Well I drunk a lot of wine and I’m feelin’ fine!

Beer, that is! Friday was exactly one month after the last David Bowie concert in Melbourne, Club UK and the last day that ended my surreal week that will stay in my memory forever. That night, I met up with my Bowie friends at the Belgian Beer Garden, sat under the vast clear night sky, drank the best beer in the world and caught up with stories of Post Bowie Depression and the like.

I got so many cool pressies too, thank you all! A whole bunch of bootlegs from the Australian shows AND, oh my, a signed Club UK poster by the man himself, David Bowie!! *speechless*

Right this moment, as I am typing, I am listening to a recording of the first Melbourne show. I am about to be in tears. It is bringing back so many memories of the night and so that is why I am inspired to write about it – not just about that night, but the whole entire week and just what the man means to me.

Let’s just call this a David Bowie Tribute Blog, shall we? :)

This is a very long blog so I must apologise. I am not expecting anyone to read all of this, however, it would touch me so greatly if you could and allow me share with you the week that meant so much to me. Those of you, who are passionate about anything, I’m sure, will understand the immense joy that is felt when you share your experiences with others.

So here goes…!


When you rock and roll with me, no one else I’d rather be…

David Bowie is such a large part of my life now in so many ways. Firstly, whether I listen to a whole album or just one song, there is never a day that goes by that I don’t listen to his music. It’s grown to be so familiar to me that whenever I hear his voice, I feel so ‘at home’. His daringness to break all musical conventions and his ingenious ways of expressing loneliness, pain, regret and the search for meaning and truth, is such a breath of fresh air in this bland sorry excuse for popular music today. When I pick up the guitar (which is quite rarely now unfortunately), the very first song I’d play would be a Bowie song – usually Ziggy Stardust, Rebel Rebel or Breaking Glass. I would spend hours learning his songs so much until my fingers would bleed. Then there’s BowieNet. The first website I would visit every time I log onto the internet to catch up on news and friends. Most of my internet time would be spent there and the whole experience of meeting new interesting people from all around the world has changed me so much. Their diverse interests and respectable opinions on a wide range of topics may it be music, art, film, world events, ethics and morals, have taught me things I may have never known otherwise. I see things on such a wider perspective now because there are just so many different types of people there. I can travel around the world and have friends everywhere to meet up with. I thank you, David Bowie, for creating such a wonderful community and network for all of us to share, learn and just have a ball with each other.

David Bowie is my fuel for fascination and inspiration. I will never get over how much he has changed and achieved in his over 30-year career; how many great bands, artists and musicians he has and continues to influence; how he is constantly paving new directions in music, fashion and culture; how many millions of individuals like me he is capable of completely winning over again and again, yet at the same time never coming across as classless, crude or common. This man, who commands so much respect, is colossal, almost God-like, yet for the three times that I saw him in Melbourne, he was a person on stage singing to you and me. The man who was that young folky curly haired musician, Ziggy fucking Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Halloween Jack, The Thin White Duke, Thomas Jerome Newton, Major Jack Celiers, the Goblin King, Nathan Adler and so much more – the man who wrote rock history and the man who changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

I found all this rather impossible to comprehend as he stood less than half a metre away from me belting his heart out. He had so much energy in him, his voice was flawless and powerful, he smiled endlessly, he captured the hearts of the entire stadium with an audience of over 13,000, and he loved every moment – you could see it in his eyes. After all those years, David Bowie was better than ever. I used to watch Ziggy Stardust The Motion Picture and be in absolute tears by the end of it feeling absolutely punched in the gut that I would never experience such a spectacle in my life. Never again will I feel this way for what I had seen those two nights in Melbourne was enough to make my heart completely content. I had finally seen the REAL man behind Ziggy Stardust and so much more...








My Bowie Week:

Tuesday 24th February 2004 – David Bowie on Rove Live

I was SO lucky to get into this. It was so last minute but Blammo on BowieNet got me and four other BowieNetters on David Bowie's tour manager's guestlist!! Argh! That show was already full but they managed to fit a few of us in - and lucky as I was, I got to sit front row - just about 3m away from the man himself, David Bowie.

Straight after this show, I stayed up til 2am writing this little review that was posted up on BowieNet. Click here and scroll down a bit to read my review (in the dark blue text). Oh, what a night that was. Unanticipated and just utter surrealism to the highest extent!

Here are a few photos from the night that I took off the TV screen. I couldn't bring in a camera into the studio!!



This is the face David gave me when I held up a sign to say hello ;)








Wednesday 25th February 2004 – Spooky Ghost Show @ Ding Dong Lounge

For those who don’t know, Spooky Ghost is Gerry Leonard, David Bowie’s lead guitarist. He had a solo show that night and his guest musicians would be other members of Bowie’s band: Earl Slick, Gail Ann Dorsey and Mike Garson.

The night, I witnessed brilliant upon brilliant performances one after the other. I had never appreciated Bowie’s band so much before. They completely blew me away and I remember standing there with my mouth wide open in absolute awe at Gail’s powerful and gifted voice; Gerry’s ability to create so many incredible sounds from his guitar and pedals; Earl Slick’s smooth soloing; and last but not least, Mike Garson’s (“The man who created the sounds on Aladdin Sane!!” – Trent) staggering keyboarding skills.

