Grok #4 2016 by Curtin Student Guild

FREE Issue #4 2016 Published by Curtin Student Guild

B R E XIT A N D P OST T R U T H P O LITI C S F ESTIVA L FI RSTS N G AI I R E AT JAC K R A B B IT S LI M ’ S S LOS H ’ S BA R & G R I L L

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Student Banking Join1 today and to say thanks we’ll put $202 into your account.

Plus, join1 before 31 August 2016 and you could win3 $2,500! Visit our marquee at Guild Day – 3 August, Bentley campus Our student banking incorporates a range of products designed to help you during this busy and exciting time in your life. Join the Bank today and we’ll look after you when you need it the most, now and in the future.

Apply1 today or talk to us at Guild Day unibank.com.au or 1800 864 864 UniBank is a division of Teachers Mutual Bank Limited ABN 30 087 650 459 AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 238981. 1. Membership eligibility applies to join the Bank. Membership is open to citizens or permanent residents of Australia who are current or retired employees, students and graduates of Australian Universities, or family members of existing members of the Bank. This banking package is available to you if you are a current full time student at any Australian University, and may be withdrawn at any time. Conditions of use – Accounts and access document and Fees and charges brochures are available online or from any of our offices. You should read both of these documents before deciding to open accounts and access facilities issued by Teachers Mutual Bank Limited. Any advice provided here does not take into consideration your objectives, financial situation, or needs, which you should consider before acting on any recommendations. For further information call 1800 864 864 or go to unibank.com.au 2. The Bank will credit an initial $20 into your Everyday account once opened. An additional $20 will be credited into the Everyday account when you make a purchase with your UniBank Visa Debit Card within 28 days of opening your membership. 3. Terms and conditions apply and are available online at unibank.com.au/join. Offer available to residents of Western Australia only. Membership must be opened by 4pm WST 31/8/16 to be eligible for the prize draw. UniBank is a division of Teachers Mutual Bank Limited ABN 30 087 650 459 AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 238981 | 00954P-MAR-UB-0716

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Issue #4 / 2016

Contact

Contributors

Grok exists for entertainment purposes only. The views expressed therin are not necessarily that of Curtin Student Guild.

Email // grok@guild.curtin.edu.au

Grok would not exist were it not for the generous donation of time and effort of its contributors, to whom we are eternally grateful.

We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we are situated on, the Whadjuk people. We wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this university, city, and this region.

Editor // Stephanie McGann Music Editor // Jasmine Uitermark-Thuang

Chloe Macri / Joe Wilson / Charlie Lewis / Rachelle Erzay / Georgia Nielsen / Stephanie McGann / Josh Soutar / Elise Van Aken / Sarah Bellis / Jasmine Uitermark-Thuang

Art Direction & Design // Rozanna Johnson Cover // Rozanna Johnson Printed on 100% recycled paper.

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EDITORIAL

Stephanie McGann 2016 Grok Editor

IT WAS TH E B E ST O F TI M E S , IT WAS TH E B LU R ST O F TI M E S … Somewhere

between catching a Pidgey at The Bird (no, that’s not a euphemism) and polishing off a few celebratory brewskies, you’ve found yourself back/at university. Whether you are slumping, blearyeyed back to class after four glorious weeks of sweet, sweet hedonism or you’re hitting the books for the very first time, you are in for a treat. I mean, sure, this semester will pose its challenges, but it’s OK because you’re one of us now. Yes, that’s right – I know you are because you’re reading this, and that means you’ve fallen into the pages of this little nugget of stories that we call Grok. Take us, hold us, keep us in your backpack, your desk, car, toilet floor – we don’t care! Just know that we’re here for you at all times, good and bad, when you’re in need of some word-nourishment you can touch.

Which brings me to my next point: touch. Or, more specifically, getting in touch with keen writers, and nonwriters who would like to write, and non-writers who don’t want to write, but who have a story to tell – ya feel? Hopefully my scattered rambling didn’t lose you there because the thing is: I want you. I want your stories and I am offering you a delicious, little square-shaped platform to get them out there. Whether you’re studying extractive metallurgy or constitutional law; forensic sexology or sensory evaluation of wine (a real unit, the discovery of which has me reevaluating my entire degree/life). Perhaps you’re all about coastal and marine science or relativistic astrophysics? Whatever your poison, if you’ve got a story, an idea, or a question you want to flesh out, give me a yell at grok@guild.curtin.edu.au. We have two more print instalments

this year, and some surprises brewing, that I would love for you to be part of. What have we got for you this time round? Well, we’ve collated some rad reviews, opinion, features, creative non-fiction and poetry to keep you company as you saunter into your first, second, or tenth uni semester. As always, a whole lotta love has gone into these recycled-paper pages and I want to thank all of our contributors and our designer, Rozie, for making my job such a gosh-darn pleasure. And on that note, I’ll leave you to leaf through this magazine in peace. I like to think you’re somewhere cosy with a warm beverage in one hand and Grok Issue 4 2016 in the other. It’s the romantic in me.

Bye for now! Steph

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4-6. YO U R STUDENT REPS

Catch up on all the goss from around the Guild!

C O N TP ER N ET Z S

18.

ONWARDS

STUDENT ASSIST

10.

Tips for Tax

Sweet Tunes and Sam’s Screams

12.

Club News

From Where You’d Rather Be: Warsaw, Poland

Brexit and Post-Truth Politics

14.

REVIEWS LIVE MUSIC: Ngaiire / Olympia SLOSH’S BAR & GRILL: Hot Sauce & Craf t Beer Wine & Cheese Platter 5-DOLL AR WINE CRITIC: Hidden Gem Cabernet Merlot 2015 FOOD: Mar y St Baker y MUSIC: Spaceman / Stane

Positive Thinking: Positively the Best Self-Help Strategy Ever

FILM: Septembers of Shiraz

16.

Sailing Through Time

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PREZ

G U I LD P R E S I D E NT

GENERAL S E C R E TA R Y

Jake Wittey

Liam O’Neill

W H I L S T YO U W E R E A L L AWAY ON BREAK (WHICH ISN’T A FA I R N A M E FO R I T, I S I T ?), YO U R G U I L D R E P S W E R E H E R E W H I T T L I N G AWAY TO M A K E YO U R S E CO N D S E M E S T E R G R E AT.

DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION As you all most certainly would have noticed, there was a Federal Election. The Coalition, by the hairs of their chin, got re-elected. In terms of the cost and quality of your education, this isn’t really the best news. As I had mentioned in my previous Grok, the Education Minister prior to the election had announced that he is considering “options” to “reform” higher education; reforms such as deregulating the fees of your degree, partially deregulating certain courses (which isn’t good news for Commerce and most Health Science students), reducing the HECS-HELP repayment threshold, and cutting Federal funding to higher education. These “options”, no matter which one is chosen, will mean that the cost of your degree will be moved more so onto you.

