Phonies and Cigarettes

It's five to two, I'm in a poorly made bed with a bottom sheet that's too small, PlayStation 2 controller, The Catcher In The Rye, my wallet and a sheet strewn in the bottom quater of the bed. Dante's Inferno and the TV remote on the windowsill with a slight breeze coming through the fully opened window. I'm listening to Japandroids "Post-Nothing" and I just listened to The Big Pink's "A Brief History of Love" and just put down Catcher after reading ten or so chapters after playing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time on PlayStation 2 for about 2 and a bit hours. Is there something wrong with me? No. I've just finally kicked into a new mindframe where books are thoroughly enjoyable, video games are a magical escape to different worlds and my bedroom is my personal domain that no one should dare touch as it's in the perfect condition I want it to be in.

There's presents on the floor, shoe boxes under the bed, clothes thrown all over my couch, tonelab right in the middle of the floor and the footrest next to it to use as a seat when I make new settings. My CD player was failing when I wanted to listen to The Birthday Party's "The Bad Seed EP" and the "Mutiny EP" which are both thoroughly amazing. Nick Cave; can someone say musical genius?

It's the second last day of the decade. How strange that it's here and I'm in such a mindset that I would never have thought I would find myself in. I have to work later today, but first I'm going to Miranda Westfield with mum and I'm probably going to blow my two-hundred dollar gift card at EB buying World of WarCraft and Boarderlands and then not play then until probably like 10:30pm on Friday.

Tomorrow will be amazing. Our pub crawl will fucking ruin us and I cannot wait. My first new years celebrations not in the devious clutches of my parents. Yay! Oh the joys of being eighteen!

I'd give you a song by A Place To Bury Strangers but I'm not at a computer so too bad. Next time you can get your noise/shoegaze on.

Peace out and best of luck to everyone for whatever they want to do with the rest of their days.

See some of you peeps on Thuraday.

Pubs

I want to go to some pubs. With friends. For lunch. And for dinner. And for afternoon beers. Reschs thanks. $4.50? Here you go! Om nom nom that beer is smooth and tasty even though it's brewed by Fosters company.

In other news, I downloaded:

• Björk - Homogenic
• Björk - Vespertine
• Björk - Medúlla
• Morrissey - "Viva Hate"
• Morrissey - "Your Arsenal"
• Morrissey - Vauxhall and I
• Morrissey - You Are The Quarry

I heard you like Morrissey...

Plus I'm looking forward to Christmas. Should be a good day. Yeah, presents in the morning and stuff, but the best part is going to my cousins later in the day to have a stupidly huge lunch which is enough for dinner. And this year I can brew on with the real men. Scotch for all! Huzzah!



After looking at that picture, my mouth is salivating because I really, really, really want to drink that. Fucking hell scotch on the rocks is a delicious drink. God damn it's just so sophisticated, manly, upper-class, hardcore and yummeh. Am I an alcoholic?

I also finished Green Hills of Africa today at work. Best book I've ever read. Yeah, you heard me Herman Melville, Hemmingway wrote a better book than Moby Dick, YEAH TAKE IT, BITCH! Hemmingway's auto-biographical writing is pretty much just like having a conversation with him in which you say nothing but are constantly interested in his great stories about hunting game and drinking a fuckload of whiskey and beer. He sculled a longneck in 2 chuggs and then proceeded to finish two more bottles, stay up all night and then hunt kudu the next day. What a mad guy. I would love to go back in time and be besties with him. Also, he got wasted with James Joyce at a dinner party, shredalicious, Ernest!

Uuuuh, a song.....

The Raveonettes - Dirty Eyes (Sex Don't Sell)

Download Spree

Let's see what I've obtained...

Mylo - Destroy Rock and Roll



Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair



Boys Noize - Oi Oi Oi



Simian - We Are Your Friends



Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release



The Libertines - Up The Bracket



Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future



Mylo - Paris Four Hundred
Hercules & Love Affair - Athene
Boys Noize - Superfresh
Simian - LA Breeze
Simian Mobile Disco - I Believe
The Libertines - Death on the Stairs
Klaxons - Totem on the Timeline

Results:

86.45

Yep, that's it. Not too impressive, hey?

Want to say congrats to:

• Harry on his 2 band 6's and nice ATAR.
• Bouzo on his band 6 in IPT - The Dark Horse came through
• Jacqueline on her very impressive ATAR - you surprised me, girl!
• Hennessy's great score.
• Salmon - All band 6's.
• Tim M - This guy fucking dominates.

So I've been wallowing all day so I binged on cookies and cream ice cream, listened to Joy Division for the first time in a very long time, read a lot of Hemmingway, swam in the pool to "Revolver" and injured my character a lot on EA skate. because that's what I do.

The Dictators - Master Race Rock

ATAR

Yeah, so I got my marks like the rest of New South Wales; pretty good, I guess.
Disappointed with music, expecting mathematics, impressed at chemistry. I assume that tomorrow shouldn't be too bad. I'm assuming I'll get over 84.50, because I'm a cocky dude. Speaking of cocky dudes, here's a passage I read from Hemmingway today, it proves that he is the absolute man:

"It's a shame you never knew her before she went to pot. You know a funny thing; she never could write dialogue. It was terrible. She learned how to do it from my stuff and used it in that book. She had never written like that before."

What a guy, I wish I was besties with Ernest. We'd go hunt kudu, drink scotch and smoke cigars.



You can't deny his godliness. I was reading Green Hills of Africa all day today. Got on the train, started reading. Reading at work. Reading on the train home. Reading on the bus home. Reading while walking home. I'll read a bit more later, finish off the next chapter. Or power through to page 100. Crack a century.

I need to buy more books. I need to clean out one of the hovels in my room and make it a book case. Fellas, let's go to a bookstore or two so I can nab some classics. 1984, A Farewell To Arms, Wuthering Hieghts, Crime and Punishment and Catcher In The Rye are at the top of my to buy/read list. Yeah, that's night, I'm planning on reading books and adding to my collection of novels so I can get artistic cred. My collection currently consists of:

• Moby Dick; Or The Whale - Herman Melville
• Green Hills of Africa - Ernest Hemmingway
• A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

Yeah, pretty cool, I know.

Now, here's a fantastic song, easy one of the best this year:

Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind

Schoolies

Rebuilt me, chilled me, ruined me.
I be so sleepy all the time. 39 degrees in Byron today? Ouch! Our motel room doesn't even have air con.

Liver getting destroyed. We drink a case a day and finish spirits also. Midori, rum, gin, jäger, kahlua and vodka goneskies. You clock in at 12:00 (because beer tastes shit before 12:00) and clock out at 2:30am - 4:30am. It's a hard life.

Our fridge is pretty much empty. Yet to buy today's case, wonder what it will be. I think I'll clock in today with a scotch on the rocks, I'm feeling saucey. We also have expensive vodka for tomorrow night that may devastate us. Let's all play Roxanne. Put on the red light-PASSOUT!

I'm going to get my cereal on, wait till 12:00 on the balcony and then kick it cool for the rest of the day until 22:00 in which we head down to the beach.

Oh, and eighteen tomorrow for those who care.

To Buy:

L'Arc~en~Ciel: Pure badass.

1. Boris - Pink
2. L'Arc~en~Ciel - SMILE
3. Boredoms - Vision Creation Newsun
4. Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Fanclub
5. Art-School - Love/Hate
6. ACIDMAN - Carve With The Sense (Single)

And I want to eat whale.
I hope CDs aren't excessively expensive, that would majorly suck arse.

Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Sakurasou

Search and Destroy

I pretty much took your personified trust down to gritty mangroves in high tide and stabbed it. And as I tried to redeem myself, all I did was twist the serrated blade to open, expose and tear the wound further. Once it was removed, I lay you down in the mud and buried you. Your eyes blankly stared off into the distance, but your face melted and was crushed into a ball. I took it too far like I always do, I couldn't explain myself. I still can't. I can't figure out my problems, can't control my thoughts that manifest when I drink.

I fucked up yesterday and don't want to tell people because I don't want them to point out my cruelty. I know it. Rah.

I fell asleep listening to Nick Cave last night. Bad Seeds and Birthday Party. I like the ballads and stories about people being murdered because it's what I did.

I'm so sorry.

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Song of Joy
The Birthday Party - Deep In The Woods

Dodgy album art made on iPhone and MS Paint to live in perfect harmony with the dodgy loop electronica. I hope you enjoy.

1. Paint By Numbers (4:47)
2. Panther Party (3:58)
3. Restricted Freedom (3:24)
4. The Interlude (2:22)
5. Southern Shadow Lingers (5:o5)
6. Concord (2:24)

Total: 21:56.

Luna Noise - Black Beach EP

Not a zip file.

Sex Beat

Johnny's got a light in his eyes and Shirley's got a light on her lips. Jake's got a monkeyshine on his head and Deborah-Anne'a got a tiger in her hips. They can twist and turn, they can move and burn. They can throw themselves against the wall. But they creep for what they need, and the explode to the call, and then they move! Move! Sex beat...go!

Very stupid like I told ya, very stupid like you saw. Very stupid as the simple thought of ever thinking at all. And all their minds, all their souls, all their bodies, all we know, all the things that should have made us whole. All the colourless security was all there so we could go, and move! Move! Sex beat...drop!

And yes you do look cool, inside the floodlights so blue. You make my tropical apartment space your sacrificial pool. My body in the water, and my heart is in your hand. So this is the at you choose to send me to the judgement land? So you can't move! Move! Ooooh, sex beat...go!

And every day at three, you throw me down by the Christmas tree. I watch your lights blink on and off as you start your fun with me. I, I know your reasons, and I, I know your goals. We can fuck forever but you will never get my soul.so you can't move, so you can't move, so you can't move, so you can't move, so you can't...ooooh...sex beat...

The Gun Club - Sex Beat

Downloads

I've been downloading like a motherfucker lately. Sorry, bandwidth, but your 25GB limit can easily take this. I haven't finished listening to all the albums because I do that.
Let us gaze into the magical blogosphere and see what I have illegally obtained:

The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow


Pretty sweet rock opera. Can't tell you the story because I wasn't really paying attention. Great guitar sound, though. 5/5

Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes



Some Brazillian psychedelica / tropicalia. It's pretty great, with some lovely Portugese that I can't understand, some great melodies and the ultimate in killer sunshine chilling tracks: A Minha Menina. 4.5/5

Spirit - Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus


Some sexalicious psyche that's ultimately wacky. I'm currently listening to this, it's shaping up to be a solid 4.5/5, but only time will tell, there could be a string of shitty songs to come. I fucking hope not, this is hilarious.

The Monks - Black Monk Time



Sometimes called the first punk album ever. Haven't listened to it yet because I just haven't. "Shut Up" and "Blast Off!" are pretty great, so I'm hoping the other tracks follow suit. These guys are Vietnam vets, how fitting to make a proto-punk band...

Sparks - Kimono My House



This is outrageously camp and hilarious glam rock. I love the weirdness of it. It's simply amazing. The album is relentlessly rockin' and the distinctive vocals make this a must for anyone who would party down to stupid glam. 5/5 without a doubt.

Derek and The Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs



I love blues rock. This is an incredible album. The songs are heartfelt and Clapton is truly, truly great at life. Plus Duane Allman slide guitaring the FUCK out of Layla is amazing. 4.5/5.

Fats Domino - This Is Fats Domino



Overwhelming amounts of "meh" except for "Blueberry Hill". That is an amazing song. The rest is boring blah. 3/5.

The Pretty Things - Balloon Burning
Os Mutantes - A Minha Menina
Spirit - Street Worm
The Monks - Shut Up
Sparks - This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us
Derek And The Dominos - Bell Bottom Blues
Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill

And there's still more to come!

