the diving bell and the butterfly

the first exposure to this film was by way of a flier
closely followed by an expose of the director in the smh
and then finally a viewing of the trailer at another film viewing
everything pointed to this being one very special film
and the big thing in it's favour - le scaphandre et le papillon
it's french though the director is american julian schnabel
he apparantly wanted authenticity and insisted on keeping it in french
which i find totally admirable as translation i think can mean degrading
this is a true story based on an autobiography by a stroke victim
jean-dominique bauby is a 43 year-old successful magazine editor
he suffers a totally unexpected stroke leading to locked-in syndrome
meaning he has lost all movement of his body but his brain is fully alert
this he describes as the feeling of being locked in a diving bell
while his mind is free to wander like a butterfly
the film opens with him coming out of a coma after the stroke
but we see things from his view - behind his one eye that can blink
nurses and doctors come and go including one armed with needle and thread
who proceeds to stitch up his other infected eye with us behind it
truely one of the most skin-crawling film scenes i have witnessed
which also has the effect of locking us right in with bauby
and from there it's a roller-coaster ride of his emotions
luckily he actually possesses a wicked sense of humour
so there are some hilarious moments as we hear what he is thinking
but cannot relay his thoughts to various visitors and medical staff
there's a middle part of the film showing his life pre-stroke
including a journey to the country to spend time with his estranged children
and then showing him suffering the stroke while driving with his son
his gorgeous ex-wife still loves the man and is a constant visitor
takes a call from his lover and has to relay to her his feelings
that is that he waits every day for her to visit him
which i thought was almost unbearably cruel on his part
the film takes us through his effort to write his memoirs
blink by blink, letter by letter, word by word
and then he tragically dies a few days after publication
i walked out of the theatre with nothing else on my mind
including the location of my wallet and phone
which i discovered missing when paying for my meal
uh-oh back to the theatre and waved in to search the floor
just as the film was re-starting for the next session
thought i would sit down for a bit while the eyes adjusted
90 minutes later i walked out again armed with wallet and phone
and this time feeling much more content about his actions
for if you cannot express your true feelings on your death-bed
then what hope do we have of honesty any other time
just the most amazing film
see it - twice

triathlon penrith

another very early start to this day to tag along for a ride
this time out to the olympic rowing centre at penrith
venue for the 2008 state all-schools triathlon championships
team brown on the road again - athlete, father, god-father
weather - gloomy, excitement - high, expectations - reserved
a top 6 finish in elliot's race guarantees a place at the nationals
so the strategy is plotted, discussed and agreed upon
don't burn out going for the win - hang in for a place
this venue is absolutely first class for such an event
the swim in one direction along the rowing course
the bike ride around a purpose-built track
not unlike a car-racing track with excellent vantage points
the run on the opposite of the lake to the stadium
but able to be viewed almost entirely from a distance
with the finishing line back in front of the stadium
elliot had a good swim leading from start to finish
after transition he was back in second place
arch-rival and arch-friend sam appleton out in front
rain starting to fall so making for a very slippery ride
elliot very carefully riding and pacing himself
it's not unusual for riders to come down even in the dry
so the all-important top-6 finish the object of this exercise
by the end of the bike leg elliot was back to 3rd position
and about a minute off the pace but looking good
we sat in the stand avoiding the rain now settling in
watched the run proceed back and forth on the other side
and noticed something starting to happen
against all the expectation elliot started reeling them in
including number 2 at this stage with a known very fast run
the on-course commentator picked up this too
and before long there was a real buzz in the grandstand
as they came back over the bridge heading for home
we decided to get trackside for the home straight
father to give the last word of encouragement
me to hopefully snap a photo of the big moment
as they entered the final straight and hard rain
elliot was just off sam appleton's shoulder (photo)
which meant he had made up a minute on the run
an incredible achievement by anyone's standard
then the sprint for the line was on
5 metres out they're dead even
2 metres out and appleton flags
elliot brown has the final kick
and takes first place
just unbelievable
like this sport!

joy division

the film with the same name as the late 70's group
and a documentary tracing the rise and demise of the band
another film titled control has also been on the big screen
it being a full-scale bio-pic with actors filling the parts well
even down to them performing their most recognisable tunes
i actually enjoyed control a lot and had me yearning for more
i will buy the re-mastered cd's in due course i am sure
but for now joy division the documentary is on show
and so on a bleak sunday afternoon off i went to the chauvel
same old story - a handful of people in the theatre
maybe everyone else had already seen the film
or maybe they are not drawn to this serious documentary
in a lot of ways it parallels the control film
with an opening that also describes 1970's manchester
housing estates, decay, the concrete jungle, bleak weather
and lads passing time by drinking or indulging in music
in control a large part of the film was about a torn ian curtis
between his love of his wife and child and his lover from belgium
which does all but suggest this is the makings of love will tear us apart
in joy division the documentary his wife hardly rates a mention
and annik honore his lover has a brief moment on screen
talking about and seemingly still affected by ian curtis and his death
the 3 remaining members of the band are interviewed at length
interspersed with amazing footage of the band on stage
the volume in the theatre cranked up for maximum effect
grant gee the director seems to have had a clear vision
make this film totally authentic and let the music breathe
so that we don't need to be told how good it is
what we don't know too much of is of the personalities involved
bernard sumner comes across as a totally decent person and friend
despairing that back then they just had no idea of their singer's illness
stephen morris is obviously a very shy and gentle man
proving his skills are not oratory but thrashing at a drumkit
but the one that i was really surprised at was peter hook
for whatever reason i always saw him as the reclusive, serious type
but not so - he's a laugh a minute regaling anecdotes of days gone by
including an unbelievable story of him sitting down to sunday lunch with iris
taking the call announcing the death of his singer and presumed friend
then continues with lunch as though nothing has happened
and now laughing uncontrollably about his reaction
i might have missed something but it seemed a bit odd
there are various other interviews with managers, friends and fans
but all brief, to the point and well spaced with the music
there is also a great expose of the album artwork
i walked out of the theatre quite absorbed
felt i'd seen a much more intense film
and still determined to get some cd's
joy division the movie - must see
(if you like the music)

triathlon huskisson

ok - the photography skills need work - i blame the camera (ahem)
but i think the scene of occasion has been captured quite well
this is up-and-coming triathlon star (and godson) elliot brown at work
competing in an event at huskisson on the south coast of nsw
myself, his father and elliot headed out of sydney at 5 a.m.
all quite pleasant cruising out of sydney at dawn
though still a lot of traffic and people about at that time
spotted quite a few obviously on their way home
mixing it with their opposites as fitness freaks struck out
a quick escape combining the cross-city tunnel and m4
meant we were travelling south past wollongong in no time
as per the plan we arrived at huskisson around 7 o'clock
the place was already buzzing for this big annual event
competitors, support staff, families, fans everywhere
i've not attended a lot of sports events in my time
so for me it was quite a new and interesting experience
this actual event is quite big on the triathlon calender
an event running all weekend with many different races
there was also the promise of some big names competing
so good for competitors and observers alike
the race we were most interested in was due to start at 10am
so a few hours to kill waiting for that time to roll around
time spent indulging in breakfast and fresh-brewed coffee
and without knowing letting the excitement build for the race
huskisson itself is a pretty little town with a great beach
and it is from there that the race starts with the first leg
a 400 metre swim out to some buoys and back again
hard to tell one competitor from another in the ocean
then it's a scramble out of the surf and a clamber up the hill
transition on to the bikes and 5 laps of a street course
our man came out of the swim well and was not far off the pack
bearing in mind this is an open age event he was doing very well
then 10km later it's another transition for the run leg
a 2.5 km run at at a very fast almost sprint pace
i'm exhausted just watching the athletes at work
and dashing from one good vantage point to the next
then by an unusual but special arrangement at this event
they do the whole thing all over again - swim/bike/run
i think it's called an enduro - i.e. the test of endurance
elliot brown has that by the spades and does very well
comes in 6th in the under-23 age group
which is brilliant for a 16 year old
stay tuned

