University of Wollongong
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The Living Daylights
Historical & Cultural Collections
1-29-1974
The Living Daylights 2(4) 29 January 1974
Richard Neville
Editor
Follow this and additional works at: http://ro.uow.edu.au/livingdaylights
Recommended Citation
Neville, Richard, (1974), The Living Daylights 2(4) 29 January 1974, Incorporated Newsagencies Company, Melbourne, vol.2 no.4,
January 29 - February 4, 28p.
http://ro.uow.edu.au/livingdaylights/14
Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library:
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The Living Daylights 2(4) 29 January 1974
Publisher
Incorporated Newsagencies Company, Melbourne, vol.2 no.4, January 29 - February 4, 28p
This serial is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/livingdaylights/14
Vol2.No4Jan29-Feb4 30c
can turn into something not
only inhuman but truly terrible ”
‘The simple mechanism of
anonymous flocking behavior
■ ■ ■
SUNBURY SPECIAL INSIDE
or a bawdy weekend of ripper vibes and sensational music,
Editor
Lashes out
S one squeaky voice in what pur­
ports to be a crude collective, I’d
like to say that while Ward McNally’s
stirring o f the cesspool o f professional
boxing (page 6) is useful, he doesnt come
to terms with the bestial nature o f the
sport itself; the b lood y concept o f a
slogging match and the motives for
gambling on other mens blood . Australia
has already elevated competitive sports to
a level o f caricature, from swimming to
Sunday driving; without this paper loiter­
ing at the ringsides.
Harry G um boot is back with a bang,
weighing in against work, continuing the
debate on this subject which has been
surreptitiously fluctuating in these pages
since issue one (page 5). Perhaps it’s all a
sly apology for his own slackness in these
past weeks.
The work o f merely being alive leaves
face prints, as Syd Shelton’s shots show
o f the Sydney busmen’s picnic (page 12).
The m ood is a graceful contrast to that o f
the Sunbury music festival, pulsating with
all the usual rituals o f youth; which, if a
little hackneyed, were far less so than the
newspapers which reported the occasion.
Several Sunday journalists confessed to
writing their stories before visiting the
scene. So far was the truth from the
“ nude orgy, pictures” and headlines, that
one shudders to contemplate credibility
in other areas.
The living delights guide grows and
grows. There was a ballsup last week
involving Melbourne Delights which was
not the fault o f Chris and Eva, so sorry
for any inconvenience. We’ re trying it as a
centre spread, to be lifted out and left
around. Is all the drudgery and time it
absorbs in preparation each week, worth­
while? Please let either the Sydney or
Melbourne Delights editors know, if there
are any gross omissions o f interesting
weekly things to d o (see centrespread).
Margaret MacIntyre is soon to be
phasing in as the overseer o f the music
pages, joining our growing cottage indus­
try o f contributing editors. She plans to
break ou t from the restrictions o f rock
consciousness and to concentrate more
on indigenous music scenes.
As the commune movement acceler­
ates in Australia, so does the controversy
continue as how to balance anarchy with
structure. In the first TLD o f the year,
Graeme Dunstan, announced a workshop
on alternative living to be held in New
England, NSW, all invited, $6 fee, february 15 to 20th, more information from
Alternative Living Foundation, PO b ox
126, Uralla, 2358. In this issue, Frank
Wingham, a widely travelled commune
chronicler, airs his rather didactic views,
pages 16 and 17 (and he also supplied the
pics). S on y, Frank, for the vanished
byeline . . .
Some people objected to last week’s
feature Men against sexism, and fuller
replies will appear next week, as will a
vigorous inquiry into Richmond city
council . . . a survey o f action plans by
pot reform groups . . . a confession from
a middle class work addict and anything
more that can fit in the puny space
allowed — see ya next week — EDS.
PS. Due to a deadline time scramble last
week’ s story on the Adelaide Triplight
Together Company didnt carry a by-line.
The piece was written b y Brian Johnston,
a journalist not directly connected with
the enterprise. Brian pointed out that
Peter Carey, the centre’ s chief spokesman
has been receiving more than his due o f
the fuzz’ s “ attention” and wished the
Adelaide police to know that it wasnt
Carey who filed the story.
•*
..............
A
Richard Beckett
beats up
the w eek’s news
T ’S A U STRALIA YOU MUGS,
NOT
BOGNOR
REGIS:
As
$:£: Queensland suffered one o f its natural
and rhythmic
underwater periods,
which have been occurring since at least
the end o f time and long before land
speculators were even heard o f, tw o
matter
fact statements went almost
unnoticed in the welter o f stories about
grandmothers clinging to the tops o f
gum trees, heroic rescue bid b y blind
8 $ Spot, the drover’s dog, and telegrams o f
sympathy from queen Elizabeth o f Australia.
:£:j;
The first was made b y environment
minister, Moss Cass, w h o said “ the
losses were distressing but both the gulf
and channel countries o f Queensland
were subject to periodic flooding, everyone knew that and those people who are
prepared to fly in the face o f mother
nature just have to learn to offset
profits from the tolerable years against
>:*: the somewhat damp ones (or perhaps
start breeding cattle with gills). When
Brisbane went under water, federal
science minister Morrison, while exuding a little clucking sympathy for the
wet suburbanites, said many o f the
cities flooded areas had been irresponsibly designed for housing or industrial
8$: development. He made no com m ent at
j&v all on the mentally defective condition
o f those w h o are mugs enough to
actually build houses over natural water
courses. Meanwhile the Brisbane land
speculators remain dry and insulated on
higher ground.
I
KISS TO BUILD A DREAM ON:
Seventyeight year old Edna Edwards o f the Sydney suburb o f Hurstij:$: ville, told police that a thief w’ o stole
$100 from her during the night returned
$7 o f his takings and gave her a kiss on
the cheek before bounding ou t into the
night, presumably into the arms o f a
somewhat younger companion.
A
e
d id n t
even
m e n tio n
GOUGH WHITLAM: Author Patrick White in accepting the Australian o f
:j:§: the Year award in Melbourne said he
S S believed the prize should have been
shared b y three other people — historian
professor Manning Clark, green bans
builders laborer, Jack Mundey and
Barry Humphries, chronicler o f the passage o f the great Australian ocker. His
i” j:: well healed audience most o f which had
vxj: at one time or another suffered from
>:W: the hands o f the three unrewarded
gentlemen was not particularly amused.
H
HY BOTHER, THEY’ LL FALL
OUT OF THE SKY ANYW AY:
The Australian airforce’s swingwing
lead sled, the F i l l fighter bomber, is to
engage the Australian army in m ock
battle next month. The purpose o f the
tests, as announced b y the defence
department, appears to be to find out
whether the somewhat expensive F i l l
;i;:$ can defy the laws o f gravity for more
W
COVER: First two pictures and quotes
derived from Newsweek issue on Konrad
Lorenz.
Page 2 — T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974
3 & V
IF
Boy roasted
o/V£-
CAPE TO W N, Jan. 27. — An 11year-old South A frican colored
boy w h o was roasted by three
white mpn is to nave psychiatric
treatment t o try to cure him of
fear o f whites.
G od frey Lambert was caught
picking up coal at the Beaufort
W est railw ay yaid . The whites,
aged 18, 20 and 24, beat him. un­
dressed him, smeared his body
with grease and held him in front
o f a locom otive fire, giving him
third degree burns.
The men were sentenced to six
lashes each and on e year’s im ­
prisonment, suspended for three
years.
a l l ..
7
wow i WANr yoz
’-TO U E D O H /V O /V
7 H i 5 f tP H A N b 7E o |
A U -A tc O T / r .
than five minutes o f any given day and
whether any members o f the army are
still able to pull a trigger in m ock anger.
a ck on th e r e a l fr o n t
LINE: Firing yet another shot in
the great butter-margarine war, the
deputy New South Wales Labor opposi­
tion leader Mr Ferguson claimed that
the dairy industry wanted to make
margarine so unpalatable that people
would, “ throw up rather than eat it” .
He also observed that while both armies
claimed that they were starving to
death, both had managed to mount
intensive and costly public relations
campaigns to press their points o f view,
a fact that somewhat spoiled their re­
spectable images.
B
e e p i n g s m a l l n a t i o n s in
THEIR PLACE: American secre­
tary o f state, Dr Henry Kissinger, has
warned that the superpowers will joint­
ly adopt a “ strike first” war plan if
improvements in nuclear weapons went
unchecked. He then gave the world a
little hope fo r the future b y stating that
American nuclear strategists had decided
to switch nuclear targeting from cities
to military installations in the future
because advances in nuclear missile
development no longer favored the
women and children first principle.
K
HERE’S SMALL POX IN THE
BLANKETS
AG A IN :
Senator
Neville Bonner has revealed that mili­
tant aboriginals are prepared to use
violence against the white comm unity
to achieve their aims and are at present
stockpiling weapons to fight ,the good
fight. The reason fo r this stockpiling is
believed not to be entirely unrelated to
certain attitudes among the members o f
the Queensland police force. But
Queensland police minister Hodges, in
defending his finest, said all people were
equal under the Queensland sun. Actual­
ly he is right, the Queensland police, if
anything, enjoy bullying hairy white
southerners almost as much as they do
intimidating black northerners. Not sur­
prisingly in view o f this official attitude,
a group o f Australian aboriginals are
now touring China with a view to
setting up their own communes once
they return to their so called homeland.
T
The Living Daylights is published every tuesday by
Incorporated Newsagencies Company Pty Ltd at 113
Rosslyn street, West Melbourne, Victoria. You can write
to us C/- PO box 5312 BB, GPO Melbourne, Victoria
3001. Telephone (03)329.0700, Telex AA32403. EDIT­
ORS: Terence Maher, Michael Morris, Richard Neville,
Laurel Olszewski. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: MUSIC,
Margaret MacIntyre (03)91.3514; NEWS, Piotr Olszewski
(03)38.5979; SYDNEY, Stephen Wall (02)698.2652.
PERFECT MASTER: Barry Watts. BUSINESS: Robin
Howells. ADVERTISING: MELBOURNE: Robert Burns
(03)329.0700; SYDNEY: Stan Locke (02)212.3104.
DISTRIBUTION: VICTORIA: Magdiss Pty Ltd, Tele­
phone 60.0421; NSW: Allan Rodney Wright. Telephone
357.2588; A.C.T.: Canberra City Newsagency. Telephone
48.6914; Q’LAND: Gordon & Gotch. Telephone
31.2681. STH. AUST.: Brian Fuller. Telephone 45.9812;
TASMANIA: South Hobart Newsagency. Telephone
23.6684.
h e v o ic e
o f
th e m ock
TURTLE
WAS
HEARD
THROUGHOUT
THE
LAND:
Sir
Reginald Sholl, a former Victorian
supreme court judge, said in Melbourne,
that criminal law should not be changed
to excuse drug addicts and alcoholics
from their actions. In other statements,
sir Reginald said that chronic alcoholism
should be punishable by banishment
from society, drug offenders should be
treated equally harshly and that increased criminal violence in the com m unity
was the result o f “ the decline o f religious faith, the growth o f materialist and
wholly selfish philosophy, the portrayal
o f violence and cruelty as universal
entertainments".
T
UST IN CASE YOU HADNT
NOTICED: The cost o f living in
Australia rose by 13 percent last year
which should worry absolutely no one
who exists on a diet o f cold water and
seaweed. However, for the rest o f the
community, this could indicate the conditions this year might not be so rosy.
In an effort to damp down this mad
spiral, the federal government announced that it would support quarterly
cost o f living adjustments and at the
same time it increased the health fund
contributions - making it highly unlikely that anyone will dare to get sick in
1974.
J
EAT ME, WHIP ME: The w orld’s
best known child care expert, Dr
Benjamin Spock, has blamed himself fo r
producing “ the spoiled brats o f America” . He said inability to be firm with
children was one o f the commonest
problems in the great nation o f the
United States today and although he
didnt press the point further he indicated that the Vietnam war could have
been caused by these “ spoiled brats” .
Dr Spock went on to say, “ in the 20th
century, parents have been persuaded
that the only people who know for sure
how children should be managed are the
child psychiatrists, psychologists, teachers and social workers. My talks on child
rearing were meant to be helpful but
while I did not know it until it was to o
late, my apparent know-it-all attitude
was undermining parents confidence.”
Perhaps Dr Spock and sir Reginald
Sholl should get together.
B
W:
£:£
*•*
W:;
X;X
$*:
-gj;
M
:*ij
88
:$:3
M
m
gg
V#
83
3:8
88
88
ijigj
88
j83
Bob Dylan:
the singing
real estate
broker
DAVE BLUE
Bully-boy
breaks
out
the booze
Tom hates drugs: “ They pervert
and degrade humanity,” he told
Melbourne Truth men inviting
them to com e along and chronicle
his citizen’s bust.
But Tom and Russ came a
gutser:
Truth's
news
editor,
L ’Estrange, decided to invite co m ­
ments on the legality o f the raid
from the Victorian police com m is­
sioner and the Council fo r Civil
Liberties. Our heroes were next
seen in the Prahran magistrate’s
court on a series o f five charges
each.
E WENT to
southwest
Victoria, down by
the sea, to Barwon
Heads, to its hotel,
to see what our
old friend, anti
drug crusader, hefty
heavy Tom Ericksen
is hatching.
Tom and
his faithful
sidekick. Russ
Pearson, are peddling
the world’s
most widely
abused
drug.
But Tom and Russ like kids,
like to keep fatherly eyes on their
habits and ways. Why, as recently
as june 17, 1972, the Dynamic
Duo staged a vigilante midnight
drug raid on a South Yarra flat.
Describing the incident, Truth
journalist Martin Ryan told the
court he saw Ericksen “ aggressive­
ly” handcuff the tw o alleged drug
users and tape-record “ confes­
sions” . Ryan said the intrepid pair
roared into the pad brandishing a
shotgun, knuckledusters, a twoway radio and a tape recorder. He
described how one o f the “ bustees" tried to swallow his j o i n t . . .
Ericksen and Pearson prised open
his mouth and retrieved the soggy
dope.
The case went up to a county
court jury, but the vigilantes were
acquitted o f charges o f unlawful
imprisonment and assault.
Operating from his heavily
armed fortress in Toorak, Big
Tom used to offer his services as
bodyguard. He “ travelled” with
abortion reformer, Dr Bert Wainer, around the time o f Mel­
bourne’s big abortion inquiry. He
went on to hit the headlines when
he was the go-between in an un­
derworld handover o f forged cur­
rency and graciously handed per­
Big Tom 's standover
plexed
Victorian
fuzz
some
$17,500 in forged 10 dollar notes.
He claims he had contact with
"M r Brown” , the man who con ­
ned $500,000 o ff Qantas. Tom
was big and blousy in those gutsy
days. . .
These days Ericksen and his
buddy Pearson have hung up their
guns and bask in the surf and
sunshine at Barwon Heads where
Tom manages the hotel fo r his
wife and brother-in-law. There
have been some problems though:
the locals recently kicked up a
fuss when they learnt T om was
selling cut rate petrol, shaving
cream, smokes and sweets as well
as alcohol.
It’s a shame Ericksen doesnt
exercise the same vigilance as in
his form er drug-hounding days.
When we visited his pub we could
have sworn that some o f the
drinkers were under 18 and, in
fact, when questioned admitted
they werent o f legal drinking age.
T o abide with the licensing
laws Tom has a quaint custom at
closing time. Patrons are escorted
from the lounge where they queue
up to buy "supper” for readmit­
tance to drink and dance until
11.45pm .
Russ was on guard duty o u t­
side the hotel's main entrance . . .
relieving patrons o f glasses they
tried to smuggle out. The local
police cruised past the hotel, only
stopping momentarily to disperse
people w ho were obviously not
staying fo r supper. Perhaps they
had other more feared drug users
to pursue than Big T om ’s drink­
ers.
A.J. W E B E R M A N , self-proclaim ed
dylanologist and founder of the Dylan
Liberation Front, has been D ylan ’s m ost
trenchant critic, stalking the poet like
the crocodile stalked Captain H ook in
Peter Pan. Here W eb erm an has a poke
at D y la n ’s current US tour
H ow many years can an audi­
ence
Listen to the same old songs?
And h ow much bread must
p eop le shell ou t
B efore th ey know they've been
wronged?
The answei m y friend
A in th ere tonight
The answer aint here
Tonight.
n y o n e w h o pays $10 to
see “ Bob Dylan” and The
Band during their current tour has
got to be out o f their cottonpickin mind . . . and Dylan is
laughing his ass o f f at them! He
even talks about conning his fans
in the Newsweak cover story about
him ’cause he knows th ey’re payin’
to see a ghost, to resurrect a mem­
ory o f a time when there was hope
in Amerika - he knows how des­
perate you are and is going to
squeeze every last penny ou t o f
Hattie Carroll, Song to W oody
and Mr Tamborine man.
The real Bob Dylan is stoned
cold dead — murdered b y capital­
ism, heroin-induced cynicism and
racist cultural nationalism.
Mr Zimmerman (Dylan) is a
multimillionaire with a large port­
fo lio o f stocks (he once admitted
to me that he owned Ling-TemcoVaught — a war materials manu­
facturer) and he also owns a lot o f
real estate in Manhattan such as a
good part o f a skyscraper at 1400
Broadway along with many townhouses in Greenwich Village. All
o f these are purely profit making
ventures — meanwhile the Free
Clinic o f New Y ork city is going
to have to close for lack o f a
cheap space . . . The check re­
printed on the last page o f this
packet can give you some idea o f
Dylan’s wealth — it’s merely the
discrepancy between tw o account­
ants after a re-audit o f the books
at Columbia - he’s worth at least
FIVE MILLION.
Dylan’s politics are the same as
the Jewish Defence League’s: ex ­
tremely rightwing. He’s contribut­
ed large amounts o f m oney to
them — under the name o f Abra­
ham Zimmerman and personally
wrote a check to Meir Kahane for
15 grand. Kahane’s latest thing is
mailing letters to Israeli arabs
offering them m oney to leave the
country — Rockwell, the nazi,
used to d o the same thing - only
the letters went ou t to Amerika’s
blacks.
Although I d o agree with the
JDL’s contention that there must
be a predominantly jewish state —
thanks to A d olf Hitler - their pro
N ixon stand is intolerable. They
want to leave the fate o f Israel in
the hands o f rightwing Germans
lik e
Haldeman,
Ehrlichman,
Buzhardt, Zeig Heiler and Liddy
A
(who "collected nazi memora­
bilia” )! Why I even found anti
Semi t i c
literature
in
John
Mitchell’s garbage carefully under­
lined to support his contention
that the jews funnelled illegal
m oney to McGovern in return for
his support o f Israel. Israel can
exist without Amerika having to
be a dictatorship - at least I hope
so!
All the bread from the concerts
is going to Israel’s most reaction­
ary elements, in total secrecy
since Dylan doesnt want any con ­
troversy or arab threats cutting
down
on
the
gross.
WHY
DOESNT DYLAN SAY SOME­
THING ABOUT THE INSANITY
AND INHUMANITY OF THE
PALESTINIANS FORGETTING
ABOUT THE SIX MILLION
JEWS
WHO
WERE
SYSTE­
MATICALLY MURDERED AND
THE ISRAELIS FORGETTING
ABOUT THE MISERY OF THE
TWO MILLION PALESTINIANS
LIVING
IN
TENTS
AND
SHACKS IN THE DESERT?
Everyone needs a place to
crash free o f persecution - arabs
and jews - and it’s Amerika’s
policy o f using the jews fear o f
extermination to keep down the
arabs that's led to the current
tragic situation. Ultra-zionists like
Dylan play right into their hands
. . . I’m not saying he should give
the money to Palestinian terrorist
groups who often disguise their
age old anti semitism in anti Zion­
ist rhetoric - but there are pro­
gressive elements in Israel who
could use his su p p ort. . .
It’s obvious that I have a lovehate thing going with Dylan - if I
didnt dig him I wouldnt have
spent so much time deciphering
his poetry — and after he did
George Jackson I was so impress­
ed that I discredited myself by
apologising to him, hoping he’d
becom e a human again. When I
found out he kept all the bread
from the single and refused to
meet with Jackson’s mother m v
hopes were dashed to shreds and
I realised I’d been had.
A few years later, when he
announced he was playing at the
Nassau Colosseum despite all the
pot busts that have been going
down there and despite the tour
promoter’s (Bill Graham) promise
to b oycott the joint I realised my
contention that — “ The great
artist isnt always the great human
being” - was the supreme exer­
cise in understatement. Dylan can
shit all over you only because you
let him — poetic and musical
talent is no excuse to exploit &
con people - let’s put some grass­
roots pressure on the rock in­
dustry and everyone will be the
better for it.
FREE BOB DYLAN ! and
FREE YOURSELVES!
(NYNS)
T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , January 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974 — Page 3
%
The life and times
of Omnibus
MICHAEL ELVINS
N JANUARY 4 after a
very successful concert with
Captain Matchbox (bless ’em),
Omnibus, at 1-5 Glebe Point road,
closed down operations, and a
rather shaky attempt to create a
totally counter-cultural environ­
ment within Sydney was tem po­
rarily abandoned.
N ot much would be gained by
going into the whys and where­
fores o f why we did close, except
maybe a few myths might be laid
to rest.
YES, the licensing squad police
did hassle us, and in fact scared
the shit out o f us, but on their
own were a problem we might
have been able to handle, one way
or another.
YES, the owner did pull a couple
o f vital foundation stones out
from underneath us and create all
kinds o f hassles in our heads, but
he also wanted sincerely for
Omnibus to happen, and spent a
great deal o f time and money
giving us the opportunity.
YES, it was a fascinating building,
but it was also unmanageable, and
o f the 350 people who turned up
to see Captain M atchbox, only
about 100 would have had any­
thing like a decent view o f their
performance.
YES, we were a pack o f pretty
untogether people a lot o f the
time, but we were hog-tied almost
from the mom ent we opened, and
although we couldnt admit it even
to ourselves, our ability to be
positive and to function with a
'•’'ear vision was so clouded by the
uncertain ties confronting us that
we functioned well below our
capabilities.
Still, we had some real vic­
tories, and a few people got a
good zap sometimes, and we’ve
gained a hell o f a lot o f experience
which will be put to good use in
O
the very near future, you watch.
Omnibtis is now about seven years
old. The first five years were spent
germinating in one poor bugger’s
head (mine) and the last two
disturbing the peace in a growing
number o f other peoples heads.
A lot o f people have asked
what the hell is Omnibus, and
usually they received a pretty
spaced-out answer. Unfortunately,
it’s not possible to give a simple
one. Tw o years ago, it was the
name o f a theatre com pany; then
it became the name o f a rede­
velopment project in W oolloom ooloo that was to house, among
other creative workshops, the the­
atre company.
When the bans were slapped on
to W oolloom ooloo, Omnibus be­
came the name o f a couple o f
houses in Collins street, Surry
Hills, next to the Institute o f
Natural Health. We were simply a
group o f people who were trying
to live a fuller, more com plete
existence, and, fo r a while it
worked. Nimbin was the high
HOSE houses in Victoria
point o f that phase, but in the
street owned by Frank
post-Nimbin euphoria (rather like
a post-Billy Graham revival m eet­ Theeman now stand doorless and
ing), when the wildest o f idealistic almost empty. Although the signs
VICTORIA
STREET,
fantasies became probabilities, S A VE
Omnibus frantically cut itself BUILDINGS FOR NEED NOT
loose from Collins street (one day GREED have been blotted out,
I hope I’ll be forgiven), and Omni­ Mick Fowler, a lone tenant, still
bus at Glebe Point road gradually lives in 115.
Meissner and his crew, are en­
came into being.
sconced in the agent’s office. Be­
Essentially, Omnibus is only a
low, in Brr jgham street, hundreds
name. It is a name a lot o f
o f doors, including some fine old
people have used in order to
cedar ones, are stacked, partly
give themselves the courage neces­
exposed to the weather.
sary tp stop being a mindless
It’s clear that squatting in V ic­
automaton and to start the long
toria street — for the time being
slow haul into thinking (or more
anyway — is no longer on. A solid
accurately, feeling) for them ­
row o f police and controllers
selves, and, even harder, doing for
made any move back into the
their selves.
houses impossible. For a few days,
some squatters and friends camp­
ed under a tarpaulin and maintain­
If yo u're b lack, you can't afford to stand back. If you're w h ite, support
ed a picket on the street. Elvis,
human right — as you did against conscription, apartheid and V ietn am . Th e
whose chimney they pulled apart
system killed Nam atjira. It tried to silence Charles Perkins. Now it's after
in order to get him out, was the
Kevin G ilb ert, aboriginal poet and land rights campaigner. The cops reckon he
last to com e down.
sent a letter threatening to kill the queen. G ilbert reckons you'd have to be
Theeman announced that green
some sort of a nut to do such a stupid, fu tile thing. But it got him out of the
ban or no green ban demolition
way before the openinq of the Opera House and it killed the land rights demo,
that he w as planning fo r that d ay. If the charge succeeds, it w ill also get
would go ahead. No-one felt very
Kevin out of the road fo r the rest of his life. Th e Free Kevin Gilbert campaign
optimistic about stopping him. We
seeks your support and donations. Car stickers, posters, badges and leaflets are
had already learnt from the Rocks
available. So, to o , are 4 illustrated poems by Kevin G ilbert at $1 each or $ 4 a
incidents last October that even
set o f fo u r. Fro m Free Kevin Gilbert campaign. B o x A 7 1 1 , Sydney South PO,
with large numbers, demolition, if
Sy d n e y . 2 0 0 0 . Protests to : Sir Roden C u tler, Governor of New South Wales,
backed by the police, is much
S ir R obert A sk in , Prem ier, Parliam ent House, Sy d n e y , NSW . 20 00 .
harder to stop than construction.
For the BLF, it was a bad time for
a confrontation. City laborers
w ho had already lost money
through stoppages and lock-outs
late last year, had only just return­
ed to work after the holiday
period. If the funds o f individual
members were low, so to o were
the union’s. While the union as­
sessed its position, the thoughts o f
the squatters turned to sabotage but the best we could com e up
with would only have made dem o­
lition tough, at best to hold it up
for a couple o f days.
Then on thursday, january 17,
Theeman contacted the BLF o ffi­
cials, and reached an agreement
with them that on certain condi­
tions there would be no dem oli­
tion. What made Theeman hesi­
tate at this point? There are sev­
eral possibilities.
Homer with Billy Green, Fonda Glenrowan, Capt. Rock,
It’s known that Theeman fears
Carl Myriad, Ken White, John Ley, Peter Lillee
the publicity building up against
him. On his desk there s a file
Page 4 - T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4, 1974
VfCTOfclA JT
- WmtT MNJRj i V f
Victoria St:The Peoples Plan
T
WENDY BACON
containing every pamphlet, poster
and report published. The daily
press and TV were not as unsym­
pathetic to the squatters as he
must have hoped and have paid
some attention to his large invest­
ments in Vale Corporation which
is in liquidation. A poster featur­
ing photos o f the thugs had in­
cluded his son Michael. Also Thee­
man knew that the squatters were
preparing their own newspaper
City squatter which would con ­
tain details o f his business connec­
tions and security organisation. It
may be that Theeman, relying on
the protection o f the conventional
Australian press, had not expected
such details to becom e public and
was now frightened o f just where
our investigation might lead.
A second possibility is that
Maddison, state minister for p ol­
ice, w ho supplied the cops for the
evictions, was not prepared to back
up with hundreds more for the
demolition. Also, it may be Thee­
man was not receiving much sup­
port from the other developers
who, rather than throwing in their
lot with this new boy, preferred
to sit back and acclaim him later
if he did manage to bust the green
ban. The Institute o f Real Estate
Developers actually published a
statement dissociating their or­
ganisation from Theeman’s use o f
violence.
Another possible explanation
for Theeman’s change o f policy at
this m om ent is that he realised
that if he waited another few
months, he might well get his
development o f f the ground with­
out all the confrontation that
dem olition would now involve.
We d o know that after the evic­
tions, he met Doug Danes, a
council town planner. Danes is
part o f the team o f planners pre­
paring an action plan for W oolloo­
m oo loo (including the west side
o f Victoria street) under the au­
spices o f federal minister Uren,
Fuller the state minister for the
environment and lord mayor
Shehadie.
