Songs
A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
Fiction by Nick Gadd
A home in Yarraville, Melbourne. A Friday evening 2008
He’d never be Coltrane, or that postman, but he’d learned what music could do.
A home in Yarraville, Melbourne. A Friday evening 2008
He’d never be Coltrane, or that postman, but he’d learned what music could do.
All Or Nothing At All by Vince Jones
Nick Gadd
Kitchen, Saronno, Italy, January 1990
I was working as an English teacher at a chewing gum factory
Kitchen, Saronno, Italy, January 1990
I was working as an English teacher at a chewing gum factory
Aneurysm by Nirvana
Matthew Naqvi
Lounge room, 3.45pm, 2004, Broadmeadows
My parents didn’t mind because this was as troublesome as I got.
Lounge room, 3.45pm, 2004, Broadmeadows
My parents didn’t mind because this was as troublesome as I got.
Antmusic by Adam And The Ants
Rachel Howlett
Melbourne, Australia, The World, The Universe, The Galaxy 1981 to present
My first bite of the Apple was the tiny iPod shuffle. It became my favourite travel companion after a holiday to India with a good friend who snored louder than the Richter scale.
Melbourne, Australia, The World, The Universe, The Galaxy 1981 to present
My first bite of the Apple was the tiny iPod shuffle. It became my favourite travel companion after a holiday to India with a good friend who snored louder than the Richter scale.
Beat On The Brat by The Ramones
Fiction by Aimee Said
Siouxsie’s bedroom, suburbia, 2010
I let loose with some side kicks and moderate headbanging myself. When the track finishes we fall onto the bed, puffed and laughing like loons.
Siouxsie’s bedroom, suburbia, 2010
I let loose with some side kicks and moderate headbanging myself. When the track finishes we fall onto the bed, puffed and laughing like loons.
Billy Whizz/Blue 1 by Spacemen 3
Russell Hiscox
Smoke-filled bedroom, Ashburton, Dartmoor UK, March 1998
I didn’t really get into Spacemen 3 until 1998; in my early twenties. The last year of my degree. University up till that point had been a breeze. If you turned up to lectures, put something on paper, handed it in on time you got through. That had changed: I was due to leave university in a few months and the pressure was cranked up.
Smoke-filled bedroom, Ashburton, Dartmoor UK, March 1998
I didn’t really get into Spacemen 3 until 1998; in my early twenties. The last year of my degree. University up till that point had been a breeze. If you turned up to lectures, put something on paper, handed it in on time you got through. That had changed: I was due to leave university in a few months and the pressure was cranked up.
Bruise Violet by Babes In Toyland
Rijn Collins
The Metro, Melbourne, November 1995
Kat was standing at the sink next to me. Kat Bjelland, the tequila swilling, foot stamping singer from Babes In Toyland. She was peering into my hand.
The Metro, Melbourne, November 1995
Kat was standing at the sink next to me. Kat Bjelland, the tequila swilling, foot stamping singer from Babes In Toyland. She was peering into my hand.
Cacophonous Vibes by Harmony
David Linden
9.30 pm, lounge room, Collendina, 2013
The V/Line train stumbles through the cold Friday night, past moody and fickle points and signals. I know each is ready to tantrum and I’m almost holding my breath lest I cause further delay.
9.30 pm, lounge room, Collendina, 2013
The V/Line train stumbles through the cold Friday night, past moody and fickle points and signals. I know each is ready to tantrum and I’m almost holding my breath lest I cause further delay.
Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus by Frank Zappa
Stephen Andrew
Lounge room, Warrandyte 1975
I had less pocket money than most kids. Or so I believed. I had to save and save before I could walk spindly and proud into Brash’s, pull a shiny new slice of vinyl out of the racks and place it and my assembled notes and coins on the counter to purchase.
Lounge room, Warrandyte 1975
I had less pocket money than most kids. Or so I believed. I had to save and save before I could walk spindly and proud into Brash’s, pull a shiny new slice of vinyl out of the racks and place it and my assembled notes and coins on the counter to purchase.
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
Casselise Rowe
Between Coober Pedy and William Creek, outback Australia, June 2007
Two stray horses trotted up to the car, out of nowhere, curiously looking in on us as if also wanting to hear the music.
