injalicious is the author and instigator of the Infiltration zine, and its companion website (www.infiltration.org). Infiltration, a bi-monthly publication, is described as "the zine about going places you're not supposed to go... devoted to the art of urban exploration, a sort of interior tourism which allows the curious-minded to discover behind-the-scenes sights and have a lot of free fun."
cancon
what is it that attracts you to going where you're not suppposed to go?
Ninjalicious
Healthy human curiousity about the workings of the world I live in, of
course. I mean, it's free, it's fun and it hurts no one. A harder-to-answer question would be: why doesn't everyone?
cancon
what are the tools of your trade?
Ninjalicious
Usually I travel very lightly, with a pen, paper, a Swiss army knife, a camera and a flashlight. That's about all the equipment I need to have a good time in 90% of the places I visit. I take along more specialized equipment -- such as rubber boots or various props -- for specific targets.
cancon
do we take the urban landscape for granted, not recognizing its charm?
Ninjalicious
I've been to nature before, and let me tell you, it's really nothing special. Bugs, thorns, humidity... it's repulsive. And that poet who said he'd never see anything so lovely as a tree had obvious not spent very much time in mechanical rooms.
In all seriousness, though, I don't know what humanity has against cities.They're wonderful, and so filled with so many more possibilities than nature. I think the distaste probably goes back to that troublemaking Bible, where Eden was presented as paradise and Babylon was presented as the centre of evil on Earth. I always cheer for Babylon when I read the Bible.
cancon
tell me about your first time.
Ninjalicious
Don't remember. I was little. I know by the time I was seven or eight touring parking garages and the like was already an established activity for me.
cancon
is urban exploring an addiction?
Ninjalicious
I go in and out of addiction... When I was into Toronto's Royal York Hotel, I was sometimes going there two or three times a week, and I missed the place badly when I hadn't been there for a little while (which is one of the reasons I started writing Infiltration, so I could capture the memories). Last summer I felt the same way about drains... I just started feeling kinda mopey every time I hadn't been in a drain for a week or so. Other times, like with the hotel pools issue, I do it more out of determination to be thorough than addiction.
cancon
what is the most interesting space you'be been in?
Ninjalicious
The rim of the spaceship (that is, the famous domed section) at Toronto City Hall. I got there by travelling through an inconspicuous-looking towel rack and a janitor's closet, which made it that much more amazing, and I clearly remember how ecstatic and shocked I was when I flicked on the lights and realized where I was.
cancon
besides the fact you haven't saved anyone yet, is having a secret identity, so to speak, a bit thrilling?
Ninjalicious
No! It's very frustrating. Kids, if you have the choice, stick to one
identity! I often can't keep track of who knows me by what name. Plus
wearing the ninja mask gets very stifling after a while.
cancon
have you been surprised at the popularity of Infiltration and yourself?
Ninjalicious
I've been extremely surprised. I think a huge portion of the media attention is just because it's something photogenic and quirky, so I haven't let any of that nonsense go to my head. But I've been really amazed by some of the other stuff. Like, one day, I heard someone I don't know mention Infiltration in the same sentence as Cometbus and Dishwasher, and I was like, wowee, I don't deserve that, it's just my dumb hobby. I was incredibly flattered.
cancon
you recently were interviewed an on CBC's This Morning- what was that like?
Ninjalicious
I kinda liked working on that segment because the show's producer, Jane, was so enthusiastic and cool. She came with me to Toronto Union Station to collect a bunch of sounds for the introduction to the interview and we had a good time. The interview itself was nothing special. The live element was new to me, but I figured the best way to keep myself from being nervous was just to forget that it was live, and that worked.
cancon
did the CBC building prove interesting?
Ninjalicious
Alas, no. It is very new and very uniform. I spent about an hour wandering around and then I got bored (though I still have the visitor's pass in case I ever need to go back).
cancon
what areas of canada have you had a chance to infiltrate (eg: provinces, cities...)?
Ninjalicious
Aside from a little bit of action in Montreal, Quebec City and St. John, most of the action has been in Ontario, specifically the Toronto area. I've also managed to take peeks at some nice American and Italian cities while on trips. I would very much like to see a lot more of Montreal, and also to investigate some of the nice sites I've heard about in Vancouver and Edmonton. I should probably stay away from Ottawa; I might get myself into trouble there.
cancon
you mentioned "the big one," in terms of spaces to explore, would be alcatraz- any other big ones out there?
Ninjalicious
Sure, I think I have a "dream spot" within each specialization: the transit tunnels under New York, the catacombs under Paris, the drains under Melbourne, the hotels of Las Vegas, the steam tunnels under MIT... there are dozens more, too. I intend to make sure I visit all of these before I get old and feeble.
cancon
any tips for all us urban explorers just waiting to break from the tedium of the everyday?
Ninjalicious
Try honey mustard, instead of sweet and sour sauce.
cancon
what's something you've always wanted to be asked?
Ninjalicious
Will you marry me?
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