I have an essay on The CSI Effect in the anthology of true crime stories. It's an investigation of whether or not the huge volume of forensic tv is having an impact on juries, and what the court system is doing to counter-act it.
There's a lot of publicity going on around it too. So tonight, if you have nothing else on at 8pm, tune in to 774 ABC and listen to the editor, LIndy Cameron, talking about the 12 essays in the book.
I will be talking about it too, on Joy 96.9FM - probably on Friday. I will be speaking on a new radio show there, The Outland Institute, hosted by John Richards. I will be doing other slots on the show in the future, as John's 'literary correspondent' - a title which makes me laugh every time. The show will be on from 12noon-2pm on Fridays, and is also available streamed from Joy's website. It'll later be available as a podcast as well. SOme info is on John's Outland Institute website.
This is a picture of the cover, cos I'm proud of it and want to show it off!
This is partly because I don't have any access to anything much from my work computer. I would have liked to read my LJ at lunchtimes at least. Check Facebook. A few things that can be done in 45 minutes. But I can't. And I'm only going to the garret twice a week, so I hardly even get to check my emails, and will have to make time at home, but there's always other stuff to do there as well. So I'm going to end up being neglectful. If I appear to be neglecting you, please note that I am in fact full of frustrated love and wishing to share, only the Time Pixies have ruled that I don't have much to spare.
Sigh.
Thanks to everyone who made suggestions and shared their own thoughts on the subject a few posts ago!
In the meantime - cos it's all about ME - stay tuned for info about 'Outside the Law 3', a collection of true crime essays edited by Lindy Cameron. I have an essay in it on The CSI Effect (ie, does watching too much forensic tv affect the way juries function?). It will be released next month, and I have my advance copies now and they are very handsome indeed. I will spruik them more when they are on sale!
The band were the first up at the East Brunswick Club's 'Kick the Vendor' show on Tuesday night. Their music clip to Tempus, which was filmed at my writing garret, debuted and hopefully will be added to their MySpace site in due course.
A hideous feedback whine threw them a bit in the first song, but they rallied very professionally. I liked it - it was in a minor key and had strange-in-a-good-way, haunting harmonies. Their music avoids pop predictability, and they're producing music I'd like to get on an *album* so I can spend more time kind of absorbing it. I think a few more live performances under their belts will smooth out some of the minor glitches and really let them shine.
In the absence of links to songs, here are some pictures I took on the night.
Reading left to right, that's Hannah, Ant and Jess.
And Jess, looking especially vermilion...
Vermillion - my niece's band - is playing at the East Brunswick Club tonight at the 'Kick the Vendor' show. The event is the JMC Academy's 2nd Year concert (and they'll be getting judged on their music and performance, including audience reaction). It will showcase the videoclip that was made for their first song Tempus (as heard on MySpace!) as well as new material.
I'll be there from about six, meeting up with the family/support crew and partaking of vegan-friendly dinner. Vermilliion is on early, around 8pm. It costs $5 for the night, so it's pretty affordable as well!
So if you're up for a get together, to support new women on the band scene and to have some fun, join me tonight at:
EAST BRUNSWICK CLUB
280 Lygon Street, East Brunswick
Music from 7.30pm
Anyway, I don't want a mac (nothing personal, but everything else I've got - bar the iPod - is PC and I'm entrenched).
I don't play games, well, except Spider Solitaire, so I need it mainly for writing, photo management and my music/films. I want inbuilt wireless and camera. I want minimum 320GB hard drive.
So - what makes should I consider/avoid? I have a vague feeling that Dell is on the lower end of the scale. i've been looking at a Sony (Tim has the Vaio and is very happy with it) but it seems expensive.
Recommendations? Warnings? All welcome!
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
_audrey drew this for me (to amuse herself while recovering from a twisted ankle - why is it she gets hurt, and *we* get all the goodies?)
and it was too good not to share.
I asked her to draw me a pic of Gary looking Heroic on darkened rooftops, with his Hawaiian shirt flapping in the atmospheric nighttime breeze.
