I suspect if there was anywhere else I would be happy to live in Sydney, aside from Surry Hills, it would be nearby Chippendale. It’s a suburb with a lot of cultural diversity, with an active arts scene (there are lots of great galleries in the area), and even with a lot of history, it’s also an area undergoing dramatic change (the Central Park complex is located on the suburb’s fringe).
I guess that’s why I really like the Beams Festival: it seems that it’s very much a product of the environment and the community in which it takes place. There’s edgy street art, there’s music and dance, and there’s even something for the kids. As we wandered around last night, it was great to take in and really enjoy all of the elements. Hey, we even watched and enjoyed the teenage hip-hop dancers.
This was only the third year of the Beams Festival in Chippendale, and only the second time I’ve attended, but there’s something really fantastic about the festival which already makes me anticipate next year.
Live Art at Beams Festival, Chippendale, Sydney
As you held the cardboard box to your face, you saw a 3-d screen image of the neighbourhood.
We never really understood what this performance was about.
Opera singer in a golden structure.
Launched from a terrace balcony atop an artwork made from recycled goods. Who else but Clover Moore?
I spent a couple of days this week on the Gold Coast, due to some family stuff. It was the first time I’ve been back on the Goldie in about a decade – it’s normally either just Lismore or Brisbane, with nothing in between. The last time I was there was for a wedding, and they’re divorced now!! Here’s a few photographs from my take back in Porpoise Spit.
Hello Porpoise Spit
Hello Porpoise Spit
Hello Porpoise Spit
My bigger travel plans commence Friday. You can expect many more regular posts from more exotic climes in the coming weeks. :)
There was a time not so long ago when I used to host an annual Eurovision Song Contest party. A whole bunch of us would gather together. We had score sheets. We had trophies. We had snack food based around different European cuisines. We revelled in the trashiness of it all. We constantly tried to outdo each other with smart-arse, bitchy comments. As the years went on I felt less inclined to hold these parties. There was a certain sameness to it every year. The longer the contest, the more difficult it became to go to work on the Monday morning. But the killer for me was I started to take Eurovision seriously.
I started to see through the “trashiness” of it all, what I call the “Woganification” of Eurovision, to see something really worthwhile and enjoyable, that you could enjoy without the need to trash it. I used to love Terry Wogan’s commentary, but over the last few years I’ve begun to realise the really negative impact he’s had on Eurovision in the UK directly, and in Australia indirectly. In the UK, his constant trashing of the entries (with a heavy dose of UK-centrism and some degree of xenophobia) has indirectly led to a situation where the contest isn’t taken seriously, and why they keep putting up such awful acts, in my view. Indirectly, the years of his commentary being shown in Australia has led to something similar: a situation where Eurovision is defined in the public discourse only through the glitter, the camp, the trashy.
I’m not denying the glitter, the camp, and the trashy (as they’re elements of Eurovision I really love), but I’ve become increasingly disenchanted with the half-arsed lame, sledging comments on places like Twitter. Every many (with a Twitter account) and his dog watching Eurovision seems to think they’re the funniest new comedian or bitchiest new drag queen on the block. I’m also completely sick and tired of the SBS coverage where it’s become the Sam and Julia show. The killer for me, this year, was during the second semi-final when they actually began making comments OVER the song.
So this year I decided to avoid all of the shenanigans of a Sunday night watching the delayed SBS commentary. Instead, I got up early yesterday morning and watched the live coverage from SVT. As it was in real-time I didn’t have to worry about the stupid all day Sunday media blockout, avoiding the results. I also got to enjoy a coverage which was amusing and with affection, and where the commentators didn’t speak over the top of the songs, nor over the top of important parts of the show, and where it wasn’t all about them.
With that rant out of the way, these were my Top 3 this year.
1/ The Winner – Conchita Wurst : A great song, performed with passion, and with a great novelty act.
2/ The Wooden Spoon – Twin Twin : Despite the fact this song finished last, I thought it was great fun, had a good tune, and I really loved the fact it was the only song in the final not in English. This is the video version, by the way, since their live performance was rather dull, and out of tune.
3/ Sweden (of course) – Sanna Nielson : I actually think the song is rather boring, but when you support Team Sweden, you have to support the team.
Having been to Melodifestivalen (the Swedish finals) on a couple of occasions over the last few years, where the Swedes take it seriously, where they genuinely try to compete with a great song and a great performance, and where the public really looks up to those who enter the contest, I’ve begun to realise there’s another way of seeing Eurovision. It’s the difference between laughing WITH them (which is what the Europeans do) rather than AT them (which is what the UK and Australians seem to do).
It’s Sunday night and I’ve just watched “The Simpsons”. The last few days have seen a real explosion in my social life as I’ve gone from event to event. Bizarre really… isn’t it that with two weeks left in Perth suddenly I have lots to do. So, without further ado… here’s what I’ve been up to lately.
