Nick Milligan's Blog, page 12

Room 237: film review

INSIDE ROOM 237: Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is the subject of documentary Room 237.

Conspiracy theories of most kinds are deliciously seductive. The sensation of having a once drawn curtain parted by a carefully worded whisper seems to tingle the nerve endings. So there is no doubt that the attraction to myth and secrets has an evergreen allure. The moments at which imagination and truth intersect have a particularly satisfying impact.

The question of whether such moments exist in the documentary Room 237, is as open to debate as the theories the movie puts on the table. Directed by Rodney Ascher and produced by Tim Kirk, the doco pulls apart every aspect of Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror masterpiece The Shining. In nine segments, five movie buffs – an assortment of journalists, critics and enthusiasts – put forward a case for having discovered hidden codes, motifs and layers of meaning in the late-director’s movie. Three of the major theories argued by the buffs – who only appear in voice over – are that Kubrick was making a statement about the genocide of American natives, the Holocaust and was also hiding an admission that he  was secretly responsible for NASA’s moon landing footage.

Many aspects of The Shining and its production we know to be true. It is an adaptation of a Stephen King book and Kubrick did deviate his screenplay from the source material. For example, the labyrinth that appears in his movie was not in King’s novel. We also know that Kubrick had a high IQ – he was incredibly well read and had a broad general knowledge. He was also very well researched, which meant his eye for detail and desire for accuracy was immense. And, as Room 237 reminds us, Kubrick was an auteur. Every prop, every line of dialogue, every costume – everything you see on screen – was deliberated. It is the master director’s legacy, his elusive responses in interviews, and perhaps sense of humour, that opens the door for endless dissection of his movies amongst the cinephile fraternity.

Ascher’s direction of Room 237 effectively leeches atmosphere from Kubrick’s movies and, as Ascher has stated in interviews, he does not necessarily accept any of the theories presented. So the viewer is allowed to make up their own mind. But it is fun to imagine. While some of the theories are radical, and often draw very, very long bows in making their case, others are believable. Fans of The Shining may pick up on nuances in the film they had not noticed. Alternatively, Room 237 might encourage some movie lovers to watch Kubrick’s film for the first time or perhaps investigate his other work.

INTO THE MAZE: The labyrinth in The Shining did not feature in the book.

In allowing these five interviewees to make their case and use graphics to highlight the clues in each frame, Ascher creates his own arguments. Perhaps on one level he is saying that if you look hard enough at any text, you can find evidence of something that’s not really there. But on the other hand, there can be intentional subtexts missed on the first viewing. Perhaps Ascher is pointing out how fun it is to look for these patterns and codes. Or, perhaps closest to the truth, that there are morsels of imagery in The Shining that Kubrick subconsciously placed there – visual clues that emerged from his gifted brain and found their way on to celluloid. Room 237 continues the discussion of how an artist’s personal experiences permeate their work and whether the creator can ever be truly extricated from their art.

No matter what Kubrick’s intentions were, any theory borne of the benefit of hindsight is valid. Whether The Shining is just a horror movie or is, in fact, a brilliantly conceived subversive metaphor, is a secret that has died with the late-great director. But, as Room 237 ultimately points out, there’s a dark, haunting magic in the search for these answers – and not necessarily in the answers themselves.

TRUE OR TRASH? Some of the theories presented in Room 237 are more believable than others.

Jinja Safari: interview

INTO THE WILD: Jinja Safari.

If you have not heard the music of Jinja Safari, their name may conjure an image of wild African plains. A listen to their first two EPs, Jinja Safari and Mermaids & Other Sirens, would further suggest a band influenced by the sounds of distance shores.

But while the Sydney-based five-piece were gaining notoriety as a memorable live act and having their fusion of tribal rhythms, folk and pop played on national radio, its principal songwriters felt they needed further education in the sounds of their namesake – the city of Jinja, Uganda.

So singer Marcus Azon and keyboardist Cameron “Pepa” Knight embarked on information-gathering sojourns to the far corners of the globe, to bring an authenticity to their music.

“Marcus went to Uganda and I went to India,” Knight says. “But last year we toured all around the world and we did a lot of writing together and got some ideas, and wrote songs on flights. It was nice to be multi-tasking on those trips. We took over these little recording devices that we could record samples with – anything that we were inspired by there. Some of the songs on the album have those samples in them. It was cool to be able to use a drum beat from a dholak player in the Himalayas or some chanting from Uganda.”

The sounds of their travels permeate the 12 impressive tracks of their self-titled debut record. Perhaps unavoidably, given the record’s influence, it echoes of Paul Simon’s Graceland. The kinetic, layered and lush songs on Jinja Safari are alive with percussive energy. And the album’s finale, Bay of Fires, might create numerous images in the mind’s eye of the listener, but it holds a very specific memory for Knight.

“There’s a sample at the very end of the album that was recorded sitting behind the Taj Mahal in India, as the sun was rising,” Knight explains. “The Islamic call to prayer was travelling over the Yamuna River and it was such a beautiful and eerie experience. I took it home, warped it, looped it, and put chords under it. I remember listening to this on repeat for over an hour in the studio and it put me in a really peaceful meditative trance.”

Knight now feels Jinja Safari have the authority to carry their African-inspired band name. “We’ve been so inspired by world music, so to be there and see it all felt a bit more organic than a bunch of white guys just trying to write Afro-pop tunes,” he laughs.

The Islamic call to prayer was travelling over the Yamuna River and it was such a beautiful and eerie experience. I took it home, warped it, looped it, and put chords under it. I remember listening to this on repeat for over an hour in the studio and it put me in a really peaceful meditative trance.

