Title	Author	Date	Section	Text
Pink + Blue	hyperballad	18th August 2002	resources	The official online magazine for Australia\'s gay and lesbian community. Covering travel, community issues, news+views, entertainment, culture, lifestyle and community-focused news (transgender, drag, leather etc). http://www.pinkandblue.com.au ?
FreQuency	Michael Bacina	18th August 2002	gaming	Paul Oakenfold, Orbital, The Crystal Method, DJ QBert, BT, Dub Pistols, Lo Fidelity Allstars, Ethan Eves, Freezepop, No Doubt, Fear Factory, Orbit, Akrobatik, Powerman 5000, Curve, Roni Size & Reprazent, Meat Beat Manifesto, Funkstar De Luke, Juno Reactor, Jungle Brothers, The Symbion Project, Toni Trippi, DJ HMX and Komput Kontroller. Seems just like a random collection of diverse artists doesn't it? Put there to fill up space and make my review seem bigger. Well it ain't. All these fine artists feature in FreQuency, a quirky and unique game that will grab you by the ankles and drag you into the quicksand of rhythm, groove, rock, dance and pop. Like all the greatest games, FreQuency has a very simple concept at it's core. You sail down a 3D tunnel while simple, if colourful backgrounds, swirl. By pressing one of three buttons corresponding to a blip on each of the 8 or so tracks in the tunnel, you activate a part of the song. Each track represents a part of the song, drums, beat, guitar, vocals, synth etc. By completing a combo inside a track you unlock a whole section, and if you get enough sections the track becomes a scratchpad or an axe (cool synth) pad, where you can add your own freestyle flair to the tune. This becomes might addictive, mighty fast. Even if you are a musical purist and refuse to listen to bands of certain genre's this game is great, and not just because it forces you to listen to other genre's, the timming of rock is far more different to the speed at which you need to keep up on the more drum and bass based tracks. Once you learn how to use the multiplier and catcher to grab entire sections of the song as completed you are cooking with gas. Once you discover the remix mode, you had better hope you have some sick days stored up and a supply of coke, chips n salsa and other assorted munchies in your cupboard, because you won't be going anywhere for a while. Here you can rip tracks up into any order you like, adding differen beats and layers to your own taste. There are guides to help you make your creation sound more like the original, and a myriad of effects like stutter and echo to twist your composition further. This is the easiest music creation feature I have ever discovered, and whilst there is not total fine control over the track, it strikes a fine balance between fun and being able to actually make something that sounds good. The multiplayer is a fine fine section of the game too. Up to 4 of you can play at once on split screen, battling the others for more points. In addition to the catcher powerup there is the freestyler (lets you earn mega points with the axe or scratch) the crippler (disables opponent so they are paralysed), neutraliser (kills the opponents points) and the bumper (pushes the other player backwards). This is one multiplayer that certainly isnt tacked on. There is some furious fun to be had with this one. The graphics are not super slick, but more like Sega's Rez in their wireframe style, they are pretty simple and not much to write home about, but you don't have much time to notice them with the furious action going on in the song. The boffins who made this game managed to make every song work perfectly with it, I mean perfectly. If it doesn't sound great, it's because you suck, and as you get better, it all sounds just tops. I challenge you to play this game for 5 minutes and then put it down and walk away. The difficulty really picks up in the later levels, and the dance music freaks will be chained to their consoles, but there is enough to keep everyone amused with FreQency. This game demands a place in your collection. PS2 Harmonix Sony Computer Entertainment music more addictive than anything known to man not much to of a spectator game demands a place in every gamers collection ?
The Aunt's Story	Joyce Chau	19th August 2002	reviews	Adam Cook?s adaptation of Patrick White?s novel ?The Aunt?s Story? is yet another example of an old artistic fascination: madness. Or, to be more specific, the dialogue between madness and a society corseted by convention- flirtations with the idea that madness (and that, is merely a name coined by society keen to stigmatise) ultimately leads to truth, individuality, meaning, beauty and our means of escape. Theodora Goodman (Helen Morse) is an unmarried middle-aged woman: a spinster. She is all at once admired, despised and ridiculed. In an era where the ideal woman chatted and played the piano, Theo, with her sallow complexion and quiet demeanour had squandered all her chances of snaring a husband as prescribed by society. After the death of her mother, Theo escapes to pre-war Europe where she encounters some very unusual characters. But are these characters really all that different? As Theo is immersed in their lives the boundaries between their pasts, Theo?s past: blur imagination and reality. Are these exotics from abroad mere ghosts from Theo?s past? Are they inescapable reiterations? What then, can physical solitude achieve if the mind is to be forever tortured by imagination, memory and inevitable social conditioning? Like Theo, as observed by her father, the play ?Always asks the questions without answers.? It is an ambitious work that tries to incorporate the many interpretations of White?s novel. ?The Aunt?s Story? is a woman?s quest for self-knowledge. It may also be a metaphor for the internal anguish of humanity- that tortuous monster unto itself- from either a historical perspective (perched on the verge of war) or the metaphysical perspective (the endless search for ?meaning?). Helen Morse is brilliant as Theodora Goodman. The support cast is also excellent and the lighting design (Gavan Swift, Hugh Hamilton) both enchanting and disconcerting. Ian MacDonald?s sound design was brave. While the switching between natural voices and amplified echo risked saying ?Hey audience! Listen to this profound bit!? It ultimately added to the anguished tone of the play. The audience were drawn into the play?s world- then pushed out again, like seaweed on the tide line. ?The Aunt?s Story? is also frustrating. The characters that Theo encounter are so condensed they verge on stereotype. Sometimes it is as if someone is constantly trying to point out that ?The Aunt?s Story? is a cannon of white Australian artistry. Each monologue gravitates confusingly between the characters? own thoughts and pieces of narrative taken directly from Patrick White?s text. Excerpts from that other cannon- the music of Peter Sculthorpe are slotted throughout. Perhaps then, the play has an unintended self-reflective result. In the frenzied procession of condensed and stereotypical characters the sensation of Theo?s dilemma is imparted to the audience. What is truth or reality? Those we meet may merely be fragments and mutations of our own personalities. In a society that functions on ritual, convention and symbolism, who is equipped at all to investigate beyond appearances? For the cynics out there it?s all an excuse for instances of incoherence- a chance for actorly razzle-dazzle as Theodora descends (or arguably ascends) into the fateful adaptation of other lives. You need to read the program to have a chance of making sense of anything. Perhaps now?s the time to call upon that well-used phrase: yes, some audiences will find ?The Aunt?s Story? challenging. For bookings at the Belvoir St Theatre call 02 9699 3444. Adam Cook drama upstairs Belvoir 8th September Helen Morse, Andrew Blackman, Julia Blake, Ralph Cotterill, Sarah Kan ?
Embryonic stem cell research bill raises questions	Karina Singer	19th August 2002	pulse	On the 27th June, the Federal Government introduced a bill governing embryonic stem cell research entitled Research involving embryos and Prohibition of Human Cloning 2002. A stem cell is an undifferentiated cell that can transform into specialised cells like for example nerve cells. Stem cells have the ability to reproduce themselves. The bill was created to regulate activities involving the use of human embryos and to prohibit human cloning and other unacceptable practices associated with a reproductive technology. A human clone is defined as a human embryo that?s a genetic copy of another living or dead human but excludes an embryo created by the fertilization of a human egg by human sperm. The bill defines an embryo as having a human genome and developing for less than eight weeks since the appearance of two pro-nuclei. If given the green light, the Stem Cell Research Bill will only be effective in the interim for accredited Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) centers that will need a license to carry out the research. Accredited ART centers need to be endorsed by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee of the Fertility Society of Australia. Prime Minister John Howard supports stem cell research but has written to state and territory leaders to join him in regulating the experimentation. Mr. Howard said ?The research will have the capacity to relieve human suffering and prolong life but raises questions about when the life begins.? NSW Premier, Mr. Carr supports the stem cell research bill. Mr. Carr believes that the research has the potential to help certain individuals live a better quality of life. A Sydney IVF Medical Director, Robert Jansen, has said several points in this bill need clarification.He warns that the bill could pose negative consequences to research into ovarian tumors because of the bill?s definition of an embryo. Mr. Jansen is also concerned that the research approval process may become very political depending on who would be selected for the seven-member licensing committee. A strong political critic of the bill is Senator Brian Harradine. He claims that people in the Federal and state governments have been captured by the IVF industry and pharmaceutical companies campaigning for the dissection of embryos, rather than looking at scientific success in using adult stem cell therapies. Reverend Fred Nile has also conveyed his opposition for using embryonic stem cell therapies. Reverend Nile has raised other possible treatment therapies to embryonic stem cell therapy by using the example of a young boy who was cured of leukemia by doctors extracting cells from his own bone marrow. The doctors have been able to achieve a successful response in the treatment of his leukemia and did not need to use the embryos that had been fertilized through the IVF program. Reverend Nile also questions the Federal Government?s legislation by asking whether scientists have manipulated discussion by making the distinction between helping people with serious diseases and not helping them at all. Certain political parties with grounded ethics may not want to be seen as the evil ones to prevent life from going on, so are forced to make a very popular decision. Medical researchers believe that using adult stem cells instead of embryonic cells may not be effective due to a link between this treatment and undesirable diseases such as tumors. Continued research into both adult and embryonic stem cells should be conducted concurrently to determine which is the more beneficial. Once this bill is approved, we may see an ethical division similar to the one that abortion caused. Religious leaders similarly in the issue about abortion have argued that the human life is sacred and should not be interfered with. Scientists and political leaders are divided with those who publicly advocate in support of embryonic stem cell research to others who are raising important political, ethical and social questions. ?
Hollywood versus Aussiewood	Tricia Van Der-Kuyp	10th September 2002	Articles and Columns	If the Australian film industry were to be packaged and placed on a global supermarket shelf, it's most likely the end result would resemble a generic "home brand" variety of product. Rather than it's mainstream well known brand of film. But as any good shopper can tell you, what is hidden behind the plain and simple packaging of a "home brand" product, is often the same, if not greater, than it's over priced and over marketed rivals. The difference in product can be broken down to its one commonly shared component, money. American-Hollywood orientated films dominate the movie market, but this does not mean that Australian films are any less superior to them. Australia has been persistent in it?s presence in the film industry since it produced the world?s first major motion picture for the big screen in 1906. Most Australian films are made on budgets that in comparison would cover the cost of one of Hollywood?s ?big name? actor?s salary alone. Never the less, Australian films have gone from strength to strength in producing great, original, intriguing and emotionally fulfilling movies. In 2002 came the culturally encompassing films and . The recognition of Australian films was shown when won the Berlin International film award for Best New Movie and Best New Talent for its lead actress Danielle Hall. In 2001 the critically acclaimed AFI award winning film with Anthony Lapaglia gave us an idea of how diversifying our films have become. It was a film that showed Australia is more than a country full of kangaroos, sports people and beer swigging yobbos. The 2000 AFI award winning film based on a true Australian crime figure also showed another dimension to our culture, not often associated with Australia. These type of films are proof that Australian films are able to compete with mainstream Hollywood. and produce films of different genres that are as good as their American counterparts, and can be recognised on their own merits. If its criminal action you?re after, try , or dramas like and with Claudia Karvan and Bryan Brown. If musicals are more your taste, we do cover them with and , both directed by the creatively talented Baz Luhrmann. If you seek cultural Australiana watch . We?ve shown how to be original and succeed with comedic movies like and , real life history is made interesting with a new take on stories like the Apollo eleven landing in . These are not only Australian films that Australians want to see, but are proud to say are Australian films, able to satisfy a world wide movie going audience. The Australian film industry isn?t resigned to just big screen movies. This industry supports and indeed encourages all film makers of independent, short and animated films. Festivals like TropFest, which is the world?s largest festival for short films, is held annually in Australia. A great Australian film, isn?t necessarily based on monitary value alone or if there are well known cast of actors in it. This is the message our film festivals send out and are backed up with the quality of films entered into them. and are just two of the latest films to come out of the Melbourne International Film Festival currently earning high praise. In recent years, our presence has become more obvious, our actors have been given the highest praise possible with nominations for an Oscar, and our behind the scenes people too for their work also. , was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won one for Best Costume Design and another for best Art and Set Direction. To the critics, standing up along side the hard to obtain gold statuette means we are ?up there? with the cream of the crop. They have something to measure our greatness by and pass judgement on. It is the measuring stick that world wide judgement is made on. Lizzy Gardiner picked up a matching gold accessory for her work on the 1996 film . When Lizzy rocked up to the Oscars in an original one of a kind, gold American Express credit card dress designed by herself, she again proved how original Australians can be. Australia can stand tall with pride, after all, Oscars aren?t given to just anyone. You have to be a somebody to be worthy of an Oscar. If this is the highest accolade given in the movie field, then Australian films and all those associated with them have proven their quality is right alongside those of Hollywood. ?
Tales of the City - The Establishment	Magnolia de Maupassant	20th August 2002	where_to_go_pubs	Oscar Wilde once said, ?I love acting. It is so much more real than life?? He was a wise man our Oscar, and he would have loved hanging about in this city?s social scene, because truth be told, there is always some drama unfolding, and some ing?nue or leading man wannabe waiting for his close-up (Sunset Boulevard style). Do the terms ?meat market? and ?dating by business cards,? mean anything to you? Surely readers, you have seen the scene played out before where nicely coifed man leans into nicely coifed women and says, oh so seductively: ?I?m an investment banker.? Ching Ching baby, those are the four little words every lass wants to hear these days aren\'t they? Or are they? Some might say that such pretentiousness is so patently icky that anyone with an iota of sense would run screaming for the hills and tell the Lothario to enrol himself in ?Get Real Butt-head 101? to ensure he got some sense before the second-coming of Anna Nicole Smith. But let?s admit that the monster that runs amok is a baby most of us have nurtured and ?loved? at one stage. People lie: fact. People have egos: fact. People will lie to ensure their ego or someone else?s doesn?t get hurt: fact. Shoes which look good are often uncomfortable: jury?s out on that one (sorry, had to throw requisite shoe-phile comment in there for good measure). The social scene isn?t necessarily a nice way to meet people. It\'s a way to show off those new threads. Or impress people with how many ?cool drinks? you know. Or to flash that new, vertical lined, clotted cream no. 6 embossed business card (but please, leave the chainsaw at home). And often, people want to feel wanted. So we?ll lie. Little white lies. Big hulking masses of lies. Colourful truths. Expanded facts. Self-censorship. Call it what you will readers, but at least call it! A good place to view this game of social-one-up-manship (because if Temptation Island taught us anything it was that no matter how sad you were on the inside, as long as the outside looked okay, you?d be a ratings success) is one that has become KNOWN for such practises. Like The Establishment. This place was opened on the premise that the city?s bright young things wanted a place to gather where other bright young things would hang about. Not the creative types. Not the intellectual types. Not the drunken footy yobbo type either. But that OTHER social stereotype we so love to deride. The ?Banker Wankers and Professional Princess? types. Y?know: Sweetie, sweetie. Darling. Prada. Gucci. Bespoke Suits. Power-Drink sessions. Boutique Beers. This is the first (usually straight) place you saw men wearing candy-striped shirts. Where glasses and ties ARE fashion statements. Where there?s a fine line drawn between wrinkle-free and botox. Where a little (subtle) glitter goes a long way, and you can supposedly tell a man by the colour of his credit card. Green: okay, gold: better, platinum: take me now! Marble and good light. Ivory and cream walls. A dash of brown leather. Touches of metal. It?s a good-looking place - a long-ish type bar. And everyone is really well behaved and well dressed - you have to be to get in. At least well dressed anyway. On a recent bar jaunt, my friend CA (who, granted had had a few bourbons under his belt) had a little kafuffle with the dark-suited bouncer types. Seemed collars were de-rigueur. Which is the case in most places - but it was the delivery that irked. The Establishment prides itself on being one of those ?exclusive? venues where people are dying to get in. But why would anyone of any sense want to go somewhere where you are insulted at the door, and rewarded for your social snobbery? I know, I know?must be all that Marx one has been reading of late, but someone needs to tell them that there?s a difference between a ?vibe? and a simple case of ?attitude?. Social egalitarianism - cool. Social egocentrism - very un-cool. The Establishment is known for attracting a certain clientele. Don?t listen to the Sprite ads because image is everything here. So gold-diggers, take note: yes, you are more likely to meet lawyers and bankers and brokers here. Builders probably need not apply - unless you?re a ?real estate developer?. Designer labels rule. As do ?highlights? and ?simple? jewellery. Perms are a no-go zone here. Lots of ?wool blends? and jersey. Less Lycra. The thing is though, the ?Rule of Pretentiousness? does apply here as anywhere else. So instead of Gary the ?Accountant?, you may get Gary the ?Offshore Funds Manager?. MdM wants to throw a bit of Latin in here for good measure. Caveat Emptor. Buyer beware. The same old tune keeps on swinging here?you?ll get your letches and your leeches. And the odour of ?deceit? smells just as strongly as anywhere else - it?s just covered under a cloud of Chanel No. 5 and Hugo Boss. So if all the world\'s a stage, and all its peoples actors, then Oscar had it right - pretend is often more fun than reality. The Establishment is interesting because it?s a place built on the notion that yes, what matters is what you wear, what you drink and who does your hair. You have a soul? You have a spirit? Really? Oh my...is that the time? I think I see (insert quasi celeb-name here). Ta Ta! It\'s elevated it to an art form. Go there for the pretty drinks and pretty people, but remember the rule of thumb: never take anyone who uses the line ?I made my fortune in futures? seriously?but readers do take what handbag goes with what shoes seriously. To paraphrase Oscar once more - ?If you can?t be [with] a work of art, at least wear one!? 252 George Street 2010 02 9240 3000 www.merivale.com Nice place to hang. Sparkly. Airy rooms. Non-tacky flooring, Pretense. Average seating. Expensive. High degree of wank-potential. Dynasty meets Melrose Place meets Paradise Drive meets Killara ?
Innc Bar	Xander J	20th August 2002	where_to_go_pubs	Now you?d be hard pressed to capture the atmosphere Sublime created in that dark basement for so many years. Indeed Pitt St itself has changed and now rivals Geroge St for the brightest lit shops selling the cheapest and most useless trash $2 can buy. Innc stands out against this hyper-trash background. Not because Innk is the classiest joint in the ?Harbour City?, but because it?s a refreshing change from the hopelessly strained and dingy bars at the Town Hall end of Pitt St. Apart from The Arthouse Bar, which in my opinion has all the atmosphere of a school hall craft show, Innk is the only place in this area of the city where one would dare to order anything other than draft beer. As you walk down the stairs one thing grabs you - the vast amount of space. Innk is very roomy, and at times too bare. The space is the exact same size as the old club was. There are two large and accessible bars, loads of places to sit but far fewer people. There are three pool tables at the back that are very well spaced and are the perfect place for that essential after-work game. Around the edge of the bar are a series of mesh-curtained off rooms complete with couches and a table. This is where you want to be. Intimate and very chilled, they are the perfect place to kick back and relax out of the view of any of the other punters. These little rooms seat six comfortably, ten at a pinch. Each room also has its own speakers so you have uninterrupted aural access to the funky house beats that glide through the air. The most impressive thing about Innk is the happy hour. The drinks are so goddamn cheap. From 5pm to 7pm Monday to Thursday you can grab a local draft beer, white or red wine for . Arguably the cheapest happy hour in the city. I?ll be honest with you, it?s the cheap booze that drew and kept me here. It?s not that there is anything wrong with the place, it?s just that it due to its size the place needs to be absolutely rammed in order to feel right. Innc is best visited after work. If you?ve been stuck up in an office all day and care for a drink in a bar that isn?t polluted with suits then Innk is the place for you. Quite honestly I wouldn?t run back if it weren?t for the happy hour but while drinks are $2.50 a pop I think I?ll be seeing a bit more of the place. 244 Pitt St Sydney 2000 (02) 9262 7333 http://sydney.citysearch.com.au/map?mode=geo&id=20753394&lat=-338725&l Exceptionally cheap happy hour, funky decor, good music. Too much space, too few people. Great place for an after work drink and a leisurely game of pool. ?
Millionaire -Outside The Simian Flock	Tim Lohman	20th August 2002	cd-reviews	I?m going to have to declare my interests here. This resurgence in stripped down, back to the roots Rock and Roll? I like it. Matter of fact, I love it. On bended knee I thank the dark lord of music every day for the dying throws of Nu-Metal. And here, in Millionaire?s ?Outside the Simian Flock?, is yet another reason why that fat, whinging, talentless bastard of a musical genre is out the back getting its teeth kicked in with feet shod in pairs of dirty old sneakers and scuffed to shit boots. Mater of fact, Millionaire is what Rock and Roll should have been doing in 1995 before the horrible shadow of Nu-Metal blackened the world. Beck had the right idea back in 1996. He knew that the form was infinitely adaptable. Add a beat box, a vocoder, a theremin, two turn-tables and a microphone, a dose of psychosis ?whatever, it all stands up. Queens of the Stoneage know it, and now Millionaire know it too. Rock and Roll was meant to be raw, honest and ever evolving. Not some heavy version of a boy band. It was meant to grow, pilfer, fall back on itself, stagger forward, spew against a wall, pass out in the gutter and get up kicking and screaming the next morning ?hangover or no. And look sexy all the while. With ?Outside the Simian Flock?, we have the genre?s next mutation. Album opener ?Body Experience Revue? breaks out a very sexy bass line against a lilting, looping beat. A sparse slide hook bobs up before the Electro space worms are set loose and an overdriven stomp groove to rival QOTSA drives the message home. ?Me Crazy, You Sane? and ?She?s A Doll? flirt with Beck and Gomez style fragile-yet-sweet acoustic pop that somehow leaves you with the feeling that somehow things aren?t quite right. Personal favourites ?Champagne? and ?Petty Thug? straight out Rock, with the latter coming off in an almost Prog Rock (and I mean that in a good way) style that has more time signature switches than a King Crimson album and all the whacked out grooves of one to boot. Yet it all works somehow? genius! ?Outside The Simian Flock? sounds like 5 strutting, strung-out Belgian lads with a pronounced evil streak. By album?s end, it makes you proud of the form again. Tr?s chic. Tr?s Bon. Millionaire Rock Festival/Mushroom ?
I Am Science	glen20	20th August 2002	things_to_do	Friday August 30 sees the Canberran Vibewire crew along with presenters from Community Radio 2XX host I AM SCIENCE, at the Aree Bar in Civic from 8pm. Featuring live electro from the brilliant Dark Network , Elf and drum n bass kings Spinaron plus the sampledelic Mr Biscuit, breaks fiend Evilchris, artcore trashmeister Gourmand and dub maestros the Space Bass Sound System alongside visuals sourced from a crazed and rare library of film talent local and known. The gig promises to be an exceptional and utterly different Canberra club experience, and all proceeds raised go to keeping 2XX on the air. Tickets are $5 on the door, and more information can be found by calling 2XX during business hours on (02) 62 300 100. Akuna St Civic 2601 (02) 62 300 100 - You'll see Missing out Future frivolity ?
Small Talk - The Gladstone Hotel	Philippe Perez	21st August 2002	gig-reviews	I didn?t know what to expect when walking into the small Gladstone Hotel on the road that all heavy bearded bikies and ravers like to call home, Regent St in Chippendale (city fringe suburb of Sydney). It seemed a little out of place then for me to go to a Sunday Afternoon gig like ?Small Talk? that was taking place at The Gladstone. Small Talk is a lazy Sunday?s afternoon of acoustic music at a time that seems appropriate enough. The venue is a buzz of people of quiet nature, all there to actually listen to the music and it all looked as though everything was set for a nice little comfy evening. The gig kicked off with Douglas Bishop and The Tenderhooks with their set of blues and roots which will make a young guy like me feel out of place. The middle agers had specifically come in numbers to check these guys out, and the songs did suit. Think rootsy, raw music with bongos and a chill out kind of sound that you can easily sit back on a hammock to. It?s great to see a ZZ-top style beard as well back in the music scene as shown on the percussionist. Next up on the bill was My Friend Benny. They dosed up a nice blend of Acoustic rock. It seemed the family and friends of the band were out in force, with plenty of happy snaps taken as well as many references to the lead singers dad making her all embarrassed. The songs were good too. The Benny who the band is named after gave some great guitar work and the songs sparkled with the lead singer?s voice. Keep a look out for them, as there is not much written about them and therefore are a hidden local talent. The small venue did not seem big enough for Michael John Azzarpardi?s voice. A wonderful talent, the moderate crowd, which had stayed around, were watching in awe as Michael-John unleashed his dazzling voice to the crowd. Etchings of a Jeff Buckley with a folk edge sprung to mind when he played his beautifully crafted pieces. A breathless experience, Michael-John had the audience in his hand and finished on a high note. He is stuck in this reviewer?s mind and will be for some time. Last up was Butterfly 9, and during the band set ups, it seemed everyone had left to sleep away the night. Only a handful of people (including myself) had stuck around to see out their Sunday night with this melodic duo. It seemed strange that not many people stuck around for this duo, as it seemed that they were the most high profile act of the night, as Butterfly 9 have been featured on ?The Secret Life Of Us?. They plundered on nevertheless bringing us the sweetness of lead singer Suzy?s voice. Their latest single ?Another Perfect Day? was given a strum. The set was heart felt with songs littered with subjects about love and relationships. All in all, it kept a small crowd attentative and still listening especially at that time of night on a Sunday. Acoustic music is becoming a force in Sydney, especially with many a venue being threatened to turn down the loud noise a lot of bands now produce or risk not showing live music at all. Acoustic showcases like this one every two weeks at The Gladstone Hotel in Chippendale feeds the hunger for any music lover wanting to fill that void left by the louder, more rocking venues. A more friendlier and cosier atmosphere which host showcases such as ?Club Acoustica? and ?Small Talk? seem to be now taking over the live music scene, and all for the better if acts which were on display tonight keep playing in this city and this country. Small Talk (Various Artists) Acoustic Gladstone Hotel, 115 Regent St, Chippendale Free! Nice, cosy, friendly atmosphere The amount of time it took to get my food from the kitchen! Quiet and relaxed ?
Kaash ? Akram Kahn Company	Andrew Filmer	21st August 2002	reviews	Appearing for the first time in Australia, the British based ?Akram Kahn Company? brings with it a wealth of critical acclaim for its latest offering ?Kaash?. This acclaim is thoroughly deserved. As a production, ?Kaash? carefully interweaves intensely expressive dance, a powerful yet finely tuned musical score, and a stage setting of unsettling depth. Choreographer and dancer Akram Kahn has forged a reputation around his particular combination of contemporary dance with the classical Indian dance form of Kathak. In ?Kaash? Kahn demonstrates the strength of his approach. With his four fellow dancers, Kahn provides an explosive display of complex yet precisely executed moves. Kahn thoughtfully mixes blistering speed with moments of stillness and poise, keeping the production constantly evolving in new directions. At every point the dancers? technique is superb, especially that of Kahn?s. The interplay between the individual dancers and their collective presence is a remarkable feature of ?Kaash?. Although precisely disciplined in their delivery of the choreography, each dancer?s differing stature and timing creates another fascinating level to the work. Indeed, the beauty of ?Kaash? lies in the fact that it exhibits a strong vital sense. The dancers are obviously acutely aware of each other as they produce their complex patterns and timings; but rather than this resulting in a lifeless technical display, their efforts make it live. That five individuals can demonstrate such a common understanding and yet still remain clearly separate is exciting to behold. Also playing no small part in the success of ?Kaash? is the shadowy and striated lighting of Aideen Malone, the looming background projections of Anish Kapoor, and the rhythmical musical arrangement of Nitin Sawhney. All three elements effectively underpin the production, giving it power and drive, without detracting from the primary importance of the dancers? bodies on the open stage. It was pleasing to witness such an appropriate harnessing of the available technology, which displayed a great deal of thought as to the overall shape and thrust of the production. In its thrust, ?Kaash? possesses a primal and threatening energy that exists from the moment one first sees the stage. As suggested in the seeming black hole at the centre of Kapoor?s projected backdrop, and in the amplified vocal mutterings that Sawhney?s arrangement introduces, this threatening energy can perhaps be described as the threat of a yawning possibility that lies before all of us. In the bodies of the dancers, and in the interweaving of its various production elements, ?Kaash? fearlessly explores all manner of possibilities. Overall ?Kaash? is an impressive production. Even for those who know little or nothing of dance forms it contains enough dramatic tension to maintain interest, even in the more reflective sections. In fact, whatever your particular artistic interest ?Kaash? is worth viewing simply to encounter its depth and power, and the exploration of performance possibilities it undertakes. For bookings at The Sydney Opera House call 02 9250 7777. Akraam Kahn. Contemporary Dance. Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House. 8pm nightly, until Saturday 24th August. Akraam Kahn, Rachel Krishe, Moya Michael Inn Pang Ooi, Shanell Winlock. ?
Pass The Stapler	Jacqueline Welsh	28th August 2002	reviews	For those of us familiar with the politics, humour and occasional romance of the office, ?Pass the Stapler? provides welcome light relief after a long day immersed in our own corporate tussles, without excluding the rest of the audience. ?Pass the Stapler? is a snappy, witty, well-written and directed, which kept the small audience in the Old Council Chambers at Trades Hall entertained throughout. Liam is a cynic. He is primarily cynical about romance, and his ability to allow it to enter his life, and about his competency in combating the inevitable office politics in his working life. From the first scene of the play where Liam tries out possibly the worst pickup line ever conceived with leggy brunette Sonia: ?How was your day? Did you have a good day? It?s good to have a good day . . . would you like have a good night?? It is clear that Liam?s attempts at romance are half-hearted at best. When the object of this awkward attempt turns up at his workplace as the new IT employee, the sordid layers of office intrigue begin to unfold. Liam?s HR manager, Fiona, is having an with incompetent, porn-obsessed, married-with-two-children Harvey; Fiona?s friend Emily plays mind games with her husband to keep him on his toes; and office ditz Allison attempts to snare the nephew of the CEO. To top it all off, the company?s financial imperatives threaten to disrupt these personal intrigues; either Harvey or Liam must go. ?Blue Chair TheatreWorks? is the brainchild of Allan Kerr and Kylie Trask. It is a local theatre company, which produces both classic works, recently including the Greek tragedy Antigone, and original works such as ?Pass the Stapler,? which was written and directed by Allan, and produced by both Allan and Kylie. Due to the small venue, the audience gained a sense of involvement in the story, which can sometimes be entirely lost in larger venues. The small stage, with its one permanent set, was used in its entirety, showing a great understanding of the use of theatrical space; scene changes were smooth (apart from the occasional tripping-over in the darkness). Despite the proximity of the audience, the actors were able to ignore the laughter and reactions of the audience, which surely would have been distracting. Many of the cast are fledgling actors, and all performed admirably, obviously enjoying both their characters and the play itself. Standout performances were by Justin Bechtold as the ultra-cynical Liam, and Georgina Durham as the over-the-top Allison Baker. Bechtold and Kate Buttery (as Liam?s best-friend Laura) had a lovely rapport, making the explication of some crucial character building feel very natural, where it perhaps could have felt quite deliberately structured. In all, the cast seemed very comfortable with each other, creating an intimate and extremely enjoyable experience for the audience. ?Blue Chair TheatreWorks? next work, Overnight, will be playing at the Twentieth Melbourne Fringe Festival in September/October this year. Allan Kerr theatre - comedy Melbourne - Trades Hall Building Ended 10th August Justin Bechtold Kate Buttery Georgina Durham ?
Vines -Highly Evolved	glen20	21st August 2002	cd-reviews	The hoards are here to hunt and kill The Vines:- backlash merchants saving on therapy bills by throwing bile at this band, disciples let down by the new messiahs of Rock, Australian tastemakers appalled at letting an act like this slip through the net whilst spending time, pointlessly, on mediocre crud like Speedstar or Rhubarb or Motorace. This review will not add to the texts those mentioned will write. Instead, this review comes from the ?fuck cynicism, let?s rock? school of music fan criticism. ?Highly Evolved? is not a landmark record, a new benchmark, a saviour, nor a cure for back and chest pains. It?s only Rock & Roll infact, but I like it. ?Highly Evolved? is the sound of reflection and release. It?s a young person?s record, but if short sited judgement is suspended, old-aged men and women will find much to love here too:- you shake your hips, you scissor kick, you wanna grow your hair and never wash it again while this set is playing. Singer/Axeman/Songwriter Craig Phillips is many things; a naif lost in concrete world who can scream like Black Francis, solo like Slash, and harmonise like no singer since Lennon, Harrison & McCartney -though he mostly harmonises with his own voice. Infact, the Vines show Oasis up not only as a thin idea stretched far too far, but as comparitively B-grade Beatle copyists also. Phillips finds chords and notes that haven?t really surfaced since Revolver- wistful summertime ponderance with an agonising kick just behind the curtain. He?s an original in his own reverential way, this burger-flipping kid from Sydney?s inner west. Apropos of which, let me critique from the book of Tyler Durden, ?Fight Club?s? driving force, the voice inside us all saying, ?go on then, fuck some shit up?. YOU ARE NOT A BEAUTIFUL & UNIQUE SNOWFLAKE No, The Vines are peddling nothing bone-crunchingly new as such, but that is missing the point. Musical stylings are simple currency, A to B stuff. A song can remind you of another, and make you wanna hear the original. Other songs use well worn chords and phrases and breathe new life into them- the act uses that old sound in order to speak personally. Every songwriter does it, from Bacherach to Thom Yorke to Richard D James. The Vines have successfully transcribed Rock sounds from your favourite moments of youth (Get Free?s Seattle assault, Highly Evolved?s Popcore king hit, Country Yard?s Neil Young-meets-George Harrison in Centennial Park, Sydney, and smoke a joint together vibe) and made them into new glistening pieces of work. WE ARE THE ALL SINGING ALL DANCING CRAP OF THE WORLD Craig Phillips seems to have some issues- lyrics aside, reports have been published of the bandleader locking himself in closets, threatening suicide, eating only cheeseburgers. And there is a bit of self-loathing on the set. But for every whine there?s a scream- purging the self-leveled disgust. Pro-active loathing makes for spirited Rock & Roll. YOU ARE NOT YOUR FUCKEN KHAKIS For the moment at least- maybe the band will sell the record to Volkswagen or Uncle Toby?s, but for now ?Highly Evolved? stands up as both a personal desire to find comfort in the big world whilst rocking hard, and sharing something with like minded folk. Like the Strokes record of last year (now revealing itself to be nothing more than a truly great Rock record, not the arrival of Christ himself with a Stratocaster strapped on) The Vines? music has a great gang feel about it- boozed up in the afternoon, planning to head out that night and perform free interpretative slam dance at a Country Woman?s Association meeting, or crash the Channel 10 studios when the late night news is on, or just dance and drink and canoodle and have a dawn swim, and wake up on a median strip. It?s dangerous fun, like the fun kids have, before they get old and dull. Phillips might be a danger to himself. The press might be a danger to the band. But all this conjecture about the most successful debut LP in Australian musical history must be ignored- it must be. ?Cause ?Highly Evolved? is the essence of what Rock, and Pop is about. Here today, gone but remembered fondly tomorrow. Tim Roger?s once said something great about his band You Am I, a call his stodgy music doesn?t carry through with anymore- he said ?for chrissakes, have a drink, get your pants halfway down the crack of your arse and have a good time?. ?Highly Evolved? can help you in that quest for plumber panted highjinks. And if we learn how to love The Vines for what they are, not what we want them to be, then a second record just might drop and Rock us again. Vines Rock ?
Talking Seuss with 5000 Fingers of Dr T	evilchris	22nd August 2002	interviews	The 5000 Fingers of Dr T's Jasper Van Patterntangle emerges from preparing for their upcoming Frigid live set, to chat with vibewire.net's about Dr Seuss, online file swapping and the imminent arrival of Mr Suavo. Jasper: Our involvement is quite a bit of late, I have taken on the role as Sydney Label co-ordinator and Adam is the brains behind the Clan Analogue affiliated on line CD ordering site www.crispydisc.com where you can order all Clan releases plus artists unreleased CDRs and other independently released CDs. Most of our gigs are of the dance side of things, but being the launch for an ambient/experimental/chill style CD we will try and go along those lines. We might bring along Adams old drum machine which he has modified by setting up a series of 8 switches which short pins to the drum machine's sound chip, creating some very glitchy sounds indeed. We might also bring along a 'synth' which Adam built from a diagram pulled off the net. At the moment it's just a bunch of wires and knobs though. We have matching Ensoniq ASR-10 sampling keyboards. We did have matching Zip Drives but Adam's died so now he has a hard drive attached. We also have a large, taped together mass of Effects Processors and control devices. One of these devices are our large brass weather gauges which I have wired up to my Agent 00Funk filter box which allows be to use the gauges as oversized knobs to control the squelch of sounds. Nowadays we leave the visuals at gigs up to the specialists. I like anything that cuts or changes with the music which often requires someone to be doing it live. We've done a few gigs where this has been done by tesseract and Morph. We're open to anything, we're just not very good at chasing such things. We've had our tracks used behind some JJJ programs, a rock climbing video, a subway art promo video. We almost had 2 tracks used for the film but in the end they were ditched. No it was most certainly released, in the 50's I believe. It's very surreal, very Dr. Seuss. It's only disturbing if you think too much about metaphors of the plot which is to have 500 little boys playing on your big piano. We're in favour of it. We try not to put up tracks which are part of properly released compilations though just out of courtesy. I believe the whole way we buy and listen to music will change. By giving away MP3's for free, at least you're not losing money by pressing 1000 CDs and then having to give them away when no one buys them. We've never really made any money of note through CD sales. APRA royalties from Radio and TV airplay is always more. We're working on series of 4 new EPs entitled 'The Mr. Suavo Series'. Each one will feature Mr. Suavo in a strange genre. The first two will be 'Mr. Suavo in Analogue Heaven', and 'Mr.Suavo in Space Truckin' Odyssee'. Well Adam knows how to play the piano, I know how to draw dots into the sequencer. I pretty much flunked music at school. I once started to learn the guitar but that didn't last very long. I guess generally I do the rhythms and buzzy Squelchy noises and Adam does the Chords and Melodies, but we often both work on each. Yeah we've done a few! They're a lot of work, but the rewards of hearing smooth rolling bass move through the open air and through the trees makes it all worthwhile. I don't remember that Wollongong Gig. I'd probably wake up at 2am tomorrow morning and it will suddenly all come back to me though. Are we really one of Australia's higher profile live electronic acts? We should be charging more :). We started playing kind of big beat/techno/acid sets but then found ambient music to be more interesting, but then Chill outs became a thing of the past, and we got excited by dance music again so started writing more dance stuff. Now chill out seems to be making a revival in a new glitchy/housey kind of way. Our new stuff is more laid back than buttsqueezer, more cruisey. Our style changes as our tastes in music do. 20th August 2002 Email evilchris The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T's Jasper Van Patterntangle ?
Sequins, pool and pokies	Lisa_Ritchie	23rd August 2002	where_to_go_clubs	In the unlikely location of Camperdown, Caesar?s is a flamboyantly gauche gay and lesbian nightclub, a visual feast of eclectic exhibitionism. It has all the forbidden exhilaration of a school blue light disco: a strictly top-40 DJ set (with obligatory generous portions of Kylie and Britney); territorial flirtation and tacky d?cor. The night of dancing was pleasantly punctuated by a star spangled banner clad drag queen miming to Madonna, flanked by two ripe male dancers. A crowd-pleaser, whatever your preferences. Catering for all styles, from posturing pool players to disco divas to beer garden bunnies, there was no discernible ?type? or boundaries of behaviour: sequins and studs, it was all there. Caesar?s is an initially disconcerting fusion between an RSL club and an Oxford Street bar: gay pride meets gaming facilities, a bistro, pool tables and large screen televisions. Yet its apparent philosophy is plain good old fashioned FUN. Tuesday night is trivia night, Thursday is ?Girls Night? (absent the sleazy opportunistic men) and for those looking to gracefully wind down the weekend, Sunday afternoon is ?Beer, bust and barbecue?. Go for the friendly atmosphere (staff and patrons alike), an unpretentious dance and a podium perve. 92 Parramatta Road, Camperdown 2050 9550 2411 http://members.ozemail.com.au/~westparty/ Boogying to top-40 tunes that you 'Can't get out of your head' Carpet as sticky as an RSL Gay pride meets gaming facilities ?
Skanking it up with User Friendly	Sylvia Gauci	23rd August 2002	interviews	Walking into the Tote last Saturday night, I was greeted with the triumphant blast of horns, pounding drums, and funky guitar, lead by a pint-sized, charismatic lead singer. It was my introduction to User Friendly. After their set, I got to chat with lead singer Kelly, trumpeter Wazza, guitarist Chris and drummer Matt about the internal workings of the ska world and the joys of the live scene. "I hated ska before I joined this band!" Kelly exclaims. Having been on the live circuit for roughly 2 years now, User Friendly started up with Chris and a uni friend who played bass (now not a member of the band). "We were playing for a while without horns, writing and practicing a lot and then advertised for new members and got Wazza and Tim (saxophonist). So it was always the intention to form a ska band" Chris says. From witnessing their live set, it is obvious that the many hours practising is now paying off, and I was curious to know their secret in getting gigs. "It's got to do with the whole ska scene" Wazza explains. "It's very small and very friendly - you buddy up with bands and get to play gigs with them. Though we are trying to break out and reach a wider audience as it is easy to stay within the ska scene and just sit there?A good thing about the Melbourne ska scene is that they have Ska Bar (ie. ska night) on at the Arthouse once a month. It's a good opportunity for bands of this genre to get out there and show their stuff." Playing such a specific genre of music, I asked about their influences and the song writing process. "We do try and be original" Kelly says, "as far as influences go there are of course the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris and old No Doubt - not the new stuff!" "Kelly is the main lyricist" Chris adds. Wazza continues - "Chris and I write the songs?we just put something together and then bring it to band rehearsal." Being a 6-piece band can have some drawbacks. With members scattered across regional Victoria as well as Melbourne, getting together for rehearsals can be a problem. And with all band members studying (Matt is completing year 12 while the other members are all at TAFE or uni) timetables are also bound to clash. "And money isn't a problem because we're all broke!" Chris points out the dilemma of splitting a cheque 6 ways. "But we are putting money away to record" Kelly says. User Friendly are planning to put out a 5-track EP with the intention of playing bigger venues such as The Espy in St Kilda. The band will be playing at Goo - Melbourne Metro's alternative night - but the date is still to be confirmed. Wazza agrees when I ask whether the crowd reception has been positive - "That was probably the biggest crowd we played to tonight!" "Last time we played at the Tote there was 4 people, but they went off!" Kelly laughs. The adventures of gigging around town have brought many memorable moments, Kelly continues. "I remember playing at the Dan O'Connell with 2 people (in the audience) including our sound guy Lachlan! But we had fun!" "And Chris and I have played with Area 7" Wazza chimes in. "Yeah, they played a mystery gig at the Arthouse, on Ska Bar's birthday, and they were taking requests. They had a fill-in bass player who didn't know a few of the songs - so I got up and played bass and then Wazza somehow got onstage!" "So now we can say that Area 7 know us!" Wazza says with a smile. With things starting to come together for User Friendly I asked if they could impart any wise words to those starting out. "Keep at it" Chris answers, "even if it's only a half-hour set you've got make the most of it. And don't take yourselves too seriously." "Go in competitions - battle of the bands was really what got us started" Kelly says. "We went in the RMIT (Melbourne uni Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) one last year and won our heat?And the PUSH things are good too because they remember bands that do well. Through that we got a gig with Another Race who aren't really our style, but that was still great exposure to a wider audience" Wazza tells me. With the recording of an EP, User Friendly plan to go up to Sydney to reach a wider audience, and do more all-ages shows. Whether you're a ska fan or just love to have a good time, look out for User Friendly's fun-filled show coming to a live venue very soon! 10th August 2002 microcassette Sylvia Gauci Kelly, Wazza, Chris and Matt from User Friendly ?
The Solace for Scrooge	Tanveer Ahmed	23rd August 2002	where_to_go_cafes	I have long lamented the transformation of Newtown. No longer a bohemian capital, it is now populated by BMW drivers and DINK couples of the entire sexual spectrum. Infact, this is surely some king of a sociological phenomenon. Whenever a place is populated by impoverished but creative artists, it steadily attracts a range of people with more money than creative talent. This second group long to appear trendy by association alone. This forces the artists into a financially imposed exile from their original hub, driven deeper into the suburbs or, when drug attitudes permit, further along the coast. But the old Newtown can still be found in the nether regions of King Street. The monster trucks and blasting horns amid the traffic congestion are not audible in the south end. Whilst hardly a pedestrian heaven, endangered species like the Goth can still roam here without reproach. The restaurants and cafes lack the gloss of their counterparts in the main hub, but that intangible notion of character is more apparent. It is here I found the restaurant called Singapore Gourmet. It?s sign was fading and the door stained with what looked like bird poo. Or was it paint? I didn?t investigate. The interior had the appearance of a frustrated hairdressing salon posing as a restaurant. There was a string of round mirrors with adjoining accessory-holders attached to the wallpaper on the side walls. A calendar hung on an angle in the rear. On closer inspection, it seemed to be hanging off a mound of blue tac, like a noose. I sat on the decaying plastic chairs and slid one out upon the peeling, linoleum floor. It was then I discovered a little square piece of paper underneath one of the legs of the table, holding it in balance. I won?t lie to you. There was one key attraction of Singapore Gourmet. It wasn?t the d?cor or stunning service either. This place was seriously cheap. The menu is of a fairly standard Chinese variety, with its mixture of stir-fries and noodle dishes. There is a preponderance of sambal on the menu, which turns out to mean a fried chilli pepper relish. The prices are bordering on ridiculous. The mixed vegetables sell for $5 and there is nothing other than a couple of seafood dishes that hit double figures. The banquet menu comes with three courses and sells for a whopping $10! Bob Ellis once said, when comparing the ALP with the conservatives, that despite their faults, at least the Labour Party could ?get loud and drunk at a cheap Chinese restaurant?. Well I suspect Singapore Gourmet might have suited the old ALP, and not the one of today that holds fancy dinners for those embattled CEOs. If you do plan on getting drunk, don?t expect wine glasses either. You will be drinking out of the same glasses that you might receive water in. I should add that, as I paid for my meal with loose change, a young woman hurtled out the back of the restaurant and proceeded to vacuum the area around my chair. I was shocked but somehow impressed. I guessed this was what they meant by character. 520 King St Newtown 2042 9550 6453 Value for money Looks like a dump Dirt cheap- not recommended for dates ?
Don't Do What I Do	dsattout	23rd August 2002	getting-started	I?ve always fancied myself as a drummer. I can hear everything a drummer?s doing and figure I can do it too. I?ve never really sat down and tried to play drums seriously, save the odd bash during downtime at rehearsal, but I?ve always felt that I?d pick it up pretty quickly. Strangely enough, no one has ever asked me to provide any evidence for my claims. I figure they either think I know what I?m talking about or they?re just not interested enough to find out the truth. A couple of weeks ago I happened upon some people who were, in fact, very interested to hear what I could do. The game was up. I felt a bit like Bill Paxton?s faux spy character in ?True Lies? when he?s exposed for the scoundrel that he is and pisses his pants at the thought of Arnie?s promise of significant retribution. Why the hell not, I thought. Never one to engage in a challenge, I figured now was a good time to start. So I did. And I didn?t play too badly. And I think we got away with it. We got paid and some punters thanked us for making their night. The only other time I?ve received that kind of response was when a friend of mine, on a date with a cute girl, informed me that my apparent sex appeal on stage made his job easier later that night. Damn you Chris, that was my score! After that gig I felt like I could do anything. I?d picked up an instrument virtually from scratch and played music I?d never heard before. And, at points throughout the piece, the general feeling was that we really were on top of it, as though we had actually rehearsed. It is of course one of life?s bitter truths that the moment a person starts thinking like this is the moment they?re shown, in a most brutal, humbling and embarrassing fashion, just how unfounded such a belief really is. This brings us to last Friday evening. Short our otherwise occupied songwriter and musical ?glue? the rest of us hit the stage with our newborn and patently stupid fearlessness. Coupled with this was the sense that we were subconsciously pushing things as hard as we could to see if we could get sacked, which is why we invited a good but notoriously Rock?n?Roll buddy along to play the guitar. The guitar was loud and out of tune for much of the gig. I played the way I should have played the week before ? like I?d never played before. The bass player was drunk and carefree, the saxophonist was tripping? and the Rock?n?Roll guy? He had premeditated our demise and decided to bring his shittest guitar along because he thought it?d be more fun that way. The highlight of the night was when Rock?n?Roll guy decided he?d best tune his guitar up. After several minutes? wrestling with the instrument, he decided he actually couldn?t tune it, so he passed it along to me, behind the drumkit. I had a go but also failed. Then the bass player had a go and he failed too. So we decided it was time for a break? During this break the manager approached me and asked if we didn?t mind turning down for our final set. I nodded my compliance and proceeding to ask him ?why, are we that shit?? He said that we weren?t, but that since we?d emptied out most of the bar it was probably a little pointless playing so loud for the rest of the night. The next day, when Rock?n?Roll guy went to pick up our money, the same manager told us that if we played like that ever again, he?d kick us off the stage and not let us back in the joint ever again. We?ll be playing again on Friday night, so if you?re interested to see just what happens, send me an email and we?ll have a laugh (dsattout@optushome.com). ?
Movin' On Up	Alice Ames	26th August 2002	diary of a zinester	i did the most craziest thing today. this was me: walking down the street past sta travel and i just thought 'hmmm...i wonder what the air fare to hawaii is at the moment?' but somehow, when i sat down with the lady, i asked what the price was for noumea. hmm...ok...so i just booked myself on a flight. this is all because i need a freakin' break. ok, so all was goin' purdy ok. then guy tells me he's slept with these girls in the weeks just after we broke up. so i was a little pissed off and hurt to say the very, very least. personally, i couldn't believe it. and it's most likely to keep on happening. really, i shouldn't be worrying about it cos we've broken up. well, that's what he says. well, that just shows how much he really cares and feels/felt for me huh? well me is moving on...onto noumea! so all was kinda okay for a little longer, and i got some good news - that we don't have to move house 'til next year. so yeah, i think i was relieved. i dunno though, i think it's still sinking in. it feels like my head is gonna explode. hmmm...and there's school. oh my god! i know that no one ever said it was going to be easy, but really, could it get any harder? shit, i'm not goin' to ask that question, cos whenever i do it always gets heaps more bad. see i can't even word my words right, or think of words...arg...what is wrong with me? i know! what i need is for all the people in my life to behave themselves and gimme money to go get wasted in noumea and speak french 'til i'm like a freakin' french speaking person. that really doesn't make any sense. did i tell you what happened the other day? oh my god! the guy came over and was all thingy (like they are) and as always, totally and bloody irresistible. so he's all like 'blah blah miss you want to be with you' type of thing and i'm like 'dude i'm just really frustrated so yeah don't get me wound up.' so anyways, i guess that you can guess what happened. it was fun y'know...it always is. except in the morn and he's like 'oh i had arranged to sleep with so and so on the weekend' and i'm like 'ah fucking hell!' (post yr hate mail below...or your thoughts at least) ok, so later on he was all like 'oh i think the 'L' word' and i'm like 'well you better be thinking the fucking 'M' word as in monogamy if yr gonna get any more of this, honey!' so it's not monday and i haven't heard from him since. conclusions can be drawn, but they are not from an empirical experiment, just a vibe. just like how i booked my ticket. well i better get saving and looking into some accommodation maybe...arg. gotta go - oxo, alice ?
