ELMO KEEP: Archive

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I Was Going Out To The Circus With My Son Tonight

Last night we went along to see LCD Soundsystem, which was awesome, even if they didn’t play Someone Great. That’s ok. Three years ago I was writing a lot about them on the Sound of Silver tour, and I was looking around on my computer for some mp3s when I found this, which is I think some interview notes I transcribed without my questions included, except for one. … I was...

Jul 27th

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Pitchfork Seeks New Writers →

You know what I would personally love to read on Pitchfork? Thousands of words about why KISS are awesome and all new music is terrible. That, I can provide. Also, I am a woman. So, I can’t see why they wouldn’t hire me, ignoring the fact I haven’t written a record review since 2008, and that it was of a U2 album, which I fought valiantly to find the good parts of. That, and...

Jul 14th

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This Is Not An Exit

I used to spend an inordinate amount of time in my father’s study, as a child. Because it was the 80s, everything in it was either metallic and black, or white, or made of glass. Everything inside there was perfectly ordered, and more so it was quiet; a sharp, cool riposte to the rest of the house which was shambolic and dark and things always seemed to be clattering somewhere, or tripping...

Jul 6th

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The National Interview →

Brooklyn quintet The National continue to garner critical accolades off the back of their new album High Violet at such rapid pace, they are beginning to resemble one of those little bowerbirds that decorate their nests with coloured bits of plastic; except in place of shiny plastic things, it’s the top of rock critical lists; and they are people, not birds. Read the rest? RELATED: Ha! You know...

Jun 17th

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May 28th

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I Could Have Been A Contender

UPDATE! This is now in the past! Just like LOST! Except that not everyone is dead. Some friends of mine run a semi-regular reading event, Even Books. To tie in with the Sydney Writers’ Festival they are putting on the Inaugural Sydney Readers’ Festival this weekend, for which they’ve asked a bunch of people to contribute to a one-off zine on the nature of obsession, that you can...

May 19th

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The Thrilling Tale Of My First Tattoo

Emily Gould has hit nostalgia GOLD with her My First Tattoo series. thingsiatethatilove: “My first tattoo IS BAD. It’s meta now, which I think makes it much worse.” — Elmo SO, the little stars. OK. They were my first tattoo. I’ve since had a lot more done, including one that covers almost half of my back. But that was many years away, about 12 years, when I decided at the age of...

May 19th

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Watch

I was interviewed for Radio National’s Background Briefing on the back of my Hungry Beast story (above) on e-privacy. In the wake of Facebook’s latest round of “privacy” fuck ups, Radio National’s report is particularly timely. Everything from Wired declaring that Facebook has “gone rogue” to Google search trending “How do I delete my Facebook...

May 19th

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Interviewing Slash →

Can I ask you a question, which if you could answer would solve one of the enduring questions of our age? Yeah ok. OK. At the end of the November Rain video, why is she dead? What did she die from? Ha! Oh yeah that’s right, at the end there was the coffin. Yeah. It’s like one minute; party, someone dives through a cake, and then next minute—funeral. It’s quite confusing. The Guns N’ Roses...

Apr 23rd

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Apr 20th

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Good Night And Good Luck →

Apr 16th

The Strange Poetry of Julian Assange →

So, you will have heard a lot in the last two days about Julian Assange, the somewhat mysterious spokesperson/apparent co-founder of WikiLeaks. You might have heard that he lives a nomadic lifestyle and is fearful of being trailed by spies. That he was once, reportedly, an investigative journalist here in Australia and in Britain, and that he is a self-confessed “reformed ethical hacker” who was...

Apr 12th

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Digital Natives Held To Spin New Web, The... →

WITH their experimental youth current affairs show Hungry Beast finishing its run on the ABC on Wednesday, producers Andrew Denton and Anita Jacoby have picked nine members of its team for a new project: developing online content for their production company Zapruder’s Other Films. The nine will form an online team that Jacoby says might be shooting material and putting it on the web as...

Apr 11th

Metal Band, or Private Military Contractor? →

Let’s play a game! Prizes include nothing, and glory.

Apr 9th

VIDEO SHOWS US ARMY KILLING CIVILIANS →

Apr 6th

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Let's All Go Back To The Future →

Mar 23rd

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Watch

The Everlasting Digital Life Oh, the future! Where we live! You have delivered so much! And yet, you are also confusing. I can share anything I want — pretty much — with anyone, anywhere. Which is great! But on the other hand, who owns my data? Not so great. Read more…

Mar 19th

Some Thoughts On Old People And The Monthly →

What Exactly Is Louis Nowra Talking About?

