Rabelais - Edition 4, 2019

EDITION FOUR

RABELAIS

h H I L LTO P HOODS I N T E RV I E W SPIDER-MAN REVIEW (RMDb) T U D O R S TO MONET MELBOURNE M I X TA P E

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acknowledgement of country 0 The Rabelais team acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples, the traditional owners of the lands in which La Trobe University and its student union are located.

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri, Latjie Latjie, Barkindji and Yorta Yorta peoples, whose sovereignty was never ceded. Rabelais is committed to honoring Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas.

We pay our respects to Elders both past and present.

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Well, we can’t help you with that. But what we can help you with is another edition jam packed with all the best stuff the students of La Trobe have to offer.

For our fourth edition this year, we explore the best Melbourne has to offer. Whether it be in food, music, fashion, art or any other aspect of urban culture, there’s something in here for everyone. Educate yourself on art history in Annabelle Romano’s TUDORS TO MONET or perhaps divulge on some sweet local tunes in our first ever edition playlist in LISTEN TO THIS, our brand spanking new regular section.

Perhaps you’re a fan of the Australian hip hop scene?

Max Draper was lucky to sit down with MC Suffa from the Hilltop Hoods to talk about their significant impact on Australian music industry in HOODS STILL RUN THE GAME. Cinephile? We are lucky to have a massive four films featured in this edition in

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We’re very lucky this edition to have some of the best visuals in any of our editions yet. The work of Apiranthan Mathivannan is featured prominently in this edition, and his photography will bring you a close and intimate look into the beauty of our city... The vast urban sprawl, the rush of 5’oclock traffic, and the unique blend of classical and modern architecture.

take time to work on for us.

So, before you drop into the co-op to grab yourself another spiral bound notebook that you’ll only probably use for one tutorial, grab a free copy of Rabelais, relax, and enjoy.

With love,

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We’re sure you’re beginning to wonder if this will either be the term where you finally turn your s**t around and improve your WAM, or just another one of those crazy, panic filled semesters defined by those final three, mi goreng, red bull crazed weeks of cramming sessions.

the latest edition of RABELAIS MOVIE DATABASE.

An Urban edition of Rabelais has never been done before.

Our motivation for this edition is to explore the secrets, intricacies and easter eggs of this great city... A deeper look into what makes Melbourne a staple of culture and a driver of innovation... Of what makes it the greatest city in Australia The second half of the year has arrived, and there is plenty more opportunity to contribute to our thicc magazine. With two more editions left to go, be sure to contact us with anything you might have an itch to share with the world.

It could be as simple as a recipe for nachos or as complex as an opinion piece on why Area 51 memes are dead.

Everything you submit is important to us, and we greatly appreciate all the pieces people

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Uh oh. Semester Two is here.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

RABELAIS Edition Four

LETTER FROM THE VICE CHANCELLOR

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John Dewar

LETTER FROM THE LTSU PRESIDENT

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Abood Shehada

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Various

A WAVE OF SALT ALONG THE WAY

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Geremy Dimla

AMADEUS

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Tim Luong

WHIP

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Dillon South

TUDORS TO MONET An art student's perspective on two of Australia's current major gallery exhibitions

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Annabelle Romano

WHY I DO MY MAKEUP ON THE TRAIN

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Rebecca Cole

HOOD’S STILL RUN THE GAME Rabelais Magazine sits down with MC Suffa

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Max Draper

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

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Jake McGuinness

FIVE HUNDRED TO FIVE

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Jasmine Kinderis

MELBOURNE MIXTAPE

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Natalie Williams

THE MUNCHIES

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Various

DESTIGMATIZING OPIOID ALTERNATIVES

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Lewis Kimpton Drake

SHORT STORIES

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Joseph Tafra

THE HEIRESSES (2018)

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William Chesterfield

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019)

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Andrew Drake

THE LION KING (2019)

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Cooper Dickson

TOY STORY 4 (2019)

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Hannah Smith

RAB SESSIONS Talk s**t about music you like.

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Various

THE ARCADE

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CONTRIBUTORS

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LISTEN TO THIS Open your ears to some of Melbourne’s finest musicians..

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REFRESH

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METRO

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CULTURE

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LETTER FROM THE VICE CHANCELLOR 0 I’m really delighted to welcome you to another edition of Rabelais.

theme for this edition of Rabelais is timely. We have recently launched our ten-year plans to develop La Trobe into a University City of the Future. If you are located on the Bundoora campus you will have seen the development of our worldclass Sports Park along Kingsbury Drive and the incredible progress of the new 642-bed student accommodation behind Glenn College. These are just two elements of our plans to turn our campus ‘inside out’, positioning La Trobe as the destination of Melbourne’s North. Others include exciting new precincts such as a major Health and Wellbeing Hub, a Research and Innovation Precinct (which will have far-reaching benefits for all our campuses), improved transport links, a new town centre for Melbourne’s north and an environmental corridor and green spaces.

RABE When the editors asked me to write a foreword for this edition with its theme of ‘urban’, it occurred to me that this word would mean very different things to different people.

We all have a different relationship to and with our surroundings depending on our experiences, interests and backgrounds. Many of our international students, perhaps particularly those who come from the bustling, vibrant, highly populated cities of Asia and India, may, for example, experience Melbourne as quiet, sedate even, after the colour and movement they are used to at home.

In contrast, for our students who have come to the Bundoora campus from regional Victoria or even further afield who are used to wide open space and horizon-to-horizon skies, Melbourne may have a very different complexion; at moments exciting, at others, perhaps, a little stifling. For our indigenous students the connection to land and place – urban, regional and rural – is, of course, deeply embedded in culture, tradition, family.

Regardless of who you are, where you are from or which campus you attend, La Trobe is now your place and I hope you feel that.

It is what is so special to me about this university: regardless of their backgrounds, our students develop a shared and abiding connection to this place that extends beyond the completion of their degrees. When I talk to La Trobe alumni, whether at events in Sydney, Perth or Shanghai, they speak fondly of their La Trobe campus. Those who were based at Bundoora, for example, share memories of queuing for coffee in the Agora, the turtles in the moat, the bell tower chiming the hour, the corellas circling overhead at twilight. That sense of place, of belonging, remains with them – in some cases for decades – after they physically leave the University.

The editors’ decision to choose ‘urban’ as the

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The ‘urban’ theme of this edition circles around all the good things in life: food, music, culture and film. Speaking of film, don’t forget that the 10th annual Indian Film Festival of Melbourne is on in August. La Trobe is a co-founder, sponsor and Exclusive Learning Partner of this fabulous festival and this year is particularly special, with global icon, multi-award winning actor, producer and women’s equality advocate, Shah Rukh Khan, receiving an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) from La Trobe in recognition of his humanitarian work and unparalleled achievements in the Indian entertainment industry.

Enjoy this, another terrific edition of Rabelais.

Professor John Dewar Vice-Chancellor

L E T T E R F R O M T H E LT S U P R E S I D E N T 0 Hello and welcome to Semester Two for 2019.

It's our priority as a union to lessen the burden of issues that students face, be it a financial, mental health or academic issue.

ELaIS First and foremost, I’d like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands that the La Trobe University Student Union operates within to the Wurundjeri, Latjie Latjie, Barkindji and Yorta Yorta peoples. I would also like to acknowledge that the lands on which each campus are built on are Aboriginal lands, whose people’s sovereignty was never ceded; and pay my respects to their elders past and present.

I’m Abood, the President of the La Trobe Student Union (LTSU) and we are super hecking pumped for this upcoming semester. It's the home stretch towards finishing the year, and in my opinion, always the better semester.

We hope you enjoyed our Clubs and Societies festival that we held in the first week of semester.

It was great to see so many different clubs out there finding new members. It's completely true that there’s something for everybody out there.

Also, how dopesicles was that free coffee?

Remember, signing up to a club is completely free! Go out there, join as many as you can and meet as many new people you want. Maybe you're interested in discussing the number of stairs in Hogwarts? Or perhaps you're interested in craft beer and brewing? Or maybe even Competitve E-sports? I'm glad to say that there's always going to be something at La Trobe to tickle your fancy!

As with Semester One, the LTSU will be continuing their usual weekly services: the barbeques, breakfasts and the chill out trolley (I hope you didn’t get too bored of free food during exam period as the trolley was pushed through the library every weekday of SWOTVAC!) I'd like to extend a huge thank you to the Education/ Public Affairs Officers Pageant and Liam, and all the volunteers that helped out with that task.

It's my philosophy that services are essential to revitalising the student experience, and in my several years working here at the LTSU, I have always strived to make those hard days at Uni much easier.

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You will always see us out and about in the purple shirts, and if there are any issues you might have as a student, approach one of us. We're here to help and make your life way better!

Anyhoo, that’s all for me, I’ll catch you guys on the flipside OR even better! I’ll see you around in one of the many LTSU services. And make it a great day!

Abood Shehada LTSU President

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REFRESH Artwork by Phoebe Moloney Photography by Apiranthan Mathivannan

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a wave of salt along the way

By Geremy Dimla I How a faraway’s deep, the ether Nothing’s steep across a vivid sea.

If nothing lays then lead astray, What’s a bird of yesterday.

II I was left alone, an isle of barren, Stuck across, nigh, along a tarry woe.

Sea produced a vision of a passion, of what happens.

Knowing it’ll never work.

III None of which I see, Foretold a never-ending sight of irony.

You and I will never see each other, You and I will never meet.

IV Tides will change, eventually Storm, again, shall banish, Sea remains the ambush blue however, Wind continues north.

V A wave of salt along the bay, The one that got away.

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Photo by Gustavo Espíndola on Unsplash

amadeus

By Tim Luong For it is the ‘love of God’ that the Patron Saint of Mediocrity is borne.

Amadeus Wolfgang.

A selfsame sameness that moves and is judged only in the court of his own movement.

Wither; tither, a height so mournful.

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Whip

By Dillon South The world’s not so dark anymore take the bad out of my head.

Pyramidal schemes, gathering of thoughts, updated every week, at my prime and in my worst.

Fortitude favours the few, who remind themselves to get rid of the blue.

That lingers across the latitude and longitude of my Planet Mind, that longs for you.

Now that it’s gone, I can continue with my life of dance and song.

Push aside the rest where pain prolongs.

Repetition precedes me.

Let’s hope I don’t make that mistake twice, like an owl in the night, hooting away at the devil’s desires.

I’ve conspired too much in you.

Leave me at it now, I’m sitting here with my subconscious, we’re having a few laments and goodbyes to the big ball of fire that now, forever brews.

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By Annabelle Romano

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Tudors to Monet

The exhibition is formatted chronologically so that it’s easy for the audience to follow lineage and royalty charts.

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For all the faults of the royal family, of which there are many, they were all highly successful in presenting an image to be handed down for generations into the future. The public is still able to gaze upon them in admiration every day, which is a fact I think they all smile about in their graves. Unlike the stars of today, these were rulers in history, part of complex dynasties who controlled the future of Europe.

There’s something about going to an art exhibition that gets us, especially Melburnians, excited. Whether it is to share the knowledge of that one Frida Khalo painting you learnt about in that elective you took in your first year of uni, or simply that you might just enjoy doing something social with friends. But for just a few of us, it’s a chance to finally see artists’ works that have truly changed our lives.

With the development of the Industrial revolution during the reign of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, cameras became the new favourite medium to depict the royal family, with Victoria and Albert actively promoting the use of photography in their household. The exhibition highlights the fact that in this period their popularity was enhanced by their image as a ‘normal’ family. Painting the royal family’s portraits still occurred, but with far less ceremony and formality, instead portraits were used as a way to humanise them, like Princess Diana’s portrait.

BENDIGO ART GALLERY ustralia has a thriving art scene, with galleries like the NGV, Heidi Museum of Modern Art; Art Gallery of NSW, MONA and the NGA exhibiting works by contemporary Australian artists and those from our past, as well as acclaimed international artists. We, Australians, love our art, but what we love even more is a good exhibition.

This is exactly what happened when I stepped foot into the Bendigo Art Gallery’s latest exhibition, ‘Tudors to Windsors’ on Sunday afternoon.

The works are on loan from the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London, and they explore five royal dynasties: the Tudors, Stuarts, Georgians, Victorians and Windsors. I couldn’t help myself, when I first entered and looked past the first few paintings, but to see the recreation of Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII. The original was burnt down in a fire so this version has been painted from people’s accounts of what it looks like and from the painter’s own memory.

Yes, that painting of Henry VIII. It’s easy to see why its known as one of the most famous portraits in the world. Henry is posed boldy in regal attire, he demands attention and is physically imposing.

There’s no way you can walk past him without taking a second glance.

To be standing in front of such a pivotal part of history is something I’ll never be able to forget.

It wasn’t just me that was clearly intrigued by this family’s history though, many stood in front of the family trees in each room in absolute awe.

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in one room not somewhere in Europe.

I was excited and amazed to hear that perhaps his most famous work, ‘Impression: Sunrise’ was going to be the main focus of the exhibit. As one of the most important, if not, the defining work of art from the Impressionism era, the title of the painting being its namesake, I knew this opportunity wasn’t going to come around again.

And it did not disappoint.

Walking into the first room there was a J.M.W. Turner painting, in fact, there wasn’t just one, there were several. My mind exploded right then and there in that moment. To be honest, I was more excited that I saw several works by the Romantic master Turner than I was by the Monet paintings as his pieces are some of my favourites.

One missed opportunity was a chance to examine their role in society, and to view them within the context of the political movements and social change. Instead the exhibition presents images of royalty without a critical analysis of them impact .

This minor quibble aside, I loved the exhibition and if it wasn’t in Bendigo I’d definitely be going back to see it again as it’s a reminder of my passion and love for art and art history. This exhibition is a rare opportunity to be seeing a slice of history in our backyard and is not something to be missed if given the chance to go!

NGA

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espite several visits to our nation’s capital, this was merely the second time I’d been to visit the National Gallery of Australia (NGA).

My first time visiting was in 2018 for the David Hockney while on a road trip with some mates.

This time though, it was for something a little more exciting (sorry avid David Hockney fans), I was there for the Monet exhibition.

Now you must’ve been living under a rock if you haven’t heard about this exhibition because it’s one of the world’s most famous artists whose work has come to our far away corner of the world. It’s so, so rare to see so many iconic, superb paintings

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As I stood in awe of what I was beholding, people just walked by not noticing or viewing what was in front of them. A! Turner! Painting! After careful consideration, I realised two things: people really just do come for the one main famous painting they see in the ads and secondly, not every artist’s work is to everyone’s taste. And that’s ok. Art is a very personal thing. It’s ok not to like everything, but as an Art History student I struggle to comprehend that.

This is another fantastic display of how the Australian art scene is thriving with international exhibits for people unable to hop on over to Europe. Art shouldn’t be just for the lucky ones living or holidaying in Europe or America where the most famous pieces are on display. We’re extremely lucky that curators working in our galleries are able to get these works flown over for us to enjoy. So if you’re an art history nerd like myself, the exhibition is definitely worth the money to fly up and see. It’s not every day you get to see Monet and Turner’s paintings!

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Diana, Princess of Wales by Bryan Organ

By Rebecca Cole

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’m sitting in a booth on the 86 tram, en route to uni. Just passing Ethel Grove, so almost there. At this point in my commute, I’d normally be halfway through a podcast or listening to a selection of pump-up tracks on Spotify. I’d also be halfway through applying my makeup. If I hazard a guess, if I’m just passing Reservoir High School now, I’d be applying some winged eyeliner with my handy black liquid eyeliner pen. I’d then look up and see we’re at Preston Cemetery, so would speedily grab out my mascara and brush up my top lashes. We’re at the intersection now, just heard the kindly, middle-aged-man-sounding voice announced: “the next stop is La Trobe University”.

At this point, I’d zip up my portable makeup bag, before somewhat frenziedly cramming it into my backpack. In a few moments, I’d be hurrying out the tram door to the sound of those this is your final warning beep beep beeeeps.

Funnily enough, this morning I did apply my makeup on the tram. I just started and finished it earlier than I usually do, so I’d have time to start this opinion piece (ever the multitasker). What I was just describing, about me madly packing away my things before exiting at my tram stop?

Yeah, that all happened about five minutes ago.

In fact, I’m writing this paragraph as I sit on the La Trobe University tram stop bench, my coat splayed out next to me because I didn’t have time to put it back on before exiting the tram. Perhaps I’ll always be cramming something in at the last minute, inevitably leaping out of the tram doors, half-dressed, cradling the contents of my backpack (which I decided to empty out over the course of the tram journey) in my hands and/or balanced against a sturdy region of my body. I’m okay with that. In fact, I’ve come to accept that it’s the only way I choose to live my life; somewhat chaotically.

Which brings me to the first reason why I do my makeup on the tram. I lack the drive to prioritise it as part of my home-based morning routine. I wake up wanting to do two things: 1 Listen to pump-up music

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Why i do my makeup on the tram

2 Eat a breakfast meal involving peanut butter.

This morning I did both of those things, although the order of events went: woke up, searched for pump-up music on Spotify to help inspire motivation to roll my achy body out of the comforting surrounds of my bed (made more challenging by my recently purchased heated fitted blanket; thanks/no thanks Kmart), put on exercise gear, ate a handful of granola, went for a run to Princes Park whilst listening to an assortment of podcasts, came back, grabbed the overnight oats I prepared earlier out of the fridge, added some bouge toppings, then ate my breakfast whilst listening to, you guessed it, pump up music on Spotify. When I write it all down, it kind of makes sense that my makeup application falls to the wayside.

Also, I don’t believe I’m the sole creature of my kind. In fact, I know there are others out there.

Others who experience time differently. For us, time feels longer… holds endless possibilities. I think I can speak for my fellow ‘time ambitious’ friends when I say that we are constantly surprised to discover that allowing ourselves ten minutes to decide on a uni outfit, get dressed in said uni outfit, brush our teeth, pack our backpack, and do a final wee, often isn’t sufficient. I’m proud to say, however, that with years of practice I’ve gotten close to hitting the 10-minute mark. Since making the concerted decision to dedicate my makeup application to my tram ride, I’ve noticed that my ambitious morning routine is more achievable than ever before. There are two reasons why I do my makeup on the tram: 1 I’m a slow riser, I enjoy a morning run, my leisurely breakfast is important to me, and I tend to leave myself ten minutes to do everything else. Makeup can be applied anytime and anywhere. The often-uncrowded 86 tram, where I spend 30 minutes each morning, is a setting where I can relaxedly and carefully apply my makeup - so I do.

2 This one is not what prompted me to start doing my makeup on the tram (see reason #1),

yet it’s at the heart of why I’ve continued to do it and why I felt compelled to write this piece. I apply my makeup on the tram because I hope that fellow commuters who have the same habit might observe what I’m doing, see that applying makeup in a public setting is 100% acceptable, and potentially be inspired to follow suit.

I can recall the moment I first voiced my sense that a tram-based makeup routine serves a higher purpose. I was on the crowded, not as makeuproutine-friendly, 58 tram. I bumped into my friend, Annie, and we began chatting about an Instagram post I’d shared recently. The post was a series of photos, three accidental selfies to be exact, depicting me being caught unaware as I applied makeup on the tram. Let me explain. My tram-based makeup routine involves using the selfie camera on my iPhone as a mirror, whilst simultaneously listening to music. Now, if you press the volume button whilst using the iPhone camera app, the volume button transforms into a let’s take a photo button, or in my case, a let’s take an accidental selfie while you’re midway through applying concealer.

A few minutes of jovial tram banter later, it suddenly dawned on me – likely when I caught sight of the bemused expression on my friend’s face – that she and perhaps others who’d liked my recent Instagram post didn’t understand why I was doing it all. I’ll admit that the Instagram post had an element of sarcasm, yet my intention was not only to poke fun at myself. So why am I doing it all? In truth, because I feel that, if I perform the act of applying makeup in public - an act that is usually done in the privacy of one’s bathroom - it puts into question the notion that we need to hide the intricacies of this ritualistic act or be selfconscious about how we go from a naked face to a made-up face each morning. I like to think that, if every day, I make the purposeful decision to be unashamed about applying makeup in front of strangers, then perhaps other girls, women, or anyone who regularly applies makeup, might take this as evidence that it will all be okay if they don’t get every bit of their morning routine (e.g. makeup) done before they leave the house because, folks, you can do it on the tram.

If you wear makeup too, that’s about ten to 30 minutes worth of time that non-makeup-wearing people have freed up each morning. I’m not saying

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this to suggest applying makeup is a burden, nor am I about to proclaim, “screw the patriarchy! #losethelippy and #binthebronzer”. We can all still wear makeup and call ourselves feminists.

What I’m saying is that it’s a decent amount of time, so if you have the capacity to do your makeup during your morning commute, then I invite you to do it! Proudly present your raw, unique face to strangers at eight in the morning and show them how, with an assortment of powders, liquids, and creams, you can accentuate your features in a way

that emboldens you.

For me, my tram-based makeup routine is 20 minutes of self-care. Which brings me to the third, and final reason, why I do my makeup on the tram. When I display my makeup on my lap, grab out my tinted moisturiser, and start blobbing it and smoothing it on my face, it feels like I’m flipping the bird to my self-conscious self. I should point out that while I still believe in reason two (a.k.a. wanting to start a tram-based makeup routine revolution), I’m starting to realise that people rarely take much notice of me, no matter how elaborate my makeup routine is that day.

