Tea Club Gig - 22 May 2010

On Saturday night, Tamara and I performed at the Tea Club in Nowra under the name of Jamison Munro. It was the first time we've played together. I'm looking forward to many more in Sydney. Stay tuned. I'll try and get a bit of video up from the gig soon. Thanks to Peter Pigott for the below photos.

Johnny Cash

What is it about Johnny Cash that makes anything he sings sound so desperately melancholic? He has the voice of a man on his death bed who has decided to use his remaining breathes to impart a few last pieces of wisdom.

Listen here as he gives the song "If you Could Read my Mind", originally by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, the same gravitas as if he were reading a passage from the bible.

Yum.

Oh mino! Ils sont Champion de France!

Oh! Que c'est bon! L'Olympique Marseille a remporté hier le titre de CHAMPION DE FRANCE 2010 après avoir attendu 18 ans! Tellement je ne pleure pas. Tellement j'ai de poussières dans l'oeil. Et si j'étais au vélodrome à Marseille... et ouiiiiiiiiiiiii fils!

Pour revivre le match décisif contre Stadt Rennes, et voir les jouers de Marseille exprimer leur joie dans le vetiaire, cliquez ici. Le video donne aussi une idée de ce que c'est d'etre au stadt dans les tribunes parmis la foule. C'est beau.

Taken Out of Context!

The recent uproar over comments posted on twitter by The Age columnist Catherine Deveny has made for interesting reading. For those not up to date on this saga, Ms Deveny made a series of remarks on her Twitter page about different celebrities in attendance at this week's TV Logies awards ceremony. As a result of her comments, Ms Deveny has since been dropped as a columnist by The Age. The remark that resulted in her losing her job referred to eleven year old Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter. Ms Deveny tweeted, "I do so hope Bindi Irwin gets laid".

Ms Deveny's defence was that the remark was meant as a joke. She said, "[in the old days] it was just passing notes in class, but suddenly these notes are being projected into the sky and taken out of context".

There are two things I love about this statement:

1. The passive use of "being projected" makes it sound like someone is taking Ms Deveny's comments and putting them on the internet against her will, when in actual fact Ms Deveny actively posted the remarks herself. It was her that took out her phone, typed the remarks, and then pressed the big green button that said, "please post this remark to the entire internet despite its inherent poor taste".

2. The use of "taken out of context". This is such a little gem of a phrase. Taking something out of context implies that there is a correct context that this comment should have been taken in. Take a moment to think about this question: In what context would these comments have been appropriate? I am trying to imagine Deveny speaking to a person sitting at her table at the awards ceremony...

DEVENY: I hope that eleven year old girl isn't too lonely at this award ceremony.
PERSON: No, it looks like she's here with her mother. She'll be alright.
DEVENY: Oh... no... when I said "lonely", I meant, that I hope someone has sex with her tonight.
PERSON: Um... C'mon dude, that's pretty uncalled for. I mean, she's eleven!
DEVENY. Oh! You've taken me out of context!

This is not the first time the old "out of context" excuse has been used.

A young member of the Australian Liberal Party in Queensland recently found himself in hot water after tweeting about an interview involving Australian journalist Kerry O'Brien and Barrack Obama which aired on Australian current affairs program, The 730 Report. During the interview, the young liberal party member tweeted, "I'm not sure why they paid Kerry [O'brien] to fly to America, if they wanted an interview with a monkey surely a Ferry to Taronga [Zoo] would have sufficed". As if his point wasn't quite clear, he later added, "If I wanted to see a monkey on TV I'd watch [Australian wildlife TV program] Wildlife Rescue".

Of course, when the Australian media reported about the remarks in national newspapers, the young liberal member asserted that the remarks had been meant as a joke and that they had been "taken out of context".

Ding! ding! ding! There it was again. The old "out of context" excuse. "I was referring to the fact that Obama is black. Why? What did you think I meant?"

So, please feel free to go ahead and offend, abuse, ostracise, be racist, sexist or bigoted towards anyone and everyone. As long as whatever you do or say is "taken out of context" you'll be right as reign.

Here's a sample conversation to get you started:

YOU: Hey, [insert name of person]?
PERSON: Yeah?
YOU: You are a f*cking self-righteous c*ckhead. I hate you and I hope you die alone from lung cancer.
PERSON (hopefully crying at this point): Oh... god... that's an awful thing to say to me...
YOU: Why?
PERSON: Well, you just abused me and wished I was dead.
YOU: No! You've taken what I said out of context!
PERSON: Well, why would you say that to me? Do you really think I'm a self-righteous c*ckhead?
YOU: No. You've taken me out of context.
PERSON: Well... what context was I meant to take that in?
YOU: Are you offended?
PERSON: Yes. Yes I am. Extremely.
YOU: Yeah, you've definitely taken me out of context then. I didn't mean to offend you at all.
PERSON: But what you said is very offensive. What context did you expect me to take it in?
YOU: Well, whatever context you took it in, take it in another context from that. Take it in the opposite context.

