A couple of caveats: Boy’s Club, Comox rapper Alick Mac’s exploration of the current state of masculinity, is very much a musical TED talk, and there’s nothing fresh in Mac’s analysis. (Don’t stop reading.)
Mac is preaching to the choir but, speaking as a member of that choir, I’m grateful. I’m all for shedding as much light as possible on the weaponization of maleness, including in social structures such as the manosphere, and in vicious practices, including deep-fake porn.
Mac is clearly doing a bunch of reading, and I’m touched that most, if not all, of the authors he quotes in the chatty bits of his show are women, including bell hooks.
Most persuasively, onstage, Mac embodies a smart, inquisitive, vulnerable alternative to toxic masculinity.
Speaking of vulnerability, Boys’ Club gets a bit preachy, which might be a kind of defence. As he continues to develop as an artist, I’d be interested in seeing less certainty from him, more not-knowing, and maybe even a little transgression.
Remaining performances: September 11 (10:00 p.m. HALF-PRICE), 12 (8:45 p.m.), 13 (4:15 p.m.), 18 (8:15 p.m.), and 19 (2:30 p.m.) Tickets and information.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jorina Lee
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