The amazing Grace Jones

Wow, what an incredible lady.

What a show! What a performance! What costumes! What a voice!

Yes, I was lucky enough to see Grace Jones perform at the Enmore Theatre on her Hurricane tour.

It started out a little strangely. When she first came onto the stage she appeared to be hiding behind a gigantic shower curtain…

Heeeere's GRACE!

After undulating under the silver for a while she revealed herself in THIS!

Grace Jones convincingly fusing My Little Pony and Africa

She looked amazing and she sounded amazing too. She worked the crowd, she chatted, she cussed, she sang, she danced.

Then she had another costume change…

Grace convincingly fusing the Devil and the Vagina

And didn’t the costume changes keep coming? Each of them spectacular and strange. The costumes were designed by Eiko Ishioka and showed off Grace Jone’s incredible 63 year old body.  SIXTY THREE!!!!!!

Grace Jones in her peek-a-boo flame dress. Yes there is NO BACK, just her beautiful black arse, back and legs

How can she look so great? I’m sure she’s lived quite the life, in fact she was drinking cognac on-stage “for her voice” and was telling tales of her time being busted with cocaine OUTSIDE (??) her bag in India.

Is there a Dorian Gray style portrait of Grace Jones somewhere?

Grace gets back to her Jamaican roots for 'My Jamaican Guy'

But wait! There’s more! More costume changes! More raconteur-ing from backstage, MORE MORE MORE!

Yes Grace your hips DO look big in that

With her shiny sparkly bowler hat she showered us with glitter reflections as well as her enthusiastic attentions.

I have a vague memory of seeing her 20 years ago at a party at the Horden Pavilion where she took hours to come to the stage then disappeared in a huff (if my memory serves me right!). She was down right JOLLY last night!

Grace Jones, you are an ARTIST and you make art art ART

But no! There’s MORE! More costumes, more songs, more spectacular!

Grace back in black

Grace lets it fly and releases her parachute. We all cheer

Grace Jones acknowledges the crowd's worship

Grace Jones NOT showing us her 'pussy'

Grace shaking her money maker and didn't we adore her for it?

So thank Grace Jones. That was one of the greatest live shows I have seen. I loved the music too. She integrated classic Grace Jones tracks with her latest album. She looked very happy to be there, she looked amazing, she sounded fantastic.

I’m a born again Grace Jones fan!

Architectural highlights of Hat Head

For a small coastal village Hat Head has quite a diversity of architecture, from traditional fibro beach houses through to not 1 but 2 Hat Head Hiltons!

This little ripper is a Hilton!

The sign says so

And the other Hat Head Hilton is this architectural delight from yesteryear…

With a caravan and shed out the back there's room for everyone at this inn!

Nicely hand crafted sign, something the bigger hotels should look into

If you are worried about entertainment when you come to Hat Head you need look no further than the Hat Head Bowling Club. Not only does it have Friday night meat raffles it also has a chocka block program of entertainment over the weekend and fine dining in it’s ala carte restaurant…

The red brick of the club is one of its many distinctive features

From bowling green 2 you can see Hat Head itself

The club is not the only building in the town to use red brick to great effect…

This stunning design has a concealed door onto the deck

Using the golden mean this garage has an excellent view

Other materials used well to build the town are fibro and weatherboard…

Well hacked trees nicely frame this classic fibro beach house

Modest fibro home with gigantic shed out back

An easy care block adds to the charm of this weatherboard beauty

Only happy faces with this charmer

From these photos you would think that pale yellow and red brick dominate the town. You would be wrong!

A bold colour scheme used well

Lilac or blue? I can't decide

Bold blue house sets of besa block fence well

It’s not all old style either. It looks like some riche people have come to town building weekend getaways from the bustling metropolises of Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Newcastle.

