Siteway is home to Antony Hare's illustrations and a gateway to his art brands: Tonicville, Phelts, Coastalmatic, and now, Theatorium.

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Monday, March 31, 2003

As promised, and just twelve minutes after the weekend has officially ended, here's Winona Ryder. Reality Bites is something of a classic among my friends and I. I first saw it alone, if memory serves correct, in the West End of London when I was working at the Grosvenor Thistle Hotel. I remember thinking how incredibly expensive going to the cinema was. I went to see many films solo that summer. ¶ Cracking good weekend. Friday night at the pub where plenty of Smithwick's pints and good cheer were had. An absolutely carefree Saturday day that turned into a very cinematic Saturday night. ¶ Sunday we ventured to Stavros' family restaurant for breakfast. Brand new! And while they still need to iron out the wrinkles, it does hold some solid promise. I ordered the bacon and tomato sandwhich which came in the form of a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. First on the to-do list is to get their ventilation system functioning. ¶ Okay. Way past my bedtime. Before I turn out the lights, some wisdom from Alan Richman in April's GQ, on dining in an otherwise empty restaurant: If the restaurant has a piano player, tip him immediately. These guys are morose enough without having to play to a single table of uninterested patrons. If there's a piano and nobody's playing it, you must. Learn a song if you don't know one. Mine is "The Little Shoemaker," which I perfected when I was 9 years old. ¶ Reign over the restaurant. Do not cower in a corner. Insist on a table in the center of the room. Overflow with benevolence. Lavish praise and attention on the staff so at the end of the evening they will remember you forever, grateful for having had the opportunity to serve you, a baron of the dining arts.
12:21 AM

 
Friday, March 28, 2003
When you tell me stories of your quest for me, picturesque is the picture you paint effortlessly. ¶ Caught the opening night of Christ II: The Second Coming at the Berkeley Street Upstairs Theatre last night. I got quite a kick out of it, very funny stuff. People in the lobby joked that I should go back because my laugh was contagious. I once had an entire airplane enroute to Vancouver howling to Bring It On which I attribute soley to my laughter. Think Life of Brian meets The Devil's Advocate meets 8 Mile. ¶ Post play drinks at the Cadillac where we encountered the reluctant winner of a book on homelessness. We got the feeling things weren't going too well for her since her sympathies for the homeless were limited. Oh well. Seeing sadness is never fun. After a few of the green imports we headed over to the Stones Place for more. Madness ensued. The Stones Bar really is something when you think about it. In fact, it's probably best not to think about it too much. My Weezer print was a big hit with people that were shown it which always feels good but you never can tell what people actually think (i.e. what concepts are brought to bear upon viewing). Not that it matters really, you take the fuel you need from any situation and just keep going. ¶ Off to meet Paul for roast beef dinner at the Duke. If all goes well I should have a new illustration up on Siteway over the weekend. Antony out.
12:13 PM

 
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
This is a photograph of my late papou (grandfather) taken on November 29th, 1939 somwhere in Cyprus. I believe he went fully grey over the next year. That's a joke, but it's true that both of my grandfathers went grey pretty early hence my grey hair at twenty-six. I only have infant memories of papou and they are of the vaguest sort. They've been informed, of course, by photographs of him holding me as a baby and of one particular sequence in our Super 8 archives where is he getting me to look into the film camera. Still, he's missed, and it's strange how often I think about him. ¶ There are of course many problems connected with life, of which some of the most popular are: Why are people born? Why do they die? Why do they want to spend so much of the intervening time wearing digital watches? Been thoroughly enjoying The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I feel like I did when I was eleven years old—reading the latest Roald Dahl book—savouring every line and hoping it would never end. ¶ Woke up this morning to find the air much like it is London, England around this time of year. Been craving both Londons lately. Coffee Time's to go, and on to the rest of my day. Bloor West to Dundas West. Up until Dufferin a woman was belting out disco numbers so that everyone in the subway car could hear. It occupied that space somewhere between hilarious and terribly sad. McDonald's breakfast (Sausage McMuffin, hash brown, coffee), as the rain started to come down, streetcar south to home. ¶ Busy day today. On the menu: laundry, writing up the Siteway newsletter, picking up silkscreening supplies, getting colour printouts made of t-shirt designs, and, if the rain lets up, mailing out two prints. ¶ Everyone gets a kick or a wince out of looking at old pictures so it must be so strange for aging Hollywood actors to see their younger selves on celluloid. My favourite part of watching the Oscars is the occasional montage sequence of film clips. Reminds me I should watch American Cinema again. It was an excellent documentary series put out by PBS in the mid-nineties. Speaking of the Oscars, why doesn't the Academy release a massive box-set DVD collection of all fifty televised Oscar shows? Wouldn't that be fucking awesome? You could totally see people's reactions to certain "magic" and not so magical moments. ¶ I sit and wait / does an angel contemplate my fate / and do they know the places where we go when we´re grey and old.
12:24 PM

