V1 - AUSE01Z01MA THE AUSTRALIAN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 ARTS theaustralian.com.au/arts 13 Morrissey dancing a

FIONA MORRISON Jukuja Dolly Snell receiving her national art award Latin beat Loved storyteller’s art Mexrrissey takes a British institution was ‘just filled with joy’ and gives his songs a Mexican feel Jukuja was among a group of AMOS AIKMAN Great Sandy Desert artists JANE CORNWELL NORTHERN CORRESPONDENT responsible for the production of the iconic Ngurrara II native title Octogenarian and spindly as a canvas in 1997. But her first show It’s the Day of the Dead in Mexico, cha to these songs gave them desert oak, she was nonetheless was not until 2014, at Outstation and down in Tobacco Dock, a vast another perspective. His songs are at the peak of her career. Gallery in Darwin. warehouse space in Wapping, strong; they stand up to reinter- Arriving in Darwin to collect the “There was this amazing East London, they’re celebrating. pretation.” A grin. “Like the works National Aboriginal and Torres thing about her, about this Thousands of hipsters working a of Shakespeare.” Strait Islander Art Award last woman from the depths of the look best described as cadaver-in- “Reactions ranged from laugh- year, Jukuja Dolly Snell insisted desert who was painting in such Victorian-dress — skeleton face ter to jumping to wild dancing to on buying a new outfit first. an extraordinary, contemporary paint, neon flower headbands, screams and tears,” wrote the Socks may have hung loose way,” Outstation’s director Matt dusty top hats and tails — are Observer.com of Mexrrissey’s around her ankles and weak legs Ward remembers. enjoying a weekend fiesta of Latin only New York gig in May last confined her to a wheelchair, but “Her paintings were just filled American-themed food, art and year. A recent show in Manches- she looked resplendent in a with joy.” music. The year 2015 was the Year ter, Morrissey’s birthplace, drew a perfect Driving Miss Daisy hat, Jukuja’s work is held in public of Mexico in Britain; fittingly, the standing ovation, with a sold-out thinking always about the and private collections including most starry act on the bill is crowd yelling the lyrics back at tradition and culture she the National Gallery of Mexrrissey: seven musicians from Mexrrissey in English. represented. Australia, the National Gallery some of Mexico’s finest bands Lara smiles from underneath Jukuja died peacefully at an of Victoria, Art Gallery of NSW reinventing, in Spanish, with Latin his large Amish-style hat. “If aged care facility in the West and the Museum and Art Gallery arrangements, the songs of par- you’re a Morrissey fan it’s like a Australian town of Fitzroy of the Northern Territory. ticularly British singer Morrissey. guessing game,” says this former Crossing on December 30. Together with her husband, The former Smiths frontman- EMI label boss, whose longstand- Dorothy Snell, Jukuja’s she maintained active turned-solo artist has long been a ing cutting-edge electronic music daughter, recalls when her involvement in ceremonies cult obsession south of the border. project, Mexican Institute of mother and father (the famous emanating from her birthplace at “Nothing the world holds could Sound, has involved remixes for artist and lawman Nyirlpirr Kurtal. match the love waiting for me in the likes of Placebo and the Beas- Spider Snell) used to gather meat The pair starred alongside Mexico City,” wrote Morrissey, tie Boys and seen his music fea- like wildcat and sand goanna. Tom Lawford in the recently now 56, in his 2013 Autobiography. tured on TV shows including “She used to take me to get released film Putuparri and the Moz-loving Latinos tease their Californication and Ugly Betty. He Mexrrissey (“I guess we started off as a bit of a joke”), above, with their inspiration, Britain’s Morrissey, below pujurl, all the sand goanna; you Rainmakers, about Lawford’s hair into quiffs, have his lyrics tat- counts off highlights from Mex- have to dig down, down, down to journey to escape a troubled tooed on their arms, and graffiti rrissey’s set list on his fingers. Mexico City in the 80s, the son of typical ultra-macho Latin men the Mexican superstar Juan Gab- self? Has Morrissey ever wit- get pujurl,” Dorothy Snell says. urban life and reconnect with his his image everywhere from Pasa- “Girlfriend in a Coma is usually human rights activists and intel- singing along, tearing at their riel, the country’s very own Elton nessed the force that is “They used to leave us by the culture. dena in Los Angeles to Juarez in a sad