Geek of Oz

It is the book that has taken Australia by storm, with the author frequently popping up on national television and radio to be quizzed about his new release and a topic we all love – the Hottest 100.   If the media buzz doesn’t convince you, the book’s cover almost certainly will. Pull quotes by none-other-than Paul Dempsey (Something for Kate), Odette, Alex Dyson and Tyler Jenke speak to “a visual and hilarious detailing of Australian music history”. It is agreed that “Clarke’s knowledge, humour, and passion for the poll is the tribute Aussie music needs.”  Having now read the book myself, I can tell you outright: the hype is entirely justified.  ‘Shoulda Been Higher’ is nostalgic, nerdy and deeply funny. It is somehow both chock-a-block with stats and completely fascinating – not a combination I have witnessed previously, of that you can be sure. Tom W Clarke approaches the Hottest 100 with the studiousness of an academic, the joy of a comedian and the anecdotes an...

With The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years director Ron Howard ( Apollo 13, Backdraft & Willow ) takes on the unenviable task of finding a fresh perspective on four of the most well documented people in modern history. At this point, there probably isn’t much about the Beatles that hasn’t already been committed to print or film. That being said, does this film break any new ground? Not particularly, but it’s still a great time hanging out with some phenomenally entertaining lads. The film loosely follows the band's history, however predominantly focusing on 1962-1966 and their gruelling tour schedule. This may sound strange, but I forgot just how insane the fan reaction to the Beatles was when they travelled around the world. Sure, there’s always the footage of screaming teenagers at airports and what not, but this film highlights the unprecedented crowd control issues the boys were causing. Something you couldn’t imagine any modern day performers inspir...

Episode 13. Some would call it unlucky, but hey you're listening to us so you're pretty lucky! Stu and Billy embrace their musical talents this week and watch Sing Street! Written & Directed by John Carney ( Once, Begin Again ), this film set in 1980's Dublin 1985, is about teenager Connor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) who forms a rock 'n' roll band to win the heart of aspiring model Raphina (Lucy Boynton).  This is 3rd music inspired film by John Carney, & it shows us a world where music has the power to take us away from the turmoil of everyday life and transform us into something greater. We also delve into the latest Movie/TV news and trailers from San Diego Comic Con that happened last week As always it would make our day if you could take a couple of minutes to rate and reviews us on iTunes or drop us some feedback below! Really keen to have your input in the show. Enjoy! -Billy                       ...

Last weekend I had a chance to interview Curt Pires about his new mini series POP, which has just started from Dark horse Comics. We talked about the creation of series, the team involved and little about what's to come next. Enjoy. Billy Tournas: Hi Curt, thanks for taking the time out for this interview. In POP you take a quite dark look at the world of manufactured popularity, and the idea of pop culture being made for people. What drew you to this idea and made you write POP? Curt Pires: I've always been intrigued with and find myself analyzing the systems that govern our reality the frameworks that envelop our existence, and it was always there staring me in the fucking face, when I turned on the TV. Men and women crying and begging for their 15 seconds to Paula Abdul and that other guy. I flick the channel, Britney Spears, selling some other product, stepping into the bathroom, piss on her feet she’s not wearing shoes. I guess what I’m trying to say is that ...

Ask Madman is BACK and yet again we've got some awesome questions answered by the Madman crew. One question in particular is quite a doozey and I've gotta say, Madman handle it really well.  Ask Madman answers the questions that you'd usually only get to ask at a convention and this volume is a cracker! With questions on anime, manga, J-Pop and cinema, this volume has got something for everyone! Got a question of your own? Make sure you head over to our Ask Madman form and submit your question for the next volume.  You've got a little something on your face... Adam: When do you plan to release The Raid 2 on Blu-ray? Also, if possible can you please release a version with a slipcover which matches the JB Hi-Fi exclusive version of the first film? As a major fan of both (loved the second in cinemas) this one deserves a special release! Cheers! Madman: We’ll be releasing it on August 6. There will be heaps of killer bonus content for both DVD ...

