Ali Taghva examines the character of Steven Joel Kerzner, a one-time Conservative political candidate, who gained fame as the hand inside Ed the Sock. Kerzner started a podcast network in tandem with his sock puppet’s prolific tweeting. He aggressively agitates against everyone but the Liberal party in a style that’s probably best described as “alt-centre.”
Paddle comes out of storage
Outdoor promises that include a camping travel bursary of up to $2,000 for low-income families pit the Liberals against Conservatives peddling a return of tax credits for kids enrolled in sports or arts activities. It’s all in the game of one party accusing the other of copying their ideas, while the NDP wish for refreshed low-income rent subsidies.
The search for the man who broke Justin Trudeau’s blackface dam. Globe and Mail sleuths tried to decode how exactly Vancouver businessman Michael Adamson ended up floating the Arabian Nights photo to Time. He didn’t want to talk, but Time writer Anna Purna Kambhampaty recently attended Cornell University with Adamson’s son.
Straw meme wins the week
The modified photo of Elizabeth May’s cup crossed international clickbait borders in between the climate strikes. And there’s another viral angle-in-waiting for this party:
Alek Minassian’s confession interview dominating the news. Police supplied media outlets with recordings of the Toronto van attacker who killed 10 people, with an attached embargo that found coverage queued for publication at the stroke of midnight.
The new aspirational platform
Jennifer Keesmaat started the podcast Invisible City (which owed more debt to 99% Invisible than just its name) between her job as Toronto chief planner and her run for mayor. Now she’s following the tracks of former Newstalk 1010 host John Tory by doing a show for Bell Media, only this one is a podcast:
“Is it time to move on from the Beatles?” The Current had a benign panel discussion contemplating baby boomers upon the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road. Meanwhile, the CBC Music radio station decided that it’s time to move on from the most Canadian of rock bands, since they won’t playlist any singles from the new album by the Rheostatics.
Someone is still loving Louis
Louis C.K. last appeared in Toronto two years ago for TIFF, where plaudits for I Love You, Daddy were interspersed with the New York Times confronting him about behaviour that he later fessed up to. With his stand-up career back in action, C.K. may not be returning to arenas, but they’ll have him at Yuk Yuk’s:
Finally, this newsletter will return on Wednesday, October 2. In the meantime, don’t miss the 12:36-approved flashback to Citytv’s Baby Blue Movies, which debuted on this weekend in 1972. In your inbox Friday afternoon, if you’re subscribed to Retrontario: