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lakshmi n saraswati

well lakshmi n saraswati go into a barnothey dontwhy would they?lakshmi the goddess of fortunesaraswati the goddess of music n artif you ever get those ladies on your side….what do you have to do to get their attention….?imagine this supernatural guiding lightthe giftthe masterpiecethe esteemthe kudosthe gracethe knowledgei wish i wish i wish i hopeperceive the singularity approachingtiny differences cause huge deviationsartists are born and madelook carefullylisten hardgo softwatch outeasynowgoddesses in some imaginary heavenwhose to saybestowing their favours willy nillythe money and the art….oh wouldnt it be niceit doesnt work like that does itits likethisyou take these idealsfortune and art personifiedand you focus on them maybe at firstbreaking thru into fuller realizations of what they representlet them in let them inlisten if they say somethingits a subtle tongue they will talk inyou have to disengage yer mindconcentrate but dont concentratewaitwaitpatience wait for patience to comeponder the levels of interconnectionunlock it for yourself using the keys you foundask the goddesses for helpit cant hurt…can it..?


well lakshmi n saraswati go into a bar
no
they dont
why would they?
lakshmi the goddess of fortune
saraswati the goddess of music n art
if you ever get those ladies on your side….
what do you have to do to get their attention….?
imagine this supernatural guiding light
the gift
the masterpiece
the esteem
the kudos
the grace
the knowledge
i wish i wish i wish i hope
perceive the singularity approaching
tiny differences cause huge deviations
artists are born and made
look carefully
listen hard
go soft
watch out
easy
now
goddesses in some imaginary heaven
whose to say
bestowing their favours willy nilly
the money and the art….oh wouldnt it be nice
it doesnt work like that does it
its like
this
you take these ideals
fortune and art personified
and you focus on them maybe at first
breaking thru into fuller realizations of what they represent
let them in let them in
listen if they say something
its a subtle tongue they will talk in
you have to disengage yer mind
concentrate
but dont concentrate
wait
wait
patience
wait for patience to come
ponder the levels of interconnection
unlock it for yourself using the keys you found
ask the goddesses for help
it cant hurt…can it..?

jack 2 (on the road usa 1991)

frill

time passeswe remain outside the wallthe pressure builds upmy head cant take iti need to breathe or somethingi cant find my way homei follow the birdsi follow the fishi follow the roadsi amble aimlesslymany things happenpeople bornpeople diethe moon glides through the skythe systems keep pumpingthe great machine with its musicthe hammers and bellsthe strings and skinsa black pianoa silver saxophonea blue notea distant yachttake metake me backtake me back to a time when i was safeand i never knew how music was madeand i was dreaming in the back of my daddies carcos we were going on our christmas holidayslisten isnt that those beatles we could hear them here and there in the bohemian streets of old surfers paradisego go girls at the jolly spotthe chlorine in the poolsthe koala parkthe bird sanctuarymy first guitar came 6 years latera violin copy made by ariaand australia pressed all around memy school and all its wonderful and strange kidsand on hot days and on cold morningsand music magically kept appearingnew music old musicsomeone lent my dad a led zepplin recordand a record by spiritand i tape recorded my favourite songs off the radiowith an old reel to reel machineand i believed in all the songsi thought they were all reali never knew it was just like people making em upand i joined and left bands in some long ago dismal pastthat seems like in some other century…well of course it wasand i was so youngand i knew nothingnobody really cared what i didand i did what i likecruising round canberrain my datsun 1300 station wagon loaded up with guitar n ampi drove out to queanbeyan n jammed with some guysone day in the heat in this community hall or somethingme plunking away on that basslugging my stuff up n down stairssmoking […]

time passes
we remain outside the wall
the pressure builds up
my head cant take it
i need to breathe or something
i cant find my way home
i follow the birds
i follow the fish
i follow the roads
i amble aimlessly
many things happen
people born
people die
the moon glides through the sky
the systems keep pumping
the great machine with its music
the hammers and bells
the strings and skins
a black piano
a silver saxophone
a blue note
a distant yacht
take me
take me back
take me back to a time when i was safe
and i never knew how music was made
and i was dreaming in the back of my daddies car
cos we were going on our christmas holidays
listen isnt that those beatles
we could hear them here and there
in the bohemian streets of old surfers paradise
go go girls at the jolly spot
the chlorine in the pools
the koala park
the bird sanctuary
my first guitar came 6 years later
a violin copy made by aria
and australia pressed all around me
my school and all its wonderful and strange kids
and on hot days and on cold mornings
and music magically kept appearing
new music old music
someone lent my dad a led zepplin record
and a record by spirit
and i tape recorded my favourite songs off the radio
with an old reel to reel machine
and i believed in all the songs
i thought they were all real
i never knew it was just like people making em up
and i joined and left bands in some long ago dismal past
that seems like in some other century…well of course it was
and i was so young
and i knew nothing
nobody really cared what i did
and i did what i like
cruising round canberra
in my datsun 1300 station wagon loaded up with guitar n amp
i drove out to queanbeyan n jammed with some guys
one day in the heat in this community hall or something
me plunking away on that bass
lugging my stuff up n down stairs
smoking stupid cigarettes and drinking chocolate milk
i was a veg so my mum gave me egg n chips n salad every night
life seemed so mysterious n unending
i would never grow old
i lay in the sun trying to get a tan
my hair got pretty long n silly
my girlfriend dropped me n picked me up again
we drove to the river for picnics
my dad put a little swimming pool in our garden
people would pop round n have their towels with them
one day electric warrior came out
i was lost in a dream
no paperwork
no computers
no mobile phones
no dvds no video cassettes
no colour tvs
the radio was king
we listened reverently
music was an aural thing
there was no visual attached
ah……
anyway……