Artificial - Libraries Are Fun	Chris Piper	24th August 2002	cd-reviews	A self-confessed ??ber nerd-girl?, Nicole Skeltys delves in to the tripped out reaches of outer space in her second album as Artificial. Cheeky and slightly camp, incorporates hillbilly funk, stoner house and some spaced-out country and western influences into a promising melange of quirky beats. Skeltys claims she named her latest album ?Libraries Are Fun?, as it was the most uncool statement she could think of. But it?s soon clear that in this aural landscape she leaves the bespectacled library geek behind and takes off into a journey of cosmic proportions. Libraries normally aren?t the place for dancing, yet many of these tunes will make you wanna kick off your shoes and boogie on down. From the upbeat funky acid of the opening track ?Peppy & Cheap?, it moves to more resonant, slow-paced gems such as ?Whatever Turns You On? and ?Bibliotheque Nadir Aux Pommes? ? the latter sounds like a children?s lullaby, with a tinkering melody and soft French voices over sparse beats (perhaps a nod to her childhood days in Paris). Artificial?s music differs from the stark minimalism of B(if)tek (her other musical outfit with Kate Crawford), loaded as it is with fat, squelchy beats and cunning samples. In , she samples heavily from old Thames TV comedy shows, creating a somewhat bizarre and hilarious aural experience evident in tracks such as ?Helium?, while other tunes resonate with the kitschy theme songs of daytime television. This album follows on from her 1999 release , with more luscious, reverby bass. The filtered, deep bassline features in ?Any Ladies?? and ?Thank-you & Good Evening?, getting us all rough-and-ready for some slow hip swaggering. It?s the more mellow tracks such as ?Whatever Turns You On?, with its atmospheric beats, which I find most appealing, as some of her disco tunes seem to pale into repetition. That said, tracks such as ?Macrame? and ?That Tingling Feeling? have an infectious head-bopping effect, with a rollicking bassline that?s sure to get anyone on the dancefloor. Creeping up towards the end of the album, ?Compromise? is a haunting tune where the plaintive, folk-tinged hues of the Cowboy Junkies? vocalist Margo Timmins takes centre stage with hardly any electronic embellishment. It?s an unexpected swerve from the rest of the album, yet it works as a well-crafted, moody shift from the driving beats of other tracks. As Skeltys tells it, Artificial started up in 1998 "as a result of a vision that appeared to me one day. I saw K-Hand and GAS Sharing a bong with Curtis Mayfield and developing a Prince tribute album using four analogue machines and a solo sampler. It was then I realised I had and Artificial message to spread to the world." Uh-huh, I see? So that explains the trippiness of this album. But what do libraries have to do with this? As Skeltys has previously said: "Libraries helped expand my horizons. As a working class kid growing up in the outer suburbs of Brisbane, libraries were an oasis of cultural capital? Libraries are free and progressive cultural experiences, open to all tribes." So if you?re all about mind expansion and into new experiences, next time take a page from Artificial?s book and unleash the geek within. Artificial Funky acid Creative Vibes ?
Stonewall	Xander J	26th August 2002	where_to_go_pubs	The state of Sydney?s gay bars has been on a steady decline since the late 1990?s. For a city that likes to boast that it?s the new gay capital of the world, Sydney's bar scene has more in common with the Dubbo RSL than it does with New York, Paris or London?s offerings. Amongst a sea of seemingly faceless, soulless and desperate ?alternative lifestyle friendly? bars one pink drinking palace stands tall and proud. Stonewall. No one ever really plans to go to Stonewall but everyone always ends up there. Stonewall is akin to a vice. No one dares to admit they like it, but secretly everyone knows they get off on being there. But why? Consistency for a start. Over the past few years everything from Annie?s Bar to The Albury has closed down. One by one they vanished. What was a robust and diverse group of bars that played host to a wide range of nights became a handful of places left clutching at straws to survive. Stonewall was one of them. The management at Stonewall knew it would have to fight hard to keep the fickle public interested. Battling against the behemoth that is Arq Nightclub to attract a crowd, the result shows an amazing commitment to the Sydney gay scene, its people and its pleasure. There?s something to tweak your proverbial nipples every night of the week. and are games night. With Maxi Shields and Mogadonna. it?s Karaoke time hosted by Stonewall?s matriarch Ricca Paris. As we progress to things begin to liven up with the infamous ?Malebox?. This is where everyone gets a number as they walk in and if you see someone who you?d like to see again you take a note of their number, tell the host and they display it on a large TV screen. Provided you like the person back Malebox takes out all that unnecessary ?getting to know you? rubbish that so often gets in the way of a good shag. night is topless bar dancing night and until mid September it?s also night. This is a shameless excuse for people to ogle gorgeous young men clad in naught but their knickers. Needless to say no one?s complaining. and are show nights. Candy Box, Mogadonna, Tess Tickles and Courtney Act. The latter of this group of Queens happens to be one of the best performers this city has seen in a long while and was awarded the ?Rising Star? accolade at the DIVA Awards recently. Offering free entry does wonders when trying to attract a crowd. So free entry it is, seven nights a week. Combine this with three floors of music and bars serving everything from cocktails to coffee and you?ve got three whole floors of fun. The main bar is open during the day for lunch. The food is pretty basic caf? fare and is reasonably priced at around $12 for a main. Drinks won?t break the bank either starting at around $4 for draft beer and hitting the mid teens for cocktails If you?re lucky you can grab one of the tables out the front and sit and watch the Oxford St crowd pass you by. Be warned though that the throng of derros who inhabit Taylor Square are almost certain to growl at or proposition you for whatever it is that takes their fancy. All in all Stonewall rates. Not because it has the best d?cor, the most amazing food or the latest music, but because of the atmosphere. Everyone from disco queens and hairy bears to young professional types and drag queens descend on Stonewall to have a lot of fun with as little attitude as possible. It?s the sort of place where you can turn up alone and be guaranteed to run into loads of people you know. Oh and no one knows what time it closes either. It?s the perfect place- there when you want it to be and closed when you?re simply too trashed to care. 175 Oxford Street Darlinghurst 2010 (02) 9360 1963 www.stonewallhotel.com Sweet relief from the typical attitude-laiden gay bars. Free entry. Can get very busy and very hot in summer. Always entertaining, Always open. You won\\\'t be able to stay away. ?
Various - Essenchill	Sheila Pham	25th August 2002	cd-reviews	Next time you walk into a record store, you'll see that without fail, there will be a chill compilation to cater for your particular tastes. Relax. Take off your shoes. Dim the lights. Put a disc in the player. What will you have? There's chillout for post-trance fans, acoustic chill for the indie ones and even ethnic chill for the worldly. Extra stressed? How about extra-chilled? Feel like a bit of Goldfrapp? How about Moby or Morcheeba? Need some French Air? Or would you prefer some Rin???r?se? There has been a plethora of chill compilations to date but there is always room for at least one more - and here it is: ?Essenchill?. Mixed by featured artist Nitin Sawhney, it is made up of sixteen tracks that have clearly been chosen with impeccable taste. The diversity of the tracks show a broad minded approach which makes this selection a little different from other compilations. It opens with funky club track 'The Child' by Alex Gopher, slippity slides into hip-hop fraternity Jungle Brothers mid-way, and ends in a divinely haunting way with Heather Nova singing 'Gloomy Sunday'. The latter half of the disc is especially winsome for open-minded fans of indie rock. Strangely enough, it features Elbow, Mercury Rev, Grandaddy, Ben Christophers and Aimee Mann along with Heather Nova. None of these artists are normally included on chillout compilations and the tracks are original versions that are basically there because they're mellow (and arguably, brilliant stand alones). The rest of the album includes tracks by Ian Pooley and Underworld and all are effectively reworked and remixed. But thankfully, 'Mes Vacances A Rio' by chill veterans Rin???r?se remains untouched. Every artist on the compilation has a distinctive style and the genres they belong to wildly differ: from house to indie to hip-hop to dance to rock...well, sort of. The fact that it's difficult to categorise them shows how meaningless these labels often are, because modern ambient music crosses those kinds of boundaries. This disc will without doubt cool you down and in this heated world, that's essenchill (sorry, couldn't resist). Fact: In Jeunet's recent film ?Am?lie?, if you didn't allow yourself to be too distracted by the half naked girl dancing in the porn shop, you might have noticed the song she danced to. It's The ?Child? by Alex Gopher - not the kind of song that would ordinarily feature alongside a stripper...but then, it's not exactly an ordinary film. Various Chill Out V2 ?
John Mayer -Room For Squares	Sheila Pham	25th August 2002	cd-reviews	In recent times there have been a slew of promising new acts from the States like recent visitors Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (the so-called saviours of Rock and Roll) as well as retro-styled rockers The Strokes. Both bands play great music ? but they've probably received so much attention out of sheer relief because they play Rock and Roll with capital Rs. It comes as no surprise that these days, American record companies are known for producing commercially driven pop acts (and become despised companies in the process). But there are also popular acts on big labels which are probably closer to pop than rock and are certainly worth writing about. Introducing: John Mayer. He hails from Atlanta, Georgia and is being touted as the Next Big Thing. He looks like the brown haired boy who grew up next door to you. He might have been a bit of a geek at school. He writes painstakingly heartfelt lyrics about what it's like to be a kid, what it's like to be at high school, what it's like to fall in love, what it's like to feel lonely, what it's like to say the wrong thing ? and he sings about it all so earnestly. Darn it, he's just so honest and sweet. He seems to be part of a new generation of talented male singer/songwriter/musicians ? guys like Ed Harcourt and Ben Christophers. Not that any of them sound the same. Nor do they sound much like Jeff Buckley. What they do have in common is that they've all gained popularity in the last year or two - and deservedly so. But the difference between Mayer and the others, is that he will probably have much more mainstream appeal because he basically plays and writes music that is easier to listen to - though that is not meant to be a negative criticism. 'Room for Squares' is one of those records that will endear itself with subsequent listens. It's basically very melodic, well written music that's also lyrically tight ? and quite clever in parts. There's nothing that's outstandingly original, but that doesn't make it any less likeable. Some of the album highlights are ?Neon?, ?City Love?, ?83? and ?3x5?. Unfortunately for us, though perhaps fortunately for him, the popular radio stations have already taken hold of the first single "No Such Thing" with fervour ? and so it may well suffer from over kill some time soon. But you can understand why, really. It's that kind of song. There's something especially appealing in the lyrics. It's about a guy who wants to come back to his ten year reunion to show them all what he was capable of after being out in the ?real world? (which he discovers is a bit of a lie). For the chemistry buffers among us, the orange periodic table on the disc will actually mean something besides being a pretty cool picture. Like the title of the album says, there's room for squares. And well, it's hip to be square. Or hip to be John Mayer anyway. John Mayer Pop Sony ?
The 7 Stages of Grieving	Jeanette Gray	27th August 2002	reviews	?People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when darkness sets in, their true nature is revealed only if there is a light from within.? ? Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. ?The 7 Stages of Grieving? looks at the history of Aboriginal culture since the arrival of white man, using Kubler-Ross? 5 stages of grieving. It is a series of stories as experienced through the eyes of a Murri family, which has come together to mourn the death of a Grandmother. A poignant message, ?The 7 Stages of Grieving? is reminiscent of ?Box the Pony? as a one-woman show performed by its co-writer ? Deborah Mailman (The Secret Life of Us). Funny, sad and strong, this non-linear performance does at times lack cohesion and Mailman occasionally leaves the audience floundering as the thread that joins each character can be tenuous. The piece is, however, punctuated with moments of shining, grounded clarity that strike at the heart like a shiva dart. Mailman embodies various family members who each have a story of grief or loss to tell, illustrating that loneliness, guilt and despair are universal human conditions. But at the same time tackling Indigenous social issues, such as deaths in custody and the loss of tribal lands. What makes this piece so important is Mailman?s vivid illustration of how the stolen generation has profoundly affected the marriage rites of native Australians. Co-written by Mailman and director Wesley Enoch (The Cherry Pickers), ?The 7 Stages of Grieving? was originally commissioned by the Brisbane-based Kooemba Jdarra Aboriginal Performing Arts in 1993 ? the International Year of Indigenous People. The current production for the Sydney Theatre Company at The Studio, in the Sydney Opera House, is a coming of age for ?The 7 Stages of Grieving?, bringing together many of the original artists to revisit, update and recreate the work. Open ended, this contemporary piece of theatre allows Mailman and Enoch to continue to incorporate references to recent events as they unfold in real time. Says Enoch: ?We look forward to rewriting some sections to take in the changing world.? This is very much a work in progress, well worth seeing now and into the future. Wesley Enoch Performance The Studio, SOH September 21 Deborah Mailman ?
Bloody Sunday	dee j	3rd October 2002	Reviews	This film is as confronting as the title suggests. British director Paul Greengrass brings us a documentary-style recreation of the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry, Northern Ireland, on January 30th 1972. The film covers the event from dawn to dusk of that day, in grim detail. The massacre was the result of a violent clash between British paramilitaries and Irish marchers on what was scheduled to be a day of peaceful protest. The people involved were Catholics and Protestants, Derry residents from children to old people. The film presents different perspectives through the stories of four men: Ivan Cooper, an idealistic civil rights leader, a protestant living and working with Catholics to realise Martin Luther King?s dream of peaceful revolution; Gerry Donaghy, a 17 year old Catholic rebel for whom peace represents a chance to marry his protestant girlfriend, but who gets caught up in the unfolding conflict; Brigadier Patrick MacLellan, the commander of the British Army in Londonderry, who acts according to pressure from his superiors to take a hardline on the protesters; and a young private, a radio operator in the paras, whose unit is ordered into combat in the Bogside. Shot in ultra-real gritty hand-held style, the film has the look and sound of a documentary. To a certain extent filmmakers maintain this documentary-style detachment from the events they are recreating: the film does not overtly moralise on the event or the struggle for peace in Northern Ireland which it symbolises. However the casting choices for the main Irish and British military figures, and integration of the Gerry Donaghy story, which suggests the falsification of evidence by the paras, leaves little real doubt as to where the filmmakers sympathies lie. Still, one has to ask why this film was made ? or rather for whom was it made, and how successfully they expected to market it. Although it markets itself as a ?war film about the struggle for peace?, in many ways it feels more like a grim memorial to the event, the Irish participants and the victims. In a broader sense however, the film commemorates an event that was a focal point and symbolic reference for the continuing and unresolved issue of British/Irish civilian conflict. Perhaps most important, in gauging the accessibility of this film for global audiences, is the contemporary relevance of this story about a besieged and rebellious city struggling against an occupying army. It will be interesting to see how audiences react to this film, it is certainly not the comfortable stuff of mainstream entertainment. The integrity with which the story is told. No happy ending for anyone. Go on your own, because you won't have anything to say at the end of it. Paul Greengrass Mark Redhead, Don Mullan. Ivan Strasburg John Paul Kelly Dinah Collin Paul Greengrass Claire Douglas James Nesbitt, Tim Pigott-Smith, Nicholas Farrell, Gerard McSorley, Kathy Kiera Clarke. ?
Baggsmen	Tim Lohman	28th August 2002	interviews	Sydney outfit Baggsmen have been three busy boys. After a name change from The Hive to Baggsmen to avoid confusion with the Swedish export of similar name, they?ve been hard at work sicking their Dance Hall and Drum ?n? Bass tendencies upon The Cures? 80?s hit ?Close To Me? and have crafted a devilish new 5 track EP with which to consolidate Australian ears and whet European appetites. Joined by some of Sydney?s more respected Electro artists on the release and featuring a thumping live recording of new track ?Brain Dance?, the ?Close To Me? EP may get things well and truly rolling for the lads. Taking time off from priming for a national tour across August, September and October, Baggsmen?s Lachlan Brahe spoke to Vibewire.net?s . We chose this song because it is almost at the other end of the musical spectrum. We felt that it was a great tune to which we could equally pay tribute, and also subvert to our own sound and style. In renaming ourselves from The Hive to Baggsmen, it also seemed like the right kind of single to do this. Bobby liked it, gave it his blessing (he usually isn't into ?rap?) and the whole process was pretty smooth actually. I worked with Nick in Metabass'n'breath and we'd talked about doing some tracks together and he's DJ'd at plenty of our shows. It was just a matter of finding the right time and the right track. We met Kieren when we played with Salmonella Dub and have been writing / working together since then. Tony and I had heard Inga's stuff with DIG and Multiball and really liked her style. She had a really great approach to singing ?Close To Me? which I thought was different enough from Robert Smith's own style, yet reminiscent of The Cure to create a connection...before Kieren comes in and tears it to shreds!! Tony used to have a studio upstairs from Pocket's Tandooriovenso we saw him around a lot. Him and Ken (Cloud) did the most fantastic job of remixing ?Close To Me?. It was something that, as a band, Baggsmen wouldn't have come up with but we all love the result I guess that for Pacifier, moving into the US market with a name like Shihad would be a tough slog. We changed because we didn't want there to be any issues with releasing material in Europe (which we are in the process of doing) and having a name similar to The Hives from Sweden. It was more about not confusing the music public, and giving ourselves a chance to get some recognition in Europe. We could have stayed The Hive in Australia but there wasn't much point really. We'd produced and remixed stuff as Baggsmen so we figured we'd just use that name for everything we do together. I don't know. I don't think there is a better chance through one or the other. We have a booking agent in Europe, that's the main thing! Plus, the summer festival circuit over there is massive and something that we'd like to be a part of. Pure coincidence. In terms of radio support...It's all good! If you can get your music played on Triple J, 2SER, RRR, Channel V, whatever, it means that more people have the chance to listen and decide if they are into it. I think community radio has a certain listening audience that don't get into what more mainstream stations play (including Triple J) so it's definitely important for us, as a bit of a "genre-jumping" outfit (that sounds pretty cool, I just thought that up) that we have a place there. I don't know, we've discussed it in embryo but haven't taken the idea further. All of us are really busy with other projects (musical and non-musical) to the hardest part would be getting everyone available at the same time. We've played quite a bit with The Bird, maybe that would be another option. Touring, recording, releasing an album, playing in as many diverse places to as many diverse types of people as possible and patenting a design for a space elevator. Does anyone want to go to work for me today? Because I really can't be arsed. 26.08.02 Email Tim Lohman Lachlan Brahe ?
And Baby Makes Seven	arose	29th August 2002	reviews	As the play began the dim orange, clown-shaped, night-light switched on to reveal two silhouettes playing under a blanket. The first voice we heard was that of a child-like girl with a bad American accent. I feared the worst: that I would be subject to an hour and a half of Australian actors trying and failing to do American accents. However, this was not the case. ?And Baby Makes Seven? is a brilliant piece of writing by New York writer Paula Vogel. Directed by Beng Oh, this production successfully turned the writing into energetic, vital theatre, with solid performances by all backed up by a creative production team. Written in 1987, the story is about a lesbian couple: Anna (Ella Caldwell) and Ruth (Verity Charlton) having a baby and living with their gay friend Peter (Brett Cousins). Fifteen years later, it is perhaps even more relevant with the options for gay couples wanting kids ever increasing. The premise is that aside from the baby which Anna is carrying, the family of three also has three imaginary children: Orphan, a wild-child raised by dogs, Henri, the French boy from the film ?The Red Balloon? and Cecil, a child prodigy who wants to be a geophysicist. When the life that these grown women give to these characters starts to blur the lines between fantasy and reality, Peter asks them to give up their imaginary friends before the baby arrives. However, Ruth is quite attached and decides that if they must stop playing, then she must end the play neatly: by killing off all the characters. So the threesome proceed to eliminate their children in order to make room for the new baby. What follows is a hilarious and tragic journey through the criss-crossing narratives of life and fiction. The energy of the actors on the small stage was spellbinding and confronting, and it was this that kept me tuned into the performance throughout. The primary colours of the set and the large frames of paper adorning the theatre walls added intensity, as well as a surreal quality to the production. Verity Charlton?s performance of the death of Orphan in particular, was an inspired and magical moment. Overall, this performance was a reminder of what is unique about the live arts. Beng Oh ?
No Go Zones	Karen Stuart	29th August 2002	citywire	In every major city to which I have travelled there's been a "no go zone" - a wrong side of the tracks where tourists are warned away, either by their trusty Lonely Planets or by tales of muggings from fellow travellers. On my first night in London I met two Australians with black eyes, both of whom had recently been mugged in Brixton. I filed this mysterious and dangerous name away in my mind for future avoidance (and ended up living there within a few months). In New York there are at least half a dozen spots, from Brooklyn to the Bronx, where nice girls don\'t go at night. In Melbourne there's St Kilda or the back streets of Footscray, Altona or Broadmeadows. Here in Sydney I've been surprised by the number of tourists I've met whose only advice on getting around was to "avoid Redfern". They don't really know why, but they know it's bad. For locals Cabramatta is another black spot, veiled by mystique and shrouded in stories of shoot-outs and shooting up. Media representations of Redfern describe it "as if it is a hot bed of racial tension," states a report for the Australasian Legal Information Institute Diana Plater. "What about the positive aspects of the community, where locally run organisations include a college providing courses in music, theatre and the arts, a radio station broadcasting Black news and music, a pre-school run by the older women, and the better-known Aboriginal medical and legal services, which were the first of their kind in the country?" Hmm, not exactly front page stuff I suppose. So is Redfern really so dangerous? Yes and no. Actually, mostly yes. South Sydney features in the list of top five crime hot spots for assault, robbery, break and enter, motor vehicle theft and, as most people who went to Sydney Uni will attest, theft from persons. But other more gentrified areas of Sydney to which tourists are regularly deployed and in which we keep a looser grip on our wallets rank surprisingly highly. Starring in the top five of "theft from person" is Waverley, an area encompassing such hotbeds of crime and racial division as Tamarama Bay and Bondi Beach (Manly and Willoughby aren't far behind). Break and enter crimes are also common in Dubbo, Bourke, Walgett and the now entirely yuppie Leichhardt. Sexual assault rates don't even hit the radar within Sydney, quiet NSW towns like Bourke, Tumbarumba, Lachlan, Narrandera and Manilla (which personally I haven't ever heard of) filling the entire top 25. Sydneysiders - what do you think? Should I be quaking with fear every evening as I leave my Redfern office? Are media reports skewed and if so why? And those of you from other states: I'm curious to hear what your impressions of Sydney are. Did your mum nervously warn you about the dangers of Kings Cross on your first solo Sydney adventure? What are your experiences on the wrong side of the tracks in your city? ?
Dissenting images	Lisa_Ritchie	30th August 2002	things_to_do	John Pilger Reknowned frontier journalist and war correspondent John Pilger has been relentlessly responsible for exposing hidden political agendas and global atrocities. He reported the end of the Vietnam war from the US embassy in Saigon as the last of the American troops fled, uncovered the complicity of the US and UK governments in the genocide which ensued from Indonesia?s invasion of East Timor using Western arms and documented the brutal military dictatorship in Burma. ?Reporting the World: John Pilger?s Great Eyewitness Photographers? at the Museum of Contemporary Art is an exhibition of the photographs of the photojournalists that have worked alongside Pilger since the 1960s, reporting from Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, Indonesia, East Timor, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Iraq and many other countries. Each of these profoundly disturbing photographs tells a collateral story that resists accepted ideology: the oppression of war; the hypocrisy and empty rhetoric of Western governments and the global prevalence of human rights abuses. These are images to challenge complacency and to incite the winds of change. Martin Luther King Museum of Contemporary Art, Circular Quay 2000 9241 5892 http://www.mca.com.au/Gallery.asp?ExhibitionID=134&type=current Dissidence at its finest The painful truth behind the moral posturing of governments Art to engage ?
Australian Rules	melissa lee	29th August 2002	Reviews	Described as a modern-day Australian version of Romeo and Juliet, and based on the novel by Phillip Gwynne, instantly invites comparison to , another film released this year dealing with racial tensions in outlying rural Australian communities. However, where langorously traced the journey of two young runaways as they escaped their oppression, shows what it's like to be helplessly suffocated by a small-minded community's unwillingness to change, and how much courage it takes to break free. Blacky is a very average kid - "expendable" in footy, unable to break ties with his former best friend, whom he has outgrown, and unable to address the stifling tensions in his own family. But what sets him apart are his sweet nature, his desire to learn and his strong friendship with members of the ostracised Aboriginal community, particularly Dumby Red and his sister Clarence. The only thing that the white and Aboriginal communities have in common is the local footy team, comprised primarily of Aboriginal kids, in which Dumby is the stand-out star. Delineations between the two communities seem settled and accepted, but when the tensions beneath the surface erupt with the Grand Final, Blacky finds himself caught in the middle. glows with good quality Australian drama. It doesn't shy away from the ?
The Reindeer Section - Son Of Evil Reindeer	Sylvia Gauci	30th August 2002	cd-reviews	Their press release describes the Reindeer Section as a Glaswegian ?indie supergroup?; to that I would add the term ?orchestra?. Its 27 members hail from various Glasgow groups, including Mogwai, Arab Strap, Belle & Sebastian, Mull Historical Society, Astrid, The Vaselines, Alfie, Eve, Idlewilde, Teenage Fanclub, Cadet and Snow Patrol. Brainchild of Snow Patrol?s Gary Lightbody, 'Son Of Evil Reindeer' is the Section?s second release, recorded in only 2 weeks ? a little longer than their debut, which was done in 10 days. 'Son Of Evil Reindeer' opens simply, with Lightbody and his guitar on 'Grand Parade', and just when you think you?ve settled into the song, there is a sudden influx of new sounds ? opening up the album and preparing the listener for what else is to come. The various percussion, guitar, piano, horn, string, keyboards and vocal arrangements give each song a different feel, while remaining recognisable as a Section piece. 11 of the 12 tracks are penned by Lightbody, and are all stripped down with the simple production yet richly complex in instrumentation. Having 27 well-established musicians in one group, one wonders how they all fared creatively and managed to record the album so quickly. If there was any creative tension, it is well hidden, and I?m guessing this is because everyone has a starring role in at least one of the tracks on the album. It certainly captures the good-spirited musical community that most of us only dream about in such a commercialised industry. Most of the songs on 'Son Of Evil Reindeer' have simple themes ? complimenting the simplicity and smoothness of the music. Most poignant are the tracks 'Budapest' a dedication to one of the team?s children, who was born during the recording; 'Where I Fall' a simple acoustic and vocal piece; 'You Are My Joy' probably the biggest-sounding track on the album; and the closing 'Whodunnit', written and sung by Arab Strap?s Aidan Moffat ? one of the most rugged and sexy vocalists I?ve heard in a long time. Eve's Jenny Reeve takes the lead vocals on 'Strike Me Down', another of the gems on this album. Even when played at it's loudest, 'Son Of Evil Reindeer' comes across as a breathy whisper - it's not something you'd play at a party or to rev yourself up for a night out. Rather, I would recommend this for lazy Sundays, or late nights in with friends, and that isn't such a bad thing. And if breathy instrumentation isn't your style, these beautiful arrangements could just change your mind, provided you're willing to give them a chance. If there is such as thing as "music for the soul" then The Reindeer Section do live up to this expectation. Crank it up with your loved ones - or on your own - and revel in a musically complex and emotional experience. The Reindeer Section PIAS recordings/Bright Star Recordings (FMR) ?
Spring in Sydney	Lisa_Ritchie	31st August 2002	things_to_do	Quit your winter hibernation and forget spring cleaning...it?s time to get outside of the house and enjoy the impending Spring. Following are just some of my favourite outdoor activities.... * Catch the ferry from Circular Quay to Watson?s Bay. Have Sydney?s best fish and chips or grilled seafood in the garden bistro at Doyle?s Watson?s Bay Hotel with a jug of your favourite beer. Feeling lethargic? Have a snooze in the park opposite. Feeling energetic? Take the stunning Gap Walk from Watson?s Bay to South Head. *Browse records, second hand clothes and handmade crafts at Glebe markets on Glebe Point Road (Saturdays). Try Rozelle markets for well priced antiques, second hand books and cottage industry goods (Saturdays and Sundays). For a showcase of emerging Australian contemporary art, craft and fashion, Paddington markets on Oxford Street is Sydney?s creative cutting edge (Saturdays). * Sip a martini (with deference to Bastard McPrick) and enjoy sophisticated outdoor dining on the promenade at any of the venues of East Circular Quay ? my personal favourite is Aqua Luna. * Have a picnic in the Botanical gardens or Centennial Park with a bunch of similarly free spirited friends. Bring a soccer ball and lots of wine ? maybe even a guitar. * Sleep in, have brunch at the MCA caf? before visiting one of its fabulous exhibitions: ?Reporting the World: John Pilger?s Great Eye-Witness Photographers? (self indulgent reference to my Citywire review) or ?Call of the Wild? (a selection of new and recent works using digital technology by Patricia Piccinini that explores the interface between nature and artifice, the real and the synthetic). * Relive the romantic Venetian experience with a gondola ride from the Fishmarkets at Pyrmont (www.grandegondola.citysearch.com.au). * Stroll up Norton Street, Leichhardt with Sydney?s most fabulous gelato from Bar Italia. If you are bookishly inclined, visit the sensational Berkolouw Booksellers. Enjoy budget alfresco dining at No-names Italian Restaurant, add items to your shopping wish list at the Italian Forum and drink superb coffee to your heart?s content in the numerous courtyard cafes. ...please share your favourite outdoors Spring activities in the comments section below. a warm spring breeze ?
La Ronde	Joyce Chau	1st September 2002	reviews	SEX: There?s no escape from it- so don?t be prudish, don?t even bother, come in?just for a while and be seduced? You could try throwing religion, morality, monogamy, Freud, feminism and a sexual revolution or two at it, but sex will always refuse to be rationalised. ?It? happens to whoever, whenever. ?It? is chaotic yet timeless and universal. Arthur Schnitzler wrote ?La Ronde? over a hundred years ago. Back then it was named ?Reigen?. Today, the play still resonates with audiences. ?La Ronde? is a bit like an aroused version of that notion: that we are all separated by a mere ?six degrees?, or by a chain of six acquaintances, if one must somehow find an analogy. ?La Ronde? is basically ten characters in a cycle- ten sexual encounters transcending age, class and body shape: from the prostitute to the nobleman, from the bohemian to the middle class flustering about under the pretence of propriety. Jen Apostolou?s direction is frank- from our pretentious attempts to construct or modify our sexual identities right down to the post-coital nicotine crave. Despite the passion and the ecstasy there?s a pervading disconcerting undercurrent to ?La Ronde?. The sense that the ideals and expectations of each lover in each encounter are never quite matched by those of the other lover is wonderfully realised. There are also some well-timed comic moments; afterall, it can be a bit of a game sometimes and we often trip over ourselves in our haste to get the clothes off. Sex is essentially a primeval force and ?La Ronde? strips it down to its raw elements. Basil Hogio?s raucous score and Jo Briscoe?s set and costume design- all black, white and red conceives of this. Yes, while there are complex webs of social rules that govern sex and while these rules may be in the forefront of our consciousness they ultimately do not matter. Sex in ?La Ronde? is a private, free and uncontrollable interchange. The ideas do get a bit worn by the end though. The prevailing rhythm of ?La Ronde?- seduction, sex, post-coital philosophy- repeated over the ten encounters gets a bit monotonous. ?La Ronde? is also limited to heterosexual, two-people sex- but it?s not really fair to criticise it on these grounds. Overall I suppose you could brand ?La Ronde? as voyeurism. That word though has a whole lot of baggage attached to it. ?La Ronde?, afterall deals with something that occupies our minds with every breath we take: sex. Jen Apostolou Drama Belvoir St, Downstairs 22 September Simone McAullay, Steve Vella, Diana Glenn, Chris Pitman, Rebecca Smee, Alan Flower, Meaghan Davies, Jenny Vuletic, Michael Labram ?
I Love You xxx	Samara Fitzpatrick	1st September 2002	reviews	You go to the theatre expecting to sit back and watch the show from your seat in a darkened room. You?d better forget that expectation before you go to ?I Love You xxx?. In fact you can forget the fourth wall altogether; there?s absolutely no place to hide when you go to see ?I Love You xxx?. You?re going to be part of the show whether you like it or not. ?I Love You xxx? treats its audience to a session of sexual exploration thanks to the services of a brash and sassy hostess, Alicia (played by Alicia Talbot). She?s a mistress whose aim is to fulfil her audience?s desires but knows too well the harsh realities of love and relationships. And she?ll take the audience out of their comfort zone to make her point. You might be accosted in the foyer by Alicia (in character) before the show. A quick introduction before she asks you what you desire and takes a polaroid of the two of you together. Even if you manage to go undetected in the foyer, once you?re confined within the mirrored room that is the performance space you?re not going to escape her attention. Seated on cushions around the edges of a cosy room draped with red fabric it?s easy to let your guard down. But then you?re asked to cough up the extra cash required by Alicia before she?ll meet those wishes expressed by her newly acquired friends in the foyer. The laughter becomes nervous as the audience begins to realise she?s deadly serious. She whips around her empty handbag expecting contributions from everyone and handing out sarcastic quips to those who don?t comply accordingly. The audience gets to laugh but it?s at each other?s expense. Alicia Talbot creates a character that balances playfulness with a sense of scepticism and the performance Talbot gives is energetic and engaging. The journey to a more serious tone is made believable because there is the suggestion that the jokes and wise cracks are simply a defence mechanism employed by a slightly damaged soul. And the added bonus is the fact that ?I Love You xxx? is probably the only show you can catch at the moment that has a real live dog in it too. Nigel Kellaway Drama Performance Space, 199 Cleveland St Redfern 8th September Alicia Talbot ?
The Conversation	Wendy Hanna	18th October 2002	Reviews	A quiet classic, ?The Conversation? illustrates one man?s descent into paranoia and questions our perceptions of privacy and responsibility. With remastered sound, the film is currently in limited re-release over two decades after its first screening. Between and , Frances Ford Coppola wrote, produced and directed another landmark film called . A quiet classic, illustrates one man?s descent into paranoia and questions our perceptions of privacy and responsibility. With remastered sound, the film is currently in limited re-release over two decades after its first screening. Centring on hidden surveillance expert Harry Caul (played brilliantly by Gene Hackman), the story explores his struggle to deal with the consequences of his own actions. Haunted by past events and his own deep religious faith, Caul is starting to find his life?s work in state-of-the-art surveillance more of a burden than a pleasure. In a technological age where Caul has himself contributed to the fact that no one can ever be sure of being truly alone, Caul is desperately so. Fiercely private to the point of obsession, Caul?s life begins to change dramatically as he becomes more and more involved with his latest assignment. The film opens with a stunning shot overlooking a city square and slowly moves down onto the main scene where we meet Caul and the particular conversation he is secretly recording. This same conversation comes back to him over and over again throughout the film, and slowly we as an audience along with Caul start to piece together the significance of that conversation. With beautifully crafted cinematography and breakthrough sound design, is a gentle thriller and wonderful example of cinema storytelling through sound. Unfortunately, many of the theatres playing the film at the moment are not adequately equipped in my opinion to take advantage of the sound re-mix. Coupled with this, the film has been ruined for many through film study or recent reviews that assume prior knowledge of the film. But it is still well worth the effort if you can catch it on the big screen, and hopefully it will also be released soon on video and dvd in its new form. Incidentally, it also stars a plucky young Harrison Ford playing a nasty executive up-start. An interesting role that could have seen Ford go down a completely different career path had it not been discovered that he made a really charming all-American hero. An amazing and touching character study within an intriguing and well-conceIved plot Not bloody much A gentle leap into paranoia and loneliness Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola Bill Butler Dean Tavoularis Aggie Guerard Rodgers Francis Ford Coppola Walter Murch (supervising) and Richard Chew Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams, Michael Higgins (I), Elizabeth MacRae, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford ?
Weekender	Lawrence Conway	2nd September 2002	things_to_do	What is the furthest, most exotic location you can get to for a weekend away from Sydney? Well with my budget Cairns in far north Queensland with Virgin Blue must be a challenger. So two years after the process of forcing Ansett out of business started Virgin Blue celebrates its second birthday this weekend. This may not have been fantastic for competition in the market, but luckily it does mean $44 return flights to Cairns for your erstwhile vibewire writer. Just on Virgin for a second, it seems that Richard Branson?s brand really has landed in Australia with a thud. What are we up to so far; Virgin Blue, Virgin Records and the Virgin Megastores. What have we got to look forward to (sic) Virgin Credit Cards, Virgin Car Hire, Virgin Coke, Virgin Insurance, Virgin Mobiles, Virgin Trains. Just don?t say you were not warned, ok. The cheap flights are not as flexible in terms of convenience as the $500 version. My flight leaves on Friday morning at 10 am and returns on Saturday at 6pm, with only 12 hours notice. But still, the Great Barrier Reef beckons. From a very cheap airfare, to $9.80 for two stops from Green Square station to the domestic airport terminal stop, hmm. Outside the airport the ABC, Channels 7,9 and 10 are interviewing some spokesperson about the cheap flights and the legal case Branson has brought against the owners of the former Ansett terminal. I sneak by so the camera crews don?t recognise me; the worth thing about being a vibewire star is all the media intrusion. Back in reality, they do not sell sandwiches on the plane. Don?t they know they have a Pom on board? The chunky kit-kat alternative is frankly disappointing to say the least, but I won?t whinge. We touch down in ?tropical Queensland? 15 minutes early! It is looking a bit overcast, but the flora is beautiful, as are the mountains that surround the place. The impression Cairns made on a previous visit was not a good one. The town was stuffed with backpackers whose idea of a great night out is dancing on tables to the sound of ?Come on Eileen?, having consumed huge volumes of cheap alcohol. Added to which the Esplanade was a building site and a lot of the accommodation was rubbish. Little seems to have changed. Having had no breakfast, a good meal is needed. Being by the sea, on holiday, seafood seems is a must. After too much walking, I settle on a bar/restaurant by the jetty. Seafood anti-pasta is served with Crown lager, a strong breeze and a big mechanical banging machine about 10 meters away in a building site I cannot seem to escape. The hostel I stay in is on the Esplanade, and quite poor so it shall remain nameless. But it is near the travel agent, where it takes about 10 minutes to book a day trip on the reef for the following morning. Once that was done the killing of half a day in Cairns was the next priority. The hills around Cairns look beautiful, the centre looks like a dump. I head for the hills. After an hour and a half of walking the surroundings improve. Tropical vegetation, locals who say hallo and a holiday feeling lightens my mood. On returning to the hostel I get my head down early for a 7am wakeup. The next morning our boat left the Marina at 8 am and took about 90 minutes to reach the reef. The sea was rough and several of the passengers took on a rather greenish tone, the sort that?s so hard to co ordinate with anything. One unfortunate guy lost his sunnies and went on to put serious dent in the sick bag supply. The ride felt longer than 90 minutes, but once we reached the reef everything settled a little. As the return plane journey was in less that 24 hours any kind of scuba diving was out of the question. But snorkelling is a good alternative, you get to see the same things, but miss that totally immersed feeling. The equipment on the boat was excellent; they even had snorkelling masks for the short sighted, which was cool. A lot of the day was spent lounging on the boat, and eating the food that was laid on. I was a natural. The snorkelling was done in two one hour sessions. Everyone was kitted out with a short wet suit, which provided enough buoyancy to float. One of the crew guided us round the reef, dragging a rubber ring for people to hold onto if they felt uncomfortable. Our guide would dive down every now and then to scoop some thing off the seabed to show us. He found a large sea cucumber that is apparently a delicacy in Korea, a number of shells and disturbed a large sea turtle that was hiding in a coral cave. The reef is beautiful, the marine life surrounds you and two full hours in the water flew by. The sheer size of the coral gardens and the colour of the marine life made the whole journey more than worthwhile. The group that were doing scuba diving also saw a couple of sharks. The whole day a Russian cameraman follows the passengers around on the boat and in the water, creating a film that you can buy at the end of the day. On the return leg the video was shown in the cabin. By 5.30 I was back in Cairns and in a taxi on the way to the airport. It was sad to leave, but also satisfying to have crammed so much into such a short time. One enjoyable long distance, tropical weekend successfully completed! Thanks Richard. Cairns, Qld Australia 4870 PO Box 1276 (0)7 4040 6440 http://www.tusadive.com / http://www.virgin.com/blue/index_cl.html the great barrier reef the building site tropical ?
The Great Australian Film	Tricia Van Der-Kuyp	15th October 2002	Essays	(an extension of the "Hollywood vs Aussiewood " article published 10th September 2002) If the Australian film industry were packaged and placed on a global supermarket shelf, it?s most likely the end result would resemble a generic ?home brand? variety of product. Rather than a mainstream brand of film, like Hollywood. But as any good shopper can tell you, what is hidden behind the plain and simple packaging of a ?home brand? product, is often the same, if not greater, than it?s over priced and hyped rivals. The difference in product, can be broken down to its one commonly shared component - money. American orientated films dominate the movie market we see, but this does not mean that Australian films are any less superior to them. Australia has been persistent in its presence in the film industry since it produced the world?s first motion picture for the big screen in 1906. The film industry in India, known as ?Bollywood? churns out more films on mass per year than Hollywood, but we rarely see Indian films in our cinemas. So why is the movie public limited in what we are able to watch, when clearly there are many different types of films produced for a mass audience to watch? Part of the answer can be said to come from the country where the film comes from. Films are made with a target audience in mind. Usually the audience in mind is the one from where the film is being produced. It is easy enough to define our own culture with stereotypes, such as Fosters beer, surfing, kangaroos and the ?outback?. When America is defined it is along the lines of ?the land of the free?, freedom of speech, tradition and patriotism. These words form the foundation from which movies are made. Not the country where the movie is made. , , are three movies that fit those ?American? values. Yes, they are all war movies. But that?s part of buying into the value system and stereotype of what the American movie goer is going to watch. Remember, the movie producers make our minds up for us - what we will watch and what they think will be successful versus what we actually want to see. Therefore if America wants it and will watch it, the rest of the world will follow suit, right? Australia has become a cheap location for Hollywood films to be made in. Production costs can save up to 35% of budget by filming and using Australian facilities. That should represent value for money. It might in the first stage of production, but the end product speaks for itself, at the box office. The end costs and judgment of success or failure of these movies, do not however, reflect upon Australian production standards and the movie public expectations. After all, the movies made here are primarily ?Hollywood? films. was filmed at Queensland?s Movie World; also used Queensland for its lush tropics to represent its Vietnam background and was filmed in Melbourne. Sydney has Fox Studios, which have become a movie making heaven, coming up trumps with goodies like and its two yet to be released sequels, plus to name but two. Most Australian films are made on budgets that in comparison would cover the cost of one of Hollywood?s ?big name? actor?s salaries alone. Julia Roberts can command a $20 million dollar pay packet in Hollywood at the moment, making her the highest paid actress around. Nevertheless, Australian films have gone from strength to strength in producing great, original, intriguing and emotionally fulfilling movies. Something that has come about, I believe, from the change in Australian culture. We have grown up as a country, we have more than one personality to us and the rest of the world is slowly becoming aware of this, partially through our films. In 2002 came the culturally encompassing films like and . The recognition of Australian films was demonstrated when won the Berlin International Film Award for Best New Movie and Best New Talent for its lead actress, Danielle Hall. In 2001 the critically acclaimed AFI award winning film , with Anthony Lapaglia, gave us an idea of how diverse our films have become. It was a film that showed Australia is more than a country full of kangaroos and beach culture. The 2000 AFI award winning film , based on a true Australian crime figure, also showed another dimension to our culture, not often associated with Australia. These types of films are proof that Australian films are able to compete with mainstream Hollywood in producing films of different genres that are as good as their American counterparts. Able to be recognised on their own merits. Yet money still rules the world and we are therefore bombarded with American flicks, and Australian movies become a minority group shown in cinemas. We have shown how to be original and succeed with comedic movies like and . Real life history is made interesting with a new take on stories like the Apollo 11 landing in . These are not only Australian films that Australians want to see, but are proud to say are Australian films, able to satisfy a world wide movie going audience. Lizzy Gardiner picked up a matching gold accessory for her work, an Oscar, on the 1996 film . When Lizzy rocked up to the Oscars in an original one of a kind, gold American Express credit card dress, she again proved how original Australians can be. Far too often the focus of movies is on cost of how much it made to make it, and how much it took in at the box office. Even if breaking the box office is still unattainable for most Australian films, this does not mean these movies are ?duds?. Hollywood has a tendency to be more formulaic, with what sells is what they make. For is there is less risk and more chance to make money. However, they limit themselves by constantly revamping re-makes of movies such as , , and . Television shows aren?t safe either, and became movies as have cartoons like and comic books with and . We need to promote Australian movies more, above overseas films. Not to say we shouldn?t be watching anything that isn?t Australian. But we do need to support our own country?s efforts more than just swallowing whatever movie Hollywood dishes out to us. But Hollywood still persists in their drive for ?bums on seats? with big dollar signs in their eyes regardless of the quality of what they produce for us. Because they have the money to constantly produce these films, they flood the market with their presence. Making it harder, for other countries, to get an occasional look in. But the Australian film industry isn?t resigned to just big screen movies. Our industry supports and indeed encourages all film makers of independent, short and animated films. Festivals like TropFest, which is the world?s largest festival for short films, is held annually in Australia. A great Australian film, isn?t necessarily based on monetary value alone or if there are well known cast of actors in it. This is the message our film festivals send out and are backed up with the quality of films entered into them. and are just two of the latest films to come out of the Melbourne International Film Festival currently earning high praises. In recent years, our presence has become more obvious in film. Our actors have been given the highest praise possible with nominations for an Oscar, as well as the behind the scenes people for their work. To the critics, standing up along side the hard to obtain gold statuette means we are ?up there? with the cream of the crop. They have something to measure our greatness by and pass judgment on. It is the measuring stick that world wide judgment is made on for movies. Australia can stand tall with pride, after all, Oscars aren?t given to just anyone. You have to be a somebody to be worthy of an Oscar. If this is the highest accolade, then Australian films and all those associated with them have proven their quality is right alongside those of Hollywood. ?
The Rise Of Authority	Tanveer Ahmed	16th October 2002	pulse	The internet and mass media promised to bring down power structures not responsive to the populace or grassroots. This has occurred to a significant extent already, as we usher in a golden age of democratisation. Power relations have been forced to become more consensual, the consequence of a level playing field of information. Just ask doctors whose patients now swamp them with internet articles on the latest treatments. But perhaps authority is making a comeback. After last year?s Federal election result, a Morgan Gallup poll surveyed the attitudes of voters on a wide spectrum of issues. Whilst assessing the views of those who supported the government?s treatment of asylum seekers, the poll results showed the greatest predictor of their support was not their views on race, or even migration, but their stance on capital punishment. Those who supported the death penalty were the most likely to support the expulsion or detention of asylum seekers. Australia?s support for the Howard government was less about xenophobia and ethnocentrism and more about enforcing a hand of authority, about avoiding any hint of a ?soft touch?, in Ruddock speak. The rise of Tony Abbott coincides with our turn to authority. He now stands firmly as the Prime Minister?s prot?g?. His comments about ?bad bosses? and ?bad fathers? being better than none at all, are in line with a view that authority must survive at all costs. It appears this view strongly informs the philosophy of the present government. The authority must be their own of course, like any ?bad father? or ?bad boss?. The government has not hesitated in questioning the credibility of external authorities, even of the stature of the United Nations. Despite repeated criticism from the world body, the answers from our leaders have repeatedly been along the lines of ?Thank you, but we know best?. The emphasis is again on standing firm at all costs. The costs being our international reputation. The second part of the government?s anti-terrorism legislation, the ASIO bill, is currently being debated in Federal Parliament. The first part of the Bill was so draconian in its vision that international aid workers could have been charged with treason. Thankfully it was amended after pressure from the ALP and the government?s backbench. The second bill aims to give our intelligence services unprecedented powers to question, search and detain. The mere qualification that a person must be a suspect to be detained is not a necessity under the proposal. Children too may be detained and questioned without the requirement of a relative or legal representation. The spirit of the Bill has already been in practice. A whole range of unsuspecting civilians have been brought in for questioning. One man, a worker at Coles and a Lebanese migrant, was refused his passport to fly to Lebanon and marry. On questioning by ASIO, he said he understood why some people were sympathetic to Osama Bin Laden. His passport is yet to be processed. The Foreign Affairs Department offered no comment. He continues to work at Coles, unmarried. The culture of authority is marked by a perceived omniscience, an inability to deal with dissent and a stanch resistance to change and diversity. From its push for industrial relations reform to allow easier dismissal of workers, to an appeal of a High Court decision allowing a gay couple to adopt children, the current government has this culture driving its engine of policy. More recently, a host of its prominent members spoke out against the current family, advising men to commit to their partners and women to stay home and have more children. Whilst their intentions may have been sound, the flavour of their comments was one of raw paternalism. In a climate of rapid change and uncertainty, the trait of toughness and predictability appears to have become a value in itself, regardless of the stance being taken. This is the core of John Howard?s attraction. As the bedrock of family, work and community fragment, the mere appearance of standing firm is worthy of respect. Technology disintegrates old boundaries and demands an emphasis on transparency and accountability. This is akin to standing outside naked, for some, and they perhaps crave someone to offer them a cover on top. That cover has come in the form of an iron fist. The momentum of the current government, if not appeased, is an emphasis on order above law, hardness above compassion and authority over democracy. The balance between individual liberties and state constraint has ebbed and flowed in the history of democracy. If society was a dam and water represented rights and dissent, the flow is being threatened. The conservative tradition is grounded in the belief that man is a weak, fragile creature, dripping with sin. He must be dealt with toughness and instilled with discipline. As alternative forms of authority such as religion decline, perhaps the time is ripe for the resurgence of the Right to propel Australia into an age of authoritarianism. The new technologies offer a world of limitless information and seem to guarantee the irresistible march of democracy. Unfortunately there are many of us, its seems, who just want to be told what to do. ?
Two Lovers, Naked, On A Grassy Field	Martin Bortz	19th September 2002	original	Dancing red over blue, I circle through A black field, Running away covered with a thin rainbow film, Two white football sticks, And a veil of chiffon separate us. Up to the left, Grandstand, bandstand, Virgo and Aries entwined, Their gaseous crowns picking us up, Tossing us around And floating us gently To the grassy green ground. I reach for you, My hand slips through, The tendons and muscles too. You hop back, Let out a slight giggle, Echoing off the sky, It bites me Fades in through the left And out through the right. Ha HA ha Haa hA ha Your smile blinds me, I try and kiss you, My lips left wanting, Puckered up for nothing. We are still alone, Our clothes have been stolen, Only yours do not exist, And I am left, A naked baby, Wrapped like a fetus, Wondering where you've gone. ?
The Mirror	Martin Bortz	19th September 2002	original	I I don't know you, I don't know this face staring at me, It is cold and clear, Calculating and contemptible. It is lost, it is brown, Thrashing around in this world, Like a dying fish Being tossed around. I reach into my sould, My mouth opens wide, Jaw stretching down, Opens me inside. Pulling at my chest, Tug, tug, tugging away, I am hopelessly reflecting Any warmth today. II Vacancy trickles down the glassy surface, A slight break appears in the left corner, A fracture immediately in front of a divided, slightly skewed smile. I break, splintered across a white tiled floor, The room spinning, I gradually gathered the pieces, It is hard here, soap and soot encumber my progression, but reaching out I manage some unity. III "The Mirror is inadequate He will not do. Throw him back" They put me back in the bubble-wrap, I go into hibernation, I cry, Uncontrollably. I rest my head against a transparent mantelpiece, Glass is so fragile, I close my eyes, And I drift away. IV In the middle of a pasture I stand, No one exists except me, My arms stretch in either direction, It is still, it is autumn, The sun beats overhead, Whipping up leaves, I slowly start spinning. V Forever I am spinning ?