 
Tuesday, March 18, 2003

This is me relaxing north of Toronto, watching Matchmaker, a few weekends ago. ¶ You got me straight tripping, boo. ¶ While war talk took over the airwaves last night my friends and I had one hell of a time celebrating Saint Patrick's Day and PK and the Queen's two year anniversary. I can remember two years ago as if it were just yesterday. I can remember what the weather was like (crisp, light snow), what I ate that morning (fried egg sandwhich), and what I was wearing (blue dress shirt, pressed khakis, Marks & Spencer peacoat). And still in two years so much has happened. Christ in two years so much has happened at Whelan's to say nothing of life in general. Days like yesterday don't come often enough, as far as I'm concerned. It was an all-time classic evening filled with all the good things. The married folk even came out in style and showed the singles a thing or two about having a good time. If you're a friend of mine and I told you that I loved you last night I probably meant it. Good to know that I'm still a sentimental drunk after all these years. It was cash and carry so there was no suprise bill at the end or credit card bill to sign. Somerset was greatly missed. Two years ago when he was standing in line we had shots ready for him when he entered. No shots last night. ¶ This temperate weather is exactly what the doctor ordered. I know it's probably just a spring tease (as I hoped for a few days ago) but it's still welcome all the same. ¶ On the drawing board today. Need to finish up my next Siteway illustration (Hollywood actress) and make a start on my offline series. I'm keeping the theme under wraps for now. ¶ If you subscribed to my newsletter I have not forgotten about it or you. I plan on sending out the first issue very soon. ¶ Oscars next week. Paul Newman is up for best supporting actor.
12:03 PM

 
Monday, March 17, 2003
They like me, [but] I want them to love me like they love Pac. 50 Cent and Tupac Shakur portraits coming soon. The first in my series called double Siteway. ¶ Allen Iverson is a very popular celebrity. I get countless visitors to Siteway looking for pictures of Allen Iverson. I hope when they find my illustrated portrait of him, they are not dissapointed. ¶ Even though I have been living in Parkdale for just over a year now, and even though one of the draws was the growing number of art galleries in the neighbourhood, it was only this past Saturday that I ventured into one. I dropped by Loop gallery and another one, two doors east, whose name escapes me at this writing. Interesting stuff. I should make a habit of this. It got me thinking (even more) about my upcoming show (which is going to rock by the way). I haven't decided on a location, as such, but I have thought about the obligatory beer and technology sponsorships. In true backward fashion, I've already designed the logo for my show but haven't started on any of the actual illustrations. All in good time. ¶ Dialed it up Friday night at Wild Indigo martini bar on College Street. Good times. It reminded me of 1998. Martini menus, money flowing. Conversation was also flowing and it was that night I heard that there is a chance that two friends of mine may have their apartment invaded by Hollywood to shoot the new Colin Farrell movie. This is an exciting prospect. I want to lay some traps. ¶ Spent some time on Friday talking to my t-shirt guy. I made a Siteway t-shirt with a St. Patrick's theme. We also discussed the prospect of him showcasing some of my design work. More details on this in the coming weeks. ¶ It is supposed to go up to twelve or thirteen degrees celsius today in Toronto. Yes. Raise your glass this evening and celebrate all that is good and just.
11:23 AM

