A few months back I wrote about my self indulgent hobby of collecting pictures of male authors sitting at their desks. You can read that here. I finished that newsletter by discussing some of my favourite female authors at their desks.

It got me thinking about the larger zeitgeist of male dominated artistic practises. We hail many of these male creators as some sort of maverick genius. Female or even non-binary creators are often swept under the rug. When I reflect on the work I create whether that be performing, music, writing or drawing many of my greatest inspirations are women.

Women tend to take bigger swings. Making some of the most heartfelt and wild stuff. And that’s what I seek as inspiration. Because that’s the type of artists I hope to be.

So here are just a few of the women that have inspired me.

Princess Superstar

I often feel like I live in a bubble with the music I listen to. My musical taste is left of mainstream. And I can’t tell if that’s cause I’m weird or a just a snooty asshole.

Maybe neither.

Probably both.

I spent so many nights in college illegal-crime-downloading hard to find hip-hop artists. This formative time brought me to Princess Superstar.

She dawns this character of a famous pop star. Her raps are silly, fun and in character. Yet she offer this reflection on the absurdity of fame and advertising.

Her album My Machine is specifically the greatest concept album of all time. A space hip-hop rock opera about how everyone in the known universe is just a replica of her.

I love this album. For me it’s a guiding light of what an album should be: a mix of styles, all tied into a loose narrative theme. It’s an example of how an amazing piece of art may never reach the mainstream and that’s kind of what makes it so good.

My favourite track: “The Quitting Smoking Song”

Her parody of pop stars come from an admiration and that changed my mind on pop. For awhile I thought pop music was just thoughtless fluff. Which is still kind of true. But sometimes that’s what I want. Something to sing along to while the world burns. Pop often delves into the emotional turmoil a person wrestles with. Love, loss, longing while being confident in oneself. Light introspection with a flair of I’m confident as all hell about it.

Swedish Pop Sensation Robyn

I had a huge crush on her when I was in grade school. Solely based on her 1997 hit “Show Me Love”. To the confusing level of I wanted to be her. I thought she was so cool. Like SO cool. I thought she was very pretty and she made me want to feel pretty. I thought her hair was cool. I wanted to have cool hair too. I wanted to express myself though my hair so I could be pretty.

I remember at summer camp that year. Some of the girls wanted to give me pigtails and mess around with with my longish blond hair. I was so into having my hair done and just super happy to have the attention of girls. I felt a safety in that moment that I never received from boys. Nobody made fun of me. I remember being told how pretty I looked with my hair done “like a girl”. I felt seen. I felt pretty. I even went to the dance that night with those pigtails in. I was proud of it. And I even got to slow dance with a few girls while wearing my pigtails.

That freedom inspired me to start expressing myself with my hair. And as much as I wanted to be Swedish Pop Sensation Robyn. I also wanted to be seen as what I perceived to be “cool” men.

Goku from Dragonball-Z as he turns super Saiyan.

Or Cloud from Final Fantasy VII. I spent so much time in grade 7 and 8 high as a kite watching Dragonball-Z and playing Final Fantasy.

These are my first real male role models.

No further questions.

What I reflect on as I write this is that I contain multitudes. The want to feel pretty while I wield a giant over-sized sword and battle space monsters.

I have recently re-kindled my joy of Swedish Pop Sensation Robyn by listening to her entire discography. And what I’ve really enjoyed from her work is her ability to challenge the norms. She’s like 50 now, still singing about sex. But as a larger conversation of intimacy not just physical sex. And she does that with songs that slap.

Natalie Palamides

Her show “Nate One Man show” (It’s on Netflix, watch it.) It’s an insane solo performance. Challenging the ideas of masculinity as she rides into the audience on a tiny motorbike. Her work is a huge inspiration for my solo-shows. Witnessing her trajectory is a big reason I decided to take my show to Edinburgh.

Not because I think it will launch me into some realm of international success on par with her. But getting the chance to perform it there is a success on it’s own. Or that’s what I have to tell myself so I don’t feel destroyed if it doesn’t go well.

Which it will! So I don’t have to worry!

Natalie’s show WEER opened up A24’s new Cherrylane theatre in Newyork. She performed the show for several months straight. And that is a damn feet. That takes endurance and strength. Skills which I can only hope to mimic with my upcoming string of performances.

Entrée PeeE Neur

Entrée PeeE Neur is a chracter voiced by Ego Nwodim on the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast that my girlfriend (Tracie) listens to. I only listen in passing as I walk through a room when it’s on. Or when we take long drives to Quebec.

Maybe you’re like “so why isn’t Ego Nwodim the inspiring woman?”. Well gumshoes I don’t know much about her other than she was on SNL and I’ve never been a big SNL fan.

This character is one that I stop and to listen to every time. In my brain she is Carmen Sandiago. But an absurd version, and as a fan of Carmen Sandiago what Ego is doing as this character is the perfect level of absurdity and confidence that warms my heart. Every character I create is just a shadow of this.

The Kates

Kate Mclennen and Kate McCartney are Australian sketch comedians and creators of the show Deadloch.

