Spoken Word

Nick Offerman — actor, humorist, woodworker and musician –brings his multiple skills to Casino Rama

The former “Parks and Recreation” star talks By Nick Krewen Special to the Star Hey, Parks And Recreation fans: Ron Swanson is headlining  at Casino Rama this Saturday. Actually, it’s not the deadpan Swanson who is appearing, but the comedic actor who portrayed him for seven memorable seasons on NBC, Nick Offerman. Curiously, do fans of the show ever confuse him with his character? “It’s interesting,” said Offerman, 52, late last week…

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Drake still at top of his game in Scary Hours 2 – plus addresses the upcoming Certified Lover Boy

Nick Krewen Special to the Star Drake not only dropped a new three-song EP called Scary Hours II at midnight: he also dropped a new video and – to top it all off – a new 24-hour fully curated radio channel. With short notice on Thursday night, the man who has been  setting hip-hop trends for the past 11 years shared on his Twitter and Instagram feeds that he’d appearing on…


‘To be a rapper, you really have to be genuine’ – Duane Gibson on motivation, perseverance and connecting with youth

Nick Krewen Special To the Star “Stay driven.” For 20 years, that message has been the underlying theme of Toronto hip-hop veteran Duane “D.O.” Gibson’s presentations at over 1000 schools across Canada.  Offering four programs that focus on the topics of anti-bullying, self-confidence, leadership, peer pressure, literature and Black history, to name a few, Gibson estimates he’s delivered more than 2500 of his empowering speeches and workshops to hundreds of…


Stevie Wonder releases two songs at the same time in a bid ‘for the world to get better’

Nick Krewen Special to the Star Stevie Wonder has had his kidney transplant and is doing very well, thank you. In the first public acknowledgment that he had experienced the surgery since he announced his intention to undergo the knife last July, the Detroit-born Motown legend said during a virtual press conference from Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon that he was feeling  fine and in good post-surgery health.  “Let everybody know that…


Lydia and Exene: The Tag-Team Poets

PUBLISHED IN THE TORONTO STAR’S What’s On section on February 9, 1995     Post-Punk pairing a spoken-word affair     NICK KREWEN The Toronto Star What’s On Section, February 9, 1995     Words will speak louder than actions at The Opera House tomorrow (Friday) night when Lydia Lunch and Exene Cervenka unite for a spoken word performance. “Exene is on stage with me, and we’re sort of a tag-team,”…