... I don't want to bend down and pick it up.
- The Whitlams
24 September, 2007
The Whitlams & Sydney Symphony Orchestra (gig)
The Whitlams
Sydney Opera House (22nd September, 2007)
Well, hasn't Timmeh come of age? From the Sando in Newtown to the big white house at the end of East Circular Quay, the inner west anthemist took to the stage with good grace and a foul mouth. That's the way, lad...
Anyone familiar with the cheeky, jaunty, quasi-acoustic sound of The Whitlams will find it strange that the boys have made it to the Concert Hall of Sydney's most famous building backed by a full orchestra. After all, aren't they supposed to be bumming around the back of a kombi van or something? Well, frontman Tim Freedman swapped his keyboard for the Opera House's grand piano and gave the job of scoring his songs to no less than nine different composers, which made for a very interesting aural experience indeed.
First and foremost I'd always regarded Freedman as an adept lyricist who occasionally wrote cool jangly piano bits that were well-supported by guitar, bass and drums. This gig more than showcased the flexibility of musical talents that belied his pop/rock persona. Congrats on that front - Timmeh, you got to show off your musicality.
More than that, though, this concert forced me to listen to familiar songs with new ears. 'Keep the Light On' became a grand narrative complete with an earnest and poignant soundtrack while one of my favourite songs, 'You Sound Like Louis Burdett' retained its rollicking good time elements but built to a coda of almost explosive cheer "My friends really are fucked up but they're fun to have around".
Adjunct to that was Timmeh's mood, which was upbeat and jokey, as is his usual way. Sir and I were up in the box seats behind the piano so we saw a lot of the back of Timmeh's head but he was kind enough to acknowledge those of us in difficult seats both directly and with constant swivels, which satisfied Sir (who desperately wants to snog him because in her mind he's still 31 and she's now 27 so it's all good on the age front).
He also started to play 'Fur Elise' on the piano, much to the amusement of the conductor, for the sole reason that he wanted to tell his "non-existent grandchildren" that he "played Beethoven solo in the Concert Hall of the Opera House". It was during jokes like this that I started to wonder whether he'd played them all before, on previous nights. This gig was supposed to be the second show of two concerts (I bought the tickets about four months ago expressly for Sir's birthday) but due to popular demand they put on two extra shows before this one, so it ended up being the last of a four gig run.
I take away a point for Timmeh's rallying political call in Labor's favour (The Whitlams having been named after former Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam) because people came for the music, not the politics; even if the audience did agree with him the context didn't sit quite right. Maybe at a music festival but not in the Opera House backed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Don't know why, just feels wrong.
Okay, I take another point away for the none-too-subtle prepared encore too. Encores should be spontaneous but it was clear that it was all expected (a problem caused by the audience as much as musicians). But all in all it was a fun night with good music that hit the heart in all the right places and made me proud to be Straylian.
"Sex is everywhere but nowhere round me" - 'You Sound Like Louis Burdett'
Gig rating: 8/10
Enjoyment rating: 8/10
Sydney Opera House (22nd September, 2007)
Well, hasn't Timmeh come of age? From the Sando in Newtown to the big white house at the end of East Circular Quay, the inner west anthemist took to the stage with good grace and a foul mouth. That's the way, lad...
Anyone familiar with the cheeky, jaunty, quasi-acoustic sound of The Whitlams will find it strange that the boys have made it to the Concert Hall of Sydney's most famous building backed by a full orchestra. After all, aren't they supposed to be bumming around the back of a kombi van or something? Well, frontman Tim Freedman swapped his keyboard for the Opera House's grand piano and gave the job of scoring his songs to no less than nine different composers, which made for a very interesting aural experience indeed.
First and foremost I'd always regarded Freedman as an adept lyricist who occasionally wrote cool jangly piano bits that were well-supported by guitar, bass and drums. This gig more than showcased the flexibility of musical talents that belied his pop/rock persona. Congrats on that front - Timmeh, you got to show off your musicality.
More than that, though, this concert forced me to listen to familiar songs with new ears. 'Keep the Light On' became a grand narrative complete with an earnest and poignant soundtrack while one of my favourite songs, 'You Sound Like Louis Burdett' retained its rollicking good time elements but built to a coda of almost explosive cheer "My friends really are fucked up but they're fun to have around".
Adjunct to that was Timmeh's mood, which was upbeat and jokey, as is his usual way. Sir and I were up in the box seats behind the piano so we saw a lot of the back of Timmeh's head but he was kind enough to acknowledge those of us in difficult seats both directly and with constant swivels, which satisfied Sir (who desperately wants to snog him because in her mind he's still 31 and she's now 27 so it's all good on the age front).
