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Nick Drake - Ross Grainger interview 30 July 2019

Interview with Ross Grainger, 30 July 2019  This interview is based on a recorded transcript which began in Anthony Ashbolt’s office, then continued as we walked to the UOW Library, and finally as we sat down at the Panizzi CafĂ© in front of the library. The interviewer was Michael Organ. Those also in the conversation included Anthony Ashbolt and Kristy Newton of the Library.  RG: When I arrived in London I was living in a room below the office of Friends magazine.  MO: Friends magazine?  RG: Pete Steedman was around then. He was one of the editors of Friends, with a Z and an S.  AA: Ross's bookstore was underneath the Friends office.  MO: Was Richard Neville involved?  RG: His place with OZ magazine was in Leicester Square. I went there a few times, but particularly when they put out the school kids issue. We can do an interview today but I will take my time. I was working in China and had a stroke two years ago, plus I also have a cold so I'm not ...

Margaret Britt Live!

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The Vamps c.1967. Margaret - middle row, right. Margaret Britt was the founder and vocalist / instrumentalist during 1965 of Australia's first all-female rock band - The Vamps . She continues to perform live through to 2026 - an incredible career of some sixty plus years as a professional musician and bandleader! The Vamps were a very good band and should have been bigger. Margaret Britt and Linda Cable were probably the best female guitarists in Australia at that time (Gus Gullet, Facebook ,  2024)   The following page includes links to live performances, audio clips and social media information covering Margaret Britt's long career. It is arranged chronologically. Unfortunately there are no live or studio Australian recordings of the band from the 1960s, perhaps reflecting the misogyny of the recording industry during that period, especially in regards to rock bands. For further information refer to The Vamps (Australian Band) Wikipedia page as compiled by th...

David Bowie, Buddhism and Tibet

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I used to be a Tibetan Buddhist, you know? (David Bowie to Rosie O'Donnell 1997) I have always followed some of the tenets of Buddhism, especially the one about change. What came from my Buddhist bumblings is that change is our river. I keep coming back to that, and it means an awful lot to me. (David Bowie) David Bowie, Tibet House, 26 February 2001. Contents Impermanence Chronology References ----------------- Impermanence From the age of 13 a young boy from Bromley, England, born David Robert Jones - later to be known as Davey Jones or David Bowie (1947 - 2016) - was intrigued by Tibetan Buddhism. So intrigued, in fact, that in 1965 he was very close to committing to life as a monk. Fortunately his lama teacher Chime Yong Dong Rinpoche steered him towards a career in music and the performing arts. The Sixties countercultural revolution - comprising a heady mix of sex, drugs, rock 'n roll, philosophical meanderings and avant garde experimentation ...

Then Came Bronson ..... soooo cool

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Drive in car: Taking a trip? Bronson on bike: Yeah. Driver: Where to? Bronson: I don't know. Wherever I end up, I guess..... Then Came Bronson  was an American TV show which originally aired on NBC at 9pm on Wednesday nights between 24 March 1969 and 1 April 1970 as a 98 minute long pilot movie and 26 subsequent 50 minute episodes. The pilot was released outside of America in cinemas. The present writer remembers watching it on Australian TV as a 15-16 year old in the years immediately following. It was seen by many as a very cool version of the hit cinematic release Easy Rider , though it had been conceived, and the pilot aired, prior to the release of that film. In the Bronson case it was the story of a single person - Jim Bronson - travelling around the US on a red Harley Davidson Sportster 1968-9 XLH900 motorcycle, wearing only a blue woolen cap, searching for the meaning of life after the death of a close friend. Starring Michael Parks (1940-2017), it developed a cult ...

Paul Edmund Strzelecki and James Macarthur - Sydney to Mt. Kosciusko via Adelong 1840

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Paul Edmund Strzelecki : Adelong 1840 | In Australia 1839-43 | Stamps & Covers | In Australia (video) | W.B. Clarke | Eugene von Guerard print 1866 | Paul Edmund Strzelecki c.1845. Contents Who was first? Chronology McMillan Dinner Macarthur's reply References ----------------- Abstract : During February - March 1840 the Paul Edmund Strzelecki - James Macarthur expedition to Wilson's Promontory on the west coast of Victoria passed through Adelong. After reaching and naming Mount Kosciusko it went on to encounter the then unnamed Gippsland region, and finally on to Melbourne. Controversy subsequently arose in 1856 concerning the claim to "discovery of Gippsland" by Angus McMillan. Macarthur subsequently intervened to put forward a claim on the part of himself and Strzelecki. The Strzelecki - Macarthur personal and profession connection was emphasised during a brief stay in the Adelong region of New South Wales whil...