MAN ABOUT TOWN

I just found a blog/online gallery of work by local artist Julie Shiels , who I plan to interview on SmartArts next week about her work. Check it out.

Last night was the official, red-carpet opening of the beautifully renovated Westgarth Cinema in Northcote, coupled with the official premiere of the new film by Ana Kokkinos, The Book of Revelation . Being the media-whore that I am (although I don't, as some friends have gently teased, attend the opening of an envelope; envelopes are so last century...) I bounced eagerly along, despite having heard some very bad whispers about the movie. My plus one for the evening was Mike , being the film-buff that he is. I figured I owed it to him after taking him to a very low-rent premiere of The Fellowship of the Ring several years ago: apart from a couple of AFL players and a soapie-star or two there was no-one of interest in attendance, and no sense of glamour to the event. That's because the official Australian premiere was being held simultaneously in Sydney, I later discovered. It was such a let-down; especially because I had a hopeless crush on him at the time and was trying to...

For the last few months, since I started working in the wonderful world of gay and lesbian media , I've been reminded of something that first irritated me back when I was a volunteer member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival 's programming committee. Positive images. Positive representation of gays and lesbians in the media. The reason I first got involved with the MQFF was because at the time I was hanging out on Melbourne's punk scene and publishing my own queercore zine The Burning Times , and I was rapidly getting pissed off with the festival's lack of diversity in the film it showed. There was a thriving scene of gay punks, lesbians goths, etc around the world, but no sign of it on screen. I wanted to change that. The final straw for me was a decision by the then-director of the festival to ban the film Frisk (based on a novel by Denis Cooper about a guy who may or may not be a gay serial killer) on the basis that is didn't represent 'positive images of t...

Words fail me...

When I woke up unnaturally early this morning (because my mum was in the kitchen working her gracious way through my stockpile of dirty dishes, and understandably making some noise in the process) I picked up The Age to discover that a very dear and admired friend, Christos Tsiolkas , had won The Age Book of the Year (fiction) award for his third novel Dead Europe . To say I was delighted would be as much of an understatement as to suggest that the surface temperature of the sun is a touch warm . Good on ya, Christos!

Up until a point, today was a really good day. Got up early, lounged about reading the paper, chatted with mum before she headed off to whatever Uniting Church conference had brought her down to town, blogged and generally felt good (partially as a result of my second - especially by my standards - early night in a row). After watching a documentary about the Krays , which I'd picked up second hand from Smack-Converters, I trammed into the city to the tail end of a planning day for Voiceworks magazine, a fantastic resource and publication for writers under 25. Given that I worked there for five years, the editors (outgoing and incoming) apparently thought that my words of wisdom might be valuable in planning the next 12 months of the magazine's future: I hope they were right! Next it was on to Madame Brussels , for the relaxed yet decadent 'hen's afternoon' for LadyCracker , who I first met while I was still a member of the programming committee for the Melbourne Q...

Bad Pluto. Bad, bad Pluto! No planet status for you! Go straight to your eccentric orbit in the Kuiper Belt and stay there - at least until Neptune takes pity on you and invites you a little closer to the sun!

I've been tagged again, this time by Gay Boy In London , so this time, folks, it's all about the power of three... 1. Three things that scare me: The fact that Australians keep electing John Howard as Prime Minister George Bush and his warmongers Huntsman spiders (although I'm much less arachnophobic than I used to be) 2. Three people that make me laugh. Sean M. Whelan Monty Python alicia sometimes 3...Three things I hate the most Racism Homophobia Violence 4...Three things I don't understand How computers work How to pick up in bars Maths 5...Three things I'm doing right now Wriggling my toes Looking out the window Wondering what my friend Lisa and I will have for lunch 6...Three things I want to do before I die Fall in love again Have my novel published Visit Tierra del Fuego 7... Three things I can do Listen Empathise Trust 8... Three ways to describe my personality Witty Caring Over-dramatic (According to the Johari system: you can read about my good traits here...

