Friday, August 31, 2007

Warmly Strange


The sun is just about to peek over the horizon in another strangely warm winter/early spring morning.
It is so warm that there are winter fire bans inSouth Australia.
Nothing to worry about of course.
As we can no longer say to the lady who lives next to the Acropolis.
China has introduced an animated net nanny to protect workers from doing naughty things on the internet like looking at pictures of naked people or the Dalai Lama.
I like these characters, very Astro Boy, whether that would soften the blow as the Thought Police crashed through the door is another thing altogether.
I think a little old lady tut-tuting would be equally effective, maybe more so.
Especially if she had an umbrella.
Of course I have no smirking Western leg to stand on as my country has a press freedom rating below Bolivia.Ask Geoffrey Robertson
Geoffrey is one of my heroes not just coz he is married to the chick that wrote Puberty Blues.
Why isn't he head of the labour party instead of Kevin Only Drunk Twice.
Who wants a PM who can't drink?
Bob Hawke was in the Guiness book of records for skulling a yard glass for crying out loud.
Bush the Younger was arrested for drink driving.
Even Our Fearless Leader John enjoys a good quaff of Grange most nights.
Back to censorship.
How can I be cutting edge if the Dept of Education blocks Myspace and Youtube?
Which in the music industry are the too most happening things going.
They wont install Itunes either.
So how do I show em anything ?
Speaking of Itunes I actually wrote my first review for this amazing harp playing chanteuse Joanna Newsom.
It's quite a fun thing to do.
I doubt it will do much for her record sales but I was hearted to see her on Johnny Dep's I tunes list/
I doubt whether many of my students will like her as she is as far away from Avril Lavigne as you can get.
Doco filming starts tomorrow so wish me luck!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Courage is a Telescope

About to start a new project- a little doco on Aspergers Syndrome which my son has.
It's a very interesting type of Autism.
Some might might say it's just a different way of looking at the world.
Humans tend to persecute any body who's different.
At school is the worst.
They will seek out and exterminate anyone who is a bit left of centre.
You remember the wierd kid who got hassled all the time.
I think back to my school days, there was a kid called Leo Mensen who probably had it. Couldn't socialize and spent every lunchtime by him self.
I never hurt him but other kids teased him mercilessly.
I wonder what he does now?
My partner is running these workshops for a whole bunch of these kids and I am filming it.
We will get some talking heads as well but mostly try and capture what it is like to perceive the world they way they do.
Of course lots of famous people probably had Aspergers- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison and maybe Bill Gates.
So maybe we need difference to move forward as a species?
I suspect having a whole bunch of hyper intelligent kids with no social skills may be like having a whole bunch of cats in a bag should make for interesting footage nevertheless