What is it that really sells a vacuum cleaner?
What sells Palmolive washing up liquid or that lemon-scented floor cleaner?
More importantly, what would Macbeth be without the scene of Lady Macbeth's dementia?
When we're young we are given a new suit or a new dress by mum and dad who put us out in the garden and then say "Now don't get dirty".
How about charity football matches where you play opposite your mums who say "I just ironed that shirt this morning!" or "Are you really going to kick that muddy ball with those boots?"
No matter what we do, whether its in the army running around in trenches 12 feet deep, in politics when uncovering cases of bribery, fraud, theft, and politicians who have more tongue and vocabulary than influence, or even religious ministers who get their flocks dirty - this is all taking place on a great big ball of mud, water, metal and wood hurtling through a big black sky.
We have all gotten our hands dirty at some stage in our lives, and we will continue to get the money. How many of us would put our trust in a mechanic or a builder who complains about getting their hands dirty? Would we put our confidence in a policeman of James Bond who cringe at the sight of blood, or even a surgeon for that matter?
You probably all understand the point I'm trying to make now - no matter what job or career you are in, there's always the rugby field or the engine or the disease-stricken patient to deal with. The only worry which we all share is: how do we wash it off or not let it ruin us? Just how long or far can we go before mum runs out of the house screaming "Look at the mess you're in!!" or even worse being sent to your room or whatever because you brought the dirt into the house?
To conclude, is it dirt or is it the hands that gather the dirt which is wrong in the first place?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Sparks - Exotic Creatures Of The Deep
Sparks - "Exotic Creatures Of The Deep"
It's not often that you find a band that's been around for 37 years, sold over 10 million albums worldwide and there are still heaps of people (especially in Australia) who still don't have a clue as to who they are.
Legendary L.A. brothers Ron & Russell Mael have recently delivered their 21st album exquisitiely titled "Exotic Creatures Of The Deep" on their own label Li'l Beethoven, which they celebrated the release of by playing a 21 day gig in London at Carling Academy in Islington with a history lesson of all their back albums from "Wonder Girl" to "Likeable", along with some curio tracks that are damned hard to find.
Upon first listening to this album (as indeed with many other Sparks albums) the tracks didn't make much impact on me until around the third or fourth play before I decided how much I liked it. That is usually the case with Sparks albums for even the most experienced of listeners. Ron & Russell vehemently refuse to let themselves conform to one singular musical genre that you can feel comfortable in. Their purpose in the music world is to confound and to educate as with many other acts that changed the face of pop music in their time like T. Rex, The Goodies, New York Dolls, and The Sex Pistols. They are one of the few acts that understood punk and got it right the first time.
This album is only punk in the manner of it's musical rather than it's fashion anarchy. Fusing Manhattan Transfer-like nostalgia harmony vocals with lush orchestras, squelching 70's Chicory Tip-ish synths, and some good thrashy guitars and drums this is one album that you can't afford to miss.
The track listing is thus:
1) Intro - opens up with some beautiful wordless vocals interspersed with chants of "like me" with some poignant piano playing which goes straight to
2) Good Morning - available only as a download single in the UK, it got heavy airplay on BBC Radio 2. It's a nice piece of reggae-pop with Russell's trademark falsetto in fine form, nice harmony vocals and a theme about a guy who gets drunk whilst on the tiles and wakes up to find a beautiful woman in bed with him and has no idea as to how she got there. Nice coda to the song which has some nods to the Human League's kaleidoscope keyboard playing.
3) Strange Animal - fusing dainty ragtime piano playing and a whole choir of Russell's vocals, underneath the beautiful arrangements is a nightmarish story of the dangerous sexual quirks of humankind. The song intersperses ragtime with some galloping thrash rock. It could have been a contender for a single, but some fans were put off by the duration of the track (it is almost 6 minutes in legnth).
4) I Can't Believe That You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song - Going back 35 years in time, this is a great glitter rock stomper with barbershop vocals completing Dean Mentas snarling guitars and Tammy Glover's thundering drums and all the while they make fun of the ballad singers (a la American Idol stars). This is the most catchiest track on the album which should be the next single, but alas I fear that it might be boycotted by the BBC due to the use of the "c" word in the title (their other masterpiece single "Dick Around" suffered the same fate two years ago).
5) Let The Monkey Drive - sounding similar to "Here Comes Bob" from their second album, it once again tells the story about arrogant drivers and how most guys get in touch with their primal selves once they get behind the wheel in their automobiles.
6) Intro (Reprise) - the vocals for the first track truncated into 24 seconds.
7) I've Never Been High - Ranks up as one of Sparks' finest ballads along with "Those Mysteries", "The Angels", and "I Married Myself" IMHO. It's about a guy who has never experienced any enjoyment in life whether it be from sex, drugs, music, or any of life's other symplicities. Gentle piano playing gives way to a big orchestral production with tympani, organ, guitars and some sweet backing vocals.
