Admit it, this year is just flying already. As I sit here, typing this amongst Caspar trying to attack the cursor on the screen, I realise that a blog update is somewhat overdue. I guess it will always be quality over quantity, especially compared to a few months back at Alphalink. But anyway, the keyboard is playing up and so I better get on with it before the technical difficulties drive me to distraction and I destroy my computer...
Ok, jumping back... New Years... began with a party at a friends place, which was rather fantastic as his balcony looked out over several parts of Melbourne, and as the fireworks went off, it became an ideal viewing point. It felt good to see the back of 2003, and to feel that 2004 was going to be very different.
From there, Ant and I, along with Andrew and Mark, and Michael and Jimmy, went across to The Market, which proved to be an affordable yet effective way to see the NY in. With 'Magnitude' seemingly out of vogue, and tickets to XTC being as rare as hen's teeth, The Market benefitted from those who were unsure of where to see the New Year in.
From there, a group of us went to the XTC Recovery, which reminded me somewhat of the old Sunday afternoon Virgin Mary rooftop days. Very bright. Very warm. Lots of topless toned guys but hey, I can deal with that... Home relatively early, and felt it was another successful and highly enjoyable seeing in of the new year.
Jump forward to my birthday one week later. This years birthday... well, it didn't feel like 'a birthday'. I guess after how well last year's 30th went, it would be hard to match. Still, it was surrounded with family and friends, and Ant even threw a makeshift suprise dinner for me at Ice on the night of my birthday with a handful of friends, which I truly appreciated. I had a joint birthday dinner that weekend with Leon, but I did feel in some ways like it was 'just another night out', not that this is a bad thing, just that I think perhaps my priorities are shifting and I already had the most important things the Thursday before on the day of my birthday; great friends and a caring boyfriend.
Matt Coleman did a numerology reading for me for my birthday. Last year was a 5 year for me, a year of great change, testing, and romantic connections... which summed up my year perfectly. This year, being a 6 year, is a year of great opportunity, of creative pursuits, of development with relationships, and 'settling' into my new world. I've often used the anology of two worlds that were so violently defined last year on July 22nd, and while I miss the old world incredibly, I can't help but feel that this new world is going to be far more benefitial for me.
I can't talk about all the opportunities that have already shown themselves so far. Let's just say that I hope 2004 brings about a few other changes before it settles in, and that many of these opportunities are being explored. I guess i'm saying that i'm trying to make the best of each opportunity as they present themselves, especially since, financially, I need to start looking at other alternatives.
Now to round off with a recent email I received that reminded me of another 'quirky circumstance' my name brings about. I guess if I just reprint the original email from Chris, and then let you read the responce, you'll understand...
>Lawrence,
>
>I bought the Client album today and looking in the liner notes there was a
>thank you to a Laurence Akers. Now was that a spelling mistake as their
>could be a link as they have a licencing arrangement with Mute or is their
>another Lawrence Akers in the world???
>
>The mind boggles.
>
>Cheers
>Chris
My responce:
There are, actually, two 'Lawrence Akers' in the music industry.
The other is a fairly well known figure in the UK.
The first time I heard of him was when I was interviewing Steps. Their manager raced into the room and asked who was Lawrence Akers (since I was there with Cyclone, a girl, it should've been obvious!). He then went on to tell me that there was an English Lawrence Akers who was fairly high up in the industry in the UK.
Then when I joined Mushroom, Peter Barrett, an English man who did many of the early PWL covers and had moved to Australia to work in the Mushroom art department, emailed me to say that one of his close friends in the UK was also a 'Lawrence Akers'.
Then when I went to London for Depeche Mode, I received an urgent message from Denise in Australia telling me to call their PA as there had been a stuff up. The other Lawrence Akers, who is good friends with the band, had asked for tickets on the same night, and for the same quantity. I had to phone up and explain that there were two Lawrence Akers' both wanting the same number of tickets for the same show. Fun! I actually took Friendly to that gig with me as my 'pseudo date', along with Andrew Murabito who you would know from his work on Kylie artwork.
