Long time, no blog

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has neglected my blog for two years. Look at all those weeds! And that dead bit over there.

www.888dag.com

Three plays... in three days

In a live performance frenzy, I've been to three plays in three days.
Firstly: Quack at Griffin Theatre. For lovers of gore, you need travel no more.
Secondly: Jersey Boys. Channelling my inner Frankie Valli (and loving it).
Thirdly: August: Osage County. The Steppenwolf Theatre Co production. All I can say about August: Osage County is run, don't walk to the box office. It's brilliant.
http://www.888dag.com/

Darlo, how I love thee

I've been listening to Alain de Botton podcasts about Heathrow and The Joys and Sorrows of Work. That man does something to me, in the way I see the world: he helps me see it with more charming detail than usual.
So. I arrived home in the early evening last night and made a trip to the washing line.
A torchlight was playing in next door's yard, wielded by their little girl who was sitting on top of her cubby, which sits quite high - like a second storey on a house.
I yoo-hooed at her and she yoo-hooed back. We talked about the fingernail moon (which it turned out we'd both been admiring) and I told her I loved to see her sitting on top of her cubby in the dark. She's been back there today and that's been the first time for some months.
The King of Darlinghurst wasn't that keen on the torchlight last night, but all in all, it was like being in Cloudstreet.
Heavenly.
http://www.888dag.com/

Vincent van Flying Fox

My model for this drawing was the flying fox at the front counter of the Australian Museum in College Street in Sydney.
He only has one ear. Hence his name -Vincent van Flying Fox, given by me.
He is drawn in charcoal and chalk on architectural film. He's about 1.5m x 1m.
And he reminds me of all the noisy little fruit bats that fly in and out of Darlinghurst of a summer's night. Some of them party in our palm trees.
This little guy's flying times are done, but he certainly has a good profile being on the front counter at the museum.
http://www.888dag.com/

Sharpness and blurriness

Arriving in one's home town when it's raining is the perfect way to see it.

A couple of weeks ago, as Australia headed to the ballot box, I flew into Melbourne. In the rain.

I texted a friend in London: "It's raining. Love a wet home town." And he texted back: "Not sure if I understand that - but lots of UK towns are wet."

I wanted to explain what I meant and in truth, I wasn't quite sure myself what I loved about it.

I texted back: "It's that mistiness rain brings - a bit like memory."

So rain blurs the edges of things, which is beautiful, because there's such a sharpness about returning to a place you left two decades before. You know it at its very heart. But in another way, you don't know it at all.

http://www.888dag.com/

Socks turns 1.5million...

Sockington 1.5 Million Movie from Jason Scott on Vimeo.

My bro and Twitterpal, @sockington has just made my day, my May, my "everything". For the third video running, he has included my (gorgeous) self in his media milestone. That's me yawning on the Temple du Max to the sign: "Socka- 1.5 - million. Chow on down."

We reckon Fatty is the piece de resistance, the filmmaker de jour, the cleverest clogs in Clogville.

http://www.888dag.com/

Neko cafes: cats rule, OK?

The King of Darlinghurst (aka Max the Duster) is not known for his friendliness to strangers. Or even the staff.
This could be an impediment to him taking a role in a Neko (cat) cafe.
Neko cafes (see pic, at left, from the Curl Up cafe) are apparently the rage in Tokyo, where people live in apartments not big enough or suitable for cats. So people who like cats (mainly girls and women, according to my Japanese source) go and get their feline fix at a Neko cafe.
From the linked article, the owner (who didn't want to be named) is quoted as saying: "I take utmost care in hygiene so as not to bring in any germs harmful to the cats. That's why I always keep the cats and the room clean and ask visitors to wash their hands before entering the cafe space."
She said the cafe welcomes anyone and the rules - including not doing things the cats would dislike -are observed. Natch.

http://www.888dag.com/

http://www.mysinchew.com/node/3707

Blog away

Hannah has started blogging. Hooray for Hannah! Here she is:

http://screenculture.net/hannahl/

I hope she is more frequent in her postings than me. I did intend to blog about the excellence of King Lear by Bell Shakespeare, but prithee... I got distracted.

http://www.888dag.com/

Glove Puppet with a Hat (and other clouds)

Having joined the Cloud Appreciation Society in the dying days of 2009, I have submitted my first photo to them: Glove Puppet with a Hat, shot at Machans Beach north of Cairns in October 2009.

(c) KymoftheKing

Truth is, I am open to suggestion on what this cloud actually looks like. Maybe a toy puppy?

http://www.888dag.com/

Tim Minchin rocks the casbah

Wowie and ooh la la.
I saw Tim Minchin last night at the State Theatre. I simply adore him (if one can adore someone without knowing them) and had never seen him live.
First I saw him on Enough Rope and Spicks & Specks and then caught the doco about him (Rock n Roll Nerd). One time on Spicks he spotted a silly joke in grammar or punctuation that had amused me too. Then I became intrigued by him (in a good and not stalkery way). Indeed I was captivated.
He is an amazing lyricist and such an original performer: erudite, witty, naughty and alluring to boot!
In this funny and fickle old town of Sydney, it's great to be part of a standing ovation for such a unique creature: a kind of Leunig for the stage.
If Tim Minchin did a project with Alain de Botton, that would be my idea of perfection.

http://www.888dag.com/

Cooking up limericks

(c) KymoftheKing


If you use 'em, credit 'em!
I love MasterChef -- and I love all the judges. Especially George... no, Gary... no, Matt!

