Musical Chairs

Is there such a thing as an over achiever when it comes to music? Or is it just put down to this one person being uber talented and doing good things? And what happens if the person is modest about it or even all up in your face about it? Do we give them the respect that they deserve, let it slide or put it down to a serious case of musical chairs?

Everywhere I go music wise of late, people are promoting the album by the “Supergroup” Them Crooked Vultures. The new band consisting of Dave Grohl (a man with many bands on his CV – Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Probot, QOTSA), Josh Homme (everyone’s favourite musical redhead from QOTSA & Eagles of Death Metal) and finally John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin).






















Now I totally understand that these 3 names make people ooo and ahh when placed all together in the same room, but do they deserve all this attention when honestly will they make it past one album and one whirlwind tour to sell a truck load of merch? I am going to sit those concerts out, and not because I don’t think the music they are producing id crap, its catchy… but I am sure the hype will be around for months afterwards.

I guess another person that could fit into this genre is Mike Patton. Now I guess I am going to be a little biased on this certain individual as I do think he is a GOD, but with this number bands under your belt you may start to wonder… Faith No More, Peeping Tom, Mr Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantomas, Zu, Lovage, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Booya Tribe.






















Mr Patton has been apart of many more groups along the way too, I mean just on albums that his vocals have featured on goes over the amount of 40. So does Mike have a few problems with commitment and likes to jump ship, or does he just go with the flow and spreads his seed around? And not that I am complaining on this, I do love a Patton vocal on the odd occasion (OK almost everyday).

In Australia we have Tim Rogers. Front man for You Am I, The Twin Set and also The Temperance Union, he has also done the solo project thing with 4 solo albums released by 2007 and he has also done a separate album with Tex Perkins.






















To be honest I do love You Am I, seeing them at the Enmore for a fee of $12 when I was 16 with my fake ID seemed the be all and end all, but lately he does fall into this over achiever area for me (the album Hourly Daily remains separate, as I bought it from a porn shop on George Street when I was 17, more than likely with the same fake ID).


But it does raise the question of are these people in a great demand or do they just need the attention?

Movember Lights

More Tee's

So I know I have posted about the rad as tee on Only NY before, but this one wasn’t on their site before!! Marlin on a shirt, who would have thunk it?























And also today I had another quick look at the Rockers NYC site and found think beauty.

















Kinda a little 1980’s goth coming out in this design but I think it works. Wear it loose & baggy and splash it with black jeans and red kicks and your in.
Find it here http://www.rockersnyc.com/

Good Vs Bad

Travelling via train every morning does have its good side, the freebies given out when you leave the turnstiles at Town hall Station. Yesterday and today the gods of free stuff have blessed me with individual portions of Berocca, as if they knew deep down that I really needed one. Then once you walk up the stairs and hit the footpath you get a muesli bar for your mid morning snack, or for me breakfast. It reminds me of walking around the city of Tokyo and everyone handing you the little packets of tissues. And then with all the free food that I also get from work everyday, I think I could live off this stuff.






















But then again, travelling via train every morning does have its bad side, the cost. $3.40 one way or $6.20 return, when I buy my ticket at 8.30am. Just to go 3 stops and spend a grand total of 7 minutes on a city rail, sticky floor train. I think I am going to have to haul my body out of bed earlier and walk to work and home again.

The Tourist Route

Why do tourists get up so early? Is this a common rule that all of them must adhere too upon entry into a new country? I think they must have to sign a sworn statement saying that they would do so, because when you are on holidays why would you want to get out and about before 8.30am? And before you say, “how do you know that they are actually tourists?”, trust me know. They have all the tell tale signs… the New Zealand city stamped t-shirt, the Velcro sandals, the Dutch brand backpack and a foldout map tucked in the back pocket of their cargo shorts.
And why would you want to wander around a city before most business open or people start work? I mean you would have to battle the peak hour buses and trans to get anywhere, the que at Woolies at Town hall is crazy that time of day and the queues at every coffee shop I walk past on my way to work are out the door. I understand if you had to get to the airport or to a early morning bridge climb, but are there any attractions worth seeing before 10.30am in Sydney next to a sunrise?
When I travel I guess I take the laidback approach. Sleep in until my body wakes me up (or until the cleaner tells me too), take as little as I can out with me during the day, leave the guidebook at home and wander down as many back streets as possible. Of course I go and see the major sites, I mean who goes to Paris and doesn’t sit at the Eiffel Tower? But I somehow feel that the people from out of town visiting Sydney feel like they are missing something if they don’t hit the streets early.
The only time I got up super early was to go and see the Tokyo Fish Markets which were defiantly worth the 4am wake up call my friend and I had. But believe me the rest of the time I was safely tucked up in bed until at least 9am.

Bob A Job

When does a job become a lifestyle rather than just a way to pay the bills? When you stop caring about your pay packet and more about the work that you do? And how many of us are really that happy about our current career paths?

I went for a job interview this morning and it was for a position that really doesn’t take my fancy. I mean it is a good job and would be a stable company for a long term role, like you could really have a solid input into the direction the company would grow in. However I feel like it would be almost a side step from what I had planned with my change of career at the start of the year but the money is better than what I have going on at the moment which always is a good thing. In a sense I wouldn’t be side stepping that much, I would technically still be in the design area, just in the other suburbs of it, ie: Chatswood. The massive down side is that you wouldn’t be surrounded by other creative people, just office workers and paper pushers. There wouldn’t be anyone to get design advice from or someone to offer their creative criticisms.
So what to do? Would you take the higher pay and have the creative sacrifice, or do you stay where you are currently, which is barely the minium wage, but you have some input into the work? At the moment I really feel like I am treading water, waiting for something to come and get me. And I am not a patient person at the best of times, and that feeling is pushing me towards moving on and taking the other job.

Honestly I am the type of person that would work for next to nothing if the job was rewarding in other ways and if I believed in it. I feel that if I had a mentor of some kind I would be better off and I would develop my skills further and be happier with them. Then also staying with that studio/agency for a solid amount of time. I just think that I would learn so much more and be a better designer at the end of it. Dream job I know, and seriously how often do they come along?

I guess I am just wanting the job thing more now as a lot of other things in my life have fallen into place lately. As my mum always says, you cant have everything...