Hoodies.com.au

www. hoodies.com.au

For all your fashion needs!

(I ....erm, modeled for them. See if you can spot me!)

Despite this, they have some really, very cool designs!

Transport.

At first glance the trams seem like a pretty cool mode of public transport- but they soon loose their appeal. They're slow, expensive and don't go across town.

The city if Melbourne is very bike friendly. It's very flat, has wide roads, every 2nd street has a bike lane and there's ample bike racks to chain your bike up.

A few of our friends use bikes as their main mode of transport.

HOWEVER- when we first moved here I was quite hesitant to get a bike.

Why? Well, do you remember awhile ago when I stated that I had no phobia's?
It turns out that's not entirely true.
Seems like I WAS afraid of something after all.


HELMET HAIR!!!


The more I thought about this, the more I became anti-bikes! I was familiar with the related HAT HAIR "condition" (we don't call it a disease).
I spoke to a few people about this. Sam suggested I just get a helmet friendly haircut. That way I could still look cool AFTER I took the helmet off. Garth rode sans-helmet, letting his long locks blow in the wind flaunting the law and his safety. Others were happy to put up with helmet hair.

One night though- I had to ride a friends bike. And it was very fun! So I cracked!

Not long after I bought a chop-shop bike from some little guy in our neighbourhood. It's a wicked looking thing. And it only cost me $40!!!

I still wasn't committed to the idea of riding it WITHOUT a helmet, but nor was I over my fear. I hesitantly rode it around the quiet local streets- until I ran over some glass and popped the tire! While it was out of commission I discovered how much freedom it offers for getting places. So when I had the tire fixed- I bought myself a helmet.

I'm certainly not convinced that bike helmets look good on anyone- but I don't really care much.

Although I have since gotten a helmet-friendly haircut- so everythings good in the hood, yeah?
Got my bi-cycle action on!

Except, I ran over a metal splinter that pierced my tire and inner tube. Again!

The futility!!

$20 later and I'm mobile again!

Laws of the Universe

This is the way it is:

Jan and Feb I was in down time. Waiting for work to start. Drawing like shit. Sitting on the couch.

Come March when the big project starts, I'm starting to draw well. Suddenly my eye is in. ALSO I am inundated with work- both paying and extra-caricular.

Where was this extra work and kick-arse drawing skills earlier on in the year? When I had the spare time??

Because the Universe just dosen't play that way, Holmes!

ALSO: "Heroes" is starting to bore me. YAWNSVILLE!!!

Getting around!

I've spent the last week and a bit in Hobart!

My old stomping ground!

Went down for work- which was really neat! Back working with Blue Rocket Productions. As in the past really nice people to work FOR, and inspiring fun people to work WITH! As someone put it, "it's like having the family back together!"

It's a huge new project we're working on. Quite daunting really... I'll be continuing working on this from here in Melbourne.

What was also nice (if a bit overwhelming at times) was catching up with everyone socially. You can rack up quite a social history in 5 years in a small town. You can't walk out the door without tripping into someone you know...

The first day there I started to consider what it'd be like to move back there. The good work, the scenic city, the clean air and good food, the AMAZING local bands.... but after day 2 or 3 the charm wore off and I was reminded why I left there when I did.

So I'm back in Melbourne, trying to knuckle down and work.

Right now we have two house guests asleep on our sofa bed. Diane and Andy from Brisbane. You may now Di from such adventures as:
Also the NYE 05 DJ BATTLE!!

Unfortunatly round 3 of our battles will have to be postponed.

We're going to leave them to run havock in our pad on saturday as Ains and I will be heading to PHILLIP ISLAND!
My folks will be there. Bashem is racing his car down there!

ALSO, all Sydney-siders note: The Traveling Frase & London Girl Show will be in my hometown for easter!!

Catch-ups a MUST!!!

If you're in the area....

.. come and partake of tradition!
My Birthday isn't until monday, but we'll be holing up in a pub on the saturday!

