Hello.

I’m Allan Lorde, a Black Canadian illustrator from Winnipeg, MB/Treaty One territory.

Over a year ago, I decided to start a newsletter to jumpstart my stagnant creativity, and like everyone…I went with Substack. That was a mistake.

I already knew of Substack’s penchant for happily platforming racists, but being the opposite of that, I figured that by simply existing on the platform, I could be a beacon of change. A friend talked some sense into me about complicity in Substack’s fucked-up shenanigans, and I ended the endeavour only a couple of posts in.

Friends don’t let friends start Substacks.

I’m attempting to streamline my creativity and make work that I really wanna make. Props must be given to Kate Smith for sharing her idea-keeping method on the Creative Slash Podcast. It lit a fire under my ass.

Currently, I’m not sure if this will be a once-a-month newsletter or a wheneverthehellIfeellikeit newsletter, but I’ll do my best to not wear out my welcome.

Thanks for hoppin’ aboard.
:wink and finger guns:

What I’m Hearin’

• Fu Manchu’s The Action is Go and The Return of Tomorrow - I copped a pair of Audio-Technica headphones recently, and I gave ‘em a little workout with these albums. Got-damn, that’s what I needed, man. Heavy riffage and fuzz.

• Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - I got this 1972 album for free from Old Gold Vintage Vinyl with purchase sometime last year, and I finally put it on last week. Why did I take so damn long? “Where Is the Love?” is the big single from this recording, and until giving this a go, I had no idea that they were the ones who performed it first. I’ve heard that song for DECADES. Great to hear it in context. The whole album is soul that soars, be it in the instrumentation or the individual singers’ legendary voices.

• Roberta Flack’s First Take - The Toys R Us in my neighbourhood finally closed down on the 31^st of August after a prolonged death march. Before that transpired, I took advantage of the discounted CDs and vinyl of the store-within-the-store, HMV.
  On my last trip, I grabbed Ms. Flack’s Atlantic Records debut for 50% off. What a fine way to enter the world, this record. I think I might put it on again tonight. My copy is a Rhino Records reissue on “Crystal Clear” vinyl for Atlantic’s 75th anniversary. It’s hella nice to look at.

Okay. See you soon. And thank you.