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Saturday, March 31, 2012

killing time pt1

Recently I was walking to a mates place after work  and had a bit of time to kill. Walking through the lanes of Fitzroy, I found myself wishing I had my new camera with me.. and suddenly remembered I always carry my little Sony Cybershot 'point and click' camera in my bag !!

Here are some of the things that caught my eye in the lanes of Fitzroy:




Something about this piece that I find captivating:


I love that this one is behind a cage:


I love this bright red post stopping vehicles from hitting this persons house and door.. but I do wonder how may times the owners have cursed it for being in their way!



all photographs, copyright matthew schiavello 2012

Saturday, March 24, 2012

A big, puffy, gay, cloud of Pet Shop Boys

I Love the Pet Shop Boys, of course I do, isn't it a requisite of any pop loving person who growing up in the 80's and 90's to love and adore them?  Recently a dear friend came up with this great and instant 'classic' of a quote "...in a big, puffy, gay, cloud of Pet Shop Boys", knowing a good thing when I hear it, I stole it immediately for this post! and because I haven't credited my friend, I think I can rightfully claim this line as my own... can't I?

Ok, onto more interesting things... now, while Neil can kind-of 'sing' live, he is obviously not ashamed to  mime when required! Bless! so let me present a few classic television performances and be prepared to be carried away in a big, puffy, gay, cloud...of Pet Shop Boys.


 'Rent' on Top of the Pops, Great synth sounds and classic Neil Tennant lines like- 'I love you, you pay my rent' & 'You phone in me in the evening on hearsay and brought me caviar'



'Love comes quickly' on Top of the Pops... Do I even need to say 'great synth sounds'? Plus the  brilliant opening line: "sooner or later this happens to everyone, to everyone."



Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield - What Have I Done To Deserve This (The Brit Awards - 1988) 

- Yes it is poorly mimed  by Dusty, but how amazing does she look? Plus, Chris.. what can I say, I initially thought he was wearing fishing waders... anyway, he looks so bored I love him! 

  

 

Pet Shop Boys - Can You Forgive Her? (Top Of The Pops - 1993). Ridiculous, but great performance! I love the outfit and 'glasses/hat' from the 'Very' period. One does have to ask Chris what are you exactly doing in this one? More great lines like: "You drift into the strangest dreams of youthful follies and changing teams"

 

'Opportunities (lets make lots of money)'- on 'Top of the Pops'. Chris is on the synth drums for a change!! I think it's best to refrain from commenting on Neils outfit and those white gloves...

 


Lastly, a Pet Shop Boys Medley (With Brandon Flowers & Lady GaGa), From the BRIT Awards 2009, where the Pet Shop Boys received an award for 'outstanding contribution to music'.
Bless! The only weak moments are from their recent LP 'Yes'.. the less said the better....

 

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Chill Out 2012

This year I took a day off work and headed up to Daylesford and to Chill Out's Carnival day. With their website headline of 'Queer Country Pride', how could I not? I drove up with two good mates and to get the party started early, we had a Pet Shop Boys mix playing loudly all the way up. I suspect that my friends kept turning the music up in order to drown out my off-key singing. Anyway, a country drive isn't complete without at least one wrong turn and getting lost, even if it is only momentarily! Eventually we arrived and met up with another mate of mine. We had a lovely and relaxed day! We all bumped into people we knew. We ate great food, listened to both good and woeful music, as well as people watched (how come this hasn't yet become an official Olympic Event?). The thing I love most about Chill Out, is that you set up your own little space with chairs, blanket, drinks, snacks and then sit and talk, or walk about,  or visit other peoples little spaces, or entertain others visiting your space! Ahhhh, such a great day... anyway, I of course took photos.

The 'Mad cow' and her soon-to-be husband

Their Wedding cake, out on display.



The Space. Chill Out's Carnival day is held at Victoria Park in Daylesford... Just  lovely!






The People:

Dead Zombie Pirates were all the rage.....


The Conductor! 

The Conductor also had an old TAA bag!!!


and gave me change with my ticket:

We wondered why there were so many Pirates around, then someone told us that the Parade, which took place earlier, had a Pirate theme... Ahhh!


We thought the pirate theme might have been taken up by this gentleman as well...


Some cool looking people:



So many people had their dog's with them..others had their children....and some had both.



You could buy lots of colorful and interesting hats to cheer yourself up!

Like this happy little monkey... umm ok.. maybe not.. I think he is wondering "Maybe I don't look as cool as I thought in this blue hoody.. It seemed like such a good idea at the time....I mean, when I tried it on at the shop it looked really cool....but now... I just don't know":

I almost missed this display at the Baked Potato stand, till a friend pointed it out excitedly and said 'Take a photo!'



Bubbles for everyone!!!!! 


And as we drove off into the sunset singing 'Go West', we yearned for the day in which we all lived peacefully and 'happily ever after', all co-existing harmoniously under a rainbow flag... err ok, I made the rainbow flag bit up...


All Photographs copyright Matthew Schiavello 2012

Saturday, March 10, 2012

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly- March 2012

The Good:

This past week I got out of town and up to Woodened, where Tomboy bill has an exhibition on at Cafe Ethic. Check out Tomboy Bill's website, as she has some cool pics by that Photographer to the stars- matthew schiavello.  According to their Facebook page, Cafe Ethic is all about "a sustainable shopping experience". They are at 63 Urquhart street, Woodend  and "stock flours, sugars, herbs, spices, pastas, cereals, gluten-free products, grains, laundry powders, detergents, soaps, and so much more .... all free from packaging :) bring in your own canisters/containers, or use our recycled ones".