Take this morning, for instance. I counted only one man who glanced in my direction. That was it. Also, the man looked away after about three seconds.

But then, I stare off into space all the time, so

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what’s to say he wasn’t doing the same? Anywho… perhaps the most important reason why I do my makeup on the tram is that it’s an experiential reminder to myself that people can cope with my eccentricities, or put simply, that they can cope with me doing me. The more I do my makeup on the tram, the less I feel the need to make a self-deprecating joke about it. Also, who doesn’t enjoy an early morning adrenaline rush? Stuffing my makeup bag away before leaping through the about-to-close-on-me tram doors is my daily Russian roulette.

In case they were lost amongst my stream of consciousness, somewhat Queer Eye-esque material, here is a summary of the three reasons why I do my makeup on the tram: It’s a time saver.

I want to start a tram-based makeup routine movement and; I find it empowering.

I shall leave you with the photo series I posted to my Instagram. If there is one thing I want you to take away, it’s this: don’t delete your accidental selfies, turn them into art and share them with the world!

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METRO Photography by Apiranthan Mathivannan

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Artwork by Phoebe Maloney

Interview with Hilltop Hoods

by Max Draper

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In June, Rabelais magazine was lucky enough to interview MC Suffa, member of the Australian hip-hop moguls, Hilltop Hoods. It was only natural that Max, rapper and Hilltop Hoods fan himself spoke with him ahead of their world tour.

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he year is 2003, I’ve come home from a hard day of prep and my older brother is segregating himself in his room to listen to music, like usual. I go outside to play with the dog but can hear a pounding sound from the house that steals my attention, a cacophony of heavy drums and deep bass which instantly draws me closer. Slowly more details are revealed to me; a flute melody, DJ scratches, a woman’s voice.

Eventually, I’m surrounded by one of the most iconic and influential songs in Australian HipHop history.

The Nosebleed Section.

For as long as I can remember, Hilltop Hoods have been one of the most important aspects of my growth. Learning all the words to ‘Dumb Enough’ or ‘The Blue Blooded’. Bonding with friends over State of The Art and analysing all the lyrics in the liner notes. Listening to nothing but Drinking From the Sun for two months and screaming at the top of my lungs to ‘The Art of The Handshake’ live at Rod Laver Arena. The sound and style of The Hoods’ music developed with me and if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be the musician I am today, so when I was asked if I wanted to interview Matt Lambert, AKA Suffa MC, I felt like there was only one possible response.

I left work early and sat in the quietest room I could find, anxiously anticipating the call. I had been listening to the group’s newest album, The Great Expanse, on repeat in preparation and thinking further about their place as a juggernaut of the culture only made me more nervous.

Slowly all of the questions that I had prepared seemed inadequate, I was about to interview one of my idols, someone I’d looked up to for most of my life, and I had only just begun to second guess myself when I heard his voice break through the phone.

“Hello?”

Instantly a hundred different songs ran through my head. In his voice, I heard ‘Shredding the Balloon’, ‘City of Light’, a whole host of songs that I had turned to for comfort over the years and in that moment I felt calm, like I already knew so much about him that it didn’t really matter what questions I asked.

Since 2003 the group has released six albums,

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five of which have reached platinum status, three of those have reached double platinum, and their newest album ‘The Great Expanse’ is still steadily rising in sales. These are numbers that are virtually unheard of in Australian Hip-Hop, but when asked about it Suffa stayed as down to earth as ever.

“We never discount how lucky we are,” he told me, “we were just in the right places at the right times, ya know?”

“We just made music we liked; it was never about selling well,” he said.

This mindset is what made some of the most popular bangers in Australian Hip-Hop history, and also the reason why the topics in their music really revolve around what they know and what’s important to them, such as discussing the smalltown feel of Adelaide on the track “1955”.

“I guess we always had to hustle so we would be heard,” explained Suffa when I asked about the song. He explained how difficult the scene was to break into in Adelaide and how that instilled the idea that they’d always have to put in the time to get results.

We discussed the Hilltop Hoods initiative, their amazing prize to support young Australian artists in the scene; we discussed the move from Golden Era, the record label they founded in 2008; and we discussed their music. A lot.

MD: What’s your favourite song that you weren’t able to fit on an album?

MCS: I had this track called 500 Foot, it goes for like eight minutes MD: Oh yeah, I’ve heard it. You did it on Triple J with Hau. MCS: Yeah man, well there’s a follow up to that too!

MD: What about a favourite song from before ‘The Calling’?

MCS: Hahaha, I don’t think I have one honestly.

MD: I still bump to ‘The Anthem’ sometimes.

MCS: Far out, I was today years old when I remembered The Anthem, thanks for that.

MD: What about ‘Brainbox’, that started out as a random verse on one of the Golden Era Mixtapes, was that always intended to be a full song?

MCS: I actually got that beat from Headlock, he had a verse on it called Brainbox, but I never did anything with it. He said we could do what we want with it.

MD: Would you ever make another movie like ‘Parade of the Dead’?

MCS: Hahaha oh man, probably not, but the older I get the less embarrassed I am thinking about it.

MD: What about another posse cut? ‘The Blue Blooded’ and ‘The Certificate’ are two of my favourite Hoods songs.

MCS: We’re not discounting it, we love a posse cut too, it’s just not something we’ve thought about.

I joked about the fact that The Hoods are almost universally loved by the media, it’s virtually impossible to find a hit piece on them and so I

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might try to write one myself, he told me: “keep me on the phone long enough and you’ll be able to find something”.

We talked about parenthood, the changing landscape of hip-hop in Australia and how their style has changed over the years, touring with a family and being away from home. By the end of the call, I had realised that I was so engulfed in the conversation and how easy it flowed that I had made almost no notes on the interview and had forgotten to check whether or not my call recorder was working.When I was given my fiveminute warning I still had so much left to ask, there were so many stories and anecdotes that I wanted to hear; but I decided to cut it down to just one question, a final closing word. We talked about legacy and memory through words, and I asked if there was one piece of wisdom that he would want to live on from him.

“This is something we’ve said for years, but you can be the first to put it in writing,” he said.

“But something is only embarrassing if you’re embarrassed. If you don’t take yourself too seriously you can’t be embarrassed.”

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I thought back to their career, to the milestones they’ve reached and the things they’ve achieved for the industry. I thought about this mentality, the idea that the only thing holding you back is your opinion of yourself. I pictured where we’d be if The Hoods were too embarrassed to release these albums they’d recorded on Suffa’s mums’ computer. If they were too embarrassed to rock those house parties when they were getting started.

After some thankyous and a quick goodbye, I hung up and started to frantically take notes and write down quotes to try and cover all the topics we had talked about. But even as I sit here finishing this piece weeks later, I can still remember what we talked about and the calm, relatable way he carried himself.

The reason this group of guys from Adelaide have managed to make such a massive dent in the industry isn’t just because of their fantastic music or incredible live shows, it’s because of their personalities, their relatability, and the fact that they always stayed true to themselves. That the reason I’m a Hilltop Hoods fan and the reason I have continued to support them over the years.

The Hoods’ newest album, The Great Expanse, is available now and they are currently embarking on their album world tour, hitting Melbourne at Rod Laver Arena on the 9th and 10th of August.

As someone that’s seen them live many times, I can vouch that it’s a show worth seeing.

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Gwendolyn Lee, Flickr

Rabelais | Edition Four

By JAKE MCGUINNESS

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A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

“Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” - Robert Frost

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attended six schools, across three countries and the simple truth I learned was that moving is hard. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to helping you to feel like you belong in a new place. For those who are moving to Melbourne from elsewhere, this will be among the hardest transitions in your life. It is probably the first time you have had to go without your family’s support, whether that is emotionally, financially, or both. You’re probably living with strangers, in unfamiliar surroundings and likely feel like you don’t have anyone to can count on when you really need it. It is not for nothing that studies have shown that two in three international students report intense feelings of loneliness on a weekly basis and 37 percent of all students consider dropping out of university at one point during their degree, with a significant portion of that number due to loneliness.

significant hurdles so, in a practical sense, here are some of the things that have helped our odd little makeshift family get past them.

For me, happiness begins with having a place where you can wear your worst clothes and forget to brush your hair and yet not feel selfconscious, a place where you can have a bad day and be in a terrible mood and not have to pretend everything is fine. In short, a place where you can truly, unapologetically, and without effort just be you; a place that is commonly referred to as home. For most people, up until now, that has been with their family and it has never been something that they have had to think about, but moving for university changes that. You are thrust into living with a collection of people you have never met before and may have very little in common with…and you’re expected to just make it work. Without exception, the people I have met that have moved for university and enjoyed it the most are the ones that managed to make it work. I am not an emotional person by nature, but I would unashamedly say I love the people I live with. There are contrasting personalities and we have led very different lives, but the one thing we all have in common is the desire for this not to just be the place we live, but a place we can call home. That is not to say it has all been clear sailing, however. Putting 10 young, frequently drunk, people on a floor together can cause some

On my floor however, that led to some people washing all the dishes, all the time, and others doing almost nothing, which, as you can imagine, led to a gradual build-up of tension. We could have let that continue to build and grow. Those doing the washing-up could have stayed silent, in the name of general floor happiness, but instead, they brought the issue to the attention of everyone and presented it as an issue that needed resolving - together. In the end, we created a roster for washing-up – and now everyone has a week where they are responsible. It wasn’t exactly what either group wanted, but instead, it was a compromise that made sure everyone did their share and ensured that the tension never came to a point where it caused real problems.

But most importantly, it was born out of people communicating how they felt and trusting that others would listen. That is the first step in any healthy relationship, but when you share such a small space with so many people, it is also the first step in stopping general chaos ensuing.

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Communication is key - it seems obvious, but many people think playing the hero and sucking up their problems is the best way to ensure harmony. The truth is, people can’t make things better if they don’t know about them, and tensions can’t be resolved if they aren’t brought out into the open. To use a practical and, from experience, relatively common example people have vastly different ideas on the nature (and timing) of washing up. Some people think it should be done as soon as possible, whilst others are quite happy leaving it for some time. There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong in the situation (unless you happen to speak to my mother), merely different viewpoints.

In the storm the reed bends, while the oak falls – to very pretentiously reference a Greek fable, if you’re willing to compromise and forgive, you get a lot further than if you refuse to accept anything

but the best. The washing-up solution is a great example, but in truth, the little compromises happen each and every day. Whether it is sharing cooking stuff or borrowing milk, putting up with people who have had a bad day, or people wanting to go to bed when you want to party. There is almost always a middle ground, and finding that middle ground and accepting it, is the only way that numerous people, who often all want different things, can ever live together happily. Alongside this comes the simple, but often elusive, value of forgiveness. People make mistakes and do stupid things, none more so than those looking after themselves for the first time.

