Rather than join a men’s shed or get involved in classic cars, Stephen Taberner wanted to celebrate the sound of men.
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And so was born The Spooky Men’s Chorale in 2001.
“The primary intent was to make really nice man sounds, boof chords, low frequency structures like nice sheds made out of slabs four by two,” Taberner said.
What resulted was a novelty choir singing songs like “Don’t Stand Between a Man and His Tool”, “We Are Not A Men’s Group”, the cover “Am I Not Pretty Enough” and “Oh Foot” (a tribute to that which carry men home).
The now 55-year-old said their performances are a fun way to explore the deeper meaning of life – be it death or masculinity – through music.
Taberner said men often have difficulty in finding their place “between thug and wimp”.
“Some of the stuff that The Spookys do is humourosly, interactively model some idea of masculinity,” he said.
“[Our songs] provide a narrative of the ridiculousness of men while celebrating us.”
On a side not, Taberner said men often need to find their place in the world while exubering some form of masculinity, though it can go horribly wrong.
“A good way of being a man is something that does need to be learnt,” he said.
“How it goes wrong is they become full of bluster like Donald Trump or want to start wars like the North Korea guy.”
Watch beauty, stupidity and the essence of being a man at Wollongong Town Hall June 24 with The Spooky Men’s Chorale.
For ticket details visit www.merrigong.com.au