The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

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Replacing our radio station turntable

by 26 Comments

I have discussed performance issues with out current Denon turntable previously. There is a rumble that we can’t eliminate and the bearings are sealed up.

Save any brillian solution from someone on here we think we will need to get a new one.

This Technics has been suggested. Any views on its suitability for the busy job of endless back cueing in a radio studio?

Thanks

https://www.storedj.com.au/products/technics-sl1210-mk7-premium-direct-drive-turntable-black

Dick Cavett interviews

by 14 Comments

A Rick Beato thing popped up on my FB feed. He was extolling the talent of Dick Cavett as an interviewer and used an interview with Oscar Peterson as an example. So down the YouTube rabbit hole I went. The list is vast and he is such a wonderful interviewer. The gentleness of his voice, gentle in nature too, thoughtful and occasionally left field questions. Anyhow. I came across this interview with Orson Welles. Wonderful. The rapport, the content – Welles meeting Hitler, Churchill etc. But also how Welles tells his stories. So articulate, the pauses. It’s great. link in comments.

RIP John Hammond Jr

by 3 Comments

Obituary

Son of the great Colombia producer and talent spotter. John was true to the blues. The stellar musicians he had on his records is testament to good nature. Melbourne guitarist Jeff Lang posted this to Facebook

Very sad to hear that John Hammond has passed. He was a great performer, a brilliant guitarist with his own distinctively propulsive style which can also be said of his wailing rack harmonica playing (the late Chris Wilson noted that most rack players have to be pretty gentle but John seemed to really attack the harmonica on the rack), and someone who very effectively interpreted the blues canon and added his own stamp to the music without losing its essence. I had the chance to play on some shows with John over the years and he proved to be a lovely man, full of warmth and kindness. Despite my music being far from a purist’s idea of the blues, he expressed genuine appreciation, and even went as far as having my wife and I stay at his house instead of renting a motel room. He was a sweetheart. My thoughts to his wife Marla. RIP John Hammond.

Let me tell you about my Hot House Flowers night

by 28 Comments

Got a drink? Cereal in the bowl? Settled? This is gonna take a while.

I live in the country these days 2 hours drive from Melbourne near the southern tip of the Australian mainland. But I still like going to gigs. The Hothouse Flowers gigs in this iteration come highly recommended in this parish and they had sold out 2 shows with a third and final announced. It was a Tuesday, not the best day ,but fuck it. After some wines and discussion with Mrs Wells I booked the tickets.

This was a while back and 3 days ago a reminder popped up for a gig that both of us had forgotten about. Mrs Wells arced up and was a scratching so I enlisted a mate in town ,not a fan but hailing from Sydney he had never been to the Corner so OK.

Come Tuesday, the weather forecast is 34 degrees before an evening storm. For the informed, this is a recipe for hayfever hell. The storm releases pollen by the shit load which travels ahead of the storm on the fierce north wind.It’s a bastard and it was. On top of this,while sitting outside some grit blows into » Continue Reading.

Celebrating Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground and Nico

by 28 Comments

Venue:

170 Russell ,Melbourne

Date: 31/01/2026

A celebration of Lou Reed. Note – not a tribute show a celebration. Tribute shows are fine for what they are. Play all the hits, pretty faithful to the original and heck they might even try to look like the band. This was different, established musicians with solid careers of their own playing stuff they like. Pretty close to the original versions but certainly not just the hits. Any Lou show that opens with Rock n Roll Heart ain’t a hits show.

Dave Graney, Melbourne veteran and formerly of the Moodists, Robert Forster of the Go Betweens, Mick Harvey ex Bad Seeds ,Rob Snarski of the band the Black Eyed Susans which included David McComb of TheTriffids and Stephanie Dalziel who I don’t know. I could tell they were serious when I saw the separate set of toms next to the drum kit,clearly to do the Mo Tucker percussion from the Velvets. A good band of experienced players and off we go. Dave Graney opened with the rocky tracks. Rock’n’Roll Heart was a disappointment of an album and the song itself still resonates for the fascile lines- I guess that I’m dumb, coz » Continue Reading.

ATM – 3 weeks in Japan

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Mrs Wells and I are planning to go to Japan in their autumn.