the reluctant friends of steve

up in the mountains...up near the border
well not quite but not drowning, waving is in the head
part of my nomadic lifestyle at this time finds me in the blue mountains
staying with a friend and his partner in their house at faulconbridge
lovely part of the world really - clear air, bush, quiet, easy-going
have done quite a bit of walking in and around the area
to my surprise have seen the extent of established housing in the area
lots of tree lined streets with large properties and houses
heading off in all directions on the side of hills and cliffs
all well serviced by local facilities e.g. an aquatic centre
and in this case a great little town (springwood)
it's a bit off the beaten track - the blue mountains highway
so you're only there on a mission for supplies or socialising
in this case on this saturday night i was there for the later
my friend also plays drums in a band based in the mountains
and so this was a great opportunity to see the band perform at the local
they have a good local following so a respectable crowd was in place
as i walked in with the band playing the first of 4 sets
which in itself is very impressive - they do all originals
so there are a huge number of songs to be played
the band is based around steve - singer/guitarist/songwriter
and has a further guitarist, singer, bass-player and drummer
you can always tell a band that is very well-rehearsed
and this band is that as well as great musicians
even more so an often missing element was on stage
fun - enjoyment of the moment - play for pleasure
all this helped the band deliver 4 great sets of music
i stayed propped up at the bar till the end
mostly taking in the music and enjoying it very much
a very distinctive blues/pop/rock feel to the music
vocal harmonies a standout from the 2 lads up front
the lead guitarist at back supplying some excellent noises
drum and bass solid as you would want in the rhythm department
so all in all a very well balanced band with good original material
a guest harp (mouth accordian) player on stage for a few tunes
letting it rip with some fine noise-making there
and imploring the crowd down front to join in
including a lady (girlfriend) in the excitement of the moment
stripping to her waist to provide a spontaneous floor show
all done and taken in great humour and style
there was something about the atmosphere on this night
presumably the easy-going lifestyle in the mountains
found it's way into the bar that night
and made for a most pleasurable time
on a sad note...
this hotel is intent on booking original bands
but it seems popular opinion may be against them
hope not - nothing quite like this
good live original music
thanks to the rels

sorry day

nothing more important today than the following wonderful speech from kevin rudd, prime minister of australia -

There comes a time in the history of nations when their peoples must become fully reconciled to their past if they are to go forward with confidence to embrace their future. Our nation, Australia, has reached such a time. That is why the parliament is today here assembled: to deal with this unfinished business of the nation, to remove a great stain from the nation’s soul and, in a true spirit of reconciliation, to open a new chapter in the history of this great land, Australia.

Last year I made a commitment to the Australian people that if we formed the next government of the Commonwealth we would in parliament say sorry to the stolen generations. Today I honour that commitment. I said we would do so early in the life of the new parliament. Again, today I honour that commitment by doing so at the commencement of this the 42nd parliament of the Commonwealth. Because the time has come, well and truly come, for all peoples of our great country, for all citizens of our great Commonwealth, for all Australians—those who are Indigenous and those who are not—to come together to reconcile and together build a new future for our nation.

Some have asked, ‘Why apologise?’ Let me begin to answer by telling the parliament just a little of one person’s story—an elegant, eloquent and wonderful woman in her 80s, full of life, full of funny stories, despite what has happened in her life’s journey, a woman who has travelled a long way to be with us today, a member of the stolen generation who shared some of her story with me when I called around to see her just a few days ago. Nanna Nungala Fejo, as she prefers to be called, was born in the late 1920s. She remembers her earliest childhood days living with her family and her community in a bush camp just outside Tennant Creek. She remembers the love and the warmth and the kinship of those days long ago, including traditional dancing around the camp fire at night. She loved the dancing. She remembers once getting into strife when, as a four-year-old girl, she insisted on dancing with the male tribal elders rather than just sitting and watching the men, as the girls were supposed to do.

But then, sometime around 1932, when she was about four, she remembers the coming of the welfare men. Her family had feared that day and had dug holes in the creek bank where the children could run and hide. What they had not expected was that the white welfare men did not come alone. They brought a truck, two white men and an Aboriginal stockman on horseback cracking his stockwhip. The kids were found; they ran for their mothers, screaming, but they could not get away. They were herded and piled onto the back of the truck. Tears flowing, her mum tried clinging to the sides of the truck as her children were taken away to the Bungalow in Alice, all in the name of protection...

A few years later, government policy changed. Now the children would be handed over to the missions to be cared for by the churches. But which church would care for them? The kids were simply told to line up in three lines. Nanna Fejo and her sister stood in the middle line, her older brother and cousin on her left. Those on the left were told that they had become Catholics, those in the middle Methodists and those on the right Church of England. That is how the complex questions of post-reformation theology were resolved in the Australian outback in the 1930s. It was as crude as that. She and her sister were sent to a Methodist mission on Goulburn Island and then Croker Island. Her Catholic brother was sent to work at a cattle station and her cousin to a Catholic mission.

Nanna Fejo’s family had been broken up for a second time. She stayed at the mission until after the war, when she was allowed to leave for a prearranged job as a domestic in Darwin. She was 16. Nanna Fejo never saw her mum again. After she left the mission, her brother let her know that her mum had died years before, a broken woman fretting for the children that had literally been ripped away from her.
I asked Nanna Fejo what she would have me say today about her story. She thought for a few moments then said that what I should say today was that all mothers are important. And she added: ‘Families—keeping them together is very important. It’s a good thing that you are surrounded by love and that love is passed down the generations. That’s what gives you happiness.’ As I left, later on, Nanna Fejo took one of my staff aside, wanting to make sure that I was not too hard on the Aboriginal stockman who had hunted those kids down all those years ago. The stockman had found her again decades later, this time himself to say, ‘Sorry.’ And remarkably, extraordinarily, she had forgiven him.

Nanna Fejo’s is just one story. There are thousands, tens of thousands of them: stories of forced separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their mums and dads over the better part of a century. Some of these stories are graphically told in Bringing them home, the report commissioned in 1995 by Prime Minister Keating and received in 1997 by Prime Minister Howard. There is something terribly primal about these firsthand accounts. The pain is searing; it screams from the pages. The hurt, the humiliation, the degradation and the sheer brutality of the act of physically separating a mother from her children is a deep assault on our senses and on our most elemental humanity.

These stories cry out to be heard; they cry out for an apology. Instead, from the nation’s parliament there has been a stony, stubborn and deafening silence for more than a decade; a view that somehow we, the parliament, should suspend our most basic instincts of what is right and what is wrong; a view that, instead, we should look for any pretext to push this great wrong to one side, to leave it languishing with the historians, the academics and the cultural warriors, as if the stolen generations are little more than an interesting sociological phenomenon. But the stolen generations are not intellectual curiosities. They are human beings, human beings who have been damaged deeply by the decisions of parliaments and governments. But, as of today, the time for denial, the time for delay, has at last come to an end.

The nation is demanding of its political leadership to take us forward. Decency, human decency, universal human decency, demands that the nation now step forward to right an historical wrong. That is what we are doing in this place today. But should there still be doubts as to why we must now act, let the parliament reflect for a moment on the following facts: that, between 1910 and 1970, between 10 and 30 per cent of Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their mothers and fathers; that, as a result, up to 50,000 children were forcibly taken from their families; that this was the product of the deliberate, calculated policies of the state as reflected in the explicit powers given to them under statute; that this policy was taken to such extremes by some in administrative authority that the forced extractions of children of so-called ‘mixed lineage’ were seen as part of a broader policy of dealing with ‘the problem of the Aboriginal population’.

One of the most notorious examples of this approach was from the Northern Territory Protector of Natives, who stated:

Generally by the fifth and invariably by the sixth generation, all native characteristics of the Australian aborigine are eradicated.

The problem of our half-castes, to quote the protector—

will quickly be eliminated by the complete disappearance of the black race, and the swift submergence of their progeny in the white...

The Western Australian Protector of Natives expressed not dissimilar views, expounding them at length in Canberra in 1937 at the first national conference on Indigenous affairs that brought together the Commonwealth and state protectors of natives. These are uncomfortable things to be brought out into the light. They are not pleasant. They are profoundly disturbing. But we must acknowledge these facts if we are to deal once and for all with the argument that the policy of generic forced separation was somehow well motivated, justified by its historical context and, as a result, unworthy of any apology today.

Then we come to the argument of intergenerational responsibility, also used by some to argue against giving an apology today. But let us remember the fact that the forced removal of Aboriginal children was happening as late as the early 1970s. The 1970s is not exactly a point in remote antiquity. There are still serving members of this parliament who were first elected to this place in the early 1970s. It is well within the adult memory span of many of us. The uncomfortable truth for us all is that the parliaments of the nation, individually and collectively, enacted statutes and delegated authority under those statutes that made the forced removal of children on racial grounds fully lawful.

There is a further reason for an apology as well: it is that reconciliation is in fact an expression of a core value of our nation—and that value is a fair go for all. There is a deep and abiding belief in the Australian community that, for the stolen generations, there was no fair go at all. There is a pretty basic Aussie belief that says that it is time to put right this most outrageous of wrongs. It is for these reasons, quite apart from concerns of fundamental human decency, that the governments and parliaments of this nation must make this apology—because, put simply, the laws that our parliaments enacted made the stolen generations possible.

