What goes on -down-under

The crowd moves and it moves me

2011-11-27T18:37:00.001+11:00

From the beginning of my life's memories I have always been moved by the movement of a crowd

dancing, singing, chanting but I must confess I do not always join the group

I often resist a collective mentality even if it is truly positive.

I think I've written this before but it is still true that of the many things I still miss about New York

and some of the other cities I've lived in is the buzz of the crowd

Wednesday night at the RAHK Bar

                                             You can hear a thought an intent in that buzz
                              that is very hard to miss. From the very primal ..."YEAH!"
                                             to the narcissistic "look at Me!"

I am looking forward to rejoining the crowd

Ventured out to my local Apple store

2011-11-26T13:49:00.001+11:00

Reputations can be so important...

for example ...

the reputation of an apple store

A low pressure sales environment, friendly faces

"Play products" everywhere, name tags, colored tunics

a painless way to receive information

Now consider the reputation Australians have created or have had created for them

in the end it doesn't really matter how the archetype came to be.

The relative innocent, the good, honest, outdoorsy type

always seeking to put things right.

Now my thought was that if you put these two reputations

to work in one environment you could come up with

a sickly, sweet, plasticy place that would make Ira Levin wince.

Luckily I was wrong yet again!

We all know by now that Apple made it's rep by blazing a clear path

through the tech to let a person get on to whatever the hell they wanted to do when they

picked up one of their devices.

Now you may say... "Monk? ... We all know about how an apple store works."

Well actually I didn't... I'm usually in and out so quick

I've barely had time to talk to any staff or indulge in any playtimebut now I will attend one of their workshops

Cant wait to see what that will be like

Does anyone want a coffee?

2011-08-31T02:44:00.001+10:00

Well listen I'd be glad to make you one but even I must admit that by Melbourne standards my setup is a bit low tech.
Yes my friends sunny Ol' Melbourne town is in the grips of a coffee frenzy the like the world has not seen since Seattle's "big shake" of 82' when a particularly gnarly & robust robusta hit the town and every citizen experienced sympathetic vibrations.
Now... I hope we've learned something from seattle's experience when I think about all the broken crockery, smashed before it's time, sometimes you had to wade waist deep through piles of it and then all the worn out espresso machines... Sad really.
Melbourne is now heading down the same road, around every corner now there is another imported coffee machine, another boutique coffee roaster! Siphons, cold presses... Will the madness never end!
Won't someone think of the children?!
( I always wanted to use that one)
Just remember my fellow citizens drink ( coffee ) responsibly lest we may all walk in satan's jittery, caffeinated footfalls and that's trouble
& that starts with "T"
& that rhymes with "C"
and that stands for caffeine... the new opiate of the masses!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Alma Rd,St Kilda East,Australia

The launch of !! or is it ?? actually it's 11

2011-01-11T16:49:00.002+11:00

Ok then a new chanell on Australian TV ... on the surface ... Yay!
However you could see this as another step in making Australian TV a dumping place for old, obsolete & defunckt television programs, before anybody get their knickers in a twist about American cultural imperialism lets remember that these shows were picked by Australians here!
Anyway for a day or so it will be interesting for anyone that somehow missed the first episodes of Cheers, Sabrina, MacGyver or any of the other stuff they have decided to air but what happens after that gets tired ?
I have read that 11 is hoping to attract 13 - 29 year olds.... Really?
I have to wonder about this these programs will have jokes from a bygone era with American references from 10 , 20 years ago I have my doubts.
I just hope no one is hurt when they start yanking these old biscuits off the air like a teenage boy after an all day cheerleader competition!
See what I did there ? ...cause that would be a lot of yanking.
Not sure why it is that they didn't just dedicate that channel to an Australian content search, sort of a television Yucca Flat!
Just keep testing & testing until something achieves critical mass or critical acclaim.

The Urinal

2010-12-17T09:51:00.001+11:00

I've always had an issue with Australian urinals

in some I'm never quite sure if I should be standing on the grate ( which always seemed a bit unsanitary ) or just back a bit which makes it way too easy to piss on your shoes or somebody else's. the single serve urinal is the way to go but not for privacy's sake just to make things easier. Because of my experiences with the humble urinal when I'm alone I tend to take a snap of the better ones ... Or should I say the unique ones.
This one is at the Astor theatre in Windsor.

Drink and nibblies at Ilona Staller

2010-12-09T00:09:00.001+11:00

A new spot has opened up in my neighborhood and it looks like a winner it's I my nature to stop in at the places in my "hood" from time to time I venture out like a wigged out Mr Rodgers seeking out the people in my neighborhood!The place is Illona Staller yeah that's right it's named after the famous porn star turned politician. Unlike it's namesake it does not let it all hang out .. I don't know maybe that's a good thing. What they do is provide a more than pleasant atmosphere in which I can meander through the events of a busy week. Nice bar and so far all I have sampled are tasty bee stings and a fantastic 12 yr old scotch but you can believe I'll be back!

Time keeps on movin, movin into the future.

2010-09-01T01:12:00.001+10:00

Ok so now I am at the point in life where time can be a concept that is hard to get a hold of ... My "good old days" of youth are some 30 years in the past, I'm moving a bit slower I can still scare up enough vitality to bring my dreams to reality and that is what's important I think.
Youth is not my thing ... I mean I enjoyed it but I don't pine for it now that it's gone.
So this is where the change starts once i could accept no less than a full launch from bed and into the day, then of course i learned to cope with a swift roll out of bed, a roll and now my vigor starts about 15 minutes after I rise.
So now trips to the gym are all about maintenance, but I don't know if any significant vitality will return.
I guess I'll see in about a month.

Health & Age

2009-09-17T21:19:00.003+10:00

So now I have crossed another border, my body begins to show cracks from the wear and tear of my experiences.
I have done many things in my time that could have killed me ... Bungee jumping, brawling... that time I jumped my bike over some trash cans and landed face first in a patch of rose bushes... I think I have always considered the consequences before I leaped in but the one things I didn't was simply aging. I know, I know, I'm not that old, I really think I counted on a "death by misadventure" not a slow withering, fading away.
No matter how active we stay none shall be exempt from the ravages of time!
So now I have had a medical procedure that is the portal between ages so is my body now in retrograde?
Is it all down hill from here?
I continue to go to the gym, not to chase youth or even health the pursuit is the same ... clarity, balance.... I just never thought the game would run this long!
So "live fast , die young... leave a pretty corpse... maybe not but at least I'm still pretty.... pretty old!

Which way to America?

2009-06-20T03:18:00.002+10:00

Mom's apple pie, baseball, summer BBQ's, democracy, freedom.

I'm am always surprised by the things that people believe America is, what it means to them, or more to the point the things that their unique perspectives leave out.

