E N T E R T A I N M E N T moments but very often these are the experiences that have helped shape who we are, either by our sheer bloody-mindedness, our victimhood or our resilience. See Mandy live at It seems almost unthinkable that there should be www.echonetdaily.net.au someone out there who hasn’t suffered. They are rare, but they do exist. These are privileged yet IS SUFFERING THE NEW SALVATION? emotionally retarded souls. They haven’t developed the flavour of a human that has been roasted on life’s Trauma makes things taste better. That’s what the rotisserie of misery. Of course no-one lines up for lady at the markets told me the other day when suffering. No-one is eager for life’s mallet to fall just I asked her the difference between her nuts. The so they can hit some emotional milestones. purveyor of $16 macadamia paste (which turns out to be both delicious and more expensive than But have you ever met someone who’s never been the equivalent quantity of cocaine) explained the hurt? Someone who has never suffered? It’s like difference between roasted and raw nuts. ‘The listening to Nicki Minaj. Or Justin Bieber. To be roasted nut paste tastes better because it’s been meaningful you have to know how to navigate the traumatised.’ landscape of angst, to abseil blindly into the pain abyss. Unbroken-ness would seem like the perfect How interesting. Food tastes better with a little human condition, but as they say it’s only when you trauma. But not too much. I have often thought break something that you let a little light in. the very same thing about people. People who have suffered are generally more interesting than I have a friend who didn’t have her heart broken until those who haven’t. Like the macadamias that were well into her forties. Previously she’d thought her unwillingly submitted to the oven, people who’ve complaining, morose, overly dramatic girlfriends who felt the heat turned up in their own lives are forced to couldn’t stop thrashing their stories of emotional develop a more distinctive flavour. degradation and misery were a little over the top. Have you ever met someone who hasn’t experienced Sure, she’d ended relationships but she’d never suffered. heartbreak? And I’m not talking about missing out on the unicycle when it breezed through Aldi last You only suffer deeply when you love deeply and week, or jumping on the scales and realising you’ve when that happened I remember her lovely face looking at me aghast ‘is this what women talk acquired another kilo. I’m talking about having about?’ I nodded and poured her a glass of red. This your heart smashed in with an emotional mallet. was going to be a long night. I’m talking about someone doing a drive by and shooting your poor little heart into a thousand ugly I’ll admit it, we all know a woman who just won’t pieces. I’m talking about being savaged by grief to let go of the rejection bone, the one that keeps the point where you can’t get off the floor. The carpet hauling over the same territory, telling the story sob. of her broken relationship like a miserable mantra. After twelve months of going ‘yeah he’s a bastard. These are not the pictures of ourselves that we How could he have done that’ or ‘you deserve put on Facebook. These are our lowest most brutal
SOAP BOX!
better’, ‘what an arsehole’ you start thinking ‘fuck I think I would have dumped her too. She’s so bloody intense. Move on, bitch’. But we don’t say that to our friends’ faces because that would be a betrayal of the sisterhood, and we have all been that stupid bitch yowling about the injustice of our once-perfect life lying smashed on the floor. Some of the people who have impressed me most in life are those who have suffered terrible loss, and somehow have managed to live life without fear or bitterness. People who have managed to move on in spite of themselves. People with stories to tell. Holocaust survivors, refugees, orphans, widows, people who have lost children, bushfire survivors, the bankrupt, the divorced, alcoholics, gamblers, the anxious and depressed and those who have developed mental health issues, the car accident survivors who end up in wheelchairs, the disabled, the disfigured, the lonely… the list goes on. These are the people, the anonymous survivors of life’s slings and arrows who should be our heroes. Not thuggish football players on six-figure incomes. So next time you suffer, as you draw breath between sobs, remember, as long as you can avoid complete incineration in life’s oven, you are on the way to becoming delicious. This is the speech I’ll be giving the kids this year when I don’t get them any Christmas presents. ‘I know it hurts now but in a few years you’ll be amazing. That’s the best gift of all.’ Read more of Mandy in her book, What I Would Do If I Were You, available at all good bookshops
OPEN MIC NIGHT Wednesday 11 8.30pm
GUY KACHEL Thursday 12 9.00pm
TIGER & ME + THE BEARDED GYPSY BAND Friday 13 5.00pm
BEACHY FRIDAYS $4 Schooners of Coopers Pale Ale, more drink specials and nibblies WITH
FAB CAJUN CATS DUO 9.00pm
SET SAIL WITH
GUINEAFOWL + KAURNA CRONIN
DJ LONGTIME
live music
Win Tix to Woodford!
