Okay, so thankfully I’m only a few weeks behind the times. Art Vs. Science, the utterly incredible trio of Aussie boys who have performed at Falls Festival and opened for Datarock etc, etc, have a new video! It pains my heart so that Channel [V] found it before me. Hmph.
We liked you boys before they did, just remember where your loyalty lies.
Regardless, please enjoy:
This morning I was granted the opportunity to witness two incredible authors of Young Adult Fiction discuss the complexities of creating a new world and the joy in getting to know your characters when you embark upon a writing journey.
New Zealand author, Kate de Goldi, author of The 10pm Question and Australian Archie Fusillo, genius behind Last of the Braves bantered back and forth about the methods and techniques they use to create their vivid worlds. As clinical as that sounds, the answers were nothing of the sort.
Revealing just how entrenched they are in their literary worlds of their own constructions, both articlated themselves with aplomb and I left the ACMI theatre longing to escape into the young adult world i left behind only a few years ago.
De Goldi spoke of her characters, demonstrating a deep knowledge of literature and ways of writing, commenting on her sources of inspiration, the extent to which she drew upon her friends and family and describing her thought process with such loveliness that it seems impossible that anyone would not want to undergo the process of writing a novel. Fusillo was equally endearing, explaining the extensive research he undertook in writing his latest novel – delving into the historical renaissance era in order to draw a parallel between a character from 400 years ago and, as he puts it, ‘the quintessential teenager’.
The 45mins flew by, and I sat there just waiting for more. The panel was pitched to cover the topic of ‘Finding Yourself’, how to ‘find yourself in a world which is not as simple as it seems’, but somehow, de Goldi and Fusillo managed to romance the writing process so perfectly it made me want to grab a latte in a classic Melbourne cafe and get writing. It got me thinking that I should probably get working on my lifetime goal of getting a novel published, to relish the process and escape from my monotonous uni-life if nothing else.
The Melbourne Writers Festival is on now until the 30th of August at Federation Square. Whilst some events are sold out, there are many delightful panels and discussions to be heard – you never know, you may just find yourself instilled with creative inspiration like myself, potent enough to dissolve all your troubles
Many experts on stress will tell you that the best way to combat those feelings of being overwhelmed, snowed under, bombarded and so forth, is to get organised and make a list. In true OCD style, I am a practicing list maker who often finds her notebooks covered in more lists than course notes. It is not uncommon for these lists to be sorted by day, importance and subject, etched in biro and often scribbled down in a frantic bid to prevent a panic attack. I’ve tried digital organisers in the past, but none seem to have been able to cater to my very specific list-making needs.
It was something new when it appeared in the left sidebar of my Gmail homepage, so I thought I’d have a little ol’ click. What I found exceeded all my expectations – it is a stress head’s/list maker’s dream internet gadget.
One is now able to create different lists for different activities, sort by due date, indent, print and even check-off completed tasks. The satisfication which comes from the ‘ticking’ is not diminished by the online format – it’s just as fun and satisifying as if you were holding the pen in your hot little clenched fist, though it’s very simple to print a physical copy if the clicking doesn’t satisfy your urge for some ticking.
Thank you Google, you’ve saved the day (and dozens of post it notes, I’m sure) again. You tremendeous beast, you!
Well folks, I have returned from the distant lands of Japan after an all-too-brief voyage with @DesignTavern.
I had the most incredible time experiencing a new culture, shopping in the most enjoyable department stores known to man and quenching my thirst with litres and litres of delicious ice tea (oh how my caffeine withdrawals make me long for it…) that I have found myself, with no exaggeration, practically devastated to be home. And, I might add, for someone who has been known to shed enough teas to fix Australia’s drought problems over homesickness during her younger years, this is quite newsworthy.
Mt. Fuji from the Plane
I feel some form of comfort in that fact that my boyfriend is likewise afflicted. He described the feeling as ‘like a break up’, where all the memories of the fabulous adventure come flooding back with a single smell of Japanese deodourant, a fleeting glance at a photograph taken in the night streets of Tokyo’s Shibuya intersection or going through all your purchases which have left you with only $100 in the bank.
Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo
So, are they truly similar? I suppose we can go with yes – both involve longing for experiences which we believe were over before their time, that we feel we can never replace or relive in the exact same way.
Oh, enough of that sappy dribble. Just give me the streets of Tokyo, the super-efficient subway, yen, vending machines, cycling around Kyoto in the blistering heat and an escape from my day-to-day routine please. May the next few posts be the physical documentation of my Post Japan Depression, and also a tribute to all that makes the place spectacular, in addition to our usual insights on everything else.
Love to you all,
Elizabeth
Walking in Arashiyama Forest, Kyoto
Music is always a touchy subject – it’s an area prone to emphasising and creating cultural divides and countless examples of snobbery. This week, our guest contributor Craig draws on his own knowledge, likes and dislikes, to explore modern music – is it really inventive and innovative? Or is the industry stealing from the past? You be the judge -
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Life has many quandaries. Things, times and people change. There are so many unanswered questions. Like… How long in a Thai jail should one do if one steals a bar mat? When did cricketers get sexy? Where’s all my money gone? Why does Bjorn now look like Benny? And, as one gets on in years, the quandaries just get more quandaried. Or is that quandrifying?
