Flash Mob Pt2: After writing the other day about this new and rather bizarre trend, Melbourne experienced it's first ever 'flash mob' last night out the front of Flinders Street Station, under the clocks. 120 people rocked up at 5:25pm and pointed with one yellow-gloved hand at the sky for one minute before walking off like nothing happened. Wanna see it? Wanna read more about it?
Friday's site recommendations: My choice of sites that I tend to frequent often...
* Rather Good: Totally absurd and, some might say, often offensive humour that tends to have me laughing uncontrollably. Definitely check out the angry kittens rocking out to The Vines.
* Say Hey: Actually, a Kylie forum, but it tends to be one of the more 'vibrant' (for want of a better word) on the net. The off topic tends to be a hub of controversial topics, often bordering on childish, but that's the internet for you.
* Go Home Productions: One of the biggest underground breakthroughs in popular music over the past few years has been the 'hybrid' mix... this site tends to be a good first base to check out what's going on.
* Shareware Music Machine: For those interested in making music, this site is probably one of the more comprehensive for shareware, freeware and demo music software.
* Acid Planet: For those wanting to release their 'inner remixer', this site is an online community dedicated to remixing, especially using the Sonic Foundry software ACID.
* Impossible Princess Radio: Run by the lovely Cath over in Manchester, this is a streaming web station that plays nothing but Ms Minogue... obviously not for everyone but one i'm rather partial to (see my tribute below).
* Pet Shop Boys: Design wise, I think a rather awful site... but I do love the fact that, each month, they take questions for the first week, and then spend the remaining three weeks answering a selection of them online. Definitely a good thing when you feel that little bit closer to the people you admire.
* First album that I bought?'Rhythm Of Love' Australian tour pack - 1990
* Did I like Kylie the first time I heard her? No. For a start, I was never a fan of the song 'The Locomotion', and for that matter, still find it rather painful. And I wasn't a fan of 'Neighbours' either, well... not after Daphne died. And during the 80's, I was very big into the Australian 'rock' scene (well, 'rock' then was INXS, The Models, etc...), and Kylie seemed too much part of that manufactured prodcution line for me. Additionally, being young and impressionable, I fell pray to the media who took no greater delight in bring Kylie down tall poppy syndrome style.
* What made me notice her then? In the early 90's, I discovered the night club scene... and with that, I discovered 'What Do I Have To Do?' and 'Shocked' especially... I had to admit at this point that she knew how to craft a fairly addictive dance tune... and I was beginning to really like the 'image' that she was cultivating. It was sharp, sexy and sophisticated while still retaining a lot of her playfulness.
* Where did you first meet Kylie? It was at the very start of the 'On a Night Like This' tour in Brisbane after the first show. Charlie, who I worked with at FMR (who I have found 'a link' for, but I would never be that cruel as I know she would not appreciate it), is a close friend to Kylie, and when she discovered that I had never met her before, went to grab her and bring her over. You can understand that I had built up a strong passion for Kylie's music over the following decade from when I first 'discovered' 'What Do I Have To Do?', and so while I tried to retain a cool and calm exterior, I was a bundle of nerves. Charlie brought her over and introduced me, and Kylie replied 'So, you're the Lawrence i've heard so much about?' Out of all the things she could've said, she picked the absolute perfect comment and I became this big, blushing, mumbling mess (mind you, I am tongue tired at the best of times anyway).
* Having worked for her record company and on her music, did I get to 'hang around' with her often?Absolutely not. For a start, she does have (like any normal person) her own close circle of friends. And secondly, my job was to be one of many that worked on marketing her music, and nothing more. In all honesty, I have an absolute aversion to getting too close or stepping over 'that line' with my favourite artists, and while it was always nice to say hello or get a photo, I tend to prefer to stand back and keep out of the way for fear of being seen as 'a pest'. But the number of people who thought that, while working on her music, I would 'call her up' and 'have a latte' or something is rather amusing and hell, while i've got the opportunity, I may as well clarify that this doesn't happen. Having said that, any time that I have seen her, she has always been very pleasant and kind.