Between Coober Pedy and William Creek, outback Australia, June 2007
Two stray horses trotted up to the car, out of nowhere, curiously looking in on us as if also wanting to hear the music.
Desperado by The Eagles
Lucia Nardo
Fire-place, Melbourne, July 1993
The thick door of my home couldn’t protect me from that winter’s chill. Icy wind whistled between the jambs and into the house where I was alone. All my thoughts were about loss. I stoked the open fire and tried to defrost my soul.
Fire-place, Melbourne, July 1993
The thick door of my home couldn’t protect me from that winter’s chill. Icy wind whistled between the jambs and into the house where I was alone. All my thoughts were about loss. I stoked the open fire and tried to defrost my soul.
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me by Culture Club
Rick Kane
Sunday in front of the telly, Cloverdale, Western Australia, late 1982
I was 20 I reckon. I had moved out of home but it was Sunday and I was back for the weekly roast and an afternoon of cards, arguments and telling whoppers. Then it was The Winners on the telly followed by Countdown.
Sunday in front of the telly, Cloverdale, Western Australia, late 1982
I was 20 I reckon. I had moved out of home but it was Sunday and I was back for the weekly roast and an afternoon of cards, arguments and telling whoppers. Then it was The Winners on the telly followed by Countdown.
Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks or Just Like A One-Winged Dove
Lisa Jewell
Lisa’s loungeroom, Clarinda, Melbourne. 1982
The lounge room floor bounced as we threw our bodies into every word.
Lisa’s loungeroom, Clarinda, Melbourne. 1982
The lounge room floor bounced as we threw our bodies into every word.
Empty by Ray LaMontagne
Alyson Miller
Road Kill, Snowy Mountains Highway, New South Wales, 2009
You lean in to kiss my collarbone, murmuring the chorus line, and it is in this moment that we hit something hard and the CD skips.
Road Kill, Snowy Mountains Highway, New South Wales, 2009
You lean in to kiss my collarbone, murmuring the chorus line, and it is in this moment that we hit something hard and the CD skips.
Everybody Moves by Died Pretty
Stephen Andrew
The Gershwin Room, The Esplanade Hotel, St Kilda, February 2013
A mate had scored a couple of tickets to the taping of the music game show, RocKwiz. Vin offered me one of his passes and a lift to the show. When he arrived to pick me up he also had an agenda which he reveals to me as we get stuck in peak-hour traffic:
'I reckon you’d be a good contestant'.
The Gershwin Room, The Esplanade Hotel, St Kilda, February 2013
A mate had scored a couple of tickets to the taping of the music game show, RocKwiz. Vin offered me one of his passes and a lift to the show. When he arrived to pick me up he also had an agenda which he reveals to me as we get stuck in peak-hour traffic:
'I reckon you’d be a good contestant'.
Feelings Of Grief by Paul Kelly
Vin Maskell
Bedroom, Williamstown, 11.30 pm, 2007
To listen to Feelings of Grief is to try to swim out beyond the buoys, where the water is too deep and the shore too distant.
Bedroom, Williamstown, 11.30 pm, 2007
To listen to Feelings of Grief is to try to swim out beyond the buoys, where the water is too deep and the shore too distant.
Flame Trees by Sarah Blasko
Mickey Randall
Sydney Airport, January 5, 2006
I fiddle with my Walkman radio, singularly ravenous for Australian sounds.
Sydney Airport, January 5, 2006
I fiddle with my Walkman radio, singularly ravenous for Australian sounds.
Foucault On South Morang by the Stavros Brothers
Stefan Schutt
Reservoir 2012, Paris 2013
South Morang is the centre of the civilised universe.
Reservoir 2012, Paris 2013
South Morang is the centre of the civilised universe.
Free As A Bird by The Beatles
Ian Carpenter
Ferguson St, Williamstown 1962
Hammersmith Odeon, London, early1970s
Central Park New York, 1981
Adelaide Grand Prix, 1995
On the way back to our hotel that day on 1981 Ollie and I concluded that we could hold our breath no more for a Beatles reunion.
Ferguson St, Williamstown 1962
Hammersmith Odeon, London, early1970s
Central Park New York, 1981
Adelaide Grand Prix, 1995
On the way back to our hotel that day on 1981 Ollie and I concluded that we could hold our breath no more for a Beatles reunion.
