Archive Piece: Up Close & Tarantino

Originially published in Savvy Magazine 8.10.2007

A man as widely recognised as Quentin Tarantino was bound to go down well in a city that embraces all things cult, and let's face it; the man is all about the offbeat.

It's 1pm, the sun is shining, and one of the world's greatest pioneering directors is sipping a beer in the unlikely venue of Walkabout. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Quentin Tarantino.

It's the morning after previewing his new film 'Death Proof' to a select audience of lucky film fanatics, where Tarantino stood in FACT cinema and questioned about his ideas and inspirations. The film, which goes nationwide on 21 September, follows the director's cinematic trend of strong woman vs. man. It's about a stuntman (Kurt Russell) using his unyielding car as a murderous weapon against eight women.

We were chatting in Walkabout, in between beer and food, and the avoidance of the inevitable onset of fans. "I'm really happy with how the film was received and with the questions. Yeah it went really well, everyone was really nice!"

Tarantino's visit to Liverpool comes as part of a regional tour of Death Proof: "I wanted to come to Liverpool because it's a city that I've never been to, so when I started thinking about the regional UK tour, I decided to add Liverpool in there too."

The original idea of releasing a double feature, 'Grindhouse', which incorporated Roderiguez's 'Planet Terror' and Tarantino's 'Death Proof', was scrapped in the UK after a surprise flop in America. The UK will instead see the films as separate, with added footage and originally deleted scenes. During the Q&A, he said he was "really disappointed" that Grindhouse wasn't going to be released in the UK. He admitted that it had been a failure in America. Tarantino said that showing the films separately, "better reflects the narrative strategies and script".

Death Proof, 11 years in the idea bank, was named by a car salesman suggested to Tarantino that to make a car safer (instead of just buying a Volvo), to give his current 'dangerous' car to a stuntman who would make it untouchable: "He actually came up with the term Death Proof. I'd never thought of it before but the idea just stayed with me".

This is just one tale of how the spark of the writing process all comes together for this director. And so the opportunity couldn't be missed to grill him about Hollywood, so we asked for his tips on getting into the film industry. He said: "Well, I don't really know how to break into the film industry myself!" (sure...), "but I think, you need to have the desire, it has to come from within you. You have to write for wanting to write, not for the sake of just wanting to write a screenplay – a bit like novelists."

"I knew since I was five that I wanted to go into film, I'd write things and it would get published on page 12, page 15, page 24, page 30… then I thought it was going somewhere."

Tarantino is a man eager to talk and share ideas. It is surreal to observe a man so popular and respected for his work on two of the most popular cult films in recent years relaxing with beer and chicken legs like he was watching Superbowl Sunday. On the highlight of his career he said: "For me, when I got the financing for Reservoir Dogs, that was amazing, and although Pulp Fiction was my biggest 'hit', getting to do Reservoir Dogs was the best thing for me."

As for his opinion on the city of culture, he said: "I'm going to explore it today, explore it and get lost in it. It's the best way to get to know a place. Just as long as I have the business card of the place I'm staying…I can call a cab if I get lost!"
Death Proof is released nationwide on 21 September.

Live Review: Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Plays The Beatles

24 May 2010
Adelaide Festival Centre

Originally published on GLAM Adelaide.com.au 27.5.10

It was in 1964 when The Beatles landed at Adelaide Airport. A third of the city’s population lined the streets for a glimpse of the Fab Four’s motorcade, throwing rose petals at their car. It comes then as no surprise that today, 46 years on, the opportunity to relive those distant memories and indulge in this genius take on The Beatles was to be so popular here in Adelaide

Celebrating 20 of the most emotional, uplifting and enduringly catchy tunes from the four lads from Liverpool, ASO Plays The Beatles drew in a 2-night sell-out crowd, all ready to be taken back to the Beatlemania of the 60's and 70's.

The four Beatlemania veterans (Jim Owen (John Lennon) Tony Kishman (Paul McCartney) John Brosnan (George Harrison) and Chris Camilleri (Ringo Starr) ) who make up tribute band Classical Mystery Tour, opened the set with 'Got To Get You Into My Life'. Holding back the introduction of the orchestra from the immediate start only built the anticipation of the grandeur to come.

