ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Entertainment

    • Canadian musician Duane Lavold, whose 'Hey Mister' was banned on MTV, dies at 54

    Duane Lavold, known by his stage name Custom, performs in New York at a 2009 Jed Foundation benefit concert. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Peter Sheik) Duane Lavold, known by his stage name Custom, performs in New York at a 2009 Jed Foundation benefit concert. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Peter Sheik)
    Share
    TORONTO -

    Alt-rock raconteur Duane Lavold rattled MTV censors who banned his salacious "Hey Mister" music video from the airwaves, but those closest to the musician say he was a gentle giant who aspired to greater heights than the controversy he drew in the post-Napster era.

    The Edmonton-born performer, whose creative endeavours included directing INXS frontman Michael Hutchence and shooting his own videos, died Dec. 18, 2021, after suffering a cardiac arrest during a trip to Greece. He was 54.

    At a towering six-foot-eight-inches, Lavold was a sight to behold in any setting and at parties, his thundering baritone voice drew in new friends like a magnet.

    "He was larger than life in many ways," explained his sister Kathy Lavold, speaking on behalf of the family.

    "(Duane) was a son, but he's also the sun we all orbited around."

    Lavold's burst of attention came in the early 2000s as the rebel yell of Sum 41 smacked against the roar of supergroup Audioslave. Custom sounded like neither, but radio programmers found he fit comfortably on their testosterone-fuelled playlists.

    Growing up partly in Calgary, Lavold was a wunderkind on the slopes but his greater love was music. He learned cello and keyboard as a child and recorded his earliest songs on cassette.

    In the late 1980s, he enrolled in international commerce at Brown University where he met Duncan Sheik, an aspiring singer-songwriter who would land a Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1996 with "Barely Breathing."

    The two bonded over music and when Lavold moved to Los Angeles years later, Sheik collaborated on his early demos.

    "Duane had these amazing, really big, broad conceptual ideas," Sheik recalled.

    "I was there to help him get the nuts and bolts of the music."

    Lavold spent the latter part of the 1990s as an independent filmmaker. His short "Loafing" earned an audience award at the 1997 Slamdance Film Festival, leading him to connect with INXS singer Hutchence who starred in his feature directorial debut "Limp."

    But Hutchence's suicide shortly after filming threw a shadow over "Limp," and though completed, the project was never released.

    By 1999, Lavold had relocated to a sprawling warehouse loft in New York City's Chinatown neighbourhood. With the help of his dad, he constructed a recording studio in the centre of the space and adorned the living room with disco balls, and skate- and surfboards.

    It soon became a refuge for twentysomething New York dilettantes and scenesters.

    "He had this open-door policy," remembered Peter Sheik, Duncan's younger brother who became close friends with Lavold shortly after turning 19.

    "You would go over there to hang out, but then you'd wind up making a song.... There became a thriving ecosystem."

    It was here that Lavold polished his stage persona Custom, a name he adopted after friends noticed at the Canadian border that Duane's first name was a single letter off of the French word for customs -- douane.

    Around that time, Lavold inked a major deal with Virgin Records but he wrestled free of the contract after clashing with an executive. The industry was headed into one of its most tumultuous periods as MP3 piracy threatened to upend the business model, but for now, money was still flowing freely.

    Lavold signed with Artistdirect, an untested label created by former Interscope Records co-founder Ted Fields. His self-produced debut album "Fast" hit stores in 2002, and the lead single "Hey Mister" caught fire on rock radio, fuelled by lyrics that provoked accusations of misogyny.

    In the song, Lavold sings from the perspective of a man telling his girlfriend's father about their sordid bedroom antics. As the song closes, he muses on the idea of being a father himself by repeating: "I hope I never have a daughter."

    In the music video, directed by Lavold in a guerrilla documentary style, he and his then-girlfriend Caitlin Levin play a couple who elope to Las Vegas and burn through her father's credit card.

    MTV executives weren't amused and banned "Hey Mister" from their programming.

    Lavold said the music channel objected to everything from the lyrics to the video's focus on Levin's body and didn't understand that he was trying to skewer the double standard applied to women's sexuality.

