I have some difficulty with the lines between who I am and what I do as they're so intertwined,so if this profile comes accross as a messy melange of "Hello - this is me!" and shameless self promotion, it's only 'cause the lines are so bloody blurred in my own view. It ain't due to any sort of arrogance at all ~ on the contrary ~ I overcompensate sometimes 'cause I'm not always that sure of myself! LOL! I'm not much of a drinker, my social life consists mostly of gig-related things, I'm somewhat awkward at times, very straight forward and blunt to a fault, and a generally accepting and compassionate guy. the rest you can read about if'n you're still interested.
Who am I, who am I, who am i ...
well, a poet, producer, side show barker, low brow spoken word artist, spazz, greasy lil' monkey, fun lovin' lover...a romantic realist, I suppose...
I'd like to meet like-minded folks. Folks who dig on the stranger side of everyday life, dig circus-sideshow related things, love the little nifty things in life rather than the superficial & extraneous crapola that we're hit with on a daily basis, are sincere & honest, funny, and those who can add a challenge to my own perspectives on life!
My Chinese zodiac is the year of the SNAKE - I find much of what describes us as being acurrate-ish...
Diplomatic and popular, the Snake has the sensual art of seduction down. This Sign is an interesting mix of gregariousness paired with introversion, intuitive reasoning paired with savvy business skills. Snakes are considered to be lucky with money and will generally have more than enough to live life to the fullest, regardless of how important it considers money to be; this may be due to the fact that Snakes tend to be rather tight with cash. They're not stingy, they're simply more mentally than physically active. Snakes tend to hang back a bit in order to analyze a situation before jumping into it. Their charming, seductive quality actually belies a rather retiring nature; this Sign is perfectly happy to spend the whole day curled up with a good book and, thus, can be mislabeled as being lazy.
The Snake is somewhat insecure deep down and tend to be a rather jealous, possessive lover, behavior that can end up alienating loved ones. Despite these less-than-stellar tendencies, however, the Snake often proves irresistible and is a generous, loving partner.. Slightly dangerous and disarmingly smart, the Snake's philosophical and intuitive mind generally supersedes logic in favor of feelings and instinct. Snakes will rely on their own gut reactions and intuitions before turning to others for suggestions. This makes this Sign a great hand in any business venture, possessing the caution and smarts needed to get ahead.
Snakes are hard workers (when they see good reason to be!) and are possessed of a keen intelligence. Snakes have incredible follow-through, once they get going, and they expect the same from others. Thus, their coworkers and employees had best stay on their toes, lest they anger the Snake and suffer its poisonous bite!
In general, of course, Snakes are generous and genteel, charming and appealing. Snakes must try to learn humility and to develop a stronger sense of self. Once Snakes realize that confidence comes from within, they will finally be comfortable in their own skin.
The most compatible match for a Snake is the Rooster or the Ox.
* and ~
profile.myspace.com/index.cfm
Visit THUNDERING WORD HEARD - the weekly spoken word/music fusion open mic series I produce:
www.myspace.com/thunderingwordheard
The tribes I moderate:
*The INTERNATIONAL HIPSTER COALITION ~ RECLAIMING THE NAME FROM THE "URBAN" WANKERS! ~
canada.tribe.net/template/...ibeCard.vm
*DOWN BY LAW ~ for fans of the films by JIM JARMUSCH
tribes.tribe.net/jim-jarmusch
* THE DEFINITIVE TOM WAITS ~
tribes.tribe.net/thedefinitivetomwaits
* LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...LENNY BRUCE!
tribes.tribe.net/lenny-bruce
* THE POMPADOUR ~ GOOD OLE GREASY FUN! ~
tribes.tribe.net/pompadours
* GOOD EATS SERVED HERE ~ RECIPES & COOKIN' ~
tribes.tribe.net/goodeatsservedhere
"IF JESUS HAD BEEN KILLED 20 YEARS AGO, CATHOLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN WOULD BE WEARING LITTLE ELECTRIC CHAIRS AROUND THEIR NECKS INSTEAD OF CROSSES."
~ LENNY BRUCE
“THE NEXT TIME YOU WANT INFORMATION, DON'T SCRATCH FOR IT LIKE A DOG - ASK FOR IT LIKE A MAN!"
~from THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
*******************************
T.PAUL STE. MARIE
a.k.a.
SwankHipster
a.k.a.
the "Rockabilly Chef"
Emcee / Host / Actor / Broadcaster / Artist / Producer / Sideshow Performer / Poet
Lessee...where to start... Just to let you know, I have a hard time separating who I am and what I do, as the two are so closely connected. This ain't so much me blowin' my horn when I talk about my accomplishments as me tellin' you what sorts of things really make me tick!
FRIENDS
***********
I'd like to meet like-minded folks. Folks who dig on the stranger side of everyday life, dig circus-sideshow related things, love the little nifty things in life rather than the superficial & extraneous crapola that we're hit with on a daily basis, are sincere & honest, funny, and those who can add a challenge to my own perspectives on life!
WHO AM I?
**************
My "lowbrow" cigar box and old school tattoo infuenced artwork is coveted by collectors from Canada and the US. As an emcee, I have shared the stage with everyone from Leslie Nielson, Shane Koyczan, Billy Bragg, Elvis Gold, "Cosby Kid" Malcolm Jamal Warner, to an 84 yeard old drag queen named "Lucious". My circus-sideshow work with the WORMWOOD BROS. CIRCUS SIDESHOW
pub45.bravenet.com/photocenter/album.php was great! I was working alongside sideshow banner painter and musical genius Kevin House. I hosted VAN TAT (Vancouver's International tattoo Expo) 2004 & 2005.