We, the parliaments of the nation, are ultimately responsible, not those who gave effect to our laws. And the problem lay with the laws themselves. As has been said of settler societies elsewhere, we are the bearers of many blessings from our ancestors; therefore we must also be the bearer of their burdens as well. Therefore, for our nation, the course of action is clear: that is, to deal now with what has become one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s history. In doing so, we are doing more than contending with the facts, the evidence and the often rancorous public debate. In doing so, we are also wrestling with our own soul. This is not, as some would argue, a black-armband view of history; it is just the truth: the cold, confronting, uncomfortable truth—facing it, dealing with it, moving on from it.

Until we fully confront that truth, there will always be a shadow hanging over us and our future as a fully united and fully reconciled people. It is time to reconcile. It is time to recognise the injustices of the past. It is time to say sorry. It is time to move forward together.

To the stolen generations, I say the following: as Prime Minister of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the government of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the parliament of Australia, I am sorry. I offer you this apology without qualification. We apologise for the hurt, the pain and suffering that we, the parliament, have caused you by the laws that previous parliaments have enacted. We apologise for the indignity, the degradation and the humiliation these laws embodied. We offer this apology to the mothers, the fathers, the brothers, the sisters, the families and the communities whose lives were ripped apart by the actions of successive governments under successive parliaments. In making this apology, I would also like to speak personally to the members of the stolen generations and their families: to those here today, so many of you; to those listening across the nation—from Yuendumu, in the central west of the Northern Territory, to Yabara, in North Queensland, and to Pitjantjatjara in South Australia.

I know that, in offering this apology on behalf of the government and the parliament, there is nothing I can say today that can take away the pain you have suffered personally. Whatever words I speak today, I cannot undo that. Words alone are not that powerful; grief is a very personal thing. I ask those non-Indigenous Australians listening today who may not fully understand why what we are doing is so important to imagine for a moment that this had happened to you. I say to honourable members here present: imagine if this had happened to us. Imagine the crippling effect. Imagine how hard it would be to forgive. My proposal is this: if the apology we extend today is accepted in the spirit of reconciliation, in which it is offered, we can today resolve together that there be a new beginning for Australia. And it is to such a new beginning that I believe the nation is now calling us.

Australians are a passionate lot. We are also a very practical lot. For us, symbolism is important but, unless the great symbolism of reconciliation is accompanied by an even greater substance, it is little more than a clanging gong. It is not sentiment that makes history; it is our actions that make history. Today’s apology, however inadequate, is aimed at righting past wrongs. It is also aimed at building a bridge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians—a bridge based on a real respect rather than a thinly veiled contempt. Our challenge for the future is to cross that bridge and, in so doing, to embrace a new partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians—to embrace, as part of that partnership, expanded Link-up and other critical services to help the stolen generations to trace their families if at all possible and to provide dignity to their lives. But the core of this partnership for the future is to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians on life expectancy, educational achievement and employment opportunities. This new partnership on closing the gap will set concrete targets for the future: within a decade to halve the widening gap in literacy, numeracy and employment outcomes and opportunities for Indigenous Australians, within a decade to halve the appalling gap in infant mortality rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children and, within a generation, to close the equally appalling 17-year life gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous in overall life expectancy.

The truth is: a business as usual approach towards Indigenous Australians is not working. Most old approaches are not working. We need a new beginning—a new beginning which contains real measures of policy success or policy failure; a new beginning, a new partnership, on closing the gap with sufficient flexibility not to insist on a one-size-fits-all approach for each of the hundreds of remote and regional Indigenous communities across the country but instead allowing flexible, tailored, local approaches to achieve commonly-agreed national objectives that lie at the core of our proposed new partnership; a new beginning that draws intelligently on the experiences of new policy settings across the nation. However, unless we as a parliament set a destination for the nation, we have no clear point to guide our policy, our programs or our purpose; we have no centralised organising principle.

Let us resolve today to begin with the little children—a fitting place to start on this day of apology for the stolen generations. Let us resolve over the next five years to have every Indigenous four-year-old in a remote Aboriginal community enrolled in and attending a proper early childhood education centre or opportunity and engaged in proper preliteracy and prenumeracy programs. Let us resolve to build new educational opportunities for these little ones, year by year, step by step, following the completion of their crucial preschool year. Let us resolve to use this systematic approach to build future educational opportunities for Indigenous children to provide proper primary and preventive health care for the same children, to begin the task of rolling back the obscenity that we find today in infant mortality rates in remote Indigenous communities—up to four times higher than in other communities.

None of this will be easy. Most of it will be hard—very hard. But none of it is impossible, and all of it is achievable with clear goals, clear thinking, and by placing an absolute premium on respect, cooperation and mutual responsibility as the guiding principles of this new partnership on closing the gap. The mood of the nation is for reconciliation now, between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The mood of the nation on Indigenous policy and politics is now very simple. The nation is calling on us, the politicians, to move beyond our infantile bickering, our point-scoring and our mindlessly partisan politics and to elevate this one core area of national responsibility to a rare position beyond the partisan divide. Surely this is the unfulfilled spirit of the 1967 referendum. Surely, at least from this day forward, we should give it a go.

Let me take this one step further and take what some may see as a piece of political posturing and make a practical proposal to the opposition on this day, the first full sitting day of the new parliament. I said before the election that the nation needed a kind of war cabinet on parts of Indigenous policy, because the challenges are too great and the consequences are too great to allow it all to become a political football, as it has been so often in the past. I therefore propose a joint policy commission, to be led by the Leader of the Opposition and me, with a mandate to develop and implement—to begin with—an effective housing strategy for remote communities over the next five years. It will be consistent with the government’s policy framework, a new partnership for closing the gap. If this commission operates well, I then propose that it work on the further task of constitutional recognition of the first Australians, consistent with the longstanding platform commitments of my party and the pre-election position of the opposition. This would probably be desirable in any event because, unless such a proposition were absolutely bipartisan, it would fail at a referendum. As I have said before, the time has come for new approaches to enduring problems. Working constructively together on such defined projects would, I believe, meet with the support of the nation. It is time for fresh ideas to fashion the nation’s future.

Mr Speaker, today the parliament has come together to right a great wrong. We have come together to deal with the past so that we might fully embrace the future. We have had sufficient audacity of faith to advance a pathway to that future, with arms extended rather than with fists still clenched. So let us seize the day. Let it not become a moment of mere sentimental reflection. Let us take it with both hands and allow this day, this day of national reconciliation, to become one of those rare moments in which we might just be able to transform the way in which the nation thinks about itself, whereby the injustice administered to the stolen generations in the name of these, our parliaments, causes all of us to reappraise, at the deepest level of our beliefs, the real possibility of reconciliation writ large: reconciliation across all Indigenous Australia; reconciliation across the entire history of the often bloody encounter between those who emerged from the Dreamtime a thousand generations ago and those who, like me, came across the seas only yesterday; reconciliation which opens up whole new possibilities for the future.
It is for the nation to bring the first two centuries of our settled history to a close, as we begin a new chapter. We embrace with pride, admiration and awe these great and ancient cultures we are truly blessed to have among us—cultures that provide a unique, uninterrupted human thread linking our Australian continent to the most ancient prehistory of our planet. Growing from this new respect, we see our Indigenous brothers and sisters with fresh eyes, with new eyes, and we have our minds wide open as to how we might tackle, together, the great practical challenges that Indigenous Australia faces in the future.