8) She Got Me Pregnant - sounding similar to "Here Kitty", it is an old oompah jazzy inspired track. I will admit that I didn't really like this song when I first heard it, but it's definitely a grower.
9) Lighten Up, Morrissey - Should be released as a double A-sided single with "The Crap In This Song". Sparks biggest celebrity fan and best buddy Morrissey gets a look over in this song about a lovesick guy whose self-esteem is taking a bashing because a girl he fancies is constantly comparing him to Morrissey. A great glam rock stomper which starts out sounding a bit like "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" with the marching grungey bass and guitar but goes into a heavier sounding track sounding rather similar to Morrissey's recent efforts.
10) This Is The Renaissance - From here, the album delves more into classical/Romantic mode. Sounding like the intro for ABBA's "Mama Mia", this is a pleasant sounding track.
11) The Director Never Yelled 'Cut!' - Simple message to this song: Russell tells the story about a female movie director seducing him, and not giving up her prowess until she's finished with him and only then does she yell 'Cut!'
12) Photoshop - Ingenius use of the photography software to eradicate a lover out of one's life after the relationship has gone awry.
13) Likeable - A nice closer to the album, it speaks quite a bit about myself wishing that I could be liked a bit more than just loved by the people that know me in person. The track closes with the "Intro" vocals.
The album is not yet available in Australia, although in the UK their label is partially distributed by Universal, so I hope that a label like Modular Records with release it here after I wrote to them.
It's not often that you find a band that's been around for 37 years, sold over 10 million albums worldwide and there are still heaps of people (especially in Australia) who still don't have a clue as to who they are.
Legendary L.A. brothers Ron & Russell Mael have recently delivered their 21st album exquisitiely titled "Exotic Creatures Of The Deep" on their own label Li'l Beethoven, which they celebrated the release of by playing a 21 day gig in London at Carling Academy in Islington with a history lesson of all their back albums from "Wonder Girl" to "Likeable", along with some curio tracks that are damned hard to find.
Upon first listening to this album (as indeed with many other Sparks albums) the tracks didn't make much impact on me until around the third or fourth play before I decided how much I liked it. That is usually the case with Sparks albums for even the most experienced of listeners. Ron & Russell vehemently refuse to let themselves conform to one singular musical genre that you can feel comfortable in. Their purpose in the music world is to confound and to educate as with many other acts that changed the face of pop music in their time like T. Rex, The Goodies, New York Dolls, and The Sex Pistols. They are one of the few acts that understood punk and got it right the first time.
This album is only punk in the manner of it's musical rather than it's fashion anarchy. Fusing Manhattan Transfer-like nostalgia harmony vocals with lush orchestras, squelching 70's Chicory Tip-ish synths, and some good thrashy guitars and drums this is one album that you can't afford to miss.
The track listing is thus:
1) Intro - opens up with some beautiful wordless vocals interspersed with chants of "like me" with some poignant piano playing which goes straight to
2) Good Morning - available only as a download single in the UK, it got heavy airplay on BBC Radio 2. It's a nice piece of reggae-pop with Russell's trademark falsetto in fine form, nice harmony vocals and a theme about a guy who gets drunk whilst on the tiles and wakes up to find a beautiful woman in bed with him and has no idea as to how she got there. Nice coda to the song which has some nods to the Human League's kaleidoscope keyboard playing.
3) Strange Animal - fusing dainty ragtime piano playing and a whole choir of Russell's vocals, underneath the beautiful arrangements is a nightmarish story of the dangerous sexual quirks of humankind. The song intersperses ragtime with some galloping thrash rock. It could have been a contender for a single, but some fans were put off by the duration of the track (it is almost 6 minutes in legnth).
4) I Can't Believe That You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song - Going back 35 years in time, this is a great glitter rock stomper with barbershop vocals completing Dean Mentas snarling guitars and Tammy Glover's thundering drums and all the while they make fun of the ballad singers (a la American Idol stars). This is the most catchiest track on the album which should be the next single, but alas I fear that it might be boycotted by the BBC due to the use of the "c" word in the title (their other masterpiece single "Dick Around" suffered the same fate two years ago).
5) Let The Monkey Drive - sounding similar to "Here Comes Bob" from their second album, it once again tells the story about arrogant drivers and how most guys get in touch with their primal selves once they get behind the wheel in their automobiles.
6) Intro (Reprise) - the vocals for the first track truncated into 24 seconds.
7) I've Never Been High - Ranks up as one of Sparks' finest ballads along with "Those Mysteries", "The Angels", and "I Married Myself" IMHO. It's about a guy who has never experienced any enjoyment in life whether it be from sex, drugs, music, or any of life's other symplicities. Gentle piano playing gives way to a big orchestral production with tympani, organ, guitars and some sweet backing vocals.
