Dream Interview

If I had the chance to interview anybody in the world, I’d want to interview Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk. They’ve been making music for more than 20 years and have managed to become very well known despite being French techno/electronic artists, and I find that interesting. It’s not a popular genre, and music from other countries doesn’t tend to get as popular as Daft Punk has gotten, but almost everybody knows at least one of their songs.

I think what would make my interview different from other interviews would be that I would ask about their inspirations, and what keeps them motivated. That’s information I haven’t seen before. I want to know what motivates them to continue making music, even after 20 years. I want to know what motivated them to get into music in the first place, considering Bangalter has mentioned that he never wanted to do music as a child and teenager. I want to ask why they didn’t pursue a career in filmmaking instead, since it seems that was something they shared more of an interest in.

I wouldn’t be able to do an interview for a TV platform, because Bangalter and de Homem-Christo don’t do TV appearances. They rarely even show their faces, and when photos circulate of the two without helmets, it’s not usually a case where they agreed to be photographed. I would want to do an interview for radio, text, and online.

I would also want to interview them separately, if possible. Bangalter has an unfortunate habit of speaking over de Homem-Christo in interviews; cutting him off, finishing his sentences in ways de Homem-Christo might not have, and even just talking over him until de Homem-Christo stops talking. It doesn’t seem to bother de Homem-Christo, of course, but I would want to speak to him alone, if he were comfortable with it. I would be interesting in learning about what he has to say about their endeavors, without Bangalter interrupting. Of course, I’d still want to interview Bangalter, too, about mostly the same subject matter. I’d just want to interview them one at a time.

A Tragic Bus Accident in Ottawa

When Dave Woodard started his shift driving the OC Transpo 8017 on Route 76, it was a day like any other. The bus he drove was a double decker bus designed to handle large loads–said to be heavier empty than a regular bus while fully loaded.

Woodard was said to be friendly, not angry, not tired. The man’s widow describes him as being a happy, healthy man–the only recent health problem he dealt with was a cold. Nobody could have imagined what would happen just 2 hours and 50 minutes into Woodard’s shift.

The front end of OC Transpo 8017 was sheared off completely by Via Rail 51, which travelled approximately a hundred meters after the crash. This crash left at least five bus passengers, along with Woodard, dead, and at least 30 injured, some in critical condition. Many are wondering–what was happening with Dave Woodard?

There are multiple theories surrounding this tragedy, including that the brakes may have failed, or something may have happened to Woodard that caused him to be unable to apply the brakes soon enough. With the knowledge that the double decker buses are, in fact, much heavier than a regular bus, it leaves me personally wondering if Woodard simply wasn’t used to that weight, causing him to stop a little too late despite passengers on the bus shouting at him to hit the brakes.

Are LGB* Olympic Athletes Safe in Russia?

With the 2014 Winter Olympics approaching in Russia, along with the fact that Russia has passed anti-gay laws, the subject of safety for LGB* individuals at the Russian Olympics has come up many times. These laws, which carry hefty fines for any person or organization that makes youth in Russia believe that being homosexual is “socially equivalent” to being heterosexual, were passed in June of this year. Athletes have expressed concerns about attending the Olympics due to these laws, worried that they will be persecuted for their sexuality like the Russian citizens are.

John Iadarola talks about how the Russian government has expressed that any lesbian, gay, or bisexual athletes will not be persecuted or prosecuted during the 2014 Winter Olympics. This is a relief for many–but the laws are still there, and the impact of them has not lessened. Iadarola explains that, while America has its problems with marriage equality, Russia is certainly a few steps behind, and that’s putting it lightly.

The most horrifying part is the fact that, according to an online poll, only 39% of Russian citizens believe in marriage equality. The fact that the majority of the country apparently doesn’t think that homosexuality is socially equivalent to heterosexuality does not give me very much hope for the idea that the law will be repealed. While it’s great that LGB* athletes will not be persecuted for their sexualities, the fact is that these athletes still most likely will have to worry for their safety while they are in Russia, as 15% of LGB* Russians have reported they have been recently physically attacked for their sexuality.