i love you

Always Single Launch!!!

2006-05-05T02:47:51Z

Does anyone still read livejournal? it's such an ever-changing world...

Hey everyone, you just have to cum to the launch of Cruising + Gross Odour, the debut single by total spunkrat Alex Vivian aka Viviano aka Always, who is the latest signing to my homo-mungous label Chapter Music. His 9 track vinyl single is far and away the best thing ever released by a homosexual Australian musician.
The launch is on Friday May 12 at Bus Gallery, 117 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne, from 9pm. I'm also playing (on first of course!) and so is vegan keyboard hottie Lakes. Special guest DJ for the evening is the terminally twinky DJ Mystery Caller.
Love Always - I know I do,
Guy Blackman.

Lakes CD Launch

2005-12-06T04:19:36Z

Official Chapter Music Announcement:

Lakes launches his debut album at Bus Gallery (117 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne) on Friday December 16, 2005, with special guests Kiosk, Always and Bohemian Knights.

Lakes is Melbourne musician Sean Bailey, whose musical pedigree extends from roots in mid-90s Tasmanian hardcore to Melbourne groups as notable and diverse as Ninetynine, the Vivian Girls, George W. Bush, Flesh Vs Venom and many others.

Since 2002, Sean has been performing solo as Lakes, using distorted drum machines, casio keyboards, guitar and percussion to create a world of intriguing, angular, at times dissonant pop hits.

His debut self-titled album, released this month on Chapter Music, is a completely self-recorded affair made at home on a one-track tape deck. All overdubbing was achieved by putting the first track through Sean’s home stereo and playing along. Nevertheless, the sound on Lakes is huge, claustrophobic and powerful, sidestepping any issues of fidelity through sheer dynamism. The album alternates between structured works and more freeform, often instrumental performances.

Sean has toured the United States and New Zealand numerous times as Lakes, and has also released a vinyl seven inch single on the Pocketclock label.

www.chaptermusic.com.au

hobble di hoy!

2005-10-28T10:59:14Z

i am becoming one of those odd homebound people who have no contact with the outside world other than the internet. soon enough i'm sure i'll join a pink floyd chat room, or start posting on mess and noise! now here i am sitting in the dark (the light globe just blew) updating my live journal for the third time in as many days, when i've hardly touched the thing in months (other than to promote my mythic live performances).
i did venture out of the house today to interview natalie bassingthwaighte and james ash of the rogue traders, but after a couple of hours on my feet i had to go home and sit on the couch eating hot chips and listening to 'i love you alice b toklas' by harper's bizarre instead of attending josh petherick and nathan grey's exhibition. it's oddly worrying that ben is going out more often than i am at the moment, but i'm sure i'll be back in action in a couple more days once i can actually walk comfortably again.
despite my affliction i of course made the most of an involuntary trip to elwood by returning home via the balaclava record stores. having not been to warren's record paradise in probably a year it was disappointing to walk in and be told 'we're closing in three minutes' by ancient old warren, in his thongs and yellow-gray ponytail. nothing changes...and of course after three minutes i was ejected (i did find the harpers bizarre album in that time, luckily enough) not before being told that i had been looking in the wrong crates, and that all the best stuff was in the other aisle. it wouldn't have occurred to him to tell me that while i was actually looking in the 'wrong' crates, of course.
also of course i'm dying for a cigarette and my packet from last week is sitting tantalisingly on the mantelpiece but i'm trying to be strong, it's easy not to smoke when you're feeling ill but then once you sense an imminent return to wellbeing the cravings come back even more strongly.
in fact i might just go have one now, just to top off my weird mood.

no people, no cry

2005-10-27T04:37:35Z

ben was never going to be doing it, and now i am not either. i'm not djing anymore at ding-dong tonight, too strangely ill/not ill in a very confusing way. best i get a good night's sleep.

popping blisters

2005-10-26T13:08:45Z

i have amazing infected sores on my feet. one of my lymph nodes is all swollen up and it's hard for me to walk! talk about gross. it's all the fault of eight pint-sized japanese pixies that took over my life for a couple of weeks, leaving me an exhausted shell of my former gym-fit self. they are gone now but they still haunt me in my dreams. i am now on antibiotics and tomorrow night (thursday oct 27) i'm dj-ing sans ben at the lovely ding dong for some kind of halloween event with fabulous diamonds and young professionals. i have no halloween themed records in my collection so it will be interesting to see what i play - you should all come!

i wish i updated this more often, my life is just so fulsome and stacked that i hardly have time even to take my pills!

love always,
guy.

