The 2009 Australian Tour in 3 Riveting Chapters:

One man's mission to see the 3 Numan shows on the Australian Tour

Chapter 1

Brisbane

Crikey!  I wish I could have gone to Australia for the Numan shows.  I reported their existence in the October update.  Work was busy though.  I knew hardly a soul in what Bill Bryson called The Sunburnt Country over 23,000 kilometers from home.  Didn't it cost thousands to get there anyways?  I wished Gary well and waited for the next UK Tour.  I emailed Martin Purvis over at the Aussie Outland website.  He'd already heard the good news and exclaimed WOOOHOOOO!!!  He would be host to several Brits as well as Canada's Joey Lindstrom.

November came and went.  Gary's first interview in Australia appeared in the NAGNFC.  Anita in Brisbane was kind enough to send it our way.  Work normally slowed down in December, but I was working as much as in summertime.  Peter McGuffie from Melbourne apologized for his numerous emails but was super excited about Gary's visit to his country.  I told him I was only too happy to answer his mailings, but that I would likely give these shows a miss.  I made him promise to send me a report and pics from the Sydney and Melbourne shows he planned to attend.  And he told me to tell him if I decided to go after all, and that I had a place to stay if I did.  In my Australian Aboriginal Dreamings.

With two months to go before the Aussie Tour, the press were all over it.  There were already several interviews about this upcoming historic event.  These would be Gary's first Oz shows in 29 years!  Huge Numan posters had already been plastered all over the Melbourne Forum Theatre.  Nestled in the complete silence of the still winter snows of January 2, 2009 was a surprise from which was borne an instant flurry of activity in the World Headquarters of the NAGNFC.  I received a call that work had slowed down. 

THAT WAS IT!  I was a freebird beholden to no schedule.  'Time' went from enemy to friend, and I wasted none of my new friend to get online to search for flights to Australia.  I needed to be pinched, could this be real?  As promised, I mailed Peter and told him I would be there to party with the rest of the Aussies on the Numan Tour!  The hospitality of Peter and his wife were, in many ways, the deciding reason I needed to make the trip.  Their kindness and enthusiasm for Numan, especially Peter's, were as infectious as any I'd known, and I was looking forward to meeting them.  Flying to a new continent was a little scary, but if this was the Southern Hospitality, this Machman would fly to the other side of the planet with nothing to fear.

Except that I took Numan's words in the Images LP series to heart.  From an account of his round-the-world flight, Gary said there are more things in Australia to kill someone than anywhere else on Earth.  I started to brush up on the local snakes, crocs and spiders, the availability of antivenin and what to do if I were bitten.  I decided to purchase several rolls of double-sided sticky tape.  This would be affixed to the legs of the beds in my sleeprooms for a bite-free slumber.  I was much like Gary in my preparedness.  They laughed at him on the 1982 I, Assassin Tour when he always carried a fire extinguisher.  But guess which tour van caught fire en route?  It was Gary to the rescue.

When I announced on the NAGNFC I would be joining the tour in Australia, more invitations appeared in my inbox.  I was humbled by the hospitality and thanked everyone.  I was only there for three weeks and couldn't accept everyone's invite.  I also wanted to allot some time to be a hermit and explore on my own, just to see what kind of trouble I could get into half a world away.

The first Numan concert date was March 2, so I needed a flight by the end of February.  V Australia had some amazing grand opening fares for their new routes from L.A. starting February 27 but sold out quickly.  Luckily, Qantas came to the table with some amazing fares.  An Ithaca friend told me Qantas was amazing so I was looking forward to flying with them.  I scored a train pass to get me all over Australia.  I was surprised to see the unlimited pass was a third the price of the unlimited Britrail pass.  The only catch is that in Australia, all the seats are assigned, so I had to book the seat in advance, as opposed to just hopping aboard any train as I had in Britain.

The other thing I liked about the Australian trains was that they took about 14 hours to get from Sydney to Brisbane or Melbourne.  I could finally sleep on a Numan Tour!  A novel concept indeed!  On the Replicas Tour in the UK, I did 10 shows in 11 nights.  The trains were too efficient and the cities too close together.  With getting to the preshow parties and aftershow parties, my best chance for sleep was on the 3 hour trains between UK cities.  Now that it took 14 hours for the overnight trains to reach the next city, sleep would be a warm friend.

Scoring the 10 UK tickets was a convoluted process.  Some were gifts and I ended up with more than one ticket to a couple of the shows.  So this time, I bought all three of the tickets online and picked them all up from a central office in downtown Brisbane where my plane touched down.  Piece of cake!  Having said that, these were the priciest Numan tickets I'd ever purchased.  Civil Society did a great job getting Gary Down Under and well promoted, but they also scored a decent cut for their effort.  The only time I'd paid almost AUD$95 (US$62) for a Numan ticket was on the 2006 US Jagged Tour in Cleveland when Billy Idol and Gary Numan played on the same bill.  Tickets on the US Exile Tour went for as low as AUD$12 (US$8) in Baton Rouge.

In the U.S., airlines only flew to Australia from California, so my first stop would be Los Angeles.  Luckily in March 2008, I got bumped on the Detroit to Ithaca leg after the Replicas Tour and received a free domestic flight for my trouble.  I used the free flight for the return flight from Ithaca to Los Angeles to catch the Qantas flight to Australia.  Pretty sneaky, eh?

The catch was I had to be routed through Detroit and Minneapolis on the way to Los Angeles.  Plus this was wintertime which increased the chances of any of those flights getting delayed or cancelled due to the winter weather.  Because of this I made sure I would arrive in Los Angeles 3 days early in case I was hung up in an airport somewhere waiting for the snow to let up.  This would give me some breathing room as well as more opportunities to get bumped thereby scoring more free domestic flights!

Peter and I were emailing each other every day now in anticipation of the tour.  He began to describe wildfires north of Melbourne that were becoming a problem.  The area hadn't received rain for weeks and now were experiencing temperatures of over 47C (117F).  The place was a tinderbox and Numan fans began to fear for the Melbourne show.  Many snapped up tickets for the Sydney show in case the Melbourne show was cancelled in case the fires got to the power lines.  The city was already suffering extended power outages due to the record heat.

It was now February.  I had never before been more prepared for a trip.  I rarely make hotel reservations, but never having been to this continent, made plans for the Brisbane Manor Hotel on the day I touched down so I could sleep off the jet lag.  Reports of the Australian fires were becoming worldwide news.  Even the Queen of England gave her condolences when news of fatalities were beamed around the world.  This would become Australia's worst natural disaster.  Peter was a police sergeant and provided the NAGNFC with constant updates from the front lines of the fire battles.

Peter and I decided to use the Numan show as a way to help the 5000 displaced by the fires.  Peter and I got the okay from Machine Music, Ltd., and he got the okay from the Melbourne Forum and Civil Society to place an Australian Red Cross donation bin on Numan's merch table in Melbourne.  The funds would then be verified by an independent third party from the Red Cross at the end of the night.

Peter seemed optimistic that the worst of the wildfires would be under control by the time I arrived.  So there was nothing left to do except count down the days until my plane left Ithaca February 24.  On February 23, I received an email from Donald Pedder.  He was driving from his home in Sydney for the show in Brisbane and kindly offered a ride back to Sydney after the show.  Donald promised a 60" plasma screen to watch Numan videos.  How could I pass this up?  I told Donald where I was staying, so he got a room there in Brisbane as well.  Peter had already since decided to catch the Brisbane show and stay at my hotel as well, his Numan fandom getting the best of him as it does me. 

