..
*** VALE KURT VONNEGUT (and Kilgour Trout) - 11th April, 2007. "Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt" ***NB: THIS PAGE IS BEST VIEWED USING MOZILLA FIREFOX! (sorry explorers)Claire Hedger is a freelance pop-culture writer, producer, and commentator who specialises in music. With over 20 years of experience, she works across the radio, television and entertainment industries.Claire moonlights as an academic and enjoys challenging young adults to develop their lateral thinking and to expand their perspectives of the world... and of music. She lectures at RMIT University across the Social Science and Applied Communication Schools, where she is also completing a PhD in music, feminist and cultural theory. Her thesis explores the experiences of women in the rock and pop industry and how women have challenged the boundaries that have traditionally constricted their performance. (See below for more details)(Below: Claire playing keys with the 3RRR all-star band, which included 2 drummers - Archie Cuthbertson and Biggsy here. Vocalists' included Vika Bull, Paul Stewart, Fred Negro, Rebecca Barnard and Charles Jenkins) Claire also has a healthy engagement with community issues, working as a social worker, music therapist, NLP results coach and musician. (Scroll down for further details on Claire's life and work experiences)
She is an activist for "equality regardless of age, sex, race, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, religion, culture or status". .. ..Her aim is to challenge such arbitrary labels, which, she says, "encourage discrimination, prejudice, separation and intolerance, erasing the beauty and strength of individuality".Claire has a Bachelor of Social Work from RMIT University and is a certified NLP Master Practitioner, Performance Consultant and Master Results Coach. She is also certified in Master Neurological Re-patterning, Cognitive Re-imprinting and Ericksonian Hypnosis.(Outside Cherry in AC DC Lane, Melbourne)

MUSIC, RADIO & ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

Claire has been working with the national music industry since 1988 in a variety of capacities, including:- programming and music co-ordinator for Melbourne community radio broadcaster 3RRR-FM (3RRR Breakfasters OB with John Safran)- member of 3RRR Programming Review and Selection Committee - inc support and development for on-air broadcasters and programs (Above: Flogging wares between MCing at one of the many music festivals 3RRR is involved with. 3RRR staff promo shot from 1990. That's a young Claire on the far right) - cultivating and developing relations between radio, local community and the broader arts, entertainment and music industry- 18 years experience as a radio researcher, writer, news editor, presenter and producer (Above: broadcasting live from the the Virgin Megastore window with Karen Leng for Nirvana's appearance on 3RRR) - special events, stage-managing, tour and festival management (Big Day Out, Pushover, 3RRR fundraising events and outdoor broadcasts - like the annual 3RRR Balls advertised above), as well as promotional and publicity campaigns for local and touring artistsBelow: working at the Big Day Out, with my friend, Suzie Morry Trashcan Above: MC Claire on stage at Pushover; Below: MCing on the 3RRR stage at the Big Day Out - freelance writer for various music organisations, including copywriting as well as magazine, newspaper and web sites publications- Music consultant for various print, tv and radio organisations(Claire hosting the APRA Songwriter Speaks forum at the Australian World Music Expo with guest songwriters Natalie Papa, Moana Maniapoto and Lou Bennett at the Victorian Arts Centre and Spiegeltent)

(more photos from the Aust World Music Expo, December 2008 at the Spigeltent, with David Bridie and musicians from Australia and PNG) - Copywriting, voice-over and narration for tv and radio

- Sound mixer for live and OB broadcasts and telecasts

(DJing at the sorely missed Continental with Max Crawdaddy and Tony Biggs)

- Club DJ.. ..
From 1997 to 2000, Claire was a member of the Push Inc Board of Directors, a Victorian-based organisation providing drug and alcohol free entertainment and services for young people, which included staging the annual Pushover festival in Melbourne.

see 'The Push' myspace page at myspace.com/thepushinc

TELEVISION

.. ..

.. ..

Claire’s experience with television is also extensive, and works as a freelance writer, researcher and script editor for various TV programs in development and production. She was writer, researcher and interviewer for ABC-TVs 2003 program ‘Love is in the Air’, a 5-Part documentary series on the history of Australian pop, and was researcher for ‘Long Way to the Top’ (2001 - ABC-TV), a 6-part history documentary on Australian rock music. Both were nominated for Logies in their respective years in the 'Best Documentary' category. Other TV assignments have included writing for cultural/history documentaries, such as the ABC-TV's History of Australian Rules Football and on Australia's peculiar relationship with the Beach and Surf Culture... ..

.. ..

From 1994-1996 she worked as music producer and presenter for a series of Channel 31/RMITV programs, including the successful live variety program ‘Under Melbourne Tonight’, where the likes of Rove McManus, Corinne Grant, Merrick and Rosso, Stephen Hall and Vin Hedger got their TV and comedy careers underway.

