four door sedan south of the black cat

‘Dead Cat’, Selby 1996, Brunswick 2011, photo printed on canvas for exhibition, photo by Alicia Bee.

PUBLIC SPEECH – THE FOUR DOOR SEDAN SOUTH OF THE BLACK CAT

There is a black cat that is going to follow me for the rest of my life. It is the advertising image for my debut Melbourne Fringe Festival show GOOD MOURNING.

The cat is also replicated 3 times in the FRINGE program making another artwork ‘Dead Cat 3 times’ in honour of Grinspoons breakout single from 1995 shown above (produced only because the FRINGE PROGRAM wanted a landscape rather than the portrait shot).

Three copies of ‘Dead Cat 3 Times’ were made in sepia, black and white and color; and the cat would have had 9 lives but for the portrait. It was featured 10 times on the walls, a further 25 times in printed photos, then 1000s of times in poster, flier and program form for the Fringe Festival advertising.

The photo is one I took in 1996 of my first pet cat ‘Ebony’, who died prematurely when attacked in our yard by a neighbor’s pitbull terrier (leaving another argument for the toughening of laws against attack dogs).  Recently I lost a second black cat ‘Ned’ who was meant to be the companion for ‘Ebony’ but had survived all these years till 2011. The night before the exhibition the missing black cat from the neighborhood signs around our suburb was located and coaxed from under our house.

The pet owners laughed also at my black cat flier.

Originally the cat was a simple portrait taken for my media photography class, just one year out of high school and the completion of my Year 12 photography CAT.

All through VCE we had joked that our assessment tasks really were like an animal.

I had cut pictures of cats eyes and put them in my art sketchbook and all seniors had laughed about it because the CAT acronym was then new and would later be outphased from the high school curriculum as a major grading task.

In the next year after high school I just took some photos around the house and they formed part of my photography folio for my media course.

The black cat image always looked good in its formality, because the pet had held the pose so strongly, as if understanding the process of photograph taking; it had seemed to model for me.

The photograph itself had looked vintage in its production when produced on old paper given as a gift. It wasn’t going to be my final artwork as the content seemed too domestic for the art I wanted to create at that age it was just a practice shot.

But it came out in the past 5 years when I was reviewing my old photography and had be hung in my office with a series of other dead pets and animals that formed the inspiration for the Good Mourning show.

Black Cats are superstitiously seen to be unlucky, and if that is true then ‘Good Mourning’s ‘Dead Cat’ could symbolize an exhibition that was devastated by bad luck – if you saw it like that.

We had three successful hours of so many beautiful punters with gracious thankyous, and comments. Some people were moved to tears by the artworks, and had it truly seemed like a successful day of sunshine that had fought of the rainclouds.

The Fitzroy police station make record of ‘handbag theft’ via ‘break and enter’, though when the bastards broke the car window it was even more costly to replace the glass, the tint, the bag, the camera, the wallets, the makeup bag, than the money that was taken in the form of $20 change.
At the time of dealing with the crime and police there was noone else to man the exhibition and GOOD MOURNING FRINGE FESTIVAL show closed early, doomed with ‘black cat bad luck’ or the needs of criminals that hurt more than they know when they commit what they think is simple crime.

After 4 hours GOOD MOURNING closed for the day because of PETTY CRIME from idiots too greedy to respect that EVERYONE ELSE WANTS TO LIVE IN PEACE.

You could blame the black cat, or a depressing black dog, or the ladder or broken mirror found also as part of the exhibition; but to blame the criminal for the crime would be a task too great for the police and justice system in this country and there shall be no compensation for victims of this crime.

The broken window is not covered unless you pay the $500 excess for insurance.

The bag, camera, all personal items, cards wallet and the privacy of photographs of children left on the camera are now the property of the criminals who put their fist through a car window for $20 in coins.

You could say that we live with an impending doom looming on the horizon and that good things don’t last for long for people like us.

You could live in fear of the bastards coming again to commit crime and bully honest people who are just trying to live their lives.

Or you could see our home as a lucky country free from the crimes of ancient civilization and convict criminal past, instead of a hellbirth of punishment for the duration of your young and free life.

Thieves wont kill the show, which is back next Sunday 9 October for exhibition in all its glory.
And for the criminals’ records, I never saw a black cat as unlucky nor a hat on the bed as a warning; and wont take lightly to suggestions of karma coming back at me for I am a Buddhist. My karma is still stronger than all of their armies and I wont be stopped from living my life.

If that black cat that is stalking me is really causing all of these problems it should know that it has been dead a long time and it has no business hanging around the house.

If the black cat is the same pet that is in the photograph then its spirit is welcome to stay with me a lifetime.

PUBLIC ART – FRINGE SHOW GOOD MOURNING

Good Mourning (it’s the new black)

Freelance journalist and published poet ALICIA BEE presents her photography, words and installation art in GOOD MOURNING, showing for only two Sundays in October.

Reflections on aging interact with responses to grieving in a show that comprises photos of rocks and dead cats, poetry, and found objects including seafood remains.

ALICIA BEE will launch THE BOOK OF THE DEAD AND WOUNDED on Sunday 2 October as part of the exhibition.

Freelance journalist ALICIA BEE published her writing about music and other subjects till poetry title BATHERS ON THE BEACH was launched late in October 2010.

The event signaled the first presentation of her creative writing outside journalism. The result and support encouraged her to show the GREY HAIR photography exhibition in MAY 2011;

a coming of age announcement that ALICIA BEE was a member of the Arts industries.

Included in the GOOD MOURNING EXHIBITION will be photography, poetry, and a found object installation of a midden.

The GREY HAIR photos will seen in the exhibition, alongside images of past pets.

THE BOOK OF THE DEAD poetry book will be launched on Sunday 2 October and available for sale, as are

canvas reproductions of some highlights of the book.

ALICIA BEE also presents ARTIST MIDDEN, a found object installation of seafood bones, shells, and more.

Fringe Exhibition Name: Good Mourning.

Subheading : ‘its the new black’

Media: Visual Art + Literature; photography, found objects, books, canvas.

Artist: Alicia Bee.

Venue: Studio 7A 238 Brunswick Street Fitzroy

Dates: 2 + 9 October 2011.

Entry: donation.

Blurb: Good Mourning explores grief, aging, the dying of humans and animals.

Images of dead pets along with a found object midden installation are displayed with photography and funeral music.

Alicia Bee also previews ‘The Book of The Dead and Wounded’ collection of poems at the show on Sunday 2 October.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/good-mourning/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRVY4kbcG94

POPULAR MUSIC – BETTY AIRS

Sydney four door sedan BETTY AIRS remind me of BLACK LIPS or BLACK MUSIC done by white boys who have nugget on their cheeks and black lipstick and black eyeliner like LUKE STEELE.

Perhaps you should consider their name to be (BLACK) BETTY AIRS for the melodic punk pop is darker than the lyrics suggest; tougher than their betty skater SYDNEY TATTOOS from THE ILLUSTRATED MAN.

(Please note their music is above this line not below line for their particular BETTY ANGST. Look up, okay, up up NORTH okay ’cause the link is not loading a video openly on the page)

I know there is a cat and a dog called BLACK BETTY, and it is also the name of a car; but this is a long time since a sydney movie played BUY ME A PONY and does not sound at all like OLD MAN SAM.

Here their JUVENILE single reminds us what its like to kiss a young and free band as they tour our country. Check them out at these CHEAP HOTEL ROOMS, to speak to them in person; but remember they are the young ones.

THE ‘JUVENILE’ TOUR

Thursday 20 October ALHAMBRA LOUNGE Brisbane w/ Velociraptor

Friday 28 October HOTEL METRO Adelaide w/ Bad Dreems

Saturday 29 October CROWN & ANCHOR Adelaide w/ Bad Dreems

Saturday 5 November ROXBURY HOTEL Sydney w/ The Bungalows, The Ganasch

Saturday 19 November YAH YAH’S Melbourne w/ Red Aces, APES

Saturday 19 November PONY Melbourne 2am slot

POPULAR MUSIC – BLOOD COMMAND CD REVIEW

When I first heard Norway’s Blood Command  it was the day of the recent massacre in the country that left 77 dead and 96 injured. It was also the day before Amy Winehouse died and I had that violent incident at the Dan Brodie sharpie Video Clip Shoot. For the weekend Id left their video clip on my computer wanting to listen again to the first Norway band since Turbonegro replaced classical music, but it was a long busy one.

After the massacre news their clip loaded suddenly on my computer along with a Wikipedia page for Lillian Roxan. For the duration of a few songs I couldn’t remember why the pages came up or how this Norway band had come to me and tried logical rationale. Shock slows the brain and I had to remind it that Blood Command had sounded fine on Friday, but ‘Summon The Arsonist’ wasn’t meant to warn of a terrorist attack or societal violence from a country that had just lost so many young people at a summer camp from a psychopathic mass murderer.

If titles scare you then ‘Schizophrenic Summer’ could anthem your ideas that screamo music is angst driven early 20s punk that you don’t listen to anymore ‘cause you hurt your fat knees on your skateboard.

What on Friday had seemed new music had later opened to taunt my existence as a music journalist who left too many pull up windows open for the longest weekend.

As I listened more I understood exactly where I was on Friday and the hole that left a cringe for the sound from the massacre could only be rebuilt with more Norway music.

I thanked the label for the CDs and said it came just when I thought Norway all dead.

Hopefully they’ll send more music from Norway so this blog will cater for Australian music and the Norway metal primarily in memory of Lillian Roxan, the 173 victims and how scary it was to watch the news; I think Norway metal is a bit tamer.

Blood Command sing of arson, schizophrenia and murder, in the fantasy of art punk genre. Their weapons are instruments, knives the symbols of sexuality cutting the hurt of predjudice and societal rules to energetic rhythm designed to tire repressed fuel with response or to encourage ‘dance like nobody is watching’.

Their screaming female vocals pierced through the walls hurt from sadness and psychological trauma of a weekend from hell. Their own repetition of the Sex Pistols “kill all hippies,” taunted and I tried to wonder again why the sign for anarchy is so close to a peace sign. All ‘outsider’ teenagers have drawn both of those signs.

Like Sex Pistols they try to destroy and uphold their national image by creating music to serve their country.

Rest assured youths like these are stashing weapons of instruments and records in their bedroom waiting for their chance to take over the world peacefully even if they don’t think they are influenced by hippies.

At least they can listen to Blood Command’s newest release, or take a therapy course from an old folk song Turbonegro’s All My Friends Are Dead.

Norway music Note: Psychopathic murderer Clayton Weatherston tried to appreciate Turbonegro’s Party Animals LP when holding us hostage in the Dunedin Hotel, and he is quoted to say that he was not influenced at all by the music, apparently his logical economics brain never had a music appreciation.

POETASTER

The Dead Weather

Alicia Bee ©

It is the season for grieving,

Grey clouds above are raining,

Religion is for believing,

Dead Weather is hailing at cars.

They were all dead in the army,

Before they picked up poison pen,

States are waking to the alarm.

Living in peace is deceiving,

You shouldn’t get used to the calm,

Dont know what they are conceiving,

Dead Weather is hailing at cars.

END. Alicia Bee © 2011. THANKS FOR READING. I LOVE YOU LIKE THE FOUR DOOR SEDAN SOUTH OF THE BLACK CAT.

spring; the autumn moon lights my way

PHOTOGRAPHY –

‘Orange Flowers 1′ -Sunday Read Series, Brunswick, Sunday 18 April 2010, photo by Alicia Bee.

PUBLIC SPEECH – SPRING; THE AUTUMN MOON LIGHTS MY WAY.

It is Spring in Melbourne once again, the football games are finishing, horse racing is almost about to start; but more excitingly the music festival season is going to take us all for another 6 months of play.
Be prepared to jump in puddles in your sunglasses.

Mindful of the Brunswick garden flowers and that SPRING means it is AUTUMN on the other side of the world; I consider that the time is now to launch a fashion label based around the AUTUMN color range which is presently having a good time in all other Fashion label ranges.

You may be aware of my skills in writing journalism, and also of the 2010 publication of my poetry book Bathers On The Beach and a forthcoming THE BOOK OF THE DEAD AND WOUNDED 2011 release.
You may also be aware of my photography skills, a recent GREY HAIR exhibition that currently has a regional show at BURRINJA CAFÉ GALLERY and an upcoming FRINGE FESTIVAL SHOW – GOOD MOURNING which features PHOTOGRAPHY, POETRY, and a found object installation.

As busy as the queen bee could be scene to be, the time might be now to launch my own FASHION LABEL called ALICIA AUTUMN, though I am just putting it out there as an idea for feedback and to SCARE PEOPLE.

Call me a TALL POPPY, but I think we are all capable of doing great things and there is no parameters to the mediums which artists like myself can work.
So I thought again of AUTUMN and the colors that make it so earthy.
I have often been described as AUTUMN; the ORANGE color of my hair like deciduous tree leaves that have died, the GREEN of my eyes like that of the evergreen trees that are left green in FALL, and my love of brown monk clothes the color of EARTH and WOOD.
I AM ALICIA AUTUMN.
When I was 14 in 1990 I met none other than POPPY KING in a chemist in Camberwell Melbourne and once commented, “I can never find any makeup to go with red hair”. Do you know what she said? “You need AUTUMN”
I didn’t tell her that Australis did have a brown alike to the invention of her first lipstick color – AUTUMN.
Remembering POPPY KING’s words and also reading this week that ALANNAH HILL didn’t start her own fashion label until she was 35, it dawned on me that again AUTUMN was my answer.
Rembering also that VIVIANNE WESTWOOD was a school teacher before a fashion designer, and there is still time left in the AUTUMN of our lives I ask you to consider if I have any style at all?

