OCTOBER ROUND UP

Well to say I was uber busy during October would be an understatement!!

I had everything going on and I think it's a tribute to how well I am doing with my mental health that I can sit here calmly and write all about it all.

Firstly work was crazy busy, I had a lot of Social Media one on one lessons scheduled as a follow up to last month's overview. And we embarked on Rocktober, a month of music in the library. It was a lot of work and mostly things were successful. Unfortunately the Open Mic Nights we wanted to run were a failure. The people who had promised to assist just didn't deliver and as much as we tried without their help the nights just didn't work. This was extremely upsetting and annoying, but not everything in life goes according to plan and not everyone in life is trustworthy. This was to become a theme of my month! However we did schedule a lot of School Musical Showcases and they were extremely successful with fun performances within the library that were very well attended. And at the last minute I came across a worthy collaborator for future musical endeavours, so not down and out, we shall try something different in the new year. This was on top of regular work, meetings, starting to organise two separate staffing recruits and the awful news that it looks likely we will amalgamate with Newcastle Council resulting in about 130 lost jobs.

In the middle of all of this I decided that my dwindling field of possibilities romantically needed to be broadened! Well actually that decision was made last month, it was this month that saw things get moving. I guess I don't talk much about all of this, there are some things you gotta keep to yourself. I do date but yet to meet, you know, the one. Or at least the one who feels mutually about that, lol! But in between these dates can be what I call dry periods. Anyway, I love my life and for the most part don't actually get too down about being single, it would just be nice to share those special moments with someone that is all. At my age there is no hurry, no ticking clock, and I know what I want, so it's kind of refreshing really. Having said that I do have moments of despair and longing...cause you know, I'm human! 

So the broadening of my net so to speak unleashed, well, a range of situations that I initially struggled to navigate. Far out, it's a nightmare out there, I thought I knew that, but I had no idea really. It's a wonder the world continues to populate itself with so many idiots out there I can tell you. I have had some very awful experiences this month, one in particular that still has me scratching my head, but I do think I dodged a bullet by getting out of that fairly early, but not without great upset. You would think by the time we get to my age, we'd be grown up and done with games but apparently not. Anyway, I have had good experiences that more than made up for the bad, and the amusement of observing some of the dreadful behaviour is sadly entertaining and given me MUCH material to write about, lol! No, I haven't found the one yet, but it's been interesting and kind of fun. And as I write I feel less anxious than I did at the beginning of the month. Huge shout out to my lovely close circle of friends who look after my wellbeing and love me, in particular C and J, who are my constants and sounding boards.

And if all of that was not enough, boy I got some socialising in!!!

The month started in Sydney for a Music Librarians Conference I was thrilled to take part in. I felt like a rockstar Librarian as I entered the APRA HQ where the conference was held. I mingled with proper Music Librarians, and other interesting related people like The Brandenburg Orchestra, ABC etc. Afterwards I finally checked out the Gehry at the UTS which I absolutely loved of course.

The October long weekend is the This Is Not Art (TINA) and National Young Writers Festival and we had a long day listening to loads of interesting people talk about a range of subject matter. We also checked out the premiere of a local filmmaker's movie, filmed in Newcastle and Transylvania at The Towers. 

There was a crazy night in Newcastle where A, L, & I double booked ourselves (purposely) to see Magda Szubanski and Barry Morgan on the same night. Squeezing in Bookclub and a meal prior we were on fire!

Magda was here to be interviewed by the wonderful Rosemarie Milsom about her memoir. It was an hour of sheer delight, we got to see Magda and what a beautiful soul she is. She spoke mostly about her upbringing, her father who was a sniper during the war, and her struggles with her weight and sexuality. She was intelligent, well spoken, and just a fascinating person. Yes she dipped into her comedy and told a few fab stories, but it was the other that had me - and I suspect the entire audience - in the palm of her hands. I could have listened to her all night. I've always thought of her as a national treasure, but now more so.

As soon as that finished we hightailed it to the Carrington Bowlo for Barry Morgan. We'd only missed a small amount of his show which was hilarious and camp, as you would expect. If you don't know who Barry is, google him, he's another national treasure. I've loved his shtick since I first saw him on Spicks and Specks years ago. He entertained the very full audience, with songs, tales, double entendres, and divine organ playing. Gosh we loved Barry's organ. It was one of those nights of laughing until your cheeks hurt.