When the keyboardist travelled to India, he hoped to find both musicians to learn from and authentic instruments to bring home. “Every place I went to in India I tried to find musicians that I could hang out with,” Knight says. “The sitar that I’m using on this [upcoming] tour I picked up in a place called Udaipur in India. I bought that from my sitar teacher, I was there for about a week and he taught me every day. I’m still not very good – if he saw us live I don’t think he would be impressed.”

But what Knight heard in their native songs has translated into Jinja Safari’s material. “Indian music is all about the melody and the rhythm – you rarely hear chord changes in their traditional music,” he says. “I got obsessed with that – how they have these complicated rhythms and these scales that are not even heard of in the Western world. That was really inspiring.”

Jinja Safari, which also includes drummer Jacob Borg, bassist Joe Citizen and Alister Roach on percussion, have experienced a very steep rise in popularity. The band’s genesis came from a chance meeting between Knight and Azon in 2010.

“We were at a beach party at Crescent Head and I gave Marcus a demo CD of some solo songs I was working on at the time,” Knight recalls. “Within a few weeks Marcus sent me an email and asked if we wanted to do some writing together. He came over and we jammed out some stuff. It was really fast after that – we uploaded one song on to the internet and then our manager, who we have now, heard it and put the song on to Triple J and it took off from there.”

While the group has handled its fame – including extensive touring in Europe and America – they were thrown in the deep end. “It was a big learning curve,” Knight says. “Jacob and I were always in a band together, since we were 12, but it was strange to be a part of something that was so exciting and moving so fast. We did our first [public] show on the main stage of Splendour In The Grass [in Byron Bay].”

While every member has contributed to the final sound of Jinja Safari, Knight was also the record’s producer. He admits that this adds to his sense of responsibility.

“I guess there’s a bit more pressure doing the production and piecing the music together,” Knight says. “But at the same time, it’s what I love doing and it’s nice to have creative control where you can just do whatever you want.”

As for what direction the band’s pop music could move in from here, Knight is as in the dark as his audience.

“We always seem to break our rules when it comes to songwriting,” Knight says. “We wanted to write Simon and Garfunkel-style folk songs at the start. But now we might write some hardcore, heavy metal songs or some soft, ­ballady kids songs. Who knows?”

Film reviews: a rainy weekend on the couch

CHEAP THRILLS: Keri Russell stars in the sci-fi spookfest Dark Skies.

I had a full three days off work and, as my luck would have it, I was struck down with a mysterious illness. My girlfriend says I may have something called “Mannflu”. So my creative writing plan went out the window as I lay confined to the sofa and caught up on some films. Here’s some quick fire reviews:

LIFE OF PI (2012)

4/5

I have been told Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi is a moving and perplexing experience, but I am yet to read it. If Ang Lee’s stunning film is anything to go by, the concept of the story is a brilliant construct in which to explore spirituality, adversity, trauma, the nature of story-telling and humanity in general. I was moved to tears. The visual effects are stunning, with frequent moments of arresting beauty. But at it’s heart is a dark and unsettling revelation that, despite Lee’s dreamscape, stays with you after the film’s finale. It’s no secret that Lee is a supreme filmmaker (I even liked his Hulk movie) and in Life of Pi he is served well by a talented principal actor in Suraj Sharma, and a timeless story. Life of Pi is highly recommended.

DARK SKIES (2013)

3/5

Despite its lazy use of numerous spooky movie conventions, Dark Skies is an effective thriller. Written and directed by Scott Stewart, the film follows a series of strange occurrences that take place in the home of the Barrett family. Something raids the fridge and makes a mess. Then utensils and food stuffs are arranged in bizarre totem poles. The Barrett family, understandably shaken, go to the police. Do the cops believe there is anything weird going on? Of course not! So who is eating food from the fridge and playing silly buggers with their mixing bowls? A poltergeist? A demon? A hobgoblin? None of the above. Mother Lacy (Keri Russell) and  father Daniel (Josh Hamilton) are told by their creepy kid that someone called “The Sandman” is responsible. But, as you can gather from the trailer, the perpetrators are of an extra terrestrial nature.

Dark Skies has no direct relation with the popular ’90s television show of the same name. It is also a change of pace from Scott Stewart’s previous films – the biblically-slanted action flicks Legion and Priest. For a director whose background is in special effects (Stewart has worked on Mars Attacks!, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Iron Man, to name a few), Dark Skies uses its CGI sparingly. While this may have been a budget issue, it does work in the movie’s favour.

While it is by no means a masterpiece, there are a few great moments in Dark Skies. Russell has a natural and believable presence on screen and she offsets the weaker contribution of Hamilton. The always excellent J.K. Simmons has a small but important role. Next time you’re after a few cheap thrills, turn off the lights and watch Dark Skies.

THE LAST STAND

3.5/5

HE’S BACK: Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to what he does best in The Last Stand.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to cinema after his political stint is a relatively low budget affair compared to his last big screen foray. We last saw Arnie in 2003′s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (although a little CGI magic saw him appear in Terminator Salvation). The Last Stand was directed by South Korea’s Kim Ji-woon on a budget of $30 million and delivers everything you would hope for from an Arnie movie.

The ageing Austrian plays Sheriff Ray Owens, the man in charge of looking after the people of the tiny town of Sommerton Junction, Arizona. Meanwhile, in Las Vegas we see FBI Agent John Bannister (Forrest Whitaker) briefing a room full of colleagues on the transfer of deadly international drug lord Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega). Bannister stresses the importance of not allowing Cortez to escape. Everyone has to be on their guard. Have Cortez’s gangs plotted a daring, foolproof escape for their leader? Of course they fucking have! Cortez takes a female FBI agent hostage and gets away in a a modified Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1. It’s very, very fast. Cortez is going to cross the Mexican border to freedom, but first he needs to get through – you guessed it – Sommerton Junction.

