Twelve months ago, as I was travelling overseas the film “Mamma Mia” had just opened. Everywhere I went, Mamma Mia seemed to be following me. It’s interesting how in some countries ABBA was the drawcard, in others it was the stage-show, in some it was the Hollywood cast, and in Hong Kong, it’s Tom Hanks as producer who gets top-billing. Meanwhile, the small Norwegian town of Narvik (near where Frida from ABBA was born) claimed to have the “World Premiere”.
“Are you a city-slicker, mate? How do you cope with all the traffic?”, the bloke in the chair next to me asked, as he started up a conversation, as we waited at the hospital today.
I was in for fairly minor surgery, having a sebaceous cyst removed. “I’m in to have my ear reattached. I blew it off the other week”, he told me, adding they would need to do some significant reconstruction work, and that he already had metal plates inside his head.
He was from Griffith and had been referred to Sydney by Wagga Base Hospital, as they couldn’t do it locally.
We went on to chat about Griffith and Wagga, and in particular the growth of Wagga Base Hospital. Thanks Darryl and Gladys!
He went on to describe the process of driving 600km from Griffith, staying in a caravan park, and then taking a further hour to drive into the city today. “We were hoping to cross the bridge, but missed the turn-off, so ended up in the tunnel,” he told me with a genuine air of disappointment.
His experience was a wonderful contrast to my own reasonably minor operation, and having travelled less than 2kilometres on the 352 bus!
He was one of those lovely friendly country blokes, always keen for a chat. “These knickers are pretty sexy”, he joked with one of the nurses, when asked to put on a gown, and some very unsexy knickers.
The whole process today was seamless. I arrived at 7.30, and by 9.30, I was gulping down the gas. By 11.30, I was awake, but only after the calls from several people asking me to wake up. ‘Sorry, I love sleeping”, I told them.
Before I knew it, I was picked up by my friend and neighbour, Karina and was home and sleeping again
I have had an operation every ten years. At 26, it was my appendix. At 36, it was a fistula. At 46, it was a sebaceous cyst. And today, at 56, that cyst was removed again. Should I book in now for 66? Hips/knees?
Within a couple of days, I had the pleasure of seeing Mark Trevorrow embody his iconic character, Bob Downe, on two separate occasions. The first was at a recording of TGIF for ABC Radio, and the second was his solo show at the Enmore Theatre for the Sydney Comedy Festival.
TGIF for ABC Radio Sydney
A touch of wistful sadness, mingled with happiness, came over me as I stood to the side during the TGIF rehearsal at Chatswood.
I remember when TGIF first began. I was the Content Director at ABC Radio Sydney at the time. Initially, under Mike Carlton, it was a Friday “funniest week in review” type of program. When Richard Glover took over the Drive slot, TGIF evolved, largely as a studio-based show, until we decided to try it in front of a live audience.
Richard has a fondness for that 1960s BBC comedy panel show style, and I suppose TGIF, in some ways, reflected that. While I can’t recall the exact details of our first live shows, we started doing them, I believe, once a month on a Friday at ABC Radio Sydney, eventually transitioning to a weekly event.
I joked with the current Content Director at ABC Radio Sydney yesterday that when I held that role over a decade ago (actually, even longer), I never anticipated stacking as many chairs as I did. Despite being in a management position, I often found myself arranging seating for outside broadcasts and similar events. I certainly have strong memories of the great things we achieved during my time as Content Director.
That was a different chapter in my career and life. Nevertheless, I attended the live recording of TGIF. Richard Glover has since moved on, and the show is now hosted by Charlie Pickering. It broadcasts on local radio in New South Wales and Victoria, as well as on Radio National.
While it’s a different show now, it still retains some of those lovely original elements, like “The News From Nowhere” and a line-up of great comedians. For instance, at this week’s recording, we had Michael Hing (currently presenting afternoons on ABC Radio Sydney while James Valentine has been on leave), Jackie Loeb (who has been living in America for a long time and, to be honest, I had almost forgotten about), Tommy Dean (a regular on TGIF with Richard), and Rebecca De Unamuno. It was wonderful to be there and see these talented individuals, many of whom I’ve watched perform over the years.