secrets of hit songwriting

you will find the title of the song walking through the cityyou will find it whispered in the crushyou will hear it shouted down deserted alleywaysyou will see it written down at the cenotaphthe rumble of the traffic shall be thy basslinethe clanking of trams and trains thy percussionthe thrust of the empire illustrated by guitarpersians n medes in chariots choogle to war bugleslambs to the slaughter the bleat goes onwe shoot em down headlong in soundi need to unscramble my sandalsa messenger will arrive with some lyricsyou will receive him in your tent at dusk in the fertile valley of one thousand oases(may the tisroc live forever!)drive down park lane in your roles roycebut thats all in a futuresongwriting involves deep concentration on certain secret numbersfor these secret numbers plus tips on hit singingsend 500 rupees to secrets of hit songwritingpo box 13bombay, nevadaoh look dont waste your moneyheres one tip for free:if youre looking for tips in the 1st placemaybe youre barking up a wrong treethe action has already moved ona thousand phrases assail yer brainbut only the astute pick em n catalogue em instantlywell little wolfgangs mothershe could see her sunshe could hear how he heard a universe in each notefor such a mind as a genius may haveis no different from the common lumpkinexcept that the genius is like a man on a beachexamining every grain of sandand seeing the vast mechanisms of creationand being in tunein tune with the great masters who went beforeand bending tradition without shattering itand being uniquely powerfuland god gave rock n roll to youand as he didhe appeared framed in strobewhite light white fogoh god its godthe god of music at leastthe great god apolloa golden iggy pop typeinexorably muscled and preening and mugging for the cameraand iggy/apollo takes the […]



you will find the title of the song walking through the city
you will find it whispered in the crush
you will hear it shouted down deserted alleyways
you will see it written down at the cenotaph
the rumble of the traffic shall be thy bassline
the clanking of trams and trains thy percussion
the thrust of the empire illustrated by guitar
persians n medes in chariots choogle to war bugles
lambs to the slaughter the bleat goes on
we shoot em down headlong in sound
i need to unscramble my sandals
a messenger will arrive with some lyrics
you will receive him in your tent at dusk
in the fertile valley of one thousand oases
(may the tisroc live forever!)
drive down park lane in your roles royce
but thats all in a future
songwriting involves deep concentration on certain secret numbers
for these secret numbers plus tips on hit singing
send 500 rupees to
secrets of hit songwriting
po box 13
bombay, nevada
oh look dont waste your money
heres one tip for free:
if youre looking for tips in the 1st place
maybe youre barking up a wrong tree
the action has already moved on
a thousand phrases assail yer brain
but only the astute pick em n catalogue em instantly
well little wolfgangs mother
she could see her sun
she could hear how he heard a universe in each note
for such a mind as a genius may have
is no different from the common lumpkin
except that the genius is like a man on a beach
examining every grain of sand
and seeing the vast mechanisms of creation
and being in tune
in tune with the great masters who went before
and bending tradition without shattering it
and being uniquely powerful
and god gave rock n roll to you
and as he did
he appeared framed in strobe
white light white fog
oh god its god
the god of music at least
the great god apollo
a golden iggy pop type
inexorably muscled and preening
and mugging for the camera
and iggy/apollo takes the podium
man his six pack like its etched in quicksilver flesh
he takes the mike
shakes back his tousled mane
and he laughs his melodious laugh you see
the band look to you
which song we playing they ask you
iggy/apollo glares at you man
you do what
you say
ok we better write a song write hear on the spot
right on
the words pop out
effortless
coz yer a frickin’ genius
here come the words
up in mount olympus….you scribble down hastily
what are the fuckin’ chords man
asks hermes/ricky the messenger
i dunno…oh…c….a minor…f….that’ll do
whats the fooking drums do asks mars ringo
something t rex you yell back
even tho this is one thousand bc
the atoms which will make up marc bolan
still swirl in the inchoate void
t rex i scream through the maelstrom of electric guitar
hermes/ricky with his amp n wah wah peddles
he sounds like every guitar that ever was all rocknrolled into one
(im on fire)
t rex like the thundering beasts of old
mars ringo fuckin well thumps the kit
boom whacka boom boom whack whack
the joint begins to finally rock
you finish the lyrics at the same time as you figure out the keys
you change a bass note to indicate a descent
the ground seems to fall away from beneath the audience
as the bass guitarist hits that note
that fuckin’ note which fell outta yer head so quick n easy
now look at the audience
you slew em
but you aint got time to gloat
you need to sort out the ending
and suddenly with that new bass note
the mellotron flutes sound a bit suss
apollo is grooving on yer lyrics man congratulations
lower the curtain down in corinth he croons
scrutinize the screen for another final thing to chuck in there
apollo sings lets go to nineveh it isnt that far…!!
and the crowd erupt as he cuts open his chest and bleeds his ichor on em
the ichor encore smirks hades the manager in the backroom
watching it all on closed circuit
you put on the finishing touches
sprinkle on the fuckin’ fairy dust
use your imagination for this bit
scroll thru yer options
have an open mind
etc
jesus you fill spectral caverns with your walls of sound
years later an archaelogist will take off all that reverb
man you boogaloo’d with the gods at last
so you see how easy it can be
pure and easy
pure n simple
sweetnsoft
get in
get out
and then
end

