...

I think my 2008 resolution is to acquire an original painting. Wonder what the price range for any of the classic Butt Rushmore series is...

There's a couple of SheenaVision regular readers who know some of the old stories, I hope they cough them up here in the comments section...