I have never quite understood the suit jacket with jeans look. Often, they’re accompanied by cowboy boots. Call me old-fashioned, but I think if you’re gonna wear a suit jacket, I think you should wear suit pants.
You only ever see it on men in their forties or fifties who don’t seem able to make the transition from youthful to older clothing. It’s a look I most commonly associate with the music industry or commercial radio salespeople.
As I waited at the Qantas Club at Sydney Airport today there seemed to be a disproportionate number amongst the patrons.
The jeans and jacket look.
Though it’s a little expensive, I get a workplace-related discount for membership of QANTAS Club. I’m sure I’ve gotten my fair share of meals, wine and free WiFi to justify the personal expense. Most of all, I love going to the airport lounge to enjoy some “quiet time” ahead of a flight. Such a contrast to where I was headed.
Flying home to Ballina
I’m back in Lismore, and we’re hoping work over the next couple of weeks might be enough for Pat and Jack to move back home after the catastrophic floods in February and March. Yes, there was more than one flood! Michelle and I have taken leave to do as much as we can to make their home liveable again.
I can’t help but feel we’re luckier than many others. They’re alive (though it came very close to them drowning) and we have received support from both state and federal governments, as well as agencies like the Red Cross and Wesley Mission. We’re also applying for some of the money from the Lismore City Council.
There have been many suggestions about rebuilding the town, including relocating homes to higher ground.
As they’re both in their 70s and 80s, there’s no way Pat and Jack could restart or rebuild, either financially or emotionally.
There are hundreds/thousands of people in a similar position.
It’s Sunday afternoon/evening. I’m sitting here with a blanket over my knees. I’m freezing. I can’t decide if it’s because it really is cold, or if it’s because I have spent the whole day in bed. I worked last night until 6am, so I slept almost all of the day away until about 5pm.
At 10.42 yesterday, Damien and I caught the train to Rosehill Race Course for the annual Sydney Markets Race Day. We calculated that it’s about the fifth or sixth time that we’ve attended the race day and this time was probably the best.
We arrived early this time because we could. Until now, we have always been a little late, due to Damien’s work commitments. This year, however, we were able to leave early and get there early, early enough for the first race, which we watched from downstairs before heading upstiars for lunch.
It was a bright, sunny day, although the track was declared slow, as Damien discovered as he checked the form.
Another reason for being downstairs was so that I could take some really great photographs close up.
The first horse I saw was, in fact, my first and best winner of the day, returning me a $23.50 profit. I can’t remember its name now, but I thought it sounded to have good form and, being close to where the horses were lining up, I thought it looked like a good horse. What would I know?
We spent the next few hours wining and dining and betting on races upstairs in the Marscay Room. I had a few good conversations, including with Thomas George, the Member for Lismore. Damien also really enjoyed chatting with Sue and Richard about their trip to France last year.
Soon after the last race, we caught the train back to the city.
Damien had suggested earlier in the day we might also have dinner at Pazzo that evening, so we booked a table and had an enjoyable meal. What a great end to a day together!
I spent a lot of the day answering questions from friends, family and colleagues. You know how it is, though. You’re trying to do your job (Friday always has lots of deadlines I need to meet), and there’s a pop up message which you answer quickly, ignore, or promise yourself to get back to later in the day.
The questions, today, weren’t especially complex. They often didn’t involve a simple “hi, hello” greeting. No context was needed. They just simply asked, “so, what do you think?”
They all wanted to know what I thought of the new ABBA songs, released less than 24-hours ago “I don’t think I know yet. I think I need time to think, to write down my thoughts and feelings first”, I’ve told most of them.
And that’s mostly why I’m writing this blog post, to make some sense of it all.
I’ve actually appeared three times on different ABC Radio stations in the last 24-hours, since I’m considered a bit of an “ABBA Expert” amongst my colleagues. They’ve all asked similar questions. “What do you think of the songs. What do you think of the holograms they’re using, rather than their 70-something selves who are in the video clips and will appear in the stage show”, that kind of thing.
ABBA, now aged in their 70s, dressed up in outfits used to create the holograms in the video clip and in the forthcoming live showsAnd here are the holograms (or whatever they are). When I spoke on ABC Radio with Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck, I told them someone had posted “They look like Star Trek meets Tomb Raider”. Wendy laughed so hard!!
