A Protopian Gambit · track 14
Strange But True: Tech, Art & Ideas That’ll Actually Help
analysed
A one-person tech-help operation runs out of a backyard shed on North Stradbroke Island, driving one car load or a trailer full to fishing clubs, bowls clubs and Point Lookout Hall. Someone brings a phone that has gone mad and a grudge against passwords, and instead of taking the job over, the fixer sits beside them, shows them once, then hands the work back: I won't fix you, I'll sit with you.
Arc: Starts in a solitary tin shed at the back of Mum's place with a humming PC, and ends out among market shade and festival grounds where the fix is just turning up for people.
Images to shoot
a tin-roof shed behind Mum's house with a Ryzen nine PC glowing in the darka kettle steaming while a kookaburra laughs at the crack of dawna straightened tablecloth and printed banner at the Sunday tourist marketsa mic laid flat on a fishing-club table, cameras mounted on the hall wallsPoint Lookout Hall walls washed in projection beams on a NAIDOC nighta car boot versus a loaded trailer, gear stacked by how far they're pullingVR goggles held out for a stranger to peek through in the market shadetwo people bent over a broken phone, taking it slow, laughing
Phrases for posters and merch
Verbatim lines that stand alone, for lyric posters, metal prints and t-shirts.
Strange but True
I won't fix you, I'll sit with you
From broken phones to bigger whys
Just doing the best I bloomin' can
No big arrival, no grand debut
Under island skies
Sometimes a fix is just a chat
Just turning up
Line by line
“I live in a shed out the back of Mum's place”
Open on a corrugated-tin shed at dusk, one warm window against a dark yard. The whole enterprise is this box of light. Establish the anti-corporate scale immediately: no logo, just a screen glow.
“Ryzen nine's purring, the kettle's on”
Tight two-shot: a PC tower LED breathing on the left, a kettle beginning to steam on the right. Sound design carries it, the hum and the rising boil. Domestic and technical share one desk.
“Kookaburra laughs at the crack of dawn”
Cut to a kookaburra on a fence rail as first light hits, silhouetted. Let its call be the only comment. This is the album's builders-at-dawn beat but Straddie-specific, not a generic sunrise.
“From Amity sand to the Point Lookout view”
A slow lateral drone move from pale Amity sand flats across to the headland at Point Lookout. Map the island's two edges as the working territory, not a metaphor.
“Tablecloth straight, printed banners look grand”
Hands smoothing a market tablecloth flat, then a whip-pan up to a modest printed banner reading Strange but True. Pride in a humble stall. Shoot the wrinkle being pressed out.
“Mate, my phone's gone mad”
Over-the-shoulder on a cracked phone held out by a weathered hand, notifications cascading chaotically on screen. The customer's face just out of focus behind it.
“I won't fix you, I'll sit with you”
The thesis shot. Two chairs side by side, not across a desk, both facing the same laptop. Camera holds wide and still. The refusal to take over is the whole posture.
“That rabbit hole damn-well empties my tanks”
Shoot against the warmth: a lone figure at 2am buried in a website revision, screen light draining the colour from a tired face. The one moment of exhaustion in an otherwise gentle song.
“I'll show you how, but I won't live there”
A hand demonstrates once on a keyboard, then deliberately lifts away and gestures the seat over to the other person. The empty chair being offered is the image.
“Mic on the table, cameras on the walls”
A club hall rigged with the humblest kit: one mic flat on a trestle table, a couple of small cameras zip-tied to the walls. Record it, save time. Show the DIY civic-media setup honestly.
“Point Lookout Hall glowing in projection beams”
Interior wide of the community hall dark except for a projector cone lighting the front wall, dust in the beam. This is the album's community-hall world at its most literal and local.
“One car load or a trailer full”
A gearbox being loaded: cut between a single crate in a hatchback boot and a fully stacked trailer. The scale of the job read purely in cargo. Practical, no spin.
“And maybe a yarn while you're sitting there”
Let a tech-help session drift: the laptop half-forgotten, two people actually talking, cups of tea. Hold past the point of the fix. The chat is the service.
“Got V.R. goggles if you want a peek”
In bright market shade, an older person tries on VR goggles for the first time, hands out for balance, a small crowd grinning. Future's knocking but kept meek and shared, not sold.
“From broken phones to bigger whys”
Rack focus from a shattered phone screen in the foreground to the vast island sky beyond. The literal repair opening onto the larger question. The song's one permitted lift toward the cosmic.
“Just turning up… Strange but True”
Closing shot: the fixer walking into frame across a festival ground with a single bag, no fanfare, setting up in the shade. End on the arrival that refuses to be an arrival.
Lyrics
17 April 2026 at 16:09 v5.5
I live in a shed out the back of Mum’s place
A tin roof shelter for my technical space
No neon sign, no office lease
Just a P.C. hum and a bit of peace
Ryzen nine’s purring, the kettle’s on
Kookaburra laughs at the crack of dawn
From Amity sand to the Point Lookout view
Finding a fix that is honest and true
Sunday markets when the tourists land,
Tablecloth straight, printed banners look grand
Strange but True: Tech, Art and Ideas
Helping you navigate your digital fears
Someone says, Mate, my phone’s gone mad
Another says, damn passwords make me sad
We sit, we laugh, we take it slow
It’s easier than they thought, ya know
It’s Strange but True, come have a look
No trick questions, no textbook
I won’t fix you, I’ll sit with you
And find a way that works to
Strange but True no big debut
Just bits and pieces that help you through
No hard sell and no grand plan
Just doing the best I bloomin' can
I’ve done the rounds of build me a site
Eons later he says it’s still not quite right
Can we just tweak it some more? yeah, no thanks
That rabbit hole damn-well empties my tanks
So now it’s simple, clear and fair
I’ll show you how, but I won’t live there
I’ll help you start, I’ll point you through
Then off you go that job’s on you
Fishing club meetings, bowls club calls
Mic on the table, cameras on the walls
Let’s just record it save some time
No more guessing what’s between the lines
From NAIDOC nights to cinema screens
Point Lookout Hall glowing in projection beams
One car load or a trailer full
Depends how far we want to pull
It’s Strange but True come have a look
No fine print hiding in a book
Just honest help and a bit of care
And maybe a yarn while you’re sitting there
Strange but True under island skies
From broken phones to bigger whys
No rush to win, no need to prove
Just finding a rhythm so we can move
A few small jobs and a couple of calls
A quiet kind of business that fills the stalls
No empire dreams, no flashy spin
Just building something that feels like a win
Got V.R. goggles if you want a peek
Future’s knocking but I’ll keep it meek
Bit of A.I. mixed with some light and sound
Simplicity turns confusion around
From Straddie out to the island chain
Same local stories, same tech pain
Same small wins when things click through
That’s the work… Strange but True
Strange but True, come have a look
Not everything needs a polished hook
Sometimes a fix is just a chat
And a bit of time, imagine that
Strange but True, I’ll be around
In the market shade or festival ground
No big arrival, no grand debut
Just turning up… Strange but True