Dircksey
Vol. 1 Ed. 5 ‘Holes’
Make your voice count! Guild Elections are on 6 - 8 October Polling places are located in the library foyers on each campus Tuesday 6: 10am - 4pm Wednesday 7: 10am - 4pm (Joondalup 10am - 8pm) Thursday 8: 10am - 4pm
Contents Nuclear Effects of French Polynesia ... Page 4 Did You Know? ... Page 8 Mending ... Page 10 Fulfilling Imagination ... Page 14 Crate Diggin’ with John Safari ... Page 16 Music Reviews ... Page 20 Book Reviews ... Page 22 Film Reviews ... Page 24
Editor and Design: Michael Donnelly editor@ecuguild.org.au
Editorial
I’d just like to take this opportunity to give a call out to all ECU students. This is your magazine. Dircksey needs your fine talents. Find us on Facebook, come along to a meeting, make a submission. Get involved and get yourself published. This an avenue to get your ideas out into the world. There is no better place to start than a student publication and without your effort, there is no magazine. I hope you enjoy this edition and I hope it motivates you to start or continue working creatively. Thank you to everyone that made a contribution. Peace. Disclaimer: Dircksey is editorially independent of the ECU Student Guild. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor, the ECU Student Guild or the Advertisers. The Editor reserves the right to republish material in Dircksey and its affiliated formats, as well as to make changes to submitted material for clarity or spacing consideration. Contributors retain all other rights of resale or republication.
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Contributors: Danny Rogers, Andrew Douglas, Michelle Beaven-Wallace, Agata Wolak, Frankie Mann, Sita Carolina, Michael Inouye, Michael Donnelly, Vee Lowe, Chris Spencer and Brock Covich. Front and Back Covers by Sita Carolina
Supervisor and Advertising: Tom Reynolds communications@ecuguild.org.au Inside photography by Sita Carolina Illustrations on Pages 12 and 26 by Michael Inouye
PHOTO COURTESY OF LICORNE. A NUCLEAR TEST ON THE MORUROA ATOLL IN 1970
NUCLEAR EFFECTS OF
FRENCH POLYNESIA BY DANNY ROGERS
French Polynesia, a nation made up of 118 geographically dispersed islands and atolls, stretching over a region of more than
Being part of the French Republic, atolls and islands of French Polynesia served as a nuclear testing zone 4between 1966 and 1996. During this time period, 193 nuclear tests were performed by the French defence forces, 134 of which being underground explosive tests while the remainder being atmospheric. As a result, the nation of French Polynesia is under an increasing threat and
French Polynesia, a nation made up of 118 geographically dispersed islands and atolls, stretching over a region of more than 2,000 kilometres. Being part of the French Republic, atolls and islands of French Polynesia served as a nuclear testing zone between 1966 and 1996. During this time period, 193 nuclear tests were performed by the French defence forces with 134 being underground explosive tests while the remainder being atmospheric. As a result, the nation of French Polynesia is under an increasing threat and possibility of environmental disasters and civilian health issues. To put it in perspective, The British performed nuclear tests in South Australia between 1956 and 1963. With only a total of seven nuclear tests being performed, local Aboriginal communities, including Maralinga and surrounding areas, suffered severe health issues due to the exposure of radiation from the nuclear testing. After an examination of the effects of the tests, a 1985 report from the McClelland Royal Commission found that significant radiation hazards still existed at many of the Maralinga test areas. A clean up was recommended and was completed in 2000, costing $108 million. Ongoing debates were continued over the safety of the site and the long-term health effects on the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land. As a result, in 1994, the Australian Government paid compensation of $13.5 million to the local Maralinga Tjartuja people. This was the compensation for the effects of these seven nuclear tests. From this Australian contrast, you can only imagine the health issues French Polynesian civilians are subjected to after being exposed to almost 200 nuclear testing experiments over the space of 30 years. A story from the Sydney Morning Herald reads that an average of five French Polynesian locals are sent to private hospitals in Auckland a day for diagnosis and treatment for what may be radiation-related illnesses. During an interview with one of Auckland City Hospital’s employees, who wishes to remain anonymous, it was revealed that more often than not, these people being treated are in fact suffering with radiation related illnesses. With a population of just under 280,000 people, a potential of five civilians being diagnosed with radiation related illnesses a day is a significantly worrying percentage. After decades of denying that there were significant environmental or health effects from testing in French Polynesia, France’s parliament eventually passed compensation legislation in 2009, known as the Morin law. But critics have slammed the legislation, claiming that it is too restrictive. As of July 2013, more than 800 cases lodged before the compensation committee and courts, only 11 have been granted compensation. Of these 11 cases, only four came from French Polynesia, for civilians from the French Polynesian islands known as Mangareva, Reao and Pukarua. All of which are only located between 400 and 500 kilometres from the nuclear testing zone. Rear Admiral Cullere of the French Navy has been quoted in local media stating French Polynesian veterans should be proud of their contribution to France. Roland Oldham, the head of French Polynesia’s nuclear tests veterans association titled Moruroa e Tatou, responded to that statement to The Pacific Beat stating her comments were shocking and offensive... Continued on page eight