On Friday afternoon I went to the Government House Ballroom for the launch of the Perth International Arts Festival. Since David Mark from Sydney was in town, I invited him along for a glass of wine and a canape too while we caught up. The launch itself was interesting, as the organisers chose a catwalk for the main speakers to walk up and down which worked sometimes and didn’t others. When it was good, such as when the vocalist sang at the beginning, but when it was just a speech with clipboard, it began to take on “Anthony Robbins” motivational speech qualities. The ballroom itself, though, was just gorgeous.
Although, of course, I won’t be here for the festival, I was interested in some aspects of the program, including: Steven Berkoff Shakespeare’s Villains Steven Berkoff is considered of the world’s most acclaimed actors, writers and directors. He has electrified audiences with chilling productions such as East, Salome, and Coriolanus and as the archetype of evil in the films Octopussy, Beverly Hills Cop, Rambo and The Krays. and HG Nelson: On the Lurk (Australia) A bloke, a barbecue, a big screen and a bunch of ideas – what more could you want from arguably Australia’s finest cheese and cracker mind?
After that, Di and I headed off the Maritime Museum at Fremantle for the launch of the second series of Surfing The Menu. The publicity blurb for the series goes like this: Two hunky Aussie larrikins who just happen to be world class chefs, Ben O’Donoghue and Curtis Stone, have escaped their kitchens to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. With their surfboards and boning knives packed, they’ve hijacked a film crew to cook up a Gourmet Adventure Series that’s one part travel show and two parts cooking show. As Di is WA’s Tv publicist, I was briefly introduced to Curtis who seems like a nice bloke, though taller than I expected. Apparently the food for the launch was done by Ben Elton’s sister-in-law who lives in Perth. The combination of attending both events meant I didn’t have to worry about dinner on Friday night!
Yesterday was a gargantuan social day, starting off with lunch, which led to dinner and then to a fortieth birthday. I was invited to lunch by a lovely guy from work and his soon-to-be wife (they’ve been together 13 years) who are both terrific people: smart, good humoured, really nice people. Two other couples were invited, all of whom were also smart, good humoured nice people with interesting lives. For several hours we sat around, dissected the rights and wrongs of the world while enjoying a lovely meal in a great house. Could life get any better?
From there it was almost immediately straight off to dinner. I had dinner with Tiffany and three of her friends, Michael, Alistair and Terry who I met a couple of weeks ago at a trivia night. The result of that wonderful meeting of minds was a free dinner at Coco’s Riverside Restaurant And Bar. The food was reasonable, the service okay (I’m probably being kind), but the view was magnificent.
And then it was off to a fortieth birthday party for Russell from work. As was lunch and dinner, it was a terrific opportunity to catch up with smart, good-natured, people with whom I really bonded. We laughed, got angry, dissected the world and had a drink or seven.
I hope the next two weeks will be as much fun.
Tomorrow I’m catching up with a couple of ABBAMAILERS here in Perth, co-inciding with Christian Deligny’s visit for the Telstra Rally. I just spoke with Christian a short while ago and suggested inauspiciously named “The Lucky Shag” which is near The Belltower in the city as a good place to catch up tomorrow evening at about 6.00pm It’s has a great view and it’s central, so I thought he’d really like it. And of course, we can celebrate Frida’s Birthday!!!
On behalf of everyone in Sydney, I felt so incredibly embarrassed recently. Though I don’t subscribe to that whole Melbourne/Sydney rivalry thing (both are terrific cities), I know that many people in Melbourne believe Sydney-siders are an uncouth bunch of yobbos. A gross generalisation, of course, and if you look at the stats, Sydney-siders are more likely to go to an art gallery than a footy-match.
But I felt a slight cringe recently when I went to see a band visiting from Melbourne called “James Ellis and The Jealous Guys”. They play a style of alt-country, influenced by Americana, which I like very much. In some ways, they were the quintessential “Melbourne Band”, very good musicians, and almost “too cool for school”. I think this was their first gig in Sydney, and you could just tell, they’d made a big trip, along with a lot of equipment. And they were playing a pretty cool venue in Sydney on a Sunday night. Sydney’s reputation was at stake.
Sadly, our reputation was damaged by a group of women who had been on the turps all day, and thought it would be great fun to dance, steal the hats of the band members, and generally make a nuisance of themselves. Sadly, the venue did little/nothing to stop the behaviour, so it was left to audience members such as myself and others to urge them to “go home, you’re drunk and annoying”. Aside from that damage to Sydney’s reputation, I hope the band enjoyed the night, and will return.
Of late, I’ve also seen a bit of live theatre, including a final year production by students from NIDA, the National Institute of Dramatic Art, and an end of year comedy review at Giant Dwarf.
The production at Giant Dwarf was an end of year political review called “Love Barnaby”. With lots of laughs, I really enjoyed this, especially the moment above where Barnaby and Vikki sang, “You Can Leave Your Hat On”. I also enjoyed the final year NIDA production, based on the life and songs of Peter Garrett and Midnight Oil called “Blue Sky Mine”. With lots of songs, and a very basic script about Garrett’s life, it was well performed, directed, and nice and tight. I can imagine a longer-form theatrical piece.
