Bernard Zuel
@bernardzuel.bsky.social
Writer & critic (SMH, Guardian, Rhythms & everything found at bernardzuel.net) teacher (Sydney University), podcaster, host/facilitator (anywhere you want me), media trainer (you talk, I help). Opinions definitely are those of my employer - moi.
February 12, 2026 at 8:54 PM
February 12, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Risking retribution for linking one of the most destructive forces in modern Australia to one of the most constructive ones in modern music, a review of the new album from the sublime Jill Scott finds soul music for the soul is just what we needed.
www.bernardzuel.net/post/jill-sc...
www.bernardzuel.net/post/jill-sc...
JILL SCOTT – TO WHOM THIS MAY CONCERN: REVIEW
JILL SCOTTTo Whom This May Concern (The Orchard) THE SCOURGE OF MODERN AUSTRALIA, John Howard, once said during his years in the political garbage bin that “the times will suit me” as he waited for se...
www.bernardzuel.net
February 12, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Risking retribution for linking one of the most destructive forces in modern Australia to one of the most constructive ones in modern music, a review of the new album from the sublime Jill Scott finds soul music for the soul is just what we needed.
www.bernardzuel.net/post/jill-sc...
www.bernardzuel.net/post/jill-sc...
Like the seat fillers at Grammys/Oscars who make sure no spot is empty while its holder pisses on/off, Ted O'Brien has been a hero in recent times for middle-aged middling white men aspiring to mediocrity. Thank god that the real thing, Angus Taylor, is back in the seat. Winner! Now we all win.
February 12, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Like the seat fillers at Grammys/Oscars who make sure no spot is empty while its holder pisses on/off, Ted O'Brien has been a hero in recent times for middle-aged middling white men aspiring to mediocrity. Thank god that the real thing, Angus Taylor, is back in the seat. Winner! Now we all win.
James Paterson's missing t was never being used for teamplayer.
February 12, 2026 at 1:35 AM
James Paterson's missing t was never being used for teamplayer.
For those wondering, the somewhat problematic theatre star whose live & intimate show's modest sales we checked (1 & 2) last week has had a big turnaround. Ticket sales have doubled since then! It's happening people.
(NB for newcomers: the $65 is what you have to pay, not what you get to attend.)
(NB for newcomers: the $65 is what you have to pay, not what you get to attend.)
February 12, 2026 at 12:02 AM
For those wondering, the somewhat problematic theatre star whose live & intimate show's modest sales we checked (1 & 2) last week has had a big turnaround. Ticket sales have doubled since then! It's happening people.
(NB for newcomers: the $65 is what you have to pay, not what you get to attend.)
(NB for newcomers: the $65 is what you have to pay, not what you get to attend.)
She's working on a new album - yes, at last! - of her songs but as gift-before-purchase Holly Throsby has thrown us a cover of Alex G's Cross The Sea. It is quite lovely.
open.spotify.com/track/1rEt6u...
open.spotify.com/track/1rEt6u...
Cross the Sea
open.spotify.com
February 11, 2026 at 11:42 PM
She's working on a new album - yes, at last! - of her songs but as gift-before-purchase Holly Throsby has thrown us a cover of Alex G's Cross The Sea. It is quite lovely.
open.spotify.com/track/1rEt6u...
open.spotify.com/track/1rEt6u...
Shiiiiiiit. Oh, wait.
First thought was they really don't care about the deadbeat dads core audience for Kid Rock & Trump.
Second thought, ha! like any of them have passports or have ever thought of going anywhere more foreign than Miama.
As you were.
First thought was they really don't care about the deadbeat dads core audience for Kid Rock & Trump.
Second thought, ha! like any of them have passports or have ever thought of going anywhere more foreign than Miama.
As you were.
Parents who owe significant child support could have their passports revoked, sources tell AP, as Trump administration steps up enforcement of 1996 law.
US to expand passport revocations for parents who owe child support, AP sources say
Parents who owe a significant amount of child support soon could lose their ability to travel internationally as the Trump administration expands and steps up enforcement of a 30-year-old law that allows the federal government to revoke American passports until payments are made.
bit.ly
February 11, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Shiiiiiiit. Oh, wait.
