So many morons already... I had someone this morning apply for a standard account... they faxed through their application on Saturday... they also faxed through the money order... and couldn't understand why we couldn't accept that... then they were saying, "oh, but you send out a starter kit... so can't we just give the money order to the person why they drop that off?"... and I was saying, "actually, we MAIL the starter kit to you... we will require you to post that money order in before we activate your account."... and then she was saying, "but what if someone steals the starter kit?" ...and I said, "It has as much chance of being stolen as any of your other mail... it's just we need that money order so that we can actually bank it..." It seemed like a really hard concept for her to fathom and it just reinforces the notion that the majority of people out there can be extraordinarily thick. I can understand if they don't necessarily know their login or don't really use their email or any other thing that might make them slightly computer illiterate... but when you don't understand the basics of a money order, you have to worry... I did have one funny experience this morning when I had a woman phoning to renew her account. I noticed her date of birth was the 1920's, and she sounded rather elderly. When I asked for her expiry date on her credit card, she told me it was 1905... I laughed and said, "I think that card might be a little out of date..." before she started laughing and saying, "I'm still just waking up!"... story of my life, sweetheart.
I have to be honest, I was a little disappointed with the tracklisting on the Robbie live CD when I saw it... I was hoping for more of a greatest hits setlist... I mean, 'Rock DJ' was cut from there and I felt that the 'final three' Robbie songs in the show were crucial... 'Feel', 'Rock DJ' and 'Angels'. There seemed to be so much 'filler' from Escapology included on the live album and I tend to wonder why when the set was so much stronger than that. I mean, 'Monsoon'? 'Me & My Monkey'? Even 'Mr Bojangles'? I know that Albert Hall was a crucial moment in Robbie history but in terms of a live album, I just feel like there was a lot of wasted opportunity there that could've made the album so much more essential. Oh well, bring on the DVD...
Entry #3
Context: A fabulous friend puts himself down and I don't tolerate it routine...
I'm not saying it to suck up to you or as some temporary bandaid comments... they're all genuine. The thing is this - I used to do exactly the same thing with myself, and i'm still prone to focus on my negatives too, so I can understand. But i'm certainly vastly improved on my outlook than what I used to be and figure that people are attracted to me for my confidence and fun nature over everything else. Besides, who knows what others find attractive. Personally, I find myself to be pretty much an average looking kinda guy - certainly nothing to write home about - but I hope the fact that I go out and can be seen having fun and enjoying myself is going to be the thing that makes people show interest, cause I atleast look fun... I don't know if that makes sense, but the basic point i'm trying to make is that you've just got fun oozing out of you and so much charisma too... it's hardly surprising that you've ended up with boys like hot butt xxx (note: yes, I can be smutty... don't act shocked now) because they're attracted to the presence that you have... you should work that.
Entry #4
Context: A friend tells me not to 'lose' Ant.
...Yeah, he's a sweetie. I'm not planning to lose him anytime soon. Infact, this weekend was... ahem... one month! It was funny watching Queensland boy trying to pick him up at Piano Bar too. I was surprised at how 'not jealous' I am as a partner... I thought I would be! But I was enjoying it for entertainment value watching him try. I guess I just believe that if I don't trust him, then I really shouldn't be going out with him. Ironically, Queensland boy was at bowling last night... not that I saw him... but Ant ran into him in the toilet and he was getting the third degree from him... 'Why are you here?' (well, 'bowling'... der!)... 'Is your boyfriend here?'... 'Well, it's your loss...' blah blah blah... whatever.
Entry #5
Context: Telling a new US friend about Melbourne.
I guess it is hard for me to fathom, having been born and raised in Melbourne. I'm actually very proud of my home. I think Melbourne has a fantastic arts and fashion conscious. But at the same time, i'm very much aware of the fact that Melbourne is more of a 'town' than a 'city'. It hasn't got the appeal of Sydney, but Sydney and Melbourne are so different in so many ways. I like to visit Sydney, and it's fun for the occasional party, but Melbourne is more suited to me... We're forever being the city that most people can't pronounce the name of properly (it's Mel-burn and not Mel-born).
