What’s In Your Fridge is where Straight asks interesting Vancouverites about their life-changing concerts, favorite albums and, most importantly, everything that sits next to the Heinz ketchup in their custom-made Big Chill Retropolitan 20.6 cubic-foot refrigerators.
On the grill
Dave Gowans
Who are you
My name is Dave Gowans, owner of the local indie record store Red Cat Records, and former singer and member of the bands Buttless Chaps and Cloudsplitter. Also a father to my two lovely daughters.
First concert
My parents did not take me to a first concert, but to see the then famous Reveen hypnotist and illusionist. It was once in the early 80s in Victoria at the Royal Theater. I was extremely disappointed that my brother Mark was not selected as a volunteer for the grand finale, even though he had his hand up all the time. Honestly, I did not really start going to shows until I was 18 – a few local concerts here and there in Victoria. But my friends and I were more worried about skating outside while the bands were playing, even though I was constantly listening to music on a Walkman or at home on the turntable.
Life-changing concert
The first big show I remember seeing was Neil Young and Crazy Horse with Sonic Youth in 1990 in Vancouver at the Pacific Coliseum. We did not have a ride, so I drove in the back of the truck outside with three friends all the way from Victoria. Sonic Youth changed my view on music – standing on their guitars, walls of feedback … I was there to see Neil Young, and I only knew about the video for Sonic Youth’s “Kool Thing”. I had never heard anything so loud before! Then I was at Harpo’s – a club in victoria – as many evenings a week as possible.
Video of The Buttless Chaps – Where Night Holds Light
Top three records
The collision London is calling The first band I heard on a Walkman – borrowed the band and Walkman from my friend in high school. I could not believe the sound of Clash, as well as being able to walk around among others while your own soundtrack was playing. I remember smiling as I listened and receiving some frightening comments such as “What’s so funny Gowans?” from some of the school’s major sports enthusiasts.
Depeche Mode Violates Every sound on this album has been so carefully tweaked and put in place by Alan Wilder & Flood – this is the first time the band was allowed to really develop Martin Gore’s demos into fully crafted ideas. Great songs, and only 9 of them. Released during the heyday of the CD era, but left people wanting more instead of an album of 18 songs that lasted 74 minutes.
Fairport Convention Liege and Lief Oh, wow! Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson make their first foray into British folk rock, taking medieval songs and poems and transforming them into a transcendent listening experience centered around the interplay between Denny’s voice and Thompson’s amazing guitar playing. So much space in the instrumentation – you can hear how they listen to each other, even as they stretch out into some extended instrumentals. Always critically rated among the 10 best folk albums ever, so when someone tries to swap a copy in the record store, I usually ask why.
Favorite video of all time
Okay, that’s embarrassing, but I have to share this. Class 7, watching Video Hits on CBC (?), Promising young new wave band called Industry, the video was for “State Of The Nation”. The singer, Jon Carin, ended up playing synths for Bryan Ferry on Live Aid, and has since been a longtime member of Pink Floyd. Recently, he programmed all the synths for Kate Bush when she was doing some shows a few years back. So having said that, I loved the sound – only heard the song once, but somehow I remembered all the words in some of the verse and the chorus. I then started telling people “Have you heard of industry?” and draw keytars on my ring binder and think about how cool it would be to be able to wear the same white jumpsuit / parachute pants as Jon Carin.
Video of the industry – State Of the Nation (Remastered)
What’s in your fridge?
Chipotle / adobo peppers in sauce. For use in chipotle mayo, dressings and a special breakfast wrap – almost like an inverted omelette that you can fill with all the ingredients. Aside from eggs and tortillas, a solid foundation for a long day of retail. The packaging was found on Nadia’s time To Eat On Netflix
White wine. To drink, and also beat certain recipes on the go with a splash: pasta sauces, risotto, de-glaze a pan and then beat it with butter and lemon for a little fish, etc.
Hummus. The freak-shop-bought hummus that I thought at the time would be a good idea to have around for snacks. Maybe with vegetables? Biscuit? Chips? But no, it gets opened after coming home from shopping, hungry, half-eaten and then somehow pushed to the back of the top shelf. Then life is formed inside the container and becomes the most horrible discovery of life living in the back of the fridge.
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