Fuck Art, Let's Dance by 5:15
Stephen Andrew
Student hostel, West Geelong 1982
I didn’t get a Mohawk, nor cut up and safety pin my clothes. I kept my phlegm to myself. I was a part-time punk.
Student hostel, West Geelong 1982
I didn’t get a Mohawk, nor cut up and safety pin my clothes. I kept my phlegm to myself. I was a part-time punk.
Get Dancin' by Disco Tex and The Sex-O-Lettes
Stephen Andrew
Nobody cares how you wear your hair, darling …
It's 1975 and I am 13. Gangly, spotty and awkward, I attend a secondary school on the outskirts of suburban Melbourne. Despite the Greek and Italian ancestry of many of my fellow students, there was very little of what we would now call diversity in the school’s culture.
Nobody cares how you wear your hair, darling …
It's 1975 and I am 13. Gangly, spotty and awkward, I attend a secondary school on the outskirts of suburban Melbourne. Despite the Greek and Italian ancestry of many of my fellow students, there was very little of what we would now call diversity in the school’s culture.
Growin' Up by Bruce Springsteen
Vin Maskell
Outside Newport library, Victoria, Australia. Saturday 7 July, 2012, Midday
He was standing on a little platform, a pallet with “busker’s stage” painted on the side. He had an acoustic guitar over his shoulder and a harmonica around his neck. It could have been 1965.
Outside Newport library, Victoria, Australia. Saturday 7 July, 2012, Midday
He was standing on a little platform, a pallet with “busker’s stage” painted on the side. He had an acoustic guitar over his shoulder and a harmonica around his neck. It could have been 1965.
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
Vin Maskell
Café, La Trobe St, Melbourne, lunchtime, June 2010
At first I thought the voice was coming through the speakers of the large, neat café, trying to be heard above the burble of lunch orders and the boiling, bubbling and steaming of the baristas at work.
Café, La Trobe St, Melbourne, lunchtime, June 2010
At first I thought the voice was coming through the speakers of the large, neat café, trying to be heard above the burble of lunch orders and the boiling, bubbling and steaming of the baristas at work.
Hard Times Are Over by Yoko Ono
Stephen Andrew
Yarra River, Warrandyte, December 9, 1980
Word comes from a car radio: 'John Lennon has been shot'.
Yarra River, Warrandyte, December 9, 1980
Word comes from a car radio: 'John Lennon has been shot'.
Heaven by Bryan Adams
Phil Dimitriadis
Northern suburbs, Melbourne, 1985
My first real kiss was a cheap tequila breath away.
Northern suburbs, Melbourne, 1985
My first real kiss was a cheap tequila breath away.
Hello, Goodbye by The Beatles
Fiction by Stephen Kimber
A country town, outside a dance, night.
There I was, gaga with all my recent speechlessness, crouched down with Geraldine and Natty seated on the gutter.
A country town, outside a dance, night.
There I was, gaga with all my recent speechlessness, crouched down with Geraldine and Natty seated on the gutter.
Here Comes That Rainbow Again by Johnny Cash
Rick Kane
Ironing before work, January 2013, Preston
My parents didn’t have a big record collection, maybe 20 records at best. In that collection there were four or five Johnny Cash albums. From a young age I heard his music, a lot. And I liked what I heard.
Ironing before work, January 2013, Preston
My parents didn’t have a big record collection, maybe 20 records at best. In that collection there were four or five Johnny Cash albums. From a young age I heard his music, a lot. And I liked what I heard.
Hold On by Models
Fiona Price
Family room, New Year's Day, January 1987
As midnight struck, I stepped onto the patio and breathed in 1987.
Family room, New Year's Day, January 1987
As midnight struck, I stepped onto the patio and breathed in 1987.
Holiday In Cambodia by The Dead Kennedys
Nick Cowling
Driving in Hoppers Crossing, Melbourne, 3.41 pm on a Thursday afternoon, August 2011
Then the lights go up, and you stand like a rabbit in headlights, momentarily lost.
Driving in Hoppers Crossing, Melbourne, 3.41 pm on a Thursday afternoon, August 2011
Then the lights go up, and you stand like a rabbit in headlights, momentarily lost.