Aussie Japanophiles rejoice! Thanks to the Japan Music Festival, you can experience live J-Pop, J-Rock and J-Alt bands in your very own capital city (if you live in NSW, VIC or QLD).  If there's one thing that fans of Japanese pop-culture are desperately lacking it's access to Japanese music. Buying CD's from Japan is prohibitively expensive and there's hardly anything available on iTunes but now there is a third and infinitely more exciting option: live music. Japan Music Festival promises to bring the best of Japan's underground nightlife to Australian shores. Australia gets its first Japanese Music Festival!  Direct from Japan - this is the first in what will be an annual event featuring the very best of Tokyo's alternative nightlife and culture right here in Australia!  From April 1st to the 6th Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane will play host to four of Japan's most revered live J-Pop, J-Rock and J-Alt bands. Called very appropriate...

Bethesda are renowned for their utterly immersive gaming experiences. The reason for such immersion is their attention to detail in all aspects of the created universe. Everything from the visuals to gameplay and, of course, the soundtrack and in terms of gaming soundtracks, they don't get much more epic than these. Bethesda is pleased to announce that the official soundtracks for seven of their most popular games are now available for purchase on iTunes. Follow on after the jump for links to the newly released Bethesda soundtracks, available now on iTunes!

As we reported from Supanova Sydney, Yunyu and Queenie Chan's collaboration is soon to be available from Madman and Yunyu.com.au . The best way to get involved in this marriage of music, manga and (ani)mation is to grab yourself a QUIRTZ ! Just like with Twisted Tales and its artist mish-mash, a QUIRTZ is a CD, a stylish Tee and a QR code billboard to share the love with all of your friends. In my case, that's 2 whole people!!! TWISTED TALES and QUIRTZ are available now and so are tickets to Yunyu's live shows which will be held in Sydney and Melbourne! Check out all of the details, and a look at TWISTED TALES episode 1 (Dorothy), after the jump!

Creators of inward singing, face shredding Beezlebub slayers, the greatest band of all time... the D are back. If 2012 marks the end of the world you can be damn well sure that it will be due to a master exploder related incident at the hands of JB and KG. In case you missed any of that, Jack Black and Kyle Gass return to our ear holes as Tenacious D in their new studio album, Rize of the Fenix. Long time compadre, Dave Grohl of Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone age fame also returns as drummer on the new album which is due for release in Australia on May 11th. Check out  hilarious promo clip and title track from the album after the jump!

There's no denying that I am a dirty little pop culture whore. Whenever films, comic books, novels, animation or music call I come-a-runnin'. I've actually been like this for the majority of my life. I have photos at the age of 4 wearing my best Masters of the Universe sloppy joe, I was dressed up as Spider-Man for my 5th birthday and I attended my first concert at the age of 6, Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet. This fact continues to this day. As I write this I'm wearing a Starfleet t-shirt and sporting my Captain America and Autobot tattoos... no, really.

As I approached the entrance to Newtown's Enmore Theatre, I felt very out of place. I felt as though my jeans and a t-shirt were entirely underwhelming in comparison to the bulk of the crowd in their top hats, waistcoats, corsets and fishnets. In fact, I even saw a chap with a sceptre and crystal ball being all wizardy. In the crowd there were more costumes than at any comic book convention I've ever been to and never have I seen a crowd so excited. Before the doors had even opened, every single person was waiting on baited breath for those big glass doors to swing open, allowing us all to enter into a night of music, theatre, comedy and utter mayhem.

I love music. I really don't live without it. I write, A LOT! I read, A LOT! But I pretty much always have music on. For some stupid reason though I never really write about it. This changes NOW! Although perhaps just this once. Amanda Palmer , wife of word-wizard Neil Gaiman , and musical juggernaut has released her newest album "Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under". An ode to her love for the country of Oz and all of us folk of convict lineage. Before we go forward, you can download the album now for just 69 cents! So before you hit the jump, go get it HERE!

Tonight I had the pleasure of watching, and listening to The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains. A short story written by Mr Neil Gaiman , with painted projections by Mr Eddie Campbell and with a score arranged by and performed live by Sydney string quartet, Fourplay . You could end your reading here and be comforted by the knowledge that the experience was wonderful but please read on while I paint you a more detailed picture.

So here we are, my inaugural post on the Geek from Oz. As is the general procedure in social settings, here is me. I'm a geeky chap from Sydney Australia, there, I've said it. There first step is admitting that you have a problem. I'm a massive comic book, movie, book and overall pop culture geek. So in the future that is just what you'll see, posts with news, reviews and other nuggets of goodness about my interests. Hopefully I'll actually post something worth reading, right?