P.S. Work was horrible today. Every customer got on my nerves. Did not want to be there. RAH!

Concord

I went to the ballet last night. It was interesting. Pretty sure EVERYONE who looked at me assumed I was gay because I was a young male there with his mother. However, I was gladly checking out women left, right and centre, while I romped around in my DCs. I was hesitant to go to the bathroom, though. I braved it. There was no one in there, I was relieved.

The first dance (?) was alright. The program didn't explain the concept, stupidly, but there was this Spanish narrator voice-over telling me shit I couldn't understand. I wanted to know what the dancing was ment to represent. It seemed to me just a set of dances that kinda segueded into each other, there was a tenious connection.

The second one was super traditional and pretty hilarious. It was based off this comedy play called "Scuola Di Ballo". It was seriously pretty funny, with the fail dancer chick who could act like a champ and some slapstick and what not. Pretty sure everyone loved this because everyone was laughing and cheering. I was defs not expecting a response like that at the ballet, very surprising and engaging.

The third one...well...all I can say is that at least the music was good. Steve Reich composes music like a motherfucker, it's pretty much always brilliant. The dancing was contemporary shit that made no sense to the synopsis. Hell, the synopsis didn't make sense, so naturally the dancing didn't.

Frankly, all I can say is that I've seen enough man-bulge to last me a lifetime. Period tights and cod-pieces that perfectly outline every contour of a man's arse is something I do not want to see. It was like they were wearing nothin' at all...nothin' at all...NOTHIN' AT ALL...



Luna Noise - Concord

Cave Blues

I cut a hole in my roof, the shape of a heart.
And I'm goin' out west where they appreciate me.
Darling, you need to learn how to chill out, kick back, not take everything so literally and do some cold lampin'. You've made me put on my depressed album, Tom Waits' Bone Machine. Don't be so nervous all the time, just calm down and roll with it. Everything resolves in time, just let the twisted words unwind.

Though shalt not cover thy neighbour's wife. Good advice there, Tom, my man. The electronica EP is coming along swimmingly. I've made 3 tracks which I'm moderately proud of and I'll probably craft 3 more. Next EP I'll test out Fruity Loops and if that fails, I'll retire my Luna Noise project (terrible name, Con) and just admire my skill-less loop music. Party tunes you guys!

I had to do gardening with dad today. It was okay. Good to be outside, a change for me. Also, kept me occupied for an hour and a half or so however long it was out there. The backyard is just too ridiculous to have perfectly groomed and clean. I mean, I'm not a perfectionist, but I like the garden to be neat. Actually, I kinda am a perfectionist because I think that any songs I've made are too poor/embarassing for anyone else. Except my new version of Cyborg Kids' The Mopes. I'm moderately proud of that, it flows well enough. I hope I'm not at my creative peak at 17, because this is poor if I am. Dodge electronica, unfinished grindcore album (I really want to complete Thrush Thrasher one day), garage rock / blues rock I am finding quite demanding. I can't handle it and I'm not even famous. And despite what you all say, I can't sing. I just make vocals and vaguely aim for notes that I rarely hit.

Sorry, everyone.

Luna Noise

No skill.

Luna Noise - Paint By Numbers

What's Up?

First point of order - films.
Movies are going to the dumps. 2012 had some spiffy special effects yes, and a was fun to pay out because it was hilariously bad, but it was still bad. The plot was overblown and shit, hardly any of the characters were bearable, there was too much CGI (CGI phone), everyone was screaming all the time (except for John Cusack) and it went for waaaay too long. I stuggled to be entertained for the films duration, only maintaining interest by paying it out (sorry Asians in front of us). This film is poor on every account, not even worth a rent when it's on DVD and a waste of $14 and 3 hours of my precious life.

Music is rant #2.
What the fuck is being played on the radio these days? At what point in time did radio pop music stop being amazing music (hello, Beatles) and become absolute mindless trash (Black Eyed Peas)? Dad has 104.1 playing in the car on the way to the station earlier today and some terrible song about how this little faggy asshole makes "good girls bad" or some gay shit like that. Seriously, just piss off and let the actually good music be played on the pop stations. Why Short Stack are popular and The Big Pink aren't is totally beyond any sense.

But yeah, how is everyone? That's good. Having fun without me? Yeah, I thought so.

The Big Day Out second announcement didn't get me very excited. Yeah, Devendra Banhart and The Scare and Miami Horror and Decoder Ring. But it still doesn't account for the poo there. Why are the smaller bands all killer and the headliners are shitty poo poo? Muse AND Temper Trap AND Eskimo Joe AND Passion Pit are all fag city USA and then there's the turgid and boring likes of Grinspoon, Powderfinger and Kisschasy. Belchariffic.

Poo is poo and poo is me.
Poo is gross. Me is gross.
Me is good for nothing.
Like poo.

Weezer - (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To

Humid

It was really humid today. I got sweaty just because it was sticky and muggy and gross. When it rained, that was nice because it was cooler and it wasn't extreme rain but it was light and nice. Hopefully it's not all humid when I'm trying to sleep, that would mad suck. I can't sleep it it's hot and gross, and I wanna sleep because I'm working five hours tomorrow. Speaking of work, I lost my Thursday shift which sucks the dick because I want money for schoolies and to buy WoW.

Did anyone else have fun at Newtown today? Or was it just me? Hopes it wasn't only me. I want Cold Rock ice cream all of the time now. But hopefully I don't forget Nutella like I did today next time, that is gay. While there were like a billion people there in a poorly organised space, Seekae and Gözleme more than made up for it next. Next year: Japanese pizza and Himalayan food.

Final Fantasy X has gotten me into video games right now. This is bad because if I play Animal Crossing, Suikoden Teirkries or Loch's Quest, I will become a 4am addict. This means I'll be up until 4am every morning playing the game I'm hooked on. Not good. But then Slayer wake me up.

