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-Alex

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There's a war going on for my mind. The various factions want it for it holds the key to something they seek: my spending power and potentially yours. I'm comforted by the knowledge, however, that if I'm thinking, I'm winning; and right now I'm thinking, are you?

Every day we are bombarded with advice on how we should live. We call this advertising, it's the blueprint for modern life. We need better music, faster cars, greener grass, and bigger penises. Fortunately there are many competing blueprints to choose from. It is still a matter, however, of choosing one of the pre-defined options; free thinking people need not apply.

Snowboarding is one way to stay out of the war's line of fire. It's an endeavour that, while you are doing it, all that matters is you, the mountain, nature and your friends. The snowboarding industry itself, however, is not so pure. This was evident during this year's Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival (and festivals past I'm sure). The most visible things in Whistler village from April 11th to the 20th were: Schick (to look good), GM (to get to the place where you need to look good), Kokanee (to make those people look good to you) and of course Telus (to tell people how good you looked). The most important element of the festival seemed to have been forgotten, or at least was not immediately evident: the snowboarding. If you looked hard enough, however, you would quickly see that it was there lurking beneath the surface.

One of the reasons that I like snowboarding is because I like snowboarders, and by that I mean REAL snowboarders. Not those with fake goggle tans and orders of magnitude more time riding mahoganee ridge than actual play time in the snow. In many ways, snowboarders are much more genuine than most people. They have experienced the harshness of winter head on and walked away with a smile. They might not face this with incredible skill or style, but it does not matter how good they are at snowboarding only how much joy the get from it. Though it may be hard to distiguish a goggle tan obtained in a tanning salon from one obtained while hiking up a steep aspect to earn some turns, if you look into a snowboarders eyes, you should have no problem identifying the true ones from the rest. Rest assured, contrary to the message in their add campaigns, Expedia has no idea how those snowboarders feel about winter. They'd probably just as soon take a vacation to somewhere with snow in the middle of summer than go somewhere tropical in the middle of winter, counter to what is customary.

Although true snowboarders represent something quite contrary to the industry itself, they would be nowhere without it. For this reason, it's important to remember that you vote with your dollars. Make sure when you buy your gear, that you aren't supporting something that you don't believe in. Certainly not because that product has a flashier ad than another. You probably wouldn't let me tell you who to vote for in a democratic election, so don't let me, or anyone else, tell you what to ride or what to wear. By avoiding monoculture, we ensure that snowboarding remains a feeling rather than a look or an attitude. Admittedly, people look up to me for advice on snowboarding, this follows from being a teacher. I always try, however, to make sure to only provide factual information. You should always synthesize any advice with your own needs and desires, otherwise eventually, every snowboarder will be a clone of every other snowboarder. Then the sport will become yet another victim of the corrosiveness of conformity.

Indeed there is a war going on for my mind and it has been for some time now, but the warring factions are engaging in an excercise in futility. The real prize, the item of the most value, is my heart and they'll never be able to take that away from me, I've already given it away.

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Whistler recently hosted the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival from April 11th to the 20th. In what has become an annual event for me, I made my usual pilgrimage to Whistler to attend; an attempt to escape the concrete, mortar, metal, and glass wilderness for the snowy peaks of British Columbia.

Upon unloading at the bus loop in the main village, I came to the realisation that my accommodations were actually in the upper village. This meant that all my gear had to be hauled to the proper location. I guess the gods wanted to make sure that I was properly warmed up and exposed to the nature I was so fervently seeking, so I ended up rolling my wheelie locker through Fitzsimmons trail (a failure of my geographic knowledge of the village indeed) to the condo. When I finally got myself and my gear to Glacier Lodge, it was time to ring up the peeps in order to exchange greetings, hugs, hi-fives, and tall tales. I tracked them down at the Longhorn and joined them up for a little après (après bus trip for me, après snowboarding for them).

The amazing thing about the Telus World Ski and Snowboard festival is that, although it only happens once a year, there's a sense of familiarity when you run into friends you haven't seen since the last festival. It was as though last year's festival never ended and everyone just picked up where they left off (with the possible exception of the new faces which were promptly integrated into the group of dirtbags).

Saturday morning finally rolled around and it was time for the long awaited first runs up Blackcomb to hold congress with the mountain. In keeping with my usual modus operandi of deep metaphysical self-discovery on the chairlift (not self-exploration you perverts), I got to thinking about the struggle between the physical and the divine. I was cogitating on the true nature of the connection between the body, soul, and the mountain. The physical connection is obvious (this was on my mind due to a knee injury sustained the week prior in Banff), but the spiritual connection was a bit more difficult to pin down.

I went snowboarding everyday that I was in Whistler resulting in my body being in various states of "ache and pain" throughout, but I felt content. The crew I was riding with was also changing daily from groups as large as twelve to being by myself. The same sense of contentment, however, was always there regardless of how large or small the group was. This led me to remember a quote from a famous Jedi master in the movie "The Empire Strikes Back." When Luke asks Yoda what might be found in the cave, Yoda's answer was "only what you take with you." This is significant in many ways and is especially evident on those solo freshie manoeuvres that I often partake in. It led me to realize that whenever I'm snowboarding, all my loved ones are there with me in their purest essence (without any noise caused by things so caustic as cliques or inter-personal drama). This I believe is where the spiritual comes in. Although Whistler/Blackcomb, the resort, is itself a morass of steel, concrete, cables and glass, when the p-tex hits the snow, none of that really matters, all that's there is what you brought with you. Although the sensations are dramatically physical, the exileration is just as dramatically spiritual and this is what drives me, and I'm sure many others, to pursue this congress with the mountain.

