News

10 Oct 2006

I started a blog today, as an expression of my individuality (same reason as everyone else), writing under a name I was recently given: Noivedya. I'm planning to update it twice a week (my blog, I mean - not my name)... but based on my punctuality on this site... who knows?

Anyway, for my thoughts on life and everything else, this is no longer the site to watch (though it's still the site for news about my work). The blog is available here.

30 Apr 2006

It's been a busy month. (My usual excuse for not updating the site.) Among other things, I made one of my regular forays to New York, where I recorded some short segments for Inspiration News. This is a weekly video magazine cum podcast, which has been produced since the beginning of the year, with various hosts and contributors from around the globe. (I was on the 'zine in its second episode, talking oh-so-intelligently about 1975: Australia's Greatest Year.) While most of my contributions have not appeared yet, I can be seen on episode XV (that's 15, for all you non-Roman types), experiencing the joys of ice cream with a fellow Aussie, Kel McMeiken. Kel and I were part of group of seven brave individuals who last year set ourselves a goal: sampling 74 flavours of ice cream (between us) in 74 hours. Obviously, this required a lot of commitment and inner strength, but we did it, visiting the best ice cream parlours in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth.

This time, Kel and I were set loose in Greenwich Village. The first place we visited - and I was very excited about this - was the Australian Homemade Ice Cream Shop. Kel had this idea that, as we were Australians, they'd welcome us with open arms. This didn't quite happen. The unsmiling young lady behind the counter (who had almost certainly never visited Australia, and probably thinks that the Big Pineapple is in Texas) refused to let us film in the shop, and seemed remarkably suspicious. (A pity. She was kind enough to give me a taste of their vanilla ice cream. Heavenly! Only in Australia could they provide such great recipes, right?)

Fortunately, there was no shortage of other ice cream shops, which were far more welcoming. Those are the ones that made the report.

14 Mar 2006

Bad news today. Having spent the past month researching a follow-up book to 1975: Australia's Greatest Year -- and no, to anyone else who wants to ask (as a joke, or in total seriousness), the book will not be 1976: Australia's Other Greatest Year -- I discover that the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, has decided to stop publishing Australian books (with the exception of business titles). I have found Wiley to be a great publisher, and it's a shame that can no longer write for them. It also means that I will have to find a new publisher if I want to write more books (and I do, I do). As I was expecting that another book would be my main source of income for the next few months, I now find that my work plans have gone astray. No notice. No redundancy pay. Not even any pay. That's the writing business.

28 Nov 2005

With Christmas on its way, 1975: Australia's Greatest Year is selling well. Reviews have been good, but unfortunately, I can't find any links (so you'll have to take my word for it).

But perhaps it's time to admit one of the great faults with the book: the author's photo! I wanted a new photo in a hurry, so I went to a photo lab and asked for a ID-style photo. Now before you say, "Well it serves you right! Nobody looks good in their ID photos!", permit me to say that my driver's licence photo looks pretty good. Seriously! No, I didn't plan for that . But my driver's licence photos have always looked good. Better than any studio photo I've ever had. Which is a shame, because the only people who ever see these photos are people behind counters who need my ID for some reason, and (very) occasionally, police who stop me for random breath testing. They can all see what I look like anyway, and nobody has ever commented on how good my photo looks!

But the photo on my book cover... Before it was taken, I made a point of looking as dapper as I could, really I did! I was really fussy, making the poor girl at the photo lab take photo after photo until I found a few that looked OK. And yet... the photo of me that is being seen by the most people is the one that looks the most awful. I know I shouldn't be so conceited (and Stephen King sells plenty of books, despite looking like Stephen King), but a friend of mine from Adelaide pointed out last weekend that it looked really weird. He offered to hang around bookshops, just to inform buyers that I really look better than that. He's too kind. (I mean it. That would be too kind.)

17 Nov 2005

I've been making a few media appearances for 1975: Australia's Greatest Year, including Seven Sunrise, 2GB, 2UE and numerous ABC radio stations around the country. On Friday night, I had an "author's event" at the Paperchain Bookstore in Canberra. This was nerve-racking, as I invited almost everyone I know in my home city. Fortunately, David Kilby, from local ABC Radio 666 (Note to non-Canberrans: Yes, that's really what it's called!), kindly agreed to introduce me -- and did so with some very friendly praise that proved, among other things, that he had taken the time to read the book... and indeed, he made it sound pretty good. Just to make it easier, not everyone came to the "event" (which consisted of David's intro, my talk, a book signing and, most importantly, free wine and cheese), so I wasn't so nervous. In front of a group of people I've never met, I can talk much more casually.