Houndog by Cold Chisel
Stephen Andrew
Summer of 1982. Back seat of a Mini 850. Somewhere along the Hume Highway, heading south to Melbourne.
I’m in the back seat of my mate’s Mini 850 and the pivotal song on Cold Chisel’s most potent album has just exploded from a Phillips single speaker portable cassette player.
Summer of 1982. Back seat of a Mini 850. Somewhere along the Hume Highway, heading south to Melbourne.
I’m in the back seat of my mate’s Mini 850 and the pivotal song on Cold Chisel’s most potent album has just exploded from a Phillips single speaker portable cassette player.
How To Make Gravy by Paul Kelly
Cassandra Atkinson
Dad’s shed, Richmond, New South Wales. The summer of ’97.
The smell of home brew permeates the air. Taking a sip on the proviso that I ‘don’t tell Mum’. It tastes horrid but I always lie. Trying to remember the lyrics to belt out at the appropriate time to raise a proud smile and an affectionate pat on the head.
Dad’s shed, Richmond, New South Wales. The summer of ’97.
The smell of home brew permeates the air. Taking a sip on the proviso that I ‘don’t tell Mum’. It tastes horrid but I always lie. Trying to remember the lyrics to belt out at the appropriate time to raise a proud smile and an affectionate pat on the head.
Hymn To Freedom by The Oscar Peterson Trio
Stephen Andrew
A funeral parlour
What will be your funeral song?
A funeral parlour
What will be your funeral song?
I'll Be Gone by Spectrum
Vin Maskell
A kitchen table, Burwood, March 2001
A gentle giant, with a distinctive walrus moustache, Bill Putt will be forever linked with the song I’ll be Gone, Spectrum’s number one 1971 hit.
A kitchen table, Burwood, March 2001
A gentle giant, with a distinctive walrus moustache, Bill Putt will be forever linked with the song I’ll be Gone, Spectrum’s number one 1971 hit.
In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
Fiction by Holly Ringland
Runaway Bay, Australia 1994; Surfers Paradise, Australia 1999; Vancouver Island 2003; Central Desert of Australia 2007
This is a place where songs grow from the earth and map the paths you take across the land.
Runaway Bay, Australia 1994; Surfers Paradise, Australia 1999; Vancouver Island 2003; Central Desert of Australia 2007
This is a place where songs grow from the earth and map the paths you take across the land.
Islands In The Stream (as performed by Ella Hooper and Troy Cassar-Daley)
Vin Maskell
Family room, Williamstown, June 2012
You don’t have to have every song you like. You don’t have to own all the music you love.
Family room, Williamstown, June 2012
You don’t have to have every song you like. You don’t have to own all the music you love.
Jackson by Johnny Cash (featuring June Carter)
Rijn Collins
Jackson, Mississippi, August 2012
I wasn’t finding the conversation easy. His wife was smiling and nodding in all the right places, but every few minutes the husband turned to her and with a note of petulance, bellowed 'Whadda they sayin’?'
Jackson, Mississippi, August 2012
I wasn’t finding the conversation easy. His wife was smiling and nodding in all the right places, but every few minutes the husband turned to her and with a note of petulance, bellowed 'Whadda they sayin’?'
Killing Me Softly With His Song by Roberta Flack (or Horse riding with Don McLean)
Hugh Jones
Wrest Point Casino, Hobart, 1982
American folk singer Don McLean is visiting Australia again later this year on a tour that takes in venues at all capital cities, including Hobart’s Wrest Point casino.
I wonder if he remembers the first time he played Wrest Point in 1982 and his media conference in one of the reception rooms there? I hope not.
Wrest Point Casino, Hobart, 1982
American folk singer Don McLean is visiting Australia again later this year on a tour that takes in venues at all capital cities, including Hobart’s Wrest Point casino.
I wonder if he remembers the first time he played Wrest Point in 1982 and his media conference in one of the reception rooms there? I hope not.
Lilli Marlene by Salvatore Romita
Lucia Nardo
Melbourne Records recording studio, Altona North, March 2007
My father has played piano accordion almost daily since he was 15, interrupted only by World War II.
Melbourne Records recording studio, Altona North, March 2007
My father has played piano accordion almost daily since he was 15, interrupted only by World War II.
