Jennifer Barton, Founder of the ethical lifestyle website Social Change Room is launching her very first markets on the 11th of Decemeber, and we thought what a great time to ask her a few unethical questions on the eve of this event.

If you sign an autograph what do you write? And where do you call home?
No need for autographs in my profession. I do like to write little notes of encouragement and gratitude to my friends when they enter my thoughts. I believe love is felt most when it’s unexpected.
 
Camperdown is home for now. I identify strongly with the culture and unique characters of Sydney’s Inner West. That said, Sydney’s stunning beaches will always beckon me and my bikini on a sunny, Summer Sunday. I still hold a romantic flame for London though… I’ve a beautiful second family over there.

In your own words, what do you do?
I’m the founder of ethical lifestyle website, www.socialchangeroom.com. Myself and other gifted writers extract interesting information about ethical issues from the experts, and then relay it in ways that the everyday Gen X to Y can follow and actually enjoy reading. We put a personal, cheeky and light-hearted spin on our stories to entertain today’s youth and not overwhelmed them with doom and gloom accounts of the state of the planet, which generally causes inaction.

We’re also about to launch our first ethical fashion market in Sydney this December! Social Change Room followers have been invited to sell their unwanted wardrobe, saving it from our ever-growing landfill, and attendees will help raise clothing donations for our charities, Vinnies and WAGEC, a women’s refuge in Surry Hills. We’ve also extended the invitation to up-and-coming ethical fashion designers who would like a chance to sell their lines to a receptive audience.

Childhood Memories:

TV Show –
1. Mork and Mindy
2. Monkey Magic
3. Family Ties

Movies:
1. Never Ending Story
2. The Princess Bride
3. Gremlins
4. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Sports:
I was a sporty little thing at school – Swimming, athetics, soccer, touch football & netball. I’m a Bikram girl now, and a passionate pedestrian.

Cartoons:
1. The Mysterious Cities of Gold
2. Ulysses 31
3. Dungeons & Dragons
4. Voltron (I was the pink princess)

Hobbies –
Music runs in my family and has always been a constant creative outlet for me. Most recently, I was a lead singer for a band in London, and now I continue to compose tunes with friends here in Sydney. For me, a night of belting out tunes with mates is better than any therapy session with Dr. Phil… It instantly cures all that ails me.

Food –
Love Japanese cuisine, home-cooked Italian (I’m not too shabby a cook) and anything spicy! Can’t go a day without my summer fruits and yogurt concoction with RioLife acai berry antioxidant goodness.

Fears –
None.

People –
People are my greatest love. I care for those in my life deeply and they fascinate me to no end! Family, friends and strangers alike, just seem to have the most perfect timing, plonking a jumping castle beneath my feet when it looks like I’m about to fall on my arse.

Defining moment
In the last 18 months it feels like I’ve absorbed about 2 decades worth of learning. I’m being redefined by new moments every week.
Schooling memories, chore or cherished?
Schooling memories… Hmmm… I’ll just say I was shy and a bit of a nerd (oratory and debate team), and that occasionally made my school years a tad challenging.

From the hours of 9am to 5pm, what do you get up too?
I’m a senior graphic designer and studio manager for a marketing company that services the music industry.

Where can people see your work?
Billboards, press ads and all over the web… If you’ve bought a ticket to a concert in Australia over the last 12 months, chances are you’ve seen some artwork that I’ve put my hand to.

For love or money?
Financial success would be a great thing for Social Change Room, to become a shinning example that ethical companies can be impressively profitable. Perhaps it would prompt more entrepreneurs to follow in my vintage-heeled footsteps? But like Color Me Badd, I do it All For Love… Besides, money most likely follows people because of that.

What future endeavors are in the pipeline?
We’re currently researching the possibility of setting up an ethical fashion store online, kind of like an ethical ASOS. We’re hoping that Social Change Room can remove the ‘hippy’ stigma from ethical fashion and show women how to purchase clothing conveniently, with a conscience and without compromising style.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Helping to inspire people to achieve exceptional personal successes and motivating others to accomplish great things – A Tony Robbins with tits! (and heels and stylish, ethical dresses).

If you could invite 3 people to chat over coffee, who would they be & why?
1. Eckhart Tolle – I’m increasingly curious about the human race and spirituality, ET is one of the most influential spiritual figures in the world. No brainer.
2. Richard Branson – Business advice and a vague hope that he’ll invite me to stay on his lil’ Caribbean island.
3. Tom Waits – Screw coffee and a chat, we’ll share a rich merlot and belt out some tunes.

Coffee or Tea?
AM: Espresso PM: Peppermint Tea

“Festival director Joanna Savill is a journalist, presenter, linguist and world traveller, with a particular fascination for food, wherever she may find it.

This is her second year in the director’s chair, after an enormously successful inaugural festival in 2009 – during which more than 300,000 people attended a massive 438 individual events ”

Read below as Two Flat Whites roving reporter Arno Billard asked Joanna Savill a few questions about the Crave Sydney International Food Festival.

Can you tell us a bit about Crave Sydney International Food Festival and its origin?

It was born out of the 11 year old Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month. In 2009 Good Food Month was expanded to become an international event with world-class chefs coming to Sydney for the festival’s World Chef Showcase – a premier “masterclass”-style event. We also introduced Breakfast on the Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Island Hopping events to make it a landmark month on the NSW events calendar.

As the Festival Director, what does your role involve?

My role is to create and implement the vision for the Food Festival and to be the face of the Festival! There are so many events (we have more than 600 individual listings) so there is a lot going on but it’s important to have a focus, a sense of what it’s all about, what fits and what doesn’t and getting people inspired to be part of it. I wanted the Festival to have something for everyone – from fine-dining to casual, fun activities such as the Night Noodle markets, cooking classes, tours, community festivals, celebrations of regional NSW produce and wines and accessible informative forums and discussions too.

