The keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757), and a poem I wrote about them, have a close connection to my favourite rental place, an historic mansion in Newtown, Geelong.
Three years ago, John Malins flipped the Stereo Stories concept a little by writing about a song he had never heard: The Sun God, written by William G James and Aubrey De Vere.
The great writer would have been impressed. He was the subject of all discussion, around which everything circled.
I have a vivid memory from that time of watching this wonderful film near the end of its run in Mid-City’s main cinema, which seated close to a thousand people, with only a couple of others in attendance.
Staring at nothing/But sleep’s petulant absence./Most nights were like this/Toward the end.
It’s like seeing a tapestry in the dark – there’s beauty, but there’s also a great deal of uncertainty. And I didn’t know which thread I was supposed to embody.
The music conjures images of a new person. A person who can smile, laugh, interact.
The love of any form of art is always a subjective thing. What is cool is an art form that can take you to a new level of appreciation of another art form.
I was like another brother to Jessica. She fancied my band mates more than me, so that was bit of a drag. We did share a love for one particular song, though.
The Sun God is a mystery to me. I have never heard it and I have not been able to find any recording of it anywhere.