Cirrus@Austlit

'Writer and musician Sam Sejavka was the model for the character of ‘Sam’ in the film Dogs in Space and served as adviser on the film. He discusses his parents (notably, his father’s Second World War experiences) and his own early life, up until the rise and fall of his group The Ears between 1979 and 1982. He also briefly discusses the death of Christine Harding and his feelings on seeing it—or rather, that of the character ‘Anna’—represented in the film. This chapter is the first of nine memoirs in the first half of the book presenting contrasting and complementary impressions of the late 1970s Melbourne punk scene and its aftermath.'

Source: Abstract.

'Songwriter and performer Peter Farnan was a member of the Serious Young Insects, a briefly popular Melbourne band of the early 1980s, and then the commercially successful Boom Crash Opera. He was a school friend of Sam Sejavka, Mick Lewis and Tim McLaughlan, the formative members of The Ears. He discusses the absurdist and esoteric behaviour he witnessed amongst the group’s members during the late 1970s and reveals a range of roles (as part of the ‘support crew’) he performed during their existence: he engineered early recordings and played keyboards with the group at one show. His perspective, the second of nine memoirs, is simultaneously inside and apart from The Ears’ world and provides insight into the culture of the period and the band’s core members.'

Source: Abstract.

'Though not directly involved in The Ears’ world, John Clifforth’s memoir explores different social cliques and categories in late 1970s Melbourne. Clifforth describes himself, a medical student drawn to playing music, torn in different directions. His induction into the world of Melbourne music also highlights some of the contrasts and tribulations of the period, in for instance the different types of music and associated countercultures he experiences in his student days. He also describes a few of the venues his first ‘real’ band, True Wheels, played. Soon after the demise of The Ears, Clifforth invited Cathy McQuade into Deckchairs Overboard, formed from the ashes of The Cheks; he discusses this group’s career, as well as his creative friendships with both Troy Davies and Michael Hutchence.'

Source: Abstract.

'Stuart Grant was (and is) a key member of the Primitive Calculators, one of the groups invited to re-form to appear in Dogs in Space. He was also produced The Ears’ first single ‘Leap for Lunch’. He discusses the social environment which led to the formation of the Primitive Calculators, which continues to be his best-known musical foray, and the way his musical career has been affected by the fame accorded the group through their inclusion in the film. The author considers ongoing iterations and interpretations of the group and its milieu and his own memories and retelling of same. The chapter serves as both a recounting of detail significant to the story of Melbourne late 70s counterculture and a meditation on memory and history.'

Source: Abstract.

'At least three distinct aspects of Karen Ansel’s diverse career are countenanced in this recollection which details, firstly, her forays into the fashion world in late ’70s Melbourne; her time playing keyboards with The Reels, which, amongst other things, brought her into contact with Michael Hutchence and INXS; and her presence at the conception of, and later involvement with, the costume design for Dogs in Space. Her account includes anecdotes and observations concerning the processes and ethics in place during the making of the film. Ansel also discusses the absence—and slow emergence—of women in the punk scene, and her own extensive and focused pursuit of creative endeavour as she sought and found a place in the nascent digital effects industry.'

Source: Abstract.

'As Nique Needles, Cornelius Delaney was a sought-after theatre, film and television actor in Australia in the 1980s. Dogs in Space allowed him, like others in this section of the book, to play a character from the same late 1970s Melbourne scene he was a part of in his teens. Delaney discusses his own upbringing; early experiences of playing music, including his time in The Curse; and his near-accidental transition to acting. While Delaney was one of the many Dogs in Space cast members who had been a part of the ‘original events’, he was employed on the film as a credible and experienced actor. He discusses this unusual status, as well as reminiscing about Michael Hutchence, Tony Helou, Saskia Post, Tim McLaughlin and others.'

Source: Abstract.

'Cathy McQuade was the bass player in The Ears and was dismissed from that band late in its existence. She discusses her experience in the band, her impressions of other members, its social machinations, and the importance of drugs and personal power in the band. She contrasts these with the way The Ears and Sam Sejavka in particular were depicted in Dogs in Space and reflects on Richard Lowenstein’s role as observer and ‘teller’ of the world they both saw. She also notes the lack of musical ability amongst many members. She reflects on her time in Deckchairs Overboard with John Clifforth (another contributor to this section of the book) and her experience of mainstream pop music and the dynamics of bands and ‘scenes’.'

Source: Abstract.

'The contrast between commercial success and artistic adventurousness is resonant. Zora Simic’s chapter is a tribute to and analysis of the pubic persona of Michael Hutchence, examining him as a pop star who tried—in part, successfully—to problematise the superficial elements of his celebrity. She discusses her own experience as a fan of pop music in the mid-1980s; her switching of allegiances from the Uncanny X-Men to INXS and her time as a passionate and active fan of the band, as well as her encounters with other fans. She recounts the route Hutchence took from singer to actor in Dogs in Space, the antithesis of the cinematic ‘star vehicle’, and the responses of both fans and critics to the film and his performance in it.'

Source: Abstract.

'Taking as emblematic her recollections of the impact of encountering Dogs in Space on the threshold of adulthood in the late 1980s, Laura Carroll proposes that the film’s layered and collage-like relationship to time, place and genre make it available as a map for young Australians, especially those growing up outside the major cities, who seek to find their ways into lives of aesthetic and political playfulness and creativity. Her essay offers a series of readings of the film’s physical and social space-making gestures, concentrating on the messy, fertile microcosm of the inner urban share house, pinning those reflections to an autobiographical narrative which shifts between past and present in a way that mirrors the film’s alternating invention and re-enactment of the world it explores.'

Source: Abstract.

'Michael Hutchence, of INXS, plays (a version of) Sam Sejavka, of the Ears, in Dogs in Space. This was seen by many in 1986, when the film was released, as a dichotomy, that INXS and The Ears existed at entirely distinct levels, commercially and perhaps also in terms of significance. Referring to contemporary reportage and later interview material, Taylor provides an extensive overview of the careers of both groups, mapping places both played in Melbourne in the period 1979–81. The chapter contemplates commercial success and credibility as well as what constituted a functional, working group in the post-punk era in Australia. She then tracks changes in the industry to the present day to properly contextualise and understand the 1970s–1980s.'

Source: Asbtract.

'Rowland S. Howard’s teenage song ‘Shivers’, written quickly as a bombastic yet in many respects heartfelt ballad, has become an icon of Australian music and Howard’s best-known and best-loved song. The song appears three times in Dogs in Space and its second performance, by Marie Hoy, serves to ratify its status as a ‘classic’ of the late 1970s. MacKinney explores the emergence of the song, its meaning(s) and early recognition of its importance, as well as its value to Howard and his legacy and to the action of the film.'

Source: Abstract.

'Nichols examines the soundtrack album to Dogs in Space, focusing particularly on the tracks recorded by Ollie Olsen for the film and most notably on ‘Rooms for the Memory’, a song revived from Olsen’s band Whirlywirld and sung by Michael Hutchence. The song was a minor hit in Australia at the time and served both as publicity for the film and as a statement of intent for Hutchence and future aspects of his solo career. The chapter also explores the importance of the soundtrack both as a repository for music of the period examined in the film and a curation of recreated or re-recorded songs.'

Source: Abstract.