Dan Kelly at the Vanguard

Dave and Dan, McCormack and Kelly, are conveniently in the same room and one gets the feeling that the clandestine convenors of some secret Generational Change in Australian Music Commission have arranged the whole thing for the sole purpose of a symbolic handing over of the Most Ironic Man in Pop title. In a Logies-style flourish they've flown in Jarvis Cocker as the international special guest. No one's seen him yet. He's out the back polishing his glasses but he'll be here soon. Dave's worn smart slacks especially. Dan, in a nod to the importance of the mantle, has especially dumb hair tonight.

At one point my ears believe Dan will start singing: "Are you reeling in the years?" Steely Dan style. There's something about the music that evokes it. Just like the Abba riff in...whatever that Custard song was.

LT and Trev are locked out. Think of your friends and put one on the door. Sadly not on the door. On the street.

Lindsay says that Dan has Paul Kelly's ears. Large. Big ears. Big ear muffs. And there's another Lindsay on stage with a ukelele and a lei. There's Cameron Bruce as the foil. And there are songs more genuinely funny than ironic.

Although it's less than six months since we got rid of the Cocksucker, Motherfucker and already it feels like we're in a different country, when he sings about a beamer trailing streamers and nearly getting into a fight there's no purer feeling.

Later there's a man in a black shirt hovering near our table and I suspect he's hassling us to pay the bill. Actually he's Deb's brother.

I'm introduced to Dave Mc and he kisses me on both cheeks. There was a time when this would have completed my evening but we're aware, somehow both of us I like to think are aware, that that time, our time, has passed.

Chris and Ray were there too.