New Triffids Books Launched Amid Political Controversy

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

New Triffids Books Launched Amid Political Controversy New Triffids books launched amid political controversy MARK COLVIN: It's been the day of The Triffids in Perth. I'm talking about the Perth band The Triffids whose past is at the centre of a row over architectural conservation. It centres on a late 19th Century jarrah house called The Cliffe, where the Triffids late singer and songwriter David McComb once lived. There are also two new books involving the band. David Weber went to the book launch for PM. DAVID WEBER: The Triffids seem to be getting more attention now than at any time since the band formed 30 years ago. The large crowd that turned out for last night's launch in Fremantle in terrible weather, is testament to that. Triffid Alsy MacDonald, says the new books fill a gap that's been there for decades. ALSY MACDONALD: I'm pleased that they're out there because there hasn't been a great deal written about the band in a long time. I mean there were things that formed chapters of other people's books maybe 20 years ago or thereabouts; but to have a book that's dedicated, particularly to Dave's writing, is I think a really encouraging step. ('Wide Open Road' plays) DAVID WEBER: Nick Cave, Judith Lucy, Steve Kilbey of The Church and Dom Mariani of The Stems are among those who've contributed to the book about the band. The book's co-editor, Niall Lucy. NIALL LUCY: We wanted to pay respect to the work by creative experimental means, using as you say, a whole series of written pieces which are kind of generically very diverse but equally we were interested in all kinds of visual ephemera. DAVID WEBER: There's an episode in there that's about The Cliffe itself; how important is the house to the story of The Triffids? NIALL LUCY: I guess in biographical terms it's very important. It's his childhood home; it's a magnificent residence, slightly dilapidated these days though I don't hesitate to add that it's structurally very sound. DAVID WEBER: Should the house be saved? NIALL LUCY: Well of course. DAVID WEBER: The Cliffe was removed from the heritage list by Labor and Liberal MPs before the last state election. The house is in Colin Barnett's seat of Cottesloe. A complaint was lodged with the Corruption and Crime Commission earlier this year claiming Mr Barnett's push to have the house de-listed was linked to the current owner's shareholding in a company run by the Premier's son. Clearly exasperated, Mr Barnett said the complaint had nothing to do with the heritage value of The Cliffe. COLIN BARNETT: It's about The Triffids! It's about The Triffids! Don't you get it? It's about The Triffids. DAVID WEBER: Despite the denials of the Premier and the property's owner, the issue was referred to a parliamentary committee, which is still gathering evidence. One of those who made the complaint, Sydney resident Brian Waldron, says it's the Premier who's obsessed with The Triffids, not him. BRIAN WALDRON: The house is a very significant building to Western Australia. It's also attached to the life of Dave McComb and the creation of the band The Triffids. That's a valid association but it's not the sole thing. I mean we haven't gone in and said 'This is all about The Triffids'. The Premier has this obsession with The Triffids and I don't know where that comes from. ('Wide Open Road' plays) MARK COLVIN: David Weber prepared that report on The Triffids..
Recommended publications
  • An Answer to the Question, What Is Postmodernism? by Niall Lucy & Steve Mickler
    2/18/2016 TRANSFORMATIONS Journal of Media & Culture ISSN 1444­3775 2008 Issue No. 16 — Democracy Under Fire The War on English: An Answer to the Question, What is Postmodernism? By Niall Lucy & Steve Mickler This paper derives from our keynote address to the NSW English Teachers’ Association Conference (“Licence to Thrill”) in Sydney, December 2007. It is intended as an evidence-based rejoinder to widespread attacks on the alleged parlous state of secondary-school English in Australia today, where the problem seems to be that English has been taken over by “postmodernism.” In this way postmodernism is seen as the general or foundational problem, and so it follows that “postmodern” English must be a problem too. Our first task, then, is to decide what “postmodernism” means, according to its detractors. What are its alleged key features? This question occupies the initial section of the paper, which includes a series of counter arguments in response to what postmodernism is supposed to be guilty of “undermining” or “destroying.” In section two we move to a discussion of particular problems associated with so-called “postmodern” English, before focusing (in section three) on the widely reported views of a strident adversary of contemporary English studies: Kevin Donnelly. Our comments here are confined to a discussion of Donnelly’s most recent book, Dumbing Down (2007), which we take for a mature and considered expression of his approach to education. We conclude by way of pondering the question, whose interests are served by attacking postmodernism? 1. Postmodernism 1.1 Postmodernism is denounced for consisting (allegedly) of five broad features, all of which are meant to be equally damning: postmodernism holds there to be no such thing as truth postmodernism equals moral relativism postmodernism is leftist postmodernism is anti-liberal postmodernism holds there to be no such thing as history.