But someone at work today noticed that I had a cold and all of a sudden it was OH MY GOD YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED IN HERE WHILE YOU ARE SICK GO HOME GO HOME YOU DISEASED PERSON AT ONCE YOU HEAR ME!!!!!!!!!
Well, I only have a week and a half left to get my contractual obligations filled, and I only yesterday got the final approval, so time's tight.
So, after confirming with my manager that I indeed had to GET MY DISEASED BODY OUT OF THE OFFICE RIGHT NOW OH MY GOD WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE I saved everything I'm working on and have come to the garret to work on the preparing the texts for the website.
I know people are concerned, but seriously, I think I'm missing something, because I don't see how swine flu is worse than regular old flu so far, and I'm cranky at having been shouted at until I left. I mean, I had a cold yesterday as well. It's my third cold this winter - because working in a department of 60+ people means that someone is always sick, and we are constantly giving each other colds.
On the plus side, having hauled my ass down to the garret, I stopped at Brunettis for a takeaway coffee, and they gave me a complementary cookie with that.
Though if they'd known I was a DISEASED PERSON they might just have sprayed some Glen 20 in my face and chased me away with brooms.
Full off coffee and cookie now, and working on the website templates. While listening to my iPod. So it's not all bad, I guess.
Included in the list is Peter Wyngarde, who did a series called Jason King, and Servalan from Blake's 7 (who surely would have inspired multitudes of queens for the mardi gras if the series had been made some years later).
Of course, the trouble with coming up with forgotten gay icons is... well... they've been forgotten.
So this is a call to my flist - what characters or performers from a bygone age *should* have been queer icons but somehow missed that spangly boat?
The current song they have uploaded is 'Tempus', with the drummer they no longer have (because he wasn't very good at keeping time). I really like the more mellow version of this song they did at The Empress too, and I think they have plans to add that and the other songs they're writing as soon as they can get them recorded.
http://www.myspace.com/abandcalledvermil
Have I told you that I'm very proud?
Reading left to right, that's Jess, Ant and Hannah.
I am fearsome proud.
My niece is in a three-piece band from her Uni. they originally called themselves Vermillion Goldfish, but I think they're toying with using just Vermillion. Jess, Ant and Hannah all play guitar and are writing their own music as part of their JMC Academy performance course. They are obviously loving it, because they are rehearsing more and more often and on Tuesday night went to the open mike night at the Empress Hotel on Nicholson Street in Brunswick.
LJ dudes - they were awesome!! Needing polish, sure, but since this was their first performance that was not uni related, there's always stuff to learn. But their songs were excellent, well crafted and elegant, with lovely harmonies and solid grounding. They had whiffs of influences, from Missy Higgins and Amanda Palmer to Chicks on Speed and a little Beatles - but because they are writing based on what their individual strengths are (rather than who they want to sound like) they have got a sound that's *theirs*.
i would buy that album. i want to buy it now. But they haven't recorded the tracks yet. I am expressing my impatience at this state of affairs.
I am soooo proud of Jess. In times to come I will be flogging their EP and being merch lady and number one fan to this new set of Riot Grrrrls!!! These are three strong, talented young women who always wanted to *be* the guitarist!
Their next uni gig is on the 23rd at the East Brunswick Club. I'm sooo gonna be there!
Check out all the love that older FOB fans are getting at
icecreamhdaches . Apparently I can't get that 'FOB's Oldest Fan' t-shirt yet, cos I am only in the middling of the age group of the older fans. I present this as evidence, yr Honour, that this music is very good and may in fact last beyond the generation that was the first to hear it.Gary: I like this one.
Lissa: Really? I thought all the vampire sex would squick you out.
Gary: It's not all vampire sex. A lot if it is just sex.
Lissa: And it doesn't make you uncomfortable?
Gary: Um.
Lissa: Only when I make you talk about it, huh?
Gary: Um. Yeah. Mostly it's just kind of boring. I don't... you know... um... respond...
Lissa: Ok, now I'm uncomfortable.
Gary: Uh...
Lissa: So, moving right along - what is it you like? I didn't think it was any more accurate than other vampire shows.