We will be organising against this over the next semester, so if you would like to be involved, please email me at president@guild.curtin.edu.au.

SURVEYS AND FOCUS GROUPS We love working for you! But we really want to know how we’re going. This semester we will be relaunching our Guild Satisfaction Survey, and will be putting out a call for participants in focus groups. Calls for participation will be made via your Guild’s Facebook page, and emails to your student email address.

A WIN FOR STUDENTS Something amazing is coming to Basement Café soon friends… That’s it for me!

Welcome to Semester Two, which for me is always the busier semester, most importantly because it is Guild Election semester. This year’s Guild Elections will be from Monday the 19th of September to Thursday the 22nd. A GROK election edition will be coming out soon with all the information you need! The proposed Regulations were circulated and with no objections have been submitted for approval to the University Council which will hopefully approve them at its august meeting. My work now turns to implementing these and the 2017 Guild Budget. I also unfortunately left my “make curtin great again” hat on my flight to Sydney, not that much of a loss anymore, meme’s dead, thanks Donald. As always feel free to give me buzz at generalsec@guild.curtin.edu.au if you want to know something about this amazing guild of ours!

Love Your President

peace and love Liam

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GUILD REPS

HUMANTITIES FAC U LT Y R E P

Lewis Whittaker Hi there! I hope you had a pleasant mid-year break! It went a lot quicker than many of us hoped for… At the Guild, we were hard at work preparing for another fun semester of events, including Guild Ball (7 th of October) and the Pasar Malam night markets on the 19 th of October. I hope to see you all there! As always, if you have any issues at all with university life feel free to email me at humanities@guild.curtin.edu. au or come see me during my consult hours, which I have moved to 1-3pm on Thursday. I’ll always try and answer your emails within 24 hours. I’m here to help!

WO M E N ’ S D E PA R TM E N T

H E A LT H S C I E N C E S FAC U LT Y R E P

M AT U R E AG E D E PA R TM E N T

Kieran Gulvin

Jordan Piggott

Hey hey people... Coming back from the break, it’s kind of absurd just how much has happened. We have the same government but with Pauline Hanson in the senate, everybody’s playing Pokémon and it feels like the year 2000 again, and I got to shave a dude’s head.

Hey folks, You might have heard that the Mature Age Department will be changing next year! In order to make best use of our limited resources we’ve decided that the responsibilities of the MA Department will be shifting to the Education Vice President. We think this will be a great move and will help to ensure that Mature Age students still have a point of contact within the Guild whilst also maximising our ability to provide essential services.

A lot of things stay the same however. I’m still not getting enough sleep and relying heavily on multiple cups of coffee to get me through the day and Harambe’s still dead. This semester should be a goodun though, and we here at the guild have a lot of fun stuff on the horizon! I’m planning to send out a survey on group assignments so we can learn what does and doesn’t work for you, so we can suggest some changes to the higher ups at Curtin.

Jayne Kazich Hello! Myself and four other students have been in Sydney attending NOWSA 2016. It was fantastic to meet so many other women students from around Australia. I am very excited to share all I’ve learnt about intersectional feminism and advocating for women students so make sure you are following our Facebook page www. f ace b o ok .com/women at c u r t i n . The women’s department has also

been very busy organising Athena Magazine which is a magazine written and illustrated exclusively by women identifying and non-binary students. If you are interested in participating in the magazine please contact the Women’s department via Facebook or email women@guild.curtin.edu.au.

With this in mind, it’s really important that we ensure we know what is on Mature Age students’ minds in 2016 before the handover at the end of the year, so we will be hosting a Mature Age forum in the first few weeks of semester (make sure you check your emails!). Remember, you can shoot me an email at any time with questions, concerns or just to catch up: mature@guild.curtin.edu.au

Have a lovely day... Jayne. #4

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GUILD REPS

I N T E R N AT I O N A L S T U D E N T S CO M M I T T E E ( I S C )

Natasha Woenarso Welcome or welcome back to Uni! During the semester break, a couple of the committee members including myself attended a conference organised by CISA (Council of International Students Australia). CISA is the peak national body for advocacy, run by international students. Hundreds of students across Australia attended the conference and I have learnt that, compared to other universities in other states, Curtin University and the Guild are doing exceptionally well when it comes to providing support for students, both domestic and international.

“I’M SPENDING A YEAR DEAD FOR TAX REASONS.” – DOUGLAS ADAMS

In Semester Two, the ISC will be organising one of the biggest events of the year, Multicultural Week. It is a week to celebrate the diversity at Curtin and begins on Monday the 17th of October. It ends with Pasar Malam (or, ‘night market’ in English) on Friday the 21st of October. And on that note, I’m gonna go catch some Pokemons, gotta catch ‘em all!

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IN THIS ISSUE, THE STUDENT ASSIST TEAM TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT TAX It’s tax time and if you’re like most people who work, you need to lodge a tax return – even if you’re an international student! If you are earning money then you are already paying tax and because the government usually takes more than needed, your Tax Return is the way to ask for it back.

SOME FAQS Q: I’M NOT AN AUSTRALIAN CITIZEN. DO I HAVE TO LODGE A TAX RETURN? A: You don’t have to but you might

want to after reading this. If you are on a student visa and you are working in Australia then you are paying taxes. Check your payslip to see how much tax is being deducted from your pay. If tax is being taken out of your hard earned earnings then the good news is you are eligible for a tax return. Q: DO ATO TAX RETURNS COME IN OTHER LANGUAGES? A: Of course! How else would the ATO extract money from Australians

who don’t speak English as their first language? To date there are forms in 19 different languages and if there is not one in yours just ask. The ATO won’t let language barriers get in the way of their tax collecting! Q: SHOULD I PROVIDE MY TAX FILE NUMBER WHEN I OPEN A BANK ACCOUNT? A:

Short answer …. Yes! The long answer is still yes. It is not compulsory but not providing your TFN means the bank will apply withholding tax on any interest earned on savings held in your account. You can claim this back in your tax refund at a later date but why pay it in the first place?

GOT MORE QUESTIONS? CHECK OUT THE AUSTRALIAN TAX OFFICE WEBSITE: WWW.ATO.GOV.AU DROP IN TO STUDENT ASSIST IN BLD 106F OR CALL 08 9266 2900 TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

NEED HELP WITH YOUR TAX? Curtin Student Guild’s annual Taxhelp program will commence from Monday 1st Aug 2016. BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT NOW. The program is free and open to anyone with simple tax matters and an income of $55K or under.

