Album Review: Bloc Party - Intimacy

A while back us freelance writers received a memo from a disgruntled senior magazine editor, laying out a new set of style guidelines for writing album reviews. This included a stipulation against five star (10/10) ratings, unless the CD was indeed “the second coming of Jesus”. Well Bloc Party’s third album is actually pretty close to it, and without committing blasphemy, if Our Lord and Saviour came back and started a rock band His album would probably sound something like this.
[Read more]

Brothels prepared for pilgrims

Here at the Corker office, we tracked a story circulated by the media that the brothels in Sydney had to increase staff numbers this weekend in order to deal with an expected influx of work due to World Youth Day.

By Lizza Gebilagin

We assumed there couldn’t have been any truth to the rumour, but being the curious journalists that we are (and here we use the term “journalist” rather loosely), we had to double check anyway. So we called four local brothels.

ESP Erotic Massage in Crows Nest said that they didn’t increase staff numbers, but suggested that the others might have done so. Club 121 in Darling Harbour, which is located right in the heart of where many World Youth Day events took place, didn’t increase staff numbers either and high-class joint Tiffany’s in Surry Hills, located on the pilgrim path for the final mass, refused to comment. The brothel in the midst of all the media coverage, Xclusive in Bondi, confirmed that they had increased staff numbers during the week because of an increase of patrons. But then admitted, “[The numbers increased] probably because we have just opened and we advertised a lot too.”

After the excitement faded and the rumour proved to be a dud, it didn’t make much sense anyway. How could pilgrims possibly pay for prostitutes when cab drivers were complaining all week that they didn’t have any work because kids were just catching buses? The pilgrims weren’t skipping cab rides because they were saving money to pay for booty. They simply didn’t have the money to spend. No money for a cab, means no money for ladies that charge by the hour.

Verdict: This rumour has been busted. Then again, there were 3,000 to 5,000 media here to cover the event, and we all know how sex-starved journalists can be…

Additional reporting by Michael Huynh

Gotham’s dark avenger delivers

Dark in character, imagery and tone, The Dark Knight offers entertainment with more depth and charisma than most comic films put together.

By Ally Lois

With all the hype surrounding the latest installment in the Batman series, it’s not surprising that the much anticipated sequel has broken box office records. Despite much of the publicity surrounding the film stemming from the tragic death of star Heath Ledger, the praise given to The Dark Knight is well deserved. [Read more]

Cloud Control EP Review

Indie shoegaze bands abound in this country, as the 70s Renaissance reaches a head with the success of international acts like psych-tinged MGMT and pop-driven The Shins. So is there any place for a cute little group like Cloud Control in this already over-cluttered playing field? [Read more]

Indy’s new adventure goes from lackluster to ludicrous

We all longed for one more adventure from the iconic adventurer in the leather jacket, brown fedora and trusty bullwhip. Unfortunately, Spielberg’s latest film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, offers none of the magic, wit or charm of the original trilogy.

By Ally Lois

The film is set in 1957 and a long time has passed since our hero last crusaded against the Nazis. Indy (Harrison Ford) has been kidnapped by Russian agents led by pseudo-psychic, Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett). The Russians are searching for an artifact – the fabled “crystal skull” – integral to their quest for mind-controlling power. [Read more]

Clitoral Ecstasy

Feeling lost about the clitoris? Erin Bell guides you to the spot.

The clitoris is beautiful, warm, wet and a complete erogenous mystery to most. Women spend countless hours educating themselves on how to perform deep-throated fellatio. But how can they perfect the art of a clitoral orgasm? And trigger not one, but multiple, shuddering orgasms, which verge on a lower-body convulsion?

As the centre of female sexual excitement, this fine piece of erectile tissue boasts an elaborate design of 18 different parts and 8,000 nerve endings. Mastering a clitoral orgasm is an infectious disease and one you can only hope to catch. But if you don’t know how to treat a clitoris, don’t let it keep you awake at night – even textbooks struggle to understand it. A good guide to the clitoris is The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide For Us All by Felice Newman. Whether you’re male, female, straight or a raging lesbian like me, this book is considered by many to be the blueprint of female sexual gratification. Anyway let’s face facts. Lesbians are clitoral experts; they know how to make a clit throb.

Read the full story in Corker Issue 1: Autumn 2008

Designer Pubes

For the second issue of Corker, we wanted to road test these new pubic hair design templates from La Snatch. I just couldn’t work out how a flimsy sticker could stay on your pubes while you wax/shave around it. In the end, we worked out that you really need to get a pro to style your pubic hair region for you. The DIY wax just didn’t really work. You’ll have to check out a copy of the magazine for the results, but here is our behind the scenes video of our research. (You’ve got to love a job that involves going to a beautician to get your mate’s pubes waxed!)

Read the full story in Corker Issue 2: Winter 2008




Parties or babies?

