Russell Crowe, Australia And Some Awesome Photographs...

For many years Russell Crowe has used Twitter to share information on his latest movies and projects, defend himself from attacks from the media, engage with his fans, and share his interests including his love of music, his rugby league team, travelling and Australia. His work and interests have taken him to many places around the world. He has shared his adventures through posting photographs and engaging the fans in the discussion with the question Where am I on Twitter? 

Russell (although he is still a New Zealander and not an Australian) has lived in Australia for a large percentage of his life. He has made lots of significant contributions to the Australian community through a range of activities in particular to sport and raising awareness of important causes. Australia is where he spends his down time raising his children and on his properties in inner Sydney and rural New South Wales.

Over the past four years (Jan 2013- Jan 2017) Russell has taken many photographs from around Australia as he travelled for research, for making his movie The Water Diviner, for holidays and spending time at home. Today I wanted to look at how he chose to share his experiences in Australia through his personal photographs posted of social media with his fans, the majority of them from overseas and who have probably never been to Australia.

The only two photographs I included that were not taken in Australia were taken at Gallipoli when Russell was there doing research for his movie The Water Diviner. After one hundred years Gallipoli is still extremely significant for Australians and New Zealanders, as it is where over 10 000 of our soldiers died during World War 1. Australians and New Zealanders remember those who died there on 25 April every year.

Although there were a lot of fabulous photographs of Australia, there were some I wasn’t absolutely sure where they were taken so they were not included. For example, there were some photographs I assumed were from his property Nana Glen, in northern New South Wales. However, it was difficult to tell and Russell didn’t disclose where they were taken. So they have not been included.

I really enjoyed the photographs Russell posted of Australia. As an Australian (who doesn’t follow too many Australians on social media) I find it comforting when a celebrity of his status posts photographs of familiar icons like Australian landscapes (both rural and urban) native animals, sunsets and open training for a sports team who are playing in a grand final in rugby league league on social media. 

Russell has also taken and shared photographs when requested by fans for example, at the premier of his movie in Sydney, Australia and when a company wanted to use one of his pictures in their social media promotion (with full acknowledgement). There is also a photograph of a lost dog he saw on an local oval while out for a walk and tried to help find its owners.

I hope you enjoy these photographs of Australia as much as I have. The photographs are from the official Russell Crowe Twitter account. No copyright infringement intended.

        

Alan Doyle And 'So Let’s Go'…Happy anniversary.

“I am so grateful for this day. Thank you for the Love. Tour starts tomorrow. Yeha!” 21 January, 2015. Alan Doyle from his official Twitter account.

Happy anniversary to Alan Doyle and his ‘So Let’s Go’ album released on the 20 January, 2017, just over two years ago.

I have been thinking a lot about this time lately. My CD has special significance to me. I bought my copy at Fred’s record store in St. John’s, Newfoundland when I was there in 2015 which included an Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Gypsies concert. As a consequence the physical CD and its music bring me heaps of listening pleasure, and also take me back to a time, place and experiences that I hold close.

From the official webpage of alandoyle.ca (no copyright infringement intended).

Alan describes some of the philosophy behind the ‘So Let’s Go’ album to an interview in the Prince Albert Daily Herald …

“…Time is short,” he explains. “You have to make the most of it in whatever way works for you, and this has become like a lifestyle for me. This is the only life we know that we have. I don’t want to be the guy who has the most money, and I don’t need to be the guy who’s the most famous. I don’t want to be the guy who has the biggest house, but I’d love to be the guy that lived the most….”

In an interview with Prince Edward Island newspaper The Guardian Alan expands on the philosophy

“…Doyle says if there’s an over-arching theme on this record, it’s one of optimism…The attitude seems to be, in a nutshell, embrace life and all it has to offer you…”

I have included a copy of the press release from Universal Music issued in late 2014 which provide fans with some insight into the making of the album. No copyright infringement intended.



References

‘Alan Doyle eager to showcase new album, down home talents’ by Tara Bradbury in The Prince Albert Daily Herald at www.paherald.sk.ca published 9 January, 2015 (no copyright infringement intended).

‘Alan Doyle on the move with ‘So Let’s Go’ by Doug Gallant in The Guardian date unknown. (no copyright infringement intended).

Universal Music Press Release (no copyright infringement intended)

1 NOV 2014

ALAN DOYLE TO RELEASE SO LET’S GO JANUARY 20

TITLE-TRACK FIRST SINGLE OUT NOW

2015 CANADIAN TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED

11 NOVEMBER 2014 (Toronto, ON) – Alan Doyle, actor, producer, newly-minted best-selling author, and best-known as lead singer for Newfoundland’s beloved Great Big Sea these past 20+ years, is set to release his second solo album, So Let’s Go, January 20 via Universal Music Canada (UMC), the country’s leading music company. Title-track lead single So Let’s Go is a rousing rallying cry that’s only further proof of Doyle’s ability to draw the listener under his banner. Equally adept at drawing a crowd, Doyle will be embarking on North American tour dates upon album release, with Canadian details below.

Made in collaboration with Thomas ‘Tawgs’ Salter (Lights, Walk Off The Earth), Jerrod Bettis (Adele, Serena Ryder), Gordie Sampson (Keith Urban, Willie Nelson), and Joe Zook (OneRepublic, Katy Perry), So Let’s Go follows Doyle’s first solo outing, Boy On Bridge, released in 2012. “If there’s an over-arching theme on this record, it’s one of optimism…not that this is in contrast to my previous doom-laden songs!” laughs Doyle, who says this album is freer than Boy On Bridge in the respect of being open to all influences. “On my last solo record I wanted to explore musical backyards of friends of mine in different parts of the musical world. It was as much a physical as a musical journey away from home. On So Let’s Go, folks will hear much more stuff from my backyard and all the traditional and Celtic influences I grew up with, married with the most contemporary collaborators out there.” A non-traditional marriage for Doyle was writing his first book simultaneously with the album, the best-selling memoir Where I Belong, released last month.