TO BOOK, CALL 08 9266 2900, OR DROP IN TO GUILD RECEPTION IN BLD 106F

Student Assist is the welfare department of the Curtin Student Guild. Simon, Juliana, Jo-Ann, Andrew, Olivia, Margot and Onki are there to support all students, postgrad and undergrad, with any personal, welfare or academic issues.

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CLU BS

CURTIN ACCO U N T I N G A S S O C I AT I O N (C A A ) The Curtin Accounting Association (CAA) is a new academic club that will be coming to Curtin in Semester 2. The aim of the CAA is to provide students with useful information that will benefit them as they progress through their degree and work towards a successful career. We hope to afford our members the opportunity to learn from and network with professional bodies, employers and other likeminded students. Essentially, we would like to offer a club that is not just supportive and social,

but also professionally valuable. We currently have a few event ideas in preliminary stages, including an “Ask the Panel” event, involving inviting Curtin alumni from a range of firms and organisations so that current students can ask about grad jobs, interview tips, how to get the most out of vacation work, and so on. We are also planning an on-campus BBQ with free a sausage sizzle for registering members. Details will be posted on our Facebook page once a time and location is confirmed.

We are already posting information about valuable upcoming events, employability tips and industry information that will be useful in any stage of your degree. You can join us and keep up to date on events and news at facebook.com/curtin.acct.assn.

massive amount of drill cores from all over the state (WA). So, imagine IKEA with its massive high-rise shelves. That’s the kind of shelves you will find at the Core Library. Oh … and a very specialized forklift is needed to take the drill cores out of the shelves and return them back. Users of the Core Library are mostly from mining companies, government offices, and university researchers. So, that’s how exciting our events usually are!

Common Ground (Room 101 Bld. 104). We need to know if you’re coming though, so please RSVP via https:// goo.gl/rj4X19. For other enquiries about our cool club, email us at curtisperth@gmail.com.

We would love to have you on board!

C U R T I N I N FO R M AT I O N S T U D I E S C LU B (C U R T I S) Hi all, we are CURTIS, the Curtin Information Studies Club. We are a bunch of undergrads and postgrads at the Department of Information Studies, who meet monthly for a meeting or an exciting event. Although our meetings are for members only, many of our events are open to everyone at Curtin. In this Club News, we want to let you know about our exciting group visit to the Perth Core Library in Carlisle. This library doesn’t hold books or audio visual materials, like most libraries do. Instead, this very cool (literally and figuratively, cause it’s a temperature controlled-facility) library holds a

Prepared by: Aditya Nugraha (July 14)

Our next event will be a little bit more serious (only slightly). It will be about Altmetrics. Sounds cool, right? If you are curious to know what that is, join us at 10am on Saturday, August 6, at

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FROM WHERE YOU ’ D R ATH E R B E : WAR SAW, PO L AN D Chloe Macri

W H AT E V E N I S WA R S AW ? Warsaw, or Warszawa in Polish, is the capital city of Poland. It is also the biggest city in the country, with a population of more than 1.7 million in the inner city alone. In 2012 it was ranked as the 32 nd most liveable city in the world. Despite its troubled and unfortunate past, Warsaw is a beautiful, peaceful and lively place full of olden charm, modern architecture and heaps of energy, ready to be explored. T H I N G S YO U ’ L L WA N T TO S E E The city of Warsaw has survived many historic and bloody wars and was almost completely devastated in World War II, with up to 85 per cent of buildings destroyed. With that in mind, first up on the list of things to see is the Old Town. Probably one of the newest old towns in Europe, and one of the loveliest, it was rebuilt after the horror destruction of WWII. It is now UNESCO world heritage listed

and it’s easy to see why; the town is picturesque and charming, perfect for exploring the many cobbled side streets. At the centre of Old Town is Market Square, which is full of restaurants, shops, buskers and old world charm. Castle Square is home to the old castle in Warsaw. Coming from Perth, where there’s literally no such thing as a castle, the charm of the old architecture, as well as its brutal and bloody history, make this place a must-see on any visit to Warsaw. Łazienki Park is an absolute must if visiting Warsaw. It is no ordinary park – an oasis in the middle of the city, it features a palace on the water, a theatre built in 1790 and a monument to Chopin. It is a park unlike any other and you could easily spend the day relaxing or exploring. There are so many things to do in this beautiful city. If you’re so inclined, the shopping is great, with the Złote Tarasy being a favourite among the locals and myself.

H OT T I P S B E FO R E YO U G O Warsaw is different to anywhere else I’ve been before. It has a different sense of identity and is very historic yet new at the same time. It is perfect for getting lost in and exploring, especially on a cool and fresh spring day, when everyone in the city, locals especially, are eating ice-cream in the sunshine (literally every second shop is an ice-creamery of sorts). The Polish Zloty (PLN) is your go-to currency when in Poland. Everything is much cheaper for us Aussies when we get over to the eastern side of Europe, especially basic living essentials like food. Currently, one Aussie dollar is 2.96 PLN, so the 1:3 ratio may be easiest when sussing out those conversions. It may seem like an old sleepy town but Warsaw has a lot going on! Get lost in the cobbled streets of the Old Town and get amongst the nightlife, but be safe and have a lovely time in this very beautiful city.

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10. 10.

SWEET TUNES AND SAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SCREAMS Georgia Nielsen

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11. 11.

SHE SCREAMED LIKE HER LIFE DEPENDED ON IT; HOLDING MY WRIST IN ONE VICE-LIKE GRIP AND THRUSTING HER OTHER HAND PASSIONATELY IN TIME TO KAREN O’S VOCALS. WE WERE SWEATY, BREATHLESS, AND EUPHORIC.

Sellers’ booming voices were clear over the music, but the waif-like girl plaiting hair seemed to shrink under the volume’s weight.

It was New Years 2010 and Sam had won two tickets to Southbound over MySpace. We were fifteen and this was our first music festival. They were the three most intense days of my life, which sparked a lifelong love of live music. Sam is still my favourite festival buddy. Within the first hours of the year we were in the back of her parents’ ancient Jeep and heading to Busselton. We took selfies and listened to every artist we memorised from the line-up. Sam was exactly how I imagined festival-goers looked; lithe and six-foot-one, with olive skin, now decorated liberally with Chili Peppers tattoos. She had the perfect combination of Chuck Taylor’s, denim shorts, a band t-shirt, and oversized sunglasses. I felt uncomfortable in my cotton sundress exposing my abundant pale flesh, which burnt in the car ride, and left me with the chafe from hell by nightfall on the first day. After being deposited didn’t look back.

the

main

entrance,

Racing through the check-points; we scanned tickets, showed IDs, had our bags checked and wristbands fastened. As we burst through the final gate I froze in my tracks. Other punters funnelled around me, the blockage in a steady stream of energy. A huge stage loomed in front of us. Bigger than anything I had ever seen. There were two more stages, almost as big, in the distance and pavilions for dancing. The emanating bass rippled the grass and rustled my clothes. My glasses were vibrating on my face. Hundreds of stalls had been erected in the uneven grass hawking food, merchandise, drinks, henna, and anything else we would need for three days of sweat, sun, and sweet tunes. Fragrant spices from the Hare Krishna van and grease from Red Rooster fryers mingled and wafted.