The basic structure plan shown
to the W oolloom ooloo residents on
january 2, showed Victoria street
marked RESIDENTIAL - EN­
TERTAINMENT AND ACCOM­
MODATION (meaning motels,
and other temporary accom m oda­
tion). The agreement made be­
tween the BLF and Theeman was
that there would be no dem olition
until the action plan was co m ­
pleted. The green ban would then
be lifted providing there had been
adequate consultation with the
residents and if the residents en­
dorsed the plan.
Contrary to the union’s usual
policy in green ban matters, this
agreement had not been reached
at the request o f the Resident
Action Group. So on sunday, jan­
uary 20, the group met to consid­
er our position.
Aside from our belief that a
modified version o f Theeman’s
“ development” plan would be ac­
cepted into the action plan, and
from the fact that we already had
our own co-operative housing plan
for the street, more general con ­
siderations were raised.
In days o f public opposition to
urban “ development” most cou n ­
cil plans include some citizen in­
put. However rarely, if ever, has
this affected the basic political
decisions on which the plan is
born. Plans go on display, but
who knows what happens to the
wishes and comments o f the resi­
dents.
So, the Victoria street group
made several conditions for par­
ticipation in the action plan. Plan­
ning begins where participation
(not consultation) o f residents be­
gins:
• The structure plan would
have to be scrapped;
• All planning decisions to be
made at open, general meetings o f
residents and other interested p eo­
ple;
• Residents o f Darlinghurst
(an adjacent suburb) be included
since they would be affected by
the proposed highrise develop­
ment along William street.
The following day we paid a
visit to the council town planning
department. The man at the
counter told us we couldnt go
into to see the action plan until it
had been approved by the council,
which would not be for several
months. Only after we mentioned
that we knew Rita Spiegel, the
council sociologist, did we get our
way.
So on tuesday about 10 V ic­
toria street residents - joined
later by some from W oolloom ooloo - looked over the maps with
the town planners. The maps in­
clude details o f traffic studies,
topography, development applica­
tions, proposed workforce, and
citizen participation. We remarked
on the low level o f “ participa­
tion” . We were told this map only
represented the results o f a ques­
tionnaire sent out last year. We
explained that no one in Victoria
street had received a question­
naire. Neither, as she pointed out,
had a woman from William street.
The planners insisted the ques­
tionnaires had been delivered.
The basic structure plan, which
the planners claim is the result o f
all their studies so far, divided the
area into five or six land-use sec­
tions. Despite the planner’s suggest­
ions that the sections are related
to topography, it is clear that the
main residential and community
area will be on the commonwealth
five and a half acres and that the
commercial, entertainment and
“ accom m odation” , mixed with
residential, will be on the private­
ly owned land, where the develop­
ers already have first stage approv­
al for their plans.
Our dissatisfaction with the
plan led to a discussion about the
difficulties o f implementing low
rent housing.
The planners said they couldnt
see why so many residents were
concerned with the problems o f
implementation o f the plan. A p­
parently it hasnt occurred to them
that most residents know what
they want, but how to get it in an
area o f development and land
price boom is the stumbling
block.
On leaving we told the planners
o f the conditions for further par­
ticipation. After some hesitation,
they said they would be only too
happy if we would d o our own
plan and bring it to them, instead
o f continuing with such destruc­
tive, negative talk.
Last thursday night, the Vic­
toria street and W oolloom ooloo
groups met together. All round
dissatisfaction with the action
plan was expressed. It was decided
that work would begin on a “ peo­
ple’s plan” for the whole area.
This weekend down in W ool­
loom oolo o Herman, an architect
who lives in the area, is cleaning
his model. Residents and squatters
are preparing to shape their de­
sires out o f chunks o f foam rub­
ber. A videotape informal survey
o f all the people in the area will
begin next week.
Harry Gumboot on work
-the curse of the thinking class
HE bum-orientated issue o f Penthouse magazine, now on sale,
lets John C. Lilly, the voice at the centre o f the cyclone, speak
out between the pics o f powdered cheeks. A dolphinologist,
formerly with the US navy, he is asked: “ What else are you getting
into?”
Lilly: Learning how to d o nothing.
Penthouse: How d o you d o that?
Lilly: Y ou just d o nothing.
Penthouse: How much o f your time is involved in that?
Lilly: Oh, about 90 percent o f it.
Penthouse: Where would you like it to get to?
Lilly: One hundred percent.
Like many people with a super industrious past, Lilly is learning
to love loafing. He is late coming to it. A smattering o f the
generation which matured in the mid 50s and 60s intuitively realised
that work was hazardous to their mental health. Apart from sporadic
dust clouds o f energy, designed to divert attention from their hard
core drop-out-ism, such people have flourished.
They have mastered the art o f doing nothing with exquisite style.
Occasionally they are to be found in the Slough o f Despond, through
guilt; moral outcasts in a society cow ed before the altar o f achieve­
ment. Even as I write, kids are flaked out all over Australia ruminat­
ing on whether . . . “ Shit, shouldnt I be doing something more useful
with m yself?” Dont. One false move and you are likely to pick up the
malingering habit o f w ork — a habit which has cost humanity dearly,
and day by dreary day fuels the plunder o f our soil and soul.
Work is here defined as: m oney induced labor. (Thus separated
from esthetic obsessions, enjoyful pursuits and emergency repair
w ork.)
Nearly all work is harmful. Not only to the human who indulges
in it, but to the spaceship earth which is battered about in its holy
name. The disasters crushingly outweigh the dimunitive benefits —
and in any sensible society all o f us are prepared to toil a few hours
a week to keep the post office opened, the garbage collected and
bicycles repaired; in return fo r the abolition o f all material junk . . .
and the slavery its production entails.
But let’s here leave the cosm ic sociology to other minds and other
forums; look at the effect o f the work drug on the people around
you.
A bout 10 years ago, I began to notice that the only people
around me who had anything interesting to say, didnt work. People
caught up in a career became shallow, one dimensional, narrowly
ambitious. Their personalities faded into the archetype o f their
occupation. And the busier they got, the more boring they became.
Oh God, how awful it was (and still is) to meet som eone in their
office lunch hour . . .
Being busy means not being available fo r comm itment, convivial­
ity or even conversation. And how w ork stultifies the brain (except
in the direction o f their “ specialisation” ). Whenever one connects
with an old friend, someone you last saw in 1964 setting o ff to play
golf with the boss, they’ve invariably lost their sense o f humor, their
hair and immediately they start groaning about what unions are
doing to the country . . .
It’s the same with cities. Melbourne has always been drearier than
Sydney, because to o many people toil. Although at last laziness
seems to be making a com eback. Internationally, cities can be rated
in terms o f stimulation and imagination, to the proportion o f
voluntary unemployed . . . laying about in cafes.
Women are smarter than men, and o f all the ones I vaguely grew
up with around the beaches o f Sydney, only those swallowed up by
a steady grind and/or relentless dom esticity, have failed to grasp the
true significance o f their social options . . . that they are on the brink
o f a dramatic change . . . as they continue drone-like in their office
burrows.
The brightest wom en d o nothing and mature like a zen garden —
T
ACTORS FORUM PRESENTS
Cards are on the table
PIOTR OLSZEWSKI
TUDENT dissidence is o ff
to an early official start in
Victoria this year. Front line
honors go to the Melbourne uni­
versity SRC who bagged publicity
after placing an advertisement in
the Melbourne A ge recently warn­
ing students against an administra­
tion plan to introduce student
union cards complete with p h oto­
graphs.
Spokesman for the SRC, An­
drew Hewett, said it was opposed
to this action for the following
reasons:
• The university is already a
“ closed” institution and the new
union cards would make it even
more difficult for outsiders to use
facilities such as libraries;
• The SRC considers this action a
frontal attack on civil liberties; it
leads to students being unable to
move about freely without ID
cards;
S
• Copies o f photographs could be
used by police to identify stu­
dents;
• This action renders useless the
pool o f union cards the SRC is
presently holding to distribute to
people.
Hewett complained that the
students were misled into believ­
ing that photographs were com ­
pulsory, not, as in fact they are,
optional. Hewett says there’s a
sign explaining this, but it is so
placed that students see it only
after having their photographs
taken.
However Mr Barrah, assistant
registrar, claims that the SRC is
unjustified in its attack. He says
that he to o would like to see a
university com pletely open to the
public but he maintains that this
can happen only in an ideal state
and that our state is far from
ideal.
Barrah claims that the univer­
becom ing delicately, intricately harmonious, at peace with their
nature . . . Oh, these shimmering mistresses o f Oblomov.
I suppose we must pity the poor wretches who need work as an
anvil on which to forge their own identity, but let them not turn the
pitiless distraction o f toil into a virtue. The new year’s honor list —
tod a y ’s G oebbels diaries — the fatuous medallions pinned to the
chests o f land butchers, the achievers, the success stories, the people
who produce the most profitable piles o f garbage.
D o not confuse these sentiments with hustling to survive, doing
the dance naturally, like the dope dealers, photographers,
parttime cabbies, students, designers, models, artists, “ revolution­
aries” , b ook reviewers, models, beach inspectors, and so on . . . all
doing the daily jive . . .
Yes, this is being unashamedly middle class. I refuse to don baggy
overalls, thicken the voice, flash out angry slogans on the right to
work, the next five year plan and humming the Internationale. Mil­
lions o f people are obliged to sweat through material necessity and
that is disgusting. But it is also true though rarely aired, that the
great stinking, sweltering mass o f the bourgeoisie are not working to
fill their bellies, but because o f the indoctrination o f the fantasy
aches o f acquisitiveness, status and other ego diseases . . . all reinforc­
ed b y feelings o f guilt about laziness and given incentive by
pyramid mortgages. Drop out, you idiots, before you do any more
damage. Cut crazy consum ption, leave room for those more desperate
than yourself to move.
In these times, a new venture should not be undertaken unless it
makes a positive and joyou s contribution to us all. That would
eradicate much o f the crap. I dont think the Living daylights would
survive the test. Is it worth the killing o f trees, the harnessing o f
heavy machinery, the trucks and drivers, the IBM typesetting, the
eternal phone calls, ink, energy, proof-reading and office politics?
. . . all to produce the piddling Living daylights . . . it seems absurd.
And it is! Remember back to the first time you took acid. Was
not that first flash (forgotten now in the sizzling drug sodden 70s),
that first flash — especially in a city trip — o f the sheer irrelevance o f
most human endeavor, the ridiculous, turbulent overpowering
preponderance o f things. Go stoned one day into the grandest de­
partment store in your area, freak out on the junk heaps, sense the
sheer exhilarating sanity o f indolence.
If you ’re afraid to take the leap start somewhere easy. For an
Australian, the decision not to own a car can be the starting point
o f liberation. (See delightful centre spread in the current Digger, on
non pollutant, self serviceable push bikes.) Shedding unnecessary
possessions is easy. The real challenge is with tertiary capitalist
comm odities. Will you “ bu y” education for your children, buy
health from the government, buy insurance from those maniacs who
have littered the skylines with b ox towers — the gravestones o f
freedom?
All play and no politics makes Jack a romantic weakling. Work
and corruption are loathsomely entwined, the developers and
despoilers must be stopped in their tracks. Which is why Victoria
street, Sydney, is the Tobruk o f today. In the same weekend that
Melbourne bay swimmers are shown to be in a soup o f human shit,
plans are announced to actually mine the area in search for more oil.
More shit . . .
In Australia, with its wide open spaces, a great enemy o f personal
freedom is the advertising industry, the gestapo o f the consumer
society. Like James Bond — a figure whom they largely created —
they are licensed to kill; killing us softly with their words. If the
adventure o f life is regarded as a search for truth, both within you
and without you, then one feels an almost prim contempt for the
citadel o f the lie', with its Vatican in Madison avenue, its citadels in
every n ook and cranny, cascading forth with suffocating falsehoods —
pumping out a message in every medium, until it is finally the poetry
o f our age.
_________
G AL A AUSTR ALIAN PREMIERE
sity isnt big enough and lacks the
resources to cater fo r the current
students alone. He added that the
high insidence o f theft from the
libraries has also necessitated fur­
ther security.
Hewett claimed a number o f
the photos o f students were taken
and placed on “ file” .
Barrah stated that several
photographs were taken o f new
students for “ quite understand­
able use” in faculty records. He
said that the number o f p h oto­
graphs taken varied according to
the faculties students were enter­
ing and he said there was no
central filing o f photographs.
As a closing piece o f irony
Barrah pointed out that as a result
o f the publicity in the Age, busi­
nesses “ d ow n tow n ” were now only
recognising cards that carried
photographs.
□
G erds Nicolson and Lew Luton
IN
'T E R R IB L Y T E R R IB L Y "
A black comedy by Alan Hopgooo.
With Beverley Dunn and Gary Down
Season strictly lim ited, 30th Jan.-9th Feb.
A L E X A N D E R T H E A T R E , MONASH U N IV E R S IT Y
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T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974 — Page 5
F
RANK STEWART, the Min­ themselves with a cricket bat, will
ister for Recreation and haunt the mind o f those o f us
Tourism, says Australia madewho
its love this cruelest o f all sports,
big breakthrough in sport during and want to have it properly
1973, and under his direction. controlled.
And he has announced that his
So what's kept Frank so long?
department’s inquiry into boxing
Shortly after coming to power,
is nearing completion. And about Frank Stewart retained form er
time, too.
top featherweight and ex-SalvaThe b lood and guts business o f tion Army captain, Trevor King,
TV ringside will soon be on again, to act as his “ trouble shooter”
and a large number o f half fit during the promised ministerial
sluggers, and misguided mugs who investigation o f boxing.
shouldnt be allowed to pull on a
King had been nominated b y
glove, will be belting the living Fighter, the only magazine devot­
daylights out o f each other for the ed to boxing in Australia. In fact
enjoyment o f the cash customers. Fighter's publisher and co-editor,
Once again the spectre o f death Mike Ryan, personally touted
in the ring o f severe brain damage King to Stewart and, it seemed at
to one or more o f the poor
the time, tried damned hard to get
bastards who couldnt defend
King eased into the proposed
Page 6 - T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974
commissioner’s chair.
But Stewart wasnt having any
o f that. Quite rightly so, to o . He
told the public through a number
o f press statements that he was
establishing a comm ittee to in­
quire into the control o f boxing in
Australia.
What control?
There’s been n o unbiased,
proper control o f the b lood and
guts game since the day big, black
Jack Johnson taunted little Tom ­
my Burns down at what later
became known as Rushcutter’s
Bay Stadium, hammering hell out
o f him as he did so.
Anyway, the Stewart appoint­
ed com m ittee made the rounds o f
stadiums in Australia. Talked to
blokes like genial R on Casey o f
Channel Seven, then went over­
seas fo r more watching and talk­
ing.
And that, friends, was nine
months ago, and until today the
last w e’ve heard o f the boxing
commission intended for Austra­
lia.
For a Government which
promised quick action in this area
while in opposition, Labor has
been damned slow in coming up
with anything concrete. Are we
going to have to wait for another
ring tragedy before something
is done?
We’ve witnessed a number o f
ring tragedies in Australia since
the start o f the 1970s already. For
instance, little Filipino, Alberto
Jangalay died after being knocked
I),
Idown by Kid Snowball in Festival
■Hall, Brisbane in August 1971. A
(postm ortem
revealed
crusted
Iblood on a portion o f his skull.
(This was proof, doctors said, that
IJangalay had been badly hammerled around the head before the
[Snowball fight.
Under the control o f a comIpetent boxing commissioner and
[dedicated commission, Jangalay’s
[previous severe head injuries
[w ould have been discovered. He
|would have been prevented from
|staying in the fight game for his
[ow n protection.
Johnny
Phillips,
colorful
|Sydney fight trainer who took
[Welshman Ronnie James to a
[world welterweight title fight
[against the famous Ike Williams in
[Cardiff, in 1948, and who has
[trained most o f the hasbeenswho
[have been brought to Sydney to
[fight Tony Mundine, said: “ Snow[ball didnt hit Jangalay hard. Poor
[Little Alberto had no right being
|in the rinq that ni ght. . . ”
Phillips also says form er good
|fighters such as 33 year old Anlton io Aquiller who lost early to
I Mundine at the Hordern Pavilion a
couple o f years ago, was rated
only 48th among world middleweights when he fronted up to
|Tony.
America’s Boxing illustrated
I endorsed Phillips’ statement conI cerning Aquiller’s position in boxI ing. On his record he had no right
I being in the same ring at the same
I time as Tony.
And just prior to the Jangalay
|tragedy, Trevor Thornberry, a
[clouting Queenslander with little
[boxing ability, but dubbed "The
[icem an” because he had chilled a
[few secondraters with one mighty
[swing, collapsed in his corner at
j Brisbane’s Festival Hall and was
[taken unconscious to hospital.
[Doctors found his condition was
|caused b y punishment sustained
|over a long period.
After hovering close to death
|for days Thornberry was dischargJed into the care o f his wife, Carol.
|These days he sits in the sun and
I smiles blankly at his three chil[dren. Perhaps he is struggling to
[force his brain to recognise them,
[and to explain to him who the
attractive little woman is who
|looks after him so bravely, loving­
ly ?
If w e’d had a properly estab­
lish ed boxing commission then
|Thornberry is another fighter who
today would probably still be
enjoying life with his family. E x­
tensive medical and skull tests
would have revealed his state o f
health and he would have been
refused a licence to box; for his
|own good.
Another boxer who would still
|be with us was R occo Spanja, the
happy Yugoslav lightweight who
constantly complained to his land[lady and friends o f severe head­
aches for a fortnight before going
into the ring at Newcastle against
the then rising star. Hector
Thom pson. R occo had even spent
[some time in bed, away from
|work because o f his headaches.
Thompson knocked him out.
He never regained consciousness.
Fighter and the NSW Veteran
Boxer’s Association secretary, Bill
|O’ Loughlan. arranqed fo r the bur|ial. The promoter didnt attend
1 the funeral.
WV J
\\
' V
i
V _
J ,
\
Poor little R o cco . All he stayed
in the b lood and guts game fo r
was to get enough cash to bring
his mother and father to Austra­
lia. Proper, commission supervised
medical checks would probably
have revealed R o c c o ’s depressed
state o f health and he, to o , would
have been refused a licence to
fight. That’s the way it should be.
And then there was pathetic
little Pat Lamanna. Remember
Pat? They carried him deathly
white and unconscious from R on
Casey’s T V ringside at Melbourne
and rushed him to hospital. Y ou
could say he’s never regained co n ­
sciousness. Certainly the half
world o f shadows in which he
now lives isnt consciousness.
Pat was an eight rounder. He
went back to the game after mar­
rying a nice little Italian girl. He
wanted to buy good things for the
new house he’d bought . . . things
he couldnt buy from his truck
driving job. Earlier fights reduced
Pat's resistance. He was a victim
o f insufficient medical control.
The first loud bellow fo r a
boxing commission in Australia
was heard after Victorian, Archie
Kemp, was carried senseless from
Rushcutter’s Bay Stadium in 1949
after being knocked dow n and
later belted through the ropes b y
national lightweight champion,
Jack Hassen. Kemp, a brilliant
boxer and popular sportsman,
died that night in St Vincent’s
hospital. He never regained con ­
sciousness.
In the name o f decency let’s
hope w e’re not going to wait
another 25 years for that co m ­
mission promised by Stewart.
Poor supervision o f fighters
apart, many experienced visitors
to Australia have lampooned the
lack o f control here. T w o years
ago Felix Smith, leading Jamaican
prom oter, brought Percy Hayles,
Commonwealth lightweight cham­
pion to Brisbane to fight Manny
Santos. The title was to be at
stake.
When Hayles suffered a cut
mouth during a training session
and wanted a week’s postpone­
ment, Dick Lean, boss man at
Stadiums Ltd said no dice.
No dice that was unless Smith
agreed to take Hayles down to
Melbourne and for the fight, a TV
ringside affair, to go on there
instead o f Brisbane where public
interest in the bout had drawn
only $200 worth o f reserved seats.
Smith told me, “ Who the hell
does this guy Lean think he is?
Some sort o f little Caesar? We
signed to put the title on the fine
in Brisbane. We chose Brisbane
because the climate is like back
home, and Percy could adjust
quickly to it . . . But Melbourne,
hell man, that’s a cold place, and
Percy could end up with a cold
and be a sitting shot for Santos
II
Later Smith said: “ Boxing in
Australia is goddam undemocra­
tic. It needs humanising. Some o f
the guys I’ve seen training to fight
prelims on the Hayles-Santos card
havent been taught the rudiments
o f self defence. T hey’ll end up
with scrambled brains. What’s
wrong you dont have a boxing
commission here, bu d?”
Felix Smith told Lean he wasnt
going to be pushed around and
have venues switched on him So
he took Hayles back to Jamaica. I
have read what he told his local
pressmen about boxing in Austra­
lia. It made me blush fo r the rest
o f us. We appeared b lo o d y child­
ish. And werent we?
Bill Slayton, intelligent black
trainer o f the black middleweight
Lonnie Harris, told me in Brisbane
13 months ago when Harris was
stopped in five by Tony Mundine,
that Harris had taken the fight
against his advice.
“ But Lonnie has been out o f
boxing for 18 months with a
stomach illness. He needs the
ready cash, so I agreed. But you
know, he isnt rated in the first 50
middleweights. I dont think he
has a chance in hell o f winning
this fight," he said. An hour later
he was proved right.
Then he added: “ I wasnt so
impressed with Mundine. Lonnie
would take him given three more
fights to get back into the game.”
Harris wouldnt have been al­
lowed to go in against Mundine
under commission control. After
such a la y off he would first have
had to prove himself b y fighting
his way into the main events
from semi-windup bouts.
Other examples o f
easy recent fights
forced on to the
paying public to
make them think they/
were going to see a
fight and not a
one-sided slaughter, are'
Jureus DeLima and
“ Bad News” Austin.
Both helped inflate
Mundine’s record o f
knockouts.
DeLima was
supposed to have
only lost his previous
fight against the black
i sensation o f the time, Bennie
I Brisco, because o f a cut
I eye in Round 8. Actually
j
he was carried senseless
from the Madison
1 Square Garden ring only
55 seconds into Round 2.
“ Bad News’
/(Austin
a
went into the Brisbane
IJ
hall ring with fat falling
over his trunks. He lasted a
’ little more than one round.
’ DeLima was belted around for
four or five rounds before being
knocked down three times. It was
pitiful.
So far as Mundine’s concerned
there’s a long trail o f neverwassers
or hasbeens notched to his gloves.
Most wouldnt have been allowed
to fight him under commission
control.
That's just part o f the sorry |
story o f boxing in Australia.
And now Frank Stewart says
the inquiry into the b lood and
guts sport is almost completed.
Let’s hope it w on ’t be to o long
now before we have a commission
operating.
But not so quickly Stewart will |
settle for some self-seeker as com ­
missioner who is interested only
in the buck he can extract from
the game.
N ot someone w ho has milked
the game for every cent he can get
from it by working both sides o f
the fence at the same time, taking
from promoters as well as boxers
for
small
services
rendered.
There’s a few about the game that I
fill that bill.
My nominee would be Fred
Henneberry, form er brilliant Aus­
tralian middleweight. Fred proved
himself a sound fight commenta­
tor, and a successful businessman.
He is above suspicion. That’s what |
we need. A man above suspicion.
Suspicion is the one thing that
must be kept ou t o f any appoint­
ment to this important post in a
game noted for suspect acts and
arrangements.
Boxing has got to be taken ou t |
o f the wheeling and dealing area
and brought into high public es­
teem. Human lives have for too
long been the pawns in a game
that has served the pockets o f
promoters for far to o b lood y
long. T o use a Labor cliche, It’s
Time. Over to you, Mr Minister
-A
0
-i
j
T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974 — Page 7
Page 8 — T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974
a front seat ride while the meter’s ticking.
A few words o f some deals within wheels.
DICK ELLIOTT & RUP BLACK
ESSENING the tedium o f working
for m oney is the tenuous thread
that keeps people smiling on sunny days.
Regardless o f how you characterise free­
dom — be it with Royal Crown cola or
giving oneself to quiet succor 40 miles
from a general store - unless you have a
lot o f money, or such belief in your
inherent creativity that justifies you living
o ff other people, y o u ’ll have to work for
money at some stage o f your life. That is,
your fingernails will becom e dirty for
m oney. This is one way o f getting the
necessaries whilst reserving to yourself
your political potential.
L
HE CAB pirouettes on its right
earlobe and seizes its opportun­
ity — a four-inch gap in the traffic
going the other way - and nudges,
first one headlight, then a bumper, and so
on. The beckoning whistle which insti­
gated these proceedings is drowned in a
cacophony o f horns airing their dis­
content. A flood o f passions and curses
erupts from the smoggy serpent, Mel­
bourne’s Footscray road, the implacable
face o f the driver suggests a passive
acceptance o f this performance as being
very much the status quo. He may smile
gently, or raise a laconic index finger
from the window, which the eyes o f the
world may dwell on fo r but a second.
“ Where are you going mate?”
“ City — Flinders street.”
“ O K .”
With the meter ticking and the blinker
blinking the car moves ou t into the street,
by the fish market, Appleton dock and
up past Festival hall (where wrestling fans
converge on the doors). Skipping over the
grey grime o f Spencer street, left at the
Charles Hotham pub and it’s all smooth
to the station.
“ That'll be dollar fortyfive.”
“ Thanks.”
“ OK, see ya.”
O f that dollar fortyfive the employed
driver has earned 45 percent, or 65 cents.
Nearly five percent will go to compulsory
union dues and Sunday rip-offs, leaving
the driver with 60 cents, or “ five-eighths o f
three-tenths o f fuck all” as the drivers
com m only refer to it. Most o f them are
aware that the average pecuniary rewards
o f the jo b compare poorly with other
T
semi or unskilled work. “ They talk about
a living wage, but Jesus mate, they dont
get up at sparrow’s fart, work 12 hours
on the road and finish up with about
enough m oney to paper the inside o f a
dunny roll . . . Living wage - bullshit that’s what I say. Cobblers to the lot o f
’em !" was the verbatim response from
one Astoria driver last week. After
months o f agitation, the taxi industry was
granted a ten percent rise recently, but
failed to leave the drivers glowing with
pleasure. They generally set themselves a
daily target and knock o f f when they
take that amount, which means they
spend slightly less time on the road for
the same m oney. But the unhappy lot o f
the em ployed driver (who, in any case, is
the “ intinerant” o f the industry) can be
compared to that o f the owner-driver,
w ho owns his cab and possibly several o f
them. By outlaying around $20,000 for a
licence, the owner-driver has made a
comm itment to stay in the taxi game;
there are not many o f them.
*
*
*
ITH handshaking among contem ­
poraries having been long forgotten,
in favor o f the popular frenetic nodding
o f head, it was disconcerting to have Ivor
— all five fo o t six o f him - grabbing one’s
hand with outrageous enthusiasm, smiling
broadly as his forearm tensed and his fist
gripped tighter. At the same time, his left
arm swung round to clasp on e’s right arm
beneath the elbow, demanding a dis­
tinctly uncom fortable ten seconds lather­
ed in smiles at the door. We went into his
house, which has neatly trimmed lawns
bordered by a great deal o f clean con­
crete. It lies discreetly in the shadow o f
the Pascoe Vale gasometer. “ L ook here
boys,” he began forcefully, “ anything I
tell you here is genuine, fair dinkum and
the truth. I call a spade a spade, an’ if you
want to turn it over an’ call it a shovel,
that’s your business.”
Ivor Dunstan is 55 and has pushed a
W
cab around this old town for 29 years.
His
friends call him
“ Skavinsky” .
(“ E verybody calls me that. Y ou can call
me that. I’m not ashamed o f it.” ) His
ambition is to drive a Kenworth semi
with 30-odd ton up, all the way over to
Perth. “ V k n o w , those things will go so
slow that you can get out on a straight
road and walk beside it . . . like this . . ”
At which point Ivor Dunstan went
truckin’ dow n the hall, giggling. And why
did he drive the streets o f Melbourne
when he could be paid to read Pix-Post
for eight hours a day as a government
driver? “ I’ll tell you b o y s” , he hammered
back, " I ’m me own boss. Meeting people
every day o f the week from your top
businessman to the guy who gets in and
goes from one pub to the next. Right
mother? Mother nodded.
