My List

Today's little list comprises of:

1. What I Watched Last Night: 'Love and Mercy' - if you don't know, this is a biopic on Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys.  It wasn't a linear story of the rise of the band, it was a slightly fragmented (but fragmented in a good way) portrayal of Wilson himself, and his battle with mental illness.  He's portrayed by John Cusack as an older man (give Cusack an Oscar, someone!), and Paul Dano as the younger man (while you're at it, give Dano an Oscar, too).

2.  Guilty Pleasure I Just Listened To: 'Magnet and Steel' by Walter Egan.  Look, I know, I know.  I know, all right?  But I like it.  It might be a little bit overwrought.  Maybe it's not.  It's one of those daggy-as-a-sheep's-arse guilty pleasures that I will put up my hand and admit to liking, whilst I adopt a vulture-like crouch of embarrassment.

3. Annoying Shit I've Been Reminded Of: 'I've Been To Bali, Too' by Redgum.  Hated it when I first heard it.  Hated it when I heard it every other time since.  Had cause to be reminded of it the other day, and the negative emotions washed over me again.  Those emotions include annoyance, irritation, and nausea.  Can't stand the inane tune, but what really grinds my gears is the attitude in the narrative.  All smug, superior, snide, oh-so-hip-tosser to the max. I always imagined the inhabitants of Bali listening to this and thinking, 'Well, stay the fuck away if you don't like the place', or the Indonesian equivalent of that sentence.  I would listen to this song and wonder were they trying to destroy the tourism industry of the small island, and more importantly: WHY were they trying to destroy the tourism industry of the small island.  I went to Bali when I was a young thing of 21.  I didn't go with a group of friends, I went over alone.  People questioned my decision to do this, but to be honest, it didn't occur to me to invite anyone with me.  I wanted to get away from it all, and therefore wasn't about to take 'it' with me.  I stayed in the Club Med resort (much to the disgust of a hipster anti-capitalism friend of mine, and to this friend I said, 'So fucking what?'), went on day trips, and had fun with people from other nations.  I strolled through the streets of Kuta, picking up my pace to get away from a bunch of kids who wanted to braid-and-bead my hair (you've seen my profile pic - my hair back then was pretty much like it is today, and I wasn't about to waste all my holiday having it braided etc).  I bought some cassettes - The Doors, from memory.  I deliberately did not purchase an incense holder as requested by my then-flatmate's girlfriend, because I hated the bitch.  I posed for a photograph with residents of Java, who wanted me to pose for a picture with them - I guess having the complexion of a ghost was exotic over there.  I ran off in shock one day at the resort, when one of the French staff tried to hit on me.  I knew he was paying more attention to me than other holiday makers, and I was somewhat flattered, but when the others left the table tennis room and he slunk up behind me and ran his hands over my shoulders and whispered in that accent, 'What are going to do now, eh?', I spluttered I was going for a swim and took off.  Later on, he tried to touch one of my breasts.  I was quite surprised because I didn't expect such unprofessionalism.  Oh, and I also won a potato sack race.  Yes. Clumsy, non-athletic me actually won a race, and a potato sack race at that.  The staff member adjudicating said it was because I was 'ze Australian kangaroo'.  Yeah, good times.  Fun memories.  Even if I had any negative experiences there (well, just a bout of Bali Belly), I certainly wouldn't be making up a glib, crappy song about it.