When you throw alcohol, hormones, and the stress of university into the mix, no one comes out completely blameless, so a little magnanimity is crucial. The most obvious example of this is forgiving others. However, I think an equally important and often forgotten part is getting over your own embarrassment and trusting that others will forgive you. The first time I made a mistake, a very drunken one at that, I hid in my room for three days and didn’t speak to anyone, and I can quite easily say that it was the most miserable I have been since starting university. Now that wasn’t because people were actually unforgiving, indeed, the second I worked up the courage and apologised, everyone was fine. It was a fear that I think a lot of us suffer from, it isn’t even a new one, I am sure many people have felt the same with friends or partners before now, but when it is in your home with relatively new relationships it can be a genuinely terrifying situation and learning to move past it and trust that people will forgive you (and that you can forgive yourself ), is the only way to function in the long term.

You get out, what you put in – it is a universal lesson, you are never going to get a lot out of an experience if you are only going to put in a little effort, so I’ll spare you the general spiel. In this specific context however, there are a few useful examples that have helped our floor’s individual, as well as collective, friendships grow. Doing simple domestic activities formed the basis for many of the close relationships of our floor.

Whether that is doing the shopping or washing together, cooking or eating together, or sometimes enjoying more recreational activities, like watching a TV show, or having board game nights. It all boils down to making the people you live with a part of your everyday life by

choice, rather than purely out of necessity. Your housemates can either remain strangers, or become friends, even family. Who they become is largely a result of the effort you put in to include them in your life. My best friend and I play table tennis and pool together whenever we have washing to do, another two friends on my floor took it in turns to cook each other dinner.

Whatever your shared activities might be, find them and make them a part of your daily routine.

It is pretty simple, but the more stuff you do together, the closer you become and the more like home your new life feels. The big stuff is great; we have done a karaoke night and held parties and arranged multiple “high effort” events, but in my experience, it has been the small stuff that really counts and firmly brings a group of people together.

University can be one of the best times of your life. My time here, (so far) certainly has been, but a big part of that is having a place I feel secure and comfortable in, having a safety net I can count on and a base to build on. When the people on my floor get sick or have a bad day, when they need help, be it practical or emotional support, they have people they know they can count on. Hopefully, by sharing my experience and some of the little things that have helped us form our bonds, you now have some tools (and reassurance) to help you to find a home here too.

It’s definitely much nicer to come home, at the end of a long day rather than to just a room where you keep your stuff. 8

Artwork by Chris Graham

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By JASMINE KINDERIS

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FIVE MILLION TO FIVE

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or most students from where I’m from, once you finish high school you only really have a couple of options. You go into further study, full-time work or you stay there and end up never leaving home. There’s nothing wrong with staying there, it’s a wonderful place, and the local larger town where you went to high school holds memories and friends but sometimes it feels like nothing will ever change there. The streets are all the same, social life never changes, and the people stay the same.

So if you decide to go to university, you have to leave your small towns. Usually, you can’t stay there to do a degree or the quality of degrees offered to you aren’t broad. So you leave.

When you get to the city the first thing that you notice is the people. At home, you knew everybody, here nobody. Customers at work are meaner, but the people you come across are kinder. These strangers don’t know you, or your parents or your friends. They get to meet you without all the thing they’ve heard other people say.

There isn’t as much green in the city. The lush paddocks that surrounded your childhood home have been replaced with concrete brick and 1970s era design. You move into a concrete box at your uni (notably, it is the greenest university you could find) and you start adjusting. That concrete box you start living in slowly becomes less hospital-like and more home-like as you fill it with mementos from the city. Stupid things like tickets from the Skydeck, or a museum pamphlet, you keep everything.

You learn to move around the city. Coming from somewhere without public transport to one of the largest networks in the country, you try every route to the city. Nobody mentions to you that students get cheaper fares or that the 86 takes forever but you work that out after a few months.

You learn to stand on trams without looking like an idiot (which takes longer than you’d think) and how to manage to get a seat on a train. The people start to throw you off again though when you’re

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stuck somewhere in peak hour. The smog of the city starts to fill your lungs and it’s too much, that haze you thought made the city look so beautiful starts blocking out the stars you used to follow every night. The air is warmer than that winter cold you’re used too.

You find a park or you go home for a while. Once you get back home again you realise that you can’t stay there anymore. You live for the late nights in the city, drunk lost and crying but you’re never alone there. Your stupid drunk friends are usually in a worse state but they’re with you for it all.

When you’re homesick, a friend will invite you to their home for a family dinner and take you in. Hungry? One of your new friends will suggest a food you’ve never tried and it will definitely become your favorite. Thirsty? They don’t consider Melbourne a coffee capital for nothing, and your new friends will argue over what coffee is best on campus (graphalies change my mind) or in the city and you’ll try it all.

The friends from the country that moved to the city all feel the same as you do though. We go home, but it’s not the same anymore. Some of us are okay with that, some of us aren’t. The city will change you, at first you think it’s for the worst.

Then you realise that you have a chance to start over here, and unlike some of the people you hear about from high school, you got out. You can always come home, but nobody said you can’t have more than one home.

You find a home amongst your new friends.

People that don’t think your ideas are stupid, and people that don’t hold your past against you.

These people are genuine, and they become your guides to the city you’ll soon consider yourself a local in. 8

Rabelais | Edition Four

melbourne’s mixtape by natalie williams

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We sat down with four of Melbourne’s up and coming musicians to discuss their own journey from studio to stage.

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MEET IVORIS Genre: Electro-pop, indie-pop, R&B influences Instagram: @ivoris.music Facebook: Ivoris Music Spotify: Ivoris Inspirations: Her mum, little sister, and boyfriend NW: How did you get into performing?

I: I’ve loved writing songs since I was very little, but my first experience on stage was actually at the church I grew up in. I was part of the youth band for a few years, and although the focus wasn’t on performing at all, it was during that period of my life that I fell in love with the way that live music can affect an audience.

NW: So you’ve just released your new tracks recently. Tell me a little bit about the process you went through in creating them.

I: Yes I have! I love working with other artists and musicians, and the tracks that I’ve currently released have all been collaborations.

‘Honeysea’ is a song that I made with my friend Will Qu - we pretty much started and finished the song in one day which is so rare for me! I remember I was playing around with some chords on the keyboard and singing out a verse, and before I knew it Will was putting together a beat we both loved and I was humming out the melodies. Working with Will is always a fun and natural process, and I think with that song I had a lot of pent up emotions, so the words and melodies just came out very instinctively.

‘Flower’ is a track I wrote with Jade Alice, who is a childhood friend of mine and an incredible artist. This collaboration was unique as both of us were going through something similar in our relationships, and we were able to share the entire process of writing and producing the track together.

NW: How do you want to make people feel when they listen to your music?

I: I want them to feel something. Whatever it is, whether they relate to a lyric in the song, or something about the song uplifts them, or they feel like they’re not alone in whatever they’re

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going through. My favourite songs are the ones that verbalise or express my feelings in a way that I am unable to do myself. To create a track like that would be amazing - if someone came back to me and said, “this song is exactly how I feel”.

NW: Why do you create music?

I: I’m a very emotionally driven person - my highs are very high and my lows are really low. Making music anchors me, and it is also a way for me to capture my feelings. For me, it’s kind of like taking photos to remember a moment - when I’m feeling something strongly I tend to have the urge to capture it with a melody or a lyric. I feel like I’m rambling, I don’t know if that makes sense! I guess it’s so ingrained in me, that I can’t imagine a day where I won’t be writing songs or making music in some way.

NW: What can we expect in 2019 from you?

I: New music! I’ve been working on a couple of collaborations that I’m hoping will be released before the end of this year, and also some of my own music that I’ve kept hidden for a while.

NW: How do you find the Melbourne music scene?

I: I lived in Sydney for a few years before moving back here last year (Melbourne has always been my home). I found it a little difficult when I first moved back as I didn’t know many song-writers or musicians down here. I felt a bit like a stranger in the music scene and was really craving the company of other musicians, but I’ve met some amazing and supportive people since! One of my favourite things about Melbourne is how energetic and supportive the live music scene here is.

NW: Would you say there’s a strong music community here? What’s your relationship to the community?

I: Community is so important, and I mentioned before how strange I felt when I didn’t really know anyone. I think being a solo artist can be quite lonely sometimes (which is why I love collaborating with others), and having a strong community around you and people who share the same passion is so important. Playing gigs and going to shows has definitely opened the door for me to meet other artists, and I’m always on the lookout to meet more like-minded musicians. 8

MEET KIKI Genre: Indie-pop, with a classical/jazz background Instagram: @kikiinabottle Facebook: Kiki Spotify: Kiki Inspirations: The Beatles, Coldplay, Golden-Era NW: Who are you?

K: I’m Kiki, I’m 19 and Australian, which plays a huge part of my music. I went to the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS), I did classical music over there so I was a singer but I didn’t like doing classical. I always knew what I wanted to be: an indie pop writer. But I wasn’t allowed to sing indie at my school, so I basically just wrote pop songs in secret and showed no one for ages. No one had ever heard a song by me but then I auditioned for Berklee, in Boston, with one of my songs and I got in so I went over there.

Music has always been a part of my life and that’s a big part of who I am.

NW: How has the experience of attending VCASS and Berklee shaped your passion for music and developed your skillset?

K: I always wanted to do music as a career, like since I was 5 that’s what I would always tell people I wanted to do. Then when I was 12, I asked my parents if I could audition for VCASS and it was a STRONG no. But two years later, they reconsidered and they decided that yes, I could audition.

VCASS was really important for me. I don’t want to say it oppressed me or anything, because it’s a beautiful school, but it was a lot of pressure. Everyone there wanted to be classical singers, they wanted to do opera and they knew everything about it. And I just like, wanted to be a superstar, but I just sung opera so I could be at that school. But then they’d be like, “oh, she’s not as good as us”. That kind of attitude made me work super super hard. It just made my pop voice - or whatever you want to call it - so much better because I have the technique now.

Berklee is great! You can do whatever you want, so I’m able to do classical sometimes and hip-hop other times, I really really love it. Everyone there

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is really good, so you think it would make you work harder, but also everyone really wants to have fun and have that ‘college life,’ ya know? But I’m working on my music most of the time and we have music assignments, so it’s really good.

NW: Tell me a little bit about the process you went through in creating your new EP ‘Don’t!’

K: I have this alter-ego Kiko, she just does things without thinking. It’s basically just me when I’m drunk. So one night, I was at a party and my friend was staying with me. When I woke up the next morning, she said, “Oh, so when’s your EP coming out?”. And so I was like “what EP?”. And she told me that “You told everyone last night that you have an EP coming out and you posted it on instagram!” So, I panicked and started thinking., I hadn’t got anything prepared, but then I thought that it was a really good idea of Kiko’s and I decided to keep on with it. That was just before Christmas last year.

