11 October 2001 (box of crap treasure # umpteen)

You may remember on 5 January I mentioned I had found a box of crap which included a 'diary' from 11 October, 2001. It was actually a little disingenuous/lying to call it a diary as it is actually only five pages, and all relating to only one day - 11 October, 2001. I thought about typing it out, but decided it was better for you to read it as written. This also means I don't have to read it (and I am not tempted to add or subtract anything). By the time you read this, these pages will have been recycled comprehensively into something useful. 

For a little context, Mia and I (and Andrew and Ellen) were heading off to the US to tour with our band Huon. Then September 11 'happened' and I guess we were uncertain about whether we would go at all, and then we decided we would, and we did. This must have been me recording activities leading up to that time, well obviously it was, but I mean it was because of that. I was very close to completing my PhD, I think. 

some of my drawings for record covers, 1986-2010 pt I

Over the centuries I have been asked, but more commonly taken it upon myself, to draw covers for various records. Because this happened again recently I fell to contemplating earlier efforts and scanned some here for you to enjoy.

I am not sure if you'd enjoy this one more or less by the fact that you can barely see it in this image. This is a compilation album called Periscope from 1994 - in fact, I dated it as executed on my 29th birthday. It depicts one creature using another as a periscope by peering into its anus and apparently seeing out the end of its tail. My fond memory relating to this image is that, when it was on sale at (I think I recall this bit right) the Yo Yo A Go Go festival a stall operator witnessed a prospective customer pick up the CD, regard the image and comment to his or herself 'ass-looker'.

This is an early effort also Olympia-related. I was allowed two colours so tried to evoke the feel of the ice cream huts I recalled from early childhood. Calvin Johnson had come up with the term 'lo-fi' and it was a novelty concept you had to think about and deduce as the opposite of hi-fi. This was 1986.


This was a commissioned illustration for an EP released on the Japanese label Clover Records almost a decade ago (the picture is dated 25 April 2001). When I came across this I couldn't remember it at all, it's called Melbourne Holiday. I tried to find a picture of the record online and what I found suggests the illustration was not used. Clearly I put a lot of work into it but it is arguably not really on topic, though presumably I was asked to do whatever I felt like.


This is the cover of the Huon single 'Fluoro'. This was a single from an LP released roughly at the same time and the two were conceptually related, but it's too big to scan.


This is one side of the single. I was about to say I couldn't imagine why I'd chosen the Chrissie Amphlett reference then I got it. Fluoro. Very clever.


Another rejected design, which is a shame because it was for one of my favourite bands. This time I did get a reason for the rejection: 'Mark didn't like it'. Though the person who relayed this was, by the way, the most amazing liar I have ever met, so who really knows. This isn't a great cover but what was used instead was gross and banal.

the sixth or seventh huon album

Until about five or six years ago Mia and I, with Andrew and Ellen, played in a band called Huon. Tonight Mia and I mastered what is quite likely to be the last Huon album (the sixth or the seventh? I can't remember) for a vinyl/iTunes release. Mia had really done a lot of work on the record - she added all this extra instrumentation, etc over time so even though the tracks were recorded in 2002 or so, it would be wrong to say it was recorded then. There are a lot of great songs of Mia's particularly on there, including one called 'Falling' which I think is one of her best ever (though they are all grand of course). Also Ellen's well-known classic 'Paula' and a great tune of Andrew's known as 'Old Tree'. It was a great privilege to work with them and I think we did a lot of really good work. The vinyl will be an edition of a hundred, and the iTunes limited to four billion. Also Mia mastered her birdsong record which is another long-time-in-the-making epic which will turn a lot of heads. It will be three albums at least for Mia this year as the New Estate album will be out on July 7.