filtercore

So, the reason I was asking that question the other day...

Sun, 17 May 2009 11:21:57 GMT

...is because I've started this: BeingGayisAWESOME.com.

City-isms

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:35:51 GMT

I guess most of you know by now, but I've started these sites over the last few days:

Melbournism
Sydneyism
Brisbanism

They're just for a bit of fun, and hopefully everyone in each city will learn out some cool, weird shit about the place they live in.

Obviously, running Sydney and Brisbane focused websites from Melbourne will eventually become a really stupid idea, so if any of my Sydney or Brisbane based mates are interested in helping out, let me know. At the moment I'm posting the same questions on each site, but things will need to get a little more local in the coming months.

I'm not out to make coin on these sites, it just seemed like a fun thing to do, and gives me something to put on my resume :)

Anyway. Feedback welcome.

For my Melbourne homies

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:57:57 GMT

This dude is playing a gig next Friday at Roxanne Parlour... he seems just weird, bizarre and outrageously catchy enough to be a whole lot of fun. Apparently his performances are very Andrew WK-esque in their ridiculously overblown audience participation.

Reminds me a lot of Atom and His Package, but I don't think anyone ever liked him except me :)

It's only $20, who wants to come along? (I came across this via Facebook advertising, which has gotta be the first time it's worked - maybe because it was the first ad which didn't read "29 and STILL SINGLE, YOU DOUCHEBAG?" - even though I'm not single?)

Oh boy

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 01:28:20 GMT

I've had a day full of comic mishaps on my return to work after the holidays...

1. I forgot my security pass to get into the building at work. Nobody else I work with is here this week, so I had to go back home and get it. Ended up getting into the building 45 minutes late.

2. There was a giant split up the arse-seam of my pants which I somehow failed to notice while I was getting dressed. Thankfully, four separate people pointed this out to me in the street (but not before I'd taken a tram into and out of the city for my secuity pass). I've just taken a taxi home so I can get changed into something less.... flirtatious.

3. It is probably not a good idea on a day of comic mishaps to visit the dentist, but I'll be doing exactly that after work. Expect a drill to accidentally penetrate my gums.

Look, I could very well have exploded with rage at these annoyances and embarassments (and I almost did), but I know it'll be funny tomorrow. So I'm laughing at it now instead, as it happens. What a doofus I am :)

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:06:37 GMT

I just read this as a Facebook status update, and judging by the comments on it, the guy is deadly serious:

"(name) is at a funeral ceremony."

What the fuck is wrong with people? You're updating your Facebook DURING A FUNERAL CEREMONY?! Jesus.

Idiocracy becomes more accurate with every passing day.

Feelin' Good

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:14:06 GMT

Today I locked in some ongoing volunteer work for 2009. This was a big, gaping unfulfilled item in the list of things I wanted to achieve this year, so I'm glad I finally got my arse into gear, even though it's December.

For a long time I was considering volunteer work at Melbourne's gay radio station, maybe even shooting for a program hosting role. This was mostly because it shits me that they don't have a heavy music show amongst the unrelenting tedium of dance music - I figured I should at least try changing that rather than complaining about it. Then I figured, it's not really the most meaningful endeavour as far as volunteer work goes; and they already have an oversupply of volunteers banging down their doors to get involved anyway.

So I've gotten involved in something else of personal interest to me. It will be challenging and time-consuming work, but I'm excited about it. And I probably won't discuss it in detail to anyone, because - to me - that's half the point of volunteer work.

Even though I'm yet to start this work, suddenly I feel like a oddly hollow part of me has been filled. I've never really volunteered for anything before, and it feels like I should have done this long ago.

Sorry to make this a me, me, me entry... just needed to express that I'm surprised how positive it's made me feel, now that I've committed to it. Hopefully the work itself doesn't put me through the wringer... interested to hear experiences of others here.

Also

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:17:16 GMT

Do any of you listen to music while you're cycling?

