The urge to write has kicked in again, so here’s what I’ve been up to since the last actual proper update. There’s been some gigs, some leather and more thoughts on LARP. So, let’s start with the music shall we?
Gig 1: The Sunnyboys. One of the leading lights of the early 80’s Sydney rock scene, embarking on their farewell tour. I had to travel down to Newcastle for this, though managing to book a room above a pub barely 200 meters from the venue was a masterstroke on my part. Also an accident, but enough of that. It’s been a while since I’d seen a gig with that much love in the room, and tears of love and joy. The songs were just as wonderful live as they were on record, with Trouble In My Brain hitting a lot harder knowing of both singer Jeremy Oxley’s undiagnosed (at the time) schizophrenia and my own brain issues. I’m Shaking and Tunnel of Love were beautiful in their intensity and Alone With You had the audience cheering and weeping in equal measure. I’d have loved to have my wife there to fall into her arms and weep. That song has quite the effect on me.
Gig 2: Heilung. A band best described as Iron Age folk music and who’s gigs are described as rituals, I was really glad to manage to get a ticket for it. Presentation and atmosphere wise, it was 10/10 and more shows should begin with an acknowledgement of country. A curious mix of people in the crowd, ranging from goths to Vikings to goth Vikings. Between the light show, the band chanting and people wandering round stage with swords and spears, there was no shortage of things going on. It also featured one of the most Australian things I’ve ever seen, with the cheers at the end of one song punctuated with a loud cry of “Aww, fuck yeah cunt!” Very glad I saw it, but the songs did kind of blend into one another, though not in a bad way, more a Ramones circa It’s Alive kind of way, if that makes sense. More atmospheric than air guitar, but it was a hell of an experience either way.
Gig 2: Metal Gods. A tribute to the works of Judas Priest and the late great Ronnie James Dio, fronted by former Priest vocalist Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens and featuring former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright. This was a night of air guitar, flailing limbs and HEAVY FUCKING METAL, some of my favourite things. Look, Ripper’s between song banter could have been trimmed, but getting Kill the King, Electric Eye, Hell Bent for Leather and The Last in Line all performed in a row was basically an out of body experience for me. And that’s without mentioning the two older gentlemen near me who were having the time of their lives – the excited hug they gave each other when the intro to Holy Diver started didn’t just warm my heart, I damn near wept. Yes, I can weep with joy and air guitar – it’s called multitasking. Guitar solo’s probably should have been left back in the 80’s, or when the singer badly needs to pee mid concert, but the encore of Heaven and Hell made it all worthwhile. A glorious night at which I air guitared as if my life depended on it, and I regret nothing. I’ve talked with my wife more than once about bringing her to one of these shows so she can watch me. She likes doing that.
Gig 4: Henry Rollins. The artist I’ve seen the most over my life (in band and talking mode), it had been far too long since he’d graced our shores. Basically, he will hit stage and talk at (not to) the audience for around 2 and a half hours barely taking breath and I’d missed it so damn much. It’s hard to explain unless you’re there, the way he can go from side splittingly funny to brutally emotional in about 2 seconds flat, but he manages it like no other artist I’ve ever seen. It was a friend of my wife’s first time seeing him and I’m not sure she had any idea what was about to hit her. She’d heard his spoken word albums, but the experience of seeing Henry in the flesh is something else.
So yeah, there’s been some great shows. Some other great things have arrived in my house of late – there was the giant hat I wore at Path of the Warden, which took nearly a year to arrive but was worth the wait. Thanks to an op shop I got my hands on a long held dream, that being a heavy biker style jacket. My wife calls it my Ramones jacket, I call it my mid-life crisis. Sleeves are a little long for my arms, but putting the thing on just makes me feel good, and really, that’s what’s important. Though I’m torn between feeling hell bent for leather and wanting to hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach… Lastly, some armour! I was at a recent medieval event, demoing with my sword group, and while wandering early in the day, saw it. The leather worker was kind enough to let me try it on, it fit, and unknown to me my fate was sealed there. I checked with my wife, who approved, and while I held out as long as I could, by the end of the day the urge was too strong and I raced back and purchased it. it’s not exactly a fit for my Warden character, but I’m eyeing it off wearing it at Lost Settlers next year.
Speaking of Warden, it’s been on my mind a lot, or to hear my wife tell it, “It’s all he’s been able to talk about.” She’s not wrong. Future events are still unknown and my feelings are “Don’t give me hope.” Don’t get me wrong, if one is announced I’ll be there like a shot, as I adore my character and want to continue his story, but only if things are worthwhile. I don’t want an event for the sake of one, but only if there’s a good reason in character for it. I don’t want to cheapen the experience, or have diminishing returns. If I lived closer I’d be petitioning for a smaller scale event, whether that be my character’s wedding or the PC’s coming back together to tell bullshit stories about our exploits. I also just really want to see all the other players and crew again, as they were universally lovely. To spend more time with those I barely talked to that game, swapping “No shit, there I was” stories and bouncing round terrible ideas, like a convention after party but with foam weapons. *ponders* There’s an idea in that…
It’s also had me musing on how much the short format event pushed me out of my comfort zone and to get shit done, as does the threat of perma-death. I’m sure I’ve talked about this before, but for new readers I’ll give you the short version: basically, I need deadlines to get shit done. Regular events have me going “Oh, I’ll do that thing next session” whereas one shots have me all “Gotta get stuff done ASAP!” I like getting stuff done in games, it helps things stick in my head. All too often a session will end and I’ll think “What actually happened that session?” It’s no slight at all to the other players or GM, just how my brain functions. I really enjoyed how much I managed to get done/experience at Warden, and hope to continue that at future games I get to. I’ve been looking into getting to Concord at some point, game in New Zealand again, or even trying to run something myself again, hopefully having learnt some lessons from my last few attempts. Pheno first though, for which I should be writing.
Time for bed now. Be seeing you,.