01 Dustin Arnold – Design

So from what I have heard Dustin was the gun of Art Center, the premier Art & Design school in Los Angeles, during his time there as a student. His work continues to evolve and go from strength to strength. Working with some great clients and continually producing amazing designs. A great mix of structure, texture and creativity in his designs and really on point conceptual skills. Keep on eye on his bangs on his website http://www.dustinarnold.com/

01 The Outsider (Albert Camus) – Top 33 Books

Existentialism. I think the mere mention of the word can illicit the response, aghh yep, wanker. I like to think that I understand the concept and philosophy more than I actually do. I tried a few of the main existentialist players to delve further into the world of absurdity. The only author who took me to any real place of understanding, or to a place that allowed my thoughts to apply the philosophy to my own life was Albert Camus. And read him I did. As much as I enjoyed The Plague & The Rebel etc it was The Outsider (or more correctly the Stranger but my French was never that great) that I loved the most. Aghhh Mersault – ‘My mother died. Or maybe yesterday. I do not remember.’

02 Melbourne (The Whitlams) – Top 33 Songs

I have a sneaking suspicion The Whitlams might make a couple of appearances in the Top 33. This song was probably the one I fell for. Love or hate Timmy, the man can write a lyric – ‘If I had three lives, I’d marry her in two. I’m dreaming of a time when we sit and the music stops’.

01 Thoughts of a Dying Atheist (Muse) – Top 33 Songs

Played this song doing the dishes last night. So good. You forget about Muse, but you can’t live without them.

02 Grey Gardens – Movie/Documentary

Goodness me. I have just finished watching, pretty much back to back the documentary and then the movie adaptation of Grey Gardens. I knew nothing at all of this story. Eccentrics – is that just the term given to rich kooks? Well these two ladies – Edith Bouvier Beale Senior and Junior had money at one stage, but it was possibly the direct relationship with Jacqueline Bouvier-Kennedy-Onassis that made them eccentric rather than kooks, as the money certainly ran out. These two ladies and their Grey Gardens home in the Hamptons were the focus of a documentary by the Maysles. It gave an extraordinary insight into the life of these two women, and the life of possibly anyone who holes themselves up in a house for decades with little exposure to the outside world. The movie adaptation starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore does a fine job of recreating the documentary and adding a little background to the life of big and little Edie before Grey Gardens. However, the documentary is all you need to be truly wigged out by the fly on the wall documentary of these two kookie, kookie ladies. You don’t feel sorry for them, but you do feel a little lucky that you leave your house each day.

01 Bright Star – Movie

So, I got into Abbie Cornish in one of the most intense, emotionally entangling movies I have ever seen – Candy, in which she starred with Heath Ledger and Geoffrey Rush. I am one of the few Australian’s who has not seen Kiwi Jane Campion’s The Piano, however it was based on these two ladies that I recently saw the movie Bright Star. The movie focuses upon the relationship between Fanny Brawn (Abbie Cornish) and John Keats, an English poet from the 19th century. I may have possibly quoted Keats during my pony-tailed, 1st year uni attempts to be a philosopger, poet and alcohol fuelled nightclub Casanova but I knew little of him. The movie was great in the way that it enfused the poetry and intensity of Keats’ words with the new passion and love of his relationship with Fanny. It gave an accessibility to prose and poetry that for many is unattainable via the pages of a Penguin book of classics. It was truly remarkable that this man was able to compose the words he did before passing at the age of 25. While we are still at university being taught how to write, this man left a legacy before we even graduated – ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness’.

02 Justin Hethcoat – Illustration

Justin is a kick-arse designer and illustrator from San Diego. I am not sure what it is but there is a lot of talent spinning around San Diego at the moment. Check out his site http://www.facelessart.com/ and enjoy his magic pen skills.

01 Paul Dempsey – Indie-Folk

So my love affair with the tall man from the backwash of Prahran continues. Having missed the early Something For Kate http://www.somethingforkate.com/ days, I caught up very quickly to Paul’s gravel infused vocals as lead man for SFK on many long bus rides to uni. A few performances at Richmond’s iconic Corner Hotel http://www.cornerhotel.com/ and I was hooked on the headspace that Paul was coming from. And recently at Swingers http://www.swingersdiner.com/ here in LA-LA Land he breezed past me, sat at the bar and assumed my role of lone, pensive book-reader – swilling a never ending coffee. In the words of Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting, the bastard stole my line. Although he may just do it a little better than me. PD has just released his first solo album, and it is all I hoped it would be. And some fruit. The man is a wordsmith, an extremely under rated musician and a man who has an innate ability to describe the internal musings of a man not quite there but certainly not quite lost. He has magic eyes to read between the lines.

Check out more and some killer album artwork http://pauldempseymusic.com/ and be sure to buy his album, Everything Is True when and where you can. I-Tunes is a good place to start http://www.apple.com/itunes/

And check out the makings of his album from NSW to LA and back again.

01 Douglas Alves – Illustration

I have had the pleasure of communicating with this amazingly talented Brazilian, who like me is currently living the hell-LA dream. His illustration skills are superb. Be sure to check out his site and be surer to commission him. http://www.nacionale.net/

01 The Lawson Grove Shop – South Yarra

This cafe is meant for people who live on Lawson Grove, for those people who live on Alexandra Ave whose one-bedroom art-deco apartments back onto Lawson Grove and possibly, if we are feeling generous and stretching the boundaries the folk who live on Caroline St. While I am not sure if it is still the same, being a former resident of Lawson Grove this little place was my home and sanctuary for two years. The two sisters who owned it lived below me and I had nicknames for all the regulars. Sitting inside with a skinny latte and with paper spread out on the table as the rain shimmied down outside was pure goodness. The Lawson Grove Shop golden era was 2003-6. RIP.