ROCKWIZ LIVE

RocKwiz is up there in the vault as one of my all-time favourite shows.

It is a perfect set-up, originally filmed in The Gershwin Room at The Epsy Hotel in St Kilda, Melbourne. The Espy is a grand old hotel, and mecca for lovers of music, specifically rock. You can almost feel the sticky of the floor, the ringing of your ears when you watch the show. You swoon over the red velvet, the atmosphere is palpable and very much your usual pub experience.

4 regular people/punters from the pub are chosen to sit on panels of 3 on the main stage to answer all sorts of questions about music. It is next level pub trivia!

There is a wonderful backing band, initially the 3 piece of Mark Ferry on Bass, Peter 'Lucky" Luscombe on Drums, and the genius James Black on keyboards and guitars, often together! They were phenomenal in terms of replicating the sound of well-known and beloved songs and new music too. 

The 2 big keys to the show's success are Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis. Julia is your hostess with the mostess. She keeps everything running smoothly, with grace and much humour. Always dressed in black and white with sometimes a touch of red, Julia fits in visually as a rock n roll chick. She is effortlessly cool, hilarious, quick witted, and utterly charming. Brian is a force of nature, he moderates the show, keeps time, does the warm-up, and helps with the selection of the audience.

The show starts with Who Can It Be Now, where Julia asks questions about a performer that is waiting backstage to sing a song. This is always a mix of prominent and well-known Australian singers and musicians, up and coming singers and musicians, and often visiting singers and musicians from overseas. This is always fun and exciting. Once they have sung their song, they join one panel, and the next Who Can It Be Now is up. So each panel has a real life musician sitting with them, answering questions. This is always fabulous, seeing the reactions of everyday punters when Martha Wainwright or Tex Perkins joins their panel!

The rounds of questions come next including the Million Dollar Riff, where the band plays a classic riff, that you need to guess. This is my area of expertise! Bloody love that round.

Throughout the show, Dugald, the roadie, comes out in his white singlet and grin, and shows us how each panel of contestants are going with pieces of cardboard and scores.

At the end of the show a winning panel is announced, there is no prize, just the glory of winning. The two singers join forces with the band and sing a duet. This is often the highlight with some amazing pairings and songs.

Here is a link to one of my favourite duets of all time from the show, Deborah Conway and Tex Perkins slaying the Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris version of Love Hurts. It smoldered so much, I got a text message from my Mum (My parents were huge fans of the show) asking how long they were married, lol!

The show was instantly a classic and a favourite, especially for those answering at home. Back in the hey day of twitter, a group of locals would watch RocKwiz and tweet, we became friendly online and ended up all meeting for a local 80s gig - despite never meeting before - and had a great night, most of them are still close friends to this day.

This show means so much to me.

It finished up some years back, sadly, but has had a reprieve this year, in a slightly shorter format. It is pretty good, not quite the same, but better than no RocKwiz!

And over the past decade or so it has toured. The touring show is pretty much the same at the television show except you often get more than 2 singers or musicians AND you get to see how they find the 4 panelists for the main show.

This show was a superb one, I have seen the live show a couple of times before, Andrew had not. We'd had a big week and were both really exhausted. And it was in the middle of the Newcastle Writers Festival weekend. However, once we got to The Civic Theatre the vibe was so warm and uplifting we felt immediately great.

Brian was outside in the foyer, bouncing about and getting everyone excited. We took our seats and he came into the theatre and was telling stories music and his childhood and so on. He had a soundtrack playing and then it happened.

He told a story about a childhood favourite song and played it.

The song was Snoopy Vs the Red Baron by The Royal Guardsman!

It was a childhood favourite of mine, we played it A LOT!

It was on a compilation called Goofy Greats, that Dad had brought us, with loads of cool bubblegum and groovy pop from the 60s and 70s.

I cannot begin to tell you the joy this song brought to me, hearing it again for the first time in many decades. It was a song I had forgotten even existed. But it took me right back to dancing around the lounge room with my sister when we were little. We loved that song. I remembered every word and nuance of the song, it was a glorious moment.

When I got home later that night I found Goofy Greats and the original 45, both part of Dad's vinyl collection he gifted to me some years back.

I also found the original video, which I had never seen, and it is great. The song itself is very catchy of course, but quite subversive if you listen to it, it is about WW2.

So after that, we couldn't not have a great night!

There were special cards placed around the theatre under seats, which gave a lot of people a chance on stage to answer questions and possibly be chosen as the final group of 4 for the main part. This was loads of fun and Brian did a superb job of running through this.

Once the contestants were chosen, Julia appeared. She is so very charismatic and just one of the best people. I am sure we would be great friends, if we got to know each other, lol! So much in common.

The first 2 guests were revealed, Wilsn and Chris Cheney.

The show went on and a third, Thando was revealed.

Julia had to have a wry chat to the audience about calling out the answers, as everyone was doing, lol. The contestants were to do this and we needed to answer internally and silently lol.

The night was full of music and comedy and laughter and joy. If you have never been to a live RocKwiz, I cannot recommend it enough.

I went home singing Snoopy Vs the Red Baron and it kept me smiling for weeks after.

Some nights are 11 out of 10!

(see what I did there!!)