I also saw two plays this month, one an amateur production of a hospital farce at St Matthews Hall at Georgetown with H, featuring some of her family and with superb catering by the talented J. The other at The Playhouse with A, after a lovely meal at The Clarendon, called Between Two Waves, about a climate scientist whose life is falling apart around him. Clever staging encompassing relationships, climate change, politics, and mental health. I enjoyed both plays.

L and I were also privileged to be part of a small group of people who were lucky enough to see The Doubleclicks, a cool duo from Portland, who sing geeky songs about Dinosaurs, Cats, being an introvert, and sci-fi amongst other very cool things. Huge thanks to S for pulling this together. Definitely a fan now!

Here is them singing Oh, Mr Darcy.

My personal favourite, Will they or won't they?

And The Doctor Who Theme as you've never heard it before.

I also managed to head to a small Tweet Up at The Lass, attend an ALIA meeting at The Press Book House Cafe, check out Newcastle Gallery, do a lot of second hand book and clothes shopping, celebrate my nephew's 13th birthday at Foghorn, and catch up with D at Qs.

But the highlight of my month, and possibly my year was seeing Fleetwood Mac with C and E in Sydney. They were absolutely brilliant and you can read all about our experience here.

Here are my few reviews from October too, didn't have much time left to read or watch many DVDs.

And as always some random photos:

FLEETWOOD MAC

I have loved Fleetwood Mac my entire life. This is mostly due to a cool Dad who had impeccable taste in music. We were showered with music constantly growing up and Fleetwood Mac was a huge favourite for all of us. As a kid I instantly fell in love with Stevie; her persona, style, and music.  I also thought Lindsay Buckingham was just divine, oh my he was sexy. I loved the backbeat, passion, and humour of John and Mick. And I put Christine up on a pedestal of perfection; a stunning voice, mixed with shyness and class.

 

I devoured their music alongside my Dad, and played the albums over and over, until my 20s when anything classic was replaced by the indie music of the 90s. But as always, you come back to great music...because it is great music. No matter how long it may be between listens the words come back to me and I simply feel joyous; the music is that good!

 

There is something special about their music, heart on your sleeve lyrics that can be sheer poetry and incredibly romantic, yet never in a bad way. The mix of personalities and writing within the group, bring this cool, pop AND rock sound that is simply dynamic and unique. Also a supreme mastery of instruments, and a combination of three stunning voices, this is why they sold millions and are beloved by young and old. Also listening to the albums today, they do not sound dated in any way.

 

So why have I never seen Fleetwood Mac? Too young to see them when they were at their height and that period in my 20s when I didn't listen to them as much. After that they would tour with a member missing and as a music lover and a purist this was a no no. I had seen Stevie a few years back, with E and C, and it was magical. So when they announced their tour, with all 5 members  - of what most call the classic line up - in tact, I knew it was my last chance. My best friend's husband, E, is also a fan so we decided to go dragging C with us.

 

Getting the tickets was easier said than done, and after a huge anxiety attack - the night we wanted sold out way too quickly - I got us decent tickets for Thursday 22 October.

 

This was much earlier in the year and it seemed like October would never arrive and suddenly we were driving down in the pouring rain to Allphones Arena in Sydney, excited and eager.

 

I get very emotional at concerts, most music I love goes straight to my heart. For me, an introverted shy kid, music and books were mostly my friends growing up. I immersed myself in them, some songs and words just bring me to my knees and I weep with joy and remembrance...it's who I am. I had been really emotional in the week leading up to the concert, getting teary with certain songs as I listened to their albums over and over.

 

I would think about what songs I wanted to hear them sing, I didn't mind. The obvious hits would no doubt be played, and to be honest, I could live without them, though I knew I would enjoy hearing them. I guess my favourite track is Tusk (and I've written about Tusk here before), but I wasn't sure I wanted them to play that, without the marching band it wouldn't be quite right. I did think Landslide, Gypsy, Songbird, Wish You Were Here, Love in Store, Think About You, Second Hand News, and Never Going Back Again would be good to hear.