The album’s eponymous song is consistent with Alan Doyle’s ethos: we’re lucky to be here so let’s make the most of it. This spirit also infuses the heartfelt Take Us Home while Sins of a Saturday Night celebrates a come-what-may approach. The album also gets reflective in moments, such as the plaintive Laying Down To Perish, inspired by a visit to Fogo Island. As a whole, So Let’s Go remains consistent with Alan Doyle’s enthusiasm for the wider world combined with a love for the comfort of home.

Alan Doyle hails from Petty Harbour, NL, and formed Great Big Sea in 1993 with Sean McCann, Bob Hallett, and Darrell Power, in which they fused traditional Newfoundland music with their own pop sensibilities. Their nine albums, double-disc hits retrospective, and two DVD releases have been declared Gold or Platinum and have sold a combined 1.2 million copies in Canada. So Let’s Go continues to cement Alan Doyle’s reputation as one of our country’s most treasured musicians and storytellers. Doyle and his ace six-piece band will be touring in early 2015, playing songs from Doyle’s solo records along with Great Big Sea favourites and some unpredictable gems from far-flung places that are sure to thrill. “I always want people to have the greatest night of their life when the house lights go down.”

Alan Doyle 2015 Canadian tour dates:

Jan 21 Kitchener, ON – Centre In The Square Jan 22 Lindsay, ON – Academy Theatre for Performing Arts Jan 23 Ottawa, ON – Centrepointe Theatre Jan 24 Guelph, ON – River Run Centre Jan 25 North Bay, ON – North Bay Capitol Centre Jan 28 St. Catharines, ON – Brock Centre for the Arts Jan 29 Burlington, ON – The Burlington Performing Arts Centre Jan 30 Kingston, ON – The Grand Theatre Jan 31 Richmond Hill, ON – Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts Feb 01 Brampton, ON – The Rose Theatre Brampton Feb 03 Hamilton, ON – The Studio at Hamilton Place Feb 04 London, ON – London Music Hall Feb 05 Montreal, QC – Club Soda Feb 06 Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall Feb 07 St. John’s, NL – Holy Heart Theatre Mar 06 Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre Mar 08 Calgary, AB – Jack Singer Concert Hall Mar 09 Edmonton, AB – Myer Horowitz Theatre Mar 11 Saskatoon, SK – Broadway Theatre Mar 12 Winnipeg, MB – West End Cultural Centre May 03 Fredericton, NB – The Playhouse May 05 Moncton, NB – Capitol Theatre May 06 Sydney, NS – Membertou Trade & Convention Centre May 07 Pictou, NS – deCoste Entertainment Centre May 08 Halifax, NS – Rebecca Cohn Auditorium

Switching Off Social Media…A social media user responds.

I am planning to respond to this interesting article as I have a limited amount of interaction with Facebook soon…

"An Opinion“Good reasons to pull the plug on technology overload” by Brian Callahan CBC News, Newfoundland and Labrador published on the 21 January, 2017. (no copyright infringement intended)

I'm not a big fan of studies. I realize they are generally good things. I mean, we should study things to better understand them.

But these days they're almost as ubiquitous as the variables that sway their conclusions.

The best studies tend to be independent, impartial and not-for-profit; those commissioned by people or companies that stand to benefit from the results, not so much.

Which is why I'm pretty sure Mark Zuckerberg had no hand in the recent, unflattering one regarding Facebook.

It's one of those "duh" studies that concludes the blatantly obvious.

In case you missed it, experts found that people's mental health improved and negative feelings of envy and jealousy declined after a week away from Facebook.

Duh.

Feeling 'considerably' better offline

The findings were published in the U.S. journal Cyberphysiology, Behaviour and Social Networking, and involved almost 2,000 people in their early 30s, split into two groups: one remained face and eyes into FB, while the other didn't log on for a week. (That's if they could find the button to log off; they don't make it easy because they don't want you to.)

Can you guess which group felt "considerably" better about themselves and life in general after all was said and done?

It wasn't the first and surely won't be the last study to find a direct correlation between feelings of negativity and exposure to the vitriol that has come to define not just Facebook, but so-called social media in general.

More like anti-social, if you ask me.

No, not everyone falls victim to it. Many manage to duck in and out of their platform of choice quickly and relatively unscathed.

Poking the bear

Others simply can't get enough of it, and are want to fire off spontaneous comments 24/7 with little or no consideration as to how they will be received.

Fortunately, these are usually the cellar dwellers whose opinions ultimately don't matter, as opposed to, say, a U.S. president calling some wingnut dictator's bluff on nuclear weapons. I don't know about you, but I'd poke a bear before a lunatic. At least with the bear I know what I'm getting.

God forbid World War Three is triggered by a tweet; one Archduke Ferdinand would roll over in his tomb.

But I digress.

A little self-awareness — and a conscience — can go a long way toward fending off feelings of insuperiority and that destructive "every man, woman and child for themselves" mentality that is becoming disturbingly all too common today.

But that's much easier said than done for those whose perception of reality is hopelessly distorted and blurred by their infatuation with everyone's lives except their own.

The trick here, as with most things, is moderation, and one's ability to moderate it.

Here's your distorted reality

Which brings me to France, and that country's efforts to do just that by enacting a law that gives employees the right to ignore work-related emails outside their regular hours of work.

Sure, it sounds glorious. And it's fair to say legislators' hearts were in the right place.

Their heads, however, had to be — ahem — up somewhere else.

Talk about your distorted reality.

Please, someone, name me a profession today where there's no risk of losing ground, and eventually your job, by shutting it all down from the time you finish your shift until you return the next morning?

Or from Friday afternoon till Monday morning? Or (gasp!) the entirety of your vacation?

How far out of the loop is too far?

The question becomes, how far out of the loop can you afford to be when you return? Fact is, it would be more work — and stress — to catch up on what you missed.

That's certainly the case in the journalism trade. You may have the right to leave your phone at home. Heck, you're told to do so while on vacation, mostly to avoid roaming charges. But let's face it — you do so at your peril.

