I rang in the New Year with Rock Ranger, Slowcoaster and Carlo Spinazzola at Bunker’s. The show had been sold out for days and everyone was in the mood to party. After stops at a couple of parties along the way, we made it to the bar where people were lined up in the cold all the way up the stairs, waiting for the chance to buy their way in, just in case tickets were returned at the last minute or the place was even slightly under capacity. Slowcoaster was playing when we arrived and they did the big countdown around twelve fifteen (you can’t interrupt Slowcoaster singer Steven MacDougall in the middle of one of his songs, even if it is to celebrate the odometer of modern civilization rolling over – it’s still just an arbitrary measure, whereas music being made in a roomful of people is real and right now and undeniable. But I digress.). Of course Rock Ranger Jay provided another countdown some three hours later for those who had missed the first one and got at least as much response. And so ended 2001, an interesting year to say the least.
Here at the publishing empire that is What’s Goin On magazine, 2001 marked our sixth year in “business”. Of all the events that shook the world and our community in 2001, that’s the one that stands out in my mind. It certainly is shocking to see new pictures of the New York City skyline or to think that coal will be imported from America to generate electricity for Cape Bretoners, but the shock fades, people get used to it and life goes on. That WGO has managed to survive since the mid-nineties on little more than a handful of dedicated volunteers and the unflinching support of its true believers almost seems like a miracle, but people get used to it and expect that it will always be there and life goes on. If 2001 teaches us nothing else I hope it makes each and every one of us realize that we can take nothing for granted. And it is in that context that I say thanks to you all who have worked so hard and done so much, often at such sacrifice, to keep WGO going this year. It renews my faith in the strength and spirit of this community. Let’s all work together in 2002 to make things even better around here because if you’re reading the writing on the wall, you know things are gonna get worse before they get better. They always do.