Maher / Tenniscoats Australian Tour.

2005-08-15T12:23:01Z

Chapter Music Presents:

Maher Shalal Hash Baz / Tenniscoats Australian Tour
two legendary psychedelic folk bands from Japan.

Chapter Music is proud to announce the first Australian tour by two of Japan's most revered and respected cult groups, Maher Shalal Hash Baz and Tenniscoats. Both of these bands were featured on Chapter's well-received Japanese compilation Songs For Nao, released earlier this year.

Maher Shalal Hash Baz
Maher Shalal Hash Baz is the main vehicle for Japanese visionary Tori Kudo, whose musical history stretches back to the late 70s. The band name is actually a Hebrew biblical phrase which Kudo explains as "be quick if you're going to steal something". He formed MSHB in 1984 with two neighbours who'd never played an instrument before, and the band have been releasing records since 1989. Their music is based on spontaneity, melody and inquisitive experimentation, with an always changing lineup that favours untrained over professional musicians, although Kudo's wife Reiko is a constant throughout. Kudo often writes musical parts in his head and gives them to his bandmembers as sheet music on the day of a show or recording.

The band first came to worldwide attention with the release of their incredible Triple LP box set Return Visit To Rock Mass in 1996. This exposure resulted in MSHB's first overseas tour in 1999, and since then the band have toured the world many times, including US tours with Deerhoof and the Red Krayola.

Despite his often avant-garde leanings, Tori Kudo can also write some of the catchiest, most hummable pop songs around, as MSHB's recordings for influential Scottish label Geographic show. Their most recent album, 2004's 41-track Blues Du Jour, alternates between infectious psychedelic folk-pop and orchestrated intrumental miniatures, some as short as 10 seconds long.

Tenniscoats
Married couple Saya and Ueno met as kickboxing students in the mid-90s, and are the two central figures in outstanding Tokyo group Tenniscoats, whose name for is a play on the way Japanese people say "Tennis Court". The band have released two EPs and one album since forming in 2000, encompassing ideas of extended, meditative improvisation and a kind of innocent darkness. They are renowned as one of the most hypnotic and engaging live bands in Japan, their performances impossible to predict in terms of lineup, instrumentation and material.

Both Saya and Ueno are frequent members of Maher Shalal Hash Baz, and will perform in Australia as part of that group as well as their own. They also run the wonderful label Majikick, home to many bands featured on Chapter's Songs For Nao compilation.

Chapter Music is releasing CDs by both Maher Shalal Hash Baz and Tenniscoats to coincide with their tour - more details to follow!

Recommended Viewing
Both MSHB and Tenniscoats feature in a documentary series made by MTV Europe. You can watch footage here:

MSHB:
http://www.mtve.com/thisisourmusic/site.php?episode=e02&file=guide1.php

Tenniscoats:
http://www.mtve.com/thisisourmusic/site.php?episode=e02&file=guide6.php

DATES

Saturday, October 15 - Theatre Royal, Castlemaine.
with Smog, Joanna Newsom, Josephine Foster (all US) and Guy Blackman. Tickets $45+bf from Polyester, Missing Link and the venue.

Sunday, October 16 - Rob Roy Hotel, Melbourne.
with The Hi-God People and Always. Tickets $15+bf from Polyester, Missing Link and the venue.

Wednesday, October 19 - Mandarin Club, Sydney.
with Sparrowhill and The Garbage And The Flowers. Tickets $15+bf from Gifted Records and the venue.

Thursday, October 20 - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne.
with Essendon Airport. Tickets $15+bf presale from the venue. $20 on the door.

Hey Eastern Seaboard!

2005-07-18T00:03:44Z

For all my friends, fans and followers in Brisbane or Sydney, here's a mini tour of sorts for Guy Blackman, with two shows each in Sydney and Brisbane this week. Be there!