MARCH/APRIL REVIEWS

 What I've Been Reading

The storyteller: tales of life and music by Dave Grohl

I really enjoyed this memoir by Dave Grohl. He is a born storyteller. I loved hearing his stories from his youth and Nirvana and Foo Fighters. He has had the good luck of meeting many of his heroes and those stories are great. I did feel he held back though, there were gaps or areas where he either didn't mention something of glossed over it. He went into more detail about Kurt than he has in the past but then I felt like there was so much more to tell. Maybe there will be another one later on. It is still a great book; an easy, fun read.

Sahara - Michael Palin

I listened to Michael Palin read his Sahara book, I have heard this before and of course watched the show it is based on many years ago. The audiobook came through at work and I just felt like listening to the comfort of an old friend, which is what Palin's voice feels like to me. The story is about his trip to and across the Sahara. There is a lot about the terrain, wild and crazy, and the people he met along the way. Palin taps so beautifully into humanity and some of the scenes he describes took me back to the show itself so I could see in my mind's eye what he saw. Pure escapism.

Geraldine Brooks on Tim Winton (writers series)

This is a short little essay like book about Tim Winton, written by the writer Geraldine Brooks. It is part of a series on Australian writers. She writes about the trajectory of Winton's career and of the man himself. I found it patchy, but then it is a small book so not meant to be everything about the man and his works. IT focused very heavily on religion, of which Winton is but - in my experience - it doesn't figure as heavily in his works as she would have you believe. There is not much written about Winton, so I will take what I can get, but this was a little disappointing.

Twelve summers: being a life-long fan of Australian cricket is harder than it looks by Adam Zwar

I really loved this book. In my younger years I was a cricket tragic for sure. This was when cricket was interesting, and not the homogenised BS that it is today. It was the days of Lillee and Marsh, The Chappells, Viv Richards, Desmond Haynes, Javed Miandad and many more. Zwar is the creator of Wilfred (and played Wildfred's owner amongst other ABC and SBS shows, and has a lovely dry wit. He also was a cricket tragic and this is the story of twelve cricketing summers that intersected with events of his own life. It is a cracker of a read, heaps of amazing cricketing statistics and stories, along with a few from his own life. 

Lisa - Lisa Curry

Lisa is the memoir of the outstanding Lisa Curry. It is the story of a life lived to the absolute full. Covering her elite athletic career swimming, her personal life, her subsequent athletic pursuits, her media empire, and everything in between. It is a very personal story, and full of detail and information you probably didn't know. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby

I found this a difficult listen, I listened to it on talking book with Hannah narrating. I love Hannah, always have, but have been concerned for her mental health during this recent rise. Listening to her story, warts and all, made me even more concerned about her. This is not to say it is a bad book, it is wonderfully raw and open and honest, but please be aware that it holds a lot of triggering elements within. It was a rough read/listen at times, but it is also incredibly funny.

What I've Been Watching

War of the Worlds S3

OK, this once great show has crawled up its own butt and jumped the shark. They just took the concept too far and it got too confusing. I love the initial concept and the original cast, but jumping around in time as this series does means a lot of change. Which is fine if it is executed well, S2 introduced some odd changes, and this continued into this series sadly. I hung on to the end, cause I really wanted a turn around, but sadly this did not happen!

Call the Midwife S12

I still love this great series, it is a comfort show for sure. But always tackles medical issues historically and with grace. The characters are like old friends, and this season we see lovely Trixie finally marry the man of her dreams, but of course things do not go according to plan. Sister Monica Joan has more health issues, and spoilers (but this is important) she lives to see another day. Thank goodness, she is my favourite and I will be utterly bereft if they kill her off!

Only Murders in the Building S2

S2 took a little bit to get back into but soon picked up the pace and hilarity of S1. By now the chemistry between the 3 main characters, Steve Martin, Martin Short, and the gorgeous Selena Gomez is cemented and utterly brilliant. The twists keep coming this time and everytime you think you know what is going to come, it goes the other way. No spoilers, but this show is clever and witty, a real romp and worth watching. 

The cleaner S1

This was great, a UK comedy about a crime scene cleaner, played by the brilliant Greg Davies. Each episode has him heading to a clean and getting involved with those left behind in very odd and often hilarious ways. Guest stars such as Helena Bonham Carter and David Mitchell help raise the comedic bits also. Really recommend this one.

Mandalorian S3

I bloody love this show! I love Diego, I love Grogu, and I love love love Amy Sedaris' mechanic. Actually, I love all the characters. It is a great show, and this season took the guest stars up a notch and then some. No spoilers from me, but this IS the perfect show.

The Book of Boba Fett

Apparently, If you love The Mandalorian, you need to watch this. So I did, and I loved it too! Follows Boba Fett from Star Wars, and introduces a whole range of fascinating characters, good and bad!

The Lost City

Look, this is a poor (sort of) remake of Romancing the Stone, but it was ok. Sandra Bullock is a romance writer, who is over the whole thing, and is kidnapped. Her cover model tries to save her. It is very funny in parts, Bullock, and Tatum are great and a cameo by Brad Pitt even funnier. Daniel Radcliffe is the greedy billionaire behind all the drama, and he is nasty!