During Christmas, I brainstormed who my band mates would be and had an idea in my head, I just hadn’t asked them yet. Then, I chose which songs I wanted to put in this EP. What do I wanna call it? And ‘Don’t!’ was the first one that I chose, just because it was my favourite one I had written at the time.

Fast forward to my next semester at Berklee, I messaged a few people and organised a really great band, they’re so nice and fun! I had the songs ready and basically every week I’d bring in a new one and we’d rehearse it. Mixing and mastering took a while but we got it done eventually.

As we were going, I wrote ‘MAGA’ and ‘Don’t Leave’. The EP was only going to be four or five songs but it ended up being six.

NW: How would you describe your own sound?

K: I’ve experienced a lot of music, I used to do classical, and now I do jazz at my school, I also love indie pop. I think I’m blending those. I’d say my sound has a natural sound, we haven’t done a lot to the vocals, it’s as if you heard my normal voice but into a microphone. I feel like the overall sound is quite warm, it depends on the song I guess, but it definitely has a full band vibe.

The reason I went to a studio, is because I kind of like vintage music. The Beatles are my favourite band, and I just wanted to do it how they did it in the olden days. I don’t know if all my music in the future will be like that, I’d like to make c

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some electric, but I really wanted to make this one like if it was from the golden era. So we didn’t use any tricks, no autotune or anything, we just did a live recording of each song.

NW: How do you want to make people feel when they listen to your music?

K: I think it depends on the song. I’ve had some people message me about ‘Sick of Today’, and say that it has given them a voice and that’s how they’ve felt. A lot of people with depression have can relate to that song and I’ve struggled with that in the past so I feel that song is really cool for that.

‘MAGA’, I feel like that one gave me a voice. I was basically telling the American continent what I didn’t like about them in a song. I love them, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just that impression that they are always talking about politics so I felt I just had to get that out of my system.

When I write an upbeat song I just want people to feel happy, usually it’s just making people feel happy. For some of the sad songs, I would like people to feel a sort of happy sadness. I relate to that sad feeling and it makes me feel like I’m not alone. It’s hard to put your personal feelings out there, but I feel like once they are, it makes other people feel more comfortable.

NW: What can we expect in 2019 from you?

K: Lots of things. I’m in the process of making a cover, but it’s like a twisted, parody cover.

Then I’m going to start working on some more production on my computer and making my own track. Hopefully I should release it by Christmas.

I will also have a music video out soon for ‘Sick of Today’, made by Bonnie Jarrett, which should be out on my YouTube channel by the time you’re reading this.

NW: How do you find the Melbourne music scene?

K: I like the Melbourne music scene. I think it’s good that, we, the younger people are treated like adults. Here, 18-year-old artists are booking out normal pubs, whereas in America, college shows happen in people’s houses or grungy basements, which is a little different. I like that when you live here and you’re a young musician, you can basically go anywhere, as far as you want to go.

NW: Would you say there’s a strong music

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community here? What’s your relationship to this community?

K: I feel like, in a short amount of time, you can definitely make a lot of connections. I’ve made heaps of friends just from my launch party and I think people are really supportive and kind to each other. 8

MEET NAZZEREENE NAME: Nazzereene Genre: Commercial/ RnB/ Pop/ Soul ONLINE: @nazzereene Inspirations: Life experiences, art, The Weeknd, Jhene Aiko, Rihanna, Inna NW: How would you describe yourself as an artist?

N: I am an emotional and sensitive human being who found a way to connect that through songs. It has helped me find my strength and assertiveness, as well as cultivating my own overall artistry. The love of music helped me lower my walls and find a way to express myself unapologetically.

NW: How did you get into performing?

N: I’ve always loved performing (sing, act, dance) since I could remember. It was something I fought to do at a young age. I had to prove to my parents it wasn’t a phase, it was a lifelong dream I wanted to live. This was through hard work and consistency. I haven’t looked back since. My dad is a singer and has guided me, influenced me as a vocalist forever and till this day!

NW: What have you been up to so far in 2019?

N: Collaborating and writing with producers, performing on stage as a guest performer, judging singing/talent/performance competitions and Vocal coaching. Lots of things to come for the near future that I am not yet allowed to say!

NW: What’s the process you go through in creating your new tracks?

N: I work with my team at 1&2 Productions & Sunami Publishing. The team is from here and international. We all work collaboratively but differently on each track and there are so many yet to be heard!

NW: How would you describe your own sound?

N: Soulful, commercial and greatly influenced by my background of Arabic and Anglo Indian.

I love to let my vision go to the most natural areas vocally, in order to stay authentic. There’s

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definitely some R&B vibes in there too!

NW: You’ve had your fair share of being in the public eye after performing on both the X Factor and The Voice. What made you decide to audition for both shows?

N: I stumbled into a private audition at my uni at the time … it happened to be The X Factor auditions. I thought, “let’s give this a go and see what happens”. A beautiful learning experience!

I was scouted to audition for The Voice Australia a few months after airing on The X Factor AU. I took this opportunity on full ball and had the most incredible time.

NW: What was that experience like for you?

N: Loads of pressure. The real pressure that I knew would kick in when I decided to pursue this career…so as scary as it was…I absolutely adored it! I really build a stronger sense of resilience from these experiences more than anything in this industry.

NW: What drives you to work in the music industry?

N: My drive will never end, the thought of being further today than I was yesterday is truly addictive. Whether it be with more opportunities or working my craft…any sign of growth in any of these areas is just a real reward and truly motivates me to push even harder for what I love. That’s what keeps me going in this industry.

NW: How do you want to make people feel when they listen to your music?

N: Liberated and unapologetically themselves.

Let it take you away from something or let it help you face something head on. These are my goals long term. Take it your way, put your own interpretation on it and connect with it truthfully. 8

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Artwork by Phoebe Moloney

the MUNCHIES

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Hungry? Thirsty? We can help.

Take a look at these Melbourne spots for some of the best food and drink in the city.

This joint provides a lowkey and friendly atmosphere in a neon-lit, basement bar tucked away on Queen St. Chow down on some awesome kimchi cheese loaded fries and enjoy one of several alcoholic bubble teas on offer.

Events are popular at this location, so if playing Smash Bros and meeting new people is your thing, maybe you should consider this spot.

OP PA KITCHEN

GG EZ

E-SPORTS BAR

Interested in gaming and looking for a fun and chill location to kick back and relax?

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AUTHENTIC ITALIAN

Il Nostro Posto is a quaint Italian Restauraunt found on Hardware Lane just a short walk from Bourke Street.

Translated to “Our Place� the family owned establishment has a menu filled with traditional meals and comfort dishes just like Nonna makes.

KOREAN BBQ

With a large selection of delicious Korean foods to choose from, Op Pa Kitchen near Melbourne Central provides a warm and welcoming atmosphere for its customers. Enjoy a large plate of sweet and spicy chicken wings and wash it down with some grape soju. This is a great place to grab a bite to eat before you go out for a night of clubbing in the city, since service is fast and friendly.

il nostro postro

SAINT DrEUX

KATSU SANDWICHES

Although the menu is a little on the pricey side, it is definitely worth it for a wholesome meal.

Tucked away on Collins St, this little cafe has opted for a futuristic Asian vibe. The katsu sandwiches this little location serves are often always selling out.

Since its opening earlier this year, Saint Dreux has becomes a top location to enjoy yourself the crispy goodness of fried chicken, smooth mayonaise, silky white bread and tonkatsu sauce. It might sound simple, but these sandwiches are something to treasure. And although they can be a bit pricey, you can be rest assured that your taste buds will be brought on a taste adventure.

CHUCKLE PARK

COCKTAIL BAR

Cutest little alley bar in Melbourne, featuring the quirkiest cocktails, craftiest craft beers and warmest mulled wine. Tucked away between 2 buildings, this cosy little hole in the wall is worth the sticky.

@pinamessina on Unsplash

Destigmatising Opioid Alternatives

BY LEWIS KIMPTON DRAKE

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The Problem: pioid prescriptions reached an all-time high of 15.4 million prescriptions dispensed to 3.1 million people between 2016 and 2017, following the trend of worldwide opioid hypnosis in the wake of a failed drug war. Australia has jumped into the trap, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported that 1 in 24 Australians have misused a prescribed opioid in the last 24 months. Behind the medicinal veil lies a staggering abuse rate of 1 in 3. Indeed, as the drugs are accompanied by a higher propensity to obtain chronic pain and mental illness, the patient falls into the self-fulfilling trap of addiction. With an average prescription rate of five per patient, the prolonged implementation for an alternative to opioids is long overdue.

Hysteric lawmakers and the media like to point fingers at the pharmaceutical companies for their reckless claims of non-addictive opioids, yet until the finger is pointed inward and the replacement of opioids is encouraged instead of silenced, the opioid epidemic will not slow down.

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The Facts: When presented with the problem of addictive behaviour, a common misconception is to believe that the criminalisation and stigmatisation of the addictive behaviour will alleviate the addiction.

Instead, a science-based, clinical approach is necessary to provide safe alternatives to reduce the harm drugs-of-dependence impose onto society. Stigmatised alternatives have been shunned through decades of misinformation stemming from the political silencing of counterculture during the 1960s and ‘70s. Breeding a culture of hate and subversion, governments have continued to push a vilified narrative to disparage and criminalise the use of opioid alternatives, with an especially vitriolic campaign against cannabis. Chronic pain is a major provocateur for opioid prescriptions, leaving the patient to build a dependence off the back of an incurable ache.

Cannabis, when conjugated with a small dose of morphine or oxycodone, has been shown to, on average, significantly decrease chronic pain by 27%, considerably enhancing the analgesic properties of opioids. The shared pharmacologic properties of cannabis work synergistically with the opioid, producing a more effective pain relief than higher dosed opioids, and hence decreasing the easily preventable risk of addiction. A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled

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study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs found that 20 mg of THC was slightly more effective at relieving pain than 120 mg of codeine in 10 terminally ill cancer patients.

Additionally, other breakout studies suggest a link between medicinal cannabis use and cancer withdrawal. With 1 in 5 Australians experiencing chronic pain, the potential for a regulated, allencompassing medicinal revolution is not only possible, but necessary, to free Australians from literal and psychological prison.

The Solution: If the benefit of medicinal cannabis vastly outweighs the societal cost imposed by opioids, why hasn’t the government rushed to introduce sweeping legislation? Simply because of the reluctance induced by a traditionally entrenched stigma. Current Victorian law dictates that for medicinal cannabis to be dispensed, a doctor must apply on behalf of a requesting patient to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, who on receival of the application decides whether a patient’s described symptoms require a medicinal cannabis prescription. This means that patients diagnosed with chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and a plethora of other high-care disorders and illnesses, need to wait weeks or even months for approval from a third-party who, unlike your doctor, hasn’t personally assessed the severity of your condition. The danger of prescribing medication based on the number of boxes you tick, and whether an administrator had their coffee that morning, should be raising red flags immediately. If drugs of non-dependence replaced opioids en masse, the commercial and medicinal advancements would revolutionise the currently monopolised pharmaceutical industry.