Ten years ago, or even five years ago, I’m sure I could have been tempted to top off the evening with a nightcap at the nearby whiskey bar. But after a long day at work, several courses of food at Aløft, and a fair few glasses of beer, wine, and an Aperol spritz, we were all clear it was time to head home.
On top of work, I’ve been leading a fairly active social life in Hobart.
It all started on Monday night with the launch of the Theatre Royal 2018 Season. I read somewhere the theatre is one of the oldest in Australia. Even if it’s not, it’s a beautiful theatre. The launch of the impressiveness of next year’s theatre season was enhanced by the placement of the after-launch drinks on stage.
Also this week, Damien and I dined on Wednesday night at the pub, Tom McHugos. “This was called something different last time I was here”, I told him, remembering they served some very decent “pub food”. They still serve “pub food” at reasonable prices, but the style of food has gone a little “upmarket”. But not upmarket in an unreasonable manner. You can still get a schnitzel and fish and chips. Highly recommended.
I’ve also eaten this week at a pretty good Vietnamese, and then tonight, we dined on several courses at Aløft.
With spectacular views overlooking the water, the restaurant also enjoys terrific service (like, genuinely good service that was neither too attentive, not too distant, with waiters and someliers who seemed to genuinely know what they were talking about), as well as genuinely very good, interesting food. Very, very highly recommended.
And then today, through work, I also attended the announcement of the Australian Of The Year for Tasmania.
And yes, despite writing about food and wine adventures, I have also been working quite hard throughout the week. The big assignment for Wednesday was the announcement of the results of the Marriage Law Survey, which will see marriage equality legalised in Australia. At last. I went briefly to a pub where gay rights campaigner, Rodney Croome was hosting an announcement party, and on Wednesday night, I went to a further celebration at a nearby pub.
No doubt you’ve also read a little in the newspapers about further changes at the ABC which is where I work. Good news! I still have a job! It’s not dissimilar to the one I currently have, though it’s been further refined. It’s a terrific place to work, which I love very much, and hope to keep working at in the future.
I have a few plans for the weekend, including a visit to Mona, and a food/wine tour to Bruny Island. I also need to visit a doctor. From time to time in my life, I have suffered with sabaceous cysts. I had one on my back a few years ago which required surgery. And I have another one which has turned up on my face. Ah well.
It’s Wednesday night and I’m sitting at home having a glass of wine, although I should actually be at The Metro for the Chrissie Amphlett book launch. I would have gone, except that I’m a little tired after the last few days.
I’ve just spent the last three days in Newcastle, due to work. The work was good and interesting and it was great to catch up with some of my colleagues from around Australia. But it also gave me time to catch up with Kate, and we went out to pub trivia last night which was a load of fun. I really quite like Newcastle. The place has a reasonably good vibe about it. Mostly when I visit, due to Kate, I hang around with an artsy kind of crowd. But I also see, when visiting Newcastle, a pretty good cross-section of working class Newcastle. It remains a fairly working class Anglo town with thongs and shorts abounding. It’s a bit old fashioned in many ways. That’s probably why I like it!
In the last week I’ve also spent a bit of time exploring around Sydney. Last weekend, for example, I went for a look at the Danks Street galleries. The works that impressed me most were from a Korean artist who, mostly working in wrapping up small boxes and turning them into “relief paintings” (I think that’s the right phrase), had works which which were both visually outstanding, but also conceptually interesting. Nothing else at the galleries stood out for me, to be honest.
And then I wandered off to Moore Park. Knowing that IKEA was about to close, I thought it was a good idea to wander over to see if there were any bargains. There weren’t! Along the way, I wandered through the modern architectural monstrosity that Moore Park has become. Boxes, boxes, boxes. Plastic boxes at that. Moore Park is fast becoming worse than I expected it would. Modern day Eastern Bloc housing commission is the only way to sum up some of what I saw on the weekend. And I’m not being judgemental about the people, just about the business models that allow such architecture to develop.
The only other highlight from the last few days was catching up with Mark and Glen, as we celebrated Mark’s birthday at the Strawberry Hills Hotel. I’m too tired to write, so I’ll just quote Mark… Then I head over to Surry to meet up with James and Glen at the Strawberry Hills. It’s a lunchtime on a sunny Sunday morning and everything is peaceful in the city. James rocks up in his shorts and tells me about the virtues of watching cricket as I grimace at the big-screen TV and wonder. Then Glen brings me this little book called The Relevance of the Humanities which was the response of a bunch of Aussie academics to the impending HECS apocalypse in the 80s. Glen is also wearing shorts but it’s less of a thing with him. We have the famous Strawberry Hills lunch and chat on the veranda where the light is so bright that I almost fall of my seat.
That’s it, that’s all. Hopefully lots more to say on the weekend.