famous last birds

richard from darwin has requested a blogge about fame although i have never had true famei have had a little taste of iti wanted to be famous and richbut who didnt?i felt like i was destined for somethingand i was always sick of real lifei wanted to be famous becausei thought that life would fall in my lapand for a short while life did indeed fall in my lapive never really been particularly materialisticamong my many many faults and defectsgreediness for possessions has not been onenevertheless i would have enjoyed a villa and a pooland a flash carthe flashest car i ever had was a renault the only house i ever had was a little terrace in dirty rozellemice fleas mozzies pollutionno pool no library no groundsmy money all went into musical equip then into drugsi felt dissatisfied with my bit of fameit seemed like an ever receding horizon….just around the corner was the real thing but it was ever elusivein the fleeting long ago days when teens mobbed mei was embarrassed and then angry with the stupidity of itluckily that only lasted a few weeksthen my fame was in drips n drabsi’d be famous at a gig on saturday nightbut by sunday morning i was back to being an idiot againto some i was the marc bolan character that bolan had been to mesome mythical angle-faced rockstar plunking a bass in sydneyto some bedsit fanboy in englandor to some shy awkward girl in the usasydney would assume mythical statusas london had to me when i lived in canberrathe grass is always greener n cheaper on the other side of the pondkids in new york city used to say to mewheres it happening…i bet its happening in sydney…kids in sydney say to mewow! i wish i could go to new […]