Let us turn this page together: Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, government and opposition, Commonwealth and state, and write this new chapter in our nation’s story together. First Australians, First Fleeters, and those who first took the oath of allegiance just a few weeks ago. Let’s grasp this opportunity to craft a new future for this great land: Australia. I commend the motion to the House.

no country for old men

these days most times i go to a film it's a low-key affair
usually only a handful of other people in the theatre
admittedly viewing times and film popularity may be factors
but mostly it still surprises me about the lack of patrons
however at this viewing - full house on a late wet sunday afternoon
the word is definitely out on the quality of this film
me - coen brothers and tommy lee jones are all i knew
so as the film started i had no real idea of what was to unfold
llewelyn moss (josh brolin) is out hunting in outback texas
which immediately sets the tone for the rest of the film
sprawling, bleak, sparse, unforgiving, spine-chilling
he stumbles across a drug-deal gone wrong
abandoned vehicles, bodies, heroin and lots of cash
grabs the money and starts his film-lasting run
sheriff ed bell (tommy lee jones) is soon on the scene
and with him the first bit of wry humour from the anti-hero
his deputy declares - it's a mess ain't it sherriff
well if it ain't it'll do 'til a mess gets here - from the laconic sheriff
shortly after this we meet the ice-cold anton chigurh (javier bardem)
he works on the wrong side of the law and is after the missing money
this is one mean, daunting and psychopathic person
and dressed all in black and featuring a bob-like haircut
the absolute definition of who you would not want to meet in a dark lane
as the body count accumulates i likened him to a terminator
except he has a heart and a brain and therefore even scarier
his chosen weapon is a air-pressure stun-gun used to kill cattle
but used here to take out people and locked doors
the story is about the pursuit of the money-grabber across texas
the sheriff on the verge of retirement but working the case
looking and feeling very tired from a life of law-keeping
the hired hand after the money and killing with abandon
i am not one for violence for the sake of show and effect
but in this case it feels like we are confronting a possible reality
in this film death comes often and always in a chilling way
breath-taking also comes to mind judging by the audience reaction
but we're here for the long haul and continue the journey
by the end of 2 intense hours i felt quite drained
but knew i had witnessed a truly remarkable film
it sparked discussion, reading and investigating for days
i likened it in impact on the first viewing of pulp fiction
but up another notch in overall impact
thanks to a great cast
and fine direction
...stunning

died pretty

part 2 of the don't look back show at the enmore theatre
died pretty doing their much loved doughboy hollow album
second of about 3 albums i'd do anything to see performed
they had ed kuepper doing honey steel's gold as support
now that's one of the hardest acts anyone could follow
as far as i knew died pretty had not played as a band for years
this was a full theatre high with anticipation
so ed had done his job brilliantly as the support act
i must admit i was concerned whether they could pull it off
reminding me that a good friend and longtime d p fan
had declined to attend for fear of ruining the memory
it was a joyful moment as they took to the stage
this band has surely been missed by a lot of people
most of whom must have been in the audience
a huge reaction from the crowd as they started up
the familiar opening bars of doused filling the theatre
and for the second time this evening a moment of transcendence
a quick scan of the stage confirmed this was the classic lineup
chris welsh, steve clark, brett myers, ron peno and john hoey
all looking fitter, slimmer, even younger than remembered
ron yet again demonstrating there is one place he belongs
on stage, singing, performing, at one with the music
his voice cleaner and more powerful than remembered
within about 30 seconds any doubts were banished
this was going to be an awesome and unforgettable show
i had very purposely not played the album pre-show
wanted to be pleasantly surprised as each track was played
and sure enough as each tune started it was a great feeling
d.c. (second track) is probably the one loved by most
a lovely ode to a friend who has died of a drug overdose
sweetheart equally as popular tonight and played brilliantly
godbless has a guitar solo from brett myers that i never tire of
without exaggeration the part of their live show i always yearned for
as the tune built up to the solo i noticed the chap seated in front of me
he was obviously equally as excited and had his air guitar on standby
then throughout the big solo seemed to play it note for note
this fan was in fact no less than dave faulkner (hoodoo gurus)
proving to me that died pretty are held in high esteem by their peers
by the end of that song we had all been won over
and knowing we were witnessing a very special show
and then...
i'd forgotten about satisfied - the next track on the album
without going into too much detail here this tune cracks me up
did upon repeat play after release and did the same again tonight
the lyrics resonated big time with me at a difficult time in my life
and it all came flooding back tonight as ron and the band dug in
i'm not big on nostalgia really but this one does it for me
had me dabbing at my eyes and drawing some big breaths
and then for the next 6 songs i gave all the emotion back
joined in wild applause at the conclusion of each song
just could not believe how good the band were live
and i was not alone - dave in front was in raptures
they got called back for 3 outstanding encores
featuring a parade of their other best tunes
all played with astonishing power
what a show
died pretty
more!!!!
more!!!!
more!!!!

ed kuepper

i received an email late last year about an upcoming show
ed kuepper was scheduled to appear at the enmore theatre
performing from start to finish his honey steels gold album
mr ed is one performer that demands presence
so i basically worked a return to sydney around this show
don't look back is the name of the concept of the show
dreamed up by a 30-something year old english chap
started in the uk and has found it's way to australia
the idea is simply that a classic album is performed
fully, totally, and in the same running order as recorded
the stooges kick-started the idea with funhouse
followed by a number of other well-known overseas bands
looks like the promoter is onto a winner in australia
judging by the size of the crowd at the enmore on this night
there's about 3 albums i can think of i would go for done this way
honey's steels gold would absolutely be one of them
i had left things a bit late ticket-purchase-wise
so had a seat upstairs a few rows back but with a good view
a good round of respectful applause was given out
when ed sauntered onto the stage with his fellow musicians
jeffrey wegener on drums and peter oxley on bass
his current core companions making a superb 3-piece
i was aware that chris abrahams had contributed on the album
but was fairly sure it was not him on stage at the keyboards
the pianist had the task of starting the set with a recognisable riff
the opening and comforting piano chords of king of vice
which meant within a few seconds we were transported
to a time when ed was king and this album was omnipresent
one thing about ed is that he is totally dedicated to his craft
takes nothing for granted especially not his audience
though he himself seems transported when performing
the level of musicianship indicates a mutual respect
that may well be for the material he performs
but i like to think he does appreciate his audience
this night i suspect he very much enjoyed the occasion
playing some classic material with a great band to a large crowd
moving through the album seemed quite effortless for the band
each tune was delivered with meticulous musicianship
and the mix was superb in the warmth of the enmore theatre
the rendition of 2 radio-friendly tunes proving the worth of this album
everything i've got belongs to you and the way i made you feel
surely these days rated as classic songs in many peoples minds
the highlight for me was honey steels gold as usual
simple, simple lyrics but strong, strong guitar, bass, drums
one of a few that ed has carried forward live over the years
ed was playing support tonight so it was quite a short set
the album, the whole album and nothing but the album
he introduced the band at the conclusion
the mystery keyboards player being none other than alister spence
who i have a lot of admiration for as a composer and performer
he is one of a few around town striking out with experimentation
bumped into alister after the show in the foyer
thanked him for the performance just experienced
you should do some recording with ed i gushed
anything is possible he replied
good news
thanks ed
brilliant

juno

confession - watched this film from a dvd
still on wide-screen theatre release
you can't rent or buy it yet on dvd format
but these days anyone with the knowledge
a decent bandwidth connection to the internet
and an (un)healthy disrespect for copyright laws
can download just about anything it seems
myself - the old-schooler in me says do it right
and see it still in the best environment going
catch it in the big screen if you can
but on this night my must-see list is over-flowing
and a down-loaded copy was on offer for a viewing
and it's bucketing down in this very wet sydney summer
and there's a teacher friend who wants to see the film
so she can be prepared for a classroom discussion
and i'll go and see it on the big screen anyway
and...and...and..
anyway the projector was set up for a family viewing
which seemed appropriate given this is a family kind of film
in that it very well depicts in one sense a family dealing with a crisis
the 16 year old daughter/step-daughter becomes pregnant
and we then see the effect of this on her and those around her
as she decides to have the baby and give it up for adoption
juno lives in small-town america so it's a close-knit community
and she interacts with all types of people along the way
particularly her father and step-mother who are most supportive
alison janney (the west wing) as the protective step-mom is most impressive
likewise jennifer garner as the obsessive adopting mother is also very good
the blokes in the film are presented as quite typical blokes
each with their own obsessions but also displaying empathy
this is what seems to make this film so good
all the characters are flawed in some way
but each has also a compassionate side that is quite endearing
probably not unnaturally we see juno mature before our eyes
as she develops from a teenager to a woman during the pregnancy
as a contrast we see the adoptive father refuse to grow up
he's a frustrated wannabe rockstar that cannot let go of his dream
cannot and will not stand by his maternal wife desperately wanting a child
much to the angst of juno who wants her child to go to a normal home
you know - not like one of those split ones everyone comes from
one of the big appeals of the film is the soundtrack
music is a major prop used throughout the film
not just as background noise but as integral to the story
which certainly adds to the huge appeal of this film
having seen it twice now i can understand it's popularity
it is a genuine feel-good film with references to today's culture
but at the same time gently reminding us of the big things in life
family, respect, understanding, differences, integrity
and lots of other words like that
juno - from greek mythology
great name, great film
i'll buy the dvd on release
that should ease my conscience