Entry #6
Context: My weekend just past... in summary
I must admit that it was one very social weekend for me. At the risk of sounding totally teenage, I think I drank more this past weekend than I have the entire year. It started on Friday night when a friend of mine came over for a 'quiet coffee' and ended up with me, surprisingly, at The Laird (of all places... i'm not very Laird... not that i'm not 'manly' or anything... it's just I don't really go with that look either...) Saturday night was the final Piano Bar at Chapel Off Chapel, and since i'd been a regular on and off over eighteen of it's twenty month existence, thought I should pop on down... and then rounded off the weekend by going Bump & Bowling at Strike on Sunday night. For some reason, drinking and bowling goes hand in hand for me... but hey, I started the game off by bowling two strikes and a spare in a row so it obviously works for me. Some of the people in the team left halfway through the game though, and so I ended up picking up their games for them... as a sad result, someone who left half way through the game beat us...
...You will be surprised who you run into there. when I typed in my friends email lists, about five popped up already... wondered why they never told me about it! lol! Or maybe they had and I just hadn't noticed? Who knows? But it definitely seems to be the new trend catching on fast. Between you and me, I ran into xxx and the lead singer of xxx (note: edited so as to not cause mass emailings to them and annoy them) on here... how cool! Got to drop them a lovely little note and get a reply back. Met a few new friends already in the US and chatting away. Its fun to just go cruising around various people's circle of friends and see who is in there, dropping the occasional random 'hi' to people you find interesting... it's very friendly, and not sleazy in any way... I like that... it's bring it back to being about friends and discovering new people.
Entry #8
Context: Talking to an ex-FMR'er about recent feelings.
Had a bit of a horrible experience over the past fortnight. I've been helping Dean compile an updated xxx, and dropped into FMR to discuss the tracklisting with him. The following day, I got an email from him stating that xxx had asked him to pass on to me that I was not to enter the premises anymore. I'm not entirely sure why that hurt so much, but it has gone to the extent of even giving me bad dreams of late, and certain built a touch of resentment and bitterness towards FMR... which is totally irrational and hard and I certainly am trying to cap it cause I know how pathetic it is. I compiled the masters for Dean anyway, especially since out of all the FMR'ers, he is one of the the only ones who has truly made any effort to stay in touch. I know they're all busy and everything, but you were so right - there is so much more to life than FMR and this whole experience has put my priorities into perspective. I feel in some ways like I invested a lot of time and energy not just into working there but into the friendships and relationships with people there and that it seems to have been done mostly in vain... but at the same time, I realise how busy they are... and it especially makes me feel guilty for not having dropped yourself a line earlier when you had left to let you know how much I admired and learned from working alongside you. I don't want to make it sound more overly dramatic than it needs to be... and I can certainly be a walking contradiction myself... but I guess sometimes you think that, if Dean can manage to keep in touch in the most simplist of ways even while he is flat out, it tends to make you wonder why some people can't even be bothered replying to an email saying hi and asking how they are... anyway, enough of that cause i'm sure you were over all this sort of thing months ago and don't need someone bringing it all up again now!
Recent most asked questions:
Question: When do you begin with Shock/CD Fulfillment?
Answer: Oct 8th
Question: What do you think of the new Kylie track, 'Slow'?
Answer: I wrote about it in my blog a few weeks back? Don't you read anything and take it in? Geez... ok then... here is my initial impression as sent out in mass email style to those that I knew would ask...
Can I add that every email I have opened today has asked me what I think of the track. And I guess now, away from FMR associations and back to being 'a fan', I can be completely honest on my thoughts after having been so involved with her Australian releases since 'Spinning Around' (mid 2000... it seems so long ago!) I must admit that there is a tinge of sadness in seeing a new Kylie release out there without my involvement but... c'est la vie... or que sera... or whatever bloody Doris Day cliche you want to throw in there to imply that shit happens and you deal with it.
* Nutshell summary (for busy people): cute pop song, but not overwhelming. Smart choice as lead single. Lends itself to some potentially great remixes. Not what I would call 'classic Kylie' though.