richard from darwin has requested a blogge about fame

although i have never had true fame
i have had a little taste of it
i wanted to be famous and rich
but who didnt?
i felt like i was destined for something
and i was always sick of real life
i wanted to be famous because
i thought that life would fall in my lap
and for a short while life did indeed fall in my lap
ive never really been particularly materialistic
among my many many faults and defects
greediness for possessions has not been one
nevertheless i would have enjoyed a villa and a pool
and a flash car
the flashest car i ever had was a renault
the only house i ever had was a little terrace in dirty rozelle
mice fleas mozzies pollution
no pool no library no grounds
my money all went into musical equip then into drugs
i felt dissatisfied with my bit of fame
it seemed like an ever receding horizon….
just around the corner was the real thing but it was ever elusive
in the fleeting long ago days when teens mobbed me
i was embarrassed and then angry with the stupidity of it
luckily that only lasted a few weeks
then my fame was in drips n drabs
i’d be famous at a gig on saturday night
but by sunday morning i was back to being an idiot again
to some i was the marc bolan character that bolan had been to me
some mythical angle-faced rockstar plunking a bass in sydney
to some bedsit fanboy in england
or to some shy awkward girl in the usa
sydney would assume mythical status
as london had to me when i lived in canberra
the grass is always greener n cheaper on the other side of the pond
kids in new york city used to say to me
wheres it happening…i bet its happening in sydney…
kids in sydney say to me
wow! i wish i could go to new york….
but my fame wasnt anywhere
occasionally i got spotted somewhere
sometimes in my tired/emotional days too
when i didnt wanna be spotted
hocking my guitars or selling my vinyl
or waiting for some dealer in an alley
or walking up the steps to the methadone clinic
or coming out of a courtroom in new york by an aussie reporter
or at an NA meeting or in a rehab joint
or by customs officers
hey its steve kilbey!!
my fame is like an untended garden half ruined half overgrown
in the one year of semi-fame in america i was fighting with other members
i woke up one morning n it was over
and i hadnt really enjoyed it
i went to game theory show once in 88
and the whole audience were gawking it me instead of the band for a minute
that was about as silly as it ever got
i perceive fame as ruinous thing
many think that they could take it on
but only the strong can withstand it
it has always amazed me how normal paul n george n ringo were
after all that they went thru
it is unimaginable what their lives were like..the unreality of it
but absolute fame fucked marc bolan in about five minutes
left him clueless and ridiculous
it also musta done elvis in
can you imagine his sorry life…?
bob dylan had to go sideways to get away from it
dya know what i mean?
he had to kinda enter another place to avoid the hugeness of his fame
n then theres all those actors that were done over by fame
not many can handle it
especially these days when all the gloves are off
posh spice n all that crowd…do they look happy to you?
and of course we’re going thru those times
when fame n infamy blur
as long as you had yer name in the news
you can sell yer story
look at ronnie biggs n oj n paris hilton et al
but you cant ever turn it off
you cant stop em gawking at ya just coz you dont want it
fame is a drug..you gonna crave it when its gone
and you can never get enough even when its making you sick…
sometimes
when you feel like a wreck
but you gotta be famous on some stage
or get on some plane somewhere
or some guy has cornered you at a party
and hes in yer face n hot under the collar
coz youre famous n hes not
but he thinks he should be
so he wants an argument with ya
and people have to be doubly rude to ya
coz they assume that yer a arrogant prick
coz you were on mtv last night
and other people just stare at you like youre a statue
and others think you got the power to help their career
and others want to pick your brains
and others wanna tell you how much they dont know who you are
excuse me but ive never heard of you
and others dont like you clowning around
and blah blah blah
i knew i was gonna be famous
i knew right from the start
n when i 1st saw the beatles i thought
thats it…my way in…
lucky i had a little music in my genes
n lucky i was vaguely good looking
n lucky i could vaguely manage to sing
n lucky that i was smart enough to figure it all out
n lucky that i lived in a day n age with no wars n plagues
so idle young fops like me could explore dissolute fame
and for a little while it was ok
am i famous now?
no not really
i’m a micro-celebrity at best
isnt that a thing to be?

boogie knights

rocknrollwhat can you sayits ineffablepeople waste a million words trying to who am i trying to define its nebulous essencerocknroll i gave all you all the best years of my lifeand most of the worst ones toohow stupid to address rocknroll as an entitycoz rocknroll is a capricious spirit who alights where it willit cannot be pinned downthe formulae failgod knows why one thing works for onebut it wont for anyone elsein the end even the most erudite loquacious writer (like me) is baffledstupider than the stupidest brutemore lofty than the highest idealdirty and purea cartoonan ideajust like the art worldrubbish gets laudedbrilliance goes unrewarded unnoticedthe fickle audiencethemselves random individualsthey buy one weekthey dont buy the nextthey come this yearthey dont come next yearthey behave like tiny fish in a big schoolsomething spooks em and they split up and vanishwho can predict their movement….they are truly mercurialrocknroll itself a stupid expression old blues expression for sexi like rock but i dont like the bluesi like rock n only rocki am obsessed by and devoted to rockyeah i like to rock n i like to listen to rocki am too old to dig the new bandsthey all mostly seem hopeless to me when i do hear emwith notable exceptionsthey seem sillysilly as i seemed to some olde gheezer in 1981the olde guard in aust thought i was sillyand so i wasand still am but when you think of it war is sillysex is sillydrugs is sillyhumanity is sillyi mean only humans are really sillyso rock is fucking silly in spadesyou have ridiculous idiots with the teensiest talent lording it over usyou have boring old puddings trotting out their stodgeyou have gormless pimply youth poking 5th hand in the beatles puddleyou have dance routines n showbiz aesthetic…just like vegaskeith richard once the […]