People littered the paddock. Beautiful girls dressed like Sam in tiny shorts, wearing huge straw hats, and gorgeous guys with bronze chests, and long, sun-bleached blonde hair. It was exhilarating to be around people that felt so passionate about music. G? G! Sam screamed. I grounded myself: this was real. She caught my wrist and ripped me into the thick of it. Hilltop Hoods were belting out ‘The Nosebleed Section’ as we weaved through the crowd. Throwing our bodies around with abandon, we jumped and thrashed because nothing else mattered. We laughed and cheered, and sang along at the top of our lungs. Threading through to the front, the inclusivity and friendship of the crowd was infectious. We were overheating when some Americans following Art vs Science literally showered us with vodka from hidden flasks. We were tired when a girl in a black dress and sunglasses, to hide her face, slipped us a pill. We snapped it in half and licked the crumbs from our hands, washing it down with water donated by a local. We reached the front as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ sound check finished. The first few chords of ‘Heads Will Roll’ started plucking when the crowd behind us surged. Thousands of people descended on the stage and my ribs crushed against the barricade. I looked at Sam in the dusk and gasped because I couldn’t breathe. She smiled at me and whispered in my ear: Nick Zinner is up there. As ‘Zero’ started she jumped, launching herself at the stage. One long arm stretched to the stage and the music, and the other hand held mine tight. I could feel the vibrations from the pulsing beats passing through Sam like she was a conduit straight to my soul. I concentrated on her. The way her eyes glittered, and her forehead beaded from heat and elation and the ecstasy. The way her legs propelled her in a different thump to the one reverberating through the air, and the way her waist folded over the barricade. I remember thinking how beautiful this night was, and how beautiful she was.

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12.

BREXIT AND POST-TRUTH POLITICS Charlie Lewis

LONDON-BORN WRITER CHARLIE LEWIS REFLECTS ON BRITAIN’S DECISION TO LEAVE THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE DANGERS OF POST-TRUTH POLITICS. So, here we are. Britain has stroppily packed our kit and decided we’re going home, in the most dreary and pathetic end to its time as a world power. What a bizarre kamikaze raid on Britain the Brexit movement was. It’s perhaps the greatest single act of upheaval a first world nation has faced this side of September 11, 2001. The pound has plummeted, and the UK itself is done for – Scotland will surely have another referendum on independence as soon as they can, and this one will be successful. Northern Ireland may go too, now that we’ve effectively re-partitioned the country. That, of course, all depends on someone actually having the guts to actually pull the trigger on Article 50. No one seems to want that job. The deed done, its architects (Johnson, Farage, Gove) dusted their hands and declared that the pilot to take us through the storm into which they’d steered us ought to be someone else.

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13.

The xenophobia, the pomposity, the pathetic yearning for a past that never really existed...

is rigged, that the question was just for show, and they would be asked again and again until they gave the correct answer. And even if we could do it again, we can never go back to what was before.

Remain, in many ways, lost as soon as it became clear that the vote was going to be close. Had the results skewed the other way, and Remain had scraped a victory, we would have never heard the end of it. Every NHS failure, every drop in the pound, every crime committed by someone with a middle-eastern surname would be traced back to the EU. At the very least, we’ll now truly know just how many of Britain’s real and imagined woes really do emanate from Brussels.

The most telling sentence of the Brexit campaign came from Michael Gove. In response to many of the Leave campaign’s claims being debunked by more or less every creditable economist who cared to share their opinion, he said on Sky: “I think most people are sick of experts.” The most notable of these claims was that 350 million pounds were given to the EU every week that could otherwise be spent on Britain’s ailing NHS. It was demonstrably untrue, and even before the vote was finalised its proponents were backing away from it. Faisal Islam, Sky’s political editor, called the exchange an example of ‘post-truth politics’. The lie that becomes true with repetition is one thing. But posttruth politics adds an elegant little kicker – the position that expertise and facts are the reserve of snobbish elites who have no idea what’s really going on with the ‘real’ English/Australians/Americans who make their country great.

I heard a lot of progressive critiques of the EU, many of which I agreed with – this ‘unelected troika’, as Helen Razer put it, bullying and sucking wealth from small, vulnerable nations (most notably Greece) was far from perfect. But we have to be honest with ourselves. It was not solidarity with the Greek working class that won the referendum. The argument that won had pandered to all the worst instincts in the British psyche. The xenophobia, the pomposity, the pathetic yearning for a past that never really existed, the deference to posh twats like Johnson and slick city traders like Farage, who inexplicably succeeded in selling themselves as voices for the common man. They couldn’t guarantee any of their promises, and indeed, now they’ve all decided it is someone else’s job to try.

We saw this angry anti-intellectualism all over the Brexit debate. We also see it in Pauline Hanson’s ‘98 per cent of Australians oppose Halal’ claim, and we see it practically every time Donald Trump opens his mouth. It’s getting more prevalent and more blatant for a reason. It’s working.

While I felt sympathy for the people marching against Brexit in the days after the decision, I had to wonder what they hoped to achieve. On July 10, a petition signed by millions calling for a redo was rejected, correctly, by the British government. The result came about because a large section of Britain’s population felt disenfranchised and angry. To tell that group that their voice really doesn’t matter would only hasten the spread of the poison. You think the Brexit campaign had a nasty, paranoid edge to it? See what happens when you tell those people that the system really

One trait I share with the people who voted out, is that I love my country of birth. And with the Brexit result, and everything it represents, I’m increasingly fearful for its future.

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14.

POSITIVE THI N KI NG:

WHILEhelp guides lining the walls of Elizabeth’s browsing the countless tattered self-

secondhand bookshop in Freo, something occurred to me. Either Abraham Lincoln was the unintentional forefather of realising total happiness or these books have documented, scientific basis. Naturally, I picked the first because, let’s face it, he had a sick-looking beard, which obviously means he was a pretty wise and knowledgeable dude. However, my left-brained academic side reared her lovely head and decided to look into it further.

POSITIVELY THE BEST SELF-HELP STRATEGY EVER

As it turns out, the key to health and happiness could be to adopt a positive mindset. Despite the variations of achieving happiness in the many books and guides, most of the strategies are based on evidence collected through the field of positive psychology.