8) She Got Me Pregnant - sounding similar to "Here Kitty", it is an old oompah jazzy inspired track. I will admit that I didn't really like this song when I first heard it, but it's definitely a grower.
9) Lighten Up, Morrissey - Should be released as a double A-sided single with "The Crap In This Song". Sparks biggest celebrity fan and best buddy Morrissey gets a look over in this song about a lovesick guy whose self-esteem is taking a bashing because a girl he fancies is constantly comparing him to Morrissey. A great glam rock stomper which starts out sounding a bit like "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" with the marching grungey bass and guitar but goes into a heavier sounding track sounding rather similar to Morrissey's recent efforts.
10) This Is The Renaissance - From here, the album delves more into classical/Romantic mode. Sounding like the intro for ABBA's "Mama Mia", this is a pleasant sounding track.
11) The Director Never Yelled 'Cut!' - Simple message to this song: Russell tells the story about a female movie director seducing him, and not giving up her prowess until she's finished with him and only then does she yell 'Cut!'
12) Photoshop - Ingenius use of the photography software to eradicate a lover out of one's life after the relationship has gone awry.
13) Likeable - A nice closer to the album, it speaks quite a bit about myself wishing that I could be liked a bit more than just loved by the people that know me in person. The track closes with the "Intro" vocals.
The album is not yet available in Australia, although in the UK their label is partially distributed by Universal, so I hope that a label like Modular Records with release it here after I wrote to them.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Christianity and Naturism - is this for real??
I just got a post on the Naturist-Christians-org site about Australian pastor Robert Wright holding services for Christians who are naturists, and the feedback he received about it. This story is over three years old, but since I've just started this blog site and I am a Christian I thought it would be worth commenting on.
Naturism is attacked by many forces on this planet, and the traditional Christian church being one of the major culprits. Mention the words 'nudism' or 'naturism' to many Christians today, and their reaction is either one of shock and disgust, or mild amusement. Why is this so? Is it something that comes from church related guilt and shame, or something that's more deeper than that?
I have been kicked out of Christian churches in Brisbane and off Christian forums for daring to broach and elaborate on this topic, particularly to a young adult audience. Maybe the leaders are either afraid that it could cause them to lose their religious convictions, or maybe they are worried that it could cause 'fornication' as one church put it (more about that later).
Now, here are the real truths behind this story: Despite what many Christians have been led to believe otherwise, there is NOWHERE in the Bible where God specifically forbids the practice.
Gen. 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;...."
Gen. 2:25 And they were both naked (Arom), the man and his wife, and were not ashamed
1 Samuel 19:24 And he (Saul) also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked (Arom) all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"
Exodus 22:26-27 "If ever you take your neighbour's garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down; for that is his only covering, it is his mantle for his body; in what else shall he sleep?"
Isaiah 20:2-3 at the same time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go and remove the sackcloth from your body, and take your sandals off your feet." And he did so, walking naked (Arom) and barefoot.
Then the Lord said, "just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked (Arom) and barefoot three years for a sign..."
Romans 6:13-14 "...Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God's grace."
Romans 7:4 "...The law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross."
Matt 6:25-34 Jesus says, 25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Tit 1:15 "To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure."
Rom 13:14 "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
1 Pet 3:3 "Do not let your adornment be merely outward-arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel, 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."
Lk 12:27-28 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!"
(Matt 25:41-43) "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me."
So there we go. If you believe what the Bible says, then it makes these following points:
1) God is more concerned about what we are like inside than how we dress to worship
2) God is more concerned about our deeds than how we try to impress others by talking about him
3) God does not want us to be so fanatic about naturism that we neglect other people's needs
4) The human body is created by God and is 'very good'. We have no right to go and demean God's handiwork
5) We should beware of the dangers of becoming materialistic - Jesus taught about this several times with his parables.
So, with all that in mind, you might ask: are Christian nudist fellowship groups viable or practical?
Well, first of all, I was a member of Pastor Bob Wright's nudist Christian group in Brisbane back in 2005 - 2006. We tried to recruit people using the internet, The Australian Naturist magazine, The Courier Mail and even my own Yahoo! group. Even though we managed to get 18 people to turn up for our first service at Pacific Sun Friends, subsequent meetings were very poorly attended. Bob was reluctant to evangelise the nudist lifestyle to mainstream Christian groups. Rather, he wanted to share the gospel only among Christians who already were naturists. I feel that this was one of the reasons why the group did not take off or grow in the direction we wanted it to. Most of the naturists who were Christians did not come from Brisbane, but rather from the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, and Toowoomba - all of which were a good hour's drive from the venue where we were holding the services. Eventually, interest in the group died out and Bob ended up moving back to Newcastle to be with his new family whom he had imported from the Phillippines.
A naturist group, whether it's Christian or not, is one that tends to be smaller than a normal church and for several reasons.