Probably the hardest question I was asked was by Angela Catterns from ABC North Coast. Ange is a legendary Australian radio announcer, best known from her days at Triple J and ABC Radio Sydney. I first came to know her from her days as a reporter on the TV show, Simon Townsend’s Wonder World which I watched as a child, growing up here in Lismore. In an earlier life, Ange worked at the local commercial radio station here in Lismore, 2LM.
She’s semi-retired and living back here now, doing the Saturday Breakfast Show. We recorded an interview today which she’ll put on the radio tomorrow (Saturday).
Before we started recording, she told me a close friend of hers, a well known Australian composer, had said to her “their production is always perfect”. “Yes, it is”, I agreed, “but there’s always an imperfection too. A slight issue of pronunciation. A slightly quirky orchestral sound”, I added. “That’s what I really like. The imperfection, the honesty of it all”, I told her. This is far more evident the more deeply you go into their back catalogue, and further into their career.
Ange’s simple question, “why do you like ABBA?” required some deep thought, asking me to consider why so much of my life has revolved around this pop group. They’ve been at the centre of friendships I’ve made, the career decisions I’ve taken, the travel I’ve undertaken, as well as other artistic and cultural pursuits in my life.
On many occasions on this blog, and throughout my life, I’ve mentioned the film, “Muriel’s Wedding”. The film features Toni Collette as Muriel, the outsider who grew up in Porpoise Spit, looking for something “more” in her life. There’s a bit of Muriel in all of us, in some ways, even if you didn’t necessarily grow up like I did, in a NSW North Coast town which dreams of moving away and finding a more interesting life.
At one point in the movie, Muriel confides to her friend…
When I lived in Porpoise Spit, I used to sit in my room for hours and listen to ABBA songs. But since I’ve met you and moved to Sydney, I haven’t listened to one Abba song. That’s because my life is as good as an Abba song. It’s as good as Dancing Queen.
As a kid growing up in my own version of Porpoise Spit, ABBA represented something very exotic for me.
I mentioned that exoticness to Angela in the radio interview, adding that the music we connect with as children and teenagers stays with us throughout our lives. “I listen to a lot of other music too”, I told her, “But I keep coming back to ABBA. Their music was how I learned about life, through the emotional roller coaster of the lyrics of their deeply personal songs. On another level, there’s the connection between ABBA’s music and the many very happy (and sad) times in my life.
A number of friends (ABBA fans) have posted comments about how they literally cried when they heard/saw the new songs. I wasn’t that emotional myself, but there was still a deep connection.
As I watched the video for “I Still Have Faith In You”, I listened closely to Frida’s voice (she has always been my favourite), and the harmonies with Agnetha. Aged 76, Frida’s voice sounds a little older, a little more fragile, with a stronger accent than which is evident in her earlier recordings. Personally, I love that.
“You know how when you’re a teenager you can sometimes listen to the same song over and over again? Well, I’ve been doing that”, I told Angela.
“Don’t Shut Me Out” (with lead vocals by Agnetha) is a song you can listen to over and over again. It’s a smooth pop song, but every time you listen you hear something new. An instrument, a vocal, there’s lots to discover”.
So, the short answer to the question is, “I like the new songs very much, but I haven’t completely discovered everything there is to know about them yet”. Undoubtedly, there will be lots more to discover as I continue to sit in my room in Lismore listening to ABBA songs. I’m sure there’ll be a follow up blog post.
There is a beautiful piece of public art in Lismore which I adore. The work features a young Indigenous boy, with a broad smile, and a curious look in his eyes.
It’s part of the Back Alley Gallery which, as the name implies, features public art in the back laneways of the city.
A couple of weeks ago I published a short video taken in one part of the gallery. Unfortunately, though some of the gallery was closed off to the public. Today, however, there was a chance to walk down the closed off streets and record another video.
So here they are.. the two videos in order. A hint: the second video shot a few minutes ago is the more interesting one in my opinion.