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...“Especially when they know that Moruroa e Tatou has been battling for the past 13 years to get compensation� he said. The major question being asked and put forth on this topic is whether or not the French Polynesian people are still living in a contaminated environment and if so, why is next to nothing being done about it? The news agency Tahitipress reported in 2005 that Bruno Chareyron, head of the independent French Commission on Radioactivity Research and Information, was unable to say whether there is or was radioactivity on the islands of French Polynesia. Drawing from a recent story by The Watchers, the French Commission of Radioactivity Research and Information are still uncertain to whether there is radioactivity on the islands, despite further tests since 2005. Having said this, why is there more and more civilians of French Polynesia being flown to Auckland for treatment for radiation-related illnesses? It seems these details provided by the commission are poor and ignorant to the rising health issues of the French Polynesian people. The atoll known as Mururoa is deserted due to the nuclear tests that took place there but other atolls close by are civilised. Tureia is the closest community to Mururoa and has a small population of just over 100 people. The small community has been a victim to severe amounts of environmental damage across the island. Pollution and decay, as a result of nuclear exposure, is evident across the small landscape. However, the environmental effects of nuclear testing do not stop there for the community of Tureia. The French Government has admitted in the past that the Mururoa atoll could possibly cave in due to it being sapped by the underground tests. Due to this possibility, the territory has embarked on a four year renovation of infrastructure and facilities on the former test sites.
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Mr. Oldham, told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat that radioactive substances could potentially be released into the Pacific if the atoll collapsed. Nuclear safety official of France, Marcel Jurien de la Graviere, stated that not only the landscape of Mururoa will be effected by this but also people on the nearby atoll, Tureia. The people of the Tureia atoll could be exposed to radiation 300 times the level in France whilst other potential international ramifications of Tsunami risks and rising sea levels for surrounding Pacific islands are incredibly likely if this natural disaster was to happen. With these risks being alarmingly high, inquiry commission head, Tea Hirshon, aims to make a precise assessment of the effects of nuclear tests on the environment and the health of the Polynesians with the intention of confirming these possibilities into fact or false. Although Mururoa atoll has been a deceased experimenting zone for just under 20 years, the area remains as a closely monitored and extremely dangerous military exclusion zone. French Polynesia is one of the highest radiation exposed countries in the world with, at one point, levels of 500 times over the maximum accepted levels of radiation. With environmental and health issues rising, the possibility of French Polynesian refugees seeking refuge in Australia is rising with it. Nuclear waste is prominent across most of French Polynesia, not only at Mururoa atoll and other surrounding islands and atolls. With the statistic of an average of five French Polynesian civilians being flown to private hospitals across Auckland to be diagnosed and treated for potential radiation-related illnesses, it is becoming a major threat to the small French Polynesian population with regards to the growth and the future of the country. The future of French Polynesia from a health and environmental perspective is uncertain and even to this day, officials can not determine whether the country is safe enough to continue civilisation in certain areas.
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Did You Know? Andrew Douglas The conventional view of history maintains that the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century A.D. This is only partially correct: while the Western/Latin half of the empire did fall, the Eastern, Hellenic (Greek) half survived, more or less intact, for another thousand years. This partially accurate view of the ancient Roman Empire generally reflects our fragmentary conception of our own history. Admittedly, it might be an obscure historical fact but it has broader implications for our contemporary, multicultural society. For example, we might have a vague idea of the history and political machinations that led to the rift between the Catholic Church and protestant denominations. However, most of us are not aware that this was not the first major split within organized Christianity. Conventional wisdom maintains that mainstream Christianity is divided into two main groups: Catholic and Protestant. However this overlooks a third group that today numbers in the hundreds of millions and encompasses ethnic groups as diverse as Armenians and Alaskans. Just as the Western Roman Empire gave rise to Roman Catholicism, so too the Eastern Roman Empire (later known as the Byzantine Empire) gave Greek Orthodoxy its separate identity. The Byzantine Empire is something of an anomaly in European history. While the rest of Europe experiencing the Dark Ages, civilization and learning flourished in Byzantium. It was ruled by an emperor and on at least three occasions, the emperor was a woman (the first female emperor appeared at the end of the seventh century). The emperor was an autocrat and all institutions – including the church - were subordinate to him/her. The official church in this empire was headed by a patriarch (always a man).