If you read this page hoping to become a freelance writer or journalist, you might want to read my story in The Australian today (the Media section), warning of one of the traps of the business. I've already been accused of writing it to get back at The Canberra Times, which isn't true. I don't sit at my laptop plotting revenge against the Times. Indeed, I'm very grateful for a lot of ways they've helped me over the years. But I still report the facts, ma'am...

10 Nov 2005

1975: Australia's Greatest Year has had a few media reviews already. One of the first was an intriguing short piece in the Geelong Advertiser -- not so much about the book, but (like many reviews) the author's take on the subject. It begins: "When on when will all these dope-smoking, artsy-fartsy, long-haired, left-wing hippies accept the Whitlam government for the dead-set disaster it was?"

Whenever I read something like this, I assume it's parody (you know, the sort by radical leftist undergraduates making fun of right-wingers?)... and I usually realise it's nothing of the sort. So with a few words, the right-winger who wrote that review sought to reinforce one stereotype, only to reinforce another. Most lefties and Whitlamites I know are short-haired, don't smoke dope and (not coincidentally) are not hippies -- and anyone who believes they are... surely must be joking. No matter, the author of the review didn't actually criticise the book (which is not written by a long-haired, dope smoking hippie), so I can't complain.

I've also been doing a few radio interviews. On Tuesday I was flown to Sydney for a couple of major ones. James Vallentine, of ABC Sydney, decided to ruin any romanticism about 1975 by playing the rather silly song Kung-Fu Fighting. "That was a number one song that year," he announced on air, as if he was making an excuse. I pointed out that it wasn't the only number one song, and at least he hadn't played January. He was appalled; how could I dislike a great song like January? Actually, I don't! In fact, I used to play it so much that I'd be happy never to hear it again.

It just so happened he had a CD at his fingertips with that very song! As if to torture me, he played a few seconds of it -- enough to throw his vigorous defence out the window.

When I saw my schedule of radio interviews for this week, I inwardly prepared myself to hear presenters play Livin' in the Seventies wherever I went. But though I've heard plenty of Skyhooks this week, I'm certain I've heard Kung-Fu Fighting played more often in the past two weeks than in the rest of my life put together (or at least since 1975). Yesterday I did two interviews, both with presenters who had done their homework and actually read the whole book. This was very nice, while at the same time, very challenging, as it was fresher in their memories than in mine. True, I remember the most important details, but the price of a house in Balmain back in 1975? That was something I had to look up.

Fortunately, both presenters said that they enjoyed the book. "I would have paid for it!" one of them assured me. Well, why didn't he say so before we sent it to him...?

In the meantime, I'm working on articles as usual. Whereas 1975 is a book that was originally a magazine story, I've started on a movie-related story, for a British magazine, that I had originally envisioned as a book. Under commission, I'm turning it into an article instead -- not really because it doesn't have enough material for a book (though that's possibly true), but because I don't think I'd have the patience to write a whole book on this subject.

Fortunately, the year 1975 has no such problem.

2 Nov 2005

Only a week until 1975: Australia's Greatest Year appears in bookstores. I did my first interview today, with Radio 2GB. This was in their Canberra studio in the press gallery of Parliament House. Going to the gallery used to be an easy thing to do: park your car at the Senate entrance, go through security in that section (which is usually a quick task), and phone for the person you need to see. Now, with the current security arrangements, it's a different procedure: try to park your car at the Senate entrance, realise that the outside carpark no longer exists, get refused entry at the Senate carpark for MPs and "approved" vehicles (which has plenty of space), drive to the downstairs carpark at the front, drive around for 10 minutes in a useless attempt to find a park, finally park in the "Commonwealth Vehicles Only" zone because you're running late and you're willing to risk a ticket (don't tell anyone in security that I mentioned that), queue for five minutes at the entranceway while a busload of tourists with rudimentary English-language skills pass through security, then (once you're finally inside) try to find someone who can help. All very simple, really. Somehow, I managed to leave my mobile phone at home (something I very rarely do), so nobody -- 2GB, my publicist -- was able to reach me with their increasingly more worried messages of "What's happening, Mark?" or words to that effect.

