yesterday upon the stair

I'm on a bit of a J.P Donleavy kick. Everyone knows that the Shane McGowan/Pogues Fairytale of New York, beside being possibly the best song written in the last 50 years, was named after J.P's novel of the same name.

He's just turned 80, J.P. not Shane, and he was on BBC Desert Island Discs back in March.

Here's his Desert Island list:
1. The Water of Tyne: Farnham Youth Choir
2. Oh Susannah: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
3. Annie Laurie: The Red Army Ensemble
4. Second movement of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major: Helen Grimaud
5. Land of My Fathers: Fron Male Voice Choir
6. Parce Mihi Domine: The Hilliard Ensemble with Jan Garbarek
7. The Humming Chorus: Puccini
8. Part of the 2nd movement of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto: Maurizio Pollini w. Berlin Phil

etta james in hospital

The great Etta James is off the B.B. King Blues Festival tour as she recovers from complications stemming from abdominal surgery. She has been replaced on the tour by Little Richard, two years older than her at 71.

The 69-year-old James is reported to be in a stable condition at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She is suffering post-operation complications from mid-June abdominal surgery.

In recent years she has struggled with obesity and reached more than 400 pounds, experiencing mobility and joint problems that frequently confined her to a wheel chair. In 2003, James underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost over 200 pounds.

retail deceit or ignorance

A couple of recent retail encounters have left me bothered and bewildered but not bewitched. Some retail people are either willfully ignorant or simply liars.

The other week. Suburban shopping strip and hub.
Strolling into the OPSM eyewear shop I ask if they have any Silhouette rimless glasses like the ones I already have. Rimless, light, fold flat and will fold into a flat hard case that is light.

- “No. They don’t make then anymore”

Me quizzically: “You sure? I only got these last year and the latest range is on the web”

– “No they don’t make them anymore”. Ok then. Alright.

So I walk around the corner and up the block into another optometrist.

- “Sure – ones like you have now or would you like to look at the latest range?”

Today. JB HIFI.
“I’m looking for LightScribe writable blank CDs and DVDs”

– “Nope – you can only get them overseas. You’ll have to import them”

Me quizzically – “Oh Really”. Ok then. Alright.

So I drive down to Harris Technology and choose from amongst three different brands of Light Scribe Ready CDs and DVDs.

ac dc

I've buggerised around and done something like this:




But I could have done something like this:

I read all this and more but it still hasn't stopped the annoying buzz I get when listening to AM Radio.

Don't laugh. Some people not only still listen to AM Radio but actually care about fidelity.

update on inputs

Fred Neil at Cafe Wha? 1961 accompanied by Karen Dalton and young folkie Bob Dylan

The Rough Guide to Bob Dylan, 2nd edition, Nigel Williamson.
This is surprisingly good. A good buy for the person that doesn't have much DylanLit. It covers most of the better written stuff and has a good album guide and a comprehensive collection of useful bits and pieces by Williamson who is respectful but not afraid of the odd opinion of his own. Good history and context. If, like me, you have too many Dylan books, then this one is useful for the way it brings them together. It's a book worth having whether you are a Dylan tragic or just want to know a bit more, or to start on the way to being a tragic

Do it yourself Camera and Music Phone Projects. 24 cool things you didn’t know you could do, Ari Hakkarainen - Exciting stuff like – share photos by email - I didn't really give it much time.

Audio deMystified, A self teaching guide. By Stan Gibilisco - includes voltage-current-resistance circuits, Phase Difference, Waveforms, Impedance matching, properties of sound.
Interesting, hard core, techhead stuff, with diagrams. Didn’t help me get rid of the buzz I get on AM radio when I turn on those bloody greenie mini fluorescents in every room.

Aliens Why They are Here, Bryan Appleyard.
I could do without the first half that talks about the various experiences people have had with aliens, but the second half, it is divided into two halves, (no not three halves), is a wonderful exploration of how we have built up certain images and characteristics of aliens. It also looks at the conventions of how we should greet and alien and yes it does touch on the sexual explorations. Well worth a read of the second bit.