Bullet Train

Brad Pitt is an assassin on one last mission. He lands on the bullet train in Japan and realises he is not the only one on a mission, and chaos ensues. Funny and great action!

Downton Abbey movie

I think this was ok, nothing new, nothing great, but always a comfort watch. A bit of humour, a bit of drama, great fashion, and stunning set design. They family gets caught up in 'talking pictures', chaos ensues. Part of me thinks they should probably stop, but then part of thinks, if so many people get comfort out of this (and they seem to), why not keep going. I'll still check in...

Hearts Beat Loud

I wanted to love this, Nick Offerman is a single dad with a musically talented daughter. He wants to start a band with her, she wants to study academically. This should have been so much better, the story seemed forced, the humour was empty, the music was even that great. Oh well...

Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

This was a lot of fun, Pedro Pascal and Nicolas Cage. Nic Cage plays himself and all he wants is a break at a small resort. Pedro Pascal's character runs the resort and is a super fan of Cage, but also may be attached to a mafia like organisation. The CIA ask Cage to penetrate the organisation and bring it down. So Cage has to act in 'real life' like his on screen action persona and save everyone. Absolutely hilarious. If it wasn't cast with Cage and Pascal in on the silliness, and had they not had the chemistry they had, it may not have worked; and whilst not the most amazing film, it was pretty good.

Broadcast News

I rewatched this classic, and it totally holds up (except for the fashion). Albert Brooks was as funny and great as you remember, William Hurt as suave and a bit of an arsehole as you remember and Holly Hunter was bloody everything in this behind the scenes of a TV network movie. I had forgotten about the clumsy ending, I wish they would detach that part, but otherwise still one of the great dramedys!

Eternal Sunshine of the Endless Mind

This is one of my all-time favourite movies. It is out there, but essentially one of the most beautifully melancholy films, it just brings me to my knees. I rewatch it regularly but had not for a while. It always holds up. I think it is one of Jim Carrey's best performances and Kate Winslet is everything in it. It is a difficult film to describe (and follow) due to a magnificently crazy script by Charlie Kaufman. It does jump around in time, Kate's hair colour will anchor you, if that helps!?! 

Jim and Kate play lovers who break up terribly. Jim's character comes across this company who can erase your love memories and he goes all in. Once into the process, he realises he does not want to lose those beautiful memories, despite how it ends. And this is where things get crazy, but stunning and amazing. This film is so incredibly romantic and beautiful. all the performances are remarkable. It is a great film.

From Paris to Rome with Bettany Higgins

Following the sassy historian, Bettany through some of my favourite places in Italy and France was a great treat. She is great at retelling history and explaining it all, you just want to be her friend. This was just sublime.

Great Music Cities

This was a great documentary series on great music cities, New York, LA, London, Manchester, Detroit, Nashville, Melbourne etc. It is really well done, detailed and features a LOT of great musicians from these places talking about their music and why that particular city shaped it. I was in music heaven, it is a really great series

Hard Quiz

We love this show, we love Tom Gleeson. It is your basic quiz show with a twist, but even then the twist (Tom's hard-arse character) is pretty endearing and not that much of a twist. I love the quirky people who bring their quirky subjects to the quiz. Loads of fun, and a good test on the brain.

OSCARS

See the links for movies, the show, and everything else.

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields

This was a great 2 part documentary, produced by Brooke herself. It delves into her life as a child star/model, and a popular culture icon. Absolutely fascinating to see her dissect her life via the media (that dissected her at the time). It includes her relationship with her mother, ex husband, Andrew Agassi, ex beaus like Michael Jackson, John Travolta, and JFK Jnr. Her acting career, her modelling, her study. It also delves into the darker sides of her life. Totally worth a watch.

Bono and The Edge: a sort of homecoming with Dave Letterman

I loved this documentary, it is such a treat. I must say U2 had really jumped the shark in the past 10-20 years. Once the biggest and best band in the world, and my absolute heroes, they became a cardboard cut-out of themselves. SO the break was needed, and jumping back in via this doco was perfect. The doco follows Bono and The Edge back home in Ireland re-recording some of their best tunes, all stripped back with some musician friends. Letterman joins them to interview them about the music, the process, the doco, and their friends. The film feels like a huge hug, and renewed my love of U2.

Keeping the Score

I really enjoyed this documentary about Simone Young, the conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It follows the trajectory of her career, and the controversy of being a female conductor! Quelle horreur! She is amazing, and trail blazer. This is accompanied by the most lovely classical soundtrack...of course!

50 Years of Mr Men and Little Miss

Matt Lucas hosted this great little doco on these hilarious children's books. It was a lot of fun and he got dressed up as a few characters which was great watching and comedy.

What I Have Been Listening To

Art Life and the other thing

This is a great 6-part podcast about Brett Whiteley. Each episode is named for and based around 6 of his more interesting painting, eg Alchemy, Heroin Clock, Balcony 2 etc. Contemporaries and those that knew him, Barry Pearce and Wendy Whiteley, are interviewed and discuss his work and how it holds up today. They discuss landscapes, portraits, addiction, women, his significance today, and his legacy. A lovely and different approach to his work.

