Prepare to be Smitten, ye!
There were two sweaty builders on the bus home from work today, who had this conversation as we were coming up King Street:
Sweaty builder 1: We were in Newtown to see this play the other day. Had free tickets but we didn’t know what the play was until we got there, and it turned out to be this gay play. We walked in and there was this naked guy on stage.
Sweaty builder 2: No fuckin’ way!
Sweaty builder 1: Yair, strewth.
Sweaty builder 2: Did you stay and watch it?
Sweaty builder 1: Oh yeah. In fact it was quite good…
WTF?
* * *
So yesterday night I went down to Leichardt for the Philosophy Cafe, which is where a bunch of old farts gather in a fashionable bookstore slash cafe (Leichardt is the home of the bookstore slash cafe, it seems) and hear a talk about philosophy. With the five dollars entry you got a free hot chocolate with two marshmallows. The Main Geezer there gave a half-hourish talk about John Stuart Mill which was the night’s topic, and then gave the audience a bunch of questions to think about over their second round of cafe nibbles.
I was quite happy with the talk but the group discussion at the end kinda sucked. Although it was meant to be a debate about the speaker’s questions, the discussion was basically a chance for everyone in the audience to get up and say what was on their mind, relevant or not. In fact, most of the hardcore crackpots had two or three goes just to make sure they’d gotten their fortnightly load of nonsense off their chests. Had to sponge the urine out of my ears afterwards, if you get my drift.
Now say what you like about MY students - that they’re illiterate, lazy and not just a bit stupid - but at least they know when they’re unclear on something. Those Philosophy Cafe folks are permanently stumped and don’t realise it. Perhaps I’m being a bit harsh but I was taken aback at how immature people can be (older people especially) when they get the idea that they’re big shots. I’ll be there next fortnight, but I may have to smite someone with the spoon from my cup of cocoa.
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It’s not just older people. I know some quite young ones who think they know everything in general or everything about something. I love the ones who are just flat-out stupid and who’ll argue a point with you even though they’re arguing against historical fact {[such as it is] - think the name of the 1919 flu pandemic [does this sound familiar to anyone?]}. I hate it when people think there’s one truth, one reality, one perspective, then again, for them there usually is.
You seem to have the same problem with Leichhardt as the phone company infamously did.
Comment by nailpolishblues — Thursday September 22 2005 @ 12:23 am
What the hell would that be?
Comment by Mark — Thursday September 22 2005 @ 12:34 am
LeicHHardt. One of the aitches.
I’m not sure if it’s an urban myth or not but one of them got the spelling wrong for the suburb display thing. Apparently it took a while for anyone to notice and the company didn’t until a customer informed them.
I presume that’s what you were asking.
Comment by nailpolishblues — Thursday September 22 2005 @ 12:43 am
I should know what that play on at Newtown was, but damn it if I’m coming up as an amputee.
Comment by Switch — Thursday September 22 2005 @ 7:15 pm
Is your brain amputated or something? I don’t think anyone can say they know every gay theatre production in Newtown anyway.
Comment by Mark — Friday September 23 2005 @ 12:07 pm
Given the current buffet of Gay and Lesbian things going on around now, I’d say that it was a hard task on keeping tabs on the whole GLBTQ community.
Comment by Switch — Friday September 23 2005 @ 6:21 pm
Switch is right. But showbiz - the stage especially, has always been a gay platform. They like dressing up. And down.
The Philosophy Cafe sounds a bit of a scream. I’d like to see it.
Comment by R.H. — Saturday October 8 2005 @ 9:17 am