Mike Garson with Gerry Leonard


What I loved most about the night was that it was so intimate. The place was packed but not in the overtly crowded get-out-of-my-face-and-stop-standing-on-my-foot manner. People would stand closely around the stage and to the right of the stage, the ‘elite’ hung out – i.e.: the other band members as well as Something For Kate’s Paul Dempsey. You could mingle with these people too and they didn’t mind. It was just so equal. None of that “look at me I’m a rock star and you’re a fan” type business. Earl Slick would sit in the corner watching like the rest of us, and Gail Ann Dorsey would move about amongst the crowd at the front of the stage taking photos of the show. Just surreal.

Gail Ann Dorsey and her beautiful voice:


The man of the night, Spooky:


Multiple times, I would stand back and marvel at my good fortune. I used to read on BowieNet about these shows and could only dream I would attend these one day. And there I was! But that wasn’t quite the highlight yet, oh no!

At the end of the show, I made my way to the front through the crowd of people waiting to meet the musicians and get some autographs. There was only a curtain between us and backstage so there was a security man guarding that simple barricade. With me I had a letter for Earl Slick. It said:


“Dear Slicky,

You have now met your female alter ego.





However, you must give me a couple more years before I can even get close to your amazing calibre.

Best Wishes, Georgina, Melbourne 2004.”



I give this to Mr. Security man. “Can you please give this to Earl Slick?” I asked.
“He’s coming out later.”
“No, I don’t want it signed. Just give it to him.”
“What, just like that?”
“Yup!”
“Ok!” And he drew open the curtain a bit and handed it to Slick.

I gave Earl a few minutes to read it and at the mean time I got Gail to sign her album for me (which is absolutely brilliant – she’s just amazing) as well as having a quick chat with Garson. Great people – I was just counting my luck getting to speak to Garson! What an honour. Then I thought I better get out of my spot because there was just a mass of people behind me wanting to get things signed too. I backed off to the front of the stage and stood around with my friends.

Five minutes later Earl Slick appears through the curtain clutching my letter in his hand looking at the crowd. I waved, he saw me and I shouted across the stage to him.

“Earl!”
He looks over to me.
“That is ME!”
He opens the letter and points at a photo “That is YOU? That is SO COOL!” climbing over the stage and coming towards me. He shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you!!”

So the man that was the guitar legend that he is and the man who played on Young Americans, Station To Station, David Live, the Serious Moonlight tour as well as for John Lennon has come up to me to shake my hand. For a split second my brain screamed (just like when Homer’s brain screams when he thought Mr. Burns was coming onto him – yup, like that) and all I could muster was a “Very nice to meet you too!!”

I couldn’t exactly remember what happened straight after that because I swear my brain would have been frozen stiff, but Earl was really smiling and looked very pleased. I have not seen him smile like this before!! I felt so special.

Then his guitar tech guy came up to me and asked “Were you at Rove last night?!”
“I so was!!” replying enthusiastically as anything.
He then handed me Earl Slick’s guitar pick and again my brain screamed. It was just good thing after good thing so my brain was no longer existent. Not to mention when I had a photo taken with Slick!



I remember leaving the venue with Sarah just completely awestruck. The weather was beautiful that night as we walked through the quiet streets of China Town at 1 am not being able to get over what just happened. I was just so glad to have Sarah around with me that night. I know you are reading this, so thank you so much for coming! It just made everything perfect.

So it was, yet another sleepless night. I couldn’t believe what a good time I was having and still not been to a Bowie gig yet! It was PURE ecstasy.



Thursday 26th February 2004 - David Bowie @ Rod Laver Arena – First gig

So onto the Bowie shows. Finally! After all that, you say! Well, that was exactly how I felt. I had already experienced far more than I had ever anticipated in my wildest dreams and so it was weird when it got to the actual shows. I felt that everything had already happened and gone yet I still have two Bowie shows to see! Not to mention the well anticipated After Party at Club UK! So basically, my actual Bowie experience was still yet to begin!

When I got into Rod Laver Arena, I was just marvelling at the close proximity between myself and the stage. And to know that the night after I was going to be front row! Ahhh! The stage set-up was amazing. With birch branches and high-rise platforms at both ends of the stage, a centre run way (which I stood right at the end of), a huge digital screen that spanned the length of the stage as a backdrop, band members positioned perfectly so that no one was obstructed from view and more screens above and surrounding the stage. It made the whole stage look a complete spectacle.

Can you see the hands right up front in the centre? Yeah, that's me there!
I didn't take these two photos, because I was UP FRONT ;) But the rest of the photos were taken by my brother...





As I sat with my friends waiting for the show to begin, we listened to the background music, which included the Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles Pink Robots, selected by David himself, and just spoke of how absolutely fervent we were fast becoming. Fortunately, for our sakes, a rather extravagant tune came on soon after and Charly got up and screamed, “It’s starting, it’s starting! Let’s run to the front!!”
I was like “… er… ok!” and suddenly found myself jumping seats pushing myself to the front of the stage. And there I was UP FRONT.

The screen turned on and there were animated people playing music that slowly morphed into real people with David on the harmonica. Every band member came on stage one by one and David – DAVID BOWIE, people, the man of the night – strutted out, flashing his absolute sexiness wearing a slim fit black tattered jacket with a tail, the tightest jeans, an unbearably suggestive belt with its end protruding out of his pelvis, light blue worn out Converse Chucks, and tousled ash blonde hair that fell softly over his face. The stage went completely dark, he started to click, he started to sing… “You’ve got your mother in a whirl… she’s not sure if you’re a boy or a girl…” – and the crowd, the crowd went absolutely out of control. Not to mention when it got to the “Rebel, rebel!” part!