Loser by Beck
Debbie Lee
Warrnambool, Victoria, January 1994
'It's okay, love,' says Mum, 'no-one thought you would get a first-round offer'.
Warrnambool, Victoria, January 1994
'It's okay, love,' says Mum, 'no-one thought you would get a first-round offer'.
Most Of The Time by Bob Dylan
Vin Maskell
Melbourne, 1989, Midnight
I am sitting in a blue Laser sedan under a streetlight in a back-street in Brunswick. A man called John Ewbank is in the passenger seat fiddling with a cassette and the car’s tape player.
Melbourne, 1989, Midnight
I am sitting in a blue Laser sedan under a streetlight in a back-street in Brunswick. A man called John Ewbank is in the passenger seat fiddling with a cassette and the car’s tape player.
Move It On Over by Hank Williams
Chris
Brisbane, mid-1970s
To say my father loved music was and is an understatement. The only problem was that he loved music that was not cool to a 10 year old (not until that 10 year old grew up). My dad played, listened and sadly danced in public to whatever drum that he heard.
Brisbane, mid-1970s
To say my father loved music was and is an understatement. The only problem was that he loved music that was not cool to a 10 year old (not until that 10 year old grew up). My dad played, listened and sadly danced in public to whatever drum that he heard.
Mr Tambourine Man by William Shatner – Death By Stereo
Alicia Sometimes
A beach
Aberdare Mountain Ranges, Kenya
Mt Hakone-yama, Japan
Together they spent weeks lifting a woofer on top of the Aberdare Mountain Ranges in Kenya.
A beach
Aberdare Mountain Ranges, Kenya
Mt Hakone-yama, Japan
Together they spent weeks lifting a woofer on top of the Aberdare Mountain Ranges in Kenya.
No Longer There by The Cat Empire
Sam Lawry
Kinglake, Winter, 2008
And then we were in Kinglake. It was beautiful. The roads followed the hills, through the trees. It was such an achingly typical Australian bush landscape – eucalypts everywhere, dirt tracks leading up towards houses nestled in the hills.
Kinglake, Winter, 2008
And then we were in Kinglake. It was beautiful. The roads followed the hills, through the trees. It was such an achingly typical Australian bush landscape – eucalypts everywhere, dirt tracks leading up towards houses nestled in the hills.
Ocean Of You by The Blackeyed Susans
Vin Maskell
The Continental, Prahran, July 1996
Letters with the name of songs and guest musicians. Hand-written letters, with air-mail stamps on them. Letters that travelled the world.
The Continental, Prahran, July 1996
Letters with the name of songs and guest musicians. Hand-written letters, with air-mail stamps on them. Letters that travelled the world.
Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads
Nick Gadd
Wakefield, Yorkshire. February 1981
You may ask yourself, has Stereo Stories’ Nick Gadd written about Talking Heads’ Once In A Lifetime?
Wakefield, Yorkshire. February 1981
You may ask yourself, has Stereo Stories’ Nick Gadd written about Talking Heads’ Once In A Lifetime?
On The Radio by Regina Spektor
Vin Maskell
Pedestrian traffic lights, Williamstown, Melbourne. 8.30 each morning 2013
I see Regina Spektor every morning. On the bus. I’m at the pedestrian lights outside the primary school. And there’s Regina Spektor. On the bus. Every morning.
Pedestrian traffic lights, Williamstown, Melbourne. 8.30 each morning 2013
I see Regina Spektor every morning. On the bus. I’m at the pedestrian lights outside the primary school. And there’s Regina Spektor. On the bus. Every morning.
One Perfect Day by The Little Heroes
Vin Maskell
St Andrews market, Victoria, May 2012
Is One Perfect Day, by 1980s Melbourne band The Little Heroes, one perfect song?
St Andrews market, Victoria, May 2012
Is One Perfect Day, by 1980s Melbourne band The Little Heroes, one perfect song?
Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones
Debbie Lee
A nursing home in Koroit, April to July 2009
Grandma’s strong farmer's hands disappear into paper-thin veins.
A nursing home in Koroit, April to July 2009
Grandma’s strong farmer's hands disappear into paper-thin veins.
Passover by Joy Division
Stephen Andrew
St Andrews, Victoria, 2 April 2009
The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires on 7 February 2009 killed 174 people. Stephen Andrew was living in the township of St Andrews, where twelve people died. In the aftermath of the fires Stephen wrote a diary. Below he reflects on a difficult 24 hours two months after the fires.