First thought was they really don't care about the deadbeat dads core audience for Kid Rock & Trump.
Second thought, ha! like any of them have passports or have ever thought of going anywhere more foreign than Miama.
As you were.
First thought was they really don't care about the deadbeat dads core audience for Kid Rock & Trump.
Second thought, ha! like any of them have passports or have ever thought of going anywhere more foreign than Miama.
As you were.
February 11, 2026 at 9:27 PM
What a hothouse of talent. Get them a limousine indeed! #morningpop #thursdayvinyl #thecrocodiles #tears
February 11, 2026 at 8:21 PM
What a hothouse of talent. Get them a limousine indeed! #morningpop #thursdayvinyl #thecrocodiles #tears
The inevitable next step.
Gallup will no longer measure presidential approval after 88 years thehill.com/homenews/med...
February 11, 2026 at 8:06 PM
The inevitable next step.
I needed the room to get out of the gloom, into the … #morningpop #thursdayvinyl #sherbet #slipstream
February 11, 2026 at 7:39 PM
I needed the room to get out of the gloom, into the … #morningpop #thursdayvinyl #sherbet #slipstream
How do you get from Birdman to Duran Duran via a DJ who was definitely not in a bowtie? Where does the western suburbs begin & Richard Clapton end? Are you really going to punch me out? These are only some of the things at play in What Comes To Mind. You in?
www.bernardzuel.net/post/what-co...
www.bernardzuel.net/post/what-co...
WHAT COMES TO MIND … RICHARD CLAPTON AND A YEAH HUP!
Here we have the next instalment in What Comes To Mind, an alternative series in the Wind Back Wednesday space, based on the work of the brilliant photographer Stuart Spence.Each time, he will dig out...
www.bernardzuel.net
February 11, 2026 at 2:56 AM
How do you get from Birdman to Duran Duran via a DJ who was definitely not in a bowtie? Where does the western suburbs begin & Richard Clapton end? Are you really going to punch me out? These are only some of the things at play in What Comes To Mind. You in?
www.bernardzuel.net/post/what-co...
www.bernardzuel.net/post/what-co...
Reposted by Bernard Zuel
Absolutely love @amyremeikis.bsky.social noting each time "The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, who has been credibly accused of inciting the commission of genocide"
Facts
live.thepoint.com.au
Facts
live.thepoint.com.au
The Point Live: Angus Taylor, supporters, expected to make moves on Liberal leadership
All eyes are on Angus Taylor who is expected to resign from the shadow front bench ahead of his leadership challenge against Sussan Ley. All the day's events, with factchecks, as it happens.
live.thepoint.com.au
February 11, 2026 at 1:37 AM
Absolutely love @amyremeikis.bsky.social noting each time "The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, who has been credibly accused of inciting the commission of genocide"
Facts
live.thepoint.com.au
Facts
live.thepoint.com.au
it's becoming clear that many people have forgotten that yes, this is exactly what the catholic right wing of the nsw labor party produces
February 10, 2026 at 11:53 PM
it's becoming clear that many people have forgotten that yes, this is exactly what the catholic right wing of the nsw labor party produces
Legislate in haste, repent at leisure (though the Minns govt doesn't do repentance oddly enough). www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw...
NSW anti-protest laws were rushed through to keep the peace. They’ve failed
NSW is now one of the most draconian anti-protest jurisdictions in the democratic world, with anti-protest rules that violate international law.
www.smh.com.au
February 10, 2026 at 10:37 PM
Legislate in haste, repent at leisure (though the Minns govt doesn't do repentance oddly enough). www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw...
People complaining they couldn’t understand what Bad Bunny was singing clearly did not have teen years trying to work out what the hell Michael Stipe was singing on early REM albums.
February 10, 2026 at 9:43 PM
People complaining they couldn’t understand what Bad Bunny was singing clearly did not have teen years trying to work out what the hell Michael Stipe was singing on early REM albums.