Emails from the NAGNFC readers poured in wishing me a safe and happy time of it.  Several readers told me to make extra noise for them at the shows.

February 24 finally arrived.  One last update to the NAGNFC and dinner out by my folks, and I was alone.  The adventure began immediately when I was passing security in the tiny Ithaca airport.  There is never a line so they had nothing better to do than to go through all my things after my steel toe shoes activated the alarm.  They were extremely friendly and professional.  Actually, I'd read a news article a week earlier that the TSA was told to be more friendly during the screening process.  They were all made to sit through videos explaining how to better deal with the public.  All my experiences with airport security were way more pleasant than at any time I can recall.  What used to be an intimidating process became very much a happy, smiley affair.  They even joked with us!

I sat down with this guy who was going home to Montana.  We got to talking awhile before my flight was announced.  This was a twin prop to Detroit.  Once onboard there was someone in my seat so I just chose another.  As we got settled in and comfy I looked out the window at my home city that I wouldn't again see for almost a month.  This is about when I heard the announcement from the flight attendant: "Is there a Jim Napier on board?".  Due to weight concerns, everyone had to take their own seat, so I was able to sit in the seat I booked online as the offender was escorted to his own seat.

Flying used to be an incredible adventure for me.  I used to be like one of those Garfield cats stuck to a car's back window as I pressed against the airplane glass for what I could see below.  Was I becoming jaded?  Or maybe I knew this would be only the 1st of 8 flights I'd be taking this month to get to Australia and back, 4 to get there and 4 to get back to Ithaca.  I pulled out my PSP and started to play pinball.

The only adventure enroute was to see if I would make my 2 connecting flights to L.A.  The layovers were incredibly tight and I'd have to run to make the next flights.  Turns out the flight to Detroit was super early, and I would even have time to grab a snack.  I was looking forward to the Detroit airport, my favorite airport in the world.  It is well designed and well linked with amenities for every budget.

Before long the flight to Minneapolis was about to leave.  The last time I was in Minneapolis was for the Pure Tour.  The city was beautiful and begged to be explored in 2001, but alas the next show was in Colorado and I had to burn rubber.  Once again in 2009, I would have no time to explore the city.  In the March 2009 Triple JJJ Numan interview in Australia, Numan boasts he'd been around the world several times, yet had no time to look around, which he called frustrating.  I could relate and sympathize.

As the line formed for the Detroit-Minneapolis flight, I made sure and got to the back.  The plan was to try and get bumped once again.  Not only would this save me from buying a hotel room tonight in L.A., but I could score a free hotel in Minneapolis tonight, free dinner and a free future domestic flight per their policy.  But alas with today's economy, planes are rarely full anymore so there is very little bumping going on.

Once onboard, a Mom behind us asked if their DVD player would bother us during the flight.  I knew the cartoons would keep the child quiet during the flight so had no problems.  Neither did the girl seated next to me.  Her name was Rachael and was from Red Deer, Alberta.  She had come to Detroit to visit her online boyfriend.  She also had a boyfriend in Red Deer.  Neither boyfriend knew about the other, but Rachael had been making the trip to Detroit twice a month to complete the love triangle.  I wished her the best of luck citing several movies where such scenarios don't end well.

By the time the flight took off I could see why she had boyfriends in two countries.  She was attractive and charming.  We talked the entire flight from take off to landing with our faces close so we could hear each other over the din of the plane.  Her stories about motorcycle trips to Montana were fascinating.  I saw a guy about my age across the aisle sitting alone and watching us talking, no doubt wishing he had a hottie telling him her deepest, darkest secrets.  I've always had a thing for Canadians, anyway.

We exchanged info as we touched down into Minneapolis and we walked into the airport as I helped with her luggage.  She received stares from guys all over the airport as we walked by.  All too soon the sign for my "G" lounge where my L.A. flight was to embark from appeared off to the right of us and I wished her well.  She said she wished she was coming to Australia with me instead of Red Deer, then we walked to our own destinies.

The "G" lounge had some great amenities and a big screen TV where President Obama was giving an enthusiastic and encouraging primetime speech.  Some in the airport crowd cheered and clapped after his comments.  I called the folks to let them know of my progress so far, then once again made sure I was in the back of the line of people boarding the plane for L.A.  Again, no luck in getting bumped.

I managed about a hour of sleep as our metal tube soared over the Rocky Mountains.  There wasn't much outside to look at anyway.  It was dark by now and the towns below were so sporadic, it appeared as if there were stars below us, as well as above us, as if we were flying in outer space.

I woke up in time to see a massive grid of lights by itself, like something from the movie "Tron".  I looked for light cycles racing along the grid but as the plane flew lower, the closest I got to it were the mass of freeways here in the Greater Los Angeles area, population 20 million, the same as the entire country of Australia.

Another smooth landing, my third one today.  And darn the luck, the flight was right on time.  Thanks to the efficiency of Northwest Airlines, I now had the rest of the morning to kill before I could check into the Travelodge a half mile away.  I scored a great deal on a room there thanks to my Coke Rewards points.  Coke is my "nectar of the gods" and it was nice to get something back for all my Coke patronage.

In fact, I wish I knew about the Coke Rewards hotel deal beforehand.  I had since booked a room for the following night at the Crowne Plaza in Redondo Beach 8 miles south of the airport.  Priceline got me an amazing deal at that 4-star hotel, but the Travelodge was closer, even cheaper and included a free breakfast and shuttle.  Still, it will be nice to go see Redondo Beach once more.  I used to live there in 1969 when I was 1 year old.

For now, it was 1:00 am on Tuesday morning.  The flight to Australia didn't leave until Thursday evening.  I was laden with luggage, but I had an airport to explore.  For an airport in the USA's second-largest city where all the Hollywood stars come and go, there was surprisingly little to do.  In fact, the only place open was an all-night McDonald's in the Tom Bradley International Terminal.  I managed to walk the entire lower "arrivals" part of the airport, all 6 terminals.  Then I walked the entire upper "departures" section, with the spacey landmark Encounter Restaurant in the middle of it all.  The terminals were very quiet after 3 am and I saw several people stretched out over chairs and luggage fast asleep.  The Tom Bradley terminal in the center was extra quiet upstairs.  There, sleeping bags and pillows lay underneath travelers from all over the world.

Back outside it was unnervingly quiet.  The place would be quiet for another 2 hours until the masses of travelers appeared from nowhere with hundreds of hotel shuttle buses honking at each other to pick up their valued customers.

Anticipating boredom, I did suss out the local bus schedule beforehand.  For $1.00, the Beach Cities Transit 109 bus followed the coastline all the way south to Redondo Beach.  At 6 am, I decided to see what kind of Crowne Plaza I would be checking into tomorrow night, and see a bit of my old hometown.  The beaches south of L.A. were the scene of the US's early punk bands like Black Flag, etc.  I passed by Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, then Redondo.  I pulled my wheeled luggage off and had a look around.  There was a pier with restaurants and diversions but it looked past its prime.  The beaches were nice and the waves were soothing though. 

