Tag Archives: music

Happy Happy Joy Joy

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Sometimes things happen which are just happy happy joy joy things. Today such a thing happened. No, McNulty didn’t get run over by a truck. No, Fred Nile didn’t get discovered in a parliamentary closet wearing a gimp outfit buggering a goat. Much, much better than that.

Frank Turner. Is. Coming. To. Australia.

Frank Turner is my gift from The Joker. When we first met he said “have you heard this?” (I’m paraphrasing) and played me a bit of “Photosynthesis” and then a bit of “Substitute” and I fell deeply madly in love with two men in the one moment. No matter what happens with The Joker he’s given me the gift of Frank and I’ll always be grateful. No-one really gets my obsession but Frank talks (sings) directly to my heart.

Since I first heard him I’ve longed to see him live. Frank is awesome live. To stand in the audience and sing along, badly and loudly, to his songs would be a spiritual experience.

Imagine my joy when an hour ago I checked Facebook to find that he’s coming to Australia to perform at the BluesFest next Easter.

Such bursts of excitement are rare and this one took me back to the moment I was invited to meet the Chili Peppers before their 1995 Sydney Entertainment Centre show. I remember getting the letter in the mail from their touring company and actually screaming and jumping up and down (I was a lot younger then).

When you’re old/er and a little tired and a little downtrodden by life and ex’s and kids and boring jobs it’s nice to get that alive feeling, the adrenalin pumping, the excitement surging.

So a year and a half after first meeting Frank Turner I’ll actually get to see him live and in the flesh, hopefully with The Joker by my side. Is there anything better than having something awesome to look forward to?

Date Night: City and Colour

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Last night The Joker and DKG had a much needed date night. Having an entertainer for a boyfriend means nights out are not very regular, being that he is often working on Friday and Saturday evenings, the most common nights for a date night.

We started with dinner at Pony Dining at The Rocks which is yet another restaurant where they’ve gone for style over substance in terms of decor. The place looks great and has a cool ambience, however… all hard surfaces makes for difficult conversation and terrible accoustics. Long tables for two placed close together to other tables means you are sitting closer to the person at the tables on your left and right than you are to your dining partner. Not ideal. Especially when your neighbours are loud Americans who are rude to the waiting staff and generally feel that everyone in the restaurant wants to know their business.

Food at Pony Dining is very good though. No complaints there. They grill well here and the place smells of the gorgeous smoke and the food tastes of it, which I guess is what you’d expect. My salmon was cooked beautifully, as was The Joker’s pork chop. My favourite thing was probably the eggplant side which, fortunately or unfortunately, kept revisiting me all evening. If I’m going to voice a tiny complaint it would be about the cocktails. We shared a jug of Polish Mule, which was vodka, some other grog, lime and ginger beer… and ICE, lots and lots of ice. It was delish and refreshing but don’t take the piss by offering a jug of cocktails (a jug the size of a small vase, not a jug by any normal standards) and then half filling it with ice. We know what you’re doing and you know that we know… so just stop it.

Anyway, dinner a reasonable success we waddled over to the ever gorgeous Sydney Opera House for the main event – City and Colour. Or more accurately City and Colour without the City or the Colour. Basically just Dallas Green. I don’t know much about this man and/or his band; this was The Joker’s choice and a fine choice. Mr Green is visually your garden variety hipster. You wouldn’t look at him twice if he passed you on King Street or sat next to you at a cafe sipping his chai latte in his ironic plaid shirt.

What sets him apart is his voice. Wow. Like Antony Hegarty, the effect when Dallas Green opens his mouth is amazing. It’s hard to believe that voice is coming out of that human. A falsetto that chills to the bones. Truly beautiful.

The standouts for me were his stunning version of Pink’s Try; the lyric with the pared back guitar and vocal – holy cow! And The Girl which I just love; simply a beautiful love song.

It was a bit much of the same thing if I’m honest but his beautiful voice and guitar playing had me mesmerised. As did the freaks in the crowd; especially the girl/s who seemed to think it was ok to constantly call out dumb shit. Shut up dickheads, we’re not here to listen to you.

