Sun, 17 Nov: Weekly Review 36

The main thing I did today was watch a lot of Youtube videos. Saw a Misamo doco Once More which was a profile of the three women as they begin their promotions for new album Haute Couture. This first one seemed to focus mainly on Mina. She talked a bit about her father, who is a doctor, and her pride in him, how he works so hard. She also mentioned sadness at how her mother was often left alone. The film included a number of re-enactments of scenes mentioned by the members. In one, a young Mina as a girl is sitting at a piano with her mother. She plays a scale and gets to ‘mi’, then mother asks, ‘What comes after Mi?’ It’s a nice moment, leading to older Mina’s answer, ‘It can be anything’ (I was tempted to say Na!). Each member was also asked the question: ‘How would you define your own identity?’ The question of course takes its cue from the new song, Identity. Both Mina and Momo had no trouble responding, but Sana seemed uncertain. The episode ended with the question being put to her again. What will she say?

Another library I worked at was having a sale. I grabbed an anime series called Starship Operators, which I’d never heard of before. A quick look on My Anime List told me it was from 2005 and not especially popular. I had a look at the first episode when I got home. The animation was fairly basic and limited for a first episode – they usually pull out all the stops for the first ep, but not this time. I’d say the series was hampered by a tight budget. Reviews on MAL suggest the story is very rushed and should have been twice the runtime which was only 13 episodes. One reviewer compared it favourably to some early Robert Heinlein juveniles, which the story does seem to resemble. It’s about a group of military cadets on a training cruise forced to get straight into action when their planet gets taken over by an enemy. There’s a unique angle here I like: in order to fund their rebellious mission they accept the patronage of a television station, which broadcasts their adventures for all to see back home – including the enemy. How that works out is yet to be seen, but it’s definitely quirky.

I downloaded those extra game levels that are available for the game Space Colony. Started one called Deadwood, which pits together ‘the two least favourite characters’ (as determined by an online poll), namely Greg and Babette. Their task is to build a robot to defuse a bomb. If Babette can put aside her sense of entitlement and pretentiousness, and Greg can stop being a whiny needy arsehole, and the both of them can curb their alcoholism problem, then they might just make it.

Played some more Space Colony. I’ve taken Greg and Babette through their paces three times and am still not even close to completing their mission. The problem is there are so many steps involved and they’re not all obvious. In order to make the robot, silicon needs to be mined, which is then turned into electronics (I need 5 pieces for the robot). For that to happen, an electronics facility needs to be placed and someone needs to be trained in it. Then there’s also the Iridium to be made (I need one for the robot) and that requires an Iridium processor (also called a scavenger bunker) and someone to be trained in its use. Also, these are not cheap – over $4000. Then the cybernetics lab needs to be installed to build the robot and, again, someone to be trained in its use. And while all this is going on Greg and Babette also have to maintain the facility’s functioning, especially the power and oxygen, and I have to make moves to protect the important systems from being destroyed by the many pesky aliens encroaching on the base. Then there’s all of Greg and Babette’s needs. Phew! But it’s a fun challenge.

Played that Greg and Babette game on Space Colonies. Got through it, finished the mission, sort of. Greg and Babette complained a lot, but got the job done. The problem was the bloody robot didn’t do what it was supposed to do: namely defuse the bomb. Damn that was annoying! I was going to give Greg and Babette some R and R by opening the bar and letting them drink to their success while the robot performed its duties, but it was not to be. Don’t know if I want to play the game any more. Feels like a waste of time.

Saw a nice AI art video on Youtube called Futures of the Past – Atomic Mars. It was by AI Fascinated and was a stunning collage of retro futuristic imagery inspired by both fifties scifi and steampunk. I noticed almost all the women were blondes, which inspired me to make a comment on the site – ‘The future is blonde’. I subscribed.

