Since we don’t live by politix alone (I sincerely hope), what did people get up to this weekend? Join in, share some tales, regulars and lurkers all!
I had some fun yesterday – through the auspices of the Centre for Policy Development, I was asked to go and do a live to air interview on higher education funding on community radio 4zzz fm’s Brisbane Line show. I used to be in the zzz collective around 20 years ago – I got into radio through the anti-Joh and land rights activism that was such a vibrant feature of mid to late 80s Brisvegas. So I was chuffed to be on air – the contribution the Zeds has made to community radio, music and politics is really inestimable – it was the first fm community licence in Australia approved in the dying days of the Whitlam government, and its roots go back even further – to the 60s civil liberties movement in Brisbane. A few years ago, there was talk of a drama based on the station’s history being in development for SBS, but it may have fallen victim to John Howard style political incorrectness police.
The building zzz is in now is also a significant site in the alternative history of Brisbane. First located at the UQ union in St Lucia, the station was spectacularly evicted by a National Party led student administration in 1989 – I was there when it happened, and really should write something about it sometime. After a short stay at Toowong, the Communist Party when it wound up in 1991 offered zzz the use of its building on Barry Parade in the Valley. I was interested to see that the paint has been stripped back on the door and you can see a visible trace of that building’s history – “the People’s bookshop” which Brisbane radicals of an older vintage than me would remember well.
4zzz fm by *phenomenologist on deviantART
If you’d like to see a larger image of the photos, click on them then click on “full view” once you’re inside the gallery.
4zzz fm II by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Before heading up to the Valley markets for a spot of lunch, I did a bit of a detour around Barry Parade to Wickham Street. This area, between the train line and Wickham Street, has been described by Deputy Mayor David Hinchliffe as “urban blight”, and has already seen several demolitions, and is no doubt the next bit of old Brisbane to be targeted for development. I prefer to see it as urban history, being one of the few areas where you can get a real feel for what nineteenth century inner Brisbane looked like. I hope that any development is sensitive to the area’s significance.
Urban blight? by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Purple buildings by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Urban blight? II by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Around the corner, and on Wickham Street. Brisbane’s Chinatown, whose history goes back to the 1870s, is an example of a precinct that combines a nineteenth century streetscape with a late modern vibrancy – lots of fab restaurants, food shops, Asian dvd stores, and general urban goodness.
Chinatown I by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Chinatown II by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Valley Markets I by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Can’t believe no comments yet. Can anyone help me ID a song from the mid70s called “Long Haired Country Boy”?
The only line I can recall with certainty (because it became my life philosophy) is “I like to get stoned in the morning, drunk in the afternoon” and the chorus “If’n you don’t like the way the way Ah’m livin’ jes leave this long haired countryboy alone”
this one I reckon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs4y5si8DGs
Amanda many thanks for that. Unfortunately i have a third hand steam driven PC which can’t play hi-tek thingies like that link but at least I now know what to ask for. Much appreciated.
Sorry!
“So I was chuffed to be on air”. Yes, Mark, and with all that history to go with it. Radio is a wonderfully warm medium, sometimes hot, and when the magic’s happening it’s a special experience indeed.
Two months ago Noosa Community Radio won the annual CBAA(Comm. Broadcating Assn. Aust.) award for best Comm. Radio station in Oz. The final three contenders included stations from Melbourne and Sydney.
We kicked 101.3 FM off eleven years ago(so were younguns cf. the legendary zzz, with none of that wild putch stuff which btw, demands chronicling) with great support from Council and a couple of very determined and wise heads at the helm. Members included a bunch of enthusiastic local musicians(who just wanted their music on the radio and their gigs publiciced) and a disparate band of political misfits, myself included, who were determined to not take The Ascendancy of El Rodente(and related matters) lying down. We weaved our dissidence and music live-to-air and shared the station with dedicated National Party types, Hansonites, pantheists, astrologers and one bloke who played only Frank Zappa music. There was occasional heated discussion at meetings but no-one ever came to blows or sued anybody or worse.
Quite a few of our members have gone on to careers in broadcasting and journalism, however across a wide range of social, political, musical and literary passions we have learnt to live and broadcast in relative harmony. It’s the kind of radio station one always comes away from feeling buzzed.
“I had some fun yesterday”. Yep, know precisely what you mean.
Amanda – You were spot on. I just found the lyrics (ain’t google amazing?)and that’s it; funny how I’m misremembered, for nigh on 40yrs, the only lines that i thought I knew.
Now all I need is to find somewhere that still sells cassettes.
Or go here amphibious for ten bucks. The song is included on what looks like a pretty neat cd. You do have a cd machine rather than just a cassette machine?
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/THE-ESSENTIAL-CHARLIE-DANIELS-BAND-NEW-CD_W0QQitemZ270205231526QQihZ017QQcategoryZ307QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Amphibious, that’s Charlie Daniels. “Long Haired Country Boyâ€?, early 70’s.
“People say I’m no good,
crazy as a loon.
Cause I get stoned in the morning,
and get drunk in the afternoon….
Preacher man Talking on T.V.,
puttin down the rock and roll.
Wants me to send a donation,
cause hes worried about my soul.
He said Jesus walked on the water,
and I know that its true,
but some times I think that preacherman,
would like to do a little walking too.
But I aint asking nobody for nothin,
if I cant get it on my own.
You don’t like the way I’m livin’
Better leave this long haired contry boy ‘lone.”
Aaaah Charlie Daniels. The devil done come down to Georgia and Charlie never been aheard of since.