The time is now for AUTUMN once again, that is AUTUMN with splashes of SPRING colors like BRUNSWICK FLOWERS.
AUTUMN the changeable season of sun and rain, cold and the last breaths of warm summer air. RAINBOWS of a gay MELBOURNE sunshine, changeable climate and wild weather.
AUTUMN that is SPRING on the other side of the world.
SPRING that is AUTUMN always in Melbourne.
Melbourne the city of a FINE warm 20 degrees Celsius, always AUTUMN or SPRING except for about 2 weeks of WINTER and SUMMER.
ALICIA AUTUMN is music festivals in RAIN, HAIL or SHINE.
DESIGNER GUMBOOTS and SUNGLASSES with wool, and a summer dress.
Multiple outfits for the clever camper and traveller.
ALICIA AUTUMN is Melbourne weather.

My fashion label ALICIA AUTUMN features my personal style of NEW AUSTRALIAN DESIGNER CLOTHES worn casually with VINTAGE EUROPEAN BLING that makes it look a lot better, or cheaper depending on your interpretation of fashion.
I won’t leak the ALICIA AUTUMN designs on my blog, just be aware that the idea is out there and you never know what project I will be working on next.

COOL BUDDHIST LESSON THIS WEEK: Remember SPRING is AUTUMN on the other side of the world!

PUBLIC FIGURE – STEVE LUCAS

Steve Lucas guitarist frontman of the thirty five year old rock band X has recently announced his involvement in the CHILDWISE charity as ambassador.
On 22 September Steve Lucas appears in a CHILDWISE benefit at THE ESPLANANDE ST KILDA with X + LOUIS TILLET + JAMES BLACK + BRIAN HENRY HOOPER + COLD HARBOUR + MICK HARVEY + TANYA LEE DAVIES IN SUPERDARLING + FIREBIRD + NOMADIC FUNK + BAILEY JUDD & SAM & WILL + SHIPS PIANO & BRIAN NANKERVIS its $35 plus booking fee.

ALICIA BEE – Why did you get involved with Childwise?
STEVE LUCAS – I was asked to do a benefit to help stop child sex prostitution and the child sex industry. I said yes, because I always do. I think if I can help make a difference by getting up on stage and playing music I love then I should be damned to hell if I were to say no. Once I asked a few basic questions I gradually became more intrigued and more outraged. Initially I thought I’d do a few songs and pat myself on the back and that would be that. But then I asked for some literature in case I was called upon to do and interview to promote the gig and what I read appalled me. Australians make up 33% of successfully prosecuted child sex offenders in Thailand alone! You could say national pride made me get involved. You might say shame at the country that I love spawns the kind of person or environment that creates this want and need humiliated me enough to want to do something about it. Then I found out that they worked here – at home – as well as abroad and a new meaning was given to me. I was abused as a child. I had no voice to speak of it then as I do now. As I read about the grooming process I realised that I narrowly escaped that fate by sheer luck and intuition. I know what it is like to be voiceless. I fear my own sister was abused when I was too young to fight on her behalf. I agreed to do it because I could not have looked into a mirror ever again in my life without seeing nothing but a coward. I want to look into a mirror and see a man. One who is prepared to fight for others that believe no-one cares or that no-one will. As a musician I have friends and fans that I can hopefully encourage and enlighten. I have a voice and I am not afraid to use it. I became involved with Child Wise because they said they needed me I learned to see that I needed them.
ALICIA BEE – What do you do as an Ambassador for them?
STEVE LUCAS – I do every thing I can to educate and enlighten people. I do all within my limited circle to raise awareness and funding. I use what stature I have to get others to donate their time and skills and talents to help make the Child Wise Charity blossom and grow. I speak to people. I beg and implore people to donate time or money or expertise to strengthen the foundations of this wonderful organisation. I ring people, I write about it and I speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.
ALICIA BEE – Have you done this kind of work before?
STEVE LUCAS – No, never. Up until now I have played countless gigs for countless charities. No tax write offs, you have to earn money for that luxury or concession. I just volunteered my time and my music and hoped that the money raised would make a difference. This one is… personal.

PERFORMANCE – FRIENDLY YEN LAUNCH 28 August 2011 NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB.

FRIENDLY YEN  provided everyone with drinks as an introduction to the former Canberra based rock band. New Melbourne refugees, or nu-northcote (or so they say at the NSC, wink) are young but will tour and play every venue before another millennium band bites the dust, and their singles kick in the doors of Triple J waves.
I can hear nu-metal with their tops on, and points go to guitarist Pat Lillicrap for wearing the Led Zeppelin tshirt because it always works as a fashion statement.
(Though Pat said ‘4’ was his favorite album, that’s the one with Stairway to Heaven, and he had never heard ‘Houses of Holy’; and he has a lot to learn about Led Zeppelin before trying to be them and make band history. Note here; in 1998 Dave Larkin at this same question had only heard Led Zeppelin Remasters – the one with 2 CDs not 4 CDs, so this is not necessary rule, but a mere note for Led Zeppelin fans that bands may not even know as much about music as you a fan musicologist, though can probably play better; and in Dave Larkin’s case will still pretend to be a real Led Zeppelin fan and play the Led Zeppelin tribute at the Palais last year though I begged him not to so many times because he wasn’t even a true fan, and didn’t like Led Zeppelin as much as say – Davey Lane http://www.myspace.com/davey_lane of You Am I would have played it more authentically but that’s an old argument and a new people from interstate places don’t need to take sides of the river on such silly issues even if they say they have burnt the Sydney harbour bridge or even the capital just to relocate).
Singer Jeff I was told has ‘pitch perfect’ voice, said my bio reading plus one robot; which he hits with his hands as he points to notes in the octave. When he sings his hands move commanding the audience to notice him accenting and inflecting each of his singing breaths and words finishing while he changes notes. It is very controlling, you many think he is what a mid 20s Ron Peno could have been like in hand signals. Though at the moment looks like he is fresh out of VOX Vocal school for rock musicians wanting to sing properly away from the dreaded NODE disease caught by many in their prime, perhaps even around the time they attend singing lessons.
I wondered if VOX Vocal School could possibly change their posters away from THE LIVING END, DREADNAUGHT, and the old school others to a new class of singers led by FRIENDLY YEN and all their friends as the day dawns on another group of bands offering FREE DRINKS for support of their new music.
Welcome to Melbourne Friendly Yen, we accept your rider as incentive anytime.

POETASTER

Harpy
By Alicia Bee © 2011.

Wings of a bird on a perfect female body,
She’s whispering on the wind controlling the weather,
Hair down to earth taken from houses of holy,
Harpy; heaven paved the footpath for you tonight.

Wearing a frilly dress because fashion is fun,
The human brain curse is she scares ‘cause she’s clever,
It isn’t a mess to break something and then run.

She’s original there is no other copy,
He tall boots are made for walking ‘cause they’re leather,
There is no award ‘cause she’s the trophy,
Harpy; heaven paved the footpath for you tonight.

END. THANKS FOR READING. I LOVE YOU LIKE SPRING AUTUMN MOON LIGHTS MY WAY.
Alicia Bee © 2011.

journey on the valley path

‘My Best Friend in Beaches’, taken from ‘Grey Hair’ Exhibition, Skenes Creek, May 2011, photo by Alicia Bee.

PUBLIC SPEECH : JOURNEY ON THE VALLEY PATH

I was born in the mountains to a hippy couple who studied Buddhism.

I drew a lot of flowers in my childhood after studying the painting of blossoms.

This week I have been studying Zen; again –

in a course that does not involve painting.

I am presently working on another koan.

I know nothing.

But can teach you this;

Chan is Chinese for Zen.

Already I had returned to Chan Painting and was given a title by my teacher last year.

My Chan painting name is JOURNEY ON THE VALLEY PATH.

This is about my journey as I learn to walk in the valley after living so long in the mountains.

This weeks Chan blossom paintings were not amazing and I preferred my other subjects but all still appear infantile when finished.

I don’t know if my paintings live up to my title and they wont be exhibited too soon, but continue to practise.

I still have a lot to learn about painting in black and Chan Painting because it is a big brush.

At the turn of the century there was a trend for boys in some rock bands to tattoo their band name on their body, which always seemed a little weird. However instead of laughing too hard I thought of a plan to get an army of followers to tattoo my penny tattoo to their arm (we will talk about this another time).

Recently I thought of developing my plan by following the trend of people that prefer to tattoo Asian characters to their bodies.

If I have online followers in the future they will tattoo these words to their back.

旅山谷的路径

(which means Journey On the Valley Path)

or 猪小姐记者

which means Miss Piggy Journalist.

Looks cool doesn’t it? An interpreter quoted $200 flat rate to interpret the 4 words, and said they got a lot of requests from people who want to get the phrase right before they inked themselves. I didn’t take her up on the offer and have been learning language online myself using GOOGLE TRANSLATE.

This also means that I wouldn’t advise anyone to tattoo that phrase above before it is checked by a scholar and my practice is developed more.

Get your friends to join the mail list, and become a fan online. We are not doing any tattooing at the moment, and you can learn more about Chan and Chinese characters generally before you make the commitment.

Read at bottom for my Haiku lessons and more understandings of the weeks events.

PHOTOGRAPHY : GREY HAIR TOURING TO BURRINJA CAFÉ GALLERY.

ALICIA BEE presents GREY HAIR EXHIBITION at BURRINJA GALLERIES from

1 – 25 SEPTEMBER 2011.

Former hills resident and frequently spotted local shopper ALICIA BEE launches her first exhibition of photography in the hills with a live music show on Saturday 3 September at BURRINJA CAFÉ GALLERY 351 Glenfern Road Upwey.

This debut series of photographs launched MAY 2011 at STUDIO 7A on BRUNSWICK STREET FITZROY has also had pieces shown at SHABANA JACOBSON GALLERY and BRUNSWICK STREET GALLERIES as part of the SMALL WORKS COMPETITION.

Featured in the exhibition is a PREVIEW of ALICIA BEE’s FRINGE FESTIVAL SHOW ‘GOOD MOURNING’ which will also show GREY HAIR pieces along with other photographs, and poetry.

Some shots ALICIA BEE took of beach rocks are used in an essay of natural geology aging and human concepts of GREY HAIR.
Chosen to help promote the exhibition is a great local acts that offers thoughtful new discussion on Australian folk music Penelope Swales performing acoustic.

THE GOOD FOLK CLUB + ALICIA BEE present

GREY HAIR EXHIBITION LAUNCH featuring

LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES by

PENELOPE SWALES on

SATURDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2011 at

BURRINJA CAFÉ GALLERY at

351 GLENFERN ROAD UPWEY from

7PM, it will be

$9 entry (cover charge for music).

Facebook Event :

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=248120788534320

‘Roof’, Butler Mastering, Leichardt Sydney.

PRODUCTION : BUTLER MASTERING – PAUL BUTLER

I started a sound column when in Sydney at The Brag, which was later found in Beat and Mixdown, before it stopped because they wouldn’t pay me enough. It has become legendary as the first sound column in street press nationally, however it was often seen as an advertising marketing incentive and many magazines have published various sound or studio liftouts since and always will. Perhaps they wont remember that the sound column was started by a girl from Melbourne in 2003, who literally called every studio in two states (hundreds) for a period of time to stay in touch. Later I even made national calls for the Mixdown column but the cash streetpress paid couldn’t even cover the cost of phonecalls, can you believe the pennies they pay the street paparazzi? These days a lot more studios are online and you can email for a direct response.

What I didn’t know before interviewing Paul Butler  about BUTLER MASTERING was that instead of a biography he displays an interview from Drum Media exploring his world of sound, which was just found. That was the other streetpress! But don’t worry Im not jealous or anything; we all know which ALICIA (from the attic) really ‘ruled the world’, and who actually did it first.

See below articles the reference to the COPYCATS of BALLARAT, but pause here let go of any angry thoughts that I am a mean person before you read this interview with Paul Butler and remember this blog is MISS PIGGY JOURNALIST is a space for opinionated editorial.

ALICIA BEE – Have you studied sound?

PAUL BUTLER – Yep, formally with SAE back in 2001, it was a good base of information I guess but my real knowledge came from experience in the field. I’ve worked in many parts of the industry and with so many talented people that have really broadened my skills and helped me approach my true passion [Mastering] with a different mindset to most.

ALICIA BEE –  When did Butler Mastering start?

PAUL BUTLER – I’ve been operating as “The Butler” for about 6 years now, working with mainly Indie artists as I travelled with work [Radio & Live Production], the business [and myself] are now grounded in a new studio in Leichhardt [Sydney].

ALICIA BEE – What does the company do?

PAUL BUTLER – We’re a dedicated Mastering facility, mastering music for artists from all over the world. We have studio partners in New York and London which feed us work, as well as online [eMastering] for musicians from anywhere you can imagine… Nepalese Rock! Cuban Pop! South American Rap, we’ve done some interesting work.

ALICIA BEE – What was the last thing you learnt about in sound?

PAUL BUTLER – I’ve been delving further into [analogue] audio electronics lately, really enjoying learning about circuit designs and their effects in the real world.

POPULAR MUSIC : RAT VS POSSUM

RAT VS POSSUM launch ‘Fat Monk,’ single from their upcoming second album ‘Let Music & Bodies Unite’ at RAOB GAB which is also called The Buffalo Club at 22 Sutherland Street Melbourne on Friday 16 September 2011 with support from Horse Macgyver and Time Shield.
Tickets are $10 and only available at the door only from 8.30pm.
Rat Vs Possum are a HIP band and they introduced me to The Buffalo Club venue and taught me about DJs NO ZU, Toy Balloon and Nick Rave & the Bad Speed. We chatted online about Eastern religions and FAT MONKs and very basically about the band.

