Hi Friends!

For a brief brief second the other week I had the feeling that I was on the cutting edge of, if not the then definitely a, zeitgeist moment. I knew in my bones when I woke up on September 1st that Canadian International Pictures were going to announce a restored blu ray of Deux femmes en or… and I was right!

Deux femmes en or is an IP that I’ve got mildly fixated on this year. The original is a sex comedy from 1970 about two bored housewives in Québec who decide to start hooking up with all of the local tradesmen coming over to deliver, install, or fix things. It is totally fine for what it is — a sexploitation movie from near the end Free Love made by men during the Maple Syrup Porno-era of Canadian film. It is recognized as one of the most commercially successful films in Québec's cinematic history. Pierre Trudeau briefly makes an appearance.

In 2023 it was adapted into a stage play by Catherine Léger, which was then turned into a movie in 2025 by Chloé Robichaud. In similar and different ways to the original, the modern version is totally fine for what it is. In updating everything to the 2020s, the main characters are not just bored but totally stifled by their stale marriages, medication, and post-partum stresses. In grounding everything, a lot of the fun and titillation is swapped out for realistic reasons and consequences, which are at times understandable to the point of predictable. The sex is less silly, trading off for at times sensual or unsatisfying. It’s an alright watch. But I’ve long been really interested in the art of adaptation, and I’m looking forward to reading the play’s script (to practice my French). This is fun for me.

When I called Bay Street Video in August to order the 2025 version, the staff person said “Wow, someone else just ordered this. Did something just get announced about it?” I said no, because this was weeks before CIP said anything about their restoration, but I wonder if I’ll get any comments when I go pick up the Maple Syrup Pix boxset, which pairs Deux femmes (1970) with another Maple Syrup Porno classic, La pomme, la queue et les pepins; “How did you know? You’ve really got your finger on the pulse!”

The last time I was ahead of the curve was when I recommended Panic! at the Disco to a friend in high school, and for years he would tell me that I was so cool for knowing about them first. But since then it’s been pretty down hill. A few years ago when everybody was watching Squid Game I was going through Inspector Morse, which is how I knew I’d really left behind whatever was popular, for better or for worse.

But now we’re back, baby! Looking forward to my next interest being the thing everyone’s chasing. Time to start buying stocks in… I don’t know… old Pogo collections?

Anyways, here’s the link to the latest mix:

ANNOTATIONS

Gilla Band - Umbongo Close personal friends. A band that I really dug when they first released some things, then absolutely forgot about. Will have to check out their new record.

The White Stripes - Black Math Close personal friends.

Twisted Teens - Is It Real? I think someone shared this on IG. Makes me think of The Men.

Cola - Hedgesitting Close personal friends.

Choses Sauvages - Deux assassins Probably Exclaim or something? I would love to get more context of what the scene is like in Québec that is birthing bands like Choses Sauvages or Population II, but everything I find is in French or my French googling isn’t good enough to pull up the right stuff. Ah well.

Population II - Rapaillé See above.

Gorillaz - Rock the House Close personal friends.

Piero Umilani - Volto di donna (Trumpet Version) I think this was also shared on IG.

Broken Social Scene - Only the Good I Keep Close personal friends.

MJ Lenderman - Joker Lips Just someone who I finally gave a listen after hearing all the hype for years. Pretty good.

The Promise Ring - Nothing Feels Good Close personal friends.

The Breeders - Off You Close personal friends.

Alexis Taylor & Mike Simonetti - I See a Darkness I think this just came up on YouTube.

Shabason & Krgovich - Time of Your Life Close personal friends.

Myriam Gendron - Berceuse Close personal friends.

Madra Salach - The Man Who Seeks Pleasure They played either this song or a different version on Track Star. I’m sure of it.

While space allows, I’m stashing my recent mixes and annotations in a Google Drive folder, which you can visit here: The Archive

Andrew’s Fundraiser 2026

As always, here's the link to this year's fundraiser. The goal is a modest $2026, but I will increase it if we go over. It would mean a lot to me if you considered donating: tinyurl.com/550aday.

Even if you’ve already donated, please consider sharing it with your friends and family.