He then pulls the mic stand along with him to the end of the runway where I was standing. I was almost having a fucking heart attack. The man, who had brought so much into my life through his music, had his feet pointing directly at my FACE. I reached out and touched his shoes just merely 50 cm away from me. I slowly looked up in absolute awe and amazement and there he was, standing in such an almighty, colossal way with the brightest of spotlights silhouetting his slim figure from behind – he was like God. Everyone, get down on your hands and knees and worship… “Hot tramp! I love you so!”


Yes, I took this photo. It was how close I was!

“So Melbourne! It’s good to be back, you crazy mother fuckers!!” said David after the opening song. I was screaming and screaming. Everyone was screaming and screaming. I could just feel strength of the passion in the crowd. Finally, after seventeen years, David Bowie was back in Melbourne. It was our way of saying, “Welcome back, YOU crazy mother fucker!”



During the next song, which was New Killer Star, I was pushed out of my spot so I spent most of NKS and Fame getting elbowed and hair all over my face. There were these two trolls (tall ones, that is) I swear, standing in front of me. Their hair was just all over the place! I got it brushing against my nose and my fingers were getting tangled in this magnificent mass of human growth. Unbelievable. And I really wanted to enjoy Fame because it was such a fantastic rendition!! Crap.

When Reality (the fourth song) started to play, I started to get a better spot. Thank god for that! Because during the “And I swear” part, David recognised me from Rove and pointed at me. His eyes lit up and had the face “hey I know you!” and I pointed back at him and we sung “And I swear!!” together! Yet another brain scream! Fuck me. Yes. Fuck me sideways and call me a Post-it pad because it fucking happened!

Hang On To Yourself shortly followed. A classic track from the Ziggy Stardust album and I went ballistic. Ziggy Stardust was the album that hit the spot for me and started my whole obsession with the man. I saw him perform this song in the Ziggy Stardust Motion Picture and so to see him doing it in person right in front of me was just *Homer drool* - or should I just say ‘exquisite’? All of us, we just balled and played, moving like tigers on Vaseline.

The rest of the show was just great song after great song. He played a 30 song set list and the best the tour has seen so far, alternating between old and new material. It also included Quicksand. When that started to play I was screaming and screaming. And yes, more screaming. Then more screaming followed. This was the closest thing to The Bewlay Brothers I could possibly get – a song I dream to hear live but will never happen.

Under Pressure was stunning. Such power from the voices of David and Gail ringing through my ears. I cried. And I just cried. “Why can’t we give love that one more chance? Why can’t we give love, give love, give love, give love, give love? ‘Cos love’s such an old fashion word and love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night and love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves. This is our last dance. This is our last dance. This is ourselves… under pressure…” And the tears just kept on rollin’ down my flustered cheeks. Do you know the feeling when music is just so powerful that it holds your soul suspended in mid air? How every limb in your body goes soft and you feel you’re going to collapse to the ground but the music is just so incredible that it keeps you standing? It was every bit like that.



The show ended too quickly. As soon as I heard the first few bars to Heroes, I knew that it was over. Encore still to follow, but you know what I mean. Heroes was intense. More tears rolled as David sung “Oh oh whooaa… just for one daaaay…” I cried because not only was it such a ‘soul-suspending’ song, but I just still couldn’t get over the fact that it was David Bowie. My man.



As soon as the song ended, the band left the stage and the whole stadium chanted “Bowie Bowie!” stamping our feet and clapping. Then everyone up front started to hit the barriers and it made such a noise. Just sit back and imagine all this! 13,000 strong crowd chanting, and stomping and just going bezerk.

After a few minutes, when I swore I was about to lose my voice, David and the band came back out to the roaring crowd to play the encore. One of the songs was Five Years. Yet another Georgina-going-absolutely-crazy-because-it-is-a-Ziggy-song situation. I just kept thinking back to the 1971 Old Grey Whistle Test footage of the young 24 year old Bowie, before Bowie/Ziggy mania stunned the world, wearing a tight fitting green jumpsuit and knee high red boots playing a 12-string acoustic guitar and singing Five Years. Then suddenly in front of me, that same David Bowie, but now 57 years old, doing exactly the same thing (but without the jumpsuit and red boots).



So much has happened in between now and back then, so much he has achieved. It was just pure bewilderment for this young innocent mind and as soon as the song ended, he threw his guitar pick into the crowd. It fell directly in front of me but on the other side of the barrier I was against. I shouted for the security man to give it to me and he did. I looked at it with my jaw hitting the ground – “David Bowie played Five Years with this!” It is my “pweshuss” (imagine Gollum from the Lord Of The Rings saying ‘precious’)!!

Then Suffragette City went off! I am SO glad he played that song! I just so wanted to sing (or should I say ‘scream on top of my lungs’) the words “Ohhhh….. Wham Bam Thank You, Maam!” And he let us sing it too! You should have heard the crowd.

If I was disappointed when Heroes started playing, can you imagine when the starting riff of Ziggy started to play? So far, during this tour, Ziggy is the last song to end the entire show. I knew that and so it was a very sad feeling. It was like “No…! This can’t possibly be the end! No, no, you can’t! David… STAY!!”

