Juno nominees Ottawa-bound

The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, March 10, 1989
By Greg Barr

Moving into the mainstream music business meant something new for Vancouver rock singer Art Bergmann: minding his manners.

Bergmann's debut album, Crawl With Me, came crawling out of the gates last fall, ultimately selling about 20,000 copies. He explored the sleazy, closed-door goings on of modern suburban life, notably in the song Our Little Secret, a song about a sexually abused woman, nominated for best video at Sunday's Juno Awards.

It was a tougher sell than the record label expected, maybe because of the content, perhaps because of Bergmann's parched-throat delivery, which you can hear for yourself Wednesday at Barrymore's ($5 advance).

''I never realized how polite I'd have to be,'' Bergmann gasped into the phone during an interview this week, during a break from his milk-the-Juno-nomination tour. ''But I have a foot in the door (with the first record). Now I have to pry it open.''

Bergmann promised scarier stuff for a new album in late summer, including a love song to a terminally ill girl, in which our hero debates whether to pull the plug.

Asked about his own Juno nomination as most promising male vocalist, he chuckled, ''It's nice to have the recognition, but whether I win or not doesn't matter. It's my chance to dance with the big boys.''

Barney Bentall doesn't want to dwell too much on his inclusion on the fan ballot sheet for the 1989 Juno entertainer of the year award, along with the likes of Bruce Cockburn and Leonard Cohen.

Fighting a bout of laryngitis on the phone Thursday from London, before departing for two-day stop in Ottawa _ including a show Saturday at Barrymore's ($8 advance) _ Bentall said he really doesn't ''want to get worked up about winning or losing.'' The Vancouver rocker with the boy-next-door appeal will also be presenting an award, with pop singer Candi.

He's more concerned, at the moment, about next week's release of his band's gold-selling debut album in the U.S. and Europe. With Toronto bands Pursuit of Happiness and Cowboy Junkies getting a great reception stateside earlier this year, perhaps another Canuck will get the same reaction. He'll just have to keep his ego intact.

''You work on that,'' he said. ''Believe me, there's enough humbling experiences on the road to bring you down again.''