He Died On The Way To A Funeral	Martin Bortz	19th September 2002	original	He died on the way to a funeral, Against the rain which pounded oppressively, Like sheet after sheet of watery paper, Thunderous raptures against the car. The old man sitting pensively next to him, Looked away in disbelief, He sighed as the dying man's eyes blinked shut, Vacant globes lulling back in his head. The band played on, melancholic for the overwhelming waste, The looming end that greets us all, Note after note of wistful wondering, As we always question the point. A solitary ear etched across his cheek, Even in death some trace of life, As they rounded the startling corner, The necropolis waited, grinning under a veil of coffins. No goodbye if you die on the way to the funeral, Remembrance only for those who pass before, Hypocrisy of the dogma of death, Perpetual life only through conception. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A small congregation gathered, Shocked as he fell out the car, Now sprawled against the eternal concrete, His face pointed towards a callously grey sky. Cries of horror, Entranced by the pathetic sight, Cut down in his prime, And dead on his way to a funeral. ?
Fabric06 - Mixed by Tyler Stadius	Philippe Perez	21st September 2002	cd-reviews	There are some types of music that I really do quite hate ? death metal, redneck country music and some various dance formats. I have to place D.J. Tyler Stadius? compilation for fabric 6 within the latter category. Quite a shame really, as the bio suggests that the CD is a ?hot, hip heavy drowned in echo and wrapped in rhythm?. It?s in actual fact this supposed quality at which I find brings the quality down. Canadian ?T-Bone? Stadius come from the state of British Columbia; and came to promionence prominence in the early 90?s, educating the underground scene of Vancouver to House music. His style on the decks consisting of reggae, funk, hip-hop, acid jazz as well as, of course, house. DJ Buck?s ?The Legend Of The High Plains Drifter? (love these titles!) places the listener into a trippy hypnosos with it?s repeated vocal line, vocoded in parts. The soothing pads nearly set me to sleep... It left me screaming for a good ol pina colada and a nice couch to sit on. Jay Tripwire is formidable with the contributions of ?All The Swine? and ?Untitled? with his spaced out sounds contained within those tracks, but the melody at times seems to not really be there or even noticeable. This brings some of the quality of the tracks down and makes the songs little more than just a loop over and over at times. Nevertheless it is a lovely ?sit back and relax record? at times. Tripwire?s ?Acid Soul? is a smooth and slightly ethnic offering, and as the name suggests, delicate acid riffs to match. The 46 second ?Punch Up? by Laid displays this as well with the last track ?King In My Empire? with the vocal croonings of Cornell Campbell and production from Rhythm And Sound. The dub influences in this track really shine and displays Tyler?s dub / reggae influences. An enjoyable dance was had to that track. Other standout tracks include the airy ?Look Behind You Eyes? from Tribulation as well the discoed up beats (with a touch of tribal flavour) of ?Deep Arqitecture? by Dano, Chus And Cellballous. All up, the disc is a fair house mix from the Canadian, and certainly takes a few listens to get used to. Well worth a listen for those who love their house music, yet if you?re like me who is not into this kind of thing usually, then it?s good for background music on a lazy sunny Sunday afternoon with no one around. Tyler Stadius Dance Fabric 6 ?
MUM	glen20	25th September 2002	cd-reviews	In the main, Icelandic acts tend to be at the wrong end of the glib journalistic generalisations stuck too often to them. All in the shadow of the nation's musical godmother Bjork, you?ll find it easy to spot terms like ?elemental?, ?childlike? & ?eccentric? in a piece on the latest favourite from this tiny nation, like recent critical favourites Sigur Ros or their Reykjavik pals Mum. And while the roots of Sigur Ros? music is deeply rooted in the dramatic Icelandic landscape and Mum?s sibling vocalists sound like wise-and-knowing 12 years olds, there is so much going on within these acts, and the nations arts scene as a whole, that it?s incredibly unfair to relate these records primarily to their geographic origin. Indeed, both these acts are making such startlingly original music that unless a record review is 5000 words long, no real justice can be served to the art these folks are making. Having said that, the childish claim sprung upon Mum carries some weight- imagine the twin girls from Kubrick?s all grown up but still trapped in those Hotel hallways, singing sweet lullabies for inmates in a psychiatric ward, and you come close to the vocals stylings of the Valtysdottir sisters. This vibe, complemented by the quivering instrumentation (electronics, analogue synths and casiotones alongside wind, strings, soft percussion, plus found sounds), is that territory mined so well by the mighty Boards of Canada: fuzzy summertime super 8 footage contrasting with a lurking dread, a fear of what?s about to lurch infront and grab you. Both singers rarely hit a true note, but each voice dances around the other, creating a disarmingly beautiful kind of harmony. The record drifts along and drags you in, never too intense, but always at a distance from being relaxing, or ?chilled?. Put simply, is involving, perplexing, eventually satisfying and entirely fresh. Nothing here is served directly, but the sound creeps under your guard and skin over time, creating a strange a new sense of listener satisfaction. The Glen20 endorsed album of the year? Could be?. Mum Ethereal Fat Cat ?
MANITOBA, PREFUSE 73, AUTECHRE EP's	glen20	27th September 2002	cd-reviews	One of last years greatest finds was Canadian Dan Snaith, the 25yr old Pure Mathematics PHD candidate who records laptop IDM as Manitoba for the always excellent Leaf label. His debut LP, was a breathtakingly good fusion of the finest moments from the catalogues of heavyweights like Squarepusher, Plaid and AFX, but peppered with jazzy riffing and a folky feel that was unafraid of reflecting actual emotion. For many (including your correspondent), it was the finest record of 2001. The EP is an essential addition to those who?ve found Snaith?s charms hard to resist, though it can?t be recommended over as an introduction point. It does contain one album track, ?Dundas Ontario?, but the remix of that tune which begins the EP is a whole new thing, glitchy bootycore party music. Imagine a soundtrack to a Porkies film performed by Richard D James and Bootsy Collins and you have the idea. On a similar tip is tune 2, ?Tits and Ass, the Great Canadian Weekend?, while ?Weber? is lovely, but sounds like an LP outtake. So, a conclusion? is great, but buy the LP first. This man may become the most important artist in electronic music, so get in early. Similarly lauded in 2001 was the debut from Prefuse 73. The work of Scott Herron, grabbed hip hop by the gold encrusted balls and took it back to ground level, filtered through the sensibilities shared by many of the eclectic acts sharing space on the Warp records roster. is, as the title suggests, 4 older tracks taken from Herron?s digital archives and re-tweaked this year, and is certainly worth investing in. All tracks are block rocking tunes rendered quietly, wearing their hearts on their sleeve. The percussive vocal loop on ?It Never Entered? is particularly satisfying. From the older bunch of Warp artists comes Autechre's latest, a 3 track EP not near as disappointing as last year's alienating wankfest , but certainly not a return to the melodic genius of the duo?s mid 90?s output where they invented a new arena of breathtakingly dense and gut-wrenching composition. The title track to Autechre, Prefuse 73, Manitoba Electronica Leaf and Warp ?
KID606 KICKING OUT THE FUCKING JAMS LIVE	Evan	19th September 2002	gig-reviews	While his contemporaries, such as Aphex Twin, Alec Empire and Squarepusher, have become shadows of their former selves, Kid606 showed last night while he was still the master of lap-top electronica. Starting his current UK tour in Leeds at the Brudenell Social Club, the venue had a cabaret style atmosphere with a rather small stage and intimate seating arrangement. Organised by 555 Records of Leeds, the support acts were all 555 acts, beginning with The Unpleasants, a duo between a man and his stuffed monkey. Similar to some V/Vm material, The Unpleasants used cheesy keyboards and ventriloquism to make a humorous first act. Continuing on was Randomnumber, who using a minimal equipment set up produced a wonderful Aphex Twin (circa ) styled sound. Printed Circuit was the next act, who provided a good lead in into Kid606?s set and also delivered something under-represented in electronic music, a female programmer. Printed Circuit?s material was more in line with Kid606?s and was warmly welcomed with her glitchy remix of Kylie?s ?Can?t Get You Outta My Head?. The only problem was her act was quite short, but all disappointments were quickly forgotten as the Kid himself took to the admittedly tiny stage. Breaking out with old material at first, the newly remixed ?Ruin It...? was slipped nicely into the night?s set among the barrage of glitchy clicks and cuts and the flurry of breaks and beats. It took a while to get the crowd dancing, but soon a nice little crowd of people were at the foot of the stage, trying to dance to broken beats. One number that seemed to work up the audience was a remix of Missy Elliot?s ?Get Yr Freak On? which was quickly followed up by interludes of Basement Jaxx?s ?Where?s Yr Head At??. Also making their way into the set were electronic ?covers? of the Sex Pistol?s ?Anarchy in the UK? and ?Temptation? by New Order, the melodies becoming sparse blips and blops, highlighted by occasional broken samples. A wide range of Kid606?s releases were played, covering from the anarchic breakbeats of ?GQ on the EQ? and ?Down With The Scene? through to the laidback electronica of ?PS I Love You?. The only disappointment was the leaving out of his remix of NWA?s ?Straight Outta Compton?, though elements of ?Gangsta Gangsta? could be heard in his encore set. With many more dates on this UK tour, last night?s show proved that Kid606 is an act to be watched. Kid606 electronica Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK ?5 Glitchcore at its best No 'Straight Outta Compton' Excellently energetic ?
El Nino El Destructo	Karina Singer	2nd October 2002	pulse	The original and innocent Peruvian El Nino definition ?Boy Child? seems ridiculous today to give to something capable of wreaking massive environmental changes and wiping out millions of dollars? worth of farming crops. El Nino?s more contemporary definition refers to extensive warming of the Central and Eastern Pacific Oceans and for Eastern Australia; it usually means a high probability of drier conditions. Parts of Australia are currently experiencing their lowest rainfall on record and some rainfall averages are only 20 per cent of what they?re meant to be. In July, Victoria only received one-third of the usual rainfall for that month and water storage levels were at 54 per cent. On the Central Coast of New South Wales, water levels in Mangrove Creek Dam, which supplies water to 260 000 residents, have dropped to 41 per cent from previous healthy levels of 70 per cent. With tight water restrictions in place, NSW regional councils are encouraging property owners to invest in rainwater tanks so that town water can be less relied upon. Because water is used not just for drinking purposes but for cotton, rice and other agricultural produce, farmers are finding themselves in positions where they have to purchase megalitres (one million litres) of water at inflated prices. In NSW within the last fortnight, the highest ever paid price for water was recorded at $1800 for one megalitre of water, equivalent to an Olympic sized swimming pool. One megalitre can?t really grow much; it takes six megalitres to grow only 1ha of cotton and 15 megalitres to grow a hectare of rice. Experts claim that water is the fastest appreciating asset at the moment. Of course this will all change once rain occurs and water prices visibly go down. When farmers purchase the water, they purchase the entitlement to use it - they may not even get to use the full entitlement if water levels are already low and authorities restrict large amounts from being used. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) have predicted that Australia?s crop harvest is the lowest it has been in ten years. They say the national harvest would be 22.2 million tonnes, 40 per cent lower than last season?s. In the past three months, ABARE have estimated wheat harvest to be 13.5 million tonnes instead of the previous confident 20.5 million which is what they were originally estimating. Cotton production alone in NSW is expected to be down 43 per cent. El Nino doesn?t just cause drought conditions in our country - it also creates tropical storms and is known to cause hurricanes in places like Hawaii and Tahiti. Droughts have not been confined to Australia; South Africa and Pakistan have recorded them before and the North West United States has experienced flooding. Atmospheric changes and ocean circulation differences during El Nino are caused by: *Warmer than normal ocean temperatures across the Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean; *Increased convection (cloudiness) in the Central Pacific Ocean; *Weaker than normal Easterly Trade Winds; *Negative values of the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) Monitoring these changes can help detect a genuine El Nino event and forecast the duration of it. In anticipation of such dry conditions, NSW farmers have dry-sown crops and some farmers have machinery and equipment to allow them to sow more efficiently with what little rain there may be. Crops aren?t the only victims in El Nino?s wake, it has left farmers hand feeding their livestock or selling them off. The sheep and lamb sale yards in Wagga Wagga NSW have been doing remarkably well over the last two months. Some buyers came from more than 500 kilometres to inspect stock, and quality lambs were going for $120 a head on September 5. Regular wild animals have also been finding it tough to find food, at Lake Keepit in Gunnedah NSW, more than 1000 pelicans instead of the regular 50 have landed by the lakeside, and though it makes for a pleasant and noisy tourist attraction, the underlying reason for their irregular numbers is very saddening. Gunnedah hasn?t had rain since Easter and the Central Coast of NSW is predicting lower than the average rainfall until 2003?s end. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has identified a positive recurring El Nino pattern. They think that farmers can roughly expect three years of good rainfall and then three years of poor rainfall in every ten years. They have researched and come up with the fact that somewhere on our continent, a severe drought is experienced once every 18 years. In Australia, the most severely affected farmers may be eligible for the Federal Government?s exceptional circumstances relief funding package. These packages were introduced in 1999 to provide the short-term support for primary producers in circumstances deemed ?beyond the scope of normal risk management?. On the 11th September, the NSW Government lodged an application for the exceptional circumstances assistance with the Federal Government, and the application covers 7 per cent of NSW with 440 farmers represented across the Bourke and Brewarrina regions. Premier Bob Carr said new criteria had made it more difficult and time-consuming to compile the application. Farmers in other states however, are likely to be caught up in a squabble between states and the Commonwealth over who should be funding the relief packages. Federal Agriculture Minister, Warren Truss, wants the states to contribute 17 per cent of the money. Also entering the debate are academic suggestions that handouts to farmers during floods and droughts should be scrapped because these conditions are an unavoidable feature of our landscape, and the government should encourage better farming practices instead. El Nino effects are unlikely to ease in the next decade which means harsher conditions for the farmers are expected. The question of sustainable farming, especially in the more marginal parts of the country, needs to be brought back to the table. Politics and squabbles about the welfare packages is not going to solve any of this bleakness. ?
Let There Be Light ? The Light Surgeons visit Oz	Chris Piper	21st September 2002	interviews	UK audio visual crew, The Light Surgeons, are a collective of filmmakers, graphic designers and DJ's who?ve been pioneers of innovative party visuals since they first formed in 1995. When they first started out, trippy fractals and fluoro shapes were dominating the club scene, so The Light Surgeons thought it would be interesting to develop a less drug-oriented dimension to their visuals. Several years later, their shows utilise digital video, 16mm film, Super 8, slides, computer graphics, print-based design, music and spoken narrative. For their only Australian appearance, they?ll be bringing their unique brand of mixing to Newcastle as part of the Sound Summit and ElectroFringe festivals. The Surgeons will be performing at Hardwarehouse, a massive warehouse party on Saturday 5th of October, where they?ll be pulling, prodding and suturing their impressive mix of material live on stage. ?Hip-doc? is an apt term to describe The Light Surgeons? live performances that fuse documentary footage, audio, photography, music and theatre. Co-founder Chris Allen likens their treatment of audiovisual stimuli to hip-hop?s deconstruction of culture. "The way we approach our material is often just like the way a hip-hop producer would take an old R&B tune apart... putting loops together to create new meaning." They see it as "an audio visual investigation of latitude/longitude and people/places" ? or a new form of filmmaking which they?ve termed ?exploded documentary?. It certainly provides thought-provoking material with an interesting political slant within the party context. Or as Allen sees it: "[It?s] AV with a message ? something that entertains and makes people think." In an era of ever-sophisticated programs and digital equipment, the Surgeons seem to have taken a step back from this, by incorporating older forms of technology in their shows ? odd bits of equipment such as projectors and slide carousels that they?ve picked up from a car boot sales. The idea of ?creativity under restrictions? is what drives them. "Limitations breed creativity, and one good image speaks more than a hundred strobing layers," Allen explains. "In a creative world full of effects and filters, to work with simple things makes you push your ideas, rather than get lost in the sea of possibilities that digital media offers us." Those heading to the festivals in Newcastle this year are likely to encounter a similar exploration of the bounds of creativity, as the city fills with young, dynamic artists and media practitioners hoping to share their knowledge. This year, seven national events take place simultaneously: ElectroFringe, Sound Summit, National Young Writers, National Student Media Conference, New Media, Independent Radio Conference and the Oceania Indymedia Conference. Marcus Westbury, manager of This Is Not Art (the umbrella organisation that represents all seven events), says the aim of the festival is "to bring a creative community together from all across Australia and get them to exchange ideas, inspire each other, and realise that they are not alone." Over the last few years, This Is Not Art has become a mecca for young creative people active in a variety of fields, and the night-time parties have evolved as an extension of that convergence. Marcus explains, "we are fairly unique in that the festival isn't consciously trying to be a music festival ? we attract a lot of musicians for our daytime [sessions] and they all want somewhere to play." The Light Surgeons, who have previously worked with the Propellerheads, DJ Food, U.N.K.L.E. and Bentley Rhythm Ace, will appear in Newcastle alongside other international acts such as Neotropic, Manitoba, Funk Amour, DJ Luv, Scalene and Concord Dawn. A host of talented local artists including Sub Bass Snarl, Alphatown, Dirty Slut, Dave Miller, Auxilary and the Coven will also be grinding it at Hardwarehouse. At their show in Newcastle, The Light Surgeons will be performing APB (All Points Between), a collage of capsule narratives and audiovisual material, featuring interviews with homeless people and remixed news broadcasts. Chris Allen says it "crosses road movie with political essay? It presents other people?s point of view ? those without a voice, or on the margins [of society]". Their critically acclaimed performance is a moving elegy to some of our more overlooked members of society. "I hope the message that people get from seeing our show is positive. I think it is, but we have made girls cry before... with joy, I hope." Chris Piper Chris Allen (The Light Surgeons) ?
The Comedy of Errors	Jeanette Gray	22nd September 2002	reviews	If you ever thought Shakespeare was just something you had to suffer through at school/uni, well think again. The Bell Shakespeare Company?s rendition on will transport you through time and place and provide a bloody good belly laugh along the way. A magical mystery tour, Shakespeare?s first play, is a comic farce, which incorporates visual humour with the clever dialogue that we?ve come to expect from Shakespeare?s later works. Often treated with distain by Shakespeare aficionados because of the bare plot and occasional clanging rhyming couplet, actually shows how immensely gifted the young Shakespeare was. The story is simple; two identical-twin sons of the same name, and their two identical-twin servants of the same name are separated in a shipwreck. One pair goes to Syracuse with their father and the other two to Ephesus. Years later, while the two towns are at war, servant and master from Syracuse arrive in Ephesus, looking for their brothers. Incidences of mistaken identity begin from the moment they set foot in the bazaar and continue through a riot of twists and turns, until all is conveniently resolved much to the relief of all concerned. Director John Bell, Australia?s premier Shakespearean authority, has put together an all-star cast and crew who have absolutely excelled themselves in this production. It moves along at a cracking pace and yet manages to avoid the evil descent into irritating slapstick. Designer, Jenny Tate?s simple yet creative set design enhances the puzzle theme by becoming screens through which the characters must communicate, and thus perpetuating the cases of mistaken identity. Her costuming is terrific, including surprising and unusual additions, notably Luciana?s (Patricia Cotter) space-aged getup complete with bubblegum-striped pigtails. This confident and mature production also builds on Shakespeare?s original meaning through an abundance of contemporary visual gags that remind the audience that this unlikely series of misrepresentations are just as ?likely? to occur in the here and now. And apart from all that, the seats at the Playhouse are extremely comfy and it?s well priced at $25 for anyone under 27 years of age. brilliant stage direction too many penis jokes? hilARious! John Bell Shakespeare The Playhouse, Sydney Opera House 26 October Christopher Stollery Sean O'Shea Darren Gilshenan ?
Clockstoppers	Wendy Hanna	22nd September 2002	Reviews	The heads of Nickelodeon Movies should be shot. Several times with high powered shot guns loaded with elephant bullets. Considering that they are such a well established and respected leader in children/teens? entertainment, you would think they would stop every now and again to look over the kinds of scripts they happily chug out. But no no. That would take away the lame, stereotypical, patronising and unimaginative quality that inspires this and other recent Nickelodeon releases. Let?s be fair for a moment though. I honestly had a good feeling about this one. It started with French ?Third Rock from the sun? Stewart running around an airport in a ridiculous disguise being generally awful to people. Good stuff I thought. Watching the hero Zak (Jesse Bradford of ?Bring it On? fame) cruising down his local streets on his bike, performing a whole bunch of tricks aimlessly, I thought ?hey, not bad?. Even after his first few lines, telling his parents how desperately he wanted a car for himself, I thought ?This is going to be OK?. A teen movie about a kinda cool guy who'll do something silly but he?ll end up with his dream car and French Stewart wandering around in a crap disguise for some reason. No problem. And then the cracks started to appear. The faithful best friend, a ludicrously try hard DJ type with insincere and stupid facial expressions quickly disappears to be replaced by a beautiful foreign student with a crap accent who just happens to be the daughter of a diplomat and therefore have easy access to fast cars that teenagers really shouldn?t be riding around in. Plus a whole bunch of special effects that we have all seen done better in ?The Matrix?. Basically, the story centres around a secret government organisation which has developed a watch which sends it?s wearer into ?hypertime?; the wearer is able to move so fast that they become invisible to the naked eye. Things which usually take hours can now be performed within the blink of an eye and no one need know any better. A groovy concept for a teen flick really, but one which through clumsy handling and elementary development becomes about as riveting as op shop sticky tape on felt board. I have the sneaking suspicion that a lot of people are going to see this film. The poster is likely to draw the Friday/Saturday night youth vote, and with school holidays around the corner, it?ll probably be generally mistaken for quality family fun. Oh, maybe it?s not so bad. But then again, you have to wonder what happened to the great tradition of American teen movies, even the cleaned up kind. What happened to milestones like ?The Goonies?, ?Gremlins?, friggin? ?Ferris Bueller?s Day Off???? I tell you people, it?s just not good enough. The Good: The soundtrack and French Stewart The Bad: Just about everything else The Vibe: Teen flick meant for Primary Schoolers Rated PG Release Date: 19th September 2002 Jonathan Frakes Gale Anne Hurd and Julia Pistor Tim Suhrstedt a.s.c Marek Dobrowolski Deborah Everton Rob Hedden, J. David Stem and David N. Weiss Peter E. Berger a.c.e Jesse Bradford, Paula Garces, French Stewart, Michael Biehn, Robin Thomas ?
Mostly Martha	Wendy Hanna	25th December 2002	Reviews	Despite the sophisticated contemporary German city around her, Martha works and resides in virtual isolation. Respected for her absolute dedication to her food, Martha (the understated Martina Gedeck) is known as one of the city?s top chefs. Her precision and devotion to brilliant cuisine though is a talent she uses to hide behind, preferring to appear aloof and austere to those around her. She refuses to accept her desperate loneliness yet seeks solace in the restaurants? refrigerator where she can cry undisturbed without the pressure to understand why she does so. When a family tragedy leaves Martha with a young niece to care for, Martha finds herself having to tackle her own insecurities head on. And she doesn?t much like it. A headstrong girl just as stubborn as her aunt, the young Lina (Maxime Foerste) sees straight through Martha?s sedate existence and wants no part of it. While she is preoccupied with Lina, Martha finds that her kitchen and staff are being wooed by an unconventional and charismatic Italian replacement, Mario (played charmingly by Sergio Castellitto). With his radio and his jokes, Mario adds a vibrancy and fun to the restaurant kitchen that Martha can only see as being a serious threat to her territory. is a ghastly name for a film, but please don?t judge it by that. While slow-paced, this is a down to earth drama that doesn?t pretend to be more than it is. A not-so-simple story dealing with the relationships of an introverted yet passionate woman, gently sways you into its quiet, unpretentious narrative. All aspects of the production have been handled with delicacy and care, bolstered by a great script and thoughtful direction. Food in this film is a conduit for emotion, without however detracting from or replacing the story. This isn?t for everybody, but if you like films that don?t rush along too fast or you have a thing for foody films, this one is worth the look. And please, don?t make the mistake I did and go along without having eaten. It was a little agonising. Production values, story, Sergio Castellitto and the food. Slowmoving at times Portrait of an introverted obsessive (with food) Sandra Nettelbeck Christoph Friedel and Karl Baumgartner Michael Bertl Thomas Freudenthal Bettina Helmi Sandra Nettelbeck Mona Braeuer David Darling UIP 105 mins Martina Gedeck, Sergio Castellitto, Maxime Foerste, August Zirner, Ulrich Thomsen, Sibylle Canonica, Katja Studt, Idil ?ner, Oliver Broumis, Antonio Wannek, Diego Ribon ?
Casablanca by Coogee	Tanveer Ahmed	30th September 2002	where_to_go_cafes	Stories from Moroccan travels range from uplifting adventures in a land of unrivalled mystique, to being robbed and gagged by marauding criminals. It is only the hashish that seems to be consistent. Now that same complexity has arrived in Randwick. The Moroccan Pantry kitchen has opened its doors to Sydney with the same lust for guests as a Moroccan salesman has for Western female tourists. Its setting is modest, but combines Arab adornments such as rugs and lanterns with the milk bar features of a soft drink fridge and an ice cream freezer. The seating is limited, but construction of a fully cushioned upper floor is nearing completion. On entering the restaurant, the welcome from the middle-aged owner is warm and friendly. He is a chef with ten years training in the French Riviera. He is quick to pitch his food as revolutionary in Sydney. The restaurant is very new and was full of wide-eyed adventurers. On sitting in one of the upholstered booths, bread and salad is served free of charge. The bread is a flat bread call khubz. I would describe it as a softer type of Turkish bread. The salad was typical of the Mediterranean with a stronger eggplant presence. The menu was modest but interesting. There were the usual Moroccan staples such as Tagine, a stew simmered for hours with chicken or meat, or couscous, made from semolina wheat. There was a range of kebabs and a chicken liver dish cooked in garlic. I went out on a limb and ordered the chicken liver with a dish called brstilla (the words ?spring roll? were printed adjacent in quotation marks), a chicken mixture cooked in a crispy thin pastry. Both were exquisite and the watered-down descriptions on the menu were a great disservice to the quality of the tastes. I know liver wouldn?t entice many, but if you ever wanted to try it, this would be the place. A complimentary plate of couscous was cooked to perfection, each grain separate from the other. In between courses the chef regales the guests with stories of France, construction in Sydney and his daughter in primary school. There can be no question that this restaurant is keen to impress a new clientele. For dessert I had an almond and honey pastry, similar to bakhlava, and sipped on mint tea. The aroma of mint, cumin and sandalwood filled the restaurant. For a second I thought I was in Casablanca, till a group of drunk, raucous men, dressed in Eastern Suburbs jerseys, walked past in full song. The prices of the mains are generally between $15-$20. The quality of the food was superb, and the prices are likely to go up as it becomes discovered. The blitzkrieg of complimentary dishes meant, however, that there was very little else to pay for. It?s not likely to last very long. Get it while you can. 165 Alison Rd Randwick 2031 9314 5616 The chef. The food. Setting. Decore. Sometimes the chef. Mystique meets milk bar. ?
Psychopathia Sexualis	Jacqueline Welsh	27th September 2002	reviews	When the play you're about to see has been written by John Patrick Shanley, author of the Oscar-winning you arrive expecting something quite confronting. is certainly that. The rather demure opening scene of breakfast on a terrace is almost like the calm before the storm. The relationship between the over-wrought Howard (Richard Stables) and his snobby wife Ellie (Olivia Connolly) is perhaps over-emphasised, as their marriage problems take a back seat to the fetish problems of the play's main characters Arthur (Daniel Frederiksen) and Lucille (Kate Cole). Arthur and Lucille have made the biggest decision of their lives so far: they are getting married. The problem is that Arthur can only ?perform? when his father's grotty old socks are nearby. He doesn't have to wear them or have them near him, you understand, he just has to know where they are. The wedding day looms, and Arthur becomes frantic with worry. He strongly suspects that his Freudian psychiatrist Dr Bloch has them and won't give them back. So Arthur enlists his ?unemployed-by-choice? friend Howard to pose as a patient and find out for sure. The only problem with this plan is that Howard has many unresolved issues of his own. Already a fast-paced show, it is from this point that the play really accelerates. Dr Bloch is the sock thief Arthur has presumed him to be, but he proves his worth as a mental health professional by convincing Howard to force Arthur to overcome his fetish by leaving the socks with him. Both Baker and Stables are supremely in control of their characters throughout some high-brow psychoanalytic jargon. It is abundantly clear that John Patrick Shanley knows his Freud and Jung, and doesn't mind letting the audience know it. We are soon introduced to Arthur's Texan fiancee Lucille, who immediately displays enormous skill in eating a banana, talking on the phone, and rushing around the concrete stage. Ellie arrives to bring up the subject of Arthur's fetish with the unsuspecting but suitably shocked Lucille. Lucille kicks the show up yet another gear, along with the volume. Cole and Connolly work well with each other, and their conversation efficiently fleshes out both characters. The high points of farce are punctuated with increased volume and exaggerated movements, detracting somewhat from the story's subtexts of friendship and pride. Although the situation is amusing, it is not really laugh-a-minute, thigh-slapping kind of amusement; evoking more of a wry grin accompanied by chuckles at the histrionics of the characters. The actors gave middle-American, Bronx-American, English and Texan accents they?re all, with varying degrees of success. The occasional very Melbourne-sounding vowel sound slipped in at some of the most crucial moments, unfortunately affecting the cohesion of the performance. Copyright impediments undoubtedly stand in the way of a more local interpretation of Shanley's work. Transposing the play to an Australian setting might have assisted in producing a more natural and comfortable performance, allowing the audience to more closely identify with the work as a whole. Strong performances, vibrant local theatre Sometimes boisterousness can overshadow both acting and plot Proving that local theatre is alive and well Janice Muller Comedy Red Stitch Actors Theatre - 80 Inkerman St, St Kilda 29th September Daniel Frederiksen, Kate Cole, Richard Stables, Olivia Connolly ?
D-Product	Lawrence Conway	4th October 2002	cd-reviews	Bristol?s credentials as a source of original and high quality drum n? bass music is unquestionable. DJ?s Krust and Suv have been producing dance music from this western corner of England since 1990. In 1992 Krust teamed up with the talented Roni Size and established the renowned Full Cycle Records. Another Bristolian Bryan G helped set up V Recordings, who have also released a huge volume of top draw jungle and drum'n'base. These characters were the inspiration for D Product?s move into the arena of drum'n'base production and DJing. Having started working in a shop selling production equipment, D Product learnt to use the technology and met the right people. In 1997 a dub plate of D Product?s tune was being hammered in the clubs by Roni Size and ended up on the V Recordings release . was a definitive drum n base release that no self-respecting bedroom DJ could be without at the time. In addition to his own releases D Product engineered Roni Size, Krust, Suv and Die?s 1998 Reprazent release . Their follow up the hugely acclaimed album that defined a musical era in the UK and won the Mercury Music Award in 1997. The album Process of One is a competent well produced, if not slightly predictable drum n base work out. If you are familiar with the V Recording, Full Cycle and Reprazent output this release will hold no surprises for you. Sweeping soundscapes, tight production and sculpted beats characterize the album. The sort of musical style that can be described as tech-step, without being to much of a trainspotter. 'Scandals', the opening track, gets straight into the business at hand. The kind of head nodding last seen at Goldie?s Hoxton Metalheads nights or Manchester?s Paradise Factory Jumpin' Jack Frost nights. 'Crimes Against Technology' is dark and brooding building up to a deep baseline and dark synth string with metallic robot like vocal sounds. 'Xcuse Me' But features a long dark tunnel esque sample with abstract high end accompaniment. 'Where You Want To Go' is a slightly lighter tune that has a slightly more retro feel than a lot of the other tracks. 'Goodnight' varies the theme with a female vocalist singing a melancholy refrain about relationships, maybe. The jungle/drum'n'bass scene used to be associated with club violence and guns, but this album reflects how the scene has moved on. Attempts to keep the sound fresh have struggled and the garage scene has taken a lot of the old crowd. But the recent drum'n'bass revival and releases like this one show the scene is not dead. D-Product Drum'n'Bass Full Cycle ?
Theatre	Melissa Lane	27th September 2002	artswire	Be allured by energetic cast members who unfold countless storylines, pushing their mind and body to the limits. Enthral yourself in theatre and be swept away by the dynamic tension. One of the up coming performances; theatrical event from 2000, has returned to Sydney at the Stated in a recent media release "transports audiences to a world of wonderment and fantasy, combining comic slapstick with poetic poignancy. Slava and his extraordinary cast have perfected the art of clowning." Another performance not to be missed is at the "This is a play about the consequences of the suppression of truth, about the toxic nature of denial, about how difficult it is for human beings to communicate on even the most basic level. It deals with the absence of, and search for, identity?" Gale Edwards, Director. ?
John Safran, Eddy Maguire and Show Business	Nicole Frisina	27th September 2002	pulse	Q: Are you the evil alter ego of Eddy Maguire and Ray Martin? A: Yeah, I probably am. There probably are parallels, we?re all in the entertainment industry... Eddy Maguire is totally cognisant of that, as I am. Who knows about Ray Martin? He?s entertaining but he might not be aware of it? Like Steve Price, I heard that he?s cognisant of entertainment and drama but people get confused when they listen to him, they think he?s one hundred percent totally motivated by his personal politics or whatever his personal roadmap of morality is. When he probably understands, "Hey, if I have a clash on radio- that?s good radio!" Q: Is that what you do? A: Oh, yeah, kinda. It?s not one or the other? it?s not always something I?m personally interested in... or I?ve got a real bone to pick with, (that) makes it to television? It?s not like I?ve got Tourette's syndrome: ?I?m mad at that so I?ll do a story on it.? I could have a hundred things that concern me or get up my nose but it's like I won?t? I definitely will play up stuff. Like the story I did prank calling Steve Price - I?ll introduce it in a way that I?ve got a vendetta against him, but that?s so not the case. Q: Do you work off any political bent? A: Nah, I kinda perceive in my head who my audience is and then I think, ?What?s going to stimulate them or challenge them?? I could be totally wrong but it just gives you a starting point? It?s just the way art and stuff works itself out. It?s not like you?ve got this big blueprint and this game plan... a lot of my stuff would be just going by gut. Q: How do you come up with your ideas? Do they stem much from your own life like when you ?foot-loosed? at your old school? A: Oh yeah, definitely. That?s probably a good example of doing something focused, where surely 99.9 per cent of Australians didn?t go to a Hasidic school, but they still get on board? people with totally different superficial experiences still relate to the core experience. I got lots of emails saying how people related to that. Q: Do you like reflecting the society you satirize, are you recognising how it works and playing with it? A: Yeah, I?m kind of into deconstructing things that aren?t usually deconstructed - it doesn?t have to be a political thing, it could be a social observation. I remember watching the Simpsons once and Homer's shirt turned pink because it was put in the wash with Bart's red hat, and he goes, ?I can?t wear a pink shirt to work. I?m not popular enough to be different.?? I?m like that... when there?s something interesting and funny, energetic, and potent, I like deconstructing things like that. Q: What?s your advice to an aspiring comedian, anarchist, satirist? A: Just kind of think of the long term and what?s going to benefit you in the long term, and not worry about whether your mates are around thinking you?re a wanker... I find it very interesting that people grow up like that. I was pretty fortunate, I grew up in a little ethnic community where you?re encouraged to do shit. I know in other sections of Australia it's like, ?Oh you think you?re pretty good, hey? You wanna be on the telly?? You just can?t worry about that. It?s like once when I smashed my car and I was having to get the tram everywhere? I spent an hour each way on this tram so I just whipped out my lap top and write a script. It?s like, ?Oh man, people might think you?re a wanker on the tram,? but like who cares? I?d much prefer to have a complete script in a couple of months. Q: What do you think about Australia?s current political climate? A: Well, with the refugees I just find it hard to reconcile that theirs is a crime a person can do, in which the punishment is your children get punished? I just think we?re being a bit judgemental. Surely speeding is more dangerous than being an illegal immigrant? No-one's locking your kids up if you speed. Q: What was the most lowbrow thing you learnt at uni? A: Um? I learnt what a bucket bong was. ?
National Youth Media Awards	Karina Singer	27th September 2002	pulse	National Youth Media Awards 2002 Winners of the National Youth Media Awards were announced at a gala ceremony held recently in Sydney. An initiative of the Commonwealth Government, the Awards recognise the significant role the media play in shaping public opinion about young people. Special celebrities at the event were Julie McCrossin (MC for the night) and The Hon. Larry Anthony, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, who presented the awards. ?The finalists? work in all categories demonstrates the high standard of positive stories about young people,? Mr Anthony said in his welcoming speech. ?I also congratulate all the entrants for the efforts in highlighting the achievements of young people and the positive role they play in our community in their stories. The media have an important role to play in influencing public opinion about Australia?s young people.? Entries were up 21 percent on last year, with 1159 entries submitted over 13 categories. Pieces submitted ranged in theme from indigenous youth and educational programs to articles about regional and outback youth. Except for the ?Young Journalist of the Year? category, where entrants had to be 26 or younger, there was no age restriction for entry. Indeed, the majority of finalists were much older, generally aged between 30 and 50. Media organisations from all over the country were represented and the ABC did well to pick up more than a few awards. The only commercial TV station to win awards was Channel Ten who finished with two. It was good to see a new award category created for ?Young Indigenous Journalist of the Year.? Kate Munro won the award for her work in the Koori Mail. No representation was given from the Commercial or Community Radio sector. Ms Zoie Jones, a double winner of the Young Journalist of the Year Award and best news/current affairs story on radio, currently works for ABC Radio National and produces an hour-and-a-half talk and arts show. She has also produced youth-oriented work for Triple J. Her mentor was Rachael Kerr, who she used to listen to as a young Adelaide teenager. ?Ms Kerr produced the kind of radio that you had to stop and listen to,? and now she feels very honoured and proud to be working alongside her. Asked if the media focuses too much on the negative things teenagers do, Ms Jones said ?that?s the good thing about the National Youth Media Awards; it draws attention to the positive things youth do and there are young journalists letting young people speak for themselves?. Winning the $1500 prize money, Ms Jones' future plans include travelling the world armed with a mini disk recorder and microphone and to stick that microphone in some very far flung places and report. ?
Pine Gap 2002- The war in central Australia	Matt Skellern	29th September 2002	pulse	On October 5-7, there will be a protest action at Pine Gap, the United States? military base 20km south of Alice Springs. Pine Gap is one of the US military?s most important bases, controlling satellites spanning a strategically important third of the globe, encompassing more than half of Bush?s ?axis of evil?, as well as China, southern Russia and the Middle East. There are many reasons why protesting at Pine Gap seems important and timely. More than our meagre troop commitments, it is Australia?s hosting of the Pine Gap base that is our greatest contribution to the US ?war on terror?. Pine Gap is also central to the US?s planned Star Wars/ Missile Defence program, which from which military corporations stand to make billions whilst militarising and space with nuclear and laser-based weapons. Protesting at Pine Gap is potentially an opportunity for Australians to make a direct statement against a war in Iraq, and against the proposed Missile Defence program. ?There is one easy way to reduce the level of terror? namely, stop participating in it.? - Noam Chomsky, US academic, post Sept 11 ?In America there has been rough talk of bombing Afghanistan back to the stone age. Someone please break the news that Afghanistan is already there.? - Arundhati Roy, author, post Sept 11 ?We need strategies for an inclusive and equal global society not strategies for war. So long as the problems of poverty, injustice and exploitation remain unresolved there will be no resolution to the issue of terrorism.? - Andrew Ferguson, NSW CFMEU Secretary ?We need to be in a war against war? - Michael Franti, Spearhead Since September 11 last year, the US government has intensified its militaristic activities globally. This is nothing new for a government responsible for over 100 military interventions worldwide since 1890. In reality, with every escalation of the so-called ?War on Terror? (which Bush recently proclaimed a necessity in at least 60 countries!), it becomes more and more suspect that perhaps the US?s plans are nothing to do with fighting ?terrorism?. The US government?s main objectives in the ?War on Terror?- the Missile Defence program, and overthrowing regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan- were priorities long before the September 11 attacks. If the US were serious about fighting terrorism, critics argue, it would seek to eliminate the root causes of terrorism- war, poverty, deprivation and inequality. Initiating wars all over the place, according to the critics, will only breed more terrorists. Moreover, the ?War on Terror? is itself an act of terror that has led to death and suffering in countries that refuse to bow to US power. Elsewhere, far from defending ?freedom? and ?democracy?, civil liberties have been attacked through legislation such as Australia?s new ASIO laws. Racism, too, is on the rise, with people of Middle Eastern origin attacked and a mosque in Brisbane burnt to the ground. The Pine Gap base plays a major role in enforcing the unjust global distribution of wealth and power at the root of all this. ?There is no justification for war based upon the facts that had been presented by both the United States and Great Britain.? - Scott Ritter, former supervisor, UN weapons inspectors in Iraq Reporter in 1999- ?We have heard that more than half a million children have died [as a result of sanctions in Iraq]. That?s more children than died in Hiroshima? Is the price worth it?? Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State- ?I think this is a very hard choice. But? we think the price is worth it.? The US government is itching for a war with Iraq, on the basis of flimsy evidence that Saddam Hussein is building weapons of mass destruction. 100-200,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in the last Gulf War, and if the US implements its current plan to use 250,000 ground troops the next war?s toll will be much higher. In 1990, the Nurrungar Military Base, whose functions have now been transferred to Pine Gap, was used for spying, weapons launch monitoring, communications and target selection during the Gulf War. Pine Gap would play a pivotal role in the incipient second Gulf War, as Defence Minister Robert Hill confirmed in Alice Springs on 15 Aug 2002. Campaigning to close Pine Gap is an important part of any movement against war here in Australia. The US government?s doublethink in condemning Iraq?s ?weapons of mass destruction? is astounding. The world's greatest stockpile of such weapons is owned by the Pentagon, whose 2003 budget is $396 billion. Even worse, the US government has abandoned international treaties designed to limit such weapons, risking a new nuclear arms race by walking away from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, and rejecting an international treaty ratified by 143 countries against germ warfare. As the US?s major military communications hub for the region, Pine Gap also helps coordinate the sanctions against Iraq, which were estimated by UNICEF in 1999 to have been directly responsible for the deaths of more than half a million children since 1990 (averaging 200/day). The sanctions have banned basic medical items and even pencils because they could supposedly be reprocessed into weapons. The US does not have solid support for its plans. Australia and Britain are the only countries to have given support to a US attack on Iraq, and even Britain is wavering in the face of community opposition. A strong action at Pine Gap in October will strike a timely blow against US?s war plans for Iraq, and discourage the Federal government from blindly following in the US?s footsteps. ?The hidden hand of the market will never work without the hidden fist. McDonalds cannot flourish without [arms manufacturer] McDonnell Douglas. The hidden fist that keeps the world safe for Silicon Valley?s technologies to flourish is called the US army, air force, navy and Marine corps.? - Thomas Friedman, US journo On 16 July 2000, the US Defence Secretary William Cohen said that Pine Gap had been ?very much? involved in Missile Defence plans. War is good for business- especially if you make bombs, weapons and military transport vehicles. Fifty Tomahawk cruise missiles were deployed in the first day of war against Afghanistan, at a total cost of US$30 million, with the conflict costing the US $0.5 to $1 billion a month overall. This money goes straight into the pockets of US military corporations. Pine Gap facilitates this process, and is itself a massive gravy train that has provided billions to the corporations that built and operate it, such as RAND Corp and TRW (of whom US Vice President Dick Cheney is a former board member). And this is all in the service of US trade. Pine Gap is complicit in maintaining the global inequality of wealth and power. Worst of all, Pine Gap is set to play a central role in the Star Wars/ Missile Defence system, the biggest corporate swindle in world history, supposedly intended to provide a ?defensive shield? for the American continent against ballistic missile attack. In reality, Star Wars is an aggressive project that, by making countries? current weapons arsenals obsolete, has the potential to promote a new nuclear arms race. Star Wars will provide hundreds of billions of dollars to US military corporations such as Boeing ($12bn pa), General Dynamics ($4.2bn pa), Lockheed Martin ($15bn pa), Raytheon ($6.3bn pa). Despite the Office of National Assessments determining that Star Wars would not be in Australia?s national interest, the Liberal government has come out in support of the plan, one of only two (with Japan) to do so. The Pine Gap protest can be used to pressure the government to withdraw its support for Star Wars. For these reasons, some protestors see a Pine Gap action as a statement against war in Iraq, and against Missile Defence. Specifically, they will voice opposition to Australia?s support for this US-owned belligerence. This means shutting down Pine Gap, a military spy base whose role has been aggressive from the very beginning. Other groups, however, will be making other statements during this year?s Pine Gap action. Anti-nuclear groups, for example, will be coming to protest against Pine Gap?s central role in the US nuclear weapons complex, and against Missile Defence, which could lead to a re-proliferation of nuclear weapons. Refugee groups will be coming to protest against the wars that are the overwhelming creators of refugee movements worldwide, and civil liberties campaigners will be protesting against Pine Gap?s role in the US National Security Agency?s global spy system Echelon. These dissidents might not achieve all those objectives with a single protest. In fact, you could call it a long shot. However, by taking action, they see that they could increase the support for peace, social justice and nuclear disarmament in the wider community. At the same time, some see coming together as a chance to create the alternative to war- a festival of fun, community and solidarity. If you are interested in the Pine Gap action, you can get involved in it yourself. Transport is being organised from every major city in Australia. Contact: Matt Skellern, National Environment Officer, National Union of Students, 0438 381 917, environment@nus.asn.au. websites: http://anti-bases.org http://reachingcriticalwill.org http://www.peacecourier.com http://foe.org.au/nc/nc_pine.htm http://motherjones.com ?
Drew Crawford Composer	Joyce Chau	24th September 2002	interviews	The poster outside at Potts Point newsagent caught Drew Crawford?s attention immediately and not only because it was a promotion for Hustler Magazine. ?First of all it?s got that odd thing ?our porn stars.? There?s this idea of ownership of porn stars which is really interesting. But even the question that you have to ask: ?Why would Porn Stars Kill themselves?? Why would anyone kill themselves? How does somebody get to that point of sadness and disconnection when life becomes so bad you would prefer to end your life? It?s about loneliness and isolation, all those things come into it and you?ve got that quirky porn star angle as well,? he says. Drew scribbled the words down. They became the title for his first full-length music-theatre work in 1997. For Drew Crawford, a freelance composer, the original idea was to use the stage to present music in a more interesting way. ?I wanted to present my music in a non-concert way,? he says. ?You can hear some wonderful music by going to see a concert but the ritual of going to a concert can be really boring, dull and tedious. I was inspired by the Talking Heads film, which is an amazing concert-film.? Created while Drew was in his early twenties, that time when ?everyone was in a weird kind of place in terms of their love and sex lives?, was an experimentation with emotive journeys and non-narrative forms of theatre. Written for Michele Morgan, an ?avant-jazz vocalist? the show features diverse music styles: from jazz, funk, pop to classical and Broadway. The text was taken from Hustler Magazine, personal columns and Michele Morgan?s poetry. It was performed in front of a changing video backdrop. ?Basically, we couldn?t afford a set,? Drew says. ?So we had this very lush backdrop that kept changing with imagery that related to the work.? ?The singer was on stage all the time and in the first half of it she was preparing to go out. She was getting dressed, putting on makeup and we didn?t really know whether she was getting ready to go out or go on stage or go to work or what she was doing- just the idea she was getting ready for something.? ?The second half of the show, she was all dressed up and she was now performing. It?s about how we perform every day in our lives, when you have to get rid of fears, face the world and do all the things you have to do. The way that you have to perform when you want to find maybe, a partner,? he says. ?It was about all those things that you go through when trying to find love, basically.? And, despite the old clich?, the article from Hustler was useful- director Anatoly Frusin chopped the text up for the lyrics of the song ?I produced and did all the publicity and everything,? Drew says. For six months after Drew found himself exhausted, unable to write music and working in a shop. Then, through friends, he became the unpaid assistant composer on Neil Armfield?s stage adaptation of Tim Winton?s Drew hung around, ?probably talked too much? and helped out. At one stage the composer working on wanted glockenspiels to be played by the characters on stage. ?I suggested that we actually go into junk metal yards and make the instruments ourselves,? Drew says. ?There was this home-made aesthetic that Neil Armfield was going for with the set- the idea of the Lamb family putting on a play. We went out and bought all the scrap metal, grinded it down to the right pitch and made little instruments the cast played on stage.? When writing music for theatre productions, the amount of freedom given to Drew as a composer varies. There are directors and choreographers who let him use his own imagination. There are others who have very specific ideas of what they want. Sometimes, even the playwright has a say. ?For Example I did with It was very prescriptive. I was allowed to write two pieces of music and they had to keep recurring through the play. And they even said what kind of music: one was a 60?s rock number and the other was ?the type of thing old people sing and young people still listen to?- so, it had to have a timeless folksy kind of quality,? he says. Drew also scored recent production of an experience which he describes as ?a ball!? Two sonnets and selections of other lines were set to boy-band, hip-hop, country and Portishead inspired pieces. ?The first eight lines of the sonnet was like a blues number, this really old style number. The character [Hortensio] could have had a music career in the late 70?s, might have had a big hit but he?s kind of, you know- he?s nothing now.? Then, the last six lines are given to Katharina- the shrew- and the music suddenly becomes more like Portishead. ?Shakespeare is quite versatile and you can do that quite simply,? Drew says, his rapid speech becoming a gargle as he tries to stifle a chuckle. was four full-time weeks of hard work- with even more work crammed into the ten days before opening night. ?The thing is once you?ve done something you?ve got to go play it to the director. You?ve come up with all these ideas and then the director says something like: ?Oh no, we?ve changed that bit, we don?t want music there? or ?oh no no no! The actors are going to do this instead?? he says. ?To avoid working and then throwing things away, you generate ideas and then you just wait until a little bit later when the blocking is solidified, all the actors are slotted in and they know what they?re doing. So, a lot happens in the last ten days,? he says. Working on was fun, but for Drew Crawford there were moments of restlessness. ?I came up with musical concepts, but they were all based around stuff that the director [Des James] could relate to and understand what they signified. I had fun doing it but it was?it was mine, but I was writing stuff that was trying to sound like a boy band, like human nature,? he says. ?It?s not very interesting just being a composer for hire who?s just going to do stuff, you know, like ?write me something that sounds like this!? You often find film directors, I?ve worked with short film directors a fair bit, they?ll say to you ?write me something that sounds like this sound track?,? Drew says. ?You?re just thinking, ?well, no, you got ME and you get me for what I do.?? ?At the same time though, you?ve got to pay the rent,? he says with quick pragmatism. Each collaboration is different and it is simply a matter of distinguishing between the times when he is a ?composer for hire? and when it is his personal vision that is required. ?If you?ve been invited on board to give a piece of yourself and you keep being bottled, then that?s really no fun,? he says. ?But I?ve had very few experiences of that.? So, have there been clashes with directors? Drew Crawford sighs. He slouches back on the plastic caf? chair. There is a half-smile, half-grimace on his face as he thinks. ?Um?I?m not the shouting type, I?d much rather get on with it. I tend to avoid situations now where I think that that?s going to happen. I don?t- I don?t usually take jobs with people who I don?t think I?ll get along with,? he says measuredly. a collection of Drew Crawford?s music including from will play at the Sydney Opera House, The Studio on Saturday, September 28. 19 September Tape recorder (face-to-face interview) Joyce Chau Drew Crawford ?