I'm Breathless: music from and inspired by Dick Tracy by Madonna

Sometimes you need saucy, retro Madonna, and I had this fabulous soundtrack on repeat for some time

Suzanne Vega and Solitude Standing by Suzanne Vega

Just a lovely 1/2 from Suzanne. I haven't listened to these albums in a long time, and they both hold up very well. Laid back and chill musically but packing a punch lyrically.

Celebrity Skin - Hole

Simply a great rocking album. I love this album a lot and it always feels fresh when I play it.

Reservoir Dogs

This is one of my favourite film soundtracks, with a mix of great songs, and the radio DJ pieces cut within. I recently got a copy on vinyl, so have been spinning it at Club Cathy.

TIM ROGERS AND THE TWIN SET

Tim Rogers is one of my favourite Australians. His music and lyrics are simply spectacular, but in the most underrated way. I listen to his songs, especially his solo stuff, and I just go weak at the knees. He is a born storyteller. 

I do love his band, You Am I, but I have a real special place for his solo work. And most especially, What Rhymes with Cars and Girls, his debut solo album. Released in 1999, I was right in the middle of an awful break-up, and this was my soundtrack. I don't mind saying, I think this album saved my life. It was an album full of truth and heartbreak itself, and it went straight to the core of my being. I love this album so very much and it is easily in my Top 5 all-time favourite albums.

It is a little bit pop, a little bit rock, and quite heavily country influenced. It is melancholy and sad and also very uplifting. The vibe is Timmy has opened up his heart and soul and just laid it all bare for you. So much so, he only toured the album briefly and rarely plays these songs in solo gigs. He says the time was not a good one for him and to play the songs was too upsetting. 

I was lucky enough to hear him play a couple of the more uplifting songs when he did an intimate gig at The Edwards some years back. The joy they brought, I cannot begin to say.

So, during lockdown he decided to revisit that album and rewrite those songs, 20 something years later. The album, Tines of Stars Unfurled, takes the subject matter of the original songs and updates them, what are those characters or places up to now. It has the same vibe.

And he regrouped The Twin Set, his backing band to make it and them tour both albums. 

This is the gig we saw a Lizotte's, and it was magnificent.

It is easily the best I have seen him perform too, the band were magnificent and he obviously loves working with them and whilst playing tight they appeared relaxed and at ease with each other, which really makes a difference, a lot of laughs were to be had.

Tim told stories about the band and the songs in between songs and was a sheer delight. Jen Anderson, from Weddings, Parties, Anything, was the yin to his yang. They had a close musicality that shone through, she added the cherry on top to an already remarkable set. 

They opened to the Fawlty Towers tune and Tim praised Brian and his team at Lizotte's. The new songs, which were not as familiar as the old ones, felt familiar. He explained the updated versions. The old tunes were divine and the band looked happy returning to them after all these years.

It was the kind of night you didn't want to end. There were a couple of well chosen covers towards the end, unexpected but fun.

We walked out on air.

The setlist was as follows:

Bushell and a Peck

Been So Good, Been So Far

A Quiet Anniversary

22

Arse Kickin' Lady From the North West

Left My Heart in a Country Church Hall

Happy Anniversary

I Live Near a Train Station

Up-A-Ways

Get High, Support the Band

Hi, We're the Support Band

You Just Don't Do it for Me Friend

The Drink They Drained as I Drove Away

You've Been So Good To Me So Far

The Songs They Played as I Drove Away

Eight Days a Week - Beatles cover

Don't Cry No Tears - Neil Young Cover

DAVID SEDARIS

I saw David Sedaris for the third time back in February. 

He is one of my favourite authors and one of the very few authors who always make me laugh. I first saw him at The Opera House, and was back there again this third time, the second time he actually came to Newcastle, which was amazing.

For those that do not know Sedaris - really!?! - he is American, from the mid-west and a very large family, gay and the brother of comedian, Amy Sedaris (the mechanic in The Mandalorian). He writes memoir style essays. He has a very unique way of seeing the world. 

If you want to start reading Sedaris, definitely start with The Santa Land Diaries, based around his time as a elf a Macys when he was much younger.

Once he got popular he started backing up his books with these extensive tours. The tours are a mix of him reading from previous books and specifically the book he is touring, along with new material for his next book. You see him on stage with a pencil making notes on the script, what to change. He talks about it in his books. It is always a fabulous evening.

He also loves and I really mean loves meeting his readers after the talk, and when you meet him, it is not small talk, he wants a conversation and he mines these encounters for his books! He is adorable to chat to. Quirky, funny, kind and with a twinkle in his eye.

You don't have to have anything to say, he will get things rolling.

He often gives little presents, and while you are chatting, he draws pictures with coloured sharpies in the book/s you are getting signed. And he will have key topics he is interested in that he asks.

One of his funnier accounts, is he decided to talk about monkeys one night during his signings. He asked a random lady when she last saw a monkey. The lady deadpanned, can you smell it on me? She had been with one earlier that day. You can't make this stuff up he says.

So in true Sedaris crazy, the first 2 times I met him he asked me exactly the same thing. I was with my friends Athena and Linda both times. Athena, like David, is Greek, but Linda is not, but he thought she looked Greek. So he asks me, why are you hanging with these 2 Greek girls? The first time we laughed and continued chatting. The second time I said you asked me that the last time we met, he thought that was hilarious and interesting. Still waiting to see it in print in his book/s, lol.  