Hey, who likes hanging out with me? And if I do stuff wrong, what is it? Be more specific than "racist" or "dickhead" because that's a given. Feel free to tell me via any medium or don't at all. I don't know why I suddenly started doubting myself and my actions and my personality and everything.

Anyone wanna buy me a Chocobo?

Home Is Where The Heart Is

I'm quite tired. That was the perfect thing I needed after the HSC. Slot cars, Detroit Rock City, Animal House (O.G. party flick), Caddyshack, Hugh's, Shogun Assassin, Harry's, Ballertron 5000 the album, not sleeping much. Who needs sleep when there's no school to wake up to. What is there to wake up to? Free time. Friends. Chucking shit out that I will never, ever need again. And I'll get WoW soon. Sell my soul.

I realised how comfortable I feel at other people's houses. Maybe it's because I generally get along with parents, but talking and cold lampin' at friends houses was just so normal. It's strange because arguments often arise at home (probably will decrease a bit because of no more HSC) which makes my house feel not homey. Except my room. That place is the best location in the world. It will get better - once I purchase Final Fantasy X. The only bad thing about other people's places (not that O.P.P.) is if there's nothing decent to sleep on. Neck and back pains ensure.

Recording albums is fun. Especially if your album is garage rock and you don't have to bother about class, clarity or lyrics. Or riffs or good chord progressions or real solos. All you need to care about is staying in time and hoping you hit record properly on the recording "device" (hello iPhone and Creative mp3 player). But I think I might start making real songs. I thought of some good lyrics in the shower that I didn't write down and so I have now forgotten them. I didn't write them down because I was shaving the wolverines off. It was a bitch of a shave. No cuts though, looks like I'm a pro.

Stuff to look forward to:

• Saturday
• Newtown Festival
• 18ths
• Schoolies
• Birthday
• New Years Eve
• Kasabian Side Show
• Big Day Out
• Yo La Tengo
• Pavement
• Pixies

Yes, that goes to March next year.

The Band - The Weight

Fast and Bulbous

Tonight, it took me ten minutes to unscrew a lightbulb. In these minutes, I essentially dismatled my lamp in a futile attempt to change the globe. Once I got it out, it took me five minutes to try and put the new one in. Then mum came in and snatched the bulb off me to put it in. Five minutes along and she fails. Dad then "makes the bulb fit" with force. It didn't work and he ended up breaking my bedside table lamp. How many Greeks does it take to screw in a lightbult? Three can't do it. FML

You Can All Join In

Stuff I walked past today:

1. The oh-so-beautiful piano playing of a girl I once knew whos initials are L.L. I actually walked much, much slower (essentially just standing there) past her house to admire the lovely sounds coming from within. I don't know what she was playing, but it was simply divine and luckily I got to hear it twice. It perfectly calmed me down for a whole 10 seconds that I heard it.
2. Children screaming and playing. Torturuous. I don't remember people screaming like retards when I was at IPS. I would say we did, though. I don't remember it being louder than fucking Neil Young, though. Seriously, these children were screaming so loud, that if I were to walk into that playground, I would start bleeding from the ears.
   
3. My ultra-godly past-friend / current acquaintance drumming his arms off. It was really quite good. However, I do believe he had an exam today, so it was probably his equally-religious brother. You know those "Jesus: All About Life!" signs? Yeah? Yeah, they have one in their window. The south will rise again, Custer...
4. Two chefs from Al Martino's, the local Italian restaurant. They were chainsmoking cigarettes extremely quickly. I do not want them to touch my pizza again. I lie, I do, those pizzas from Al Martino's are fucking orgasm-inducing. G'damn I want one so bad.
5. A "FOR SALE - SOLD" sign. Normally this is no big deal because I don't really give a flying when someone new moves into the suburb. However, I think this sign was outside another past-friend's place who I planned to become very good friends with again after all this HSC shit finishes. It made me very sad because I kinda abandoned this great friendship we had. Oh the good times, oh nostalgia.

I wanna make an album, but I don't want it to suck which it inevitably will because I have no songwriting skill whatsoever. It's gross to know that my current "masterpiece" is Sodomy. Uuuuuuh pathetic feelings. But what genre? Noisy garage? Shoegazing? Folkish ballads and confessional poetic songs? Sludge? I don't think that a song I have written / will write will ever be displayed in public. I will not even match the cuntiness of Chad Kroeger and put anything I write out. BECAUSE I KNOW IT IS SHITTY! YOU HEAR ME CHAD, YOU DICK MUCHER!? FUCK OFF!

I feel totally empty. Hello, bodily organs and fluids and bones and muscles, are you in there? Because I cannot feel you. I don't think I've ever felt so much nothingless in my chest. I'll stop this bleakness now.

I have recently become hideously and dangerously obsessed with electronica, Kanye West and Jay-Z. 90s electronica is essentially my life because I'm sure a party guy and I love synths more than anything. And when I choose a CD to listen to, The Blueprint and The College Dropout just instantly go "POP!" into my mind. Why, HOVA, why have you poisoned me to love you so? RAH RAH RAH RAH RAH! is what I do when I listen to Napalm Death. And I get crazy urges to punch bitches in the jugular. Fuck yeah! Cowjab those fuckers so they can't breathe.



Napalm Death - Instinct Of Survival
Björk - Venus As A Boy

Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath are ABAP. I recommend every download this recording from right here:
THIS IS AN AMAZING LIVE DOUBLE ALBUM

But yeah, I've been getting into my bootlegs recently. Some Aphex Twin Peel Sessions, Melodies From Mars (unreleased Aphex), Beatles on Sweedish Radio in '63, Beatles rooftop gig on Apple Studios, Napalm Death Peel Sessions, Godspeed You! Peel Session, Nirvana live in '91 and Hendrix in San Diego in '69. Yes, Con's going download crazy because he just realised that 25GB is a lot of monthly downloadable crap.