Owens leads his small team of deputies in a stand to barricade Cortez’s escape. This results in a Western-style stand-off with lots of ammunition put to good use. With a supporting cast that includes Luis Guzman, Johnny Knoxville and an always villainous Peter Stormare, The Last Stand will bring a smile to the face of all old-school action movie buffs. There are a few unexpected moments of comical gore. The acting is solid for this type of cinematic outing and the script doesn’t pretend that Arnie is not well past retirement age. But the former Mr Universe still has a mischievous glimmer in his eye when he’s tearing apart bad guys with a machine gun, delivers one-liners with aplomb and has a strong physical presence on screen. It’s great to have Arnie back.

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

3/5

L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was adapted a number of times in early cinema. The story was told in films made in 1910, 1925, 1933 and 1939. The latter, released as The Wizard of Oz and starring Judy Garland, is the most famous. Sam Raimi’s Oz The Great and Powerful is set 20 years before the events of that film.

The movie opens in black and white 4:3 Academy ratio and introduces cad and carnival magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco), who is known affectionately as Oz. An ill-fated hot air balloon escape flies Oz into a tornado. He arrives in the Land of Oz, a world of colour depicted in the modern standard 2.35:1 widescreen ratio and surround sound. Oz meets Theodora (Mila Kunis), a naive Good Witch. Theodora tells Oz that a prophecy predicts the arrival of a heroic wizard in the Land of Oz who frees the land from the evil of the Wicked Witch and then claims the king’s throne in Emerald City. Embarrassed to tell them that he is only a carnival magician and not a purveyor of true magic, Oz decides to maintain his lie and figure out how to save the day with only wits and cunning.

While visually impressive, Oz The Great and Powerful lacks real wit and charm. Raimi does his best to make the action and adventure feel as though it’s on a grand scale, but the story is rambling and unfocused. Franco is an excellent actor, but he doesn’t feel right as Oz. He seems too self-conscious. The finale is exciting and works well, particularly in how it ties into The Wizard of Oz, but ultimately Oz The Great and Powerful doesn’t generate the nostalgia one might have hoped for.

CLOUD ATLAS

4/5

CANNIBAL ATLAS: Finally! We get to see Hugh Grant portray a cannibal tribesman.

I’d heard that this movie is quite convoluted, and in some ways it is. But a dense plot that requires concentration is not necessarily a bad thing. You can watch Cloud Atlas one of two ways – let it wash over you as a sensory experience and a rumination on how our decisions can ripple across the puddles of time. Or you can use some serious brain power to connect all the dots. My experience was somewhere in between.

I haven’t read the 2004 novel by David Mitchell, but it’s clear that The Wachowskis’ attempt to adapt it to the screen has been an ambitious one. As they demonstrated with the Matrix trilogy, they have a penchant for stunning visuals. Each of the time periods that the script bounces around between – at a rapid pace – have a dynamic synthesis of costumes and set design.

The actors deliver accomplished, nuanced performances, often under thick layers of incredible make-up. Even in the most bizarre scenarios they take their characters seriously. It pays off.

Two reasons to watch Cloud Atlas: 01. Hugh Grant playing a creepy cannibalistic warrior and 02. Hugo Weaving playing a green, top-hatted character that is surely based on The Mighty Boosh‘s Peppermint Nightmare.

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

3/5

There was a lot of award-hype about Silver Linings Playbook. My favourite author, Bret Easton Ellis, said it was the best American movie of the 2012. But, while there is no doubting David O. Russell’s talent as a director – he is often brilliant – I wasn’t moved emotionally by this movie. The idiosyncrasies of every character combine to give the movie its oddball charm but, ultimately, this is a romantic comedy that abides a long list of cliches. You know how it’s gonig to end.

Much has been made of the film’s portrayal of mental illness, but the accuracy of this film’s portrayal is questionable. As strong as Bradley Cooper’s performance is, he seems to become clear of mind on the occasions when it most serves the plot. Yes, the entire cast are excellent. But this is a Hollywood romance flick that purports to push boundaries when it is, in fact, willingly constricted by them.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4

3/5

I’ve become a fan of this franchise and I was intrigued to see where it could be taken in a fourth installment. It’s clearly getting harder for the makers to keep the series fresh, because this contribution was the least scary so far. If you’ve been following the series, then you know how it works. The first major contrivance that each film has to overcome is making the viewer accept that the characters a) have a massive desire to film themselves and b) never run for the hills or phone authorities when disturbing things start to happen. I’ve continued to watch the series because I’m hooked on the story and fascinated by how its revealed. But Paranormal Activity 4 does not advance the story very far. The finale is similar to the end of the third movie in what it reveals, but its staging pales in comparison to the end of that prequel. There are a few interesting aspects, especially 16-year-old Kathryn Newton’s believable performance as the main protagonist, but there is now a lot of pressure on Paranormal Activity 5 to deliver something momentous in the narrative. It feels like the producers are stalling the story a) to deliberately draw this out to a ten-film franchise or b) because they don’t know where it’s going either.

STAR ROLE: Kathryn Newton in Paranormal Activity 4.

Five cool videos

I’ve been stumbling across some cool videos lately. So I thought a simple post that shared these cool videos would be… cool. Here’s five examples of what I have found:

EXAMPLE ONE

I was very happy that Bret Easton Ellis tweeted about this little video he had just done a voiceover for, because it’s also by one of my favourite bands. Placebo. Anyone that engages with social media can relate to Brian Molko’s lyrics on ‘Too Many Friends’. Thematically, it ties into much of the subject matter of Ellis’ novels. The concept of “surface relationships”. Tickling the tip of each other’s iceberg. The superficiality of the experiment – and the video’s austere and minimalist setting – echo of Ellis’ work. It’s nice to hear his sardonic and slightly zany delivery.