The Celtic Book Of Living And Dying, An Illustrated Guide to Celtic Wisdom, Juliette Wood.
Delightfully put together with illustrations and photos by an academic who has written for the general reader.

DVD - AILEEN – The Selling Of a Serial Killer and Life and Death of a Serial Killer. – 2 documentaries about Alieen Wournos who was executed in 2002 for killing seven men in Florida USA. By Nick Broomfield

CD - Summertime - Sarah Vaughan – – 17 well known standards

CD - Original Seeds Vol 2 – Songs that inspired Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
I ended up liking this more than I expected. Includes lots of big sounding vocals – Harry Belefonte, Tom Waits, The Bobsta, Elvis, Nina Simone, Iggy, and even the Gang of Four. But I was most impressed by the inclusion of Hoyt Axton and Fred Neil.

Fred’s song “A Little Bit Of Rain” inspired me to scruffle amongst the vinyl to pull out the Fred Neil albums and give them a hearing again. I’ve always liked Fred and this just reminded me how good he was. Fred was acknowledged as a huge influence and teacher by Dylan and many others including John Sebastian, Paul Kantner, Richie Havens, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Felix Pappalardi, Josh White, Jr., Denny Doherty. Let me quote from the wiki entry on Fred:

"Neil was an accomplished professional musician atypically inclined to a very modest frugality. "Candy Man", his first of two Top-40-hit compositions, substantially introduced him to a sufficient income stream for life in his early 20s; he became increasingly disinclined to work if he did not feel like it. Consequently his two fully realized albums are remarkable for their singularly unpretentious authenticity. His combination of baritone vocal and 12-string guitar remains unusual, and his combo recordings provide his shimmering melodies with muscular grooves; but his exemplarity is that of resolving the apparent opposition between aesthetic integrity and commercial value almost entirely in favour of aesthetic integrity, which gives all of his recordings a unique historical resonance. "

CD - My Name is Buddy – Ry Cooder – on high rotation - this probably deserves its own post later. Buddy is a Cat on the road in the depression – great Cooder.

White Dog (Jack Irish Thriller) and Broken Shore Peter Temple – I was re-reading both these before the Golden Dagger Award. Since Broken Shore I had put Temple up with James Lee Burke so it was good timing to hear him win.

The Question of Life, An Invitation to Philosophy, Fernando Savater

The Coast Road – Peter Corris – 2004 – a Cliff Hardy gig. Nicely plotted but I reckon Cliff needs to show his age a bit more and wander down the Kurt Wallander path – but would that be un-Australian?

Cherry Pie by Leigh Redhead - the latest Simone Kirsch book. Kirsch is a stripper who is saving to set up her own PI agency but still takes on PI work. I've only just started but it's heading to comedic country too fast for me at the moment. The previous books were set in Melbourne inner city. This one is about to head to Sydney. Which brings me to:

Sucked In - Shane Maloney’s new Murray Whelan escapade. Is it just me or has Maloney written Whelan into a tight corner with his upward rise in politics? A bit too light and funny for me this time but then Whelan has never really been hard boiled. Rather Maloney has taken elements of hard boiled and used them to paint an accurate and endearing picture of our Melbourne. And good on him for it. It’s a bit churlish of me to expect a Dave Robicheaux or Joe Cashin every time. I‘ll just wait until Temple gets Cashin into Melbourne. It occurs to me that if Murray Whelan gets to retire and not be so much part of the political machine before he’s too old we might see some better Murray to come.

The End of Oil – The Decline of the Petrol Economy and the Rise of the new Energy order – Paul Roberts.

Two Trains Running – Andrew Vachss

The CEO of The Sofa – P J O’Rourke

The Crimes of Jordan Wise – Bill Pronzini – an enjoyable well constructed novel of one man’s successful crime.