My route home is almost completely devoid of traffic and I think it'd be safe, but there's a niggling voice in my head. I'm also unsure where my MP3 player would actually go... do you just have a really long headphone cable running back into your backpack?

Or is this all insanity and totally unsafe?

Here's your summer schedule right here

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:07:32 GMT

New idea for a reality show: Celebrity UNO Wrestling. Combination of breathlessly commentated card strategy and mindless beatings. Inevitably hosted by Andrew G and relegated to Fox 8.

Scott Wahhhhhland

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:46:34 GMT

I'm freshly awake and disturbed from a dream in which Scott Weiland was haunting my gym's changerooms as a sexual predator. Leather cap 'n all. HE TOUCHED ME. Wahhhhhhh. D:

Embarassed Little Pill

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:15:42 GMT

The first gig I ever saw of my own initiative was Alanis Morissette at age 15. My old man drove me up to Melbourne from Torquay and, like a hero, aimlessly drove around the venue for hours until I was done. Boyo, was I obsessed with Alanis back in the day.

She was probably my introduction to the world of non-top-40 music. She was popular, but had an edge to her that made me grasp for more (you may very well roll your eyes nowadays, but come on, she was screaming about going down on dudes in a cinema with authenticity! Plus, Flea was playing bass on that album!) I'm pretty sure that album helped me to begin exploring artists on my own, rather than have them fed to me via Ugly Phil's Hot 30. I wore out three original copies of Jagged Little Pill on cassette by way of listening to it around five times daily (no joke).

I guess she was completely compatible with my repressed-homo angst - I could interpret ANY lryics back then to make sense to my agony (what teen can't with open-ended lyrics?) Just retrospectively read the nonsense of Bush lyrics (eg: "drinking kitchen paint to dye the winter I hope we'll never see again") and consider I could apply that as crystal-clear insight to my own life, and you'll get some sort of idea. But Alanis had a particular broken pain in her voice which granted some sincerity.

Now, it's totally okay to write these kinds of albums off as you grow older - but it holds a particular point of fondness for me. It strongly represents a particular point of change in my life. (Granted, I began wearing a goffik cape shortly afterwards and moaned along to NIN, but it still helped me along).

So I'm embarassingly fascinated with Jagged Little Pill Acoustic, the perhaps-little-known revisitation of Alanis' breakthrough album which was released a couple of years back. The songs are more or less intact, and the lyrics haven't been fiddled with at all - but it's simply amazing to hear one of my life's most important albums (shut up! I was an angsty teenager!) recomposed ten years on from the original release date. I acknowledge that a lot of it's to do with me knowing the album inside out, but it's simply amazing to hear subtle changes in each song that totally change the interpretation of the songs... I feel like she hints at a reconsidered attitude to many parts of her life with the benefit of time, simply through the difference in her tone in voice.

Maybe it's me getting older and getting a little more nostalgic, but I'd love to hear more of my favourite bands revisit their classic albums and reinterpret them like this. I think I'd especially like to hear them rewrite the lyrics to update them. My current favourite band, Biffy Clyro, have a habit of twisting lyrics around to their popular songs on the fly at gigs depending on their mood, and it's awesome. They also have fascinating self-referential lyrical links between their songs across many albums - I'd normally consider it pretentious, but they pull it off so well.

Anyway, never thought I'd be uttering this many years on, but kudos to you, Alanis. I think I'd see you live out of some sorta respect if you ever visit Australia again.

And secretly, I love everything Diana Anaid does to this day because she reminds me of my teen angst - I just try to hide it a little more ;-)

What classic albums would you like to see your favourite artists update for today? In what way? Or do you disagree completely?

PS: As you may have noticed, I've been posting more often at my proper blog since I reanimated it, so I'm not entirely sure what place my LJ has nowadays. I guess the more embarassing, personal posts like these. :-)

Marriage

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:21:40 GMT

For my entire adult life - until recently - I'd always viewed gay marriage as some extremity that the Professional Gay Protesters would always bang on about without any tangible result.

