I once had a mate who said, ‘You have no half measures’. I shrugged it off at the time, but the more I reflect on it now the truer it seems. I tend to fixate on obscure things. Occasionally a particular interest becomes an obsession and I pour my whole self into it. It started back in grade three when I was a child. Below I’ll list a few of these silly fascinations.
I think my very first obsession was Michael Jackson. I idolised this eccentric performer and plastered my bedroom walls with MJ posters. I bought the Dangerous album on cassette repeatedly because they wore out from being played so often. I’m not entirely sure where this fixation came from, but he remained my hero for a good couple of years.
Then comes Guns N’ Roses. This isn’t quite as embarrassing as Wacko Jacko. I remember spinning Use Your Illusions One and Two to my mum’s dismay, much to her constant complaining. I would later purchase Lies, Appetite for Destruction and The Spaghetti Incident. I was eleven years old at the time. I still like GNR and occasionally find myself putting their albums on; their music seems not to age.
Nike shoes. I was absolutely determined to get a pair of Nike shoes. I think this was because everyone else seemed to be wearing them. I wanted those shoes more than anything, and I waited patiently for a long time before my folks finally bought me a pair.
This one is strange. I can’t quite recall how this fascination began. When I was twelve I developed a strong interest in skyscrapers that felt almost instinctive. Strange, right!? I came to know the tallest structures, their exact heights and the years they were completed. I can still look at an American city skyline and name the city simply by recognising its distinctive buildings. I was especially fond of the Rialto in Melbourne. Every visit to the city meant a trip to its observation deck—while it was still open—or a small purchase from the gift shop. By the way, the building stands 253 metres tall. There are many much taller towers in Melbourne now.
Basketball cards. I’m not going to call this a unique obsession since everyone was buying cards in the mid-nineties, but I did collect seriously for a time. I owned some rare, valuable cards that I eventually sold through Marketplace.
Enter motocross. As a child I spent most of my life in Bendigo on a large country property, where wide paddocks and dusty tracks became the backdrop to my days. I had an old Honda 50 that I absolutely flogged until it rattled, then the old man bought me a very old YZ80. This is when I really started racing. I can remember being a little envious of all the other kids who were riding much more recent, polished bikes. My next bike was my pride and joy — a CR80 that had been carefully worked on and was one of the fastest machines at the races. Racing became my life. I even made a track at the back of the property and would spend hours every day practicing and trying to shave seconds off my laps. Dad eventually put an end to my racing career because he was spending his weekends off work driving me to different events. My grades at school weren’t fantastic — in fact, they were dismal — so he sold my bike. That was such a blow. I don’t blame him entirely for pulling me out of racing, but he could have at least let me keep the bike. For the record, my school grades didn’t improve afterward.
Psychedelics. Though my direct experience is limited, I know a great deal about them. I own heaps of books and have downloaded hours of lectures and interviews from thinkers like Terence McKenna, Tim Leary, Paul Stamets and many others. I’ve always been deeply fascinated by alternate and expanded states of consciousness.
Alcohol has been a shitty best friend for years, always showing up with false comfort and empty promises. There has never been such a thing as one beer for me; one always turns into many. I push it to the point of blacking out because moderation feels impossible. This is a blunt example of how I handle so many things in my life: all or nothing, no middle ground.
When I was in high school, year 7, I was completely into the band Nirvana and Kurt Cobain. Obsessed! I knew all of their songs, including the B-sides, off by heart, and I collected all the memorabilia I could find. I still play their records every now and then. My favorite album of all time is Unplugged in New York — I have spun that album thousands of times since 1996. I idolised Kurt Cobain, just like so many other teenagers, and their music seems timeless; it doesn’t age.
I am a dedicated Tool fan. I have been since I was first introduced to their music in 1996, and their sound has been a constant presence in my life ever since. I have attended several of their live shows and proudly wear Tool tattoos as a permanent tribute. They will always be my number-one band, even ahead of Nirvana. I’m also a devoted admirer of Maynard Keenan and deeply appreciate his work with his other two projects, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer. I’ll be seeing both of those bands in December and can’t wait for the experience. Every thing Maynard touches seems to turn to gold.
I’m sure there are other things I had an interest in over the years. Obviously art is my greatest passion these days. I guess you could call it an obsession, but unlike the things I mentioned before it’s something deeply artistic and personally fulfilling. I’m into a heap of music and often go to concerts with my partner in crime.