...tori amos

Last Saturday I went to Luna Park for my nephew's 8th Birthday Party. As I was waiting in line for my 3rd 'terrifying' ride on the Ghost Train, I realised that the flame-haired woman standing in line next to me was none other than Tori Amos. What a spinout! Q went to see her perform at the Regent Theatre the previous night and gave me a rave review, so I couldn't help myself and told Ms Amos of Q's positive feedback. "Why thankyou! That is lovely. Could you thank her for me?" she replied in her mid-western accent.

A bit later Q showed up and I told her Tori was about, but she said she didn't want to annoy her and wanted to let her have a nice private day out with her kids and partner. But a little later as Q was walking into the Ladies, Tori was coming out, having changed for Saturday night's gig in the toilets. Q couldn't help herself and told Tori how much she enjoyed the show and thanked her for coming to Melbourne. "Why, aren't you a sweetheart!" Tori replied.

It was the cherry on top of a great weekend for Q. It's not often you get called a sweetheart by one of your favourite artists.

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...doolittle

The fact that its been 20 years since Pixies released their seminal album Doolittle makes me feel a tad old. Not that I was listening to Pixies in 1989, I discovered them a few years later.

I think they are well described as 'musician's musicians, achieving success through their enormous influence rather than mainstream popularity. As a teenager learning guitar, they absolutely stunned in their ability to demonstrate what is possible. Double octave bends, harmonic distortion, fantastically oddball beats, Black Francis' cockatoo-like vocals mollified by Kim's sexysweet vocals, all with a zesty latino hint, all in kooky 2-3 minute parcels of audio bliss. They are my favourite surfer/latino/surrealist/punk/space/pop band. An acquired taste but to this day, I can't ask for more.

I just got tickets to their Melbourne gig next March, and I just heard they are releasing a studio album after 19 years. Woohoot!

Here's a clip from their follow up album Bossanova. Aren't they cute! All fresh faced and optimistic. Nowadays they look overweight and bit hagged... a lot like me. The sound on the following vid is a bit awful. This is in fact the only 'official' filmclip the Pixies ever made, a 20 second clip of the band running through a quarry slowed down. It was always about the music.

hold my head
we'll trampoline
finally through the roof
on to somewhere near
and far in time
velouria

...screamin' jay hawkins

Anyone who hasn't seen Screamin' Jay Hawkins peform, I urge you to watch this video (or at least the last minute of it). The man is quite the... unique individual.

There's more info here about this interesting artist.



Have a great weekend y'all, and don't forget to eat some prunes.


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...can you hear the plunder?

Have you heard this story, the one that Men at Work ripped off Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree when they wrote Downunder?

Now I'm no musical virtuoso, but those songs don't sound a bleedin' thing like each other. One is an early 80's pop/reggae smash from an obscure band from St.Kilda and now favourite of drunken, embarassing fellow Australian backpackers world-wide. The other is a campfire round written by Girl Guides (I mean no disrespect to the International Girl Guide Association, in fact I have a ton of respect. Keep baking little sisters!!*)

Apparently it has something to do with the flute bit, but I still can't hear it. I didn't even know that Kookaburra has a bloody flute in it. I also forgot how funny that Men at Work filmclip is.




Because the best way of finding out the ultimate truth about everything is handing it over to a bunch of bloggers, what say you, o' learned ones.


*I also realise that the Girl Guides Association does not continue to propagate the stereotypical role of women and girls acting primarily in the role of unpaid domestic worker. Nowadays, according their their webpage, they fight AIDS and save the enviromnment, along with making a mean chocolate crackle. Most girls join the Scouts anyway. Baden Powell would be rolling in his grave.

...where's the cheese?

When I bought my ukelele, my local purveyor of small guitars almost convinced me to buy an $80 model, despite it being my first time.

I said I wanted to start out slowly and not rush into anything. He said that if you start playing with an el cheapo crappo instrument you'd never get into it, and he had (has) a good point. The $80 number sounds heaps better. The $300 '"concert" ukelele is a work of art. The $400 electric ukelele in the shape of a Les Paul is out of this world.

But they're not kitsch enough, all serious looking with a natural woodgrain finish. Gimme the cadmium red el cheapo number, at least until they make a decent model with a sunset and palm tree on it. Its a fuckin ukelele for godssake! Where's the cheese? And where's the "Big Bumper Songbook of Daggy Hawaiian Tunes for Utter Morons" in the book selection?

Geez! Who do they take me for? Someone serious?

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...travel soundtracks

You ever been on a journey, to another country or place very different to the one you call home? A profound journey, one that changed your life? Did you listen to music while you were on that journey? When you hear that music now, does it take you back to the sights, smells, sounds and emotions of that time and place?

I have.

When ever I hear Coldplay I'm transported in time to a 26 year old me happily wandering around Central and West Java and Sumatra with a crappy walkman I bought in Bogor. I can almost smell it.



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...ukelele

I bought a ukelele the other day. I've wanted one for a long time. Its bright red, and cost thirty bucks. It's very easy to play. It was either a ukelele or an electric guitar, but taking an electric guitar camping has drawbacks, like scaring the kangaroos away... and needing a generator.

I used to have an electric guitar. It was white and had "Helter Skelter" written on it in red oil paint. One of my dodgy housemates stole it back in the early 90's. I was in a band back then. We used to play for whiskey and beer. We were pretty shit.

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