It’s been a crap day. I feel awful. It was a crap night too. Thought-jams that crunched like truck gears through the night moved in and out of my dreams, dreams that tumbled as I tossed through the dark hours.
St Andrews, Victoria, 2 April 2009
The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires on 7 February 2009 killed 174 people. Stephen Andrew was living in the township of St Andrews, where twelve people died. In the aftermath of the fires Stephen wrote a diary. Below he reflects on a difficult 24 hours two months after the fires.
It’s been a crap day. I feel awful. It was a crap night too. Thought-jams that crunched like truck gears through the night moved in and out of my dreams, dreams that tumbled as I tossed through the dark hours.
Phantom Of The Opera by the Accordion Orchestra Of Melbourne
Vin Maskell
Coatesville Bowling Club, Bentleigh. Monday 1 November, 2010. Cup Eve.
In a way the evening was Broadway Danny Rose meets Cocoon. But more moving.
Coatesville Bowling Club, Bentleigh. Monday 1 November, 2010. Cup Eve.
In a way the evening was Broadway Danny Rose meets Cocoon. But more moving.
Plug In Baby by Muse
Casselise Rowe
Motel Nightclub, Melbourne, 2001
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, 2013
Secrets and lies, drunkenness and denial, revival and remorse.
Motel Nightclub, Melbourne, 2001
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, 2013
Secrets and lies, drunkenness and denial, revival and remorse.
Poor Places by Wilco
Stephen Andrew
The Palace, St Kilda, 2003
There is something wrong with me / My mind is filled with radio cures / Electronic surgical words – Jeff Tweedy, (Radio Cure)
On Boxing Day 2002 I contracted depression. It was like an illness, like an internal industrial accident. It was like I was a Pneumatic Man and the stopper that held in my airy substance had been pulled out.
The Palace, St Kilda, 2003
There is something wrong with me / My mind is filled with radio cures / Electronic surgical words – Jeff Tweedy, (Radio Cure)
On Boxing Day 2002 I contracted depression. It was like an illness, like an internal industrial accident. It was like I was a Pneumatic Man and the stopper that held in my airy substance had been pulled out.
Protection by Massive Attack
Nick Gadd
Lounge room, Yarraville, 1 am February 1996
There’s been nothing in my life as simultaneously scary, joyful and baffling as holding my first child. Many aspects of life were recalibrated. Among them, I discovered new dimensions to one of my favourite pieces of music.
Lounge room, Yarraville, 1 am February 1996
There’s been nothing in my life as simultaneously scary, joyful and baffling as holding my first child. Many aspects of life were recalibrated. Among them, I discovered new dimensions to one of my favourite pieces of music.
Red River Shore by Bob Dylan
Vin Maskell
Bedroom, Melbourne, late. Summer of 2010–11
Red River Shore is an elusive song, like so many of Dylan’s. What it may mean is not as important as how it may feel. It can, like many a song, be whatever you want it to be. It’s, at the least, about love and loss and regret and delusion.
Bedroom, Melbourne, late. Summer of 2010–11
Red River Shore is an elusive song, like so many of Dylan’s. What it may mean is not as important as how it may feel. It can, like many a song, be whatever you want it to be. It’s, at the least, about love and loss and regret and delusion.
Reelin' In The Years by Steely Dan
Kerrie Soraghan
Pool room, Deer Park, 1982
Dad had nicknames for us all. Mine was ‘Buglehead’. This was mysterious and never adequately explained.
Pool room, Deer Park, 1982
Dad had nicknames for us all. Mine was ‘Buglehead’. This was mysterious and never adequately explained.
Rocktober and Riding High by Freeway
Stephen Andrew
Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Rocktober, circa 1975
This was the rock and roll equivalent of when, in The Wizard Of Oz, Dorothy’s world turns from black and white into colour.
Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Rocktober, circa 1975
This was the rock and roll equivalent of when, in The Wizard Of Oz, Dorothy’s world turns from black and white into colour.
Romeo's Tune by Steve Forbert
Cassandra Atherton
Southern Kisses: A backyard in Slidell, Louisiana, 1982
It was the music he heard first. Something about smelling the moon in her perfume. It was barely audible over the clicking of the computer keys, but it intrigued him enough to stop typing mid-sentence and pull back the blind.