SYDNEY
Thursday July 21
Frequency Labs (107/342 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills)
with Crayon Fields, Garbage and the Flowers, and My Boy Companion
8pm, $8 ($6 for FBI/2SER supporters)

Friday July 22
Instore at Gifted Records (10 Fitzroy Pl Surry Hills)
with Sly Hats
5pm, free

Saturday July 23
Cheeseboard at Ric's Cafe (321 Brunswick St Fortitude Valley )
with Pat Ridgewell (Small World Experience) and DJ Nick Noughton
3pm, free

Saturday July 23
610 (610 Ann St, Fortitude Valley)
with Turnpike, The Golden Circles and The Rational Academy
8pm, $8

Sit On My Knee

2005-07-10T02:26:10Z

Hey Dudes and Ladies,
That one Guy, Guy Blackman, will be making a personal appearance at Gertrude's Bar and Grill (Gertrude St, Fitzroy, natch) this Thursday night July 14, signing autographs and singing songs from his brand new EP Guy Blackman Rims Japan. And in a special treat of cosmic proportions, he will be playing a few song (bare) backed by the young dudes from the amazing band the Crayon Fields. The Crayon Fields will also be doing a radical set of their own, as will kick-ass terrible twosome My Boy Companion. It all gets off with a bang at 8.30 and entry is a measly six bucks.
Don't come, and you'll have blue balls all week!

tiny lights displaying your name

2005-06-08T01:27:39Z

dear all,
this sunday june 12, i, guy blackman, will be playing a solo show at the empress hotel in north fitzroy with my old buddies mia schoen (from our former band sleepy township as well as huon, new estate et al) and Perth's own tracey read (who has a couple of releases on chapter music).
mia and tracey are just about to set off on an american tour together and this is show the warm-up.
tracey is also launching her new cd tiny lights, which mia and i played bits and pieces on (mia
also produced). it all starts at 8pm, costs $4, and will be a whale of an intimate evening so please come along for the ride.

Chapter Music is way Indie-scribable!!!!

2005-04-21T00:06:52Z

CHAPTER MUSIC LABEL SHOWCASE!
w/ Essendon Airport, Lakes, Always and Guy Blackman
Gertrudes (30-32 Gertrude St Fitztroy)
Saturday April 30, $10

The first instalment of Indie-Scribable, a monthly series showcasing
Australian independent record labels, will examine the whys and wherefores
of...Chapter Music!
The night will include a rare performance by Essendon Airport, who formed in
1979 as a duo and broke up in 1983 as a quintet, but reformed in 2002 to
launch Chapter Music's reissue of their landmark late '79-'80 recordings,
Sonic Investigations Of The Trivial. Essendon Airport core duo David
Chesworth and Robert Goodge will perform with assistance from
former-Triffids pedal steel player "Evil" Graham Lee.
Also performing on the night will be two new one-man-band signings to
Chapter Music, Lakes and Always, plus Chapter bigwig Guy Blackman.
Lakes is Sean Bailey, former member of the Vivian Girls and Flesh Vs Venom,
who uses distorted keyboard, drum machine and voice to create an angular and
unique musical universe. Lakes has so far toured the Australia, the United
States and New Zealand, and released one seven inch single on Pocketclock
Records.
Always is the singular Alex Vivian, once known as Viviano, whose recent
performances at Meredith or supporting US artist Little Wings have left many
people excited, thrilled and confused. Alex focuses on voice, performing
many songs acapella or with a simple percussion backing, and his songs
examine issues such as fast food, gay beats and youth-worship.
Both Lakes and Always will be releasing albums on Chapter Music later this
year.
Lastly (or firstly in terms of the night's running order) Chapter Music head
Guy Blackman will also play a solo set. The evening will double as the
launch for his first solo record, an EP called Guy Blackman In Japan (see
below). It comprises five studio and three live recordings made during Guy's
18 month stay in Tokyo (Sep '02-Mar '04), and features contributions from
members of Japanese bands Maher Shalal Hash Baz and Tenniscoats.
All between-band music will be curated by Mr. Blackman and there will be
giveaways and Chapter CDs for sale cheaply. So please come!

www.chaptermusic.com.au

Live Journal as self-promotional vehicle

2005-03-24T10:27:31Z

This Saturday March 26, Chapter Music recording artists Guy Blackman and Always (aka Viviano aka Alex Vivian) will be supporting noted man-about-town Jon Michell (Breaking the Law, Mum Smokes) as part of an enticing smorgasbord of male solo artists at Wesley Anne (250 High St, Northcote) from 8.30pm. Former Bird Blobs bassist and current Mum Smokes member Kez will also be playing a rare solo show to open the evening. All this and for only $8.
Guy is currently working on an EP of recordings he began when living in Japan (with help from members of Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Tenniscoats, Andersens, Kinutapan and Pervenche) to be released hopefully in late April, while there should be an Always album released on Chapter in the next few months (or as soon as it's ready anyway).
In the meantime, please come along to this gig and enjoy yourselves.