1) Greater care must be taken with admitting new congregational members to keep sex predators and perverts out. The secular nudist movement is having enough problems as it is with these people, as well as Christian churches coming under fire from non-Christians for having corrupt and perverted leaders who have sexually interfered with children in their congregation.
2) Being naked with others is a very experiential thing. Without clothes, we can't wear masks or false modesty. We have to be straightforward and open with each other once the mental and emotional borders caused by clothes are broken. Sadly, many Christians are afraid of breaking down those borders because they fear it will change them for the worse.
3) Many Christians in Australia worry too much what others might think of them when doing something out of the ordinary. They fear ostracism from church, family, and friends if they were to 'come out' with the fact that they practice naturism. I have been ostracised from church and friends before when they found out that I was a nudist, but I managed to live through it. If I could do it, why not others?
4) The nudity = sex paradigm is a *VERY* difficult one to break for many Australians, especially Brisbane people. We have been brainwashed by our mainstream media and the churches to believe this without question, so it is a bit of a shock when going to a nudist place for the first time to find out that sex and sexuality are non-issues to them. It's not to say that they are asexual, just that like textile society they know (well most of them do anyway!) when sex has its place and when it's not appropriate.
Anyway, I would love to see a time when I can enjoy a nude worship group with other Christian friends in the future. When they'll be ready for it, I don't know.
Naturism is attacked by many forces on this planet, and the traditional Christian church being one of the major culprits. Mention the words 'nudism' or 'naturism' to many Christians today, and their reaction is either one of shock and disgust, or mild amusement. Why is this so? Is it something that comes from church related guilt and shame, or something that's more deeper than that?
I have been kicked out of Christian churches in Brisbane and off Christian forums for daring to broach and elaborate on this topic, particularly to a young adult audience. Maybe the leaders are either afraid that it could cause them to lose their religious convictions, or maybe they are worried that it could cause 'fornication' as one church put it (more about that later).
Now, here are the real truths behind this story: Despite what many Christians have been led to believe otherwise, there is NOWHERE in the Bible where God specifically forbids the practice.
Gen. 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;...."
Gen. 2:25 And they were both naked (Arom), the man and his wife, and were not ashamed
1 Samuel 19:24 And he (Saul) also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked (Arom) all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"
Exodus 22:26-27 "If ever you take your neighbour's garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down; for that is his only covering, it is his mantle for his body; in what else shall he sleep?"
Isaiah 20:2-3 at the same time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go and remove the sackcloth from your body, and take your sandals off your feet." And he did so, walking naked (Arom) and barefoot.
Then the Lord said, "just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked (Arom) and barefoot three years for a sign..."
Romans 6:13-14 "...Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God's grace."
Romans 7:4 "...The law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross."
Matt 6:25-34 Jesus says, 25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Tit 1:15 "To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure."
Rom 13:14 "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
1 Pet 3:3 "Do not let your adornment be merely outward-arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel, 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."
Lk 12:27-28 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!"
(Matt 25:41-43) "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me."
So there we go. If you believe what the Bible says, then it makes these following points:
1) God is more concerned about what we are like inside than how we dress to worship
2) God is more concerned about our deeds than how we try to impress others by talking about him
3) God does not want us to be so fanatic about naturism that we neglect other people's needs
4) The human body is created by God and is 'very good'. We have no right to go and demean God's handiwork
5) We should beware of the dangers of becoming materialistic - Jesus taught about this several times with his parables.
So, with all that in mind, you might ask: are Christian nudist fellowship groups viable or practical?
Well, first of all, I was a member of Pastor Bob Wright's nudist Christian group in Brisbane back in 2005 - 2006. We tried to recruit people using the internet, The Australian Naturist magazine, The Courier Mail and even my own Yahoo! group. Even though we managed to get 18 people to turn up for our first service at Pacific Sun Friends, subsequent meetings were very poorly attended. Bob was reluctant to evangelise the nudist lifestyle to mainstream Christian groups. Rather, he wanted to share the gospel only among Christians who already were naturists. I feel that this was one of the reasons why the group did not take off or grow in the direction we wanted it to. Most of the naturists who were Christians did not come from Brisbane, but rather from the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, and Toowoomba - all of which were a good hour's drive from the venue where we were holding the services. Eventually, interest in the group died out and Bob ended up moving back to Newcastle to be with his new family whom he had imported from the Phillippines.
A naturist group, whether it's Christian or not, is one that tends to be smaller than a normal church and for several reasons.
1) Greater care must be taken with admitting new congregational members to keep sex predators and perverts out. The secular nudist movement is having enough problems as it is with these people, as well as Christian churches coming under fire from non-Christians for having corrupt and perverted leaders who have sexually interfered with children in their congregation.
2) Being naked with others is a very experiential thing. Without clothes, we can't wear masks or false modesty. We have to be straightforward and open with each other once the mental and emotional borders caused by clothes are broken. Sadly, many Christians are afraid of breaking down those borders because they fear it will change them for the worse.