It is time to eliminate the double-standard that holds patients’ arms behind their backs and to start looking at patients as people, rather than dollar bills.

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BRAKE LIGHTS 4

by Joseph Tafra

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uds hadn’t eaten since yesterday, but he was running just fine on adrenaline, cheap speed, and the thought that he’d been chosen.

They’d planned this one for a while. Needed a special kind of man, they’d said that, and they’d hand-picked Suds. It was a simple concept: flood a room with fine sawdust and one spark would blow the roof off. But the execution would be difficult.

He was young, smart, strong, and fearless, they’d said. The perfect guy to teach Lime why you don’t hire scabs in this town.

But, as the factory came into sight, Suds started thinking. They’d taken him through every detail of timing, speed, angle of approach. How to turn and brake to make the truck start rolling. So detailed about everything — except how Suds got clear of the vehicle.

Just climb out, nothing to it! Kid, what you need to worry about is that pothole on your approach to the factory, that could fuck this whole thing up.

Don’t worry about getting out, that part is easy.

Set-up. The phrase floated ugly through his head.

Suds increased the speed of the truck. No time to get paranoid. If he stopped the truck and ran, he’d be dead in minutes. Three in the morning out by the tracks, by the factories. They’d move on him with impunity.

Besides, the hot night air was blowing in off the sea – the smell of it made him feel strong – and he wanted those scabs to suffer. Suds caught sight of his face in the side mirror. Youthful beauty cracked with scars. Blue eyes bright with purpose above a twice-broken nose.

He pulled the wheel hard, felt the weight of the trailer behind him. Let it lurch. Then slammed the brakes with all he had. It fell perfect, the top of the truck careening towards the factory.

Suds was thrown against the side of the cab. The road tore at him through the open window, almost caught and pulled him under. He wrenched himself up and started climbing, bleeding, for the

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other window. He felt strong.

Inside Lime’s Car Factory, no-one on the midnight shift flinched at the sound of a truck’s roaring engine. But the thunk-hiss of the brakes slamming caught their attention. There were no traffic lights around, no intersections hardly, and no cars on the road at this time. Faces looked up, heavy features sculpted deeper by orange spark light from welders, from rivet gun and grinders.

The brakes had barely sounded when Terry started yelling.

Later, he would say he thought it over, worked it out. But really it was synaptic sheet lightning. A

half-formed thought, a jigsaw click of memory, then action. Terry saw the truck through the window. He’d seen it pass the factory a few nights earlier, trailing sawdust faintly in its wake. That sawdust smell. Then skidding tyres and brake lights red on brick.

windows in fast motion, flooding the room in an instant.

“Tools down! Stop work! Tools down, right fucking now!”

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No one spoke. Confused faces. Here and there, eyes widened with grim realisation. Terry walked to the window and stared down at the twisted wreck, turning that terrible scream over and over in his mind, memorising it like a river stone.

Photo by A. L. on Unsplash

Something in Terry’s voice made the whole room obey instinctively. Emergency stop buttons slammed, tools down. Terry watched as the last sparks died in the air. There was a scream from outside, grinding metal, then the building shook.

Fine, powdery sawdust billowed through the

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GROWTH

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by Joseph Tafra ucy answers the door as the Fleur-de-lis chime fades.

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Jennifer—her heels high, lipstick pink and breasts pert behind the company’s Clovac logo branded blouse—smiles in at the doorway. ‘Mrs. McKenzie, it’s so lovely to see you again.’ Jennifer nods like a clock work doll in response to Lucy shaking her proffered hand. The door shuts with a click.

Lucy flicks the button on the rose gold trimmed kettle. Her low-rise jeans are molded across her taut buttocks and the soft folds of her cotton striped shirt sit tastefully across her slim frame.

‘No tea, thank you,’ Jennifer says, ‘I just had a coffee before I left the office. You don’t mind if we go through this week’s survey and next weeks at the same time, do you? It’s just I’m going away, and my position isn’t being back-filled.’ Jennifer perches on the edge of the large brown leather couch, as she pulls out her iPad from her bag.

‘That’s fine.’ Lucy unplugs the kettle and pushes the tea caddy flush against the other canisters.

‘Lovely, well it’s the same as last week really, with the exception of question eight. But we’ll get to that one soon enough.’ The baby monitor hums in the background and the sun gleams through the large glass sliding doors. The living dining room is expansive and there are white cabinets along the kitchen, above the oven and at each side of the fridge and wine cooler, housing an array of Country Road crockery. A long timber dining table abuts a wall decorated with a laminate alphabet sheet, three black and white family portraits and a wedding image of Lucy and Greg kissing on a pier kissing. An oatmeal coloured rug is scattered with toys and in front of a faux log fire place is a child size vinyl couch.

‘I’ve just got to read you the survey disclaimer first; “As the appointed Woodlake Residents’ Representative your responses to the growth area social planning tool survey will be utilised as a metric against the asset-based community development framework and will inform future residential development. Your answers are

anonymous, and your input is appreciated.”

Jennifer looks up briefly from the screen and reads on.

‘Question one, on a scale of one to twenty-seven, would you say that the house design that you have chosen at Woodlake’s gives you a feeling of belonging and exclusivity at the same time?

Twenty-seven being something you could swear a pledge to and number one being something you would consider taking action against to ensure that change occurred.’

Lucy was given the option to be the Resident’s Reference Group spokesperson because she and Greg were the first residents to include a wok burner and a double sink in their outdoor setting.

Lucy knows that her answers will shape the next stage of development at Woodlake and she was told on her appointment that her responses could mean the difference between pendant lighting or downlights. ‘Twenty-five, definitely,’ she replies, her left knee bobbing up and down as if an infant were upon it.

Question two, in the last week, how many other Woodlake residents have you interacted with?’

Jennifer asks. ‘Naught to five, five or more, or in excess of five?’

‘Oh no one,’ Lucy replies, ‘I did hear the people at number nine leave the other morning though.

They must have forgotten something, because I could hear their car door open and then close and you wouldn’t hear that if they’d all got in their car in their garage, would you?’

There’s a crackle on the baby monitor, then a squawking noise. Jennifer glances in the direction of the noise. Lucy apologizes, moves over to the kitchen bench, turns the monitor down on one and glances the sleeping image of her child on the other screen. As her hand brushes over the marble bench top, she says, ‘Sometimes they wake then settle themselves back to sleep.’

‘Adorable. I’m sure they are just adorable. This won’t take long, questions three for and five require a yes or no answer and the final three are

your opportunity to give that reflective response, which, as you know may be used in future promotional material.’ Lucy and Jennifer are seated next to each other. They could be mistaken for sisters, with their straightened hair, tinged with blond highlights, their painted nails and their arched plucked eyebrows.

By the time they get to the final question both children are screeching, with intermittent gasps and Jennifer tut tuts and asks quickly, ‘In the new proposed play area earmarked for stage five of the Woodlakes development, would you as a resident with younger children consider that the inclusion of an exercise park something that would prohibit family interaction or encourage neighbourly connection? As a reflective answer feel free at this stage to just say yes or no, we are trialing this question, so it may be modified.

‘An exercise park? Oh, I think that would be a real draw card. The gym is a good forty-minute drive away so an exercise park would I think encourage neighbourly connection.’

‘Lovely,’ Jennifer snaps shut her tablet, puts it away in her bag and insists that there is no need for Lucy to come to the door with her.

Grace and Logan smear their Weetabix across the tables of their high chairs, ignoring the movie Frozen which is on the immense screen in front of them.

After scraping their cereal sludge into the bin, Lucy checks for nappies, wipes, and snacks in the bag hanging off the stroller. She clips each child into their seat and steps out onto the slate stepping stone pathway, noting the shimmer of sunlight on the large blue ceramic spheres in the centre of the garden and a rogue twist of grass on the pathway. Each house she passes has its own unique feature; a fountain in a garden, a terracotta finish on the either side of a doorway. Further along a stretch of astro-turf borders irregular shaped stepping stones leading to a timber door, as opposed to the neighbouring house which has a black door with long vertical steel handles on it.

Lucy hasn’t walked along the street since they moved in fourteen months ago. Her normal routine is to stay at home with the children until her husband returns from work at 7pm, then she

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goes to the gym, three times a week, does the supermarket shopping twice a week and ensures that all activities that she needs to do with the children, going to parks and visiting friends is done at the weekend as a family.

But today Logan has come up with a very bad case of nappy rash and Greg is working late tonight.

So, she knows that she, never mind Logan, will not be able to get through the day without the application of nappy cream of which there is only smear left at the bottom of the tub.

Grevilia Road curves into Eucalypt Boulevard. A brown-haired man grinning maniacally holding up two thumbs in an advert raving about the NBN roll out is being plastered across the outside of the bus shelter. As she approaches the clips around the plastic signs are snapped shut and the two men in orange overalls drive off in their work van. The metal seat, which looks like a heating element, gleams inside the shelter. The residents have been assured that the bus service will commence, once stage four of Woodlakes has been constructed.

Lucy peers over the top of the stroller, checking that the children still have their sun hats on. Each of them are staring fixedly at their screens which are clipped into holders in front of them. As she leans further adjusting Logan’s hat, her lower rib cage nudges the handle of the stroller. She inhales quickly, bites her bottom lip, then straightens up slowly and breathes out.

As she gets closer to the supermarket, Lucy stands for a moment between two houses. Lucy knows that these residents of Woodlake have been assured that once inside their homes they are guaranteed peace and tranquility as the distance between each house has been increased by four meters, so that they will not hear a car pass by, a rubbish bin being trundled out, or a woman’s scream.

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Artwork by Kiara Allis

CULTURE Photography by Apiranthan Mathivannan

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RABELAIS MOVIE DATABASE: THE HEIRESSES (2018)

BY WILLIAM CHESTERFIELD Love, Lost and Disparity in The Heiresses

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he Heiresses (2018) is a film by Paraguayan director Marcelo Martinessi, which charts the decay of the wealth and relationship between two heiresses living in the capital, Asuncion. It is the debut performance of its lead actress, Ana Brun, who won the Best Actress Award at the Berlin Film Festival for the role. Dealing with themes of aging and the decline of love, the shallowness of inherited wealth and learning to accept yourself, despite fears your best is behind you, it is a slow but marvellous film, that could have never come out of Hollywood.

Chela and Chiquita are a pair of wealthy heiresses who’ve been living in an intimate relationship for three decades. While there is love there, when we enter the story the romance has gone. Chiquita’s carefree and fun-loving attitude having landed her in severe debt, being charged with tax fraud.

Because of this, the couple has had to begin selling their expensive furniture and antique paintings; inviting hordes of other rumour-mongering heiresses inside their home to gawk at their stuff and whisper about the pair’s circumstances.