Mar 10th

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Watch

Another, less silly thing of mine. (Graphics by Patrick Clair; script editor, Jon Casimir.) For funnies, we also posted this on the YouTubes, where it’s gone a little nuts thanks to Reddit and Digg. And the Guardian. I also love Google a lot of the time, even if it could be described as somewhat of a “frenemy.” Still, they have a philanthropy arm as well as their investment...

Mar 9th

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Watch

Here’s a somewhat silly thing I did for Hungry Beast. Graphics — which I would like to marry — by Rob Grieves, edited by Nick Hayden. Featuring the voice of Mark Colvin. Full story is here. Asteroids are serious business!

Feb 24th

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An Update, Actually →

If you should like to, you can see some of my work on Hungry Beast here.

Nov 6th

One Of What Will Likely Be Increasingly Infrequent...

So hi. While I am taking part in the great Hungry Beast experiment, it is more than likely that other writing will be thin around these parts. At least until the end of year production break. By which point I may sleep for its duration, or I might finally finish the KISS vs U2 treatise. Or I might play a lot of Super Mario Bros. Hard to say at this point. In the meantime, if you so wish you can...

Oct 19th

Sep 14th

Meanjin Essay: The Tattoo →

An essay I wrote, which semi-interestingly started out its life on Flickr, is published in the September issue of Meanjin. Find out where to get it and what else is in the issue here.

Aug 27th

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Why I Write (About Music), Kluster Magazine →

Um, because it’s only rock and roll, but I like it. Well that’s the short answer, anyway. Read the long answer here.

Aug 10th

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Creative Sydney: Generation Slashie →

»> UPDATE: And here’s how it went. »> “Creativity has rarely been bound to a singular medium, but trying to keep up with the ever-changing plethora of ways in which to participate in the creative process is a constant challenge in itself. There are those super human beings who walk amongst us, however, who not only manage to roll with the times, but also manage to...

May 26th

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Doves Interview →

I adore Doves, I think mostly because a certain record of theirs resonated specially with a certain point in my life. When I was in artschool, once, very briefly (for a year), I listened to Lost Souls on the bus nearly every morning of that year on my way there and then again on the way home. What I remember most about that time, is that it was so often raining. [INTERVIEW]

May 4th

Eagles of Death Metal, Part Deux (I Am Trying To... →

So, communism sucked.This is where I get off the ride. After their show. [Jesse Hughes interview on FasterLouder.}

Apr 20th

Gianni Russo Interview [Stop, Drop and Roll]

Well, here’s a thing. I interviewed Gianni Russo in October last year for the Brag, and it’s taken me all this time to find a home for the long version. Issue One of Stop Drop and Roll is out shortly (and can be pre-ordered here) and there you will find it very prettily laid out, but in the meantime you can read the PDFs. Coincidentally, in the March issue of Vanity Fair Mark Seal...

Mar 11th

No Line On The Horizon [REVIEW] →

Further to this, Rolling Stone has given the album 5 stars, while Pitchfork has given it 4.2. Out of ten. Make of that what you will. There has perhaps never been a band to more perfectly expose the utterly redundant pursuit that is rock criticism than U2…

Mar 4th

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Here's Everything, All Of The Time. Just About. →

I have finally got (somewhat) around to compiling a portfolio of sorts, something that would have been vastly easier had I done it at the time. Organisation has not always been my strong suit, however, and I speak as someone with no diary, watch or journal. Perhaps this is a kind of perversity, but I don’t believe in taking notes, either. Memory is weakened by writing everything down...

Feb 17th

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The Pet Rocks -- Wayward Ways →

[Mess + Noise] Also, Laneway Festival reviewed in seven words or less.

Feb 13th

First Impressions of the New U2 Album, No Line On...

We were treated to a press listening of the new U2 album yesterday in Sydney, a move geared not towards generating in-depth review coverage, but rather highly emotional blathering, such as this. It’s all about creating buzz — Lady: Lisa, Bart's got something you can't learn in school. Zazz! Lisa: What is 'zazz'? Lady: Zing! Zork! Kapowza! Call it what you want, in any language it...

Feb 3rd

Neil Young Live in Sydney →

He is like a hurricane, now you mention it.

