Pappy’s 2023 Melbourne International Comedy Festival recs ✨ 😂 🎤

Me laughing in the fourth week of the Festival, unwashed, raving mad and somewhat slightly dazed.

What’s the deal with the 2023 Melbourne International Comedy Festival? It’s the best thing in the world and pound-for-pound Melbourne has the best comedy scene in the world IMHO.

Here’s all of my recommendations. Note: I’ll add to this as the Festival goes on and I see some shows not listed here or hear good things about others. NoteNote: Most shows listed here are in the $20 – $40 range. The venues are in the CBD unless otherwise specified.

Red Hot Chili Peppers could have been so much more

The Marvel Cinematic Universe must be filthy Medibank gets such good real estate at these gigs.

I’ve been a big fan of Red Hot Chili Peppers since the amazing By the Way came out in 2002, and last night I finally got the chance to see them live. With Frusciante back on board, I was really excited, having heard a lot of great things about their live show and having watched hours worth of clips with my mates growing up. They were good, but sadly, could have been so much more.

Man I’m glad I saw Elton John

I’ve been to a lot of concerts in my time, but I don’t think any has so thoroughly exceeded my expectations as Elton John’s show at AAMI Park, his second-last ever in Melbourne.

CARNAGE: A night with Nick Cave and Warren Ellis

“It’s a long way to find / peace of mind / peace of mind…”

I’m finally getting around to penning my thoughts on the amazing Nick Cave & Warren Ellis show that took place at Hanging Rock in late November.

Hanging Rock is a 6.5 million year old volcanic rock formation about 45 minutes northwest of the Melbourne CBD, ‘hanging’ 100+ metres over the amphitheatre below. It is incredibly important to its Traditional Owners, encompassing at least three Tribes, and it makes for a truly magical concert backdrop; the sun sets to the west of the rock formation, the rock appears to change colour. Majestic backdrop for a concert.

Thank you for the respite, Something for Kate

The resplendent Something for Kate (Kate not pictured). Photo by Daniel Boud.

It’s been a bit of a shit of a year for me, so far, 2022.

Nothing terrible external has happened – I’m sure those who’ve lost homes in floods would rather be in my shoes – but I’ve been as anxious as I’ve ever been at times. Many of you will know, I have generalised anxiety disorder, for which I’m medicated. It basically means I tend to experience anxiety at a level that someone without GAD typically would not – I get overly anxious, for extended periods of time, about things that are irrational. Sometimes I can help it, sometimes not. For most of this year, it’s felt like I’ve been fighting a war of attrition.

Why I love “How to Make Gravy” so much

The Paul Kelly best-of most Australians seem to own. I’ve always found the cover very evocative of Australian summers. “How to Make Gravy” is the last track.

Over the past few years, Paul Kelly’s 1996 non-album single “How to Make Gravy” has become a pretty damn funny meme. It’s also, to me at least, one of the greatest songs ever made; it never fails to tug at my heartstrings, particularly at this time of year.

My favourite music of 2020

2020, huh? A year so crap that it’s taken me until late February to put out a list of my favourite music from the year.

But, amazingly, despite how awful 2020 was, I think it was one of the best years for new music in a long time. I heard a lot of great music both from artists I’ve known for a long time and ones I discovered only last year.

“When he’s at the mic you don’t go next…”

I know when I became obsessed with Madvillainy, the seminal 2004 record by genius producer Madlib and the sadly now-departed rapper MF DOOM. It was in 2011 and 2012, when I was living at my parents’ place in Werribee and commuting via the Metro Train daily to Southern Cross Station, to work at the Melbourne Weekly, in the building on the other side of Collins St. I’d play Madvillainy often.

The public conversation around COVID must evolve

Credit: iStock.com/Nuthawut Somsuk

When the pandemic hit, I was firmly on the side of ‘do whatever we need to’. Total lockdown, suppress, flatten, eliminate, eradicate. Back then, it was new, and, I’ll admit, perhaps even a little exciting.

Several public figures, mostly from the right wing commentariat, bemoaned the lockdowns, saying they would destroy the economy and lives. I, like many others, went at them, accusing them of heartlessly putting the economy ahead of people’s lives.

Leaving aside the fact that New Zealand’s harsher lockdowns appeared to do a far better job of stopping the spread of the virus – meaning their economy and citizens restarted their lives far sooner – boy, have I changed my tune.

Let’s love everything a little more

My idea of joy and love… a shot from “Where the Streets Have No Name” live from Sydney on U2’s 1993 ZooTV tour.

I was having a chat with my psychologist recently. I wanted to know why I hadn’t felt too negatively impacted by the coronavirus restrictions, outside of the fortune of living with my partner and experiencing no major income loss or family health problems, like so many have had to face.

We landed on a couple of theories. One, I’m a homebody by nature, and I’ve always considered myself an introvert at heart. So being home is not too much to ask of me. There, I have my partner, my cat, my records, my video games, my internet access to recorded human history and everything we know about the universe surrounding us. Home is comfortable. With the odd trip to the shops for supplies, I have just about everything I need to live a quiet life.