Solo musician Bob Wiseman shows ‘em how it’s done through song and film
A wise man does his own work, or so goes the Turkish proverb
Tina Hassannia, CUP Arts Bureau Chief
OTTAWA (CUP) ó Bob Wiseman might not seem like a familiar name, but it should, and not just because itís catchy. Hereís a not-so-catchy name to jog your memory: Blue Rodeo. Wiseman was the youngest member of the Canadian country-rock band at a mere 22 years of age, cutting his teeth as Blue Rodeoís keyboardist when the band first started, and later as a member of the musical collective Hidden Cameras. Now flying solo, Wiseman is usually accompanied only by videos that heís created to play during his shows.
ìSometimes itís pretty dysfunctional, and sometimes itís pretty good,î says Wiseman of band dynamics. ìEven me, Iím pretty dysfunctional, and I want to quit myself, but what can I do? Itís me!î
Wiseman found the biggest difference when switching to a solo career was getting accustomed to being the focus of the audienceís attention. But because the audience is typically fixated on the moving screen during his shows, Wiseman says the homemade films help strike a perfect balance between being the centre of attention and ìthe side guyî.
ìI enjoy that,î he says. ìIt makes me feel the surrealism of performing is being shared.î
The videos can be silly and fun, but theyíre all tied to a specific song. Wiseman has enlisted the help of the likes of Leslie Feist, Sarah Harmer, and Kids in the Hall alumnus Scott Thompson in his videos. Wiseman emphasizes the need to connect the content of the videos to his song lyrics.
ìIíve seen a lot of people do film and video in my life that have disappointed me,î he explains. ìThey have visuals, but itís often meaningless, and its relationship to the content of the song is tangential.î
In one video featuring Feist called ìWho Am I?î, Wiseman uses a simple, abstract film narrative to show his character going crazy after losing his girl. If youíve ever wanted to see Feist get silly for a home-video camera, do a search for her name and Wisemanís on YouTube.
While Wiseman recognizes that heís not the first to incorporate the video medium into his shows, he still feels it sets him somewhat apart from the other ìfive-hundred-million-gazillion-billion singer-songwriters.î
Wisemanís website is also pretty unique. Instead of a ìcontactî link, Wiseman recommends you e-mail his mother Elaine Wiseman, who ìknows way more about Bob than Bob.î
Elaine, an artist herself, recalls the days when her four sons would parade around the house playing music.
ìThey often played music together but Ö [with] pots, pans, spoons, and anything that made a noise,î she describes. ìThey would march through the kitchen, instruments in hand, and usually capes flying in the windóa.k.a. towels tied around their necks.î
Wiseman says that, for a while, he thought his childhood was normal, and that all families had the same musical background his did.
ìGrowing up, Iíve been pretty impressed [with] my memories of where I came from,î he says. ìI figured there were a lot of other kids who had siblings who played [music], but it was actually exceptional.î
According to Elaine, the young Bob showed musical ability early on, being able to emulate songs from the radio on piano ìwith no effort.î
ìSo it wasnít a problem for us when he said he wanted to go to Toronto to study music,î says Elaine.
Wiseman pulled his roots from his hometown of Winnipeg to go to the Big Smoke, and although he admits the city has influenced him, so has the Gateway to the West.
ìIt was an amazing place,î says Wiseman of his experience growing up in Winnipeg. ìThe doors werenít locked a lot of the time Ö I liked how easily we could go play everywhere. We hitchhiked all the time to downtown from the ëburbs. This was in the 70s.î
Neil Young, a key musical figure in the history of Winnipeg, was a notable influence in Wisemanís life. But so was Lenny Brau, one of Winnipegís lesser-known musicians.
ìIf you made friends with older people who were hippies in the 60s, it would always be great to plug them for information,î he explains. ìThey would talk about some embarrassing moments watching [Brau] play because he was a heroin junkie. But everyone would also talk about the profound experiences [from] knowing these kinds of people.î
Wiseman had his own experiences to share about Hamilton-based musician Wax Mannequin, with whom he is currently touring.
ìHeís kind of like a superhero,î Wiseman jokingly describes. ìLike, he talks like Clark Kent, but then suddenly heís outside the window just standing in the air, flying.î
Sounds like a tough act to follow, but Wiseman shouldnít be too worried. CBC Radio 3 recently awarded him an ìOld but Awesomeî lifetime achievement award.