Through my travels I have been made aware of so many different opinions on Americans & America that seem so disparate to the America I know that at times I have been unsure if the opinion giver was speaking about the country I know.

I have often found myself attempting to geographically clarify the country in question when confronted with information that is not familiar.

Do you mean... America?

The United States?

The country wedged between Mexico and Canada?

Oh... you mean... the government!

Ahh... well that's quite a different thing then!

In every country I have ever visited I have had, at some point the same, almost word for word conversation... the one where a citizen feels he/she must correct a "commonly held myth" they think I might believe is true, even though I think, I present as a well spoken, educated individual, they still feel that I must be told that Kangaroos don't bounce the streets, or there are no such thing as "Drop Bears”, that New Zealand does in fact have electricity & cities, or that there is more to Japanese people & culture than some might expect, I have even had a New Yorker explaining that New York isn’t as dangerous as it seemed (Hey…I spent a big chunk of my life in New York!) as if I had been magically transported to their beautiful, amazing & complex countries, spontaneously without the time to collect any information before arriving, as a conscientious traveller like myself always does.

True we are ALL unique however more often than not we are not very original and so it is that in every location I am, the “thing” that I carry with me.... however what that “thing” is depends upon whos lookin at me.

I have been at times, the “american” or American or Gringo Negro? … Really? Sepo, Yank, even “Black Fella” I suppose I am all and none of these.

Memories

2009-05-24T23:26:00.001+10:00

Just stumbled on a few old friends on Facebook.
Brought back a lot of old memories of the "hometown"A place I tried like hell to get away from and for the most part have made few returns to.
There was never much connection between me and my contemporaries but I must admit that seeing a few old pics gave me a wave of nostalgia.
surely there must be something I can take for this!

New Life at SerndipiTea

2009-04-08T17:05:00.005+10:00

So it's been a while since I last posted ...
It has been a very busy time a new gig bringing SerendipiTea to a new market, days filled with new prospects and new people to talk tea with.
Building a business from the ground up even with the help and support of SerendipiTea America has been a very rough job.
Even with a product as good as SerendipiTea it has it's down times, the great thing is that it's always new ... and the bad thing is ... that it's always new !
Still I get enough buzz when I run across someone that has no idea how great and diverse the world of tea can be ... that look when it clicks that you can do more than just Black & Green tea!
White teas?
Tisanes?
Chocolate Tea!??
Yes Virginia there is a wide world of flavour!
For now ... it's a great position to be in... so everyday I'll get up and dance the dance with anyone that can hear the music... and I won't worry about the tone deaf.

Nuff Said!

New Items At My Cafepress Shop

2008-07-21T09:43:00.003+10:00

Well this time at my Cafepress shop I have put up some cheeky QR codes on my T's. (more coming soon)

Now that the use of QR is becoming more known here in Australia I think they may do well. I love the idea of QR codes displaying a message that can only be read by the few bold enough to come up to the wearer and scan the image with their mobile phone.

Who knows it may bring a few people together!

So get out your code reader and check EM' out!

Here's a thing that actually works!

2008-03-27T15:28:00.002+11:00

This little sponge looks like a Smal bit of Styrofoam but it is sooo much more!

I'm not into talking up products that work or otherwise but I Simply had to say something about this one!

No goop No solvents Just water and elbow grease!

I even took it out to my car to see if it could remove the paint left behind after some bastard clipped it in a parking lot ...and it took it right off !

Spectacular!

I don't know how it works. ...but I know it works!

Listen... just go out and get it or if you know me ...I'll Send you one ... I don't have this many stains.

Balloons over me

2008-02-09T17:28:00.001+11:00

Balloons over me, originally uploaded by Monk Peabody.

I guess it's balloon season cause for the last two weeks I have staryed my day with this sight over head. Really of all the things that could be hanging over my head ... Balloons are

Another Trip?

2007-12-24T23:03:00.000+11:00

The Great ocean road is one of the state of Victoria's major draws , hundreds of kilometers of curvy roads and coastline ... what's not to love?

I took on all the winding roads in "the company's" Viva wagon, nice little ride...
anyway the last trip was a great opportunity to see the blow hole, 12 apostles and the rest.
I think next up to mount Dandenong and maybe get some nature shots. this time I'll go up in my zippy new thingy.

Today it's all about Captures!

2007-11-04T01:23:00.001+11:00

I don't know about you... but when I've had a hard week the first thing I think about is taking the edge off!

That Can mean a different thing on any day. . .

Today it means a longish drive to an undisclosed location to take pics an maybe a visit to a friend that needs a show of support. So batteries charged... and eyes se + to observe, I head off to the great eastern expanse 40 minutes from Melbourne.

As per usual true pics will show on flickr. . .

http://www.flickr.com/photos/monkpeabody

Always what you need

2007-10-31T00:02:00.001+11:00

The thing about travel is that if you are willing to let it happen... you will find that you'll always get what you need. . . maybe not what you want.

For example... I had hoped that somewhere along true road I would run into Lauren Bacall that has never happened, but from time to time I stumble info a great little cafe or restaurant... and who's to say which has more value?

Sometimes a good meal lasts longer than the sweetest kiss from your greatest ideal... make no mistake I'd do many things to meet that goddess but for tonight... one great meal will do!

Blog Action Day

2007-10-15T15:45:00.000+10:00

So here it is Blog Action Day a day when bloggers from around the world post on one subject ...
The environment.
This is a subject that means a lot to me as I run a eco-sustainable business here in Melbourne, but this is not the main reason I feel strongly about this issue...

As a New Yorker I know how important it is to protect our ecosystem (if only due to the lack of it in my hometown) Fragile, delicate and beautiful our ecosystem is what makes the parts of this earth as breathtakingly spectacular as they are , but don't get me wrong I am not one that says "save the earth" cause the fight is to save ourselves, the earth don't need us, in fact a very strong case could be made that it is trying to expel us as we would a viral infection.... It is our own selfish actions that have brought us here to the brink and the truth is that the earth would be much better off without us!
However the whole self preservation thing will never let that happen.

It was in Western Australia that the truth about conservation, Reuse, and Recycling began to make sense , when I first set foot in Perth I was struck by the cleanliness of the city, and the way people actually cared.
A few trips north, south, east, and west (Rottnest island, penguin and some others) and I got it
why people are so protective of the untouched areas of this planet ... simply cause it is so beautiful!
The elegance of this ecosystem is not seen when it is trying to keep pace with what we are doing to it it is only when it is allowed to work without our interference that the genius of it can be seen.... get out there and watch it work it'll bring a tear to your eye.

Nuff said

The New & Improved AusPen Website

2007-06-24T21:13:00.000+10:00

Ok ... Here it is.
I try not to do this too much but hey I want you to drop by the new website check out the blog newsletter, online buying and the res.
So the new website is up and running, fly on over and lets us know what you think.