Now, if you don't like this post, please go get f*cked!*



*If you have now taken offense at me telling you to get f*cked, just know that you've taken me out of context. So, good day to you. You c*cksucker. Again. Out of context.

Why we call Australia home

Days like this make you happy to be in Australia. These shots were taken on a lazy week day down at Balmoral Beach. Yeah, I know what you are thinking. Get a job.

Only in Australia: A Queue for the Bottle-O

I have spent some time in Melbourne for the last month or so whilst performing at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. On my way home one night I walked past The Exford, a 24 hour bottle-0 in the city centre. This collection of photos was taken at two in the morning. If you look closely, you'll notice there is actually a line to get in, complete with security guard checking people's ID.

Awesome.

Late night Smart Casual

Took these shots of Smart Casual members Nick and Ben Mattick whilst flatting with them at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

Currently touring the country with the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow. Check them out. They are hilarious.

People who should earn a banker's salary - No. 1: Laura Veirs

Lots of the most beautiful and most memorable things in the world are created for free by people who struggle to make ends meet. For example, Horace, Mozart, Van Gogh and Schubert all died poor.

A couple of weeks ago, I came up with the idea of starting a blog citing people who's professions are financially undervalued by society. I wanted to call the blog, "People who should earn a banker's salary". My sister suggested it be called The Robbin' Hood, as in, robbing from the rich to give back to the poor. The blog would have been full of musicians, actors, comedians, painters, aid workers, volunteers, religious leaders, nursing home nurses etc. Anyway, I've decided to integrate the idea into this blog. It's part of Jamison Inc's world, so I guess it sort of fits.

So get on board with the first addition to the "Should be earning a banker's salary" series: American singer song writer Laura Veirs. Thanks again to Guy Garvey, the lead singer of Elbow, for putting me onto this singer.

Laura is currently touring the states, and appears from the photos on her website to be heavily pregnant. I'm sure that as I write this, she has already given birth. Check out the official video for her beautiful song "July Flame".

Yummy.

Late Night Little Lonsdale

Australia's image: Are we more than shark attacks and enraged koalas?

An article entitled Let's Ingore Snobbery of Old Europe recently appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald written by German sociologist Jens Schroeder in which the author argued that Australia's egalitarianism (read: lack of culture, class or distinction) is a unique achievement and something to be celebrated. Schroeder intimated that whilst Europeans would be ashamed of such egalitarianism, (and often are on Australia's behalf), Australia can nevertheless afford to be proud.

Sound like a bit of a back handed compliment? A bit like saying, for example, "Hey Stephen Hawking, you are severely crippled, but that's what makes you special"? Well, be your own judge and check out Schroeder's article for yourself.

OK, now you've read it. Let me rant.

Commencing rant... now.

Listen up Australia. Apparently we are, quote, "a vibrant nation in a booming region" and we have, wait for it, "more to offer than beach, beer and (alleged) crassness."

Well, thank god for that.

"Proudly plebeian, Australia has no need to apologise for its egalitarianism and should celebrate its achievements more self-consciously. For Europeans... Australians are the plebeians of the Western World." These are the first two seemingly incongruous sentences of Schroeder's article. The first remind tells us we should be proud of our culture. The second reminds us that according to those that matter, we have none. It struck me as strange that Mr Schroeder should start his self-esteem boosting crusade by characterising Australia through the very Euro-centric lens from which he seeks to encourage us to escape. "Ok, so Australia, you're backward, a cultural wasteland if you will. But you have to stop thinking of yourself like that."

Maybe the idea of an emerging Australia shedding it's post-colonial skin is a convenient and original discourse in "tired Europe" (Schroeder's words not mine), but how many Australians really still consider Europe as the centre of enlightenment, and Australia as a simple beer-battered continent with nothing to offer but sun and beaches? Surely we have moved beyond this Paul Hoganesque oversimplification of Australian society.

I feel Schroeder misses an opportunity to shine a light on a more evolved and elaborate Australia, and instead ends up subconsciously reinforcing the very stereotype of Australia as the simple, happy-go-lucky, slap-on-the-back country that he has apparently come here to dispel. Shark attacks, enraged koalas and bogan beach antics might still be the most easily consumable version of Australia for Europe's media (Film's like "Australia" don't help), but a closer look reveals a much more complex (and potentially less romantic) stereotype than the one Schroeder paints.

Clarke and Dawe: The Great Barnaby

They're back. Clarke and Dawe. The ending to this sketch is so random. Love it.

Check it out here or click on the below image to watch.

Clarke and Dawe: Who is Lara Bingle?

Ok, so posting has been pretty intermittant since getting back from France. But to be honest I have been pretty busy with:

1. Touring with Ronnie Johns and Felicity Ward's Book of Moron.
2. Adjusting to life in Australia (so far from the rest of the world).
3. Crying myself to sleep at night.
4. Eating fresh food again.
5. Getting used to constant sunshine again.