Interestingly enough, the French law was drafted with the intention of creating a healthier balance between work, and life away from it. More time freed up to spend with family, your partner, your kids.

And this just in: a new study suggests the new law is working. More people are relishing being unleashed from work.

Unfortunately, an even newer study shows people are spending all that newfound freedom on … Facebook.

Alan Doyle, Hockey And An Australian Fan...

Today on social media Canadian and Newfoundland musician Alan Doyle’s backyard hockey rink caught the attention of the news as he was heading out to Vancouver to record a new album. Alan’s love of hockey is well documented from the early years of Great Big Sea to now. Every Canadian winter, for as long as I have been a fan he has regularly posted comments, photographs and videos about his recreational love of skating and pushing a puck around on his backyard rink with his son and friends.

During the NHL season and Canadian international games on television, Alan has posted comments and initiated discussion about his beloved Habs and Canada on his official social media sites. There is nothing Alan likes better than going to a game with friends and singing the anthem at games. He met his good friend and music partner Russell Crowe at a hockey game in Toronto. Alan loves his hockey both as a player and spectator. Canada is a sports mad nation and hockey is one of the games they love the best.





(From the official Twitter account of Alanthomasdoyle. No copyright infringement intended)

For those of you who have never read my blog I am an Australian. Australians are also a sports mad nation. We are interested in, play and watch a wide range of sports including Australian rules football, cricket, rugby league, rugby union, field hockey, soccer, basketball, baseball, netball, swimming, tennis and a range of other sports. Sports lovers come from both genders, all age groups, socio economic groups, language, religious and cultural groups and geographical regions. Together we have experienced great highs and lows from winning and losing local, state and territory and international tournaments that have brought people from all walks of life together. We are if I might be so bold to say good at a range of sports. 

So where does my love of sport come from? As a young person growing up in an age without computers and the internet and very limited television I played a range of sports year round. Until I was teenager I played basketball, netball, cricket, softball and field hockey both at the school level and as part of a club. My friends also played sport. On the weekends when most kids kick a footy around with their dad and siblings, our dad who loved to skate, took us to the local skating rink. At home we had a swimming pool in the backyard where our friends and family would come over on the weekends and during the school holidays in the hot Australian summers. So most people my age grew up where sport was an integrated part of our life.

Australian sport has brought me a great deal of pleasure as an adult. I fell in love in with the game of rugby union and the national rugby union team the Wallabies in 2003 when Australia played Ireland in my home state and I attended a player promotion event. Rugby union was very exciting, Australia were at the top of their game and the players were, well good looking and really educated. Most of all they were respectful towards women and didn’t have cheerleaders like a lot of other Australian sports. I read everything I could especially the newspapers, watched all the games no matter what time they were telecast and listened to the sports sections of the news.

But sport has also been more to me than watching at home on the television and reading. I have become members of teams I have loved, met some amazing rugby union fans, travelled interstate to watch the games, attended annual meet the player events where I have met my favourite players, watched the games on television with family and friends, participated in social media with other fans and bought a range of merchandise which the players I have met graciously signed. I take great pride in our national team, the players and the way they go about their business of playing sport. They do Australia and the game of rugby union proud in the way they play the game, whether they win or lose.

However, I am wondering if being a sports fan in Australia is different from being a sports fan in another country such as Canada and in a game like hockey? Canadian hockey fans may like to know that my city in Australia has a couple of ice skating rinks and a local hockey competition. When I went to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, I learnt Australia has a national hockey team. During the Canadian and American summer (our winter) or off season players from the NHL come to Australia and do a couple promotional tournaments as do other major sporting leagues in North America. Hockey is definitely an exciting and very skilled game and the fans are passionate at all levels. Those who love the game articulate and share that love in many ways.

So how does a person become a good hockey fan and what does it mean to be a hockey fan? Wikihow.com have a range of posts offering wannabe hockey fans some advice. To become a hockey fan a person should find the closest professional or minor team in their area, watch a few games, read some statistics and decide what team to follow. Then learn the rules (for when they meet people later on and or participate in social media). Wannabe fans are encouraged to meet other like-minded fans by going to the games, joining fan-based clubs, or interacting on social media. They encourage fans to look the part by buying merchandise.

There is a bundle of advice if the wannabe hockey fan wants to be a good Canadian hockey fan. Other wikihow.com pages describe how being a good hockey fan includes being respectful, knowing the game, knowing the players and learning the history of their favourite franchise. There are also a whole range of other social and cultural norms for going to a hockey game and fitting in with other fans for example knowing about fighting in hockey. But hockey I gather is more than what a fan knows, how they look and act during a game.

As I researched what hockey means to Canadians I found there were literally thousands of articles and books, both fiction and non-fiction, that write about what hockey means to Canadians. I only read published articles identified on a page on Wikipedia, not fan pages on blogs, websites or social media posts of which I am sure there are hundreds all passionately told and written. I will let the writers that I read speak for themselves and for their love of hockey and what they think it means to Canadians.

“Hockey is more than a game to Canadians” by Steve Keating published on the 29 January, 2010 for Reuters discusses the importance of Canada winning its first gold Olympic medal at home in the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. Keating provides a really good summary within the discussion on Canada, hockey and its role in shaping cultural identity…

“Hockey’s place in Canadian culture is closer to religion than a simple sporting pastime, a unifying force in a country of 33 million people that is often split by politics and language.

The sport is part of the national identity, a rite of passage between fathers and sons and more recently mothers and daughters as the game has evolved beyond its traditional gender boundaries.

Generations of Canadians grew up listening to Hockey Night in Canada on the radio and decades later the Saturday night tradition continues intact on high-definition television….

To the International Olympic Committee (IOC) the sport is classified as “ice hockey.” In Canada, which regards itself as the birthplace of the game, it is simply referred to as “hockey” and anyone describing it any other way risks a disdainful look or a puck in the head…

From Newfoundland to Vancouver Island hockey touches the lives of Canadians young and old. Children are introduced to the game at an early age, some learning to skate and hold a stick as soon as they can walk, while some people go to the graves wearing team jersey’s...’