Though I was a little unprepared (and very late), the interview went by smoothly enough (or so I've been told; the publicist might just have been trying to encourage me). Some talkback from listeners, including a man who was married on November 11 that year (which is weird; married on a week day?), just as Gough Whitlam was being dismissed, and someone who went to see Picnic at Hanging Rock with his then-girlfriend, who had gone to school with Anne Lambert (who played Miranda in the said film). After the film, he proposed to her... and their first child was named Miranda.

Picnic at Hanging Rock never struck me as a date film -- especially if you're going because it features a babe with whom your girlfriend went to school. But it's nice to know that even that film could have at least one happy ending...

The Bulletin magazine also came out today: a special 1975 anniversary issue. As well as an excerpt from my book, it has stories about the year from Laurie Oakes, Max Walsh, Jane Clifton (talking about rock music) and others who were actually in the thick of it, rather than people who were four years old at the time and are now examining history. Funnily enough, this was the kind of thing I suggested soon after I pitched The Bulletin with an article about the year. They didn't do it at the time (which is great, because my article had to stand on its own -- which led to the book), but as I knew at the time, it was a great idea for a cover story.

13 Oct 2005

Ten author's copies of 1975: Australia's Greatest Year arrived at my door on the weekend. As my first time working with a mainstream book publisher (having written countless articles, e-books and a few self-published tomes), it was pretty cool to see it. I immediately showed it off to my friend Rathin, who was standing there minding his own business. He started reading it straight away. While he was keen to get to the chapter on rock music, he wanted to do it properly: reading it from beginning to end. I mentioned that it wasn't really necessary - it's a book in which the chapters can be read in any order, and he already knows how it ends - he insisted on doing it right. He even read the entire chapter about the women's rights movement!

So Rathin is the first person to read the book in book form (as opposed to pre-published drafts, which were perused by myself and a few people at John Wiley & Sons. Obviously, as he knows me, he's the wrong person to ask for an assessment - which is just as well, because I'm too scared to do so.

6 Oct 2005

Still bidding on eBay for material – costumes, props, etc – for the upcoming blockbuster movie... just because we’re on a budget. This is crazy, of course; it doesn’t make any logical sense to look for bargains on eBay. Auctions, by their very nature, are designed to sell goods for the highest possible cost. When you’re bidding against potentially millions of people, there’s a fine line (a few hours, or a few minutes) between a bargain and a rip-off. (And just like a more traditional auction, the adrenaline overtakes people, making them bid far more than they would normally spend. Trust me, I’ve been there now.) Yet somehow, I’ve found a few bargains – and no doubt, some slightly disappointed sellers, wondering why they couldn’t attract more serious buyers.

The most recent item I’ve been searching for is rather essential: a camera. I have access to one, but as it’s not strictly mine, I’d rather buy another. Last night, I was bidding feverishly for a Sony model, selling from Europe for an excellent price. Just before bidding finished, around 1 am, the price suddenly went considerably higher than I was willing to pay. Pity… but at least I still have my money, so I can spend it on more important things like funky, 1970s-style outfits (for the film, I mean).

29 Sept 2005

With a bit of quiet time between writing a book and promoting it (when I’m not writing articles and the like), I’m ticking some of the entries in my long-term “Things to do” file. Among them: making a short film, based on one of my scripts. I’ve wanted to do this for a while, and a filmmaker friend of mine, Joe Kenny, has been keen to work on it. He lives in Brisbane, so we can’t exactly meet every three days to talk it over, but we’re working out a time when we can each do some filming in our respective cities. That will probably be early 2006.

In the meantime, I decided to do easily the most important task: tracking down props and costumes. Much of it revolves around the 1970s, so I decided to dust off my rarely-used eBay membership to see what seventies stuff was available. First, I looked up old Time and Newsweek magazines (crucial to the film – trust me on this), and quickly bid for anything from that vintage. As I discovered (like another zillion people over the years), this bidding fever can be rather addictive. I now await five piles of magazines from the 1970s, from four different sellers. In all, I expect I’ll soon have a chance to wade through about 110 out-of-date news magazines. They were all bargains! (Oh, except that they’re being posted from the US, which cost roughly five times as much as the magazines themselves.)

