CULTURE
LITTLE & LUKE
10
QUESTIONS FOR
WOMEN LIKE US… How much do you know about Women Like Us? Ellen Briggs and Mandy Nolan of Women Like Us have been touring the country now for three years, sharing their comedic insights and everyday lowlights… so while you might think that there’s nothing more to know from these girls' ‘tell-all’ show, here are some things you may not know! What’s the closest you’ve ever been to dying? E: Watching the 50 Shades of Grey movie. M: When someone slipped two-and-a-half tabs of acid into my drink and my boobs melted off my body and onto the floor like hot lava. Previous jobs? E: Croupier in an illegal casino, checkout chick, corporate trainer, executive assistant in the federal government. M: Catalogue model, nude artist model, waiter, actor, toilet cleaner. What’s your favourite book? E: Women Like Us by Mandy Nolan and Ellen Briggs. M: Oh my god! #Metoo Who would you like to get stuck in a lift with? E: No-one except someone who could get me out. M: Keanu Reeves. I’ve always found him sexy. And well, elevator entrapment is kind of like a first date. In a really creepy aren’t-you-Kathy-Bates-from-MISERY kind of way. Is there anything more infuriating than putting on a doona cover? E: Watching someone trying to put on a doona cover. M: Yes. When people unpack the dishwasher and leave the dishes on the bench because they couldn’t be arsed putting stuff away. Oh, and global warming, climate change, and the imminent environmental apocalypse. What was your formative experience from childhood? E: Breaking up with my first boyfriend, lying on the floor sobbing and my mother walking over me and telling me to get up and help her bring the groceries in from the car. M: Having sex with Ellen’s boyfriend and then finding out he broke up with her. Where do all the missing pens in the world go? E: They’re in my handbag. I am an expert pen stealer. I love stealing pens. M: Ellen has them. Are you a sex symbol? E: I use a cymbal during sex to indicate when to start and when to finish. Is that what you mean? M: Totally. The world doesn’t have enough overweight middle-aged women to wank to. For $10k would you go three months without washing, brushing your teeth, or using deodorant? E: My teenage sons do it free, so yeah, why not? M: For $10k I’ll start washing, brushing my teeth, and using deodorant. Your most embarrassing moment? E: I was house-sitting for friends, and on the day they were to arrive home I bought them flowers and chocolates and left them on the bench with a note saying, ‘Just a little something to welcome you home,’ right beside the keys to the house… and my used tampon that I didn’t want to leave in the bin and that I had wrapped up nice and tight (like a gift) to take with me. Neither of us have ever mentioned it. M: Eating this strawberry marshmallow surprise that Ellen left when she was looking after my house. Ellen Briggs and Mandy Nolan star in Women Like Us. Find out more at their only two local shows for the year. Byron Services Club this Monday and Pottsville Community Hall Saturday 19 Jan. Tix via: womenlikeus.com.au
www.echo.net.au/byron-echo Byron Shire Echo archives
ENTERTAINMENT
One of the highlights of the Australian Shorts at Flicker Fest is Desert Dash by Gracie Otto screening on Saturday 26 January.
FLICKERFEST – KAPOWERFUL SHORT FILMS! Flickerfest returns to the northern rivers from 25 till 27 January, for its 21st year screening a smorgasbord of the best short films from the Byron region, Australia and the world, across one cinema-packed short-film weekend at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall. Celebrating 28 years in 2019 Flickerfest remains Australia’s leading Academy®-accredited and BAFTA–recognised short-film festival, ensuring an A-list short-film program recognised amongst the best in the world. The Flickerfest program includes the Best of International Shorts and the Best of Australian Shorts, curated from the Flickerfest International and Australian programs in competition at Bondi; and Short Laughs Comedy, an off-kilter selection of clever comedy shorts from across the world. This is a one-off chance to see these amazing short films before they continue their journey around the world; expect to experience the best in short filmmaking Australia and the world has on offer. At Flickerfest Mullumbimby there will be over 30 Flickerfest short films, handpicked into three highlight programs over three nights, many of which are world or Australian premieres. Also presented will be Best of Northern Rivers Shorts at the Byron All Shorts finalists’ screening the local finalists, selected from around 50 entries, showcasing a wonderful new collection of creative shorts from the very talented local filmmakers on a range of themes that reflect northern rivers life including surfing, music, comedy, love, and everything in between. Mullumbimby Civic Hall, 25 Jan 7pm Opening Party, 26 Jan 3pm, 27 Jan 7pm Tix $12–55 at iQ.org.au or at the door.
