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This weeks Cheeky Freak is legendary American musician/singer/songwriter/artist Daniel Johnston. Daniel is in the country at the moment as part of Laneway Festival and is playing sideshows in Melbourne and Sydney next week. Most importantly, his incredible artwork is currently on show at Monster Children Gallery in Darlinghurst. Dead Lovers Twisted Heart opened last night with a magical two song acoustic performance by Johnston on the steps opposite the gallery surrounded buy a heavy flock of carefully listening ears. The show runs until February 13 and comes highly recommended. The above clip is the trailer for The Devil And Daniel Johnston, a documentary made about the artist in 2005 which is also a must see.
This weekend in Sydney, check out Dead Lovers Twisted Heart at Monster Children Gallery, open Saturday and Sudnay 12pm-6pm. Saturday night check out Good Eating at GoodGod Small Cave where ‘back slapping after six drinks should be followed with a high five and six more drinks!’ Check the trailer for the night here. On Sunday check out Daniel Johnston and EddyCurrent along with many others at Laneway Festival
On Saturday in Brisbane check out Laneway Festival.
The February issue of The Blackmail is out on Monday featuring stories with Jonathan Boulet, He She It They I, Y3K Gallery, Scott Lowe and much much more! Be sure to subscribe to receive it direct to your inbox!
Picking up where I left off on 2009s hot and heavy all-man post, I’ve got another one for the boys (looks like I might be making a habit of this!). For all you fellas who are none-too-pleased with the new macho outdoorsmen we’re being spoon-fed down the Spring runway (ala Chanel, D&G, Ralph Lauren), there is another sullen, surly, unsung hero loitering beneath the bleachers, ready to put the tanned and tawdry men of the midwest to shame.
Judd Apatow’s short lived 1999 series ‘Freaks & Geeks’ is a work of almighty genius, in which early-years Apatow was paired with fresh talent James Franco to create the hunky heart throb and devilish doper Daniel Desario, and as they say… the rest was history! McKinley High’s apologetic delinquent delivers an effortlessly elementary wardrobe and unkempt grooming regimen that sees teenage women swooning in the corridors. Pull on some of Gramps’ old thermals under a truckstop button-down and you’ve pretty much hit the spot. A winter wardrobe that requires this little commitment is sure to appeal to the Y chromosome in all o’ya’ll.
I stumbled upon this fantastic product a few weeks ago. It’s called Bacon Jam and is made by a company called Skillet Street Food. Now this bacon jam thing must be a sideline venture ’cause what these guys do is buy old Airstream Trailers and fit them out with full commercial kitchens and drive around to local parks and markets to provide delicious seasonal ‘bistro style food’ to Seattle. I guess they probably coat most things in BJ to seduce passers-by, and with good reason.
Anyway, I followed the link on their website to the ‘Order Yours now!’ page, only to find that because this little jar of jam comes from the Americas, the postage to our poor southern island is almost seven times as much as the little jar of meaty jam. It just wasn’t viable. So after contacting the skillet man and trying to bargain the postage down, to no avail, I decided I would just make some myself.
And I did, like Julia Childs, or one of her disciples. Firstly though, I did need to find out what the difference is between jam and chutney. Isn’t that something you’ve always wanted to know? It’s the camembert and brie quandary. Anyway, I soon found out it was a small matter of consistency and fruit quantity that divides the two. That aside, what I also decided in my food dealings, is that the world needs more of this bacon jam.
So if you are willing to pay the price, get your Bacon Jam here.
Or make your own delicious specimen like my fellow food blogger, Not Quite Nigela, who obviously found out about bacon jam a while before I did. This one’s a goody!
With Australia Day weekend ahead of us, this weeks Cheeky Freak is All Aussie Adventurer Russell Coight. The above clip is a small collection of highlights from the first season of All Aussie Adventures which aired here in 2001. Check a great interview with Bert Newton and more from Rus here. You little beauty!
Tonight in Sydney check out Canyons Hole In The Sky label party and Haiti fund raiser at GoodGod, featuring Pond direct from W.A and our old mate Steele Bonus. Saturday night head to the Cricketers Arms in Surry Hills for Pod Wars instrumental style! Get a bunch of beach time in, and then on Australia Day Eve (Monday Night) visit GoodGod Sound Cave once more for explorative world-beat party Wish Bone. Looking to be a real good time!
In Melbourne this Saturday, pick up some tasty treats at The Narrows book sale from 11 to 5pm. Level 2, 141 Flinders Lane.
Also be sure to check our friend Sarah Lanarch’sArt For Haiti auction. Get yourself some sweet art and help the people of Haiti rebuild their lives.
