Send your action figure on a tour of Italy
Have you ever wanted to go on a tour or Italy, but could never find the time? Well, why not send your barbie doll or garden gnome instead? My friend Doug is auctioning “a trip of a lifetime for your … Continue reading
Thunder, Lightning, Strike — The Go! Team
Half bouncy and exciting, half pleasant and inconsequential. Like so much in life. This album isn’t as good as I was expecting. About half the tracks sound like instrumental fillers from indie pop albums; they’re all worth a listen, but … Continue reading
Democracy — Michael Frayn
This absorbing drama follows the rise and fall of the man who brought down the Berlin Wall. Well, perhaps I am overstating things, but Willy Brandt, West German Chancellor in the early ’70s, was a crucial figure in the years … Continue reading
Over My Dead Body — Mona Hatoum
I went to see the Mona Hatoum exhibition “Over My Dead Body” at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art on the weekend. I had seen some of her work before, at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art several years ago. … Continue reading
Sideways
Two friends take a road trip through the wine country of California. One is trying to escape his past; the other is trying to escape his future. They meet a couple of women who open their eyes to the possibility … Continue reading
Want One — Rufus Wainwright
The first two songs on this album are so good that I can’t even remember what the rest of it is like. Rufus Wainwright’s music had never really appealed to me before: what I had heard seemed a bit too … Continue reading
Auckland — New Zealand
We spent Christmas in Auckland. The weather in Auckland is often a bit variable, even in the middle of summer. But even when it rained, our view remained quite lovely. Continue reading
Jazz in the Park — Vaucluse House
Live jazz, fine weather, snacks and drinkies – just another evening in Sydney. Last night we went to Jazz in the Park, held annually by Sydney’s Historic Houses Trust in historic Vaucluse House. We sat on the grass, nibbled, drank … Continue reading
Art in the Gardens — Royal Botanic Gardens
The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney is a beautiful and friendly public garden. It’s currently hosting an interesting exhibition. I haven’t really have time to investigate, but the theme seems to be integrating technology with nature in innovative ways. The … Continue reading
Talkin’ Honky Blues — Buck 65
It’s the blues, but it’s also folk music, C&W and rap. Buck 65 rhymes like an old-school MC, but has the lyrical sensibility of a beat poet and the voice of a grizzled old trucker. His hard-luck tales of life … Continue reading