The Melbourne Motorshow has begun and I was there for the media day. Alborz Fallah and I did a podcast walkabout and review most of the various stands and features.

Hit the link to hear the podcast and check out CarAdvice.com.au, Australia’s number one independent car site.

Connetta- The World Is My Lobster, originally uploaded by thomasrdotorg.

Connetta- The World Is My Lobster

Anyone can knock out an album cover, who can write a review for an album that does not exist….?

Conetta- The World Is My Lobster

Hailing from New York (with plenty of Italy thrown in) this debut from alt-pop gal Connetta (born Connie Manzettta) is at once as quixotic as it is exotic.

With her flair for quick, simple tunes and lyrics that are as funny as they are poignant, Connetta immediately stands above other so called competitors in her so called peer group- why? She doesn’t care for the trappings and formulas for stardom. You get the feeling she would play to five as happily as 50,000. For Connetta it’s apparent that it’s about allowing herself the freedom to be herself.

Still confused? Try listening to “My Red Tricycle” and tell me you are not caught up in the simplicity and beauty of a child’s favourite toy. On “It Wasn’t Me, It was The Other Three” a blame shift in the manner of George W Bush’s failures in Iraq come to mind. I’m no wiser after 10 listens to “Who’s The Real Elmo Anyway?” but it has something to do with Facebook banning, Gene Simmons and That Phonecall. “Not Another Fucking Meme” is a light hearted look at the minutes of your life wasted on pointless social networking sites responding to mindless tags and is absolute pop perfection- right down to the people tagged in the liner notes.

In a world where a critic is supposed to be a cynic Connetta takes that frown and turns it upside down- without a hint of cliché.

9.5./10
~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 – Go to “wikipedia.” Hit “random… Read More”
or click en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 – Go to “Random quotations”
or click www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 – Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 – Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 – Post it to FB with this text in the “caption” and TAG the friends you want to join in.

I don’t mind a good meme-ing. Off we go.

1. My late grandfather was a war hero who went to his grave without telling anyone why he received his Militaty Medal. There is a book “Westralian Cavalry during the War” that outlines his citation. He had killed 6-8 men with a machine gun. Whenever he was asked why he got the medal he varied his answer between “for being the best looking bloke in the army” to “for marring your grandmother”. The bond between us is strong, despite Tom Sarre having died when I was ten.
2. When I was very young I was terrified of water. My mum was convinced Harry would be the same. To prevent this, I have taken him to the pool, in the shower and to the beach since he was born. He loves the water.
3. Between the ages of 19 and 29 I weighed 72-74 kilos. Post knee reconstruction (which coincided with me getting a “real” job and giving up windsurfing instructing), I whacked on a lazy 25kgs. Losing them is proving harder than gaining ‘em.
4. Depite the fact that my brother and I argue like crazy (and as recently as 5 years ago had a punch up!), I miss him a lot. Now he lives in LA instead of NYC, I kid myself we will visit them more often.
5. I am regarded as versatile. I like lots of things and I do a few of them moderately well. This has not led to fame and fortune, no matter what some people say.
6. My all time favourite adventure was our motorbike trip around Australia. (note: I dropped 10kgs on that!)
7. I can wheelie almost any bike- motor or cycle. I can wheelie my mountain bike until I am too tired to balance it, can wheelie a road bike like Robbie McEwen and got warned at Phillip Island for wheelie-ing down the straight at a track day at a tick over 200km/h.
8. I did not walk until I was 18 months old as I had a four wheelie tractor that I could get anywhere on. I could drift it, trundle it and steer it better than I can drive today.
9. My first dog was Boots. She was a muttley dog who was crazy smart, loyal and perfect as a first dog. When my Dad used to tell the story about how he took her off to have her put down, he cried. Every time.
10. When I was 21, I went on a windsurfing trip to WA with the recently gold medalled “Oasrome Foursome”. Hilarity, insanity and lifelong memories ensued.
11. I started blogging in September 2003. I was, and am a crappy blogger. I rarely make enough effort and am in awe of those who keep it up.
12. I’ve had quite a few girlfiends, but only one whom I actually depise. Yes, it’s YOU.
13. Like all new Fathers I was blown away when I became a Dad. I cried and cooed and felt 10 feet tall. Ask me if I feel the smame way at 3am when Harry has spat his dummy and is grizzling about it… The answer: HELL YES.
14. My all time hero is Albert Jacka VC. Most people know nothing of him, and yet he is our finest war hero. He was mayor of St Kilda and when he died young at 39, his pallbearers were all VCs. As Christopher Bantick wrote of Jacka “Albert Jacka is the forgotten man of Gallipoli. The reason is clear. Jacka was an efficient if not legendary killer.”
15. In 2008 I took to gardening for the first time. Rach and I planted a range of veggies and what not. I set up a tank based watering system and we proceeded to kill 90% of the plants. We’ll be back in 09/10!
16. I used to subscribe to the Henry Rollins philiosophy of being “trained in mind and body”. But I have let both deteriorate woefully. Sorry Hank.
17. I once wrote a book about the years up to and just after my Father’s death. But it was crap. It was good for me, but no good for the public. I deleted it from amy computer years ago with no regrets.
18. I am currently at my career crossroads. I’m going to let the next few months just play out and see where I go.
19. The first time I asked Rachel out on a date (to see a film) she said no. She didn’t wasnt to see that film. I asked again weeks later. She said yes.
20. My favourite all time test car was the Aston Martin DB9 Sport. It is simply perfect.
21. One of my life goals is to break 40 knots on a windsurfer and 200mph on a motorbike.
22. I think Denis Walter is one of the nicest, funniest people I have ever met. Or worked with.
23. My camera was stolen at the 2008 F1 Gp and I cannot afford to replace it (Thanks Harry!). I love photgraphy and am becoming more and more depresssed about not having a digital SLR camera. I want a Nikon D90, but need to find a special project that provides me with additional funds.
24. For many years I lived the mantra that there are no limitations and you can be anything you want to be. This lead me down a path of doing things just because I wanted to prove I could do them, not due to any particular passion.
25. I would tag Rachel to do 25, but here’s no way she would. So I am tagging no one.

The court was wrong, and I note you fail to show in what way I was dishonest – a charge I utterly reject. I’d say more, but that case proved to me that there are grave risks in criticising a member of the judicial fraternity. Now, back to this matter…

Scroll down for this hilarity…