“Ziggy plaaaaayed…. Guitaaaaaaarrrr!”
“Noooooooooo!!! You can’t stop now… please don’t end…”

Then it ended.
…
..
.

I went straight to Charly to ask how many songs he played and she counted 30. It couldn’t be 30! It just went far too quickly!

But then I headed home with a huge smile on my face knowing that I was going to experience all of this again the next night. I knew too that he was going to change the set list entirely so I was looking forward to hear the other songs he didn’t play tonight.

Sleepless night number 3.



Friday 27th February – David Bowie at Rod Laver Arena - last gig :(

I woke up on Friday feeling sick that it was all going to be over this time on Saturday and that god-awful Uni was starting on the Monday. I was really dreading Post Bowie Depression which I believed would hit me like a stone hitting a fragile flower and then the flower completely collapsing and decomposing in a absolutely horrid wreck. Well, considering the week I’ve been having so far, who wouldn’t? Don’t give me that “Oh god you’re such a stupid naïve one eyed fan” Fuck off. I’m not. But I guess I could forgive you if you’ve read this far.

This show, though, was going to be extra special because I have front row dead centre tickets, my brother and best friend Sarah was coming with me and everyone else in the Bowie Melbourne group – all my friends – were all front row with me. A concert experience could not possibly get better than this. Plus having a man like Bowie prancing and rocking out on stage – how CAN it get better?

Intro music came on and I ran straight to the barrier. So pleased with my dead centre spot I grabbed the barrier and shook it with all my might and started screaming. No trolls to stand in front of me tonight! Out came the band and then the strutting David. “Whooooaaahh Yeahhh!”

So the night was great as ever. He played very different songs from the first night, which was great. He said “I tweaked the set list around a bit for tonight… Yeah I can see that has made some of you lot happy”, pointing at us front row because he knows that he’s got fans who see more than one show. What a legend.

He spoke a whole lot more too. “Look I’ve got a band-aid on my arm so I would look like a druggie. A bit of street cred, y’know!” – Funny man. A BowieNetter friend of mine threw miniature marsupial soft toys on stage and he started to play with them! He also told us a story (but obviously made up) about how the kangaroos at Healesville Sanctuary fell into a complete blood bath after trying to follow him on a scooter. Nutter.



I had my own attempt at throwing something on stage. I had bought a sailor hat for him and I wanted to give it to him during Life On Mars. He turned his back to me at one point and I thought that would be a good chance to get it on stage without accidentally hitting him. Then the arsehole of the security man confiscated the hat before David turned around! Loser! The security man looked at me disapprovingly and it almost wrecked my whole night. I was in a foul mood for the rest of the song. Oh to give that man a good kick in the balls. Only such a feat would be sufficient for mere satisfaction.

During China Girl, Bowie pointed out the microphone to us and we sung the first verse. He said “Oh my god. You know, you are the first city in the WORLD to be able to sing the first verse to this song!” and so when he was commenting on the soft toys being thrown at him “Rock star, David Bowie, was hit unconscious by fifty marsupials. He couldn’t continue the show but that’s ok because the crowd sang for him. Being the only city in the WORLD capable of doing so!” Haha. We were stoked.



I went through the whole teary eyed procedure again during Under Pressure and Heroes. Going absolutely nuts when he played the rest of the songs I really wanted him to play – Breaking Glass, Fashion, Let’s Dance, Never Get Old. Oh man. It was as if he knew what I wanted. Melbourne has had the best set lists on the tour so far. And that felt really special!

That night, Ziggy Stardust was a highlight. I was so dead centre that his feet were like in front of each of my ears. So when I looked up, he was right in front of me. During the last line “Ziggy played guitar” he had his arms stretched out. I stretched out my arms too and they were dead symmetrical to his. My arms stretched wide apart, bright light behind him, David Bowie standing in front above me with his arms wide apart too belting out “Ziggy plaaaaaaaaaaayed guitaaaaaaaaaar!!” just like how he did in the Ziggy Stardust Motion Picture. So I broke down, yet again. God, it was way too much!

It was the perfect end to the show. Doing that whole Ziggy business with him with only a barrier of metal between us ;). I swear I must have left my soul behind that night. I think I sold it to him right at that moment!

So that basically was the end of the Bowie shows – but it wasn’t the end of everything yet! Still to come, the After Party at Club UK which a few friends and myself sweated blood to organise…



Same night - David Bowie Melbourne After Party @ Club UK

I have met so many new friends this week and the best thing about them was that they were all Bowie fans. It was almost like finding a new family. And the nightclub was packed with these people. All there, fresh out of the concert that night, to dance, drink and be merry to 6 hours of Bowie music pumping through the club’s sound system.

I have written about Club UK already in an earlier blog. I am really tired now (this took a long time to type up!) and so I can’t really be bothered typing it up again. So here it is:

It was HAPPENING. After the show on Friday I was just taking my time walking from Rod Laver Arena to Exhibition street with Bnetters Charly and Ski-Rack. When I got there, there was a queue of people trying to get into the club! Success!! The place was packed and quite a few people stayed til 5am, which was when the club closed. If you really want to know how the whole night felt, just think of the music in which you feel so passionate about but just couldn't share it with your peers because they don't listen to that kind of music. Then suddenly imagine yourself in a night club packed with people dancing to and singing that music along with you as if it were the only music that ever existed. Belting our vocal chords out to The Width Of A Circle, Moonage Daydream, Heroes... dancing to Boys Keep Swinging, Sex And The Church, Breaking Glass... going absolutely frantic to Suffragette City, Hang On To Yourself, Lust For Life... the list is endless. It was the perfect way to end that Bowie week.

