Randy gigs (if one can call symphony orchestra accompanied appearances at the Opera House gigs) next Friday and Saturday and I am much excited. I have a good (=expensive) ticket for one of the nights and a total cheapie up the back for the second. Here's Mr Newtownoer-Than-Thou Tim Freedman bagging Sydney in a Randy article for the Herald Sun. I hope he realises in the "Sydney-Melbourne is like LA-NYC" thing, Sydney is Los Angeles in that formula and, like that's where Randy is from? So like, we win. Shut up, Melbourne.
It will be interesting to gauge the vibe of the place, are they really ready for Randy or are they Sydney Symphony season ticket holders or Toy Story fans?
Also, if you ever wanted to see Denise Drysdale hit on Randy Newman, here is your chance:
Just got myself a ticket to Bryan Batt's one man cabaret show at The Basement. Batt as you may or may not know is Sal Romano in Mad Men. I really love cabaret although I don't see it that often live, alas. The Mary Gauthier Foundling tour was not cabaret in style of course but a one-person (or one person plus musical accompaniment) style whatever the genre lends itself to an intimacy of experience and a heightened emotion that I like.
Here is poor Sal in a scene from Mad Men which doesn't spoil anything unless you didn't know he was closeted gay and conflicted and Catholic, which you do after a very short time with the series. The "Are you joking?" is a killer.
Batt is also born and raised New Orleans. He and his partner have a shop there still so I assume he lives there outside of work commitments. He has a book out about his upbringing in that special part of the South. So being an New Orleans-a-phile I also think his autobiographical parts of the show will be enjoyable. And the cabaret! Fun!
Watching Treme, see below. You need to read the Times-Picayune Treme blog which explains all the local references us outsides don't get. So now I have to buy Dr John's autobiography, after it quoted him talking about the making of "Wrong Time, Right Place."
"Bob Dylan started it off by laying a line on me - 'I'm on the right trip, but I'm in the wrong car,'" he writes. "Then Bette Midler gave me one: 'My head's in a bad place, I don't know what it's there for.' Doug Sahm also pitched in: 'I was in the right set, but it must have been the wrong sign.'"
There is a great quote on episode 3:
"Forget everything you've been told about Jesus, Buddha, Allah. There is only one God. And His name is Professor Longhair."
My new 8 Tracks mix (9 songs, 35 minutes) is pretty much inspired by Treme, the new show on HBO by David Simon, brains behind The Wire. I hagiographied The Wire here before. Treme is set in New Orleans a few months after Hurricane Katrina, I've only seen 2 episodes so far but it's shaping up as not disappointing my sky high expectations. It's a very sad fact I think Channel Nein has the rights to it in Australia, y'all ain't never gonna get to see it if you wait for them.
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