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March 2003
hotel radio single in the shops now… interested to hear what y’all make of it… I think it’s a neat little song… co write with Michael Barker and young Nicholas….
I want to say thanks so much to all of you who helped out with The Morning Star Campaign… there were so many of you… from performers to drivers to poster putter upperers… the whole month leading up to the concert had this wonderful atmosphere about it… of people fighting for something they believe in and getting things done...
We had 2,400 people attending the concert… we have been able to send $100,000 to the Papuan Resource Centre. Happy with that result… have had fellow musicians of the papuan kind sleeping all over my house for the last three weeks… and will continue that way for the next fortnight… tis kinda cool… clothes and instruments and food everywhere.
The concert was a blast… really enjoyed playing with NDW… I didn’t think we did too bad all things considered… great having the full seven members, getting Tim Cole back into the fold… the set was Palau, Blackwater, Terra Nullius, Amidel, and Sing Sing… the latter of which carried on its momentum from the last time we played it… all bluster and power… helped out by Airi from Drum Drum and his band of garamut players… Johnny P’s wall of noise was electrifying… ha makes me smile whenever he picks up the guitar… the most unique and talented guitarist in this country… no one make noises like John. And Rowan is none too shabby on the bass… very fluid and melodic in his playing… I know the fretless is an acquired taste for some people, but McKinnon is a fine player. Hopefully this will get us closer to releasing the back catalogue… lazy sods…
got to play with Alex Lloyd on Aliens off “Black the Sun”… his finest song in my opinion… I had to MC a little bit with Andrew Denton and Dave O’Neill… “One of these things is not like the others!!”…
The other highlights for me were Lisa Gerrard and those beautiful long held notes that went on forever with purity… Andy White’s “morning star” song… the collaboration between Pius Wasi’ beautiful bamboo flute playing and Albert David’s Torres Strait dancing… John Saffron and Douglas Horton’s theatre piece that went a long way to explaining the predicament faced by West Papuan’s… John Clarke and Brian Dawe’s hilarious spoof on Alexander Downer… Nick Littlemore’s cracking pNau piece with Royce’s dulcet tones and of course everything that Black Paradise did made me smile… inside and out… Last but by no means least, the Tim Milliken sound mix and the visual art projections from the book pieced together by Ian de Gruchy and Simon….
Time for me to rest now that the morning star campaign is over… I don’t regret any of my involvement but I haven’t slept properly for three months and I’m in danger of a nervous breakdown… twas full on… good to get the government’s knickers in a knot… not to mention the overreactive board of the ABC… the concert WILL be replayed on JJJ’s live at the wireless and music deli on radio national… at least the music bits… check out if you can the film clip using the photos from the book that has been made for paulmac’s wonderful “Cassowary” off the SOUND OF THE MORNING STAR cd…
My studio, The Enormodome, will turn into the Pacific this week as I record albums for Black Paradise, George Telek and Pius Wasi with the considerable engineering skills of Tim Cole and Byron Scullin...
Here comes the album now... April 7th... hope y’all like it...
Russel has finished the artwork and as you’ll notice, Rik has undertaken the new website... shall look different for the new record... and we’ll go for more musical downloads... any requests for inclusions in the website… just drop us a line and we’ll bang it in... good to get feedback...
did a string arrangement for pnau down at sing sing. a neat song and from what I heard the rest of the record sounds amazing… KISS were in the studio next door surrounded by blonde silicon pole dancers named chantelle and dixie and dubious rock bloke sorts with overly dyed black hair… twas every rock cliché rolled up into one
planning a mao tse tung cultural revolution video with james for the 100 Flowers in Bloom video (which is the next single)
saw massive attack last night… fantastic tho the tennis centre lacks the intimacy required for the atmosphere generated by massive attack..
come along and see george telek if you get the chance…dates are here…
interesting discussions on the message board...
enjoyed the intimate piano and vox only port fairy gig... those tents always generate good sound…
here’s a diary of the Hotel Radio video making process if you’re interested…
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