Norman Nawrocki
Encyclopedia
Norman Nawrocki is a Montreal
-based comedian, sex educator, cabaret
artist, musician, author, actor, producer and composer. Nawrocki together with Sylvain Côté were the founding members of "rock 'n roll cabaret" band Rhythm Activism
. Nawrocki owns Les Pages Noires, through which he has published twenty albums and three books.
to Polish
/Ukrainian Canadian
parents. Politically aware at a young age, at 14 he wrote an essay Why I am an Anarchist and started an underground newspaper at high school. During his childhood he hated violin
lessons; the instrument he would later make his craft, instead Nawrocki daydreamed of becoming a famous tennis
player and loved the Ukrainian weddings his parents were invited to.
and Simon Fraser University
co-editing the university's newspaper The Peak. Bored with study he dropped out to edit a radical neighbourhood newspaper before going on to edit an international anarchist newsjournal, The Open Road and freelance for The Georgia Straight
. At around the same time while working various part-time jobs Nawrocki involved himself with labour union organizing and was arrested for aiding striking immigrant workers and given a suspended sentence
.
On 25 February 2010, Norman Nawrocki has signed, together with 500 artists, the call to support the international campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against israeli apartheid.
within the public relations
industry. After a drunken night in 1985 he realized would like to be a cabaret
artist and after meeting improv guitarist Sylvain Coté at a poetry reading formed poetry/music ensemble Rhythm Activism
. The duo released DIY recorded cassettes and tour Canada. In 1986 they join infamous Black Wedge Tour with other indie artists
, then go on their first of many tours of Europe
.
1988 saw Nawrocki take up the violin again and Rhythm Activism become a full-fledged, “theatrical rock 'n roll cabaret/rebel news orchestra” with topical high-energy shows including a tour of Poland
: Welcome to Capitalism, Poland! Back in Canada, Rhythm Activism played shows in support of welfare & tenants rights, protested the 1991 Gulf War
and supported the Mohawks at Oka
. Nawrocki wrote about his experiences in Rhythm Activism in Rhythm Activism live. Rhythm Activism joined the cause to support the Zapatista rebellion
in 1994 with the release of Blood and Mud and were personally thanked by Subcomandante Marcos
. Rhythm Activism’s European tours continued and were chronicled in 2003 in The anarchist & the devil do cabaret (translated into French in L'anarchiste et le diable : voyages, cabarets et autres récits (2007)). In 1998 Rhythm Activism’s final album Jesus Was Gay was recorded and released through G7 Welcoming Committee Records
.
, sexual harassment
and violence against women
. With a soundtrack, costumes, masks and giant props Nawrocki played fourteen characters and toured college and university campuses throughout North America
. My dick and other manly tales (on homophobia
) was Nawrocki’s second anti-sexist, sex comedy cabaret, and saw Nawrocki in costume as an 8 feet (2.4 m) purple talking & dancing penis; receiving rave reviews, bomb and death threats. ‘Sex Toys’ his third show saw again the use of oversized costumes including a 7 feet (2.1 m) vagina and singing butt-plug. Over 250,000 people attended the three sex shows.
(OCAP) under the moniker Bakunin's Bum
with percussionist Aidan Girt
.
In 2002 CBC Radio
’s Montreal Matters commissioned Nawrocki to write a series of six short plays Don’t Call Me Bob ; relating the life of a payphone in one of Montreal's poorer neighbourhoods Côte-des-Neiges
.
Jazz Festival and at the 50th anniversary of the St. Vladimir Institute in Toronto
. In 2004 DaZoque! received a Canada Council
grant to create a French musical about housing rights in collaboration with the People's Rights over Urban Development.
The Montreal Manhattan Project a jazz project is formed in 2004 with a self-titled album released and SANN, saw Chapman Stick
bassist Sylvain Auclair and Nawrocki pair in 2005 with a limited edition self-titled album.
topics put to looped violins and warm percussion. Nawrocki’s spoken word
tours continued throughout 2004 and 2005, firstly writing a show based on the life of Mohamed Harkat
, an Algeria
n and one of Canada's Secret Trial Five and secondly adapting letters from The anarchist & the devil do cabaret to CD with musical accompaniment on Letters from Poland/Lettres de Pologne released in 2006.
's School of Community & Public Affairs on The Arts, Radical Social Change and Community Economic Development. As well as starring in Uncle Eddie's guide to art appreciation, by Donald Goodes.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
-based comedian, sex educator, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
artist, musician, author, actor, producer and composer. Nawrocki together with Sylvain Côté were the founding members of "rock 'n roll cabaret" band Rhythm Activism
Rhythm Activism
Rhythm Activism was a Canadian musical collective, revolving around the core duo of Sylvain Côté and Norman Nawrocki. The group, based in Montreal, performed a politically radical brand of "rock 'n roll cabaret"....
. Nawrocki owns Les Pages Noires, through which he has published twenty albums and three books.
Childhood
Nawrocki was born in East End of VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
to Polish
Polish Canadians
Polish Canadians are Citizens of Canada with Polish ancestry, and Poles who immigrated to Canada from abroad. According to the 2001 census by Statistics Canada, 984,585 Canadians claim full or partial Polish ancestry.-History:...
