Washington: 80 Miles

The intrigue started like this: Meg’s song Someone Else in Mind was a lovingly crafted, measured, and languid reflection on letting go. Tick. Her video with The Bamboos was cracking and cheeky. Tick. In person she was dry, foul-mouthed, generous and persistent – she really wanted to make this happen… Tick.

Both these films were made down by Woolloomooloo Wharf during Sydney Festival 2009. We picked Meg up from her soundcheck and had intended to take her to the Opera House, where one of Luke Jerram’s public pianos sat in the middle of the great steps. But that piano had been exposed to the elements and had had countless visitors for over two weeks; it was trashed, out of tune, and difficult to work with.

Washington: Underground

So we ended up by another Sydney icon: Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, likely the oldest pie shop in Sydney, situated by the US Naval Base on Sydney Harbour. Harry’s is open until all hours and is always crowded with locals and tourists – buses of them pull up, grab a pie with mash and mushy peas soaked in gravy, and eat to their hearts’ content. On this night, they were treated to an impromptu concert from Washington, entirely in the dark.

Stay tuned for our upcoming video of Reggie Watts, filmed at the same piano during daylight hours.

– Amelia & Jonathan

www.myspace.com/meganwashington