Gary: It's not. I mean, retractable fangs would be handy, but...
Lissa: But it's like vampface in Buffy. A great effect but not how it works.
Gary: Right. But this one feels different. All the facts are wrong but it's a good story.
Lissa: I agree there. I like Sookie. Even though that's an unfortunate name in the Australian context. She's not in the least bit sooky.
Gary: I like her. She reminds me of you.
Lissa: <astonished face>
Gary: A bit.
Lissa: Ah.... ok.
Gary: Especially the way she keeps sticking her oar in and getting into trouble.
Lissa: Yeah, well, you have a point there.
Gary: And both episodes so far end up with her surrounded by dangerous people wanting to kill her.
Lissa: Hmmm. Yep. Not unrealistic in my experience.
Gary: That wouldn't keep happening if you kept your nose out of vampire business
Lissa: I'm not going to get that lecture again, am I?
Gary: No. Because you never listen anyway.
Lissa: You're as bad as Kate. Look, if I want to...
Gary: Anyway. I liked seeing that guy from Ultraviolet playing a vampire again.
Lissa: Don't change the subject. I wouldn't end up in those situations if you -
Gary: And they are right about those people who like to be bitten, though normally it wouldn't leave scars...
Lissa: If you didn't get yourself into strife so often.
Gary: Lissa, I'm already dead. How much strife can i possibly get into? I'm looking forward to seeing more episodes of this one.
Lissa: Stop changing the subject.
Gary: Now I think of it, Tara reminds me of you too.
Lissa: Ha!
Gary: And Kate. Tara reminds me of Kate.
Lissa: I still can't believe you are scared of my sister.
Gary: <doggedly> I really like the southern setting too, even though vampires usually do live in cities. It's easier to go unnoticed in cities.
Lissa: Okay. You win. Subject changed.
Gary: Who's your favourite character?
Lissa: Tara. She doesn't put up with anyone's bullshit.
Gary: Except Jason's.
Lissa: Well, we've all got a fatal weakness.
Gary: What's yours?
Lissa: Lemon cheesecake.
Gary: I thought it was cheesy musicals.
Lissa: You. You go make me a cup of tea.
Gary: Yes ma'am.
I'm pinching this meme from
severedscythe in the hilarious hope that someone will ask Gary for advice.Ask any character I've written for advice, and they will provide it, advice columnist style. Your problems or fictional characters' problems both welcome. Management is not responsible for the results of following said advice
Of course, I have four books' worth of characters to ask advice from - gay rock stars, witches, court jesters, publicists, castle guards, kings and medical personnel are all available for questioning, along with vampires, librarians and legal secretaries.
Kate will probably give the best advice. Her or Sylvia. Leenan will also be quite sensible. Kiedrych will wonder why you are bothering him, while Tamalan will just pull your leg. Milo will have no clue, but he *will* buy you an ice cream and smile winningly at you. Frank will make some kind of attempt, I'm sure. As will Lissa. Gary... mostly Gary will have a funny look on his little vampire face.
God, you lot don't even have to ask questions. I am amusing myself all to hell just thinking of this cast of invented characters offering *anyone* advice, since they're generally so terrible at organising their *own* lives.
This promo of Love and Debate (filmed a while back but being released in August I believe) features a few scenes of Sean Astin in some wildly colourful outerwear. Some of those t-shirts are deeply psychodelic, even with Gary's notoriously colourful taste in shirts.
the shirt at 0.35 seconds is one of the *least* colourful, and I can see that on Gary.
The one at 1.20 - it would probably remind him of uni in the 60s. So yes. Lissa would have to try not to laugh or reach for her sunglasses. But he would wear that.
And the one at 1.40... um... yes. Yes he would wear that. Maybe if everything else was in the wash. He bought that on special too. He doesn't like that it's too close-fitting and would wear a button shirt over it. Possibly a clashing one. With palm trees on it. And he wouldn't know why Lissa can't stop giggling. But yep.
It's what he's wearing at 1.47 that he's least likely to be found in. Trufax.
EDIT: Mohindar from 'Heroes' is in this film too. Hopefully with a better grasp of science.