And even if you don' like Sabbath (yet), you will after you listen to that recording. Iommi's guitar solos are shredalicious, Bill Ward busts out 2 freakish drum solos in consecutive songs, Geezer Butler's bass is as amazing as usual and Ozzy is really on point vocally. The boys have a real chemistry at this show, and you can definitely hear it. While they have 4 albums to cover and Sabotage is on the eve of release, they skip a few classics, namely The Wizard, Sweet Leaf and N.I.B. but the live power of Hole In The Sky more than makes up for it. In 1975, if I was alive and like 20 years old and lived in England, I would have been there getting my soul eaten by Black Sabbath.

On a more serious note, here's some beautiful music:

1. Claude Debussy - Claire de Lune
2. The Beatles - Golden Slumbers

And some depressing music

1. Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni - Adagio in G Minor
2. Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

Lastly, I was this:



Anyone want to shout me a $1,246 camera? It has 2 lenses included and is for photography noobs like me. Camaaaaan. Fine, I'll get it myself. I'll sell my body on the street so I can get it. At least then I can take crazy good photos of my syphillis and herpes from all the hideous back-alley sex I'll have to endure to get it. Then take some beautiful scenery photos and then say that I'm an artist because the juxtaposition of the factory smoke on the sunset really speaks to me about mankind's impacts on nature. You know, that cool stuff that cool camera guys do.

LOOKIN' FORWARD TO NO MORE EXAMS / THE REST OF THE YEAR! ARE YOU?

In One Ear...

Things I like the sound of:

• Revolver
• Yeasayer - Sunrise
• A screeching J Mascis solo
• Rain falling onto trees
• Cluttered murmer of a shopping centre
• Children crying (they all deserve it)
• The hum of a computer terminal
• Slamming doors
• Compliments
• Violins in harmony
• Cardboard being cut
• 4ht intervals
• Mudhoney fuzz
• "G-L-O-OR-EYAY" (Patti Smith's Gloria)
• HOVA
• Breathing
  

Things I don't like the sound of:

• Real Insurance advertisments
• Regret
• Radio pop
• Rain on aluminium gutters
• Children having fun
• Bones breaking
• Trees falling
• Bad 90s electronica
• Phone feedback through speakers
• Peter Sculthorpe
• Permanent ear-ringing
• Glitchcore (not this)

I am the world's forgotten boy, the one who searches and destroys

HSC Playlist

Here's some songs that I've been listening to a lot.
They, along with friends and my "poetic" blog posts have been keeping me mildly sane during these tough times. O what a strange nature is knowledge...it clings to the mind like lichen on the rock.
I tore up my English notes. It felt so great.

HSC Playlist: (<-- That's the link)

1. The KLF - 3 a.m. Eternal (3:29)
   
2. Les Rythmes Digitales - Sometimes (4:57)
   
3. At The Drive-In - One Armed Scissor (4:20)
   
4. The Chemical Brothers - Setting Sun (5:29)
   
5. Black Sabbath - Electric Funeral (4:53)
   
6. Eels - Novocaine For The Soul (3:08)
   
7. KISS - Detroit Rock City (3:39)
   
8. Opeth - The Leper Affinity (10:26 - Good luck!)
   

Forty...Eighty...One-Twenty...

...those minutes fly by when I'm with you. Under the pressure of expectation and situation, they will drag on forever. I declare a state of emergency in my brain - shut it off...shut it off for now. Electronica is the healing which brings about all calmness, collectedness and placidity in one's soul. Beam down on me, the sweet sounds of synth as I rack my conscious in panic and fury. Soothe me in the onehundredandtwentyminutes of despair and hoope. Pray to the forces that the ink is kind, fair an just. Or else, honour your wrongdoings over the course of this year. This year, a whirlwind of a year (prdictable). Not over yet, I've still got to become an adult! Don't get ahead of yourself. Libraries, libraries, everywhere, but not a drop to drink. A waterfall of knowledge and a weath of creativity. Pools of lost hope, can I cope? Will I remember? I sure hope so. We all do. For if we do not, onehundredandtwentyminutes of pain and suffering. Onehundredandtwentyminutes will drone on in your mind and scrape it's vicious claws of hatred across your back. Across your hope. Through your perception of self. Be kind...ink...be kind.

(Why do I suddenly think I am a poet?)

Excuse the typos...

And So It Begins

Last time when I couldn't sleep, I found blogging helps.

My room is super stuffy, I can hardly breathe. Hot, heavy air filling my lungs. I feel pretty claustrphobic right now. What I wouldn't give for a breeze right now. The water I put on my face has already dried. No trace of any liquid at all. I think the pressure finally got to me. Please, friends, reassure me. It all begins tomorrow. The mad dash for the end. Wind, wind, the slightest wind! Coming to save the day. I hope the song I started writing tonight turns out well, that would make me happy. Resting my eyes, a good sign. It feels good when they close, soft and refreshing. And I imagine what may happen. Static ringing in my ears - a bug was on my chest. It's fluid now smeared across my chest. A cooler breeze, thank the heavens. All my friends are falling in love, a fact I can't deny. Everyone has someone, and they know it better than I. All my friends are falling in love. I can assure you, I won't be too far behind.

Good luck to everyone who reads this and everyone who does not. Do not waste what you have acquired in your 12 years of learning. It is a gift. My best wishes to all.

Note to self: Cover The Windmills of Your Mind in shoegaze when you get your effects board.

An Ode To Sleep

I'm not an insomniac, I just can't sleep.

