Van Buskirk, who died Friday at the age of 75 after a brief battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), was a major contributor to the city’s concert-industry framework.
By the time the 1980s arrived, Victoria had begun to establish a new cultural identity, one that had little to do with its residents famously being either newlywed or nearly dead, and it was Saskatoon-born businessman, concert promoter, and arts advocate Gary Van Buskirk who played a key role in that redesign.
Van Buskirk, who died Friday at the age of 75 after a brief battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), was a major contributor to the city’s concert-industry framework, and the foundation he laid as the co-founder of Harpo’s Cabaret continues to bear fruit.
Kind-hearted and always smiling, Van Buskirk was regarded with reverence by many across the city.
“Gary understood that with great power comes great responsibility,” said Marcus Pollard, his bookings partner at Harpo’s. “He didn’t abuse any part of his position. And we came across so many promoters who were always a little skeevy, and we decided we were never going to work with those people. Ever.”
Van Buskirk and Pollard pioneered an artist-friendly model at Harpo’s, located at Bastion Square (where Upstairs Cabaret is currently located).
They were a dynamic duo with a sibling-like bond, despite more than 15 years separating the two in age.
“We were bound by music, and by the ethical way we went about our business,” Pollard said. “We had our problems, but we always came back to the centre. Gary would always say, ‘Water seeks its own level,’ and that’s how we ran our friendship.”
Van Buskirk was a thoughtful conversationalist widely known for his generous spirit, but in his later years, he happily retreated from the spotlight. His appearance in July at the 50th birthday celebration concerts for Harpo’s was a highlight, as his presence at shows had long since ebbed.
For many, it was the last time they spoke with Van Buskirk in person before his medically assisted death.
A December appointment with a neurologist resulted in his diagnosis of ALS.
“The first thing that came out of his mouth was, ‘Where can I get in contact with MAID?’ ” brother Jay Van Buskirk said. “He didn’t want to give in to that disease.”
Van Buskirk immediately retreated from public life, choosing to battle the symptoms privately. Very few friends even knew he was ill.
He was supported throughout his final months by his niece, Amanda.
Many people working in the Greater Victoria arts community today owe a debt to Van Buskirk, as he was a mentor to countless young bands, promoters, and journalists.
Van Buskirk’s father was a musician and bandleader who rose to prominence in Western Canada in the 1940s. The banjoist and steel guitarist moved the close family — wife Molly, daughter Joy, and sons Jay and Gary — to Salt Spring Island in the 1950s, before landing in Victoria.
Music filled the family’s home in the Gonzales area, with Gary, the youngest child, playing a key role in the cacophony.
Though not officially a musician himself, he was always helping bands in his social circle, including ones featuring his brother, a saxophonist, and late drummer and author Daniel (Britt) Hagarty.
“He was a sort of manager who would look after us and get us gigs,” Jay Van Buskirk said. “But he was also the enforcer, too. If somebody didn’t pay up. He knew how to close the deal.”
Van Buskirk could certainly be intimidating when needed, but those who knew him from his Harpo’s days saw little of the edge he showcased during the 1960s as a member of Victoria’s London Boxing Club.
In his teens, he competed as a bantamweight and was a top competitor in Golden Gloves competitions in Vancouver, Portland and Seattle, often making the finals in his weight class.
Despite being one of the leading boxers in his division, by the early 1970s, he’d left the sport behind. Van Buskirk and business partner Michael Martay opened Harpo’s Cabaret in 1975. Before long, the venue began attracting attention from agents and managers across North America.
Van Buskirk’s mother was a fixture at Harpo’s, and she attended his shows across the city later in her life. Not long before she died in 2014, at the age of 101, she could be seen on the dance floor at concerts with her proudly attentive son.
“Gary would bring to her all kinds of different shows,” his brother said. “There was no generational gap between him and mom.”
Van Buskirk was the engine behind the jazz, reggae, folk and blues bookings at Harpo’s, from Muddy Waters, k.d. lang and John Lee Hooker to Burning Spear, Bill Evans and Toots & the Maytals, while Pollard handled alternative offerings like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, No Doubt, Blind Melon, Sarah McLachlan, the Goo Goo Dolls, and The Tragically Hip.
The pair’s most notable relationship, however, was with a Seattle rock group named Mookie Blaylock, who played the club in 1991, opening for fellow Seattle band Alice in Chains. The show wound up being their last-ever in the city under the Mookie Blaylock moniker. Not long after, the band changed its name to Pearl Jam, now one of the most iconic bands in rock history.
In 2024, Pollard and Van Buskirk reconnected with Pearl Jam in Vancouver, after its concert at Pacific Coliseum. Though it had been 33 years since Pearl Jam’s last performance at Harpo’s, frontman Eddie Vedder recalled their days at Harpo’s. “If anybody here knows the guy, his name is Gary — he ran the place. Just tell him I say hi if you happen to see him,” the singer said from the stage.
Pollard and Van Buskirk reconnected backstage with Vedder, who spent much of their two hours together in deep conversation with Van Buskirk.
“There were three other people in the room, but they didn’t get a sentence in,” Pollard said with a laugh.
“Gary didn’t have pretension. He never tried to be anyone else but the man he was. And he never wavered from that. He never came into a conversation and changed his personality for anyone.”