Angine de Poitrine wins the Polaris Music Prize, and Slo Pitch

In our time is a world class seminar every week. Why was Jeremy a lonely snail? What were lines doing in York in the third century? I'm Misha Glenny and every week I'm joined by expert guests to explore the ideas that shape our world. It's one of the first times really that you consistently see someone painting teeth. I know that sounds bonkers. If I was going to define mathematics, I would say it's the study of structure. In our time, listen on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast. It is an understatement of this point to say that TV shows about romance and sports are having a moment. You got heat, you got off campus. Also, now you have slow pitch, which is a Canadian TV show from Crave. It's about a queer softball beer league in Mississauga and the buzz around it is just everywhere. My name is Elimine Abdul-Mahmoud. This show's called "Comotion." Ali Graham is here, Riley S. knows here. Hello to both of you. Hello. What's going on, y'all? Nice to see you. Nice to see you too. I think before we even begin, it was maybe useful for our audiences. Just hear a little bit of what slow pitch sounds like. So let's hear it right now. One, two, three, four, three! We broke up. She dumped me and she joined another team in the league. Oh, the college, oh man. Love and sports do not miss. What are you going to do? Ruse all over me? Would you consider playing a win? I y'all fight Ruse and Joey and fuck! This is rock bottom. Lesbians, make out later! Still a game to win! One, two, three, broveries is where we're going to start. Okay, so, listen, slow pitch used to be a web series back in 2020. Now it's a full-blown regular TV show. Riley, let's start with you. You've watched the show. How are you feeling about it? I really like it. Like, I think that, first of all, I love a sitcom, which I think this is kind of, you know, also giving, a workplace sitcom. And this is- Literally, you're a big workplace sitcom guy. You know, yeah, if you know one thing about me, it's that. And, I mean, I think sports are the new sort of workplace sitcom. Like, you get this cast of characters, you can get them in all sorts of circumstances. And I love that. I also think that, like, it's just so relatable. Like, I don't know if anybody else, I'm on queer soccer teams, you know, softball leagues. And this is real. Like, it's so, it's happening. You know, you watch it and you're like, that's absurd. And it's like, no. I know at least, like, 10 people who are functioning like that on a daily, weekly sort of basis. And, like, despite, you know, how relatively, like, chill my life is, all of the drama, almost, I would say, comes from these rack sports. Like, no one's getting paid and still it's like this. And so, like, I just feel like, I see that. And I'm also the added, like, yep, I get that is, is really, you know, draws me in. I like me, first of all, I just want to describe to the folks that sing on the radio. You said this is real. And Ali went, mmm, so true. Ali, okay, you also play in a queer, rec softball league. Do you want to, no, not softball, volleyball. But I mean, might as well be. Okay, we'll get to, do you agree? Like, do you find the show? A hundred percent. It's a relatable thing to watch. A hundred percent. So, I play in a volleyball queer league. Yeah. And even when I say queer league, it's like, we've made it queer because we are the properties in a way. Like, we are in a league that is like, I mean, no one's identifying as a straight team. But they are the straight team. We are the stand out queer girls team. Yeah. And we're having so much fun. But I mean, the drama is real sometimes. Love to my girls. Yeah. But, you know, sometimes you're like, oh, your ex is actually the best friend of you. Like the other ex. And then also, wait, who's this person that's come by our practice? I actually went out to you with them once. And like, there are these tensions. But also the funniest thing. I feel like so far that the breweries are showing in slow pitches. I think accurately showing is that you like, go to this Tuesday night sign up thing because you're like, well, your friends want you to come. It's a good way to move the body. And then suddenly you're like, I need to buy this gear. We need to do an extra practice. And then, you know, for me and like, I'm now traveling to play volleyball with my friends. And, and honey, we're mid-level wreck. And I'm like, I'm like, well, I'm going to need my annual leave for going to Spain to play in the gay games, Olympics for gay people. And, you know, it gets serious very fast. And, you know, it's also funny because it's like, there are people who have never played before who are like scared of the ball at first. And then you have people like, you know, coach Joan played by Jessel Garo, who are like, what if we tried to win? And like, get really, really invested. And so it's like part of the absurdity is just the tension, not only in terms of like, maybe the sexual tension between some of these people. But also just like the level of play and then the level of like, how much you want it. And I was silly that can get. >> Yeah, the bad news for both of you is that for those, I have a bunch of questions I want to ask about this. But the rest of the show is going to be you doing impressions of every character of this. That's just the thing we're going to do. >> Yeah, this is part of the contract. >> Yeah, you didn't know that, but now you know this. Okay, I will say like, as a show that is about queer sports, the natural comparison, people are like, is this like heated rivalry? >> Yeah. >> But maybe make it softball. Is that accurate at all? Does that kind of, okay, go ahead. >> So for promotion reasons, it's