the darjeeling limited

bucketing down in sydney town

torrents of water gushing down gutters

pedestrians without umbrellas facing instant saturation

all outdoor activity recommended to be avoided unless necessary

e.g. dashing from office to el-cheapo chinese restaurant then to theatre

the darjeeling limited has been on the want-to-see list for a while

mainly because of the pleasure had in watching the life aquatic

the last film made by director wes anderson

it was quite a quirky film verging on downright weird

featuring some big-name actors and an excellent soundtrack

it may just be the style of the director rather than a specific formula

but this latest film smacks of the previous one in a lot of ways

the most obvious being the choice of owen wilson as one of the leads

i find his characters are always annoyingly happy-go-lucky

though given the mess of his private life
you would have to assume he is a very good actor
or maybe not averse to the ploy of any publicity is good publicity

in this film he is joined by an unlikely casting of adrien brody

who i have only ever seen in very serious roles
specifically his oscar-winning role in the ww2 flick the pianist
here he plays the role of the middle brother in this road (rail) film
the other brother is played by jason schwartzmann
someone i had heard of but not seen on screen before
he is also credited with being the writer of the film
apart from the appeal of the famous director
i was also drawn to the setting being a journey across india
the film trailer also indicated this would be an interesting film
but
i just kind of got bored with the predictability of the one-liners
this is owen wilson's claim to fame of course as he is a master of that style
he relished the role of the chief organiser older brother
bullying, teasing, belittling, dominating, admonishing
adrien brody seemed bored with the whole thing quite early on
which may well have been intended for the role he was playing
but it seemed to me to be coming from the actor not the character
a lot of time on the film is set on or around the train
as it makes it way across india providing the bonding time the boys seek
a lot of slapstick humour is used quite effectively
there are some laughs to be had even if predictable
hollywood's insistence on a sexual thread is there also
which i personally found to be quite distasteful
illustrating a modern, western, male attitude to sex
fortunately this is not a major part of the film
before long things get serious and they are forced out on land
and have to mix it with the locals
after the bungled attempt at saving some boys
caught in a flash-flood that sees one of the local boys drown
and our lads are then caught up in the despair around that
presumably this is the nadir of their journey
the message is delivered like a sledgehammer
including some quite patronising treatment of the locals
at which point i decided hollywood cannot do world movies
and the end could not come quick enough for me
it's a film of many components and messages
at times appealing and otherwise annoying
maybe a second shot is required
e.g. a weekly dvd rental

tango (serbia)

not entirely sure about this group named kal
they claim to be the hottest gypsy band in serbia
something to do no doubt with being a bunch of good-looking lads
probably have the ladies swooning as they make their music
what struck me is the similarity with the most famous tango group
being the argentinian group gotan project
there's the similar looking chap on acoustic guitar
the accordian/bandoneon - compulsory for tango music
the attention to lighting and the stage show is similar
the crowd would be inter-changeable with a gotan audience
and of course the music is very similar
here's what songlines magazine had to say about serbian tango

the tango may have been born in beunos aires
but it very soon found adoptive homes in paris, berlin, russia, finland and turkey
it's the only dance we've chosen to feature twice
to reflect the extensive tango diaspora

not much to go on there and no mention of kal in their writeup
but i kind of like this group so they get the nod
this would be a quieter tune in their repertoire
easy to imagine them cranking it out at speed
go kal
(45 of 50)

andy palacio r.i.p.

some very sad news
another january death
not someone i knew personally
but certainly someone i admire
andy palacio was a musician from berlize (south america)
i was first exposed to his music quite by accident
when attending the rainforest world music festival in borneo
the cd shop there had some music from his label called stonetree records
the artwork and packaging was very appealing
(something digital downloading can never replicate)
further investigation revealed reference to a unique style of music
given the name of garifuna also the name of the people who practice this style
most appealing was that the music is centered around acoustic guitars
given a mix of african and caribbean styles
which relates directly to the ancestry of the garifuna people
a couple of cd's were bought at the festival
which i enjoyed so much i wrote to the label
and expressed my enthusiasm for the music
not long after a bunch of cd's arrived in the mail
the owner of the label, ivan duran, sent them to me with a thank-you note
quite humbled i was at his generosity
so in a very minor way i feel slightly connected to his loss
seems they have acheived some significant recognition
there's a huge world music festival every year held in spain
last year andy palacio and ivan duran were honoured with the womex award
for the group or individual representing the best in world music
maybe on the back of that a world tour was organised and underway
when andy palacio suffered a stroke in alabama
and was brought back to his beloved berlize
to die in his country of birth
on january the 19th
he was 47 years old
so sad
some relevant links follow
wiki entry for andy palacio
obituary in the times
web site of stonetree records
and here is a superb youtube video of the man and his music

the longest day

these days you can get very cheap international flights
as long as you are prepared to travel at any time of the day
budget constraints and the need to fly christchurch to sydney
had me flying out at 6:30am
which meant checking in at 5:00am
which meant leaving the family home at 4:00am
which meant about 2 hours sleep after the usual late night session
trying to get as much done as possible pre-departure
the other problem with cheap fares
is that they will sting you anyway they can
typically on baggage exceeding already tight limits
so for an extra 3 kilos another $30 was added to the fare
uh-oh - 3 months of very cheap living has come to an end
heading back to sydney and already the dollars are flowing
but no other complaints re run-for-your-seats airline
australia had just celebrated a public holiday for australia day
so allowing for a 2 hour time difference
i flew into a city waking up from a long weekend
which gave me some assurance of a gentle return to work
met at the airport by my nz travelling companion
and chauffeured to the office for the first of many days
it's been very wet in sydney over this summer
as a complete contrast to the nz summer
relentless, continual, desperately needed rain
which is why no-one seemed too dispirited by it all
from my experience rain and sydney-siders do not mix
but after a long period of drought conditions the change was welcome
i don't know if it is possible to get jet lag from a 3-hour journey
i can't recall experiencing it on any other occasion
but on this day i was feeling quite lethargic
so by the time end of day rolled around
and my driver obliged me with another ride
i was feeling quite literally under the weather
ready for crawling into a nice cosy bed even in daylight
and shutting out the world for a much needed sleep
but my current circumstances dictate that alone is not an option
my nearest and dearest friends have taken me in
and much catching up required of elapsed months
not much memory of the hours spent thereof
except the consumption of fine food
some beer and wine in there also
and then collapse into bed
after a
very
long
day
...zzz...

the summer of 49

this day being the last day for a while in nz
arrived here exactly 100 days earlier from australia
time out required to re-group on a number of fronts
finances, health, (over)commitments, relationships all needing attention
spent a month or so here in the previous year (the summer of 48)
and thoroughly enjoyed the time in the home country
so this year it seemed opportune to stretch it a bit further
good to be close to family
not so good being away from friends
but good to pull in the head a bit
living back in the family home has some advantages
first and foremost is the material gain
or more appropriately the lack of material loss
sydney is an expensive place to live
it may not be as bad as paris or tokyo or london or......
but rent a place, feed the face, partake in the rat-race
and the money goes out quicker than it comes in
no wonder credit cards are maximised all over the place
and the screws are now going in tighter with interest rate rises
which means renters are at the whim of rentees
but i digress - left that all behind in october 2007
bolted it to the family home in regional nz
no rent to pay, home-grown-and-cooked food
entertainment options limited
so struggling for a change for ways to spend money
access to a car for long-haul trips
but preference has been to walk, walk, walk
have pounded the pavement relentlessly
mostly to the local swimming pool for some laps
which requires a walk through the local domain
a very large area with plentiful plant life
ponds=ducks, grassed areas=dogs
walkways=people strolling
a long summer of beautiful hot days
exposure to the relaxation technique of tai chi
means finding a quiet spot by the water
with the setting sun in the face
and working through some exercises
mostly focused on breathe in, breathe out, repeat
the iriver has been the constant companion
some 1,200 songs from some 100 albums stacked in there
have it playing in random play mode on all my walks
which i have concluded is not very random
one of the great mysteries of the universe
is how does this device always know what i want to hear
even without me knowing what i want to hear
yes obviously they are all favourite albums
so the chances of getting a favourite tune are quite high
but the number of times the best song off an album
gets tossed up constantly amazes me
in a moment of software developer madness
i started logging the frequency of the tracks
trying to establish a pattern so as to find the bug
but then just as quickly gave up on this exercise
pointless, silly, unproductive, meaningless
but still a sign of the times
time on my hands
is good
for today

tango (argentina)

been looking forward to digging a little bit on this one
at least for a change a musical style that has a familiar name
another one in the list of 50 rhythms documented by songlines magazine
here's what they had to say about tango in their article

the dance groove of buenos aires lowlifers
was given glamour by carlos gardel and virtuosity by bandoneon supremo anibal troilo
but is was bespectacled pianist osvaldo pugliese
who emphasised the strident beat of the dos por cuatro (or 2/4)
as argentinians call tango
his 60-odd year career bridged the golden age
and the evolutionary explorations of astor piazzolla
last year beunos aires tangueros dedicated the whole year to pugliese
born 1905 died 1995

my big interest in tango stems from a french-argentinian group
that i own a few cd's of and have listened to repeatedly
they were one of the headline acts at womadelaide last year
the gotan project owe a lot to tango (not least their name)
their trademark sound also comes from the bandoneon
though at least live there is only 1 on stage
unlike the following clip recorded in 1985
showing osvaldo pugliese at the piano
the man credited with keeping tango alive
and carrying it forward for future generations
this concert was recorded in buenos aires
with no less than 10 bandoneon players on stage
(44 of 50)

yorro-yorro

michael leunig never fails to impress
not only does he draw the best cartoons
but he can tell a great story as well
found the following as part of an article
in the melbourne age on this australia day
a story certainly worth remembering
so presented here for my posterity