I've heard that the other Lawrence Akers has since started his own production company, and been working a bit with Andy Fletcher from Depeche, who are - of course - the key act of Mute... so you can see why there might be some Mute connection going on there. I think he may have previously worked in light design too, as I have some Take That on Top Of The Pops footage that features a Lawrence Akers on lights... the mind boggles!
And no... i've never met him, but i've always said that if I ever get back to the UK, I would want to.
Soundtrack to your life... (The Directors Special Edition)
A concept i've been fascinated by for many years now, and recently raised on Kylie forum Say Hey, I thought I would reprint my posting here as, for once, I gave up more of myself online than I normally would in a public forum... it actually felt more like a blog entry than a thread reply, but all the same, it's very me.
When I was at uni studying Psychology, I used to be fascinated by the concept of how music can be used in relation to psychology and creating discussion. One of the things I would always get someone to do was to choose their fifteen tracks that were the 'soundtrack to their lives', with the criteria being that each track had to be related to a part of their life. And then we would sit down, preferrably listen to it, and discuss what each song meant, what feelings it arose, and the circumstances behind each event in a fair amount of detail. It meant that we were able to quickly access some of the past history of the person, and move forward from there.
Having said that, i've constantly revised my own tracklisting time and time again, but haven't done it for a while, and this past year was actually fairly filled with change (which often in turn brings good and bad), and so I would need to rework the past couple of years into a defining moment.
I remember once interviewing Baz Lurhmann for his 'Something For Everyone' album and mentioning this to him, since I felt that album played very much like someone's soundtrack, and he was rather intrigued by the concept at the time.
Haven't done this in a while... and this could be a long read... but here goes:
ABBA 'Mamma Mia' - when I was a child, I was fascinated by ABBA. I refused to let anyone enter or leave the house without first listening to this single. I would've been maybe four or five at the time. I had music retail in my blood already, it would seem. It also is a reoccuring song in my life. At my 18th, held at a dodgy restuarant in Fitzroy St, St Kilda called 'Munroes', the piano player broke into it after I finished my birthday speeches. I thought my mother had requested it. She thought I had requested it. Regardless, the fact both our minds liked it's playing to some nostalgic part of my life highlights it's importance. And then there was 'Priscilla' years later. At the time, I was lighting drag shows in a venue named 'The Xchange'. I was also studying media at uni with a lecturer who was hell bent on drag. You could raise any topic you wanted, and she would relate it back to drag. Who knew that third world debt could be highlighted via drag? She did! When she discovered how I earned my living, I could do nothing wrong. And then 'Priscilla' hit... my goodness, no wonder I got a high distinction with my paper on a Jungian interpretation of 'Ren & Stimpy'... thank you, ABBA! And, of course, I can't think of ABBA without thinking of my good friend Audi, who was one of my first housemates and who took me under her wing during my early developmental stages of my 20's and my 'gayhood'. She was my 'Mamma Mia'... ok, bad feckin' joke...
U2 'New Years Day' - reminds me of a good childhood friend named Chris who sadly committed suicide while in highschool. U2 also went on to become one of my favourite bands. Infact, during my final years of highschool, I set up and ran their appreciation club, 'The Fourth Chord'. It ran for many years, and even spread internationally, but my own lack of skills, fear of delegating responsibility, and sheer lack of time meant that the club didn't last terribly long. Alternative would be 'Where The Streets Have No Name'. It doesn't have the same impact of reminding me about Chris, but it is one of my favourite songs of all time, and even gets me a bit teary in a strangely happy way whenever I hear it.
INXS 'New Sensation' - the first band I became 'serious' about, and who inspired me to follow my 'music industry' dream. I choose this song because I think it was a great track for Michael Hutchence to perform live and watch, and it always gave me enormous joy. On the downside, every freakin' bad cover band seemed to cover this track at the time, and I remember one night where my first boyfriend and I had an enormous fight and the one song I remember the poxy cover band playing with this one. I also co-wrote a fanzine for INXS called 'What U Need'... which lasted for a while, but basically, I was very lazy with updating it and Giselle, who co-ran it with me... well, she dumped me. And in retrospect, rightfully so.