/Ukrainian Canadian
Ukrainian Canadian
A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. In 2006, there were an estimated 1,209,085 persons residing in Canada of Ukrainian origin, making them Canada's ninth largest ethnic group; and giving Canada the world's third-largest...
parents. Politically aware at a young age, at 14 he wrote an essay Why I am an Anarchist and started an underground newspaper at high school. During his childhood he hated violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
lessons; the instrument he would later make his craft, instead Nawrocki daydreamed of becoming a famous tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player and loved the Ukrainian weddings his parents were invited to.
Journalism and activism
Nawocki’s attended Langara CollegeLangara College
Langara College is a public degree-granting college in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which serves approximately 20,000 students annually through its university, career, and continuing studies programs...
and Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
co-editing the university's newspaper The Peak. Bored with study he dropped out to edit a radical neighbourhood newspaper before going on to edit an international anarchist newsjournal, The Open Road and freelance for The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by the Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp...
. At around the same time while working various part-time jobs Nawrocki involved himself with labour union organizing and was arrested for aiding striking immigrant workers and given a suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
.
On 25 February 2010, Norman Nawrocki has signed, together with 500 artists, the call to support the international campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against israeli apartheid.
Rhythm Activism
In 1981 Nawrocki left Vancouver for employment in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
within the public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
industry. After a drunken night in 1985 he realized would like to be a cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
artist and after meeting improv guitarist Sylvain Coté at a poetry reading formed poetry/music ensemble Rhythm Activism
Rhythm Activism
Rhythm Activism was a Canadian musical collective, revolving around the core duo of Sylvain Côté and Norman Nawrocki. The group, based in Montreal, performed a politically radical brand of "rock 'n roll cabaret"....
. The duo released DIY recorded cassettes and tour Canada. In 1986 they join infamous Black Wedge Tour with other indie artists
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
, then go on their first of many tours of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
1988 saw Nawrocki take up the violin again and Rhythm Activism become a full-fledged, “theatrical rock 'n roll cabaret/rebel news orchestra” with topical high-energy shows including a tour of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
: Welcome to Capitalism, Poland! Back in Canada, Rhythm Activism played shows in support of welfare & tenants rights, protested the 1991 Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
and supported the Mohawks at Oka
Oka Crisis
The Oka Crisis was a land dispute between a group of Mohawk people and the town of Oka, Quebec, Canada which began on July 11, 1990 and lasted until September 26, 1990. At least one person died as a result...
. Nawrocki wrote about his experiences in Rhythm Activism in Rhythm Activism live. Rhythm Activism joined the cause to support the Zapatista rebellion
Zapatista Army of National Liberation
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....
in 1994 with the release of Blood and Mud and were personally thanked by Subcomandante Marcos
Subcomandante Marcos
Subcomandante Marcos is the spokesperson for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation , a Mexican rebel movement. In January 1994, he led an army of Mayan farmers into the eastern parts of the Mexican state of Chiapas protesting against the Mexican government's treatment of indigenous...
. Rhythm Activism’s European tours continued and were chronicled in 2003 in The anarchist & the devil do cabaret (translated into French in L'anarchiste et le diable : voyages, cabarets et autres récits (2007)). In 1998 Rhythm Activism’s final album Jesus Was Gay was recorded and released through G7 Welcoming Committee Records
G7 Welcoming Committee Records
G7 Welcoming Committee Records is a Canadian independent record label started by Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky of punk band Propagandhi, and their friend Regal in 1997...
.
Sex education
I don’t understand women! (1993) was the first of Nawrocki’s anti-sexist, sex positive, comedy cabarets on the topics of date rapeDate rape
"Date rape", often referred to as acquaintance rape, is an assault or attempted assault usually committed by a new acquaintance involving sexual intercourse without mutual consent....
, sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
and violence against women
Violence against women
Violence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women...
. With a soundtrack, costumes, masks and giant props Nawrocki played fourteen characters and toured college and university campuses throughout North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. My dick and other manly tales (on homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
) was Nawrocki’s second anti-sexist, sex comedy cabaret, and saw Nawrocki in costume as an 8 feet (2.4 m) purple talking & dancing penis; receiving rave reviews, bomb and death threats. ‘Sex Toys’ his third show saw again the use of oversized costumes including a 7 feet (2.1 m) vagina and singing butt-plug. Over 250,000 people attended the three sex shows.
Campaigns against poverty in Canada
Nawrocki continued to work with G7 Welcoming Committee releasing a benefit CD Fight to Win! (2001) for the Ontario Coalition Against PovertyOntario Coalition Against Poverty
The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty is an anti-poverty group in Ontario, Canada, who promote the interests of the poor and homeless...
(OCAP) under the moniker Bakunin's Bum
Bakunin's Bum
Bakunin's Bum, named after the anarchist philosopher Mikhail Bakunin, is a musical collaboration between Norman Nawrocki and Godspeed You! Black Emperor drummer Aidan Girt. Their first recording, Fight to Win! was released as a benefit for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and features spoken...
with percussionist Aidan Girt
Aidan Girt
Aidan Girt is a Canadian drummer for the Montreal-based post-rock collectives, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Exhaust. He is also a solo electronic artist under the moniker 1-Speed Bike and occasionally Bottleskup Flenkenkenmike....
