In the 1980s the Whistler Question began posing a question to three to six people and publishing their responses under “Whistler’s Answers” (not to be confused with the Whistler Answer). Each week, we’ll be sharing one question and the answers given back in 1984. Please note, all names/answers/occupations/neighbourhoods represent information given to the Question at the time of publishing and do not necessarily reflect the person today.
Some context for this week’s question: Whistler’s 1984 Musicfest was a two-day series of free concerts in the three village squares (Village Square, Mountain Square and Sundial Place) over August 11 & 12 put on by the Whistler Resort Association (today known as Tourism Whistler). The acts booked included folk musicians, African drum groups, brass bands and more and featured different genres, rather than focusing on jazz as the 1983 festival had.
Question: What did you think of the music festival?
John Bartosik – Photographer – Whistler Centre
It was good music and attendance, but I think for a world class resort it was too mediocre. I’ve been to music festivals and concerts held in farmers’ fields that attract thousands and give people something to remember and talk about for years.
Barry Johnson – Carpenter – Alpha Lake Village
Very poor. It’s not something people would drive here for. They could have this kind of stuff every weekend. When you have a jazz festival you draw in people who wouldn’t come here otherwise. Even though organizers are aiming for business, they should try for some real quality events as well. They’re just dealing with dollars and cents.
Robert Bishop – Realtor – Whistler Village
I much prefer this music festival because of the variety. The appeal of jazz is limited. With this, you get a lot more people who are going to enjoy it. Six hours of jazz, for instance, is way too much. My favourite type of music is plain rock and roll.