Last year was marked by the inaugural of the Breakfast on the Bridge which turned out to be a huge success. Have you made any changes to this event for 2010?

Breakfast on the Bridge was massive! It’s a signature event. 6000 people came despite a short downpour and loved every minute. The regional produce theme was heightened this year with lovely goodies such as macadamia nut butter, beautiful sourdough bread and other treats given to every breakfaster. It was wonderful. I took 20 international chefs and they loved it.

What are the highlights of this year’s festival? Is there anything new and/or not to be missed?

Highlights include all the community festivals – explore Strathfield, Ashfield, Bankstown, Haberfield, Summer Hill and more. Plus the Showcase, the Barbecue Madness, Breakfast on the Bridge, Island hopping… so much to do!

Is the festival being promoted and advertised overseas? If so, do you have any indication of how many visitors it brings to Australia?

There is some international marketing. It’s on the map internationally and certainly interstate. Last year more than 10% of our 320,000 participants came from outside NSW so that’s a great start.

In your opinion, what makes Sydney, Australia’s premier dining destination?

We have it all. Great food, great locations, amazing fine-dining restaurants as well as incredible diversity in the city and suburbs. NSW produce is fantastic. Our chefs are recognised internationally… And people in Sydney love food and love to celebrate it.

Just for fun… what’s your favourite food?

I love good bread, beautiful tomatoes, superb olive oil with a simple fresh mozzarella cheese and basil – or a bowl of laksa – or Chinese dumplings – or a great kebab… Everything!

Tea or coffee?

Coffee in the morning and after a fine lunch. Tea on weekends – loose leaf only!

And to conclude, what would you like to say to encourage everyone to check some of the 2010 festival’s events out?

There really is something for everyone. Have a look at the website and explore by date, location, event type. Don’t let the month go by without being part of it. It’s the biggest food month ever and everyone should be involved in celebrating this great city of ours.

www.cravesydneyfoodfestival.com.au

Marcia Hines has been a music industry veteran since she first ripped onto the radar in OZ when she performed with a hippy troop of naked dancers for HAIR’s Australia tour when she was just 16. She has since charted her own path with a string of hits in those early days, appearing controversially as the first black actress to perform the role of Mary Magdalene in the Australian version of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Her image and career were completely reinvented when she became a panellist for Australian Idol and her name was once again being discussed around Australian dinner tables and water coolers with affection.  Since Idol has been put on hold, the chanteuse had enjoyed the break from filming to record a reimagination of Carole King’s hugely successful 1970 album Tapestry. Two Flat Whites caught up with Marcia while she is on-road touring with Simply Red to discuss the new creative endeavour, Marcia Sings Tapestry.

Estelle Pigott: You’re in Melbourne with Simply Red, how’s that going?

Marcia Hines: Pretty cool, we did two nights in Melbourne then we’re going up to the wineries. Performing with Simply Red has been cool.

E P: There’s been a lot of comment from the press about the fact that your new album, Marica Sings Tapestry is coming out to coincide with you 40^th anniversary as a performer, which is a tremendous achievement, particularly for a female artist, don’t you think?

M H: Yeah, maybe. But I think the chicks that I know, who are serious about performing, they work pretty hard to keep things fresh and to reinvent. It doesn’t mean they’re always number one, you know,  you gotta  roll with the peaks and troughs buts it’s all good.

E P: Looking over 4 decades of work Hair, Countdown, Superstar, the Mardi Gras, Australian Idol… I felt as though I should have a drink for you!

M H: Well thank you, that’s sweet of you. But I’m not counting, you know, maybe if I was I would be tired. I’m exhausted but I’m not tired! [laughs]

E P: Australian Idol is “resting” but you’re certainly not, do you think you would return to TV sometime in the future?

M H: I love television, especially live television because you film on a real high, it’s just a great experience. I was actually just saying to a friend today, Australian Idol was just the best training ground you could ever have for television and I really enjoyed doing it.

If I were asked to do it again, I would consider it but the greatest thing about not doing it this year was it allowed me to record Tapestry. When you’re in a show, whether it’s a stage show or a TV show or a tour, it’s a vortex. It sucks you in and that’s your life, and so, right now, I’m so pleased that I had the time to record Tapestry and get it out at such a great time while I’m on tour with these guys from Simply Red.

E P: Idol really opened up a whole new generation of fans to you.

M H: Yeah, it did and that was fantastic. I see kids in the street now and they say, “Hey Marcia!” and I always say hi, and they say “Do me a favour. Can I have a cuddle?” and I always say sure because I think it’s the most beautiful thing.

E P: The public has really adopted you and loves you, you were on their TVs every week and they opened their hearts to you.

M H: Yeah, and I loved the gig, I must tell you. I really really loved it, it taught me a lot and it actually rekindled my passion for performing because you would see these kids up there on stage and all they want to do is what I’m doing. All they want to do is sing, and you can’t sit on a desk on a panel and tell somebody how to do something and not do it yourself either.

E P: Do you think Tapestry will reach that new audience?

M H: I hope so, I really do. Because the songs are melodic songs and they say something.

E P: I grew up with Carole King’s album; my mum would play it all the time, when did you first hear the album?

M H: Oh well, when your mum did. [laughs]

E P: 1970, right?

M H: Yes, 1970, and I really just adored it. It spoke to me, it spoke to a lot of people but I don’t think it just spoke to women, though, it reached men too. On this tour we’re doing Slapwater Jack and a lot of guys love that track. That’s why I always say, “Is that the ‘dude track’,  is it?”

