Spinning conversations: in search of vinyl

A trip into the city at this time of year is like visiting a prison on conjugal visit day – frantic and filled with festive cream buns and custard tarts. But sometimes the season must be embraced and the city ventured into in order to buy a present or two, if only and preferably for yourself. So, the other day, I went in search of some new vinyl. Surprisingly, this time, not a new pair of chaps.

As the year’s releases thin out to an ugly Englishwoman, there’s still some very decent Australian vinyl being released. The new 7” from Melbourne’s Miniature Submarines, the duo of Mark Nelson from The Stabs and Love Of Diagrams' Monica Fikerle, is out through Sydney’s Rice In Nice Records, as is the new split 7” from Agents Of Abhorrence and Roskopp. Love Of Diagrams’ third album Forever has just been released as an LP, and there’s a 7” around from fuzzy pop-gaze group The Twerps and an new LP, Reality & Visions, from the very awesome Deaf Wish. (While we’re talking good new releases, Sydney’s Richard In Your Mind have also just put out their Summertime EP of warm, bustling experi-pop through iTunes – another Rice Is Nice release.)

With a city crammed with people and a pair of dead headphones, however, I didn’t have to wait until I got my load home to my dodgy old turntable to be reminded that the Christmas season is all about strange encounters with faulty equipment – or, rather, strange encounters with people whose brains have gone wonky from too much ‘seasonal spirit’. Well, that and listening to other people’s conversations is a dirty habit I picked up from my father, whose eyes often glaze over mid-conversation like he’s channelling the ghosts of ABC talkback radio.

It was on that bastion of defective humanity, public transport, that the first encounter took place in front of me. A university student running into an old friend: “So if I get a High Distinction, I’ve decided I’m going to reward myself with Xanax.”

His friend, who clearly hadn’t followed him down the path of prescription incentives: “Um… right.”

Student: “Have you had it? It’s really amazing.”

Friend: “No, but, er, good for you…”

Student: “Well, either that or OxyContin. Have you had OxyContin? It’s this painkiller but it gives you total hallucinations.”

Friend: “Isn’t that stuff like heroin?”

Student: “Yes! But it’s legal so it’s much better.”

Friend: “Well, it’s been short, but I have to go.”

Within minutes came another reunion of two friends, one of whom was revealing her new job in some kind of social services role (which I missed because I was staring at a billboard, trying to decipher the rationale behind the slogan for the new Coopers 62 pilsner – “You know who you are.” Are they just aiming for the wide market of those under Alzheimer’s age?).”

Woman: “So, yeah, it’s very hands-on with the public.”

Man: “So you must be a bit of a lefty these days, eh? You must hate that Tony Abbott is the leader of the opposition now. I mean, the guy’s a Nazi.”

Woman: “Well, I think being in politics is very difficult.”

Man: “What do you mean?”

Woman: “I just think politicians get a really bad rap. I’m sure Tony Abbott isn’t such a bad guy.”

Man: “Er… yeah, I guess. No, I don’t know what you mean.”

Woman: “I’m sure he’s a decent human being when he’s at home. He looks like a lovely guy.”

Man: “Hmm. So what else have you been up to?”

On the way to the record store, I passed a dishevelled old busker who wasn’t usually on that particular corner and who looked and sounded like he’d spent whatever money he’d made that morning on a cheap cask of goon to keep the ‘seasonal spirits’ up. Except he’d unfortunately had so much that he kept forgetting which of the (I’m assuming) only songs he knew that he was singing. “Ring a ring o’ roses, a pocket full of posies and all the way to town. Ring a ring o’ roses, a pocket full of my faaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiir lady!”

Something tells me the Coopers people wouldn’t value his feedback. And sometimes things are so sad you just have to laugh. And sometimes my family have to get stuff from eBay for Christmas.

From December 2009