February 10, 2026 at 9:18 PM
I’ve got the 21st century breathing down my neck. #morningpop #wednesdayvinyl #thesmiths #thequeenisdead
February 10, 2026 at 8:25 PM
I’ve got the 21st century breathing down my neck. #morningpop #wednesdayvinyl #thesmiths #thequeenisdead
Stop that shining, you're assaulting NSW police.
February 10, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Stop that shining, you're assaulting NSW police.
Reposted by Bernard Zuel
Fantastic work over the past decade from the wonderful Lenore..
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
Lenore Taylor resigns as Guardian Australia editor after 10 years of leadership
Australia’s longest-serving editor credited with transforming a fledgling news organisation into the fourth most-read news website
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Fantastic work over the past decade from the wonderful Lenore..
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
It's a world where Eva Cassidy, Radio Birdman, Vance Joy & Richard Clapton were entangled. It's a time when choosing sides mattered. It's a view from just outside the moment. It's What Comes To Mind & you're invited ...
... to apologise or recognise.
www.bernardzuel.net/post/what-co...
... to apologise or recognise.
www.bernardzuel.net/post/what-co...
WHAT COMES TO MIND … RICHARD CLAPTON AND A YEAH HUP!
Here we have the next instalment in What Comes To Mind, an alternative series in the Wind Back Wednesday space, based on the work of the brilliant photographer Stuart Spence.Each time, he will dig out...
www.bernardzuel.net
February 10, 2026 at 7:55 PM
It's a world where Eva Cassidy, Radio Birdman, Vance Joy & Richard Clapton were entangled. It's a time when choosing sides mattered. It's a view from just outside the moment. It's What Comes To Mind & you're invited ...
... to apologise or recognise.
www.bernardzuel.net/post/what-co...
... to apologise or recognise.
www.bernardzuel.net/post/what-co...
Reposted by Bernard Zuel
"We urgently need to see this for what it is. Mandelson’s grovelling to the sinister rich is disgraceful, disgusting, deceitful, a crushing of women’s rights and of democracy. But it is not a deviation from the system. It is a manifestation of it."
February 10, 2026 at 6:23 PM
"We urgently need to see this for what it is. Mandelson’s grovelling to the sinister rich is disgraceful, disgusting, deceitful, a crushing of women’s rights and of democracy. But it is not a deviation from the system. It is a manifestation of it."
Reposted by Bernard Zuel
We knew from the moment we heard it that “social cohesion” would be one of those Orwellian terms which would be used to cover all manner of state sanctioned abuse and deprivation of civic freedoms.
It fuels the very unrest it pretends to seek to quell.
It fuels the very unrest it pretends to seek to quell.
February 10, 2026 at 12:13 AM
We knew from the moment we heard it that “social cohesion” would be one of those Orwellian terms which would be used to cover all manner of state sanctioned abuse and deprivation of civic freedoms.
It fuels the very unrest it pretends to seek to quell.
It fuels the very unrest it pretends to seek to quell.
Like classic country shows it began with Donna Summer loving to love you, had the dance-around-the-bedroom zest of Holy Smoke, told a lover there's Bed No breakfast & came home with a description of This Is How A Woman Leaves. @marenmorris.bsky.social spotted live
www.bernardzuel.net/post/maren-m...
www.bernardzuel.net/post/maren-m...
MAREN MORRIS LIVE: REVIEW
MAREN MORRISEnmore Theatre, February 7 DONNA SUMMER’S Love To Love You Baby as the play-on music for a multiple Country Music Association-winner with three number one singles on the country chart? Why...
www.bernardzuel.net
February 10, 2026 at 1:54 AM
Like classic country shows it began with Donna Summer loving to love you, had the dance-around-the-bedroom zest of Holy Smoke, told a lover there's Bed No breakfast & came home with a description of This Is How A Woman Leaves. @marenmorris.bsky.social spotted live
www.bernardzuel.net/post/maren-m...
www.bernardzuel.net/post/maren-m...