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November 24, 2006
The Cruellest Cut
A few weeks ago, my friend who works at the over-punctuated Age [melb!ou*rne] magazine sent me an email, desperate for a letter for their letters page, and hinting that I might even win a prize for my efforts. I obliged, and it was published today. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, they cut the last couple of sentences.
Goodness me, how terribly original. A Melbourne magazine running a feature on Barry Humphries in which he shares his thoughts on a city he hasn't lived in for over twenty years. Honestly, for a magazine which purports to understand how Melbourne ticks, you'd think you'd be able to lay your hands on someone a little more relevant, more interesting, more... resident. Not to mention that the continuing deification of Humphries and his ilk by publications such as yours makes readers under the age of thirty feel like they don't even exist. If your intention with Melbourne magazine is merely to provide a vehicle for advertisers to sell expensive watches to cashed-up baby boomers, fine. But please don't pretend to offer us anything different.
I didn't get the prize.
Posted by Peter at 08:51 AM | Comments (10)
November 16, 2006
Australians All
Today my friend Virginia launched Australians All, a site she's been working on for Julian Burnside and leading Petrosexual Malcolm Fraser, among others. Its contributors put their hearts on the line for you to read. You could at least have a look.Posted by Peter at 08:47 PM | Comments (0)
Just Not Made For These Times
It seems Brian Wilson has given the OK for a film about his life. If they get it right, it could be magnificent. Few things have moved me more of late than the man performing Smile at the Regent last year, and finally giving voice to the noises that had been rattling around his head for thirty years.Posted by Peter at 08:27 AM | Comments (4)
November 15, 2006
Keith Jarrett: Genius
I have listened to Keith Jarrett's Köln Concert countless times, and I still think it is one of the most extraordinary pieces of music around. I particularly like the lively "doo-do-doot-do-dooo" of the last number.Posted by Peter at 09:29 PM | Comments (4)
Call To Arms
By now, regular readers will be aware that I am directing a show. Being a small theatre company, we do pretty much everything on a shoestring. This doesn't mean it looks cheap, quite the opposite. But it does mean we have to call in occasional favours.
So... if you have any of these items, and would like to be immortalised in the program of Just Pretending's production of City of Angels, please let me know.
- Guns. We need three. 1940s style revolvers. No automatics. (perhaps we can pick up Victoria Police's surplus);
- A shoulder holster for one of the guns;
- 2 belt holsters for the other two guns; and
- 2 truncheons (ooer, constable, got the handcuffs? etc).
Inquire within: peter AT glutbusters DOT com.
Posted by Peter at 09:20 PM | Comments (11)
BlogWar
I love a good blog war, particularly amongst the big guys. Check out James Wheeldon and Tim Dunlop vs Andrew Bolt.Posted by Peter at 02:37 PM | Comments (6)
Ladies' Day
This is ace. A 14 year old girl picked for Carey's First XI cricket team. She's obviously pretty handy. And cricket, being a non-contact sport based around skill and timing rather than strength, is one of our best prospects for genuine boy/girl action at the highest level. I'd love one day to see a lady in the baggy green, particularly if she took Justin Langer's spot.Posted by Peter at 01:42 PM | Comments (1)
November 14, 2006
High Court shafts Work Choices challenge
What a surprise. The Howard-stacked High Court has rejected a challenge to WorkChoices.Posted by Peter at 11:46 AM | Comments (2)
Arching
One of the best albums I've found in my recent Scando-jazz period is the lyrical piano-bass gold of Olivier Antunes and Jesper Lundgaard's "Arching". You'll have to buy it from Denmark, but it's worth it.Posted by Peter at 09:59 AM | Comments (5)
November 13, 2006
Blogging In Absentia
Good god, haven't I been absent a long time. Normally I don't bother with these touch base posts (if you can't say anything nice/good etc...), but a friend of mine told me about a friend of hers who doesn't know me yet still reads this. I was so thrilled at the thought of someone who I don't know personally actually reading this that a sense of obligation to other readers was stirred and, well, here we are.
I have been frightfully busy at the moment, directing a musical for the theatre company I have (with a few others). I love musicals, but they're a shitload of work to direct.
Not to worry, the bulk of work will be over soon and I will be able to tell all about:
- my Grandmother's 90th birthday party, at which I found out that she was once engaged to be married before she decided it wouldn't work, reneged, and has ever since denied the engagement altogether;
- how much I love being from an Italian family when they do things like hold a surprise party for my young cousin who has leukemia, and about 400 people turn up to a church hall to eat a donated spit roast, pay ridiculous amounts of money for a crap North Melbourne jumper, and dance to bad cover versions of Santana's "Black Magic Woman";
- my seemingly neverending quest to recover my copy of The Latham Diaries (hardcover) from the person I lent it to and subsequently forgot. The only lead I have, after a couple of email broadcasts, is that it was recently seen amongst the debris in my aforementioned grandmother's retirement community bedsit; and
- the fact that my tennis game has gone to shit and I haven't won a singles in three weeks.
Won't that be fun for everyone?
UPDATE: I have located my Latham Diaries. I will place it next to my recently reclaimed Dark Victory in the "Rage Building" section of my library.
Posted by Peter at 09:01 PM | Comments (61)
November 03, 2006
A special gift for Jellyfish and The Boy Wonder: the 80s TV themes archive.Posted by Peter at 09:49 AM | Comments (1)