The Kemblog: October 2010

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

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Monday, October 25, 2010

Tape lovers mix it up, old-spool

Colleague Cassie White did this story today, about how while Sony has stopped production on the Walkman, tape-lovers live on.

This is my favourite bit, where Darren Pauli talks about his love of tape:

"I've got a whole series of tapes like this Metallica tape I had back in school that my mates recorded and we used to listen to on the bus," he said.

"I've had it in my car and listened to the same tape that's just kept going for 10, 12 years.

"All the way through it you can hear in various parts when mates I've lent it to have accidentally hit record when listening to it.

"It's got a whole conversation between one of my mates and his brother and it's hilarious.

"Right in the middle of a Metallica guitar solo it cuts to Gatecrasher, this electronic techno stuff, then goes back to it. It's something that's kind of personal with a hint of nostalgia.

"I'll put it on with mates and we'll laugh because it reminds you of the old days."

Got me reminiscing about my own experiences with tape:

When one of my mates did the Europe thing in the mid-90s, another friend and I made him a tape: Miserable Mother****ers. It consisted of 90 minutes of us speaking shit at coffee shops, going to gigs at The Zoo and other reputable establishments around Brisbane, speaking more shit at more coffee shops, that kinda thing. The idea was to reassure him that he wasn't missing anything. At some point, some excerpts of the tape got put online, but I'm pretty sure they're gone now.
When I went backpacking in the late 90s, I bought a new Walkman to take with me. I was trying to keep my luggage down so I took one tape with me. 90 minutes of music. 45 minutes of Counting Crows' August and Everything after (sad music) and 45 minutes of Ben Folds Fives' Whatever and Ever Amen (happy music). By the end of six weeks, I still wasn't sick of either side!
Just after my wife and I first met, she decided to go overseas (no, it wasn't because of me! She'd already booked the tickets). So we had a long-distance relationship for a while, and we used to send each other mixtapes. We've still got them, of course. I never did convert her to Billy Bragg, but she married me anyway!
I still own tapes of Triple J's retrospective on The Whitlams and Nirvana. I really enjoyed it and I listened to it over and over again. I never listen to tapes anymore, even though we still have a stereo with a tape player on it. But I keep the tapes. Because it's nice knowing they're there. It sounds old-fashioned, but these tapes are true artifacts, in the way a playlist on a hard drive can never be.
I've still got my Walkman somewhere. One day, I'm going to dig it out and show the kids. I'm sure they'll be amazing, and horrified, and embarrassed!

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Saturday, October 23, 2010

Beating the Odds wins UN media award

The ABC News Online Investigations team has been awarded the prestigious UN Media Peace Prize in Melbourne for Best Online report.

Woohoo! I did the social media strategy for this project. We had some fantastic input from readers - you can read them at the bottom of the page.

But obviously, the bulk of the credit goes to reporter Eleanor Bell and photographer Ed Giles, who uncovered some fantastic stories in Mt Druitt.

via abc.net.au

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Friday, October 22, 2010

Interview with Steve Austin on 612 Brisbane

Stephen M Irwin and I were on ABC 612 Brisbane last night, talking about horror, Macabre, Brisbane ghosts and more.

You can check it out here: http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2010/10/writing-horror-gary-kemble-stephen-irwin.html?site=brisbane&program=612_evenings

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Brisbane Zombie Walk, this Sunday!

I'm going to miss Brisbane Zombie Walk this year due to being double-booked. But if you're at a loose end, get down there.

Last year's was a hell of a lot of fun...

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Catty at work

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Storify: your thoughts on Afghanistan

At my day job - social media guy with the ABC - we've been experimenting with using Storify to collate viewer responses. Today, I've pulled together some content on the Afghanistan debate. Some great responses, and photos from isafmedia.