Rachelle Erzay

But what does positive psychology have to do with heath and happiness? (and no, this isn’t me trying to sell you The Secret in some metaphorical back alley).

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” - Abraham Lincoln

Birthed in 1998, positive psychology is the study of happiness. It draws from the humanistic theory of self-actualisation and personal growth, but instead of focusing on dysfunction and how to fix it (as was traditionally done), it focuses on human strengths and how to fulfil the human potential. Positive thinking is a building block. People tend to think it involves ignoring the negative aspects of reality only to see rainbows and butterflies. This is a slight over exaggeration. It means to approach life’s challenges with a positive outlook – taking a lemon and making glorious lemonade. Positive psychologist Martin Seligman describes positive thinking as an explanatory style. He says people with

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15.

optimistic explanatory styles tend to see negative outcomes as temporary, blame outside forces when bad things happen, and take credit for success. In contrast, people with a pessimistic explanatory style view negative outcomes as lasting, blame themselves when things don’t work out and fail to credit themselves. What positive psychology aims to do is replace pessimistic explanatory styles with positive ones.

T I P S TO B O O S T P O S I T I V I T Y: AVOID NEGATIVE INNER SELF-TALK: cut out those internal jibes that tear your self-esteem to tatters. Replace them with compliments to boost your selfconfidence. LAUGH:

Break out the sarcastic, witty quips/ hilariously lame dad jokes, or have a Friends, Family Guy or Seth Rogen movie marathon – whatever brings those bubbly feelings to the surface – do it!

B U T W H Y I S T H I S S O I M P O R TA N T ? Multiple studies have shown that your mentality can actually affect your physical health.

EXERCISE: Yes, that hateful word. But exercise is proven to enliven your mood – all those endorphins released during a morning jog have the same psychological effect as eating chocolate (without the calories).

One study conducted by Dr Richard Davidson and researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, found the activation of brain regions associated with negative emotions appeared to weaken people’s immune response to a flu vaccine. In an interview with the New York Times, Davidson stated: “the brain has the capacity to modulate peripheral physiology”. He continued: “it modulates it in ways that may be consequential for health”. But your mindset does not only affect your immune response. According to beyondblue, individuals suffering from depression have been shown to have a higher risk of developing heart disease and other illnesses.

EXPRESS GRATITUDE: something as simple as saying

thanks for the five cents you found in an old pocket can bring moments of happiness to your day. CULTIVATE OPTIMISM: Training yourself to think positively is the same as building a muscle. You need to work consistently, reinforce positive goals, and feed your mind with positive information.

For us uni students, the stress of assignments and exams can negatively impact our health if we don’t take care of our psychological welfare. The importance of having a positive mindset is paramount for good health and optimal performance and while we are not genetically predisposed to think positively, it is a process that can be learnt. Over the coming semester, it is important you don’t lose positivity.

According to positive psychologists, and Lincoln, happiness is linked to how we think. And importantly, so is your health. You can’t achieve health and happiness if your mind is down in the dumps. Why not have a flick through one of those self-help books and see for yourself how your health and happiness can improve just by thinking positively.

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POETRY

Life ( He has a kind, silly face. The vast, sloping hole – a mouth that’s punctuated by a few teeth. Behind folds of slack skin his eyes, not yet opaque with cataracts, scream out from his crumpled head. Conversation is easy and he lets out a youthful laugh as his hand finds his breast pocket and retrieves his treasure. Two caramel photographs from 1945 depict a face that’s just as silly, albeit with a smile-full of handsomely crooked teeth. There is a woman, too and she would satisfy any formulaic beauty. I imagine their life playing out like a war-time movie; a technicolour production – he writes the girl letters whilst lonelily dodging death and suffocating with love. You know the sort. Would she or would she not have received them? Would she have let her tears slice the paper until the ink bled? And would she have kissed his silly face stupid when he finally made it home alive? Does he still know her? The rhythm of her breath, the contours of her body, her shape, her frowning brow, her tiny timbre, her huge heart. I hope so, and I imagine that she’s still alive to press her lips against that lop-sided mouth of his every time he comes home with the shopping.

SAILING THROUGH TIME Sarah Bellis

Frantic and passionate. Real, like each time could be the last ) Time.

Stephanie McGann

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THE SAILING BOATS ROCK ON THE RIVER, THEIR POWERFUL BOWS HELD TIGHT BY ROPE TO THE LAND’S EDGE. Like a

Tall buildings, all a pale cream colour, stand behind the ship, their purpose not revealed in the dark. A clock hung high on the tallest of the buildings, illuminated by one of the park’s few lights. As it ticked closer to ten and then eleven, I knew my time was up. I left my friends wandering the river’s edge, shoes clutched in one hand or abandoned on the splintering steps.

wall, they line the shore; the sailing club a mere hundred metres downstream. The biggest of the boats, however, is up several flights of stairs, sunk into a pit of sand, overrun by pirates — the kind whose only battle is their imagination. Large oaks shadow the park, their leafy canopies strung with birds – nature’s noisy decoration. Picnic blankets are scattered around, even some marquees are erected for the fancier of visitors.

The next time I ventured to Heathcote I had planned a date. I had taken a short walk along the cliff’s edge overlooking the river, the air still and sticky. It was nearly 40 degrees and I ached for the sun to dip beyond the horizon, but my wish would not be granted for several hours.

The children run across the ship’s many planks, parents chasing after the ones who venture a little too close to the edge. I duck out of the way as a small boy, no older than two, comes streaming past. His father gestures for me to cross the narrow pathway before he runs after the child once more.

“Sorry I’m late,” my date said, and I forgave him easily, for I had also gotten lost on the winding roads my first time here.

You can see across the river from here. During the day, the sun scolds as you climb higher on the ship, which disguises itself as a playground. However, as the day stretches into night, you can watch as the sun dips lower, meeting its reflection before disappearing from view, but not without first leaving behind gorgeous pinks and oranges. Lighting up both water and sky.

Whilst the ship overlooks the river, a small café overlooks the ship, made for tired parents in desperate need of a cup of tea. We both ordered milkshakes, our desperation more to do with the heat. I held the plastic cup to my cheeks, welcoming the cold drips of condensation. We had done a complete 180 since our last date at the ice arena — jackets and double socks recommended.

On my first visit to Heathcote Reserve, I was astounded. A giant ship ready for tipsy teenagers to run around, climb, slide down, and hide in its many nooks and crannies. Only a large wire octopus clinging to the bow stood watch over my friends, and of course me, the sober one.