.
In 2002 CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
’s Montreal Matters commissioned Nawrocki to write a series of six short plays Don’t Call Me Bob ; relating the life of a payphone in one of Montreal's poorer neighbourhoods Côte-des-Neiges
Côte-des-Neiges
Côte-des-Neiges is a working class neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, situated at the geographic center of the Island of Montreal on the western slope of Mount Royal. The neighbourhood is part of the borough Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce...
.
Experimental musical projects
Instrumental project DaZoque! was formed in 2002 and saw Nawrocki record East European compositions with Minda Bernstein, whom he had performed with in Montreal’s Bagg Street Klezmer Band. DaZoque toured Canada and played at festivals including the GuelphGuelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
Jazz Festival and at the 50th anniversary of the St. Vladimir Institute in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. In 2004 DaZoque! received a Canada Council
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
grant to create a French musical about housing rights in collaboration with the People's Rights over Urban Development.
The Montreal Manhattan Project a jazz project is formed in 2004 with a self-titled album released and SANN, saw Chapman Stick
Chapman Stick
The Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and has been used on music recordings to play bass lines, melody lines, chords or textures...
bassist Sylvain Auclair and Nawrocki pair in 2005 with a limited edition self-titled album.
Solo material and spoken word tours
In 2004 Nawrocki wrote, recorded and released his first solo album Duck Work with the continued spoken word exploration of anti-warAnti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
topics put to looped violins and warm percussion. Nawrocki’s spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
tours continued throughout 2004 and 2005, firstly writing a show based on the life of Mohamed Harkat
Mohamed Harkat
Born in Algeria, Mohamed Harkat has drawn Canadian media attention as being one of several Muslim-Canadians alleged to have ties to terrorism and imprisoned under security certificates. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service alleges that he entered the country as a sleeper agent for al-Qaeda...
, an Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n and one of Canada's Secret Trial Five and secondly adapting letters from The anarchist & the devil do cabaret to CD with musical accompaniment on Letters from Poland/Lettres de Pologne released in 2006.
Teaching and acting
By the end of 2005 Nawrocki was teaching a course at Concordia UniversityConcordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
's School of Community & Public Affairs on The Arts, Radical Social Change and Community Economic Development. As well as starring in Uncle Eddie's guide to art appreciation, by Donald Goodes.
Discography
- I don't understand women! (1994) LPN012 (Les Pages Noires)
- Less Rock, More Talk: Spoken Word compilation (various artists) (1997 ; 2000) ISBN 1-873176-84-8 ; virus254 (AK PressAK PressAK Press is a worker-managed independent publisher and book distributor that specialises in radical left and anarchist literature. It is collectively owned and operated.-History:...
Audio ; Alternative TentaclesAlternative TentaclesAlternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
) - Duck Work (2004) LPN018C
- Letters from Poland / lettres de Pologne (2006) LPN020C
Bakunin's Bum
- Fight to Win! : a benefit CD for OCAP Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (2001) G7021 (G7 Welcoming Committee)
Rhythm Activism
- Rhythm Activism (1986) LPN001 (Les Pages Noires)
- Rhythm Activism Live (1987) LPN002
- Resist Much, Obey Little (1987) LPN003
- Louis Riel in China (1988) LPN004
- Un logement pour une chanson (1990) LPN005
- Fight the Hike! (1990) LPN006
- Perogies, Pasta and Liberty (1990) LPN007
- Oka (1990) LPN008
- War is the Health of the State (1991) LPN009
- Oka II (1992) LPN010
- Tumbleweed (1993) LPN011
- Blood & Mud (1994) LPN013C
- More Kick! : live in Europe (1995) LPN014C
- Buffalo, Burgers & Beer : a 10 year retrospective (1995) LPN015
- Jesus Was Gay (1998) G7006 (G7 Welcoming Committee)
- Return of the Read MenaceReturn of the Read MenaceReturn of the Read Menace is a compilation album, released in 1999 on G7 Welcoming Committee Records.-Track listing:# Screeching Weasel, "My Own World"# J Church, "Tightrope"# No Use For a Name, "Hybrid Moments"...
(various artists) (1999) G7010 - Take Penacilin NowTake Penacilin NowTake Penacilin Now is a 2005 compilation album released on G7 Welcoming Committee Records. The compilation features almost every artist that has released material on the label...
(various artists) (2005) G7040
SANN : Sylvain Auclair & Norman Nawrocki
- SANN : Sylvain Auclair Norman Nawrocki (2005) LPN019C
Videography
- Musiques Rebelles Québec [Rebel Music Quebec] (various artists) (2002) (Productions Multi-Monde)
- Uncle Eddie's Guide to Art Appreciation (2005) (Infringement performance)
Rhythm Activism
- That's the way we tie our shoes : a recipe by Rhythm Activism (1996) (Unbend films ; Les Pages Noires)
- Alive and kicking : the first ten years of Rhythm Activism (1997) (Les Pages Noires)