Welcome to Notes From Pig City. This is my online archive for as much of my journalism as I can keep up with. Published pieces will be reposted here as soon as they can be. I also write exclusively on my Patreon page; those pieces are not republished here.
I’m the author of two books: Pig City (2004), a book about Brisbane, and Something To Believe In (2019), a music memoir. I'm currently employed by AAP. I continue to freelance occasionally for other publications, mostly Guardian Australia, where it doesn't conflict with my full-time gig.
I have a wide variety of interests, and they’re reflected by the number of tabs in the main menu. You can click through those, or the archive list at the bottom to find what you might be interested in, whether you’re a casual visitor or looking for something specific.
If you want to get in touch send me a message here.
James Baker was, as the title of his last solo release declared, Born To Rock. The musician, who died on Monday night aged 71, was the big beat behind the drums for a long list of influential Australian garage-rock bands including Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, the Scientists, the Dubrovniks and the Victims. But his […]
The Ballad of James Baker, 1954-2025 Read More »
In 1984, Paul Kelly packed up his few belongings, borrowed his father-in-law’s Holden and made the 13-hour drive from Melbourne to Sydney. He had barely a dollar in his pocket and no place to lay his head. Don Walker, who was taking a breather from the music business after the breakup of Cold Chisel, offered him
Paul Kelly’s Post at 40 Read More »
The Brisbane Lions took a retro theme into their match against the Gold Coast Suns at the Gabba on Sunday night. The team rolled out in the original Brisbane Bears strip from 1987. The cute and cuddly Carrara Koala roared at diehard fans from the LED scoreboard – an unsubtle reminder of the days when the
Lions eclipse Suns on big night for AFL QLD Read More »
A tall, familiar figure is walking towards me near Bulimba Ferry on the south side of the Brisbane River. It is Cate Campbell, the Australian swimming legend who announced her retirement last June. She is carrying a slight limp. She assures me that walking is fine, as long as she stays on a hard surface,
Cate Campbell: where the water ends Read More »
Is it true you nicked some of your early equipment from David Bowie’s trucks outside the Hammersmith Odeon at the last Ziggy Stardust show, in 1973? There’s definitely some truth in that. It wasn’t outside in trucks though – it was on the stage! They played two nights, and after the first night they left all
Steve Jones: 10 Chaotic Questions Read More »
During 2021 and 2022, Australian singer-songwriter Liz Stringer played to the sort of crowds some would say she had always deserved. Arenas of loud, passionate fans, 10,000 or more at a time, baying every last line back at her. Unfortunately, they weren’t her words: Stringer had been employed as a backing singer for Midnight Oil,
Liz Stringer: The Second High Read More »