On Our Radar: Art D'Ecco's "I'll Never Give You Up" tricks West Coasters into admitting Toronto doesn't look so bad

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      Because it looks like it might have the best no-frills Chinese food this side of Suzhou's Shantang Street, the first thing that comes to mind after spending an quick minute in the North-East Chinese Restaurant is "I gotta Google that and start making dinner plans."

      The neon-lit space is where the video for Art D'Ecco's "I'll Never Give You Up" begins, two strangers sitting at different tables in a place where the floor tiles are not only cracked but mismatched, and understanding what's blaring from the TV is a challenge if you failed every language—especially Cantonese and/or Mandarin—in high school. 

      At first you'll think "Vancouver", thanks to the appearance of signs like the Kingsway Driving School, not to mention that Lotusland's Chinatown remains one of the most visually appealing backdrops in North America. But as "I'll Never Give You Up" begins to unfold, it's hard to shake the feeling that it's shot someplace more exotic. Which, sorry West Coasters, ends up being Toronto. 

      Other lessons to be learned in the clip is that jacking someone's video camera when you're a member of the other one percent (ie. more beautiful than 99 percent of humanity) is entirely forgiveable. And that Art D'Ecco doesn't even have to appear in his page-boy wig, glitter-spackled platforms, and ghostface pancake makeup to remind us he's one of the big reasons Vancouver music fans should be proud he calls the West Coast home.

      Not that Toronto looks so bad. In fact there's something really great about Hogtown, including the North-East Chinese Restaurant, which really does look in incredible despite the lighting. 

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