    [Show full text]
  • Note to Users
    NOTE TO USERS This reproduction is the best copy available. ® UMI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with with permission permission of the of copyright the copyright owner. Furtherowner. reproduction Further reproduction prohibited without prohibited permission. without permission. UNEXPECTED SYNCHRONICITIES: EXPLORING CUNNINGHAM’S CHOREOGRAPHY THROUGH DERRIDA’S THEORY OF DECONSTRUCTION By Rachel Ellen Stephens Submitted to the Faculty o f the College of Arts and Sciences of American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts In Dance Chair: ... DrJjtrett Ashley Cra$fard U DryAprt&Smith ^ Cirsten Bodenstemer Dean Datela tip* ff 2005 American University Washington, D.C. 20016 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1425716 Copyright 2005 by Stephens, Rachel Ellen All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 1425716 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.
    [Show full text]
  • Suzan-Lori Parks's the America Play and Its Deconstructive Ontology By
    Suzan-Lori Parks’s The America Play and Its Deconstructive Ontology by Rachel A. Naor A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Phillip Sipiora, Ph.D. Sara Deats, Ph.D. Gaëtan Brulotte, Ph.D. Silvio Gaggi, Ph.D. Date of Approval: December 11, 2007 Keywords: deconstruction, trace, différance, drama, textuality © Copyright 2008, Rachel A. Naor Dedication For Millie, Ariel, and Asaf Acknowledgement I would like to express my profound gratitude to my dissertational director, Dr. Phillip Sipiora. Being left without a mentor and director, I view Dr. Sipiora’s directorship as a unique act of generosity. I would like to thank my Marlowe and Shakespeare professor, Dr. Sara Deats, for many years of support and good advice. I would also like to extend my thanks to my committee members, Dr. Gaëtan Brulotte and Dr. Silvio Gaggi, for participating in my committee. I would like to express my thanks to my defense chair, Dr. Victor Peppard, for participating in my defense and for many years of support. I would like to thank my Hebrew Program coordinator, Rina Donchin, for her friendship and support. I would like to thank my drama professor, Dr. Anthony Kubiak, for making theater essential to my thinking. Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my brother, Eli Angel, for his continued care throughout the years and for intervening in crucial moments in the course of my doctoral studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Vagabond Holes: David Mccomb and the Triffids Free Ebook
    FREEVAGABOND HOLES: DAVID MCCOMB AND THE TRIFFIDS EBOOK Chris Coughran,Niall Lucy | 384 pages | 01 Apr 2010 | Fremantle Press | 9781921361623 | English | North Fremantle, WA, Australia Curtin research reveals David McComb and the Triffids Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vagabond Holes: David McComb and the Triffids by Fremantle Press (Paperback, ) at the best online prices at eBay!. Among other recent works, Lucy's co-edited collection (with Chris Coughran), Vagabond Holes (), is a tribute to his late friend, David McComb, lead singer and songwriter for Australian rock band The Triffids, which defies the conventions of a rock biography in its deconstruction of the notion of an autonomous self or identity. 9 Oct Vagabond Holes: David McComb and the Triffids by Lucy, Niall and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Vagabond Holes: David McComb & The Triffids Get this from a library! Vagabond holes: David McComb and the Triffids. [Chris Coughran; Niall Lucy;] -- It is over 30 years since David McComb's haunting music and lyrics inspired a generation. This volume brings together family, friends and fans with a book of stories, poems and artworks about the. Vagabond Holes book. Read 5 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. In an homage to David McComb's haunting music and lyrics that inspire. Vagabond Holes: David McComb and the Triffids by Coughran, Chris; Lucy, Niall at - ISBN X - ISBN Vagabond Holes: David McComb And the Triffids Vagabond Holes: David McComb and the Triffids by Coughran, Chris; Lucy, Niall at - ISBN X - ISBN The Triffids released one more LP, The Black Swan, before the band split up and McComb sadly passed away.