Last year we escaped the horribly cold, wet and grey London weather in a grand pub and it proved to be an awesome birthday!

This year it's forcast to be 38 c+......

......... SCORCHIO!!!!

Ha Ha Ha!

I find this stuff HILARIOUS!!

I can't help it!







I also admit to spending long periods of time looking into convexed shiny surfaces and laughing with glee at my distorted reflection......!!

Birds

I'm on a bit of a nature kick lately.
One of the exciting things about being back in Australia is access to the kick-arse nature!

In the tree outside the 2nd room (where we've got the computers and drawingboard set up) I've placed a bird feeder! It's in plain view from my chair!
The first birds to discover it were the wiley sparrows, then slowly the more timid/slow minded doves have come down to enjoy it. Yesterday I saw a native bird (I'm not sure of it's name, but it's a large, grey nectar-eater) was hanging out in the tree.

Surely now that word has gotten out the lorikeets and galahs that are in the area will come and visit??!!

THEN THE FUN WILL HAPPEN!!!

And speaking of birds:

It seems that whenever I post photo's of ex-pat London Girl, the amount of comments rise.

So... heres DOUBLE your money!

The sisters! Taken on Australia Day at our bbq out the back of our house.

Take a day off?

In high school my friends and I wagged and took organised days off. We filled those days with many adventures. We conned our way into getting a behind the scenes tour of the McDonalds on George St, we went to the cricket, we went to the Sydney Aquarium, we went to the art gallery, we went to a Lego exhibition and more...

Sometimes it is very important to take a day off from the day to day grind and get out and experience things.

So my question to you all is what would you do if you decided to wag tomorrow?

Tuneville: Top 50

According to my computer, this is my TOP 50!

(Some surprise appearances, but I feel confident in stating that this is a list of SUPERIOR music!)

1. Before- Caligula.
2. Dancing on the Jetty- INXS
3. Tennessee Stud- Johnny Cash
4. That Mellow Saxophone - Big Town Playboys
5. I Stay Away -Alice In Chains
6. Take Five - Dave Brubeck Quartet
7. Dirty Harry- The Gorillaz
8. The Best Is Yet To Come- Tony Bennett
9. I Sucked A Lot Of Cock- Regurgitator
10. Wanted Man- Johnny Cash
11. Ball and Chain- Janis Joplin and the Fulltilt Boogie Band
12. Honky Tonk Train Boogie (1939)- Bob Zurke
13. The Best Is yet To Come- Stacey Kent
14. Come Together- The Beatles
15. Too Darn Hot- Stacey Kent
16. Temptation- New Order
17. The Good Life-Ray beadle
18. My Daddy Rocks Me- Blue Harlem
19. Feel Good Inc.- The Gorillaz
20. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me- Duke Ellington
21. Redemption- Johnny Cash
22. Who Is He (And What Is He To You?)- Bill Withers
23. Bound to Ramble- John Butler
24. Helicopter- Bloc Party
25. The Fallen- Franz Ferdinand
26. Love Is Here to Stay- Frank Sinatra
27. Get Back- The Beatles
28. Ball and Biscuit- The White Stripes
29. Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul- Charles Mingus
30. I Just Want To Make Love To You- Blue Harlem
31. Heroin- The Velvet Underground
32. Boys Better- The Dandy Warhols
33. Love Me Or Leave Me- Sammy Davis Jr.
34. Shout, Sister, Shout- Lucky Millinder
35. All That Meat And No Potatoes- Louis Armstrong
36. James River Blues- Old Crow Medicine Show
37. Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive- Johnny Mercer
38. This Modern Love- Bloc Party
39. Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)- INXS
40. Wonderwall-Oasis
41. Cocaine Habit- Old Crow Medicine Show
42. Just Keep Walking- INXS
43. Dream It Down- Underground Lovers
44. No Excuses- Alice In Chains
45. You Can't Always Get What You Want- The Rolling Stones
46. New Virginia Creeper- Old Crow Medicine Show
47. War- Edwin Starr
48. King of the Road- Roger Miller
49. Rock Me Like A Titan- The Hyperions
50. Hard Times- The Cruel Sea

Diggsville Tunes! 2006 RADDEST!