Feb 2nd

All Tomorrow's Parties Sydney, Cockatoo Island →

Come sail your ships around me,” says Nick Cave. “Then kindly alight at Cockatoo Island and enjoy this lovely festival I prepared earlier…” [Photo: Boudist]

Jan 22nd

U2's Rather Brilliant If Grammatically... →

[Defamer] Oh! Suffered has the U2 fan! You know what really sucked this past decade (apart from the obvious?) The last two U2 albums. Can we all just admit that now? If I wanted to hear watered down versions of the Joshua Tree (which I do not), then I assume that is what Coldplay is for. In short, if you liked those two albums, you will likely hate Get On Your Boots. Which is great!...

Jan 20th

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Fondly Remembering The Year of the Gene (TM)

Who doesn’t love lists? Noone! End of year wrap-up lists, particularly. Like this one, soon to run in the Brag’s bumper Xmas Spectacularly Spectacular Edition. I had several surreal experiences this year, all of which will forever nestle in the warm, fuzzy folds of my memory. I don’t know which was weirder: walking into a room I thought was empty at Andy Summer’s photo...

Dec 19th

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C.W. Stoneking Live At The Metro Theatre →

What is this, a David Lynch movie? All those gathered to watch C.W. Stoneking act sort of like a bunch of people in a secret society. The nearer the show draws, the more awed the hush, more anticipatory the murmurs. And if you are a casual acquaintance such as I am, it’s hard not to feel as though you’ve stumbled upon something wonderful and strange. I can only describe it as Lynchian —...

Nov 20th

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I Am Cancelling Our Friendship, Q Magazine (Also,... →

Things we lost in the fire: Q Magazine.

Nov 13th

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Eva Orner Interview: Inside Film Magazine →

I interviewed Oscar-winning documentary producer and ex-pat Eva Orner for this month’s issue of Inside Film. If you haven’t seen Taxi to the Darkside yet, I recommend you do so. Tonight.

Nov 13th

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Eagles of Death Metal - 'Heart On' Review →

I can’t wait for these dirty scoundrels to tour here again. Show us who the Kings of the Night Time World really are, Eagles of Death Metal! This album kills, also.

Nov 11th

Nov 5th

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Eagles of Death Metal: Interview with Jesse "Boots... →

Well damn if I’ve never been so charmed in my life. Jesse Hughes of the Eagles of Death Metal sure knows how to sweet talk a girl. The new EODM record, Heart On is out now. There are quite a few funny videos of the band in the studio making the album for you to enjoy (“Yes, I know how to press space bar. My father invented the space bar!”)

Oct 29th

Trying (And Failing) To Review Patti Smith →

Here I go and I don’t know why I spin so ceaselessly.

Oct 21st

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The Most Relevant Photo of Bono on Flickr →

… is this one of mine, for some reason. [UPDATE: not anymore!]

Oct 15th

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This is What Happens When You Are Locked Out of... →

The Sydney Morning Herald decides to make it the main story on the homepage. Now also on Defamer. And here. And Triple J. Also, Valleywag. OK, at times like these one might muse, delicately, WTF?(!) Or, write yet more about it. [Photo credit: Daniel Boud. Part of a further series, here.] And lastly, the fabled Facebook group, which as you can see, only fell a few members short of the requisite...

Sep 25th

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DAMN! Another Damn Magazine On The Internet →

I’ve started a little experiment over here at DAMN! Magazine to see just how easy/profoundly impossible starting my own web magazine will prove to be. We may fail dismally, we may succeed brilliantly, we may die trying. Though that fucking particle accelerator might render this — nay, all of human existence — moot. In any case, at this early stage all feedback is welcome. The...

Sep 9th

'Girls of the Playboy Mansion' is Depression in... →

While the tried and tested MTV format of quick cut edits over the clever employment of silly noises and a cute old school soundtrack reminiscent of a ’50s sitcom (The Osbournes) was a deft touch a poking fun at the subject, it’s been so copied and dulled down that this is its natural end. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of dog racing. For every Gene Simmons Family Jewels...

Sep 5th

Tropic Thunder Review →

Tropic Thunder Starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jnr, Nick Nolte, Matthew McConaughey, Steve Coogan, Tom Cruise Directed by Ben Stiller This movie is ridiculous. Which isn’t to say it’s not also hilarious. More that its layer upon spoof-layer upon insidery spoof-layer joke-within-joke, does becomes a little exhausting at points along the way. It’s way meta, dude. Like when if ever...

Sep 1st

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Heavy Metal In Baghdad Review →

I saw Heavy Metal In Baghdad at the Sydney Film Festival back in June, and I still have very mixed feelings about it. It’s brilliant in so many ways; it’s brutalising, it brings these guys’ story to a huge audience and it reveals just how wanting the media coverage of the Iraq war was (and continues in its non-existence, to be). But it is also — I feel —...

Aug 24th