    [Show full text]
  • Vagabond Holes: David Mccomb and the Triffids Free
    FREE VAGABOND HOLES: DAVID MCCOMB AND THE TRIFFIDS PDF Chris Coughran,Niall Lucy | 384 pages | 01 Apr 2010 | Fremantle Press | 9781921361623 | English | North Fremantle, WA, Australia Calenture - The Triffids | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic In an homage to David McComb's haunting music and lyrics that inspired a generation 30 years ago, this collection of stories, poems, and artwork celebrates the man and his postpunk band, the Triffids. Due to sold-out tribute concerts across Australia and the remastering of the complete Triffids oeuvre, a new generation is discovering McComb's work; fans old and new can delve deeper into his life and music in this intensely personal biography. Many of the featured photographs and images are previously unpublished. It is over thirty years since David McComb's haunting music and lyrics inspired Vagabond Holes: David McComb and the Triffids generation. Now, thanks to sold-out tribute concerts Australia-wide and the re-mastering of the complete Triffids oeuvre, a new generation is discovering his life's work. The editors bring together friends, family and fans in this book of stories, poems and artworks about the Triffids. It is exactly the type of book you would want produced on all your other beloved smart yet soulful guy and gal favorites. Convert currency. Add to Basket. Book Description Fremantle Press, Vagabond Holes: David McComb and the Triffids New. More information about this seller Contact this seller. Book Description Now, thanks to sold-out tribute Vagabond Holes: David McComb and the Triffids Australia-wide and the re-mastering of t. Seller Inventory Coughran, Chris ; Lucy, Niall.
    [Show full text]
  • Sovereignty and the Event in John D
    Sovereignty and The Event in John D. Caputo’s Radical Theology Calvin Dieter Ullrich Dissertation presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Prof Robert Vosloo April 2019 Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent explicitly otherwise stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch University will not infringe any third-party rights and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. Calvin Dieter Ullrich April 2019 Copyright © 2019 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved ii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Acknowledgements To my supervisor, Prof Robert Vosloo, thank you for journeying with me for a second time. Your unwavering support and generous feedback have improved this thesis beyond any effort of my own. I am proud to be among those who can call themselves Voslonians! To my family, thank you for making the many kilometers that separate four continents feel like nothing more than a short walk into the next room. Your precious phone calls are the lifeblood of this thesis. To all the friends who have endured the travails and kept me from falling into the abyss, I am in your debt. To those involved in making my time at the University of Tübingen possible (including the Evangelisches Stift), my sincerest thanks.
    [Show full text]
  • Media Release
    MEDIA RELEASE JOHN KINSELLA AND NIALL LUCY ABOUT THE BOOK Moondyne Joe was colonial Australia’s ultimate escape artist. His daring and repeated breakouts drove the Governor to build him a special cell. And when Moondyne Joe escaped again, he drove the Governor mad. Moondyne Joe himself died a pauper in Fremantle Lunatic Asylum but not before he gained notoriety as a lawbreaker, the husband of a brothel madam, a bushman who befriended local Indigenous people, and as a folk hero who championed the underdog. Written by John Kinsella, one of Australia’s best known poets, and Niall Lucy, a caustic and irreverent social commentator, this book is an anarchic and playful examination of an elusive man and the harsh convict system he resisted. Pub. Date May 2012 ISBN 9781921888526 ABOUT THE AUTHORS RRP $27.95 John Kinsella is an award Genre Non-fiction winning poet and the author Format PB, C of volumes of short stories, Extent 266pp novels, plays, and criticism. Born in Western Australia, he lives in the wheatbelt, though he has spent many years living and teaching in England and the USA. He is a Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia and an Extraordinary Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge University, where he is also the Judith E. Wilson Fellow in Poetry for 2011–12. He is the editor of The Penguin Anthology of Australian Poetry. Niall Lucy is Professor of Critical Theory at Curtin University and founding co-editor of international journal Ctrl-Z: new media philosophy. His books include A Derrida Dictionary, Pomo Oz: Fear and Loathing Downunder, The War on Democracy: Conservative Opinion in the Australian Press (with Steve Mickler), and Vagabond Holes: David McComb and The Triffids(co-edited with Chris Coughran).