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Although Orthodox Christians are spread throughout the world, the vast majority are found in Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Given this distribution, it is not surprising that most people living outside these regions know comparatively little about this significant branch of mainstream Christianity. The term ‘orthodox’ is rather misleading in that it is the same as the English word for conventional or typical. The religious term, however, derives from two Greek words: ‘orthos’ meaning correct and ‘doxia’ meaning faith or glory. Similarly, the term Greek refers the ‘mother church’ and the original language it used. In the modern world, services are conducted in languages as diverse as Russian, Arabic and Rumanian. Each national church is independent in its internal administration but all share the same doctrine and are in communion with each other. They also acknowledge the primacy of the patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul) also referred to as the Ecumenical Patriarch. While a number of tenets reflect catholic doctrine such as the devotion to Mary, apostolic succession and the communion of saints, there are also significant differences. For example married priests are common and divorce is permitted. Perhaps the most important ‘political’ difference is that papal infallibility let alone supremacy is rejected. This stems from the great schism of the eleventh century which in turn has its roots in the political structure of the Byzantine Empire. In this instance, it reflects the aspects of the much later protestant reformation. Thus nearly 500 hundred years before Martin Luther had his difficulties with the papacy – Orthodoxy had similar issues with much the same results. While the struggles of Catholicism with the protestant churches are fairly well known, how many of us have any idea of this earlier schism? This sort of thing does not tend to be taught in our schools. Generally, when we think of Europe, it is mainly Western Europe that comes to mind, namely countries such as France and Spain – ones that had an impact on Britain. The rest of Europe is just a bit too… ‘diverse’.
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Mending Michelle Wallace-Beaven I am argry. I am sad. I am resentful. I should be enjoying my children and my husband and their future. But I suffer extreme anxiety. I worry about the future. I worry about tomorrow. I worry about what may happen in ten or 20 years’ time. It is a horrific “condition”. But what has made it worse was and still is, the holes in the health system. I have always been a bit of a “deep-thinker”. Most of the music I love is very depressing actually. ‘Mad World’ by Tears for Fears is my favourite song. Most of you have probably not heard of it. It was big in the 80’s. I related to it immediately. I got married. Then divorced. Had nowhere to go after overseeing our home being crafted for 18 months. My then husband threw it all away. I was coming home to a big, empty, echoing shell. I was devastated. Cheated on, locked out of my own home. Other women were calling MY house. Looking for my husband. It doesn’t get much worse. In less than a year it was all gone. Including most of our friends, and a huge Italian family that I married into. Even my own family did not want the embarrassment of their daughter getting a divorce. What would the neighbours think? I lost my job at a very respectable PR company. They were good enough to help me find other employment options as a journalist – my actual occupation. I had to give up studying towards my BA in Media Studies degree at ECU. It was all too much. I like to think I am someone who does not give up. I sought help. I went to counselling and met others in the same boat. One of which is my very great friend and has had in very tough to say the least as a single mum of a 20-something year old boy and an 11-year-old daughter. But, I digress. I have been referred to so many doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists. And more than two decades later, not much has changed.
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Just last week I went to a specialist. The appointment cost $380. All I needed was reassurance that my medications were OK. I started to go and ween myself off one for anxiety. Needless to say that ended in a massive panic attack. There are huge holes in the health system. I know many that have taken their own lives. Despair, drugs, alcohol. I get it. It is an escape but does not solve the internal trauma. Doctors give you anti-depressants, anti-anxiety pills. Most made me violently ill. Most made things worse. I see in the news (whatever that is these days) that ‘ice’ is the new drug of choice. Destroying people, families, parents, siblings and children. It is horrific to watch. But ‘the media’ thrives on this so called ‘news’. We need to get to these vulnerable people before they take their own lives or that of others in a state of psychosis. I think pills and medications are just a band aid without some sort of counselling or assistance. “Letting go” is a big one. Easier said than done. I am grateful that I have a wonderful, supportive husband of almost 18 years now and two gifted children aged 15 and six. Our youngest is a miracle as I was concerned that my son would never have a sibling. We tried IVF. I had an ectopic pregnancy and was advised not to go down that path anymore as I nearly died from peritonitis – internal bleeding. The surgeons had nicked my bowel. Nothing has been the same again health-wise. Of course, no-one took responsibility. There seems to be no accountability in the health system. How can I prove negligence when I was knocked out on the operation table? I asked what, who was responsible? They all dodged the question. There will always be holes in the health system, particularly mental health. It is not an issue that is a political winner. Most people would rather not talk about it. It has been put in the ‘too hard’ basket. Thanks to those who have put up their hand and admitted they needed advice. But at end of the day, whether it be a doctor, IVF specialist, psychologist or psychiatrist, they are out to make a living. And an expensive one at that. Though, reading this back and on reflection, I am still here. I have a house, a loving family and although my physical and mental health is not 100 percent, I can keep going and rather than dwell on the past – live for today. I have had a great career in journalism, media and public relations which has spanned 30 years. I am slowly getting back to the gym (a big help to sort out those negative vibes). I have come back to ECU to complete the degree I started over 20 years ago. Yes I may be 10 years older than my lecturer and my peers could be my kids, so what? I am proud to be back. So never give up. Holes can be mended over time.