exactly like heated rivalry. >> [LAUGH] >> Go watch it. >> Yes. >> But you know, there's not the same level of maybe physical activity. >> Yes. >> As heated rivalry in terms of in the bedroom. But I would say the thing that they have in common, of course, it's a great production. >> Yes. >> It's Canadian actors for the most part or at least production making it shot in Canada, which is fun. And you know, it's gay people playing sports. But I would say a main difference is in in heated rivalry, it's people who are very good at sports who happen to be gay. >> Yeah. >> And then in slow pitch, it's people who are gay, who happen to be playing sports. >> That's fundamentally a different offer. >> It's quite different. You know, at this point too, it's like pro-lease for women. And it's very fun. There's a character called Mel, played by Amanda Cordner, I believe, who's like come down from the pro leagues and is like now in this regtape group. And there's that tension. But you know, for the most part, when we're watching pro sports now, whether it's WNBA or soccer, like women are having to come out as straight at this point. >> Right. >> And so it is this funny thing of like, the world is slow-pitching and generally when the sports at this point, it feels very gay. >> Yeah. >> Whereas, of course, with men's sport, we're still seeing it's a real struggle to come out. And you know, and he derives where the tension is that they are gay and that there is homophobia. >> That's how the season results. >> Exactly. >> Yeah. >> And then with slow-pitch, it's that, well, we are gay and that's part of what's so fun about this. And the tension more is that between each other we're gay. >> Yeah. >> Oh my god, my exes here. Other things are playing out. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, it's, I think, pretty different. >> Yeah. >> Right away, we'll see a little like, to me, I'm a casual sports fan. I've always been a casual sports fan for my entire life. >> I've never seen this many shows about sports all together at the same time. I mean, like we mentioned, he's probably off the top, we mentioned off campus, we got slow-pitch, but also like Ted Lasso's back for season. I even know how many seasons were in, you know. There's like an F1 show that's a reality show. Like, what, talk to me about the idea that TV said, you know what we should do for a bit is sports. Like, does that surprise you at all? >> Yeah, I mean, I just, I'm actually surprised that it kind of took that long. And in that, like, Ted Lasso for me was maybe the first one that I saw. And then, like, obviously was a very big commercial success. And so then, I feel like then at the same time that I was realizing this, maybe all the studios where we were on the same page. >> Yeah, we were in the studios. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, and we talk. Is that like, you know, there's, it's hard sometimes, I think, to have a natural environment where you can have all of these really, you know, disparate characters and that you can bring them together on a weekly sort of basis to experience something. And the offices are, like, I mentioned a great place to have that happen. The office being like, maybe, you know, parks and rack, V, all of those, like, sort of workplace comedy and sitcoms. And then, sports is another one where you get these people who are yes here for this, because they have to be, this is their job or this is a common interest or whatever. But that's kind of where the similarities might end. And then you can bring in so much character and growth also through the course of a season, a sports season in addition to the TV season. >> Season, both ratings, yes. >> Indeed. So I think that, like, you know, it provides a really ripe environment for storytelling. And so it makes sense to me that we're seeing this. And, like I mentioned, there's already people, you know, who are, or like, has been mentioned. There's a lot of people who, like, watch sports are big sports people. And so, like, maybe that draws them in. But also, like, I think, like, Slowpitch is a great example of this, where it's, like, a lot of people can relate to, like, being, you know, an adult trying to do a physical activity for fun, and then being, like, what world am I in? >> I got dropped into a bunch of drama. >> He has, totally. >> Yeah, I will say that, like, Ali, the thing that surprised me with the show is that the format is a mockumentary, right? That's not, you know, a lot of these other sports shows, they're just kind of, like, straight on here. Even if there are comedy, like, the story's kind of, like, resolving in a sort of natural progress. The way you're getting a lot of little of the sides here, in terms of, like, the way that the comedy plays out. Does that format work for this kind of thing? >> I think 100%. Because I feel like a lot of the time, like, regardless of what level you're at, like, when you're in team sports, of course, you're, like, having this collective effort that you're all working towards. But also, sometimes, someone makes a weird move. Someone makes a comment. Someone's, like, kind of side-coaching you, and you're, like, you shouldn't be coaching me. And so, there is, like, a lot of stuff that's, like, right for you want the sidebar moment. and I think that they played out really effectively. And also I think they've really given us a good cast of characters. We have the token straight girl, we have someone who's speaking in a German accent for some reason. And Boris is growing on me. But I do feel like with Coach Joan and with Mal, there are these very fun characters where you're seeing people really, really want this. And whether it's for a reason of, I need to get over my ex, but I can't. And so I need