    [Show full text]
  • Australia Asia Pacific Institute
    Australia-Asia-Pacific Institute 2013 Annual Report Lakhnu Village, India Australia-Asia-Pacific Institute A Research Institute in the Humanities and Social Sciences Annual Report 2013 Regional Transformations GRAFFITI IN EKBATAN TOWNSHIP, EAST OF TEHRAN. PHOTO © ALI MOZAFFARI 2013 Contents Director’s overview .................................... 1 Conferences, seminars & events ............ 44 Research themes ..................................... 2 Media engagments ...............................55 Institute membership..................................3 Exhibitions, book launches & creative Indian Ocean Futures 2014 conference ... 4 works .........................................................56 Research projects ....................................... 5 Fellowships, awards & other notable achievements ...........................................58 Researcher seminar series 2013 .............34 Grant successes ........................................60 Researcher development program . ....... 35 Membership of editorial boards and Researcher toolbox .................................. 35 professional organisations ..................... .62 Member publications ............................... 36 Partnerships and networks .................... .66 Institute publications ..............................43 Visitors to the institute ...........................72 AAPI/ Black Swan Press online research collection (ORC) ........................................ 43 Photo credits ............................................74 Director’s overview 2013
    [Show full text]
  • The Postmodern Left
    the postmodern left NIALL LUCY AND STEVE MICKLER1 Pomo-bashing, like dragon-hunting, is an activity best undertaken in the suspension of disbelief. By imagining a world in which winged, fire-breathing reptiles with magical powers are real, it is possible to imagine what it might be like to hunt such creatures. Similarly, once you accept that postmodernism holds there to be no such thing as truth, you can bash it. In political terms, such acceptance turns ‘postmodernism’ into a dirty word. Conservatives use it to denigrate a version of the educated, middle-class left as dragon-hunting dreamers who believe that all cultures are equal and history is a myth. The left uses it to distinguish serious and practical concerns from the ‘soft’ ideas of dragon-hunting dreamers who self- identify as left, or are made out to do so by the right. Attacking ‘the postmodern left’, as it were, is a bipartisan sport. For most conservatives, ‘postmodernism’ is shorthand for any form of critical relation to the conservative idea that truth is absolute and universal. As Giles Auty tells it in a Quadrant essay for June 2000, postmodernism’s hydra-like appearances take the shape of ‘decon- struction, post-colonialism, revisionist history, gender theory, political correctness, multi- culturalism and feminism’, all of which are underpinned by ‘neo-Marxist theory’.2 Adopting an apocalyptic tone favoured by conservatives when contemplating the always inevitably ‘Stalinist’ implications of any so-called Marxist position, Auty ends his essay in convulsive paranoia: postmodernism, he writes, ‘represents an attempt to usher in a new kind of left- wing totalitarianism via the unlocked back doors of democracies.