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EXAMPLE TWO

Sydney’s The Preatures are destined to be quite large. It’s hard to deny that they have a pretty slick and sublime sound. This new single, ‘Manic Baby’, is shimmering disco pop. It’s sexy. It has a slightly unsettling video. I hear echoes of early Jefferson Airplane in some of their material, with a dash of The Duke Spirit, but it’s clear they’re still feeling out their sound and direction. When their debut album drops, you will know about it. You may have even pre-ordered it. I hope the title of ‘Manic Baby’ is a subliminal reference to Manic Street Preatures Preachers. I also hope Isabella Manfredi becomes a style icon. It would just feel right to me. There’s more than a little Deborah Harry influence in this clip/song.

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EXAMPLE THREE

Cormac McCarthy. He’s a guru. He’s written some insanely incredible books. Like The Road. You have to read it. Freakin’ masterpiece. Anyway, I discovered this week that he has written an original screenplay and it has been directed by Ridley Scott. The cast is fuckin’ epic: Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz … and JAVIER BARDEM back as another McCarthy psychopath. The film tells the story of a lawyer (Fassbender) who finds himself in over his head when he gets involved in drug trafficking. I’ve made the mistake of hyping up three big movies in the last few years and being disappointed (Scott’s last effort was one of them), but this does look incredible.

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EXAMPLE FOUR

Twin Lakes are an exciting new act out of Newcastle. Eddie Garven’s band have been gigging hard and are hopefully garnering some attention. This is the video for their song ‘Glacier’. I had the privilege of writing their bio, which you can also find on Meadowlake Street. This music video is undoubtedly a little abstract. There are some striking visuals. It has a nightmarish quality. It’s unquestionably open to interpretation, but its atmosphere no doubt conveys and provokes the range of emotions intended by director and writer Richard Wilson.

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EXAMPLE FIVE

Well, admittedly, this isn’t really a video. It’s more an exercise in audio. It’s Midlake’s new song. I love Midlake. But their singer, Tim Smith, has left the group to pursue a creative project called Harp. Apparently he left on good terms, but there were creative differences in the studio. Something of a stalemate. They kept it a secret too, because Smith actually left Midlake late last year. His new material will be put up at http://www.harpband.com and you can also read a letter from Smith about his departure. Founding guitarist Eric Pulido has stepped into the lead vocal duties for Midlake. You can recognise the texture of his voice from the backing vocals of Midlake’s previous work. This first taste, ‘Antiphon’, sounds darker, more rhythmic and psychedelic. I like it. I hope I like the rest. Check it out.

Mark Oliver Everett: interview

PHONE INTERVIEW: Mark Oliver Everett chatted to me over the phone from Los Angeles, possibly with a glamour model in his vicinity.

If every other music journo is like myself, they probably have a list of dream interviewees. It’s also a question you get asked by people. “If you could interview anyone, who would it be?” I have such a list. It includes James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers, Jonas Bjerre (Mew), Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and Gaz Coombes (formerly of Supergrass). Until very recently, this list also include Mark Oliver Everett, aka E, of Eels. But I recently had a chance to speak with him. The interview came about very quickly and I would have liked more time to properly structure my questions for him. Because he is a man of few words, I would have liked to have pushed him slightly to elaborate on his views of the themes in his music. But such are the trappings of a 15-minute time slot. You can only ever skim the surface. Nevertheless, it was a privilege to be able to speak to this incredible songwriter and author. Here is the transcript of our conversation.

You’ve been visiting Australia since about the year 2000. Have we always been receptive to your music?

I think so, you’d have to ask them. They’ve always seemed like nice audiences to me.

Last time you were here was the Hombre Lobo tour, which had a distinctly rockier vibe. What can we expect from your upcoming tour? Will it be mostly material from your new record Wonderful, Glorious?

Yeah, it will be some of that and probably plenty of older material too, all mixed together I’m guessing.

And I think the focus is going to be on having a good time.

When performing your older songs, do you ever find that the meaning and sentiments of certain lyrics apply to your life in different ways over time?

It’s so much fun to go back and revisit older material, but try to get it right this time. We say, ‘Let’s treat this song as if it was written yesterday. How would we have done it this time?’ That makes it a lot of fun.

Do you consider yourself a perfectionist when it comes to songwriting?

No, I’m just trying to capture some sort of truth, or some real moment. I guess in that sense you could say I’m a perfectionist. But there’s nothing perfect about that, so I guess not.

 …you could say my life has been a long series of painting myself into corners and then desperately trying to find a way out of them, and that’s the challenge I guess I thrive on.

Your most recent album, Wonderful, Glorious, was much more collaborative than your previous records. You co-wrote the album with your Eels band members. Did you surprise yourself to be co-writing with other people?

Well that came about solely because we had toured together for several years – we’d been around the world several times together. And it occured to me that they’re such a great band – why weren’t we making new music? That’s what opened the door to that idea. Now we get to go out and play the stuff that we all wrote together, so it’s really fun.

You said that after making the thematic trilogy of records – 2009′s Hombre Lobo, 2010′s End Times and 2010′s Tomorrow Morning – you had painted yourself into a corner, creatively. Have you found yourself in that situation many times, where you didn’t know where to take your music next?

Yeah, I guess you could say my life has been a long series of painting myself into corners and then desperately trying to find a way out of them, and that’s the challenge I guess I thrive on.

Did collaborating help you out of the corner?

Yeah because it was initially a little bit scary, because I didn’t have any plan when going into make this record. I’d never done that before. I always had some idea of what I was trying to achieve. This time I just said, “Let’s meet on this day, at this time and see what happens.” After a few slow hours it started to click, and then it never stopped clicking after that.

For the next album, do you think you would use the same collaborative process?

Probably not. I’m sure I will want that kind of approach again, but since we just did it I doubt I would do it right away again like that. But who knows.

Are you in a position now where you have an idea of what you might do next?

I have so many ideas, that’s the problem. I just have to pick one.

Do you get restless if you’re not working on new material or do you like to take a break from songwriting?