Sex Thugs and Rock and Roll and Most People I Know - Billy Thorpe – giant edition with both books in one. Spookily I picked this up off the new books table at the library two days before Thorpe died. Thorpie tells a good a tale and does an important job of getting down some of the early days of rock and roll in Australia but his insights are restricted to placing himself at the centre of all action. May even be true. Some useful stories about the early days in Melbourne and the pace of life for working bands in the heyday. I was reminded by this book that Dylan’s publisher was the subject of legal action by Mick Slocum of the Bushwhackers about Dylan's arrangement of "Jim Jones." Dylan's publisher was forced to concede their error.

New Orleans Noir – Edited by Julie Smith short noirish stories set in the Big slEasy - some set before Katrina others after. Great snacking if you are a crime noir buff and who isn’t.

Lost – Michael Robotham the unknown Australian crime writer – even Temple name checked him – sets his stuff in UK. I haven’t made up my mind.

Convincing Ground – Learning to fall in love with your country - Bruce Pascoe – a book about aboriginals around the Otways and an invitation to look at our history and country through indigenous eyes. Having grown up around the Otways this is the book I wish was available years ago. I’ll try a do a bigger write up later.

art offspring no 1

Illustrations for an article on train travellers in XPAT Magazine Taiwan

friday (ish) cat

From Saturday's AGE. This pic accompanied an article on restaurant food standards breaches.

Advice for bloggers* usually suggests posting regularly. I'm sure other advice would suggest that after a brief absence one should slide slowly back into gear by first posting a cat pic. No doubt another bit of advice would be to try and remember both your login and password.

* in a boytonesque** flourish my spell checker suggests, boggers, loggers, floggers or sloggers. Say no more.

** careful with that lower case eugene

bogged blog

Climate change. Rain. Soaked. Rising tide lifts all boats.

Bet best blogs become bogged bound becalmed but better by bouncing back.

Be Back.

friday cat blog

Please could you treat the post below as a Friday Cat Blog for this week.

Thank you.

canada cuddle cat can't countenance carrier

John Samborski's cat, Shadow, is accused of scaring away letter carriers.

THROUGH rain, sleet or snow, sure. But the mail doesn't get through when Shadow the house cat is around. Unfortunately for Shadow's owner, John Samborski, the animal's the reason a postal carrier refuses to deliver mail directly to a Winterton Avenue bungalow.

Thursday, Samborski received a notice from Canada Post stating due to Shadow's alleged growling, carriers will no longer deliver mail to the home of the declawed feline. The letter states due to "unsafe access" for carriers, Samborski will have to pick up mail at a Nairn Avenue postal outlet about four kilometres away until other arrangements are made with Canada Post.

"This is ridiculous. When we got the letter, we were like, 'What is this?' " said Samborski, 41, a material controller at a Winnipeg factory. He and his partner, who did not want her name used, both said they were shocked about the Canada Post letter concerning their eight-year-old cat.

"This is Shadow. He likes to eat and sleep and cuddle. You could drop a bomb and he'd just open one eye, take a look, then close them and go back to sleep," said Samborski.

The feline lounged lazily on the front lawn of Samborski's home Thursday afternoon, napping in the sun and rolling on its back when visitors approached, nuzzling their hands. The cat remained silent during a visit from a Winnipeg Free Press reporter. Samborski said he called a Canada Post telephone number listed on the one-page notice delivered to their house and talked to a supervisor, but remained flummoxed about allegations Shadow hid under their porch stairs and growled at postal workers.

Samborski said Shadow spends some time outside. However, he said, Shadow's never had any problems with anyone -- including children who live in the neighbourhood or Duke, a large Weimaraner dog who lives in the same home. "I'm angry; we don't have the time for this," he said. "We're not putting our carriers at risk."

