Tonight my boyfriend and I spent a few hours watching the old cartoons that used to air during commercials and between shows on BBC and CTV. As kids, we had barely the wisps of remembrance, but the few that stuck out for us are somehow timeless and as touching today as they were at first airing, but also seem to so perfectly celebrate the traditions of representational storytelling as it was before this age of chasing realism. Our playlist for tonight went as follows, and I encourage you all to steal a peek:
The Log Driver's Waltz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upsZZ2s3xv8
We talked a while about the woman whose perspective lies behind this blue-collar celebration, and how she was a smart woman to know better than choosing the lawyers and doctors set out by her parents. There's no better judgment of a quality husband than the lightness of his feet on the dancefloor. But my boyfriend is a DJ and I'm a musician, so I grant there stands some bias in this.
The Sweater
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zca2y3fAqps
Some French-Canadian humour on the first real political separatism in Canada: Hockey vs the Church
The Blackfly Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjLBXb1kgMo
A good old 40's tune set in blackfly-ridden North On-tar-I-Oh.
Mr Frog went a Courting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Inywbpuj9qM
An offbeat arrangement sung sweetly and almost with terrifying joy (you will see what I mean near the end), this is sung about an inter-species love story and the unlikely scene of the animal kingdoms marshland creatures attending a wedding. Strange and adorable, not to mention catchy.
The Big Snit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90SIuISIVB8
Easily my favourite and the most oddball of the group, but a classic for its ability to spark some cold-war era nostalgia while exploring the intricacies of marriage and its smaller squabble and bigger rewards. A perfectly twisted and cozy ending to a bizarre and heartwarming tale. Such is life.
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