Between the crazy parties, the jokes about shi*t-tickets (toilet paper), the drinking, and the general shenanigans, the occasional runs on mahogany ridge, the important part of Telus seems to have been coming together with people we care about in the nature we all love. To borrow a phrase from a loved one, I left Whistler with my body having that used and abused feeling, however, I also left Whistler feeling enriched from revisiting old friendships and making new ones. With that, I can honestly say that I can't wait until next year's festival. I hope to see you all there. Until then...

Keep Shreddin' the GNAR!

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Group Name: Animal Nation Artists: Steige 'Tall Man' Turner, Mike 'Armadillo Slim' Armitage.

AS - And my refrigerator is filled with beer! (for a little while)

What’s your music background?

TM - I guess my dad used to play the drums. He was a studio musician for a while, but he hung up the kit when I was born, so I never really knew about that side of him until I found a drum kit in the garage one day. Jackpot!

AS - I don't have too much of a musical background besides the fact that I used to write a lot of poetry growing up. My mom tried to get me playing the piano and the violin when I was younger but I was too much of a rebel to listen to her. Momma's always right!

Who plays instruments?

AS - We have a house full of different instruments from slide whistles to potato shakers, but for the most part we just use them to jam out with. Steige plays the guitars and MPC and is getting good at the piano too. I just stick to the turntables and my voicebox mostly.

Take us through the process of creating a new song?

TM - We like drink until we blackout. That has nothing to do with creating a song, but we like to drink until we blackout.

AS - Its a really magical feeling knowing that you can create something besides a baby when you are drunk as a skunk and cruising in auto-pilot!

How do you guys get your beats? Do you create everything? Who is more into creating the beats and song flow?

TM - We gotsta do mad hutlez for beatzz! Sometimes we'll trade a beat we've made for a beat that we like that someone else has made. Sometimes we'll buy beats with money we've made selling our beats. Sometimes we'll make beats to use. Mike makes tons of beats, like a new one every other night. It's kind of ridiculous. He loves digging through old records and what not. I used to love the art of the chop (sampling), but I've gotten too much into listening to the music lately. And I always find it hard to sample a song that I want to keep listening to.

AS- The internet has played an integral role in the networking of Animal Nation which, in return, has allowed us to work with producers from all over the world. Hence the title, "TimeZone".

TM - As far as writing the song goes usually one of us will come up with the idea of the song, write a verse or a chorus for it, and give it to the other person. We'll pass it back and forth a few times, adding different parts, or changing the layout of a song, then record it. Recording the song completely changes the song. Halfway through recording you'll realize that you want to throw a couple instrumental bars in, or you'll want to take out the drum track for the second verse or something. Sometimes a song will take two hours to make, sometimes it will take two months.

What is your favorite song to perform?

TM - The corner of broadway. When we recorded it I recorded the entire song as a story, but when we do it live we go back and forth on nearly every line. It's cool to deconstruct and recreate your own music. Bop!

AS - I like to do the 'Aw Man Aw Well' remix produced by my man Matthias Relling in Germany. That one goes back and forth too and it relates to most people’s current financial situation. Cheery-O.

TM - I'm broke again! Aw man!

AS - Aw well.

What is a crowd favorite?

TM - I Never Cared (About the Troubles). That's the track right there! Scamp made the beat and it is amazing! We could have rapped about lasagna and it still would have been a good song. Although people seem to like that song we have about lasagna too, so who knows.

AS - Yeah that song pretty much appeals to everyone’s ear buds! Nuff said.

You guys have built your own recording studio at your place, how’s that?

AS - It’s awesome because we can do everything music related from our house but it sucks sometimes because we can’t always rock out as loud as we want due to the neighborly situation. Overall, it’s pretty convenient, though.

TM - People don't like harmonicas at 4 in the morning.

What was it like to be picked up by a record company? How is it?

TM - It was a thrill at first. Then we quickly started to realize that we could do everything that they can do, but we can do it without wasting time in meetings or wasting money on other people's efforts. I mean, I work 8 hours a day at my day job, then come home and spend another 8 hours doing music. I have no social life and I can't remember what kissing feels like, but at the end of the day we're the ones deciding how much we get out of it, and where we want to go with it. It rules.

AS - Yeah record labels pretty much suck.

You guys did a little trip over to Europe in the fall. How did people take to your shows?

AS - We got a great response from the Euro-Folk! People actually get into live performances and music in general over there. I just wish that all girls here looked like the ones in Denmark... DAMMMMN!

TM - I dunno man, the girls around here are pretty top notch. Too fine to give me any time, hah!

What’s the biggest/most publicity performance you guys have done?

AS - Thats a 3-way tie between the Telus Ski and Snowboard Festival, the pilot we filmed for MTV, and the morning news show we did for Global. The TWSSF was good because it was our first main stage act for a festival, the MTV pilot was awesome because all our fans/friends showed up to make the crowd rowdy, and the morning news was good because that was probably the biggest audience we've ever played for. Either way, they're all fun and games until somebody gets too hammered and needs to be carried home!

TM - Or loses two iPods on the same night.

Do you guys get to ride much?

TM - Dude! I got a pass super early this year because I was so stoked to get up on the hill, and I still haven't gone up once! Right before all the snow came I bought myself a fancy new guitar, so I've been spending most of my weekends locked up in the studio with my head in the clouds.

AS - I bunged up my shoulder early on this winter so I won’t be shredding again until spring. That’s ok, it’s not like this has been a good season or anything. NOT!

TM - Double NOT! Good luck untying that one.

Where can we hear your music?

TM - Check out our myspace page. That's easy. http://myspace.com/animalnation.

Where can we buy your music?

TM - Order it online at myspace for a hard copy, or iTunes for digital. You can get it in most indie record shops. If it's not on the shelves of your favorite record shop hold the place hostage with a butter knife and demand that they stock it!

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