The Tom Fun Orchestra

What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

While musical tastes in the band vary to some degree, we all strongly believe in the overpowering melodic beauty of John MacQueen.  He may not yet be well known, but his music is believed to make even the mighty panther stop, reflect and weep.
Recent books we've noticed being passed around the van are The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, a collection of poems by Alden Nowlan, and, of course, The Dirt by Motley Crue.

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

The vote is a privilege earned through generations of struggle and is an important tool for a citizen to use in order to express her or his support for or opposition to the direction taken by those elected to represent your community and country.  Even when a person feels that no candidate or party encompasses the perceived correct path, it is important to remember that spoiled ballots are also counted, allowing the opportunity for a voter to mark displeasure with all available options. 
If a strong majority of the youth were to vote, it would create the possibility of a generation helping to shape its own emerging world....
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What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

While musical tastes in the band vary to some degree, we all strongly believe in the overpowering melodic beauty of John MacQueen.  He may not yet be well known, but his music is believed to make even the mighty panther stop, reflect and weep.
Recent books we've noticed being passed around the van are The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, a collection of poems by Alden Nowlan, and, of course, The Dirt by Motley Crue.

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

The vote is a privilege earned through generations of struggle and is an important tool for a citizen to use in order to express her or his support for or opposition to the direction taken by those elected to represent your community and country.  Even when a person feels that no candidate or party encompasses the perceived correct path, it is important to remember that spoiled ballots are also counted, allowing the opportunity for a voter to mark displeasure with all available options. 
If a strong majority of the youth were to vote, it would create the possibility of a generation helping to shape its own emerging world....
Show More

What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

While musical tastes in the band vary to some degree, we all strongly believe in the overpowering melodic beauty of John MacQueen.  He may not yet be well known, but his music is believed to make even the mighty panther stop, reflect and weep.
Recent books we've noticed being passed around the van are The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, a collection of poems by Alden Nowlan, and, of course, The Dirt by Motley Crue.

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

The vote is a privilege earned through generations of struggle and is an important tool for a citizen to use in order to express her or his support for or opposition to the direction taken by those elected to represent your community and country.  Even when a person feels that no candidate or party encompasses the perceived correct path, it is important to remember that spoiled ballots are also counted, allowing the opportunity for a voter to mark displeasure with all available options. 
If a strong majority of the youth were to vote, it would create the possibility of a generation helping to shape its own emerging world.

For you, is there a connection between art and democracy? What is it?

Art is something present in all types of society and has been used by fascists and democrats alike to promote their distinct visions of society.  Seemingly, a democratic population would have more freedom to create without consequence, but recent sweeping cuts to Canada’s arts programs limits what can possibly find a broader audience.  The mainstream art that society is overwhelmingly exposed to tend to be immediate, shallow and disposable.
On the other hand, the Zapatista art in Mexico is an expression of their struggle for a purely democratic and egalitarian society, being populist, political and beautiful.
Art seems not to be connected to democracy so much as it is to the human spirit.

Why do you care about community, when it is so easy not to?

Caring about your community is essential to caring for yourself.  Supporting your local producers, small businesses, cooperatives and artists empowers people to gain control over their environment and foster a greater understanding of the interconnectedness that defines existence. 
It’s probably easy to feel disconnected given the pervasiveness of big box and chain stores along with the global corporate media and entertainment industries that have no loyalty to any specific community and generally espouse an individualist doctrine.

What do you look for in a politician? What do you expect from your MP?

Our generation has a permeating cynicism earned from learning about and witnessing generations of Machiavellian politics and biased mainstream media.  It could be that we’ve come to expect more of the same self-serving antics that most likely affect our consistently low engagement with politics in general.
It is the responsibility of youth to search out or become the honest, community-minded public figure that will energize and engage in an open and inclusive dialogue concerning the environment and the creation of a fair and equal economy.  Look to social and political movements in the Global South and alternative media outlets for possibilities to create something new, rather than repeating behavior that has failed the people. 

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