It’s two years ago today that I went to the Twice concert at Rod Laver Arena. The thing I remember most about it is the final song, Say Something, and how Mina and Momo danced around each other during it. The footage people filmed of it is positively iconic. This is one of my favourite Twice songs and I was so happy to see them doing it, and the fact that it was the final song. A great way to end the concert. I also remember how distraught I felt before the concert, when I thought I might not be able to get a ticket for it. Good old Tixel came through at the last minute (well, the day before, but it was close). It was an overwhelming experience. There were huge banners of all the members out front of the venue. They looked so fucking cool. Because I had special tickets I got a little tote bag when I entered the venue that included a nice Twice shawl. Of course I bought some merch – a cap and a couple of t-shirts. I loved mingling with the fans before the show inside the venue. My People, looking funny, sexy and incredibly diverse (but, yes, mostly Asian). I even saw ‘Mr Cactus’, the guy who dressed as an actual cactus in honour of the Twice song Cactus. Jihyo pointed him out from the stage during the part where they acknowledged the fans’ messages and costumes. The dance-athon interlude section, where fans were filmed dancing to various Twice songs, was a lot of fun. I was so stoked when they did Go Hard, a fave album track. Such a great presentation, with the girls dancing dynamically in silhouette. All the solo parts, my favourite of which of course was Mina twerking (everyone screamed). I loved they had an actual band backing them too. It was a great, great night, I’ll never forget it.
Had a good chat about Kpop with Amy at work today. I told her my insecurities about seeing Nmixx when they come out this year, and she encouraged me to go anyway and not let other people’s judgements about my age bother me. I’ll take this advice to heart.
Daryl brought over another bunch of free blurays for me to peruse through. There were some really good selections this time, including The Martian,Kill Bill Vols 1 and 2, Tron Legacy, Fury, and an Apocalypse Now that includes the Redux and the Original versions. I was never much of a fan of the Redux so I’m looking forward to seeing the Original once again. I had a really good time going through these free blurays while watching the post-election coverage and drinking booze. Why were they ‘free’? Because, Daryl says, they belonged to a relative who didn’t want them anymore. True or not, it’s weird how people are throwing out (or losing) these things these days. The streaming services seem to be the main reason why these formats like bluray and DVDs are dying. Well, that and the need to store physical media.
Watched Kill Bill Vol 2 on bluray. The film was a bit longer than the first one because Beatrix had three people to kill this time out. I liked how Michael Madsen’s character, Budd, is killed by an actual black mamba snake. So, even though Beatrix didn’t kill him, her namesake did. As observed by others, this was a much more talky film compared to Volume 1, with less action. It fleshes out the character motivations more and gives us more back story. I really like Budd’s trailer and how he’s got it parked in some mountain desert country. Think I’d like to hang out there for a while. If I got lonely I could always drive into town and check out the nudie bar Budd works in. David Carradine sort of reprises his Cain role from Kung Fu with his bamboo flute. The final fight is remarkably quick but the denouement is satisfying. Kiddo gets Bill with the legendary Five Finger Death Punch. ‘How do I look?’ says Bill as he gathers himself up for his final five steps of life. ‘Ready’ says Kiddo. I noticed Tarantino provided some nice spongy grass for Carradine to fall down onto.
A Post by Blyatman on Twitter/X had a fun story about Trump cancelling funding to PBS Kids, a children’s TV network, for being too ‘woke’. Most of the responses pointed out ‘it teaches how to use your imagination and love one another while also learning things along the way’. Someone called Dylan wrote ‘Now he’s gonna fund shit that tells 6 year old girls that their only purpose is to bear children and listen to their husband.’
Borrowed a couple of books from the library I was working at. They were Tori Amos’s Resistance and Steampunk, An Illustrated History by Brian Robb. I looked through the Steampunk book and it’s a treasure trove of info about the genre, including important authors and books, plus sections on the craft, music and fashion inspired by it. I liked that the section on proto-steampunk included one of my favourite early treatments of the genre, Harry Harrison’s A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah. There were a bunch of references I will have to chase up, including the steampunk episode of TV’s Castle, called Punked, and a few books by Tim Powers, KW Jeter and James Blaylock. Another is the steampunk installation piece called the Telectroscope that’s on the banks of the Thames near London Bridge. I’m going to London in September so I’ll get to check that out too. I’ll peruse the Tori Amos book at a later date.
I finished reading the first volume of Saints Young Men. I liked how gentle and good-natured Jesus and Buddha were presented, as you’d expect. They come off as a couple of loveable goofballs, albeit with extraordinary powers. But the humour was pretty corny. And they’re weirdly materialistic, especially Jesus. The pleasures of the book are in the small details. Seeing how Jesus responds to the phenomenon of Christmas and Santa Claus. Buddha’s beaded hair being unravelled to reveal a huge head of hair, which has weighed his head down so it’s time for a haircut. Their simple delight in everyday Japanese customs, like the Shinto festivals (which they enthusiastically join in).