* Is it true she phoned you on your 30th to wish you a happy birthday? This can be seen as bragging... and yep, it definitely is bragging. Charlie had asked if she would mind, and on the morning of the 8th of January, 2003, she gave me a call. Now, I know a few Kylie's, so when she phoned up and said 'Hi, it's Kylie...', my immediate reaction was to say 'Which Kylie?' "The small one...", she replied. I mumbled my way through a brief conversation once again, getting the opportunity to congratulate her on her Grammy Nomination that she had received that morning, and thanked her for her kind gesture. I then casually walked next door to Charlie's office and jokingly said, "Will you stop your friends from pestering me when i'm trying to work on them..." In all honesty, it was an enormous thrill to have my thirties greeted in by two people I admire so much - Kylie and Charlie. One I admire from what I know of them... and the other I admire because of knowing them. I'll stop bragging now.
* What does Kylie mean to you? As a performer, she represents the ability to be persistent, to overcome criticism and to prove yourself as a performer of substance and worth, especially difficult in the fickle world of pop. Personally, she almost embodies the 'passion' that I felt when I went into work each day... and why I loved my last job... working on Kylie has never been a job, because it was something I believed in, and on a more selfish level, it gave me a sense of purpose.
* Why choose Kylie for the first artist tribute on Blog? Because over the past few years, Kylie has represented many things that I hold dear and important to me. Firstly, like many people, she represents many good times shared with close friends. I can't hear tracks like 'On a Night Like This' and not think of people like Micheal Ritchie. I can't hear tracks like 'Made In Heaven' and not think of Matt Coleman. Secondly, Kylie has 'brought' new friends into my life... via the web where I met people like Alexandre in Paris, Geordan in New York and David 'Margeaux' Watson in Sydney (now Canada). Additionally, she has strengthed some of the friendships that I found at FMR, especially with people like Dean and Kylie Martin, who I could not speak more highly of. Ms Minogue has represented a sense of purpose, something that i'm good at, and something that I enjoyed doing. But I guess if I was given the opportunity to pay Kylie a compliment, I would want her to know that I chose Kylie for my first artist tribute because she has been one artist who has been able to totally make me revise what I thought of her through her own talent and sheer persistence. Like many 'rock' teenagers in the 80's, I disliked Kylie for being so manufactured (although a lot of this has to do with my inability to understand the value of pop music). But over the years, she has proved to be worthy of her icon status, and I stand humbly corrected that my initial assessment of her was totally off track. She has definitely provided a substantial portion to the soundtrack of my life, and for that fact alone, I thank her.
Sense of purpose...
That's the keyword today... Actually, I was discussing this with someone last night. In the past, my job gave me my sense of purpose. I can't really claim that as much lately. In some ways, and this is rather sad, but this blog has given me some sense of purpose... or atleast some means to have a voice and feel like i'm contributing in some ways. Although it is ramblings and playful internet cruising, it does tend to articulate my life at the moment, the boredom that I seem to be facing daily, and the need to keep my mind alert, creative, and thinking. My book that i've been working on, 'On Being', is where my more focused thoughts are channelled, but I guess we won't be seeing terribly much of that for some time yet. Whereas this is instant... it's a popular culture... it's the ability to claim a location in this parallel cyber world and to project my thoughts to a mass culture. I guess that is why I try to make it very 'pop', disposable but something that can prehaps promote thought and a sense of now. I've always thought that people tend to place too much emphasis on their situation giving them a sense of purpose when the reality is that they should be creating it for themselves.
I asked someone last night what creative output he did to articulate his soul. It might sound like a loaded, or even rather wanky question, but I consider it a vital one. Many people can't answer what it is about themselves that makes them unique, and I personally find that to be one of the questions you should think about the most and be ready to answer should you ever be asked. After all, it is our own individual uniqueness that makes us stand apart from each other, and able to enhance and make an impact on each others lives. My blog is my attempt to be a little more unique... to be a little more creative... to be a little more understanding of who I am now, as I certainly have no idea at present where i'm exactly heading. Anyway, enough basic philosophy for today...
