Music
This selfie made mayor Naheed Nenshi the hero of the Calgary Folk Music Festival
by Mark Teo
July 30, 2014
We’ve long adored Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi. Aside from his approachable demeanour on Twitter—which is a refreshing take on so-called customer service that, say, Rob Ford could take notes on—he’s also been a big supporter of music: He’s been caught cutting a rug to Pharrell with Justin Trudeau. He’s appeared in a rap video. And he’s been a long-time supporter of the city’s musical festivals—at Sled Island in June, Nenshi introduced local weirdo Chad VanGaalen at Olympic Plaza, and he’s been spotted at the Calgary Folk Music Festival, which took place last weekend, milling amongst the slack-lining masses.
So, what was Nenshi doing at the folk fest? Was he dancing along to A Tribe Called Red? Or head-nodding along to Yamantaka // Sonic Titan? Or getting his jamboree on to Washboard Tubbington and the Sudsy Wudsy Boys?
Nope. Instead, he was took the most heroic selfie of the weekend.
When Calgarian Gabriel Alan Collins lost his camera over the weekend, a kind-hearted citizen returned it to him. It was reported by the Huffington Post—in a story Collins, on his Facebook, said was “mostly true”—that when he scrolled through the photos, he found this wonderful selfie.
Jealous much, Torontonians? After all, the festival Hogtown’s mayor attended over the weekend—Ford Fest, for those who somehow missed it—involved molasses-thick tension, threats of violence, and homophobia that resulted in a rainbow-flag toting 61-year-old retiree getting choked. We’d prefer a relaxed weekend out with Nenshi at the Calgary Folk Festival, thanks.
Nenshi, however, wasn’t the only Canadian mayor kicking ass. In Vancouver, mayor and sometimes-DJ Mayor Gregor Robertson was also spotted behind the decks at a Pride Week kickoff party. It looked absolutely incredible—see the photo below, via Vancity Buzz.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, ol’ RoFo’s dodging pride parades and, well, being the only member of council to vote against initiatives meant to help homeless LGBT youth.
Of course, Ford isn’t without his musical escapades. Today, he was spotted in Deadmau5’s Purrari on a coffee run. OK, Toronto, maybe we’d rather him show up to the Pride Parade, but we’ll take what we can get.
