The latest edition of The Weekend Australian Magazine features the results of a poll conducted by the publication to determine the best Australian songs of the last two decades. The list includes “No Aphrodisiac” by The Whitlams, “The Ship Song” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and “The Special Two” by Missy Higgins. Topping the poll is The Church’s “Under the Milky Way”. Strangely, bands like Hunters & Collectors and Midnight Oil are absent from the list. Also missing are the Divinyls, a band renowned for having one of the most distinctive and exciting lead singers in the history of local rock music. Perhaps Chrissy Amphlett’s lack of Missy-like niceness doesn’t sit well with readers of The Australian (the results suggest that most Australian female singers don’t sit well with readers of The Australian). Anyway, the video below is a performance by the Divinyls of the extraordinary “Elsie”; a song which is a disturbing and sad insight into a woman’s dire circumstances and mental decline.
Archive for the 'Music' Category
The festival of kitsch is franchising:
“Having brought the European version of the Eurovision Song Contest to the Middle East and North Africa, we are now delighted that viewers across Asia will enjoy one of the best established entertainment shows in the world,” said Eurovision TV’s Bettina Brinkmann.
Asia’s version will start in 2009, and involve competitors from Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
I note that while Asia lets us play soccer against them, there’s no sign of letting us in to this contest. But it’d be so good for the contest! Just think, Asiavision 2010 rolls around…and from the Beijing Egg, Australia gives Asia…the Chaser crew… 
The classic line-up of Fleetwood Mac, fronted by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, broke in Australia when I was 16. Tusk, the third album recorded by the classic FM, was released almost exactly on my 20th birthday and of course I purchased a copy from the Brash’s outlet at Melbourne’s Northland shopping centre on the day of release. One of my favourite tracks on Tusk was “Storms”, written and sung by Stevie Nicks. However as I recall I didn’t quite think it was the best track on the album.
I “lost” my copy of Tusk, along with the rest of my vinyl record collection, during a house move in Sydney in the 1980s. Now, thanks to YouTube, I have renewed my acquaintance with “Storms” and indeed with much else recorded by Stevie and FM over the years.
Perhaps it’s a function of the difference between being 20 and being whatever age I am now (which can be deduced by anyone who knows when Fleetwood Mac broke in Australia), but I have now decided that “Storms” is the best song ever recorded by Fleetwood Mac and/or Stevie Nicks. Those who wish to venture an opinion on the matter are invited to listen to the song here.
Once upon a time, making a music video was seen as a springboard into directing feature films. Now, making a music video is increasingly recognised as an art form in its own right. There’s an interesting tale at Scribe Media about the making of Bjork’s video for Wanderlust. Intriguing to see the involvement of Matthew Barney, whose Cremaster Cycle was something of an art house cult.
It’s September so it must be time again to condemn. Here’s a twenty fifth open condemnation thread. What’s getting up your goat this month so far? Which evil political, cultural, social, musical, religious and other phenomena need condemnation? (Or loud denunciation?)
You can condemn anything you like except Angela Desveaux and alt.country singers from Canada. Although you can blame Canada for blameworthy stuff.
[Via Boing Boing] I must confess the idea of listening to some music tracks to get myself in the mood for reading a particular book has never occurred to me. But it has occurred to William Gibson. Here’s his playlist for Spook Country. I must say the dude’s got good taste. Excellent to see Lucinda Williams and Neko Case make an appearance.
When I’m not admiring my many degrees, being superior, dissing journos from The Australian, arguing that aliens abducted Marilyn Monroe and took her to a planet where she’d finally get the love and respect she deserved, I like to listen to music from the 1970s. In case you don’t recall, the 1970s were the best decade EVAH (superior blog speak for “ever”) for fashion, music and politics. How could anyone not love flares, Rod Stewart singing “Maggie May” and Bob Hawke in his union leader days. Incidentally, being divorced from the real world is really lovely. Now please excuse me while I get my servant to fetch my slippers, pipe and a copy of The Australian.
Hmmm, the cat never does what she’s told.
Anyway, the clip features Marianne Faithfull singing “Broken English”.
It doesn’t seem like all that long ago, but it’s been half a month since we had a good condemn. Although there’s been a bit of condemnation about the Lympics. So it must be time again to condemn. Here’s a twenty fourth open condemnation thread. What’s getting up your goat this month so far? Which evil political, cultural, social, musical, religious and other phenomena need condemnation? (Or loud denunciation?)
