Dec 20, 2022Member-onlyA brief story about Australian football (or soccer, if you must) fans in the 1990s before the A-League existed because if you don’t know your history you repeat the same mistakesSydney/Zagreb 1999 It might be a muggy, wet, January Sunday afternoon in Sydney but the 30 or so Perth Glory fans, having traipsed across the continent to watch a game of soccer, are ecstatic. They’re tumbling down the back stairs of Parramatta Stadium in Sydney relieved that their team has…Australia12 min readAustralia12 min read
Apr 21, 2021Member-onlyThe Invisible ManThe true story of what happened when an ex-professional footballer from Australia called Andy Bernal landed in Madrid to look after superstar David Beckham and the complete chaos that followed. — Madrid, 2003 If this story was a movie, the opening scene might have Andy Bernal nudging a Range Rover through dark Madrid streets. But crowded as they are on this night, these are not postcard streets — skinny, old, full of bars, restaurants, and tourists. These are the expensive suburban…David Beckham11 min readDavid Beckham11 min read
Aug 10, 2020Member-onlyDesperately Seeking Clarification: the mysterious case of Queensland Football President Ben Richardson and his CV(Or Know Your Product, Gold Coast, 2020 Remix) Football Queensland President Ben Richardson listed some impressive professional values on the CV he circulated prior to last month’s election for positions on the state governing body’s board of directors. For his own salad for success, Richardson hit on ingredients that included…Football5 min readFootball5 min read
Jul 31, 2020Member-onlyHammer the Hammer: The curious case of an invoice, a job vacancy, and the cost of playing football in Queensland, Part One(Or Parables for Wooden Ears, Brisbane, 2020 Remix) The Australian state of Queensland, the vast north-eastern region of the country, can claim many notable attributes: incredible natural beauty that includes the sadly diminishing Great Barrier Reef, strong indigenous culture, diverse immigrant histories, as well as being an artistic and cultural…Football14 min readFootball14 min read
May 21, 2020Member-onlyHow mosh pits helped Christian organizations recruit teenagers in the 1990sI am tossed backward and forward, left and right, up and then down, with the ebb and surge of the mosh. I am a sardine, pitching in a sea of pumped-up, sweaty, hormonal, youth. I am one of 5000 people packed into the State Sports Centre at Homebush (part of…Religion11 min readReligion11 min read
Mar 14, 2020Member-onlySon of a preacher man: Jay Bakker and his Christian RevolutionOn a tiny stage of a tiny bar in the heart of Brooklyn, New York, a tattooed guy with black-rimmed eye glasses, wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, white socks, and black shoes, a kind of cross between comedian Drew Carey and the goofy singer from Weezer, stands in front of…Christianity11 min readChristianity11 min read
Mar 14, 2020Member-onlyLos Angeles, The Black Dahlia, James Ellroy and Brian De Palma: “You would rather fuck me than kill me.”Her body was found cut clean in half. On her back, in the dirt, her arms raised above her head in an almost perverse victory salute. Her mouth extended by a 10-centimetre gouge, giving up a grotesque clown-like smile. The lower half of her body was lying 30-centimetres from her…Film10 min readFilm10 min read
Dec 3, 2018Member-onlyHunters and gatherers: US Marshals nab their quarry and let others ask the questions“If something kicks in, there’s no round in the chamber,” says US Deputy Marshal Tom Smith bluntly, thumbing at the Colt AR-15 automatic rifle stashed behind his car seat. It takes a few seconds to digest what he exactly means before it becomes clear: If this stakeout gets ugly and…Police13 min readPolice13 min read
May 28, 2018Member-onlyComedian Jim Jefferies: Gun control, religion, and fighting for the right to say ‘c**t’.Some gigs go great. Others go not so well but still become nights of legend. For Australian comedian Jim Jefferies, that time in 2006 at The Comedy Store in Manchester, England, still makes a good story. Jefferies was attacked on stage mid-set by an audience member and was heading toward…Comedy10 min readComedy10 min read
Mar 2, 2018Member-onlyGary Vaynerchuk: “We are in the pre-dawn of the technology revolution. The internet has won.”It’s just before lunchtime in Los Angeles and Gary Vaynerchuk is mid-sentence talking about Facebook when the conversation is interrupted by a random stranger approaching him on the street. “Hi!” says the guy, introducing himself. “I’m a retired NFL player. I’m a huge fan of yours and I want to…Entrepreneurship10 min readEntrepreneurship10 min read