Here are some photos from that night:









I just want to thank everyone who shared the same enthusiasm as me in making this night the night to remember forever. Harry, for your amazing graphic design work on the flyer and persistently calling up Ryan to get his butt into action; SoulLoveCass for sorting out the incredible 6 hour set list for the whole night and CD burning; Louise for awesome video footage which provided the perfect atmosphere for the night; Adam for the promo work as well as getting the A-frame, etc. You all made everything happen. I am just so honoured to be part of this team!!

-----

So yup, folks that wraps up my Bowie week. Wow, this WAS indeed a long blog. The biggest hugs and biggest thank yous go out for you who have read this far. Thank you so much. You can’t believe how much it means to me to be able to share this with you. The week just meant everything to me and I wouldn’t give it up for anything else in the world. I guess David Bowie really meant it when he came up with the words and sung “I can make it all worthwhile as a rock n roll star!” way back in 1972. It was definitely worthwhile! Thank you David, for everything. Nothing can possibly compare.

* Hugs and kisses* y’all. :)

xx Georgina

Just another picture on the wall...

Hi guys. This is so weird. My counter just keeps going up everyday (and they are for 'unique' visitors as well!) and yet no one wants to write anything in my shoutbox! Please write something there, it's rather lonely!

So anyway, on Wednesday I had a day off Uni because I had a class cancelled and also a few things propped up for me to do during the day. In the evening, however, I had this sudden inspiration to paint a portrait. Yes, a PORTRAIT. I have never dared to tackle such a feat before because these things are terribly hard. I have this awful phobia of painting/drawing faces that don't look like the subject. I had no idea how I would pull it off but I just had this urge to do it anyway.

The main reason behind it was because the subject in matter - David Bowie dressed in his Scary Monsters outfit - really fascinated me. I loved how the make-up was so deliberately rough and incomplete. I loved the brush strokes on his face. I just wanted to like paint something like that! I didn't want to do it on *my* face 'cos that would just look totally dodgy. So I decided to paint the actual photo of him.

It took me a little under three hours, I think. Total about 3.5 hours but I had dinner and did the dishes in between ;).

Here it is:


I tried to reflect the incomplete and roughed out look on the painting itself and hence the background being the way it is. I didn't want to do a 'portrait-portrait' where everything was perfect. I wanted it slightly abstract and an art form - just like David's beautiful purdy face (!) - which explains the off-centre position of the face and as Sarah had suggested "the sand dune"-like clothing. Haha.

I had a very satisfying time painting the face. I did the whole thing in skin colour first and then went over with the white and blue so it felt like I was putting on the actual make-up on him myself ;) Haha. For me to do this though, the painting is in acrylic, rather than oil. Oils would just take forever to dry and I would have grown very impatient.

Not wanting to sound up myself or anything but I am actually really pleased with the result considering it was my very first time painting portraits. I feel so much better as a painter now that I have achieved this so I really wanted to share this enthusiasm with you! Before I never considered myself to have any good technical skills so consequently I leaned more to abstract painting. Having done this, I am more daring to try even harder things.

xx Georgina

Cos love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night...

I am at University right now and I just came out of an information session from this new organisation called Engineers Without Borders. I think this is something I have been looking for for a long time now.

It is basically an organisation where young engineers like me who want to make a difference to the world can join and be part of. They have projects where you can go overseas to places like Thailand, Kathmandu, Indonesia and other developing countries to help improve the people's way of life. For example, designing affordable water filtering systems for villages with no access to clean water; designing wind turbines to provide electricity to those villages and towns that go without; etc.

I personally believe this is the right thing for me to do and I am very excited about the whole idea. It would be such a fantastic learning experience and to know that I am making a difference to the world. I would rather channel my engineering expertise into these areas than anything else and now suddenly, after today, I have a revelation that there really is a point in me studying my course.

As my good friend Mike said to me a while back: Engineers save the most lives.

Engineers Without Borders

xx Georgina

To think about paint and to think about glue... What a jolly boring thing to do!

Not really! To some people, maybe. But yesterday I had a very nice relaxing time at my friend Sarah's house doing some Chinese painting. She is currently studying Chinese Calligraphy. I know! I thought I'd join her and paint a few things. I've never sat down and did art together with anyone before and so that was just fantastic. Thanks, Sarah!

Still really stressed out at Uni the last few days...

1) I bought the wrong textbook. The bookstore won't let me exchange it for the right one! Tight asses! I didn't have the receipt but the book is obviously still SO brand new. Does anyone want a textbook called "Australian Corporations & Securities Legislation"?! $55/-!!

2) My subjects are boring.

Ok so there's more to why I'm stressed out but I don't believe in ranting to you lot about it here! It would just get so boring and wear my blog page thin with useless droning.

Right this moment I am applying for Vacation Work at Ford Australia. I would SO love to work there because it'll just get me interested in engineering again. But they have this massive mofo of an application form! Now they are sitting me through a psychology test. Is my mind capable of blowing these peeps off their seats? Stay tuned for more!