One of the best things about a concert at the Opera House is the walk back to the car along the water, past Circular Quay. It always leaves me loving my home town just a little bit more and grateful for my life. It was a wonderful evening and, as ever, I’m thankful to The Joker for opening up my musical experiences.

Let’s wrap #1

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When I’ve got nothing specific to write about I’ll do a little wrap up of life in general. OK?

So at the beginning of last week I was feeling very “Ride On” by AC/DC, i.e. lonley and lost and a little sad. Then the days went on and I had a light bulb moment. Burlesque, the light bulb said. That’s what I need in my life to cheer me up. Glitter and false eyelashes and nipple tassles. I enquired with people in the know and on Thursday night I was watching a presentation night for a burlesque class. It was wonderful, very life affirming and I’m hoping to start a class in the next couple of months. Stay tuned for further developments (I promise not to post photos without a Public Service Announcement/Warning first).

Friday night was ska night and another chance to see the wonderful Melbourne Ska Orchestra. The venue was the HiFi Bar at EQ and I must say I don’t like it. Not a great venue and not one I hope to re-visit any time soon. MSO were great as always and I really enjoyed their support band Backy Skank. I can’t help but feel happy and alive listening to ska. It was a very odd crowd though; lots of hipsters in shorts and braces with ironic moustaches…not sure what was going on there.

Saturday night’s much anticipated Swans vs Collingwood game was disappointing as we haven’t found our mojo so far this season. I’m getting a t-shirt printed: “Buddy is a Duddy” (for those following along with the Buddy Franklin saga… well there might be one or two of you…). Two losses to start the year is not ideal but there’s a long way to go and I’m nothing if not an optimist. In other news my 2014 Swans man candy Gary Rohan looked mighty fine out on the field; last year’s broken leg hasn’t slowed him down at all.

Sunday was spent at the playground in the morning and doing a short but very enjoyable bushwalk with friends in the afternoon. As much as I hate nature it is nice to walk through trees and see little lizards scurrying about (the giant spider in the giant web was not so great… one of the many reasons to hate nature). The kids didn’t whinge as much as usual which I will take as a sign of enjoyment.

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Then there’s nothing I like more than finishing the weekend with My Kitchen Rules and yet another round of nit treatment in Miss M’s hair. This is by far the worst nit year ever. They are superhuman now, the evil little shits.

(Hopefully no one has slipped into a coma reading that exciting installment of DKG’s poor excuse for a life. Will work on making it more interesting in the future… oh, who am I kidding, this is as good as it gets folks.)

My First… Blogging Challenge #3

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This week’s topic is My First Obsession. You can find Kerri’s post here.

I had the usual pre-pubescent obsessions with horses but living in a flat in Bondi meant I never owned my own horse and after a few school holiday horse riding camps my equine obsession faded and was replaced with possibly my life obsession: boys.

Representing the beginning of this journey is Leif Garrett.

Leif 1

Then

Leif 2

Now

Surfin’ USA came out in 1977 when I was 9 years old so more than likely I simultaneously loved horses and boys.

Just like today when young girls fall madly (and totally inexplicably) in love with Justin Bieber, One Direction and their annoying ilk, I fell madly (and totally inexplicably) in love with young Leif and his cohorts Shaun Cassidy, his (more mature) brother David Cassidy, The Bay City Rollers, the embarrasing list goes on and on.

I listened to their awful “original” songs and their slightly less awful covers (which at the time I did not know were covers because young girls are idiots) on constant rotation. The cassette tapes played and rewound and played and rewound.

I thought they were the most wonderful humans on the planet: beautiful, talented, smart (!!) and just a gift to all us mere mortals. What I wouldn’t have done to somehow fall into their orbit… goodness only knows what I would have done should I have been granted my pathetic wish.

So this early obsession has led to a lifelong obsession with boys and music… I’m a lot older now but quite obviously not a lot wiser.