So I’ve been to one of Sydney’s new “small Melbourne-style bars”. Well, strictly speaking it wasn’t a “small bar” in the way Clover Moore has described and legislated them, it was still a “restaurant”, but it had all the characteristics of a “small bar” thus re-inforcing my earlier point previous licencing laws could already deliver this type of establishment, it was just a question of “will” and “market demand”.
That argument aside, it was pretty good. “Yulli’s” has opened up opposite The Clock Hotel on Crown Street, Surry Hills offering a range of nice wines and good vegetarian only (shock horror!) food. Aside from the restaurant, they also have a backyard which they’ve decorated with astro-turf (yes seriously) and plastic chairs. Although on the surface that all sounds a bit odd, it was seriously a really great place for an intimate catch up, as I did with my friend Michaela this afternoon.
While there we got talking to the-bloke-of-the-couple who’ve opened the bar, who outlined their vision for the place. “My girlfriend worked in restaurants and I worked in pubs. This is a nice combination of the two”, he told us.
As we chatted, he mentioned the need for intimate neighbourhood spaces like this one in Sydney . He also talked about sourcing really good quality food, which they seem to take great care in. Their haloumi is to die for by the way, well-cooked and tasty and not at all “squeaky” or “rubbery” as some haloumi can be.
And he was, generally speaking a charming kinda bloke who made us both feel very comfortable. We both hoped he and his girlfriend make a real “go” of it in their new venture, as it can’t be easy opening up a business in the current economic climate.
Aside from that it was a fairly average kinda day at work, with nothing extraordinary to report. I did, however go out for lunch/yum-cha with a colleague, which was good fun. Nice food. Nice company.
The only pressing thing on my agenda which I didn’t manage to achieve today was a hair-cut. My hair has reached the stage where it’s kinda “fluffy” about the ears. As a man of “limited hair”, and a slight greying about the temples, it’s important for me to keep it short to keep it tidy.
Although I’ve toyed with the idea of buying some clippers so I could maintain it myself, I’ve never actually made the jump in that direction, fearful I’d mess it up. And you can just imagine how terrible it could end up looking if the “desire to trim” hit me after a couple of wines at a small bar.
As I came home tonight I wandered through Hyde Park.
I know people say you shouldn’t walk through Hyde Park at night, but I’m reasonably okay with things. My feeling is that if you’re a bit drunk you should probably avoid it, because you’re generally speaking, a little distracted. But if you’re sober, and keep your eyes about you, you’re okay.
That said, I could be completely wrong, and sorry to have given you a bum steer.
I had a lovely night attending a function in respect of the forthcoming Sydney Festival. Unfortunately I missed the same event last year due to overseas travel, but it was a good event and a welcome change from the rest of the day.
Although my job is usually quite glamorous it’s sometimes kinda boring too. It’s like any job I guess.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to stuff envelopes”, I sometimes tell colleagues. It’s something you have to do, and often it helps you put everything in perspective about how most of the world lives.
Recently though, I read a rather interesting article about work, and have been trying to see how it might apply in my own life.
According to the Founder of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, he tries to divide his days up according to the type of task he needs to achieve.
In his recent blog post, he talks about dividing up his tasks according to being in the zone. He mentions coding as an example of where you need to really concentrate on something.
So I’ve been experimenting with dividing up my days and weeks into the different tasks I need to do. When I need to think about creative stuff, I try to block off some time just for that. When I need to do “people stuff”, I try to get all of my “people stuff” done at once.
One of the great things about living in Surry Hills is the opportunity to pop in, on spec, to the Brett Whiteley Gallery. Today, there was an art class underway.
My main interest, however, was the current exhibition, Tributes. The exhibition is definitely worth checking out. Robert Hughes. Donald Friend. Patti Smith and many others.
The influences on Brett Whiteley’s art and life were many and varied, from writers, poets and musicians to photographers and painters.
In mono-prints, drawings and paintings, Whiteley paid tribute to Francis Bacon, Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh, Bob Dylan and Arthur Rimbaud as subject and inspiration.
This exhibition celebrates the art of Whiteley through three key themes: visual art, literature and music.
Meanwhile, outside, there was art actually happening on the street: something from someone on a wall, and there was a bloke sitting in the gutter painting something also.