Keeping it real	Sylvia Gauci	2nd October 2002	interviews	I find it slightly ironic that the super-sweet sound of Darren Hanlon proclaims 'punk's not dead' and at the Arthouse last Saturday, she certainly hadn't gone to bed. Losing myself in a sea of mohawks, leather jackets, kilts and safety pins - I was in awe of the creativity and communal atmosphere of the pub that night. The Melbourne punk community knows their music well, and I had the pleasure of gaining a deeper insight into this world chatting with Stu, Marc and Nick from Loners with Boners. Loners with Boners are a three-piece pure punk band, hailing from the outer Melbourne suburb of Frankston. When I meet them, they've just played their second set for the day, after an earlier underage gig that afternoon. The band weren't scheduled to play the afternoon show until the last minute, and the guys are obviously tired. Nonetheless, they are happy with how the night has turned out. 'I don't know where we got the energy to play like we did tonight. But we did publicise this gig really well, and everyone was really enthusiastic, asking for more' Stu says, commenting on the lively reception they received only minutes previously. Guitarist and vocalist, Stu, bassist Nick and drummer Marc have known each other since high school. 'When we were about 14 we were in another 'serious' band and that's when we made up the band name Loners with Boners. And when that band broke up the new name stuck, and that's pretty much how it's been ever since', Stu answers my curiosity as to the band's unmissable moniker. 'We do like to take the piss!' he admits slyly. In the true spirit of punk rock, there is never a dull moment when talking to these guys, as when listening to their music. The same energy is there between Stu and Marc; 'We're at each other's throats half the time, and Nick is the strong silent one!' Marc says. It is perhaps also the borderline aggressive humour that works well for the band. The band has a self-titled 6-track EP out, with plans for more recording in the near future. Their material is also featured on the newly released - a compilation CD of the latest Melbourne Punk bands. 'We currently have 4 as yet unreleased songs, and are hoping to go back into the studio soon,' Marc says. Their newest song, 'Die Pig Scum Fuckin Hate Coppers' again echoes the piss-taking attitude that Stu mentioned earlier. As much as they love to have fun, they take their music seriously - exposure being the key word. 'We know a lot of bands who are good musicians, but they don't do anything?And we may not be the best band on the planet, but at least we've got some get up and go in us. Besides, you could be the best band in the world, but if you're playing to two people in a garage, then what's the point?' Stu says matter-of-factly. The band aspires to tour the US in the future, 'Maybe January 2007,' Marc says sarcastically. Hooking up with other bands, getting out there and taking their music to people of Melbourne has been the first step in a promising punk rock career. And considering the fact that Loners with Boners have achieved so much thus far we can only expect to see more of them in the near future. In the meantime, Stu says 'Get the Straightjacket Records Compilation, which can be obtained from Missing Link and Smoke Dreams in Melbourne, Plato's Records and Record City in Frankston and on the internet through fellow punk band Charter 77's website: www.charter77.live.com.au. Play it loud and proud, and don't be afraid to take the piss. 31/08/02 microcassette Sylvia Gauci Stu, Marc and Nick from Loners with Boners ?
Verandah	Xander J	1st October 2002	where_to_go_pubs	Sydney has a bar for everyone and for all the occasions each of those people may find themselves in. That is unless you have a craving for the ?Moloko Bar? from A Clockwork Orange. If that?s your cup of tea then you'd best head to Melbourne. What the hell does this have to do with the Verandah bar? Well it?s not the sort of place that I would ordinarily go to. I was always aware of its existence but thought it wise to stick to my regular haunts. Whilst this is does lend a fuzzy air of comfort to ones evenings, it?s not exactly challenging. So it was off to the Verandah to see how the other, more ?suity? half spend their boozy hours. I don?t think I could have chosen a better night to go along. It was Verandah?s First Birthday Party. Such occasions are always guaranteed to please. Alcohol flows like a Bangladeshi storm and the ?talent? is normally pretty high. Veranda?s 1st definitely lived up to the standard. There was no shortage of drinks and exceptionally good looking people. Actually I think I need to say that again to reinforce just good looking the people were. A talent scout?s dream. Bankers, lawyers, PR and advertising execs and every model in Sydney crammed the vast expanse for many, many hours. As my night became more and more liquefied my confidence rose and I began to feel comfortable amongst the beauties. Embracing my champagne bravado I decided to have a look around. My mission - to ascertain what it is about Verandah that attracts all these beautiful people. At first glance Verandah appears like a corporate warehouse. It?s an immense space with polished concrete floors, ultra-high ceilings and an exceptionally long bar that wraps itself like a snake around the entire right wall. To the left are a series of high-backed booths fit for four, if you?re after a bit of intimacy. However once you walk past all this, and it will take you a while, you come to the centrepiece. With views down to Castlereagh St and across to Gucci and the MLC Centre the indoor-outdoor veranda from which the venue gets its name is the star of the show. The great thing about bars in Sydney as opposed to Melbourne or London is that they can embrace the outdoors. Even at its most miserable Sydney?s weather isn?t that bad. So the idea of an indoor-outdoor place such as Verandah is actually feasible. Drinking outdoors is sexy. Sipping a cosmopolitan in the sun is a lot sexier than guzzling a pint inside some 1960?s tiled-wall and green carpet hovel. Such a large space can be dangerous. Not safety dangerous, but even worse, aesthetically dangerous, if not worked properly. When full the place goes off. However you get the feeling that if it was just you and a few others there you would feel like you were definitely in the wrong place. However this time I was definitely in the right place. Ordinarily drinks are reasonably priced and the cocktails are amazing. Verandah has two restaurants. One fine dining space and another BBQ-bistro fusion on the Verandah itself. More on these two eateries in the coming weeks. All in all Verandah rates, highly. Why do people go there? Verandah has the right balance of bar and sex. You don?t feel cramped there. You can drink outside whilst not being on the street and look down on the people below. Verandah?s clientele are definitely more corporate than average, but they?re not so corporate as to make you feel like you crashed a board meeting. There are loads of the jeans-and-trainers brigade scattered around too, so there's no need to wear a suit. My advice, give it a go - you could be, as I was, in for a pleasant surprise. 60 Castlereagh St Sydney 2000 02 9238 0888 www.theverandah.com.au Large, open space where cocktails can be enjoyed in the sun Could be too corporate for some The place to be if you're up for a night out with the beautiful people ?
Buried Child	Melissa Lane	29th September 2002	reviews	Dark humour and dark secrets in the decay of USA! Sam Shepard?s written in 1978, is an interesting, yet disturbing, insight into the post-Vietnam War American society. Shephard explores the values that the American society hold dear and exposes the thin veneer that separate idealistic values and dysfunctional family-life in rural Illinois. The story opens with two ?monologues? from the farmer?s wife Halie (Judi Farr) and her husband, Dodge (Max Cullen). Two monologues because the beauty of this couple?s communication, is that they both talk at each other, with neither listening to what the other person is saying. Their inability to hear, or more correctly, listen to each other, sets the scene for a family who suffer from poor communication. They lack any intimacy or positive unity; the only thing that bonds this ?non-family? is an agreement to suppress some grotesque family business. The family are custodians of a secret that remains unresolved. Their unwillingness to confront their past has led the family to disintegrate into a dysfunctional unit, who not only avoid the past, but also can not face the present. The family live in an old farmhouse that reflects the past glories of God, family and country. These icons of faith and patriotism, however, are symbolic of yesterday?s USA, which is where the family (and American society) are trapped. The picture of Jesus is dusty, the living room is tatty and family photographs are fading away. Old USA versus new USA result in the deus ex machina. Halie?s and Dodge?s grandson, Vince (Damon Herriman) and his new-age girlfriend, Shelly (Kate Mulvany), drop in to say ?howdy? to the old folks on the farm. Vince finds that the productive, content farm he remembers from his past has degenerated into a barren, derelict landscape. Shelly, as the outsider, plays an excellent role in her efforts to uncover the truth from a family who is living a lie. She is the new style of American, ready to confront the past and move forward. It is her curiosity, assertiveness and determination, that breaks Dodge down to unearth the family secret. Halie plays a solid and significant role on many levels. Although to the casual observer she may be holding the family together, she is actually self-righteous, manipulating and deluded. The way Halie treats her two sons; Bradley (Ken Radley) and Tilden (Steve Le Marquand), is as bizarre as her relationship with Dodge. The place of women in modern day America is an interesting aspect of Halie?s character. Her Christian values can be seen, but only superficially. Her interaction with the priest, Father Dewis (John Higgins), is a novel relationship, as she only ever flirts and skirts around the idea of religious virtues. Halie?s spirit, and that of her family, is as neglected as their lifeless farmland. The manhood of middle America lies neutered on his couch. Dodge, in his highly commendable performance, is disempowered sexually and physically, and he lounges around on his sofa with an increasing dependence on alcohol and drugs. Dodge provided most of the humour in which often had a good cross-section of the audience laughing at his one-liners. is a tragic masterpiece, astutely interpreted by director Gale Edwards. It is on show at The Belvoir Street Theatre from 27 September to 20 October. Many families have a skeleton in their closet, not many have one in their backyard. Shelly, plays an excellent role. Wanted to know who the father was of the buried child. Dodge provided most of the humour, which kept the audience laughing. Gale Edwards Drama 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills, Sydney. 20 October Max Cullen, Judi Farr, Damon Herriman, John Higgins. Steve Le Marquand, Kate Mulvany, Ken Radley. ?
Fever	Kim Edwards	29th September 2002	reviews	Last night I saw a most remarkable piece of theatre. I went, unsure what to expect, and left talking non-stop about the works and the performances ? and haven?t stopped yet! proclaims their aim is to ?entertain, stimulate and activate,? and their latest production is spectacular evidence of their dedication to this objective. comprises of five original works ? four short plays by acclaimed writers Andrew Bovell (of Lantana fame), Patricia Cornelius, Melissa Savant and Christos Tsiolkas, and a stirring musical composition entitled by Irine Vela, which reiterates the theme and binds the plays together. With collaborative works I often find: firstly, that the separate sections do not always hold together well, and secondly, that there are usually weaker pieces amidst the collection. literally blew this myth out the water. The four plays are entwined and overlapping, and share recurring themes of birth, race, conflict, politics, gender, social influence, and continually the pervading image of the liminal river. From the poignant tension of ?The Chair? and the war-stricken world-gone-mad of ?Psalms,? to the dark but sometimes funny mother-love of ?Blunt? and the surreal humour of ?Savant,? each piece was excellent in its own right, and even more affecting in conjunction with its sibling works. Seven actors played a vast variety of roles each, and it is a distinct credit to all of them that I cannot single out one alone who was either weaker or stronger than fellow actors. David Adamson, Rodney Afif, Tony Briggs, Daniela Farinacci, Eugenia Fragos, Leroy Parsons and Pauline Whyman ? my continuing applause to you all, for your diverse and stunning performing skills, from the wryest humour to the most heart-wrenching revelations. I much admired Julian Meyrick?s sleek and thoughtful direction. Something I particularly appreciate in creating theatre is the use of the particular space for the particular play, and I have rarely seen it done this well. The rather awkward performance area of the ?New? Ballroom at Trades Hall, with its minimal exits, cumbersome windows and nothing like ?wing? space became an advantage for smooth scene changes and clever interlinking of the texts. The actors themselves moved props, changed costumes centre stage and silently watched from against the walls during other scenes: stage management which was often designed to create atmosphere, establish character or suggests transitions between the scenes, rather than detracting from the performance. I loved the simplicity of set and backdrop, and was delighted with the lighting designs of Paul Jackson, with the distinct mood changes between scenes, and the wonderful use of outdoor lighting, which made the windows themselves a striking part of the set. Mention must be made of the music in this production, which was so atmospheric, and thematic for each play, including some superb vocalising from the cast as well as the sensitive work of the three musicians in view during the whole performance: Amanda Rowarth, Mulaim Vela, and Irine herself. This is, quite simply, truly great theatre in so many ways; and I?m only sorry the size of the audience didn?t reflect the quality of the performance to which we were privy. A wonderful night of fun, powerful and moving entertainment. Wonderful performances and fantastic scripts. That the theatre wasn't packed. Simply fabulous theatre. Julian Meyrick Play New Ballroom, Trades Hall, Melbourne 5 October David Adamson, Rodney Afif, Tony Briggs, Daniela Farinacci Eugenia Fragos, Leroy Parsons and Pauline Whyman ?
Primal Scream -Evil Heat	Tim Lohman	4th September 2002	cd-reviews	It?s grown to be a bit of an in-joke for reviewers every time Primal Scream manage to release a new album (and that?s not nearly often enough); to see who can be the first to make the call that the latest release is the best since . I?m not the first to make that call this time ?round, nor am I going to fall into the trap of claiming that is better than . But, I will gladly fall into the easy call that any Primal is good Primal. And with album number eight in greedy hands, this reviewer finds with mixed feelings that even Primal Scream have being bitten by the 80?s Electro bug sweeping the globe. But this is not a bad thing. Album opener ?Deep Hit Of Morning Sun? chirps like a forest of maligned cicadas with pensive lyrics to match. With this track the mood is set for one heck of a manic shift to the dance floor flurry of ?Miss Lucifer?. This baby?s all wild fury and over the top screams of ?Shake it baby!? In what is becomes a trademark of the album we switch next to the juxtaposed wistful floating of ?Autobahn 66? ? a more than reminiscent drive down the highway of ?Shoot Speed/Kill Light?. ?Detroit? gets stomping with analogue arpeggio goodness and ?Rise? is all dirty bass and tambourine. ?The Lord Is My Shotgun? sleazes through an electro-cowboy-blues romp and is an interesting if not wasteful use of the guest talent of ex-Led Zep front man, Robert Plant. ?City? and ?Skull X? are strangely out of place as the only two actual Rock songs on the disc. Their? overdriven screeching and wailing are again more than a little reminiscent of earlier days and offerings (?Accelerator? for example). ?Some Velvet Morning? -a strong contender for best cut, is all steamy insinuation with silky smooth and suitably vacuous vocals from none other than ex-super model Kate Moss. And who says models are only good to look at? Despite brimming with late night thrills, ?Space Blues #2? comes along to close the album and remind us that all in life can?t be fun and games. It?s almost as if your high and the morning have come down like a led zeppelin and it?s time to cleanse your soul and atone in meek and humble whispers. for it?s 40 something minute ride is fun enough. Though after the bar is raised and you?re staggering away, you can?t quite remember why the ride thrilled you so much - and that is never a good thing. But like all Primal Scream releases it is a snapshot of 5 manic lives switching to and fro with drug fuelled energy. It is also a fair call to dub ?electronic garage band future rock'n'roll" as frontman Bobbie Gellespie has and the disc is an apt entree for the unfamiliar, but no feast for the hungry and well aquainted. Primal Scream Electronic garage band future rock'n'roll Columbia ?
QOTSA - Songs For The Deaf	Tim Lohman	7th September 2002	cd-reviews	From the opening rip on by-the-numbers rock radio, QOTSA?s capstone in its ?Robot Rock? trilogy is a great-big, striped-down, fuck you to the musical world. Whether you take the title and ensuing track segues as a jab at mindless music buying audiences, insipid radio stations or cynical record companies, QOTSA are back to remind you what rock is all about. The strength of the message is in no small part to the presence of Dave Grohl on drum duties this time round who not only brings a wealth of four-on-the-floor beats and a whole lotta street cred, but a super tight foundation for Homme and Oliveri to let fly off. Nirvana fans will be left foaming with tracks like ?A Song for the Dead? and ?A Song for the Deaf?. Homme and Oliveri more than pull their weight too and truly stun with their unique ability to spit out the rock riffs like a lama on a peyote binge. Part of their talent to do so lies in their deliberate rotating line-up. In keeping themselves to the core of ex Kyuss Homme and Oliveri, they can, and do with each new record, draw upon a bank of musical talent stretching from LA to Seattle. Not only does this band span a geographic expanse but a musically symbolic and historic one too. Seattle a decade ago was a city that earned more than a couple of column inches about how it was also responsible for ?saving? rock?n?roll from some of it?s bastard Hair Metal cousins (several of which hailed from LA). And in 2002 we may well parallel calls for Nu Metal. (Though in 2002 we no longer have hair, fire and leather, but crew cuts, sports wear and whining rich kids.) But it would be hasty and foolish to make a ?QOTSA are saving rock and roll call? ?cause they just aren?t doing that. Instead, they?re just giving us a reminder, a wake up call if you will about what rock was meant to be ??four on the floor baby!? also marks a change. Whether it?s a desire to shake off the wearisome burden of the ?Stoner Rock? tag, his Kyuss heritage or as a sign of maturity, Homme has taken the bold step of ditching long-time production cohort Chris Goss and producing it largely by himself. Whether this is a good thing is debatable, but the album has certainly lost the creamy fuzz and desert haze of previous releases and gained a harder edge that stalks rather than grooves its way through your stereo. Gone too are the more experimental elements that started to come to the fore in . It?s as if the recent talk of the rebirth of rock has been nothing less than a red rag to a bull. And these kids are gonna take all you of you to school and show up the likes of BRMC as shrinking Violets and The Strokes as the pansies they really are. is quite the head-trip and really quite menacing when it finally begins to seep in. At least on their eponymous debut and you could smell the drug addled head mess from a mile off, but fools you. Hiding its psychosis in cleverly crafted Beatles-esque pop visages that lull you into a dear-in-headlights bewilderment you can?t help but nod in mesmerised awe of what these cats are capable of. Case in point: ?Hidden? song ?Mosquito Song? is a soundtrack to the long tired march through the gates of Hell if ever I heard one. And flip side ?Everybody?s Gonna Be Happy? has to be the soundtrack to the beach party by the sea of boiling tar where you wake up to find that that sweet smell of BBQed burgers and dogs of in the distance is nothing but the stink of your roasting soul. Either way you cut it is a lesson many should take head of. Queens of the Stoneage 4 on the Floor Interscope ?
Surviving Uni	Tanya	4th October 2002	life	Uni? It's a blast! Sleeping in till midday, a few random classes here and there, copious hours spent at the bar contemplating life over a line up of beers with fellow 'uni bum's'. No work, constant party. No worries mate! Ahem... excuse me... do you remember who it was that told you this story? Go and find them now, and give them a bit of a beating. You may be different to me, but if you listened to them and got to uni expecting a free ride, you may have found things a little shocking to the system. Sure, there are great aspects to uni - the people can be great, happy hour can be a great time for breaking down barriers to friendship with a few schooners of anxiolitic and, if your timetable allows, then sleeping in might rate highly on the list of ways you get to spend your time. Unfortunately however, the carriers of these myths often forgot to warn us about the other side of uni life, or tell us how to deal with it! I don't really remember much mention of the confusion of the first six months (especially if you move to somewhere where you don't have the trusty school crowd to hang out with so you don't have to bother experiencing the realities of loneliness), impending deadlines, lack of cash, over tiredness, copious reading, high levels of stress etc. Actually, no, I don't recall much advice on that front at all. So I'm going to attempt to give some. (Keeping in mind that I am an undergrad and as such haven't really figured anything out!) I've heard from lecturers and tutors themselves who still feel highly fraudulent and don't quite know how they got where they are, so I'm just going to assume that the feeling is a general part of the whole uni experience. It seems the way it works is that you just fake it till you make it. So here's my advice on some of the mess that can arise at uni, and how I've (tried) to deal with it. So what about cash? Uni is not cheap and if Brendon Nelson has much to do with it, we can expect that uni fee's will rise almost tenfold in the near future. The financial strain of uni will be different for everyone, depending upon whether you live at home or rent, pay upfront or commit yourself to an impending HECS debt, have parental support or rely on trusty centerlink payments. Whichever way you look at it, the strain does exist - more for some than others. Centerlink, as far as I am concerned from personal experience and that of friends and relatives, has a long way to go before it is a reliable and reputable organisation for students to depend on. It makes me angry that I've known people to suddenly receive centerlink letters telling them that, due to a centerlink screw up, they now have a personal debt of $9000 + dollars which they are expected to pay back. This, on top of HECS debts, is not conducive to great mental health for a student struggling to pay rent and eat on the little money that they were 'accidentally' receiving. I've known people to get married, disown their families, work and study full time ( in order to obtain independence by Centrelink standards), all in order to claim for centerlink benefits to obtain an education and further themselves. I've also known others to somehow obtain more that one benefit at the same time, and get away with it. So it seems that the justice in our system is highly unbalanced. However, there are a few other avenues to try if you have found that you cannot survive on Centerlink payments alone and you are not lucky enough to have assistance from your family. Run to your uni, drop your pride and BEG! No, really, if you have been living with a bunch of monkey's but can't afford bond money to move out, or if you have reasonable academic merit and a need for money, there are things you can do about it. Your university should have a financial assistance office. Make it one of your first priorities to find out where it is and the services offered. It took me a year to do this, and has been highly beneficial - perhaps if I had discovered it earlier I would have had an easier first year. The office exists because you are not the first person to have money issues! They are there to help, and certainly do. Student loans (no interest) are available depending on level of need and with reasonable payback schemes, as are various bursaries (money for books), scholarships etc. Do yourself a favour and apply for anything you think you might be remotely eligible for. Remotely! So far this year I have received $1700 dollars worth of assistance from the university in the way of loans and bursaries, when I thought initially I wouldn't be eligible for anything. Bursaries do very often run on academic merit, but it seems that so few people are actually aware of their availability, the competition may not be as severe as you first think. Or you really aren't doing as badly as you imagined. Either way, I can't recommend this enough. Stop reading and go. NOW! ?
Secrets and Lies	Karen Stuart	2nd October 2002	pulse	The vast majority of people now recognise that deliberately starved chickens standing on sloped wires, popping out eggs like cheap machinery are not an ideal means of making breakfast. So why is it still the norm? According to market research*, about 65 per cent of us disapprove of the widespread "battery" method of hen farming. This is where the birds are kept on average for a year in wire mesh cages only 40cm high with a floor area per bird of 450 cm2 - about three-quarters of the size of an A4 piece of paper. The Australian public loses its appetite on hearing that battery cages do not allow the hens to stand properly, preen their feathers, stretch out or flap their wings, or that battery hens cannot perch, cannot roost, cannot dustbathe, cannot forage for food, cannot satisfy their urge to lay their eggs in a nest?. Independent audits of consumer opinion confirm this. The problem facing farmers, the ACCC, animal rights organisations and retail outlets, however, is how to enable the 65 per cent of people who are willing to check a box saying battery farming is unacceptable to put their money where their mouths are. In the (conspicuous) absence of legislation, how can we enable market forces to push these practices back to the dark ages? That sounds like the sort of thing that should happen of its own and to a certain extent it is. Free range, organic and barn laid eggs now make up the fastest-growing sector of the egg market. On the other hand, sales of "cruelty free" eggs currently stand at around eight per cent**, a much lower figure than the surveys mentioned above would lead us to expect. So is this just an example of moral cowardice when it comes to the number crunch? Free range and barn laid eggs are, after all, more expensive than those from the battery system. According to several animal rights groups, this isn't what's keeping the batteries full. The has continually pushed for clearer labelling on the grounds that consumers simply aren't always aware that the eggs they're buying come from battery hens in the kind of conditions described above. "They think that because battery cages are legal they must be 'okay'. Insufficient labelling means that many consumers are unaware they are buying eggs from hens kept in battery cages," said RSPCA Australia President Dr Hugh Wirth. But the RSPCA's own latest commercial strategy to put an end to the suffering of hens has met with harsh criticism from other animal rights groups such as . You may have noticed cartons of Pace Farm eggs in your local Coles supermarket endorsed with the RSPCA logo. These eggs are laid in barns, by hens which the RSPCA claims on their labels are "Free from Hunger and Thirst; Free from Pain and Injury; Free from Fear and Distress; Free from Discomfort and Free to express themselves". What a great idea! Melding the credibility of the RSPCA with the distribution network of Australia's largest egg farmer! Not so, according to Patty Mark, ALV's president. Animal liberationists their raids on the Pace Farm barns have found hens in pitiful conditions. Whether or not you believe these claims you will probably be surprised to see the RSPCA backing Pace Farms at all - a company which maintains battery farming practices alongside its "niche market" barn laid product. In fact, Pace Farms is currently planning to build the largest battery egg factory in the Southern Hemisphere at West Wyalong, NSW. The RSPCA remains firmly opposed to battery farming. Its Web site declares the practice inhumane and reports that scientific evidence indicates that battery hens suffer intensely and continuously throughout their confinement in cages. And yet the organisation accepted $110,000 last year in royalties from the sale of Pace Farm's barn laid eggs. It has previously accepted sponsorship payments of over $35,000 from the company. This apparent conflict of interests is raising eyebrows not only amongst RSPCA critics but within the organisation itself. Melbourne's newspaper reported yesterday that the RSPCA's own board's opinion is divided on the Pace Farms scheme. Eight of the board's members moved to cut all ties with Pace, claiming the relationship was in breach of the RSPCA's constitution. The motion was defeated, with 30 members voting against it. Victorian farmer Hans Kasputtis, who raised the matter, said he would now consider taking legal action over the apparent breach of the RSPCA's constitution, according to . Amid claims that the RSPCA's acceptance of royalties would diminish its ability to fairly monitor the conditions within its endorsed farms, Dr Wirth denied a conflict of interest, saying that most of the funds had been spent in administering the scheme. The RSPCA has not responded to any of vibewire's requests for comment on the issue. : for part two of this article as we seek a positive alternative to the current situation of cruelty and disappointed trust. * Independent surveys by AGB McNair in 1994 and 1998 ? Information on conditions sourced from the RSPCA ** Source: Egg Industry Service Provision Bill 2002 http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bd/2002-03/03bd040.htm Photo: Animal Liberation Victoria claim this hen was rescued on July 5, 2001 from the RSPCA-approved Barn-laid shed at Pace Eggs in South Morang. According to ALV many hens had huge hardened faecal balls on their legs and claws and were severely dehydrated ?
One Side of the NYWF Coin	anna poletti	2nd October 2002	events	I got involved as one of the zines.comics coordinators as someone with a bit of "coordinating know-how"; having co-managed the in 2000. I was asked to write this piece to give some insight into the process, and I must admit to having some trepidation in exposing the nuts and bolts of our part of the NYWF machine (oh, wait! They're not nuts and bolts! They're rubber-bands and icy-pole sticks?eek!). So what did we do? How have we put together such a great looking program (insert modest blush here) and live to tell the tale? First off, I'm sure Katy Stevens (the other side of the coin) would have a very different story to tell than mine. I'm blessed with living in Newcastle (the festival hub) and having the close by; with super fast internet access and a beautiful zine library to distract me when things get a bit hectic. I also have unlimited access to the brain of one of last year's organisers, Paul Ventricle. Plus I have face-to-face meetings with festival head honcho Kylie Purr; which is very nice, and incredibly useful. is organised primarily via email. This is increasingly true for the NYWF, with coordinators this year living in Adelaide, Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney and Perth. So the first step towards putting the program together is to set up an email address with a reliable server and good interface - Octapod to the rescue! (zines.comics@youngwritersfestival.org) The first step that Katy and I did, once we got the job, was to brainstorm ideas of what we'd like the program to be. We chatted to Paul and Riva (last year's coordinators) about what they thought worked and what didn't, and pumped various friends, acquaintances, strangers and passers-by for ideas and feedback on what the program's strengths and weaknesses were. A lot of this stuff is conducted on the zines and zinesandfun egroups (hosted by yahoogroups). Katy and I came up with a list of maybe 12 or so sessions that we thought had legs and then went about trying to find "good" people for them. What qualifies someone as "good" for a NYWF session? 1. they are opinionated 2. they are not TOO opinionated 3. they are prepared to come to Newcastle for no money 4. they think about what they do/practice/produce, and like to hear what others think about it 5. they have an email address (this is sad, but kinda true at the moment, because we don't have the resources to scout out people from far flung corners of the continent.) We had two main aims with this year's program; one was to try to bring new people to talk about new things, and the other was to try to involve more comics people, which was quite a task for us, given that neither of us are comic producers or are particularly "in" with that community (both indie and commercial). We thought that we (as coordinators) were in quite a unique position given that neither of us are particularly entrenched in the Australian zine community. We thought that in shaping this year's program, we could play to our strengths by trying to introduce different topics of discussion, and framing the Australian zine scene in a new way. We were very lucky to have a great number of people around us who were able to suggest names and supply contacts for people who might be suitable for these topics, but we also tried to research some stuff on our own; to fill the gaps in the existing communities knowledge. Katy in particular did some hard slog on getting new (and old) comics people to come to the festival, and framing the sessions in a way that would be useful to them. The other thing that we had to be thinking about from day one was the zine fair (which now has the succinct name TRADE-O-RAMA-A-THON!); which has become a bit of a tradition since it was started in 1999. So all the way through our emailing frenzy, we were collating a big list of people who are planning to bring their wares to peddle. Last year, there were bands playing alongside the zine fair, but people felt that it was too noisy and hard to chat, so this year we've organised a screening of an Australian zine doco; which is a bit quieter and allows people to mingle and chat - which seems to be what they like! At the height of our organising frenzy (August) I was reading approximately 60 emails a day, and writing many many more. One of the most exciting aspects of this gig is getting to meet all the people you've been emailing for three or so months before the festival. But the email does get a bit much at times! Luckily Paul and Kylie have a preference for face-to-face communication wherever possible. Katy and I try to talk on the phone regularly when things were getting to crunch time. So, that's about all I can think of to write here. I hope you're coming to NYWF this year, and you'll find the time to visit a zines.comics session. Not long to go now! NEWCASTLE OCT 3-7 ALL THE TIME! national@youngwritersfestival.org ?
Stalking Elmo	Gab Aghion	30th September 2002	original	STALKING ELMO I picked up the phone. ?Stalkers Anonymous.? ?I want someone stalked,? replied the gravelly rasp of a chain smoker. It sounded familiar. ?Description of your stalkee?? ?About three foot high. Red fur. Bulbous eyes. Laughs a lot.? ?Hey, is that Oscar the Grouch?? I asked. ?Don?t be so nosy! Let?s just say I?m a representative of the Sesame Street Guild of Muppets. He?s been stealing our limelight and now we?re being made redundant. I?ll pay you five thousand upfront, and another five grand when he quits Sesame Street. Now scram.? The phone clicked. My partner was standing at the front desk closing an account. ?Let?s see, madam. That was three stalks and one letter. Four phone calls ? two after-hours. And a brick through the window. Less your frequent stalkers discount ? that comes to two hundred and ten dollars. And remember, stalking is now tax deductible.? Even though we had decided to reject all high-profile jobs because of celebrities? unpredictability, we had still underestimated the demand when we opened. Everyone wanted someone stalked. Your ex-husband. A neighbour. The guy that cut you off at the lights. We were rushed off our feet. And uninspired. I began stalking Elmo like a boxer sizing up his opponent, dancing around throwing testing jabs. He proved quite resilient to the usual moves. It was time for the heavy-weight. I disguised myself in a milkman?s uniform and drove down Sesame Street to the house with the yellow shutters. I swapped his delivered milk for the cartons in my van, filled with Brussels Sprout juice. That evening I hid in the bushes and watched the colour blind monster pour a bright green night cap into a glass. As I snuck away I heard the sound of sprayed liquid and coughing. Later in the week I masqueraded as a worker in the ?Tickle me Elmo? production factory. I switched the recorded laughing in every fluffy doll with a crying track. Sales plummeted. Elmo walked around the recording studio muttering to himself and shaking his head. On weekends I visited the local pounds across the city, acting as a dog cleaner. Whilst washing pooches I collected thousands of fleas, and released them in Elmo?s bed. A month later the newspapers reported that Elmo had fled Sesame Street. He was spotted checking into a rehabilitation clinic in the country shaking, scratching at patchy fur and with bags hanging under his bloodshot eyes. His agent received a resignation letter, without a return address. My partner and I have since separated. Oscar the Grouch continues to supply me with a steady stream of work. This year I have stolen Ernie?s rubber ducky and laced Cookie Monster?s food with ground sleeping tablets. I am planning to steal the number three from The Count?s collection. The money is fantastic but I miss working for real people. ?
movement and stop signs	Kelly Lee	23rd November 2002	original	hip hop bounces off the walls off the city too many butterscotch dreams for you my lover writes me letters that mention in passing his new lovers name. I am filled with salt and felafel haunted by the smells of lebanese food. I wake to the fiscal demise of my wallet. My state of mind is in ancarchy the matriachy has left town all that is left is the cook and the hand maid fucking franticlly in the garden shed. ?
they call it food	Kelly Lee	30th September 2002	original	The city is black and open locked in the everlasting quickie with the moon now that Gods back is turned. I am wrapped in blankets, in dreams, in unfolding plans a million pans in the kitchen of hope only one of them contains food. In the the crotch of a panty hose dawn we look for scraps and fragments of meat. ?
kelly lee	creator profile	30th September 2002	life	Kelly Lee travels round the country pretending to promote her poetry but really she is just running away from bad lovers. ?
bills, Darlinghurst	Lisa_Ritchie	30th September 2002	where_to_go_cafes	My perfect Saturday morning involves the following indispensable elements: a sun drenched caf?, the weekend papers, a decadent brunch and someone special to share it with. While this is not too rare an encounter in this caf?-centric city, bills (Darlinghurst) is an open, airy and cheerful caf? that allows for a spirit restoring retreat from the working week in simplicity and style. The first notable attribute of bills is its large communal table covered in newspapers and lifestyle magazines. Presumably the purpose of this is to facilitate a sense of community, but I found talking to my partner side-on irritating, and I was constantly aware of, and distracted by, people shifting and talking around me. But in the end, my stomach ruled the day: all was immediately forgiven upon a quick perusal of the menu and the plates arriving around me. This is the kind of the decision under pressure that I embrace: should I have the ricotta pancakes with honeycomb butter or the thickly sliced coconut bread? Perhaps the sweet corn fritters with roma tomatoes, bacon and baby spinach? All of it looks (and on the basis of the sighs of contentment around me, tastes) divine. Even the usually humble muesli, fruit and yogurt dish is transformed into the delightful, served with shredded apple and honey yogurt too creamy to be believed. bills is not merely the latest fly-by-night designer muffin joint: it is intimate, modern, excellently priced and the food is exceptional. 433 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst 2010 9360 9631 http://city.superfuture.com/city/reviews/review.cfm?ID=433 friendly staff; exceptional food the communal table a lazy summer weekend ?
Greek Tragedy	Joyce Chau	1st October 2002	reviews	Suburbia as a place of isolation, emotional dishonesty and entrapment is not exactly a new nor riveting idea. But in this conception of suburbia is not merely symbolic; it is a suffocating reality that is examined in painful detail. We are all trapped, along with the characters, there in that Marrickville house with the nylon kitchen floor, brown furnishings and mottled carpet. There is no escape. No bohemian artists? colony round the corner. Just the house and the scream of passenger jets overhead, perhaps carrying more people destined for the wretched suburbs. centres on the interactions and relationships between six people of Greek backgrounds, tied by marriage, blood, the suburbs and the garment industry. Kalliope (Elena Carapetis) is the pregnant outworker. A recent immigrant, she is trapped in a drab house and a loveless marriage. Her husband, Alex (Adam Hatz) is a bitter and self-loathing cutter at a garment factory, owned by Larry (George Spartels) a jovial but bullying ?migrant done good?. was created in 1989 as a result of a collaborative effort between British director Mike Leigh and and as the result of Leigh?s now famous improvisation process, where the end product is unknown. After an extensive audition process, Leigh found that six of the short listed actors were of Greek decent. The strength of this particular production is that it is a detailed though often pained examination of suburbia?s brutal underbelly. Life for Larry in particular is an economic treadmill; living is a mundane struggle, emotional isolation and violence are forms of release. Suburbia is also portrayed as an inherently patriarchal place. Although the banter about the preferability of sons to daughters is funny at first, the gender dynamics of the play take a disturbing turn at the end. Even Vicki (Deborah Galanos), the play?s comic ethnic stereotype- the leopard prints, bejewelled, crumpled clothing=heart attack, zealous mother- is not immune. The other dimension of the migrant?s story of displacement and loss of cultural identity is largely secondary. The so-called homeland reminiscences, ranging from wistful to bitter or just ill-conceived (?it?s always hot in Athens!?), are still there. But, the emotional suffering of each character is presented as the result of their interpersonal relationships rather than something exotic or particular to the migrant experience. A problem with this production however, is the characterisation of Kalliope, the play?s central character. She hums along to folk songs. She is demure, smiling and hospitable. She pours the drinks and arranges the biscuits, believing in a whimsy kind of way that all tension and moments of social awkwardness can be soothed with the appearance of the crystal set. Her taut face is the only sign of her unhappiness. She is a victim. She is a passive victim and although there may not be anything wrong with this in itself- it makes the play?s conclusion odd, perhaps a little incoherent even if the ending is meant to be ambiguous. In a way is ironically titled. While the central character in the classic meets their end due to their own fatal flaw and failure to make guided choices, the characters in seem to have no choice at all. Their predicament is static, no amount of foresight nor wisdom can alter their realities. They cannot escape. Emotionally confronting and realistic. Can be disconcerting. An intense and emotionally draining 80 minutes, a lot is packed in even though the entire play is set within one room. Evdokia Katahanas Drama Belvoir St- downstairs, Sydney 20 October Elena Carapetis, Adam Hatz Deborah Galanos, George Spartels Nicholas Papdemetriou, Jen Apostolou ?
Below the net - the earth	jOhn pace	2nd October 2002	pulse	by Insert==== Play---- Fast forward>>>> Under the tutelage of neoliberalism's 'sustainable development' venture, with its manifest eco-capital enterprises like ecotourism, and its proposed carbon credit scheme, ecological value is being refigured and refined as a unit of global informational capital >>>> Communication networks facilitate the flow of information-as-capital >>>> Ecologies are being objectified as information transferable through electronic networks >>>> Informational capital is essentially ethereal, and most often ephemeral >>>> Ecological value has been hitherto edaphic and enduring >>>> A shift is occurring from rugged mountainous ontologies to salt-pan-flat *ontologia* >>>> Ecological value is shifting from pieces to bits >>>> This is a problem. Play---- The study of ecological value must be taken out of the natural and into the cultural, for it is within the cultural that ecological values are propagated - and it is those values that determine how we act on, in, and through our environments, and ultimately engage as ecological agents. The study of ecological value must also be taken out of the organic and into the technological. We do not experience, apprehend, nor understand our ecologies by dint of organic ecological interaction - we come to value ecologies through our quotidian interaction with techno-economic, *representational* ecological forms and processes such as gardens, pastures, parks, footpath bound trees, roundabout ringed shrubs, ecotourism retreats, nature documentaries - artefactual ecologies as technological as toasters - dromoecologies. The study of ecology must be the study of relationships, not things. It must acknowledge the shift in ecological value that has accompanied the technological shift in how that value is expressed. Ecological value is expressed economically through the communicative technologies of economic expression - the myriad networks that comprise the Internet. The study of ecology must also be simultaneously regarded as the study of the political economy of ecology, and as such, as a system of communication, and communicative power. Subsequently, attention needs be paid to the ways in which ecologies, or more precisely, ecological values are communicated, by whom and for what reasons, and the peculiarities of the medium and means by which that communication is performed. Global communication networks facilitate the movement of new forms of ecological value. For instance, 'the new carbon commodities created by Kyoto would add up to US$2.345 trillion, the largest invention of monetary assets by voluntary international treaty in history' (The Cornerhouse, 2002). This value is predominantly abstract and informational. Information communication technologies are the platform on which this value will be exchanged, valorised, and stored. Throughout history, shifts in technologies have altered the ways in which we interact with our ecologies - from the plough to the pixel, from the discovery of iron to the Discovery Channel. Similarly, our conceptions of value have also shifted with new ways of exchanging that value. The Internet is facilitating a new form of ecological value, and as such, a new way of valuing our ecological relationships - by price. Thus, the study of ecology must acknowledge this shift and consider the impact of ecological apprehension based on digitised, commodified, abstract, referentless and subjective immaterialities - the value conflation of reefs and roses, trees and toasters. The study of ecology needs to also be the study of ecological value. Moreover, the study of ecological value needs to be the study of how that value is communicated, why, and in what form. > Space and cyberspace need to be reconciled in the study of ecology, for actions in cyberspace have material effects - indeed, the role of cultural ecological study is to highlight that dominant ways of communicating ideas and values bear direct impact on dominant ways of acting on, in, and through material ecologies - that is, what lies below the net, is the earth. Reference: THE CORNER HOUSE (2002) Democracy or Carbocracy? Intellectual Corruption and the Future of the Climate Debate. Downloaded from http://cornerhouse.icaap.org/briefings/24.pdf Stop... ?
Gerard Manion Theatre Designer	Samara Fitzpatrick	12th September 2002	interviews	On Wednesday 11th September returns to Sydney after a successful season at the Opera House in May and a tour that has included Melbourne and Canberra. This time playing at the is a frantic and poetic production by the that showcases artists beyond the performers on stage. Composer Matthew Hindson, costume designer Akira Isogawa, lighting designer Damien Cooper and stage designer Gerard Manion all contribute to the production in ways that govern the show?s style. For Gerard Manion stage and theatre design was never a job he consciously sought. Manion?s involvement with stage design and Graeme Murphy began after he was commissioned to do the design for Murphy?s 1999 production Murphy had seen Manion?s exhibition of paintings focussing on musicians and left his phone number for Manion to contact him. "I had no idea what it was about. I guessed he was interested in commissioning some portraits of the dancers." Manion?s background in painting and drawing ended up being to his advantage; "Because I?m not a designer I wasn?t restricted by what had to be done. But I?m not just an artist who sits down and paints so I enjoyed the challenge." For he has created a huge, hanging elliptical metal sculpture which has drawn likenesses to the ABC logo on several occasions. Murphy has referred to the design, which frames the dancers, as ?glorious?. "I?ve learnt a lot about engineering in the process, things like radial bends and stress loads? (design) is all about compromise, you have to make sure everything is structurally sound so there was a lot of consultation involved." Manion has a diploma in fine arts majoring in drawing, painting and printmaking from Armidale TAFE college but no formal education in stage design. But as far as education is concerned he doesn?t think much of the formal requirements of art school; "I?m the wrong person to talk to about education and art school. Half the marks they give you are for the process you use, but half of the creative juices it takes to create something can?t come from processes." The actual process for creating the design for started a year before the show opened. Murphy provided Manion with a basic visual brief around which to work and then he collaborated with engineers to determine the design. Once the design was created it had to be refined and actually built; "It takes a long time to create an architectural masterpiece." After opening night Manion has little to do with the production apart from a little refining. But he loves the feedback he gets after an opening; "I?ve been very fortunate ? no critics have really disapproved of my design. And it?s great to go backstage and meet people and get their spin on how they saw it." Will he be there for the reopening of the show on Wednesday night? "Absolutely." 9/9/02 telephone Samara Fitzpatrick Gerard Manion ?
The Right Message	Vient Young Ho	3rd October 2002	reviews	was commissioned for involvement in the earlier this year, written by Jane Bodie (who has another production running in the fringe), and directed for the second time this year by Lynn Coleman. The play revolves around the lives of a group of 20?s whose biggest link to each other is their obsessions with their mobile phones, and a weekend, which never seems to happen. The play seems to be written in a slightly absurd but naturalistic style, aimed at people in my age bracket, people in their early to mid 20?s. The language however was completely foreign to me, with words such as ?gaggingly,? and other invented slang which I?ve never heard anyone speak, least of all people my age (and they do have mobile phones!) A possible problem here is that I don?t have a mobile phone (and thus are not part of the mobile phone culture) and therefore possibly because of that, I didn?t connect with the writing. I couldn?t understand exactly whom this play was aimed at or what it was saying. The unfortunate impression I was getting from a lot of the actors on stage was they had no idea either. Thus the play failed to connect with me on many levels. The music, too ephemeral for my taste (sparser or at a bit more surreal would have suited I felt), the language very, very confusing, the acting was for the majority a little too caricatured and disjointed and the performance hesitant with its points but this was probably due to a lack of understanding of the text. I didn?t feel the urge to laugh even though it was obvious you were meant to and a majority of the audience seemed to be hesitant as well. As a result the atmosphere of the performance suffered. However the space was well-handled, despite its size and the fact you had 12 actors crammed into it. The production was performed in the round with a set entirely composed of folding chairs, which kept you on your toes (or at least looking for where the next bit of action might come from). Emily O?Sullivan and Louisa Dousha as members of the chorus kept the pace brisk and the energy up during their scenes whilst Katie Lewis as Rachel brought honesty and a sense of connection that some of the others were struggling to find between the audience and the words. This was most apparent in her scene with Tony Parker (Chris) where Rachel and Chris break up. This was a poignant scene in what is generally a light-hearted comedy. I did feel a genuine sense of sympathy with Rachel. Oh well this really wasn?t my cup of cha, but maybe for others (mobile phone using culture) they may have got something more out of it. Group work, space usage, particular actors, pace Music, script, atmosphere very, very confused and scared? Lynn Coleman Comedy The Pony Bar, Melbourne 26 September Naomi More Katie Lewis Emily O'Sullivan ?
University Heads supports higher student fees	Simon Ross	2nd October 2002	pulse	The Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee (AVCC) has responded to federal education minister Brendan Nelson?s policy review, suggesting that universities should by deregulated further and students forced to pay even higher fees. This influential educational lobby group is made up of the administration of all 38 Australian universities. It has neglected student concerns of decreasing educational quality, rising student poverty and issues of equitable access to higher education for all socio-economic groups, in an attempt to secure more government funding for universities. In a soft approach that effectively ?rubber stamps? government attempts to deregulate the university sector, the AVCC has conveniently ignored the student population. The most disappointing aspect of this decision is that it indicates university management in Australia has given up on principles of educational equity for a short term funding increase. Such a move lacks any long-term vision and only further weakens the status of higher education. The clearest evidence of this is that the key recommendations of the AVCC have little variation from those of the Business Council of Australia. Whilst businesses of all scales are key beneficiaries of public investment in higher education, policy changes to increase the funding obligations of the private sector were not part of the key recommendations made in the review. ?
Slava's Snowshow	Cindy Sheu	2nd October 2002	reviews	Leave your preconceptions behind and let your inner child come out to play. I?ve never liked clowns, I just never found them funny. So I am not hesitant to admit that I came to this show with a somewhat closed mind. Well, has changed my opinion on the matter, for the show opened my eyes to the deeper side of the art of clowning. After successful sold-out seasons in 2000, has returned to the stage, much to the delight of both children and adults alike. From the moment the theatre doors opened, the audience knew that this would be a memorable night. The carpet was already strewn with paper confetti from the finale of the previous night of and anyone who saw the trailer for the show knew that the much talked about grand finale was going to be a spectacular one. But many more surprises were to come for the unsuspecting audience. One look at the set and the audience was taken to the art of Leunig, Victor Kramer?s set design was simple, conveying a sense of isolation and loneliness in a dream-like state, which was very much the prevailing theme of the show. The wide assortment of music was beautiful and haunting, and most importantly, fitting, emphasising the theme of loneliness. It was a magical wonderland and the costume design, with floppy outfits, oversized hats and shoes with the performers? clear and exaggerated expressions took the audience to their playground. All this accomplished without need for words or logic. The movement of the performers in their interaction with one another on this set was reminiscent of the timeless work of Charlie Chaplin and Marcel Marceau. The performers? movements were deliberate yet graceful, harking back to elements of Cirque du Soleil. The ambiguity of the simplicity of the show was at times frustrating and the wait for the climax at times became tedious, thus the intermissions, although sudden, were well placed and served its purpose of bringing the stage to the audience. The show was definitely not all about the performers. The audience are literally caught up in the show?s ?web? of magic and encouraged to interact with the performers. The show?s fusion of slapstick comedy with poetic poignancy, ending in a blinding snowstorm belittling Slava and the audience alike, beckons consideration of life and the individual?s place in the world. It?s little wonder why won Australia's Helpmann Award for Best Visual/Physical Theatre. plays a strictly limited season from September 25 to October 6 at the The set design, lighting, music and outstanding performances, not to mention the much talked about finale. The show was too short. Thoroughly enjoyed by all. Giggling and forgetting your age is definitely encouraged. Victor Kramer Physical Theatre Theatre Royal, Sydney 6 October Main Actor Slava Polunin ?
Spunks	Joyce Chau	8th September 2002	reviews	?This may be the last day of school but we still have our reputations!? Governor Bligh High: the final two days of year 12. There are the spunks. There are the nerds. Escape is the word- but not just from the school itself. For some it?s escape from their so-called ?reputations? that have built up over the years. Everybody is running from demons, be it sexuality, disability, body image, ethnicity or dreaded virginity. ?Spunks? is a clich?d teen comedy from beginning to end. From the initial voice over (Jimmy, ?special?, wheel-chair bound and reluctant observer) to the final ?where does so-and-so end up? voice over. From the spunks cruising in the Nissan 200SX to the nerds sheltering in the library. From the spunky boy telling the head library monitor that she?s a ?great girl?. Then, there?s the Year 12 dance accompanied by plenty of anguish: simply mandatory. But who cares. ?Spunks? is brilliant. ?Spunks? is hilarious. Rebel Wilson, in her follow up to the hit ?The Westie Monologues? has written a play that is extremely accessible. For all the talk on how to get young unwrinkled bums onto theatre seats this is the one that will do it. Don?t get me wrong. I?m not saying that young people can only relate to drama in the form of the toilet-comedy flick. Actually, forget ?unwrinkled bums?- no one should miss this. While we are all familiar with the nerd/spunk, nerd confronts spunk, dreadful secret/spunk?s insecurities revealed, realisation that all are human, nerd/spunk reconciled routine; the strength of ?Spunks? is in its simple irreverence. Nigel (Andrew Benson), is, well?.a nigel. Jenny, (Rebel Wilson) has a food problem and also the full name of ?Jenny Craig?. Chikita, (Lucy Wirth), has a brief flirtation with fame in a show called ?Who wants to be a celebrity??. In the insular life within a high school personal preoccupations escalate to paranoias and talking to your best mate about them equates to shrieking sessions. Where everyone has been cooped up together six hours a day, five days a week for six years, there?s enough nastiness to bottle. ?Spunks? effortlessly gravitates from the hilarious to the violent or the poignant. The cast is amazingly energetic. Keep an eye out for the bit when Jenny goes into an orgasmic trance over a choc-chip cookie against a locker- it?s brilliant. Not to mention the musical numbers, (Andrew Davidson, Rebel Wilson, Candy and Kim Bowers) and choreography (Kim Taylor). The ?1st Period? segment towards the beginning felt a little forced however and at times, when there were multiple scenarios occurring on the stage, the focus was a little diffused. ?Spunks? is entertainment. Why bother with stuff like ?high-school nostalgia?, ?teen comedy?, ?parody? (oh, by the way the musical numbers are reminiscent of the pre-prom number in ?Not Another Teen Movie? which parodied ?Grease? which?.oh stop it you library nerd!!)?.By the end of the show I couldn?t wait to dig out my old, battered calculator and put words like ?hello? and ?Boobies? on the display. Oh, and Jimmy (Ed Hyland-Kavalee) is a sweetheart. Melita Rowston Comedy SBW Stables, Sydney 28 September Rebel Wilson, Andrew Benson, Kim Taylor Candy Bowers, Nicholas Brown, Ed Hyland-Kavalee Georgia Thorne, Jonathon Freeman, Lucy Wirth ?
