Interviews & Profiles
“Author Spotlight: David James Brock.” Interview for Fantasy Magazine with Veronica Henry about my short story Kisser. February 2021.
“Consciously Reconnecting with My Desire for Beautiful Noise.” Interview for Ludwig Van with Michael Zarathus-Cook for Remote, about how artists are dealing with the Pandemic. April 28, 2020.
"The WAR Series: Writers as Readers, with David James Brock." Interview for Open Book Toronto. July 16, 2014.
"12 or 20 Questions with David James Brock." an interview with Rob Mclennan. July 2, 2104.
"Collaboration is a Great Motivator." Interview for The Town Crier by Kris Bone. June 27, 2014.
"A Conversation with David James Brock." Interview & Three Poems for Hart House Review with Anne Ruchetto. September 24, 2014.
David James Brock: University of Guelph MFA Featured Grad. Statement related to the University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA. July 21, 2015.
Year of the Horse
Review from the Winnipeg Free Press (Fall 2021)
Written as a rock opera by FU’s Mike Haliechuk and Toronto playwright/librettist David James Brock, the album is set in a fantastical land and tells the tale of Perceval, a young mare who flees the brutal malevolence of her life, and Blanche, a young girl who hopes to find salvation for herself, for Perceval and, hopefully, for her mother, Drunken Kaye. Ambitious? No doubt. Well done? Absolutely. ★★★★1/2 out of five
Review from allmusic.com (Fall 2021)
However, if Year of the Horse is overstuffed, it manages to be so without seeming wasteful; this is an epic that's not big for its own sake, but the work of artists who are willing to challenge themselves even more than they challenge their audience. While its audacity is impressive enough, what's even more remarkable is how much of it works, and how seamlessly Fucked Up can weave together the endless variety of ingredients that comprise Year of the Horse.
Review from Pitchfork (Summer 2021)
“Each of its four epic movements is an intricate and overwhelming assemblage of recurring motifs, lyrical callbacks, and spoken-word scene-setting. The band’s chief architect, Mike Haliechuk, collaborated with Toronto playwright David James Brock to craft a dramatic tale involving a mythical horse named Perceval on the run from an evil wizard king named Sour, en route to her rightful home among the moon and stars.”
Review from mxdim.com (Summer 2001)
“For fans of Arthurian literature, the references to Zazamanc, witchcraft and the titular horse Perceval may be evocative of the 13th-century poem “Parzival” (that, and the celebratory trumpets of “Act Four” instantly place people in a fairy tale). Unlike a traditional epic, however, Fucked Up utilizes a quick yet smooth shift between genres to portray how volatile our emotions are—as each character moves from confusion to anger, the music likewise shifts from dreamy psychedelia to buzzing metal.”
Review from Cups n Cakes Network (Summer 2021)
“Year of the Horse is a truly impressive piece of art, first in its scope and length but also in its narrative. The story takes place in a darkened fantasy world where death always looms…The lyrics read like poetry. The rhythm and cadence maintained throughout different parts is remarkable.”
Review from PunkNews.org (Summer 2021)
“Year of the Horse is four full sides of psychedelic epic punk story telling. As with all the Fucked Up concept records, the plot is complex and the record comes with a libretto that fills you in, ala the classic Italian operas. Very roughly speaking, the album is about a horse named Perceval that breaks free from the clutches of death and confronts the forces of the universe itself, other mystical horses and witches.”
Review from The Red Hook Star Revue (Summer 2021)
“…an overblown oratorio of epic wonderment, a 90-minute song cycle several years in the making that pounds, screams and occasionally downshifts into quite lovely and likable pop passages… Wagnerian AF…”
Review from Exclaim Magazine (Spring 2021)
“The story, crafted by Fucked Up's Mike Haliechuk (who also wrote the lyrics), in collaboration with playwright David James Brock, carries an aesthetic that blends together Western and fantasy archetypes to create a text that feels like a crossover between Red Dead Redemption and Dungeons & Dragons. Haliechuk and co. have developed a layered universe and score that creates a unique and immersive experience for those wise enough to carve out ninety minutes of their time to read along with the story as they listen. It's an album that requires listeners to invest their time and attention, but surely those listeners will be happy they did so.”