As I have a few other things to buy – 70s-style clothes, an afro wig – I’ve spent too much time on eBay over the past week, wondering how on earth I was ever able to bid for anything without getting drawn into this spiral of temptation. I’m on track to increase my collection of Doctor Who audio plays (which currently numbers at… none). It’s only my incredible will power that prevented me from bidding for a 1935 movie magazine – and despite the postage costs, I almost regret that I didn’t buy it. (You think that sounds dumb? Well let me tell you: it had Marion Davies on the cover! Now you understand the torture I'm going through, right?)

Lesson (as far as I can tell): eBay is a dangerous trap for any filmmaker! Hitchcock had it easy…

22 Sept 05

Welcome to my new site! Well OK, it’s my old site with a little new material – but as it’s been so long, it feels new.

Rest assured, I’ve been keeping busy since I last wrote some news. After writing a story for The Bulletin, I was contacted by John Wiley & Sons, who asked me to turn it into a book – and I jumped at the chance. Here was an article that could fill a book. The result, 1975: Australia’s Greatest Year, will be in bookstores on 1 November.

It’s the first lesson for anyone who wants to be a freelance writer: “Don’t do it, you fool!” Well OK, sure, but apart from that, the first lesson is: “You never know where opportunities lie.” For years, I’ve been writing thousands of words’ worth of book proposals, sending them out everywhere. A few agents and editors have bitten. Many of them have said, “You write well, but this is not for us.” But now, after all that wasted work, someone sees one of my stories in the doctor’s waiting room, and suddenly I’m asked to write a book. Just like that, I’m surviving on a book advance, and employed for a few months – and I didn’t even have to write a proposal. Just that one article for The Bulletin (which I’d already written – and for which I’d already been paid).

In fact, when I think of all the breaks I've had as a writer, they have mainly been phone calls from editors who knew my work. When I try the usually tactics that showed me for the dedicated and devoted wordsmith that I am - hawking manuscripts around dozens of agents and publishers, attending screenwriters' conferences at Byron Bay and trying to convince producers to hire me - it doesn't usually work. But when I get a good gig - my first regular movie reviewing gig, for example (which led to so much else) - it's been luck as much as anything (though I like to think that my previous work and reputation had something to do with it).

As the cliche goes: You get out of (the writing) life what you put in... even if it all seems unconnected.

17 September 04

I don’t know whether anyone reads this news page – especially as it hasn’t been updated since around 1946. Upon returning from my last overseas journey, I upgraded to a new computer. Great, except that - due to various complications that would only interest a very bored technician – I haven’t been able to update the site. Computers and I are not especially compatible, so there has been something of a delay. The fact that you are reading this now, however, shows that I have finally managed to do something about it!

Just before coming home, I discovered that my regular column for The Canberra Times was removed – by an editor-in-chief who, I’m told, wanted to cut costs by using more wire copy. Fair enough, considering the tens of thousands of dollars that I was getting for each column. Yeah, right. This actually gives me an extra few hours each week to write other things – and preferably, be paid reasonable wages. I’ll miss doing the column, but I see the positive side.

In the meantime, a few other people have already told me that they miss the column (after only two weeks). One person told me today that it’s the first page she reads every Saturday. Or was. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who will miss it.

23 September 03

On the weekend, I discovered that my (unproduced) screenplay, Twists of Fate, has won the Pierre Daninos Prize, a new award for comedy and satire scripts. Good news, of course. Apart from the prize being paid in euros, it means I can now call myself a "prize-winning screenwriter". Now that sounds pretty impressive...

02 August 03

Hello, if you read this. Just to say that, yes, I'm still here, doing plenty of writing (but, umm, not updating my website all that frequently). Look, I'd love to stay and talk, but I'm about to head overseas again. Back on September 4. See you then!

23 April 03

One would think that America would be the wrong place to visit if one were to take a break from the madness of the world. Strangely enough, I've just spent two weeks in New York -- visiting a friend for an anniversary -- and it was a perfect holiday. Quite simply (and perhaps unprofessionally), I didn't watch TV, didn't buy any newspapers, and paid no attention to the media or the general delusion on the streets. I was too busy doing other things -- and I had a great time. (Sure, I heard some of the news. The UK Who Wants to be a Millionaire? scam, the cricket results... the important stuff. I also couldn't avoid hearing the reports that the war was over. But any news about the war, like news about Nicole Kidman, should be taken with a grain of salt.)

