The Demise of Claireodactyl

by

2

I’ve been very quiet for a long time and thought before I signed off completely I would do one last blog post that alerts people to how quickly their lives can fall apart.

I’ve been fighting a mystery illness for about four years now. I’ve begged Doctors to dig into it but other than treat the symptoms they have always brushed me off and told me I was overreacting.

In January of this year it all came to a head and I started suffering with one or multiples of my symptoms on an almost daily basis. Luckily, being with a new Doctors surgery I finally had a Doctor who listened and believed that there was something bigger going on and so a string of testing began.

Now, during all of this I got too sick to work and haven’t been able to since. Now I really intelligently went to work for a company who don’t insure their staff against long term illness so if you are ill then tough shit. Now short term that’s a struggle. Long term like nearly 6 months long term and its ended up with us losing the car, almost losing our home and I’ve even had to quit my job and start working freelance because I can’t afford to be off sick any longer and they won’t let me back without the Drs sign off which I can’t get yet. Oh yes, and the only nice thing they did for me during the whole time I was ill (and only after i tried killing myself) is now biting me in the ass and will end up as an invoice and no final pay…thanks then! Three years of loyalty down the pan!

Too be honest though who wants to work for a company who would rather see their staff go into mental and financial demise than actually offer proper benefits. At least now I’m working freelance I have full control.

I have got a diagnosis now but it can only be controlled by diet as its something called Histamine Intolerance so I can’t eat anything interesting anymore or drink alcohol again or basically live life in any way. Restaurants are certainly out going forward! I’ve now got anaemia and vitamin D deficiency and my depression is running rampant aswell and I’m avoiding my doctor because I can’t afford sick notes.

To top it all off I don’t have money to pay the rent or bills, I’ve been borrowing money for food from my parents. This isn’t how a 33 year old should be living their life.

This is no life.

I wouldn’t wish my life on anybody.

After 4 years of fighting for answers this isn’t how I thought it would feel to finally know what was wrong and how to move forward. Unfortunately, other circumstances have totally blinded my joy at having answers at last and that those answers aren’t the horrendous things that I had been prepared for by the doctors. It’s amazing how in a few months your entire life can get completely ripped apart.

I have people I blame but ultimately I blame myself. I should never have taken a job somewhere without proper employee benefits, I’ve never done that before and I was an absolute idiot for not doing it this time and I have definitely learned my lesson the hard way! There is no excuse!

So this is it, my final entry on the blog. What comes next I’m not sure. I have some freelance work and hopefully it’s not too little too late. It feels like it could be, but we will see.

Rent my Car when I’m not using it…

by

I am putting my car to work by inviting a select number of drivers to use my car when it is not in use. If you need a car from time to time you can learn about my car here:

https://www.whipcar.com/claireodactyl/peugeot-207-access

About WhipCar: http://www.whipcar.com

WhipCar launched in April 2010 in order to make car usage more efficient and provide a way to reward owners who want to minimise waste and still enjoy the benefits of owning a car. WhipCar’s award winning platform notifies owners by text and email when there is an approved driver in their area who wants to use their car. All cars and drivers are screened by WhipCar before a booking is completed, and each journey is fully insured through a comprehensive insurance package that temporarily replaces the owner’s existing insurance for the duration of hire.

GUEST BLOG: Music News from the Land Down Under

by

It’s been a while! Shitloads has been happening in the music industry locally (i.e. Australia) and around the world since my last instalment here. Over the course of the next little while, I’ll be contributing some more review-type things to Claireodactyl too. Stay tuned.

First up, the Murdoch Empire has acquired the remainder of DMG Radio Australia, making Lachlan’s investment company Illyria the sole owner. Murdoch had originally shelled out $110 million for the first 50%, and has most recently thrown another $100 million to the coffers of UK publishing company Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). Analysts are indicating that down the track, there could be some sort of merger between DMGRA and the Ten Network. Murdoch is also the Chairman of Ten.

In other merger and takeover news, you would likely have heard about the recent takeover Universal made of EMI and Warner Music. Universal is a British company, and a result of the takeover has been the stepping-down of the CEOs of the recorded music arms of both EMI and Warner. Lyor Cohen, who came to light in the ’80s as manager for Run DMC and the Beastie Boys has been with Warner for the past eight years.

Australia’s The Music Network is running a competition at the moment, where you can win a copy of the 2013 Rock’n'Roll Diary: featuring the work of rock photographer Tony Mott, who has shot keystone acts like Nirvana, Iggy Pop, and the Rolling Stones. The diary features over 200 colour photographs. You can enter by clicking here. All you need to do is reveal the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever written in a diary. Not something I’d do!

In Aussie touring news we are facing some mega acts between now and early next year. One which I am MASSIVELY excited about is Motley Crue + KISS! No details yet, however.

Of things that I DO have details, a “brief” listing is below. These gigs are Australia-wide, but most big shows are on the Eastern seaboard, so all you South and West Aussies miss out. Of course. A full guide with cities, venues and dates is available here.

