Do you ever find yourselves having one of those days, or weeks, or months, where a singular name suddenly starts popping up everywhere? From your email inbox, to your social media feeds? Given how much new music comes our way, and time spent keeping up with artists’ profiles online, it happens to me from time to time – and most recently, Canadian punk legend Art Bergmann seems to be absolutely everywhere!!!
So just how did Vancouver’s Art Bergmann suddenly infiltrate my inner psyche? I’m pretty sure the seeds were planted just last month when, if you recall, GDW’s Matt Wheeler shared with us an article about the latest single release from one of his favorite bands, Great Lake Swimmers, who covered Bergmann’s “The Legend of Bobby Bird.” Scrolling through social media shortly after brought some chatter from several sources to my attention surrounding “The Longest Suicide,” the new authorized biography of Art Bergmann, penned by acclaimed author and publicist (and long-time friend of GDW) Jason Schneider. Just when I thought that this sudden influx of everything Bergmann was over, the arrival of the latest single into my email inbox from Vancouver-based band Sunday Morning would prove otherwise.
Released just last Friday, Sunday Morning shared a Double A-Side single, with one of the tunes being – yes, you’ve guessed it – a cover of a classic Bergmann Hit. Band front-man Bruce Wilson dug deep into Bergmann’s archives to resurrect “The Junkie Don’t Care,” from the 1988 “Crawl With Me” album, and spins his own take here by tweaking the title to “Junky Don’t Care” – both as a tribute and as an exercise in self-reflection for Wilson, who knows first hand about overcoming addiction. “Art’s music has been a soundtrack to my life and his poetic lyrics and brilliant vocal delivery are qualities I’ve always aspired to,” Wilson shares. “More than anything this song is a loving tribute to a man who has never stopped being an artist and whose work has influenced me since I was the pink haired teenager writing bad high school poetry in spiral notebooks during math class.”
Sunday Morning called upon good friend, collaborator, and videographer RD Cane to help create a music video to accompany this release – itself a deliberate connection, given that Cane directed two of Bergmann’s most notable videos, “Bound For Vegas” and “My Empty House.” The decision to shoot this video in black and white is also an excellent choice, with visuals that truly bring out the underlying tones of Bergmann’s original message. “My baby she rode in that Lincoln / I hope she makes it okay / My baby she rode in that Lincoln / I hope she’s alive today / It gets so cold at night / When there’s a hint of snow in the air / Oh remember the junkie don’t care.”
Photo Credit: Jessicka Yliruusi
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