Please please please help me Sigur Rós, take away the pain of being awake. It is definitely not the time for this. Heavy air crushing my face into the firm pillow. That's not what I want. Please, Decoder Ring, help me reach my subconscious. No breeze and sweaty feet, uncomfortable situations with the ringing of damaged ears and silence. Please, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, let me find the Holy Grail that is peace and serenety in sleep. Itchy, itchy, why am I so itchy? My skin is dry as a desert, but elsewhere it's damp. Please, Tortoise, remove my thoughts and bring death to this day. It's still early at 12:40, I've got a long way to go yet. Hello, HSC, thank you for destroying my life for the time being. Look at what you've reduced me to. Please, Portishead, just take me away from life already. The frogs are so loud, I can hear them in my brain. How come when there's no noise, I can still hear sound? Please, Massive Attack, just put me to sleep! I need to sleep so I can attak the days ahead with mental vigour. Assault my exams with knowledge. Beat the expectations and release the pressure that weighs me down into the ground. You make me happy that we exist, detracting the grind from the current life. Adding spice and flavour to my soul. And to the other, thank you so. You are there when I need you most. Never leave, because if you do, I will surely fade into obscurity. Sorry. Please do not expect too much, I do not have the capacity to forge a life that may match your successes. Other, stern, problems abound, supportive in the desperate times, yet crushing my will. I apologise because you put your faith into me. Let me go my own way into the big bad world. When the lids close, it's hurts...will I never rest? Please, metal, join even closer, for the chemistry...chemistry! You plague my thoughts, yet I love you, so. Mathematics, the bane of my existence. Damn you ancestors! A blob of text is hard to read, I apologise once more.

Wherever you are, you are...

PS. This is not a suicide note.

Of Recent Times

This album is amazing. I'm going to have to import it because I've never seen it at a shop and I really, really want it because it's so fucking fantastic. Like super wow, just put it in that top 50 list I made that I'm not going to change because I don't overly care.

Also, I've been listening to a lot of HEALTH. There is no problem to this, HEALTH are a great band and it's a bit of influence or whatever. Noise music is surprisingly hard to make - if you want to make good noise. Riffs / hooks = Not Easy.

And I've been having a jam session every day for the past week(s). My fingers really hurt but it's some good practice. Today while playing Communication Breakdown, I was "shredding" out a solo and my pinky slipped and now the cuticle is mega owned and sliced. I love the guitar. I would also love being in a pub band who plays covers and when we play Brown Sugar, all the 40-year-old women get up and dance. That would be so great. Like, so great. And old guys would be all:
"PLAY SOME AC/DC!"
and I'll be all:
"I'MMA MAKE HELTER SKELTER A SHOEGAZE SONG WIF MAH PEDALZ!"
And I will. And they won't like that. But I will. And that's all that matter, right?



I wanna start a shoegaze band now. Maybe we should be shoegaze/noise. Yeah, I think they kinda go hand-in-hand. And I wanna play on stage. And wanna have people go:
"Hey, that guy's alright..."
That would be a dream come true.

And after the HSC, I'm going to visit 2SSR, the local radio station and apply for some work. I've got connections to there because my uncle (now drive-time "celeb" in Canberra) used to work there. But yeah, if I've got like a dodgy, late-night radio show, I expect you people to listen. We can't talk on air because this radio station is so dodgy you can't actually do that. Imagine, me on the radio for an hour or so. I'd talk crap for a few minutes, kick out some jams that are like my computer on shuffle (like Boredoms followed by The Small Faces then HITS FROM THE BONG!) and then read out some crappy community announcements that don't apply to you because they're all shire. Hopefully I get that gig so I can crap around in a radio booth, bring in a friend and then plug my own bands - MxP will be pretty huuuuge.

Tomorrow, I'm going to Allen's Music in Alexandria to put a VOX Tonelab LE Effects Board on lay-buy for my 18-year life anniversary. I'd put a picture of it up, but I'm keeping the colour in this post pink. Pretty much, if will allow me to make noise along with my Aria Flanger pedal and the digital effects in the amp. Hopefully there's some fuzz and muff so I can 2-cent Mudhoney it up (BTW HARRY: Learn Touch Me I'm Sick) and try to shoegaze and make the kids next door cry to their (hot) mum (happy, Tim?) while their massive New Zealander inslander dad gives me death stares for making his children cry and checking out his wife. Yeah, I'm cool like that.

Boris - Painted With Flame
The Big Pink - At War With The Sun

We Could Do With Some More Poison

This song is the epitome of dance-punk. I realised this while on the train the other day. It is a masterpiece of modern music. I am not exaggerating, this song is pure brilliance and it puts everyone and everything from every dance-punk and nu rave group to shame.

Someone has to give me a copy of The Vines "Highly Evolved" because I lost it in my old school torrents folder. Along with The Smashing Pumpkins' "Siamese Dream" and "Mellon Collie...".

Pretty much the gist of this post is:
It's all good!

The noise band I had an overwhemling desire to make seems to have come together. Hopefully it works out and we call ourselves "Hola Hovito" and we open for HEALTH sometime in the future. That would be mad cool.

And the study is all good. I have high motivation thanks to the 5-stack CD player that keeps me company. One Led Zeppelin album a day, chronologically, of course. Tomorrow is "Houses of the Holy".

Plain and simple: Heavily smitten.

And I got this new application for the iPhone. It's a cool sketchbook that makes me like to think I can draw when in reality I cannot. Here's one crappy picture. It's called "Pablo's Cruise" because I was listening to that song when I made it.



Don't judge me, my fingers are fat and I have virtually no drawing skill. I just make heaps of lines to make it seem I know what I'm doing.

So pretty much, this new computer is great and I can't wait until post-HSC for so many reasons. I won't get into that.

Test Icicles - Circle. Square. Triangle.

Roc-A-Fella, Baby!

I'm just going to put it out there right now: I like JET.

Yes, they are devoid of intelligence and originality, but I don't mind a spin of "Get Born" or some tracks off "Shine On". I'm listening to "Shaka Rock" right now...it's okay, but I'll just stick to "She's A Genius" and maybe another track if it stands out.

I'm not liking the current weather. I want summery summer weather even though it's not summer, I just like the view of a sunny day more than rain. I'm not sure what a rainy Spring means, I can only hope it indicates a hawt summer ahead. I just want a lot of pool parties and no cares and relaxation and all that good stuff that I haven't had for the past years. Only a few more weeks, only a few more weeks.

