Ok ... firstly how am I only just finding out that Sue Townsend has put down her writing implements for the last time and is now chortling up a storm in literary heaven.
I remember picking up The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole for 50p at a WH Smith from one of those twirly racks like the ones greeting cards are usually stuffed into.
Picture this little spotty Anglophilic 15yr old delving into the world of 80s thatcherite England full of teenage angst, feather fringes, licorice all sorts earrings and pencil skirts! I was in heaven and gave myself loads of knowing looks and nods of approval in the mirror as sadly I was basically friendless at that point in my life.
So here's to you Sue!! For giving me Adrian Mole, who was my best friend in proxy. And here's one of my favourite poems from Adrian's secret diary:
The Tap (Tuesday, 13 January)
The tap drips and keeps me awake, In the morning there will be a lake. For the want of a washer the carpet will spoil, Then for another my father will toil. My father could snuff it while he is at work. Dad, fit a washer don't be a burk!
I'll get round to posting about my love affair with anything and everything that Jasper Fforde puts out, but its to Black Swan Green that I now turn my thoughts. The book centres round the adolescence of budding young poet, Jason Taylor, who like Mitchell himself, has a stammer. Its set in the 80s and the cultural and music references are so redolent of my own growing up, that it can be a difficult read for me at times.
But this morning in the train I reached a point in the narrative where Jason finally loses his tenuous position in the teenage hierarchy and is relegated to the position of "oily fuckin' maggot" ... back in the very doldrums of social activity. Over 2 pages and in about 6 paragraphs, Mitchell managed to scrunch my insides into a tight fisted ball of paper. The walls of the train dissappeared and I was back in a classroom somewhere, trying hard to keep breathing, eyes wide, head hot and heavy, someone has my schoolbag and is theatening to chuck it out a window, someone else accuses me of liking cock, all I can hear is laughter and then I just start to feel the whooshing air of someone's first punch but the change in lighting as the train hits the tunnel pulls me back in ... damn you David Mitchell ... love you David Mitchell!!
Ok ... I pay scant attention to politics despite the fact that I know quite a number of people who are passionate about the idea of government and its policies and policy makers. To me, politics, like philosophy, has the annoying ability to make me feel frustrated in some instances, and both witless and stupid in others. Arguments are circular and very little is achieved beyond the realms of rhetoric and the persuasive sound bite. Admittedly distance has givenMalcolm Fraserthe luxury of candor, but rarely have I heard anyone connected with politics speak with such compassion and clarity. It was worth the special trip out toClunes for the Booktownweekend. That and the town itself which is deliciously quaint. It was like stepping out onto a set when we got out of the car.
We had just enough time to grab a coffee before heading to the marquee for a conversation between Fraser and his co-biographer,Margaret Simons. They talked about the process of writing the book and the archival research that went into it. And Mr Fraser also offered some of his opinions on the policies and performance of both the Labour and the Liberal party in recent times.
He was dismissive of the attitudes of both parties towards immigration. He said that they were playing politics with people's lives and opined that both parties were simply trying to show how tough each other can be whilst doing nothing to dispel the fears and misguided notions of the general public. 85% of the people who arrive in boats are genuine refugees. But there are a whole lot more who come in via student and tourist visas, effectively lying about their intentions, and end up as illegal immigrants. He's appalled that the government is re-opening the Curtin detention centre in WA as far away from legal representation as possible.
He is also concerned about the denigration of our civil liberties with the anti-terrorist laws. He jokingly said "Watch out cause ASIO is watching" and reckons that the ASIO building should be located in the dessert instead.
Someone asked him if he regrets any decisions made when he was leader during the Vietnam war years. His response was that regret in hindsight was not necessarily confirming that given the chance he would have done things differently. Communist insurrections were sprouting up all over the world ... it was hard not to have felt threatened by its pervasiveness ... but I guess its all down to splitting idealogical hairs. And you know what they say "hindsight is always 20/20 and foresight is about as good as a blind man's". And Mr Fraser is glad that Malcolm Turnbull is dipping his toes back into the political stew.
All in all this was an illuminating and in many ways inspiring hour and a bit spent with a former political figure that I do not necessarily hold in regard in terms of his bias. But hearing him speak there was no doubting his compassion and his sincerity.
The rest of our afternoon was spent traipsing through endless book stores and (guess what!) stuffing our faces. M had already scoffed a baked potato and I inhaled a Bacon and Egg bun, but we still couldn't go past the Roast Beef and gravy roll.