Review from Treble (Spring 2021)
“This “song” is a meditation…it is the wild fire and demonic braying of Cormac McCarthy especially of Blood Meridian and Outer Darkness, the pursuit of pitch black cowboys which seem plucked from the pure bowels of hell sliding like oil and shadow across the sands in pursuit of the white horse, a chase toward Golgotha and Gethsemane where at last the vicious satanic devouring jaw might sink into the blood-rich flesh of heaven’s child.“
A Million Billion Pieces
Review from Sarah Siddiqui from Mooney on Theatre (Fall 2019)
“this show uniquely captures the intensity and anticipation of teenage relationships. I can’t relate to the characters’ health-related circumstances, but Brock’s script (through Pria and Theo’s dialogue) reminds me of my own perceptions of love and sex at that age. I remember how much stock I put into physical intimacy, which were ultimately desires for safety, connection, and feeling understood.”
Review from Sonya Davidson of Toronto Guardian (Fall 2019)
“The play balances today’s world with the human nature of wanting to connect with one another. It also raises the question of what it means to live and to love. What are we afraid of? ‘Stepping into this new world is less about a fear of dying than it is about a fear of not living,’ said Playwright David James Brock. ‘…it’s also about making the time we have count.’”
Review from Joe Szekeres, Chief Toronto Critic for OnStage Blog (Fall 2019)
“I applaud both Mr. Brock and composer Gareth Williams in their connection of this gritty and raw environment of the hotel room to the use of operatic music. What an inventive technique to get youth still in school to hear opera and, hopefully, to appreciate it. Although I hold no background in opera, Jonelle Sills as PriaSoprano is exquisite in her singing. As I attend more opera, I’m beginning to appreciate this art form further.”
Preview by Jennifer Parr of WholeNote Magazine (Fall 2019)
“When I asked Brock if his writing process changed for this project since he was writing for a teenage audience, he said, “not much. The characters are teenagers, but they’ve lived their whole lives being told they wouldn’t survive to adulthood, so they’ve had to fit as much as possible in on a countdown. These characters are hyper aware of the finite amount of time in a life. I think we all have a sense we’re not using the time we have correctly – I certainly do.”
Pandora
Preview/Interview by Jennifer Parr of the WholeNote Magazine (Spring 2019)
"Unique to Pandora’s creation for me was that dance was much more up front for me than it has ever been, and it really does inspire much of the text (and subsequently the scores). I knew Jennifer Nichols was going to be a part of this, both as choreographer and dancer, so I wrote very much with her in mind. Jennifer truly understands and cares about the words, and in writing something I knew she’d be a part of, I tried to create Pandora’s dramatic beats so that they’d demand (and in some cases, restrict) movement."
Review from Normand Babin of Neomemoire (Spring 2019)
"All along, Pandora is poetic and evanescent…there is no choice to embark in the story, no choice to feel the intensity of what is happening on stage. Rare phenomenon in the life of a spectator, we had the feeling we were part of the work."
Review from Leslie Ashworth of Schmopera (Spring 2019)
"…the accompanying ensemble shifting in and out of focus as the libretto by David James Brock both puzzled and engaged the audience."
Review from Keira Grant of Mooney on Theatre (Spring 2019)
"The scenes are not narrative driven and my reaction to the performance was much more visceral than analytical."
Review from John Terauds of the Toronto Star (Spring 2019)
"Is it pretty? Do the blooms smell nice? Would it make a lasting centrepiece for an operatic dinner party? Pandora doesn’t answer a firm yes to any of these questions, but it does have flashes of brilliance."
Ten-Headed Alien
Review from John Nyman for Blue Riband (Summer 2019)
"it’s much less common, i think, to find ourselves thoroughly within a poem’s world, engulfed by it like jonah by the whale (or the Millennium Falcon by that giant space slug from The Empire Strikes Back). but that’s exactly what david james brock’s Ten-Headed Alien does: it swallows you whole. equal parts enviro-existentialism, great sci-fi, ridiculous sci-fi, and acid grunge——brock’s set pieces are variously bleak, invigorating, relatable and bizarre.”