It’s nice to have a break once in a while, but there’s such a natural, built-in break when we go on tour. Then you play the hell out of the stuff you just wrote. Naturally, by the end of that you’re ready to go back to the other side of it – the writing.

You sometimes write lyrics from the point of view of a character and other times as yourself – does one perspective come more effortlessly than the other?

It might be easier to write something that’s strictly autobiographical, because you know all the facts going into it. So it might be more of a challenge, to write as a character.

…my goal for the rest of my life is for it to be too boring for it to make a good book. I packed in so much drama in the first half, I don’t really want any more.

Before making an album do you have a sense of what the lyrical themes might be or do you wait for the music and melodies to inform that?

Both things can happen. I normally have some idea of what I want an album to be, lyrically and musically, ahead of time, with the exception of Wonderful, Glorious, where I didn’t have any idea of what I was getting into.

Do you feel that lyrically you are drawn to different subject matter now than what you might have been as a younger man?

I think it has moved around over the years, but there are some themes that are universal and able to be endlessly explored, I think.

I loved your autobiography, Things The Grandchildren Should Know. In it there is a serendipitous moment where you’re on a bus with influential music industry figure John Carter and you hand him your demo tape. That sets in motion a chain of events that leads to a recording contract. Had that not happened, do you think you would have remained driven to make music for a living?

Yeah, it’s hard to say. I had passed so many tapes to so many people, prior to that. It never went anywhere. Initially that [meeting with Carter] didn’t go anywhere, but eventually it did. I’m very thankful that that happened. I’m guessing that it probably would have happened eventually, some other way. But who knows.

What was it like to write your autobiography and release such a personal document for people to read?

It’s a little terrifying, because it’s so embarrassing. Whenever I meet someone that’s read the book – like when you just told me you read my book, I immediately felt this pain in my stomach. You know a lot of embarrassing things about me. So that part’s a little hard, but it’s ultimately a very freeing experience. Particularly if it’s well-received. And then you feel like, “Well, ok, I went out on a limb and no one is laughing at me – too much.”

Your book is a compelling read and I loved it. Do a lot of people ask you about whether you’re gonig to write more – whether it be fiction or a second autobiography that documents the last half of your life?

Maybe, but my goal for the rest of my life is for it to be too boring for it to make a good book. I packed in so much drama in the first half, I don’t really want any more. Most of that is out of my control, so who knows. Maybe writing fiction or something… it’s really hard to write your own story in a book because it has to be factual and entertaining. But if it’s fiction you can just make it up and it doesn’t matter where it comes from. That seems a lot easier to me, but writing a book is a little too lonely for me to get excited about doing it again any time soon.

If someone had played you Wonderful, Glorious back when you were releasing Beautiful Freak in 1996, and said here is an album you will release in 2013, would anything about the record have surprised you at that point in time?

Yeah, I think I would have been flawed by how awesome it is. I would have thought, “Wow, I’m capable of that? What am I doing?” It’s hard for an artist to judge his own work and it’s hard for me to say, but I always look back on stuff in the past and think, “Er, that was a young man. I could do that better now, or differently – in a way that would be, in my eyes, better.”

It seems that when someone becomes a member of Eels, it’s important that they have an awesome nickname. Eels comprises of The Chet, P-Boo, Honest Al and Knuckles. Is a great a nickname a prequisite for being in the band?

It seems to be. I don’t know how exactly that started or why it started. But once it started we were never able to get out of it. I tend to be a nicknamer with people, in and out of the Eels. You don’t have to be in Eels for me to give you a nickname.

Eels are out in Australia for Harvest this year. What are the band’s plans for after that tour?

We’ve already done 54 shows this year and we’re getting ready to go back out and do a bunch more before we come to Australia. We’ll be well oiled up for Australia, and that’s really all we’re focusing on right now.

So after Australia it might be time to make another record?

One would think, based on history, that’s probably what will happen at some point. But I don’t feel like there’s any hurry, so who knows.

Eels play the Harvest Festival on Sunday November 10 in Melbourne, Werribee Park; Saturday November 16 in Sydney, The Domain; and Sunday, November 17 at Brisbane, City Botanic Gardens. Tickets available from http://www.harvestfestival.com.au.

Enormity close to launch in hard copy

Printed copies of Enormity are just around the corner. I’m printing the book through Amazon via their Createspace subsidiary. So far I have received a printed proof copy which I am scouring from start to finish – a final search for errors. As it turns out, I have found quite a few. A freshly proofed version of the Enormity eBooks will be up soon too. Nothing major has been changed – just a few dastardly typos that slipped under the radar.

CREATESPACE

So far I would recommend the website Createspace for the purpose of printing hard copies of your novel to sell yourself. The set-up cost so far has been nothing. The printed and bound proof copy of Enormity that I received (for about $US6 plus postage) is of a quality you would find in a store. Uploading the book was easy. I downloaded Createspaces’ Word.doc template, which was formatted appropriately for a book that is 9 inches high by 6 inches wide. You could attempt this yourself, but there are a few tricky margin settings. I found it quick just to copy and paste the chapters and other intro/outro pages into their template document. Uploading the cover art/book jacket was relatively easy. I used InDesign to knock together the front, back and spine. Createspace gave me a simple formula to work out how wide my spine had to be to accommodate 468 pages (the total page length of Enormity). I have attached a photo gallery of the book, so you can take a look at the quality for yourself. Createspace also puts a barcode on the back for you, using the ISBN number you provide. Also, I chose the cream paper. Looks great. I also chose Constantia as my font and an 11 point size. Looks excellent and is easy to read.