rocknroll
what can you say
its ineffable
people waste a million words trying to
who am i trying to define its nebulous essence
rocknroll i gave all you all the best years of my life
and most of the worst ones too
how stupid to address rocknroll as an entity
coz rocknroll is a capricious spirit who alights where it will
it cannot be pinned down
the formulae fail
god knows why one thing works for one
but it wont for anyone else
in the end
even the most erudite loquacious writer (like me) is baffled
stupider than the stupidest brute
more lofty than the highest ideal
dirty and pure
a cartoon
an idea
just like the art world
rubbish gets lauded
brilliance goes unrewarded unnoticed
the fickle audience
themselves random individuals
they buy one week
they dont buy the next
they come this year
they dont come next year
they behave like tiny fish in a big school
something spooks em and they split up and vanish
who can predict their movement….they are truly mercurial
rocknroll itself a stupid expression
old blues expression for sex
i like rock but i dont like the blues
i like rock n only rock
i am obsessed by and devoted to rock
yeah i like to rock n i like to listen to rock
i am too old to dig the new bands
they all mostly seem hopeless to me when i do hear em
with notable exceptions
they seem silly
silly as i seemed to some olde gheezer in 1981
the olde guard in aust thought i was silly
and so i was
and still am
but when you think of it
war is silly
sex is silly
drugs is silly
humanity is silly
i mean only humans are really silly
so rock is fucking silly in spades
you have ridiculous idiots with the teensiest talent lording it over us
you have boring old puddings trotting out their stodge
you have gormless pimply youth poking 5th hand in the beatles puddle
you have dance routines n showbiz aesthetic…just like vegas
keith richard once the most unsilliest is now totally silly
dylans xmas record got to be silly…i bet my whatnot on it
tori amos is silly…textbook silly i’d say…..
robert smith…aint he silly
and noddy holder…..
and trevor bolders silver sideboards
and steve kilbey wearing eye makeup
and elvis at the end…that was total silliness
and jesus babylon zoo…how silly was all that
and cyndi lauper is very silly i reckon
and rap seems slightly silly if i may say so
i mean presumably theres something good about it
but i aint ever discovered it
oh i hope i aint scared piff duddy of coverin’ utmw
and the new romantics were silliness itself
and so are all boy bands…all embarrassingly silly sods
and prog is silly
all metal is silly….the height of silliness…..grotesquely silly
i find whatsisname hetfield in full flight the epitome of silly
and emo and all the rest
terminally silly
and yet
and yet
yeah
you gotta get what you can take
every now n then
you hear something
you feel something
rock validates itself in yer life
listen to funhouse by iggy n stooges
mean lean amateurish howling rocking trash thrash
this impressed me when i was a youngster
is iggy silly?
what do you reckon
i’d like each commenter
to leave a comment:
the silliest moment in rock …so far..imho
go on
the silliest damn thing you ever saw or heard in rock
you can even include me

you will find it when i am gone

yeah a giant mythological birdroc n ruleplug in here in this channelin this english channelcause we rock in englishwe opera in italianand we poem in franceand we dream in colourbecause we are not dogs or catsand we bury our dead in the earthand the sun is up behind the cloudsand music at the core of silent thingsand the marvellous out of the ordinaryand the rock within the rolland i know how nowi got the knowhow nohowi stumble into the middle of a songa 2 minute songsay it and shut up fasta 2 minute song like a 2 minute egghatching before your eyes a little roca little rolea little self controluniquely commoncommon or english gardensitting in an english gardenthat i have never donei wander thru virtual instruments in a menui lose myself in the foggy pianoi get to know myself better as i wait for the stringsi have a coffee at some alpine cafei have a smoke round the back of the gymi get changed into my costume i get out my box of 2 minute songsi hawk them shamelessly all thru transvaali get that t rex thing i likecant you move on someone suddenly asksas purple evening drips down the chimneyand london comes out of sydney and stands thereand i cant get at the master volume because my bass line has gobbled up my voicesand i got hiss and hum on and i stand backstage at my last ever gigpancake makeup covers my old lined facemy guitar hangs there limpmy cocaine has clumped in the damp confinesmy charisma has congealed in my veinsmy message unheededmy car clamped and toadmy pass revokedmy ticket invalidatedmy money counterfeitmy 2 minute songs are overmy shadow bowsmy fingers nodmy mouth drumsmy shoulders kiss my backthe tiny bells shrugthe slug of boozethe hug of smokethe chug […]

yeah
a giant mythological bird
roc n rule
plug in here in this channel
in this english channel
cause we rock in english
we opera in italian
and we poem in france
and we dream in colour
because we are not dogs or cats
and we bury our dead in the earth
and the sun is up behind the clouds
and music at the core of silent things
and the marvellous out of the ordinary
and the rock within the roll
and i know how now
i got the knowhow nohow
i stumble into the middle of a song
a 2 minute song
say it and shut up fast
a 2 minute song like a 2 minute egg
hatching before your eyes
a little roc
a little role
a little self control
uniquely common
common or english garden
sitting in an english garden
that i have never done
i wander thru virtual instruments in a menu
i lose myself in the foggy piano
i get to know myself better as i wait for the strings
i have a coffee at some alpine cafe
i have a smoke round the back of the gym
i get changed into my costume
i get out my box of 2 minute songs
i hawk them shamelessly
all thru transvaal
i get that t rex thing i like
cant you move on someone suddenly asks
as purple evening drips down the chimney
and london comes out of sydney and stands there
and i cant get at the master volume
because my bass line has gobbled up my voices
and i got hiss and hum on
and i stand backstage at my last ever gig
pancake makeup covers my old lined face
my guitar hangs there limp
my cocaine has clumped in the damp confines
my charisma has congealed in my veins
my message unheeded
my car clamped and toad
my pass revoked
my ticket invalidated
my money counterfeit
my 2 minute songs are over
my shadow bows
my fingers nod
my mouth drums
my shoulders kiss my back
the tiny bells shrug
the slug of booze
the hug of smoke
the chug of the mute palm ostinato
the drug of the thud thud thud
hallelujah rocknroll
a chasm in the music cracks and out comes singing madwomen
we speed down a highway in our convertibubble
we copy and move memory
we take a drug called chances
we slake a thirst called knowledge
we make a love called life
writing songs is the easy part
you want a song
bang bang bang
mummy changes hands
the future suppurates waiting to be revealed
the past frizzles away in the pan
hollywood burps
washington frowns
london shivers
sydney yawns
down in antarctica they set up the amps for the big show in 2012
the roadies dressed in white like the snow
the whales gathered offshore
the caravans for the stars
trailers of the magnificent
the limos are pulled by reindeer and huskies
get ready
the ice moves
the drums roll
the band has assembled
i dont know how this is gonna end
there…ive said it
i dont know how this is gonna end

