As you can see, I've run out of steam on my fringe postings. I'll get round to it sooner or later.
Thought I'd take a departure from my normal "what have I been up to" blog to a wee wandering from my mind. I've had a moment of inspiration from my mindless temp job. I'm barely able to string a sentence together now so this should be a treat!
3rd October, 1998. This was the year I got my first passport and hopped on a plane to go to New Zealand on a student exchange. I can't believe I haven't been back yet and it's almost 10 years. My God. Anyway, I was in Year 10, mostly mucking around with friends I still have to this day in a green and fawn school uniform. I loved anything to do with music, had just started my obsession with Something for Kate and Triple J and live (underage!) gigs.
TV wise, it was all about the weekend. Friday nights were dedicated "Good News Week" watching, on the ABC, the national broadcaster. No secret I had a big crush on Paul McDermott, the host and I thought I was smart laughing along to the witty banter. Many nights out were spent trying to ring my brother/mother/father/dog if I didn't set the VCR to tape it. I would be devastated if I missed an episode (coincidentally, it was only before I left to go overseas this year that I finally chucked out all my tapes of Good News Week. Obsessed? Non.).
Late Friday and Saturday nights, nothing would satisfy me more than coming home and settling into the couch to watch Rage, the ABC's late night video music clip show until dawn. I'd have to be so quiet, having the tv up just barely audible to fool my parents into thinking I'd gone to bed. Friday nights I saw all the new music videos and Saturday nights guest programmers hosted Rage.
On this particular October Saturday evening, I settled in to watch Paul McDermott and Mikey Robins guest programme Rage. Some good songs, any I didn't like I pressed pause on the remote so I wouldn't have to watch them back on the VCR. About half way through the show, Billy Bragg's 1986 ode 'Greetings to the New Brunette' came on. I'd never heard it before but the cheery guitar at the beginning of the song drew me in. The images he used for his clip were taken from decades gone by, of people falling in love. I immediately put on my rose coloured glasses and got sucked into the song. How could you resist when a song sings:
I'm celebrating my love for you
With a pint of beer and a new tattoo
I think this is hiliarious. Bragg's plays on words and phrases are gorgeous and so is the guitar in the song (courtesy with a little help from the great Johnny Marr). Another reason I'm so fond of it is because he is singing to a 'Shirley', who reminds me of course of my lovely Nanna - and it is also my Mum's middle name - what a nice personal touch to add for me, Billy.
Aside from the song, I've always liked the title. It's always stood out to me and when I came to naming my blog I instantly remembered this song.
You Tube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gozdCwvHK6M
Enjoy!
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4 comments:
and that was the fat mikey robbinson.. now he is skinny and doing ads for some mortgage lenders i think..
hey did you hear micallef is doing a new show called 'newstopia'. looks grand.. its on sbs..
x
gary glitter
yeah, I've read about Newstopia. Apparantly getting quite good reviews, sbs put the episode up for download for a week after it screens but can't access it if you live OS :(
My Aussie workmate gets podcasts of Summer Heights High which I haven't seen anything of but if it's half as good as We Can be Heroes then Chris Lilley is onto a winner.
Another new TV show on ABC called The Librarians which looks like it would be a laugh, many connections with actors/writers who did Micallef's show on ABC. Go You Tube!
definite on summer heights.. so watch it lisa.. it's even funnier.. he is such a legend.
i'm sure if i download newstopia and send it to you it will be good good..
xC
ahem....underage gigs lisa? who are you fooling. :P fake id's forever!!!
isnt it funny how times change. when i was in high school i used to be outraged when gigs were 18+ and i would always work out a way to weasel my way in anyway. now days i groan when a gig is ALL ages...all ages=all emos.
still nothing better than going to a gig and drinking a beer knowing you arent going to get a tap on the shoulder from someone asking to see your non exsistant or bogus id.
shalom.
x
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