ALICIA BEE – Where is the Buffalo Club? what does RAOB GAB stand for?

DAPHNE SHUM – The Buffalo Club was named after the ancient burial ground for water buffaloes on which the venue was built, located in the Melbourne CBD. Can’t remember what RAOB GAB stands for although I feel like I’m exorcising demons and invoking the spirit when I say it out loud.

ALICIA BEE – What is a ‘Fat Monk’?

DAPHNE SHUM – We named our single Fat Monk because the main synth riff sounds like it could be the soundtrack to a fat monk strolling down the street. We’re deep like that. Right after the song was written I saw an actual fat monk hanging out in the city, so not only is the song deep, it was also prophetic.

ALICIA BEE – Have you studied buddhism? any eastern religion?

DAPHNE SHUM – Matt expressed an interest in tantra recently. It’s time for Sting to give someone else a go at being the musical spokesperson for tantra. As for myself and Adrian, we’re Asian so we’re basically zen mystics by birthright.

ALICIA BEE – Tell us the symbolism of the lotus?

DAPHNE SHUM – It’s a symbol of the flagrantly tasteless aesthetic orientalism in the artwork for our single. We can thank Oliver Hunter for that. Although when I compare his fat monk to the fat monk of my imagination, I realise we possess vastly different understandings of the word ‘fat’.

ALICIA BEE – Is Rat Vs Possum transendental meditation music?

DAPHNE SHUM – Maybe when slowed to 20 BPM. Or try downing a bottle of Dx before putting on our record and meditating.

ALICIA BEE – What has happened to Rat Vs Possum since its first Chinese Zodiac Year?

DAPHNE SHUM – Andrew went to Vietnam and had an allergic reaction after mistaking ornamental leaves in a vase for food, Adrian got laser eye surgery, Kieran’s house got robbed but the entire band’s gear was left untouched, I stopped needing to go to hospital all the time and started going to the gym instead, and Matt’s been trying to grow his hair out. That’s about it really. We also wrote some songs, played some shows, toured some, and are about to put out our second album.

POPULAR MUSIC : NEW SETTLEMENT ROAD – AMONG THE GENTLEST OF BIRDS LP.

When John Denver’s ‘Country Roads’ was sung in the primary schoolyard we’d changed the lyrics to Victorian references “West Virginia and Castlemaine” to counter the “Copycats from Ballarat” in a world of our own.

NEW SETTLEMENT ROAD is a familiar country journey to ‘Odelle,’ a house with a sweet female name. Local Victorian references found on New Settlement Road’s LP could take them on the ‘morning train’ from Frankston (if you too believed The Seekers Morningtown Ride was only a local ode to the south eastern train) to the dried Murray River with ‘Let The Rivers Run’ (from TV Series ‘All The Rivers Run’), but you may be confused when you find the song ‘Oh, My Home’ is actually written about The Kimberleys. Though they are a Mornington Peninsula band there are many phrases that you could sing anywhere; ‘cause worldwide there is a ‘city by the sea’ and a ‘rising sun’. There’s broken glass and cobblestones on the highway over the hills and in the valleys on New Settlement Road’s release.

Local music references also could come from the breath of graveled Lindsay Phillips trademark, while using the gardening tools of Augie March to understand how to write Bob Dylan for a band in Melbourne searching for “crowds to inspire”.

New Settlement Road are trying to catch the whispering on the wind romantically using daddy’s records like Donovan and Dylan in many songs chasing birds that migrate seasons to search for settlement and a home.

They mix working class submissiveness attitude and common sense country in ‘You May Not Have Control’ with other song lyrics that refer to kings and queens and “Bring(ing) down the Empire”.

They consider references to the afterlife in ‘Until I’m Gone’ with “skin and bones” in ‘Ben’ that could have buried a dog, but Im really into all that dead talk at the moment so its not macarb.

They are hoping for backing to do this all among the gentlest of musical genres, subtlety to the point of low-fi in song 4, against a too adventurous burst of big band noise later in the CD, but it’s a good sound of known  pockets of music they ‘lay down sally’ and only repetition will make it play more naturally and anyone can press repeat on a CD if they cant get the band to sound right.

They have the support of a chorus chant choir named ‘The Drunken Beasts’ found in ‘Briar Park’, and for their Australian music hotel sound they’d raised glasses in male voice giving us a drinking another anthem because already The Kill Devil Hills ruled the regional hotel and Cosmic Psychos owned the city pub.

Joining them in the folk rock waltz is Jen Anderson giving the recording the earth and acceptance that they were seeking in Woodstock’s Studio name. Listen for title song ‘Among the Gentlest of Birds’ for one of the subtlest didgeridoo additions to a white track from the back beaches.

NEW SETTLEMENT ROAD release AMONG THE GENTLEST OF BIRDS on SEPTEMBER 23 2011 preorder your copy here. New Settlement Road play The Empress on Saturday 1 September with Lachlan Bryers and the Blind Alley Band.

POETASTER : HAIKU BY ALICIA BEE

Designer gumboots

I can jump bigger puddles

Flowering in mud

Broken pencil lead

lost during more sharpening

shorter in hand

Mountain wind whistle

chimney becomes instrument

in wild weather

windy conductor

trees dance across snake gully

audience applause

Cockatoo ridges

white forest custodian

grace note reminders

lone ukelele

instrument of Pacific

island musician

acoustic guitar

singer songwriter on mic

local folk music

motorcycle noise

white envelope letter box

good news from afar

hot sun behind moon

a total lunar eclipse

earth in the middle

newspaper plastic

dry roll of daily headlines

flattened to read

light shower rainbow

kisses sky roof with smile

of clean teeth city

infused pot tea

poured soy milk bleaches brew

without stirring spoon

END. THANKS FOR READING. I LOVE YOU LIKE JOURNEY ON THE VALLEY PATH.

Alicia Bee © 2011.

stolen car

PHOTOGRAPHY

‘Sydney Road African Female Shopper’, Brunswick, 2 September 2006, photo by Alicia Bee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWoMq46g0XU

PUBLIC SPEECH – STOLEN CAR

I was listening to BETH ORTON STOLEN CAR when it dawned to me that the recent DEATH IN BRUNSWICK could have been related to VEHICULAR THEFT or SOME SORT OF CRIME connected to the PANEL BEATING WORKSHOP on Florence Street. If only the VICTORIAN POLICE FORCE listened to music they would be as quick as me at solving crime on the streets.

For a recent update google or read this ABC article;

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-19/injured-man-under-police-guard-over-fatal-shooting/2846904/?site=melbourne

The Victorian Police are okay at dealing with the crime of VEHICULAR THEFT when the thieves leave the license plates on the car and it looks the same in color, but what if they change what the car looks like and take the plates off? Anyone in a crime runaway could be across the border as far as the car will take them with the quickest of disguises.

Where I grew up on the East side of Melbourne, robbers used to steal cars and joyride them till the petrol ran out. They would ‘drive that car as far they could and abandon it out West’ like the lyrics in Tangled Up In Blue, the Bob Dylan song.

One of my own hippy cars was located by the Victoria Police in the western suburb of Altona in the early 1990s. Sure enough they rolled down the mountain from the mad mile as far as they could when they got away.

The only satisfaction was thinking of the thief getting out and walking from the car, but then a professional would have a friend pick them up and just pretend it was kids with simple purposefully left clues and evidence.

Given that CARS are not good for the planet and PANELBEATERS could be involved in many crimes including VEHICULAR THEFT, ARMED ROBBERY, and MURDER it is only natural of the ARTISTIC COMMUNITY to suggest that the BREED should be allowed in all inner city suburbs.

That’s right I don’t think there should be any PANEL BEATERS in Brunswick, and works on VEHICLES should be carried out in wider Melbourne locations such as THOMASTOWN, ALTONA and DANDENONG.

Inner city artistic suburbs should not be threatened by such CAR businesses that drag our family communities down with embarrassing news stories that cause fear and panic, peak hour traffic delay, with possible harm to knock off hour at locals hotels caused by the roadblock on Thursday 18 August 2011. These crimes of violence are a terrible weight to the BUDDHIST COMMUNITIES of Brunswick and surrounding areas who enjoy living in PEACE IN THE WESTERN WORLD.

It is only natural that a total closure of all PANEL BEATERS is necessary to prevent more crime.

Im sure we could do something constructive with the spare factories, while all welders, heavy metal and scraps could be utilized for positive projects of public art installations that therapy the fallout from this local crime. Lets dig a hole in the concrete driveway and plant another fig tree in Brunswick, and have some closure on this case.

As Queen of the Underground (music kingdom) I ask that all criminal businesses cease operations in BRUNSWICK and crime be dedicated to wider suburbs where no young cool hip people are rapidly taking over former ethnic owned properties to gentrify the area and improve your property resell value.

If you are at all clever you should rent out your property till Brunswick prices in the millions; then sell, while setting up business somewhere else, but that’s just my idea and I am JUMPING IN PUDDLES OF CONCLUSIONS IN GUMBOOTS about the PANEL BEATERS being involved in CRIME after the recent death of TWO MEN and injury of a THIRD yesterday.

While it has been agreed that West of Sydney Road is the playground of your business, we will need to change the borderline as middle Brunswick fills and the West becomes the new frontier for Art pioneers in Melbourne.

We need the Edinburgh Castle Hotel and a couple of other venues; and direct access to the airport as quickly as possible.

All criminals and VICTORIA POLICE should now pause for meditational calm and watch the BETH ORTON video clip posted above for details such as GUMBOOTS, MICROPHONES, and a FAIRY LIGHT DISPLAY she has attached to her UNDERBELLY. Released on 22 February 1999 this FOLK song produced by Victor Van Vugt is a favorite of mine all this week in Brunswick, but do I love flashbacks. Otherwise check out WIM : COLLOSSUS from the link below.

PRODUCTION – SHANE PHILLIPS

Reader Shane Phillips contacted me on Facebook after reading the last issue of MISSPIGGYJOURNALIST blog, not knowing I would interview him. While working at ABC Canberra Shane Phillips is also quite vocal online about his second job of being a massage therapist from home; and only proves working in two different environments can be done.

ALICIA BEE : Where do you work?

SHANE PHILLIPS : As a tech, ABC studio Parliament House Canberra. As a massage therapist, from home.

ALICIA BEE : Did you study sound?

SHANE PHILLIPS : I have done a fair bit of audio study. It was a few years ago now! I did a fair bit in college and ABC training, mainly technical rather then operational.

ALICIA BEE : What panels + equipment are you using?

SHANE PHILLIPS : That would be quite a list! I am in TV master control at the moment …so right in front of me I have two Tectronix digital waveform monitors, two digital audio analyzers, talk-back panels, sdi router, a wall of broadcast monitors (if you want a list all the gear I use let me know!)

ALICIA BEE : What is the secret producing a quality voice track?

SHANE PHILLIPS : Good microphone.

ALICIA BEE : What microphones do you use to record parliament?

SHANE PHILLIPS : Schoeps Colette’s

ALICIA BEE : What was the last thing you learnt in sound?

SHANE PHILLIPS : HE-AAC v2 audio codec specifications.

High-Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding (HE-AAC) is a lossy data compression scheme for digital audio defined as a MPEG-4 Audio profile in ISO/IEC 14496-3

PLAY – WIM : COLLOSUS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlQDW4QdeCg&feature=player_embedded#!

POPULAR MUSIC – SIMON SELF : TREAT LIKE EGGS LP.

Simon Self gave me an email asking if I would like to review his CD. Polite and clever knowing that a CD is a heavy weight to send in the mail to journalists that may ignore him, he had sent a link to his sounds online as a taster.

I accepted to review him in this blog and he sent his ‘Treat Like Eggs’ LP.

The first thing that struck me about the CD package was the plane in the artwork. Living a few years in Sydney I laughed at the release that acknowledged planes. Planes flying over a dirty polluted city is what you see in the hand drawn image on the cover.

Those years in Sydney gave me certain knowledge of the difference between the two music scenes between my hometown and a newer city. In the big smoke I decided that Sydney was Australia’s international city and could be compared to New York. (New York, the opposite of California, and an incubator of a fine jazz scene around since the Age of Reason, and ruling as the city of jazz throughout the world.)

Sydney has always had a legacy of jazz music to be heard at club venues all along Broadway from The Basement to Wynyard, but still does have to check in with the Melbourne International Jazz Festival and the Vicotrian history of regional jazz clubs and festivals.

Simon Self has a high male voice which he sings as he plays synthesized jazz guitar. On Polly his voice bridges to soul as he settles back against other instruments and concentrates on his singing though it is not till then that you understand his voice structure or capabilities.

Something is holding him back in the recording of the vocals, the mix appearing flat and less earthed along with the synthesized music that should be sold as bigger for their genre choice.

In his next journey into the studio Simon Self should treat his voice like eggs and build the soundtrack around that.

Still if low-fi is your backgrounder, turn it on and take a sip of the Sydney hotel wine before the plane flight to New York.

PUZZLE – PHOTOGRAPH: Where’s Brunswick?

When I lived in Sydney the planes flew so close that it was thought that my NEWTOWN house could be seen from the plane. In spite of so many flights to and from the beautiful harbour city I could never recognise my house.

This only made me question whether our Brunswick house could be seen now that I was living so far west it was under a flight path. After the blog last week I was able to pinpoint exactly where we were on the map.

ACTIVITY > Scroll down the blog to the photo of ‘Melbourne from Plane #9’ from last week’s ‘HARPIES NOT SHARPIES’ edition. It wasn’t till this particular return journey when recording some Melbourne entry photos that I was able to recognize the city suburbs from the air for the first time.

