The Wire Mag

LOOSE WIRE: This is either divers at the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China, or the six most unpleasant bowel movements in history.

PICTURE: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

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TAKE ME OUT

THE SEARCH FOR PERTH’S BEST
TAKE-OUT CONTINUES…
WHERE: McDonald’s
WHAT: NYC Benedict Bagel + 2 Hash Browns + Espresso Pronto flat white (LRG)
PRICE: $11.05

Fast food giant McDonald’s wants you to feel better about eating food out of a brown paper bag by suggesting their fare is a cut above the rest - it’s a little bit fancy.

This is, of course, a nonsense. It ain’t fancy whatsoever. If it were, there’d be a saucier out the back whisking melted butter, egg yolks and lemon juice to create the Hollandaise that went into my bagel.

And there was not. Instead, I’m assuming a 15-year-old with limited cooking ability pushed the plunger on a sauce dispenser.

In tomorrow’s edition of The Wire Mag Pnau’s Nick Littlemore discusses how relationship break-ups inspired a bit of musical healing on their latest LP, Soft Universe.

We also chat to Scotch rock foursome Glasvegas ahead of their first Australian visit, LA indie-dance act Funeral Party and soulful dubstep wunderkind James Blake.

Plus, the Etc Etc fashion page goes all kaleidoscopic and Last Word discusses one of its favourite topics; reality TV.

The Wire Mag. Get on it every Thursday inside The West Australian.

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CLIP ART: Brand-spanking new clip from Foster the People for Helena Beat. Think Lord of the Flies with a better soundtrack.

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CAUGHT OUT: Fabric Fridays @ Flawless Nightclub

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A TO Z OF PLACES YOU’D RATHER BE

J IS FOR JODHPUR

No, not the pants. Before it became synonymous with horse-riding trousers, Jodhpur was a historically significant city in the Indian state of Rajasthan – you know, the one Warnie played for in the Indian Premier League.

Considered the “second city” of Rajasthan after capital Jaipur, Jodhpur’s origins stretch back to 1100AD; although the city’s founding is credited to Rao Jodha in 1459.

As you’d expect of a city that has survived for centuries in a feudal society, a big part of the attraction of Jodhpur are the very things that were built to keep people out – namely the impressive fortifications.

FEATURES: The Kills

“People that are scared of doing what they want look at you and say, ‘Oh, you just don’t give a shit, do you?’ And it’s not true.”

Ike and Tina Turner. Sonny and Cher. Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. Jack and Meg White. Just a few famous male-female collaborations that have struck gold when they combined their talents but all sadly came to an end.

Not true for the Kills, which continue to meld the gifts of sexy American vocalist Alison Mosshart and English axeman Jamie Hince for an alchemic blend of lo-fi garage and acoustic blues.

Yet unlike the aforementioned duos, Hince and Mosshart’s 12-year relationship has never gone beyond platonic.

FEATURE: Yuksek

“I wanted this album to be timeless, not something specific like electronic music from 2011 or whatever.”

Life on the road can get lonely. It’s a sentiment French electronic artist Yuksek, aka Pierre-Alexandre Busson, is familiar with.

Following the release of his debut album Away from the Sea, in early 2009 he spent two years playing club shows and festivals around the world. He visited Australia twice during that time. The experiences have shaped Living on the Edge of Time, his new album.

FEATURES: Explosions in the Sky

“I have been so affected and moved by music in my life it’s really rewarding to do it for other people.”

American instrumental quartet Explosions in the Sky rely on a warm and fuzzy post-rock camaraderie to get their message across.

For these Texans, making music is all about electric guitars and other stringed instruments to capture their introspective sound, not unlike the Dirty Three.

FEATURE: Handsome Furs

“I’d be lying if I said having a day off in Bowling Green, Ohio, was more exciting than having a day off in Bangkok or Sarajevo.”

When Canadian husband-and-wife indie rock duo Handsome Furs say they’re going on a world tour, they really mean it.

Tomorrow Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry leave their home in Montreal for a jaunt that includes three laps of North America, a couple of tours across Europe, plus Russia, South-East Asia, South America and their first shows in the Middle East.

That’s a travel schedule to make Kevin Rudd look like an agoraphobic hermit.

IN BED WITH SASHA

THE SPICE TRADE

The receptionist at my work recently asked me, “It’s not fair. Why is it always up to the girl to spice things up? Why can’t the guy spice it up?”

It’s true – generally, we are the ones that have to wear the slutty costumes, wear the sexy lingerie, purchase the massage oils, come up with the role plays, find an appropriate girl for the threesome…

I’m of the opinion that we can’t rely on our male counterparts to “spice things up”. They would NOT do the job as good as us. Why? I’ll tell you why…

Etc Etc Fashion in The Wire Mag 14.07.11

PIC: Simon Santi
STYLIST: Marcia Ball
MODEL: Claire

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LOOSE WIRE: The year is 2021, Rupert Grint (aka Ron Weasley) has moved on from Harry Potter…

IN BED WITH SASHA

Everything’s great when you’re downtown

Browsing the net the other day, I stumbled upon an advice column that read something like this:

Dear Relationship Expert,
My boyfriend Rod won’t go down on me, when I do it for him all the time. This has been happening for almost a year now. How do I convince him to do this for me? It’s really starting to upset me.
Sally.

And the response:

Dear Sally,
Be honest and share your feelings with him – gentle communication is the key. Grab his attention by telling him how hard this is for you.

Blah blah blah. That’s certainly not how I roll when it comes to sex advice.