Author Archives: garpinbc

About garpinbc

Author of the forthcoming "Same Love" published by Lorimer, as well as the memoir "Foodsluts at Doll & Penny's Cafe", and the YA short, "Haters Gotta Hate".

Reality…What a Concept

Posted on September 25, 2018 by garpinbc

On Sunday I finished reading the David Itzkoff’s, Robin, his biography of Robin Williams. I’ve always been a fan of Hollywood true stories, but they’re usually books about the Golden Age of Hollywood, like The Divine Feud, A Cast of … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Memoir, Memoir/biography, Movies, Pop Culture | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Tears in Rain: Blade Runner (1982) from a queer perspective

Posted on October 11, 2017 by garpinbc

Anyone who is a fan of original the Blade Runner is familiar with its history: It was box office flop when it was released in 1982 and  got a second life when it was released on video—one of the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Movies, Queer Culture, The Eighties | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Review of “Gentlemen of the Shade”

Posted on October 6, 2017 by garpinbc

Gentlemen of the Shade: My Own Private Idaho by Jen Sookfong Lee This is the second book in the “Pop Classic” series that I’ve read; the first being It Doesn’t Suck: Showgirls. I love film criticism, especially when it’s as … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Can-Lit, Criticism, Movies, Pop Culture, The Nineties | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Is “BPM: Beats Per Minute” the AIDS epic we’ve been waiting for?

Posted on October 5, 2017 by garpinbc

On Monday night I saw the French film, BPM: Beats Per Minute, at the Vancouver International Film Festival. The story follows the members of the Paris chapter of ACT-UP in the early nineties. At the time the film takes place, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Politics, Pop Culture, Queer Culture, The Eighties, The Nineties | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The other 40th anniversary

Posted on October 1, 2017 by garpinbc

One of the benefits of having a good revue cinema in your neighbourhood is that it forces you to see old movies you’ve been putting off renting. On Monday I went and saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind at … Continue reading →

Posted in Brampton, Commercial Drive, Memoir, Movies, Rio Theatre, The Seventies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

That thing I didn’t do in Toronto

Posted on June 11, 2017 by garpinbc

Visiting Toronto always feels like I’m watching a home movie about my life. Toronto was the first city I lived in on my own after I left home. It’s been nearly 30 years since I moved to Vancouver, but whenever … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Movies, Queer Culture, The Eighties, The Seventies | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Old Friends: Revisiting Armistead Maupin and the Tales of the City.

Posted on May 14, 2017 by garpinbc

On Friday I saw the new Armistead Maupin documentary, The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin. The movie is basically a love letter to Armistead Maupin and the Tales of the City. I liked the film, even though there were moments … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Humor, LGBT, Memoir, Movies, Pop Culture, Queer Culture, The Eighties, The Seventies | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How my love of an ’80s musical made me the ultimate Xanadude | Daily Xtra

Posted on May 6, 2017 by garpinbc

Seeing Xanadu again 37 years later brought back fond memories of my gay adolescence Source: How my love of an ’80s musical made me the ultimate Xanadude | Daily Xtra

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It’s hard out there for a debt collector: Watching Skip Tracer on National Canadian Film Day

Posted on April 27, 2017 by garpinbc

I’ve always been a champion of Canadian film. Growing up, I was the only person I knew who watched the Genie Awards telecast. I also recognized the directors Sandy Wilson (My American Cousin), and Patricia Rozema (I’ve Heard the Mermaids … Continue reading →

Posted in Brampton, Movies, Pop Culture, The Seventies, Vancouver | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Once More with Feeling: Re-reading 28 Barbary Lane

Posted on March 20, 2017 by garpinbc

28 Barbary Lane: “Tales of the City” Books 1-3 by Armistead Maupin My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve bought and read these books. Tales of the City stills stands as one of my … Continue reading →

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