Читать книгу Behind the Rock and Beyond - Leon Isackson - Страница 17

A little while later on October 8, 1959, Barry and I went to see The Champs (Tequila) at the Stadium. It was an afternoon show and on the way to our dance at Chatswood that evening we were very irate that some mug had had a smash on the Harbour Bridge and was holding us up. We drove straight past the smash and on to the Chatswood dance.

By nine o’clock, Dig, Peter and Boogie still hadn’t shown up. We started to worry. Then someone came and told us that Dig had smashed his Morris Minor underneath the back of a tabletop truck on the Harbour Bridge. We had driven right past and not even recognised the car! Dig had a dislocated hip and very bad facial injuries. Peter had some lacerations and a little shock. Boogie had a broken jaw. We went to the Mater Hospital to see them but the nurses wouldn’t let us in. We stood outside the window listening to Dig, who was delirious and yelling out at the poor nuns who were trying to relocate his hip: “Go away, you fucking angels! I’m not dead yet! Leave me alone!”

As soon as Peter and Boogie had recovered enough to work, we persevered playing without Dig for a while. The band was starting to get very professional in its attitude but unfortunately Barry wasn’t. Peter had given him the name of “Limp Beat Lewis” or “The Lewisician.”

We had just been to Melbourne before Dig’s accident and Barry had done a rather naughty thing that got us into big trouble with GVT9 in Melbourne and with Ken Taylor back at Festival in Sydney. We were working for GVT9 on Bert Newton’s Swallows Juniors and staying at the George Hotel. Anyhow, Col Joye & the Joy Boys were also staying there. We were into playing tricks on other bands, so we played some harmless little tricks like setting up guitarist, Dave Bridge’s bed so that it would fall down as soon as any weight went on it, hanging their guitars from the light fittings and short sheeting Col’s bed. Then we waited for them to go into their suite. After they went inside, we stood a huge “private” sign outside the door with a bucket of water on it, leaning against the door. Then we knocked and yelled out to John Bogie, their drummer, “Come out here Bogie!” As Bogie opened the door he kicked the bucket and got a little wet, to say the least. He then chased Barry and I back to our room, where unbeknownst to me, Barry had stashed one of the fire extinguishers that he had pulled off the wall. As Bogie burst in the door, he was confronted with the sight of Barry with the fire extinguisher turned upside down, ready to go! Bogie ran, but he wasn’t quick enough. The foam caught him right up the arse before he got to his door. It also painted the rest of the hallway because we couldn’t turn it off. It eventually ate away all the carpet.

The George Hotel was at that time owned by GVT9. Need I say anymore? We were in deep shit! After GVT9 contacted Ken Taylor, he gave us a long lecture, especially “Barry the Beast”!

We were playing a show in Grafton when Peter and I decided that we would have to sack “the Beast” and get this guy that we saw playing with Ray Hoff & the Off Beats, namely LEON ISACKSON. On our arrival back in Sydney we were playing at Phyllis Bates Ballroom when Peter turned to Barry and said “Lewis, you’re sacked!” Lewis was so surprised and disbelieving he simply said “Jon, you’re sacked too!” It was a shame that this had to happen to the guy, that along with me, had started Dig & the R’Jays but the thing about this business is being the best, isn’t it? Or is it?