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Fulfilling Imagination Agata Wolak While watching movies such as Titanic, Gravity or Harry Potter we know that they are not real. We are aware of the fact that the amazing effects we can see on the screen are made by professionals. We also know that magic does not exist, to some extent. We can only imagine how many people are involved in such productions and how much of science is hidden behind those scenes. However, we still like to watch these amazing movies and we wonder how they were created. Some of us may not be aware that such special effects can also be used in other disciplines, for instance in medicine or sports. For those who follow the art of visual effects, last month’s public lecture on motion capture technology at the Mount Lawley ECU campus was a great opportunity to find out more. Dr Tom Shannon, who has over 30 years international experience as a practicing biomedical engineer, as well as a medical physicist and a computer vision scientist gave an amazing presentation titled ‘from Medicine to Movies and Back’ at ECU. Dr Shannon is now a Director of Vicon Motion Systems in Oxford and Denver. It was absolutely delightful to be a part of this event where the audience was almost literally taken on a highly visual journey into the world of famous Hollywood movies, pop music videos and advertisements populated by amazing creatures. There were many animated characters and imaginary environments in his presentation, as well as a great historical overview of the human motion capture topic. Dr Tom Shannon quite specifically, and with a great sense of humour, described the techniques that are used to capture human motion. It was fascinating to learn how certain animated characters and objects can be placed into real backgrounds. Furthermore, Dr Shannon demonstrated how exactly the same techniques can be used to benefit thousands of disabled children. He said that he is a visiting professor at Staffordshire University’s Faculty of Health, where he is researching the application of vision science techniques to the measurement of cosmetic defect and physical capability among children who were diagnosed with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. He added that besides medicine and blockbuster movies, such techniques and methods can be successfully used in many other areas, for instance in sports, to improve performance. He also mentioned the technology can capture the gait of kangaroos, which was not much surprising as Dr Tom Shannon admitted he was born and raised in suburban Perth, and watching kangaroos was a part of his childhood.
Photograph of a student in ECU’s motion capture room - taken by Grabrielle Metcalf.
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Crate Diggin’with John Safari Frankie Mann Blink and you’ll miss one of Perth’s best record stores, nestled neatly behind a florist off William Street. You’ll have to venture off the beaten track to discover the hidden gems Safari’s Record Shack has to offer, stocking everything from hip hop to jazz to classic rock to soul. The only sign a record store even exists behind the colourful Beans & Bunches florist, is a tiny wooden sign swinging out the front. Venture through the florist and down a small corridor into Safari’s Record Shack and you’ll probably find the man himself; John ‘Safari’ Noughton - owner, record collector and DJ - sorting records and playing some tunes. Nicknamed Safari because of his obsession with all things tropical, his record shack matches his quirky personality. “I’ve always been interested largely in tropical décor and tropical records,” Safari says, wearing a blue button up shirt with pineapples on it. “I decided if it’s going to be a destination store, people are going to go off the grid a little bit to find me, why not make it an entire theme?” Plastic, pink flamingos line the walls, giant paper umbrellas hang from the roof and little knick-knacks cover the shelves. Safari’s Record Shack transports you into an entirely different part of the world. It’s even challenging to get a signal inside the store, and with afrobeat tunes pumping from a record player you can almost imagine you’re in the Caribbean. “I sort of moulded it on a lot of record stores – which are largely known as record shacks – throughout the Caribbean, especially in Jamaica, where the stores are quite small, quite focused, I thought it would suit the space we had here.” Safari’s Record Shack is jam-packed with new and old vinyl, displayed in wooden crates with hand-written chalkboard signs labelling each box. It’s hard to choose where to start crate digging, but Safari is happy to offer musical suggestions, allowing customers to play a record before they buy it. With dreadlocks cascading down his back, blocky hipster glasses and a neatly trimmed beard, Safari is not only the sole owner of the store but also DJs at over eight different bars. “I don’t sleep a lot!” he laughs. Safari is part of a new community of DJs that are sticking to the analogue format of vinyl for their sets. “I’ve always been a vinyl only DJ,” he says. “Using vinyl as a medium for DJ-ing will just give you limits. Limits are a good thing! You can have Serato on a laptop and have access to 2000--3000 songs at one point. I would find that daunting, personally. I just need a crate of records.” And many of Perth’s smaller bars are embracing and encouraging DJs to bring along a crate of records. “A lot of small bars are predominately focusing on having vinyl only setups for the DJs,” Safari notes. “It’s been developing over the years. It goes hand in hand with the boutique, small bar aesthetics. I DJ with two turntables, a mixer, a crate of records. It’s probably going to fit better with a rustic, organic looking bar than a DJ with a laptop.”
