Petr Cancura

Petr Cancura - Saxophone

Saxophonist Pete “Pedro” Cancura has proved himself a man who could find a supply of groceries in the middle of a drought ridden desert and would probably take a nerf ball along with him to a papal audience. The sound of Pete’s mandolin onboard the tour bus is surpassed only by the brotherly requests to “Stop playing that damn mandolin!”

1. If you were not a musician what would you be?

I would be a great warrior. Live in the mountains and harness my eagle powers.

2. If you could have a dinner party with any four figures from history whom would you invite?

Oooooh, that’s a tough one. Alone or together? If I could have dinner on four separate occasions, than I would like to do this: visit with one of the great versatile minds like Leonardo Da Vinci or Thomas Edison – what were they thinking? A sheep herder from the time of Christ or maybe even a caveman who magically spoke my language (what’s it like to only hunt and survive?), I’d love to have dinner with Tom Waits and perhaps Wayne Shorter or Earnest Hemingway.
If I were to have a dinner party than, I would love to see if Tom Waits, Jack Black, my friend Rushad Eagelston and Simple Folk were in the same room. Eagle Powers!!!

3. If you could live during any time period at all what would it be?

I like now…now’s the time.

4. If you could have one movie prop for your very own what would you choose?

A mansion would be cool, maybe surrounded by a fake ocean with lot’s of prop money. Is that asking for so much? …ok: a coffee and a Canadian Maple donut (but a fresh one like they used to make when we believed in the dream of Tim Horton)

5. Favourite movie?

Right now I am quoting Nacho Libre way too much – very funny. “Juno” was one that recently really got to me. It made me cry (and then I realized I was wearing a necklace and headband made of freshly cut onions). Shashank Redemption too.

6. Favourite book or author?

Hemingway is consistently the deepest for me. I like how he makes me feel. Mike Tremblay does that for me as well.

7. What is your most treasured possession?

All your souls! Just kidding. I just bought a new tent – that makes me feel like a great adventurer. Of course my saxophones and mandolin are up there as well: definitely would have happy-troubles if I didn’t have those.

8. What is your motto?

Live free, follow your instincts (not your insects) and believe in your instincts (maybe your insects?).

9. Favourite word?

Tilapia. If I run really fast, I am going Tilapia.

10. What is your most marked characteristic?

Well it would either be my natural sexiness or my sheer strength.

11. Which historical or fictional figure do you most identify with?

The guy from Art of Wilderness and Rambo.

12. What is your favourite indulgence?

I love celery, salad (without the dressing) and cleaning my bathroom. Second place would go to a nice juicy steak accompanied by a bottle of suds in the backyard on a hot summer evening. Seat 49-53 in the back of the bus and a corner full of poker chips is also really fun.

13.If you could have personally witnessed any one event in history what would you like it to have been?

The first time Cuddles cuddled.

14. If you could possess one supernatural ability what would it be?

Well Eagle Powers of course. Who wouldn’t?

15. If you were to cast any actor, living or dead, to play you in a film, who would you select?

Lassie the dog.

16. What would the title of your autobiography be?

YEEEEHAAAA!

17. If you could eat as much as you want of any one food with absolutely no ill effect, what food would you choose?

Unbearably hot wings

18. Favourite season?

Summer. I like to sweat and I don’t like clothes

19. If you could have a jam session with any three musicians in history who would you choose?

Django Bates, Kenny Wollesen and Tony Scherr.

20. If you were to have a family crest what symbols would it bear?

An eagle of course, to represent eagle powers.

21. What television show, past or present, best represents your life?

I’ve always wanted my life to be kind of like Looney Tunes.

22. If you could be on the cover of any magazine, which one would it be and what would the headline be?

Bizarre Sports Quarterly. No, but seriously: I would love to have a really, really! cheesy picture of me and my saxophone on the cover of The Rolling Stone magazine, and the article in which I would talk about eagle powers would be riddled with action shots of me and the saxophone section doing the swan dance in some far away tropical ocean.

23. What is your best childhood memory?

I like them all, but right now I keep thinking about the little poppy-seed cakes that my babicka used to make in the old country. I always thought they came from a fairy-tale… maybe they did!

24. Pet peeve?

My pet’s name was Alice.

25. If you were to fill a time capsule the size of a shoe box, to be opened hundreds of years from now, what would you put inside it to represent your life?

A reed, a pencil, a piece of paper, a hunting knife, a copy of my favourite Goulash recipe, a motivational letter that will bring me post-humus fame, an eagle feather, a swan feather, some matches, a piece of the cross, a chip of the holy-grail, one sock, something blue, something red, a cassette of Guns and Roses’ Welcome to the Jungle, a little mandolin, a second sock, and some clean underwear (if I ever come back, I might need them).