by Karen Cleveland
Did your parents ever ask you not to use your playground voice at the library? It’s smart advice. At its core, it’s a message of matching your behaviour to your setting. I’m not sure what sort of a picture I’ve painted of myself in this column. An accurate one is all I can hope for: I’m a stickler for good manners, but I still like to have a good time.

So…am partaking in a concert at the Sound Academy (their line up lately reads like my favourite mixed tape from the early 90’s). The setting: on stage is the Bronx www.thebronxxx.com, just closing out their set before Bad Religion www.badreligion.com hits the stage – the place is loud, filthy and way too much fun.

A woman to my immediate left scowls at me and asks me to ‘keep it down’. I’m not kidding. Apparently the clapping and pounding on the bar was upsetting to her. And in another situation (re: not 11pm at a bar and not at a punk concert), I would agree. Here, I just couldn’t empathize, no matter how hard I tried. So in a very passive aggressive manner, I pretended not to hear her, and yelled a little louder [I know, I know…shame on me].

Don’t like the noise at the playground? Then go hang out at the library.