E P: Have you ever met Carole King?

M H: No, but we’re hoping to send her a copy of the album.

E P: Her personality is so strongly felt through these songs, they really are a vehicle for the performer to convey a part of herself, and your style is always very personal. Did you feel like there was enough room for you both in the Tapestry tracks, enough for you to put your own stamp on the music?

M H: Yeah, it’s scary to sing. Her album reached deep with people, you mentioned your mother, so there’s memories attached to it there.  A lot of people say to me, “That album meant so much to me” and that’s when it gets scary, when you’ve got to work with something that was so incredibly popular.

E P: How faithful were you to the original recording and how much has it been a reinterpretation of your own?

M H: Ok, well, first of all it was recorded in 1970 so the technology since then really has changed, so we brought it into the 21^st Century.  But also, you know, I really believe if it ain’t broke don’t fix it so I sang the songs with the same respect as though they were written for me or I wrote them myself.  But if you put my voice to anything and somebody else’s voice to the same thing, no two people are going to interpret that song the same way. The great thing about being a singer is that you actually are a storyteller.

E P: So you’ve woven your own stories through the music?

M H: Well that’s very good! Yeah! [laughs]

E P: Oh you like that one, you can have it. [laughs] Well, you must have some stories after 40 years in the game!

M H: Yeah, well sure, I’ve got stories. It’s all good.

E P: So what’s coming up after the Simply Red Tour?

M H: Well we have two concerts coming up at the end of the year. Deni, my daughter, is going to be performing with me in one, which will be cool. And the it will be another year and it all rolls on again.

E P: And before we let you go, Marcia, our audience are music fans and they’re also food buffs. Have you got any tips for them?  Do you have a favourite restaurant down there in Melbourne?

M H: I like Flowerdrum www.flower-drum.com , a Chinese restaurant in the city.

You can purchase Marcias Hines album “Marcia sings Tapestry” via www.marciahinesstore.com.au
www.marciahines.com.au

Ozi Batla – Can you get a more Australian Moniker than that? I think not!
Two Flat Whites talks to the Batla about all things Wild Colonial, which in my opinion is “album of the year”…

Tell us a little about production for the “The Wild Colonial” and were the beats made to the lyrics or vice versa or a bit of both?

I usually write to a beat – hip hop starts with the beat. Sandro was slinging me heaps of instros that I would put on the ipod and wander around listening to for weeks sometimes. That’s how I work – I have a whole lot of unconstructed ideas in my head that slowly take form while doing other things. Then I usually do an all-nighter once the inspiration hits. I do heaps of editing after that.

You don’t have any guests on your album, which is almost rare these days; does this allow a greater musical and lyrical freedom?

Yeah I kind of think the guest verse is becoming a bit played out. Half the time people are scanning the back cover to see who the guests are, as if the people you’re able to get on your album define it in some way. I’ve never worked like that. The Astronomy Class albums have lots of guests – who I can honestly say down to the last one I respect musically and value as a friend. Having said that, the album wouldn’t be what it is without the dope contributions of DJ Bonez and Sista Native.

You do a bit of singing on “The Wild Colonial”, will you be trying out for Idol any time soon?

Nah I would call my singing “serviceable” at best. It’s not my main strength but I really enjoy it. I’ve sung on a lot of albums in the past – pretty much most of them I think. This time round I was going to get some singers to do hooks, because I’ve always had melodic ideas but not always the confidence to pull them off. After doing the Paul Kelly tribute shows last year I realised I could pull those hooks off. I know it’s not to everyone’s tastes, but fuck ‘em – it’s my solo album!

Has any girl ever said to you that she liked you because you wore shorts on stage (”She’s Gotta Have it”) and does being a rapper get you the ladies?

Not that I was aware of until Sista Native let me know? Ha ha nah that was a very cool adlib, we definitely had fun with the outro on that track. I take the piss for three verses (and honky choruses) so it’s only fair that my sister gave it back at the end!

If Ned Kelly was a rapper, who would he be?

Hmm that’s a tough one. I don’t think any rappers have really been as gangsta as Ned. As far as gangsta rappers’ personas, maybe Ice T circa “Cop Killer”, Paris circa “The Devil Made Me Do It”, Ice Cube circa “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted”.

How difficult is it to have a message in your music without being considered too preachy?

Preachy is in the ear of the beholder. To me preachy is being judgemental and patronising, stating the obvious like it’s your idea. You’re either naive or on some ego trip. I never rhymed to change minds, just to say what was on mine.

What’s it like getting out into the aboriginal communities and doing workshops?

I always feel like it’s a great privilege to be invited to remote aboriginal communities. The experience is a world away from the urban environment – it really is another country. I was recently in Martu country in the Pilbara region of WA – some of the most beautiful country I’ve seen in Australia. There are some aspects that are pretty confronting – I think most Australians would be surprised by the living conditions. But overall, it’s amazingly rewarding to be immersed in a completely different culture, maybe try to learn a new language.

Now that Howard has gone, do you think things have changed, and has Rudds apology, made a difference?

There’s still an overwhelmingly paternalistic approach to indigenous affairs in this country. Until this changes, and an independent body like ATSIC is set up so indigenous Australians can take some control of their own affairs and resources, this pattern will continue.

Who is kicking it in the Australian scene currently, and where do you think Australia sits on the world scale of hip-hop?

Mad love to the Big Village, well, village. Sydney hip hop is kicking goals right now. Mantra, Vida, 1/6 and Public Opinion killin Melburn, Stoop Fresh and Simmo T in WA, Optimen in Brissy. Urthboy and the Hoods are touring Europe in the next month, and I notice a lot more Aussie stuff getting reviewed on OS sites. We’ll see in the next couple of years I guess.