AusPen and the road to here

2007-06-04T13:19:00.000+10:00

The road to here... Well if I have been on the road to somewhere in the past months this is what I've been travelling in.

My loverly Holden VIVA!

My family and friends so far away have requested a look at my vehicle so here it tis'.

Manual transmission (the ONLY way to drive), wagon, I'm sure there are lots of other specs I could quote but in the vast land down here... the only thing that matters is freedom baby.

The winner is Sid-da-nee!

2006-11-11T22:57:00.000+11:00

Ah the trip to Sydney was just what the doctor ordered

Trampin' round shopping and taking pics K was with me although I did most of the walking alone

I think we had the all time oddest hotel experience a littleplace, under the onramp to the bridge with a very uncommon group running the place

Now that I have a new digi cam I can take all the pics of Sydney that I should've taken over the years.

We had a lot of great meals and lots of great conversation.

Back to the start

2006-11-03T01:25:00.000+11:00

This weekend it is time to go back to the start.
yes I know I have been back to sydney a few times ... but this time it will be different.
This time my life is in a different place... and this time it is purely for fun!
Friend Bill is throwing a big shindig for his partner... wait for it... a fancy dress party, that's costume party for those from the other hemispere, and the theme... cross dressing!
men as women , women as men. I have not given it much thought but I'll have to put something together, as for "K" I don't know what she's gonna do maybe we'll be the only two not in drag.

A new look at some old problems

2006-10-22T23:02:00.000+10:00

It's now been several weeks since I started with AusPen it has been an eye opening experience.
Just like my time in Australia there really isn't any new information it's just the shape of the information that is different.
For all the faults and short sightedness it is still a good gig.
Considering some of the things I've been involved in AusPen could be the cleanest... let's hope it last a good long time, and becomes swollen with profit!

New Job : Week 1

2006-09-07T01:59:00.000+10:00

So what will the new job bring?

A change of fortune?

New opportunities?

Certainly a change of scenery, now that I am based in the slightly remote and oddly pronounced suburb of Malvern (Mul-vin).

Hey it's good clean work that will allow me to do a few other things I feel are important, all leading to a richer, fuller, and more prosperous me!

Walking in Melbourne

2006-08-29T02:16:00.000+10:00

I still remember the first time I drove into Melbourne, and how I thought it was like the emerald city of another OZ.
Even now when I walk through I still feel lucky to live here.
When I called NYC home the thing that got me through the rough patches was a long walk through the city, that is one of the few activities that has made the antipodean translation

This week...

2006-08-23T22:46:00.002+10:00

The last gig with the Resignators ia looming on the horizon. Yes a little sad.

Gonna work hard all week to make it the best it can be it's been fun but it's time to work on my own thing.

A couple of nights out this week Jazz @ Thursday's, The 5 Venoms & Bittersweet Kicks @ the Ding Dong Lounge & a day of recording.

Whoo I'm tired already.

Oh and let's not forget a visit to my new tattooist.

Blogged with Flock

July 4th

2006-07-04T01:58:00.000+10:00

Happy Independance Day!

Remember what it all means!

Are we there yet? Myth, Hype and Life on a Blue-Green Petri Dish

2006-06-20T17:05:00.001+10:00

Ahhh... The human condition! It'll kill us all!

Click the link above!

Public Art: Melbourne

2006-06-02T02:47:00.000+10:00

Societies through all time have tried to inspire the imagination of the population by placing works of art in its public spaces. Some have excelled at the art of public art, ancient, Greece, Rome & Egypt among others have left some of man’s greatest works of public art for us to enjoy through many millennia.
Today in our modern cities this tradition lives on, but in many instances the public art we now enjoy has become less public and subject to more artistic self – indulgence, less thought provoking and more statement, but even in present times art speaks volumes about our societies.
Australia has a devotion to public art that traces its origin back to the British model, although with more utilitarian, socialist leanings. As a whole Australia’s public art seems quite standard, ordinary, sane & rational. Tributes to those that have fallen in war & historical heroes abound, whimsical art dedicated to Australia’s cultural icons are well known through such works as South Australia’s Big Galah & Queensland’s Big pineapple and the many others in what I call the “big” series dotted across Australia.
Works of public art weather they are tributes or whimsical statements speak for themselves, there is no explanation necessary. They may provoke thought or inspire a giggle, simple… but in some cities such as Melbourne, public art leans toward the obtuse, and enigmatic. Even the placement of some of Melbourne’s public art is hard to justify. Or so it would seem at first glance. Shouldn’t public art be accessible to the public?
Melbourne has a history concerning the movement of public art deemed unacceptable & art that was considered obtuse even to Melburnian sensibilities, one notable example being the removal of a work that consisted of 50 or more multi coloured, 10 to 40 foot long “pick –up sticks” that no one could comprehend. There was a minor uproar behind that one, but I see it as a symbol of the cities devotion to public art and in the love of public art some mistakes are to be expected.
In a town like Melbourne that has given itself over to art in public spaces, (and it has given itself totally.) Literally every street and laneway is crowded with art, both permanent and temporary, there are examples of how it can all come together… such as the odd square cow in a tree created by John Kelly and titled simply… “Cow up a tree” located in the area known as “The Docklands”. This work is curious at first sight but the reason for it becomes clearer if you know the stories of a certain flood in Gippsland, Victoria, the resting place of an unfortunate cow once the water had receded & the work of a WW2 camouflage artist who created papier-mache, airstrip concealing cows meant to fool Japanese bombers. Put these two stories together and you get the inspiration of the artist, now to me, that’s the point of public art to inspire and inform.

Eurobeat-A parody of eurovision?

2006-05-22T00:11:00.000+10:00

Those of you that have ever sat through a telecast of the Eurovision song contest will know how redundant a stage parody of this yearly musical extravaganza seems, but none the less Australian comic Glynn Nicholas & his production company have come up with one, and lucky me & Kate got hold of two tickets to see a premiere performance at the Crown Casino here in Melbourne.

Eurobeat: Almost Eurovision sends up the world's kookiest yearly musical event, with hilarious results.

Years ago Glynn Nicholas staged a play called "Kissing Frogs" which combined music, mime, drama and so much more, it was my great pleasure to see it in Perth at a great old theatre in Subiaco, and I can tell you that even years later the memory of it still makes me chuckle.
This man is a gifted comic despite his appearance in that dreadful piece of film "Strange Bedfellows" that starred Paul Hogan and now he has toured his formidable comic wit to crafting a new show based on Eurovision and although you might think that every joke that could be told about that bazaar European song contest had been told Mr Nicholas & company have found a way to make it funny and entertaining as well as coming up with no less than 12 very funny, original tunes.

