How well do you know…THE DEAR JOHNS?

Dear Madonna,

My friend Dianne was visiting from Halifax last week and we went on a tour of Queen Street West West starting with The Gladstone Hotel, where the Dear Johns will be performing their reunion gig during JulieFest.

We marvelled at the transformation from what the place was back in the Bronco's days. According to Adam, who took us around on a room inspection tour to some of the individually designed artist suites, some shenanigans still take place in the washroooms despite the hermitically sealed windows, although you no longer have to worry about being accidentally locked in a stall.

Just for fun I thought you might like to try your hand at a quiz (excerpted without permission from Cosmopolitan Magazine issue # 1214)

Test your knowledge of this country/rockabilly/blues/swing combo known to haunt the Queen/Dufferin area of Toronto in the mid-1990’s.

1) The Dear Johns consists of:
A- Breandan McGrath (bass)
B- Claude Barnes (drums)
C- Shawn Crockard (guitar)
D- Scott Crockard (harmonica)
E- All of the above

2) The Dear Johns guitarist Shawn Crockard courted and married Julie Epplett’s:
A- cat
B- good friend Dianne
C- dancing shoes
D- cha cha cha oochie mama!

3) The Dear Johns have been known to play:
A- country tunes by everyone from Hank Williams to Lyle Lovett
B- blues rants by folks like Son House and Stevie Ray Vaughan
C- swing numbers inspired by The Texas Playboys and Brian Setzer Orchestra
D- Rockabilly rave ups greased by Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins
E- R’n’R by The Clash, Pretenders, Talking Heads, John Hiatt
F- All of the above

4) It’s been said the Barnes/McGrath rhythm section of The Dear Johns:
A- lays it down thick and hot like fresh asphalt on the 401
B- is responsible for continental drift
C- can only barely tolerate the Crockard brothers
D- really ARE Crockard brothers but working under aliases

5) One of Scott Crockard’s favourite pastimes as a youngster was:
A- driving his younger brother Shawn crazy
B- driving his younger brother Shawn crazy
C- sitting on his younger brother Shawn’s head and farting
D- driving his younger brother Shawn crazy

6) The last time The Dear Johns played the Gladstone Hotel:
A- they made everyone in the place dance like crazy
B- someone tried to get wise with Donna the barmaid, but to no avail
C- the joint was called “Broncos”
D- There was a buffalo head on the wall
E- All of the above

How'd you do?

Julie