My mum, Maggie, came to visit yesterday, and stayed the night. She lives in the small country town of Numurkah, so only gets down to Melbourne a few times a year - when she's not otherwise engaged by driving up to Canberra to visit my sister and her kids; or jaunting off around the country/overseas SPENDING MY BLOODY INHERITANCE GODDAMMIT, who does she think she is, aggreived huff, etc etc. Anyway, as I write she's just finishing off the huge pile of dishes that's been sitting on the kitchen bench for the last few weeks. I did mean to get around to doing those myself at some stage, probably in fits and starts admittedly, so can I just say that I highly recommend having your mother visit if she's going to start cleaning things all the time? Certainly saves me having to clean the place to a presentable standard before she arrives, that's for sure. Thanks mum. xx Took her out to lunch yesterday (excellent Malaysian at this superb little place in a laneway off Bourke St...

On today's program, I spoke with: Damien Hodgkinson , the General Manager of Melbourne Fringe, who filled us in about changes that are afoot at the festival, which will now be known as The Age 2006 Melbourne Fringe Festival . Look for a souvenir poster promoting the festival in The Age on Thursday 7th September. This year's festival runs from 27 September - 15 October. Roderick Poole , the Manager of Northcote Town Hall, which this year is the hub of the Darebin Music Feast . The Feast kicks off this Saturday night, August 26th, and runs climaxes with the now-legendary High Vibes on Sunday 24th September. Artist Julie Millowick , whose exhibition Traces of Memory runs from 25th August - 10th November at the Monash Gallery of Art . That's a sample of her work pictured above. David Whitely , Artistic Director of Red Stitch Actors Theatre , and director Denis Moore , who came in to discuss the latest Red Stitch production: Richard Bean 's epic comedy Harvest , which o...

Last night I had the most curious dream. In it, I was drinking at Richmond's gay bar, DT's, where I met the (allegedly closeted) St Kilda footballer Aaron Hamill. As he was alone, I invited him to drink with myself and my friends, which resulted in me selling him a spare ticket to the Merdith Music Festival. I recall that he came and camped out with us, but after that it's all a blur. I wonder what it all means? For starters, I don't fancy him, or barack for the Saints... Suggestions, interpretations and comments below, please!

Today was a good day. So far on this particular Tuesday I have: worked at MCV ; written an article that made my editor laugh out loud while reading it, which given it was a gentle dig at Jake from from Channel 9's low-rating ' Dancing on Ice ' is a good thing; been to see an excellent play at the Malthouse; eaten some equally excellent fish and chips; drunk three glasses of absinthe; been enraged by leaders of the so-called ex-gay movement ; read blogs; started re-reading Cocaine Blues , the first Phryne Fisher novel by annoyingly-prolific author Kerry Greenwood; listened to the new Magnolia Electric Co. cd; and poured myself another glass of absinthe. Sadly I missed trivia at the EBC tonight, but there's always next week. Tomorrow I intend to see more theatre, some burlesque (including a certain Ms Fits ' housemate) and possibly another film. I will also be meeting one of my latest blog readers, and catching up with an ex-date who has become a good friend. Life, ...

Are you excited yet? I know I am! Last year a bunch of us went up in the Homo-Bus of Love, camped out (as opposed to camped around), bonded, boozed and had a blast. I AM A-THRILL WITH ANTICIPATION, PEOPLE! And to prove it, instead of witty banter of my own, I've just cut-n-pasted the details of the media release I've just received straight into this blog post. I'M SO A-THRILL THAT I CAN'T EVEN TYPE STRAIGHT! And now, without further ado: THE SWEET SIXTEENTH MEREDITH MUSIC FESTIVAL When: Friday 8th, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th December 2006 Where: The Supernatural Amphitheatre, Meredith, Victoria, Australia Hello again. Blah blah blah blah blah, who's playing? Here's fifteen acts that are. There's still another fifteen acts to come. We'll let you know which acts are playing which day of the festival before tickets go on sale. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Tuesday September 12th. They will be on sale from www.snowgum.com.au, Polyester, Greville, Missin...