SEPTEMBER

  • Fear Factory
  • High on Fire
  • Ulcerate, Ignivomous, Odiusembowel, Departe
  • Shihad
  • Lord

OCTOBER

  • Warbringer
  • Steel Panther
  • Cannibal Corpse
  • Fuck the Politics Fest in Victoria (Lord, Make Them Suffer, As Silence Breaks)
  • Bastardfest (Psycroptic, Blood Duster, Fuck… I’m Dead)
  • Whiplash Festival in Sydney (Mnemic, Meraurder, Unearthly)
  • At the Gates

NOVEMBER

  • At the Gates
  • Voyager
  • Bastardfest continues
  • Between the Buried and Me, Animals as Leaders
  • Blaze Bayley & Paul Di’Anno

DECEMBER

  • Blaze Bayley & Paul Di’Anno
  • Dark Funeral

JANUARY

  • Nightwish, Sabaton
  • Cock and Ball Torture
  • Hypocrisy
  • Alestorm

… and then we get to festival season! Including Soundwave, featuring Metallica, Linkin Park, Slayer, Anthrax, Dragonforce, Stone Sour, and shitloads more.

So until next time get your metal on! Stay tuned for some nice little features I have in mind about some of the undergrounders in the Aussie metal scene.

NEWS: Spawn Of Satan/Sathanas – Split 7″ EP

by

  1. This single which is split between these two unsung heroes of death metal; Sathanas and Spawn of Satan give us a taster of these bands from 1988.

Tracklisting

1. Spawn of Satan – Ritual Murder
2. Sathanas – Unholy Eternal

You can stream a preview of this from: http://hellsheadbangers.bandcamp.com/album/spawn-of-satan-sathanas-split-7-ep

NEWS: Bestial Warlust to release Satan’s Fist – Demo 96

by

Bestial Warlust are releasing their Satan’s Fist – Demo 96 on vinyl and limited edition CD. This is a rare find and will be a bonus to any black metal collection.

Tracklisting:

1) “Left for Vultures”

2) “Hell’s Militia”

3) “Satan’s Fist”

Exclusive streaming preview available at http://hellsheadbangers.bandcamp.com/album/satans-fist

GUEST BLOG: KISS launch Destroyer beer in Australia… and more besides

by

1

Yes, this post was going to be a review of the jaunt to Broken Hill with IMMINENT PSYCHOSIS. It’s a poor experience for you, having promises broken, but I haven’t finished it. It’s about half done. And it’s so long that it is in desperate need of slicing to pieces and being carefully re-formed with sticky tape. You’ll get it eventually.

Instead, here’s a bit of a round up of goings on musically here and overseas. Well, by “here”, I mean “Australia”. :P

First is the news that KISS, ever one to try to make another buck, launch ‘Destroyer’ beer in Australia. This announcement comes not very long at all after their Family Guy merch deal. You gotta hand it to them: their first single ever released was about anal sex, and they still find new ways of making money. Which they do, hand over … uh… fist. All States Liquor have started importing this Swedish pils-style beer, and at the moment it’s only available in Melbourne & Perth. I’m thinking I might well have to import some to South Australia….

Street press is pretty much a given, but Brisbane have recently lost the ever-popular Rave magazine, which is shutting its doors and giving its employees redundancies.  Rave has a long history: 21 years and over 1000 issues! The official statement didn’t give us much to go on, but if given the state of play of Australia’s print media lately (ahem, Fairfax), it’s probably a financial matter.

Brisbane is also set to have its iconic Tivoli auctioned off. This keystone live music venue is being sold in order to break up the family company and distribute assets to all beneficiaries. They’re hoping that it will continue, just under the care of someone else. Check out the auction page here.

It’s not metal, so I don’t care, but the 2012 Fat As Butter festival lineup has just been announced. You can see it here.

Wanna work for Australia’s #1 music industry publication? The Music Network is after interns, for a three-month stint in their offices in Sydney. Unfortunately, there’s no closing date, so if you want in, you’ll have to be quick!

A 41-year-old man has faced court this week for attempting to kidnap a 21 year-old woman and a 16-year-old man from the Port Fairy Folk Festival, by claiming to be a Council Officer charged with ensuring patrons got home safely. He faced Warrnambool Magistrates’ this week. Interesting news for me, because my uncle started that Festival. I’m actually surprised more nefarious things haven’t happened, given how big that festival has become.

And tons of stuff about my home state, South Australia, in the music news this week!

The first is that license fees aren’t going up until January next year, after a huge petition push by club owners, who successfully argued that much of their actual money is made after midnight. The larger clubs pay something like $10k + at the moment for the privilege of staying open very late. Apparently the goal is for clubs to not have to pay fees at all… but… really? Look at the society we’re living in.

A Triple M Executive in Adelaide was belted by a member of the public with a claw-hammer, but he’s ok and has been discharged from hospital after being treated for head injuries.

A former FIVEaa presenter (also in Adelaide, for those of you who don’t know), has been cleared of all charges of sexually assaulting young a teenager in the ’70s.

Australian jazz pianist Graeme Bell, aged 97, has died following a stroke. His claim to fame is to have put Australian jazz on the world map:

 touring Europe in the late 1940s and recording with American blues legend Big Bill Broonzy. In 1997 he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, and the Australian jazz awards are called The Bells in his honour.

All this and more is from the very wonderful column by Christie Eliezer, which you can find here.