When the heat became too much we moved to my car and blasted the air-con. I undid my hair tie, and enjoyed the feel of the slowly cooling air on my damp neck. And my face was its usual pink from the heat. Our wishes for cool weather were soon granted when the sky opened up, releasing wave upon wave of raindrops on the unsuspecting people below. Parents rushed to get their children; barbeques sizzled as the water hit the hot plate; and then there was my date and I, stepping out from under the cover of my car and looking up towards the sky in welcome.

I had not seen them in a year as we had all gone our separate ways since the last bell rang. However, as we ate the typical Aussie sausage sizzle in a folded piece of white bread, sung happy birthday out of tune, and drank ciders as the sun went down, it was as if no time had gone by at all. Like the children from the daytime, we played hide and seek in and around the ship. Despite my sobriety, I giggled as much as my friend did as we wedged ourselves into the bushes amidst bugs and sharp twigs. We were both glad to have been discovered early when the bugs began to bite.

Hair damp, and lips wet from the rain we did what any good fairy-tale would have us do… we kissed.

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REVIEW

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LIVE MUSIC:

NGAIIRE - JACK RABBIT SLIM’S, JUNE 18 Elise Van Aken Fellow supporting acts Jack Grace and Lanks are also worth a mention. The crowd were very into their stylings, and that wasn’t just the $6.50 Unicorn Tears shots talking.

There’s this place, but you’ve probably never heard of it (not really, it’s actually pretty popular). A place in our very own Northbridge with its very own five-dollar shake. If you haven’t been to Jack Rabbit Slim’s you are seriously missing out. Unassuming on the outside, but popping with personality and subtle Pulp Fiction references on the inside, this quirky club and cocktail bar was the perfect venue for the Sydney-based songstress Ngaiire’s local performance.

Ngaiire performed tracks from her newly released Blastoma album, as part of her Australian tour of the same name. Taking inspiration from her childhood battle with cancer, the Papua New Guinea-born singer proved that she isn’t just a pretty face and beautiful voice, but also a profound story teller.

Although my night got off to a rocky start, with apparent disorganisation on the venue’s part, it was saved by the smooth, chill sounds of the first support act of the night, Phocal. The electronica and vocal duo performed a mix of covers and original music, which all blended into one beautiful jazz and house inspired melody. It was a great accompaniment to the indie vibes of the venue and the crowd around me.

Her dynamic voice beautifully resonated through her soulful yet funky hybrid of pop, R&B and electronica. Her pure talent in the vocal department was only enhanced by the synthesiser looping her hypnotising vocal coos and powerful belts. Her music, at first listen, seems to be very pure and easy going, but then emerges into a secret pain she is letting the audience in on. Her performance is the sort that compels you to fully immerse yourself in it instead of living it through your Snapchat camera. Standout songs of the night included the single ‘Once’, ‘House on a Rock’ and ‘I Can’t Hear God Anymore’.

By the end of the set, which had begun with a sparse dance floor and only the act’s friends cheering them on (reminiscent of that scene in Yes Man where Jim Carrey goes to see Zooey Deschanel’s band play), Phoebe Gunson and Jack Calneggia had the majority of the crowd swaying along to their blissful tunes. While I heard a patron in my vicinity comment: “it’s difficult to look hard-core playing a synthetic drumset”, Phocal succeeded in giving punters an excited pulse to head them into a night of great food, drink and of course, music.

The Australian idol alumnus is a true-blue talent and a triple threat in the music sphere, and could definitely rival many of today’s popular artists through her live-performance and the quality of her tracks. I would recommend checking out one of Ngaiire’s performances while they are still obscure and cheap as chips (tickets on the night were going for thirty-something dollars) – it is one you will never forget. #4

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REVIEW

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LIVE MUSIC:

OLYMPIA - AMPLIFIER, JUNE 24 Joe Wilson Olympia’s Perth leg of her Self Talk tour at Amplifier Bar was a shimmering spectacle of rock n’ roll, pop and soulful ballad; an interesting mix helping give rise to an appetising show. Supported by local husky vocalist Georgia Reed and artfully skilled Sydney artist Sarah Belkner, it was hard not to imagine the stage actually imploding from a critical mass of such female talent…thankfully the stage was left intact and no casualties had been afflicted, letting the crowd enjoy the crisp music of the talented songstresses for another day. With the artists fighting the faint echoes of a British India gig next door, they smashed out a concert filled with character, story, emotion and eloquence; standing out as exemplary performers.

synths laced with the sharply produced drum rhythms is what pervaded her set, making it feel much like a cheeky night club pill; the contents of each successive song being unknown and perhaps dangerous, but the anticipation of enjoyment elapsing into something truly unlimited and boundless.

The first to grace the stage and satisfy the insatiable tastes of those listening was evocative songstress Georgia Reed. Armed with a talented band, the numerous amounts of instrumentalists on stage kept the eyes entertained, with plenty of movement denoting a heady fiesta. With her distinct vocals filling the room, Reed and her band blasted out an old, honest kind of rock; timeless and classic, yet still retaining that rough and ready feel. Props had to be given to the lead guitarist, who shredded like a pro without any effort in between every other song bridge. The crowd eventually drew closer to the stage, with whatever lacking in numbers being compensated in intimacy. The only great tragedy was the lack of sufficient numbers to form a hoe down when a new single leaning towards the country/ western style was played.

If you could personify a disco ball, and apply it to the human form then it would probably come out as Olympia. Clad in a shimmering silvery jumpsuit and looking like a female lead from a 60s Sci-Fi flick, it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine the red electric guitar to be replaced by a raygun. Olympia felt like an artist in every sense of the word, being guided by the backing band yet intricately painting her songs with an exciting riff on the guitar. With Sarah Belkner returning to the stage on keys and backing vocals; the crowd prepared for a really entertaining set. Cycling through the slow undulating broodiness of ‘Honey’, to the funky catchy melodies of ‘Tourists’; Olympia’s vocals left an unforgettable impression on the back of the mind, leaving behind an emotional weight which couldn’t be lifted away. With vocals and lyrics which nod to an older style of singer-song writing Olympia managed to pull off a vintage vocal sound which pushed forward with modern, catchy guitar licks and instrumentation. Finishing up with fan favourite ‘Smoke Signals’, Olympia solidified herself in the hearts and minds of the punters with an unfettering glam, not easily dulled.

Sarah Belkner lashed out some deliciously layered intricacies whilst armed solely with a keyboard. Humble, measured and friendly; her stage presence evoked a calmness which spilled into her music; reassuringly pleasing and crisp. Humorously asking the crowd to pretend the echoes of the music playing at the venue next door were a part of the Amplifier’s ambience, that request was easily met. With her music making any of the stringent noises emerging next door easily forgettable. Acidic #4

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ONE THOUSAND EYES Joe Wilson

SLOSH’S BAR & GRILL Josh Soutar

WELCOME TO SLOSH’S BAR & GRILL WHERE WE BRING YOU THE VERY BEST HOT SAUCE AND CRAFT BEER WE HAVE DISCOVERED SINCE LAST WE MET…

H O T S AU C E S E L E C T I O N :

PITBULL - JUNGLE RAIN GOURMET CHILLI

Peel back the layers And what do you see

There is something mystical about being able to capture a memory within a taste, but Grant from Jungle Rain has done just that. This is the spirit of Christmas in a bottle. This cherry, cranberry and moruga hot sauce begins with the tartness of the cherries and cranberries before a wave of sweetness rolls across your tongue and then the heat kicks in and slowly grows (and grows). This is the ultimate addition to roast meats (or literally anything else, really). Perfect. Heat 8/10 - Flavour 10/10 www.junglerain.com.au

One thousand eyes Staring at me Like a chess game On reality TV The allure of celebrity Hypnotising me With the heralding of The 21 st century

CR AFT B EER SE LECTION: FRESHIE SALT & PEPPER (LIMITED ED.) NOMAD BREWING CO.

The rise of adolescent Insecurities.

The contents of this bottle are magic. Seriously. A golden liquid full of wonder and awe. This gose (gose-uh!) is the most refreshing beer we have ever tried. Here is where it gets strange though – the addition of seawater from Freshwater Beach is genius. This beer smells and tastes like my memory of a childhood at the beach; the sun going down over the ocean, fish and chips on the sand, jumping off the bell at Cottesloe, the smell of salt in the air. A childhood well spent flashes through my mind with every sip. This is a very special beer - get it before I buy it all.

Definition of liberation Is to mean to be free By body and gender Brings shame to thee

10/10 (4.5% alcohol – 500 ml - $10.00)

FOR MORE DELECTABLE DELIGHTS FROM SLOSH'S BAR N GRILL, CHECK OUT JOSH'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL AT WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/SLOSHWORKS. #4

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REVIEWS

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SLOSH’S BAR & GRILL - WINE AND CHEESE PLATTER Josh Soutar

OVER HERE AT SLOSH’S BAR & GRILL, WE DON’T JUST LOVE HOT SAUCE AND CRAFT BEER. WE LOVE MOVIES. We love movies that transcend the medium to become inspiring pieces of art that will resonate forever. We love the z-grade movies that are so horrendously awful, they go all the way around to becoming something special. Each time we meet, we will present you a selection from our wine & cheese platter – bringing you a fine piece of cinematic art and a z-grade disasterpiece (yes that is definitely a word!).

unsettling. This movie will stay with you long after you’ve drained your glass dry and the credits have rolled. But what is the best cheese to follow such a classic French wine? This week we head deep into the verdant countryside of small-town New Zealand for some well-aged blue sheep cheese that could very well leave a Bad Taste (1987) in your mouth. Peter Jackson, yes the Peter Jackson who was given hundreds of millions of dollars to direct the Lord of the Rings trilogy, burst onto the scene in an explosion of blood, gore, chunky pea-green vomit and amazingly inventive effects in this budget schlock horror masterpiece. Filmed over four years on weekends using only a cheap camera, starring his friends and utilising do-it-yourself special effects, this movie truly has to be seen to be believed. Peter Jackson himself stars as both Derek and one of the aliens who invade the town of Kaihoro, planning to turn its inhabitants into intergalactic fast-food (Lord Crumb’s Crunchy Delights) with only the Astro Investigation and Defence Service (that’s right – AIDS) standing in their way. In one scene Jackson, as Derek, tortures an alien he has captured (also played by Jackson) while dangling precariously off a cliff – this is the true ethos of low budget do-it-yourself cinema. This movie is gory, violent, disgusting, ridiculous, silly and absolutely amazing. What a hell of a debut movie … and never forget that, “I am a Derek … and Derek’s never run!”.

To begin the evening, we bring you a fine French vintage from 1986, Betty Blue (37.2 Degrees in the Morning), which was directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix. If you track this down, and you should, make sure you find the director’s cut, which has an hour of extra footage. This passionate and tempestuous love story is not your normal story of boy meets girl. Zorg, the laconic genius who poured all of his creative soul into his epic manuscript of Hitler’s Memoirs, is caught up and swept along by the volatile and beautiful Betty. The movie is overflowing with beautiful imagery and from that iconic opening slow-zooming shot you know you are in for a hell of a ride, with arson, stabbings, kidnapping, Betty’s obsession with getting Hitler’s Memoirs published and a climax you would never see in a Hollywood love story. Béatrice Dalle gives such a raw, shattering and nuanced performance that her decline into madness is even more #4

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WINE REVIEW

22.

FIVE- DO LL AR WI N E CR ITIC Chloe Macri

H I D D E N G E M C A B E R N E T M E R LOT 2 0 1 5 This wine might be named Hidden Gem, but I suggest it should remain hidden, quite reasonably, as it is not the best drop this refined pallet has indulged in. It’s rough around the edges and doesn’t slide down your throat the way other $5 wines do. This wine is more like a lump of coal that is yet to become the diamond in the rough its name alludes to. The plum notes are pleasant, as are the subtler hints of red currant. They are not, however, enough to offset the coarseness of this drop. Somewhat sharp, with a fuzzy and coarse, semi-marathon finish, this wine is produced by James Busby Fine Wines, which is sold exclusively by Wesfarmers companies. Given James Busby is considered the founder of the Australian wine industry, you would think his name would attract a certain calibre of quality, but apparently this is not the case. This drop is excellent value for money with it going for as cheap as $3 a bottle and containing just under eight standard drinks. You’ll struggle to find a more affordable wine than this one. This wine is pretty rich and would accompany food quite well. It’s lacking in the niceties of some of its more expensive and renowned competitors - it is, however, a serviceable wine and can be enjoyed better when going to town on some savoury goodies. Hidden Gem rates 3 out of 5 lumps of coal.

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FOOD REVIEW

23.

M ARY ST BAKE RY

FOR: When you tell your housemates you’re popping out for a loaf of bread, you return with a-bajillion donuts and they love you forever.

Address: 507 Beaufort St, Highgate

Chloe Macri serious then you’ll need a menu and about seven stomachs because you’ll be spoilt for choice and struggling to finish just one dish. My absolute personal favourite is the fried chicken pancakes with maple butter. They are a staple here at Mary Street and it’s not hard to see why – they are a genius invention if ever I tried one.

If you are a hip and trendy, youngish uni student, with bulk coolness and many friends, then you need to get yourself down to Mary Street Bakery in Highgate. I went there for a quick coffee and ended up staying all day. MARY STREET BAKERY IS WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.

Whether you’re just in need of a loaf of bread on the way home, or want an all day kinda brunch on a sleepy weekend, this place is your guy. But Mary Street is not a regular bakery; it’s a cool bakery. And everybody knows it. The place is cosy and small without being overcrowded, the counter is stocked to the brim with various baked goods and the menu is always delish.

When you’re there, watch out for hipsters because they surround the place. The plain décor and laid back vibes make every day at Mary Street feel like a lazy Sunday morning when it’s a long weekend. It is ultra-trendy and therefore almost impossible to get a table straight away at hectic times, but the wait is never long and there’s much to do along Beaufort St in the meantime.

If you’re in the mood for a quick roll or pie, the counter at the back of the shop (the actual bakery, shall we say) is where it’s at, with a mouth watering selection, not to mention about ten different types of donuts with flavours you probably didn’t even know existed. The sweets counter is pretty impressive and if you can walk away from there without buying something then teach me your tricks because it gets me every time. If you want something more

The place is cool, the staff are lovely and the food is delish; you absolutely have to pop in to Mary Street Bakery for a donut (or four) and try it for yourself. Rates 8 out of 10 fried chicken pancakes (and don’t forget to buy some bakery sweets for later).

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REVIEWS

24.

ALBUM:

M I X TA P E :

SPACEMAN - PALM HAUS

STANE - TALES OF A STANED EXISTENCE

Jasmine Uitermark-Thaung

Georgia Nielsen

Perth local music is a metropolis of sound; sure, the same bands seem to be playing at Mojo’s and other music haunts every weekend but…there are outliers. They’re the kind of bands where you hear their sound and immediately go: “Oh damn!”.

Tales of a Staned Existance is the first solo mix tape from local Perth hip hop artist Stane. This EP breaks away from his usual gig, as part of the duo Poets Laureate, and throws listeners headfirst into the raw, grimy world of underground Australian hip hop. If you know nothing about that scene (like me), don’t stress because Tales of a Staned Existance will guide you through a comprehensive introduction to 15 tracks of unadulterated, uninhibited, unforgiving verse.

Spaceman are one of those bands. Coming onto the lo-fi scene a fair few years ago, Spaceman are one of the most DIY prophetic bands out there. Rewarded with total autonomy due to their attitude towards producing, recording, designing and promoting their music themselves, the band’s latest album Palm Haus is one of the best Perth releases I’ve heard in the past few months.

‘Hourglass’ is a highlight with the lyrics: “I climbed a thousand sand dunes to see if it would ever last”– who hasn’t felt that way? Title track, ‘Tales of a Staned Existance’, is a brutal biography about growing up in Morley. The heartbreak of losing his mum and friends, dysfunctional family Christmases, and the impact of drugs on his lifestyle are gut-wrenching truths infecting his music with authenticity.

Akin to their psycho-tropical aesthetic, Palm Haus surfaces as a neon haze upon listening. You’ll hear the first few tracks and immediately gravitate to their ‘Pond-esque’ sound as the synths swindle you of your sanity and mix your mind into a cathartic jam. ‘Alzheimer’s’ is a little more surf rock than the dominant vibe of Spaceman’s sophomore album, as the track’s bass line pulls the tune together into a medley of absurd harmonies and reverb drenched guitar ascensions.

The longing and bitterness in Stane’s verses mix effortlessly with the guest vocals spanning the tracks, including his Poets Laureate partner, Force, and another Perth local, Anna-Kat, who sounds beautiful on ‘Little Man’.

‘It’s Hard (Be Calm)’ is my favourite tune on Palm Haus. It comes onto the scene unassumingly, enveloping you in a wash of synth and floating vocals before kicking it up a notch in the percussion section. Strangely, it’s sometimes the simpler compositions that leave you with goose bumps.

As Stane rightfully declares, this mix tape is the true representation of hip hop on the dark streets of Perth.

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REVIEWS

25.

FILM:

SEPTEMBERS OF SHIRAZ Charlie Lewis Except as a mechanism to place our heroes in peril, the film is not particularly interested in the revolution itself. Its proponents all speak in vague anti-capitalist, anti-western slogans and its victims are, apart from the Amins, silent and largely off-screen.

Septembers of Shiraz belongs in a long-running tradition of films where the upheavals of the Muslim world are presented as significant only to the extent they effect non-Muslims. That is by no means a guarantee of a bad film (Argo is fine, Welcome to Sarajevo sublime), but allows for a western supremacy dynamic that the film has to get a lot right to avoid. Septembers of Shiraz does not get a lot right.

But, from Kipling to Dirty Harry, dodgy politics per se aren’t enough to strip art of its value if it’s provocative, or beautiful, or thrilling. Shiraz’s issues run deeper than that. How can a film set in such tumultuous times be so middling and so, frankly, dull? When it wasn’t irritating me, I found it didn’t actually make me feel anything. Australian director Wayne Blair’s shooting style (we consistently watch our characters from another room, through windows and doorways) seems to aim for the sense of constant surveillance, but merely imposes distance – we are detached observers when the film needs us to feel like participants.

We open on Tehran in August 1979 at an opulent party thrown by Isaac (Adrian Brody) and Farnez Amin (Salma Hayek). Life is good for the pair – their jewellery business is thriving and their son is about to start college in the US. But soon the escalating Iranian revolution identifies them as potential enemies – Isaac is arrested and tortured, their store and home are looted and the family is forced to attempt to flee. The casting is the first hurdle to trip the film up. Hayek is a distractingly poor choice for Farnez – substituting v’s for w’s does not erase her lyrical Mexican accent a jot, and an audience shouldn’t spend too long wondering where a character is supposed to be from. If we are to assume she is an Iranian Jew, it carries the troubling and dispiritingly common implication that all vaguely swarthy people look similar enough to be interchangeable.

There’s a moment, late on, when Isaac has just bribed his way out of prison and the family is preparing to run to the Turkish border and freedom. He is bathed and shaven for the first time in what feels like weeks. He asks Farnez if there is any wine. When she affirms there is, it appears to stir something in him and he takes a step or two towards her with an unmistakable look in his eye. They are interrupted before anything can come of it, but the moment gave me a jolt, a sense of something real at stake. A rumble of desire at this point does nothing to further the plot, but it reflects what might happen when two people, in the middle of harrowing experience, enjoy the briefest re-acquaintance with a sense of control and access to pleasure. In other words, it’s the only time we see our protagonists as people reacting to their circumstances, rather than characters doing what the plot demands of them.

You know why The Trial (a movie Shiraz is clearly gunning for comparisons with) works? Because Anthony Perkins is so weird and twitchy as Josef K that we’re never a hundred per cent sure he‘s innocent. This is not the case in Shiraz. From the first frame to the last, the Amins are very clearly good guys subject to a traditional narrative, rather than people subject to the cruelties of history.

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