Maybe it was the wildfire smoke hanging on the city like a dirty Jesse Roper poncho. Maybe it was my fifth $8 double Caesar. Either way, it was a strange and surreal night. The meetup had been planned for days, but I still didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. At the exact time I was told to expect it, an old plumbing van with a faded Tall Tree decal and a bumper sticker reminding me to “Chillax. This ain’t the Mainland” arrived at my door. I was drugged and blindfolded (my idea, not theirs) and whisked away into the anomalous night.
In a city with a long history of breeding roguish ne’er do wells, I found myself with the opportunity to sit across from one of its newest. Part Banksy, part Lester Bangs, part Don Rickles, the mysterious figure behind Victoria Bar Memes has made their own kind of mischievous waves in the Victoria music and culture scene this summer. With a sly, acerbic wit, they’ve singlehandedly managed to pull together a music scene otherwise denoted by its abstracted artists into a united choir singing “who the fuck is this guy?!”
With a rapidly growing Instagram following, Victoria Bar Memes is an equal opportunity offender who seems to take great pleasure in skewering and spoofing an otherwise somewhat sanctimonious scene.
In a dank and dingy room somewhere in the catacombs beneath the Janion, filled with discarded scraps of the Johnson street bridge, the missing John A. McDonald statue, and Lisa Helps’ old Facebook account, I came face to face with the mystery behind the madness for an exclusive, insightful interview.
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Dallas Ross: Who are you, really?
Victoria Bar Memes: I’m somebody who knows a lot of musicians and has a generous amount of free time on my hands. I’m all sorts of things. A memer, a music fan and musician on occasion, a comedy enthusiast, a man of many renaissance-like tastes. A fighter, but also a generous lover. I look great in a suit or a band shirt. I’m just a little bit of everything. A jack of certain trades, if you will.
DR: Are you comfortable telling us a little about yourself?
VBM: I was born in Cambodia. My parents were guerilla fighters trying to make it out of that god-forsaken hellscape. We came to this land while I was still a baby and I’ve made it my home. I don’t like to talk about what I saw back there, at least not in public.
DR: What gave you the idea to start the Instagram account?
VBM: Well, I can’t say that niche B.C. meme accounts are my invention, BCferriesmemes is the king. But I saw an opportunity and took it.
Some people in the bar and music scene take themselves too seriously and I figured this is a way to help everyone kinda step back and hopefully have a laugh at themselves. That’s the goal, at least. People seem to think I’m here to end careers but I don’t have nearly that much influence.
DR: When you’re not creating memes, what are you doing?
VBM: Taking in as much of the music scene as I can. Petting other people’s dogs, writing real jokes, enjoying too much coffee, and trying to find that perfect Caesar.
DR: Are you concerned for your safety should your identity ever become known?
VBM: If somebody wants to fight me over a meme they have a lot more issues they need to deal with first.
DR: What kind of responses have you gotten to your posts?
VBM: It’s been almost overwhelming. I never really expected this to take off the way it has. People seem to love it though.
Honestly, it seems the two biggest criticisms have been either a roast was too soft or it went too far. So, in that case, some people need to figure out what the fuck they want. But really, the only people who have taken issue with the jokes are the people making money off of those I’m making fun of. So, I can only assume there’s a bias there. Other than that, it’s been only love, and I love ‘em back.
DR: What’s the worst thing someone has said about you?
VBM: There have been a few people who have openly expressed their dislike for my brand of humour in the comments section. But that’s gonna happen with anything when it gets big enough. Comedy is subjective. A few out of 1500 (and counting) isn’t gonna dampen my spirits. That’s mental illness’ job.
DR: Is there any band or venue you won’t take a shot at?
VBM: I joke about Sült being untouchable but that’s also a lie. I love Troy and the crew down there, but they have some aspects I can make fun of.
As far as bands go, I’ve already made fun of some of my close friends, so I doubt anybody is off the table. Some bands are actually asking to be made fun of (shout out to Jesse Roper), which is great. It just shows that our music scene isn’t as pretentious as people like to paint it.
DR: Who would you say is your favourite local act?
VBM: There a lot to pick from. I always gotta show love to Electric Sex Panther and Quarterback. If you don’t like their sound you probably drink Lucky in the back of your truck and have a pending sexual assault charge. The Mandlebaums are awesome. They’re a Seinfeld-themed punk band that absolutely rips.
Honestly, just go to shows when they actually start and see what music this city has to offer. A lot of the time the local acts get fucked over and on top of that they have to play to 15 people because there’s this idea in folks’ heads that it isn’t cool to show up before 10pm. So, show local artists some damn support.
DR: What’s your favourite local venue?
VBM: I love the spots like Lucky and Logan’s, because they’re the spots that are still kinda like real bars. They’re just absolute dens of debauchery on the weekends and it’s such a relief. They don’t give a fuck as long as you aren’t messing with the bartenders, and it’s beautiful.
DR: Will you ever admit to any of this in the future?
VBM: Maybe? Who knows. There are layers to this that haven’t even been uncovered yet. I could take it to the grave and nobody would know for certain. A selfish part of me wants to openly take the credit but now is definitely not the right time. We have some fall men in place, and it’s been working beautifully so far. Honestly, I love watching the speculation. Some people think they’re close, yet they are so far and it almost feels like crack. Not that I actually know what crack is like. I’m from Cambodia, not Nanaimo.
DR: What do think is the most embarrassing thing about Victoria?
VBM: The fact we’re trying to make Victoria a place that feels like a big city. We don’t need the pretentious foodie spots, excess festivals and awful dating scene like we’re Vancouver or some shit. Also, the fact that our mayor’s entire run has essentially been putting lipstick on a pig. I could get into it but this is a music publication, not Facebook.
DR: What do you genuinely love about this city?
VBM: We are a diverse scene under the surface. There is so much you can discover if you just look for it. There’s a following for almost anything: weird indie music, amateur comedy, rogue visual artists, a budding drag community, and so much more. And despite the roasts and satire I still try to support as much as I can. I only roast the ones I love. Except maybe Vince Vaccaro.
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You can follow Victoria Bar Memes at your own risk on Instagram.
