top ten time yet again

That pesky top ten thing again

In my role as “boxing expert” for Aussie mag People over the last couple of months I’ve got to chat to Nader Hamden, Danny Green, Michael Katsidis and Jamie Pittman, all great fighters, all pretty decent blokes. For a tragic like me, even in my mature years, I still get fan boy excited and nervous before I talk to them and I can’t deny the buzz I get interviewing these guys. I love the sport of boxing, follow it pretty religiously, checking results, upcoming bouts, watching al lthe fights I can, hell, there’s been nights where I’ve stayed home to watch Friday night fights rather than going to the pub! So getting paid to talk to these guys is way beyond any expectations I ever had. Tough life this.

Getting two submissions accepted in two days. Brascoe Publishing and Covert Press have both taken some of my words and said yes to them. And I got a story into the next Metal Scratches as well. Slowly slowly catchee monkey. World domination inches closer!

Sitting on a balcony at a holiday house at Tiddy Widdy Beach (no I hadn’t heard of it either) drinking coffee, sucking in fresh air and relaxing. I spend too much time “in house” – I work from home, glued to this damn computer and when I’m not writing, researching, wasting time – I’m doing my house husband duties, you guessed it, at home. So I’m always there, work rest play. I weren’t doing anything different really in the holiday house (though there’s no computer) but it was good not to be at home.

And while I was on that balcony I read JT Leroy’s The Heart Is Deceitful above all things. One sitting, one afternoon and got sunburnt cos I didn’t move but damn it was worth it. Haven’t had time to sit and enjoy a book, soak up some words since… well, probably pre xmas maybe. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’ve been slowly working my way thru Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flats when time permits but its taken me three months to find the time to finish it but then it’s a book that should be read that way really, it just fits the theme. But this time it was one session, two or three coffees and I can’t put this book down type of stuff. The story of a boy and his mother and bad parenting and burgeoning sexuality and just how the family sins pass on down the line, religious mania, sexual dysfunction, hard wiring, fear hate and love and madness – shit, I don’t want to give anymore away. Read the damn thing, it’s good damn good.

Having a business lunch with the Publisher about the tenth anniversary anthology. Paroxysm Press is all the Publisher’s own work, thru graft, pain, cancer, near bankruptcy, alcohol abuse, domestic madness and bad hair days he’s kept the damn thing going and now it’s time for a celebration. So the tenth anniversary anthology is being meticulously planned and organized and the bastard even bought lunch for us, me and the dirty girl, as we nutted out deadlines and launch dates and the like. It’s come a long way from that nervous kid who came into my bookshop to ask if I knew any local writers all them years ago. ( and no, I didn’t pitch my own work to him, he came to me for that shit later on) He still talks too many words per second though, that ain’t nerves like I first thought, that’s just him.

Picking up Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys final recording sessions “For The Last Time” on vinyl – two record set with the booklet and boxed and in good nick for a redback. Great western swing with everyone giving their all while Bob sat back and apparently watched with pride. Illness had robbed him of his maneuverability but he threw a coupla hollers in there and guided the ship. He was still the boss man. That night he went home a happy man but had a stroke and sadly never recovered. But it was a hell of way to go. This music swings with pride, good ol’ boys having a time and partyin’ with the man who got em there in the first place. I can think of a lot worse ways to go out than seeing yr music live on like this. Great music and I’ll be lookin’ for more.

I did a zine fair a little while back and it was stinkin’ hot and we were in an old factory and who knew if it would work but damn it did. It was hot and it was sweaty but there was beer, some eyecandy and even a few zines worth a pinch o’ shit. Picked up the new Analog Apocalypse which improves with every issue. The fuckers even mentioned feedtime, possibly Australia’s greatest band. Not bad for a bunch o’ snot nosed kids with a thing for german chicks!

$100 and a t-shirt. I’d heard about this dvd doco about fanzines and lo and behold there it was sitting on a table surrounded by zines that I would never read by kids half my age. Got it cheap and yeah its not too bad. Though I still have trouble with this whole aint we cool attitude that zinesters have. You aint changing the world nerdbuckets you’re putting out a zine. Now I love zines, I been doing it for twenty years or something but I know it aint gonna change things or make me rich or anything. It just helps keep me sane is all. Not a bad doco though and I’ll probably watch it again before it gathers dust in a box in the shed.

Getting the new Sprak! done and sent out finally. I’ve had mail from December sitting here and I aint done shit about it cos I was planning a new issue and it just sorta took awhile but finally it did get done and its out there and no fucker ever drops me a line back anyway the slack shits (ok not technically true – two folk did email me) but hell I can remember with just a hint of nostalgia how I used to have a drawer full of mail everytime I sent out a zine. We’d write letters, trade zines and tapes and shit but now the best I can hope for is a quick email if I’m lucky. Oops this is supposed to be a top ten list not a bottom ten.

My mum left hook lu had a health scare recently but it turned out to be nothing and that’s a good way to finish this list, knowing that she’s healthy and happy and everything is just fine.