We wolfed this down to the strains of the Wesley college combined school band. Wesley has a branch here in town ... and yes it is a little posh round these parts.
We also had a chance to look in wonder at Goldfields era architecture and filligree.
There were lots of bargains to be had and we were pretty much maxed out on musty old rooms filled with musty old books so we sat outside and had ourselves a pot of mulled wine. The perfect ending to a perfect day.
I've always had a precarious relationship with Science Fiction. I think its the overwrought philosophizing that seems to make up the oeuvre of many sci fi writers that bothers me the most. There's always some Adam and Eve slash God complex underpinning these stories which I don't find terribly interesting ... and don't get me started on authors that try to invent an alien language ... unless you're an experienced linguist like Tolkien, don't even bother!! Its like books that have quotes in foreign languages without a translation to assist (hello Umberto Eco) ... we don't all know latin/greek/french/celtic!! And some of us don't like pretending. (and this is all for the benefit for the less erudite amongst you ... I being the accomplished linguist that I am can usually work these things out without climbing the tower of babel ... yeah we're going there!!)
Anyhoo, what can I say about Moorcock's English Assassin - a romance of entropy (to give it its full title). There is indeed an entropic sheen to proceedings .. this is post-apocolyptic Europe and arguably an early proponent on what is referred to as Steampunk these days with its technological and structural anachronisms ... although I think this is more a proclivity towards the reshaping of fundamental english life and society.
The characters are incredibly well drawn but more importantly these are intriguing personalities: there's the dancehall ingenue turned sexy lesbian mercenary ... the retired colonel chasing after old glory ... and of course the English Assasin himself who washes up into a briny cove on the coast of cornwall and spends the better part of the novel in a catatonic state. Admittedly I am jumping in at the latter end of the Jerry Cornelius story - this is the third book in the Cornelius Quartet. But it makes no nevermind ... this is a great sci-fi/fantasy romp in spite of the overlapping narrative strains ... which some people find disorienting. I'm only about a quarter of the way through but I've read enough to thoroughly reccomend this.
And now I'm extremely curious about the movie that was made on one of the JC stories called the Final Programme in the UK and The Last Days of Man on Earth in the US (Paging Mr Torrent and Mrs Backup!!)
Which leaves me wondering why there are not more movie/tv adaptations of Michael Moorcock's books? Its criminal. Likewise William Gibson (we shall not mention Kennunu's disaster). And someone televise a Jasper Fforde series already!!!!
Ok ... so I was watching Markus Zusak on the First Tuesday Book Club last week and I have to say ... A-dorable!! I just wanted to eat him all up. Never read any of his books but will be tracking down a cheapo copy of the Book Thief forthwith. M didn't really quite appreciate but I saw Marieke checking him out ... she was all chest forward and stealing a peak at his lunchbox!! And that shy unassuming boy thing he's got going on is soooo working for him! Sorry if this is a bit too pervy for you dear readers.
Oh and in case you didn't already know that the 1st part of this post's title is a quote, then you need to acquaint yourself with this undervalued gem from the early 80s anon!!
Ok ... so I'm reading the new Johann S Lee novel ... its only his second since his still wonderfully resonating debut, "Peculiar Chris". (Now if you are a 30+ middle class gay male singaporean, then you need to read this book ... its your story give or take a few embellishments).
The new one is about a character called Ben Goh, who is what we would refer to as a banana ... i.e. yellow on the outside, but white on the inside ... oh its stating the obvious isn't it ... anyhoo, you get my drift. He comes from a well to do family (which I suspect is exactly the sort of childhood Johann himself had to endure!), has a great job in London, parties hard with glamourous friends, then returns to Singers after 15 years away for a holiday and a re-discovering of self ... only he doesn't really have to do it on a budget, and being the only son of a wealthy family, can navigate the philosophical (psychological?) dips and dives in the secure knowledge that one day, he would indeed inherit the earth .. or at least a very expensive part of the whole!!
(again I suspect that this is something Johann himself will have to steel his nerves for ... well ... eventually)
I guess what I'm trying to say is Bitch has my life!! OHMYGOD!! Ok well not exactly my life .. but at least the movie that's playing in my head ... the one I really want!
jealous ... much?? Yeah godammitt!. I've always wanted to be posh. (bitch is good looking too!).
Anyways, I got this for Christmas and I'm already halfway through the book ... I can't help it ... I identify with him in more ways than I care to admit ... including the way I cross my chopsticks ... and how I have always been of the opinion that boys from RI eventually become the ruling class ... and that boys from ACS come from the upper echelons of Singapore wealth ... and how I disdain of singapore's tourist attractions ... but end up enjoying my time spent there when I am dragged kicking and screaming ...
