ze' babel fish

Earthdance failure & Pete Murray

I work at the Enmore Theatre.  There hasn’t been a decent show since … well, the Middle Eastern All Star Orchestra around June.  Case in point, Pete Murray’s shows on Friday and Saturday.  Of all the soulless FM drivel to be affronted by, low on sleep and dosed with sleeping pills.

Saturday began in a hazy way, mid-morning post-Pete.  I arrived too late for the Earthdance festival, held this year in Prince Alfred Park.  Police were shutting it down, surrounding fences, sending fence-jumpers to the clutches of security, and uniform depression to pill-stricken teenagers left stranded outside.  Some guy told me to jump on in, but I’ve retired from that - surgical remedies were sought post-jump for James Brown in 06’.  I saw that show.

After an odd day, Pete Murray, sounding like a popular afterwash in the wake of Something for Kate, simplified and stamped out at two cents a unit.  People like his face.  The backing band came over as brutal exponents of the overly-keen nature of musical mercinaries, facial contortions for grandmothers, rockin’ out to clear lanes for emotive pearls of bile.

The merchandise counter had women’s panties with his face on them.

Garnaut's 'soft' 2020 targets

This story was on Saturday’s Razors Edge, about the negative response many have had to Professor Ross Garnaut’s call for 10% reductions on greenhouse emissions by 2020.

Garnaut’s soft 2020 targets

Bush/McCain "Bearhug" August 2004

The montage below is sourced from a New York Times article from August 21, 2004, ‘Bearhug Politics: Careful Steps to a New Bush-McCain Alliance’ by Todd S. Perdum.

I’d never seen it before, kind of funny.  We won’t be seeing these two this close again, at least not until McCain’s prospective inauguration.

Warhorse @ The Hopetoun. September 2nd

I saw Warhorse at the Hopetoun Hotel last night, it was well messed up.  I missed the opening acts, The Lockwoods, and The Duchesses, hangin’ about in the park on Crown with Warhorse’s cohorts, and half the band.  Most were exhausted after Brian Jonestown Massacre over the weekend, and this was Tuesday night.

Weirdo technical problems left Jasper with silent mics for the first couple of tracks, but vocals filled the room as they went into an older one - I turned to Havas, as the macabre line came, “New Orleans is, underwater, and the suicide, of the shattered Premier.” It’s been that long, we’ve roughly stayed together, and New Orleans is underwater, once more.

Ben Tarwin played theremin, wtf?  It was shambolic as shit, Jasper kept kicking the cymbols over, fcked up sound, but as ever, worth seeing.

This was an odd one, but I’d had an odd day.  Big ups.

Warhorse are preparing to launch their EP Gun$, due out in late September on Timberyard.

And some shows:

13 September, Oxford Arts Factory w/ Mission Control, Atrocities & Tennis

18 September, Oxford Arts Factory for Exquisite Corpse

Fairfax workers on strike

This is a radio piece I did for Saturday’s Razors Edge on 2ser.  I spoke with journalists from the Sydney Morning Herald as they picketed the Fairfax building, striking in response to planned job cuts and ongoing pay disputes:

Fairfax workers on strike

The Razors Edge page is pretty cool, interesting stories, check it out.

Finally, the candidates.

Republicans: John McCain & Sarah Palin

The announcement of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s pick for Vice President was surprising, to say the least.  For ages now, the Republicans have been drumming on the issues of Obama’s youth and supposed inexperience, and biggin’ up McCain as seasoned and ready to lead from day one.  Sarah Palin has served as the Governor of Alaska for the last two years, and was Mayor of a small Alaskan town called Wasilla before that.

This doesn’t make too much sense to me, purely thinking in political terms, it brings the focus right back to the issue of McCain’s age and health.  Should he die in office, Sarah Palin would take command, and is she ready for the 3am phone call informing her that the Russians have invaded Ukraine?  McCain’s campaign has become schizophrenic.  Since the Georgian conflict he’s repeatedly emphasized the threat posed by Russia, and heavily criticised Obama for calling for restraint on both sides.  Now, should McCain die in office (and that’s barely a subtext), someone who began governing one of the smaller US states as I commenced my degree is apparently equipped to meet McCain’s resurgent evil empire.  Hows my speling here?

I’ll just add, and a post on the Georgian conflict is imminent, that current VP Dick Cheney also called for restraint on both sides.

Many have cast Palin’s selection as an attempt to capture disenfranchised Hillary supporters, keen to punish Obama for besting their golden idol.  However, polls over the past two days have indicated that women in the U.S. are less likely to support her than men.  Not to mention that Palin and Hillary Clinton are miles apart on practically every issue, as Palin is a die-cast conservative, additionally intended to appeal to the Republican base.  Me thinks this ain’t a double pitch that can be made successfully.

I’m tempted to call this election right here, Palin weakens the ticket.

Then again, it may be genius.  American voters could shock the world, plus their elections are occasionally rigged.

Democrats: Barack Obama & Joe Biden

Post on Obama and Biden coming soon!

The Laurels

This post is for nothing other than to say that The Laurels are great, and you should get involved.  They’ve been working on their imminent EP with Jon Hunter from The Holy Soul for quite a while, I strongly suggest that you listen to the demos on their myspace:

DA LAURELS MYSPACE PAGE

They’ve produced an organic blending of My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Marychain, Spacemen 3, Primal Scream, Slowdive, Mogwai and others, whilst sounding like themselves.

The EP will destroy Sydney.  Amazing live show, check em out.