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Banned

Websites:  No
Origin: Burlington, Ontario
Biography:

NOT BANNED ON THE INTERNET

Burlington band The Banned is aptly named. Mainstream radio, like CFNY, refuses to play them. A St. Catharines DJ commented The Banned "ought to be shot." The five-person group's first release is a single entitled "Karla And Paul" -- on the B-side, "Banned In The Homeland."

Without even listening to it, radio weasels refuse to play it, arguing the A-side is insensitive and glorifies murderous sex crime. Which severely pisses off The Banned's lead singer and songwriter, Susie Cyanide -- a.k.a. Susan Cassady, 34.

"I've been having a really hard time over this, eh?" Cyanide told eye in gravel-road Canuck-twang tones. She insists "Karla And Paul" doesn't glorify anything but rips the legal system for "letting Homolka get away with murder."

The tape is produced by St. Catharines-based Deer Park Productions (905-682-5107). Producer John Spenser and the band were very visible at the opening salvo of Bernardo's trial, flogging the tape at $4 a pop. The group considered singing the songs outside the courthouse but decided this would be in "bad taste." The tape is available on consignment in various shops in Toronto, like Vortex on Queen W.

"Radio stations banned us because the first line is 'When I grow up, I wanna to be like Karla and Paul.' It's obvious I'm being sarcastic, but these guys are saying 'Oh! How terrible!' But it doesn't glorify murder. I didn't write about Clifford Olson, for instance. Why? Because he didn't get a publication ban and he didn't get [a mere] four years in jail," Suzie says -- referring to Homolka's rumored secret-deal early parole date, and her plans, during this "off time," to study psychology at Queen's University.

"Karla is being pampered, I was peeved, so I wrote this sarcastic song. She should get hard labor or the rope. I believe in capital punishment. Hell, I believe in caning."

Whether the song should be banned because it breaks the Homolka trial ban is another matter. There is one line in Karla and Paul which might be considered a "banned detail." (But, then, who knows? The ever-useless Ontario Atrophy General refuses to help clarify, offering its standardcanned answer: "We cannot comment on potential breaches of the court-ordered publication ban." eye is considering making this Attorney General Hymn available as an online sample for use in future Karla dance tunes.)

The song contains the word "sisterfucker" -- but this is just another swear-word, says Cyanide, with a straight face. "I just don't like using the word motherfucker. I never did. So I use sisterfucker." She assures eye this will be the downtown-hip swear-word of the '90s.

The Banned is normally known as the band No Buddhas in Texas. But Cyanide developed the idea of The Banned specifically for a planned string of quick-shot political singles. Next target will probably be Lucien Bouchard.

Cyanide served seven years in the Canadian Armed Forces -- a weapons technician, master corporal. "I wanted to speak out and you can't do that with a uniform on. So I quit. I plan to slam the government for the way it wastes money in the military in another single."

To smooth ruffled feathers, The Banned offered to give profits from the single (maybe enough for a few Grand Pooh-Bah meals at McBarf's) to any organization Debbie Mahaffy requests -- but the offer was refused. The Banned will instead split a Flintstone meal or two with ex-cop Gordon Domm, to help defray costs in his Homolka-ban-breaking case.

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