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Neil Hamburger with Daiquiri at the El Mo, October 14
Some may remember Neil Hamburger ‘s inaugural Toronto appearance at Lee’s Palace opening for Trans Am, where a majority of the audience seemed to take issue with the funnyman who has released several albums on the much-respected Drag City label and toured with countless bands. In a phone interview, he explains why so many musicians ask him to warm up the crowd for him.
“It’s because a lot of musical acts are not as good as they pretend to be, so you get an audience that sees that the musicians can’t play the instruments and are substandard. The bands want somebody for the kids to be furious at before they go on, so all their anger has been dissipated out.”
The tables turn when Hamburger is headlining, as he will be on this tour, having chosen Ottawa’s Daiquiri as an opener “because they’re the top group in Canada right now as far as sales. It’s good to tour with a group that’s admired by the teenage girls and looked up to by the teenage boys.”
