ALLMUSIC REVIEW BY LAURIE MERCER “Canadian John Paul Young (not to be confused with the Brit-pop star of the same era) released The Life of Ermie Scub after leaving his band the Cardboard Brains, a popular Toronto art-punk club band who put out a few records and toured with such bands as Bauhaus and The Stranglers. A concept solo album (truly solo, Young wrote, co-produced, and played most of the instruments), ERMIE SCUB is a rather bleak tale of an introverted child struggling with confusion and loneliness, trying to figure out his place in a hostile world: “Have You Seen the Boy In the Gutter With the Broken Mind?”. Musically its a minor synth-pop gem. A postcard from a time when synthesizers offered unlimited possibilities and an electronic rhythm section eliminated the need for drummers and bass players And layered composition was all the rage. Like much music of this time, Ermie Scub can seem overbearing and pretentious at times, yet riveting and creative at others. fans may...

I wrote the last blog early in the morning, feeling terribly ill, which explains all the typos and such. One day, I intend to edit all of it, but for now, I'm just glad to have some material published. It's material that's difficult for me to discuss, yet it's something I constantly think about. However, I find it cathartic to share it on a public online forum. I touched upon my brother's death to some extent, though not completely. Honestly, I'd prefer not to delve into it, but I find it necessary. I felt compelled to mention discovering my brother's body to provide context to the series of events that impacted my nuclear family: the subsequent passing of my mother, my abduction, my seven baseless arrests, and four unjust incarcerations. Not to mention, enduring ten years on the harsh streets of Toronto while being swindled out of approximately fifteen million dollars in cash and assets. The "sick as a dog" episode began with a tickle in my throat...

I come from a family of four: my mother, Margaret Isabel Young (née Peace), my father, Dr. Robert Goddard Young, my brother, William Robert Stuart Young, who was six years my junior, and myself, John Paul Young. My brother's untimely death in July 1996 occurred just as I was about to turn forty. For the next six years, I took on the role of primary caregiver for my parents. The grim discovery of my younger brother's body in his apartment shocked me profoundly. The officer on duty, "Bart," suggested at the scene that by identifying my brother's body for the Coroner, I could shield our elderly parents from the anguish of seeing their son in such a condition. In clinical shock, I waited for the Coroner, a compassionate woman who arrived with the others. She understood the emotional impact of identifying a deceased relative, particularly given the condition of his body after two days. I wasn't allowed to see my brother's body until the Coroner deemed it approp...

I discovered amongst a mountain of paper the container the replicated CD came in, and it is from DODAX AG, OBERNEUHOFSTRASS 10a 6340 BAAR SWITZERLAND. Here are the two side by side for comparison: Notice the difference in the spines. One BLACK and the counterfeit one OPAQUE. Well I think that is interesting. I really more INTERESTING would happen. I used to have pints in the evening twenty years ago, just before all hell broke out in my life at a pub in Etobicoke near where I lived at Islington and Bloor Street West. Called The Squire and Firkin. There were a variety of interesting dudes that I hung out with, one being Curtis Smith, a drummer who toured across Canada with Janis Joplin. He was only 17 at the time and couldn’t understand why this good looking guy followed her around everywhere. That good looking guy was Kris Kristofferson. Another notable figure was a very smart fellow who I will dub IBM ROB.     

Amongst the unfortunately limited discography of myself  and CARDBOARD BRAINS is 1998 digital compilation of all the vinyl releases. Above you can   see the original, which has a BLACK spine. I found on AMAZON when I was scouring the internet, which I am prone to do, a copy of the compilation CD. Having lost all my possessions including all of the mint rare vintage vinyl that I had archived diligently, I am forced to buy up copies of my own records and CDs from collectors. I purchased the compilation CD, and when it arrived from Switzerland I could tell it was a reissue because  it was an exact duplicate except for the fact that it has an OPAQUE spine. To tell you the truth it remains unopened in shrink wrap, but yes it is an exact reproduction. This morning I cannot locate the package it was shipped in to publish the company and address. It is here somewhere amidst the chaos on my desk, a product of my ADHD mind. Sometime later when again scoring the internet, I discover...

