life rattle show no. 1382

Presented on thursday, march 27, 2017

hosted by John Dunford

featuring

"Boolin' with Jon (Colours)"
"Who Wants to Die in the Suburbs"
"Opa! Breakfast at Sang's"
and
"Cornfields in Space"
by Nick West

Life Rattle Show No. 1382 features four stories from
new Life Rattle writer, Nick West.

Nick West was born at Credit Valley Hospital in 1993, right in the middle of the most populous suburb in North America—Mississauga. His parents are immigrants who traded the notorious political violence rampant in Jamaica for the pseudo-political correctness of 1970s Toronto. Nick tells us that not ten minutes out of the womb he was already tired of the monotony that is suburban living.

A few decades later, upon discovering the wonders of self-prescribed medicinal marijuana, Nick decided that his planned career of educating the young minds of tomorrow as a high school teacher (warden) would probably not be nearly as fulfilling as he had initially thought. Between Monday night wrestling, dark comedy scriptwriting and sleeping in through any and all appointments/meetings/surgeries, Nick spends his time writing short stories and listening to obscenely loud (and also just plain obscene) music on the bus.

Nick writes in an almost conversational manner, bordering on the casual, as if you’re an intimate friend. He and the young men who are at the heart of most of these stories, come across as witty, often charming, and so self-aware that they can seem cynical and jaded. They are also smart and quick with pop cultural references and current events.

In "Boolin' with Jon (Colours)" the trek to school, which should be pretty routine and safe for a kid in the morning turns out quite different for our narrator and his friend, when the trip to school from the nonprofit housing complex they live in becomes fraught with danger when the threat of gang violence arises.

"Who Wants to Die in the Suburbs" presents our narrator and his friend as they lament their geographic isolation and discuss how badly they want out.

In "Opa! Breakfast at Sang's" a small group of friends learn that you never know when something might happen that changes everything when a late-night visit to a Chinese restaurant turns violent and dramatically changes their lives. In the wake of the aftermath, things will never be the same for these young people.

In “Cornfields in Space” a serious conversation between two friends takes a turn for the surreal.

Please Note: Tonight's stories contain situations and language that some may find disturbing or offensive. Listener discretion is advised.