Also performing was Mark Trevorrow as Bob Downe. It was unmistakably Mark, as I’ve known him for some time. In fact, during my tenure as Content Director at ABC Radio Sydney, I regularly featured Mark on air, mostly on evenings and late-night programming. He was terrific to work with. We also share a connection to Northern New South Wales, as he spends a fair bit of time there. He seemed to think I had actually moved up there, but I clarified that I’m still living in Sydney. It was lovely to see Mark perform on stage again.
Enmore Theatre
A few days later, the show at The Enmore was tremendous fun. Even though Bob Downe has been gracing stages for four decades, and I’ve caught many of his performances over that time, the act still felt remarkably fresh and enjoyable.
I have vivid memories from early in Bob’s career when I’d attend his shows. He often singled me out for audience interaction, which, I confess, used to make me a little flustered. Years later, having met Mark through work, I asked him about this. He explained, “You were probably wearing a white shirt or something. When you’re on stage with lights in your eyes, you instinctively look for something bright to focus on, to connect with.”
This particular Enmore show was heavily focused on great pop songs from the last 40 years, interspersed with Mark’s own experiences performing the character.
We were also introduced to some new faces, including a younger version of Bob, portrayed by actor Rupert Noffs, and Mark’s partner, Stephen Elliott, who also made an appearance. Mark was careful to clarify that this Stephen Elliott was NOT the director of “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”
Mark was very amusing when discussing the show, joking that he continues to perform as Bob because his superannuation isn’t sufficient. Indeed, there was a significant merchandise push towards the end of the performance, and people seemed happy to purchase items as we left the theatre.
This prompted a discussion among my friends and me: Is this the last we’ll see of Bob Downe, or does the character have plenty of life left in him? Mark, now in his mid to late 60s, could certainly continue, but who knows?
There is a rare, deep kind of peace that only arrives when your plans are taken completely out of your hands.
Yesterday, an unexpected 24-hour flight delay left me grounded in Melbourne on my way to Bangkok. I had a full day in a hotel with nothing but a single bag, which forced me to simply sit and be present.
I spent the evening watching Feud, the drama retelling the making of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. After a few episodes, I drifted into a deep sleep, only to wake up a few hours later to that heavy, absolute silence you only ever find when you’re away from home. With the air conditioning humming in the total darkness, I felt a level of relaxation that is almost impossible to find in the usual rush of life.
Often, we head into a holiday carrying a suitcase full of anxiety, worrying if we’ve sorted every last detail at home or at work. But this enforced delay was a gift. It stripped away the “to-do” list and allowed me to just be.
I’ve realised over the last couple of years that the universe carries on just fine without me. Recognising that I’m not the centre of everything is incredibly liberating. That single night in Melbourne allowed me to shed the stress of the “everyday” and truly prepare for the journey ahead.
As I head back to the airport for the second time, I’m feeling remarkably still.
Colin and I went to see the play, “Bent” tonight at Belvoir Street.
Colin had seen a production at the National Theatre (he thinks) in London many years ago, and I had a vague recollection of seeing the movie which featured Clive Owen, Ian McKellen and Mick Jagger amongst others also.
The story concerns two men who are in the concentration camp at Dachau, a concentration camp which both Colin and I had also – separately – visited. The character of Max, played by Radek Jonak is from a reasonably wealthy family, though estranged from them because he’s gay. Imprisoned at Dachau, he becomes friends with Horst, played by Sam Haft. as they work on a “chain gang” moving rocks. The moving of the rocks served no other purpose, by the way, than to drive the participants insane.
Although they’re both gay, Max declares himself Jewish because he is told in the concentration camps, the Gays were lower on the social scale than the Jews. Max and Horst subsequently fall in love, and there are some wonderfully touching scenes between them, even though they can’t physically look or touch each other. Beyond that, saying anything else would be a plot spoiler for anyone going to see the play.