The cast is made up of some very talented singers and dancers , they must be very talented because it takes a heap of skill to sing such bad songs so well.
From the gibberish filled "entry" from Hungary 'Apro Madarakkai' By the Molnar Sisters to the show stopping 'I'm Sarajevo...(Taste Me)' which includes the singing and talents of the entire cast and is stunningly lead by Julia Zemiro as show host Bronya & her ever so clingy PVC body suit, GRRRR!

Not to give to much away but they have set the very fictional Eurobeat song contest in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

If your in Australia while it's running check it out.

Another great Showtime series I missed the beginning of

2006-04-27T14:53:00.001+10:00

From time to time I seem to black out on the showtime channel, I did it a while back when Deadwood
was showing.
And now I have bounced in on the middle of Sleeper Cell.
This is another eye opening series from Showtime all the nonsense about "the enemy is here" not withstanding it is mostly an opportunity to glimpse at Muslims in America and America's reaction to them.
Although it is fiction (and we should all keep that in mind) there is still a lot of information to be had.
Thank goodness it's on Showtime... So it will be shown over again.

Commonwealth Games Melbourne 2006

2006-03-25T23:32:00.000+11:00

The commonwealth games provide a chance for all the nations that have been colonized by England to compete like for her love like the neglected children of a dispassionate mother.
Well that's one way to see it ... but for me it is an opportunity to take in lots of events and concerts put on for all the extra visitors in Melbourne.
The big draw has been the floating installation along the Yarra river.
These floats were a major part of the opening ceremonies when they were rigged to spout water and fireworks to a score featuring the church's song "Under the milky-way" (orchestral version)
The floats represent the many types of sea life found in the oceans around the countries of the commonwealth.
I have to admit they are nice.
The whole city has come alive with people events and have given many Melburnians a first look at parts of this city that they seldom visit. Like these fantastic bells in Birrung Marr.
I believe they were a gift to Australia from the Swiss government.
They ring in a melodious sequence and are controlled by computer.
And here's something I didn't even know was going on ... some kind of over-lit super tram running along Flinders street... Cool!

I do love Melbourne - First Photocast

2006-03-22T14:36:00.000+11:00

There seems to be a new advancement every day on the net.
I like the Idea of "photocasting"
A couple of pics a few off the cuff comments and badda bing ... you got a blog posting!
Take a look if you like this sort of thing.

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I still call Australia home

2006-03-06T01:44:00.000+11:00

I have made a study of my life in Australia and my travels around it, through it, over it and every other which way.
Stories from immigrants that have been here 1 year to 30 years and have come from all over the planet, fastinating stories of how they came to be here and why they have stayed.
Some have struggled bucked against their new environment and some have hardly noticed the change of geography, as one that has struggled to come to terms with just what it is that keeps me here I am always searching for another perspective.
I have always felt that I arrived missing ... something.
For years it felt like part of my natural personality had gone missing like lost luggage, not that I felt uncomfortable more like I felt Too comfortable.
I think for a while I was waiting for the other shoe to drop... waiting for something unpleasent to happen, waiting for the entire country to show it's true colours.
Silly, I know, but for me without the immediacy of my city, things fell apart, and made little sense to me.
For some time I struggled to understand the way this place moved and reacted, because that is the information that mattered most in NYC, that rippling effect that brings ... opportunity.
When I was a New Yorker I could feel it... it was palpable.
Opportunity was a three dimensional thing, but for me here it was elusive, ineffable, formless and impossible to predict.
I began to think that it was simply my inability to understand the motivations behind the situations I was part of... the fault lay not in my stars ...but in myself, to paraphrase a great writer.
Why was it that with the stakes so high... was I hearing... "She'll be right on the night" (and don't tell me no one says that... I assure you they still do.) From family, friends... band mates.
No matter how often I heard it... I could never believe it.
No ... to my mind It certainly would not be right unless there was much preparation before the night.
That colloquialism and many others have me confused to this day, partly because I have heard it used by the hard working and prepared the tragically ill prepared.
I have been seen as an outsider on so many occasions ( and from time to time have played that role) but the truth is I have always wanted to do my bit here, to contribute to engage because I do call Australia home.
And the rest of the world too!

Jester, comic, entertainer & more

2006-02-21T09:48:00.000+11:00

You know I have always loved comedy, Pryor, Carlin, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and all the rest.
When I got to Australia in 92' while nursing myself through a wicked case of jet lag on April 1st I happened on a comic that had been gracing the tele screens in Australia... Mr Bert Newton!
From the first bit I knew this guy had the stuff, he brought to mind Youngman, Burns and all the other burlesques/Catskill comics, but what was this guy doing on morning television?
I was surprised when I began to tell people about my fondness of this comic that they did not agree ... I had come at a time when he was considered... Well I'm not sure... Maybe corny which he certainly isn't.
Nowadays 'Bert' is enjoying a career high, strange to say that about a guy that has been on Australian T.V. for something like 20 years!
In my eyes this guy can do no wrong wiyh a joke but I still don't understand what he was doing with that American bloke (Don Lane) a while back.

I was gone but now I'm back!

2006-02-16T11:16:00.000+11:00

Due to so many things ...
Moving house, net connection down, and other things, I have been unable to make posts on a regular basis.
But now with the new home settleing , and my precious connection back I will be posting more than ever.
If there is anyone out there stay tuned.

The Humble Desert Boot

2006-01-25T01:48:00.000+11:00

Holland has wooden clogs, Afganistan has those crazy upturned toes skin boots and Australia has the amasingly comfortable and sublimely functional civilian Desert boot!
When I first ventured out into the wilds of Western Australia I was wearing a pair of quite comfortable but "bush useless" Nike, neoprene beach shoes and as I was living in the darlington hills outside of Perth It was clear that I needed gear that fit my new environment... Notthat I was going to do a hell of a lot of bush-walking.
That's where the desert boot walked into my life.
Absolutely eveyone here has had a pair, and for many more reasons besides the comfort factor.
The elastic gusset, heavy duty pull tabs, steel toe hey this boot has it all.
The DB has come to represent to me the continuous blurring & melding of my cultural identity.
Just like my unconscious adoption of the words "Reckon", "Bloody" & "Tamaaato" the DB has become part of my identity.