Ivor loved his cars, you could see that.
The glint that became his eye was the
deeply-polished coat o f his “ Stanley
Steamer” — an FC Holden that he used as
his cab fo r eight years before turning it to
the pasture o f his well-appointed garage.
In fact, the whole fam ily loved cars;
mother affectionately remembered the
time when son was getting married. She
was compiling a p h oto album for son’s
wife, however, son returned it to mother
to include photos o f all his ex-cars. Ivor
said, “ Can you find some m other?" She
shook her head. “ I looked this morning
to get some to show the boys, but I think
son took them all. But I’ve got some
photos o f our holiday in Fiji - d o you
think the boys would like to see them ?”
We saw Fiji.
one-and-a-half hours as he explodes from
subject to subject on his wall-to-wall (as
his fancy takes him). He is small and
round and hasnt stopped smiling as we
take our leave. Mother hesitates, then also
comes to the d oor to illustrate his parting
advice. “ Just you remember that if
y o u ’ve got a wife whose prepared to help
you as mine has me, then y o u ’re half way
there. If you havent, then y o u ’ve got
nought, sport.”
Ivor said, "Where are the Cheezels,
m other?” He speaks o f his G. J. Coles
umbrella, going up like a parachute on
rainy days. He also likes the sound o f his
meter: “ The kite’s on like a hairy goat an’
tickin’ like crazy.”
He talks faster, “ Dont think there’s a
couple o f beers in m e ! ” Ivor talks o f the
working class and doesnt sit down for
w
PL,
a
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2
O
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co
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Ivor owns one cab and drives it ten
hours a day, six days a week. He suggests
$70 as a weekly wage sufficient to pay
the bills: unlike a lot o f owners, he re­
fuses to allow anyone else to drive his cab.
It now costs around $23,000-$24,000 to
put a fully fitted-out cab on the road
without the added expense o f tyres,
servicing, fuel and a weekly subscription
o f $7 to the company. The owner can
make the choice Ivor has made and run
the whole show himself, or reduce the life
o f his car by employing another driver at
night who will help defray the overheads.
Those who d o this, particularly if they
own more than one car, often d o very
well out o f the taxi industry with an eight
hour day and five day week to boot.
Because o f the tolerably happy lot o f
the owner, the employed driver suffers.
The owners are represented by the V ic­
torian Taxidrivers Association, on whose
initiative any application to the TRB
(Transport Regulations Board - the fas­
cists o f the industry) for increased fares
will begin. The employed drivers are
renresented bv the M otor Transport and
Chauffeurs union, which claims to act on
behalf o f three and a half thousand
metropolitan drivers and another two
thousand “ occasionals” . Secretary o f the
union, Jack Waters, sat behind his desk in
the trades hall last week and put some
damn good sentences together.
“ The taxi industry is made the whip­
ping b oy for the shortcomings o f the
public transport system,” he said. “ We
rely on the com m on hardheadedness o f
the owners (the V T A ) in pushing for fare
increases; we then add weight to the
application before the T R B .” Naturally
enough, both the union and the V T A
front up to oppose the issue o f any more
licences in the metropolitan area, to
ensure there’s plenty o f work for every­
one. Jack said 1500 applications were
heard when operator’s licences were last
issued, but only 100 were granted.
The upshot o f all this is that fare
increases will only be seriously applied
for when the owners are feeling the
pinch. The TRB is responsible for in­
vestigating the economics o f the business
before recommending any increase, and is
more likely to look at the owner-driver
than the employed driver when making a
decision. This is partly understandable
when the income figures o f employed
drivers are as inaccessible as they are; half
o f them are avoiding tax and the other
half dont know how much they’re earn­
ing anyway.
So, for the average driver we have
comparatively poor m oney and rigorous
conditions (particularly during the warm­
er weather). Another factor is the govern-
T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4, 1 9 7 4 --P a g e 9
than insults dow n at Victoria d o ck and
found the situation becom ing grim until
he waved desperately to another cab
going by. The driver was an oak-tree
Maltese, shoe-horned into a Y ellow cab.
The thugs fled, pursued through a maze
o f containers b y the gleeful Greek w h o
was waving a monstrous w ood file ou t his
window and working hard to run them
down. Cannonball revisited, he came back
beaming, fon d ly caressing his file: “ I f I
ketch them, I would k eel th em ."
ONT get the unfounded impression
that pushing cabs is a bummer.
Quite the opposite; it’s potentially a way
o f life, and the big key is wholly a
question o f attitude.
Consider it esthetically: the leafy
boulevards, the highways, the streets,
lanes and grimy alleys o f the metropolis
are the cabby’s canvas, his domain. He
grapples with the beery,, neurotic, path­
etic, inspiring and hilarious guts o f Mel­
bourne while hammering the shitter out
o f someone else's car. This is the stuff
cabbies are made o f — a street-level
rapport kneehigh to the gutter lies be­
neath the ethnic sensibilities and language
difficulties. Riders o f the storm, sailors o f
the asphalt — the four-wheeled mystics!
The new or potential cabbie must,
however, remember that not every man
jack and driver can grasp this; oftentimes,
while you are diffusing your ethnic sen­
sibilities in the suburbs, there are those
who will be ripping y o u o f f elsewhere. In
short, there are unscrupulous drivers —
Philistines who have inveigled their way
into the cabby’s ranks, and they together
with the older drivers consistently mani­
fest their aim o f laughing long and hard at
inexperience. Bear in mind that it isnt the
sort o f situation where you can smile at
their crassness on other levels with any
real efficacy; they seek only to consum ­
mate their quest fo r the dirty fingernail.
The follow ing constitutes instruction for
the sensitive potential cabby.
D
ment carrot, in the form o f high wages
offered for driving the dearth o f new
comm onwealth cars — the taxi industry
suffers a Labor government like an albat­
ross around its camshaft. All have con­
tributed to the rapidly diminishing num­
ber o f taxi drivers; the old-timers are
sentimental with age and like good sol­
diers, their ranks are near to empty. This
has left a g ood number o f spare cabs lying
around waiting to be driven; it’s attractive
to migrants keen to work long and hard,
or to hippies wanting their ow n time. For
the diehards who treat their driving jobs
as no more or less than work, being a
cabbie becom es the same as bending
mattress springs or rolling toilet tissue;
thus, when the employment situation is
buoyant, many are tempted to seek easier
work elsewhere. There are, o f course,
worse things about the job.
HE NEW violence has found its way
from the footpath on to the road;
seldom does a month pass without a
Melbourne cabbie losing his takings to a
bunch o f knife-bearing desperados in a
West Preston alley. The cost can indeed
be somewhat dearer. In late 1971 two
drivers were taken into thick bushland in
Victoria
and
summarily
executed,
another driver got a misdirected bullet in
a Murrumbeena cafe last year. More
often, physical danger arises when in­
ebriates choose not to pay a fare or take
exception to the route taken b y the
driver, though it ought to be said that the
latter is not entirely at the mercy o f
T
unsociable clients.
All cars are equipped with warning
devices to attract attention when in d if­
ficulty and perspex screens to discourage
rape and assault from behind. Each com ­
pany has an emergency code to use over
the radio, which produces extraordinary
results when called. There is no fiercer
ally than a cabbie who has been held up
himself, o f course, and the empathy
shown between drivers in moments o f
violence tends to manifest itself in unre­
strained mayhem upon the would-be as­
sailant. Many drivers carry their own
special “ dissuaders” . A young driver we
know was recently threatened with more
T ’S easy to becom e a cabby. A l­
though there was a tim e when
several weeks o f intensive study and a
series o f exams was a necessary precursor
to receiving your badge, this is now
forgotten on the basis that if you put a
rookie on the road he w ould have to learn
quick. The procedure is simple and entails
the follow ing: front up to your favorite
taxi com pany — it’s easiest at Y ellow
Cabs down at South Melbourne — in
borrowed shirt and tie. Y ou must be able
to write in English, " I can speak English
very well.” (It has been acceptable when
a chronic shortage o f drivers exists after a shooting incident, fo r instance for companies to accept an equivalent
verbal statement. This is important
knowledge for a passenger; if your driver
ever throws up his arms crying he can’t
speak English in some forgotten alleyway,
now you know he’s fibbing.) Y ou must
possess a full driving licence without too
many major blemishes and have around
$32 on your person. Six notes fo r medi­
cal check, photograph (hence vindicating
the painful decision re shirt and tie) and
six more for the test at the TRB. The $20
is on ly needed when you decide to sign
up with the com pany — it’s surety in case
you have a prang. If y o u write o f f the car,
fo r example, and it was your fault, then
you lose $20.
The licensed driver is entitled to work
for the com pany itself, or for a single
owner. The owners try to entice you
away from the com pany with promises o f
automatic cars, good shift times or even a
dozen bottles. The com pany (which, in­
cidentally, is owned b y A m pol) can’t
offer you new and/or automatic cars,
since these are snaffled b y the older
drivers. They d o however, offe r you
autonom y. There are tw o shifts - begin­
ning at 5 am and 5 pm - and you are
entitled to have, hold and use the car for
those 12 hours without any unreasonable
demands as to m oney earned. When you
drive fo r an owner who has one or tw o
cars, y o u can’t say fu ck it and decide not
to drive when he has allocated the car for
you, for the simple reasons that he’ll
gently ask you to remove yourself to fine
leg. Besides, y o u might feel more guilty
about ripping o f f a small-time owner
(with a bigtime mortgage) and beating the
pisser out o f his car. Owners like you to
be on time, and after all, reliability is a
dirty word to a hippy.
An important thing to remember if
y o u drive fo r Y ellow Cabs is that y ou are
a self-employed person. Y ou sign a form
which has the effect o f making you a
lessee (ie. you rent the car) o f the cab for
I
Page 1 0 — T H E L I V I N G D A Y L I G H T S , ja n u a r y 2 9 - fe b r u a r y 4 , 1 9 7 4
the period you have it. Legally this means
a cabby is supposed to pay his ow n
income tax. If y o u ’re honest, b y keeping
you r tips separate y o u ’ll be able to cover
the tax assessment easily; if y o u ’re dis­
honest the chances are you w o n ’t be
discovered as a defaulter. Y ellow Cabs say
they dont make the pay-in records avail­
able to anyone, though o f course that’s
no consolation to a friend o f ours, who
fo r some unaccountable reason save that
someone dobbed him in recently found a
letter from the tax b oys suggesting he
ought to pay $600 in tax. Once the tax
people have a mark against your name
you are checked regularly; the decision
here is yours.
Once on the road with eyes furrowed
and enthusiasm rampant the general truth
o f experience is apparent. Depending on
weather conditions, the time o f day, the
day o f the week and the area in which a
cabby finds himself, a particular course o f
action will yield more satisfactory results.
The experienced drivers use well-tuned
radio equipment and that, with a knowl­
edge o f geographical high points, dis­
tances and directions from radio aerials all
means they are assured o f winning any
radio jo b they want. If th ey’ve been
driving fo r some time, they may have half
their jobs arranged already before they
start the day. One such fellow carts a
carload o f elderly ladies up to Surfers
Paradise every year, stays in the best
hotels on the way and returns to pick
them up six weeks later.
When new, you cannot com pete with
these drivers on that level because you
lack knowledge. It doesnt matter anyway.
It’s a g ood idea to learn to drive with
the m icrophone in your hand all the tim e;
whenever you drop out in the suburbs,
briefly look at the street directory and
memorise all o f the suburb-names in a
direct line between you and the city. Y ou
are then reasonably prepared for any
radio work that falls into your lap;
proceed to find a main arterial route back
into the city and y o u ’re then more likely
to pick up any street work. This is about
as much as you can do to ensure a
reasonable amount o f w ork in the begin­
ning; before long the stations, bus depots,
theatres, pubs, restaurants and other like­
ly spots to find fares will becom e known
to you . By listening to the radio and
talking to older drivers (their egos are
taller than their stories) y o u ’ll gleen
useful information about their favorite
tricks, ploys and so on.
Occasionally the new driver may win a
good radio jo b through sheer luck and be
confronted by a surprised passenger say­
ing "I havent seen you before” . Disbelief
spreads, twitching the nostrils (how can he
know all o f 600 drivers?) until he says
that tw o o r three drivers pick him up
almost without fail. Each o f them knows
the jo b is a long one and precisely when it
will be called. One unknowing hippy (he
wanted to buy some land and grow vegies,
but at the time he was paying o f f his
$3000 car) tells o f a case in point. One
grey morning, when the wetness was
spread by spinning tyres and semi-circular
flicks on the windscreen ("vision was
good at five feet above the ground” ), he
found himself at Oakleigh with the pros­
pect o f returning to the city empty.
Having heard in the past some radio calls
directed to the area, he managed to find
the Oakleigh station rank where he sat
and waited. A t 13 to 7, not a passenger,
car, dog nor even water in the gutter.
Within the space o f 30 seconds, five
yellow cabs converged on the rank from
all directions. It was like the return o f
Richard the Lionheart - horns tooted,
arms waved, the poor hippy meanwhile
dying o f fright and thinking he must have
at least four flat tyres, or was his bib
hanging ou t the door? But no, at 10 to 7
a call on the radio to our hippy (being the
first gar on the rank): first o f a series o f
pick-ups out at Noble Park, going in to
E lw ood, then to Armadale, then to the
city. This is what th ey were all aiming for
- an easy ten dollars, only to be thwarted
b y an unknowing innocent.
But this is all knowledge to be slowly
and painfully acquired, fraught with mis­
takes that will surely cost you money.
The enterprising hippy must look to
other ways o f counteracting his short­
comings; there is no reason why he
cannot in fact d o as well or better than
the craggy old bastards with their boots­
ful o f cunning tricks. A good driver can
get $4 or more a day in tips. Since tips
are your own money and not registered
on the meter, you get the lot instead o f
45 percent. This goes for any m oney
earned “ over” the meter, including bag­
gage charges and other rip-offs to be
discussed later. Tips can therefore be
equivalent to two-three hours normal
driving work. Cabbies come to quickly
recognise the types o f people who never
tip and those who have an open mind on
the subject.
Workers and middle class people who
over relate to the working class tip the
best; never much, but it’s constant. With
the latter group, the more charmingly
idiosyncratic you are the better. The
main thing is to have a bit o f pitter patter
to kick the conversational ball into their
court, and from the response y o u ’ll be
able to tell whether they’re into nattering
or not. It doesnt matter how mundane it
is — a simple problem o f investment in
the verbal flow . T o be considerably richer
you should be ready to adopt the mode
o f each passenger in the cab. Politically,
this means the dialogue is acted ou t by
yourself; from worker’s control to people
w ho arent sure whether they like Doug
e>
A nthony more than Paul Hogan, and it all
serves to keep your sensitivity quotient
up. Y our political hue com es to resemble
the rainbow and the pot o f gold becomes
real, fo r the more earnestly one agrees the
larger the tip or the more jellied the
bean.
Y ou may discover that a lot o f older
drivers are grateful fo r any tip at all, even
five or ten cents. Y ou will com e to regard
such miserable gratuities with scorn.
Apart from the obvious tactic o f reinforc­
ing the passenger’s views on everything
from reactionary politics to the flogging
o f bashers - as outlined above - there
are many more subtle and entertaining
forms o f attack. At the end o f each trip,
rather than be seen expertly flicking
change out o f a plastic money-holder,
grope for your change in a screwtop
Vegemite jar with the label half-peeled
o ff. Take advantage o f your “ newness to
the game” people will smile at your
calculated bumbling incom petence and be
generous. A fter a time this newness will
be difficult to fake, having been subcon­
sciously displaced by an aura o f studied
ennui. (Y o u ’ll find yourself deftly sliding
amongst the traffic like a rivulet o f
mercury, and no one who witnesseth the
nonchalant finger on the steering wheel
will believe you only started yesterday.)
Try the “ struggling student” or “ put­
ting meself through Taylor’s” line, or
supporting six brothers and sisters after
the joint death o f your foster parents last
year, or anything along the bad luck
theme.
Alternatively, take the direct approach
and talk about the miserable bastards
who ask fo r their change or dont tip at
all; ask your passenger doesnt he/she
think it reasonable to pay a little extra
for a nice, steady and safe trip. Some
people react adversely here, but most will
be so embarrassed they'll hand you their
purse and leap ou t o f the cab like a
startled gazelle. Who you choose to sub­
ject to this awful treatment is your
business, but do be a little class-con­
scious.
As Melbourne loses its drab counte­
nance in the light o f a newly acquired
vision, y o u ’ll find waterside pubs, homes
for the insane, the ethnic clubs, hospitals,
slygrog shops, massage parlors, gambling
joints and striptease clubs becom e known
to you as the haunts o f people who need
taxis. T o know these places is also worth
m oney. When interstate businessmen
climb into your cab in, say, St Kilda and
ask to be taken to a striptease show,
rather than drive them 200 yards down to
the nearest for 45 cents, you tell them
the best show is back in the city. If they
want women you tell them St Kilda’s
been busted and then bring them all the
way over to Fitzroy. Likewise, when
someone in Brunswick wants liquor after
hours, you tell him the nearest slygrog
shop is in Elsternwick, and vice-versa.
This way y o u ’ll make a lot more m oney.
All this is quite legitimate. As you
discover how the system \vorks y o u ’ll
learn all sorts o f interesting practices
which, whilst not blatantly dishonest, are
viewed unsympathetically by the com ­
pany.
It will be obvious that if you speak to
a passenger about where he’s going, quote
him a cheaper than usual price and take
him there without turning the meter on,
then it will be similar to receiving a very
big tip. This isnt fair to the company, o f
course, who will be paying fo r the petrol
and may not make as much profit as they
otherwise might.
It is a useful practice to know, and is
often used after sporting events (such as
the horse races when five people will
climb into your cab all wishing to go into
the city; the deal is a dollar each without
the meter. Workers are generally happy to
have a cheaper trip, also young people
J&J |»1 i *
with longish hair and anyone else who
doesnt lo o k like th ey’d take your number
and report you. Care must be taken at
night, when a tiny light behind the dom e
light tells TRB thugs o r passing com pany
“p olicem en ” that the m eter is on o r off.
Taxis d o a g ood deal o f parcel delivery
work and it may occu r to you that a
parcel is a whole lot easier to negotiate
with than a potentially honest passenger.
In fact, taking lunch breaks is a sheer
waste o f time until you get a parcel on
board; then, with the meter quietly tick­
ing and no actual passenger, the time is
ripe to select an appropriate pizza parlor
and be paid fo r taking in fo o d . Y o u ’ll
probably find you can cover the cost o f a
large Cappriciosa by this method. Alter­
natively, you may not wish to turn on the
meter at all; instead y o u can indulge in a
little multiple hiring b y picking up any
street fare whose going in the vague
direction o f the parcel’s destination.
Legally, when you stop fo r a fare with
your “ not fo r hire” sign is out o f sight, he
or she can demand that you take them
anywhere at all within the metropolitan
area. Fortunately, very few o f them know
this, so if they want to go the other way
y ou can politely say you have a parcel to
deliver and get away with it.
Multiple hiring is a lot o f fun and a
favorite o f some o f the older drivers. This
is possible when you are the on ly cab
around and a whole lot o f people need a
taxi; you ask where they’re all going and
then suggest a fairly circuitous route
which looks after all o f them. They each
pay 75 percent o f the total fare up to the
point o f their individual destinations (get
this straight with all o f them before you
m ove) so you can earn about tw ice the
metered fare as a kind o f tip, as well as
your 45 percent o f what’s on the meter.
This practice is quite illegal, save during
train strikes and so on. A variation on this
theme is to discover the best fare amongst
a group o f people. Y ou find an airport
terminal or bus depot with a number o f
fares desperate fo r a taxi, announce that
y o u ’re about to knock o f f and go home
to sleep (home fo r the mom ent being
somewhere like 30 miles away) and in­
quire if anyone wants to go that way. The
odds are on that someone wants to go
you r way. Y ou then grudgingly agree to
take him “ all that w ay” . N ot a bad fare.
All taxi companies have account cus­
tomers w ho carry little credit cards with a
number, which you fill in on your d o c ­
ket-book, or they may have their ow n
dockets as well. Som e o f these people are
quite silly and hand you the docket
without filling it in, in which case you
generally add on a few cents here and
there before you cash it back at the
depot. Som e drivers lusting for m oney
invent some account numbers by them­
selves and cash $40 or $50 worth; the
problem is that the driver’s name and
radio number has to be written on each
docket. This ploy is on ly for the very
desperate and can on ly be done on ce (it’s
called forging and uttering, and the taxi
companies dont hesitate to prosecute)
and it ’s worth remembering that they
always have your address and licence
particulars on their files.
A final lurk worth recording is the
question o f petrol: some unscrupulous
hippies we know fill up their 12 gallon
tanks at the depot w ithout noting it
dow n on the sheet, then go hom e and
drain it into their ow n cars. They say this
is very satisfying.
The com pany “ p olice” are used to
catch drivers indulging in all these prac­
tices. They concentrate on drivers pinch­
ing other drivers job s before the driver
entitled to it reaches the address. They
nail those w ho take to o long to get to a
jo b , those w ho call a jo b out o f their
“ district” and those who deliver parcels
without turning the meter on. The TRB
officers are a different crowd altogether,
consisting mainly o f thugs who couldnt
get into the police force. They hate
longhairs and have enormous powers over
taxi drivers. The best way to avoid them
is to keep the car clean and to carry all
the right gear (TRB identification etc.).
T ’S ALL made easier with dope of
course. N ot only the driving itself,
which necessarily becom es cataclysmic at
times, but the people — many o f whom
you will doubtless loathe. Once acquaint­
ance remembers the Tullamarine freeway
as a series o f alligators to be circumnavi­
gated; the passenger remonstrated that he
ought to drive with tw o wheels on the
median strip at 30 mph.
But you have many friends on the
road, and such things can be overcom e;
among the drivers, from the wit to be
heard on radio, the glint to be seen in
their eye and the sort o f cigarettes they
smoke, the social order shall be reflected
unerringly.
I
□
T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4, 1974 — Page 11
Page 12 - T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974
busman's picnic
I havent had me photo taken since I was 1 7 ,” said one o f these women at Bronte Beach last tuesday fortnight It was the
annual busworkers picnic. The men on the top left, aged 80, 90 and 70 (left to right) put between them 160
years on the trams which once rattled around Sydney.
T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974 — Page 13
S tfc U e c f
Stephen Wall 6 9 8 .2 6 5 2
PO B o x 23 , S u rry H ills.
M o v ie — “ B L A C K B O A R D
J U N G L E ” — T h e 5 0 s an d
e d u c a t io n a l
B o w e r-B o y s :
Chan. 7 , 1 0 .0 0 p m .
CLASSICS
JAZZ
“ T H E B A R B E R O F SE­
V IL L E ” — A u st O pera C o
do
R o s s in i o v e r :
O p era
H o u s e , 3 5 7 .1 2 0 0 , 7 .3 0 p m ,
$ 6 .5 0 t o $ 1 0 .5 0 .
M ERV
ACH ESON
T R IO ” :
B ellev u e
h o t e l,
P a d d in g to n , 7 .0 0 - 1 0 p m .
C H R IS
TAPPERNAC,
D A V E F U R N I S S ” : F o re s t
L o d g e h o t e l, 7 .3 0 - 1 0 p m .
M o d e rn , “ P E T E R B O O T H A M ” : L im e r ic k C astle.
S u rry H ills.
‘ D IC K H U G H E S Q U A R ­
T E T ” : Stage D o o r T a vern ,
C a m p b e ll
s treet.
C ity ,
7 .0 0 -1 0 p m .
THEATRE
“ HELLO
AND
GOODB Y E ” — A co m p a s s io n a te
s tu d y o f “ p o o r w h ite s ” in
S o u t h A fr ic a : A u stra lia n
th e a tre ,
N ew tow n ,
5 1 .3 8 4 1 , tu es-sa t 8 .1 5 p m ,
su n 7 .3 0 p m , $ 3 .0 0 p lu s
c o n c e s s io n s . N o m o n d a y .
“ T H E H A P P IE S T D A Y S
O F Y O U R L I F E ” w it h th e
M e rcu ria n p la y e rs : N o rth
R o c k s C o m m u n it y C en tre,
8 7 1 .6 0 7 5 , 8 .1 5 p m , $ 1 .2 0 ,
kid s 6 0 cen ts.
FILMS
“ L E F A R C E U R ” — P. D e
B r o c a (F r e n c h n e w w a v e ):
F ilm m a k e rs
C in em a ,
St
P e te r’ s la n e, D arlin gh u rst,
6 .0 0 p m a n d 1 0 p m , $ 1 .0 0 ,
m e m b e rs
o n ly .
J o in
at
d o o r $ 3 .0 0 .
“ CRYSTAL VO YAG ER” :
M a n ly S ilv er S creen , 5 .3 0 ,
7 .3 0 , 9 .3 0 p m , $ 2 .0 0 .
N F T A “ o f f H o l l y w o o d sea­
son” ,
“ SHOCK
COR­
R ID O R ”
and
“ TAR­
G E T S ” : A u s t G o v t C entre
T h e a tre, 7 .1 5 pm , $ 1 .2 0 ,
m e m b e rs
o n ly .
J o in
at
d o o r $ 3 .0 0 .
ROCK, BLUES
JAZZ
“ CLOUD
N IN E S E B A S T I A N ” : C h eq u ers, 8 -3 p m ,
$ 2.00
FO LK , BLUES:
“ J O H N U B E C ” : H ang T o e ,
2 1 7 C o m m o n w e a lt h street,
8 .3 0 p m , 5 0 ce n ts .
JAZZ
“ THE
LORD
OF THE
R I N G S ” — J o h n S a n g ster’ s
o r ig in a l
in t e r p r e t a tio n :
O p era
H ouse.
B o o k in g s
2 1 1 .2 6 4 6 ,
8 .0 0
pm
to
1 0 .3 0 p m , $ 4 .0 0 .
“ D O N D E S I L V A ” : O ld
Push.
“ D IC K H U G H E S P IA N O ” :
F r e n c h ’ s T a v e rn , O x fo r d
s tre e t,
D a rlin g h u rst,
6-9
pm .
“ E C L IP S E
A LLE Y
F I V E ” : V a n it y F a ir h o t e l,
G o u lb u r n s tr e e t, 7 .3 0 -1 0
pm .
“ M E R V ACHESON JA Z Z
T R IO ” :
B is tr o ,
A voca
s tre e t, R a n d w ic k .
c u e d tte a d c ty
FOLK
V A R IO U S
A R T IS T S
at
E liz a b e t h h o t e l , E liz a b e th
str e e t, c it y . B e e a rly , say
7 .3 0 p m , 8 .0 0 p m . P rice:
S F A (w e ll n e a r ly ).
BLUES
“ J U N IO R
AND
THE
GOLD
T O P S ” : F id d le r 's
V in e ,
115A
C ronuU a
stre e t, C r o n u lla , 7 .3 0 p m .
THEATRE
“ L O V E F O R L O V E ’ : Opera H o u s e , 2 .0 0 p m , $ 4 .5 0 ,
$ 2 .7 5 p e n s io n e r s , s tu d e n ts ,
ch ild re n .
TV
S it y o u r s e lf d o w n t o R o c k /
F o l k m u s ic w it h M arian
H e n d e r s o n , B ern a rd B o la n ,
John
J.
F ra n cis ,
A la n
L u c h e tti: C h a n . 2 , 9 -1 0 .
“ H O R I Z O N ” — H o s p ita l
1922
d ocu m en ta ry
on
C h a rin g C ro s s t h e n a n d
n o w : C h a n . 2, 9 .4 0 p m .
FILMS
CRYSTAL V O YA G E R ” :
M a n ly S ilver S cre e n , 5 .3 0 ,
7 .3 0 , 9 .3 0 p m , $ 2 .0 0 .
P U D D IN T H I E V E S ’ and
‘B R A K E F L U I D ”
—
B.
D a vis: F ilm m a k ers C in em a ,
S t P eter’ s lane, D a rlin g­
hu rst, 1 0 .0 0 p m , $ 1 .5 0 ,
m e m b e rs $ 1 .0 0 . J o in at
d o o r $ 3 .0 0 .