A historical plaque on the beach revealed the history of the city.  Did you know that Japanese were fought off the coast of Redondo Beach in WWII?  It was the only fight from the contiguous U.S. with a foreign power since the War of 1812.

The Crowne Plaza was nice, and I was looking forward to checking in the next day, but the burgers in the restaurant were $19.00.  I took the advice of an entry by a customer on tripadvisor.com, and instead had breakfast at a place called Ruby's across the street and on the water.

Ruby's was excellent and full of locals, which is a good indicator the food is good and well-priced.  The waitresses were decked out in their short pink 1950's finest in this retro diner.  The food was so good even the large portions weren't enough.  I would make sure and eat here again while I was checked-in nearby.

I walked back to the bus stop for the next 109 bus back to the LAX airport to catch my free shuttle to the Travelodge.  Actually there was no local bus to LAX but to the LAX Transit Center where other buses or trains could be had.  This was because the taxis protested of lost business if local buses could easily be utilized to get to the airport.  So it was a convoluted process of getting a transfer that was needed at the LAX Transit Center as proof of payment fare for even the LAX free shuttles back to the airport from the Transit Center.

Once back at LAX, I called for my free shuttle pickup to the Travelodge hotel.  Tripadvisor.com didn't have much nice to say about the place.  They said the rooms were butt-ugly and the guy at the desk was rude.  Luckily, those entries were old, and the newer entries were glowing.  The guy at the hotel knew who I was before I told him and asked what I'd be wearing.  The wait wasn't long before a white van pulled up and a guy jumped out asking if I was me.  He helped with my luggage and was very helpful with tips about what to do in the area on my extended layover.

I told the van driver that everyone does the theme parks, but I wanted to do what the locals do for fun.  He suggested I check out Venice Beach for all the fun and weirdo characters that hang out there.  Sounded good to me.  The guy at the desk was very friendly to my surprise, even asking how my van driver was.  Without needing any credentials or ID, he gave me my key marked 521 and he pointed the way upstairs.  I looked upstairs.  The place wasn't at all big but I still couldn't find 521.  I even checked the back of the hotel.  Nothing.  Finally, I went back to the front desk.  Turns out the guy writes his "2"s upside-down.  My room was 125. 

The room was spotless if not that big.  But the flat screen TV was nice and I was able the charge my vidcam, cell phone, PSP and minidisc recorder after being at LAX all night.

There were restaurants nearby, but I called the folks instead as I gathered my brochures from the lobby deciding what to do for the next couple of days.  As I watched TV, a friend from Ithaca called asking how things were going so far.  He told me there was a place in Hollywood called Amoeba Records that was a must-see.  He added that if I went I would probably blow my travel wad right there.  For that reason, and so I didn't lug purchases all over Australia, I decided to check it out on the way back home.

The SoCal sun shone brightly outside, but sleep felt good after all five senses working overtime to get me here.  I slept great except for the evening when some machacho showed off his car stereo in the parking lot for about 5 minutes.  I also heard the sound of a slow police chase outside on Sepulveda Boulevard with sirens interspersed with the loudspeaker commands of the officer for the perp to pull over.  After all, I was in the city where local TV is often interrupted for coverage of live police chases from helicopters.  I made sure the door was chained, rolled over and had a most restful sleep.

The next morning I woke up nice and early, got ready and enjoyed the free breakfast buffet downstairs with free muffins, waffles, toast, juice and a USA Today.  Travelers talked with each other about their exotic destinations as I ate and read the paper.  My options about how to fill the day were limited as I was still laden with my wheeled luggage.  The Crowne Plaza didn't check in until 4 pm, so I decided to go to Universal Studios Theme Park.  After all, they had lockers at the park for people to drop their stuff and explore.

Instead of getting the free shuttle back to LAX, I decided to walk the mile to the Transit Center where I could grab a train right to Burbank north of L.A. 30 miles away.  While I would never have guessed it, I have to say here that Los Angeles can boast of the absolute cheapest and most efficient transit system I've ever used.  The day pass which covered all Metro buses and trains covered my 60 mile round-trip journey and was only $5.00.  There was never a long wait for a train or bus and some even had a police officer on board for extra safety.  I'm used to paying US $6.00 for a single trip on the Tube for a couple miles' journey!

Having said that, the train trip ran through some rough neighborhoods south of L.A. towards the city.  I had to change trains in Watts near Compton.  Just the names of those cities strike fear into the heart of most Americans.  After getting on one train towards the city, one guy took up 3 seats as we boarded.  I smiled at him anyway as he looked at me confused and menacing.  He finally got up staring at me and sat someplace else.

But ultimately the trains were safe and fast.  Sometimes the train line ran along the roads with traffic.  We swooshed by as they remained stuck in the infamous L.A. traffic.  There was one more change of trains downtown and I would be at Universal Studios Theme Park.

Between Hollywood and Universal Studios, there was a line out the dark subway window of about 200 TVs in the wall, the image flickering out the previews for the new movie "Coraline" as we sped past.  Pretty cool.

Once at Universal, signs directed us to the bus stop for the free shuttle up the big hill to the theme park.  It wasn't a bus but a long outdoor tram that drug us up the hill.  Once there, there was a huge outdoor mall outside the park called Citywalk.  There were all manner of chain restaurants and fun diversions like flying in a tall tube as the air lifts you from below.  Just before the actual theme park, a guy at a kiosk promised me cool free stuff if I applied for a credit card, but the park had already been open an hour and I wanted to see everything!

I checked out the much-hyped locker room, but saw no lockers big enough to accommodate my huge wheeled rucksack.  Alas, the choice was to find something else to do, or wheel my luggage all over the park.  I had come this far, so I bought a ticket and went inside.  I'm glad I did.  There was a lot to do.  There was the Shrek ride, Return of the Mummy ride, Simpsons ride, Jurassic Park ride, a cool futuristic Terminator ride, a way cool Waterworld show with acrobatics and explosions, and many others. 

Outside there were some excellent performers, people who look and talk like their real actor counterparts.  I joked with Groucho Marx about my luggage and the possibility of camping in the park afterwards.  I took pictures with Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe, Shrek and Donkey.  I scored one picture with me in the starring role in one of my favorite movies "Back To The Future".

It wasn't very smart in hindsight, but to do some of the rides, I left my wheeled luggage outside in the provided sections of the park for baby strollers.  I was almost surprised to see my bag still there as I got back from each ride.  I took care that there were only clothes in the luggage.  All the valuables were in my backpack.  Still, it would have been a bad day to lose all those rare, bootleg Numan shirts.

On tripadvisor.com, I'd read mixed reviews about the park so I was a little apprehensive, but I had an absolute amazing day at the park.  If only I was there until Monday I could have been on American TV in the audience of the Jay Leno show which was taped nearby.  On the way to the exit, I couldn't resist the attractive young lady who took surveys about customers' experiences in the park.  The questions took 5 minutes and we could help ourselves to all the water we wanted afterward.  Not bad in a place where bottled water ran $3.00.

I decided to wait until Citywalk for dinner for more sane prices than the food in the park.  I settled on an Italian place with decent-priced pizza slices.  The friendly guy named Terry at the counter was middle-aged and asked where I was from.  The subject, as always, turned to Gary Numan.  He knew of Cars and seemed impressed I was flying to Australia to meet him.  The guy, like everyone else I met in Los Angeles, had their bonafide 15 minutes of fame.  I gave him a NAGNFC business card, and he promised to visit my website and let me know about his MySpace page so I could see the many famous musicians he'd played with.  His email appeared while I was in Australia.