song, but we make it happy: lectuals, Lara’s first memory of chests and weeping over beautiful John: “It’s funny that one of our Mexrrissey? Has Lara ever shaken river (at Kurungal or Christmas “She was happy, happy for Chihuahua. Tribute acts are too ‘Mi novia esta en coma/I know/I Morrissey was hearing The songs such as The Boy With the most important icons is also some- the man’s hand? Creek) and we would get the fire everything: for talking, telling many to mention, but Mexrrissey know/Es muy serio/cha cha cha,’” Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead blast- Thorn In His Side (or if you like, El one who plays with his sexuality.” “I don’t think he’s seen us,” he ready. These two would come stories, funny jokes and singing,” is a cut above. Whatever you do, he recites. “Everyday is Like Sunday ing through his elder brother’s Chico de L’Espina Clavada) isn’t Arranging Morrissey’s music says. “But he’s been very sup- back with all the food and they says Japeth’s sister Rosetta don’t call them a covers band. is completely a mariachi song; bedroom door: “We didn’t have lost on Lara either. He mentions wasn’t an easy task. Sergio Men- portive, writing about us on his would cook it before we took it Rangie. “She made us laugh. She “I would hate to do anything they have the same structure, the NME or Q to tell us who to lis- doza, who isn’t here today, has website, giving us permission to back to camp. liked talking in language, in cliched and touristy,” says band- and the synth line is totally ten to. We went for bands you previously said that melodies had record Spanish versions of the “I miss her, but her spirit Walmajarri and leader Camilo Lara, 38, a Mexico replaceable with a trumpet. We could easily hear about. You either to be sacrificed and several mean- songs for our album coming out in always comes here to the house, Wangkatjungka. She had too City-based electronic DJ and pro- recently did a cumbia version of liked The Cure or The Smiths. I ings left out. the new year. I like to think he’s not bringing humbug or trouble many languages: Jaru, Nardi, ducer who co-founded Mex- Bigmouth Strikes Again in a sta- just fell for Morrissey’s voice.” “Morrissey has a thing about flattered and interested in what for us, just quietly. We relax to Kukuja, too many.” rrissey in late 2014 with multi- dium in Argentina and everyone Morrissey’s dark humour and fitting a lot of words into a small we are doing. her and we just go to sleep.” Towards the end of her life instrumentalist Sergio Mendoza went wild. Those first moments of heart-on-sleeve confessions dove- space,” says Lara. “I nearly met him once. I was in Japeth Rangie, Jukuja’s she began to fear for the of Tex-Mex rockers Calexico. “I playing a song are always amaz- tail, he says, with genres such as “In Spanish we use more words LA doing another project and he grandson, says his grandmother continuation of her culture, guess we started off as a bit of a ing, watching people’s faces as mariachi and ranchera, which than English so that was OK. But was there at the same time; some- used to cry when she saw him: lamenting in Putupirri the film: joke; I’d been asked to remix they connect and work out what it tackle similar themes. As does translating stuff into Mexican one said they could get me a meet- “This is how much she missed “Old people finished … Old [Morrissey’s song] Someone Is is. They’ll catch on to the choruses the Mexican psyche: “We’re a slang was problematic.” Not ing. His manager sent me a long me. I felt sad and loved. I used to people are going to pass away. Squeezing My Skull and realised and sing along in Spanish, but it’s melodramatic country,” says always: the “bomb” in Ask questionnaire with about 20 ques- look back to her and always Whole lot.” there were so many connections no different to the way Mexicans Lara. “We love tension and became “la bamba”. But how to tions covering what the meeting stayed with her for holidays.” A close friend of many years between Morrissey and tra- respond to Morrissey; many don’t irony. Morrissey’s music is convey a lyric about Reggie was about, topics I couldn’t men- Born in about 1933 at a thinks differently. “Her singing ditional Mexican music. speak English but they’ll still sing similar to a telenovela Kray, the East End gangster tion. I filled in three pages,” he remote waterhole known as was redolent of her passion for “We were only going to do one the lyrics, the sounds. They just (Latin American soap name-checked in Last of the says, “then I got a message saying, Kurtal in the Great Sandy Kurtal, with her