And that’s all you need. There’s no need for expensive equipment, as Safari believes, “it’s not always about technology, it’s often about the music that’s being played.” “All you need is 2 good songs and a mixer and you’re sorted. It’s bringing it back to the basics, working with them manipulating everything by hand.” Not only is mixing songs by hand self-satisfying, Safari believes it’s also more pleasing for the listeners ears. “I think a lot of DJs who use laptops for some gigs and vinyl for other gigs, they’re always going to prefer vinyl because it’s more real to work with.” Safari’s personal collection is around 20,000 records, covering everything from classic rock to afrobeat. Before each DJ-ing gig, Safari ransacks his record room, working out what albums and singles will make the perfect playlist. Each gig is a different set of records and depends on the vibe and atmosphere he wants to help create. “I like to pack my records fresh according to each individual gig. It’s different crowds, different needs for different venues,” he says. “A lot of the Sunday sessions ... are about creating an atmosphere for people to enjoy and relax, it doesn’t have to be too much about beat-matching the whole time. It’s more about creating interesting sounds to keep people interested and create an atmosphere for people to just enjoy themselves.” Having such a large collection does have its challenges. “Every now and then it’s quite organised,” he says. “But then you have a weekend where you have four...
...gigs and your entire record room looks like it’s been tipped upside down. It’s a little bit of a headache trying to keep order.” But for those wanting to become vinyl-only DJs, an excellent and diverse collection of records is the best place to start. “Build your collection up as much as you can,” he says. “Trust your own judgement, play what you love.” Safari’s Record Shack has been situated behind Beans & Bunches for 2 years, during which Safari has seen Perth’s crate digging community expand. “It’s been good to see the community of record diggers expand,” he says. “Every week I get more customers, every single week there’s more people coming through the door that are just becoming aware of my store.” You’d think being tucked away and hidden from the masses would work against Safari, but it allows him to focus more on the customers that do come through. I think that works in my benefit actually being a little bit off the main grid,” he says, smiling. “It creates more of an experience for people. Most of the time you’ll only have a few people in store at a time so you’ve got more space to just get in there and have a proper dig, more opportunities to talk to me about music, find out what you’re interested in, listen to everything you want. I get more people coming in who make the effort to come in and crate dig. It’s becoming a part of people’s lifestyles.” Crate digging has become a part of Safari’s life as well, with him stocking a large collection of second hand records. He admits it can be challenging to constantly find the right records to stock, especially as his store grows in popularity. “In terms of second hand vinyl, it’s getting harder and harder to consistently source the right quality and quantity to keep it moving on a larger scale and that’s based on demand,” he says. “I’m a glutton for punishment.” But Safari wasn’t always ready to jump into the record selling business, however he’d always dreamed about one day owning his own store. “[I] pretty much always wanted to have a record store, just never thought it’d be economically feasible,” he says. “I was working in IT for 13 years and I think that was 13 years too long. I was sort of always afraid of taking the leap in terms of small business.” Whilst still working his day job and DJ-ing at night, Safari also helped his partner, Stacey, run Beans & Bunches. The awkward C-shaped space made it difficult for only one person to run the store. “Due to the space of the store we can’t really have someone at the back without losing track of what’s going on out the front and vice versa,” he says. “Eventually Stacey suggested I just chuck in the day job and follow my dreams and have a red hot go at opening a record store and making it happen in the same space. We’re paying rent on the entire space so we may as well make it work for us.” And thus, Safari’s Record Shack was born. But will records remain as popular as they are today? We’ve already experienced a downfall in record production in the late 1980’s; will it happen again in a few years time? “Vinyls not gonna go away anytime soon,” he says. “Once you start collecting records, once you’re into crate digging, it becomes a part of your lifestyle. It’s something you can’t shake very easily.”
Photos taken inside Safari’s Record Shack by Frankie Mann
Death Magic LP Health Loma Vista Recordings, 2015 Speakerzoid LP The Jungle Giants Amplifier Music, 2015
Frankie Mann
Death Magic is the third studio album from noise rockers, HEALTH, their first release in six years; and it does not disappoint. A chaotic mess of heavy synth and crashing drums, Death Magic could have easily been a write off. But somehow the band manages to create an enchanting album that begs for your attention. Despite the dysfunctional sound, every bit of music fits together perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle, wrapped up neatly by front man Benjamin Miller’s hauntingly beautiful voice.