Since this whole Proposition 8 business in California, I've noticed male strangers - who happen to be gay - refer to being "married" to their long term partners, or referring to their partner as their "husband". It's entirely likely that I'm simply more conscious of these sorts of words after all the hoo-hah in the US recently - but it's got me opening my eyes to just how many goddamn long term same-sex relationships are out there.

It's strange how the passage of time and a maturing age changes your opinion. Until very recently I could never even grasp the concept of gay marriage, I couldn't even understand why people wanted it. It just seemed like some sort of ... radical activism without actual consequences.

Developing a solid relationship over my entire adult life has begun to change my views.

Adam and I even participated in a non-legally binding, but loud for the purposes of protest, mass gay marriage about five years ago. Admittedly we left halfway through because we wanted to go to the pub :-) But I'd be taking that all much more seriously today.

As I grow older, I begin to understand that marriage is more than some "lame Christian" tradition or "what straight people do". It's how this society solidifies, recognises and celebrates a relationship, and so many issues and recognitions branch off from that. I'm entirely confident many gay friends on my LJ friends list won't agree with me on this topic, but I'm almost ten years into a solid, fucking awesome relationship and this shit begins to have an increased weight in my life - even though the most we can show for it are a joint bank account and stat decs in each others names (Jade, I owe you eternally for that suggestion).

I can barely type this for the tears searing my eyes but my only major goal in life right now - I want to marry Adam, my best mate, the man I love, on our tenth anniversary next year. And I'm incredibly upset that I'm certain I won't be able to do that... torn apart. I am not boasting or trying to have a dick measuring contest here, but I'm proud of how long our relationship has lasted and I don't have any mates who've been in a relationship of anything close to the length we've achieved. I'm not trying to be all HIGH SCORE WINNAR! That's not the point. I just don't fucking know how I can express my love for Adam any stronger while my eyes are so opened up to the realities of prejudice in this arena, it really upsets me.

I'm fucking proud of us. Against many odds we are two dudes who have been going out for a very long time and have to act all macho and hide our actual love for each other behind closed doors. I can barely discuss this in person with most of you reading this, but yes, it's fucking hard to have the guts to hold hands down the street despite how tuff Adam is - even when visiting homo suburbs like Darlinghurst - let alone steal a kiss in front of people we know. You should not take that kind of thing for granted if you're straight. I almost have an anxiety attack every time I try to - not just in public, but even amongst friends (I'm working on getting over that, because it's stupid, but it's how things are). Look, I try not to externalise this subject at all, but right now, I need an outlet. I'm FUCKING ANGRY THAT WE'LL NEVER BE MORE THAN TWO DUDES WHO HAPPEN TO FUCK AND LIVE TOGETHER. WE ARE MORE THAN THAT.

Some of you reading this will understand the unbelievable electricity of holding hands with your same sex partner in public, others (likely partners of an opposite sex) will take it for granted. I just look forward to the day everyone has the same reaction - and I at least know it'll come in my lifetime. Proposition 8 may be FAIL, and it certainly doesn't affect the wider world; but I'm so heartened by the attention and debate it has attracted. As if I needed any more reasons to love Jon Stewart any more than seeing him practically slap Bill O'Reilly across the face on <i>The Daily Show</i> tonight over gay marriage... it got me realising it's loud and clear on the agenda now. Things are changin'.

This was all quite an outburst and I figured that LiveJournal, the patented home of bear-drama, is the best place for such a rant ;-) I won't bring it up again. But fuck, I'm angry and can barely see through my eyes for tears right now.

I'll be back tomorrow with LOLs. :-)

LOLbears

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:08:39 GMT

Slayer's Kerry King: world's most bear-ronic homophobe, Y/N?

Ash

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:19:14 GMT

There's knowing which of your albums was most popular, then there's milking it to death over 10 years after the fact:

Ash's Acclaimed No.1 1996 Debut Album "1977"
Remastered Special 3CD Collector's Edition - Order Now!