After my last RANT, I thought a little about it. And I can't do any better.

I think I only bought FIVE albums that were released last year. So how the hell can I do better then the listeners/voters of JJJ's chart?

One of those albums I wouldn't even bother to run..... but it gets points for showing up...

But here it is. THE DIGGSVILLE RADDEST ALBUMS FOR 2006!

1. Broken Boy Soldiers: The Raconteurs.
2. Peeping Tom: Mike Patton & crew.
3. A Hundred Highways: Johnny Cash
4. Monsters on 45: Zombina & The Skeletones
5. Suspended by Stars: The Wonderstuff

Any I missed?


DISCUSS:

So we just spent the day listening to JJJ Hottest 100.







And I am GLAD that todays youth are having their civil liberties taken away from them from todays government COS THEY WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR FREEDOM IF THEY HAD IT!!!!!

Fucking christ! What a bunch of derivitive, bland bunch of average crap!!!





HOW THE FUCK DID KAYNE WEST get on the charts??

Was it his INSPIRED formula of taking a great song (Curtis Mayfeilds' "Moving on Up") sampling a loop and then hitting REPEAT and then rapping ATROCIOUSLY over it??!!





FUCK!!!





Aside from that... a great day was had at the Love Shack! Beers, gin cocktails, bbq'd meats, live webcams sunshine, australian FLAG tattoo's on cleavages and good company!!


Tomorrow I may post up MY top 50 songs!

Tune in!

Feel the HEAT!

It might be a good thing that I'm not house sharing these days.

In this heat (30-40 degree's) I've just been striping off the layers of clothes until I can't go no more.


I was going to post a photo..... but decided against it.

non-communication.

I've been away from the internet for the last 2 weeks.

Still waiting for it to be hooked up at home. Should be good in the next few days.

Expect a return to our normal publishing schedule at that time.

In the mean time there is these breaking news items:

I bought a scooter for $15 from K-Mart! My transport problems ARE OVER! (except I rode a bike the other night and it was fun!)

Trying to get tickets for the Australian Open.

Trying to get my hands on a fishtank.

Trying to get my eye back in on the drawing front. Attempting such projects as a painting, t-shirt designs and just plain, old fashioned sketching. It's remarkably harder then I thought it'd be!

Xmas DAY 2006

I guess on reflection my Christmas this year was very Australian- esp for my Northern hemisphere readers!
Here is our tree:
Note the Weber bbq and the Galah at the bird feeder in the background!

Here is another shot of the wrap around verandah with a bunch of Galah's having a go at the feeder. These Galah's are pretty bossy and push off the other birds.
There's a pair of Crimson Rosella's that come down and are pretty tame. I was able to feed them from my hand.



After we had breakfast and exchanged gifts within the Fraser family we headed off to my uncles beach house at Copacabanna. (A beach on the Central Coast- in between McMasters and Terrigal).
And by beach house I mean RIGHT ON THE BEACH:

It's a fantastic place and with an outlook I really appreciated this year.

All the Uncles, Aunties and Cousins get together each year for lunch and table tennis competition. It's quite a big table spread:

Lunch consists of cold meats, seafoods and lots of salads. Oh, and plenty of beers and wine!
Anyways.... that was pretty much my Christmas this year.

Xmas EVE 2006

So this year I did Xmas the traditonal FRASER way!

This involved heading to The Valley- the parents weekender- a little over an hours drive north from Sydney.
I really dig it up there!

The folks were already up there, but I drove up solo as the brothers were taking to long to get themselves ready. Once you get off the main road you have to drive along a dirt road that eventually comes into a very scenic valley, and as soon as you hit the bottom, on cue, you have to casually swerve past the wallabys that are hanging out on the road.