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Tuesday 10 7.30pm
Saturday 14 9.00pm
Dots) – Otto & Astrid Rot, Dr song Your Stars, released earlier this year and produced Seth Greengil, Hussy Hicks, Ilona by himself and Daniel Pinkerton, has already received Harker, Invisible Friend, Jimmy more than 16 thousand plays on online music streaming Willing presents: Bring On The site Soundcloud, not to mention the two Dolphin Dancing Girls, Joel Salom, Juzzie awards the song picked up in this year’s NCEA Dolphin Smith, Kimberley McIntyre, Music awards. Reilly and his band will be the headline FALLING FOR The Lab, Laura-Doe’s act at the Great Northern, Byron Bay, on Friday VOLUNTEERS Vaudeville of the Vulva, with opening acts starting at 9pm. Reilly will also be The Lollipop Ladies, Miss playing at The Treehouse on Belongil on Saturday and Falls Music & Arts Belle Benét, Miss Renee concludes his local tour with a show at Falls Fest. Festival is looking for Simon, Mr Speaker and volunteers to help create the People Party, The WAK IN FRIGHT and perform in a festival mysterious case of Ms sideshow, as well as Greg Doolan and the boys from Wickety Wak have Mae Wilde’s identity people to help create art recently returned from a very successful performance crisis, Porcelain Punch, installations and puppets. in Hawaii. The guys were asked to produce a show Rapskallion, Reilly Volunteer performers featuring the incredibly different American music styles Fitzalan, Safety will work with local First, SistaGurl, XMAS UKE NIGHT WITH director and performer Shep Huntly, MISS AMBER AND SANTA Andy Forbes to develop Shiny Shiny, AT TUMBULGUM TAVERN interactive comedy-based The Slow shows that will run during ON THURSDAY! Show, So You the day at the festival. Think You Can Contact Andy Forbes Interpretive forbulator@gmail.com Dance, 0411 053 942. Art Camp Suzy Leigh, volunteers will work with Ten-Minute local puppeteers Oliver Dance Parties, Buckworth and Lara and The Tiniest Paddy from Krinkl theatre. Circus with Contact: Suzanne Kalk the Biggest stusuz@westnet.com. Heart!, Wacko au. Volunteers will get Subscribe to Bay FM for your chance to win tickets to and Blotto, a ticket to the festival. the Woodford Folk Festival. Festival lovers will go in the Willow Beats. Workshop days 16–20 LATE FOR WOODSTOCK AT THE BYRON Australian folk draw to win a full season pass with camping, or one of Dec. Performances 30 BREWERY ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY rock singer/ two single day passes with camping. and 31 Dec, 1 and 2 Jan. AT THE LENNOX HOTEL songwriter, Hurry, the draw is at 5pm on Friday 13 Dec! and the TOTAL ECLIPSE OF northern rivers’ Existing subscribers automatically go in a separate draw THE ART own, Reilly Fitzalan, is heading off on his to win a single day pass with camping. Call Bay FM The Falls Music & Arts Festival gets funky with an debut summer east coast tour. The dates will eclectic, esoteric, weirded-out Byron feel with The on 6680 7999 or subscribe online at bayfm.org. see him head from Melbourne through the Village area of the festival! With artists and installations east coast to Brisbane and finally finishing from across Australia and the world, The Village is a at Falls Festival in Byron Bay at the end of space packed with an organised kind of chaos, loveable December. Local tickets are still available for characters, enchanting music and charming surrounds. Falls. Mixing local and national artists this year, the Byron program is filled to the brim with performers of many TALENT THAT FITZ varying genres, including gypsy folk bands, hip-hop beat producers, singer/songwriters, cabaret performers, Reilly Fitzalan is an up-and-coming glitchhop artists, scratch DJs, burlesque danseuse, time- talent in the Australian music scene and at only 19 has already played at some of the travel artists, Bollywood dancers, theatre productions, biggest festivals in the country including yoga, creative workshops, giant puppet weddings Splendour in The Grass, Byron Bay Bluesfest and more! Here’s the weird, wonderful and whacky and Mullumbimby Music Festival. Currently Photo: Martin Ollman characters who are bringing a unique Byron flavour recording his debut EP, set for release early to the arts activities at Falls. Featured are Bollywood next year, Reilly has lived in Melbourne for COMMUNITY RADIO BAY FM 99.9 Sisters, The Button Collective, CabilWoolfzinger, The much of 2013, recording with longtime friend bayfm.org Telephone 6680 7999 Captain Syphilis Experience, The Cassettes, Dangling and musical ally Daniel Pinkerton. Reilly’s Bay FM Public Fund Donations are Tax Deductible My Tootsies, Deya Dova, Die RotenPunkte (The Red
North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au
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Sunday 15 3.00pm
BEACHY CHRISTMAS PARTY WITH
CARAVANA SUN 8.00pm
DJ TAYA Monday 16 8.00pm
HIT THAT HIT MUSICAL BINGO Free entry, great prizes Tuesday 17 7.30pm
OPEN MIC NIGHT Wednesday 18 8.30pm
SQUEAK LEMAIRE COMING UP... Thursday 19
JAFFER Friday 20
JACK & THE GIANT KILLERS Saturday 21
DJ FONZAIUS Sunday 22
LISA HUNT SUNDAY SAFARI Tuesday 31
NEW YEARS EVE PARTY BAY STREET BYRON BAY 6685 6402 www.beachhotelgigguide.com.au
The Byron Shire Echo December 10, 2013 23