Hmm, what else. Oh yeah. BowieNet. Yet another member is leaving in protest. That takes guts and a whole lot of integrity. Sometimes I just don't agree with what David Bowie is doing and especially the whole UltraStar thing. He is David fucking Bowie for christ sakes! He DOES have a say when UltraStar starts ripping its fans off with UltraExpensive merchandise and so called personalised RARE wall plaques. But y'know it's probably a very complicating process and so I don't want to show my shiny ass so much. I just won't buy any of the things that's being sold at the BowieStore. I love and respect that man more than anything - but *sometimes* he does things that make you think "What the fuck for?!"

I love Diamond Dogs!!

xx Georgina

I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to do. So I've been writing just for you.

I've been feeling in the dumps today. It probably has to do with the weather. The weather today decided to show up in a rather bad mood and it's taking it out on me! *waves fist*

I don't know. Maybe I need a walk. Or something. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing right now. I don't have the urge to do anything other than type this unrelentless blog.

Y'know, I hate going to the hairdressers. Unless it's MY hair that is being done. Today I spent over three hours sitting in the car listening to Bowie and reading "Letters from Van Gogh" whilst waiting for my mum. The music was great (as always) and so was the book. So I don't really know what I am complaining about other than the fact that now I feel my WHOLE day has disappeared without my knowing. I had planned to do some HOMEWORK but my brain has decided to call it a day so no use trying to get it back. It'll ask for overtime. Trust me.

I want to listen to some of my newly acquired vinyls but I feel that the static will just give me a headache. I have this really crap excuse for a record player. Or is it the amp? Well, both... I guess. I love the crackling sound when you play records, but THIS is not what you would call crackling. Maybe it's just the vinyl. Yesterday I played the King Crimson's 'In The Court Of The Crimson King' (Polydor 1979 re-issue) and it sounded like shit. Not the music! The stupid thing that goes tic tic tic tic TIC TIC TIC TIC TICC pop pop POP TICK. So I take out my vinyl cleaner, sprayed the whole thing and wiped it down. Dusted it a little too with those special brushes. Did it work?! It's a rather rhetoric question, but NO.

So these were the records that I bought at the university market (which had a pretty cool selection compared to the other stalls that had been there before)...
King Crimson 'In The Court Of The Crimson King'
Brian Eno & David Byrne 'My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts'
Bauhaus 'Ziggy Stardust' 12" single
Talking Heads 'Stop Making Sense' (live recording)
T.Rex 'Slider'

I had a listen to all of them yesterday. I've already heard most of them anyway but its great to have them on vinyl! I'm a sucker when it comes to vinyls... I love them so much so I go nuts on them - ok now you know what you can get me for my birthday! ;)

Damn why must the weather be so fucking MISERABLE?! Why do we have the tendancy to blame everything? After finishing a few paintings and writing a few poems, I thought I could eleviate myself from walking around this world like a lost puppy. They haven't really solved any of this, no. It's definetly therapeutic and somehow makes you feel you have a better understanding of youself after its completion. But the latter just fades away after a day and you're back to the drawing board (literally) drawing yet again the same kind of thing.

Having said that, I can relate to David Bowie insisting that he hasn't changed much at all over his 40 year career. His styles and way of going about things has changed a whole lot, but what he is writing about is still the same thing. Loneliness, longing, the never ending search for truth and meaning, time, pain, remorse. My art work may look very different each time, but they basically beat around the same bush.

I don't particularly think its a waste of time going about the same thing. In fact, there can never be enough. Each time you do it, its dwelving deeper into your soul and it questions everything. Each time revealing something new to you. Sometimes I feel that I let out my inner sub-conscious when I do art. Sudden revelations pop up now and then and mostly to my surprise. Approaching your feelings differently just reveals its complexity and the better your understanding will be. If you're lucky you may come to a solution but it doesn't happen all of the time. Art is a retrospective storage space where you can store your emotions as well as a living room where you can sit and reflect on your feelings. If you want solutions to your problems, you actually have to get off your ass and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Art is awareness, appreciation, fuel for thought and guidance. That is all. So for now, I need as much guidance as I possibly can get.

I must leave you folk now as I have to feed my hungry brother who awaits rather patiently downstairs. And oh look its NIGHT TIME. It's harder to see the weather at night so maybe I can actually get some stuff done ;).

xx Georgina

A song to play when I'm lonely.
No one to face when I'm falling.
Holding tight to dreams that never end.

How did John Frusciante know his music meant all that to me?
As some of you may have noticed (yeah you Bowie nuts), this is the first time I'm not using a David Bowie lyric to headline my blog. Instead, its a John Frusciante lyric - and a NEW one too as a matter of fact!

Yes, folks, today my poor suffering nerves have been tempered. I bought John Frusciante's NEW ALBUM - Shadows Collide With People. It has been out weeks ago for the rest of the world and finally today, it has arrived on Australian shores. ABOUT FUCKING TIME. Sorry. What?



So I went through my usual habits when it comes to 'special albums'. Come home, hang 'do not disturb' sign on door knob, close door, play cd, lie in bed, close eyes, soak in the music. And did I soak! So let me tell you a bit about it:

It is extremely beautiful yet unnervingly creative. His guitar is his soul.

