Inside the Americanisation of Australian youth culture
By 1972, ‘guy’ replaced ‘bloke’ in Australian vernacular. Buddy never did, and hopefully never will, replace mate.
Columnists
The candid confessions of a recovering autoholic
I’ve owned every imaginable brand from a Goggomobil to a Rolls-Royce. Dozens, scores, enough to create my own traffic jam. Now, at 85, I’m down to one car that will see me out.
Boom or bust? A dispatch from my home in the Hunter
Our local cinema has been shuttered for decades. Our long-term bank closed its doors – and its ATM – ages ago. But there are signs of life.
The world was a more trusting place in my youth
In so many ways we have created a better, fairer, healthier, more inclusive society than that which existed 60 years ago. And rightly so. But there are bits of the past worth preserving.
Yes, I’ll admit this Porsche is janky (now that I know what that means)
The S/T has been described as Porsche’s 60th birthday gift to itself, but frankly, on paper, it feels like it was built for me. But here comes the Roald Dahl twist …
The vice-presidential candidate is a rare type of politician
Tim Walz’s very public journey over these past few months has been intriguing in terms of a fresh brand of masculinity in the public arena.
I loved the formative years of my working life
Starter jobs, student jobs, teenager jobs, call them what you will, they all have something to offer that is even more valuable than money.
I’m still scarred by my school experience
I’m going tell the story of the most traumatic event of my primary education – something that accelerated my exit from formal education at the ripe young age of 15.
‘VW is screwed and all other western carmakers are too’
The mad rush towards an EV world has left the venerable German brand in dire trouble. And if they go, the brilliant new Golf GTI will go with them.
This is simply the most impressive electric SUV I’ve driven
I was not only confident that I would dislike this car, I was certain I would find it offensive, and was looking forward to giving it the kind of review that burns off eyelids in a PR department. I was in for a surprise.
I love this glorious example of ‘outsider art’ in LA
So next time you’re in LA, add this to your agenda – as well as Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills and the stars in the pavement. It’s as big a star as any in Hollywood.
Is this a healthy use of your time?
What is the longest non-sleeping time interval in any day during which you are not engaged with your phone?
The tragedy of King Charles: he had too little time
I support an Australian republic, yet retain affection for Charles the man. Because his mother lived so long and refused to cede power to her son, we now have an elderly, ailing monarch who has only touched his kingly legacy lightly.
To an off-road enthusiast, this is porn. Does it work? Not really
This vehicle is fitted with every single mud-plugging option you could wish for – but it’s missing an engine.
I have a soft spot for the little Swift – even if it has lost its looks
I’ve always found it to be the best in breed, fun, well priced and quite good-looking in a girl-next-door sort of way. But times have changed.
Human intelligence, so slowly evolving, is now irrelevant
Guesstimates about the most intelligent humans – the likes of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Einstein, Faraday, Shakespeare and Newton – abound. But IQ doesn’t really matter these days.
Why does the significance of this late 20th century invention remain unrecognised?
Along with the Pill and the motor car, this design idea has been an agent of great social and cultural change.
We’ve dropped the ball with sun safety
Like the nicotine scourge that’s crept so stealthily back into our lives, we now have a generation not nearly as sun-mindful as they should be.
This supercar has just one failing … an unshapely behind
If you’re willing to reverse the McLaren Artura Spider into your garage so you don’t see its one fault, then I think you should definitely spend $525,010 buying one.
‘It’s like someone has fitted afterburners to Yorkshire’
The new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 isn’t just huge, it’s ridiculously loud and fast, hitting 100km/h in just 3.2 seconds. It’s mad and completely out of tune with the times – and I love it.
How we think and talk about our country is evolving
Will the Australians of the 22nd century, like us and like the Australians of 1939, happily believe that their land, their continent, is the place to be – and that their way of life is worth defending?
Weaponising access to grandkids is terribly cruel
Imagine. Lunch with friends, the retirement years. Everyone pulling out the grandkid photos; laughing, relishing, sharing. You have grandkids too – but there are no photos.
There’s nothing worse than a wine snob
I can barely detect the difference between red, white and rosé. Poor eyesight and palate. Chablis? Claret? Don’t ask me. As far as I know it could be vinegar or raspberry cordial.
This is certainly a classy SUV — but no one can agree on its looks
I’m not saying that Hyundai’s new Santa Fe is Ryan Reynolds on wheels – but neither is it, as my car-obsessed neighbour put it, ‘a giant, glistening turd’. Just don’t look at it from behind.
Cracking the code on Aussie slang: what is a ‘Larry Emdur’?
Rhyming slang has its origins in the idiom of the convicts, who concocted a secret ‘flash language’ so that the boss cockies – the judges and officials – couldn’t understand them. Here’s a guide to bring us up to date.
The Salt family arrived in Adelaide in 1848. Then tragedy struck.
In the past, ordinary people often endured extraordinary pain and hardship – something that’s usually forgotten within a generation or two. But I’ve made it my mission to keep these stories alive.
As someone who knows fashion, I’m appalled by the catwalk
The tyranny of fashion endured by our women is as heavy-handed as forcing Islamic women to don the burqa.
Something truly radical has happened with this Aston Martin
It will set you back $455,000. But for the first time ever, if you buy this Aston Martin, I won’t think you’re the kind of poncey pretender who rates style over substance.
Why naval power is key to our security
More than 230 years on from European settlement, Australia must deliver defence planning that suits the times.
It’s a parent’s choice. But you don’t have to live with it
Gough Whitlam would always cross out one of my l’s on personal or official correspondence, insisting that Philip was suitable only as a prenom, and Phillip was for surnames. But I’m not to blame.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/columnists/page/5