Fully entertained, I took the free shuttle from the park back to the subway train.  With the train, I effortlessly rode back to the LAX Transit Center 30 miles south, then the 109 bus a further 8 miles south to the Crowne Plaza in Redondo Beach where my reservation awaited, all for the same $5.00 day pass I purchased that morning.  The price of taxis would have been ungodly by now.

The room rate for the Crowne Plaza was over $300.00, but my $60 Priceline deal meant my room was on the other side of the hotel away from the beach.  Still, the room was massive and featured every amenity, including a balcony.

I called the folks to update them.  I called them a lot now because in Australia it would cost $1.29/minute to use my cellie.  I wrote out some postcards, looked out on the balcony and looked in the room's guide to see the list of guest amenities.  I could choose from a free membership to the nearby Gold's Gym, a 4 hour bike rental along the pier, or a day's worth of free internet in the business lounge.  But for now, I opted to check out the rooftop outdoor jacuzzi. 

I sauntered into the elevator with well-heeled ladies and gentlemen with my shorts with fishies, and a T-shirt.  On the rooftop, there was a large swimming pool and a jacuzzi with 3 guys.  As the temperature plummeted to -20C back in New York, I disrobed to the bathers and jumped in to the jacuzzi.

I got talking with the locals in the jacuzzi who had access through their Gold's Gym membership.  One worked at a pub across the street while the others were looking for work.  I heard fascinating stories about their trips south into nearby Tijuana.  And we talked about the difference in culture between their west coast and my east coast.

I was soaking like Spongebob as a couple guys ran into the dark night to the pool and did cannonballs.  We stayed up there until the amenities closed at 10:00 pm.  I fared my new friends well, put on my shirt and shoes, and left downstairs to get access to the hotel for a good night's rest.

But it wasn't that easy.  It seems the doors locked for good at 10:00 pm sharp.  Not even fellow hotel patrons could open the door from inside.  After trying a few other doors I ended up walking to an elevator that spilled out into the lobby of this 4-star hotel.  I walked past the front desk briskly as I received smiles from the passersby.

Safe in my room, I dug out my huge economy size of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers to snack on, read travel brochures, recharged my electronics and slept, soundly dreaming of Australia.

I woke up too late the next morning to indulge in any other hotel amenities, so I got ready, packed my gear, wrote some more postcards and dropped them off in the lobby on the way out.  I had every intention to check out my new favorite place Ruby's for breakfast.  But Ruby's I had already seen.  Something pulled me toward The Cheesecake Factory on the beach down the road.  One had just opened up in Buffalo, New York and I'd been meaning to check it out.  Might as well check it out here.

I dragged my wheeled duffel bag inside and stood in line to be seated.  The place was busy which was a very good sign, even if a sign in the lobby exclaimed the the State of California has determined that the food may cause cancer.  A guy asked if I wanted to be seated indoors or on the patio.  I said "patio" off the cuff and before I remembered how hot the sun was in these parts, the guy was already leading me through the restaurant to a table outside.

This place was really cool and I got a floor show as birds of all types wrestled for scraps of bread, some braver ones walking into the nearby open-doored kitchen.  Jocelyn appeared with bread asking what I wanted to drink, "I couldn't help but notice your luggage.  Are you flying out or coming back?"

I told her the whole story about Australia and Gary Numan.  She seemed enthralled and told me about a part in a movie she landed where she had to learn an Australian accent.

Throughout the meal, she was entertaining and attentive.  I dare say that if I had chosen to sit indoors, I would have missed out on what was my second best waitress of all time (the first was a lass in the Canadian subarctic 6 hours north of Toronto, who let me stay at her place while my car was being fixed).

I signed the bill and was about the leave when she ran up to give me tips garnered from her recent backpacking trip through Prague.  What a way to start the day.  I walked a few blocks to get to the 109 bus back to the LAX Transit Center.

I waited what seemed like a very long time.  Although I had been down this road a few times by now, I noticed a huge building across the street.  There wasn't much fanfare to the place, but inside was a sealab that anyone could tour around.  While it wasn't huge, there were quite a few species to see, and even a huge TV with buttons to take a quiz about your knowledge of undersea creatures.  The place was quiet, unassuming, and was the first place I ever saw live jellyfish and seahorses.  There was a simple donation box on the way out and I slipped a couple ducats inside.

Back at the bus stop, my 109 pulled up shortly.  The woman bus driver kindly asked where I was flying to.  It had been awhile since I was in SoCal, and I'd completely forgotten how friendly everyone was here.  For a large city, the locals are outgoing and genuine.  Our chatting lasted until my stop 8 miles later.

Back at the airport, I still had 6 hours before my Qantas plane left the continent.  Luckily I'd brought heaps of reading material which sustained me until 9:30 pm when Qantas started checking in passengers.  In line, I sympathized with this guy behind me with no less than 14 pieces of luggage.  He had his wife and 6 kids along.  We laughed about the insane baggage fees he was about to endure when it was my turn to check in. 

With just a carry on and my duffel bag I gave him my passport.  He told me that he couldn't find a visa linked to that passport.  I told him I'd purchased one on the official Australian Travel Visa website and gave him my receipt as proof.  He tried the number a few more times with the same result.  He called another staff member for help, who said I'd simply have to buy one there at the desk.  What a way to start a trip!

Finally he called a main Qantas desk who told him to charge me for another one.  At that moment, he said "Wait a minute".  Seems he was putting in the wrong passport number.  Geesh!  Thanks for the scare, buddy!  I grabbed my boarding pass but before I left, the guy checking in next to me had overheard everything and asked if it worked out okay. 

I dropped off my luggage in the Travelator and walked upstairs to get me past security.  The guy in line ahead of me was taking some friendly ribbing from one of the security guys because he looked like Macauley Culkin.  The same guy looked at my passport and laughed at the fact that it had been washed.

My passport was indeed washed inadvertently in 2004 but has still been used since then.  It is in bad shape though and I was surprised it was still useful as it could no longer be scanned.

Once through security I walked to the far terminal.  I was surprised at the large number of people there waiting to disembark to their destinations.  It was hard to find a seat as I waited.  So much for the ill effects of a bad economy.

Nothing else to do.  I'd already eaten.  So I whipped out the PSP and played some pinball.  Finally the passengers to Brisbane were called upon to board.  I was looking forward to being subject to the excellent Qantas service my friend back home told me about.

I love how people with assigned seats race to be first to board the plane, as if the plane was going to take off any sooner if they rushed aboard.  The only logic I can tell that is occurring is that they are now first to the overhead luggage space.  I commonly hold my backpack down by my ankles on a flight, its books, PSP and snacks available within arm's reach during the flight.  What's worse is when people grab their stuff from the overhead bin after we land, only to stand uncomfortably in line for 15 minutes until they're let off the plane.  I just sit there and read as everyone else is standing with all their carryon luggage.

The Qantas customers were pampered immediately.  Once seated, we were all given pillows, blankets, an eyeshade, toothbrush and a key chain.  I scored my assigned window seat, and it wasn't until I sat down that I realized that there wouldn't be much to look at.  The whole trip was ocean. 