    [Show full text]
  • International Multidisciplinary Peer-Reviewed Journal Volume IV
    Research Innovator: International Multidisciplinary Peer-Reviewed Journal ISSN: Print: 2395-4744 http://research-chronicler.com/resinv/index.asp ISSN: Online: 2348-7674 Theory of Postmodernism Dr. Suresh Wakchaure Ex-Vice-Principal, Associate Professor & Head, Department of English Coordinator, Post-Graduate Department of English & Incharge, Ph.D. Research Centre of English, Mithibai College, Juhu, Vile-Parle (West), Mumbai, (M.S.) India Abstract Postmodernism is an umbrella term. It represents specific setoff contemporary ideas. To some it is perpetual present. Postmodernism stands for : collapse of cultural distinction, skepticism, the space between old and the new, plurality, hybridity, deconstruction of established metanarratives, space and scope for little narratives, resisting closure, a new aesthetic style, an inclusive theory, incredulity to metanarratives, fully developed modernity or hyper- modernity, challenge to traditional exploitative center or unity. Postmodernism is an inexplicable umbrella term which various theorists and critics have tried to define. The postmodernists celebrate difference, plurality, and are always conscious of the global change and exchange of ideas and information traffic which has created a process of hybridization at all levels with the help of globalization of cultural ethos. Postmodernism reveals fragmentation, ephemerality and discontinuity, preferring difference over uniformity. The postmodernists put an emphasis on local factors or plural explanations, like the micro-politics of power relations in different social contexts and in relation to specific discourses, language games or interpretative communities. They stand for local narratives, ethnic groups, religious minorities, women and weaker sections with unified voice. Key Words : Postmodernism, plurality, metanarrative, hybridity, deconstruction, little- narratives, difference, fragmentation, micro-politics Postmodernism is an umbrella term.
    [Show full text]
  • Pomo Oz: Fear and Loathing Downunder Niall Lucy
    Pomo Oz: Fear and Loathing Downunder Niall Lucy About the Book Ideas are in short supply and critical thinking is under attack. That’s according to Niall Lucy in his latest book, Pomo Oz. Pitting his humour and intellect against the conservative power brokers, Lucy champions the notion that free thought, not free trade, is the basis of democracy. These exciting and provocative essays challenge the reader to engage with the most contentious issues of our times. About the Author Niall Lucy is a Research Fellow in the Humanities at Curtin University of Technology. His books include Postmodern Literary Theory: An Introduction (1997), A Derrida Dictionary (2004), The War on Democracy: Conservative Opinion in the Australian Press (2006) (with Steve Mickler), and Vagabond Holes. David McComb and The Triffids (2009) and Beautiful Waste, Poems by David McComb (both edited with Chris Coughran). Discussion Questions Interview with Niall Lucy FP: In your book Pomo Oz: Fear and Loathing Downunder, you respond to a misrepresentation of postmodern thought in the public sphere. Do you think a definition of ‘postmodernism’ is possible, or even necessary? NL: For postmodernism (and I’m happy to call this a definition), definitions and interpretations aren’t exactly opposed to one another. This gets misrepresented — often deliberately — to mean that postmodernism says that definitions aren’t true, because there’s no such thing as truth! But in fact no one who might be called a ‘postmodernist’ has ever said this; it’s a complete fiction, albeit one that carries a lot of force in many circles, the point of which is to make it seem that postmodernism is seriously loopy and ultimately very dangerous.
    [Show full text]
  • Briggs — Who Will Have Come to Have Read This
    Who Will Have Come to Have Read This? —In Memory of Niall Lucy (1956-2014) Robert Briggs I wonder what the chances were (they must have been astronomical) against it being you, wherever you are, you of all people, who should happen to be reading this right now. Try as I might to nullify the mystery of this chance event (I am but a publishing function, you are just a sale), still I can’t get over the absolute improbability that at this very moment it is you, out of everyone, who is reading me. At this very moment, you. Needless to say, you arouse my curiosity, though of course the chances are that we will never meet and nothing else will pass between us. (Beyond, 1) Before and beyond every other theme or idea perhaps, the issues raised in and by the work of Niall Lucy— Professor of Critical Theory, Founding Co-Editor of Ctrl-Z, colleague and friend—have concerned the problem of reading. Not simply as theme, but perhaps most importantly as form of address, the questions of who might read what is written, and how, visibly mark the many books and articles that Niall wrote over the last three decades or more. Apart from its other possible functions, for instance, the stated aim of Niall’s first monograph, Debating Derrida (1995), was ‘to encourage people to read the work of Algerian-born French philosopher Jacques Derrida’ (ix)—a figure whose own readings of the traditions of Western philosophy and literature (and more besides) formed the basis of much of Niall’s writing (see, especially, Derrida).
    [Show full text]