Southern Kisses: A backyard in Slidell, Louisiana, 1982
It was the music he heard first. Something about smelling the moon in her perfume. It was barely audible over the clicking of the computer keys, but it intrigued him enough to stop typing mid-sentence and pull back the blind.
Senses Working Overtime by XTC
Zoë Krukpa
Cleaning my bedroom window, Canberra, 1982
You could have landed a spaceship in the centre of Canberra in the 1980’s and no one would have noticed. I sat by the pool in our hotel for a blazing 15 minutes, jet lagged and freaked out, and proceeded to get the first of many heart-stoppingly severe sunburns.
Cleaning my bedroom window, Canberra, 1982
You could have landed a spaceship in the centre of Canberra in the 1980’s and no one would have noticed. I sat by the pool in our hotel for a blazing 15 minutes, jet lagged and freaked out, and proceeded to get the first of many heart-stoppingly severe sunburns.
She Bop by Cyndi Lauper
Fiona Price
Traffic lights, Glen Waverley, 1984
No-one does scorn like a teenage girl. At fourteen, Swagata deployed hers regularly, with rolling eyes and tossing black plait. Two years younger and far more timid, I watched her like a rabbit in a cattery. When her father’s red Nissan turned up to drive us home 9 school, she sat beside him surfing radio stations and I sat behind and lay low.
Traffic lights, Glen Waverley, 1984
No-one does scorn like a teenage girl. At fourteen, Swagata deployed hers regularly, with rolling eyes and tossing black plait. Two years younger and far more timid, I watched her like a rabbit in a cattery. When her father’s red Nissan turned up to drive us home 9 school, she sat beside him surfing radio stations and I sat behind and lay low.
Shelter From The Storm by Bob Dylan
Casselise Rowe
The family room, a Sunday afternoon 2000
What would happen when everyone realised what a fraud I was?
The family room, a Sunday afternoon 2000
What would happen when everyone realised what a fraud I was?
Skin by Boy
Cassandra Atkinson
Melbourne, October 2012. The morning after a wedding themed house party.
Then the lights go up, and you stand like a rabbit in headlights, momentarily lost.
Melbourne, October 2012. The morning after a wedding themed house party.
Then the lights go up, and you stand like a rabbit in headlights, momentarily lost.
Solid Rock by Goanna
Vin Maskell
Eureka Hotel, Geelong. Late 1981
Was I trying to be a journalist or was I just a groupie?
Eureka Hotel, Geelong. Late 1981
Was I trying to be a journalist or was I just a groupie?
State Trooper by Bruce Springsteen
Vin Maskell
Wellington St, St Kilda, 1982
I waited ‘til dark. I waited ‘til the share house was empty. I sat in the front room. Bare boards. High ceiling. I closed the curtains, blocking out the cars from St Kilda Junction.
Wellington St, St Kilda, 1982
I waited ‘til dark. I waited ‘til the share house was empty. I sat in the front room. Bare boards. High ceiling. I closed the curtains, blocking out the cars from St Kilda Junction.
Take Me by Kiss
Fiction by John Weldon
Traffic lights, Melbourne. September 2010
It was completely meaningless, totally shallow and absolutely without any relevance to anything going on in my life. Perfect.
Traffic lights, Melbourne. September 2010
It was completely meaningless, totally shallow and absolutely without any relevance to anything going on in my life. Perfect.
The Lights On The Hill (and other songs) by Slim Dusty
Stephen Andrew
Central New South Wales, circa 1987
I might be breaking the rules of this site if I admit that I can no longer remember the name of the exact song I wish to write about. But I do know the artist who recorded it, approximately where I first heard it, (give or take a few hundred kilometres), and roughly when it first graced my ears (circa 1987). Despite my vagueness, the impact of this music was profound.
Central New South Wales, circa 1987
I might be breaking the rules of this site if I admit that I can no longer remember the name of the exact song I wish to write about. But I do know the artist who recorded it, approximately where I first heard it, (give or take a few hundred kilometres), and roughly when it first graced my ears (circa 1987). Despite my vagueness, the impact of this music was profound.