I was hoping the embed would work, but it doesn't. You can check it out here: http://storify.com/abcnews/should-australia-stay-in-afghanistan

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Friday, October 15, 2010

Movie Minutiae: Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

I was prompted to look into this after reading this story about a first edition of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, found in a charity bin in Wollongong.
It got me thinking about taking liberties, since even the best adaptations take liberties with the original material. They have to - they're movies, not books! And part of the charm of adaptations is seeing how the screenwriter goes about it.

via blogs.abc.net.au

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Thursday, October 14, 2010

Like Inception? Try Ad Infinitum

I finally got around to seeing Inception last night. I had to drive half an hour and go and see a late session, which I generally try and avoid on 'school nights', but I'm glad I made the effort.

I loved how Christopher Nolan has taken a well-worn genre - the heist movie - and put a whole new spin on it. I also loved how the film was like four movies in one - each one sitting inside the previous like Russian dolls.

(If you want to have a good old chat about Inception, head on over to 100 Days of Action)

It reminded me of a story I wrote a few years back 'Ad Infinitum', which also plays with the notion of 'what is real?'.

'Ad Infinitum' was the first story I ever sold. Shadowed Realms is now defunct, but the site has been partially preserved thanks to Pandora. If you'd like to read 'Ad Infinitum', go here, then click on 'current issue', then 'Ad Infinitum'.

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Thursday, October 07, 2010

Stories tell of brown land's black heart

The Westside News was kind enough to do a story about me and Stephen M Irwin's appearance in Macabre.

I took the photographer down into the creepy fire escape at work to replicate the setting of my story (a bunker in Afghanistan).

I wonder if he would've been so keen to follow me in there if he knew what happens to the photographer in my story!

via westside-news.whereilive.com.au

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Monday, October 04, 2010

Where do you draw the line?

As a horror writer, where do you draw the line?

It's something I've been thinking about since AussieCon 4. I was on a panel with, among others, Paul Haines. I said that I'm interested in horror as escapism (eg zombies, giant cockroaches), and Paul said he's the exact opposite.

My story in 'Feast or Famine' in Macabre is kinda real-world. But editor Angela Challis pushed me on it. I regard it as the most disturbing story I've written, but it's not the most disturbing idea I've had.

I had this vision a few years back. I don't want to reveal it, for reasons that will soon become evident. The image was really strong, but I thought: "I can't write that". I filed it away.

After AussieCon 4 I read a few stories. 'A Positive' by Kaaron Warren (Macabre) and 'I've Seen the Man' by Paul Haines (Scenes From the Second Storey) are the two that jump out. They made me want to push myself, see how far I could go.

Then I was reminded of the call for stories for Ticonderoga's Red Dead Heart anthology. And the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

I got about four-fifths of the way through the story. Then I thought: "I can't write this". I took a break. I had some encouragement. Then I sat down and finished the story. I thought: "I don't have to send this anywhere". I can delete it if I want to!

I haven't re-read the story. It could be a pile of crap. I wrote it pretty quickly, so it probably is!

But I wanted to ask the horror writers out there -- where do you draw the line? Is there a line for you?

For horror readers -- have you ever thought, 'No, s/he's gone too far?'

(PS I'm not saying there's anything wrong with 'fun' stories, more that I'd Iike to extend my range)

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Sunday, October 03, 2010

AussieCon 4 links... and then some!

I know I said I was done with the AussieCon 4 posts, but Twitter friend @illegibscrib has sent me this EPIC collection of AussieCon 4 links. Thank you @illegibscrib - con-goers the world over salute you!

UPDATE 3/10: @illegibscrib has added another great stack of links... you'll find them down the end.

Aussiecon4
2010 Hugo Winners and Nominees (includes voting breakdowns)
Masquerade Competition Winners
All Aussiecon4 Convention Newsletters (The Echidna)

Kevin Standlee
Video: 2010 Hugo Awards Ceremony
Video: Worldcon Chairs Photo Session

Jo Walton
Ditmar Awards 2010

Cheryl Morgan
Video: Ditmar Awards 2010
Video: Aussiecon 4 Opening Ceremonies
Video: Aussiecon 4 Closing Ceremonies
Video: Aussiecon 4 Fan Guest of Honour Speech by Robin Johnson
Worldcon, Day 1
The Dead Critics Panel
Smoke Filled Rooms
My Terrorist Resume Expands