Tracy and I met during our undergrad in Creative Writing at UBC. During that time I witnessed the brainchild of one brilliant young woman blossom into the successful and reputable publication that it is today. Tracy, along with her team of volunteer editors, graphic designers and writers, put weeks of hard work into each issue of OCW, always with fantastic results. In between a double major in both Spanish and Creative Writing, Tracy somehow managed to launch a freakin' magazine, a beautiful magazine, showcasing some of Vancouver's greatest talents in art, photography, writing and music. Now there's a go-getter. How inspiring.
I was happy to contribute both prose and music to OCW over the years. My first Christer show ever was as part of their first issue launch party. So naturally when I was asked to speak for FIVE, I was honoured and thrilled.
For the event, the magazine decided to bring back some of their favourite contributors to the Waldorf Hotel on Tuesday April 26. Each of us was to give a speech about a story, a project or something that matters to us using Pecha Kucha, a Japanese presentation method, in which the speaker gives a slideshow of 15 images, each image projected for exactly 20 seconds, totaling no more than 5 minutes. It's a tricky and fast-paced format, but over the course of the evening I discovered it's also a very effective way of sharing ideas.
I wasn't entirely comfortable with my story, mainly because I kept feeling like I was coming across as completely self-absorbed. But frankly I couldn't think of any better story to tell than my brief adventures as an electro-pop star, and fortunately the viewers seemed to enjoy it. I figure the video is worth sharing. My life in music was fast and fleeting, but definitely not forgotten.
Many thanks to Tracy and the OCW team for giving me this opportunity. Further thanks to all the people in my life who supported me during my music career. None of it would have been possible without you (you know who you are.)