EMF 'Unbelievable' - my year 12... the end of many years of schooling and the feeling of entering something much bigger. It also reminds me of The Metro Nightclub, every Thursday, during my first year of Uni. I love this album, not just because it is a great album, but also because it reminds me of the beginning of my adulthood... of knowing life outside of a classroom, and of experiencing new things. There is a raw vitality about their music that summed up the edgy vibe of my world at that stage and even still, listening to it, i'm drawn in nostalgically.
MADONNA 'Like a Prayer' - watching the Blonde Ambition tour from Barcelona on tv made me realise that I really was a closested Madonna fan. It was also my first OGT (obvious gay trait), and before long, the realisation set in that it wasn't just Madonna that I was closested about. I also cite 'Justify My Love' as having taught me a lot about being sexy through music. I now have a visual of several close friends reading this sentence and wanting to scratch their eyes out from the visual. This amuses me somewhat.
KYLIE MINOGUE 'What Do I Have To Do?' - Out and proud... heading out every Thursday night to 3 Faces (now The Market) and dancing the night away with friends (only drank coke or water! no drugs!) Driving friends home to Broadmeadows before heading home to Airport West myself. It was a great, carefree period of my life filled with a lot of innocence and self discovery. I choose this song especially for two reasons; firstly, and surprisingly, I was never a big Kylie fan at the start of her career. And if the truth be known, I still cannot listen to her first few singles (especially 'I Should Be So Lucky', no matter how iconic it is). But 'What Do I Have To Do?', and for that matter, all of the 'Rhythm Of Love' singles, changed my perception on Ms Minogue. Secondly, on the night of my 21st birthday, I was pulled up on stage during the drag show to acknowledge my birthday. On the same night, Kylie was in the club, and was pulled up on stage following me to far more applause than I got... Someone sold the story to one of the trash papers in Melbourne (the ironically named, 'The Truth') and the front page headline appeared 'Kylie In Gay Club Romp' (I still have the issue somewhere; it's hysterical!) Anyway (don't you love this long winded stories?), after her appearance on stage, the DJ put 'What Do I Have To Do?' on and Kylie danced on a podium with a Melbourne scene identity known as 'Grandpa Acid' (think bad fluro lycra and step class style dance moves and you've got it)... it's a vivid memory anyway, and one that brings me a lot of joy. Of course, Kylie would go on to play more of a role in my life than that, or atleast her music would. Stroll casually forward to 1999, and 'The Real Thing', with a young Mr Akers now working at Mushroom Records... it was the start of something that felt very right.
DEPECHE MODE 'Somebody' - summed up a lot of what I was 'looking for' in my early 20's, and began my fascination with this band that has lead me to such extents as to travel overseas to see them perform. It also reminds me of meeting one of my first soul mates, the late Tracey Twat, who was a massive fan of this band and introduced me to their music. I've been more than a fan of Depeche... I feel like, as the die-hard fans refer to themselves, 'one of the devoted'. There music isn't just for enjoyment for me... it verges on a spiritual experience and there are songs that Martin Gore has written that highlight many points of my life... from that feeling of understanding the proud 'Walking In My Shoes' gave me to the memory of lying in a bed with Jon, my boyfriend at the time, and sobbing to 'Waiting For The Night' over Tracey's passing... this band doesn't just write music that moves me... it inspires me also.
CLOUDS 'Anthem' - the first time I feel in love, with a relation (no less) of Peter Allen's (if its good enough for Liza...) Musically, it was raw and powerfully loud, and it felt like my energy inside. Lyrically, it summed up my feelings for Damien in 'cool terms'; "I want something that I can hold. Give me a piece of you." It's also the perfect alternative-pop anthem clocking in at just under 2 minutes.
RADIOHEAD 'Creep' - self loathing early 20's something. Says it all really. When Damien and I began to catch up again, after a year or two break, this was the song that both he and I were heavily into.