This time, he was interesting in language and the app everyone seems to be into. Duolingo. I said a spoke a little French but that was it. We also spoke about weird names, Andrew is a high school teacher so he has seen it all, and Sedaris was amused by it all.

Andrew didn't really know him prior to the evening, I had sent him some youtube clips and he liked his sense of humour and his honesty. He had a blast and loved the show. I knew he would, I have never met anyone who didn't like David Sedaris.

The most recent book had a lot of dark subject matter, his father (who he had a fractured relationship with) dying, COVID, cyclones, Black Lives Matter, Gun control etc. Whilst staying respectful, he managed to makes these subjects funny. He spoke about some of them, about language, weird names in kids, punishment of children now compared to when he was a kid, and much more.

He took questions towards the end. I hate these things, it is always some dick who just wants to either suck up or grand stand. They are the worst. So this idiot asks this long winded question basically asking for help to grieve a loved one as he is obviously doing well after losing such a beloved family member. Sedaris, sadonic as ever, was well, I didn't really get along with my father, so I feel much better now he is dead, there was not much grieving at all. I couldn't stop laughing, that showed that idiot! How could he even be there and call himself a fan, if he asked such an idiotic question.

Meeting him, as mentioned, was a delight. We both walked back to the tram feeling lighter and happier. Laughter is always a great thing, and Sedaris gave it to us in spades.

PS, not many pictures, as he doesn't like photography in the event or the signings, so I just snuck one!

BEATNIX

In my early 20s I saw Beatnix a lot. I was getting back into The Beatles, and whilst not the fan I am today, I was loving them and how wonderful to see this great tribute band if I couldn't see the real thing.

I should also add my Dad was/is a huge Beatles fan. He would order their albums and singles from overseas and saw them in Sydney. We grew up with The Beatles, and listened to their music like other children would listen to nursery rhymes. So they were always there. In my teens, I loved their early music and Lennon was king, then I withdrew for a few years, a mix of over-exposure and my way of teenage rebellion, lol. But I came back, we always find our way back to greatness.

I used to be at The Palais Royale most weekends, my lovely friend Jen's boyfriend was the head barman there. He would drive us in early, start work, we would have dinner somewhere and come back to see whatever was on, and then wait for him to close and drive us home. It was a pretty great period in time. We had to pay for tickets to big events, and our drinks, but an OJ would get a nip of vodka in it or a vodka and OJ would get a second nip, lol!

Beatnix toured regularly at the time, so we saw them a lot. I loved them so.

I had not seen them in decades, occasionally they would pop up at Lizottes, and I thought I should go and see them, but was worried they would not be as good as I remembered them. When I found out Andrew, also a huge Beatles fan (how lucky am i!!??), had never seen them but had wanted to, I knew we had to go and see them. Within weeks of this conversation, they were advertised as coming soon. I got us tickets to a Sunday lunch.

Lizottes is always a quality night out, and I had never done lunch but it was just as good.

We had a good table and a good meal and out they came.

First half in those grey matching suits and mop top wigs. The first number was a little shakey, but once they found their groove everyone was smiling and singing along.

It was pure joy!

We had smiles from ear to ear.

They were tight. 2 older members have probably been in it from Day one, and the younger ones were doing fine under their watchful eye.

They played everything and anything from the red period.

After a short break they came back out, this time in full Sergeant Pepper's regalia. The blue set was infinitely better, but these are my preferred songs. They kept to the well known and safe songs from this era, which makes perfect sense.

I was just thrilled that they really were as good as I remembered them, and Andrew was super impressed too. We had a great time, and I totally recommend checking them out if you get the chance.

WEIRD AL

I have always loved the novelty song, and as soon as I heard Eat It, I was in!

Weird Al Yankovic, even his name was cool. But he turned out to be much much more than a novelty act.

In the 80s I had all the Weird Al cassettes, and played them to death, amusing myself with his wit. I loved everything, the covers gone in his own way and the other songs with clever lyrics that made me laugh or smile wryly.

I particularly loved the polka songs.

I had never seen him live, really no one I knew wanted to go.

When I met Andrew, we would tell each other about gigs we had been too. So much overlapped and so much envy, on both sides. Weird Al was at the top of my 'I wish' list.

So when I saw he was finally returning to Australia, I knew we had to go.

I was super excited, but kept my expectations low. Andrew had regaled me with tales of huge stage shows, costumes and so forth.

But the concert we got was very different to that, and so much better.

We really got Weird Al in all his weirdness and nerdiness and I bloody loved it.

After a support act that was best left unspoken, a roadie popped three stools at the front of the stage.

The band came out, a drummer and keyboard player towards the back left and right, 2 guitarists on the outer stools and then the man himself!

Dressed normally, those long curls left to their own devices. He sat on a stool and started talking. He said he hoped we all got the memo about it being a parred back show with no big hits. I must admit I was a little peeved and thought huh, I got no such memo. But it didn't last long, I just had a feeling we were in for something special. And I was not wrong, nor disappointed.