Watched Time To Twice: the Part-Timers ep 2 on Youtube (whilst on my way home from the Forster gig). The episode began with a brief work break wherein the members reviewed their jobs (some came back late, like Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon who’d been still working). Momo said she actually enjoyed her job. The others were more guarded. They were soon back out on the floor in different roles. This time it was Nayeon and Tzuyu’s turn to be ‘promotion’, handing out flyers to the public. This began slowly, with them hardly finding any takers, but word quickly got around who was wandering the neighbourhood and they were soon swamped by fans clamouring for flyers and taking photos. This kind of scene spilled over in the actual cafe where a long line formed down the street. There were some nice interactions between the Twice members and the public at the cafe. Both Sana and Mina were able to take orders in Korean, Japanese and English all while graciously accepting compliments and chat from the fans. Dahyun gamely tried the same in her stilted Japanese and managed to get through to some happy customers who confessed she was their bias in Twice. She also encountered a fan who said she enjoyed the film she was in. I felt a bit sad for Chaeyoung who was stuck filling orders away from the customers. Momo seemed in her element taking orders and clearly still enjoying the job, while Jihyo struggled learning the ropes and was clearly disappointed with herself for not doing better – at least at first (she mastered her task eventually). Jeongyeon had trouble finding some of her orders. It didn’t help that some were upstairs. At one point a customer, upon hearing Jeongyeon call her order (it was #18), called to her from upstairs to let her know where she was. By this point all the members must have wondered what they’d got themselves into. Talk about thrown into the deep end! So many fans seemed overwhelmed when they realised who they were being served by. Phone cameras were everywhere. I saw a lot of this footage weeks earlier when the episode was filmed. Many fans posted their footage online. It was great to finally catch up to what all the excitement was. The people and tourists of Seoul are so lucky to have this opportunity to meet Twice like this. I wish I’d been there! But it also made me wonder: what would I say to the girls in the ten to the thirty seconds I had with them?

Went to the first of the Robert Forster concerts at Brunswick tonight. My review of both nights is elsewhere. For preparation I listened to his latest album The Candle and the Flame. What a good album that is, as usual.

Did the second night of Robert Forster in concert.

I had a play of No Man’s Sky. For reasons rooted deep within my psyche, I’m trying to find a certain place in the game, a certain planet with just the right environment and conditions where I can settle my spawn down in peace and contentment to live out his retirement. It’s a mythic vision I have for my own life, a vision I can never achieve in this life, but I might just be able to do it by way of this substitute.

Played some more NMS. Still searching for that place. Presently buying up a lot of things I will need to put in it. We’re talking desks, book shelves, a fire place, a jukebox. The important things.

Still playing No Man’s Sky. Haven’t found the place yet, but one of my old bases, a place called Marsh Base will fit the bill for now. It’s a nice little homestead made of stone on a Paradise planet called Lily (from Kpop group Nmixx – the Australian member). The fireplace I’ve just installed looks really good, really cosy.

Played some No Man’s Sky. My spawn accepted a mission in a solar system to track down some rogue ship. When I found it it turned out to be a Sentinel ship that had crashed on a planet and I was tasked with fixing it and given the opportunity to buy it, which I did. It was a little tricky getting all the salvage parts I needed. At one point I was being attacked by Sentinels and a couple of the planet’s aggressive inhabitants whilst trying to collect the final part encased in some Atlantidium, but I got the job done. Not sure how useful a Sentinel ship will be but I’ll fly it for now.

I ordered Age of Consent, the fifth volume of the Australian Rock of the Sixties series from Dixons Records by way of Discogs. I have to have this because it will complete my collection of this series. You might say a necessary poichase.

Borrowed a fabulous book from the library today. It’s called Create Authentic Kemonomimi Characters for Cosplay, Anime and Manga, by a woman called Shugao. Kemonomimi is that approach to character creation, especially in anime and manga, where people are combined with animals, such as a the classic cat girl or boy. They’re also sometimes called ‘furries’. The book features adorable illustrations of many such characters and a host of types (mostly girls) – cat people, dog people, bird people, dragon people and others. So kawaii!