A
CONCERT
FOR
BANGLADESH” :
O pera
H ou se, 9 .0 0 p m , $ 2 .5 0 , e x ­
c e p t sun, m o n .
ROCK
“ T I T A N I C ” — S ebastian
H a rd y : C h eq u ers, 8 -3 a m .
$ 2.0 0 .
WORKSHOPS
“ C R E A T IV E
DRAMA
W O R K S H O P ’ b y L ea rn in g
C o lle c tiv e : G u riga n y a , 4 4 4
O x f o r d street, P a d d in g to n ,
8 p m . F ree o r 2 0 cen ts ,
m aybe.
“ P O E T S R E A D ” — G u est
rea d ers — M a i M o r g a n , an d
“ J J O ’ : O ld C h u r ch , P a lm ­
e r & S ta n ley streets, D a r­
lin gh u rst, 8 p m . F ree.
CLASSICS
“ TAN N H AU SER”
by
W agner a n d in G erm a n : A ll
d ressed up an d n o w h e r e t o
g o ? T h is is y o u r n ig h t!
O p era H o u s e , 7 .0 0 p m ,
$ 6 .5 0 t o $ 1 0 .5 0 .
TV
“ H IG H
S O C IE T Y ”
—
m o v ie m u s ic a l w ith B in g
C rossby,
F ra n k
S in atra,
G r a c e K e lly , L o u is A r m ­
s tr o n g . W ell w o r t h it f o r
n o s ta lg ic s o n g s. C h a n n e l 7,
9 .0 0 .
M o v ie “ N A P O L E O N ”
—
w ar a n d a little p ie c e —
J o s e p h in e :
C hannel
10,
9 .0 0 p m .
G T K 7 4 — M ig h ty K o n g at
S y d n e y t o w n h a ll: C h a n n e l
2, 7 .3 0 pm .
B R IA N
C AD D & FAM ­
I L Y : C h a n n e l 2, 8 .1 0 p m .
CLASSICS
IL
TABARRO,
SVOR
A N G E L IC A ,
G IA N N I
S C H IC C H I,
by
P u c c in i:
O pera
H ouse.
In fo
3 5 7 .1 2 0 0 ,
7 .3 0
pm ,
$ 1 0 .5 0 t o $ 6 .5 0 .
FILM
C IV IL IS A T IO N
b y K en n e th C la rk — “ T h e H e ro as
A r t is t ” :
A rt G a llery o f
N SW . 1 2 .1 0 , 1 .1 0 , 2 .1 0 ,
3 .1 0 , 6 .1 0 a n d 7 .1 0 . F ree.
A
F IL M
ABOUT
JIM I
H E N D R I X : M a n ly S ilv er
S cre e n .
In fo
9 7 7 .5 5 0 3 ,
t im e ? E x c e p t tu es, w e d .
NFTA
“ OFF
HOLLY­
W OOD”
“ C IS C O
P IK E ”
and “ D R IV E HE S A ID ” :
A u st. G o v t. C en tre T h e a trette. 7 .1 5 p m , $ 1 .2 0 ,
m e m b e rs o n ly .
“ C O U N T C O P E R N IC U S ”
— a R o c k D o c o : F ilm m a k ­
ers C in em a . R . H a m ilto n
(1 9 7 4 ) . 1 0 .0 0 p m . $ 1 .5 0 ,
m e m b e r s $ 1 .0 0 .
FOOD
CHEAP FOO D:
U ni o f
N SW
“ C o -o p ” :
R ound
h o u s e , 5 p m -8 p m . O u t o f
m u e s li te a b a g s th is w e e k .
JAZZ
C H R IS W I L L I A M S : U n ity
HaU h o t e l , 8 2 .1 3 3 1 . 7 .3 0
p m , free.
D O C W I L L I S J A Z Z : A lb u r y h o t e l , O x f o r d st, c it y .
8 .1 0 p m . F ree.
T R A D I T I O N A L — K e v in
G o o d y : L im e r ic k C a s tle ,
2 1 1 .1 4 0 1 . 7 .3 0 p m .
ROCK
WORKSHOP
CHOCOLATE
W ATCHBAND:
F id d le r s
V in e ,
C ro n u lla .
S E B A S T IA N
HARDY,
T I T A N I C : C h e q u e rs , 8 .3 0
p m . $ 2 .0 0 .
F IL M M A K IN G
W ORKS H O P — 1 6 m m fa cilitie s
f o r e m b r y o n i c film f u c k ­
ers:
O ld
C h u r ch ,
East
S y d n e y . 3 1 .6 2 7 0 . F re e , 8
pm .
FILMS
FOLK, JAZZ
AUST,
SCOT,
I R IS H ,
COUNTRY
FOLK:
R ed
L io n h o t e l, P itt & L iver­
p o o l sts, c i t y . 8 .1 0 p m .
U N I T Y J A Z Z B A N D : O ld
P ush. 8 -1 2 p m .
PORT
JAC K SO N
JAZZ
B A N D : S tage D o o r ta v e rn ,
7 .0 0 - 1 0 p m .
faday
FOLK
CONTEMPORARY
D O N
M O R R IS O N ,
F R E U D IA N
S L IP :
R edfe m , 6 9 9 .1 7 3 6 . 7 pm .
T R A D IT IO N A L
FOLK:
E liz a b e th h o t e l, 2 6 .3 1 3 2 . 8
pm .
CELLAR FOLK : YW CA,
1 8 9 L i v e r p o o l s t., C it y .
8 pm .
R e d L io n see th u r s d a y .
C O N T E M P O R A R Y — K e rrie B id d e l, D o n B u r r o w e s ,
L e e C o n w a y , J o h n C u rrie,
M a rtin H e n d e r s o n : O p e r a
H ouse. I n fo 9 2 9 .9 8 8 0 . 8
p m . $ 3 .5 0 , $ 5 .0 0 , $ 6 .5 0 .
THEATRE
t / u v n d ft y
V IL L E ”
— A u s t O p era
C o .: O p e r a H o u s e , 7 .3 0
p m , $ 6 .5 0 t o $ 1 0 .5 0 .
T U R IB IO
SANTOS
—
B ra zilia n G u ita rist: S c ie n c e
T h e a tre ,
U ni
of
N SW .
$ 2 .7 0 ,
s tu d e n ts
$ 1 .7 0 .
8 .1 5 p m .
P A N D A M G U R I T N O — In ­
d o n e s ia n
P u p p eteer
—
sh a dow
p u p p etry :
St
J a m e s th e a tre , 1 6 9 P h illip
st, i n f o 3 5 7 . 1 2 0 0 M s L o r n a
K in g . 8 .1 5 p m . A $ 2 .0 0 ,
C $ .5 0
“ T H E H A P P IE S T D A Y S
OF
YOUR
L I F E ” : see
tu e s d a y .
“ THE
BALLAD
OF
A N G E L S A L L E Y ” — R o l­
lic k in g A u s t. m u s ic a l: N e w
th e a tr e , 5 4 2 K in g st, N e w ­
t o w n . 8 .1 5 p m .
“ TH E
HOSTAGE”
by
B re n d a n B e h a n : C ro n u lla
A rts
th e a tr e ,
S u rf
rd,
C r o n u lla . 5 2 3 .6 8 8 8 . 8 .1 5
pm .
“ P U D D IN G
AND
BRAKE
S ee W ednesday.
T H IE V E S
F L U ID ” :
ROCK
BAN D
OF
C a m p b e llt o w n
tre. 8 .0 0 p m .
L IG H T :
C iv ic C e n ­
tu e &
d a p
KIDS
“ T H E P IE D P I P E R ” — A
k id s
p la y :
In depen den t
th e a tr e , N o r t h S y d n e y , 2
pm .
“ SNOW , SAN D A N D S A V ­
A G E S ” : F ilm m a k e rs C in e­
m a, St P e te r’ s la n e, Darlin gh u rst. I n fo 3 1 .3 2 3 7 , 2
pm .
THEATRE
“ MY
A U N T T H E U N I­
CORN”
—
C om edy by
John
H ep w o r th :
S tu d io
2 2 8 , C n r . F o r b e s s tr e e t &
St
P e te r’ s
la n e.
K in g s
C ross. I n f o 4 3 .0 4 3 3 , 8 .0 0
p m , $ 1 .5 0 .
“ THE GH O ST O F G R E Y
G A B L E S ” : A u s t th ea tre,
L e n n o x s treet, N e w t o w n ,
3 1 .3 6 2 5 , 2 pm .
“ THE
HOSTAGE” :
S ee
fri.
“ T H E H A P P IE S T D A Y S
OF
YOUR
L I F E ” : See
tues.
“ THE
BALLAD
OF
ANGELS
A L L E Y ” : S ee
fri.
“ SH ADOW PU PPETRY” :
S e e fri.
TV, RADIO
“ MY
W ORD”
— F ra n k
M u ir , D e n is N o r d e n : A B C
R a d io 2 , 1 .4 0 pm .
“ S U N B U R Y PO P F E S T I­
V A L ” — H igh lig h ts: Chan.
1 0 , 5 .0 0 p m .
“ T H E W ELSH S O N A T A ”
— N a tio n a l R a d io th e a tre :
A B C R a d io 2, 8 .3 0 pm .
“ D IA R Y
OF
A
MAD­
M A N :: — H o r r o r m o v ie
M A C K E N Z IE
THEORY:
S ta tio n h o t e l, Prahran.
P I R A N A : M a tth e w F lin ­
d ers h o t e l, C h a d sto n e .
FOLK
FOLK
OCKERS
ROCKERS:
G e o r g e h o t e l, S t K ild a .
K U S H : C r o x t o n P ark, Pres­
ton .
U N IO N H O T E L : C a rlto n
has g u e st artists.
BUSH W H ACKERS
AND
B U L L O C K IE S
BAND:
P ola ris In n , N . C a r lto n .
BELLENDEN
KERR,
D A N N Y S P O O N E R , P H IL
D A Y : at D a n O ’ C o n n e ll’s,
C a r lto n .
P H IL
DAY:
T a n k e rv ille
A rm s, C a rlto n .
JO H N
CROW LE:
F rank
T r a y n o r ’s, C ity .
FOLK
BLUES
C O M M U N E ha s f o l k : c o m e
a lo n g .
PETER
P A R K H IL L :
F ra n k T r a y n o r ’ s, 1 0 0 L t.
L o n s d a le s tr e e t, C ity .
JAZZ
DOVE:
K ew .
P rosp ect
h o t e l,
FILM
D U T C H T I L D E R S : sings
th e b lu e s at F ra n k T ra y ­
n o r ’ s.
JAZZ
P R O S P E C T H O T E L : K ew
h a s ja z z .
F R A N K T R A Y N O R : tw in ­
k le s a t B eau m a ris h o t e l.
FILM
“ T H E L IT T L E SH O P O F
H O R R O R S ” (R o g e r C o rm an) and “ H A L L E L U J A H
THE
H IL L S ”
(M e k a s ):
N F T A , G u ild T h e a tre , M el­
b o u r n e U n i U n io n , $ 1 .2 0
( 8 0 c s tu ), 7 .4 0 p m .
“ JE T ’A I M E . JE T ’ A I M E ”
(R e s n a is ) a n d “ H O U R O F
T H E W O L F ” (B e r g m a n ):
G u ild T h e a tre , M e lb o u r n e
U n i U n io n , $ 1 .2 0 , 8 0 c stu.
7 .4 0 p m .
PARK EVENT
PARK EVENTS
R E M E M B E R
THE
B E A T L E S : T re a s u ry gar­
d e n s , 1 2 .1 0 a n d 1 .1 0 p m .
A
F R U IT Y
M ELO­
D R A M A : H iss t h e villain ,
c h e e r th e h e r o , h a ve y o u r
s o u l seared b y th e p lig h t o f
t h e h e r o in e , F la g s ta ff gar­
d e n s , 1 2 . 1 0 an d 1 .1 0 p m .
R EM EM BER THE BEATL E S : F la g s ta ff ga rd en s.
A
F R U IT Y
M ELO­
DRAMA:
T re a s u ry
gar­
d en s.
‘ ‘ G I L B E R T
A N D
GEORGE” :
A va n t-ga rd e
a rtists, A B V 2 , 1 0 .5 5 p m .
P e rh a p s i t ’s a jo k e .
RADIO
E R I K S A T I E : P ia n o m u s ic ,
3 A R , 1 1 .1 0 p m .
tv e d m
e&
s ty
ROCK
H O T C IT Y BUM P B A N D :
W h ite h o rs e
h o t e l, N u n a w a d in g .
RED
HOUSE
ROLL
BAND:
C roxton
Park,
P re s to n .
MEETING
L IN K -U P O R I E N T A T I O N
N I G H T : 8 .3 0 p m .
t t u t n A d ft y
ROCK
RED
HOUSE
ROLL
B A N D , T A N K : W h ite h o rs e
h o t e l, N u n a w a d in g .
U P P: C r o x t o n p a rk , Pres­
ton .
C H A IN , A B E L L O D G E :
W a ltz in g M a tild a , S prin gvale.
B IG P U S H : G e o r g e h o t e l,
S t K ild a .
GARY
Y O U N G ’S
FAT
C A T S : S u n d o w n e r h o t e l,
G e e lo n g .
S U N R I S E : G r o v e d a le h o ­
te l, G e e lo n g .
A Y E R S R O C K : S t A lb a n ’s
h o t e l._________________________
w ith V in c e n t P rice & N a n ­
c y K o v a c : C h a n . 7 , 9 .3 0
pm .
“ T R I A L ” — M o v ie w ith
G le n F o r d — L ega l d ra m a :
C han. 9 .3 0 p m .
“ IN C ID E N T
AT
PHAN­
T O M H I L L ” — M o v ie —
U S C ivil w ar d ra m a : C h a n .
2, 9 .5 5 pm .
G o ld e n
yea rs o f
H o lly ­
w o o d — M o v ie “ I N T R U D ­
E R IN T H E D U S T ” — n o t
a
film
about
co n tr a c t
cle a n in g : C han. 9 , 1 1 .2 5
pm .
CLASSICS
“ I AM A DAN CER” — A
b a lle t film w ith N u r e y e v
and F o n te y n and oth e r
w e ll k n o w n tap d a n c e r s :
O p e ra H o u se , 2 , 5, 8 .1 5
p m , $ 3 .0 0 .
T A N N H A U S E R b y W ag­
n e r : O p e ra H o u s e , 7 .0 0
p m , $ 7 .5 0 t o $ 1 2 .5 0 .
FILMS
“ TH E
BEST
O F JO H N
H A R D IN G ’ S
UNDER­
W A T E R F I L M S ” (n a rra te d
live b y F ilm m a k e r ): U n io n
th ea tre.
In fo
6 6 0 .1 3 5 5 ,
8 .3 0 p m , $ 2 .4 0 .
“ W H E R E ’ S P O P P A ” an d
“ W H AT’S THE M ATTER
W IT H H E L E N ” : N ew A rts,
G le b e .
In fo
6 6 0 .6 2 0 7 ,
C hris & Eva 5 1 .9 5 6 3 or
5 1 .8 2 1 4 , w rite F la t 8 , No 7
Irving A v e ., W indsor, 3181.
ROCK
“ IN
CONCERT”
E dgar
W in te r , W ar H e a d lin e , D o o b ie B r o s , J im C r o c e . C h a n ­
n el 7 , 1 0 . 0 0 p m .
“ THE
E N E R G Y C R IS IS
A N D W H A T IT M E A N S
T O Y O U ” — Or w hat to d o
u n til t h e s to v e g o e s o u t .
C h a n n e l 7 , 7 .3 0 p m .
G A R D E N I N G — F ive m in ­
u te s o f tru e g r it: C h a n n e l
2 , 6 .5 5 p m .
Page 1 4 - T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 19 74
JAZZ
“ E C L IP S E
A LLE Y
F I V E ” : V a n it y F a ir h o t e l,
4 p m -7 pm .
“ DOC
W I L L I S ” : A lb u r y
h o t e l, O x f o r d s treet. C ity ,
3 p m -6 p m .
“ D O C W I L L I S ” : B e r e s fo r d
p u b , B o u r k e s tre e t, S u rry
H ills, 8 - 1 0 p m .
“ U N IT Y
BAND” :
O ld
P u s h , 8 .3 0 - 1 2 .3 0 a m .
“ C H R IS
W IL L IA M S ” :
U n ity H all h o t e l, 8 2 .1 3 3 1 ,
7 .3 0 p m .
B IG P U S H : G e o r g e h o t e l,
S t K ild a .
UPP:
Sandow ner
h o t e l,
G e e lo n g .
TV
Y o u n g O pera “ T H E P L A Y
O F H E R O D ” an d “ T H E
S L A U G H T E R O F T H E IN NO C E N T S” :
C o n s e rv a t o r iu m
m a in
h a ll.
In fo
2 9 .7 9 4 9 . 8 p m .
“ T H E B A R B E R O F SE ­
a a fa n d a u
'T K M o u r u tc
TV , RADIO
CLASSICS
F L A K E : W h ite E agle hall,
C a b ra m a tta . 8 .0 0 p m .
ROD
STEW ART
AND
TH E
FACES:
R a n d w ic k
R a c e c o u r s e , 8 p m . $ 5 .7 0 .
CHOCOLATE
W ATCHBAND:
F id d le r s
V in e ,
C ro n u lla .
T IT A N IC
G E E ZA :
C h e q u e r s , 8 .3 0 a m . $ 2 . 0 0 .
JAZZ
D A V E R A N K I N : A lm a h o tel, C h a p el s tr e e t, S t K ild a .
O W E N Y E A T M A N : P ros­
p e c t h o t e l, K e w .
F R A N K T R A Y N O R : E x­
ch an ge h o t e l.
TV
S IT Y O U R S E L F D O W N ,
T A K E
A
L O O K
AROUND:
F o lk -r o c k .
A B V 2 , 1 0 .1 0 p m .
{n icty
ROCK
U PP:
W h ite h o rs e h o t e l,
N u n a w a d in g .
JO H N R U P E R T A N D T H E
HENCHMEN:
C rox ton
p a rk , P re sto n .
K U S H : In te rn a tio n a l h o t e l,
A ir p o r t W est.
PH ASE
TW O:
G e o rg e
h o t e l, S t. K ild a .
RED
H OUSE
ROLL
B A N D : S u n d o w n e r h o t e l,
G e e lo n g .
OCKERS
ROCKERS:
P e n th o u se
h o te l,
B roadm eadow s.
SKYHOOKS,
BLACKSPUR:
R oyal
B a llro o m ,
E x h ib it io n b u ild in g .
C H A I N , 6 9 E R S : T e a ze r.
M A T T T A Y L O R , SH ERB E R T , A R I E L : B a ck t o
s c h o o l r o c k . F estiv al H all
$1, 1pm .
SH ERBERT:
M a tth e w
F lin d e rs h o t e l, C h a d sto n e .
FOLK
D A N N Y
SPOON ER,
J U L IE W O N G : and o th e rs ,
O u t p o s t In n , 5 2 C ollin s
str e e t, C ity .
P E T E R P A R K H I L L , M IK E
O ’R O U R K E ,
D IA N N E
H O L L I N G S : T a v e rn F o lk
C lu b , N . C a r lto n .
C A P T A IN
M ATCHBOX:
P olaris In n , N . C a r lto n .
P H IL
DAY,
PETER
P A R K H IL L ,
JO H N
C R O W L E : A t F ra n k T r a y ­
n o r ’s, C ity .
JAZZ
YARRA
YARRA
JAZZ
BAND:
P rosp ect
h o te l,
K ew .
B R IA N B R O W N Q U A R ­
T E T : C om m un e.
FILM
“ B E D S IT T IN G R O O M ”
and
“ B A N A N A S ” : L a te
n ite , T ra k , T o o r a k r o a d ,
$ 2, 1 1 .4 5 .
TV
IN
CONCERT:
R ock ,
c o u n t r y and w e s te rn , e t c .
H S V 7 , 1 0 .0 0 p m .
M O R N IN G
OF
THE
EARTH:
S u rfin g
f ilm .
H S V 7 , 1 1 .3 0 p m .
M
r fu n d a #
ROCK
M ATT
TAYLOR,
BUS
TER
BROW N:
C helsea
C ity HaU.
C O LO RED B A LLS: C ano
pus.
PENDU LUM :
St
Peters,
E ast B rig h to n .
A R IE L , E B O N Y : T ea zer
J O H N R U P E R T A N D TH E
H E N C H M E N : W h iteh ors*
h o t e l, N u n a w a d in g .
B IG P U S H : C r o x t o n p a rk ,
P reston .
69E R S:
S o u th s id e
S ix
M o o r a b b in ( a f t ) .
PH ASE T W O : G eorge h o
te l, S t K ild a .
T R ID E N : S u n dow n er h o
tel, G e e lo n g .
OCKERS
ROCKERS
P e n th o u se
h o t e l,
B roa d m eadow s.
A R IE L , IS A A C A A R O N :
M a tth e w
F lin d e rs, C h a d ­
s to n e .
FOLK
G RAH AM DODSW ORTH,
GRAHAM
LOW N DES.
a liftout guide to what 's on in the week ahead
1 1 .1 5 p m , $ 2 .0 0 .
M anly S ilv er s c r e e n : C h il­
d ren s m a tin e e p lu s ca r­
t o o n , 2 p m , 6 0 cen ts .
“ P R A IS E
MARX
AND
PASS
THE
A M M U N I­
T IO N ” : F ilm m a k e rs C in e­
m a, D a rlin g h u rst, 1 2 m id ­
night,
$ 1 .5 0 ,
m e m b e rs
$ 1 .0 0 . J o in a t d o o r $ 3 .0 0 .
“ COUNT
C O P E R N IC U S :
See thurs.
FOLK
“ N EW Y O R K
P U B L IC
L I B R A R Y ” — D o u g R ic h ­
a rd son , T r e v o r W in n , A n n
H issink, D a n J o h n s o n and
oth ers: F o l k S h a ck , n ea r
en tra n ce t o W arin ga h M all,
B ro o k v a le , 9 3 9 , 2 8 6 9 , 8 .3 0
pm -1 a m , $ 1 .0 0 .
“ T R A D ” — M o d e m : E liza­
b e th h o t e l. C ity , 2 6 .3 1 3 2 .
“ B L U E S ” — J o h n B ou rk e:
L im e rick C astle, 1 2 2 A n n
street, S u rry H ills, 7 .3 0
pm.
“ T R A D IT IO N A L F O L K ” :
E d in b u rg h C a s tle, 8 .0 0 -1 0
pm.
“ PACT
FOLK” :
YW CA
Cellar, L iv e r p o o l s treet, 8
pm.
WORKSHOPS
“ C R E A T IV E
DRAMA
W O R K S H O P ” b y N im r o d :
Old C e r e b o s fa c t o r y , 5 0 0
E liz a b eth
street,
H ills, 1 p m . F ree.
S urry
ROCK
“ BANK
O F L IG H T ” —
B u ffa lo , K u sh : C url C url
Y o u t h C lu bs, 8 pm .
“ N I T R O ” : F id d le r ’s V in e C ron u lla .
“ T I T A N I C ” — T e d M u lry:
G e e z a , C h e q u e rs , 8 .3 0 p m ,
$ 2 .0 0 .
“ O T H E R E N D S ” — C rom ­
w e ll:
C ron u lla
M a son ic
hall, 8 .0 0 p m .
FILMS
“ TH E SM A LL W O R L D ”
an d “ A L A N D O F B I R D S ”
— S h ell a n d R o b e r t R a y ­
m ond
c o n s p ir a c y . O p era
H ou se, 1 0 a m , 1 2 .0 0 n o o n ,
2 pm , 4 pm .
“ B L A C K O R P H E U S ” M.
C am u s (F r e n c h n e w w a v e ):
F ilm m a k e rs C in em a , D arlin gh u rst. 4 p m , 6 pm .
$ 1 .5 0 , $ 1 .0 0 m em b ers.
N F T A ’s
Im ages o f
th e
M in d
“ TH ERESE
DESQUEYROUX”
and “ U N
S O I R , U N T R A I N ” : O p era
H ou s e, $ 1 .6 0 . 7 .1 5 pm .
M em b ers
o n ly .
J o in
at
d o o r $ 3 .0 0 .
“ LAW SON
R E U N IO N ” :
F ilm m a k e rs C in e m a , 8 p m ,
$ 1 .5 0 , $ 1 .0 0 m e m b e r s .
U n d e rw a te r film s : se e Sat­
u rd a y .
KIDS
“ OPERA TH R O U G H THE
T IM E M A C H IN E ” — f o r
k id s b e t w e e n 4 a n d 12
y e a rs : O p e ra H o u s e , 1 1 .3 0
a m . $ 2 .0 0 , k id s 6 0 c .
“ SNOW , SAN D A N D S A V ­
A G E S ” : see S a tu rd a y .
P H IL IP ”
L au rel
H a rd y : C h a n n e l 2 ,
an d
4 .3 0
DISTRACTIONS
CLASSICS
1 9 3 0 ’s
V E R S IO N
OF
R E A L IT Y — T he S ydney
C ity
c o u n c ils b a n d p e r­
fo r m a n c e s
—
S a lv a tio n
A rm y B an d, B and A ssoc,
o f N SW , M u sicia n s U n io n :
At
H yde
P ark, V ic to r ia
Park, B eare P ark, r e s p e c t. 3
p m -4 .3 0
pm .
F re e
of
co u r s e .
T R IP A R O U N D A W A R ­
S H IP — H M A S B risb a n e
(w a t c h y o u r s te p , n o w ) :
G a rd e n Isla n d , 2 p m - 5 pm.
F ree.
ARTS
D I S C U S S IO N
—
N u d ge, N u d g e : C a m p /G a y
L ib
C e n tre ,
33A
G le b e
P o i n t r d . G le b e . 3 .3 0 . F ree.
M U S IC O N T H E H O U R —
F e a tu re s A u st. a rtists an d
w orks
fr o m
th e C lassic
R e p e r t o ir e : O p e r a H o u se .
11 a m , 1 2 , 1, 2, 3, 4 p m .
$ 1 .0 0
a d u lts.
2 0 c kid s,
p e n s io n e rs .
No
a d v a n ce
b o o k in g s .
TV, RADIO
“ P U T T IN G
PANTS
ON
/kl< vee6,
pm.
BOYER LECTURES — T o­
d a y , y e s te rd a y a n d t o m o r ­
r o w — S ir K e ith H a n c o c k :
A B C R a d io 2 , 5 .0 0 p m .
S u n d a y P la y b ill “ P A R I S I E N N E ” a tra gi c o m e d y b y
H e n ry B a c q u e : A B C R a d io
1, 8 .0 0 p m .
“ K H M E R ! K H M E R !” P r o ­
file o n C a m b o d ia : C h a n n e l
2, 1 .0 0 pm .
THEATRE
“ THE
BALLAD
OF
A N G E L S A L L E Y ” : see friday.
FOLK
BOB H U D SO N , D E C L A N
A F F L E Y , PETER QUEN­
T IN ,
BUDDY
W IL S O N :
K irk G a lle r y , 4 2 2 C le v e ­
land st, S u rry H ills. 8 .0 0 .
$ 1. 0 0 .
MEETINGS
IN T E R N A T IO N A L
W O­
M ENS D A Y P L A N N IN G
M EE TIN G :
Womens
H ouse,
25
A lb e r t a
st,
S y d n e y , 7 .3 0 p m .
ROCK, BEBOP
B A N D O F L IG H T — G o o d
e v e n in g : C h e q u e r s , 8 - 3 a m ,
$ 2.0 0 .
TV
“ W AR AND PEACE’ — A
p r e v ie w , a le a d in t o a B B C
serial: C h a n n e l 2 , 9 .2 0 p m .
“ MONTY
P Y T H O N ’S
F L Y IN G C I R C U S ” : C h a n ­
n el 2 , 1 1 .0 0 .
FILMS
“ L A M A R S E L L A I S E ” J.
Renoir:
O pera
H ouse
(m u s ic r o o m ) . 7 .3 0 p m .
$ 1 .7 0 .
