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.
At 6.30pm on this day in 1974, Countdown made its television debut. Perhaps it didn’t change Australia overnight – that really happened on 1 March 1975, when Skyhooks heralded the dawn of colour transmission in Australia with a special midnight broadcast – but it’s safe to say music television would never be the same again. This […]
Countdown: appointment television that changed Australia Read More »
I watched Four Corners’ investigation Music For Sale on Monday with some anticipation. The program was an overdue reckoning for Live Nation and Ticketmaster – the international entertainment behemoth, which has long faced accusations of abusing its market power by buying out venues, booking agencies, touring companies and merchandise manufacturers. The program finished to the soundtrack of Midnight
Live music crisis pre-dates Live Nation Read More »
Ollie Olsen, the maverick Australian post-punk and electronic music innovator, died on Wednesday after a long struggle with multiple system atrophy, a rare neurological disease which he “fought like a Viking”, according to a statement shared on his social media accounts. He was 66. Olsen – who changed his name legally from Ian Christopher Olsen
Ollie Olsen 1958-2024 Read More »
They were the overnight sensation 30 years in the making. In 2017, a review appeared in the New York Times: “My obsession with the Necks, the greatest trio on Earth”. It followed the LA Times, which called them “among the world’s greatest forces in music”. The Washington Post, in 2020, was slower to catch on, describing one
The Necks: Transcendental Meditation Read More »
A more precious rock star than David McCormack might bridle in indignation when an interview segues away from the music. For more than three decades, McCormack has led the Australian indie-rock band Custard, who today release their ninth studio album: a 21-song epic called Suburban Curtains. These days, though, all paths of discussion inevitably lead
Custard: the perfect career trajectory Read More »
On the screens flanking the stage at Petersons Winery in Armidale, you can clearly see the scar at the top of Jimmy Barnes’ big barrel chest. It’s a visible legacy of the singer’s second round of open-heart surgery in December last year, after a serious bout of bacterial pneumonia nearly killed him. Two months ago,
Cold Chisel: The Big 5-0 Read More »