ART ON SHOW IN BALLINA Northern Rivers Community Gallery (NRCG) Ballina launches four exciting new exhibitions this month and welcomes community and visitors to join them in the gallery. Myth and Magic | Ann Belle and Philippa Leader Ann Belle presents a series of pastel drawings. Her art relates to her lifelong absorption with myth and mysticism. While the works by Philippa Leader explore her response to the lifestyle she lives in the lush subtropical bush on a community in the Nimbin region, Philippa paints figures using motifs and designs connected to the alternative scene and its roots. Peregrine to Platypus | Carol Gray and Carmel Watts From the rainforest to our backyard, Carol Gray and Carmel Watts are passionate about the serendipitous nature of colour and form in Australia’s flora and fauna. The duo’s kismet is to portray their past and present, influenced by what they see and feel. Swinging The Lamp | Penny Bennett Working in stippling, Penny Bennett has created a body of work around boats – serene and yet full of movement, life, and history. Boats are transient and permanent, built for longevity and yet nomadic. ‘O’ to be a young poet in Paris – TS Eliot | Kerry Elias Moore In the autumn of 1910, the poet TS Eliot spent a year in Paris, writing the first fragments of his poem The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock. This poem was the inspiration for artist Kerry Elias Moore for the concept of paintings as poems. Set in Paris and on the road in France, this series of emotive, nostalgic, and celebratory paintings map Kerry Elias Moore’s own journeys, both cultural and personal. All exhibitions open Wednesday 16 January and continue until Sunday 10 March. The official launch event is Thursday 17 January from 5.30 till 7.30pm and all are welcome to attend.
Two of the biggest names in Australian comedy, Tommy Little and Luke McGregor are bringing their bromance to Brunswick Picture House. When comedians Tommy Little and Luke McGregor met ten years ago, it was definitely a case of ‘mates at first sight’ – now they are taking their bromance on the road and bringing their standup to Bruns! Tommy Little is an unrivalled storyteller with an irresistible energy that audiences around Australia have fallen in love with since he burst onto the standup scene more than a decade ago. A regular on Channel Ten’s The Project, he is also one half of the Hit Network’s Carrie & Tommy with Carrie Bickmore. Luke McGregor is well known to Australian audiences as one half of the formidable team that brings Rosehaven to ABC TV, one of the national broadcaster’s most successful comedy series in recent years. Don’t miss one of Australia’s favourite comedians… being awkward live on stage. Tuesday 15, Wednesday 16, Thursday 17, and Friday 18 January at 7pm at the Brunswick Picture House. $30/35
LOST AND FOUND! A few weeks ago artist Toni Clarke lost one of her paintings out of the back of her ute. She was driving them down to an exhibition so was devastated to find one of her favourite pieces had literally disappeared. After a callout, her painting was found – a beautiful 1.3m x 1.3m oil on linen depicting an anonymous woman. There was a slight dent on the top of the frame, which Toni patched – she believes now it is part of the story and renamed the painting Lost and Found. She believed then that the painting was meant for something else, and so has donated it to be auctioned for S.H.I.F.T. project – the incredible selffunded project that supports older women experiencing homelessness back into their lives. In a sense S.H.I.F.T. project totally embraces the ethos of Lost and Found. The painting will be auctioned by Ellen Briggs and Mandy Nolan at their Women Like Us show in Byron Bay on Monday. They will also be auctioning online. Bids can be placed under the picture on their Women Like Us Facebook and if you tune in after 10pm on Monday you should be able to catch the auction live and put in your bid along with the live audience!
4 PM TICKETS S ELL 5.30 PM DRAWN
`ëŕƖëſƷ ǰǽ ǩǧǨǰ The Byron Shire Echo 41