In March of this year I flew to Sydney with my brother to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform live at Allphones Arena. It was my second Springsteen show. The first was in Oakland in 2007 on the Magic Tour at Oakland Arena.  It had been something of a disappointment, if only because I’d fallen for Springsteen’s music in 1979 when a record store owner put “Jungleland” on a pair of headphones and told me he thought it was something I might like. I was lost to it immediately, and have never stopped loving it. That night, though, was a Magic show. There were a lot of people on stage and they were all playing at once. In truth, I think the band was still working out how to play in the post-Seeger sessions mode that has dominated everything since, and just weren’t clicking. The setlist was ok. We got “Racing in the Street”, “She’s the One”, “Badlands”, and of course “Born to Run”. But no “Jungleland” – my all-time favourite Springsteen song and one of my top three or four songs of all time.

At Allphones Arena, though, the show was different. The band were tighter, Springsteen was more energetic, the sound was more focussed, and Tom Morello sitting in for Steve Van Zandt was electric. The setlist was better, too. More and more favourites: a crackling “Tom Joad”, an even better “Badlands”, a powerful “Youngstown”, and more.  There were only two disappointments, as we clocked off the “Seven Nights to Rock”: one, the show was short (less than three hours!) and two, no “Jungleland”. Springsteen went on to play one of the greatest tours to hit these shores. And he played “Jungleland” several times, just not when I was there.

And then this morning the official news hit: Bruce is bringing the Wrecking Ball back to Australia, this time in February/March 2014 with both Van Zandt and Morello, and they’re coming to Perth. I’ll be there if I can lay my hands on tickets. I hope to see him in at least one other city too – maybe Melbourne. And this time, fingers crossed, after more than thirty years, maybe he’ll play “Jungleland”!

If this Bruce Springsteen tour blog is to be believed, Bruce Springsteen is planning to head back Down Under in February 2014, and this time he’ll be coming to Perth. The date rumoured is February 7, and a cursory look at the Perth Arena event calendar suggests that there’s nothing on there for several days either side of that date. It’s my guess Perth could get more than one show and if it does I definitely plan to be there.  This is the best news I’ve had all day!

Wonderful news! The nominees for the 2013 World Fantasy Awards have just been announced and I am delighted to report Under My Hat has been nominated for Best Anthology.  It’s nominated alongside some wonderful books, and there is a lot of terrific stuff on the ballot. The other nominees in the Anthology category are:

• Epic: Legends of Fantasy, John Joseph Adams, ed. (Tachyon)
• Three Messages and a Warning: Contemporary Mexican Short Stories of the Fantastic, Eduardo Jiménez Mayo & Chris N. Brown, eds. (Small Beer)
• Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane, Jonathan Oliver, ed. (Solaris)
• Postscripts #28/#29: Exotic Gothic 4, Danel Olson, ed. (PS Publishing)
• Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Random House)

Congratulations to my fellow nominees, and to everyone else on the ballot. It’s a terrific bunch of work, and a lot of my favourites from 2012 have been acknowledged. I’ve made special nods elsewhere, but especial congratulations to my fellow Aussie nominees Kaaron, Anna and Kathleen, and my own editor Jon Oliver.  Also to Bill Schafer, who isn’t recognised enough for his incredible work.

I would like to acknowledge the incredible work done by the writers who provided the stories and poem for the book, the artists and designers who’ve worked on it., the editors and copyeditors, the publishers, the audio people, my agent Howard, my daughter Sophie (who helped edit it), and the incredible people at Random House (Jim Thomas & co) and Hot Key (Sarah Odedina & team) without whom the book wouldn’t have been possible. There efforts were never less than stellar, and are deeply appreciated. Together we’re a small village, and this nomination belongs to all of us.

A red letter day here at Case del Coode Street. After a long and arduous selection process, today we were advised that Miss 11 has been accepted into the WA Gifted and Talented Program, and has been offered a place at John Curtin College of the Arts. This is simply a huge thing! Miss 11 has been studying drama for several years now, and has been desperately hoping to get into this fine program. We’re very, very proud of her. She’ll start there in the 2015 school year, when she commences high school. We have till then to work out the logistics!

it’s the middle of August. This is a bit shocking, really.  It was only April ten minutes ago. I am in no sense prepared for the year to start its endgame, but it seems I have no choice. Taxes, birthdays, a One Direction concert, a trip to the UK, and lots and lots of other things stand between here and the Christmas break. I feel weary just thinking about it. Along the way, projects to deliver.

The main thing on my plate is finalising details for the UK. I’m flying Singapore Airlines, which should be fine, and am all settled for the Brighton part of the trip. Not set for London, though. I think I’ve allowed too much time for holiday, and am trying to reconcile the details. I’m sure it’ll all be set soon, but it’s another thing.

Along the way, I’m listening to the Eels, still reading Sofia Samatar, podcasting like a bandit and not thinking about San Antonio or many, many other things. Busy times. How are things with you?