voice audible show,” he continues, sitting on a love the way the music makes opera); he writes about Famous International Play- ‘Morrissey is very busy and won’t Desert, Jukuja started painting above all others,” the friend says. couch wearing jeans, leopard print them feel.” the underdog, people boys? Few in Mexico knew be able to squeeze you in.’ late in life in the mid-1980s. A “She sang as her grandsons trainers and a T-shirt that reads So what is it about the compo- who never win. Mexi- of him. “We used the name “I was glad, in a way. There’s founding member of both danced, just as she and Spider “Taco is Murder” (a variation on sitions of a sexually ambiguous, cans are like that. We’ve of a famous Mexican drug that thing about never meeting organisations, from 1991 she had taught them. Morrissey’s infamous anti-meat dour but flamboyant Englishman never won a World Cup. In com- cartel boss, Rafael Caro your idols.” Lara pauses, smiles. painted at Karrayili Adult “They will continue to dance eating stance). “But bringing elec- (with Irish roots) that chime so petitions we’re always coming Quintero, instead,” says “But of course, if he ever wanted to Education Centre and Mangkaja with great reverence and skill to tronic and Latin elements like strongly with (mainly middle third or fourth.” Lara happily. appear on the show, he’d be Arts Resource Agency in Fitzroy the memory of her voice, ever mariachi, ranchera and cha cha class) Mexicans? Growing up in The irony inherent in stereo- Finally, what of the man him- very welcome.” Crossing. encouraging and vital.” Worlds collide and wilderness rules in revival of a genuine classic

are swept away by the scale of the stately home of one of them in the brink of the World War II, (Dr Archer, played superbly by ness by Brendon McClelland and THEATRE narrative and by the interplay Hobart and go hiking in the wil- where the group is interned in an Robert Menzies) becomes obses- Rarriwuy Hick. The casting in Kip The Golden Age between the lives of individuals derness. There they encounter a asylum because the government sive as he studies them. Ayre, the Williams’s obviously loving pro- By Louis Nowra. Sydney and the times in which they live. degraded group of white people believes their decayed state will dignified queen of her tribe, duction — well designed by David Theatre Company, This is an Australian classic. who have been isolated in the bush fuel support for Nazi ideology. becomes equally obsessive trying Fleischer, Damien Cooper and Wharf 1. January 19 The play was first produced in for 80 years and have developed What happens there is the subject to hold her people together and Max Lyandvert — is perhaps col- 1985 but none of the issues it raises their own culture, a mishmash of of the second half of the play. ensure the survival of their culture. ourblind, perhaps colour-signifi- JOHN McCALLUM have gone away. It is a love story, convict memories, resonances of There are no easy answers to Nowra has invented a language for cant. Even in the casting everyone an epic about war and a powerful the horrors of Georgian England the questions about exile and the group, which Sarah Peirse, in a seems a bit out of place. “Nowt more outcastin’’ — says allegory of the settlement of Aus- from which the convicts were ex- belonging. The Europeans are out wonderful performance, speaks The moving ending is marvel- Ayre in this splendidly huge, tralia. It poses challenging ques- iled and smatterings of a theatrical of place in the wilds of Tasmania, like a native. lously ambivalent. almost operatic, play. No more tions about the interactions culture, because one of the tribe’s the horrors of the war are out of The love story is between Fran- exile. It is hard, in Louis Nowra’s between “civilisation” and the founders was an old actor. place in their classical world, the cis, the working-class young man, Tickets: $75-$94. Bookings: (02) consummate piece of storytelling, “natural” world. At Ayre’s request (‘‘Nowt more tribe is out of place in the New and Betsheb, the young woman of 9250 1777 or online. Duration: 3 hrs, to say exactly who is outcast and Two young men — friends but outcastin’’) they bring the tribe Norfolk asylum. The scientific the tribe. They are played with a including interval. Until Rarriwuy Hick (Betsheb) and Brandon McClelland (Francis) who belongs, but in the theatre we from different classes — visit the back to “civilisation” in Hobart, on devotion of one of the characters brilliant tough energy and tender- February 20.

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