    "It's terrible that an 18-year-old woman is vilified and would probably be locked in a closet if she went out on a Friday night to get laid, but if her brother did the same, he'd get a pat on the back from most dads," he told the New York Post in a 2002 interview.

    The MTV dustup gave "Hey Mister" some extra attention. The single peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and No. 28 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

    Meanwhile, Lavold was becoming a celebrity in New York nightlife. His friends say almost every hot spot welcomed the musician with open arms, while his loft afterparties became known for wild shenanigans and the occasional celebrity sighting.

    "I remember waking up at four in the morning," his ex-girlfriend Levin remembered.

    "(Duane was) telling me, 'Caitlin, come out in the living room. Somebody wants to play you a song on the piano.' And there was Axl Rose serenading me in my pyjamas."

    Custom's second single "Beat Me" was a beatbox opus featuring elaborate wordplay that ascends to a soaring, stringed chorus. A lavish music video portrayed the singer narrowly dodging death as cars plummet from the sky.

    "Beat Me" failed to duplicate the success of "Hey Mister" and other signs of trouble followed. His label slipped into financial turmoil and "Fast" never saw a release on digital platforms; only illegitimate copies exist on YouTube.

    Friends say Lavold spent years trying to distil his ideas into one cohesive project. While he recorded enough material for several albums, almost none of that music was released.

    "Duane was only ever interested in hitting grand slams," Peter Sheik said.

    "I always thought that hamstrung him a bit because then nothing was ultimately good enough."

    As the years wore on, Lavold's generosity never waned, even when living large was clearly unsustainable. He insisted on picking up the cheque for his entourage of 10 or more people, which usually cost thousands of dollars a night.

    Around the dawn of the YouTube era in 2007, he plotted a digital technology brand that would produce narrative videos for online viewers. The company never got off the ground.

    He also talked about returning to filmmaking with a script tentatively titled "The Hockey Movie," about two heshers who embark on a road trip across Canada. Financing never came through.

    Friends say his side projects were always in service of returning to music and a lifestyle he could share with those he loved.

    "He wanted everyone to be a part of the dream," said Levin.

    "He had so much glory. And unfortunately, music is the most challenging business to be in. Not everyone is successful. But he had more success than most."

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2022.

    CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    Three men were injured after a man armed with a knife entered a Montreal-area Islamic cultural centre Friday afternoon.

    A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

    Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    The parents of a teenager who died after allegedly consuming the poisonous products of a Mississauga man are now suing him, as well as several doctors involved in her care.

    The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    Canada

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Three men were injured after a man armed with a knife entered a Montreal-area Islamic cultural centre Friday afternoon.

    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • The parents of a teenager who died after allegedly consuming the poisonous products of a Mississauga man are now suing him, as well as several doctors involved in her care.

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • Relatives of a 60-year-old man who took his own life in a Nova Scotia jail after long periods of confinement in his cell have launched a lawsuit against the province.

    • A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes 'indescribable' pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    • Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    • It will be the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge as a memorial is held Friday in Calgary.

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • F1 star Max Verstappen punished over bad word

      Formula One points leader Max Verstappen was ordered to 'accomplish some work of public interest' after uttering an inappropriate word Thursday at the news conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

    • The Winnipeg Jets have some huge holes to fill on both offence and defence this season.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

    David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

    • The debate over sexual orientation and gender identity education in schools is heating up. Protests both for and against SOGI in the curriculum took place across the country Friday.

    • A teenager has been charged with multiple offences related to stabbings that occurred in Surrey's Newton neighbourhood last week.

    • New Democrat Leader David Eby has launched his British Columbia election campaign a day early, making the key battle ground of Surrey his first stop.

    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • The parents of a teenager who died after allegedly consuming the poisonous products of a Mississauga man are now suing him, as well as several doctors involved in her care.

    • Michael Ford, Ontario's minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, says he is taking a leave of absence from cabinet to prioritize his health.

    • Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is urging the Alberta government to preserve pieces of the massive Green Line transit project now being dissolved.

    • It will be the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge as a memorial is held Friday in Calgary.

    • It's billed as 'Canada’s Largest Halloween Festival' and it's taken weeks to set up over 10,000 carved pumpkins that transform the WinSport bobsleigh track into a spooky spectacle.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • Maplewood Secondary School is scheduled to open Monday after receiving a permit Friday morning allowing 50 per cent of the building to be occupied.

    • Police in western Quebec say a driver has been arrested after almost crashing into a school bus near La Pêche Friday morning.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Three men were injured after a man armed with a knife entered a Montreal-area Islamic cultural centre Friday afternoon.

    • A new garden and microforest, years in the making, have been inaugurated at John Abbott College in Montreal.

    • The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    • Mounties say there was an increased police presence in the Emerald Hills area of Sherwood Park on Friday morning as officers searched for a man who is wanted by police.

    • There are plenty of fun happenings in Edmonton this weekend. It's time to savour that last little bit of the summer season before the leaves really start coming down.

    • Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak at a daycare in Blackfalds has ended.

    • A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

    • Relatives of a 60-year-old man who took his own life in a Nova Scotia jail after long periods of confinement in his cell have launched a lawsuit against the province.

    • Family, friends and fans of late hip hop artist and battle rapper, Pat Stay will gather at events held in his honour on Saturday and Sunday.

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • A Manitoba veterinary clinic has two new ways of figuring out what’s causing a horse to be lame.

    • Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      A large police presence can be seen outside Regina’s Miller High School on Friday afternoon.

    • A 21-year-old man from Codette, Sask. is facing numerous charges in connection to a fatal crash near Wapella, Sask. Wednesday night that claimed the life of a 22-year-old Alberta woman.

    • Arguments between UR Pride and the Government of Saskatchewan on the Parents’ Bill of Rights will be moving ahead to the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan beginning on Monday, Sept. 23.

    • Levels of hydrogen sulfide gas are being monitored at Brantford Collegiate Institute after a leak in their geothermal system.

    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • The second-degree murder trial of Thomas Hamp is being adjourned until December so an expert witness central to the trial can testify.

    • A 69-year-old woman from Outlook, Saskatchewan is dead and three people are injured after a truck and SUV collided on Highway 15 on Thursday.

    • A garage fire in Saskatoon’s Willows neighbourhood on Friday narrowly missed igniting an attached home, according to the fire department.

    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    • A 26-year-old driver from Surrey, B.C., has been charged with three counts of criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm in a crash that killed two youths in northern Ontario last year.

    • The timeline is short, but London officials are confident in their ability to submit a strong application for a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub that the province will begin funding next year.

    • A man is in hospital with life threatening injuries following a collision between a motorcycle and a vehicle on Friday afternoon.

    • A new outdoor music festival is launching this weekend in London - tickets are still available for the inaugural Fairway Fest at East Park.

    • A section of Grove Street in Barrie's east end will be closed for several weeks as part of the City's ongoing road work.

    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

    • A 17-year-old from Markham is facing serious charges after an August 11 shooting at a party in Caledon.

    • Windsor police say a 25-year-old mother has been charged with the drowning death of her 5-year-old child in the family’s backyard pool.

    • There is no threats to public safety following an incident involving a gun at a local high school.

    • A LaSalle couple has won $1 million after buying a ticket for the Aug. 13 LottoMax draw.

    • New Democrat Leader David Eby has launched his British Columbia election campaign a day early, making the key battle ground of Surrey his first stop.

    • The Old Man Lake wildfire near Sooke is the only one currently burning on Vancouver Island. It’s a region of the province that this year saw a drastic drop in blazes in the backcountry.

    • The debate over sexual orientation and gender identity education in schools is heating up. Protests both for and against SOGI in the curriculum took place across the country Friday.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

    • A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.

    • Lethbridge residents who live near the police range can expect to hear plenty of shots fired Wednesday and Thursday.

    • A 26-year-old driver from Surrey, B.C., has been charged with three counts of criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm in a crash that killed two youths in northern Ontario last year.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say three suspects from southern Ontario have been charged and drugs worth $300,000 have been seized following a traffic stop Sept. 16.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow CTV News