Description 58 - Queen Street West

It was the coolest place in (English) Canada, and then it wasn't. Three wise men walk me through it, with help from Bob Wiseman's music, some giant ants, some Trotskyites and a toaster oven.

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Associated links (deep breath...)
Last year's Jane's Walk episode
Queen Street West @Wikipedia
CondomShack (there'll be an episode about that someday)
Official description of this Jane's Walk
Duke's Cycle
Torontoist covers the Queen Street West Fire
Gary Duke's first visit of the fire site
The Big Bop
Bovine Sex Club and The Shanghai Cowgirl
Kickass Karaoke
Mercer Union (now on Bloor)
Art Metropole (now on King)
The Red Head Gallery (now on Richmond...sheesh...)
General Idea
Bob Wiseman: official, @MySpace and podsafe @publicbroadcasting.ca
Blue Rodeo
Parachute Club @The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia
CBC on the invention of Trivial Pursuit
Cameron House
Among its past denizens: Molly Johnson and Holly Cole
VideoCabaret's History of Small Villages
Horseshoe Tavern
Steve's Music Store
Mary Margaret O'Hara @Musician's Guide
Cowboy Junkies
Club Monaco
The Rivoli
A Tribute to Richard O'Brien
Original "I'm An Adult Now" video
Peter Pan Bistro
Silver Snail Comics
The CHUM-City Building @Wikipedia
Ontario College of Art and Design
NOW Magazine covers the Beverley Tavern closing
Video for Meryn Cadell's "The Sweater" (If you haven't heard this, please do that now. Definitely wear lip gloss.)
KITHfan.org (Kids In the Hall)
Queen Mother Cafe
The Nylons
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar

What? I'm supposed to write more after all that? Don't you have enough to go through with all those links? I'm tired...

Okay, one more little thing: a door down from CondomShack is Kops Kollectibles, where I would often visit my friend Chris Edwards, who eventually moved upstairs to what became Vintage Sounds, a bastion of vinyl (albums, 45's, whatever) bought and sold and ordered. Unfortunately but maybe not surprisingly, their online presence is woefully minimal, but Fodor's has said some nice things about them and has contact information. If you're a High Fidelity-level music geek and can't bear the strip mall, start there and you may not go anywhere else on the street.