A week in Tokyo. Maybe Kanazawa instead of Kyoto. Perhaps somewhere more rural. That said, a bit wary of massive tourist hot spots. A few temples will be more than enough. Very keen to check out the jazz. There is a big festival in Yokohama. Has anyone been.

All feedback much appreciated.

Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl

by 24 Comments

Not my cup of tea but remarkable in a couple of respects. Is that the first performance not in English? The depiction of settings from places not in America. Both aspects must have driven the MAGA nuts erm…. nuts.

Doubt most of the attendees would have seen a thing with all that staging.

ATM -fast chargers for devices

by 14 Comments

Second ATM for the day.

This would seem a simple task but it is not working out this way. Mrs Wells wants a fast charger for her Apple devices – iPhone and Macbook.

Her iPhone has a lightning connection. Her laptop and my iPhone use USB C.

As I understand it fast charging requires a fast charging block that plugs into the wall and a fast charging lead that plugs into your device.

My questions:

1. Are all fast chargers the same if not what is recommended? 2. Do they have minimum charging speeds to be called fast chargers? 3. Can a charger be “too fast”? 4. Can you use the same block and lead on an iPhone and Macbook? 5. If I bought a lightning to USB C adapter can I use this for fast charging?

Many thanks

RIP Rob Hirst – drummer of Midnight Oil

by 20 Comments

Obituary

i know there is not much love for Midnight Oil here, well too bad you’re all wrong. Rob Hirst was the drummer and leader of the band. He wrote a lot of the songs and probably pushed their activist message even more than Peter Garrett. He also had a roots blues band called the Backsliders which were pretty good too.

Ralph Towner

by 4 Comments

Obituary

85 so a pretty good innings. I am a jazz fan but don’t like jazz guitar much. That said, I am a big fan of his band Oregon and some of the ECM stuff. Only ever played acoustic guitar.

RIP Bob Weir

by 18 Comments

Obituary

78. As emblematic of the Dead as Jerry. Unlike Jerry not a great guitarist and not a great singer really but had the looks in a band of not great lookers and there for the whole ride. As with others in the Dead the Empire State doing the tie syed treatment.

The Ashes – Sydney

by 60 Comments

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Here we are at the final, invariably rain affected fifth and final test in Sydney. Stokes wins the toss. No spinner for us, we probably think we can get the job done without the less reliable Murphy, but it is the first time since 1898. Foresakes an opportunity to test out a prime candidate to replace Lyon. Inclusion of Webster puts the heat on Green as the all rounder.

Duckett showing early signs of Guillaume Barre syndrome with his feet movement.

The Ashes – Boxing Day Test

by 69 Comments

Ok, enough poring over the entrails of Adelaide. On to the big one athte Melbourne Cricket Ground, the M.C.G. or as we locals call it the G.

Even though it is dead rubber 100,000 or thereabouts on day one is the usual attendance. Mild weather 19 celsius forecast for Day One. Melbournians will be hoping that local hero Scotty Boland has another stellar effort at his home and favourite ground.

Cummins and Lyon are scratchings- 2 pretty huge outs and you’d assume Smith comes back in. OK that’s 2 bowlers out and a batter in. Hmm.

Surely time for some changes in the English team and maybe don’t announce locked in changes so far in advance this time.

The Ashes – Adelaide

by 88 Comments

Come on guys I know things are bleak but ket’s keep the chat going. This could be a major fork in the road for the Bazball era. Woods is gone, you’d think for good so all you can do is move on. Let’s see Archer do what he did in that final session. Khawaja could well open as Head has a fearsome record at Adelaide down the order a bit. Captain Pat will be back. They may cotton wool Boland for his happy hunting ground the MCG but that’d be tough after the Gabba.

The Ashes thread – Brisbane

by 103 Comments

So we will soon be seeing the willow on err pink ball with a day night Test. So Capt Pat is not in , Uzzie still is and Mark Wood was wearing a moonboot and knee brace not unlike mine after the attempted assassination by tree. Starc reputedly best swinger of the pink ball going around. I get England’s decision to train in Brisbane rather than a game in Canberra. Canberra is dry and quite cool at the moment. Brisbane is hot and humid and building ip to the wet. I think you are far better acclimatising up there.

Predict Khwawaja to open and Australia to win if it is not rained out.