Do you think commercial radio will ever get more involved in the Australian hip-hop scene other than trying to pimp some of the elements to make a buck?

Commercial radio has needs that non-commercial music can’t satisfy. There’s always songs that cross over – there already have been Aussie hip hop tunes that have crossed over. I don’t really think Australian hip hop needs commercial radio to be successful.

Nikes or Thongs?

KT26s

Childhood Memories:
TV Show – G-Force
Hobby – Cycling
Food – Drunken Noodles
Fear – Of A Wack Planet
People – Elefant Traks, Sandro, Ass-babies, The Bears, BNBD massive
Defining moment – 1999 – Antigua, Guatemala

Where is the most beautiful place in Australia you have visited?

Man, that’s hard! This country is endless. Jarvis Bay, Ningaloo Reef, Purnululu, Thursday Island, Lake Eyre, Uluru.

Where to from here?

We’ve got a national tour in August – (check out www.elefanttraks.com) – so we’re focussed on a dope one hour show right now. Something for the heads to get their teeth into, and the toes and rumps won’t be able to resist either

If you could invite 3 people to chat over coffee, who would they be & why?

Paul Roos: Good backmen make good coaches – thanks to 2Buck for pointing that out. Mostly because he makes me laugh – tell it like it is, Roosy.
Larry David: For the lulz.
RZA: I’m always wondering “What Would RZA Do?” This way I could ask him direct and get some Shaolin science dropped on my dome.

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee for sure. I never quite know if I really want tea – every time I’m asked. At least I know what coffee does.

And if you want to Hear more of Ozi Batla, you can:

Purchase Wild Colonial at www.jbhifionline.com.au
Check out his www.myspace.com/ozibatla
Check out the record label www.elefanttraks.com

One marvels at how an isolated teenager from the remote town of Westerway in Tasmania has arrived at the age of 25 and in the possession of such self-assured exuberance.  With one album already released and a second currently being recorded, I meet with Pross just as she is busy packing her bags for Sydney, having just won an APRA-sponsored trip to attend music discussions and workshops at Song Summit 2010.  “Everything is happening at once,” Pross grins.  “I’ve had this massive spurt of creativity and I’m waking up with songs in my head.  It’s so good, it’s just happening, my music is happening.”  For the envious among us, the truth is that Pross’s road was not always paved with yellow bricks.  It’s just that she learnt how to put on a brave face and get on with it.

From a young age Pross knew that her destiny lay beyond the restrictive confines of Tasmania.  Life at home continuously presented difficult challenges: at the age of four Pross and her two year old sister went to live with their mother’s new partner, whom had 6 children from a previous relationship.  Though the household atmosphere was always lively and high-spirited – Pross’s new dad, who loved to sing, referred to himself as American folk hero Davy Crockett – Pross struggled to find her place within the new family and never felt completely accepted.

These feelings of not belonging carried over into the schoolyard.  Rather than spending lunch-breaks gossiping and smoking cigarettes with the other girls, Pross chose to make tea for her Japanese teacher and chat about life.  “She used to say, ‘Bridgey, I think you are a very special person and you will go a long way if you want to’,” recalls Pross, with warmth in her eyes.  In fact as a result of those lunchtime chats, and a subsequent class trip to Japan, Pross realised that she wanted much more out of life than was available to her in Tasmania.

Unable, or unsure, to effectively communicate her thoughts and feelings with her loved ones, Pross instead vented her emotional baggage with the only tools she had at her disposal: a diary, her lungs, and an acoustic guitar gifted from her uncle.  “When I got my first guitar I had all this stuff to say,” Pross sighs, calmly, “’cause growing up I could say what I wanted to an extent, but not to the fullest potential like if I’d had my real father.  I knew it wasn’t my real Dad so it was a different dynamic.  I never called him Dad, it was always Dave.  It was just really, really different and I think that’s why I write songs now, ‘cause going through all that was a hard thing for me.”

Pross’s emancipation began towards the end of high school with trips to Hobart to play gigs within the local music scene.  Her talent was immediately recognised, winning the Most Promising Female award at the Tasmanian Rock Challenge.  A mini-tour of America followed, where Pross began recording tracks for an album.  In 2007 Pross found a new home in Melbourne and at the beginning of 2008 released her debut album, I Wanted To. The album collated songs Pross had been accumulating throughout her life.  With an agent and publicist now on board Pross’s star began to shine brightly.  Positive album reviews streamed in and a list of support gigs that would leave even the cream of Australia’s musicians slack-jawed followed; The Indigo Girls, Joe Cocker and Snow Patrol.

Pross’s destiny appeared to be on a trajectory towards chart success, international fame and riches.  So only one question remains: Why haven’t you heard of her yet?  “Too much too soon,” Pross answers thoughtfully, “the publicist and all that was great but I want to go back to playing solo gigs at wineries and develop a following that way, then take my band there.”  So money isn’t a driving force?  Pross shakes her head, laughing, “Even if I did make money it would just go into building a studio.”

Pross has begun studying Music Management and Development at TAFE with the goal of self-empowerment over her craft into the future.  A newly-blossomed romance brings hope and excitement into her life along with a renewed understanding of who she is and what her priorities are.  “I’m putting myself first and relationships come second.  It’s such an uplifting thing to be able to say ‘I’m Bridge, and then there’s someone who cares about me, but I’m Bridget Pross first’.”

Meanwhile, writing songs and performing live continues to be therapeutic for Pross.  “You can get something out of that sadness and do something with it as opposed to just being sad all the time.  It’s good to be in touch with who you are, it sets you free, which I’ve just realised.  You gotta be yourself, you can’t hide behind anything.”