OPERA
“ THE
BARBER
OF
S E V I L L E ” : O p e r a H o u se .
7 .3 0 p m . $ 6 .5 0 - $ 1 0 .5 0 .
C H IN E S E V I O L I N
CERTO:
N g Tai
3 A R , 1 1 .1 0 p m .
CON­
K ong,
icmdew
ROCK
F A N T A S Y : C r o x t o n park,
P reston .
U P P : Ice la n d s , R in g w o o d .
M A T T T A Y L O R : T h e S a c­
re d H ea rt H all, W in ifred
street, S t A lb a n s .
CHAIN,
M IS S IS S IP P I:
T ea zer.
M E L B O U R N E A R T IS T S ’
W O R K S H O P : A t O rm on d
H all o p e n s its d o o r s again
w ith
“ S U M M E R -E N ­
CHANTED
E V E N IN G ” ,
w ith th e f a b u lo u s ca st o f
B L E R T A , H O M E R , w ith
B IL L Y
G REEN , GLENROW AN,
CARRL
M Y­
R IA D , C A P T A IN R O C K ,
P E T E R L I L L E E a n d his
b a n d , in c id e n ta l c o m e d y
p ro v id e d b y J O H N L E E .
S o f t c o m ic a l c o u n t r y r o c k
ROCK
RENE
GEYER
AND
MO TH ER
E AR TH :
W h is k y ,
8 .0 0 - 3 .0 0
am ,
$
2. 0 0 .
S IL V E R
C L O U D : S ta ge­
c o a c h , 8 .0 0 - 3 .0 0 a m , m o n d a y -th u r s d a y , fr e e ; frid a y ,
S aturday $ 2 .0 0 .
TRANSITION:
C oogee
O c e a n ic , w e d . t o sat. o n ly .
“ W HAT
IF Y O U D I E D
T O M O R R O W ” b y D a v id
W illia m s o n : E liz a b e th th e ­
atre, N e w t o w n , 5 1 .7 4 7 1 ,
tu es.-sa t., 8 .1 5 p m ; fri.-sa t.,
5 .3 0 ,
8 .1 5
pm .
$ 4 .7 0 ,
$ 3 .7 0 , $ 2 .7 0 .
“ JAC K
SHEPPARD O R
A N Y T H IN G
YOU
SAY
W IL L BE T W I S T E D ” —
1 8 th c e n tu ry fro U c: E n ­
s e m b le
th e a tre ,
7 8 M cD o u g a ll
s treet,
M ilson s
P o in t, i n f o 9 2 9 . 8 8 7 7 , 8 .0 0
p m , sat., 5 .0 0 and 8 .0 0
pm .
KIDS
RADIO
R O Y A L C O M M IS S IO N —
“ A
LOOK
AT
THE
M A F I A ” w ith a ca st o f
th o u s a n d s : S u p re m e C o u r t ,
K in g street, C ity . C o u rt
N o . 3 , c h e c k in “ H e ra ld ”
f o r d a ily d etails.
“ TH E P H IL A N T H R O P IS T ’
b y C h ris to p h e r H a m p t o n :
Independent
theatre.
North
Sydney,
in fo
9 2 9 .7 3 7 7 ,
w ed.
to
sat.
o n ly a t 8 .1 5 p m .
SKYLIGHT:
P rosp ect
h o te l, a ft. G u e st in eve.
P L A N T : P ola ris In n , N .
C arlton .
D A V E R A N K IN : L em on
T ree h o t e l, C a r lto n , a ft.
“ T A R Z A N ’S NEW Y O R K
A D V E N T U R E ” : L a te n ite ,
A th e n a e u m ,
City,
1 0 .3 0 p m . (w it h c h e m ic a ls ).
T A R O N G A Z O O : F e e d in g
tim es, allig ators, 1 .3 0 p m
s u n ., th u rs.; Hons, 2 p m
d a ily
(fis h
on
fr id a y s );
seals,
2 .4 5
pm
d a ily ,
9 .3 0 - 5 .0 0 . $ 1 .5 0 , k id s 40
cen ts.
“ LOVE FOR LO V E ” by
W illia m C o n g re v e w ith O ld
T ote
C om pany:
O p era
H o u s e , 8 .0 0
pm ,
$ 5 .5 0
p lu s c o n c e s s io n s ( e x c e p t
S u n d a y).
JAZZ
FILM
O L D C H U R C H — D r o p in
t o t e a h o u s e a n d lib r a r y :
P a lm er s tr e e t, E ast S y d n e y ,
tu e s .-fr i., 2 p m - 1 1 p m .
“ T O O T H O F C R IM E ” —
“ A Savage S e n d U p o f th e
R ock
S cen e” :
N im r o d
S tre e t, theatre, b o o k o n
3 3 .3 9 3 3 , tu e s. t o sun. 8 .3 0
p m ; fr i., sat., 5 .3 0 , 8 .4 5
pm .
PH IL D A Y : O u t p o s t In n .
BOB
C R IC K E T ,
M IK E
GALLAHER,
M I K E
D E A N E Y : C om m une.
PH IL D A Y A N D G U E S T S :
Dan O ’ C o n n e l l ’s C a rlton ,
3-6 pm .
J U L IE
W ONG,
JOH N
G R A H A M ,
M I K E
O ’R O U RK E,
DUTCH
T IL D E R S :
F ran k
T ra y n o r ’ s.
“ PR O FE SSO R Z IG G L E ’S
TRAVELS” :
C la r e m o n t
T h ea tre,
14
C la r e m o n t
street, S o u t h Y a rra , 2p m .
v
w it h K E N W H I T E : a n d
F O N D A Z E N O P H O N w ill
d o his th in g . F o o d , film s,
p a in tin gs,
b ea u ty
b ik in i
c o n te s t , s o b rin g y o u r o w n
b ath ers. M o u b r a y s treet,
Prahran 7-1 am. $ 2 .
FOLK
M A R GA RE T
ROADK N I G H T ,
J O H N
C R O W L E : O u t p o s t In n ,
C ity .
D A N N Y SPOON ER, G O R ­
D O N M c I N T Y R E : F ran k
T r a y n o r ’ s, C ity .
EXPERIMENTAL
M E LB O U RN E
NEW
M U S IC E N S E M B L E : C o m ­
m u n e.
OUTDOORS
C H IN E S E L IO N D A N C E :
1 1 a m , L t. B o u rk e s treet,
C ity . Plus K u n g F u a t 3 p m
o n S o u th e r n C ross Plaza.
T im e t o c h e c k o u t th o s e
step s y o u ’ve b e e n p ra ctis­
ing.
HISTORY
OF
THE
BRASS
BAND:
M yer
M u sic B o w l, 3 p m .
RADIO
P A R I S I E N N E : P la y, 3 L O ,
8pm .
MEETING
IN S IG H T :
F.
W h ittle,
T h e o s o p h ic a l
S o c .,
188
C ollin s s treet, C ity .
cttottcfap
ROCK
ROCK
OCKERS
ROCKERS:
G e o r g e h o t e l, S t K ild a .
JO H N R U P E R T A N D T H E
HENCHMEN:
C rox ton
Park, P re s to n .
FOLK
P H IL D A Y :
n o r ’s, C ity .
F ra n k
/klcueefa
THE
BOBBY
JAM ES
SYNDICATE:
M a y fa ir
room ,
S ou th ern
C ross
h o t e l.
JAZZ
T ra y -
POETRY, MUSIC
POOR
T O M ’S P O E T R Y
B A N D : C om m un e.
YARRA
YARRA
JAZZ
BAND:
O ld
M e lb o u r n e
M o t o r In n , m o n -t h u r 7 .3 0
o n w a r d s , an d sat. a f t , 3 p m
on w ards.
JAZZ
THEATRE
T E D V I N I N G T R I O : P rosp e c t h o t e l, K e w .
“ TH E A R C H IT E C T A N D
THE
EMPEROR
OF
A S S Y R I A ” : B y S p a n ish
w r ite r F e r n a n d o A r r a b e l,
n e w ly tra n sla te d , p ro m is e s
t o b e a la rge, p h y s ic a lly
c o m i c r e n d it io n
o f this
p s y c h o -s e x u a l fa r c e . Pram
F a ctory , 3 2 5 D ru m m on d
s treet, C a r lto n , tu e s-su n ,
$ 2 .5 0 , $ 1 .5 0 s tu , 8 p m .
“ A F R I C A ” : A savage m u s ­
ica l b y S te v e n S p e a rs, Pram
F a ctory ,
B ack
T h e a tre ,
a b o v e a d d re ss , w e d -s a t. $ 2 ,
1 0 .3 0 p m .
FILM
“ M ” : F ritz L a n g in G e r­
m a n y . N F T A , S ta te F ilm
C en tre.
1
M a cA rth u r
s treet, E. M e lb o u r n e , s u b ­
s c r ip tio n
o n ly ,
t ic k e ts
ava ilab le at G u ild o r D e n ta l
screen in g s, o r N F T A , 2 7
C a n n in g s tr e e t, N . M e l­
b ou rn e,
RADIO
N E W M U S I C : in te re s tin g
k u lt c h a
fo r
fru stra te d
’ R o o m t o M o v e ’ liste n e rs,
3 A R , 8 .3 0 p m .
FILMS
“ W H A T ’S UP, D O C ?” (G ):
JOU RN EY
TO
L IT H U ­
A N I A ” b y J. M ek a s (N e w
A m e r ic a n C in e m a ) : F jlm m ak ers C in e m a , St P eters
lane,
D a rlin g h u rst,
8 .0 0
p m , in f o 3 1 .3 2 3 7 , $ 1 .5 0 ,
$ 1 .0 0
m em b ers,
except
sun., m o n .
“ S U N S H IN E
SEA”
—
M o re su d s a n d s u r f: O p e ra
H o u s e , 6 .3 0 p m , $ 2 .5 0 , e x ­
c e p t su n ., m o n .
“ T H E C O S M IC T U B E ” —
S u rfs u p w it h N a t, G e o r g e
an d T e d , O p e r a H o u s e ,
4 .0 0
pm , $ 2 .0 0 , e x c e p t
su n ., m o n .
“ W A T T S T A X ” — S o u l w it h
Isaac
Hayes,
Rufus
T h o m a s , e t al. “ A f o o t s to m p in g h ip sh a k in g c e le ­
b r a t io n ” ( h o w a b o u t ‘ p it
s w e a tin g ’ ): A c a d e m y T w in ,
O x f o r d s tr e e t, P a d d o , 2 .0 0
p m , 4 .0 0 p m , 7 .4 5 p m .
“ TRASH ,
FLESH ”
by
W a r h o l: N e w A rts, G le b e ,
in fo 6 6 0 .6 2 0 7 , m o n .- f r i.,
4 .0 0 , 8 .0 0 , sat., s u n ., 3 .3 0 ,
7 .3 0 , w e d ., 1 2 .0 0 .
“ 2 0 0 1 — A s p a ce O d y s s e y ”
and
4‘ Z A B R I S K I E
P O I N T ” : R a n d w ic k R it z ,
3 9 9 .9 8 4 0
(ch e ck
first,
m ay
be
o f f ) , m o n .- f r i.,
7 .3 0 , sa t., 3 .3 0 , 7 .4 5 .
GALLERIES
H OLD SW ORTH
GALLERIES
—
H erm an ,
F rie n d , P erciv a l, B o y d , e t c :
86
H o ld s w o r t h
street,
Woollahra,
m o n .-s a t .,
1 0 .0 0 a m -5 .0 0 p m .
TH E S C U L P T U R E G A L ­
LERY
—
E ast
Sydney
T e ch , F in a l Y e a r S tu d e n ts :
3 C a m b rid g e s tr e e t. T h e
R o c k s , S y d n e y , tu e s .-s u n ..
1 1 .0 0 a m -4 .0 0 p m .
BRETT
W H IT E L E Y
—
Drawings
1960-1973:
B o n y t h o n G a lle ry , 5 2 V i c ­
toria
s tre e t, P a d d in g to n ,
3 1 .5 0 8 7 , tu e s .-sa t., 1 1 .0 0
a m -6 .0 0 pm .
D IV O L A
G A L L E R IE S D o b e ll,
F rie n d ,
M iller,
Boyd:
165
R ow n tree
street, B alm a in , 8 2 7 .3 0 1 8 ,
th u rs.-fri., 1 1 .0 0 - 6 .0 0 , sat.,
sun., 1 2 .3 0 - 7 .3 0 .
MARILYN
MONROE
P R IN T S : A n g u s & R o b e r t ­
s o n ’ s sto re n e x t d o o r , 2 0 7
P itt
s tr e e t,
Sydney.
9 .0 0 - 5 .0 0 ,
tu e s .,
w e d .,
thurs. o n ly .
TV
“ 80 STEPS T O J O N A H ”
( G ) : C a r lto n C in e m a , F ara­
d a y s tr e e t, C a r lto n , th u rssat, 9 0 c , 7 .4 5 p m .
“ E N G LA N D
MADE
ME ” ( M ):
“ TRAVELS:
W IT H M Y A U N T ” ( M) :
D e n d y M a lvern , G le n fe r r ie ,
r o a d , $ 2 . 2 5 , 7 .4 5 p m .
“ THE
G O D S O N ” (N R C )
and “ T H E B A B Y ” ( N R C ) :
D e n d y B r ig h t o n , C h u rch
s treet, B rig h to n .
“ PETER
P A N ” : has its
fin a l
s p u rts,
F ootscra y
Grand,
P aisley
s tre e t,
F o o t s c r a y , $ 1 .4 0 , 7 .4 0 p m .
RADIO
RADIO
“ ARE
H IE R A R C H IE S
N E C E S S A R Y ?” — A new
series o f e ig h t d o c u m e n ­
tary p ro g ra m s o n v e r tica l
o rg a n isa tio n s: A B C R a d io
2, 1 0 .1 5 p m , tu e s ., w e d .,
th u rs., a n d m o n . o n ly .
FILM
“ CHARLOTTES
W EB” : !
Tow n.
303
P itt
street.
6 1 . 6 7 0 8 . 9 . 3 0 , 1 1 .3 0 , 1 .3 0 ,
3 .3 0 , su n ., 1 .3 0 , 3 .3 0 .
“ A L V I N P U R P L E ” : M ay7 3 C astlereagh street,
2 8 .1 7 3 4 ,
1 1 .1 5 ,
2 .1 5 ,
5 .1 5 ,
8 .1 5 ,
su n .,
1 .4 5 ,
4 .4 5 , 7 .4 5 .
“ R E M IN IS C E N C E S O F A
“ R O L L I N G W IT H K E N N Y
ROGERS”
—
FOLK?
M U S IC : C h a n n e l 2 , 6 .3 0 .
“ THE B R U M B Y ” — D o cu ­
m e n ta r y o n A u stra lia n w ild
h o rse s: C h a n n e l 1 0 , 7 .3 0
“ ALI
V. F R A Z IE R ” —
B o th a im t o re tire r ic h a n d
s illy : C h a n n e l 9 , 7 .3 0 .
M O V IE .
“ CARRY
ON
J A C K ” — O n e a n d a h a ll
h o u rs
of
poop
d eck s:
C h a n n e l 2 , 7. 3 0 .
“ THE
E R N IE
S IG L E Y
S H O W ” — W a tch it o n c e at
least — h e ’ s s o o o b a d :
C h a n n e l 9 , 9 .0 0 .
“ W H IL E
THE
C IT Y
S L E E P S ” — H igh d ra m a
w ith V in c e n t P rice : C h a n ­
nel 9 , 1 0 .3 0 .
i
ARE
HIERARCHIES
NECESSARY?:
3AR,
1 0 .1 5 p m .
ftOC(A
COMING EVENTS
“ TH E C O R O N A T IO N O F
POPPEA” :
Victorian
O p e ra c o m p a n y , fe b 1 4 -1 6 ,
rin g 4 1 . 5 0 6 1 . La T r o b e
U n i are h o ld in g a s u m m e r
sch ool
in f e b .
F e n c in g ,
s w im m in g an d w e a v in g , get
f i t , t y p in g , w e a v in g , su m i-e
p a in tin g , fa b r ic
p rin tin g ,
ja z z b a lle t , c o p p e r e n a m e l­
ling,
d r e s s m a k in g ,
i
q u irie s: p h o n e 4 7 9 . 2 1 9 4 .
A D E L A I D E A R T S F E S T I­
VAL:
Sydney
info,
25.2641.
SYDNEY
F IL M
F E S T I­
V A L : B o o k in g , 6 6 0 .3 9 0 9 ,
BH.
D A V I D C A S S I D Y : M a rch
2, $ 4 .2 0 . U sual b o o k in g
o f f ic e s .
C H A R L IE
BYRD, BAR­
N EY K ESSEL, HERB EL­
L IS : S y d n e y t o w n hall,
tues. 5 th , thurs. 7 th , 8 .1 5
p m , $ 5 .5 0 , $ 4 .5 0 , $ 3 . 5 0 ; |
M itch e lls,
G ra ce
B ro s.,
D J ’ s.
SYDNEY
SYMPHONY|
ORCH ESTRA
IN
CON- [
CERT
W IT H
ARTHUR
F I E D L E R : O p e ra H o u se ,
B o x O f f i c e 2 4 1 .2 4 1 6 , 8 .0 0
pm .
E L T O N J O H N : R a n d w ic k |
ra c e c o u r s e ,
fe b r u a r y
24, ,
8 .0 0
pm ,
$ 5 .2 0 ,
usu a l |
a gencies.
T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , january 29-february 4, 1974 — Page 15
OW THAT the Tun table Falls com ­
munity is under way at Nimbin, we
could be seeing more Nimbin-type experi­
ments, as suggested by Graham Dunstan
in TLD 2/1. On the north coast o f New
South Wales there are seeds o f a comm un­
ity in gatherings o f people at Mullumbimby, Byron Bay, and the Bellingen
Valley. On the Tablelands a community is
in the making outside o f Armidale where
a workshop is planned from february 1520 to consider the human factor in inter­
national communities. This appears, then,
to be a good time to put down on paper
fo r discussion som e thoughts about the
human dimension in community.
N
*
*
WORKING
IT OUT
■TOGETHER,
*
OW COULD it fail? The concept o f
a harmonious community free o f
the hangups and exploitation o f establish­
ed society surely must work — if we can
just get a piece o f bush property away
from it all and get things going.
The beauty o f the dream and the
striving to bring it to reality may bring
people together in initial harmony. The
challenge o f organising the physical envir­
onment can be so consuming, though,
that the more difficult task o f building
satisfying people relationships does not
receive the attention it requires. We may
think we have escaped straight society,
but fail to notice all o f its garbage inside
o f us that we carried to the new inten­
tional community.
Along with the vision and hard work
o f building a utopia, then, must be a
dedication to radical re-orientation o f
individual and group behavior consistent
with a value system that may be either
stated at the start o f the comm unity or
allowed to emerge at the same time as
people grow and change.
A new community has the choice o f
tw o basic roads to reach a state o f
satisfaction in relationships and accom ­
plishment o f goals.
The first model is based on a strongly
structured value system with prescribed
rules fo r behavior. Such a model has given
great stability to religious and therapeutic
communities such as the Bruderhofs,
Shakers, and Synanon. Members conform
to what has proved to be a workable
system within the parameters set b y the
institution.
The open community model sets no
initial directions for behavior. It can
grow, evolve, and make changes in struc­
ture as experience indicates. A general
value system may or may not be stated,
but exists as the basis fo r living together.
H
Both approaches may be viable, but it
is doubtful if either com m unity will
survive fo r long without an in-built
m ethod fo r resolving con flict and pre­
venting the buildup o f tensions and re­
sentments. The second type o f com m un­
ity, however, is in greater need o f a
system which will allow its members to
evolve or metamorphose — shed old
skins fo r new - travel the demanding
road to self-understanding, expanded
awareness, and radical self-change. This is
not to say that an organisational plan is
needed; in fact a heavy plan shouldnt be
laid on fo r people who want to travel the
path o f personal and group growth. If
their chosen system o f personal develop­
ment in the group setting is successful, it
should be reflected in the living structures
which evolve.
I visited a com m unity last year in
which the structure was already handed
dow n - The Brotherhood o f the Sun, a
Page 16 — T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , january 29-february 4, 1974
Santa Barbara, California, group o f 150.
Conditions o f membership include such
strictures as: no smoking, no alcohol or
drugs, and no nudity in public. Members
agree to live b y the principles based on
James Churchward's account o f The
sacred and inspked writings o f Mu, and
I gather that the leader o f the colon y is
looked to fo r guidance in interpretation.
Every morning and evening members are
expected to meditate. There is a system
for resolving differences utilising a medi­
ator. In physical results, the brotherhood
is doing remarkably well. It has assets o f
$1.5 million, a farm, city house, moun­
tain ranch, contracting equipment to d o
income-producing city work, and a 15
fo o t draught yacht to be chartered for
round-the-world tours. All this has hap­
pened in tw o years, with help from
foundation grants, it is true, but the
enterprises seem to be operationally
sound.
In contrast, the new Nimbin com m un­
ity seems to be resisting such a highly
defined structure and centralised e co ­
nomic planning o f enterprises in the early
stage o f its form ation. There are certain
broad shared values, however, as express­
ed in last year’s Nimbin festival: concern
for the environment, renunciation o f e x ­
ploitative relationships between people,
minimum dependence on readymade
technology, faith in the ability o f people
to take care o f their ow n basic health and
spiritual needs, decentralisation o f deci­
sionmaking, and the encouragement o f
individual and group responsibility for
learning and growth. Presumably these
values will be guides for settlers on the
thousand acre property at Tuntable Falls
up in the hills six miles from the tow n o f
Nimbin.
The valley site for the festival shows
few signs o f the 4000 who lived on it for
ten days, but as Graham Dunstan pointed
out in his article in The living daylights,
there were some scars left behind in him
and in others. The beautiful life o f the
small dedicated crew who lived in Nimbin
preparing for the festival was muddled by
the massive lifestream which hit the
valley in may, bringing with it all the
dependency, childishness, and warped
patterns o f those who could not see the
vision even when they had “ crossed to
the other side o f the mountain".
In perspective, though, occurrences
such as the rip-offs b y a few customers at
the honor system co-op store and the
lifting o f materials vital to the operation
o f the crafts centre were minor happen­
ings. The major loss was the failure o f
many people to contribute, to give o f
themselves. We’ might call them “ low
energy” people, but in giving them such a
name, we may neglect their energy poten­
tial which can, through appreciation and
awareness o f self, be released.
H ow do we help people to transform
their personal view o f themselves and
change their behavior so that positive
energy forces begin to radiate? Will this
happen ou t o f a magic elixer o f commun­
ity where the vibrations are good, or
should their be more deliberate and struc­
tured learning experiences where the
growth can take place? I have talked
about this with a “ high-energy” member
o f the small band who stayed through
after the festival, and he has a vision that
appeals to me: a total community which
is, in itself, a therapeutic community like a self-sealing, punctureless tyre. I
hope his vision will com e true. I hope
there is a new consciousness in the
alternate culture today in Australia which
will so pervade the Kves o f intentional
communities that the hangups will be
hung dow n and peace will prevail. The
festival community was, generally, o f
good spirit. People did relax, smile, and
dance a lot, and there was hugging and
warm being-together. There was also the
releasing o f hostility with the police bust
and the Hare Krishna/Hairy Gumboots
conflict.
In my comm unity, I would ensure that
people with skills and training for improv­
ed interpersonal relations and personal
development are members. Therapeutic
communities dont just happen; they are
the result o f a planned program o f work­
shops, counselling, and small group en­
counters and mutual validation.
Many communes have found that at
least a tw o hour weekly meeting to work
out grievances, resentments, and mis­
understandings is needed: they prevent
the buildup o f tensions which can lead to
the group’s dissolution. This encounter
process, while it can be destructive, is a
positive, reality-facing force when people
have learned to conduct sessions in a
supportive manner.
Exploration o f on e’s present behavior
and past experience leading to that behav­
ior is a second process I would want to
encourage, to facilitate personal growth.
This, I believe, is best done through a non
directive, non judgmental process o f
counsellor-client relations. An excellent
model fo r lay counselling is the Re-evalu­
ation Counselling movement initiated by
Harvey Jackins o f Seattle, Washington,
and described in his b o o k The human use
o f human beings. A number o f co-cou n ­
selling communities have been established
on the NSW north coast in the past year,
and more workshops are planned b y the
University o f New England in that area.
The general idea o f co-counselling is to
take responsibility fo r your ow n analysis
and change o f behavior through various
forms o f em otional and physical dis­
charge, The counsellor-client roles are
reversed to assure that a dependency
situation does not develop, as it may in
professional counselling. Ideally this
counselling process should exist between
people - between friends, within fam i­
lies, but it usually doesnt. It should, at
least initially, be structured until the
co-counselling habit is established.
A third policy I would encourage is
regular opportunity for learning and prac­
tice o f personal exploration o f our inner
as well as physical self. There are numer­
ous paths to self-awareness: meditation,
retreat, fasting, guided fantasy, bio-energetics, yoga, massage, bio-feedback. There
are definite techniques fo r these trips,
and if learned, they can produce exciting
inner experiences and a recovery from
destructive stressful experiences which
may make us sick and difficult to live
with.
Nearly every comm une has been faced
with the decision o f what to d o with the
member who is considered “ undesirable”
— usually because o f irresponsible or
dependancy behavior. Granted, an indis­
criminate entry policy creates such situ­
ations, yet should not a com m unity have
room fo r a manageable number o f people
who have troubles o f a fairly serious
nature? For such persons, one-way coun­
selling by those more skilled in the
process will be needed until they can
begin to assume responsibility for them­
selves and get off heavy trips with dope,
drink, depression, or other forms of
self-destruction.
All this is not to say that the sole basis
for communal growth and cooperation is
a planned program of therapy. To a
degree, internal relationship problems can
be transcended if there are strong extern­
al goals. Even with goals, I dont think
that their definition and achievement is a
process to be left to chance. There are
also learning structures for personal and
group formulation and implementation of
goals - systems that work and build
confidence as people see them at work.
Let not, though, the external goals get
to be too much of a thing before we are
centred within ourselves. Nobody is going
to change anything or influence anybody
until he is right within his/her own
person.
Human transformation is not easy, as
the aboriginal tribes recognise in their
deliberately traumatic initiation cere­
monies. Communities need ritual, too,
but a ritual o f process, not prescription.
The rigid prescription o f aboriginal rites
worked extremely well for thousands o f
years o f a protected culture, but failed to
cope when faced with intrusion o f an
alien culture. If the process is right, the
comm unity and its people will adapt to
change, not be shocked b y it.
I have been deliberately didactic to
provoke discussion. I will probably
change some views after the A LF Duval
Creek Workshop. A few issues have been
raised here:
1. Does a com m unity need a manifesto?
If so, at what point in its development,
and how is it to be formulated?
2. How will conflicts be resolved?
3. How d o we shed our disfunctional
behavior patterns - free ourselves o f
stereotyped
responses
to
people
around us?
4. Can we build new societies when our
main tools are those we learned in the
ones we want to transform? How do
we acquire new tools?
5. Is intensive inner contemplation likely
to lead to a state o f disengagement
from life in a comm unity, or can it be
a force fo r regeneration?
6. How d o we set goals, both personal
and com m unity?
□
T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4, 1 9 7 4 - P a g e 17
gorillas- ROBERT/MIICHfiM
OBERT MITCHUM is showing my
hand some mercy, “ Hello, my
name's George Peppard.” Uh-huh. We’re
standing three flights up from Sunset
boulevard in the smartly subdued offices
o f Talbot Productions, the actor’s film
company. He’s on what I suspect is a rare
visit to the shop to talk to the press about
his latest movie The friends o f Eddie
Coyie, a gritty gangster drama based on
the best-selling novel b y George V. Hig­
gins.
Talbot, like all o f Mitchum’s business
affairs, is watchdogged by an efficient,
attractive, casually cordial lady named
Reva Frederick. Only moments before, she
had led me into a section o f the suite
where tw o men were finishing a discus­
sion. She introduced me to one o f them,
a departing journalist, and waited a few
beats to o long in getting around to the
other guy, prompting the Peppard open­
ing. Like most o f Mitchum’s one-liners, it
can be read a number o f ways - as (a) a
good-natured chiding o f his office man­
ager for her momentary forgetfulness (b)
as a mock-humble gesture, suggesting that
anyone might fail to recognise that bat­
tered, world-weary countenance or (c) a
simple, funny way o f getting our meeting
o f f to an easy-going start.
