I interviewed Wolf Parade’s @spencerkrug.bsky.social about I’ll Believe in Anything going viral 20 years after its release, thanks to Heated Rivalry We talked about Montreal lofts, old synthesizers, aging, and Not Being Hockey Guys www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/musi...

The Globe and Mail’s Christmas painting: Home on the Range, by William Kurelek. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti... via @theglobeandmail.com

me and the boys making the Yuletide bright

We voraciously consume creative works, yet refuse to honour creators for their time, labour, and creativity. It's an unstable pathway that reduces art to a consumable product and artists as a barrier to consumption — hence more and more AI-generated music. www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/a...

It’s interesting that Global TV made international news and its comms and PR team hasn’t been able to pull together a statement in two days - is so far just letting CBS speak for them. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/film...

New: Faculty, grad students & alumni from Toronto’s York University are pressing the school’s leadership to reinstate Jenifer Papararo as head of the school’s Goldfarb Gallery after she was terminated several weeks ago. They're alleging a trend of interference www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

New from me: The storied fiddler Ashley MacIsaac wanted to play a show at a Nova Scotia First Nation. It got cancelled because Google's AI search summary incorrectly called him a sex offender. Now he's worried for his safety www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

Longtime Wolf Parade fan, but I have seen versions of this float around for days without evidence and every time I check Spotify's Global Top 50 it's all Christmas music and Taylor Swift?

New: Canadians are now officially streaming 3 billion songs a week. When I started writing about streaming economics in 2013, things were dire. Now? Despite more money flowing to music, most musicians I've talked to over 12 years don't find things better www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/a...

Sad to hear that James Ransone, the first cast member from The Wire to try to start a lighthearted beef with a Canadian journalist (me) in a YouTube video, has died youtu.be/76CPO3G6Nz8?...

"There is hope at the end of the tunnel, these Toronto punks implore with their most unforgettable riffs and lyrics in years." @joshokane.bsky.social calls PUP's "Hallways" a 2025 Best Song for @theglobeandmail.com. From the LP 'Who Will Look After The Dogs?' www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/musi...

Wrote about Snoopy, who will soon no longer be 41% Canadian, thanks to a sale that says a lot about the fragile state of the Canadian animation industry: www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

"The Torontonian’s crisp study of delusion in relationships is conveyed through sharp, light guitar pop with one of the most unforgettable hooks of the year." @joshokane.bsky.social calls Saya Gray's "PUDDLE (OF ME)" a 2025 Best Song for @theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/musi...

Ashley MacIsaac Concert Cancelled After AI Falsely Identifies Him as Sex Offender

I spent several years trying to understand how Larry Page's mind works and every time his name pops up he manages to surprise me yet again www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/u...

Christopher Deacon is one of those arts leaders who took over an institution right before the pandemic hit - and I've noticed their tenures have tended to be shorter than usual. Thanks for your service in a tough time! (He had to follow Herrndorf too!) www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

"From Nepal to Peru, and Indonesia to Madagascar, a wave of Gen Z protests has surged across continents." “'They’re after a total systemic overhaul.'" Fascinating read from @samedwards.bsky.social

Experts are missing AI-hallucinated citations—including fake authors and fake journal entries—in their peer review of academic papers. From @youcaughtscott.com for @betakit.com:

#Exclusive: Mel Hague is set to depart Factory Theatre. She joined the company in 2022. Exit interview in @theglobeandmail.com today: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

This is unfortunate. Not "condos" the usual bogeyman but the regulation is choking it here.

i made a photo zine of people standing in front of glenn danzig’s house that has outsold this book

Here's @trapunski.bsky.social reporting that Warner Music Canada has laid off at least 24 people in recent weeks: ca.billboard.com/business/rec...

You may have heard about a spike in toxic drug poisoning events in BC last month. Turns out we broke several records, nearly a decade into drug crisis: 222 paramedic-attended calls in a day, 1,251 in a week. Van firefighters responded to 54 drug calls in a day www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/briti...

Today is the thirteenth anniversary of the time I got bumped from talking about the cultural infeasibility of a "Maritime Union" on a national TV network to make room for coverage of the Ikea Monkey

Netflix now owns tables AND chairs

So, @hertzbarry.bsky.social is up in arms. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/film...

Rick White from Heritage Prize winners Eric's Trip has released 'The Garden.'

Playwright Jeremy O. Harris has been in the custody of Japanese authorities since last month after being arrested at the airport in Japan on suspicion of smuggling illegal drugs into the country (it was .78 grams of MDMA). Why are we just hearing about this now? Full Story: bit.ly/3KF2fcq

The Sorority Reform, Tease New Music

Congratulations to Ravi Jain on winning the 2025 Siminovitch Prize! With Coach House Books, Jain is a co-author of What You Won't Do For Love: A Conversation and has published his adaptation (with Miriam Fernandes) of Mahabharata. www.thestar.com/entertainmen...

One alternative to Spotify Wrapped -- deliberately cultivating your own best-of-the-year mix to share with friends. Which I wrote about.... a decade ago, somehow www.theglobeandmail.com/life/holiday...

I wrote about listening, thinking, reflection, memory & not “offloading” it all to sp*tify! www.theguardian.com/music/2025/d...

A New Brunswick fish plant trapped workers in debt, government alleges. Read our latest report. zurl.co/uY9Kt

In Ottawa, the Heritage Department is a revolving door at best, a nuisance at worst – all while Canada's cultural sector needs a trusted, experienced and dedicated advocate now more than ever. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

And "Resident Evil" may be SOTY tbh

real writers and editors can guide you toward new sounds, scenes, and styles. the latest issue of @newfeelingcoop.bsky.social features profiles of a bunch of artists we're excited about and you should be too:

Last week, we launched a database of every book that has appeared on @theglobeandmail.com's top 100 books of the year list in almost three decades. You can browse thousands of notable books from 1998 to present and save favourites to a reading list 📚 www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/book...

Huge day for @theglobeandmail.com #books The #Globe100 is out www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/book... with our most notable books of 2025. We also have an interactive database www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/book... of past years searchable by title, author and year. 1/2

The Globe’s annual list of the most notable books of the year is here. 📚 Today at 1 p.m. ET, arts editor Judith Pereira, deputy arts editor Rebecca Tucker and book critic Emily Donaldson will answer questions on the Globe 100 list and share their best book recommendations. Submit a question here:

Oof. Vancouver’s annual Celebration of Light fireworks competition cancelled indefinitely due to funding.