Jann visits the Harpers
Monday, January 18, 2010 8:38 AM
Jann Arden raises a glass with the Harpers
Jane Taber
1. Sour Puss and tax policy at 'Lake Harrington.' Award-winning Alberta singer Jann Arden, whose haunting songs about doomed relationships belie a hilarious personality and perfect comedic timing, spent Sunday afternoon with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen, at their Gatineau Hills residence, Harrington Lake.
Ms. Arden related the story of her day with the prime ministerial couple at her concert last night. She was in Ottawa for two shows, Saturday and Sunday. She said she received an invitation from Laureen Harper, (herself a small-town Alberta girl), to go out to what Ms. Arden referred to as “Lake Harrington.”
She and her little dog, who travels in a purse, were picked up by a friend of the Harpers and taken out to Gatineau. She said she barely recognized the “man in the toque” and blue jeans, who met her and just happened to be Prime Minister. She spent the day enjoying “Beaver Teeth” tarts (she was joking; they were actually Sugar Pie tarts) and having sips of Goldschlager (it’s a liqueur with gold flecks in it) and a raspberry liqueur called Sour Puss.
Ms. Arden and Mrs. Harper really hit it off. During the show, Ms. Arden thanked Mrs. Harper for introducing her to the Prime Minister and allowing her to ask about “income taxes.”
“Why, Stephen. Why?” Mrs. Harper attended the concert and clearly loved it as she sang along to many of Ms. Arden's hits.
As part of the show, meanwhile, Ms. Arden painted a picture on stage, signed it, and later auctioned it off to raise money for the Haitian relief effort. The painting - a Picasso-meets-Chagall-type figure of a woman with a heart in her chest - raised $2,500. Her Saturday night painting raised $4,000. Not bad money for three minutes of art on stage. These funds will be matched by the federal government.
In addition to spending the afternoon at Harrington Lake, Ms. Arden was given a tour of 24 Sussex Drive. She said that she was struck by the fact that the Prime Minister had a copy of Hockey for Dummies in the prime ministerial bookshelves. Stephen Harper is a huge hockey fan and is working on a book about the history of hockey.
