Music

Heckler

Music not to ears of everyone

BACKGROUND music in cafes, restaurants and clothing stores has been around ever since Major-General George O. Squier patented the idea back in the 1920s.

Jessica Irvine

Wage inequality music to rock stars' ears

Jessica Irvine Even those of us whose childhood bedrooms still bear the Blu-Tack scars of Boyz II Men, New Kids on the Block and Bros posters have experienced some degree of bemusement at the outbreak of teenage...

Geoff Strong

I'm in training for music's marathon

Geoff Strong Staging Richard Wagner's four-opera Ring Cycle in the era of the 10-second attention span seems a bit like resurrecting the musical Hair in the age of the Brazilian wax.

John Harris

Sound of rock'n'roll ageing is music to the ears

John Harris On June 18, Paul McCartney will turn 70. ''There's a little cell in my brain that's never going to believe that,'' he says in Rolling Stone magazine, though there are signs of the burdens of old age...

Danny Katz

Ah, the sounds of silence: sweet music to my battered eardrums

Danny Katz 2010 was The Summer of Reno's. Everyone on my street was getting a reno, so not only was it a daily noise-scape of THWUCKKKING and GRINNNNNDING, but every time I opened my window and breathed in, I...

Heckler

Students need music appreciation

I TOTALLY support Sydney Symphony in its Meet The Music series which, among other things, allows students to attend high-quality classical concerts at an affordable price.

Ross Gittins

No pause to think in a world that's in touch while on the go

Ross Gittins I confess to a having an old fogey's ambivalence towards mobile phones. There are times when it suits me to keep in touch, but most of the time I don't want a phone taking over my life - or even...

Comments 62

Anita Sethi

Seeking a home away from home - and away from racism

Anita Sethi For a brown-skinned Brit, Melbourne is a very welcoming city - most of the time.

Jacqueline Maley

PMS may be gone but women are in no mood to lose anger

Jacqueline Maley News of the death of pre-menstrual syndrome came as a terrible shock.

Comments 235

Peter Martin

Be alert and informed and you may pay less

Peter Martin Have you heard about the trick they use in fruit shops? If they want to make money from a large load of lettuce they divide it into two.

Comments 290

Jeff Apter

Time the touring industry let female performers hit the headlines

Jeff Apter Julia Gillard's appearance at the Woodford Folk Festival last month was, sadly, about as close as a woman is likely to come to ''headlining'' any of Australia's popular outdoor music festivals.

Comments 24

John Birmingham

Just shooting out for some groceries

John Birmingham It was surely a misunderstanding, that bloke being shot in the leg by the driver of a shiny black Beemer in Melbourne this week.

Jen Vuk

Kylie's brief abdication a lesson in when to hang up hot pants

Jen Vuk It began with a universal gasp and ended with an emphatic tweet from our queen of pop.

Comments 64

Brigid Delaney

High stakes for social Samaritans

Brigid Delaney The social Samaritans who police our public spaces for infractions, disturbances and annoyances are playing a high-risk game when ''respect'' is something worth killing for.

David Campbell

Don't succumb to despair, there is hope for the future

David Campbell Despair haunts our troubled times, a cynicism born of the suffering of others.

Jane Caro

A folly good time, had by all

Jane Caro These are the 12 worst things about Christmas, in no particular order.

Peter Martin

Paying a price for impulse

Peter Martin So you're about to go shopping. I imagine you trust yourself. You shouldn't. New research shows you are far more vulnerable to whims than previously thought - even when buying really big things - and...

Heckler

How holiday hoons make life a misery

''F--- the wildlife'' was the young man's response when I pointed out no motorbikes were allowed because it was a wildlife conservation area.

Jane Caro

Let auld acquaintance be forgot

Jane Caro Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I am a party animal. I will go to the opening of an envelope - which is just as well because those are the only openings I ever get invited to.