 
Thursday, March 13, 2003
It appears that not everybody agrees that the March 2003 issue of GQ is all that good. In fact, according to Fametracker: "...all the profiles in this issue (George Hamilton, Michael Caine, David Arquette, DMX) [are] written in a sort of gibberish. Yes, it's English, but it's a subset of the language you could call "Profilese." It involves writing sentences that sound good or, failing that, remind you of sentences you've read elsewhere that sounded good. It involves stringing the sentences together with a pleasing rhythm that's just distracting enough to fill the three hours or so that it takes to fly from Chicago to Phoenix, but that will leave you with no impression whatsoever. Because these sentences are meaningless, by many different definitions." I guess so... but I just get the sneaking feeling there's a certain kind of journalistic snobbery going on here that I am incapable of putting my finger on. This sort of self-satisfied attack smacks of inauthenticity and it bugs me—even if it is partly true. Nevertheless, Fametracker is a pretty cool site. I especially enjoyed this quote in an article about the omnipresence of Ben Affleck: "He's like that one friend everyone has, who's dating someone who sucks, and who knows that she sucks, so whenever she isn't around, tells his friends these stories about this sweet thing she did or funny thing she said, and all his friends are like, 'That never happened, and you are pathetic, and dump her,' but you can't say anything." ¶ I'm going to be putting up a permanent link to my brother's site, stephenhare.com, but in the meantime you should click over there and read about his adventures and download his piano cover of Butterfly. ¶ You can feel spring around the corner. I'm still holding out for that week-long March tease which enlivens the spirit and casts the mind forward to the less weighted seasons. Soon the BBQ will be in use, I'll be swimming up a storm, and generally it will be good. ¶ Anyone know much about the Toronto film festival? Specifically, what restaurants in Yorkville host parties, if any? Any insider information would be appreciated and not forgotten.
11:05 AM

 
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
Excerpt from Cuba soundtrack: Your smile make my day / It's simple: your dimples, your eyes, your lips, your thighs; got me hypnotized / Communication's deep / I love it when we talk / Hatin it when you leave but when you leave I love to watch you walk. ¶ There's sand in my shoes. This is a double-edged state. On the one hand, it's a neat reminder that I brought back some of the beach with me but on the other hand it's annoying. I need new shoes anyway. ¶ Spent my day off yesterday running errands. After picking up coffee at Rustic I arranged getting prints of Tony Hawk and Weezer made at my print shop, dumped the contents of my P.O. Box which contains nothing but junk (heartsink), and then made my way to the underrated Dufferin Mall ("Stand out at the Dufferin Mall"). There I got prescription lenses fitted into my new frames. The woman at Lenscrafters was blown away that I spent a mere dollar on the frames but did comment on how much of a pain they were to work with. So my cheap-frame experiment has been a runaway success. Most people seem to like the frames and I spent just pennies on them. And when one thinks of a bargain hunter one does not think of me. I almost lost my goggle-clear glasses on the beach in Varadero but my Irish luck must have kicked in as some fair soul returned them just as I was inquiring about the lost and found situation at the hotel. I should be more careful! Also had film developed at Wal-Mart. The pictures, produced from two disposable cameras, turned out effing well. I'm no photographer, that's for damn sure, but there were a couple of classic shots nonetheless. Aird, a far better optics man, also shot some choice pics. Spectacles and photographs at the Dufferin Mall. As I made my way through my Quarter Pounder w/ cheese in the food court I took the moment in: a good day. It's one thing that occured to me as we landed at Pearson: as awesome as the holiday was, I missed my life in Toronto. Solid. ¶ Mental note: this April Siteway celebrates it's seventh year online. Expect a few changes of the finesse variety and, of course, a party.
12:07 PM

