Albert Tucker & the Heide painters

Singapore fell in '42 and Nolan, Boyd, Perceval and Tucker
saw there was nothing for it and so these Angry Penguins marched to war
Wangaratta training camp Albert drew medical diagrams war made him sick
he sweated retched and arched around the head he choked on war
his throat swelled up with it they sent him to Heidelberg hospital where
he got a new job drawing wounds that plastic surgeons had to fix
he sketched a man crying from his sliced-off nose Man at table

certain flaws are required for the whole
The waste land/ bomb happies/ gas burns/ Explorers/ Antipodean Heads
five weeks of detailed injuries then at year's end discharged
Tucker returned to St Kilda streetlights neons swimming in a boozy
forced end-of-the-world semi-contracepted raucousness

but at Heide he could crawl under Merrick Boyd's Spanish table
and escape it all one day a stone angel came to life there
her name was Joy she shed her wings buried them
in the garden Sunday loved her by firelight she painted strange
haunted faces black and white eyes pounding out of their sockets

these Reeds’ creatures, they painted like demons
little-boy-lost Sweeney Hallam Tucker arrived in 1945
Albert built him a playpen on the balcony of 47 Robe St, St Kilda
there at Figsby, the painters preferred the southern light
Bert's Images of Modern Evil
Joy painted A frightened woman
on taking Sweeney to view a Belsen film

visited by a rushing noise ghost in 1947 Hester left then Tucker left
Sweeney became Reed Nolan abandoned Sunday
John buried himself in what only John Reed could do
Tucker became art correspondent in Japan
Hiroshima in pen & ink was there no end to it

who could read in that beautiful face Self Portrait of 1939
that Tucker was born to chronicle all that damage

Ian Rilen rages: 6.10.06 Prince of Wales St Kilda & beyond

Ian Rilen: Thanks for the joy. Was there ever a more original primal rock'n'roll band than X? How many nights of black and blue bliss did you give me with Cathy Green on drums? Now she's playing super bass to your guitar in your current band The Love Addicts. Pure swamp crocodile - hear their 'Family From Cuba' through the link above. Rose Tattoo - the band you formed - apparently lifted the roof 7.10.06 at the sold-out POW but you, alas, were too sick with that damn man-eating cancer (and chemo) to stir off your hotel bed 100 metres down the road, but I hear you had some good visitors man.

Beasts of Bourbon: you did Ian proud. What monsters of rock you are. You are tight, you bounce, you rage, you roar, you are 150% dedication to the task of lifting our skulls off and pouring in a mixture of love and hydrochloric acid. WHAT is that Master/Slave song? Audacious salacious contagious. Thanks for showing you care. You can't be beaten. Je suis sold.

How good is Paul Kelly? His unannounced appearance at the POW was a rare neat shot of the man, his harmonica, his voice and his o-so-skillful and moving songs, and yet the 2 girls in front of us kept talking ABOUT THEIR HAIR right through his set. Oh preserve me girls.

Apparently around $40K gross was raised with absolutely everybody on the shows donating their work and equipment, with this money to go to Rilen's medical costs and family. At Ian Rilen's dictate Melbourne tickets stayed at $25.

There has been a whisper (as of 10.10.06) that Lobby Loyd is in remission from his cancer, so let's hope Rilen might be able to rally in time for a Sydney show rumoured to be dripping with some of Australia's hottest talent pulling Rilen songs out of their Greatest Influences rack. And why not? This man can wrap a classic pop song format around the most dangerous rock'n'roll ever to have escaped from captivity, break your heart and and make you laugh out loud all at the same time. Ian Rilen, "Bad Boy For Love", is "Bad For Good". Money from that show - date to be advised - will go to SupportAct, the organisation that helps music business folks when they're down on their luck (thanks Michael "Chuggie" Chugg & associates for that great effort

Highlights of the sold-out Friday 7.10.06 POW show included the Tatts and late unannounced appearances with the Hoodoo Gurus by Chrissy Amphlett singing "I'll Make You Happy" and Billy Thorpe with the Tatts.

Greg Sawers is the manager of The Love Addicts and main organiser of all this extraordinary effort. Roll on Sydney (date to be announced).

From the blog of Steve Kilbey (The Church) The Time Being...

"Monday, September 11, 2006

some friends tell me that ian rilen
a real rocknroll character here in sydney n melb
has terminal cancer n hes refused all the chemo n stuff
i dont know what to say..
i guess i can sorta understand ..
i know ian a bit
and hes the real rocknrollin' thing in spades
hard livin' hard lovin' hard fightin' hard drinkin' rocker
he writes great songs too
a whole buncha classics he penned
still one hopes ian could be miraculously cured
we're losin' a lotta good guys recently..
ian was in a great band called sardine v
and we opened for em once
and they were so good
i wasnt even jealous
ian had a great big suit n a weird guitar
another time ian "accosted" me n grant mc
at the hopetoun pub in sydney
he was trying to lift grants hat up to see how much hair he had
and then he was trying to give me a big beery kiss
we fell over and were kinda strugglin around on the floor
of this gig
and people were saying jesus!
aint that steve kilbey n ian rilen lyin on the floor there ?!
its ok
me n ian are mates
he used ta live up the road from me in rozelle
and i used ta drop in at his little house on my way up the shops
wow ian
you manage to be classy and wild at the same time!
a sorta rough gentleman or something
anyway
christ!
i hope it dont happen ian
but if it does
i hope you slip like a silver drop
into a silver sea
sk 11 9 2006
posted by steve kilbey at 1:52 PM 47 comments"

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