I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole of Australian comedy as of late. There’s such amazing and absurd sketch and stand-up scene going on over there.

Deadloch is the perfect show. It’s a full on seaside noir murder mystery it comes off as serious but hits hard with deadpan wit. The show was my first introduction to their work. After that I went and watched their entire back catalogue on Youtube. It’s very-very silly. And what they are able to create is stuff I could only dream of doing.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Her Edinburgh fringe show “Fleabag” launched her into success. She created an incredible TV show out of that and went on to write amazing work like Killing EVE. She has a career that I envy. A solo performer and a writer.

I still have not seen her show solo show. My friend Justin lent me a video of it on a thumb drive and I lost that so quick. And he has rightfully never forgave me, but kindly he never brings it up.

Pema Pimento

I was never a cat person until I met Pema. I wasn’t a dog person or an animal person. I was barely a person-person. Pema is a model citizen and ruler of the household. She has taught me so much. She is my girlfriend’s cat, and now by proxy my cat. Or more so I am her human.

In 2019 I was out of work and just hanging around the house. Honestly, living a dream after being bought out from a contract and then collecting EI. Pema and I became best friends. We were already living together for a few years. But over that year we became best friends. We hung out everyday in the living room neither of us doing any work. It was awesome.

Tracie named her after Pema Chödrön.

I know nothing about our cats namesake other than she is a Buddhist monk. I do know lots about Pema the cat. She only wants the smallest amount of affection. A little head scratch and maybe some time playing with one of her many toys. She loves what I love and that is to just sit in a room silently staring off and maybe falling asleep. She lays beside me as I read and sits near me when I write.

She is relentless in her pursuit of food and to be let into the hallway. She asks for these things with the directness of all great communicators.

When I’m home I send Tracie pictures of Pema being cute. And Tracie does the same for me. I never thought I’d become a cat man. But just look at her. She’s just the cutest little bossy sauce.

Celia Sanchez

Celia Sanchez was a Cuban revolutionary. She fought alongside Che and Castro. She was there from the start and worked alongside Castro up until her death in 1980.

Reading her biography One Day In December really gave me an appreciation for the complexity of the Cuban revolution and how a lot of the information we receive about it cuts out the female fighters and comes from the American perspective.

Celia was a women of the people. She started as an arms runner and was the first women to join the guerrilla movement. She was the founder of the 26th of July Movement a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks that became the party’s name.

The goal of the movement was the distribution of land to peasants, nationalization of public services, industrialization, honest elections, and large-scale education reform. What a kooky idea.

Although that first attack was seen as a failure. The movement persisted and they overthrew the Batista government. If you don’t know much about the Cuban revolution. From what I’ve gathered the former dictator Fulgencio Batista was just doing what the U.S. wanted. And this movement was meant for the poor, working Cuban people.

Some people get weirded out when I talk about the Cuban revolution. Like I’m a communist weirdo.

I’m not.

I do however believe in many socialist ideas. I like people and I believe in the good of people.

Does communism work? No.

Does any system work for the people?

When I see women like Celia Sanchez fighting for what they believed in against all odds, it offers me hope. That although times are dark. The glimmer of light and justice is fought by the people for the people.

Women kick ass, run guns and plan revolutions.

She also smoked like a chimney and drank a lot of espresso. Which I find cool as all hell.

These examples are a fragment women I find inspiring. I spent a long time mulling these over and I would not have come to this complex and strange list if it weren’t for the strongest woman in my life.

Tracie.

She Raises me up when I am down. And sets me straight when I’m flying too high. I could write an entire lifetime of newsletters about her.

But instead I’ll just do the dishes.

Secret Folder

In this months secret folder is a song I’ve been working on. Please enjoy:

The Most Confident Man In The World

It will self destruct by next month.

Shows!

Smooth Comedy - March 27th

Last Friday of Every month! And this months is set to be a banger. We are approaching sold out so get some tickies now!

Tickets!

Not Another Comedy Show - April 12th

Serenading the crowd with 10 minutes of silly songs.

Tickets!

Farmer’s Market

I was told I’m playing some songs at the Hamilton Farmers Market for some Juno’s programming on March 28th. From 3pm-4 & 4:15-4:45. That’s all I really know.

Men Love Horsies: The Musical - August 8th - Staircase Theatre

I’m doing a Scotland send off show of Men Love Horsies: The Musical. To help raise funds and get one show in the bag before I head over seas. Please mark it down on your calendar cause I still haven’t made a ticket link yet.

Edinburgh - August 17-29th

Like I said I’ll be doing Men Love Horsies: The Musical for two weeks at the Edinburgh Festival fringe. I’m at Greenside Venues. I’ll put a link up here when it exists. Get off my back.

Halifax Fringe - September 3rd-13th

I’m bringing the ol’ Horse show to Halifax coming off the heels of Edinburgh. Tell your east coast friends. I’ll get you a ticket link whenever I can. Yeesh get off my back already.

Thanks for reading.

It’s very sweet of you.

Devin