Jealous and homesick .. thats what I am today ... and Melbourne ... shit-a-brick .. its summer ... hello??? WHy am I still in winter boots and double layers?? C'mon sun ... you can do it!!
"So where would you like to go for dinner?"
"Anywhere you're not, you bastard-cunt!"
Maybe its the schoolboy in me but when I read this on the train .. I couldn't stop laughing much to the consternation of most of my fellow passengers ... but also to the delight of the pedo-like middle aged suit near the door ... euww! Hello I'm pushing 40!!
By the way, this book is curiously engaging. Its sort of a fictional journal of this English sloane ranger type and his life through the war years and beyond. Some real figures of histroy are written into the story like:
Edward and Mrs Simpson
Hemingway
Picasso
Pollock
AND Ian Fleming .. and there's a small hint that the protagonist may have in some small way inspired the James Bond .. and whats worse Boyd actually footnotes his own book, also based on a fictional painter ... Tickets!!!
But you know what ... its an absolute romp .. I actually look forward to the train ride in the morning just so I can read a few more pages on my way to work ...!!
Ok ... so I'm currently reading Wyndham Lewis' The Childermass - well more like trying very hard to get through the damn thing. The premise is intriguing, a modern reworking of Dante's Paradise Lost (this should read as Dante's The Divine Comedy - thank you Phoenix for the correction - my face is as red as this font) set along the river Styx - with 2 rather foppish english protaganists - I'm sure there are embedded stereotypes that I am not getting completely. The language is dense, peppered with adjectival descriptors and curious semantic juxtapositions - it also has an antiquated rhythm of its own ... almost like tackling Shakespeare in the sense that once you get used to the flow of the meter ... your brain automatically parcels the sentences into their composite meanings ...
Ok whilst trying to explain how difficult it has been so far .. I've presented you my reader with an equally inscrutable paragraph which is just my mid-week arvo brain vomitting its vacuous thoughts onto the screen.
Edward Wadsworth - Abstract Composition
Anyhoo, I surfed the web to find out what other people thought about this trilogy (oh yes ... there are 3 separate volumes!). And what I discovered is that Wyndham isn't widely read anymore (surprise surprise) and that he was also known for his paintings or rather for starting up one of Britains last modern art movements called Vorticism!!!
Wyndham Lewis - Workshop
I’m afraid Vorticism doesn’t quite do it for me – where does cubism end and Vorticism start – I can’t exactly see the difference and I will admit this. Also, there’s something jarringly masculine about these paintings and prints – rather than drawing me in (which is kinda the whole point to Vorticism) it disengages me as a viewer.
Bomberg - Jujitsu
Despite the riot of colour in some of these, its all too redolent of propaganda for my liking.
Blast Magazine
Wyndham Lewis: The Crowd
Imust admit that I am enjoying unraveling the intricacies of Lewis’ prose – its very very percussive – lots of aggressive nouns and really dense!!
Excerpt from The Childermass:
"Both pairs of eyes withdrawn into the respective shells, faces towwards the ground, with one movement they now wheel and begin walking in step away from teh quay slowly, Satters with a long-legged slouch, Pullman with a slowing-down of his light-limbed machine, hugging, high-shouldered, his stick. Their feet sink into the exuviae and migrating sand, dust and gypsum, of the riverside, kicking, first one and then the other, a stone or fragment of jetsam of the camp or flood .... Their minds continue to work in silent rhythm, according to the system of habit set in motion by their meeting.
'This is rather beastly, isn't it?' Satters uses the rapid half-voice of confidence, of the social equal and confederate. Pullman, with the same half-voice, without touching his friend with his eyes, jerks his chin up quickly towards the city.
'Beastly!'
The little word snaps out of its trap as fresh as paint. He snatches his mouth away as he discharges it, crossly fixing the lateral horizon. Beastly - the judgement of the gentleman."
Oops you're quite right. And I think I should be referring to Dante's Divine Comedy ... well whichever has the various levels of hell ... good spottage!! 6 June
Phoenix wrote:
I've never heard of Wyndham Lewis, but it was Milton who wrote Paradise Lost. Dante wrote The Divine Comedy. 5 June
Ok ... well we finally made it to Thai Angels on Friday night for a spot of tea.