Can you recognize Brunswick in the photo? See if you can locate the Eureka building as the tallest in Melbourne then find Lygon Street in front of it.

When you stand at most northern locations on Lygon you can get a clear view of the Eureka Building. Eureka? You have it.

Now find Melbourne Cemetary, Royal Park, and Sydney Road to the right of the photo; while Nicholson Street is just LEFT OF CENTRE.

Can you find Hoddle/Punt Road? High Street Northcote?

EUREKA? You are getting to know Melbourne from those strange birds that flew above the Melbourne skyline that laugh at us with their big engines and loud noise.

POETASTER

Orange Guard Dog

By Alicia Bee 2010 ©

A guard dog barks viciously at a girl walking down panel beat road,

West state in Orange people try talking to grow feelings after drought,

Breakfast shift workers leave their misted caravan park cabin abode,

“Good Dog” rewards the girl warmly to the beaten attack dog.

Hope assures her faith in universal goodness,

Semi trailer truck cab returns home early after loosening to unload,

She imagines in this rural town people give their children a clout.

Morning lightens the sky while service station lights on highway still glowed,

She is getting to know her country now, this town from the roundabout,

The dogs wild rage quietens as she looks away energy slowed,

“Good Dog” rewards the girl warmly to the beaten attack dog.

END. THANKS FOR READING. I LOVE YOU LIKE A STOLEN CAR.

Alicia Bee © 2011.

harpies not sharpies

PHOTOGRAPHY

‘Melbourne from Plane #9’, Tullamarine Flight Path, 28 January 2009, photo by Alicia Bee.

 ’Sharpies’, Melbourne, 1973, printed 1977-78, photo by Rennie Ellis.

http://www.rennieellis.com.au/

PUBLIC SPEECH – HARPIES NOT SHARPIES.

Part One. SHARPIES

When I was born in the mid seventies sharpies culture was out. Sharpies had already ruined Sunbury Music Festival and taken over the pubs, and hippy families like mine retreated to the hills or quieter places to raise children, start folk festivals, community radio stations and the structures of the good Melbourne music scene we rely on today.

The only experience I had with Sharpies prior to recent times was in primary school when watching a group of young skinheads at Moomba celebrations as a female was hit for unknown reasons in a public space and humiliated.

I remembered how it was laughed at by the group of what would become 80s bogans, and how the domestic violence was considered taboo.

There are 2 different images of Sharpies one seen in Rennie Ellis’ 1973 image (above) of ‘sharply’ dressed males proudly showing off suspenders with jumpers, jeans, shirts and hats; and the latter group of skinheads seen often at music concerts and in the below footage shot by Carol Jerrems.

You can see the difference in the two Sharpies dinstinctly from their hairstyle, the first with short back and sides parted in the middle and the second developed the mullet of shorter hair with a longer whisp at the back and sometimes front.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE3FxXjipj0

Still photographer Carol Jerrems made a short film in 1975 featuring 15-year-old schoolboys from Heidelberg Technology High School.

Most of them had been expelled and, according to Carol had “preferred bashing, beer, sheilas, gang bangs, gang fights, billiards, stealing and hanging about”.

“So far I have myself only narrowly escaped rape but was bashed over the head by the main actor whilst driving my car which had been dented by the rival gang with sticks. They steal my money and cigarettes when I am not looking but I refuse to be deterred. My consequent kungfu lessons and panelbeating are not included in the budget,” Carol Jerrems 1975 as quoted from Girl In The Mirror.

Recently I was involved in a violent incident during a music video clip shoot of a story about a Sharpie. It was during a weird work situation in which the band, crew and cast members acted in sexist ways to share a “Sharpie Experience”.

Needless to say violent behavior, sexual harassment and practical jokes are all outlawed in today’s workplace and should not occur at any time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIS_3dBzCIw&feature=related

An insight into the highly acclaimed and best selling book, RAGE: A SHARPIES JOURNAL written by Julie Mac.

Part Two. HARPIES

In spite of some confusion with the descriptions found online the people on the other side of the SUNBURY music festival were followers of HARPIES.

HARPIES were a beautiful collection of SIRENS known to have mythical wings, goddess beauty and an amazing crown and mane of long hair.

Evolved from depictions of ANGELS these ‘harp playing’ females were actually just winged humans that sung an amazing song to lure males.

HIPPY men were attracted to their female beauty and were paired according with mates to start their new life away from the music festival rubbish tip and the worst part of the SHARPIES CROWD.

HIPPY MEN loved the BIRD WOMEN and often called them ‘BIRDS’ in fond terms not like SHARPIES who called their women ‘MOLES’.

NOTE that some male artists found online have often depicted HARPIES in unattractive terms, and portray the female temptress as UGLY BIRD WOMEN that males should not turn to in spite of how long they have been touring with the ARGONAUTS or how tempting her hair, breasts or wings were.

GOTHIC ARTISTS of the time sometimes did not paint a good image of HARPIES and this has altered how some people have viewed women over history.

Often only half a female body is seen with wings, claws and other weapons in some images of HARPIES. These bird images are often scary, yet they evolved from the Christian image of the ANGEL with HARP.

As a reflection of this even things to do with NESTS and EGGS were insulted as part of this culture that suggests that mating with a female and producing children was not a good thing for men.

HARPIES were also be depicted as ‘devil women’ and their powers of seduction are supposed to be diminished by such opposing artworks and descriptions of females warning that they are lesser than animals in the HUMAN RACE.

Hippies loved the FEMALE SPIRIT, and wanted to have sex with her.

Hippies loved the BIRD WOMAN, and wanted to nest and hatch eggs with her.

Sharpies wanted only to rape her.

Sometimes these SHARPIE males could create violent scenes of gang rape seen only in those mythical times in history.

Why anyone would choose a skinhead over a woman with beautiful natural long hair and an amazing voice was not known. But a trend developed that only caused scenes of violence.

HARPIES were beautiful and did not sink ships or bring bad weather or tidings.

HARPIES were ANGELS who played a HARP and whose voice carried over the ocean and all lands. How their image was altered to the birdlike devil woman who is mistreated is not known but it a reflection of societal backlash against the emancipation of women over time.

We need new artists to start painting a more beautiful image of the mythical creature the HARPIE and we will see greater respect for the power of ordinary females. And until then let this HARPIE watch over your reading of my blog with a warning to keep up with the laws that govern us SAVAGES and that we are all equal in the workplace and other areas of our lives.

[CARROL JERREMS was a HARPIE as was WENDY SADDINGTON, my mother, and all the women with beautiful natural flowing hair that did or did not miss the Germaine Greer book ‘The Female Eunuch’ which was a 1970 title about how HARPIES have been portrayed and controlled over time in society. ]

PRODUCTION – EASTERN BLOC STUDIOS.

LEE CARDAN took over EASTERN BLOC STUDIOS after the name and house business was setup by JONATHON BURNSIDE who returned home to USA after a decade in AUSTRALIA in SYDNEY and MELBOURNE. BURNSIDE had purchased the old ATLANTIS studio used TONY COHEN and all of the good legacy has been handed down to LEE CARDAN a NEW ENGINEER still in his twenties.

ALICIA BEE – What have you been working on?

LEE CARDAN – Currently, I’m working on identifying what exactly it is that I want to contribute to the modern music scene. I find myself in an excellent position to connect with interesting musicians, and together we could offer something amazing. I just need to realise what that is, so I can put all my energy towards achieving it.

ALICIA BEE – Who are your first clients?

LEE CARDAN – My first clients were a local hard rock act called Errant Venture, and shortly after was Dragon (the big one). I love recording any style as the art is in the approach, but I feel my true talents lie elsewhere.

ALICIA BEE – What did you buy as the package for Eastern Bloc?

LEE CARDAN – With the purchase of EBS came the 1979 MCI 542 console and matching 1978 MCI 2″ 24 Track tape machine. And, the 1961 all valve plate reverb of course.

ALICIA BEE – Do you have anything new?

LEE CARDAN – To the package, I’ve since added all the elements needed to provide my clients with a warm aesthetic experience, as well as a healthy range of outboard equipment, microphones, and instruments necessary to employ production techniques from both the old school and the new.

ALICIA BEE – What is the last thing you learnt in sound?

LEE CARDAN – Last thing I learnt in sound is to listen, and trust what I’m hearing. I think this will be a life-long achievement.

PARADE – MENS CARDIGANS

You want to be a sharpie but don’t want to look or act like a bogan? Do it in a designer labels and feel that little bit better than the 1970s thug.

You want to dress sharp and warm in Winter but don’t like the itch of wool? These soft blended cardigans combine silk with wool and can be worn through the chillier parts of Spring. At AU$918 you can save on that Pacific holiday this year and invest in a European holiday for 2012.

Made in Italy, the French label also make a grey cardigan but that all wool and dramatically cheaper at AU$788, though perhaps less noir from Dior.

From the Fall-Winter 2011/12 range online you can buy them on this site and have them shipped in two days.

Please note the delicacy of the weave near the ribbing that gives a beautiful fashion finish to the wardrobe item that makes buying manstyle that little bit exciting. And remember not to fight in these knits because you don’t want to damage the weaves or pull the wool.

http://www.raffaello-network.com

POPULAR MUSIC – WENDY SADDINGTON & THE COPPERWINE LIVE

CD REVIEW

Wendy Saddington’s Copperwine-house sound reminds us that Australia had its own ladies reinterpret Nina Simone and overseas songs long before Gudinski discovered Gabriella Cilmi to answer for Joss Stone.

When Wendy Saddington sings we could easily give her the tired likeness of being Australia’s own Janis Joplin or Anita Slick or any other power blues lady that triumphed to impress with voice as an instrument in a male rock band. The sad thing is that when females sing today they still get compared to Janis Joplin and they have never heard Wendy Saddington or Renae Geyer sing so hard they cry.

Wendy Saddington openly balled her eyes out during her time in the 1970s. She wore thick heavy black lines around her crying eyes set in the middle of a head of amazing afro curly hair (later she even wore her makeup like tears of a mime clown).

Listeners could have fell down with the sound of her own breaking voice as Wendy Saddington gave her full diaphragm capacity to the audience at each performance.

When Wendy Saddington joined Copperwine they were already popular, touring with lead name vocalist Jeff St John. They had just released their Joint Effort LP and later in 1970 would record ‘Teach Me How To Fly’ single without her female second vocals with the idea that it would make the single less commercial to have her part on it; this was an Australian male rock music scene after all.

This reissue is a live recoding of a performance from the Wallacia Festival in January 1971; and is a taste of her short period with the band when her vocals could have been heard to lead Copperwine as crowd favorites and place an entirely different genre name on the band description. On that occasion Jeff St John was absent and festival guests were entreated hear female vocals for the entire show. Whether it was a success or it caused band friction is not known, but Wendy Saddington left Copperwne shortly after this period. The gig was recorded though and so magical that they put out this release later in September 1971 to remind people that they once had Wendy Saddington in the band if only for a short time.

‘Five People Said I was Crazy’ is my favorite anthem, but I never heard these songs the first time and don’t entirely need another Simone or Dylan version. It is one of 2 songs on this LIVE LP she wrote with Copperwine during this era.

Listen to the Bee-side first, if Winehouse had been able to take her hand I’m sure she would have given a good version of that song before she died; so it is just waiting for a listen from younger soulful ears and singers.

Australia got over its cultural cringe here in the early seventies by answering with vocals like these by Wendy Saddington, but it still would take generations for their daughters to cite local singers as their influence outside all those black ladies from America and the most commercial music of this period that came before their birth.

Just after her departure from Copperwine Wendy Saddington released the Warren Morgan penned ‘Looking Through A Window’ with Billy Thorpe and him supporting for a top 30 chart place. That single is also included on this re-release which presses down a diary of the 1970 -71 year of musical projects of Wendy Saddington with a nice booklet of information written by Ian Macfarlane out on AZTEC MUSIC.

POETASTER

Heidelberg Sharpies

By Alicia Bee 2011©

I did not escape from the second gang rape,

The cops began to stop sharpies confessing,

Bashed over the head from the main actor on tape,

You will see my photographs at Heidelberg.

They said the third assault was not all his fault,

Nor the sexual harassment and undressing,

The concussion head ached in the winter cold.

My skull changed shape moving up from the nape,

Sharpies left their violent mark with the pushing,

I stayed at home playing with the nighttime drapes,

You will see my photographs at Heidelberg.

END. THANKS FOR READING. I LOVE YOU LIKE HARPIES NOT SHARPIES.

Alicia Bee © 2011.

piggies in the longest winter

‘Electricity Pole’, Photo by Alicia Bee,  2 April 2007, Brunswick.

PUBLIC SPEECH – PIGGIES IN THE LONGEST WINTER

2 June 2011.

Miss Piggy Journalism writes about herself in a personal blog. It is ‘experiential journalism’ in the footsteps of Hunter S. Thompson. You see, Hunter was Gonzo, I am Miss Piggy.

Consider the different muppet characters for a moment. Gonzo, a long nosed puppet with a cute little jacket and tie often did not have the best of luck in The Muppets, he wasn’t the main character but was well liked. Later Gonzo would marry a chicken, but he spent a little bit of time trying to woo other female characters unsuccessfully. Hunter S. Thompson used humor when he likened himself to Gonzo.

Miss Piggy was a bossy boots, wannabe beauty queen, singer and dancer who drank champagne and often karate chops people in anger. She is the character I have chosen for my style of journalism, a vain narcissist in a generation Y era where my face is multiplied with numerous profile pictures attached to my social network. I am a product of the ‘muppet baby’ age, and want it better than Hunter S. Thompson and other New Journalists had before us. Please supply a champagne rider for all complimentary tickets or I’ll karate chop you!