something to focus on. Or just because it's fun to try together. And I think that there is like a real natural, like the format does work for it, in my opinion. But also I feel like there is just so much absurdity, but also a lot of earnestness. And I feel like what's nice about the sidebar of like mockumentary style is it allows for both. It allows for this kind of self-deprecation as well as like this meanness you get to have that like I'm not punished for being mean to my friend because I'm saying it to the camera. And so I think it's quite fun and it plays well, I think, yeah. I will say that I'm just delighted by the fact that both of you walk in here and go like as people play queer, reckless. Of reckless experience, yeah. That's right. I love this very specific experience. We recognize ourselves in this and representation matters. Riley, I will say, the other dimension that I'm really interested in is the idea that we just keep producing in this country, shows that are really working right now. Canadian shows that are connecting in ways that I've not seen Canadian shows, connecting like Peter Avie obviously being the example of this, but then you get this. This is produced, this whole picture is produced by Elliott Pages production company. It's shot in Mississauga. It's rooted in this country. Why do you think Canadian stories are connecting so well right now? I mean, one theory I have is that I think for a long time, for whatever reason, you know, like in Canadian, even if it's a Canadian production, that these production companies know that they also need an audience outside of Canada. And that there for some reason was this idea that if it's explicitly in Canada and we're making Canadian isms throughout it and it's appealing to a Canadian audience too much, then it's unrelatable to any other audience. And I think we've in the last couple of years really just cut proven that narrative to be wrong. Whether it's heated rivalry or Nirvana the Band The Show The Movie, you know, like the fact that it takes place so explicitly in these Canadian context doesn't deter in any way from audiences finding the stories relatable and the characters moving and all of those sorts of things. And actually, I mean, this is a completely different type of show, but I'm also been really obsessed with adults right now. Yeah. And one of the critiques, one of the only critiques I've seen. It's so Toronto. Oh my god, yes. It's so visibly Toronto as a person of Toronto experience. Yeah, like, yes, you watch that doesn't go like I understand that you the thing you guys are trying to do, just say Toronto. Yeah, just say Toronto. And the show will be exactly the same. 100%. Because you just as someone who lives in Toronto, you watch that show and go like we're just we are in the Toronto that everybody else exists. Yeah, totally. So I just think that it's time that this if this is and I felt felt for a long time, it might be, but that like can it Canada is unrelatable to to other folks. I don't think that that holds water anymore necessarily. And we have some lot of evidence to prove it. In fact, the more Canadians we lead into maybe the better results. Totally. You know what I want to say? I want to see like a political show called the shwinnigan hands. That's like, that's what I want immediately. Yeah, someone green light that tomorrow. That would be wonderful. I really appreciate your time. You guys, this has been wonderful. Thank you so much for being here. Of course. Oh, this is the best rally yesterday. He's an Aishanabi writer and scholar from Abumatung First Nation. Ali Graham is a journalist and podcast producer on CBCs understood the first two episodes of slow pitch premiere on Crave this Friday. Hey, it's Danielle and Cali, your host of in three Canada's number one entertainment news podcast. I've spent more time with Taylor Swift than most other people. We're media pros. We hosted the Variety screening festies. How we has become the hottest Backstreet Boyer. Said no one but you ever, ever. And insiders who have seen it all, IRL Oscars Golden Globes. You name it. We have been there with access to the biggest talent. Welcome to in three Patrick J. Adam. The fun starts in three. You know who's not going to survive this dad talk. Oh, new episodes, Mondays and Thursdays. From Saginaw Quebec or possibly outer space that is on Dean Departrine. That song is called Fab Yank. It's from their album volume two. They got the poker dots and they got the alien noses and masks. Now they have $30,000 because last night they took home the Polaris music prize for best album. That is that award was heading out last night in Toronto. And I should say that prize is given out for the best Canadian album of the year selected by more than 200 music journalists and broadcasters based solely on artistic merit. No sales go into the factoring of who wins the players. Also, Engine Departrine have won an additional $10,000 because they won the best song prize for that specific song. You could say that it's kind of on Gene Departrine's world and we are just living in it. Emily Hanskamp, you agree. Hey, this is this is kind of where we are right now. The truths are truths, you know. It's kind of a little bit wild how nine months ago no one had really heard of this band, you know. Well, some folks have heard of this band. Some folks were in on the ground floor. Not me. It took the videos blowing up online for me to go like, okay, now I understand that they're here. But also, they're now just kind of everywhere. I turned around at one point just at the end of their performance. Yeah. To a couple journalist Palsamine, I said, if if I, if we would have told each other that this was what we were going to be seeing at Polaris last year at Polaris, who