No related posts.

Father Jack by Declan Shalvey

It may not be obvious but a little bit of Irish blood runs through the veins of westonculture. (The catholic stories should give it away…). As such it was our duty to celebrate yesterday with a little tipple. Declan Shalvey from Eclectic Micks (a collection of talented Irish comic book artists) helps us appreciate the joy and diversity of Irish culture with this homage (above) to the great Fr Jack Hackett from my favourite Irish sitcom, Father Ted. I think it’s a very realistic likeness, complete with most common phrase of the holy man. Some of the great Father Ted quotes contributed to the Eclectic Micks site:

Father Ted: Ah, Sister Assumpta!
Sister Assumpta: Hello Father!
Father Ted: Dougal, Dougal, do you remember Sister Assumpta?
Father Dougal: Er, no.
Father Ted: She was here last year! And then we stayed with her in the convent, back in Kildare. Do you remember it? Ah, you do! And then you were hit by the car when you went down to the shops for the paper. You must remember all that? And then you won a hundred pounds with your lottery card? Ah, you must remember it, Dougal!
[Dougal shakes his head]
Sister Assumpta: And weren’t you accidentally arrested for shoplifting? I remember we had to go down to the police station to get you!… And the police station went on fire? And you had to be rescued by helicopter?
Father Ted: Do you remember? You can’t remember any of that? The helicopter! When you fell out of the helicopter! Over the zoo! Do you remember the tigers?
[Dougal shakes his head some more]
Father Ted: You don’t remember? You were wearing your blue jumper.
Father Dougal: Ah, Sister Assumpta!

Oh, it makes me want to break out the DVDs and brush up on my (very poor) Irish accent. La ta ta taa de dee.

No related posts.

New York bus stop Note From Chris by Todd Lamb

 A couple of weeks ago I wrote about some strange posters appearing around Melbourne inviting people to meet up with someone named Craig. (See Craig’s Other List) Well, it turns out that Craig’s notes were, um, inspired by a New York project by writer/director/maker, Todd Lamb entitled Notes From Chris.

Todd describes the project as “Notes stuck around NYC from a man named Chris who wants to do tedious things with people.” And when you check out Todd’s four original Notes From Chris, there is a striking resemblance.

When I heard about Todd’s work (thanks Neatorama reader, AP!) I wondered if it was an international collaboration. But no, Craig just liked Todd’s work and adapted it to his own neighbourhood.

Says Craig, “I have no connection with Chris I just liked the work that he’d done and thought I’d play with the concept locally in Melbourne.  I didn’t expect it to take off like it has.  And no, Chris isn’t happy so I must apologise.  In my defense, Chris wrote 4 notes, I have written 18 so they’re not all copies, but the original concept is all his.”

Congrats to Todd for the original idea and to Craig for running with it.

You certainly got people talking!

Todd Lamb’s Notes From Chris

See zoomdoggle

See three thousand

Related posts:

1. Craig’s other list: Guerrilla graffiti brings humour to the streets

Bizarre notices have been popping up on lampposts around Melbourne.

On the surface they seem like legitimate notices you’d see on community noticeboards: items for sale, lost and found, and invitations to join groups with those who have similar interests. But once you start reading them, you realise that something is amiss. The item for sale is the lamppost the note is attached to (“Meet me at midnight. You may need a spade.”). The lost item is a sweatband. (Reward for its return? “We could go and see a movie. G or GA only.”) The found item is a free newspaper with a half-done crossword (“So you should be able to identify it”). Oh, and they are all signed off by someone named Craig.

I like graffiti. I see it as art, expression, and often, a much-needed political statement. Before blogging and the internet, it was one of the few ways for those with little power or influence to express themselves publicly. But I have to admit that I am a graffiti snob. I have preferences. And one of them is for the graffiti to have some wit about it.

Craig’s notices are full of wit. They bring humour to the streets. How often do we get a chance to stop and smile as we’re rushing through our day? A little moment of joy. A reminder that life can be ridiculous.

What I really like about Craig’s humour is that, unlike a lot of humour and pranks floating around the internet, it’s not taking the mickey out of anyone. There are no casualties. Even its form is light – an A4 sheet of paper loosely taped to a pole.