Frankie Mann “What’s a speakerzoid?” a child asks on opening track, Every Kind of Way, of The Jungle Giants latest album. Before it can be explained the distinctive sound of a cowbell and a wailing guitar kicks in, leaving the definition up to the listener.
Speakerzoid is the Brisbane-based indie rockers second album, after spending two years on the road touring. Featuring jangley guitars, dreamy vocals and sludgy bass lines, Speakerzoid offers an intriguing and unusual sound. Guitars wail like banshees out of nowhere throughout ‘Devil’s Play’, proving there’s a darker side to the bright and boppy tunes. ‘Kooky Eyes’ sees the band dipping their toes into a psychedelic sound, echoing vocals and a tambourine that would put Fleetwood Mac to shame.
The opening track, ‘Victim’, sounds like it belongs in the soundtrack for Transformers, with a deep, booming synth punctuating the silence. But the rest of Death Magic quickly diverts from this connection, instead taking you to a euphoric state of mind. ‘Men Today’ is a confronting and confusing clash of sounds, held together only by Miller’s vocals. His voice and style is similar to that of Gregorian chants; no structure, no pattern, monotone and monotonous, yet eerily beautiful. His voice breaks up the chaos, cutting through the noise like a knife.
The Jungle Giants really pushed what sound defines indie rock, using obscure instruments and sound effects to create Speakerzoid. At times it’s a sleepy, light-hearted album, other times its songs take a dark turn, with unsettling, off key guitars and random sounds you just can’t put your finger on.
Death Magic pushes the edges of industrial music, dancing along the line of pure noise. Despite it being all over the place at times, HEALTH manages to somehow keep it held together, creating an alluring album that keeps you captivated from start to finish.
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Music
Invite the Light LP Dâm-Funk Stones Throw, 2015
The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam EP Thundercat Brainfeeder, 2015
Michael Donnelly
Michael Donnelly
Welcome to 31st Century funk.
Thundercat’s most recent release The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam cements the multiinstrumentalist’s incredibly unique talents in the world of great independent artists.
Dâm-Funk’s second full length LP on the stalwart Stones Throw label is a definitive anchor in the new wave of boogie.
Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner’s ability to make sharp beats and hard-hitting bass lines are unmatched in this neo-soul era.
Invite the Light delivers 96 minutes worth of sultry, unassuming grooves worthy of any occasion.
Aside from Bruner’s DIY musicianship on this EP, he was able to recruit fellow Brainfeeder signees, the nu-jazz extraordinaire Kamasi Washington and synth maestro Mono/Poly, as well as the label founder himself, Flying Lotus, for this special release.
Damon “Dam-Funk” Riddick goes full throttle with this release, pushing boundaries with soul-sonic vocals that blend perfectly with a diverse range of synth beats. The production value equals, if not goes beyond, previous release Toeachizown.
Single ‘Them Changes’ featuring both Washington and Mono/Poly, is a jawdropper. The layering of complex rhythmic patterns seems so effortless on this track, as does Bruner’s metaphoric lyrical emotion.
This winding LP is reminiscent of that old P-Funk sound but with a crisp, bass heavy thump of now that surely predicts the future. This is an all-star record that does not fluctuate from its opening track.
Thundercat’s fruits of labour are certainly ripening, this release certainly does not let down from 2013’s acclaimed LP Apocalypse.
With guest appearances from the diverse talents of Q-Tip, Snoop Dogg, Flea and Ariel Pink to name a few, Invite the Light is sure to keep you on your feet.
The world needs more of the spiritual energy that emanates from this record.
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Books
Closet Queens Michael Bloch Little Brown, 2015
Dear Yootha: The Life of Yootha Joyce David Curran Mossey Books, 2014
Andrew Douglas
Andrew Douglas This is the first and as yet only detailed biography of this comic actress renowned as the inimitable Mildred Roper. The author has done his homework piecing together the basic facts of her life and public acting career. Unfortunately, he has had to deal with a number of gaps or at least explain why they exist. Since Yootha was an only child who did not have any children, there is already a limited number of family members to consult for information. Other factors lead to gaps in the record of her professional life. For example, Yootha’s agent moved office and lost a number of records about her past stage performances. Another more significant mystery is how she managed to conceal, from nearly everyone, her heavy drinking which eventually killed her at 53. Like many comics of that era, her life was often sad and lonely. Despite these unfortunate gaps, there are a number of interesting details (like the names of the theatres she performed in Perth during her Australian tour) and the author still manages to construct a decent record of her life through his diligence and persis-tence over a number of years. He includes indexes of her film and television perfor-mances. Despite leaving a few mysteries about her career and unanswered questions about private life (such as who looked after pets when she was overseas), it is still worth-while as a long overdue record of the life of a comedy legend. For fans of classic British sit-coms.
