This American strife!

The subject of this mini doco from the awesome This American Life series is a hot dog stand in Chicago called "Weiner Circle".
My brother told me about this place. Basically, you can go in there and yell whatever you want at the staff and it's fine. And by whatever I mean WHATEVER. This is a fascinating slice of Americana in the racially segregated city of Chicago...watch it Mother Fucker. Watch it...

How's my drinking?

Whenever I hit the turps I never realise I'm drunk until I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I am always staggered at how drunk I look. I usually start talking to myself. "Dude, you are drunk!" That is why this warning notice posted on the mirrors of the Tilbury Hotel's bathrooms is so perfect.

Just when you think all is lost...

After my previous post "Boo Zoo" I was beginning to lose faith in the young women of today's political assertiveness until I found this classic example of street level feminist advertising defacement. The ad was drawn in chalk for a back packers in Kings X and done in the Hentai style of Japanese soft core porn cartoons. The defacer has written FUCK PATRIARCHY on the ad.

Boo Zoo

I went to University in the early 90's. The Wimins group on my campus were extremely active. It was the summer of Riot Grrl. Teams of passionate women roamed around Sydney defacing sexist advertising. Political correctness was everywhere. "He OR She" or even "She or He" came into the vernacular. They called it a second wave of Feminism...

A decade later I spy this poster for a men's magazine. The poster features a competition to "win your girlfriend a boob job". Ten years or so ago the Riot Grrls I knew would have torn this magazines editor a new arse-hole. Instead, silence...

Surely this is going too far? I am scanning the horizon but the ocean seems flat. Where is the next wave?

Maizon my son, Maizon...

Interesting little furniture shop just opened off Oxford St Darlinghurst on Crown St ( Wooloomooloo side) called MAIZON. It's run by an affable English Geezer who threw in a job in I.T and pursued his dream of making furniture. His stuff is great. Nice outdoor tables, coffee tables and even beds. The kicker is they are all reasonably priced ( very unusual for Sydney). If you are thinking of making a trek out to Ikea stop by and see this bloke first. After all, we all have dreams, this bloke is going for his...

cl-ASS-y MAN

Working, as I do, around the Quay area of Sydney, one gets to see all manner of unusual fashions on the hordes of tourists that descend on the area each day. Italians with bizzare Euro Trash clothes and Invicta back packs, Germans in sandals and socks and this guy...ASS MAN? I like the female form as much as the next guy but...Hope this guy visits Oxford St during his visit. Oh Brother!

Warhol San

I once did a strange TV ad for Japan but Andy Warhol's Ad for video tapes trumps mine in the bizzare stakes...

Five year b-old art..

This store was selling this strange ink based painting system. You paint on it and then it fades and is ready for your next work. I was having a cigarette out the front. Moments before, this had a shitty peace symbol painted on it. It faded and then a five year old girl came along and did this. Super cool. Just as quickly, it faded...

I'll be your MIRAH...

One of the great things about travelling is the bizarre synchronicity that seems to happen. Whilst in Portland the missus and I stumbled across a band listing site that featured one of our favourite acts MIRAH playing in Portland that very night. We went along to the gig which was a fund raiser for an all girls summer rock camp. The room was filled with ten year old campers, their mums and a horde of 40+ year old lesbians...It was a fantastic night. Mirah is an anomaly. A female singer-songwriter who bucks all the obvious clichés and delivers heartbreakingly good music. Check her out sometime. She's on the K record label out of Olympia...

We're on a MISSION from...

San Fran is an interesting city. By interesting, I mean infested with bums and a sense of danger along with the tackiest gay area I have ever seen in any town, but there is still stuff to love...Like the Mission, an area home to amazing mural art and the world's best Burritos. I missed these so much when I got back that I went around to my local Mexican to try and recreate the experience, to no avail.