Rufus the Baptist

2005-02-03T13:04:42Z

For the first time in oh I don't know how long, interesting things have actually happened to me, well not even really to me but around me, so I might as well put fingers to keyboard and write about them until I start to bore even myself.
Let's start with my press junket to New Zealand a couple of weeks ago, although I have been informed junket is not exactly the right word because a junket is apparently when you don't have to do any work and just get treated to something for the very fact of being a lowlife journalist or whatever. Anyways I flew to Auckland at the Big Day Out's expense and got put up at a nice hotel for a couple of nights so I could interview the Beastie Boys, which was all very surreal and exciting. Auckland BDO was just like any Australian BDO except there were more hotty Maori boys with their shirts off in the afternoon sun. The BBs were bored and uncooperative but I expected nothing less so that was fine, Le Tigre were the best band I saw and in fact the only band I watched a whole set by all day.
The following couple of days I spent trying to bring myself to write and holing up in the hotel with room service (so expensive but so amazing!) although I did go to a gig on the Saturday night with the Coolies, Die Die Die and the world's worst band, the Fanatics - avoid them at all costs on their upcoming Australian tour, although I did meet the guitarist later and he was very sweet. They are two no longer youngish guys doing their take on the whole electro-clash thing with these amazing two word songs "TV!!! RADIO!!! TV!!!! RADIO!!!!" that have to be heard to be believed, or else just not heard at all. The Coolies were great for all fifteen minutes of their shambolic set.
By Monday morning my story was filed, I was out of the hotel and a free agent. I bought records from the one remaining second hand vinyl store in Auckland Real Groovy, as all the other stores closed down while Real Groovy got bigger and bigger. Very Sad.
Monday afternoon I moved in with Sjionel Coolie and had a beer in my hand by 1.30 in the afternoon, which was to be the pattern for the next few days. I wasn't shown any of the sights of Auckland except a suburban Savemart (just like Savers only in NZ) and a few superettes. By Wednesday I felt sick as a dog and had a show to play, which was part of a regular hipster DJ night. The venue had no idea there was live music happening, the DJs couldn't find any turntables and no-one could get the PA working. The Coolies' friend Merv played an amazing set of heartfelt bogan anthems, then I did my thing on acoustic guitar, keyboard and piano. People seemed to like it and I felt good afterwards.
Thursday I flew back to Melbourne, spent a night with Benny then went to Sydney on the Friday. The Leonard Cohen tribute night at the Sydney Opera House was incredible, with Antony of Antony and the Johnsons being the unexpected hero of the evening. His voice and stage presence are just incredible. The McGarrigle sisters and Linda Thompson were amazing too, as was Nick Cave and Rufus W to a lesser degree. It just felt so special, in that beautiful location (whatever people say about Sydney, Melbourne can't hold a candle to it for impressive scenery, the harbour and the opera house are just unbeatable).
Saturday night was Le Tigre and my old buddies Minimum Chips and Ninetynine, a good show but way too hot and stuffy sold out and full of babydykes. Min Chips were chaotic and demented but still kind of cool. Sunday night I played a show with Sly Hats, Min Chips duo, Kiosk and a couple of strange young Sydney bands. The drummer of the second band was a sub-Alden Ginger cutie but his band weren't great. Alex "Always" Vivian got up and did two songs at the start of the night, one with me tinkling the ivories, which was fun. I was so taken aback and pleased that there was a grand piano in the weird run down artists space where we played, I put it to good use and for the first time in my life, nobody talked while I played. Julian Chip, and Geoff and Jarrod Hat helped me out very ably. Sly Hats and the Chips duo of Julian and Nicole were both amazing, I love Jess's sweet harmonies with Geoff in Sly Hats, they were singing the lilting language of love and it was a joy to hear. Nicole made me cry with embarrassed laughter at her between song banter, she is the Lenny Bruce of our generation.
Staying all this while with Kate Jinx at her sister's mindblowing apartment in Coogee right on the beach with her husband and 3 year old David Sedaris-in-the-making son Jasper, who was so cute and cool. Kate's hospitality and patience made my weekend that much more excellent.
Monday was back on the plane, adventures over, with a David Byrne and an Antony interview to prepare for on Tuesday, then Chris Stein from BLondie on the wednesday. All through my travels I kept thinking 'I wish my life was like this all the time' but I was very glad to be home. I've decided I'm going to do a Woody McDonald and be a clean living teetotalling genius from now on, I can't keep smoking and drinking it up like I'm 21 anymore, cause I'm almost 31 (yikes!). Time to put away childish things...and become boring.
Tonight was the McGarrigle and Wainwright family show, which was truly amazing and wonderful too. Seeing Kate and Anna McGarrigle sing Heart Like A Wheel and Mendocino was such an unbelievable experience. And Rufus' solo piano versions of Art Teacher and Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk were really amazing too. The whole family wincing their way through his Gay Messiah was pretty hilarious. I like Martha as well, she seems like she has a lot to prove being the baby in that family, but I like her bold brassiness and extravagant showwomanship.
OK, long and boring, must go, will write again in another six months.
Love Guy.