3) Many Christians in Australia worry too much what others might think of them when doing something out of the ordinary. They fear ostracism from church, family, and friends if they were to 'come out' with the fact that they practice naturism. I have been ostracised from church and friends before when they found out that I was a nudist, but I managed to live through it. If I could do it, why not others?
4) The nudity = sex paradigm is a *VERY* difficult one to break for many Australians, especially Brisbane people. We have been brainwashed by our mainstream media and the churches to believe this without question, so it is a bit of a shock when going to a nudist place for the first time to find out that sex and sexuality are non-issues to them. It's not to say that they are asexual, just that like textile society they know (well most of them do anyway!) when sex has its place and when it's not appropriate.
Anyway, I would love to see a time when I can enjoy a nude worship group with other Christian friends in the future. When they'll be ready for it, I don't know.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Veronicas at Australia Zoo
It's certainly not just me, but I do have a fondness for Anglo-Italian rock and pop divas, especially when they come from my town and done good!
The Veronicas did their first Brisbane appearance for 2008 at a charity concert for the Wildlife Warriors, an organisation started up by Steve and Terri Irwin from Australia Zoo in 2002 to help protect wildlife which is endangered, injured or threatened. It was also my first ever visit to Australia Zoo, and I was very impressed with what I saw. This zoo is chiefly known for being the home and host to the late "Crocodile Hunter" and crocodiles are the main attraction, but there are also other beautiful animals to check out like turtles, otters, dingoes, a komodo dragon, snakes, koalas, Tasmanian devils, and all kinds of exotic birds. I took a few photos of the place which I will see if I can post up onto this blog.
The performance by the Veronicas was brilliant as well. A few thousand punters braved the rain and the blustery weather to sit out in the "Crocoseum" to see Jess and Lisa Origliasso and their band perform. The stage was raised about 15 ft off the ground, so the performance could be viewed properly on a big screen fixed to the top of the building. Most of the songs in their set were from the new album "Hook Me Up", which has already gone platinum in Australia, and looks set to be released in the Asian market, the UK and Europe and eventually the U.S. (which is where they signed their record deal and now reside). Whilst much of the album is based on synth-pop, the use of keyboards was minimal for this show with the use of more guitars. They even did a rousing cover of AC/DC's "It's A Long Way To The Top" for the older punters to strut their stuff. I was delighted, and almost a bit relieved as I felt a bit uncomfortable dancing around with people whom I was old enough to be their dad, and according to Bill Cosby it's virtually a scientific impossibility for any parent to like the music their kids do. God forbid my own kids get into them if/when I have any then!! (only kidding!)
Unfortunately, I didn't get to chat with the girls this time around like I did at Centro in Toombul. They had done a brief signing and meet-and-greet at 11:45 a.m. and I didn't get into the zoo until about 15 minutes later which by then they'd gone up to do their soundcheck.
I find The Veronicas to be quite an impressive act. They look very sweet and sexy, but deep down inside they are very tough and intrepid souls and have a friendly disposition towards their fans. Unlike many other rock musos of their ilk, they do take responsibility for the way they present themselves to the public and have not let fame or fortune get to their heads (unlike some celebs like Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty).
If you like girl pop with a honest down-to-earth punky/New Wave edge, then definitely check them out if/when they play in your town. You won't be disappointed!
The Veronicas did their first Brisbane appearance for 2008 at a charity concert for the Wildlife Warriors, an organisation started up by Steve and Terri Irwin from Australia Zoo in 2002 to help protect wildlife which is endangered, injured or threatened. It was also my first ever visit to Australia Zoo, and I was very impressed with what I saw. This zoo is chiefly known for being the home and host to the late "Crocodile Hunter" and crocodiles are the main attraction, but there are also other beautiful animals to check out like turtles, otters, dingoes, a komodo dragon, snakes, koalas, Tasmanian devils, and all kinds of exotic birds. I took a few photos of the place which I will see if I can post up onto this blog.
The performance by the Veronicas was brilliant as well. A few thousand punters braved the rain and the blustery weather to sit out in the "Crocoseum" to see Jess and Lisa Origliasso and their band perform. The stage was raised about 15 ft off the ground, so the performance could be viewed properly on a big screen fixed to the top of the building. Most of the songs in their set were from the new album "Hook Me Up", which has already gone platinum in Australia, and looks set to be released in the Asian market, the UK and Europe and eventually the U.S. (which is where they signed their record deal and now reside). Whilst much of the album is based on synth-pop, the use of keyboards was minimal for this show with the use of more guitars. They even did a rousing cover of AC/DC's "It's A Long Way To The Top" for the older punters to strut their stuff. I was delighted, and almost a bit relieved as I felt a bit uncomfortable dancing around with people whom I was old enough to be their dad, and according to Bill Cosby it's virtually a scientific impossibility for any parent to like the music their kids do. God forbid my own kids get into them if/when I have any then!! (only kidding!)