NOTE TO AUSSIE INDIE AUTHORS: Get yourself an ISBN number for your book. It’s an internationally recognised unique number that identifies your book anywhere in the world. Head here to purchase some. I found the interface of the website quite straightforward: Thorpe-Bowker ISBN numbers

TAX

So far releasing Enormity has been a real learning experience and I have been feeling my way through the process without much guidance. It’s clear that I have to get some documentation in order and apply for an American tax number. This is because Amazon taxes you at a whopping 30% if you live in Australia and do not have an EIN or a TIN or any other relevant digits. You need to get this sorted out if you don’t want to be giving up a third of your book’s income. There is some helpful information and links on Amazon’s Kindle Platform website. If you get your forms in and are approved for an American tax number, you should be taxed at something closer to 15% due to Australia’s tax treaty with the US. I’m still investigating this financial side of the process – it’s certainly not my favourite aspect of releasing a novel. But it has to be done. Take a look at the info here: Information on setting up tax status with Amazon

BOOK LAUNCH

I have the venue lined up. Stay tuned for more details on the gigantic and wild official book launch for Enormity, which will be happening before the end of 2013.

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Splendour In The Grass 2013

LIGHTS AND MUSIC: Splendour In The Grass 2013.

After many years of lobbying the bureaucratic powers of Byron Bay to have their festival moved from its long-time home of Belongil Fields to the North Byron Parklands, the promoters of Splendour In The Grass were finally given the green light in 2013. As long as the sights and sounds of Splendour – its colourful, joyous atmosphere – translated to the new venue, then no punter would be upset.

Aesthetically, North Byron Parklands felt almost identical to Belongil, despite being a 25 minute bus ride north from Byron’s CBD. Once you were roaming around the stalls, bars and stages, you quickly forgot that you weren’t at the old venue. Once your gumboots sank into the mud, there was no escaping the fact that you were at the latest installment of this coveted three-day event.

Splendour In The “Grass” is purely a nostalgic title, as you have to roam far and wide to find a blade of grass that isn’t submerged in the thick sticky quagmire. But the splendour remains.

FRIDAY

TURN UP THE TV: Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio.

Moving a circus as large as Splendour to a new home was likely to incur teething problems. This manifested on the first day – the Friday – of the event. Having chosen to stay in Byron Bay, we joined a queue for Splendour’s bus service at 1.30pm in the afternoon. A two-hour wait later, we joined a bus at 3.30pm and were dropped on the edge of the festival site, which meant a further 20 minute walk to Splendour’s front gates. Here we were greeted by a further two-hour wait to enter the festival, with human traffic at a gridlocked, bottled-necked stand still.

It had something to do with the new high-tech wristbands that were introduced this year. Rather than a simple tightening motion to put the wristband on a punter, these bands, which have a microchip inside them, had to be scanned and activated. This took about 45 seconds per entrant. Multiplied by the volume of people trying to enter Splendour, this led to extremely long waiting times.

After nearly five hours of suspense, we made it through the gates just in time to see rocker Pete Doherty lead his group Babyshambles on to the Supertop stage.

First impression: Pete had put on some weight. Given his rocky road with drug addiction, it was a relief to see him looking healthy. On stage he swaggered about with his trademark aloof charisma, but he also seemed lucid. His voice sounded fantastic and his guitar work was sharp.

Brooklyn’s TV On The Radio have visited Australia for a number of festivals, including Splendour, and lived up to their reputation as a powerful, soulful and dynamic rock band.

Singer Tunde Adebimpe’s vocals were in full flight as the group showed off a high-energy new song and also their hit ‘Wolf Like Me’.

Mumford and Sons headlined the Supertop on Friday.

Those that wished to escape the giant hoedown ventured across to see London’s Klaxons in the Mix Up tent, who had the crowd dancing to falsetto-laded pop hits like ‘Echoes’, ‘Golden Skans’ and ‘Atlantis To Interzone’.

Entering Splendour on the Saturday was a far more effortless affair, with all delays rectified. There were plenty of buses waiting at Byron Bay and there was no queue to get in the front gates, with only a quick scan of the wristband required.

SATURDAY

WAR TIME: Nathan Willett of Cold War Kids.

Jake Bugg was an early highlight at the Supertop on Saturday – the 19-year-old rocker from Nottingham laying down a raw concoction of Bob Dylan-esque folk and Arctic Monkeys-style abrasiveness.

At the GW McLennan tent, Whitley made a welcome return to the festival circuit, with a hypnotic, beautiful performance of material from his record Even The Stars Are A Mess.

The songwriter sat behind his organ for most of the set, occasionally picking up an acoustic guitar to perform old favourites like ‘All Is Whole’ and ‘More Than Life’.

Californian rock band Cold War Kids seem to write arena-sized anthems for breakfast and their Splendour set was a firm reminder of the quality of their catalogue. A massive crowd sang along to swampy soul hits like ‘Miracle Mile’, ‘Audience’, ‘Louder Than Ever’, ‘Hang Me Up To Dry’ and ‘Hospital Beds’.

The Polyphonic Spree, led by singer Tim DeLaughter, proved one of the highlights of the festival. The large band performed the entire Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack, before a final half hour of their own material. While dancing along to Time Warp had its own novelty, the real treat was hearing their originals like ‘Soldier Girl’ and ‘Hold Me Now’. They finished off with an explosive and faithful cover of Nirvana’s ‘Lithium’. DeLaughter leaped into the moshpit and jumped around. It was a monstrous finale to a very memorable show.

The party continued at the Supertop with Birds of Tokyo. Then Empire of The Sun delivered another of their vibrant smorgasbords of sight and sound.

Flume headlined the Mix Up tent on the Saturday – he really should have been in the Supertop. You couldn’t get anywhere near the tent, such was the gargantuan mass of people trying to see Australia’s dance-producer-of-the-moment. He might be a whizkid behind a laptop, but Flume’s appeal is undeniable. He dropped some of the year’s biggest party numbers, like Major Lazer etc, amongst his own works, like ‘Holdin’ On’.