It was Christmas Eve Eve, and everyone was feeling Merry...

2004-12-20T05:44:21Z

Guy Blackman, acclaimed songwriter and collector of miniature porcelain animals, will play a rare and unique solo show this Thursday December 23 at Wesley Anne in High st Northcote.
He wll be joined by Geoff of the Crayon Fields in his solo guise as Sly Hats, as well as the Bayonettes and the Dane Certificate. In a special treat for all their fans, Guy and Geoff will collaborate together on a few choice songs.
NB: This is an early show, doors open 6.30pm. Door charge is $6.
If you expect to get a Christmas present from me this year, attendance is compulsary.

Me oh my!

2004-11-10T00:12:17Z

who wants to see me play live in the nude? i've been going to the gym and i'm all buffed up!
if you want to see my naked body writhing and undulating to the rhythm of my searching, mysterious music, please come to Pony this Saturday, around 9.00 or so.
i'm playing with Geoff from the Crayon Fields' solo project, which is called Sly Hats (with Jarrod Oh! Belgium assisting), plus Ill Bravados, Barrage and Mark from the New Estate.
i don't know the running order or the door price or any other details, all i know is i'll be playing completely naked!
Love Guy.

q+a is really queer, and alternative!

2004-10-29T04:12:13Z

hi all,
inspired by c-by-h and analog's amazing journal entries, i've resolved to put fingers to keyboard for the first time in many months, not that I have anything of particular interest to divulge. I went to Q+A last night with Tom and Alex, two of my favourite queers who are also both very alternative. The hideosity of that place is beyond belief, which lends it a certain morbid fascination not unlike a car wrec, but not enough for me to ever want to go there again. For some reason me and Australian gay bars just do not mix. I guess it's because everyone is dog-ugly and i already have a boyfriend and any room full of men is going to make me feel weird, gay straight or inbetween.
Speaking of Japan (well I wasn't but all this talk of gay bars made me recall fondly the only homosexual establishments i've ever had a good time in, the Tokyo ones) we have a very handsome Japanese friend of a friend staying at our house, his name is Masato and he seems really nice, especially when he comes out of the shower just wearing a towel!
started working tentatively on my solo album, or at least the ep i want to put out before the album, which really only involves me adding some vocals to recordings i did in tokyo just before coming home, with friends of mine from the tenniscoats, andersens, kinutapan and pervenche. i started doing this at henry wagons' home studio this week, we have a date every monday to continue working until the 5 songs are done. it's sounding really good. plus i'm going to start doing some recording with haima at super melody world in the next few weeks. you will really love my new material, it's all about me and a little bit about ben and other stuff, but mostly about me, sung dolefully in a monotone baritone accompanied by piano and guitar. it's what all the kids are into these days...
love guy.

Me, Guy Blackman

2004-10-11T01:33:14Z

Don't you hate it when people who never ever update their live journals finally do, and then it's just to plug some shitty gig they're playing?

Anyhoo, I'm playing a free solo show in the Rob Roy front bar on Sunday October 17 at 8.30pm, supporting that well-liked singer and writer of songs, Josh Armistead. I want to play the Rob Roy piano, if it's not too out of tune, and maybe invite a guest or two to help me out.
If you live in Melbourne and don't come - I kill you deadly!

Please come

2004-09-14T23:13:55Z

Dear friends,

Guy Blackman (ex-Sleepy Township, Minimum Chips) is playing a solo show on Thursday September 16 at the Vic Hotel (Victoria St, Brunswick) with the wonderful Kirsty Stegwazi (The Bites) and Mia Schoen (New Estate, Sleepy Township). Expect an all star jam version of "Knocking On Heaven's Door" to end the evening.