Lady GaGa
Take modern music. Please! (boom-boom). It may just me, though I am positive it’s not, but these days, is every single song by every single person every single week absolute crap? I can’t think of one song by any major or minor artist or act in the past ten years that could be considered a classic. I don’t hear too many people getting excited when J-Lo songs get played (do they get played?). I don’t think too many people had their life changed when the Vengaboys released Boom Boom Boom Boom. At the moment it’s all Lady Gaga this, and Lady Gaga that. But does anyone think when (if) album two is released, the same frenetic reaction will occur? I know the answer. So do acts like The Knack, Samantha Fox and Moloko.
And I think I know why – modern music is so sterile. So fake. So calculated. So computerised. Devo were right – we are de-evolving. Music as an art form is going in reverse faster than Kevin Rudd’s approval rating. Nothing is organic and nothing is left to chance. It’s all pre-programmed, pre-installed, pre-planned junk. No one really believes Kylie Minogue sounds the way she does. Or Britney Spears for that matter.
Kylie uses auto-tuning software to make her voice sound just so (and has done since Locomotion), while Britney is so confident in her vocal skills that her current “concert tour” is famous for her NOT SINGING A NOTE as it is for people waiting for her to go nuts again. A modern song might only have ten recognisable words, but that doesn’t mean 75 songwriters didn’t co-write it. I’m sure there’s some Swedish dude out there who is the 1st port of call when some disco-diva needs a hand with a direction on where to install the “ooh” or the “ahh” in a song. I bet there’s a whole stable of gun lyricists for hire in America that are employed to suggest where to install “bitch” or “mother…….” in any number of rap songs. And what twat let Nikki Webster release a song called Devilicious? (Editors note: It exists – Craig, I wish I had never found this vid =( Scarred for life.)
That’s why kids don’t care anymore. Once, in the dark distant past, when fireworks were not banned, we walked six miles to school in the snow barefoot, and we eagerly awaited the arrival of the flying car (note: I’m still waiting! No wonder General Motors is going broke!), music was lapped up by us teenagers like a sponge on spilt cordial. A special song could be a waypoint in one’s life. The Beatles changed everything over night when they appeared for the 1st time on U.S. television. Abba did it all again after 1974’s Eurovision contest. And, for what’s worth, we knew then the difference between Bjorn and Benny – Benny had the beard. I’m old enough to remember the 1st time I heard “Miss You”, God Save the Queen Sunday bloody Sunday, “Shuddup you face” and Smells Like Teen Spirit. Life defining moments. Now, tell me some kid is going to see the light while listening to shockers like “Womanizer” or Beyonce’s latest yawn fest.
Now, a song is just a way to flog something on television. More money is made by bands giving their songs to “Guitar hero” than to actually release a record and tour behind it. The Who, are powerhouse giant of rock that has a history spanning over 4 decades are more known for having songs on the CSI franchise than for anything else.
I guess I get grumpy because I have no say in it anymore. No radio station really plays “my” music. The MMM stations long ago lost my interest when I heard “Reckless” for the 25,000, 000th time (Note: Warning. 2nd gross understatement!). The “classic rock” stations play SOME stuff I like, but too much of what I hated back in 78 or 82, and not enough of what I still love today. JJJ & other “yoof” stations just plain annoy me. No space cadet with a pierced lip and swept forward haircut will EVER convince me “The Presets” are anything but annoying. And anyway, thanks to JJJ, we got Silverchair!
Pseudo Echo
No, my demographic is long forgotten, and rightly so I guess. I can’t complain. We had a good run. Ain’t no point trying to get us oldies into this modern crap. We’d just look ridiculous – like Molly Meldrum (NOTE: Ok, we get it, Elton gave you the hat. Now, take it off and show us how bald you are. And yeah, we figured out you dye your hair). We have our own crap to contend with. Pseudo Echo anyone? But at least OUR crap was kinda original. I lived through the 70’s and 80’s. I had enough of flares and fluro gear. I don’t need to see some fool kid wearing what I wore 25 years ago and saying its cool. It’s not. Hey, get your own trend! And stop remaking MY songs! No, I don’t think a trance/hip-hop version of “Riders on the Storm” is cool. No, I don’t want some virgin under age muse sing “Satisfaction”. Abba was bad enough the 1st time around, do we really need cross-dressing cover versions, musicals and a bloody movie based on the bloody musical? The movie which, I might add, featured both Bjorn AND Benny and they look the same!
Is it a generational thing? I was watching Don’t Knock the Rock on television last week, and, though I thought some of the music was ok, man, was it a lame-o movie, daddy-o. But, you know, I could kind of relate. Am I a music snob? Well, of course I am. Miley Cyrus is not Janis Joplin. Kings of Leon are not the Rolling Stones. Fall Out Boy are not satanic heavy metal – though kudos to the last two for playing instruments. No rapper will ever surpass anything Smokey Robinson did. And a turntable is NOT AN INSTRUMENT!
P.S. I must clarify that I actually don’t mind Abba at all. Many of their songs were genius pop, the arrangements impeccable. Anna was so hot…But why does Bjorn now look like Benny?
President Obama was faced with a lot of challenges upon assuming the position earlier this year – how to deal with the Iraq situation, working on restoring America’s public image, a global recession and a myriad of other equally important domestic issues. Goodness me.
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