Are we becoming a society of freewheeling, guiltless party animals, content to stave off inevitable adult maturity for as long as we can? Do we have to be married by the time we’ve hit the big 3 – 0, be burdened by a massive mortgage with a crippling interest rate, children, a full-time job, and relinquish our teenage fantasies? Playwright Tommy Murphy is asking these same questions, and channelling his inquisitiveness into a new theatre production, Saturn’s Return.

By Dom Alessio

The play revolves around a couple staring point-blank at the looming shadows of adult responsibility – babies, houses, marriage – and turning 30. It’s a production that flitters in and out of reality, as the two central characters draw out the ghosts of people from their past and travel to different locales and periods of time, trying to decide whether maturity is more fulfilling than adolescent freedom.

The impetus for their fantastical investigation is motivated by the female lead’s fertility anxiety, and the questions she’s asking herself about whether she should have a baby now, and whether she should have it with her partner. And if you’re wondering why she doesn’t have a name, that’s because she doesn’t have one… yet. “It’s just this thing,” Murphy sighs. “I always sort of stress over it, but it feels like you don’t really know the characters until you find a name that really sticks, so her name changes almost daily at the moment.”

Murphy first wrote a draft of the play where the characters were turning 40, rather than 30. “I realised no, there is something very particular about facing 30 and something very particular about it right now, and so it was that end of a prolonged adolescence and responsibility knocking that I wanted to write about. And hopefully also to write in a voice that I have quite a bit of authority on, being, you know, my age,” he adds with a laugh.

Read the full story in Corker Issue 2: Winter 2008

Saturn’s Return plays as part of the Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf 2LOUD program at Wharf 2, Walsh Bay from August 15, 2008. For more information, check out www.sydneytheatre.com.au.

Arthouse Superheroes

All eyes will be on The Dark Knight when it hits the cinema screens this year – but perhaps for all the wrong reasons. After Heath Ledger tragically passed away in January, attention soon turned to what was one of his very last roles: the Joker. It was in director Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the edgy sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins, which was a highly successful attempt to reboot one of Hollywood’s biggest film franchises. Shortly before his death, Ledger revealed he had struggled with the role of the sociopathic mass-murderering clown. While he called it “the most fun I’ve ever had, or probably ever will have playing a character,” it also utterly exhausted him.

By Angus Paterson

Christopher Nolan says of Ledger: “Having seen the movie myself in such heightened and tragic circumstances… What I found in watching the movie is that you’re not looking at the actor, you’re not looking at the friend, you’re not looking at the colleague. You’re looking at the Joker.
He inhabits this character, and it’s an extraordinary icon, so it’s easy to enjoy it on that level, just as a great piece of acting.” [Read more]

Bungabar, Bondi

As a child of the 80s I was told by television that the best way to quench a hard earned thirst was with a big cold beer. And, that big cold beer was VB. But since I was old enough to legally drink, I’ve never had the desire to reach for a cold can. Honestly, I only drink the stuff when there’s nothing else and if it’s free.

By Lizza Gebilagin

I’d rather drink cocktails in this warm weather. Ideally, on the beach served by gorgeous waiters – exactly what you would find on the Greek Islands. It might be a while until Australia takes on that concept, but until then Bungabar in Bondi will be suffice. It’s located only a short walk from Bondi Beach and has an impressive cocktail list, plus beer for those of you who were more susceptible to those early VB ads.

The cosy surf bar fits around 70 punters and features long tables that were purposely selected by owner Yossi Zamir to encourage people to make friends with strangers. The community vibe extends all the way to the menu: you can purchase jugs of alcohol and tapas to share. We start with the Jungle Juice ($20). Zamir stresses that this cocktail is the only one in Australia that is true to its original Balinese roots. He should know – he spent two years searching for the traditional recipe. He doesn’t reveal the secret ingredients, but says that the imitators use vodka, orange juice, lemonade and grenadine. The cocktail arrives at our table in a green and orange jug, accompanied by two shot glasses. My friend and I take a sip and it goes down so smoothly we argue about whether there is any alcohol in it at all.

Next up, we order tapas: garlic prawns and fiesta chicken in orange and tomato relish ($8 each). Both are delicious, but don’t go down well with the Jungle Juice, so we order a jug of Sangria ($20). After the round of Spanish cuisine and drinks, we decide to order Bungabar’s famous beef nachos ($14). Unlike your typical pub nachos, it is served with big chunks of meat and perfectly toasted chips. For desert we have a glass of the Wildberry Caprioska ($14.50).
In sporadic spurts between our gluttonous eating and drinking, we try to finish off the Jungle Juice. The attempt doesn’t go well, but I refuse to leave the bar with a half finished jug of alcohol on the table. We eventually stumble out of Bungabar, reluctantly leaving the undrunk Jungle Juice behind. But as bloated and tipsy as I feel, I’m glad we lined our stomachs with tapas and nachos because we’re now on our way to our second round of drinks at a beer festival – which thankfully is serving more than just VB.

Address: 77 Hall Street, Bondi NSW
Phone: 02 9300 6766
Web: www.bungabar.com.au

Photo by Andy Vermeulen