Need to Know
If you’re considering doing one of these, here’s the key info
- Optional introduction
- 7-ish things: books, records, movies, experiences, anything goes
- Link (if possible) and 1-2 paragraphs
- Short bio to close and a photo (otherwise I’ll use an existing one).
- It will post around the same time as the record feature – if you’d prefer a specific date that’s fine
- It will be promoted via Instagram (with the artist as collaborator) and BlueSky and featured in the T&W newsletter.
I’m happy to help however you need — brainstorming, finding links, writing or editing, anything.
About The Backstory
David Lynch famously hated discussing his work:
“When you finish anything, people want to talk about it. And I think it’s almost like a crime. A film or a painting – each thing is its own sort of language and it’s not right to try to say the same thing in words.”
I agree with that: great art allows the consumer to imbue their own meaning onto it, and sometimes learning too much about the intent of the artist can actually diminish the work.
So instead, I ask participants to share a handful of things (7-10, ideally) that shaped them — either generally, or focused on a project, like their latest album or book. The things can be anything: poems, books, albums, movies, personal experiences, anything goes. The more accessible the better — ie. “the scary clown at my 5th birthday party” isn’t ideal, but if you have a video of that clown, we’re in business. If it’s available online (movie trailer, music video etc.) then I’ll include it in the post.
Example: My Backstory
Optional Introduction
Optional intro from the artist — otherwise I’ll write an introduction to each piece, including links to other posts about the artist on T&W, and somewhere readers can support the artist (Bandcamp, bookshop.org, other info as applicable).
In the case of an album/EP, I’ll include a streaming embed here as well.
Left and Leaving by The Weakerthans
Maybe the record I’ve listened to more than any other. John K. Samson has so many one liners that feel like they were ripped from my own mind when I first heard them felt like they were ripped straight from my diary when I first heard them.
The album’s blend of punk energy, rural isolation, and poetic introspection shaped how I hear music and write about it on this blog.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
This book sparked my love for science fiction. I read it in high school, and Gibson’s gritty, neon-noir cyberpunk world blew my mind–sprawling cities, rogue AIs, and a future that felt both thrilling and terrifying. It made me a lifelong fan of speculative fiction and influenced how I think about technology’s role in art and storytelling. It’s a rare book I’ve reread several times.
Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby by Girls Against Boys
I’d never heard the term ‘post-hardcore’ when I bought this, but I played this CD so many times that I think I wore it out. Girls Against Boys, and the offshoot band New Wet Kojak are still among my top-played bands, and I don’t think this record has aged at all. I hear echoes of them in everything from Kaput to Jagged Baptist Club.
“Let Me Come Back” is my favourite (among many on the record).
Run Lola Run
This 1998 film is basically a feature-length music video, and I mean that in the best way. The pulsing techno soundtrack, the frenetic editing, and Lola’s red hair sprinting through Berlin–it’s pure adrenaline. I saw it at a campus screening and it shaped how I think about music and visuals working together.
The soundtrack is frustratingly unavailable on streaming services or vinyl. It really seems ripe for some kind of special Record Store Day edition.
The Black Tie Affair by Maestro Fresh Wes
If Maestro was American, he’d be in the same league as Big Daddy Kane and Rakim. This 1991 album wasn’t the commercial hit that Symphony in Effect was, but he was an emcee way ahead of his time–sharp lyricism, clever sampling, killer beats, and a distinctly Canadian voice. The lyrics don’t cut it by modern standards, but as a product of its time, it’s fantastic.
It’s not available on streaming services (likely because of those samples), but there’s a bootleg on YouTube.
The Horseshoe Tavern
When I moved to Toronto from a small town for university, I made friends with a crew of live music fans. We’d hit small venues almost every week–Lee’s Palace, El Mocambo, The Big Bop (RIP)–but The Horseshoe was my first love.
I saw dozens of bands there, and many of those shows are among my all-time favourites. Those sweaty, packed shows taught me the magic of the small venue show.
Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez
This is probably the most Toronto book ever written. Hernandez captures the city’s east end–its diversity, struggles, and heart–through the eyes of kids in a literacy program.
It was adapted to a very good film in 2021, but the book is an absolute classic. I’ve gifted it to more people than I can count.
Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt
This is my favorite book from the last couple of years.
It’s a quiet, heartbreaking novel about a mother’s love for her daughter, told with such tenderness and precision. I spent the last half of the book in tears.
I read it in 2024, and it reminded me how powerful small, human stories can be. If I’m ever stuck for a gift for a reader and they’re not from Toronto, it’s this.
Short bio
Provide a short, third-person bio of yourself (or your band).
What’s Your Backstory?
This is just the start of “The Backstory”, a feature where artists share the things that shaped them. I’d love to hear what’s shaped you. If you’d like to share your own story, reach out.
[SEE MORE BACKSTORIES]