Unfortunately, I didn't get to chat with the girls this time around like I did at Centro in Toombul. They had done a brief signing and meet-and-greet at 11:45 a.m. and I didn't get into the zoo until about 15 minutes later which by then they'd gone up to do their soundcheck.
I find The Veronicas to be quite an impressive act. They look very sweet and sexy, but deep down inside they are very tough and intrepid souls and have a friendly disposition towards their fans. Unlike many other rock musos of their ilk, they do take responsibility for the way they present themselves to the public and have not let fame or fortune get to their heads (unlike some celebs like Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty).
If you like girl pop with a honest down-to-earth punky/New Wave edge, then definitely check them out if/when they play in your town. You won't be disappointed!
Another Queensland nudist club bites the dust
I haven't posted to this page in quite a while, but I thought I'd share this piece of news since it's relevant to naturism in my area.
I got the word a couple of days ago that the Elephant Rock nudist retreat is going up for sale, after being a popular haunt for Australian nudists for quite some time. It's not just them - Greenwich Lodge, Aswelikeit, SunLeisure, Bardots, and several other venues have gone to dust over the last few years which makes me ask the big question: what can be done for the Australian naturist scene to stop it from going down the tube? What factors are stopping it from going where it needs to go? Why are we losing our venues, when in other parts of the world the nudist scene is booming?
Maybe these could be the reasons why:
1) Lack of support and interest from younger people
Let's face it: young people are the future. The naturist scene needs them for contributing fresh ideas and opportunities for the businesses to grow. Young people's interests and tastes in holiday venues have changed enormously over the last 20 years. Most are no longer content to rough it out in the bush in rustic, run down sites that have not been upgraded since the 1940's or thereabouts. Added to that, there is too much focus on middle-aged to elderly people in the nudist media. Show a person in their teens or 20's a copy of a nudist magazine and they'll dump it within 30 seconds saying "there's nobody our own age and nothing to do with our interests in it". Running a nudist business is just the same as running any other business. You need aesthetics and glamour to sell it. You will not attract today's youth if your venue or publication does not have anything in it for them.
2) Dull, uninteresting website for the ANF.
The Australian Nudist Federation is supposed to be like the United Nations for the nudist scene in Australia and represent the best interests of nudists at heart. Unfortunately, whilst it might sound nice in theory, in reality it hasn't been like that at all. They've not been doing a very good job to win the masses over to their lifestyle - even e-mails from myself asking for advice to promote naturism in my town went unanswered. Added to that, their website is woefully out of date and like many nudist venues here has not been updated since it was first constructed. If you want to win and wow people, you need bells and whistles and fancy flashing lights on the site to get people's attention. Added to that, the last few Presidents of the ANF haven't exactly had it easy. A few of years ago, a nudist club rejected the President from its ANF convention because he was a single man. His successor was a married woman with children of her own in their teens. Unfortunately, they didn't continue the nudist lifestyle once they turned 14 or 15 and she didn't seek to encourage them either. This has also seen a downturn in the lack of young people involved in nudism in the recent years. The ANF used to be a family friendly organisation and prided itself on being 'nudism is for everyone of every age'. Not anymore.
3) Nudist clubs discriminating against people on account of marital status and families:
This is the BIG deterrent to more Australian people being involved in nudism. Nudists need to get with the times. I sincerely believe the Australian government needs to put the whip down on nudist clubs who do this. You don't see other special interest groups like sci-fi clubs, vintage car clubs, or music and movie fan clubs refusing a person membership on account of age or marital status. Why should nudism be any different? This is where I see a sense of hypocrisy. Nudists are constantly saying "nudism is not about sex, it's wholesome and healthy, but we don't want single guys and kids in our circles". I'm suspicious of this, and I think that these so-called nudists are actually swingers using nudism as a means of fulfilling their hidden agendas. And these people are almost blind to reason that the movement is in the doldrums because of attitudes like theirs. For nudist women: if a lone guy is enroaching on your space when you don't want him to, tell him to fuck off! If anyone gets too close to comfort with your children, give them a good kick in the nuts (or ovaries, seeing as I'm non-sexist!) and have the management and/or the police escort them out of the place. Don't put up with shit from a few troublesome minorities. Not all single guys are sexual predators, and I also think that children in a nudist environment should also be made to either go nude or go somewhere else if they don't want to comply. Nudity in the nudist context does not mean sexual availability - don't let sex predators spoil your fun!
4) Changes in societal values with money, travelling, political reform.