On the way back home, I sat on the plane next to an old lady, who used to be a dancer in MGM musicals. (My kind of neighbouring passenger!) The conversation was going well until she mentioned the war, which I was hoping she wouldn't do. She said that it was "necessary" because of September 11. When I asked her what Iraq had to do with that, she seemed at a loss for words. Then she said that hardly anyone had died in the war, while 3000 had died on September 11.

From what I've heard, 3000 Iraqi civilians were killed in a single day of the war. What's the truth? I suddenly realised what I'd missed. For two weeks, I was winding down, but I wasn't escaping from reality. The news might be important, but it sure isn't reality...

26 March 03

The writing life is so funny. No, I mean it. Hysterical! Every week, the hilarity leaves me on the verge of collapse.

OK, not really. But it's certainly not predictable. Swings and roundabouts - that sort of thing. This week, a glossy magazine folded, only weeks after I'd been discussing my next few stories with the editor. It's not the first time I've started a "beautiful friendship" with a magazine, only to see the damn thing cancelled. If I continue writing for magazines, it presumably won't be the last. This time, there's even some doubt as to when I'll be paid for the work I've already done. (I intend to be paid, of course - and hopefully, seeking the money won't take longer than it took to write the last feature.)

A shame? Yes. (Even when I wasn't writing for it, it was a good magazine. I merely improved it. Boom boom.) But on the same day, I was asked to write a regular newspaper column. Payment? Well, nothing compared to writing for that magazine (although it's weekly, rather than monthly), but it's something - and what's more, something I'll enjoy. As I said, swings and roundabouts. Take the rough with the smooth. Don't count your chickens by their cover. Slow and steady saves nine.

You know, I was on the verge of talking complete sense...

19 March 03

OK, it's been five months since I lasted posted any "news". Pretty lame, I realise. Does that mean nothing's been happening? Not even remotely. I haven't updated my clips on this site recently, either. Does that mean I haven't written anything? Once again, no. As I've said before: when I'm busy, it's hard to find time to do anything on the site. And the last few months have been busy.

Apart from two months in Queensland, I've been working on a documentary film. (I haven't done nearly enough in that medium. This is a earning experience.) I've also been working a little on various articles, scripts, book proposals (a major agency has shown interest in one book - but that's happened before, so I'm not breaking out the champagne just yet) and started marketing my e-book on film reviewing. Oh, and my father died in January. That didn't completely overturn my world (it was sort of expected), but it changed it.

II should make an effort, of course. From now on, I'll try to write something profound in this space every week. Or if not, I'll write something like this.

24 October 02

I had an Opinion piece published this week. Not for the first time, nor the first newspaper. It's one of the great things about being a writer: you get to thrust your opinions on innocent readers, even (if you so choose) on subjects about which you know nothing. (I try to avoid doing that.) It's like being a barber or a taxi driver, times 100,000. And then, if you're lucky, you get your own regular column.

I don't have one of those. I read what other regular columnists have to say - and frequently, I don't understand why they get to have their own column. Despite all my opinions, I don't expect I'll be offered a column for a while, if ever. I don't work on staff anywhere, so I'd probably cost too much. Besides, I don't fit snugly into the "left" or the "right". Nobody would know whether or not to agree with me! I'm totally disgusted by the Government's immigration program, but I still believe in God. I can't stand the current spate of warmongers, but I also think that some feminists have gone too far. I'm a vegetarian environmentalist who thinks that marijuana should remain illegal. I suppose I'm more Left-leaning, but I think the whole thing's a joke. It seems that, like everything else, political ideologies are being simplified for the average guy. And politics, like everything else, just isn't that simple.

28 September 02

Since the 11-9 tragedy (sorry, I'm Australian, and it makes more sense to call it 11-9-01 (as in day-month-year; 9-11-01 is totally out of sequence) - sorry, where was I? Oh yes, since the 11-9 tragedy, much has been said about what writers should write, and how they should avoid offending people. The truth is: it's very difficult not to offend people. I've been offending people for years - and I don't say that as a boast. I know a lot of people consider it very cool to cause offense. I don't. I just think it comes with the job.