This is a detailed study of a previously neglected area of British politics: the role of gay and bisexual men in this very public arena over the past century or so. While such men have always been involved in public office, it only in the last few decades that some of then have enjoyed the luxury of being ‘out and proud’. Despite the progress of gay rights, many are still in the closet, at least ‘officially’. Just as the recent film ‘The imitation Game’ gave an insight into the previously little known contribution of a gay man to history, so too this book uncovers a lot that has been swept under the carpet by ‘convention’ in British society. Through detailed research, Bloch reveals the dirt on a number of politicians as well as a few scandals of both the distant and more recent past (Jeremy Thorpe, Michael Portillo). While many of the names might be unfamiliar to contemporary readers, there are enough at least vaguely familiar names to hold one’s interest. In one sense, this work is rather topical: there is detailed coverage of life-long bachelor and former prime minister Ted Heath. Bloch speculates that he suppressed his sexuality throughout his life. Given the recent accusation in the media re paedophilia, the author insights are significant. As the work unfolds, Bloch outlines the social changes and events (such as the Wolfenden Royal Commission) that led to a shift on public opinion regarding gay men in public life. We are well aware of the staid Victorian era and the conservative 1950s. Fortunately the Sexual Revolution of the 60s and 70s, of which Gay Liberation was a significant part, helped ease many people out of the closet. For gay MPs this change has been slower to bear fruit: it is little more than 30 years since British MPs have willingly come out. An entertaining study on the political closet and recommended for students of politics, hiddenhistory and political controversy. We await a similar volume on Ozzie MPs.
Holes Louis Sachar Bloomsberg, 1998
Women Who Ruled: History’s 50 Most Remarkable Women Claudia Gold Quercus, 2015.
Vee Lowe
Andrew Douglas
Holes is an intriguing story, written by Louis Sachar in 1998, about a down-on-his-luck teen named Stanley who is sentenced to dig holes at a camp for “bad boys”. You may know the film version better, which starred a young Shia LaBeouf as Stanley Yelnats, but below are reasons why you should give the book a read. The narration makes the story a whole lot easier to understand. In fact, the narrator chooses parts of the story that would interest the reader and leaves the boring bits untouched. It’s as if the story was specifically written for you. Most books aren’t read because they’re boring or too long winded. Not this book. Although it’s about digging holes - physical labour sucks - it’s easy to sympathise with Stanley’s situation of being innocent when the world is against you. The holes are just the beginning of his troubles, as the other camp boys are wretched and Stanley must learn how to survive as an outcast. Not only that, but all the boys have superior nicknames they have earnt such as “X-Ray” and “Armpit” while Stanley is excluded with his regular name. I haven’t even mentioned the adults running this barren camp - are they a piece of work or what? Corruption alert! But I’ll leave you to find out more when you read the book yourself. The crux of the book is that it’s about the comical and heartwarming friendships Stanley forges in camp and the against-all-odds journey he completes. It’s a story that you’ll love to return to - and you can fill in the holes from the story as you read (that’s an actual pun from the book). Holes is a classic novel that can be read over and over again. Most people have only seen the movie, so you can stun them with your intense knowledge of the book. Yes, bragging rights are still a thing even in Uni. You can say you’ve read a great book this year and, after all, that’s another book for your academic brain to ponder.
This new volume covers most of the prominent women throughout history and the contemporary period. It contains many familiar characters (such as Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Catherine the Great) and not so familiar ones ( Zenobia, Wu Hou, Tomyris). Included all also those women who had symbolic power as constitutional monarchs (Victoria, Elizabeth II) and those who were the partners of prominent men (Eva Peron, Marie Antoinette). The range is extensive, both in terms of chronology from the period of ancient Egypt (Nefertiti, Hatshepsut) to the present day (Margaret Thatcher, Benazir Bhutto) and it terms nationality and ethnicity - Europe, the Middle East, India, China, Sri Lanka and Latin America. (Unfortunately, no Aussies though - for some reason Julia did not make the count) It also covers mythical characters - those whose historic accuracy cannot be determined (Sheba, Bathsheba, Jezebel). Also included are a few infamous characters such as Lucretia Borgia. Composed of short sections of between six to ten pages on each person, there is little in depth analysis of each women. Only the basic facts of their life and career are presented . Thus it is very easy to read quickly and jump from one era and person to another. While short on analysis, there are a few points of feminist interest: like the fact that most of the queens regnant were never expected to reign as absolute monarchs and so were rarely trained or educated for high office. Also women who did assume power always had detractors - specifically the primary criticism is that they somehow were ‘transgressing’ the role of their socially prescribed womanhood. Whatever flaws they had tended to be exaggerated. In this sense at least, it tends to clarify or at least question some of the dubious traits ascribed to them. Very entertaining and easy to read.