House bigger than it's block plus pool as the 100m to the beach is too far

Kilometres of fencing conceal... I'm not sure, it's hidden

An inviting facade welcomes visitors to this newish home

These new home owners must be so proud

There is still some rustic charm scattered around if you look carefully…

Everything old is new again

A contemporary beach house yet looking to the past

Up on the south east hill is where the fancy new Bali/beach style homes have been built. But I was seen lurking around with my camera and felt too embarrassed to take close ups…

These houses have few north down the beach to Smokey Cape. Nice

But there is still some more traditional holiday accommodation around…

A row of fine looking caravans await guests eagerly

Day 311: Saturday 6 March

Head cold has hit. I probably caught it from all those filthy nude people at the Spencer Tunik photo shoot on Monday.

Speaking of filthy, I have just read a sort of review in the back of today’s Sydney Morning Herald about the John Waters’ ‘This Filthy World’ show at the Opera House on Tuesday night, which I went to. The journalist Matt Buchanan talks about it second hand as a ‘PS’s man on the spot’ went, not himself Mr Buchanan.

But what really galls is Buchanan calling Divine ghastly in relation to the movie Hairspray. I mean really. As Edna Turnblad in Hairspray it is as sweet a role as Divine ever got to play. Of course he died shortly after the film opened and never got to capitalise on both that role and the male role of Arvin Hodgepile he also played in Hairspray.

So why write about something you know nothing about, didn’t witness and have no interest in? I guess that would wipe out 95% of all journalism in this country. Buchanan plays it strictly for shock and horror, second hand.

Divine as Edna Trunblad in the original Hairspray

Perhaps Divine's best known role as Babs Johnson in Pink Flamingos

So anyway, all this John Waters, Divine, Dreamland films reminiscing has made me nostalgic to see my 2 favourite movies of all time, Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble. So a movie night is being scheduled. Perhaps i should be  a bring  a plate of filthy food night, although I have been warned off that idea.

Here’s me today repulsed and dismayed on reading PS…

Horrifed and repulsed by knee jerk journalism

Top: Chambre vest, cos it’s humid

Bottom: TopSop shorts, coz it’s humid

Accessory: Denim cap cos I have vertical bed hair

Day 308: Wednesday 3 March

Although it’s been an early start the day has begun with quite a bang!

No, not those kids in the street smashing bottles and laughing hysterically (were they on DRUGS?). Something even more exciting than that happened to me this morning.

After months assuming it was stolen, lost, gone, I found as I always suspected, my iPod in the pocket of the jacket I am wearing today!

As I said, a very exciting start to the day.

Last night I went to see John Waters (not the Australian actor, but the American director) give his one man show ‘This Filthy World’. He is quite the raconteur. A very funny man. Funny even though he is STILL using the same material from his book ‘Shock Value’ which came out in 1981!

How do I know? When I was getting ready to go to the Opera House for my first of 3 visits in 3 days on Sunday night I got a bit confused and packed ‘Shock Value’ hoping Mr Waters might sign it. Once  I was on the train I realised it was the wrong event but glanced through the book anyway

Sunday night was nude times. No, that’s wrong. Sunday night was ’13 Most Beautiful’.

But still, a very funny man with a very twisted sensibility. I just wish his last few movies had been a bit better, cos they’ve been rubbish.

Did anyone see ‘Dirty Shame’. So not funny. ‘Cecil B Demented’? Ditto (not Beth). And it’s a shame, because the casts for those films are great.

But I must focus on the positive. After all the man is a genius. Female Trouble (my personal fav I think), Pink Flamingos, Desperate Living, Polyester, Cry Baby, Serial Mom and even Hairspray all have an unlaboured joyfulness at their core.

Here’s THAT scene from Pink Flamingos….

Those later movies are just laboured. I think Waters should try his hand at an Arthouse movie. Something serious, Bergman like, even Fellini-esque, or even more serious just plain boring art films.

Anyways, it’s early, I have to go to work. Here’s a picture of me with my rediscovered iPod…

I feign mock surprise, because I was REALLY suprised

Top: Knockout super tight, but with give, denim jacket

Bottom: Cheap n’ nasty Jay Jays Jeans jeans

Accessory 1: Denim bag with red piping

Accessory 2: Denim gym boots