Recorded a fun old-school drive-in horror film on the PVR called The Giant Gila Monster. According to reviewers on Letterboxd the monster in question was actually a beaded lizard, but because it’s larger and gnarlier than the Gila it got the gig. The fact they are called Gila Monsters is why they retained the name. I think I’ll enjoy this, whenever I have the time to watch it.

Recorded an interesting film on the PVR. It was Theatres of War, about the US military’s editorial control over thousands of Hollywood films and TV programs. It amazes me that stuff like this gets made. But it also amazes me that it usually gets ignored almost as soon as it’s released.

Bought a cd at the Sight and Sound shop in Boronia after work. It was The Heavy Metal film soundtrack. This is something I’ve wanted since I read Geezer Butler’s book Into the Void, where he mentions Black Sabbath’s early, and in his opinion better, version of The Mob Rules is on that album. The rest of the album looks promising too, including Cheap Trick, Donald Fagen, Blue Oyster Cult and Stevie Nicks. The film is the animated thing based on work from the Heavy Metal graphic art magazine that I devoured in the late seventies and eighties as a lad. I probably should have got this a lot earlier, but it’s always been hard to find. I was amazed when I saw it there in Sight and Sound, seemingly just waiting there for me, and only me, to make the poichase. I also grabbed another cd from the op shop nearby. It was REM’s Live From Olympia In Dublin double cd with dvd. This is from around 2009 when they had the Accelerate album out, so near the end of their career. It’s a weird playlist: a lot of early stuff, some later stuff, but nothing from the big albums, no big hits. It’s like they decided to bypass that whole popular period. Looking forward to hearing (and seeing) this.

And wouldn’t you know it, I bring home some cds and there’s another one waiting for me! Yes, the Age of Consent album was already delivered, my necessary poichase. Good quick service, Dixon’s Records. My Oz Pop of the Sixties collection is now complete!

Had a listen to some of that Heavy Metal Soundtrack album in the car. I compared the two versions of Black Sabbath’s The Mob Rules and they sound the same as far as I can tell. I wonder if the original version’s only on the LP version? Amongst all the predictable hard rock and heavy metal there’s a track by Donald Fagen of Steely Dan called True Companion. It’s mostly instrumental, a very tasty Dan-like arrangement, then Donald comes in with vocals in the final couple of minutes. I like it. There’s also Devo’s Working In a Coalmine, which got some airplay in the day. Pretty dull, repetitive cover though. I remember the members being interviewed about their part in the film and they complained that the song only appears at the end credits and people shouldn’t watch the film. What ingrates! I must watch the film again and see how the music integrates with it.

Finished the chapter on the year 1966 of The Music Goes Round My Head. The chapters get progressively larger with each year. The next one on 1967 is twice as long, and so on. I guess this reflects the increasing complexity, participation (and success) of Australian music as the decade progressed. 1966 seems to be notable largely for the burgeoning success of The Easybeats and The Seekers.

Watched the David McComb Love In Bright Landscapes film. Gave it three and a half stars on Letterboxd. I liked it, lots of good live footage, but I felt the people interviewed didn’t really offer a lot of insight into David – or at least there was much left unsaid. Most of the Triffids albums were given short notice (except perhaps Born Sandy Devotional) and the solo career stuff was pretty desultory. The emphasis here was mainly on David’s health, which declined rapidly in the Nineties. First there was the heart transplant, then his continued alcohol and drugs problems, then the car crash in 1999, which ultimately finished him off. I remember going to a Lisa Miller gig back then and chatting to ex-Triffid Graeme Lee, who was with her. He told me about David’s troubles and that was the first time I heard about them. He died soon after. A troubled brilliant soul.

I think I’ve finally found the planet I’m looking for in No Man’s Sky. It has a blue ocean and blue sky and lots of islands and tropical flora. I’ve named it Calypso, from The Odyssey. I’m just flying around looking for the perfect beach-side spot now. Soon I’ll settle in and maybe stay forever.