He sang a lot of the album tracks and a lot of early stuff. Stuff I had quite simply forgotten, I knew pretty much 90% of what he sang. And some were really tricky and complex vocally and lyrically. He was on freakin' fire.

4 songs in he sings Bob, which is probably one of my all-time favourites of his. I was in heaven, he delivered. There was accordion playing, and the band was tight, very tight.

Al, himself, sounded great, and was spot on with some very detailed lyrics.

The crowd slurped it all up. It was a very diverse crowd, from oldies to kiddies.

The encore of a very click, You can call me Al, was clever and brilliant, and the finale of a string of his big hits and some covers showcased the superb vocals, not only of Al, but the entire band. Their harmonies were so very good and spot on.

We left the show knowing how very lucky we were, and what a special evening we had witnessed, and to see it together was the cherry on top.

Setlist

1. Lame claim to fame

2. Why does this always happen to me?

3.  Close but no cigar

4. Bob

5. One more minute

6.  Drum solo

7. I'll sue ya

8. your horrorscope for today

9. Skipper Dan

10. The night Santa went crazy

11. You don't love me anymore

12. Drum solo

13. CNR

14. Craiglist

15. Good old Days

16. Albuquerque

Encore:

17. You can call me Al

18. Amish Paradise/Smells like Nirvana/White and Nerdy/Word crimes/Yoda

Enmore Theatre, Wednesday 15 March, 2023

NEWCASTLE WRITERS FESTIVAL 2023

10 years!

I can't believe it, it only seems like yesterday that we headed to the inaugural NWF with the brilliant Miriam Margolyes doing the most wonderful opening for the festival.

She had us crying and in stitches laughing, a better presentation to the world could not be thought of.

It was also the year we got to meet Richard Fidler, as we kicked on at a pub after a session he hosted with my friend, Anita. She invited him and his manager to join us for drinks after and we had a great time, a time that led to me driving them both back to their hotel. And thus led to the moniker, Richard 'I drove him in my car once' Fidler. And yes, he is as lovely and kind and funny and sweet as you would hope he was.

Seemingly, in the blink of an eye, we were seated at the 10th Opening night of the NWF. This year the guest was the inimitable Grace Tame. The evening was at the grand dame of the city, The Civic Theatre, and we had great seats.

Friday 31 March, 2023

In her own words: an evening with Grace Tame

Civic Theatre, Festival Opening Night

As always there were speeches and people to thank for making this amazing weekend happen. As always Rosemarie Milsom was a goddess, for her simply idea and making it happen, not just once but for an entire decade. She always inspires me to push through my own roadblocks and issues and get stuff done!

She spoke at length about the economy and kudos the festival brings to the city. It is a big deal that I do not think gets enough coverage or support, but luckily she has some great sponsors helping her along. It is my weekend of the year, always!

Whilst all the lead-up speeches were great, especially the one from University Professor, John Fischetti - he described Librarians as the Keepers of Civilisation - we were really eagerly waiting for Grace.

She is much smaller and fragile looking than you would imagine, yet has this impressive steely manner. Her stories were peppered with humour, sometimes dark, which was incredibly endearing and helped her, I think, be able to tell some of her less-amusing stories. She had us laughing and sobbing. At times, I was worried, I felt a little voyeuristic listening to her stories being told given she is still quite a fragile person and she was close to tears herself on numerous occasions. Yet, she explained she wouldn't have it any other way, telling her story in her own way was and is incredibly important to her and her survival, and connecting to others is also something she very much loves and needs. Maddison Connaughton from The Saturday Paper was her interviewer and didn't need to do too much, just keep her moving forward. Some would say she was redunant, but I feel she was incredibly important, as an anchor for Grace and I think others may have pushed and pulled her to tell certain elements in a particular way. Maddison did not, she was respectful and a calming influence. It was a lovely evening.

Saturday 1 April, 2023

World Traveller: Richard Fidler in Conversation

Richard was in conversation with Paul Bevan. Richard is a great raconteur, he can talk about anything. This is exemplified in Conversations, his hit radio interview show on the ABC. He talked about his new book, The Book of Roads and Kingdoms, is about the time when Baghdad was the centre of the Persian and Arabic worlds. It is full of otherworldly tales, tales of conquering cities and expanding empires. He has done his research and I cannot wait to read it. 

Afterwards I took my newly bought copy of the book, and was third in line to get it signed. He was lovely and engaging, and remembered our night, 10 years ago, fondly. It was a perfect exchange.

Sunday 2 April, 2023

The day started early, with a lovely brunch on Darby, at Wil and Sons. It was a beautiful day in Newcastle, as you can see.

The Beatles and beyond: Paul McCartney and his creative practice

Phillip McIntyre has written a fascinating book about McCartney and where his creativity comes from. He was in conversation with Scott Bevan. This was fascinating, a Beatles fan, Phillip lectures at the University on creativity. He has based his studies on song writing and the music industry, and has written a book specifically about the creativity of Paul McCartney. His theories on his creativity, which he believes is sparked from many different ways, is the genesis for his genius. He told some great stories to back up these ideas. With so much written on McCartney and The Beatles, this was a fresh and interesting take on the man.

