As someone who prides himself upon fitting in, I am delighted to say that I am now on the iPod bandwagon. This is one sweet product, Apple have really done a bang up job. With more storage than I know what to do with, here are some of the works currently on my iPod:
Regurgitator — Unit (1997)
I just hate that I like this album; after all, it is the one that took my favourite rock band at the time and turned it into some kind of synth pop project.
This was a significant event. I had Regurgitator before I even had friends. Long before Wolfmother, around about the same time as Silverchair, Regurgitator was Triple J’s band du jour, and those first two angry EPs were amongst the first twenty-odd CDs I ever owned, and for awhile there may as well have been glued into the CD player. I was a teenager and that was what I wanted, angry music! The debut long player was somewhat more sedate, but essentially more of the same.
Then, Unit hit stores with its garish silver packaging and classy song titles such as I Will Lick Your Arsehole, and it seems they lost a few fans in the process. One such fan, when it was pointed out that the opening track, I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff, seemed to pre-empt such complaints, remarked “yes well, I know it’s all ironic and whatever, but the music is still crap”.
And that’s certainly how I wanted to feel, but once I put it out of my mind that this was a Regurgitator album, I realised that this was one awesome product, just track after track of pure gold—this is how I have approached every Regurgitator album since.
Tom Vek — We Have Sound (2005)
Where the heck did this guy come from? The 24-year-old Briton calls himself a multi-instrumentalist, and asserts he literally made this album in his parents’ garage. I must say I have no problems believing this—certainly the playing is not perfect, the slap bass on If You Want is a tad out of time, and so on. Despite all this, the suspension of disbelief is still there and the songs are thoroughly enjoyable. Highlights are C-C (You Set The Fire In Me) and If I Had Changed My Mind.
Terence Trent d’Arby — Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent d’Arby (1987)
Yeah, the eighties are overdue for a comeback, and I’m not talking about stock market crashes and Communism. I’m talking about guys like Phil Collins, Huey Lewis, and Terence Trent d’Arby. Start emulating them now and get rich beyond your wildest dreams. Highlights are Wishing Well and Sign Your Name.
Nativity in Black: A Tribute To Black Sabbath (1994)
Nativity in Black II: A Tribute To Black Sabbath (2000)
Unlike everyone else, I never got into Black Sabbath themselves, but I can’t get enough of these two volumes of Sabbath covers by bands like Primus, Sepultura, System of a Down, White Zombie, and Faith No More.
Speaking in Tongues
This is a bit different: a video podcast of episodes of the SBS television series, Speaking in Tongues, starring John Safran and “Father Bob” McGuire. I can’t think of when I would watch video on the iPod—I don’t spend a great deal of time on public transport—but it’s still cool that I could if I wanted to. This is an awesome development and I hope SBS will podcast some of its future shows.
Dane Cook — Retaliation (2005)
A friend recently introduced me to Dane Cook, the American stand-up comedian. The style of comedy is observational, about his own funny life experiences, as opposed to jokes. As is often the case with stand-up comedians, Cook’s comedy is greatly enhanced by his stage act, he has quite a formidable stage presence, so obviously you don’t get to see that, but this double album seems to make do without it.
You better not breathe
You better not move
You’re better off dead
I’m telling you dude
Santa Claus is gunning you down!
In Japan they call him Annual Gift Man and he lives on the moon.
Christmas is a time when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.
What gift do you get for the man who oversees everything?
We are on to you Santa! And we unmask you and heartily rebuke you! Get thee hence from our Christ’s birthday party!
Q: What did Santa say upon entering the house of ill repute?
A: Ho ho ho!
I have nothing substantial to add to the debate about racism or ethnic violence in Sydney. However, there seems to be a widespread belief that anti-Arab racism in Sydney is a result of September 11. Naturally, Australians feel affronted by that event, as we are also part of this kind of anglophone democratic Christendom thing which also comprises the country that was attacked. Subsequently, the Bali bombings happened—carried out by Malays, who are muslim too, and therefore leading us to hate Arabs more.
I believe this article should be compulsory reading for any journalism student before she runs her mouth and damages this country’s reputation any further.
It is a speech by a former detective of New South Wales Police, published in Quadrant last year; a refreshingly honest look at how the nation’s largest police force, castrated by unrealistic crime fighting philosophy and enslaved to gutless political correctness, has let the Lebanese gang problem get out of control, to the point where they are practically above the law, and go around assaulting white Australians for no reason.
Thankfully, I live in Brisbane, where I learned everything I know about Lebanese gangs from the television show Pizza. However, left unchecked, the problem of ethnic gangs could just as easily take root here in the Sunshine State, and I say that because political correctness is not the exclusive domain of our mexican cousins. There’s a sense that cops have to treat different races or religions gingerly, as if they didn’t know they were signing up for the rule of law when they or their parents came to this country, a land where crime is considered naughty, and assaulting the police is a rather stupid move if you want to keep your spleen.
Therefore, whilst I don’t particularly identify with the drunken yobbos of Sydney who are allegedly sticking up for my race, and descending to violence against cops and ambos is wrong and hypocritical, the idea that this racism just plopped fully formed out of a vacuum is a dangerous one.
Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) will not be passed in time to be implemented in 2006. The legislation in its current form would not only make student union membership voluntary, but also prevent universities from imposing any kind of fee to support campus activities and services. The government would not compensate universities for this.
To this new development I must say, thank the good lord. As recent president of a student society, and current treasurer of one of the sporting clubs, the loss of funds would have been a huge pain in my backside.
Universities are more than qualification factories, they have a cultural character which costs real money to maintain, and an environment which nurtures critical and independent thinking. Opinions on VSU are not simply decided by people’s usual attitudes toward socialism vs. pay-for-it-yourself, but also other factors such as whether the current student union president’s political views accord with their own, or whether they happen to be on the executive of an organisation that gets some of the money.
Therefore, from my obviously biased position, I say to the government, throw all of VSU in the garbage bin, and stop filling people’s heads with misleading garbage about what student unions and sporting clubs do with the money.
