FAST TALKING 1984
> HE CAN TALK THE TALK, BUT CAN HE WALK THE WALK?
AUSSIE comedy/drama Fast Talking follows roughnut Sydney teen Steve Carson (played brilliantly by Zuanic) as he attempts to balance a tendency for anti-social behaviour with an inherent good heart and conscience.
Steve’s world is rapidly spiralling out of control; his mother (Mcgregor) shuns him to start a new life after leaving his high-maintenance alcoholic father (Hehir), while his brother (Cook) pushes Steve to sell drugs at his high school.
Steve learns to rely on stealing, lying and cheating to make ends meet, but finds solace – and the chance to be a kid – through hanging out with his best friend, Moose (Truswell – ‘Nudge’ from Hey Dad!), who does an epic Frank Spencer impersonation, and schoolboy crush Vicki (Allaylis).
Branded a distraction and no-hoper by the high-school hierarchy and local wallopers, Steve seems destined for a dull future until teacher Sharon (Mann) and ex-con motorcycle wrecker Redback (Bisley) independently detect a bright streak in him. They nurture him towards meaningful life options in an attempt to break the cycle imposed by his dysfunctional family.
Steve rises to the challenge and looks to be flourishing with this newfound guidance, but change doesn’t come easily. A minor burst of vandalism accidentally erupts into a major crime spree, and soon he has slipped back to his default setting of stealing, lying and cheating, while also slipping behind the wheel of a stolen Valiant.
It’s the cast of then-new faces along with Aussie screen legends that make this flick sizzle. Zuanic, who was discovered at a Blacktown high school, portays Steve in a disarmingly natural way, as if he’s not really ‘acting’. The acclaimed Tracy Mann (fresh from the hit ABC series Sweet
and Sour) and sure-thing Steve Bisley need no introduction and undoubtedly served as mentors to the younger actors both on and off screen. But Peter Hehir as Steve’s father Ralph trumps all with his portrayal of a low-rent alcoholic greyhound trainer battling with demons. VERDICT: 4/5 A SADLY forgotten and underrated Australian cinematic gem, Fast Talking mixes laugh-out-loud hilarity with poignant drama. Though made and set in the mid-80s, it raises issues still pertinent to present-day Australian society. Certainly, the storyline, characters and themes will resonate with many Gen-x viewers – we all remember someone like Steve Carson – and perhaps help to explain a few of our behavioural traits, love for the simple trappings of our youth and fear of any bamboo that looks like a principal’s cane.
ORGAN DRIVE
READING about Peter Illingworth (People Like Us, SM, Sep ’17) was uncanny. I have Type 2 diabetes and a burnout car called Organ Donor! Maybe we were separated at birth? We’ve done all right with the car: first and second at Kandos, Top 10 there every year entered, so we have a little…notoriety, shall we say!
I want to promote organ donation and was thinking a bilateral promotion would work best. I searched for Peter on Facebook, but alas, couldn’t find him. If you could forward my details to him, or pass his to me that would be unreal. Sean Harvey, email
TAKING ISSUE
I HATE to be that whinging guy that has an issue about every issue, but… First off, I understand that the times have changed and so have the trends in the automotive scene, but it seems like the magazine is getting flooded with nothing but 20-inch chrome rims, reverse-cowls and burnout cars. I have no issue with some of these every month, but when I skip through the whole magazine because nothing in there is applicable to my tastes, I have to wonder if my subscription is becoming a waste of time.
Could you feature less shop-built cars and more home-built beauties? I feel the blokes who put the time and effort into their own cars get outshined by the guys who can afford the best of the best.
Stop with so many fuel-injected, electricwindowed, air-conditioned, driven-only-whenhumidity-is-less-than-10-per-cent cars. More real cars that get driven, even when the roads are damp. Could we get some six-bangers in there? Stop with the Wheeling & Dealing section; it’s shit. And stop with the ‘How to make my RB30 VK go quick’.
Sorry in advance; I have been loyal for many years, but my hope is dying. Luke Anderson, email
STARS FOR CARS
ONLY 3.5 out of 5 stars for Cars 3 (Fanging Flick, SM, Sep ’17)?! My five-year-old boy and three-year-old girl watch a bit of a movie every night (mostly cars movies), so over the past few years I’ve seen Running On Empty, Two-lane Blacktop, Mad Max, the first Fast and the Furious,
Bullitt, Gumball Rally, etc. nearly a hundred times! After watching so many car movies over and over and over, the movie I’m least sick of is Cars. It’s a fantastic film with so many super-cool car culture references. Cars 2 wasn’t much chop, but Cars 3 brought it back in a big way. As far as car movies go, it has to be 5 out of 5. Love it! The Peachman, email
MALOO MUSTER
CLUB Maloo Queensland recently held a cruise with 85 Maloos attending where we raised over $4K for the Cancer Council. Check out the pics of some (not all) of the utes that took part, featuring old and new at the front. I’m a big fan of Street Machine and would love a pic to feature if possible, and I’m sure the other club members would be thrilled to see it too. Steve Mckie, email
COME TO A CLOSE
YOU may have heard that Sam and Issy Blumenstein from COME Racing are retiring and will no longer be building engines. I was reflecting on the great success of their customer engines and the undeniably highquality components that they’ve designed and produced, in particular for the Aussie Holden V8. I remember reading many a Street Machine article that referenced these iconic brothers and their fantastic business.
I had an idea that Street Machine may wish to compile a retrospective article focussed on their achievements. I know Sam is very assistive with sharing years of hard-earned knowledge on building engines and may be a good resource for Street Machine Youtube videos in the future. Just sharing my thoughts. Have a great day. Ranald Young (Rans Automotive), email
5 GOOD REASONS
I RECKON you’ve made a good choice to stuff a twin-turbo LS1 into an MX-5 for the latest
Carnage project. MX-5S are an underrated sleeper that tend to slip beneath the radar due to the hairdresser cliché. The fact is, they’re great little cars and there’s a massive MX-5 modification culture, which means you can cheaply and easily make a hairdresser’s car that will burn your face off.
Here’s a shot of my supercharged MX-5. It makes 150rwkw and is good for mid-14s – and it goes around corners! It’s quite mild compared to some. Martin Hunter Jones, email