Love,

Guy Blackman.

fly me to the moon

2004-06-27T12:39:42Z

last night i played electric piano with the look of love orchestra, and what a show it was.
well, it was more of a ball really, a benefit for some theatre company. tickets were $90, dress code was "opening night", we were supporting pseudo echo, and there were about 1000 people there including various neighbours starlets. lots of threatre-y people walking around in top hats and face makeup, plus jugglers, a little person and a drag queen.
soundcheck was at 3pm, so i got there at about 2.50. the other 8 members didn't get there until almost 4 so our soundcheck was cancelled, then luckily rescheduled for 5.
nathan and i took the opportunity to go record shopping around balaclava, and i scored big time at second spin - the ornette coleman album with the master musicians of joujouka (it's five meters away in the lounge room but i'm too lazy to go have a look so i can remember the title - $20), a reissue of the young tradition's last album "galleries" ($7) a double cd of two 90's brigitte fontaine albums ($20) and the first mcgarrigle sisters album ($5). then we checked out a new store called eclectic, which actually has two branches within walking distance of each other. in one i got the mid 80's dexy's midnight runners album with "what's she like" on it (again i'm too lazy to go find out the title - $5). the young tradition and mcgarrigle albums sound amazing, side one of dexy's is great, i've yet to listen to the others.
so we soundchecked at 5 with an incredibly stern and technically pedantic European sound engineer. we are such a ramshackle bunch of losers and our gear is all falling apart so i think he took an instant dislike to us.
the free champagne and beer calmed me a little before the show, as did julian and nicole's vinyl only, one-turntable easy-listening djing from 7pm. nicole was a whiz at the quick fade down, switch records and fade back up again thing, nobody noticed any awkward gaps.
we were on about ten to 8, i couldn't hear anything except jon michell's incredibly loud guitar from the amp 20 centimetres away from my ear. we played the look of love, caravan, telstar, wichita lineman, indian love call, taboo, zanzibar and others i forget. we ended impressively with caravan but then had to play an extra song and limped through fly me to the moon. but it was kind of fun.
we got plied with alchohol afterwards, i ate handfuls of hors d'oeuvres (is that how you spell it?) from the roving platters, we were harrassed by pseudo echo's roadie, told off for drinking the free alcohol we'd been given, and then i left, having only drunk one of the 15 drinks available to me on my 3 drink cards (plus all the other beer wine and champagne that was just given to us). there was more drama afterwards involving tantrums, drinks on heads and crying in the toilets, but i wasn't there so i can't really go into the details.

it was a benefit so unfortunately we didn't get paid anything.

Long Time No Me

2004-06-13T03:40:22Z

uplate update on my life:
i have been trying to give up smoking - so hard and so boring!
last night i had mexican food with 18 other people for mindy's birthday, 16 of whom were smokers. there were more people outside the restaurant having a cigarette than inside eating dinner. i held out until we got back to mindy and bec's house for karaoke, at which point i started smoking like mad, bumming cigarettes from every person i spoke to.
i am very hung over today, almost thought i was going to vomit this morning which is so not me, much more my boyfriend's kind of thing to do. i did my special trick of lying on the cold lino floor with bathroom towels over me trying to keep nausea at bay. a couple of advils and a big plastic fruit juice bottle filled with water sorted me out.
did you know i am a journalist for the age? read my fun-filled articles on occasional sundays in the agenda section. also watch out for my catpower piece this thursday in the A3.

here is a rundown on ben and my upcoming activities which need your support

Friday July 25, Revolver Upstairs - DJ People with Gersey
Thursday July 1, Rob Roy - Guy Blackman and Mia Schoen Duo supporting The Microphones and New Buffalo
Friday July 9, Old Bar - Guy Blackman solo supporting Kiosk and The New Estate
Saturday July 10, Public Office - DJ People with The Microphones
Wednesday July 14, Rob Roy - DJ People with Kiosk, Maximum Awesome, Service Station Youth
Saturday July 17, Rob Roy - DJ People with The Bites, Oh Belgium and New Season

you must attend each of these events to qualify as Ben and Guy's Friends For Life.
Love Guy.

back in town

2004-04-08T07:50:09Z

i can't believe i've already been back in australia for four weeks. and what do i have to show for it? a seriously depleted bank balance and imminent lung cancer. i promise to update this properly soon. all my love....

why use one word when twenty will do?