I gave my two lovely seatmates to the left a Werther's caramel candy.  Another handy tip on a plane is to give seatmates pieces of 2 cent candy.  They will be most helpful and pleasant with everything during the rest of the flight.  Well worth the investment.

It turned out my seatmates were a mother and daughter.  They were from Toronto and were stoked to be going to Australia.  The Mom was giving lectures in different cities about human relations so she probably saw right through my 2 cent candy scheme.  The daughter was bubbly and super excited to see Oz for the first time.

I was impressed early on from the Qantas takeoff.  I'm used to my heart sinking down into my feet given the violent G-forces of a normal takeoff.  For the first time ever, I didn't even feel us taking off.  The jet lifted from the ground and high into the air like hot butter, effortless and majestic.  Most impressive!

Once in the air, I watched the tiny grid of Los Angeles disappear behind us.  That was it, there was no turning back now.  The next stop was the Home of Crocodile Dundee!  The flight took 14 hours, but with the killer selection of TV shows and movies to choose from, as well as getting served fresh apples, snacks, dinner and breakfast enroute, it was the most enjoyable flight I'd ever had.  The addition of little boomerangs to the flight attendant uniform only added to the anticipation of starting the Australian adventure.

As we cruised over Hawaii, Fiji, American Samoa and Tahiti, I watched The Wrestler (a gory but very enthralling true story), Slumdog Millionaire, much of the movie Australia and 3 episodes of Fawlty Towers.  The Wrestler was full of nude strip club scenes and it was a little embarrassing as the Canadian Mom looked over to see what the heck I was looking at.  Turns out, regular free Australian TV is pretty liberal about what it shows in primetime.  Nudity and F-bombs are not uncommon.  Quite an alien concept to a Yank though.

I nodded off, a rare accomplishment for me in flight.  I must have dreamed about an old Images cassette I had which featured Gary talking about his scary flight over the Pacific in his small plane.  It was a bad copy, and as you listened to Gary talk about the engines icing up, and sharks underneath and nothing for it but to wait, it sounded much like a distant shortwave radio transmission coming in and out.  It sounded like Gary was talking live and describing his Pacific flight.  And now I was following his route, sharks underneath and jet engines icing then thawed by their own heat in the -87C air of 40,000 feet.

Brisbane appeared over the horizon.  The daughter obviously thought Australia was entirely outback and exclaimed how green the landscape looked.  We passed over Moreton Island which holds one of the largest koala parks, then flew over downtown Brisbane with its glittering high rises.  The Mom put her copy of The Sunburnt Country by Bill Bryson away and watch the landing like the rest of us.

The first settlement in this, Australia's third largest city, was established at Radcliffe on Moreton Bay in 1824.  As you might guess, this new colony was for difficult convicts, this time from the Botany Bay colony in New South Wales down south of Queensland.  After struggling with inadequate water supplies and hostile Aboriginal groups, the colony was relocated to safer territory on the banks of the Brisbane River.  They threw up their hands and gave up on the whole colony idea in 1839, abandoning Brisbane.  Moreton Bay was thrown open to free settlers in 1842, an action that marked the beginning of Brisbane's rise to prominence, and the beginning of the end for the region's Aboriginal peoples.

Today the Brisbane River sparkled in hairpins snaking through the city harbouring its water taxis taking you anywhere you wanted to be downtown.  I couldn't wait to explore.  Tray tables were locked into their upright position and the Qantas landing was just as good as the takeoff.

Once off the plane, I took a picture of the Canadians with their camera with Brisbane sparkling in the background through glass.  I read that Australian customs were the second friendliest after the Canadians.  Not only were they friendly, I wasn't asked the purpose of my trip or how long I was staying.  They could garner all that info from the landing form everyone had to fill out and show.  But even with the landing form, I was always asked the customary customs questions in the UK and even Canada where I lived for a couple of years.

Once through "customs", it was off to the luggage carousel where I saw friendly looking beagles being leashed around as they sniffed each other's backsides.  In my country, bags are often sniffed by menacing looking but unobtrusive German Shepherds as you walk past to US Customs.  Here it was tail-wagging beagles.  I'm told they have a pretty mean sniffer, however, when it comes to items Australia sternly forbids from entering the island.  I never saw any bag-sniffing though.

Then it was one final queue where friendly ladies in line asked if we had any food or wood products in our bags.  At the large X-ray scanner, they didn't bother with my large duffel bag but asked me to pass my backpack through.  My chocolate and Goldfish crackers past muster and I was on my way.  As I left, I did see a secondary section where several travelers had their bags ripped open with their wares strewn all over a table.  One customs dude was taking an authoritative stance over one guy who obviously tried to smuggle in something on Australia's long list of verboten items.

The Brisbane Airport was smaller than I expected.  Finding the airport train to downtown was a breeze.  Once at the train platform, I took time to breathe in my first lungs of Australian air.  A little dry, definitely warm.  It would take some getting used to.  I would like to say that I did get used to it, but a minor dry cough persisted the entire trip that disappeared when I returned home.

But I'd never been half a planet away from home.  I was around the world and in the opposite hemisphere.  The only way I could be further from home would be if I went into outer space.  It was time to check into the hotel and get exploring!

The train was air-conditioned and got us to town quickly.  My hotel and tomorrow Numan show was in Fortitude Valley.  Peter in Melbourne told me about Google Streetview where you could see and follow a road at ground level.  We both "walked" from the hotel to the Numan show online.  Even though I had never been here, it would look as if I'd already been here already, having explored the neighborhoods around the hotel virtually.

I was going to use the Brunswick St. stop then walk to the hotel, but the a stop was announced as Fortitude Valley.  Even better!  The train stop was cool, with a huge food court and shopping.  I used an ATM to grab Au$500 (only cost US$358!) and headed out.  Once outside to walk to the hotel, the heat of tropical Queensland was oppressive and sticky. 

The walk to the hotel was short but uphill.  I made a side trip to the site of the Numan show tomorrow on the way to the hotel, finally succumbing to the heat and sitting down on some steps.  The ants and bees from a nearby bush were good impetus for getting my second wind.

It was 10:00 am, but the nice lady at the front desk checked me in early.  I told her about the show nearby and that I was expecting some friends to also check in soon.  She said she'd seen Numan posters downtown advertising the show.  She talked about a cool Buzzcocks show she'd recently seen at the Tivoli, saying it was a great intimate place to see a show.  It was as I pulled out Aussie funds to pay for the room that I noticed that their money had little see-through windows.  I'd never seen anything like it.  The money was plastic and part transparent!  They probably don't have much problem with counterfeiters. 

The room was simple but private, with shared bathroom.  There was no A/C but the room did have a small fridge/freezer and private balcony.  The room was incredibly hot but I didn't want to open the balcony doors lest any of Australia's poisonous spiders, oversized insects or snakes made their way inside to keep me company.  The room had a TV, a mirror and a sink.  The heat was so intense, that even the cold water ran hot in the room.

After 14 hours on a plane, I had a cold shower in the shared bathroom.  The bathroom, like all hotel bathrooms in Australia I saw, had signs asking patrons to conserve Australia's precious water and take 4 minute showers.  Australia is already the driest continent on Earth, but it was also suffering a serious drought.  I had checked the weather for Melbourne for 8 weeks before I left, yet Australia's second largest city received no rain at all in that time.  Sydney wasn't much better.

