Seriously, what’s going on in Surry Hills? Or at least my end of Crown Street… another shop closing.
I’m sure it will be replaced by a cafe or a restaurant in due course, but in the meantime, there’s more “for lease” signs in my part of Surry Hills than I’ve seen in the sixteen years I’ve lived here.
So how did I spend my 44th birthday?
Well it was a Monday, so I went to work, and dealt with some of the more mundane aspects of my job.
And then after work, a couple of colleagues and I went out for a drink (or three).
Then I came home to watch Dansbandskampen, a Swedish television program.
It’s a bit like “Idol”, it’s a bit like “X-Factor”, it’s a bit like the “Got Talent” franchise, but it’s also uniquely Swedish in many ways because it features “dansbands”.
I found dansbands described on the interweb in these terms…
They’re middle aged, often bald, in male majority and with a horrible taste in both cloths, stylisists and music. They are Swedish Dance Bands. Flourishing during the 70’s and 80’s the music genre of dance band, in Sweden, is now just an odd memory of past days. All that remains are hundreds of LP records, made by obscure little local dance bands, depserately trying to make it to the big stages.
Famously, Dansbands were celebrated on the Audioporn Website and on The Top Ten Website, mostly because their photographs and album covers look so incredibly ridiculous with hindsight.
According to the Wikiweb…
The contest aims to bring dance band culture in the media light again, after that, during much of the 2000s the first decade played a more modest role compared with the tailwind during the 1990s.
Amongst the many Dansbands featured on the program I watched was a band which did a cover version of the faux-techno hit, “Boten Anna” by Basshunter.
As they sang along, a group of middle-aged dance and swing enthusiasts danced to their performance.
Later, they were judged by the likes of Magnus Carlsson, who before joining his alleged boyfriend in Alcazar, was once part of one of the most famous Swedish dansbands, Barbados.
The program I watched also featured a Swedish radio producer and a singer, Lisa Williams, who alternated between English and Swedish in her comments.
Yes, I know it sounds bizarre. But it was also a very entertaining program. And if you have some time, I’d suggest you check it out on http://svtplay.se/, as it’s great fun.
And even though it’s in Swedish it’s still reasonably easy to follow.
It was a fun way to spend my birthday, although I’ll probably also do some more exciting stuff later in the week.
As I walked home via Oxford Street tonight the gay bars were full of people in uniform. Stonewall, in particular, with crowds flowing out on the street. I saw two guys in uniform having a bit of a cuddle, and not in a “mateship” kind way. Now I see where the navy gets the reputation it has from. But what a refreshing change it must be for the men and women in the defence forces who, twenty years ago, might have found it difficult to be so open about being gay in the military.
I went this afternoon to the Dusk Service at the Martin Place Cenotaph. As much as I thought it would be great to go to the Dawn Service, the combination of cold weather, rain and laziness on my part kept me in bed. I was looking forward to going, because for the last four or five years, I’ve been working for Anzac Day. Sometimes I’ve been in Hyde Park for the march, but I’ve usually been back at the radio station making sure our coverage all went to air okay.
This year I had a different Anzac Day work challenge, putting together a 24-hour digital radio station dedicated exclusively to Anzac Day themed content, some of it new, some of it from the archives, and a lot of it being live to air. So I missed the dawn service, but made up for it by going at dusk. “A more informal affair” was how it was described this afternoon’s MC. And indeed it was, with a much smaller crowd than the many thousands who attend the Dawn Service. Nonetheless, it was a lovely service, and the only thing I felt a little uncomfortable with was singing “God Save The Queen”. Noticeably hardly anyone sang along to it, whereas the crowd sang “Advance Australia Fair” loudly and proudly. I guess part of the reason may have been that so many young people probably don’t know the words to “God Save The Queen”. We stopped singing it art school when I was 10 or 11, which means there’s a whole generation (nearly two??) who aren’t that familiar with the song.
Aside from Anzac Day festivities, I had lunch with an old school friend who lives in Newcastle these days. She had come to Sydney to put one of her sons on board a plane to spend a few days with his aunt and grandfather in Tasmania. So I spent the day with her and her other two children, now aged 13 and 14. OMG, can you believe that?
After catching up with a mate last night at my “local” pub, I caught the bus to Darlinghurst for what I thought might have been the return of Harbour City Bears. The regular Friday night gathering doesn’t appear to have returned yet. Instead, there was a mixed crowd of people, and boy was it packed. After gaining entry I looked around, and quickly decided there were too many people for my liking, and so I left immediately.
I then went for a walk around the Oxford Street area to investigate further. The queue outside Universal was maybe fifty metres long.
And the queues I saw last night didn’t appear to be “fake queues” either. By that, I mean queues “manufactured” to make a bar look busy, and therefore interesting, when in reality there were very few people inside. No, the bars and clubs looked pretty busy.
The laws change on Monday, and it looks like pretty much “all restrictions” will be dropped.
There were very people walking around last night wearing face-masks. “COVID? What COVID?” seems to be the attitude.
A few months ago the NSW Premier quite emphatically said cases would “skyrocket” (or something like that) when restrictions were dropped.