  Before being known as The CASBY Awards, they were referred to as the U-Know Awards, serving as a populist alternative to The JUNO Awards. I had the immense honor of receiving a U-Know/CASBY Award for Most Promising Male Recording Artist. I recall it being simulcast on CBC. Carole Pope and Kevin Staples from Rough Trade had the pleasure of presenting the award to me. Once again, my heartfelt thanks go to David Marsden and the entire team at CFNY-FM.

  I’m just saying    The original intent of this post is to address my kidnapping, robbery, and attempted murder on Yorkville Avenue in Toronto, which occurred on July 2, 2002, at 6:55 PM in broad daylight. I intend to delve into this event in great detail shortly. Regarding my book, whether it's memoirs or an autobiography, there's a lot to discuss in an overview before I delve into specifics. On Wikipedia's "CARDBOARD BRAINS" page, it once stated that "John Paul Young is currently in seclusion," or in other words, hermitage. Although it has been edited out, it was essentially accurate.   I have been in seclusion since September 2002. My whereabouts and contact information were unknown, which was my preference. Consequently, when Cardboard Brains performed at the Horseshoe Tavern for THE LAST POGO JUMPS AGAIN in 2007, Cardboard Brains guitarist had his friend and former Cardboard Brains member John "Sandy" McFadyen step in as the front man-voc...

Haven’t posted lately and certainly haven’t posted daily like I said I would in earlier posts. If any of you are on my Facebook page (which I encourage you to do) I posted what Paul McCartney makes in royalties every single day (something like $USD600.000) and my asking $30 from SOCAN in November. I thought it was amusing. For the past couple of years I have been working on my memoirs. I was approached to do them by a friend of mine in Melbourne who is a digital marketing specialist. For months I would send him audio files via the net for the proposed project, but then I get interested in other things such as a Canada Council for the Arts grant to write and record new music. That didn’t work out but I will try again. The fatal flaw in my application was I forced Erica Veltmeyer to write the application. All things considering she made a valiant attempt but it caused her to have a meltdown in the process. Next time that I apply to Canada Council I will write the application myself and h...

  Here I found “Babies Run My World” by Cardboard Brains as discussed in an earlier post. (As I write I’m listening to “A Song for Europe” by Roxy Music off, I believe the Stranded album.) The last post I entitled “The Life of Ermie Scub (Dogsitting)” because I was indeed dog-sitting at The Veltmeyer Estate for ten days. I live the quiet life now, thankfully free of the drama that permeated my life. Especially the years 2002-2012. The dog in question Emmy-Lou, a rescue pup from Texas. She gives me solace, something to love and care for in my new found modest peace. Here my friends, is a pic of Emmy Lou: Just sayin’. And above a better pic of The Last Pogo (BOMB)(1979). In September 2002 GODS GAMBLING and LSD premiered at the Isabel Theatre at The Toronto International Festival of Festivals. I appear as myself with the Director, my friend Peter Mettler. GODS GAMBLING and LSD subsequently won a GENIE award for BEST DOCUMENTARY. It’s won other awards internationally but I haven’t real...

  Here we have on YouTube my 1980 LP THE LIFE OF ERMIE SCUB in its entirety. I had intended to post BABIES RUN MY WORLD (1978) released 1979 on BOMB RECORDS: THE LAST POGO (Live at The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto), but I couldn’t find it on YouTube. It’s somewhere in that cyber abyss of the likes of Harry Styles and Adelle. Or Adel or whatever. I’ll find the LAST POGO Babies Run My World, or perhaps someone will find it for me, eventually, and I’ll post it. It’s a lo-fi recording but I feel confident in saying its one of the best tracks on this release, at least Paul McGrath of The Toronto GLOBE AND MAIL thought so. To paraphrase Paul McGrath’s article in said newspaper: “CARDBOARD BRAINS should sign for respectable money on prominent dotted lines and stand heads held high in global new wave predominance”. A bold statement but I’m actually not making it up. The comment was great for our egos but always left me kind of embarrassed and uncomfortable, but all these years I might as well...