I can safely say, however, there were moments when we both laughed, and moments when we were both on the verge of tears. Dealing with Nazism, and the way in which the Nazis attempted to debase the human condition, there are also many confronting themes and images. It’s not a night of light theatre. That said, we both came away having enjoyed the experience so much. Mostly because it is about the triumph of the human spirit.
It’s a really good play. And the production is really good also. For just a brief moment near the beginning of the play, we were both concerned the production seemed a bit amateurish, as the caricatured Nazi officers were a little over the top. There’s also a bit of gratuitous – though not unpleasant – nudity near the beginning of the play. But the strength of the play and the performances by the lead actors came through. The actors who played Max and Horst were both very, very good.
If you thought last weekend was a blip, weather-wise, in Sydney, think again. As I wandered around the city late this afternoon everyone was wearing shorts, and there were quite a few men walking around shirtless.
Even last night, as I wandered home from a couple of drinks with Graeme, at about eight o’clock, the streets were well and truly packed. Sydney gets a “party vibe” at around this time of the year. The streets are packed. People are casually dress. And there’s a spring in everyone’s step. It’s a great time to be here.
But there again, you have the hot weather to deal with. And last night I didn’t sleep well due to the heat and the mosquitoes. Bloody mosquitoes. I presume they’re attracted to other parts of my body aside from my ears :)
And then, at about three o’clock in the morning, I heard someone skateboard down my street. Yes, skateboard. I sleep most nights with the window open. Even in winter. I like my fresh air. On the downside, you do get to hear every sound imaginable, and some unimaginable. Last night, for example I also noticed in the still of the night I could hear the actual ablutions in my neighbour’s bathroom. Still, I guess it’s better than the noises I used to hear from the neighbours downstairs BEFORE they had children.
It was a bit of a “do nothing day” as I read for a while and listened to the radio. I’m loving my new digital radio by the way. And I also did a bit of reflection. One of the reasons I try to keep a daily diary on this blog is to help me track my life. And I’ve been noticing lately I’ve been wasting a bit of time. There are days when I feel I haven’t done as much as I should.
I’ve also noticed I haven’t been doing enough of the things I really like doing. I haven’t been going out to eat as much. I haven’t been to as much theatre. I’ve mostly been working hard and doing all of the Swedish things. But that’s about it. Time for a bit of balance again, I suspect.
As you may have seen on the news, we had quite a big hail storm in Sydney this week. Or should I say hail storms? There were two distinct storm periods in my part of Sydney, separated by a half-hour period of stunningly bright sunshine. I’m lucky to live in the middle floors of an apartment block, and so I’m generally protected from all weather extremes – never really too hot, never really too cold, and usually well protected from the elements like rain and hail. But unlike previous storms, I was slightly anxious about this one, as hail stones came down through the open areas of the apartment block. I thought they were going to cause damage, but thankfully all was okay.
Of course, there was the big hail storm of the late 1990s which caused many millions of dollars of damage, but the last memorable hail storm in my area was twelve years ago. Though I don’t remember exactly when it occurred, from the photographs, you could have sworn it was winter.
For most of my colleagues this week, things have quietened considerably. By Friday, there were only five of us in an office space that normally houses about twenty people. Most people are taking leave, returning on January 7, I’m working through. With my role, it’s actually quite a busy time, as I take on the reins while others take a break. But at the same time, it’s also quite a nice time of the year to work.
At this time of the year, Sydney is delightfully quiet. You can walk to work and not have to worry too much about the traffic. With fewer people at work, there are less distractions, with fewer emails to respond to, and only a handful of essential meetings. So for me, this is a really nice time.
So I’m not going home for Christmas this year. I’ll be spending it with a friend and a few other people who she also described as “orphans”.
I’ll head up to Lismore some time in February, I think. One family member has a few “legal problems”, while another is going in to have surgery on her knees. I’m not sure if I’ll be a help or a hindrance being there, but it seems like a good time to plan a brief holiday.
Oh yeah, and for the next two weeks, I’ve vowed to wear shorts to work.
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