Vamplit Publishing:
"Thank you for mentioning our new site. We at Vamplit Publishing are commited to bringing new authors to the reading public. At present we are publishing in ebook format and we are accepting manuscripts for horror, Gothic, vampire and fantasy novels. All our editing and publishing services are free and we pay our authors royalties of between 15% and 30%.
All our books will have ISBN and readers will be able to purchase from numerous sites including our own bookshop ebookundead.com which launches on September 1st. If anyone would like to contact us, the site is vamplit.com and we have just started a writers' site vamplitpublishing.ning.com for advice, help and socializing with other new authors."
So, if you want to investigate further, visit their blog or go pester them on Twitter!
Please note that this is not an official endorsement or anything - I haven't dealt professionally with the company, or bought any books from them yet. But any publisher looking for material is worth investigating!
Tim and I went with some friends to the theatre last night. A couple of years ago, fortyfivedownstairs (a fantastic theatre/gallery space at 45 Flinders Lane) did the original Melburnalia - which we missed because it sold out so quickly! This time we booked a week in advance!
Melburnalia No 2 is a set of five 20 minutes plays, each set in/inspired by a different suburb of Melbourne and linked with a binding tram theme. As a woman who has frequently expressed an intemperate love of her adopted town, it was a no-brainer to rush along to this one.
I was delighted to discover, on arrival, that Bryan Andy was in the cast. I met him when we were involved in ANTAR, and had been deeply impressed when he popped up in Yanagai! Yanagai! at the Malthouse Theatre some time later. So i already knew he was talented, and he's proving to be versatile as well. Fanny Hanusin, who I first saw eight years ago in a La Mama show, was also fantastic. Actually, it's a great ensemble cast and it's a joy to watch them play with the scripts, which are in widely different styles.
"The Forever Zone" by Andrea James, set in Birrarung/Melbourne CBD, is funny and surreal, with a lot of references to ticket inspectors, our long lost beloved Connies and the closed up ballroom in Flinders St station (which I'm still trying to work into one of the Gary/Lissa novels).
"I Could Be You" by Hoa Pham is darker and more disturbing, lodged as it is in a detention centre in Maribyrnong. That's followed by Danny Katz's "Motherfathers". Katz wrote about his Caulfield-based play in the Age today. The play is hilarious, outrageous and also very true to life.
Kit Lazaroo's "Porktown" didn't quite work for me, but its surreal story of the gentrification process and the former piggeries of Preston still has a recognisably true undertone of the relentless push of real estate values into former working class suburbs
Finally, Aiden Fennessy hits us with "Song #1", a kind of verbal soundscape of Mentone, which is wonderfully atmospheric, frequently funny and ends with a lovely, emotional, personal story.
All in all - a fantastic set of plays, a wonderful cast, a great night out.
The whole thing is produced by White Whale Theatre and there are only a couple more shows to run until closing night on Sunday. So if you want to see it - and you should - you'd better call 03 9662 9966 RIGHT NOW to book.
I went to the Victoria Markets on the weekend, cos our fussy cat only likes certain kinds of very expensive dry catfood which we buy from the lovely people at Upmarket Pets. Walking home again, I heard Dance, Dance playing very loudly at a coffee shop, and saw them playing the video clip on the screen inside.
I popped in to buy a drink and watch. From inside, I couldn't hear the song but watched the mute story of daggy boys full of win at the Prom. Then I watched the mute story of Pete's dream with the funeral, and Buffy's sister and Oz sobbing in the crowd. Then, part way through watching the mute story of monkeys directing a FOB clip, I went outside and listened to the rest of Thanks fr the Memries as I walked home. And remembered - though really, I hadn't forgotten, I'd just been distracted - everything I love about Fall Out Boy. Their sense of humour, and the biting lyrics and happy melodies, and their little faces.
Hello there, Fall Out Boy! I haven't listened to the entire back catalogue for a little while. Amanda Fucking Palmer and a few other guys have been sucking up all my ear time. But you're back on the top of my Gotta Listen To This playlist when I'm walking to work.