This is John Frusciante's first studio album ever. He has released 3 other albums (4 if you include his internet exclusive release "From The Sounds Inside") but they were not studio albums - just songs that he had recorded himself at home with an 8-track. Thingo. Don't quote me on that.

John also invites Josh Klinghoffer (ex-Bicycle Thief lead guitarist), Chad Smith, Flea and Omar Rodrigues (The Mars Volta) to play on the album. Before, he used to do everything himself. He didn't play drums so he used a drum synth thing instead and that gave the album a very remote and muddy sound. They just basically consisted of his voice, guitar and some synths all recorded using that 8-track mixer.

It's weird in a way for me to listen to this new album and have all these guest musicians being part of it too. It kind of takes away the special feeling of a solo John Frusciante album. I am just so used to having him alone playing and singing his music. His songs were also very self-indulgent but it gives it a very personal feel... and that the music is coming from him and him alone. Now its like he's fronting a band in a way.

But that aside, for the unacquired listener who thought his past albums were unlistenable or just plain weird, this one is different. As I said before, it is a studio album with REAL live backing instruments! He no longer has a shoddy mic and so the vocals have improved ten fold. His song writing has also changed a bit. He's been heavily influenced by doo wop recently and so there's some very beautiful vocal harmonies here which kind of makes the album lean towards more poppy type rock (not entirely, but similar to what RHCP's By The Way had achieved). That doesn't necessarily mean its a bad thing, oh no! It just adds so much more soul into the music. This album does not take me on those mind trips his other albums had done previously (or atleast not yet!) but the songs are just as beautiful as ever. My favourites at the moment are 'Omission', 'Ricky' and 'Song To Sing When I'm Lonely'. The latter just gives you the warmest feeling in the world. Like you've sunk your toes in to warm water and someone from behind with a wooly jumper is hugging you. I can just see myself in the near future feeling absolutely upset about something and then listen to this album crying like a baby. His previous album To Record Only Water For Ten Days (2001) was indeed very soulful too (in fact, they all are!!) and it touched me deeply. However, it was only the music. I had no idea what he was singing about - his lyrics were as puzzling as when you've just poured out a 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle on the floor with some pieces being sucked up by a vacuum cleaner. I read through the lyrics in this new album. This time they are competently comprehendable and less intrinsic in some ways. Having said that, the songs mean a whole lot more to me. I had never bothered with trying to suss out his lyrics because it will just completely screw my mind over.

It may all sound like happy soppy stuff at the moment, it's not really and I am very pleased so say that there are quite a lot of wild experimental guitar soundscapes scattered throughout - and that's what I'm looking for, baby!! He likes to play around with his delay pedals and synths. They are great. I find this album quite different from TROWFTD but somehow quite reminiscent of his first album Niandra LaDes, especially the more 'ballad-y' songs. I think its the song 'Time Goes By' that reminds me a lot of 'Been Insane', a fantastic song from Niandra. I still consider this album lo-fi as anything albeit it being studio recorded, etc.

Almost every track has a different sound, rhythm and feeling yet the album flows so perfectly. I'm rather disappointed, though, with the closing track. I feel it didn't quite do the job in 'completing' the what seemed to be a very complete lengthy album :(. I loved how 'Moments Have You' closed TROWFTD. That was perfect. But I'll get used to it. It doesn't tarnish the whole album, though. I'm just so pleased to have new John Frusciante music to listen to. Some background information for those of you who don't know of my love for John's music -- I really DO love it ;). Whenever I am feeling sad and lonely, I would listen to him and feel accepted and loved. Don't ask me why, I just do.

John's music still isn't for everyone, I guess. That is what I've come to believe. You gotta be open to these things - lo-fi music is just so creatively free. No boundaries. No "oh is the radio station going play this?" bullshit. So you have to be open to these unusual sounds.

I say give this album a go and experience the Red Hot Chili Peppers' ultimate secret weapon.


xx Georgina

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Every chance, every chance that I take...

I've been taking a few chances lately. Those kind of chances where you're not sure of the outcome just yet. And I've been taking enough to give me that feeling of "oh my god am I wasting my time or is something good going to come out of this?" But atleast I'm doing SOMETHING. Y'know. And I think that counts. If things don't work out then atleast I can say that I have tried. And I'm not going to regret anything.

xx Georgina

So now you could spend the morning walking with me quite amazed...

During my trip in Malaysia I bought "The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde". It's basically a book consisting his whole body of work during his lifetime. I thought it would be good to get around reading his stuff and plus, it was RM 19.90!! Which is basically about AU $6.50. Bargain.

So I am currently reading 'A Picture Of Dorian Gray'. I heard he was good - but this is just absolutely brilliant. I wouldn't call myself a well read person, or even someone who reads a lot but this book is just constantly overwhelming me. I think I'm just past half way through and the story has developed so unexpectedly, quite like the character of Dorian Gray. Wilde is just so unpredictable. His writing is so original yet enthralling. I love it!!



I decided to look up more on Wilde on the internet. I don't know much about him other than the fact that he was more well known for his decadent lifestyle than his writing and then was imprisoned for his homosexuality. I came across this site called Oscar Wilde: An Overview. It has a whole bunch of pages mainly of studies of his work, sociology, history, imagery, everything related to his work. A whole lot of interesting material. I plan to go through this site when I have more time because I think I can learn a lot there.