I called the folks to let them know I'd survived the perilous journey over the Pacific.  It was Sunday morning so they joked that I should find a church to peek into.  I was more eager to explore than knackered from the flight over the Pacific, and I was out the door.

I hadn't gotten far when I found an Aboriginal Weslyan Methodist service.  This was something I didn't get a chance to see at home.  The white building was a hot and tiny, rundown one room affair.  Inside were about 15 people, and I walked inside during the proceedings positive that I had sat down unnoticed.  Just then, a woman walked toward me and gave me a program. 

Most everyone in the audience had some part to play during the service, be it musical or speech.  It was half native tongue and half English.  The music was unearthly and beautiful.  I made sure and captured some of it on audio.  I couldn't understand one guy as he spoke in his native tongue, but he teared up as he spoke.  Some younger members of the crowd just laughed and rolled their eyes.

Afterward everyone gathered briefly to say hello and shake hands, which I did as well.

I walked into town, about a 2 mile walk.  On the way I saw a pedestrian mall doing a brisk business.  The outdoor vendors sold all manner of vinyl records, books, and even American one dollar bills for $2.00.  I pulled out one of my own and showed him.  It was a little eerie walking down the pedestrian mall.  There is another such downtown promenade in my hometown of Ithaca with the exact same dimensions, and if I squinted my eyes I could convince myself that I was home.  Being Sunday, the Ticketek office at Central Station wouldn't be open until tomorrow to grab my Numan tickets for all the shows.

 Outside I found an internet cafe and updated the NAGNFC Forum with the latest:

First update from Australia! March 1, 2009!

Hello to the Numanoids of the World! Well I just touched down this morning in the land of didgeridoos, kangaroos and several other sundries that end in "oo".
February 28 didn't exist for me having crossed the International Date Line. I want my day back! Well I'll get it back when I fly back the end of March. It's a 16 hour time difference but a 13 hour flight so I'll literally get back 3 hours before I leave. Why try and be normal when there's THAT going on? Good thing we're Numan fans.
At customs I had to prove my tourist worth when I was asked to throw a boomerang around some dingoes then (the hard part) catching it again. Luckily I passed the rigors and was subsequently upgraded to "tourist status".
I scored a room at the Brisbane Manor Hotel literally around the corner from Numan's show tomorrow night. The nice young lady at check-in said she saw Numan posters around town advertising the show. The metro dailies feature one page ads near the front advertising Numan's show, too. I get the feeling these shows will be something to remember.
I was happy to read Gary will be treating us to at least one song off "Dead Son Rising". I can uncross my fingers and toes now.
There is no preshow party planned for the show tomorrow night, however there has been murmurings of an impromptu aftershow party with all the fans celebrating Gary's return to Australia after being away since Cars hit #9 in the US in 1980.
It's been a blast prowling for Aussie pressings of Numan items in semi-hidden vintage record stores.
I haven't seen much of Australia yet only having been here 8 hours, but first impressions are that I feel like I'm in England except it's about 30 degrees warmer. Oh man, I haven't even tried that thing where the water drains the opposite way! Great, I have something to do tonight.
'Til the next update... 

I walked to the Roma St. Transit Station down the street where I would pick up my Countrylink train tickets for the entire trip's itinerary.  This is also where I would be disembarking for Sydney after the show.  The woman at the desk seemed intrigued about the tour I was following.  I think she was just being friendly.  I told her I may not need the Brisbane-Sydney train as I might be riding with my friend, Donald, who'd emailed me just before I left.  After some confusion, I just told her to leave the itinerary as it originally was, the safest option for sure.

Roma St. was well equipped with eateries and shopping.  I scored some pizza from a Japanese place and bought my first suntan lotion since the 1970's.  On the main level was a couple of kids with a booth set up to aid disadvantaged children.  One of them came up to me, said I looked like the casual type and asked where I was from.  After telling him, he told me to have a great trip in his country.

I wandered into the main section of town and was almost enticed into a casino if only for the strong blast of air conditioning that embraced me lovingly as I walked past, but I resisted.  The woman at the hotel desk said that the South Bank was a good place to explore.  I found a bridge across the Brisbane River and walked along the shore opposite the tallest buildings.

The South Bank was a hip place to shop and be seen.  It was also a collection of Art Galleries and Performing Arts Centres.  Its jewel however, was the long strip of parkland along the river complete with beautiful manmade beaches, outdoor eateries, Japanese temples and dozens of strange curved-beaked Ibis birds walking around.

Also there was one of those huge, white ferris wheels that are popping up all over the world.  It was very quiet along the water and I nearly had the entire wheel to myself.  The woman at the ticket booth told me that to properly enjoy the wheel, I needed to have a significant other with me.  After much persistence on her part, I finally asked if she would join me.  But alas she had to work.  So much for enjoying an employee discount.  I shot some great video from the top though, and it was air-conditioned!

It was after a bit more walking that the weariness of the trip had finally caught up with me.  It was 2:00 pm here but to me it was 10:00 am yesterday, and was up all night.  Luckily the woman at the hotel front desk gave me an excellent map.  I worked out the location of the metro station to get me quickly back to Fortitude Valley.  Once back at the hot room, I lifted all the sheets off the floor from any enterprising insects, pulled the bed up by the freezer, opened up the freezer door and at 3:30 pm fell fast asleep for 11 hours, with one exception.

At 4:00 pm, a young girl I'd never met opened the locked door to my room to place a sign inside about the availability of their laundry service.  In my sleepy stupor, I was still a little taken back by this.  I meant to say something like, "Gee, I thought I paid for a private room.  Good thing I wasn't naked!"  But instead what left my lips were the words, "I must be dreaming".  I meant it to say that I couldn't believe people were walking into my room but I'm sure she took it as, "I can't believe such an attractive young lass has awoken me from my slumber."

Ultimately I was too tired to care.  The ice in the freezer had already half-melted in the searing heat and I fell fast asleep until 2:30 am local time the next day, the day of Gary Numan's historic return to Australia with the show that night at the nearby Tivoli!

I would love to have slept more, but I was now wide awake.  I read some more of the newspapers I'd brought with me as well as a couple weeklies I picked up downtown.  Looking through one metro, I saw a full page ad advertising Gary's show that night.  I was impressed and couldn't remember similar press coverage on any of his US tours I'd followed.

At 6:00 am I showered and walked back downtown to explore more and look for a place for breakfast.  I found a Subway on the way to grab a sandwich and read the morning paper.  Downtown I swung by the Ticketek office to pick up all three of my Numan tickets.  On the wall, I saw a good sized poster of Numan's show.  I asked if I could buy it.  The woman said to come back tomorrow and I could have it.

I was exploring one of the many indoor malls when I received a call from Anita.  She had recently sent a link about an Australian Numan interview and told me to call her once I was at the show.  She said that she was bringing a friend with her with a Def Leppard T-shirt.  I told her Gary was going to LOVE that!  LOL!  Anita asked me how I was liking Australia and told me how much she was looking forward to the show tonight.  Soon afterward I received a call from Donald at my hotel and I took the train back to meet him.  There was a loungy front area to hang out and talk as he was told the hotel wasn't yet checking in guests.  He wore a Goodies T-shirt which endeared me to him immediately.  Perhaps he read how much of a fan I am of the TV show on other NAGNFC Riveting Chapters.  Donald was a member of the old Numan Digest from the early 1990's and also remembered me from that early online forum based in California.