I once lived in a small town in central Victoria, and there it was my good fortune to dwell in a house across the street from a little old lady named Mrs Heggie. She was a bright soul and I often found her rustling about like a wren in her front garden and took delight in chatting with her about whatever was at hand. One autumn morning we were talking about the news: a ghastly story of a young woman taken by a crocodile in the Prince Regent River of north-west Australia.

"Frightful creatures those big crocodiles," offered my neighbour, and I told her how I had only just recently met an old indigenous man from that country and how much he had enchanted me as he spoke about the beautiful dangers of life up there in the Kimberley.

"Oh yes, and who would that be?" inquired Mrs Heggie in the most excited and unusually pointed way.

"David Mowaljarlai was his name," I replied.

"Oh, and how is David these days?" she inquired in a matter-of-fact voice.

After a moment of blank incomprehension, I told her that he seemed fine and thought that perhaps she had misheard me or was having a mixed-up dotty moment and inquiring after somebody in her imagination.

"Do you know of David Mowaljarlai?" I asked.

"Oh yes, he was such a lovely young man; he rescued me from the plane crash."

What then followed in the sunshine of our quiet little street was Mrs Heggie's astonishing story.

She had worked on a mission in Kimberley during the 1930s where cyclones and pirates could suddenly descend from the sea to terrorise the community, and where the giant black crocodiles roamed freely along the river banks and shores of a wild land.

One day she had made a long and difficult journey in the region to attend to some practical business and was offered a quick ride back to the mission in a biplane piloted by a Salvation Army missionary.

"He was a good pilot but a dreadful navigator," recalled Mrs Heggie.

The plane got lost and ran out of fuel, resulting in an emergency landing on a mangrove flat surrounded by deep water and crocodiles in the Prince Regent River.

"We sat on the wings for nearly a week listening to the crocodiles underneath us at night and drank water we collected from the fabric of the plane. The Salvation Army man lost his nerve and I had to spend all my energy trying to calm him down. He was a terrible sook and this annoyed me very much.

"I told him that David from the mission would find us, as I believed he would. David and I had a special understanding of each other and he always seemed to know where I'd be.

"One morning I looked up and there across the water at the edge of the bush was David with his lovely smile. He had found us. He had the most beautiful smile. But you know, to this day, whenever the Salvation Army people come collecting at my door, I give them a donation but I always feel annoyed because of that pilot behaving like a frightened child — he really wasn't much help."

In later life David Mowaljarlai travelled the country and spoke urgently and eloquently of his concern for the wellbeing of white society, which he could see was suffering from a loss of spirit and an incomprehension of the land in which it lived.

His integrity and wisdom often included an important word from his Ngarinyin language: a word that could be very useful to this country in these depressed and anxious times. I use it often.

"Yorro-yorro" is the word — and it means "everything standing up alive" or "the spirit in the land that makes everything stand up alive".

Mrs Heggie had lots of yorro-yorro.

"Each day faces you like a murderer," said Mowaljarlai also — but he said it as an enlivening truth to stimulate the spirit and to remind us of yorro-yorro.

It's a beautiful Wandjina country word to use on Australia Day — or any other day, for that matter. David Mowaljarlai gave it to us and left us with it.

When you've got yorro-yorro you don't need a flag.

random tunes part 16

i get a little bit anxious about playing this game
have this feeling that it's more repetitive than random
same artists popping up fairly regularly
but i like 'em and there's something to be learnt
listening to a tune with a critical ear
then trying to describe said tune in a few words
surprising really what can be gleaned from tunes
when paying more attention than as usual
when mostly the music is just background noise
so rolling the dice for this weeks top 10 list...
we shall overcome by bruce springsteen
ouch - not so many years ago this would have been unlikely
both the song and the singer would have been bypassed
but lately the ear has been turning a bit to roots music
this tune is from an album by the boss of pete seeger linked tunes
this would be quite a standard rendition of this standard but good for it
rain by not drowning, waving
from the classic and best album produced by this band titled tabaran
had the pleasure of seeing the band do a one-off concert a few years ago
where they played the album in it's entirety at womadelaide
they quite openly stated their belief in this album from now 20 years ago
this tune is a poignant tale of trying to sleep at night in the tropics of png
twilight rain by wanderlust
and just to prove the suspect randomness of these tunes another rain song
this one from one of the most underrated bands in australia
presumably because they have been lumbered with that horrible j word
in this tune it's not too hard to in fact picture an end of day shower
piano, cymbals, double bass all used to great effect to invoke images of falling rain
setting forth by eddie vedder
sean penn directed one of the better films from last year titled into the wild
enlisted his buddy eddie vedder to produce a suitable soundtrack
when i saw the film i was most impressed with the tunes he came up with
they just seemed to work in so well with the story of the man striking out
e.g. this short number is the opening tune with the title saying it all
fado tordo by mariza
at times like this i wish i could understand portuguese to do a translation
this tune is sung with such gusto and emotion it would be good to know what it is about
it absolutely rips along with the lady hardly taking a breath as she belts it out
but settling for an appreciation of her unique vocal style and the excellent accompaniment
and it becomes another fine example of the class of both her voice and music
on veut se marier by ba cissoko
another foreign language tune but in this case the vocals of less significance
this band is a classic case of voice as instrument in with the mix
the whole of the album this is from is just so brilliantly produced
with their koras, electric bass, percussion, harmonies all so clear and clean
real up-tempo, groove-based african (guinea) music of the most accessible kind
meissa by robert fripp and brian eno
there used to be a show on triple j on sunday nights dedicated to ambient music
where the host arnold frollows would whisper back announcements of the tunes he played
it was one of my favourite times of the week and a great way to divide play and work
this piece from the equatorial stars typifying the music favoured most by the legendary host
fripp pulling the most amazing guitar based noise and eno doing everything else no doubt
rollercoaster by m ward
young m ward should be a household name with the way he writes and performs
he just makes it seem so simple and every song is a unique little gem
here the tune just swings along so nicely over the 3 minutes it lasts
rollercoaster, can't find my friends on the ground - just lift me up and send me spiralling down
because you lift me up so high high high it's the most unbelievable ride
cornfield ablaze by prefab sprout
confession time - i really, really like prefab sprout and their perfect pop
they've churned out many albums of beautifully produced and catchy tunes
maybe some a bit dated now but songs like this will stand the test of time
here they parallel the story of unrequited love with a blazing crop fire
you took a match to my dry august days, how do i love you, let me count the ways
rock 'n' roll suicide by sue jorge
one of a bunch of covers of david bowie songs by this portugeuse singer
he being the deckhand with the acoustic guitar in the film titled the life aquatic
a strange but likeable film made more memorable with the soundtrack
apparantly mr bowie himself has been very complimentary about the tunes
as with this one sung in portuguese but with the english words already embedded

all over the shopfront on tonights random journey
which is the reason i probably like it so much
no decisions to be made re choice of listening
just take it as is comes
not a bad way to go
really

taiko (japan)

songlines magazine includes from japan the music known as taiko
in it's list of 50 rhythms of the world
described by the magazine as follows

nobody really knows its true origins
but it is believed taiko has been part of japanese culture since 600ad
the thunderous drums have been used in temples
traditional theatre, warfare and japan's summer matsuri festivals
traditionally taiko, which vary from handheld tambours to the giant odaiko were solo instruments
but since the 1950's they have been played in troupes which has led to a musical innovation
the father of modern taiko was a jazz musician daihachi oguchi
who was the first to combine different types of drum and overlapping rhythms
to create the exciting modern ensemble style