#5 The capuccino strip: The king and I and relative inertia

2006-01-19T02:20:00.000+11:00

Sometimes under the right set of circumstances in the right place it is possible for the immutable laws of time & space to be… well… muted.
There is a place in Western Australia where the social atmosphere is so lethargic… no lethargic is not strong enough a word.
The atmosphere is static.
This place calls out to personalities from all places far and wide from all walks of life to come and sit at the wobbly tables and sip liquids hot & cold from small glass containers.
All those that visit Perth must spend at least a season at the street café tables there pulled in by the scent of coffee beans and chocolate and then trapped by a bazaar twisted law of physics that that states that a body in motion must rest and stay at rest till another force moves it, that force is more often than not an appointment at the dole office, add to that a black hole like gravitational pull and you can begin to understand that force of nature know as “the cappuccino strip” in the tiny and overtly friendly hamlet of Fremantle, Western Australia.
For a while I was friend and band mate to the undisputed king of the cappuccino strip I won’t name him here but if you have ever spent anytime on the strip you are no doubt familiar with this legendary coffee lover and drummer. Even with my most regal companion the inertia of the place was still unescapable.
Now before I go on let me make it clear that I have a deep and profound love for that part of the world… I made a lot of friends and made a lot of music there, in fact I learned a lot about myself there, cultural inertia will do that for you.
It is a strange fact that although there were great periods of inactivity there were equal bursts of energy and frenetic activity.
I learned so many things in my musical adventures with the “king” & his twin brother the archduke of blue, more than they will ever know. It was well worth the payment they took.
So # 5 of the 20 things I’ve learned from living in Australia… You can be standing still but still be in motion.

Bad feed

2005-12-30T18:59:00.000+11:00

Oh my, oh my! My feed has been all wrong on this site!
I've got it fixed now, here's hoping some of you will take up the feed now that it is fixed.
Just click the lil' orange thingy.

#4 of 20 things

2005-12-30T14:55:00.000+11:00

#4 of 20 things I’ve learned from living in Australia

That’s not a blowfly… This is a blowfly!

Of all the things that are not commonly known about Australia, one of the most horrible secrets is the truth about blowflies.
If you come from a place like I did where the ecosystem is all but dead, and has been for most of my living memory, then you may find this a disturbing post.
From the moment that I touched down in Sydney there has been one natural force that has been with me day in and day out, with the exception of a week here or there, during the change of seasons, one very annoying, if not malevolent force that plagues us all here…
The Aussie blowfly!
The bane of the Aussie Barbie, able to fly into any human orifice with the speed and precision of a space age laser, yes my friends it is sad to say but true these flying parasites all but rule the Aussie landscape.
To be sure the battle has been long and hard fought, and many countermeasures have been developed from the low tech “Aussie salute” to Bug zappers but they just keep coming!
We have met the enemy… and we are his!
In Western Australia to walk in the summer (and it’s always summer) is the have a constant battle with the blowfly population.
I’m sure the gesture that is referred to as the “Australian salute” began there.
The ‘salute’ is a repetitive gesture that has almost no effect, waving one hand back and forth trying to prevent the inevitable event of a ‘blowie’ landing on your lips, in your mouth or buzzing your ears.
I have seen, while bush walking, blowflies so thick on the back of the person in front of me that even the pattern on their T-shirt is obscured.
Of course some people just give up, and let the flies come and go as they please, landing where they will, others, myself among them battle constantly, erecting screens, hanging thingies, buying zappers, sprays, repellents and all that just to keep from being over run.
We shall fight them on the beaches…

3 of the 20 things... A Burger with the lot!

2005-12-30T12:13:00.000+11:00

#3 of the 20 things …

What you get when you order a burger with the lot.

There are many things about Australia that still confound and confuse me, for one the use of the word “late”. You wouldn’t think this to be too confusing… and in some cases it has the same meaning as it would in any American city. For example, a work related usage “Sorry I’m late” or a personal usage you might hear probably but hope you won’t, “Oh my god… I’m late!” these are quite normal and easy to understand, but in some cases this simple word can be as unknowable as the stars.
One such case is in relation to a businesses hours of operation, many times I have called a business or enquired in person hoping to learn just when the doors would shut for the day and have received the answer I have come to dread… “We’ll be open till …late”.
Late?
How late?
I mean, if I get there at 1 is that too late?
How about Midnight?
That’s late to a lot of people.
It’s not only in conversation that this can be a problem, frequently you will see a sign that says “Friday and Saturday we are open till late”
I can’t tell you how many times I have showed up at a bar, club, restaurant only to find it closed.
I had arrived …too late.
This is just a simple case of a description not being specific enough.
I’ve found as a New Yorker living in Australia it pays to be really specific in all things.
While it is true that we share a common language… our definitions can be quite different.

Back in the early 90’s when I’d first arrived in Western Australia (yes, Virginia there is a Western Australia!) I found that after the long drive from gigs (there was always a long drive) I could find very few places to get a quick feed after midnight to help me wind down, there were a few places though that were open till late, I think that it was on one of these after gigs that I discovered what a burger with “the lot” is.
Now I’m not an idiot, so I was familiar with the phrase “Give me a burger with everything!” although I have never used it myself, but even back in NYC when I heard someone make that request it was understood that they didn’t actually mean everything!
What is meant of course is everything that should go on a burger and not the entire contents of the kitchen.
This I have found is not a distinction Australian burger makers do not make.
So what do you do when presented with a burger with lettuce, onion, tomato, tomato sauce, mayo, mustard, a fried egg, a ring of pineapple, and a slab of beetroot?
Perhaps a dry heave is not the polite response… but it works for me.
Beetroot!
Who eats beetroot, and what’s a ring of pineapple doing on a burger?
Nowadays, even McDonalds & Hungry Jacks (Burger King) make versions of the Aussie Burger, but like Vegemite it’s just not for me.
In my experience there are some things that should remain in the pantry … un-opened you know that old can of corn, a couple of boxes of Jell-O, mint sauce, that can of sliced beets that has been in there since grandmas visit in 1979.
I won’t even comment on the egg… that, of course is just … wrong!
The combination may change a bit from state to state but the one constant is beetroot.
All that stuff and there’s never a pickle… I’d kill for a good Dill pickle.