In the Canada Guide for those visiting Canada there is chapter titled “Ice Hockey – the national sport of Canada” under culture. The author discusses the origins and importance of ice hockey in Canadian culture.

“A symbol of Canada, a national sport, and even a way of life – ice hockey. Perhaps it may seem ironic that a country renowned for being so peaceful is so deeply connected with sport where fighting is not only accepted but even commended…

From frozen-over ponds and community rinks, to the top arenas, you will find Canadians practicing everywhere, but you will find all ages and levels participating – from children who can barely walk to those in the National Hockey League (NHL)…

Needless to say that Canada created, embraced and continues to adore ice hockey. In a country divided by political views, hockey is seen as unifying force forming a great part of Canadian cultural identity…” 

Ben Cousins “Hockey: Canada’s Pass Time, Religion and Way Of Like” writes about hockey and Canadian culture….

“….Hockey is our identity because it seems like it is the only that can unify Canadians, it embodies the political system, identifies the Canadian sense of Anti-Americanism and has some of history’s greatest Canadians.

Fostering a Canadian identity is a difficult task to do as Canadians are so divided. It seems as though other than Hockey, little can be agreed upon across the nation….

In many ways, hockey is the way of life for Canadians. Taking an entitlement to the game is something that all people of Canada do. It is the one source of arrogance in a nation that is known for its quiet voice and neutrality. It is the one stereotype Canadians take pride in. There is no doubt hockey is the Canadian identity, whether it be from the water cooler to the bar, in the early morning Timbit practices or late night beer league, the World stage or one on one in the backyard rink. Hockey is just in the Canadian blood stream, it is a simple as that.”

However there is a whole range of writers who disagree and argue hockey and its impact on Canadian culture is changing for a number of reasons… One of those articles “When Sport Defines a Nation.” by Sam Riches writes…

“Cultural symbols are constantly being re-invented, their meaning and interpretations anything but static: in Canada, hockey a game once so closely tied to the every man, steeped heavily in blue-collar, working-class ideals has become something else. It is now modern, commercial a sport privilege because of the costs associated with playing it, and increasingly, a game that has limited historical and cultural significance for new generations of Canadians…

There is still the thrill of spectatorship in hockey, of Canadians organising around the game – using cultural activity to help whittle out a collective identity – hockey can no longer speak to the concept of unified, singular Canadian. To be effective, it must speak to all of us…

Other sports like soccer and basketball, which are more affordable to play, and came without the same cultural baggage, are quickly building their own significance in the lives of Canadians…”

Wiki.com suggestions on how to become a hockey fan are not connected to socio-economic status, being able to play and operate independent to culture and family traditions as suggested by those who make observations and write about the game. To those who write about being a hockey fan it is more than playing the game, putting on a jersey, watching and following team and knowing how to behave at a hockey game, although they are all certainly part of it. Being a hockey or sports fan is about a genuine love of the game and belief and support in those who play and the game. It involves constantly changing shared values, knowledge and understandings of the game and their culture that connects fans to the game, team, community ultimately to a nation.

References

Cousins, B. (2010). “Hockey: Canada’s Pass Time Religion and Way of Life”. Retrieved from m.bleacherreport.com on the 20 January, 2017.

Keating, S. (2010). “Hockey is more than a game for Canadians.” Retrieved from mobile.reuters.com on the 20 January, 2017.

Riches, S. (2015). “When Sport Defines a Nation” Retrieved from psmag.com on the 20 January, 2017.

“How to Become a Hockey Fan.” Retrieved from m.wikihow.com on the 20 January, 2017.

“How to Be a Good Hockey Fan.” Retrieved rom m.wikihow.com on the 20 January, 2017.

 “Canada Guide: Ice Hockey – the national sport of Canada.” Retrieved from justlanded.com on the 20 January, 2017

Alan Doyle And An Episode Of Murdoch Mysteries…Update.

Last September when Alan Doyle announced via his official Twitter site that he had a guest role on the popular Canadian historical drama Murdoch Mysteries, I wrote a post to record the event. The post was called ‘Alan Doyle And An Episode Of Murdoch Mysteries’ and published on the 21 September, 2016.

Yesterday the episode was shown on CBC Canada and my blogger statistics for that post from Canada went through the roof. Although there has been a steady interest in his appearance since I wrote the post, I have had 527 hits and over 250 in one day from Canada alone. I have copied the post below as it has attracted a lot of interest for some reason.

So I have decided to provide a follow up post as Alan, some of the cast and fan sites on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram shared some more fabulous photographs from the shoot last September. The fans have also shown a lot of interest in his appearance and posted a lot of complimentary posts on social media.

I have been unable to watch the episode due to where I live. I was however, able to view a brief video of the one of the scenes Alan appeared in on Murdoch Mysteries homepage from the official CBC Canada site in which his character (a historian) tries to warn the police about an attempted murder. This episode is definitely looking interesting in particular with the time travel theme.

I found the Murdoch Mysteries Wiki. The Wiki is a comprehensive guide for anyone wanting information about the show including the actors, characters, seasons and episodes. The Wiki is run by a group of very dedicated fans and provide regular updates including a detailed description of each episode within that season including a brief summary, cast details and some interesting historical trivia.

The episode "A Murdog Mystery" is the one hundred and forty-third episode of Season 10. It aired on January 16, 2017. The summary of the episode states “As Inspector Brackenreid is bound for Panama with James Pendrick, Murdoch is appointed Acting Inspector until Brackenreid's return, telling the constables to stay with calling him ‘Detective’. Accordingly, he plans some organizational changes until Detective Watts, was asked to vacate Station House No. 1, has happily applied for the now open detective position at Station House No. 4., but before Murdoch can respond, Higgins interrupts him, "Excuse me, sir, there's been a murder'…While investigating the death of a championship show dog, Murdoch discovers a hidden affection for a crime fighting canine named Pistachio who takes the lead”.

