ROCK CANDY MAGAZINE #09

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Leave it to global warming to ensure our summer down under gets extended by a good few weeks. And while it’s still fairly warm outside, it’s been positively steaming here at Rock Candy headquarters, especially while putting together this here Hot Issue. Being our very first, we thought long and hard about who deserved to be in it, traipsing through blogs, celebrity tabloids, music videos, sporting clips, festival programs and film trailers to sift, filter, distil, then sift, filter and distil once more, leaving us with a couple dozen bright nuggets, each worth more than their weight in gold. Packed with profiles on the hottest new and established icons, this special issue features folks that are making an awesome difference in the arenas of sport, motoring, hospitality, music, cinema, gaming, technology, and the mining industry itself.

Turn to our Contents page for the full list but to give you an idea, we’ve got interviews with Sons Of Anarchy starlet Winter Ave Zoli, singer Ellie Goulding, voice of authority Henry Rollins, bad-boy actor Nathaniel Dean, radical street artist Ben Frost, outrageous muso and film-maker Rob Zombie, champion boxer Danny Green, and a host of up-and-coming models, musicians, movers and shakers. Then there’s our cover star – stunning modelturned-actress Rebecca Da Costa who this year features alongside John Cusack and Robert De Niro in the very cool action thriller, The Bag Man. Our regular columnists, too, have been handed a ‘Hot’ theme card, with resident wellbeing contributor Heath Black discussing how to keep a cool head in heated social situations, relationship advisor Amanda Harrigan offering tips to spice up your sexual relationship, and FIFO wife Debbie Russo lamenting those moments when temperatures rise around the house. You see, when we go with a theme here at Rock Candy, we go all the way.

COVER IMAGE The Full Brazilian! Rebecca Da Costa photographed by Peter Svenson.

Antonino Tati Editor

Read it online!!!

with interactive contents

www.rockcandymagazine.com.au rockcandy_mag

PUBLISHED BY CANDY CUSTOM MEDIA (WA) PTY LTD P.O. Box 444 Northbridge WA 6865 www.candycustommedia.com.au

MANAGING DIRECTOR Cornelius Curtin conny@candymedia.com.au

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES sales@candymedia.com.au

CREATIVE DESIGN Barbara Bertoli design@candymedia.com.au

EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES editor@candymedia.com.au GENERAL ENQUIRIES info@candymedia.com.au

4 | March/April 2014

EDITOR Antonino Tati antonino@candymedia.com.au

CONTRIBUTORS Heath Black, Jake D. Frost, Simone Harle, Amanda Harrigan, Lee Johnson, Jordan Leist, Andrea Manno, Michael Mastess, Johanna Pool, Mike Ruiz, Debbie Russo, Peter Svenson

Rock Candy Magazine is published in Western Australia by Candy Custom Media Pty Ltd and distributed free of charge to resource industry workers at various locations around Western Australia (or $8.95 where sold). All rights reserved. No material published in Rock Candy may be reproduced in whole or part without prior written authority. Views expressed in Rock Candy are not necessarily the views of the editor or publisher. Rock Candy takes no responsibility for the accuracy of information included or for submitted content. Submissions grant the publisher the right to publish editorial in full or in part. © 2014 Candy Custom Media.

Average Net Distribution April 12 – December 12 95.05% verified bulk distribution


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CONTENTS - ISSUE 09 - THE HOT ISSUE 2014

COVER FEATURE

53

51

28. HOT ACTION FIGURE Ever wanted to experience a full Brazilian? You will once we introduce you to beauty Rebecca Da Costa. The stunning modelturned-actress stars alongside Robert De Niro in one of the year’s hottest flicks and deservedly heads up our inaugural Hot List.

THE HOT LIST 2014 32. ELLIE GOULDING 34. THE ROLLING STONES 36. JOHN BUTLER TRIO 37. TAME IMPALA 38. HENRY ROLLINS 39. MICHAEL CLARKE 40. JUSTEN BROWN 41. NICK BOSERIO 42. DANNY GREEN 43. NICOLE HARRISON 44. NATHANIEL DEAN 46. WINTER AVE ZOLI 48. ROB ZOMBIE 50. THE WORLD’S GREATEST SHAVE 51. CAPE TOWN 52. LIAM ALLEN & SARAH TOOHEY 53. MINJEE LEE 54. JOHN WELBORN 56. THE RETURN OF DONKEY KONG 57. CO-OP DINING 58. THE ‘LAGERITA’ 59. THE ART OF TIPPING

48

18

42

28

64. HOT SHOTS A fine selection of wicked celebrity portraiture by crafty lens-man Mike Ruiz, starring Katy Perry, Dita Von Teese, Kelly Rowland, Ludacris and icon-of-icons Debbie Harry.

18. POP CULTURE: REVIEWS Wolf Creek 2 has Mick Taylor looking like Wolverine but sounding like Darth Vadar; the fake INXS are looking all mixed up - especially on DVD. Plus a new Springsteen album and motivational book by Joe Manganiello.

REGULARS

34

08. COMPETITIONS Win tickets to see Russell Crowe butch it up for the big screen again in Noah, plus awesome Formula One DVDs.

20. HOMEGROWN TALENT

56

Three easy questions posed to three local musos delivering more fresh WA music.

23. GALLERY

11. THE BITS UP THE FRONT

Ben Frost blends all the best bits of comic book culture, and chucks in some porn and a few dozen big-business logos. Oh, you better believe it’s art.

The track heats up for the Perth 400 V8 Supercars Championship; actress Mia Wasikowska goes bush; and meet the company that sorts date nights out for you.

61. HEATH’S HEALTHLINE

13. GADGETS & STUFF Nifty gizmos for your next big outdoor gig. Do you go for the butch barbie or the fancy one?

Heath Black on avoiding heated social situations.

64

62. AMANDA’S ADVICE

15. FASHION IN, FASHION OUT

Tips to spice up your sexual relationship… and it doesn’t all have to be in the bedroom.

What’s hot and what’s not according to the Rock Candy thermometer.

63. THE FIFO WIFE

17. STICK IT IN YOUR DIARY

Deb Russo suggests a visit to the lake when temperatures start rising around the house.

Auto action at the Australian Cadillac LaSalle Internationals; and locals make way for a carnival-style Freo Street Arts Festival.

6 | March/April 2014

36

72. SOCIAL STUDIES Snaps from the Big Day Out.


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Competitions

WIN! DOUBLE IN-SEASON PASSES TO SEE ‘NOAH’

WIN! FORMULA ONE DOCO ‘1’ ON DVD

If you get an adrenaline rush out of watching Formula One racing, you’ll be buzzed about the release of motor action doco 1 which showcases the speed, danger and sometimes even glamour of F1 Grand Prix racing. Narrated by Michael Fassbender (of ‘X-Men’ fame), with commentaries by the legendary likes of Michael Schumacher, Mario Andretti and Niki Lauda, the doco tells the story of the golden age of Formula One racing when the sport became terrifyingly dangerous. In fact, in the 1960s, Formula One cars doubled the hazard stakes while drivers began making even riskier manoeuvres – many of which lead to injury or, worse still, death. 1 follows the story of the drivers who raced on the edge and those who stood up to challenge and change the sport forever, featuring phenomenal archival footage that’ll impress the most ardent of racing fans. 1 is available on DVD and Blu-ray through Hopscotch Home Entertainment. Rock Candy has 10 copies on DVD to give away. To try winning one simply answer the following question and send it as the Subject heading in an email to competitions@candymedia. com.au no later than 5pm, Monday 31 March. Race to it! QUESTION: A Formula One car can go from 0 to 100 mph in how many seconds? (A) 1.5 (B) 10 (C) 16.9

8 | March/April 2014

You ought to know the plot: man builds a giant boat and invites two of every animal on board to save their species from being drowned in a great flood. Oh, and he invites his family along for the ride, too, of course. Playing that great man is our very own Russell Crowe, who stars alongside Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly and veteran actor Anthony Hopkins in one epic film. If you’d like to try winning one of 15 double passes to see Noah, which is out in cinemas March 27, simply answer the question below and email your entry – including your name and address – to competitions@candymedia.com.au by 5pm, Wednesday 26 March. Your subject heading should read ‘Noah’. Noah is only at the movies March 27. © 2014 Par. Pics. QUESTION: For what film did Russell Crowe win an Academy Award? (A) A Beautiful Mind (B) Gladiator (C) Robin Hood

WIN! FORMULA ONE FILM ‘RUSH’ ON DVD

Here’s more Formula One action to rev you up. Rush is a film by Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard (he used to be ‘Ritchie’ on Happy Days, don’tcha know?) that portrays the fast-paced, action-packed and exhilarating true story of one of the greatest rivals the auto sport has ever witnessed. The film stars Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt and Daniel Brühl as Niki Lauda in what would have to be remembered as one of the most merciless rivalries in racing history. Witness these actors play their parts in the sleekest of vehicles including those infamous McLaren versus Ferrari scenes. Rock Candy has 10 copies of Rush on DVD to give away. To try winning one, just answer the following question and send it as the Subject heading in an email to competitions@candymedia.com.au no later than 5pm, Monday 31 March. (Cue second tragic racing pun:) Start your engines! QUESTION: Which comic book character did Chris Hemsworth bring to life on film recently? (A) Spiderman (B) Thor (C) Ginger Meggs



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bits up the front The

START YOUR ENGINES

The Perth 400, on from May 16 to 18, is the seventh race in the 2014 V8 Supercars Championship calendar and will feature a new SuperSprint format of two 100km races on the Saturday, and a 200km race on the Sunday. Last year’s winner Jamie Whincup (appropriate surname!) will return with Holden and Triple Eight Racing to defend his title while teammate and previous Supercars Champion, Craig Lowndes, will also hit the grid, along with a host of other familiar motoring heroes. Motor sport enthusiasts should also keep an eye out for newcomer Robert Dahlgren from Sweden who will take to the driver’s seat for the new Volvo Polestar Racing Team following his strong performance with Volvo racing in Europe. MM Tickets to the Perth 400 start from $16 and are available through ticketek.com.au. For more info, visit v8supercars.com.au.

HOT ON HER TRAIL…

Tracks is a film that tells the inspirational true story of Robyn Davidson and her 2700km trek from the heart of Australia to the Indian Ocean, aided only by her faithful dog, four camels and a National Geographic photographer who chronicled the epic adventure. It stars Mia Wasikowska, an actress you might remember as Alice in Tim Burton’s trippy remake of Alice In Wonderland. Only this time Mia’s territory is less giant mushrooms and talking caterpillars, and more enormous ’roos and cackling kookaburras. Set against some of the western half of Australia’s most awesome but brutal backdrops, the unprecedented journey pushed Robyn to her physical and emotional limits, but young Mia delivers the part with guts and gusto. Suffice to say, Tracks is set to become an instant Aussie cinema classic. Antonino Tati

Rock Candy has four season (3-day) passes to give away to rev-head readers (each winner will get two lots of two, valued at $270 each). To try winning passes for you and a mate, simply email your name, address and contact number to competitions@candymedia.com.au by 5pm, Wednesday 30 April. Winners will be notified by email.

Tracks is in cinemas March 6.

DATE NIGHT SORTED

GO NINJA!

Cubebots are a fresh take on the toy robot, inspired by those tricky Japanese kumi-ki puzzles. The wooden sculptures first hit market a couple of years ago and proved a hit with corporate types and big kids at heart - thanks mainly to their sturdy hardwood frames and ability to hold dozens of poses. How’s that for a diverse piece of decoration for the work desk? Now come two new additions: black-and-white Ninjabots! These little champs are made of the same durable wood and boast elastic-band ‘muscles’ so that their limbs will resist breakage. And, when you’ve had enough playing with your Ninjabot, it folds into a perfect cube. Neat! Michael Mastess Available in small (RRP $24.95) and micro size ($12.95). Visit until.com.au.

Who said chivalry is dead? You might be time-poor but that doesn’t mean you can’t shower your other half with unforgettable experiences. From awe-inspiring dates to breathtaking holidays to the simplest of handsomely packaged gifts, new company 2 Planets can arrange it all for you. Dubbed the ‘only romantic event planning company’, they’ll look at your budget and specifically tailor a unique and personalised romantic experience for you and your significant other. And with access to an impressive list of quality hotels, fine restaurants, wineries, entertainment services, florists and photographers, 2 Planets (the name comes from the classic ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus’ line) promise a strictly confidential service so that she won’t know what hit her until the big night. The best part is, they take the burden off your shoulders while you get all the credit. And some fringe benefits, we’re sure. AT Visit 2planets.com.au.

www.rockcandymagazine.com.au | 11


TuNe In To A BeAuT MiX Of MuSiC OnLiNe 24/7 AnD AlWaYs FrEe

t E e W s d N a D r A h 's T a H t mUsIc y.cOm

M wWw.rAdIoNo


Rock Candy rounds up a bunch of nifty gizmos for your next big outdoor gig - Compiled by Antonino Tati

01

Gadgets & Stuff

Gadgets & stuff

02

03 06

05 04

01. LICENSED TO GRILL

This sturdy electric grill is compact enough to be stored away when not in use but, come party time, plug it in and it’ll fit tucker on it for up to eight people. Great for preparing anything from grilled seafood to Korean-style barbeque, Spanish tapas to big breakfasts. Available from davisandwaddell. com.au. RRP $99.99.

02. POT CALLING THE BBQ BLACK

Covered up it looks like your average terracotta planter pot, but lift the lid and you’ll discover a nifty barbie underneath. The ‘Hot Pot BBQ’ from Black + Blum puts the dazzle back into outdoor cooking, combining a barbeque and herb-garden in one. Here’s an idea: grow your herbs on it, then enjoy the fresh flavours on your din-din! Easy to use and clean, it’s a perfect fit for small terraces or balconies. Made from stainless steel, it’s ceramic-coated and

heat-insulated. Oh, and it comes with cooking tongs, too! Available from yellowoctopus. com.au. RRP $189.00.

03. A MOBILE PICNIC It might look like a kid’s play cart but this one’s actually for grownups. The ‘Beach People Beach Cart’ features a fine crafted steel tray laid over a rustic wooden base. And with off-road wheels, it can easily be pulled along to the picnic or barbie, taking up to 150 kilos of loading. Impressive for something that looks like a play thing, yes? Available from st-barts. com.au. RRP $245.00.

04. GOODBYE TO AUSSIE MOSSIES

They can be the ruin of any great outdoor gig, but now you can have your revenge on those narc-y mosquitoes with this hand-held bug zapper. Just power it up with a couple of AA batteries and simply swat them away to enjoy the outdoors in peace.

Available from shop. australiangeographic. com.au. RRP $24.95. And if looking like a madder version of John McEnroe isn’t your thing, slip on one of these bright MosRepel mosquito repellent bracelets, containing all-natural, non-toxic ingredients for definite protection against annoying bug life. Available from fridge-to-go.net. au. RRP $9.95 for a pack of two.

05. RIP-ROARIN’ ADVENTURE ON THE WATER

There are outdoor water activities that are fun. And then there are ones that are awesomely-out-there-andabsolutely-friggin-brilliant. Like riding a Sea-Doo ‘Spark’ watercraft. The new model is light-weight, compact in size and an absolute blast to ride. Available in a wide range of colours (from ‘Orange Crush’ to ‘Bubble Gum’ to ‘Licorice’) you can also customise your Spark, choosing from one of

20 custom ‘Attitude Graphic Kits’. Oh, and did we mention it features the most fuel-efficient engine on the market, using just 7.3L of fuel per hour of use? Darn pretty, downright impressive, and costeffective all at once. Available from Sea-Doo at 238-246 Great Eastern Highway, Ascot. For more info, visit seadoo. com.au. RRP from $6,999.00.

06. PLAYING YOUR CARDS RIGHT

Be the poshest card-player at the picnic with these 24-carat gold-plated cards from cool gaming vendor, Yellow Octopus. According to Chinese superstition, the colour gold implies notions of wealth and prosperity. But we think it simply looks awesome! For full decadence, each card backing features an image of the US $100 bill. And you’ve just gotta love the cool crafted wooden box they come in. Available from yellowoctopus. com.au. RRP $29.95.

www.rockcandymagazine.com.au | 13


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n o i h s a F In ion Fash Out

THE ROCK CANDY THERMOMETER FOR WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT.

Compiled by Antonino Tati

SENDING MIXED MESSAGES

It’s kinda difficult defining new Aussie label, Death Suite, but then their name does kind of sum up their ironic aesthetic. The label’s Autumn 2014 collection includes wellcut shirts in crisp linen featuring cool designs on the back like crumbling crucifixes, giant feathers, human skeletons and fluffy huskies. They also offer a range of drop-crotch jeans that, when teamed with a pair of Doc Martens, ought to have you looking like a rock-star in no time. The best way we can describe ’em? Romantic. But hard. ‘Sinking Feather’ oversize tee, RRP $99.95, available from deathsuite.com.

BAGGING IT

You’ve been called suddenly to get on a plane and check on some job the newbie has stuffed-up on, 400 kilometres up north. The job might need a day to tend to; it could require two. Fit a couple of night’s worth of gear into a trusty overnighter like the new ‘Tribeca’ bag from Coast accessories. Finished with Nubuck leather trimming and fully lined, with internal and external pockets, it’s as practical as it is chic-looking. ‘Tribeca’ overnighter bag, RRP $249.00, available from coastnewzealand.com.au.

DISHING OUT THE DEMANDS

For blokes who can’t be arsed helping out with the dishes, give your other half the hint with this cheeky tea towel that pretty much says it all. Then expect to be whacked over the head with the biggest frying pan she can find. Black screen-printed on 100% white cotton. ‘Let Them Fucking Drip Dry’ tea towel, RRP $35.00, available from turdcircus.com.au.

PROTECTING YOUR ‘ASSETTES’

Created by a couple of clever Perth designers, these retro-inspired rubber wallets will help keep your cash and cards safe. They’re deep enough to hold coins, and tough enough to withstand a beating. Music to your ears, then. Well, alright, they don’t really play tunes… ‘Assettes’ wallet, RRP $35.00, available from formfunctionstyle.com.au.

BEING SHORT-CHANGED

Now your trouser snake can feel right at home in something other than slacks, thanks to this spiffy pair of board shorts in snake print by Sydney designer crew, Ksubi. Only problem is, made from 100% nylon, the over-a-hundred-bucks price tag seems like a rip-off. But then it’s not the first time Ksubi have cunningly combined extortion and fashion. Snake print board shots, RRP $119.95, available from ksubi.com.

www.rockcandymagazine.com.au | 15



Stick it

in your diary arts + events

April 9-14

Don’t know about you guys but we’re sensing a bit of a ’50s revival going on in the arts…

2014 AUSTRALIAN CADILLAC LASALLE NATIONALS

A massive event on every auto lover’s calendar, the Australian Cadillac LaSalle Nationals celebrates all things, well, Cadillac-related. This year’s roundup includes driving tours through such SouthWest scenic areas as Margaret River and Yallingup, visits to local wineries, coastal tours, drive-in movie set-ups, and other social soirees including a ‘Show & Shine Day’. Explore Busselton and its spectacular surrounds while ogling some of the most stunning Cadillacs to ever grace Aussie roads. To get there from Perth by car, it’s a straight run south along the Kwinana Freeway, into Forrest Highway bypassing Bunbury, and then on Bussell Highway straight on to Busselton. Around two-and-a-half hours driving time, and well worth the trip. On from April 9-14 in Busselton. Visit cadillaclasalleclub.com.au for more info.

THE FREMANTLE STREET ARTS FESTIVAL

April 19-21

That’s right, the beloved Port City will be taken over by the world’s most incredible street theatre, live music, comedy, circus and cabaret performers for three jam-packed days of shenanigans, laughter and outright shock. The 16th annual Fremantle Street Arts Festival will be in full swing from April 19-21 with over 100,000 patrons expected to flock to Western Australia’s ‘second city’ to be entertained if not absolutely wowed. Artists will be en-route to Freo from destinations as far away as the US, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Spain, the UK and Israel, and there’ll be a diverse range of top-class performances - from a ‘human knot’ and giant roving dinosaurs, to live bands playing in public spaces, such as ‘La Fausse’, pictured, who perform on very strange instruments that date back to early last century. Now that’s what we call diverse. On Easter Long Weekend April 19-21. Visit fremantle.wa.gov.au for more info.

ARCTIC MONKEYS LIVE

May 13

They made it to number four on Rock Candy’s list of best LPs of 2013 for their most brilliant ‘AM’ album. Now British band Arctic Monkeys are coming to town to rock it out live. These guys ooze classic appeal – so much so that they even look like a bunch of rockabilly dudes from the ’50s. But don’t let the image fool you – Arctic Monkeys are pure, unadulterated, modern rock’n’roll awesomeness. Catch them in May when they’ll perform all their hits including ‘Do I Wanna Know’, ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’, ‘Suck It And See’, ‘One For The Road’, and ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’. Hopefully, too, they’ll be playing other tracks from their current LP, like the gritty rock of ‘R U Mine’, the glam sounds of ‘I Want It All’ and the psychedelic trippiness of ‘Mad Sounds’ (it’s like Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’ for a meth age). Nuff said. Catch these guys live; you won’t be disappointed. Tuesday 13 May at Perth Arena. Tickets available through ticketek.com.au or by phoning 13 28 49.

GREASE: THE MUSICAL

June 21

Of course it’s been done on stage before, but never as big, bold and brassy as this. Yes, ‘Grease: The Musical’ is coming to Perth, so get out those roll-up denims, bobby socks and hair gel to party like it’s 1959. Following on from sell-out seasons in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, the Perth stage show will continue to feature WA Academy of Performing Arts graduate Gretel Scarlett in the lead role of Sandy, alongside ‘Australian Idol’ finalist Rob Mills as bad boy Danny Zuko. The Perth season will also see Bert Newton return to his role of veteran disc jockey Vince Fontaine, and Val Lehman (aka: Bea Smith of television’s ‘Prisoner’) as Rydell High’s tough-bitch principal, Ms Lynch. All the hits from the movie will be revised including ‘You’re The One That I Want’, ‘Summer Nights’, ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’ and ‘Greased Lightnin’ – and all delivered through one very slick production. So slick, we reckon you’ll be sliding off your seat! On from June 21 at Crown Theatre, Perth. Tickets available through ticketek.com.

www.rockcandymagazine.com.au | 17


Pop Culture film music books home entertainment

home entertainment

NEVER TEAR US APART

film

WOLF CREEK 2

In 2005, Australian cinema-goers were introduced to a serial killer of a different kind. This dude didn’t have any terribly fancy sideline projects (ie: no butterfly or stuffed-bird collecting on the side) but he did have some very twisted torture techniques in store for his victims – like nailing one of them to a crucifix in a mine shaft and teasing him with a rabid Rottweiler. This grindhouse style of horror turned many critics off the original Wolf Creek but since that film’s release, horror has gone on to utilise even more shock-and-gore tactics – as witnessed in everything from the ‘Saw’ franchise to the extreme bloodiness of horror remakes Carrie, Evil Dead and I Spit On Your Grave. So of course Wolf Creek 2 makes the most of our insatiable appetite for blood and guts these days. Once again the victims are innocent backpackers, or, in Mick’s words “foreign vermin”, these greeted by our antihero with a semi-chirpy “What the bloody hell are you buggers doing out here?” (‘bloody’ being the optimum word). Aesthetically, our antagonist is made up to look even madder than he did in the first movie and even his voice appears to have had special effects laid over it for full spook factor. Still, while he might be looking more like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and sounding like Darth Vadar, Mick Taylor is still very much his own twisted, terrorising self: modern Aussie icon; self-confessed “pig shooter and outback legend”. You’ve got to see this film, even if only to witness the most astonishing semi-trailer chase scenes ever put to celluloid. Antonino Tati Wolf Creek 2 is in cinemas now.

18 | March/April 2014

As with most biopics, the ‘untold story’ of INXS, Never Tear Us Apart, arrives with a heck of a lot of flack from media and critics alike. One example: that the actor who plays Michael Hutchence looks less like Michael and more like a combination of the three Ferris brothers. Still, this didn’t stop all actors on board to really put their heart and soul into telling Australia’s greatest rock’n’roll story. The actors in fact lived in the same hotel apartment for nine consecutive weeks during shooting, while also going on excursions to the footy together, and even booking appointments for perms and hair weaves at the same time. Talk about bonding! And you sense the camaraderie when watching Never Tear Us Apart; the characters getting along and occasionally arguing just like typical rockers in a legendary band would. Another uncanny element to the series is the terrific job the stylists have done – particularly those in hair and makeup – simulating each member of the band, as well as the women who played their muses. Perth’s Samantha Jade, for example, is the spitting image of Kylie Minogue circa 1991. In fact, if you placed photographs of both women side by side, you could hardly tell them apart. Part One in this mini-series is made up of the more ‘positive’ chapters, leading up to INXS’s international glory. Part Two sees things falling apart with in-band fighting, nearfatal accidents, and certainly fateful relationships (namely Hutchence’s fling with Bob Geldof’s ex, Paula Yates). ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ already proved to be popular telly viewing. Sure, some of the accents and gestures got a bit mixed up along the way, perhaps too exaggerative of those of the real band members, especially Michael, but blink during these frames and enjoy the home-grown tale for what it is – a memorable wall in rock’n’roll’s long hall of fame. MM NEVER TELL US APART: The cast of the popular mini-series (above) and (top of page) the original artwork for INXS’s massive album The Swing. Never Tear Us Apart is out on DVD through Beyond Home Entertainment.


music

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

High Hopes (Sony Music)

With album cover art that looks uncannily like Warhol’s famous photo-illustration ‘Elvis’, High Hopes looks like aiming to put The Boss on a higher pedestal than perhaps he’s ready for right now. Not that the album is bad – in fact, it’s pretty good. It’s just that it’s not exactly a sequel to, say, Nebraska or Born In The USA – previous Springsteen LPs that showed utter showmanship, great talent, and potential for longevity. The lead single and title track is an interesting mix of acoustic guitar, saxophone and trombone, and even gospel-tinged harmonies – different to the grunt-and-grind you might expect to open a long-awaited album by a rock’n’roll icon. Still, it works well enough to appeal to a broad audience. On the heavier side is American Skin (41 Shots) where, if the music isn’t gritty enough for you, the lyrics will be (read: “Is it a gun, is it a knife, is it a wallet, this is your life… you can get killed just living in your American skin”). Elsewhere on the LP, Heaven’s Wall is packed with infectious percussion, Frankie Fell In Love treads a fine line between love song and angst-ridden rock tune, while Just Like Fire Would takes an Australian classic (by The Saints) and turns it into something indelibly Springsteen – almost as if the song itself was originally his. Again, this ain’t no modern classic rock’n’roll LP, but it does fill the gap nicely until Bruce comes up with something completely original and utterly his own. AT

books

JOE MANGANIELLO Evolution (Simon & Schuster Australia) He was named one of Men’s Health’s 100 Fittest Men of All Time. And you might have seen him in hit TV show True Blood (playing werewolf Alcide Herveaux) as well as comedy flick Magic Mike (as a stripper, no less) and of course in the Spiderman franchise. Now macho man Joe Manganiello can add ‘author’ to his already bulging CV. The fitness fanatic whom director Steven Soderbergh dubbed “walking CGI” has just published his first self-improvement book, Evolution, which aims to help readers break down their “mental walls” to building the body they’ve always wanted. The rather hefty tome features advice on dieting, weight training, cardio exercises, and a whole lot more. And it’s not only aimed at guys who desire an extremely built body, but anyone who simply wishes to stay in shape. Manganiello might look like somewhat of a photo-shopped character on the cover of Evolution (who said he looked like a Smurf?) but believe us, his words are real and the advice pretty tight. MM

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Homegrown talent Rock Candy asks three local musos a set of three simple questions: one about music (of course), the second about style, and the third about alternative careering.

RILEY PEARCE

Singer + guitarist

What’s on your iPod?

Besides Candy Crush, I’m listening to a band called Satellite Stories’ latest album. Still waiting for them to tour Australia, though.

What’s your style?

My fashion style? Mmmm… Sometimes a flannel shirt, jeans, and no shoes… but then Mum thinks I look like a hobo. I kind of just wear what I want, and prefer not to have brands on. Personality-wise, I love going to the beach and taking the family dogs (Leroy and Jake) for walks, or watching the NBA or AFL during their seasons. I’m a massive sports fan.

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

Well I’ve almost finished my commerce degree, so possibly advertising, or maybe managing artists. Something fun, but still involved with music. Riley Pearce’s latest release ‘We Are Fools’ is available on iTunes, Spotify and through rileypearce.com.au.

EDWARD BOUCHARD

Singer + guitarist (with Rogues On The Sea)

What’s on your iPod?

The Doors self-titled album, Queens Of The Stoneage – Like Clockwork, Metallica – Master Of Puppets, Arctic Monkeys – AM, Tom Waits – Small Change, Rogues On The Sea – Rogues On The Sea, and The Kills – The Kills.

What’s your style?

Well in a word: unpretentious. When it comes to fashion, I don’t like being a walking advertisement or billboard, so I wear plain t-shirts, etc. Basically when I go to Europe I go to H&M and load up on plain white and black tees. What can I say, I like the cut… and it’s cheap! A girl I once dated said I had a ‘classic’ style, whatever that is. So there you go, I have a ‘classic’ style.

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing? Recording music or surfing. Or maybe even both!

Rogues On The Sea’s debut self-titled album is available on CD through Hell Swell Records / Firestarter Distribution and through iTunes.

MORGAN BAIN

Singer, songwriter, guitarist + harmonica player

What’s on your iPod?

The Black Crowes, Free, Ray Lamantagne, The Faces.

What’s your style?

My style is pretty casual: skinny girl’s jeans, preferably black – ha ha! – and high-top Converses, a t-shirt and a jacket. As for my personality… Mmmm… Crazy, optimistic and driven.

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

I can’t imagine doing anything else... I feel like I’m supposed to do music; in fact it’s the only thing I can do, and I think without it I’d be dead. Morgan Bain’s self-titled EP is available on CD at 78 Records and Bandcamp, and through iTunes and morganbain.com.au.

20 | March/April 2014



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Frost bite

Ben Frost’s mother started sending him to art class when he was only seven. That’s about the age a kid begins general schooling, so Mum must have sensed her son’s path would be pretty set from the get-go. “It was this one-day-a-week deal where they’d sit you around in a big

circle and make you stick little pieces of coloured paper onto balloons,” recalls Ben, not too fondly. “Me? I was insistent on drawing pictures of cool cars in Textas, with awesome flame-jobs running down the sides.” This defiant nature, and that passion for vibrancy, continue to find their way into Ben’s latter-day art. Bastardising logos, chopping up brand names, mixing innocent

Disney characters with busty Playboy bunnies, and generally making a mess of commercial, political and pop cultural symbols, this dude has become a real modern art menace. But the funny thing is, while he pilfers all manner of brands and logos – from Kelloggs to Lego, Starbucks to Coca Cola – none of the multinationals have put the heavy word on him. Yet.

Says a cool and collected Frost: “Symbols, icons and logos make up the fabric of our direct environment. There are words and images on the surfaces of everything around us. Even my socks have odd gibberish on them. It’s as if we’re all flailing about in a giant bowl of alphabet soup.” Leave it to him to chuck in the crunchy croutons, then. Antonino Tati

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gallery

Previous page: Big. 24 | March/April 2014

This page (top): Killer Love. Above left: 20th Century Violator. Above right: Late Night Zombie.

Opposite page: Employee Of The Month.


gallery

“Symbols, icons and logos make up the fabric of our direct environment…. It’s as if we’re all flailing about in a giant bowl of alphabet soup.”

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gallery

This page: Pay Day.

To purchase limited edition Ben Frost prints visit www.stupidkrap.com.

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â–Ş


28. REBECCA DA COSTA 32. ELLIE GOULDING 34. THE ROLLING STONES 36. JOHN BUTLER TRIO 37. TAME IMPALA 38. HENRY ROLLINS 39. MICHAEL CLARKE 40. JUSTEN BROWN 41. NICK BOSERIO 42. DANNY GREEN 43. NICOLE HARRISON 44. NATHANIEL DEAN 46. WINTER AVE ZOLI 48. ROB ZOMBIE 50. THE WORLD’S GREATEST SHAVE 51. CAPE TOWN 52. LIAM ALLEN + SARAH TOOHEY 53. MINJEE LEE 54. JOHN WELBORN 56. DONKEY KONG 57. CO-OP DINING 58. THE ‘LAGERITA’ 59. THE ART OF TIPPING

T O H E H T

LIST4 201

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28 | March/April 2014


HOT ACTION FIGURE

Brazil has two great things going for it this year.

The first, obviously, is the World Cup in June – an event that will have at least a quarter of the world’s population turning its attention to. The second comes in the form of gorgeous model-come-actress, Rebecca Da Costa, who is soon to star opposite Robert De Niro and John Cusack in the action thriller The Bag Man, and whose celebrity is set to skyrocket. Born the eldest of three siblings, with two younger brothers to look after while she was growing up, Rebecca certainly knows how to hold her own among the boys. Her acting CV is packed with crime-slash-actionslash-thrillers, but every consecutive movie sees her taking on a fresher, headier situation. She’s fought supernatural forces alongside Val Kilmer in horror flick Seven Below, gotten caught up in corruption with Malcolm McDowell in L.A. I Hate You, played a woman trapped in a mine in the company of Ethan Peck and Alex Meraz in Mine Games, and now throws a detonator in the works to upset the big boys in The Bag Man. Still, the first thing this girl wants to talk about in her Rock Candy interview is… Soccer. “I am definitely planning to go to the World Cup,” insists the Brazilian beauty on the phone from her home in L.A. “I want to go so badly. I went there for the Confederation Cup last summer, and it was amazing. Even with all the riots going on, there were some great parties, and it was so special to be there.” That’s right, even when all hell is breaking loose, Rebecca Da Costa wants to turn it into a good time... Interview by Antonino Tati / Photography by Peter Svenson

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Rebecca, I’m guessing that by the time you head to the World Cup, a lot more Brazilians are going to know your name… I hope so! [Laughs]. Seriously, that would be good, just so we can get more tickets to the games, right? You want to score free tickets? Exactly! It’s all about getting into the game. Soccer, soccer, soccer! It’s going to be big. Speaking of big things, you’re about to appear in a new film that co-stars Robert De Niro. Tell us about your role in The Bag Man. I play an Israeli woman named Rivka who is a bit of a femme fatale [she runs amok with John Cusack in a Bonnie-and-Clyde kind of way]. It’s a funny coincidence, because ‘Rivka’ is ‘Rebecca’ in Hebrew, so I thought was odd. The role was just meant to be, I guess. Besides the obvious reason, what made you decide to accept the part? For me, it’s about the challenge. If I look at a role and think, “I can’t do this”, then that ends up being the reason for me wanting to do it. Especially this role, which was very challenging. It has a lot of dialogue that is very sharp, very witty and very fast, and those are things I haven’t [delivered] before. I was a little nervous about the part at first, especially since English is not my first language, but I figured if I can do this, I can do anything. When we first see Rivka onscreen, there are elements of her personality that bring to mind Milla Jovovich’s character, Leeloo, in The Fifth Element… I can see some of that… yes. Both these characters are women with a definite strength and lots of sex appeal, while both have also had to tackle the barriers of language. Well, language is one thing I need to worry about, but once I work with a production coach, and keep on doing my homework, I hope to get it down [pat]. Then I won’t need to worry about language and can bring my full self to a role. Still, you’ve done well in The Bag Man. Did you ever say to yourself, “How am I going to play a character who goes up against the king of cinema, Robert De Niro?” Well in the beginning, when I heard that he was attached to the movie, I was very nervous. I thought, “Oh my god, I grew up watching this man in films; he’s like a legend”. I wasn’t sure if I could do it, and I thought it would be too much for me. But then I had two months to prepare and I really believed in myself. If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will. So I said to myself that I cannot let nerves get in the way of my acting. We had a few meetings before we started shooting, and De Niro was so kind and humble. He’s a very quiet man, and doesn’t talk much. Suddenly, any thoughts I had of being unsure or nervous disappeared. You’ll also soon star in the time-travel thriller Mine Games, which I have to ask you about since many of Rock Candy’s readers work in the mining industry… Well Mine Games is a fun story about a group of friends that go on vacation and find these abandoned mines. Of course the friends decide

30 | March/April 2014

to explore the mines only to discover there are plenty of supernatural things going on in them. We shot a lot of the film on location, spending about a week in a mine in Seattle, where we could only shoot at night. It was freezing cold, and just crazy. We had an Australian director for that film – Richard Gray – who was really, really cool and who gave us a lot of freedom. When you were stuck in a mine, shooting for several consecutive days, did it get claustrophobic? Claustrophobic, no. When I’m shooting, I just forget about everything else. Once I was shooting for 17 hours [straight] and I just got into that mindset to make it happen, no matter what. I suppose you’ve gotten used to long hours of shooting from your modelling work. Do you miss aspects of modelling? To be honest, no. I kind of miss the travelling, but as an actor I’m starting to travel a lot now. How does it feel to have moved on from modelling to acting? I feel very blessed. Modelling has helped a lot with my acting. I travelled all around the world. I lived in Europe for seven years, I lived in Asia; I’ve lived everywhere. And I’ve used these different backgrounds and ideas to [shape] my characters. What location would you like to see yourself shooting in next? I’d love to shoot a film on the coast of some place like Phuket, Thailand. Do you miss Brazil? I do miss Brazil, because most of my family lives there. I’ve been living away from Brazil for the past ten years. In the future, I can see myself living between three places: New York, Los Angeles and Brazil. When it’s too cold in NYC, I would go to L.A. and in summer I would definitely go to Brazil. That would be my dream life! A condo in each place would be nice. Wouldn’t it? Which Latin actresses do you look up to? I love Fernanda Montenegro, who is unbelievable – so genuine and dedicated. She won an Emmy last year, and was the first Brazilian actress to have been nominated for an Oscar, about ten years ago, for the movie Central Station. I’m a big fan of hers and I have always followed her career. What about American actresses; any favourites spring to mind? From the new generation of actresses, I like Amy Adams. I think she’s quite good. In fact, she and Jennifer Lawrence were great in American Hustle. Can we expect to see you in more crime/ thriller/action movies? I’d love to be in more action movies. The Bag Man was my first action movie – and for it I did all my own stunts! I had to train with a stunt coordinator for, like, a week and practise different scenes, each involving stunts. I had a real blast. Of course I ended up with a few scratches but, luckily, I didn’t break any bones.

Are you looking forward to venturing into other genres of film? I try to avoid sticking to just one genre and so far, thankfully, I haven’t been typecast. The Bag Man is very much an action-type movie. Mine Games is kind of a thriller [meets] horror. And I have another movie coming out called Breaking At The Edge [with Andie McDowell] in which I play a woman who is bipolar and becomes schizophrenic. It’s a very deep role. Tell us more about that role; it sounds like a real challenge. My character is bipolar and six months pregnant and because of her pregnancy she stops taking her medication since she fears it would harm her child. So she becomes schizophrenic. It gets very intense, and it was quite draining, to tell you the truth. On the subject of children, will you be looking to have any of your own? If I had a child, I would stop working for maybe the first year, or for two years, but then I would try to combine motherhood with my career. And how would you like to raise a child? You know, when I was growing up, I used to play a lot in the streets in Brazil. I didn’t have a computer or video games or anything like that but, still, I have the best childhood memories. Even though I know technology is such a big part of our life right now, I would like my child to go out and play and not to use the computer all the time. To go out and enjoy nature, enjoy life, and not be so taken by technology as children often are today. You have a brother who fights MMA, yes? Yes, and it’s weird because my brother Diego has been a fighter for more than 10 years and I’ve only ever been to two of his fights. Mainly because he doesn’t like women going to see him fight – he gets nervous. Do you think there’s a bigger place for women in Mixed Martial Arts? Oh definitely! To practise and to enjoy [as spectators]. I actually love to watch MMA, and even boxing, on TV. I haven’t watched too many of my brother’s fights, but I love to watch [others] on TV. From TV to film, can you name five movies you never get bored of? The first has to be Forrest Gump – I just love that movie [laughs]. Then I’d have to say Les Miserables – the version with Anne Hathaway which I saw, like, four times. Also, the Brazilian film I was talking about earlier, Central Station. And Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Oh, and of course the Hitchcock film Rebecca – that film is the reason my mother named me so. It’s also a film that brings us full circle to your latest role in The Bag Man in which you play very much the noir villain. It does, and I do! [Laughs]. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Ten years from now I’d like to direct my first feature but right now everything is going so well with my acting I just want to focus on becoming a better actress. Every picture you do, you learn something new, and I am really enjoying and appreciating that. ▪ The Bag Man is in cinemas February 28.


“For me, it’s about the challenge. If I look at a role and think, “I can’t do this”, then that ends up being the reason for me wanting to do it.”

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HOT BRIGHT INDIE CHICK ELLIE GOULDING CAN BOAST AN I M P R E S S I V E FA N B A S E T H A T INCLUDES TWO ROYALS (PRINCE WILLIAM & KATE MIDDLETON HAD HER SING AT THEIR WEDDING) AND A PRESIDEN T (SHE PERFORMED PRIVATELY FOR BARACK OBAMA) ALONG WITH MILLIONS OF TWITTER FOLLOWERS THE WORLD OVER. ROCK CANDY CHATS WITH THE SINGER ABOUT THOSE INFAMOUS FANS, AND ABOUT HER UNIQUE VOICE, OFTEN DESCRIBED AS AN ‘INSTRUMENT’ IN ITSELF. Interview by Antonino Tati

32 | March/April 2014


Was the home environment you grew up in a very creative one? Um, not massively. There was always lots of music playing in my house and I don’t know if that counts as being a creative household… But by the time I got to 11, I had taught myself various instruments. I was a very musical kid – obsessed with music, in fact. Did you study music at school or was it all self-taught? The school I went to had a music program that you could enrol in so I did clarinet. I then got bored of that and got into classical, and also taught myself guitar. What about other musical influences; do you listen to particular artists when you’re writing and recording? I listen to everything, from classical to really minimal to heavier stuff. I look at blogs all the time and like checking out new music. I pretty much consider it research! Some critics are referring to your voice an “instrument”... Yeah, I’d definitely say my voice is something I use as an instrument because it requires so much strength and control. Sometimes I’ll sing the highest note, and that means that my body has to be like an instrument, too, so I keep my body fit and I work out a lot [indeed, Ellie took part in the inaugural Nike half-marathon last year]. Do you have any vices that challenge your voice, such as Adele had with her smoking? I was smoking a couple of years ago. It’s so easy to get into the habit of because I’m touring and there’s always so much waiting around. Especially when every single person around you is smoking… there are so many opportunities to. I’ve stopped smoking now. But I still drink. I love a good drink! Of course. In reference again to Adele, obviously your music and singing styles are very different, but you have followed similar patterns where you’ve won two British titles that she’d previously scored (including the Critics Choice at the Brit Awards and topping Q Magazine’s Best

“The music industry has changed. I can’t imagine singers back in the day covering each other’s songs so much because it was more about rivalry then; everyone was fightin’ to be the best.” Solo Artist category for 2013). I do get compared to Adele a lot but, like you say, we are very different. She’s definitely one of the influences on some of my records because it would be crazy not to follow someone so important in music. As for other influences, we both have very different ones. Your music shifts from upbeat dance (egs: Lights, Burn) to soaring balladry (Hanging On, Anything Can Happen) and you cer tainly seem inspired by different genres. Well Lights was never intended to be a dance track. I don’t know what I intended that song to be, but it took its own course. And Hanging On and Anything Can Happen to me are still very electronic. For me it’s all about triggers. Even listening to classical stuff can trigger lyrics for me. With regard to remixes, you had Lady Gaga’s producer Fernando Garibay mix for you. Is it trippy to hear your vocals cut up and used in different mixes? I love remixes and interpretation. It’s so cool to hear my songs in different ways; so good to see other people take on your melodies and your lyrics, and I really encourage people to remix my stuff. I think I’ve been lucky to be an artist who has been prominent in the remix world. The rock band You And Me At Six covered one of your songs live a while ago. I’m wondering what you think of so many artists covering each other’s songs these days. Much more than they used to in the old days. The music industry has changed. I can’t imagine singers back in the day covering each other’s songs so much because it was more about rivalry then. Everyone was fightin’ to be the best. Now it’s like camaraderie almost – everyone covers each other

and it’s like complimenting one other. Is there any artist you’d particularly like to collaborate with? I’d love to work with Drake in some way. Would that have an urban edge, or would you bring Drake into your musical world? I’d love to try and bring him into my world; that would be interesting. I have no idea if he knows my music, but I’ll try to find out! Well he might have seen you singing at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. What did it feel like to sing at such a prestigious event? Pretty amazing, to be honest with you. I can’t lie about that. In fact it was very, very, very cool. And something that I’ll remember forever. And then you were on the other side of the Atlantic, performing for Barack Obama at the White House. How did that come about? I don’t know how that came about. I was just asked to sing! Maybe he had heard about the wedding. [Laughs]. Is there a certain protocol you have to follow when performing for royalty or for presidents? Well for the White House I sang just a Christmas song. At the Royal Wedding, it was just me and my band. No entourage or anything like that. I was already dressed when I got there and, yeah, I just got right into the singing. It was all pretty straight-forward. You’re touring Australia in May so we’re really looking forward to seeing you live again. I can’t wait to tour there again! The last time I was there was for Future Music and a couple of side shows. It’s good to have an official tour this time, which has been pencilled in for Australia for a while now. So it’s about time! ▪ Ellie Goulding performs an all-ages gig at Challenge Stadium in Perth on Wednesday 28 May. Tickets are available through ticketmaster.com.au or phone 13 61 00. A new album is pencilled in for late 2014.

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HOT DELIVERERS OF THE DEVIL’S MUSIC In 2012, the Rolling Stones celebrated a most impressive landmark: 50 years in the music business. Now that’s big biccies for any band. But for a crew that has partied particularly hard from the get-go – literal Rolling Stones gathering none of that proverbial moss – to have survived 50 big ones in the biz borders on the phenomenal. The band have made their mark on pop culture not only through their epic music but via a history of notoriously bad behaviour. In fact, the likes of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards epitomise the ‘sex, drugs and rock’n’roll’ lifestyle, often pathetically emulated by latter-day musos, from the Stone Roses to the Strokes, and every primal screaming wannabe in between. Over the Rolling Stones’ 50 years, journalists have amassed plenty of material to fill both credible music mags and tabloid journals, but none more prolific than music journalist Hanspeter Kuenzler. Thanks to online publishers, eBook People and its parent company, The Interview People, Kuenzler’s work on the Stones, and the work of many a credible journo, have been collated and republished in 50 Years: The Rolling Stones – Views From The Inside, Views From The Outside – an immense two-part collection of the best penned material spanning the band’s career. The eBooks feature articles from the reputable likes of Rolling Stone magazine (of course), The Daily Mail, and Daily Express – with everyone from girlfriends and wives to the lads themselves getting a word in. As massive digital tomes, the eBooks come in at an unprecedented 2000+ pages with over 150 images each, many of which have not been previously published. “It’s not only a journey through 50 years of the Rolling Stones,” says publisher Matthias Würfl, “but also the history and evolution of music, the press and western society of the last half century.” Of course the boys themselves roll into town soon, to play Perth Arena on March 19, when frontman Jagger, guitarists Ronnie Wood and Richards, and drummer Charlie Watts will take to the stage to perform all their greats, no doubt including (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Paint It, Black, Sympathy For The Devil and Emotional Rescue right through to the more recently released One More Shot. When once asked about he and his band’s consistent comebacks after all the hard knocks, singer Mick Jagger said, “Anything that is worth doing is worth overdoing.” Can’t get no satisfaction, indeed. ▪ The Rolling Stones play Perth Arena March 19. Text by Antonino Tati. Photography by Hiro for the Rolling Stones 1976 album Black And Blue.

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HOT CHARMING LOCALS It’s been four years since their last album release but Perth’s John Butler Trio are back with a batch of tunes infectious enough to wake the dead. From commentary on politics and environmental issues, to songs about the idiosyncracies of the everyday man, to their latest single release ‘Only One’ accompanied by a video of zombies pashing their apparent loved ones, JBT never fail to deliver on the quirks, the resounding rhythms, and the unequivocal lyrics. Whether the single and video are an uncanny take on pop culture today (what with all its dead men walking, read: True Blood, Warm Bodies, World War Z) or a show of love never fading, one thing is for sure: the song served as a superb prelude to the boys’ new album, Flesh & Blood. Comments on the web, with reference to the LP in deconstructed type (FLƸSH + bl00D) proved earlier on that fans were keen for JBT’s kookier change in direction, with descriptions of the new music being “happy and upbeat”, “organic

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and natural”. We couldn’t have written it better... Meanwhile on the tour front, John Butler Trio will venture back into their hometown of Fremantle come end of March, playing the Fremantle Arts Centre on March 27, followed by gigs at the Belvoir Ampitheatre on March 28, and the Old Broadwater Farm in Busselton on March 29. Says the main man himself of his new lease on irony and the new single in particular, “The idea of a zombie love story came to me a while ago. I wanted the song and video to almost juxtapose but still somehow have an element of love… and humour. “I think we’ve made a seriously cool and very funny video; I love it. Even if I do look dead!” Dead he may appear, but the music of John Butler Trio is still very much alive and kicking. ▪ Text by Andrea Manno. Photography by Kane Hibberd.


HOT WILD AT HEART “I’m a pop fiend; my process of being in bands is one of realising just how much I love pop music.” So says Kevin Parker, lead singer of Perth band Tame Impala, sprawled out on the couches of Modular Records’ Sydney office. The more diffident Dominic Simper [guitarist] sits opposite, listening intently as Parker reflects on what it’s like to listen back to an album once it is freshly finished. “It’s really difficult to listen to it from the standpoint of not knowing the songs inside out. I’d pay any amount of money to take some sort of drug and listen to the album for the [mimes quotation marks] first time. That would be such an experience. But I can’t do that.” Tame Impala signed to Modular in 2008, on the strength of a single released on indie Perth label Hole In The Sky Recordings, and immediately tasted success when their debut EP topped the Australian Independent Record Labels Chart. Drawing their name from an African antelope - “an impala is actually wild; that’s what you have to remember” - Parker goes on to say that the moniker is supposed to connote “a brief, spontaneous connection with something foreign”. Throughout the years, Tame Impala’s sound has retained a raw, organic nexus despite the group now inhabiting the ‘hipster’ domain of the Australian - actually, international - music scene. They say the reason behind this loose approach is the long leash they’ve been given by their record company.

“If anything, it’s surprisingly easy for freedom of creativity; they let us record our albums by ourselves.” Parker’s candid assessment of the somewhat serious recording process downplays the triumphant final results of his band’s records: all of which have been psychedelic excursions that channel influences from the epic likes of the Beatles, Cream, Led Zeppelin, even Supertramp. One thing you might have noticed in their songs is the persistent theme of solitude. While Simper throws his two-cents in, describing their now-classic hit single Solitude Is Bliss as “coked up Tame Impala”, Parker has this to say about the band’s more recent LP Lonerism, which won Album Of The Year at the 2013 ARIAs: “It’s meant to put a different spin on the idea of being alone, which is usually presented in pop culture as being a dark and solemn time.” And while the album traversed rock and electronic influences, at its core it remained organic, undomesticated pop music, which returns us to Parker’s obsession with the pop genre. “Pop is like emotional candy to the ears,” he says. “It has a structure; it gets stuck in your head; and it makes you feel good. It’s like a drug. Yeah, pop’s like a drug.” And sometimes it makes us feel like we only go backwards. ▪ Text by Antonino Tati & Chris Honnery. Photography by Antonino Tati. Tame Impala are set to take over the world soon.

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HOT AUTHORITY ON JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING HENRY ROLLINS REALLY IS A JACK OF ALL TRADES: AUTHOR, MUSICIAN, RADIO ANNOUNCER, ACTIVIST, ANIMAL TACKLER, TV PRESENTER… BUT WHAT HE’S MOST FAMOUS FOR IS HIS STAND-UP PRESENCE. PACKED WITH BICEPS AND COVERED IN TATTS, ON FIRST IMPRESSION HE LOOKS LIKE YOUR AVERAGE TRUCKIE, OR PERHAPS A NIGHTCLUB BOUNCER, BUT GET CHATTING TO THE GUY AND IT BECOMES APPARENT THIS IS ONE HEAVILY CLUED-UP SPOKESMAN. ROCK CANDY CHATS WITH THE SPOKEN-WORD ICON ABOUT H I S TOUGH GU Y I M AGE , H I S T R AV E L S TO T ROU BL E D DESTINATIONS, AND HIS THOUGHTS ON MEDIA CENSORSHIP.

Mat Hayward / Shutterstock.com

Interview by Antonino Tati

To many people, Henry, you’re a pin-up for the butch sensitive new-age man. Who do you see when you look out into your audience? I see 16- to 60-year-olds, about 50/50 male/female, primarily white. Past that, they are the audience and I’m there to serve them. I don’t look too closely. Do you find your image still throws people off to this day, what with all the muscles and tatts? I h o n e s t l y d o n’ t n o t i c e . I don’t take a lot of time to wonder how I’m being evaluated by my appearance. Your subject matter veers more towards serious topics than the average stand-up does. What would you call your delivery style? For me, it’s never been anything more than a talking show - that’s what I’ve always called it. If I called it comedy, there would have to be more humour. Do you feel there are some people in your audience who shed tears during your shows, torn between crying with joy at your jokes and with sadness through the epiphanies your discussions might trigger? I’ve been told by people postshow that that’s what has happened although I’ve never seen it myself. I guess people run through all kinds of things at the shows. The topics tend to bring a lot of emotions into play. When you’re delivering what I would call spoken-word, are you tempted to look out into one part of the audience or do you constantly move your attention around the room?

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I’l l usua l ly be draw n to t he person texting, the person sleeping, the visibly bored, the person trying to secretly film me. I’m drawn to the distraction basically. Past that, I usually look straight ahead. W h at do yo u t h i n k of o t her spoken-word artists and storytellers, such as Gil Scot Heron, Michael Franti or Laurie Anderson? I don’t k now enoug h about them, besides Laurie, who is just magic. Do segues come quite naturally for you? Hope you don’t mind my asking but have you ever gotten st uck a nd sta m mered in the middle of telling a story? I’ve gotten momentarily lost in a story if I’m really tired and lost a little traction, but I do a lot of preparation so I rarely get off-track. It happens though, but I’m not stuck for more than a second. Not being high helps. I’m sure it does. How would you describe your radio DJ-ing style? Loose, prone to error, but heartfelt and enthusiastic. Are you one for censorship on radio? Outside of the obvious swear words that might be censored, do you believe in full freedom of speech via the medium? I don’t believe in censorship, but curse words on the radio wear thin for me. I have satellite radio in the car. Some of these guys really let it fly. I wouldn’t dare to stop them but it makes it hard to listen to at times. To me, it’s just lazy speaking. What do you think of the newer democratic media, like the internet? Will there come a time when we’re censored on that, too?

I’m sure there’ll be attempts. I wouldn’t be surprised if that came from the left side of the aisle. There is a lot of freedom to be had. I think it all depends on how much governments see things as a true security threat and what they see as a way to minimise that problem. Past that, there’s a lot of money to be made, so people will try to regulate it if they can make a buck. Tell me a bit about the television show you hosted on National Geographic, ‘Animal Underworld’ – was it a risky, dangerous job at times? Slightly dangerous. If you go the wrong way with a venomous snake, that could be bad for you, but for the most part, no, not all that dangerous. I wish it was a bit riskier, actually! Keeps the blood thin. Travel is a big thing with you. What or where are three of the world’s best kept natural secrets? Good question. I don’t know. Most of the places I have been - where there are not many people - are pretty harsh and it’s not a wonder as to why they are not often travelled. I’ve always liked Southeast Asia but that’s a very well-travelled bit of territory. Parts of Africa are very nice and not all that tourist-infested. Kenya has some nice parts that make you feel like you are somewhere really different. You’ve travelled to some troubled destinations – Siberia, Burma, Bangladesh – how do you continue doing so without getting too depressed about some of the sad living conditions in these places? I wouldn’t be all that effective if it becomes all too much. You have to see past the bad parts to stay clear. I do see some sad situations and

I do get to leave them and not get any on me. I don’t feel guilt or feel that I am lucky; just from a different situation. I try to see it for what it is. I am not trying to be brutal or callous, just clear-sighted. In many cases, the only person feeling bad in an impoverished environment is me; everyone else is just getting on with things. What can the everyday bloke do to help? Are there any particular charities you know of that really do help out? Doctors Without Borders; Drop In The Bucket. Those two I have seen in action and they get the job done, big time. What’s your checklist of things to do outside of performance? Past deadlines to be met, good workouts and restorative sleep. When I’m on tour, I’m pretty much just about the shows. I find being mission-specific really helps the show. You come across as an all-round workaholic, constantly on the road performing, writing books, acting in films, presenting on radio and television, and making music. What’s lef t for Henr y Rollins to do? I reckon it’s for me to just stay with it. I don’t know of other things I want to do. I really like being on stage, with the audience. I feel a great duty to them, and I feel very lucky to have that outlet. Past that, I can’t think of anything on the list that needs checking off. ▪ To hear Henry Rollins’ musings on everything from tatts to politics, security to sideburns, check out his video blogs on henryrollins.com.


HOT RIGHT-HAND MAN (AND LEFT-ARM ORTHODOX) Since hitting a century in his 2004 Test debut, cricketer Michael Clarke has gone from pup to top dog in a matter of years, now proud captain of the Australian team. And while he comes across as the nicest guy in interview, be careful with this one – his bite is in fact more indelible than his bark. Winning test player of the year at the 2014 Allan Border Medal – his third win in as many consecutive years – Clarke is now being dubbed this country’s “most reliable cricket talent”. And a talent of contradictions at that. The guy bats to his right, but bowls with his left (albeit slowly and orthodox). He’s confident when captaining his players, but never lets the skipper title go to his head. Listens to Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus in his off-time (well, to two ‘winning’ theme songs Roar and We Can’t Stop). And freely admits when he hasn’t scored runs as “consistently” as he’d like, while

humble when he reaches those outstanding 200-plusses. The 33-year-old Sydney-born, NSW-country-living player finished last season with 1,030 runs at an average of 44.78 – including four centuries, and this year he looks like beating those impressive figures. All this after a back injury that could have left him tending to small gardens instead… Still, great is not good enough for Clarke who in January, when the Aussies were heading toward a possible Ashes whitewash, said, “I hope there’s bigger and better things [ahead] for me. I’d walk away from the game today if I was told it wouldn’t get better, and I think this team can get better. It wouldn’t be wise for us to get carried away [with a 4-nil score].” It’s that optimistic attitude that makes a man worthy as captain in our books. ▪ Antonino Tati

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HOT FIRESTARTER With the turn of a key, the 1000-plus rear-wheel horsepower 377-cube motor erupts to life and idles away violently, churning through the methanol as it builds temperature. The 8-71 supercharger sings as Justen Brown checks the oil pressure, switches the fans and water pump on, and then selects top gear as he screams the motor to 9,000rpm for his 100km/h tip-in to the burnout pad. After the first heave of the steering wheel and savage spin, Justen quickly switches the rear fuel pump on and then prepares to navigate his way over the pad. His goal is to use every square inch of the tarmac and to blow the tyres off within a minute or so. He is there to produce smoke, to produce noise and, in his trademark style, produce fire and a lot of it. After destroying both tyres, he launches from the car to acknowledge the crowd. They cheer like he’s a rock star. For Justen, it’s just another day in the office. But what an office it is. If he is not working at his own business FordHold Wreckers, he is turning a spanner on his Commodore Ute, or is out on a pad somewhere in Australia making tyres beg for mercy. He lives and breathes cars. The sport of burnouts has blown out to epic proportions over the last few years. There is money at stake, reputations are there to be made, and egos are bruised on a daily basis. Justen is one of the new breed of competitors that takes the burnout scene super seriously. Gone are the days of guys driving around in circles and doing ‘stand stills’. Instead, Justen exhibits insane driver control and exceptional confidence in his machine as he manoeuvres from one end of the pad to the next, through thick plumes of smoke and with the rear wheels reaching incredible speeds. There is nothing like the scene anywhere else in the world – Australia has embraced the sport and made it their own. Justen has risen through the ranks over the last seven years and is often invited and paid to travel to events. “I have been all over Australia to showcase and compete at the highest level,” he rightly boasts. “The last three years have been super hectic to where I am usually skidding the car every two-to-three months and going as far as Queensland to battle it out with the best of them.” Even though the prize money has significantly increased, it’s not what drives Justen. “We’re all mates in the pits, but out on the pad we are all trying to outdo each other. Get one up on the next competitor and lift the bar that little higher.” One part of the sport that people miss is the preparation time put aside to get the cars ready for events. “Running supercharged cars that use methanol fuel is a far cry from the old naturally-aspirated combos I started with. You can’t just leave it in the garage after a skid and then take it straight out to the pad again. I have to dump the fuel and clean the fuel system, I double check the entire driveline and make sure nothing is loose, I replace the oil and plugs and then go over the car again and again. “You want the car to be safe and to perform at its best always, so nothing can be left to second chance. There is a lot of money and time invested in my car so I can’t afford for anything to go wrong.” In the last three years that Justen has been travelling the country he has certainly experienced the highs and the lows of the sport. “Sometimes it doesn’t go as planned, and you have to accept that. We all expect a lot out of our cars and when you are pushing the drivelines and your driving ability to the very limit, you can’t help but hit a few bumps along the way. Some people think I’m crazy for treating my car the way I do, but I’m chasing the thrill, the win and the bragging rights of being the best on the day. It all drives me. It’s now part of who I am”. ▪ Text and photography by Jordan Leist.

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HOT ON FOUR SMALL WHEELS Nick Boserio is on fire. Known as ‘Brass’ to his friends, he’s been burning the streets on his skateboard for the better part of 15 years, and is now one of the few Australians to explode onto the world skateboarding circuit. Born in the UK, and raised everywhere from India and Indonesia to the Middle East, Nick honed his incredible skating skills in Perth when his family settled in the WA capital in the mid ’90s. Making a name for himself with his scorching speed and volcanic power, Nick flows along and then erupts into his tricks like no-one else. His ability on the simple plank-with-four-wheels has seen him grace the covers of magazines, compete in high-level competitions, and feature in international films. His is a story – or more a fairytale – of success. “When I was young, all I wanted to do was skate, to go on trips and see the world for free. I’ve achieved that and more,” he tells Rock Candy. “Growing up, I was skating just because I loved skating; it had nothing to do with having goals, but at this point it’s become a career. I’m stoked with where I’m at.” So where, exactly, is he at? Some would say Boserio is now on the cusp of true greatness. With sponsors like Nike behind him, and having just released a groundbreaking part in the highly anticipated video of elite board company, Zero, the guy is now moving to the epicentre of it all, Los Angeles. “L.A. is one of the best places so far as where I want to go with my skating,” he says. “The move there is going to be huge. It kind of makes all the difference, really.” Despite the move, and having lived in Melbourne for nearly five years, it’s obvious where Nick’s heart lies as he tells RC: “I definitely still call Perth home; it’s where my family is; it’s where I grew up.” Skateboarding is big business, but it’s no easy road to roll down. “To be internationally relevant and to make a solid living off it is pretty hard,” Brass admits. But with the way this bearded menace blazes along on his board, it looks like he’ll be riding straight into the spotlight and turning pro in no time. ▪

Text by Jake D Frost. Photography by Jason Morey.

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HOT IN THE LIMELIGHT Born and bred in Perth, Danny ‘The Green Machine’ Green has a boxing career that lights up the world stage. He is the only Australian boxer to have won four professional world titles, with a total of 33 wins and only five losses on his pro record. Incredibly, he’s burnt through 28 of those hard-fought wins via devastating knockout. His punches inside the ring might pack some ferocious heat, but Green is renowned for keeping a cool head, and is revered for his gracious humanitarian work in the community. His humble, laidback attitude is what has made him one of the most respected, high-profile athletes our nation has ever produced. “I was raised to stand my ground and to stick up for myself,” Green tells Rock Candy, “but I was also raised to respect others and to stick up for those who cannot [defend] themselves.” A compet itor at t he 2000 Su m mer Olympics, Green turned professional the following year under trainer Jeff Fenech and proceeded to knock out his first 16 opponents. He went on to fight the world’s best, including Germany’s Markus Beyer, Croatian Stipe Drews, Argentine Julio Cesar Dominguez,

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Puerto Rican Manyy Siaca, controversial Aussie Anthony Mundine, and eight-time world champ American Roy Jones Jr. It took just two minutes and two seconds in the very first round for Danny to finish veteran Jones off in what some see as the biggest win in boxing history on Australian soi l, a lso remaining one of The Green Machine’s career highlights. Unlike his mechanical moniker, Danny is actually a really down-to-earth, personable bloke. He constantly engages with his huge fan-base and is regularly recognised for his generous charity work. “Boxing has taught and given me a lot of experience in life and I’m very grateful for this. I’m now more than happy to try and help others in the community who are less fortunate. “But I’m not special,” he adds. “There are so many good people in the world, and I admire a person with humility and a kind heart.” Green’s communit y leadership was thrust into the limelight recently when he headed up a ‘One Punch Can Kill’ anti-violence campaign. Understanding the dangerous repercussions and importance of self control and discipline, gratuitous violence

is an issue Danny is adamantly against. “The piss-poor constitution needs changing,” Green declared with conviction, following another senseless death in Australia from an unprovoked king hit. “I’m proud to say I will be at the frontline of such a protest. Enough is enough.” This saw the concerned philanthropist broadcast a self-funded television commercial deploring aggressive behaviour and cowardly attacks. So against king-hitting is Green he is even rallying for the term to be changed to “coward’s punch”. And with further media drives and a petition on his website, his message has already helped push new laws that have been introduced in various states. A phenomenal and highly decorated athlete, Bravery Award-winning hero, proud husband and dad, keen surfer, compassionate patron of ‘the punter’ and true-blue larrikin, Danny Green is the people’s champ, simply because he connects with us. Not that you’d want him connecting with those gloves of his on! ▪

Jake D. Frost


HOT DAMN!

If we were to list all the modelling gigs Swanbourne-raised Nicole Harrison has scored over the past two years, we’d need a double-page spread. But here are some mags she’s featured in recently: Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Bride-To-Be (because, like, this is one girl that guys should have no hesitation in proposing to), Girlfriend, Harper’s Bazaar, Perth Woman, the list goes on. On the commercial front, you might have spotted Nicole’s flawless body emblazoned on posters and billboards for the likes of Jets Swimwear, Live Clothing, Bonds, Speedo, Kookai, Stonemen Underwear, Jeans West, Lakeside Joondalup, and more suburban shopping malls than you’d care to be dragged along to. Up until she became the face of them, that is. The 19-year-old Chadwick model has also strutted her stuff on catwalks for Perth Fashion Festival, Melbourne Fashion Week, Sydney Fashion Week and StyleAid, and is set to pave the international runways since recently having posed for Italian Vogue, Armani, Saks and Bare Necessities. Speaking of bare necessities, Nicole says “dedication” and “commitment” are the two qualities she looks for in an ideal partner. “Not just to another person,” she adds rather cryptically, “but to something they are truly passionate about.” She also loves guys with a sense of humour, admitting, “I’m quite a clumsy person, so they can’t take things too seriously.” As for hardcore outdoor activities, that’s where the checklist gets lengthy again. Nicole practises gymnastics, plays netball and soccer, dives, swims, in fact does “just about anything outdoors, particularly in or around water”. She even undertook weekly duty sessions at Cottesloe Beach several summers running. And so, of course, now you want to take up surf lifesaving. ▪ Text by Antonino Tati. Photography by Gavin O’Neill.

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HOT STAGE AND SCREEN PRESENCE MOST OF US R EM EM BER NATHANIEL DEAN AS BAD BOY SIDNEY MARTIN IN THE FIRST SERIES OF UNDERBELLY, BU T H IS AC T I NG C V IS SO MUCH GREATER THAN THAT. DE A N H A S A P PE A R E D I N PLENTY OF MOVIES INCLUDING SOMERSAULT, FA R S C A P E , A N D C A N D Y -(ALONGSIDE HEATH LEDGER), TELEVISION (KILLING TIME, BIKIE WARS, WILD BOYS) AND ENOUGH THEATRE TO FILL A FEW PARAGRAPHS. THIS MONTH HE PLAYS THE L EA D OF STA NL EY IN T E N N ESSE E W I L L I A M S’ A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, OPPOSITE SIGRID THORNTON AS NOTORIOUS SOUTHERN BELLE, BLANCHE DUBOIS. HERE HE SPEAKS WITH ROCK CANDY ABOUT THOSE ‘BAD BOY’ ROLES, EPIC MOVIES, AND THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FILM, TEL EV ISION A ND THEATRE. Interview by Antonino Tati. Photography courtesy Channel Seven.

Since graduating from NIDA in 1999, how would you say the Australian theatre scene has grown? We’re in a far better place, and there’s a strong resurgence in theatre. Some great new writers have emerged, and innovative stories. I still believe you can’t beat live performance. You’ve appeared on stage quite a bit, as well as having starred in many TV series and films. Do you approach acting in each of these mediums differently? In terms of preparation, all three are very similar. You need to do all the investigative work to understand your character’s heart and what they want; to get in the skin of them. As for differences between them, for TV and film you shoot only a few pages at a time but it’s a jigsaw puzzle - shooting only little bits, and maybe the

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“I’ve played quite a few bad guys. I like playing flawed people. It’s often the greater challenge to play the mess of humanity.” end of the film one day, and then the start of the film a month later. Most days, a shooting schedule is jumbled up like Jenga! Theatre is special because it’s immediate; you play it out in that moment. As an actor on stage you do eight shows a week, and it’s an endurance marathon. And each show is always a bit different. You’re about to play the lead of temperamental Stanley in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ on stage. Will you be emulating m a n y o f M a r l o n B r a n d o’s mannerisms or adding your own take? Of course ever yone will be wa it i ng for t hat fa mous l i ne ‘Stella!’ - The Simpsons even had a version with Homer giving it his rendition. But Brando is Brando, and I ain’t him, so to play a version of him is bullshit. I saw the film years ago and haven’t revisited it since being cast. People who have seen the film and not the play will be surprised by the play - which is far more bloody and brutal, whereas due to the censorship laws in the ’60s they had to cut some parts of the play.

What is it about Brando that has so many actors in awe, and about the character of Stanley that sees it entrenched in entertainment history? Brando brought vitality and vulnerability to all his performances, and certainly inspired me. I think the reason this play is a masterpiece is because its themes are the fabric of our society. At its heart, it’s about a family. Stanley is working his guts out to provide for his family, and he passionately loves his wife beyond anything in life. But the play shows the darker side of that family dream and all the shades of ugly - of the jealousy, love and regret when the money gets involved.

hit someone, thank goodness! I’ve certainly had more than a few big hits myself. One of the more memorable ones was in the film ‘The Final Winter’ in which I was a rugby league player, and in the opening of the film we’re playing a game and I had to run into a pack of ex-Origin players. These guys had retired and I guess were wanting their best ‘last hit’ caught on film, so of course they came with all the had, and I went flying through the air. They got their shot and retired with a smile, I’m sure. If your CV ended up peppered with more ‘bad boy’ characters than good, would you be happy with that? To see a fully peppered CV would make me happy. Last year I played William Thornhill in ‘The Secret River’, who comes to Australia as a convict and gets a pardon. The play starts out with such hope but ends savagely. Bad guys, good guys, it’s all a part of a bigger story you’re telling. In saying that, I’ve played quite a few bad guys, and I like playing flawed people. It’s often the greater challenge to play the mess of humanity.

You’ve said you’ll be getting violent in some scenes. Have you ever gone to fake-slap someone on stage or for the screen, but then actually hit and hurt them? Indeed, have you been hit hard in a violent scene? Performing is about trust. In this play, Stanley is a desperate alcoholic and the fear is raging within, so as a performer you have to go there. But, no, I haven’t accidentally

Tricky question now. If a fairly known indie director offered you a lead role in a movie about a guy who runs a charity that saves a nation from poverty (your pay: $50k), and a big-shot director offered you a minor role in a blockbuster-guaranteed, CGI action film (your pay: $250k), which one would you consider? So you’re asking if I’d do it for the money or the better story? Yep… That’s a loaded question. I would take the one with the best story. After all, even if they spend a heap on a shit story, it’s still a shit story. However everything on its merits. Stopping poverty; that sounds like an epic film and one that needs to be made. Is it set in Australia and about getting rid of poverty here? If so, taking down some of these big fat bosses and asking them to do their share and help people who are less fortunate would be good! ▪ The Black Swan Theatre Company’s A Streetcar Named Desire runs from March 15 to April 6. Book through ticketek. com.au or phone 1300 795 012.

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HOT DAUGHTER OF ANARCHY WITH A NAME AS EXOTIC AS HER CHEQUERED CHILDHOOD, ACTRESS WINTER AVE ZOLI WAS BORN IN NEW HOPE, PENNSYLVANIA BUT MOVED TO PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC AT AGE 11 TO “GET TO KNOW” HER FAMILY BACKGROUND. SHE STUDIED BALLET AT FIRST BUT SOON ENOUGH HUNG UP HER SLIPPERS TO TREAD THE BOARDS OF ACTING. BY AGE 13 SHE WAS ALREADY WORKING PROFESSIONALLY THROUGH FILM OPPORTUNITIES IN BOTH EUROPE AND AMERICA, STEERING HER TO DATE THROUGH FILMS AS DIVERSE AS SEX AND DEATH 101 (CO-STARRING WINONA RYDER) AND THE OH IN OHIO (WITH PARKER POSEY) AS WELL AS THE OCCASIONAL BLOCKBUSTER (HELLBOY; BAD ASS). OF COURSE, EVERYONE KNOWS HER AS ‘LYLA’ IN POPULAR TV SE R I ES SONS OF A NA RCH Y W H IC H I S NOW U P T O I T S SEVENTH SEASON. ROCK CA NDY CH ATS W I T H WINTER ABOUT THE PROS AND CONS OF ACTING, THE BEAUTY OF CABLE TELEVISION OVER COMMERCIAL, AND HER SEMINUDE SHOOT WITH PLAYBOY. Interview by Antonino Tati.

It’s an interesting name you have; where does it come from? ‘Winter’ was a surname on t he German side of my family and my parents made it my first name. ‘Zoli’ is a surname my parents started using when I was little; as a business name for themselves. It’s not my official last name but we’ve used it my entire life. You were born in the US but moved to the Czech Republic, back then known as Czechoslovakia. What was it like changing countries at such a young age? It was hard. I had grown up visiting my grandparents in Slovakia so I’d learnt the language, but the move there was still a shock; having to adapt to this new life. In the end it was the best thing to happen for me but it was really hard in the beginning. You did some modelling in Eastern Europe, too. I did. My first big modelling job was for Levi’s for Eastern Europe. Then I did a couple of fashion shows, for Jil Sanders and Paco Robanne. I looked at modelling basically as an acting job. Then you moved back to the United States to actually pursue acting? Yes, I moved back to New York and went to acting school for two years. And then I moved back to Prague for a little bit, and then to L.A. What other actors inspire you? I’ve always been inspired by actors that I’ve worked with, who are so good at what they do, so professional. And lovely. But there’s a lot of bad apples, too, who you don’t really want to be stuck on a set with… Film and television can be particularly volatile industries, yes? Yes, and really difficult industries in the sense that you have to be prepared

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emotionally to just keep pushing, because most of it is rejection and disappointment. I guess that would toughen you up. It does. It def initely does. When I first started, I used to take everything personally and cry every time I didn’t get a call-back and I learnt to get over that really fast because you can’t survive if you’re not tough. Then there’s the positive side: you’ve now had major success with your recurring role in TV series Sons Of Anarchy. Yes, it’s been amazing playing Lyla, the porn star. And she’s gotten involved more in the show since she started dating Obi Winston. Since getting married, her character has changed direction; almost having to start over. Isn’t it funny how 10 years ago, playing a porn star might have been too risqué for an actress but today it’s kind of kosher? Pretty much. I mean there isn’t much that shocks anymore. But it’s not like the role is too risqué. There’s never been any full nudity or anything like that. On the subject of nudity, you posed for Playboy in 2011... That, too, wasn’t full nudity but it was probably more risqué t h a n t he c h a rac ter I pl ay i n the show! Were you in two minds about doing that shoot or did you make your mind up quickly? To be honest, when I first heard they wanted me to do it, I knew that I was going to, but I still took a month to make a decision. I just wasn’t sure if it was the right thing for me to do, and if there would be negative repercussions and if so, if I could handle it. But I knew it was something I had to do. It felt like an honour and I looked at it as an extension of my character. It was a way of getting myself and Lyla both out there. So I’m happy I did it. Do you think there’s a danger in publicity tying in too closely to a particular role? Do you worry about being typecast, or can you break away from the stereotypes you’ve played? I think you can always break away if you have the talent. If you know you can play different

roles and play them well, you can easily break out of the mould. Some people do get stereotyped and tend to play the same role over and over again but for me it’s more exciting to play roles that are varied and more ‘out there’. Roles that have a lot more going on in the character; a lot more layers. I’m wondering, Winter, if you had to choose only one genre to work in, art-house film or mainstream television, what would it be? If God said you had to pick one or the other; what would you choose? [Laughs lots]. That’s a hard question, especially today because television has gotten so much better. But if it wasn’t a cable show and it was just mainstream television, I’d have to pick art-house film. But if it was cable TV, I’d pick cable TV. Good answer, because a lot of the stuff on HBO and Showtime are pretty art-house, aren’t they? Yeah, they’re making some amazing shows. When you see yourself aired on television , is there much self-criticism? Sometimes it’s hard to watch what I’ve done. I don’t t h in k anyone sees themselves the same way that they come across. We all have our own ways of looking at ourselves. There’ve been times when I’ve looked at a picture of myself and thought, ‘Oh my god, I look terrible’ but everyone else will be, ‘No, no, this is good’. So you have to kind of step away. I don’t like looking at the dailies, that’s for sure. I shoot a scene and then I’m done. If the director says it’s good, then I’m satisfied and don’t need to see it. I think some people are bit preoccupied with how they come across, studying every nuance. But at the end of the day we’ve all got different perspectives and we’re all looking at things differently. Exactly. Good point! ▪

Sons Of Anarchy Season 6 is out now on Blu-ray and DVD through 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Season 7 premieres on Showcase in early September. Winter is also currently shooting an action film for release later in the year.

www.rockcandymagazine.com.au | 47


HOT LIVING DEAD MAN ASIDE FROM SUPERHEROES AND ÜBER VILLAINS, FEW ADULT MEN CAN PULL OFF WEARING A PAINTED MASK DAY IN, DAY OUT. ONE OF THESE IS ROB ZOMBIE, THE OUTSPOKEN AND OFTEN OUTRAGEOUS ENTERTAINER WHO SINGS, PRODUCES HIS OWN MUSIC, PLAYS MULTIPLE INSTRUMENTS, DIRECTS VIDEOS AND FILMS, AND WRITES THE ODD SCREENPLAY - THE OPERATIVE WORD THERE BEING ‘ODD’. ROCK CANDY CATCHES UP WITH THE ARTIST WHOSE UNIQUE BRAND OF ‘SCHLOCK ROCK’ HAS INFLUENCED THE LIKES OF NINE INCH NAILS, MARILYN MANSON AND SLIPKNOT TO TALK ABOUT, WELL, PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING. IT ALSO HAPPENED TO BE THE DAY AFTER HIS 49TH BIRTHDAY. Interview by Antonino Tati

First of all, Rob, happy birthday for a day ago. Did you get up to no good? I was pretty mellow about my birthday this year. I didn’t really have a wild one, but it was a good one. You know, I can be mellow sometimes. Good to know. Going back to your childhood, you were raised by your parents while they were working in a carnival, yes? Yep, up until 1976 the circus was my family’s business. When my grandparents were involved it was an elaborate circus environment, but by the time I came along it had become a kind of sleazy carnival. Do you feel some of those circus theatrics have influenced your stage shows? I think so. I didn’t know it at the time that it would influence my adulthood but I always loved the aesthetic of the circus. I loved the look and feel of everything about the carnival life. There were these freak shows and tents that you would go into where you’d see girls in bikinis turning into gorillas, and all these crazy things going on. I loved

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all that stuff, and I think it influenced me a lot. Being in a band now, touring, is the closest thing I can think of to being in a circus. You could say you’re the  ringleader! Yeah. [Laughs]. That’s what I love about it. You come up with these crazy ideas and you create this show. You roll into town, set it up, do it once, pack it up, and drive away. It’s the greatest thing in the world. You were doing the theatrical thing right from the start of your career. Are you happy seeing more artists these days focusing on theatrics as much as they do on making actual music? It depends, I mean when it’s good it’s good, but sometimes it seems rock bands are the ones who do it the least when they should be doing it the most. It’s strange to see more elaborate stage shows coming from pop acts, and unfortunately a lot of the time I don’t find those kind of shows entertaining. But I suppose a show’s a show, so it’s always good whoever’s doing it.


From making music to performing live, creating music videos to writing and directing films, you’ve been prolific since 1985. What keeps you so motivated? Basically I just love doing it. I’m very excited about doing it all the time and I never wanna stop. I’m excited to make that next record, make that next movie, go on that next tour. And I never get bored with it. In fact, it’s the opposite – as the years go by, I appreciate it more for the great thing that it is. With your version of the classic horror film Halloween, did you feel there were some parts of the original that you just didn’t want to touch; that you thought were sacred ground, per se? Actually, if I could go back in time and do it again, I would probably change it even more; make it even more my own. If there had been only one Halloween movie, I would probably have felt, ‘Ooh, this is a classic, you can’t touch it’, but since there were so many sequels, I felt that the legacy of Halloween had already been shat on so much, it wouldn’t matter. With the first one, I was sort of riding that line of creating new themes but trying to stay true to some of the John Carpenter stuff. Whereas with Halloween II I just said, ‘Fuck it, I don’t need to do any of that’. From a distance, conservatives might look at you – with all your makeup and wild antics – and wonder how somebody can look and behave like you do, and yet have it together to create so much. Well, people are always going to judge everything by how it looks but that’s never the reality. The fact is that most people who look like freaks have to have it together to be able to do whatever they do in the first place. Do you know what I mean? If you were a crazy person, you wouldn’t be able to do anything; you’d just be wondering around the streets talking to yourself. But it’s pretty random. Talent has nothing to do with it sometimes. I know most of it is just hard work. I know some people who are super-talented but they never accomplish a goddamn thing.

“Music and movies and video games do not cause problems, and for any politician to stand up and say that is absurd. With so many wars going on all over the real world, give me a fucking break. You know what causes problems? Psychotic fucking politicians. Not some stupid movie.” You were only 20 when you started out in music. I’m sure you’d agree the music industry has changed tremendously since then. Yeah, it’s completely different. It’s always changing, but in the last five years it’s changed more rapidly than ever. Would you say you adapt well to change, particularly technological change? Well I try to. You can’t fight progress; anyone who tries to do that is just foolish. It doesn’t mean you have to like it, but you have to accept that it exists. Progress is not always better, but I just try to take what it is and make it something that’s to my liking as much as possible. I suppose one way that you adapt to progress is actually drawing references from old media and lacing it into new projects; like the cool samples you use in a lot of your songs. Yeah, and I still like doing that. I’m still influenced by the same things I’ve always been influenced by. I find that whatever I discovered and loved a while ago I love just as much now, if not even more-so. I’m pretty particular in my tastes; when I like something, I always like it. I’m not very trendy in that way. Has anyone every chased you for copyright infringement when you’ve sampled a line from their film or TV show? Not really. Some things we do actually pay to use; it’s not like we just take anything and use it.

Some of your samples are pretty sacrilegious. Did you grow up with any sort of religious upbringing? I never really did. I think when my mother was young she was very, very religious but by the time we were born and grew into kids… well, we never went to church or did anything like that. My feelings on the subject of religion is: ‘This is just ridiculous’. I never believed in that stuff growing up, and it’s pretty much stayed the same way my whole life. To me it was ridiculous to think of the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause and all of that nonsense. To me that was crazy. Obviously a lot of those icons relate to capitalist venture; corporations putting them out there so that we all go out and buy a whole lot of shit. Exactly. Well at least they [the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause] haven’t caused any real problems in the world. What conservative types who might suggest that artists like yourself are the cause of problems – that you instigate violence with your art? I think the people that say that are just saying it to distract from the things that are really the problem. I mean, music and movies and video games do not cause problems, and for any politician to stand up and say that is absurd. With so many wars going on all over the real world, give me a fucking break. You know what causes problems? Psychotic fucking politicians. That’s what causes problems; not some stupid movie. The politicians just want to distract us from the real issues that are going on. There’s always a scapegoat, whether it’s video games, or flag-burning, or gay marriage – some sort of hot-button issue to grab everyone’s attention while they continue doing the bullshit that they’re doing. It’s been going on forever, but people always fall for it. ▪ Rob Zombie plays Soundwave in Brisbane (RNA Showground) on Saturday 22 February, Sydney (Olympic Park) Sunday 23 February, Melbourne (Flemington Racecourse) Friday 28 February, Adelaide (Bonython Park) Saturday 1 March, and Perth (Arena Joondalup) Monday 3 March. Tickets are available through www.soundwavefestival.com.

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HOT FOR A GOOD CAUSE There are a couple of reasons we’re including the Leukaemia Foundation’s ‘World’s Greatest Shave’ in our Hot List this year. Number one: it’s fun. Secondly, it’s for a great cause. And thirdly, it’s the only time you can dob your best mate in to shave off his mullet or beard for charity. T he m i n i ng com mun it y has proven it has extremely deep pockets year after year in its support of the World’s Greatest Shave f undra ising events, having collected an incredible $4.5 million [at time of going to press] – with over $2 million raised by West Australians alone. A n d r e w Yo r k , G e n e r a l Manager of the Leukaemia Foundation in WA, said that 50 | March/April 2014

anyone working within the mining and energ y sectors is inv ited to sign up for the challenge. “It’s a terrific opportunity to build teamwork and staff morale, and the challenge is for everyone at every level,” says York. “It’s also a fun way to engage clients, customers and suppliers, while providing a great chance for management to identify potential leaders in their businesses from the team captains.” Not to ment ion t he fac t it’l l ma ke you appear far more dapper. “It doesn’t matter if you’re on site or in head office – you can qualify for our special awards to acknowledge huge support from

mining and energy businesses, contractors and suppliers, who all dig deep for this vital cause.” York goes on to describe the serious side of the business. “Ever y week, 23 West Australians will be given the devastating news that they have leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma. The World’s Greatest Sh ave M i n i ng a nd E nerg y Challenge is a chance to help them by raising vital funds for the Leukaemia Foundation’s important work.” All money raised will help the foundation continue its work in providing free support services for people after the devastation of a blood cancer diagnosis, as well as funding vital research towards better

treatments and cures. For easier participation, the Leukaemia Foundation also provides participants with online fundraising pages that automatically link to social networking sites like Facebook. ▪ Simone Harle

The Leukaemia Foundation’s ‘World’s Greatest Shave Mining and Energy Challenge’ is on from March 13-16. Registration is now open, with the call on for people to be brave and shave, or colour their hair, to raise money to help Australians with blood cancer.   To register, or for more information, visit worldsgreatestshave.com.


HOT SPOT WEST OF THE INDIAN OCEAN CAPE TOWN IS QUICKLY BECOMING THE MUST-VISIT CIT Y IN SOUTH AFRICA, OFFERING A RICH CULTURAL HISTORY, ARCHITECT U R A L E Y E C A N D Y, A N D OUTDOOR PURSUITS APLENTY FOR THE AVID ADVENTURER. Text and photography by Antonino Tati

When I first visited South Africa a few years ago, I stayed only a couple of nights in Johannesburg and spent about a week on a game reserve close to the border of Botswana. When recounting my vacation to friends back home, almost every one of them exclaimed, “What? No trip to Cape Town?” It seemed that my neglecting to put this bustling city on my itinerary was a major mistake. Indeed, even South Africans will tell you, “You go to Jo’burg to do business; you come to Cape Town to play.” Cape Town is the second most populated city in South Africa. It’s also the country’s provincial capital, and the largest in land area. The city boasts a spectacular harbour and is surrounded by monumental landmarks such as Table Mountain, the ‘12 Apostles’ (a bit bigger than Australia’s) and infamous ‘Lion’s Head’, each natural reserve reminding you that while this city is booming in

business and bustling in nightlife, a rawer Africa is never too far off. With a population of more than 3.5 million, Cape Town is one of the most multicultural places in the world. And you can spot a cross-pollination of history and culture at play in just about everything, from its architecture (the colorful houses that dot the city’s Cape Malay quarter), to its outdoor activities (triking through the CBD; hiking through the Cape Floral Kingdom), to its cuisine (traditional and modern fusion at its most adventurous). Languages spoken are Afrikaans (40% of people), Xhosa (the original southeast African language, 29%), English (28%) and a handful of other African dialects. Surprisingly, 11% of the locals hold no religion, and you can actually sense this devil-may-care attitude when chatting with the average Cape Town socialite. On the social calendar, there’s always plenty to do and the locals pride themselves on keeping abreast with the times, with new buzzwords filling front pages and dot.com sites daily, and the latest gadgets and gizmos being pulled out of Louis Vuitton clutches and Ecko backpacks. Must-dos on your visit here include checking into the postmodernist Grand Daddy Hotel that boasts a makeshift trailer park on its roof, with Airstreams hauled in from the US, in which couples can get cosy and watch

classic films while sipping on cocktails. At night, the city glistens with light, and it’s nice to take a drive down to the Victoria & A lf red Water f ront where a rainbow of lights reflect in the waters and magnificent Table Mountain stands as a bodyguard-like backdrop. By day, Cape Town is just as beautiful, and you’ve got be sure to book in a full day trip to the Cape Peninsula. You’ll get to see African penguins huddling on Boulders Beach, ostriches posing at Cape Point, and if your shuttle driver is kind enough to take you all the way south - get to touch the tippermost point of African terra where you’ll feel like Superman with the base of the continent in the palm of your hand! It’s easy to see why my pals said Cape Town is an imperative part of any South African itinerary, and understandable that the city made it to the number one spot in the New York Times’ ‘52 Places You Want To Visit’ guide for 2014. The city is an awesome mish-mash of colour and culture; its people are intelligent and ironic in healthy enough doses; natural landmarks sit comfortably alongside man-made structures; and it’s very much the best elements of SA located in one darn pretty city. ▪ Visit southafrica.net for hot travel deals.

www.rockcandymagazine.com.au | 51


HOT DIVING IN THE DEEP END When you think of big names in the diving scene, a few that spring to mind are Jacques Cousteau, Rodney Fox, and Ron and Valerie Taylor. People famous for either their contribution to the fantastic sport, or who have become recognised by name because of it. I’m sure Fox would rather have his name up in lights for other reasons than being half-eaten by a shark, but he has made a very good living out of surviving. There is fresher talent, of course. Like Perth PADI Dive Master, Sarah Toohey, and Australian Technical Diver of the Year, Liam Allen – two icons we figured worth writing about. Sarah Toohey works as dive master in charge of coordination at Perth Scuba , Western Australia’s largest dive store, looking after groups of up to 50 divers at a time – which is no easy task. She began diving in 2004, completing her first course at Magnetic Island in Queensland; her biggest motivation, ironically, being a fear of water. “It took them a bloody long time to get me off the boat and into the water,” laughs Toohey, “but after that, I was hooked!” Sarah took up being a PADI dive professional for the opportunity to show others how great scuba diving can be. “I love being able to build confidence in divers both for experience and to overcome fears like I had.”

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Whilst diving isn’t the girl’s full-time job, it does keep her social calendar full, and weekends busy. And looking after Perth’s largest dive club (5000+ members), does carry its share of stress, with Sarah admitting that night dives are definitely the hardest; trying to keep up with a bunch of divers often having too much of a good time to realise they’re surrounded by chancy waters. As for one of the perks of the job, says Sarah, “I’m more than happy to have to work with some fine-looking blokes who have to get their kit on (or off) to go for a dive, I must admit.” Which brings us to our next subject: Liam Allen, a guy who spent much of his youth diving off the rugged west coast of Ireland. Moving to Sydney in 1997, Allen made diving a full-time career. With more than 3000 dives to his credit, he has extensive experience in deep wreck locations across the globe – from the Norwegian Fjords to the Pacific Islands. As a cave diver, Liam has also experienced diverse systems throughout Australia, China, Mexico and Florida. One of his biggest achievements is diving the USS Atlanta in 2011, a wreck that sits 130m deep amid the Solomon Islands. “A team of us had the objective of exploring and documenting the wreck,” tells Liam. “It was a huge operation, logistically, but

fantastic. And we got footage for a documentary [titled ‘The Atlanta Project’], which was awesome.” As for scary incidents underwater, this daredevil says, “You plan your dives and you choose your dive buddies so that you don’t have scary moments, but there are times when your awareness is heightened and when things don’t go completely to plan.” Thankfully he’s not had many of those moments. Since being awarded the OzTek Technical Diver award last year, Liam defies the adage that the only way is ‘up’ from here, and instead jokes that “really, the only way is down”. Deeper, that is. So, has winning the prestigious award made a difference to his social life with the ladies? “Ha, I wish! Unfortunately, I can’t say that it has,” he frowns jokingly. “I guess divers aren’t seen as rock stars.” They are in our books. ▪ Text by Lee Johnson. Photography by Johanna Pool. ‘The Atlanta Project’ is being broadcast on PBS America and later in the year on Pay TV in Australia. Want to meet Sarah or Liam? Sarah leads twice-weekly club dives while Liam teaches GUE Fundamentals Courses and presents throughout the year at Perth Scuba.


HOT ON THE GREEN Just shy of 18 years of age, Perth-based golfer Minjee Lee can confidently hold her own amongst the boys on the international golfing circuit. After winning the US Girls’ Junior in 2012 (at age 15) and the Australian Women’s Amateur last year, Lee has successfully defended the latter title again in 2014. In fact, there are more awards on this girl’s mantelpiece than she has clubs in her cart bag! A member of the Golf Australia National Squad, punters are pitching Lee to be the one to kick-start the production line of fresh Australian women golfers to grace the world stage. And goodness knows the official world rankings for female golfers could do with some new breed since veteran

Karrie Webb made the grade all those years ago (Webb is still the only Australian female to be sitting in the world’s official top 100 rankings). Minjee Lee might look petite but for her lack of bulk she hits relatively long, and delivers a damn fine putt. It’s this finesse that saw her just missing out on pipping Tiger Woods’ niece Cheyenne Woods to the post at the Australian Ladies Masters in February. Says Brad Ja mes, d i rec tor of Gol f Australia’s High Performance Program, “Pound for pound, Lee is one of the strongest athletes we have; probably the strongest. She works hard in the gym. She’s the full package.”

She also works best under pressure, which of course puts pressure on any competitor who might just be in the lead. It is this impressive list of qualities that have seen Minjee Lee hold a current world amateur ranking of 5. Which is not bad for someone who a year and a bit ago was only finishing high-school studies. For now Lee will be putting university options aside as professional golfing takes precedence. And who knows, uni could be a good decade away if she continues on the golden path she’s on. Indeed they’ll probably be writing thesis papers about her before she even decides what units to tick. ▪ Antonino Tati

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HOT FEW IRONS IN THE FIRE

Recently, Equatorial Resources CEO John Welborn was judged one of the 100 Most Influential People in African Mining. However, in the late 1990s, he’d have been on the Hot List for being a world champion rugby union player. The former Wallaby might not have predicted ending up in mining but, upon reflection, can see now it all makes perfect sense. “For me rugby was about a journey and ambition. I left Perth in 1992 as a 21-year-old with an ambition to play for Australia. I drove an old bomb across the Nullarbor and backed myself.” His next 15 years were about trying to be the best in the very competitive global competition that is rugby union, requiring skill with preparation and tactics. “What I do now is similar,” tells Welborn. “ M a t c h i n g a m bi t ion w i t h o p p or t u n i t y, i nt r i n sic to t he col lec t ive of Au s t ra l i a n mining entrepreneurs.” John’s initial plans for a career as an investment banker weren’t a waste of time. Having completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at UWA, he trained in Sydney as a chartered accountant, worked in insolvency and corporate reconstruction, and gained experience in a wide range of industries. Returning to Perth in 2006 to play for the Western Force, Welborn joined Investec Bank, where he ended up Head of Specialised Lending. In this role he had the opportunity to interact with Investec’s Mining Finance team, a link that in 2009 led him to “change sides” and become the Managing Director of Prairie Downs Metals. After a successful stint as MD at Prairie Downs, Welborn put his experience in corporate reconstruction to good use, turning his attention to a company in crisis, Equatorial Coal (now Equatorial Resources). Teaming up with Ian Middlemas, the pair took control of the struggling ASX-listed junior, recapitalised the company, and subsequently acquired two largescale iron projects in the Republic of Congo. It’s not a new thing for West Australian iron ore executives to take on projects in Africa but, as John explains, it comes with a wide range of challenges. “Africa is a continent with many different jurisdictions. Even West Africa cannot be put in one basket. The Republic of Congo is an inspiring place to work. “Government relationships are crucial, as is investing in local community projects and having an uncompromising approach to dealing with corruption.” There’s also that heartwarming benefit of working in Africa; the creation of opportunity and advancement for local populations resulting from the development of a sustainable mining industry; a positive influence that Australian companies are famous for and one which Welborn and Equatorial Resources are clearly happy to be a part of. “In the Republic of Congo we have built a five-classroom primary school, and have provided clean water, electricity and healthcare for the local community. Training and education is also vital for us to create a future workforce.” John Welborn doesn’t play rugby any more but he is the President of the WA arm of the Cauliflower Club – a great initiative set up by rugby alumni to assist people with disabilities. Now that’s an all-round champ in our books. ▪ Text by Simone Harle. Photography by Hugh Brown for Equatorial Resources.

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HOT BIGGER THAN KING KONG If you were a kid in the early ’80s, chances are you spent countless hours playing Donkey Kong. Unleashed in 1981, the platform-genre video game, initially installed in arcades and later made available on bright orange hand-held consoles, rapidly became one of Nintendo’s greatest franchises. I’m sure there’s no need to describe the premise, but just in case you’re a true gaming novice, the story focused on a hero named Jumpman, whose objective was to rescue a damsel in distress from the arms of a great hairy ape. Dodging obstacles and getting rewarded as he made his way from high, tricky platform to higher, trickier platform, Jumpman quickly became a hit with big kids and little kids alike. So celebrated, he eventually score his own brand in video gaming and, alas, morphed into Super Mario. But it was Kong who was getting the greater recognition in the earlier days. Growing so big, in fact, that Universal Studios tried to sue Nintendo and its licensee Coleco for big bucks, claiming their primate clearly ripped of one of cinema’s greatest apes, King Kong. Universal lost; Donkey Kong scored notoriety; and the gaming manufacturers laughed all the way to the bank. Computer geeks might be surprised to learn that it took just 25,000 lines of coding to create the most basic version of the game – a minute amount compared to today’s more complex coding. Which brings us to the here and now. 56 | March/April 2014

Just released, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is as much a comment on the perils of global warming (that title alone) as it is a barrel of genre-bleeding fun. The game’s narrative centres on the ‘Snowmads’, a group of Viking creatures that include walruses, owls and penguins (go figure) who invade Donkey Kong Island, and force the grand ape to build an army of primates who fight to win back their land. All the usual ground-pounding, barrel-blasting and mine-cart action is there, but there’s a heap of new game-play elements to please fans, such as being able to attack whilst swimming, plucking tools right out of the ground, even having certain body parts suddenly turn mechanical (Dixie Kong’s ponytail spins into a propeller to help her f ly out of sticky situations). Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is the fif th instalment in the famous series for WiiU, and the first available in high definition, and while its success rests on satisfying high expectations and beating heavy competition (even under Nintendo’s own giant umbrella), Rock Candy can testify that the new DK has enough fresh tricks packed into it to impress even the most hardcore, action-loving gamer. I give it five bananas. ▪

‘Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze’ is as much a comment on the perils of global warming (that title alone!) as it is a barrel of genre-bleeding fun.

Text by Antonino Tati. Illustration courtesy Nintendo.


HOT ON THE MENU It seems the art of degustation is heating up in Perth. Helping to promote this positive style of dining is head chef and co-owner of Co-Op Dining, Kiren Mainwaring, who dishes up quality, seasonal cuisine that lends genuine meaning to the word ‘fresh’. Together with wife and business partner, Kelli Mainwaring, Kiren is helping revitalise Perth’s f i ne d i n i n g e t ique t te wh i le harnessing traditional means such as handpicking produce – literally – in preparation of fabulous dishes. One such tempter is the surprising combination of loin and lamb tongue (Margaret River lambs), figs (picked from the Swan Valley), fresh blueberries (from Albany), kale and fennel pollen – all up an exemplary reflection of Kiren’s values in quality and “keeping it local”. The Welsh chef began his career at the wee age of fourteen, assisting his mother in a silver service hotel in Wales and, as soon as he was able to, threw himself into the hospitality arena only to graduate to the role of head chef at renowned restaurant-by-thewater, Candle Stores. Kiren and Kelli opened their first Western Australian restaurant, Dear Friends in Caversham, embracing the rural ideology symbolic of the region. It was the community spirit they fell in love with first, thus germinating the concept of bringing a certain rural methodology into fine urban dining. When he speaks about his e x per ience i n sh a r i ng loc a l produce, Kiren describes it fondly: “Co-Op Dining goes back to the traditional co-operative methods of harvesting produce and bringing it to the kitchen and table. I thought, if we get a place in the

city, I can use the whole region of Western Australia and the idea of the name, too.” The result is bringing conventional economic synergy to urbanites, as Kiren utilises cooking techniques and his own creativity to serve up a degustation menu via which local producers are avidly promoted. White and green asparagus from the Perth hills, truffles from Manjimup, figs and local pollen from Caversham – these are just a few of the ingredients employed keenly in his kitchen – where fresh produce are the true stars. Co-Op Dining also caters for the gluten-conscious and less carnivorous, by offering dishes created around specific dietary requirements (and tastebuds) on Tuesday evenings. As Kiren notes with modest delight, “Each course comes out explained; all the staff are trained in exactly what I’ve been doing, and this is even tied into the wines.” With menus changing weekly, sometimes even day-to-day, you can rest assured that an experience at this Co-Op is going to be different with every visit. ▪

Co-Op Dining is situated at 2/11 Regal Place, East Perth. Bookings on (08) 9221 0404. Text by Andrea Manno. Photography by Barbara Bertoli.

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HOT OTHER SIDE OF THE BAR If you’re looking for something to add a little steam to your summer (or rather, cool you down during Perth’s peak-season climate) then a ‘Lagerita’ could be it. And Sohan Imran is the man to make it for you. Following a brainstorming session between Imran, who works at 399 Bar, and Ezra Pound favourites Adam and Braeden, the southern-American-born cocktail of coke and tequila has been spruced up for the local market. Tequila? Check. Boutique beer? Check. Add vanilla liqueur, agave syrup, fresh lime, coriander and the obligatory crushed ice, and you’re almost there. Shake, then pour into a lightly salt-rimmed glass, et voila – the ‘Lagerita’ – a drink that Sohan warns “will throw you a curve ball”. The trusty bartender goes on to describe the concoction as “a sweet amalgamation of bitter and sour; amazingly fresh and very crisp” before handing a couple over to the Rock Candy crew to try.

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Our verdict? It truly hits the spot! The 399 guys are not only showing off their expertise in cocktail-making but also highlighting Perth’s community-style by regularly teaming up with fellow bartenders of The Mechanic Institute and The Bird to stir up fresh ideas to serve to the public. And the team effort doesn’t end there. Aside from Sohan’s creativity in crafting new potions, all of the bartenders at 399 are regularly offering up new-fangled creations. Bar Manager, Brendan Winnett, describes his venue as “not your everyday corner bar; we’re more like a bit of a hole-in-the-wall.” One t hat st ick s out, just t he sa me, a m id Northbridge’s rustic strip of Chinese houses. ▪ Text by Andrea Manno. Photography by Barbara Bertoli. 399 Bar is situated at (you guessed it) 399 William Street, Northbridge.


HOT TIP When it comes to tipping, it appears us Australians have it all wrong. While the custom is fairly new in this country, so far we’ve been running around tipping the wrong people the wrong amount of dosh while leaving others who’ve put the hard yards in high and dry. Antonino Tati writes on the art of tipping. Americans have been tipping for ages. In fact, when most visitors to the U.S. return home to prepare a summary of cash spent abroad they’re often horrified by the total handed over in tips. If you so much as enter an establishment in a bustling city like New York or Los

Angeles without spare notes in your pocket for tips, rest assured your meal is going to go down like a lump of guilt. Throughout most of North America – Canada included – restaurants may as well stamp a fat gratuity of 20% on every check, and in bold red, since tipping there is less customary and more obligatory. The U.S. government even recognises tips as “allowable expenses” for its federal employees. This means if a politician goes abroad and proves he has left a trail of tips (on a Qantas flight; at an Aussie pub) he has every right to get a tax refund on these. Still, in other countries like Japan tipping is considered an insult, and a maitre d’ may even laugh you out of a restaurant quicker

“Tipping in Australia is all over the shop and, frankly, it could be doing our service industry a major disservice.”

than you can say ‘arigatou’. In nations closer to home, like Indonesia and Malaysia, restaurants will bill customers a mandatory government tax and additional 10% service charge on receipts. While it’s not customary to tip in these places, remember, the money from those charges are going to government and business owners, not to the hard-working kitchenhands and waitstaff, so you will likely feel obliged to leave some loose notes for these guys, too. So far as tipping in Australia goes, frankly, we’re all over the shop. And it could be doing our service industry a major disservice. While some of us are wise with our tipping – leaving a certain percentage of the bill (usually an easy-to-calculate 10%) for a job well done, others are throwing money about like it’s nobody’s business, even to underperforming staff in establishments that don’t deliver quality service or product. Consider the following scenario. Joe Bigbucks has just had a win at the casino and is taking his mates out for dinner. They eat heaps and drink lots, but don’t really think about the quality of the experience because they’re buzzed. Nonetheless, Joe wants to prove what a big man he is, and leaves two stiff green ones in the leather-bound folder, along with his signature on the $900 bill. For all these blokes know, one of the waiters might have spat in their foie gras simply because he didn’t like all the noise they were making, and the chef could have charred their steaks, passing it off as an ‘exotic’ take on Wagyu. But the staff have been rewarded, all the same, and so might continue to deliver sub-par work. Now, imagine this scenario repeated in the same establishment, weeks, months, years running. It could well lead to lazy service and bad product, still with the expectation of tips going to them – and on top of an already hefty price tag. When uncalculated tipping occurs en masse, the laws of supply and demand – at least the qualitative aspects of them – go out the proverbial window. If more people reward bad product continually, it poses the danger of encouraging a vicious, continual inferior-product/superior-reward cycle. So think about this when next leaving a tip. If you’ve had to wait 10 minutes to be served a dodgy brand of scotch in a crowded bar without so much as a smile from the bartender, why should you even think about leaving him a two-dollar coin? On the other hand, if your meal at a two-hat restaurant was that sensational then, sure, leave behind a clean gold or green note. Just be sure to tip conscientiously. The math is simple: good-to-great service and product = decent-to-great remuneration. Bad to seriously sad service and product? Don’t even leave ’em a dime! ▪ www.rockcandymagazine.com.au | 59


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Heath’s Helpline

Heath Black Most of us have been there before. In some dingy bar or overcrowded nightclub, where someone accidentally steps on your foot or, worse still, spills a beer over you. But while some individuals have the gift of being able to write it off as accidental and simply move on, others get passionately aggressive. Heath Black has been there and done that – admittedly too many times. Here he tells a part of his story, and offers tips on keeping a cool head when social situations get heated. Text by Antonino Tati

Avoiding heated social situations There was a time in Heath Black’s life when his stress levels were so high, he’d take to excess drinking and be jumping into fights with anyone who crossed his path. Or didn’t cross his path, for that matter. “I’d left the routine of AFL footy and my work had changed,” tells Heath. “I was also going through a massive relationship breakdown and divorce through the courts. And I also lost my job at Channel Seven as a sports reporter. “Those three things happened within eight months, and I would go out, drink huge amounts of alcohol, then put myself in a social situation where I wanted to hurt other people and even hurt myself.” The retired AFL player, who now acts as a public and corporate speaker on subjects as diverse as leadership, teamwork and mental wellbeing, describes the stress-heavy period of his life as having been “really serious and full-on”. Often, Heath admits, once the drinking kicked in, he would aim to antagonise. “I would be looking for situations that I thought were going to get heated and then try to intervene, knowing that it would turn on me. My feelings at that stage were that I needed to hurt myself, or I needed to hurt others.” These situations would often occur in clubs and bars, and could stem from something as simple as a stranger staring at Black in a funny way, to aggressors also looking for a fight over the most trivial of circumstances. “I wasn’t necessarily the one going into a pub or situation looking for trouble,” continues Heath, “but usually with the amount of alcohol that was getting drunk, it would change my mindset to that of risky behaviour. “The time of the night was usually an issue. It was normally after midnight. I’d be intoxicated; the others around me would be intoxicated. And the location where I kept doing this was, lo and behold, Northbridge.” Heath says he knows now that the most important thing one has to consider when sensing anxiety in certain social situations is just that: consider the places and the times that increase your stress and anxiousness, and avoid them. “If you’re putting yourself in a nightclub situation after midnight, you’re at high risk. The red flag and alarm bells should be going off.” Indeed, being in a small room, surrounded by complete strangers, each on various levels of intoxication (and possibly drug-inducement), added to the loud relentless music and (literal) smoke and

mirrors is enough to juggle the nerves of even the most ‘together’ person. Add to this a certain mental sensitivity, and it’s a recipe for disaster. After swapping war stories with Heath, and the both of us agreeing that a lot of negative social situations arise from sheer miscommunication – partly as a result of the information overload sensed in clubs and bars – the possibility is suggested that all hospitality staff, from bartenders to bouncers, be equipped with greater social tactics. “A hundred per cent!” exclaims Heath, adopting his famous catch-cry. “Diffusing the situation is necessary. A good mate of mine who served over 15 years in the SAS was the best security guard I’ve come across because he would always diffuse the situation, and not become the aggressor. And I tell you what, if he did become the aggressor there’d be an awful amount of blood spillage, because this guy was trained to kill people.” Said security guard would casually walk through the venue, mingle with the crowd, ask people how their day was, even collect glasses to keep tabs on how people were coping with their alcohol intake. It could be said that such grassroots tactics might better the ‘community vibe’ in venues which, after all, are often referred to as ‘clubs’, so why should patrons not be made to feel welcome? “We should be pushing these establishments to incorporate some of that semi-military training where staff and security can relate better to people, and where they can diffuse situations, but without violence.” ▪ HEATH’S TIPS ON KEEPING A COOL HEAD: ▸▸ ▸▸

▸▸ ▸▸ ▸▸

▸▸

Avoid places that are going to raise anxiety, especially busy bars and clubs. Avoid going out in big groups of men, where testosterone levels alone can become seriously intense. Adopt simple breathing techniques when things start to get a little heated. Leave when the heat starts to rise. Keep your stress levels in check – even doing the clichéd survey of ‘How Stressed Are You Right Now?’ is a good idea from time to time (you can download one via Google). Be conscientious of how much you are drinking, pace your drinking, and keep regular tabs on how you are feeling. The bottom line is simple: if you’re not liking how you’re feeling, wherever you are, get the hell out of there.

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Amanda’s Advice

Amanda Harrigan Relationship & Infidelity Coach, Emotive Health Feel free to email coaching@emotivehealth.com.au or visit www.emotivehealth.com.au

Tips To Spice Up Your Sexual Relationship

Let’s face it. Sex is great. But for a FIFO, the pressure of having to squeeze all your loving into the time you are together, as well as everything else, could leave one or both partners feeling dissatisfied, disappointed and disconnected. Like all relationships, there will be times when fatigue, kids, family, friends, hobbies and important tasks will appear to take priority and get in the way of maintaining a good relationship with your partner. There will be periods when the two of you are not communicating well and don’t seem to be connecting with each other. When you experience these ruts in your relationship, don’t let sex go by the wayside. Instead, use the time you have together wisely by getting frisky. If your relationship is going through a dip, it will fall even further if the two of you don’t connect sexually when you are home. Instead of abandoning your bedroom activities at the first sign of trouble, use sex to get back on track. Here are some tips to help you connect with your partner and spice up your sexual relationship. 01. Think about what sex, affection and intimacy mean to you. Learn what it is that each of you desires the most. If you don’t know, talk to your partner and share your deepest desires with them. Talking is not just about com mu n ic at i n g , it ’s a b out connection. Having an open and honest conversation about your sex life, even if it is not 100% positive, can actually build intimacy in a relationship. 02. Make sex a priority and ensure you have fun with it. If we do not prioritise our basic

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need for human intimacy, we risk sensing feelings of being unloved and unappreciated. When you make sex a priority in your relationship, you’ll soon find other things in your life will begin to fall into place as the relationship connection is strengthened. 03. Plan for kid-free nights or days. Having a better sex life with each other requires that you both take a step away from your everyday lives and focus on each other – especially when you are home. If you are parents, this means that you are going to have to designate some time and space for just the two of you. Why not send the kids to their grandparent’s house, or head to a hotel for the night where you can focus on connecting with one other again. 04. Be open and vulnerable. In a recent study by Durex, 92% of respondents said it is a real turn-on when their partner shows some vulnerability, an important part of emotional closeness. Try to let go of your sexual inhibitions in the bedroom and be completely in the moment. 05. When you are home, be spontaneous! Commit to daily acts of random affection. The loss of affection in a relationship usually indicates the loss of intimacy. Surprise your partner with passionate kisses. Hold hands when you are walking. Lie on the couch together and watch a movie. 06. Skip the bedroom. Routines happen in every relationship, but if you let them go unchecked they can end up destroying that same relationship. It’s easy to get stuck in the same bedroom routine, so why not step out of the bedroom and experiment. Your love is your

responsibility. Each partner should bring 100 percent to the relationship to get the fires burning again. 07. What about sex toys? Have you ever considered shopping for toys with your partner? Why not make it a date and go shopping together? Or send your partner a love package of naughty toys bought online to get them excited for when you get home. 08. Work at keeping your sexual relationship alive, even when you are apart. Couples who do it well tell each other that they are thinking of each other. They may indulge in a little phone sex or get into a little sexting to let their partner know they are thinking of them. 09. Think about your partner when you are away. Remind yourself what it was that attracted you, and what you loved about your partner when you met. You should find those things are still there; they just need to be rediscovered and celebrated. Keeping things steamy in a FIFO relationship might require a bit of extra thought and dedication, however it is possible to maintain a loving, connected and intimate relationship. Why not use this opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and express your fantasies with your partner? Don’t be afraid to use your imagination! You may find it opens up new door ways for intimacy and even better sex between you. ▪


Fifo Wife

Debbie Russo | bio

Cooling off…

We’re stoked to have The FIFO Wife, a.k.a. Debbie Russo, on board here at Rock Candy as our regular rock chick columnist. She tells it how it is, from the other side of the FIFO fence - as one of those perennially waiting for a partner to return home, only to go back to work just weeks later, literally left holding the babies. Says Deb: “Im 35 but I will forever be 26. I have three yummy boys aged 6, 4 and 2. I live in the country and I love it. I’ve been a FIFO wife for 13 years now. I love it most days - note the word most - and I believe this is a lifestyle you either make work or you don’t. It’s up to you. It is hard work, but it’s worth it.” So we hope you enjoy Deb’s honest take on being a FIFO wife - insight guaranteed. If you need support or just want to get in touch with someone to talk to, visit any one of these sites: www.fifofamilies.com.au www.miningfm.com.au www.familyjuggle.com.au www.ocaustralia.com.au

“Let’s go to the lake,” he says. I look at him, sweat dripping on both of us as we sit in front of the fan in our 100-year-old home that has no air conditioning. The idea is appealing, and once upon a time I would have leapt up and said, “Yep let’s go.” Once upon a time summer meant long hot days filled with stress-free stints at the lake. Those were the days of bikinis, short skirts, even shorter shorts, cool alcoholic beverages (always drunk in moderation), long dance-filled nights, and the opportunity to sleep in late and do it all over again if we wanted to. It was slow and easy. But now I’m all grown up with three little boys, and what summer means to me is pretty much just long hot days. That’s where the similarity ends. Now the days are filled with too much cricket and too many bad moods from long hot nights before and continuous hot days ahead. “ R e a l l y ? ” I a s k . “ Ye a h , le t ’s j u s t g o,” he insists. Perhaps it’s the difference in opinion between the sexes, but to me there is no more ‘Let’s just go’. There can be no spontaneity. We have children. There needs to be planning. And going anywhere with kids is like a reconnaissance mission, no more so than to the lake. Preparing the cartage alone would take the better chunk of an hour: bathers, sun suits, sunscreens, hats, snacks, f loatation devices, water bottles, towels – all needing to be packed while hubby looks for his boardies. Then it’s getting the children into the car. A hot car because it’s 38 degrees and leaving your windows open more than 5mm is illegal.

Strapping your children into restraint not only requires patience - as your child fusses and bucks in the heat, not understanding that you are trying to create everlasting happy family memories - but it takes more skill than tackling an Ikea flat-pack. The drive is quick enough, with the lake just 10 minutes away. It’s finding a spot in the car park that’s the problem, as every other man and his no-longer-allowed-dog-but-he’ll-bring-it-anyway makes his way into the national park. You disengage the children all the while screaming “Stay by the car!” as you unpack frantically, only to realise that your husband has already headed off toward the water, presumably to find a spot. Does he take the children? Of course he does, as they madly chase him toward the lake. Meanwhile, you proceed to load up, not forgetting the child in the car who can’t yet walk but is screaming to high heaven because it’s so darn hot. There is no escaping the heat, and it sucks the life from you. It makes everything twice as hard to do. Getting to the lake, you drop the gear you’ve brought (it feels like half the house). It’s crowded and that’s a safety hazard. In crowds, you cannot easily see your children. Eventually I spot mine: they’re with my husband who, come to think of it, is standing out boldly amid a mirage of shirtless, sunburnt youths: he’s the one with sun-shirt on and a zinced-up nose, throwing the children high in the air, hearing them squeal with laughter. Creating those everlasting memories. And so I delay my response no more. “Yeah,” I say. “Let’s go to the lake.” ▪ www.rockcandymagazine.com.au | 63


DEBORAH HARRY » ROCK ICON

HOT SHOTS

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THE RUIZ OF ATTRACTION

Name a celebrity worth their salt (or at least their reality TV show) and chances are photographer Mike Ruiz has gotten them to pose for his camera. There’s a certain finesse this guy possesses that turns the already-shimmering likes of Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj and Jessie J into even brighter stars. Magic Mike has had Dolly Parton put fires out in his studio, shot Kathy Griffin looking like a hooker-come-diva, seen Brooke Shields morphing into a vamp, Dita Von Teese into an angel, and Khloe Kardashian into an S&M queen. Heck, he’s even gotten Miss Piggy to lie naked with a python! “As an artist and photographer, I’ve always been interested in peeling back layers and portraying people out of context,” says Mike, a former model himself who has also directed films and presented on television. Indeed, it’s like Mike makes his subjects feel so comfortable in their skin, they’re willing to deliver the risqué looks in front of his lens more-so than on any film or video set. Of course with this being our Hot Issue, we simply had to publish a gallery of the guy’s most recent works. Enjoy the star-spotting. Antonino Tati To view more of Mike’s awesome portraits visit mikeruiz.com.

DITA VON TEESE » QUEEN OF BURLESQUE

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KELLAN LUTZ >> ACTOR / MODEL

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KELLY ROWLAND » SINGER / ACTRESS

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JESSIE J » SINGER SONGWRITER

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KATY PERRY » SINGER + ALL-ROUND BABE

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LUDACRIS » RAPPER

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KATHY GRIFFIN » COMEDIENNE / TELEVISION HOST


social studies

BIG DAY OUT

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