Keep following Bridget’s journey here

Article written by Ryan Nance

An important new voice has emerged in the Australian film industry – one that looks poised to tear apart the current model of chasing the next blockbuster and set about creating a culturally-enriching body of work.

Two Flat Whites chats with Pene Patrick…

TFW:  Playing for Charlie is a humble film but it’s very strong in heart.  This is your directorial debut for a feature-length film.  You also wrote the screenplay.  Have you always written from such raw emotional territory?

Pene Patrick:  Well I think I’ll always go to the heart of a character.  That’s when I most lose interest in a film, when they haven’t gone to the heart of a character, and instead they’re being used to comment on something.

TFW:  How did you develop your writing?

Well it developed through my acting training which involved a very intense and serious training period in New York.  I was taught to look for the truth of humanity and the truth of the character in a situation.

TFW:  The actor who plays Tony Hobbs, Jared Daperis, resonates on the screen.  He seems an odd choice for the part, but it really pays off.  Was this intentional?

I think I cast him because he’s not a stereotype.  I see a lot of stereotypes in Australian films.  He has an international universality about him.  The thing that really excited me is that he has a boy / man quality: a wisdom.  He was an embodiment of everything I was trying to do in the film.

TFW:  I think his performance guides the wonderful score, written by Lisa Gerrard.

Yes her score is a character in the film, that’s what I love about it.  She’s brought another level to the narrative.  She’s come in and given a lovely river for everything to flow.

TFW:  It reminded me of Jane Campion’s ‘Bright Star’ in that respect.

Oh lovely, thank you.

TFW:  Audiences for Playing for Charlie are responding positively to the optimism in the film.  I did too, although I found some elements melancholic, particularly the Thomas Gray poetry whispered at one point; “Full many a flower is born to blush unseen”.  I felt this line reflected the fate of many disadvantaged young Australians: kids who don’t have the full opportunities to explore their talents.

Yes that was the core note from which the film sprung from.  But I also want the audience to see that it’s not always the case and that it is possible to move forward.  Tony is so certain and has a solid rock faith which I attribute to his upbringing and his relationship with his father.  These are good elements in this boy from a working-class background.  It’s actually a very positive statement about working-class values, so it’s very uplifting in that way.

TFW:  Producer Jan Chapman recently encouraged Australian film-makers to be “courageous and challenging,” and to “keep an Australian national spirit whilst appealing to an international audience.”  Do you agree with her?

Yes, and I think the issues in Playing for Charlie are universal.  It transcends race, class, and spirituality.  Tony’s boy to man journey is everyone’s journey.  It’s such a crucial time, the boy to man phase.  Playing for Charlie is about the struggle to protect that which is really vulnerable in us – whether that is our sex, or our race, or our art.

TFW:  Do you think films can make a difference?

Yes they get the issues out there.  Playing for Charlie explores the difficulties relating to young carers.  Since the film opened we have had a letter from the Minister for Health’s office – two years ago they provided a lot more resources and money to aid young carers.  Radio National has done a program on young carers.  There are thousands of people in Tony Hobbs’ situation in Australia so it’s important to tell these honest stories and bring greater awareness.

Playing for Charlie is in limited theatrical release at the Cinema Nova in Carlton, Melbourne.

Interview by Ryan Nance.

Emmanuel Mollois has cooked in some of the best restaurants in France and Melbourne and now owns Choux Café in Swanbourne; a small patisserie which was recently crowned ‘best in the west’ by the Sunday Times. He has just released his first cook book titled Et Voila! Chef Emmanuel Mollois will also appear alongside Master Chef Runner up Poh Ling Yeow in her new program Poh’s Kitchen which will air on ABC1 in February 2010.

Where did you grow up & where do you hang your hat?

I grew up in Vendee, a little town called St Hilaire de Riez on the West Coast. I usually leave my hats all around my house in Subiaco, Western Australia. I’ve got lots of them! My favourite hat is a World War 1 helmet that my brother gave me. When I’m not exploring obscure recipe books from earlier centuries, I’m reading about history. I collect lots of antiques and this particular hat is very rare and precious to me.

Tell us about your new book Et Voila!

Well, great, easy-to-follow, beautiful pictures from Karin, truly a book everyone should have and use, ha ha! The book takes you through the basics of pastry making and then has recipes for the most popular French pastries. It covers croissants, éclairs, lemon tart, crème brulée, madeleines, and cherry clafoutis plus some of my own creations. To me, there are no ‘secret’ recipes. I want to make my knowledge and the knowledge of the talented chefs who came before me accessible to the home cook.

Are you looking forward to appearing alongside Master Chef Runner up Poh Ling Yeow in her new program ‘Poh’s Kitchen’ on ABC 1 starting in February 2010? What can we expect?

You can expect a lot of me! You will see pastry, fish and sauce, all in my French style. But the main ingredient for the show is lots of laughter. Working with Poh is fun. She approaches food from a totally different background to me so when we get together we are always learning new things.

What and/or who inspired you to become a chef?

My Dad kind of pushed me into it, my dear uncle Fernand taught me his love for cooking, and I haven’t stopped since 1985! I originally wanted to be a cartoonist but, after a summer working with my uncle Fernand at his catering company, I started to like the idea of working with food. He was smart, he got me into the creative side – the decorative side of food – and this is what inspired me.

Where can we see you work?

You can catch me in my kitchen at Choux Café in Swanbourne, Western Australia. Producing consistently outstanding pastries day in day out is what I strive for and I’ve got a great team at Choux Café who work with me to achieve that.

What is your favourite meal?

