MAD LOVE Ep 30: Sexpo 2019

It was a cold day in Melbourne, my friends. Let me tell you that.

Teeth clattered and goosebumps scaled bare skin as the wind relentlessly cut through layers of jackets like a sharpened buzzsaw. But the infamously chilly Melbourne weather was a blessing in disguise, as it highlighted the fact that there was nowhere hotter than Sexpo!

We threw all preconceived notions of what to expect thrown out the window after last year’s enlightening experience, and went into Sexpo with open minds and cheeky smiles. This year’s offerings didn’t disappoint in the slightest⁠ from a Jeep filled with condoms, Cirque du Soleil level performers twisting around poles while breathing fire, male strippers shredding molten hot licks on screaming guitars, and even a stool equipped with a pulsating dildo protruding through a cushion. There was a little something on offer for everyone. 

Sexpo has long been Australia’s premier adult exhibition, but as we move further away from archaic sexual beliefs, the term ‘adult’ gets broader and broader each year. Walking around the showroom floor (in my huge red parka jacket), I realised that sex isn’t just something we do, it’’s an experience. It can be  shared acts of intimacy behind closed doors, an individual form of expression, and even fashion inspiration. Sex has become something that is defined by those participating, not those judging from the outside. 

Time can only tell what is in store for Sexpo’s future. As we inevitably change, so will Sexpo. But I hope that two things remain the same… 

1. That none of the vendors, performers and patrons ever apologize for how they express themselves,

2. And that the sweets guy keeps selling that sour cola-flavoured ribbon candy!

MAD LOVE Ep 29: Takashi Murakami & Japan Supernatural

Do you ever find yourself alone at night

—minding your own business, watching whatever new series Netflix is endlessly churning out, maybe shopping online wondering how much Afterpay debt you’ve racked up? Abruptly, the mood changes and you feel a strange presence hanging over you. Every hair on the back of your neck stands up straight like a platoon of disciplined soldiers, the air carries an unnerving stillness, and your heart rate slowly rises until you can feel it pulsating in your chest. You cautiously look around to catch a glimpse of whatever it is you think you feel. Alas… you see nothing. But the haunting darkness lingers, just beyond the light.

We’ve all had a moment or two like this in our lives—when the lines between the known and unknown disappear, and what was once certain gives way to a world of unseen possibilities. Cultures around the world have long tried to make sense of these moments and identify what exists alongside humans, whether it was in the form of religious deities, creatures of folklore, to luminous spirits of loved ones who have passed on.

However, few countries have weaved the spiritual world throughout their cultural canon quite like Japan. Japan’s ability to maintain its traditions while embracing modernity means that for every bustling crosswalk and robot cafe, you will find prints and paintings of centuries-old demons with flowing hair, bulging eyes, and floating heads.

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is celebrating the beginning of its summer shows with one of the most comprehensive collections of Japanese art ever to hit our shores. Japan Supernatural will fill the gallery’s walls with pieces from iconic Japanese artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, Mizuki Shigeru, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Hideta Kitazawa, Chiho Aoshima, and many more. This display of traditional masters in dialogue with contemporary artists is a testament to Japan’s seamless blend of evolution and timelessness.

Placed at the centre of this colossal exhibition sits the work of Japanese contemporary-art-superstar Takashi Murakami. Easily one of the most prolific and easily recognizable artists in the world, Murakami has been able to incorporate himself into the worlds of both high art and pop culture. He has collaborated with musicians and designers such as Kanye West, Pharrell, Billie Eillish, and Virgil Abloh, all the while his work residing at MOMA.

Murakami has delved into traditional occult imagery with his own richly imagined worlds to create a hyper-stylized vision, unique to himself. For this momentous occasion, Murakami has created an exclusive piece entitled ‘Japan Supernatural’. Created in response to the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011, Murakami reinvents traditional symbolism to depict the fear born when facing the unknown, its power, and its devastations.

 “Murakami has amplified the visual intensity of Kuniyoshi’s prints, creating a field of action in which everything is mutating and moving. The eyes and mouths of the warriors have been violently distorted and flooded with synthetic colour, suggesting that the monstrousness of the yо̄kai is present in the human characters.”

We will never really know what lies out in the dark, waiting and watching us. But whether it’s frightening, grotesque or even beautiful, Japanese artists prove that whatever it is… it’s still worth exploring.

MAD LOVE Ep 28: WWE LIVE

“Fight for your dreams and your dreams will fight for you!”

These words were immortalised into the minds of pro-wrestling fans around the world after they were voiced by WWE superstar and creator of the “YES” movement, Daniel Bryan, as he triumphantly returned from an almost career-ending injury.

However, this mantra is applicable to all men and women who step through the ropes into the WWE ring. With the grace of seasoned gymnasts and the ferocity of cage fighters, WWE superstars have become the pinnacle of an industry based on overcoming insurmountable odds and facing continuous pressure. Spend five minutes searching online or listening to any of the countless podcasts hosted by pro-wrestling legends, and you’ll hear stories of the hardships these performers make—all in pursuit of chasing the collective dream of entertaining a half dozen people in bingo halls to stadiums of screaming fans.