Donald had his car and we wandered back into town so we could grab a bite and I could show him where those metro dailies were with the large full page ad of the Numan show.  He had never been to Brisbane, and I was amused that even though I was 23,000 km from home, and had only been in Australia for a day, I was the one doing all the navigating!  LOL!  But by then I had already done the 2 mile walk into town twice, so I was familiar with the layout.  I had eaten earlier, so I watched as he ordered lunch at a downtown indoor mall.  Vegemite was on the menu, and Donald said I really needed to try some before I returned home.  One Asian lady at the counter heartily agreed with him.

I still had much to do to get ready for the show.  We made our way back to the hotel where Donald was able to check in, and we agreed to meet in the lobby at 5:00 pm to get in the queue for the show.  I was in my room a short time preparing my look and gear before I received a knock at the door.  It was Peter!  After the weeks of emails we finally met face to face!  I invited him in and he was eager to see all the rare, bootleg Numan shirts I'd brought to wear on the tour.  He gave me a very cool article from his hometown paper, The Herald Sun. 

Peter said it was rare for the conservative paper to devote so much space to a music artist.  Numan promoter Civil Society was obviously doing their footwork.  Interviews and pictures of Gary were all over the Australian media!  I gave Peter some CDs and DVDs I promised him, and took one more shower before the show to wash off the two trips to the hot downtown region that day.

Spiffed up, geared up and chocolated up, I met Donald in the lobby and we walked to the show.  Peter said he would meet up with us there.  As promised, Anita and her friend were in the queue at the Tivoli and we all hugged like old friends.  I was looking for Joey from Canada and Martin from Sydney, but I wouldn't see them until after the show. 

As we stood and talked with each other, the queue grew to even larger proportions.  Peter stopped by to say that there was a pub nearby where him and a few fans from Oz and the UK were hanging out, and he disappeared again.  I asked people who'd been to the Tivoli if it was air-conditioned.  This would be one hot show, otherwise.  We were in luck and were kept cool inside.  I told everyone around me about a show on the US Exile Tour in Cambridge.  It was so hot in the basement bar, we walked outside exclaiming "We Are Gassed!"

I must have passed out over 100 NAGNFC business cards to people in the queue and in the show that night.  Fans asked for more cards for friends who couldn't make it to the show.

Just before the doors opened, the sky darkened and we received a small but heavenly spritz of moisture.  I'm sure a lot of it evaporated before it hit us, but the cooling effect was welcome.  Soon afterward we all saw a huge rainbow above us.  It was the perfect start to Gary's Tour.

The doors opened!  I, in front, executed a maneuver that was later described online as a gazelle being chased by a cheetah.  Making my way to the stage, I heard, "Hey, how are you?"  It was The Big G!  He smiled at me and said, "Here we go again!"  I laughed and told him I'd talk with him more after the show.

As Numan fans streamed inside, I had a look at the Tivoli.  The place was a cool, little venue.  Not too small, but not overly large.  It was a great space for a Numan show.  Some fans recognised me and said hello.  At every show, I was asked if Cedric, Chris and Rrusell were still in Gary's band.  I could forgive this.  I could remember the night Gary first played the US in more than 16 years.  It had been so long, and these casual fans hadn't been privy to what Gary had been up to on stage since watching their Touring Principle videos.  One fan in New York City on the US Exile Tour even walked out during the performance having expected the large Telekon panels from 1980.

Donald left to buy us drinks as more of the crowd introduced themselves.  You could cut the sweaty anticipation of Gary's return with a boomerang.  No one was familiar with opening band Pivot.  But as the lights went down I got my first taste of Pivot.  There were two keyboard set-ups on either side of a cool manic Gwenmars-style drummer.  So they couldn't go far wrong with that set up.

Pivot were a mix of Devo wizardry, OMD harmonies and Rush arrangements.  I heard mixed reviews.  Some loved the brilliant, fresh and forward-thinking ambience of the songs while some dismissed them as too experimental.  But in 1979, Gary's weird new synthy music was deemed too experimental by the mainstream press as well.

Pivot left the stage and before long, Gary Numan reclaimed Australia with his set of old and new, and one very new track called "The Fall" which was a completion of a song which originally appeared on Numan's release Purified and is on the new Dead Son Rising CD.  Other tracks played include Down In The Park, Are 'Friends' Electric?, Metal, Cars, a couple from Jagged, a couple from Pure, nothing from Exile though.

During Metal, I jumped up and down as Gary sang, "It's tomorrow they send me singing I AM AN AMERICAN".  Gary smiled at me knowingly.  LOL!

Later that night outside, Gary said that he was very nervous about the performance after having been away for so long.  That reminded me of Gary's first show in the US in 16 years when he later admitted that he was backstage "shitting bricks" before the show.  No one at either that US or this Australian show told me they detected any nervousness though.  Gary was a total professional and provided fans with his unique and special live show that cannot be described.  That is why at every show I see friends dragging their own friends to the show so they can experience the magic of a Numan performance.  The occurrence cannot be relayed in mere words.

Back outside, friends were made and email addresses were exchanged as we waited for Gary to say hello to us.  As always, The Big G asked everyone to form a queue and Gary appeared.  As fans spoke with Gary, I saw Gemma across a huge parking lot behind the Tivoli and waved.  She walked the parking lot to come up to me and say, "Look at you!  I can't believe you came all the way to Australia!  Nice job!"  She showed me her digital camera which had a huge crack in the rear screen compliments of Echo.

I asked Gemma how the flight was.  She said it was long like mine, and like me, it's not easy for Gary to sleep on the plane.  We got some pictures and she was off.

What was a structured queue to speak with Gary became a half circle of casual conversation, much like the one at the Best Western hotel after the 1998 Philadelphia show after Gary's first US performance in 16 years when Gary spoke with 15 of us for 90 minutes.

Peter and I took pictures of each other with Gary and The Big G finally announced that everyone had to wrap it up.  And just like that, Gary's first Australian gig was history.  Peter decided to get some rest after the flight from Brisbane.  I'd been up for 24 hours by now, but was still up for the impromptu aftershow party!

Some of us decided to make tracks and drive to a nearby 24-hour McDonald's for an aftershow gathering as it was the only place open.  One of the guys was doing research on Carl Sagan.  Since Sagan lived in Ithaca, his daughter was in my high school class, I knew where he lived and I saw a lecture of his at Cornell in 1985, I told him any insight I had about the host of Cosmos.  He said he might even fly over to see Ithaca's Sagan Planet Walk where the "planets" are represented around the city, to scale, radiating from the "Sun" downtown.

Again, no one in our afterparty clan was from Brisbane, so it was up to the American to navigate to find the McDonald's downtown and back.  LOL!

