from "Does Anybody Remember the Ballpants"
..as I remember it.....firstly, thanks Izzy for accepting my request and thanks
Google. The BP was always a warm place to walk into. I got to the X early '69 and
like a lot of others I was searching for the fabled "summer of love" and the source
of the uprising against the establishment. I didn't find either but had fucking great
time trying. The memories of the X at that time tend to be fairly romantic but the
fact is it was a monster that sucked people in and spat them out as quickly as they
arrived. I saw fresh faced people with big smiles on their faces and a sense of
adventure only to see them six months later looking wide eyed, homeless, hungry
and desperate. It could be very cut throat and you needed a keen sense of
survival. I spent just over two years there and left because the police were after
me. I had been busted for possession of a "prepared opiate, to wit morphine" for
a second time. I was given a six month suspended sentence and ordered to live
where directed by the probation office. I was also ordered to stay away from the
X....yeah right! A couple of months later I was walking down Williams St. and the
cop who had arrested me was driving up the other way...he saw me, I saw him and
I ran and ran and ran.. That was the end of my days at the X. However, the good
times....Waldo and Izzy doing The Fugs, Fish and Fire Engines, Phill Raymond
"Season Of The Witch", Brian Wakefield, anything from Big Bill Broonzy, Steve Hat
doing the whole Beatles catalogue, Rusty(Andrew MacKenzie, I'm still in contact
with) doing Dylan and Sarstedt, Lynley ? (i was in love with her) doing Universal
Sodier and Cohen, Pig great voice and harmonica) anything bluesy, Pete (Popstar)
Canon doing Animals covers, Ralph Graham and his Rickenbacker, also a great
voice, who seemed to be able to belt out anything. And my dear mate Frank
Kotoudges whosat there and plugged away on bass behind most of them. There
were the characters that made it all insanely sane as well. Remember Adam? He
was always half naked and wearing a builders apron, Dutch Andy, who stood
drunkenly on the gutter outside The Goldfish Bowl and threatened the cops that he
would jump if they came any closer, Old Mick, guardian of the fountain, the GI's,
Sunday at Hyde Park with Webster, tripping at Coopers Park in Coopers Bay, Acid
Tests at the Mandala Theatre in Paddo, muso nights on Mondays at Caesars In
Place, The Mandarin Room, the French girls, Whittys Wine Bar, the little Italian
restaurant just past The Coconut Jungle where you could get a bowl of spag bog
for 75 cents....I often wonder what happened to all those people I met during
those days. Frank and Rusty I found by sending a letter to the Wollongong
newspaper. Anyway, I could go on...everythings cool and it would be great to read
any add ons to what I've written. Peace out....