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Beatles

BEATLES
~ These were given out from Mobil Service Stations when I was a kid. I used to have literally dozens of them, even though my family never had a car; I used to collect them repeatedly whilst passing on my Chemist Round. Then suddenly I had just one and it collected some water damage along the way of my life.

First Guitar & Bolero Guitar

FIRST GUITAR & BOLERO GUITAR
~ The Guitar on the left was my first ever. I espied it repeatedly at an old fashioned local Music Shop, then convinced my Mother to buy it for my 12th birthday. It came the hard way, behind my Violin insistent father's back and via a lift from a neighbour whose car I had landed on face first while riding my bike furiously to get away from a menacing dog who would not give up the chase. The other Guitar together with clearing the debt was a trade for the return of the gear I had bought for my stint with our band 'Ethic' aged 18. It lived on to become my 'Most-Songs-Written-On' Guitar.

Brian Jones Death

BRIAN JONES DEATH 1969
~ Poor old Brian. He was my favourite of the Rolling Stones especially because he had blonde hair like me! He was a cat who could play any instrument - I absolutely loved his musicianship! He also led the way in Rock'N'Roll fashion like no other before or since. On top of that he founded my favourite band in the world and had become my idol. I was shocked by his death, and coming on top of the assasination of the two Kennedys and Martin Luther King it rocked my idealism and world irreparably it seemed.

Songwriters & Lyricists Association

SONGWRITERS & LYRICISTS ASSOCIATION
~ Ah the company of Sonwriters and Lyricists, I remember it fondly. Attending SCALA events regularly always felt like coming home, being among your own. It reinforced my commitment to only playing my own original songs and music.

Squire Stratocaster

SQUIRE STRATOCASTER
~ This is the first 6-string-electric Guitar I ever owned, and still in its original state i.e. before I began a series of modifications to it. The 'Cube' Roland 40 Watt Amplifier really kicked arse! I kept it in perpetual overdrive n all n all!!

Dobro, Vantage & Gibson Guitars

DOBRO, VANTAGE & GIBSON GUITARS
~ You can never have enough Guitars, and this was a particularly nice threesome to have. Funnily enough, the 'Vantage Avenger' was the one I most liked to play because it was well balanced and the feel of the neck was just right for me.

Gibson Les Paul Standard

GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD
~ Ah ... the Gibbo, the Gibbo ... I really wished I'd not had to sell it before I'd managed much better acquaintance with it. Still its 'heavy-to-oneside' imbalance made it uncomfortable to play either sitting or standing, and its neck never ever felt good for some reason.

Rolling Stones Kooyong 1973

ROLLING STONES KOOYONG 1973
~ I missed the first two Rolling Stones Australian tours of 1965 & 1966, because I was too young to go on my own per my parents ruling despite my sustained and vehement protestations! But I made this one with a vengeance, going to both the afternoon and evening concerts on the Saturday while just missing out on a ticket to attend the third on the Sunday!! The Saturday evening concert was the most memorable as we managed to get seats i the fifth row from the front as well as smuggling in a bottle of Johnny Walker Red which we drank all of straight between just two of us. It was a marvelously warm night and we danced on the seats, everywhere really, in total freedom to the sounds of our all time favourite band.

Rolling Stones Rod Laver Arena 2003

ROLLING STONES ROD LAVER ARENA 2003
~ This Concert was most memorable because two lifelong friends got together, this time together with our respective partners, to relive our 1973 experiences as well as marvel at the fact that the Rolling Stones and we too had lived on!! ...

'ME' n this life long friend sat on some outside steps at Rod Laver Arena, in Melb-Oz, awaiting another Stonez concert n marvelling at d continuous thick stream of people, ranging in age from around 15 or so to perhaps 70(!), making their way to n into d Arena, when my friend mused "This happenz all over the world." ... "And, hey look at that old lady, sheez desperate to get in d gate to see em one more time, before she takez her last breath!" ... [We luvz ya, keef, mick, charlie, ronnie ( n bill, mick2 n brian too)]

Bolero Flamenco 2004

BOLERO FLAMENCO 2004
~ This was a gift from my partner's daughter as well as a gift in and of itself. We were riveted by the dancing, the Spanish influence, and especially by the the centrepiece of the show, the band - La Quartada Tango. We hurried to buy the last-mentioned's Album/CD after the show and also picked up a Double Album/CD of the music of Astor Piazzolla (dubbed 'The Soul Of Tango') in the process.

Mark Knopfler 2005

MARK KNOPFLER 2005
~ This came as a nice surprise invitation from my younger brother. He and his wife had won two tickets to this Mark Knopfler Concert, and when his wife decided to keep a previously booked and clashing engagement, he invited me upon her suggestion. My brother was an avid Dire Straits fan, and particularly of Mark Knopfler - it was his generation's best band. I liked Dire Straits myself and had seen them in concert at Football park in Adelaide, South Australia. The soundtrack of the film 'Local Hero', composed by Mark Knopfler, was and is one of my favourite pieces of music ever! Mark Knopfler was nursing a cold on the night of the concert and it was interesting seeing the contrast of him sitting in a fireside chat manner sipping at his cup of tea compared to the heady days of Dire Straits. All in all a fond memory shared with my brother.

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ℳ Last-Updated: 2021.05.12

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