Music

The definitive book on Big Shiny Tunes is coming soon

by Richard Howard

There’s no denying it – being under 30 has a ton of advantages. For instance, I bet your knee supports your weight 100% of the time rather than, say 35% or so. Also, when you get drunk on Friday you’re probably not still hungover on Monday. Must be nice, young buck.

However, believe it or not, kids do miss out on some prime stuff: In addition to the joys of forgetting IDs and still getting served alcohol, olds have the passionate nostalgia for that Canadian institution known as Big Shiny Tunes. Aging alt-rockers are going to be eating up A Big Shiny Legacy – a book that celebrates the very first Big Shiny Tunes compilation released by MuchMusic in 1996.

Due in the Spring of 2016 via Eternal Cavalier Press and penned by Toronto writer (and former AUX Associate Editor) Mark Teo, the book goes beyond simply celebrating our totally awesome and not at all hilarious ’90s culture. It also reveals that the comp was not expected to be as successful as it was (the entire series went on to sell five million copies) and how it elevated Canadian acts such as Limblifter and Sloan to the same level of popularity as American heavyweights like Beck and the Foo Fighters here at home.

Through exclusive interviews and thoughtful analysis, A Big Shiny Legacy will show the indelible mark Big Shiny Tunes made and continues to make on Canadian music 20 years later. Plus, it reminds you that the ’90s were so awesome that Porno for Pyros was a perfectly acceptable band name.