He also started to play 'Fur Elise' on the piano, much to the amusement of the conductor, for the sole reason that he wanted to tell his "non-existent grandchildren" that he "played Beethoven solo in the Concert Hall of the Opera House". It was during jokes like this that I started to wonder whether he'd played them all before, on previous nights. This gig was supposed to be the second show of two concerts (I bought the tickets about four months ago expressly for Sir's birthday) but due to popular demand they put on two extra shows before this one, so it ended up being the last of a four gig run.
I take away a point for Timmeh's rallying political call in Labor's favour (The Whitlams having been named after former Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam) because people came for the music, not the politics; even if the audience did agree with him the context didn't sit quite right. Maybe at a music festival but not in the Opera House backed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Don't know why, just feels wrong.
Okay, I take another point away for the none-too-subtle prepared encore too. Encores should be spontaneous but it was clear that it was all expected (a problem caused by the audience as much as musicians). But all in all it was a fun night with good music that hit the heart in all the right places and made me proud to be Straylian.
"Sex is everywhere but nowhere round me" - 'You Sound Like Louis Burdett'
Gig rating: 8/10
Enjoyment rating: 8/10
20 September, 2007
Day Watch (film)
This Russian gem has been a long time coming for Australian audiences. It showed at the closing night of the Sydney Film Festival earlier this year but tickets were hard to come by (and expensive) so I didn't make it. Fortunately, my membership to FBi allowed me to see it before the official release date (supposedly 18 Oct), plus one AND with a free beer! The only drawback was that it was showing at The Chauvel in Paddington.
First, a little about the series. Day Watch is the second in a trilogy, following 2004's Night Watch with the third to come, reportedly called Twilight. The film trilogy is based on the tetralogy of successful books by Sergei Lukyanenko.
Now, Night Watch is a rather scary, violent action fantasy film set in Moscow where Light Others and Dark Others roam the earth. A thousand years ago there was a battle between light and dark until the leaders realised that the sides were evenly matched so they formed an uneasy truce. The film is basically about how each side tries to gain the upper hand through plenty of grey areas.
Day Watch, on the other hand, still has a fair bit of action in a fantasy setting, but it is less violent than its predecessor and it is also incredibly funny throughout. I'm not sure whether the comedic elements meant that the filmmakers took this film less seriously, but it is quite a different film from Night Watch, despite containing a familiar setting and familiar characters.
Having been introduced to the main characters in the previous film, it is to the film's credit that it manages to reveal aspects of the characters that were previously absent, giving the protagonists - Anton, Svetlana, Olga and Yegor - greater depth.
Konstantin Khabensky does very well as Anton, playing an almost anti-hero role at some parts. He portrays an ordinary guy with ordinary human feelings - protecting his son while feeling inadequate next to his all-powerful main squeeze (Svetlana), getting hot-headed - bordering on petulant - about his situation but being able to use his skills to the best end possible. Anton is the greyest Other in the film, a complexity that makes his plight more interesting.
Another character that gets good air time is Kostya's father (we never learn his actual name), Anton's vampire neighbour. Kostya has just attained a licence to kill (previously he lived off animal blood) but his father is scared that once Kostya has had a taste for human blood there will be no stopping him from continuing to kill. Kostya's father makes a deal with Head Dark Dude Zavulon (which sounds more like a brand of Russian washing powder the more I say it) that for services rendered, Zavulon will use his powers to turn Kostya human again. This puts Kostya's father in a bit of a bind because he is a law-abiding vampire, which is why he doesn't want Kostya to keep his licence to kill, but to turn Kostya human, he has to do things that break the ancient truce. This grey area is well demonstrated in the film.
Ironically, all this greyness occurs in a riot of colour, the dark nights of Moscow illuminated by flashes of Geser's (Head Light Dude) camera, red red blood, Yegor's birthday party and Anton's bright green satin shirt (above), which he stole off The Parrot, a dark agent sent to track him. It is this palette, the slick special effects and the animated subtitles that make Day Watch a treat to watch.
If you're any way partial to exploring the shades of grey in the good vs evil debate, body swap humour, random but amusing character moments, lots of dark broken by violent colour, children that look Satanic or time travel, this is the movie for you. I realise I haven't given a very good review but it's all so hard to describe. Just see it and you'll understand.
Film rating: 7/10
Enjoyment rating: 9/10
15 September, 2007
Toenail
There's a hole in my toenail
Dear Liza
Dear Liza
There's a hole in my toenail
Dear Liza - a hole
AND THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
I decided not to gross out casual observers by publishing the image on this post. Directly, anyway. So you can click through to see the remains of my big toenail.
