The Continuing Adventures Of Your Own Personal Jesus

You are the eldest of four children raised in a family where your mother was apparently physically and verbally abusive towards your father. They remained together until you and your siblings left home and then separated. -- Honour Judge Soulio 23 November 2011; sentencing remarks in the district court.   Today is White Ribbon Day, or, more to the point, it is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and White Ribbon Day, which urges men to speak out against violence against women.  Right up front I want everyone to know that I am not opposed to this, I fully agree with it, in principle.  Men who carry out domestic violence are the lowest of the low.  What irks me about it is the continual silence over domestic violence against men, by same sex partners and by women.  And that we have to have such a day in the first place, and that such a day is gender biased.  As a man I am looked upon with a degree of scorn by women when ...

History is full of unlikely encounters and bedfellows, and the 20 th century was certainly no exception.   If you can believe that the sex-goddess Marilyn Monroe would not only bed, but marry, Arthur Miller (who was about as sexy as a stamped bat) then you’d believe almost anyone would like anyone.   John F Kennedy had a strong liking for Frank Sinatra.   George Bernard Shaw was great chums with Harpo Marx, Salvador Dali liked Alice Cooper.   But surely the oddest of them all, and the most unexplainable, would have to be the meeting of President Richard Milhous Nixon and Elvis Aaron Presley. The beauty of fame in the 20 th century is that it was generally built around some form of charisma mixed with at least a dash of talent.   Sonny Tufts might not have won any acting awards, but he was entertaining to look at, and still is, in his movies.   The Legendary Stardust Cowboy made music that’d make your ears blee...

Back in 1971 you could have gone out to see some fantastic bands, for peanuts really.  If you doubt me then check out these two handbills - Fraternity giving a two hour concert, with free Coke, at John Arnold's Jean Joint at Marion.  John Arnold's Jean Joint is now gone, long gone, but I'm sure that somewhere, someone remembers that gig.  Why would you have gone?  Because Fraternity were good, damned good, and were headed by none other than Bon Scott, as this was his band between the pop band The Valentines and the hard rockin' legends AC/DC.  It might not have gotten any better really.  Fraternity were formed in 1970, so this September 1971 gig would have been one of their earliest gigs.  I spoke to drummer John Freeman a fair bit in the late 1980s when he was gigging around Adelaide playing delta blues guitar(!) and I always found him to be a good guy.  When it came time to do a formal interview he walked in and said, "Before you ask, yes, I...

"Close your eyes and I'll fist you..." "Maybe later darling..." I am learning something new everyday now, and by the Maker, do I love it.  The lesson today was how to vilify a person without any real proof. Everyone over the age of 40 knows the story of Rock Hudson.  Rugged leading man, Mr Macho, made a few decent movies and an excellent television series in MacMillan and Wife.  Acted alongside everyone from John Wayne to James Dean to Elizabeth Taylor to Doris Day and was in fact Day’s preferred leading man for many years, in a number of lightweight comedies, the kind of films your mum and grandma liked – no real plot and Rock was eye candy.  Yes, Rock was a handsome bugger, with an emphasis on both words, for he was a puddle jumper, good with colours, kept his change in his pockets, was always first on the dance floor, knew what was in his flowerbeds, was a spud fumbler, liked Rustler’s relish and was a magician, in that when he’d go out, he’d often l...