ambition

pic by t.helberg am working on portraits for commissionsa picture for alphabet foundation charity for kids in burmarecording vox for b sides for operetta singledoing a gig in a library making music on garage bandplaying round with i movietalking to people who have good adviceconsidering my new double album of 2 minute songsgetting david neil sorted outsolo tour of perth early novchurch tour in late nov/dec including 3 acoustic showsa holiday with fambley for 3 days at a hotel up the coastmusic n a small part in a short filmetcetcnot enough time to keep up with itfeeling a bit worn out right nowbut stillbetter than having real job….i guessmore freedom but more uncertaintymore uncertainty attachedn guess whatstill slowlyever so slowlygetting betterateverything


pic by t.helberg

am working on portraits for commissions
a picture for alphabet foundation charity for kids in burma
recording vox for b sides for operetta single
doing a gig in a library
making music on garage band
playing round with i movie
talking to people who have good advice
considering my new double album of 2 minute songs
getting david neil sorted out
solo tour of perth early nov
church tour in late nov/dec including 3 acoustic shows
a holiday with fambley for 3 days at a hotel up the coast
music n a small part in a short film
etc
etc
not enough time to keep up with it
feeling a bit worn out right now
but still
better than having real job….i guess
more freedom but more uncertainty
more uncertainty attached
n guess what
still slowly
ever so slowly
getting better
at
everything

hail hail rocknroll

i thank the lord humblyfor laying rocknroll on this worldto have lived in this day of rocknrollto have been a childe in its golden ageoh how blessed i am and god this olde earth doth feel so lonelywithout george and johnnone of you have any idea how groundbreaking this wasevery idea by every other rock band you ever heard ofcame from the beatlesand yetstrangely while acknowledging their supremacyi do not love them the mosteven though they and only they made all of this possiblecourse over in america you got your bob dhes a different thingbut boy harness those 2 things those 2 elementsyer beatles and yer boband truly thou shalt be called a true rockercourse the old rolling stones had to add sex n violenceand brian wilson added wonderful sweet musicalityand mr jimi added fucking fire and animal and brute virtuosityand then cream invented supergroupsand jack bruce played lead bassand ginger baker played lead drumsand then came progand lo, that was ok for a whilenot much sex n violence but lots of musical virtuosity(but not much of it sweet)oh im forgetting the byrdsthe byrds showed us how rock could glide(a lesson not lost on me, fiendss)and then mark feld who called himself bolanand david jones who called himself bowiec,mon these guys made it interesting again for mewhat a pair of twentieth century characterswhat the hell was it i loved about em so muchi dunnomaybe why i always go back for morecan you believe that in 1973i turned up at work looking likea freckly aladin sane at the public service in canberrathis guy said to meyoud kiss david bowies arse!and he wanted to punch me in the halls of primary industryright then n right thereespecially when i said ….yeah…(no fiendss, i was just incensing this ninny)instead he just sadly shook his […]