For those fans interested in finding out more information about the show and episode, the Wiki and episode link is http://murdochmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/A_Murdog_Mystery

The social media posts are from the official accounts of those who posted. No copyright infringement intended.















Alan Doyle And An Episode Of Murdoch Mysteries...published on the 21 September, 2016 on this blog.

Recently Alan Doyle announced on his official Twitter account that he had a guest role in the Canadian drama series Murdoch Mysteries.

For those fans like me who do not live in Canada and who are not familiar with the series, Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian historical detective drama set in Toronto in the last decade of the nineteenth century and first decade of the twentieth century. The series is based on the novels by Maureen Jennings.

The date of the airing of the episode in which Alan has been cast has yet to be announced. It is great to see Alan branching out and taking on some acting roles as he is a natural.

Alan posted some absolutely drop dead gorgeous selfies and photographs from the set and in costume on social media. I have copied three of my favourites from Alan’s official Twitter account. As always no copyright infringement intended.

Alan Doyle And The 'So Let’s Go' Album (2015)...Some thoughts and images (Throwback Thursday).

Alan Doyle informed fans on his most recent Facebook live post from St. John’s that he was heading off to a concert in Ottawa and then to record the new album for 10 days  in Vancouver. 

Next week, on the 20 January, 2015 it will be two years since the ‘So Let’s Go’ album was released, so I thought it would be really interesting to go back and visit some of Alan’s thoughts and words about the making of the album, and look at images via interviews and some social media posts in the days leading up to and immediately after the release of the album. 

Alan did a lot of brilliant publicity for the album throughout the year. Here are some of those that I found interesting.

‘Take Us Home’ premiers on the final episode of Republic of Doyle…Alan Doyle Official Facebook, 10 December, 2014.

Prior to the release of the ‘So Let’s Go’ album, fans had already heard some of the fabulous songs off the album for example, ‘Take Us Home’. The song premiered on the final episode of Republic of Doyle. I found this great post of an Alan Doyle selfie from his official Facebook page advertising the event.

‘National Post Sessions: Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle is looking for something true to sing on ‘So Let’s Go’ by Jon Dekel on published on the 21 January, 2015.

My favourite traditional interview still remains the ‘National Post Sessions: Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle is looking for something true to sing on ‘So Let’s Go’ by Jon Dekel on published on the 21 January, 2015. Alan answered some questions about the album and made two totally gorgeous videos with Cory Tetford and Kendel Carson that were attached to the article ('So Let's Go' and 'Paper in Fire'. 

This is my favourite quote from the interview…

Q: How did the writing process for this album differ from your work with Great Big Sea?
A: The songs on So Let’s Go were written in a way I would never write in the past. I just thought it would be an awesome experiment to have a big pop music production centered by a simple guy whistling and playing his mandolin. With a folk song I’d sit with my guitar and come up with a story I wanted to tell and then I’d wrap a melody around that. For this I wanted to go into the rooms where the most popular music in the country was being made and make that kind of music but centred on a guy from Petty Harbour. All the best pop songs have something honest and true at the heart of them so why not have that part be me and my story?"

I have provided a link to the original article published, and circulated a copy of these videos on my Google + page for those interested.

http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/music/national-post-sessions-great-big-seas-alan-doyle-is-looking-for-something-true-to-sing-on-so-lets-go





‘An Evening With Alan Doyle January 26 2015… by Sean Sisk’.

The So Let’s Go tour album was released on 20 January, 2015 and the tour with the same name began the day after. There were several shows in Ontario, Canada and then the Ottawa concert on the 26 January before heading back to Ontario.

Sean Sisk a Canadian photographer based in Ottawa was asked to photograph a concert in Ottawa and wrote about his experience on his webpage Sean Sisk Photography. Included in this collection are three gorgeous black and white photographs, a group photograph of Alan Doyle and The Beautiful Gypsies, and two photographs of Alan walking the halls with Stickman Tak before the concert. There is also one of the band interacting with the audience.

There is a totally fabulous collection of colour photographs from which show Alan Doyle, the solo artist, the band member and interacting with audience. Sean also included a copy of the setlist for the concert. Only several of the songs from the album were incorporated into the concert including ‘So Let’s Go’, ‘Sins of Saturday Night’, ‘Stay’, ‘1,2,3,4’, and ‘Take Us Home’. Others were added as the tour went on such as ‘Shine On’.

Sean also wrote that after the concert Alan interacted with fans and was happy to meet, talk and sign memorabilia.

‘An evening with Alan Doyle January 26 2015’… by Sean Sisk can be found at Sean Sisk Photography.com

http://siskphoto.ca/an-evening-with-alan-doyle/ (no copyright infringement intended)





‘Alan Doyle: Celebrating the good times’ by Jeff published on the 28 April, 2015 in Wopperjaw.com

My favorite thoughts from this interview were…

Your new album is “an album for celebrating the good times.” Talk about that.
I joke that I wrote songs for a concert more than a record. I wanted these songs to be the cornerstone for a great night out for people. I wanted the songs to be ideal for a great concert.

The opening number is really exuberant.
“So Let’s Go” is a bit of a personal mantra of mine that I’ve had for years. It’s a call to action. In my mind, it’s the simplest piece of advice I give people over the years. So often people overthink things and doubt things and wonder if they’ll ever get a chance to do things. They say, “I want to go downtown.” I say, “So let’s go.” They say, “I want to go to Europe.” I say, “So let’s go.” “I want to go back to school to learn to be a dentist.” I say, “So let’s go.” It’s really a call to action and a celebration for people who realize that time is short."

Alan Doyle on The Marilyn Denis Show on 19 January, 2015.
Alan Doyle appeared on The Marilyn Denis Show with Cory Tetford and Kendel Carson. The Alan Doyle Trio performed “So Let’s Go” from the album.

Attached to the post are two gorgeous photos, one of Alan, Cory and Kendel and the other Alan. I have posted a copy of them here. No copyright infringement intended.

Russell Crowe And Alan Doyle Shine In Iceland (2012)… Throwback Thursday.

