Top of the weekend to you all. On high rotation over here: Iron Maiden’s Powerslave, though this week’s soundtrack has bounced around from synthwave to metalcore since events transpired in the US. If you’re still trying to process it all, this week’s first read has some insights.
1. Why Trump’s victory should not have been a surprise
Much of the globe gasped a collective “WTF?” when Donald Trump romped to victory in the US presidential election. But the Guardian’s UK columnist Owen Jones, who spent the last few days of the campaign in the swing states, was not surprised.
From Wisconsin to Pennsylvania, with a “level of message discipline [that] would put many a government to shame”, Trump supporters told him the same thing. For the Democrats, who misread the tea leaves, Jones suggests “a reckoning surely beckons”.
Notable quote: “Harris made the preservation of democracy the key dividing line. For some voters, this was either too abstract or they simply didn’t care: they wanted politicians to solve their problems.”
How long will it take to read: Two minutes.
Alternatively: It could be Taylor Swift’s fault.
2. When filler removal goes wrong
Celebrities who led the hyaluronic acid filler trend are now taking to their lips, cheeks and chin with a new injection: hyaluronidase, or dissolver. Unfortunately, some women are learning dermal fillers are not easy come, easy go for everyone.
Lana Hristovski’s cheeks and lips caved in and her under-eyes were left with deep hollows when she had her fillers removed in 2015. “These celebrities make it sound so wonderful,” says the 49-year-old Victorian. “But it’s really not worth it.”
Trend watch: “Duck lips aren’t really a thing any more,” declares Ellie Scales, a 25-year-old TikToker. As a Sydney resident, I respectfully disagree.
How long will it take to read: Five minutes.
3. The people who dared to bare all
Erika Roe disrobed and invaded the pitch at a Wallabies Test at Twickenham in 1982. “I’m so bored with the articles people write about me,” says Roe, now 66. “But you have to keep up with the ‘Where are they nows’.”
Of course it is an Australian – Michael O’Brien – who is regarded as the godfather of modern streakers. You’ll know the image, again from Twickenham, in 1974: of a police officer covering the Jesus lookalike’s modesty with his helmet.
O’Brien returned home to a life of relative anonymity. Other streakers became serial pests. Simon Hattenstone finds out why people strip off and run the gauntlet.
***
“We’re a family who walks around naked. They were excited.” – Erika Roe of her parents’ reaction when she called them from the police station. She was released without charge.
How long will it take to read: Ten minutes.
4. How Countdown changed Australian culture
Unless you were punks or Midnight Oil (who famously never appeared), Countdown was the gateway to pop success in Australia from 1974 to 1987. The Molly Meldrum-hosted music show kicked off on the ABC 50 years ago this week, helping make household names of Sherbet, Skyhooks and hundreds of “haircut” bands.
Myf Warhurst is one of the hosts of the public broadcaster’s anniversary special, screening on Saturday 16 November in Australia. Her first Countdown memory: laying a kiss on the TV screen while Daryl Braithwaite mimed Sherbet’s Howzat in 1976.
Not just the superstars: Brisbane’s Riptides drove to Melbourne and hand-delivered their record to Meldrum at home, begging for a slot – and it worked.
How long will it take to read: Four minutes.
Further reading: David Stratton on a life reviewing films – and the beloved Australian classic he changed his mind about.
5. The agony of ketamine addiction
The reasons drug users turn to ketamine are myriad. It’s typically cheaper than cocaine. Its anaesthetic effect is coveted by those trying to self-medicate emotional distress. And, says Nick, a 16-year user now in recovery, it puts you in “a fairy world”.
Nick has learned the hard way that what goes up must come down. His bladder has shrunk and will likely need to be removed. “It’s just a sneaky drug,” he says. “It tricks your brain.” And experts still don’t have all the answers about a substance that claimed the life of the Friends actor Matthew Perry.
‘I felt like I was peeing glass’: Like Nick, Jack Curran is a recovering addict who now works at a UK rehab clinic. His bladder control was at times so poor he wore nappies.
How long will it take to read: Six minutes.
Further reading: Wastewater analysis indicates Australians’ appetite for ketamine has hit a record high for a second year running.
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