I've never been a huge fan of heavy metal, despite owning a Sepultura album or two. I certainly suspect I would have found it a lot more difficult to come out had I been a gay metal fan. That said, I can appreciate a heavy riff as well as the next person. What am I on about, you ask? Decibel magazine in the US has just posted a long article about being gay and into heavy metal. It quotes everyone from Judas Priest's Rob Halford (pictured left, who came out in 1998) to Faith No More's keyboard player, Roddy Bottum. It's a good read, although it doesn't necessarily have anything new to say. Go check it out .

I've watched two very B-grade yet enjoyable DVD's in the last two days. On Sunday night, after a quietly debauched weekend of art, absinthe and more, I settled down in front of the TV for the debut feature from US writer-director Tennyson Bardwell, entitled Dorian Blues . This low-budget gay indie flick is yet another coming out and coming of age film, which despite a surfeit of cliches manages to coast home on a significant degree of charm, ably assisted by the charisma of its two male leads, a witty script, and a good sense of comic timing. Michael McMillian is Dorian Lagatos, the titular character whose self-realisation the film follows. He's a wimpy gay nerd, over-fond of the word fabulous, with an aggressive, over-bearing father (Steve Fletcher) and a passive, emotionally distant mother (Mo Quigley). One of the only positives in Dorian's life is his effortlessly successful, football hero younger brother, Nicky (the charismatic Lea Coco, almost an equal lead rather...

It's the book meme this time, courtesy of Elaine . In case you haven't encountered this particular meme before, here are the rules: 1. Grab the nearest book. 2. Open the book to page 123. 3. Find the fifth sentence. 4. Post the text of the next 4 sentences along with these instructions. 5. Don’t you dare dig for that “cool” or “intellectual” book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest. Seeing as I'm sitting at my desk in the study, there are four bookcases around me, and, as it happens, a small pile of paperbacks on my desk itself. The topmost book is... The Stealer of Souls , by Michael Moorcock (Granada, UK, 1981). Ahem. "In the shadows of the awful trees, figures moved with shambling caution. The misshapen men of Org began to creep inwards towards the sleepers. Then Elric opened his eyes, aroused by instinct, stared at Zarozinia's sleeping face beside him, moved his eyes without turning his head and saw the dange...

Saturday was a lovely, lazy day. Slept in until 10.30am, having had a relatively quiet night last night. Said quiet night, unfortunately, meant I missed a mate's impromptu South Yarra housewarming as I already had a prior engagement: a collaborative gig by poet Sean Whelan and band The Mime Set. Like too many of the gigs associated with the Overload Poetry Festival, it was a bit of a debacle. Festival organisers hadn't checked Dante's sound restrictions, and had slotted the band in on a Friday night without considering the potential clash between the venue's dinner patrons and a hybridised rock-poetry performance. I arrived to discover that the band were not playing. They, apparently, had only found out the previous day, when one band member arrived to check out the PA, that they would not be playing. To say they were not impressed would be an understatement. Sean battled on regardless, performing a stripped-back reading for the small crowd. Thereafter I went home, an...

Is anyone else just a mite uncomfortable with the nostalgia surrounding the Vietnam War that's sweeping the country at the moment? We've even had Howard say sorry to Australia's Vietnam veterans on behalf of the country (something he's said he won't do for the Stolen Generation, because it would allegedly open up issues of financial liability, among a myriad of other reasons). I can appreciate the fact that many of the young men who fought in Vietnam were traumatised by the experience, and were reviled when they came home to a country that had become radicalised in opposition to a war of American interests; especially in the case of conscripts. That said, conscripted men could have done what Simon Townsend did and become conscientious objectors; and regardless of whether the soldiers concerned wanted to fight in Vietnam or not, the point remains that they did so as part of the military apparatus of the state, in a proxy war that the Australian government of the d...

Mike and I went to see an afternoon session of Brick today; the 2005 debut feature of director Rian Johnson. It's a gritty contemporisation of classic film noir , with the sort of sharply observed dialogue that aspires to Raymond Chandler's definitive, polished prose, but which ended up more Mikey Spillaine pulp fiction. Instead of Chandler's mean streets, its characters face mean corridors: Brick is set in a suburban Californian high school populated by thugs, junkies and femme fatales. Our lead character is Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mysterious Skin , pictured above), who recalls Chandler's description of a private detective in such a hard-boiled world. "Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid... He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without tho...

