22 Dreams

(To be submitted to the Songsmith. I acknowledge the influence of the following sources: Jon Stebbins The Real Beach Boy ; Adam Webb Dumb Angel : the life and music of Dennis Wilson ; Brian Wilson Wouldn't it be nice : an autobiography ; Endless Summer [film]) ‘The Year that he was cool’ . A song penned by ex-Cold Chisel keyboardist / songwriter Don Walker, appearing on his 1991 Catfish album Ruby . The song is a character expose of a young guy who back in the 60’s ruled his town as top surfer and ladies man (“…he could surf the curl on a barmaid’s lip, he could surf a yard of beer…”). Twenty years later as his mates have gone on to law degrees and the girls that were once his own have travelled overseas, he stands outside the bowling club “barfing like a mule” & “drinking in a rage”, and no-one wants to know about the ‘year that he was cool’. It transpires that Walker’s song is an unintentional biographical pastiche of the life of Beach Boy Dennis Wilson. Dennis, the ...

"If I could live my life again I'd never do you wrong" - Dennis croaking his guilt and pain in one of his final recordings 'All alone' i've been spending the last couple of nights working on a wee article about dennis wilson the drumming beach boy who drowned in 1983 since acheiving cult status as a great composing talent sort of like his big brother bri i whipped up the article quick smart on sunday night last night went to edit it i didn't like it i thought it was shit journalistic and rushed and stroppy and covered with too much brittle, saccharin phrasing i've just performed another re-edit still not too excited not my best work it'll be good enough for my friend's mag though i'm pleased the distribution is relatively small! the article coincides with the re-release of dennis's magnum opus Pacific Ocean Blue first released in September 1977 i was 7 then i remember the period my sister then had platform shoes with cork heels (who did...

Around the time I started working at drama school back in January 1996 I was keen to read and to explore a wide variety of playscripts. Though because I’ve been surrounded by the things for so long I tend to take them for granted these days, but in ’96 I was eager for some new reading material. Eric Bogosian was one such playwright I took to wholeheartedly. He writes in a quasi-existential style and is hip to life in modern-day America and mentally I jibed with his stuff and took great pleasure in reading it. Half of his plays tend to be series of long monologues, such as ‘Sex Drugs & Rock’n’Roll’. ‘Notes from Underground’ is possibly my favourite work of Bogosian’s. Originally I wasn’t quite sure if it was a playscript or not because it’s written in diary format – I’ve recently discovered the play gets performed as a one-man show with Bogosian himself acting out the first performance of the play back in 1993. Years before the word ‘blog’ was invented (or perhaps it’s been around f...

Here is a photo taken today of my retina: I visited my optometrist John E for my yearly retinopathy checkup. As I've had elevated blood sugar levels in the past ( very elevated blood sugar levels) its mandatory I take a yearly check up. Well, to cut a long story short, I reversed my condition by throwing my tablets down the toilet and reaching out instead for natural remedies and supplements combined with a consistent walking & exercise plan. I have not looked back. I've never felt better or healthier, and I haven't yet succumbed to cold or flu this winter unlike most of the people around me. It's been 5 years since I've last taken antibiotics. The optometrist dilated my pupils with rather stinging fluid and during the interim we chatted a while. He was very impressed with my motivation and dedication to stay healthy, and his belief is that it's all about loving yourself . He says this, because he sees too many patients with the, umm, sugar problem, ju...

tommy the white fluffy cat i've been minding passed away this morning he'd become more withdrawn as the weeks wafted on slowly yet perceptively until last week he began hiding in the bushes 24 7 i wondered if the cold snap had anything to do with it he ate the food i brought him though i often had to dish it up to his mouth and i carried him into the house for some sunday freetime tlc and he purred and enjoyed that feline appreciation but on the monday food didn't interest him i took him to the vet on tuesday morning this morning wednesday 16 July 2008 he passed on tommy was 15 1/2 years old and his diet over the past three years had coexisted with medication to prevent urea build-up in his blood tuesday 15 july 8:50am sunny and cool i come out to tommy he sticks his sweet beautiful white head out of the shrub meows tommy - i purr myself i lift him into the cat box carry the box to my car and drive him the short distance to the vet the drive ...

Thursday night, 10 July, I forced myself out of a self-imposed stint of isolation to attend my first gig in about 5 weeks. This was a singer-songwriter night at the Raglan Hotel in Alexandria, a pub I've walked past on many occasions (and not thinking too much of the place) and stepped inside for my first time last Thursday night. I liked the low-key, old-style ambience and aesthetically pleasing lack of renovation. A good place for a decent beer and to hear some great music. Not only was it my first gig in so many weeks (I played bass on this particular gig) but I was also offered three gigs during the course of that particular day, two with my duo with Brig and another solo for next Sunday. I suppose that's life's way of telling me that my period of hibernation is over, and to get out there and back into the action! The first performer was David Griggs . He convenes the songwriter nights at the Raglan on Thursdays and performs sets at the beginning and end of each night....

Hiya! Here are some random photos of the Lower Campus @ the University of New South Wales, Kensington, Sydney Australia. The shots were taken during my lunch break, around 3pm, from drama school across the road on Anzac Parade. I decided on Wednesday I'd take my camera in the next day and shoot some afternoon cameos. The weather this week has been so sunny and yet delicately winter-soft in the afternoon. Needless to say I love lunch breaks on lovely days but hey, the rest of it, with district views, ain't too bad either! Enjoy!! Uni bar fence, trees, a stage and alfresco drinking! The walkway above leads onto Anzac Parade. Drama school is across the road from there. Notice the trees overhangin the walkway have shed all their leaves. 'Birds of Paradise' shrubs are profuse at this...