Kate left this ‘ol world nigh on 4 years ago.
In the intervening thyme there have been tributes in London, New York, and Toronto.
Kinda Like John Donne’s
“At The Round Earth’s Imagined Corners”
The Globe had to be taken care of before some sort of
Homecoming
I guess if I were being honest the tributes started at the Albert Hall.
Anyway there have been tears laughter birth and all the things that go on with us all.
The week of August 5th 2013 the tributes came home to Montreal, St. Sauveur, Outremont, Mile End.
Kate’s and our collective stomping grounds now and through this motral coil.
I kinda dreaded the whole thing on a bunch of levels.
All my fears were thankfully vainglorious fripperies,
falderals if you will.
Rehearsals took place at Pierre Marchand’s studio (Thanks Pierre!) on Monday & Tuesday.
Crikey ! I even found a part of my street I didn’t know existed.
Joel & Eloi at Rehearsal
Wednesday started with the dedication of Place Kate McGarrigle on Laurier.
WE Owe Michele Mercure a greatbig “Thanks” for all the thankless work she did in seeing this project through.
Fiable comme d’habitude Michele!
Crowd View-Place Kate
After the politicians weighed in, the Family- Janie Anna Martha and Rufus spoke from the heart simple words of truth and thanks-
Our Old Friend Ken Mackenzie piped us into Place Kate in a
Hibernian/Caledonian Sweetgrass ceremony or variant thereof.
Place Kate is there forever.
More important is the space that’s there.
That space bids
“C’mon in and join us”
which was and is what the McGarrigle Experience is all about.
I broke a chair wounding nothing but my already shaky ego.
Oh Yes, Hazel even got us linked via the Skype with Esther”Shvester” Cohen in NYC.
Always a treat !
We Go On-
That evening at Theatre Outremont Lian Lunson’s haunting film had its Montréal premiere. Executive Producer Wim Wenders was there along with Martha and Rufus for a post screening Q&A.
I couldn’t make it as I was prepping Bacchus here for next day.
View From the Wings- I’m No Avedon !
Thursday, there were two shows at The Theatre Outremont- These weren’t big International Names playing a sacred canon but Kate & Anna’s Québec contemporains sing their and K&A’s songs. As I said to Rufus at the bunfight chez moi,” In some ways it was a musical Refus Global.
The shows were unlike all the others.
It was like a bunch o’people getting together to affirm that
what we have in common vastly outweighs our differences.
I do tend to analyse-
Let’s just say it was fun and moving
All credit goes to dear Anna for curating
(Christ I hate that word !) the show.
It was more Lanning than Lexington Ave
more Querbes than College St.
well , you get the picture.
Brad Albetta, meshpucah & ain folk to me forever, was the musical director and he pulled it off with panache and understatement.
The Band-
Tom Mennier (Piano),
Michel Pepin (Guitar)
Thom “Thumper” Gossage (Drums)
Eloi Painchaud ( Banjo Harp etc)
30 year K&A mainstay Joel Zifkin (Violin)
and, of course Brad on Bass.
Joel, along with Chaim Tannenbaum, who was geographically unable to attend played with K&A for 30 and 40 years give or take, respectively.
Oh The Stories !
Going to Venice and getting no Further than the parking Lot !
After the second show, un drole de gang est descendu chez moi.
64 Bottles Champagne & 24 Vin Rouge amongst other delights were sampled by all-
The Whisky was for Joel-
Attending this bunfight,
or debauchery as Thom Gossage called it were,
in no particular order
Me Rufus and his husband Jorn Weisbrodt,
Anna Dane Janie Lily Sylvan Janie- the usual crew
Also attending-
Montreal Jazzfest capo André Menard (won most polite guest prize seriously)
Luc Plamondon, Pierre Lapointe, Fanny Bloom,
film maker Mia Donovan, Pam Duns,
Inner Circle member Michel Mercure
fresh from singing and playing both shows
was stunning and ebullient in red.
Stephanie Remond,( who went to work next day !)
Dr. Roger Tabah and Marjorie Jaques.
All round renaissance man Hanford Woods
Little Anna and Bob from San Francisco,
Terry Lalos, Siobhan McCann,
The Original Dancer with Bruised knees Deborah Adler and her husband Historian Michael Smith.
Our Friend and Legal Counsel Carol Holland flew by me in a haze of people and champagne .
Under the rubric of zero degrees of separation,
the Montreal Danforth’s (Tom’s daughter’s dontcha know !)
Marianne Danforth, Genevieve Danforth and
The Original Yankee Quipper Katrina Danforth
who came all the way from Trieste for a dinner we hadn’t had since Venice and ended up not having
but there’s world enough and time selon Marvell
but smiles trump eats anyway, pro tem at least.
The whole fort was held down by Teddy Wainwright,
that wondrous woman I got to know and work with
in the daze and days following Kate’s death.
Gail Kenney Photographer supreme was in Town as there is an exhibition of her McGarrigle Photos all along Laurier Ave till mid September.
Come to Montreal one and all !
A special word of thanks on My part to Michel Rivard for teaching me harmony on Complainte and Robert Charlebois for his ever twinkling eyes.
As an aside, at Soundcheck
Anna Lil and Martha were running through what both anna and I agree is
Kate’s most important song – Jacques et Gilles. He (Charlebois) turned to where Little Anna and I were sitting and asked in sign language
” Did Kate write THAT? Wow”
Franco American Quebec Irish History in 11 verses.
Indeed she did, Robert.
Indeed she Did
Woody Guthrie would been proud envious or both-
Well I’m running outta steam.
I’m still tryin’to find the right Tom Danforth to send K&A stuff to.
I’ll get it right if it pute me in Quare Street !
If I’ve left anything out let me know.
Send photos if ya got em
Finally, It’s good to have Kate back home
In some inchoate way
Someday maybe
face to face in eternity
we shall all meet
as Nora’s Dove leads us there
To whisky talk,”Darling You Must Understand”
Into an endless dawn
I’m feeling a void I haven’t felt ever since cold January Monday Night 2010
Ah ! But I’m a fool
I’ll give Robert Charlebois the last word
Le Québec love ça c’est mon bag
add that with Complainte Pour Ste Catherine
Lemme know if I’ve left anything out or stomped on toes.
Come on over up down and see us. We’re in the Book
I’ll leave you with this 40 second clip that anna cobbled together from my lousy camera work and My John McCormack Collection
Kate arriving YUL Nov 2008 at 3 in The Bloody A.M.
love as ever
Yr idiot into eternity
Campbie
aka
Robert Campbell Hendery O.M.F.
campbie™ 