crazybrave

Just in case anyone thought I may be fibbing about Sage throwing up the horns at Captain Feathersword, here he is yesterday sucking back a cold one at the pub.

He has ugh boots, too.

I know people who have IPods, honest I do. Some of them even have IPods that still work. But can I just suggest that it’s a little bit of a sign of alienation from the beautiful world around you if you need to have some earphones glued into your head all the time, and a little bit of a sign of an unwillingness to be open to the potential of new things to have to have your music with you every minute of the day? Oh, and what about humming? Or walking down the street singing at the top of your lungs and smiling at anyone who looks twice, or even once, because you’re in a goddam good mood?

I mock the IPodists playlist fetish. Guys! Put a different record on when that one finishes! Take turns! Electicism is easy with all the unloved viynl available at every garage sale and op shop.

I suggest that anyone who thinks that they love music tries a twenty year old Sony turntable with a new Stanton stylus, a Harmon Kardon amp and some B&W speakers. True, this costs considerably more than an IPod, but it sounds better and promotes social interaction of the most positive kind.

So I bring you “The last ten LPs I played on my record player”, with explanatory notes for the IPod generation:

1. Caetano Veloso “Personalidade” – a compilation I bought in Brazil as an exchange student which I still listen to fifteen years later. Utter fucking genius.

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers “By the Way” – you may not know this, but many new releases are also released on vinyl. Some are not recorded in a way that makes handing over the dough worth it (old skool types may recognise the terms “analog” and “valve”), but this one is. John Frusciante’s guitar and backing vocals are insanely good. And do ignore that Amazon reviewer in that link who says that the Chili Peppers have become “as reliable as U2 and REM”.

3. Bob Dylan “Blood on the Tracks” – this is what happened when I first listened to this record. (and Haloscan stores the comments on old posts on some musty old server somewhere and denies that they are there until you hit the comment link. Still waiting, Frankie X Holden, waiting, waiting, waiting.)

4. Fleetwood Mac “Rumours” – the only thing wrong with this record is that it doesn’t have “Tusk” on it. Is there a sweeter sound than a two year old trying to sing “The Chain”? Well, yes, probably, but it’s a bloody good record.

5. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass “Greatest Hits” – if you eat too much red emporer and drink too much nice wine, you might need to get the blood pumping again with some dancing. Which is when you want to put on a record that features “Spanish Flea”, “Love Potion No. 9″ AND “Zorba the Greek”

6. Weather Report “Mysterious Traveller” – this was an Owy selection. As I have mentioned before, and been threatened about, he has a thing for 70′s progressive jazz.

7. The Bulgarian State Choir “Songs of the Plains” – I have a shocking habit of making slightly drunk dinner guests sit down in the dark and listen to track one, side two “The Volga Boatmen“. Even O’s parents. The shame inducing properties of said music fascism were mitigated (at least on that occasion) by O’s mum being a choirmaster and music teacher and admitting that she had never heard a more spectacular and moving rendition. Which while true, was really very kind.

8. Jean-Luc Ponty “Aurora” – another O selection, but one I have come to love. At least the cover is a step up from the usual Ponty scariness. Anyone who doubts the cool that is Ponty should know that when Mr Ponty graduated with first prize from the Conservatoire de Paris, he went immediately to America to play with Frank Zappa for a couple of years. It is a source of great relief to me that the pact O and I once made in a moment of drunken sincerity to call our next child “Jean Luc”, should he be a boy, is now but an amusing memory.

A completely false Jean Luc. I know, I know, I could work for
the AFR with pictures of this calibre.

9. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” – you really should have this record on vinyl. And you should watch “Funky Monks”. If you were very keen, and perhaps a teenager, you could read “Scar Tissue“, Anthony Kiedis’ autobiography, which is a shockingly badly edited book. Shame on you, ghost writer. What a waste of material. I mean, how can it be dull when you’re a rock god and chicks knock on your hotel door in the midle of the night and beg to fuck you, and you don’t want to, so they drop to their knees in the hotel corridor and suck you off? How?

10. Steve Reich “Drumming – Music for Mallet Instruments – Voices and Organ – Six pianos” – American 20th century minimalism never sounded so good, except when I saw Phillip Glass and ensemble perform Koyaanisqatsi (spell that when you’re pissed) at the Opera House. I remember being cranky the next day, because all the reviews I read just talked about what first rate stoner music it was. This is completely true, but irrelevant. Speaking just for myself and my mates, we didn’t get stoned ’til after the show.

There endeth Zoe Ludd’s tour of music. Do follow some of those links, but be careful of the “Scar Tissue” one if you are disturbed and self harming. If you are disturbed and self-harming, go watch Secretary.