 

Driving to C and E's place I had a little cry as I sang along to Landslide, it was all too much. I couldn't believe I would finally see these people and hear this music that has meant so very much to me my entire life.

Our seats were pretty good, at the bottom of the top tier, looking to the side of the stage right. No support act, they came on to great fanfare around 8.15pm. My heart skipped a beat.

 

Instead of bursting into tears like I thought I would, I beamed and squealed unleashing my inner child and teen simultaneously and Lindsay started to play The Chain.

One by one they added to the harmony and cacophony of the song that best describes Fleetwood Mac, and they sounded amazing. I never expected them to sound bad, but never in my wildest desire did I think they would sound THAT good.

 

By the time we hit song 4 - Second Hand News - a favourite and following The Chain, You Make Loving Fun, Dreams, I knew we were experiencing a concert unlike any other I had seen. In fact it was 2.5 hours of non-stop brilliance!

 

It was pure and utter joy, it was heart warming, it sounded great, you could feel the love in the room from the audience, from the band, between band members, and it was fucking rock 'n' roll!!!!!

The set list is outstanding - have a look below. And pretty much every song sounded as it was meant to sound. This band is now in their very late 60s and Christine McVie 72!!! The energy and musicality they possessed is something worth bottling.

 

They genuinely looked and sounded like they were having the time of life. They chatted occasionally and told the odd story and even Lindsay - the problem child of the band, but hey every genius is a problem child  - talked about how much he loved being back with his friends and how he loved them. This wasn't always the case, but the love between all five of them was solid, genuine, and something to behold. I think this is what made them sound so tight and joyous musically.

Stevie and Lindsay spoke the most. They are the outgoing personalities, the genius and the heart and poet as Mick describes them. They both told stories and anecdotes behind songs, and really passed on wisdom and spirituality in a way that was uplifting and magical. They moved around the stage the most, Stevie dancing and twirling, Lindsay killing on guitar. The best guitarist I have ever seen live is Prince (twice) and he is mind blowing, Lindsay came close if not exceed those performances in parts. Which is pretty amazing, I was blown away at his skills and technique. He was the band member who stayed on stage the most. The others occasionally popped off stage briefly, but he was there all night, excess energy and supreme talent.

 

Mick and John were tight, the back beat strong as ever, keeping the band focused and on the straight and. John, stayed in the shadows, to Mick's right, as he's always done, happy to groove away in his gentlemanly way. Mick was out there, hilarious and strong, at 68, proving, drummers just keep banging away at life!

 

And Christine, beautiful, gentle Christine, back after 16 years. The love in the room for her and within the band was enormous, she mostly stuck to her keyboards, and smiled gently and sang like an angel. At 72, the oldest of the group, she sounded simply stunning, and everyone knew it.

And so the music, the songs sounded like they were meant to, as you imagined, as you remembered, and like the albums. And after all this time, and in a day and age where messing about with stuff seems to happen a little bit too much, this is quite astonishing. A few had some slight changes, but nothing that made you cross. Hearing songs sung and played live as they were written and originally recorded is a true joy in life and this is what lifted this concert from great to one of the best I have ever seen.

Highlights for me were The Chain, Second Hand News, Sara (oh my goodness, Stevie killed this, really killed this!!!!!!), Landslide, Never Going Back Again, I'm So Afraid (Lindsay's guitar playing was out of this world), Tusk (which didn't sound too bad all things considered), and Silver Springs.

 

My top three were Think About it - a rarity from Tusk which I just love, Gypsy - only one of the two times I cried, I just love the lyrics and sentiment behind it. Stevie told a great story behind the song too, which I loved.

But the show stopper was the final song, after the encore, a grand piano was rolled on and Christine triumphantly sat down and played Songbird. The audience were just in the palm of her hand, she sounded fragile and perfect (pun intended) and the tears welled in my eyes and I sang along with those stunning words.

And then it was over, the time flew by in a second, I could have sat there all night, seat dancing, singing, and beaming with complete and utter joy.