Miss Piggy Journalist is probably not going to be even scaled through this blog because it is meant to be about me. That’s why I have a photo and some of my poetry each issue and put such self referential links to each interview with personal anecdotes, review and editorial opinion that may never make print publication anywhere else.

Today the blog ego clouds my interview with MICK HARVEY with another story introduction, while ALYSIA MANCEAU’s album reviews probably spends too much time on my EMPRESS story but then perhaps I spent too much time at the EMPRESS in the (sparkling wine millennium ) year 2000.

Does anyone remember the sparkling wine from 1999? Do you remember how many brands went through you hands while you played the flute?

Though this week Australia has had some positive political movement in the way of live cattle trade it is important to remember to be thoughtful in all food, cosmetic and household buying.

Miss Piggy Journalist supports cruelty free meat industries, and insists that you choose FREE RANGE HAM and PORK when you need to purchase or eat a PIG.  This Beatles song is another example of the kind of insults pigs get, including blame for ‘swine flu’ and references to ‘police’.

Be kind to pigs for acting like their species – perhaps if you think BABE (movie) not PIGSTY mess you will understand a lot more about the species and their need for protection.

PHOTOGRAPHY – GREY HAIR EXHIBITION

I’m now a well hung artist! My photos have been already been shown in two galleries Studio 7A and the Shabana Jacobson Gallery, while 10 pieces will be in the Small Works Exhibition at Brunswick Street Galleries from June 14 – 28. 

You are invited to check out part of the GREY HAIR exhibition at 322 Brunswick Street in Fitzroy; make a purchase and collect a piece before prices goes up.

Later from 1 – 25 September 20011, a hills exhibition will be held at Burrinja Café Gallery with a music entertainment launch.

POPULAR MUSIC – MICK HARVEY

When I discovered the title of Mick Harvey’s new album ‘Sketches of The Book of The Dead’ I was devastated by its similarity to my next collection of poetry entitled ‘The Book of the Dead and Wounded’. This happens in the Arts often, I decided and so made contact with my network friend to tell him about my project and ask him to play at my launch.

Though he gently suggested changing my title, I wanted to keep it in line with references to the Buddhist text The Tibetan book of the Dead in line with other dharma poetry links and will use it.

The esteemed Mick Harvey has produced a well received album of songs that deal with the loss of friends and others called Sketches of the ‘Book of The Dead’. After his TOFF and PURE POP launches in Melbourne, he flew away to start a tour with PJ HARVEY and present the album to European audiences with some extra shows.

ALICIA BEE – You have said you were moved by Rowland S Howard’s death, can you describe the song reference you wrote about him?

MICK HARVEY – I wasn’t specifically moved by Rowland’s death more than some other people’s. Obviously we were very close and had a long history. The song I wrote about him really came out of the fact that he asked me to do so. I had talked to him about the project I was working on and that was his response and it makes up the basic content of the chorus, that request.

ALICIA BEE -  In your intention does the title of the album relate to the Buddhist or Egyptian ‘Book of the Dead’?

MICK HARVEY – No, not at all. It relates much more to the Book of the Dead written about in Luis Buñuel’s autobiography in which he had a list of his friends who had passed away. From memory he describes almost ceremonially entering people in it each time someone died, with their name and date. This was more where I was coming from, clearly the people in my songs are all personal connections.

ALICIA BEE – Where are you going with PJ Harvey? When did you both first become friends?

MICK HARVEY – Well, I’m going on tour with her, I guess it would be best to check her web site for details. I don’t feel like listing cities here. We have been friends since the mid-90s. We met at a Bad Seeds album launch in London and we just get on very well, still seem to, so it’s a friendship first and a working relationship second.

POPULAR MUSIC – ALYSIA MANCEAU The Longest Winter REVIEW

Before starting this review I went from my home office to my bedroom and had plans to curl up in bed and write a review on a notepad because it was just so cold. It seemed only logical to go back into the office and try and be professional about Winter and write directly on computer instead of twice.

I put a patchwork quilt around myself and started the draft of my blog as I wrote. Alysia Manceau’s The Longest Winter will now be the soundtrack of this 2011 winter.

I received my press copy just a day before pulling the photographic canvas to the frames for my exhibition, and played it while I worked with my hands at one of the most practical necessary artist tasks. It was easier just to play it again instead of changing record and I played it many times over the framing day. Normally a review would be played many times whilst writing a review, but this became a listening day as I bonded with my art and exhibition preparations.

The album took me back to the Empress where Alysia Manceau and I first met again recently (when I choose to give a gentle simple tip to the capable female on sound, and was happy to find my friend.)  My memories went over the days when I had worked at the Empress hotel in the year 2000 with so many people including bartenders Casey Sh and Sarah De Borre, waitress Kirsty Stegwazi, booker Carla Yamine and a chef called Rita.

PRIDE – ALICIA RULES THE WORLD.

Over listens I compared my music journey to that of Alysia Manceau, a female musician that has only just released her debut LP.  This Winter I come of age after releasing a book of creative writing and launching my first exhibition of photography.

There are some people that would wonder why this did not happen earlier

Perhaps it should have happened at the turn of the century when I was just doing music journalism and working nights at The Empress in that cold winter of the year 2000; at time Gersey Hope Springs was our favorite album, and the kitchen cassette machine played The Waifs Waitress song with The Sundays and other singing tapes by Concrete Blonde and The Clouds.

During that time Kirsty Stegwazi recorded the Roll On Summer song with Paul Kelly and released in October before summer it seemed like the biggest thing in the world, even if you were just singing along to your friends big hit.
POETIC – WINTER AT THE EMPRESS

When I got through all of my personal Empress memory readings and listened to Alysia’s own lyrical and professional story it gave me an idea of every songwriters path through older wiser ears more understanding of others experience.

Consider how lucky you are to be hearing about Alysia Manceau now while she is launching at The Empress, as I have done. Her own journey will take her from The Empress to many stages throughout her career.

PRETTY – LITTLE HORSES

‘The Boy I Left Behind’ is a country song that laments the regrets of a whiskey drinking female leaving her partner behind; as she reverses the well sung road ballad of male songwriter to rise above her influences and announces herself as a performer in her own name with or without a partner, band members or backing females.

Given time I was reminded of the lyrical content of Clare Bowditch’s ‘The Master’ from debut Red Raku Sweetly Sedated, as she sings about an older man in ‘Gypsy Boy’. Perhaps the female songwriter does have to master their own teacher to move through their career even these days in a modern music industry, though I wont bother to guess who could have been an early influence of Alysia Manceau here.

‘Gypsy Boy’ is a myth blend of male images that Alysia has taken through growth to use as muse for her own songwriting fodder, just as every male finger picker has taken lines about many females to write marketable love songs for radio, and make an audience fall in love with them enough to come to shows.

It would be an easy punt to say that one of Alysia Manceau’s male muses could have spent a bit of time at The Empress, no doubt over the past twenty years and that those that follow will spend some time in front or on the stage afterwards.

‘On this streets I am much older than you, and I am not your child fool,’ she tells to the male listener who she calls ‘Gypsy Boy’.

Alysia Manceau’s own full vocal sound strengths could remind of Neko Case and Suzannah Espie for it is delivered in a strong package. Her voice is given enough focus through dramatic violin and double bass for it to be considered emotionally beautiful in its body strength. Slide guitar and Lap Steel compliment Alysia Manceau’s own work as the main guitarist.

Alysia invested her own money to go into a studio that allowed her voice this respect; that can be sometimes difficult to command a first introduction full attention as a folk singer songwriter on a weeknight stage.

The Longest Winter sounds bigger than most releases of the same experienced scene and Alysia Manceau will rule our own music world very soon.

Alysia Manceau launches The Longest Winter at The Empress on Saturday 4 June 2011 with Lindsay Phillips, Rich Davies & Devils Union and Tender Bones.

alysialaunchposter

PROTEST – LIVE CATTLE TRADE

One of the most exciting animal liberation news stories this week was the adoption of the story based around the LIVE CATTLE TRADE footage taken by Animals Australia of the animal killing industry in Indonesia. Graphic footage stunned all viewers, not just vegetarians or those already concerned with animal rights.

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20110530/cattle/

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie and Senator Nick Xenophon announced the introduction of a bill to end live animal exports and it was supported by many politicians

Australia for the first time this century has made an acknowledgement of animal cruelty in the meat industry, though it still has a long way to go.

Australia can BAN ALL CAGE EGGS, make all parts of the MEAT INDUSTRY FREE RANGE and ensure killing practices are less cruel.

Sign the PETITION!

POETASTER

My Body.

By Alicia Bee 2011 ©

I am now an exhibitionist,

I have taken off all of my clothes,

For brush and pen of other artists,

You can see my body on the walls.

I have died for lines written in skin,

Drank the wines for their payment at shows,

And scraped the stairway on my thin shins.

They still don’t respect me as promised,

My hair is now removed from the chin,

They will have these bones after I decease,

You can see my body on the walls.

END. THANKS FOR READING. I LOVE YOU LIKE PIGGIES IN THE LONGEST WINTER.

Alicia Bee © 2011.

being an exhibitionist

‘Pavement/ Cigarettes butts on the beach’, photo on canvas by Alicia Bee, May 2011, exhibited as part of the Shabana Jacobson Studio Gallery Fundraiser Auction on Saturday 21 May 2011.

PUBLIC SPEECH – BEING AN EXHIBITIONIST

I had a paranoid vision that it could very well flood this Sunday 22 May when I open my photography exhibition as it had when BATHERS ON THE BEACH was launched late October.  The weather could again make a statement on my important date, and perhaps it could rain everytime I launched something.

That pattern could be a joke in a speech later should I need to rely on an old formula.

Like others I once thought the Crowded House song ‘Weather with you’ was about me, as it rained when I went to the beach a lot. But we don’t need to play that song again. Though I did not ‘cause the Queensland floods, it did rain last time I went there AND I was planning a holiday there in January when the big waters began.

In Hawaii I thought under another sunshower that perhaps all great beach destinations know when a writer hits the sand and it changes its poetry and color. The waves dull, and sometimes the most tropical of all desert islands become a rainforest feeder while it replenishes with the gifts of the gods.

It is Autumn in Melbourne, and it is again my birthday. Perhaps we all just need our own FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT (Leonard Cohen song), see PARADE – MALE FASHION.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2NHp3wLQYo&NR=1

Let’s see what the skies will give us, then we can all judge my launch luck. Either way, it will be the same weather it is given to other events on Sunday including outdoor football matches. Always be thankful for the roof you have over your head, and wear a hat out; or a raincoat that has one in the pocket at the base of your neck.

Flowing with these ideas I have been begging everyone to come, stating that no-one was coming and it has been looking so pathetic some friends have asked me to pull back a bit to act professional.

Another of my ‘anti-publicity’ tricks has been to describe the exhibition in simple terms rather than make it seem like an over-hyped art event that doesn’t stand up to its expectations.

“I just want you to know that they are all grey photos of rocks, the whole exhibition is just one color, I don’t want you to be disappointed and go there or ‘rock-up’ and look at it and go ‘I can do that!’ or think its boring, I mean it is all grey, and that’s just what I am doing,” I have explained near twenty times. Truthfully the exhibition is photos of rocks with grey, white, brown and even shades close to black.

Also I have been going over the new jokes related to having an art exhibition and come up with;

1. The fact I will now officially be an ‘exhibitionist’, 2. You could term the artist as ‘well hung’ or other ratings for that description.

Let me know of other art jokes or those related to having an exhibition.

I remembered Yoko Ono had a message that related to her own fears of people not coming to her exhibition in 2008, and went searching for it in the messages that came from her Facebook fan page. It was saved in my inbox archives because I had wanted to keep it for some purpose to remind me that it was okay to feel nerves close to important events,  and it was planned to simply to use her words somehow in a newsletter about an event that I wanted to plug. You can see from her words that even though she is a known artist Yoko Ono had also suffered nervousness before her shows even these days.

On April 18 2008 Yoko Ono wrote;

“LeLong Gallery asked me to do a show. I immediately liked Mary Sabatino, who requested it. So I said yes. My mind was inspired as I checked out the space, and quickly envisioned the rooms with old works and new. Everything went very smoothly. But then, around the opening day, I suddenly realized that I had not done a one woman artshow in N.Y. for about 4 years. And it’s New York. Somehow, that combination made me feel a bit nervous. It made me nervous, too, that it was possible that nobody would be coming.

Well, that’s my fault. When I do a show, I keep saying ‘no, you don’t have to come’ to friends who ask if they should or not. I always do that, even with concerts. ‘No, don’t come. You really don’t have to’. I discourage them so emphatically, they probably think it would be rude to come… I don’t know why I do that. I’m extra nervous before the shows. But if the show was good, I always feel a bit sad that my friends weren’t there!”

Trivia: I think it is merely coincidental that the gallery owner of Studio 7A is also a Sabatino but note it now I’m rereading it and think it’s still funny that I saved this blurb for 3 years for this event! I thank Steven Sabatino for offering to let me use the space for a one person show, which is proudly my first exhibition and would love to have you all there.

PLACEMENT: SHABANA JACOBSON STUDIO GALLERY FUNDRAISER.