Chela feels ashamed and judged because of this, their relationship being an open secret, with them only being protected by their wealth and privilege.

Her insecurity leads her to question whether her partner is flirting with other women, or if they are being gossiped about at a party that they visit early in the film.

The film wastes no time setting this up, as we are thrown intimately into the brambles of their relationship, seeing them at their lowest while their long-lasting partnership quietly decays. This frequently places the viewer into the perspective of its characters, framing shots from their point of view, and lingering on close-

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ups to make us feel the yearning decay of their love. During dialogue scenes the film will often reject the common technique of shot-reverseshot, instead, lingering on one character while they talk to another off-screen, skewing us to their perspective and heightening the sense of distance the couple feel, as we are trapped by being unable to see the person they are talking to. This sense of collapse is heightened by how co-dependent the nature of their relationship seems. Chiquita pressures her aging lover into attending a friend’s party as if she is a reluctant child. She manages her partner’s antidepressants and meticulously arranges her pedantically particular tray of drinks (a glass of black coffee, a cup of tea with milk, a glass of diet cola with ice, a glass of water sans ice and a decanter of orange liquor). It is evidence of a deeply loving care, one which lets Chela paint in peace, but there are aspects to it that are also narrow-minded and coddling that belittles her ability to function by herself and feeds her obsessive tendencies. So when the couple receives a letter summoning Chiquita to prison for her tax fraud, it leaves her unable to care for Chela’s needs, having to instruct their illiterate maid on the correct ways to line Chela’s drink tray. Even then Chela chastises the maid for not placing the cups in the right location on the tray, highlighting the brattish entitlements she feels as a member of the wealthy class.

The film has a rightfully harsh outlook on the wealthy, the cast of characters largely comprised of wealthy women who inherited their riches, and they are portrayed as vapid, gossiping and passive-aggressive. The way that they treat their maids serves as a prime example of this, her elderly neighbour, Pituca, bemoaning the quality of Chela’s new maid, Pati, fondly recalling their

previous one, who is described like a well-trained dog. Set against a backdrop of extreme poverty, the portrayal of the rich highlights how the wealthy protect the wealthy, putting together pity funds for the couple and her elderly neighbour paying Chela to play taxi for her and her flock of friends. Yet, despite the pretence of aid, it is clear that as soon as she is out of earshot, the other heiresses gossip and whisper behind her back. The offer of petty cash is an insult to Chela’s wealthy sensibility, and it is this shameful greed that drives her away from Chiquita. For despite what love there once was, Chiquita is all too willing to play the part of the wealthy socialite, all the while inviting vultures into their house to paw over their possessions. This careless greed and insouciant attitude to consequence is what drives a wedge in their relationship. For while Chela struggles on the outside, Chiquita seems almost at home within the prison; her status and gossipy nature placing her high on the rungs of the community. She carries on and gets her hair done as though she were still living as a free woman of money. Yet, at the same time, it is also a film about aging and coming to terms with the decline of a relationship. Chela is almost like an infant being forced into the real world for the first time, her partner no longer there to protect and coddle her, and the wealth which shielded her vanished into the past.

This experience of aging and feeling unwanted is heightened as Chela develops an infatuation for her wealthy neighbour’s servant, Angy, putting on makeup and doing her hair to try to appeal to her. There is a sad tragedy to her crush on the girl who makes her feel younger and wanted, as she gradually realises that this attraction may likely be one-sided. She drives Angy’s sick mother to the hospital, overcoming her fear of driving on highways, and letting the younger woman introduce her to smoking because of the intimacy it offers her. Yet the younger girl is constantly texting deadbeat men she is dating, even leaving Chela at the hospital to wait for her mother, while she goes off with the same man she had broken up with earlier in the film. There are lingering shots of Chela’s scenes of longing, placing the viewer in her shoes as she drifts about feeling unwanted, stealing guilty glances at her flame’s bare legs, as she drives her home. This is followed by a scene of Chela masturbating to the memory, which is not shot gratuitously,

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rather it is just a static shot of her from behind in plain satin undergarments, the air filled with the lonely awkwardness of real masturbation. To make matters worse, while she is drowning the guilt of her adulterous infatuation, she discovers Chiquita has been carrying out an affair with another woman inside the prison. This leads to her struggling with even greater feelings of being unwanted, now having evidence to suggest a possible infidelity in the partnership before this.

This comes to an overwhelming head when Angy offers herself to her (possibly mockingly) and Chela runs and hides in the bathroom because she cannot believe she is wanted by this younger woman. Another reading could be that she hides, because of the feeling of shame and persecution due to her sexuality, so much that this potential is lined with so much dread that she is frozen in place. Regardless it leaves her unable to act until it is too late.

Thus when Chiquita returns from the prison it is not the sweet reunion that might have been anticipated, but rather Chela finds herself dissatisfied and betrayed, kept awake by her partner’s snoring and no longer in love with her.

She goes up to the roof, cries into her maid’s arms, and comes to the realisation that she doesn’t have to live this life anymore. When Chiquita awakes she calls out to Chela, but she cannot find her; ending with a lingering shot of her staring out at the drive seeing nothing and wondering where she could have gone. What has happened is that Chela left in the night, her experience freeing her to make her own decision and removing herself from the tomb of their wealthy nest. While it is left open as to whether she went to find Angy, I personally feel it is better to think she didn’t.

For while the experience freed her to pursue her desires, it seems stronger to me to feel she was able to move on without the same need of coupling she felt with Chiquita. This leaves her opportunities unknown but limitless. 8

RABELAIS MOVIE DATABASE: SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019) “B*tch please, you’ve been to space” - Nick Fury

BY ANDREW DRAKE

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5

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pider-man: Far From Home does a lot to be a funny and enjoyable time while setting up some things for the future.

Far From Home follows Peter Parker (Tom Holland), eight months after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The plot has Peter wanting to take a break from super hero-ing and go on a European study trip to relax and try to confess his feelings to MJ (Zendaya). This is interrupted when Nick Fury hijacks his trip and enlists Peter in fighting a multi-dimensional threat with the help of Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio.

The film lets you know straight away that it wants to be light-hearted in tone, even when dealing with the heavy subject matter of Avengers: Endgame. It toes the line between being fun while still having darker scenes and elements. The film does bring up the snap, in what’s called in-universe as ‘the blip’. It is only looked at through a comedic lens or a punchline, easing on the levity of this aspect to the movie.

It’s still interesting to see it explored, although not as fully realised as some would hope.

The thing that stands out most in the film is the humour. The comedy feels like a step above standard marvel comedy. For example, using comedians Martin Starr and J.B. Smoove as the loveably pathetic teacher chaperons. The delivery is sharp and has a variety of different types of humour that’s consistent throughout the movie.

Peter faces two main conflicts in the film: the pressure of Ironman’s legacy and trying to confess his feelings towards MJ. The romance between Peter and MJ is great, the two actors give great and realistic awkward performances of what teenage love can be like. The other conflict feels less fleshed out than the romance but still has a satisfying conclusion.

The acting is great overall, with a lot of the actors having great chemistry with each other and each having a chance to shine. Tom Holland does a good job as an awkward Peter Parker struggling to balance both aspects of his

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life. Jake Gyllenhaal is also a standout, giving a great performance as a friendly and charismatic mystery man while something feeling slightly off with him.

The music feels quite forgettable besides one well-done call-back. The cinematography also falls in with the music with being fine enough for what the movie wants to do. There are two scenes when Mysterio uses his powers however, that are incredible to watch and gives a full realisation to the scope of his powers that normally isn’t translatable in the comics.

The thing that falls flat the most are the elemental monsters. They go from sometimes looking impressive to just alright and the movie never really sells you on the threat they’re supposed to have.

Far From Home is a fun final outing to phase three of the MCU, with a lot of great moments but with some parts lacking. It also creates some new questions as to the next phase of Marvel which gets you thinking and excited for what can come next. 8 8/10 Jake Gyllenhaal smiles

Images courtesy of Sony Pictures

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Image courtesy of Disney

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Rabelais movie database: The Lion King (2019)

By Cooper Dickson

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he re-imagining of The Lion King directed

by Jon Favreau brought a new, more realistic look to the old 1994 characters that are beloved by a generation that grew up watching the films.

In 2019 the film has been re-released with a new coat of paint and very little else.

For those that are watching the movie for the fun of it and want to enjoy a fun, feel-good movie, then enjoy. You’ll get exactly what you’re looking for. For those expecting to see their favourite characters being re-imagined with new life breathed into them, wait for the DVD. The animators of the movie have done a fantastic job making the characters look as realistic as possible and have recreated a visually spectacular world that is a pleasure to see. However, in doing this and making the animals seem photorealistic, they have stripped them of all emotion.

The words they characters say have the same emotional impact they once did but lose almost all their power when coming out of the stern and nearly un-moving faces. The psychological impact of the old movie has been stripped away and replaced with sensational visuals.

The movie has lost its soul.

What the movie does well is where it has recreated the world and the pride lands. New and young viewers who have never seen the original 1994 movie will love it and the story it brings with it.

Fans of the original will enjoy the visuals and the vague nostalgia of their childhoods. However, with songs being cut down and the life stripped from the characters, you may be feeling as though something was missing, that indefinable quality that made the original such a hit and a classic.

The score by Hans Zimmer is still present and as perfect as ever. Some of the songs have been shortened, such as ‘Be prepared’ and the song ‘Can you feel the love tonight’ now takes place during the day, but the bones are still there and will not disappoint.

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Voice acting by the main cast is fantastic, John Oliver as Zazu is hilarious, and James Earl Jones is returning as Mufasa is perfect. My only criticism of the casting choice is Donald Glover as Simba.

During humorous or musical scenes, he nailed it, although when the time came for seriousness or even threatening moments, he seemed lacking that quality that demands authority.

Giving this movie a 6 out of 10, I wouldn’t discourage anyone from seeing it. If all you want is to sit and be entertained and not compare it to its former glory, then it will not disappoint. But you may want to wait for the DVD.

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Rabelais movie database: Toy story 4 (2019)

By HAnnAH Smith To feminism and beyond!

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had extremely high expectations for Toy Story 4 (2019), which I know is common especially among people born in the nineties. But Gosh darn it were those expectations exceeded.

Toy Story has to be one of only two perfect trilogies in movie history, alongside Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings. I went with my partner and our friend whose live intake of the animation was incredible to witness; one man had the biggest smile on his face for almost the entire film, whilst the other sat so far on the edge of his seat that it looked like he was going to fall off it.

It feels odd to say it was an animation because the picture looks mind-blowing realistic. It’s not a secret that technology has advanced exponentially since the making of the first Toy Story fourteen years ago. With games like Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) and Days Gone (2019), we’re becoming

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more accustomed to computer-created images emulating real life. Yet, I was still blown away by how clear it was how each toy would feel due to the texture of their clothes, shine on their skin and the way they moved. The photorealism of the rain, the way their hair falls and the trees were truly incredible.

