30 April, 2007

Satellite

My life is full of satellite friends. Although they are my friends and they are everywhere, they're nowhere around me (apologies to The Whitlams - oh shit! I was supposed to book tix for their September gig...). It's so hard to find camaraderie en masse any more. Gone are the days when I had a posse and could find laughs in bundles, rather than strands.

I feel uncomfortable all of a sudden. Not with myself - and maybe after you read this you will think I am too comfortable with myself - but around other people. It feels like I'm just going through the motions without connecting, without wanting to be around other people. I'm much happier doing my own thing. I don't want to pander to other people's egos and idiosyncrasies, it's draining.

There you go, my worldly connections - getting weaker, like the outer ripples of a concentric wave.

25 April, 2007

Monsieur Camembert (gig)

Monsieur Camembert: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen
The Vanguard, Newtown (13th April, 2007)

Since Cohen himself does not tour and, to my knowledge, has never been to Australia since I've been a fan (one website says his last tour here was 1985 - when I was 4 years old - so there you go) my latest occupation with him has led me to attend any tribute concert that pops up in my vicinity. This was the case with the Came So Far for Beauty concert at the Sydney Opera House in 2005 (subject of the doco I'm Your Man) and the more recent Monsieur Camembert gigs at The Vanguard, which were to be recorded for a live album.

I've long wanted to see Monsieur Camembert because they seem like the kind of band I'd enjoy so this was the perfect opportunity to combine my Cohen fetish with a novel MC experience. MC began with a cheeky 'I'm Your Man' then twisted the atmosphere completely with a rather forlorn version of 'The Gypsy's Wife'. The songs often followed a narrated Cohen anecdote, such as the time Janis Joplin mistook him for Kris Kristofferson preceding 'Chelsea Hotel #2'. Another bonus was the high calibre guests; Carla Werner, Abby Dobson (who I already love), Ngaiire and Elana Stone, all known for the character in their voices.

For the main part, MC played Cohen in a French jazz style, for which they are renown. This included the cabaret stylings of 'The Future', the accordion-heavy 'Take this Waltz' and the jangly, fast and furious 'Jazz Police' that expertly segued into a slow tango. Of the guests, Werner and Dobson were the standouts; Werner's plaintive voice suited the material well, while Dobson's fragile interpretation of 'Famous Blue Raincoat' portrayed the poetry of the song in a late night blues setting that aptly brought the song to its knees. The ensemble sang 'Memories' in a do-wop style, which worked really well, and Dobson's vocals on 'Hallelujiah', breaking emotion against the spare strings, sounded a lot like Rufus Wainwright's very fine version from Came So Far For Beauty.

Unfortunately there were very specific things that I didn't enjoy from the night, namely the restrained performance of MC, a restraint absent in their guests. For the most part MC seemed as if they were engaging with the CD-to-be audience rather than the live audience, which meant that there was a bit of stiltedness about their playing (I won't judge them for this - I'm still willing to see a show containing their original songs).

Another detraction was the guest vocalist Ngaiire who had a beautiful, strong and powerful voice - totally unsuitable for a Leonard Cohen tribute. She didn't do too badly with the slow folk jazz version of 'Bird on a Wire' but I often found her interpretations excessive rather than poignant.

Similarly, Elana Stone's renditions were mixed. The piano caberet slant on 'Suzanne' was a questionable interpretation but the big band sound on 'Who By Fire' worked to emphasise the oomph in the song.

All up, however, I enjoyed the mixture of late night moods and French street versions of Cohen's poetic songs and the sensual 'Dance Me to the End of Love' meant that the gig ended on the right note.

**** - Monsieur Camembert had their heart in the right place for this and their guests added the right flavour.

Set list:
I'm Your Man
The Gypsy's Wife
Field Commander Cohen
Chelsea Hotel #2
First We Take Manhattan
[not sure the name of the song here]
A Singer Must Die
Famous Blue Raincoat
Light as the Breeze
The Future
~ interval ~
Take this Waltz
Seems So Long Ago, Nancy
Jazz Police
Suzanne
Who by Fire
Bird on a Wire
Memories
Hallelujiah
Everybody Knows
Closing Time
Dance Me to the End of Love

16 April, 2007

Charlie

I'm currently writing a unit on Boy, Roald Dahl's first memoir. Mae Mae is covering the Roald Dahl website for multimedia. This is what she found on Wikipedia:



Don't bother going there now, I'm certain it has been edited.

03 April, 2007

An UnConventional Life

Saturday, 8:14am: I realise I have arrived at Manly early - far too early compared to my usual routine. I woke up at 6am so I could get here on time and it seems that for once the train and bus managed to bear me to my destination without problem. I buy a cup of coffee from the lovely girl at Zali's outside the Manly Pacific Hotel and sit watching the morning unfold. The sounds are the most interesting part of this life - the surf, the excited beachgoers, loose groups of walkers, the blunt rhythm of joggers and the occasional huffs and puffs from canines labouring down the path.

The 10th Annual Freelance Journalism Convention begins.

It's a lively affair, the speakers are knowledgeable about their respective fields and most of them are far too entertaining to be confined in a room of journalists when the sun is blazing down on Manly Beach as it is this weekend. Ironically, however, the convention become beset by technological problems as the panellists try to discuss the virutes of technology, gadgets and the internet. In some instances I feel as if I know more about how search engines work than the bunch up the front.

The real surprise is my ability to talk to other freelancers. I could name them all now - Hilary who writes dance reviews for The Age, Roy the photographer from Stradbroke island, Kathryn who edits AdBrief News, Zoe, Michael, Susan, Silvia, Clare, Tim. Most of them are pretty cool and I find myself exchanging experiences on a level that only other freelancers can understand. We talk about pitching and word rate, lead times and pay lags. We all speak the same dialect of journalese.

The 10th Annual Freelance Journalism Convention ends.

It was great. I recommend it. What next? More writing, I hope. And perhaps a network of freelancers to keep the conviviality going as we wend our way through the maze of publications that beckon and reject our words on a whim.

Sunday, 5:50pm: Beq and I meet for a drink at the Bavarian Bier Cafe on Manly Wharf. It's sunset and there are still poseurs about but neither of us care because we have a stein in our hands and a smile on our faces. Beq's on night shift - not only is she managing the Emergency Ward, it is also a full moon, which generally spells tragedy for everyone in the medical field.

For me, it's the end of a full weekend and the beginning of a full week, a concept that tires me before I can drain the dregs of my Spaten. Thank god for beer, eh? Not long after out quaff we're waiting for laksa and wonton at the local Malaysian outlet. It gets dark. The moon rises. I go home, exhausted.