#2 of the 20 things I’ve learned from living in Australia

2005-12-24T22:49:00.000+11:00

#2 of the 20 things I’ve learned from living in Australia

It’s hard to get killed here… but it is possible

From the moment I first walked the streets of Sydney I noticed some things that I have always had a hard time reconciling with my experience as a New Yorker, for one… why are cops so nice? I still remember the first time I took a walk outside alone along the “Mean Streets” of Dee Why, NSW, and happened to meet two uniformed officers. These two were walking the suburban beat on foot, and as they came up the hill towards me I had that old feeling I used to get at home in those times I found myself walking in a neighbourhood that found me … unfamiliar.
And those situations back home, I remember feeling eyes following me from the windows of the houses I passed and I could almost hear the 3 buttons on many telephones being pressed over and over… paranoia? Maybe, but I didn’t get that feeling while walking the streets of Dee Why, but still deep in me I felt that a meeting on these lovely, tree-lined streets with two officers of the law was not going to be a good thing. How wrong I was!
Maybe I began to feel anxious as they approached because I know what every person that can be …hmmm… lets say… ‘Profiled’ knows… sometimes the police are just another gang to contend with, a really big gang, and sure they have better uniforms and epaulets, and as a gang, they are often subject to that special brand of group mentality that can be very dangerous. As I was saying, as these two officers approached I prepared to answer the usual questions, “Do you live around here?” maybe… “Do you have any I.D.?” but instead as I neared them they simply parted to let me pass, and the male of the two actually doffed his hat and smiled! As I stood there looking confused, they turned back and to my further surprised with true concern they asked if I needed any help. Well… it was truly a strange new world!
This made me wonder just how nice Australians really were and just how helpful Australian cops were. I decided to play the helpless American tourist and get detailed instructions to the Manly wharf and further to the ferry that would take me to Sydney.
I believe that these two nice officers would’ve escorted me to the ferry and made sure I was on my way safely, they were that nice.
Flash forward a few years…
Now I’m a veteran immigrant with a in depth knowledge of quite a few Australian cities and a general understanding of the people and society and really feeling quite good about it all, if not so sure about my place in it. In fact after a few years in Oz I began to feel quite detached from the violent nature of New York and America, I mean outside of a couple of almost comical mugging attempts in Sydney and Perth it was smooth sailing… until… one dark day while reading “The Australian” newspaper I came across a story about a hapless American sailor that was stabbed and killed in a Adelaide pub, I remember thinking, well how did this situation go down, even in Adelaide, as I read more I saw that this sailor had the same name as my childhood friend, a guy I’d played high school football with and shared countless memories with.
Of course it was my bud.
As I absorbed this terrible information, I thought back to the amazing number of foolish scraps he and I had been involved in over the years, any one of which could’ve resulted in one or both of us being killed.
How is it that we could both come to Australia with identical backgrounds and have such vastly different experiences?
Up until that day I thought it near impossible for someone like myself that had grown up in a quite savage city to get killed in Australia… but it is possible.

#1 of the 20 things I've learned from living in Australia

2005-12-22T14:28:00.000+11:00

What comes to mind when you think of Fish & chips?
For me I get memories of the Arthur Treacher’s fish and chips shop, in my hometown.
For those that may not know Arthur Treacher’s is to fish what McDonald’s is to hamburgers… not the real thing… but an incredible simulation.
This fish & chips chain as I remember was famous for their triangular fish portions, they looked a lot like the kind of fish you might find frozen in a box in the frozen section of your local supermarket, and as you would know if you have ever tasted an actual fish that kind of stuff is nowhere near the real thing.
Now you may be as surprised as I am (and perhaps a little dismayed) to hear that this purveyor that brought this major British fast food staple to the Americas and beyond… I’ve just read about a future A.Trecher’s in the Cayman Islands! Just imagine the irony of being on an island surrounded by fish and standing at the counter ordering processed bits of fish from a plant in… well who knows where! It’s just wrong!
Right about know you may be wondering what this has to do with

20 things I’ve learned from living in Australia?

Well… It’s simple really, first on my list, that is in no particular order is… fish and chips and how Australia got it right!

Like most things …and people in Australia the idea of fish & chips is imported.
When I fist arrived in Australia, so many years ago I did not have a fondness for fish & chips, which is understandable, given my experiences with A. Trecher’s and the greasy, bony fish that was on offer in New York and the surrounding area where I grew up, but now, having sampled countless versions of the fish & chips experience I can tell you that not many things can compare to that taste sensation. Battered & fried, grilled or prepared on your own home BBQ. Ya just can’t go wrong!
If you happen to be reading this in England, you may be thinking…
“Mate… you got it all wrong! My local does a bloody good F&C!” and I’m sure they do… but like most things in this world there are many levels that can be attained and the difference can sometimes comes down to Finesse, and I humbly submit that Australia has taken it to the next level.
From the most humble fish and chip shop to the gourmet fish and chippery I have been in them all in my travels across this great sun-burnt land (not so sun-burnt in my case … but you know what I mean) and had it every way … Beer battered, lightly battered, heavy battered, Wasabi battered, grilled on a bed of onions, grilled on coals, every type of fish flake (shark), hake, flounder & the pinnacle fish in my mind…Barramundi.
Don’t get me started on chips ( really, don’t… cause I do go on!) Frozen, fresh, hand cut, julienne, shoe-stringed, hand carved, chunked with skins and without and complemented with tartar, aioli, tomato sauce, ketchup and even cucumber relish.

So… is the ability to get damn fine fish & chips almost anywhere something that a nation should be proud of?
You bet your ass (arse) it is!
You know… now that I think of all the fish & chips I’ve eaten … I really should be a big fat bastard!
#1 of the 20 things I’ve learned from living in Australia
The value of really good Fish & Chips

20 things I've learned from living in Australia

2005-12-22T02:56:00.000+11:00

I've been thinking about this one for a while now...

As unbelievable as it is, even to me I am on the verge of a huge personal landmark...
My 15th year in Australia!

In the past 15 years there have been ups and downs
for sure... But have I learned anything?

You bet your sweet Bippy I have!
(sorry...I've been watching old "Laugh-In" tapes)

...And some of it is actually useful!

So for the next few days I will bring some details of...

*20 Things I've learned from living in Australia!
*(Quite likely more than 20 things the title just has such a catchy ring to it)

Coming soon!

The Silly Season

2005-12-11T11:12:00.000+11:00

Well it's that time again...
The streets are filled with holiday shoppers, the days are warm and the nights are cool, folks are planning their Chrisy barbies.
It's Christmas in Australia!
barely time to post on 1 or 2 blogs and then back out there to pick the rest of the pressies!
here in Melbourne there is a place called Federation square ant this year that is where they have erected the city Xmas tree, not a real tree I think it's aluminium, but Australia has done more than it's share of cutting down real trees in the past so...
Hey... It's not Rockefeller Center but it's nice!

Druids?

2005-11-05T02:35:00.000+11:00

If you had asked me this question a few days ago... "Hey Monk! ...Is there a building or organization devoted to the Druid lifestyle here in Melbourne?

I'm pretty sure I'd have said ..." Uh ... No.

But I would have been wrong!

Public art: Melbourne's urban dream

2005-10-03T10:02:00.000+10:00

In the past I have written about Melbourne's love of obtuse artistic statments, and the seemingly daily additions to the long list of public art installations so here is another.
What is it?
What does it mean?
I really can't say...
what I can say for sure is that it's part of this years Melbourne Fringe Festival and is titled... "Human Momentum". To me it seems to be a number of bamboo shafts connected together to form a rough stucture for children to swing on.
Maybe you can make more of it...

The Making of Melbourne

2005-08-20T00:41:00.000+10:00

Let it be heard throughout the land!

Melbourne is a city that is in the throws of major construction!
Just about every city block has a new construction site, they seem to pop up overnight.
Cranes perched atop high-rise complexes, and new shopping centres, movement everywhere!
There is... as you might suspect some restriction of the natural flow of the city, but I think it will be well worth it in the end.
How many times do we get to see a city rebuild itself into an image it sees in its mind?
The buildings seem to be spat up like some like mountains were long ago when the tectonic plates moved but this time it is the will of the city that creates a new landscape.