People don't want to be confronted, so they get offended by comments. My first (published) complaint letter, for anything I wrote, followed some mild criticism of then 20-year-old superstar Kylie Minogue. (At the time, I was a teenager myself - with attitude. But even then, I didn't really want to cause offence.) As you might guess, Kylie herself didn't complain. She had better things to do. It was just one of her fans, who was probably some years younger than either of us. The way he saw it, I should "look at myself before criticising others." Sage advice, probably from his mother, but I thought (and still think) it was irrelevant.

Taking offence, of course, is often a substitute for actually sitting back and considering an issue. Other times, I'm not sure what it is, but people seem to enjoy it. One of my former editors - a fellow playwright - once took offense because I jokingly said something to him at a playwrights' workshop - and what's more, I didn't apologise. He didn't take it as intended - an innocent display of our cameraderie - though, according to everyone I asked, this was clearly my intention. Nobody took it badly, except him. Now, he is not merely offended, but he won't take any apologies ("too late"), and has decided that nothing can ever heal this rift.

A shame. But I'm afraid I can't go through life apologising to people. (With this fellow, I'd already tried a few times. He simply isn't interested.) We all need to grow up. I don't set out to offend, but if I happen to do so, usually I won't feel the need to apologise. Sometimes people have to stop taking offence. Grow up!

Of course, there will be exceptions...

In the meantime, I hope my editor/playwright friend doesn't take an overdose after reading one of his reviews...

19 September 02

I arrived back home from New York last week, and went straight to work. (No holiday pay on this job.) This weekend, I held a workshop on writing film reviews - part of a course on "critical writing" - which is funny, but it's also fitting. Funny, because I haven't been a reviewer for over a year. Fitting, because my e-book on film reviewing will be published in November (or thereabouts) by the Canadian publisher Fabjob.com. (More on that as it comes.) I believe the arts editor at The Canberra Times suggested I do this workshop. I might have chosen to stop reviewing, but I'm not forgotten...

15 August 02

I've been rather busy lately, just before heading to my regular, twice-yearly rendezvous to New York (for personal and creative, rather than professional reasons). I'll talk later. A pity that, when things are happening, you don't have time to talk about it - but when nothing's happening, you have plenty of time to talk about nothing.

30 July 02

OK, it was suggested that I include a news page in this site. So far, I haven't written anything here, but that's because I've recently been working on various projects and articles. The process isn't that interesting.

See, I'm boring you already. But while I'm here, what do I say? I could take the path of so many newspaper columnists, and either a) talk about the cute and silly things that the younger members of my family have been doing, b) rave about politics, or c) rave about nothing.

Fortunately, I can't do any of that, because:

a) I don't have any kids, or even any nieces and nephews (I'm not after your sympathy! Much as I like children, it's totally my choice not to have any), meaning that the youngest member of my family (with whom I actually keep in touch) is a flirtatious 21-year-old cousin. She'd probably prefer I didn't talk about her exploits;

b) I have very strong political feelings - and yes, I'm appalled by the Government, etc - but I could be REALLY boring if I went into detail; and

c) life is too short.

But just to prove that I actually exist, I should include something here. Yesterday, in fact, was comparatively interesting. I spent most of the day writing a theme song for TV BITES, a new TV comedy show which I'm co-writing with a team of very talented people. As we produce the pilot, we have high hopes for this show. The team was gathered from stand-up comedy, Theatresports, writers like myself... all over Sydney (and in some cases, like my own, other parts of Australia). It's a very humbling experience, workshopping my scripts which a bunch of people who can write humour just as well as I can - and in some cases (dare I admit it) even better. This should be a great show.

As for the song... I'm not sure it's up to the standard of the rest of the show. It sounds OK to me, but then, I'm the only one who's heard it. I used to write songs during the obligatory "aspiring rock-star" phase of my teens. They mostly had two things in common: i) they were written using a bass guitar, the only thing I could play, and ii) they were bloody awful. I've only occasionally dabbled in song-writing since then, and I'm generally happier with the results.

With one exception (that's another story), I've never been game to let anyone else hear them, and possibly tell me "Mark, that's awful!" (or even worse: "You stole that tune from an obscure Duran Duran song!"). This week, I take a big step: I'll actually show one of my songs to someone!

And next week, with any luck, I'll have some REAL news.