“For Crowe it was an immense compliment and a thrill, as one can plainly tell from footage showing him literally jumping for joy (and drinking beer) in the background. For Smith too it was a compliment. She calls the actor her "roadie" and must surely realise how hard it is for hopeless rock fan Crowe to resist the urge to let his gravelly bass dominate the entire song...But he showed the legend the respect she deserves and stood in the bleachers until each chorus.” Annette Sharp, Daily Telegraph 24 August, 2012.

Yesterday Alan Doyle posted a photograph on his official Instagram account when he played guitar and sang with Russell Crowe and the totally awesome, fabulous and very talented Patti Smith in three small gigs in Iceland in August, 2012. Although I remember reading about he gigs and especially the images of Russell and Alan performing with Patti I wanted to see what I could find what was shared by the fans.

The news of the performances spread around the world and were picked up by local and international news agencies and various webpages and blogs. The articles although brief, were supported by bootleg recordings from fans who attended.

I have copied two of these articles below, one from the Daily Telegraph and one from NBC News in America. Attached to both articles were two bootlegs. The first one was bootlegged by Roman Gerasymenko and the second one bootlegged by Martin Uetz. I have provided links to these recordings below and circulated them on my Google + page.

Alan Doyle and Russell Crowe also performed a number of their songs which were also bootlegged by fans and loaded up onto YouTube. My favourite was Testify bootlegged by Gudmundur Jakobsson.

I had forgotten how fabulous the music of Alan Doyle and Russell Crowe is and what great chemistry they have together on stage. Another gem of a bootleg was Alan and Russell doing Molly Malone bootlegged by Martin Uetz in which they invited the audience to join in. I have provided links to these recordings and circulated them on my Google + page.

I hope you enjoy revisiting this special Russell Crowe and Alan Doyle event in Iceland as much as did.

And yes like the reporter below no matter how much Russell Crowe loses his cool I too will carry a bit of a torch for him and also Alan Doyle.

“Russell Crowe lets rip with punk poet Patti Smith in Iceland” by Annette Sharp, Daily Telegraph 24 August 2012 (no copyright infringement intended).

IT doesn't matter how many times he loses his cool or whether George Piggins accuses him of spying or even stealing underpants from his clothesline, I suspect I will always carry a torch for Russell Crowe.

This week amateur footage emerged of a grizzled bearded Crowe singing back-up to equally grizzled punk poet Patti Smith on a Bruce Springsteen track in a bar in Iceland.

What a random, brilliant and unlikely happening. Unable to contain his passion for music, Crowe put his hand up last weekend to entertain the locals at three small local gigs in Iceland. At two of these, Smith, who is touring the country and is in outstanding voice at age 65, stepped up to sing Because The Night, Crowe joining in on backing vocals.

For Crowe it was an immense compliment and a thrill, as one can plainly tell from footage showing him literally jumping for joy (and drinking beer) in the background. For Smith too it was a compliment. She calls the actor her "roadie" and must surely realise how hard it is for hopeless rock fan Crowe to resist the urge to let his gravelly bass dominate the entire song.

But he showed the legend the respect she deserves and stood in the bleachers until each chorus.

What a delightful sight the pair of deconstructed fashion icons make.

They could not have been topped on the Reykjavik Culture Night bill. Not even if Bjork herself had thrown over a Pussy Riot protest to attend.

Crowe, who heads to New York shortly to finish filming Darren Aronofsky's Noah, has also been teaching the Icelanders the finer points of rugby league while in town.

Equipped with a device called a slingbox, he has managed to see every South Sydney game live and Aronofsky has afforded him time off the filmset during Souths matches.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/russell-crowe-lets-rip-with-punk-poet-patti-smith-in-iceland/news-story/d1507a5bbb9a25f898240aef98fcd378

“Russell Crowe, Patti Smith duet in Iceland” by Randee Dawn NBC News Contributor, posted on 24 August, 2012. (no copyright infringement intended).

You could play the celebrity match game for days without coming up with the pairing of Russell Crowe and Patti Smith, but as the duo recently proved with some appearances in Iceland, they love sharing the stage.

Crowe was in Reykjavik on Aug. 18 as part of a city cultural program, while Smith was touring the country. Based on the videos -- one taken at an outdoor public event as part of the city's Cultural Night, the other in a bar/hostel called Kex-- Crowe was the main attraction, but joyously introduced "legend" (as he called her) Smith for both shows.

Smith sang the song she co-wrote with Bruce Springsteen, "Because the Night," one of her signature tunes. Crowe joined in on backup, and the two appeared to have a grand time.

http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/24/13455293-russell-crowe-patti-smith-duet-in-iceland?lite

Russell Crowe, Patti Smith and Alan Doyle at Cultural Night in Reykjavik by Roman Gerasymenko 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y_qTPK-ZG0

Russell Crowe with Patti Smith and Alan Doyle perform 'Because the Night'  by Martin Uetz 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA4-qQDy07k

Testify (Russell Crowe and Alan Doyle) by Gudmundur Jakobsson 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwF4FIi-joE

Molly Mallone (Russell Crowe and Alan Doyle) by Martin Uetz 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYVHd99Y5Ls

Killing Song (Russell Crowe and Alan Doyle) by Hrund Valgeirsdottir 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzQhtqL3hdI

Musicians And Artists Performing Live In Australia – Working For Money v Exposure…A response.

Recently when I was researching and writing my blog, I came across a really interesting article in which a contributor to an online music webpage responded to a reporter for a regional Fairfax Media owned newspaper who criticised Australian musicians for wanting to be paid for playing live, questioned their passion for music and argued in some circumstances exposure was enough payment.

The band were asked to play at the Fairfax Media owned Night Noodle Market in Melbourne. They refused the offer because they were not paid. The original article from the regional Fairfax Media owned newspaper is title “Advocate reporter Elanor Watt believes in some instances exposure is payment enough” published online on the 25 October, 2016.