You know that feeling you get in the middle of your chest when you see / meet up / hang out with that person you like? How it feels all pressured and your excited? I have that feeling right now because I'm listening to "The Blueprint" by Jay-Z. Am I smitten? Do I have a man-crush on Jay-Z? Very likely. H to tha izzo, V to tha izzay!

Also, no time to think about life and all that, it's all study all day. I'm motivated to study because these exams are pretty much the most important thing in my schooling life so far. Looks like I want to go well after all. Haven't stressed or anything though, pretty chill about it. Parents aren't, they're more edgy than me, which isn't hard. Being a slacker is the best.

The computer has not arrived yet either. This is shitty and simultaneously good. I just can't wait until post-HSC when I get to nerd it up for hours (days) on end playing WoW.

Con has Big Day Out ticket. I hope announcement 2 is ABAP, otherwise I'll sell it and make money. Or just deal with it. Probably the latter.

And this video is really hilarious:

Sweet.

Jay-Z - Jigga That Nigga

Feelings, Study and a Pair of Speakers Under The Bed

Dictionary.com defines love as:
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. sexual passion or desire.
Yes, sexual desire. Love is an interesting thing, I'm sure we've all felt it at some point. Not necessarily for someone else. I love Revolver by The Beatles, it exposed all my senses to real music. You know, all that.




All my study has been done at this table. It's pretty much in the kitchen and it boarders the living room where the music is played. I get a nice view over the valley and the sky. It's a nice place to study and I've been getting a fair bit done. Hamlet essay is completely modified, hopefully I get more than 9/20 for that essay.

At the top is one of the speakers I put under my bed early this morning (like 1am). There's something special about lying there, unable to sleep, then you set up a little system that gives you total relaxation and aural pleasure in the early hours of the morning. Godspeed You! sent me to a peaceful sleep when before I was tossing and turning. I urge everyone to set up a similar system because maybe you're like me and you sleep when post-rock is playing.

This post didn't work as well as I was hoping. Ah well. Plus this is a new app for blogging, let's see how it goes.

Hughey Lewis And...

The News

Dad ordered a new computer, it's got some good specs and hopefully it'll be here by Monday. Unfortunately, it's before the HSC and I love to screw around on a new computer a lot, just to see what I've been missing out on for the past few years of having old operating systems and customising it. When I get it, I'll make a sound of my face like Bouzo has.

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Tunage update:

Today I've been studying to:

1. The Beatles - Abbey Road. We all love it and it's great and HAVE YA SEEN POLYTHENE PAM?
2. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon. A space music classic.

Coming up is:

1. Beth Orton - Central Reservation. Folktronica milestone and a favourite 90s album.
2. Neil Young - On The Beach. One of my fave folk albums and Neil's best, IMO.
3. Gorillaz - Demon Days. And they're turning us into monsters!

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I don't really have any social events coming up in the next few weeks. Study is pretty much all consuming. This isn't a bad thing, I have a lot of work to do, so I'm not overly complaining. Except maybe a movie this weekend. After HSC, I'm looking forward to beer and music sessions. MxP album will be complete. Flex my creative muscle.

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Zombies are pretty rad, so I've been researching zombie films. A movie marathon seems to be in order:

• Night of The Living Dead
• Dawn of The Dead
• Dance of The Dead

Last one is not related to the first to George Romero films, it's just really, really funny and cool. If anyone is in for this, we could make it a pretty big one or not, whatevs.

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I don't really know what's going on in the world, haven't seen the news in the past few days. There's been a second earthquake in Indonesia, those poor people, and Kraft already ditched the horrible name of "iSnack 2.0" for their new Vegemite. Cheesemite, plox. And a flock of 200 birds flew into a jet engine, LOL!

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I also watched Hungry Beast on ABC1 last night at 9pm. It was quite good, I recommend you catch up on the website and then watch it next Wednesday. It's got the funnies and the seriousness and all that.

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Major Lazer - Hold The Line (feat. Mr. Lexx & Santigold)

DiRT

Colin McRae DiRT is a fantastic racer. It's all cool when my car (usually my Mitsubishi Evo IX) gets covered in dust and mud and shit and I win by 22 seconds because Clubman is simply too easy. Speaking of dust...

Predictable photo? Screw you! So I woke up at 5:50am on doomsday and I was pretty freaked out. I though my eyes were bleeding. Then I thought there were bushfires and stuff. Then I went on facebook and Matilda told me it was a dust storm.

The weather has been pretty crappy recently. I was hoping it'd stay all hot and summery but it's now windy. I loaded my 5-stack CD player and was planning to do some outside study, but I thought it was going to start raining when the wind changed so I went inside. My records were:

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
2. Kanye West - The College Dropout
3. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
4. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
5. Radiohead - Hail To The Thief

I decided to go 2000s because I'm so frightfully modern and hip.

Here's a photo from today:

That was before the wind changed and the dark clouds scared me.

Oh yeah, I also tried to play some Sega Megadrive yesterday, but because it connects to my TV via RF cable through the antenna plug, I couldn't get it to work and I was not prepared to manually search through 199 channels to find if it was working. I was devastated, I am hardcore craving Sonic The Hedgehog 2.

So then I tried to set up my NES through the dinosaur AV cables (yellow for video, black for mono sound!). That was working, but someone was totally farked with the power supply and it kept turning on and off and on and off and it was shit because I wanted to play ExciteBike and Super Mario Bros. Now I've got a lot of work to do in order to play some old school games. HD gaaaames are no problem, though. Well, they aren't HD because I don't have a HD TV. DiRT looks amazing in HD.

So I decided to play some Nintendo 64. And so I began a new game on Super Mario 64, and it was pretty great, soooo nostalgic. I also decided to get out my ol' The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time GOLD cartridge because that's the best game of all time. OF ALL TIME!