The National’s dour, down tempo rock music was dwarfed by the Supertop tent, but louder, more raucous tunes like ‘Abel’ gave the set a much needed shot in the arm. Musically they are impressive, but more attention was required to appreciate the nuances of their songs than what most kids can muster at Splendour come 10.30pm.

Teen Girls and Pony Club DJs blasted some choice classics in the Smirnoff Bar, bouncing around between punk rock, old-school hip hop, ‘90s pop and dub step.

SUNDAY

PASSION PLAY: Passion Pit gave a massive performance on Sunday in the Supertop.

On Sunday, an early treat was LA garage-punk rockers Fidlar, who drew a large crowd to the Supertop to dance to their upbeat, short bursts of noise.

It was difficult to stand still when UK art-pop group Everything Everything appeared in the Mix Up tent. Their twisting melodies and tribal rhythms – with vocals reminiscent of The Presets – was insanely catchy. Their hits ‘Kemosabe’ and ‘Cough Cough’ received a particularly rapturous response.

Snakadaktal performed tracks from their brilliant debut record Sleep In The Water, along with radio hit ‘Air’, but unless you were near the stage the slow tranquility of their music made it difficult to engage with their performance.

Gurrumul, on the other hand, filled the GW McLennan tent with his haunting, mesmerising vocal ability. His voice is truly stunning. Performing songs in both his native Aboriginal tongue and in English, it was hard to not be swept away by the beauty of his music.

The Drones followed soon after and were possibly the highlight of the entire festival. Drawing largely on new record I See Seaweed, as well as favourites like ‘The Minotaur’ and ‘Shark Fin Blues’, the show was primal and cinematic. They are unquestionably one of the best live bands in the country and their performances are jaw-dropping in their power and poeticism.

Power pop stars Passion Pit were second-last on the Supertop stage, with tracks like ‘Take A Walk’, ‘Sleepyhead’ and ‘Little Secrets’ putting hands in the air and making everyone dance and jump in the mud. They’re a live act purpose-built to bring good times to a giant audience.

Of Monsters and Men brought this year’s Splendour In The Grass to a close, with the Icelandic folk-pop group stepping into the slot meant for the absent Frank Ocean. The band’s energy is infectious and they both a splendid and spirited finale to one of Australia’s most magical musical escapes. Until next year.

Cars and Films: artworks by Jesús Prudencio

Sometimes the starring vehicle in a movie can become more iconic than the film itself. There’s no doubting that many cars have passed from transport into cinematic mythology. Here are some reimagined posters from the Cars and Films collection by Spanish graphic artist Jesús Prudencio. You can order these prints here: Cars and Films

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This Is The End: film review

KINGS OF COMEDY: Hill, Rogen, Franco, McBride, Robinson and Baruchel.

THIS IS THE END

4/5

When an antagonising video camera-wielding paparazzi taunts: “Hey, Seth Rogen! You always play the same guy in the same movie. When are you going to do some real acting, man?”, the target of the attack hides his face and meekly scurries away. Rogen, co-writer and co-director of apocalyptic comedy This Is The End, has clearly heard this criticism more than once. So a stoner comedy in which he and all of his celebrity actor buddies play themselves is a logical next step.

In This Is The End, which Rogen created with regular collaborator Evan Goldberg, Jay Baruchel is setup as our fish-out-of-water hero. He is picked up from a Los Angeles airport by Rogen, his long-time friend and fellow Canadian.

Baruchel, who has appeared in movies such as Million Dollar Baby, Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder and She’s Out of My League, isn’t a fan of the vacuous smiles and glamour of Los Angeles, but is coaxed by Rogen into visiting a wild house-warming party at the concrete monstrosity that James Franco has just moved into.

WILD PARTY: The festivities take a turn at James Franco’s house.

An array of familiar faces are partying hard at Franco’s house, Rihanna and Emma Watson among them. There’s a wonderful moment that reunites the three stars of Superbad. But Baruchel is an outsider and, uncomfortable with the looseness of proceedings, decides to leave to get cigarettes. Rogen accompanies him to a convenience store. While they’re choosing snacks, chaos strikes. The ground tremors and random people are caught in blue beams of light and pulled into the sky. In a thrilling sequence, Rogen and Baruchel race back to Franco’s house as Armageddon unfolds.

The ground opens up and a number of celebrities plummet into the fires of Hell. But a core group of survivors – including Jonah Hill, Rogen, Baruchel, Franco and Craig Robinson – manage to barricade themselves in Franco’s mansion. Unsure of the origin of the madness outside, they decide to wait it out until help arrives.

This Is The End brings together a group of actors who, for Gen Y, are Hollywood’s kings of comedy. Where our parents had Murray, Belushi, Aykroyd, Chase, Candy, Short and Martin, we have the cast of this movie. As a group, Rogen and co. are on the same wavelength and are masters of ad-libbed banter. As they lounge about and ration their supplies – mostly drugs and alcohol – the cast have childish and low-brow conversations that are elevated by sharp wit.

But, of course, these are just versions of each actor. This is Rogen and Baruchel as we’ve always seen them. Hill camps it up with a diamond stud earring and references his Oscar-nomination for Moneyball. Franco plays himself as a shallow, vacuous child. When Danny McBride appears, it may as well be his Eastbound and Down character Kenny Powers entering the action – he’s truly obnoxious. Michael Cera has fun subverting the perception of him as a sweet, innocent kid.

There’s no great philosophical or theological depth to This Is The End. Baruchel’s Jewish insights reveal the biblical nature of the situation outside Franco’s mansion and the script knowingly draws on the cliches of the group’s survival situation. They’re selfish celebrities and, as you would expect, are at each other’s throats after the first five minutes. The forced isolation does cause some of the cast to reflect on their privileged lives and ruminate on their true worth as humans. But that’s not really the point of the movie. This is a group of actors who have impeccable comic timing. The film is a vehicle for them to joyride in.