The Life of Iris

Fiona Kelly McGregor has based her latest historical novel on Iris Webber and was in conversation with Nancy Cushing. Iris was brought up on the wrong side of the tracks in the early 30s in Sydney and soon became ensconced in the underworld and underbelly of Sydney as a gunslinging petty criminal. She was in and out of jail, and also quite possibly a lesbian. Fiona researched the era to fill in the holes of the story with tight information on the era. A fascinating insight into the era and Iris through a fictional background.

Women and words: Pip Williams in conversation

Pip William's Dictionary of Lost Words was a huge deal in Australian publishing. She was in conversation with Ailsa Piper about it and her new book, The Bookbinder of Jericho. Both are based on true events, but she has taken characters and fleshed them and their story out with fiction, writing very easy to access fiction. I enjoyed Dictionary of Lost Words, but felt it fell very short of what it could have been having read The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester. This was the real non-fiction telling of the same story and far more interesting and a much superior read. She does take the female view in both stories which in reality was minimal, but nice to read about. Her research was insightful and the stories she told about the new book had me curious to give it a go.

I didn't get to many sessions this year as you can see. I have had a very intense start to the year juggling a lot of work, teaching 2 nights a week on top of my FT job means I missed trivia evening, which was a bit sad. And I had to work Saturday and had pre-booked RocKwiz Saturday night and was tired. But I picked some quality events and liked the new location of the University building on Hunter Street. Not quite the same feel as City Hall, but easy to find and get around which is great. Nice views of the city too.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY REVIEWS

What I've Been Reading

The Book that no one Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade

This is a children's book by the very dry and hilarious Richard Ayoade (IT Crowd, Travel Man) The main character is the author who is indeed a book. And so the book tells you what it is like to be a book. Early on when the book gets upset about it's pages being turned back to mark where they are up to, I knew I would enjoy it! Very clever, very silly and amusing.  

Rooms of Their Own: where great writers write by Alex Johnson

This was a beautiful coffee table style book with lovely pieces on many different writers/authors, accompanied by illustrations of their writing rooms. It contains a little information about the writer and details of these surrounds. Writers include, Roald Dahl, Bronte Sisters, Virginia Woolf (of course), Colette, Emily Dickinson, Ray Bradbury, Hemingway, Haruki Murakami, Hilary Mantel and so on. The rooms ranged from opulent to sparse, filled with much, to sheds. It was a dreamy read.

Koori Princess by Anita Heiss    

A very sweet children's book about being your best self. I think loads of little girls will love this. It is a sweet but sassy story, about a little girl who loves to dress as a princess, but is still fierce! I think it will be very popular.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse - Charlie Mackesy   

This is another children's book and quite the popular one - for all ages, adults especially. It is a parable of sorts, about a boy and his unusual friends, in search of a home. It is mostly about friendship and love and kindness. The illustrations are lovely and whimsical, it has been made into a short film which recently won an Oscar. 

Bodies of Light - Jennifer Down        

Bodies of Light is her third book and won the 2022 MIles Franklin award amongst many other most deserving awards.

I am unsure how to even explain this book without spoilers. I came at it totally cold, with no idea what it was even about, I had just heard how remarkable it was. I listened to it in talking book over a few weeks driving to and from work, the reader was phenomenal.       

It follows the story of Maggie and her very full and often tragic life. It is a long read and at times - for some - will be triggering, but it is exceptional. I felt every intertwined with Maggie for the entirety of the read.

The story commences in what seems like the present and someone from her past connects with her on facebook. She is quite upset by this and seems to be hiding from something. But what? Throughout the story you wonder if she is a reliable or unreliable narrator of her life.

To work through this initial connection she take you through her life coming back to this period throughout the story.

And so, she tells the vague story of her childhood, you can sense the gaps, is she hiding something or just cannot remember? Her childhood is not great, there is abuse and she ends up in foster home after foster home when her father is incarcerated. And so her journey begins. 

I want to say more, but I really got more out of the book not knowing what was coming up next, anticipating the next twist and turn, which you never really could. 

But the story is magnificent, huge and winding, twisting, and full of major moments. You will hang off every word. And the writing is stunning, the descriptions and sentences make you feel as if you are living Maggie's life with her! Down is a beautiful writer, Helen Garner has written lyrical about her sentence structure which is high praise.

This is a must-read book!

What I've Been Watching

Everything Everywhere All At Once

This is easily my favourite film of the year so far. It is utterly brilliant, and whilst it certainly pulls it ideas from many films that have gone before it, the way these threads are pulled together are unique. This film made me laugh and cry, but mostly it just made me smile.

Evelyn and Waymond - played by the goddess, Michelle Yeoh and international treasure, Ke Huy Quan - are a married couple who run a failing laundromat and about to undergo an audit. Their teenage daughter, Joy - standout Stephanie Hsu - has just come out as a lesbian and Evelyn's formidable father, Gong Gong - James Hong, remarkable character actor in his 90s - had come to stay with them after many years of being estranged. They head to the IRS office to meet with Deidre - played by the utterly brilliant Jamie Lee Curtis - and that is where things start to happen. 