We are now entering a very weak economy which has been brutally tarnished by the 'greed is good' capitalism of the 80's and the various stock market crashes of the 90's. These days the masses are underpaid and overworked in order to try and put money back into the government's kitty. Added to that, there has also been political reform with social minorities. Since the 1980's, homosexuality and lesbianism has become more accepted by mainstream society with the result that some countries and states have legalised gay marriages and gay parenting. It's no longer a social taboo to 'come out' with the fact that you are gay at whatever stage you are in in your life. Also, previously taboo religions like Wicca, Paganism and Scientology, previously treated as evil cults by the media have suddenly gained new found respect thanks to people like Fiona Horne, J.K. Rowling, Daniel Radcliffe, John Travolta, and a few others. Their belief systems gained acceptance by fighting tooth and nail for it and making it 'cool' with kids and teenagers. So, it's about time that nudists sought to evolve. Why they are content to remain a social minority of cranks to be segregated is beyond me. If we don't become more 'out there', we will lose what little credibility we have left with the rest of society. As it is, nudists here are treated as bizarre, peculiar people who are little better than freakshow types to be made fun of out of ignorance. It's about time that nudists stood up to this and took to the streets demanding equality and equal rights. A few brave souls like Richard A. Collins, Steven Gough, Vincent Bethell, Daniel Lorenzo Johnson and Terri Sue Webb have done exactly that over the last few years and have been both lauded and loathed by the critics for their stances. With Gough and Bethell both having done time in prison, Bethell no longer cares to be involved with naturism any longer.
Environmental issues are also another deterrent for people taking part in naturism. If naturism implies being 'for nature', what is 'nature friendly' about driving fuel-guzzling SUVs to remote beaches which take up more travel time in order to nude up? It doesn't make any sense to me. The Australian government ought to grant nudists more freedoms than they have now. I'd like to see nudity legalised on all parks and beaches as it is in many parts of Europe now. If people don't like it, they can just go and emigrate to the Middle East or colonise another planet. Taking offence to human nudity is the product of a sick mind.
5) Use the Internet more
As has been discussed in EJP's article about Generation Y and nudism, Australian nudist club owners need to be looking for more ways to advertise their business. If you want to be getting more young adults to your function and venues, create a page on networking sites like Myspace, Facebook, Bebo, MSN Spaces or Yahoo! 360 - they are used a lot. Also, put your venue's URL on Google. If it's not on Google, it doesn't exist to most young adults today. Google has become the digital encyclopaedia to the world. Also, try and make sure that patrons can get mobile telephone coverage. I've been to several nudist clubs and beaches and have been disappointed that I can't make any phone calls because there is no reception.
6) Promote your event on sites for younger naturists like ynai.com and freebodyzone.com - both these sites are primarily directed at younger people and getting them actively involved in nudism. Don't be shy.
7) Be more liberal about appearances:
Don't turn away people because they have tattooes or body jewellry. As long as they don't behave in a loutish or boorish manner towards others, leave them be. If you think that naturism should be about body purity in every shape and form, you're living in the wrong decade. Get with the times!
Anyway, that's my rant for now - I welcome comments about this article from other people, whether they are naturists or not. :-)
I got the word a couple of days ago that the Elephant Rock nudist retreat is going up for sale, after being a popular haunt for Australian nudists for quite some time. It's not just them - Greenwich Lodge, Aswelikeit, SunLeisure, Bardots, and several other venues have gone to dust over the last few years which makes me ask the big question: what can be done for the Australian naturist scene to stop it from going down the tube? What factors are stopping it from going where it needs to go? Why are we losing our venues, when in other parts of the world the nudist scene is booming?
Maybe these could be the reasons why:
1) Lack of support and interest from younger people
Let's face it: young people are the future. The naturist scene needs them for contributing fresh ideas and opportunities for the businesses to grow. Young people's interests and tastes in holiday venues have changed enormously over the last 20 years. Most are no longer content to rough it out in the bush in rustic, run down sites that have not been upgraded since the 1940's or thereabouts. Added to that, there is too much focus on middle-aged to elderly people in the nudist media. Show a person in their teens or 20's a copy of a nudist magazine and they'll dump it within 30 seconds saying "there's nobody our own age and nothing to do with our interests in it". Running a nudist business is just the same as running any other business. You need aesthetics and glamour to sell it. You will not attract today's youth if your venue or publication does not have anything in it for them.
2) Dull, uninteresting website for the ANF.
The Australian Nudist Federation is supposed to be like the United Nations for the nudist scene in Australia and represent the best interests of nudists at heart. Unfortunately, whilst it might sound nice in theory, in reality it hasn't been like that at all. They've not been doing a very good job to win the masses over to their lifestyle - even e-mails from myself asking for advice to promote naturism in my town went unanswered. Added to that, their website is woefully out of date and like many nudist venues here has not been updated since it was first constructed. If you want to win and wow people, you need bells and whistles and fancy flashing lights on the site to get people's attention. Added to that, the last few Presidents of the ANF haven't exactly had it easy. A few of years ago, a nudist club rejected the President from its ANF convention because he was a single man. His successor was a married woman with children of her own in their teens. Unfortunately, they didn't continue the nudist lifestyle once they turned 14 or 15 and she didn't seek to encourage them either. This has also seen a downturn in the lack of young people involved in nudism in the recent years. The ANF used to be a family friendly organisation and prided itself on being 'nudism is for everyone of every age'. Not anymore.