While everyone on the WWE roster has sacrificed equally and admirably, it’s hard for this writer not to have a little more bias towards the Australian contingent of pro-wrestlers leaving their mark on the world stage. In recent years, there has been an amazing influx of Aussie talent roaring promos, cracking jaws and slamming bodies across WWE’s ever-expanding programming. From “the best kept secret” Buddy Murphy, Sydney’s favourite daughters “The IIconics “ Peyton Royce & Billie Kaye, the imposing Rhea Ripley, to former NRL player Daniel Vidot, each of them traded in the comforts of Australia—like friends, family, KFC chips, and Tim Tams—for the life of a WWE superstar. If you look over the last year of their career paths, you’ll see head-turning matches, championships and unforgettable moments shining along the way. It’s safe to say Aussies will play a big part in the future of pro-wrestling.

While in the media junket room for the WWE Live tour, I was surrounded by other journalists asking the superstars the usual stuff: “What’s it like being in the WWE?”, “Who is your dream match?”, “What’s it like wrestling in Australia?”. Standard questions with solid answers. However, whenever the question of “Why did you become a WWE superstar?” came up, the responses were always varied and diverse. Whether they we enamoured at a young age by legends like Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Undertaker, were former athletes who had a penchant for entertainment, or were just those wild ones who couldn’t be confined to the straight and narrow path life often lays out… the common thread tying all these superstars together are now their dreams. Very few of us can say that their ideal life would involve putting their bodies on the line, screaming into a microphone, and being in front raucous crowds night in and night out. But WWE superstars can and will do for years to come.

MAD LOVE Ep 27: Mark Henry & The WWE

FOREVER.

For the uninitiated, this is the word that appears on WWE’s TV signature before an episode of Monday Night Raw, SmackDown, or any of the other plethora of programs that they have currently running. However, to pro wrestling fans the world over, “forever” is synonymous with cherished memories and a promise of good times ahead.

Just in case you weren’t glued to your TV sets in the 90’s or didn’t turn your lounge room into a makeshift ring growing up, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is the premiere company in sports entertainment. For nearly seven decades, WWE has been a pillar of mainstream broadcast entertainment, acting as a colourful beacon of unadulterated joy to generations of audiences. This writer has vivid memories of seeing The Rock slide on his heels across the ring and plant The People’s Elbow on some unsuspecting jabroni, or spraying water from my mouth ala Triple H and having it disgustingly blown back onto my face.

In 2019, the WWE is more popular than it has ever been. WWE has over 800 million households around the world tuning in, and a social media following coming in at over a billion followers. Pro wrestling has firmly planted itself into the cultural zeitgeist and looks to be going nowhere any time soon.

No one has encompassed the world of pro wrestling more fittingly in the last few decades than WWE Hall of Fame’s Mark Henry. Beginning his career as a super heavyweight powerlifter, Henry would rack up huge athletic milestones including winning gold, silver, and bronze at the The Pan America Games in 1995. After being picked up on WWE’s radar, Henry would make his debut in 1996 as a part of the Nation of Domination and would go on to forge a career marked with moments and characters that still resonate in fans’ hearts around the world.

In talking to Mark Henry (my childhood self is still chopping my chest in disbelief), something he said really stuck with me. When I questioned him as to why he thinks WWE has maintained relevance after all these years, he calmly answered, “How many people have ever been rewarded? That’s the thing that makes WWE special.” For all of pro wrestling’s theatrics, athletics, and even absurd-ism, it’s always been about being collectively entertained. For one a moment, we can escape the realities and doldrums of our daily lives to come together in rejoice of seeing good prevail over evil… Whether it happens in or out of a steel cage is another question entirely.

MAD LOVE Ep 26: Alvin Cailan

What is a burger?

The easy answer would be meat (primarily beef, depending on who you ask), a little sauce, maybe cheese, possibly salad, and a bun. This deceivingly simple cuisine has become a staple on menus around the world, from high end steak houses in New York to down-and-dirty dive bars in Tokyo.

The humble burger has also taken on the increasingly interesting role as a representation of our shifting relationship with food. In 2019, it is impossible to view food as something that we enjoy purely on our plates. It is something we consume through YouTube, discuss with other amateur gastronomical experts aka our friends, or something we see through squares on Instagram that cause us to salivate and double tap in equal measures.

If there is anyone fit to explore this paradigm of what a burger is, it’s renowned chef and host – Alvin Cailan. After bursting onto the culinary scene with the now celebrated L.A. cornerstone, Eggslut, Alvin has since gone from strength to strength with foodie hotspots Amboy and The Usual. In more recent times, Alvin has taken to showcasing the diversity of the food he loves by hosting the dangerously addictive web-series, The Burger Show.