Incidentally, I once made the word "toenails" on the Scrabble board, using all seven letters, gaining me an extra 50 points. I think I scored 87 points just from that word.
I'm sorry I haven't got anything more interesting to blog about. The only interesting thing that has happened to me of late is my renewed interest in Taiko (Japanese) drumming. Mostly because the drummers are really hot. And then they get all sweaty because of the drumming...
Dear Liza
Dear Liza
There's a hole in my toenail
Dear Liza - a hole
I decided not to gross out casual observers by publishing the image on this post. Directly, anyway. So you can click through to see the remains of my big toenail.
Incidentally, I once made the word "toenails" on the Scrabble board, using all seven letters, gaining me an extra 50 points. I think I scored 87 points just from that word.
I'm sorry I haven't got anything more interesting to blog about. The only interesting thing that has happened to me of late is my renewed interest in Taiko (Japanese) drumming. Mostly because the drummers are really hot. And then they get all sweaty because of the drumming...
12 September, 2007
An iron won't
About three months ago I dropped an ironing board on my toe. The big toe on my left foot. It was only a little tabletop ironing board from Ikea but it hurt a LOT. I'm surprised I didn't blog about it, considering how much I hate ironing and how that incident might have strengthened my case against ironing. I only do it three or four times a year but I will complain about it loudly for an entire day beforehand.
Anyway.
After swearing profusely and conducting the Ice Compression Elevation technique by hopping ungraciously to the freezer to get a cold pack before propping my foot up for a good 20 minutes (procrastinating as I sat gazing defiantly at the inevitable pile of crumpled clothes), I developed what felt like a bruised toe.
About a week later my nail started to go green. This was cause for alarm and I was very close to going to see a doctor about it but then I looked it up online and apparently bruises do go green and bruises under nails are generally nothing to worry about. So I didn't worry about it. Except that time when I had to go to a dinner event and I had to wear classy shoes so I painted my toenails red.
Which brings me to today's news, which is that the affected area is now black but, even worse, it has started to chip off. This means that I have a FUCKING HOLE in my toenail. It's just gross. And I won't be able to get rid of it until my nail grows out, which could be YEARS. I can't even paint nail polish over it to hide it while I wear sandals all summer. It'll get infected and I'll need to have my toe amputated...
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHH!
Anyway.
After swearing profusely and conducting the Ice Compression Elevation technique by hopping ungraciously to the freezer to get a cold pack before propping my foot up for a good 20 minutes (procrastinating as I sat gazing defiantly at the inevitable pile of crumpled clothes), I developed what felt like a bruised toe.
About a week later my nail started to go green. This was cause for alarm and I was very close to going to see a doctor about it but then I looked it up online and apparently bruises do go green and bruises under nails are generally nothing to worry about. So I didn't worry about it. Except that time when I had to go to a dinner event and I had to wear classy shoes so I painted my toenails red.
Which brings me to today's news, which is that the affected area is now black but, even worse, it has started to chip off. This means that I have a FUCKING HOLE in my toenail. It's just gross. And I won't be able to get rid of it until my nail grows out, which could be YEARS. I can't even paint nail polish over it to hide it while I wear sandals all summer. It'll get infected and I'll need to have my toe amputated...
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHH!
05 September, 2007
Practice
I just practised for 90 minutes on my violin, the first solid musical workout I've had for ten years. My arms feel buff. My jaw hurts, though.
Tuning is so much easier with an electronic tuner instead of pitch pipes. Pitch pipes change pitch depending on how hard you blow them so how are you supposed to know what the actual pitch is?
Also played with my new bow after Reuben (my old bow) retired balding. The new bow's name is Jarrod. He needs more rosin. Sweet, sweet rosin.
In other news, I bought myself a new mouse for my lappie cos the old one kept cutting out in the middle of important scrolling. And I picked up the Palimpsest books from Kinko's so it's all fame and fortune from here on in. Clearly.
Tuning is so much easier with an electronic tuner instead of pitch pipes. Pitch pipes change pitch depending on how hard you blow them so how are you supposed to know what the actual pitch is?
Also played with my new bow after Reuben (my old bow) retired balding. The new bow's name is Jarrod. He needs more rosin. Sweet, sweet rosin.
In other news, I bought myself a new mouse for my lappie cos the old one kept cutting out in the middle of important scrolling. And I picked up the Palimpsest books from Kinko's so it's all fame and fortune from here on in. Clearly.
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