London film critic Mark Kermode says this is the first film in the series that is actually about being a toy, and not about a child having living toys. The film addresses an existential question – what does it mean to be a toy? What does it mean to exist, to be alive? A parent wrote into his show and said he thought it brilliantly resembled the life of a parent, and how to cope when your child grows up and doesn’t want to play with you anymore.

When the film finished, I was mad. I was

flabbergasted. Through the tears, I was furious.

I thought: Woody would never leave Slinky. He’s lived without Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep, Jesse and Bullseye, but I don’t believe he would truly leave Slinky. How is Rex going to manage his anxiety without Woody’s help? Does this mean it’s officially the end of these films?

I wrote to my friend demanding an explanation for this heartbreaking ending.

“Sometimes people need to leave to do what they need to do. Woody learnt that his place was not with them anymore and it’s time to move on,” she replied.

“It was a beautiful message and I wish I learnt it as a kid. Some children’s parents get divorced and maybe they need to in order to live happier lives.

This will help children understand that people splitting up is not such a bad thing”.

After feeling much better about the ending, we began speaking about the character of Bo Peep… and did not stop for two days. I would say she has as much character development as Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings). I went from hating Bo,

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to wanting to be her. Bo was only ever a seductive character in a pink puffy dress who could have been flirting with more than just Woody for all we know. Like many female characters, her only purpose within the films was to flirt with Woody and make him feel like a strong man.

How the tables turned.

Now in blue pants, still with childbearing hips; Bo is independent and most importantly, she is happy. She lives an exciting life without being the side piece to a man. Not only is she liberated, but she is also a badass. She fixes toys, including herself, acts as a leader for the toys that want her guidance, whilst looking after her three sheep, Billy, Goat and Gruff in a maternal manner. She goes from teasing a blushing Woody to yelling at him in an antique store, for thinking his problems take priority over hers. In fact, she’s so independent that she chooses not to follow Woody in the end, resulting in him following her.

A lot of young girls watch a lot of films where they are shown their place in society; to be an accessory to a man and make him look u

strong and feel successful as if we are still living in the 1930s. It is inspiring to see a progressive feministic message, especially in a children’s film. My friend added, “I didn’t realise all my life I was trying to be the old Bo when really I could be the new Bo”.

Whilst men might think Woody ‘dogged the boys’ and dislike the dumbing down of Buzz Lightyear, female audiences are feeling empowered. The film is loaded with female leading characters alongside Bo, including Jesse now as Sheriff, and antagonist Gabby Gabby.

When the trailer was first released and the world laid eyes on the new character, Forky, I was confused. How could we fall in love with a spork?

He won’t be able to partake in Disney’s trick of making characters act like dogs in order to make the audience love them; Bullseye, Trixie, Meeko, Stitch, Sven and many more. Once again Disney made me wonder why I would ever doubt their ability to make a character lovable. Forky almost steals the show, winning over the audience in a matter of seconds. Moments as simple as him walking hand in hand with Woody along the road for too long or saying ‘Bo Bo Bo Bo’ in many different ways were some of the funniest parts in the film.

Although I could keep writing about different topics within this film I’ll end with this – do yourself a favour, give an army man toy a high five and go watch Toy Story 4. 8

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all RETURNING members * LTU Community Members include staff, Diploma and Navitas students

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RAB SESSIONS 2 Here you can read what some Rabelais subscribers have to say about these albums before you decide to them yourself.

Chasm (2004) Ryuichi Sakamoto

By Mikey Petrou

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yuichi Sakamoto is a veteran of the international music industry helping to pioneer synth-pop, a then groundbreaking genre in electronic music. Since, he has continued to explore the capabilities and potential of electronic music.

His more contemporary style has focused on the art of silence and minimalism in the face of unlimited potential.

Chasm, however, is neither old or new for Sakamoto, forfeiting the sounds of the 80s but yet to fully embrace minimalism.

Despite most of the album being down-tempo, the first 5 songs really set the tone and precedent for the rest of the album. I’d like to share what makes this seemingly mundane album special for me.

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It begins with fusion of old and new world with ‘Undercooled’, with traditional Japanese melody with Korean rapping for justice and protest. Other than being my favourite song of all time (which I don’t usually claim), this sets the tone of the album, despite the jarring second track ‘Coro’ with loud, uncomfortable, in-your-face electronic sounds. Immediately after is ‘War and Peace’, the sampling of multiple voices repeating phrases of relating to the philosophy and origins of conflict such as (albeit corny) “If I love peace do I have to love trees?”

The title track ‘Chasm’ isn’t as memorable as its predecessors, acting as an interlude to the end of the first part of the album.

It does, however, tie in with the second half, with ambient, repetitive, and dissonant melodies. ‘World Citizen’, offers a powerful ballad and message to the end of the first half. It loosely follows a narrative of a disenfranchised but hopeful urban citizen beginning to see himself as part of an international community with responsibilities that transcend boundaries. The line that sticks with me the most is “I want to pronounce all their names correctly”, indicating the desire to treat foreign actors and other World Citizens with a level of respect and care they deserve.

After the fifth track, the album hits a downtempo slump, a chasm if you will. Many of the tracks are looping, quiet, and an experiment of melody and harmony. This is where the album may lose many listeners, but I see it as a vital part of the narrative. Think of first half as

during a protest, with notions of justice (Undercooled), disruption and disharmony (Coro), artistic experimentation and solidarity of message (War & Peace), impending return to routine life (Charm), and an empowered urban citizen coping with this return where protest is ignored and suppressed (World Citizen). In the second half, you’re looking for hints of meaning and disruption with fleeting instances, but it is lost in constant progression and development of sound.

The reprise of ‘World Citizen’ at the end cements this for me. The reminder to be aware in a seemingly mundane and repetitive world, and find the hidden meanings embedded within.

Then there’s ‘Seven Samurai – Ending theme’, the last song, which just kind of leaves everything on a nice little Japanese-sounding note. I always look forward to this song, kind of a reward for sticking out through the chasm of the second half. Being in the midst of a musical transition for Sakamoto, the album itself is mixed with a message transition, a disruption of regular proceeds. It feels like the energies of a protest during a time of societal transition to self-awareness. Musically, it isn’t ground-breaking, and I wouldn’t say it’s a must-listen, the connection to the album I feel is quite personal, and I may very well be just searching for hidden meaning where there is none. However, this album shows me to not judge music objectively, and to embrace difference, mundanities, personal connection, and to not

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invalidate seemingly arbitrary emotional connection.

The Nikodimos Album (2019) Nikodimos

comedic flare in these, the best being ‘Aight Look’ which uses the Mii Channel theme.

the group members' diverse cultures. This is all paired with the angelic rhymes by Mango.

If you need any convincing to listen to The Nikodimos Album, my argument would be to hear the plethora of music genres or sub-genres that he has dipped his finger in. It’ll be very interesting to see where the young musician takes his talents following the hit debut album.

If you want beats to jam to and lyrics to relate to, I recommend you catch this album before they get their mamas out the West Side.

By Sean Carroll

I

n Nikodimos’ debut album, the jazz/ soul fusion artist collaborated with some of Melbourne’s best up-andcoming musicians including RICEWINE, Gus, Agung Mango and more in a melting pot of groove that is The Nikodimos Album.

The album showcases the range of music that Nick himself listens to, from jazz traditionalists such as John Coltrane to contemporary hiphop rap in Tyler, the Creator. In the first song ‘Lower Ground’, he harmonises beautifully to make a lovely instrumental tune before the second and most popular hit; ‘Purple Rose’ with singer Gus. Both peaceful and slightly trippy tunes that outline Nikodimos’ ability as a musician.

Elsewhere in the album, when he collaborates with Melbournian hip-hop musicians and rappers he gives off Tyler, the Creator/ OFWGKTA vibes with ‘Wait for It’, ‘Disnice’ and ‘JJ Holland Reserve’ and adds his own little

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Bandana (2019) Freddie Gibbs and Madlib OPENFORBUSINESS(2019) 3K AND AGUNG MANGO By tynique dimcevska

S

traight out of Melbourne's West, hip-hop collective 3K have teamed up with solo artist Agung Mango to whip up an exciting EP that showcases the cultural diversity and community that has shaped their lives.

The collaborative EP, OPENFORBUSINESS, gives listeners a taste of the future of Australian Hip-hop.

From the first track on the EP, a mixture of melodic beats and a raspy voice tell you- literallythat the boys mean business.

The EP features strong basslines, flutes and chimes mixed with influences from

By Roisin Killbane reddie Gibbs and Madlib collaborate for the second time since their first album together Piñata in 2014. This new album Bandana isn’t set on a particular style, mood or agenda, however, there is a subtle theme of black freedom throughout, which isn’t new to Gibbs or Madlib. This album is a must-listen, with features from Anderson.Paak, Pusha T, Killer Mike and more. My personal favourite tracks are ‘Half Mane Half Cocaine’ and ‘Soul Right’. 8

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Rabelais | Edition Four

the arcaDEm Here are a few bits and pieces for your enjoyment. Or procrastination.

AN URBAN WORDFIND

ART CULTURE HISTORY MAKEUP MIXTAPE

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REFRESH URBAN CREATIVE GALLERY LION KING

METRO OPIODS TOY STORY CITY FOODIE

LA TROBE MELBOURNE MUSIC SPOTIFY

SuDOKU

Fill in numbers 1-9 in every column, row and box of nine.

word of the edition

Luftmensch /’lu̇f t-​men(t)-​shən/ (Noun)

“an impractical contemplative person having no definite business or income”

GIVE THIS BORING BUS A FACELIFT

Share your masterpiece on Instagram to @rabelais.magazine to be featured

Rabelais | Edition Four

CONTRIBUTORS Edition Four

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EDITORS IN CHIEF

A

Sean Carroll Christopher Graham

CHIEF OF STAFF

Tynique Dimcevska

COMMITTEE

A A

CONTRIBUTORS

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Abood Shehada John Dewar Lisa Falla Geremy Dimla Tim Luong Dillon South Annabelle Romano Rebecca Cole Max Draper Jake McGuiness Jasmine Kinderis Lisa Falla Joseph Tafra Alex Leighton Lewis Kimpton Drake William Chesterfield Andrew Drake Cooper Dickson Hannah Smith Mikey Petrou

VISUALS

A

Phoebe Moloney Xion Kelly (@xiximagicramen) Kiara Allis (@kiaraallis) Apiranthan Mathivannan (@apiranthan)

COVER ART

A

Omar Ghazala (@g.hazala)

Natalie Williams Clodie Veyrac

Rabelais | Edition Four

BUNDOORA’S BLOOD PRESSURE IS RISING 353 new blood donors needed this month

bundoora blood 66