Hiii
Welcome back for a Friday edition :)
Blessed to be with you on this kold kold meanjin evenin.. Hmmm not sure what the focus of this week will be!! Think will just go for the music roundup path and any observaciones that have been straddlin mah mind… :) I’m currently being soundtracked by Theo and I’s blended playlist. I’ve been tapped in all day:
It’s the playlist to end all playlists!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe Theo and I will go B2B one day..
Been tapped into the Loraine James' most recent episode on NTS:
Some music submissions from Banjo:
“I love both of these albums so much, my favourite song from Soul of Angola would probably be “mabelé” because it makes you want to dance,, and my favourite song from Dance Hall Style would be “Money Money” one of my favourite Dub albums eva.”
Think that’ll be it for the music roundup.. I’d like to move on to some design observations I’ve been having about the City lately,,
Being on the bus to and from work and while walking around on the edges of the city and surrounds, something in particular sticks out to me.
THE LACK OF DENSE COMMERCIAL SPACE
Developers pour money into high-rises on huge blocks, and the ground floor will have maybe 1 or two restaurants in it, maybe an empty space as well. The partitioning between space is so wide, little consideration for density. My framework for this is visits to Eora and Naarm, observing narrow and tightly packed storefronts underneath buildings with 19th Century façades.
Some historical background for this may be the demolition frenzy of Former Premier of Queensland Joh Bjelke-Petersen who, “was notoriously known for authorising the demolition of some sixty city buildings during his time as Premier. These were not just any old buildings — most of them were significant buildings of Brisbane’s heritage. As a result, Brisbane soon became known as "the demolition capital of Australia". (Radical Times)
*interesting video on the demolition on the Bellevue Hotel in that link as well.
I think a lack of confidence in the economy and the sleepiness of brisbane (with so many things closing early) add to this phenomenon of venucide
*venucide: a word i made up to describe the intent to erase venues either in whole or in part.
(venues in all senses of the term: dance, retail, restaurant etc)
This is something I mentioned in my newsletter from the 3rd of June "I love you to the deepest sands of the desert" when I refer to the city being in turmoil due to the number of venues closing down.
There’s always a feeling, at least for me, that this venucide that has been ongoing since the era of demolition is decadent with no vision. Decadent purely in terms of developing for profits sake, while strangling family-owned and grassroots venues from being planted and taking root.
It’s an eveloving observation with a determined business: to square the reality of venucide in a sleepy city that posits itself as "Australia's new world city".
Maybe you’ve noticed this slogan on buses around the city….
We’re switching gears and tunes now:
Got to see a legend at the Princess Theatre last night:
Yves Tumor
Been waitin about 5 years to see Yves Tumor, so happy to witness true rockstar energy in the flesh…
The drummer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Omg…
Wish I could have heard the vocals come through a bit more at times, and heard the cringe white bros around us much less:
OI YVES, SIGN MY ARSE!
noooooooooooooo
it’s like, do u not have any self-awareness or do you not have any self-awareness?? which one is it?????? anyway… I shoulda packed the fuggin glizzy mayne..
People were dressed downnnnnnnn..! If they came for a summer show idk if the fashion would have been as rock!!! but also who knows, people in magand-jin always know how to adapt when fashion calls.
Alright alright alright
My laptop is about to die, so i’d like to share with you a film I’ve really enjoyed watching so far. Got 38 minutes of it left:
Babel - Letter to my Friends who Stayed in Belgium (Part 1), dir. Boris Lehman (1991)
“The first episode of a film tetralogy called Babel, Letter to my friend who stayed in Belgium narrates the day-to-day existence of a film-maker who is making a film about Babel and who has a notion to follow in the footsteps of dramatist Antonin Artaud and visit the Tarahumara people of Mexico. Of no fixed abode, he wanders around the city where he feels at home - Brussels - but eventually sets off for Mexico. On his return, nothing is in quite the same place and people have changed. The problems left behind resurface. He loses his employment, has to find new lodgings, quarrels with his friends and - from being the most sociable of persons - ends up on his own, mournfully singing Parlez-moi d'amour ! Likewise, the city is disintegrating and the whole kingdom seems threatened. This film is a diary and self-portrait of film-maker Boris Lehman who films himself and plays his own role (as do several hundred friends and acquaintances who all agreed to be babelized), but at the same time it is a fictional account of the thousand and one adventures of a hero who finds it hard to cope with life and love.”
Super long watch, there’s still part two to go which is like 3 hours and 40 minutes or sumthin…
The colonial attitudes and worldviews in the film… oh god…… still a beautiful window into the 80s tho.. Boris is kinda weird.. I feel like maybe I might be friends with him if I lived in that time but also, maybe….not.
Okkk
I’ll leave u with this gem from tom husband:
And as always,
See you in cyberspace soon.
Much love,
Bona <3
Bona’s newsletter comes out every week anytime between Thursday-Saturday.
If you would like to come along for the ride, I’ll be sharing poems, music, film, event analysis, thoughts, happenings and e-love..
Love u,
<3