Author Archive

Matthew Mitcham - Solid Gold!

Olympic gold medalist, Chief of Parade at Sydney Mardi Gras, an Ambassador for Men’s Health in Australia and almost too sexy for words – that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Australian diver Matthew Mitcham, as Megan Smith found out in a recent interview…

Going into Round 6 of the 10m platform diving competition in Beijing, Matthew Mitcham was a long shot for the gold. China had so far swept every gold in the sport and Zhou Luxin, despite a weak final dive was still well ahead of Mitcham. (more…)

Cho-Time!

Comedian Margaret Cho stands up for more than just laughs – she stands up for the community she believes in. OUTinPerth unearths the serious side of one of America’s funniest femmes.

There is playing on impropriety for a punchline and then there is Margaret Cho. From describing to a live audience the time she shat her pants in L.A. traffic to painting herself naked in front of her parents, the 40-year-old Korean-American fearlessly goes where no other comedian will. (more…)

The Freemasons

Remix masters and DJs extraordinaire, the Freemasons are coming to Australia for a few very special gigs. Along with Paul Oakenfold the duo will keep the crowd thumping and pumping until the sun comes up on Mardi Gras. Then, they’ll fly west to play the Court’s Overflow. OUTinPerth’s Megan Smith had a few questions for the pair before they reached our fair shores.

Seeing as you are the Freemasons, is there a secret handshake?

No, but there is a silly walk.

You are coming to Australia to play the one and only Mardi Gras – besides your set, how will you partake of the festivities?

We’ll be off to see the parade obviously, as it’s brilliant! There is a wonderful Freemasons tribute float organized by some MySpace people Russell [Small] got to know – we can’t wait to see it and will pop down and wish them all our best before… Who knows we might even get kidnapped by them and end up in the parade!

What sort of set are you planning for Mardi Gras? Do you approach playing a gay party differently from a regular gig?

We always try and play slightly differently depending on the night, even the venue sometimes.

You have been enormously successful with your remixes - what is the biggest misconception the public has of remix artists?

That they get paid royalties. The number of people who think we are both millionaires after the Beyonce remixes always amuses us. Please don’t think that we’re complaining though as we’re certainly not – It was such a privilege to do [the remix] and our career changed forever… But remixers only get fixed fees 99% of the time. (more…)

Judith Lucy is seriously funny

Judith Lucy is one funny lady, and after a few years away from the stage, wherein she wrote a tell-all book ‘The Lucy Family Alphabet’ about her family, she is returning to standup with some new material about the many, many joys of turning 40.

How was writing a book different from creating a stand-up routine? (more…)

Who killed Amanda Palmer?!

That’s the question posed to fans of Amanda Palmer (formerly of the ‘Brechtian punk cabaret’ duo Dresden Dolls) in the title of her new solo album. And though Amanda says the question was posed ‘more as a clever title than a concept record,’ the title has become almost metaphorically self-fulfilling.

The story goes like this. Back in 2002, when the Dresden Dolls were just beginning to garner attention, Amanda sat down one day and penned a somewhat tongue-in-cheek song, about a girl who is date raped, becomes pregnant, has an abortion, and then shrugs the whole ugly experience off because she receives an autographed picture from the band Oasis. (more…)

The Cat Empire Strikes Back

They are one of Australia’s most internationally capped bands, a must see act, a big band extraordinaire, and finally – finally! – the technology has caught up with their stage performance. That’s right, the Cat Empire have released a ‘best of’ double disc of their live performances to be followed, all too appropriately, by a live tour.
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Kram It In

So, one day Kram was roasting some tomatoes for his girlfriend (that’s not a euphemism). He turned on the stove, put the tomatoes in a pan and…

‘I promptly jumped on a plane and went to Adelaide. Then I got a phone call at my soundcheck saying the house is almost on fire. I had literally left those tomatoes on all day. I just have to realize that I’m a really bad multitasker when it comes to everything but music.’ (more…)

Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

(Afr)Odidiva

A drag queen. A poet. A performer. A statement. Odidiva – the only live act black drag queen in Cape Town – is all of these in House of the Holy Afro, the raucous, rhythmic journey through urban African culture that will be at Beck’s Music Box as part of the Perth International Arts Festival on February 26-27.

As Odidi Mfenyana (the man behind the makeup of Odidiva) explains, Odidiva was born when he met Brett Bailey, the director of House of the Holy Afro, at a bar back in 2001. Brett saw Odidi sing karaoke and offered him a part in a play. Though originally suspicious the offer was simply a bad pickup line, Odidi eventually agreed and so Odidiva came to be. (more…)

Sports Local Round-up February 2009

LOTON PARK TENNIS CLUB

Loton Park committee members thank everyone for spreading the word about saving the unique club and say support is building within the community, with people expressing that they do not want to lose Australia’s only gay and lesbian tennis club. The club hopes the momentum will continue in February with more people coming down to Loton Park to have a hit and see what the Club is all about. Loton Park has signed up some new members already and the Management Committee is hopeful that the club will make the target of 80 members by the end of February. One major fund raising event for the Club is Love All on the 21 February – for full details go to www.loveall.com.au. (more…)