If you didn’t realise it already, we live in a global village, which basically means we’re a diverse bunch connected through computer screens. As such there’s no place for patriotism rendering public holidays like Australia Day redundant bar for the fact we get a day off. Which is handy considering the first ever installment of Wish Bone is next Monday night, with a public holiday recovery period scheduled the very next day. According to the Wish Bone team we can expect a multi-cultural affair…
Crack the wish bone and you’ll be shakin’ and quiverin’ to fuzzed out Nigerian Afrobeat, Turkish Thai Pop, Mexican Rock’n'Rollers, Eastern-Euro freakbeat, Brazilian Psychploitation, Colombian cumbias, Hong Kongese garage, Algerian Proto-Rai, Ethiopique blast ballads and what they call good old “Hard Rock from the Middle East!”
Download a tasty pack of warm-up tunes courtesy of Count Doyle.
Flyer by Hana Shimada. Posters available on the night.
I was in New Zealand for Christmas and during that time, spent three wholesome days indulging in the delights of the South Island in a little spot called Nelson. When we came down from the top of the mountain to explore the amazing coastline one day, we drove through a humble town called Collingwood, which seemed a memorable stop in only moments. The reason for this is not only because it shares it’s name with with a neighbouring suburb in my own hometown of Melbourne, but because at the milk bar they serve scallop pie.
Let me set the scene some more. It was 10:30am on a 26 degree day (perfect). I strolled into the milk bar to pick up the paper. Alas, it hadn’t been delivered yet, for people don’t need to know about the news before midday anyway right? My fellow local compadre soon diverted my attention to the bain marie. There they were, sitting right next to the beef and mushroom pies, waiting for me. I had to try one. So here it is, the seaside snack, I ate in the sun in Collingwood (NZ), sans newspaper. I do believe that my pie only had two very small scallops in it and was very sauce-heavy, but encased in pastry nonetheless, and rather satisfying. Always good to sample the local fare I say.
It’s all a bit mysterious but the good crew over at Hole In The Sky have got a Haiti relief fundraiser going on this Friday for those in Sydney that will also double as new signing Pond’s first Sydney show. Get on down and show some support if you can.
This years first Cheeky Freak is video talent Kris Moyes. As well as guest bro-gramming last night on the wheels of steel down at God Jam, Kris is responsible for some of the greatest music videos and television commercials of recent times. The above clip is for the Beck track Youthless and features some incredible singing jars by artist Brendan Huntley. Check out more of Kris’ work here and look out for our feature dialogue between Kris and Oliver Georgiou in the February issue… if you don’t already receive The Blackmail direct to your inbox, subscribe!
In Sydney this weekend, be sure to check out the various Sydney Festival happenings, including Modular’s Circa 1979: Signal to Noise, featuring three free seminars and an exhibition at the Seymore Centre on Saturday and Sunday. If you feel like partying, tonight GoodGod Small Cave presents Sinden all the way from the UK supported by RoShamBo.
In Melbourne this weekend, have a teary beer at the historic Tote for the last time. Saturday night get the party started right with Lovefingers at Bamboo Musik in the Mercat Basement, 456 Queen St Melbourne. $15 to get in, doors open at 10.
I’m Sarah Larnach, and do all of the artwork for Ladyhawke. I was nominated for an A.R.I.A. for the Ladyhawke album artwork. Excuse me for being blunt, but this is serious, and I am doing what I can to raise help.
My sister, Emily Sanson-Rejouis, her husband and three daughters (ages five, four and two) are in Haiti right now, and only Emily and the youngest child have been confirmed alive. I am auctioning an original painting from the Ladyhawke album/singles for charity, to assist in Haiti.
This is the first time a piece of artwork from my Ladyhawke work has come up for sale, so its a rare opportunity to help, and to own something that would normally be difficult to get your hands on. Pip Brown and Sarah Larnach will also sign a copy of the single (Paris Is Burning) and album where it appears, as well as writing a personal letter of thanks to the buyer.
The artwork is a watercolour painting of two cats.
In the wake of our absence over the holidays, I’ll let you in on a little secret, I love Christmas, so much so. Mostly because of the food. It is the time of year that you eat and drink well with those that you love. How could things possibly get better? This is all part of the festivities of the season that begin early December and finish, well, whenever you finish your Christmas leftovers. Which hopefully drags out until the new year. Last year, as posted, we celebrated Thanksgiving, so I had some pre-Christmas practice in how to utilise festive food post festivities. With a large turkey and leg of ham in the fridge, I was feasting right up until Christmas, and by then, I had more to deal with. Here’s one way to put the bird into something you might want to eat most days in December after the 25th. I should have taken a picture, but I didn’t, so just imagine it, or make it yourself.
Happy New Year too.
Turkey salad
Rocket
Snow peas
Turkey meat, finely sliced from your Christmas bird and then shredded
Roasted pinenuts
Raisins
Avocado
Honey mustard dressing
