Another Hippy Remembers Part 3

So, "…the roads of excess lead to the palaces of wisdom…" and what a strange trip it was turning out to be.

 

1971 and people were bursting into flame everywhere. 'Glams' had replaced 'grams' and I felt old and I was only 22. Friends were going down, optimism was changing to onanism, and we were looking for a place to wait out the coming storm. My road had led me across the world in 1972 to New Zealand to enjoy a year of hippydom that was frozen in a time warp from circa 1969. My return in 1973 was marked by the arrival of Comet Kohoutec, and a bash in London called the Oh Kohoutec! Christmas Comet Party, at the Lyceum, featuring The Planet Gong.  

Now, we were all aware that Gong was led by the legendary Daevid Allen, Australian resident of La Belle France. Most importantly for me, Daevid was the co-founder of The Soft Machine, the only other band, alongside The Pink Floyd, in 1966-7 who could claim to be house band of the underground.

Pic thanks to the Gong site.

Gong was formed out of the ashes of the May 1968 Paris Revolution, and Daevid Allen was an avowed admirer of Syd Barrett's vocal and guitar style. (France being the most loyal and enthusiastic Pink Floyd / Syd Barrett community in the late '60's and early '70's. The French have always shown a close affinity for surreal and experimental musical genres.) Kevin Ayers had at one time been a member of the band. Gong had two albums out on Virgin at the time; Flying Teapot and Angel's Egg. Truly psychedelic, and Allen's vocals beautifully recalled the vocal style of Syd himself. (If you have never heard these records, do yourself a favour, and also check out Gong's 'You', and Steve Hillage's solo backed by Gong, 'Fish Rising'.) 

And what a show Oh Kohoutec turned out to be! This was the real thing - space music that echoed the Barrett-era Floyd mixed with masses of absurdist humour, a great light show, oceans of Barrettesque glissando and blistering improvisation. Jesus Jellet took his clothes off and danced as usual, and Tim Blake, the Gong synthesiser player, threw bananas out into the audience during the climactic closing number. Merde! Culturally this was the business, it seemed like people had emerged from hiding in their most exotic finery just for this event. 

Flash!Cut to 1975. Another trip to New Zealand under the belt, then off to Goldsmith's College to begin Art School. Word had come to me that Gong had relocated from France and were living in an old farmhouse near Oxford, my home town. I was determined to make contact, so I hauled up at the Virgin Manor Studios with a scribbled note from Richard Branson inviting me to call if I ever needed a job. I quickly obtained the address of the Gongfarm, and made plans for the visit.

 Terry and I arrived on foot at the gate to the farm. We checked our survival kits - 'Lurex woolley hat? - check! Ready rolled? - check! Mind? - check!' and down the path we trotted. Well, to cut a long story short we hit it off with the band straight away, becoming trusted hangers-on, or to use the correct terminology of the day, 'Liggers'. It was the last days of good lysergic and hash, very long hair, macrobiotics and mysticism. Doors were still open to strangers. I often minded the farm for Gong whilst they were away on gigs, and I witnessed some amazing music from behind the scenes. Quite often, after rehearsals at the farm, I got to sit in and play with the band. I recall one endless version of 'Interstella Overdrive' with Steve Hillage moving from drums to guitar and so forth. Tim Blake it turned out was an absolute Barrett nut. He used to lean a picture of Syd against his synth console for inspiration at gigs, and affected much of the legendary Barrett persona himself. Steve Hillage's partner was Miquette Giraudy, a beautiful French girl who appeared in the film 'La Valle', for which the Floyd provided the soundtrack.

Daevid Allen (1972) Thanks to the Gong site for this pic and the next.

Daevid did an interview about this time where he acknowledged Syd's influence on his glissando guitar style 'It's all Syd!' he explained,'I copied his glissando style after seeing Syd at the 'Technicolor Dream.' He said that he thought the gliss was amazing, hearing echoes of Gregorian chant and Debussy woven through its texture.

It was around this time, as legend has it, at a Gong party, that Robert Wyatt the Soft Machine drummer,fell out of an upstairs window which resulted in him becoming permanently wheelchair bound.

Daevid temporarily left the band that year, and Gong got Nick Mason to produce their 'Shamal' album (not psychedelic!). We attended a concert at Hammersmith Odeon around that time and pre-show we were all backstage with the Gong family indulging in this and that. Sue, my wife, and I were flicking through one of those rock photography books, and this guy stops us on one page and said 'Where was that Hendrix picture taken?' - I said it was from 'Christmas on Earth Continued'. He said, "I don't remember that" and I looked up and it was Nick Mason. I reminded him that it was the occasion of Syd's infamous last stand and he rolled his eyes and said 'Oh yes, that one' and laughed. After he walked off Sue asked 'Who was that?'. Well, you wouldn't have recognised him from earlier incarnations. Short hair and clean shaven, more like a lawyer than a rock drummer. 

Flash! Cut to Sydney 1989

I'm walking past Paddington Markets on a Saturday when a familiar figure shambles by wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan "The Invisible Opera Company of Tibet". There were very few people in the world who I knew could be wearing that slogan, so I span around and called "Dingo?!". Sure enough, after more than ten years it was Daevid himself. It seems that he was nearing the end of a lengthy low-key sojourn in Australia and was about to do some busking(!) at the markets. We fell to talking, and after catching up with the lives of mutual friends I mentioned that I was in the process of creating an audio-visual installation profiling Syd, and did he have any light to shine on his time as part of the '60's London underground. Well, no it turns out, the Softs and the Floyd very rarely spoke even though they shared bookings and so forth. It appears that the sense of community that the heads on the street felt was never really shared by their musicians. Syd very much kept himself to himself and Daevid really just admired him from a distance. Oh well….I caught up with Daevid's busking a little later and it was quite surreal, crouched in the street witnessing music which came in a direct line from Syd to Sydney, twenty two years down the track!

A couple of years later I was waiting at the counter of Budget Rent- A- Car in central Sydney when a very familiar figure arrived next to me. Now the last time I saw Dave Gilmour was back at the Crystal Palace Garden Party in (I think) 1970 (I stand to be corrected on the date - they performed Meddle in the rain - beautiful!). Imagine my surprise to see a rather rotund short haired chap of the Nick Mason ilk. He was over pre the Delicate Sound of Thunder tour and we spent an amiable ten minutes chatting away about nothing in particular.

So there are my Floydian memoires, excluding concerts after 1967. I hope that there were/are some resonance's with some of you who have read them. The '67 events changed my life, and Terry's, forever. For the better I hope. I 'm happy to hear from anyone who wishes to Contact Me about the material, and a huge thank you to Col for providing me with the opportunity to share it with everyone. Love forever - Ian  

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