One of my pieces from the Grey Hair photography exhibition is in a fundraiser auction on Saturday 21 May. It is viewable at the gallery at 120 Alexandra Parade on Friday 20 May and all day before the auction starts at 7pm. Shabana Jacobson’s Studio Gallery had its large front window broken by a man’s hand recently, and the fundraiser helps to correct the hole left in the budget. Visit gallery website www.sjsgallery.com

PHOTOGRAPHY & POPULAR MUSIC

The GREY HAIR photography exhibition launch features the combination of both ‘rock photography’ and live music performance as THE TAYLOR PROJECT + MERRY PRAIN + BRETT DELLAVEDOVA + FIONA LEE MAYNARD (pictured) + MELISSA MAIN sing LEONARD COHEN songs as the TEA & ORANGES BAND in keeping with my usual birthday party tribute night.

This time I have allowed all acts to entreat the audience to playing some of their own tracks and have chosen to showcase less people in the lineup. The exhibition will be using tea and oranges as theme and offers a ‘tea party’ with tea, cakes, biscuits and oranges.

PEDESTAL – BROADSTOCK BATH & BEAUTY

Candlemaker Belinda Broadstock had recently started making soap, and when I saw a picture of her debut range they seemed so good they looked edible.  Appearing as cheese on a platter, the tasty range of soaps can easily be described without having to wash your mouth out for lying.

ALICIA BEE – Why did you change from making candles to making soap?

BELINDA BROADSTOCK – I used to sell candles under a different company name. Part of my love for making candles was using essential oils and aromatherapy. I came to the conclusion that essential oils are wasted in candles, (you need to use a lot).

Also it was difficult to sell candles for a price that covered both the cost of ingredients and my time, and was competitive. Bulk made candles are a dime a dozen, and unless I was selling to true candle afficianados, customers often weren’t willing to pay extra for high quality, home made candles.

So now I make and sell soap, and also beauty products such as face and body scrubs, cleansers, bath bombs, solid bubble bath, bath melts (or ‘truffles’ as they are also known), facial masks… the list goes on. I still get to indulge my love of essential oils and fascination with traditional herbal therapy.

Making soap and bath products is so much more interesting than making candles, and customers are also willing to pay a reasonable price (for me and them) for a high quality cosmetic product.

ALICIA BEE -  What’s different about your soap?

BELINDA BROADSTOCK – So many things!

- My soaps are made only with vegetable oils, but not palm oil. (I use a little bit of palm oil in some of my other beauty products, but I am very careful to make sure that it is from a sustainable source.)

- Another plus is that my soap is hand made. Many commercial soaps are made with a number of detergents and additives, and are called ‘beauty bars’ or ‘bath bars’ as they can no longer be defined as ‘soap’.

All real soap is made by blending oils, lye and water. This combination produces a chemical reaction called saponification. All of the lye is completely converted to soap, and natural glycerin is created in the process. Natural glycerin is wonderful for your skin, and is one of the best things about hand made soaps.

Commercial soaps generally have most or all of the glycerin removed and sold/used to make other beauty products.

- My soaps are also made with with natural colourants derived from plant materials and clays. I keep my soaps free of chemical colouring agents, as they are notorious for irritating the skin or provoking an allergic reaction.

- The majority of my soaps are made with essential oils which are known for their therapeutic properties. I have made quite a study of herbal remedies, and apply that knowledge when making soap recipes.

A very few of my soaps use fragrances rather than essential oils, because certain scents that are in demand can only be affordably used in a soap as a fragrance.

For example, 100% pure rose essential oil is a marvellous thing, but is very costly – including it in my soaps would make them prohibitively expensive. The fragrances I use are specifically made for soap and cosmetic products.

ALICIA BEE – Why does your soap look like a cheese platter?

BELINDA BROADSTOCK – The natural colourings that I use, (which include curry powder, chlorophyll and powdered sweet paprika!) can certainly make my soaps look rather edible!

I also make most of my soaps using a loaf shaped mould, and when sliced and arranged on a wooden chopping board, they do often end up resembling cheese. But don’t eat them. Really.

ALICIA BEE Do you remember the soap making in Fight Club? Was that similar to your process? Do you use any human fat in your soap?

BELINDA BROADSTOCK – I certainly do remember the soap making in this film. The soap in the film was made by blending oils and lye, so yes, the process is similar. But I don’t use human fat in my soaps – or any animal fats for that matter! (I get asked this all the time!)

ALICIA BEE – How can people buy your products?

BELINDA BROADSTOCK- At the moment, by mail order. My product launch will be held in mid August.

If any of your readers are interested in coming to this event and checking out items for sale, they are welcome to contact me at vaingloriesque @ gmail . com to secure an invitation.

I will be updating the Broadstock Bath & Beauty Page with more information and photos of my products in the future, as well as pricing details. Viewers of my Page are welcome to contact me regarding the sale of any item featured.

I still have a lot of work to do on the Page, so it would be best for interested parties to ‘like’ the Page in order to keep up to date with changes and new products as they are introduced.

POST – PJ HARVEY SHEELA-NA -GIG

In the year 2000, I played this song from the 1992 PJ Harvey album so much it makes me giggle to remember the days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF3H-cG-sk4

 Armani Navy Hooded Polyester Raincoat Jacket.

Balenciaga Mens Blue Zipper Down Slim Fit Trench Coat.

PARADE – MENS FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOATS

Its approaching winter in Melbourne and you can bet your soggy bottom that it’s gonna rain sometime, and you’ll need to cover yourself.  Take a look at these two examples of FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOATS, and decide which one you would wear if you could.

This Balenciaga Mens Blue Zipper Down the front Slim Fit Trench Coat normally retails at a European airfare price of $1,410.00.  On Niftyfits online website you can buy it for an amazing $840.

A cheaper label Armani offers this Mens Navy Hooded Polyester Raincoat Jacket at $400; marking it down from the retail $540. You can see it only cost the price of a Northern Hemisphere getaway to keep you protected from the wet weather.

POETASTER

Rupert Bunny Mansion

Alicia Bee 2010 ©

I’m a mused by music in the Rupert Bunny Mansion,

We’re spinning round the floor in art circles dizzy motion,

There’s a lot of paintings of ladies with hair golden red,

Multiple red roses grace swans swimming near the ocean,

Pauper musicians copy speech scribbled inspired notion,

I’m a mused by music in the Rupert Bunny Mansion.

Prophetic voice nymphs scent their necks with flower love potion,

Days and nights in August a woman listens to music,

The Belle Epoque of Paris Frill will drink the wine till dead,

We’ll live here in this new house like the Heide extension,

There is so much other poetry I have not yet read,

Melbourne is our birthplace fashion France another nation,

We’re spinning round the floor in art circles dizzy motion.

My red hair the cause of many artist fascination,

Reclining on grass, nature is a Bunny model bed,

We’re spinning round the floor in art circles dizzy motion,

I’m a mused by music in the Rupert Bunny Mansion.

THANKS FOR READING. I LOVE YOU LIKE AN EXHIBITIONIST.

END. Alicia Bee © 2011.

being stood on by really big boots

‘Professional Vs Amateur’, May 2011, photograph by Alicia Bee, Skenes Creek Victoria.

PUBLIC SPEECH – BEING STOOD ON BY REALLY BIG BOOTS.

A woman in the Cherry Rock audience last Sunday 1 May 2011 stepped on my foot with her large knee-high boots and humungous chunky heels which left me with a rectangular bruise 4 x 5 cm on Monday morning.

As the days of the week moved slowly the bruise widened during its healing process to take over the quarter of my foot with a still grey color, yet to yellow and lighten.

I have been using Facebook to track down the woman and warn her about my foot injury as it had actually been the third time this person had trampled on my little feet at a show over the years.

It had happened once at The Tote and again at The Esplanade. Another woman who matched the dyed red hair description of the ‘woman with the boots who stood on me again’ had snapped some good Cherry Rock photos, and when I had spied myself in the background, figured it could be her.

After tagging myself in her photos, I approached her with a private message asking about her shoes and sharing my bruise measurements with her for it had stamped its big impression on me as a problem in rock and roll.

She promptly wrote back and attached a photo she had taken of her shoe for me that day, whose heel was;

“…only 1 inch X 1 inch X 1 inch high so its not what I would call a really big heel as I cannot wear high heels due to a back problem. I have only been wearing these boots for 2mths, the ones prior to that were even flatter than these so I am thinking it must be someone else that steps on your foot all the time. Good to hear your foot is healing. I hope you had a great day too.”

I am still on the lookout for the rock and roll Cinderella with the really big heels who bruised me black and blue.

If I can deal with this issue perhaps I can then tackle the football team who have been blocking me from achieving my goals and points in the big game.

There have been times when I have been told that I have worn the wrong shoes to events too; for example, on The esplanade back stairs, or high heels at an outdoor festival that leaves holes all over the pacing backstage area.

I know what it is like to choose fashion over practicality, but I have never damaged the safety of another person in looking good.

All people should make sure that their costume does not hurt others in the music audience, and that includes pins, studs, sequins and whipping caused by fringing moving when dancing.

I refuse to wear steel capped shoes in any music audience, but would like my little feet to remain safe.

ACTIVITY 1: Look at all females shoes at gigs over the next month, and seek to locate the measured 4 x 5 cm heel and help me find the rock and roll Cinderella ‘woman with the boots who stood on me again’.

ACTIVITY 2: Consider the safety of your own costume, and when preparing your wardrobe ask the question ‘does this hurt anyone when I move?’

PEDESTAL – GREY HAIR PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

GREY HAIR is my first photography exhibition though it was one of my first passions from a young age. It is exciting to present a show and place my photos on the wall in a new context.

GREY HAIR features photos of ocean rocks on canvas, and announces my own coming of age journey into a new color.

Holiday snaps of lines in rocks show how nature can age within time; just as scars, skin lines and grey hair can mark the human body.

These photographic studies of geology can appear as geographical satellite map images, painted on canvas with brushstroke.

Please join me as I celebrate my birthday this year in style with the GREY HAIR exhibition at Studio 7a on Brunswick Street Fitzroy.

TEA & ORANGES at 4PM.

The entertainment for exhibition launch features some cool performances by THE TAYLOR PROJECT + MERRY PRAIN + BRETT DELLAVEDOVA + FIONA LEE MAYNARD (DUO) + MELISSA MAIN who will sing songs by LEONARD COHEN as part of the TEA & ORANGES BAND.

Expect to feel very special as these Melbourne stars sing inspiring versions of songs by the favorite bard to turn the event into the party it should be.

Includes a tea party with free TEA + ORANGES.

BYO DRINKS, while limited alcohol is available at cost price.

KIDS FRIENDLY EVENT!

Melissa Main joins the lineup for entertainment at the Grey Hair exhibition on Sunday 22 May. Her album ‘You, Me, Kitchen Now’ launched recently along with teatowel, apron and oven-mit merchandise will also be available at the gig.

POULTRY PROTEST

Fifteen protestors were arrested for trespass after they staged a 12 hour protest at Somerville Egg Farm on their roof, refusing to come down until vets were called to treat battery hens at the ‘free-range’ farm. They say the Moorooduc farm is misleading customers when it labels eggs ‘free-range’. The group did get down off their high post when a vet from the Department of Primary Industries was called.

Consumers should always be aware of their shopping purchases, and not only make sure they buy cruelty free; but keep in touch with their suppliers and give them feedback about their products and personal concerns.

You can call Somerville Egg Farm on (03) 5977 5405 and ask them about the condition of the Free Range and other hens.

 John Bracks ‘Collins Street 5pm’ was considered the favorite NGV painting.

PARADE – MALE FASHION, THE SHIRT

Recently I have been wearing a designer men’s shirt and leg-ins around the office. This has given me a ‘business like’ feeling to my writing; though I could never wear the shirt and my tie range in the vicinity of the Bracks’ Collins Street 5pm (featured above voted favorite painting in a recent NGV poll crowd.

When finished work I take off the shirt and hang it up, then cook and eat to save from embarrassing stains; the day is done, the shirt is off.

I also have been talking to people about how to get stains out my ties, considering garment steamers and other options for the cleaning of male clothes, that perhaps a female should already know if she had to be a housewife for sexist office worker. Not me, the ties and new designer shirt are all mine and probably better than most males I know have for their Sunday best, funeral, award acceptance or court appearance.

I am now wanting to purchase my second designer men’s shirt and have been looking at the current range in some stores.

Take a look at this shirt from the Roberto Cavalli Autumn Winter 2011 range, showing that green work to highlight eye color and matching a shirt and slack can work.

POPULAR MUSIC – The John Laws Experience

When I first heard about this music project years ago the name John Laws still gave me a feeling of fear. When members of The John Laws Experience told me about his poetry it had felt like an insult to my little girl makeup.

I thought they were being mean to me when they were enthusiastically describing his creative writing work.

Years working in community radio gave me a reality that seemed to be the complete opposite of the likes of John Laws at 2UE or Alan Jones in paid talkback radio positions. When I was given a John Laws Anzac community service announcement message to play on my show it was rejected from the Australian Music program in full rebellion. After all John Laws had his own radio show and plenty of time to play his own messages. Then at the time of the millennium I think we could have compared radio resumes ,little girl and old man and asked each other the same question for all our years in radio, “are you experienced?”

Augie March once played a show at a party of John Laws, and I was devastated at the concept and shamed them for years suggesting that it insulted everyone in community radio and the ABC. Later on the Augie March album Strange Bird a lyrical mention in their song ‘This Train Will Be Taking No Passengers’ of the party and the name ‘John Laws’ actually was taken as a personal insult, on the long running argument about the man.

Keith Glass found a book of John Laws poetry in upstate New York and grew inspired by his words and wanted to compose some music. He worked on the project solo for a while, for love not money and began to talk about it.

He was obsessed with John Laws poetry, in a love-hate way and wondered why he was. I suggested ‘stockholm syndrome’ and he kept the concept for use in his biography.

