The zine and blog

Julie and I set up this blog to accompany our zine, Toronto: Where Air Comes to Die. The purpose of the zine and this blog isn't to be sarcastic or make fun of people in the city. Lord only knows there are more than enough interesting sorts here and all for their own eccentric reasons. The purpose is more to celebrate the different wackos and freaks out there, ourselves included. Afterall, who's not a weirdo at least some of the time?

The idea for the zine came about shortly after I moved back to Toronto. I've always found this city to be vibrant and exciting, with a constant influx of people. As a result, I have a love/hate relationship with the city. On the one hand there is always something going on. The pace of life is quick (well, for Canada at least) and there is a lot happening in terms of music and art. But on the other hand it often feels empty and cold. Like a lot of large urban areas, it can be a pretty lonely place.

I realized what makes a city truly manageable and warm are the people that inhabit it. When we look at a city through individuals instead of the great, big honkin' piece, we realize that it takes all these components to comprise the city. It's time we learn to appreciate the pieces that make up the puzzle.

After reading Spacing's People Issue, I was inspired to take a look at some of the memorable and sometimes outlandish characters in this city. They're the ones who do or say such outrageous things that all you can do is laugh and store it away in your memory for when you need a good story to tell your friends. Sometimes it's not even what they say but the manner in which they carry themselves that leaves you wondering, "What's the story there?"

Sure, the air in this city is bad. Maybe it's even causing some of this outlandish behaviour. In the end, you can either choose to marinate in negativity and fume about the number of people and how long lineups are, or you can shrug it off and celebrate its absurdity with others.

I'd like to invite you to contribute to this blog too. Send us stories of your favourite characters or random stories from your city or neighbourhood.

--Michelle