Another Go board is listed!

2005-08-14T23:01:00.000+10:00

Here wa go again I have gone into the workshop and come out with another wooden item... this time a Go board!
With the help of " the queen of Ebay" per haps it will find a good home.

band in a bubble

2005-08-06T15:44:00.000+10:00

band bubble
Originally uploaded by Monk Peabody.

You know I have lived through and viewed an incredible amount of activism/media/publicity stunts (as i'm sure you have). From Howard Stern in NYC on St. patrick's day,To Midnight Oil playing on Sixth Ave while someone sabotaged the Exxon fountain, but I have never seen as many truly odd purposeless wastes of promotional $$ as I have in Australia.
This is but one of them.

nick3

2005-08-01T01:40:00.000+10:00

nick3
Originally uploaded by Monk Peabody.

A balcony feature on one of my favorite Buildings in Melbourne.

The skyline

2005-06-21T15:05:00.000+10:00

It took me a long time to get used to this very different skyline!
now I just think it's great!
The emerald city of OZ.

Send in the clowns.... No! please don't!

2005-06-10T01:53:00.000+10:00

There is something magical about circus tents!
I didn't go in because of the clowns!

What The...?

2005-06-10T01:44:00.000+10:00

I saw this @ the BMW edge gallery at Federation square in Melbourne Australia.
It's a mini/cooper shell covered in little rubber circles.
Listen I like art I really do but...

2005-06-05T17:25:00.000+10:00

Sometimes it is all so clear... a still, perfect, afternoon sunshine & lollipops. Australia is beautiful!

Graham Kennedy - The king is dead ... long live the king!

2005-06-02T01:55:00.000+10:00

I have never met the man they called the king of Australian comedy but there is still so much I can say about him.
I guess most importantly... He lives no more.
When I got my first taste of Australian comedy I saw a lot that I found familiar.
In Graham Kennedy, Burt Newton & Ugly Dave Gray I feel the true universal spirit of comedy, irreverent, cheeky & improvisational.
Just like Groucho, Mel Brooks or George Burns they could tell the same joke over and over to the same crowd... and get a laugh everytime!

Monk Peabody Presents "Soul Foot" @ Laundry!

2005-04-27T14:50:00.000+10:00

Well... this Saturday April 30th I will be hosting the first Soul Foot Event at The newly renovated "Laundry" In Fitzroy.
If your in the neighborhood do drop in.
All the good soul music you can handle, and much more!
Get a sitter for the kids... We're going dancing!

It almost happened again!

2005-03-01T00:32:00.000+11:00

It almost happened again!
Not watching where I was going and I almost got tagged by a Tram!
Luckily I looked up at the last moment and got out of the way.
Jeez... this never happened to me in New York!
Guess I have dropped my guard.
Not good at all!
That would be a very embarassing way to go!

The Reluctant Immigrant

2005-01-31T22:17:00.000+11:00

I never thought that I would spend so long away from my beloved NYC.
I have spent my life blissfully in it's shadow, spent the better part of my life walking it's streets.
The late 70's early 80's was the time I had waited for, working all week for the cash to get to the Ritz or CBGB's or anything that was jumpin.
Now after year upon year of living in foreign places I find my love & passion for NY still lives but my life goes on in this place that is so different from home, and in truth home looks quite different from here, the people look different and we all know how much the city has changed, but she still feels the same to me.

Australian X-Factor auditions

2004-12-22T13:56:00.000+11:00

"Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you." -Aldous Huxley

Truth be told I have always had a great affection for George Plimpton in his "paper lion" days.
For those that might not know the late Mr Plimpton was a journalist who, while writing for Sports Illustrated produced a series of articles from the perspective of a "participatory journalist."
Those adventures were and are a very important part of my development, Plimpton's adventures used his ability, (through his intelligence & broad knowledge base) to "fake" his way into some very intense professional sports situations, namely gridiron, baseball & boxing with varying degrees of success these articles in due course led him to produce a number of books written from the same perspective, the most memorable to my mind being "Paper Lion" in which he attempts to secure a spot with the Detroit lions Gridiron side as quarterback.
Curiosity and love of sports could be what led Mr Plimpton to chase these experiences.
For my part I have always been curious, but even in the broadest and most liberal interpretation I cannot be considered a sportsman, but I am a Musician & singer so I thought to myself in the spirit of Mr Plimpton I'd take myself down to the Melbourne auditions for the Australian version of the reality show X-factor.

Now in this age of "Reality Television" it seems that there is a new run of shows airing with each new month urging us to experience their particular brand of reality.
We should all know by now that not one of these productions offers us actual reality as that would be far too boring and besides aren't we all living that already?
Each of these events is structured to distil the essence of reality down to a usable 1hour format.
I, like many of you have thought as each new show popped up... whether it's the hunt for a new pop sensation, corporate mogul or bride/groom...
"Where do they get these people?"
So I loaded up my curiosity, note pad & digital camera and like a new millennium George Plimpton I took myself down to the Melbourne showgrounds to experience the X-factor auditions.
Maybe by the end of the day I will be able to answer the question...
What is the X factor?

The Wait & wait & wait...
I had expected the queue to be extremely long, as with that other talent search program, but the fact was that walk from the gate was much longer that the queue itself, the turnout was a little light.
All in all in seemed like less than 1000 people showed up on the first day of auditions.
As I joined the end of the queue I began to take a look around at my fellow auditioners in the diplomatically named 25+ category, some were working musos some dreamers and still others that had put their dreams on hold until this moment.
Some chatting, warming up, signing the releases production assistants were handing out & some beginning to feel the fear crawl under their skins, all straining at the bit to show that they are in full possession of the x-factor and waiting patiently for their shot.
As we queued we naturally broke off into smaller groups.
To my eyes they were: The passionate, the hopeful & the desperate and of course those that for one reason or another fail to fit into any classification... but we've all seen the blooper reels from these shows.

