RANDOM IMAGES # 104

This is an iconic photo from my hometown, taken on New Years Eve in 1939 at Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia by the photographer Fred Flood. Nobody has been able to identify the guy being tossed into the air by his mates until now... possibly.

DOCUMENTING OLD INGLEWOOD # 1

Since I opened my shop in Inglewood I've come to realise that I am part of a change that is happening in this area. New businesses like mine are moving in, the strip is becoming a place that people want to visit, eat and shop in. Of course with the arrival of the new often the old is sacrificed. It's not happening on a large scale yet, but I thought I should slap on my urban archaeologist hat and start documenting some of the old stuff before it does go... if it does, who knows.

VALE FAN HO

I just now read that Fan Ho passed away back in June, he was an incredible photographer (and film director and actor). In particular his street life photos of 1950's Hong Kong... I'll let the photos do the talking, you can google him to see more, well worth it.

MATISYAHU

Up until 2 days ago I had never heard of Matisyahu, but that's all changed now. I've spent a few hours skimming his back catalogue. What an interesting dude, he's evolved a lot over the years both in his appearance and his music. Wikipedia describes him as a Jewish American reggae vocalist, beatboxer, and alternative rock musician. Hell of a mouthful but it's pretty apt.

I'll drop a few videos here which show the diversity/evolution of him/his music. Kind of in reverse order though with the most recent first...

THE HOOD # 322

Spotted me some fresh Martin E Wills action in North Perth a few days back...

A STREAM OF THOUGHT, A VIDEO AND A PICTURE

I know I keep saying I'll blog more, that this is a temporary glitch due to me opening a new business and having not much spare time. But I can't see that changing anytime soon, so posts on here will be less frequent. But to be honest, even without the new venture I had dropped off on my regular updating quite some time ago. Why? I'm not sure really, I mean I want to keep blogging, I've been doing it for 11 and a half years. I see no need to stop, I don't want to stop, there I said it, I wont stop. I know a few people read my dribble and that's great, but it's never been about the audience (I do love both of you though, please send cash only), this blog has really just been my online diary and inadvertently the online diary of a lot of my friends. Their lives have unfolded on here as well and a few of them recognise that and use it for reference. My life has changed immeasurably over those years too, I think I have less to say these days or perhaps I'm just saying it elsewhere, I dunno. Even this is just dribble.

So that's that then, I'll keep bogging, that's confirmed. I just need to do it more often than once every 2 weeks or so.... Hmmm reading the previous sentence I can't help but think to the many blogs I've followed over the years who have made a post like this, where they've promised to blog more, "It's not all over, it'll keep going...". Does this mean I'm one of them now? Oh man, now I'm feeling sad, this isn't how it was supposed to end!

Anyway, here's wonderwall...

RANDOM IMAGES # 103

Hot days in Lisbon

LATE NIGHT WANDERS

Wow! Two weeks since my last post, my excuse is that those have been a full on two weeks. I opened my new store down in Inglewood and have been sleep deprived up until a few days ago. To reward myself I ate some fav food in a fav restaurant in Northbridge and then wandered in the rain to get some gelato, oh and I snapped a few pics on the way...

bonus night shot, Perth City Council House sporting Le Tricolor the day after the Nice attack

RANDOM IMAGES # 102

In a couple of months I'll be travelling along Route 66 again, passed through this intersection back in 2012 when we did the first leg. Second leg commences in Oklahoma City in September. So cannot wait...

Route 66 & N. Taylor St, Amarillo, Texas

the same intersection as it looks today

OUT OF SEASON

Out of Season is a series of photos of motels in Wildwood, a coastal resort in New Jersey. There was a lot of these built there in the 1950s but sadly most are being or have been knocked down since. Mark Havens has been documenting them before they're all gone and I'm completely in love with his photos...

NO I'M SERIOUS, THE MONKEE'S HAVE A NEW ALBUM

And it's actually pretty okay, if you're into cool summery pop sounds that is...

Of course Davy Jones tapped out a few years ago so we only have the remaining three, Dolenz, Nesmith and Tork and I can't help wondering if Jones was still with us what this album would have sounded like. But, as someone who grew up watching and listening to these guys I'm pretty happy that this exists. 

There's songs written by Ben Gibbard from Death Cab For Cuties...

Weezer's Rivers Cuomo as well as Noel Gallager and Paul Weller. The latter duo having written the psychedelic Birth of an Accidental Hipster...

And just to make it legit Monkee's they've included an old Neil Diamond track sung by Jones called Love to Love
time to give this a few loops

GAS STATION # 33

Normally with this series I post some shots of old reused or even abandoned gas stations, sadly this one strays from that theme a bit.

Begin rant... Perth you get it wrong so so many times. How is this even possible and why is this a thing? Facadism is shit, no ifs not buts, just shit, especially when it's done this poorly. Incorporate if you must, I get progress, I get the cost of development and I get that land this close to the city is expensive, but why was only this section considered to be worth preserving? How is this a good decision? Just get out, get out of the room, don't even look back, I've nothing left to say to you, you're a disgrace. /rant

Some then and now

whatever they build here I can't see how this is going to look good attached to it like an embryonic twin

Original post

THE STONE ROSES

What can I say? Except yes, a thousand times yes. The band that gave us possibly the greatest album of the dying days of the 80's is back. Is this a good thing? I'm reading a heap of poor reviews for the first single All For One and some not as bad reviews for single number 2 Beautiful Thing. I hear what their saying, neither is earth shattering but did we really want a reinvented Stone Roses? I sure as hell don't, do what you do and as far as I'm concerned both songs are quality, Beautiful Thing is better than All For One, but they're both Stone Roses as I like my Stone Roses, Reni's drums, the wailing psychedelic guitars and Ian Brown out front.

See what you think, but play them both a few times before you decide

and what the hey, some old school while we're here

we've just got to do something about Mani's hair

CRUISIN

My big exciting and new project is finally underway. As a result I've been all over town doing this and getting that and buying those and all the things. So natch a few cool photo ops have presented themselves...

I'mma gonna need a whole lot of this going forward