Tag: Australia

Stop! Hammersly Time!

Recently I was scanning my favorite free streaming network (Tubi) and came across this Australian TV drama. I have to say I’m into the third season of Sea Patrol and enjoy watching it. The show centers around the crew of the HMAS Hammersly of the Royal Australian Navy and their adventures on the ocean blue: rescues, pirates, snakes, gun runners, smugglers, even tattoo parlors. (In case I haven’t mentioned it, I have a theory about TV shows and movies set in prison or on the high seas. I think they are both naturally dramatic settings, which makes it harder to make a bad show/movie in either setting.)

In any event, I like the show’s theme song which is kind of a high energy fanfare meets Miami Vice type of thing. It was composed by Les Gock.

Man, they really zip through the cast listings…not that I really knew any of them before watching this series. One cool thing about watching a series like this one is it’s kind of foreign, but it’s kind of familiar — I watch it in subtitles so I can understand some of the Aussie accents.

The first couple of episodes they kept calling one of the main characters “Buffer” or “BUFF-FAHH” in Australian accent. That threw me a bit. According to Wikipedia, “Buffer is the colloquial title for the senior seaman sailor.” Some of the other main characters include “X” (short for executive officer), “Spider” or “SPY DUH” (a Seaman named Webb), “Nav” (the navigator), “RO” (radio operator), and “Charge” or “CHAA jjhh” (the chief engineer). They also add a new chef to the HMAS Hammersly named “Bomber” or “BOM MUH” during Season Two.

Another part, I like about “high seas” entertainment is some of the lingo and phrases you hear throughout the series: “Hands to boarding stations”, “Avast”, “Stop or heave to, I intend to board you.” (The last one is a real thing and not just uttered during shore leave! In one of my favorite films The Bounty, an officer tells a crew member, “You shall kiss the gunner’s daughter.” Then he’s bent over a canon while he was hit with a knotted rope. Good stuff!)

The ensemble cast of Sea Patrol offers a wide variety of storylines from show to show and season to season. I recommend it. Oi!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Nuh-Nuh-Nutbush

I’ve listened to plenty of classic rock radio over the years, but I think I might have only owned ONE of Bob Seger’s albums — 1975’s “Beautiful Loser” if I’m not mistaken. (You know, the album cover with the top hat, cane, tux, and what you can only call the “Seger Do” of long hair and beard.) I probably got a deal on a used record at Record Reunion.

Bob Seger has written a lot of great songs. One song Seger didn’t write, but made his own, is the Tina Turner composition “Nutbush City Limits” about her hometown in Tennessee. Her original version came out in 1973 and featured a super-funky guitar from her then-husband Ike Turner.

The original also featured an instrument called a clavinet, which added to the funk. 1976’s release “Live Bullet” from Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band featured a scorching version of the tune.

I actually enjoy the previously mentioned studio version from “Beautiful Loser” as well. The song is a great vocal feature and has had many lives. While researching this entry, I found out there are some other versions of it. One features blue guitarist Joe Bonamassa and blues belter Beth Hart. Others who have recorded it include Sam Brown, Alvin Lee, and even Brian Johnson of AC/DC.

One time I was talking with a friend of mine who hadn’t heard the song. We happened to be in a burger joint about the size of two broom closets, but it had a jukebox. Lo and behold, a Tina Turner version was on there! Naturally, I insisted on my friend hearing the song immediately. Unfortunately, it was a dance re-mix version which can only be described as Euro-Trash. I wanted to hide underneath the nearest bar stool and/or counter top. It was about the furthest thing from blues belting you could imagine.

To add insult to injury, Wikipedia notes the song spawned a dance called The Nutbush, which is apparently very popular in Australia. How did we get from Tina Turner to Redneck Aerobics? Oh the humanity!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!