2004-01-14T17:42:45Z

it's the early morning of ben's birthday and he's all depressed about getting older. of course me being a year and a half older than him makes it hard for me to sympathize, but i'm doing my best.
we had a big weekend, staying out and missing the last train home three nights in a row (saturday sunday monday) the first time we have even done it twice in a row. saturday night was firstly a photo exhibition in ginza by eigo san, a member of one of our favourite tokyo bands, eepil eepil. his photos are really fantastic, of friends and family caught in honest moments, and i'm thinking, after ben suggested it having seen the photos on opening night a week earlier, of using some of them as artwork for the japanese compilation cd i'm going to put out when i get back to australia.
at the exhibition saya and ueno from the tenniscoats performed (they were really great), as did several not so great but entertaining MC's.
then strangely enough we went on to an all night gay hip hop party in shinjuku, we've been the last two months running and it's always fun. people so look the part but it seems so much like dressing up and play acting it's very surreal. plus they are all gay, which in and of itself is confusing. this time we spent most of the night keeping ourselves company, although ben did manage to make out with some australian guy, who had seen ben on friendster(!). this guy had been chasing these two insanely cute japanese guys who had been flirting with him all night then left together, so i think he was casting around for some last minute alternative. he seems like a nice guy though, and ben was just drunk of course. my favourite part of the night was dancing spastically with ben at 4.30 in the morning when they finally started to play music we really liked, basically clearing the dance floor while i tried to replicate moves i'd seen younger cuter boys doing earlier in the evening, and ben just tried to keep upright. it was a bonding moment.
we'd planned to go see the yoko ono exhibition in mito (an hour or so by train from tokyo) on sunday, because it was closing on monday. but of course we were too hung over to do any such thing, and we postponed it til monday. in the evening we went and saw the tenniscoats in ikebukuro, they played with four totally shit music student jazzbo bands, and one kind of cool band called sakana that apparently jim o'rourke loves. it's a very likeable woman singing folky creedency songs on guitar, with a second guitarist eerily reminiscent of ian wadley, and a drummer. tenniscoats were on last and seemed to be making a statement of disassociation from the earlier performers. they were loud and kind of punk, just saya and ueno and the same drummer that had performed with them the night before at the photo exhibition. it was an amazing show, made even more exciting for ben and me by ueno not wearing a shirt. this man is very very handsome and he has a kick-boxers's body.
after it was back to gay shinjuku to see our sunday night friends, a little trepidatiously cause we'd slept with one of them the week before. he wasn't there by the time we arrived and we were paranoid our other friends were giving us a frosty reception. but after a short while it all became fine and we were teased a lot by koji, one of the coolest and most fun people we know here.
monday rolled around and we gave up on going to the YES Yoko Ono show, I've already seen it when i was in New York three years ago (I sound so sophisticated don't I), and Ben reckons it will come to Australia eventually anyway. or at least that's how we justified favouring alcohol and gay bars over art to ourselves.
i'd been asked suddenly on sunday to play acoustic guitar along to ueno's experimental dj'ing at a bar in shibuya on monday night. i was excited and flattered to say the least. he's hot and he's one of the musicians i respect the most in japan (in that order?). so monday evening i caught the train, and happened to be on the same one as ueno himself, plus endo san, another incredibly handsome majikick personality and the new second drummer in eepil eepil. it was a bit uncomfortable actually spending train riding time with these people i really like and am sexually into, usually i just say five words to them after a gig. but i relished it too of course.
in the end it was four of us, me endo ueno and namiki san, who makes electronic music under the name NSD (and inevitably is also really cute). endo used a laptop, namiki some kind of sequencer or drum machine, ueno djed cd-rs, and i played acoustic guitar and sang...to an audience of two people, namely Ben and Jeremy Dower. there were a handful of other people there, mostly people performing later and their friends, and they would occasionally stick their head in the music room for a few seconds before going straight back to the bar. Ben and Jeremy both said it sounded really good and I enjoyed myself, I don't normally do things like that and i was quite nervous, although that kind of faded away when i realised that the only people watching were my boyfriend and my best australian friend in japan. still i was very pleased to have been asked.
it was an all night show and in the first happy flush of having finished playing ben and i decided to stay and miss the last train, which we kind of came to regret after hours of intensely loud noise music and basically talking to no-one all night. but anyway we came home and went to work a few hours later. we have been feeling dregsy ever since.