A spokeswoman for Canada Post said the federal Crown corporation takes the safety of postal carriers very seriously. "The letter carrier who delivers mail there, you know, she was brought up on a farm, she is very comfortable with animals. Apparently this is a very threatening cat," said spokeswoman Kathi Neal.

Neal said the regular postal carrier did not go to Shadow's house on Thursday, and her supervisor went instead to drop off the notice and to ask Samborski to call the depot to work out a resolution.
"This is a last resort. What we would do is send out a notice... that would invite the customer to call the depot and sort the matter out, or failing that, we will stop delivery to that address," she said.

A neighbour said there is a small group of aggressive cats who run amok on Winterton Avenue due to careless owners, but Shadow isn't one of them. [my emphasis]

Cat attacks on letter carriers are extremely rare, but they do happen, according to Ken Hatch. The longtime letter carrier once stepped over a sleeping cat while delivering mail in the West End and accidentally startled the animal awake.
"It jumped up and twisted in the air and bit me on the back of the calf," said Hatch, who was left with "four little puncture wounds" from the irate feline.

with file from Lindsey Wiebe
gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca


NB: This post forms part serving of my Community Treatment Order after I made my usual smartarse slightly lighthearted jibes about Lenny's illness over at Elsie D'Where

bogan gate

Old Bogan Gate Railway Station converted to craft shop

Like me, many others are fascinated with news articles on what appears to be domestics and particularly on shootings that don't seem to add up and those with more than a suggestion that the backstory may be just as interesting as the reported incident. All the more fascination then that one such incident should happen at a place of about 200 people called Bogan Gate.

Essentially the SMH story suggests that a local farmer was shot on his farm the other night.
A shotgun was fired at his stomach, and then at his back as he tried to flee. Naturally, as is always the way with these incidents; The case has stunned the small farming community, where Mr Rix is known as a quiet and hardworking family man with no apparent enemies.

Mrs Rix, 33, said she was co-operating with Parkes police to piece together events of that evening but there were too many "blank spaces"

A world weary person might have read the article, snorted into their shiraz, and suggested that most shootings of this kind involve family members or persons in close relationship and that there wasn't too much mystery about it. Others, less worldly, but just as weary, might worry into their tea and biscuits, about the increasing level of random violence in our cities and how no one is safe and once again ponder a move to safer rural climes.

Others might follow up with the outcomes of the article and note a day later that:

About 11am today a 33-year-old Bogan Gate woman attended Maroubra Police Station where she was arrested by detectives from the Lachlan Local Area Command. She was charged with shoot at with intent to murder and conspire and agree to murder any person. The woman was bail refused to appear at Waverley Local Court tomorrow. About 10am a 44-year-old Condobolin man attended Parkes police station where he was arrested by detectives. He is currently assisting police with their inquiries.

We would all hope that the victim is recovering.

The Urban Dictionary (thats Urban not Urbane as a quick glance will attest) defines Bogan ..as an Australian term used to describe members of society that are a combination of what the Yanks call Rednecks, Jocks and Trailer Park Trash. most likely found wearing mockies, flanalette (sic) shirts and consuming VB (bad Aussie beer). Large amount of bogans can be found living in The Borough, Bendigo, Aust

Having lived adjacent to the Borough for a few years I don't have a lot of quarrel with that definition.
Bogan Gate was also the home of writer Merrill Findlay, who although I haven't heard of her, seems to be varied and prolific in her output.

Unsurprisingly to those of us familiar with small country towns Bogan Gate has a war memorial.

Having served my apprenticeship as a country yob until post the age of majority I then returned for a short stint with a young family, and then escaped back to the safety of a large urban environment, for my kids sake as well as my own. I've long felt safer around the city late at night than I do in any country town.

When I mention to people that part of my reasons for leaving the country and staying in the city are to do with the escaping the violent crime, entrenched sexism and rampant and institutionalised nepotism and corruption extant in the country, I'm treated with the condescension usually provided to the contrarian grump. As if somehow it's just a stance. A quirk of my skewed take on life.