Brilliant!

Thanks to Gai for passing these on.

UPDATE: Text art! It’s text art. Thanks Ev for the reminder. Oh, and I didn’t mention anything about the reclaiming of public space through art … but that will come in a later post …. in the meantime, enjoy!

UPDATE 2: If you read the comments below, you’ll realise that Craig’s notes caused a bit of a kerfuffle internationally… Read the update, Craig Fesses Up: Original Notes from Chris. Okay, now you can enjoy!!

Related posts:

1. Craig fesses up: Original Notes From Chris
2. Apparently, Andy Warhol said

Guest blogger, Carolyn Ride, is just realising the real impact of the Bonds layoff…

There are many tragic aspects to the decision this week by Pacific Brands (maker of iconic Aussie label Bonds) to cut 1850 Australian manufacturing jobs and move production to China.

There’s the effect on the workers and their families themselves; especially since it seems they had no idea it was coming. There’s the fact that (surprise!) they rewarded their CEOs for failure with multimillion-dollar payouts (AUD$1.86 million a year salary for current exec Sue Morphet). Then there’s the revelation that Pacific Brands milked millions of dollars in research and investment grants from the Australian government in recent years, just before pulling the plug. Oh, and the loss of yet another iconic Aussie brand to faceless, soulless globalisation.

And yet there are other victims in this tragedy unremarked by the media; untold millions of lesbians who will now officially have nothing to wear!

Bonds Chesty Girl

According to a straw poll of friends etc, I’m apparently a femme. Either it’s the dress fetish or my taste for ladies’ drinks that gave it away. Still, when I look in my wardrobe I have about four men’s “Chesty Bond” white Bonds singlets; not to mention two fitted black cotton T-shirts, two sports bras and three pairs of sports socks. They’re all Bonds products which fit lesbian fashion demands (simplicity, practicality, natural fibres, moderate price, mildly androgynous) better than anything else made.

I don’t know why this is, but only men’s Chesty Bonds singlets give adequate support for the braless bosom while equally able to cover up the straps of one’s comfy yet supportive 16DD Bonds cotton bra. (Just try to find a regular brand bra in larger cup sizes that doesn’t feel like a mammogram).

The indispensable Bonds raglan tee

They also make the only T-shirts I know that mysteriously make me look 20% trimmer and more muscular. They have been a way for women at a certain end of the Kinsey scale to look smart and stylish,  yet classically lestastic, for decades. 

They also answered the most important lesbian fashion demand of all time, the one that never changes: the ability to buy all your clothes, from underwear to jackets, in one section of any major department store. Thus, getting a whole season’s wardrobe takes only half an hour, leaving ample time for the electronics and outdoor goods sections.

Let’s face it, many Bonds products were already manufactured in China. At least, though, the company had enough presence in the Australian market to know its certain attachment to fit over fashion, durability and the need for the odd classic product that never changes. Much like the lesbian market.

But now? Even if the products don’t go downhill, I – like so many lesbians – am a world-class boycotter, so I won’t support a company which so obviously screwed its employees. Meanwhile, wild horses wouldn’t drag me into one of those Cotton On, Rivers etc chains that sell T-shirts that lose shape if you look at them harshly. And those singlets with giant, gaping armholes presumably meant to advertise the age and discolouration level of your bra.

I propose a general f*** you to Pacific Brands’ contempt for its employees, the Australian taxpayer and the mass of lesbian consumers that kept it going through bad times and good. Meanwhile, the entrepreneurial door is now open for any lesbian with an industrial sewing machine and the desire to make a killing in a very captive and very desperate market.

Carolyn Ride is a writer, editor and owns enough Bonds products to attend shareholder meetings.

Related posts:

1. The Global Financial Crisis is My Fault
2. Good karma job hunting: Connecting with the hidden job market
3. Farewell to lesbian feminism

Or maybe it was because I just couldn’t stop laughing at the blankie that strangely resembles all my childhood nativity costumes.

The Slanket

I love this because it is such a simple idea, it is so dorky, and yet so practical, and it looks very comfy. Just think: No more 6am sub-zero shiver-fests in winter. 

Winter workwear has just moved up a notch.

:: Thanks to Neatorama

No related posts.