Paradise Anthology

Les Murray at the St Kilda Public Library

Rebecca Barnard & Sarah Carroll

Carmel Shute, Tara Moss, Michael Crane

Michael Crane

Photos by Rapahel Sabu taken in Adelaide, October 2007

“Bleak, funny, moody, like a modern-day Chaplin, Michael Crane shows us the flickering frames of his and our lives in the pervasive dystopia of Melbourne. The tantalising emptiness of distant beauty, the impossible quest for the perfect poem, the slippages of social, economic and emotional access are subjects of these confessional and comedic songs. Many are performance pieces and lyric-like, they wear their heart on their sleeve as they speak in the wry, keening voice of a contemporary troubadour who sees from the outside the fears and foibles, the desires and disappointments, especially of men, in a world which still sometimes seems at the edge of the universe.” — David Gilbey

Michael Crane organised what he believes was the first poetry slam in Australia in 1991 and went on to organise more than 300 events over the next fifteen year including poetry slams, cabarets, art auctions and tributes to Charles Bukowski and Leonard Cohen. His published books including Loose kangaroos (Domain press), The Lightmaster (Phoebe Press), and A dog called yesterday (Ninderry press). He has had the privilege of performing with people such as Chris Wilson, Git, Naked Raven, Rebecca’s Empire, Angie Hart, Stephen Cummings, The Black Eyed Susans, Things of Stone and Wood, Monique Brumby, Les Murray, Gig Ryan, Carmel Bird, Tara Moss, Christos Tsiolkas, Brian Nankervis and many others. He has also appeared on ABC Radio National, JJJ, ABC Television’s Voices program, The Today Show, Channel 31, and several community radio stations including RRR, 3CR, The Red Room and PBS.

Contact: mfcrane2000@yahoo.com