Fear and Misery of The Third Reich	Joyce Chau	6th September 2002	interviews	The playhouse, University of Western Sydney, Kingswood campus. is rehearsing Bertolt Brecht?s Stuck to the brick wall of the theatre: notes, paper and newsprint. There?s Hitler and printout from the internet on life in the Weimer Republic. There?s the so-called 'twentieth hijacker' and a story on an existing SS unit- in NSW. Then there?s another story: consumer spending, people going ga-ga over the latest goods. Accompanying the story: an image of a homeless person outside a department store. The person is huddled beneath cardboard and blanket. The person is faceless, disenfranchised, helpless. On September 6, Theatre Nepean embarks on the second half of its 2002 Graduation Season with ?It?s a timely piece,? says director Marion Potts, of ?Fear and Misery of the Third Reich?. ?As Australians we have to be really alert and vigilant about the way we treat each other.? ?The reason why I chose to do was because thematically, it has a lot of contemporary resonances that have to do with xenophobia, racism and the singling out of minority groups. While I?m not saying Australia is like Nazi Germany, there?s still never-the-less those issues in our society,? she says. Written during the years before World War 2, is a collection of scenes depicting everyday life under the Nazi?s. ?You can take the little bits out and look at them as independent stories. You?re presented with different social classes, different professions, different cities in Germany,? says Potts. ?The overall effect is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle: once you put it together you can see the entire picture of what Germany was going through in those pre-war years.? And this was the effect that Brecht wanted. ?Brecht?s philosophy of theatre had to do with making the audience inquire and use their intellect. Rather than being seduced into feeling empathy for the character on stage, he always imposed a distance between the audience and the character so that you could judge them in a sense- and also judge yourself through that process of intellectualisation,? Potts explains. ?A lot of the characters in the play face a choice. They face choices as to whether to do something or not; whether to succumb to their fear or actually take a less cowardly approach and stand up for what they believe in. Invariably it?s a sobering reminder to us that we really have to be strong and to stand up for what we believe in in the face of the more destructive forces in our society,? Potts says. ?It?s not just governments that create a situation or a country, it?s actually ourselves,? she says. ?One of the big themes that underpins the production is that we forget history at our own peril.? According to Potts, is one of Brecht?s lesser-known plays and is rarely performed in Australia. ?To my knowledge there hasn?t been a professional production of it,? she says. ?It is a big classic text that has a lot of characters in it that you rarely get the opportunity to do in professional theatre because it?s just way too expensive. It?s a fantastic opportunity to do these sorts of texts with a group of students,? Potts says. In the end, responsibility is a key word. Potts refers constantly to Edmund Burke?s famous phrase: ?All that is necessary for evil to exist is for good people to do nothing,? during rehearsals. For Potts, the ever-intensifying effects of globalisation and the increased impact of world events on Australia is a call for the revival of political theatre. ?We?re being forced to become part of the globe- particularly after September 11. We?re sort of being dragged kicking and screaming into the world. I think artists in Australia have to respond to that,? she says. 4/9/2002 Tape recorder (face to face interview) Joyce Chau Marion Potts ?
Mobile States 1	Samara Fitzpatrick	31st September 2002	reviews	is a collection of dance pieces performed as part of takes place at the in Redfern from September 25 until October 5 and involves dance forums and workshops as well as installations and two programmes of performances - being one of those programmes. The five pieces performed for were varied and unconventional - at least from the perspective of a dance performance novice. But that was apparently part of the brief when deciding on the line-up. The curatorial team were interested in finding artists ?who see choreography as their primary decision-making process? to showcase in Consequently the first piece performed and choreographed by Simon Ellis, involved amazing sound effects and video projection. This evoked the sensation of being inside a human body; hearing the internal organs pulsating. This was intensified by the audience occupying the centre of the room and Ellis performing around and amongst us. The work told the story of an elderly woman and her final thoughts and memories before death. It was her body the audience was inside. As the performance progressed Ellis added more layers of clothing until he was decked out in a three-piece suit and apparently ready for the journey that takes place after we leave this world and venture to the next. While the theatre was reassembled for the rest of the performances, which involved the audience in the seats and the performers in front, the foyer became the focus. And up to the bar came three young ladies who?d obviously gone to the trouble of getting dressed up, by the looks of things they were having a good time. Smeared lipstick, ruffled hair, and matching dresses that wouldn?t stay up. They tried to get the bar tenders attention so they could get a drink and what followed was a mixture of circus performance, slapstick and dance. In sync, the girls lunged across the bar, fell over and sung out. They eventually got their drink and then motioned for the audience to follow them back into the theatre. The girls, also known as the dance group reappeared later in the show and again used slapstick and humour as part of their performance. At a bachelors and spinsters ball they tried to get a dance, avoid falling over (without much success) and handle their alcohol (again, without much success). has a kind of manifesto to take dance out of theatres and into the pubs and to have it relate to their own experience and that of the audience. Gauging the laughter and enjoyment of the audience, they?re remaining true to it. One of the other performances on the programme which stuck out was by Lee Wilson and Mirabelle Wouters. The piece was inspired by a newspaper article, which described a man who stole a horse and had sex with it in broad daylight. involves a psychosexual encounter two ?beings?. Using horse like behaviour they ignore human social rules and engage in more primal interaction. Lee Wilson?s long mane of brown hair and taught, racehorse like figure and Mirabelle Wouters superb mannerisms made this seemingly implausible set-up extremely believable. The pacing and build-up tempo of the performance adds to the sexual tension between the two. The female being indicates her interest in the male and works him up sexually by prancing, dressage style, for him then releases her own frustration by galloping around and around him. Eventually they come together on a harness, which is used as a type of hanging trapeze swing that the performers rest (and play) on. While there was a confrontational element to the piece, it also used humour. humour permeated most of the performances. there was a fair bit of waiting around between pieces. the show made ?dance? both accessible and entertaining. Contemporary Dance Performance Space Redfern, Sydney 5 October ?
Tales of the City	Magnolia de Maupassant	2nd October 2002	where_to_go_pubs	Hi, my name is Magnolia, and I am a pseudo-alcoholic. A pseudo-what? Well, y?know?a Cadbury?s?a bad drinker?and sometimes?a non-drinker. Shock, horror?groans from the peanut gallery. I?ve finally admitted it. So, how can I then be writing a column about socialising in this city when I can?t seem to often stomach the one thing which keeps the libidinous and the sometimes lugubrious (MdM aside - triple word score there scrabble fans!) aspects of this fine metropolis kicking? In my defence, I argue it probably helps for more insightful pieces of writing (!), but truth be told, I was inspired to admit this little titbit of information because my friend KS wondered aloud - and not in the silence of her own boudoir, shame on her - about that rather Descartes? inspired statement, ?I drink, therefore I am?. My friend N likes his Martini?s - with a twist. And no, it can?t be shaken, stirred or whatnot...and heaven forbid if you kick in too much vermouth for N?s palate. My friend K likes her wine, but it's got to be smooth and red. It?s her signature drink, to naturally go with that signature hair of hers?and it helps her look suitably snooty when she?s staring daggers at some lesser mortal! I had a friend once who only ever drank Subzero Lemon. My friend GR drinks Red bull and vodka like it?s going out of style sometimes. And my friends CJ, AB, BH, AT and M all seem rather partial to beer, but not Foster?s! I have a friend DB who likes his vodka, lemon and lime. And then there?s my friend NBL, who just likes her drink, anyway she can get it! So, before I run out of initials? I have to wonder whether the alcoholic (or non) preferences of people actually do say something about who they are. This writer wonders, are you really what you drink? What does it mean when more often than not, you drink plain old iced water? On a recent jaunt to the Annandale Hotel to see Bluebottle Kiss play, MdM was reminded about how much you sometimes could tell about a place and the clientele by the drinks being ordered. Beer and bottled water seemed to be the go. With two bars - one in the main entrance that is a bit squashy - and a longer, u-shaped one in the main area where the bands play, the Annandale Hotel is a nice-sized place for live music. ?Tis a pity then it gets divided by those dreaded neon-coin collectors. The poker machines, though seemingly a fixture in most pubs, lend the Annandale an odd island of tiredness, the glow emanating from them in odd contrast to the much darker (and oddly comforting) atmosphere of the rest of the place. Kind of like wearing your best dress with rubber thongs. Not the done thing darling! This was definitely what some would call a ?Uni crowd?. There were no Cosmos being mixed up ?Cocktail? the movie-style, nor was there much in the way of multi-coloured fizzy-drinks in bottles, or even the boutique beers that you sometimes see. Just beer. Unlike some other places this writer has seen the inside of, the Annandale is definitely there for people who want some live music, which is great because they are a dying breed, it seems. Lo and behold, there wasn?t even that newly minted bar-specimen, the ?drink promoter?, to be found. You know the ones I am talking about, the extremely perky and/or buff (take your pick) guys and gals who wear cute t-shirts with Bacardi Breezer emblazoned upon the front, trying to talk you into to trying the latest quasi-fruit-alcoholic beverage infused with mint leaves. I kid you not. This writer would have to say that whilst there might be many takers for that type of drink, no one would admit to it at the Annandale, because readers, if you drink and therefore you are, then inevitably we cross that bridge of Representation we always seem to find ourselves on, on the way to the Mountains of Individuality and after that we get through the tunnel of Social Niceties. So the guy in the corner wearing the rugby jersey may not be ordering a Pink Lady just yet, nor will the Princess Wannabe in the right ever be caught dead with a stubby of VB. Or would they? Is there a need for a drinker?s revolt? Should we all start hoisting the bar mats ahoy and thumbing our collective noses at allowing people to define us by our adult beverage of choice? MdM thinks it?s best to drink like you would dance - go with what moves you. So, do the fandango with a balloon of brandy, rock out at the pub with your Baileys and milk and sip away on your Tooheys whilst listening to Puccini. If that?s what tipples your fancy (!). As with all things these days, going against the accepted grain will allow you that biggest hyphenated-compliment of all (if you care for it), that of being so very, very post-Structuralist. Or was it post-Modernist?or is that pseudo-Utilitarian..? I think I need a drink. Shirley Temple on the rocks anyone? Cnr Parammatta Road and Nelson Street 2038 02 9550 1078 http://www.annandalehotel.com Live Bands. Cheap Thrills. Laidback. Tosser-less Cheap Thrills. D&M-unfriendly. Dark. Shady. Sticky. Uni-bar meets Battle of the Bands meets Pub Cliche meets Rock/Alt life ?
Greetings from Adelaide	James Morgan	2nd October 2002	citywire	I should start by introducing myself, my name is James Morgan and I?m the new Editor for Adelaidewire. For those who have seen me popping up around on the forums, I apologise ? you will be seeing more of me here from now on. The first time I accessed vibewire.net I didn?t come across any Adelaide content; as a South Aussie it?s something you come to expect when accessing any form national media. I flicked my way through the site, checking out what was happening on the Eastern Seaboard and then shut down my computer. It was then that I reflected on the fact that once again I wasn?t catered for and what that actually meant to me. It pissed me off, so I rebooted. What made me so pissed off? Similar things happen everyday. Was it that I was sick of seeing my city be a ?poor cousin? to Melbourne and Sydney? Probably. Did I think that vibewire.net was deluded in promoting itself as a portal for all youth? Definitely. What was I going to do about it? Write a letter? Start a petition? Doubtful. Some sort of feeling stirred in me. I actually felt motivated to get off my arse and fix it. Go figure. I was as surprised as the next person. A couple of people chuckled when I mentioned it and gave me the ol? smile and nod. They?re now going to be writing for me? So here I am boys and girls, a disgruntled redneck from Adelaide who is going to fix all that is wrong with eastern states? perceptions of our city. The ?City of Churches? is a name that gets thrown around a bit, though no one is exactly sure by who. I?m planning on showing you the other side of Adelaide: our caf?s, our wineries, our pubs and clubs. I want to show you where the best place is to keep any bodies in barrels you may come across. Well, maybe not. I do however, fully intend to turn Adelaidewire into the resource it should be; a one stop shop of reviews and ideas for the youth of Adelaide. So punters, stay tuned. Keep an eye out for our launch in the next 3-4 weeks (hopefully!) and open your mind to a different culture and vibe. I?m looking forward to being of service! ?
Tom Carroll Interview	Melissa Beaumont	2nd October 2002	gaming news	When you play surfing games on Playstation do you ever wonder if you could beat the real surfers if they had the other control? Tom Carroll is a legendary surfer, but he watched in awe as net journalists beat him at his own game. Tom?s favourite move, the move that is Tom Carroll, is surfing low and hard on the rail of the surfboard with carving turns. Tom does it with attitude in the ocean, and in the right hands of a Playstation master he does it with attitude in Kelly Slater?s Pro Surfer. If you like Tony Hawk Pro Skater, then you?ll be a master at Kelly Slater?s Pro Surfer. Surfing is all about ?a go for it attitude? which Tom exudes, and is willing to take up any challenge, surfing or in life, and is not afraid to tell it like it is. Tom Carroll- hardcore surfer, turns up to the game launch of Kelly Slater?s Pro Surfer with a black eye ?yeah...I?m really lucky I?ve still got my eye!? He proudly boasts five new stitches after surfing at his home beach, Newport. They are the scars of a surfing veteran. But that?s not the worst injury. Once again at his home break, Newport, at the less experienced and wilder age of 18, he was whacked with his friends surfboard. The hit ?opened me up inside.? But he kept on surfing a while longer, ?the whole time my lunch was coming out!...I was on the way to death.? Kelly Slater?s Pro Surfer game isn?t quite as gruesome as that. Tom Carroll was picked as the representative Australian surfer for the game, ?maybe Kelly (Slater) put a good word in.?, taking on the challenge of being in Kelly?s Pro Surfer game because he ?was interested in being a part of something that Kelly was a part of.? Tom and Kelly have a long surfing history together, Kelly is a ?stimulating person to be with....a great surfer.? Surfing may be Kelly Slater?s forte, but ?I don?t know about his taste for women,? says Tom. The older, wiser Tom, who is married, settled and has four kids, doesn?t seem to look back positively on Kelly and Pamela Anderson?s relationship several years ago, ?Kelly?s out there, he?s playing the field.? There?s ten years in age between Kelly and Tom. Kelly is thirty, and Tom forty. Their love of surfing and their affiliation with Quicksilver has created a bond between the two international surfers. ?When I was finishing the pro surfing tour, Kelly was just starting itr.? Tom chose surfing over team sports, because if something goes wrong, it?s all your fault, there?s never the disappointment of the team letting you down, the only person you can be ashamed of is yourself ?I?m more of an individual sport player...I like to rely on myself.....surfing was perfect for me.? Tom says of the game that it?s ?the best water I?ve seen? on a video game, water is hard to simulate on screen, but they?ve done a good job here at making it look as real as possible. Also, ?the way the surfers surf,? especially the ?tube riding is very similar.? The ?personality suits,? basically the wardrobe of the surfer, is a different touch. Tom likes the details of the game, even his attitude shows in the game when he is ?standing there looking tough? with his arms crossed. And speaking of that ?go for it attitude? Tom signed a poster of the game for me, with a special little note ?go get wet,? but he knows I don?t surf.... Look out for a full review of Kelly Slater Pro Surfer online soon. ?
Blade II released nationwide	Michael Bacina	27th September 2002	gaming news	Vampire hunters everywhere can now rid the world of the undead with the release today of Activision?s Blade II for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Based on the popular Marvel Comics? sword-wielding super hero (played by Wesley Snipes in two feature films from New Line Cinema) Blade II features a 360? combat system, martial arts moves, signature weapons and attacks, not to mention more blood than you will see on a school excursion to an abbotoir. ?Blade II is the only game that allows players to take on the role of Marvel?s take-no-prisoners vampire slayer,? said Larry Goldberg, executive vice president, Activision Worldwide Studios. ?Blade?s arsenal of weapons and over-the-top moves will allow players to fight their way through the vampire underworld and halt the minions of evil before more lives are at risk.? Developed by UK-based Mucky Foot Productions, Blade II breaks new ground in the slash up em category, with special powers including Shield, Sword and Strength to make themselves unstoppable as they engage in hand-to-hand combat. The game?s revolutionary 360? multi-directional fighting system allows you to take on blood sucking enemies as they attack from all directions. Blade 2 is currently available in Australian retail outlets for a suggested retail price of AU$99.95 (inc. GST) and is rated ?MA15+? by the Office of Film & Literature Classification. We are currently putting Blade 2 through the paces and there will be a review posted shortly. ?
Graeme Murphy?s Ellipse	Cindy Sheu	12th September 2002	reviews	has returned to the stage after outstanding reviews of a successful season earlier this year. Tonight?s performance of didn?t disappoint. As the lights in the theatre dimmed to black, an unnatural screech filled the air as a red lantern floats through the air, immediately capturing the attention of the audience. Australian composer, Matthew Hindson?s poignant music of the cello and piano take over and bring the audience back to earth, but only just. The lighting by Damien Cooper focuses on the dancers who interact fluidly onstage, accentuated by their costumes by Akira Isogawa which are as organic and alluring as the dance. This organic nature of the dancers contrasts with, in Murphy?s words, the ?madly contoured elliptical design? of Gerard Manion, which is industrial and cold, serving the purpose of framing the dancers and providing another point of conflict. With the later changes of costume and music, the set structure becomes momentarily consistent with the dance, but on impulse, changes again. From this confusing cocktail of music and absence of narrative, it becomes apparent that is an emphasis on dance. The dancers, as choreographed by Murphy, bring to the stage unparalleled energy and poetic grace, which is demanded by the music. It is this variety of music and dance, ranging from the dramatic to the comedic, and from the conventional to the acrobatic, which keeps the audience spellbound. Throughout the performance, the music and tempo changes abruptly, this constant change of music, design and dance showcases the diversity that is There is no attempt at resolving the impossible task of balancing chaos and calm, but instead, a highlighting of the extremities. The music and dance takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster ride, at one point bringing the audience close to tears, and at the next moment, compelling the audience to laugh out loud at the humorously cheeky vivacity of the dancers in the sections of the piece which closely resembled both a flashy Las Vegas show. Don?t mind the lack of a narrative, is the ultimate fusion of music, dance and design. Graeme Murphy Contemporary Dance Riverside Theatre, Parramatta, Sydney 14 September ?
Austin Powers	Kim Edwards	16th October 2002	Reviews	Ah, the pressure that is bought to bear upon the third installment of a popular trilogy! I completely loved the first Austin Powers movie, being a Mike Myers fan from way back, and have watched it more times than I care to confess...! I thought the story was tight and clever, the parodies inspired, and the cast superb. As is so often the case, I found the sequel fun but weaker: the humour less witty and more vulgar, Fat Bastard completely annoying, and Heather Graham blonde and remarkably vacant (albeit with wonderful legs). And so, I came to he latest addition to this groovy, swinging, shagadelic series, wondering if they could possibly work that magic yet again. And for the first ten minutes, this is as good as comedy gets! The pre-credit sequence had a packed theatre absolutely hysterical with laughter ? yours truly laughed until she cried! Can?t say much without spoiling it for those yet to see the film, but the collection of cameos was spectacular, and the parody was perfect. Unfortunately, the rest of the film just couldn?t live up to such a stunning opening. Rumour has it that the uncut movie was at least three hours long, and after director Jay Roach reduced it to the more manageable comedy film length of 90 minutes, the missing material is only too obvious in trying to follow a flimsy and pointless plot. It is a sad thing when one has trouble keeping up with the machinations of the storyline in a movie such as this ? it took me some time to work out why there were extended scenes set in Japan, for instance. Even now, I?m fairly sure the only real reason was for a funny subtitles scene and a lengthy joke about Fat Bastard sumo wrestling... Much of the film had this feeling ? the jokes came first, and then there was a half-hearted attempt to fit a story about them. The finished product is more like Mike Myers? original sketch comedy from than his usually slickly scripted movies. Having complained about the movie?s unhappiest flaw, let me hasten to add that it is still full of hilarious jokes, catchy one-liners (which will be added to the already extensive vocabulary of ?Austinspeak?), and enormous fun! The eponymous character is again only present for the James Bond joke of the title, I think ? he is highly forgettable; but Mini-Me is back more prominently than ever (check out actor Verne Troyer in the fun too), together with old favourites Scott Evil and Frau Farbissina, (although their screen time is severely limited) and Basil Exposition and Number Two. Newcomers include Michael Caine, who looks like he?s having a wonderful time playing Austin?s charming womanizing father, and singer Beyonc? Knowles as the luscious Foxxy Cleopatra. Beyonc? is sexy and sassy, has a wonderful sense of comic timing, and looks stunning, but again, her character is entirely superfluous to the plot (such as it is) and her obvious talent isn?t given nearly enough attention! I wonder how much screen time Mike Myers himself has clocked up in this movie ? his four characters dominate throughout (although Mini-Me is featured extensively), at the expense of other great performances and to the detriment of something resembling plot! Mind you, maybe too much expectation spoiled this movie for me! I don?t think most fans will be disappointed ? all the favourite elements are there, and there are plenty of funny moments, and I say again - the opening sequence is worth it all! The cameos, the performances, the crazy characters. Not nearly enough screen time for many of the above Still suffering sequel-itis - but the opening sequence is a riot, baby, yeah! Jay Roach Mike Myers Peter Deming Rusty Smith Deena Appel Mike Myers Greg Hayden, Jon Poll Mike Myers, Beyonce Knowles, Michael Caine, Verne Troyer ?
Good Fucking Food Month	Bastard McPrick	3rd October 2002	things_to_do	My virago of a fucking editor has been harping down the phone at me for the past two weeks demanding I write a new column. She appears to be labouring under the mistaken belief that people read this semi-fucking-coherant drivel ? or, indeed, any of this site. But something has got me ticked off recently and it?s the Sydney Morning Herald inspired wank-fest Good Fucking Food Month. Sweet baby Jesus ? what has the city done to deserve this? For a start, don?t we have enough fucking food festivals in Sydney already? Apparently we?re a metropolis loaded with people who do nothing but obsess over their gut and contemplate novel ways to shovel artsy cuisine into it. World?s Biggest Buffets, Tastes of a fucking Nations, Feastability lentil fests in bastard wankstaining Newtown ? when does it fucking end? Never apparently. And now, the people who brought you Good Living ? guaranteed to be packed with more shitty reviews of equally shitty Eastern Suburbs trendiod ?dining establishments? than any other newspaper supplement ? once more bring you Good Fucking Food Month. The way I see it, Sydney has more restaurants than we have English backpackers, if you can fucking imagine such a thing. Now I like food ? and I like good food, it?s not all 2am kebabs for Mrs McPrick?s little boy. But I?ve never had a problem finding it in Sydney. It?s a pretty simple formula ? stay away from anything with a one syllable name that looks like it was decorated by people who had access to nothing but white paint and you?ll probably be ok. And if there?s a fucking plethora of good eateries around, why do we want to encourage the overpriced, underportioned shitholes staffed entirely by ?models? and ?actors? by having Good Fucking Food Month? Because that seems to be main thrust of it. It?s dining as naive masochism: ?I?ll overpay for your dish that unnaturally combines strange foodstuffs seemingly as an affront to God and I?ll tolerate the equally profane clientele because a newspaper section said you were doing something fascinating in October?. Guess fucking what ? the fascinating thing is that during October they limit themselves to only spitting in the food just in case they?re being reviewed. Now I?ll give one concession to Good Fucking Food Month: they do try and pay a bit of attention to the booze. I managed to hit the Jamesons cocktail cruise the year before last and it was a total fucking corker. I missed the Chivas one though ? bastard cops. Then they fucked it last year with having Kate Duthie host cocktail nights ? which is kind of like having Ted Kennedy give you driving lessons. That shrew?s fucking print reviews make me want to squat naked on a rug covered in broken glass ? her in person was like a proctology exam from a drunken, reanimated Andre the Giant. This year, they appear to have come to their senses and given Duthie a restraining order preventing her from coming within 200m of a Good Fucking Food Month event ? maybe my phone calls were warranted, no matter what the judge said at the time. But despite them having a bit of a go this year ? and can I just say that the Chuck Hahn hosted dinner will go down in history as bigger than fucking Woodstock, even if it is at ArtHouse ? they?re still a bit fucking behind. I mean, two cruises, Vodka and a Tia-fucking-Maria masquerade if you can credit it ? obviously trying to get the ladies involved, although they might have just called it the Rohypnol Cruise and be done with it. Then there are some Champage Salons (nothing wrong with that) and that?s really it. You?ll note that I?m refusing to acknowlege the cavalcade of Cocktail and Canape deals they?ve got going on at fucking bars around the city ? most of the drinks sound like shitty Sodastream flavours from the 70?s mixed together and the bastard dishes that go with them? Don?t get me started. I mean fuck, people ? can?t we get this right and just have a solid booze fest with some decent food thrown in? Good Fucking Food Month my arse. Cocktail cruises Food wankers Fucked off ?
Reign of Fire	Dylan Behan	6th October 2002	Reviews	This is a post-apocalyptic Disney war film with a difference: there be dragons! Set in England in 2020, most of the known world has been destroyed by these fast-breeding, flying, fire-breathing pests, and Channel Ten's got a bonafide hit with "When Dragons Attack". A few pockets of humanity survive hidden in castles and caves, and like The Fraggles, they emerge every now and then to scavenge for food. One such group in the English highlands is lead by a mighty Quinn (Christian Bale), and dragon casualties aside, all goes smoothly until a gun-toting American cowboy (Matthew McConaughey) lands on his doorstep leading an elite troop of skydiving slayers. "There's only one thing worse than a dragon: Americans," quipps Quinn in one of the most memorable lines from the film aside from "arrgh!" and "over there!". The two groups consolidate and hatch a plan to destroy the flying species by targeting an alpha male uber-dragon, taking them back to London where a 12-year-old Quinn once uncovered the species that killed his own mum (and many others.) It's essentially meets , but with lots of CGI fireballs. Thankfully though, the dragons here don't talk like James Bond. It also reinforces the stereotypes of Poms as scurvy-ridden farmers and Yanks as crazed war-hungry cowboys. A skin-headed McConaughey delivers a lengthy Clint Eastwood impersonation while the talented Bale wields an axe in a less amusing fashion than he did in American Psycho. Director Rob Bowman ( ) delivers a nice looking, good fun, school holidays action matinee for anyone who likes dragons and/or dragon slaying. Now if only someone could figure out a way to eradicate Sydney's cockroaches. Here be dragons! It's made by Disney and predictable. Flawlessly made fluff, it's still just Disney's Day of the Triffids... with Dragons! Rob Bowman Richard D Zanuck, Lili Fini Zanuck, Gary Barber and Roger Birnham Adrian Biddle Wolf Kroeger Joan Bergin Matt Greenberg Thom Noble Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler ?
Broken (Melbourne Fringe Festival)	Kim Edwards	11th October 2002	reviews	was lauded as the winner of the 1996 Australian Young Playwright?s Award, and as such, this production by the Grail Theatre Company was unwise to advertise the play as ?assured and mature?. Both the play and the performances I witnessed showed much potential for the young playwright and actors alike, but both were unable to escape a certain drama school mentality of ?trying too hard? to be poignant. Certainly, the play dealt with the sensitive and difficult issue of the untimely death of a young actor, and the grieving processes his family and friends must undergo in order to heal. I sincerely respect the choice of playwright Alexandra Sangster and director Alex Papps to share their own experiences and loss in producing this semi-autobiographical and obviously cathartic piece of theatre. However, in critiquing this play as theatre, I felt there were some significant flaws in this production. Granted, I attended the preview night, and make due allowances for the nerves and uneasiness of first-time performance. However, I?m not convinced the awkwardness of the production can entirely be attributed to this. The opening scene was a self-conscious, stagy series of broken monologues, which I assumed was merely to establish the characters as first-year drama students. Unfortunately, this performance style endured throughout the 50 minute show with rather melodramatic effect, including large gestures, almost inaudible whispers, and sudden shouting. The result was to make no clear distinction between the showy performance world of the characters, or the dream scenes; and the real, genuine mourning of the protagonists. Most successful in delivering something that felt believable and unstaged was Scott Bowie, who bought some humour to his portrayal of the best friend and various father figures and which tempered their emotional moments with sincerity. The montage of characters every actor played, in an incessant series of barely interrupted scenes was enormously demanding, particularly for Katrina Bayliss as the young man?s girlfriend, and Benjamin McNair as Matt himself; both of whom had to whirlwind through snap mood swings and scene changes. Alexandra Sangster and Emily O?Reilly as friends and various mothers had moments of poignancy which transcended the theatricality, although interestingly enough these were more overt in their more subtle portrayal of the older characters. I felt the performance overall to be rushed; scene changes so quick the audience were disorientated, and lines delivered so fast that words were missed. Some better indictors of character and setting changes would have been helpful (as people sitting in front of me asked in whispers who an actor was now playing, or what they were meant to be doing), and I would have liked to see some costume changes to represent the passing of time, perhaps, or to identify flashback sequences. And while a bare stage and lack of props can be effective in some productions, the art of miming is an art indeed, and better the actors have cups to drink from and roses to strew than for the audience to sit and wonder for a while what imaginary object they?re meant to be holding. The feeling of rapidity meant the final scene was entirely unexpected, and lost some of the lovely appeal of Sangster herself asking if she can tell us about her friend. However, I am willing to put this down to opening night anxiety, and feel that this production will only improve over time, as the actors can relax into their characters more and allow us to forget we?re watching a theatrical performance of grief, so we can simply empathise with a heart-felt experience. Much potential here for a young cast and production team That the atmosphere of drama school concert could not be shaken off A production that will only go from strength to strength as performances continue Alex Papps performance Chapel Off Chapel Oct 13 Katrina Bayliss, Scott Bowie, Benjamin McNair, Emily O'Reilly and Alexandra Sangster ?
Digital Cordless Controller is here!	Michael Bacina	4th October 2002	gaming news	After years of seeing infrared controllers that cut out the second that your dog, sibling, or bothersome parent walks in front of you, Playstation owners can finally enjoy no-cable gaming at it's finest. With Sony's blessing and after passing rigorous tests, Logitech, who are best known for their mouse and trackball products for the PC, have developed a unit that games have been talking about in lounge rooms for years. Looking like a sleek and moulded version of the standard PS2 controller, the Logitech Cordless Controller is powered by 2.4GHz radio frequency (RF) technology, promising to provide precise and accurate control from a distance of over than six meters. The cordless controller features Vibration Feedback, 8-way Digital D-pad, analog and digital driving modes and analog buttons, and is sure to be high on many a Christmas lists this holiday season. said Patrick Lagana, Senior Product Manager for Sony Computer Entertainment. The controller has been developed for compatibility with games for PlayStation, PS2 and PS one computer entertainment systems. It has been engineered to ensure that multiple units can be operated in the same room without any problems associated with radio interferences. Here is the full technical specifications; ?
xXx	Tricia Van Der-Kuyp	14th October 2002	Reviews	Welcome to the Xander Zone! Xander Cage also known as X to his friends, pulls one too many stunts when he steals a US Senator?s Ferrari, and takes it for a spin and a base jump off a bridge. Filming the whole experience for his fans and friends alike, Xander thinks his got away with his stunt when he is brought to the attention of Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson, , ) a cold man, and NSA agent, who blackmail?s X to do a mission for him in order to avoid going to prison for all his wrong doings. Xander wanting his freedom more than prison cell walls, complies and is flown to Prague in the Czech Republic. He needs to get information on a group of low down and dirty people called Anarchy 99, ex red-army officers with their own idea of how the world should be made equal. Things go well for Xander when he manages to get more information and bank numbers than all previous NSA agents before him have within 24 hours of his arrival in Prague. But Gibbons wants more before he will let the big boy (have you seen the muscles on him?) go home and this is where the fun really begins. is full of action, and stunts designed to excite and invite you into being impressed with Xander Cage?s rookie agent abilities mixed with street smarts. Motor cross bike jumps get serious ?air? and even a ?superman? manoeuvre in one, are bound to impress. Xander uses his skate boarding skills, to improv with a serving tray, sliding down a hand rail to get out of one situation. Another favourite would have to be the snow boarder versus the avalanche scene, very full on. Xander?s attitude is displayed throughout the movie with some great lines, ?If you?re going to send someone to save the world, you better make sure they like it the way it is first? is classic X. Vin Diesel as Xander is surprisingly honest and somewhat humble at just the right moments in the film. Yes, he?s an adrenaline junkie who loves the fast life, fast women and flashy sports car (go the GT Shelby Cobra!) but he also loves life itself and is horrified when he accidentally witnesses the killing of a group of scientist by Anarchy 99 leader and resident Russian psycho supreme ? Yorgi (Marton Csokas, ). But Xander Cage rises to the challenge when challenged and enjoys it so much he tells one army trained official to ?Start thinking Playstation and blow shit up!? with his heat seeking missile launcher. Of course, as all good action movies go, the hero, xXx is likeable, surprisingly this time round though; he?s not at all arrogant, which usually comes by association with this type of genre?s character. There is a moody bastard hell bent on destroying the world, there?s a beautiful girl, the action is plentiful and continuous, with fast everything. There is no lagging and dragging in this movie. The action and stunts! Xander hurts at least one Red Ferrari ? but let?s face it, that Senator had it coming to him, for two reasons, who puts a sticker on a Ferrari? And it says ?Skateboarding is dangerous? - who cares DICK? Oh yeah, the story?s a little light on believability ... and Vin?s acting range is pretty stoic. Fast, fun and full on. If you?re an extreme sports fan and you want something new in action movies, check out ! Rob Cohen Dean Semler Gavin Bocquet Sanjia Milkovic Hays Rich Wilkes Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson, Marton Csokas ?
Bollywood On Bondi	Wendy Hanna	5th October 2002	Festivals	Yes it?s true. Hollywood may have Brad Pitt, but Bollywood has Amir Khan. ?Who the hell is he?? I hear you ask. Well, Mr Khan may not mean so much to you (yet), but he is an absolute film God in India, worshipped by millions around the globe for his fabulous films and general gorgeousness. And if you like the sound of fabulous films and general gorgeousness, then you should head on down to ?Bollywood on Bondi? ? a mini film festival celebrating beloved mainstream Indian films running as part of ?Carnivale?, NSW?s multicultural arts festival. Subtitled in Arabic and exported all over the Middle East, Egypt and Turkey; playing to full halls in Africa, across South East Asia, China and parts of Eastern Europe, Indian cinema is the enormously popular and by far the largest film industry in the world. The phenomenon however of Indian popular cinema is a concept usually lost on most western audiences. Just ask festival curator Safina Uberoi. ?When I first went to film school seven years ago, I arrived here and they had three Indian films in the library: the very famous Satyajit Ray?s ?Pather Panchali? - Parts 1, 2 and 3. And I really did think that the worlds biggest film industry, which has produced some wonderful films, should be slightly better represented in one of the world?s best film schools.? And since then, Uberoi has constantly been on the lookout for English subtitled Indian films to promote in Australia. From humble beginnings in her first festival trying to scrounge around for decent VHS copies in Indian spice stores, ?Bollywood on Bondi? has emerged as a cultural event which offers a little bit of everything to just about everybody. The three main film screenings include last year?s Oscar nominee for best foreign film, , and will be introduced by special festival guest, director Ashutosh Gowarikar. You can also catch up with the aforementioned Mr Khan (who happens to be both the star and the producer of the film) and gossip about his performance during interval over Indian nibbles in the foyer. For film buffs, get on down to the free (yes, FREE) seminar entitled 'The Bollywood Story?, where questions addressing this unique cinematic expression will be answered by a panel of experts, fresh off their flights from Bombay. Just itching to let us in on the secret behind all those song and dance numbers, don?t miss out on the rare chance to see Indian filmmakers and commentators presenting their thoughts and ideas for discussion. And to end it all off with a bang, ?Bollywood on Bondi? culminates in a dance party, set to pump with the beats of Bhangra, Asian underground drum and base, Chutni music from the West Indies and all the latest Bollywood hits. So slap on some anklets, bung on your bindis and don?t forget to catch ?Bollywood on Bondi? where the world?s biggest film industry comes to the world?s most famous beach! For more details, visit www.media.mq.edu.au/bollywood p.s. The festival is on the look out for volunteers to help out, so if you're interested, free passes are on offer! Contact 9557 2108 or 0412 355 273 October 10 2002 October 12 2002 Bondi Pavillion, Queens Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach The chance to discover what Bollywood is really all about Buses reguarly depart from Central or Bondi Junction Stations Films - $13; Dance Party - $15; Seminar - Free! ?
Via Dolorosa (Sydney)	Joyce Chau	5th October 2002	reviews	?Are we where we live or are we what we think?? to use a clich?, is a challenging play. This is so regardless of where you stand on the Israel/Palestine conflict. Even regardless of how much you know about the issue. The more contentious point is HOW the play reflects on the issues. In 1997, David Hare, writer of embarked on a journey through Israel and the occupied territories when three writers: one British, one Israeli and one Palestinian were briefed by the Royal Court Theatre to write plays about the period of the British Mandate (the 1930?s and 1940?s). But, never became that historical play. It became, instead, an intense 80-minute monologue depicting and reflecting Hare?s experiences as he travels through Israel and Palestine, speaking with the artists, politicians and ordinary people there. The perspective of the work, the perspective of David Hare, a British playwright doing research, is at the same time the play?s saving grace as well as its fundamental flaw. In many respects format resembles that of the documentary. David Hare goes to Tel Aviv and Hebron, Rumalla and a Jewish settlement in the Palestinian territories. He speaks to ex-pat Israelis (in London), Palestinian politicians, Jewish politicians, Jewish settlors, Palestinian and Jewish theatre people. Hare attempts to be balanced and objective, to get the full story. But, as with the documentary, objectivity is at best a thin veneer. Audiences must always be vigilant: the story is always framed and tinted by the documentary maker. And hence we return to David Hare. is in essence ?The David Hare Show? more than anything else. This is not necessarily the harsh judgement it seems to be. The play does explore the many different ideologies behind the conflict but for me the story was David Hare- a British playwright (whether intentionally or unintentionally). ?That a fifty year-old playwright should finally visit the fifty year-old state? is in fact, how Hare describes his first venture into Israel. At times it is as if the whole monologue is framed with a disclaimer. The play begins with Hare?s self-reflexive musings upon theatrical conventions and representations. This a theme returned to again and again through the play. Not that claims to be objective truth anyway. But, to look at it cynically is clever. David Hare cannot be accused of advocating any causes or being particular to certain ideologies. He provides, according to your particular views on what role a high profile artist like David Hare should play in shaping debates in society, either a valuable contribution in the form of a thoughtful and personalised account that also happens to reflect on themes such as the universality of theatre or a nauseous amount of self-reflective but useless hand wringing that sidesteps the fundamental issues. For me, was a frustrating experience. For starters too much is made of particular dichotomies. According to Hare, the ?stateless? and ideologically apathetic West is in remarkable contrast with the volatile and impassioned Middle East. is touted as a timely play. Although it was written in 1997 and much has happened since then this is mostly an accurate description; loathed though I am to concede the ?humanitarian angle + history/politics=timely? formula. is playing at the as part of the Multicultural Arts festival. It played previously at the and This production features Patrick Dickson as an excellent squinty-eyed and inquisitive David Hare. Never have I heard monologue of any length delivered with the intensity, intelligence and variety as Dickson?s delivery of Lighting design was also commendable. Patrick Dickson bits of the script. you leave the theatre with knowledge of historical events like the 1995 Oslo Accord that are now barely mentioned and arguably irrelevant today. But you also leave the theatre with questions?. Moira Blumenthal Monologue Seymour Centre 5 October Patrick Dickson ?
Working (Melbourne Fringe)	Kim Edwards	29th October 2002	reviews	is the musical of choice for many in the theatre world. Stephen Schwartz is a favourite among those rebelling against eternal Rodgers and Hammerstein or Gilbert and Sullivan, with his innovative, contemporary musical theatre. I was unfamiliar with the show until attending Magnormos? Fringe festival production in the Atheneum II midnight, and was captivated. Director Aaron Joyner actually approached Schwartz to adapt the musical for a specifically Australian audience, and must be highly commended for his creative vision and intelligent reworking. Traditionally, already challenges conventions of musical theatre with its cabaret style performances, minimal stage requirements and the lack of chorus roles. The show plays like a documentary of the working class, with a series of realistic ?interviews? with workers from all walks of life, who frankly discuss their jobs and lives through song and monologue. When we entered the theatre, the cast were already arrayed on stage, which set the tone for their total involvement throughout the show. Each cast member plays an individual character, but is actively involved in creating the working environment of other performers. The complete blackout which opened the show, as voices came from the dark singing an a capella arrangement of ?I?ve been working on the railroad?, was a striking beginning, and this inventive and imaginative performance style continued throughout. With a virtually bare stage, the performers themselves created sets and atmosphere with some remarkable choreography by Michelle Clarke, and some highly effective use of the space: there were people simulating cars and walls and school classrooms and production lines, and a fire (which was sensational). I loved how each character had a choreographed movement which represented their job, and when combined, made the assembled cast embody a living, moving, working machine. Everyone was dressed in the same overalls, which they each shed for their interview in order to reveal to us their work clothes and their souls. Each character also had a prop suitable for their job, which was chained to them, and which hung between times on a tool board with the appropriate silhouettes. I thought this visual representation of the importance and burden of our jobs, and the work ethics which make us a community was an exceptional idea, although I felt the discarding of the props at the end was cumbersome. Some stand-out performances for me included Parking Man Christopher Rickerby, with a sensational voice and unerring comic timing, Melinda Gregory as the cheery and engaging checkout girl, Elizabeth Matjacic whose portrayal of a frustrated teacher was funny but poignant and whose voice is thrilling, and Aaron Joyner himself, who sprang out of the audience the night I attended to offer a moving story of the plight of the unemployed. I understand that the imaginative visual concept of the show was entirely Joyner and Clarke?s own, and that Joyner?s slick revision of ?Working? included rewriting many of the monologues, removing extraneous characters, and running the performance without an interval, which enhanced the feeling that while individual, all the characters were fundamentally interlinked as each monologue flowed into the next. While there were a number of other excellent performances, some of the best lyrics and dialogue was simply lost through weak projection, poor diction, or bad sound management. My compliments to the small band who played the entirely show on stage and without a break, although they were often too loud for the singers. I particularly enjoyed the sensitive performance of Tyson Legg on guitar in some of the ballad numbers. This was a great production: hilarious, touching and visually compelling by turn, with a strong and dynamic cast, and sophisticated direction. I look forward eagerly to seeing more ?work? from theatre company Magnormos in the future. Wonderful voices, strong performances, innovative direction Poor sound quality in a show highly dependant on lyrics and script Iconoclastic musical theatre, and this production proved how rewarding challenging the old conventions can be Aaron Joyner Musical Athaneum II Oct 5 Bryce Baumgarten, Brad Fischer, Cathy Woodhouse, Venessa Paech,, Robert Harsley, Erin Keleher, Angela Lumicisi, Katrina Williams, Tanya Hanby, Matt Mullins, John Spaull, Cyndy Vogelsang, Andrew Zito ?
Video Killed the Radio Star	Johnny Panik	13th October 2002	life	Have you noticed how the gap between gay fashion and straight fashion is shrinking? Take for example, the Beckham mowhawk. One day every proud fashionable gay male is sporting one, the next day the whole of Sydney is swimming with them like some bizarre Jaws retrospective. The same thing happened with checkered shirts with a metallic fleck, the messy cut, three-quarter everything and gradient-tinted sunglasses. What on earth has happened to the enclave of fashion that gay men held the keys to? Speaking personally, I am troubled by not being able to tell the difference between a poof, dyke or straight anymore. It?s a dilemma that can have quite practical consequences too. This gap that traditionally defined queer difference (for the mainstream didn?t want to hear about the rest) is closing. Maybe it already has. Clothes, surely enough, can be a pretty superficial basis for any judgment, particularly if you check out Versace?s stock. But at the same time, they are one way of controlling our image and putting an identity before the populace. They?re the way we want others to see us, and the way we see ourselves. Of course, the Gay Male has always represented himself as having taste in clothes, and a distinctiveness in choice. A trend-setter for the mainstream ? ?you may prejudice us now, but in three seasons time you?ll be wearing this!? This quintessential Gay Male, however, is dead. Caput. No longer exemplar of good taste and fashion. Then again, maybe this is what equality means. The equality for which people protested at civil rights marches years ago. There is no material difference between the Gay Male and the hetero anymore. The equality we imagined is now achieved. Or is it just a case of what is a general trend across our society ? sameness? Everybody looks the same. In actuality, the ?trendsetter? is not the Gay Male, but a group of dedicated, committed and considerably underpaid sweatshop workers in some South-East Asian country. Process that production line into a company and a successful marketing pitch and sooner than Kylie can release another album you have our checkered shirts with a metallic flint (which by the way I only recently saw in Lowes). The reality is that the Gay Male is pretty much a target market and a target market for companies that also produce clothing for the rest of the population. The advertisers they have working for them produce the images that the Gay Male can project himself into. These are the same images produced for the rest of the population. The Gay Male has become a corporate venture. Go further beyond that and consider how much advertising keeps our community newspapers afloat. How the main justification for Mardi Gras to the mainstream is how much money it brings into New South Wales (whatever happened to the plain old argument of: ?it?s our fucking street!?). Consider also the same justifications for the Gay Games. Consider how many clubs on Oxford Street are playing the same rehashed music as the next club, because the safest bet in business is the one that brings the most punters in. There?s a big fat lie in business talk called competitive creativity. Competition leads to a greater variety. Wrong. Competition leads to businesses having to struggle to get the profit they need in order to grow. Variety means risk, and in an economy where time can mean the difference between growth and liquidation, there simply is no time for risk. Risk is not economically viable. Nor is difference. Just what is it we mean now when we use the word ?gay?? Absolutely nothing that is important. The word only has a short history, its importance lies in struggles for political and economic rights. Now it denotes a target group for companies who sell the same useless crap to everyone else. And that is certainly not important. Take a look at your credit debt and ask yourself who you are really doing favours for. Then value difference, because difference is the one thing that challenges what we would otherwise absolutely fail to question. If you?re going to wear the mowhawk, then live it too. ?
Tales of the City	Magnolia du Maupassant	9th October 2002	where_to_go_pubs	Hemmingway (as in Ernest) wrote the above statement in "For Whom The Bell Tolls", a book that takes its title from a poem by that other larrikin guy John Donne, who argued "No man is an island?" and wanted us to realise the sexual sub-text in his poem about an insect. Not to re-write a classic, but it might be better said (in such a PC world) that an intelligent person is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with their fools? And how true that is when you consider the fine specimens on display at various pubs and clubs in this city belching, grabbing, swearing and slurring their way through our fine (and not so fine) establishments. It?s all fun if you?re as slurred and sloppy, until someone throws up on your shoe, or, as can sometimes happen, someone offers to wave their naked buttocks your way (don't ask). Sometimes spending time with the fools all gets a bit much being such fragile flowers and all, I guess sooner or later, someone was going to wonder about where "intelligent" drinkers can go. So, erstwhile imbibers of the 'demon brew', where does one go if one needs to recharge? If one wants to spend some time contemplating one's own navel and not the pierced navel of the buff brunette next to one? Where can you go if what you desire is a good mixed drink (and by this we mean more Martini and less Bundy and Coke), a comfortable seat and some mellow surrounds? A place where some of the great literary lushes such as Gatsby (the Great), Phillip Marlowe (gumshoe and gin-drinker) and Sebastian Flyte (who should have left Brideshead a lot earlier) might have pulled up a barstool, their creators in tow. Where indeed can one find a 'classy' booze joint? Chicane, not quite on Oxford Street, but within stumbling distance thereof, valiantly offers itself up as an option. This is supposedly where "serious" drinkers should go, because whilst the interior is all lush, upmarket fixtures (velvet, dark wood and leather couches) in keeping with upmarket drinking joints, its vibe is less about show and more about know what you know about a drink and not who you know, mind. At least on a weeknight, when this writer attended. Fashionastas and scene-stealer-wannabes beware; the lighting is so low in this cocktail bar (low lamps and a few flickery candles set the mood) that all that purchased Versace glory doesn't show up nearly as well. MdM is not saying this isn't a fashionable part of town, but the emphasis here seems less on the physical attributes of the people (and what they are wearing) and more on how robust the taste is of your 15 year aged scotch. Glitz and glamour just doesn't get a look-in here, because the true glamours come in balloons and flutes of glass. Think Armani and you have it about right. Or just dress in lots of dark tones. This is not gulping and grinning territory - much more sipping and musing land. But at the prices that can be charged for a cocktail, you wouldn't gulp your drink down anyway! It's all very adult and lovely and you do indeed pay for the privilege of feeling like an elite member of the brandy-snifter club and less a member of those (ahem) collective 'fools'. My friend J, normally a beer drinker par excellence was compelled to order a Chocolate Martini (readers, the drink literally does have a fine piece of Belgium chocolate submerged in vermouth and whatnot) whereas he would normally never do so in another place. Perhaps because he would be jeered out of some of his favourite drinking holes for even thinking of it (!), and most definitely because Chicane is one of the few places that would have a chocolate Martini as its "headlining drink". Here is a place wherein the art of picking up (and by this I mean the search, glance, glance away, lock target and fire away technique people seem so fond of) isn't given much of chance to be exercised because it's hard to make out the faces of those you are with, let alone work out whether that nattily dressed gentleman in the corner looks just like Sean Connery when he was younger, or Sean Connery as he is now?hhmmm. Talking is actually required, because the music is soft and low-key (jazzy, bordering on the hotel lobby stuff at times), so readers, brush up on your existential angst and your arguments on who truly defines cool Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley? Dante or Milton? Shakespeare or Marlowe? George W.or someone else? Blue M&M or Purple M&M? because this is the place for it. And therein lies the conundrum. How many of you actually converse when out and about? Who truly talks these days about anything of substance when hanging out with friends and strangers whilst drinking? The art of conversation, the exchange of ideas and thoughts, of passionate discussions rather than random acts of passion, some might argue, has long been lost in the dross of too much boozing and oozing of hormones. If this is true, then Chicane affords you an opportunity to suss out whether or not you can drink and actually converse as opposed to opening your mouth and allowing sound to escape at the same time. Whether or not you and your companions actually have anything to say to each other beyond the usual yelling over the loudspeaker or leering at potentials is entirely in the hands of you, and you, and you. So, perhaps this is not the place to go if you have long since run out of things to say to each other (eek!), if you dislike not being able to show off your matching shoes, belt and new handbag (double eek!), or if you can't handle the fact that not every girl/guy at the bar is eyeing you off as potential lurve-candy (oh please?). One would never suggest that this is everyone's idea of a good time (sometimes, coming up with witty bon motts is a little draining after all), and MdM can?t promise you that your IQ will leap up 50 points by being in such a place (somehow, a few glasses of sauvignon blanc just aren?t going to aid that little brain-nourishment wish, no matter how much my friend AW hopes). However, if the rush and gush of some of this city's drinking holes is a little much sometimes, and you want to see what it's like on the flipside of your local's beer soaked bar mat, then this might be the answer. Chicane is one version of Sydney's answers to the 'cocktail/lounge bar', with a Casablanca-esque twist. While not nearly as dingy as Rick?s, it has a darker, more melancholy atmosphere more in keeping with that cinematic hole-in-the wall bar than the razzle dazzle of many cocktail bars. No a bar tender begged to listen to my woes at the time (Chicane, take note!) and no there wasn?t a pianist/singer named Sam in the background imploring me to remember that a "kiss was just a kiss, a smile was just a smile?as time goes by", but it did feel like there was more dark romance, more mystery and more promise of something indefinable within the golden yellow hue of my drink?or perhaps this writer was just getting well and truly sloshed. But in such an "intelligent" manner! 1a Burton St Darlinghurst 2010 9380 2121 http://www.chicane.com.au Good drinks. Good seats. Good staff. Good place for a chat. Prices! Low-lighting not suited to perve sessions. Ye olde English drawing room meets Moneyed set meets Gangster Chic ?