DJ Shadow - Midnight In A Perfect World

The Feeling Is Hollow

Only after today do I realise who the true friends are. Sure, a lot of people signed my shirt, people who I only ever see at school, but the post-graduation evening is where the real friends shine through. There's people, a select few, that are not in my direct group of friends who I'd love to keep in contact with; Metcalfe, Wylob, Zeb, Bouzios and Pranav come to mind instantly. There's people I'm glad I'll never have to see again (bar HSC exams).

After the graduation, I greatly enjoyed the evening. I top dinner with the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I never want to lose any of the guys tonight:
Aiden
Pills
Hugh
Al
Tahren
Bouzo
Eli
Alex
Tom
Harry
Everyone is unique and everyone is fantastic.

Only today, my final day, did I feel a part of the school. While I got no special mentions (jipped), the guard of honour illustrated all the people that I've built friendships with, from years 7 to 11. My fellow year 12s were not all friends. Most I didn't like at all, and I'm sure the feeling was mutual, but we all bonded today. All of us will never see some again.

Now I'm very, vert tired.
Peace out.

Season 1 & 4

I'm pretty sure Claude Monet painted "Water Lillies" in summer. What other season could produce such beauty? Spring, I hear you say? Shut up, I say to you.

Everyone's aware I've been talking about summer a lot recently. I'm just so excited about it. It's going to be so totally chill and hot so I can hang by the pool in my fluoro boardies with black and white and yellow cubey design on it that are above the knee (because I party) and have the ultimate in summer playlist booming over the valley my house backs onto. Take that children-next-door, your terrible radio pop will be overpowered by my music, with everything from The Avalanches to Amy Winehouse, You Am I to Public Enemy. I cannot wait.

When I get a computer back, I'll totally compose an amazing playlist, one so epic and flawless that the world won't know what hit it. It will cater for all times, the "Oh my god it's too hot to even swim" days, the "Hells yeah, pool party!" times, the "The sunset is so pretty" hour and the "Fuck off, flies, I'm trying to eat dinner outside!" moments. It'll be like 1,ooo songs of perfection.

But summer is a time for gatherings with friends. It's the perfect time to chill with mates in a desperate attempt to stay cool while the sun gives you cancer, where you try to impress that girl who you see up at the local take-away getting an ice cream, and you live your days a little later because the days are longer, and you sleep naked and still end up sweating up a storm. You go for a bike ride and hope to god you make it back home before you dehydrate completely, but then your best friend rings you and you pedal like crazy to get to his place to max your poolside time, then you eat a nice, hot pie and ask yourself "It's 38 degrees, why am I eating a pie?" but you don't care because pies are the fucking boss, so you wash it down with warm Pepsi/Coke and swim till your eyes sting and your back peels and you shout to the heavens "I LOVE SUMMER!"

An then, when it's night and there's gross bush fly things, you go for a walk because it's still kinda light and really warm and that's what everyone else is doing, so you go hang in a park, but don't drink because you don't want to because you just want to chill on the grass. And then the next morning, you don't wanna waste water, so you swim rather than shower, then your hair is all clumped and chlorine-ey and you feel great, and so with this great feeling, you go party down with other friends but it's more just watch cricket or tennis because that's why summer was invented.

And summer contains my birthday, which should epitomise all the chilling experience at my place and whoever reads this blog (and I know) will come over and we can bust out a keg while we barbecue some souvlaki (Al's not allowed to BBQ, just Harry and I), the barbecue which we set up in the rock near the pool because it's cool and old school, and some burgers and chicken. Also, Christmas Day is usually the bomb because the majority of my family is fucken gnarly, espesh by cousins and my uncle Manios, that guy is so rad, and Christmas Day involves more swimming after Christmas Eve which involves not sleeping and being restless and going "ZOMG, I wanna build my brand new Lego that I aksed for!" because Lego is fantastic.

And women. I like women. But one in particular.

Well, that's what I do, at least...

Summer Teaser Playlist:

POOL PARTY AT MINE, EVERYONE'S INVITED!

1. The Chemical Brothers - Setting Sun
2. The Bees - Punchbag
3. Amy Winehouse - You Know That I'm No Good
4. Lupe Fiasco - Kick, Push
5. Gorillaz - DARE
6. Peter Tosh - Legalize It
7. Antonio Vivaldi - Summer - 1 (Allegro Non Molto)

Top 5's

Albums

1. The Beatles - Revolver
2. The Kinks - The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society
3. Radiohead - OK Computer
4. Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me
5. The Beatles - Abbey Road

Songs

1. The Beatles - Helter Skelter
2. Pulp - Common People
3. Bob Dylan - Queen Jane Approximately
4. The Beatles - Eight Days A Week
5. The Who - Pinball Wizard

Hip-Hop / Rap Albums

1. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
2. Jungle Brothers - Straight Out The Jungle
3. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
4. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
5. Nas - Illmatic

Movies

1. A Clockwork Orange (1971, Stanley Kubrick)
2. Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyazaki)
3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986, John Hughes)
4. Clerks (1994, Kevin Smith)
5. Dirty Harry (1971, Don Siegel)

Video Games

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998, Nintendo 64)
2. Super Mario Bros. (1985, Nintendo Entertainment System)
3. Super Mario 64 (1996, Nintendo 64)
4. Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Nintendo Wii)
5. Chrono Trigger (1995, Super Nintendo Entertainment System)

Glam Albums

1. David Bowie - The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars
2. Roxy Music - Country Life
3. T. Rex - Electric Warrior
4. Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
5. Mott The Hoople - Mott

Indie Albums

1. The Replacements - Let It Be
2. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
3. Sebadoh - Bubble and Scrape
4. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
5. Neutral Milk Hotel - In An Airplane Over the Sea

Punk Albums

1. The Clash - London Calling
2. The Stooges - Fun House
3. Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade
4. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables
5. Fugazi - Repeater

Folk Albums

1. Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
2. Neil Young - On The Beach
3. Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
4. Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate
5. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

Electronica / Dance Albums

1. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92
2. Leftfield - Leftism
3. The Avalanches - Since I Left You
4. The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
5. The Prodigy - The Fat of the Land