I am the creator of the multiple award winning THUNDERING WORD HEARD, Vancouver's only spoken word/music fusion weekly open mic series (evry Sunday - 8PM - Cafe Montmartre - 4362 Main St., Van. @ 28th). I feel fortunate to be workshopping and performing my spoken word & poetry in schools across B.C., encouraging students to “expand on their vocabularies, forming a mental constabulary, arresting ignorance at hand - building bridges of wisdom over the dull beige schism torn by our sitcom mentalities." To watch my spoken word TV appearances, visit
zed.cbc.ca/go and look to the right for the heading "CONTENT ON TV" ~ click "Invocation" or "Pedestrian Rage" and enjoy!
My verbiage has played out on stages from Vancouver to Edmonton to Toronto. I have been featured on Zed TV and CBC radio . My most notorious move to date was the nationally publicized debate between myself and Canada’s Poet Laureate, George Bowering, on the validity of performance poetry as an artform – the general consensus? Performance Poets – 1, the Once-Were-Rebels – 0!
As a freelance broadcaster, I hosted a CBC television pilot series on video poetry and spoken word., “Spoken Heard”, featuring the likes of Sheri D. Wilson, Timothy Hutton, Gord Downie, Leslie Nielsen and more. I also works as one of the BC correspondents for CITY TV Toronto’s BOOK TELEVISION, which has me hosting, producing, writing and directing each segment for the Daniel Richler-produced station.
The years 2002 and 2003 had me producing & performing on stages for the Vancouver Folk Festival, the Vancouver Storytelling Festival and the Fringe Festival (BROKEN WORD-a free flow evening with DANIEL PACKARD).
As a character actor, I have over ¼ of a century of experience! My Toronto days had me on stage with the “Q-Art Theatre Co-op” under the artistic direction of Gabor Zsigovics. There, I honed all of the angles of theatre craft from stage manager, set decorator, publicist, to, of course actor in such plays as “Twelve Angry Men”, “The Accidental Death of an Anarchist”, “Medea” and more.
Once in Vancouver, I found myself in the cast of the multiple award winning, and Vancouver’s longest running smash-hit comedy, “Tony’n Tina’s Wedding”
www.hoarseraven.com portraying a series of eight characters over a five year span. One night, I'd be Sal Antonnucci, the sleazy yet oddly charming wedding photographer, then Donnie Dulce the suave loungy wedding singer, on through to Timmy Sullivan the overtly gay wedding videographer. My favorite, however, was Sal!
I'm a collector of sideshow curios, old poster art, strange and wonderful toys, hats, vintage clothing from the 40's and 50's, books galore, and anything related to gambling and games dice!
FAVE THINGS
***************
*cooking!!!
* MUSIC! the sound of life!
*watching fantastic live music/cabaret/vaudeville/sideshow gigs when I’m not performing in them
*bebop & hardbop jazz
* low brow art
*old, strong poster designs like saul bass' work (all the hitchcock posters - west side story etc...)
*cheesey pulp fiction novels & particularly the great cover designs
*bad puns...i mean really bad puns!
*solid rockabilly & psychobilly music
*scrabble !
* my sharkskin suit collection
* simple pleasures
* anything timeless and classic
*purely amazing, hot, fun, raw sex!
* honesty and forthrightness
*photography
*painting, sketching, illustrating
*being onstage! emceeing amazing shows!
*GOOD musicals (cabaret, sweet charity, chicago, west side story, the producers)
*i love kitsch!!!!
*children's laughter
*collecting: dice, old playing cards, vintage lamps, side show paraphenalia,shoes (vintage), books of all kinds, masks, strange ornaments (glittery devil's head, odd ceramic figurines, wooden roosters and the like), vintage posters and tons of other stuff!
*cinema noir
* cinema vérité
*cinema neo-noir
*great indie flix
* the constant coincidence- like non-coincidences that life presents, one after another after another… always the right time; the right place
* the clean, fresh look & feel of a new haircut
* the smell of a good hair pomade
* the astounding summarizations of moments, lifetimes & experiences richly whipped into good poetry
* all of the warm and passionate smoochin’ & huggin’ that goes with love or just plain fun lust!
* devouring books of all kinds as if they were sweet, ripe, nutritious fruits
* facilitating the artistic endeavours of others
* the touch of a loving hand
* smiling randomly at people, disarming them completely - breaking people's preconceived notions!
* engaging, stimulating converstaions
* the scent of a baby’s head (maple syrupy, icing sugar, soapy clean-like)
* the satisfying sensuality of a flavouful meal
* rain...real rain with drops all thick & heavy & thunder & lightning
* the horror/beauty of Las Vegas
* straight from the belly/heart laughter
* the smooth lines & boss looks of classic cars
* under used words & phrases like “nifty”, “boss”, “the cat’s pyjamas”, “the bee’s knees”
* breaking barriers
* surprising myself
* writing as if with a painbrush, painting as if with a violin, spilling inky music out of the end of a pen
* positive & optimistic realists who maintain a certain safe amount of humorous cynicism
*learning, absorbing, adapting -i am a polymorph...an adaptable creature by nature, slipping in and out from beneath a multitude of different hats that will have me emceeing a Ska & Punk show one moment, performing vaudeville/burlesque/cabaret gigs, and a posh award's dinner the next - i am here to learn and to absorb and reflect and to be reflected...
*For some fun pix, click
pub45.bravenet.com/photocenter/album.php
