Posts from ‘Events’
An orgy of travel writers.
Wednesday, March 13th, 2013
If you want to hear a whole bunch of talented travel writers talking about, well…their travels then take a trip to the Australian Festival of Travel Writing. It runs for three days from Friday the 22nd of March and takes place at the rather appropriately named Melbourne Brain Centre in Genetics Lane (I kid you not) in Melbourne. I’ll be doing a couple of talks on Sunday the 24th which I’m very much looking forward to. My first talk is with Tony Wheeler the co-founder of Lonely Planet where we’ll be talking about… (read more)
Ask Brian and the Leyland Brothers.
Monday, January 28th, 2013
For those who aren’t Australian or over 35 probably won’t know who the Leyland Brothers are. Mike and Mal Leyland hosted a TV show from 1976 to 84 called ‘Ask the Leyland Brothers’ where they travelled all around Australia introducing us to fair-dinkum beauty bonza Aussie wildlife and landscapes. Mike passed away in 2009, but Mal is still ‘travelling around the countryside’, and next month Mal will be in Bright, Victoria talking about his adventures at the The Adventure Travel Film Festival. And so will I (except I won’t be talking about Mal’s adventures). In fact, during the weekend of festivities there will be lots of other great speakers and amazing films by… (read more)
How do you say Coca Cola in Arabic?
Sunday, April 29th, 2012
Or how do you say ‘Stop’ in Arabic? In October I’m heading to the Moroccan desert to run a travel writer’s retreat (find out all about it here), so for old time’s sake I was flicking through my old photos of the trip I did to Morocco many moons ago. Amongst my shots of snake charmers and bedouin shepherds I took a bunch of photos of well-known brands in Arabic. Even though they are pretty much squiggly lines you can tell what most of them are. I’ve also added a couple more that I’ve picked up in my travels – can you pick the brands below? (read more)
Getting lost with Brian Thacker.
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011
I’m just back from the Singapore Writer’s Festival, which was a blast. My sessions went well, I drank quite a few Tiger beers, ate the best dumplings I’ve ever eaten, hung out with a great bunch of writers and editors, caught up with a friend living in Singapore and checked out a shop called Naughty Sex Toys on Orchard Road. The crowds were great and at one of my panels they even had to close the doors 10 minute before because it was a full house. Mind you, at another event of mine they… (read more)
I’m off to the sunny smile isle.
Friday, October 21st, 2011
I’m just about to jump on a plane to Singapore for the weekend. I’m doing three sessions/panels/talks at the Singapore Writer’s Festival where I’ll be waffling on about travel writing and my new book Tell Them to Get Lost. I’ve got a, what could be interesting/wacky session talking about travel and philosophy with Julian Baggini, plus a panel with a couple of local travel writers including Wee Cheng, who makes me look like a travel novice. He has been to 206 countries and territories over the last two decades and is is listed in the 2008 Book of Singapore Records as the most well-travelled Singaporean. And I finish off with a very 1974 slide show about my travels for Tell Them to Get Lost. It was in Singapore… (read more)
Magical Ubud.
Wednesday, October 12th, 2011
The last two weeks have been tough. I just got back yesterday from the fabulous Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali and before that I was staying with my brother in Queensland for a week (who just happens to have a holiday house on Fraser Island). I love the Ubud Writer’s Festival. It really is one of the best writer’s festivals in the world (okay Janet, it IS the best!). There was the usual abundance of great authors and speakers accompanied by large and appreciative crowds all taking place in one of the most beautiful settings in the world. And of course I do have quite the soft spot for Ubud and the writer’s festival because… (read more)
My book launch and key party.
Saturday, September 3rd, 2011
Okay, I may have looked a little like a pimp, but that’s how the cool dudes dressed in 1974. And that’s how I dressed for the book launch of Tell Them to Get Lost on Thursday night. I did get a few stares walking to Readings Bookshop in St Kilda, because St Kilda is also hooker central and I looked like a pimp (or a cliched 1970s pimp at least). The launch was fab and a good crowd of cool dudes and groovy chicks turned up to watch my very 1970s slide show followed by a key party. The only things missing were devilled sausages… (read more)
Party food, 1974 style.
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
It’s the book launch of ‘Tell Them to Get Lost’ tomorrow night (which you can order here!), so I thought I’d give you a taste of the food we might eat if we were in 1974. Although you probably wouldn’t want to eat it, because those hip cats in 1974 ate some weird shit. I found some recipe cards from 1974 and looking at the things on offer was enough to turn me off my dinner. Even some of the names would make you reach for a bucket. I mean who would eat something called ‘Fluffy Mackerel Pudding’ or ‘Chilled Celery Log’. Here are some of my favourite recipe cards… (read more)
1974 fashion tips for the cool dudes.
Sunday, August 28th, 2011
Hey man, it’s only three days until the book launch of ‘Tell Them to Get Lost’, so here are some way-out fashion tips for the cool dudes. You’ll find threads that are, according to a 1974 Myer catalogue, ‘ready to relax and cut to really swing’ and where ‘Shirt plus pant add up to a wonderful east life’. And who wouldn’t look good, and perhaps sweat a little bit, in ‘dashing slacks in crimpolene and hand-washable polyester.’ But before you dress up you’ll need some underwear that combines ‘Comfort AND fashion with heat resistant waist band’… (read more)
1974 fashion tips for the fab chicks.
Thursday, August 25th, 2011
It’s only one week until the book launch of ‘Tell Them to Get Lost’, so I thought I’d share some 1974 fashion tips on what to wear on the night. I’ve actually got a Myer catalogue (an Australian department store) from 1974 where (according to the copy in the catalogue) caftan comes with ‘flair and a bubbly interest in nylon’ and ’skirts swirl and lurex shimmers’. And, even more impressively, you can look glamorous in ‘voluptuous velvety velour’. I’ll start the fashion tips show with some fab looks for the groovy chicks… (read more)