Gimme Dat Beer	Alice Ames	10th October 2002	diary of a zinester	Hello people! I just got back from the young writers fest in Newcastle. It was my second year there so I was feeling a bit of a pro. But let's start this with an update on my love life going all the way back to a few Mondays ago. Well you see I'd met this really hunky guy at a 21st and he was so cute and smart and stuff. So yes, we sms'd each other and he came over on the Monday night before I left for the fest. And oh my god, talk about buff! I thought that kinda thing just existed on those manly calendars. So anyways, that was that with a little fun here and there hehehe. Then it was time to leave for the fest. The first night there I had a bit to drink, but I think what really topped the night off was the hash cookie my friend gave me cos I was hungry. Well at least that was my excuse for eating it. Man, it'd been awhile since I'd done that, cos of school and having to memorise stuff etc. So it was a fun night. And then, the next night was a bit more out of control. I drank way too much and got all depressed and smoked some too and yeah, my poor state of affairs in my brain, arg. However, amongst the haze of chemicals, a guy gave me a real insight into my life and it really changed the way I think about things a lot. He asked why I am always searching for strong arms to hold me when most of those times their arms aren't strong at all. Although it's very simple it triggered a chain of realisations. (Still, the next night I went home with a lovely guy just to be "held" and in the morning it was like "arg!") Hmmm. Anyways, I got up really early that morning and walked home for about an hour. It was good though. All the days are really muddled and I can't remember everything that happened BUT you must read about this. So, I was scamming free food and alcohol at an opening where I ran into a friend who is a reader of my journal too. Then she was like here meet blah blah and this really hot guy turned around and she's like hey this is Alice and he's like "aw hey! Blah blah", and I was like, oh my god he's so hot and he likes my writing!!! Man it was getting hot in that gallery. And then the next night I ran into a librarian from school and learnt that he's a writer too and stuff. So we went for a walk and it was really nice to talk soberly with someone for once. Then once I got home I realised the door was locked and I didn't have a key, so I just sat around for awhile then rang the bell. So the guy who was staying with us answered the door and I was so glad cos I was just oh so hungry for some food. So that was good cos I was able to eat and also had some cuddles too. So now I'm back with exams looming and guys who are such a distraction!! And life is just going to be getting more hectic and busy as the first of my exams begin next week until the end of November? So I'm afraid to say that I'm gonna take a break but will be back bigger and better after all this Year 12 b.s is done. Thanks to all my readers, Xox Alice Alice312@yahoo.com ?
Garage Days	dee j	12th October 2002	Reviews	This film has been slagged by filmmakers and critics for being all hype and visual gloss, without the story to back it up. Even if this were true, it is worth seeing this film for the visuals alone ? anyone who likes Proyas? dark gothic aesthetic and use of rich colour ( , ) will not be disappointed. Newtown is reinvented in lush vibrant colour, with superimposed glowing billboards and giant flashing signs, funky retro tones and equally funky ?locals?. Against this backdrop, we follow the struggle for survival of that ?endangered species?, the garage band ? or at least one of the hundreds out there. Freddy (Kick Gurry) and his band of rock star wannabes dream of record contracts and fully-booked-out stadium concert tours. Fuck, just getting a gig ANYWHERE would be good. For anyone who has been in a band or dated a lead singer, this film rings true. It?s a charming mix of the practicality, the pride and the absolute pig-headed delusion of musos whose passion is rock n? roll. And then there?s the love story: Tanya (Pia Miranda) is Freddy?s girlfriend and bass player; Kate is his muse, and his lead guitarist?s girlfriend. It's pretty obvious how the story is going to unfold, but what it lacks in surprises, it makes up for in spirit. This is a great love story, and Kick Gurry and Maya Strange are charming, compelling and wonderfully vulnerable leads. In another predictable twist, the savage Tanya and the chemically enhanced drummer Lucy (Chris Sandrinna) end up together. The film has some other less predictable and really effective twists, and in terms of the script, it?s definitely quirky. The ?fun with drugs? segments are brilliantly done adventures into the world of ecstasy and LSD. also works because it doesn?t take itself too seriously: this is not an angsty film ? it?s a film made in loving tribute to music and young rock ?n? roll dreams. Although there are some serious themes, such as mental illness, and the highly political battle between pokie-machines and the live-band scene, the humorous tone of the film dominates. This is brought to life in fantastic support roles by Russel Dykstra, as the flamboyantly dressed and devoted manager-cum-roadie, and Andy Anderson as the 70s throwback, genuine article rock ?n? roller. These roles are perfectly cast, and the characters are warm, irresistible and real. It has been said that this film spent up on graphics and SFX that did nothing to enhance the storytelling. Why this is worth commenting on in particular in relation to this film (as opposed to every other film at the box office of which the same could be said), is unclear. The visuals are great, the story is great, this is an Australian film not to be dissed or missed. The oneliners: ?Sorry man, I thought you were Satan?. Apparently some of the dialogue was a bit too ?twee?. A rock ?n? roll ride. Alex Proyas Topher Dow, Alex Proyas Simon Duggan Michael Philips No costume designer, no clothes Michael Udesky, Dave Warner Alex Proyas Richard Learoyd 20th Century Fox Kick Gurry, Maya Stange, Pia Miranda, Russell Dykstra, Brett Stiller, Chris Sandrinna, Andy Anderson. ?
Eat, drink & be merry	Lisa_Ritchie	10th October 2002	things_to_do	Ritualised yuppie wank-fest it may be (cf. Bastard Mc Prick?s ), but the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month has become a veritable institution which celebrates the more indulgent aspects of Sydney life: food and wine in the sun, by the water or anywhere you damn-well please. I recommend that you disregard your cynicism about corporate sponsored ?lifestyle? events and embrace your brazen inner glutton. Below are just some of events happening throughout October. For more events and details go to Sydney Food & Wine Fair Hyde Park North Saturday, October 26, 12-3pm Stalls from over 100 of Sydney's top restaurants and leading Australian wineries. Bring a rug, a hat and muster your resilience to crowds (be prepared to use your best elbow action in the lines for tokens and food). Entertainment will include drag shows, bands and roving performers. All proceeds from the day go to the AIDS Trust of Australia (eat and justify yourself in the name of charity). Food from $6, wine $4, coffee & soft drinks $2. Good Living NSW Wine Festival MCA, 140 George Street, The Rocks Friday 11 October - Monday 14 October Master the skill of looking conversant with grape varieties and brush up on your wine superlatives. Eschew spitting in favour of swallowing (ahem). Tickets to the general tasting sessions are $25, available at the door. Let?s do lunch An astonishing opportunity to try some of the top Sydney restaurants for non-prohibitive prices. For $25, you get a pre-selected main course and a glass of wine. Restaurants include Aqua Luna, bel mondo, Bistro Moncur, Catalinas, Forty One, MG Garage, Quay, Sailors Thai Canteen, Salt and Wine Banc. Book in advance. Night noodle markets Macquarie Street Every Sunday-Wednesday in October (Sun 4.30-8.30pm; Mon-Wed 5.30-9pm) The fairy-lit night noodle markets are held in the Botanic Gardens, just behind Opera Quays. All types of Asian and Asian-inspired cuisine are available, as well as boutique wines and beer - an excellent way to spend a mid-week post-work evening. From my experience last year, I recall some particularly nice Vietnamese fresh spring rolls and Thai fish cakes, a fresh spring breeze and a stroll by the quay after dinner. Parramatta noodle markets Church Street Mall Every Thursday lunch (12-2pm) and dinner (5-8pm) in October For those who work or live outside of the city, the Parramatta noodle markets are a superb alternative to the night noodle markets. Hands on Check out the range of designer cooking classes held throughout October taught by some of Sydney's leading food specialists. Learn how to cook anything from Pho to pulses, game to gelato, stock to sushi. Courses are priced between $15-30 and are held all around Sydney. Unfortunately, they are generally held during business hours, but some are offered in the evening. Hats off Tuesdays evenings throughout October (Shudder with excitement.) A variety of Sydney?s foremost restaurateurs are holding evenings in which they create a special menu for Good Food Month. The results are sure to be imaginative. Restaurants include Tetsuyas, bel mondo, Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, Longrain, Aria, Fourty One, MG Garage and Banc. Bookings are essential. An expensive night at $110 (plus wine), but we all deserve extravagance occasionally. Sugar hit Strictly for the sweet tooths - a dessert plate and a glass of dessert wine for $15 between 9-11pm every evening at a number of Sydney?s 5 star hotels, including the ANA, Park Hyatt, Sheraton, Sir Stamford and the Hotel Intercontinental. Cocktail cruises Friday evenings throughout October, $60 + bf. There is a Finlandia Vodka Voyage for the Bond fans among us and a Tia Maria cruise. Bookings through Ticketek (02) 9266 4800 or www.ticketek.com. Shoot the chef - photography exhibition 10am-6pm, 1-27 October, The Studio Foyer, Sydney Opera House, Free An exhibition which features compelling portraits of Sydney's chefs by a range of leading photographers. Winning entries of an amateur category will also be on display. If these events aren?t enough to inflame your saliva glands, perhaps the following may entice you: * Champagne Salon ($80, Mondays and Tuesday, Wine Banc) * Brewery tour with Chuck Hahn ($25, Wednesdays, 11.30am-1pm) * Gourmet safari walks ($40 or $70, Variety of cuisines and areas) * Garden party ($5, Government House, Macquarie St, 10am-5pm, 12-13 October) the very best of culinary indulgences certain Scotsmen may disapprove luxe ?
Come down from life	Lisa_Ritchie	20th September 2002	things_to_do	Speaking as someone trying to balance a career, study, my health, a social life and personal relationships, I often feel like the proverbial headless chook on the edge of perennial disaster. In this cynical, stress addicted world, here are some suggestions for how to retreat into yourself and towards relaxation (hopefully without falling into the trap of spiritual reductionism). Meditation retreat The Brahma Kumaris Centre for Spiritual Learning in the Blue Mountains offers weekend mediation retreats and courses which ?provide a space for understanding and experiencing our true identity and our connection with the Supreme?. The retreats are based on the core teaching of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. Accommodation at the retreat centre are in twin share bedrooms with an ensuite bathroom. All food provided is vegetarian and the premises are drug and alcohol free. The retreats are free, but a donation is requested at the end of the weekend. For more details and information on upcoming retreats go to http://www.brahmakumaris.com.au/pages/leura.html. Yoga with a difference Bikram Yoga is a series of 26 yoga postures conducted in a heated room. Each posture in the series warms and prepares the body for the next posture. The room is heated to body temperature to warm up your whole body, allowing you to work deep into your muscles, tendons and ligaments, systematically stretching, strengthening and toning your body from the inside out. Classes are held at Bikram?s College of Yoga at 55 Foveaux Street in Surry Hills. They are 90 minutes long and cost $17 or $13 with student ID. For more information go to http://bikramsurryhills.com Acting Offering projection as a means of self reflection, the Actor?s Centre in Surry Hills is ideal for that post work come down or to realise your creative potential. The Actor?s Centre has ?drop in classes? for $25 on Tuesdays an Thursdays. These classes are on a wide range of themes, from ?The Actor?s Impulse? to ?The Actor?s Technique?. http://www.actorscentre.com.au Sanity amidst the chaos Finding the time RELAX..... ?
Extreme Circus (Melbourne Fringe Festival)	Vient Young Ho	11th October 2002	reviews	I walked into the space, and was immediately hit by the energy, the vibe and the anticipation. Not normally a fan of hip-hop, I felt the music blaring through the speakers and felt the sense of rightness and excitement. This show was excellent. One of the most fun shows I?ve seen all year. Yes they did not get all their tricks right, particularly if you knew what you were looking for, not all their tricks were hugely complex (not to say I could do them), hell not even all the segments I felt worked, but generally a great show that left you buzzing when you came out. was put on by a group called Kronik, I?ve never heard of them (WCW wrestlers?) but if this is the calibre of their stuff I want to see more. Strong acrobatics, lots of fun, including French and English hip-hop, a skateboard ramp and a unicycle, this would be a great pre-going out show because it leaves you hyped and eager for more. The music was energetic and suited the stage work, the lighting simple and effective and the performers enjoying themselves and not embarrassed when they stuffed up stuff. They just kept going, kept on working with and off the audience. This is not to say it was a perfect performance. Some things I felt didn?t work. A movement piece involving an orange contact juggling ball I recognised it as enjoyable in a focused energy kind of way but out of place, the trapeze work a little too repetitive, and the skateboarding didn?t work. Some of these were too lengthy as well. A piece of advice those with any circus or physical training, might be to try to switch off your mind otherwise sometimes you feel yourself going ?hmm? relatively difficult but not extremely?? though by the same token other times you find yourself clapping with respect and awe. The show was enthusiastic, their acrobatics sequences and their energy infectious and the audience bloody fantastic. Filled with both the highly enthused people who cheered every trick, and a more discerning audience with an overly fussy eye (I was amongst them), it was a great mix, one that both dared and cheered them on, for both their skills as physical performers and their ability to engage their audience. This made the place feel electric as the performers bounced off the audiences and vice-versa. Considering this is the opening night one wonders how much better they can get. Will they perfect their tricks? Will they run out of energy? I want to see this again. atmosphere, acrobatics, energy, sense of fun and enjoyment, audience. length of some pieces, some non-acrobatic pieces, the skateboard fun, funky, Wow! See the show if merely for the vibe. Kronik circus North Melbourne Town Hall 12 October Kronik ?
Foreign Body (Melbourne Fringe Festival)	Vient Young Ho	13th October 2002	reviews	A simple set-up for what was entirely not a simple concept. Pervasive, ranging from the joyful to the painful, and the same time creating a feeling of connection and yet leaving you feeling enormously detached from the situation. Sarah Mainwaring?s story plays upon you and your perceptions. This performance examines the circumstances, which lead from the car accident that left Sarah in a deformed body and to most people, therefore, also a deformed mind. Nothing could be further from the truth. Lighting and sound were minimal, the space was small and relatively intimate, and Music was sparse yet poignant, so you definitely noticed Sarah?s strength as a performer, her ability to clearly express herself and define herself on stage. Jo Lange was a great support, blending in the background as Sarah stepped forward to take the story forward and twist and turn it as well as providing musical support for a couple of pieces. There are almost constant shifts for the emotional state of the audience from the agonizing, to the joyful, to the reflective and the humorous. I felt a great sense of connection to Sarah on stage, to the point that you felt the audience was in on exactly how she felt, very uncompromising. Sarah stood in front of 50 people and told them how she was feeling during these events, what drove her, what ailed her and how it felt to be in a crippled body. It was a completely honest and extremely beautiful performance. It let you into that sense of detachment that Sarah feels from her body and the freedom of her mind. This unfortunately had a couple of side effects. I knew how I should react, and I felt the desire to do that, occasionally I did, but the audience was basically like a rock. Sarah?s attempt to examine the way people treat those with disabilities worked perfectly. They couldn?t handle it. One doesn?t laugh at those who possess disabilities in public, people patronise them, and its unfortunate that on some levels I felt quite a few of the audience couldn?t handle the fact, that Sarah was on some levels forcing you to examine yourself through her eyes. She had cleverly backed the audience into a corner. How do you react to the ?crippled person? on stage? One of the scenes I found particularly effective was a scene which was showing Jo, acting as someone teaching Sarah how to write again. Sarah would be controlled by Jo then reach up and gently touch Jo?s hair and face, almost aching to touch her, then eventually she reached the point of frustration and starts shouting at her. Effectively handled, on some levels humorous but also painful. Overall this was a satisfying though confusing experience, it was also a little short, running for about 35 minutes or so. Biggest bane unfortunately was politeness. The audience knew what they felt and what she felt but chose to ignore it in the case of politeness but at least they felt it I suppose. no compromise, honest, beautiful, connection and detachment, witty, subtle. no compromise, audience, detachment. you knew it, but did you react to it? performance North Melbourne Town Hall 4 October Sarah Mainwaring Jo Lange ?
The Cat's Meow	Ben Hampson	11th October 2002	Reviews	"The Whisper Most Often Told..." is the temptingly sensuous tagline to this partially true tale of Hollywood lives in 1924. A small conspiracy protecting the careers of Los Angeles' elite from the world's media covered up the death of Thomas Ince who was celebrating his birthday (how ironic) on the yacht of producer William Randolph Hearst. The official story is death from heart failure brought on by indigestion. The unofficial story is played out here... Kirsten Dunst plays silent film actress Marion Davies, the young lover of William Hearst (Edward Herrmann). Eddie Izzard is surprisingly cast as Charlie Chaplin who has amorous intentions towards her. Cary Elwes plays the doomed Thomas Ince, once a prolific producer, now struggling to get a film up and running, desperate to gain favour with his host. The supporting cast play other odds and ends including Joanna Lumley as the author Elinor Glyn and an uproarious, scene-stealing performance from Jennifer Tilly as Louella Parsons. The colourful story is beautifully told in flashback, bookended by two black and white sequences at the funeral, exquisitely narrated by Joanna Lumley. With characters that could be found in many Agatha Christie novels, the repartee is quick, funny and naturalistic. The humour is occasionally bawdy which emphasises the promiscuity of the time. The production is divine, superb sets on the boat and stunning cinematography evoke a feeling of the cinema of their day. The soundtrack alone whisks you back to a time of hedonism and pretension. Kirsten Dunst gives a flawless performance just reiterating her talent is worth more than the teen flick. Joanna Lumley always adds class to a picture but here proves that her comic timing is more than just Patsy Stone. Edward Herrmann is sympathetic in his portrayal of Mr Hearst and Cary Elwes is ideally cast as the desperate but charming Thomas Ince proving he is worth more than the regular 'B' list in which he currently dwells. Two notable performances though are Eddie Izzard and Jennifer Tilly. Eddie Izzard I thought was a bizarre casting error at first, but he slips into the role effortlessly and convinces the viewer fairly automatically albeit with a dodgy accent, but that can be forgiven. My favourite performance was from Jennifer Tilly, the actress who tends to get frequent but undervalued work. This should be a career changing moment for her, as she is exceptional as the gossip columnist with a desperately invasive personality who is brought down to earth on the fateful night by witnessing a horrific event. If I were an Oscar judge, I'd be looking for a nomination in the best supporting actress category here. Peter Bogdanovitch has returned to form, as classy as and with the witty panache of , is a wonderful piece of voyeuristic entertainment which I think will be enjoyed even more on multiple viewings. Perfect casting Eddie's dodgy accent Worthy of some Oscars methinks. (editor wrote: great to see peter bogdanovich is back! was actually a favourite film of mine when i was little, something i'd totally forgotten about til now. and this version of events so controversial that even orson welles decided not to depict them in his otherwise defiant should be very interesting - sorry, comments function wasn't working) Peter Bogdanovich Julie Baines, Ernie Barbarash, Kim Bieber, Martin Hagemann Bruno Delbonnel Jean-Vincent Puzos Caroline de Vivaise Steven Peros Edward G. Norris Ian Whitcomb 112 mins Kirsten Dunst, Eddy Izzard, Cary Elwes, Edward Herrmann, Jennifer Tilly ?
Lilo and Stitch	Ben Hampson	13th October 2002	Reviews	Picture it. Sunday morning. Cinema full of kids. Free drink full of 'e' numbers on every seat. Popcorn stinking to high heaven. Woman at front with mike saying "Is everyone excited?" Sounds like you have stepped into a hell dimension. Thank God there was something to divert my attention. A preview screening of . (Getting kids to come to the front to impersonate 'Stitch' was kind of cute, but hardly any of them deserved a prize! Call me callous, but I say teach 'em to make an effort!) 'Experiment 6-2-6' is an abomination, an aberration and a situation. Its only purpose in life is to destroy - and be crude. The high council is not happy and sentences its inventor to a long term of imprisonment and the creature to exile on a far off meteor. However, 'Experiment 6-2-6' escapes and heads to a distant planet - Earth. On one of the remote islands of Hawaii, a young girl, Lilo, is being looked after by her elder sister, Nani, since their parents died in a car accident. Lilo is a lonely and confused child who feeds Peanut Butter sandwiches to a fish because he controls the weather. All she wants is a friend, someone who won't leave. She sees a shooting star and makes her wish. Nani takes her to the kennel to adopt a puppy. Here she buys her new pal, whom she names 'Stitch'. Now be prepared. This is where two worlds meet: Disney and Anti-Disney. Stitch is one of the most un-Disney characters ever. Violent, destructive, vulgar... And yet, he is probably the best Disney character ever. He vomits, he picks his nose with his tongue, and he does Elvis impressions. I haven't laughed so much in a Disney movie since , and this was even funnier. Lilo was remarkably un-sappy. The wonderful moment when she punches a school friend in the face or when she tells the social worker, 'Bubbles' (Ving Rhames) that Nani disciplines her by hitting her with bricks in a pillow case. Okay, okay, so there was the message of family and belonging. But it was delivered with such wit, style and panache, that it perhaps hit home more successfully than in previous outings. One of the main benefits was the lack of songs. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a good musical, but preferably without the over-rated schmaltz of the gut-wrenching Randy Newman. features the occasional Hawaiian influenced number arranged by the incredibly talented Alan Silvestri (mots famous for his collaborations with Robert Zemeckis) and a few of Elvis' hits. But the main power of this film is held within the relationship between the two lead characters. The plot is cluttered with convenient coincidences, (name a film which isn't!) but that makes it all the more humorous. This is not a movie for kids. Okay, they enjoyed the moments when someone fell over, or when something gross happened. But the social worker gags and more rebellious jokes went straight over their heads. And how many kids really get the Elvis thing? I know people who hate Disney - but they are just miseries. I defy anyone to see this and not be thoroughly entertained. Getting a message across without syrup. A Cinema full of kids, try and get a late night screening. (Bah, Humbug) The best Disney Character ever. Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders Clark Spencer Paul A. Felix Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois Darren T. Holmes Alan Silvestri Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, Tia Carrere, Jason Scott Lee, David Ogden Stiers, Ving Rhames ?
Mercury Rev	Sheila Pham	11th October 2002	interviews	?George Bush Jnr couldn?t name several countries on the map before he got into office.? - Jeff Mercel on the man in the White House. After appearances at many of the major music festivals in Europe over the summer including Glastonbury and Reading in England, Mercury Rev are touring again. But this time they are joining the Livid Festival as it travels down the eastern seaboard of Australia (with a line-up that includes Oasis and Morrissey). It?s been just over six months since they last visited Australia to promote their latest album, , a fitting follow up to -arguably one of the best records of the last decade. Jeff Mercel has known the other two members of the band, Jonathan Donahue and Grasshopper, since 1997. He met them through one of Mercury Rev?s producers, Dave Fridmann, who also produces other bands like The Flaming Lips and Sparklehorse. He took some time out of the band?s punishing schedule to talk to writer Sheila Pham about the upside of touring, being a school band geek and the chemical reaction that is Mercury Rev. We try and go to places that are intriguing to us when the opportunity arises and we?ve been lucky enough to get to some pretty beautiful places. We?d like to do more. We like to get back more often than we do because you gotta come back a bunch of times and establish yourself. I think that?s where we?d like to be as far as touring. Like Tom Waits. Or Nick Cave. He puts out records continuously and he?s always touring. I think we?d like to get to that point. You know, we?re always going to be making records but I think we just enjoy touring now more so than ever. It just seems to get better every time. We enjoy hanging out together, we enjoy playing shows. And we wanna just continue to be able to play, and play places that are fun and interesting for us. You know, we?re from America and I enjoy touring America, but that?s not all there is. There?s a lot of the world out there. I think we all enjoy travelling as much as anything. You get to meet a lot of people that you never would have run across any other way. We all come from different families. Different backgrounds in terms of, whether any sort of ethnic sort of thing may have rubbed off. Grasshopper is Polish on his dad?s side. He was really versed with polkas and music like that. We all have different things that we were weaned on. My dad listened to a lot of classical music. But my dad also listened to like a lot of Benny Goodman. Early big band sort of era music. So I grew up hearing that sort of stuff and then they strapped an accordion on me when I wasn?t looking. My first instrument actually was the accordion. I was six years old. That?s a hard thing to live down. I played accordion for about five years until I was about eleven? and I was just like, ?I gotta play something else?. So I started playing the drums. I was a school band geek. But strangely enough, in the past couple of years, I play a lot of piano now. When something?s new to you, you are drawn to it maybe a little more. But with drums, there?s much more of a dialogue there. Just getting textures and sounds. And they?re often very complex, almost to a mathematical sort of approach. It?s fun to play but it?s not always the most pleasant thing to listen to. Like you could do it for about an hour or two. I know I?m a drummer but some days I?m just like, ?man, that?s loud! I don?t want to hear that today?. You know, it?s like one of those candy boxes with all those different candies in it. So I like to listen to a little bit of everything. But there are certain things that I like. And I?m learning to like more. I?m finding new composers or new recordings that are interesting to me. The same as you would with any kind of music whether it?s rock music or country music or whatever. I like what they do. I like their music. They?re interesting. I think they do what they want to do which is cool. That?s a good thing that they can do that. But a lot of bands out there are doing what they do. We?ve had the good fortune to play with bands like that. We toured with The Flaming Lips. I admire bands that are adventurous, and not afraid to try things. And it?s not trying to be different for the sake of being different. It was very early on when I first started getting together with them for this record. It was sitting in my living room. Or Jon?s living room. You know, with guitars and just messing around with stuff and playing. Very casually. I think what you hear is an amalgamation of three somewhat likeminded people. There?s some sort of chemical thing between the three of us. It?s a cumulative sort of effort. We just try to make things grand where they need to be grand and delicate where they need to be delicate and sparse. It?s kind of working the whole range in between, where each song calls out for it. You know, there was a time when I liked to talk about that. I don?t like to mix that sort of thing with music to be honest. There are several bands that do it and I think they do it very well. That?s their agenda. Like Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy. They serve a very specific function, and made music. You know, the two were intertwined. Probably just trying to create. Imagine something in your head and it?s beautiful; it?s trying to express that on the record. Trying for that image that?s in your head and maybe falling just short but somehow that spurs off something completely new. These little accidents, little failures, develop your song into something bigger. Sheila Pham Jeff Mercel (Mercury Rev) ?
Y Tu Mam? Tambi?n	Miguel Gonzalez	17th October 2002	Reviews	claimed to be a realistic portray of Mexican youth. But is that so? Is it that good, or little more than a mere, sexually explicit version of Beavis and Butthead, third world style? Maybe it?s both. It?s been a worldwide hit, highly acclaimed. This is one of those movies that work better on foreign markets, where its exotic elements, cultural references and political/social commentary become assets. The kind of elements that make films like Monsoon wedding get better reviews than they might deserve. Alfonso Cuaron is the man behind this project. His first film was ( ), a comedy about AIDS and relationships in the early nineties. Then Hollywood called and the results were and a version of Dickens? . (title that has been kept for most foreign countries) came as an unexpected piece of work, just as unexpected as Cuaron being chosen to direct . From the beginning he aimed for controversy. Why else would he include ? let?s face it - unnecessary nudity? The movie was rated R in Mexico, as it would have been in any other country due to its strong sexual content and drug use. But Cuaron organized a campaign against the film rating association, saying it was ?another example of censorship from a repressive government? and asking people to demand ?the right to see what they want to see?. This was obviously the best marketing plan he could have conceived. There?s also the fact that was distributed by Fox, in a country where transnational studios have usually paid little attention to domestic films. This meant the movie was everywhere, as opposed to other releases that get only a few screens nationwide. is basically a road movie, with lots of fart and dick jokes and sexually explicit moments. Best friends Tenoch (Diego Luna) and Julio (Gael Garcia-Bernal) send their girlfriends off to Europe for the holidays and meet Luisa (Maribel Verdu), Tenoch?s cousin?s Spanish wife, and invite her to Heaven?s Mouth, a fictional beach. When Luisa finds out her husband has cheated on her, she decides to join Tenoch and Julio on their supposed trip. The sexual tension could be cut with a knife and eventually triggers a secret of betrayal between the friends. Luisa becomes the mediator as the three of them reach their destination. A final intimate moment may separate them more than it can bring them together, and Luisa keeps a secret to herself. The photography is outstanding, as is Maribel Verdu's performance; these keep the film together. While it remains a well-constructed tale about growing up, trust and friendship, is far from perfect. Its main problems are pretentiousness, lecturing audiences and pointing fingers with its frivolous political and social commentary, unlike last year?s , which never intended to be anything but a universal story. The narrator (Daniel Gimenez Cacho, star of Cuaron?s ) has been one of the most praised elements of the film. While he certainly gives some insight into the characters? minds, some of the stories he tells pretend to be almost metaphysical. In order to explain a background element, these side stories become distractions. Then there?s the level of ?reality? the film claims to have. Where did Tenoch, the son of a powerful politician, meet Julio, a lower middle-class kid? It?s sure very unlikely for two teenagers from such different economic positions to meet and become best friends in any country, more so in Mexico. It has a highly polarized society in which social mobility is disappearing, and dismal differences can be seen. That poor boy/rich boy relationship is as unreal as the criticized Mexican telenovelas (soap operas). Pretty much every major social problem in Mexico is painted over here, sometimes even forced into the background. Problem is, it?s only presented as a decorative element, out of context. And it?s also a clich? social critique about the corrupt government. Illegal immigrants, peasants harassed by soldiers, the ever-present poverty in contrast with the natural beauty of the landscapes. The queen of the town, the poor-but-happy family, the joyful Latin American spirit. Reality becomes stereotype once the lens captures it. The DVD version (not available yet in Australia) features an audio commentary starring the charolastras, Tenoch, Julio and Sabas (the characters, not the actors), making fun of everyone and everything. Maybe it?s Cuaron?s way to say that his movie is not as symbolic and deep as it has been considered, which is not necessarily bad. The cinematography, and a great performance by Maribel Verdu A contrived plot and stereotypical portrayals of Mexican society Aims for controversy, but ends up just being stale. Some facts that go unexplained in the film: - Tenoch was the priest that founded the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in 1325. Iturbide was the first ruler of Independent Mexico, during the first Empire. - Julio?s sister is Manuela. Manuela is slang for masturbation. In one of the deleted scenes, Julio?s girlfriend gives him a handjob in the back seat of the car, while her mother asks Julio ?How is Manuela, your sister??. - Manuela is a politically involved student, from a public college. Just like the ones who took over the National University for more than one year, during the 1999-2000 strike in which thousands of more rightful students lost two semesters. - Tenoch?s car is taken away because he doesn?t enroll for Area III. The third year of high school is a specialized year with views to college, called area (I-V), and Tenoch rejected the business course. - Protestors are seen on the streets, creating a traffic jam. That actually happens almost every day, especially in the city centre area. - The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) held the presidency for more than 70 years, finally losing it in the 2000 elections. - Charolastra, as explained by the characters, could be either the mispronunciation of an English song, or the combination of ?astral charro? (cowboy being the closest translation to ?charro?). It?s not a real slang word. - On the road, the narrator mentions the ?massacre of Cerro Verde? (Green Hill). That?s a reference to the massacre of Aguas Blancas (White Waters), 1996, in which peasants where killed by the Army. - Tenoch gets to go to ITAM, one of the most expensive and prestigious universities in Mexico, specialized in economy. Julio goes to UAM, a public university. Alfonso Cuar?n Sergio Aguero, Amy Kaufman, David Linde, Sandra Solares, Alfonso Cuar? Emmanuel Lubezki Marc Bedia, Miguel ?ngel ?lvarez Gabriela Diaque Alfonso Cuar?n, Carlos Cuar?n Alfonso Cuar?n, Alex Rodr?guez Maribel Verd?, Gael Garc?a Bernal, Diego Luna, Marta Aura, Diana Bracho, Emilio Echevarr?a ?
Kelly Slater Surfs to the shelves	Michael Bacina	14th October 2002	gaming news	Surf?s up! Is the water still cold with summer just a tantilising distance away? Well you can surf from your couch from today with the release of Kelly Slater?s Pro Surfer. The game lets you join six-time world champion surfer, Kelly Slater, and eight other top pros traveling 13 of the most popular and recognisable surf spots in the world in search of the perfect wave. Kelly Slater?s Pro Surfer for the PlayStation 2, the Xbox and Nintendo GameCube is rated ?G8+? by the Office of Film & Literature Classification, and each carry a suggested retail price of $99.95. The Game Boy? Advance version is rated ?G? and has a suggested retail price of $69.95. states Larry Goldberg, executive vice president, Activision Worldwide Studios. Kelly Slater?s Pro Surfer, promises you a massive adrenaline rush dropping down huge wave faces, pulling into barreling tube rides and performing hundreds of massive trick combinations and signature pro moves. Career progression alows for interaction with famous surfers, sponsors, magazines and photographers and the exotic real world locations and events including full beach environments with real landmarks and hazards are aiming to lend that extra bit of authenticity to the game. Does Kelly Slaters rip it up and take the crown? Keep watching for a full review shortly ?
Swimfan	Miguel Gonzalez	19th October 2002	Reviews	In order to review I?ll try to put myself in the place of the target audience. Let?s say I?m "Susie". I loooove Britney and Buffy and dream of Freddy Prinze Jr. OK, last night I watched this movie and I swear it was sooo cool. I mean, I was jumping off my seat the whole 85 minutes. I?ll tell ?ya about it. Ben is a high school senior with a troubled past. He stole a car and went to jail but he?s changed and now has a promising future as a swimmer, he?s that good, like a dolphin. And he?s just so cute it?s almost illegal. He looooves his girlfriend, who?s willing to follow him to California once high school is over. I know I?d do the same for that hottie. There?s a new girl in town. Eeeeverybody loves her, she?s that adorable, just listen to her play the cello. Why can?t her freaky cousin be more like her, we don?t know. Oh yes, her cousin is a freak, he reads books! I didn?t trust her, I knew right away that girl was trouble. Well, she falls for cute boy (can?t blame her) and lures him into having sex with her. Just this one time, she says, I promise I won?t tell, it will be our secret. Wow! Sex in the pool! But then she starts acting weird, man, I mean, really scary stuff here. Like sending 80 emails in a row, using the nickname swimfan... Oops, didn?t see that coming. Online sexual harassment, I don?t even wanna check my inbox now. Wait, what is she doing? What?s that in her hand? Dude, watch out for that bat! Oh good Lord, is that blood? Somebody stop her, please! Well, somebody should have stopped the studio before authorizing Swimfan. I can?t pretend to be Susie anymore, and hopefully there are not many Susies around who may think this was a good movie. It seemed like the teenage-oriented slasher films that Scream spawned in the late nineties were gone for good, but nooo. They?re still haunting us, not in the form of the bastard child of and a very bad episode of . Beautiful twenty-something faces and bodies, every single clich? in the book, music that screams ?buy the soundtrack?, unimaginative editing to symbolize the mental disorder of the character... the list is endless. Why did Erika Christensen accept this after her praised work in Traffic? Unemployment, probably. Why did I watch this? Fear of unemployment, actually. If I must say something good about ... well, the acting is decent, especially Christensen?s. And it?s better than , , or our own (maybe the word ?cut? in the title jinxes the movie?) But is that something anyone would be proud of? The director is Aussie. Hot boys and girls for everyone. Everything else. Utterly and painfully uninspired slasher movie based on John Polson Fisher Stevens, Tim Williams, Courtney Potts, Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr. Giles Nuttgens Kalina Ivanov Arjun Bhasin Charles F. Bohl, Phillip Schneider Sarah Flack John Debney, Louis F 84 mins Jesse Bradford, Erika Christensen, Shiri Appleby ?
Shakespeare's Hamlet (Sydney)	Reena Ganga	9th October 2002	reviews	The production is a very fresh, contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare?s Hamlet. Director David Berthold has taken this 400-year-old play and transformed it such that it transcends the barriers of time. Arguably Shakespeare?s greatest tragedy, this staging demonstrates that Hamlet can just as easily be a modern tragedy, confronting even for a contemporary audience. Passion, betrayal and revenge are universal themes ? the power of the production is that this could be anybody?s story. Following the death of his father, Hamlet returns from university to find his mother remarried to his uncle. A ghostly visitation from the dead king who implores Hamlet to revenge his murder, begins a chain reaction of events that spiral out of control and destroy the lives of all involved. Heath Carr portrays brilliantly the multi-faceted character that is Hamlet ? the prince, the university student, the grieving son and the satirist, who is at once, both a boy and a man. The 20-year-old Novocastrian actor rises to the challenge of conveying the veritable gamut of emotions that such a complex character demands. Hamlet is as much a comic hero as a tragic one and Carr marvelously portrays Hamlet?s feigned insanity. Ophelia is a rather haunting character in this production, particularly after her descent from a loving, joyful girl to one gripped with sorrow and madness to the point that she is driven to suicide. The emotional intensity of Philippa Smith?s performance in this role is such that one is left feeling rather disturbed by the gravity of Ophelia?s insanity. The haunting cries of her delirium echo in one?s mind long after the performance has concluded. The wordy Polonius (Anthony Mackey) provided much-needed comic relief in such an emotionally concentrated piece. The combination of his verbosity and Mr. Bean-like manner was a delight to the audience. The lighting and visual effects greatly enhanced the production. Very artistically designed, the lighting beautifully complemented dialogue, creating ambience through simple but creative use of light and dark. Video projections of Hamlet?s past exhibited on the rear wall of the set added a new element to Shakespeare?s tale, allowing the tragedy to transcend from myth to memory. This technique creatively merged theatre and film to enhance the story-telling power. Visual effects combined well with sound effects, adding immensely to the dramatic tension. Much of the background music and sound effects were almost subliminal, a powerful tool for intensifying the mood progressively to the point of agitation and disconcertment. Sound added an almost haunting element, and in a play that displayed such powerful raw human emotion, it created an eerie, unsettling atmosphere of discomfiture. The set reflects Berthold?s vision of a contemporary Denmark. Though minimalist, the black and white set is cleverly utilised to represent all the settings in the play. The walls are made of paper, with the characters within the play using them as a blackboard for their emotions, drawing and writing upon the walls. It perhaps represents metaphorically the fabric and structure of their lives, which eventually is torn down. The result of unbridled passion is a messy one, the floor of the set gradually stained with (fake) blood, adding to the confronting nature of the performance. It serves as a reminder that revenge, death, suicide and grief are messy ? emotionally and physically. Costumes and props are simple, though imaginatively employed to depict the grief and madness of the characters. Modern clothing for costumes, CD players for props and guns for weapons make this performance present-day. Shakespeare may never have envisioned Hamlet sending his uncle a text message on his mobile phone, but this condensed rendition of his play demonstrates that even in a techno-savvy, modern society, wires can get crossed, and loves and lives can be lost. brilliant use of lighting and sound to create ambience. fake blood spilling from the stage ? avoid the front row. the audience was gripped by the intensity of the performance. David Berthold Shakespeare Studio One, The Wharf, Pier 4/5 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay October 20 Heath Carr, Jamey Oughton, Elizabeth MacKay Anthony MacKey, Philippa Smith, Anthony Gee Georgina Hart, Anthony Sissian, Aimee Falzon ?
DramaFest	Andrew Baker	11th October 2002	reviews	It was a small but dedicated group of theatre goers who blew into the on Saturday 14 September to view the senior section of the youth drama festival. On a day more suited to hot chocolate and ugg-boots, the assembled crowd were treated instead to hot drama and cross-dressing in what was a very worthwhile performance opportunity for the young artists involved. The was formed in 1983 as a co-operative scheme between the many small theatre associations throughout Western Australia. Since then, the has grown to become the most significant organisation of its kind in the country, and now offers an invaluable service to the growing number of theatre groups in the state. A consequence of this expansion has been an increasing effort to see improvement in the quality of the theatre craft offered by promoting such initiatives as WA?s premiere One Act festival. For the past five years, the has also held the very successful ?festival within a festival? directed towards youth involvement in theatre through the convenient, yet dynamic format of plays in one act. One of the many strengths of Perth?s theatre scene is the positive sense of community that encompasses all performances from the most amateur of local productions to those coming out of Perth?s growing professional scene. This is reflected in the ability to attract high profile adjudicators to the annual and Theatre luminaries such as Ray Omodei, Jake Newby, Dr Geoff Gibbs and this year Chris Edmund and, for YouthFest, Jenny McNae are each leading theatrical professionals and have consistently thrown their support behind this most crucial of institutions. The first of the four productions featured at was the St Norbert?s production of Allan McKay?s play, This play is unique in the One Act genre as it calls for a large cast, which suits perfectly any theatre in education format. Revolving around a high school football match, the play is set inside the locker room of a hapless and miserable bunch of players facing the prospect of becoming lawn fertiliser in their game against the top side. A common criticism of youth performances is a lack of verbal control and confidence and, regrettably, this complaint rears its head once more. Even when the rain was not an issue, the actors struggled with pacing, timing and projection in what is a very speech friendly venue. With the exception of Scott Sheridan in the one, truly interesting role of Gribble, the cast, at times, failed to listen to each other and build on what was being said. Lines were often delivered independent of surrounding dialogue but, encouragingly, this did not result in a breakdown in the delivery of the story. Had that happened, maybe the audience would not have been so forgiving of the rain-induced verbal shortcomings. It was great to see that characterisation appeared to be of high priority with Sheridan and Sacha Siaus giving us performances that seemed to rise above their offstage personalities. In the demanding role of the Coach, Rob McLoughlin delivered a focussed performance, however appeared insecure in what should be a familiar surrounding. Each of the minor characters also delivered safe performances that, with a little bit more confidence, would have been more compelling. It is here where the blocking of the piece could be adjusted to allow for more freely flowing movement, a suggestion that Jenny McNae acknowledged when she referred to the ?reverence? shown towards the locker room benches. certainly represented a drama class of students that embrace their work and are eager to learn more about the craft. One strength in school based performance work is that a cast will, more often than not, be familiar with each other on a personal level and as a group ? a fact not lost on Jenny McNae, who awarded the group a much deserved Teamwork Certificate (as well as a special mention for dealing with the noise from the pounding rain so professionally). The most entertaining play of the afternoon was undoubtedly production of This melodrama set in Guildford in 1868 follows the outrageous tale of a plotting femme fatale, played hilariously by Outstanding Actress Certificate winner, Milu Shurman. With quaint costuming and perfectly (and ludicrously) understated set pieces, the production had the audience chortling away as we were faced with the deadpan performances of the young cast. So appropriate were the performances of the seven youngsters that I couldn?t see an adult cast producing a performance as satisfying. Debut director, Anne-Marie Mousley did a wonderful job of encouraging each of the actors to pursue his or her own course and this sort of flexibility was best seen in the basic blocking ? an absolute must in junior theatre. This production certainly had the ?fun factor? working in its favour, as each of the actors were clearly enjoying their time on stage. As the is primarily aimed at encouraging young performers to become more confident in the craft, this production should be commended for the ?back to basics? approach. The blockbuster of the afternoon was Peter Flanigan?s presented by the brand new student based theatre group, The play depicts a married couple, Wilhemina and Donald, late at night struggling to come to terms with a mysterious visitor who has appeared in their bed. The resulting chaos was sufficiently dealt with by the director, Simone McMahon, whose dedication and commitment to the production was evident in the most well-oiled and professional production of the day. Best Actress award winner, Allira Swick, was engaging in the title role and deserving of the honour. Swick was adequately supported by Tom Fitzgerald in the role of Donald, who delivered a composed performance in what was the most demanding of the male roles in any of the plays featured. Improvements in either of the lead performances would only come as a result of more familiarity with performing the piece. This is especially so in regards to the demanding ?nervous breakdown? sequence, where both actors managed only an apologetic performance, a weakness that can only be improved with familiarity and confidence. A criticism would be the misdirection of the burglar?s role and function. Claire Stephenson delivered a fine, controlled performance as the burglar ? especially as she appeared to be the only actor completely comfortable with the space around her. However, the role required greater exploitation, as the chaos her visit to the apartment was meant to cause was not attributed to her, but the slapstick style of the hilarious police officers. For this play to be a success, an audience member should leave asking questions such as: ?who was she really?? and, ?why was she there??. Instead, the slapstick police officers (played brilliantly by an enthusiastic bunch, especially Kristen Allen) were the main cause for curiosity, and not simply unwitting, comedic participants and the burglar was forgotten. Nonetheless, the complex last five minutes were executed with professionalism and polished comic timing. The production conveyed a feeling of scale despite the small cast of eight, and this is largely due to the dedicated direction of McMahon. The production included the most intricate set of the afternoon, integrated some tricky technical tactics and had the cast bounding (a bit too loudly) all over the to reach their entries. It was the detail and dedication of the production that deservedly won it the It was certainly the most professional performance of the day, thanks once again to McMahon, who should have received an individual honour. The final play of the day was the two-hander presented by under the guidance of Kim Flintoff. The piece is set in the photo studio of a hand-shot photographer and looks at the bizarre, but frighteningly realistic relationship between him and a female hand model. This was a very interesting production, performed by two talented youngsters, Samantha Zinner and Uriah Matthews who had clearly enjoyed putting considerable effort into this project. They each delivered a poised performance reflective of their potential as actors. Any attempt by a youth theatre group to produce a play with obvious and provocative sexual nuances is almost always treated with the ?they?re too young? attack on credibility. At the first hint of sexual imagery (and there is a lot of it in this play) I was expecting the two performers to shy away from exploiting the subtext fully, but, to their credit, they did not hold back. Matthews and Zinner performed the difficult text maturely as they embraced the true meaning of the words. It would be patronising to simply say that ?it was a very good try? so, instead, I will say that the two actors should continue to work together and continue to take on challenging, mature texts. In terms of their learning the craft, both of the actors appeared to embrace the stage and made full use of the space and the limited set available. Their non-verbal characterisation was natural and not in any way artificial and, despite some lapses in the delivery of lines, the verbal performances were of a high calibre. Jenny McNae awarded this production the hopefully SHY will view that honour as a reflection of potential and professional recognition of two very talented youngsters. It would have been a very sad drama festival if each of the productions had simply performed within their limits. Each play promoted the trying of new techniques, innovative casting, encouragement of newcomers and stepping away from the conventional. In saying that the festival was ?fun? is not meant to demean the process or significance of the but, rather, shows that theatre in Perth is refusing to become pretentious by remaining light hearted but also willing to give credit where credit is due. The under the charismatic and dedicated presidency of Jarrod Buttery, continue to provide young thespians with the opportunity to perform to audiences not limited to family and friends. ?
Machine Gun Fellatio - Paging Mr. Strike	Philippe Perez	12th October 2002	cd-reviews	Machine Gun Fellatio are an odd bunch ? and that?s an understatement. Not only do they have one of the most unique live performances seen in the Australian Music Industry (or ever for that matter), but they like to make themselves in the sound stakes. . is hard to classify, as it travels through the range of funk, to disco, to cabaret style singing. Mr. Beecroft and band mates have gone out on a limb for this release. But they do it with style. They take the challenge and get a good result in writing songs in all these styles. 'All Of Them Ladies' is great filth to start off with, and smells of deviousness with lines like ?Drive me crazy with your heroin?. All the while a grinding guitar slides along at a funky rate. The standout track is the boppier 'Rollercoaster', with hair-clippers and all. It made me certainly feel like I was listening in on a pre-teen TV show. The thing is that the 'Fellatio don?t try hard to be anything but in this song. They unashamedly like to bear their souls to the silliness, which their music contains, and they do it well. The other two songs, which are currently being giving a hammering on radio, 'The Girl Of My Dreams Is Giving Me Nightmares' and 'Pussytown', are novelty plus, yet can hold their own as credible songs with driving beats and original and innovative melody. The element of fun is plastered over this album like 100 stamps. This is shown on 'My Ex-Girlfriend?s Boyfriend'. This is a sweet live piece, where Pinky Beecroft laments over lost love in his own quirky way. This mixed with one little keyboard is a recipe for total silliness. also doesn?t stray too much of the weirdness which riddled their debut album with songs like 'Chase The Dragon'. This particular ditty sees Pinky Beecroft take the chorus from Killing Heidi?s 'Weir' and the band give it the disco makeover. 'Let Me Be Your Dirty Fucking Whore' doesn?t even need to start to have an explanation ? it?s out there. Who would have thought cabaret could be sung with lines like ?Have me on all fours howling at the sky?? And THAT is one of the tamer lines. The 'Fellatio have produced an album full of variety in terms of stylings, but this album has one certain theme throughout ? fun and silliness! Machine Gun Fellatio Weirdo - Pop Mushroom Records ?
Dial R for Rejection	Noni Edwards	12th October 2002	life	Picture this: you?re enjoying a night out with friends. Drinks and conversation are flowing, the atmosphere is right and you?re enjoying the company you?re in. You may be out for something more, but maybe you?re not. Then you notice that you?re being given ?the eye? from across the room. You are the subject of another?s attention. Flattered at first, you dismiss it and return to the conversation at hand, but when they approach you and offer you a drink, you accept. You chat casually with your admirer but ten minutes into the conversation you realise that it?s heading somewhere you don?t want to be. While they continue rambling about their fascinating career or latest CD acquisition, your brain reels with possible escape routes. But you continue to stage that looking-interested face and nod at appropriate intervals. Finally one of your friends notices your plight and comes in for the rescue. They suggest it?s time you were both heading on to the next venue. Niceties exacted, the conversation ends quite cleanly (or so you thought). Then your latest greatest fan pops the question: ?So, can I call you? Maybe we could catch up sometime?? The question hangs, tumbleweed rolls by and you, not being the confrontational type, decide the ?phoney number? option is the simplest. Yes, it?s a universal scenario and there is now an alternative to the traditional ?change-one-digit? method of supplying a fake number ? the International Rejection Hotline. Originating in the US, the hotline greets you with a simple message informing you that this is not the person you were trying to reach, because that person did not want you to have their real number. The voice of hotline creator, Jeff Goldblatt, continues to set you straight about the situation, with a syrupy ?I know this sucks, but don?t be too devastated?. As we know though, sometimes being straight isn?t the most effective approach. For good measure, the voice leads into a very direct appraisal of the case. In just over one minute, in a most patronising tone, Goldblatt dishes out an assortment of creative insults and suggestions as to where the caller can go now, with no obscenities to be heard, just a dry and witty tirade. ?So why were you given the Rejection Hotline number?? the voice asks, ?Maybe you?re just not this person's type, though this could mean short, fat, ugly, dumb, annoying, arrogant or just a general loser. Maybe you suffer from bad breath, body odour or even both. Maybe you give off that creepy, overbearing, psycho-stalker vibe. Maybe the idea of going out with you is just as appealing as playing leap frog with unicorns.? Have you got the message yet? Goldblatt and his piss-taking friends began the hotline as a joke in hometown Atlanta. In defence of his cutting words, he rationalises that it is perhaps kinder for the candidate to deal with dismissal in the privacy of their own home, rather than an awkward and public ?you?ve got to be dreaming?. They were surprised to realise just how popular their crushing spiel would become. With sponsored hotlines established across the US, they are delivering knock-backs to up to 10,000 misguided punters a week. So popular is the ?service? that they have recently invested in a major upgrade to their servers, which had been struggling to cope with the volume of unlucky-in-lovers. With increased business in mind, Goldblatt and his team of rejection-meisters are now offering a range of business cards to those expecting the need to deflect many unwanted suitors. With several designs available, customers can enter their chosen details and add a fictitious position at ?Noitcejer Enterprises?. For the unsuspecting recipient of the card, it may only be the following day when they have sobered up enough to realise what the company name stands for. Set to take on the global market for outsourced rebuffs, they have just breached the Atlantic to establish the Dublin Rejection Hotline. But what of Australia? In a recent interview with Triple J?s Vicki Kerrigan, Goldblatt unveiled plans for Sydney and Melbourne hotlines. Keen not to be seen as insensitive, he made a special point of apologising for his ?heavy-on-the-R? American pronunciation of ?Melbourne? and graciously accepted Kerrigan?s tuition. Until the local option becomes available we will have to handle our own heave-hos or continue to chicken out with the ?modified mobile number? approach. Rest assured though, whatever method you do resort to, none will be so clever or so cutting as that of the Rejection Hotline. ?The Rejection Hotline is brought to you by beer ? helping ugly people have sex since 1827? ?