i thank the lord humbly
for laying rocknroll on this world
to have lived in this day of rocknroll
to have been a childe in its golden age
oh how blessed i am
and god this olde earth doth feel so lonely
without george and john
none of you have any idea how groundbreaking this was
every idea by every other rock band you ever heard of
came from the beatles
and yet
strangely while acknowledging their supremacy
i do not love them the most
even though they and only they made all of this possible
course over in america you got your bob d
hes a different thing
but boy harness those 2 things those 2 elements
yer beatles and yer bob
and truly thou shalt be called a true rocker
course the old rolling stones had to add sex n violence
and brian wilson added wonderful sweet musicality
and mr jimi added fucking fire and animal and brute virtuosity
and then cream invented supergroups
and jack bruce played lead bass
and ginger baker played lead drums
and then came prog
and lo, that was ok for a while
not much sex n violence but lots of musical virtuosity
(but not much of it sweet)
oh im forgetting the byrds
the byrds showed us how rock could glide
(a lesson not lost on me, fiendss)
and then mark feld who called himself bolan
and david jones who called himself bowie
c,mon these guys made it interesting again for me
what a pair of twentieth century characters
what the hell was it i loved about em so much
i dunno
maybe why i always go back for more
can you believe that in 1973
i turned up at work looking like
a freckly aladin sane
at the public service in canberra
this guy said to me
youd kiss david bowies arse!
and he wanted to punch me in the halls of primary industry
right then n right there
especially when i said ….yeah…
(no fiendss, i was just incensing this ninny)
instead he just sadly shook his head n walked away
i was surprised he even knew who my haircut was sposed to be
then i was happy that it did suggest bowie
cos i cut it myself
(my david cassidy do hit the bathroom floor)
and then i dyed it with some dye my mum bought for me
my fuckin hair went bright SCARLET
my dad came home
n
he was in disbelief
like those indians seeing columbus’ ships coming over the sea
like
he was so shocked n miffed
he just said to no one in particular
‘as ‘e dyed ‘is bloody ‘air or what?
and that was the end of it
he just couldnt comprehend why a bloke would wanna do that
funny my dad had this do
a bit of an old bodgies thing
combed back with brylcreem or something
with a little wave he used to pat up
that was ok
but my vermillion spiky mess was just too much
anyway a few days later
a few guys from school drove past me
when they saw my hair
they were all laughing
and one of em held up a copy of pin ups
(they just happened to have)
and pointed at me and they all laughed
i was deliriously happy of course
and my hair do n i frequented a night clubs called jack stones
where they played the sweet n suzi q n stuff
when the the thin white drake came on we all were mesmerized
for he n bolan truly were such a notch above the other glammers
my good friend michael farrant who runs a church fanzine in england
the maven
he gave me a marvellous gift
a double glam rock cd
and its got all the classics on there
all on one double record they still sound good
by the way im continuing enjoying bab zoo on youtube
a good example of glam
anyway
my my
i digress
but ive lost track now
n too lazy to scroll back
and see what i was rabbitting on about before
yeah
and make no mistake
bowie idolized bolan
if you dont believe that then listen to black country rock
off the man who sold the world
you see they were like freud n jung
one makes the other possible i guess
sometimes the pupil goes on to better the master
bowies sphere of influence much greater
bolan was a fleeting minor star in the states
he made 3 or 4 great records and he implodes
but bowie is watching bolan from the wings
and what he unleashes eclipses bolan in many ways
i should write a book on this
i cant see anyone else who could do it better than me
such was i saturated in their music n myth
a giant poster of marc bolan..just slightly pre glam
adorned my bedroom wall
i listened to virtually nothing but bolan bowie
i mean where do you go after that?
funnily enough
back into the rolling stonies and lou reed
thats where you go
and bands like silverhead and aerosmith
i reckon theres a few great aerosmith songs btw
i sat on a plane with steve tyler once
and such was his charisma that i couldnt
figure out how it was done….!!??
anyway it also brought me into contact with mott the hoople
wow!
3 sensationally good records
all the young dudes has gotta be
one of the best songs ever written in rock
can you believe bowie…?
producing transformer and doing raw power
and tossing off this song all the young druids n producing the lp
for a couple of years everything he touched turned to gold
except lulu doing man who sold the world…that didnt…
people back then didnt understand diamond dogs or lous berlin
how can you not understand berlin??
it had it all but the idiots back then dismissed it
can you imagine dismissing an album like berlin
because it wasnt the vu all over again?
no wonder lou went off the rails
mind you rocknroll animal is an essential

essential
look i wont have any body criticize this record
the guitars are perfection
entwining and interlacing and rocking n rolling
i hate all that virtuoso lead stuff
but this was different
this was scintillating stuff
dick wagner n steve hunter
fuck those cats can rock
rocknroll animal
oh ho
boy that record hit me square between the eyes when it came out
still the best live record ever sayeth me who must surely be an expert
after all
i went out and tried to live in these guys shadows
a confused apostle spreading some word…what word was that…?
anyway that is enough
see ya down jack stones ha

