Live The Life You’re Dreaming Of

It’s been ten years now, so I automatically assume everyone knows the story. But I should probably tell it again. First, I fell in love with Sloan. Then, I fell in love with Shaun.

Let’s backtrack: It’s 2001 and I’m having a rough year. I’ve just discovered the Canadian band Sloan, after picking up some of their CDs in the used bin. Not only am I shocked at how amazingly good they are, I’m shocked that anyone would want to get rid of their CDs in the first place.

Like any good newbie fan, I troll the Internet for information and stumble across the Sloan Message Board, where I can indulge my obsessions. Naturally, many of the fans are Canadian. One in particular—the aforementioned Shaun—seems intriguing, but as I live in New Orleans, LA, I figure nothing will ever come of it.

Within a year, something has certainly come of it. I fly up to Toronto, Ontario, Canada to meet the Sloan fan named Shaun. That old saw about Love At First Sight proves true. We become engaged and a long-distance relationship commences. Within three years I am—to quote the Sloan song “Rest Of My Life”—truly “living it in Canada.”

And if all of that wasn’t unexpected enough? Within another two years I decide to take the Road Less Traveled (another old saw) and take a huge gamble by starting my own webmagazine and blog. Yes, this one that you’re reading right now. Funny thing about rough years and the Internet and falling in love: you tend to meet a lot of other like-minded people. You know, the music-and-pop-culture-obsessed, willing-to-take-a-huge-gamble types.

Many of these people now write for Popshifter. Some of those people are my Sloan compadres from back in the day (when used CD bins still existed) and so it’s more than appropriate that they’ve written articles for this Canadian-themed issue. Others I met along the way, through our mutual fandom of so many other things that I actually have to stop and think how we met in the first place because I feel like I’ve known them for so long. One even contacted me as a fan of Popshifter, which sort of brings the whole thing around fandom-full-circle.

I’m thrilled and so very blessed to have the last decade turn out as amazingly as it has. And furthermore, I’m honored to have met so many wonderful, talented people who want to write for Popshifter, The Little Pop Culture Website That Could.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 2010
Screencap from Torontoist

None of this, of course, would have happened without Sloan and certainly not without Shaun. And Canada, which I now proudly call home. I also want to thank all of our readers and those who continue to spread the word about Popshifter.

With this, our last proper issue of the Popshifter webmagazine, we take another fork in that Road. Starting June 1, Popshifter will be a blog-only website. We still aim to make you love, laugh, cry, and think; take the pop culture road less traveled; put the “fun” back in fandom; and focus on those facets of pop culture that deserve a second glance. Popshifter is still the place is for everyone who is tired of feeling guilty for caring about pop culture. We hope you’ll continue to visit.

—Less Lee Moore, Managing Editor