The Things that Defined my 2018
As office small-talk starts to consist solely of awkwardly sharing holiday plans and various exclamations of “where did the year go?”, it must mean we’ve come to the end of another year. Here’s the things for which I will probably remember my 2018:
Full-Time Work
It’s probably not the way to hook readers into an article, but whether I like it or not, full-time work defined my 2018. It was my first year out of uni and in June I got my first “graduate” job. It’s a stark contrast to my uni years, which is amplified by living with four uni students who are still living that lifestyle. Despite this, I get a lot of satisfaction from “being a grown-up” and being pretty much completely self-sufficient, which I guess literally is the way of the world. As great as the daily grind is, however, I can solely attribute full-time work to the lack of ‘tent being posted to Found My Sandal that you may or may not have noticed. It’s a tough balance, but I can assure you that “dedicate more time to creative endeavours” will be on the top of my list of New Year’s resolutions.
Greg Tunes
“Greg tunes” is the term used to identify tunes that I discovered from my Dad or that are from a similar era. My Dad’s name is Greg. In 2018, I would often find myself listening to Greg tunes on the way home from work on a Friday afternoon. As mentioned in my analysis of the work of Triple M, nothing would get me more amped than good ol’ Aussie pub rock or a multitude of other music from the era. In uninspired moments of not knowing what to play on the beers, it was straight to Greg tunes. Many can be found throughout my 2018 Top Songs playlist. Notable highlights included Talking to a Stranger by Hunters and Collectors, Shout by Tears for Fears and Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac. Discover some Greg tunes of your own here.
Podcasts
In a year that saw me spend more time commuting than ever before, I found myself seeking more than just melodies to fill the time. I eventually gave the humble podcast a crack. I’d been a big fan of the Comedy Bang! Bang! television series, so it made sense to listen to the podcast that birthed it. This started a love affair with American alternative comedy that had me restricting explosive laughter in the middle of the 345. Through CB!B! I also discovered similar podcasts like Who Charted, Analyze Phish, U Talkin’ U2 to Me? and anything Doug Benson. When the time for silly-buggers was over, I discovered — and became obsessed with — those classic true crime numbers we’ve been hearing so much about: Trace, The Teacher’s Pet and Dirty John. I also had a weekly routine of tuning into the official NRL podcast. It was a good period of time, and I’d recommend any of these podcasts to everyone, but I eventually moved on and into live content, thus starting my current phase of talkback radio.
Sport
I really thought the Broncos would do it this year. I probably followed the NRL more closely this year than any year since their premiership win in ’06, and I really thought we had premiership number 7 in the bag. But as I watched the Dragons give us a touch up from the stands in the first round of the finals, I realised that this young side wasn’t ready for finals football. As the dust settles on the coaching merry-go-round and Anthony Seibold starts to make his mark on the club, I’m intrigued and excited by our prospects and have little doubt that there’s a trophy on our horizon in the next few years.
As for the cricket, I’m just looking forward to watching some tests. Cape Town was a shit show, but it’s done and dusted, and I believe our current team has the potential to redeem the integrity of the Australian cricket team if they just start valuing their bloody wickets. The rest of this series against India is promising to be a cracker.
These Songs (My Top Ten of the Year)
10. Paul White — Set the Tone (feat. Denai Moore)
9. McKisko — Leaning Out (feat. Seagull)
8. IDLES — Never Fight a Man with a Perm
7. Earl Sweatshirt — The Mint (feat. Navy Blue)
6. Bilby — November Nights
5. Ant Aggs — Are You Ready? (feat. Meg Delos)
4. DJ Koze — Pick Up
3. Young Fathers — Toy
2. Kurt Vile — Hysteria
- Skivvy — Fool for That
With honourable mention to: Flowertruck — Dying to Hear, Soccer Mommy — Cool, KIDS SEE GHOSTS — Cudi Montage, Pusha T — Santeria, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever — Sister’s Jeans, A Country Practise — Gardening Concerns, Iceage — Pain Killer, Double Happiness — Double Happiness (I Want My), Simo Soo — High, Maribou State — Feel Good, MGMT — When You Die, The Ocean Party — Fallin’ off the Bone, Stephen Malkmus & The Jinks — Solid Silk
It was an interesting year. I probably listened to the least amount of music than most years in recent memory, but I guess that means I have more varied interests now — or probably just less time. Who knows what next year will bring, but in a weak moment I entered one of those RSL property raffles and that gets drawn at the end of the week, so hopefully I’ll be the landlord of an apartment complex on the Goldy. Fingers crossed.
