IT'S TOIM!

The Sounds of Aus wasn't all I cracked it up to be; in fact, the show was a disappointment.

In a word: superficial.

My main impression was the people who did the talking seemed more intent on showing off, with the upshot being you got rock all in the way of insightful analysis.

What I particularly resented was the implication assorted Sixties luminaries saved us from a life trying to speak like toffs. I wanted, well, I don't exactly know what I wanted, but I didn't want a cultural critique from a bunch of boomer smartypants. (Fortunately, we were spared Phillip Adams skyting about how he personally saved Strayan.) And popping Malcolm Frazer's accent while ignoring Gough Whitlam was especially naughty.

The wogs was good, but.

Comments

[Professor Rosseforp]

I missed "The sounds of Aus", possibly because I am still reeling from the absolute horror of "The Librarians" on ABC-TV.
When you mention sixties luminaries and the ABC, one automatically thinks of Richard Neville. Did he make an appearance? And please tell me that Virginia Trioli, now about as ubiquitous as Monica Trapaga was, did not appear as a token southern European.

[Tony T.]

No, neither got a gig. Barry Crocker was there. Bruce Beresford. Officer Dibble who read the first ABC News bulletin. There were numerous speech therapists and deportment coaches. Michael Cathcart from Melbourne Uni.

They all told stories about how we used to have to learn how to speak posh, but eventually we were saved by Barry McKenzie and Paul Hogan.

[Bruce]

It was very much filtered through the 'luvvies' prism.

I wanted hear more stuff like that recording of old timer from the bush who was very close to modern speakers and other comparisons of time and place.

[Tony T.]

Yeah, that's the term I was looking for, Bruce: "Luvvie-centric."

But then, it was (I assume) made for the ABC, so I shouldn't have been surprised.

[Francis Xavier Holden]

I think I've said this somewhere else more worthy than here, but it needs a 5 part series. Hosted by TonyT, Me and Leapin' Larry L.

I wanna see more wogoz and koorispeak.

I did go through elocution lessons. The Rain in Spain etc. I did however get one enduring gem out of it- I can recite Daffodils - verbatim. And enjoy it. Lot to be said for rote learning.

Beside the lake - beneath the trees. Fluttering and dancing in the breeeze. (at this point politics entered and being bolshie in those days I asked daaaancing or darncing?)

[Francis Xavier Holden]

I thought Cathcart was worth a long listen. Possibly too yappy for a simple tv show. Perhaps we should invite him to a blog meet. Mind you I'd argue with him.

[Tony T.]

I he the same Michael Cathcart who is married to Hannie Raisins?

[Tony T.]

Just reading Leapster's latest fillum review, this paragraph struck me as relevant to this post:

Knit-browed broadsheet-reader folks who feel the superhero concept, even in a modishly toned-down version sublimated to a genuine structure of ideas, is beneath them in their elevated lawn-tennis umpire view of life will be missing out by not loosening the brain-girdle enough to roll around the floor a few serious rounds with V For Vendetta, but it’s only to be expected. I leave them to their special hell of haunting the art-houses, where for every quirky winner that hits the bingo board, there are 75 nerf-movies containing any combination of no structure, no intelligible characters or dialogue, no momentum, no clue, no point and no viable way to suing for two hours of your life back.

[Nabakov]

"They all told stories about how we used to have to learn how to speak posh, but eventually we were saved by Barry McKenzie and Paul Hogan."

Reverse cultural cringe - which is a cultural cringe in its own right.

Regardless of what you think of Jack Thompson as an actor or person, I reckon he's got a great voice - less ocker than you'd recollect and classically trained. He knows to project.

I also really enjoyed the sound of the bloke who used to do the SBS voiceovers in the late 90s/early 00s. A majestic Aussie queen. "She's escaping from a Polish shipyard, he lives only for his aged mother in Bratislavia. You'll be riveted to your seat when their worlds collide. SBS recommends viewing by mature audiences only."

Also, has anyone ever worked out just where the hell Les Murray was from?

"a few serious rounds with V For Vendetta"
The mellifluously sinister, classless RP voice of V in the movie was provided by an Australian actor - Hugo Weaving.

But for sheer world-class voice talent, you just can't go past the five key blokes that VO most US movie trailers.

[via collins]

Nick Tate!

With a signature hat no less. So that's where he got to. Speaking of 'straylian voices, there's one of the legends. First film was a TV version of My Brother Jack. But he ruled Space 1999....

[Tony T.]

I watched the My Brother Jack on DVD back in January. I'd never seen it before, never even heard of it, but when Boynton exhumed it from the Cliffy Hill Blockbuster Video Easy Tom Cruise Viewtacular I was keen to see it because I'd read it in HSC.

It was OK to start with, especially the feel and look of Melbourne pre-war, and Ed was an admirable Jack, but ultimately it was a bit of a drag. Maybe that was because it was writed by Charmain Clift, George Johnston's wife, who gave it a bit of the air-brush. I mean, the book ending wasn't anywhere near as cheery as the TV series ending; although that's not such a surprise in the overall scheme of book-to-fillum history.

Nor do I remember Jack being a footy star in the book, but I suppose him being a Demons player in the TV series wasn't such a bad thing; I mean, he could have played for Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond or Essingscum.

I'll let Boynton fill in any of her own observations, though (if she wants to); after all, she knows a far-sight more about plots and books and writey things than I do and probably won't run to basing her observations around footy.

I can't remember, either, whether the 1960s series left out the Sacco & Vanzetti issues raised in the book. The lame-to-not-quite-passable 2001 mini-series did, and I always figured that was because Johnston was having too sharp a stab at our lovey-trendoid culture.

[via collins]

Leapster has a sterling point to make, as is his wont.

It's no lie about wandering vacuous art-house fillums, but if we replace the "nerf-movie" phrase with "major studio marketing driven hokum" each of the sweet points applies equally.

Agreed re the AUS project by the way. It rushed quickly to no particular conclusion. Darned shame, as it rated its socks off, and could easily have stood-up as an extended series with particular focus. A fair dinkum Oz farmer ep to keep some happy, and an ABC luvvies EP for youse to all chuck yonnies at.

[Francis Xavier Holden]

..It was OK to start with, especially the feel and look of Melbourne pre-war..

and heres me thinkin' you were younger than that. Blogs can give a misleading impression.

[Tony T.]

I see what you mean.

What I meant was, it did a good line in the grubby terraces, streetscapes, inside the houses, decor, etc and made me feel like I might have been strolling through historic Melbourne, Victoria, Frank Sinatra, The World. And not just looking at a picture from a book.

[Tony T.]

VC: As I see it, the main difference between NMs and MSMDHs is that self-professed intelligent people are more likely to tell me "I simply must see" the former, while sneering at the latter, when in fact, the great majority of both are tripe.