So what better classic for introducing the symphonic sound than with the strong-on-strings and haunting melody of 'Eleanor Rigby'. Sounding incredibly accurate to the recorded version down to the very tone, gave an eerily authentic feel to the performance. The anthemic 'All You Need Is Love' gave the brass section their chance to shine, and the reminiscent 'Penny Lane' showcased the trumpet section with a solo.

Moving into the Sgt. Pepper phase not only brought a change in era, but a change in costume. The four donned their day-glo military outfits with style, adopting the era with ease. When the ever recognisable solemn intro to 'A Day In The Life' began, you'd have been forgiven for thinking the show was over due to the climactic and book-end nature of the song. Anticipating the almost uncomfortable crescendo of strings was fantastic, but unfortunately, the ASO seemed like they hadn't been turned up quite loud enough when it became clear that the sound was not as surround as the band themselves.

The second half brought in some of solo written material, including 'Imagine', 'Here Comes the Sun' and Paul McCartney's 'The Long and Winding Road', where live strings heightened these poignant numbers.

If there could be one stand out track from tonight's performance, it would be 'Live and Let Die', which, ironically, is not even a Beatles track, but its inclusion was superbly fitting to the orchestral backup.

The audience couldn't get enough of the feat, especially when 'All you Need Is Love', 'Hello Goodbye' and 'A Hard Day's Night' were brought to the stage. By the final two songs, every patron was up on their feet, clapping and singing along to 'Hey Jude', this time, with no orchestral backing. Despite the occasional feeling that the orchestra could have been used more, this was still a special performance that took the best of The Beatles' scored melodies and gave them a live showcasing that no one could forget.

Live Review:Tame Impala, Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide - May 20

Live Review: Tame Impala at The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel
20 May 2010

Originally published on MusicFeeds.com.au 27.5.2010

Tame Impala's approach to music stems from decades gone by; a time when musicians were sampling new sounds, new melodies and new drugs. They are indeed a breath of fresh air amidst an alternative scene that can feel like the musical equivalent of Groundhog Day. But, lo! Here's something with a twist. Packing a torrent of influences into their repertoire, it's all you've ever wanted to hear and more. Tame Impala could be a modern-day Beatles in a 2010 version of their Sgt. Pepper days, with an audience just as dedicated (minus the crying, screaming and fainting.)

Rocking up to Adelaide this week, the boys from Perth faced an extremely well packed-out Gov; a testament to their following since the release of their self-titled 2008 EP, and 2009's 'Sundown Syndrome'.

With not a corduroy flare in sight, Tame Impala whisked their audience away on a sea-wave of dreamy vocals, subdued chord changes and crunchy distortion, all completed by a mesmerising backdrop of video visuals. Normally, a live gig consists of straining your neck and standing on your toes for a glimpse of the action, but tonight, we were just happy to kick back and enjoy the sunny good time sounds being fed into our ears.

It was the night before the release of debut album 'InnerSpeaker'. Where Tame Impala have nailed the hazy approach, they've also mastered the art of a hook and a riff, such as with 'Lucidity', where lead guitar and bass imitate one another to a simplistic yet damn catchy result. Also previewed included album opener 'It is Not Meant to Be', and'Jeremy's Storm', where vocals are omitted and the song is much the dramatic solo work of guitar, background synth and incessant drumming. Tracks taken from their EP included 'Sundown Syndrome', 'Desire Be, Desire Go', and the fantastically full-of-anticipation 'Half Full Glass of Wine', which all became an amalgamation, making this a non-stop reminiscer package of the most popular EP tracks.

For their final song, Tame Impala invited support band The Silents on stage to sing backing vocals to 'I Don't Really Mind' - a song beautifully compounded with reverb and solo drums, harmonies and synth, bringing the night's show to a captivating close.

It'd be hard to guess these boys are only 2 years young after this polished performance of their crusty, blissed-out sound. By the end of this gig, we're so damn happy we don't know what decade it is, and we don't really mind either.