‘Ant-Man’ 2015 Vacation 2015
Christopher Spencer Brock Covich
‘Ant-Man’ may just be the most genuinely fun Marvel movie since the first one, ‘Iron Man’. And the two are quite similar, both featuring cocky, arrogant protagonists, influenced by a failed tech genius, using a suit of armor with amazing powers and has a villain with a greater suit and a grudge against the protagonist.
If you’re a fan of crude humour then ‘Vacation’ is a must see, but if you’re not then it’s probably best to avoid. The movie follows on from the hit National Lampoon’s franchise made famous by Chevy Chase in the 80’s. The plot revolves around Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms), a pilot at a low-profile domestic airline, who decides to buck the trend of taking his family to their annual holiday destination. Instead spicing things up by taking them across America to visit Walley World.
But this matters not. ‘Ant-Man’ grounds itself with Scott Lang’s (Paul Rudd) quest to do right by his daughter, getting mixed up with Hope Van Dyne’s (Evangeline Lily) father, problems with ‘Ant-Man’ suit creator Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). It’s touching, heartwarming stuff that Marvel does best.
The storyline does not throw up many surprises with the plot trying to emulate similar occurrences from the previous films, particularly ‘National Lampoons Vacation’.
After lots of studio quibbles and the departure of intended director Edgar Wright, Marvel pushes through, employing small-time director Peyton Reed (Yes Man) to take on their ambitious adventure. Reed succeeds admirably, turning Ant-Man into wonderful, fast, and simple.
Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley make their directorial debuts and it shows. The highs and lows of the film are miles apart with some jokes leaving the audience in stitches and others missing the mark.
Ant-Man works best because its story and visuals, are made with no reservations and a clear sense of fun. On top of that we have the usual three-act plot, but another level added is an awesome comedy-heist movie.
Helms gives his the role everything he has and Christina Applegate provides a refreshing performance as Mrs Griswold.
But in all these layers, and the development of great characters, Ant-Man doesn’t reach the thematic depth of recent MCU outings, opting more for a light-hearted, breezy approach.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the film are the cameos, including; Australian Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Charlie Day (Horrible Bosses), Leslie Mann (The 40-year-Old Virgin) and Michael Pena (Shooter).
It still has wonderful cameos, a threedimensional villain in Corey Stoll, similar meta-humor to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, and an adequate supporting cast to fill the stuttering, bumpy story. ‘Ant-Man’ is a tale to astonish.
If you’re looking for a movie that requires very little thought and lacks morals, then it’s worth it to see ‘Vacation’.
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Film
‘Inside Out’ 2015
The Gallows 2015
Christopher Spencer
Brock Covich
Pixar is back in the game with ‘Inside Out’, an exploration into all our minds. Its sad already from the magical short Lava, but as usual Pixar jerks tears from us all with this film.
Tiring and lack luster is the best way to describe ‘The Gallows’. Directed and written by American duo Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing, the film falls into the horror subgenre of found footage.
Five emotions control the mind of 11-year-old Riley, a happy little girl thanks to her primary emotion Joy (Amy Poehler). Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Fear (Bill Hader) all make up the emotional team, but it is Joy whose nature has provided the most amount of memories for Riley.
In 1993 during a performance of the play ‘The Gallows’, one of the drama students dies in an accident onstage. Fast-forward 20 years later and a new generation of kids are preparing to perform the same play. However four students end up at the school alone one night, which is when majority of the “horror” from the past returns to terrorize the group.
Joy and Sadness are perfect characters that share the trials and tribulations of this adventure into the mind of Riley. Joy is optimistic and happy, but she is overbearing and stubborn. This is the definition of Joy as a character: not just a feeling, but the mother to Riley, caring, nurturing, always wanting her to be happy, and profoundly hurt and worried and scared when Riley feels otherwise.
Following on from the recent wave of found footage movies such as ‘Unfriended’ and the ‘Paranormal Activity’ series, ‘The Gallows’ doesn’t quite hit the mark. Unfortunately the scares are few and far between and the key moments lack the punch of other, more successful horror movies.
Sadness is the yang to Joy’s ying, the complete opposite in spirit and body. Sadness is unstable and meddling, unsure of her own purpose, a feeling that is accelerated by Joy’s control issues. And in the end, the two realise their true connection, as the two strongest and most powerful feelings in one’s mind.
The slow storyline is frustrating at times, with the movie’s pace barely moving out of first gear. The film gets bogged down in the first 30 minutes, which resembles something closer to an episode of ‘Glee’ rather than a supernatural horror. The main cast, who try their hardest, is compromised of little known actors who also use their real names for their characters in the movie.
Though the narration is clunky and unnecessary, ‘Inside Out’ is a wild sugar-rush that is still magnificently written. It explores the
Perhaps the scariest development to come from ‘The Gallows’ is the prospect of a sequel.
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