It was with the guy from Operators his old band Handsome Furs because, initially, my aim was to book bigger bands. It's since got more localized. I had my specific idea of, kind of, trying to recreate DIY shows, which there weren't really any of that I could find in the early days. And just over a period of years there's been kind of a scene that's developed which has been great.
Because in the early years it was all techno and house. So, although you weren't putting on shows in Vancouver as much, do you think it's made easier or harder by being here?
Well, I can't really compare, but it's easier in that people are more welcoming to me here. The cost of doing things but also the availability of spaces to do things where there aren't as many barriers in place, legal barriers in place. Like I remember in the early days here we would do parties and like set up a bar and sell beer, and in Vancouver, I would never even dream of selling beer without a license. And we would do these parties here and the police would show up and they wouldn't even bat an eye that we have a bar going, things that I would have been arrested for numerous times over in Canada you can do here and no one gives a shit.
What changes do you think could occur in Canada to make it more sustainable artists? The thing is I don't really think it's sustainable here long term it's just like a fun chapter for a lot of people. This is the place to like fuck around and try stuff out. But it's very rare that people make it out of the DIY world into something bigger. I've worked with a lot of people from their early days here and it's always lots of fun and people do it for different reasons, it's not necessarily that people are doing it for career reasons but if you want to like make it big, this isn't the place to be for it.
I mean you can survive while you're doing it, but I'm guessing you might now want to play small shows your whole life. But in other ways Canada is just way too big geographically, so maybe bring three hundred million people to Canada. Or just have the police chill out. And we were deeply involved in like the Toronto music scene, it had gotten to the point where we were playing some of the bigger venues, but not really able to tour outside of the city, and everyone had kind of reached like a fork in the road … So I went to Berlin, and it was great in terms of having this time to myself where I could, I taught myself to record on my own, and mix on my own, produce my own records, and kind of be detached from a huge music scene that was constantly influencing me.
So in your experience, there were a lot of Canadians in the music [Berlin] community, did you see an influx of people from Canada moving to Berlin in your time there? Yeah, definitely.
Actually, just in the year, I was in Berlin I've had lots of friends come over long term or to test it out thinking that they're going to move.
And also just being in Berlin, how many Canadians you hang out with. It's a bit of a running joke to meet another Canadian. But I think it has a lot to do with the fact, no one's running away from anything bad. We have it really great in this country, the music scenes great, the art scenes great … And Berlin is extremely titillating, you know? It's exciting, it's different, it's completely different than Canada. Canada has all these rules about drinking, about doing this and that, you go to Berlin there's basically no rules.
So why are you deciding to move back to Toronto? The film also had added significance: Fan could not have shown it publicly back home. In fact, none of the films in the series will be available in China anytime soon. Since moving here almost two years ago, Fan has been prolific, writing three scripts, directing two projects, and sitting on the jury for the queer-film prize at the Berlin Film Festival. Read: How internet censorship is curbing innovation in China.
The artist and activist Ai Weiwei decamped here in , taking his studio—and many of his bright, young Chinese staff—with him. The writer Chun Sue, who once wowed and shocked China with her rebel youth novel , lives here now too. Badiucao , a political cartoonist and activist, also spent time in Berlin.
China then permitted a small group of creatives to head overseas. That generation ended up playing a huge role in determining what Chinese contemporary art and culture would look like, both at home and abroad.
As their country grew freer, many returned. Now, as its sociopolitical space contracts once again, another wave of creatives is leaving, set to reshape Chinese arts anew. Beijing remains vibrant, of course, but a place such as Berlin not only promises freedom, but actually wants and invites people to provoke and challenge orthodoxy. Some of the excitement I witnessed in Beijing has now been transported here.
The other films in the series all deal with queer Chinese identity, free expression, and displacement. Anyone in a creative field—writers, musicians, photographers, designers—can apply. The visa is typically good for one to three years, and you apply for extensions at the immigration office. Unlike most other visas, which can take a few months to be approved, you may be lucky enough to walk out with one on your very first appointment. Still, there are hoops to jump through.
As part of his visa process, American comedian Tyrone Stallone needed to collect 15 letters from comedy clubs and bars saying he could gig there. Last year, the duo opened TV Bar , an underground hangout, performance space, and film studio all rolled into one. Self-employed creatives can also take advantage of subsidized healthcare exclusively for artists, as well as plentiful grants and programs. This is very much a city with a built-in support system for creatives.
And that support system extends to communities. Joseph Hutchinson, 35, was a corporate lawyer in New York and London. Facing burnout and Brexit, he moved to Berlin in He is now a self-employed writer and co-publishes an independent magazine. Long ago, I came to terms with primitive longings for Canadian comforts absent here: pancakes, crispy bacon, and sweets made with baking powder.
Homesick Americans fawn over slices are upgraded with locally made pepperoni and truffle. Meanwhile, Nashville native Sarah Durante runs Humble Pie , a food truck selling pies and biscuits with hot chicken. She operated Humble Pie on the side while working in marketing, and eventually built the business into a full-time endeavor. You need to do the work.
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