PS – Le Driver has expressed some concerns that people posting “last ten IPod songs” might perhaps be talking out their arse about their selections. You need have no concerns about that here. I’m obviously not doing this to look fashionable.

Update: FX has redeemed his earlier failure to match Flop Eared Amanda’s kindness with a very gracious offer to send me music. Public shaming works a treat.

Via Jess at ausculture, it appears that Tony Abbott is not Daniel O’Connor’s father after all. Do follow that first link to see Jess’ marvellous take on what’s next.

It must have been an amazing experience for all concerned. Oh, and you can stop swearing now, Daniel.

An excellent round up of post adoption related resources is available here at sju-sju’s.

Update: further excellent smirking to be had by all at sju-sju’s and at Reasons You Will Hate Me

Every year, for Canberra Day, there is a “Balloon Fiesta”. Which is a stupid name, but that’s what they call it.

About 50 hot air balloons take off each morning from the lawns in front of Old Parliament House. We thought about going last year, but Sage was waking up at 4:30 in the morning most of the time so we were too shitty by the time we would have to leave to ever go. Well, whoever’s turn it was to be up was shitty while the other one was blissfully asleep and going nowhere. So when we heard him at 6:30 this morning we decided we should go and catch the last day.

I’m so glad we did, it was fun to watch Sage’s face as a log with parrots on it and giant entwined bees drifted into the air. It was fun for the grown-ups to watch the ones that looked like they weren’t going to make it, then hear the roar of the jets and see them shoot up just above the treeline.

I wished there were a few less people there, and that the irritating woman on the tannoy would shut up. I knew I was being selfish, but I would love to hear the balloons firing up in silence. I imagine that forking out a few hundred bucks at another time of year could sort that for you, if you really had to have it.

This photo was taken by O. The ones I took were all shite, but there are some excellent ones at the official site.

I wanted to put this up after reading a post by Kathy from Zucchinis in Bikinis about tightarse family fun. Clive Hamilton would be proud of us.

drink
less
wine

I took Sage to see the “Captain Feathersword Show” this morning. Far out, those people are making some money. They charge about 7 bucks per person to see a guy in a Captain Feathersword suit and a lovely and very talented young woman in a Wiggles t-shirt (because CF doesn’t really sing, just prances about behind the Wiggles).

The young woman – whose voice was beautiful, despite the crud she was singing – really carried the show, particularly when CF’s microphone failed and he had to leave the stage watched by a hundred or so tiring and suspicious toddlers. She sold the merchandise and (when I asked her) told me she also loads the truck and buys her own lunch. At least she’s in “the entertainment industry” rather than waitressing, I suppose, but I bet she’s on Equity minimum.

Of course, I went for Sage’s enjoyment, not mine, and he loved his first live gig. I didn’t realise quite how well we’d trained him though, until he gave the Captain the horned hand. Such pride.

I have been exceedingly slack in failing to slag off provide an ongoing critique of Alexander Downer for a long time. It’s depressing, trying to read or listen to the things he says, and there is enough cause for upset in the news without making it a great deal worse.

Not always, of course. Every now and then the news just makes me laugh out loud. Like tonight: Downer may seek Deputy role in future

Update: Sedge has peeked out from behind his curtain, also unable to resist.

The one thing I always liked about Pauline Hanson was that she seemed more interested in finding out what someone meant than appearing ignorant. Of course, she is ignorant about many things, but she’s not alone in that. At least she didn’t pretend.

I’m never going to love the Liberals, but I so wish I could understand what they said. If the government doesn’t explain itself, you can’t have a democracy. In a democracy, people who WANT to be engaged should be able to find a way to do that.

This was brought to mind by the lead in the online SMH today:

The Federal Government said today it would be in a better position to keep a tight regulatory reign on Telstra after it is sold off.

Hunh? Why? I can understand that telcos will still be highly regulated, but how would the regulator’s position be better? How?

This reminded me of hearing that idiot Mark Vaile on the radio a few weeks ago talking about the evil States failing to invest in infrastructure. I can’t find the transcript online, but he was banging on about the evil Queensland government not providing some important thingy or another for some particular port. Catherine McGrath pointed out that the port in question had been privatised. Now, I understand that governments provide some investment in the private sector because it’s in the community’s interest to do so. But isn’t there something obviously cacky about privatising only the profit?

It’s funny, because Vaile thought federal investment in regional infrastructure was a bloody great idea in 2003. Of course that surplus has since been thrown away on tax cuts for people who earn more money than us and Family Benefit Part B.

I don’t get it.