Once in the PWP (Parents Without Partner) Opportunity Shop in Tecoma, I noted that a member of The John Laws Experience had began collecting multiple copies of the John Laws poetry book ‘Love is An Expensive Way to Die’ in a bid to protect their idea from other musicians as it grew into fruition.

I remember being forced through my fear then to read the John Laws poem ‘Temporary’, and sharing my phobia of the John Laws name and image with them.

What I was scared of was not how poor the poetry was, but that John Laws could have also put out a book of reasonably good poetry that would again serve to make me an insignificant person in a country of Arts as he had in radio.  My world view of ‘little girl Melbourne’ didn’t involve John Laws or anyone of the kind.

This reaction cringe didn’t deter them at all for they were familiar with what they were countering. The members of The John Laws Experience were inspired with their own musicians drive to continue with their project in spite of pleas and opposition.

The CD has now come out in full Australian salute of John Laws poetry and serves to drill home the power of his words through a golden microphone. The package they have chosen is a humorous ode to sixties culture with large peace and yin yang signs, butterfly mandalas and swirling silly fonts. The music is also designed to evoke a generic flashback to the era sound with country genre instruments imitating the counter culture blend of Eastern and Western music that Ravi Shankar could be seen to symbolize. It’s funny, witty in sarcasm where acts like Tex Perkins and others had failed to respect the magic of the puff of the songs original writers. The listeners laugh at the song but hears with an open ear as John Laws words surprise with the power of simplicity to create chorus like lines of fun pockets of words that had confused the musician reader Keith Glass and his band.

Fans of popular country music will note that the female vocals on ‘Forget About It If You Can’ produce a song from the lyrical poetry that may be close to the intention of John Laws when published in the early seventies, still marketable on the scene today.

John Laws lyrics speak through ‘The Experience’ music, and control the listener who is also taken hostage. The audience may get a greater idea of John Laws character and the man he was some 40 years ago through song adapted poems, that can be seen as sexist and low brow in places.

This is a must listen for all poets who have held ego over their printed works, because it might cut them down or give them inspiration to adapt their poetry to song.

Maybe it was John Laws power and brute, but I am now very scared about the ukelele adaptation of my ‘Bathers On The Beach’ book that could come out in the next 40 years. I won’t even bother to compare John Laws poetry to my own; like the radio industry we are worlds apart.

Strange though, listening to The John Laws Experience message reminded me that we are not all that different; perhaps you too will submit to the concept.

JOHN LAWS ESQUE DISCLOSURE: I only reviewed this CD because I liked the sound and the label who gave me a free CD. I did not receive any money from Qantas nor 2UE to promote John Laws.

PRIZE

I have 5 x ’2 for 1′ ticket offers for the film Incendies, which I saw at the Kino. Not entirely a prize but if you want to see it with a friend you can save money. Passes valid till the end of season in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide and Perth. Anyone who wants one should write a comment about any of the blog stories to misspiggyjournalist@gmail.com

POETASTER

Ring Out Hells Bells

By Alicia Bee 2010 ©

Ring Out! Hells Bells! Let men sing it out,

This is the day the music died, they shouted,

Another man hung from suicide,

They could have lifeline but were too proud.

He could have talked back but had to shout,

Ring Out! Hells Bells! Let them sing it out.

Back in the ring boys take second bout,

Drink a toast to him to end the drought,

Beyond the blues waves we don’t change the tide,

This graveyard’s too full of rock to count,

Years inside for new terms, you decide,

Death leaves legacy history doubt,

This is the day the music died they shout.

This is the highway with roundabout,

Chin up, soldier on the wild ride,

This is the day the music died they shout,

Ring Out! Hells Bells! Let men sing it out.

END. THANKS FOR READING. I LOVE YOU LIKE BEING STOOD ON BY REALLY BIG BOOTS.

Alicia Bee © 2011.

pennywhistle in a leaky boat

PHOTOGRAPHY

‘Rotten Apple’ Unnumbered, published Friday 17 December 2010, Brunswick, Photo by Alicia Bee.

PUBLIC SPEECH – PENNYWHISTLE IN A LEAKY BOAT.

PHONE LINE CUT FOR CABLE

When Kelvin Thompson MP choose the National Cable Installation areas about 3 years ago he knew where I lived, and had joked about having the power to cut sections of streets off for days at a time.

“You’ll get one election not two!” he jokingly threatened out on the street and laughed.

Strangely when I was set to blog my Friday afternoon pre-election statement on Friday 26 November the phone lines were cut, and we were out for 5 days. Why would they cut a street off for the entire weekend? Politicians did oversee some of the planning for the cable zones, though whether they were supposed to oversea the zoning selection was another question. Why would Kelvin Thompson be so bold as to suggest such a thing to my face?

Work on the cable network did not resume on Monday and when the guy finally came on Tuesday all I could concentrate on was information about phone tapping to aid a growing paranoia caused from lack of communication out of the office via internet and phone. Everyone needs to know about phone tapping, sometime.

Whether it was the power of my small blog, or Kelvin Thompsons confusion at my many questions sent the day after his election, the phone lines and all work generated out of our house ceased for a sleep walking 5 days and our MP had made that threat to me already. We didn’t go to Internet cafes or take on the world; we missed making or newer publicity for an Art Exhibition and a book launch, and we simply waited thinking it would resume first thing Monday.

And so for the state election I say ‘BLEH’ rather then blog any comment and you can shout your own reactions to the result.

PROBLEM – MR CRUEL IS ONLINE AND STALKING

When I spent an hour with Victoria Police Homicide last Friday 10 December explaining first witness accounts about a male stalker believed by me to be Mr Cruel, I thought that the Tuesday case opening announcement in the media was a sign that they were taking me seriously and would catch the sicko.

A man that had recently been revealing himself to host a number of fake profiles on Facebook had posted a hurtful photo of me taken whilst I was a child in hospital in the late 80s. A creepy older man had been stalking me at music events threatening that he had taken photos of me naked in hospital and sold them in child pornography rings. He had a habit of talking about Mr Cruel so I thought he was him because he was a real crazy.

I had always thought he was trying to scare me and ignored his words asking people to help keep him away from me; though a reveal of this one image on Facebook had me more scared, and had urged me to report to the police.

They told me on Wednesday that the case opening had little to do with my evidence and my own child pornography accounts were irrelevant to the case. They didn’t even advise me on how to seek legal help about the stalker who still harasses me online (he has the means to read this), and who has admitted to owning ‘child pornography’ and threatened that it includes photographs and film footage of me as a child.

The Mr Cruel case has been re-opened though the Victorian Police are doing little to improve on judging the previous evidence with critical analysis. I have little doubt that they will be able to come up with any suspects or find the killer, because Mr Cruel himself has in fact buried the evidence within the investigation as he worked closely with the police and they are relying on the old evidence that had swayed over the past twenty years.

This new investigation could waste another $1 million on a case that has already cost the state somewhere around $6 million to solve (the first operation cost $4 million and I guess to add 2 more just as easily as the police force would), and give false hope to the murdered girls family and that of the other victims and their relatives.

The new evidence that the Victorian Police have is simply this; they think Mr Cruel is online and still enjoys child pornography. You could have got that information from the Wikipedia that is regularly checked (and perhaps even maintained) by Mr Cruel himself.

Rest be assured that he will again be following the case from inside police contacts, and remain at large in Australia.

PICKILEAK: JULIAN ASSANGE IS ACCUSED AS A RAPIST.

Julian Assange tried to force himself on me once, and would have done the same to many women in the past.

When he was then rejected, Julian threatened to ‘launch my career in porn on the internet’.

You must separate the issue of Wikileaks suppression and the rape legal case for your own integrity, before you loose the plot.

Julian Assange was very cruel, and sort to hurt me badly afterwards describing me as a ‘slut’ and other words.

I think he used the website or his personal contact list to distribute illegally taped medical footage of me (given to him by the Mr Cruel stalker who he was chummy with at the time) and though have not seen the evidence fear the threat of his revenge.

Julian and another man had asked me a number of questions about a medical operation in 1990 and hinted towards the footage being about me and the content. I cannot access any information on the Wikileaks site but believe that footage about was found under ‘Medical Operations Gone Wrong’ or else has since been removed again for fears about its content linked to child pornography. I had warned him that I had not given permission for broadcast, nor was it ethical journalism to ignore the victim’s rights.

Please note that Julian Assange was aware of the footage including a child under 16, which could be seen as child pornography.

On the night he was also filming my reactions, though I expressed fear and repeatedly implied that such a broadcast of my medical footage would cause me much harm and mental anguish.

Please also note that Julian was not a friend, though he had arrived at my house during a party and advanced on me with questions, then tried to kiss me. Julian Assange had then recently accessed some information about me, and then sort to meet me in person and some people had taken him to my house though it is not clear how the address was gained.

Julian knew he already had the power to humiliate me, when locating me in Melbourne and entering our sharehouse without permission.

I did not invite him over, nor give him permission to film on the night though there was a camera running which could not be stopped by my vocal requests.

When Julian Assange is rejected by women he will seek revenge on them the next day using illegal footage and photographs he has already stored, before he preys on them.

I think he has the evidence to bribe before he tries to use women sexually, and he will pursue women he could easily hurt.

I have full belief that he did force himself on those two Swedish women, and has done that to many others; and their revenge attacks were already planned.

He would have had some sort of file that he could use to hurt them, though again I dont access the site and am unsure about their personal attacks that they have complained about.

After kissing me with a very gross toothy sloppy kiss he said ‘If you dont like that and are shocked by that! I normally force my dick up girls before they ask me stop!” like I didnt have any argument for being upset about the incident.

Note that the action of ‘force my dick up girls’ is rape, and my guess is that the Swedish women may have been raped by him in a similar incident where he has tried to have sex very quickly and forced his body on them, or his penis inside before consent.

I feel he has already damaged my character via Wikileaks or other networks simply because I rejected his advance that night though it was understandable as he was a stranger.

On the night after being shocked he had tried to kiss me, he had asked me why I didnt like him. I told him ‘but you are a really gross older man! why would I like you?” I also expressed that I did not need to like him because it was implied by him that I must submit to him. He was deeply hurt by my words and wanted to revel in his Wikileaks power.

“Do you know what I do?” he cried in his defense from the rejection.

“No!” I said.

“I am the founder of Wikileaks, it is an information site. We bring down governments by making public classified information!” he told.

I listened.

“Do you know what else I do?” he threatened.

“No!” I answered with a nod to continue, upset that I had to respond to his rhetorical questions.

“I have the power to launch your career in porn on the Internet!” he said proudly, “someone has just given me the tapes! I wouldn’t mess with me!”

“I was not going to do it because you were being nice, but now you are a bitch!” he said in final threat.

Whether it was just a threat or a reality within the Wikileaks community is not known to me, for I cannot give them money to enter the site.

I tried not to get upset as it was our housewarming party and my birthday; and have not seen the character attack made about me.

People tried to get me to look at the site in the over time into the next year, though my eyes have not viewed the scathing attack I am now fearful that he had done something very strange back then that involved some footage of the medical incidents he had asked about.

Julian Assange is also a hopeless geek, with no real experience with women who through power is now parading as a womaniser that is targeted by the women who he rejects. I have no doubt that he could have pursued those Swedish women who then rejected him, and were then attacked by the Wikileaks site.

I think he has used Wikileaks power in his personal life for too long, and noone else has tripped him up in his treatment of women.

At the time I was asked by a Melbourne publicist mutual friend not to ’cause trouble and that Julian will find out sometime that he is using Wikileaks for the wrong means to hurt women. It was explained that Wikileaks was a good thing, and I should not do anything to hurt it because it was just becoming successful.

I let it go and had not mentioned it to any official police, but do know these women are not lying.

Key to their claims is their upset at the ‘malevolent online attacks’ on their character via the Wikileaks site, my experience told me that he had launched a similar attack on them as threatened towards me.

Please listen and consider the women in their legal battle and after they have already been sexually assaulted (termed as raped), and then insulted via Wikileaks.

1.   Julian Assange through Wikileaks has the power to store private information on individuals including illegally taped medical footage, toilet cameras, legal aid files or any private details that could be used to embarrass or bribe. If they are doing this to ordinary people (how small is Alicia Bee you Miss Piggy Journalist?) what can they also store for larger public figures? Wikileaks system of storing these files has evaded all privacy restrictions till now and does not have a purpose other than hurting people they want to target and control. These systems need to be audited and controlled like other media and government bodies.

Wikileaks does not have a right to store child pornography, medical pornography or other pornography or private files. IF they are getting it from Mr Cruel himself, and people that have already invaded privacy walls to steal information why are they able to protect their sources? Remember they now have the power to release an illegally taped movie of a girl have sex with her boyfriend.

2.    This week Wikileaks people may have also planned their counter attacks through media in many ways that are not seen as official. For instance this Gawker story could have been a controlled release from Assange’s blog followers though its purpose of apology and self effacing is not entirely clear.

I personally think it is another of Julian’s ficticious girlfriend and is a partially untruthful conversation designed to be outed at the right time. I would also say that Julian was well aware of the OkCupid + Couchsurfer sites, and the possibility of this email conversation being ‘leaked’ sometime. Skam or not it gives you an idea of how creepy Julian can be; and how people will blindly support him regardless;

http://gawker.com/5714043/the-creepy-lovesick-emails-of-julian-assange?skyline=true&s=i

I made reference to a Split Enz song in the title, it wasn’t that clear or witty. Lately I have been hearing too much of Crowded House with the newer Australian music cover compilation HE WILL HAVE HIS WAY.

I think Split Enz will always be known as a New Zealand product while Crowded House was the band that launched confusion with their ANZAC image when they crossed over the Pacific and were joined by a starring footballer turned drummer from my hometown PAUL HESTER.