Rogen and Goldberg have loaded This Is The End with references, not just of their own movies but to other classics. One of the best scenes draws on The Exorcist. A number of other moments are reminiscent of Frank Darabont’s The Mist, with the smoke billowed from fire and brimstone shrouding Franco’s house. There’s even a scene where Robinson ventures outside with a rope tied around his waist. Interesting, the very real sense of danger from beyond the barricaded doors gives the film an edge. And because the audience is already privy to this group’s twisted sense of humour, you have to prepare yourself for something unsavoury to happen at any moment. There are demons and monsters in This Is The End and they’re rendered with a wonderfully vintage, almost claymation-style affection.

This Is The End may one day be considered a classic, if only because it captures this talented group of comedians and writers at the height of their powers. It’s a showcase. If you find Rogen and his friends funny, then you will be in Heaven. If you’re offended by their smutty interactions, then this might just be your idea of Hell.

SPARKING UP: This Is The End is a vehicle for the cast to joyride in.

Jeff Lindsay: interview

DWELLING IN DEXTER: Author Jeff Lindsay.

In 2010 I interviewed Dexter creator Jeff Lindsay about his book Dexter Is Delicious. There’s a few nice insights into writing that fellow authors might enjoy. So, from the vault, here’s my chat with Mr Lindsay.

LINDSAY SHOWS HIS DEXTERITY

by NICK MILLIGAN

While many Dexter fans discovered the charmingly creepy character through actor Michael C. Hall’s television portrayal, the serial killer and forensic blood splatter analyst is the dastardly creation of American author Jeff Lindsay.

Lindsay has explored the complex Dexter Morgan in five novels.

The first was Darkly Dreaming Dexter in 2004 and the most recent was 2010’s Dexter Is Delicious.

The books have inspired the hugely popular television series, which just aired its fifth season, but the program has had original storylines since the second series.

Lindsay admits it was a little nerve-wracking to put his character in the hands of a faceless team of writers.

“I was even nervous turning it over to Michael Hall at first, because I didn’t think he could do it – and I was really wrong about that,” Lindsay says.

“Now I’m happy having it in his hands.

“But every season there are new writers and I don’t know what they’re going to do.

“I just know at some point in every season I’m going to go, ‘Oh no!’ I love the show, don’t get me wrong. But there’s things you have to do because it’s TV that I would never in a million years do in the book.”

Indeed, major characters who have been killed in the show are still alive in the books.

But Lindsay has accepted that the Dexter Morgan on television is on a different path to the Dexter of his wry, twisted novels.

“I’m pretty much detached [from the show], especially this season because the head writer left the show,” Lindsay explains.

“So I don’t even know who [the head writer] is anymore.

“I speak occasionally to one of the executive producers and I usually visit the set at least once every season, but I didn’t do that this year either. Maybe it’s becoming normal.”

In last year’s Dexter Is Delicious, the title character finds himself in the visceral, confronting world of cannibalism.

Some grim research was required.

“You know, it will turn your stomach, but it’s really easy,” Lindsay says.

“Go on the internet and start Googling and you’ll find cannibal chat rooms and you’ll find recipes for cooking human being.

“Everything you want. It’s way too easy to find. “

So cannibalism is going on out there?

“Oh yeah, there’s no question about it. Absolutely,” confirms the author.

Dexter Morgan, as always, adheres to the law during his day job with the Miami police, but at night time kills other serial killers with deadly and cold precision.

Lindsay shares Dexter’s dislike for forensic procedure.

“I don’t really go into [forensics] too much,” Lindsay admits.

“I know enough of it to keep it real and honest and I have a lot of friends who do it for a living, so I if I’m stuck I can call them.

“To be honest with you, it’s not what I’m interested in writing about. There are people who can do that much better than I ever could.

“There’s a friend of mine, Lisa Black – she’s a wonderful writer, but her day job is forensics. She could write about mass spectrometers all day long. I go into it and after 10 minutes my jaw starts to ache.”

Lindsay is contracted to write one new Dexter book each year and Dexter Is Delicious only took the author three months.

His process has a simple starting point.

“I really need to have a beginning, a middle and an end,” Lindsay says.

“I need to know what that last scene is going to be like and what the book is about.

“I work my butt off to do a really solid, long outline before I start writing. I always mean to. But at a certain point I get impatient.

“Because of that, there’s a point in every single book where I’ve painted myself into a corner.”

It’s at this point where Lindsay might ask for some help from his wife, whose DNA makes her qualified to assist.

Lindsay is married to Hilary Hemingway, an author and niece of Ernest.

“I go back and say those magic words, ‘Help me, Hilary’. My wife is extremely good with structure.”

The Dexter books continue to take place in the humid climate of Miami.

Lindsay no longer lives there, but he did grow up in the Floridian city.

“Nothing else ever occurred to me,” says Lindsay of choosing Miami.

“I just started writing: In Miami one day …

“It’s where I’m from. I have a special relationship with the place. Sometimes it’s a love-hate relationship. But I don’t know where else I could put the story.”

Setting the Dexter series in Miami is also inspired by fiction that Lindsay read when he was young.

“My mother loved to read mysteries and because I grew up in Miami, there’s a writer called John D. MacDonald, who is kind of the father of all Florida crime writing,” Lindsay explains.

“In fact, I think his son is a Kiwi. I read a lot of those [books] when I was a kid and what I really wanted to do was to write that kind of series: a reluctant hero who solves crimes because he has to.

“My first book, Tropical Depression [in 1994], was like that. I’ve continued on with Dexter.”

It’s one thing to love reading, but why the career choice?

“It’s storytelling. I found out early on that it impresses girls, so I stuck with it.”

* Dexter Is Delicious is out now through Hachette.