IASPM Memories 2009
I should began my memories/account of the IASPM “Centres and Peripheries” 2009 Conference at Dalhousie University, Halifax with an apology of sorts. I had promised to blog about my experiences during the conference/shortly thereafter, but the internet connection that combated with my Sony VAIO laptop while at Dalhousie, coupled with the pseudo-maelstrom I’ve been experiencing the week after IASPM have effected my ability to sit down and lament! So, I’ve decided to discuss a few key moments that have remained with me post-IASPM 2009!
Traveling to Halifax was a sort-of homecoming for me, as I attended NSCAD (Nova Scotia College of Art and Design/NSCAD University) in my previous incarnation as a budding fine artist from 2002-03! I visited my old haunts (Spring Garden Rd, Public Gardens, my old house et al) and explored the city when not attending the conference. My favorite new discovery? “Pete’s Frootique”, a vegan paradise complete with organic fruit market and salad bar!
It was a great experience to return to the IASPM Conference this year, as I had first presented in 2008 when it was held at Brock University (my academic affiliation). I was quite happy to have my paper chosen for the “Exploring Autuership” panel, which was during the first session on Friday and moderated by Peter Narvaez. My panel consisted of Michael Audette-Longo (University of Ottawa) and imminent Feist scholar Nicholas Greco (Providence College and Seminary) (who presented on my panel, “Interrogating the Text” last year). Michael’s paper “Kevin Barnes-as-Georgie Fruit: The Limitations of Resistance and Co-Optation for Indie Rock Identities and the Identities of Indie Rock” was an incredible exploration of Kevin Barnes and his performance of the identity ‘Georgie Fruit’, and Nicholas’ “‘I Feel It All’: Cruising the voice of Feist” offered an interesting interpretation of Feist, the pop song hook, and Roland Barthes notion of cruising the text. Both were fantastic papers, and it was a great experience to present my paper “All Things Change: Billy Corgan and TheFutureEmbrace (2005)” on the same panel.
Also attending the panel was Ryan McNutt, a member of Dalhousie University staff, popular music fan, and creator of the Mcnutt Against the Music blog (“Confessions of a Culture Warrior”)
http://mcnutt.wordpress.com/. Ryan approached my fellow panelists and I for personal interviews discussing our conference papers et al for his blog, and it was a great experience (as well as my first interview that used a tape recorder!) to elaborate on some of the content of my paper in this context. I really appreciate Ryan’s interest in the conference, as he asked some interesting and thought-provoking questions, and it was great to meet a fellow SP/Billy Corgan fan! Also, my interview on his blog seems to have sparked some interest from the Smashing Pumpkins community.
Shortly after Ryan posted my interview online, it was noted on the official Smashing Pumpkins website:
http://www.smashingpumpkins.com/pages/news/mcnutt-interview-marlie-centawer-regarding-thefutureembrace
upon which I was approached by Supervajra, a writer with the Pumpkins Media Militia, for an interview discussing my favorite subjects, Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins, popular music studies and academia! I am pleased that Brock University’s MA program in Popular Culture and IASPM are also mentioned in the article:
June 21, 2009,
“Billy Goes to College…sort of”: Marlie Centawer talks with Supervajra about her academic approach to Billy Corgan.
http://www.smashingpumpkins.com/pages/articles/billy-goes-to-college-sort
Words cannot describe how much this experience has meant to me, as both an SP/BC fan and popular music scholar. I am so appreciative of the opportunities provided by IASPM and sp.com, and still can’t quite believe that my name has been mentioned so prominently on the website! Hopefully, Billy et al both approves of and enjoys my discussion/analysis of TheFutureEmbrace 
I’m very excited to expand my IASPM paper further, and am happy to see that there is an interest for popular music studies/writing in a larger cultural context.
While attending the conference, I had some great discussions with fellow popular music scholars Mickey Vallee, Nicholas Greco, Michael Audette-Longo, Jeremy Morris, Alan Stanbridge, Susan Fast, Charity Marsh, and Scott Henderson. Besides some fantastic panels, there was also a bus trip to Peggy’s Cove (with the greatest tour guide in the Nova Scotia area! “don’t step on the black rocks!”), a tour of Alexander Keith’s brewery, a Saturday evening get-together at Jacqueline Warwick’s home, and the annual IASPM meeting, which offered some pertinent insights in to the mechanics of IASPM as an organization.
Overall, I had such a fantastic experience at IASPM, and hope to attend next year. See you in Regina!
Marlie Centawer
Brock University
mh03ch@brocku.ca