Roast chicken and peas because it used to be our family Sunday lunch meal. Lots of memories of never-ending lunches that I miss now. It is my duty to keep up the tradition with my own kids. Sunday lunches are still a big thing for me, but the roast chicken and peas are not my kids’ favorites … such a shame.

Name three (3) restaurants you dine at?

“Le Foch” in Reims, France because my good friend, former chef in Paris and mentor Jacky Louaze owns this fabulous one star Michelin restaurant in the beautiful Champagne region. His wife Corinne matches all the food with the perfect wines (and Champagne). It is a very creative cuisine and Jacky has recently been crowned one of the most talented new Chefs in France.

“The Loose Box” in Mundaring, Western Australia because I worked with Alain Fabregues  (MOF) for two years as his head pastry chef, and know the quality of everything he produces. Alain is one of the few longstanding chefs in Australia and is fully involved in the promotion of the Western Australian Truffle.

“Kiri Japanese” in Shenton Park, Western Australia, is a tiny restaurant and take-away shop. Their dishes are very fresh, simple and allow Western Australia’s delicious produce to take centre stage. We regularly eat there, and the kids love it!

Can you share a recipe with our readers?

Of course: Les Madeleines are very easy and very French.

2 eggs
100 g plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
120 g caster sugar
140 g salted butter, melted
zest from ¼ lemon

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs together. In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder and sugar and make a well in the centre. Pour the eggs into the well then fold them into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon. Stir in the melted butter and zest. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200°C and grease the shell-shaped madeleine moulds.

Spoon the batter into the moulds until just ¾ full. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and cook the biscuits for 8 minutes, until golden brown. Unmould onto a wire rack and allow them to cool before serving. Makes about 12.

Childhood Memories:

TV Show – Benny Hill

Hobby – I use to love wind surfing now it is cycling

Food – almond croissant

Fear – spiders big or tiny

People – my Dad (who passed away few years ago )

Defining moment – boarding school at 10, very scared to start then I loved it.

Where is the most beautiful place in Australia you have visited?

Coral Bay, Western Australia, just magnificent and quiet.

What future endeavors are in the pipeline?

Surprises … but definitely a new book will be a part of my future.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A year ago, I was only dreaming about being on a regular program on the ABC and now it is reality. I’ve no idea what the next five years will bring, lots of happiness with my family I hope…

If you could invite 3 people to chat over coffee, who would they be & why?

My wife, so we can chat without being interrupted by the kids;
My Mum because she lives in France by herself at 80 years old and I miss her,
My three best friends in France, we try to meet once a year over a long gourmet dinner, always a great night!

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee of course! A French bowl of coffee to start the day, then one or two short blacks to get me through the day! My wife Gordana is my best coffee maker. She learnt the art of coffee making in Melbourne when we lived there for two years.

MERCI

Grunwald continues to tour widely, showcasing his unique one man band style of the blues. His latest album Fish Out Of Water is a thrilling hybrid of styles and sounds.

Where did you grow up & where do you hang your hat?

I grew up in the burbs of Melbourne and half in the country when I was in my teens.  At the the moment i’m living on the road with my girl and baby.  We plan to move up around Byron Bay at some stage but its pretty fun living on the road.

In your own words, what do you do?

I’m a one man band that plays groove based modern blues music.   My sounds and themes have a pretty Australian feel.

Where did you learn your craft?

In the inner suburbs of Melbourne.  I used to go to a lot of gigs around town on my nights off and learned a lot about blues from some of the great players there.  I found my own sound out on the road by just gigging as much as I could in as many dfferent places as possible.

Who and what inspires you?

My lyrics are very reflective of my life experiences and the basic human condition so I would have to say, life.  How to live it, whats the best way forward, whats the point of it. These are the kind of questions that inform my music.

Childhood Memories:

TV Show –  The Goodies
Hobby – Surfing
Food – Vego curriesm Morrocanm Thai Indian
Fear – Day job
People – I believe that our love of other people is one of the innate things that allows us to overcome adversity without big teeth, strong muscles or being nimble.
Defining moment – The birth of my daughter.

Schooling memories, chore or cherished?

Chore,  I had a pretty good childhood, but being an adult is heaps more fun.  I play more now than I ever did as a kid.

Tell us about your new album “Fish out of Water”?

I had a great time collaborating with Countbounce who co-wrote many of the songs, created all of the beats and produced the album.  Its got a pretty fresh modern sound, I reckon.  Its my favourite by far.

Who does Ash Grunwald listen too?

I almost never lsten to blues any more, funny enough.  At the moment its mainly groove based stuff.  Fat Freddy Drops latest has been getting a spin while I’ve been touring England.

Where is the most beautiful place in Australia you have visited?

In truth it’s hard to name one.  I love the Australian coast so much and have had good times almost everywhere,  I think around Margaret River and Byron Bay I get the best feeling.

From the hours of 9am to 5pm, what do you get up too?

Usually travel.  If its a day off, and I’m lucky, a surf,  But almost everyday I’ll be hanging out with my girlfriend and our 9 month year old little miracle.

Where can people see you perform?

Australia, England and Canada mainly, but I’ve played in many other places.

For love or money?

If I did it only for the love then I’d have to do a day job for money, and that wouldn’t be nearly as good as doing what I love for the money.

What future endeavors are in the pipeline?

More collaborations and a few more holidays hopefully.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I really don’t know.  Hopefully doing exactly the same thing but at a higher level in the places that I’m developing like England and Canada.  I’d like to somehow create a couple of clones of myself so one could just gig his arse off, one could be living in Byron being the perfect family, and one could be surfing remote point breaks for months on end.

If you could invite 3 people to chat over coffee, who would they be & why?

