Newsstand: February 9, 2010
Duly Quoted: Adam Giambrone
Adam Giambrone and Our Need for Political Wives
Bob Kinnear isn't Greg Kinnear
Scale Model City, Actual-Size Grime
Lately there's been more and more attention paid to the TTC and it's conservative ways. It either doesn't embrace affection shown towards it (Spacing Subway Buttons, TTC Subway Rider Efficiency Guide), or outright rejects affection (TTC Anagram Map). But have things always been this way? A trip into the past reveals that they might have been worse:
Hearsay: In 1986, the Shuffle Demons requested permission to film a video on a bus for their song Spadina Bus. The TTC denied their request, mainly concerned that the lyrics talked about having to wait for a bus. The Shuffle Demons decided to shoot it anyway, guerrilla style, and it went on to become a popular video on Much Music. The TTC eventually got so angry at the song that they replaced the entire route with streetcars.
Proof: In 1997, a transit rider wrote the TTC explaining that he noticed a tile pattern at Dupont station forming his grandfather's name. His grandfather had participated in building many of the TTC's subway stations. Unfortunately, after his grandfather died, he was never told where he was buried, so instead he requested to lay a wreath once a year at Dupont station to honour his memory. The TTC's response: No, you can't do it for safety reasons.
Back to the present: something tells me TTC upper management are not going to like this: rumour has it fans are holding a subway party to celebrate the subway's 52nd birthday.
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Uh... see: http://www.geocities.com/conspiracyprime/letters.htm
It's pretty clear that the letter was a fake.
The folks at newmindspace have done subway parties before, and I haven't heard of any TTC disapproval of them as of yet (anyone hear differently?). They can't stop anyone from using the system (albeit more enthusiastically than usual).
But seeing the TTC's recent PR track record, I guess it's possible they'll try and make the jump from conservatively curmudgeonly to outright ogreish.
It's also pretty clear that the Spadina bus wasn't replaced due to the music video, Josh.
As an ex TTC operator I can tell you that you don't know what your talking about. The TTC runs a public orientated system, with military throw backs. In other words some of the people who were in charge a while ago ran it like a military operation. Taking that into consideration would tell you why the feeling you may get for not wanting to embrace affection. Now if you want to talk about pride.???
uhhh....mr. "ohtorontoist"....are you being sarcastic about sean's sarcasm, or do you not know he's being sarcastic? i don't even know anymore, man.....
the Josh at the top of the comments is not Josh that used to run Torontoist...let's be pretty clear on that.
Are you so sure?
My wife and I were talking about all the things the TTC doesn't get over breakfast this morning:
- they don't get "place"
- they don't get "context"
- they don't get "community"
- they think culture is hiring a magician or....wait for it....a belly dancer to amuse the crowds
- they don't get customer service
- they don't get awareness
- they don't get web 2.0 or web 1.0 or even mosaic 1993
- they don't get "user experience"
Add your faves!
- Dabusan
(blushes) I didn't catch on the letter was a joke, but it was more the TTC's response of not letting someone lay a wreath at the station to remember a relative (which was their real intent), that I thought lacked a certain humanness.
I don't care which one is real, but there is a real Josh here posting. I can feel it and it's wonderful!
The TTC did embrace The Spoons' Romantic Traffic. whoa-oh.
But Sean, in the TTC's defense, wouldn't it set a precedent to officially sanction the laying of wreathes in subway stations? It's not like they could only open up the honour to people who see their grandfather's names in the tile pattern. (An ingeneous letter, I might add.)
Jeff - I don't the laying of wreathes would ever become a pandemic.