Really, Ash? Really? Aside from a couple of rarities, I'm pretty sure most diehard fans already have the extras on there...

Also, what the fuck? That actually came out 12 years ago? Gleep.

Twitter

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:04:01 GMT

Anyone else using this Twitter nonsense? No? Good.

Yowzers.

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:59:08 GMT

Gosh, so much ARIAs hate this morning on my friends list!

I didn't catch the awards myself, but surely there was something you liked...?

Four hours of work later...

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:23:59 GMT

...and I have a blog again. (Well, one that isn't LJ, anyway).

World Wide Jeb (er... redux)

Very Small Business

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:40:15 GMT

I don't pay a great deal of attention to the mainstream media, but it still seems as though Very Small Business isn't getting a great deal of attention (on the interwebs, at least). This show is fucking comedy genius, and as someone who's worked for a "very small business" before - the comic detail of this show is accurate to a T.

Until this show, I've only ever seen Wayne Hope as Shaun Micallef's sidekick, and although he has shown promise as a leading actor in the hilariously underrated (probably because it's only on Foxtel) Stupid, Stupid Man (also very funny - this may be biased by my inexplicable, uncontrollable desire to bone Bob Franklin senseless, the older he gets) - he is now clearly in his element (and a genius writer to boot) in Very Small Business.

(Although, Micallef? Resurrect your late night talk show endeavours, WE NEED YOU... just cut out the interviews, we know that's not your strong point. Just resurrect your bizarrely random game show segments instead (international viewers: prizewinners in Micallef's game shows usually involve ironic murder/rape/dance sequences). At the bare minimum, at least get 1000% more budget for Newstopia. As much as I love your show, it's still reminiscent of The Daily Show interpreted by community TV budgets. MICALLEF FANBOY OUT).

Back to the topic at hand - I heartily recommend Very Small Business. Aussie folk, check it out (it's even set in Melbourne!) International viewers, uh... it probably won't make sense anyway, so carry on.

Death Magneti-se

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:08:20 GMT

This usericon of grymmbear made me laugh:

Belter

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:55:00 GMT

Today I neglected to pack my belt before I rode to work. When I got changed, it just didn't look or feel right without a belt... especially when I sat down.

Off to the nearby locksmiths I trotted, remembering that they sold belts. They had a weird, one-belt-fits-all arrangement - they punched the holes into the belt as you required. After I understood the concept, I rather liked it... you could get a belt with just the few holes that you needed. It was a pretty thick belt, and a little difficult to use the holes they'd made in it, but it did the trick.

That was until I tried to visit the bathroom, and realised I couldn't take the belt off.

I spent a good 10 minutes trying to pry that little fucking buckle out of its belt-hole in every way you can think of. It is rare I get all mad and HULK SMASH but I was ranging inside this cubicle, let me tell you. The damn fucker would simply not budge.

In the end I had to, er, hold it in - so to speak - and just took the tram home early instead of riding home. It took a pair of pliers and a screwdriver to free myself from the stupid thing.

In related news, I suddenly understand what would happen if Sony made a belt.

Flight of the Z02chords

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:02:53 GMT

I'll preface this by saying that I'm as much of a fan of Flight of the Conchords as anyone else.

And I didn't realise that I needed a cure for that show. BUT IT HAS ARRIVED.

I present a show which began airing just this week in the US... Z Rock.

Z Rock stars a hard rock band who play children's parties to make ends meet during the day. They frequently do battle with competing children's party bands. It shares some similarities to Conchords but also differentiates itself by:

1. having ACTUAL NON-NOVELTY SONGS you can bear to listen to, more than 5 times. Even the kid's songs.

2. having the characters bang hot chicks (bewbs! woo! also, the dudes' arses! nudity!), rather than whinge about inability to achieve forementioned activity endlessly.

3. have an improvisational script, but still manages to be funny

4. has not only girls, but dudes trying to crack onto them. Mostly a plus because SOMEONE has to live out my projections on-screen.