Tom Waits would be the most interesting dude I could think of to talk to – he’s an amazingly inventive songwriter and character.  In the same boat I’d put Hendrix and Biggie Smalls.

Coffee or Tea?

I’m definitely a coffee dude, basically because I’m always tired.

Where did you grow up & where do you hang your hat?

I grew up on Cottesloe Beach in WA and always find myself drawn back there, though I’ve lived overseas for extended stints – in New York for the longest. I’m living in Perth at the moment but am just about to head to rural France for several months for a writing sabbatical of sorts.

In your own words, what do you do?

Joan Didion once described writers as lonely, resistant rear rangers of things, people who spend their most absorbed and passionate hours arranging words on pieces of paper. That’s certainly part of it but there’s a tremendous joy in imagining, in telling stories, in entering into the sweet obsession of writing when it feels like there is nothing outside the world of the page. It’s a solitary occupation but you also have to be terribly interested in people.

Where did you learn your craft?

From reading mostly – I think that it’s impossible to be a writer if you are not voraciously, obsessively passionate about reading all kinds of literature. I used to copy out Ernest Hemingway in the vain hope that I might learn how to write the perfect sentence! I’ve studied creative writing at university, both in Australia and in the Masters program at the City University of New York, and while I’m not sure that you can actually teach the craft of writing, I found both experiences incredibly valuable. The discipline of having to produce work constantly, the thick skin you develop from the criticism, the contacts you make, are all so important.

Who and what inspires you?

Writers who are constantly doing new and innovative things with their craft, who aren’t afraid to challenge themselves. People like Anne Michaels, Pablo Neruda, Michael Ondaatje, Joan Didion, Marguerite Duras, Gail Jones, Brian Castro, to name just a few. The African refugees I know through my work with the Coalition for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees – incredible men and woman who have often survived unimaginable violence and loss and still look to a happier future.

Childhood Memories:

TV Show – I know this will make me sound like I had a total hippy, alternative upbringing, but TV was never really part of our life as kids.

Hobby – Reading and writing – I was a very bookish child.

Food – My grandmother’s Greek cooking, my father’s pancakes, illicitly bought mixed lollies from the corner shop.

Fear – After being subjected to watching ‘Jaws’ I had a complete terror of sharks.

People – My wonderful, sprawling, eccentric extended family

Defining moment – Being sent as a young teenager to stay with one of my aunts in an artists’ colony in the mountains of Portugal. It was an incredible time and gave me a sense of a wider world…both geographically and psychically.

Schooling memories, chore or cherished?

I know it sounds corny but school was a magical time for me – such a sense of possibility and discovery.

Tell us about your new novel The Last Sky?

The Last Sky is about various forms of dislocation and exile, as well as the more intimate concerns of personal geographies and the ways in which we reconcile ourselves with loss. It follows the story of an Australian couple living in Hong Kong during the handover back to China – the social uncertainty and changing political temper provides a backdrop to the unraveling of their marriage. I’m interested in the end of love, in what happens when love disappears. It also tells the story, fifty years earlier of the Shanghai Jews – the tens of thousands of Jewish refugees who found a safe haven in Shanghai during World War Two.

What sorts of books does Alice Nelson read?

I remember once when I was living in a very remote part of southern Mexico and English novels were extremely hard to come by. I was starved for reading material and I’d fall upon anything that turned up – moth-eaten Faulkners, detective novels, The Yates Gardening Guide, once the collected works of Shakespeare that a visiting doctor left behind. It was a wonderful time because it really taught me the importance, and the joy, of reading widely, of tackling things that you might not normally pick up. I still read like that – well perhaps not the detective novels or the gardening guides as much! At the moment I’m immersed in the American writer Lorrie Moore – her short stories are some of the finest I’ve ever read. I also read a lot of creative non-fiction – I think it’s a genre that very exciting at the moment.

Are there any other young Australian authors we should keep an eye out for?

Yes – lots! Kevin Rabalais, Nam Le, Steve Toltz, Stephanie Bishop, AJ Betts…I think there is an incredible wealth of literary talent in Australia.

Where is the most beautiful place in Australia you have visited?

There’s a tiny island just off the coast of Western Australia called Rottnest. It’s all perfect little bays and limestone cottages among Moreton Bay fig trees and squalling seagulls. There’s nothing there beside sea or rock and for me it’s one of the most perfect places on earth. I often go there to write. Whenever I’m living away from Australia I find myself plunged into nostalgic longing for the empty beaches and forbidding cliffs and stretching coastlines.

From the hours of 9am to 5pm, what do you get up to?

My day job is officially ‘Communications Advisor’ – that covers everything from speechwriting, editing, media campaigns, marketing and PR, writing feature articles and research papers and whatever else comes across my desk. But I’m soon to be happily unemployed and penning great masterpieces from my cottage in the south of France – well that’s the plan anyway.

For love or money?

A bit of both.

What future endeavors are in the pipeline?

I’m currently working on a collection of short stories, which should be out next year, as well as another novel.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Ideally I’d like to have published this current novel I’m working on and have another well on the way but it’s very difficult to say. Sometimes things need more time and gestation than you imagined. And I do believe that we have to become better people in a way to write the novels we need to write – it’s a process of educating the heart.

Travel has been incredibly nourishing for my work so I foresee lots more journeys and perhaps more time living overseas. I’d like to live in New York again at some point.

If you could invite 3 people to chat over coffee, who would they be & why?

Edward Said, because I think he was one of the world’s most eloquent and erudite intellectuals as well as a passionate defender of justice.

Hanif Kureishi because I love his writing and I heard him interviewed by Ramona Koval once and he was utterly hilarious and totally compelling.