Not only in my research are there greater rates of most crimes in rural areas, the crimes are also more violent. In addition it's my experience that crime, particularly violence between men, domestic violence, violence on kids and sexual assaults are substantionally under-reported in the country.

Strangely enough tonight Australia Talks on Radio National is dealing with the topic of rural crime. The writers of the book Crime in Rural Australia Edited by Elaine Barclay, Joseph F Donnermeyer, John Scott and Russell Hogg and others who have studied it are providing the facts I have often quoted. Predictably the rural boosters are ringing in with stories of how safe they feel. How they leave their cars unlocked.

I have to stop listening as I'm going to that fine Australian Film NOISE.
I'll download the podcast later a listen to it all and probably order the book, Crime In Rural Australia.

Listen Now or Download MP3 for Later

Update: Following on from Amanda's comment it comes as a shock to see that the police have charged the man's wife with conspiracy to murder.
"She had earlier issued passionate appeals to find the man who shot her husband, calling the crime an "absolute mystery".
And his mother had also issued a plea for help the other day:
His mother, Mary Rix, had earlier appealed for help to find the person responsible. "This fellow is still running around. How can my son and his wife go back to their farm after this?" she said.

FXH says: Yes indeed. How can they go back after this.

melbourne music blog

These cats at Across The Rooftops seem to get around a lot and blog on Melbourne music and gigs.

virginia tech

I'm slackjawed to discover there is a category of crime called "most people killed in an education/campus massacre in USA".

Why doesn't anyone burst into an aged care home and slaughter 30 residents?

I'm all for draconian gun laws.

I salute John Howard for his effort after Port Arthur.

I'm a bit out of practice, but just for the record I can outshoot most right to bear arms gun huggers. And I have the trophies to prove it.

apollo bay music festival

It's the 15th Annual Apollo Bay Music Festival from 20th - 22 of April this year. We'll be going. Missed it last year and some other times but we have attended most of them.

It started off as a sort of an after party the following  weekend if I rememeber correctly, to Portland Folk Festival and as a point of difference and music taste billed itself as a Blues and Jazz festival. And blues and jazz and a bit of other it was.  Then there was the welcome addition of the "experimental" with such show stealers as ForePlay, then they had taste in country music  and it had good country and alt and punk and rock' a' billy and  real country. And old surf music. And  still unheard of great jazz combos and blues. Not much folk.

It was great because in the Bay the festival has a few tents along the forshore and that is really one side of the main street. And then most of the gigs are in pubs, cafes, licenced clubs such as the bowls and the old Mechanics Hall /Flics theatre which manages to have a licence.

So that if a group or act is HOT the word goes around over the days and one plans to catch them doing a late gig at say one of the pubs where they can and do "go off" "go fully sick". No room for old guys in sandals over socks, knitted jumpers been over washed in machine and full Ned K beards with chubby (2nd) wifes in pastel trackies and folded chairs and thermos.

Now there been a bit of a squabble in town. Festival has got too popular. Now some want to professionalise it. Get in more name artists and sell dearer ticks. So this year is a bit uninspiring for us who like to see new and up and coming and perhaps some weird like Bob Log 111 who I first encountered live at the Bay.

This year it boasts: Paul Kelly, Linda & Vicka, Hoodoogurus, and so on. Worthy perhaps but. yawn. And you can see them all at any expensive day out at a winery.

Wheres the interest. I haven't found any country yet in the program, maybe some jazz.

Anyway. We need the break. Didn't get away at easter. So we are going on the friday and staying on after it finishes until Tuesday when we'll go up to Colac and meet up with old childhood friends and go out for boozy meal. We've snaffled a house out at Marengo.

Anyone else going to the Bay. Got any recomendations?

Oh I see
Cindi Boste 
The Sparnetts
Maurice Frawley & The Yard Hands 
and the Detonators
are going to be there so it won't be all bad. The Audreys (pictured above) should be good.

been up been down been away

Had a CAT Scan. No. Not that sort Virginia.