You can condemn anything you like except La Femme Nikita. Well, you can condemn Michael. But not Nikita, Edward Woodward or Coldplay tracks.
[Via The Global Sociology Blog] Here’s something fun for a Sunday evening. This website enables you to select any day of any year going back to 1892 and find out what the top song on the (American) charts was. It’s suggested that you find out what the hit of the moment on your birthday was. Mine’s “Love is Blue” by Paul Mauriat and his orchestra. I don’t know if there are any quasi-astrological influences on your future destiny, but anyway…
On Tuesday 5 August, Australian country music singer-songwriter Reg Lindsay passed on, and in the ensuing few days the papers have been carrying tributes to the man and his music.
The tributes have been wrong on one point of fact.
Continue reading ‘A man named Lindsay… errr, Denver… errr, Stewart’
In doing a bit of reading for a couple of courses I’m teaching this semester, I was struck recently by the concision with which Mark Deuze pings how mediated so many aspects of our everyday lives now are - and how he deftly places this constant mediation - through email, mobile phones, the intertubes, and so much more - in its sociological context, leveraging off the work of Zygmunt Bauman. Some day, when I have time, I’ll have more to say about that, and there’s lots of nifty academic research - a fair bit from my colleagues at QUT’s Creative Industries Faculty - which is exploring many of the ramifications of everyday mediation. Loath as I normally am as a sociologist to believe the new new anything really is fundamentally new under the sun, I am starting to be convinced that a shift in the conditions of our everyday lives is taking place, though I’m totally unconvinced by claims that it’s “dumbing us down” or whatever.
Continue reading ‘Always on: the internet, social media, communications and everyday life’
We featured some of Marcus Westbury’s commentary on cultural policy here at LP around the time of the 2020 summit. Here’s a guest post which originally appeared at his blog - it’s the text of a talk he gave to a forum on “Creative People” organised by the Department of Culture and The Arts in Perth as part of the process they’re undertaking of developing a policy framework for Western Australia.
One of my obsessions at the moment and the focus of the next series of Not Quite Art is our changing cultural geography. By that I mean how the cultures that we are exposed to, that influence and obsess us are circulating in the world.
Continue reading ‘Guest post by Marcus Westbury: Flotillas vs. flagships’
Another day, another festival in Melbourne.
Currently, along with all the other festivals that are no doubt happening at the moment, Melbourne is hosting the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). Films worth seeing during MIFF include Persepolis (fans of Marjane Satrapi’s gorgeous graphic novels should make sure to see that flick). Since I already possess the DVD, I won’t bother forking out to see Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, but if you haven’t seen this Australian, ahem, classic, it’s a nice night’s entertainment. The other day, I saw Rock ‘n’ Nerd, which was an interesting insight into the career of Tim Minchin. Since deciding to change his image from that of a talented nice Perth boy with short curly hair to that of a talented nice Perth boy with a messy mane, Minchin’s career has gone from strength to strength. Rock ‘n’ Roll Nerd shows all the stresses and joys that go with being an increasingly popular singing satirist piano playing dude. The YouTube video features Tim performing “Dark Side”, a song about trying to be deep because you’re girlfriend wants you to be deep, even though you’re not deep at all.
Update: Fans of Summer Heights High please note that August 10 is Sorry Ranga Day. “Sorry, Ranga”. (Sorry Ranga Day is an initiative of ABC Commercial).
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’m still a bit pressed for time, what with the phd thesis - second draft now under construction - and the first week of semester, but I did manage to sample a bit of the Brisbane Festival goodness last week, going to two gigs on Tuesday night. Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier were, as expected, totally brilliant, and Feasting on Flesh was a fine piece of burlesque cabaret. (It’s on til Saturday if anyone wants to go.)
There are a lot of really neat ideas in the planning of the festival this year - including quite a few free events in the burbs, and the rather interesting idea of hosting bands in people’s backyards. That’s a nice way - along with the Spiegeltent in Queens Park - to make it a bit more of a genuine festival than just having people traipse off to headline theatre and dance performances at QPAC. I wish I had more time to enjoy more of it.
In honour of World Youth Day (doubt any “youth” read this blog, but what the hell), and just because a little music on a Friday night is nice, here’s a clip of Jennifer Warnes singing “The Song of Bernadette” from her wonderful Famous Blue Raincoat album.
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