Rambling thoughts of an overactive mind

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Frankenstein in early colonial Australia

- April 15, 2026

Frankenstein: Australia | Berry & Frankenstein | Victor Frankenstein confronts the monster. Frankenstein has nothing to do with Australia - right? Well yes, but ... Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is an international cultural phenomenon, moving beyond its notoriety as a classic of Gothic fiction from 1818, on into present day pop culture where reissues of the book and as film and video and performance piece on stage and in art remain prescient. Australia, as one of the second-tier Western societies has obviously fallen under the influence of the monster and the man. " It's Alive! " can be heard on the streets of Sydney just as much as in London or New York or Paris or Mumbai. So let's see if there is anything of import connecting the Antipodean continent to Mary Shelley's dark tale of death and artificial rebirth. --------------------- Snippets Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein was first published anonymously in London around March 1...

The Leftards - The Cult of Ziontology

- March 26, 2026

The Leftards: Bandcamp | Cult of Ziontology | Discogs | Facebook | Gig history | Instagram | Vocalizing angst Way back in 2024 I made it known I was a big fan of the Illawarra punk band The Leftards when I did a blog listing a lot of their gigs, film clips and posters - a kind of visual history, without having to actually speak to any of the members of the band! I even obtain one of their t-shirts, and wear it proudly to this day. Unfortunately, I had only ever experienced part of a single live gig. That was one sunny afternoon back in the day (late 2010s?) at the Port Kembla Servo, when, whilst waiting for somebody nearby - I can't recall who or where - I stood behind a wire fence and looked on as this band in the distance, with a shoeless guitarist who I knew from the local Nippers club, performed a couple of songs. They reminded me of the Ramones - short, fast, to the point, no bullshit. Coming forward a couple of years later to 2024, as a former ...

Islam in Australia

- March 15, 2026

Dad and Dave come to Gledswood, Parramatta

- March 15, 2026

Australian film : Captain Thunderbolt 1951 | Cinema Art Films 1927-39 | Dad & Dave Come to Town 1938 | For the Term of His Natural Life 1927 | Greetings from Wollongong 1979 | Metropolis 1928 | Picnic at Hanging Rock 1976 | Polish Posters | Posters | Streaming | Strike 1912 | The Story of the Kelly Gang 1906 | Variety 1927 | Contents Colonial connection Gledswood References -------------------- 1. A colonial connection The classic Australian film Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938) was partially filmed at the historic Gledswood homestead, Camden, west of Sydney. Dating from 1816, the property is a significant early colonial remnant and well represents the aged state of many Australian properties in the years following the Depression of the early 1930s. Though located relatively close to the metropolis of Sydney, Gledswood was able to represent a typical country squatter residence and farm, in line with the main...