Friday Night
well its not exactly the cheapest lazy-arse friday night dinner ... but its passeable for a nice little sit-down meal thats hassle free. The main drag of West footscray is turning into a nice little cosmopolitan enclave what with all the groovy young couples that can't really afford fitzroy or carlton ... its hard on the heels of seddon and yazzaville!!
As per ush we pigged out!! Had prawn tom yum and bravely asked for HOT (which meant extra slices of raw bird's eye chillies) ... was pretty damn impressive .. one of the better tom yums around
We then had a yellow fish curry (fairly mild and on the sweetish side ... but it gets the culinary tick), pad thai (the westernised version minus the dried prawns and pickled turnip - but a really nice flavour ... very more-ish) and a minced pork salad (a bit of a let down - needed a bit more lime and fish sauce)
All washed down by a couple of cold Carlsbergs ... sooo reminded me of childhood and the ad we used to have on telly - I can still sing you the theme song "Come up to Carlsberg ..." and the chick in a whit bikini and a belly chain coming out of the surf and morphing into the shape of the bottle ... they don't make them like that anymore!!!
Went across the street to the massive indian provision store and stocked up on cup-sized portions of Kulfi .. yes they sell frozen kulfi now ... how happy am I!!! We got Badam (almond meal), pistachio and mango.
If you're in the west ... thai angels is worth checking out
So we trundled off to Fitzroy ... M was in the mood to spend!!!
We started off at Books for Cooks ... well how could you resist ... its a dangerous place to be for M and me ...
And a $100 later .... jeez!!! ... we left feeling inspired and hungry .. so it was a skip to the bakery across for these yummy herb sorta ciabattas crossed with turkish bread ... don't know what they're called ... I usually point and say that herb thing ... its only $2 each ... and they're pretty massive ... its the bakery near Ladro's .. can never remember the name.
Then it was round the corner to Tongue and Groove.
This is our favourite furniture store ... we've scored 2 great 60's vinyl chairs and a fantastic danish style coffee table from here ... we've gotten to know Ross as a result ... even got an invite to a Featherstone drinks night once ... he was a big promoter of Featherstone ... but he's changing tack very shortly and promoting home-grown modern furniture ... as a result there will be a re-launch soon and we have invites to the party!!! I think he thinks we're like one of those artsy-fartsy couples with cash to spend .... well we'll keep this delusion alive ... we stayed mum about the fact that we were looking at buying a replica Arco lamp ... he would have kicked us out of the shop otherwise ... he's outbid each time a crate of vintage danish furniture goes up for acution and too many cheap chinese replicas are flooding the market ... which is why the need to re-assess his business model ... most of his second hand stuff gets deposited at Lost and Found just up the road ...
Which is where we went next ... I scored a vintage winter coat and m bought a couple of retro ties for his gig on sunday (will try and post pics of these soon) ... I had to say No to a couple of skinny ties ... but could easily be persuaded as soon as I've found the right shirts to go with ... oh this never ends!!!
It was a really fun day ... and we made a scrummy Sup Kambing (well more of the mamak shop style mutton soup) for tea with the lamb bought from the halal shop ... they do the best cuts for curries and the like ... on the bone with a layer of fat ... perfect!!
Hope you all had a great weekend!!!
This Friday its dinner at Mamaganoush with the old gang
Saturday its another cook-up ... its P's b'day so he gets to choose what we do ... he's already talking terrines and soup ... I'm quelling at the thought!!
PS ... the new PORTISHEAD ... words fail me
PPS ... the naked cowboy was at the front of Myer's .... too funny!!!
Ok so avid readers (what a joke!!) of this blog will know that I have been somewhat fascinated by young adult fantasy in recent times ... It all started with Catherine Webb and I'm now nearly at the end of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy.
But can I just say that Pullman's novels are simply unputdownable!!!
Cynical readers will say that we have tread this literary path countless times before ... all the stalwart mythological figures are here ... and everyone is on a quest towards their ultimate destiny ... and of course the allegories fall fast and thick with a heavy soupcion of religious dogma thrown in ... but the lines are blurred in this story as each and every character is flawed .... as we all are in real life ...
Regardless, Pullman has a way with plot and pace ... I was reading this on the train today ... the part where Mrs Coulter and Lord Roke are trying to destroy the bomb that the Magisterium want to ignite in order to decimate Lyra who they see as an Eve figure and symbolically the harbinger of evil in the world as her destiny is to be tempted and ultimately to succumb ... I was taking in audible panic breaths and letting out little yelps of excitement like a complete loser!!! Oh.My.God. You soooo have to read these books!