I finished reading Ancient Egypt on Five Deben a Day by Donald P Ryan. It was a fun travelogue of life on the Nile circa 1250 BC taking in all the important sights and experiences from the Delta to Thebes and beyond. I liked how the author reminded the reader of the potential dangers of life at that time for the foreign traveller. The section on Going Home states: ‘If you haven’t been sentenced to hard labour in a rock quarry or been eaten alive by a crocodile, it will be time to return home’. There were even some fun Useful Phrases to learn, such as ‘Do any of you peasants read heiroglyphs?’, ‘I need some bread and beer’, ‘I am just a foreign fool’, ‘Egypt is much better than my wretched homeland’, ‘Truthfully, mummies frighten me’ and ‘Does this loincloth make me look fat?’ I will be taking this book with me as a ready reference when I time travel back to that land.
Had another listen to my Blackpink Solo playlist while doing the van run today. I’m actually starting to like the Jisoo songs now. The other songs by the other three remain very impressive. I’m thinking I should add some more. With that in mind, Blackpink Rose has just released a new songs. A thing called Messy which is part of a movie soundtrack.
I also had a good listen to the new Misamo song, Message. It’s very cute and gentle, and the singing is terrific. There’s a spot where I think it’s Mina singing, and she does some kind of modulation thing bending notes that’s pretty impressive. It really has a Misamo identity about it. I like that they seem to have their own identifiable sound away from Twice. It got me listening to Haute Couture again, which deserves another replay. My favourites are Identity, Baby I’m Good and, especially, Daydream. I also really love that all three members got their own solo tracks, which are easily accessible on Spotify; but if you want them on CD, you’ve gotta get all three versions (like I did!).
I watched the new episode of Sana’s Fridge Interview on Youtube, which was with Aespa Ningning. Ningy’s very shy at first, but soon warms to Sana’s bubbly personality. They give each other compliments and lightly flirt and it’s a good time for fans, who hang on every word and gesture and go gaga over how wonderful they look. And they do. We got some little insights into what Ningning’s about. I’m amazed how well Sana puts people at ease. She’s a real facilitator. Wholesome fun.
In the same session I watched a Blackpink Rose MV for a song I hadn’t heard before. It was a song that’s just been released called Messy, from a film called F1. The vid showed clips from the film, which stars Brad Pitt. Looks pretty boring actually. But the shots of Rose wandering around the Strip in Vegas at night were nice. They must have closed part of the strip off for her to do that. Those shots of the Strip remind me of when I went to Vegas. Especially when I went up on the mini Eiffel Tower at night. The song’s okay. I need to hear it a few times.
Well, the Conclave is over and there’s a new Pope, called Leo. An American. I was interested in the whole ritual of the thing, especially how white smoke is released from a chimney in the Vatican to signify a Pope has been chosen. There was a funny meme about it today that featured Snoop Dogg and some weed. Actually, he looks good in those Papal robes. Speaking of which, a copy of the DVD of the film Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, came through the library today at work. I was surprised it was already released. Must reserve a copy.
The fallout from the Election has been kinda funny. Latest thing is Trump had a chat with our newly re-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese which went well. Trump described Albo as a good guy; but then mentioned how he didn’t know anything about ‘the other guy’, namely Peter Dutton. The Libs and the Murdoch press will not be happy about that! I actually checked the Monday copy of the Herald/Sun, the Murdoch paper, to see their coverage of the election. There was a snarky piece about how Albo had only been congratulated by the US Ambassador, as though Trump had snubbed him. Trump’s chat with him on the Tuesday, and snubbing of Dutton, did not get a mention. They definitely were not happy.
Watched three more eps of To Your Eternity. These were eps 12, 13 and 14. After Gugu dies, Fushi leaves the Old Drunk’s house and travels to a port with Pyoran. There they are kidnapped and taken into slavery on an island. I liked this change of scenery as I was getting sick of the whole Gugu thing.
Had a listen to side one of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti. Yes, I played my old LP version, bought back in the day. I just wanted a music nostalgia hit and side one is my favourite, especially The Rover. So good. I remember coming home from teaching work in 1989 and my housemate, Paul, was playing In My Time of Dying LOUD. Bonzo Bonham absolutely rules that track, though Page is not far behind. They’re ripping off another blues number (one covered by Dylan on his first album) but they so make it their own. I must play the rest. This album stands the test of time.
Went to the Sight and Sound record store in Boronia and bought some items. First I grabbed a single from the op shop nearby. It was The Hollies’Stop In the Name of Love single, which included a non album b-side, a song called Musical Pictures. Great! At SnS I bought the Dylan Bootleg Series 5 album Live 1975, which is an album I’d been thinking about. Some great versions of songs from Desire. I also grabbed Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band’s Wangaratta Wahine. I also ordered the Go Records Collection off the man, who’s name actually was Manny, and who chatted with me about Dylan. It seems Kinky Friedman performed with Dylan on that tour.