Review from Kim Fahner for Bywords.ca (Fall 2018)
"You feel almost as if you are following him through the book, as if he’s leading you forward, encouraging, but also challenging you to take part. You simply can’t be a bystander when you read this poetry; it engages on many levels, most of which are cerebral at first, but then deeply emotional underneath.”
Review from After the Pause (Summer 2018)
"The collection’s metronome is an intoxicating lava flow, both beautiful and dangerous. For all its extraplanetary language it is also refreshingly gritty..."
Review by Ariel Benyon (Contemporary Verse 2, August 21, 2018)
"This new vehicle for telling doesn’t hamper the mode or the flow; instead, it allows for a greater concentration of varied ideas and ruminations on “human failure, vulnerability and hubris.” For those looking for something off the beaten track, David James Brock’s collection is the perfect springboard for exploration..."
Everyone is CO2
Review by Alisa Gordaneer (As in The Malahat Review, 189, Winter 2014, 85-87)
“Everyone is CO2...journeys through an imagination determined to embrace the vastness of its own potential, trying out various poetic forms, and speaking in a multitude of voices. It can take on the persona of an apocalyptic mother, as in “Mercury,” or an all-knowing commentator who sees through social veneers to the tired truths of contemporary living…”
Review by Michael Dennis (Today's Book of Poetry, September 15, 2014)
"These poems leap from the page directly at your jugular. That is, of course, only after he has sucker-punched your brain. This is a master stage director plotting the audience and organizing their gasps... Brock shreds common sense as unnecessary as he rollicks all over the place with Shaman-like wisdom and an encyclopedic memory... I thought Everyone is CO2 was whipsmart stuff from start to end."
Review by Mark Sampson (Free Range Reading, August 8, 2014)
“Everyone Is CO2 taps into very specific periods of pop culture... the references here will resonate most with those born in the 1970s and `80s. Yet what comes of all this? An entirely new and fresh existence for these cultural touchstones, infusing them with an agency of their own. This is something that Brock does exceedingly well."
Review by Nico Mara-McKay (This magazine, July 15, 2014)
"The poems in David James Brock's debut collection never rest, ranging in time (1959 through to 2039), place (Toronto, Steubenville, Venus), and subject (pop culture, music, the epic of Gilgamesh). Topics and themes switch a break-neck speed, united only by a sharp eye for dramatic imagery."
Review by William Kemp ((parenthetical), May 21, 2014)
“Seldom have I read, in recent memory, a collection of poetry that is so willing to have fun... Brock’s poetic voice is a much-appreciated, much-welcomed one that is, for the most part, conversational in tone, but still steeped in technique and skill. He shows the reader, without a hint of irony, the strange, quirky beauty in a language often thought of as less refined—and by extension, less beautiful... It’s a great debut from a great poet. Read it.”
Article by Kris Bone (The Town Crier, April 21, 2014)
“An expert combination of smart, snappy phrasing and interesting, offbeat subject matter made his poems exciting to listen to. Brock’s work continues to mutate and evolve, comfortable spanning multiple genres and conceptual divides as he moves into his first full-length publication, with his poetry stronger, stranger, and more fearless than anything we’ve seen from him yet."
Tap Ex: Metallurgy (Toronto, Ontario)
Review by John Harris for Tap Ex: Metallurgy as part of Tapestry New Opera's 2015-2016 season (Tap:Ex Metallurgy: Punk and opera collide in adventurous musical, Globe and Mail, November 20, 2015).
Review by Jenna Douglas & Greg Finney for Tap Ex: Metallurgy as part of Tapestry New Opera's 2015-2015 season (He said/she said: Tap:Ex Metallurgy, Schmopera, November 20, 2015).
Review by Richard Trapunski for Tap Ex: Metallurgy as part of Tapestry New Opera's 2015-2015 season (Punk and opera meet on each other’s turf for TAP:EX Metallurgy, Chart Attack, November 19, 2015).
Review by Michael Vincent for Tap Ex: Metallurgy as part of Tapestry New Opera's 2015-2015 season (Tapestry Opera Gets a Punk Rock Twist, Musical Toronto, November 20, 2015).
