MISTER BRISBANE: Radio rumours | Song and dance | Teller reappears | Best bands? | Comfort food | Suburban crawl
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I’m Brett Debritz and MisterBrisbane.com is my take on my home town. Arts and entertainment, travel and tourism, history and heritage, wining and dining ... I’ve spent much of my life writing and talking about these topics for big and popular media outlets in Australia, Asia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom. But this time it’s personal. After a decade working overseas, popping back home for a week or three here and there, I’m once again based in Brisbane, and letting loose in an unbearably enthusiastic manner. In a sense, I’m writing this for me, but you are very welcome to look over my virtual shoulder. I look forward to your feedback on Twitter (where, for the purposes of this exercise, I’m @misterbrisbane) and the Mister Brisbane group on Facebook.
SONG AND DANCE ABOUT RELIGION
In my books, there’s no better tonic than a rollicking musical comedy. The current attraction at QPAC, The Book of Mormon, is not everybody’s cup of tea. Indeed, one prominent Brisbane critic is decidedly unimpressed by this spoof at the expense of the Church of the Latter Day Saints written by the people who made South Park and Team America. But the show, for all its expletives, disrespect and irreverence, is enjoying a return Brisbane season after a sold-out run in 2019, so it must be doing something right. You can catch it until February 14.
TELLER’S REAPPEARING ACT
I’m a big fan of Penn and Teller (pictured above), the Las Vegas magicians and stars of TV’s Fool Us, and I know a lot of people were disappointed when their first-ever Australian tour was postponed due to Teller’s need for emergency surgery. The good news is: he’s recovering and their gigs at QPAC’s Concert Hall have been rescheduled for April 7-11. In a media release, Teller, the one who doesn’t talk on stage but can and does in real life, said: “On Fool Us! I’ve been fooled twice by Gold Coast magician Helen Coghlan, the most devious woman alive; about a fifth of our audience in Las Vegas is Australian, and some of my dearest friends live there. So it’s about bloody time we brought our show Down Under, don’t you think?” Yes, we do.
LET’S HOLIDAY AT HOME
One important takeaway from the devastating drought and summer bush fires is that the rest of us can help other Australian communities recover in a very practical way: through our tourism dollars. Holidaying in a regional centre, or just going for a day to buy lunch and do some shopping, injects your money in the local economy. It also offers you the chance to connect with other Aussies, seeing life through their lens. I’ve travelled the world, and will continue to do so, but I’ll also make a point of seeing more of this country. In fact, I’ve only just returned from a quick cruise on the Pacific Dawn from Brisbane up the Queensland coast, including a visit to Airlie Beach, where I had a few beers with an old mate at the Sailing Club, which has a million-dollar view over the Pacific Ocean. While it escaped the fires, Airlie and its surrounds, particularly Shute Harbour, took a thrashing in 2017 when Cyclone Debbie ripped through. With the process of rebuilding ongoing, the thousands of visitors who arrive by car and on cruise ships are made to feel very welcome indeed.
WHO’LL LISTEN TO THE RADIO?
Despite the invasion of podcasts and music-streaming services, broadcast radio is still a big factor in our lives. And it’s one media sector where there is genuine competition and audience choice at a local level. In Brisbane, the first volley in the battle for dominance of the airwaves in 2020 has come with the (widely anticipated) announcement that 97.3FM is “getting the band back together”, i.e. reuniting breakfast-shift mainstay Bob Gallagher with former colleagues Robin Bailey and Terry Hansen (pictured above). From January 28, they’ll be competing for your attention over the cornflakes and morning commute with Stav Davidson, Abby Coleman and Matt Acton on Hit105; Ash Bradnam, Kip Wightman, David “Luttsy” Lutteral and Susie O’Neill on Nova 106.9; Greg “Marto” Martin, Margaux Parker and Nick Cody on Triple M; Laurel Edwards, Gary Clare and Mark Hine on 4KQ; and Loretta Ryan and Craig Zonca on ABC Brisbane. Despite, at the time of writing, having no regular shift coming from the River City, there’s also talk station 4BC, which relays the Sydney-centric shock-jockery of Alan Jones and co. Of course, there are many other listening options on the AM and FM dials, let alone on DAB+ and online, and I won’t be ignoring them on this journey. For now, the big rumour doing the rounds is that Nine Entertainment, the new owner of 4BC, is looking at a range of format ideas for its other Brisbane frequency, the station formerly known as 4BH. I’m told there have been talks involving at least one onetime superstar of Brisbane radio, and perhaps some of Nine’s television personalities. Stay tuned for future posts on who’s listening to whom and why.