It's funny that its only when I start Uni again that I get interested in new things. During the holidays I was pretty much a zombie the whole time. It's just not cool! ;)

xx Georgina

It's a god awful small affair (or maybe not)

So. I've just had several weeks of excrutiating excitement. And its all over. ALL OVER. So let me tell you all about it!!!

The Bowie week was completely unanticipated. It went something like this:
Tuesday - Rove Live (when my cherry popped in terms of seeing David Bowie for the first time)
Wednesday - Spooky Ghost Show @ Ding Dong Lounge
Thursday - David Bowie @ Rod Laver Arena
Friday - David Bowie @ Rod Laver Arena, Bowie Afterparty @ Club UK

I got to meet some very cool people at Spooky Ghost, for example Earl Slick, Mike Garson, Gerry Leonard and the lovely Gail Ann Dorsey. Wow! and what fabulous people they were. They played such an amazing show which completely blew me away. I was very inspired after that night. Getting to talk to them brought them down to the level that they were real people too. And it makes you want to become just as talented as they are.

Currently listening to: Gail Ann Dorsey - I Used To Be...
Absolutely brilliant album. Gail has the most beautiful voice with a song writing ability to match. Few albums bring me to tears. This one was one of them.

'And the Bowie shows?' you ask. Do you really need to know what I thought of them? No, I didn't think so. But instead, I'll tell you about Cluk UK, the after party a few friends and myself had organised. Before that, here's a pic of David from the first Melbourne show.



It was HAPPENING. After the show on Friday I was just taking my time walking from Rod Laver Arena to Exhibition street with Bnetters Charly and Ski-Rack. When I got there, there was a queue of people trying to get into the club! Success!! The place was packed and quite a few people stayed til 5am, which was when the club closed. If you really want to know how the whole night felt, just think of the music in which you feel so passionate about but just couldn't share it with your peers because they don't listen to that kind of music. Then suddenly imagine yourself in a night club packed with people dancing to and singing that music along with you as if it were the only music that ever existed. Belting our vocal chords out to The Width Of A Circle, Moonage Daydream, Heroes... dancing to Boys Keep Swinging, Sex And The Church, Breaking Glass... going absolutely frantic to Suffragette City, Hang On To Yourself, Lust For Life... the list is endless. It was the perfect way to end that Bowie week.

Here are some photos from that night:










On the Saturday I was suffering from major bouts of PBD. Post Bowie Depression. It's not a particularly good looking thing. But it happens. And I think now its gone. So that's always good. I just hope that I will get to see him live again.

Monday was the start of the first week at Uni. I decided to go early on Monday to get some books and try to revive that joyous feeling of stepping onto holy higher educational ground. As I get there, the multilevel carpark was already full. FULL I TELLS YA. I was kindly directed to Siberia aka Free Carpark on Wellington Road. The world was suddenly such an ugly place.

That ugliness continued for the rest of the week until Thursday and Friday when I just bumped into lots of friends and caught up. I also spent my afternoons having my arse at my easel trying to finish a neglected painting. I was also painting some new ones for my lovely arty friends who are sending me some of their own work too. I love art swaps. You guys should do it more often when you get the chance. It's such a great way to start that art collection of yours without spending too much money.

This weekend was the Melbourne Grand Prix. I go every year. Its like a ritual. This year I ended up going with my bro and 5 friends and it was such a blast. I have had a lot of people asking me in absolute hilarity "Why do you even bother going there. Those cars go so fast you can't see anything!" Well let me explain on behalf of all GP goers. It's called atmosphere. I always love the Grand Prix because it has such an atmosphere you find no where else. Firstly, you can't hear the cars the same way as you would on television. The sharp shrill of this beautiful engine live is simply not the same on those high tech 5.1 Dolby Digital DTS Super Surround Sound What You Might Call it systems. OK, so maybe its close. But can your Surround Sound Place One Speaker In Each Corner Of Your House And Watch It Shake simulate that exhaust fume smell? No. If you say yes then you are a dumbarse.

And when the FA-18 fighter jets fly past dropping those fake bomb things. And when the drivers wave at you during their little joyous parades. And when a car breaks down right in front of you and everyone either cheers or shouts out all the swear words under the sun according to who they go for. And when your team flag stains your clothing as you wear it as a cloak. And when your hot dog sauce falls all over your lap. But wait, there's more. I'm forgetting the biggest and best thing in the world. THE CROWD. Nothing quite like them hardcore Formula 1 fans. Today I think I saw Ferrari fans of all shapes and sizes, young little kids fully dressed in team/driver gear, lots of flags, faces covered in all sorts of paint, groups of people chanting something in Italian, red, more flags, more red and a flashed set of pubes from a man dressed in a kilt. Fantastic.

Here are some photos that I took yesterday:








Kim, Justin, Me and Desmond:


Adrian with his new stainy flag:


Kim and I with err... fingers:



So now I must crawl to bed as 3 hours of sleep in the past 24 hours isn't working out too well for me. And let's get ready for another fun week at Uni.

Note: Oh, and I was just about to delete my shock horror post of me bagging the shits out of BowieNet (see below) - I thought maybe I'll leave it. It WAS afterall how I felt at the time. But I take it all back because Blammo and Frankie have been absolutely the best for getting us into Rove to see David Bowie 2m away from my feet. Thank you.

Good night.