whitebait

Gig news

Whitebait is getting ready to start blogging again. I'm switching the focus here from cities to music. More to  come on that but in the meantime ...

.. I'm going to mention two gigs that Carsinthesky (ie Whitebait and FrauleinDrDr) are playing next weekend (15th and 16th February) on the noya (north of the yarra) side of the city. We're joining forces with Martin from Koshowko to perform some of the songs off their new Anarchy Monarchy EP now available from i-tunes (Whitebait helped produce 'It's Time Now'), as well as some Carsintheysky numbers.

15th February '08

Afterdark Bar and Gallery
LINE UP Other bands are Mousetrapreplica (www.myspace.com/mousetrapreplica - ambient electronica with live painting) and Rich Kids (www.myspace.com/kidsarerich - danceable electro with a whole art/visual inspiration). FREE ENTRY.

[NB - not sure when Koshowko-Carsinthesky are on - could be 9pm, could be more like 11.00pm - will update this message when Whitebait knows]

*UPDATE (12/2) on Afterdark LINEUP

9pm - Rich Kids

10pm - Mousetrapreplica

11pm - Koshowko with CarsintheSky

16th February '08

Glitch Bar

(We're going to be on sometime around 10.30pm). $5 COVER CHARGE

rmit skyline

A view from the building in which my former office was located.

(When did this become a photo blog I hear you asking?)

the week in review

remember to breathe

This gorgeous view is from the Kuruma onsen located nearby Kyoto (photo by my friend E).

We revisited a few weeks back. Whitebait is especially fond of this place because it was his first onsen experience in Japan. Quite intimidating, initially, as at that time as he was the only non-Japanese in the men's section. While W. had done all his reading up on 'how to hang with naked Japanese guys etiquette' it was still slightly nerve-inducing. But in the end it was a revelation about what a great national past-time communal bathing is. Whitebait would put it in his top 5 things about Japan.

The recent onsen visit was great too but the picture was momentarily disturbed when a dude lay on his back on the bath's wooden surrounding plank (yes, in front of the magnificent view my friend and I were enjoying) and proceeded to do some half-arsed sit-ups accompanied by squelchy fart noises from the contact between skin, water and wood. Serenity now, huh.

A friend just gave FrauleinDrDr and I some gift vouchers to the local Japanese bathhouse in nearby Collingwood (with massage included). Hurrah and bless!

stupid, stupid citibank visa

FrauleinDrDr and I found ourselves caught out in Japan recently when both our credit cards bounced -- while completely clear of any debt --when we tried to use them for the second time at Muji, a very well-known Japanese store. Evidently it is a security measure. Citibank seemed to have missed the fact that some people travel outside of their home country to exotic destinations like Japan and - shock! horror! - find it convenient to use their credit card while overseas. According to the Citibank call centre, we should call ahead and let them know when we're travelling overseas so this doesn't happen. To which Whitebait says,

F**K YOU VERY MUCH Citibank!*@!!

Firstly, you never told me this before. And secondly Whitebait is not here to organise his life round you. Reaching for the scissors now ...

time now

OK, here it is, an early cut of the Koshowko track, 'Time Now', that I'm helping to produce. It is a fairly radical reworking of one  of K's earliest tracks. Feedback to me or my good friends at Koshowko welcome. Check out Koshowko's other excellent tunes at their myspace site. Lots of dubby and melodic goodness for all.

-crossposted at psybait-

sometimes the end of the week is the best part of the week

It is a great Friday because despite the absolutely crapulous Melbourne weather ...

• you come into your office and discover that it has been vaccuumed for the first time in months (without you having to write a memo to make it happen)

• you go for a haircut at lunchtime and they say don't worry, it's on us this time

• one of the best is playing his 250th game tonight

• you know that this time next week you'll be strolling the streets of this place

globalising melbourne

Forgot to post a mention of the recent news concerning the ongoing transformation of major Australian media company, PBL, into a global gaming business. PBL has divested its separate gaming assets (the centrepiece of which is Melbourne's Crown Entertainment Complex, aka 'the casino'). Now, as part of a joint venture, they're opened a Crown in Macau and are also on their way to building a Crown Casino on the Las Vegas strip (not an entertainment complex this time - why deny it in Las Vegas after all). For Whitebait it is a nice reminder of the fact that globalisation is not simply some force out there that affects a peripheral city like Melbourne; rather, globalisation is itself a condition produced (however unevenly) in/as part of/from the local.

(If for some reason you don't have a TV player or a life or anything better to do you can download an article I wrote in the late 1990s about Crown in Melbourne).

*  *  *  *

Was reminded to post on this after seeing this quote:

Las Vegas enables you not only to gaze upon spectacle but also to sleep in its bed and have sex with it.

-William L Fox, In the Desert of Desire: Las Vegas and the Culture of Spectacle (2005)

Another year, another ranking of cities

It's time once again for the annual Economist Intelligence Unit 'most liveable city' ranking:

The EIU ranked 127 cities in terms of personal risk, infrastructure and the availability of goods and services.

All the cities that fell into the top "liveability" bracket were based in Canada, Australia and Western Europe.

No real surprises in the top tens here (compared to past results):

Top 10 cities

• Vancouver
• Melbourne
• Vienna
• Geneva
• Perth
• Adelaide
• Sydney
• Zurich
• TorontoCalgary

Bottom 10 cities                                                                                                   

• Tehran
• Douala
• Harare
• Abidjan
• Phnom Penh
• Lagos
• Karachi
• Dhaka
• AlgiersPort Moresby

It is interesting that while Australian cities dominate the top ten, that there is also a strong national link with the worst ranked city in the world, which is both on its doorstep and was part of its colonial domain for much of the 20th century (until 1975).

But as someone born in New Zealand, now living in Australia, Whitebait is keenly aware how geographical proximity often bears little resemblance to broader media and political imaginations. Australian newspapers, for example, only infrequently include New Zealand and Papua New Guinea stories.

Getting back to the list though, W. wonders how long Melbourne can maintain its ranking given the water problems here? Liveability is dependent on sustainability which doesn't appear to be part of the equation for this ranking.

tramtactic lecture 18/5

Whitebait blogged this fabulous project in passing a while back.

This week's RMIT Industrial Design Community Lecture:
Mick Douglas "W11 Tram: An Art of Journeys" In this lecture Mick Douglas will discuss the W-11 Tram project and its interventions and impacts on the city, cultural understandings and the roles of design as a cultural agent. Visit: http://www.tramtactic.net/W-11/  for a snapshot of the project When: 2pm-4pm this Friday May 18 Where: RMIT Building 10, Level 10, room 3 (10.10.03) RMIT Industrial Design COMMUNITY LECTURES is an open lecture series - so feel free to re-circulate invite to your networks, your students, your friends.