Well what about that. Recently went to a single launch by Brooke Russell and the Mean Reds.. and who was in the audience but Paul Kelly! It’s amazing what an effect he can have on a room.. you sense everyone trying to be cool, but really we’re all so starstruck. Gasp. #LivingLegend.

Anyway, I’d seen him on TV just days before playing his new single on Adam Hills Tonight. Paul hasn’t written anything for a couple of years because he’s been working on the book. So this was his first song back on the horse.

What I loved about it was that I find him even more captivating than before. This is such a beautiful and moving song.. surprising in the end too. It’s not always that an artist becomes stronger and richer as they mature. Often you’ll find musicians get worn down by the industry machines and their work is either stale or highly commercialised. But Paul is that rare human, who just sticks to the simple storytelling.

Ooh look, here’s the full episode. I forgot – Molly Ringwald is in there as well. Oh yes.

PS [Link]: Brooke Russell and the Mean Reds, CD Launch 25 August 2013 at the Toff in Town.

From the punch: an interesting perspective on an awkward tv moment. I didn’t see Q&A last night but I’ll see it on iView now!! Amusing comparisons of greg combet with clark kent, and suggestions that sophie mirabella looked as though she may have poisoned her fellow presenter. Can’t wait to see it.

Here’s the video. Yikes. Mirabella received a pasting from the twitterati because of the way she recoiled in horror, but GetUp and others came to her defense:

Wendy Harmer was quoted as saying,