Peter Mills

When Gary Shearston released his worldwide hit version of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" in 1974, he had already been recording for over a decade, and years of creative adventure lay ahead. His most commercially successful album, Dingo, provides a lens through which to study his role in establishing and developing a purposefully Australian variant on '70s pop and rock music with its poetic evocations of Australian landscapes, topographies, character and cultural identity, mixed with connections to Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and 1970s London. These blend with the Bush Ballad tradition, native Australian music and rhythms, the '60s folk and protest song boom, of which he was a key figure and prime mover. All these elements combine on this album to provide a fresh and enduring evocation of what Australian music was, is and could be, and provides a link back to traditional forms and a signpost forward to acts such as The Go Betweens and Nick Cave. Drawing on the author's correspondence with Gary Shearston from 2008-2013, this book contains previously unpublished primary material from the artist himself. Peter Mills digs into the "Australian-ness" of Shearston's music, and how such a term came to defined.

When Gary Shearston released his worldwide hit version of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" in 1974, he had already been recording for over a decade, and years of creative adventure lay ahead. His most commercially successful album, Dingo, provides a lens through which to study his role in establishing and developing a purposefully Australian variant on '70s pop and rock music with its poetic evocations of Australian landscapes, topographies, character and cultural identity, mixed with connections to Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and 1970s London. These blend with the Bush Ballad tradition, native Australian music and rhythms, the '60s folk and protest song boom, of which he was a key figure and prime mover. All these elements combine on this album to provide a fresh and enduring evocation of what Australian music was, is and could be, and provides a link back to traditional forms and a signpost forward to acts such as The Go Betweens and Nick Cave. Drawing on the author's correspondence with Gary Shearston from 2008-2013, this book contains previously unpublished primary material from the artist himself. Peter Mills digs into the "Australian-ness" of Shearston's music, and how such a term came to defined.

The Taxi Cabaret follows six people in their twenties during their first year in New York City. Scott, an aspiring novelist, discovers that you do not have to suffer to write. Mark and Sara test their relationship when they move in together. Zach lives an E-ZPass lifestyle, staying safely in the closet, while the eternally unlucky but relentlessly optimistic Karen falls for him, only to have her heart broken. C.C. is an actress/temp who longs for something in her life that will last more than sixteen bars.

There are many books on improving working relationships however they are based in interpersonal skills. While acknowledging that interpersonal skills provide the ‘social glue’ for working relationships, this book identifies the working environment as the cause of most conflict at work. The book identifies the causes of workplace conflict and how to create the right working environment that enables constructive working relationships. Interpersonal skills have limited value in a workplace and/or a working relationship which is otherwise flawed in its design or subject to ineffective leadership. To have constructive working relationships requires an environment that both enables it and sustains it. This environment is created by: Setting the expectations on how all employees are to work together Providing effective organizational design Clearly defining roles and role relationships Providing effective systems of work Developing interpersonal skills Building strong manager-employee relationships

How has a group conceived as a short-lived commodity outlived many more 'real' bands by nearly fifty years? Why are The Monkees still important, and what does this tell us about their music, their TV show, and our understanding of popular culture today? Despite being built in Hollywood, and not necessarily to last, that is precisely what their music, TV, and cinematic output has done. They in many ways unique-as the first 'made for TV' band, their success introduced methods of marketing pop that have since become standard industry practice; their 'big screen' use of film and images in live performance is likewise now a firmly established principle of concert staging; and in the way they changed the rules of the game, taking control over their own affairs at the height of the success, risking magnificent failure by doing so. The Monkees invented a new kind of TV, gave a new model to the music industry, and left behind one of the most enigmatic movies of the modern era, Head. This book is about all that and more. Beginning by exploring the origins and personalities of the four Monkees before looking in depth at their work together on screen, on stage, and on record, this is the first serious study of the band and the first to fully acknowledge their importance to the development of pop as we now know it.

To meet the challenges of today’s work environment, all employees must be focused on achieving business goals, with managers creating a work environment where personal effectiveness and continuous improvement is sought by all. However, often this is not the case. Managerial leadership is becoming more and more based on fads and personality and, even when ‘trained’, managers are using conflicting models. This book provides managers with a holistic and integrated approach to people management. It treats leadership as something everyone can learn and understand. The principles and practices are not fuzzy or soft. They are based on scientific research and the author’s three decades of human resources and senior management experience, leading team members in their leadership journey and advising and coaching CEOs and managers across a range of industries including engineering, manufacturing, investment, business equipment / IT, petroleum and utilities. This book defines what successful managers must be, must know and must do to lead their team effectively. These principles and practices: Set the standard expected of managers. Defines the expectations of team members and the requirements of the working relationship with the manager’s manager. Enable managers to create the conditions for productive work. Enable managers to create effective working relationships between technical specialists and planners in their own team and corporate specialist functions, such as finance and human resources. Provide a toolkit to address day-to-day challenges. Provide a framework for diagnosing organisational and leadership problems faced every day. Gives managers a checkpoint against which they can assess themselves. Using a logical approach each chapter shows managers how to be successful, has a chapter summary of the principles and tips on how to get started. They will guide managers in their day to day work, in a way that builds trust, balancing the mind and the heart.

Risk management can often be poorly understood and applied in the leisure, sport, tourism (including adventure) and event industries. In particular, there can be a tendency to see the management of risk as simply its avoidance or removal from activities, projects and business ventures. Unfortunately, this can reduce the quality of the activity experience, or mean opportunities for profits are missed. This book is therefore designed for students and practitioners who wish to improve upon past practices, make better management decisions and ensure safer operating environments. It includes: - an explanation of the core underpinning concepts of risk and safety, which can be used at different levels of management, in different countries, for all leisure related industry sectors; - numerous applied examples and case studies from around the world; - many practical hints and tips on how to analyse, assess and control risks and improve on safety; - explanations of the key legal and regulatory underpinnings of risk and safety; - how risk and safety management practices can be developed, and their relevance for health and safety assessments, project risk management and strategic planning.

This book analyses the relationships between music and contemporary media, both via the mediation of music, and music as mediator. It does so through a series of original interviews with key practitioners: musicians, writers, magazine editors, radio presenters and major and independent label bosses. Through these interviews, theory and practice are measured against each other and the book considers their experiences and observations in order to explore the ways popular music is produced, marketed and mediated. Examining visual, print, radio and new media, Media and Popular Music draws together disparate elements of music and media which formerly have not been considered together, and provides a fresh and innovative contribution to the swiftly growing field of popular music studies. *Key Features *Presents key topics via chapter-long case studies and more broadly applied theoretical analyses *Uses media theory and cultural theory to shed fresh light on theory and practice *Discusses music in relation to visual and print media.

This book analyses the relationships between music and contemporary media, both via the mediation of music, and music as mediator. It does so through a series of original interviews with key practitioners: musicians, writers, magazine editors, radio presenters and major and independent label bosses. Through these interviews, theory and practice are measured against each other and the book considers their experiences and observations in order to explore the ways popular music is produced, marketed and mediated. Examining visual, print, radio and new media, Media and Popular Music draws together disparate elements of music and media which formerly have not been considered together, and provides a fresh and innovative contribution to the swiftly growing field of popular music studies. *Key Features *Presents key topics via chapter-long case studies and more broadly applied theoretical analyses *Uses media theory and cultural theory to shed fresh light on theory and practice *Discusses music in relation to visual and print media.

"Hymns to the Silence" is a thoroughly informed and enlightened study of the art of a pop music maverick that will delight fans the world over.In 1991, Van Morrison said, "Music is spiritual, the music business isn't". Peter Mills' groundbreaking book investigates the oppositions and harmonies within the work of Van Morrison, proceeding from this identified starting point."Hymns to the Silence" is a detailed investigative study of Morrison as singer, performer, lyricist, musician and writer with particular attention paid throughout to the contradictions and tensions that are central to any understanding of his work as a whole.The book takes several intriguing angles. It looks at Morrison as a writer, specifically as an Irish writer who has recorded musical settings of Yeats poems, collaborated with Seamus Heaney, Paul Durcan and Gerald Dawe, and who regularly drops quotes from James Joyce and Samuel Beckett into his live performances. It looks at him as a singer, at how he uses his voice as an interpretive instrument. And there are chapters on his use of mythology, on his stage performances, and on his continuing fascination with America and its musical forms.

This is a groundbreaking study of every aspect of Van Morrison's artistic career - his influences, lyrical themes, vocal performances, his relationship with America, and more. In 1991 Van Morrison said, 'Music is spiritual, the music business isn't'. Peter Mills' groundbreaking book investigates the oppositions and harmonies within the work of Van Morrison, proceeding from this identified starting point. "Hymns to the Silence" is a detailed investigative study of Van Morrison's remarkable career. The book takes several intriguing angles. It looks at Morrison as a writer: specifically as an Irish writer, who has recorded musical settings of Yeats poems, collaborated with Seamus Heaney, Paul Durcan and Gerald Dawe, and who regularly drops quotes from James Joyce and Samuel Beckett into his live performances. It looks at him as a singer, at how he uses his voice as an interpretive instrument. And there are in-depth chapters on his use of mythology, on his stage performances, and on his continuing fascination with America and its musical forms. "Hymns to the Silence" is a passionate, eloquent study of the complex and influential art of one of the giants of popular music.