As I pulled up the drive way I noticed that there was a PIG in the paddock out front of the house. I asked my dad about it and he said he thinks it belongs to someone a few properties up the road. I decided to go down and check him out!

He was pretty friendly and liked a bit of a pat (and a feed!)

About an hr later my brothers arrived so we all went down to check out the pig again...

(Thats the Los Bros Fraser! L-R: Matt (eldest), Nick (youngest and tallest(6'4!), Todd (largest) and me (shortest and 2nd eldest).

We were chilling up on the verandah when I looked down and saw the PIG in our garden. Somehow he'd gotten out of the paddock and wandered up to see us! He hung out for a bit until Dad chased him off.

I guess we had a typical Australian Christmas Eve dinner:

Prawns and snags on the barbie!!!

Hey- I think Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers plays bass in Younc MC's (awesome) song "Bust a Move!"

It's midnight on saturday. I'm just about finished off a bottle of wine and the film clip just came on cable!

I think I HAVE TO obtain that song!


If I had it it'd be just another weapon in my aresonal to beat DI in dj battles!!


YOU HEAR THAT?

It's almost been a YEAR since our last battle, DI!

TIME FOR A RE-MATCH!!!

Ho Ho Ho- HOE!

I know it looks shitty- but click on it and it'll open up all nice and pretty. And then you can see my shitty animation!!!

So it's been very quiet around here of late. I guess alot has been going on, but I honestly haven't had the inclination to post anything. No internet at home dosen't help either.

The world seems like it's still spinning at an alarmingly rate- and I feel dizzy and unsettled by it all.

The Diggsville Offices have successfully relocated to Melbourne where we nabbed ourselves a fantastic RAD-PAD/LOVE-SHACK/BUNGALO!
The London/Spanish Project epic has wrapped up. We've visited EVERY god-damned home wares/furniture/white goods store EVER created. I reckon I dropped a few grand in the last few weeks so my tollerance levels for shopping is now at an all time low!
Just got back from my 3rd Xmas shopping expedition and it was pretty lack lustre.

I find I'm missing being in Europe and even living in London. Melbourne seems like a big country town and my survival instincts have been put to the test over the last 2 years that everything this side of the world seems tame and small-towness.
Live is safe and easy here.
Although there are an enormous amounts of junkies and fucked up people in Melbourne. Which I'm curious about as life here is just so much easier. I guess it's all about comparasion.

Looking forward to kicking it Melbourne-style proper-like come January. We'll see how my itchy feet and wandering spirit goes at settling.

London is covered in a thick fog over the last few days. It's so bad that airports have closed. I'd like to have seen this! Must make for a very atmospheric time of year!

Instead I've been in the desert/drought/bushfire stricken Melbourne! Seriously- it's so dry and dusty that our local park feels like the outback.

I'm up in Sydney where it's still very green and lush. Esp in my folks neck of the words in the North. ALthough the weather is pretty wussy. Low 20's. Overcast and rainy. I was hoping for some pool-side action and beach excurisons- but NO!
Today ain't so bad. Hight 20's.

Think I'll go for a swim!

Enjoy your holidays whereever you maybe!

Tunes: Part 102.

If it's not THE PIXIE JUNKIES, it's the BELLE AND SEBASTIAN CULTISTS!!!


I can't win I tells yah!

More shitty artworks

.......?!?!

ALSO:

Working in the new studio in Melbourne. Working hard. But made more easy with the eye-candy in the room. (I like to perve on Garth when he's pretending to work (but I'm sure he's actually reading downloaded comics or playing around with tattoo designs. WE SEEEE YOU!!)
Really can't quite wait till next week when my current BIG deadline has passed so I can chill out a bit and enjoy Melbourne. Although I'll probally be stressing about house hunting then!

WHICH REMINDS ME:

House hunting SUCKS ARSE! Not made anymore enjoyable then cocksucking agents and rip-off slum lords!

I would like to see this movie: