Brooke Russell
We welcome one of Australia's finest singer-songwriters in the form of the wonderful Brooke Russell. And we're very honoured indeed to have Brooke Russell write and perform a brand new song exclusively for More Than A Whelan.Sean begins this episode with a poem called Mogwai from his first published collection of poetry called Love is the New Hate. This poem was written inspired by and intended to be read while listening to Waltz for Aidan by the band Mogwai.Sean and Brooke discuss a couple of books on improving your craft of creative writing. Firstly The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. A book aimed at writers of all creative persuasions. And also Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison, which is obviously aimed more specifically at songwriters.Brooke Russell writes and performs a song called The Colour of Regret inspired by the creative prompt of the same name supplied by Rebecca Vespertine. Thank you so much Rebecca. And thank you Brooke Russell!Sean gets his ranty pants on and writes a poem dedicated to a very brave 9 year old girl called Harper Nielsen.OBEYObey your countryObey your politiciansObey the dog whistlersObey the Herald SunObey the flagObey the national anthemObey kicking uppity children who dare to have their own opinionsObey Andrew BoltObey racists cartoonistsObey the shock jocksObey the prime minister you never even voted for even if you wanted to.Obey the rising tide of garbageObey the vilification of the SudaneseObey the fictional gangs roaming your streetsObey goodbye age of information - hello above of fabrication.Obey toxic masculinityObey the patriarchyObey homophobia.Obey, obey, obey your way into the numbness until you feel safe.Or how about FUCK THAT.Obey your inner brat.BE THE BRAT that says enough is enough.Be the brat the says we are better than this.Be the brat that says we are not made of click bait.Be embarrassed by the way the rest of the world sees the toilet of ignorance we are drowning in.Be the brat of compassion and empathy.Be as courageous as a 9 year old girl who said no. I will not stand for what I don't believe in.Be a brat.Obey love.Obey the child unpoisoned by Rupert Murdoch.Obey nothing but your heart.Obey the heart shuddering bravery of harper NielsenRecorded by Derek Myers at Castaway Studios, Collingwood, Australia. insta: @castaway_studios