PARANOIA – JUANITA NIELSON

A new level of online stalking had me now harassed via Gumtree share accommodation advertisements. One pervert who could be described by appearance because he has stalked my house often; called up to ask my shoe size multiple times in the one call. You get all types, don’t you?

Fake facebook profiles held by bored or undercover cops turned menacing and led me to believe that in fact all profiles held online could be fake. Added to those I consider were held by my Mr Cruel stalker I feel disillusioned with the purpose of being online at all and hadn’t been able to return to blog.

I remembered how bad fake handbags look and felt embarrassed for accepting such ugly online peoples that had tuned around to hurt me. How can these new people who pretend to be ordinary characters actually be a fake profile with the same as that gross look of spelling errors like those dedicated fake famous people sites?

Really boring conditioning to a new world of crime, police surveillance for no reason other than perverted males wanting to watch females.

POINTMAN – JUANITA NIELSON MEMORIAL

There comes time when all journalists may question their life vocation as detrimental to their safety.

I am glad for this first moment to be in the comfort of my hometown but fear for the safety led by The Victorian Police force protection.

When I told them that opinion on Wednesday, Victorian Police Homicide staff gloated that they held the power to call me clinically insane. That is how they silence people and other theories; and I found it patronising and unethical.

There is nothing crazy about questioning the police force and the government, and if you have followed Assange and Wikileaks blindly I suggest you believe it too.

In fear this week I counted my serious problems and I give them to you under the code of

‘JUANITA NIELSON ALERT’.

Journalist Juanita Nielson was murdered in Sydney over issues to do with property development. I could not compare myself to her ‘summer’s day’ and legacy, but only feel that there a number of forces working against me that could one day act as suspects to the suppression of my writing. Juanita Nielson’s murderer was never found though many believe it to be one or the combined effort of multiple suspects.

My safety has been damaged because of revenge complaints about our house concerts from the wife of a man that wrote too many songs about me. Our right to live in a sharehouse has been questioned as undercover cops and perverts close in to harass females any way they can.

Already our house was illegally searched without a warrant for belief that it is a brothel. Just because police wanted to insult our sharehouse and support the stalking of police informants.

A second undercover (stalker) operation awaits our hosting of house concerts, though the real reason for watch is simply perversion.

As Juanita Nielson ‘s murderers were never found I put out this alarm to you all to say that this is ‘ALL REALLY HAPPENING’ upon my soft PENNYWHISTLE SOLO and paranoid poetry.

These people are working against me.

1.   Mr Cruel stalker – recent online stalking and leaking of a medical photos puts down more than 25 years stalking from a weirdo, the police don’t care about.

2.   Julian Assange – and followers could get upset about this truthful leak, and counter with the rerelease of his previous revenge attack or more illegal and hurtful files, but that is of course all the in the name of FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

3.   Victorian Police Homicide Squad – Have not taken my evidence seriously and suggest suppression of my ideas as linked to the Mr Cruel case.

4.   Victorian Police Drug and Alcohol Squad – Manpower force team who has for the past 5 years concentrated on trying to prove ‘music is violent’ through attending music events as both police informant perverts and undercover cops have developed a series of unethical ‘operations’ that harm punters and stalk their residences. They have authorised a surveillance operation to watch out for ‘house concerts’, though we have not held one since the start of the year.

5.   The wife and exgirlfriends of Dave Larkin all act as enemies to my existence because the Dallas Crane and Gun Street Girls songwriter wrote a phenomenal majority of their catalogue about me; including highlights such as ‘Slight Is The Hand of Love’, ‘Ladybird’ and ‘Come Again’. Painting the numbers soon should give you the Hottest 100 of the first decade of this century to rival any other influence on the Australian Music Industry.

6.   Kelvin Thompson and corrupt politicians that seek to harm ordinary people act with petty stones. We just ask them to do their job rather than use their power to hurt people.

PEAKING PARANOIA ACTIVITY –

Are you amused by this blog, and wondering where the little girl went? Are you up to date with all of the pennywhistle solos from a leaky boat?

I wouldnt be the only one this week to be afraid of Julian Assange, Mr Cruel and The Victorian Police Force. Though I may the only one with all of Dave Larkin ex-girlfriends stalking me. Most of those predators are hurting a number of people at the moment, keep this in the perspective that you are lucky to read my writing and know about this cool indy blog.

The apples in my time lapse photography are still rotting.

It is all happening.

ACTIVITY : At home make a list of all the forces that are coming against you. Who is annoying you?

Is there anyone that is stalking you at the moment?

A policeman or politician that might be hurt by your past words? Anyone that would act on you in revenge or jealousy?

Why not comment or develop your own paranoid blog and give it up for your enemies to read online?

I think it’s bold and clever and have given it up for all you to summarise the past busy month since the election.

PARADE – MALE FASHION MANBAG by TOM MC

Star male fashion bag designer TMC from Melbourne has a number of bags suitable for men on the street and for wear out at night. Those males wanting a bag to store personal items like wallet, deodorant, phone and even a good poetry book, should consider a fashion item every time they go out. For too long changing bags with outfits is seen as a female accessory. Why don’t males use different bags when they go out too? Take a look at the TMC range online, and consider a new bag purchase.

http://www.t-mcdesign.com/

POETASTER.

Paranoid – by Alicia Bee © 2010.

They can tap the home phone from the company exchange,

But they need a search warrant to enable that watch,

There is court process to license their rifle range,

They will switch the electricity off accidentally.

Think calmly during police stalking operations,

Remember to lock all the security latches,

Australia is often seen as a peaceful nation.

The Internet is a hunting ground for stalkers rage,

You don’t have to give them your private information,

To be a professional surfer on the world stage,

They will cut off the electricity accidentally.

THANKS FOR READING. I LOVE YOU LIKE PENNYWHISTLE IN A LEAKY BOAT.

END. Alicia Bee © 2010.

shooting season

‘Yellow Roses #5′, Wednesday 17 November, Brunswick, photo by Alicia Bee.

PUBLIC SPEECH – SHOOTING SEASON.
I don’t need to explain that as a dharma bum my support of shooting bans crosses borders of all countries and states; you don’t have to be enlightened to understand why ‘guns are bad’ or make mockery of my belief as naïve. Why is it so wrong to repeat that hippies don’t like guns when people still die from them in shooting accidents without being aimed at for murder.
It seems as clichéd as other age old issues and creates a cringe to media and audience alike but recent shooting accidents in Australia have pointed out that there is still a great range for error while people are practicing with such powerful weapons. It is time to acknowledge the people who have died most recently and in our history) under new conditions that protect their safety with a change to licensing and shooting season laws. This is a reminder that people can think about ‘guns’ the state election in a fortnight, if you are voting in Victoria.
Your vote is your gun.

Waterbird numbers across Eastern Australia have dropped by 82% over the past 25 years, because people are allowed to shoot ducks.
While Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales have already banned duck shooting; Victoria has lagged behind to support recreational violence against all Native waterbirds on local wetlands.
The simple fact is that shooter kill other birds, when they are allowed to ‘cull’ ducks during season.

‘Rescuer helps illegally shot protected waterbird’, McDonald Swamp, 2005, photo by Noah Hannibal.

Today it was discovered that the Australian twins shot at a shooting range in Colorado had a suicide pact. This only shows that weaponry in the hands of those who are depressed, can give them an immediate death assured with suicide. I won’t go on to highlight the many deaths, or mass murders associated with misuse of guns because it is too horrible to digest.
Though let us remember that while Tasmania has produced Olympic Rifle Gold Medalists, it has also produced a history of murder that it is known for.

As an island Australia doesn’t need to compete with the world in its collection of weaponry or military involvement in disputes that don’t directing concern our own conflicts. I do believe we live in pacifist oceans and we will be protected by being a ‘good’ country producing exports of sport, arts, fashion, film, wine and literature and all other industries.
You are reading this blog as citizens of the ‘switched on Arts’ world that pads our products with support and probably don’t need to be converted. Consider the opposition and arm yourself with argument reasons for you beliefs over the next few weeks before you vote again.

If Australia wants to be Olympic shooting champions, and continue to control its animal populations; serious conditions to firearms laws must protect all people and native animals against accidents, and intentional misuse of the weapons.

POST SCRIPT – NAIL GUN ACCIDENTS.
Apparently Victoria has also a high rate of nail gun accidents that has prompted serious warning about the issue from Ambulance Victoria. People should be warned against the misuse of any tools in the workplace, and the use of your tool as a weapon in your the professional field.
INJURIES in VICTORIA since May 2010
26 September: 34-year-old man shot in the leg in Epping.
14 September: 20-year-old man shot in foot in Wyndham Vale.
10 September: 41-year-old woman shot in the head in Bentleigh.
9 September: 41-year-old man shot through finger in Dandenong South.
1 September: 32-year-old man shot in knee in Mont Albert.
24 August: 18-year-old man shot through finger in Newport.
2 August: 16-year-old boy shot in hand in Northcote.
21 June: 31-year-old man shot in leg in Essendon.
10 June: 47-year-old man shot in finger in Sunbury.
8 June: 26-year-old man shot in eye in Mt Waverley.
4 May: 18-year-old man shot in the head in Footscray.

PUBLISHED – BATHERS ON THE BEACH COMPETITION
While I was aware of the size of my audience and printed copies of Bathers On The Beach accordingly, the publishing industry is as hard as others to make money for craft.
Though the Do-It-Yourself self publication is being stocked through Readings Carlton, and Brunswick Bound; most sales have been done via internet transactions direct through my own physical posting of items. Nonetheless it is rewarding to make a sale each time, and I have a small income that plods to equal the book printing costs.
If you would like to purchase a copy of recently launched Bathers On The beach poetry collection please email; misspiggyjournalist@gmail.com and I will send you the bank details. Once payment is received I can post the same day.
Book sales in shops have not been successful, and while this means at least that I don’t have to pay the commission it could mean that future ventures might be embarrassing trying to break into the mainstream shops. The reason is simply that I compete against the commercial market for book choice, and noone knows my title exists.
I have made a ‘Peer List’ of publications that are more likely to sell at the moment, and have harshly compared myself to them.
1. Miranda Kerr – Treasure Yourself.
Fellow Buddhist and model Miranda writes a book about self esteem, while I too discuss the need for personal body happiness though highlighting my insecurities, physical and mental scars while stripped down in Bathers On The Beach. Miranda Kerr may like my poem ‘International’ which was inspired by a comment by the model Megan Gale when she described my appearance as ‘not very international’ and talks about the self esteem issues you face when comparing yourself to others in bathing suits on the world’s best beaches.
2. Keith Richards – Life.
The Rolling Stones guitarist gives us a kiss and tell about songwriting and life on the road. My own ‘on the road’ book sidelines my rock and roll life, and is a kiss and tell about my own romances and copyright disputes of who really wrote the lyrics first. My market of book buyers would be most likely to purchase this title, and we have all been commenting positively about desiring to read Life. In Bathers On The Beach I respond to The Rolling Stones ‘Following The River’ song found on Exile On Main Street Reissue 2010, and direct my poem towards my many peers that have written songs using me as muse.
3. Russell Brand – Bookie Wookie 2.
This was the rhyme title that got to me, because not only was it his second book the silly name will be remembered as his style sheet joke. It rhymes with the same sounds as my new publishing label The Good Look Book.
Recently I had been scared of Russell Brand after watching a movie about holidaying in Hawaii called Hating Sarah Marshall. His comedic character was hard for me to handle watching, but what scared even more was how I laughed later in flashbacks of his dance routines during performing as a pop star in the movie. I understand the humor but was appalled by the strangeness of his over-the-top character, and wasn’t a fan then again don’t follow comedy. Though it still made me laugh, over time those flashbacks haunted his humor legacy. His face stared at me from the window display of our independent bookstore at my launch shortly after watching Hating Sarah Marshall. His beard now haunts me from skinny men everywhere in music and arts, perhaps I can forget about it before my second ‘good lookie bookie’.

PARADE – MALE FASHION.
Short shorts are back in season for males this summer, so I urge you to strip and skin up now.
The outfit shown here is this season Hermes, and highlights neutrals and one of my favorite colors – brown.
Males should be aware of the Australian male fashion revolution that came out of the metrosexual age of the new moustache care, and consider updating their wardrobe and being a part of the beautiful.
I will be focussing on some new Australian male fashion labels in future blogs, starting with friend label ‘T-Mc’ and the ‘manbag’ next week.

‘Rotting Apple # 1’, Friday 19 November, Brunswick, photo by Alicia Bee.
PHOTOGRAPHY – ROTTING APPLES.
After watching Peter Greenaway’s ZOO I was reminded of my old time lapse photography apple in the shed. It had disintergrated over time, and only the skin remain with a small amount of brown mush remaining inside. It inspired me to start another time lapse photography project, and here you have a new apple.

The rotting apple should symbolise the changes seen in all life processes from life to death, but also shows how something edible can rot to be unstomachable to the human mouth. How something good can turn bad.

POETASTER.
Gun Club Man.
By Alicia Bee ©
As published in Bathers On The Beach © October 2010.

I was homesick when seeing his crazy drunk eyes,
I could have forgotten it was America,
But for red light night district and the Gun Club guy,
There are Buddhists in the army taught to use guns.

I never took a photo with my camera,
Didn’t take gun but my defences were not shy,
St Kilda girls are all tourist ballerinas.

Seeking no comfort with prostitutes, I walked by,
Target practice is musician’s concertina,
There was nothing on that island I had not tried,
There are Buddhists in the navy taught to use guns.

END. Alicia Bee © 2010.

THANKS FOR READING I LOVE YOU LIKE SHOOTING SEASON.