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Art Bergmann appointed to the Order of Canada

Punk rock icon Art Bergmann was recognized by the governor-general for his contributions to Canadian culture.
Art Bergmann
Art Bergmann poses for a photo.

ROCKY VIEW— A legendary Canadian punk rock icon who calls Rocky View County home has been named to the order of Canada.

Art Bergmann was inducted into the Order of Canada, a select group of Canadians recognized for their contributions to the cultural tapestry of Canada, on Dec. 30.

Bergmann said that upon hearing the news with his wife Sherri, they wondered if they were aware of the stories of his life and content in his work.

“Is this a good thing?” he asked with a laugh. “I’m kind of confused about the whole thing.”

After a decades-long career working in a genre of music that is typically anti-establishment, Bergmann has been recognized by the governor general’s office as a significant contributor to Canadian culture.

The irony is not lost on him, he said.

“I’m still working it through my psyche,” he said. “I’ll take it and use the publicity to tell Canada to stop taking First Nations to court, first of all, and maybe giving them some clean water and housing, and some equality.”

Bergmann is no stranger to the plight of First Nations in Canada.

On his 2016 album The Apostate, Bergmann sang the mournful anthem of First Nations child Bobby Bird.

Bergmann said his song 'The Legend of Bobby Bird'— A scathing condemnation of the residential school system— Was inspired by one particular First Nations child who died while in the custody of a residential school.

In the fall of 1969, Bobby Bird fled a Saskatchewan residential school near Timber Bay and died soon after from exposure to the cold Saskatchewan winter.

Bird’s remains wouldn’t be identified until 1999.

It is a powerful tune that attracted the attention of national media upon its release in 2015.

Bergmann’s career continues with the release of his eleventh studio album, Late Stage Empire Dementia, which is set to release later this year.

The album explores the “end of the empire of man,” he said and will cover topics including the decline of the American empire and the chronic exploitation of animals and the environment for profit.

“I’m becoming misanthrope in my old age,” he said.

Bergmann’s latest single, 'Christo Fascists' can be found on YouTube.

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