MICHAEL WHITE - Ballpants

Michael White (NZ) passed away Friday June, 19 2015

Michael White 2015

Recollections from Michael White
"Does Anybody Remember the Ballpants"

.. 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 Soldier 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 who sat 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...everything's cool and it would be great to read any add ons to what I've written. Peace out....

IZZY AT LENNOX

Izzy Foreal, front man, Vocalist & Bass player from the Legendary Zarsoff Brothers Band has now joined the band after the passing of Rollin D Gale & is contributing his well honed skills to the line up. You can look him up on the web in many places! The Zarsoff’s were renowned throughout the 80’s for their bizarre onstage antics. They toured extensively throughout Oz. Their album Rude Awakening reached the album charts in 1984. Prior to this he had been a member of the Original Battersea Heroes, led by Terry Darmody & then in The 69ers’ line up by 1970. The 69ers played a riotous set at the second annual Sunbury festival in January 1973. Their track .. "Harry Rag'" appeared on the triple live set The Great Australian Rock Festival Sunbury 1973, issued by Mushroom. Festival also issued ..Harry Rag' as a single that month, backed with .. "Blood Flash" and .. "Rag Mama". A year later, Festival/Infinity issued the band's Sunbury set as the album Francis Butler's 69ers Live. Although he smells of success, he is quite a nice chap really!

Peter Jaggle, Director of DrumOz Percussion Solutions, obviously plays percussion on just about anything! He has composed film soundtracks for the ABC and NZBC, conducted workshops all over Australasia, & internationally & has played with John English, John Williamson, John Farhnam & Dionne Warwick to name a few Johns. He has played on stage and television in NZ, UK & Europe. He founded Young Drums School of Percussion, which has performed all over the Capitals of Oz & at the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in Scotland. PJ’s teaching methods have been endorsed and supported by most of the biggest names in percussion. Including:- Zildjian, PREMiER, SABIAN, MEINL, Mapex, TOCA, and ECO.

'09 Hillbilly Blues Bandit at Lennox Point Hotel

An excellent capture of Peter Hurcombe playing slide ..

I travelled up from Grafton to catch up with Peter 'Izzy Foreal' Knox who was playing with his band the Hillbilly Blues Bandits at the Lennox Point Hotel. Peter is a peer from the days, though their paths had crossed on many occasions, at Ball Pants, French's Tavern and Whitty's Wine Bar they had not met.

Peter and his partner Lynne arrived around 11 a.m. and we had lunch at Lennox Beach Park.

Lynne Braithwaite-Sanders taking a snap of Izzy and Nanny
.. notice Brianna imitating my slouch.

 

Scrubby Pete

 
Nice photo of the band except the drummer's head is obscured
.

 Myspace

Scrubby Pete Hurcombe, plays white-hot guitar & vocals, he has been playing various tunings on guitars since he was a kid, & as a result he is a great slide guitar exponent. He is the alchemist of the band & has played many festivals, & shows, selling his soul too often to remember, only for the love of roots music. He has played everywhere from Sydney to Coolangatta, Birdsville & Oodnadatta via the Simpson Desert to Fitroy Crossing, Derby & Broom, & up north to Bamaga at Cape York, but he still loves the chance to play live music.

Peter 'Izzyforeal' Knox

Peter 'IZZYFOREAL' Knox
( Zarsoff Bros, New Original Battersea Heroes, '69ers, Hillbilly Blues Bandits )

 Izzy has just opened a Facebook Group called

" Does anyone remember the Ball Pants?" 

 Izzy's notes on the Ball Pants

He was resident bass player there for some time. Izzy hopes it is OK to use the foto of Brougham Lane from your site for the group. Izzy is playing Bass on the Red Mckelvie video and its on Forealnfriends Utube if you don't have it. Feel free to grab it. Its a great site you've made. I was at Taylor Square as well, Frenchs, Flinders Street and Courthouse mainly but my memories are vague - can't think why. I have also linked your site to our blogs because it seems to me the internet needs a lot more memories of Sydney in those years. I guess WE are now the HISTORY. Thanks for all your work. Looking forward to the next thing to come. Yrs"

Third Union Band with Peter Knox (bass) and Red McKelvie (lead)

Peter Knox (now known by the performing name of Izzy Foreal). Izzy (as Peter Knox) entered the Taylor Square music scene in the late 60s, playing at the Oxford Hotel in the strange Dylanesque outfit Sylvester Quincy Barkers Music Box, which featured Waldo Hayes on guitar and Mike Turner on drums. That band also played regularly at the Trolley Car Bar in City Road, and the Wayside Chapel in The Cross. Also as Peter Knox, Izzy played with Daryl McKenzie and Red McKelvie in Quill, having replaced Terry Wilkins on bass when Terry joined Flying Circus.

Do you remember Peter Knox? For a time after his stint with Quill, Peter/Izzy played the wine bars around Taylor Square. In his typically skullduggerous fashion, he had a little outfit called Fluke (the name was a piss-take on Flake, who were hugely popular at the time). Fluke never got famous, so the piss-take on the name never got to offend anyone.



In 1970 Peter/Izzy joined The 69ERS, replacing Brian Bethell. The band at that stage featured Keith Longman on drums, who was soon to be replaced by Dave Ovenden. Peter/Izzy was in that band’s lineup when they played at the 1973 Sunbury Festival in Victoria, to much critical acclaim and general merriment.

In late 1970 or some time in 1971 (though these years may need to be verified by others who were there), that Peter/Izzy played bass with the Original Battersea Heroes, who by that time had moved away from their wine bar beginnings and were firmly entrenched in the rock music circuit. The Heroes at that stage featured Tony Burkys and Bob McGowan on guitars, Terry Darmody out front, and Dennis (whose surname will have to be verified elsewhere) on a hybrid drumkit/washboard concoction.

A bit later in the 1970s (again, someone else will have to verify dates), Peter/Izzy played bass with Red McKelvie, Graham Lister and Dave Ovenden in the Third Union Band (who started out as Johnny and The Ringworms, but that’s another story …). It’s Peter/Izzy playing bass in the GTK clip of the Third Union Band featured elsewhere on this site. Peter/Izzy was replaced in the Third Union Band by Harry Brus (but that’s also another story …)