You know, I really just don't get straight boys.* What is it with getting naked and other such homoerotic shenannigans with your mates? Can anyone explain it? Maybe its a sublimated expression of conflicted same-sex desire? Or maybe its just some deeply ingrained sense of male humour that I just don't get? Any suggestions that this post is actually an excuse to fetishise, ogle or objectify heterosexual men will be strongly denied. Well, ok, perhaps not that strongly. Maybe a bit. Gosh, what about that bastard of a Prime Minister, hey? (Thanks to Dan in Ok City , from whom I stole the pics.)

A thousand thanks to everyone who rang in and subscribed to RRR during the three hours of SmartArts today - without you, and everyone else who has subscribed so far during Radiothon, the station wouldn't be around. Next week we return to our scheduled programming - although precisely what that will be, I'm unsure of just yet!

"Neighbours" currently have 2 positions available, as below: HAIR DRESSER/MAKE-UP ARTIST – "NEIGHBOURS" - NUNAWADING A position is currently available for a fully qualified hairdresser/make-up artist on "Neighbours", this will be a 4 day per week position. DUTIES INCLUDE: Cutting, styling and maintaining hair for continuity with a large sustaining cast Application of make-up Maintaining continuity of established looks REQUIREMENTS: Fully qualified hairdresser Have a good understanding of cutting, blow waving and roller work Ability to use air brushing techniques for make-up application Be able to work long hours - early starts and late finishes are involved Both studio and location work is required Have a creative flair and an eye for detail Be able to work quickly and efficiently under pressure Have good communication skills A knowledge of drama - understanding continuity is vital Be able to work as part of a team Ability to work quickly an...

As I mentioned in a comment over at Fully Functional Android earlier today, our calender may not mark the official beginning of spring until September, but if you look around you, you'll see that it's already well and truly arrived here in Melbourne. As evidence, your honour, I present the following: 1. My hayfever has made a comeback. 2. The magnolia trees in Gertrude Street are in bloom. 3. I got laid yesterday. It wasn't the best sex I've ever had, it's true, but it was certainly welcome after a rather barren winter. At this point, my inner censor points out, if you don't want to read about my sex life, you should click here and be taken to a much more wholesome place. All done? Good. Now that we've got rid of the wowsers, I'll just mention, before we get underway, that you're not going to get a blow-by-blow description of anything - I'll save that for the next time I write a piece of erotica - but you will get some frank and honest discus...

On Sunday afternoon I walked into the c ity, to the steps of Parliament House, to attend the National Day of Action organised (at least locally) by Equal Love , the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby 's campaign for relationship recognition. When I arrived, bang on 12.30, there were about 300 people already milling around, many of them wearing red (as suggested on the rally poster). 'Not a bad turn out for a Sunday' I thought to myself. By the time the speeches began at 12.45, the crowd had grown to almost 1,000, while by the time we marched down Bourke Street there were 2,000 people present. Highlights included a speech by Baptist priest, on behalf of a coalition of Christian ministers who support same-sex relationships; the mass committment ceremony on the steps of Parliament (the love shining from the eyes of the 55 couples present was beautiful, and brought tears to my eyes as I watched); and the number of straight people present - friends and family members...

What a slack blogger I've been. Instead of updating every day with a brief discussion of the films I'd seen, I ended up falling well behind. And because of other committments, the planned 60 films I'd scheduled ended up falling by the wayside as well. In the end, I only caught about 20 sessions at the festival this year, due to things such as art fair openings, theatrical committments, and recovering from hangovers taking precedent over film screenings. That said, let me quickly recap on the remaining films I saw at the festival: Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig (Dir. Katherine Linton, USA, 2006) MIFF said: "One record producer... The creators of the cult film and stage classic Hedwig and the Angry Inch... and some of the most influential indie rockers... They all come together to record a benefit album for a controversial high school in New York City supporting lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and questioning students. Through a dramatic and vibrant combi...