Six Degrees of Brendan Cowell and Thomas Keneally?

... and one degree of separation?

Brendan Cowell in Game of Thrones

I like playing those "Six Degrees of ..." type mind-games, like 'Six Degrees of Separation' and 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon', but I'm not an actor, so that cuts me out of the Kevin Bacon game I guess, unless I can get some bit part in a movie, so I can set up an IMDB account on my own behalf.
Which leaves me with 'Six Degrees of Separation' when it comes to meeting actors who have acted with other actors.

A movie directed by Fred Schepisi

My Cronulla Sharks dolls (Lewis?)

All the World is a Stage...coach?
I recently watched 'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith', a Fred Schepisi movie directed and produced by Fred from a book written by Thomas Keneally.
Fred Schepisi also directed the movie 'Six Degrees of Separation', which is quite relevant to the subject of this post, too.
Six Synchronistic Degrees of Fred Schepisi

Thomas Keneally although mainly known as an author has three acting credits at his IMDB page, two of those for acting in Fred Schepisi movies, including a bit part as a cook in 'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith'.

Thomas Keneally in 
'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith' (far right)

So technically Thomas is an actor, as well as an author, and can play along in the 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon' game.

Thomas has a Bacon number of 3, by the way.
Keneally's List

I first met Tom in 2012 at the Byron Writers Festival and bought three of his books and had a good chat about life and our mutual passion for Rugby League.

A quote from Tom's IMDB page

Although the team Tom cheers for (the Sea Eagles) and the team I cheer for (the Sharks) are archrivals in the NRL.
I've seen Thomas over the years at the writers festival since then, and while I may not have his phone number on speed dial, I think for the purpose of playing 'Six Degrees of Separation' we are friends enough in a chatty way for me to count him as someone I know as a "friend".

I'm currently reading his new book now (a post to come on that one soon).  
Crazy Eyes of an Old Crow?

Now as I'm watching Thomas acting in Fred's film 'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith' on my little TV screen with my two Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks dolls that I have at the base of my TV table, I also notice the Jack Thompson and Robin Niven are also acting in 'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith' with Tom.

My fellow Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks supporter and hopefully "friend" Brendan Cowell wrote and filmed a movie called 'Ruben Guthrie', which from what I gather is a semi-autobiographical story VERY loosely based on Brendan's own life (but don't quote me on that) and in the movie which Brendan directed (but didn't star in) he has Jack and Robin playing Ruben's parents.

Jack Thompson in
'The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith

Free 2?

Brendan Cowell, Patrick Brammall,
and Abbey Lee

GOT Life?

Sutherland?!

Ironically, Brendan has a Bacon number of 2 because he starred in a movie with Kiefer Sutherland called 'To End All Wars' and Keifer starred in 'A Few Good Men' with Bacon.

So, Brendan's connection to Kevin Bacon is Kiefer Sutherland and my connection to Brendan apart from meeting him at the Byron Writer's Festival is being a life long Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks supporter.

Brendan Cowell and Alfie Allen
in Game of Thrones

Brendan was recently in a few episodes of 'Game of Thrones' and I noticed that Peter Dinklage also has a Bacon number of 2 from starring with James McAvoy in 'X-men: Days of Future Past' and that Pete and Brendan had also starred in a film called 'I Love You Too'.

In another Six Degrees moment, I only watched 'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith' because I had read Stan Grant's book 'Talking to My Country' a few weeks back and in the book Stan had mentioned that 'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith' was one of his favourite films when growing up.

Stan Grant and Thomas Keneally at the BWF in 2016

I bought Stan's book in 2016 at the Byron Writers Festival after hearing a panel talk that Stan was in with Thomas Keneally, but I didn't get around to reading the book until a few weeks back.
2016 was also the year that the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks won their first NRL grand final.

The tattoo I got after the 2016 grand final

Stan Grant and Thomas Keneally in 2016 after the BWF talk

The Elephants in the Room?

Peter J Carrol?!

Hmm ... there is a Peter Carrol in
'The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith', as well;-)

Timing seems to be everything when the "book angel" nudges me to read a book and I couldn't help be amused by the timing of reading Stan's book just before I started reading Thomas Keneally's new book 'Two Old Men Dying', where Tom's main modern character is dying from 'Barrett's esophagus' and Stan tells of having his nervous breakdown while reading Syd Barrett's biography while he was working for CNN in China.

The Dark Side of the Moon

"Syd Barret was a founder member of the band Pink Floyd.
Barrett was the lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter in its early years and is credited with naming the band.
He was ousted from Pink Floyd in April 1968 after David Gilmour took over as their new guitarist, and was briefly hospitalised amid speculation of mental illness and his excessive use of 
psychedelic drugs."

Careful with That Axe, Eugene

Pardon my apophenia, but I couldn't help thinking the January news headlines were interesting as far as my current book reading went, considering the country Stan was living and working in at the time of his breakdown (China) just put a lander on the dark side of the moon and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks were thinking of having Trent Barrett from Tom's club Manly as head coach for this season.

Deep-Fried Happenstance?

Stan Grant interviews people now on a show called 'Matter of Fact' on the ABC national network.
When he writes about having his breakdown, he was a 24-hour news journalist for CNN, based in China. 

Starring Brendan Cowell

Brendan Cowell's latest role is playing Peter Langly in the TV series 'Press'.

'Press' is set in the world of newspapers - its past riven by hacking scandals, its present at the mercy of the digital age and the 24-hour news cycle, its future uncertain.

Another amusing thing I read in Stan Grant's book was that he said he had worked as a news journalist at all of the major Australian TV networks.
Now, I'm more of a Netflix viewer, but the main opposition to Netflix in Australia is STAN.
I heard that STAN got its name because the three major Australian commercial TV networks, Seven, Ten And Nine combined to form the company.
The ABC is a government taxpayer funded network, so it's not part of the STAN streaming service, but the A is there in the name if the ABC ever comes on board;-)

So, do you see any patterns here or is this post just all MADNESS, a la Syd Barrett style?-)

Both you say?-)

I guess you just had to be here then;-)

"Pink Floyd recorded several tributes to Syd Barrett, most notably the 1975 album Wish You Were Here, which includes the homage "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"."