Thursday, September 26, 2013

'naughty mummy' down in bondi beach road, host to a groovy little happening where solo balladeer steven kilbey plays some of his songs to some of his friends, recites his poems and tells us a wicked story about his most famous best selling and well recognised album, including that star of a song 'underneath the milky way'.
he's reading passionately from a new biography, impersonating all the voices of the american producers, and there's special guest stars that make an appearance from steve's history, he's got all bases covered on this one, it's feels honest as a biography as you could get and well written, because that's what i like about him, he's honest and its beautiful in these here dangerous days of human fakery. he has the audience laughing, he sings, dances, composes, raconteurs, jams and jokes and holds a small audience spellbound, plus there's a lot of love hanging in the air, a good good vibe, you could smell it, some great people in the audience, i didn't meet everyone but i felt it, it feels like walking into a close family, and warm friends and the set and setting amke a nice impression, its intimate and perfectly lit and unobtrusive, slightly kooky, diverse and interesting. it's steve kilbey.

a post birthday celebratory gig and although we arrived slightly late, due to a glitch in time at bondi junction (these things happen around big shopping -transport centres) the wonderful samantha mayfair had saved us a lovely sofa right down at the front, she always makes us feel so special but i guess she's just one of those special people you cross paths with in life, which is why i think she is so perfectly matched by my artistic hero, mr. kilbey, her man! 
steve introduces the 'latecomers' to everyone being the perfect gentleman, says, 'it's captain mission, and wilde childe' and as we sink into the deepest sofa i've ever sat in steve starts to sing 'keeper' from dabble.
now this is a brilliant song, and i was in all honesty secretly hoping he may stick it into his setlist tonight. 
so while i was waiting at the bus stop for wilde childe who was on her way over i even thought i should send sam a text, 'please ask him not to play keeper until i'm there,' but... who am i to make such a request, yet here it was, special delivery, first hand to the heart.

steve played some great cover songs, 'life's a gas' by marc bolan, 'is your love in vain' by dylan, remember that one from 'street legal' and a rich assortment of his own songs, yeah it wasn't perfect, some chaotic impulse at work crept in a joyous way but this is what we love about these shows, steve is an open book, you couldn't see a more authentic performance, not in this day and age, not anywhere i know, there's no showbiz here, it's all one guy playing his songs, telling stories and making you laugh and there's more soul in that, more genuine feeling and depth of emotion than any fucking stadium band, any pyrotechnics and more honesty than i've seen in any other musician or artist, please someone give steve his own tv show, try it, give him one hour a week and let him do what ever he wants. brilliant!
then i travel home on a sort of 'high' and i hadn't even had a spliff all day. 
i'm home at 3am watering the garden for my thirsty plants looking up at stars. when i get out of the shower i sleep and wake up almost immediately, do a few chores and set of to the beach. later i snooze when the wind picks up and suddenly i realise i'm in the bush surrounded by trees which are swaying and bending over, what a wind it was. massive branches started falling down cracking as they hit the deck, pan and i were running for cover, all these sticks falling out of the sky, like arrows in a castle battle, past life flashes through my minds eye, we dodged them and hid inside watching. 
the whole thing lasted about ten mins then the wind stopped. it was stinking hot for a spring day, not a sexy heat either, the kind of bushfire heat. 
i step outside, back into the surreal aftermath and feel the burning sun on my skin. 
picking up branches and bits of wood, fallen debris, clearing the area, removing tiny arrows that had been caught up in the fronds of the ferns, it takes about 30 minites and then i go back and lay down. i close my eyes and suddenly the wind howls up again, another bunch of branches fall.
later, i watch 'derek' a ricky gervis tv series that i think is one of the best shows ever. derek, a guy with an intellectual disability? or is it?
i love this show, its similar to an idea i wanted to suggest as a tv show based on my own experiences in the disability field. i had it planned, 9 episodes, each one alternating focus on client and a staff with the finale bringing them all together with the one thing i had learnt in years of work, 'everyone has a disability, it's just some people can cover it up better than others.' the show would be very funny, to start with and gradually become more and more tragic. derek is perfectly attuned to the idea but better, only it's harmonious equal balance of humour and tragedy, ricky gervis is master of pathos.
in the evening i catch a snippet of the news, did you know america runs out of currency on monday. what happens then?
i had to go and smoke a spliff after that.








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