From here it is difficult to explain but not too complicated or confusing to watch. Basically there are multiple universes of the characters, fractured from choices they have made in their lives. But the multiverse is being threatened by a monster and Evelyn must destroy the monster to get their lives back on track. And this is where the actors really get to flex their acting chops, from action to comedy to drama, they are simply outstanding. I have already watched this film twice, not because I had to but because I wanted to, and you see so much more on multiple watchings, I will watch again. Michelle Yeoh is fucking phenomenal, as is Jamie Lee Curtis. James Hong - especially for his age - is witty and nimble. Stephanie Hsu holds her own and then some amongst these established actors. But it was Ke Huy Quan who I loved the most, he was the heart and soul of the film, and gets 2 key scenes that absolutely killed me. And that was before I realised who he was. What a great story his is. 

Thor: Love and Thunder

This was a load of fun, great cast, loads of laughs. Waikiti's humour is perfect and works well with Marvel and these characters. There's not much to say, it looks great, the cast are fantastic, great action scenes, drama, and comedy. Stay for the end, for a little cameo by someone cool.

Wednesday

This show is everything! I am a real Addams Family fan from way back, the TV show from the 60s, and then the actual comics which are far darker and closer to this new tv show than other iterations. 

I was worried I don't mind saying, but when I knew Tim Burton was on board I felt better and when I saw the dance to The Cramps I was certain it would be great.

And it was!

Perfectly cast, great narrative, stunning cinematography. Dark and gothic and Jenna Ortega was perfection as Wednesday. I loved what they did with Thing, and Fred Armison as Uncle Fester was brilliant. The newer characters all worked really well, and fitted into the plot beautifully, I eagerly await the second season!

Staged

This third season was ill-informed, it was a hodge podge thrown together clips show and bad ideas. I still love Tennant and Sheen and watching them was great, but it just seemed not to place itself as well as the other 2 seasons. Never mind, it wasn't bad, just fell flat.

The Cleaning Company

A wonderful documentary about Sandra Pankhurst, who was written about so wonderfully by Sarah Krasnostein in The Trauma Cleaner. The documentary tells Sandra's amazing back story, and follows Sandra and her crew and their cleaning company. It concentrates on their humanity and kindness, helping others in their hour of need. It is a fascinating job that only really special people could do. Things do take a twist and turn, but hang in there, this is a special story that needs to be told.

The Stuff the British Stole

Great series by Marc Fennell, following the tragic stories of stolen art by The British (they are not the only ones) and following the story of those that the pieces belong to and how they want to have them returned. There are happy stories and frustrating ones. They were are compelling watches, but the final one about an Aboriginal leader's head was the one that effected me the most. Remarkable history.

Marc Maron: from bleak to dark

I love Marc's podcast WTF, and have not seen much of his standup, I know this was his first tour after COVID and he talked it up on his show. It was great, he is truly funny and very grounded in reality, you will nod at some of his schtick. He can be a bit bleak and melancholy and I wouldn't have it any other way. This one does get a little dark when we talks about his late girlfrend, Lynn Shelton, who died during the pandemic. But he always finds humour in every situation. This is great.

A-Ha: the movie

This was quite fascinating. I would not call myself a fan, although I think Take on Me is one of the best pop songs ever written. It was an instant classic and still holds up well today. The documentary follows their history intertwined with the band, now in their 50s, embarking on a world tour. Thing is there are strained relationships between all band members. It was very interesting to be a fly on the wall to this, and to hear how great they still sound!

Call the Midwife 

Season 12 is the lead-up to Trixie's wedding. Our beloved Trixie has finally found the man of her dreams, after 12 seasons and many misfires. But will everything go according to her well oiled plans!?

I love this show so much, it is a real comfort watch. Even though babies being born are totally not my thing, lol. I love the characters, the advances in medicine it shows, the social history of that world during those times and it has drama and well placed humour. Sister Monica Joan is my favourite character and they always tease us with her demise, I swear if anything happens to her I will not be happy.

What I've Been Listening To

Palomino - First Aid Kit

They get better as they age, their are experimenting with more pop and rock than folk these days, but still sound wonderful. Palomino is a great album, love these girls.

Fossfora - Bjork  

This is magnificent, much has been written about it. It is hypnotic and sounds unlike anything Bjork has done previously. The artwork is stunning, and pressing amazing. I love Bjork so very much, this is another masterpiece.

Special - Lizzo 

Still listening to this, another singer who gets better and better. Her stuff is so upbeat and positive, it is a great hit for the soul. As always she combines, pop, classical, and hip hop and it always works! Lizzo is a phenomenal woman - Maya would love her!

1981

Andrew and I have hit 1981 for our Sunday Brunch compilation. Really starting to get into albums we flogged to death (or scratched) as children. We were so lucky to have a cool dad, who bought these albums for himself and for us to listen to. We played them a lot!

Pamela Adlon and Alan Alda podcast

Pamela and Alan go way back, her father was a writer and a great friend of Alan's and Alan helped them financially when they went through some difficulties when Pamela was little. It was lovely to hear this friendship and their banter and reverie for each other, a real gem of a podcast!

Helen Garner/Annabel Crab podcast

This was another gem, as part of Helen's 80th birthday at The Wheeler Centre. A lovely and fun conversation. Helen gets more cheeky as she gets older and is always a delight to listen to. Cannot recommend this enough, you can find it on the Chats 10 podcast list.