Who are you?
Ron Hawkins.
What are you up to?
Writing, moving, travelling, shooting a video and recording an EP with my band the Rusty Nails.
Hometown and current HQ:
Toronto... Parkdale (formerly Kensington Market)
Current fixations:
Frank O'Hara, Johnny Cash, At The Drive-In, Reinaldo Arenas, Alice Neel, Morning Buzz (At the Moonbean), Baccus Roti.
Mind altering work of art:
Alice Neel's self portrait. Painted when she was an older woman (60s, 70s?). Brave, honest, uncompromising. The Weakerthans Left And Leaving but I talk about it so much I'm becoming an embarrassment to my friends and family.
Most memorable/inspirational gig and why?
I opened for BIlly Bragg once as a solo acoustic act. He was a hero that didn't become an asshole or a disappointment face to face.
What should everyone shut up about?
Napster.
Your greatest strength/weakness:
I have balls / They can (and have!) been kicked.
Your vital daily ritual:
Coffee
Guilty pleasure:
Guilt is a waste of time.
If I wasn't playing music I would be
Healthier and wealthier, if not wiser.
Your most memorable day job:
I used to do the 4 a.m. shift at a brewery (which shall remain nameless) and one of my jobs, along with four others, was to poke the piles of boxes, emptied of their return bottles, then chase the rats that scurried out and try to kill them with a shovel... honestly.
Best/worst advice received:
Best: travel while you're young. Worst: Don't ask her out... it's too soon.
I would drop everything to play a benefit for
OCAP, Hal Hartley, Kensington Market, almost anyone trying to topple the Harris regime.
What makes you want to take it off and get it on?
A certain freckle on a certain part of a certain woman. Spain, trains, tamarind sauce.
What personal trait would make you kick someone out of your band and/or bed? And have you?
Unwanted, spontaneous urinating... luckily no, not yet.
When I think of Canada I think:
Why is it so far between cities? Who built it? Didn't they know I'd have to tour it?
Music and sex: Is there a difference? Why?
Of course it's different. Music is what you do when you're not having sex.
Strangest brush with celebrity:
I once recognised a voice in front of me in a check-out line. It was Count Chocula. I made a fuss. A big fuss. Later I regained my composure and contemplated my priorities.
What does your mom wish you were doing instead?
My mom wishes I was on the cover of Exclaim!, not answering 20 Questions. Oh Susanna's mom gets to see her on the cover, wadda ya got against my mom?!
Ron Hawkins.
What are you up to?
Writing, moving, travelling, shooting a video and recording an EP with my band the Rusty Nails.
Hometown and current HQ:
Toronto... Parkdale (formerly Kensington Market)
Current fixations:
Frank O'Hara, Johnny Cash, At The Drive-In, Reinaldo Arenas, Alice Neel, Morning Buzz (At the Moonbean), Baccus Roti.
Mind altering work of art:
Alice Neel's self portrait. Painted when she was an older woman (60s, 70s?). Brave, honest, uncompromising. The Weakerthans Left And Leaving but I talk about it so much I'm becoming an embarrassment to my friends and family.
Most memorable/inspirational gig and why?
I opened for BIlly Bragg once as a solo acoustic act. He was a hero that didn't become an asshole or a disappointment face to face.
What should everyone shut up about?
Napster.
Your greatest strength/weakness:
I have balls / They can (and have!) been kicked.
Your vital daily ritual:
Coffee
Guilty pleasure:
Guilt is a waste of time.
If I wasn't playing music I would be
Healthier and wealthier, if not wiser.
Your most memorable day job:
I used to do the 4 a.m. shift at a brewery (which shall remain nameless) and one of my jobs, along with four others, was to poke the piles of boxes, emptied of their return bottles, then chase the rats that scurried out and try to kill them with a shovel... honestly.
Best/worst advice received:
Best: travel while you're young. Worst: Don't ask her out... it's too soon.
I would drop everything to play a benefit for
OCAP, Hal Hartley, Kensington Market, almost anyone trying to topple the Harris regime.
What makes you want to take it off and get it on?
A certain freckle on a certain part of a certain woman. Spain, trains, tamarind sauce.
What personal trait would make you kick someone out of your band and/or bed? And have you?
Unwanted, spontaneous urinating... luckily no, not yet.
When I think of Canada I think:
Why is it so far between cities? Who built it? Didn't they know I'd have to tour it?
Music and sex: Is there a difference? Why?
Of course it's different. Music is what you do when you're not having sex.
Strangest brush with celebrity:
I once recognised a voice in front of me in a check-out line. It was Count Chocula. I made a fuss. A big fuss. Later I regained my composure and contemplated my priorities.
What does your mom wish you were doing instead?
My mom wishes I was on the cover of Exclaim!, not answering 20 Questions. Oh Susanna's mom gets to see her on the cover, wadda ya got against my mom?!