Marguerite Duras – I imagine she might actually have been quite unbearable in the flesh but she’s always been one of my great literary heroes.

Coffee or Tea?

Both. Good, strong coffee in the morning and, at the moment, mint and bergamot tea in the afternoon.

Now to digress a moment here I have a confession to make – this was my first interview and I wasn’t altogether sure what I was doing.  It seems relatively straightforward, and while in actuality it really is, for those who haven’t done it before it can take way too much time.  Having dredged my mind clean for questions I decided to put it to a panel of advisors (my girlfriend’s half-drunk house mates) who represented musicians and non-musicians alike, but most importantly were considerably bigger Drone’s fans than myself.  In the end I think we came up with something resembling a good list, but there’s always that fine line between stimulating and nonsense.  You be the judge.

Back to Dan though: Dan has been well respected on the Oz music scene for years but many people don’t know much more about him besides the fact that he didn’t join the Drones until late 2006, when he left his former outfit Alpha Male to replace Rui Pereira.  Besides Alpha Male, Dan’s also played in the Black Eyed Susan’s, Four Hours Sleep, the Paul Kelly Band and Stardust Five (w/ Paul Kelly, Dan Kelly, Bill MacDonald and his brother Peter Luscombe, 17 years his senior) and teamed up with Paul Kelly again to do the soundtrack to the Ray Lawrence film ‘Jindabyne’.  Perhaps a good way to get to know Dan and the rest of the Drones though (besides this interview!) is through Dan’s tour blog from the 2007 European tour @ http://dronesdiary.blogspot.com/.  It’s a great read that makes you simultaneously smug and jealous from start to finish.  At the risk of over-prepositionalizing any more sentences though I’ll let Dan do the talking.

So you’ve been touring all over the world recently, and you’ve done all this before.  How has this most recent European Trip compared to your others, most notably the 2007 one? What’s the general ratio of work time to play time?

Well, thankfully we haven’t been at the mercy of a fairly shoddy booking agent since that tour. And I’m being pretty generous in that description. The work to play ratio is a grey area. If sitting in the van comes under the “work” banner, and it probably should I guess, then it’s about 80/20!

Favourite travel destination?

I’d say Paris. We’ve got a few buddies over there, and they provide a very homely atmosphere. Nice lookin’ joint, too.

So Just what happened to Gorka and Van Morrison? (Read Dan’s blog for details). What measures have you taken to ensure this tour doesn’t end like the last one?

We’ve taken the necessary measures, put it that way. But one can never expect things to always go smoothly. “Be prepared” is not just a Boy Scout’s motto. I’m not sure what happened to either Gorka or Van, but I sometimes lay awake at night, wondering.

Did any of the gigs in this last tour compare to the Tromso gig in 2007?  Can you still remember those 18 Norwegian Christian names?

Ha! Not all 18. No chance in Hell (which is the name of a town just outside of Tromso, funnily enough). That show still is one of the more memorable ones, most definitely. There’s something about that 24 hour daylight that make things very surreal.   Great folks, too.

True or false, Scandinavian women are the most beautiful in the world?

Tralse.

In Hong Kong the number plate 888 is rumored to be worth 2 million dollars, are you superstitious about anything?

I have a morbid fear of travelling in Hong Kong, and being run over by a car with 888 on the number plate.

What was the Australian scene like when you first started playing? Is it harder for a band to make it now than it was then? Why?

I can’t really see a massive difference over the last (egads!) seventeen years. We still have lots of venues to play in, and thankfully, lots of people in the public who are still interested in what bands are doing. As far as making it goes, I guess I’m still struggling to come up with a definition of the term. For me, I think making it means being able to get your music heard by other people, and anything beyond that is a lottery.

Stardust 5 stars – describe the difference in chemistry in comparison with the drones?

Very different. You’ve got the family thing with my brother on the drums, there.   And you’ve got the (with the exception of Dan Kelly, of course) elder statesman thing (Paul, Bill, Pete). I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned from those guys, but it’s a lot. In The Drones, I’ve learned how to disarm a Spanish tour manager with a pen and a roll of gaffer tape.

Have you heard of the Dan Luscombe show out of Sydney? What are you going to do about it, seriously?

Well, that was all part of an idea I had to franchise myself, but that guy kind of ran off with my name and company letterhead, and is going it alone now. Good luck to him. http://www.myspace.com/danlmusic

If all musicians are thieves and you’re a musician, what was the last thing you stole?

Probably a lighter. I’m terrible with that.

Most obnoxious fan experience?

Of recent, the guy who came up to me in Townsville and said “Can I get your autograph for my mate? He’s a huge fan of you guys. Personally, I don’t see what all the fuss is about”. But I guess technically he wasn’t a fan, was he?

What’s the most insulting thing anyone’s ever said to you about your music? Most flattering thing?

A New York blogger once described the band as “the most awful music I’ve ever heard in my life”. So that answers both, really.

Edward Hubble (not the Scientology guy!) said something along the lines of “if a man’s character met his reputation on the street they would hardly recognise each other”. What would your character have to say about your reputation?

“What are people saying about me??? And be honest.”

Andrew Denton seems to have an ability to dredge up things from one’s past that other interviewers don’t find.  If he asked to interview you, what would you be afraid he’d find out?

That I’m quite dull and bad for ratings.

What’s the worst hit to the balls you’ve ever taken?

Oh my. I can’t honestly remember. I think the male brain is designed to forget about these things as soon as possible.

What’s the future look like for the Drones?

It looks like the interior of a Ford Club Van, with a non-operative DVD player…

So a big big thanks to Dan for indulging my questions!  I encourage you all yet again to check out his 2007 blog, and be sure to check them out when they finally come back where they belong…

Interview by Will Alexander