The Sidewinder by Lee Morgan
Nick Gadd
London, 11 pm, December 1987
I’d left university the previous July with a degree in English Literature and no idea what to do with my life.
London, 11 pm, December 1987
I’d left university the previous July with a degree in English Literature and no idea what to do with my life.
The Sing by Bill Callahan
Rick Kane
November 2013, Preston West, Victoria
I sat up in bed, scared by what I’d heard.
November 2013, Preston West, Victoria
I sat up in bed, scared by what I’d heard.
This Little Girl by Gary US Bonds
Hugh Jones
East Oxford, England, New Year’s Eve 1985
In east Oxford, well away from the stone walls and dreaming spires of the ancient university colleges ordinary people lived in ordinary houses on ordinary streets. Even the pubs were ordinary and uninviting.
East Oxford, England, New Year’s Eve 1985
In east Oxford, well away from the stone walls and dreaming spires of the ancient university colleges ordinary people lived in ordinary houses on ordinary streets. Even the pubs were ordinary and uninviting.
Tom Foolery by Crystal Thomas And The Flowers Of Evil
Crystal Thomas
Two O’clock Monday morning, Foveaux Street
You said 'let's swap boots for the night'
You wrote your number on my arm
Said 'call me tomorrow and we’ll swap back'
But we never did.
Two O’clock Monday morning, Foveaux Street
You said 'let's swap boots for the night'
You wrote your number on my arm
Said 'call me tomorrow and we’ll swap back'
But we never did.
Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield
Stephen Andrew
A bedroom, Melbourne. Late autumn, 1981
After many weeks of my nervous hovering, she finally said to me. 'Do I have to make the first move?'
A bedroom, Melbourne. Late autumn, 1981
After many weeks of my nervous hovering, she finally said to me. 'Do I have to make the first move?'
Walking In The Rain by Grace Jones
Dmetri Kakmi
Northcote, Australia, 1981
Sal shoved a new album in my face. ‘Listen.’
Northcote, Australia, 1981
Sal shoved a new album in my face. ‘Listen.’
We Can Work It Out by The Beatles
Brian Nankervis
8.55am. Driving to school, Elsternwick, July 2003
We’re running late. Again. Rosie, eight, and Lily, four, are arguing about what tape to play in the car. Again. Rosie wants Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder on the Dance Floor. Lily wants to hear the end of the Dumbo story from yesterday.
8.55am. Driving to school, Elsternwick, July 2003
We’re running late. Again. Rosie, eight, and Lily, four, are arguing about what tape to play in the car. Again. Rosie wants Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder on the Dance Floor. Lily wants to hear the end of the Dumbo story from yesterday.
When You Come by Crowded House
Craig Johnston
Pantages Theater, Los Angeles, 1987
It is a balmy Friday night sometime in 1987. My mood is a mixture of nervous anticipation and bewilderment. I have just come from a particularly heinous marriage therapy session feeling totally bereft of joy.
Pantages Theater, Los Angeles, 1987
It is a balmy Friday night sometime in 1987. My mood is a mixture of nervous anticipation and bewilderment. I have just come from a particularly heinous marriage therapy session feeling totally bereft of joy.
Wild In The Streets by Garland Jeffreys
Vin Maskell
Christmas Hills, Victoria, Late 1979
You get to a stage where the memory falters.
Was there a music festival in Christmas Hills, just north of Melbourne, in the late 1970s?
Christmas Hills, Victoria, Late 1979
You get to a stage where the memory falters.
Was there a music festival in Christmas Hills, just north of Melbourne, in the late 1970s?
With A Bullet and Judy by Harry Nilsson
Hugh Jones
Bonaventure Hotel Los Angeles, July 1982
'G’day Harry,' I began, 'I’m from Tasmania …'
Bonaventure Hotel Los Angeles, July 1982
'G’day Harry,' I began, 'I’m from Tasmania …'
Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush
Aimee Knight
Mary St / Electric Avenue / Wuthering Heights, Adelaide, 2012–14
A proverbial banshee was born this morn and for her, we re-dub this oft-cursed cottage ‘Wuthering Heights’.
Mary St / Electric Avenue / Wuthering Heights, Adelaide, 2012–14
A proverbial banshee was born this morn and for her, we re-dub this oft-cursed cottage ‘Wuthering Heights’.