Howie the Rookie (Melbourne)	amy dobson	13th October 2002	reviews	has a particular talent in choosing theatrically interesting, contemporary and relevant works to produce. For a long time now in the world of contemporary alternative theatre, there has been a move away from scripted work and a greater emphasis on image and movement based theatre. This was (to summarise very briefly) a rejection of the naturalistic, traditionally structured, middle-of-the-road scripted dramas that have dominated the stage for so long. And this is why it?s great to find a company that finds and chooses scripts of current relevance, both in terms of style and content. by Irish writer Mark O?Rowe is such a work. In this contemporary and poetic monodrama, the fourth wall is gone and the characters address the audience one on one, making an intimate, at times confronting performance. In the first act, the audience rides along through the streets of Dublin with Howie (Vincent Miller), a bored, unattractive and horny youth out on a revenge mission with his mates Peaches and Ali. In the second act, the stage is Rookie Lee?s, for Rookie is the mate-turned enemy of Peaches- the object of revenge for the boys. O?Rowe?s use of language is sometimes poetic and descriptive, sometimes sparse and minimal: the style produced, something along the lines of Irving Walsh meets Dylan Thomas. These are men?s stories. The characters portrayed are rather dismal- both the men and the women. Although often brutish and sometimes gruesome, the characters are written with compassion and understanding. Occasionally, moments of truth and beauty arise out of these grim settings, and what comes across is the basic need for peace, of some kind. There is no set or ?scenery? as such, and no need for any props- just a long, dimly lit space with a red brick wall on one side and long rows of chairs on the other, forming a laneway-like space that is the stage. The stories of take us through streets, houses, bars and urinals, but the language, the bodies of the actors and their use of the long, empty space is all that is needed to invoke these changing images and keep the play alive and real in the mind. The simple changes in lighting were also effective in enhancing these images. The skill of both actors was in bringing this intense writing to life not only with their voices (the play could easily be performed as a radio piece), but through bodies. Greg Carroll?s perceptive direction came through in the movement, which was stylised and coherent throughout the two acts. The production was just as notable as a well-choreographed movement interpretation of the story as it was a well-acted script, and these two elements of performance- voice and body- were unified in the characters. Greg Carroll performance Red Stitch, Inkerman Street, St Kilda October 27 Vincent Miller, David Whiteley ?
GTA	daniel a pozarik	12th October 2002	gaming news	GTA: Vice City will not be releasing in Australia for October 2002. GameSpot Australia spoke to representatives from the Australian Take 2 Interactive office today regarding the game's release. Although there has been no official announcement, the expected Australian release date is "around the 8th of November". Apparently all PAL territory release dates routinely lag about a week behind US releases. This may concern Australian GTA fans who were salivating over the next release and expecting it in October. They will unfortunately have to wait until November 2002. Source: ZDNet Gamespot AU _______________________________ other GTA: Vice City Stuff official website http://www.rockstargames.com/vicecity/ gameplay vid http://ps2movies.ign.com/ps2/video/vctrailer2ign480.mov Short-list of improvements on GTA3 -40 weapons including uzis, machetes and a shotgun with a grenade launcher attached (in the picture) -Ability to enter buildings (casinos, hotels, discos etc.) -Improved police and ped AI -120 new vehicles -Vice City is 2 times bigger than liberty city -Vice City is entirely open from the start of the game -8000 new voice clips -Super-Improved graphics -Ability to shoot tyres and slow down car. Police can to that too -Cops also chase other criminals not just you -Main character talks (voiced by Ray Liotta) -Main Characters name is Tommy Vercetti -Ability to kneel down by pressing X when standing still -New fighting moves like martial arts -Auto targerting system with instant camera lock on -Super-Improved character models -No blockness on characters -3 diffirent cop cars -sub missions like taxi, police and delivering pizza -Clothes ripple in wind when running, shooting or riding vehicles -Highly detailed AI -New gangs like 'The Sharks' -New Vehicles to drive like helicopter, motorbike, jetski, 1980s sports cars, limos etc. -More boats to drive -Ability to swin in water (hotel pools and beach etc.) -You can see the bottom of water and how deep it is. clear water not like liberty city's dark gloomy water -Over 10 hours of music on radio -10 radio stations -Cops when shot at duck behind doors and objects for cover. -More reflections on cars -Pedestrains will react to soroundings more -Pedestrians will not just walk they might be rollerblading, sunbacking, jogging, sitting on benches or swimming -Alot of palm trees around you -Some Hotels might have swimming pools with bars in the middle -Ammu-Nation is still a shop in the game -There will be docks with large boats around in Vice City. ?
A Story of Soil (Sydney)	Anne Tran	12th October 2002	reviews	?They come from another planet, from a totally different generation. They need to chill out and be reminded that it?s the twentieth century. Parents. Screaming matches and fights with parents come with growing up. But it is much worse when your parents are Vietnamese.? explores the tensions and issues faced by Vietnamese Australian families. It provides the audience with insight into what it is really like for Vietnamese Australian children to be torn between two very different cultures. ?As a nation made up of lots of different cultures, the message is that it?s up to each person to find their own identity. It allows people to identify with different experiences of connecting with the land,? says the play?s writer Chi Vu. Too much make up, loud music, late nights and talking back are just a few of the things Tein?s (Hai Ha) parents disapprove. As a young woman with Vietnamese roots growing in Australian soil and the daughter of over protective, highly traditional and strict Vietnamese parents, Tein?s situation is worsened by the fact that she has an Anglo boyfriend. But even Simon (Angus Cerini), the boyfriend has trouble understanding her family problems. Parental expectations and demands for respect in the traditional way become unbearable for Tien. She must ultimately choose to obey or disobey, to follow her heart or sacrifice love for her family. It isn?t until the arrival of a third party, the Uncle (Dzung Nguyen) that the perspective of both the parents and children are brought in to light. The play opens with a lifeless mound of sand. But the scene quickly livens with an explosive bickering between the parents in Vietnamese and the siblings in English. The intermingling of the two dialects is a unique element which gives the audience a real sense of the Vietnamese culture. Hai Ha provides a strong performance which is complemented by the twists of humour provided by Jonathan (Yen Nguyen), Tien's annoying younger brother. Unable to speak fluent Vietnamese, Jonathan is also caught in a cross-cultural struggle to understand his parents. The theme of soil runs throughout the play, providing a useful metaphorical of Tein?s connection with Australian soil and culture. Others such as the chats between the uncle and father over VB Beer illustrate that even the parents are influenced by Australian culture. Particularly impressive were the performances by the father (Tam Pham) and mother (Anh ?Dao). Their dynamic combination effective in portraying how Vietnamese parents think and react as they witness their children?s assimilate into Australian culture. Their broken English definitely adding to the cultural flavour of the play. Although the fiddle and acoustic and bass guitar enhanced the atmosphere, it did make it difficult to hear the actors at times. The initial pace also becomes a little slower towards the end and there are ?in? jokes that generally only Vietnamese people would get. the combination of Vietnamese and English dialect. difficult to hear the actors. the audience enjoyed the performance. Chi Vu A cross cultural love story Sidetrack?s Studio 9, 142 Addison Rd, Marrickville 20 October ?
Jones has message of hope for needy Telstra	The Daily Grind	13th October 2002	pulse	It's been a tough year all round in rural and regional Australia, but few have had it worse than the incumbent telecoms carrier Telstra. The giant waits for full privatisation with a growing sense of desperation, but knows that the current political climate will probably bring only disappointment. But Sydney talkback host Alan Jones is now spearheading a campaign, called Farmhand, to sell Telstra and piss the proceeds away on whatever country people have in their heads at the time. Jones assures his listeners that his river diversion scheme will benefit struggling farmers. All the farmers have to do is find a market for pre-salted European carp. Farmhand is backed by Telstra stakeholders, such as Bob Mansfield, John Singleton and Kerry Packer, who are concerned that failure for Telstra privatisation could have serious knock-on effects in their own communities. The group will solicit donations and attempt to lobby Federal politicians. They are also believed to have offered Mother Nature lucrative share options in exchange for the drought lasting to the next election. "If we sell Telstra and divert the money inland, we won't have to go through this public debate every few years," Mr Jones told the Daily Grind. A star-studded Telstrathon is planned for 26 October, during which listeners will be encouraged to pledge money towards government-owned shares and overpriced Telstra services. "Don't sit on the fence, Australia," Mr Jones continued, "sell Telstra while it's still a virtual monopoly. Because one day, that monopoly might not be there any more." Originally published at the Daily Grind. http://www.thedailygrind.net/ ?
Farmhand pipe-dream promises to irrigate Australia	The Daily Grind	24th October 2002	pulse	Renowned hydrologist Professor Alan Jones PhD(2GB) has unveiled a scheme to "drought-proof" Australia. Traditional methods such as saving during good harvests to allow for cyclical poor conditions, like any other business, have been dismissed in favour of massive government expenditure. Professor Jones assured the Daily Grind that this is more in keeping with the historical ethos of Australian agriculture. Professor Jones outlined his scheme in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal "Alan Jones Breakfast Drivetime". The scheme involves drawing from rivers additional millions of cubic metres of water, which do not currently exist, which then flow uphill and experience a sudden drop in vapour pressure (to approximately zero) so that no allowance need be made for evaporation. From here, the water is delivered to farmers aboard golden chariots carried by jewel-encrusted albino elephants. Similar schemes on the Lachlan, Macquarie, Murray, Murrumbidgee and Yass Rivers have delivered much-needed salt to farmers for a number of years. Some observers remain unconvinced, however. The Wentworth Group of eight distinguished hydrologists and environmental scientists has expressed some reservations, welcoming the Jones plan as "not possible". The group is also worried that the heavily promoted scheme may lure farmers away from unAustralian methods of drought-proofing. These include business models that acknowledge drought as a cost spread across the profitable years. Apart from the massive cost, which could only be covered by--for example--the sale of telecoms carrier Telstra--the main sticking point remains the continued non-existence of the required water. But Professor Jones is standing firm, suggesting that millions of litres are available in the Snowy, Ord, Ganges and Nile rivers. Extensive surface water--in ice form--could also be diverted from Triton, the seventh moon of Neptune. Originally published at the Daily Grind. ?
Brodgen to pre-emptively jail everyone in NSW	The Daily Grind	13th October 2002	pulse	Concerned that Bob Carr's Labor government has stolen the initiative on the law and order issue, State opposition leader John Brogden has committed a future Liberal government to pre-emptively jail all 7 million residents of New South Wales. This week, the government's new sentencing guidelines will take effect, reducing the discretionary powers available to judges in sentencing violent offenders. While he supports this move, Mr. Brogden says that it does not go far enough. "We've supported mandatory sentencing for a long time," he told the Daily Grind, "since we somehow got it into our heads that the increase in crime is fuelled by the separation of powers." "The plan I'm putting forward is the logical extention of mandatory sentencing," he continued, "We can't trust judges to sentence criminals, that much is clear, but what makes Mr. Carr think we can trust anybody to use discretionary powers appropriately?" Under the Brogden plan, all NSW residents will be formally charged by post in the weeks following legislative and constitutional changes. Imprisonment would be implemented region by region, alphabetically. At this stage it is not clear whether residents would be encircled by razor-wire fences in their own homes, or moved to fortified towns that had been designated as 'prison colonies'. Another possibility is a series of walls and watchtowers running west from Tweed Heads and Eden, connected by a north-south wall west of Broken Hill. Some Liberal hardliners are keen to simply overcrowd existing prison facilities. Under the plan, visitors to NSW will be detained in border internment camps, from which they can apply for permanent detention or deportation. Mr. Brogden has poured scorn on suggestions that not only would his "bulk-jail" system slash living standards, it would increase the crime rate behind prison walls. "I don't care about that," he told the Daily Grind while he and his colleagues were having themselves fingerprinted in anticipation, "prison isn't meant to be a holiday camp." "And, if you read your history, neither was New South Wales." Originally published at the Daily Grind. http://www.thedailygrind.net/ ?
habitat	dee j	21st October 2002	cd-reviews	This is the latest offering of abstract electronica from Clan Analogue. Clan Analogue fans will need no forewarning of what to expect. It features some old hands, such as 500 Fingers of Dr T and Sydney?s ?ambient specialist? Kazumichi Grime, as well as Telemetry Orchestra off-shoot Entertainment Unit and Melbourne?s ?sonic pioneers? Continuum and Clowns Smiling Backwards. Newcomers include Tolchok, Kaputnik, Reductionist and Evan on Earth Although it is actually a compilation of different experiments in abstract sound, the sum of the parts is one organic landscape of atmospheric sound; a sound scape filled with blips, muted beats like a thumping heart, and ambient pulses and chords. It is not music for our earthly surroundings, but for another mental or cosmic dimension. It will transport you to a futuristic and alien landscape. The production is characterised by three-dimensionality of sound, and by chordal dissonance and disjunction between rhythms, beats, and harmonies. At its best it is like Radiohead?s ?ambient post-rock? sound, or Aphex Twin ? at its worst it seems self-indulgent and unlistenable. But all the tracks are similar in that they are not ?songs? with a beginning, middle and end; they are lengthy excerpts from the soundtrack of the habitat. They are not taking you somewhere, they are evoking an atmosphere, a surrounding: we travel through the tracks as a traveller through a country where the terrain changes but our journey is continuous. Stand out tracks are Pretty Boy Crossover?s track 'disappearing music for face' [courtesy of Surgery Records], which is the most beautiful and melodic track on the album and Kaputnik?s 'horizon', which is a fantastically groovy layering of beats and driving bass-lines, above which ambient chordal progressions float effortlessly. These represent electronica at its most inventive and appealing. Other tracks to listen out for are 'the endless synapse' from 5000 Fingers of Dr T, which has an eerie ambience and beautiful and suspenseful build-up, and the track by Tolchok, who mixes beats and blips with chordal foundations to create an engaging track. Evan on Earth?s 'lullaby for the sleepless night' is also refreshingly melodic and beautiful, rippling soothingly towards sleep. Less palatable is Kazumichi Grime?s 'rounded', which is initially soothing and repetitive, but slowly wears away at your nerves like a record stuck in a groove. Soft Spoken Spanky?s 'grubbing for truffles' is more to the "ambient post-rock? style , though with more abstract beats, dissonant tones and no harmony. Eventually this will do your head in. Clowns Smiling Backwards? 'perpetual motion' is disconnected and fairly unlistenable, for reasons that the title may suggest. Overall this is a good album; however, if abstract electronica is an acquired taste, then I would not suggest starting off with this CD. Various Abstract Electronica Clan Analogue/ Creative Vibes ?
Myst to continue until 2008	Michael Bacina	9th December 2002	gaming news	Ubi Soft has announced an agreement to extend its partnership with Cyan Worlds to develop and publish new games based on Myst through to 2008. The deal ensures that Rand Miller, co-creator of Myst and founder of Cyan Worlds, will continue to play a central role in helping develop the Myst series and retain its magical lure that has captivated players since 1993. said Yves Guillemot, President and CEO of Ubi Soft Entertainment. said Rand Miller, founder of Cyan Worlds, Inc. Myst has a diverse fan base of men and women of all age groups. With lush cinematic environments and haunting, beautifully orchestrated sound tracks, Myst and its sequels Riven and Myst III: Exile are have been amonth the highest selling titles in Ubi Softs stable. The games? popularity stems from their ease of use as well as their nonviolent, visually stunning atmosphere. With 11 million copies sold worldwide, sales continue to rise for both consoles and PCs. Myst III: Exile, the third instalment of the game, was just released on September 26 for the new generation of consoles. The next step in the Myst adventure will be taken in 2003 by ubi.com, Ubi Soft?s online arm, when it launches an entirely new online adventure set in the recently discovered city of D?ni. The online game is designed to appeal to both avid online gamers as well as more casual players. ?
Tony Hawk 4 goes gold	Michael Bacina	17th October 2002	gaming news	Patience my pretties, patience. Tony Hawk has gone gold and will be grinding its way into our hearts and wallets in time for summer. Early reviews indicate that the sequel to the #1 action sports video game in 2001 is on track to continue its winning run having received a score of 5 out 5 from US GamePro Magazine. Tony Hawk?s Pro Skater 4 lets you take on the role of legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk and 13 other athletes skating through enormous free roaming levels, choosing from 190 progressively harder goals and building skills to perform 14 of the greatest skateboarding stunts of all time. The game launch is going to cost Activision a few million, with the larges marketing campaign in the company's history set to hit national television, print and online advertising, as well as demo kiosks at youth events and selected outlets. states Ron Doornink, President of Activision, Inc. Additionally, Tony Hawk?s Pro Skater 4 will be the first Activision game to launch on the new next-generation mobile telephones that will feature color screens and advanced audio capabilities. Tony Hawk?s Pro Skater 4 promises to deliver the deepest and most challenging gameplay experience in the Tony Hawk?s Pro Skater series. The game?s new free-roaming career mode will allow you to earn respect and the chance to take on all new pro goals by conquering a skater-specific Pro Challenge based on each skater?s personal history. Additionally, PS2 version will include all new online features allowing up to eight players from anywhere in the world to challenge each other in new multiplayer modes like Goal Attack and Capture the Flag. Tony Hawk?s Pro Skater 4 will be available for the PS2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and the PSX, will cost $99.95 (PS2,XBox and GameCube) and $69.95 for GBA and PSX. The game is ?Yet to be Classified? by the Office of Film & Literature Classification. ?
Chi Vu Writer (Sydney)	Joyce Chau	17th October 2002	interviews	Melbourne based playwright Chi Vu is lamenting Sydney?s urban sprawl. In Sydney to help organise the Sydney season for her first professionally produced play - a reflection on the immigrant experience, there was just too much to do in the four days of her visit. Selling tickets to her play through Vietnamese shops and small business to reach the local Vietnamese community had seemed like a good idea at first- but then Chi realised how far away some members of the Sydney Vietnamese community lived from the inner-city venue. Contrast the 2001 Melbourne production of Chi?s local community, Footscray, is only about 10km away from the city. On closing night 96 people were crammed into a 50 seat theatre. ?There were some bad sight lines for that last show,? Chi says. ?But there was just this amazing buzz.? According to Chi, was initially motivated by a desire to put three-dimensional characters- that were also of Vietnamese background on the stage. She had previously worked on various Vietnamese-Australian theatre projects and short films. ?It seemed to me that they were all issues based. Either it was a story about gambling or it was a story about parents sewing all the time and ignoring their kids or it was about drugs,? she says. ?The characters WERE two-dimensional issues. They weren?t fully-fleshed three dimensional interesting people.? ?I wanted to write something that actually showed Vietnamese people laughing, having fun and also having rituals, singing and all that stuff- having an enjoyable time as well.? The Vietnamese community became largely established in Australia 25 years ago. is a reflection on the community a generation on. ?I wanted to ask the question: where are we now?? says Chi. Arriving in Australia as a 5 year-old refugee with her family after the Vietnam war, Chi recalls how previous generations of migrants from all backgrounds helped her family settle in as well as the emotions of loss and displacement experienced by immigrants. ?I?m totally grateful for all the people who helped us when we were refugees. I would go, ?why are you doing this? We?re the rubbish of the world?- even though I was five, I was thinking like that.? When Chi returned to Vietnam as a tourist with a group of friends when she was 22, she realised how powerful and mysterious a sense of place and belonging could be. While Chi was happy and at ease, her non-Vietnamese friends seemed to feel more and more uncomfortable the longer they stayed in Vietnam. ?For them, it was a full-on culture shock,? she says. ?I realised that Vietnamese and Australian cultures were vastly different and I should cut myself some slack for not completely fitting in with Australian culture. I was doing really well, it?s really hard.? ?I realised that there were heaps of things about Vietnamese culture that I understood. It was all there. All these old women who used the same gestures as my mum.? ?I felt more grounded,? she says, something which her friends also observed when she returned to Australia. ?Once you can connect with your past you can connect with your present,? Chi observes. Chi?s also later spent four weeks in Vietnam as a writer, through the Asialink exchange program. For the Vietnamese bureaucracy, Chi was not only a threat as a writer, but also someone who had initially ?escaped? the non-democratic regime. ?At one point I was told that I wasn?t allowed to travel and that it was illegal for me to be there without a host- and all this bullshit? They thought that I was trying to overthrow the government. I was trying to convince them, ?look, I left when I was five, my Vietnamese is actually conversational Vietnamese and I wouldn?t have the vocabulary to overthrow the government for a start.? Chi laughs. ?I just played dumb. I went, ?errr- I don?t know what that means, I?m really an Aussie??? On the other hand, Chi also hung around with several dissident artists in Vietnam during that time. Her next work, - a series of short pieces, tells of her experiences during her visit and in many ways, also gives voice to these ?gutsy and talented? artists as well. ?You know, we get money here in Australia to be writers. Over there you get thrown in jail,? she says. ?It?s quite weird.? Weird. Chi reflects on the more surreal moments in her theatre pieces. The surreal and the symbolic are universal languages. The symbolism of soil and it?s sensuality, inspired by the work of Melbourne visual artist Caroline Ho-Bich-Tuyen Dang, features in The image of a piano, a symbol of civilization and art in a rice paddy is also used. She gestures with her hands, searching for the right, or at least appropriate [English] words to explain this. ?The mundane situations go into the bizarre and then it comes back again- It twists your head round a little bit, but it?s totally understandable- even if your first language is Yougoslav you?d still be able to understand it- because? because it?s about families in the end, it?s universal,? she says. It is all about making theatre that reflects emotion and experiences according to Chi. Making theatre that people can relate to is important. Her involvement with for which she has written/co-written over 30 plays, embodies her vision of theatre. ?I really enjoy writing for the community and with the community. They bring so many ideas that I wouldn?t think of. I?m more there as someone putting it all together and editing it and shaping it.? She refers to a production of that she did with Feeling that all the ?traditional stuff? associated with Shakespeare was rather alienating, Chi and her co-writers decided to tell the story in a different way. ?Casino City?, described by Chi as the ?MacBeth hip-hop extravaganza? resulted. ?I was playing Lady MacBeth and I was saying the ?unsex me? speech in Vietnamese verse,? Chi recalls. ?That was amazing.? 3/10/2002 tape recorder (face to face interview) Joyce Chau Chi Vu ?
Bob the Builder	Johnny Panik	22nd October 2002	pulse	Town planning isn?t the most urbane of topics, but it has been the heart of some very interesting controversy over the past five years. The controversy is not just about pretty parks, swings and speed humps. Town planning is a space where community and business interests are coming into sharp conflict. It is also a controversy that implicates just about every tier of decision-making in New South Wales. When Sydney won the Olympic Games, we were told how the city?s infrastructure and tourism-related services would need upgrading to cope with the influx of tourists. We watched as Sydney?s boarding houses, a substantial source of affordable housing in the inner city, were transformed overnight into backpacker hostels and private high-rental accommodation. We watched as the gentrification of the inner west and east picked up pace. Sydney was the set of some multi-million dollar Hollywood production, all suspended by cranes. Two years on, the World Tower, the great monolith of ugliness on George Street that would leave any Soviet factory for dead, is close to completion. In the same space of time, Alexandria, Moore Park, Ashfield and Strathfield (to name a few) suddenly have city-scapes of their own. A huge residential and commercial complex is going up on Broadway, formerly host to small businesses and the squats. You can?t help but get a sense that Sydney is growing, and in very steep increments. That?s not the grit of cement you taste in your mouth, but the taste of success. Since the late 1990s, the NSW Government has been encouraging inner city living ? units consistently represented 50 percent of new dwellings during that time. The Government encouraged development on the footing that Sydney?s population was increasing dramatically. In 2001, the Government forecast Sydney?s population to reach 4.5 million by 2013. Interestingly, migration only accounted for 24 percent of this increase. The demand for housing came not just from population increases, but a decrease in household sizes across the board. Enter the Developer. The post-Olympic period saw a market drop for the building industry. Well, the picture is more complex than that. The Australian Financial Review reported: ?In the face of such a steep fall in demand, many builders had to pack up and leave the industry. The biggest builders, however, used their marketing skills and their financial strength not only to survive the downturn, but also to increase their market share. In some cases, they have even increased their sales.? (24 October 2001) This appeared in an article on one of Australia?s most successful developers ? Meriton. It produced more homes in 2000/2001 than any other builder. This is the same company working on the World Tower building, and who finished the Moore Park Village. Meriton lauds itself as ?the largest and most successful apartment developer in Australia.? What exactly are they successful at doing? ?A Meriton apartment offers our buyers a luxurious lifestyle. Thoughtfully engineered and designed, each project is centrally located with easy access to services, entertainment and transportation.? Of course, that was the extent of Meriton?s thoughtfulness. In 1999, Meriton took South Sydney Council to Court over affordable housing. The item of discontent was Green Square ? formerly an industrial site up for complete redevelopment. Green Square offered the Council a clean slate in terms of town planning ? an opportunity to develop an area from scratch. In February 199, Council approved a Local Environmental Plan, or LEP, specifically for Green Square. LEPs are basically tools that allow local government to plan an area and control developments according to plan. Their power to do so comes from the Environment Planning and Assessment Act. The power is given to local government because they are best placed to understand the needs of their community. Whenever a developer wants to build on land in that area, they have to make a development application (DA) to Council. The council then makes sure the development complies with whatever LEPs are in place for that area. The LEP for Green Square sought to transform the place into ?an attractive, vibrant urban place?. One of the factors sustaining this ?vision? was diversity ? different land uses, different buildings, diverse public spaces, different housing choices. All of these were to contribute towards a socially diverse community. Affordable housing was also an important part of this vision. The Council was concerned that the area would be closed off to those on very low or low incomes, thus closing people off from inner city employment. In other words, when you create ghettos of wealth, you can also create ghettos of poverty elsewhere. The LEP required any developer seeking approval to make a contribution to affordable housing. The requirement was made a condition of approval, and excluded small builders. The contribution could take two forms: setting aside a portion of their property for affordable housing (that portion would be managed by a community housing authority); OR pay a cash equivalent. Meriton?s main objection was that the Council did not have the power to include references to affordable housing in their LEPs. The legal question for the Court to consider was whether the affordable housing sections of the LEP were related to a planning purpose. The Council said it did, referring to a section of the NSW law that allowed them to make LEPS for ?the social and economic welfare of the community?. The Court ended up agreeing with Meriton on this purely legal technicality. The Court said that while Councils can make LEPs for ?the social and economic welfare of the community?, no particular section of the community should be identified for special benefit. The Court also emphasised the physical aspects of planning (such as providing public services). Affordable housing was a SOCIAL rather than PHYSICAL purpose, and so the Court said it had no relation to planning. Meriton also argued that the Council was interfering with their right to private property. The Court agreed with Meriton on this point as well. South Sydney Council lost the case, and was faced with pretty high court costs. But they were not the only loser. Community interests and business interests came head to head. Community interests (affordable housing, aesthetics, etc) were trumped by business merely on the point of a legal technicality. If you take a look at the case, you might discover how the Court was making judgments about the purposes of town planning. It seems the Court favoured an understanding of town planning that is about using the land towards Economic Growth. The case is only a microcosm of the tension that exists between urban development led by the big-end of builders and community/welfare interests. It is a phenomenon that is no more controversial than Meriton?s ill-designed buildings. Another result of this phenomenon is that local government is being torn apart ? on the one hand faced with its community mandate, on the other the so-called Realpolitik of business. While this tension may have always fraught local government, increased and expedient development is making it all the more acute. What Council do you think would be prepared to put up a LEP similar to this and face the legal costs involved? Who are the town planners in our metropolitan areas? Local governments or developers? Why are development applications being processed so quickly, without any consideration given to the permanency of buildings and town planning generally? Who owns these cities? Just keep on asking the questions. ?
PS declares Console War over	Michael Bacina	17th October 2002	gaming news	Sony has declared the console war over, with record sales of PS2 topping 500,000 in Australia. Sales are expected to remain strong over Christmas 2002, with PS2 keen to retain a strong hold on its number one position. Sony attributes this to the significant household penetration and the raft of exclusive titles scheduled to be released over the coming months. These latest sales figures, released by independent research company Inform, give a distinct feeling that PS2 is still the premier next generation console, despite being technically inferior to XBox and GameCube in a number of areas. Michael Ephraim, Managing Director, SCE Australia comments on the latest figures, He continued, The real key to any console's succeess is the games, and since top international developers continue to select PS2 as the platform of choice for 'must have' titles, gamers will be able to choose from 18 exclusive titles, in a range of over 100 new titles launched for the coming Christmas gift season. With eagerly awaited games such as The Getaway, Red Faction 2, Lord of the Rings, GTA Vice City, Tomb Raider - Angel of Darkness, Smackdown: Know Your Role, Ratchet and Clank, WRC ll Extreme, This is Football 2003 and Kingdom Hearts there has never been more reasons to go out and buy a PS2. XBox and GameCube have some must own titles, but when compared to the depth and range of PS2 games, especially with all PSX games running on PS2, Sony has utilised every possible leverage in cementing its position as the number one. See the following sales figures; Console Sell-through 14/03/02 - 29/09/02 Platform Units GameCube 36 101 Xbox 100 890 PSOne 31 792 PS2 195 374 * Source: Inform Selling almost double the units of Xbox and with over 200 million units of titles being sold globally, PS2 will dominate and shape the gaming landscape for many years to come. ?
The Simple Truth (Sydney)	Melissa Lane	14th October 2002	reviews	is a psychological kaleidoscope of human emotion. It throws together the tale of two strangers, who, due to circumstances, are able to confront and confess the realities of their lives. Michael Gurr skilfully wrote this gripping performance, now playing at starts with Sarah (Odile Le Clezio), embarking on a journey of self-discovery. She plays the tragic role of a psychiatrist's wife. On the surface, their marriage seemed happy, however, Sarah's spirit and mental state was disintegrating; without her husband knowing, or caring. She sits silently at a police station in a sterile interview room, nervously on the edge of her seat. Sarah is interrogated by a detective named Hirst (Anthony Phelan). He has several attempts at soliciting information from Sarah, as to the situation surrounding her presence at the police station. At first, there were several chuckles from the audience as Hirst cynically and intellectually theorises as to why Sarah is there and about his job. Sarah is initially quiet and intimidated, and sits gazing off into the distance as though in a trance. As Hirst begins to become more cynical, intellectual and assertive, Sarah confesses to having murdered her husband: a confession doubted by Hirst. Veren Grigorov, the Solo Violinist, intensifies this, and other dramatic moments with an eerie musical accompaniment, which did much to enhance the play. Sarah may be tormented by her husband's death, however, the guilt she feels is not attributed to murder, but due to the fact she just apathetically watched him die in their bed instead of helping. Her true confessions of low self-esteem, total frustration and boredom with life burst out from Sarah. Throughout the performance she doesn't make eye contact with the audience, which only adds to loneliness of her character. Sarah's confessions are a catalyst for Hirst's confessions. The characters physically change seats, as Hirst sits himself in the chair of the 'confessor' and we witness a brilliant role reversal. He now confesses his dissatisfaction with life: he lacks job satisfaction, mental stimulation and any positive relationship. ?This is just between you and me, but Christ I could do with a decent killer right now,? he says to Sarah in his confessional outburst. Hirst may say he's looking for a 'decent killer', but what he's really looking for is human interaction that compliments his creative, lateral mind. He finds no killer in Sarah, but he has found what he was really looking for: a soul mate. Veren Grigorov, the Solo Violinist, beautiful performance. more lighting effects would have enhanced the creativity of the play. chuckles throughout the audience. Ros Horin Drama SBW Stables Theatre (Sydney) 2 November Anthony Phelan Odile Le Clezio ?
The Nugget	Audrey Foo	20th October 2002	Reviews	If you pass over the mince and gristle pie at the local tuckshop for the steak and kidney version does that make you a gourmand? This is the most complex question the Australian film, is likely to throw at you. is a gentle, lightweight tale about three roadworkers who stumble across the world?s biggest gold nugget and the farcical consequences that follow as they embrace their new lives as millionaires. The three men build and fortify their suburban castles with their newfound wealth. This means a huge flatscreen for the footy and an arsenal of whitegoods for the missus from Harvey Norman. The film is written and directed by Bill Bennett ( , ). The flimsy plot merely acts as a springboard for an onslaught of gags that poke sharply at Australiana. The film taps directly into the self-deprecating humour which has become a cultural clich? in this country (and the Australian film industry). This is Kath and Kim territory in the Land of the Great Rissole, where dagginess is next to godliness. Strong comedic performances from Eric Bana and Dave O?Neil help lift the film when it sags from a lack of plot. The film explores the traditions of mateships forged over a cold slab and wog jokes heavy on the polyester tracksuits and gold jewellery. The clich?s keep coming as thick as the gravy in your mum?s Sunday roast. If you enjoy your half hour slice of from SBS each week you?ll enjoy , which is like a full round, full fat feature length version of . Eric Bana and Dave O'Neil hamming it up pure Oz style Some sections are as flat as a warm Fosters It's like the underdeveloped, little brother of Bill Bennet Richard Sheffield, Bill Bennett, Jennifer Cluff, Silvana Milat Danny Ruhlmann Nicholas McCallum Louise Wakefield Bill Bennett Henry Dangar Nigel Westlake Roadshow 97 mins Eric Bana, Stephen Curry, Dave O'Neil, Belinda Emmett, Peter Moon, Vince Colosimo, Max Cullen, Karen Pang ?
My Big Fat Greek Wedding	Miguel Gonzalez	24th October 2002	Reviews	Nobody thought Toula Portokalos would ever get married or do anything with her life, aside from working at the family restaurant... but she did. Then again, nobody thought this low-budget ethnic romantic comedy with practically no major stars would gross more than US$130 million, but it did. There are no surprises. From the title, you know the couple will get married and probably achieve eternal happiness. Anyway, romantic comedy is not about unexpected plot twists, but about memorable moments and a connection with the characters. Here, the characters are well defined and likeable. Nia Vardalos not only stars as Toula, but she is also the writer, and her unlikely success in a genre usually dominated by flawless beauties must make it even more rewarding for her. She plays a 30 year-old single woman waiting for her life to begin, and great expectations about keeping Greek traditions and having a family lay on her back. John Corbett (Aidan from ) is - once again - the perfect man that sees Toula?s real self and is willing to be baptized in order to be accepted by her orthodox family. It won?t be easy for him or his All-American family, since the Portokalos are loud and Greek to the extreme. Toula?s dad, Gus, can?t stop talking about how great it is being Greek (according to him, every single word in the English language can find its roots in Greek). He?s also a firm believer that Windex can cure any skin problems. Her mother is a traditional wife, expert in manipulating her husband. And then there?s also a very extended family with aunts, uncles and cousins (including *NSYNC?s Joey Fatone as Angelo). In a time when gross-out toilet humour seems to be the key to success ( , ), it?s good to know that a well-constructed comedy with a traditional structure can be a hit. But no wedding can be perfect, Greek or not. The film is a bit too long and we soon get the point: this is an overwhelming family. Therefore, some elements become repetitive. Of course there are stereotypes. In fact, most gags revolve around them. But most people with a Greek background have said the portrayal is quite accurate and find no offense in them. The most immediate movie reference would be , but this wedding goes for a less exuberant approach and doesn?t try so hard to dissect socially imposed norms. This is a story about accepting what you can?t choose or change: your family... whether you?re Greek, Italian, Indian, Brazilian, Australian, etc, there are always those annoying moments. But just like Gus says, ?we are different but in the end we?re all fruits?. This film will probably be a huge hit here, with Greeks being one of the strongest communities in Australia. Still, you don?t have to be Greek to enjoy it, just get ready for a healthy amount of romance. A charming cast in a charming and funny love story. Greek stereotypes become a little tiresome after a while. Heartwarming ethnic comedy. A little movie that became a huge hit. Joel Zwick Paul Brooks, Steve Shareshian, Norm Waitt, Tom Hanks, Mark Hufnail Jeff Jur Gregory P. Keen Michael Clancy Nia Vardalos Mia Goldman Xandy Janko 96 mins Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan, Joey Fatone ?
Tigerlilies (Melbourne Fringe Festival)	katia krivitsky	16th October 2002	reviews	There are some spaces in the world which most of us will never experience in the flesh. The inside of a spaceship, a judge's chambers, a sizable camera-ridden Gold Coast house built for a three month TV program. Another such space is a brothel; we imagine its interiors, we may even know those who inhabit its walls, but rarely is it splayed open before us for a night of scrutiny and google-eyed curiosity. This is why , a play set in the lobby of a prestigious brothel of the same name, provides such delicious satisfaction. As the actors parade around the set, speaking their parts, the plot becomes almost incidental to the sheer satisfaction of being allowed to watch. The play depicts a day in the life of Tigerlilies, using the workers and patrons to delve into conversations about fantasy and reality, the everyday mechanics of being a sex worker, the legalities and public perceptions of the industry and other expected topics. As the characters' individual personalities take shape there is an increasing sense of curiosity about their lives outside the establishment. The play successfully maneuvres the audience into craving more information about the women's lives. However, some of the female leads tend to lapse into limited moulds, relying on the traditional stereotypes of the territorial bitch or the wizened matriarch. Nonetheless, all the women have their secrets and the tension between the shown and the concealed is well borne out. With the exception of some typical Fringe-style technical glitches and slightly inconsistent acting, is a well written and entertaining play. What's more, there are some truly gorgeous qualities about the whole production. The set is divided into reception area, lobby and changing rooms, supported by a giant, and let's face it vaginal, scarlet curtain which leads into the undisclosed set of rooms with names such as Venus Suite. A TV set constantly playing porn and a security camera by the door add crucial elements to the sense of 'inside fears and outside threats' promised by the program. However, the most inspired aspect is the casting of Annie Lewis, a middle-aged woman with a limp, in a main sex worker role. Not victimized, or patronised into the role of a bitter madam, Annie's condition is used to create a strong and unusual persona. The fact that Annie acquired infantile poliomyelitis as a child and has worked for decades as a Striptease Artiste adds an infinitely fascinating dimension to an already complex role. With gritty conversation and some damn funny dialogue between the witty women of the house and their clients is a fun night out. Writers Sorell Haze and Ray Bassett successfully deliver an interesting and intelligent account of life in a place which largely exists in our imaginations. Theatreworks 20 October ?
EPISODE 2?	Miguel Gonzalez	21st October 2002	Industry News	A not so long time ago, in a city far, far away... Marketing forces of Lucasfilm Ltd. have summoned journalists from around the world, to present them with their newest release, which has the power to obsess and entertain anyone for at least six hours. These rebel forces must spread the word about those discs with vital information about Anakin Skywalker and the Clone War... It wasn?t in Tatooine. It wasn?t even at Skywalker Ranch, George Lucas? home and operations centre, where he released the DVD and premiered back in May. This time it was the Robert Zemeckis Center for the Digital Arts, heart of the USC School of Cinema and Television. Lucas is not here this time, his paddawans are in charge of everything. I got to talk to them and this is what they revealed... When we push play on your DVD player, we rarely think about the extra amount of work required to create all those menus and features. Van Ling, the DVD producer, spent sleepless nights working on the usually overlooked architecture of the disc. ?The majority of the menus are the result of heavy digital manipulation of either film finals or elements that ILM was gracious enough to provide. My challenge was to make it look as if all of those were shots from the movie, but anybody who?s a real fan and looks at it will say ?hey, wait a minute, this shoot wasn?t exactly like this in the movie??. Oops, I guess I?ve been spotted as a semi-fan since I can?t really tell the differences between these menus and the actually movie. I must confess I only saw it five times, not enough to memorize the angles and proportions! Finishing it! The most satisfying aspect is that it does justice to the Star Wars universe, and I feel that I have achieved that, both on this disc and . Lucas and Rick McCallum, producer of the new trilogy. But which is which? Maybe not even McCallum knows. "George likes to go into what each scene means. The visual effects guys like to go into the challenges of making this specific shot. I like to go just into an 'oh my God, we actually got this done!' kind of commentary, what we were doing, the problems that we had. Everybody brings their own dynamic to what it is that they?re watching. Mine is obviously the most superficial, but I just get amazed because most of the times, when we start the films, we have no clue of how we?re gonna make them." Not much to say Frank Oz has. Maybe he?s tired of being related to that green small guy. ?I had made characters in the past that just took a long time to get into my soul, and for some reason I just clicked on Yoda. I don?t know why, I just did. I?m very pleased that people say I?m the creator, but it?s not really true. I?m a creator on a solid bedrock of people who make Yoda, who write for Yoda, the other performers?. Rob Coleman, animation director, looks as happy as an Ewok. He has a reason, the worse is behind him, now that he passed the test of turning a 900 year-old puppet into a digital acrobat. ?After barely surviving and the appreciation for Jar Jar after that... I was wondering whether I would work again?, says Coleman, ?but George did want me to come back and he started talking to me about Yoda. He has a tendency of not giving you the whole story ?cause he doesn?t want you to faint straight away. So i didn?t hear about the fight until about June 28th, 2000, when I received the script. I don?t think I slept for the first three weeks after reading that I had to do a fight with Yoda!?. At first, Rob wasn?t very optimistic about the results. After all, he?d supervised the creation of the most hated character in the Star Wars universe. ?I convinced myself I would be known as the man who wrecked Yoda. But George never wavered, he always said ?the fans really want to see this fight, they wanna see him do all this stuff and you have to trust me?. The day of the movie opening I was hiding in the audience, and with that energetic laughter the audience lets out when Yoda first comes in, I thought ?that?s it, we?re dead, I was right, George was wrong?. But when they started cheering, man, I was up on my seat?. Coleman is proud of his child, even if his child is 60 cm. tall, green and impossible to have a normal conversation with. Even so, the folks from marketing are always trying to look ahead. Jim Ward is the Vice President of Marketing at Lucasfilm Ltd. He talked about the dirty side of the empire, business. Episode II ?Everyone knows that, with George, there?s never a final, final. He always reserves the right to go back and take another look, so we?ll have to see?, says Ward. So we can actually expect them to pull some Jedi tricks... ?Regarding the original trilogy on DVD, it will happen at some point. We have to get through the third and final chapter in the saga and then we?ll begin to address that?. At least now we know we still have four years to save money for that. "The fourth quarter is always crowded, this one in particular... there?s some other guy out there, he wears a red suit and may cause a little trouble, but we?re coming out after him. The wonderful thing that we have with Star Wars is our fan base. They never let us down, and no matter what other great content is out there, Star Wars is Star Wars to them and we can always count on those fans." And the fans will be there for , no matter if it?s called or ... ?
Bic Runga	Sheila Pham	13th October 2002	interviews	- Bic Runga?s favourite toast topping. New Zealand may be a small island in the Pacific, but it?s produced a mass of musical talent in recent years. Neil Finn?s solo career has been a little under-whelming since the split of Crowded House, but there is now a younger generation ruling the airwaves. Some names you might start hearing a lot more of are The Datsuns and The D4. But perhaps the biggest thing to come out of New Zealand since the All-Blacks is a 26 year old female singer-songwriter-musician named Bic Runga. Her raw and melodic debut is the top selling Kiwi record of all time, going seven times platinum there (and beating the pants off Split Enz and Neil Finn in the process). She was recently in Australia to promote her highly anticipated sophomore record, . Vibewire.net's Sheila Pham talked to her about the difficult journey towards the creation of her second album. They just sort of arrive. You can definitely craft them to some extent but sometimes you get the feeling that songs come from some other place and they?re not really to do with yourself. It was good. I think when you?re a musician one of the greatest things is playing with your heroes. Tim Finn and Dave Dobbyn are heroes of mine, though I was never awestruck. It was a good time to do that show because I was in the deepest, darkest depths of my record and I was kind of disappearing. It was good to socialise myself again with musicians, and just get over it really because if you over-record something you sort of lose your sense of self. It?s nice to refresh yourself by playing live but not having the pressure of doing your own show. Well, there?s a lot of music at the moment which is borne out of record companies trying to make lots of money quickly. I don?t think a lot it has enough substance. But that doesn?t mean to say that there isn?t a lot of stuff out there that does have substance. There certainly is. There are people who have really made a mark like Missy Elliot, Dr Dre, Eminem ? a lot of hip-hop. I think they?re real innovators. But all the old-school music has already stood the test of time even after thirty years, forty years. And I relate because of its purity. I definitely wouldn?t say I identify with female singer-songwriters outright. But I liked Tori Amos?s first record. And I really like Fiona Apple. I?ve seen her, I?ve met her, I?ve seen her play live. I think she?s got real substance. I love small venues. They make a lot more sense to me ?cause you can still see people as individuals in audience unlike in a stadium or a big crowd. Though it?s good to mix it up, I definitely prefer smaller crowds. But I just can?t keep those small crowds otherwise I?d go broke. I definitely identify strongly with my family because we did seem to be different. We stuck out like sore thumbs in Christchurch because it?s very Caucasian. I guess my sense of identity came from my family because we just seemed so different from everyone else. We probably weren?t really. But I think there was a demarcation between brown people and white people in Christchurch. Bo was such an inspiration to me because she was older and cooler. During the 80?s she was a Goth and she only wore black. She had a great record collection; your typical older sibling that puts you onto music. It was just inspired by some graffiti that I saw. Someone had just graffitied the word ?Sway?. It?s just an intriguing word, not one of those words that I use in my day to day vocabulary. Actually, there?s a really nice line in a David Bowie song ?Let?s Dance? that goes: ?let?s dance, sway through the crowd to an empty space.? I just really didn?t know what I was doing. The whole thing was a complete mess. I don?t know if you?ve seen a documentary called by Francis Ford Coppola?s wife which is about the making of . The film just took too long and they spent too much money. And I think he was a bit of a freak. He just didn?t know what he was doing. That?s no comparison at all but now I understand being involved in something bigger than yourself. At any given time you don?t know whether you?ve just completely fucked up and wasted a lot of money (laughs). Yeah, it was very draining. And three years is too long to spend on anything. I could?ve gotten a university degree in three years. I could have made a claymation movie. The world was full of possibilities when I was 20. Now I?ve seen a bit more of the world, I?m a bit more discerning. I do miss something from early days of recording, you know, before you realise what a monster the record industry is. It?s still full of possibilities but I actually preferred being blissfully ignorant. I liked the purity of thought I used to have. I think the actual quality of the song-writing is better for me the second time round though. There?s a nice simplicity about but you can?t keep making the same nursery rhyme. My saving grace was knowing what good craft was. It puts you in the family of people who make chairs, people who make bookshelves, people who make jewellery. It makes you feel what you do is kind of normal. But because the songs just materalise, they?re not really made of anything. They?re not tactile. I really do miss doing something that?s visual and can be touched. Sheila Pham Bic Runga ?
Respect for the Fallen	Sylvia Gauci	17th October 2002	interviews	There is always more to music than a pretty face, and metal outfit, Ran-x certainly realise this. Intelligent beyond their years, lead vocalist Tim and guitarist Gareth shared with me their history, enthusiasm for music and thoughts on the current state of our country that they love with an equal passion. The Burwood quartet - Tim, Gareth, bassist Robb and Dean on drums, originally began about 3 years ago, but stopped when Dean moved to Germany for 6 months. "We didn't get back together until about November last year - we met up again in Queensland for Schoolies Week and decided to reform", Tim explains, in what their bio describes as "a drunken promise after nearly a two-year absence from playing". "It wasn't overly-serious when we started up, but this year things have changed?" "We've really taken it up a level," Tim adds, "and since we've turned 18 we can now play in pubs!" - allowing Ran-x to show off their powerhouse sound and striking stage presence. And that's no overstatement, the band scored 100 in stage presence at a previous battle of the bands, and is set to play another of these on the 27th of November. Ran-x recorded their six-track EP in August this year, in Northcote with producer Idge. Opening with a pounding drum solo and ending with token feedback and the chant of "respect", one can tell these guys are serious about their music. Of the recording process, Tim says "We were there for about 12-14 hours, and got everything down perfectly". When recording, Gareth says "it's important to get your music really tight, and not to underestimate the role of the producer... we could have gone to a brand new studio, but without the right producer it would sound nowhere near as good as what we got with Idge". This know-how has obviously paid off for the band -now distributing copies of Fallen around Melbourne -which has seen a pleasing increase in the number of gigs and the people turning up to them. With song titles such as 'Six Ft. Under', 'Addicted' and 'Murder Against The Grain being delivered with abundant aggression, I was curious about the source of this energy. "We're generally pretty easy blokes, but we do get aggressive sometimes" Tim casually says, "In a way, I think it tames your aggression, as I never feel angry after a jam session!" "Not all our songs are about darkness and death though - we try and capture the aggression and then write the lyrics to fit that?The foundation of metal as music is aggression - you'd never hear a heavy riff with lyrics about doves and peace and things like that!" Gareth adds. The feeling is mutual among metal artists and fans, as this formula seems to be working for Ran-x. "People who don't appreciate metal as a music form don't understand it - " "But you can tell that the people who do listen to it get a lot more fired up than the people who don't care. Like the people that come to our gigs - you can tell the difference between those that our there just to see us and those who actually want to listen to the music", Tim says. When asked about influence, the guys enthusiastically list their favourite groups - including metal greats such as Damaged, Sepultura, Napalm Death and Pantera. "Pantera would have to be the most inspirational band we've ever listened to. They're our benchmark - and one day we may play with them?hopefully," Tim muses. As to the recent trend in genre crossover, he simply says "We like to keep it raw". "Crossing genres can be good on occasion," Gareth elaborates, "but some people take it too far and it spoils it. I wouldn't even think of that style of music as metal at all...And we're not going to be in the argument between nu-metal and old metal; we do love both types, but steer clear of putting any hip-hop edge on it." "What we play is what you get". Tim closes the subject. I ask about the EP's title track, - a tribute to those who lost their lives in the World Wars. When I mention my surprise at this obvious patriotism the guys exchange looks which further my curiosity. Tim stands up to show me what turns out to be a map of Australia tattooed on his left arm. Gareth has the Southern Cross tattooed on his chest - "I think that explains that we're pretty proud of our country!" he says. "We've had grandparents that served in the wars and have seen what they had to sacrifice. A lot of people these days don't understand that and take for granted that this is the greatest country in the world. The freedom we have to enjoy the lifestyles we choose is unparalleled anywhere else in the world. With 'Fallen', we feel that had to write it all in a song - and it's not only to the veterans, it's to the country and what it is now." Being on the possible brink of war, they are not pleased (as most aren't) with the current shaky political stance. "It's simply not our place to get involved", they say, in regards to Iraq. As for the future of Ran-x, there is much going on. The guys are writing new material and hoping to record this in the near future. "There's definitely a lot of experimentation to be done," Tim says of the new material, "but it won't change our audience or staple raw sound - after all, you can't play the same thing forever." "We're not going to sell-out," Gareth reassures me, "we're just going to keep on gigging, and there is the possibility of touring Germany and neighbouring countries next year." My recommendation - prepare to be blown away with the awesome wall of noise that is Ran-x. 04/10/02 microcassette Sylvia Gauci Tim and Gareth from Ran-x ?