It could also be (d) none o f the above,
(e) all o f the above or (f) something else
again. No matter, Mitchum is relaxed,
loose as a goose, his chin tucked into his
neck, eyes as sleepy as they used to be
when Jane Russell sang to him, only now
they’re half-hidden behind fancy-framed
tinted specs. He points to an empty
section o f couch, then reclaims his resting
spot. His big hand goes over the coffee
table, ignores a sandwich wrapped in wax
paper and claims a frosted glass half-filled
with a clear liquid. “ Would you like
something to drink,” Ms Frederick asks.
"C old vodka fo r the heat?” I admit it
sounds like a fine idea.
Mitchum leans back. I recall a quote o f
his: " I have to be able to drink, because
the only way to get rid o f people is to
out-drink them. It takes 36 hours or more
sometimes and it nearly kills me. But in
the end, they g o.” Looking at the double
shot o f Kremlin Castor Oil in front o f me,
I get a flash o f paranoia. He’s got me
pegged for a short-distance record.
"Som etim es 3 6 ,” he’ll be adapting the
comment, “ but then like that guy the
other day, sometimes they kiss the coffee
table after only 30 minutes.”
I shoot him a suspicious look, but it’s
clear he couldnt care less about my
drinking ability. He’s at a point where
he’s already run through a couple o f
reporters, with others in the wings. And
he's being very pleasant considering the
savagery o f tw o recent profiles. Rolling
stone's Grover Lewis tried to cover him in
“ n ow ” journalese and innuendo and Brad
Darrach married Freud with Confidential
for a gossipy little offspring in Penthouse.
Oddly, both writers obviously admired
the man they were poking at, which tells
you much more about writers than it
does about Mitchum.
With a sip o f vodka burning the back
o f m y throat, I depress a few buttons on
the tape machine. “ I hope you dont mind
if I use this?” I croak.
C ool as his shot glass, Mitchum replies:
“ N ot at all. I hope you dont mind if I
dont say anything.” Is he smiling? Is the
big guy smiling over there? Yeah. OK,
then let’s get the jo b done before the
vodka starts working its way up the back
o f m y head.
" I ’ve been reading a lot about your,
ah, private life,” I begin, tentatively, “ so
maybe we could go on to something
else.”
Mitchum looks at me with exaggerated
surprise. “ Really? I’d rather talk about
that. I dont know much about that.
Might be revealing.”
“ Well, if you think so . . .”
“ No. Y ou just go ahead with whatever
R
you want,” he says. “ I will reply in
kind."
WHAT WE DONT TALK ABO U T:
Mitchum’s biography has been the
subject o f countless press handouts, news­
paper headlines, magazine articles, inter­
views and, recently, a full-length b o o k b y
Mike
Tomkies,
titled
appropriately
enough The R obert Mitchum story. Still,
it is more interesting than the plots o f
most movies he or anyone else has made,
so it bears an abbreviated retelling.
Robert Charles Mitchum was b o m on
august 6, 1917, in Bridgeport, Connecti­
cut. A year-and-a-half later, his father was
crushed to death in a railroad yard
accident. His mother remarried and the
family - Mitchum has an older sister and
a younger brother — did a bit o f relocat­
ing over the next several years. Young
R obert did even more. At seven, he ran
away from home fo r the first time. While
a “ thin, ferret-faced kid” o f 14, he lied
about his age and signed on aboard a
salvage boat, from which he was tossed
when his real age was discovered.
He hit the rails, bummed across the
country. In a Pennsylvania coal mine, he
discovered he suffered from claustro­
phobia. In Savannah, just prior to his
16th birthday, he wound up in the slams
for vagrancy, even though he was Depres­
sion-rich with 38 bucks. Later, he was
charged with theft and after he informed
the judge that he had been behind bars on
the day o f the crime, he still found
himself laying Georgia blacktop as a
member o f the Chatham county chain
gang.
Thirty days o f that and he skipped
out, dragging an infected leg (courtesy o f
the irons) through swamp and sewer. By
the time he caught up with his moveable
family, the leg was in such bad shape
doctors wanted to hack it o ff. Mitchum’s
mother wouldnt allow it and the wound
eventually improved.
It wasnt long before he was o f f again,
introducing his younger brother, John, to
moonshiners in Alabama and railroad
bulls in Louisiana. A nd there was Cali­
fornia. A nd T oledo, Ohio, where he had
his first taste o f the dread marijuana.
In Sparks, Nevada, he boxed fo r 50
bills a night until “ a guy had my nose
over to one side, gave me a scar on my
left eye, had me all messed up and I
quit” .
His fam ily had migrated to Long
Beach, California, where sister Julie had
becom e an actress. R obert let her talk
him into stage-handling, then doing bits
in plays like The petrified forest. He was
writing at the time - short stories,
poetry, a play titled F ellow traveler that
the Theatre Guild would later option and
that Eugene O ’Neill would take time to
critique. He also wrote material for night
club performers and com posed an ora­
torio that was presented at the H ollyw ood
Bowl in 1939, produced and directed by
Orson Welles as a fundraiser for jewish
refugees. “ It was just a vaudeville black­
ou t,” was how the author described it a
few years later.
In 1940, after saving enough m oney
touring with astrologer Carroll Righter,
he married a lady he’d met while still in
his teens, Dorothy Spence. The ceremony
went against Righter’s prognostication o f
marital disharmony. (Regardless, they are
still married today.)
The Mitchums settled on the west
coast, where Bob eventually abandoned
both writing and acting fo r a jo b at
Lockheed Aircraft. The work was so
stultifying that he developed a psycholog­
ical blindness that went away only after
he quit.
He had been asked to leave the em ploy
o f the Chandler Shoe Stores (for shouting
"Beaver” at a lady customer), when he
wangled a part in one o f William B oyd ’s
Hopalong Cassidy movies. “ I didnt know
if I was supposed to bring my own
makeup or horse, or what.” Soon he was
Page 1 8 — T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S ,ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1 9 7 4
pulling dow n “ a hundred bucks a week
and all the horse manure I could carry
h om e.”
Some 33 movies later, he was a major
star, under contract to Howard Hughes’
RKO and to David O. Selznick, riding on
top o f the world when he was cast as
Prisoner No. 91234. The production fea­
tured a narc bust that fou n d him one o f a
quartet o f players taking a few tokes in a
house up in Laurel Canyon.
Circumstances surrounding the arrest
on the night o f august 31, 1948, were so
kinky - entrapment is but one possibility
that com es to mind - that on january 31,
1951, the courts reviewed the conviction
and ordered the guilty verdict be set aside
in favor o f a plea o f n ot guilty.
The news o f his arrest and conviction
was widespread. Less publicised was the
reversal o f verdict. Curiously, Mitchum
didnt bother to spread the word. A fter
serving 60 days o f a two-year sentence for
“ conspiring to possess,” whatever the hell
that means, his comments on the matter
were usually about the treatment o f
prisoners. A typical one: “ Y ou get a new
chimpanzee and put him in Griffith Park
zo o and everybody rushes to look him
over. A nd if the keepers dont feed him
well and take the best care o f him, the
public raises hell. But y ou put a person in
a cage and n ob od y seems to care how he
gets along. And it doesnt even amuse the
children.”
He did his thing and walked away with
his reputation and his career nearly in­
tact. He was Mitchum the tough guy,
Mitchum the iconoclast, Mitchum the
movie star.
Still there are no everlasting Mitchum
movies. Yes, he was g ood as the soldier in
The story o f C.I. Joe. Yes, it is difficult
to forget the L-O-V-E and H-A-T-E tat­
toos and Night o f the hunter. The devas­
tated face o f an ineffectual husband o f
R yan’s daughter! But these are not
Maltese falcon or Citizen Kane or, Red
river. Instead, Mitchum was usually cast
in something he calls Pounded to death
b y gorillas.
“ They open on a long shot o f me
standing. Then a huge gorilla loom s up
behind me and hits me on top o f the
head. Boom, I crumple. Boom, boom . I
keep falling dow n and getting up again.
Then they cut to a little girl skipping
through fields o f daisies and finally she
com es to this house and a voice says:
‘W ho’s there?’ As the writers havent
figured that ou t yet, they cut back to me.
Boom, boom . That gorilla is still knock­
ing me down. And I’m still getting up
again. Finally, the gorilla collapses on top
o f me, exhausted. Then the little girl
com es in and says: ‘H e’s around here
someplace. I just k n ow .’ She peels away
the gorilla and there lies our hero - me.
She hauls me to my feet, puts her arms
around m e, looks straight into the camera
and says: ‘I dont care what you were, I
like y o u ”
“ I have been playing like this all my
life. It’s easier than acting see? Every time
the writers run out o f words, they just
kick the shit out o f Mitchum. A tried and
true fortune.”
WHAT WE TALK ABO UT: “ I think
Reva’s spent the whole morning on the
phone talking to everybody at Para­
m ount.”
Mitchum is saying re Eddie Coyle.
“ The picture we saw last night isnt the
picture I thought we were making.
There’s the script. Read it. Tell me if
that's the picture that was on that
screen.”
I look from the bound script to the
actor. “ Then you dont like the movie.”
“ I dont know, really. I think it’s a
matter o f taste, like time or wintergreen.
When it is, these geniuses sit around
having conferences and what they seek is
a story. George Higgins is a rather narra­
tive novelist and obviously quite success­
ful at it. I don t think the day will dawn
when Paul Monash (C oyle's producerwriter) will be as g ood a writer as Higgins.
“ O f course, he doesnt have the same
access to materials, either. Higgins has
certain advantages being a United States
attorney. I assume much o f his dialogue
comes from what might be referred to as
inadmissible tapes.
"But, anyway, we get the people who
ask: ‘Where’s the story?’ The qu ote H olly­
w ood screenwriter unquote has a ten­
dency to look at a property and say: ‘ I
can fix it.’ Then he searches for a story.
Mr Higgins doesnt write that way. N o
beginning, middle, end. I thought we
were there to celebrate the success o f the
book . Then they start with: ‘ Do you
realise that the computer says that music
is 12 percent o f the total success o f a pic
. . . ' Everybody chews on that one. It’s a
circle jerk. I’m not saying the picture is
bad, it’s probably good. I just think it
would have been better except for the
tampering o f some not necessarily quali­
fied people.”
Reva wanders in to refill the glasses.
“ Isnt that just another problem that you
always have to face” , I ask, films being an
industry rather than an art?”
The comers o f Mitchum’s mouth go
further down, the thin upper lip rises
slightly. “ There are artists, but they have
to work within the system. I don t see
why it can’t be a happy marriage. In the
old days, the moguls had the good sense
to engage innovators and artists. They
recognised taste. But now they’re not
sure. I think Otto Preminger is a great
producer, but a rather mediocre director.
Y ou find that pretty often, but they
insist on directing. Stanley Kramer’s an­
other one. He’s been bmised time after
time, but he feels he has to keep doing it,
I dont know w hy.”
“ Speaking o f Preminger, I read a story
about your first day on a set in which a
director says: ‘I shout at actors, but it
doesnt mean anything. The next morning
I’ve forgotten it.’ Y our answer is ‘ I punch
people w ho shout at me, but it doesnt
mean anything. The next morning I’ve
forgotten it.’ Could the director have
been Preminger?”
Mitchell shifts on the couch. “ N ot at
all. Those tw o other guys, as a matter o f
fact, Henry Hathaway and Dale Robert­
son.”
“ Are there a lot o f H ollyw ood stories
that incorrectly get attributed to y o u ?”
“ I guess so.”
“ Did you ever hang a director upside
down by his shoelaces?”
Mitchum shakes his big head.
“ N o.”
“ Well, what a b o u t . . . ”
“ It was a producer. Raymond Stross.
I’d forbidden him from the set (The night
fighters) and he came on anyway. He
tried to kick me privately, so I think he
warranted the treatment.”
This seems like a good avenue to
explore. “ Is it true you threw William
Wellman into the drink during your brief
moments in Blood alley?"
Again the head shakes. “ Absolutely
not. The story was that I threw a guy
named Coleman (George Coleman, trans­
portation manager for the film ) in. He
weighed 290 pounds. N o way. The papers
the next day said: ‘Coleman denies being
thrown into the water. Mitchum denies
throwing him. Obviously som ebody’s cov­
ering up for Mitchum.’ The only thing
obvious to me was that they didnt want
me around, so I left.”
We are now into the subject o f his
movies and for the next tw o hours we run
through nearly all o f them, not to men­
tion a few more vodkas. Later, when I
play back the tapes. I can almost gauge
my intake by the way my voice is going
up the scales. Near the end, it sounds a
bit like Yma Sumac on the upswing.
Why did you decide to form you r own
company?
I wanted a white chair with my name
on it. Actually, I think it was because of
some legal advice I got.
Did you ever want to direct?
Sure.
Why didnt you ?
Nobody asked me. Anytime the sub­
ject came up somebody’d always say:
First we’ve got the script we’d like you to
do. And I'd say: I’d need an awful lot of
money in front to do that one. And that
never seems to be a problem. They pay it
in yen, but they pay it.
D o you up your price for a script you
dont like?
Right. And they take me up on it. I
dont want to sound like a complete
whore. There are movies I won’t do for
any amount. Maybe I should go out and
do Patton or D irty Harry and piss on the
world and its opinions.
You're saying that the morality o f the
script is more important to you than
anything else?
O f course.
There are a lot o f people who dont
feel that way.
They need the job. They need the
money. If I’ve got $4, I dont need the
fucking money, daddy.
Would you rather do a bad script . . .
No bad script! No way. I dont do bad
scripts. I do things that I think have a
chance. A chance of being useful or good.
I present m yself in good faith and expect
everyone else to . . . well, that’s a fo o l’s
game. I know better than that. Still I
expect people to respond in kind with
their efforts. N ot so. They’re just around
to get the new convertible and pick up
new broads. They move on to the next
caper.
I’m confined in this business. I have
great faith in it. I think the audio-visual
medium is just now approaching its im ­
portance. I dont take kindly to the
people w ho dismiss it and dismiss their
responsibilities, to the clever pimps who
em ploy it to their own advantage. We
should add to it.
We neednt all be millionaires. We
neednt be all-powerful moguls. The word
“ producer” is a powerful word around
here. Y ou can hang it on your car door
and drive dow n the Strip and pick up
women all night long. That doesnt appeal
to me. H ow many can you use a night.
Producers, that is.
The movie industry is a togetherness
group. Y ou scratch my ass, I’ll scratch
yours. Totally unmindful o f what’s going
on out on the streets. Jesus Christ, you
know the leaders o f the communications
fields should provide whatever can be
provided. People have to be informed on
everything. We can bounce signals o ff o f
satellites so that everybody in the world
knows what’s happening at exactly the
same time. The most criminal form o f
slavery is the denial o f intelligence. Of
information. The combined brainwashing
system o f the military and Madison aven­
ue is awesome. The least that can happen
is that y ou know what’s going on. That
you know y o u ’re being gulled, that you
know y ou ’re walking around with some­
b od y ’s finger up your keister.
His glass is empty now. He leans
forward and in the loudest stage whisper
imaginable, says: “ It’s very difficult get­
ting any of that celery tonic in here.” On
receiving no immediate response, he mut­
ters: "Suddenly struck earless out there.”
We’ve been talking about Bogart and
several other actors Mitchum has known,
liked or disliked and a place called Vic­
tor’s that was always getting busted or
knocked over. I am sufficiently mellowed
by the potato juice to broach the subject
of the Rolling stone article.
The actor pauses
before replying. “ I
talked to that guy for
about five minutes.
He asked me
about gun
control
and I
couldnt figure out what that had to do
with anything.”
Reva Frederick enters with the "celery
tonic” which she puts on the coffee table.
“ Why dont I just leave the bottle,” she
says. She also mentions that it’s after five.
Mitchum just shrugs and continues on
about the Stone piece.
“ This guy was accepted, wined and
dined by everybody. Except me, because
I didnt really know what he was doing
there. Rolling stone? I never heard of
Rolling stone.
“ I was called away while I was talking
to him, and he resents this. At least, I
assume he does. And he writes the piece.
The first thing I see is that he’s got Tim
going to Africa (Tim Wallace, Mitchum’s
stand-in), which is wrong. Then, I find
more and more wrongos and I realise that
this cat is just writing a piece for himself,
to extol his own mission and virtues.
Also, I note that he has stepped on
people — not me, incidentally — but
people who dont like to be stepped on
and who might make it very difficult for
him. If he’s gonna take on the teamsters
and the longshoremen and a few other
groups and he doesnt know what the hell
he’s talking about, well . . . that’s not
being exactly cautious. If he really want­
ed to be bold and brave, he should have
taken on the fuzz. The fuzz were around
the whole time and they’re merciless,
right?”
There is a strange grunting sound
coming from my recorder and I note with
surprise that a third hour-long tape has
unspooled. Three hours, and I’m still
navigating. Deciding not to press my luck
or my capacity, I click off the machine
and polish off the remnants of the vodka.
"Before I get out of here,” I say,
"what’s next on your schedule of films?”
“ I think I start one tomorrow morn­
ing. REEV, WHAT’S THE NAME OF
THAT PICTURE I STAR T ON TO ­
MORROW MORNING?”
From the next room , Reva sends back:
"W e havent finished negotiations on it
yet.” Mitchum waves his hand. "There
you are.”
“ I heard somewhere that you were
going to make the film version o f John
Updike’s The centaur.”
He nods his head affirmatively. “ I read
it. I liked it. And that was the end o f it.
The minute I said I liked it, it became
poison. I thought it was a good story.”
He stares thoughtfully at his glass fo r a
second or tw o, then: "Getting back to
that Rolling stone thing. I wonder what
makes writ . . .?” He smiles instead o f
finishing the sentence. “ Probably it’s the
old story. Frank Sinatra once explained it
to me. ‘They jerk o f f and we buy yachts’,
is the way he put it.”
“ That’s pretty cynical,” I toss off.
“ Well, I'm a cynical-style girl. I’ m a
believer that a certain amount
o f cynicism is inherent in the
beast.” He stands up, fixes me
with the lopsided Mitchum grin.
“ I know it’s all bullshit.
But it’s also a pretty good ride.”
DICK LOCHTE,
— LA free press.
Dont things like Watergate help to
smarten us up?
Alright. So . . . ?
So the problem i s . . .
The problem is dumb people! Several
years ago, I got back here from Vietnam
[asked there b y the state department, the
actor spent three months in the war zone
and took part in over 150 missions] and
I tried to talk to people about it. I asked
why people werent being permitted to
know what was going on over there . . .
no fucldng way. Bob Kennedy got up and
walked ou t on me. His absence was
excused b y the statement that his advisers
werent present. Bullshit! Where were my
advisers? I had just com e from a place
where something had happened and the
newspapers were sending out the wrong
information. I was there. I saw it. But he
was gone, didnt want to discuss that. The
implication was clear. Just sit there and
keep on sucking.
*
*
*
WHEN someone once asked Mitchum
why he consumes all the booze he does,
he answered: “ I drink as a preparation for
death. When that great day comes, I will
be com pletely inured. It will be just one
more hangover.”
T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974 - Page 19
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TERENCE MAHER & the photography collective: BRENDAN HENNESSY,ROD MANNING®
& DON SHARPE
OR THE 30,000 rock & roll
fans who sweltered and
snuggled in the foothills at Diggers
Rest in Victoria over the Australia
day weekend the 1974 Sunbury
R ock Festival was a ripper. The
vibe was good, Mother Nature
smiled and the music was surpris­
ingly brilliant.
Australian rock & roll has had
to com e a long way to get to the
crescendo it reached at Sunbury
this year. Four days supply o f
musical energy through a 4000
watt outdoor hi-fi system And it
took a local group who have been
on the rock scene for over eight
years to crystalise that energy and
make Sunbury '74 a raging suc­
cess.
Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs
completely electrified a very dis­
cerning crowd o f 25,000 people
on the Saturday night to take line
honors as the best rock & roll
band in Australia. His awe inspir­
ing performance at this, his third
Sunbury festival, far outclassed
the other tw o contenders for his
crown - Sydney’s Sherbet and
skinheads pride, L obby Lloyd and
the Colored Balls.
Thorpe had the crowd b y the
knackers with his huge sound sys­
tem and his fast ’n ’ furious style,
and he used this power to make
his point that "th e old boys still
have some life left in them y et” .
He made no bones about his use
o f the Sunbury battleground spot
for a grudge match against what
he termed his “ knockers” .
The crowd roared and sang like
it was an FA Cup Final as Thorpie
hung his legend on the line. “ Y ou
might like this and you might hate
it,” he said breaking into a fault­
less rendition o f Somewhere over
F
the rainbow. He bashed out the
rock classics with barely a two
second pause and played to the
mass singalong hill crowd like he
had been rehearsing with them for
weeks. He eulogised a former
Sydney conviction for indecent
language in You can’t go round
saying fu ck on stage and he turn­
ed the crow d ’s m otto “ Suck More
Piss” , into a frenzied improvisa­
tion which captured the spirit o f
Sunbury and its King.
O f the 40-odd acts on at Sun­
bury this year, more than just the
Aztecs should receive recognition
and respect from rock and blues
consumers. Band o f Light, Sky­
hooks, Matt Taylor, Colored Balls,
The Dingoes and Mackenzie T heo­
ry won many new admirers with
some fine sounds. If the local
industry has this much depth
w e’re in fo r some really good
Australian rock & roll over the
next few years.
Y ellow journalism had a field
day depicting the festival as a
“ Pop Orgy” in the youth putdow n mould.
The cops to o k a low profile
and avoided provoking the main
crowd. Only 14 arrests were made
fo r drunkenness up till sunday
which isnt bad for 30,000 people
at a rock festival. A b ou t 40 bikies,
Satans Soldiers and Devils Horse­
men, were asked to leave late
Saturday night when they came on
a bit nasty. F o o t injuries were
halved this year because bottles
were banned and there were no
serious accidents. The drug squad
were there but could not find
anyone to arrest which was nice
for all the people w ho were sm ok­
ing, and also nice fo r the drug
squad.
Over all, facilities at this Sun­
bury were much improved on
previous years. The provision o f a
second stage at the top o f the hill
and a big folk/jazz tent gave music
freaks an alternative to the noise
power o f the main "Sin C ity”
stage. The rock ballet made rowdy
bikies placid. Mackenzie Theory
made mind magic fo r heads when
they got together with a light
show in the tent. APG did Africa
for the skinheads.
On the religious front, western
religions were the predominant
sect. The Salvation A rm y’s “ Jesus
Folk” won b y default when the
Hare Krishnas and Divine Light
Mission failed to show. Perhaps
they dont like rock & roll in New
Delhi. The festival was so peaceful
that even the catholics and anglicans got a big crowd when they
held a joint rock service on Sun­
day morning.
Main ripoff, not considering
the $12 weekend ticket, was a
public relations hype by Com alco
for their recycled aluminium cans.
Breadhead kids were offered 25
cents for every 50 cans they lug­
ged in. Promoter John Fowler
proudly boasted that one kid
dragged in 800 cans. He didnt
mention the kid had to individual­
ly crush them in an outrageously
inefficent machine before he got
his miserly $4.
The promoters o f Sunbury,
Odessa Promotions Pty Ltd did a
good jo b in organising this festival
and consequently the consortium
o f businessmen w ho ow n the com ­
pany will gain financially. What a
pity that the musicians and their
associations cant organise their
own festival and so cut out the
middleman.
T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974 — Page 21
other races o f men feel the same
oppression and seek the same re­
lease as the black man, or will his
emotions be inevitably simulated,
a pale imitation o f the real thing?
Blues from
one heavy
smoker
ROB KING
THE JOKER: The Steve Miller
Band.
T WAS not so long ago that
a very serious debate raged
within the music world. The point
o f contention was whether the
white man could play the blues.
The circumstances were that
groups such as John Mayall’s
Bluesbreakers, The Paul Butter­
field Band and Canned Heat were
setting themselves up as blues
bands and playing black music
with far greater success than the
black man himself.
The purists argued that the
white bands were merely exploit­
ing black music, that the blues
was the expression o f the collec­
tive cultural experience o f the
American negro, with its roots in
tribal Africa. Those who support­
ed white blues, claimed that like
any music, the blues was merely a
vehicle for the expression o f uni­
versal human emotions. While ac­
knowledging that it was the Amer­
ican negro who had evolved the
form, it was by no means inacces­
sible to any sensitive human be­
ing.
There were the rudiments here
o f a classic debate, but fo r some
reason both sides seemed to get
cold feet. Perhaps it was some­
thing to d o with the fact that
music at this time was so closely
entwined with identity, that even
to raise the subject in conversa­
tion represented a serious danger
o f destroying a perfectly harmless
personality. In any case, it seems
reasonably safe, in 1974, to once
again ask the question, what is
“ blues” ? The joker, the most re­
cent record by the Steve Miller
Band, provides an excellent reason
for doing so.
Steve Miller was among the
first brigade o f bluesmen. He was
a “ natural” guitarist - a man, fo r
whom, like Clapton, fluency and
grace came without effort. What
made him more exceptional still
was that he possessed a fine blues
voice; he never attempted to
mimic the voices o f the black
blues men, and yet he was able to
convey the entire range o f em o­
tions associated with blues, from
the piteousness o f a Robert John­
son to the assertive arrogance o f a
Howling Wolf.
He assembled a band which
included Boz Scaggs on second
guitar, and a black drummer (at a
time when mixed bands were
rare). They had a feel for the
blues, and on their first album put
dow n a beautiful interpretation o f
Big Bill B roonzy’s K eys to the
highway. But, whereas most white
bluesmen contented themselves
with endless interpretations and
variations on 12 bar classics, Mill­
er attempted to develop the blues,
to endow it with the qualities it
had not previously possessed.
And, although he has rarely let an
album pass without including at
least one “ standard” , the bulk o f
I
his recorded work does n ot read­
ily fit into what is traditionally
conceived to be the blues id iom
It is for this reason that any
consideration o f his w ork de­
mands an answer to, or at least
consideration o f, the question,
what is blues?
Blues involves the celebration
o f em otion over reason. It allies
itself with chance and fate against
science. It insists that it is a far
Howl
away husky
moondog!
AMOS DRUMMOND
M O O N D O G MA T IN E E :The Band
HEN I was a snot nosed, peg
panted, slick haired, shifty
eyed youth roaming the streets o f
New York city in the days before
Alan Freed coined the expression
“ rock 'n roll” anything funkier
than Sha boom (the operative
words in those days were “ co o l
man” and “ crazy” ) was given the
name "M o o n d o g ” .
Moondoggers could be heard on
a black radio station hosted by
Jocko, the Jet Black A ce From
Outer Space and were copied b y
every pre pube bastard in the p oor
man’s echo chamber — subway
stations.
The name allegedly com es
from a legendary and almost
mythical drummer o f the same
name. I dont really know or care.
But the early Penguins was M oon­
dog.
The nostalgia b o o m with Fat
Old Bill Haley and Arrogant Old
Little Richard has, to a large
extent, satisfied my desire to re­
capture m y pimply faced halcyon
days (although why anyone would
W
Page 22 - T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4, 1974
better thing to be down, no mat­
ter how low, than to be out o f
contact with feeling. It is a means
o f escape or release from oppres­
sion.
It involves a
statement that in
the end there is
which
has a hold on me. I am what I am,
and this is how I feel. It is a means
o f de-socialisation, even o f de­
personalisation. It’s not surprising
that the blues thrived in the black
ghettoes o f the big American
cities, along with alcohol, mari­
juana and heroin.
It is here that the great debate
on blues crystallises. Can the
white man with his affluence and
his domination over nature and
he’s right) and
Levon Helm - the
w orld’s greatest rock
drummer and reputed
mattress magician - still
sings like he gargled with
and just cleared his
throat. I think (and that’s im port­
ant) the best numbers are Holy
cow - a recent Allan Toussaint
like to relieve that revolting and song, A change is gonna com e
traumatic period is beyond me). (prophetic?) by Sam C ook (I
But enter The Band, which has to mean you have to like this one
be one o f the greatest rock ’n even if you dont. The guy is a
roll (or M oondog if you prefer) martyr) and Aint got no hom e by
groups o f the decade with their Clarence “ Frogman” Henry.
tribute to the not so distant roots.
They throw in the Third man
The situation is reminiscent o f theme for a laugh and us radio
the time when Bob Dylan came fans but I think the number is just
out with his Self portrait album. too damn cute.
Here with this album, the critics
T hey’ve done a lot better but
are weeping and lining up their alu­ their “ not so g o o d ” is a lot better
minium buckets because o f the than most groups “ better” . How
lack o f original R obbie Robertson com e critics never asked Otis Red­
material. They have a point. ding or Janis Joplin or Joe Cocker
Robertson is a shithot song writer. to d o original songs? Eh?
But the main point is The Band is
In a recent interview, Bob
a shithot band who could play Dylan, the man who articulates
Roger Miller songs and get away my maddest ideals and lack o f
with it.
same, said because his type o f
The album, M oondog matinee, music, o f the late 50s and 60s,
is a tribute and a good one. isnt being done the way he likes it
R obbie R obertson plavs his usual by anyone else, he’s back on the
tasteful, frill-less dissecting guitar road with The Band. Cool man,
(I always want to hear more but that’s sayin’ it.
In The joker, Miller assumes
some emotional commitment to
the blues. It is, in fact, more
steeped in blues conventions than
his last album, Recall the begin­
ning.
In the spoken introduction to
Your cash aint nothing but
trash, he poses the classic blues
dilemma: “ Well you may have
heard about the Gangster o f love,
and the Space cow b oy, but I’ m
gonna whip the cat on you right
now. Is that worth the trouble,
trials and tribulations?” The
Gangster o f love and the Spacecow b oy are figures from previous
albums, previous affirmations o f
the Miller identity. And in this
song, and the one which follow s
it, The joker, he proceeds to
demolish the both o f them, to
insist that what a person is has
nothing to d o with wealth, or
success, or even what they say
they are. Identity is feeling and
feeling is transitory.
The joker, incidentally, seems
likely to becom e Steve Miller’s
first ever hit single in this country.
Its widespread acceptance is per­
haps evidence o f the emergence o f
a new kind o f ghetto o f despair,
and in particular o f the influence
o f marijuana in this realm. Miller
sings I'm a joker, I ’m a smoker,/
I’m an all night toker,/1 sure dont
want to hurt no one.
In Evil, a slow blues, the o p ­
pression is on a personal level,
with the motifs o f guilt and re­
venge tortuously intertwined, until
he lets fly with a couple o f devas­
tating guitar solos, forcibly un­
ravelling the double bind. Evil is a
live cut, and, at the end o f the
first solo a wave o f relief breaks
over the audience, an all too rare
reminder that the power and
feeling o f a great concert can be
captured on record.
It is in these songs, and in the
last track — a gentle love song —
that Steve Miller is most articu­
late, Lie down, m y love, lie
down,/ Rest easy and close you r
eyes./ Like clear water in a m oun­
tain stream/1 will com e to yo u in
you r dreams/ Like pictures re­
flected in a mountain lake/1 will
be with yo u when you wake.
There are occasions, however,
when his intentions seem obscure,
and his music slightly trivial, and.
if it is to be enjoyed thoroughly it
has to be accepted for what it is:
the work in progress o f the m od­
em white blues man. It stands up
well to repeated listenings, and
will assume a prominent place in
Steve Miller’s already large anthol­
ogy o f recordings.
Like so many innovative art­
ists, Miller borders on -th e para­
noid, desperate to be accepted,
for the genius he believes himself
to be . . . and at the same time
convinced that his work is not
understood. In a sense, each o f his
albums has been a repair job on
the one before, an attempt to
correct the false impression creat­
ed by the previous effort. This
makes him an elusive musician,
and there are few, in a consumer
society, who have the patience to
accept the seemingly endless^ evo­
lution o f an imperfect idea.
j
Fairport’s fun feast
MIKE O ’ROURKE
F
AIRPORT Convention is having paid out good m oney and
seven years old this year, a all that crap. But even with all
'good healthy life for any bandthose
in points dow n from the start,
these days o f instability and John Currie made it. If the sup­
change. Fairport has changed, cer­ porting act has any reasonable
tainly, but the changes seem due function apart from humiliating
to the natural processes o f Australian musicians, it is to warm
growth, accretion, and wriggling, the audience up and settle them
out o f old skins. N ot a single down. Mr Currie did a fine job .
original member o f the band is
Interval, and outside fo r a cig­
left in the present lineup, but arette and a drink o f rum and to
there still remains a strong sense listen to
people complaining
o f continuity.
about one thing and another. Is it
The influence o f Fairport Con­ possible that there are people who
vention has been strong and per­ are even more dreary and boring
vasive. A shoot removed soon
than me? But this is where the
grows into another tree. They story really starts . . .
stand at the centre o f a widening
Fairport Convention did not
network o f English musicians who
explode on to the stage, nor did
are doing things that n ob od y
would have dreamed possible be­ they ignore the audience. None o f
that superstar hype about this lot.
fore Fairport’s magnificent Liege
No power trips, no demonic-posand lief.
session or I’m-just-so-fucking-evilT o my knowledge, they were
t h a t -I ’ m -gon n a-h am m er-yousethe first electric band in the world
to use straight traditional mater­ into-the-ground-!ike-a-nail fantas­
ies. They just said hello in the
ial. Ashley Hutchings, founding
friendliest possible way and start­
member and bass player up to
ed in on The hexhamshire lass.
Fairport Three, was a founding
Perhaps n obod y w ho has not
member o f both Steeleye Span
been
interested in folk music for
and the Albion Country Band; Ian
Matthews, after playing with Fair­ some time can really understand
what is involved in playing tradi­
port for tw o years from their
tional songs on electric instru­
in ce p tio n ,
form ed
Matthews
ments, because they are unlikely
Southern C om fort and later Plainto know what these songs sound­
song; and the later adventures o f
ed like before they were electri­
Richard Thompson and Sandy
fied. We’re all used to it b y now,
Denny are not without honor on
but
b y God it was a shock at first.
as many continents as there may
Arguments are still simmering on
be.
about whether or not it ought to
It is always possible that the
be allowed, fo r those who want to
early promise o f a band might be
betrayed or negated b y its later
manifestations. But Fairport Con­
vention - as might be expected o f
a group that plays so much tradi­
tional music — has held faithfully
to the solid ground o f its own
past. N o damned jerrybuildings
here; this group’s music is cut into
the living rock.
The Melbourne venue was the
infamous Festival Hall. The seat­
ing is poor, the acoustics have
^occasioned unfavorable comment,
and on a humid night like last
ffiday night, the place gets to o
hot for com fort. For some reason
this turned out to provide a mar­
vellous atmosphere. Last year’s
Fairport concerts at the sedate
Dallas Brooks Hall suffered, in
spite o f the near-perfect sound
and visibility, from a coldness that
was evidently due to the over­
whelming ascetic slick surround­
ings, or maybe it was caused b y
the malevolent vibrations o f the
arcane mystic rites practised in
the same building. A bit o f dis­
com fort is always good for an
audience. It makes them feel vir­
tuous and stops them dropping
o f f the sleep. Whatever the reason,
the audience was generous, excit­
able and cooperative.
The “ supporting act” was Irishborn Sydney singer John Currie.
It’s a difficult position to be
placed in, with little chance for
glory and the possibility o f mak­
ing the more uptight members o f
the audience actually angry with
you for wasting their valuable
time. Otherwise kind and reason­
able people start muttering about
use folk music as a h obby like
stamp-collecting, or as a personal­
ity prop, have fairly well lost the
game b y now. The music will go
on growing no matter how many
admonitary hands are raised.
Dave Swarbrick’s antic postur­
ing, his struts and swaggers, c o m ­
bine with his magnificent fiddling
to produce the most delightful
and unselfconscious stage pres­
ence I ’ve ever seen. Swarbrick is
the most effusive o f the group on
stage, balanced b y the dignity o f
Trevor Lucas and Dave Pegg. Dave
Mattacks has a fine chimpanzee
act that I remember from last
year, but this year I couldnt see
him fo r cymbals. And Jerry Dona­
hue just sort o f stands there most
o f the time.
The first three pieces were all
traditional: The hexhamshire lass,
the fiddle tunes The hen's march
through the midden and The fourposter bed, and the harrowing
broadside ballad Polly on the
shore, which contains some o f the
most moving lines in English tradi­
tional song:
And m any’s the thousand
times I’ve wished m eself at home,
'All alone with m e Polly on the
shore.
She's a tall and a slender girl,
With a dark and a roving e y e;
And here am I lie a-bleeding on
the deck
And fo r her sweet sake I must
die.
Trevor Lucas’ restrained and
sensitive singing in this song was
perfectly complemented by the
on om atopoeic violence o f the in­
struments.
Probably the most immediately
impressive o f Fairport’s achieve­
ments is their precision in playing
traditional
tunes.
Difficult
changes o f time are negotiated
with offensive ease. Their unison
playing is a remarkable a ccom ­
plishment; Dave Pegg is the only
bass player I’ve heard who can
play fiddle tunes on his instru­
ment. His face occasionally co n ­
torted into the involuntary grim­
aces that some musicians show
when they have to play with
particular speed and precision, but
Jerry Donahue and Dave Swar­
brick just grinned and capered all
the way through it, the heartless
o f John F. Kennedy.
I dont think it is fo r sale in
Australia as yet. If you have any
doubts about the corruptness o f
the Nixon administration this
book s will dispel them. It costs
$1.50. Send $3.50 fo r an airmail­
ed co p y to Rising Free, 197 Kings
Cross road, L ondon WC1.
* * *
STEPHEN WALL
HAVE just finished reading
a small, 90 page b o o k called
Watergate written by an Austral­
ian journo called Philip West. It’ s
published b y the Alternative News
Service in England. It is the most
devastating piece o f investigative
reporting I have seen on contem p­
orary America.
The most unnerving thing
about this b o o k is that it is quite
possibly all factual. It details (1)
The connections between CREEP
and the crash o f an airliner which
killed the wife o f one o f the
Watergate burglars. (2 ) N ixon’s
links since 1948 with the mafia
and
corrupt American labor
unions. (3) How Nixon and Agnew sabotaged peace in Vietnam
before the 1968 elections. (4)
Why George Wallace was a victim
o f a CREEP conspiracy to elim­
inate him from the 1972 election.
(5) How a double agent may have
been planted in the Nixon cam­
paign to uncover Watergate. (6)
Nixon’ s links since 1961 with the
Cuban Americans w ho broke into
Watergate. (7) How one o f the
men who planned the raid was
connected with the assassination
1
HE UK based Peoples News
Service is no doubt a g ood
“ investment”
in
inform ation/
news/event fo r gatherers and/or
publishers. Naturally it covers
items that the international mass
media often finds “ to o sensitive” .
Besides good domestic (UK) news,
the international scene is fairly
well covered. In the issue I have, it
covers conditions in Czechoslo­
vakian labor camps, a Democratic
Rights Committee form ed in
Malaya and Dutch protest over
Indonesia plus lots more.
PNS is issued weekly and costs
tw o pounds for ten issues for
firms and institutions and one
pound to individuals, left groups
and publications. If Enoch Powell
is your idea o f a good moralist,
d on t waste your money. PNS, 119
Railton Road, London. SE24.
T
* * *
HE ALLEGED content and
the actual content o f street
dope are often quite different.
(Been burnt Bruce?) In the US,
the home o f information innova­
tion, there exists a service which
will analyise your dope. Y ou sim­
ply wrap up a sample o f your
latest chemical, make up a six
T
unfeeling bastards.
The American tunes Brilliancy
m ed ley and C herokee shuffle had
the interesting additions o f Dave
Pegg on mandolin and Dave Mat­
tacks playing bass with his hands
and bass/drum and hi-hat with his
feet. The Brilliancy m edley featur­
ed a few wrinkles that even Eck
Robertson never thought of.
It came as a surprise to many
people in the audience when Trev­
or Lucas introduced his wife,
Sandy Denny. Last tour she was
advertised, her name in fact writ
larger than Fairport’s, and she
didnt show up. This time the
promoters modestly did not ad­
vertise her appearance at all. Nicer
that way, I think. I knew she was
coming myself, so som ebody must
have been spreading the word. She
started o f f with the grim and
fearful ballad o f M atty Groves,
which drew appreciative opening
applause from the surprisingly
large number o f people who rec­
ognised the first few bars.
Sandy Denny’s voice is a not­
able instrumental addition to the
band as well as a vocal lead. She
has power, control and consider­
able expressiveness. A recent visi­
tor to this country (I nearly wrote
our shores) was billed as "sim ply
the best female singer in the
world” . Well, Sandy Denny is not
that simple.
The most impressive single
piece in the concert was the stun­
ning 20-minute Thompson/Swarbrick com position Sloth. The
words o f the song are strong in a
way not often found in contemp­
orary songwriting - a virtue that
seems to be Richard Thom pson’s
particular glory; that is, they are
both reticent and dramatically
dense. There is a tremendous
story in the song that is told only
in brief flashes o f frozen action,
like isolated stills from a film
Movement occurs through the in­
strumental solos, which are noth­
ing short o f hair-raising.
This band has the rare ability
to build up an instrumental tissue
slowly, layer by layer, playing
with total absorption and relaxa­
tion, as if the song had to be
slowly discovered as it was played,
as if it would on ly reveal itself if
one waited patiently for it to
digit number and send it to ’em
with details o f what it was sold to
you as and how much you paid
for it. Four days later you ring
them and quote your made-up
number; they will give you an
accurate analysis. I’m still not sure
what one does with on e’s para­
noia. Still even if it is funded b y
the CIA etc, there is a regular
printout o f the state wide results
which would be o f use to drug
researchers, social workers and ab­
solute dop e fiends. I think it’s
free. The Pharm Chem Newsletter,
1848 Bay Road, Palo Alto, Cali­
fornia 94303, USA.
How about someone starting
up something here?
NTERNATIONAL Womens
Day is going to happen on
march 9 and 10 this year and the
Sydney Womens Liberation move­
ment has decided to initiate activ­
ity around the theme: Women
against the violent society. On
monday, february 4, at 7.30 pm
at Womens House, 25 Alberta
Street, Sydney, they have planned
a discussion. Open to all women
and wom ens organisations wishing
to assist with this activity. Ring
61.7325 for further details (be­
tween 6 and 9 p m l
I
HERE’S AN estimated 87
million acres o f native forest
in Australia. They form an integ­
ral link in the “ web o f life” o f our
continents — natural forest sys­
tems influence local climate con ­
ditions, protect watersheds and
prevent erosion, are the habitat o f
T
loom up ou t o f the mist. I cannot
think o f another band that could
carry o ff a com pletely unaccom­
panied bass solo lasting about four
to five minutes without losing
either the song or the audience in
the process.
It was a little annoying that
many o f the audience, perhaps
thinking they were at a jazz or a
bluegrass concert, insisted on ap­
plauding each instrumental solo as
if it were a circus act. They meant
well, but the song tends to suffer
if the solos are regarded as
“ breaks” or displays o f virtuosity.
Sloth is a brilliantly conceived and
controlled piece o f music, and I
think I have never heard anything
so totally absorbing as this con -'
cert performance o f it.
Fairport Convention played for
about tw o and a half hours. A t
the end o f it all, Dave Swarbrick
very politely asked everybody to
stand up. This was a very clever
move because people will not
stand up in a concert hall if they
can help it. Ask them to dance
and only a few exhibitionists will
d o so, because it’s necessary to
stand up before you can start
dancing. But if everybody is al­
ready standing up, the battle (for
hearts and minds) is already won.
Naturally, everybody stood up,
and Fairport started on a medley
o f dance tunes. And the crowd
went wild, folks!
Hot sweaty steaming bodies
undulating beneath the tropic
moon. It was marvellous to see
the young people enjoying them­
selves so much. Everybody seem­
ed to be smiling or laughing,
clapping their hands or jumping
up and down. A few drug-crazed
hippies removed articles o f cloth­
ing, probably transported in the
throes o f their fevered visions to
Sunbury or other scenes o f aban­
don. It could never have happened
in the Dallas Brooks.
For an encore they played a
couple o f old rock songs, eg.
That’ll be the day, which kept the
excitement and the dancing going
nicely. But all to o soon it was
time to go and we all had to go
home tired, but happy.
Fairport Convention is a rare
group indeed. There’s n obod y like
them.
native fauna, prevent nutriment
loss through run o f f and their root
systems
stabilise
underground
water tables and salinity levels.
At the moment there are tw o
lobbies associated with our native
forests - the environmental lobby
and the w oodchip/forest lobby.
This latter lobby is made up o f a
number o f bureaucrats in state
and federal forestry interests and
members o f local and foreign cor­
porations. This lobby regards at
least 37 million acres o f the 87
million as “ a permanent industrial
crop” . Worse still, in the past,
sustained yield felling was the
order o f the day — now the
hungry turds have devised new
methods called clear felling and
"total tree utilisation” . The old
method wasnt to o damaging , the
new methods are truly devastating
Australian forests may well be
on the verge o f being raped by
unthinking, profit hungry corpor­
ate delinquents. According to the
environment lobby, most o f the
planning and subsequent govern­
ment approvals is being carried
out without sufficient public
openness. Y ou can find out more
o f the facts, and please do, by
sending 20 cents (more if poss.)
for a copy o f The woodchip in­
dustry. Send to the Campaign T o
Save Native Forests, C/- Ecology
Action, Box C159 P.O., Clarence
Street, Sydney.
*
*
*
SEND your info nuggets and ac­
cess gems to APP, P.O. Box 8,
Surry Hills 2010.
T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974 — Page 23
1HIS/WWISAGIMER4
ALBIE THOMS
HE PREMIERE season o f
Jonas
Mekas’ s
Reminis­
cences o f a journey to Lithuania at
the Sydney Filmmaker’s Cinema
this week, offers a rare glimpse o f
a New York figure little known in
this country. Saint Jonas, as he
has been affectionately called, is
an almost mythological figure in
the film world, but his signifi­
cance extends far beyond the film
medium: for he is a one-man
crusade for the cultivation and
development o f poetic sensibilities
in an increasingly materialist
world.
It is not surprising that he
chose that most materialist o f
places, New York, as the centre
from which to spread his gospel,
for in many ways it is the centre
o f the world, and tho a difficult
place to survive and succeed in, it
is a place where local success
quickly extends to every region o f
the earth and makes its influence
felt. While in person Mekas is a
quiet Lithuanian poet, thru his
films and writings and activism, he
has becom e an inspiration to
people in many lands.
As is revealed in Reminiscences
o f a journey to Lithuania, he was
born a peasant farmer, and joined
the underground when his coun­
try was conquered by the Ger­
mans in the second world war. He
was captured and sent to Ger­
many as a slave worker in Ham­
burg, before escaping and even­
tually arriving in New York as a
displaced person around 1950. A
poet, b y nature as well as practice,
he acquired a war-surplus Bolex
camera and began evolving his
personal filming style, now crystalised in film diaries that suggest
the precision o f the Goncourt
brothers in their ability to reveal
intimate sensibilities briefly and
poignantly.
In Reminiscences some o f his
early footage from when he was a
DP in Brooklyn is shown as a
prelude to more recent footage
(1971) shot when he returned to
Lithuania after an absence o f 25
years to visit his brothers and
sisters and his amazing 85 year old
mother, w ho still lives the peasant
life o f the last century while her
children and grandchildren work
on modernised collective farms.
The em otion o f the prodigal’s
return flows from the screen in
waves o f light as Mekas’s camera
nervously comes to terms with
faces and places from his past.
This new film contrasts very
much with the only other Mekas
film that has been seen in Aus­
tralia. The brig (distributed by the
Sydney Filmmakers’ Co Op) is a
searing record o f brutality in
American military prisons as was
recreated by the Living Theatre
(an artists co o p ) in their produc­
tion o f Kenneth Brown’s play.
The precision noticeable in Me­
kas’s diary films is here apparent
in the ever-moving camera taking
us into the heart o f the action, so
much so that it seems to be filmed
inside a real prison with the
camera being the eyes o f one o f
the prisoners. Mekas o f course
knows what it is like to be a
prisoner, for as well as his experi­
ences with the nazis, he has also
been imprisoned for screening
Jack Smith’s transvestite orgy film
Flaming creatures at a time when
New Y ork ’s film censorship laws
were far less liberal than now.
And it is Mekas’s courage in show­
T
ing that film and others b y War­
hol, Anger and Genet, that led to
the breakdown o f New Y ork ’ s
censorship restrictions, and in
their wake the general liberalis­
ation o f film censorship through­
out the world.
The brig shows Mekas’s con ­
tempt for repressive authority in
another way. It was shot illegally,
after the FBI had closed the Liv­
ing Theatre on some tax loophole.
Mekas and the actors climbed into
the theatre thru a skylight and
shot the movie in a long night
while the FBI stood unwittingly
you r Times and Pravda today?
Why d o you wonder, then, that
poets are beginning to get uneasy?
Yes, the artists are abandoning the
beautiful,
happy, entertaining,
self-glorifying stories.
“ They are beginning to express
their anxiety in an open and
direct manner. They are searching
for a freer form , one which per­
mits them a larger scale o f em o­
tional statements, explosion o f
truths, outcries o f warnings, ac­
cumulations o f images — not to
carry out an amusing story but to
fully express the tremblings o f the
outside guarding the padlocked
doors. The film went on to win a
grand prix at the Venice film
festival o f 1964 in the docum ent­
ary section!
consciousness o f man, to confront matheque.
us eye-to-eye with the soul o f
It was Mekas w ho was the
modern man . . . ”
photographer o f Empire, that
Nowadays the film hardly most-talked-about
o f Warhol’s
seems radical or avant-garde at all, films, lasting eight hours, but
but then it caused quite an ou t­ more talked-about than seen.
cry. It was also one o f the first Mekas is probably the only person
films to chronicle the anti war to have seen the film thru twice.
protests which have since becom e He rarely talks about, or writes
familiar sights in American m ov­ about a film unless he has seen it
ies. Mekas was a protester then, at least twice. But when he does
b efore it became fashionable, write about a film, as he has in the
when Kennedy was the darling o f Village voice newspaper weekly
the liberal press and was waving for at least ten years, he writes
H-bombs threateningly at Russia. with an eloquence and passion
Mekas was also an early associ­ rarely found in film criticism any­
ate o f Tim othy Leary, and was where in the world. It is not an
with him in the happier times at overstatement to say that the
Millbrook, as is recorded in his American underground cinema
film diaries. These are also notable would be virtually unknown were
for an interview with the sheriff 'it not for Mekas’s writing and his
who busted Leary in what was to efforts to get films shown.
An early Mekas film was Guns
o f the trees, made at the peak o f
the Beat period in New York,
with a poetic narration b y Allen
Ginsberg, fusing Beat notions o f
existentialism, pacificism and zen.
Anticipating the hostility which
always greets avant-garde work,
Mekas
advised his audience:
“ There is no story. Telling stories
is for peaceful people and content
people. And at this juncture o f
my life I am neither content not
peaceful. I am deeply and totally
discontent. Do I have to list the
reasons why? Havent you read
Page 2 4 — T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974
be the first o f a long series o f
political charades for the guru o f
ecstasy.
Mekas encouraged the acid ex­
periments o f New York artists in
the early 60s (before the hippy
craze rendered them banal), show­
ing their psychedelic and multimedia experiments at the Film­
makers Cinematheque (o f which
he was the founder) until that too
invoked the wrath o f the authori­
ties and was closed by police. He
was also the “ discoverer” o f Andy
Warhol as a filmmaker, and show­
ed his first films in the cine-
It was he w ho founded the
New York Filmmakers Distribu­
tion Cooperative, and helped de­
vise its democratic constitution
which has been a m odel for co-ops
throughout the world. Though the
Sydney co-op was founded in
ignorance o f Mekas’s efforts, it
quickly took inspiration from
their success when those inter­
national activities became known
thru the much-publicised New
American Cinema international
exhibitions (organised b y Mekas)
which drew world attention to the
radically different cinema that
emerged in the USA during the
60s.
No doubt it was Mekas, who
had served in the Lithuanian
underground, who gave the new
appellative validity when applied
to these films and popularised by
Time and N ewsweek till it came
to cover new music, newspapers,
and many things other than the
movies o f Mekas’s New York
band. His magazine Film culture
helped define the new esthetics o f
these movies, and his more per­
sonal impressions o f these films
and their makers can be found in
his b ook Movie journal (Collier,
1972).
Mekas is now the director o f
the Anthology Film Archives in
New York, which provides the
only comprehensive screenings o f
the history o f film as an art form.
Over a period o f tw o months, in a
hundred programs, one can see
the whole history (as it accords
with Mekas’s vision) o f film art.
And the films are projected in a
“ perfect” cinema, built like a
space capsule, with everyone able
to see the screen (and only the
screen, due to “ blinkers” on the
seats), and be totally transported
into the world o f the film.
But it is in his own film Diaries,
notes and sketches also known as
Walden (1969) that will assure
Mekas o f some permanent place in
the history o f m odem civilisation.
This three hour home movie is o f
such density and exquisite imag­
ery that one is awed in its pres­
ence. It covers his life from 1950
to 1969, 20 years o f impressions
and glimpses, a recording o f the
poet’s sensibilities, his nervous
system rendered as light and
sound.
Reminiscences o f a journey to
Lithuania is its sequel, another
home movie rendered as art o f a
high order. Its nervous twitchings
might seem difficult to watch at
first, but they are the p oet’s way
o f conveying his emotions at g o ­
ing home after 25 years away.
And if we persevere, we adapt to
his way o f seeing things, feel the
experiences with him, share his
wonder and his joy. Such little
beauties are not to be sneered at.
T oo often we fall for the bullshit
o f glamor and miss the fleeting
delights that are ever around us.
We need poets to remind us o f
these missed opportunities, and
Mekas is one o f the great poets,
and luckily, one who has chosen
film as his medium o f expression.
The result is a different kind o f
film,
epiphany-filled, that is
worlds removed from the super
colossi
of
the
cinemascope
screen. As Mekas himself has stat­
ed: "W e are the measure o f all
things. And the beauty o f our
creation, o f our art, is proportion­
al to the beauty o f ourselves, o f
our souls.”
Dwellings
M elbourn e. G u y , late 20s, needs a
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T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , january 29-february 4, 1974 — Page 25
*
T h e h o u se at th e p reviou s elsew h ere, esp ecia lly V icto ria
can rely on th e stu rd y
S y d n e y S e h o o lk id s address
has b e e n d e m o lis h e d , m u ch to sta tion a ry-n ess o f M e lb o u rn e
h ead m aster R o b K in g, still
ou r surprise, s o co n tr ib u to r s
residing at “ L o d g e R a lp h ” ,
h o ld y o u r fire u ntil w e
D avid roa d , L ily d a le ,
lo ca te a p e rm a n en t p o s t fo r
rovin g S y d n e y S e h o o lk id s V icto ria . What are y o u d o in g
o n y o u r h o lid a y s , kids?
e d ito r, J o h n G eake. P eop le
READ in the Just us kids
columns about other kids’
schools faults, but our’s is really
bad, Henry Kendall High. Our’s
represses Love, and puts it on the
same plane as violence.
That is they give the cane, or
other punishment they wish to
choose (thinking they are Gods) if
y ou are caught kissing or hugging
a member o f the opposite sex, and
you get the same punishment if
you beat another kid’s head in, in
a fight.
If the teachers think that to
show love and affection is the
religious fighting, w e’ve got the
arabs hating the jews and viceversa, w e’ve got the bombing o f
innocent people, w e’ve got the
rising rate o f crime, w e’ve got the
ever increasing hate o f the w ork­
ing class against the capitalists,
and in the middle o f all this w e’ve
got our school repressing Love
(probably other schools to o !). It
sounds ridiculous but it’s happen­
ing in Henry Kendall High (or
Hate) school.
T o quote our vice principal:
“ A nyone who is hugging or kiss­
ing a girl will be punished.”
And, “ We dont want to see
these hugging sessions!”