 
Monday, March 10, 2003
She ain't that girl from the burbs that's a stranger to drama / She that uptown girl with the cocky persona / Went out my way to let her know that I want her / I tell her I know fo’ sho we belong together. ¶ Back in Toronto. Arrived late Saturday night. Had an absolutely awesome time in Varadero last week. So much to write about that I may extend it over a couple of posts. ¶ I borrowed Aird's muVo music player for the trip and had it loaded with sixteen tracks (Audioslave, Eminem, Crowded House, Weezer, and more!). Listened to it over and over again to ensure sense memory burn. A typical day saw me rise around eleven to find the roomie already up and gone to the beach. This afforded me an opportunity to quickly clean up my own mess—clothes strewn from the night before—so that the cleaning staff would not feel exasperated by us (me). I then put on my swimming gear, shirt, and sneakers and walked downstairs. A cigarette vending machine in the lobby was my only clock since neither Aird or I brought timepieces. It was always a small surprise to see what time it actually was. Save one morning I was always up around eleven. Down to the beach via the pool to do a quick scan. You get to know a small set of new faces on vacation and you find yourself finding comfort in seeing the familiar. Cerveza (Cristal) and my mp3s and I would be set. I bought the GQ with Jennifer Garner on the cover in Toronto and read it cover to cover. That GQ is probably the best issue of that magazine maybe ever. I'm tempted to say that it may be the best issue of a men's magazine that I have ever read. Before dusk I would typically go upstairs, watch MTV and VH1 with Aird and then we would each take late siestas in preparation for dinner and then the Night. The resort put on a "show" every night which, suprisingly, one found oneself looking forward to. I was dragged up on stage during the Miss Iberostar night. My task was to do push-ups on a beach chair where a Miss Iberostar candidate was lying while she said "Iberostaaaaaaaar" for as long as possible. Unfortunately for me my partner started laughing and so my push-ups were limited. The deserving candidate, a Canadian, won. ¶ When I wasn't chatting or laughing with old and new friends I was daydreaming. It was so awesome. I'm so happy I went. Getting pictures developed today.
11:03 AM

 
Saturday, March 01, 2003
Me and her against the world. So I write this mere hours from getting out of Dodge city where the beach awaits. Taking my first ever real resort holiday. Took many vacations with the fam, of course. Most recently in 1995 (our famous "last family holiday") we went to Protaras in Cyprus (near the famous Ayia Napa trap). That was a holiday. But it was like seven years ago, so the time is right. ¶ Had a wickedly productive work week which is the perfect thing to happen just before taking time off. I also finished a freelance project for the Design Exchange as well as more illustrations for Siteway. Unfortunately I won't have anything to upload until I get back, but it should be worth the wait. ¶ Celebrated the Toronto debut of Stirling last night at the Tequila Lounge. I was drinking like I was nineteen again, without a care in the world (and hell I didn't have one). My friend is the drummer of Stirling. They were really good. I kept being asked if I was "in a band" and it got me thinking... but that's a story for another time. ¶ Read Farley Mowat's Never Cry Wolf this month. Excellent book. Really fucking good. ¶ Grand opening of Mitzi's Sister later on tonight (the establishment that will replace the Tennessee). It's the one thing (well, that's not quite true) I'll miss when I'm gone. I'm starting to get excited though, about it and the coming spring. It amazes me. It's March 2003. One year living in this apartment; in this neighbourhood; in my room which I still love. ¶ All packed. Borrowed muVo loaded with all the songs that I want to hear while away. Chin up, keep well, and all that. Know this: there's some stellar stuff coming to Siteway World when I return.
12:51 AM

 

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Antony Hare is a freelance illustrator whose work has appeared in publications including Esquire UK, Maisonneuve, Forbes, Ode, Bon Appétit, the Globe and Mail, and National Post (for which he won a Silver Medal from the Society of News Design). His work is at the meeting point between portraiture and caricature. Antony is a member of the Society of Illustrators and works from his office in downtown Toronto. ¶ Learn more about Antony.


Siteway was launched in 1996. It is Antony Hare's personal web site and is affiliated only with him. It contains his gallery of illustrations and blog since 2000. His illustrations are available for sale and for licensing in film and advertising. Siteway World is Siteway, Phelts, Tonicville, and Coastalmatic. Siteway is updated every week, usually Tuesday, with a new feature illustration.