* Marketing bonus points so far: whoever organized for the file to downloadable the night it went to radio... sheer genius! Such a smart step forward for FMR and I applaude it! Even though the track leaked as an mp3 hours before the radio broadcast, it still is an indication of where record companies should be thinking of additional revenue and catering to niche market needs.
* Extended version for those that have the time... (with some cut and pasting from previous emails and discussions earlier to save me time...)
The first time I heard 'Slow' at FMR a few weeks back, I have to admit that I was a litte disappointed. It didn't seem to have a chorus, or atleast a memorable hook, and when I left, I realised that I could describe the atmosphere the song went for well enough but couldn't even begin to remember words, key moments, anything... I had put aside my own expectations, cause we all know the bigger they are, the more you're bound to be let down, but I still walked away feeling that what I heard was a cute pop song but not terribly much more. However, the reaction of some of the FMR'ers seemed genuinely excited (not a company excited anyway) and it made me realise that this track was probably going to cause more of a 'love it or hate it' angle than anything else she could've released... penny dropped - this is perhaps the exact intention...
One slow wait and we skip to the radio release (pun intended), listening to JOY FM last night, I had to admit that it sounded good on air, and it was while I was listening to it this time that I began to realise a key point in understanding this track... if you're looking for melody, you'll be disappointed... but if you focus on the percussive nature of the track (especially the timing in the chorus), you get something different out of it (and hell, if the remixes play up on this percussive nature, they could be mighty damn hot!) Immediate reaction from JOY listeners, as to be expected, was decidedly mixed and usually to the extreme. ranging from sheer brilliance to accusations of mutating her sister Dannii's sound with Justin Timerberlake, it was clearly obvious that everyone had an immediate opinion on the track... smart move, EMI.
By the way, Dean - you sounded great on radio! Side career potential there?
And that is where the beauty of this as a lead single lies (not talking about Dean's radio debut here). It WILL cause comment. It WILL cause discussion. It DOES give Kylie the right to say that she isn't going down a predictable path, but it still is bringing electro music, which has existed for ages but not necessarily been mainstream (especially in Australia) into the charts. They (being Parlo/Kylie) know that she will have pull power just on her name alone, and that this as a lead single will cause discussion and set up this album as being remarkably different from her previous two successes. Regardless of the actual content of the album, which may be more pop than 'Slow', this is the impression that is vital in order to establish a clear progression forward from 'Fever'. In short, while it isn't the most obvious and immediate lead single, it is actually a wise move. I keep thinking back to 'Spinning Around' which I liked, but thought paled in comparison to 'On a Night Like This'... it was only in retrospect that I realise the brilliance there of releasing a strong and competent single as the first one, and THEN taking it up a level with a killer second single to nail it... I feel a repeat in the wings here...
Let's face it - not since 'Some Kind Of Bliss' and the following 'Impossible Princess' album has such discussion been caused by a lead single. And I can't help feeling excited about the upcoming album, feeling that the same spirit and motivation that crafted 'Impossible Princess' has been the element at work in the creation of 'Body Language'. It may not sound like IP, but I have the feeling the level of maturity of this work will be equal to it. So, while 'Slow' is perhaps a bit of a slow-grower, my anticipation for the album has now grown to... er... fever pitch. (Someone just shoot me!)
Question: What is this Friendster?
Answer: Check it out at www.friendster.com and come look for me... It's a fascinating concept where friends can meet friends friends and so forth... the best way to understand it is to try it, so go sign now and then come find me.
Question: Did you have to use part of an email that you wrote to me in these entries?
Answer: No, I don't have to... but these replies often best reflect my own thoughts and what is happening in my life at the moment, which is why I do... after all, I often say it best first time around when it's rawest so I would rather use that than sit here and try writing something processed afterwards. Sure, they're often blunt, raw and honest but that's half the point of this shit, yeah? However, if there is anything you feel uncomfortable about, then email me on lol_at_work@hotmail.com and i'll remove it after calling you a cry baby.
