Songs Are Memories

Songs are memories. When I first came up with "Internal Jukebox" as an impro show, it was the main theme and is something I believe. A good song can provoke a memory, a moment in time that when you hear it, it brings back that feeling - good, bad, both!

I am about to turn 40, yeah I know, eek! So I have become quite reflective. And I've decided to ask my friends for some song memories from our friendship. This blog is all about that, songs that my friends and I share that elicit memories. I hope you enjoy reading the stories, I've enjoyed living through them!

Bree Bain: Rush Rush - Paula Abdul

I cannot hear Paula Abdul's classic "Rush Rush" without thinking of my good friend Bree. Bree and I used to love having a YouTube music clip night where we would watch many classic, and some tragic, clips. We would always watch "Rush Rush", or we often just quote Keanu and Paula's dialogue when we see each other. Usually I'm Paula, she's Keanu. Thinking of it now makes me smile!!

Alexandra Byron: Gold - Spandau Ballet

I think Alex can sum up her memory best!

"There are lots of songs but out of all of them I would probably pick Gold by Spandau Ballet as it reminds me of that great day of auditions we ran for "The Girl from the west of the city", where we kept breaking out into choruses of retro hits all day - there was a girl with a gold bag that prompted us to simultaneously sing "Gold" & I knew we were both tuned into the same zany wavelength - it was also one of the best, most fun days I ever had being involved in theatre, so a truly treasured memory!"

I also remember a lot of Rick Astley from that day, a good day indeed!

Perri Cummings: Maniac - Michael Sembello

Perri messaged me with her memory:

"I would have to choose Maniac as it reminds me of our pre-show ritual started way back with 37 Ways To Say I'm Gay. And now every time I hear Maniac I smile and think of you!"

I love this memory, one of my favourite pre show rituals is to sing a bit of "Maniac" and run on the spot, lift your arms in the air, like the film, "Flashdance". It really gets your heart racing and gets you ready to go on stage. Perri and I have done together over a few shows, and I love that, I love it a lot!

Hannah Gott: I Kissed a Girl – Katy Perry

I kind of knew my very good friend Hannah would pick this song, and this is awkward that this is going out into the internet. Her old theatre company “Studio Eleven” had a Christmas party and there was a bar tab. I love bar tabs. Apparently I drank half of it, as I said, awkward. Then when most had gone they decided to do some karaoke – I am the best at drunk karaoke (well so my ego says). I had some back up singers as I performed “I Kissed a Girl”, and when it came to singing the title line, I did just that – I kissed, nay, pashed, the nearest girl. And remember, I am a very gay man! There was also an impassioned rendition of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” that I hear is circulating on video somewhere – awkward!

Emma Harris & Lynden Jones: Who Knew - Pink

Both Emma and Lynden gave me this Pink classic as their song. It seems fitting. The three of us all worked together on a super fun play of mine, "We'll Always Have Wagga". We used this song as the audience walked in at the beginning of the show. We used to hang backstage together and sing along, good memories with good friends! Emma also picked, "I'm a Mermaid" from the kid's preschool show we used to perform in, "Captain Gillies Adventures". It made me chortle reading it - fun memories indeed!

Kate Kelly: Say You Love Me - Jessie Ware

Another theatre memory. When I asked my lighting designer and good friend for her song, she picked this beautiful Jessie Ware track. Just a day before she had been sitting with someone and this song came on and she laughed, thinking of this memory. It seemed fitting to share. In my January show, "Silvertop Ash", we used this song for the audience to walk out at the end of the first half. When they were gone, myself and three of the cast would do interpretive / contemporary dance routines to the song. The best may have involved me standing on a chair and the cast dancing around me. Actors! 

Suz Mawer: Stars are Blind – Paris Hilton

Really you may say? This song reminds someone of me? Well yes. Many years ago I wrote a short play for Short & Sweet in Sydney, the world’s biggest short play festival. It was called “Paris in Hell” and posed the burning question of the time, what would happen if Paris Hilton died and went to hell? The answer was naturally that she drove Satan so insane that he quit and she took over as the ruler of the Underworld. I played Lucifer and Wentworth star Nicole da Silva was magnificent as Paris Hilton. Suz was our director, and as Suz said, “I didn’t even know Paris Hilton had a song until that play”. Confession, I grew to love that song – maybe she really is the ruler of Hell!