Oops. Not that sort either.

This sort. Where you also get a DVD of all the images so you can race home, download AMIDE and view all the images and confidently and usefully self diagnose. Before finding out that the wonderful IrfanView can read .dcm images anyway. Here's my inner being revealed below.

Oh and the Wedding.

marlon brando, pocahontas and me

I dreamt that Gillian Welch asked me out on a date.

brian burke scandal pope resigns

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II TO H.E. Mr. BRIAN THOMAS BURKE, THE NEW AMBASSADOR OF AUSTRALIA TO THE HOLY SEE
Monday, 31October 1988

Mr Ambassador,
I am happy to accept from Your Excellency the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Australia to the Holy See. In offering you a warm welcome, I wish also to thank you for the cordial greetings which you have conveyed to me from the Governor General, the Prime Minister and the Government and people of Australia.

I would ask you to be so kind as to reciprocate these good wishes. At the same time I assure you of my continued prayers for the harmony and prosperity of all the citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia. [more...]

lucinda williams

A while back I wrote about the WEST album:

Maybe it's what we used to call the crossover album.

and,

It occurred to me that this album might be the one that non country fans might buy and consequently get curious about the back catalogue.

I claim "I Told You So" rights.

Just heard WORDS today at 11:30 am on Jon Faine's ABC local talk radio show.

let's do lunch sometime

Private Room:
This cosy private room seats up to 14 guests. It is located within the dining room with a closed door option. The Private Room is ideal for intimate get togethers or business meetings.

Bookings - Menu - Winelist

the necks@melb town hall + organ

I went to see The Necks on Friday. Magnificent. I can't do better than Jessica Nicholas from THE AGE

PIPED
The Necks, Melbourne Town Hall, March 2
If god were to create a sermon for the 21st century, he might well choose the Necks to write the soundtrack.
Sonically, there is nothing more imposing or impressive than a 10,000-pipe grand organ - especially in the hands of Necks pianist Chris Abrahams. Visually, too, the Melbourne Town Hall's gargantuan organ makes for a majestic backdrop. Friday night's "congregation" was suitably awed, listening in rapt silence to two lengthy Necks sets before responding with the kind of ecstatic appreciation that would make a charismatic preacher swoon.

The first set was dominated by Abrahams and the organ. Although all three players (Abrahams, bassist Lloyd Swanton and drummer Tony Buck) were actively engaged, Abrahams produced such extraordinary sounds that it was impossible to tear one's ears away. Exploring the seemingly endless sonic effects of the organ in discrete clusters of notes, arpeggios and occasional chords, the keyboardist created an unearthly orchestra that encompassed church bells, tubas, synthesised voices, pneumatic drills and a deep, rumbling vibration that was felt more than heard.

The second set took an entirely different course. Buck led the dynamics and overall shape of the piece. He began by kneading a small hand-held cymbal against his snare, beating it at irregular intervals. As the organ arrived quietly behind him - sounding like the hum of a train in a distant tunnel - Buck unleashed a violent thud that caused the audience to leap in shock. The sense of theatre continued as Swanton rubbed the bass strings to produce reverberations that echoed Abrahams' trembling overtones.

The trio quickly built an intuitive momentum, Swanton and Buck finding a syncopated heartbeat within Abrahams' sustained chords. After reducing the tempo to a slow, stately march, Buck initiated another thunderous climax that pulsed with punk-like energy and drill-like precision. As the piece drew to a close, the sound of church bells drifted across the auditorium - a jangling, crystal effect like chandeliers being moved about in heaven's antechamber. Beautiful.

FXH: I also caught Dale Watson at the Prince. Twang heaven. And The Handsome Family and Darling Downs @ Brunswick East Club. And Sally Ford and the Pachuco Playboys. All good.

PS: The Necks in the last piece were much much more overwhelmingly louder than I have ever heard Billy Thorpe.