Ok ... so I've been a little quiet (i.e. really slack!!) but with good reason.
I recently had 2 weeks of the house to myself ... and admittedly it hasn't been easy. Managed to catch up with a few friends and start on a few projects and basically just chilled with the house ... if u know what I mean. I might mention a few online chats ... but somethings should be kept amongst friends. What I realised out of all this is that it did feel somewhat like I had lost a limb with M not being around ... I was in some way imbalanced (sic??) ... not quite whole ... my sleep patterns were all whacked out for a start ... and I stumbled around like I had too many antihistamines washed down with the merest slip of alcohol ... but thats all over now. M's back and I think he's glad to be back .... and I'm glad to have him back ...
So whats been going down?. I made a half arsed attempt to jot down little notes of whats been happening in order to formulate these into coherent paragraphs at a later date ... but having been bamboozled by new conceptual ideas like blog-house, math-rock and nintendo core whilst attempting desperately to stave of the ravages of time by trying to appear top of the game in all things YOUTH!!, I have decided to slip on the comfy slippers and slurp quietly at my condensed milk infused cup of tea.
So to celebrate the slowing down of synapses between neurons that have taken a beating over time, I will encapsulate in point form as the most expedient method of diarising this life that is quickly running out of tarmac as it slides ever onwards to the big FOUR -Oh!!
Point 1:
Scored freebies to AIR - at the Palais - in the third row.
Highlight of the evening - well really just being able to spend time with R. We were our usual indefatigable (just wanted to use one of my favourit words) silly selves. It was the night when the gods above decided to rent melbourne asunder with gale force winds. And of course we had to traipse all the way to west melbourne to meet D for the tix ... and wouldn't you know it, it starts pouring just when I decide to leave the office ... gale force winds and rain - not a great combo. But we survived, and froze our asses in sea breezes coming off the St Kilda coast ... had to duck to avoid seeing AW from Connect and got busted by P from EMI ... she remembered me of all things and I pretended ... All i can say is that AIR rocked at a few points .. but tis not the best of venues for them ... as it is their music is generally pretty laid back ... so ironically it does require a bit more interaction than row upon row of middle-aged (you read that right) or closely skirting middle age peops .. all comfy in their old world gold gilt chairs ... happy to be out of the cold ... and it didn't help that it wasn't a full-house ... and the vocodered "thank you very much" ... dude thats good for a laugh for about a millisecond ... but not throughout the evening. To be honest, we were more interested in the backing band .. they seemde to be doing most of the work .. of course they were all in black, set back of the stage out of the light ... Anyhoo ... here are some pics, not very good, off the dtt dtt on my mobile phone ....
We rounded off the evening at Meyer Place ... and I was over at D and R's the next night to catch up on music goss, faves and raves.
Which leads me to my current listening pics Point 2:
Whatever you do, don't go to the Myspace page and try to ignore all promo pics and videos before you listen to this. They look like absolute tosspots ... but boy is this album da bomb!!! If you haven't heard this, do your homework and let me know how it all turns out. I cannot stop listening to the album ... its Todd Rundgren for the noughties ... but don't let that put you off ... I dare you to resist the opening synth riff for Time to Pretend ... and you will be singing "I'm the weekend warrior" without even realising it.
Punchy, camp, shouty, nervy postpunk new wave rock. Not the best tunes, but something about the attitude. Play The French Open and Cassius, and you will be strutting down the street in your skinnies .. daring anyone to get in your way ... natural if you're n your teens ... pathetic in your late 30s.
And on the dance tip, even though I left raves and drugs and mixmag behind with the retail jobs ... but you can actually listen to these intellectually, and if you want to bob your head like a loser, ironic t-shirt, sneaker wearing loser straightie ... more power to ya ... but check these out!!!
I'm with you D on this one ... can't wait for a bonafide Black Ghosts CD - if i was 21, this would be the CD I would recommend anyone who asks how I like my dance music ... as it is I'm still recommending FC Kahuna's Another Fine Mess.
This one is a tad on the YOUTH!! side for me. Their album is a little bit faux-Justice ... but this really is a buggin' mix!!
Which reminds me ... if you're one of the lucky few to have downloaded Justice's rejected Fabriclive mix .. how fantastic is it!!!!!