5. are actually a real life band.. not a joke band (albeit an exaggeration of their real life existence.. but it counts for something)

6. perhaps most importantly, THE DUDES ARE ALL FUCKING HOT IN A UNIQUELY 90S HARD ROCK STAR WAY WHICH I COULD BARELY PUT MY FINGER ON, UNTIL I REALISED THAT I THINK IT'S BECAUSE THEY HAVE LONG HAIR, WEAR DENIM VESTS AND ALSO USE HAIR STRAIGHTENERS. THIS MAKES ME A LITTLE BIT ASHAMED.

Naturally, the bassist is the hottest :P

Anyway, I am in love with this show after only seeing two eps. And I am in love with ZO2. Admittedly I thought the first half of the first episode wasn't promising, but it got better (and, well, they're pretty nice to look at).

If you care to view, this is the show's website. Or you could just steal it off the interwebs.

He's a bit of a dork, but Mr Andrew WK is a lot wiser than you may think...

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 03:06:53 GMT

"...then one day I realised that all the different reactions and opinions people had were valid and, ultimately, contributed energy to my idea - I decided to embrace all the energy as much as possible, even the negative words and reactions. I figured the negative energy was just as powerful as "positive" energy, and why not use it all and try to turn it into something exciting and fun? I decided to love everyone, and really go with that feeling, because no matter what anyone said, I could never feel stupid for trying to love everyone. And if that remained at the core of my fundamental mindset, than life would probably feel more fun. And maybe the haters were right? What if I could learn to love the feeling of looking at myself from a hater's point of view? Could I handle it?

I also tried to remember that everybody was once a baby, and that we're all just children of different ages. And I also keep in mind that we all just want to be loved, appreciated and valued. I also like to remember - especially when dealing with negative criticism - that every opinion is only a subjective perspective, and it's not a definitive fact (not even to them - they can change their mind at any time). When someone called my music "bad", they really weren't describing the sound of my music, but rather their own taste and personality. It may seem simple, but sometimes people were so strong about their opinions, that they stated them like rock-solid scientific fact. Perhaps what we can ultimately learn from reading criticism is a glimpse into someone else's mind - we can learn nothing about the experience of listening to the music until we listen to the song."

Word :)

Surprise Hotness!

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:50:11 GMT

Part one in a series I shall dub... surprise hotness!

When previously average celebrities unexpectedly turn hot.

So who is it?

Well, we all remember Grant Bowler, don't we? Adorably nerdy cop in Blue Heelers, aloof host of The Mole...

HAVE YOU SEEN HIM LATELY

It turns out that the Mole was GRANT BOWLER'S HOTNESS!

Also, if you get your hands on a show called Outrageous Fortune, I strongly recommend the first three minutes of the first ever episode... should you wish to enjoy Grant Bowler's now-suddenly rock-hard arse pumping away in the air.

Two phrases I have learnt this week

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:11:36 GMT

1. From the latest episode of Weeds (it's not a spoiler, just awesome): "Cock-juggling thundercunt"

2. "Badical", which is like radical, but with 100% more Nintendo Powerglove.

I found $100 in the street again last night. That's the second time this has happened this year! I did hang around for 15 minutes in case anyone came running back looking for it, but nada.

Oh, Facebook Privacy. You fail again.

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:46:59 GMT

I've identified a bug which allows me to to view anyone's photos on Facebook, even if they've blocked their photos.

I SEE ALL! I KNOW WHAT YOU DID WITH THAT WATERMELON AND THE MICROWAVE NOW

As for Sunrise...

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:07:43 GMT

I'm overhearing Adam listen to Sunrise on the other side of the room - I just heard Kochie making the studio audience go bezerk with whooping and yelling, presumably for the Olympics (since when did Sunrise have a studio audience? geez) - followed less than two seconds later, by the newscast kicking off with "A woman has been shot in the face overnight..."

Ahhh, newstainment.