They’re from the Mornington Peninsula, not Mount Gambier as I’d always assumed for some reason, and although it means they’re not from quite as secluded a place as I’d thought, they’re still from somewhere plenty weird enough in its own right. I went there once for a wedding, and before that I’d only really known about the place because of the song Mordialoc Road Duplicator by TISM, from the gloriously named Great Trucking Songs of the Renaissance (and which I only knew about because of the groom, who loved them and enjoyed the fact that they wrote a song about a construction project - “if you’re interested in roadworks/see me later”).  Continue

Grace Jones might actually be the coolest person on the planet. I doubt she’s ever looked less than stunning, even holding an accordion. Which has, over the last couple of years, struck me an instrument that well overdue a comeback.  Continue

I used to think it would be great to learn piano, just so I could play this song in a lobby somewhere, smile enigmatically, and then wander off into the night. Because it’s such a lovely thing, so simple yet so beautiful, that I can’t imagine anyone hearing it, even for the first time, and not being moved by it.   Continue

Glebe. How do you explain that? For a small parcel of time, it just seemed to be the coolest place in the world, although to look at it now, as a fancy inner city, middle class neighbourhood, it’s just baffling. It circled around Half a Cow records (and the Valhalla, which was easily the coolest cinema in Sydney for years, and maybe Gleebooks), whose owner joined the Lemonheads on bass just as Evan Dando became the indie world’s official heart throb, and boom.  Continue

I remember talking to Mark at some race somewhere about Magic Dirt, and how they were just a perfect band for a sub-group of people who were looking for a strong female front person with a soaring vocal dropping bombs from on high over huge, huge guitars, bass and drums. Mostly because we were both in that sub-group of people.  Continue

They had so many great moments, The Cruel Sea: that slide solo in Honeymoon is Over and the ma ma ma mas following, the swagger of This Is Not The Way Home, the guitar crunch and the ocifer said of Better Get A Lawyer. But it’s got to be Black Stick, just for the sheer grind of it.  Continue

I loved the Scrittis back in the eighties, mostly for that beautifully pure falsetto Green used (and which is about the only recognisable element in this track) and the lush orchestration underpinning everything. Which is strange for a bunch of ex-communist punks on Rough Trade, but this song is even stranger.  Continue

I know it’s got something to do with the footy at home, but since I haven’t lived there for 20 years it hasn’t touched me, leaving me with pure memories of shouting this out in pubs when life was simpler.  Continue

Who doesn’t like a song that includes the word parthenogenesis in the chorus?  Continue

I just love Clouds, they were such a perfect encapsulation of a period of time in Australia that was is probably my default memory of the place. Two girl harmonies, loud guitars and chugging songs: what’s not to like?  Continue

If you’re given the opportunity to sit down with a racer like Luca Ghiotto, there’s really only one place to start: are you still looking to win the championship this year? “Yeah, of course,” he states matter-of-factly as we sit down on Thursday ahead of the 4th round of the FIA Formula 2 championship in Baku, Azerbaijan in the hospitality area, before going on to show why his season is already a step ahead of expectations.  Continue

Tatiana Calderon, who has recently increased her involvement in the FIA’s Women in Motorsport programme in line with the announcement of her GP3 Series drive with DAMS and her appointment as development driver for Sauber F1 Team, has no illusions about her ambitions within the sport which she calls home: “For me I want to beat everybody: not as a woman, but as a racing driver."  Continue

Sad songs are just the best songs: that’s simply a fact.  Continue

As far as I’m concerned, the video for this song should be nothing but footage of flying over Sydney Harbour.  Continue

It must be tough to make something as perfect as this.  Continue

I can’t even begin to remember how I found the Campers – they didn’t have any hits, I doubt they were played on radio, they wouldn’t have been big in Melody Maker or any of the other UK music press that I read religiously – but this album was just perfect.  Continue

Still the greatest song of all time. Fact.  Continue

This was another Barters’ house song, but Graham always took the lead vocals. It was a huge surprise to us all when he announced he was gay, obviously.  Continue

Yeah, I know this is possibly the worst single he ever put out, from one of the worst movies ever, but we used to dance like maniacs to this song anyway, so screw you.  Continue

I don’t care: this is one of the greatest dance songs of all time, and if you can’t see that then it’s your problem.  Continue