Haydain Neale, 1970–2009
Transit City and Transit Cities
Peeve Patrol
Newsstand: November 23, 2009
The Making of a Medley
If nothing else, we like two things at Torontoist: the TTC, and bands about spoons. But before there was Spoon, one of the best bands currently making music (and certainly the best one out of Austin, Texas) there was The Spoons, a new-wave band coming straight from the hip and edgy streets of...Burlington. The band enjoyed some short-lived success in the 1980s, especially on the college circuit, and fizzled out as the decade came to an end.
Now, Spacing Wire proudly presents us with this spectacular video (below) for the band's song, "Romantic Traffic." And what's more romantic than the TTC system in 1984? Torontoist loves the footage of "regular" TTC riders singing along at the 3:00 mark. And the song's really catchy, too; we dare you to to not sing along to that chorus (Doo doo doo doo dodododo).
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"The band enjoyed some short-lived success in the 1980s"
They were basically as huge as a Toronto band could have ever been at the time.
Which, I would say, is still not much compared to the success of other artists making music at the same time. Then again, The Spoons stopped releasing records right around when I was born.
I had no idea Diane Keaton was in The Spoons. What a career that woman's had.
Wow - what happened to the red trains? Takes you back...
i had such a crush on their bassist...can't remember her name though. particularly hot in the video for nova heart. ah, big glowing eggs. the future is now!
Sandy Horne. Very cute.
The red Gloucester trains were withdrawn from service by 1991.
OK, but mainstream radio and video was not "the college circuit".
Fair enough, oldguy. From anecdotes I've heard about the band, it seemed to me like the band was especially popular at colleges. Sortof like how bands like Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Julie Doiron have particularly strong followings on campuses in their home states; they're indicative of strong local success and limited (or, in the case of SSLYBY and Ms. Doiron, growing) reach.
How I loved this band and this song. Hurts just thinking about it. They were played heavily on 1050 CHUM and the pre-Much video shows like Toronto Rocks. The Spoons were really big.
I went to see them at a record signing at Yorkdale one afternoon but the crowd was enormous and I couldn't see a thing. All I remember was that a teenage girl shouted, "Gordon I want your baby!" I was about twelve years old at the time and this really made me want to be a rock star.
"Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Julie Doiron"
No, a better comparison today would be Billy Talent or Alexisonfire.
(Not style of music, level of fame.)
Don't forget about another of Austin's best; Okkervil River.
Noted, oldguy.
And Lisa, I love Okkervil River. and I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, who are also from Austin. Both bands are terrific, but I'm totally, completely, and utterly obsessed with Spoon. No matter how many times I hear "Black" or "Okkervil River Song", or "We're Still the Weaker Sex" (which happens to be produced by Britt Daniel of Spoon), they can't touch anything off Kill The Moonlight.
That brought back such memories. What a fun video and loved looking at the old subway cars.
You know what's really fucked up? The Spoons are actually playing a show this Thursday at the Don Valley Brickworks! It's a fundraiser for the Toronto Wildlife Centre, called the Wild Ball, and tickets are $100. They'll be joining Glass Tiger, DJ Diego Fuentes, and others.