Other online comments have included Andrew Bolt’s suggestion: that any hotel ejecting a reader of Flanagan’s novel is a sane and cultured place. To back up his controversial (outright rude) claim, the columnist dipped into the book’s preface which contends (in a literary way) that Jesus was “the first suicide bomber”.
okay, i admit i had some issues with that beginning too (wasn’t sure whether to take it seriously), and it took a while for Richard’s style to grab me. But i persevered with the novel, and found it a very worthwhile read. Challenging and insightful, it echoed many powerful themes for me. A good story.
i’m not sure that Andrew read the whole book. i think the preface may have been too morally outrageous for him. Or too politically correct. (“it’s so PC to attack JC.“) Or something.His readers take the bile much further: “Pillow over the face is a good solution for people who take the first page of this book seriously. After that, a shotgun is acceptable.” (from ‘MareeS’ – does she mean me or bolt?)
Give credit to mr bolt, he did add, “Incidentally, I’m told by someone who has talked to him that Chalk is a nice, shy guy, so ease up on the personal criticism, please.“
But then he let the pillow / shotgun comment through. Ouch.
What am i doing reading bolt’s readers anyway? Publicans and punters in Cairns have nothing on these folk. Am i completely mad, a Glutton for Punishment? Stop it, right now!
(imagez: thanks so much for jesus says .. by RobertFrancis, and text hope u can handle it! by foTommEn, both creative commons licensed images at flickr)
Big it up for the remarkable Paul Keating (on abc world today), who never fails to produce a juicy metaphor. To him, the Ruddslide wasn’t something to be happy about .. rather a source of immense relief! He compared the election result to being hosed down after working in a toxic environment. Yes that describes exactly how i felt too. Thank you Paul.
(audio from abc, also available at their site)
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Other people enjoyed the wit of Keating:
(image: by Johnny Huh)
If you’ve just tuned in, i’ve been writing because my story appeared in newspapers around Australia (and Europe): cairns, brisbane, adelaide, sydney, melbourne, perth, tassie, england, the.uk, ireland and yes – sweden. (plus: front cover of cairns post! pdf 900kb)
This was a bit of a buzz for me, especially as the story was faintly ridiculous. People get kicked out of pubs all the time for being not-what-the-locals-ordered. Or a bit weird. Maybe even “socially undesirable”. In fact an Indigenous woman got kicked out the same pub five minutes before i did – and her face didn’t get in the media, did it?
Yes i got kicked out of a pub for having a book with me. A book with the T-word in the title. Plus wires hanging out me pocket. And staring in shock when that dark-skinned lady got chucked out the door. She was a good dancer.
The locals thought i was going to blow the place up. Apparently.
My friend Avril was shocked and wrote a letter to the Editor of the Cairns Post who found it a worthy headline and chased me down. Thank heavens i had the wits in the interview to pose as a tosser, and claim that i was “Absolutely flabbergasted”. Yeah, go michael !
Many people, gathered around water coolers, found this to be a sign that we’ve lost the plot, gone to hell in a hand-basket, and that hard-right governments are turning to tyranny. Also that the government and media hype is really about subduing Western populations and centralising control.
Following this, the people of Australia kicked out their conservative government. Yeah, go The People!
So, what do you think? Are we on track? Should we be going to war to stop all this anti-civilian violence. Rounding up folk who look different? Surrendering our civil rights in the interests of public safety? Sending suspects overseas where we can torture them ‘legally’?
Time to get some ring-ins .. yep just ring this number and chat to us now .. oh how do i make the switchboard work?
(images: thanks for takin it to the banksy by guano at flickr)
Before the election Julie Macken, writing for New Matilda, recalled some of the hard-core nastiness of the outgoing federal coalition government. She called it “The Bureaucratization of Evil“.
Julie wrote about a 2003 summit into mental health, examining the effects of detention on asylum-seekers: “But my note taking came to a halt when I heard Dr Louise Newman, one of Australia’s most respected psychiatrists, say during her presentation: &lquo;What I’m describing here is State-sponsored torture and child abuse.’”
“Then there was the 10-year-old Afghani boy, who in a fit of rage and despair sat down in the dust and carved ‘freedom’ into his arm.” Tony Knight wrote in the same journal about the tragedy that was SIEV-X. Nearly four hundred people drowned at sea during that 2001 election campaign, and it barely made the papers. The Prime Minister at the time said it wasn’t our fault, despite reports that nearby ships knew what was going on. Tony writes of the beauty and grace of the community-built memorial in Canberra, and closes with the words, “Lest we forget”.
These two articles sum up the callous disregard for human life and dignity that really epitomised (the dark side of) that man and his government. They also remind me that all along, there were people speaking the truth and asking for healthier solutions.
Yeah, anyway he’s gone now. I know why so many Australians liked him: he offered safety and retreat from the world of difference, the comfort of denial, permission to blame other people for our problems, the freedom to believe in lies that would protect us against the great imagined horrors of invasion and destruction.
But i hope we get more optimistic and honest people in charge from now on.
(image: thanks for you lie – banksy by niznoz at flickr)
When i went dancing in that hotel in Cairns, i really didn’t think too much about the consequences. But i did think about how people might perceive me – a fortyish male caucasian on my own. So i tried to be discreet, non-threatening .. not stare at anyone.
i moved about on the dancefloor for four or five songs.
(Including Dexy’s Midnight Runners, and Billie Jean. Okay, i was desperate for nightlife. i was on my own in a strange city. i was feeling a bit lonely and uncomfortable. But trying to look cool and relaxed about it.)
Then i stood to the side of the dancefloor watching the action for maybe three songs. Again, trying to be unobtrusive.
Whoops! It didn’t work. Somehow i came across to some people as potentially threatening, and the bouncer asked me to leave, saying that several patrons had complained about the book i was carrying. When story hit the front page those patrons wanted their say too.
Now i find out it wasn’t just the book. Different Perspectives Some of the patrons from that night are now upset at being labelled paranoid. They say that they saw a man “behaving strangely”, and that they felt intimidated. These people saw
They saw a man standing motionless on the dancefloor for twenty minutes .. (that really baffles me. i’m sure i was dancing vigorously, and i meant to be friendly, but in my own space – intending fully to respect other people, not intrude on anyone else’s fun.
(Anyone who’s seen me on a dancefloor would be puzzled by that one. The reason i hit the dancefloor was because it was active. Usually i’m the one who gets up first, and starts other people going.)
Other people were also asked to leave At the moment that the bouncer (#181) came up and moved me to the pavement, i was wondering whether to leave or to have another dance ..
.. because i’d just seen an Indigenous woman escorted out the door. She’d been dancing too. A very funky dancer, she was striking in appearance. Recalling the moment, I realise now that i did stare pointedly around me at that moment. i was stunned. This woman had also been dancing on her own, very well. She was well dressed and good looking. She looked to me like a good and interesting person.
i somehow leapt to the conclusion that she was asked to leave because she was “too black”. If that were true, then this was not the kind of hotel i wanted to dance in.
At that moment i stared around me in shock, trying to fathom why this had happened. i was outraged at the possibility that my conclusion could be right. i did stare at people then, wondering why everyone had let this black woman be kicked out for no reason.
Perhaps other people saw this “staring” behaviour as strange and confronting. Perhaps this cemented the suspicions that had been growing in their mind.
Clear signals, to someone on the lookout. Someone who feels threatened by the world of difference. Someone who perhaps doesn’t notice an Indigenous woman being kicked out of the pub.
Atmosphere of fear i’ve got to say that i think labelling people paranoid could be a mistake. i always thought Keating’s biggest mistake was to abuse his opponents, rather than lead them to a better place. People do get afraid, and their minds can leap to unfair conclusions. Abusing or making fun of people who feel threatened, or are in the grip of fear, is perhaps not the best approach.
This culture we live in has been brought to the point of hysterical frenzy, and individuals are not immune from these emotional currents. Most people don’t have much protection against the pressure-cooker emotions of the mass media, or from politicians who seek to embed their power by preying on those fears. i too have looked at strangers in bars and found myself wondering.
We urgently need leaders who can empathise and allay people’s fears, while at the same time evolving our understanding and our behaviour, sensibly and responsibly.
Personally i feel vulnerable and disturbed. Now i know how easy it is for people to get the wrong idea.
Just what the book is all about.
(image: thanks for “is that an iPod in your pocket by thespacesuitcatalyst at flickr)
Technorati Profile
Sat 27 Oct — Mountains In The Sky, Qua, Flying Scribble
Lou and gray were utterly astounding, although they won’t admit it.
This was a pearler of a night, with Flying Scribble, Qua and the Mountains In The Sky. Gray’s (FS) Drums stood out as really superlative, with inventive and original rhythms. They couldn’t see the crowd, because of the lights, but the crowd totally appreciated them. There were many cries for more.
Qua and MitS hit the straps with the crowd, but hey FS just booted their wicked beats into the stratosphere.
i’m glad i saw this gig. What a joy.
Drums and versus amazing sound systems.
Madame Zu Zu plays classic old cabaret numbers with a European flavour. This Lady, She is Extraordinary and Exciting!
From the tantalising tempo of frustration in “Perhaps”, to the sumptuous delights of “Besame”, Zu Zu had the Studio crowd jumping.
The night was hot, the dance floor was on fire, all because of this stunning and virtuoso performance.
mmm, more please!
Mmm Zu Zu at Open Studio
The other week, i saw Martin Martini and the Bone Palace Orchestra playing the outdoor stage for the new northcote town hall/ outdoor space.
Aah magic, brilliant musicians on stage, and about twenty people in the audience. i don’t know who was in charge of publicity, but it was so far from the time this mob played Open Studio at the ’06 High Vibes festival (around the corner). That day there were people dancing up the walls.
it was funny, because i could hear them from my backyard, but i was having one of those “i’m not going out” days. finally i dragged my sorry behind onto the street, and recognised their sounds before i saw them. i got there to find Lynne in the audience, “i was going to text you,” she said.
Caught the last five songs, but how could i be so lazy!! Maybe that was it, the whole of Northcote knew, but they were having one of those “Tell me it’s not winter” days.
Sat 24 Mar — Spoonbill, miso
i’ve never seen the Spoonbill before so i wasn’t ready for the mix of visuals (2 vj’s), funny theatricals, and broad australian samples from TV, movies and radio. But i loved it ..
Opening with two unfolding puppet spoonbill dancers, the deep throbbing tones of ‘Low and Easy’ grabbed our attention straight from the start.
The dancing was energetic and hilarious, and the Social Club has very good bass on their speakers, the low kind that send chunky vibrations through your legs.
Their last song was hard and thumping, like chemical brothers meets wolfmother, as the solo guitarist went well over the top to meet the crazy laptop beats.
Spoonbill has a song called “half a lamington”. How much fun is this guy!!
and miso is just too gorgeous for words. The singer has a funky and balanced phrasing that is very trip hop; and the cello + double bass combo work well over the top of laptop-rhythm guy.
i’d go back for more of either of these two bands