JANET JACKSON 'If' - I'd walk in a club, look at some boy, and have those words go straight through my head. Close alternate option to this would've been Kd Lang's 'Maybe'.
PULP 'Disco 2000' - mid-90's Britpop fascination. Using irony for cool factor. Jarvis Cocker was ever nerds idol, cause he was the nerd that became impossibly cool. And the song just made me want to dance.
TRACEY TWAT 'I'm a Man' - my best friend. my housemate. my co-writing partner. Sure, the single only reached a peak of early 100's, but considering it was a drag queen releasing a single via a small label, that wasn't bad at all. Tracey sadly passed away before this project got too far off the ground, and follow up singles, although completed, were shelved.
STETSASONIC 'Talkin' All That Jazz (Dimitri From Paris Remix)' - Lawrence discovers his groove... again. Reminds me of starting work at Mushroom. Reminds me of the (now sadly gone) legendary Freakazoid. Reminds me of friends breaking out in laughter at me cause, as soon as that walking bassline hit, no matter was I was doing, my arse would start to wiggle and i'd be off. There is a lot of great memories attached to this one track.
DIANA ROSS 'The Boss' - classic 70's disco track that became my anthem again in the late 90's. Again, reminds me of Freakazoid. Was also sure to do dramatic head turns on the stabs in the chorus. If ever there was a 'camp power', this track installed it in me.
MORCHEEBA - The Sea - dedicated not just to my 'other soul mate' (can someone possibly have two soul mates?) Lyle, who was also my housemate... and not just to him, but to that period of hedonistic recovery parties and chilling on the couch, listening to Morcheeba's 'Big Calm' album, and just being great friends. Life was good...
PLAYGROUP 'Number One' - my anthem for my Paris/London/Manchester 2001 trip. Alternatives would be Ash's 'Candy', or The Ones 'Flawless'.
BURT BACHARACH 'Alfie' - dedicated to my 'Piano Bar' tribute... to the meeting and great friendship with my friend David... to the rather short lived but inspired flirtation with Dean... to the awakening of a more cultured me, who knew of 'this scene' existing but was always more interested in rock and pop. My parents always took me to music theatre as a child, and I had an above average knowledge of them, but it was hanging with this group of extraordinarily talented people that not only educated me, but inspired me. After all, creativity is the articulation of the soul. Besides, what was it all about, Alfie? During my 30th year alive, my being did a lot of soul searching... a lot of questioning... a lot of self discovery... this track, strangely, will always remind me of that period where I just learnt, finally, how to 'be'.
BLUR 'No Distance Left To Run' - dedicated to a housemate who wore me to the ground, and I finally had to give in that there was no way of saving this friendship with someone so deluded. While this song suggests a far more intimate relationship, I couldn't help but relate to the tiredness in Damon's voice as he sang the opening "It's over, just turn you head and walk away..."
STING 'Desert Rose' - dedicated to Michael, the 'first person' in my 'new world', shooting the self deprecating me that existed in 'Blur times', and demanding more satisfaction in my life. With him, and through him, I began to rediscover the 'fun Lawrence' that actually attracted people in the first place. I can't imagine my life now with he and his partner, Jimmy.
AMIEL 'Missing The Music' - a few levels here... an artist I had enormous pleasure in working with... who I was proud to work with... my feelings towards a certain former employer... a feeling of looking for something new to find a freshly torn hole... a feeling of discovering what really are our priorities in life... a feeling that the world can be flawed.
KURTIS MANTRONIK 'How Did You Know?' - 'our' (being my circle of friends) anthem for 2003. Lots of good memories. Throw in the Khia 'Lick It' white label onto the end and it's twice the fun.
Think thats about it for the moment... There are probably some things i'm overlooking at the moment or will come to me later, but in one sitting, this is what i've come up with... sorry for the rambling and thanks for reading!
PS. Happy birthday to David Hanna for Dec 25th - long may squirrels go for your nuts... and a big extra special Happy Birthday to my boy Ant, who had his birthday on New Years Eve.