the crazy world of bab zoo

yessaday i stumbled on youtubelooking at the killers doing utmw (ok, i guess)and i notice theres a killers song called spacemanand i wonder……is it…? that spaceman….?and suddenly my mind is flooded with memories of the mid ninetiesand my very very miserable lifestarring as a hermit in my own homeeither being anxious waiting for some smack to be deliveredor feeling sleepy and stupid after it had arrived(there was a fucking lot more of the first option, fiendss)anyway i used to watch a lot of telly in those daysas i waited waited waited waitedand it was then that i first ran into babylon zooby the way the killers spaceman was a song theyd written themselves (ok, i guess) not the babylon zoo spacemannow dig thisbabylon zoo was one guyan english sikh called jasbinder singhhe went by the name of jas mannin his home 8 track studio one day circa 1995he came up with a song spacemanits a pretty bloody good songin itselfone olde sk wouldnt have minded writingtho maybe i wouldnt have been quite so heavy onthe androgynous bleat buttonnevertheless a very very good songglammy ziggy shiny weirdy… all that stuff(look sorry i have a bit of a penchant for that stuff…done right!)anyway he got a deal a video was madebut nothing really happenednot much laterarthur baker remixed the record as a twelve inchnow i dunno about youbut i used to buy the occasional 12 inchand some of em ran at 45 rpm n some ran at 33 rpmso one can imagine the scenariosome astute ad execs go to the record cothey saywe look for music for levis adrecord co go try this AND PUT OUR JAS’S SONG ON AT THE WRONG SPEEDbut guess what…?the ad men dig itthey insist on it at this wrong sped up speedthe ad comes out and […]

yessaday i stumbled on youtube
looking at the killers doing utmw (ok, i guess)
and i notice theres a killers song called spaceman
and i wonder……
is it…? that spaceman….?
and suddenly my mind is flooded with memories of the mid nineties
and my very very miserable life
starring as a hermit in my own home
either being anxious waiting for some smack to be delivered
or feeling sleepy and stupid after it had arrived
(there was a fucking lot more of the first option, fiendss)
anyway i used to watch a lot of telly in those days
as i waited waited waited waited
and it was then that i first ran into babylon zoo
by the way the killers spaceman was a song theyd written themselves (ok, i guess)
not the babylon zoo spaceman
now dig this
babylon zoo was one guy
an english sikh called jasbinder singh
he went by the name of jas mann
in his home 8 track studio one day circa 1995
he came up with a song spaceman
its a pretty bloody good song
in itself
one olde sk wouldnt have minded writing
tho maybe i wouldnt have been quite so heavy on
the androgynous bleat button
nevertheless a very very good song
glammy ziggy shiny weirdy… all that stuff
(look sorry i have a bit of a penchant for that stuff…done right!)
anyway he got a deal a video was made
but nothing really happened
not much later
arthur baker remixed the record as a twelve inch
now i dunno about you
but i used to buy the occasional 12 inch
and some of em ran at 45 rpm n some ran at 33 rpm
so one can imagine the scenario
some astute ad execs go to the record co
they say
we look for music for levis ad
record co go try this
AND PUT OUR JAS’S SONG ON AT THE WRONG SPEED
but guess what…?
the ad men dig it
they insist on it at this wrong sped up speed
the ad comes out and is massive success
meanwhile jas was initially horrified
what have they done to my song? he musta been bewildered
waiting for his big break…and now this
his manager n record co convince him to stick sped up bit
at beginning n end of his spaceman single
he gives in
the record comes out
new bits added to video for sped up bits
the song is cut down a bit
the song sells in the millions and becomes fastest blah blah blah
still this was not when i first caught up with jas
it was a little bit after that
after the success of spaceman
babylon zoo got to do a real video
and guess what
i do hereby declare it the best rock video i ever saw
then or now
the song is animal army
which is a cheeky bolanish glam stomper
a pretty good song…not a classic tho
and perhaps not ever destined to be a hit
oh but the vid is a fucking corker
and back in the mid nineties
as i sat like an idiot in front of my idiot box
one night
this video came on n it blew my mind
the whole thing was all kinda silvery
and jas first appears pushing his face thru this building
jas himself is so handsome
like an alien reflection of tyrone power
slimmed down n in a silver space suit
his hair is cut or done up in some style …you cant really figure it out
jas comes crawling along this chrome bar between buildings
everything all white n silver n metallic
people swinging of these lines
down in the street elephants n leopards rampage thru the streets
the first line of the song is
tryrannosaurus (sic) marching towards us
giving away the t rex connection immediately
tho its more in spirit than in actual execution
anyway the vid is a marvellous futuristic thing
we rocket thru jas n some girls retina
and find our inner jas
whos there all tangled up in weird DNA or something
the elephants stomp on cars
crocodiles erupt from sewers
jas has got his silver spacesuit on n long fingernails
and he seems deliriously outta control
as he straddles the metallic pylons between buildings
its funny its wild its flashy its trashy its super
its rocknroll
and at this moment jas has got charisma oozing out his poor pores
anyhow
this vid really was a breath of fresh air after grunge n rap n boy bands
and in those days you couldnt just watch vids whenever you liked
you had to wait for em to come on
and animal army wasnt played more than twice or 3 times that i saw
so it sorta remained a mythical video for me till yessaday
when i remembered it and watched it about 5 times
i still love it!
jas mann…wow …what a true glam star….
from some occidental parallel universe..
he could play the part of the singer from that book
the ground beneath her feet (a recommended read!)
yeah
go n check it out at you tube
animal army …babylon zoo
thats what i call a rock video!!