Pubdate: Thu, 17 Jul 2008
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2008 Southam Inc.
Contact:  http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Mary Vallis
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

BARENAKED, BUT NOT ALONE

Band Members And Fans Rally Around Steven Page Following Drug Bust

He is a noted environmentalist, a political activist, a self-made 
musician who uses his music as a force for change.

So when news leaked out of a village in upstate New York that 
Barenaked Ladies front-man Steven Page has been charged with cocaine 
possession, the story was not just about another musician facing 
another drug charge.

The public image of Mr. Page, 38, has always been of a slightly 
goofy, slightly awkward, clean-cut Canadian, not a bad-boy musician. 
The Barenaked Ladies are most often associated with aid trips to 
Africa, benefit concerts and, as of May, children's songs. The band 
just released its first kids' album, Snack Time, featuring songs 
about raisins, a loon named Louis and a reggae number about a 
pollywog turning into a frog.

"Everyone's initial reaction was that it was so out of character, for 
that band and for Steven," said one music manager and music label 
owner in Toronto, who asked not to be named. "Obviously, with a 
children's record coming out, it's horrendous timing."

At about 2 a. m. last Friday, officers in Manlius, N. Y., noticed a 
vehicle parked across a sidewalk with its driver's side door hanging 
ajar, according to a police statement. As they investigated, they 
noticed a woman and man sitting inside a nearby apartment with an 
"unknown white capsule" that subsequently tested positive for cocaine.

Mr. Page and a woman who lived at the apartment, 25-year-old 
Stephanie Ford, were later charged with criminal possession of a 
controlled substance. The investigating officers also found cocaine 
inside Mr. Page's Toyota Prius, Manlius police Captain Bill Bleyle 
said in an interview. No charges have yet been laid in connection 
with the cocaine found in Mr. Page's car.

"The matter is not completely closed at this time. There could 
potentially be charges coming out of that," Capt. Bleyle said yesterday.

Police say Mr. Page was visiting Ms. Ford's roommate, Christine 
Benedicto, 27. "Apparently there was some kind of argument between 
Page and Benedicto," Capt. Bleyle said. "Benedicto got in Page's car and left."

The Barenaked Ladies are scheduled to perform at a concert to benefit 
four children's charities on Long Island, N. Y., in late August, a 
few days before Mr. Page is scheduled to make his next court 
appearance in the village of Fayetteville, a suburb of Syracuse, N. 
Y. In the meantime, he is free on US$10,000 bail.

The band is vigorously defending their singer.

"Steven has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and the 
validity of the charges against Steven will be strongly contested," 
says a note to fans on the Barenaked Ladies' Web site. "While this is 
happening, it's business as usual for Barenaked Ladies."

While early reports suggested Mr. Page faces up to 15 years in state 
prison if convicted, the maximum sentence would be 51/2 years, said 
Mark Mahoney, Mr. Page's lawyer.

"We're going to do what anybody would do in this situation -- look at 
the charges, look at the police investigative procedures," Mr. 
Mahoney said from Buffalo yesterday, adding that it is too early to 
say what Mr. Page's defence will be.

Mr. Page is said to be going through a difficult time. He recently 
separated from his wife, Carolyn Ricketts, with whom he has three 
sons. He struggled with depression during the band's rise to fame in the 1990s.

Fans rallied around the singer on various Web sites devoted to the 
band yesterday, with many expressing disappointment and concern for 
his well-being, not outrage.

"Imagine that. A celebrity who happens to be human," one fan wrote on 
MySpace. "Steve, I feel sad, but only because I hope that you are 
well, or will be soon."

Mr. Page formed Barenaked Ladies back in 1988 with bandmate Ed 
Robertson. Activism has always been a central theme: Their fist gig 
under the name was a benefit for Second Harvest, an agency that 
delivers extra food from restaurants and grocery stores to community 
centres and shelters around Toronto. They went from singing their 
whimsical songs on Speakers Corner and producing their own five-song 
cassette to a household name, thanks in part to controversy over the 
band's name. After a city worker expressed concerns that the band's 
name objectified women, resulting in them being prohibited from 
playing outside Toronto's City Hall, the band's homemade cassette 
went gold in Canada.

As Mr. Page's fame grew, so did his devotion to various causes. He 
reportedly bought the first 2004 Toyota Prius and now sits on the 
board of the World Wildlife Fund Canada. He is also a long-standing 
supporter of the federal NDP. The band publicly endorsed Jack Layton 
and performed in support of the NDP during the party's leadership race.

Promoters on the children's circuit may be reluctant to book the band 
while the allegations against Mr. Page are unresolved, said Rob 
Bowman, a professor of music at York University.

But he stressed the whole matter is being blown out of proportion; 
Mr. Page has not yet been convicted. "What people do in their private 
life, as long as it's not working its way into their public art, is 
not affecting children badly," he said. "On some level, everybody, 
including Steven Page, are just regular human beings, carrying on 
their lives and sometimes hitting little bumps like this."

The music promoter agreed, saying whatever the outcome, Mr. Page can 
use the experience to his advantage.

"We live in a world of second chances.... This is probably the sign 
that, if it is true, that this is going to be the catalyst for him 
changing his life," he said. "Sometimes you need a little slap in the 
face to get you righted again."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom