Almanac Life: More Things I Like
Knowing that if Gough Whitlam had come over you’d, “play chess and drink claret”
Adelaide Oval’s Morton Bay Figs
Bringing in the bins Fridays after an hour in the pub
Helping our 99-year-old neighbour sort her Foxtel
Kapunda Footy Club being among the world’s oldest and playing under its original name
Garry McIntosh’s handball
Lamb cigars from The Broadway butcher shop
Degraves laneway in Melbourne
Hertfordshire’s Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub
Staring at the Grand Canyon from its Western Rim
DK Lillee’s delivery stride
Exile on Main Street’s dangerous sprawl
The surreal sadness of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Whyalla’s Bottle and Bird as a concept
Bung fritz
Onkaparinga National Park
Listening to Islands in the Stream with old friends
The Old Gum Tree’s barbeques being regularly cleaned by the local council
Your wife leaving you chocolate on your laptop keyboard
“Let’s Give a Cheer for Father” from the Looney Tunes cartoon, A Bear for Punishment
Glenelg Footy Club’s past players beer caravan
“I’ll tell you what pressure is. Pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse. Playing cricket is not.”
Joni Mitchell’s guitar playing on Blue
Fleabag
Op Shop radios always being not quite tuned to a golden oldies AM station
Damien Martyn stroking one through the off-side
Listening to Skyhooks in a HQ Holden
Getting married on the lawn of your old high school
Having your wedding reception in your hometown footy club
The beauty and satire of “Chateau Lobby #4 (In C for Two Virgins)” by Father John Misty
Getting a giant pillow of chips from a fish shop
Being round a table with friends and all knowing the story someone’s about to tell
The 42-minute version of Wichita Lineman by the Dick Slessig Combo
Picking mint leaves from the garden for a gin
Changing my wife’s car radio to Triple J
When your kids finally say “thanks” without prompting
The Ned Ryerson scene in Groundhog Day- Bing!
Pubs with Friday night meat raffles
Scorsese’s use of the slide guitar and piano coda from “Layla” by Derek and the Dominoes in Goodfellas
Sylvia’s Mother
Noel’s Caravans
Tex, Don and Charlie
Opening a Barossa shiraz to share with Dad
The bawdy humour and joy of Under Milkwood
Saying, “West Coast Eagles” in my head and it only being in Dennis Cometti’s voice
Julia Jacklin’s plaintive melodies
John Cusack’s character breaking the fourth wall in High Fidelity
Chook as a concept
Chook salt as a concept
Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections
Your wife buying you an unexpected gift
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel
Kalamata olives
The Indianapolis Speech from Jaws
The Fish Tales pinball machine
Sid Waddell commentating, “There’s only one word for that: magic darts!”
If you would like to receive the Almanac Music and Poetry newsletter we will add you to the list. Please email us: [email protected]
To return to the www.footyalmanac.com.au home page click HERE
Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.
Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?
And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help keep things ticking over please consider making your own contribution.
Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE
One-off financial contribution – CLICK HERE
Regular financial contribution (monthly EFT) – CLICK HERE
About Mickey Randall
Now whip it into shape/ Shape it up, get straight/ Go forward, move ahead/ Try to detect it, it's not too late/ To whip it, whip it good
- More Posts
Fine list, Mickey! One of the best things about it is its specificity – this issue is of fundamental importance for any list like this one. One of my absolute favourites: ‘Lamb cigars from The Broadway butcher shop.’
Brilliant, Mickey.
Could not have curated this list better myself.
“Watch that first step…it’s a doozy!!”
Thanks KD. I agree that a good list is specific and this diminishes the criticism that lists are for the lazy.
As a rule Smokie I love Bill Murray’s films but we saw On The Rocks and I thought he’d slipped into self-parody and was playing a sad, almost surreal version of his character from Lost in Translation.
Terrific stuff MR. I’ll elephant stamp Fleabag, just brilliant. And Kalamata olives are the bomb.
Cheers
Hi Mickey. Your heading of this fine(ish) list prompted me to revisit your original list back in Feb. Great memory prompters. My list is in my head. Translating them to a version anywhere near as good as yours remains a bridge too far for me at the minute,
Rick- I reckon we’d been out to dinner one Thursday and getting home popped on the TV and caught an episode of Fleabag on the ABC. Later discovered it was the finale of the original airing so then watched both series which I imagine is a Brechtian (and most appropriate) way to view it.
Daryl- When you’re ready I’d be most interested in reading your list and learning more of your inner world.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Things I like: Your mad professor head shot. X
Mickey – 80% I concurred with. Must be a South Australian thing of a certain vintage. 10% I must look into. 10% I have no idea what you’re talking about and never will.
Someone- so you’re saying that I shouldn’t pursue that gig in a shampoo ad?
PB- I wonder what my/our lists might look like in a decade?
Thanks.
Lost concentration after ‘Damien Martyn stroking one through the off side’. Would add a love heart emoji if I could.
Luke- what a shock it was when Martyn (prematurely) retired following the Adelaide Ashes Test in 2006. I know he wasn’t in great form but having just played in one of the great matches must’ve been unbearably bittersweet for him. He was as stylish as the best of them.