fondue blues

2003-12-24T11:52:11Z

after searching for christmas eve cheese fondue recipes on the internet it seemed important to relate my life history. ben and i went to takamatsu on thursday. it took longer for us to get to the airport than it did to actually fly there. we never ever go on holidays together (i don't think you can call living in japan a holiday, although in many ways that's what it is, one big long and lazy holiday from reality), flying to takamatsu was only the third time we'd been in an airplane together (the first and second were flying to and from brisbane to go-go dance in the gobetweens video).
michio met us at the airport and we took a walk along the pier at the takamatsu harbour. we looked out into the sea of setonaikai, between shikoku and the main japanese island honshuu, at all the pretty little islands. it was very cold. ben and i had already argued before we even got on the plane, cause ben borrowed my jacket but the minute we left the house he decided it was too dirty to wear (i wear it all the time, it's fine!) and got all weird and uncomfortable. once ben decided to brave the cold rather than appear soiled, and we had stuffed the jacket into the already full suitcase, things improved.
on the friday we went to one of the islands, naoshima, and had an amazing day. there is a great contemporary art museum, and some of the island's old houses have been converted into art pieces, including one designed by Jen Turrell's father, James, and built by Tadao Ando. It's a windowless building, after shuffling inside in total darkness, we sat down and waited for our eyes to adjust. Slowly and creepily we started to be able to see vague lights. my imagination created scary faces and figures, until we could see a screen of light in front of us and a couple of dim lights on either side. then we got up and walked around, totally comfortable and excited in what had been complete darkness a few minutes before. it was fantastic.
the last ferry back to takamatsu was cancelled cause of insanely strong winds, we had to catch two ferries to get home.
i cooked broccoli and leek quiche and apple crumble on saturday, the main highlight of that day. takamatsu isn't actually all that exciting, and michio and kinuko had to work (michio's parents run a kimono and wedding dress rental place, he and kinuko moved to takamatsu earlier this year to work there and save money to open a bar in tokyo in a couple of years).
on sunday we took a bus to kyoto because i had a solo show to play (with michio helping out on a few songs). our friend koji is very cute and organised the show, his band night teller played, he put on a dress he'd made himself, plus a platinum wig, stockings and high heels. i preferred him in his boy clothes. night teller are the quietest band in the world, he plays acoustic guitar and whispers covers of the who and the velvet underground, with violin accompaniment.
we went to a vegetarian restaurant afterwards but it was full, so we ate and drank upstairs, with felicity mangan from melbourne, and nathalie fernbach, who had come from osaka to see us. ben tried to get everyone to go to another bar afterwards, mainly cause he wanted to crack onto koji, but everyone apologised and went home.
we stayed at felicity's tiny one room apartment, in a totally amazing part of kyoto surrounded by temples and beautiful old japanese architecture. it was cool to see felicity, she is an incredible bogan and the best fun.
shit this is getting way too long, nothing much happened after that, we caught the shinkansen home and went back to work first thing the next morning. our first holiday in japan, a mixture of fun and boredom, mostly fun though.

Ciao

2003-12-17T14:01:14Z

Ben and I are going to Takamatsu in Shikoku tomorrow, to see our friends Michio and Kinuko, then on to Kyoto for a gig I'm playing on Sunday, five days' holiday in all. It's the first time we've been out of Tokyo together since Ben got here 9 months ago, and I'm looking forward to seeing some trees and ocean again. In my secret heart of hearts though, I'm sorry to be missing out on a weekend of homo frustration in Tokyo. Takamatsu only has one gay bar which we won't be going to anyway casue I'm sure we'll be being entertained by our married friends. Of course once I get out of Tokyo I will be totally glad to have done so.
Then a few more days at work, including working on Christmas Day, before taking off for Sapporo in northern Japan, for New Year. I'm playing another show and we're staying at my friend Masato's parents' place, it will be snowing and below zero most days. We're only there for four days, it feels like we're going on some extreme sports adventure, just thinking about the cold...

i_went_to_sleep @ 2003-12-16T05:16:00

2003-12-15T20:19:15Z

hello and welcome to my livejournal. now that friendster has taken over the world i guess livejournal has decided it's better to let everyone get in free than to just fade away into oblivion. it's 5.17 in the morning and i've been up all night being a nerd on the internet, so i'm going to wait until another day to start sharing the details of my gripping life in tokyo japan.