The contributor argued… "that she did not believe asking a musician to play at an event unpaid by anyone is a tough ask…I have seen this question blown up in the Tasmanian music scenes, with many different musicians holding various views on the situation, which are all valid. The real question is, how strong is your passion and what are you willing to do to achieve your goals…

I assume most musicians love making and performing music, it is not one of those jobs that you simply decide to do as you don’t have any other choice, it is considerably passion related much like writing or sports. If someone was really passionate about getting their music out there, and enjoyed performing then they would take up any opportunity given to them, especially if it means expanding their audiences, drawing in a larger fan base, because we have all seen the movies, anything can happen.”

An interesting point for sure. However, movies are not real life and in particular those made in Hollywood. To the best of my knowledge and experience movies that are based on real life take huge amount liberties in storytelling to increase the entertainment and profit value of the movie. The reporter does not actually sight any real life examples from the music industry, but rather those from other industries where volunteer work is part of the training.

The reporter asked the question to the readers in an online poll “Do you think musicians should accept a gig without payment if it was going to give them exposure to a large amount of people?” The readers responded with “5.73 per cent said yes and 94.27 per cent said no”. Therefore the majority of readers agreed musicians should not work for exposure only.

The article was picked up and responded to by on an online webpage Music Feeds. The contributor Emmy Mack wrote a response “Fairfax Journo Calls Musicians Who Expect To Be Paid For Gigs “Ungrateful” & “Entitled” and was posted on the 27 October, 2016. This article included the band’s response from their Facebook page.

The band wrote “Dear ASX200-listed-company Fairfax Media… We’re flattered to be on the radar of a company with an annual ‘Total Group Revenue of $1,867.2 million‘ (FY2016),” the band wrote on Facebook. “We have, however, decided to decline the invitation to perform at the event on account of you deciding not to pay us.”

They continued: “We’re guessing that the sound tech who ran the PA on the night was paid; as were the graphic designers and marketing companies that did the event website, promo and marketing material; and the companies that supplied the lighting, tables, chairs and umbrellas; and the cleaners. And so on”.

I totally agree with the respondents to the online poll, the contributor to the online webpage Music Feeds and the musicians, in that musicians should be paid to play live at their venues, and in particular from an organisation like Fairfax media who makes millions of dollars a year in profit. From my research on the music industry I know that the majority of musicians and artists don’t make a lot of money from albums and most of the money they do make comes from travelling and performing live gigs including concerts. This issue also raises other issues about whether companies like Fairfax Media are providing appropriate wages and conditions to all their employees and sub-contractors in accordance with Australian workplace laws.

“Fairfax Journo Calls Musicians Who Expect To Be Paid For Gigs “Ungrateful” & “Entitled” by Emmy Mack published on 27 October, 2016 on an online webpage MusicFeeds. (no copyright infringement intended)

A Fairfax journalist has written a scathing opinion piece, taking aim at Aussie musicians who expect to get paid for playing live.

“I do not believe asking a musician to play at an event unpaid by anyone is a tough ask,” writes Elanor Watt of The Advocate a Tasmanian newspaper operated by Fairfax Regional Media.

Instead, Watt firmly believes that, in some instances, “exposure is payment enough”.

“The real question is, how strong is your passion and what are you willing to do to achieve your goals,” she writes.

“I assume most musicians love making and performing music, it is not one of those jobs that you simply decide to do as you don’t have any other choice, it is considerably passion related much like writing or sports.

“If someone was really passionate about getting their music out there, and enjoyed performing then they would take up any opportunity given to them, especially if it means expanding their audiences, drawing in a larger fan base, because we have all seen the movies, anything can happen.”

Watt’s piece was prompted by a situation involving a “relatively unknown” band from Sydney — reggae collective Black Bird Hum (pictured) — who publicly turned down an offer to perform at Fairfax‘s own popular Night Noodle Market event because the media giant expected them to play for free.

“Dear ASX200-listed-company Fairfax Media… We’re flattered to be on the radar of a company with an annual ‘Total Group Revenue of $1,867.2 million‘ (FY2016),” the band wrote on Facebook. “We have, however, decided to decline the invitation to perform at the event on account of you deciding not to pay us.”

They continued:

“We’re guessing that the sound tech who ran the PA on the night was paid; as were the graphic designers and marketing companies that did the event website, promo and marketing material; and the companies that supplied the lighting, tables, chairs and umbrellas; and the cleaners. And so on.

We’re guessing no one else was offered the chance to work on the event in exchange for ‘exposure’.

We’re guessing you made a decision to pay everyone who worked on your event in ‘real money’ except the musicians.

In October alone, we will have performed 15 gigs across three states as Black Bird Hum. We will have been paid for all of these gigs, often by companies with annual total group revenues probably less than 0.1% of your company’s. These organisations know the value that music brings to their event or venue and pay accordingly.

So to you, and any other corporation perpetuating the line that it’s OK to have musicians work for free – don’t call us – we don’t want to work with you.”

But Watt reckons that asking musos to play for free exposure is no different to the situation faced by wannabes in other industries, who often train for free until they become fully qualified.

“The band seems ungrateful to a potentially amazing opportunity that has been given to them,” she says, referring to Black Bird Hum’s Night Noodle Market diss. “Dismissing events like this makes me wonder where this band will be in several years time, if they consistently have in their heads they are too good to be even approached for an unpaid gig, what has made them so entitled.

“Hundreds of people would be honoured to play at such an event that draws in thousands of people, but hey, obviously royalties are more important to some people.”

It seems even Fairfax‘s own readers strongly disagree with Watt’s comments. More than 90 per cent of them have voted against the idea that musicians shouldn’t complain about being asked to play for free in The Advocate‘s own online poll, which at the time of writing looks like this:

Piracy Updates In Australia… A television fan responds.

As a fan and consumer of a range of television shows and music there are two topics I have become passionate about. The first one is piracy and the second one is copyright. I am also interested in how piracy and copyright impact on the creator’s work we love.