In small groups we were ushered inside past two tables where we were tagged with numbered X factor wristbands and pointed towards the first waiting room.
A barn-like room filled with row upon row of folding chairs, we were corralled, split off and pointed to sections with banners signifying our designations. "16 -25", "25+" & "Groups"
While we waited for our numbers to be called we were encouraged to join groups in the back of the hall to shoot promos for the shows premiere, there were also roaming camera crews shooting impromptu one on one mini interviews conducted by Chloe the female host of the show (It wasn't till later that I realised that Chloe was the former "just jeans" spokesperson here in Australia) I was one of the few to be interviewed, on the subject of vocal warm-ups and encouraged to sing a bit of something, which I gladly did.
As we sat waiting for our numbers to be called some did vocal warm-ups others had mini jam sessions anything to keep themselves sharp and give their best performances when the time came.
Periodically there were CD giveaways & performances by many of the hopefuls arranged by the crew.
As I sat there waiting, taking snaps & mini vid camera and watching the many that came back rejected I thought to myself that although it was curiosity that brought me to the audition my vanity wanted me to do well.
I had decided to sing a Sam Cooke tune, "Bring it on home to me" not a tune that plays to today's pop sensibilities but I sing it well and thought it would go down a treat.
Hours passed and it was my turn to step into the little audition room I had watched so many emerge from in defeat, I walked in, stood on my mark in front of two production assistants that looked as weary as the auditioners, opened my mouth to sing...
I think I got through most of a verse...
Before I heard...
"Thank you we won't be letting you through."
Well there it was, I did my thing and they did not believe I possessed that elusive x factor.
Whatever it is.
If you want the answer I guess you'll have to wait until the show airs but don't get your hopes up for big answers.
For my part all I can say of my experience is...
"Reality...What a concept!"

The Vegemite Conversion Kit

2004-08-27T01:35:00.000+10:00

-The secret to business success is finding a hole in the market and filling it with a ridiculously high priced product that has little or no real value-
"A graduate of some American business school"

Any Australian will tell you how ridiculous it is to believe that every Australian has a pet kangaroo, that Steve Irwin & Crocodile Dundee are typical Aussies or that Most Australians ingest on a daily basis a dark, sticky, yeast based, foul smelling paste... Sorry that last one is actually true.
Vegemite...For decades Vegemite has been a basic staple of the Australian diet. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, Australians love the stuff. (Brits too, but sometimes it's Promite or Marmite I've tried them all and I can't make any distinction)

The way I heard it... it was discovered years ago by brewers who were trying to keep Australians supplied with beer and I imagine because of the incredible workload & responsibility involved with creating "liquid gold" they found just enough time to scrape their bread on the bottom of the barrels and feed on the thick yeasty residue that had collected there.
A tradition was born!
But the rich & sticky history of the mighty mite does not stop there.

The way I heard it... During World War II there was a legendary incident involving two German spies that had been painstakingly trained to impersonate Australians by the greatest minds German intelligence could assemble.
Their ingenious plan nearly succeeded! The two spies had managed to secure positions at the very heart of the Allied military intelligence structure, until during an innocent breakfast meeting all their training came undone.
During that breakfast one of the two did what they warned & trained not to do.
Without thinking, he ate a piece of toast smeared with Vegemite that was ironically there to make the two "Australian" officers feel at home.
Even with all his training there was no way he could hide his revulsion.
In that moment the course of WWII was changed.

Now in 2004, a time when Australia is accepting a great number of foreign-born citizens that have been politically displaced and come to Oz looking for freedom.
Middle easterners, Africans...Americans, who are unable to join in that core breakfast ritual of vegemite and toast and through that, solidify their assimilation into Australian society.
This sad condition would have continued if it were not for the tireless efforts of an Ex-Pat American visionary who longed to devise a way to make Vegemite (the food 90% of the world's starving millions would refuse to eat) palatable.
The process is nothing short of revolutionary but very secret.
All I can really tell you is that it involves soybeans, simple sugars and it erases every positive nutritional element that exists in Vegemite.
As is the case with most American innovations it addresses a surface issue, does some real damage and ignores all the substance.
Putting those small deficits aside never again will an American have to explain why he cant eat Vegemite.
Finally... we can all be happy little Vegemites!

"The Espy"

2004-08-16T18:53:00.000+10:00

I have no idea what has taken me so long to upload a picture of one of Melbourme's most extrordinary rock venues.
Ladies & gentleman I submit for your approval The Esplanade Hotel!
Affectionately known as "The Espy" If you came to melbourne and shomehow did'nt get there ... Get your ass (arse) back on a plane and correct your mistake!
Is it special? Don't know that's way too subjective for this patron.
It does have all you would expect,Rockin bands, dark corridors, sticky floors, decades old beer smell... in other words... history!
Just like any venue, it don't look like much, just a crispy candy shell, but wait till you taste the gooey, nutty center center! MMMMM! Good!

2004-05-15T17:22:00.000+10:00

A city has history, and history can leave some behind. In Melbourne Australia, on Swanston Street just a short drunken stagger from Flinders street station, there is a beautiful building. Or once was beautiful. If the light is right and you care to see it the beauty is still there.

Flinders Street Station.

2004-05-15T03:16:00.000+10:00

Every city needs a landmark!
And this is a damn fine one.
The station was built in the 1800's if you want to know more...click the link.

Summer vacation

2004-05-12T03:20:00.000+10:00

It's been a long summer vacation in Australia, 12 years by my count. And I'll tell you it's been a wild ride.
Come on in, and I'll tell you a story!
A story with more stupidity than a day in congres.
more banal than a Hollywood blockbuster
and more regret than a Greek tragedy!

It all started in New York, as most good stories do.
Just after the first gulf war, that the first Bush started. I was working triple duty.
By day i was a jeweler, by night working on a recording project for H.S. with M.B. and on-call for M.B. as guitar tech/audio engineer/go-fer/guitar student/conscience... the list goes on and on!
Lots goin' on... and i was LOVIN' it!
I was working in my creative zone, stimulated and open. I was tired, but happy.

Backstory:
Just two or so years before I was involved in a car wreck that landed me flat on my back, in a full body cast for over a year. And when I got out... I wanted Sex, positive stimulus and SEX!
I know i said sex twice!
A whole year!!!

And then...
In steps the woman! Well, there's always a woman isn't there? For me she was no ordinary woman, so different!
She: White-Australian.
Me: Black- American
She: Just under 6 feet tall
Me: 5'6" or so if i don't slouch
She: love the Bush
Me: Love the city
Well... you get the idea.
I met her at a party my brother was giving at our apartment. I wasn't even going to stay at the party, I would have been the only straight person there and as i said earlier... and SEX! Anyway... I was getting ready to make my exit when...
There she stood, shocking red hair, green halter-neck flower patterned ball gown and green doc martin boots.
I had to have her!

TBC

Go Boards & Go Group

2004-05-11T12:10:00.000+10:00

New hand made Go board. Made from Australian hardwoods w/hand carved, leather-inlayed lines.

My Kind of Town

2004-05-11T10:26:00.000+10:00

Good old Melbourne!
Melbourne is a beautiful city!
It is no mystery to me why it has been voted the worlds most livable city.
Art & culture are truly given a fair go here, it seems that as soon as you've recovered from one event there is another looming on the horizon.
From Burke Street to Bundoora there's something for everyone, just remember it's Australia...so keep your voice down.
This city has life!

What's on yer mind?

2004-05-11T10:11:00.000+10:00