i was introduced to taiko at womadelaide in 2006
by a japanese-australian group with the clever name of taikoz
they performed on the main stage as the midday opening act
it was quite an enthralling and memorable performance
not the least because of the athleticism on display
similarly the perfection in delivery of the pieces
indicated a dedication to the art over many years
as there was quite a complexity in the rhythms
hammered out on varying sizes of taiko drums
the following clip is of the most dubious quality
but it's the best example i could find of taiko
and briefly shows taikoz at work in perth
en route to womadelaide in 2006 (or after)
(43 of 50)

death and a funeral

nz put on a state funeral for sir edmund hillary yesterday
which was broadcast live on national tv a-la a royal wedding
it was all done as expected in a very dignified manner
i wasn't glued to the tv set for the number of hours it went on
but i gave it my due attention and respect at a couple of points
firstly when i was drawn to the eulogy given by an old friend of sir ed
a gentleman from nepal named ang rita sherpa
who spoke with such dignity, eloquence and respect
about what sir ed had done for his country and people
that it brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye
especially when he summed it all up by uttering
his loss to us is bigger and heavier than mt everest
he was followed in turn by another nepalese man named norbu tenzing norgay
son of the late sherpa tenzing noray who scaled mt everest with sir ed
he similarly spoke of the love and respect his people had for him
when sherpas heard the news of his death
their grief spiralled into mourning only comparible to the death of a parent
there were more speeches and some rather sombre music
but the second thing that caught my ear and eye
was the performance of a haka as the casket was taken to the hearse
beautifully and passionately performed it also stirred the emotions
giving an indication of the esteem the man was held within maoridom
the whole thing kind of hung in my head most of the day
this morning i did the usual scan of a few online news sites
and got some impression of the international significance of his passing
especially turning to the online site for the melbourne age
where michael leunig had made his unique kind of comment on the ocassion
as today went on i also helped my own family prepare for a funeral
and learnt that another death had occurred on the other side
then tonight the evening news brought the sad story of heath ledger's death
so it's been a strange old day or 2 really with death looming large
thank goodness for the likes of michael luenig (above)
and some beautiful words from some humble people
to lead the way in respect of those who have moved on

the kite runner

read the book and have now seen the film
so did things in the right order i suspect
about a year ago i picked up the book at an airport
read it pretty well non-stop over a few days
a very readable story of 2 boyhood friends from kabul
with ethnic and cultural backgrounds bound to tear them apart
amir is the pushtan son of a rich and successul businessman
hassan the son of the businessman's hazara servant
the film opens with amir as a man and author
married, childless and happily living in the u s of a
he unexpectedly receives a phone call calling him back
reminding him it is not too late to correct a wrong-doing
we then travel back in time to boyhood life in kabul
before the russian invasion and taliban dominance
there's some great scenes of kabul at peace
the people mostly poor but enjoying life
the innocence of childhood well portrayed
as the 2 boys enjoy a genuine and touching friendship
including participation in a popular local pastime and sport
involving kite-flying and aerial warfare using the kites
so that the line is cut and the freed kite is then pursued
hassan is a champion kite runner with his knack at retrieval
but before long jealousy, bullying and racial vilification enter the scene
leading to a testing of then downfall of the boys friendship
shortly after the russians invade and life will never be the same
amir and his father flee via pakistan to america
the second part of the story is set in the u s
in part depicting the struggle of migrants in that country
one scene sees amir and father in a bar celebrating his graduation
beds are burning by midnight oil tellingly blasting in the background
quite a subtle use of the message in that song i thought
before long the phone-call sees us back in kabul with amir
on the search for the son of his now dead friend
and re-visiting places from his childhood
this contrast in times cleverly illustrates the destruction of war
and an explanation of the resurgence of an extremist group
for the taliban are now in power and reeking havoc
there is a very disturbing scene of their treatment of women
which i had remembered from the book and had hoped would be bypassed
but the director impressively stays true to the book
and the scene is included but not unnecessarily highlighted
which fairly well sums up the way the film has been made
there seems to have been fine attention to the detail of the book
but balanced with a need to tell the story fully and accurately
meaning that sometimes scenes move by fairly rapidly
with then some important points made but not emphasised
which is probably ok for a viewer familiar with the book
but could lead to misunderstanding for others
this of course is probably the largest problem
in trying to convert a book that takes several days to read
into a film that can be absorbed in 2 hours
but i think in this case it has been done excellently
including the final scenes of redemption back in america
making for a very absorbing and moving film

soukous (dr congo)

back in africa and a return visit to dr congo (zaire)
this time for a rhythm known as soukous
which to this untrained ear sounds very familiar
not because of any particular exposure or knowledge of soukous
but more so because it sounds similar to other african styles
where the guitar rings out a very repetitive riff
and the bass and percussion also have a strong beat
inspiring some serious hip movement
here is songlines magazine description of soukous

in the west it is still referred to as soukous music
but it's really just modern congolese music
a hybrid of classic old congo rumba with sumptuous vocal harmonies
and multiple interwoven guitars
and the faster sebene section of the song
where the guitars let rip underneath vocal animations
that encourage the sexy swivel-hipped movements of the dancers

papa wemba seems to be a major contributor to this style
but on doing a bit of research it turns out he has another career
was convicted of trafficking illegal (women) immigrants into france
so not someone i particularly want to pay much attention to
digging further revealed another musician named kanda bongo man
which reminded me of his name being on the program at womadelaide
for some reason i.e. clash of interests i did not see him perform
but found the following video of his 2006 performance at womadelaide
seems to have been a mid or late afternoon show on the main stage
so apart from providing a good reference point for soukous
this one shows off well the stage and crowd at the festival
(42 of 50)

huun huur tu

late sunday night at womadelaide 2007
the big act for the night was salif keita and band
drew a huge crowd to the main stage and wowed us all
thankfully that was enough for most of the crowd
my experience of womad is that the locals don't like late nights
much rather be tucked up in bed ready for the work the next day
than searching out some obscure music from out there in the world
but not me - i learnt several years ago to keep going
some of the most sublime moments of the weekend
have occurred sprawled out on the grass
under a beautiful star-lit sky
cool breezes wafting over a sunburnt body
coping quite nicely with a happily fed tummy
and a respectable intake of south australian red wine
the musical soul complete sated with a day's superb music
and then ready to be gently eased down by the final performance
last year some genius organiser included huun huur tu on the bill
they presumably flew halfway around the world for this show
to perform for an hour in front of a few hundred or so music fans
as usual i had no idea what to expect with this group
though throat-singing had been mentioned in the program
having seen the gyuto monks several years earlier
it seemed we were up for another fine festival closing act
but they were even better than expected
not only did they do the throat-singing bit
but they each played a traditional instrument
that gave the music a great beat, rhythm and organic feel
each member of the four piece group wore a different coloured satin outfit
looking to me very much like a take on sgt pepper
there was dialogue between the songs
mostly giving us a bit of insight to their home country
a place called tuvu nestled just above mongolia
these guys seem to be constantly touring the world
they have performed at a number of large festivals
and have recorded many albums of diverse songs
since the show i have discovered a piece of music
performed by an ex-member of the group named albert kuvezin
a cover of a well-known song titled when the levee breaks
which gives some indication of their place in the musical world
the following clip is from a french festival
has a bit of the band warming up out the back
and then on-stage delivering their unique music
memories of midnight sunday in adelaide's botannical gardens
blissed out on some beautiful soul music

ska (jamaica)

getting close to the end of this little project
linking a youtube video to each of the 50 rhythms of the world
as written up by songlines magazine sometime in 2006
it's been quite fun really as well as educational
have discovered some performers needing further investigation
and a few styles that have confirmed my previous tendency to avoid
more still that have enlightened me in some way mostly thanks to wiki
typically about where geographically the music has come from
there's been a few that i metaphorically screwed my nose up at
ska being one of them - i wasn't a huge fan back in the 80's
when it became a major success in the mainstream
thanks to madness, the specials and a few local acts
the allniters being the most famous as well as itchy feet
led by a chap by the name of tim freedman
here's how songlines described it in their article

sixties jamaican dance music, ska, has a jerky, see-sawing beat and matching 'shanking' dance
the underlying shuffling rhythm derives from the mento folk style and shares calypso's catchy lilt
milly small's 1964 ska-pop hit 'my boy lollipop'
coincided with the more musically sophisticated former jazz and r&b bands
whose classics were recorded in the kingston sound system studios
coxsone dodd immortalised the magnificent skatalites
prince buster brought ska to london
inspiring the two-tone ska of madness and the specials

