Its amazing what bubbles up to the surface of your mind when at play, sometimes nostalgia, sometimes longing, sometimes hopeful for the unknown. What tumbles out can be a revelation, a catharsis or simply playful.
Always though I have music playing, creating the creative soundtrack. My taste in music is as eclectic as my artistic endeavours. A symphony one day, seventies punk another. The moods of the period preceding sort of blend into a soundtrack that often ends with mother and daughters flinging themselves around the lounge room miming the words of some vacuous but fun pop song. The soundtracks are a bit like dream, song snippets from other times.
So nostalgia was the theme today for crafts long forgotten and albums less played. In between doing my bits I helped Tannar with her lemon meringue pie (oh sweet nostalgia how I love LMPie) and from the depths came some old Midnight Oil lyrics. I ha vent purposely played Midnight Oil since Peter Garrett joined the Labour Party and put on a suit!
Midnight Oil entered my play list when I entered Australia in 1982 as a impressionable 12 year old fresh from Belfast. My Belfast crowd were all younger brothers and sisters and we were trying ever so hard to emulate their older siblings depressed swaggers and wild playlsits of Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols, Public Image, The Clash...mind you the New Romantics were emerging and when we though no one was listening switched to the softer tunes of Depeche Mode, Ultravox, The Cure and Co which still provided plenty of angst and unrequited love lyrics perfect for pubescent pre teens.
Imagine my shock landing in the land of sunshine after two weeks in rainy season Indo- everything seemed so bright and pure- no goths- no punks- no jumpy people, no bomb scares, NO BODY SEARCHES!
When I finally went to school my first real friend Shelley was quintessentially Australian - blond hair, blue eyes, beach babe in the burbs, who spent holidays in Queensland. It was either Shelley or the neighbours son Michael who rolled out the first copy of the Oils 10-1 and that was it hooked! It was sunshine angst that questioned the times, corny love songs, grunge guitar and Hirst's awesome drums. We loved the first album , and ep bird noises , place without a postcard was up there too- how could we not love lyrics like- 'theres a shit storm a coming' and 'when I'm screamin- I scream in blue'. Shelley and I somehow managed to get ourselves to an Oils gig at the Horden Pavilion and were carried away in the heaving crowd- I'm sure there were parts of that night where the manic up and down heave meant that my feet didn't touch the floor for about an hour we were so packed into the middle of the mosh. It was worth getting grounded for!
Its amazing how the memory recalls 'stuff' especially song lyrics that you thought had left long ago! How many times Shelley and I must have sung those songs at the top of our lungs ....'everyone says that loves on special on sale and everything you ever wanted you gotta pay for it seems so easy and gettable yes its real, if you got money its such a steal'....grrlll power had nothing on these tunes.
I didn't buy every album after Red Sails I thought they were starting to sell out and the Hunters and Collectors were playing live everywhere and giving us what we wanted-thumping grinding base that would make the crowds heave. Seymour never seemed to sell out completely to the big bucks, corporate coats and cigars.
Wonder if your nostalgia remembers it like mine Shelley. Happy Birthday friend.
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