A judge who we love is called Matt.
And Matt - well, he loves his cravat.
He’s top notch on the nosh
And he looks awfully posh.
With no Matt it would all be quite flat.

A judge we know only as George
Would chew and - quite simply - he'd gorge*.
‘Twas his action with forks
That caused all the squawks
And made him entirely less gorg.

And then there’s the one who’s called Gary.
(He isn’t called Barry or Harry.)
He’s worked as a chef
And he never says f…
He’s the one who you’d quite like to marry!

*well he wouldn't really gorge; we're just trying to make a fun rhyme here folks.
Love ya George and can't wait to eat at The Press Room!

http://www.888dag.com/

T. Hanks

Love the sign above the returns bin in the local DVD/video store in Darlinghurst:

T. Hanks

Oh yes, laughed out loud when I saw it yesterday.

http://www.888dag.com/

Sockamillion

His name is Sockington.
He is uber Cat. Max is the King of Darlinghurst; Socks is the King of Twitter and King of the World.
But behold.
Max appears (thrice!) in the Sockamillion movie after an earlier half-mill show:

Socks Army One Million Strong from Jason Scott on Vimeo.

http://www.888dag.com/

Brisvegas

I've just had a weekend in Brisvegas, which is 5 degrees warmer than Sydney and a great place for me - as I got to spend time with someone who knows me very well. The King (see twitterfeed, right) is yowling his head off and now it's time to plant my feet back in Darlinghurst after two weekends away.

http://www.888dag.com/

Man on the moon, film in the bin

I am amused and bemused by the loss of the original recordings of footage of man landing on the moon.
As Tony Eastley said at the end of AM on Friday on ABC Radio: "If you've got them at home, give us a ring."
I do understand how I lose stuff in my life. But this is a record breaking mislaying of items.
http://www.888dag.com/

It's all about the Swedes

I've been absolutely laughing my head off about the career counsellor with the predilection for root vegetables in The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. I laughed until I nearly choked (well I was lying in bed at the time) at the following reference:
"The couple were admirably fond of some of the less popular vegetables in the English repertoire, for at most times of the day - even in the early morning - the place smelt powerfully of freshly boiled cabbage or swede."
I can't tell you why, but there are several references to the counsellor and his wife's culinary love and these observations made me extremely giggly. I guess they're interspersed between serious career moments and that's just how it is with vegetables.
When I laugh in bed, the King gets tossed around, but he seems to be made of sturdy stuff and copes fairly well with the quiltquake.

http://www.888dag.com/

King of Darlinghurst in Sockington's 500K video

Sockington 500,000 Followers from Jason Scott on Vimeo. Enormous excitement in the Kingdom of Darlinghurst as the Cyber Cat of them all, Sockington, includes Max the Duster aka the King of Darlinghurst in the video marking his 500,000th follower.

We are overjoyed, banging our paws together with delight.

Watch out for Max in the Socks Rocks hat.

http://www.888dag.com/

Everything's vivid

With my nose firmly in Alain de Botton's new book, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, I have been refreshed in my view of the world.
Yesterday I had to go into the city for an appointment after several days of being home ill.
It seemed to me that everyone was from central casting: immensely colourful in their own way, yet typical.
Two women at the noodle bar at David Jones sipped on their wines and discussed children, home decorating, friends and their next lunch, while the people cooking and serving us were on full display in their work mode. It was all remarkably vivid. I guess I was paying attention.
In the watch repair shop, I was one of several customers - the young woman getting a charm fixed to her bracelet, the stylishly dressed handsome black guy who was getting something done to what appeared to be a diamond-encrusted watch (matching his diamond encrusted pinky ring). The watch was roughly the size of a large sample pot of moisturiser. I felt like I was in a dream when he showed his Florida driving license [as ID, I guess]. An older woman was getting impatient because whatever she was waiting for wasn't ready and she was going overseas the next day, with many tasks and engagements to fulfil before she left. Again, remarkably vivid moments that may have passed me by, if not for reading yet another marvellous book by Alain de Botton.


http://www.888dag.com/

Directions

Walking down Victoria Street in Darlinghurst just now, a very old man ambled toward me. I was anticipating being asked for money.
But no. He wanted to know where "Young Street" was. Indeed.
(In truth - as far as I am aware - there is no Young Street. Neither metaphorically, nor literally.)
A bit like how on Monday night I was walking by the Eastern Distributor exit on William Street. A young guy was taking a piss in Wisdom Lane. Wisdom Lane is a No Through Road.
I'll leave that with you.
http://www.888dag.com/

Twittering is the new black

The King loves nothing more than a good Tweet.
But Sockington's call out this morning for members of Socks Army to upload pix of themselves in party hats almost ended the King's love of Twitter. He wriggled and pulled his ears back, retreating from our impromptu photo shoot with extraordinary cunning. The only chance for getting him to pose was to fill his dinner dish and then gently drop the paper cone hat over one ear while he was busy eating.
Such is life.
http://www.888dag.com/

Swimmingly

Hit the pool for the first time in yonks. It was much cleaner then when I was last there.
That old black line is still there though.
http://www.888dag.com/