Review by Catherine Kustanczy for Tap Ex: Metallurgy as part of Tapestry New Opera's 2015-2015 season (Playful Punk Opera, Play Anon, November 22, 2015).
Sewing the Earthworm (Recording and Performance)
Review by John Gilks for Sewing the Earthworm performed as part of Canadian Art Song Project's 'The Living Spectacle' (The Living Spectacle. Opera Ramblings, November 8, 2015)
Review by Jenna Douglas for Sewing the Earthworm performed as part of Canadian Art Song Project's 'The Living Spectacle' (Aptly Named: The Living Spectacle. Schmopera November 7, 2015)
Review by Leslie Barcza for Sewing the Earthworm performed as part of Canadian Art Song Project's 'The Living Spectacle' (CASP: The Living Spectacle. Barczablog November 8, 2015)
Review by Lydia Perovic for Sewing the Earthworm performed as part of the Canadian Art Song Project's 'The Living Spectacle' (CASP, gasp! Definitely the Opera November 8, 2015)
Review by Cecilia Livingston for CMC recording of Sewing the Earthworm (Notations, Summer 2015)
Review by John Gilks for the Sewing the Earthworm Canadian Art Song Recital (Canadian Art Song Project Recital, Opera Ramblings, March 2012)
Breath Cycle (Glasgow, Scotland)
Until the Glass Shatters (Breath Cycle) is featured in Scottish Opera's 2014 Opera Highlights Tour. Read David Smyth's review on the backtrack website.
Breath Cycle is featured on Making Music website: "Scottish Opera to premiere new piece inspired by project with cystic fibrosis sufferers". Feb. 6, 2014.
Breath Cycle is featured on Cystic Fibrosis Trust website: "Singers Breathing New Life into Physiotherapy". Jan. 24, 2014.
"Chopin's Ghost" and "Miss Quickly" in Tapestry New Opera's Songbook (Toronto, Canada)
Review of Songbook in Mooney on Theatre by Keira Grant. Feb. 4, 2014.
Cook as part of Theatre Lab's You Can Sleep When You're Dead (Toronto, Canada)
"Fitful Sleep" Review in Now Magazine by Jon Kaplan and Glenn Sumi.
Oct. 31-Nov. 7, 2013 | VOL 33 NO 9.
Interview for Theatromania with Theatre Lab's Omar Hady and Michael Orlando by Lauren Gillet. Oct. 22, 2013.
The Sloans Project in the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Review of "The Sloans Project" in Opera Britannia by Kelvin Holdsworth. Aug. 13, 2013.
Review of "The Sloans Project at the Scottish Arts Club" in The Times by Sarah Urwin Jones. Aug. 20, 2013.
The Sloans Project in the 2012 Sound Festival, Scotland's Festival of New Music (Aberdeen, Scotland)
Review of "The Sloans Project" in The Herald Scotland by Alan Cooper. Nov. 2, 2012.
UVic 50th Anniversary Prize for Dramatic Monologue
The Malahat Review announces Brock is the first place winner of the "University of Victoria 50th-Anniversary Prize for Dramatic Monologue". 2012.
The Sloans Project in the Merchant City Festival (Glasgow, Scotland)
Review of "The Sloans Project" in The Herald Scotland by Mary Brennan. Jul. 22, 2011.
Pub Operas in Tapestry New Opera's 2010-11 Season (Toronto, Canada)
Review of "Pub Operas" in Mooney on Theatre by Keira Grant. Nov. 11, 2011.
"Opera in a pub? Tapestry raises a glass" Review in The Globe and Mail by Robert Everett-Green. Nov. 11, 2011.
"Beer and Song" Review in Now Magazine by Jon Kaplan and Glenn Sumi.
Nov. 17-24, 2011 | VOL 31 NO 12.
Black Metal Melody (poetry chapbook published by Ferno House)
"Interview: David Brock, Death Metal Poet" Interview for Verbicide Magazine by Nathaniel G. Moore. Sept. 29, 2011.
Wet in the 2010 Toronto Fringe Festival (Toronto, Canada)
Review of Wet in Mooney On Theatre by George Perry. Jul. 4, 2010.
Review of Wet in Eye Weekly by Christopher Hoile. Jul. 2, 2010.