SOCIAL WORK

As a social worker, Claire has been placed as a drug counselor with Tranx (1995-96), offering phone counseling and support for clients withdrawing from prescribed drugs, particularly benzodiazipines (valium, temazepam, etc). This included training in drug rehabilitation, withdrawal and recovery programs, and promoting cultural awareness of mental health and drug issues in the community.In 1996, she was placed with the Doutta Galla Community Health Service, providing social work duties in emergency care, mainly working with ethnic and immigrating communities in Melbourne’s north-western suburbs. As part of her placement, she was commissioned by the Victorian Health Association (VHA) to gather data on the state of community health centres, which culminated in the research, writing and production of ‘The Role of Peak Bodies: Future Directions’ report.Since 2004, Claire has been working in music therapy, acting as support artist with musician David Bridie to provide therapeutic music-based workshops for people in Supported Residential Services. This project is commissioned by Arts Access, which aims to provide access to arts and cultural activities for people who are disadvantaged, including people with a disability.Claire has also been commissioned by Tribus Lingua (www.tribuslingua.com.au) to write a series of web-based articles focusing on issues and barriers facing migrants looking for work in Australia. Tribus Lingua is an independent organisation dedicated to assisting migrants who are job-hunting and settling in Australia. They have released many cross-cultural publications and offer clear and practical on-line resources, including 'Land That Job in Australia: Successful Job-hunting for Migrants' by Dr Jim Bright and Karen Bright and 'G'day Boss', by Barbara West and Frances Murphy, an excellent guide for newcomers adapting to the culture of the Australian workplace. The purpose of the on-line articles is to offer encouragement and advice from the perspective of employers and the recruiting sector for skilled migrant job-hunters.

ACADEMIC ROLES

Claire Hedger completed a Bachelor of Social Work with RMIT University in 1996, and has been lecturing and tutoring as a sessional staff member with the RMIT School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning since 1997.(RMIT University Hanoi, when Claire visited in 2005 (including her fave mode of transport to Uni in Vietnam - Honda Om, of course!)

Programs she has taught include undergraduate courses in Contemporary Australian Politics, Social and Cultural Theory, Introduction to Research, Social Construction of the Self, Interpersonal and Public Communications, History of Sex, Introduction to Australian Society, Australian Social Policy, and Sex, Gender and Society, as well as teaching in the Masters Postgraduate Program in Contemporary Social and Political Theory.

She has run workshops for international exchange students from Singapore, America, Japan, Vietnam and Europe and acted as senior tutor in 2000 for Interpersonal and Public Communications. Claire also teaches and lectures in the Popular Music and Society program with the School of Applied Communications.(Below: RMIT University Saigon (or, officiallly, Ho Chi Minh City), when Claire visited in 2005. This beautiful campus has now been moved further south of the city)

CURRENT RESEARCH

Claire is currently completing a PhD in Social Science (with support from the Australian Postgraduate Award with Stipend and flexible Scholarship), exploring feminist and cultural interpretations of the experiences of women in rock and pop music. This includes: .. ..- an exploration of the historiography of western rock and pop music and the marginalisation of female performers in music history and rock discourse,- analysis of the construction and promotion of the modern female pop star, tracing a trajectory from the Riot Grrrl rock movement of the early 90s through to the phenomenon of Girl Power and pop stars in the 21st century,.. ..
- exploring ways women artists have been blocked by culturally constructed boundaries of female musical performance, as well as highlighting ways in which women have successfully challenged and shifted these boundaries. .. .. .. ..Claire has been a member of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) since 2000, presenting and chairing papers at international conferences and has refereed for academic journals.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

- popular music - everything!- popular culture, sub and youth cultures .. ..
- feminism and gender theorising(The late Kathy Acker)- addiction withdrawal and support- addressing sexism, discrimination, racism, sexual assault, sexual abuse and the exploitation of women.. ..
- sexuality and queer theory- Philosophical, postmodern, cultural and social theoryPerformance art and artists that challenge and shift mainstream thinking on gender, race, culture, sex and sexuality (Such as Lydia Lunch, Annie Sprinkle, Karen Finley, Carolee Schneemann, Diamanda Galas and many, many more...)