Jacinta Moses: Take On Me - AHa

Jacinta wrote me a lovely message about music and memories, I picked "Take on Me", cause I remember it from that night. Here is her piece:

"When I think of you and Music, I don't necessarily think of one particular song. I think of playing games - Name that tune ( 80s Edition) one Christmas Eve Eve! Your knowledge of music is amazing! What fun! Your love for all things creative is inspirational and your talent abounding. If I had to link you to music, Madonna would come to mind. Her music celebrates life, makes people think and she is forever challenging herself. You celebrate life and bring joy to others, you get people thinking with your writing and performances, and you are forever challenging yourself in creative pursuits. You are such a great friend. In the lead up to your birthday know that you are treasured for many, many reasons."

Vera Munro: Ordinary Angels - Frente!

My beautiful high school best friend Vera wrote some lovely song memories. We have been to some great gigs together and we used to do great acts for school talent quests - I was kind of doing drag before it was cool. And let's face it, Vera and I were always great on stage:

"There are so many for us! Frente of course - Ordinary Angels, is probably at the top of the list. But it doesnt matter what Frente/Angie Hart song it is, they always make me think of you. We love you Angie! Whenever I hear anything we performed to, or orchestrated, I think of you. Bananarama is probably at the top of that list - I Heard a Rumour. But the others also trigger memories: Robert Palmer; simply irresistible; Cher - Turn back time; dying swan theme; Kris Kross - jump. Of course these are not all great songs (i.e., kris Kross). The Clouds - anything from the penny century EP because it was one of the first "alternative" things that took me down the alternative path, unlike what the rest of Doony high were into. But anything that we had in common at that time also: Bros, Mel & Kim, etc. Let’s face it, we were a big part of each others lives growing up. Soooooooooooooooo many memories! Too many to mention here"

Charlene Ramage: Like a Virgin – Madonna

Now Charlene is my best friend, so you know there are a lot of songs and memories. She sent me a few, Easy Silence from Dixie Chicks, Not Pretty Enough from Kasey Chambers and a few Madonna songs. Now the Madonna ones actually came because of her children. With her eldest, Bronte, I would sing Madonna to her while she was still in the womb, and then when she was a baby I would dance with her, singing Madonna. But the one I chose from the list she sent me was “Like a Virgin”. Besides an awesome song it reminds me of when I was teaching Charlene to drive. When she was getting more confident and needed her hours up, we would grab the kids and go driving. Now her second, Zak, was just a baby; and when he would cry I would sing him “Like a Virgin” as a lullaby. I would hum when it got to the word virgin, and guaranteed, every time I sang it, he would settle down and fall asleep. The power of Madonna is endless!

Tammy Tantschev: A Whole New World – Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle

Apparently most of these stories are about shows or drunken karaoke! My friend Tammy loves karaoke, she has an amazing voice and is a comedian, so the combo works well for the art form. On her sister’s birthday this year she was visiting Melbourne and we had dinner in St Kilda on St Patrick’s Day, a Tuesday. Trust Tammy to find a karaoke night. An Irish backpacker’s was hosting an evening and we went, we were the eldest by a long way. Tammy did a song first, brought the house down. Then we got up together to do the Disney classic and shocked the crowd. As Tammy said, “our duet tore the house down and gave them drunk youngsters a lesson in being a rockstar.” By the end they were chanting my name. It became my favourite karaoke memory!

Claire Vanderstoel: Kiss – Prince / Tom Jones & the Art of Noise

My beautiful friend Claire had two weddings, one in her home country of England – the big proper ceremony. She also held a party in Australia, her adopted country. This party / wedding was at St Kilda, by the water, and it was beautiful. It was great to see the union between two wonderful souls, Claire and Chris, and to have a great party. I do love a good wedding … and an open bar! Claire and Chris had hired a band and as they started performing, “Kiss”, Claire and I hit the dance floor and in that 3 and a bit minutes we left nothing in the tank. We burned the floor, smiling, laughing and having a great time. A good night and a great memory!

Cas Yates: Gangnam Style - Psy

It's funny that often a song you associate with someone isn't one they would associate with you. My friend Cas picked a song I don't actually like, but that's okay cause I like her reasoning:

"A song that reminds me of you. Gangnam style. Why cos with a wine in hand it's silly and fun and puts you in the moment and makes you want to jump around. The ca pla pour moi of its time. X"