Dr Faustus Lights the Light (Melbourne Fringe)	amy dobson	18th October 2002	reviews	This production of Gertrude Stein?s poetic text was beautifully staged and designed. Performed at Theatreworks, the space was large, and director Samuel Gough?s design made full use of it. The performances were however, somewhat lacking in energy and depth important elements in sustaining this surreal text, complex in its structure and narrative form. The stage was divided by white lines across the floor, consisting of a rectangular space marked on the floor of the front and centre stage, in which there was a black chair, a white doorway and window frame, both suspended from the ceiling. White ray-like lines ran across the floor, emanating from this centre space, and was the home of Faustus. The lines served to form six ?passageways? across the vast space, an aesthetically pleasing and symmetrical stage design, as well as a visual metaphor - Faustus being the creator/keeper of electric light. The passageways were used by varying characters and by the chorus throughout: different characters occupied different spaces, and surrounded Faustus, making him the central, sun-like figure. It is the staging, the design, the use of colour and lighting that the production is memorable for. Within the large cast there were some moments of focused and enthusiastic performance: Ashley Midalia was a competent neurotic Faustus, and Dije Arlen brought had a certain charisma as the Country Woman. The alienation techniques present in the text were theatrically employed; the narrator, (Michael Cann) who read stage directions and even character names to us had a nice vocal style and a manner which brought comedy and a theatrical distance to the production. Similarly surreal and alienating factors were the chorus and the dog (Luke Natoli), who mostly says 'Thank you'. Overall, the performances seemed lacking in enthusiasm for the piece. The performance was far from the style of realistic acting or character interpretation used in a naturalistic context. However, there was a basic lack of energy and focus from some actors in parts. The choice to use children to play children?s part was an interesting one which had its pros and cons: they brought a vocal quality to the recitation of text that only young voices can, which added an eery ambience in parts. But that is often what the performances were- simply a recitation. The text was poetic, loaded with symbolism, repetition and reference, and I found myself questioning whether the young-looking cast understood what they were doing on stage or whether they were simple carrying out tasks assigned by the director. (Perhaps Ensemble Thespis is a youth or student ensemble, but this was not mentioned in the program.) Gough obviously had a vision, and his cast did their tasks and carried it through making a tight, theatrical surreal and dream-like picture on stage, despite the fact that the performances lacked depth. Samuel Gough Theatreworks 12 Oct Luke Natoli, Ashley Midalia, Dije Arlen, Michael Cann ?
Grand Theft Auto	daniel a pozarik	19th October 2002	gaming news	The much anticipated follow up to last years infamous Playstation 2 release Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, is almost here. Early rumours placed the release date early next month, but whilst many of the larger electronics stores are already previewing advance copies instore, the game should be available to buy at most stores mid this week. Some stats for Vice City: -set in the 1980s -Main character talks (voiced by Ray Liotta) -Main Characters name is Tommy Vercetti -40 weapons including uzis, machetes and a shotgun with a grenade launcher attached -Ability to enter buildings (casinos, hotels, discos etc.) -Improved police and ped AI -120 new vehicles -Vice City is 2 times bigger than liberty city -Vice City is entirely open from the start of the game -8000 new voice clips -Super-Improved graphics -Ability to shoot tyres and slow down car. Police can to that too -Cops also chase other criminals not just you -Ability to kneel down by pressing X when standing still -New fighting moves like martial arts -Auto targerting system with instant camera lock on -Super-Improved character models -No blockness on characters -3 diffirent cop cars -sub missions like taxi, police and delivering pizza -Clothes ripple in wind when running, shooting or riding vehicles -Highly detailed AI -New gangs like 'The Sharks' -New Vehicles to drive like helicopter, motorbike, jetski, 1980s sports cars, limos etc. -More boats to drive -Ability to swin in water (hotel pools and beach etc.) -You can see the bottom of water and how deep it is. clear water not like liberty city's dark gloomy water -Over 10 hours of music on radio -10 radio stations -Cops when shot at duck behind doors and objects for cover. -More reflections on cars -Pedestrains will react to soroundings more -Pedestrians will not just walk they might be rollerblading, sunbacking, jogging, sitting on benches or swimming -Alot of palm trees around you -Some Hotels might have swimming pools with bars in the middle -Ammu-Nation is still a shop in the game -There will be docks with large boats around in Vice City. ?
A night at the Swan	Matthew Farmer	20th October 2002	where_to_go_pubs	The Swan is an old building, grandiose in appearance. Located on the corner of Church and Swan Streets Richmond, it has a tramline right next to it, making it easy to get to from the city. There's a live band that plays a good variety of commercial radio music and even some Aussie Rock Classics. Bar prices are higher than a normal pub, but only by, say, 50 cents for a stubby of Coopers Pale Ale, although I only got $7 change out of twenty for two Jack Daniels and Cokes. Dress code here is varied, depending on what the bouncer thinks. I was personally rejected for being "too casual". An $80 pair of designer cargo pants, a trendy icon t-shirt with an over shirt and my normal good work shoes, was not enough to get me in the front door. My partner, dressed in some good black pants, cowgirl shirt and leather jacket, was allowed in without hassle. Under normal circumstances I would have headed to another venue, but since it was a friend's birthday, I decided to go home and change. To guarantee entry, I arrived about an hour later dressed in a full suit and tie and expensive leather shoes. The bouncer recognised me from before, and had no hesitation in letting me go inside dressed as I was. Bar service was appalling, to say the least. My partner, dressed as she was, went to the bar for some drinks. Girls in shoulder-less dresses or ample cleavage arrived, after she did, and stood either side. They were served before my partner was. Once she was actually served, and paid for the drinks, she was short-changed by 50 cents in a not very subtle attempt at garnering a tip. Correct me if I am wrong, but a tip is earnt if you provide good customer service. I suppose certain drinking venues are not everyone's cup of tea. However, customer service and customer respect should be universal. In my opinion, there are nice bars, friendlier bars, in and around Melbourne that will be gaining my further custom in the next few weeks over the Spring Carnival. 425 Church St, Richmond 3121 9428 2112 Cover band entertainment Attitude of fitting in Pretentious ?
Australia?s own Secret Police	Louise Morris	23rd October 2002	pulse	In the wake of the Twin Towers incident, the Australian Parliament passed the Howard Government's first raft of anti-terrorism legislation. There is now a second wave being put to Senate in the form of ?The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Legislation Amendment (Terrorism) Bill 2002?. This bill was presented by Federal Attorney General Daryl Williams in March of this year. It has gained momentum in the aftermath of the Bali bombings, just days before it was to be presented to Senate for the second reading. The changes the Federal Government is pushing for will allow ASIO agents to have, for the first time, the power to detain Australian citizens - a power that will take ASIO from merely a spy agency to that of a secret police force. The proposed changes to the powers that ASIO would operate under include many that are in blatant breach of internationally recognized civil and political rights, including: - The power to detain people for up to seven days without charge, incommunicado. - The loss of the basic right to silence whilst being questioned, exercising this former right could land you up to five years gaol. - You will not be able to access a lawyer of your choice, representation will be appointed from a selection approved by the Australian Law Council. - Non-suspects can be detained on suspicion of having information on terrorists or terrorist activity that has occurred or is believed to pose a future threat. - Journalists, lawyers, politician?s academics and any one believed to be part of a political/environmental or social group is at risk. - Failure to produce a document or thing when requested to by an ASIO agent will be considered an offence with a maximum five year gaol term. The Australian Greens in conjunction with the Democrats have been pressuring the ALP to block this legislation outright since its introduction by Federal Attorney General Darryl Williams. The ALP led in the Senate by John Faulkner stated that. ?Labor does share the concerns of many who have spoken out against the bill; that it may establish part of the apparatus of a police state, and that its provisions would not be out of place in a dictatorship. These are real and legitimate concerns, given the assault upon established legal principle contained in this bill?. This statement and others like it were met with the response from Liberal Senator Ross Lightfoot who said ?It is not time for the fashionable Left, or the limp wristed academics, to be listened to. Nor is it time for the Left of politics in this place to withhold their support for the essential legislation to give ASIO more teeth at the beginning of this the third millennium?. The October sitting of Senate in which the bill was raised saw Labor move to refer the ASIO bill to the Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee, which is aimed at refining and amending the majority of the proposals that violate our rights according to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The proposed way in which ASIO agents obtain a warrant to detain people is outside of the normal realms of the law; agents will go to a member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). The AAT is a non-judicial body, the members of which are appointed to fixed term positions by the executive. This creates obvious questions relating to the independence of those handing out the warrants, one would suppose the more ambitious the AAT member, the more warrants would be handed out, without too many questions. The more you look into this legislation the more problems become evident and more questions arise. It is an offence to identify an ASIO agent, which creates somewhat of a catch 22 situation for those who would be detained under this new law. How would you report any abuse or mishandling if identifying those involved is an offence? The other obvious question being how would a fair and just trial take place if the agents who detain and question a suspect cannot be identified? Other unanswered questions that come out of this bill include: - Where would people imprisoned for so-called ?terrorist activity? be held in Australia, while in detention or even serving a sentence? - What sort of medical attention would people be able to access? Currently the law allows lawyers present during a questioning to be used as witnesses during trial, under the proposed legislation no mention is made of suspects being able to access a separate lawyer for trial. The inability to access separate council would seriously jeopardize the defense, the last thing you would want is your lawyer in the stand testifying. One of the biggest questions that has gone unanswered is the prospect of this legislation being enacted retrospectively, putting every Australian citizen who has ever spoken out against the Government in danger of secret arrest. Any one who has ever protested, or knows someone who has, the Vietnam War, the Franklin Dam, Indigenous Land Rights, Jabiluka or even the current attacks on Iraq has the very real spectre of ASIO breathing down their necks. Legislation such as this cannot be allowed through; once these sorts of powers are given to ASIO they will be unbelievably hard to overturn. The last thing Australia, or any country for that matter, needs is a secret police force. Now is the time to lobby the ALP and make it clear to the Liberal Government that we do NOT want a secret police force. Use your right to freedom of speech while you still have it, call talk back radio stations and write to the papers and make it clear that these draconian laws cannot be allowed to pass. For more information go to To read the bill and its amendments click on current bills by title. ?
Augie March	Sheila Pham	24th October 2002	interviews	- Edmond on his dad?s wine Augie March are an unusual Australian band. They?re a bit more "mature" and are critically acclaimed as well as being widely popular. They?ve supported the likes of Mercury Rev and Grant Lee Buffalo on tour and their first album was a huge success. Their second album, , is set to be released mid-October and it is a worthy successor to their debut. It?s mellow rock with dreamy overtones and there?s even a hint of the wild American west in one of the album tracks, 'This Train'. Edmond Ammendola, who plays bass, shared some of his thoughts with me about the band. Some kind of rejection of utopia or subversion of it. A place where you can just go to escape. One of the lines is about people dressed in white. I just imagine it conjures up images of people not having to rush or anything. You know, prancing about in the woods and picking berries and eating them and existing in that way. We don?t get along. That?s the God honest truth. It?s just a working relationship. We?ve been playing music together for so long we?ve grown together. It just keeps moving. There?s a lot going on apart from Augie March. You know, people have normal lives. They have work, they have kids or whatever else. And there?s just other music to be played as well. That takes up a lot of time. Kiernan, our new keyboard player, plays with The Blackeyed Susans. David and I have played with Deborah Conway?s rhythm section for the last three years. And Jono toured with Something for Kate as their second guitarist. Everyone?s just playing with heaps other people. Playing music is a cycle in Augie March. It seems that we record around the middle of the year then we end up touring around the end of the year. Then we go into hibernation for winter again. During that hibernation period there?s other music to play. The main priority is to keep playing music because there?s plenty of it to play and you get a bit bored playing the one instrument in the one band. I?m playing in a band called Peeping Tom. Big dirty stoner rock that?s really, really loud. It?s a lot of fun with the sheer movement of air, volume-wise. It?s so different to Augie March. And I do other stuff like music for friend?s films and spoken word stuff. But when Augie needs me, I?ll play. There isn?t any one band or any group of bands or even a scene. It?s so incredibly broad, the music that we listen to. I wouldn?t want to live in either of those countries. I wouldn?t even live in Sydney. I need fresh air and good water. I don?t know anywhere else in Australia that has better water than Victoria (laughs). As a band, if you make a relocation over to Europe you definitely have to live there for six months. I don?t know if the band will do that. David the drummer has a son and other people have other commitments here. If it was gonna happen like that I reckon Glenn would probably go over to Europe and stay over there and write stuff and do whatever songwriters do to get things flowing. We might come over, we might meet him over there and record songs. I don?t think they play anything that?s over three and a half minutes and a lot of our songs are fairly long in their eyes. But I know that Australian radio stations gladly play tunes from overseas acts that are over six minutes or something. I guess the band that comes to mind most obviously is Radiohead where they might release a single that?s above the three thirty mark. I don?t know. We don?t think about any of those kinds of things. But Australian radio should be playing a lot more Australian content. They don?t give Australian musicians a go. There are people doing all sorts of stuff apart from just catchy pop tunes or whatever. This country allows you the space to develop your ideas and for them to be strong; you end up having a strong voice. I guess with Augie March we?ve got our own strong voice as a band and I think that this country, the landscape, everything like travelling twelve hours to the gig?all that contributes to it. We played a gig just after we finished recording at The Annandale Hotel. That was terrible. It was a really bad gig. We weren?t in gig playing mode, we?d just been recording. It was a bit of a lesson, a bit of a shock. But it was okay because I think we learned something from it. We need to get a bit more match-fit before we start touring. The rhythm section (me and Dave) have gotten a good flogging?not in a perverse, sexual way (laughs). David and I are Deborah Conway?s rhythm section and we?re getting used to that big sound that you get outside of the studio again. We?ve been playing gigs with her around the place for the past three weeks. With Augie it?s lots of beards, lots of old men. We?re all just old men. We?re best if we?re put to bed by ten o?clock. We just play music and we?ve been sort of bubbling away for the past six odd years just doing what we do. I don?t know if young girls go for beards. In the early days there was a bit of a hubbub about all that, and I was glad it all blew over. The way this band grows, people seem to really enjoy our music. The reason they might enjoy it is that it?s grown organically. It doesn?t really get fertilisers from anywhere, it doesn?t seem to be a GM crop. We just do what we do, it all happens really slowly. Possibly, yeah. The soil?s gotta be good. You gotta get aerated soil which means there needs to be space in the music and between band members. And then plenty of manure as well, plenty of all the dirty stuff. The stuff that people chuck out of their kitchen after they cook a meal, all that goes in there. And when the soil?s good, the fruit is good. What you have is a nice glass of red at the end of it. And I hope everybody enjoys. Sheila Pham Edmond Ammendola ?
DAN BRODIE AND THE BROKEN ARROWS	Sheila Pham	31st October 2002	interviews	- Dan Brodie reflects on becoming talented rather than starting out that way. They?ve brought the house down at the Byron Blues and Roots Festival and traversed some of the big urban centers of the world like Paris, New York, London. With upcoming appearances at the Livid and Homebake music festivals, Dan Brodie and the Broken Arrows are set to get bigger and bigger. Their newly released second album follows the critical success of their first LP, . Unable to be categorised as belonging to any one genre of music, their music crosses many traditional musical boundaries; a hybridised blend of rock, roots and blues at the very least. recently caught up with Dan Brodie for a chat. Broken Arrows? Well, it?s got a lot of significance as to what it means to me. The traditional Indian interpretation of a broken arrow is to signify the end, like surrender. They?d come up with a broken arrow and hand it to the other tribe. That means they?ve given up. So maybe it means I?ve given up. It?s probably a good description of it. Rather than saying it?s country and rather than saying it?s rock. I guess it just means drawing on really old traditions, traditional music: country and blues and rock and roll and rockabilly and all that stuff. It?s not hiding the fact. It?s not creating something new really. It?s quite difficult actually. It?s hard with writing songs, same with set-lists. I just fly from one style to another. It will probably be the downfall of my career. So be it. I can?t just play one style for the sake of some kind more coherent album or live set. I can?t do it. I think that it sounds completely different. A lot more produced really. But I?m kind of moving away from rootsy music before I get bored of it. I don?t think I?d make another album of it. Now it?s more just rock and roll. Well, I released my first record to a French label and the wanted me to go over and do some promo. That basically meant getting put up in a really nice hotel and doing interviews all day. But I also said I wanted to play so we ended up on this ship on the water. It was pretty funny. I sort of am really. I?m always trying to work out my relationship with, you know, some kind of higher meaning. Higher being. I was raised a Catholic and you know, Catholicism is pretty erm? I was raised in a kind of fire and brimstone atmosphere in retrospect. My dad?s mellowed out a lot now but he used to say, ?you?ll burn in hell if you do this and that?. And my school was like that too. The Catholics have this whole thing about sinning and feeling bad about yourself. You don?t want a religion that makes you feel bad about yourself. Having to cart that shit around in your head all the time. Yeah, he sang on it. I met him a pub actually. Just started talking to him and we got along. It was good. I really like his song-writing and I like him personally. So add those things together and you have a collaboration I suppose. I really like Paul Kelly; I did a tour with him around Australia. It was just great to watch him, watch him work, dealing with all the fans and all that sort of stuff. From as long as I can remember. I was interested in other things but I suppose I kind of got nudged into music. Maybe I was nudged a little bit into music like the way some parents push their kids into sport. My dad really wanted me to play the piano so I sort struggled with that over a period of ten years. Now I love it. It?s actually worked out for the best. From people really close to me. Their encouragement had a lot to do with it. They?d say ?oh that song?s good?that song?s not so good?. This was when I was 16 or 17 years old when you can?t really tell whether you?re good or not. They still seem to like it and still encourage me. It?s alright. It?s just like you go through periods of music where you?re really neither better or worse. It?s just different. It?s evolving like you are? I get along with them. I?m friends with them. But especially when you get off a big tour, like a four or five week tour, we don?t really see each other socially. I have been in bands before where it was intense like that but when you get older you just want to be left alone. It?s pretty good. It?s not really tempestuous like the Gallaghers or anything. It has it?s moments of course. But for the most part we get along really well. I?ve always been influential on him. I?m always leading him by the hand. I let him play with me (laughs). I don?t mind. I don?t really do a lot with my life; I do fuck-all really. Some kind of job that?s not music related. Something different. I?d love to take some time off and go travelling. Sheila Pham Dan Brodie ?
Jodi Martin	Sheila Pham	18th October 2002	interviews	- Jodi Martin on the link between song and story. In recent times, Jodi Martin has supported Luka Bloom, Eric Bibb and Ben Christophers when they?ve been on tour in Australia. And when The Frames pop round later this month, she?ll be opening up for them too. She often regales the audience with stories of growing up in Ceduna, a tiny place on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain so she?s clearly come a long way. The reason for it is simple though: she?s a talented singer-songwriter-musician with tremendous stage presence, holding the audience captive with her honest and powerful performances. I seem to be a girl that likes to shock myself. I?d never ever lived in a town before?and I moved to Redfern. I moved into Abercrombie St. and it did take a bit of getting used to but I liked the really gritty energy. Living in the middle of the city gave my music more of an edge. The song is about finding yourself. And the struggle of?I?ve never actually described this before. Like, you?re in a relationship and your partner thinks they know you but you don?t even know yourself. It was hard to have a proper relationship because I was still searching to find who I was. I used the metaphor of the alley. It?s like walking down this dark alley and seeing the old furniture. It?s hard to know what to keep and what to throw away. What?s actually you and what?s actually what your parents have given to you. Even though the song doesn?t really have anything to do with finding a double bed and a couch (laughs), I found all of my furniture in the alley. I wrote it when I came back to my hometown and saw all the stuff going on. I still think there?s a really fine line between personal and political. It is kind of a political song but it?s totally personal as well. I think they?re really intertwined. I guess the most important message of ?The Riddle? was that when we were kids we just treated each other like kids. As we grew older, we realise that people were putting us into boxes, whether we are Greek or White or Black or whatever. Your cultural identity is important but, the most important thing is to just to treat everyone as themselves, as a person. A label straightaway means something different to everyone. If I was going to choose one particular label, I?d say folk because that?s a good thing to me. Like I?m thinking Ani DiFranco, I?m thinking Bob Dylan, you know? But then folk can mean something totally different to other people. ?Folk? I should steer clear of that? (laughs). That?s the problem with labels. They have different connotations to everyone. You know in the same way I?m talking about meeting a person as a person, my music should be met as music. And then you can make up your own mind after you?ve actually heard it. I saw Ani a few years ago when she did her solo tour. And that was the first time I?d seen her live and she just blew me away. She?s amazing. I haven?t seen her with the band but solo she?s just incredible. And I just walked out of that room saying, ?That?s it, I can?t write another song for a year.? She had such a strong impact on me. I felt like I had Ani DiFranco in every single cell of my body and anything that I wrote would just come out sounding like her. I was that immersed in it. Anyway, I started writing again after a while (laughs). And I don?t think I really sound like her. But yeah, I?m a huge fan and I?ve got a lot of inspiration from her. Well, I had a bit of a struggle when I was growing up. The first tape I bought was Crowded House. That got a fair flogging because I didn?t really buy much stuff. My dad had Slim Dusty. My mum had Bob Dylan and a few folkies. But they didn?t have a huge collection and stuck out in the middle of nowhere, it was quite hard to find music. I used to climb up with some satellite tower thing that dad had set up for the C.B. radio and try and tune into a commercial radio station. You could get it at the top of the tower. The platform at the top of the tower was only like a foot and a half triangle sort of thing. So I?m sitting there swaying in the wind, trying to listen to this music. That was pretty funny. But you couldn?t get it down in my room. I started writing songs when I was about five. It was really my mum. She loaned me a tape recorder. I felt like I was so important because of it. From that moment on I decided that I was going to be a songwriter one day. So I started doing that. I had a few piano lessons and all I wanted to do was play guitar. My mum had a guitar from when she was at teacher?s college. I wasn?t allowed to learn that but I still bashed away at it anyway, ended up teaching myself. It was just a continued progression I guess. I can remember asking my mum who her favourite singer was and I was really pissed off at her because she said ?I don?t like any particular singer. I like a good song.? I think that was really quite wise in the end. It?s a song about war. It came about when I was in Canberra touring with The Waifs. I usually played the song on a little hand drum but I forgot it so I thought, bugger it, why don?t I just get up on stage and just play my belly in front of a full house of people? It was a crazy idea but it worked. It actually worked better than playing the drum and it?s so much easier to carry around. So I just stuck with it. It?s like fights in cavemen days. You think of people banging their chests or something. You can?t get more personal than just playing your belly. I?d never been out of Australia before so it was amazing. We played at the Kasmir Club and Woody?s. They were two very different gigs. Woody?s was a bit of an arty crowd. The Kasmir club was really cool. Everyone was just really listening. That was a real highlight. For our overseas tour we went to Germany first, then to France and then to London. So after being in Germany and France where everything was totally different, you get to London and it really did feel like I was at home. I said at the gig ?You guys even have the same names as us! Sydenham, Lewisham, all those things are straight out of Sydney.? I mean obviously it?s the other way around? It was bizarre. But it was good. There were a couple of bands there doing a distinctive French thing, sort of Cajun. I really dug them. A lot of the bands were French bands doing American country. It was amazing to play for non-English speakers. I thought my strength was my lyrics, but they really responded to the music which was cool. Sheila Pham Jodie Martin ?
Australian Forestry Standard a farce?	Louise Morris	27th October 2002	pulse	State and federal forestry ministers released what is being lauded as the new 'Australian Forestry Standard' (AFS) in October of this year. This new nationally applicable standard is aimed at a market place with an increasing desire for ?sustainable alternatives? in timber supplies. Conservation groups from around the country however are far from impressed, calling this new Australian standard a farce. Peter Robertson of the Western Australian Forest Alliance (WAFA) said of the AFS release "This so-called standard is just a rubber stamp for continued destruction". Groups such as WAFA claim that this standard will not improve the logging practices that occur in forests, merely that the ongoing practices, used in Australia's forestry industry, will be approved as 'sustainable'. Current logging practices have come under fire in recent years from both conservation minded community groups and environmental organisations. In Victoria recently the Department of Natural Resources and Energy (DNRE) was relieved of its duties of monitoring logging practices in state forests by state government. This was a result of vocal opposition from communities over conflicts of interest in DNRE monitoring and enforcing its own logging practices. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has since been given the task of monitoring and enforcing Victorian forestry standards, such as they are, effectively removing the fox from the chicken coupe. This step is the final solution to the problem of substandard forestry practices going unchecked, as the people on the ground and the means of enforcing standards are still completely inadequate. The Victorian scenario of the self regulating forestry industry is not an isolated one. Tasmania is another subject to the logging industry setting and enforcing its own standards. Forestry Tasmania oversees Australia's most prolific rate of Old Growth Forest clearfelling and wood chipping, while being answerable only to itself in terms of practice regulation. These blatant conflicts of interest are ingrained in the logging industry, which has allowed ongoing logging of water catchments for major towns and cities and the logging of Heritage recognised forests. They are also responsible for major losses of rare and threatened flora and fauna. The Australian Forestry Standard will label these practices as acceptable ecologically, socially and economically, making no move to improve practices or raise standards. "The standard is supposed to reassure consumers and the public generally that companies of logging operations that meet the standard are sustainable and their products are environmentally safe. The only question the media or public need ask is, in order to qualify for a big tick under this new 'standard' will any logging operation anywhere in Australia have to make any significant changes?" said Peter Robertson. Communities and environmental groups are calling for a broad ranging reform in the forestry industry which will ensure that all interests are met equally , whether they be sustainable jobs in timber, ecological diversity in what remains of the Old Growth Forests, and above all an open and accountable timber industry. Many say this is not addressed with the introduction of the AFS. "None of this will change as a result of the introduction of this rubber stamp standard. Companies will simply get a big tick for conducting 'business as usual,' said Peter Robertson of the Western Australian Forest Alliance. It remains to be seen if national and international consumers will take to the AFS, or if there will be a move towards certification and labeling schemes that are joint government/industry initiatives. ?
EuroSId Episode I	sidkid	27th October 2002	pulse	-I wanted to go overseas. I wanted to go somewhere foreign. I think I was 100 years too late for that. Walking out of Raffles Square light rail station, it doesn't take me long to walk into an HMV musick shoppe. Then I think, "This is ridiculous, why did I come this far to go shopping at HMV?". So I walk out in a huff and I have a choice of Giordano, Calvin Klein, or Dymocks. Dymocks? Maybe my flight from Sydney turned around mid-way and headed back? No, I'm just suffering globalisitis. The prices of things (snacks, CDs, etc.) are mostly very similar, so that isn't a real shock either. At least the climate here is hot and humid, so that's something interesting, if not a bit sticky. The Singapore CBD is very pleasant, and the whole place feels just so new. Clean and modern, with colonial buildings whitewashed into newness. That'll show those British! It's very nice walking around, and the light rail system (MRT) is excellent. Can't get much simpler than East-West/North-South, really. Taxis are pretty cheap to use, and often don't cost that much more than catching a bus and a train to get somewhere. The drivers I've had were also great to talk with, so if you get bored, just hop in a taxi and ask to be driven around in circles till you've chatted long enough. (The buses have TV, and I've seen reruns of Australian "Just Kidding" that way.) On my second day I head to Little India (read 'Indiatown') for something different. I won't describe Little India because, well, it's India and that country isn't on my itinerary... It is Vesak Day, the most important day in the Buddhist calendar. I was born on a Vesak Day many aeons ago, so I guess it's my Buddhist birthday. But no, that's not why it's the most important day for Buddhists worldwide. I was just born that way. I start walking past trees blooming with deep pink frangipani towards an open-air market. 'Araliya' to some and 'plumeria' to others, these flowers were simply amazing to me. Having seen white frangipani as a (sid)kid, it was as if the blooms were dipped in some exotic inkpot. In Australia, we have bank kiosks at shopping centres. In Singapore, the bustling market also features a Buddhist temple. Very convenient, especially for Vesak. Not far from the temple is what I dubbed "Buddhas (un)Ltd". It is a shop with countless statues of Lord Buddha. Every variety of Buddha you can meditate on. At this stage I'm reminded of a scene from 'From Dusk Till Dawn', but let's not go there; there's polite company on this mailing list. At a shopping centre not far away, I walk into the fashion shop that has chosen to call itself Wanko. With great difficulty I resist urges to take photos of the sign and ask for some directions. Walking out, I feel hungry so I walk into a nearby Kenny Rogers Roasters. Judging by the photos on the wall, the man himself has opened the place, and has also seen fit to leave behind neon guitars and suchlike. If you don't know who Kenny Rogers is, go ask your buddy Dwight Yoakam. Before I forget: the History Museum and the Art Museum are good. The history of Singapore as a trading post is fascinating. Potter around Fort Canning if ever you find yourself here. There's much more I've seen and done, but this is quite enough for one e-mail! It's off to London for me. Somewhere stranger, maybe? Don't tell me they all speak English there as well. ?
Pupperty of the Penis (Sydney)	Samara Fitzpatrick	24th October 2002	reviews	What type of audience turns up to a show where two guys play with their dicks for an hour? Absolutely everyone. From couples, to mums and daughters, to groups of girlfriends, from young people, to those with mostly grey hair. (However, one lady did leave halfway through the show with her disappointed partner in tow - he looked like he?d been having a good time.) Before the guys and their ?puppets? came on stage, Jackie Loeb warmed the audience up with a brilliant half hour stand-up set. Loeb, hardly a waif, did half the show in her underwear and had a sharp wit and acid tongue. She had no problem putting a heckler in their place. Typical of her style was an encounter with an audience member, where she gave the person a supposedly free copy of her CD then yelled after them as they returned to their seat; ?You owe me $10 you greedy bitch!? She cleverly won over an audience expecting a couple of blokes and their knobs and not, a smart mouthed, fat chick in her knickers. The ancient art of genital origami seems to have taken over the world. Our puppeteers for the evening, Brett Hartin and Aaron Bloomfield, are just one of the five pairs of puppeteers currently deployed around the globe. The show has been running in New York for a year and has started in LA with Paris to follow. And the good news is that the increased demand for the art means they?re likely to hold auditions for new artists - so start practicing until you go blind boys! And don?t worry about not being able to see anything from way up the back of the theatre (no, it?s not because the guys have enormous dicks) they?ve got a video camera projecting the tricks onto three large screens. This means you don?t miss out on the intricate detail of such instillations as the the the the or the (complete with sesame seeds). It?s hardly surprising that the dialogue and banter in a show dedicated to making shapes out of dicks has a Primary School sense of humour to it. However, the disappointing part was that the performances of Brett and Aaron seemed forced - they knew the lines too well and there was no sense of spontaneity. Fortunately the dick tricks come at a steady pace leaving the audience in a constant state of shock and amazement. The dicks rather than the people were certainly the stars of the show. And they?re pretty charismatic dicks; the ?Sea Urchin? installation demonstrates just how talented they are. But be warned, if you?ve got an aisle seat you may get some testicles waved in your face when the bulldog is let off the leash. Rarely laugh-out-loud funny, the show was fascinating, awe-inspiring and education for male audience members. great atmosphere amongst the audience. forced and contrived dialogue. a theatre experience like no other. Ross Mollison Comedy Enmore Theatre, 130 Enmore Rd Enmore, Sydney. starts Tuesday 22 October (no ending date as yet). Brett Hartin Aaron Bloomfield ?
The Glass Menagerie (Sydney)	Simone Smith	24th October 2002	reviews	It isn?t often that you find an entire cast shining independently of one another. But in the latest production of Tennessee Williams? 1944 original veterans of the and new comers combine for a remarkable performance. Set in St Louis and starring the notable Robyn Nevin, Marcus Graham, John Adam and recent NIDA graduate Eloise Oxer, the thick peanut butter southern dialogue sticks to the roof of your mouth long after the show is over. Haunting music oozes from a neighbouring nightclub and up the Wingfield?s fire escape filling their rundown apartment. It is this music that carries us from one memory to another, as narrator Tom Wingfield (Graham) guides us through three concentric spheres of time. The present when Tom speaks directly to the audience, the past a time of depression in St Louis when he lives at home with his mother and sister and the vanished golden age that Amanda Wingfield (Nevin) consistently reminisces over. Not once does Nevin falter in her million mile an hour speeches. Her deliverance is flawless and each character mesmerisingly entices you into the rundown threadbare apartment that is their world. Breaking free from the confines of naturalistic theatre the dream like illusory atmosphere created thematically and through eerie lighting proves for a deeply moving play of basic human appeal. The staging is adventurous and emphasized through shaft like lighting illuminating the characters themselves, rather than the scene in which they constitute. Escape is a prominent theme of Williams? semi-autobiographical play. Through the symbolic employment of the glass menagerie of ornaments we see Laura Wingfield (Oxer), sister to Tom escape into her own fantasy world. Lame in one leg and extremely shy she hides away from her mother a meddlesome, nagging and intrusive lady, desperately clinging to her former days when she was a genuine southern belle. Amanda?s husband ran out on her years ago leaving her penniless with two children and avoiding a similar fate for her daughter becomes an obsession. Younger son Tom, longs to break free from this claustrophobic existence, but is restrained by duty. As the family breadwinner he is torn between escaping from his overpowering mother and the haunting memory and legacy of his father but feels obliged to stay for his weak sister?s sake. Much of the second act is devoted to the final arrival of the Wingfield?s first ?gentleman caller?, Jim O?Connor (Adams). There are some brilliant moments of interaction between the actors like when Laura stumbles and both her mother and brother, entrenched in a stubborn argument forget for one moment their differences. This tension is immediately restored and is one of many examples of the superb acting. But don?t just take my word on the brilliance of Tennessee Williams? When it first opened in New York in 1945 at the Playhouse Theatre it received twenty-five curtain calls on opening night. An impressive bit of trivia. from playwright, to design staff, to the actors, showcases a remarkable team of people. this may be a first from this reviewer ? but I am hard pressed to find even one bad point. Did I mention the seats were a little uncomfortable? I have run out of adjectives of praise. Just make sure you get tickets before ends. Jennifer Flowers Drama Wharf 1, Sydney Theatre Company. Sunday, 15 December Robyn Nevin, Marcus Graham, Eloise Oxer and John Adams. ?
GDAA supports Australian Gaming	Michael Bacina	30th October 2002	gaming news	In a world first, President of the Game Developers Association of Australia (GDAA), Mr Adam Lancman, today announced initiatives that will provide start-up companies the opportunity to compete globally in the lucrative games development industry. This move is seen as a key element in growing the games industry in Australia. In a world first, the GDAA has been allowed to support game developers by providing developers with PlayStation 2 (PS2) development kits and software. The PS2 development kit will be provided to local game developers no cost access to new generation console technology. This will offer them the opportunity to develop cutting edge game prototypes and technologies so that they can win that ever elusive international publishing contract. The PS2 initiative is to be launched in Victoria and rolled out in other states within the next 12 months. , commented Michael Ephraim, Managing Director of SCE Australia and President of the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia. In a time where some IT Sectors are closing their doors and releasing staff, Mr Lancman believes that the games industry in Australia is set to boom. In a bold statement, he announced that The GDAA consists of game development companies located around Australia. Vice President of the GDAA and CEO of Ratbag, Mr Greg Siegele, said that Other GDAA initiatives include the game development incubator program, working closely with the Australian Game Developers Conference in an advisory capacity, and the establishment of a National office. Combined sales for computer and video games in 2001 amounted to $20 Billion worldwide (source: Interactive Digital Software Association www.idsa.com) with sales of video games up by 10% on the previous year. This initiative can only lead to the PS2 entrenching itself further in the local market as the preferred development platform, and help the Australian gaming industry achieve worldwide recognition. ?
Mat Hoffman Pro BMX 2	Michael Bacina	7th November 2002	gaming	Some reviews have seriously panned Mat Hoffman's second foray into the electronic world of BMXing and I plan to join them (a little) but also to defend what is, when you get to the nuts and bolts of it, a highly enjoyable game. Sure its not going to throw Tony Hawk out the window, but it is good fun, and isnt that what we are all looking for in this world? some good old fashioned fun. Now the original Mar Hoffman is just not really worth mentioning here, sure it was ok, but nothing next to Tony Hawk, and wasn't much of a simulation either. Now Activision enlisted Rainbow Studios to stir Mat Hoffman 2 into the right mix this time, adding a whole new layer of realism to the game, and making the physics a damn site better, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Lesson one, riding your bike . Thankfully you start on your little two wheeled device, usually near a handy dip or other such speed helper, and away you go. Trick selection is solid, but I was BEGGING for an ingame display of tricks (even a Tony Hawk style option menu outside the gameplay would have done me) since I was digging for the manual overtime the level demanded a certain trick. Lesson Two, jumping your bike. Just like TH, you hold down X and release to jump, and just like TH you can double or single tap to make bigger jumps. It is here I have a niggle (just a little one) since you push up to go faster, you have to sacrifice that tiny bit of speed to push up and jump, and if you forget and keep pushing up you break out of a half pipe (if thats where you jumped) and end up in a wall or somewhere you would rather not be. Lesson Three, navigating the levels. This gets tricky, there is some BIG levels and I got lost a few times. Vegas has an annoying feature of roads, which if followed simply result in you being made to start again from the beginning point, with the clock still ticking. Grrrrrr. Lesson Four, tricks. Very tony hawk based, there is a whole bevy of tricks, and there is far more scope in terms of manuals (including coming off a halfpipe jump into a manual) and grinds that are very impressive. You can modify each trick by pushing R2 and a directional button, if grinding, your little man pokes his leg out or arm or something. This is a nice intermediate - expert handle on racking up BIG points and is very challenging at first. The animation for the tricks is nothing short of superb, especially the grinds and manual tricks (although there weren't enough of these for my tastes). Lesson Five, landing your bike. This is tricky, and much less forgiving than TH. You can land backwards, but it slows you down big time and isn't recommended. It took me ages to get the feel for the bike's handling, whereas I could always pick up TH and just know when to release the trick. The result? Until you get the groove, prepare to take it slow and easy. Lesson Six, crashing your bike. This is possibly what Mar Hoffman 2 does best, the bike careers off in one direction, you faceplant and leave streaks of blood from the wrist contact with the ground. It is almost as good as watching a real video crash on Australia's Funniest Home Video's. Lesson Seven, level progression. Getting past some levels is like having root canel, frustrating and painful, followed by a numbness when you finally complete it. Challenges for each level are broken up into four rookie, four semi-pro, and four pro level. But you can only complete the higher ones after the lower are done. Frustrating in the extreme when some of them are very obscure and hard to do. This occurs frequently with the "Collect 5 whatevers" because the nice big levels that are so pretty to ride in quickly become your enemy, and you need to waste a whole turn just running recon to find the damn 5 things, and then working out the order you MUST collect them in to make it within 2 minutes. Other challenges are so obscure you will scurry to the internet and look up a guide, just to figure out how you will "Flip out The Jazz Trio" in the New Orleans level. This is the biggest flaw in an otherwise enjoyable game. The rewards of level progression are video's of each player in a road trip, and they are fun, but the slow and painful progression just annoyed me. Sound wise you get a great selection of tracks and tunes, and here MH2 is on par with the original, MH1 being one of the best soundtracks ever in a game in my humble opinion. MH2 includes Suicidal Tendencies, and Bad Brains which will keep you rocking, there is some other hip-hop and electronica for variety, and the sound effects are all top notch. The excellent graphics (I have never seen better animated BMX bikes ever, although I haven't seen that many animated BMX's to start with) coupled with the park editor makes for enjoyable riding when you aren't trying to complete a ludicrously difficult task in road trip make for a situation where you can just make your own level when the prepacked ones annoy you. Lesson Eight, in closing. Look the above may sound negative, and MH2 has some problems, but if you even remotely liked the first game, or Dave Mirra, then MH2 is going to give you a stiff (if annoying at time) challenge, and represents pretty good value from that point of view. If you aren't a big BMX fan, this one might best be a rental. PS2 Rainbow Studios Activision sport looks smooth, brilliant bails frustratingly difficult at times for fans of BMX games, for others, rent it ?
Tekken 4	Michael Bacina	1st November 2002	gaming	Tekken 4 represents the new pinnacle of console fighter games, I don't care who you are, where you come from or what you do. This game is brilliant. From the humble Tekken 1 this evolution of fighting proves that Namco listens to what the public wants, then exceeds it in delivery of astounding graphics, crisp animation and addictive gameplay. Tekken is considered by many to be the best fighter game series in existence, and I am but one of that many. A total overhaul to the fighting engine greets you when you first pick up T4, and this will result in mixed feelings, no more tag option, and more enclosed areas will change the way you fight. These walls have a significant impact on your tactics and strategy. No longer will your opponents choose that Cougour headed fellow to run and dive at you, before running far far far away and doing it all again. There are pillars, parked cars, logs, even steel mesh and guard rails are there to bounce off, hide behind, and interact a little with. Its a shame they weren't incorporated into the gameplay more (I'm thinking WWF style rope bounce combos) but it is understandable why they are static. Unlike Virtua Fighter 3 and Dead or Alive, the ramps in levels won't lend you a mammonth advantage, and the tilted game areas are more for visual pleasure than fighting tactics. There is a small niggle in that when you get knocked into a wall, you are stunned for a moment and bounced back, usually towards an enemy. This means the inexperienced can be nailed in a bounce-slap-bounce-slap combo sure to result in real violence on the lounge room floor after a few rounds. You can escape this combo, but it should never have made it past testing. Keep clear of walls when on the defensive and you should be right. The characters in gameplay term are far more evenly matched than before (with the notable exception of Jin Kazuya). Gone are the Ogre / True Ogre combination that resulted in many humiliating defeats of yours truly in days long past. This doesn't mean every character plays the same, just that they are more evenly balanced and there is less dog-moves (as I call them). Graphics The first PS2 game in Japan to support progressive scan, and it shows. This game looks amazing. Play this on an HDTV and your set finally earns its surprisingly high pricetag. The characters looks incredible, and the water effects must be seen to be believed. Little ripples and splashes are tops and the objects like cars and pillars look great. Spectators are largely rendered in 3d (and in one level you can knock a few over with a wayward kick, always fun) and the stage design is flawless. You will traverse roof tops, shopping malls, car parks and an underground lab. Sounds Very Jazz oriented, this doesn't sound like a Japanese fighter game, and I like that difference. Some fans may be left thirsty for a bit more hardcore sound to go with hardcore violence, but to each his own. The character's speech in the before and after cut-scenes is all Japanese in my version, subtitled, but the fighting closing victory dances etc are all brilliant. There are quite a number for each character which is nice to see. In Closing Tekken Tag Team may have a slight edge in longer term playability due to the nature of tag team fighting, but T4 is just so amazing in so many different areas that it cannot help but be the greatest fighting game existing right now. Run out and buy it now. PS2 Namco Sony fighting everything really some small flaws, nothing major go buy it, its the King of Fighting Games ?
The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria (Sydney)	Anne Tran	26th October 2002	reviews	Be warned this play has a MA rating. It contains nudity, coarse language, sexual references, sadomasochism and cross-dressing! As the sole survivor of a plane crash, the Emperor of Assyria finds himself trapped on a deserted island. He has not much more than his white safari suit and the company of a primitive jungle man in a leopard skin loincloth - the Architect. Best described as jungle man meets modern man, is quirky play. Directed by Chris Kohn it exploits the relationship between the Architect (Gary Abrahams) and the Emperor (Anthony Johnson). These two very polarised characters engage in all kinds of jaw dropping, weird and wacky antics. One minute they share tender moments of friendship the next they are taunting each other with cruel mockery. Leaving the sexual frustration of two lone men on an island aside, this raw relationship also presents wider ideas of love, sexuality, family, religion and politics. For a start the Emperor learns to appreciate the inferior Architect. On the other hand as the Architect struggles to be more like the Emperor, he begins to lose his own identity. The play, however, lacks a substantial plot. After a stunning opening scene, it focuses too long on the relationship without much indication of where it is headed. Although, the energy seems to pick up a little in the second half, it again loses momentum until the unique ending. Nevertheless, it is rescued by highly energetic performances from the two fine actors, who show great ability to transform into other characters. It is their combination which gives strength to the acting. Their energy is clearly not as dynamic when each is alone on stage. Described as a ?retro-tropical-lounge-bar-from-hell,? the set designed by Phil Rolfe is as equally impressive as the acting. Like the play itself, the costume and make-up pushes the boundaries and has the characters for most part walking around in daggy underwear. The small downstairs theatre definitely gives the audience an excellent close up experience. With disco music and flashing lights to dramatically enhance the mood, the lighting and sound proved outstanding. the set was unique and vibrant. the story was long winded. the audience were laughing. Chris Kohn Comedy Belvoir St Doenstairs Theatre. 25 Belvoir St Surry Hills. 10 November Gary Abrahams Anthony Johnson ?
Livid Melbourne 2002	Robert de Graaf	27th October 2002	gig-reviews	The first Livid festival to play in Melbourne has now passed. Being too poor until this year to travel for music, this is the first time I have had the opportunity to attend this festival. Given that I am now well above the mean age for people who attend these sorts of events, I?ve probably missed out. I was sceptical about the choice of venues. The Rod Laver arena is one of my least favourite venues, and although I experienced the Vodafone arena before, suspected correctly it has the same habit of making a gig with a large crowd have the same feeling of disappointment as a gig where the only audience is two drunks playing pinball and betting on the dogs. Thankfully, the only band I saw there was the Dropkick Murphys. I hadn?t heard of them before the day, but the description in the program of a band who combined the best of Celtic folk music and punk had me excited. Unfortunately, like Melbourne?s own Living End, they turned to mostly sound like a poor copy of the Clash in their least inspired reggae-free moments. Their main concessions to Celtic music were the use of a bagpiper for the second half of the show, and Riverdance-style Celtic dancers during one number. Perhaps I was a victim of not paying attention to the small print - despite their affection for Ireland, the Dropkick Murphys are from Boston, Massachusets. Still, they are quite able to put on a good show, would add to an enjoyable night on the turps. I had seen Dan Brodie and the Broken Arrows before, at the Corner Hotel, supporting You Am I. On that occasion they were easily the standout amoung three support acts. That venue probably helped their cause - Aussie country rock works in oldish pubs, even ones walking distance from the CBD. In the Rod Laver Arena, they were a little lost, and weren?t able to fill the venue to the same extent. While all the performances were quite professional, they didn?t have the same spark they had had at the Corner. ?I?d take a bullet for you, baby?, and ?You make me wanna kill? still rocked. George had the same problem, and not being a hard rocking band, had it to a greater degree. While their set was professionally done -and Katie Noonan is a very good singer -their music seemed a little at odds with the rest of the festival. They did little to help their cause, Noonan?s patter consisting of praising the crowd for being quiet (at a rock festival!), and remarking of how beautiful we were. Machine Gun Fellatio managed to deal with the Rod Laver arena a lot more effectively. From the recordings I had heard, I wasn?t expecting that much from Machine Gun Fellatio. They make no pretence of being songwriting geniuses. This turned out to be very much in their favour. Essentially, Machine Gun Fellatio put on a variety show, including at one point an straitjacket escape, courtesy of Frodo from the Happy Sideshow. This approach was what was missing from a lot of the bands - the idea of having a complete show, rather than a recording session with an audience. We had seen the Happy Sideshow before Machine Gun Fellatio on the main outside stage. The Happy Sideshow bill themselves as Australia?s premier freakshow, a claim I cannot judge, not knowing who the other freakshows are. I can say that I found their particular brand of freak show satisfactory. For my money, the most impressive member is Frodo, a Norwegian who I had seen solo outside the Arts Centre about four years ago. Frodo is a contortionist, whose most spectacular trick is fitting himself through a 10-inch tennis racket without removing the strings. For those who think that this could be of interest to them, Machine Gun Fellatio and the Happy Sideshow will play together at the Mercury Lounge in Crown Casino this November 14th and 15th. We had seen Superheist on the same stage as the Happy Sideshow when we first arrived at Livid. Unfortunately, as I wasn?t terribly excited by their music I have nothing very useful to say about it - I read the day?s newspapers through a lot of it. From what I did see, they were a capable heavy rocking band, but their singer?s stage patter could use some work. We also saw Mercury Rev and Oasis on the outdoors stage. I had heard only a little bit of Mercury Rev, but had decided that they were promising on the basis that their lead singer?s voice had a close resemblance to Neil Young?s. From what I saw at Livid this not a solid basis for making this sort of judgement. In their favour, I suspect that they were not at their best at Livid. For most of the set they meandered along, with little to distinguish one song from the other. However, during the last couple of songs, which included a cover of Talking Heads? 'Once in a Lifetime' they seemed to come to life. Oasis, too, were slow in warming up. I was also a little disappointed in Oasis. While obviously an excellent live act, I had hoped for more shennagins from Liam. At this gig, the only things distinguishing Liam from other rock stars was the complete impenetrability of his accent, as his penchant for disappearing between songs. Noel tried to make up for it by shouting at the crowd for singing ?Don?t Look Back in Ilnger? instead of ?Don?t Look Back in Anger?, but in the end had to resort to playing well to entertain the crowd. We saw the last few Oasis songs from the far edge of the crowd, in the belief that this would mean that we would catch the whole of the John Butler Trio?s show. We needn?t have bothered. When we got back to the Rod Laver Arena for the John Butler Trio, instead of John Butler, Gavin from the Wilderness Society was explaining to people how to preserve trees by handing out pieces of paper. While John Butler and his band are all excellent musicians, it turns out their political notions are rather woolly. This is all right in itself. As a fan of Jello Biafra I appreciate musicians who express political beliefs at odds with my own. However, this definitely requires excellent comic timing, and is aided by originality. Mr Butler displayed neither by lending the stage to the Wilderness society or when he sang songs about the refugee issues. Strange as it may seem, there is no correlation between highly developed guitar ability and highly developed political views. Steven Patrick Morrissey is probably one of the few musicians whose political views can be incorporated in his music without destroying the overall effect. He is also one of the wittier people to ever front a rock band, and a natural showman. His showmanship often seems to contain jokes only he can understand, however. His pretending to be dead, and persuading his band to carry him in falls in this category. When he did admit to being alive he was revealed to be wearing a brown cardie, a ruffled shirt and the same haircut he had when he was nineteen. In short more of the same - the main difference in appearance is that he carrying about a stone of extra weight. The voice is still there, though, and he appeared quite relaxed through the whole show. While not a greatest hits show - it included at least two songs that haven?t been recorded, he did include both solo career highlights such as ?Every Day is Like Sunday?, and Smiths songs such as ?There is a Light Which Never Goes Out?, and ?Meat is Murder?. Indeed, the former of the Smiths songs allowed him to close Livid with another example of his bizarre showmanship. Having reached the final refrain, Morrissey left the stage, leaving the audience to sing for him, and the band to take the final bows. An oddly muted end to a great gig, and a great festival. Morrissey - John Butler Trio - Oasis - Mercury Rev and others Rock Melbourne Park $95 Value for money Queues for food Fun in the sun ?
Werzel's Comedy Lounge (Perth)	TheSloth	27th October 2002	reviews	Now, I must admit from the onset that I have always been in awe of stand-up comedians. As demanding as other forms of performance are, I think none can stand along side stand up comedy in it?s ?be funny or be booed off stage? mentality. And that?s precisely the line taken by which took on in an all out laugh-fest battle-royale, Commedius Maximus. The format of the night was simple enough. By way of a plot, had challenged to a battle, and the stakes were at their highest: the deeds to the comedy lounge itself. It was do or die for the who had to beat the at their own game, or face seeing their beloved lounge fall into the hands of a group of ECU graduates; a fate worse than death, we were assured. What followed was a night of riotous laughter from comedy intentional and accidental, as the two groups fumbled their way through a ?Whose Line Is It Anyway?? style set-up, which saw the attempting musical improvisation, and The Big Woo-Ha gracing the limelight of stand-up comedy. Understandably, the teams were in uncharted territory, and it did show. were particularly rusty on their improvisation work. They, however, were well aware of their failings and didn?t get disheartened, never letting the fact that they were completely outclassed (by extensive improvisation experience) get in the way of a good time. Particular mention must go to Stuart from who managed by some miracle to claw his way through improvising a song based on suggestions from the audience. His ending line ??more beer for Stuart? summed up the way in which the entirety of Werzel?s team went about their improvisation - never letting their failings get in the way of a good laugh. were a very polished and talented team, and executed the improvisation sections with an ease that only comes from a good deal of experience and natural ability. All members were really quite professional and very solid in their performances. The Stand-up sect