3) Nudist clubs discriminating against people on account of marital status and families:
This is the BIG deterrent to more Australian people being involved in nudism. Nudists need to get with the times. I sincerely believe the Australian government needs to put the whip down on nudist clubs who do this. You don't see other special interest groups like sci-fi clubs, vintage car clubs, or music and movie fan clubs refusing a person membership on account of age or marital status. Why should nudism be any different? This is where I see a sense of hypocrisy. Nudists are constantly saying "nudism is not about sex, it's wholesome and healthy, but we don't want single guys and kids in our circles". I'm suspicious of this, and I think that these so-called nudists are actually swingers using nudism as a means of fulfilling their hidden agendas. And these people are almost blind to reason that the movement is in the doldrums because of attitudes like theirs. For nudist women: if a lone guy is enroaching on your space when you don't want him to, tell him to fuck off! If anyone gets too close to comfort with your children, give them a good kick in the nuts (or ovaries, seeing as I'm non-sexist!) and have the management and/or the police escort them out of the place. Don't put up with shit from a few troublesome minorities. Not all single guys are sexual predators, and I also think that children in a nudist environment should also be made to either go nude or go somewhere else if they don't want to comply. Nudity in the nudist context does not mean sexual availability - don't let sex predators spoil your fun!
4) Changes in societal values with money, travelling, political reform.
We are now entering a very weak economy which has been brutally tarnished by the 'greed is good' capitalism of the 80's and the various stock market crashes of the 90's. These days the masses are underpaid and overworked in order to try and put money back into the government's kitty. Added to that, there has also been political reform with social minorities. Since the 1980's, homosexuality and lesbianism has become more accepted by mainstream society with the result that some countries and states have legalised gay marriages and gay parenting. It's no longer a social taboo to 'come out' with the fact that you are gay at whatever stage you are in in your life. Also, previously taboo religions like Wicca, Paganism and Scientology, previously treated as evil cults by the media have suddenly gained new found respect thanks to people like Fiona Horne, J.K. Rowling, Daniel Radcliffe, John Travolta, and a few others. Their belief systems gained acceptance by fighting tooth and nail for it and making it 'cool' with kids and teenagers. So, it's about time that nudists sought to evolve. Why they are content to remain a social minority of cranks to be segregated is beyond me. If we don't become more 'out there', we will lose what little credibility we have left with the rest of society. As it is, nudists here are treated as bizarre, peculiar people who are little better than freakshow types to be made fun of out of ignorance. It's about time that nudists stood up to this and took to the streets demanding equality and equal rights. A few brave souls like Richard A. Collins, Steven Gough, Vincent Bethell, Daniel Lorenzo Johnson and Terri Sue Webb have done exactly that over the last few years and have been both lauded and loathed by the critics for their stances. With Gough and Bethell both having done time in prison, Bethell no longer cares to be involved with naturism any longer.
Environmental issues are also another deterrent for people taking part in naturism. If naturism implies being 'for nature', what is 'nature friendly' about driving fuel-guzzling SUVs to remote beaches which take up more travel time in order to nude up? It doesn't make any sense to me. The Australian government ought to grant nudists more freedoms than they have now. I'd like to see nudity legalised on all parks and beaches as it is in many parts of Europe now. If people don't like it, they can just go and emigrate to the Middle East or colonise another planet. Taking offence to human nudity is the product of a sick mind.
5) Use the Internet more
As has been discussed in EJP's article about Generation Y and nudism, Australian nudist club owners need to be looking for more ways to advertise their business. If you want to be getting more young adults to your function and venues, create a page on networking sites like Myspace, Facebook, Bebo, MSN Spaces or Yahoo! 360 - they are used a lot. Also, put your venue's URL on Google. If it's not on Google, it doesn't exist to most young adults today. Google has become the digital encyclopaedia to the world. Also, try and make sure that patrons can get mobile telephone coverage. I've been to several nudist clubs and beaches and have been disappointed that I can't make any phone calls because there is no reception.
6) Promote your event on sites for younger naturists like ynai.com and freebodyzone.com - both these sites are primarily directed at younger people and getting them actively involved in nudism. Don't be shy.
7) Be more liberal about appearances:
Don't turn away people because they have tattooes or body jewellry. As long as they don't behave in a loutish or boorish manner towards others, leave them be. If you think that naturism should be about body purity in every shape and form, you're living in the wrong decade. Get with the times!
Anyway, that's my rant for now - I welcome comments about this article from other people, whether they are naturists or not. :-)
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