IT'S ALL IMAGINARY pt 1.
A housemate (bullshit as my best friend so rightly dubbed him) once said that i live to much in my imagination. As easy as it is to admit: it's true. I tend to live a lot in my head; tend to think that it's enough to come up with all these crazy ideas; that it's the idea more then the actuality of the idea that's important. Sometimes I think that it makes for frustration on other peoples behalf as I start one thing and never finish it, as i tell friends of ideas that i want to do. It also causes problems at work where I get caught in daydreams making imaginary orchestras out of stone fruit pips instead of doing the dishes or finding hairclips that have fallen under beds. In order to sort out my mind and life I've posted fifteen project ideas i have (there's more hence the part 1 part). I'm posting them here (rather than writing them on a piece of paper and putting them in a drawer) because if I have an auidence here I'm more likely to do it. Plus I'm wanting suggestions as to what ideas are good, bad or stupid and lame. So if you read this and you have suggestions let me know. Um okay so yeah on with the show.
PROJECTS
started:
1. DIY HOUSEGIGS A BOOK: As i've written before DIY HOUSEGIGS is a network i've been involved in here in melbourne for the last year and a half. Recently I've come up with the idea of writing a book on the history of housegigs in melbourne. I plan on starting with the garage scene of the 60's, moving through the little band scene of the late 70's, the emergence of pubculture in the 80's, the hardcore and punk and rave scenes of the 90's through to the housegig scene now. I've started the research but have stalled a little. Question is i'm wondering if it's a good idea or not?
2. NIMBUS: Started below. Nimbus is to be a novel about a group of flinders street punks and wannabes here in melbourne. Have begun the started and have a few other sections just don't know where to go considering that it's going to be dark dark dark and thus might be too depressing to read.
3. PUBLIC ART GUIDE: Melbourne is full of lots of public art. Hundred odd scupltures in the cbd itself. Theres Larry the dog a sculpture that was stolen by someone in 1995, had a float of it made for moomba in 1996 in attempt to flush it out which was unsuccesful, recasted in 1998 when more money was donated by a generous philathrapist and then bolted down to a different site on the corner of Swanston and Collins street. Have started it by collecting photos and carrying out research. Don't know how much time it will take. Possibility of getting grant money from city council makes it appealing. Need to research relevance of it. Whatcha think good or bad idea?
4. MERRI CREEK AUDIO TOUR: Merri Creek is a small creek that runs through the northern suburbs of melbourne. It has a bike track that hundreds of people use a day. Along the way there are farms, schools, grafitti, and little placards giving a brief over view of the creek and the history of the region. The idea is to make a more extensive study of the history of the area. Recollecting tales of what it was like when the Aboriginals lived off it. How much it's changed in the last 150 years of Melbournes development. Idea is to make an audio cd of this tales so that riders could listen to it as they rode along the creek. Or alternatively to get more signs and photographs posted along the way at wider locations. It's still in the formation stage although have read a bit about the merri creek and walked along it and should try and see whether i can get grants for it or not.
5. STROLL/TICKET ANYWHERE: A travel zine with a good close friend Emily. The zine is to be a split of my travels through europe in june/july 2005 and of emily's travels from the same time. Have started writing it and emily has finished her half and sent it across to me. I've been slack and haven't finished/started mine because of the fear that my writing will be too serious. that they're really old memories and but going to read as quite cold and stale because of that. Also because I've been too lazy and become preoccupied with a whole heap of other stuff.
6. LOOKING ELSEWHERE: A zine of most of the writing on here plus another one or two fictional and journalistic type pieces. Have cut and pasted in simplistic manner a few of them and have made a file to print out just afraid it's too self indulgent and not that good and don't have enough spare money to publish the hundred or so copies i want to make.
7. MY ZINESHOEBOX: An online resource for zinemakers throughout all of Australia. Collaborative effort between a friend Rachel and I. Have a small resource section, have started constructing the site. Also in talk with making it part of undergrowth.org and expanding it that way. Just waiting for Rachel to get back from Tassie so we can put final touches to it and let it become part of the undergrowth family.
8. MISCELLANOUS: 200 300 odd photographs of abstract images taken from a year or two ago. Also photos for DIYhousegigs website and of camp soveriegnty and other images of the city and whatnot. Afraid to set up market and sell, will people buy them or think they are crap? Whole heap of poems should send off somewhere maybe?
9. ALONE: A story with images. The start of the story is online below. Plan on making it a zine with images accompany the piece. Don't know whether writings any good and where the story is heading.
10. MUSIC: Have loads of lyrics and tunes and ideas for songs just haven't learnt the skills of how to play music properly and with actual chords and notes yet. Am jamming with a friend tomorrow which will be melancholic noise since that's what our souls together write. lyrical sample of works below:
refrain for a song: "we don't have to be cynical
we don't have to rule the world
open up your eyes and realise
tomorrows not the same."
thought but not started:
1. TRANSFERENCE: Sci fi story set in the future. Don't want to ruin to much yet but think Philip K. Dick crossed with William Gibson and Greg Bear and you'll get the idea. This is brief because if I talk to much about it it will ruin the thematics of the idea.
2. AND SO HE SPEAKS: A cartoon version of Neitszche thus spoke zarathustra with Zarathustra cast as a purple rabbit who comes down into the city to talk then becomes famous gets shoved on tv before leaving and heading out into the outskirts of town where he dies in the wasteland there. Problems: still have to finish reading the book. Don't know fuck all about cartooning. Afraid it just stupid eltist pretentious shite.
3. AXE: A short film animation of the life as an axe. An axe grows up and gets excited about the first time it becomes able to chop down a tree. The intimacy and enjoyment of the blade counting through the tree makes ffor an exhausting day and loads of enjoyment for the axe. Eventually the axe gets replaced by a chainswa and then by bulldozers until there's no trees and the family has to leave the axe to rust in the sun and rain.
4. A DOCUMENTARY NOVEL (working title): This idea is four years old. Plan on writing a documenatry novel about an artist warehouse in melbourne. There will be artworks, a cd, photographs of the exhibitions held there, sculptures, works. Difficulty and problems arise in that every piece I write will be written and created by me. Thus it seems to be completely ego driven and self-indulgent and am wondering whether it's all worth it or not. Whether it's a waste of paper considering that it's going to be a Pynchon/ Foster Wallace size coffee book.
5. UNDERGROUND: A kids book storie written about a family of ants and insects set in the dirt underground. Follows how the family gets decimated by kids who capture one of their family members and they set out on a rescue attempt to get their family member back.
okay will post more ideas in future. maybe rework and add some colours to this site by posting photos and whatnot tomorrow.
ciao