Anyway, here's another Clarke and Dawe sketch worthy of promotion to the blog. I love how dark the ending it. Bryan's last line, "Just wasting my life really..." is genius.

I love the way that Clarke and Dawe often manage say so much about the Australian psyche without actually naming the issue explicitly. Ironically, as a result, I'm sure this sketch is lost on most Australians. To be honest, their parody of the Australian press is not all that far from reality in this country. If you think I'm being cynical, please go check out www.smh.com.au, the online version of Australia's "Newspaper of the Year", and see for yourself how many of the featured stories would not be out of place in a gossip mag. (Ps... also count how many seconds you have to scroll down before you chance upon the "World" section. Genius.)

Check it out here or click on the below image to watch.

The Fast Show

I've posted about well known Fast Show character Rowley Birkin QC before. However, the other day I accidentally stumbled across a sketch I had never seen before and was blown away.

If you've never seen a Rowley Birkin QC sketch before, the first video gives you an idea of what he was on about. The second video is the sketch I stumbled across. After watching it, you'll understand why I am posting about it. What a totally unexpected and breathtaking performance!

Who am I being that my player's eyes are not shining?

Voila the first post for a new decade.

Benjamin Zander is the current conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra.

He once wrote: "The best review I ever got was not from a music critic, but from my father. He was 94 years old at the time and completely blind. He attended a Master Class I gave in London and sat there in his wheelchair for about three hours. When it was over, I went to speak with him. He lifted up his finger in his characteristic way and said, "I see that you are actually a member of the healing profession." It seemed to me the highest accolade."

In this inspiring talk, he explores what we might all learn from music's inherent capacity to inspire.

My favourite part: Zander was playing Chopin's 4th prelude to a group of schoolchildren. At the end of the performance, everyone burst into rapturous applause. Spontaneously, Zander too stood up from the piano and applauded. So there they were, the children applauding, Zander applauding. And then he stopped and asked, "Why am I applauding?". To which one child responded, "Because we were listening."

Grab a cup of tea, and breathe out for twenty minutes.

Goodbyes in Paris

Deb Talan - Ashes on your eyes

"Now you're only dreaming peaceful blue..."

Why don't people this talented earn banker's salaries? Just as Alice says in her adventures through the looking glass, "it would be so nice if something made sense for a change."

Thank you to Antonia for the recommendation.

The Liberals "unite" behind their new leader

Love the guy who cuts someone's head off and then just walks around aimlessly.

Tony Abbott somehow elected as leader of the Australian Liberal Party

In a bizarre intra-party ballot reminiscent of France's 2002 Presidential election bungle which left voters with a choice between right-wing Chirac and ultra right wing Le Pen, Australia's opposition party, the Liberal Party, has elected an anti-abortion, anti-stemcell research, pro "at-fault" divorce, climate change denying, John Howard-loving, outspoken socially conservative Catholic.

A sad day for Australia as a forward-moving nation. 1950s values, here we come. Please excuse me now, it's time for me to go salute the Queen...

Regina Spektor - Samson

Having had a trawl around a couple of music websites, I am none the wiser as to what this song is about.

Some internauts suggest that it is a love song about one of Spektor's lovers who died of cancer (the link apparently being that "Wonderbread" is a type of medication used to ease the suffering of those undergoing radiation therapy). On the other hand, there are some who suggest the song is a love song written from the perspective of the prostitute who, according to the Bible, is supposed to have spent a night with Samson of Samson and Delilah fame before he went on to meet Delilah (cute, but a little too literal perhaps?). Others have even suggested that the song is about the love shared between two woman ("The Bible doesn't mention us, not even once").

Whatever it's about, the imagery is definitely evocative. It touches me. And for what it's worth, I am fine with not fully understanding why.

Through my Internet travels, I came across the following comment from one fan:

"What are you supposed to do after you hear a song like that [other] than play it again, and hope [that] you die soon so you're happy."

Ok. So, I'm probably not quite ready to die over this song yet, but as a homage to the truth of the fact that music has the power to take you to the happiest place you will ever have the chance to visit, it's genius.

Tick Tick Tick: Climate Change Campaign

As we get closer to the 2009 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December, it's time to get involved and let your local government members know that you're expecting more to come out of Copenhagen than a happy snap of Kevin Rudd with Princess Mary.

There is no reason why the foundations cannot be laid in Copenhagen for an internationally binding agreement on climate change.

Former Secretary of the UN, Kofi Annan, has put his support behind a campaign to mobilise people to pressure their politicians for a fair, binding and global deal on climate change in Copenhagen. Midnight Oil have lent their song Beds are Burning to the campaign. Check out the video below, then visit the website, and get involved. It's really easy to participate. Talk about the campaign with your family. Speak about it with your friends. Post the website as your facebook status. As Kofi says, "The issue is too important to leave to politicians alone."

Here are three easy things you can do:

1. Sign up as a climate change ally on the website.
2. Write a letter to your local political leader.
3. Let your friends and family know about the campaign.