The other week, some doctors in Lismore warned of a peak of COVID cases there around Christmas Day, and a family member who is a nurse told me this week, “we haven’t seen the worst of it yet”.
In the meantime, I’m keeping my mask firmly on.
PS: Five minutes after posting, I received an email to confirm Harbour City Bears returns to Kinselas next Friday night, November 12. I can’t make it, as I will be away.
Conscious that I sometimes share material on other platforms that never makes “the cut” here on my blog, here’s a few tweets, posts, and observations that still seem relevant from July. Lots of ephemera, but hopefully still quite entertaining.
July 3 : New from Marvel Comics? “Knull Is Coming”. FYI – Knull is a very naughty word in Swedish. https://www.thelocal.se/20200702/swedish-word-of-the-day-knull
July 16 : Yesterday a colleague admitted to Weetabix for a late afternoon lunch. Today I ate a bowl of ice cream during a video conference. Working from home!
July 17 : Have spent half the morning waiting for a quiet period at home to record some audio links for my weekly radio show. Jackhammers! Another colleague reports he has a possum in the roof (lives in the country). Anyone else having this problem?
July 18 : Reading a newspaper article about the death of one of my ancestors. “Her spirit passed away from it’s earthly tenement, which from sheer decay of nature, had become incapable of longer retaining it.” Can I please request this for my obit? :)
July 26 : Hardly a week goes by without me mentioning @vgeller (tell the truth, make it matter, never be boring) and @Brdcaster (on diversity – the risk of becoming a precious emblem to a dying elite). Thanks both for your inspiring thoughts that live on at ABC Australia.
July 26 : Many years ago I noticed a subtle language difference between the Irish and the English. At Dublin airport they asked me “how long are you staying with us for?”, and at Heathrow, they asked me “when are you leaving?”. :)
July 29 : #nerdalert My local pub takes your temperature when you enter. Here are some recent entries: 35.4, 35.7, 35.9, 35.7, 35.3, 35.3 Who needs Medicare? :):) To which, a colleague replied: “Were these all taken in one day, or are you spreading out these visits?” Hheheheheeheh
I can’t quite recall exactly when my haircuts went from $10 or $15 to $40 or $50, though it happened sometime around COVID, I think. For the last couple of years, I’ve been going to some nicer barbershops in Surry Hills where that seems the standard price for a clipper cut and beard trim. Maybe the price went up, or maybe my tastes just changed—I’m more inclined to go for a more pampering experience these days, in comparison with when I was younger and always in a hurry to get somewhere.
I recently discovered a new barbershop tucked away in the underground car park at the new Surry Hills Shopping Village (previously known as Surry Hills Mall, and before that, Redfern Mall, though locals sometime call it the “Murder Mall” or the “Methadone Mall”).
I asked the barber when he opened, and he said three months ago. It seems like he’s been building up a steady clientele, but I was able to walk right in this morning and only had to wait a short while. It only cost $35 for a beard and hair combo, which I think is pretty good. Actually, I’m quite happy with it!
The shopping centre is starting to see some new life with restaurants opening up. Last night, my friend Andrea and I went to a new place called “Island Radio.” As you might guess, the name drew us in—we’ve both worked in radio for a long time. But we were also attracted to the food and drink menu. “It’s like being back in rooftop bar in Vietnam”, my friend said, remembering that she, her and I husband had travelled there last year, and really loved trying cocktails in rooftop bars at the end of the day. We were really impressed. The staff were terrific, the drinks were wonderful, the food was great, and it wasn’t outrageously expensive. Sure, it’s not cheap for a couple of drinks after work on a Friday, but it was reasonable.
As we sat there, catching up, we noticed that other restaurants and bars are starting to open in the centre as well. It’s an encouraging sign, in stark contrast to what we used to have with the Surry Hills Mall and its two-dollar shops.
Best of all, I think I’ve found my new go-to barbershop. The thing I like most about QMAN (which stands for “Quitessential”) is that I was able to get a haircut without having to wait too long. The barber did mention their online booking system, which is good to know about. I also appreciate they weren’t overly talkative. You know how some barbers want to chat your ear off about their life and yours? I much prefer to sit quietly, enjoy the atmosphere, and relax while getting my haircut.
Because it’s tucked away in the car park, it was quiet and peaceful. The music was lovely, and the atmosphere was great. I can imagine on a hot day it’ll be a nice escape. So, there it is. I’ve found my new spot!
In other exciting news, I took delivery of my “wet leg” this week. This is a prosthetic which is water proof and doesn’t rust, so theoretically I can wear it in the shower, swimming or at the beach. I’ve been advised it’s still important to rinse the prosthetic after being in salt water. And for the most part, I will probably still remove the prosthetic when I have a shower so I can clean myself thoroughly.
Armed with my new leg in a tote bag. along with my first socket which can now be a “spare”, I struggled for a moment to find room for much else. But then I suddenly realised the solution.
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Oxford Street Paddington went through similar closures in the aftermath of the opening of Westfield Bondi Junction but encouragingly seems to be in recovery now.