| Author | Message | ||
     Lawrence Mikkelsen Member Username: Simplythrilledhoney Post Number: 86 Registered: 03-2006 |
OK, so I'm going to be in Brisbane for a week from the 5th to the 11th of July. My wife will be at a conference during the days, so I'll have plenty of time to wander around. I was wondering whether anyone can suggest any Go-Betweens-ish things I could do, because my last couple of trips to Brisbane have been short, and have mostly involved trips to Skinny's and Rockinghorse Records. Any suggestions appreciated. Lawrence | ||
| Charles Coy Member Username: Coy Post Number: 74 Registered: 10-2006 |
Grant and Robert played quite a few times together and solo during the 90's at a bar/band venue called 'The Zoo' in New Farm, short distance from the Brisbane city. I lived near there for a while, now back home in Melbourne. 'The Go-Betweeens plaque in Brisbane, I recall, Queensland Music Hall of Fame, not sure where though,I can find out? | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1661 Registered: 03-2005 |
I think the plaque is on the Queen Street Mall. Lawrence, be sure to have a stop at Ric's on Brunswick Street in honor of Grant. I'd recommend wandering through Highgate Hill for the same reason. It and neighboring West End--where Robert lived at some point during the 90s--are some of the close-in areas less damaged by redevelopment and gentrification. And there's UQ, which I never got to while I was there last year. Catherine should have lots of excellent suggestions, as she did a very thorough Go Betweens pilgrimage. And obviously, locals like the two Davids (Gagen and Pestorius) and Peterw should be a big help if they see this thread. I found Brisbane to be very walkable when combined with the City Cat. There's a long public walkway on the north side of the river plus a bit on the south side. You owe it to yourself to use this walkway. Your timing is probably absolutely perfect from a weather standpoint. | ||
| Lawrence Mikkelsen Member Username: Simplythrilledhoney Post Number: 87 Registered: 03-2006 |
Thanks Randy and Catherine. I'll have the best part of five days to myself in the city, so I plan on doing a lot of walking, soundtracked to a few of my favourite Australian bands. Catherine? Care to post in this thread? Still happily taking suggestions? Cheers. | ||
| Lawrence Mikkelsen Member Username: Simplythrilledhoney Post Number: 88 Registered: 03-2006 |
Sorry. That should have been "thanks Randy and Charles". D'oh! | ||
| David Gagen Member Username: David_g Post Number: 173 Registered: 02-2007 |
GoBetweens plaque is actually in the Valley mall (along with plaques of 9 other famous Brisbane bands) just outside RG bar just up from Rics. Lawrence have a beer at Ric's mayb catch a live local band at night. Trip out to uni is good. Grant worked at Schonell Theater in mid-late 70's. It's still there although doesn't show films anymore. Lawrence, Catherine will give you some better feedback as often it takes a visitor to really discover the highlights that us locals pass by every day without a second glance. Oh a city cat trip up and down the river while listening to GBs on ipod is pretty damn enjoying! | ||
| Lawrence Mikkelsen Member Username: Simplythrilledhoney Post Number: 89 Registered: 03-2006 |
Still looking for advice here. Anyone know how to get in touch with Catherine? (I'm leaving on Saturday.) | ||
| julia motzko Member Username: Julia Post Number: 42 Registered: 05-2005 |
If you click on Catherine's log-in name, you'll see her email address: catch7@o2.ie | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 456 Registered: 05-2005 |
Hey Lawrence, sorry for not getting back before this. I saw your post, but was heading home that day to my brother's wedding, (several days of preparation, several more of partying and several more clearing it all up again!). It went out of my head to post. As for suggestions, I don't know where to start! I've racked my brains, but the truth is, I'm possibly the worst tourguide in the world! Randy and David mentioned most of the top spots on the list, i.e Ric's etc. Here's my tuppence worth: Go to Ric's for a Long Island Iced Tea. Pull up a seat, and watch the people pass. Chances are the live music will be damn fine, and if it isn't you can guarantee it'll be “interesting”. Expect to be pulled into strange/weird/wonderful conversation with some of the friendly, but boisterous twenty-somethings who seem to be biggest part of their clientele. If you squint a bit, from the corner of your eye, you can almost see Grant sitting at the bar, watching over it all. Take the ferry out to QU, for certain. I didn't get to see the library where the wonderful Karen worked, or to Schonell Theatre, where Grant worked either, but it was enough for me just to be there, and to “ride the river under the bridge”... Go a little late into the afternoon, so that you make the return journey when it's dark. The lights of the city, seen from the river... Go to Spring Hill, wander around the streets. There's clearly been a lot of development since the days when it inspired an album title, but in the narrow side streets, the gorgeous character-full old Queenslander houses are still there, all shutters and verandas. In Spring Hill, on Wickham Terrace near King Edward park, there's even a lighthouse near the park! Okay, maybe it's not an actual lighthouse, but it's uncannily like it! (David, other Brisbanites, set me straight here!) Walk. Walk everywhere. Take the bus as the last resort, but the city itself is pretty compact and easy to get around. Explore. You never know what you'll find around each corner. At times, I felt as if there was an invisible hand on my back, gently guiding me, getting me to turn here or there, to discover some other wonderful aspect of the city. If I'm feeling particularly sentimental, I like to imagine it was Grant, giving me his own guided tour of his town. *Look, the way the evening sun shines through the spans of the bridge, isn't that beautiful?... * Hopefully you'll find your own veisions of Go Betweens songs around each corner, as I found, at times. The day of Grant's anniversary, even though I'd probably walked about 10k that morning, wandering around Spring Hill in the heat, instead of taking a taxi from the city centre over to Ric's bar, something told me to walk instead. The journey took me past the church where Grant's funeral service had been held. As I approached, the doors of the church opened, and a wedding party spilled out into the sunshine, and across the road. So there they were, cousins and child brides, caught for the camera! There are some parts of the city I didn't get to visit, some deliberately. I wanted to have an excuse to go back again. Soon hopefully! I don't know if any of this will be of practical use to you, Lawrence, as it's coming from a very personal perspective. And as I said, I'm a really awful tour guide! Have a gorgeous trip, hope you get what you want from it. Even though “they shut it down, they pulled it down”, 'The Go-Betweens' Brisbane is still there, if you look really hard. Sometimes, you might need to close your eyes to see it most clearly. | ||
| Charles Coy Member Username: Coy Post Number: 77 Registered: 10-2006 |
..you make me want to return to the Mall, and go from there, Rockinghorse, Ric's, Spring Hill, the river..and more.. A tour guide career waits for you Catherine, Brisbane is a place to walk and stretch the eyes. ..'go see the paradise if only for an hour or two..' | ||
| Austin McLean Member Username: Bruegelpie Post Number: 53 Registered: 09-2004 |
While at Ric's having a Long Island, be sure to have the bartender leave out the tequila so you can have it as Grant ordered it. | ||
| Ian Darby Member Username: Jan Post Number: 6 Registered: 10-2006 |
Don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, but the new library in Brisbane has a mural behind the information desk - with the first lines of Cattle and Cane painted on it. A nice touch. I don't know if it is a permanent fixture or whether they will change it. The other information desk (on a different level) has a quote from Plato! I'm sure Plato would be pleased to be in such company. |