I’m sorry, Zack. I’m really sorry. This remix was supposed to be awesome. Something is going wrong.

From the Sound Telegraph, Rockingham’s local paper. I was also in the Weekend Courier the same week, but I’ll give you this one as it’s a slightly better interview on my part.

Anyway, if you didn’t know before, I grew up in Rockingham. It was a bit of an odd place for a gentleman of my nature to grow up, what with its’ working class industrial area/naval town kind of vibe. Perhaps I need to put a gig on down there… it’s been a while since I’ve freaked people out in that ‘hood.

My thinking cap is on.

I’ve just posted a new video blog at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS66Ms8xYSA

Which features a bootleg remix of the theme from The Running Man that I’ve been tinkering around with for a while now. There’s a content claim on the video, which means I can’t post it here and it’ll probably be taken down over the next day or so.

But at least you can go and get yourself a pretty copy of the remix as a download from here: http://www.mediafire.com/?zztyzmq5i4q

I’m very happy with how this remix has turned out, at the moment I think it’s up there with my best. It’s a pretty iconic theme tune, and it took me a long time to find a way to get something fresh out of it. Have a listen.

So I’ve just confirmed to play a set with an act from New Zealand called Kids Of 88 at Mojo’s on the 27th of this month; they do a kind of pop/electro thing that reminds me of a more indie version of TV Rock or Rogue Traders, something like that… if I can say that without it sounding like an insult. You know what I mean. It’s a different kind of band for me to play with, which means a different kind of crowd to fuck around with, which I always love. Plus it’s at Mojo’s, which is my favourite place to play in WA when it’s cold outside. They have an open fire and a kickarse wine list, so it’s really cozy.

This is my new thing. Video blogs. I dig them. I plan to do more of them as they are extremely self indulgent fun. To kick things off, I’ve done two this weekend for you:

This whole thing started because I was messing around with the vocals for Nice and started craving the attention I get on stage. Turns out from stupid ego-based bullshit, beautiful things can grow.

I’m afraid I have no excuse for this one. Just know that I’m sorry.

I’m not sure if you were at my Amplifier gig for the WAMi’s a little while ago; if you were, you may have seen the act before me, Snow Bros.

They’re a Perth production duo who have just put out a very nice collection of beats called Second Mystery. It’s got a cartoon spy theme groove to it and I must say I’m feeling rather partial to it at this late hour while I wait for some video to render. You can listen to it all on this player, or hit them up for digital copies for $10 or a cd for $15 by clicking through to their site.

I’ve just come across this fantastic bit of video (thanks to this Gawker article); its’ inspired by the Alvin Lucier piece recently performed in Perth by the new music ensemble Decibel with Peter Holland on vocals, I Am Sitting In A Room.

Sound artist Ontologist has taken the original concept of that piece in a very different direction and has ended up with one of the more elegant pieces of video art around on the web. He recorded a monologue, uploaded it to Youtube, then downloaded it and re-uploaded it 1000 times. The result is that most of what you see is Youtube’s inbuilt compression algorhythm gone wild. It’s also the first time I’ve ever seen someone use the Youtube platform itself to create an artwork. I dig it.

You may or may not dig it, but it won’t take up much of your time so have a look. If you’re into it, click through to the videos on youtube and there’s all 1000 of the variations sitting there, begging to waste hours of your time. If you are into halloucinogenic drugs, this would make a very tidy accompaniment. Much better than that MGMT record you were considering reaching for anyway. I saw you. Don’t deny it. Go on; put it in the bin.

Number 1:

Number 100 (warning: LOUD):

What are the actual stats on this? Are people who wear foundation really more likely to fornicate with each other? Is it really possible that Kylie has been with that many people (luckily she dates mostly actors so casting this video would have been easy)? How much plastic surgery can you have before your face starts to take on a rubbery, bouncy appearance? Is this song meant to make me feel less awkward in approaching Kylie for sex - and further to that, isn’t that already achieved by the aforementioned foundation overload? Would the air inside the seething sexcave of human sluts be  breathable? What does Jason Donovan think of all this - I imagine he thinks himself to be something of a catch in bed? Has Kylie passed the “Madonna In A Jumpsuit” threshold of Too-Old-To-Be-That-Type-Of-Sexy-Sex-Creature?

Seriously, what are the stats?

This is a still from the first work I ever encountered by Patricia Piccinini, Plasmid Region. I’d never felt such a strong sense that I was about to vomit, just from watching a video. These things mutate and change and it’s seriously, amazingly disgusting. Or it was at the time anyway. Taken along with some other work from her flooring We Are Family exhibition, she instantly became my favourite visual artist and hasn’t quite been pipped from that place yet (there’s been a few close calls, but nothing serious).

Piccinini has a retrospective exhibition on at the moment at Art Gallery Of WA that thankfully doesn’t include this, but does include some of her even more amazing recent waxwork sculpture stuff that takes these whacked out genetic design ideas and puts them into three (very real) dimensions.

Everyone who has been to this exhibition has raved about it and I was worried my high expectations would get the better of me, but I wasn’t disappointed. This is IT for me as far as visual art goes. Absolutely amazing. You have to go see it if you’re in Perth, we’re very, very lucky to have this work showing as a solo exhibit.

While you’re looking at the second section of work in the Centenary Gallery, make sure you head down to the end to the courtroom to check out the elegant gut punch of the Untitled installation in that room. On viewing that piece today, I discovered at I really hate crying in art galleries. It hasn’t happened before. It was only a little cry and nobody was around - my masculinity didn’t feel too comprimised. But seriously great work.

Can’t believe I’m writing about the Art Gallery Of WA. WTF? When did it stop sucking? Or is this temporary?

Here’s another old Piccinini still (neither of these are in the exhibit by the way, so there’s no spoiler alert needed):

What can be said about a tune like this? Turn off your brain, turn up your stereo and throw yourself around the room. One of my all time favourite tracks.