went to believe each other. I mean, no one could have predicted this as said. Nobody. Yeah, the idea that became out of nowhere and then kind of dominated everywhere. I was like, what is it? What is it about them that's connected? You think I think the weirdness we want weirdness. You know, I've spoken about this before, but especially with this deluge of AI music and in like any main non-human art. There's just such an appeal and attraction to their weirdness and their wackiness because it is undeniably human. They don't speak real words. They have polka dots. They are 333 years old, you know. Listen, people say gimmick, but I think the thing about them winning the Polaris last night is it shows that you cannot like them and that is okay. But you cannot deny their artistic narrative. You cannot deny their art. Well, okay. So let's talk about that because I think like if you strip away the pageantry because I think like people are familiar at least with the images of them at this point, you cannot, you know, everywhere I go, I go like, oh, those are the polka dot folks. They've co-opted polka dots, you know. They have. They brought polka dots back. They did. But if you strip away the pageantry, do you think that their work still stands up to be like, oh yeah, they deserve the Polaris prize? Absolutely. Yeah. And I can say, you know, I know a promoter who booked them for one of their ended up being three, actually ended up being seven Toronto shows, but when they just had one show at the mod club, and she just booked them on sound. And this they were already making buzz in the industry before that KXB session and they went viral. So if you ask people in the industry, they were listening to them first. And the fact that now it's an easier way in that you see them and you find that appeal. And then you like the music, that doesn't take away from the actual quality of the music. If you see these two people live, these two aliens live, you get the way they jump through these times signatures, you cannot deny their talent. It's yeah. It's fact. I think like the thing that I've been trying to wrap my mind around because the Polaris prize is meant to be given out to the best Canadian album entirely on artistic merit. Sales don't do any favor popularity does not do any favor, virality does not do you any favor, right? But then you sort of all the like the list of past winners, like most of them, they're not the biggest names that we have in this country. But then last night, you see this thing where there is a convergence right between like their popular and they go viral and they sell out a bunch of nights at the mod club, but also at the same time, they go and open for Jack White on the same night and then go play their own headlining show. What do you, what do you make of that shift, this idea that like the popular is meeting the critically acclaimed? It is rare and I invite it and I know that there is a real resistance to that, especially when we're talking about artistic merit and the Polaris and the you know, pretension that can come with music journalism and music opinion and curation in general. The idea that something's commercial can necessarily mean that you're not going to like it, you're not going to buy into it. So I was, I am a juror on Polaris. I was in those discussion boards and seeing how people were engaging with their music and talking about it. And I am extremely heartened to see that there is just a willingness and an acceptance that you can be commercial, you can be popular, you can be selling out shows all over the world, be one of the biggest Canadian exports we've had and also be extremely talented and you know, warrant an artistic acknowledgement in this way. Oh yeah, there's a truly, so I saw them live at Hillside, at Festival, Early Wasir and First time Hillside sold out and yeah, that's right. I think 15 years they not sold out the festival and then they booked them as headliners and suddenly like the festival sells out and honestly, incredible vibe. What really surprised me with their popularity was how cross-generational it was, you know, but then to go from seeing that to go, that's the album that's going to win the Polaris, a huge surprise to me. Let me ask you, who are you rooting for last night? I at the end of the, I would say last night was like the best Polaris show in recent memories. I think we were all looking at each other after every performance and saying they could have taken it, they could take it, they could take it, it was incredible, so it's really hard to pinpoint. You know, it would have been, you know, Charlotte is one of the recording songwriting gems of our, of our country, Laila Walsh. Laila Walsh from Quebec, who I do think his album, Alouette, is one of the most important albums not just to come out of Quebec, but out of this country in a very long time. The Coplands, you know, they're homage to their love to each other. I truly aquaculture, aquaculture, that record, historian meets artist out of Halifax. Truly, I look at this short list with such a sense of pride. Yeah. And I was so excited because everyone deserved it. I know it's like an annoying answer, but truly I was just. So excited for whoever was going to take home that award last night. Let's play let's play some of the music you're talking about Let's play a little bit of Levantre right now Okay, so the point of the the player's gala is that like everybody who's nominated gets to play a couple songs And then it's kind of a nice vibe The engine of our trainer was added to the bill pretty late. That was not supposed to be the case of the supposed to be performing You get to the Polaris prize. They are performing. What's the vibe in the room? Like how are they received? Well, so of course