So it with interest I read over the holidays that the Australian Federal Court introduced a range of laws that will require Internet Service Providers to block Australians from accessing a range of content on pirated sites.

For those people who are fans and consumers of popular television shows and movies in other countries, it may difficult to understand why people living in Australia are resorting to piracy and are one of the world’s biggest consumers of piracy. 

Australia is way behind on new television content on free-to-air television from North America. I don’t have pay TV or access television streaming services in Australia because I refuse to pay for TV. As a consequence I really don’t know anything about them, in particular their content screening process so I will limit my discussion to free-to-air television.

Australian free-to-air television providers hook consumers in with new content shortly after being show in the United States and then withhold content for rating seasons in the following year or for some reason unknown to me. Of course consumers who are real fans of this content are long gone as they have accessed it through other means including piracy.

In the past it would be unlikely that overseas television content would make the ratings because most of the majority of their consumers would have accessed it elsewhere. When I have checked the ratings only locally made Australian content not shown anywhere else make it and consists of major sporting events and reality television shows.

I have given up watching free-to-air television in Australia because I have become increasingly frustrated at the way new content is delivered that is slow and irregular. I buy my content either on DVD or digitally and way after the original screening. I occasionally watch free-to-air television on demand available from all television providers.

The final straw that broke this camel’s back so to speak was when fans of the Australian national rugby union team the Wallabies were denied access to watching their team on free-to-air TV with rights being given to a pay TV provider at the last minute for their 2016 Spring tour. The final three games of the tour were eventually shown on free-to-air but for me it was too late. I went online to YouTube and found well created extensive highlights of all the games as well as YouTube ad sanctioned full games which I could watch when I wanted. I certainly understand why consumers access piracy and illegal television content via other means. But not all illegal content is available in this method. Australian rugby fans have been forced to access games of their Super Rugby competition through a pay TV provider although recently several games were made available on a free-to-air channel in order to increase rugby’s exposure.

In a research market research report prepared for the Department of Communications and the Arts titled ‘Consumer survey on Online Copyright Infringement 2016’ states the objectives the the research were “to understand the prevalence of online copyright infringement in Australia across four core content types (music, video games, movies and TV programmes); to understand what attitudes drive online copyright infringement behaviours; to determine the role pricing plays in lawful and unlawful access of online content; and to understand how each measure has changed since 2015…

What type of pirated content do consumers access… “Movies consumed digitally remained the most likely content type to have been consumed unlawfully: 37% of consumed digital movies were consumed unlawfully (consistent with 36% in 2015) compared with a quarter of music tracks (23%) and TV programmes (24%), with a smaller proportion of TV programmes consumed unlawfully than in 2015 (32%). Video games had the smallest proportion consumed unlawfully, following a drop from 29% in 2015 to 14% in 2016”.

The many reasons why consumers access pirated content… “As in 2015, the most commonly cited reasons for infringing were because it is free (52%), convenient (44%) and quick (41%). Infringers were less likely than in 2015 to cite convenience (down from 51% to 44%) and trying before they can buy (down from 35% to 24%) as a motivation.”

I found this paragraph in the report about the reasons for accessing piracy interesting as I am within this age group and use this reason to justify my use of piracy…. “In 2016 there was a large and significant increase in those stating “catching up on missed TV” was their reason for consuming content, increasing from just 3% in 2015 (when it was not a pre-coded response option) up to 39% in 2016. This was a particularly important reason for females (44%), 45-54 year olds (44%) and those aged 55+ (48%). The addition of this new response option (and four others) may have contributed to the drop in mentions of many of the response options carried over from 2015”.

The research report asked what would make users of piracy stop accessing illegal content… “A reduction in the cost of lawful content was, as in 2015, the most commonly cited factor that would encourage people to stop infringing (43% of infringers), closely followed by lawful content being available as soon as it is released elsewhere (35%) and lawful content being available (31%). The proportion citing lawful content being available fell significantly from 38% in 2015 to 31% in 2016….

Other common motivating factors to stop unlawful consumption related to lawful services being convenient/flexible (30%) or being better (27%). In both cases, the proportion of infringers selecting this factor increased compared with 2015 (from 26% and 22% respectively)”.
The report found that “YouTube and Foxtel/Presto remained the two best known licenced services, with Netflix overtaking iTunes/Apple to become the third best known licenced service”.

In an article published on news.com.au titled “Federal court hands down decision in site blocking case” posted on the16 December, 2016, the Foxtel chief executive Peter Tonagh said the outcome in the Australian Federal Court was a good outcome. “Piracy does great damage to Australia’s content creating industries and we were delighted that the Government and Parliament recognised this by passing these new legislative provisions last year,” he said. “This judgment is a major step in both directly combating piracy and educating the public that accessing content through these sites is not OK, in fact it is theft.

“We are playing our part to reduce the attractiveness of piracy by making content available in a timely manner, at different price points, and on multiple devices and. More broadly, the content creation industries will continue to educate the public on the harm piracy does and how to get access to content in a legitimate manner…”

Pay TV and free-to-air providers in Australia are well aware of their role in reducing piracy by providing content in a timely manner.

For me the laws will not make any difference to me because I very rarely watch something pirated. The television shows and movies I have watched on YouTube are poor recordings on small screens within a large screen, have some kind of light screen block over them and have some of the content missing enough for YouTube to state it is a derivative work and place advertising on it. I watched a pirated copy of Canadian television show that was going to be available through pay TV however, I decided I didn’t like it after watching two episodes. In other words I watched illegal content because it wasn’t available in Australia.

While the introduction of the new laws don’t make any difference to me as I can wait for content to be made legally, I often wonder about those peope who participate in fandoms which require access to the latest content. I also did not read anything about how these laws will impact on consumers including Australians in fandoms and in particular those on social media and those involved in creating fan works. Fandoms attached to television shows attract millions of followers who interact with other fans through social media and at conventions around the world. Australian fans will become increasingly isolated and disgruntled as they are excluded from the television content they love and those who they interact with. But I image Australians will find creative solutions to finding away around this blocks and exclusions as they always do.