no chance that milly small's hit is going to get the nod here
but the magazine did recommend a song by a group called the skatalites
apparantly the founding force of ska in the early sixties
seems the band is still together and performing internationally
though most of the original members have shuffled on
their trademark song seems to be a cover of the guns of navarone
found a clip of the band including a couple of original members
performing said tune at the glastonbury music festival in 2003
in a country that embraced ska and allowed it to flourish
i must admit i do like this original sounding ska music
(41 of 50)

zwartboek

translated to english a film titled black book
this one was on high rotation mid last year
but i just quite couldn't bring myself to watch it then
reviews were conflicting and war is not my favourite genre
but on this day it was on in a small theatre nearby
so off i went to have my own exclusive screening
the film is set in the later stages of world war 2
in holland the home country of director paul verhoeven
star of the film is a beautiful dutch actress named carice van houten
playing the part of rachel - a dutch jew on the run from the nazis
she joins a resistance group after the brutal murder of her family
then as a mole in nazi headquarters falls in love with muntz - an ss officer
and recognises another officer responsible for butchering her family
i knew about the plot of the film and so had braced myself
the wimp in me does not like watching war films
i find it all too sad what humans can do to each other
especially when we are aware of the horrors of war
and still go out and do it again and again
the film is all a bit of a muddle really
i just couldn't find any character i had empathy with
i know i was supposed to be impressed by the courage of rachel
but mostly i was feeling sympathy for the actress
the director had her at least topless in a lot of scenes
or looking gorgeous in some stunning dress and makeup
quite often grabbing a microphone to sing to the nazis
and for me not at all convincing as a woman of substance
her lover (muntz) was there to remind us nazis are people too
we learn that his family was killed by a british air-raid
and at that point he is no longer the enemy
about the same time we learn of deception
in the ranks of the resistance fighters
so about an hour into the film there's a lot going on
there's a lot of characters, names and languages
and betrayal and finger-pointing on both sides
at times i was struggling to keep up with it all
other times i felt annoyed with the heavy-handed dramatisation
or when a particular point was being made and made again
i actually thought the film descended into farce a couple of times
one scene in particular involving a large and angry crowd
in a multi-level warehouse taking it out on our heroine
reminded me of something out of mad max thunderdome
in fact dare i say that hogans heroes came to mind at least once
especially when the colonel klink type lookalike showed up
now while in panning mode - the music - ouch
big orchestra sounds in the big action scenes - too much
very well constructed scenes indicating the big budget
but then let down often by bad acting in simple scenes
and the whole thing just kept going and going and....
poor rachel finally broke into tears on the news of her lovers death
'will it ever end' she sobbed referring to the deaths around her
i'm not sure if that was meant as some kind of in-joke or not
but then as the film staggered on for another half hour or so
in the penultimate scene she sighs 'it is finally over'
...and a big phew from me on that too

rokia traore

setting the memory back 7 years to march 2001
and my first visit to womad in the city of adelaide
it was more by accident than design that i was there
i was in town on a semi-regular business trip
a good friend also happened to be in town at the same time
both of us had more than a passing interest in music
particularly music not of the mainstream
so we agreed to stay on over the weekend and attend womad
we went with absolutely no pre-conceived ideas
something i still carry forward on each annual visit
for then whatever is laid out before you is a gift
and not something to be measured against anything else
in the case of the numero uno attendence this was a good approach
i think i spent most of the 2 days and 3 nights kicking myself
why had i not made the effort to get here before?
answer - too late - but make sure you come back every time
even if it means at some future time rocking up in a wheelchair
which is entirely reasonable given platforms are set up for such attendees
in 2001 it was the hottest i have experienced womadelaide
40 degrees plus during the day with night coming as a relief
my memories are of the walk-through water-spraying frames
and banks of people clinging to shade under trees
with large empty spaces between them and the stages
the performers on stage dripping in perspiration
one hilarious lady in particular leading a gypsy band from eastern europe
reminding us she had come directly from her snow-bound freezing winter
but still gave her all on a minor stage in the blazing sun
stage 3 mid afternoon saturday played host to an african lady
a few hundred attendees braved the heat and parked themselves front of stage
myself and my companion included wanting to hear some african music
rokia traore is now regarded a world music superstar
whatever that means except that she performs in concert halls
very large concert halls in european cities e.g. paris
there's a brilliant dvd i own of her doing such a show
but in 2001 it was a small crowd on a very hot afternoon
on a small stage with an adequate sound system
shyness meant she rarely engaged the crowd
preferred to lock into giving her best vocally
or concentrating on playing her guitar
her backing band were with her completely
providing the unique sound that i now associate with mali
it was a totally exhilerating musical experience
opened my ears and eyes to a whole new world of music
as did other performers on that first womad weekend
the following clip is of this ultra talented lady
recorded at another womad festival
here showing much more confidence
but the same eclectic music and dance

random tunes part 15

enjoying a lovely summer in this part of the world
unusually consistently clear and hot days
makes for a memory of a tune from 1983 (?)
the long hot summer (just passed me by)
a fine song that was from the style council
which gives me the excuse to check out some more tunes
on this similarly classic summer night here and now
adduna by ba cissoko
these guys are a 4 piece outfit from guinea in africa
centred around 2 kora players, bass, drums
young guys with a great sense of groove and rhythm
beautiful production on the album makes for the complete package
great beat, clean sounds, wah-wah guitar, harmonies, etc, etc
diablo rojo by rodrigo y gabriela
mexican man and woman on acoustic guitars
making noises that just do not sound possible from a duo
the album this is from came with a dvd of them in concert
so there was proof that they were totally making all the sounds
as this one - tune plucked at speed, beat on the guitar body, thrashed chords, indescribable
ha umo musica do povo (there's a song of the people) by mariza
what can be said about this lady - how about she would eat celine dion for breakfast?
the thing i can't stand about the likes of cd is that she may have a brilliant voice
but there's not a miniscule of an ounce of soul in her body so neither in her music
this lady has it in spades - and the voice - and her beauty - sigh, gasp, melt, etc
i think this my favourite (so far) - listen and weep - literally
just because i like by laughing clowns
and for a complete change in style but sticking with the soul
mr ek also has it in spades and pours it into every tune he records or performs
if there's one band from the 1980's that sounds nothing like that era this is it
another typical clowns track where all musicians get their share of attention
ed leads but there's the raw sax, the gunfire drums, fluid bass and piano (chris abrahams)
bisbee blue by calexico
had forgotten i had this band's last album sitting in the iriver
saw them play at the basement last year - full 9-piece band on a small stage
at that time i was unsure of their music and came away very impressed
this tune is anchored in country/rock/pop territory and ok for it
it has a familiar beat, riff, chorus making for a very pleasant album track
anyone by joan as policewoman
joan wasser is the leader of this 3 piece from boston
apparantly she was jeff buckleys lover and inspiration for a few tunes
real life is the debut album of this lineup and it has a great appeal
on this slow number her voice is pushed to it's boundaries with simple but superb instrumentation
anyone can see through me - but you're not anyone
i am a beautiful and unique snowflake by triosk
i refuse to use the j word to describe triosk as that is what they are not
except in the sense that make noise, no vocals, double-bass, drums, keyboards
but adrian klumpes on piano is like a 4th member with his electronic gadgets
here he plays a beautiful melody on the piano while blips, scratches, noises are going on
then he hammers away on the same notes brilliantly supported by bass and percussion - superb
cruenza de ma by corou de berra
starts out like the intro to a major classical overture with serious viola intro
then the beat kicks in also on violin closely followed by the harmonising voices
corou de berra have hit a real chord with me with their beautiful music
no idea of course what they are singing about in their french dialect
but as here it's the richness in the instruments and voices that does the trick
confianzas by gotan project
a highlight act at last year's womadelaide was this french-argentinian outfit
they were loud - the bass in particular giving the old stomach-punch - but i like it like that
this one is so typical of their style - bandoneon leads, electronica grooves, sensuous vocals
in this case a lady talk-singing her way through the tune as another instrument
it all sounds just so french - so evocative and downright cool-smooth
fast boat to china by wanderlust
this 6 piece would be rich and famous if they were based in the u s of a
they compose and perform music that covers many different sources
some say they have captured the sound of australian jazz - whatever that may be
but for me they have an openness and appeal that may be of their 'multi-cultural' origins
as with this one - 8 minutes of all over the place music but still with feel and a theme

now that was fun with iriver tossing up a few new artists or songs
a very interesting mix of tunes has been delivered
but still need more in there - gotta get to it
might do some shopping tomorrow
unless it is too hot to go out
i'll take that also
hot summer
is good