Had a listen to side one of Wangaratta Wahine by Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band. What a wonderful bunch of old-timey tunes. Why has it taken me this long to get into this band? I have Ian Mcfarlane’s Encyclopedia of Rock and Pop to thank for clueing me into them.
I made another copy of my Otis Redding album so I can play all the songs. The computer did a great job of burning them, even the ones that wouldn’t play in my car due to the crappy quality of the original disc. Guess I’ll be giving it another shot.
Well, I gave it another shot, and I’m still not convinced about old Otis Redding. Even the song I liked first time around, Cigarettes and Coffee, now comes off as a bit weird. It’s a gritty blues number and old Otis is moaning and groaning about being with his woman smoking and drinking said cigarettes and coffee at a quarter to three in the morning, sounding miserable, but he’s actually happy they’re together. I dunno. So many of the other songs start to get a good groove but end way too quickly, often just fading out. The obvious one that really stands out is Dock of the Bay. It’s so different to everything else, so tuneful and mellow. What direction might Otis have taken had he lived longer?
Watched the last Trick Kodefor this season featuring Twice Nayeon with guest Aespa Giselle. What a combo! Nabong guessed her identity fairly early on and afterwards they had a chat and flogged skin conditioner. Aeri (Giselle), sporting flame-red hair, dropped that Aespa were preparing their latest comeback and just completed the photo shoot. Can’t wait. It seems Giselle has the same MBTI as me – INFJ.
Watched The Martian on bluray. I’ve seen it before, and read the book, but it was good to do a repeat. It looks great. I wonder though how faithful those amazing vistas of Mars are to the real thing. Most of the shots I’ve seen of the surface from those Mars rovers have looked pretty boring. What they reminded me of was the game, Surviving Mars, that I play from time to time. Apparently some of it was shot in southern Jordan, which actually looks like that. I gave the film four stars on Letterboxd. Many of the reviews there pointed out that the music Matt Damon’s character Mark Watney hates (sourced by Jessica Chastain’s Captain character) is actually very good, and I agree. Some good tunes, like Good Times by Chic and Hot Stuff by Donna Summer. The Captain has good taste, and he needs to chill. But that’s the character. This was also billed as the ‘extended cut’, but I didn’t really notice anything new. I really loved the overhead time-lapse shot of Watney’s potato patch being replenished with water. Damon looks like actor Mark Wharlberg at times. A point emphasised by his character’s name. It’s weird. Director Ridley Scott uses a lot of GoPro cameras in Watney’s Mars base, but mixes them up with the usual ‘god angle’ camera. Makes for a confusing verite versus artificial combination that sometimes takes me out of the moment. The climax, where Chastain’s Captain entwines with Watney in the final rescue, is better than the book. In the book it’s another crew member who catches Watney. But making it the Captain, who feels the most guilt at leaving him behind, has more emotional resonance. I think the writer, Drew Goddard came up with this. Nice one, Drew.
an Imugi
I read the last story of The Best of World SF, called If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again by Zen Cho. A good way to end, because it was very good. It would want to be – being a Hugo Winning story. I’ve also read a short story collection by Cho and it was good too. Her writing reminds me of Ursula Le Guin. It’s delicate and poetic and whimsical, but grounded in human kindness. A lovely story about an Imugi, a mythical Malaysian creature like a giant worm or snake trying to ascend to become a Dragon. It fails many times, but the last time’s the charm when it becomes involved with a human woman who had inadvertently caused it to fail on its previous attempt. Hilariously, it face-planted into the side of a mountain.
Looking back over my marks on the contents page, the collection had nine stories I really liked out of twenty-five. Not a great ratio, but the nine were very good, and I’m probably being unfair to quite a few of the others, all of which I’d say were at least well-written. It introduced me to some interesting authors who were new to me, like Lauren Beukes, Kofi Nyameye, Francesco Verso and Vina Jie-Min Prasad. I must check out more of their work. Lavie Tidhar, the Editor, did a good job, and this series is proving popular, with at least two more volumes out there.
Had another listen to Moonbyul’s The Present EP. It’s growing on me. I like that there’s a Christmas song on there and the title track is kind of a Birthday song. My fave so far is the middle track, Chemistry, a nice loping hip hop thing.
I started re-reading volume 6 of the Yashahime manga that I bought the other day on my sojourn in Melbourne. I’d read the library copy about a month back, but since I bought the thing I figured I should at least give it another read before I put it away. It was no great hardship. I love these characters, and I thought this volume of the manga was a pretty solid one. I stopped halfway at the point where we meet a new character, the pirate half-demon, Shiori. I love how Towa and the others respond to being introduced to her. A wide-eyed Moroha says, ‘The demon slayer of the seas is…’ then Towa adds, ‘This babe’. And with her glowing blonde hair and brown skin, she is indeed a babe.