OTHER AWARDS AND QUALIFICATIONS

* 1996 - Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) – RMIT University* Current Doctorate candidate – PhD (Social Science) RMIT University* 1995 - Golden Key National Honour Society award for ‘Recognition of Outstanding Scholastic Achievement and Excellence’* 1996 - Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) award for Best Contribution to Australian Music for her 3RRR program ‘Australian Matinee’* 1997 - nomination for RMIT Patricia Guthrie Award, awarded annually to an ‘outstanding community-minded graduating RMIT student’* 1997 - Australian Postgraduate Award with Stipend and flexible Scholarship for doctoral research* 1999 – Melbourne Music Industry peer voted award in appreciation of Services to Australian Music* 1991 - 'Train the Trainer' (Swinburne) certificate in radio production* Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) certificate in Music Theory* Logie nominations for 2001 and 2003 for Best TV documentary for ‘Love is in the Air’ (ABC-TV) and for ‘Long Way to the Top’ (ABC-TV)* 1997 – representative for joint 3RRR/Interpid Travel promotional trip to Vietnam and China2007 - RMIT Recognition of Excellence in TeachingSeptember 2007 - Certificate in NLP 'Performance Revolution' (Christopher Howard's Universal Events - Presentation and Leadership) (Melbourne)November 2007 - Certificate in NLP 'Design Your Destiny' (Christopher Howard's Universal Events) (Sydney)December 2007 - Fully Qualified Certification in Neurological Repatterning- Certified Results Coach- Full Certification as a Qualified Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming- Full Certification in Ericksonian Hypnosis- Performance Consultant (Aug 08)- Master Results Coach (Aug 08)- Master Practitioner of NLP (Aug 08)- Certificate in Advanced Neurological Repatterning (Aug 08)- Master Hypnosis (Aug 08)Master Results Certification (Aug 08)(Christopher Howard Training and Universal Events) (For a while there, Reg was going to be named 'Velcro', cos he wouldn't leave Claire's side. Not much has changed...A very loyal and protective sausage dog.)Claire is also a Human Rights Defender for Amnesty International and has volunteered as a media spokesperson for the Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Foundation of Victoria. She currently also supports Medecins sans Frontieres, Oxfam, the Wilderness Society and sponsors a beautiful girl in the Philippines, Faida, through World Vision. She has traveled extensively through Asia, including Vietnam (her second home), China, Malaysia (Borneo), Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore, plus Egypt, Greece, Turkey and Dubai (UAE).
Amongst the rabble, you'll also find some miscellaneous pics from Claire's travels around the world and the people she has met along the way...(one day she'll get around to transferring her photos of Egypt, China, Borneo, etc, to digital... but that's another project too big to contemplate right now)These next few photos are with various family members. I have 5 older brothers and 1 sister (I'm the youngest of 7... yep, that explains it - the 7 deadly sins... but which sin am I?). Apologies to those not included here... mugging for the camera seems to be a Hedger family trait that we inherited from my Mum...!!Above: One of my clever and creatively artistic nephews, Daniel, (yes, I'm "aunty" to 14 wonderfully talented nieces and nephews) whose music and potato gems of pop culture you can explore at www.myspace.com/danielhedger and myspace.com/boyfrienddestroyer. You can also find pages from my gorgeous nieces, Nadine and Hayley, listed under my friends, plus two more of my musically talented nephews on myspace. Peter is playing in bands around Melbourne and Ian is a brilliant writer - check out their pages under my friends for Redge (Ian) and my very own Jack White look-alike, Peter "Spidey" Hedger.This is my family on Christmas day, 2007. We usually have 32 sit down for lunch. Below:My great friend Evan, who has got me through some hard times with his special brand of silliness. I call him Dr Farfisa (he's a wizz at musical electronics and he's recorded some brilliant 60s inspired music with his various bands) but you may call him Caracticus Jellybaffle III. Check out his myspace by clicking on Lord Evan's link under 'My Friends'above: Fishing on the bosphorous by the 14th century castle in Bebek, Istanbul. Below: fish sandwiches straight off the boat in Bebek below:My beautiful niece, Steph, hustling the pool table The perenially photogenic lotus flower at the Thien Mu Pagoda on the Song Huong, HueMY good friend Bernie - check out his TV series at www.richmond3121oh.com or www.youtube.com/berniecarpetGulls chasing our ferry across the bosphorous . Ulus Parki with sights above the Bosphorous in Istanbul Bodrum in Turkey - overlooking the Greek Islands below: Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque), Istanbul Below: our morning view in Bodrum The famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore, and yes, I DID have a Singapore Sling at the bar...Well, i HAD to... below: with my best and most inspirational friend, Ailis, and Isabelle > Above: Thailand: "elephant sucking". Below: Arking about in Thailand Many thanks and much love to all my special myspace friends who have sent their wishes. It is wonderful to hear from you my darlings and hopefully it won't be long before I'm back on my feet, ready to go into battle again. Claire xxxx

Today I am again in cartoon-mode because, lately, I've been feeling like I'm a caricature of myself.

below: Not a good angle for me (cow udders, anyone?) But doesn't Kath Letch, station manager of 3RRR, look fabulous!