The Good News Bad News Department

Welcome to the GN/BN Dept.I'll start traditionally with the good news.The family of former premier Bourassa came forward and asked Mayor Tremblay to end the war over the renaming of Park Avenue.The city rejoiced.One of its institutions is safe.For ten years or so, until the naming rights of all major arteries can be bought and sold at will by Smasher Corp. or youthoughtwewouldntdoit.com.
It has started already.With the property market what it is,nothing is sacred.At the end of August The Spectrum will be torn down to make way for a couple of dozen stories of commercial space.I'll be going to see a show the day after my birthday,one of the last before the close out Jazz Festival.There are few buildings in Montreal I have a fonder relationship with.More shows than I could ever hope to count,more nights spent out front waiting for tickets than I want to remember.I can still recite how many paces in each direction the nearest place to pee was.Unless you wanted to chance catching something at Dunkin Donuts.
Fondest memory ,without a doubt,was having a homeless man come to sit with us for company and proceeding to teach us how to mix Lysol and water correctly for a good buzz.Only on St.Catherine.
Anybody living in Montreal go by to pay respect before it goes.Anyone that has moved on,the next time you go to see a show,tip one back and think of how much better the sound would be at the frenchest showbar in the country.Just for fun,click the Spectrum link down the side of the page.Select Hall of Fame and see how many of the artists listed you saw at the Spectrum.