May 2013
1 post
WatchWe made this anti-viral film for Cascade’s First Harvest ale at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne. The beer is made from specially developed hops and limited to 5000 cases. So the hops are limited edition and the beer is limited edition. So we made a limited edition film. It’s limited to 5000 views. Get in quick.
January 2013
1 post
Duke Batavia - Wide Wide World →
We made a video for my band’s latest single using a 99 cent iPhone app, a scalpel and a bottle of scotch. It was worth every cent.
December 2012
1 post
8 tags
Michael Palin - Breakfasters Interview →
I’m finishing up on the 3RRR Breakfasters program this week, which has me getting all misty. So I thought I’d post some of my favourite moments from the show.
October 2012
1 post
Holiday Cooking Class Recipes Adapted For Home...
On a recent vacation to Bali, my girlfriend Amanda and I did a cooking class. It was great fun! On arriving home, I wanted to recreate the meals for Amanda, but found some of the ingredients difficult to get my hands on. So I have adapted them to keep the relaxed, fragrant, island flavors and carefree glow of holiday love, using things you can find at home. :-) Corn Fritters: This is an...
August 2012
1 post
Performance appraisal, Walter Birchall
Thanks for your first 6 weeks with us. This is something we do with everyone new, so take a seat and let’s get started. Don’t worry about the clip-board, it’s just a few notes I’ve been jotting down over the journey. Helps me keep these meetings focused. Firstly, your attitude has been mentioned from time to time. Visitors in particular find you charming and ready with a smile. That’s great....
March 2012
1 post
4 tags
My GetUp has got up and gone. →
This opinion piece on the Drum generated quite a bit of discussion. I also learnt a lot about myself. Apparently I am in the pocket of the pokies lobby. Good to know.
December 2011
1 post
4 tags
Remember the (eighteen) nineties?
Dear diary,
I hope I get through this entry as I’m not long for this world. I fear I have dropsy, which I likely contracted from an all-night sleep-out for the release of Pearl Jam’s new opera, Vitalogy at the Ye Virgin Megastore. Mama and papa wouldn’t give me the thruppence it cost, so I had to take my lute along and perform in the manner of a minstrel for coins. Happily, coins rained upon me,...
November 2011
5 posts
A Little Tidak Goes A Long Way →
An article on the ABC Drum website where I get on my high horse about some particularly odious travel writing in The Age.
Thomas Keneally's 'Australians': A smaller time.
I had occasion to chat with National Treasure™ Thomas Kenneally this morning about his latest historical tome ‘Australians: Eureka to the Diggers’. It’s the second volume (a third is coming) in a series of historical studies not of Australia, but of the people who made it. It’s an interesting device, and it works. It works not just because Keneally can write a bit, or that he researches...
The Ides Of March - A spoily review.
Maybe it’s the preview’s fault.
It set up ‘Ides of March’ as a genuine political pot-boiler, with shady deals and revelations and possibly CIA operatives lurking in corners of dimly lit car parks. The ‘scandal’ that we’re served is lukewarm at best.
A Presidential candidate banged an intern.
‘What else?’, you ask. ‘Did the press find out about it?’ No. ‘Was she pregnant?’ Yes, but she...
The 10 Most Definitive Rules for Twitter Ever of...
1. Never ask for followers.
2. Never tweet about your follow count. It’s like telling people how much you earn.
3. Never tweet about needing coffee, drinking coffee or regretting coffee.
4. Tweeting 90% good stuff lets you do 11% pimping. That adds up, right?
5. #leaveoutthepointlesshashtags
6. Never retweet praise from others. Unless it’s funny. Or sarcastic. Or from...
August 2011
1 post
Rejected McSweeney's Submission #1: Chicago City...
Dear Sirs,
Thank you for your rather strongly worded enquiry regarding Thursday’s events. Below is a full report of breaches of city code in order to clarify some points the Mayor raised.
Initially, the 1986 Von Steuben Parade was proceeding along the lines of the 1984 and 1985 parades. Crowd control plans and resources were satisfactory. Chicago Police were on hand, and all paperwork had been...
July 2011
1 post
Tangled Up In Blues - Hurts So Good →
Ruminating after a Carlton loss to the Bulldogs. Yep. It hurt like hell.
June 2011
3 posts
Tangled Up In Blues - An Open Letter To Mitch... →
A letter in which I ask Mitch Robinson ‘Do you want to be a cult hero? Or just a boring old hero?
Top 10 songs you never knew were covers. →
It might shock you, but apparently Mariah Carey DIDN’T WRITE HER OWN SONGS! But then, neither did Harry Nilsson. Read on!
The Footy Almanac - 38 Special →
An article on the excellent Footy Almanac website about the curse of Carlton’s number 38. It’s currently held by exciting speedster Jeffy Garlett. Will he be the first 38 to make 100 games?
May 2011
4 posts
Tangled Up In Blues - Hungry For A Win →
Does anyone remember the Peanut Man of Princes Park? Does anyone bring hot dogs to the footy in a thermos? So many questions.
Emerging Writer's Festival Program Launch →
A panel I chaired at the Wheeler Centre with authors Meg Mundell, Paddy O’Reilly and Sean Condon. They share stories of the hilarious and at times embarrassing jobs that have bankrolled their writing careers — from O’Reilly’s stint as a Florida grapefruit queen in a Japanese supermarket to Mundell’s employment as Mary Christmas, fictional wife to a defiantly alcoholic ventriloquist...
Tangled Up In Blues - Going Solo →
Since losing my best mate and football companion to Sydney, I ruminate on who to go along to games with. Warning: Bromance included.
Tangled Up In Blues - Turning Blue →
In which I regale readers with tales of how I became a Carlton supporter.
April 2011
5 posts
The lost music of Duke Batavia →
Duke Batavia was an Indonesian-born Dutch citizen, a sailor, songwriter and raconteur. Forced to leave Indonesia after the revolution in 1947, he sailed, wrote and drank until his death in 1967. Not much remains, but scraps of songs that a few Melbourne musicians - Ben Birchall, Glenn Arnup, Nick Vorrath, Dave McGann and Adam Hengstberger have unearthed.
Tangled Up In Blues - A Near Miss →
My weekly blog on the Carlton Football Club website.
Top 10 albums Australians just won't stop buying →
A rumination based on 8 years in music retail, published on thevine.com.au
Tangled Up In Blues - Sound Defeat →
My weekly blog on the Carlton Football Club website.
Tangled Up In Blues - The Number Conundrum →
My weekly blog on the website of the Carlton Football Club.
March 2011
2 posts
The Top 10 Historical Inaccuracies in Popular... →
Vikings didn’t wear horned helmets. And Chachi. Just…Chachi.
Top Ten Better Ways To Remember Charlie Sheen →
A rumination on the lost career of one of the greats of mediocre cinema, published on thevine.com.au
October 2010
1 post
Symphony for the Devil - Music and Advertising →
Okay, I’ll admit it. I dance with the devil. He’s good looking, he pays for the drinks and he’s got the best record collection
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