Here are a couple of shots of Cafe Ethic to tease you.. if you are in Woodend, do check it out!!

You know me, and as far as I am concerned it's all in the detail:










The Bad:

 The accident..... Yes it had to happen..... You see... I was taking some pictures of myself to update an online profile.. I have being growing a beard and it's been a while since I had a new picture.. so there I am working away and suddenly thought, 'Hmm why don't I blow this one image up.. like really enlarge it and place it so that it is the first thing people see when they enter my home.. OMG I was laughing too hard at this thought, then went one better (as I do) and thought Hmm.. what if I enlarge it beyond all imagination and place it over a chair that I ensure I always sit on.  Whenever people come over and talk with me, they will not only be facing me, but me and this HUGE print of my face hanging above me.... and yes I am totally laughing my cute-little-national-treasure-of-a-tush off at this insane thought!!!

Here is said picture... titled 'Portrait of the egomaniacal artist' (there is a warning here on viewing this portrait, it may disturb some viewers. One close friend had this to say after viewing it- "woooha!  That's a bit creepy actually...you look like some kind of weirdo cult leader!!".... and I say 'Keep the compliments coming!'):


Anyway... there I am rushing about, thinking I am running late and need to catch a tram to meet a friend in town (we were hoping to have a fun filled evening of taking random photos of what ever caught our combined eye). So,  I have my camera bag, lenses and camera, umbrella, water bottle, mints, discman, with change of cd, notebooks, apple to snack on etc.. yeah, the bag almost weighs more than me....
 As I leave the house a tram is coming, so I run... and as I run I am thinking about the photo of my face, blown up and my visitors confronted with it, not knowing if I am serious or if this is a joke and I am laughing and laughing and laughing... and at the same time I am running, and running and running for the tram which is almost at the tram stop... and then....The weight of my heavy camera bag shifts and I stumble.... my legs give out... and yes, the tram passes me and everyone on it has a good view of me hitting the  ground and I mean HITTING the ground. I skid across grass and onto pavement .. my glasses fly off. as I skid to a stop my camera bag flys over my head and lands on the pavement.... embarrassed I act as if nothing has happened. I see blood on my pants and shirt... No tears or rips.. ahh.. it is ok, it is just coming from my palm. I grab a handkerchief (yes, who is laughing now!!! I always knew that the hanky I carry in my pocket would one day come in handy!!) I put pressure on the blood that flows out of my palm.. I need to go home, so grab the camera bag and casually limp back. I decide that I will open the camera bag when I get home. If my camera or the lenses are damaged, I don't want my whole street to see me burst into tears.
I get home..and yes, It is true, God loves gays!!! She has left my camera and lenses all A-OK!!! I am a believer once more.. I clean up the wounds (thank you 'advanced first aid' course!), dress them, throw my blood marked shirt, & grass and blood stained pants in the wash, change into something else, ignore the pain and head back out.. I am now really late, but am not running..No, no no... no more running for me. As I pass the spot where I spectacularly fell, I notice my glasses still on the ground.. Thank goodness that the glass is undamaged and the rims are only slightly marked. I pick them up, put them on and jump on the next tram... I do have to wonder if perhaps God doesn't like the thought of me filling my home with enlarged images of me?? I'd ask what her problem is, but I love how my camera and lenses currently work and are in their respective 'one piece'... Not that I am accusing God of being stuck in the old testament ;-)

The moral of this story is, 'punishment awaits all egomanical artists'. Or is it, 'walk don't run?'.. maybe both, or something completely different, I have no idea.. seriously.

Here is a picture of my palm later that night. It looks so much better that it actually is. I went to the chemist the next day and he looked at it and suggested some bandages:





The Ugly:

Really my ego and the accident should go here... but alas, more of what people love!! Dodgy porn parodies from that 'place'.

Watching Happy Days now creeps me out, Who thought it would seem cool, to have the very mature 'Fonz' hanging out with and bullying over a 'gang' of young nerds?...but still, Happy Days the porno.. even creepier!! I wonder if there is a scene with Marion and Howard?:


 'How I met your mother' and 'The big bang theory'..I have to ask 'Why?' What would Leonard and Sheldon say?

 Bad Santa and American Chopper..... well, they kind of already are a little trashy:



Scarface the porn??? Whats next? Scarface the musical??? You know somewhere in this film Tony is going to say "Say hello to my little friend!"


all photographs copyright matthew schiavello 2012

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Docklands and a baptism

This past Sunday I had my nephew's Baptism. I won't get into a discussion on religion and where it sits in today's post modern world...but I will share a few pics from that day. Firstly, there are some pics of Docklands with my new wide angle lens.



All roads lead to.....the Bolte Bridge


All roads on the other side of the road also lead to..... the Bolte Bridge.... oh, and Docklands


All tracks lead to.....Southern Cross Station


All tracks lead to....the Bolte Bridge


All roads lead to.....the many apartment towers at Docklands


Now, for the real reason I was there, my nephew Aston. I know the poor thing is not as cute as me, but bless him for trying :-)



The only photo I recall seeing from my Baptism at the hands of the Church of England (Don't worry, you are probably as surprised as every one else at this news), had the priest sitting on the floor with (another) glass of whisky and sporting a hole in the bottom of one of his good shoes! Great pic, I think  my mum has it stashed away somewhere...

all pics copyright Matthew Schiavello 2012.