SETLIST

The chain (Rumours)
You Make Loving Fun (Rumours)
Dreams (Rumours)
Second hand news (Rumours)
Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac)
Everywhere (Tango in the Night)
Bleed To Love Her (The Dance)
Tusk (Tusk)
Sara (Tusk)
Say You Love Me (Fleetwood Mac)
Big Love (Tango in the Night)
Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)
Never Going Back Again (Rumours)
Think About Me (Tusk)
Gypsy (Mirage)
Little Lies (Tango in the Night)
Gold Dust Woman (Rumours)
I'm So Afraid (Fleetwood Mac)
Go Your Own Way (Rumours)

World Turning (Fleetwood Mac)
Don't Stop (Rumours)
Silver Springs (Go Your Own Way b-side, The Dance)

Songbird (Rumours)

 

PS, the Merch was pretty fab too! Got myself a wodnerful Tambourine necklace, some guitar picks, and fridge magnets

 

 

Songs that make me smile: TUSK

I love how certain songs and music you love (or not) can take you to a place, time, and feeling and just make you smile.

Tusk by Fleetwood Mac is one of those for me.

And I have to say just listening to it today has brought me so much joy and happiness if I could bottle it I would!

 

It's the title track to their 'experimental' album from 1979. Their own White Album if you will. At the time one of the most expensive albums ever made. A follow up to their instant hit album, Rumours, Tusk sold nowhere near as well.

 

There are two reasons the song strikes a chord with me; the song itself, and my memories of it as a child.

 

I would have been 8 when Dad bought the album Tusk, and I remember him particularly playing that song really loud. It is a song that needs to be played loud I think.

 

I also remember it's unusual but now iconic film-clip, set in a large stadium with a marching band (The University of Southern California Trojan marching Band) and Fleetwood Mac mucking about on it. I remember them carrying a cardboard cut out of John McVie and I couldn't work that one out, where was he? I know I spent a lot of time thinking about that. I now know he was in Tahiti holidaying. I was a strange kid but it all intrigued me somehow, it was funny and weird and large, in sound and in look. I have always loved large and overblown anything.

 

I also thought Mick Fleetwood was a bit weird jumping around all over the shop and Christine wasn't featured much. As an adult I realise Mick was probably on something, and as a drummer his mind must have been blown hearing his drum solos played out so amazingly, and that Christine never liked the limelight.

 

I remember the film-clip being played a lot on Countdown, so much so I figured it must have been number one, but I don't think that was the case. Maybe it was just played a lot or maybe I thought it was played a lot, the mind is a funny thing.

 

I remember Lindsay had no beard and looked so good looking, and he was laughing and having fun and I was so in love with him. Also a few of the marching band members hugged him and I thought I need to play an instrument to get into a marching band! I remember Stevie looking fabulously cool in a see through cream strapless dress and a floppy straw hat, I loved her baton twirling. I do remember Mum mucking about with some of her own marching girl moves which amused and embarrassed us equally. To see your Mum bust moves like that when you are 8 is strange. Mum had been a champion marching girl when she was a young girl.

 

That film-clip is ingrained into my soul, my childhood, my memories!

 

The song is also one of those great songs, an instant classic and because it is essentially an instrumental song, you don't hear it on the radio so much these day. In fact it's a song I rarely hear at all.

 

It starts with a tribal drum beat and what sounds like an audience over it and then after a few bars the vocals come in very soft but in beat with the drums. And then a few guitar chords in between beats. It builds slowly then a funky guitar beat with more singing and some tribal style chanting, and Lindsay shrieking, "Don't say that you love me". Very anthemaic and very addictive.

And the manic drum beat to the steel guitar solo, all the while that same original drum beat continuing and finally the brass section of the band striking in. Building to a loud cacophony of perfection.  

 

It is such a positive and uplifting image from my childhood, it awakens every sense and I will never tire of hearing it!

 

And I'm sharing it here today as I've had a rough week and I always revert to comfort music when I'm feeling weary. A Fleetwood Mac compilation came through my hands at work and the timing was serendipitous and I was also playing it in the car today feeling good after some time spent with fabulous friends. I flicked the volume up high, very high, and played it on repeat all the way home.

And just like that I got my mojo back!