LIFE AFTER THE MIKE DROP
The new/old 97.3FM breakfast line-up has come at the expense of Bianca Dye, who was offered another gig with parent company ARN, and comedian Mike Van Acker, who was sacked. Mike has bounced back with a new stage show called Sacked, which will debut at the Paddington Tavern on March 13 as part of the Sit Down Comedy Club Fringe Festival. He’s already received a lot of support online, including from the man who is replacing him on air, Terry Hansen.
MANU, WHERE ARE YOU?
The new series of My Kitchen Rules debuts on Channel 7 on February 2. Meanwhile, Manu Feildel (pictured above with his MKR team) is also on advertisement seeking contestants for a new show, presumably the one with the working title Plate of Origin that will also feature well-liked former MasterChef Australia judges Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan.
CONTROVERSY OF THE WEEK
“Best of” and “greatest” lists are designed to create a conversation, and they’re a media mainstay. In The Sunday Mail, Cameron Adams has named the “30 greatest Aussie bands ever”. The top 10 are AC/DC, The Bee Gees, INXS, The Seekers, Air Supply, Men At Work, The Wiggles, Little River Band, Savage Garden and, wait for it, … Hillsong United. Adams has used record sales and social-media following as a guide, but as we all respond to music individually, it’s bound to lead to civilised disagreement. The list certainly includes some great bands, but it doesn’t exactly reflect the soundtrack to my life. Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel and Skyhooks, for example, made a big impact on my generation, yet they only showed up at 11th, 14th and 28th respectively. And Crowded House is 12th, but can it it really be an Australian band when its main creative force, Neil Finn, is a Kiwi? How do you feel about this list? Who would you have added to, or dropped from, the line-up? You can email me, or join the conversation on Twitter or the Mister Brisbane Facebook group.
MY WEEKLY WANDER
It’s not exactly a new year’s resolution, but I’m trying to spend a little time each week visiting somewhere I’ve never been before, or I haven’t visited in a long time. I kicked it off with a train trip to Alderley, the almost-inner suburb that has strong family connections for me. My grandfather used to live on Samford Road. His house has long gone, replaced decades ago by a small strip of shops skirting the “Big A” shopping centre, which was anchored by Coles New World supermarket. We used to shop there when I was a teenager. It later became a Bi-Lo and then the whole site was redeveloped, now housing a mega Coles store and Liquorland outlet. Here are some then-and-now pictures of Grandpop’s front yard.
DID SOMEBODY SAY ‘ICONIC’?
I’ll go to my grave insisting that an icon is something you find in an Orthodox Christian church, not a particularly popular or enduring place (or person) in the secular world. Still, I admit that it’s a term often applied to institutions of special significance, and in Brisbane it’s very often used to describe the Breakfast Creek Hotel (pictured below). I dropped into the Brekkie Creek a couple of weeks ago, for the first time in too many years, and I’m happy to report that very little of importance has changed. You can still get a great steak cooked the way you like it, with a jacket potato, coleslaw and splendid fresh bread rolls with butter. Sure there are other menu items, but the key is good, simple food kept to a reasonable price and a familiar, welcoming atmosphere. There’s a significant nod to the past (wall panels tell the story of the pub and its various licensees over more than 100 years), but everything is up to date in terms of amenity and customer service. At a time when venues come and go in a handful of years, the Creek offers a lesson in longevity through simplicity and sticking to your strengths.
A FEW THINGS TO DO
+ Become well read by visiting the Lifeline Bookfest, which continues until January 27 at the Convention Centre.
+ Buy a Queensland Theatre subscription while you still can. The 2020 season kicks off on February 8 with David Williamson’s Emerald City, and includes some great plays and a special 50th anniversary event.
+ Visit Spiders: The Exhibition. It is exactly what it says it is, and it’s on at the Queensland Museum until May 4. Not recommended for arachnophobes.
©2020 Brett Debritz. If I’ve inadvertently used copyrighted material, failed to give credit where it’s due, written or said something you disagree with, or otherwise upset or unexpectedly delighted you, please email brett@misterbrisbane.com, or connect with me at @misterbrisbane on Twitter or the Mister Brisbane group on Facebook. Photo credits: Brett Debritz, Arthur Debritz, QPAC, ARN, Seven Network.