So as you see we at school are
in need o f a revolution to get rid
o f teachers like that, who think
Love and Peace are four letter
words. It makes you wonder what
the heroes o f these people would
be:
(a) Hitler or,
(b) Ghandi, and Martin Luther
King . . . Probably (al
And I’ve heard people tell me
Anarchy would only spread Hate
and Killing. Well look misguided
people at what’s been fed into us
in school, and the Hate and dis­
crimination this conditioning has
brought us!!!!
Remember Love is the answer!
And Anarchy is the Key!
B y the Friendly Anarchist,
and occupant o f Henry
Kendall High
Pt Clare, NSW
structure was
the famous driving
lesson. Ian and Brian came out to
get grapes one day after school
and o f course they wanted to
drive my Mini-Moke around the
yard. Well, there was no harm in it
so they each had a turn - starting
from basics having never driven
before. There were those hectic
moments o f nearly pranging the
front gatepost or Brian’s effort o f
heading fo r the fence, panicking
and pressing the accelerator. Colli­
sion averted luckily.
So the first driving lesson be­
came a regular thing - round the
paddock or up and down the back
road. We did it because they were
keen to learn and it was the first
time that I had seen kids this keen
to learn anything.
The difference it made at
school was astounding. From b oys
unwilling to co-operate at all in
class came the comm ent that
“ they werent gonna muck up no
m ore.” They had a sense o f
achieving something and so were
willing to give me a chance in
lessons. N ot that they suddenly
made great strides, not even that
they cared about the work, they
were just willing to give me a
chance and that was a breath o f
fresh air. And I really learned
something about intrinsic motiva­
tion.
I saw the same sort o f thing on
the Table T op Mountain trip.
Sometimes Jim Buchanan would
organise weekend expeditions into
the bush. “ The gang” o f mostly
town b oys always liked to come.
On this day we were exploring an
old track and came to a washaway
on the mountainside. Everyone
hopped in to rebuild the track
(maybe a half-hour jo b ) and, as
we carried rocks in, someone just
remarked that it was like the
convict days. We drove the Moke
over our engineering feat and
about a mile on came to a great
boulder in the middle o f the
track.
Once again it was manual labor
and someone wanted to shift it
like the Egyptians used to. An­
other idea was to break it up, with
smaller rocks. Eventually we suc­
ceeded with Egyptian log rollers
(and a modern crowbar). NB. This
was n ot us playing teacher on
Sunday - it was just passing
conversation amongst the group.
Eventually we found the end o f
the track and cooked lunch near
an old slab musterer’s hut.
For me that day was a very
significant lesson in history and
education. It was not “ History”
and it wasnt even “ education” but
it showed that that simple experi­
ence contained very meaningful
and diverse learnings. It was not a
matter o f making a point about
the history, the landforms, the
map or the mechanical troubles.
It made the classroom laugh­
able. Y ou might try to introduce a
lesson on convict labor. Y ou
would make stencils, draw pic­
tures, write notes, ask questions,
set exams but there it all was in a
few simple comments during a
day’s outing.
A fter that came the “ Adven­
ture Camp” - named as a big deal
one-day-off-school thing. Eighteen
boys, tw o teachers. A weekend at
a logging camp in the coastal rain
forest. Junior, boys had to cook
fo r themselves - some o f them
(obviously!) for the first time.
The best event o f that camp was
discovering the old mine. We
vaguely knew where it was and
follow ed our forestry map until
odd signs o f industry appeared in
the bush, then a tiny railway track
and old w ooden steps down to the
abandoned crushing plant.
Some o f the group scrambled
dow n to examine the old diesel
engine. How did it work? How did
the clutch work? The (pelt and
pulleys? Others raced along the
old railway and over a bridge to
find the old shafts and abandoned
tunnel and ore-race. We found a
bat. We saw the shoring timbers
and pushed the old trolley. Some
likely looking rocks were claimed
fo r testing.
Meanwhile back at school we
had reached a sort o f stalemate.
English became more tolerable
when I disposed o f some o f the
obviously hopeless books. 3B
worked on the themes o f “ Love”
and “ Personality” . We made a
successful play for the school con­
cert. 1A made a film. 2B respond­
ed to the “ bankbooks” gimmick
where they were "paid” a bank
entry in their n otebook after each
period or fined for bad behavior.
It was only a trick but finally had
some value as arithmetic exercise.
This year I have helped to drive
kids away from learning because a
set number o f periods were on the
timetable for me to fill up with
teaching. We may have the best
intentions, the most individualised
programs and the best gimmicks
but the inevitable result is still the
holding operation.
And
th e
teacher-training
people continue to live on aca­
demic cloudland. It is time for
teaching
apprenticeships
right
from the start with college lec­
turers in there teaching real
snotty-nosed kids and for long
enough to feel the grind. Students
could realise their own weaknesses
and be involved in a long-term
professional education instead o f
an initiation course before getting
hit with the cynical system.
So I have becom e a teacher
dropout. Next year I would be
even
more
a
school-teacher
fashioning symbolic information
and pouring it by clever new
gimmicks into understandably re­
luctant heads. No, I need to learn
more about things myself before I
can hope to help others learn —
more about communicating and
history and society and schools
and. kids and everything else.
I wanted to change to Social
Studies activities with 2B but it
had been decreed somewhere in
the upper reaches o f the Wyndham Scheme that History would
be a CORE SUBJECT! And that
was law. So kids who could barely
read were studying the Protestant
Reformation
and
Elizabethan
England. We did a power o f notecopying and I set the exam easy
but still nothing was absorbed.
After the exam there was a
general atmosphere o f relaxation.
We had limited freedom to con ­
duct our holding operation in
different ways. For me this was
simply to present a few sets o f
English type games (“ TutorSystems” Puzzles and “ Scrabble” )
as well as work cards and books,
and clear away some desks. I
brought in some soft chairs and
put up a few big posters. The kids
knew they didnt really have to d o
anything yet they worked on Eng­
lish and enjoyed it. We approach­
ed a “ kohl-style” open classroom
at last - after the Real Work was
done.
This year I wanted to see from
the inside if there was any hope
for schools. I tried to com e as an
apprentice and not hassle too much
with the superficial bureaucratic
jobs. The only alternative is the
“ havoc” approach o f more pure
revolutionaries which probably
has stimulating social effects de­
spite its personal effects.
A year “ in the service” as they
say, has been time enough to
conclude that schools are unwork­
able as they are. But the year’s
weekends have shown the im ­
mense possibilities o f de-school­
ing. The point is to reorganise
learning to properly use the staff
and facilities which already exist.
1
F THIS must be called
something it is a personal
letter to myself - something like I
might set for 1A English: “ Write a
personal letter to yourself in 10
year’s time. What d o you want to
remember about Now? What d o
you want to be Then? (1-2
pages)”
It is the end o f the year now
and I’ve been wanting to write
this for months. But school just
keeps coming at you and there is
no time to sit and be reflective.
Everything this year has been
done in such a hurry. Even relax­
ing is hurried.
This pressure-cooking o f time
would be the main feature o f the
year. Even to be an inadequate
teacher you must work like hell not hard work in any physical
sense, but each day consists o f
maybe thousands o f little personal
exchanges starting with “ good
morning”
to the boss, and
through the various conversations
or conflicts o f each lesson, to the
four o ’clock nod to the cleaning
lady as you escape. Each o f these
encounters costs a little emotional
energy until you get home and
walk around zombie-like for a
while, or hypertense and snarling,
and y ou lo o k up tom orrow ’s time­
table and seven periods loom
ahead as well as tw o sets o f books
to mark and a lesson register to
fill in.
Tension is a real thing and a
cumulative thing over a term.
There is always something to d o
even if it’s only background read­
ing in English or History. Y ou
becom e a clockwatcher allocating
time for preparation or marking
or rest.
I’ve got to say though, in this
pressure bit, that I was lucky to
get into this school. It was sheer
accident o f course. I’ve never
know n anyone to get where they
applied for - except one case by
pleading to the local MP. Sure,
this is a conservative school but at
least people will let you d o things.
Being a small school you can get
to know everybody and you can
get a feeling o f comm unity both
in the school and in the town that is still a worthwhile thing. I
felt that my efforts counted.
Imagine being an alienated teacher
in a staff o f 60 or 70 - no wonder
there are alienated kids!
I guess the realities o f a class­
room hit after the first period o f
the year - a honeym oon period. I
gave out a little questionnaire to
try to find out about the people,
in the class. Here is a fairly normal
looking third form group, 25 kids
and m y g od !!! about eight can
barely write. It wasnt anvthinq
against the new teacher - they
didnt know yet what they could
get away with. They just couldnt
cope with simple English reading
and writing. It was a fact - 14
and 15 year olds — nine or ten
years o f school and what result?
same as beating people up, well
I’ve got news fo r you, it isnt - it’s
these same people who show
screwing as a “ sinful” thing. Shit!
our society (world) has enough
hate in it, thanks to governments
o f the world (anarchy is the key)
w e’ve had the first, second world
wars, Vietnam, Chile etc; w e’ve
got racial prejudice, Ku Klux
Klan, anti-semitism, w e’ve qot the
How could they
d o anything with­
out those basic skills?
The answer was simple - they
didnt.
The 3B battle began. It was not
an unfriendly battle, just that no
lesson ever worked. Well three did
for the first half o f the year. That
is three in about a hundred. M ost­
ly it was a series o f diversions not a class conspiracy — just
individual guerrilla tactics:
“ Where’s your book , Peter?”
“ Home, sir” .
Ruler fights.
“ Sir, ’e’s pinched me port.”
“ Sir, ’e ’s thrown me pencil case
out the w indow .”
“ Can I go and get it, Sir?”
General conversation prevails —
reports o f Number 96 or the
m otor bike races. Desk tapping,
chair scraping.
At least the chaos was contain­
ed in the room . We would have a
modified version o f the prepared
lesson amid diversions and pack­
ing up would com m ence as the
bell-monitor walked out to allow
himself five minutes o f preparingto-ring-the-bell time.
I tried grouping the different
interests and ability levels. The
non-readers would complain that
every jo b was to o hard and they
were the most easily diverted any­
way. The rest o f the class saw
group work as a chance to be o f f
the hook. Sometimes they would
work outside the classroom but
this only spread the diversions.
Another problem arose when sev­
eral people would ask questions at
the same time and give up if I
didnt com e immediately. S o much
for another sacred cow o f the Dip.
Ed.
My first really practical evi­
dence o f the failure o f the school
Page 26 - T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974
Truth hurts
I HAVE bought every Daylights since
volume 1, No. 3, and I must say that I
agree fully with Anonymous (TLD,
2/3). Volume 1 showed signs of TLD
becoming a great magazine. It was
interesting and had something to offer
Eg.
dustry, Coca-Cola story, world of cons
everyone.
inside the massage in­
and the classical expose of frogs and
the ad-men.
If you had kept in this groove you
would have a bloody good paper, but
why the hell did you change? After the
anarchy issue the paper degenerated
into a load of politics and crap.
Who gives a shit about the Warmambool pub, or Michael X (who is trying
to make himself look a martyr any­
way)? And fuck student rats in South
Korea. If a bugger pays 30 cents each
week to buy a paper, give him some­
thing to read and understand. If you
are going to print crap like “ Cosmic
Epics in Speech Balloons” and Chopin
and Zappa jammin' together, translate
the bloody lot first, so that people can
read it.
Not every bugger is as literary
minded as the editors are, or pretend
to be. I doubt if even the bloody
authors know what they are talking
about.
So wake up to yourself. Dont be
such fucking hypocrites. Print a few
good stories in each paper to make it
worth buying. How about continuing
Tabloid story instead of crap like “ Just
us kids” , perhaps more interviews such
as with Ian Sykes, or the brilliant
interview in the Anarchy issue.
I can only give you one piece of
good advice: dont be snobs. Dont talk
down to people and act superior, just
because you know big words and know
how to rearrange others to sound as if
you are clever. Because people won’ t
think you are. They'll say what kind of
a dick writes this crap, and throw the
lot away, there are other ways to get
your point across.
ANONYMO US,
Balgownie, NSW
PS. If you believe in freedom of the
press (it is guaranteed to you because
you own one) and dont print this letter
(or even consider my suggestions) you
can stick your paper up your bum,
because it (my letter) makes more
sense than some of the (other) bullshit
you print.
Men and
sexism
AT LONG last the whole question of
men and sexism and children is starting
to come up fron t About time. I’ve
been looking after a young kid since
she was one and a half, and after nine that they know what little girls should
months o f doing so I can tell you: be doing and what little boys should be
there sure are problems about being a doing and the words o f Carol Ambrus,
single male parent looking after a girl. a Canberra womens liberationism still
Even though the women at the ring in my head — roles are already
creches dont say it, they seem to think internalised before the age o f three.
that it's a bit weird for a man to be
I can see what they want to do with
taking care of his daughter. But what Cass and I can see what I’d like to
they will quite boldly say is that they happen: a free environment where Cass
think it’s so important for a child to can develop herself, particularly free
have it's “ mother” , deliberately trying from sexist role pressures. And yet
to somehow make you feel inferior when I asked around to see if any child
because you havent got that certain minding co-ops had been set up with
something a “ mother” is supposed to
the idea o f combating sexist pressures
have. Ah, fuck! As long as there are on kids, the people I spoke to looked
“ mothers” then men will be able to askance at me. “ I mean, a creche is a
keep within their own physically, creche” , they seemed to say, “ what
emotionally lonely domain and outside d'ya mean, a non sexist creche?”
of a domain which demands tender­
People are going to leave the creches
ness, understanding, patience (and bags in the hands o f the “ professionals”
o f resilience).
because — particularly in the case o f
But your man’s quite right. A lot o f men — they feel they want to be as far
lefties themselves, as well as being semi away from children as possible. And
terrified by kids or just plain cold the professionals, by motherhood!, will
towards them, know fuck-all about certainly make fine young men and
what children need. But, he’s not Women out o f all o f them. And no
totally right, fortunately. There have nudity in the Sydney day nurseries,
been people who’ve been really good either.
Ah well. If anyone is interested in a
to me. But on the whole, male lefties
creche co-op that attempts to deal with
do see children as another race.
All this, of course, is intimately sexism in some may maybe they could
bound up with gay lib, but in a way write and let me know. Anyway, the
that most male activists havent grasped idea may catch on.
Keep the men and sexism articles
yet. Being closely involved with chil­
dren, particularly young children, de­ flourishing. I think TLD is a pretty
mands a level o f physical response — of ratshit paper, basically, but I’d crawl
tenderness, in a way — that most o f over buckets 5f shitty nappies to read
them arent up to. But if you can your men against sexism articles.
JOHN WILKINSON,
manage to achieve this with kids you’re
Erskineville, NSW
going to be a lot better able to do it
with other adults. It's difficult — I’ve
still got great difficulties myself, as
much as anyone else, but the “ Men
I GUESS it’s pretty obvious, the sys­
against Sexism" article is so right: all
tem stinks. That is the whole world
the aggression and ego shit at lefties
“ conferences” , for example, derives in
so many ways from each man’s physi­
cal and emotional distance from the
other.
Which leads me indirectly on to the
communal childminding venture at
Victoria street. One of the more posi­
tive things that emerged was a weaken­
ing o f the sexism that usually crops up
in child minding arrangements. All the
children played with the buckets and
spades as equally and together as when
they played with the dolls. For me,
one o f the more encouraging things
was that even up till the time o f the
bust most of the boys still called Cass
“ he", which meant, for me, that be­
cause Cass had worn boys clothes most
ADRIAN DICKIE
of the time and had played with the
boys they had been unable to stratify
O it was, comrades, that my
her into a feminine role.
fellow travellers and I pre­
After the bust it’s back to the
pared ourselves fo r a week’s so­
Sydney day nurseries, where the
journ in the Lerderderg gorge, a
woman informs me, that it’s so crucial
to have the “ mother” around in these place - although popular with the
early years and implies that Cass sympathisers o f Baden-Powell and
suspicious types o f that ilk - o f
should be home all day stifled with the
captive “ mother” . Groan. I can see still relatively untainted beauty. It
Jesus saves
system, not just politics, but the greed,
hunger and selfish ego inside each one
of us who call ourselves human. Like
John Lennon says: “ You can wear a
mask and paint your face, you can call
yourself the human race . . . but one
thing you can’t hide, is when you’re
crippled inside.”
There are several suggestions for
alternatives around, but they dont
change that selfish ego inside. The only
real solution is found in Jesus, not the
crap which many preach as Christian­
ity, but in Jesus Himself as a real,
living, spiritual being in our world
today.
By surrendering control o f our
spirits to Him and to His spirit can we
destroy that selfish ego. He came to
heal that part o f us which is “ crippled
inside” . His blood from the cross is the
means provided to spiritually revolu­
tionise our lives. Because He is alive our
spirits can live. I know because it has
worked for me.
ROBERT HOPE-HUME,
Lower King, WA
Five lines
FIVE lines which sum up the death of
any city — this city? — and its murder­
ers:
Thick, grey smog enveloping the city
like a shroud;
Constant traffic humming a cheerless
funeral dirge;
Mourners bravely hiding their sorrow
behind a mask o f indifference;
Bright neon signs etching solemn
epitaphs
on giant-size concrete and glass tomb­
stones.
BARBARA MAHLE,
Help please
on
CAN YOU check up
a song which
could, maybe, make a really good
national anthem, better than the pres­
ent choices. The song is The star
which I learnt
just starting primary school
crossed flag o f Australia
a
as
kid
in NSW, circa 1914 or 1915. It was
sung by all public school children in
NSW.
The full words and.musical score
were published on the back page o f the
NSW public school gazette or magazine
issued by the education department.
Just an idea to stir up some o f the
stuffed shirts and arty-farty crew who
are trying to run the musical side o f
this country.
ROY WOODLAND,
Water Wheel Gardens,
BaUina, NSW
Dickhead
Beckett
WITH A beer in one hand and my first
edition o f Bullshit, no let me see, The
living daylights in the other I must 'av
a go at Dickhead Beckett on his run­
ning away from it all in P.N.G. piece.
Fkst of all those 10,000 non racist
Australians you mentioned, well let me
tell you at least 7 000 were not prepar­
ed to accept living in a country and
treating their black brothers as equals
and the other 3000 were doing jobs
that the locals should have been train­
ed to do years ago.
It is still paradise here compared
with all your strikes, inflation, bloody
politicians lobbying up every few
minutes on TV.
MARGARET STEPHENSON,
Roughing it—up in the gorge
S
sits astride the Lerderderg river
several miles to the north o f Bac­
chus Marsh, Victoria.
Here, we intended to soak up
some nature, tipple a mite and
share the com m union o f the odd
log or tw o fo r as long as our
inclinations and pouches allowed.
We threw organisation to the
wind, kisses and adieus to our
loved ones. We departed with a
jo ie de vivre known only to mis­
creant inductables and the pure o f
heart.
All seriousness aside though we
decided, or rather through lack o f
preparations, were obliged to pro­
vender
ourselves
from
some
SuperFreakOutMarket
on
the
way. This almost proved our un­
doing . . .
Now everybody knows that it’s
a fucking drag to hump any
weight exceeding say 20 pounds
more than several miles in a ruck­
sack; so in our infinite regress we
agreed to buy PACKET FOOD.
Y ou know the stuff; Rice-a-Riso,
Vesta Chicken Maryland (“ empty
contents into pan and just add
water” ) etc, thus keeping HEAVY
CANS dow n to the minimum
So, suitably sutled and nigh on
spaced out by the heavies at
Northland or Westland or what­
ever they call it, we wound our
ways to the Lerderderg.
With the battered Peugeot hid­
den from w ouldbe strippers and
other dwellers o f darkness, we
proceeded up the gorge. We selec­
ted a spot about five exhausting
miles up river, pitched tent and
settled dow n to sn ooze, the
O.E.Ds. Definition o f which is
“ to pass time in lazy indifference” .
The initial inkling o f why I
should put this experience down
for my grandchildren came with
our first meal. We opted for beef
flavored Rice-a-Riso.
N ow I would suggest I have a
considerable working vocabulary,
but any attempt to accord this . . .
fo o d . . . substance . . . fascist plot
. . . spaces me out!
With heavy hearts, and other
vital parts, we snoozed some
more, swimming in the deep rock
pool, salving our city-scarred
bodies and knowing, somehow
divining, that the worst was yet to
come.
Yes, the auguries were not pro­
pitious . . .
The evening meal o f Vesta Park
Italienne left no disappointment
to chance. The packet extolled its
contents in terms of “ tasty pork
pieces, twigy capsicum, tomatoes,
selected mediterranean spices, a
popular international favorite” .
Inside, however, were tw o
sachets; one containing no more
rice than would fill a sparrow, the
other a brown powder (“ when
reconstituted; m onosodium glu­
tamate, fo o d acid . . .” ).
We ate in silence, exchanged
glances which even for hardened
cynics as ourselves were incredu­
lous, then drank long and often.
Two days passed, between us
passed an uncommunicated con ­
sensus.
On the third day it was desper­
ately time to replenish supplies
from Bacchus Marsh. Ten minutes
before opening time, we waited
outside their equivalent o f “ Big
W” . We waited for the store to
open, lust in our hearts, pains in
our guts. When finally the big glass
doors swung open we raced inside.
CANS CANS CANS: we loaded
tihs into the supermarket buggy,
directed it to the pay counter,
paid the bill, put the goodies in
the packs and trucked back to the
camp. Here we tore the cans
apart, we dived in with relish . . .
we ate, yes, BAKED BEANS,
GLORIOUS BAKED BEANS, the
only staple for the Gorge.
□
T H E L IV IN G D A Y L IG H T S , ja n u a ry 2 9 -fe b ru a ry 4 , 1974 — Page 27
This report is from two Australians now living
in Britain. They were visiting Sydney over
Christmas, hence the surprise on their return to
discover that - contrary to press reports - “ the
crisis is the best thing that’s happened to British
capitalism since sliced bread” .
IT T IN G in Sydney reading the aus9s
ie press, we envisaged the entire
population of England frozen and im­
mobile in flickering candlelight before
their dead telly screens or roaming the
streets with a hungry look in their eyes.
We find it not so. Compared with the
days of the 1972 miners strike, things are
very quiet. The belts have tightened, but
so far only the usual people (pensioners,
invalids, unsupported mothers) are having
to eat cardboard.
Trafalgar Square has been taken over
by the pigeons, its fountains switched off
(to impress the tourists?) You see the
occasional petrol queue. Shopfronts are
darkened to save electricity (a field day
for shoplifters).
There arent so many cars about Lots
of people seem to be maniacally digging
up their gardens. The pubs are fuller.
With people at home an extra two days a
week, experts are predicting a baby boom
soon. Mothercare shares have soared.
Otherwise life seems to be proceeding
much as usual. Like in the blitz. Unem­
ployment is up, homelessness is up, pov­
erty is up, rents and prices are up, b u t the
barricades are n o t
S
Poor old p o m s . . . b u t a great old crisis
What about the "crisis" we've all been
reading about? The truth is that this
"crisis" is the best thing that's happened
to British capitalism since sliced bread.
We're supposed to be on a three day
week because the miners dispute is de­
pleting energy stocks. In fact these stocks
are healthy — the arabs have reduced our
oil supplies only slightly. The real reason
for the three day week is to try to turn
the blame for our economic ills on to the
miners, traindrivers and "reds" generally.
Heath has denounced the miners ac­
tion as "illegal". In fact, they arent even
on strike (despite what you hear on
Australian T V ); all they're doing is ban­
ning overtime. The shorter working week
— Heath's answer to this perfectly legal
"illegal" action — is costing Britain 800
times what it would cost to concede to
the miners wage demand.
Crisis mongering has other advantages
for the government and the bosses. It's
led to a big shakeout of many small
businesses and inefficient firms while at
the same time workers have been conned
into "pulling together to save Britain"
and accepting previously unthinkable
conditions.
A t Albion Motors in Glasgow, men are
working compulsory overtime with no
heating; it may be a mild winter, but this
is ridiculous. So long as the government
can keep people believing in their "crisis"
they can get away with murder — literal­
ly. People are working harder in lousier
conditions for less pay than any time
since the war.
And the bosses arent going to forget it.
When the "crisis" is over, they'll be
demanding the same rate of effort.
Union bashing - T U C style
The unions and the Trades Union Council
are saying that the Conservatives are
stopping people from working; in fact,
people are working harder in three days
than in their normal five. (Leftwing leaf­
lets welcoming the three day week but
demanding five days pay have been well
received down at the dole queues —
especially by women.)
But the T U C leadership is, as usual,
more frightened for its jobs than those of
the people it represents. We therefore
have the wretched sight of the body
which is supposed to be representing
workers interests pleading with Heath to
let it — the T U C — discipline workers
itself. The T U C promised to accept any­
thing Heath lays on it in future if he gives
in to the miners claim.
Showing the flag
Thanks to this pseudo "crisis", British
capitalists are feeling more confident
about dealing with their own very real
problems — increasing balance of pay­
ments deficit, a low level of capital
investment in industry, a predicted fall of
one percent in GNP this year.
In order to remain competitive with
European markets, they're going to have
to depress the peoples standard of living
even further than at present. That there's
a class war going on even the Conserva­
tives admit.
The ruling class carries on with un­
diminished arrogance. Its spokesmen go
on T V urging people to clean their teeth
in the dark while the rest of them go off
on holidays to Europe and the Carib­
bean. Those who stay behind spend their
time trying to whip up patriotic senti­
ment against the "threat from the left"
which they see as destroying Britain . . .
like this imbecile, who wrote into the
Daily telegraph the other day about flags:
Sir, Why is it apparently impossible to
buy a miniature Union Jack? Is it owing
to a shortage o f material, or some deep
psychological reasoning that considers it
unwholesome for a child to be able to
wave its country's flag? Perhaps it is
national defeatism. O r yet another sign o f
communism at work.
What about all these communists?
Despite the absence of large scale resist­
ance to the Conservatives policies (con­
trast the situation now with 1970, when
millions marched to protest against the
Industrial Relations Bill), the government
is clearly worried about the growing
sympathy for revolutionary ideas.
Take the occupation by squatters the
other day of Centre Point — a large office
block in the heart of London. (Its mil­
lionaire owner, Harry Hyams, has found
it more profitable to keep Centre Point
standing empty for the past four years.)
The Centre Point occupation sparked
off a large spontaneous demonstration in
support. Increasingly people are seeing
breaking the law as necessary to get what
they want — whether it's work, homes,
lower rents, or playgroups for their kids.
The Heath government's reaction is to
rely more and more on overt repression.
Coordination between the police and the
army for the control of predicted "civil
disorder" has been planned. Those tanks
at Heathrow were there more to prepare
the ground for future occasions than to
stop any arabs taking potshots at jumbos.
The law on picketing has been tighten­
ed up. The recent jailing of three building
workers (one for three years) for their
part in alleged violent pickets during a
building strike was meant to warn off all
militant trade unionists.
In Kirby, Liverpool, a rent striker
found herself in prison. In London, a
special unit of police (the "Special Patrol
Group"), trained to pick off active mili­
tants, is making its presence felt. Only
last week, it arrested 30 squatters who
were demonstrating outside an electricity
board office; yesterday it bagged 19 more
outside Centre Point. In Bristol the local
trades council has uncovered evidence of
police use of an agent provocateur in a
local left group.
But the more the government has to
rely on force, the less stable becomes its
rule. Even the Financial times is saying it:
British society is in a more fragile state
than at any time since the war. There's a
feeling that if workers and other oppres­
sed groups start to push against the door,
the whole edifice of British capitalism
could come tumbling down . . .
The power crisis is just that: a crisis
over who runs Britain.
HOW THE HOUSEWIFE CAN PUT BRITAIN BACK ON A FOUR-DAY WEEK
H16HT STORAGE HEATER
Hkw=
On for 8 hours
uses 18 units
HAIR D R Y E R -
Uses 1 unit in 1 hour I
Published b y Richard Neville at 174 Peel street. North M elbourne for Incorporated Newsagencies Pty L td , the publisher and d istrib utor, 113 R osslyn street, West Melbourne.
Th e Queensland floods
worst for over 70 years — have been exacerbated b y the w aterw ay-blocking greed of developers. A n om en that the tide is fin ally turning?
□