Mark, if you like stories of fringe radio station evictions, you should find a copy of Joan Dugdale’s Radio Power: A History Of 3ZZ Access Radio, Melbourne, Hyland House, 1979, or if you can’t get that, George Zangalis’s From 3ZZ to 3ZZ, Fitzroy, EPBAA, 2001.
Everyone liked beating up on radio journalists back in the late ’70s and early ’80s, though it seems to have gone out of fashion now.
Joe2 – thanks but ..err..no…CD/DVD all too hi-end tekky for this little Salientian.
Thanks to EC also.
KenL, is that the Fiddle Playing Devil song when he bets & loses a gold fiddle?
On Friday night I went to the Vanguard in Newtown (Sydney) to see Dan Sultan. He was in a Kev Carmody tribute show thing I saw a couple of weeks ago. He hadn’t crossed my radar before but I thought I’d find out more. He’s great in a very slightly country, some soul type of way. I highly recommend seeking him out.
Last night I took my 19 yr old niece and her bf to an Urban Theatre Project production out at Bankstown. It was staged in a industrial estate in an empty factory shell and you had to be taken there by bus. There were some confronting scenes in this indeed including a simulated rape, bare bums and all. I’ve decided not to be a drugged out prostitute as a result of seeing this play. The funny bit was seeing quite a few people we knew from the inner west. Hmmm – suspect that says quite alot about us collectively.
Mostly gigs, parties, and/or drinking. Took photos of a band then met one of them at a gig last night. He seemed nice. Your photos are looking good Mark
Errr, spent my weekend kinda working and kinda sitting around drinking coffee.
Does thinking endlessly about work count as work when your job is to think about stuff (one of the pressing problems that faces theorists everywhere)?
Spent most of the daytime Saturday and Sunday reading Brendan Simms ‘Three Victories and a Defeat. The Rise and Fall of rhe First British Empire, 1714-1783″. Still ploughing through it. 800 pgs. Examines the creation of the First British Empire from a Eurocentric rather than a naval/colonial approach. Finding it ordinately fascinating combination of diplomatic and high political history, not just of Britain, but of the Holy Roman Empire etc.,At night, Sat, watched The Bill (of course) and later, very late, a night long screening of The Patriot, which among other things demonjstrated what a far superior actor Heath Ledger was to Mel Gibson. I still puke at the bits with the American flag, but have decided it is probably a better movie then I gave it credit for, despite its incredible historical inaccuracies. Or maybe I’m just feeling sad about Heath Ledger. Sunday night, watched family history of Geoffrey Robinson – decended from Prussian royalty, maybe?- Line of Beauty (preferred the portrayal of Thatcher as a piss-pot in Coup on last Monday night.) and To The End of the Earth. Latter a most impressive TV drama. Had only read the first book. Glad to see the radical won out in the end.
Spent Friday night seeing a local band, Saturday was a bit of a laze around the house doing some cooking and catching up with uni work. Sunday was spent at a friend’s place moving furniture, drinking tea, playing board games and cooking Thai for dinner.
Mark, I’d say the urban blight is the monstrosities such as Cathedral Place that have gone up recently. I love that little strip of shops and their old brick buildings, they ought to be preserved rather than demolished. I’d like to see the empty space (currently ad hoc car parking) developed while leaving the brick buildings. It’s probably not idea for a park or more apartments but I’m sure offices with limited car parking could be put up in their place. I wish people built buildings out of brick and stone in the old styles.
On the weekend i installed a solar light in my kitchen. The tiny panel is obviously up on the roof and the halogen spotlight sits nicely above the food prep bench. It turns itself on when it gets dark and is working very nicely ,so far. We have had a lot of power outages recently so i see it as backup and a handy night light for piddle time.
We, of all ages, enjoyed listening to jjj top 100 on Saturday. It is becoming a bit of a ritual like watching the tennis finals. How great to see more new talent play off ,this year, in both areas.
The pictures are great, but sad, Mark. Brisvegas looks to be living up to it’s reputation for heritage building vandalism. Developers seem incapable of good taste or understanding everwhere, though. Home developers where i am are offering a free air conditioner if you sign up now to non-eave uglies.
On the subject of city redevelopment, I actually got a substantial few centimetres in The OZ this weekend. The Worst of Perth is becoming a redevelopment player. Amazing.
http://theworstofperth.com/2008/01/28/worst-to-the-nation/
Lazy Sunday? Busy Sunday! Busy weekend in fact.
Saturday evening, friends of ours invited us to share the suite they had booked at the Sheraton, so dinner in the buffet, nice wine, and a perfect view of the Australia Day fireworks away from the crowds.
Sunday, lunch with friends to farewell a dear friend who is taking up a teaching position in the country; followed by a trip to my sister’s place to give my 5 year old nephew his birthday present from us – his favourite pair of uncles; then onto my parents to fix some wire on a pergola for my mother to train a wisteria over; and finally to my husband’s parents to deliver his father a birthday present.
Today, friends over for afternoon tea. Need to go back to work to recover, I think.
– Damian
The long weekend was all drinking, Guitar Hero 3 (on Wii) with family and friends (which incidentally features Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” for a guitar duel with the, er, devil), and time alone with Coetzee’s ‘Elizabeth Costello’. On Sunday evening I went to my favourite Vietnamese place in Hurstville (Miss Saigon on Forest Road) and then to the cinema for Tim Burton’s version of ‘Sweeney Todd’.
I thought it sagged a little in the middle, but the highs were well worth the price of admission, for which we can probably thank Stephen Sondheim rather than Burton or Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter (all of whom were underwhelming). At times the lyrics became inaudible, the singing (and accent-work) mediocre, and the visuals simply boring, but it sill managed to carry itself as something like a good film for much of its two hours and preserve enough of the best elements of the musical to satisfy.