at least there is some good news

The first piece of good news is that these cats are beautiful and love to hang around me. 

 Every month the same insane shit goes on where I have to try and figure out how to download documents from a network drive for a Friday meeting... it's necessary just infrequently enough that I generally forget what I have to do and it's also subject to glitches so the process gets disrupted etc. And at the end of it: a big swathe of sad documents I do not want to read but I have to read. 

Anyway I have three computers here (more, actually, but three that are connected to the internet). The first one, the work PC, is the one I usually access the network drive from, so I got started on it. Guess what: some kind of new problem has developed that means I can't establish a network and the system rather smugly informs me it's not going to help me, either. I figure maybe it's because I have had to change my password in recent weeks, and it only wanted my old password to get into the machine, but maybe it wants to give me a chance to show I know the new password. So I restart the whole thing.

It takes a freakin' age to do anything, cycling through all these shutdowns and processes I never knew it had to do. Since I am sitting at the table waiting for this thing to do its tricks, I figure: one more hopeless act can only be a benefit. So I do the one last thing I need to do to show that this op shop purchase was a hopeless waste of money: 

When I got it (at Glenroy Vinnies last Saturday) I was excited, but that quickly turned to shittitude because it refused to turn on from an external power source. So then I put batteries in it and no go either.  Then I unscrewed the back of it to see whether perhaps there was a really obvious busted wire or a huge amount of rust or a bag of cocaine in it stopping it from working. And no, although a long thin screw fell out that really looked like it had no business being in there. Then I thought 'well... these batteries are a mix of rechargeable and regular. What if I just put rechargeable in? I had some rechargeable batteries but they were not charged. So I put the rechargeable batteries in the recharger and forgot about the whole thing for about four days. 

So, sitting at the table waiting for work PC to boot up, I finally put the batteries in the drum machine and fucking hell it turned on! 

Now, I can't tell you what it sounds like because there were too many other things to do and too much stuff on the table and so on to set it up properly but I do believe I have achieved the glorious goal of owning yet another stupid little 80s drum machine I will never do anything with! Congratulate me.* 

Alright so then basically the work PC went back to its old attitude and still wouldn't let me in to the network drive so I went to the new computer, which also refused for different reasons but I won't try to drag this out into a satisfying narrative the old computer somehow managed to make it work so all I did was waste an hour. I have now read just under half the documents before my brain went to mush, I think I will have to do the rest tomorrow morning how does that sound. Good!

* Hilarious update 7/11: I plugged it into my amp and it would seem it almost doesn't work at all, except for the bass drum. Is that funny? 

art

Attended the opening of Kerryn 'Kez' Hughes' exhibition 'Don't let go' at 3rd Drawer Down, 93 George St Fitzroy yesterday. This allowed me not only to see some fine art pieces in the exhibition itself but also to use the event as a base for the record shop up the road and the bookshop down the road (didn't buy anything at either). Did drop in on Dylan Martorell's 'Splintered Guilders' next door at Lamington Drive (89 George)
and marvelled a little at the house across the road which is a 1980s home to the dimensions of an 1880s one. I wonder what it's like inside.

more megastars

A chance discussion at Nicole and Julian's bbq yesterday gave me more cause for thought. J was playing Iggy Pop a bit on his ipod speaker whatdoyoucallit. I am not as nuts about IP as some people but like him better than, for instance, Dylan or Spears. We were talking a little about who his backing musicians were on various albums, New Values, Soldier, whatever. Somehow Julian opined, who wouldn't want to be in Iggy's band. I opined that I wouldn't as I didn't see myself as sufficiently musically able to bring anything to the scenario. I noticed there was no protest otherwise from the few assembled but that's OK. But then it gave me cause to think - what would my dream musical invitation be? Aside from the fact I have already had so many over the last 23 years. Well, I guess there are some obvious ones and some not so obvious ones, and I'm focusing here on things that I really think I could bring something to, though of course framed always in the pornographic fantasy of:

'Is that David? It's * * from * * here. Our drummer * * has just broken his/her wrists by sitting on his/her hands while wearing too heavy a hat. Can you fill in at two hours' notice? We'll pay you one million dollars and we start recording our new album the day after!!! Yeah we are recording at Todd Rundgren's new studio in, uh, Glenroy. Todd really likes your work and he recommended you!'

Of course, #1 would be
It's Mayo Thompson from The Red Krayola here. Our best living drummer George Hurley has just...

I think I could bring something to the RK although it wouldn't be that much better than George Hurley unfortunately, but you know, he's unavailable... I would like the band to be recording in the studio though, not faffing around with that back-and-forth ADAT-in-the-mail stuff that they are quite good at but which probably wouldn't work for me with my idiosyncratic (read: meagre) talents.

Jesse Chamberlain and Epic Soundtracks are I guess my two favourite dead drummers, so it would be daunting to fill their shoes. But everyone says Mayo is great to work with and I bet it would be great. Actually I'd just be happy to see the Red Krayola some time. I always seem to miss them.

#2 would probably be...

It's Mark Smith from The Fall here. Your granny on bongos has just...

Poor granny. The granny on bongos line gave me heart though. I could be kind of shit for a while and they'd, or he'd, put up with me for the time being, and we'd both really enjoy the tension/scrappy nature of it. And when I told him once or twice I didn't like the new songs much he'd find that amusant. The third time he'd sack me but that's a badge of honour as well. I could say I was too real, or he was, or whatever.

#3 might be...

It's Daniel Morphett once of the Craven Fops here. We are reforming to play at Clinton Walker's 35th birthday and Kit/Neil/Belinda whoever...

Do I know how to play 'Epic'? 'When a whisky buys a whisky'? 'Open my eyes'? Fuck probably! They were such a hot band when they did it properly, and of course, my rough and ready style would really drive the performance like a moke. I am very ready.

More later maybe I need to think some more.