The common touch

If I'd heard William Shatner's cover of Common People before I voted then it would have got a guernsey in my Triple J Hottest 100 picks. Fantastic stuff.

I've been meditating on fame. I'm going to see short plays tonight by a friend at work and then I got to thinking of all the people I know who have some kind of profile. (Not me as I don't have any of my song lyrics published - but if you want some then I'm the best, bub):

• Martin Moon: I've known for many moons. One of the old circle of friends from Perth. Started as a drummer playing round the traps in more bands than I can name and then migrated to the guitar and became a singer-songwriter with two albums under his belt. Not to be confused with Moon Martin or a character in a murder mystery.
  
  
• Juliet Marillier: old boss at AUSTUDY, became a fantasy novelist of some note.
  
  
• Graham Kershaw: another from our old gang. Wrote a novel, The Home Crowd, that received some coverage and was shortlisted for a WA literary award. Not to be confused with the English oil painter.
  
  
• Ross Byrne: used to live in a sharehouse in Glebe with this guy - ABC sound recordist. Don't know if this equates with fame but his work is seen - or heard, rather - by a lot of people.
  
  
• James Baker: used to go in and volunteer to listen to the kids read when our daughters were both littlies. Laura won an award and I was there to share in the glory. Parent nights were made interesting as I got James to regale me with stories about playing at CBGB's or meeting Wreckless Eric.