Check out time at the hotel came early, but at 3:00 am I found the resolve to update the NAGNFC Forum with a second update to broadcast to the world how Gary's first show in Australia had gone:

Second Australian Update! March 3, 2009

Hello to the Numanoids of the World! Gary's first show in Oz in
29 years has just finished. Before the show, I gave out NAGNFC cards
to everyone in the queue. And I met many people whom I just knew as
names on a screen!
Not much for sale. Just that Numan shirt with the lyrics on the
back, a Premiere Hits CD and the little Numan badge. It sort of
looks like a backstage pass.
Among the tracks performed were We Are So Fragile, Haunted,
Cars, Down In The Park, AFE, Films, Jagged , Rip, Pure, A Prayer For
The Unborn and a song from Dead Son Rising (a track which partially
appeared on Purified in 2001).
The Aussies looked ecstatic to see Gary on their home turf and
the vibe was awesome and cordial. After the show, Gary came to speak
with us. He spoke with a circle of us for about an hour, much like
he did at his hotel after his first US show in 16 years.
The aftershow party was a low key affair with a group of us
talking all things Numan at an all night Brisbane McDonald's. Oh
great, I travel 16,000 miles (26,000 kilometers) and still eat
American food! LOL!
I scored some great shots to share with everyone on the NAGNFC
when I fly home.
'Til the next update!

As you might imagine, dear reader, I slept like a fallen log in the northern borealis.  Donald knocked on my door at 9:00 am saying the hotel checkout was 10:00 am.  We agreed to meet in the lobby and I showered and packed my gear to drive 1,000 km down the Pacific Highway and really see Australia!

I navigated Donald out of town where he was able to pick up the Pacific Highway south to Sydney.  We followed the coast the entire way down through nature preserves, tunnels and national parks.  There weren't any large cities the entire way, just small hamlets on either side of the Gold Coast.

Donald made sure we had a look around the Gold Coast.  This was the place to see and be seen, an Australian tourist mecca of mammoth proportions.  The beaches curved in a massive bay collectively known as the Gold Coast.  There was a lot of new construction as far as tourist diversions and condos.  The beaches and area were thankfully uncrowded, and it was a great stop for ice cream, shopping and vidcam recording.

Donald said we could stop at anything that caught my eye, and even mentioned a cool sugar cane processing facility that offered tours, but I knew we had some miles to travel.  He said we could split a motel, but we opted to make it the rest of the way to his place in Sydney.  We did stop at some amazing lookouts such as the one at Byron Bay (where Devo played a festival last year!).  And we ate lunch at this one tourist trap specialising in everything macadamia.

Donald lived a few miles outside Sydney.  It was dark as we approached his house.  We stopped at a lookout high above Sydney where I could look at the lights of Australia's biggest city.

Once at home, we watched some TV.  It was the largest plasma I'd ever seen.  I honestly didn't know they made them 60" big.  Crazy!  We watched some Australian music videos by various bands than it was off to bed.  I got the huge sofa bed in the living room with the best perk of all, the run of the air conditioner!!!  The next day would be a free day and we slept in until almost noon!

I could have slept longer when Donald finally made his way where I slept, but I sure didn't come all this way just to sleep.  We got ready and we stole away for the city.  With local Sydnian Donald with me, I was about to get the full tour. 

As we drove closer, I could see the world famous Harbour Bridge in the distance, then the glittering towers of the city where only 20 years ago, most had not stood.  At one point as we sat in traffic, a truck driver next to us saw my vidcam and gave me a hearty welcome saying, "Have a great time in Sydney!".  Once downtown, I was struck first by the people.  It was hard, nigh impossible to pick out one unattractive person.  I'd been a lot of places but I'd never seen a city of models.  The level of fashion sense and beauty outweighed by ratios the residents of any other city I'd visited.  It was only slightly unsettling, but it sure beat the alternative.

We drove up and down main streets to help me get my bearings.  Then we drove to The Rocks where European settlers first touched base in Australia.  In 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip established Australia's first European settlement.  Early Sydney bumbled through near-starvation and rum-fuelled political turmoil, and things didn't boom until the 1850's gold rush, when Sydney's population doubled in a decade.

Here at The Rocks near the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, I could see the area had evolved unrecognisably from its squalid, overcrowded origins.  Residents once sloshed through open sewers and alleyways festering with disease, prostitution and drunken lawlessness.  Sailors, whalers and rapscallions boozed and brawled shamelessly in countless habourside pubs.  Things didn't improve in 1900 when the Bubonic Plague hastened the decline of the area. 

The start of the Harbour Bridge in the 1920's caused futher demolition to entire streets, and in the 1970's the area was finally recognised for its cultural and architectural heritage.  The ensuing redevelopment has saved a lot of the old buildings but has turned the area into a sanitised 'olde worlde' tourist mecca where kitsch cafes and tourist shops prevail.

It was a good climb from The Rocks to the Harbour Bridge.  I was mesmerised by the nearby Sydney Opera House, Australia's most recognised symbol that I'd only seen 1000 times in pictures.  I remembered the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics when people rappelled down the tricky roof.

There was what looked like a huge turret tower on either side of the entrance to the bridge.  We climbed the stairs of one which had engaging displays about the construction of the bridge, once the longest in the world, until the Americans built one just 63cm longer.  The view from the top was brilliant and I snapped pics of the Opera House and the newly-built downtown.  Donald was adept at pointing out what was new and where various scenes from The Matrix were filmed.  He even pointed the vidcam for me while I narrated the scenery.

Back downtown, he showed me a cool record store called Red Eye Records where I found something weird.  It was even weirder than the 10" DJ vinyl of Groove Armada's cover of AFE I found at the HMV in Manchester in the UK last year.  This was a 12" of Dumb Dan vs. Gary Numan with a song called "Are Friends Electro?".  I haven't yet been brave enough to play it, but if you're curious I'll put it up on The Audio Principle.  As we spoke to Donald's friend who worked there, his friend was not a huge fan of Numan, but had been to my website and recognised me.

I offered dinner to return the hospitality.  He thought of dining at the rotating restaurant at the top of the tall Centrepoint Tower, primarily a tourist overlook.  Neither of us could decipher the menu once at the top.  So to make sure I got the full Australian culinary experience, he bought some meat pies, an Australian staple, for dinner.  These are popular in Australia.  We have them in the States too, but we call them pot pies.  The ones in Oz are larger and are often topped with tomato sauce (ketchup).

We spent the evening watching some amazing 1980s videos from British and Australian musicians on his Blu-Ray player.  Donald has an amazing collection of videos he scored off the Australian TV show Rage.  Many were some of my favorites growing up like Mi-sex and Telex and even Dear Enemy, but I'd never seen the music videos.  Donald had everything!  He even had some amazing old TV footage of singer Olivia Newton-John whom I loved in the misunderstood movie Xanadu.

That evening, Donald primed me on Australian bands, and we watched Aussie videos from Architecture in Helsinki, Hoodoo Gurus, Icehouse, The Presets, The Potbelliez and others from 1980-2009.  At the end I felt very much up to speed on the pop culture in this foreign country that I was about to explore further.  Architecture in Helsinki made a particular impression on me and I vowed to pick up some of their stuff before hopping the Pacific home.

I fell asleep that night incredibly happy with the trip so far.  I had made new friends, seen Gary in Brisbane, and looked forward to Gary's show here in Sydney tomorrow.  It would be a day when I would meet friends both old and new for the very first time, I would see star constellations I'd never seen, I'd bribe girls with Numan CDs to hold my spot in the queue and an online rumour would surface about a threatening note being handed to one of Gary's band members.

Learning the didgeridoo 

Warp to Chapter 2: Sydney

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