they were the last performance. Yeah, but up to that point if I take you into the room the emotional role of coaster We're talking about slash knee the incredible Toronto-based slash knee performing Peach's songs in the crowd with boob shaped balloons popping around. We're talking about tanya got to tanya to gawk performing this in Reddable seven-minute in transit performance the Copland's dancing with each other on stage So the emotions are all over the place and then these polka-dotted aliens walk on stage Everyone's phones come out the crowd just gets so electric people in the gallery start standing up I mean the energy in the room shifted in such an incredible way. Yeah, there's something about the idea Like first of all, they don't just kind of walk on stage It's rarely a smooth process for them to walk on stage But when they do people are just kind of like what am I watching? Oh, and I saw that way watching the YouTube videos I think but then when I saw them in person I was like oh, I'm having the same reaction Yeah, that I was having to watching those videos online and even at the end of the performance You're still like what was that I want more of it. Don't know what I just witnessed. I'll take seconds, please I think there is there's a case to be made that the real winner of the players isn't necessarily the person who takes home that big check Right, but like the more obscure artists who get this platform they make it onto a pretty significant list They make it on the short list and suddenly people are like oh, I haven't heard of you And now we get a chance to engage a little bit more with your music based on that. Who do you think benefited from the recognition of like just making onto the short list? I think I'm gonna shout out aquaculture last Samson land Samson from Halifax because this is an artist to you know He's a youth outreach worker a historian like I said like went deep into his archives as a foundation for this album Didn't have necessarily goals to take this outside of the provinces Extremely regionally focused in a way that I really admire but getting this short list acknowledgment met made it so that Necessarily who is brought to Toronto brought those community listing parties to our city expanded those called that cultural impact More and more people talked about him So this might not have been a priority for his to push it beyond his province beyond Nova Scotia But because of Polaris he did because of Polaris more and more people listen to this absolutely incredible album 17 83 if you're listening to this Conversation you can turn us off. Well, no, don't turn us off. You know you have to go anywhere because we can just play a little bit of aquaculture right now Let's hear a little bit What are you saying that is aquaculture the album is called 17 83. What a record truly what a record listen before we're going to want to give you just our first ever pop quiz Can you name the first ever Polaris winner? No, is that possible? No, I can't tell me final fantasies. He poos clouds. It's incredible And you go, you know what that's the thing I'm gonna go look up And the reason I bring this up is because the 20th anniversary of the very first Polaris Gallup this week and since then the official prize has the mandate of the prize has not really changed But you look back at the list of the winners, especially the list of winners in the last few years What does it tell us about Canadian music right now? What's the sort of you know the story that you can kind of see threaded through all those winners? I think we're in a really interesting kind of juncture in the Canadian music landscape and industry where at once we have a sort of commercialism at an institutional level that maybe we don't all feel represents the incredible talent that we have And at the same time we have an artistic merit-based prize like the Polaris which is showcasing the fact that yes Canada has undeniably the most interesting weird beautiful artists on this planet So I love that they're also leaning more and more into the public inviting the public in because what I'd love to see is at an institutional level that we can lean into how cool and weird and beautiful and unique and singular the Canadian music industry is And I see Polaris doing that more and more and I an institutional level want us all to do that. Let's take these steps forward Let's catch up with the artists that we have in this country instead of leaving them behind I think the most exciting thing to me about the popularity of Indian poetry and representing this country in this moment is how weird they are I think like we are very good at producing weird artists right? So let's go back to doing that. Let's go back to weird. That's our compass Canadians Yeah, honestly like every time that I think about weird Canadian artists that we produce we're kind of like oh that's the thing we're good at We're good at counter culture. We're good at offering a thing that is just a little bit off side to the mainstream I think like that's kind of the best place for us to be And if you look at this collection of albums, I do feel so much cultural pride in like the weird eclectic nature of this grouping of albums that was Voted by you know jurors across this country and journalists across this country. This is Canada. Emily Hanskamp. You're a delight man. Good to see you. Oh, it's great to be here. Thank you so much. Emily Hanskamp is a freelance music journalist. She was with me right here in Autonomous Studio and if you've yet to experience the phenomenon that is on Jean Duquatrine, you can go see them in Toronto, Quebec City or Montreal. This November, my name is Elamine up to my mood. This show is called Comotion. We'll be back tomorrow with love to see you then.