Mister Brisbane: View. Point.
A splash of summer | Is it art? | Inside story | Consort capers | Pointless point
There’s a moment when you’re driving inbound on the M1 where you catch a glorious glimpse of the Brisbane CBD, before a dip in the road makes it disappear again. It always gives me a thrill to see the city laid out before me like that, because it means I’m coming home. A friend who packed her bags and drove up from Sydney many years told me it was that view that really sold her on the idea of living in Brisbane.
More recently, I’ve been driving through some fairly ritzy suburbs and I’ve noted the unsurprising fact that expensive-looking homes often have city views. For those of us who can’t see the CBD skyscrapers from our back deck, there’s always the lookouts at Kangaroo Point (above, image by Sahra Peterson), Mt Coot-tha and Mt Gravatt, and other public vantage points. Does a city view send a chill up your spine? Or do you prefer a seascape or a mountain vista? Where do you go, or where do you take visitors, to see the River City at its finest?
Join Brett Debritz and Spencer Howson for the Mister Brisbane show on Reading Radio at 1296AM or DAB+ in Brisbane on Tuesdays at 6.30pm, Wednesdays at 4am and 7am, Fridays at 4am, Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 5pm. It is also available as a podcast on popular platforms including Spotify, Apple and Google Podcasts.
I SEE RED
It’s a big deal when the jacaranda bloom, but Brisbane is blessed with a plethora of flowering plants. Here’s a hibiscus from my neck of the woods that gave me what the internet insists I refer to as “the feels”. Do flowers bring you joy, or is it fresh fruit that floats your boat, especially at this time of the year? There’s something special about the first mangoes of the season, and I can’t think about Christmas without associating it with peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines and, especially, watermelon. But it’s never the same as it was when I was a kid. As well as being expensive, fruit seems to be more bland these days. Or could it be that my tastebuds have succumbed to the ravages of time?
FOR ART’S SAKE
I’ve got to be careful here, because it’s controversial territory. For many years, the Brisbane authorities have encouraged and enabled artists to paint traffic signal control boxes. And, for the most part, these artworks have been embraced by the citizens. We’ve also seen the commissioning of artists to express themselves on walls, bridges and, outside of the city, silos.
At the same time, however, a lot of unauthorised art and graffiti has also sprung up in public places. I hesitate to pass judgement on it, because art is in the eye of the beholder, but in other parts of the world, some “guerrilla” street artists — Banksy being the most famous example — have been lauded for their work. But it’s a dilemma for councils and private owners who may not be especially enthusiastic when they find their property has been selected as a canvas.
Of course, there are plenty of arguments against vandalism. At the same time, I will note that graffiti is a valuable tool for archaeologists and social historians. It helps them understand the people of the past in a way that authorised or traditional artwork often does not. For practical purposes, it comes down to who decides what to keep and what to delete; who to prosecute and who to tolerate or encourage?
CURTAINS RISE AGAIN
Many of my friends in the arts are relieved that, at least at the time of writing, Covid seems to be under control in Queensland and, as of late last week, the state government has relaxed the limits on seating numbers at indoor venues. But, as we’ve seen around the world where second and third waves have erupted, “victories” against the virus can be short-lived. While we should be pleased that we’ve (apparently) dodged the huge outbreaks that have hit Europe and America, and that vaccines have gone into production, there are no guarantees in the fight against the pandemic.
Even when the scientists and politicians say it’s as safe as possible to go back out into the world, are we mentally prepared for it yet? My crystal ball is not crystal clear, but I think we’ll see a future where much more of our arts and entertainment diet is delivered directly into our lounge rooms. The big film studios are already starting to bypass cinema releases, or supplementing them with streaming. For example, in the United States the big-budget superhero movie Wonder Woman 1984 will go into cinemas and debut on HBO Max on the same day. With a December 25 release, fans will think all their Christmases have come at once. Perhaps, soon, all live events will also be streamed for those who can’t, or are simply unwilling to, attend in person.
HOME FOR AWAY
On the subject of live shows, Come From Away has been announced as the first major musical to open in Queensland since the Covid shutdown. Its about the 7,000 airline passengers who were grounded in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada due to the air-traffic shutdown imposed after the events of September 11, 2001, and the small community that welcomed these “come from aways”. Written by husband and wife duo David Hein and Irene Sankoff and produced by Rodney Rigby and Junkyard Dog Productions, it will begin a limited run at QPAC from March 28. Details here.
If you need a musical fix before that, the Friends! The Musical Parody will open at the Star Gold Coast on February 11.
Meanwhile, Brisbane’s theatre companies and performance venues have also begun to announce their 2021 seasons. To get you started, here are links for Queensland Theatre, La Boite, the Brisbane Powerhouse and QPAC.
POINT TO PONDER
Double Island Point is a place often referred to in Brisbane weather reports. But, without cheating, could you point out the point on a blank map? My point here is that there are place names that we hear all the time but really can’t place in our minds — even when it’s important that we do. For example, we know that Afghanistan is in the news, but do we all know exactly where it is? (My thoughts stray here to the experiment by the Chaser group many years ago where they showed a fake world map to Americans, some of whom were happy to believe that mainland Australia was North Korea and Tasmania was South Korea.) Closer to home, and back to my original premise, if you heard a warning about severe thunderstorms south of Double Island Point, would you batten down the hatches or not?
MEANWHILE …
The refurbished and re-renamed Prince Consort Hotel (which I wrote about a little while ago) is officially opening this week. It promises several themed bars and a fun atmosphere. That should provide another reason for people to head out of home and into the Valley (which is a place close to my heart).
Britbox is the latest streaming service to launch in Australia with great classic and contemporary shows from the BBC and ITV. More about that next week when I’ve had a chance to have a look.
WHAT THE SNUFF?
According to Google, the Suzuki Snuff is not a thing. So where did this come from? And what does it mean? I took the picture in Brisbane’s north-western burbs if that’s any help.
FEEDBACK
On the subject of DAB+ radio, Daniel took issue with the new technology’s coverage: “Earlier in the year I moved out of the DAB+ listening area. Our suburb has external coverage just not internal, so my bedside clock radio is now just a clock.” His is not the first complaint I’ve heard about poor or non-existent reception for DAB+, which would be an issue in an emergency scenario and is a strong argument for the retention of AM. It also means that DAB+ radios in cars are great for urban commuters but useless for people who travel beyond the city limits.
As Liz, who lives on Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island), notes: “I bought one very early only to find it didn’t work on the island. Big letdown. Haven’t tried since.”
Michael added: “Our new car does have a DAB option... makes the ABC AMs much clearer but yes, the 80s and 90s channels are great... as is Santa Radio now.”
Meanwhile, Warren declared: “AM only. I'm a mono kind of guy.”
And Simon said: “Maybe older adults are the only ones...who know what a wireless is.”
Regarding street and suburb names, Lynette said: “I grew up in Enoggera (home of the army barracks) so some street names have WWI significance. I lived in Lady Galway Street ([named for a] governor’s wife who raised money for charity and war efforts). Top of the hill was Lone Pine Street and then Chatham’s Post and parallel was Brown’s Dip (the cemetery in Gallipoli). More fitting than De Niro Street.”
JGC said: “McDowall has a street in honour of Steven Spielberg. Unfortunately it’s misspelt as Speilberg St. Bugs me every time I drive past it!”
Jennifer noted: “Technically, Our Nicole [Nicole Kidman] is both Australian and American. She was born to Australian parents in America and now holds dual citizenship.”