FINALLY, M83 Saturday=Youth
Ordinarily I maintain that an Artist's music should be able to stand in its own right unreliant on the concept that drives it either via the videos, the press hype, the promo shots and/or the album cover design .... HOWEVER ... (apart from the naff pics in Cinematic Orchestra's Ma Fleur) ... having a visual reminder of what it was like growing up as a child in the 80s does contribute so aptly to the listening pleasure this cd affords. Its not the best M83 album, but certainly for peops like me, its almost painfully nostalgic ... I just wanted to hunt down old John Huston movies and Thriller-lite b-grade horror dvds with shoulderpads and stone washed denims ... i know that mentioning Molly ringwald in a lyric and having a Molly-lookalike in the artwork is a little heavy handed ... but you don't know what films like Pretty in Pink and the Breakfast club ... and even Fright Night mean to a tragic 80s freak like me. But be warned ... this is NOT the high NRG footlosse flashdance end of the 80s ... this is more Tears for Fears, unknown Cure wannabes on 80s movie soundtracks circa 83 - 85.
If you haven't heard any M83, don't start with this one ... buy the album before with its stalker-serial killer on the loose vignettes ... Before the Dawn Heals us ...
And as a taster of how perfectly atmospheric their music can be .. here's a clip from the new Spike Jonze directed skater film soundtracked by M83:
Point 3:
On my final book of His dark Materials ... this better have a kickarse plot resolution or I will be very angry!! But Nicole Kidman is the perfect choice for Mrs Coulter ... and Kate Bush should never contribute to a soundtrack evah again ... what the fuck is up with taht Lyra song???!!!
On to Artemis Fowl after this ... and then I really need some good adult fiction ...
Point 4:
Friedrich Gray and Romance was Born have hit the shops ... but my wallet says No!! Yet Again!! Foiled by the fucking Reserve Bank of Australia
Point 5:
My dear friends ... I need some inspiration y'all ... work is quietly driving me insane
Ok ... is this just another way to suck some more of your hard earned dollars for an ever diminishing pool of music biz profits??
Its time to blame Radiohead again .... yeah pay what you like ... or pay nothing at all ... and then wham ... its a discbox set only available online and nowhere else ... and in the harsh light of day ... after the sense of euphoria dies down ... what bang did you really get for your buck ... the vinyl edition of the album ... an arty booklet ... and some off cuts which are interesting enough but nothing really mindblowing .. but what happen to the cover of Unravel .. bitches!!
Dear ole Trent Reznor has decided to do very much the same .. can we really put up with 2 discs of electronic meanderings wearing its 80s industrial nous on its sleeve with wholesale rip-off melodies from Bowie's Low years? NIN fan (-atics) step up to the plate.
Which leads me finally to the point of this whole post ...
Portishead finally releases another full studio album entitled imaginatively enough THIRD!! And guess what!! OMG its another digital download with limited edition boxset!!! And guess what ... it don't have no CD but it has the vinyl version of the album ... but in its defense ... the USB drive in the shape of the Portishead P is delicious!! AND it includes 4 (I think) films plus the digital version of the LP (but in the dreaded WMA format) ... AND it includes a cel ... but I'm not quite sure of what .... AND AND AND guess who got sucked in and had to pre-order this online (so I'm one of 10000 worldwide) ... YOURS TRULY!!! So 40 quid poorer and with a self induced stomach tumour on account of the long anxious wait for it to arrive.
But seriously ... how cool does it sound!!!
Its list time again ... because I quite enjoy these:
MUSIC
MGMT Oracular Spectacular (eveb tho I agree with D that they look like tosspots on MYSPACE ... but the opening track is fantastic)
These New Puritans - Beat Pyramid - ok its yet another frigging journo-speak genre ... NU-RAVE ... what the hell ... great album though
El Guincho - Alegranza .. this is so much fun ... a sort of whacked out Mexican Avalanches via Toronto
Black Mountain - In the Future - intense
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark - this one has finally clicked
Hercules and Love Affair - GAY!! But for the moment it serves a purpose
Migrating Bird - Songs of Lal Waterson - in a word .. beautiful
Thee Silver Mt Zion - hard work .. but ultimately a moving experience ... stirring like Arcade Fire but through a drunken drugged out haze
READS
Still on Northern Lights .. but I've reached the Polar Bear .. YAY
TV
Repeats during Prime Time ... absolutely no respect
FASHION?
Finally had a look round Zambezi ... Eastern Market prices ... for PVC lined tops ... erm .. I think not
Leopold - despite LMFF, whats currently in store is for the wannabe straight tool wanting to impress the blonde sluts in South Melbourne
BUT - 30% at David Jones - including those whacked out Frinetti pants ... so double YAY
Oprah question - does anyone in the audience truly love their job??
